Poems of Previously

And now it's time for... Poetry Time With Calyn

A Haiku For Friday Afternoon

Cleaned garage, yard sale
Slithering snake in corner
Rescued Mom, 'tis free

A Limerick For the Evening

With Jenna I went to go see
"Pirates" at Chiles for a fee
Our seats were far back
I forgot my contacts
And so very confused was me

An Etheree For Saturday Morn'

Dawn
So Early
Garage Sale
Way too Early
So Much Junk To Sell
Do I have to do this?
We better make some money
You'll pay money for that? Okay...
FINE! You can have it for 25 cents
People are such incredible cheapskates
I guess that's why they shop at garage sales
No, I don't have change for a hundred
I don't want to drag that to GoodWill
Please, just make an offer for it
Goodbye, my sweet Toyota
Does it look like it works?
Just plug it in then
Was it worth it?
Load it up
Goodwill
Done

A Cinquain For Lunch

Hungry
Oh, Taco Bell
How I love Meximelts
Only two miles down the road
Davai


Was $164.05 worth it? I sure hope so. Cuz I really don't like garage sales. But our garage looks a lot nicer. And I really did rescue Mom from the evil snake in our garage. I was quite heroic, I have to say. Timothy went to a new home. A very nice family adopted him for $400 dollars. And they promised to take very good care of him. They said I could visit whenever I wanted. It was hard, but I knew I must say goodbye. I didn't make a scene in front of him. I didn't want his last memory of me to be as such. Anyway, I'm going to go now. Lovely weather we're having, yes? At least it sort of held out until after the garage sale. Have a great afternoon everybody! Arrivederci!

Happy Birthday Chris!

Happy Birthday Chris!

My brother is 18 today. Gee, I thought I was still eighteen. I guess not. "My little brother's all grown up and savin' China..." *tear*
If you see him make sure and wish him a happy birthday.
Arrivederci!

I've Decided I like this Game

Okay, once again it's time for "Name that Tune". Lauren Rickenbacker is our champion from our last game. Let's see if we can find a new champion. Who wants to give it a try?
And don't worry, they'll get harder.

Headlines in the Year 2029...

* Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia (formally known as California).

* Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock.

* Baby conceived naturally . . . scientists stumped.

* Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.

* France pleads for global help after being over taken by Jamaica.

* Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.

* George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.

* Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.

* 85-year, $75.8 billion study: Diet and Exercise are the keys to weight loss.

* Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.

* Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast shutter speed, they now can photograph a woman with her mouth shut. (Hey...)

* Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.

* Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.

* Average height of NBA players now nine feet, seven inches.

* New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2036.

* Congress authorizes direct deposit of formerly illegal political contributions to campaign accounts.

* Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.

* IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.

Musings and Observations

I go to Ukraine in 40 days
Christina Klawinski is a very cool person
I'm almost done with school
Todd says my name funny, but I don't mind
My Mom doesn't eat enough protein
Canned chicken tastes just like canned tuna
Homemade Korean Food: NOT good
Waking up to Rebekah sitting on my bed is a scary but a pleasant surprise
Getting out of school at 7:55 a.m. is ridiculous
Event planning is a good major for Diane
Despite the popular opinion, cooking popcorn for 3 minutes is not long enough
I don't think frozen fish dinners are made from real fish
What happens if the power goes out and my alarm doesn't go off?
I really don't understand the King James Version of the Bible
I love the Bibles that are like magazines
Mango Yankee Candles smell good
Sega Genesis is the best game system ever made
My Dad eats icecream funny
We live in a very fallen world- let's not get too attached
My last name is symmetrical- REBER
I'm obsessed with symmetry
I think Jake really does like pink shirts
Summer starts in 15 hours
If there was no water, the earth would be a very dry place
Lerah has a cool belt
Paul Fenstermaker is one of my favorite people
I can't believe I liked Captain Planet growing up
I can't believe my parents let us watch it :0)
Having good Christian friends is so important
I despise Halo 2
"The peach is the realist"
Leah Scott is awesome
I wish i were at Wakulla Springs
I think our public school system is really messed up
When the guys play frisbee with us, they should keep their shirts on
Chris is going to be 18 in 47 hours. One word: SCARY
I haven't gotten him a present yet...
I've relished in 74 hours free from X-box
I'm so glad my car has air conditioning
There's a lot of archeological evidence that supports stories in the bible
My pink carpets are starting to look a little worn
Despite what Todd thinks, I've decided I really like bluegrass music
Pirates are really cool
"It's like a mustard seed"
I wish I could play the bagpipes
If I went to bed earlier, I'd probably be less tired


And I know a lot of people are stressed lately, so here's an oldie but a goodie to remember:

Well the day has just begun and I'm already running late
With too many irons in the fire and too much on my plate
I'd be pulling out my hair if I could just get one hand free
And I'd stop this world if I could find the key

What I feel is telling me I'm going crazy, but
What is real says God's still on His throne
What I need is to remember one thing
That the Lord of the gentle breeze is Lord of the rough and tumble
And He is King of the Jungle

People say this world's a jungle and sometimes I must admit
I'd be scared to death if I did not know who was king of it
But the truth is God created this whole world with His own hand
So everything is under His command

K-I-N-G of the J-U-N-G-L-E
He is the king of creation
K-I-N-G of the J-U-N-G-L-E
Ruler of the earth and sky and the sea
K-I-N-G of the J-U-N-G-L-E
He's always in control
He is the King of kings

What I feel is telling me this world's gone crazy, but
What is real says God's still on His throne
What I need is to remember one thing
That the Lord of the gentle breeze is Lord of the rough and tumble
And He is King of the Jungle

Okay, so who was in youth choir when we sang this? That was back in the day.
Arrivederci!

Guess that Tune

Okay all you people who think you're really cool. What tune is this? You know it's awesome.

I'm too Tired to come up with a title.

