Autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower.

I Love Fall.

We build bonfires and sit around them, telling stories and singing songs.

The sun falls on (not-green) leaves, shining through them and turning them to stained glass.

We eat hot soup out of a mug, with triangles of buttered toast and warm, spiced cider.

The cold weather forces us all to bundle in cute jackets and colorful scarves.

The skies are clear and bright blue, a beautiful contrast to the (not-green) leaves.

So...

I haven't written. At all. Not a line. Not a word. Not a syllable.

But now? I will write. Because I feel like it. No other reason. Really.

1. I fell down the stairs a few days ago (my shoes were really slippery and I was in a hurry, okay?), and I thought that I had sprained my ankle or something, so I took some 5-Loxin and grabbed an icepack, and went to bed. And when I woke up? No sprain! Happiness!

2. I went to Wilmington last week, and saw people that I haven't seen since July, and even though I have not been away from them long enough to merit my missing them so much, I did miss them, and I was really glad to see them.

3. I have grown inexplicably fond of Diane Rehm. And she's on vacation. And somehow...I miss her. I miss a radio personality.
I could play the homeschool card, and say that since I spend a lot of time at home, I just get used to hearing NPR in the background CONSTANTLY, and that's why I miss Diane, SO SUE ME.
But I won't do that.

4. Now it's AUTUMN! I get to wear long pants and cute jackets and 80's leggings and pretty gloves! For lack of a better word (even though I have the entire Internet plus a thesaurus at my fingertips), yay.

5. Yay.

6. Yay.

7. I hope you're all doing really well.

Seven reasons that I am happy today:

1. I ran for a while today, and even though I was dripping in sweat, I felt really really good about life, and the fact that I was burning calories AND detoxing AND having a good time.

2. I listened to some of my brother's music (which was somehow synched onto my iPod, go figure) and I found that when the artists aren't screaming, most of the music is very good.

3. Go Fug Yourself has been updated, and now I can laugh knowingly at many celebrity's dumb fashion faux pas.

4. I have memorized my lines for not ONE but TWO PLAYS and I am SURE of them and I am so looking forward to acting them well.

5. NPR's 'Wait wait...Don't tell me!' was very funny, and it felt so good to laugh at it.

6. Breaking Dawn is out.

7. And. It. Is. Saturday.

JOY.

And now, a post.

The wordy kind, not the supporting kind. Although, it has been my experience that words can be the post kind of supportive...

Hm. Yeah, never mind.

I took a picture of our noisy white rooster (whom mum has named Luciano) standing on the old kickback that we bought Eamon when he was still shorter than me, but is now fencing in our azalea/pine tree patch:



...And the camera was dead. Did I tell you that?

Yes. That is why I am so ridiculously proud of myself.

Whatever possessed me to get both a blog and a Facebook account? Has my mind convinced me that I am not a procrastinator? Or have I come down with a sudden case of advanced dementia?

No, no. This will not do. Radio silence, after all, is only acceptable on the radio. And only sometimes then.
So I have resolved to

1. Finish one thing before I do another.

2. Get into direct contact with my friends to let them know that I have not died and shriveled up.

3. Write once a week.

At least, I believe that with a good deal of poking and prodding, I might get those things done.

Tomorrow.

I just had a fit of insecure late-spring cleaning

and that is why my blog has changed color.

Well, that, and the fact that black is SO last week.

Or, at least, not this week.

So today I was poking around on StumbleUpon (my new favorite website) and I...stumbled upon...a C-span video of Dennis Kucinich submitting a resolution for the impeachment of (name removed to prevent certain Republican persons from hating my guts forever more), containing 35 articles and spanning over 5 hours. (My esteemation of Dennis Kucinich? Now through the roof.)

I know I (and the majority of this country) have been screwed over, but I didn't know that it was this bad. I know he's a politician, so I'm taking Denny's resolution with a grain of salt, but he's still got a teensy, weensy point (ah, but what is his point, you ask. You'll have to watch the video: www.c-spanarchives.org).

I now feel like a jilted girlfriend.

I really HATE politicians.

The SAT is, by all accounts, long, scary, hard, scary and (when factored into the rest of your life) pointless. And scary.

So...

I'd like to take this opportunity to announce that I MADE IT! (!!!) AND IT WASN'T TERRIBLE! (!!!) AND I'M STILL ALIVE! (!!!)

And along the way, I learned that I my little homeschooled self is totally justified in being homeschooled, because the school system (generally) really really really sucks.

Bureaucracy: it's not just for breakfast anymore!

But now, my "Official Academic Year" is OVER and DONE and FINISHED. YEAH.

And I now have a list of Summer requirements (and last year they were all in my scrapbook, so maybe this SAT thing has been a little boost for my ego since I'm kind of publishing them?)

1. Lie by the pool, not thinking, hopefully not getting all red and blistery and maybe even turning a slightly less blinding shade of pale.

2. Really work on the Venture Crew, especially the things that I'm SUPPOSED TO BE DOING, like planning our big summer trip, and getting a roster set up...That can wait until tomorrow...

3. Read a couple good books. Preferably ones that involve crime-fighting in high-heels and other nonsense like that, but I'm not really choosy. As long as they don't make me think too much.

