Have you ever wondered
why things are
the way they are?
Why the wind will blow,
and freeze you to the bone,
on the one day you wish
to go outside?
Or why the sun doesn't shine,
on that day you made plans
to go to the beach?
It is as if
some unprecedented force
has decided
that things can never
go as planned.
Tell me,
is there one time,
in your entire life,
where you imagined something
in your mind,
mapped out how it would go,
and it went
exactly as planned
to every teenie detail?
No, I imagine there isn't.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Steeve the Unicorn
Steeve the Unicorn:
A story written by me and my ten-year old cousin, Kathryn.
Once upon a time, there was a magical unicorn. His name was Steeve, and he loved ice cream. Fortunately for him, he lived in a world of candy, and his village was called "Ice Cream City". Steeve loved lice cream so much, that one day he decided to eat all the ice cream in the city! That was the beginning of his adventure.
Steeve began with his own house, which was made of chocolate ice cream. After this, he had to use the bathroom, but since he had eaten his own house, including bathroom, he had to borrow his neighbor's. He finished his business by by eating his neighbor's french-vanilla house, which was decorated with cookie dough bits.
Now, Steeve ate tons and tons of houses, which made him have to keep going to the bathroom; despite this, he he kept eating the houses, always thinking, "Well, one more can't hurt." But, of course, it can hurt, as he soon found out!
The next, and final, ice-cream house belonged to Mayor Hoofchild. It was a whole ice-cream cake house! Steeve munched through the chocolate, and then the vanilla, and finally into the mayor's bedroom.
"What in the flippin', whole hoofin' candy world is going on?!" the mayor proclaimed.
"I got hungry," admitted Steeve. Then, he fell into a deep, deep sleep.
Steeve awoke in the middle of a chilly, dark room. Then, a sudden light appeared. To Steeves's surprise. two funny-looking unicorns came out of it, and they were string right at him!
"Steeve, Steeeeeeeeeeeeve," they whinnied. "Come with us to candy mountain, where all of your troubles will melt awaaaaaaaaaay..."
"No." Steeve told them. "I heard what you two did to my cousin Charlie. No chance I'm coming anywhere with you weirdos. Besides, were'nt you two in jail?"
"Don't be silly, Steeeeeeve!" the one chided.
"Yeah, we don't need any more kidneys or horns!" The other added.
"Then what do you want from me?"
The two began to speak as one again. "To show you what you neeeeeeeeeed in your life!"
"And what would that be- actually, don't answer that. I'm a little frightened to find out."
"We don't know, Steeve. But the Great Green Leprechaun of Asia (G.G.L.o.A.) knows!"
"The... what?"
"Come with ussssss, Steeeeeeve, and we'll show you!"
Finally, Steeve gave in, and the two led him to the land of the G.G.L.o.A. Expecting a giant Leprechaun, Steeve was very surprised when he discovered that the G.G.L.o.A was only 3.6 inches tall!
"He is a Leprechaun, Steeve!" the two unicorns chided, matter-of-factly.
"Wait, how'd you know I was thinking that?" Steeve asked them.
"It's all in your mind, Steeeeeeeeeve, all in your mind...."
With that, Steeve woke up.
"Oh, good god, it was just a dream..." he sighed.
"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, Steeeeeeeeeeve!" the two weird unicorns sung, as they stared at Steeve, one at the end of his bed, the other in it.
And just what happened after that, you ask? Well, no one knows exactly. The only thing definite was that, three days later, Steeve was found in the bed of an abandoned house, completely unharmed- of course, except, for the fact that his heart was missing and all his blood was drained.
THE END.
A story written by me and my ten-year old cousin, Kathryn.
Once upon a time, there was a magical unicorn. His name was Steeve, and he loved ice cream. Fortunately for him, he lived in a world of candy, and his village was called "Ice Cream City". Steeve loved lice cream so much, that one day he decided to eat all the ice cream in the city! That was the beginning of his adventure.
Steeve began with his own house, which was made of chocolate ice cream. After this, he had to use the bathroom, but since he had eaten his own house, including bathroom, he had to borrow his neighbor's. He finished his business by by eating his neighbor's french-vanilla house, which was decorated with cookie dough bits.
Now, Steeve ate tons and tons of houses, which made him have to keep going to the bathroom; despite this, he he kept eating the houses, always thinking, "Well, one more can't hurt." But, of course, it can hurt, as he soon found out!
The next, and final, ice-cream house belonged to Mayor Hoofchild. It was a whole ice-cream cake house! Steeve munched through the chocolate, and then the vanilla, and finally into the mayor's bedroom.
"What in the flippin', whole hoofin' candy world is going on?!" the mayor proclaimed.
"I got hungry," admitted Steeve. Then, he fell into a deep, deep sleep.
Steeve awoke in the middle of a chilly, dark room. Then, a sudden light appeared. To Steeves's surprise. two funny-looking unicorns came out of it, and they were string right at him!
"Steeve, Steeeeeeeeeeeeve," they whinnied. "Come with us to candy mountain, where all of your troubles will melt awaaaaaaaaaay..."
"No." Steeve told them. "I heard what you two did to my cousin Charlie. No chance I'm coming anywhere with you weirdos. Besides, were'nt you two in jail?"
"Don't be silly, Steeeeeeve!" the one chided.
"Yeah, we don't need any more kidneys or horns!" The other added.
"Then what do you want from me?"
