You are cordially invited... BEDA #31

... to come to my end of BEDA slumber party!

Today is the last day of BEDA, and I am going to make it EPIC, by Jove!*

(I just realised that my computer screen was zoomed in, which was why I was staring owlishly at it. But you didn't know that before I said anything. -inches along stealthily-)

Welcome to my end of August SLUMBER PARTY! Let's play a game! Here are the rules. -passes out party blowers and glittery hats- There are no rules.** I get to make them up as I go, and I have no idea what direction this blog is going to take. -blindfolds each blog reader- Okay, now that you can't see (but can magically still read my blog, hmmmm) start dancing!

Okay, stop. I changed my mind about the dancing. I think it might be a hazard. -takes away blindfolds-

Erhm... NEXT! -dashes over to a unicorn piñata, waves wand- Okay, hit this with the closest thing to you. And in the comments, tell me what you hit it with. -waits-

Did you break it yet? OF COURSE NOT! I magicked it so that it couldn't break! -rolls on grass laughing hysterically- Oohhh, it's been a while since I've laughed that hard... ONTO THE NEXT ACTIVITY! -skips and twirls to nighttime-

It has magically become night. I WANT EVERYONE TO CHECK THEIR BACK LEFT POCKET! Use the flashlight that I sneakily stashed there to play FLASHLIGHT TAG! -runs around, flailing arms-

Floo powder power! Floo powder power! Floo powder power! -poof!-

This is my living room, which as been converted into a very large fort. -sits on floor in circle- -shines flashlight on face- Now we're going to tell ghost stories.

Once there was a little girl. She was a very happy girl. Then she found a dust bunny under her bed. But the bunny turned out to be a bloodsucking feral beast! The dust demon ate her teddy bear then flew out the window. Every night from then on she slept in fear, and with a slight twitch. The end.

Holy tuttle-monkey, that was terrifying. Let's play a happy game so that I'll be able to sleep tonight. -looks warily over shoulder- I like scattergories. -rolls die- The letter is K, and we're on list 32.75. Put your answers in the comments, as well! (Leave a second if you've already told me what you hit the piñata with.)

1. mythical creatures/monsters

2. songs with a person's name in the title

3. Things associated with the internet

4. bands with one word names

5. dog breeds

6. colors

7. Terrifying things

8. A vlogbrother inside joke

Tally up the points. Who won?***

Everybody get into your sleeping bag! What kind of sleeping bag to you have? Mine is Scooby Doo.**** -snuggles into sleeping bag- This is the part where we turn of the lights, but keep talking in whispers and giggles. -eventually falls asleep-

-everyone wakes up to the smell of blueberry pancakes and waffles- Who wants a cup of tea? Come on, let's have leftover cake while we're at it.

I think this was the perfect end to BEDA. Let's do it again sometime, shall we? -waves as everyone drives home-

With happiness,

Maggie

Something I learned today: I just came to the full realization how awesome all of you are and how much I'm going to miss reading your blogs and your comments on my blog. I will certainly keep reading and commenting, and I hope you all continue to blog. Much love!

*Who is Jove?

**Actually, there is ONE rule. I want you to write everything in the comments that you do. This is an INTERACTIVE blog!

***EVERYONE IS A WINNER!

****I don't actually have a Scooby Doo sleeping bag. That would be awesome, though. The point in me telling you is so that you can MAKE UP A SLEEPING BAG! Or use a real one that you have. Either is acceptable. No, either is TOALLY AWESOME! -does the sleepingbag dance- There is a dance for everything.

The penultimate blog... BEDA #30

... similar to the penultimate peril, but it's a blog.

Often when I am sitting in class, only semi-paying attention, I will have a brilliant idea for a blog. As I start to write it down I say to myself, "No, Maggie. You need to focus on class. Don't worry, you won't forget SUCH A GREAT IDEA!"

Yes, yes you will. This sort of thing happens to me all the time, yet I haven't learned to just write whatever I'm thinking of on a piece of paper.

I wore socks today. Well, I wear socks every day. It's part of our uniform code; Thou shalt wear close-toed shoes and socks of the color black or white. But my mom made my socks! Which makes them special, and better than everyone else's socks combined. Well, maybe not combined.*

Last Friday I had to leave my Government class ten minutes early, so I missed the announcement that our test on Tuesday (tomorrow) would be over all of Chapter 1, and that to prepare for the test, we need to READ Chapter 1. So, that is my homework. To read Chapter 1, take notes, study them, and be tested on them tomorrow morning. *half-hearted fist pump* Have I mentioned that I'm not a very driven person when it comes to studying?**

Well, enough about me, tell me about you. Seriously. I want each of you to write something in the comments. If you need to rant about something, rant. If you want to gush, gush. If you want to share a word you learned, share it. Here are some examples of comments that I want to see:

You stubbed your toe this morning, and then your cat attacked it because it thought it was a mouse.

You saw one of your teachers out jogging, and it was extremely awkward.

Someone wore their shirt inside out today, and the tag said "Wednesday."

You wore a pair of shorts that you haven't worn in a while and found $10 in the pocket.

Someone got an A on their last paper! *points at you*

Oh my gosh, I love the word exacerbate soooo much!

Etcetera, etcetera.

I really need to go do my homework now. It's almost 6:30, and I want to watch Rachel Maddow.***


With much strangeness,****
Maggie


*Yes, combined.

**I'm not a very driven person when it comes to studying.

***I kinda (read: really) fangirl Rachel Maddow.

****My friends and I on facebook have this thing, where whenever we are procrastinating a lot, we start a questionnaire. Generally I start them, since I am the best procrastinator, but yesterday Anna started one. And it was WEIRD as shit. So I decided to fill it out as weirdly as possible, and I haven't been completely normal ever since.

A list... BEDA #29

... of epic proportions.

FIRSTLY! I want to say thanks so so so much for your comments on my artwork yesterday! It gives me warm fuzzies to read them. So thank you! =)

Today I have much to do. So I am going to write my list here and move on, since, erhm... I have lots to do. *ahem* LIST TIME!

1. Do my homework. This is priority numba one. I estimate that it will take me *consults planner* about two hours, give or take half an hour for loafing.

2. Clean my room. IT'S A WRECK. I estimate this will take half an hour, since I don't plan on doing a pristine job.

3. Laundry. It needs be done. Ten minutes, tops.

4. Go to the bank. Fifteen minutes, unless traffic is suckish.

5. If I have time, write a script for a new video for my channel. I got about 90 new subscribers from winning the ALL CAPS contest. SO I NEED A VIDEO! Any of you have any brilliant ideas? Perhaps tomorrow I will run some by you guys. Because I trust your opinions.

6. Draft a letter of proposal to my school for improvements. My friends and I have BIG plans for something. Perhaps details later.

7. Go to a concert thingamagig with Alysa. Because she asked me to and a love her muchly. It's at five and will last who knows how long.

That is all I can think of for now. If my math is correct, this will all take me roughly 4 hours (minus the concert). Which gives me an extra three hours before I need to leave with Alysa. COOL!

Making lists is fun.


With determination,
Maggie


Something I learned today: It doesn't matter that I've already taken my dogs outside twice this morning. As soon as my dad walks downstairs, they are AT the door, begging to go outside. It's ridiculous.

Slept in late... BEDA #28

... yet still managed to be productive.

