A Typical December Day

Well, Christmas time is here.

Today, a very full day, acts as a perfectly accurate sample of the busyness of this season. This morning, two friends of mine and I went together  to see my brothers perform at "The Bird's Christmas," an event put on by a local garden/park each year. It opens up with the performance of a violin guild (in which my brother's play) which, this year, was followed by a choir singing Christmas songs. Probably the most interesting aspect of this event is the presence of an abundance of furry creatures. This year, they had three penguins, a dinosaur, Smokey the Bear, a squirrel, and Santa, along with Mrs. Clause.

Smokey the Bear terrorized my poor friends.

As we stood under shelter from the rain, innocently chatting about the performance, the animals, etc., one girl called Loraine teased Madalynn about the dancing bear, asking, "What would you do if he randomly came over and started dancing with you??" "Oh my gosh," the poor girl answered, "I'd be terrified!" Well, I suppose it is true that what goes around comes around. Almost immediately after her innocent joke, the poor Loraine was given a taste of her own medicine when Smokey came over and began dancing with her!!! He didn't ask, just grasped both hands and took to twirling.

A little later, Madalynn left to drink some water from the fountain. After waiting a while for her return, Loraine and I became anxious. "What if," I suggested, "the bear kidnapped her??" "Oh my gosh!!" Loraine answered, not really taking me seriously, but a little apprehensive just the same, "Wait, there he is. He doesn't have her." "Unless he stuffed her inside that bear costume..." "OH MY GOSH! That might be why it sticks out so much!" "Loraine! Are you calling Madalynn FAT?!"

After coming home from the gardens, eating some soup, and stopping at Chick-fil-A for milkshakes, Loraine drove me to a friend named Linda's so we could help out with her science experiment. Little did we know just what we were in for....An entire cup of black coffee!!!! EWWW!!!! A girl named Shelly thought it so disgusting, her face began to turn green. We were then given 30 seconds to memorize the contents of a box (ipod, stapler, rubber ball, feather, etc.) and a minute to try and write them all down after the box was covered. Much harder than it sounds!

Only one guy, named Jeremiah (who I teasingly call Amy), showed up. This made for an interesting afternoon when we watch the Ellen DeGeneres show. One guy in a roomful of girls watching a lesbian interview a blonde wearing J Lo's fake bangs...An experience I'll never forget. Eventually, we opted to switch to watching Monster's Inc.

After the coffee tasting, the day ended with a cookie decorating party, and a game of 10's and 2's. I decorates a bell covered in chocolate chips, a stocking lined with pearls, and a beautemous Christmas tree. I then ate them before I had any supper. Win? I think yes.

So today ended up quite a fun day! Scary bears, nasty coffee, fake bangs, a guy named Amy, and a pearl-lined stocking. Abbbbsolutely.

I'm back!.... I think.....

"Last post: January 30, 2011." Wow.... Almost a year has passed since I last posted to my blog. This fact seems rather disturbing, rather sad, and rather in need of rectification!! Much like my fingernails which need to be clipped and my muscles which need to be exercised, this blog needs to be written on and my writer's brain needs to write on it.

I have looked back at my posts from last year, and realized that they are.... not excellent. Never fear, however! I will rectify this additional rather sad fact in the near future. :) I intend to begin writing, readable posts worthy of being read on a semi-regular basis. I hope to post one or two times per week, so come back and see me! The subjects of these posts will, most likely vary greatly. Some will consist of book reviews or movie reviews. Others will describe (in my charming, witty style)  humorous incidents that occurr between me and family members or friends. And still others will contain my little insights on the world, religion, politics, etc. (These insights may be few and far between, but they will hopefully be worth reading and enjoyable whether or not you happen to agree with me.) :)

However, today's post will fit into none of these categories. No, today I will introduce myself. The sparkling creature standing before you contains several ingredients including some slight obsessions, some hobbies, some quirks, flippy hair, probably a pair of blue jeans, a smile (if you catch me on a good day), and a bit of caffeine.

Slight obsessions: Actually, I'll start with a not-so-slight-obsession. Music. Classical, country, pop, rock, folk, and even a bit of rap and a smidge of screamo. Artists that I like dislike live in every genre. I play piano, and I like to sing, though I'm not terribly good at it. I'm learning, though! :) Slight obsession #1, related to music: my fascination with country artist Taylor Swift. I love her music, her lyrics (which sound more like poetry), her personality, and her perfectly curled hair. I won't bore you with an ongoing description of her poetic genius and musical capabilities, seeing as the January 30 post right beneath this one does just that. All I'll say is that she writes her own music, she sings it well, she plays guitar and piano and several other instruments. And she's won the CMA twice, in addition to breaking countless records. You personally may not like her, but she has earned your respect.

More slight obsessions: #2, The TV show Gilmore Girls. I can quote all 7 seasons almost beginning to end. I love the witticisms, the cultural-references, the character development and relationships (not just boy/girl, but mother/daughter, best friends, other friends, and even enemies). #3, The Anne of Green Gables series. I've loved them as long as I can remember, and have read the countless times. Again, I can quote all 8 books almost from beginning to end. It tell the story of a girl's life, from a child to a growing adult. From falling in love, to losing a child, to becoming the mother of a large family, to the story of her 16 year old daughter. #4, Harry Potter. I only began reading the books last year, but I finished all and watched all of the movies, and am now proud to call myself a "Potterhead." #5, the band Relient K. #6, Christmas lights. #7, Glitter. #8, Curly hair. #9, snow-covered trees. #10, Word games. #11, Nutcrackers. I could go on and on, but I'll now move on to...

Hobbies: # 1, I love to read. I read everything from Shakespeare to Beverly Cleary to Jane Austen to J. K. Rowling. I read every night before I go to sleep. Books, in addition to music, serve as my escape from the world and its troubles. When I return to reality, I have renewed strength to face my fears. #2, I love to write. I've always loved English more than any other subject. I enjoy the writing assignments for school, I like journaling, and I've even made some attempts at a novel. So far none successful, but I did produce a short story! And even my failed attempts have been thoroughly enjoyable. #3, I like making things. I crochet, I knit, I sew, I craft. Anything that produces either something useful from something that wasn't, or something pretty from something ugly.

Quirks: #1, I always wear socks, and they never match. My feet seem to always feel freezing, so in the winter, I often wear multiple pairs of socks, and I change them regularly. From September to March, I usually go through 5 or 6 pair per day. #2, When I type a letter of a password wrong, I delete the whole thing. Not just that letter. #3, I generally say "My pleasure" instead of "Your welcome" in response to "Thank you," mostly because I work at Chick-fil-A and it becomes a habit... #4, When I eat Skittles or M&M's, I start with sorting them into colors. I then do one of two things. Either I eat the ones I like least first, and the ones I like best last or I find the largest pile and eat accordingly until all piles are equal; then, I eat mouthfuls at a time containing one candy of each color until they're gone. #5, I have an insane sensor for spiciness in food. If you put a teaspoon of Tabasco sauce in a gallon of soup, I will most definitely notice. #6, I laugh out loud and show animated facial expressions in response to books I read or conversations going on in my head.

Well now that you're adequately acquainted with me and my writing style, I hope you'll come back and continue to hear what I have to say! :) I'll post again soon. Hopefully.