not a creature was stirring...

except for David, the mouse. because he jumped out of his bucket last night and is now probably scurrying around under the floor somewhere.

Lets back up, shall we?

two days ago, a sad little squeaking was heard. a tiny little mouse (maybe it was average sized for a mouse, but I really wouldn't know.) got stuck on a glue trap. I guess the glue trap was doing its job, because that mouse was really stuck on there. :(

thank goodness for the internet. vegetable oil and a little bit of gentle pulling got the mouse of the glue trap, and then I put the mouse in a bucket with a dish towel and some bread and some cheerios and a hot water bottle. Couldn't let the poor little mouse out into the wild while he was covered in vegetable oil, now could I?

Well, that was my reasoning anyway. Keep him (as it was decidedly a he.) until he was dry, then put him into the garage. He was a smart mouse, and would be able to find his way in and out of there as he pleased. So a day passed. and he was still a little bit oily looking. and then it was Christmas Eve, and I couldn't really leave a tiny little mouse outside on Christmas Eve, right? So I kept him another night.

And so, this morning when I went to change his water bottle, he was gone. If he is strong enough to manage to find a way out of a bucket, I suppose that he has recovered well from his adventure with the glue trap. Hopefully he will scamper away and tell all of his friends that they really should avoid those things, because they are a terrible hassle. And then once you get stuck on one, you have a terrible encounter with a giant who will put you in a big plastic prison.

If you love something, you have to learn to let it go. But if it doesn't love you, it will crawl out of the bucket you put it into and run away as soon as it has strength enough to do so.

Merry Christmas!

oh kurt vonnegut, how i love thee.

Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterward.

Kurt Vonnegut

Pretty happy things

The above is hanging on my front door. The above is also handmade. The directions for the above are listed below.

1. Get a wreath form.
2. Tie greens to wreath form.
3. Tie ornaments onto wreath.
4. Tie pine cones onto wreath.
5. Spraypaint an artichoke gold and tie that on too.
6. Get a big bow and put it on top.
7. Hang it, enjoy it, blog about it.

Get it? Got it? Good.
(Don't get it? I wouldn't have gotten that either.)

1.
Wreath forms are all over the place. Find one at a hardware store or craft store.

2.
Get greens! If you live near a park, go for a walk. (the fresh air will do you well.) take a pair of clippers. take pretty branches. (on second thought, you might want to check to see if you can do that. I don't want to be advocating deforestation.)
Wire the branches to the wreath form. (Thin green wire works best, as it blends into the leaves like a ninja.) make sure that there are plenty of branches, or the wreath will look wimpy.
The back of my wreath looks like this. Yours doesn't have to be neat, so long as it gets the job done.

Alternately, you could buy an undecorated wreath. (But that is not nearly as exciting.)

3.
Get ornaments!
Want to showcase a special ornament? Wire it on and the mail person and your neighbors will appreciate it every single day! Otherwise, just find some cheap ornaments. The ones used on this wreath came glittered, but you could glitter them yourself.

If you want to do this, I'd get a piece of floral foam, a skewer, an ornament, and a lot of glitter. (don't forget to put newspaper down first!) Shove your skewer into the floral foam, put the ornament onto the skewer, drown the ornament in glue, cover the ornament in glitter, wait for it to dry, and cover it in sealant.

But before going through all that trouble, I'd go the the dollar store and see what they have there. It will save you a lot of time.
Wire the ornaments to the wreath.

Try to vary the sizes of the ornaments that you use, and remember to use ornaments that will not break! :)


4.
Get some pine cones.

You can pick them up while you are on your deforestation walk, or you could pick them up at a craft store.
Paint them if you want. Brushing on a little bit of white paint will make them look like they are snow covered! (If you want to go all out with the snow covered idea, try sprinkling the wet paint with sugar crystals or glitter. When it dries, it should have a little bit of texture.)
Wire them to the wreath.

5.
Get a dried artichoke. Get gold paint. (or spray paint)
use gold paint on dried artichoke.
wire it to your wreath.


6.
Get a long piece of thick ribbon and tie a fancy bow. If you don't know how to tie a bow, look on the internet. If you can't find a tutorial on the internet, you are not looking hard enough.

You could also just buy a premade bow.

Wire it to the wreath. If you have a spot on your wreath that doesn't have as much greenery as the others, I'd suggest this as a place for the bow to go.

7.
Make a loop out of sturdy wire and attach that to your wreath form.

Hang it. Enjoy it. :)

Phew! thats a lot of writing! Hope it all made sense, if you have any questions please post them in the comments section.

some days are like that.

