Prompt 3

I had fun doing this one, though I feel it could use a little fixing up. It's a little it long, but I hope you'll enjoy!
Note: The prompt was: a woman gets a gun and when she goes to look for it two days later, she can't find it.
Annette Smith, now there’s a well-known name in this community. A few years ago, anyone that mentioned this name would have been laughed off. Annette Smith? That’s hardly the name one would pair with fame, it sounds like the name of an old woman who lives alone, with just her nine cats for company. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Annette, or as she preferred to be called, ‘Nette, was a lively, vivacious young woman. Was? I should say is, though she’s not that young anymore.
‘Nette grew up in the deep south, where owning a gun was practically tradition. She got her first gun on her tenth birthday, a marvelous nine millimeter. She was so proud of it, and learned how to shoot it extremely well. As she grew up, she began collecting guns. She especially collected rare guns that could only be found through ‘special’ dealers.
One day, while ‘Nette was rummaging through her uncle’s belongings, trying to help him decide what to put in his yard sale, she found a very rare, Parabellum-Pistole, also known as a Luger, in one of her uncle’s hundreds (or so it seemed) of boxes. Though the gun was popular in Germany in WWII, she knew her uncle had never even left his own city, never mind the country. Did he know how rare this was?
Casually, ‘Nette walked over to her uncle, who was routing through another box, chucking things out, one after another and muttering to himself. “Unca Chuck? Can I have this?” She asked, showing off her teeth in a bright grin, as if it didn’t really matter what he answered. “Whar is it?” he muttered distractedly. “Y’know, ye can ‘ave anything in those boxes, tha’ yer lil’ heart desires. Now keep workin’!” Chuck had a lot of junk, boxes and boxes of it. He was a collector of collections, but his house was growing too cluttered for his wife, so she gave him the ultimatum. It was her, or the junk, but one has got to go! So Chuck decided to get rid of the junk and enlist his entire family in helping him.
So she happily tucked the gun away, at went back to workin’ with a will. When she got home later that evening, after hours of going through box after box after box, she threw herself on the couch and groaned. “If I ever see another box again, it’ll be too soon!” She declared to the world in general. As she lay there, she felt something digging into her thigh. Then she remembered her treasure, she jumped up and took it out of her pocket. “Hmmm,” ‘Nette murmured, looking around her living room. “Where’re we gonna put you? Ye sure are special, so we need a special place. No, no regular ol’ drawer fer you!”
She finally decided to place it in her best hiding spot, at least till she could find a display case for it. “Nette carefully pulled out one of the bricks in her fire place, placed the gun in the little hidey-hole, and put the brick back. No one would find it, since only she knew of the hidey hole’s existence. So, ‘Nette went about her business, secure in the knowledge that her prized possession was safe and secure.
A couple of days later, ‘Nette was at a thrift store when she spotted the perfect display case. A large double racked mahogany display case which would look beautiful inside her home. She brought it over to the cashier, not even bothering to look at the price tag. No matter what it cost, she would have it. Having paid for it (only twenty-five dollars!) she took it home, and started setting it up. After putting some of her other “specials” in the case, she pulled out the brick in the fireplace, only to find…her gun wasn’t there! ‘Nette panicked. She was sure she had put it there, and that no one else knew of her perfect hiding spot. She reached her hand inside, nope, completely empty. Panting heavily, she started to break into a sweat. How could it have gone? She repeated to herself over and over. She called up her father, and told him the whole tale. Her father said that he would come over and help her look. Maybe she hadn’t placed it there; maybe it was actually somewhere else.
A couple of hours later, her entire house was turned upside-down, but there was still no sign of the gun. Her entire family was there at that point, trying to console her. Her sister, Marie, suggested that they check the fireplace once more. (Now of course, everyone knew about the “secret” hidey-hole.) So they took out the brick, shined a flashlight down to the back and – oh ho! What was this? There was a click as ‘Nette’s hand brushed the back of the wall. Slowly, the wall creaked open, on unused metal gears. A hidden room appeared. The family stood in awe, completely stunned at this turn of events. Suddenly, ‘Nettes youngest cousin shouted, “There!” and pointed. There, in the doorway of the hidden room, lay ‘Nettes gun. The room itself was covered in dust and old spiders, but under all that, was a desk, several chairs, and sheafs of papers.
‘Nette’s family called in the newspapers and anyone else they could think of to see this once hidden room. It turned out that this room had been used by spies for the union, who were pretending to work for the confederates. The papers held information that had not been known until now. So ‘Nette became a local hero, and her house was sold to the historical society. She still has her gun collection, though none led to any more quite as exciting discoveries.

Funny

I saw this on Bangitout.com, just had to share.

Irritating

One of the most annoying things in the world, and i think most people would agree with me on this, is the alarm clock. It doesn't matter if it rings, beeps, or just starts talking, it is just plain irritating. Press the snooze button, it goes off again anywhere from three minutes to ten minutes later, though no matter how long the interval, it always feels like you just fell back asleep. Some mornings, when you only what to sleep at 5 and your alarm clock is ringing at seven, you feel like taking a hammer and smashing it, like in cartoons. Nothing is quite as garaunteed to ruin your day as the sound of the alarm clock.

Prompt #1

CJ and I started a new project exercising our writer's muscles. Every day we will do a prompt. There are 1001 prompts to go through. Depending on how much i like what i've written, I may or may not put it up. THis is our first prompt. The first sentence was the prompt.

"Well if you could accuse anybody of being downright evil, it would be him." Her friend laughed and commented, “I think anyone who has ever had a boss has said that about them at one time or another.” Anna shook her head, “No, seriously, the man is like an evil genius or something, but without the genius. I swear that he just sits in that office and thinks up new ways to torture us. Have you heard of his latest idea?”
Melanie rolled her eyes, every week it was like this. Anna’s boss would come up with a new “brilliant” idea, that would usually flop, but before flopping would make all of his employees miserable. “All right, let’s hear it, what’s his plan this week?” Anna leaned across the table and lowered her voice. “He wants to try to sell real-estate on the moon.” Melanie raised her eyebrows. “Hasn’t that been tried? Last I checked the moon was not claimed by any country, never mind any one person. How on earth does he manage to stay in business when all he’s doing is coming up with these ridiculous ideas? I ask you again, why are you not looking for another job? You are always complaining about this one, you could surely find something better!”
Anna twirled her blonde hair pensively. Pursing her lips, she seemed to be thinking about what her friend said very seriously. “You know, I might just do that. I wasn’t going to say anything, but lately he has been coming on a bit strong, and I’m getting a bit uncomfortable.” “Anna! Why didn’t you say something! Isn’t there a restraining order on him?” Melanie’s usually cheerful eyes widened with shock and horror.

A Real Newspaper Ad

Newspaper Ad

The following is an ad from a real-life newspaper which appeared four days in a row - the last three hopelessly trying to correct the first day's mistake.

MONDAY: For sale: R.D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Phone 948-0707 after 7 PM and ask for Mrs. Kelly who lives with him cheap.

TUESDAY Notice: We regret having erred In R.D. Jones' ad yesterday. It should have read "One sewing machine for sale cheap. Phone 948-0707and ask for Mrs. Kelly, who lives with him after 7 PM."

WEDNESDAY Notice: R.D. Jones has informed us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of the error we made in the classified ad yesterday. The ad stands correct as follows: "For sale-- R.D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Cheap. Phone 948-0707after 7 PM and ask for Mrs. Kelly who loves with him."

THURSDAY Notice: I, R.D. Jones, have no sewing machine for sale. I smashed it. Don't call 948-0707 as I have had the phone disconnected. I have not been carrying on with Mrs. Kelly. Until yesterday she was my housekeeper but she quit!

Edit: I actually posted this almost a year ago, but since I was coming up blank, and I figure some of readers don't actually go through the archives, maybe I can get away with it, hmmm?

Obsessions

Pirates, spies, vampires, unicorns, phoenixes, dragons, knights...these are a few of the things I've gotten obsessed with over the years. When I say obsessed, I mean I found out everything about them that I could. Which also means that now, I have very random knowledge about the habits of vampires, how pirates went to the bathroom and bathed, that spying is not quite as dram tic as it seems in the movies, and other sorts of random stuff. I know all about different kind of cats (large and small) for example, the cheetah is the only cat that does not have retractable claws. And whenever I discover something new to obsess over, I go to the library and check-out almost every book they have on the subject.
So what kind of things do you think are interesting and worth finding out everything you can about them?

