Music Sunday!!!!!

Today was Music Sunday at the Unitarian church. I didn't even realize that it was until I read the order of service. The service leader read a hilarious reading about altos, and how they don't get as much attention as sopranos. I'm probably an alto :p After all, I'm no Freddie Mercury! I always get this great feeling after hearing someone sing in church. I guess it makes me want to practise my keyboard. Sometimes I do practise my keyboard after church, actually. I'd like to sing at a Music Sunday, though. We sung some pretty cool hymns, actually. And the folks who sung in the service were good.

We went to Fortino's after church. Before we left, my mom said that she wanted to go to Fortino's, to which I replied that we'll see people from church! We saw Ann again, but I didn't recognize anyone else. We picked up some chicken pieces, which were pretty good. Mom cut up some cucumber to go with it, and we all washed some cherry tomatoes and pear tomatoes. I think Dad cut up a larger tomato as well, because there's a paring knife on the cutting board where Mom cut up the cucumber, and I think the knife had tomato guts on it.

I have to start my regular homeschooling on Tuesday! The same day we're going to visit my sister! Wow. The summer has just flown by. I guess our trip to see my sister in London Ontario will be a 'field trip'. Sweet :)

Another funny

I forgot to mention something funny that happened at Costco.

Dad started looking at computers, because he wants to replace this one (it is at least five years old). So we were trying to crack the passwords on the computers. I couldn't get the first one, but the second one I tried to crack had a picture of a kitty as the user photo, so either my mom or my dad suggested that I try 'kitty'. It worked! But the computers were set up so that you can't access them even if you get the password right. It was still awesome, though :)

Mom and Dad went shopping while I stayed home and watched the David Gilmour DVD. When they came home, Dad immediately asked me to take frozen macaroni and cheese and frozen Jamacian patties to the downstairs freezer. I tried to put them in the big freezer, where frozen meals normally go, but it's packed. With meat. That they bought and sealed up with the Foodsaver vac-packer. So I got all PO'ed, and Mom told me to put it all in the bread freezer. So after complaining that the bread's gonna shatter, I put it in anyway. Then Dad storms downstairs, ready for an argument. Honestly, does he always have to be in attack mode when I'm angry? He could have spoken to me civilly. One of the baskets in the frezzed slips when I'm angrily trying to put it back in, so he says to let him do it. I'm trying to fix the problem, and he yells at me to get out of there and let him fix it. Typical.

And afterwards they gave me three packs of Pocky. Pocky are these biscuit sticks covered in chocolate, or strawberry cream, but I'm pretty sure that there are other flavours that we can't get here. They're made in Japan, and they're yummy. Plus, they aren't completely covered in chocolate - one tip is just bare biscuit so that your hand doesn't get messy! How awesome is that?

Anyway, Mom wanted me to apologize first, so I did. I did overreact, probably because I was in a rotten mood. The DVD skipped on a track or two, and I had to pause it a few times because the dogs were barking.

And now I'm listening to U2 :)

Hahahahaha!!!

Actually, now that I think of it, there's two funnies. First, Holly got back to me. Her reply to the news about my brother was something like, "LMAO THAT IS SO FUNNY!" In a huge font :)

The second funny happened today, at the library. I took back my DVDs, because they were overdue, and one of them was the 2004 Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival. So I thought I'd look at the DVDs on the shelves, since I had just returned three. On one of the shelves, I found the 2004 Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival!!! It was another copy!!! So I got it out :) Maybe this time I'll actually get a chance to watch it.

Mom had an overdue DVD as well. It was Remember That Night: David Gilmour Live at the Royal Albert Hall. I watched it this afternoon, and WOW. I love it. It must go on my Christmas list for my parents. That and the soundtrack from Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same.

I picked up two items. One is a book on Martin Luther King Jr, the other is a Doors album called Morrison Hotel/Hard Rock Cafe. I think. Hehehe. I listened to all eleven tracks earlier.

I also didn't watch the DVD on Martin Luther King Jr, which I feel bad about. But I might get through the book easily, because it isn't too thick a book.

Costco and chicken wings!!!!!

Yeah, I'm writing another post. And yeah, I'm bored.

We went to Costco today. We didn't get a lot of stuff, but we did get more instant kimchi noodle bowls. Dee-lish! Oh, and we got some baklava, and Mom wanted egg rolls so we got a box of frozen egg rolls, too. She kept saying jokingly, "I don't want them, Sam wants them!" Yeah right, Mom, you know I don't like egg rolls. No offense to people who do, though!

I had an early supper of a Stoffer's frozen macaroni and cheese and some slices of cucumber. Then Dad got hungry and asked me if I was, because he was ordering chicken wings. I wasn't terribly hungry, but I knew that once I smelled the wings I'd be hungry, so I asked for some honey garlic wings. Before my two suppers, I hadn't eaten much - I didn't really eat breakfast until at least noon, if not later. I wasn't hungry in the morning. So I had water. And I swept, as I mentioned earlier. I had a plum afterwards, and later a bowl of tortilla chips with salsa. Then at around five-ish I had the mac n' cheese and cucumber.

Sweeping, Springsteen and Steve Miller

Before leaving for my mom's appointment, Dad asked me to sweep the living room and throw out the pieces of paper and cardboard that Smiles ever-so-kindly left laying about. So I went downstairs and got the Springsteen album I'm borrowing from the library, Darkness on the Edge of Town. I love that album.

After sweeping, I suddenly remembered that there's a Steve Miller Band song that I really like, one that never gets played on Q107. So I fired up the computer, and after checking my e-mail, my library account and Q107's site, I went to Ravelry and opened up iTunes for Windows. The song is called 'True Fine Love'.

Here it is...

I feel better

My cold seems to have gone for the most part, which is great. So thank you, Sarah, for wishing me well :)

I'm feeling so relaxed right now, because it's raining. Rain has such a calming effect on me.