4. Pick lots of flowers.

I have not been writing lately, but I think you noticed that.

Last week I went to Ohio (where it is FREEZING, but there was an ICE CREAM TRUCK, anyone heard the expression COALS to NEWCASTLE??) to see the Arms and Armor of Imperial Austria exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and that was extremely cool. My big-little brother was in his element, though with Nana around, he showed nothing but a cool, more-knowledgeable-than-thou disdain.

After that, we went to the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame (and I am still very very excited about this, so don't tease me for living such a sheltered life that glow-in-the-dark signatures enthrall me, okay?). There was a 'Paraphernalia Exhibit' (not really, but that's what it ought to be called), kind of a tribute to the history of Rock'n'Roll, with all sorts of stage costumes and pictures and photographs and cars and records.
I must say that Jimi Hendrix was quite the fashion plate. I would love to wear some of the things he had.

On Monday, I had my first of two Duke Days (all the bells and whistles this time, it's my big two-year checkup), and was kind of surprised to see several news crews (say that three times fast!) lining the streets.

It turned out to be Senator Ted Kennedy's paparazzi. That is kind of reassuring, to know that a U.S. Senator chose the best place in America to have his surgery, and it's the place that I went.

Day two wasn't nearly as exciting. Just a pulmonary exam, and Electro Cardiogram, an Audiology exam, and a lumbar puncture (changed from 'spinal tap' after the movie came out).
The LP was pretty cool, though. The docs let me hold a mirror up to see my back , since I'd never actually seen one performed, although I've had several LPs.

And that is all the news I've got. I just wanted to reassure you-all of my eternal devotion. Do not pine away for me, dear hearts! I shall return soon to your arms...

Now, dear readers, let me ask you a question: Do any of you listen to NPR?

Really? Wow. More of you than I thought. Anyway...

There is a food show on the air,
the Splendid Table is it's name,
that records for all who'd hear
any food-words of great fame

Lynne Rossetto-Kasper hosts
this hour-long delight,
and MY MUM you'll hear this weekend (!!!)
if you listen, which you might.

So cast aside this dreadful verse!
Don't "listen" to my "pen"!
Remember: Sunday, 91.5
at twelve o'clock P.M.

Ah, Saturday.

Rest.
Reflect.
Build chicken coops.
Get sunburn.

Although the chicken coops were totally unconnected with the sunburn.

No, I swear. I was miles away from those chicken coops.

(Actually, I was at a surprise Clinton Rally at the Wake Forest College Birthplace, and it was very warm and sunny, and apparently she has some punctuality issues because she was an hour late, and she was wearing a gorgeous blue suit but she was completely shown up by Mrs. Mike Easley in that department, and she spoke really well, and she SHOOK MY HAND and I don't care that I sound like a bad parody of a cliche, because I am not washing my hand for a year, and hah! I said that all in one breath!)

Ah, Saturday.

Happy May Day!

When I was really little, my mom and brother and I would get up early and set out May Baskets for all the neighbors. They were only paper cones stuffed with flowers, but I think it's kind of sad that no one does this anymore.

Also, the first-dew-of-May thing? MYTH. (And with all the chemicals and toxins and Unidentified Bad Stuff floating around pretty much EVERYWHERE, who would want to wash their face in it? Even with the assurance of gorgeousness for a year? That's not really a risk I'd like to take.)

So that's your Optimistic Blog Post-of-the-Day here.

Happy May Day.

I used to be a Scouting Sister: I went with my dad and my brothers to every camp out, sang 'American Pie' with the best of them around a fire, ate S'Mores till my lips stuck together, helped to compose the cheers, and wore short sleeves in 49-degree weather.

I haven't been camping in 2 years. It's not that I didn't want to, it's just that The Boys are now Boy Scouts (as opposed to cute little Cub Scouts), and siblings are banned from Boy Scout Land.

I went camping this weekend.

It has come to my attention that I am no longer sufficiently conditioned for camping: I am used to certain necessities, like brushing my teeth, changing my socks, sleeping in a totally dry bed, and being able to stand up while dressing.
(I've even developed the unhealthy habit of looking in the mirror every 12 hours.)

However, I plan to remedy this very soon.

This year, anyway.

I think I'll start by getting a raincoat.

This isn't to say that I didn't have a good time. I had a blast. I was one of five females under 21 in a camp full of Boy Scouts (who all treated me like a cousin, but whatever. I'll take what I can get.).

And even with the tornado watch on Friday, this years' Camporee could have been a lot worse. The Crew might have had to eat our Adult Advisor, and she does come in rather handy!

My brother has been growing his hair out for a few years.
It all started one night at the dinner table, when I said, "hey, you should grow out your hair!" and he said, "hey, I think I'll do that!" and it (dare I say it?) grew from there.

It was very dark brown, and so soft and shiny, and it had a very sweet little curl at the ends.

It's still very dark brown.

And soft and shiny.

But no curl.

More like...spikes.

(I wonder if the hairdresser at Sport Clips got her inspiration from the Volleyball on TV?)