Missing the Obvious

People are funny, sometimes it takes them a while to realize something that was obvious and in front of their nose all along. Take me for example, I'm pretty tall, 5'10" which is somewhat tall for a woman, and yet for a lot of people I'll have known them for a while an all of sudden I'll hear, "You're really tall, y'know that?" Yes, I do, but I don't "act" tall, I am very good at not acting tall, so good at it, that at times I can make myself practically invisible. But, back to the topic, it's amazing how often they don't see what would be obvious to one person, is compltely hidden to another. Partly it depends on what they consider to be "important." Whether it is or not, is up for debate. Whether it's seeing the big picture, or all the minute details, it's unbelievable how often the "obvious" remains unseen.

Cat in Heat? No More!

So I had Mittens spayed, she stayed over-night at the vet and I brought her home today. However, since whem I had brought her over she peed in her carrier and got it all over herself, I figured that on the way back, she coud wander around the car and hopefully she wouldn't be so miserable. I did that, though it didn't work quite as I hoped. First of all, she seemed to have a need to stay right near me, so she was either under my seat or by my feet (and the gas and brake pedal) and a couple of times she climbed up my skirt and onto my lap, so I had her claws digging into me as I was driving. So...yeah, that made for a very interesting drive, but I managed to get home with no mishaps and everything was good.

A Happy Camper

That would be me, right now. I'm going to a friend's wedding in Brooklyn in three weeks, and I'll be staying by a friend in Baltimore. For a week. YAY! I really wanted an excuse to go to Baltimore to see my friends and now I have one! I feel like dancing! Though at last night's wedding I didn't feel like doing so, I felt sick and nauseous, and I think I spent about half the time outside away from all the noise. Despite my not feeling well however, it was a very nice wedding and I'm glad I was able to go.

The 'Why' of Religion

Why do people need religion? Why do people feel the need to have a Higher Being to turn to? Sure, there are those who don't, atheists, but generally when push comes to shove, "there is no athiest in a fox-hole," and a person is staring down the barrel of a gun, one feels the need to say, "Help! I need Someone or Something to intervene, because there is no way I can get out of this myself." Since the beginning, there has been some form of religion, whether it be worship of the sun, the moon and the stars, or of idols, or of a g-d that cannot be seen, there has always been belief that there is something, or things, that are "out there" that are greater than us, that move forces beyond our comprehension, that effects our lives, and our history. Pick out a culture, any culture on the planet, and you will find some sort of belief system. In almost every culture, there is a concept of a heaven and hell, punishment and reward, whether it be in this life, or the next. So what is it about human beings that gives us the drive and desire to believe that there are greater forces at work?
This a huge topic, covering a lot more than I can in a single, or even multiple posts. There are tons of books on the subject, and yet I feel that it's something that each person needs to think of for themselves first. So, what do you think?

Wedding Tonight

A classmate, or rather former classmate of mine is getting married tonight, and I'm going to the wedding. To be honest, I'm quite happy because I like going to weddings and the last one I went to was in March. So I feel like it's a bit overdue for me to go to another wedding. Perhaps tomorrow I'll post about it.

The Meaning of Colors

We've all seen it, right? See certain colors, come to certain conclusions.

Red = Anger or agressiveness. Example: His faced turned red. Someone driving a red car (especially a sports car, is more likely to drive agressively.)
Blue/Green = calm. While I have no real examples of this, what I've heard is that people in a blue or green room are less likely to get agressive than in red room.
Yellow = happy, bright, sunny. Looking at yellow generally puts people in better mood, while blue is nice if you want to calm someone, if you want to cheer them up, yellow is better.
Black = despair, or sadness. Often times in literature, when someone is depressed, the narrative mentions them sinking into blackness, or darkness.
White = Neutral or blank....self explanatory, I think.

Well, those are the basic colors, if anyone can think of particular feelings associated with any of the other colors, it would be much appreciated.

Pool(s) or Swimming

We have a pool. In case I haven't mentioned it yet, a very BIG pool. It's dimensions are 20x40. Meaning it's big enough to hold about 20 people comfortably, possibly more. Why do we have such ridiculously large pool? Most pools in the area are about half that size, except for the public pool, which is quite a bit larger. Apparently the architect who designed most of the houses in this area made this his own home, so of course, he gave himself a huge pool. Which is nice, because now we get to use it. Oh, and did I mention it's 12 ft. deep at the deepest point? You could even use a diving board in this pool. Actually, there used to be a thing for exactly that purpose. Our pool also used to be screened in. That is, until Hurricane Wilma blew the screening, metal frame an all, into the pool. Bye bye, screening. So, like I said, the perfect pool for pool parties, though we almost never have any...but our most recent one was today, and the boys seemed to have a blast. Oh, and miracle of miracles, they all cleaned up after themselves! I didn't have to do anything! Yay!

Full of Interesting

Currently, our house is filled with teenage boys. They are seriously soaking the living-room floor and are making lots of noise and mess. That's boys, right? My brother invited about 15 boys to go swimming and have a barbecue, and one of his rebbeim is here as well, with his two young kids. All in all, it seems to be going pretty good, though my brother also seems to be a little stressed. I, on the other hand, am hanging out in my room, trying to pretend I'm not here so I won't get drafted for clean-up duty. Actually, I think I may just leave the house, just to make sure of that. I may post later, after all the boys leave.

What' Up?

My dreams are being invaded by cuteness! For the last three nights running, my dreams have been filled with cute puppies and kittens. What is up with that? I wish I knew. Another thing lately is that my dreams seem to be turning into action movies...with a bad guy, lots of running, fighting and that sort of thing. Two nights ago I was being held hostage in an underground bunker. I escaped from it. Last night, I and my best friend were secret agents....I think my sub-consciou is trying to tell me something.

More Fun With Exercise!

Remember this? Well, just about fifteen minutes ago, my dog ran away. AGAIN. I had opened the front door to investigate a sound when Wish, being rather small, ran through the doorway and out into the night. With a rather lot of cussing on my part, I followed, (after slipping on some shoes) I chased him for about ten minutes, and then some people passing by in a car had pity on me, and helped me round 'im up. Wasn't easy, trying to see a black dog in the dark, running through parts of the neighborhood that were not so safe. And yelling "Wish! Wishbone!" for the entire neighborhood to hear. At least it was only about twenty minutes. When he was younger, they were hour long chases. And now I am hot and exhausted. Bleh.

Aren't kids cute?

I remember when I was 7, we were moving down to florida, and the first time my father told my brother and I. My father said, "We're moving to Miami! Isn't that exciting?" I, thinking my 3-yr. old brother hadn't heard, said to him, "We're moving to Miami!"
"Nuh-Uh!" he said, folding his arms. My father and I were surprised. "What nuh-uh?"
"Not your-ami, daddy's-ami!"
Just got to love little kids. And memories!

I Hate Trucks

Warning: Rant Ahead


As anyone who has been in a car with me knows, I hate, loathe, despise, and can not stand trucks. I don't like driving behind them, they go to slow. I don't like driving beside them, what if they can't see me. I don't like driving in front of them, what the heck is that guy doing right on my tail? I don't like driving between two of them, I feel like I'm about to be squished like a bug. In general, I wish that trucks had a road of thier own.

/End Rant/

Yay for Randomness!

Especially when you can't think of anything to blog about. I have a test coming up on Thursday, but that's not really of interest. So while I was going through some papers, I found the beginning of a story, just one of many on the papers, but thought I might as well post it for your enjoyment.

"If could count the
ways I love you, one
would find they are as
many as the stars."
"Still getting love poems and letters from him?"her friend asked, her eyebrow arched. "Yes," she sighed. "He just doesn't give up! And he apparently does not understand the meaning of the word 'no'." Jane shook her head sadly. George was persistent in his declaration of love, and in his desire to wed her, but it wasn't meant to be. He and she were too dissimiliar, and from very different worlds.

That's all I wrote. I never do romance, but those first lines were just bouncing around my head till I got them down on paper. Anyways, hope y'all enjoyed, and I really hope I'll have something else next time.

I LOVE This Song

You Are Loved

Josh Groban

Where do dreams come from?

I've heard several theories, but the one that makes the most sense to me, and explains a great deal of my dreams (though not all of them) is that dreams are your thoughts throughout the day, put into some sort of order. Considering the types of books I read (mainly fantasy and some scifi) that explains a great deal about some dreams. Others...I'm not sure what i was thinking that day. I also have different categories for my dreams, the magic ones (where it either works or doesn't), my "videogame" dreams, in which the entire feel of the dream is like I'm in a video game. In one of those types, president Bush was there. As a mermaid. In a helicopter. That would be one of those "what the...? was I thinking" moments. Historical dreams...I try to collect a bounty on Stalin...that kind of thing. I rarely have nice quiet, there's nothing happening dreams. Mine are usually action packed. No wonder I'm so tired when I wake up. There are a few others, though I can't think of them at the moment. Ah well.
Hopefully I'll think of something else to post later. In the meantime, Mike, does that answer your question?