You know the type of day

When you get out of school only to find out that it is raining

and you get onto the bus alone because all of your friends have already gone home

and you get sandwiched between two people that know each other
and they start a conversation
and glare at you occasionally because you are listening in (but its not like you can do anything about that, because they are talking right in front of you)

and cold tea spills on you

and you walk home in the cold rain without an umbrella or a hood

and you feel miserable and sorry for yourself.

(Some days are like that.)

sometimes you walk up your driveway after walking home in the rain

and you take a look at your house

and you realize that your dad put rainbow twinkle lights on the tree in your front yard while you were at school.

and your day suddenly doesn't seem so bad.

(Some days are like that too.)

5 days

of break.
and now I am on my last one.

Its been a little too long. But not in a bad way. Just in the way that I have had absolutely nothing to do for the past three days. :-|

---

My mom spent a lot of time in the kitchen, cooking and listening to the De-Lovely soundtrack.
My dad spent a lot of time reading, napping, and going on walks.
My brother came home from college, but spent most of his time home hanging out with his friends.
And as for me: I spent a lot of time doing a lot of things.

---

I cleaned my room. I let my room get messy. I cleaned my room. I let it get messy. I cleaned it again.

I bought some new movies (The Princess Bride, Across the Universe, and The Patriot) some used books, and a very comfy flannel shirt.

I was trusted with electric hedge clippers and I managed to not cause grievous bodily harm to anybody. I took the opportunity to wear my flannel shirt, and I whistled the lumberjack song while I worked.

I watched the same couple of television stations and listened to the same sort of music as I always do. (National Geographic, Disney, Cartoon Network, etc., and Bob Dylan, Ludo, and more Bob Dylan.)

I tried to organize and alphabetize my Dad's CD collection. Then I remembered that I don't know my alphabet and I gave up.

I finally organized my camera. and loaded everything onto my computer. and deleted everything off of my camera.

I made some jewelry. And then I wore some of it.

In short, I just sat around the house and did nothing of great significance.

but I did remember to be thankful. and I hope that you did too.

today is sunday.

AND WHAT A BEAUTIFUL AND SUNNY DAY IT IS! (and why yes, I'm even thinking in caps right now.)

I went for a walk with my dad. :)

There was an awful lot of people in the park today, on account of the wonderful weather.

Sweet: a toothless baby smiling at me.
Awfully nice: spending time outdoors.
Random: seeing a couple being pulled in a horse drawn buggy.
Ridiculously delightful: hearing somebody scream "FOR NARNIA" at the top of their lungs atop a giant rock. (and here I was thinking things like that only happen on the internet.)

I love people so much sometimes.

gosh I love math.

I sent my math teacher an email the other day.

I needed help with matrices, and as a post script I added "if it helps, I think my problem is that I am spending too much time trying to bend the spoon, and not enough time realizing that there is no spoon to bend."

He responded & signed the email as Neo.

THANKS.

i am a taco

i am a taco looking for his hotdog! if you read this you have some pictures i'd like to see.

-

I was doing homework on Thursday night when I got bored and drew a picture of a taco and a hot-dog falling in love.

Missed connections are: ridiculously random.

dinosaurs, cocoa krispies, and stoichiometry (oh my!)

Today I finished a stoichiometry review sheet in chemistry before the class was over.

So, I went to the cafeteria, bought some food, and went to the lobby of the main building.

I spent the next thirty minutes eating cocoa krispies in chocolate milk and reading Jurassic Park.

Sometimes I wonder how/when I got this dorky.

I'm going to be an awesome adult someday.

"Would you hit a woman with a baby?—No, I'd hit her with a brick."
-e.e. cummings

"Speak roughly to your little boy and beat him when he sneezes,
He only does it to annoy because he knows it teases."
-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

I intend to follow the advice of my favorite authors. I think that it will turn out well.

missing.

Weekend = jam packed. (There's only one man who would dare give me the raspberry!)

Tonight I did not go and see Where the Wild Things Are. Woe.

Also, was not able to go see Ludo in concert.

A note about Ludo: they are fantastic. Heard their song Hum Along about two years ago... and I was hooked.

"Maybe you'd be kidnapped by pirates
and they would take you to their hideout
as pirates often do
but I'd find the secret map
and I would vigilante-bushwhack
through the jungles of Peru..."

Really, how could I not love them? Anyway, they would have played Broken Bride (in its entirety!) tonight, and I am very sad that I missed it. Broken Bride is a rock opera about a time traveler and his time machine and some dinosaurs and a zombie invasion and then a happy ever after. (The most delicious CD ever. Well worth the $5 on itunes.)