Last night I stayed up late catching up on blogs and YouTube videos. So I necessarily slept in late, too. By the time I woke up and wandered downstairs, I saw that one of The Wordsmith's friends was over. We shall call her Pips Queak, which is what her sister Sarah calls her. I think I've mentioned this before.

Anyway, I have no idea what I was planning to do today, but The Wordsmith, Pips Queak, and I ended up cleaning and rearranging The Wordsmith's room. It looks naaaaaaice! It made me want to clean, rearrange, and paint my room. Which, you know, I haven't ended up doing. Because I like the idea of these things, but actually doing them is a completely different story.

What I have started is a drawing for my sister to hang up on one of her empty walls. She wanted a picture of a faerie-type person in a red dress with grey wings, so I am obliging. Perhaps I will post pictures when I'm finished. But because I am conceited, I am going to post some pictures of work I've already completed. Enjoy! (Or don't. You can just scroll to the end, you non-enjoyers)






 This is one of the many weekly assignments I did freshman year for Drawing I. It is just pencil and paper, a little smaller than printer-paper.

I didn't quite get my face right, but I keep this one because I love the hair. A lot. Also pencil and paper.

 Sophomore year I took Advanced Drawing, where we got to draw in COLOR! This is pastel and a fairly large scale. Anna is wearing the rainbow hat, and Libby is the ginger.

The summer between my sophomore and junior years I took an oil painting class at the Kansas City Art Institute. I started this during the class and finished after it ended.

This is also an oil painting. It is from a photo of Anna that I took while we were at dinner before a dance at our school. She made the earrings out of shrinky dinks.

My junior year I took Painting. We started out with water colors, which is what this is. Every year the entire class paints this scene from a picture that our teacher projects onto a whiteboard. It's ridiculous how different each painting looks though.

In my painting class we spent about two to three weeks painting peppers. These are also watercolor.

Finally in my class we got to move on to acrylic! This is a portrait of my baby angel, Maud. She is fishing for our beta, who was named Mr. Norris.

This was the last painting that I had time to do in the class. This is The Wordsmith from about six years ago. She's drawing with chalk. Both my mom and my teacher said (independently of one another) that this was very Andrew Wyeth-esque. Which I found highly complimentary.

That is all I shall exhibit for today. I feel very pretentious, and perhaps you think me so. But it is okay if I know I'm being pretentious, right? Right??

I hope all of you had a wonderful first week of school. If not, I at least hope you survived. It's kind of sad that BEDA is almost over. I will try to blog occasionally, and I will certainly keep up with your blogs.

With pretentiousness,

Maggie

Something I learned today: Just by rearranging Katie's room, it seems so much bigger. I wonder what would happen if I rearranged my room, which is already very big. *ponders*

Imagination... BEDA #27

... who says you have to be a kid to have it?

I'm at Anna's house right now. I feel compelled to tell you that she is drawing a skull on her leg with my eyeliner (which I never use, but carry in my purse just in case), while Kristen does her best to thwart her efforts. This is my life as a high school senior. Actually, it gets better.

I am at Anna's because she had a Lego party! We built all sorts of crazy contraptions while singing along to A Very Potter Musical soundtrack. Then Anna made up scenarios with the Lego people while I handed her random objects to incorporate into the story and Kristen filmed it.*

Anna just said to me, "Maggie I did math on my leg with your eyeliner!" She sounded very proud of herself.

Today I went to the dentist, because I had a cavity that needed filling. I hadn't really thought about it too much beforehand, because I thought it would be a bad idea. When I was there and they were talking about the "numbing agent," I realised that they would have to give it to me through a shot. I. Hate. Shots.

Shots are my irrational fear. It's called "trypanophobia." It's not the pain of being pricked that scares me, it's the idea of a bleeping needle being in my buggering vein pumping flacking fluid. Every single time I have to get a shot I start crying. Then to distract myself I think about things that make me happy, like A Very Potter Sequel, explosion Wednesday, seeing a freshman Nerdfighter joining math team today. These are things I thought about today before they filled my cavity. The actual process of drilling and filling was fine. I'm cool with that.

I am going to leave you today with a question, dear readers.** What is your irrational fear? Tell me in the comments!


With a punctured cheek,
Maggie


Something I learned today: I learned what it feels like to have one half of your face completely numb. Did you know that you can't feel pain, but you can still feel pressure? It's a strange experience.

PS Anna and Kristen just went outside. I have no idea why. I'm a little curious, but I'm going to finish up this blog and post it. Also, I'm lazy, and don't want to get up. *shrugs*

*Expect video to be posted here at some point. I'll keep you in the know.

**I know, it's been a while since I've asked a question!

I cannot think... BEDA #26

... of a title today.

Firstly, I just want to say thanks to everyone who comments. Even short ones make me a happy Maggie. =)

I am feeling SO much better today! It's crazy. My nose is still stuffed up, and my throat sounds hoarse, though it doesn't hurt. So good news: if I contaminated you, you'll be fine within 36 hours.

I want to write about the fun things that I did after school. Alysa came over and we frivolicized and laughed a lot. But I have no idea how to put into words what transpired when I played my piano and she and The Diva acted stuff out. It was... *sigh* It was a you-had-to-be-there moment. So I guess I shouldn't have brought it up. But I want to be able to come back and see my blog in the future and remember, "Oh yeah! My senior year we did that!"

The downside of Alysa being over is that I have not started my homework, and it is eight o'clock. Uhhhhh.... Oops? I guess I'll go do that now.*


With procrastination skillz,
Maggie


Something I learned today: We have a late start tomorrow. Which means that school starts at 9:50 instead of 7:50! *does late start dance* There's a dance for everything.

*Who am I kidding? I'm going to watch some YouTube videos.

Did you know... BEDA #25

... that frozen yogurt melts? I know, right?

I love starting school again. It's fun to see my new teachers and tread new paths down the hallways of the Academy.

One thing I don't like is that my school is a breeding ground for illness. Here are some reasons why:

1. The rigorous nature of our system naturally causes lots of stress, and stress weakens our immune systems.

2. Almost nobody wants to skip for illness, especially at the beginning of the year. When you miss a day or two of school, it is alarming how quickly you can fall behind on work.

3. By the time you're a sophomore, your personal bubble has shrunk a LOT. We are mentally and physically a very close student body.

4. You share almost everything with your friends. I had to slap my friends' hands away many times today at lunch before they sipped my juice box or dipped a celery stick in my ranch. Because guess what. I'm SICK. Already.

I'm sure you noticed the unstable state of my last blog. That's because my immune system ran cowering from the bacterial fight going on in my body. It ran away, and was shot in the back by a poison dart.

Okay, it's not that bad. I just have a cold.

My symptoms do give me interesting things to talk about. For example, I was in my Shakespeare class, which is taught by a new teacher. She is fairly young, and very chatty. She speaks almost as quickly as Hank, but not nearly as clearly. Today she was talking about how she was nervous for Back to School Night tomorrow. "The ones I've been to have just never been like this before and it's kind of stressful because I have to get all the stuff ready for me to talk about and I'm going to a funeral right after school up at the church and that's just stressful and I know I'm going to come back and be a mess! *very weird giggle*"

I just lost it. I looked at my friend Laura, who was sitting next to me, and we both started to laugh. The problem was that I couldn't stop. It kept escalating. I just had "... I'm going to come back and be a mess! *very weird giggle*" playing over and over in my sick, stuffed up head.

These are things that happen when I am sick. Other things include doing my homework, which often turns out badly. But, alas, it need be done before the morrow.