So, my day has gone pretty well. I watched the rest of Gilmore Girls, I read quite a bit of the second Artemis Fowl book, and I listened to The Jeff Healey Band's See The Light, which is a pretty awesome album. Only one track skipped! I also watched Coronation Street earlier, and I read The Arctic Incident (the second Artemis Fowl book) during commercials, and sometimes during scenes that didn't require my undivided attention.

Back to the rain... I walked upstairs a little while ago, and I felt a lovely breeze, and I could smell that familiar rainy smell. You know, the smell of damp earth. Man, I love that smell! I can't really smell it as much in here, probably because the ceiling fan is running. But just the sound of the rain is fantastic.

Some 'me time'.

I apologize if this post looks a little disjointed. My mind is still a little foggy.

So, I still have that cold, and I'm still mad at Erica. The last few days have not been the most pleasant ones, after all the crap that's been going on. I just need to relax, only I keep dwelling on it all.

I still read on my bed with music on. It seems to be great therapy. The other day I listened to the Elton john CD I have out of the library, which is called Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player. It has Crocodile Rock on it, which is great 'cause it cheers me up.

I've also been watching season one of Gilmore Girls, also borrowed from the library. I forgot how much I love that first season. Rory was so young, Dean was so cute (and he wasn't a jerk back then!)... Jess hasn't appeared yet, though. I can't remember which season he first appears in. And it's been so long since I've seen the first season that, when the folks in the Ravelry group were talking about Max Medina, I couldn't remember that character much, just that scene in the drugstore where he runs into Lorelai. So when I started watching season one yesterday, I got to see more of Max Medina, and he's pretty good-looking. I don't know why I forgot about him except for the drugstore scene... then again, I was quite young when I started watching the series.

Speaking of Maxes, I got to talk to Max-who-used-to-go-to-youth-group on MSN. We didn't talk much, though. Holly was on for a bit, and Justin, too. Erica was also on, but I didn't say much to her.

I managed to watch two discs of Gilmore Girls yesterday, and I plan on starting disc three today. I have to get out of the house soon, though... only I don't know where I'd go. Maybe Value Village, to find clothes for Christmas. I plan on putting together a punk outfit for the holiday season :) I'd also like to look for plain skirts, since I find I wear jeans far too often. And I could probably use a pair of black pants, and a pair or two of jeans... I have to look in my pants drawer before I get jeans, though, because I may have a pair or two that I never wear... like those greeny blue ones that look weird on me. They can be laundry day pants, though...

I forgot to mention this morning. I got up at a decent time, with a stuffy nose, and remembered that I needed to put my duvet cover in the wash, along with some other clothes. I probably have to check on the washing machine soon, actually.

Edited because I didn't have the CD title exactly right.

!@#$

You know I'm in rough shape when I've had a breakfast of water.

I have yet another cold. I must have picked it up from either the market or the grocer. I got out of bed at 11:30-ish - Mom let me sleep in because Dad's not feeling so hot either, so we weren't going to church anyway. I probably sat in bed for about five minutes, but still... if I slept in that long, I must've been tired. Well, tired and sick.

I am starting to feel hungry, though, so that's a good sign. I'm wondering if I should skip the pizza, because my throat's a little slimy. I think I'll be okay if I eat a slice or two...

Edited for clarity

I feel like writing yet another post.

Yes, I'm that bored.

I worked on Justin's scarf a bit today while watching The Matrix. Then I started working on my Kerchief Scarf, which I've decided to turn into a wrap. After all, I have enough cotton for it!

My hands are ridiculously dry. I haven't really been eating or drinking much dairy - I have dairy aggravated excema, so I get dry skin when I eat or drink dairy on a regular basis. But the weird thing is, normally it's the backs of my hands that get dry, and lately it's just been between the fingers that gets dry. Maybe it's from knitting too much.

Now that I think about it, fall is coming... meaning that pretty soon my feet will dry up and new splits will pop up on my toes. Yay me.

I indulged again - I pulled my duvet over me and listened to some of the songs off Darkness on the Edge of Town while going through my issues of Knit.1. Then I turned on the radio, and they played a song from said album, a song called 'Promised Land'. Or is it 'The Promised Land'? Anyway, it's a cool song. Mom called me up for dinner, but I didn't come up. When Dad called me up for dinner a little bit later, I came up and ate.

I'm getting back into the habit of playing my keyboard. I've been trying to play 'Bennie and the Jets' by ear, which is going okay. 'Badlands' is much harder, because the tempo is quicker.

One more little post...

I forgot to add one more thing...

I was so mad at Erica yesterday and the day before that I was feeling tired yesterday. So I decided to indulge a little - I sat in my room, reading Clapton: The Autobiography and listening to Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town, which is one of the CDs that I got out of the library. I love that album. I must buy it, or put it on a Christmas list. Last night, I could have listened to 'Badlands' on repeat.

Holly came on MSN yesterday afternoon, which was great. She hasn't been on that often, because she's been busy. We started talking about what we wanted for careers while I browsed the music-related pages on Facebook. Then I'd say something like, "EW a Bon Jovi page!" (I don't like Bon Jovi). And then, "OMG an Aqua page!!!!" And then I told Holly about the Aqua tape my brother had, which, if I remember correctly, he got from someone from the homeschooler group we used to be in. So I said, "I wonder if he still has it?" and Holly said that he probably took it with him when he moved out, and listens to it before going to bed :D So I said, "Knowing his girlfriend, she would probably make him listen to it!"

Good times :D

Pizza!

We ordered pizza last night. We haven't had pizza in quite some time - sometimes we'd pick up a couple of pizzas from the Pizza Hut on our way back from karate, but since I haven't been to karate much we don't really do that. Besides, the location we would order from moved into a smaller storefront that has no dining area, which sucks, and one time we ordered from there after they moved and it took such a long time.

So this time we ordered from a nice place by our house. They have good pasta there, too, and I think they also have subs. Most of the time we get pizza - Mom gets her gnocchi, I get my fettucini alfredo, and Dad usually gets veal parmigiana. But Mom wanted to get pizza, so we got a medium Cosmopolitan for Mom and a large No Self Respect (all meat and cheese) for Dad and I. We got thick crust, so I only had to eat two pieces to feel full. Their pizza is so good.

