El Paso Adventure - Home Again, Home Again

I am back at home now! I did not post yesterday, because my flight got in late, and by the time I got home, all I wanted to do was sleee- watch Chuck. 

My last day in El Paso was nice. We did not do much, but that was totally fine with me. I woke up late - again, but Kayla had to go to dentists, so I was on my own for a little while. So, I played video games. She had this game on her Wii that I was obsessed with in Jr. High, so I ended up playing that for way too long. When she got back, we made giant cookies and topped them with ice cream. Soooooooo good. After that, we tried playing Risk . . . but I think it is best we don't talk about that game.

We left to catch my flight around 5:ish, and Kayla came with me into the air port. She was just going to walk me to security, but on the way there, I saw the gift shop and realized I did not buy anything on this trip! When we went downtown, nothing there was really worth buying. It was all over priced shoes, or one-dollor junk. I wanted to get something that I could only get on a trip - so where better to look than the airport? In the gift shop, they actually had some pretty cool looking Mexican style stuff (which is what I was looking for in the first place) So I bought myself a hoodie (which is way huge) and a blanket for my sisters birthday (she loved it. But, Heather, you still owe me for Disneyland)

Kayla walked me the rest of the way to security, and we said our good byes. I know I have already said it, but I am really happy I went down to visit her. Her family was way fun and I had a great time. Soon, it was time to get on the plane. The best part about the flight about to Phoenix (and this is saying something) was the flight safety part. The guy talking was being slyly sarcastic the whole time "Help yourself before anyone who may need assistance. Including children or anyone who acts like a child." "In the incident of a water landing in the desert from Texas to Phoenix, your seat can be used as a flotation device." 

Above the clouds lays a whole other world

The rest of the flight, however, was not all that great. It was a tiny plane again, and for some reason, I just felt super paranoid the whole time. The take off was pretty rickety and I thought I kept hearing the plane make strange noises, so the whole time the thought of crashing was on my mind. And I don't thing my motion sickness pill ever kicked in, because by the end of the flight, I was ready to jump out and throw up. 


We finally made it to Phoenix (with a shifty landing I might add) and I had another hour long lay over. I was feeling better at this point, and I got more time to just eat and relax before getting on my next flight. 

Unlike my first ride, the flight from Phoenix to home was the closest I will ever get to paradise on a plane. Not only did I get a window seat, but by the time we left the runway it was dark out, so the cabin was dim and peaceful. But, the most wonderful part of all - no one was sitting next to me. 

There was also free wifi, so that was cool

I got to stretch out a bit and relax. I tried falling asleep, but the hour long flight did not give me enough time. Plus, I was too busy looking out the window the whole time. I could see so many stars, and the cities just look so cool at night. 

Santa?

Here is a picture of the guy sitting across the aisle from me. 





I had an awesome time in El Paso, but it feels good to be home again!


Fair-faring, friends!

El Paso Adventure - Summer Paradise

I think my steam for posting kind'a died after Monday's big adventure. I haven't really taken anymore picture, but we have been haven more fun!

Last night (after I posted) we tried picking a movie to watch for the longest time, and when we finally picked A Cinderella Story - we got totally trolled! Kayla went to go put the DVD in, and guess what she found instead? Another Cinderella Story. You know? The crappy remake with Selena Gomez that is more about showing off her dancing than it is about good story? Needless to say, we were livid.

So we took awhile longer to find something, and decided on The Secret Garden. Guys. I love that movie so much. It is just everything pure and wonderful about my childhood. It is one of the only stories that I have a) Read the book, b) Watched the movie, and c) Seen the musical. And the musical! It really is my all-time favorite show. When my high school did it, I was still a sophomore, so I wasn't really lead-matitial, and only two sophomores actually got into the show. So instead, I volunteered for stage crew, because I just wanted to be apart of the show so badly. Maybe someday I will still get the chance.

Kayla fell asleep halfway into the movie (I guess my witty comments weren't enough to keep her awake.) But I stayed up, and once the movie was over, I crept away and listened to some of the musical sound trace before falling asleep. Some tears may have been shed...

Anyway, I feel bad, because my current sleeping schedule is so messed up, that I keep sleeping in really late and making Kayla wait for me to wake up. It means that half the day is gone before we get to do anything. This morning, however, Kayla and her family all had somewhere to be, so I guess me sleeping in was not all that bad. When they got back, we all went out to Peter Piper Pizza (they don't have it in my town, so for all those who don't know - it's a pizza buffet with a coin/ticket arcade) As you would expect any 19 year old girls to do, Kayla and I got ourselves $8 dollars worth of coins to play with. It was for her younger brother, of course...

Compared to other arcades I have been to, this one was kind'a a rip-off. The games didn't give nearly as many tickets, and more of them were games of chance, where you might win 100 tickets, but will actually get 3. One of the games did not even give me my tickets after I played! We thought it was jammed, but then some kid played after and he was fine. Figures. Then, there was this other kid who must have just pawns 20 bucks off his parents, because he had an arm full of coins and was just shoveling them into one of those chance games as fast as possible. All you had to do was press a button to drop a ball and see what numbered hole it landed in. All Kayla and I could do was stand back and watch as this kid kept hitting the 75 ticket and 100 ticket slot. It was ridiculous! We stuck three coins in that thing and only got, like, 35 tickets to show for it. This little goober walked away with 450 tickets!

