A Wonderful IM Chat between Lilly and I

Lilly: (Quoting something) "The knight in shining armor can sometimes be just a guy wrapped in tin foil."

Me: Why would a guy be wrapped in tin foil? What does he think he is, a campfire dinner?

Lilly: No, no, no. it probably is because he wants to appear to a girl, from a distance, that he is a knight in shining armor.

Me: So what’s he gonna do when it’s no longer ‘from a distance’? “Uhh, surprise! I was too cheap for armor, but we can reuse this foil to cover our leftover lasagna! I’m being frugal!!!!”

Lilly: Hey! You may never know, the girl could like a frugal guy! Or if she doesn’t like his appearance, it’s his bad luck…..

Me: Frugal, yeah. Wrapped in tin foil?? Probably not.
He’ll be eating that lasagna all by himself.

Lilly: Hey I think it would be kind of cute if the guy went through all that work to wrap himself in tin foil to appear as my knight in shinning armor….but then again if it was a guy I did not know then I would think there is something wrong with him

Me: I would rather he just act like a knight in shining armor. He could be a knight temporarily without armor. A knight in shining tinfoil is just…no.

Lilly: Okay, yeah. Maybe your right. I think I would like a guy who acted like a knight more than a guy in tin foil, but….it would be hilarious to see a guy in tin foil and take pics of him and then post them on the internet and label him as the oddest man ever!

Me: That’s true. Mock him (over ice cream) with your friends at sleepover.

Lilly: Yeah I like that! and maybe if we are hyper enough we would wrap ourselves in tin foil!! Haha. We would have to be really hyper (and rich, to buy all that tin foil) to do all that.

Me: We need to have a sleepover soon…



The moral of the story, guys, is that while we don't require you to literally be a knight in shining armor, we do prefer that you act like one. And be frugal.


P.S. The sleepover is planned for this Friday

Calculators, Earrings and Sneaky

I asked my friend for a topic to post about and she said "calculators". I guess it's probably because she was doing her math homework right then, but still... What am I supposed to say about calculators?
So I asked her for option B which was "earrings". Once again, what am I supposed to say about that?
Her final suggestion was "Sneaky" which is the code name for a boy we go to school with, who my friends have randomly decided is the man of my dreams (notice that I don't get any say in the matter). There is actually quite a bit I could say about that topic, but I'm not going to. I refuse. :D

So here I am, topic-less and alone (alone as long as my friends don't get their way, that is). I need some ideas or inspiration. Help?

5 Things to Do When Bronchitis Has You in Its Clutches...

For the past two weeks I have been trapped in my home, forced to wallow in the knee-deep piles of cough drop wrappers and Germ-X bottles that litter my bedroom floor, shut off from the world to the point that even school seemed a welcome reprieve from the germy boredom that has overtaken my life (unfortunately, the whole "school seems like a good idea" thing died as soon as math class started this morning). Who or what do I blame for this sad, sad fate? BRONCHITIS. 
This accursed inflammation of the main air passages to the lungs not only gives you a heinous cough that interferes with even the most basic, necessary things like, oh I dunno, SLEEPING, it also is contagious enough that you can't spend any time with your friends for the 3-6 weeks that it lasts, and your physician father forces you to wear a medical mask (like the one pictured above) any time you leave your room.
So what, you might ask, does one do to stay sane when held in the clutches of such an abominable illness? The answer is this: nothing. There is nothing you can do to stay sane -- it's just impossible. There are, however, a few things you can do to postpone the total mental/emotional breakdown that must eventually hit.


These are my personal favorites:

1. Sleep. Really, I think that one is pretty self-explanatory. When the coughing keeps you awake, medicate yourself. Look for the cough syrups that say "may cause drowsiness" and then take as much as you can without killing yourself. (Even though death might seem preferable to your current state, is OD-ing on cold medication really the way you want to go?) Once you finally emerge from your sweet, medically-induced slumber, move on to things 2, 3, 4 and 5.
2. Watch *insert TV show title of choice here* reruns until your eyes fall out. My *TV show title(s) of choice* are Pushing Daisies and Chuck. Anything silly, fun and slightly weird that doesn't involve too much thought on your part. If you're particularly medicated, though, you might be able to throw in a little Primeval or Heroes, just to shake things up.
3. Eat anything and everything in sight. Make 16 servings of your comfort food and then label the container "Poison" so no one else touches it. 
4. Listen to music. Once your favorite radio stations start repeating themselves, admit defeat and go to your dad for music suggestions. No matter how strange the 80's may have been, the music was pretty good. And really, anything's better than listening to nothing but the not-so-dulcet din caused by your own hacking (up a lung, that is). Or, if you're really lucky, you'll discover that a band you sort of like did a cover of a song you sort of like -- and the result is a sound that caresses your ears and sooths you like a shoulder rub to your soul. Yep, I'm talking about this one:

5. And five, if you ever start to sink into a deep despair because you are feeling sorry for yourself and your admittedly pitiable condition, ask your friends for a pep talk. Because if your friends are half the friends that my friends are, you will get wonderful, comforting, heartfelt messages like this:
  "Oh, you have a cold? You can GET OVER IT."
Yep. My best friend actually gave me that note. Feelin' the  love, Not Cosmo -- reeeaaally feelin' it.