We went to the market today to buy fruits and vegetables. If I remember correctly, we got some blackberries, nectarines, red plums, corn and Swiss chard. Then we went to a grocer - I think it's an independent grocer - where we got celery, some steaks, breakfast sausages, calves' liver, potato chips, ginger snaps, tarts and a bag of double salt licorice, which is the only licorice I'll eat.

This is ridiculous.

I'm so mad at Erica. I wanted to go shopping with just her and Holly, and she pretty much extended the invitation to some of her friends. Even worse, she didn't use the 'Bcc' tool in her e-mail invitation, so her friends now have my e-mail. Nice, huh?

But here's the best part - I told her that I can't commit to the dates she suggested, the 26th and 27th, because my dad works on the 26th and his holidays start on the 27th, so we might be out of the city. Who knows - we might even visit my sister during his holidays. So she says I could take the bus to the mall on the 26th. I told her I wasn't comfortable with that - after all, I've never taken the bus anywhere. She says, "Yes? No? Bus?" I think I told her that I couldn't commit to those dates once more, or something like that, she she said "Mmmhmm."

Does she think I'm just gonna accommodate her social life and put everything else on hold? It doesn't work like that. I think she's got a lot of nerve to do this - extend the invitation, say that I could bus down to the mall...

This is driving me nuts. First she was flip-flopping on whether or not she could make it to the Festival of Friends, and now she's pulling this stunt. I've tried. The gods know I've tried. I would send her an e-mail and not hear back from her. I thought she was a best friend, not a complete... well, you get the idea.

Owch.

I guess I shouldn't knit tomorrow. I have this weird pulling pain in my left wrist. Mom reckons that it might be because I don't knit continental.

I did, however, work on Justin's scarf, and it's 14 inches long! Yay! The pattern says to knit a tube that measures 60 inches in length, so I'm nearly a quarter of the way finished the tube. After that, it's just duplicate stitching, and maybe blocking if it's needed. I love working wtih Patons Decor. It rarely splits, there's no friction on the needles, and it's just plain awesome! I have some Patons Decor in another colourway, Woodbine Ombre, which I might make a hat out of... an Ava beret, perhaps?

I also have a scratch on my left hand, which is odd. I must have scratched my hand on a box, or maybe on a table corner. It looks fairly recent, so maybe I scratched my hand at the library, when I was putting the items I took back into the bins. They have these slots in the desk where you put the items in, and they drop into a bin behind the desk - one bin for books, and another bin for everything else (CDs, DVDs, audio books, and so forth).

And now, for a cute photo of Teddy...




She likes to hide under towels. We had one on the couch, and when I returned from going to get my PlayStation, I saw Teddy under the towel. I got my camera, came back, and took photos. This is the only decent photo, because I overshot a few times. It's quite blurry, but you can still see the cuteness that is Teddy!

Happy birthday, Robert Plant!

So, my 'boyfriend', Robert Plant, is 60 years old today. I completely forgot when his birthday was! I even had it written down! I was listening to the radio at probably around two in the morning, and they were playing the title track from Mighty Rearranger, his album with the Strange Sensation. I thought, I haven't heard this song in a while! Why are they playing it? I went to bed, woke up, and was listening to the radio, and they played one of his solo songs, In The Mood, and the DJ said that it was Robert's birthday!

Here's Led Zeppelin's Communication Breakdown... the video quality isn't the best, but it's still awesome :D

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I didn't get to the library yesterday. And now it looks like I might not get to the library today, either. 'Cause mom says that we don't have to go to the library today, we can go tomorrow, she'll give me change for the fine on Quadrophenia, yadda-yadda-yadda!!!!!! But wait, there's more...

She started yapping about the lack of tradespeople again. Are you interested in a trade, she askes. I told her what I want to do!

I WANT TO BE A RADIO DJ. NOT A BRICKLAYER, NOT A MILLWRIGHT, A RADIO DJ!!!!!!!!!!

...I feel better now.

So Momma's gonna watch her DVDs today. I'll probably read one of my library books while she's watching her library stuff. Maybe I'll even slap on the headphones.

I forgot to mention that when I was playing Final Fantasy VIII, I was getting lost a lot. I was in a tomb where you get lost easily. There's a side-quest in the tomb, and I started it by finding Sacred and beating him up. I left the rest of the side-quest til later, because I have to go to Deling City to tell the man what the Student ID number in the tomb was. All I have to do, once I get a chance to go back to the tomb, is find Sacred's brother and beat him up, too. Then I get the Brothers Guardian Force. Yay!

I still have to use the lamp and fight Diablo. I tried before, without success, but now that my main characer, Squall, has higher HP (yaaaay HP-Junction!), I think my party has a chance. And when I do get Diablo, I'll give him a cutesy name. How about...

Fluffy!

COME ON!!!!!!!!!

Well, I watched Canadian Idol tonight. I voted for Mookie, Earl, Drew and Theo. And Mookie got kicked off. I'm so mad.

Plus, I did not get to go to the library today. Tomorrow, my mom says. So I guess we're going tomorrow. Well, come tomorrow, she'd better not put it off, because I have to take back Quadrophenia, tomorrow.

And when I was playing Final Fantasy VIII while my parents were out, Teddy kept whining every time she heard a car door. "It's not them!" I kept telling her. And when they did come home, she got excited. Really, really excited.

Here's Mookie singing Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf...




And here he is singing Lola by The Kinks. Mom didn't like it as much as I did...




Mookie performing James Brown's 'I Feel Good'...




And last, but far, far, far from least, Mookie performing Ophelia by The Band.

BAH STUFFY NOSE!!!!!

Yep, my nose is a little stuffed up. It was worse before my shower.

Last night I put laundry in, and I kept my wall light on so that I would still be awake for when the buzzer went off... but I fell asleep! And i woke up with a stuffy nose and a sore throat. Both are better now, but my nose is still a little stuffy and my throat is a little slimy. Lovely.