But, I had other things to do. Like making beef sticks with Asian Club. My hands still smell like secret beef stick sauce. 80 some pounds of beef went into making these. I think we bought an entire cow. I should be disgusted, but I'm too busy being amazed.

we're selling them tomorrow. they will be delicious. (I'm a vegetarian and I'm saying that so you know it must be true.) buy some.

And now, for something completely different:

another reason why I love everything: CHEMISTRY HOMEWORK!
Mole day is coming up! The mole, 6.02*10^23 is a basic measuring unit in chemistry. it is also a cylindrical shaped mammal that burrows into the ground.

Homework for Chemistry? MAKE A MOLE. I just got assigned to make a stuffed animal for school. Bonus points if I put silly clothes on it. ASL;KJDFAKSJF K SO EXCITED I CANNOT EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE SA;SLKFALKSJFD!!!!1!!!MOLES!!! I think it is safe to assume that I will be getting an A on this assignment.

trains and moths and other things.

there was a brown moth on the floor of the train today. I poked it lightly with my sneaker. It started flying frantically. I was surprised, to say the least.

I picked it up before I got off the train and released it when I got to my stop.

it was dreadfully cold today. I hope the little moth is all right.

--

in other news, I'm way too excited about where the wild things are.


(from http://thetorchonline.com)


I hope you can see why.

today:

there was a kid walking around in a banana costume. he stood next to me when we were at the crosswalk this morning. somebody asked him why he was a banana.

His reply?
"It's Wednesday."*

I love my school.
--

One of my friends asked me to send her creative writing for the literary magazine that our school publishes. I sent her this:

CREATIVE:

there once was a frog

who lived in a bog

and hopped onto a log.

he soon met a dog.

and the frog

and the dog

on the log

in the bog

were attacked by a hog

who ate them all.

the end.

I really hope she likes it.
--

Sprained my ankle in cross country today. I was only a block or two from school.
The boys team ran past where I was sitting. it was embarrassing.

Limping around makes me feel pathetic, so I try to walk normally. It hurts, and then I feel more pathetic.

feeling pathetic is pathetic.

-----------
*consider this the quote of the week. I'll put it in a nicer format:

"It's Wednesday."
-Freshman dressed like a banana

Dear delicious looking apple:

you were not delicious.

in addition to not being delicious, you were bruised. I am rather upset at my poor choice in fruit.

I guess you weren't that disgusting after I cut you..
but you were still more trouble then you were worth.

next time, I'm going to eat a pear, and there's nothing you can do about it. take that, only semi-delicious apple.

with love,
somebody who is no longer in danger of getting scurvy.

sick days

I can't remember the last time I took a sick day.

The last one that I remember was in the 5th grade when I got poison ivy all over my body. (On my face, my hands, between my fingers, and up and down my arms. Twas awful.)

I'm sure that there have been a couple since then, but they haven't been all that memorable.

Yet, I have taken a day off of school. I'm coughing and sleepy and not hungry and cold despite it being a beautiful day. As a bonus, I also sound like a man.

I was all ready and set to do what I do when I do get sick; sit on my couch, watch my old VHS's, drink tea. Then I remembered that the VHS player in my DVD/VHS player was never connected to my television when we bought a new TV last year, and that trying to connect it would be far too difficult. (In all likelihood, it's far too simple, and I'm just far too lazy.)

So, instead, I decided to do just about anything and everything.

I'll keep you posted as to how this turns out.

I love to run.

And never believe me if I tell you otherwise.

Ran my first meet at my home course today. 23:57 for a 5k, not bad, but not my best.

I complain about running way too much. I don't really know why. I dread practices, and I hate workouts. But I don't hate running. I love it more then any other sport I've ever done.

I love getting a good kick 100 or 200 meters before the finish. It feels like flying. I love the endorphin high you get after races, when everything is dizzy in just the right way. I love the way that spikes feel, because it makes your feet feel light and wonderful. I love running barefoot cool-downs, and I love it when the grass is cold.

I say that I hate to run, but I'm lying. I love to run. It's the most natural sport you could ever do. Its just you and the earth.

Go find yourself a grassy field and run barefoot in it. (I dare you.)

nap time

Today I took a nap during my free period.

I was outside, insects were chirping and sirens were screaming. The leaves were rustling, the sky was blue, and the clouds were moving across the sky. The grass was green, the ground was lumpy, and the weather was warm.