Today is my last day at TCC. Ever. 3 long years have gone by and oh, how I have waited for this day. but it's been a good three years. If nothing else, I'm sure it will be better than FSU. Me and Bekah went to Starbucks tonight and we worked on her Spanish oral. I remembered quite a bit, and I really didn't have any problems reading the questions. Speaking original stuff was quite another story. It was kinda a mix between Russian, Spanish, English and I think I may have thrown some Swedish in for good measure. Oh well. Then we came back and watched "cold mountain" which is a very sad story, but it was cool to see stuff from the Civil War and how that affected our country and stuff. It was intense. Anyway, I have nothing more to say because I have to get up in 5 hours. So good night and here's some thoughts from Jesus for your day:

"So I tell you, don't worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn't life consist of more than food and clothing? Look at the birds. They don't need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Of course not.
And why worry about your clothes? Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won't he more surely care for you? You have so little faith!
So don't worry about having enough food or drink or clothing. Why be like the pagans who are so deeply concerned about these things? Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.
So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today."

Arrivederci!

Loathsome Until The End

Well, I have my sociology exam in 7 hours. (7:30, how horrible is that? Go figure.) I'm ploughing my way through the 200 question review which has a bunch of questions that, besides being absolute bologna, contradict each other.

Sociology = bologna
But the fact that most of the questions contradict each other (not to mention contradict the Bible and everything I hold to be right, true and moral) makes it all the more exciting. I should have bet on this class being abhorrent right until the very last second. It's only natural.
But I'm taking a break from it right now. Yesterday Rufus and I went to my favorite place in the western hemsphere, home of Henry and Florida's deepest spring, that's right! It was beautiful. The weather was gorgeous. i didn't get burned. sweet relaxation. I even drifted off for a moment while I was laying on the dock. I found out you can get a Florida State Park pass for like, 50 bucks and you get two stickers to go on your car(s), and I think it might be worth it. $4 bucks a pop, times a bunch of times a year would proably add up to $50. Plus everybody in your car gets in free, so that would be nice. They were having this "hands-on" Florida thing and there were booths with all sorts of wildlife and stuff. We got to pet some turtles (not the snapping turtle, alhtough I was kinda tempted...it was just sitting there...) And I got to see all these owls and hawks and even a bald eagle. And I got to pet a horseshoe crab, and he was cool.
Then I spent the night at her house and we watched "meet the fockers" and played truth or dare jenga, which was, very interesting. We got up this morning and went to Four Oaks, Ruth's church, and it was really cool. I liked it a lot. The pastor talked about prayer (Matthew 6:5-15) and how important it is, and I really learned a lot. It was cool how he just opened the bible and talked from it. I mean, he really didn't have any notes except Bible verses. Just tons of them over and over, and it was awesome. Sometimes the best illustrations come straight from the bible, you know? We forget how simple it is. Scripture backs up scripture. You really don't need anything else. He made some really good points about the words we use to pray, and how sometimes we just pray things that we've heard over and over and don't really think about what we're saying. God doesn't listen to prayers like that. You can say the Lord's Prayer all day, but if you don't really mean what you're saying, what good is it doing?
Matthew 6:7-8 says, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him." How many times do we try to use the right words and phrases and sound "spiritual" when we pray in front of people (or even by ourselves)? I guess I just felt really convicted by that. Not that I'm a good speaker in any sense, but I get so nervous when I pray in front of people because I worry about messing up or saying the wrong thing. How stupid is that? I mean, if I'm okay with what I'm saying to the Creator of the universe, why should I care about what some random people think? It just doesn't make any sense. Anyway, this is getting very long and it's not getting any earlier. Or, I guess it is rather, because it's now the a.m. That's so sad... Okay, so it is getting earlier, so I need to get back to studying. College peoples, we're almost done! Just a few days more. We can do it! And, highschool peoples, I'm sorry for you. :0( But it'll be here before you know it. Have a great week, everybody!
Arrivederci!

50 Fun things to do in a final that does not matter

For all my college friends with finals coming up, I thought I'd give you some fun things to do while you're taking those dreaded tests (or at least wish you could do if your final does matter).

1. Bring a pillow. Fall asleep (or pretend to) until the last 15
minutes. Wake up, say "oh geez, better get cracking" and do some
gibberish work. Turn it in a few minutes early.

2. Get a copy of the exam, run out screaming "Andre, Andre, I've got the
secret documents!!"

3. If it is a math/science exam, answer in essay form. If it is long
answer/essay form, answer with numbers and symbols. Be creative. Use the
integral symbol.

4. Make paper airplanes out of the exam. Aim them at the instructor's
left nostril.

5. Talk the entire way through the exam. Read questions aloud, debate
your answers with yourself out loud. If asked to stop, yell out, "I'm
SOOO sure you can hear me thinking." Then start talking about what a jerk
the instructor is.

6. Bring cheerleaders.

7. Walk in, get the exam, sit down. About five minutes into it, loudly
say to the instructor, "I don't understand ANY of this. I've been to
every lecture all semester long! What's the deal? And who the heck are
you? Where's the regular guy?"

8. Bring a Game Boy. Play with the volume at max
level.

9. On the answer sheet find a new, interesting way to
refuse to answer every question. For example: I refuse to answer this
question on the grounds that it conflicts with my religious beliefs. Be
creative.

10. Bring pets.

11. Run into the exam room looking about frantically. Breathe a sigh of
relief. Go to the instructor, say "They've found me, I have to leave the
country" and run off.

12. Fifteen minutes into the exam, stand up, rip up all the papers into
very small pieces, throw them into the air and yell out "Merry
Christmas." If you're really daring, ask for another copy of the exam.
Say you lost the first one. Repeat this process every fifteen minutes.

13. Do the exam with crayons, paint, or fluorescent markers.

14. Come into the exam wearing slippers, a bathrobe, a towel on your
head, and nothing else.

15. Come down with a bad case of turret's Syndrome during the exam.

16. Do the entire exam in another language. If you don't know one, make
one up! For math/science exams, try using Roman numerals. (Dude, I would love to see someone do a math exam in roman numerals. That would be awesome!)

17. Bring things to throw at the instructor when s/he's not looking.
Blame it on the person nearest to you.

20. Every five minutes, stand up, collect all your things, move to
another seat, continue with the exam.

21. Turn in the exam approximately 15 minutes into it. As you walk out,
start commenting on how easy it was.

22. Do the entire exam as if it was multiple choice and true/false. If
it is a multiple choice exam, spell out interesting things (DAD. BABE.
etc..).