With tiny chickens,
Maggie


Something I learned today: When I read Maureen Johnson's blog today, I clicked on her playlist of happy songs. The song "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" was on a dancing game for Raving Rabbids (SO MUCH FUN). I realised I was dancing to the moves from the game. Yep. That's what I learned.

Warning... BEDA #24

... this blog post contains high levels of insantiy. It may not be suitable for all readers. Side effects include: eye-rolling, guffawing, paper cuts, loss of brain cells, loss of respect, snorting, headaches, runny noses, computer viruses, clogged sinks, sunburn, and anatidaephobia. All symptoms except the last one are scientifically explainable. We've no fucking idea where that last one comes from. Talk to your school nurse before reading this blog; sometimes she has Hello Kitty band-aids.

Oh no. I have been staring at my empty blog for a full few minutes now. No ideas. Ohh... *wrings hands*

What to do, what to do... *paces* What does one do when one is completely out of ideas? Does one turn to complaining about having nothing in one's life to blog about? No, one has probably already done that several times. Should one Google something to blog about? No, I know. I need to stop saying "one." *slams head on desk*

Hello dear blog readers! *unconvincing smile*

Oh, oops. I left for a few minutes. I was playing with a slinky. I apologize. *is shamed*

Aaaaand I just did it again. Okay, focus... ON WHAT THOUGH??! AAAAaaaaaaaAAAhhhhhhHHhHHh!

Will one of you come slap me through the computerrrrr-- I JUST REMEMBERED SOMETHING!

So I was sitting in government class today, drawing a unicorn and a zombie and a gnome and a rainbow (it was for my Art Club application), and I came to the conclusion that I would blog about AL FRANKEN today. The problem is that I had this epiphany during my second class of the day. And no one can expect me to remember anything from so ridiculously long ago.

AL FRANKEN. Is amazing. I am reading his book Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them for government (which is why I thought about it during government class. CORRELATIONS!). The title itself is brilliant, and sounds like something I would name a potential book that I would potentially write. Except I am no author, so I must satisfy myself with READING books with such brilliant titles.

AL FRANKEN is a senator, I do believe, but he used to be a COMEDIAN. A well informed, sound of mind comedian, but a comedian all the same. And he's funny!

I'm only about 50ish pages into the book, so I haven't made FULL JUDGEMENT yet. But I definitely most probably recommend that you guys READ it. I thought that (like other politically-tended books) it would be an interesting but frequently tedious read. NO. I keep laughing out loud. I want to ignore my other homework and just READ it. I stayed up an extra half hour to read more last night, and I am a BRAT when it comes to sleep. It is THAT good. =O

I texted my friend Sarah (because she read it for class, too, but has already finished, and was actually the one who recommended that I read it *deep breath*) saying "OH MY GOD I LOVE AL FRANKEN! I'm his new biggest fan." That is a direct quote. You can legitimately quote me on that. *nods vigorously*

I think it is time that I stop bombarding you with my words now. I'm sure there is some sort of substance control for these levels of incoherency and craziness. Hope I haven't addled your brains! *wink wink* *nudge* (There is no joke there. Please ignore all evidence to the contrary)


With much blinking,
Maggie


Something I learned today: Alysa, my very good, amazing, spectacular, dramatic friend is going to overthrow the French Club president and instate herself as president. The rest of us are going to be the background dancers in this coup.

PS I just realised that I should tell you something that might explain some things (probably not). I write my blog, THEN write my title and the following... subtitle..? I guess-- The thing that I put in italics every blog. I write both of those things AFTER writing my blog.

The First Sine of Insanity... BEDA #23

... is math jokes. Never drink and derive, my friends.

I think that one reason I love math so much is that I have never had a bad math teacher.

The first I remember having was Mrs. O'Sullivan in fifth grade. She was a great fifth grade teacher; very animated and enthusiastic. We had Math Man and Remainder Dog to help us in our pre-pre-algebraic endeavors. Fifth grade math was a fun time.

In sixth grade we got more down to business. Mr. Garten was a tall, serious man. He spoke slowly and clearly, and had little change in expression, though he still managed to joke around with us. He had a massive jar of Mike and Ikes, and you could see your aspirations reflected in the concave design as you grabbed a handful for having good grades.

Seventh and eighth grade I had the most influential teacher of my life. Mrs. Ryan can be severe to misbehaving students; some purported to be scared of her. I adored her for her limitless enthusiasm for math and, well... life in general. I happen to be a favorite of hers (yes, still). She has often told me the story of when she met my dad, which is when she fell in love with my family. I still see her every week. On Mondays and Tuesdays I grade her seventh and eighth grade math papers. I get paid to check math (which I actually like doing) and talk to one of my favorite people in the world.

At St. Teresa's they offer a accelerated algebra class at seven in the morning for prospective freshmen. So as an eighth grader I met Joe Grantham. Dr. Joe was an old man who wore a baseball cap and floral print shirts. He claimed to live in the ghetto of Prairie Village, a neighborhood that is as innocent as it sounds. He loved using kumquats as a variable, rather than x. And at the end of the year he gave all of us licorice sticks and buckeyes, for good luck. Luckily, I had him again for Accelerated Geometry as a freshman.

My sophomore year I took Honors Algebra II, taught by one of the nicest, sweetest women you could possibly meet. Mrs. Weller dresses smartly in fashionable but unobtrusive skirts, pants, and blouses. She gesticulates as often as one of the Vlogbrothers, but keeps her motions mostly to her forearms, with her upper arms tucked tightly to her body. More than once the characters in her word problems would boogie x feet from a sound system that operated at y hertz. I heard rumors that she told her calculus class that they never had to do anything if it didn't go along with their "personal grooviness."

Last year, my junior year, was the first time that I had an unsavory math teacher. I stick by what I originally said: that I've never had a bad math teacher. Mrs. Hernon is exceptionally good at explaining how to manipulate sine curves. I learned a lot from her class. One thing I learned was that she did not like me. At all. Even though I love math, and did all my work, I couldn't stay blissfully ignorant of her contempt for me for very long. It started showing up in my grades. Yes. My grades. Regrettably, I cannot prove anything.

This year I am taking AP calculus, though, taught by the aforementioned Mrs. Weller. I am again enjoying every aspect of my math course and boogying along to the groovy tune of my life as a math nerd. *does the calculus dance*


With grooviness,
Maggie


Something I learned today: I need to read Lies and the Lying Liars who Tell Them by Al Franken and write an essay on it by next Monday. So I leave you today to go work on that.

Lettuce...BEDA #22

... reach into the depths of our minds to find yet another clever title.

Dearest readers of my blog, I regret to inform you that the henna failed.

It is because we rushed the process, methinks. It takes a long time for the tea to brew, and an even longer time for the henna to homogenize. This morning I applied it to my hand in the pattern I posted yesterday, and several hours later it had all but chipped off, leaving a pathetic trace of brown.

Now it is but a shadow of the grandeur that was my carefully tatooed design. *le sigh*

It does not do to dwell in the past, however, so we shall move forward. My mom made cranberry-orange scones with a sugar glaze. I ate one this morning while sipping white peach tea that I bought yesterday. Really, I often think that I should have been a Briton.

For my World Faiths class I am assigned to write a two page paper about myself (within some guidelines). The problem with this assignment is that I'm only allotted two pages. I don't know about you, my dear readers, but I could go on for ages about myself. How else would I be able to blog every day in August? But I am not conceited. *ahem* Let's move on, shall we?