But I guess we still got our moneys worth more than he did. Cuz I'd rather get tickets by playing something fun, then just wasting $20 on dropping a ball. I think the best game there, though, was Fruit Ninja. They had one of those giant touch screens you could play it on, and it actually gave a reasonable amount of tickets. I think the most we got out of that was 35 in one game. In the end, we got 215 tickets. Not bad for 8 dollars worth. Kayla said her family had enough random toys at their house, so I got myself a slinky and three jumping frogs. Her brother and I had a fun time trying to bounce the frogs into the slinky goal. He's like six years old. And so am I.

Later, after we'd been home from the arcade awhile, we all went swimming! I love to go swimming, but honestly, I never learned how to swim. I have gotten fairly good at this point, but still not great. We went over to the house of an older lady in Kayla;s ward. She has a pool, and I guess likes it let people in the ward use it a lot. But, only as long as her husband is not home...not really sure what that is all about. Maybe he hates loud kids. Anyway, we (meaning me, Kayla, her mom, and five of her siblings) hung out for like two hours and played different pool games. Man, I really sucked at all of them. The only reason I did not lose constantly, was because everyone would rather tackle their sibling than some random other girl. It was still lot's of fun though, and I got to talk some smack while losing at Shakes and Minos. Boom!

We went home and everyone kind'a crashed after swimming. We roasted hot dogs and s'mores over the fire pit for dinner, and I have to say - today was quite possibly the perfect summer's day. This trip has been so much fun, and I have loved getting to know Kayla's family. I am rather sad I will be leaving tomorrow. :( But than I can just head on to the next adventure!

Fair-faring, friends!

El Paso Adventure - Lazy Day

Yup. Today was a lazy day.

Not quite as much to report.

I woke up late and eat food. Kayla and I tried playing Mario, but when the level got too hard we decided to give up.

Instead, I played Thrillville for who knows how long. Too long, probably.

Than, we went and saw Tommorowland. Oh my beautiful goodness, that movie was so great. It was lovely and inspiring, and I came out of it feeling like the world was bright and the future was mine. I could do anything - until we went out to eat and now I am feeling fast-food lethargic. But what can you do, maybe I'll feel up to life tomorrow.

A sunset is always a sign of hope, like the last clear note 
at the end of a sad song. 
-I made that up

For now, I think I am going to go to sleep. Or watch Netflix. Probably Netflix.

Fair-faring, friends. Go change the world or something.

El Paso Adventure - Makin My Way Downtown

Today, the real fun started! We went and hung out in downtown El Paso, and guess what we saw!!!!!!!!

EH, just kidding, but that would have been awesome! We were outside the theater just as they were taking the sign down because closing night was last night. Still, downtown was way fun. 

We started out by trying to go to the museums . . . but I did not realized that every museum ever is closed on a Monday. Seriously, why is that a thing? Instead we went and wondered around and did some window shopping.

And, just like any white girl would do when out on the town with there best friend, Kayla and I got matching shoes.

They were just some comfy sandals I got at Payless, and she said she like them, so we got her a pair too :)

After we bummed around for a hour or so, got some food and took more pictures, than we headed to the nights main event - my first ever baseball game!!!

I know it's completely un-American of me, but yes, this was my first real baseball game at an actual stadium! And I loved it! It was so much fun and we actually got into the game by the end.

I wish we had someone to take pictures of us together.

His face was better looking

The home team was the El Paso Chihuahuas, but we quickly decided we liked the Iowa Cubs better. Mostly because they had the team with the hottest member. But they also proved to be the better team.  0 to 0 quickly turned into 0 to 5 ... than 0 to 9 ... than 14 ... and finally in the last two innings, the Chihuahuas decided to get hit by the batter a couple of times and have a few too main balls, so they got like 4 points. The last inning had us on the edge of our seats, just to see how long they would last before striking out. They held on pretty well.

But probably the most entertaining part of the game the crazy fan who sat in front of us. 

A losing team and some alcohol are a quick recipe for a lack of judgement skills. This guy kept yelling at the pitcher and yelling at the batters; "HEY PITCHER, ARE YOU DONE YET!?" (done with what, my good sir?) "YOU GOT NO SWING, BABY!!!" (pardon me sir, but I am not your baby) But his meaningless outburst because more frequent and more vulgar as the game went on. At times, you could see the strain in his face as he tried to come up with new things to say. But alas, what came out of his mouth was still none the wiser for it. By the seventh inner, the players (or their manager or something)  had had enough of this mans foul play. And the fool got the cops called on his sorry butt. 

With a hand shake for the cop, and a laugh with his friend, this fine gentleman stood and proclaimed, "LOOKS LIKE WE'RE ADDA HERE!" and left with three officers tailing him.

All and all, not a bad way to spend the day.

Fair-faring, friends!