23. Bring a black marker. Return the exam with all questions and answers
completely blacked out.

25. Arrange a protest before the exam starts

27. Every now and then, clap twice rapidly. If the instructor asks why,
tell him/her in a very derogatory tone, "the light bulb that goes on
above my head when I get an idea is hooked up to a clapper. DUH!"

29. Come to the exam wearing a black cloak. After about 30 minutes, put
on a white mask and start yelling " the phAAAANNtom of the opera is here!"
until they drag you away. (I really didn't like that movie. It was so boring. But I'd watch this. that would be pretty interesting.)

30. Go to an exam for a class you have no clue about, where you know the
class is very small, and the instructor would recognize you if you
belonged. Claim that you have been to every lecture. Fight for your right to
take the exam.

31. Upon receiving the exam, look it over, while laughing loudly, say
"you don't really expect me to waste my time on this drivel? Days of our
Lives is on!!!" ("Pansies! All of you!", as Ian would say)

32. Bring a water pistol with you.

33. From the moment the exam begins, hum the theme to Jeopardy. Ignore
the instructor's requests for you to stop. When they finally get you to
leave one way or another, begin whistling the theme to the Bridge on the
River Kwai. (That's like, the funnest song in the world to whistle.)

34. Start a brawl in the middle of the exam.

35. If the exam is math/science related, make up the longest proofs you
could possibly think of. Get pi and imaginary numbers into most
equations. If it is a written exam, relate everything to your own life
story.

36. Come in wearing a full knight's outfit, complete with sword and
shield. (YES!)

37. Bring a friend to give you a back massage the entire way through the
exam. Insist this person is needed, because you have bad circulation.

38. Bring cheat sheets FOR ANOTHER CLASS (make sure this is obvious...
like history notes for a calculus exam... otherwise you're not just
failing, you're getting kicked out too) and staple them to the exam, with
the comment "Please use the attached notes for references as you see fit."

40. After you get the exam, call the instructor over, point to any
question, ask for the answer. Try to work it out of him/her. (That has actually worked for me, sad to say. Some teachers are really stupid. I mean, I wasn't asking for the answer, but sometimes they end up giving it to you.)

41. One word: Wrestlemania.

42. Bring balloons, blow them up, start throwing them around like they
do before concerts start.

43. Try to get people in the room to do the wave. (Aaron Bradberry is excellent at this.)

44. Play frisbee with a friend at the other side of the room. (rock on!)

45. Bring some large, cumbersome, ugly idol. Put it right next to you.
Pray to it often. Consider a small sacrifice. (like mr. scott's monkey lamp.)

46. Get deliveries of candy, flowers, balloons, telegrams, etc... sent
to you every few minutes throughout the exam.

47. During the exam, take apart everything around you. Desks, chairs,
anything you can reach.

48. Complete the exam with everything you write being backwards at a 90
degree angle.

49. Bring a musical instrument with you, play various tunes. If you are
asked to stop, say "it helps me think." Bring a copy of the Student
Handbook with you, challenging the instructor to find the section on musical
instruments during finals. Don't forget to use the phrase "Told you so".

50. When the instructor hands you the exam, eat it. (my personal favorite)

I have a history final that I don't have to go to that would be kinda fun to do some of these on. However, I really liked my professor and don't want to put him through that.
It's Friday, everybody! How great is that? Tomorrow, guess what I'm doing? I'll give you a hint. It's my favorite place in the western hemisphere!!! That's right, home of Henry the Pole-vaulting fish, Wakulla Springs! It's very exciting. Me and Ruth are going and her friend Kristin is in town from New York so we're all going to hang out.
Well, I'm gonna go now. I hope y'all's weekends are all wonderful, although I don't believe that any of you can top Wakulla Springs. You can try, though.
Oh, by the way. Leah, Hannah, Callie and Jenshka, I found out that the name "Joshua" means, "The LORD saves", or "The LORD is salvation." I thought that was really cool. Arrivederci!

It's OVER! (to quote my man, Strongbad)

Friday, April 22, 2:07 a.m. I am officially done with all papers this semester! 3 exams and then I'M DONE! It's a beautiful thing. I've been blasting the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack trying to not fall asleep. I've changed the words, though. "Oh, oh, oh, oh, stayin' awake. Stayin' awake."
So, I wasn't going to the Steven Curtis Chapman concert tonight and then, out of nowhere, my friend Mark from Pensacola calls (he's a youth pastor who's been to Ukraine the past two summers with me) and says, "Hey, we're in town at the concert at an adoption table. Are you here?" And I said, "Hold that thought." So me and Lori went up there at about 8:30 and hung out with Mark and his wife, Jennifer, which was totally awesome! And we got to Kenley-dance with the whole gang and Kyle did some great solo-dances. Me and Kyle may have even done our world-renown gymnastics routine, but I can't tell you.
I only heard Steven Curtis Chapman from in the hallway, but he sounded great. I'm just really not a concert person, though. I'd much rather listen to a CD. I'm sure it was awesome, though. We went to Guthries afterwards and I'm a big fan of Guthries, plus the lobby was still open at 11:30, so that was a good thing.
I'm gonna going to get off the computer now, because I still have a bunch of stuff to do and I have to get up in like, 5 hours, so it's probably in my best interest to not be on the computer. Have a great day, everyone! Arrivederci!

Today was a Good Day

1. Got my Sociology Debate over with. Halleluia!
2. Two more days of class left. Sa-weet!
3. 1 more paper to write and three exams to go! (I guess that doesn't sound all that great, but it really is.)
4. Party in Russian class tomorrow! It's the last day. (that's sad, but the party's good.)
5. Got some great ideas for Todd's new series.
6. Jed's making the set. (Thank goodness! I'm not the building type.)
7. Got a great parking spot.
8. Ran to the church and felt productive.
9. Didn't fall off any cliffs, get eaten by snakes, or fall into quicksand.
10. Got to hang out with Todd and Scott who always make me laugh.
11. Watched an episode of Cheers and some special features. Gosh I love that show.
12. Went to TCBY with my dad. (free icecream. Always good.) I love ice cream.