My Favorite Dreams

I've posted my father's favorite dream, so I might as well post my own favorites. Actually there are two of them, and they both involve beating up, or annoying the heck out of, the bad guys. In both dreams I have magic, and it actually WORKS! Which is very nice, but also somewhat unusual since a lot of times it will work at first and then stop working, and leaving me feeling like a complete idiot. I recall that one time I was reduced to saying to the people I was trying to do it for, "Just pretend that happened, k?" Felt like a total moron. I think I was trying to turn a vulture into a rabbit or something. Anyways, back to my favorite dreams. In dream #1: I'm flying/ swimming through a museum with all these guys in black chasing me. I would go into the exhibits and taunt the guys, saying that they couldn't catch me. That was ALOT of fun. Dream #2: For some reason, the storm troopers from Star Wars were the minion of the evil guy in my dream. There was an evil emperor that I killed with a spell of wind and rain. Not sure how, but that felt pretty satisfying as well. As you've seen, I have some unresolved kick-a$$ issues apparently. Freud would have a field day with me.

A Good Day...and Another Weird Dream

I went to the gun show today with my brother. Those who know me are probably going: "You did WHAT?!"No, I haven't completely lost my marbles (not yet, at any rate) and I actually had a pretty good time. I discovered that I do NOT like the feel of sub-compacts, and there are couple of types that I do like. Can't recall what they were, but I could ask my brother. Afterwards we went for lunch, and came home. This evening I'm going over to CJ's for swimming and movies. So all in all, a good Sunday.
So I had yet another weird dream, however I have no idea where the ideas in it came from. What I recall is that..a terrorist, but not terrorist, because I was a part of it, kind of, or at least I knew of the plot, blew up a building. We (me and someone else, no idea who) were actually right next to the building when the bomb went off. I ran, knowing as I did that there was no way I would be out of range when the building came down. So instead I ran into another building, where there were a bunch of bad guys, and I, along with some other people, kicked their butts, before they tried to kill us. End of dream. Actually, now that I think about it, I have a sneaking suspicion I know where at least part of it came from...

It's Been Decided

Hey, remember this? My cat went into heat again, as cats do, pretty often especially in the summer months..anyways, apparently she sprayed on my stepfather's bed. Not a good thing. So, first thing Monday morning, I'm making an appt. to bring her in and get her spayed. I just have to hope and pray that she doesn't get fat like my other kitties, and remains active.
What else....Father's day is tomorrow, but we're not doing anything. My father is out of town, visiting his wife's family, so I have a couple of weeks to get him something. And that's really about all I feel like posting currently. Hopefully I'll have something more interesting tomorrow.

Random Rambling on My Mind

Lightning lit up the gray overcast sky, rumbling thunder followed soon after. That was pretty much the weather this afternoon. I sat in the house, nice and cozy, content in the knowledge that I was not going outside anytime in the near future. If I did I would be - not cold - but wet and miserable. And probably eaten alive by mosquitoes or be crawling with gnats. This is the one thing I don't like about summer down here. It can be brutal. I spend as little time outside as possible (except while swimming) I go from air conditioned house to air conditioned car to air conditioned store. And yet, I'm asked, "How are you so tan?" No, I don't sunbathe. Ijust point at the sun, and tell them that even through the windows of my car I get tanned....I'm rambling again, aren't I? Well, it does say; "The ramblings of a frum girl in south florida." And yet people still read it... Not that I'm complaining, mind you, I love that people read my wandering thoughts, though in reality, my thoughts wander alot more than what I actually put down. It's just I'll sit in front of the computer, look at this blank space, and go: "What the heck am I going to write about? I can't think of anything!" Yes, I know, most people go through that, but it certainly does not lessen the frustration that occurs when it happens.
And....I just ran out of things to ramble about. So, sadly to say, sayanora, until the next time.

Ipods

Anyone out there know how long an iPod is supposed to last? Mine is...not really working, and I'm wondering whether it's worth it to try to get it fixed. It's a year old. and my experience with my previous iPod, a second generation shuffle, was that it too died after a year. Is this normal? Is it worth it to fix it, or should I get a new one? Help me out here!
Apparently I should be more clear. It's not working as in, it doesn't respond to any of the buttons being pushed (no, it's not on hold, I made sure of that) and currently all the screen is showing me is "Do not disconnect" when it wasn't connected to anything in the first place! Well, actually it was connected to the iHome, but it hasn't done anything like that before. I've tried hooking it up to my computer, but the computer won't connect, it doesn't seem like there's anything connected. (I'm not sure if that last line made sense, but hopefully you get what I mean.) All cleared up now? Please help!

Update: I just picked up my ipod and clicked the buttons, just to see what would happen. Apparently, it's working again. Though I'm not sure for how long. Maybe I should take it to the apple store to get looked at. Though I also saw a few websites that will diagnose it....I don't know. Sooooo, I'm back at square one. Phbttthhhhhh.

Snippets

The minion chatted away while fixing up his evil master's lab for the hero to be tortured. Finally his master sighed, grabbed his ear, very painfully, and said, "You know vhat I vant? I vant you to SHUT UP!!"

"So after following the path we reached a wide river. Before I could say anything, he went and drank from the water, and this is the result." He pointed behind him to a slack-jawed and drooling Matt. "He'll do anything you tell him to, no matter what it is. Very useful." I stared, and then slowly began to smile. Maybe it wouldn't be as hard to take over the world as I thought.

"You did WHAT?!" she yelled. "How could you have been so dumb? Now he knows everything!" She threw up her arms in disgust and turned away. "Look, I'm sorry, I tried to fight it, I really did, but have YOU ever been under a truth spell by the arch-mage?" His voice rising as he tried to fight panic and anger, and failing at both.

These are just a few snippets that flew through my brain today. I haven't read these anywhere, my mind just will randomly come up with a sentence, or even a paragraph. It's like I have a minin L-space in my head.

A Wedding Shower

I went to a friend's wedding shower last night. It was really nice to see all my former classmates again. Well, ok, not all, but quite a few. Unfortunatlely, I won't be able to make it to this girls wedding, since it's in Lakewood. Too many logisitcs which I would not be able to deal with. It was all good though. We talked, played a game (Mad Lib, it was really funny) and watched the girl open her gifts. Nothing really unusual, just stuff, mainly for the kitchen. Baking pans, salad spinner, plates, glasses...And I have another wedding shower coming up, for another classmate that I wasn't even aware that she was engaged. Or if I did know, I forgot. Whatever, it was fun, and I look forward to the next one.

Seven Toes (aka Sandals)

So, apparently another cat has adopted us, but it's very clear he's not a stray. He has a a green bandana/collar on him, but no tag. He is incredibly friendly, rubbing up against legs, demanding to be pet. He also has seven toes on his front feet. So since he obviously belongs (or belonged) to someone, I'll be putting up Found posters around the neighborhood. Perhaps someone will claim him. He's clearly an indoor kitty, but we can't take him in since he's not neutered. And as all readers who read this know, the kitten is not spayed, and I would rather not spay her. So...anyone want a very friendly kitty?

Feel like a Laugh?

I had my test today. It was...meh. I think I may have failed, or if I pass, it will be by the skin of my teeth. Ok, so now I know that I just gotta study a heck of alot more. Fun. So here is a cute little pick-me-up joke, which I know I desperately need, and hopefully it'll give my readers a laugh.
GCF: Laws of Cat Physics
LAW OF CAT INERTIA - A cat at rest will tend to remain at rest, unless acted upon by some outside force, such as the opening of cat food, or a nearby scurrying mouse.
LAW OF CAT MOTION - A cat will move in a straight line, unless there is a really good reason to change direction.
LAW OF CAT THERMODYNAMICS - Heat flows from a warmer to a cooler body, except in the case of a cat, all heat flows to the cat.
FIRST LAW OF CAT ENERGY CONSERVATION - Cats know that energy can neither be created nor destroyed and will, therefore, use as little energy as possible.
LAW OF BAG/BOX OCCUPANCY - All bags and boxes in a given room must contain a cat within the earliest possible nanosecond.
LAW OF FURNITURE REPLACEMENT - A cat's desire to scratch furniture is directly proportional to the cost of the furniture.
LAW OF PILL REJECTION - Any pill given to a cat has potential energy to reach escape velocity.
LAW OF CAT COMPOSITION - A cat is composed of Matter + Anti-matter + It Doesn't Matter.
LAW OF SPACE-TIME CONTINUUM - Given enough time, a cat will land in just about any space.
LAW OF CAT OBEDIENCE - As yet undiscovered.

