The journal of...

Right, so, time to not be lazy and post something, I suppose. Considering it's probably been nearly two months.

The trip to the UK was awesome. So much drama on the trip but I kind of tried to ignore that, because, hey, I spent 6000 dollars on this trip and I don't want to be miserable during it. But, right, it was soooo pretty and the weather was always nice(sweater weather, except in London for some reason. And I learned a few Irish folk dances, which was cool. I might post a few pictures up if I ever feel like sorting through 800 of them.

Right, I'm going back to my lunch now.

Right, so it was just PMS.

We got a new cat. His name is Ben and he is so pretty. He's very needy and gets lonely easily. He's so small! I love him but Daisy gets jealous if I give him too much attention. What the hell is up with cats? Ugh.

Anyway, I leave for my trip on Sunday so this will probably be my last post for this month. So excited. Going crazy with worry about forgetting stuff. I probably will. Like my homestay gift or something. I put most of my clothes in the suitcase already. I've opted out doing it all on Saturday, since I'll be in the city, so I think I'll try to get everything done little by little throughout the week. Should probably make list of stuff that I need to put in suitcase and backpack. Must remember to put books in bag... Hmm..

Oh well, Amanda is away at college orientation, sooo I have nothing better to do, besides be hot in the bedroom or be killed by very loud sounds in the cool but noisy livingroom.

Can't wait for trip. Like a lot. Only... six more days left. Meep! I wonder how different it is over there. That shall be fun to see.

Apparently I can't text over there. Damnit. Considering the amount of texting that goes on at the parties and stuff, I'm sure other people in the group will be unhappy if that is the case with them as well.

I feel like crying and I'm not sure why. I think being home is depressing me. And of course I crash into said depression after Amanda leaves for her trip to Ireland. I hope she takes some good pictures. Even though that will just make me more anxious to to leave on my own trip. Silly Danielle.

Right, so my sister's cat died on, what, Wednesday? So we've been looking around for a new kitten to get. I think the heat killed her. She was 18 and had been looking on the dead side for a good month. Too skinny and stuff. So, I'm kind of relieved she's done with the waiting. Although it's really  hard to break the habit of not looking for her. Daisy has been all snuggly, thankfully.

I started a project to make a mock-patchwork blanket. It'll be quite cool when it's finished. I'm having fun keeping busy with it, really.

I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo glad school is over. I was starting to get really tired of it.

And I just found out that I put in 29 hours at the library, so if all else fails I'll have roughly two hundred dollars for the trip. Which will drop to one hundred pounds. Damn. I should see how much mom wants me to spend so I'll at least have a budget. God, I can't wait for this trip. I need to get away from my family. They're being real jerks.

Mom and Dad are on a cruise so I'm stuck with a nagging grandmother who is driving my sister and myself INSANE and I hope Saturday comes extremely soon or I'm going to have to shoot myself. She's being a total bitch. She told Pam that she "lost a lot of weight and that she was quite huge before." Right. Not the best thing to say. Considering those are rather hurtful words. Hell, that would probably make me more self-conscious. Speaking of which, I hope the heat lessens so I can start walking again.

And, last of all, who the hell thinks that ketchup and chicken piccata(fried chicken with lemon sauce) go together?  And it was perfectly fine by itself. Oye..

Oh, and Amanda's parents got me a copy of Ironside, too. So lovely of them.

So, I had to bring the dress back because my mother says I can't have the same dress as some one who's sitting at the same table at me(Sandra has the same dress, apparently. Just found out today. Kind of guessed it.). I was pretty pissed at her, and she knew it, since she let me get the one I had initially wanted, the three hundred dollar one. And, guess what! It was on sale  for $189. Which is two dollars less than the other one. Mum still hates it. Because it's not her style. And apparently she can't get it through her dim head that I hate her style. Anyway, the tiara still goes with the outfit and it is a lovely dress. Not as sparkly as the blue one, but... Ah well. Sandra will probably look better in the dress than I would have. I have to admit that it wasn't really my style, however pretty. The fae one is, though, and it is terribly fun. There's even a stick of silk flowers hanging down from the waist. And the skirt is gathered in random places. It's awesome.

Oh, I little less lighter note, my brakes stopped working for a few minutes today. I managed to pull up against the bush in my parking spot in the driveway before the brakes decided I could stop. It was scary. I wouldn't move the car after that incident. Just as well, I knew I shouldn't have driven. Well, a little part did, anyway. This is why I hate driving..

And another thing, I am so moving far away from my parents once I get enough money to do so.

And allergies SUCK.

Goodnight

Also, if you like to write, you might like this site. They even have a page with writing prompts that sound fun.

This week went by so fast, it's quite amazing. Nothing exciting really happened.