So yeah... not the best morning I've had. I haven't eaten anything today because of my slimy throat - Mom thought I shouldn't have peanut butter if my throat's being like this, and my stomach's being a bit weird.

I think my mom let me sleep in, because I'm normally up before 9:00, but when I got up it was partway through Maury, which is on at 9:00. Also, I heard one of the dogs (I think it was Smiles) coming down the stairs, and my mom yelled, "Leave Sam alone, she's sleeping!"

Mom says we'll probably go to the library tonight, before they close. That works for me! I'll probably take that Bob Dylan album back, though, because it skips on some of the tracks. Quadrophenia has to go back by tomorrow, and I'll also take the Monster Xmas Ballads CD back. But Zeppelin's staying out :) So far, I have seven items to pick up - four CDs, two books and a DVD. The CDs are Bruce Springsteen, The Beatles, the Jeff Healey Band and Elton John, the books are a book on Gandhi (which has a lot of pages, but that probably includes the maps and an index) and a book on basic guitar, and the DVD is the 2004 Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival!

I'm still waiting on three items: a Joan Jett CD, a DVD on Martin Luther King Jr, and season one of Gilmore Girls.

And I'm #60 on the list for Twilight, and my city's library system has 35 copies, I think. So be patient, Twilight fans! I'll read it when it comes! :)

Cream soda and Final Fantasy VIII

I did a bit of yardwork today. Dad wanted me to rake up clumps of grass after he cut the grass. At first I was freaking out because I was totally raking the grass wrong, so Dad came out and told me what to do. I stopped after a bit, though, because there were a couple of wasps in the yard, and I already had a fly hit my ear.

So I went inside, feeling like crap because my legs were sore. I watched a bit of Jerry Springer, then a bit of the 12:00 news, and then Mom and Dad had to go to Mom's doctor's appointment, so I was like, "What am I gonna do, with these sore legs?" and dad told me, "You could play PlayStation." So I brought up my PlayStation 1 (yes, I'm that old-fashioned :p) and hooked it up to the VCR/DVD player. We used to have a switch-box thing in which we would plug in the DVD player, VCR, TV, satellite and PlayStation, but then we had to replace our VCR, so we got a VCR/DVD combination thing, and the old DVD player went somewhere else. It was old, anyway, and had a tendancy to overheat. I'm not sure if we got rid of it, or if it's still around...

Anyway, I'm playing Final Fantasy VIII, and I have NO IDEA where I'm going! I had to find a train platform, but I couldn't remember where it was. I finally found the way, got on the train, and then I had to get off the train at the first stop and go through a forest. Now, keep in mind that this is my second file, and that I've gone through disc one already, but I still couldn't remember which forest I had to go through! I was walking though a huge forest - not an actual forest interior, just a bunch of trees on the main map - and got into battles regularly. And I kept running from the battles. Then I found the forest I needed to go into to continue the story.. it was RIGHT NEAR THE PLATFORM!!!!!!!

And then, after a separate storyline involving seperate characters, I find out that one of the characters doesn't have their Guardian Force equipped, and that someone else does! Then I get to Galbadia Garden (a military academy), and I can't find the stupid 2nd floor reception room. And because I've gone through this disc before, I'm saying to the TV, "Seifer isn't dead, Rinoa! He went with the sorceress!" Or something like that.

During my gaming, I was drinking cream soda. There was a time when I became sick of it, but now that we have a bottle of it in the house it's become my vice again.

I was also grooving to the super-cool battle music in the separate storyline :D

ETA: I changed the 'next to' to 'near'. It was still close to the platform though, and I'm still an idiot :p

Here's what's new.

Yesterday, Erica commented on one of my photos of Mouse that I put up on Facebook. And yet she couldn't take the time to e-mail me. Huh.

Also yesterday, Mom was watching some movie, and I asked her what it was. She told me it was a goofy movie. So I said, "If no one's watching it, shall I look for something else?", and she replied, "I never said I wasn't watching it." So I ate my bread upstairs, in the spare room.

I heard some awesome music last night in the spare room. After my bread, I brought up my knitting and listened to the Galaxie music channels. All it is is a black screen with the song info in white text, moving slowly so that it doesn't burn out one particular part of the screen. I was often switching Galaxie channels when there was a song I wasn't keen on. I heard a Jethro Tull song on Galaxie GoldRock, and Tutti Fruitti on Rock n' Roll. I think I even heard some decent songs on Galaxie Rock, which usually has new rock thrown in. But the other night I did hear Viva la Vida by Coldplay on Galaxie Rock, which was awesome, and Hot Patootie by Meatloaf (from Rocky Horror, as seen in the post below this one) on GoldRock.

Hot Patootie, bless my soul!

Since the song mentions Saturday nights, I think it's quite fitting :)

I KNOW WHY I FEEL LIKE CRAP!!! :)

It's that time of the month. Yep. THAT time.

Plus, I have a lot of items to pick up from the library, and more coming. By the time everything's in, I'll have to pick up: four CDs, two books and two DVDs. Huzzah.

I got to play a bit of Final Fantasy VIII last night, but I decided to turn it off after a bit because the weather was making the TV flicker. I don't understand why I didn't turn it off when the storm started... I guess I was too stubborn.

Justin's scarf is coming along. It's looking more like a tube than it was before.

Oh, and I got to talk to Max on MSN the other night! :D

Another day of grogginess? SERIOUSLY?!

I'm still feeling weird. My stomach isn't as weird as it was yesterday, but I still feel a tad light-headed. Maybe I have a cold. I so do not want to go to cardio kickboxing tonight. I'd rather stay home and do push-ups and sit-ups. Squats, too. Besides, my workout music is so much better than the stuff they play in cardio kickboxing class. And the regular kickboxing class. By 'regular', I mean the non-cardio class where you actually get to hit people - just not too hard, or you get in deep, deep trouble. I love that class, but I can't go to that class because of the bone graft in my mouth. I can't wait until that fake tooth goes in! I know it takes this long for a reason, but I'm itching to kickbox a human being instead of a bag.