Happy B-Day to My Brother!

Today is his 17th b-day, which feels kind of weird, since it wasn't that long ago that I was seventeen. But life goes on, and people do age. Now I think I understand why everyone is obessesed with the fountain of youth...anywho, I got him a couple of presents. I got him Tim McGraws Greatest hits, that's one of his favorite singers, and I got him a t-shirt that says: "Rule 37: There is no such thing as 'overkill' there is only 'open fire' and 'time to re-load'."
And it shows this big guy with all of these guns and in body armor pointing it all at a little bug that's reading a newspaper. My brother liked it, as I figured he would. What else....oh, he's getting a mountain bike from my mother. I'm sure some of you are thinking, "Why does he need a mountain bike? Florida is FLAT!" Answer: He goes to the state parks that have mountain bike paths. Other than that, there really isn't much use for it in my opinion, but it is his birthday...
I don't think we're doing anything party-like, for the most part my family isn't into parties, and that reminds me, one year, we all, including him, forgot it was his birthday. The only reason we remembered before the day was out was that my father called to wish him a happy one. That was funny. And now I do believe I am babbling again. Oh well, I shall take my leave before I make a fool of myself. But before I do, everyone wish me luck on my algebra test tomorrow, I'm gonna need it!

Hurricane Season

No, I'm not talking about the Miami University team, today is the first day of hurricane season, meaning those ferocious storms of wind and rain that tear through, leaving a whole lotta mess behind 'em. Hurricane Season is from June 1st to November 30th, about 6 months of the year.
OK, well, I was going to do a checklist for y'all, but I just took a look at the one given for south florida, and I am not writing all that down. So if you're curious about what is needed to survive a hurricane, or what to have when evacuating, just check this out. We're probably going to do most of that, only if we know for sure a hurricane is coming. The last couple of years we've been very lucky, no hurricanes hit us at all! But three years ago, that was a killer. There was Hurricane Wilma, which did an insane amount of damage, there were still people that hadn't had thier roofs fixed or gotten their insurance two years later. A lot of little insurance comanies went under becuase too many people were trying to collect. The Hurricanes also continued after the season was officially over, and the hurricane center was using greek letters as names, they had run ot of the names of the alphabet! Fortunately for me, I wasn't here, I was comfortably in Isreal. The really big thing we suffered from was that the screening that had been over our pool, now fell in the pool. My mother was actually happy about that, she had been wanting to get rid of it for ages. Now she could, and it wouldn't cost her a dime! Hopefully though, this season won't be as bad as that one. Let's all pray for that!

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago, I just wanted to show how odd florida weather is. Where I'm sitting in my car, it's nice and sunny, but dead ahead, it looks like some serious rain.
Those Floridians that read my blog know what I'm talking about. You can literally drive/walk into a literal wall of water. Raining on one side of the street, clear on the other. On shabbos it was pouring so hard we could not see across the street. Though we have desperately needed the rain, what with the water restrictions and all. In my opinion, we need a new resevoir that will supply south florida, not just Lake Okechobee. (Which according to my family doesn't exist, becuase we went looking for it a few years ago and we never found it. So we came to the conclusion that it doesn't exist) And yes, I know, I'm babbling, but I could not for the life of me think of anything else to post about. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm for bed, before I make an even bigger fool of myself.

Are You British?

I've gotten asked that question a few times recently. The answer is no, I'm not. Never even been to England. But I have a tendency to speak a bit fast, and my vocabulary is sprinkled with british terms. Like "bum" instead of "a$$" or "bloody hell" or "bugger" and probably some others I'm not even aware of. I blame that on the fact that alot of the books I read are by british authors. Like Terry Pratchett, JK Rowling, Diana Wynne Jones....but I'd have to say it's Pratchett that had the biggest effect. It's really amazing how reading can expandyour vocabulary.

Having a Blast

Yesterday was a ton of fun. I went over to CJ's and another friend of mine who came down from NY for the week was there, as well as a good fiend of CJ's and CJ's sister. We swam for about four hours, took a lot of pictures, had a barbecue, and rented a movie. We also got the pictures developed, though I still have to get a copy of the CD from CJ. I had such a great time, CJ and I agreed we should do this once a week during the summer. We'll see how often we can get together and do that. WHeeeeee!

Happy Memorial Day!

Memorial Day is a federal holiday in the good ol' US of A, to remember the soldiers, in every war, from the revolutionary war to the Iraq War, who sacrificed thier lives, so we could live in Freedom. Thank you.

Cats In Heat: Things I've Learned

So, my cat, correction: one of my cats has gone into heat. That would be Mittens, the only one who isn't spayed. I'm somewhat reluctant to have her spayed because with my previous two cats, I had the spayed=they got fat. There seems to be a corellation here, and I would really rather not have three fat cats, thank you very much. So, I went on google and typed in "cat in heat." One of the first websites that I got, that I thought at first would be helpful, was this. (WARNING: Click at your own risk!) I absolutley refuse to do that to my cat. Sorry, not happening. So, apparently I only have two other options: to spay her, or I can take her to the vet to have her get a shot that would delay the going into heat. From what I gather, it's like "the pill" for cats. So I'm going to have to find out the cost of that, and then I guess I'll make my decision. But hey, at least I didn't have the same situation as this guy.
Oh, and according to every cat owner on the planet, including me, a cat in heat is one of the most annoying things ever.

Today is a holiday!

No, not talking about Memorial day weekend, it's National Towel Day! On this holiday, started by fans of Douglas Adam's The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, fans of Douglas Adams carry around towels to commerate this author, (died May 11, 2001). It is also a holiday for Pratchett fans as well, though not by commemorating anything with towels. I believe the tradition for fans of Pratchett's Discworld series get stinking drunk, and wear lilacs....though for the reason, one would have to read Night Watch all the way through. However, if someone can explain it short and simple for non-pratchett fans, I would be most grateful. Anyways, I wish everyone a happy Towel Day, May 25, and anything else that I don't know of.

Superheroes Part 2

I guess with the first post, I don't feel like I really finished the thought. True, people are looking for superheroes, someone who will come to the rescue in the nick of time, and make everything all right in the world. We know that to change the world, we must change ourselves, make everyday just a little bit better in any way we can, a smile at a stranger, a random kindness. People can be their own superheroes, they just haven't realized it yet. True, there's no cool suits, or fantastic powers, and they might not even believe they are making a difference. Perhaps saving a life just by being a friend and there for someone. So while there are no superheroes flying through the sky, saving the day, the average Joe Schmoe, is out there being a hero, making a difference, and doesn't even realize it.

My Desk

A peron's desk, and all the clutter on it, can tell one alot about the person who sits at that desk. Whether it gets much use, or not, the places they've been, what they are interested in, perhaps even a few secrets revelealed. I look at my desk...it's a mess, as per usual, and I need to straghten it up again. But what do I see? I see dirt from Israel, in two little bottles, truly bottled memories, as they came from when my seminary went on a tiyul. I see a little box, closed right now, but it has a beautiful blue cover, done in asian flowers. The box contains two ivory balls, with pictures of mice upon them. A gift from my grandmother, when she still traveled the world. Beside these, I see a statue of a tiger, that I got for myself at Jungle Island not that long ago. I don't have that much in my room that shows my love of tigers...if you disregard the stuffed, plastic and glass versions of tigers that I own...*ahem* Besdide these I have a keychain with a dragon that I got while in Epcot, attached to a Jumpdrive of 2 GB, which I use to transfer things from one of our computers to the other, when the e-mail wasn't working. Beside this, I have a glass egg, with violet flowers painted on it, it opens to reveal several of my earrings, it was a gift from my father for one of my birthdays, though I don't recall which one.
I think I will continue this one another time...too many things!

Superheroes

Why is it that the last few years there has been at least one superhero movie out every year? What triggered everyone's sudden need for a superhero? Perhaps it's really a wish, a desire, that because the world has turned upside down, the average person feels powerless, unable to do anything that they feel would make a huge difference. So Hollywood gives the people something to wish for: a super hero, someone who saves the world who has the power to change the world, to change it for the better. Often the superhero begins as your average John Doe, and then something causes him to change, whether it's an event that effected his body, or his mind. So it re-creates him, and he goes out and does something to better the world, to save it from evil villains, no matter who they may be. Our society, our world, perhaps feels the need for superheroes more than ever, in these uncertain times. Do you?