I've been having problems with YouTube recently. Most new videos that my subscriptions post are not showing up in my inbox. I almost missed two WheezyWaiter videos! Nobody messes with my daily intake of beard. *huffs*

I must finish my homework now. To all of you beginning school soon, good luck! To all of you who've already begun, go do your homework. Yes, I see you procrastinating. *sees*


With omnipresence,
Maggie


Something I learned today: I learned how to use the Water Pik. It is an interesting machine. Shall I name it? Do any of you have name suggestions for a device that shoots water into the crevices of my gums? (That is not dirty, shut up)

I just realised... BEDA #21

... after writing "BEDA #21" that it is exactly a month until I come of age in the muggle world.

I'm tired. Ohhhhhh, this just happened...

Okay, I just had a wave of intense fatigue sweep over me. It's passed, for the most part. That was weird.

No it wasn't. I just ate Indian food, which is delicious and makes me impossibly happy, but also makes me sleepy. So there. Scientific explanation.

I can already tell that this blog is going to be incoherent. Hello!

I went to the dentist today. I had to wake up at seven in the morning. And then I drove there with my mom.

I went in because I thought I had a cavity. They took a look and said I didn't. But then they took x-rays and found two spots.

It is upsetting that I have some cavities, since I have otherwise perfect teeth (according to the dentist, not the orthodontist). The orthodontist tries to sell me retainers to correct my teeth. My dentist says that I have a perfect bite and that my teeth are lovely and well-taken care of. You see why I like the dentist?


I've been going there ever since I had teeth. Today the dentist's wife, who works as the secretary, brought out a Christmas card that she'd recently found, which had a picture of me, The Diva, and The Wordsmith from about a kajillion years ago. The Wordsmith was still a baby, which would make me four years old. Yep, that is my dentist.

Besides going to the dentist today, I got materials to make henna with Anna. And Kristen joined us. We discovered that it is actually very time consuming to make your own henna. You have to brew black tea leaves for a couple hours, then once you mix everything else up, you have to let it sit for a loooooong time. The recipe we used recommended letting it sit for at least six hours.

Soooo we're just going to put it on tomorrow. We drew our designs today though. I traced my hand and then got a marker and DREW. That is what this is a picture of. I'm sure you wondered.

The design on the left is my left palm, and the one on the right is the back of my left hand. I like it. Except it will be brown. Or black. But I think brown. We'll see tomorrow.

The Diva and The Wordsmith were both out doing things (The Diva was at a soccer match, and The Wordsmith seeing Vampires Suck). So my parents and I took Anna and Kristen out to eat Indian food. Which is where this whole blog began. We have come full-circle.

CIRCLE TIME! *does the circle dance*

There is a dance for everything. I am going to go to bed now. Even though it is... Oh I just checked the time and it is 9:30. Maybe I'll watch some soccer. Perhaps I'll see The Diva in the crowd. I'll wave if I do.


With no henna yet,
Maggie


Something I learned today: Instead of flossing (which I think I mentioned I don't like), I have the option to use a Water Pik (pronounced "pick"). It's a highly sophisticated machine that cleans out your gums and prevents gingivitis and cavities. Of which I have several. I realise I made it sound like I might have gingivitis. I do not have gingivitis. I am quite gingivitis-free.

I was just listening to the game that is on in the other room and I heard some announcer-guy say, "... it's quite the Cinderella story." I hate that phrase. It's worthless. Any phrases that bother you?

It's raining... BEDA #20

... it's pouring.

Today turned out to be much, much more interesting than I anticipated. Which is good, because I feel as if my blogs of late have been lacking in... compelling qualities.

This weekend is the Ethnic Festival at Kansas City. Today at six I picked up Anna and Eva* and we drove to the park where it is set up. As soon as we parked and got out of the car we could smell the delicious variety of ethnic foods coming from dozens of tents. I desperately wanted to try the farofa from Brazil, chicken adobo from the Philippines, pakoras from India, curry from Indonesia, and spanikopita from Greece. But I wasn't hungry. It seemed a cruel trick for my body to play on me; here you are at the Ethnic Festival, surrounded on all sides by tantalizing cuisine, but you cannot be hungry.

A girl I met at school (though she transferred) was performing at seven, so we sat under a large pavillion and watched the dances. Soon it started to sprinkle. Fifteen minutes later, it started to rain. Then it started to pour. We decided to run to the Malaysian tent to get some food when it let up, and then we would leave. We got to the tent, and even though I still wasn't hungry I said eff you! to my stomach and bought curry puffs.

Anna got a coconut and a straw. I tried it and... it's weird. I didn't love it, nor did I really like it, but I wanted more. I just felt compelled to drink it. We finished our food and quickly walked to the car. About thirty seconds after we piled in, the skies let loose. Holy. Crap.

Roofs were no longer sufficient shelters, because the rain was coming down at a sixty degree angle (for you non-math nerds, that is closer to sideways than straight down). Umbrellas were being turned inside out by the wind. And though it was eight o'clock, it looked like midnight.

I actually had to pull over to the side of the road and put my emergency blinkers on because I couldn't see. Once we got started again, I went at a cautious 15 or 20 mph. The three of us jumped and gasped when a huge peal of thunder shook my car. And I drove through more puddles than I care to think about.

By the time I had dropped both Eva and Anna off the rain had calmed, but the thunder and lightning were still going at it, making me jump every few minutes. Then, two blocks from my house, I saw a duck. A duck! There are no ducks around here! It was in the middle of the road just standing there! It waddled off when I pulled up near it. I worry for that duck, though I probably shouldn't; ducks like the rain, yes?

My dad had come out to our porch when he heard me pull into the driveway. We stood there for a minute and looked out at the rain while we talked. I really do love storms, but I like being in my house for them. I came inside to discover that my mom was making cheesy rolls. Fortunately, although I'm still not hungry, these will be here for me to devour when I am.

Today was an accidental adventure. Besides the Ethnic Festival and rain, school was an adventure. It was in small, trivial ways that I won't bother you with, but I am just happy to be with my friends again. Anna and I are going to get hennas and drink chai tomorrow. We're just looking for adventures, but we'll be happy whenever adventure finds us.


With no hunger,
Maggie


Something I learned today: Chipotle won't charge tax if you order through my school. Clearly they know that STA is a valuable customer. The girls at STA eat food like the girls on Gossip Girl have drama; in revolting quantities.

*Eva was in my advisory at St. Teresa's, which is like a homeroom. She is leaving for college tomorrow. =(

Spread some love... BEDA #19

... because it takes a lot of love to heal a little hate.

On Twitter today, Kristina and Luke were talking about mean Nerdfighters, which is literally an oxymoron. However, some Nerdpretenders (as I will now refer to them) infiltrated nerdfightersecrets.com (which I had never heard of until 10 minutes ago).

This site is a breeding ground for teenagy angst, and I HATE things like it. Sure there is the occassional (perhaps even frequent) kind, nice post. But the idea of anonymity just asks for people to be mean.

One Nerdpretender blatantly stated that they thought that Dan Brown and Kristina were assholes. Thank you for your profound words. The world is so much better off now that you have shared your wisdom. What did you gain from this? I refuse to believe that you feel a sense of relief getting that off your chest.

What I want to know is what they must think of this community. In their hateful minds, are we in gradeschool? Because that is what this reminds me of; the pettiness of people and their desire to make others feel bad for their own "benefit." If someone bothers you, just don't subscribe to their YouTube or Twitter! That is the beauty of the internet. You only have to deal with people that you like.