The two began to speak as one again. "To show you what you neeeeeeeeeed in your life!"
"And what would that be- actually, don't answer that. I'm a little frightened to find out."
"We don't know, Steeve. But the Great Green Leprechaun of Asia (G.G.L.o.A.) knows!"
"The... what?"
"Come with ussssss, Steeeeeeve, and we'll show you!"
Finally, Steeve gave in, and the two led him to the land of the G.G.L.o.A. Expecting a giant Leprechaun, Steeve was very surprised when he discovered that the G.G.L.o.A was only 3.6 inches tall!
"He is a Leprechaun, Steeve!" the two unicorns chided, matter-of-factly.
"Wait, how'd you know I was thinking that?" Steeve asked them.
"It's all in your mind, Steeeeeeeeeve, all in your mind...."
With that, Steeve woke up.
"Oh, good god, it was just a dream..." he sighed.
"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, Steeeeeeeeeeve!" the two weird unicorns sung, as they stared at Steeve, one at the end of his bed, the other in it.
And just what happened after that, you ask? Well, no one knows exactly. The only thing definite was that, three days later, Steeve was found in the bed of an abandoned house, completely unharmed- of course, except, for the fact that his heart was missing and all his blood was drained.
THE END.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Why I DESPISE the Beach
So, many people really love the beach.
I, for one, absolutely DO NOT.
The beach is a menace.
Now, don't get me wrong- the beach can quite often be fun-
in the winter and off-season, in the middle of the night,
when no one's there but yourself and maybe a few friends.
Anytime else, and the beach is pure hell.
I'm always happy at first-
ooh, I'll get a day to relax and enjoy myself,
here I come beach!
So, I gather my stuff, get in the car...
And then it takes a turn for the worst.
Of course, I'm not the only person who thought of heading to the beach.
Tens of thousands of other people are heading for the same place I am.
Which brings traffic into the issue,
and don't even mention parking.
Seven blocks away, and there's finally an open space.
So much for relaxing; now I have to hike.
Plus, of course, it's not just the locals like me who are there.
We locals always forget about the tourists.
For every one local, there's about twenty tourists.
They swarm us, tumble over us with their fancy
beach blankets, beach shoes, beach everything,
all of which was, of course,
purchased at that overpriced tourist shop down the road.
Once I've been trampled by them, I finally get a chance to stake out my spot.
If I get there early enough, sometimes I get a nicer spot closer to the water.
If not, I get the junky spot full of trash behind the life guard.
Either way, it doesn't really matter.
As soon as I get my stuff down,
lay out my towel,
and lie down,
I am again tampled and surrounded by people.
People who have no concept of personal space.
People who think their rampage is more important
than my precious camera, my chair, and even me.
They trample my blanket, sometimes even my hand,
and do they say sorry?
Nope, not at all!
Why would they do that?
After a while of enduring that, I decide to go into the water.
I have fun for a bit, riding the waves...
avoiding people, trying to forget my problems...
trying to drown out the noise...
when I see a diaper floating next to me.
Well, that's it for the water!
So, I proceed back to my spot-
of which is almost covered by other people's towels and stuff by now-
and pick up my book to read it.
That's when the sun decides to play with me.
The wind, too.
The clouds are down, shielding the brightest sun rays. Cool.
The breeze is nice; maybe I'll enjoy this yet.
Hmmm... no, it won't let me do that, will it?
The sun pops out again!
Brightness floods my eyes,
giving me a temporary headache.
But they my eyes adjust,
and all is fine again.
Oh, wait- sun's gonna go behind a cloud again.
Eyes, time to readjust!
And it keeps that up.
The wind decides to play around, too.
It picks up, blowing my book to another page.
oh, crap- it's blowing my bookmark away!
I rush to retrieve it,
and by then the wind's completely blown my place away.
So, I gotta search for the page.
Once I'm sick of that game, it's time to relax again on my towel.
Yeah, right.
The people aren't running past me anymore,
since everyone's found their place,
but now they're all talking.
The guy behind me is screaming on his cell phone.
The girls ten people over are singing to some music- badly.
Some people over yonder are having a loud party,
complete with boom box.
Really big boom box with lots of music-blasting power.
And the seagulls are skwaking,
eagerly munching on the chips the stupid tourists throw at them,
despite the signs that say "no feeding the birds".
Plus, that couple in front of me is practically having sex,
not to mention their cigarette smoke is making me cough.
Okay, time to go home, finally.
Hm, Looks like I got a nice tan, at least.
Or not.
Once I get home,
I discovered the sun raped me again,
despite all the sunblock I thought I rubbed all over my skin.
But no, it targeted my stomach this time,
Which I failed to put enough sunblock on,
since the sun never burnt me there before.
Oh, but even the parts that aren't burned look ugly.
The sun tickled my skin, it seems,
because the tan is in obnoxious patterns,
of which I have no idea got there.
Okay, one's from my bracelet, but the rest?
Maybe marks of when those stupid tourists tossed their trash way,
irregardless of who was in its path- which was me.
So, now I'm lying on the couch,
tired, upset, irritated, annoyed, sick, burning,
holding an ice pack to my skin.
A nice, relaxing day?
Yeah right!
And no, rest of the USA,
NJ is not consisting of Guidos.
Those people who you idolize from that "Jersey Shore" show?
They're some of the tourists we hate.
Bennys, we call them.
Brooklyn, Elizabeth, Newark, New York.