I swept a bit in the living room (I wanted to listen to that Bob Dylan CD I have out of the library, but the stereo wasn't reading it), then I went on the computer to load this morning's photos on the computer from my little camera, then I put them onto Flickr. Actually, I'm going to experiment... one moment, please...





Here are my fingerless gloves. They haven't been sewn yet, as you can see, but I'll get 'round to it.




Here is my kerchief scarf. I think I have enough cotton to make it into a wrap-of-sorts, so I put it onto a circular needle that Mom let me borrow. Thanks, Mom! :)




I took this a few days, maybe a week ago. It's my ruff - with a button! I was going to take a photo of the buttons, but I completely forgot.

And finally...




Mousie resting on my - wait, no, HER - chair. Ain't she cute? :)

A little list

I got this idea from one of my Ravelry friends.

Things to do when you're bored

1. Watch scenes from your favourite movie on YouTube (I do that with Rocky Horror!)
2. Go through old e-mails from friends
3. If you have a cat, give him/her catnip and take photos
4. If you have any pets at all, sing to them
5. Listen to music on your computer while surfing the net, with or without headphones, and sing along loudly
6. Make a silly avatar in Paint
7. Play Solitaire on your computer (or any game) while listening to music
8. Get your pets to do something silly, then videotape them
9. Start a new file on your favourite video game, and change the names of the characters to silly names
10. If you have your parents' permission, go through their music collection. You might find something you like
11. If your library lets you send in suggestions for new items, go to Wikipedia, type in your favourite music artist, go to their discography and request purchases for every CD by the artist that they don't have. This can also work with authors.
12. If you listen to music when you knit or crochet, make a playlist of knitting music on your iPod or mp3 player
13. Make Jello!
14. Think up awesome colourway names (I still need to do this)
15. Think up awesome ice cream flavours
16. Have a bubble bath!
17. On Ravelry, go into the 'patterns' tab, click on 'experimental search', and search by craft (knitting or crochet) and a category (scarf, hat, etc). You might find a pattern you love!
18. Watch reruns of TV shows, preferrably reruns from the first or second season
19. Watch a TV show you loved as a kid
20. Watch old music videos (on YouTube or TV)
21. Spice up your wardrobe by going to the local thrift shop and buying clothes with a theme (punk, beatnik, etc.)

That's all I can think of... for now! MUAHAHA!

Feeling better

On top of the aches I mentioned in my last post, I also had a stomach ache. I didn't eat much today. As far as I remember, I consumed:

1. A not-quite-full cup of tea (I think it was English breakfast)
2. A cup of peppermint tea (for my stomach
3. A smoked salmon cream cheese sandwich
4. Some biscuits/cookies.
5. A bowl of macaroni and cheese
6. Two mints

I had a shower earlier today, which helped. I spent the whole morning in my pyjamas, I felt that awful.

I did, however, listen to disc one of The Song Remains The Same. It has some previously unreleased tracks, some of which weren't even in the film. I started crying partway through 'The Rain Song', partly because I was happy that I'm sweet on Max. I guess I was missing him, too.

I must say, though, that I like the live version of 'No Quarter'. The studio version creeps me out for some strange reason, but I don't mind the live version from The Song Remains The Same.

I'm not sure which track on disc one is my absolute favourite. It might be 'Since I've Been Loving You'. I love the studio version and the live version. I love it when Robert Plant sings like a bluesman. Well, when you think about it, he is a bluesman. A folk musician, too. That's why I hate it when people call Zeppelin's music 'metal', because they started out recording blues songs, with rock songs (like 'Communication Breakdown') and folk songs (like 'Gallow's Pole') mixed in.

If only John Bonham hadn't died. I miss you, Bonzo...

I'm up this early?!

It is 7:15 AM. I'm normally not up this early. I usually get out of bed before 10:00 (Mom's rule). Anyway, I thought I might fill you in on what has happened recently.

I forgot to mention that on Saturday I picked up my CDs from the library. I've been listening to a couple of tracks off of Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited, but I have not yet put in the soundtrack from The Song Remains The Same. I was tired last night - I think it was partly due to the weather. I also had a headache, and for a bit I had aching wrists (probably from too much knitting), and then aching ankles. Now my ankles are aching again. Yay.

At the library, my dad found a DVD entitled, EastEnders: The Slaters in Detention, and got it out for Mom.. It was really funny, with serious bits mixed in. I don't watch EastEnders as often as Mom does, but I like to watch it when there's an interesting story going on. I'm more of a Coronation Street nut, though. That reminds me... it's not on during the Olympics, and I don't think they're replaying in on Sunday mornings because of said Olympics. I'll have to check CBC's website to see if they've got the episodes online.

I chatted with Erica on MSN (okay, it's Windows Live Messenger now, but you get the idea) last night. She said that since the Festival of Friends didn't work out, would I like to go to the Peach Festival? She didn't know when it was, though, and when I asked her if she remembered what weekend it is, she said, "No. I already stated that." I didn't ask her why she couldn't come to the Festival of Friends (I didn't think to, and it would have been rude of me to ask), but she didn't even apologize. Nice, huh?

I'm not sure if I should knit a Christmas present for her. I intend to make washcloths for Holly, but if Erica's going to be like this, does she deserve a knitted gift?

I hope Max is home for Christmas. I can't remember when he's supposed to be coming back. Max, in case you don't know, used to go to my youth group. He's quite cute. He went away for a while and I can't remember when he went or when he's supposed to be back. I think he'll be home by December, though. If he is, maybe I'll make him a scarf or something... Or a hat.

Idolmania!

So I watched Canadian Idol tonight. Although I'm pissed that Mark Day got kicked off (I also feel bad for not voting), I still enjoyed tonight's episode. Even though the coaches were Simple Plan, who are not my cup of tea. I thought Bryan Adams was supposed to coach them this week! Maybe it's next week. I tried voting, but I kept getting a busy signal. I'll try again in a bit.