Dear Kristina, Dan, or anyone else who reads this: these people are not real Nerdfighters. Real Nerdfighters are made of awesome, and more importantly, love. These people still have a way to go before they can call themselves Nerdfighters and partake in the wonderful things that our community can do. There are so many people out there that you have inspired, and it is a shame that hate is so much more permeating than love. Because there is so much love for you in our fandom. Please remember that.


With lots of love,
Maggie


Something I learned today: We are starting The Tragedy of Julius Caesar in Shakespeare.

I get by... BEDA #18

... with a little help from my friends.

Well, dear readers, I have survived my first day back at school. Being a SENIOR, I have many responsibilities. We had prayer service (bleh) before classes where the seniors gave medals and cards we wrote to the freshman as a "Welcome to St. Teresa's!" The idea is nice, but it took too loooooooooong!

Anna and Sarah, who went to Scotland to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, brought to lunch today ginger and whiskey fudge and after-dinner mints. They are amazing and I love them and I am so glad they are back because I get to SEE them!

I do not know if I told you this, but my baby sister, The Wordsmith, started school today! She is a wee little freshman! It's strange to see her and The Diva walking around campus. Even when we went to gradeschool together we never saw each other because the school was divided into sections by grade.

I have a headache, and Alysa is coming over to show me her brand new braces-free teeth, so I am going to wrap this up. That, and I have homework to do. On the first day, I know. *eyeroll* Such is the life.


With much seniority,
Maggie


Something I learned today: I forgot that my Calculus class had students from Pre-Calc (which I took last year) and Trig Analysis. So I walked in and thought that I'd come to the wrong class! Which is not something you want to think when you've just gone up two flights of stairs. Have I mentioned that our school is built UP? There are four floors in each building.

How did you fare? BEDA #17

... in our game of truth?

Hello, dear readers. I had senior orientation today. Not much of an ordeal in and of itself, but it was really nice to see all of my classmates again. I love my school.

Since I still need to pack my backpack and figure out what I'm going to wear tomorrow,* I'm just going to reveal to you the LIE from yesterday. Read on!

1. My favorite show is NCIS.
This is absolutely TRUE. I hardly watch any tv, but this show has captivated me. I mostly watch it online, but still. I love love love it!

2. I have only ever lived in one house (this one that I'm sitting in right now).
TRUE! There isn't much to say about this, really. I've just lived here forever.

3. The first time I went to an overnight camp was last summer.
This is TRUE. I went to a piano camp at University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. Coincidentally, Libby had signed up for the same camp without my knowledge. A word to the wise, rooming with one of your best friends may sound like a good idea, but it's not.

4. I am really good at games like poker and murder.
I went to piano camp again this past summer, and we played card games all the time, especially murder (where one player has to wink at the others to "kill" them, without being caught). Every time I was the murderer, one of our counselors called it, even before I could wink at anybody. As he said, I looked "like someone who'd farted in an elevator." Just plain guilty. Which means that, yes, this fact was FALSE! And I don't even know how to play poker.

5. I have played and beaten Luke Conard and Jason Munday in Mario Kart.
TRUE! Occassionally they organise games over Twitter, and I LOVE Mario Kart, so I join when I can. They are insanely good at it, so I'm very proud that I beat them sometimes. =)

6. My car's name is Germ.
Also TRUE. After I got it, Anna said that we had to name it. So what gender was it? The Wordsmith and I said it was a girl, but Anna and The Diva said it was a boy. We decided that it looked feminine from some angles, but masculine from others. It was Lady Gaga! Her real name is Stefani Germanotta (I may be spelling that wrong) so we named my car Germanotta, then decided to shorten it to "Germ."

7. For a long time, my aunt thought that I permed my hair to make it curly.
Seriously. TRUE. Besides my mom, whose hair turned wavy in the past couple years, NOBODY in my family has curly hair. Nobody, whereas mine is insanely curly. She just thought that I got it done at the salon.

8. I used to dislike cats.
TRUE! I know, it's weird, since I love my baby angel sooo much now! But when I was little, we had an evil demon of a cat who HATED me. Since she was my only exposure to the feline species, I assumed that I hated all cats. Then we got Maud and Sophie. My mom told me that once when Maud was sleeping on my lap, I looked at her (my mom) and said, "I never knew I could love a cat!"
 
GOODBYE!
 
 
With much preparation to do,
Maggie
 
 
Something I learned today: I do NOT have a test over The Thirteen American Arguments tomorrow!
 
*This should never be a problem. At my school we wear a uniform, which I love because it means I never have to think about what I'm going to wear. But some of the skirt orders got backed up this year, so lots of freshmen simply don't have a uniform. Thusly, no one has to wear it until next week. Which is annoying. I WANT to wear my plaid! Grr! *grumble* Well, go on, keep reading the blog.

I FORGOT! BEDA #16.5

I just remembered that I was supposed to tag some people for the Versatile Blogger thing! Er... oops? Haha! Ha... ha. *facepalm*

Here is my list:
1. Lend Me Your Eyes (Alysa)
2. Looking for Glasses (Nick)
3. Ivy and the Wall (Katharine)

THAT IS ALL!

PS I have the hiccups, and The Diva is laughing at me. Beeyotch.

Versatility... BEDA #16

... is my middle name.

Ruth tagged me in the Versatile Blogger award! This not only makes me feel special, but gives me the opportunity to do a quick blog. Because, dear readers of Blog, I still have a lot of homework to do.* So on to the purpose of this blog!

As a Versatile Blogger taggee, I am to give you EIGHT facts. HOWEVER! One of them is FALSE (I feel like I'm doing a weird, bloggy version of Truth or Fail). Your job, readers, is to decide which you think is false, and tell me in the comments. And without further ado, here are my factoids:

1. My favorite show is NCIS.
2. I have only ever lived in one house (this one that I'm sitting in right now).
3. The first time I went to an overnight camp was last summer.
4. I am really good at games like poker and murder.
5. I have played and beaten Luke Conard and Jason Munday in Mario Kart.
6. My car's name is Germ.
7. For a long time, my aunt thought that I permed my hair to make it curly.
8. I used to dislike cats.

Choose the wrong answer, or you FAIL!


With (still) much homework,
Maggie


Something I learned today: Alysa is coming over tomorrow before our senior orientation. Yay! *and there was much celebration and happiness*

*I watched All the President's Men yesterday. It was so, so good. I definitely recommend it.

All the King's horses... BEDA #15

... and all the king's men, couldn't put Humpty together again.*

I'm sitting in my room, on my bed. My computer is sorta kinda really freaking out, since the wireless internet signal is so weak here. Here being the third floor of my house.

My cat is curled up next to me. She tried to sit in between my laptop and my arms, but that didn't work. See, look at the picture. Do you see it? That is my lap and laptop. And yes, that is also a Winnie the Pooh blanket.





I have retreated to my room with my laptop and a cup of tea in the hopes that I can do some homework. Which is why I am going to make this blog nice and short. You're welcome, you're welcome.

I have the movie All the President's Men sitting next to me, ready to be watched.** Never seen it, but I've heard great things about it. Tell me what you think. I promise I won't steal your ideas for my paper. Or, if I do, I will give you due credit. Shall I write your real name or your username?