Oh, speaking of ice cream, Boy Meets World creamed Smallville. Sorry, Clark and Lana may be hot, but Cory and Sean are funny. That's always the most important thing. Anyway, 3 out of 4 people voted for Boy Meets World, so, sorry all you Smallville fans.
Hey, Diane. Guess what song I'm blasting on my computer???
You're the meaning in my life! You're my inspiration!!!
I thought you might enjoy that.
I hope y'all have a great day tomorrow. For those of you going to the Steven Curtis Chapman concert, have fun. I hope it's awesome. I think I may try to go to bed early tonight. Ah, probably not. But it makes me feel good to think it. I think I'll call Jenshka instead. Arrivederci, prinsapesas!

Sleep = Yes, More Sleep = Very Yes, and Ashley Simpson = NO!

Today I woke up and drug myself to class (only one more national government class left....) and we got out a little early, so I came home and was going to take a shower, but decided, "Oh, I'll just lay down for a minute," so I crawled into my warm, comfy, oh-so-inviting bed and closed my eyes and when I opened them *poof* an hour and a half had passed by. Amazing. So I went to Russian class thinking I was going to be very, very late, but it turns out God likes me and there was a parking spot with my name on it right on Dewey street and I did a bang up parallel parking job (bang up as in good, not bang up as in I hit the people in front and behind me, just so you know) because the space was pretty small and I was only 1 minute late to class. Wow, I deserve a round of applause.

So then I came home and I decided that I really needed some more sleep and so I went to bed at 2, thinking I would get up around 3 or so and be productive and do all the retarded homework I have to do before this semester is over (one week from tomorrow! Praise Jesus!), but instead I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing at 6:00! Oy vey. I really didn't mean to do that. I haven't slept that much in, well, a while. I think God knew I needed some sleep. It wasn't exactly the best sleep though because I had all these stressful dreams, like first I was driving my car and I was getting sucked into the mud and I couldn't get out, and then I was driving and the road was tilted and I was about to go over this huge cliff and fall to my death, and then I was sliding down this hill and there were tons of snakes in the water below, like cottonmouths and rattlesnakes and boa constrictors and my dad couldn't help me because his knee's messed up, and they just went on and on. I think I'm a little stressed right now. Regardless, it was nice to feel like I got enough sleep today. It's more than I get most nights, so that was exciting. Plus, now I can work on stuff tonight.
Bible study was great tonight. We went to the Food Court and got some food (I got taco bell, of course.) We read Acts chapter 13 and we discussed a lot of cool stuff. We missed special K, but we love you anyway. :0) Then me and Leah came back to my house and took all these fun quizzes.

You Belong in 1973

1973 What Year Do You Belong In?

I belong in 1973, which is very exciting. 1973 had way better music. On the way back from the mall I was forced to listen to, dare I say it, Ashley Simpson. (feelings = barf, agony, pain, misery and sickness. Ashley Simpson = very no. ) But I still love you guys. I almost couldn't take it, though.
Oh, and good news. I'm not vice president of the russian club! I know, i know, I was the favorite coming into it, but my friend Andrey from my class has been trying to start an Eastern European student union all semester and the university has finally gotten back to him and said: you can't. Do you want to know why??? Because An Eastern European Student Union would be too racist because it would be only for white people. That's FSU for you. I can see how such a small area of the world would be incredibly discriminating for FSU students.

Yeah, I guess all those people from these 20-odd countries can just join the hispanic student union, because clearly that's all-encompassing. Anway, I let him run for V.P. and now I'm the advertising person. Making flyers, drawing with chalk on the sidewalk, I can handle that.
Well, i need to go because I've got a sociology debate in the morning. (BAH!) 3 more times, 3 more times. I hope you all have a great day!
Arrivederci!

At the Conference

This is me, Veronica, Lori and Tamara at the conference (right next to the table one of the Shanes was eating at! :0) It was really fun. We laughed so hard the whole weekend. I have such awesome friends.

I almost forgot

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English

25% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

5% Yankee

0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

I'm not quite sure where the upper midwestern or yankee came from, but I'd say that was pretty accurate. Todd, how do you find these fun quizzes?

This is Where the Title Goes

I have so much I am thinking about and would like to write about, but honestly I am so tired right now, I wouldn't be able to do the post justice and it would probably be not-so coherent, so maybe I'll save that for a later day. But can I just say I really enjoyed the missions conference this morning. the music was great, the speaker was awesome- rick arnold who's a missionary in senegal- (you can find more about the organization they work with here ) and overall I just love hearing about missions and all the incredible things people are doing for Jesus. It's so encouraging. The Arnolds have been in Senegal with the soninke people for 14 years and still are waiting to lead the first person from that people group to the Lord. and yet they're still so excited to be there! It's absolutely amazing. They certainly know the meaning of patience. Mr. Arnold was reading Hebrews 11 to us (one of my favorite chapters)and he was talking about how these people were his heroes. I was sitting there thinking to myself, "What are you talking about?" You are a hero or at the very least are certainly no less of one than they were.
I was really encouraged tonight at youth too because Joel Helms talked and I always like hearing what he's up to. Talk about someone who radiates Jesus. It's amazing. As soon as he opens his mouth you're just awestruck. Anyway, I'm gearing up for one more week of classes (praise the Lord!) and then 3 days of exams and I will be done. I don't know if I could make it a day longer. This has definitely been the hardest semester I've had, if not because of the difficulty of the classes but just sheer boredom and so much homework. Much work does not equal much knowledge. I mean, I like learning things, so if I'm going to spend time at school i'd better be learning something because otherwise I really don't see the point. That's okay. Only 10 more days...and counting....

Fun at the Student Life Conference (Again!)

We (me, Tamara, Lori and Veronica) had so much fun at the Student Life Conference. Wow. I'm totally exhausted, so i think I'll tell you about it later. We got to eat lunch with one of the Shanes from Shane & Shane today, so that was cool. And David Nasser's still funny the second time around. We just got back and I've gotta go get ready for bed, because we definitely only got like 4 hours of sleep last night, so I'm pretty tired. I'm so pumped about the Missions Conference tomorrow. It's gonna ROCK!!! See ya'll in the morning. Arrivederci!
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Lars!