I was actually a bit nervous about phoning in, as I've never done that before, and I'm not keen on using the phone. That's why I never call any of my friends - I feel more comfortable e-mailing them or talking to them on Windows Live Messenger.

I moved my kerchief scarf onto a circular needle, because I've decided to make it into a shawl-of-sorts. Should be fun. I'm itching to make a horizontal scarf, even though my size 9 circular needle is holding a piece of my vest. I'll probably work on the last huge piece tomorrow. I read the last bit of the pattern, and the seaming is a three-needle bind-off, so I'm really happy about that. I love three-needle bind-off! I haven't worked on the baby cardigan in a while, because I've been putting off starting the cuffs (it's knit in one piece). I worked on Justin's scarf while watching Big Brother and not knowing which houseguests are the good guys/girls and the bad guys/girls. I'm getting bored with Big Brother.

America's Got Talent is on tomorrow! Yay!

Rain and magazines

When we left to go to the Unitarian church, it wasn't too cold. I wore a sleeveless polo-ish top and my navy blue shorts, thinking I'd be okay.

The service was nice, although I really wish I was more awake. The theme was simple living. The music was provided by a cool guy named Tim. The first time I heard him sing was when he sang With a Little Help From My Friends with his wife and another woman in the church, and I'd forgotten how nice his voice sounded. The first song was a Gordon Lightfoot song, and the postlude he picked was a Stephen Stills song, and although I haven't heard the original versions of the songs he sang, I thought he sounded good.

Then when we went out to the car, it was pouring. We had to stop in at Fortino's to get milk. While we were there, we also picked up a Delissio frozen pizza, some chocolate soy milk for me, some bagels for Dad, and ingredients for taboule. We saw Ann, another member of the church, and Mom saw someone else from the church, but I didn't catch a glimpse of him. We saw Ann again when we went to the produce to get parsley and a lemon (we also got a cauliflower, because ours went bad in the fridge), and Mom said, "We keep seeing people from church!" Ann replied, "It's like this every Sunday." Ann was an advisor for the youth group, but she left shortly after adopting a little girl. It's a pity that she couldn't stay on as an advisor, because she communicated well with us.

Near the entrance, we picked up the new Vogue Knitting and an issue of the fall Knit Simple. While the Knit Simple patterns may be boring to some knitters, I quite like the ones in this issue. I always seem to be looking for brainless patterns, anyway.

The parking lot was crazy when we tried to leave. I honestly though someone was going to pull a make-a-parking-spot right in front of us. I guess people turn into idiots when the weather is bad.

I'm tempted to work on my kerchief scarf, but I think my wrists need a rest from cotton. Maybe tomorrow. I'm also tempted to turn that scarf into a little wrap - I think I have enough cotton for it, too! :D

Weird eating habits

Do teenagers really have regular eating habits, anyway?

I tend not to eat much in the morning during the warmer months. I guess I eat more in the fall and winter so that my body is insulated, because during the summer I eat pretty lightly in the morning. Like this morning - normally, I eat cereal or toast, but not today. I ate taboule. Yes, taboule. And yes, I am nuts.

By night, I scavenge for food. Any food, as long as it tastes good. I had a terrible supper of dill pickle potato chips, because there were no clean dishes and I was too lazy to wash any and actually eat something healthy.

And then I had taboule for breakfast.

I'm trying to not eat too many instant kimchi noodle soup bowls every week, because last time we got kimchi bowls, I felt tired when I ate too many in a week. I think it's because I had too much processed junk in my system. But today I was craving kimchi, so I made one. I also ate some super-spicy chips. My nose was quite clear, and I felt great - except for the fact that my lips were burning from the chips.

I have a bit of indigestion and/or heartburn, but nothing too painful. I might take Pepto, but I may not need to. We'll see.

My parents went to the market today, then went to Across the Pond, which is a British imports shop. They got plenty of Walker's crisps (they taste a lot better than the potato chips we get in Canada), and Mom got me some Munchies (my favourite!), a Toffee Crisp, and a Yorkie - but I'm supposed to share the Yorkie with her. Thanks, Mum! :)

Back from the festival!

And I only spent $3! On a wooden ring! It's black with pink flowers, and it's quite pretty. I'll have to take a photo of it sometime.

My mom and I also got six buttons from a social justice tent. They're pretty awesome. I got one with a Nelson Mandela quote and one with a Rosa Parks quote.

But when we got funnel cakes, they were more like 'elephant ears'. And I don't mean the actual ears of elephants! I mean friend dough! I had icing sugar and whipped cream on mine, my mom had cinnamon sugar on hers and my dad had maple syrup and brown sugar on his. They were still good, but not exactly what we had anticipated, because we've had a proper funnel cake before. I can't remember where we got one, though...

It was raining on and off. The fella who directed us to a spot and took the $6 parking fee told us a psychiatrist joke: How many psychiatrists does it take to change a lightbulb? One - but only if the lightbulb really wants to change!

Before we started looking at the tents, Mom took a photo of some pretty flowers, then Dad went back to the car to get his sunglasses (I, as usual, forgot mine). While we waited for him to come back, Mom took two photos of a squirrel in a tree eating a potato chip.

Holly didn't e-mail me about going to the festival, so she was probably too busy. The festival wasn't that fabulous anyway - it used to be so much better, from what my parents told me. And it was raining, so it wouldn't have been much fun for Holly.

Post #101!

It's hard to believe that my last post was #100!

I'm annoyed for two reasons. First, the judges on America's Got Talent sent David home! He doesn't even qualify for the wild card spot! :( I'm still not sure who I'll vote for for the wild card spot, because I like Victoria the contortionist, and Kyle, and the other fella... I've lost his name, but he's the man who had a car accident and wasn't able to sing for 11 years.