I have one thing I'd really like for you guys to answer in the comments (like, really, answer it please!) I was thinking about having a separate blog where I put some of my favorite recipes and little stories or dialogues accompanying them. For example, I would have put the hummus recipe that I used yesterday (it is really, really good). Would you guys read it? Please tell me!


With much homework,
Maggie


Something I learned today: There is a Monty Python video at my local store that I haven't seen and I WANT it. But I have to do my homework... le sigh.

*Did you know that "Humpty" referred to a cannon, not a giant egg? It was an actual cannon that fell from a wall, in REAL life! And where did the egg even come in? There is no reference to an egg anywhere in the nursery rhyme. Did you notice that?

**Except I just realised after posting this blog that there isn't even a disk drive on this little laptop. *fail* Instead, I'm just going to read The Thirteen American Arguments by Howard Fineman, which is also a homework assignment.

I want to be the very best... BEDA # 14

... like no one ever was. To find them is my real test, the journey is my cause. I will travel across the land, searching far and wide. Each Geocach to aprehend, the treasure that's inside! GEOCACHE!
-Geocache theme song 

I just spontaneously made hummus.

Now I am sitting here, eating it. Here, have some. *offers bowl of hummus and some pita* Now that we have snackies, let's get down to business.

Yesterday was hot, as I believe I mentioned.* Last night, it rained. Blog readers, do you know what happens when it is ungodly hot, and then a cool(ish) rain falls? Steam. There was steam rolling around almost all of the streets. I had to pick up The Diva from a friend's house when it was dark, and seeing the steam illuminated by my headlights... well, it almost made the heat worth it. (I say that sitting in my weather-controlled, air conditioned dining room.)

On to today's business. That was yesterday's business, this is today's: I went Geocaching! My friend-- who I would nickname The Salutatorian, since she is going to be salutatorian at my school,** except she has already commented on my blog, and I already mentioned her by name-- Libby and I met up at 10:30 and drove to a park near her house, where reportedly there was a Geocache that had been found nine days ago. 

We ended up going about a two minute struggle off the trail of the park and into the scary woods infested with spider webs, bugs of all sorts, and I swear I saw a vulture. But we found it! We found the box! It was so, so exciting! Because another friend (Kristen) and I had tried to find three other caches, but FAILED.

We signed the log with "The Harry Potter Heroines" because we are just that cool. Plus, we felt pretty heroic for having traversed the scary woods to find the box.

Once we found that cache, it had gone from mildly hot (as an aftereffect of the rain the night before) to OH MY GOD I AM MELTING. So we went to my lovely air-conditioned car and drove to get lunch at a pizza place.

THEN*** we called our dear friend Alysa and picked her up to go on another hunt! We decided to go to a cemetery near her house (because really, how cool does that sound??). But it wasn't as cool as it sounded. It was clearly pretty new, and not at all scary. And the cache wasn't even near the plots. It was farther away, in a tree.

By the time we found that cache, it was definitely time to quit; it was getting hotter every minute, and Libby and I still need to do some homework. WHICH, coincidentally, I should be doing right now. Once I post this blog, I am going to go have a shower (did I mention it was HOT?) and then do some homework. Because school starts in HOLY SHIT I JUST DID THE MATH three days! Crap... uh..... Oh no, I'm going into panic mode! I think this is the part where I leave??


With much hyperventillating,
Maggie


Something I learned today: How to use my GPS (whose name is Myrtle) to track our coordinates, rather than have her send us to some coordinates. It works much better this way.

*Without checking, I can safely assume that I talked about the sweltering heat. You see, dear readers, I do not like the heat. But I like to complain. And where better to complain about things that I do not like but on my blog? Now, back to the top you go! Shoo!

**I feel I should mention that another of my best friends, Sarah (who did BEDA back in April 2009) is going to be our Valedictorian. This in no way undermines Libby's achievements. It just means that I am incredibly proud of both of them.

***You thought I was finished, didn't you? Oh no, my story is not finished! Keep reading! Go on, scroll back up.

And then I... BEDA #13

... *silence*
-And Then I Died by the Moaning Myrtles

I come to you on my Netbook again today, dear readers of blogs. I am testing to see what sites my school has deigned to block. Facebook, of course. And Twitter. Blogspot is most obviously not blocked, otherwise I would not be able to come to you on my Netbook.

I also discovered that Pandora is not blocked, which can only be good. If you do not know what Pandora is, click the link. Click it now.

The Diva is sitting at our desktop working on her History homework (which she of course put off until now)* and is also on her Netbook. She has just made a smiley that is very reminiscent of Spongebob the background image.

Back to Pandora. I am listening to it, which is why it continues to return to my thoughts. I am listening to a song by Charlie Winston, which reminds me that I want to rave about him. Charlie Winston is a spectacular musician. I absolutely adore him. My favorite of his songs is probably My Name, which is very dark, but musically beautiful. In Your Hands is a really fun, playful song that is, also, amazing musically. And Like a Hobo has a great music video. Oh my gosh, I'm just fangirling here! *blushes*

I just tried to link to the songs I mentioned, and made a terrible discovery! My school has blocked YouTube! This is almost unbearable! I must find a way around it. Time to put my hacking skillz to use.** Until I figure that out, however, I will just link them  from my desktop. Moving on.

My mom spontaneously decided to take The Wordsmith and I out to lunch. The Diva was still sleeping, and anyway, she claims not to like Indian food, which is what we got. Can I just say how much I love Indian food? A freaking lot, that is how much. We also stopped by the dollar store next door to pick up some pens and pencils for the school year. I love back-to-school shopping. And I love school. Which I'm sure is not normal, but I don't care. I'm not normal, and I love school.

I think that is enough for today's blog. Have a wonderful day, dear blog readers!


With much haxoring,
Maggie


Something I learned today: YouTube. Is. Blocked. On. My. Netbook. Clearly, this will not fly. Do not despair, I will fix this problem, and hopefully some day this month I can tell you how I learned how to bypass the block. >=)   <--- evil smile


*I really shouldn't be talking, since I haven't finished my homework, either. Actually, I need to go finish that... I have a scary amount left. Crap.

**I went to engineering camp at Iowa State University in Ames (which is where Aaron Nordyke of Ministry of Magic went to school. No, it is not creepy that I know this. Also, he lives in Kansas City, like, five minutes from my house. Okay, I'm ending this creepiness right now). Anyway, at engineering camp we did all sorts of things, including learning one method of hacking. It is largely useless and simplistic. But I know it. And I try it sometimes.

Live, from Kansas City! BEDA #12

... It's Thursday night!

Dear readers,

I blog to you today from my new Netbook laptop. It was just issued to me (and my two sisters and the entirety of the incoming freshman class) mere minutes ago. Now I sit in my dining room, writing my blog.

What a day it has been. Let me tell you. *gossipy gesticulation*

It is hot. As in, upper nineties with humidity increasing the heat index up to 110 degrees. That is not right. This is like a little personal hell. I believe I have told you that I am a cold weather person. *seethes* *steams* *melts a little bit* *emulates Maureen Johnson more than a little bit*

I play piano. Did you know that? Regardless, you do now. The Wordsmith and I have lessons on Tuesdays. Except this past Tuesday my teacher forgot that we had a lesson, and was at the grocery store when we arrived. So she rescheduled for today. Apparently about once a year she forgets that she has a lesson scheduled and will be off doing something else, and this year my sister and I had the pleasure of being forgotton. I say that (surprisingly) in an unsarcastic tone.