Although, I did get my prom dress  earlier tonight and it is soooooo pretty. It's all cinderella-ly and sparkly and it fits me quite well. There was this one that was all puffy and it even had a stick of silk flowers on one side and it was gorgeous and spiffy but it cost three hundred and thirteen dollars(I know the price because I loved it that much). So I had to compromise for the hundreds. And so I have a light blue dress that is similar but not quite and it's very flattering. Now all I have to do is remember it so I can tell Erin that I actually went to the mall and got a prom dress. Getting a dress is exciting, isn't it? Ahhh well. Speaking of People to People(Erin is one of the leaders), I should probably take advantage of the lack of my parents tomorrow and do current events in the morning. Or whenever they leave for Pam's ring thing.

Anyway, I went walking yesterday with Amanda and it was quite nice. Probably because of the weather and also because I wasn't with mom.

 SATs in two weeks. ::shudders:: At least Brooke told me that the people at Manasquan are much more organized than Wall and actually personally tell you where to go and how to find the room. That makes me less nervous. I probably should have studied but oh well. So, I fail. Who cares? We all know I'm not the brightest thing on the Earth. At least, my family must, by how impressed they are with my grades. Honestly, stop making it out as such a bloody fucking amazing thing. So I actually work and pay attention. Big. Fucking. Deal.

Hate parents. And family. They suck. Meh.

Right, ranting over. I didn't think I was still ticked at mum, but I guess I am.

And now I must end this. Goodnight.

Wow, I totally forgot how much fun writing for no reason was. Hah. Almost makes me hyper. Or is that the soda? Hmm..

So I finished reading A Northern Light on Tuesday. I just couldn't put the book down. Not even for homework. I just blew that off until the period before the class. Well, except for Science. I did science. Probably because I like the teacher and I don't get that book until right before the class(to hell am I going to carry around three books for five or so periods).

Rambling, sorry(probably why people talk over me usually).  So, right, couldn't put the book down. It was too good. Too good. Even now, two days later, I'm in awe at how good it was. I think it had something to do with the fact that it had a murder that actually occurred in real life in 1906. But the book had more of a focus on the main character, Mattie, then on the dead girl who is laying in a room off of the parlor in a hotel.  And, yes, there is a little romance, but it's more like an attraction than an actual romance so don't go looking for one. But, oooh, was it so good! I think I might have gotten the same high as an addict gets off his choice of drug. But I can't spoil anything because Amanda says she's going to read it and she gets angry if I say anything. So, go read it yourself.

I have another book I'm reading but it's hardly sufficient after that. I'm back in one of those slumps. So, since I have the house to myself and an over-flowing hamper, I'm going to clean and maybe knit. Frantically. I have to finish this sweater so that I can knit these pair of socks that I am just aching to knit. They're not normal-everyday-socks, they're for at night when your feet are cold and they're all lacy! I am such a geek.

So glad it's a day off. I got to sleep in a little late(Mum kind of woke me up and I also went to bed so early, I was so tired.), but tomorrow I have work in the morning. Hopefully I'll be awake enough to drive. Last Saturday wasn't very good. The sharp turn near the high school is so difficult, I went halfway into the wrong lane turning into it. And, no, nobody was on that side. And I also drove over a curve, because I under-estimated when the slant starts. Oooh well... Mum says I should just go straight and turn  at the next corner. Maybe I will.

Right, so, time to get out the knitting. Ah, what a dork I am.

Friday is evil. First of all, there are too many tests. Second of all, it no longer holds any redeeming qualities such as eating food in cooking class, like last year. No, in Culinary Arts, we eat on Thursdays now, if we're lucky. Sometimes Friday. And third of all, you are left feeling like crap.

But this past Friday was even worse, because I found out that my friends were throwing a surprise party for another one of our friends and I wasn't invited. I'm more angry at the fact that I'm not allowed to be angry. I know I'm not, I'd just be yelled at for feeling hurt. It's happened before. So I suppose I'll just put a smile on my face and keep to my books about Victorian England and the Order and Gemma and Kartik and maybe another book about a murder in the early 1800's  in New York.  Oh, yes, and do schoolwork. Always do that. And maybe I'll ask them how it went and then tell them I had an excellent time with Amanda, watching V for Vendetta. Which I did. Except for having to drive over there. Got lost. What an adventure, eh?

Besides friend-problems, school was pretty good. Nobody taught a lot, mostly just tests. I got a hundred on my lab plans and I made up a lot of stuff in there, so that made me feel smart again(We got our class ranks the other day. I'm 233 out of 335. Danielle was 1. Actually, most of my friends were two digits..). Then again, it's just Culinary Arts. Although, I think I passed my french test.. Without using a word bank. So easy. Using words in past tense with the verb Avoir. Next test sounds hard, though.. Ach, I forgot to do that one homework... This marking period was too short.