Happy Tax Day Everybody!

Okay, so I'm still of the age where "paying" taxes means getting paid by the IRS, but the rest of you have my deepest sympathies. Don't worry, it won't be long and I'll be in the same boat as you. Anyway, I'm off to the great city of Atlanta, so I will see you all on Sunday. Drama peoples, remember- we're practicing after church sunday, so bring money for pizza. :0)

Happy Birthday, Chris!!!

Happy Birthday to Chris Myrick!!! One of the coolest people I know!!! I love you, Chris and I'm sorry I can't come to your birthday party. Believe me, being that it's at my favorite place in the western hemisphere, I'd be there if I could. Can we have a raincheck? (That's two Wakulla Springs Trips we have to plan. I like this idea. :0) Anyway, I hope you have an incredible, awesome, really great day! You deserve it!
Love ya,
Your favorite mustard seed



P.S.- Those are mustard seeds. :0)

Talented People

I think Leon High School has a disproportionate amount of talented people. The Leon "Showcase" was tonight (the first of 2 nights) and I went to see Jenshka get bodacious in her 80's attire- complete with turquoise fish-net stockings, neon pink spandex shorts, gnarly jean skirt, oversized T-shirt with the bad to the bone Energizer bunny on the front (of course hanging off her shoulder with the bottom pulled to the side and bunched into a scrunchie) and side pony-tail. She looked really rad. And her group did a great job. Oh, and shout-out to Joe Lyons too, who is an awesome singer and had me so impressed I think my jaw was dropped open for 5 minutes.
Actually all the people who were involved did an outstanding job. (Sorry, I can't come up with anymore positive 80's lingo. I know you're so disappointed.) There were dancers, musicians, singers, acapella groups, and a jazz band. I'd have to say the two most interesting things were 1) Heavy Metal Jazz by the Saigon Suicide Squad and 2) the Brazilian karate/dance/musical/breakdancing people. They were AWESOME. I'd love to stay and chat, but I need to finish homework and pack for me, Tamara and Lori's trip to Atlanta tomorrow. Fun, fun, fun. :0)

Two Lefts Don't Make a Right

Today was a pretty great day. I went to school (Well, I skipped National Government, and then I went to school) and Georgiana brought us chicken fingers from Outback, because she works there and they were throwing a bunch of chicken fingers away, so we had a chicken party in Russian class. Then I went to wal-mart to pick up the hideous glasses I ordered. I hate the way I look in glasses, which is why I ordered contacts while I was there. :0) My dad thought it would be a good idea to just go ahead and get the glasses, so that at least I would have them if I needed them. I managed to walk all the way around Walmart and exit without buying anything. Applause, applause. Then I came home and I attempted to work on some more of my papers, but that was to no avail. There comes a point where I just don't care anymore. I mean, I suppose will have to care in about 24 hours, but as for now, I'm okay with not caring. At about 4:30 I went over to the Myrick's and I was going to go running at Old Bainbridge Park because I'm tired of seeing Crowder road, and I'm especially tired of the giant hill that leads up to my house and Brandon was at home and said he wanted to go running with me. Now, this is the same boy who just ran a mile in 6:05, and I said, "But Brandon, you're really good, and if I let you go with me, you'll see how much I suck." But he insisted, so I said okay. I mean, it is nice to have company afterall. So, I went to put my tennis shoes that I brought on, and I put my left shoe on, and I went to pick up the other, and it appeared awfully "leftish". Now, I was never good at telling my right from my left, so I figured I was just stupid, but as I recall, the left shoe kinda curves out to the left, and this shoe was curving awfully leftly. It was at that point I realized that I had brought two left shoes. And we all know that two lefts do not make a right, (although I have heard that three do from somewhere). Mr. Paul said I probably had a pair of right shoes just like those at home. Ha-ha, Yo-Yo Paul. It's probably like a mustard seed too, now isn't it? So I borrowed one of Jenna's right shoes which was much too big, and I kept my left shoe on because at least I had one that fit. I don't think anyone noticed. Except maybe the Myrick family. So now I have a big blister on the back of my right foot. I suppose there must be some kind of spiritual lesson in this, but I can't think of one at the moment, so I'll have to get back to you. If you think of one, let me know.
Anyway, so me and Brandon ran down Tower Road to the river which had flooded a bunch and was kinda weird looking, so swollen like that. There was a random couch floating out there, and had we brought our bathing suits we may have swam towards it, but instead we stopped where the water met the road and wondered why someone would take the time to put a couch out there. As we were running back I found out that that was that very spot that gave Brandon the inspiration for the book he's writing (not the couch, the river) which was formerly called "The Shadow Perfect" but is now something else that I can't remember at the moment. It was a very cool story. I can't wait until the day I can say I know a famous author. That will be fun.
I came back to Jenshka's and took a shower and then me and her picked up Callie and PCBSWTPC went on the road to Chiles' High school where we saw Daniel and Amanda, Amy Vinson and Jake the Cake play in a very awesome concert. Jazz band was AWESOME!!! After that we went to TCBY and read Act's chapter 12, where Paul miraculously gets out of jail and Herod gets eaten by worms. (Gross!) And then I came back to Jenshka's and messed up the Myrick's calendar (as usual) and am now at home, where I should be doing homework but instead am not. Oh, and Kenley called me asking where in Walmart the International Phone cards were located. I gave him very specific, detailed directions, (starting from the 8.88 DVD's proceed forward until you reach the bandana/belt/purse section and look to your right and they will be at the start of an aisle on the left. But if you reach the jewelry, you've gone too far.) but he still couldn't get there without help from Lori. It's no wonder men don't ask for directions. It doesn't help. Well, I guess that about covers it. So, remember to check your shoes in the morning, keep your couch firmly planted in your living room, and don't ask Kenley where things are in Wal-Mart. Arrivederci!

Everybody! Everybody!

Have I mentioned how incredibly awesome Homestarrunner.com is? If you've never been there, check it out. Most importantly, check out the Strong Bad emails. They're the best. There's a new one today. Fun, fun. I'm pretty tired and I'm sposed to be writing a paper, so I'm gonna go now. Arrivederci!