Also today I got my haircut. Oh my gosh, Maggie, your life is indescribably thrilling. I know, tell me about it. But I felt it was worth mentioning that I cut it all off. Well, to my shoulders, at least. It hasn't been this short since my eighth grade year! *wowza*

My hair several months ago:

My hair now:

And I just found this one that my sister took. I rather like it:

Now that we have all that fascinating stuff behind us, I think I will end this blog. I am tired and cranky because of the heat, so I'm afraid this isn't very interesting. Good day to you.


With much grumpiness,
Maggie


Something I learned today: I thought that I would be able to use Skype on this Netbook since it has a webcam. But it is disabled. Boo.

Favorite way to... BEDA #11

... say 'red wine' in a German accent?

My cat is right now obscuring half of my computer screen while she attempts to eat some ear buds. I am not kidding. I think I'll go feed her.

Yep, she was hungry. Why she resorted to eating earbuds though, I don't know. She is a weird little bugger.

Wet cat food is one of those smells that it so vile you can never become immune to its toxic aroma. Sure, you become quite good at ignoring it, or holding your breath while dishing it out. But it's still horrid.

That was an odd tangent that I don't think I meant to go on. What I wanted to discuss was short stories. Everyone is posting them! So I am going to jump on that bandwagon. But after this next paragraph.

Apparently this isn't a widespread phenomenon, but my highschool gives us summer homework. I'm taking Writing next year, and we had to do eight writing exercises as our summer assignment. One of these was to pair up words from a list of nouns and a list of verbs to make sentences, then write a short story based on the sentences. I think you see where I am going with this. The sentence that this story is based off of was: "Mosquitos land on my arm and fly away without notice." A boring sentence, but I did rather like the resulting piece. It's short, I promise.

Mosquitos are the bane of my existence. In this instance, "the" has a use more similar to "a." Mosquitos are not the sole bane of my existence; pennies, moths, and certain types of people who hold certian intolerable and insupportable beliefs are also banes of my existence. However, for my purposes today, mosquitos are the bane of my existence.

Just yesterday a mosquito landed on my arm and flew away, almost escaping my notice. But not quite. I had the unsatisfaction of seeing the cursed creature, attempting to swat it, missing, and watching as it flew to its evil, unwarranted, and undeserving freedom. I hate mosquitos.

In the middle of the night, I often wake up to a fiery itchiness plaguing my leg. No matter how I try to ignore it, it will not go away. Perhaps my cover is rubbing it just so, or my cat's tail gently flicks it every now and again. But at 3:00 in the morning, my will is not strong enough to tell my fingers not to scratch the damned bite. Then I have to groggily get out of bed and find some cortizone, rub ample amounts on all offending areas, crawl back to bed, and wait for fatigue to overcome the itchy sensations. I hate mosquitos most passionately.

So there you go. I hate mosquitos. As does most of civilized society, I would imagine, but that is not the point. The point is that I still have a lot of homework to finish before this time next week and I am avoiding it by writing my blog. GOOD DAY! *tips hat*


With much itchiness,
Maggie


Something I learned today: how to spell the 'ing' form of 'singe'. I tried to write it as 'singing,' but we can all see that that is not correct. It's 'singeing.' Which still looks weird to me, but there it is.

PS The Wordsmith started a blog. Monkey see, monkey do, and what have you (That rhymed). Click the link if you are interested. Or don't. Doesn't matter to me.

And the winner is... BEDA #10

...to be announced after these commercials!

Today I was going to do some service hours (I need to complete 30 before the school year starts, and I have six more to go). Buuuuutttt it turns out that the agency where I was working is closed for the summer. So shit.

But enough about that! I have really, really exciting news! You guys remember that video that I linked? The You're My iPod music video? The one that I said I didn't expect to get any sort of placing in? Our video got FIRST EFFING PLACE! *does happy dance*

It started out like this: every morning I get up and check my email. I had sixty-four emails this morning, all but one of which was from YouTube. So, being the deductive reasoner I am, I guessed that someone big had posted a link to one of my videos. So off to Twitter I go (I know, wouldn't it make more sense to go to YouTube?). ALLCAPSBAND had linked to Strawburry17's video announcing the winners! So I watch that. I expected to be in 10th place. Then I expected 9th, then 8th.

By the time it got to the "big three," I had honestly decided that the views must have come from somewhere else. But they didn't! *does happy dance again*

You guys honestly don't know how freaking excited I am. I'm using words like "freaking" for gosh's sake! And! And Tyler Oakley added me as a friend on YouTube. That is exciting shit, man!

Another good thing about this is that, since we got first, it means that we get the ALL CAPS purple t-shirt! I really, really wanted to buy that shirt. But as I'm sure I've mentioned, I am but a poor student. And now I get it for freeeee! *does happy dance yet again*

Okay, whew. I need to breath. And go do... I don't know! Do something! Sorry today's blog was just all over the place and crazy and excited and not very eloquent. BAI!


With SO much excitement,
Maggie


Something I learned today: Um, that my video won the Strawburry17 contest! Dur! =D *does happy dance for the last time in this blog, I promise*

You say tomato BEDA #9

... I say lycopersicum esculentum.

I'm just going to do a quick, updatey type blog today.

I'm having a cranberry orange scone for breakfast and earl grey drunk from an NPR cup. My, I do feel worldly.

I need to do homework today. Desperately. So, I'm going to go do that after I finish this blog. At least that is what I say now. But I am determined. *is determined*

Yesterday (or the day before, I really don't recall) I talked about adventures. Or mentioned them in passing. The word "adventures" was definitely used. Perhaps not in the plura-- GAH! I digress!

Geocaching is something that I am going to try. It sounds like it could be adventurey. But not today. Today I do my Spanish homework.

Also, my really good amazing superb friend Libby commented on yesterday's blog. So now I am mentioning her by name, because she was affronted that I hadn't. LIBBY. There.

My work here is done.


With much homework,
Maggie

(And school hasn't even started yet. Yeesh.)


Something I learned today: I went up to my school today to talk to someone about something, and I saw another thing that was quite intriguing! There are boxes all over my school. I do not know what they are, and I've been watching too many Agatha Christie mysteries lately. So... yeah. Too many things distracting me from homework!

To the bat cave! BEDA #8

Let's go, Robbin! We have a day to save!

The Diva wants to help me with my blog today. So she is sitting next to me. Here is something she dictated, ordering me to write: "My sister, The Diva, is the baddest balla in Kansas City." So there you go. She is the baddest balla. True dat. Double true.

The Wordsmith's bestie, who we will call BP for Bottomless Pit* because of her eating habits, just got back from vacation in D.C. She gave The Wordsmith a voodoo doll, which necessarily delighted her. My only concern is who she will use as the object of her punishment.

There is a bat in my bathroom. I actually discovered this about 36 hours ago, but haven't said anything to you guys or anyone else. Which is surprising because normally I'd update my facebook and Twitter saying, "OH MY EFFING GEE THERE IS A BAT IN MY BATHROOM LYKE RIGHT NOW!" Or something along those lines. Whateva.

Heh heh, The Diva suggests that the fact that there is a bat in my bathroom drives me bat-shit insane.

I'm going to post some pictures of my kitty, Maud. Because I wuv her and she is my baby angel.

The Diva wants all of you to know that Maud is actually very cruel and evil and currently is plotting the demise of the entire world.

But of course that is a load of Banana Split.** Maud is not evil. See the love in her eyes? She is just a happy cat. *blissfully ignorant smile*

On the other hand, my cat Sophie is FREAKING INSANE. She has a really high pitched meow, but teeth of RAZOR sharpness. And her claws have poison in them. I mean, I love her but she is crazy.