El Paso Adventure - A Fond Farewell

No, I am not leaving yet. But today Kayla had her mission farewell in her home ward. That is the real reason we wanted to visit each other, Kayla, Morgan, and Briauna are all leaving on their missions this summer, and we won't see each other for two years! Usually, we could just hang out again in the fall when we return to school, but they are not going to be there! (I really wish I could visit Morgan and Briauna as well, but schedules and money are never on my side.) 

However, this morning I woke up with seven mosquito bites on my legs. SEVEN. I haven't been outside or anything, but they were still there! Kayla said she has not even been bite once this year, but one day in Texas, I have seven. And this is bad, because I am allergic to mosquito bites, and they swell up big. Last summer, I got a bite on my thigh the size of my face. I usually have to just sleep through it so I don't feel the itch, but I have become an expert at not starching them. . . ugh, but they are freaking annoying. I swear, I am like candy to mosquitos! They seek me out and FEAST. I'm a fine white wine amongst a sea of cheap beverages. Maybe it's because I have a rare blood type or something. (I wish boys were this attracted to me...) 

Anyway, Kayla gave a talk today in church for her farewell, and I thought it was beautiful. She won't believe me, but I felt the spirit so much while she was speaking, and I thought her testimony was so heartfelt. She is going to do great out there, and I wish her all the luck in the world. My prayers are wish you, Kayla!

She had a party tonight with the people from her ward and it was a lot of fun. At first, I was my regular anti-social self, but than I started talking with her friends and we hit it off. We hangout outside a lot, so chances are I will wake up with even more mosquito bites.

Also, birds are crazy in Texas. They never shut up. There are loud, annoying calls I have never hear before, and they are all murderous. Kayla said they have to pick up dead birds all the time because they, like, fall and attack each other. I don't think they will attack us, but I am planning on climbing the trees here at some point, so I will keep you posted.

Fair-faring,  friends!

El Paso Adventure - Take Off

So here is a crazy story.

Hm. I just realized this is where I am
in the country.

 Before the school year ended, my roommates and I were joking around about visiting each other back at home, and Kayla and I threw the idea around for awhile, until we thought - well, why not? Once summer started, I had nothing to take up my time, so why couldn't I take a trip? Well, one think lead to another (and one mom talked to another), and we bought me a ticket to EL PASO TEXAS!!!

T-8 hours tip take off

Today, I embarked on my journey to this far away land!...sure.
But before that, I thought it would be a good idea to stay up until 5:00 in the morning watching Chuck and finally packing (guys Chuck is so good and I will never stop watching it) But, like, it's ok, I could just sleep on the plane!

jk, we forgot something

When my mom woke me up five hours later, my body felt like a rock and I imminently regretted every choice I had ever made. But we eventually made it out of the house and on our way to the airport
 . . . until I realized I had forgotten the gift for Kayla . . .

When we finally made it to the airport, I had to rush through everything and hop strait onto my plane. It involved a lot of me questioning my mom because I have never flown in a plane by myself before, so I had every fear I was going to do something wrong. I flew once with Rachel, just the two of us. Although I was not tectonically an "unaccompanied minor" at the time,  but Rachel still was and I was not old enough to "accompany" her - SO, we had to sit in the employee lounge for like an hour until our parents could come pick us up. It was awkward to say the least. But this time, I am not a miner of ANY KIND!!! (*casually throws pick axes away*)

 I surprisingly got on the plane without a hitch. I kept expecting my ticket to be declined, or my bag to be too big, or a bomb to go off, or some top secret spys to come running down the terminal chasing a terrorist before taking me on a government mission to save the world, because I am an invaluable asset to the nations security (Seriously, I have been watching too much Chuck.) By some miracle, I got a window seat on every flight, I love window seats. Not only to you get to stare out on the great world falling below you as you lift off into the sky, but you don't have to sit between people or be noticed by the flight attendants. The couple sitting next to me seemed petty absorbed in their books, so there was no fear of conversation there. I heard some whimpering sound going on that was either a crying baby, or a meowing cat. Although logic tells me it was the first, I would bet my life that it was a cat.

As the plane took off, I listened to the song Wake Up  by Arcade Fire. It's the song that played in the The Secret Life of Walter Mitty as he embarks on his adventure to find the missing picture - man, I felt freaking awesome. Trust me, if you are flying anywhere soon, make sure you buy this song and listen to it as the plane starts down the runway. You won't regret it.

Look! I can see my house from here!

The flight went pretty well, until I split ginger ale on myself halfway through.

But I just sat there.

Suffering in silence.

Praying my neighbors did not notice.




But it was over before I knew it, and we landed - in Phoenix. Layovers. What can you do?

Look at all those planes

I grabbed some pizza and the time went by quickly. I had a quick panic attack when Kayla refused to answer my texts and I had to get on the plane soon with no knowledge that she was actually going to come pick me up or if she even lived in El Paso and maybe this was all a big mistake and I just got on a plan for no reason and I was going to have to live out the rest of my life in Arizona with only a pizza box and fifty dollars to my name.

But really the only interesting thing there was the carpet.