It was delightful.

oh, why hullllllllo there.

why, what is this?

a blog?

what merriment!

-

oh, hey, wait, this blog is mine.
But hey, at least it hasn't been a month since the last time I updated this. oh, nevermind.

-

But on the plus side, I have been productive in my absence!

I'm done my typeset tray (pictures on the way) and I also made something that is fantastic and mildly useful.

Later, I made a pencil case. I don't know if I will even use it, but it looks pretty.

My brother left for college (woe.) but left behind all of his music (joy!).

I went to cross country camp for a week. the food was mediocre (at best) the cabin that I stayed in had a rodent problem (chipmunks lived in the bathroom closet) and it rained constantly. It was fantastic.

Cross country season started, and it hurt to run. Many ice baths and heat pads and several days without running later I have recovered. Huzzah!

I had a strong desire to eat macaroni today. When I got home after cross country practice, I made macaroni. It was flavored with delicious accomplishment.

I am also planning a tie dye party. If it happens, pictures will be taken and uploaded here. I love tie dye. and apparently, so does everyone else that I've talked to! :D Now I need to find a place to buy RIT dye, and maybe some buckets or something. This is so exciting.

oh, and school started today. That is probably worth mentioning too.

Wednesday Wisdom

“Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.”
Dalai Lama

---

Originally, I was going to try to find a quote about aspirations because I was thinking about all of the things that I aspire to be. This will be another post for another time.

Instead, I found this quote. It's nice. It's true. It's my plan for tomorrow.

I have too much free time during the summer. I am going to try to do something with my day. Tomorrow, I will be kind. I will smile at strangers on the street. I will open doors for people. I will save kittens in trees, cure sickness, and solve global warming.

secrets. (shhhhh.)

I like to brush my teeth.
(I do so at least four times a day.
I think that it is fun.)

I wear a retainer.
(and I secretly love it.)

I love second hand shops.
(for books, clothing, anything really.)

I love bad music.
(Currently listening to: Magic Dance. David Bowie.
Labyrinth Soundtrack. I am so cool.)

I used to have a crush on Double D from Ed, Edd, and Eddy.
(I'm not joking. Shhhhhhhh.)

I can't dance.
(watching me dance is like watching a whale try to use a typewriter.
... I don't think that makes any sense. But I'll keep it there for lack of a better comparison.)

Wednesday Wisdom

"Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon."
Winnie the Pooh

True facts:

It has been raining a lot recently.

I am pet sitting for a dog.

It started raining yesterday. I tried to put the dog inside. It didn't want to go inside. I pulled a treat from my pocket and asked it: "Would you do it for a scooby snack?" It still didn't go inside.

I felt betrayed.

Jinkies! My childhood has lied to me.
(I have watched every single episode of the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! series at least ten times. No exaggeration.)

in the past 3 days

The past three days have been great. :)

I love having things to do. (the greatest problem that I find myself faced with during the summer months is the complete lack of activities. with nothing to do, I find myself sitting on my couch and watching the same re-runs for days at a time. While I do enjoy the ability to recite entire episodes of Avatar the last airbender (I am cool), having plans makes things more interesting.)

Thursday and Friday were spent (where else?) at the library. A special science program for children was taking place on oceanography, and I helped kids use microscopes, used a pile of solargraphic paper, and watched an old movie about undersea life. I think it was an educational disney movie, and it had classical music involved.

As a thank you for being fantastic, I got a pair of awesome safety glasses. I'm a very happy (and very geeky) kid.

Saturday was spent visiting my Grandpa. :)

We drove to his house, and spent some time together. I picked green beans from the garden in his yard. I like green beans. Being the cool guy that he is, my Grandpa had a previous engagement (visiting a neighbor for dinner) so we left at six.

Driving home, we saw these:we pulled over by the side of the road and took pictures. It was fantastic. The balloons passed directly overhead, and were low enough that you could see the features of the people inside of the baskets. The people in the baskets were waving down at us, and we were waving up at them. We took pictures of their balloons, and they took pictures of us. I thought that was a little strange, but who am I to judge?

I hope that everyone else has had as wonderful of a week (or past three days) as I have.

With love,
Pi

(P.S. those four pictures are mine. I'd kinda like them to stay that way. if you want to use them for anything, just ask me, and I'll happily give you permission. just please ask first!)

Wednesday Wisdom

My library
Was dukedom large enough.
Shakespeare
(The Tempest)

---

Reason for choosing this quote? I'm volunteering at the local library this summer. (I am so cool.) I help kids pick out books, I shelve things, and I help them with craft projects every Wednesday.