I love chris myrick and frisbee! (in that order, of course)

Today at Rec ROCs, I got to play frisbee with the youth and it was way fun. From 5-5:45, I get to play with the highschoolers, while the middle schoolers are in choir, and from 5:45-6:30, I get to play with the middle schoolers while the high schoolers are in choir. They say I'm like, a supervisor or an "adult" or something, but, they can call me whatever they want because I get to play frisbee with the coolest people in the world. (Some of who are, but are not limited to- Aaron, Jenshka, Janelle, Anna, Kevin, Shannon, Diane, Chris, Daniel, Jake, Nicole, Mr. Scott, Mr. Doug, Todd, Kenley, Sappy, and WALKER!!!) Walker is the best cherry-picker ever. And he is the most committed of the bunch because he does not go to choir, but instead plays frisbee for both sets. That's right. He knows how to prioritize. :0)
Ooh! and Chris Myrick gave me a 88-cent tiara for my birthday!!! He wrapped it and Christmas wrapping paper, and handed it to me. I thought it was a yo-yo, or a mini-skateboard or something, but it was a "Pretty Petite Princess" crown. Not to be thought wasteful, he explained as I opened it, "It's okay. It was only 88 cents." Now that's what I like to hear. Creative and Cheap. Kid after my own heart. There was a little bit of pressure as I put it on, because on the box it said, "Will fit a true princess". I mean, what if it hadn't fit? After all, it was made for persons at least half my size. But I guess my fairy godmother had something to do with it, because when I placed the crown on my head, it was a perfect fit! So, I'm waiting for some prince to come knock on my door and sweep me off my feet. But he'd better hurry up, because it's almost 12:00 and I'm gonna turn into a pumpkin or something. At least, I think that's how the story goes. Anyway, I love you Chris Myrick. Happy early birthday. I'm gonna go start one of those 3 papers now. Joy. ONLY TWO MORE WEEKS OF CLASS!! Arrivederci!

You've Got Jane

On Thursday, we had our first Russian lesson. It was me, Nicole, Tamara, Jenshka, Diane, Lerah and Lori. (Lerah's not even going to Ukraine, she's just cool like that.) We learned the alphabet and how to say "hello", "goobye", "My name is..." and "Nice to meet you." It was very exciting. They're such good little students. :0) Todd wasn't there and we were sad about that. (hint, hint, Todd), but I'm so proud of everyone. It's so much more fun in Ukraine when you know a little Russian. At least enough to say, "Thank you for the pretty hedgehog," right, James?
Today I was pretty much bored out of my mind. That hasn't happened in, probably six months, and as much as I thought about boredom being pleasureable, it really wasn't. I wanted to do lots of things, but no one could do anything. And now it's 8:30 and so it's kinda late. I really wanted to play frisbee, but that's kinda difficult to play by yourself. Lots of running. And you look pretty stupid. So, instead, I was going to have another Cheers marathon (I'm finally on season 2 now), but as usual, my brothers had confiscated my T.V. for their X-box pleasures and I had no DVD player. 2 T.V.s weren't enough. They needed 3. Don't get me on my soapbox, you don't have time to read that long....
Moving on, instead I went in mom and dad's room and watched two movies simultaneously, which was very interesting. G. I. Jane and You've Got Mail. Two movies that have absolutely nothing in common (except maybe that guys are jerks in both of them, but they come around in the end. Of course, what movie doesn't have that?) and the commercials were surprisingly off-set, so as soon as USA went to commercial, I'd flip over to TBS and vice versa. I'd watch people get beat up and shot at, and then I'd change to Meg Ryan smelling daisies. I'd already seen both movies so it wasn't like I missed anything. So here, I am. The movies have been over for 14 minutes, and I still have nothing to do. I mean, I could be doing things, like writing the 3 papers I have to write before the end of the semester, filling out my Ukrainian visa application, or cleaning my room, but who wants to do that? I think I'm gonna go play basketball. Arrivederci!

Why do people hate me because I'm white, middle-class and protestant?

Today I went to take my Sociology test (have I mentioned that I hate that class? And when I say hate, I mean hate that is deeper than my hate for mosquitoes, instant grits, garlic, and the Miami hurricanes combined. Almost as much hate as I feel for X-box... but not quite.) And I'm looking at the first question, and I have no idea what the answer is. I'm thinking to myself, "Did I read the right chapter? Is everyone else as confused as I am?" Now, this is the same class where we waste our time arguing about the intense repression and persecution of women, gay people, poor people, immigrant people, Muslim people, black people, purple people; pretty much anybody who is not white, middle-class, and protestant. We come to no conclusions, we just blame everything on white men. We learn absolutely nothing, but, boy, how much more enlightened I should be now that I realize that I am not to blame for any of my problems, but it's all a product of our social system, and any mistakes I make or any problems I have can all be blamed on something else. Like my parents, or my education, or my church, or my background, or the fact that my parent's spanked me. Pretty much any excuse will do, provided that it is politically correct and has nothing to do with myself and the bad choices I've made. And we discuss things like, "since men are in charge of the world, they made gods to be men, so of course we view God as a man, but maybe God is a woman, and since we invented religion anyway, then why can't we say God is a woman, blah, blah, BLAH!!!!" Sitting in that class is not bad, it's torturous.
So, anyway, half of the questions on that test were my feminist teacher's opinions of things, and boy, if it had been in essay format, I would have let her have it, but as it was multiple choice, my options were limited. How many words can you make out of A, B, C, D, and E? Bad, Bee, Dad, Cab, Cad, Bed, Bead, Deed, and Dead. That's about it. She must think I'm the stupidest person in the world, since I believe in God, I believe in capitalism, I believe that America is a great country and is not to blame for every single one of the world's problems and I don't blame society for everything that's gone wrong in my life. Since I don't have a PhD in "Waste of Time", I must be way off. So, I got done with that and came home and took a four hour nap, which lessened my sleep deficit somewhat, and made me feel a whole lot better. Then I went running, and somebody beeped at me on Monroe Street, but I don't know who it was and probably never will, as it is with most people who beep at me. Believe it or not, I really cannot see every single face in every single car that goes by in 5:00 traffic on Monroe Street. Crazy, huh? My attention is mostly focused on staying alive and not ending up as road kill. So, if you want me to notice you, wave out the window or something. I may not notice you right then, but it will probably dawn on me later. :0) I stopped in at Fellowship Baptist Church on the way home and visited with Mrs. Martha Thompson, which was a lot of fun, because I hadn't gotten to really talk to her since the Easter Musical. We talked about plans of going to Olive Garden sometime soon. "Jesus went into Olive Garden..." :0) We love Mr. Bucky. And then I came home and took a shower and watched another episode of cheers and then went and picked up Ruth and went to a restaurant called "Crispers" which, strangely enough, is owned by Publix. It was really good. Sandwhiches, salads, wraps, coffee, (the good kind, like the frappachinos, and stuff you get at Starbucks) and desserts. We got a coupon in the mail for a free meal. Nice. I love those kinds of deals. No strings attached. Just a free meal. We went back to Rufus' afterwards and scrapbooked. Well, sorta. We mostly just talked. I have trouble multi-tasking and cannot really scrapbook and have involved conversations at the same time. So, now, here I am. I'm waiting for Veronica to call me back because it's her birthday,( well, it was her birthday, but now it's kinda Saturday morning, so I guess it's not so much now), but she's in Fort Worth for SLConference with Lauren and Skiff, [LUCKY!!! Fortunado!!!] and they were at a Mexican Restaurant, and it was really loud, so she's calling me back. So, anyway, shout-out to Veronica, because it's her birthday, oh, and to Mrs. Lisa too. I love you, Mrs. Lisa. Did you like the coconut I gave you, sparkly girl? :0) Have a great night, everyone. Arrivederci!