The plane I got on after was really tiny. It was weird. I have never been on one of those huge planes that has rows going down the center or anything, but this plane was tiny. Again, I had the window seat and again, I got to stare out at the wonders of the land and sky. But the rest of the time I played candy crush.

To make a long story short (too late) my plane landed safely and the lovely Kayla was waiting for me by the baggage claim. All and all, I think I handled my first solo flight pretty well (besides the ginger ale) And I am really happy I get to spend this week with my friend. It is going to be an adventure, and I can't wait to get started!

Fair-faring, friends!

Curse You, Bedtime!

I need someone to explain to me why I only feel like getting important things accomplished in the middle of the night? All my good ideas only seem to pop up at the unholy hours of the night, when every other sane person is fast asleep. I hate going to bed! Hate it! Man, do I love sleeping, but the actual act of getting ready and going to sleep is strait up the pits. It takes we forever to fall asleep at night, it always has! For as long as I can remember, I have been developing new tactics to try and help me fall asleep faster - counting, reciting the alphabet, singing calming songs, thinking of some repetitive acting, trying to think of nothing at all - you name it! But I can never seem to calm my mind down enough to fall asleep faster.

Consequently, I have a hard time actually trying to sleep now. With school out and all that, I have no real reason to wake up early, so I see no purpose in going to bed at a decent time. And if I ever think "Maybe I could go to bed right now" my mind is suddenly flooded with all the things I could get down in the time it takes me to fall asleep. I am just going to lay there awake, why shouldn't I be using that time to do something useful? So, because I never actually go to bed, I really never fall asleep. AND, it seems that when ever I do try to go to bed at a decent hour - even if I am already feeling tired - I end up tossing and turning even more than I normally do all night long. (Man, my husband is going to hate sharing a bed with me.) A lot of the time while I am sleeping, I feel like I am still partially conscience and I move soooo freaking much. 

Minus jumping in the air, of course.

I have literally found myself doing things like this with my legs in the middle of the night. > > >

Basically, I suck at sleeping. But, I do rock at dreaming and staying asleep for as long as possible. 

Also, I am writing this blog post at 1:00 in the morning. This is what happens when all you want to do is binge watch, but your sister has to go to bed instead of watch it with you. 

Thanks a lot, Rachel.

Binge Watching

Pros of finding a friend/sibling to binge watch the same series as you:
-You have someone who can truly understand all the feels you have
-You are completely on the same page
-You can run your series theories by the person, and not have to worry that they will tell you how it really ends - or vis versa
-You don't feel as completely anti-social while you do nothing but stare at a screen
-You are never at a lose of conversation topic, or hang out activity with said person
-You can constantly comment with them on how freaking charming the main character is. It's not even fair, just look at his FACE.


Cons of finding a friend/sibling to binge watch the same series as you:
-You're schedules never match up, so you can never truly binge watch
-Their stamina for watching TV is never as strong as yours
-These two reasons make it the worst decision you could choose.

Just watch it by yourself, man. You'll thank me later.

The Never Ending Sunday Night.

Like I told you, we had some extended family stay over at my house Saturday and Sunday, but their presence was not the only mission I had this weekend.  I had something much more anti-social to accomplish.

You see, Heather peer pressured me out of a potential Disneyland trip we were offered with our aunts and uncle and cousins (we would have had to pay for ourselves. lol with what?) I thought it was going to be ok not going, but than sweet Hedgie turned around and informed me that she would be going on a trip to Disneyland with her friends. Needless to say, I felt betrayed.

Still, she told her friends that she would make matching t-shirts for them all with the iron-on vinyl my mom has. But, when it comes to crafting and random helpful projects, I take after my mom - I just can't keep my fingers out of everything. I told Heather I would help her make the shirts by Monday. But, I just downloaded a trial of Adobe Illustrated and Photoshop onto my computer, and my mom was not here to tell me how to do it - so I quickly became over excited and cocky. Instead of six matching shirts with Disneyland and a nickname written on it, I made six individual designs based of each of her fiends favorite rides. I was ready to take on the world.

But, by Sunday afternoon, I only had two of the designed down, and I had not even thought about writing out the nicknames or anything. So all of that day was spent making the shirts. And I mean all of Sunday. After we ran away form my second cousins, the three of us hid in our parents room and got to work. We had to set up the machine to cut the designed out two at a time while I tried to finished the rest of them on my lap top. There were quite a few user-errors in setting it up, and the amount of detail in the cuts made the process slow going. Once they were cut out, we had to pick out the extra vinyl off the design and than iron them onto the shirts. We cut out "Disneyland," the ride design, and a nickname for each shirt, and had to iron them all on individually. Rachel faded out early, and Heather lasted until she realized she only had two hours to sleep before she had to wake up.

By the time I finished ironing the last shirt, and stood up get into my parents bed and pass out, I saw that there was already light pouring in through the window. I did not go to sleep until 7:00 am. I got to say, It may be a new record for me (not counting total all-nighters). Conciqently, Monday did not feel like a real day, and I am still struggling to resent my inner clock. I only got about four hours of sleep, and here I am writing this post at 3:30 in the morning, but over all I think it was worth it. All her friends seemed to really love the shirts, and I felt pretty good about them too.