Wednesday crafts are too much fun. Made pinwheels last week, and having a roomful of children playing with handmade pinwheels is adorable. The project took about two hours, considering that every kid cut and decorated their own wheels, and because there were only enough scissors for half of them to use at one time.

Another bonus about working with children: I don't have to pretend to be mature in the least. I make masks, play with stickers, color pinwheels, and read children's books. Is it even possible to not enjoy the library?

Blueberries for me.

There are things are so entirely habitual, that one forgets that there was ever a time when this was not in existence. For me, one of these things is blueberry picking.

By the time I was old enough to remember, and possibly even before that, I was old enough to go blueberry picking. No summer has ever been complete without a trip to the farm. It is always the same farm, and it is always the same bushes.

The changes are always small, but never insignificant. As time goes on, the wagon grows lower to the ground, and the bushes no longer loom like trees. You don't fear times when you are separated from your mother, or feel the need to stop everything you are doing in order to make an urgent trip to the bathroom. The ride to the berries halves with every trip, and the amount of berries collected doubles with every inch grown.

You always seem to think the same thoughts. Despite the fact that your bucket fills quickly, you are certain that Robert McCloskey's Sal from Blueberries for Sal and you would have gotten along very well. The largest and ripest berries are picked and eaten instantly. With age, you have become better at blueberry picking, if only so that you can eat them faster.

Messy fingers bringing ripe berries to smiling lips, and you take another berry from the bush. The most perfect taste that invades your mouth reminds you of childhood, of summer, and of your love for tradition.

Wednesday Wisdom

“I like boring things.”
Andy Warhol

---

I like simple things.

Like bubbles, and air, and laughter,

and sand, and sailing,

and the smell of books, and learning new things,

and being alive.

In the past week:

I've walked a dog, went for a run, watched unnatural amounts of the Disney Channel, babysat, ate more cookies, made double layer jello, read some books, forgot to blog, attempted to clean my room, ate a box of popsicles, forgot to blog, bought things to put into fantastical care packages, slept.

So, why haven't I been blogging?
Answer: I forgot entirely. When I remembered, I felt bad about forgetting, and promptly forgot again.

Here's to hoping that I don't forget again.

What I'm up to now: preparing for the fourth of July party, blogging, feeling content, not really doing much of anything.

---

What I've done since I created this blog post, saved it as a draft, and went to explore the greater world around me: Went to Hoboken, did not see an emergency relating to an oversized chicken, bought lemonade from an adorable boy on the sidewalk, saw family, felt tall, saw more family, felt short, played with five year olds, watched the Disney Channel, ate some food, walked around Hoboken, saw the house my Grandpa was raised in, saw some fireworks, rode in a car, and multi-tasked and watched fireworks while riding in a car.

I've driven through Hoboken before, but I don't think I've ever actually been there. I was excited about expanding my horizons. Sometimes, I like to think about what life would be like for me if some details were changed. Today, I explored the idea of being raised in Hoboken. I can't say that I disliked the idea. But, I can (and will!) say, that I am entirely content with being raised where I was raised, and I wouldn't trade it for the world. :)

My fathers family always gets together for the Fourth. My Aunt and Uncle own a lakeside house, and we alway go to it. This year, we went to Hoboken instead. Half of my family is shortish. There are several outliers. These outliers could step on me.

The good thing about driving on the fourth of July is that you get to watch tiny pieces of firework shows. You get to see the smallest explosions, and the biggest explosions, and every color of the spectrum. At night, as you lie in bed, thinking about your day, you get to take the memories of fireworks, and mend them together. You get to create an entirely unique light show. You get personal fireworks.

Today was my Grandma's birthday. Because it fell on the fourth of July, we always had big parties. It has always been, and will always be, one of the high points of my summer. ♥

Back.

I'm home.

Things that happened:
rain, sun, heat, cold, grilled cheese, sailing, survival craft, dance 'till you drop, glow sticks, grilled cheese, shortage of shorts, excess of socks, zombie game, deathball, s'mores, learned about the many uses of sassafrases trees, etc.

Things that have happened since I got home:
Gave the woman who delivered my mail a hydrangea flower (blue), started a job as a dog walker, watered my plants, called my grandpa, hung out with friends, ate cookies, etc.

Things that will happen now that I am home:
My best friends will be leaving me to go internationally.

A blessing about having some of your closest friends living near you is that you always have someone to hang out with. Except when they all decide to leave the country for the next month(+)! If that happens, you are all alone. Sigh.