No more the '20-year-old-lumberjack-who-doesn't-believe-in-bathing' look.

No more the 'freak-flag-flying-retro-punk-hippie-grunge-rebel-without-a-cause' look.

And hopefully, I can get back my peace medallion.

WE HAVE CHICKS!!

True, they are loud.

True, they are stupid.

True, they are a pain.

But they are just so cute.

It's something about those pleading, curious eyes and those vulnerable, not-quite-there ears.

But of course, I am not at all taken in by these miniature pom-poms. Oh, no. I chase the cat away from them and clean out their box and endure their suprisingly loud ''peep-peep''s for one reason, and one reason only: the fact that one day, these small, pesky, adorable fluffballs will be laying eggs for my breakfast.

As if determined to throw a wrench into the works of my Pretty Wonderful Week, Facebook has recently kicked my off.

Their reason?

Homeschooled. Me. That's right.

I have been discriminated against not because of skin color, not because of race, not because of religion, not because of political leanings, but because my school isn't like everyone else's school.

How impossibly American.

I didn't think it was possible to be kicked off a 'social network' unless you were a certified public menace.

Do I even need to say how disgusting, infuriating, and just plain unfair this is?

We are to undertake a journey. A journey that, while previously explored, is never the less relatively uncertain.
A journey to the state where it is perpetually Very Cold, where the snow comes down grey and yellow all over, and nobody drinks the water for fear of minute radiation poisoning.

'And where is this paradise?' you ask.
'Why, here in our very country!' I answer you.

It is that turnpike-riddled, round-about crazy, sub-urbianite laden, less glamorous counterpart of New York of which I speak.

Yes, the ever garden-y New Jersey.

I can practically see the glow-in-the-dark snow from here.

I have made cheese! On purpous! And it is good!

This makes me feel extremely powerful, and also rather ecstatic.

I took milk (and water and rennit and citric acid) and heated it and made something edible!

No, more that just edible. Likeable! Delicious! YUMMY!

Happy Mardi Gras!

I am paper-mache-ing a cheap plastic Mardi Gras mask from A.C. Moore.

I didn't do any research on paper-mache beforehand ( my only memory of it involves a baloon and an oven), but I have a modicum of common sense, so I just slathered that sucker with petrolium jelly and started up. It is really a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, which only re-enforces my belief that I AM A GENIUS.

Of course, now I also see why paper-mache Mardi Gras masks are usually in the "ridiculosly expensive things that I will never, ever use, but simply must have" catagory.

Tedium, thy name is sculpture.

Although I probably shouldn't complain. As humans, we seem to be drawn to all things beautiful and/or handmade. People will pay through the nose for beauty. We crave what has been made by hand.

Good thing I love doing messy, hands-on artwork that produces beautiful results, then.

We are re-tiling our kitchen counters.

Well, maybe not re-tiling. Re-tiling implies that they have been tiled before. These counters have always been mind-numbingly dull and extremely uninspiring and VERY VERY BEIGE Formica (with Colonial Blue floral-patterned tile back splash).

But now their Reign of Mass Revulsion is at an end. Soon we shall have relief!

We are 'forcefully re-clothing' our counters.

Forcefully.

With force.

And lots of screwdrivers.

The End of The Evil, Deranged, Troublesome, Very, Very Adolescent Remote

...And why? Because we now have a New Remote.

You may laugh, but this is very exciting to me. After two years of batteries falling out, buttons not working, and general remote-related aggravation, we now have a New Remote.

I have been having a really good time lately, for no real reason at all, except that I am happy, and being happy usually makes me look happy (I can't help it), and looking happy usually makes me feel happy, et cetera.

The only mar in this circle of continuous happiness is that...(deep breath) ...My tall, skinny, Wonder-bread white brother has...(deep breath)...received seven stitches...(deep breath)...for a split chin...(deep breath)...that he got while he was break dancing.
(Falls about laughing uncontrollably).

And in case anyone accuses me of being callous, I would like to point out that my stitches were far greater in number, and the lacerations themselves were inflicted under slightly less ridiculous circumstances.

On the upside, I might persuade him to take up a less dangerous hobby. Like bungee-jumping.

List of Exasperating, Exhilarating, and Just Plain Weird Things That are Happening in My Life Right Now, in No Order Whatsoever, as told by Myself:

1. Was turned down for a job at the Library because of my infernally fabulous choir.
I will admit that the library is not the most exciting place to work, and the salary is all of six bucks an hour, but hey. My first job. It was important to me.

2. I found out that Geisha girls' formal makeup used to be a lead-based mask, but they switched to rice powder after skin and back problems. I thought that was extremely cool. And I must now get some rice powder.

3. I dyed my hair blue. It was rather nice for the first day or so, and then it started fading out, and now it is greenish at the ends. (I sort of thought it looked like Peacock feathers, but I have also heard that it is reminiscent of Ducks and Black Australorpe chickens. Maybe I am just vain.)

4. Mum has started cooking with coconut flour. It is very odd to be eating something white at our house. Normaly, anything that isn't soaked or sprouted or fermented (unless its meat or leafy green veggies, grown by folks two hours away, maximum), isn't eaten at home. White things are barred.