My second reason for being annoyed is a simple, five-letter name: Erica. First we were trying to get together on Tuesday, but I thought my dad was going to work overtime so I told her and Holly that Tuesday wasn't a good day. Erica wanted to know why we couldn't take the bus. So, later on in a string of e-mails, she suggests Saturday. So I suggest the Festival of Friends, which is a late summer festival where craftspeople sell jewelry, clothing and other great stuff - sometimes musical intruments like pan flutes and ocarinas. But Erica wanted to do both - go shopping AND go to the festival. Then she tells me later that Saturday isn't a good day for her.

I'm not mad at Holly. She wanted to go, but she's so busy this weekend, so I'm not sure if she can come with my parents and I. I totally understand if she can't come, because she's preparing for university.

I think that Erica just wants to hang out with her boyfriend and her new friends that she most likely met through her boyfriend. Whatever the reason, she's being a prat about this planning. At least when Holly hasn't replied to an e-mail in a while, she apologizes. Erica just doesn't seem to bother.

A picture of the scarf for Justin

It's a bit hard to see the colour, but it's dark green.

My first project in the round... and I picked a SCARF!

I started the Josh's Triforce Scarf for my cousin, Justin. It's the first project I've started in the round. I had to have my mom start me off, because not only was I casting on too tightly, but the needle was too long. Yay me. So momma did the first round to start me off because I didn't know much about knitting in the round. The scarf is a tube done of DPNs, but I'm using a circular needle because it's a bit easier to learn knitting in the round on a circular needle.

I'll have pictures soon!

(Oh my goodness... there's an itty-bitty spider on the desk!)

One more blurb, then a dose of YouTube

I DID get to watch America's Got Talent! At 9:00! in the spare room!

Now, time for a video...

I think I have a cold

I woke up this morning with a stuffy nose. Ugh. Having a shower helped, though, and now I'm drinking some Celestial Seasonings Almond Sunset tea. Yum!

I forgot to mention that I got some new clothes yesterday. A brown belted jacket and a white belted blouse, both at Giant Tiger. I tried on a junior women's hoodie, and although it fit okay, I decided not to get it because I was worried about shrinkage. It's pathetic that I, a teenager, cannot fit into most junior women's clothing at Giant Tiger. I'm fit, and yet I usually have to wear a medium or large ladies' top, depending on the brand and style. This is because my arms are a bit muscle-y, my legs are muscle-y, I actually have a butt, and I have what the cast of Monty Python and the Holy Grail would call 'great tracts of land'. So because I'm not a stick insect, I can't wear some of the cute tops I find at Giant Tiger.

When I was trying on blouses, my dad showed me a bright top and said, "Try this on." When I told him that it was a junior top, he just said, "Please, humor me." The white blouse I got has these cute puffy sleeves. I wasn't used to them, because they cling to your arms a bit, but I love it. I even have a skirt to go with it.

Speaking of skirts, I also got four skirt hangers. Now I'm able to hang up a skirt that I had folded up in a drawer! It probably needs to be ironed now!

Ice cream and TV

This is the most absurd thing I've gone through this week. But, then again, the week is young.

Not only do I have to watch America's Got Talent at 11:00 and probably tape the rest OR watch the second half at 9:00 and the first half at 11:00 because THEY want to watch Big Brother, but also my darling parents and I are fighting over ice cream. There's only one portion of Peanut Butter Tracks flavoured Ben & Jerry's, and that's down to my idiotic FATHER. The greedy-guts took a huge portion of the Peanut Butter Tracks ice cream, which means I have to eat vanilla. Well, I could have eaten his Cherry Garcia, but I decided to really annoy them and eat vanilla. With chocolate chips.

(insert battle cry here)

Sortin' out my learnin'

I decided to make a list of stuff I need for my next year of homeschooling. I feel like I'm really behind in sciences, so I started with a list of science books and science-y materials like owl pellets. Yes, owl pellets. I'd like to order some and take 'em apart... just for fun.

I'm going to put more of an effort into anatomy. I wasn't working in my anatomy book regularly enough, probably because I was working from the beginning, and cells and tissue get boring after a while. Come September, I'm goin' straight to the skeletal system! :D

I do have a microscope, thank goodness. I had gotten it when I was about eight or so from my dad's company's Christmas party, but it's a strong enough microscope. Plus it has some nifty tools... perfect for dissecting owl pellets :D

I also need to start using the DVD-ROMs that my mom got for me at Staples, but they won't run on this computer, so I'll have to use her laptop. We do, however, have some sort of NASA CD-ROM that should run on this computer.

...It'll work! It says on the system requirements, "Windows 95/NT or newer"!

Mom and Dad got fish and chips, I got chicken wings :p

I could go on and on about how tasty those honey garlic chicken wings are, but I won't. I'd rather not bore anyone :)

I also snagged some fries, since I didn't get any fries from the wings place - which I found out is owned by the same person who owns the fish and chips place next door, where my parents got their food from. My mom didn't like the chips (she thought they tasted reheated), but I liked them. Could've been a tad crispier, but they were alright.

I decided to vacuum part of my room. I tried to vacuum that spider out of it's hiding place - I hope that worked. Before I lugged the vacuum out, the little monster had come out of the little hole, so my dad decided to try squishing it - but it had retreated. Dammit.

I really don't like our heavy-duty vacuum. It's big, bulky, and using it is like wrestling with a sea monster because of the tempermental hose. When I was finished vacuuming a portion of my room (I'm in the basement), I was sweaty. I still am sweaty. Thank goodness the fan is on in here!

Holy moley! It's 11:00 already! 35 minutes 'til Letterman!

My cat, my mom, and a spider.

It's a strange title, but don't worry - it'll all make sense in a moment.

First, the spider. I hate spiders. Last night I was shining a flashlight around my room to make sure the cat wasn't there, and I saw this spider in between my bookcases. So I went upstairs, into the kitchen to get some paper towel (the cat was sitting in the middle of the floor), went back downstairs and tried to squash it - but it decided to hide behind one of the bookcases. Damn.