My friend E. is going out of the country for (correct me if I'm wrong!) seven weeks. Not a cool situation. I am, however, going to creating the best care package known man. And I will send it to her. And it will be EPIC.

Life is going to be lonely without her here, and I am probably going to take a turn for the weirder. When she is around, our peculiarities (such as thinking that everything is going to taste as it smells, and thinking that nobody dies in Canada) seem pretty regular. Without her, I'm going to be some type of freak.

More detail on almost everything I have a list for will appear soon, in a different post. I wanted to give each of these a post, but E. wanted me to give her a blog post before she left.

So here it is. Sorry if it's lame. and sorry if it barely talks about you at all. It's close to one in the morning and I want sleep.

two weeks.

of away.
of not blogging.
of thinking.
of sailing.
of cabins.
of pottery.
of friends.
of grilled-cheese.
of strangers.
of sleepless nights.
of sunsets.
of stars.
of campfires.
of camping.


two weeks without semi-daily updates on my life. I'm sure you will be able to handle it.

with love,
3.14

Wednesday Wisdom: Graduation edition!

At commencement you wear your square-shaped mortarboards. My hope is that from time to time you will let your minds be bold, and wear sombreros.
Paul Freund

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
Aristotle

---
TO MY BROTHER:

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go.
Dr. Seuss

sometimes, I need a break.

And that is where camp comes in. Sun, sailing, and sleeping in a room with people you don't know.

Relaxing, isn't it? I'm excited. I can't wait. I'm in the process of packing.

I can't seem to focus on anything at the moment. I've already started writing a list of things I'm going to need to buy for the coming school year. (This year hasn't even officially finished yet.) I've gotten halfway through my camp packing, and I'm worrying about what is going to happen three months from now.

Ho hum.

On the note of having school let out, my brother is graduating. Strange. Sad. Not that emotional, considering he is going to college in the city. I live close to a train station. He will live close to a train station. We really won't be too far apart.

A conversation that I had about my brother going to college:

Pi: So, he's not going to be that far away. I mean, if I wanted to, I could jump on a train with a plate of pancakes, get off ten stops later, and give him the plate of pancakes. They'd still be hot.
E: You know, you could just get onto a train, put the pancakes on a seat, and have him get the pancakes at his stop.
P: ... I guess.
E: Yeah, it would work out really well! He could put the empty plate back on the seat, and then you could get it when the train came back around. You could even put more pancakes on the plate!

Conversations between friends are strange. Friends are strange. People are strange. I hope they never change.

Wednesday Wisdom

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop. "
Ovid

Sweet Treats!

Nom Nom Nom.
My mom made these this morning.

... and I've been eating these all day. I love food.


What You Need:
Filo (or Phyllo) Cups
Heavy Whipping Cream
Fruit Jam (or Jelly)
Turbinado Sugar (Brown Sugar will probably work the same)
Small Fruit (Raspberries, Blackberries, cut Strawberries, Blueberries, etc.)

What You Do:
Choose a jam that correlates to the fruit type, and put a small spoonful into the bottom of the Filo cup.
Whip the Heavy Whipping Cream, and put a large spoonful into the Filo cup, covering the jam.
Stick the fruit (or fruits!) into the whipped cream.
Sprinkle liberally with Turbinado Sugar.
Eat. Enjoy.

I'm sick.

Boo-hoo. It's spring, it's sunny, and I'm sick. (How does this always manage to happen to me?)

Alas. I'll share with you my secrets about good health, so that you don't have to get sick too.

1. Tea. Drink it all the time.
2. Flowers. Plant them whenever you can.
3. Orange Juice. Drink it almost as often as tea.
4. Strangers. Smile at them whenever you see them.
5. Running. If you get fast enough, you can outrun sickness.

Reasons why these work:
1. Tea is magical.
2. Flowers help everything.
3. Orange juice is delicious, so it must be good.
4. If you're nice to a stranger, they won't sneeze on you.
5. Self explanatory.

Truth:

I've consumed so much tea with honey in the past three days that I am (tragically!) out of honey. I've resorted to taking two more spoonfuls of sugar per cup. I'm hoping it works the same. If it doesn't, I'll keep adding more sugar until it does.

I went to my school art show last night. Too many pieces were crooked, upside down, and mislabeled. (Okay, only a couple of pieces were crooked, only two pieces were upside down (one of which was mine.) and only one that I know of was mislabeled. (Also mine.) ) Being the artistic vigilante that I am, I decided to take a stand and correct all of these grave misdoings. You're welcome.