A Good Thing

A while back, I posted a story about a girl who commited suicide, because a boy she had met on My Space, who had been pretending to be her friend told her "the world would be better off without her." She hung her self an hour later. It turned out she was not talking to a boy at all. A neighbor, the mother of one of her classmates, and one of her coworkers had made up the whole thing to find out what Morgan had been saying about her daughter. Today, I saw on the news that the woman has been indicted. See here for about the indictment, and here for the original story.
In my own opinion, I think it's a very good thing she's been indicted, and think it's an absolutley sickening thing to do to a child. Particularly since the poor girl had low self-esteem in the first place, and then to play with her emotions like that?! It's absolutley revolting.

Jury Duty

Whirrrrrr, whirrrrrr, whirrrrr...that was the sound I awoke to this morning as my step-father drilled around our bathroom's doorhandle. The bathroom was opened at 7 o'clock which meant that, unfortunately, I still had time to get to Jury Duty. I got there about a half hour late, due to traffic, difficulty with the GPS, and getting gas before hand. But it wasn't too terribly late, people were still coming in. I spent most of the time bored out of my mind, but I got to go home early because no one in my group was picked (we were a group of 40) and some cases had cancelled. So I got to leave two hours early, and now I am home and I am exhausted. But like I said, most of the time I was bored...and cold, they keep it freezing in the courtrooms.

The Truth is Stranger than Fiction

Well, tomorrow I was supposed to go to jury duty. Um...not happening. I managed to lock the bathroom door, locking everyone out, and my contacts and my glasses in. Sooooo, no jury duty for me tomorrow. Instead I get to stay home and wait for the locksmith. Fun.

Reality

Humans create something that we call "reality." A whole world that exists and if we can't see it, touch it, feel it, or understand it, it's not "real." That is where religion comes in. Religion sets up a whole new reality based on things we can't feel with any of our senses and which is based on that intangible thing called "faith." Yet even our "reality" is not quite as we seem to think. Look at a chair. You see something solid, you feel something solid. All of your senses tell you that that chair is there and that it is "real." But if you went down to the tiny atoms that make up that chair, the protons and neutrons and electrons, and all that empty, empty space, with nothing there, you'd go, it's not solid, it's not real, it's not possible. And yet there it is, we can feel it with every sense. We have senses that we are not even aware of that tell us that g-d is there, even if we can't feel it with our everyday senses. People will go into denial and say there is no such thing, but when push comes to shove, when you think you are abut to die. ALL of your senses are at thier height, and you say there IS a g-d.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm so excited, I am now 21 and am fully legal! Whoot!
My family had a birthday party for me yesterday, and that was lots of fun, good cake, ice cream, etc. Today I'm making a birthday present for myself, I want to go to Color Me Mine and paint something. That's one of my favorite things to do, it's very relaxing.

Happy Mother's Day!

Why I No Longer Open the Door for Tzedakh Collectors

Or to be more specific: why I don't walk out when they come. This happened about a year ago, maybe a little more. I opened the door for this young guy, he looked to be in his early twenties, and since he was collecting I went and got my step-father to deal with him. I had to leave while he was still there, I had an errand to run. When I walked out, I saw him trying to get Boots to come to him. (She was still an outdoor cat at the time, and very wary of strangers.) I smiled at him, a little, a friendly smile, got in my car, and left. When I came bakc, he was gone. But I found out from my step-father that he had asked for my hand in marriage. Okay, do not need any more random marriage proposals, thank you very much. I no longer go out, when they come to collect.

Class

I had my first class today, and I think that this term will be....interesting. A lot of work, but interesting. My teacher is funny, though I also think she's a little bit crazy. Not in a bad way, but she calls some of thhave e problems that we have to do, "cute" and "adorable". I have never heard of math being referred to as cute or adorable and I have never thought of math in those terms. But like I said, it will certainly be interesting.

College (Again)

Tomorrow is the start of a new semester just days after I finished the last one. Fortunately however, I am only taking one class this term and will hopefully not go crazy. Unfortunately, the one class which I am taking is College Algebra. Meaning math. I really don't like math. But, it is the last math class I have to take for a while, so that's good. And I don't have to get up so early to get to class, which is also good. So all in all, I think the good outweighs the bad in this situation. We'll see how class goes tomorrow, then I'll decide whether I should be dreading this summer, or loving it.

Nada

Y'know what would be nice? If I would get a couple more comments once in a while! I've put up 10 posts and gotten no feedback. Yes, I know I'm complaining, and it's not a very good complaint at that, but I have nothing else really post-worthy. Er....yeah, nothing else comes to mind, had a very boring day, and got nada to report. Maybe tomorrow. "May you live in interesting times!"

More Bizarre Dreams!

Last night I had two dreams though I'm actually not sure it one was a continuation of the other or was a seperate dream entirely. First dream, I, along with a bunch of other girls am summoned to the palace to find a bride for the prince. Just one problem, the girl that the king and queen chose has issues with the fact that the prince is quite a bit older than her. I am for some reason sleeping in the window,when the prince turns around and seems dejected. End of that dream. Next dream. People come from outer space but are drressed as firemen. One of the girls throws a fit because they should be wearing spacesuits, not fireman outfits. Then the introduce us to some talking flowers that also kill disease. The end.

Family

Perhaps I haven't been as clear as I should have. I love my brother, and I know that I have a much closer relationship with him than some girls do with thier brothers. I do tend to whinge and complain about his OCD and how it makes life difficult for me, but life is a whole bunch of tests and this is one that I have to go through. However, because I never complain about it out loud, except to my therapist, I need a place to let it out. As to him finding this blog....in all honesty, I really REALLY doubt it. He goes on fishing forums and gun forums. He does not look at other blogs, unless I showed it to him...which I would most likely never do. When I started this blog, my idea was to be able to use it as a journal for my feelings. I don't usually showcase my feelings here, but last night...actually that was as a remnder to me to talk to my therapist about it. She'll say what's been going on with your mother and stepfather. I'll go: I don't remember. I'm afraid I'm shutting it out on purpose, because it's unpleasant. My mother knows I have this blog, and she encourages me to write on it, so does my therapist. One of the reasons I want to go into therapy is help people like my brother. My brother is a good person, even if he goes through some rough times. But the only thing is, what you see on my blog is the rough stuff. He learns with a kid younger than him, he's taken several kids under his wing. I know of at least one boy who would very likely go off the derech if not for my brother. My brother has his own terrific mentors, who I admire and respect for helping him, even when he's going through his hardest time. So perhaps I shouldn't have posted what I did yesterday. I've taken it down, and thank you anonymous, I think I needed to post this.

More Odd Dreams

A lot of my dreams lately have me ending up in a forest or jungle trying to either find something or escape from something (Or in one case, destroy something) . What on earth is up with that? I am not that outdoorsy, and I have not been in any forest or jungle lately. I'm also either falling down cliffs or climbing them...and I have not been anywhere near a cliff lately. Florida is FLAT....no cliffs, not even any real hills.
Lessee...dreams that I can recall: (not in order)
1) Trying to destroy an ancient evil artifact, but the guy whose spells we0're using are really not effective. Takes place in a jungle near a resort on a cliff (which i climb up). The evil artifact is in fact a shiny red button. Don't ask...I know a bit where the evil artifact comes from, I was reading a book with one in it before I fell asleep.

2)No jungle in this dream. I am in a floating city/a city built in the treetops, and I have my own dragon (note: my first dragon dream EVER!!!!) I want to race my dragon, but my mother won't let me, so I go to watch other dragons racing, and then my mother freaks out about my doing that. She's very overprotective. Everyone knows that, and is trying to convince her to let me race. Not working. For some reason everyone bursts into song and dance while trying to convince her. Whatever.

3)Jungle dream. I am running away from...something. No idea what, but it wants me and my friends. I go down a water fall (cliff) and end up in even more jungle. Don't remeber much of that dream.

4)The drean I posted before with the two sisters. Has mountain and forest.

5)Had a Disney dream last night. Everything was cartoonish. there was a guy with a horse's head, and the vilain was trying to take his head off, because he was convinced it was a costume.

That's all I can remember right now. Maybe I'll add more later if I can recall.

A Dream

Two sisters have lost thier mother, and are on a quest. For what, neither knows...but they each have a piece of the shawl thier mother left. One piece is yellowand purple the other is red and blue. They also each have a "familiar" onne in the shape of a cat, the other a raven. They need both to find what it is they are looking for, but do not want to work together. One sister calls for the shall and familiar to come to her. It won't come, for the other sister won't let it. "Do not call what is not yours, or there will be grave consequences." Much later: In front of a muntain watching the sun set, the sister that called is watching the "Maiden's Hair" - aline of light that lasts for one second more after the sun sets and is seen just before the sun rises. Suddenly she looks up and in one of the trees is the other part of her mother's shawl fluttering in the breeze as well as the other familiar. She gasps, and climbs the tree to get it. "If it is here, that means my sister is dead. I never meant for that!"