Then, earlier, the cat clawed my foot. And when the internet connection dropped (it does that sometimes, 'cause we have a wireless router, and I think the modem acts up), I unplugged the modem and the router, then went to get a glass of water. I usually have to wait a bit before plugging stuff back in so that the connection comes back properly. So I went back into the computer/dining room with my glass of water, and that cat jumped in the chair!

Finally, my mom. She was saying that in September, when I start my homeschooling for the term (I hate the word 'semester'. I'm part English and part Welsh, so I'm gonna say 'term'), I have to do my work at the same times every weekday. Okay, I'm supposed to be homeschooling, not doing the school-at-home stuff. I don't have anything against school-at-home, I just don't work that way. So she tells me that if I'm going to college, I should learn to work by a schedule, because college timetables are different from university timetables. So here's my question...

Who said I was going to college instead of university?!

I've made it quite clear that I'd like to study brodcast journalism and someday get a job in radio, and I know that I can study that at a university, because some of the DJs at Q107 went to university. I also would like to study music. I have no desire to become a bricklayer or a butler - I say 'butler' because my darling mother cut out a newspaper article on butlers, and suggested that I become one.

What I'm going to do is be smart about my career. Like Sting - he used to be a teacher who performed in clubs. I might do something like that. Work as a DJ during the day, and by night I'll sing in clubs, or be a session keyboardist.

Here's what I'm working on

The top photo shows the baby cardigan I started. I haven't been working on it, partly because I don't feel like starting the cuffs. It's knit in one piece, you see.

The second photo shows the kerchief scarf I'm working on. It's from a book called Last Minute Knitted Gifts.

I'm also planning on making a scarf for my cousin. Luckily, he doesn't know about my blog, so I can speak freely without him finding out about my cunning plan :)

I also need to knit a pair of socks for myself. I have some Bernat Sox Multi and my Garnstudio Fabel - I might use the Fabel in a pair of Monkeys, but I'm not sure about the Sox. I'd like to make a pair of Monkeys in the Sox, because the colourway is awesome (anyone who's on Ravelry can see the colourway by looking in my stash). But I'd have to swatch.

I haven't been working on my mobius wrap or my vest. I guess I just feel like knitting with cotton.

Oh, and I'd also like to make some washcloths for my friend Holly. I probably won't get them finished before she starts university in the fall, but I could make them after I'm done my kerchief scarf and give them to her for Christmas, or her birthday, which is shortly after Christmas. The scarf for Justin (my cousin) will be either a Christmas present or a birthday present - I'm not sure if I can knit it in time for his birthday, though.

ETA: The photo of the baby cardigan is quite dark - it's actually a much lighter blue!

Oh no, it's Breaking Dawn!

This may sound cruel and heartless, but I'll be glad when everyone's busy reading that book. Then maybe they'll stop talking about it so much.

I feel really out of the loop when it somes to the Twilight Saga. I only just heard of it this year. I might have come across it before, but I can't remember. I think I'm one of the few teens who hasn't read it.

There was something on CBS Sunday Morning about the series. They showed this big meet-the-author event thingy in New York, and I thought, If I see one of my favourite authors, I'm not gonna scream. I'll applaud, but I won't scream. Mind you, I've never been to an event like that, but if I ever do go to something like that, I won't scream. It's not a rock concert. I'll scream at a rock concert, but not at a meet-the-author event thingy.

At the moment, I'm currently reading Molly By Any Other Name by Jean Davies Okimoto (I think I spelled her name right...), although I have taken a break from it to read my two library books. Those books are Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident and Clapton: The Autobiography. I had started reading Clapton a while ago, but I had gotten it out of the library about the same time as Pattie Boyd's book, so I was trying to finish that and I never got to finish Clapton's book. Luckily, when I went to the library to pick up my CDs, books and a DVD (Black Books, season 1), Clapton was in, so I got it out, too.

I also need to finish Sandry's Book, The first book in Tamora Pierce's Circle of Magic quartet. I started it a while ago, and still haven't finished it. I even borrowed it from the library before owning it, and never finished it. I'm hoping to finish reading it soon, because I'm itching to read Tris's Book. I'd like to find out more about Tris, she's quite interesting. Although I know part of what happens in the book, 'cause I thumbed through it... bad Merenwen...

Feeling ick.

I'm an idiot.

I ate two small bowls of these spicy cheddar potato chips with some chip dip mixed with plain yogurt. Now I'm feelin' the burn.... literally.

However, the soundtrack from The Song Remains The Same is in transit, along with another CD - Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited (Insert happy dance here!).

I started working on a back-to-school shopping list - well, back-to-homeschool, to be precise. So far, I've decided that I need some pencils, a pen jar, a planner and some film for my purple camera. On my list is also a sub-list entitled 'other' - so far, I have knickers and black pants on that sub-list.

I also need to pester my dad to move that giant computer monitor off my table. I hate it when people dump stuff on my table - especially huge stuff like a friggin' computer monitor! That monstrosity was meant for me to use, but since my stupid, evil brother decided not to let me have his old CPU, even though he said I could if I got a monitor, keyboard, etc... well, the monitor is pretty much useless to me, but my dad can hook it up to this computer 'cause the monitor we're currently using is rather dark. I have to squint when I look at dark photos.

So there you have it. My dad, AKA He Who Never Listens.

I'm sore

I went to cardio kickboxing yesterday afternoon, and man oh MAN am I sore today. George, who was my mentor through my black belt tests, taught the class. He's such an awesome guy.

So my abs are pretty achy today. When we went to the car after going to PetsMart (or is it 'PetSmart'?), Mom and I didn't have a lot of room, so I had to squeeze through the door. Not a very good idea when your abs are sore. So, in the car, I told my mom that I'm no Tomb Raider.

I got a book from Chapters today. It's about the civil rights movement. I might use it as study material for homeschooling. It's got audio CDs, too.

At Costco, Mom and I each got a pack of Sharpies, and we also picked up some pens and a set of two clip-on reading lamps. Cool.

Just a few more hours 'till Dad goes to work! YAY!!!!!!

And, at 6:00, the library's adding the new items to the catalog!