I hope, but don't expect, that you have found this blog post helpful, that you will take it to heart, and that it will come to your relief the next time you suffer from acute bronchitis.

Love,
ME

Thankful for the Little Things

Today was a good day. I don't know if it was for any reason in particular, it was just good. I got enough sleep last night (for the first time in forever), I had some good laughs with my friends, I got all my math corrections done, and my favorite song came on the radio right when I got in the car this morning. It's days like this that make up for all the other bad, crazy, stressful, tear-your-hair-out days, ya know? Days when everything goes right and you remember all of those little things that make you happy. It's like that song in The Sound of Music -- 

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple streudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

Oh, and another thing that makes me happy? Watching my two year-old brother breakdance in the kitchen. :D

Hmmm...Hmmm...What to post about?

Well, when in doubt post about your favorite music, right?

So I don't usually listen to pop music and I definitely am not into the teeny-bopper television shows that are on channels like Disney and Nick (because they are, for lack of a better word or any tact, STUPID) but flipping through channels the other day I discovered a band (technically I discovered a tv show, but it holds no interest for me besides the songs) that has some surprisingly good music. Yeah, it's mostly (okay, maybe all) sugary feel-good pop but they're pretty darn talented and the one good thing about a band that comes from a Nick tv show is that you know their music will at least be clean.

Anyways, it's a group of four guys (I have no idea how old they are, but probably no older than 19 or 20) called Big Time Rush. I'm not saying, "Go listen to them all day and buy their album and love them forever," I'm just going to post a couple of my favorite songs by them because at the moment I am lacking a better post topic. The first one is called "Stuck" and the second one is "Halfway There". My other favorite is called "Counting on You" (featuring Jordin Sparks), but I figured posting two is enough and then if you really like them for some reason you can go check out other songs on your own.

Thanks for reading! :D

I think this one has the lyrics, but I give no guarantee that they are correct.

Sorry, the only one I could find for this was the actual music video.


Okay, I thought I would just end the post there but I feel weird just posting pop music (it's very un-me) so I will now post a country song in order to get my mojo back. Here is one of my all-time favorites, Lady Antebellum's "Our Kind of Love".

All boys are weird, but some are weirder than others

I found this incredibly  profound
statement on Google Images.
My life now has meaning.

Once upon a time there was a girl who had some awesome friends--and some slightly less awesome possums, but that's another story. This girl, unfortunately, went to school with a lot of teenage boys. "What could be so unfortunate," you say, "about going to school with a lot of teenage boys? I thought you liked boys, ReallyShawn."
To this I answer, "Nay, I like MEN. And since there are no MEN at my school, only teenage boys, it is indeed unfortunate." And to this you say, "Why are you talking so strangely, ReallyShawn?" and for that I have no answer. 
Moving on...

Ooh, and here it is
with a picture!

So in order to make snide remarks about these unfortunate teenage boys, the girl (that's me...in case you hadn't figured it out yet, I'm the girl...) and her awesome friends made up a nickname for each boy. That is, only the boys who mattered... Some of these nicknames were really random, like "Bud", "Presley" or "Gem". Others, like "Ella" or "Handsome Devils numbers 1 and 2" had to do with inside jokes dating back to at least the beginning of 10th grade. And finally, there were the nicknames that had to do with the unfortunate ones themselves--names like "Old man shoes" or "Stinky" that related specifically to their odd senses of style or the amount of cologne they bathed in (yeah, someone really needs to teach them the 'mist and walk through' technique).


And then writing in this odd, past tense-ish style became too difficult for the girl, and she decided to just tell you the rest of the story in a slightly more normal fashion...


So we give nicknames to any guys that we need to talk about without them, or the eighth grade girls that worship them, knowing about it. It's not that we particularly care if they know that we don't think they're quite all that and a bag of chips, it's just that everything's more fun in code. It makes us feel dangerous. *cue Mission Impossible theme*


One of our favorite things to do is go stink-eye hunting. Do you know what a stink-eye is? If not, you have lived a very sad life until now. The stink-eye, not to be confused with the smoldering love-look, is the perfect blend of glare and eye-roll, and is best delivered pointedly and with a subtle snort of disgust. 