Fact:

I went to a baby shower today. I love babies. I can't wait for it to be born. I can't wait to buy adorable gender-specific clothing for it. Babies can only wear so much green before they grow tired of it.

Today is the anniversary of the day that my Grandpa proposed to my Grandma. ♥ When I called my Grandpa today, he told me the entire story. :)

---

Today: Call somebody you love. Ask them how their day was. Genuinely care about what they say.

Wednesday Wisdom

“If dandelions were hard to grow, they would be most welcome on any lawn.”
Andrew V. Mason

-♥-

Andrew V. Mason has some great things to say. Expect more quotes from him at some point.

Wait- what is this? A post that isn't just a quote? The horrors!

I thought that I'd tell the world about my walk home from my bus-stop today. (Because I know everyone wants to hear about it!)

I stopped at the hardware store at the corner next to my bus-stop, and looked at different colors of stains. (For my typeset tray! Progress is being made!) I looked around for a short while, and then left the store. (without buying anything. I felt bad.)

I waved at two policemen on bikes as I passed the firehouse. There was a queen anne's lace plant growing in a front yard, and I picked a flower off of the plant. (I'll repay the owner at some point.)

Something about Queen Anne's Lace: it's beautiful when you have it in your hand. Really, it is. I can't say that I ever realized that before today. I've loved it for a long time though. When I was younger, I used to pick the tiny branches of little blossoms off of the stem and pretend that they were the bouquets of a fairy queen.

When I turned onto my street, I met a new friend. He was wearing a suit.

"That flower for me?" He called out, as I twirled the stem between my fingers.

I hadn't known he was in the road, as I was far too captivated with the pattern in the brick sidewalk than I should have been. "Want it to be?" I replied, after a moment.

"Sure!" He smiled, laughed, and held out his hand. I skipped to the middle of the street, as that was where he had been walking, and gave him the flower.

I suppose that I must have said goodbye, though I don't remember it.

"I won't forget this!" He said, still laughing. I couldn't help but smile.

He turned away, and I walked the rest of the block until I reached my driveway. As I turned into it, I looked back, but he had already turned a corner.

I hope he had a good day.

Oh my.

Oh my goodness. Or, as you yungins like to say 'OMG.'

Today, I realized that I had exactly a week until final exams start. However, I am oddly content.

Perhaps it is because I know it won't matter in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps it is because I really don't care. Perhaps it is because I know that even if I fail, my average will still be high enough for me to not repeat freshman year. Perhaps it is because I know that exams are not the end of the world.

Perhaps it is because the realization still has yet to set in, and I will be freaking out in a day or two.

Eh, c'est la vie.

On the topic of French, my French teacher has not yet begun to prepare us for our exam. We are, instead, watching a movie. About a baby. And the crack that is hidden in its diaper. (If you were curious, the movie is trois hommes et un couffin.)

Oh well. If I have to ignore finals, I might as well ignore them while watching a movie with a cute baby.

Today:

1. I got hit in the head by a guitar. Accidentally, of course.
2. I learned that my kleptomania is getting out of hand: I'm now stealing the intangible. (i.e. places in line, THE MUSICAL, hearts of millions.)
3. I was an amazing postmaster. or postmistress, considering I am a girl.
4. I saw a squirrel with a stubby tail. He was a cutie.
5. I also saw a chipmunk. and a cardinal. and some sparrows.
6. I watched my brother flail/dance to techno and rock. while in the car. while driving. (I love my family.)
7. I presented my favorite sophomore with a bouquet.
8. I was rick-rolled by my favorite 8th grader.
9. I realized that I'm genuinely starting to love Rick Astley and his music.
10. I was forced to accept that some people do have siblings, regardless of how much I don't believe them.
    
11. I lied when I told people that I believed that their siblings were their siblings. I still think that they are all hobos.
12. I went channel surfing, which brought me to the movie 'Who Framed Rodger Rabbit'.
13. I rekindled my love of the movie 'Who Framed Rodger Rabbit'.
14. I played on swings.
15. I never thought my downward arc was anything like falling. It always felt like I was flying.
16. I realized that I've held more hands in the past several days then I have in the past several months.
17. I thought about how horribly depressing that statement was, largely because the only reason I've held hands with anyone has been because of the musical my grade put on.
18. I used a lot of sentences which started with I.
    