It's just too painful...

So, funny story for today. Me and Lori were driving to the church this evening for our first set of Russian lessons (more about that later) and we stopped at the Chevron station (of course!) to get 59 cent refills on our 44 oz. giganto-cups at the fountain machine. So, we’re sittin’ in Lori’s truck and I start counting out my change. I open the door to let some air in cuz it’s kinda muggy and I pull out my wallet and start dumping pennies and dimes into my palm. You see, I save my change for these stops. At 64 cents, (59 + tax) this is a great deal, and I always try to use my change to pay for the refills so it doesn’t feel like I’m really losing any money. I mean, it’s just change, after all. I’ve got at least 2 dozen pennies in there somewhere and I sit there counting for an excruciating long time. 59, 60, 61, 62, 63... 64! Got it. So, I start to get out of the truck and Lori says, "Hold on, let me give you mine." So, she gets out her giant change cup and starts counting pennies. She says, "I’ve got 65 cents, let me exchange the nickel for four pennies and make it sixty four." I say, "No, I’ll just put a penny back and I’ll have 63, and you’ll have 65, so it will work out." We apparently have nothing better to do with our time than count change. But she says, "No, I’ve already gotten the pennies out... wait, no, I don’t remember how much I have" and starts counting again. At about this time, I notice that there’s a guy sitting in his truck right next to us listening to our conversation and he pulls out three dollars, sticks it out the window and says, "Guys, this is just too painful. Take a couple bucks." I’m laughing my head off and tell him we’ve finally got it now, so we’re good to go. He says, "Please, please just take a dollar at least..." All three of us are cracking up, but I’ve got my $1.28 now and I’ve got it under control.. "Thanks anyway," I say to the guy and walk inside. That made my day. However, I think the best part was when we got to the counter and refills had gone up 5 cents. Go figure. "Get the change cup, Lori."

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Vegetables

Me and Lori just got back from the Harbor House on Highway 98. It was way good. I really, really like scallops, but sometimes Crystal River just doesn't cut it, so we decided that we would drive to the coast and get real seafood. I'm not really sure where we were exactly, I think maybe Sopchoppy, but wherever it was, there was ocean and boats and seafood, and it was good. I got blackened scallops and Lori got fried ones and then we divided them up so we got the best of both worlds. Yum. We decided once again that we would go scalloping the first day of scallop season in August (which we've planned to do the past 4 years and have never done) but this year we're really gonna do it. (Well, maybe... I'll cross my fingers.) Our waitress was, shall we say, interesting. One of my favorite things she said to us was, "We have a lovely vegetable melody this evening." I wanted so badly to tell her the word was medley, but I didn't. I wonder how long she's been saying that. Probably forever. So, I got singing vegetables with my scallops. We listened to my awesome new Jars of Clay CD that Mrs. Cheryl gave me. (Jenshka, I still haven't found it for you, sorry.) OH, and guess what Lori gave me? She got me a Bible that has English on one side and Russian on the other. It's soooo cool. I love it. My Dad brought me home some roses and they are so pretty. And Chris sent me 7 text messages from him and Cam saying happy birthday. I thought he was just being silly, but he said that his phone kept saying "Error" after each one, so he didn't think they were being sent. Oh well. It was fun to have 7 happy birthday messages on my phone anyway. I can't believe I'm 20. That's like, 2 decades. A fifth of a century. Like, 140 in dog years. Geez.
Well, I gotta go do homework. Bah. But I'm going to watch Cheers while I do it. I don't have to wait until 12:30 anymore. I can watch it any time I want- WITHOUT COMMERCIALS. So exciting. I love that show. I've always been kinda partial to it, just because of the theme song. You know, "Where everybody knows your name...". Nobody ever remembers my name, so that's reassuring. Last night in our Russian club meeting (I've been nominated as Vice President by the way, oh joy.) everybody was still calling me Kaylin and it's been a year and a half. When I'm Vice President, that will be my first item of business. Requiring everyone to pronounce my name correctly. Or I'll chop off their heads. I think that's in our constitution somewhere. So Arrivederci, and remember- to make Calyn smile, just say her name correctly. It's really not that difficult.