That was my dream last night. Really, really odd. Anyone here interpret dreams?

Today

Let's see...what's new? I have a cold...again. For the second time in as many months which is unusual for me. I went to my grandmother's for a couple of days, though didn't do much because I was sick. But last night I got some bad news from my mother. Apparently, Baby bird managed to get out of his cage...and the kitten killed him. My brother was devastated and understandably, he has not forgiven the kitten. I'm sad, but the bird was getting braver and was sticking his head out of thecage more and more. Can't blame the kitten because she was just acting according to her nature.Our first cat-like cat.

Whooot!

I had my last final today! I am SO HAPPY!!!! Though oddly enough, next week I still have to go to one last class, but whatever. And right after that I'll be going up to visit my grandmother for a few days and that will be lots of fun too! Course, right after that I'm starting another semester but since I'm only taking one course it won't be as insane for me. I'm also going to look for a job, hopefully in a pet store. So lots and lots in store this summer! I am SO EXCITED! (In case you couldn't tell.) And now I'm gonna go shluff for the next three days. (not quite...but almost)

100th Post!

I've been blogging for almost a year and a half now and I finally reached my 100th post! O'course, I kind of didn't really update during 2006 so that might not count, right? Whatever. I'm just excited that I finally reached this landmark and hopefully I will continue blogging for a long time to come.
I really, really don't like phones. I am not good with auditory, and that's all a phone is, no facial cues or body language to give me hints. Sometimes not even human tone! I have an issue with my hearing, it's not very obvious if talking to me in person, but I have a tendency to think your saying one thing, when actually something entirely different is being said. For example: my mother says: "I need you to empty the dishwasher." I might hear: "I need you to empty the fishwasher." I usually mentally correct it so quickly it's not noticeable unless I mention it. But on the phone, it's not as easy for me, so I have to keep asking people to repeat things and it makes me uncomfortable. Actually, the woman who diagnosed me with this said that because of it I would have trouble reading. Eh...not so much. I'm a very avid reader, it's just I REALLY HATE PHONES. What brings this up? I spent an hour on the phone today trying to figure out what went wrong with some tickets I bought. Ugh.

Pesach II

For the Seders it was just us, no surprise there, and we didn't finish until about 2 in the morning both nights. I am SO sick of matzah at this point, and still have several more days to go. On the upside though, I don't HAVE to eat it, at least not as much of it as at the seder, so that's good. I have my two finals this week and then I am finished with them, which is very exciting. So, yeah, this week, I am busy.

Memorable

Another memorable and strange quote from my mother: "Yay! I'm so excited! My bacteria arrived!"

Chag kasher v'samayach.

My Brother's OCD

It's rather hard to explain, or understand OCD to someone who doesn't have it. There's no rationale behind it, except that there is something chemically wrong in the brain. The OCD person's thought process when they are doing their compulsive behavior is: "I have to do x, y, and z, or something bad will happen." With my brother, it's not as bad as some type of OCD. There's OCD where they feel compelled to check and recheck the locks on the door, or that the oven/ stove/ lights are off, and they will check a lot, around 20 - 50, whatever their "magic number" is. My brother's problem is that he views certain things, people and places as "contaminated." Meaning if he comes into contact with them, or goes someplace contaminated he has to shower or wash his hands afterwards. An example of things "contaminated"? The gunb range, kayaking, fishing, mountain bike riding....these are all things he LIKES. So imagine if you will, someone walking in our house, who he views as "contaminated", our house is not a contamintated place, and probably the least contaminated is his bed in his room. So....imagine someone comes in, and they accidentally sit in his chair, or touches something that he can't "de-contaminate," he flips. Absolutely flips. Part of our problem is that since we can't tell who is "conatminated" or not from his perspective, it makes it rather hard to have guests. There are other factors in my family not having guests, and another major factor is how busy my mother is with her work, she can't deal with guests, but I"YH, next year....Anyways, that is why we don't have guests on Pesach for the Seders at least. I'll hopefully have CJ over for lunch for one of the days though. She's not contaminated, before you ask.

Venting Frustrations

I had a rather frustrating day today, fortunately it all ended well, but my biggest issue is Florida Drivers. I know, I know, I have vented about that before, but seriously, people do not no how to drive! Turning signals? What turning signals? I'm in the right turn only lane, but I'm going to turn left, and block those people that actually need to go.Crossing over for lanesof traffic at 60 mph, when the speed limit is 45.... I think that about covers it for now. Idiots.

Pesach

So this week, we're just starting to clean for pesach. Crazy, no? Well, considering that we won't be having any guests, or family (none of mine is religous), the cleaning and cooking can be done in one week. It'sjust a little bit more insane. At least there are no little children running around so there is no real chance of crumbs, or having kids stick chometz in the strangest places. (the air duct for example) THough I miss having guests, it's just not really been feasible these last few years, everyone's too busy, and then....there's my brother with his OCD. *sigh* Well, when I have my own home, I want to have guests often. Oh geez, I just realized I have my stats final on Pesach...or not....eep, right AFTER pesach. Oy. I can't wait till this semester is over. Just a month! Actually not even, more like 3 weeks! YAY!

Story (cont.)

"Smin," my father rebuked, frowning a me. "Don't interupt your mother." I shut up and listened. "Well, you do know your father's family," she said, looking at me, willing for me not to make this, whatever it was, harder than it already was. This was true, I did know my father's family. Of course, my father's family only consisted of his parents, as he had no siblings. Ny grandparents doted on me. Since I was their only grandaughter, they would have spoiled me to bits i'm sure, if my father hadn't taken a hand. My grandfather was the villages swordsmith, and i got my sword from him. Only the best for his grandaughter. My mother's side however, was another stroy all together. She had never once spoken of them, except for accidentally ltting slip bits of information here and there. From what I gathered, she came from a very large family, who all lived together in gigantic house in the city. I got my looks from my mother's side, the same vibrant red hair, my green eyes, and my rather spunky personality.

Done for now, well, now we know how she looks, and ext time we'll find out what her mother's family wants from her. Yay! Comment people, I need to know if I'm doing this right!

Story (Cont.)

We came home, still arguing over who's fault it had been, and dropped off the meat in the kitchen for Mother to deal with. Then we went our seperate ways until we were all called in for dinner. Dinner was as usual, a noisy affair, all of my brothers coming in from a long day outside, and jostling for food, yelling to have things passed to them, and generally behaving like mongrels. Not that I was any better than them, mind you, my mother had almost given up that I would ever use the manners she had so painstakingly knocked into my noggin. In all the chaos, my mother suddenly gave me a look and said, "Sminetra, I need you to stay after dinner. I...We, your father and I need to talk to you." At those words, my brothers started to snicker and elbow each other, thinking that I was undoubtedly in trouble...again. My mind raced, trying to think if I had done anything recently that was bad enough that my mother wanted to drag my father into a lecture on my good behavior. I came up blank, I could think of nothing that would require both of my parents needing to talk to me. I helped clean up after dinner, looking at my mother curiously all the while. She seemed to be getting more and more tense. Her green eyes had darkened, and the skin around her eyes had tightened with worry. Finally, after the last dish had been put away, I went back to the table to sit and talk with my parents. "Sminetra," my mother stared. "Smin," my mother suddenly smiled, her face transformed. I started to get very worried. My mother never called me Smin. Ever. "Smin, I recieved a letter from my family today -"
"Your family? You've never spoken about your family before.."

Ok....that's it for now. I had writer's block before. I hope you enjoyed.

Food Fight

Perhaps one of the weirdest things I've ever seen, but I had to share.
An abridged history of American-centric warfare, from WWII to present day, told through the foods of the countries in conflict.

For a breakdown of the actual battles portrayed in the film, visit:
http://www.touristpictures.com/foodfi...

For the official cheat sheet (breakdown of the foodstuffs), visit:
http://www.touristpictures.com/foodfi...

Frum Meets World

There's a blog that I sometimes read called Frum Meets World, and perhaps this post would best belong there, but whatever. It's funny how in college there are a lot of people who are actually Jewish but not religious. For example, a few semesters back, I was in Biology with a guy, and it turned out that he was not religous, but the rest of his family where, they were all sephardic, and very religious but he wasn't. I don'teven recall what brought it up, but I was somewhat surprised when I found out. This semester, I found out that the guy I sit next to in Stats is Jewish, his family is also religious, but he himself is not. I was absolutely floored when I found that out, absoloutley nothing about him externally would have told anyone he was Jewish. Whereas the girl he sits next to, and I sometimes chat with has no clue about anything Jewish, and asks me to elaborate on what stuff I can and can't do, can and can't eat etc. So I told her about shabbos, and she shook her head and said "I could never do that, I like going out too much." I also recall walking in one day, eating an Entemann's brownie, and she said "Is that Kosher?" I looked at her and said "Yes, I should hope I know what is kosher, otherwise I'm in big trouble!"
Done rambling for now.