    
19. I learned that you can't always get what you want.
    
    
    
20. I realized that you're forever going to be one of those things.
    
    
    
    
    
21. I still have yet to decide if I'm going to be okay with that.

Wednesday Wisdom

You live and learn. At any rate, you live.
Douglas Adams

Spring Track: Over

Spring track season is over.
(AND WHAT A SEASON IT WAS!)

it was long: practices, workouts, days, weeks, bus-rides,
suffering from: shin splints, sore muscles, runners mentality,
enjoying every second of: runners mentality, bus-rides with friends, winning league championships!

The season just seemed to run past me. In brightly colored spandex short-shorts. (Ah, running, how I love thee.)

I can't believe it's already over.

Things I did this season: I ran. A lot. I bonded with my team. I bonded with my friends. I got big sister (on the team). I ran the 400 m. I saw friends I never see. I learned to appreciate when air enters and exits my lungs at a regular tempo. I learned to push myself to my limits every time I raced. I learned to push myself past my previous limits every time I raced. I learned to love track.

I can't imagine going through this season in any other sport. (Mainly because I'm awful at every sport with a ball.)

I am so proud of my friends for joining Track, (Ehem, joining after I threatened them into it.) and sticking with it. *J, because I know you're reading this, I'm beyond proud of you.* Every one of you always impressed me during the meets.

Dear track, THANK YOU!

P.s. I love you, my darling Track, but I think that you should know that I'm going to be disloyal to you for the next several weeks. I'm planning on drinking caffeinated sodas, eating fatty foodstuffs, and spending time NOT running. (Hey, it's been three months, give me a break!)

With Love,
Pi

Wednesday Wisdom

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.

It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.

Every morning a lion wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn't matter if you are a lion or a gazelle.

When the sun comes up, you better be running.

Things that make me happy

Yesterday, was a beautiful day. That made me happy.

Yesterday, I finished compiling my English Portfolio, and realized that it was awesome. That made me happy.

Yesterday, I picked flowers. Lily of the Valley, to be exact. That made me happy.

After I brought them inside and put them into a fancy shot-glass, *ahem,* vase, I went back to doing my homework. That made me a little sad.

But I could still smell the faint aroma of Lily of the Valley clinging to my fingers. That made me happy.

---

Today, I was told that a not so good grade I got on a French test wouldn't be counted toward my overall grade. That made me happy.

Today, I took a physics test. That made me feel okay.
While taking the physics test, and blanking on an answer, I got a thumbs-up from somebody in the hallway. That made me very happy. (I wish I could have done something more interesting then wave back. I'll brainstorm some more about this.)

Today, I went on a 35 minute run.
My running group left without me. That was a little sad.
Instead, I went on a 20 minute run with some of my friends on the track team, and ran an extra 15 minutes alone. That made me happy.

While on my 15 minutes of alone time, I got waved to by a very tall 8th grader who was playing tennis, I watched several events of a middle school track meet, and I almost got hit in the face by a frisbee that was thrown by (Varsity?) Boys Tennis team who were playing an intense game of Ultimate Frisbee.

I think that the first bit made me feel happy, the middle bit made me feel happy (and a little weird), and the third bit made me fear for my life, my face, and made me very happy.

---

The past two days have made me happy.

I hope it stays like this.

Things I find in my garage

Today, I found a stash of typeset trays in my garage. I'm excited.

The smallest one is going to be fixed up first. I'm hoping to get it clean enough to store jewelry in, but if it's not that good looking, I'll hang it on my wall as a way to display all of the tiny things that I pick up.

I'm sponging off the dust/dirt/gross of the ages, and then I'm either going to stain it (probably a dark stain) or put a nice coat of lacquer on it.

What it currently looks like:

I should get much enjoyment out of this. :D

Fact: I do find more neat things in my garage. I just don't want to talk about them now, because then I'll be obligated to auctually get work done on them like I've been planning on for the past half a year.

Wednesday Wisdom

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.

Chinese Proverb

Introductions:

A blog. Strange.

Anyway, what's with that name?
Pi's the limit. [Not P is the limit, because that's silly.]
And yes, that is all I could think of. I'm a geek, dork, freak, and all around uncool person. I like math. And pi. And pie.

A blog? What for?
Do I really need a reason? I like to talk, I like to write, and (hoping that the two don't cancel each other out) I hope that I like to blog.

I'm planning on using this space to keep the ravenous masses informed as to what I'm doing, every single minute of every single day. But not really. I'll probably spend a large amount of time rambling about nothing, the occasional post about photography, angry posts about things nobody cares about, a good deal of promotion for sites that I like/am a member of, and tapirs. Lots of tapirs.


Who are you?
A girl. Fifteen. Enjoys tea, books, and most other things that happen to cross my path.

You'll find out more later.