People from those places,
Who flock down every summer to ruin our lives.
That is why I hate going to the beach,
even though I live a quick drive away.
I, for one, absolutely DO NOT.
The beach is a menace.
Now, don't get me wrong- the beach can quite often be fun-
in the winter and off-season, in the middle of the night,
when no one's there but yourself and maybe a few friends.
Anytime else, and the beach is pure hell.
I'm always happy at first-
ooh, I'll get a day to relax and enjoy myself,
here I come beach!
So, I gather my stuff, get in the car...
And then it takes a turn for the worst.
Of course, I'm not the only person who thought of heading to the beach.
Tens of thousands of other people are heading for the same place I am.
Which brings traffic into the issue,
and don't even mention parking.
Seven blocks away, and there's finally an open space.
So much for relaxing; now I have to hike.
Plus, of course, it's not just the locals like me who are there.
We locals always forget about the tourists.
For every one local, there's about twenty tourists.
They swarm us, tumble over us with their fancy
beach blankets, beach shoes, beach everything,
all of which was, of course,
purchased at that overpriced tourist shop down the road.
Once I've been trampled by them, I finally get a chance to stake out my spot.
If I get there early enough, sometimes I get a nicer spot closer to the water.
If not, I get the junky spot full of trash behind the life guard.
Either way, it doesn't really matter.
As soon as I get my stuff down,
lay out my towel,
and lie down,
I am again tampled and surrounded by people.
People who have no concept of personal space.
People who think their rampage is more important
than my precious camera, my chair, and even me.
They trample my blanket, sometimes even my hand,
and do they say sorry?
Nope, not at all!
Why would they do that?
After a while of enduring that, I decide to go into the water.
I have fun for a bit, riding the waves...
avoiding people, trying to forget my problems...
trying to drown out the noise...
when I see a diaper floating next to me.
Well, that's it for the water!
So, I proceed back to my spot-
of which is almost covered by other people's towels and stuff by now-
and pick up my book to read it.
That's when the sun decides to play with me.
The wind, too.
The clouds are down, shielding the brightest sun rays. Cool.
The breeze is nice; maybe I'll enjoy this yet.
Hmmm... no, it won't let me do that, will it?
The sun pops out again!
Brightness floods my eyes,
giving me a temporary headache.
But they my eyes adjust,
and all is fine again.
Oh, wait- sun's gonna go behind a cloud again.
Eyes, time to readjust!
And it keeps that up.
The wind decides to play around, too.
It picks up, blowing my book to another page.
oh, crap- it's blowing my bookmark away!
I rush to retrieve it,
and by then the wind's completely blown my place away.
So, I gotta search for the page.
Once I'm sick of that game, it's time to relax again on my towel.
Yeah, right.
The people aren't running past me anymore,
since everyone's found their place,
but now they're all talking.
The guy behind me is screaming on his cell phone.
The girls ten people over are singing to some music- badly.
Some people over yonder are having a loud party,
complete with boom box.
Really big boom box with lots of music-blasting power.
And the seagulls are skwaking,
eagerly munching on the chips the stupid tourists throw at them,
despite the signs that say "no feeding the birds".
Plus, that couple in front of me is practically having sex,
not to mention their cigarette smoke is making me cough.
Okay, time to go home, finally.
Hm, Looks like I got a nice tan, at least.
Or not.
Once I get home,
I discovered the sun raped me again,
despite all the sunblock I thought I rubbed all over my skin.
But no, it targeted my stomach this time,
Which I failed to put enough sunblock on,
since the sun never burnt me there before.
Oh, but even the parts that aren't burned look ugly.
The sun tickled my skin, it seems,
because the tan is in obnoxious patterns,
of which I have no idea got there.
Okay, one's from my bracelet, but the rest?
Maybe marks of when those stupid tourists tossed their trash way,
irregardless of who was in its path- which was me.
So, now I'm lying on the couch,
tired, upset, irritated, annoyed, sick, burning,
holding an ice pack to my skin.
A nice, relaxing day?
Yeah right!
And no, rest of the USA,
NJ is not consisting of Guidos.
Those people who you idolize from that "Jersey Shore" show?
They're some of the tourists we hate.
Bennys, we call them.
Brooklyn, Elizabeth, Newark, New York.
People from those places,
Who flock down every summer to ruin our lives.
That is why I hate going to the beach,
even though I live a quick drive away.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Come out
Well,
I'd just like to say,
that you can come out of your shell.
Stop being so afraid.
I know you,
and can see,
that you have feelings there;
yet you hide it.
You think that I can't see?
That I can't feel
that something is wrong?
Just talk about it;
tell me, what's the matter;
I won't be biased,
or objective,
or critical.
You don't have to be a rock,
unfeeling,
uncaring,
and invincible,
because you're not.
Stop suffering alone;
it's not necessary.
All I want,
is to see you happy,
and I know,
that that won't happen,
if you keep your feelings pent up inside.
We're closer than any two people
could possibly be.
There is nothing you can hide from me;
trying to only makes it harder
not only for me,
but for you as well.
So just speak!
Say what's on your mind!
And I'm sure,
that you'll find,
no matter what it is,
that everything will be fine;
okay, maybe not,
but it will be much better,
I can assure you,
once you share it.
So, come on,
break open that shell
that you've hidden yourself in,
and, for once,
be human!
I'd just like to say,
that you can come out of your shell.
Stop being so afraid.