The Disneyland shirts I designed for my sister

I really enjoyed making them, and it really helped me see what I can create with digital media. My parents already want me to make some for our family for went we going to Disneyland next.

Fair-faring, friends! 

(The designs in this post are based off of other Disney art, but they should be considered my own designs when reposting. If you really  feel the need to post them somewhere - please notify me, and give me the proper credit. These images are not up for commercial use by anyone other than myself. Thank you!)

Megan Got a Job! (And Three Temporary Roommates)

I hate to give away a punch line like that - but yes! I got a job this week!! I got a job! I got a job. JOB. And where, you may ask, could this job be? Well, my radiant readers, I got a job at Plato's Closet! I guess that interview that I thought went terrible, actually turned out well! (My charm and cariama save me ones again) I start in about two weeks, but first - a trip to Texas (more on that later...)

This weekend has been fairly eventful. Besides getting a job, my parents went out of town, so it was just my sisters and I here to hold down the fort (they are back now, so don't be creepy) It was looking to be a pretty chillaxed couple of days - until are mom called us with some news. There had been a family emergency on my extended side, and my mother's cousin's three daughters needed to come and stay at our house for a few nights. (I just looked it up, they are my second cousins.) 

Now, family visiting is usually an ok thing, right? Maybe? Sure. But for us, we had a few problems -
A)we are all "anti-social" girls who would rather stay home and not talk to new people,
A.2)our parents weren't home to do the talking for us,
B)our past encounters with my mother's extended family have never been...well...pleasant. Or socially normal. Or comfortable. (maybe I will tell you about the great family Christmas parties soon..) And
C) With my sister Heather trying to move out, and me just moving back in, our house has recently looked like a tornado covered a junk yard in even more wreckage.

So, us being the nice humans we are, we could not tell them no. But with that promise, came our mission. We had two days to clear our house to a point that was acceptable for normal interaction - but, us being the lazy humans we are, we only started cleaning the day-of.

For 10 hours, we cleaned every visible space on the main floor of our house, and only stopped when we realized we also had to look like normal people before they came over. It was 10:00 pm by they time they finally arrived, and we already had our game plan set: If we put a movie in right away, than it will be late by the time it is over. We will tell them it is "bed time" and than we are free to run and hide upstairs with minimal interaction with our unknown relatives. It was perfect! (Before you judge, just know - we are not fit for talking to people. Ever. Heather is the only one brave enough to open her mouth, but she switches into this voice that sounds like she is extremely bored with everything you are saying. It's bad, guys, bad.)

Still, the movie part actually seemed to work out. We started with the Lego Movie (not a bad choice) but after Heather mentioned our love for Avatar -  Lego was out and Aang was in...for like three episodes. Then they asked if we could switch to Korra, because they had never seen it before. It was nice to observe fresh eyes take in the wonder of a new Avatar universe, but I can not deny I was said to see Aang kicked out.

I mean, can you get any better than this guy?

Besides the musical-chairs of movies, our plan went off pretty well. 12:00 rolled around and we stopped the TV, wished them good night, and went and hid away in my parents rooms. They left the next morning, and when they came back Sunday night, Heather told them we were all "going to bed" and they could stay up as long as they wanted...they were very grateful. However, what we did after that is a whole other story. Over all, the second cousin thing was not as bad as we were expecting, we actually had somethings in common. I was freaking tired Saturday night after all the cleaning, but our parents brought us great trip-treats, so it was made up for.

 The only thing I am sad about is that, because they came and we had to clean everything first, we did not have a chance to make our Traditional "Parent's are out of town" Sisters' Blanket Fort. And after a year away at college, I have gathered some new ideas on how to improve my building techniques. Darn it. I guess they will just have to wait until next time.

Fair-faring, fiends!...
I just realized our second cousins with probably start talking to us at the next Christmas party . . . oh no.

Random Life Update

Hm. This is my blog, isn't every post random life update?

Anyway, its been a very lazy few weeks, you think I would have used more time to write blog posted.
 But no.

I have also made little head way in my summer goals. As far as job goes, Color-Me-Mine never got back to me (oh well.) Today I had an interview with Plato's Closet - let me tell you - it was a mismatch made in heaven!

I filled out the normal application at home with all my info and stuff, and it really was not immersive. What kind of special skills can you have that apply to selling clothing? Everyone saying they are a people-person but what does that even mean? But, when I actually got to the interview, they gave me a second questionnaire to fill out - and everything went done hill for me. The questions were all about pop culture and brand name clothing; "Name five populate clothing brands" "What is something that has been going on in social media lately?" "What clothing trend do you think in out of style?" "Where are good places to buy men's clothing?" "Why do you think the store is named Plato's Closet?"

Guys. I don't know how much you have gathered from my blog about my interests or personality - but I am not into pop culture at all. AND, I hate shopping - HATE IT. (Well, Megan. Why they heck were you applying to a clothing store?) I DON'T KNOW! I thought applying would be a good idea because a) I need a job, and b) Plato's Closet is like the only store I go to on the off chance I am buying clothing. Seriously, those questions were the worst! I had to text my sister and cheat off of her to answer 80% of them! Don't get me wrong, I am observant enough to recognize fashion trends and "calculate" how to make a good outfit and all that - but I couldn't give two toots about what brand is an my clothing.