The Diva just went upstairs with the express purpose of taking this picture. She is super pleased with it. Like, super pleased. She can't stop giggling. *looks at picture* It is rather funny!

Since I've been vaguely referencing it for several days, I shall now tell you the story of when we went to dinner in Minnesota. Please, contain your excitement.

Instead of boring you with the details of the excessive four glasses of lemonade that The Diva drank, or how my mom smeared her front teeth with an Andes chocolate mint and grinned stupidly at us, or even how every time we guffawed drunkenly (without any of us actually being drunk) the rest of the dining room got really quiet-- instead of telling you all of that, I will tell you about blowtorches.

After consuming our entres, we ordered three desserts: a deliciously gooey cinnamon chocolate brownie, a turtle sunday, and creme brulé. Unfortunately, the creme brulé was a disappointment. As we are wont to do, we started talking about how we could make it ourselves.

"Of course, we'll need a blowtorch," my mom informs us.
"Yes," the Wordsmith began smiling insanely, "and it will have... other uses as well."

Sometimes that child really scares me. Mostly she just affords me with endless amounts of entertainment, though.

And here the blog ends. Tell me, dear readers, if you want me to post pictures from when we went swimming in the really cold Lake Superior.

With many cat scratches,
Maggie


Something I learned today: I think I am going to switch from regular US Gov to AP US Gov. I looked up the summer assignment for the class, and I learned that if I were to switch I'd have to do a ton of work really quickly. But I think it'd be worth it. What have you learned today?

*BP is also coincidentally the initialism for British Petroleum, as I'm sure none of you knew. Good thing you have me to tell you these things.

**Or Baloney Sandwich. Or Britney Spears. Whatever floats your boat.

This or That- BEDA #7

...or perhaps the other.

I was originally going to write about my family (including my parents) acting like utter children at dinner two nights ago for this blog. It was going to be great, I was going to treat it like a novel (because sometimes I think in novel form. I'm not going to be a novelist, and I don't really have a desire to write them, but there it is), and it might have been funny.

Then I was going to write a blog about my upcoming year as a senior in highschool and discuss my ongoing college search. But after finishing that blog, I reread it and bored myself to tears. I'll just leave it at this: I'm going to be a senior, I got into all of my desired classes (US Government, AP Calculus, Physics, Spanish IV, Computer Graphics, Writing, Shakespeare), I'm starting to buckle down on my college search, and I am almost positive I want to be an engineer. Wow, I just consolidated that formerly very long boring blog into a very long boring sentence.

Dear readers, I am afraid that I am being boring. I don't want to be boring. But right now, my life is not very interesting. I have summer homework that I need to finish, and eleven hours of service that I need to complete. I want to be able to entertain you every day this month, but I'm not sure how. Ah, the tribulations of blogging.

I guess I'll end this post with some questions.

1. What is an adventure that you have been on or want to go on? I need some adventures, and who is more inspiring than other people?
2. What's a class you've taken that you really liked? Or one that you're looking forward to?
3. Who is one of your favorite YouTubers who is not so big? I really like TheGearsKeepTurning. He's pretty cool. And Welsh.


With a bit of borningness,
Maggie


Something I learned today: I hung out with one of my friends today whom I hadn't seen in about a month. And we talked a lot about the upcoming few years. So I learned through voicing my thoughts that I am both so ready for the freedom of college, but also not at all prepared to leave my family and my highschool. Quite the conundrum. What did you learn?

Also, if you guys have any suggestions whatsoever about ways for me to improve my blog, I promise the following: I will not be mad at you, I will carefully consider each suggestion, and I will be eternally grateful to know that you even care.

Home #BEDA 6

... sweet home.

I just drove from Nowhere, Minnesota to Kansas City, Missouri. In thirteen hours... *is slightly dazed*

Instead of actually blogging *slightly hysterical laughter* I am going to list the three things I love best about getting home after vacation.

1. This is incredibly obvious, but I get to sleep in my own bed. My own big, comfy, don't-have-to-share-with-my-sisters bed! And my own ROOM! It's amazing! *ogles*

2. I get to see my pets again. I have two dogs (Jake, Lucy) and two cats (Maud, Sohpie). Maud is my cat. I missed that tiny little devil. *sniff*

3. This is so stupid, but I love being back in our kitchen. We are those crazy people who have ABSOLUTELY everything one could possibly use in a kitchen.* Necessarily, when we go stay somewhere else for a week, we keep forgetting that they don't have a strainer, they only have two pots, there are no tongs, we need a couple spatulas. In addition, we keep a full stock of things like sugar, oil, and spices. It is so, SO weird to not have all of those things just lying around.

What are YOUR three favorite things about returning from vacation?


With only a little hysteria,
Maggie


*Except a blowtorch. We don't have a blowtorch. But it's on our list now, so don't worry about it. Also, I'll tell the story that involves the blowtorch tomorrow or something. It is funny. At least I think so, but I've just been sitting in a car for 13 hours and am slightly hysterical and sleep deprived. Haha! Ha.. ha.


Something I learned today: You can get headaches from sleep deprivation. I did not know this. I spoil myself when it comes to sleep. Except this week. We stayed up super late watching Agatha Christie mysteries, and I woke up early to do... er... vacationy things. What did you learn?

I don't have much to say... BEDA #5

... but if you vote for me all of your wildest dreams will come true.

It is highly possible that I will not post a blog tomorrow. We are leaving this lovely condo by the lake early in the morning. And because we are insane (as I think have mentioned once or twice), we are going to attempt to make the 11 hour drive back to Kansas City... in one go. *sigh*

Have I ever told you guys that I suffer from car sickness? Well, I do. I take Dramamine, which reportedly cures all symptoms! But it only makes it less likely that I will get a headache.

But let's not talk about such sad and silly things. Instead, let's talk about happy and silly things! How many of you remember that ALL CAPS video contest that Strawburry17 had? I want to see who won. My friends and I submitted a video* (though I do no expect to win, by any stretch of the imagination). We had fun, but I should like to hear the outcome anyway.

I think I'm going to go swimming in the lake today. But Maggie, yesterday you said that the water is really, really cold! Aha, my finely observant ficticious response! You have stumbled upon the same problem that I first saw with this plan! The water in Lake Superior is very cold! But about a minute away from our condo is an alcove, where water from land meets water in lake. The junction, I have been told, is a comfortable temperature. So later we will go and see for ourselves. There might be pictures. I do not know.

I do believe I have exhausted my topics for today. Granted, it is only 9:30, and all I've done in the two hours that I've been awake is eat breakfast and check facebook, youtube, twitter, blogs. So I'll leave with some questions:

1. What's a really cool word that you've recently learned or heard?
2. What is something you are looking forward to, be it long or short term?
3. What is something interesting you want me to blog about? Or something you think I should do or try?


With silliness,
Maggie


*The iPod in the video is one of my best friends, Anna. The girl singing Luke's parts is Kristen, another of my besties. Just so you can take notes. Yes, I know about that notebook that you keep, carefully accumulating little facts about me, piecing together my life bit by bit. Because I am totally someone who is stalker-worthy. *rolls eyes*


Something I learned today: No matter how early I rise, I will still be groggy in the morning. But then I'll actually wake up and be fairly alert. Doesn't matter how much sleep I've gotten. What is something you have learned?