I know you,
and can see,
that you have feelings there;
yet you hide it.
You think that I can't see?
That I can't feel
that something is wrong?
Just talk about it;
tell me, what's the matter;
I won't be biased,
or objective,
or critical.
You don't have to be a rock,
unfeeling,
uncaring,
and invincible,
because you're not.
Stop suffering alone;
it's not necessary.
All I want,
is to see you happy,
and I know,
that that won't happen,
if you keep your feelings pent up inside.
We're closer than any two people
could possibly be.
There is nothing you can hide from me;
trying to only makes it harder
not only for me,
but for you as well.
So just speak!
Say what's on your mind!
And I'm sure,
that you'll find,
no matter what it is,
that everything will be fine;
okay, maybe not,
but it will be much better,
I can assure you,
once you share it.
So, come on,
break open that shell
that you've hidden yourself in,
and, for once,
be human!
Help
"Help me if you can, I'm feeling down...
but I do apprechiate you being 'round...
help me get my feet up off the ground,
won't you please, please, help me, help me, help meeeeeeee?"
~The Beatles, "Help"~
I dunno if I quoted that exactly right,
but that always has been one of my favorite songs.
I feel that the lyrics exemplify what I feel sometimes,
when I'm depressed or stressed or anxious or whatever;
which is a lot, considering I'm on meds for it.
Anyway, I've always envied the Beatles,
I suppose, for being able to sing this.
Well, okay, they're a rock group and stuff, but still;
asking for help is really hard to say.
Took me years to even realize I needed it,
since I kept denying it.
Also, being around people, too,
is one of the things that definitely helps when you're down.
Most people say things like "oh, suck it up,"
but they say that without knowing what it's like.
When you're feeling down like that,
being cooped up is the last thing you need.
You need friends.
Just being around them,
as the Beatles are saying in the song,
is a great thing to have.
Sometimes, I sing this song to myself,
just to remind me of that,
and it gives me the motivation I need to call a friend or two to hang out with.
Of course, by then they're usually busy and stuff, and can't hang out,
but at least it gets me off the couch and sometimes then I'm motivated to do other stuff,
rather than just laying around.
Sometimes.
So,
*holds up a glass*
here's to all my friends, who, though unknowingly,
have helped me "get my feet up off the ground",
and aided me a little bit in fighting my depression.
And, of course, thanks to the Beatles, as well!
And, of course, all the other music groups I listen to, as well, when I'm down. =D
but I do apprechiate you being 'round...
help me get my feet up off the ground,
won't you please, please, help me, help me, help meeeeeeee?"
~The Beatles, "Help"~
I dunno if I quoted that exactly right,
but that always has been one of my favorite songs.
I feel that the lyrics exemplify what I feel sometimes,
when I'm depressed or stressed or anxious or whatever;
which is a lot, considering I'm on meds for it.
Anyway, I've always envied the Beatles,
I suppose, for being able to sing this.
Well, okay, they're a rock group and stuff, but still;
asking for help is really hard to say.
Took me years to even realize I needed it,
since I kept denying it.
Also, being around people, too,
is one of the things that definitely helps when you're down.
Most people say things like "oh, suck it up,"
but they say that without knowing what it's like.
When you're feeling down like that,
being cooped up is the last thing you need.
You need friends.
Just being around them,
as the Beatles are saying in the song,
is a great thing to have.
Sometimes, I sing this song to myself,
just to remind me of that,
and it gives me the motivation I need to call a friend or two to hang out with.
Of course, by then they're usually busy and stuff, and can't hang out,
but at least it gets me off the couch and sometimes then I'm motivated to do other stuff,
rather than just laying around.
Sometimes.
So,
*holds up a glass*
here's to all my friends, who, though unknowingly,
have helped me "get my feet up off the ground",
and aided me a little bit in fighting my depression.
And, of course, thanks to the Beatles, as well!
And, of course, all the other music groups I listen to, as well, when I'm down. =D
Thursday, June 3, 2010
People
People are idiots; they really are.
They will believe anything they hear.
I see it all the time.
Someone says something,
like a rumor or something,
and then someone else jumps to conclusions.
Next thing you know, everyone's unhappy.
For example, a guy and a girl are going out.
Well, someone tells the guy that he saw the girl with another guy.
The other guy's her cousin, but the guy doesn't know that,
so he assumes she's cheeting on him.
They get in a fight over it, and he breaks up with her.
Both are terribly sad and upset,
but there actually isn't anything to be upset about.
The girl tries to explain the true story to the guy,
but he of course won't listen,
since guys often have incredibly thick skulls.
Classic example of something that happens everyday.
That is why people are idiots;
They like to draw conclusions without knowing the full facts.
Rumors, too, are an evil creation of humans.
someone hears something,
relays it to someone else,
while adding a little extra on to spice it up,
and all the sudden you have a story
about a girl getting sent to the nurse because
she was caught sucking blood from tampons.
Yes, that rumor really did happen in our school.
Ruined the life of the girl;
some people still believe the story was true.
Heck, even I thought it was true at first.
After all, who makes that sort of story up?
I mean, it's just so totally disgusting!
It's like a big game of telephone, rumors.
Plus, people's memories aren't as good as they think.
A small fact altered, forgotten, or accidentally added in easily happens.
Put a bunch of these errors in, from bunches of people,
and all the sudden the story is completely different.
Yet, people are still inclined to believe everything they hear,
without even questioning it.