It asked about new trends and things like that, but I had no idea how to phrase it - I could see it in my mind, but it just kept translating as . . .

"wearing a shirt with pants"

"putting on shoes with your outfit"

"long pants or shorts . . yes"






And just when I thought I was DONE with the pop quiz - there were two more pages on the back... Needless to say, I eventually gave up on it and the whole thing was a mess.
Thankfully, the actual interview wasn't that bad. She asked normal questions, and I was able to remember how to behave like a real person.

As far as other goals go, I have been trying to clean my room - but I have no more space in my room. Seriously, I have too much crap to deal with. I am sloooooowly getting closer to opening an Etsy shop, but there are still a lot of mountains to climb before I make it there.

This is my "brand" name so far for Etsy. Why is it called Etsy?

Aaaaaand... not surprisingly, I have done nothing to get in shape. I might be going on a trek next month, so I should be training . . . but at this point, I can't wake up before 10:30 - my life is soooo put together right now.

That's all for now! Fair-faring, friends!

Just - Percy Jackson

Is he high, or what?...

I heard Uma Thurman was in it!

I can not tell you how much I love Percy Jackson (and I'm not just talking about the books wink wink) I got the first book just a few months after I turned 12, and have only recently finished the last HOO book in my freshman year of college. These books have influenced me deep down to my core. Still, I feel Percy often lacks the respect given to other such works of fiction, book, TV or otherwise. If the official character art was not bad enough, Percy has had quite the blow with the Lighting Thief  movie, and I fear he may never fully recover. (One good thing to spring for this adversity - we have some freaking great fan-art!*) Still, bad renditions do not mean the book should be thrown to the dust too! These books still hold great adventure, and literary value.

Please - let me prove it too you in the most persuasive-essay-way possible:

1.(Look! Times New Roman!) The Percy Jackson and the Olympians series has a deep and complex storyline. The series leads you though four years of Percy’s life in five books. He fights monsters, encounters gods, makes friends, and even travels to the underworld. That is not the half of it. Each book is full of new places, new people, new adventures, and new storylines. Still, what makes the series successful as a whole are the elements that carry throughout all the books. As we have seen in many epic sagas, there is always an end all goal; Harry had to defeat Lord Voldemort, Frodo had to destroy the One Ring, and for Percy – he must fulfill a half-century old prophecy to decide the fate of the Western World. Although each book can stand alone as a great story with character, climax, etc. what makes the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series great is it’s ability to draw you in to the next book with the ever growing curiosity for what will come next.

  2.These books show an amazing level of foreshadowing in the storyline. Rick Riordan has written many different books, including a follow up series for the Percy Jackson and the Olympians books, called The Heroes of Olympus. The amazing part about these books, however, is how much is forecast in the PJO series. Riordan did not release the idea of a follow up until he was well into the fourth book, but rereading them shows hints and details hidden as far back as the first few chapters of book one. The amount of forethought mixed into each chapter defies the realm of normalcy. Riordan has taken his ideas to the next level in order to create an amazing experience for all readers.

3.The story of Percy Jackson is one that people of all ages can enjoy. As Percy grows up from twelve to sixteen, and onto seventeen in the HOO series, we see the action rise in an exponential manner. Experiences and battles become more dangerous and earth-shattering in each book. Some have even said that The Mark of Athena and The House of Hades should not be thought of as children’s books, due to the extreme situations and dangers the characters are put though. Even as I near adulthood, I still found myself waiting with immense anticipation for the release of the series conclusion. I have known young children and mature adults to have read these books, and none have reported a dull moment.

They're also so freaking adorable!

  4.As the action grows, so does your love for the characters in the book. I have had the opportunity to grow up alongside Percy as each book has been released, and I think this is an amazing way to grow closer to the characters. As the books go, we find relatable experiences with relationships, school struggles, disabilities, and the fight to find ourselves. Each character is different and complex, which makes them more realistic. Each one shows real flaws and faults that lead them into even worse danger. A continuing factor in the book is Percy’s fatal flaw. Annabeth discovers her flaw to be her pride, but Percy finds his in being too loyal to his friends. Because of these flaws, they are thrown into danger by defying the gods and fighting for their friends. Each and every character shows a different personality, and set of problems they must overcome to grow to be a better person. This depth of character makes these books worthwhile and relatable.

  5.Rick Riordan's books prove to be even more beneficial, because he designed them to teach children about myths and history. Riordan originally developed the story of Percy Jackson after his son wanted new heroic stories to listen to. He used his knowledge of mythology to create bedtime stories of modern day gods, and later wrote the PJO series from them. In each book, he introduces you to new mythological characters, ancient terminology, and historical figures. He provides definitions and character descriptions at the end of his books to insure the reader can learn as much as possible. Riorden has written other novels that teach about Roman mythology, Egyptian mythology, and he may even be working on a Norse mythology series.