Anonymity on Blogs (specifically mine)

In all honesty, this blog is not written very anonymously. I know of at least one person, (you know who you are) who I know very well reads this thing and if you live in florida, you can probably guess where I live, though there are really only three cities that have a nice large frum Jewish population. So all in all, I'm not really that anonymous, and I am not completely open perhaps with what I think. Which leads me to the next question, which is why do I write this blog? I think that anyone who has a blog should think about this from time to time. It's a place to put down my thoughts, to sometimes vent, to entertain...myself and others I guess.

Joke

Haven't been feeling well lately, and nothing else to post so here's a funny joke for your enjoyment.

"Squawks" are problems noted by U.S. Air Force pilots and left for maintenance crews to fix before the next flight. Here are some actual maintenance complaints logged by those Air Force pilots and the replies from the maintenance crews.
(P) = Problem (complaint)
(S) = Solution (reply)

(P) Evidence of leak on right main landing gear.
(S) Evidence removed.

(P) DME volume unbelievably loud.
(S) Volume set to more believable level.

(P) Autopilot in altitude hold mode produces a 200fpm descent.
(S) Cannot reproduce problems on ground.

(P) IFF inoperative.
(S) IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

(P) Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
(S) That's what they're there for.

(P) Number three engine missing.
(S) Engine found on right wing after brief search.

(P) Aircraft handles funny.
(S) Aircraft warned to straighten up, "fly right," and be serious.

(P) Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
(S) Almost replaced left inside main tire.

(P) Test flight OK, except auto land very rough.
(S) Auto land not installed on this aircraft.

(P) # 2 propeller seeping prop fluid.
(S) #2 propeller seepage normal #1,#3 and #4 propellers lack normal seepage.

(P) Something loose in cockpit.
(S) Something tightened in cockpit.

(P) Dead bugs on windshield.
(S) Live bugs on order.

(P) Target Radar hums.
(S) Reprogrammed Target Radar with the words.

Observations

Human beings need touch. As small babies and all through life, touch is one of the most basic needs of people. A lot of people don't realize how much touch has the power to help or harm another person. Some people say, that if you hold a baby too much, it will get spoiled. This is not true. First of all. babies need the touch to stimulate their growth, a baby not held, will not grow as well. Secondly, It builds the baby's trust in people. By holding it, you are at the deepest level, assuring it that there is safety and warmth and a place for it to come to. And we don't lose this need as we get older, we just are told to curb it, that we should not show our desire for human conact. There are people who crave to be touched, to without a word being used, be told that they are special, that they matter. Touch can convey things mere words never can. I am a very touch-oriented person. Not that I go around touching all people, or even most people. But everyday, at least once a day, I hug my mother. That might not seems like much, but it charges and energizes, both the hugger, and huggee. So go ahead, hug someone, or just touch someone, smile, and let them know that just because they are human, they are special.

Slightly Frustrating Day

Most of today went okay...got up on time, went to class, came home, took my brother from school home (no work today, his "work" was closed for a purim carnival), went to gym....whatever. All good. Then I had to go to Ocenagraphy Lab. First I accidentally get off the highway at the wrong exit, sending me in the completely opposite direction, toward one of my college's other campuses, that I also take classes at. So, I decide to go on one of the main roads, to get back on the highway. So I do so, one problem, it completely takes me past the exit I had needed to get off at. So I get off at the next exit up, head to another main road, and finally get to the campus, and I'm only a couple of minutes late. Still, the whole "going around in circles" thing was a bit annoying, and I was kicking myself the entire time for having gone in the wrong direction in the first place. Class ends early, yay, I leave. Ok, fast forward a bit. I get home. Find the kitten on my brothers shtender looking up at something on the curtain railing. I think, "Gee, that's unusual, she never goes up there. What's she looking at?" So I look up, and there on the curtain railing is Baby Bird. Somehow, not entirely sure how, he managed to get out of his cage, and had apparently been flying around a bit to avoid the cats. *sigh* I locked up all the other animals in the family room, while I captured Baby, and tried to put him back in his cage. Capturing him was relatively easy, he flew right into the net, however, he did not want to go into his cage. He finally did go, and I paper-clipped shut his food and water dish openings, since I think that's the only way he could have gotten out. A rather frustrating time all told. I can't wait for shabbos.

Take Me Out to Bais Yaakov

To the tune of "Take me out to the ballpark."

Take me out to Bais Yaakov,
Take me out to the crowds.
Buy me some knee socks and safety pins
Don't you worry my shirt is tucked in
'Cause it's root root root for the 9th grade
If they're not here it's a shame.
Cause it's one, two, three more years in BY Miami!

A little ditty my class used to sing. Worked best when we were in ninth grade. Sadly, it faded into oblivion after we left. Pity that, could have been a great BYM tradition.

Happy Purim!

I hope everyone had an easy fast, and enjoy the chag! I'm dressing up as a pirate, and my brother is going to be, of all things, a homeless person! Apparently one of his friends manged to convince to dress up as that. Chag Sameach, savvy?

Things to do in Florida

This is a guide, if you will, to things you can do, not only in south florida, but up in Tampa and Orlando as well!

South Florida:

Malls: Aventura Mall - a rather pricy, but very nice, very large mall, everyone who come down here goes there at least once.

Sunset Place Mall - a very nice mall, further south in Kendall, all outdoorsy and it always reminds me of Disney World, lots of shops, and lots of fun.

Sawgrass Mills Mall - It's a bit farther north in Plantation, it's a gigantic mall, all outlet stores, just if you go there, plan to spend the day, you MIGHT be able to go through the whole mall.

Random Fun Places:

Everglades - pretty much anyone who comes down here wants to see the Everglades with the alligators and the cougars and all that fun stuff. Here's a hint: do NOT go during the summer, unless you want to be eaten alive by bugs. The airboats are fun, and the alligators are cool.

Butterfly World - I haven't been there in years, so I might be going on outdated infornation here.
A gigantic place full of lots and lots and lots of butterflies. That pretty much describes it.

Lion Country Safari - a type of zoo, up in West Palm Beach, but there's a place where you can drive through very slowly, where the animals are wandering free and can come up very close to your car. It's very cool, lots of fun, not just for kiddies.

Miami Seaquarium - our local aquarium,down in Key Biscayne, has lots of shows with dolphins, seals, orca. Very nice large aquariums, can watch fish and sharks and stuff bein fed. Very nice place, but very hot in the summer, so bring a lot to drink.

Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Science and Discovery- A really nice museum, up in FT. Lauderdale, has a gigantic clock outside that's run by gravity. Very cool place to spend a few hours, it also has an IMAX theater.

Jungle Island - used to be Parrot Jungle Island, but changed it's name shortly after it relocated to Miami Beach. Lots of shows with animals, lots of birds, orangutans, tigers, gigantic crocs and alligators. Occasionaly have concerts there.

Monkey Jungle - A bit like Parrot Jungle as it was before it moved, but i can't say more than that I haven't been there in years.

Northern/Central Florida:

Kennedy Space Center - Gigantic space rockets, and the history of space flight. An interesting place to spend the day.

MOSI - In my opinion, the best museum in Florida, with 5 floors of interesting stuff, and fantastic hands-on things for the kids to play with. Not just kids, anyone would love it. It has an IMAX theater as well, with a rounded screen, don't watch anything that has to do with water if you're prone to getting sea-sick.

Busch Gardens - Theme park/zoo. Roller coasters, and there is a whole lot of stuff to do. Not much that I need to say on it.

Adventure Island - Universal Studios other half, the one with all the roller coasters. I really like the roller coasters there.

Universal Studios - Not really an thrilling rides, except for some of the classics.

Disney (All four parks) - Need I say any more than that?

Downtown Disney - Shopping .

Seaworld - Aquarium/ theme park. Shamu, dolphins, rollercoasters, whales. All fun.

St. Augustine - the first established city in Florida, an intersting historical place to tour around. Er....lots of cemeteries also.