Things I Love About Lori

She's travel size for my convenience.
She laughs at all my jokes, even when they're not funny.
She buys me things. :0)
She shares my love for all things Russian.
She likes driving to the Georgia State line at all hours of the night
She is my oldest friend. (Not oldest like "oldest", but oldest like, you've been my friend longer than anybody else. I just wanted to clear that up before you come over here and hit me with something.)
She owns a truck
She likes driving all the way "around" Capital Circle, even though Capital Circle is not really a circle. It's more like a horseshoe.
She likes watching all the Back to the Future movies and quoting them with me. "Great Scott!"
She lets me eat all the candy she gets for Christmas because she doesn't like it
She drove all the way to Memphis with the heater on just because i was cold
She goes running with me even though she doesn't like it
She went to the hospital with me when they made me radioactive
She entertained me when I was under the MRI machine
She wrote me a letter for every day I was in Ukraine
She can hold her breath all the way over the Appalachicola River bridge.
She knows that I really am very, very scared of aliens and never does the whole E.T. thing with the finger like everybody else, because she knows it really does scare me.
She always reminds me when we get to that train bridge I really like on the way to Graceville.
She knows all the words to all the songs on Moulin Rouge
She lets me steal the soundtrack and pretends like she doesn't know that I have it.
She acts as my short-term memory. At least I think so.
She got me through 9th grade. And 10th. And 11th...
She always runs to turn the channel when Larry King comes on, because she knows I have LarryKingphobia.
We have matching beds
We have like, 6 pairs of matching pajama pants
She made me keep going to the youth group, even when I hated it.
She doesn't think it's weird when I call her at 2:00 a.m.
She reads me Max Lucado books
She doesn't sleep, so she's very easily accessible
She doesn't eat, so we don't spend a lot of money when we hang out
We can drive for 60 miles without saying anything at all and still feel like we had a good talk
She doesn't mind sleeping on the bottom bunk when she comes over
She likes Boy Meets World more than Smallville
She says I'm her favorite
She read me the Tale of the Three Trees every night in San Antonio
She likes listening to me play the piano, but doesn't make me if I don't want to
She lets me hide out at her house when I don't want to be at my own
She lets me sleep in her top bunk when the boys are playing X-box till 3 a.m.
She doesn't think it's bad when I skip school
She likes road trips. Especially to Alabama
She loves my beautiful singing voice. UTAH!!! UTAH ON MY MIND!!! MAAAAIIINE!
She likes Bailey, and not the cats
She makes me things to keep me warm, like scarves and blankets.
She can keep track of all my favorite foods
She knows all my favorite animals in order of importance, from Moose to Octopi
She lets me pretend I'm cool even though I'm not
She doesn't mind blasting the air conditioner in the summer just so I can pretend it's winter time and to give me an excuse to sing Christmas carols.
She doesn't think it's that weird that I'm obsessed with symmetryyrtemmys.
She appreciates St. Patrick's Day almost as much as me.
She knows the difference between "I'm fine", "I'm fine" and "I'm fine" just by my facial expressions
She likes listening to Oldies music a lot.
She buys everyone in my family Christmas presents
She says things in French really pretty
She loves VeggieTales too
She doesn't think it's weird that I like the show "Between the Lions" even though it's for little kids. Cuz she likes it too. "Look, look, see, see, going down the lane. There goes Scott, there goes Dot, there goes Chicken Jane. BRACK!!!"
We both love Caedmon's Call
She knows all the rules for using commas.
She knows all the fish on the Crystal River placemat thingies.
She's sorta named after a fish. :0)
She has connections
She lets me experiment on her hair.
She knows that Coke is better than Pepsi, but Diet Pepsi is better than Diet Coke.
She knows that Coke Light beats them all.
She understands my family. Well, as much as anyone really could.
She doesn't think it's weird that I'm so into politics
She memorized the Lion King and will quote the movie in it's entirety
She never says "What's wrong?" just because I'm not smiling, because she knows that I often smile just so people won't ask me that, and there really might be nothing wrong.
She demands to know what's wrong when there is something wrong, whether I'm smiling or not because she doesn't need to ask. She already knows.
She's my own personal volunteer doctor/psychologist/counselor/tutor/secretary/accountant/agent.
She memorized all the words to "Shine" with me
She helped me make the shift from "Oh you were homeschooled.", as in "that explains it" to "Oh you were homeschooled?" as in "Really? I wouldn't have guessed that."
She knows that my favorite color is green, my favorite time of day is after 11:00 p.m., that my favorite shampoo is Thermasilk, that my favorite food is scallops, (quickly followed by mashed potatoes), that my favorite movies are The Shawshank Redemption and Moulin Rouge, that Tom Hanks is my favorite actor, that if I have more than 3 hours of free time I will attempt to go to Wakulla Springs, that my favorite sport to watch is college football, that my favorite sport to play is ultimate frisbee, that my favorite T.V. show is "Cheers" that I want to marry someone like Woody, that my favorite season is fall, that I hate taking showers but love water, that I appreciate the convenience but am still terrified of getting zapped by the microwave, that I like coffee only from the machines at gas stations, that my favorite thing at Taco Bell is Mexi-Melts, that my favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast, that Publix is better than Winn-Dixie, that Wal-Mart is better than Target, that fake Mexican food is better than authentic Mexican food, that I despise garlic, that I like dark chocolate better than milk chocolate, and that only I can prevent forest fires.
She helps me get to know Jesus better.
She knows when i'm doing something wrong and isn't afraid to confront me about it.
She knows what I'm really like when nobody else is around.
And it may be cheesy, butI love Lori most just because she's Lori.

Happy Birthday, Lori!

Happy birthday, Lori! I hope you have a very special day, even if you do get cheated out of an hour. :0) I love you!

Check this out, Christian!

Isn't the weather simply lovely today? Well, April showers bring May flowers as they say. And it was good napping weather. I came home from school and slept for 2 hours, which was very nice.

Okay, I thought Christian and Chris were good at skateboarding, but it appears dogs have the upper hand, or paw, or whatever. Check out this link of the skateboarding bulldog. He's going to the x-games, people. But don't worry, skaterguys, I'm sure with practice you can be this good. :0) Just kidding. Speaking of Christian, his acting debut is this weekend. It's very exciting.

Only 2 days until Lori's birthday. And I got her the coolest present ever. (Well, I think it's cool, I hope she does too.) I'd talk about it, but then she'd read it, and I'm not quite that dumb.

Well, I'm gonna go now. Arrivederci, peoples!