6. As well as an amazing understanding of foreshadow, Rick Riodan has shown great writing skills in several other ways. In the sagas he has written, one was written in first-person perspective like a journal, another written where the perspective follows a different characters each chapter, and yet another written like a series of recorded interviews. Riodan's variety not only keeps the reader entertained, but it also shows a deep understanding of different types of writing. He also shows skill in his variety of voice and personality. In the HOO, every few chapters, the perspective switches to a different character. With each, you can see a different personality and sense of humor shine through the words. He writes with real voice and emotion, and is able to communicate believable ideas and thoughts.

Some of you may have already heard of this great series, but I fear you have only seen the dark side of it. The Lightning Thief and The Sea of Monsters – the two books that started it all – were recently transformed into movies, with a possible third one on the way. You may consider just watching the movies instead of wasting your time with the books. However, if you think these movies accurately portray the epic story of Percy Jackson, you have been sadly misinformed. It is my misfortune to say that these movies are nothing but a disgrace and a shame in the face of the books. Not only was the story line cut up and discarded – but it was beaten, mugged, shot, and left for dead in the back allies of New York. Percy’s five year journey to save the world has been reduced to Lerman’s two hour fieldtrip to LA. The target audience has also been diminished greatly for the movies. Watching The Lighting Thief movie reveals vulgar language, intense action, and sexual imagery that one would not find in the books, making it less enjoyable for younger audiences. Not only has all the depth of writing and foreshadowing disappeared, but so has the learning aspects of the story. Geek history and interesting vocabulary have been replaced with cheat, pop-culture references. The movie offers no other benefit to its viewers then mindless entertainment for a night. Without reading the PJO books, you miss out on all the development, the growth, the adventure, the emotion, the deep characters, and the meaningful story line that is clearly lacking in the theaters.

If this does not convince you to read Percy Jackson, than I just failed my 12th grade English class...

But seriously, go read PJO. Fair-faring, friends!

(*None of the art work shown on this post is mine. I wish I could tell you exactly where it all originated from - but this is the internet, and urls get lost in translation)

A Dream About . . . A New Beginning (Part 4)

The first thing to come back was my hearing. Wind was brushing against my ear.

Than, I could feel it, chilling and calm.

It smelt like flame and dirt, which was not what I was expecting - than again, neither was any of this.


Finally, my mind escaped the fog, and I could see soft light in my eyes. But, the capsule had no windows, how was there light shinning through? I opened my eyes and everything slowly came into focus. I wasn't near the capsule at all, I was . . . I was under a table, it looked like. In fact, it looked like the long table in the waiting room I sat in earlier. I could see the legs of the chairs tucked under, and some kind of tarp hanging down off the edges of the table. I propped myself up on my stiff limbs, and slowly crawled my way out. Lifting the tarp, I found myself in the back of the room next to the chair I had sat in, but it was dirty now, and as I fully stood up next to the table, I could see why.

Not a soul could be seen in the rubble

The front of the room was gone, along with the entire front of the building - it was all just a pile of rubble at my feet now. Out beyond the street, the city was in no better condition. Buildings were nothing but dust, and the dust was smoldering with the embers of dying fires. Not a soul could be seen in the rubble, but I am not sure if that was good thing. I made my way out of the room and into the open air. It was morning now, and the sky was finally clear - morning, how long had I been asleep? I climbed over daubery and made it onto the street, but than I heard the last thing I would have expected.

"Meya!" I whipped my head around to see Olivia standing in the hallway of the building. She hopped her way over the rubble and threw her arms around my neck, "You're awake! You're alive! Jameson, come quick!"

"Jameson?" It felt weird to hear his name again, let alone see him coming towards me out of the ash. "What . . . what happen? Why are you here?"

Jameson caught me in a big bear hug, "We came to save you!"

"Save me? How, exactly? And what happened to the town?" I felt my body was fully functioning now, but my brain had not quite caught up to speed, I was having trouble processing the chaos around me.

Jameson released me, "Well, after you rode off, we decided it wasn't safe for you to be out on your own, so we followed you. We saw you just as you went into this building, so we waited to see if you were coming out anytime soon."

"We waited for, like, an hour." Olivia cut in with a worried tone, "The earth quakes kept getting worse, and we weren't sure what you were doing in there. We were about to go find out, when -"

"When this started," Jameson gestured to all the fallen buildings on the street. Nothing over one story was left standing, "People started running out of the building, when we say you hadn't come out, we ran in to find you."

"We ran through the building and found that box sitting in that big room - well, what was left of the room. We heard knocking on the door, and pulled you out. We dragged you back to this room, and just managed to hide before the whole roof caved in!""

I tried to wrap my head around all they were saying. The building had collapsed and they pulled me out of the box . . . the box . . . "The box! Guys, the capsule! Did you get anyone else out of the capsule!?"

"The box? No. Jameson only managed to open the door by messing around with some pretty wrecked up consoles, but even than it only opened enough to pull you out before it shut again."