It is our strong belief that it is precisely because we don't worship the ground that certain boys walk on, unlike...others, that we are so good at getting stink-eyes. It's the most fun to pass someone when they are having a conversation with one of their friends and they (1) stop, (2) give you a fantastic stink-eye as you walk by, and then (3) go right back to their conversation like it was totally normal to optically send death wishes your way.


Well, I'm done rambling (for now). Thanks, as always, for reading and THANK YOU, my dear Kaylla, for the shout-out on your blog.  It made me feel special.


And no, I don't actually have any possums.

Dreams (yes, dreams)

If you know me very well at all (and hopefully you do if you are reading this blog) you also know that one of my favorite things to talk about (right after Doctor Who, delectable food, and Mr. Darcy) is dreaming.  It's a subject that really fascinates me, especially a) lucid dreaming and b) the meanings of dreams. Yes, yes I know that this is a such an incredibly nerdy thing to even think about let alone post about, but I just couldn't resist.

Part of my interest in dreams probably originates from my own. I dream very vividly and I can usually remember most of the dreams after I wake up. I never thought this was weird until my friends revealed to me that they hardly remember any dreams they have, but the in the ones they do remember they don't have all five senses--whereas I can not only see and hear but also feel (especially pain and heat), smell and taste.

I've also had more than my fair share of super intense feature-film length and detailed story dreams. Sure, they have some plot holes here and there (no, I don't really see why I had to pass through Canada and Mexico to get from Virginia to New York while running away from my crazy hippie parents and their van filled with strange vision-bestowing vegetable juice) but they are some of my favorites. If you don't know what I'm talking about you're really missing out. Maybe I'll post a synopsis of one later so you can see what I mean.

So, lucid dreaming... This is basically a fancy way of saying that you gain consciousness while remaining in the dream state--realizing that you're dreaming. If this happens and you know what you're doing you can (99.9% of the time) take control of your dream and make whatever you want happen. Really helpful when you suddenly need superpowers or if you start craving the world's biggest bean burrito. Now I don't know about you, but I've actually done this by accident before. It was mostly when I was younger and mostly during nightmares. I would be running or hiding from whatever bad guy, giant rat, zombie or wicked witch was chasing me when I would suddenly realize that it wasn't real and if I could just wake up I would be safe.

I've read a few different articles on smart/crazy people's theories on how do this on purpose, so you can gain lucidity at any point in your dream. Most of them were strange and complicated and sounded like whoever wrote them was on that vision-juice, but one actually made some sense. It basically said that if you ask yourself several times a day "Am I awake or am I dreaming?" (the answer at this point should be "Awake, duh") and keep at it for a week or two that your subconscious will start doing it automatically. Then, when you start dreaming, your mind will wonder if you're awake or dreaming, you'll realize that it is indeed the latter, and voila--you are now consciously dreaming. Yeah, it admittedly sounds like a half-sized load of hoo-ha, but I've been trying it and it actually works; I've done it at least 3 times.

I know I also mentioned dream meanings but this post is getting long and my scrumptious taco salad from Cafe Rio is getting cold, so I'll do a part two sometime later, okay? Maybe tonight maybe tomorrow, but I'll get to it soon (whether you want me to or not MWAHAHAHA).

You rock.

P.S. Colin Firth IS Mr. Darcy, nobody else even compares.

Trying to post from a phone...

Attractive? Maybe...

What is it that initially attracts us to eachother?

Now I'm not talking the little details of eachother's lives and the personality and all that stuff, I mean what is it about that boy you and your friends see while at the store or the park or McDonald's that makes you think "Oh, he's cute." (And don't pretend you've never done it. I've done it, and I'm about as anti-flirting, un-boy-crazy, as it gets. I don't mean thinking you're soul mates because you shop at the same shoe store or order the same thing off the dollar menu. We don't want stalking, just thinking that he's maybe possibly kind of good-looking.)

I know that society obviously affects what we as humans perceive to be attractive. Stereotypes, both good and bad, have a surprisingly large impact on our (mostly subconscious) first impressions of eachother. (My friend and I did our science fair project on this last year.) So as society's standards for physical attractiveness vary, so will ours (to some degree).

But is that all? If so, then why do some girls have much different opinions on what makes a guy attractive than others? What makes so many girls swoon at the sight of Justin Bieber or Taylor Lautner or the Jonas Brothers, when others of us are maybe more inclined to think that David Tennant is just about the cutest guy ever? Is it maturity levels? Friends and family? Does your own appearance impact what you find attractive in another?

Anyways, sorry for the slightly weird topic today. I just had similar conversations with some of my friends recently and the topic intrigued me. Thanks for reading! :)

Being the uncool sister

   "Don't you even care?" "Couldn't you just try?" Oh, and my personal favorite: "Stop it! You're embarassing me!"