Sure, they do question it if it's super absurd,
but after hearing it a bunch, they even will believe the absurd things.
besides, most rumors are possible to occur,
so that's why people don't question them.
but, everything you hear should be questioned,
unless it's coming from the original source.
But, heck, even the source can lie!
So, can we really believe anything we hear in this world?
I think not.
Question, question, question!
Only then do you have a chance at learning the truth.
They will believe anything they hear.
I see it all the time.
Someone says something,
like a rumor or something,
and then someone else jumps to conclusions.
Next thing you know, everyone's unhappy.
For example, a guy and a girl are going out.
Well, someone tells the guy that he saw the girl with another guy.
The other guy's her cousin, but the guy doesn't know that,
so he assumes she's cheeting on him.
They get in a fight over it, and he breaks up with her.
Both are terribly sad and upset,
but there actually isn't anything to be upset about.
The girl tries to explain the true story to the guy,
but he of course won't listen,
since guys often have incredibly thick skulls.
Classic example of something that happens everyday.
That is why people are idiots;
They like to draw conclusions without knowing the full facts.
Rumors, too, are an evil creation of humans.
someone hears something,
relays it to someone else,
while adding a little extra on to spice it up,
and all the sudden you have a story
about a girl getting sent to the nurse because
she was caught sucking blood from tampons.
Yes, that rumor really did happen in our school.
Ruined the life of the girl;
some people still believe the story was true.
Heck, even I thought it was true at first.
After all, who makes that sort of story up?
I mean, it's just so totally disgusting!
It's like a big game of telephone, rumors.
Plus, people's memories aren't as good as they think.
A small fact altered, forgotten, or accidentally added in easily happens.
Put a bunch of these errors in, from bunches of people,
and all the sudden the story is completely different.
Yet, people are still inclined to believe everything they hear,
without even questioning it.
Sure, they do question it if it's super absurd,
but after hearing it a bunch, they even will believe the absurd things.
besides, most rumors are possible to occur,
so that's why people don't question them.
but, everything you hear should be questioned,
unless it's coming from the original source.
But, heck, even the source can lie!
So, can we really believe anything we hear in this world?
I think not.
Question, question, question!
Only then do you have a chance at learning the truth.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
An Adventure
So, today, my friend and I decided to go to some yardsales.
there was a town having a town sale;
I saw the signs last night on a way to a meeting.
Well, we got lost on the way there.
As we wandered around,
we came across a road that led to some very rural parts of NJ,
that we never knew were there,
so close to our town!
it was pretty awesome;
we saw a horse farm, and stopped to see the horses.
We saw some large empty fields,
and thought about frolicking in them
(but we passed them and didn't see a turn around place,
plus we were still looking for the sales.)
We never found the sales, however.
But, what we did find was a farm!
A nice little organic NJ farm,
and it was selling plants and foods.
We explored it,
and looked at their chickens.
We talked to the owner,
inquiring about buying one.
The only one he had for sale,
though, was a rooster,
which he didn't recommend because we live in a neighborhood
(neighbors would hate having a rooster alarm everyday!)
But, he told us about a place where they have livestock auctions,
every Saturday!
I forgot what the name of the place was,
but maria remembers-
thank god she has such a good memory,
since I definitely do not.
There wasn't time to go this weekend,
but hopefully one of the next weekends we'll get to go!
We won't buy any animals,
since we're going to to college,
and maria also goes to her fathers in Europe every summer.
but, it's still really cool,
so we're definitely going to check it out!
Oh, and on the farm, they had Strawberries!
They were really cheep, too,
since they don't have to be sold to the stores first.
And you know what?
These strawberries taste better than any I've ever eaten!
I am going there for strawberries from now on.
We even were allowed to pick our own!
It was a ton of fun. ^__^
We also bought some plants.
I got a banana pepper plant.
And with this plant,
unlike the tomato plants I've had in the past,
I'll get them all to myself,
since my brother and parents don't eat them!
Well, I'll cook with them, too, and they'll eat that,
but I'll also have a nice snack that won't get eaten up before I get any!
Getting lost today was definitely worth while.
This was definitely a super-fun day! ^_^
there was a town having a town sale;
I saw the signs last night on a way to a meeting.
Well, we got lost on the way there.
As we wandered around,
we came across a road that led to some very rural parts of NJ,
that we never knew were there,
so close to our town!
it was pretty awesome;
we saw a horse farm, and stopped to see the horses.
We saw some large empty fields,
and thought about frolicking in them
(but we passed them and didn't see a turn around place,
plus we were still looking for the sales.)
We never found the sales, however.
But, what we did find was a farm!
A nice little organic NJ farm,
and it was selling plants and foods.
We explored it,
and looked at their chickens.
We talked to the owner,
inquiring about buying one.
The only one he had for sale,
though, was a rooster,
which he didn't recommend because we live in a neighborhood
(neighbors would hate having a rooster alarm everyday!)
But, he told us about a place where they have livestock auctions,
every Saturday!
I forgot what the name of the place was,
but maria remembers-
thank god she has such a good memory,
since I definitely do not.
There wasn't time to go this weekend,
but hopefully one of the next weekends we'll get to go!
We won't buy any animals,
since we're going to to college,
and maria also goes to her fathers in Europe every summer.
but, it's still really cool,
so we're definitely going to check it out!
Oh, and on the farm, they had Strawberries!
They were really cheep, too,
since they don't have to be sold to the stores first.