I felt panic swell inside me, and explode through my feet as I ran back into the building. I weaved my way threw the dark, dusty hallway in the direction I thought we had gone. Before long, I found myself entering an eery, quiet courtyard - light from the holes in the roof shown down through the dirt filled air, and made the rubble in the warehouse look like grave stones on a hill side. But, as the reality of the scene settled in, the capsule appeared out of the dust. One thing was for sure - it had survived through the night with nothing but ash and remains of the ceiling surrounding it. I ran to the front, and franticly searched for some way to lift the capsule wall. I couldn't hear any noises from inside, and the silence was deafening.

"It's no use trying to lift it, trust me." Jameson and Olivia came into the warehouse, and Jameson pointed to a control desk five feet away, "It's pressure locked, or something. I had to use that."

I made my way over and my stomach dropped. There were a hundred controls beneath the daubery, and none of them even seemed to be working. I racked my brain trying to reason which buttons to press, but they all seemed so useless. "NO! I can't let them die in there!" I bent down to the base of the controls and kicked the locked panel underneath as hard as I could. After one last strong kick, the small lock gave out and I was able to pry the rest of the door open, revealing a tight network of wires. So, I did the only thing I could think to do: I grabbed as many cables as my two hands could fit around, and yanked my body backyards as hard as possible. Dozens of wires came loose in my fingers, and what ever energy was left in them set of sparks in every direction - but nothing else happened.

What was I excepting? I dropped the wires and fell onto my back. I probably just insured that they would never make it out, they would stay locked in that metal tomb, all because of some ridiculous plan - and I had to be the one that made it out. I covered my eyes with my fists and began to sob.  What was the point of all this stress and disaster? I heard Olivia and Jameson approach through the rubble, but they said nothing. We all just stayed in the silence together for what felt like an eternity, the only sound were my whimpers echoing around the warehouse.

Suddenly, there was a large, metallic groan reverberating around the room and the deep hiss of escaping air came from the direction of the capsule. My sobs ended with a gasp, and I shot up from the floor.

"The pressure lock!" shouted Jameson, but I was already making my way towards the door of the capsule. As Olivia and Jameson came up behind me, the hissing had almost disappeared, but the capsule seemed no different. Regardless, I threw all my weight onto the door and pushed upward. But it did not even budge. "Come...on...!" I said through gridded teeth. My friends joined in the effort and the wall finally started to move. Inch by inch,  we were able to get a grip on the bottom and push it up a few feet before it jammed and refused to move anymore. I quickly ducked under and stopped in the middle of the capsule. No one was awake. No one was moving. I couldn't be too late! In front of me was Lucas, laying in the same way he has been thrown. There was now a small pool of blood on the side of his head, but as I kneeled down beside him, I was relieved to see the wound had stopped bleeding. 

I turned his body over and proper his head up in my arms. "Come on!" I pleaded, "Come on, wake up!" I shock him, being careful his wound did not open back up, and kept shouting at him. Finally, there was a gasp for air, Lucas sat up on his elbow and began coughing. Slowly, as clean air circulated into the room, the others began to wake up and cough as well. I felt the knot leave my gut and the relief leak out into my eyes. They were alive. We had made it in time. 

I could't help but smile like an idiot

Finally, Lucas was able to catch his breath, and he looked towards me with a confused smile, "Um, hi. What - happened? Did the world end?" His glance shifted to Jameson and Olivia as they helped the others get to their feet and out into the open, and he looked even more confused. 

I was so happy he was alive, that I could't help but smile like an idiot back. "Well, not really. Long story short, the plan failed and the world is still turning." I explained to him how my friends had found me and pulled me out, and that was how I was able to save the rest of them.  But the more I thought about how that man had just thrown us in the capsule, the angrier I got. "He just left us here to die. What a coward! He knew it was a bad plan, and he still left us! He only cared about saving himself, and from what!? If I ever find him - " But my rambling was interrupted by Jameson calling my name outside the capsule. "You better come over here, Meya!"

Hesitantly, I left Lucas and walked outside to find Jameson and a few of the others circling  around a near by pile of daubery. But as I got closer, I could see that is wasn't just ash and rubble.

"I guess he wasn't lucky enough to make it out before the ceiling came down." Lucas had walked up right behind me, and we all stood with nothing more to say. I stared down at the man and the anger I felt before dissolved into remorse. Still, something inside me couldn't help but think that he had it coming, and something told me my thoughts were not that far off from everyone else's. After a moment more of silence, we all turned away and walked towards the exit of the building. As we made it on to the street, everyone paused to take in the rest of the carnage. 

"So, what now?' Olivia had come up beside me, along with Jameson, and I realized how happy I was to see them still alive.

"Well, we can't be the only ones who serviced." 

"Right." Lucas had come up on my on my other side, and he seemed to be speaking to everyone else. "But I am guessing we will still be needed to help rebuild." He smiled at me again, and I was struck with the impression that this wasn't the end for us, for any of us, as a team.

Together, the fourteen of us started to make our way done the street. We weren't all that sure of where we were going, but we knew we were headed for a very different world then what it was a before. A world that was ready for a new beginning. 

*----------------------------------------------------------*

Hm...something weird happened with the faces in that last picture. I hope you have enjoyed this installment of things that go on in my head! Hopeful, I will remember one of my dreams in detail again soon. 

Fair-faring, friends!!