And that, I believe ends my very biased little guide of interesting things to do in florida. Enjoy the lovely "Sunshine State" (Note: Except in Summer)

My Brother is a Pyromaniac

He is obsessed with fire, and with setting stuff on fire. He has, in the past, set his own shirt on fire, while he was wearing it, set the street on fire, and tonight he got his hands on a lighter and he was setting tissues on fire and then putting them out in the toilet. He likes fireworks, firecrackers, and loud bangy things. Is it just me, or is my brother completely loco?

Update: He stayed up till four in the morning on motzei shabbos and learned how to set his own hand on fire. On the other hand, his eventual goal apparently, is to be able to do it for Bar Mitzvahs and Weddings. That's got to count for something.But I still think he is insane.

More Zoo Pics

More pics from the zoo, finally got blogger to cooperate. Enjoy!

Pretty Bird!


Asian or African Elephant, can't recall which


In the petting zoo, they had this for the ducks. It was funny to watch them swim in it.


Spotted Hyena


And of course, my favorite, TIGERS!!!

The

It's interesting. I've noticed that where people live certain things become "the something" even when there is more than one of them in an area. In the area where I live there is "the bridge", "the circle" and "the canal" despite the fact that there are several bridges,several circles, and several canals, yet whne you say "the ____" anyne who lives in that area knows exactly what you are talking about. I went down to "the beach" yesterday, and everyone knows that when I say that, I meant Miami Beach, not necessarily beach beach. Anyone else find that's true where they live as well?

Continuation of "Another random story"

So, I guess I'll continue it anyways and see where it leads me and my readers. I like writing stories becasue sometimes when I'm writing the character will do something totally unexpected, when I wanted him/her to do otherwise, like in my story with CJ, unfortunately, one of our characters is being very frustrating right now and won't let us in her head. So that's a major. Anyways, on with the story!
" The butcher shop was small, and smelled of meat, hide, and other things I would rather not think about. When we walked in, we were greeted by one of the butcher's apprentices. I groaned, it was the gloomy one. He had a rather pessimistic view on life and had a tendency to share it with whoever walked in the door. Tell him any good thing, and he's point out all the flaws, or predict that something horrible would happen. As one would imagine, not a very cheerful person to know. "Oh, it's you. Mister Gerd is out back, he said he had something for you. It's probably not very nice." On top of it all, he had a very nasal sounding voice, which juist made me want to punch him every time he spoke. He left the room, presumably to get Mister Gerd. I looked around, the shop, trying to calculate the amount of damage I could do if left for just one hour in there. My brother, Plias, seemed to read my thoughts. He put his hand on my shoulder, "Don't even think it." "Awww. You're such a spoilsport!" At that moment Mister Gerd came in. "Ah! Plias and Sminetra! And how is your mother? Here for the usual? I just got in a beautiful hunk of meat..." he kept talking like that the entire time. I winced. I HATE being called by my full name, I prefer to be called Smina, or Smin, the only people who call me by full name are my brothers when they get mad at me, or my father. My mother never uses it, probably because she never wanted it to be my name in the first place. Soon, we were on our way, both carrying large packages of smelly meat. "Yurgh, I hate this part," I complained. Plias scowled at me. "You hush, it's your fault that we were stuck with this task."
And that's where I'll end it for now. We'll see how it progresses!

Another Random Story

This one popped into my head during Ocaenography while my teacher was doing a review. Yet another random story that pops into my head. Enjoy!

"Beyond the world's end lies your most ardent desires as well as your most desperate fears. I have been told this for as long as I can remember. When I was a small child, my mother took me to the village's shaman to have my fortune told, as was the traditon of my family. The Shaman toldher these words, and said that one day I was destined to go beyond the world's end to places where no one had ever been before. Pffft. Anyways, I had been trained for every eventuality, except, of course, for the one that actually happened. Despite the fact that I was a girl, and a rather stubborn one at that, they put me through sword training, mountain climbing, survival skills, pretty much anything they could think of. I think the one thing they forgot was that no one really knew what was beyond the world's end, so it was kind of hard to prepare for that,no matter how much training. The events that precipitated my start toward my "destiny" were a bit earlier than I think anyone expected. It was my fifteenth summer, and my mother had sent me off to the market to retrieve some meat for dinner from the butcher. Mainly though, I think it was just to get me out of her hair. I was very much a tomboy, and got into trouble pretty often. I went to town with one of my brothers who was not in my mother's good graces that day, so she had sent him to keep me on the job. We walked into the butchers store, the cowbell that was tied to the door clanging loudly, announcing our arrival for all and sundry."

To be honest I have a bit more of an outline in my head, and it's already changed from what I originally put down on paper. Let me know if you think it's worth continuing. I may keep putting up installments.

Nightmare

Last night I had my first nightmare in years. The last time I can recall having a nightmare was when I was 5 yrs old, and I woke up screaming. I even remeber what the nightmare was, very vividly. But last night's nightmare was different. It was more realistic than any other, and all the more terrifying because of that. In the nightmare I almost died, no, I was going to die, but I woke up right before I did. As you can imagine, I was not able to go back to sleep after that, I kept waking up. And it has put me in a very depressed mood all day. I don't like nightmares.

Flight

I turn my face to the wind, coming out of the east. I make a running leap and spread my wings. One beat, two beats, up and down, slowly I gain hieght. Below me I see people running, going places, cars, houses, tall buildings. I soar higher and higher, as high as my wings will take me. I relish the feel of the rush of the wind against my face, and tickling the feathers in my wings. I soar above the clouds, higher than the tallest mountains. Higher and higher, and higher still. I soar.

I open my eyes.... I awake from a dream, that I had wished would never end.

NOOOOO!!!

I start school again tomorrow! I don't want to go!!! Spring Break was so nice, but it is now ending, unfortunatley. Oh well, all I have to do is tell myself just two more months of this. Just two more months. Gah. Y'know, if I could just drop two classes my life would be so much easier....but it's too late to drop 'em. Bah. Anyways, last night I went to a dinner that was honoring my mother as "Educator of the Year" and that was very nice, and she got a plaque that had been made by the kids of the school. Lots of fun, and of course I was so happy for my mom, she should be recognized for everything she does. (And she does a LOT, believe me.) Oh, I've started making dinner for our family and I haven't botched anything up yet, so yay! Completely random, I know, I'm in a random mood. There was something else I wanted to say, but I forgot it....oh, well, I'll probably post this and only then remember it. Well, that's all for now! Ta-Ta!

Zoo Pictures!

Whoa, I took a lot of pictures at the zoo. 183! That's a lot for me, I don't usually take more than 3 or 4 at a time, anyways, I'll put up some of my faves. Enjoy!

Rattlesnake (the reptiles were pretty active, it was cool to watch this fella curl up on a rock)

Really, REALLY big snake

Crocodile (I think, it could be an alligator, but judging from it's snout, I'd say croc)

Tapir (It was so cute, it was just sitting there wriggling it's nose)

Meerkat! I love 'em, they are so gosh-darn CUTE!!!

And apparently Blogger won't let me add more pics to this post, or it's just not cooperating right now. I'll put up some more later.

Fun Day

I did my mother a favor yesterday and took one of her teachers and four boys down to the Metro Zoo. Fortunately I was just the driver and was not required to supervise them as well. So I was able to go throught the zoo at my own pace, and do whatever I felt like. So I wandered the entire zoo, got wet from the rainshowers, but that was good, because it was a bit humid, and I took tons of pictures. Many of them of tigers (no big surprise there) Went around on the tram twice because it still wasn't time to meet them back by the exit, and then we left. Later I went to the BY production, ansd sat with the rebetzin who was intsrumental in my family's becoming frum, and some other women. The play was pretty good, though fairly predictable (we are talking BY after all) and there were some cute parts. All in all, a fairly good day. Will put up pictures from the zoo once I upload my camera on the computer.

The Beach

I went to the beach yesterday, after dropping off my brother at a Segway place. It was pretty fun, considering I haven't been to the beach in at least 6 months. I walked along in the sand, ruined my shoes and almost fell in the water a couple of times. The beach was STEEP. No one actaully went into the water because the purple flag was up, which meant there were "dangerous marine animals". I got to take some photos, and I'll put some up. Enjoy!

*Grin*

Goats in School
At a high School in Montana a group of students played a prank on the school.
They let three goats loose in the school building.
Before they let them go they painted numbers on the sides of the goats: 1, 2, 4.
Local school administrators spent most of the day looking for goat #3.

Have you ever seen...

a chicken crossing the road? I saw one today, and it had to be one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time. There is a good reason why there are so many jokes with "Why did the chicken cross the road?" Now, I don't know why this one was crossing the road, and at a busy intersection at that, but it was just too funny to see it's little legs going as fast as the chicken could make it. Like I said, a very funny sight to behold.