And you know what?
These strawberries taste better than any I've ever eaten!
I am going there for strawberries from now on.
We even were allowed to pick our own!
It was a ton of fun. ^__^
We also bought some plants.
I got a banana pepper plant.
And with this plant,
unlike the tomato plants I've had in the past,
I'll get them all to myself,
since my brother and parents don't eat them!
Well, I'll cook with them, too, and they'll eat that,
but I'll also have a nice snack that won't get eaten up before I get any!
Getting lost today was definitely worth while.
This was definitely a super-fun day! ^_^
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Hm.
Well, this is embarrassing.
I came on here, all ready to post something amazing;
you know, the kind of amazingess that shakes the whole world,
and I had a great idea for what I was gonna post, too,
but it seems I've completely forgotten what I was going to post.
That actually happens quite a lot...
And, I am positive it will never return.
It never had before...
OH WAIT.
I think I remembered-
No, nope, I didn't.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Anyway, I discovered today that my pen cap can be sued as a whistle!
Yes, I just blow into it, and it makes sounds!
And I can alter the sounds to make tunes, too!
I discovered it in physics class, of course, naturally;
that's where I always discover neat things.
Eventually the kids got annoyed and told me to stop.
Mrs. K was laughing, as usual; she's awesome.
Mrs. K just laughs around with all the kids,
Not really caring if we are interrupting her class and whatnot.
Yeah, by the end of the school day I'm always so distracted.
It just so happens that Physics class is last period,
so of course I fiddle around with all the neat toys and stuff.
Plus, the entire class consists of awesome people,
and there's only about ten of us,
so of course when one of us gets distracted,
we basically all do.
Yet somehow,
our class still manages to be ahead of all the other physics classes in the district.
Which is odd and funny,
since we sometimes just withhold the lesson to learn other stuff,
like the time Mrs. K took us all outside to show this kid, Bill,
how when you spin a bucket around the water doesn't fall out
due to artificial gravity created by centripetal acceleration,
since Bill hadn't realized that could happen.
A bucket was filled with Water, and we taught him how to swing it properly.
It was totally epic.
We've had lots of other awesome distractions like that, too.
I love Physics class, even if I'm not doing so well with the actual tests and stuff.
Anyway, random rambling is over, for now.
that was actually quite pleasant;
maybe I'll randomly ramble some more on here!
Oh, and by the way, here's some cookies I made the other day:
Yes, Pokeball cookies!
Wonderful, are they not?
Oh, and I also spruced up the template for my blog, if you haven't noticed. I designed the pattern and banner myself, and the font is now Trebuchet. Changed font colors too. ;]
I came on here, all ready to post something amazing;
you know, the kind of amazingess that shakes the whole world,
and I had a great idea for what I was gonna post, too,
but it seems I've completely forgotten what I was going to post.
That actually happens quite a lot...
And, I am positive it will never return.
It never had before...
OH WAIT.
I think I remembered-
No, nope, I didn't.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.
Anyway, I discovered today that my pen cap can be sued as a whistle!
Yes, I just blow into it, and it makes sounds!
And I can alter the sounds to make tunes, too!
I discovered it in physics class, of course, naturally;
that's where I always discover neat things.
Eventually the kids got annoyed and told me to stop.
Mrs. K was laughing, as usual; she's awesome.
Mrs. K just laughs around with all the kids,
Not really caring if we are interrupting her class and whatnot.
Yeah, by the end of the school day I'm always so distracted.
It just so happens that Physics class is last period,
so of course I fiddle around with all the neat toys and stuff.
Plus, the entire class consists of awesome people,
and there's only about ten of us,
so of course when one of us gets distracted,
we basically all do.
Yet somehow,
our class still manages to be ahead of all the other physics classes in the district.
Which is odd and funny,
since we sometimes just withhold the lesson to learn other stuff,
like the time Mrs. K took us all outside to show this kid, Bill,
how when you spin a bucket around the water doesn't fall out
due to artificial gravity created by centripetal acceleration,
since Bill hadn't realized that could happen.
A bucket was filled with Water, and we taught him how to swing it properly.
It was totally epic.
We've had lots of other awesome distractions like that, too.
I love Physics class, even if I'm not doing so well with the actual tests and stuff.
Anyway, random rambling is over, for now.
that was actually quite pleasant;
maybe I'll randomly ramble some more on here!
Oh, and by the way, here's some cookies I made the other day:
Yes, Pokeball cookies!
Wonderful, are they not?
Oh, and I also spruced up the template for my blog, if you haven't noticed. I designed the pattern and banner myself, and the font is now Trebuchet. Changed font colors too. ;]
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Chicken!
Note: this was part of a newspaper group project we did in Communications class.
The Many Ways to Cook Up Chicken
Written By Larissa Dillon
Everyone knows there is a multitude of different ways to cook a chicken
You can keep it whole or cut it up, stuff it, bake it, fry it, BBQ it, stuff it in a crock pot, steam it, broil it, flame it, grill it, or even use foreign methods. And then, of course, there's a bazillion and one different ways to flavor it, spice it, and sauce it for maximum flavor. Of course, there's a fair few people who like chicken plain, with no spices or flavors. That's okay, too; but for me, the more flavor, the better.