Right, so, I've been driving to work. I was pretty reckless this morning, admittedly, but I blame it on not being awake. Thank goodness nobody is up that early on a Saturday, hah.

Oh, so, I got a new book in the mail. Two, really. I've been waiting for them for two weeks. The one I've been anticipating the most is A Northern Light. It's about a girl in 1906 who goes to work at a hotel and meets this girl who is murdered the next day, but only she knows it. Everyone else thinks she drowned. And... Well, I'll let you find out the rest on your own. Anyway, the book came wrapped in brown paper, which is just awesome. Just like the eighteen hundreds, hm?

Ah, I wish I could cook something.. I've been craving Empanadas but I don't feel like touching raw chicken. Nor do I feel like driving to the store. Oh, and I have no reason to cook them. How annoying.

Right, I feel better. I needed to write. I've been driving myself mad with questions of what I did or do that repulses my friends. Or anyone, for that matter. Meh. Maybe I'm clingy or obnoxious or something. Pam says I'm obnoxious(although, usually I'm trying to on purpose).

Right, whatever, not bothering myself about it. It doesn't bother me at all.. Not a bit.

I'm going to read now.

You get excited over a mechanical pastry bag.

Oh, and, I'm not allowed to go into cooking/baking shops. It's too dangerous. I end up buying stuff. Oh, the horror! (all right, I'll try to be sane for another minute)

I really ought to do my homework now...

Has anyone ever noticed how I always update this thing when I have homework I should be doing? Well, at least I'm doing something, right?
Er, anyway! I drove all by myself to the library and back home and lived. That's... amazing. Not that I wasn't shaking with nerves by the time I get to the library, but hey, at least I know I can go there by myself. Since I'm going to be driving to work by myself this week. Yikes. Hopefully I'll be awake enough not to do something bad. Like drive into the car in front of me. Maybe I should change my hours so that I'm not working on Thursdays. Or not. I can live through the Thursday Crash.

Is it seriously Sunday already?  Weekends are too short. So, yes, I went out looking for a double boiler so I could make mouse and ended up buying a cookie sheet(the proper kind, without the sides), a baking pan that lets you make individual bread loaves, and then we went somewhere else looking for mint syrup and I bought a pastry bag-thing instead so I can decorate cakes. So I made carrot bread and I'm going to decorate it with cream cheese frosting and practice decorating. Yup.

Right, going to do that homework. Ew.

Why the hell am I looking at colleges AGAIN? I think I'm just stressing myself out with all this stuff. Meh.

Yes, I'm still alive. I've just found ways to keep myself busy. This past week I've been catching up on homework and school work on account of being absent on Monday. See what happens when you miss ONE day of school? I think I'll try my best not to do that again. Probably will do it again. Knowing me. Anyway, besides homework, it snowed really badly on Friday so the school play was delayed till five o'clock the next day. And of course I was going to see it on Friday, since I had a sleepover to attend on Saturday night(the party started at three thirty). Sandra and I decided to go to the two o'clock showing on Saturday anyway(since her sister wanted to see Annie) so I basically got off of work at one, had a few bites of lunch, and then rushed off to Sandra's to see the play. And that was basically all of the time spent at my own home for Saturday. And then I had my hair done of Sunday and went clothes shopping. I won't be surprised if I'm in a lowly mood this week, considering I like my alone time.

Right, so, the party was actually fun. Sandra was a bit grumpy because the party "was too long" for her and she hates being away from her home for too long. We went bowling which was more fun than I had imagined it would be. When we got to Danielle's house they mostly watched movies. Her mum had gotten crafts so Patricia and I made them(the two odd balls, I guess.) At one point all of us were up in her room having conversations about depressions and fears. And, of course, there was the usual truth and dare stuff. Somebody stripped.. This obnoxious girl wanted to get drunk.. One girl felt another one up(On a dare, of course).. Anyway. I didn't get to sleep 'till about five, maybe. After being up since eight that morning. But I had fun. And I finished my scarf, finally.

Speaking of which, I'll show you some pictures since I've uploaded some. They hardly do the picture justice, but oh well.
( Forbes Forest Scarf Pictures.. )

And to be honest, aside from the past week, I've been neglectful of this journal and not very busy. Just busy in the sense that I bought the Sims 2 Seasons and had been playing it a hell of a lot. It's a really fun expansion pack. And when I wasn't playing that, I was reading. I found this Once Upon a Time series of retold fairy tales that is really good. My favorite has to be Snow. I honestly suggest reading it, even if you didn't like Snow White(like me, then again I could never sit through a Disney movie).