   These are some of my younger sister's absolute favorite things to say to me. The first one referring to my appearance on most days, the second-- her pleading with me to not be so weird, and the third is her harshly whispered command that I not speak to her or about her or near her whenever she is in public or with her friends. Or with my friends, for that matter...yeah, pretty much in general. (My answers are usually "Umm... nope" , "Probably not" and "Oh goody!")

   It's not like I try to be embarassing. At least, it doesn't start out that way... I'm just sitting there, mostly minding my own business, and someone will ask me an innocent enough question like"What music do you like to listen to?" or "Where did you get that shirt?" or even  "What movies do you like to watch?". If I answer  "country music, 80's rock and the Backstreet Boys" , "the thrift store" or "science fiction and disaster... pretty much anything where where aliens come and people die"  I get an immediate eyeroll from her general direction and she starts trying to explain away or apologize for my general uncoolness.

   It's a wonder how she does it, really. Deal with such an uncool sister, that is. She is only 12 but she (and her seventh grader friends) are already so much smarter, more fashionable, more mature, and generally more awesome than I am, ever have been, and can ever hope to be. Unless she wants something from me. In that case I'm generally promoted to "acceptable" which means I only have to stand 10 feet away from her in public.

   I love my sister dearly and we do have some fun times together, it's just when I'm, you know, embarassing, that she can't let people know she's related to me. :D

The Most Wonderful Subject in the ENTIRE WORLD!

Which is ME! Try to contain yourself, please. I know you're excited, but let's attempt to keep the gushing to a minimum.
Since I'm starting this new blog and all I figured it's a great opportunity to talk about myself, which reallly never gets old. Yeah, I know, you could just click the little "About Me" link in the corner and poof there's a not-so-complete list of my favorite books, movies and music. But where's the fun in that? No, instead I will tell you all of the random, unimportant facts about myself that you never really wanted to know. (Well, maybe not all. 10 random things sounds good.) Here goes nothing.

 

1. I am hopelessy geeky about all things science fiction. I was raised on Star Wars and the original Stargate movie, I am a sucker for anything Star Trek (I'm a Next Gen kinda gal myself), and, of course, my all-time favorite show that I've been addicted to for the past three and a half years...Doctor Who! (Ten FOREVER)

2.I used to be rather good at playing the piano. (Key phrase being "used to be"). Thing is, I haven't taken lessons in several years and teaching myself is harder than one might think, but I'm trying. Hey, I even have the first page of "Fearless" down pat.

3. My favorite color is blue. My least favorite color is pink. No, just kidding, my least favorite color is mauve. It's like a wannabe pink that's trying to be purple but ends up being mostly gray. Yup, definitely don't like mauve.

4. I really honestly dislike the Twilight series. Quite a lot. I'm sorry, but those books are just stupid. They're about a 17 year old girl who really makes some of the most unintelligent decisions possible, lies to her family and friends, and runs off with a 100+ year old vampire because he supposedly "loves" her. Yeah, right. I didn't even make it through the first book.

5.I cannot for the life of me do a figure8 in reverse. It's impossible, I'm not kidding. Any guesses as to who'll be failing driver's ed range tomorrow?

6. If I ever do decide to try my hand at a life of crime, it'll be with the shameless hope of meeting myself a Neal Caffrey. I'm sorry but it's true. Not sure what's up with his pants being rolled up in this picture, but don't let it fool you. As far as bank robbers, con men and art forgers go, he's not bad. Not bad at all. See, this is what I really don't get about Twilight. Why fall for a pale sparkly vampire who perpetually looks like he's wearing lipstick of some sort, when there's a charming white-collar-criminal-turned-FBI-consultant with the most amazing blue eyes out there? It just doesn't fit...

7. I am a hopeless romantic. I love a good love story, real-life or good fiction. Not the raunchy, immoral stuff that Hollywood seems intent on making these days, but the beautiful, true love kind of thing i.e. Letters to Juliet, Love Comes Softly and Love's Enduring Promise(the books or the movies, I'm not too picky), Elizabeth and Darcy, Margaret and Thornton. What can I say? For all my boys-have-cooties talk (and trust me, there's a lot of that), I love me some love. :)

8. Gerald Lund is the best author EVER. The Alliance, Fire of the Covenant, The Kingdom and the Crown series. He writes the most amazing gospel-related historical fiction, intense thrillers, the occasional science fiction, and some darn good romance side-plots to boot.

9. I love a good bubble bath. I don't know why you need to know this, but you do. A nice, warm, relaxing bubble bath makes even a figure8 in reverse seem feasible. Every girl needs to know the joy that can come from scented suds and a good book by candelight.

10. and ten...I'm horrible at blogging. I may go months without posting, and then do two a day for a few weeks. Just don't expect the updates to be regular.

 

Well, I'd better sign out. Time to go do something much less productive than this. If you made it this far, thanks for sticking it out through my ramblings. You rock. I'll try to cut down on the randomness next time.