Personally, I enjoy chicken and rice. Rather than cooking the chicken whole, I cut it into bite-size pieces. I take a frying pan, and fry the chicken bites using a little bit of oil, pepper, onions, chives, and whichever other spices and veggies will be needed for the dish. Then, I stir in the rice (which is boiled in chicken brother rather than plain water, for it adds much more flavor), more spices and flavorings, and maybe some fruit pieces, such as pineapple or apple; surprisingly, fruit tastes very yummy when mixed in with dishes such as chicken rice.
Another thing cubed chicken is good for is pasta. It adds a wonder of protein to alfredo sauce, and can taste good as a meatball substitute. Or, you can simply grind it up and use it to replace beef in a meat sauce; chicken is certainly much healthier.
Stuffed chicken is good for thanksgiving, but it can be very unhealthy with all that bread and calories, so I like to stay away from it. The same goes for fried chicken, particularly so because of all the fat and oil it's fried in. BBQ chicken is a bit better, health-wise, but a lot of sauce can make it deadly for your health, so be cautious of that. I personally dislike BBQ sauce, but some people love it.
Chicken is great in sandwiches, as well. Grilled chicken is perfect for them; breaded is liked by some, too, but it adds many unwanted calories, so I'd stay away from it if I were you. Some lettuce, tomato, pepper, and mustard can make the sandwich perfect for lunch. Or, you can cut it into strips and wrap the chicken in a tortilla shell.
Heating chicken pieces in a slow cooker, or croc pot, can make for very tender, melt-in your mouth chicken, which can be very homely.
And of course, one must not forget the simple delight of fresh oven-baked chicken, good for any occasion.
There are certainly many ways to cook chicken, aren't there? Now, let's hear from our readers on which ways they prefer. Baked? Sandwiched? Stuffed? Fried? Cut or whole? Or, maybe, they've cooked up some new, interesting ways for us to discover. To think, there are so many cooking possibilities for just one little bird!
The Many Ways to Cook Up Chicken
Written By Larissa Dillon
Everyone knows there is a multitude of different ways to cook a chicken
You can keep it whole or cut it up, stuff it, bake it, fry it, BBQ it, stuff it in a crock pot, steam it, broil it, flame it, grill it, or even use foreign methods. And then, of course, there's a bazillion and one different ways to flavor it, spice it, and sauce it for maximum flavor. Of course, there's a fair few people who like chicken plain, with no spices or flavors. That's okay, too; but for me, the more flavor, the better.
Personally, I enjoy chicken and rice. Rather than cooking the chicken whole, I cut it into bite-size pieces. I take a frying pan, and fry the chicken bites using a little bit of oil, pepper, onions, chives, and whichever other spices and veggies will be needed for the dish. Then, I stir in the rice (which is boiled in chicken brother rather than plain water, for it adds much more flavor), more spices and flavorings, and maybe some fruit pieces, such as pineapple or apple; surprisingly, fruit tastes very yummy when mixed in with dishes such as chicken rice.
Another thing cubed chicken is good for is pasta. It adds a wonder of protein to alfredo sauce, and can taste good as a meatball substitute. Or, you can simply grind it up and use it to replace beef in a meat sauce; chicken is certainly much healthier.
Stuffed chicken is good for thanksgiving, but it can be very unhealthy with all that bread and calories, so I like to stay away from it. The same goes for fried chicken, particularly so because of all the fat and oil it's fried in. BBQ chicken is a bit better, health-wise, but a lot of sauce can make it deadly for your health, so be cautious of that. I personally dislike BBQ sauce, but some people love it.
Chicken is great in sandwiches, as well. Grilled chicken is perfect for them; breaded is liked by some, too, but it adds many unwanted calories, so I'd stay away from it if I were you. Some lettuce, tomato, pepper, and mustard can make the sandwich perfect for lunch. Or, you can cut it into strips and wrap the chicken in a tortilla shell.
Heating chicken pieces in a slow cooker, or croc pot, can make for very tender, melt-in your mouth chicken, which can be very homely.
And of course, one must not forget the simple delight of fresh oven-baked chicken, good for any occasion.
There are certainly many ways to cook chicken, aren't there? Now, let's hear from our readers on which ways they prefer. Baked? Sandwiched? Stuffed? Fried? Cut or whole? Or, maybe, they've cooked up some new, interesting ways for us to discover. To think, there are so many cooking possibilities for just one little bird!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Lost in the Woods!
So today, my friend Maria, her brother Alberto, me, and my exchange student Felix, went on an adventure.
And what an adventure it was!
First we made homemade pizza with Italian style dough-
quite a scrumptious treat.
It had thin, crispy crust, spices, sauce, fresh Parmesan and mozzarella,and then toppings!
We topped some with pineapple, some with sausage, and some with pepperoni, and some with combinations!
Then we baked it and eat it.
With such thin, crispy crust, we had to eat it with a fork and knife!
It was the best pizza I had ever eaten! ^_^
We also drank sparking cider, apple favored and apple-grape flavored.
Those were really yummi, too!
We then went to Cattus Island park, where we visited the nature center first.
Alberto and Felix, though 16, had a ton of fun fiddling with the learning activities and toys meant for the younger kids.
It was really cute!
The we went hiking.
We followed the trails and stuff, but didn't bring a map, so we didn't knw which ones went where!
It was also snowy on the trails, but that was okay. We took reeds with fuzzy ends and used them as 'weapons'- for ticking!
We had fights with them, chasing each other all over.
A ton of fun!
Eventually, we found our way back, after an hour or so, and after some near misses with falling in ponds covered in ice.