Oh and, my cat was being cute one day and decided that show was going to sit on my history book while I was doing homework with said book...
I have to admit, though, it was adorable and a much appreciated act of love. She was probably being a brat that morning...



All right, now I really have to go do homework. Maybe the next post will be more... coherent or at least less of a bore(hopefully the pictures compensate for the first paragraph)

1. Grab the nearest book
2. Open the book to page 23.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 3 sentences on your blog along with these instructions.
5. Don't you dare dig for that "cool" or "intellectual" book in your closet! I know you were thinking about it! Just pick up whatever is closest.
6. Tag 5 people

From Good Omens, which I left on my bed after realizing I couldn't handle it at the moment-

"Twenty-five blameless years, then suddenly they were going off and doing these robotic exercises in pink socks with the feet cut out and they started blaming you for never having had to work for a living. It was hormones, or something. A large black car skidded to a halt by the dustbins."

I don't know five people with blogs/Livejournals so I'm not tagging anyone. I just wanted to do it.

So I need to get two more passport pictures for the trip. Mm.. Money is going down the drain..

I love cats. Especially mine. I was feeling really down the other night and Daisy jumped onto the bed and laid down next to my head and just purred the whole time. It's so sweet, especially since she had wanted to go out of the room a few minutes before then.

Anyway, exams suck, of course. So we're not going to get into that. Math actually wasn't as painful as I thought it would be. French I know failed. I wouldn't be surprised if I get a ten or something.

Da is such an annoyance. He thinks the midterms count towards the second marking period, which they don't(They get averaged into the first semester, I think). If they did, I might actually be studying harder(The past two days have been a debate on whether I should look over the study guides a night ahead for the midterms on the next day and in the end, I, well, don't).

I got my dessert book on Saturday. There are a few recipes I would love try(among them is the Molten-center chocolate cake) but I can't seem to find time to get to the grocery since I have no ride and mum is most obstinate about driving me places most of the time(lately, anyway. Not my fault da won't finish my car! Brat). Of course, the better part of my mind is saying that it's better to not be making them, since we really don't need to.

Yes. So. I need to sign up for the SATs but I just don't want to. I really really don't want to. No more tests, please. ::shudders::

Amanda was right. Black Parade is SO good knitting music. I can make a perfect dance with the knitting needles. Is it pathetic that I find such words to decribe how I knit fast? Yes, yes it is.

Ah, the muse is wants in. But it's not giving me much to write with. Right. Back to Crown Duel and lunch.

So, the plan for this week is to work on the ever-neglected scarf, which is actually getting pretty long. Too long to shove in the purse, actually. And midterms are coming up, which means almost a full week of half days, so I could definately work on it in two weeks. But I'm going for now until monday, even Tuesday afternoon.

Anyway, I hate how teachers always think their class is the most important. Sooo frustrating... Kind of wishing for block scheduling so I can just be done with some of those classes for this year...

Nothing's really been happening. Too much homework, too many study guides, Too many nights where I just wake up in the morning more tired than the night before. Every part of my body is stiff today. It's getting so frustrating. I think I'm sick. Mentally or physically, I'm sure it doesn't matter.

So, it snowed the other day. For five minutes, so, welcome winter. Please, by all means, throw a blizzard on us. We need snow days. Not that I want to drive in it, but...

All righty, off to knit.

I don't think I will ever, ever be able to cookie chicken and then eat it after seeing and feeling the raw form of it. In any case, I made chicken piccata tonight and it's good but I'm too paranoid thinking some parts might not be cooked all the way. Oye. What am I going to do with myself?

So, just to take my mind off things and avoid knitting(too out of it to even dare to pick up the needles) and homework, I decided to try my hand at making soap. It was quite spiffy. I even managed to make a gothy one, somehow. All right, no, I know how. I mixed too many colors that don't go together in the same batch. Ahh well. I was curious. As always.

So, I suppose if I did twenty rows a day I could be done by the end of next week. Hell, I could have finished this damn scarf ages ago. Oh well, too bad, didn't happen. Time to listen to the Dresden Dolls and stare at my knitting until motivated. Hah. Right. Motivation. I'd as soon as pick up that huge chunk of a book by Tamora Pierce that is so promising to be good. But I don't want to lug it about school, so fie. I must read throughout the day. That won't work. Might have to settle for Garth Nix and Lirael. Bah. I'm in the mood for a fae book.

Might as well order that Tamlin based book on Barnes and Noble.. Or reread Tam Lin.

Too restless. Might as well get knitting.

Oh god, I just found an old writing journal, and... Oh god..

I was so hoping for Wuthering Heights.. Ahh well.