It was so much fun, and we were all laughing most the journey!
Finally, we went back to Maria's and ended the day with cherry pie, hot chocolate, and many games of "Catch-Phrase".
It was the best time I had all year, possibly the best time I've had in the past decade! ^__^
Going to a park with friends creates some of the best times ever!
Everyone should do it!
And what an adventure it was!
First we made homemade pizza with Italian style dough-
quite a scrumptious treat.
It had thin, crispy crust, spices, sauce, fresh Parmesan and mozzarella,and then toppings!
We topped some with pineapple, some with sausage, and some with pepperoni, and some with combinations!
Then we baked it and eat it.
With such thin, crispy crust, we had to eat it with a fork and knife!
It was the best pizza I had ever eaten! ^_^
We also drank sparking cider, apple favored and apple-grape flavored.
Those were really yummi, too!
We then went to Cattus Island park, where we visited the nature center first.
Alberto and Felix, though 16, had a ton of fun fiddling with the learning activities and toys meant for the younger kids.
It was really cute!
The we went hiking.
We followed the trails and stuff, but didn't bring a map, so we didn't knw which ones went where!
It was also snowy on the trails, but that was okay. We took reeds with fuzzy ends and used them as 'weapons'- for ticking!
We had fights with them, chasing each other all over.
A ton of fun!
Eventually, we found our way back, after an hour or so, and after some near misses with falling in ponds covered in ice.
It was so much fun, and we were all laughing most the journey!
Finally, we went back to Maria's and ended the day with cherry pie, hot chocolate, and many games of "Catch-Phrase".
It was the best time I had all year, possibly the best time I've had in the past decade! ^__^
Going to a park with friends creates some of the best times ever!
Everyone should do it!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Another New Year
Yep. Another New year is here.
It's a whole new decade, as well.
For some reason, these things just...
don't seem quite as exciting as they used to.
Christmas doesn't seem as special anymore, either.
In fact, none of the holidays really do.
Have they just become so predictable that they seem dead?
They certainly no longer have much of an air of excitement and surprise.
Lack of such things do tend to lead to predictability,
which in turn seems to lead to an air of apathy towards a subject.
Or maybe it just seems this way to me,
and normal people still feel perfectly at home during the holidays.
I haven't been very normal lately, after all.
Anyway, I do have a few new years resolutions, in the end.
If I post them here, i may feel more obliged to stick to them.
Just maybe. Small chance, but it's there.
1. Lose more weight! I know, pretty common resolution, but at least I stuck to it last year- only one I did, but hey, that's something. I lost thirty pounds so far. Still need to lose more, though. I used to be extremely 'pudgy'. Okay, fine. i was outright fat. there, i said it. Doesn't matter now, though; I'm more of a normal weight now. A bit ironic, though. What I gained in normality appearance-wise I've seemed to have lost mentality-wise.
2. Work on my blogs more often, particularly the G-pig one. that one can wait, though. I'll post on that some other day. Soon, though. Maybe. I really should stop procrastinating it...
3. Hm, let's see... ah, screw it. I'll keep it to those two resolutions. maybe with less, I'll actually be able to go through with ALL of them this year.
So, yeah, that's pretty much it. My thoughts on the new year, and resolutions. It's not that special. I'm not that special. I hate that people keep expecting so much of me. "Genius" does not mean "excelling at everything." I just want to be treated like normal, okay? Normal expectations, and stuff like that. Oh, shoot, I just went on a mini-rant there. Anyway, new Year, new decade. Nothing too special, just another day on the calendar, as far as I'm concerned.
It was nice having two weeks off from school, though.
It's a whole new decade, as well.
For some reason, these things just...
don't seem quite as exciting as they used to.
Christmas doesn't seem as special anymore, either.
In fact, none of the holidays really do.
Have they just become so predictable that they seem dead?
They certainly no longer have much of an air of excitement and surprise.
Lack of such things do tend to lead to predictability,
which in turn seems to lead to an air of apathy towards a subject.
Or maybe it just seems this way to me,
and normal people still feel perfectly at home during the holidays.
I haven't been very normal lately, after all.
Anyway, I do have a few new years resolutions, in the end.
If I post them here, i may feel more obliged to stick to them.
Just maybe. Small chance, but it's there.
1. Lose more weight! I know, pretty common resolution, but at least I stuck to it last year- only one I did, but hey, that's something. I lost thirty pounds so far. Still need to lose more, though. I used to be extremely 'pudgy'. Okay, fine. i was outright fat. there, i said it. Doesn't matter now, though; I'm more of a normal weight now. A bit ironic, though. What I gained in normality appearance-wise I've seemed to have lost mentality-wise.
2. Work on my blogs more often, particularly the G-pig one. that one can wait, though. I'll post on that some other day. Soon, though. Maybe. I really should stop procrastinating it...
3. Hm, let's see... ah, screw it. I'll keep it to those two resolutions. maybe with less, I'll actually be able to go through with ALL of them this year.
So, yeah, that's pretty much it. My thoughts on the new year, and resolutions. It's not that special. I'm not that special. I hate that people keep expecting so much of me. "Genius" does not mean "excelling at everything." I just want to be treated like normal, okay? Normal expectations, and stuff like that. Oh, shoot, I just went on a mini-rant there. Anyway, new Year, new decade. Nothing too special, just another day on the calendar, as far as I'm concerned.
It was nice having two weeks off from school, though.
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