Let Me Spin You a Yarn

This is a story about rude people. About rude boys. About one rude boy.

Our story starts on a quiet morning during passing period between periods 3 and 4. Hannah, the bold seventh grade protagonist, has just finished gym class, and has to run to her locker across the school and back upstairs to her math class. Most unluckily, math is in the last room in the hall, all the way at the end. This means that Hannah has to make haste like nobody's business if she wants to get to math class on time. Which she didn't actually want, of course, but pesky school rules required she had to be on time.

Every other day she had to deal with the treacherous journey from the gym to her locker to the math room, and no matter how many times she did it, it never got any better. One particularly bad day Hannah got out of the gym locker room a bit later than usual. Her red hair was a frizzy mess around her head, and pit stains decorated her clothing as she dashed through the eighth grade hallway. The eighth graders loved to stand by their lockers and not move for extended periods of time, making it very difficult for a seventh grader to traverse. When Hannah's locker was finally in sight (she most unfortunately had a locker in the eighth grade hallway though she was only a seventh grader), disaster struck.

An eighth grader, whose face Hannah could not see, swung his hand down to his side and Hannah, in her hurry, accidentally ran into his hand. Crotch first. Hannah was absolutely mortified. She tried to brush it off, knowing it was an accident, but the boy decided to be rather rude about it, and shouted,

"WATCH OUT CHERRY PIE!"

Hannah wanted to cry. Thankfully Hannah was stronger willed than that. With as much dignity as possible, she ran to her locker and up to the math room. This story is now but a distant memory for our protagonist, but the embarrassment she remembers well. 

Goggles

Yesterday my friends introduced me into an interesting computer application called "Goggles". I'm unsure if application is the correct term to use to describe it, but that's what I'm going to call it. In the past I'd heard the term Goggles used multiple times on tumblr, but I hadn't the slightest idea what is was or where I could get it.

Yesterday Callie showed me a link to Goggles. Basically all you do is drag the application into your bookmarks bar, and every time that you  visit a website, you can click on Goggles and see what people have drawn on the web page! Most are lewd images, but some are real gems, like this one I found on youtube:

I have a sneaking suspicion that this is supposed to be Perry the Platypus. But this is not the semi-aquatic four legged mammal of action that I once knew. WHO DREW THIS? 

Otherwise I think Goggles is a lot of fun, and you guys should download it and see what people have drawn on my blog ;) 

Hannah Gets Mildly Existential

I think I should go to bed right now, but I have a headache and don't feel like laying down. I figured blogging might help relax me and get me off to bed!

Anyway, tonight I was riding in the car with my dad, and we were blasting the oldies. What I've noticed, which holds true for most oldies stations, is that only music from the 60's,70's, and 80's are played. I can't help but wonder if those decades will be forever defined as "the oldies", or if eventually music from the 90's will be added into the mix as well. Who is the person that draws the line that says "This is oldies" and "This is not"? For example, why isn't music from the 1920's up through the 50's not played on the oldies station? Those songs certainly are old, aren't they? Does that mean that the 90's will be excluded from the oldies club just like music from the 50's?

Obviously, there aren't going to be exactly clear cut lines. Just the other day I was listening to my city's "modern hits" station, and they started playing "Smells Like Teen Spirit". Last I checked, the year 1991 wasn't exactly modern. At least when you compare it to music of today, anyhow. It confuses me to think that the same station will play "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and then follow up with "Call Me Maybe". How will our musical generation be defined? Will it be from the 90's up through the 2020's? Only time will tell.

That was my drabble for this evening. Feel free to try and answer my rhetorical questions in the comment section below ;P

My Weekend Mission

Yesterday in my Honors Lit class, my teacher gave my class a mission for the weekend. He didn't call it a mission, but it sounds cooler that way, yeah?

Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to sit outside on our front lawns for an hour over the weekend with no technology.

Sound easy? I think it will be, considering I have to visit with my grandparents for 2+ hours every week. Whenever I'm there we just sit in the living room and talk, and I know my parents would bury me alive if I used my cell phone, so I don't. Not that I get that many text messages anyhow. Usually anyone who is texting me is okay with waiting an extra hour or so for a response.

I plan on breaking out a lawn chair and sitting in my drive way on saturday evening. I might play Sweet'n'Sour. Sweet'n'Sour, for those who don't know, is a game where you wave at people walking by or passing in cars and if they wave back they're sweet, but if they aren't friendly back, they're sour. When I used to play this with my brother we'd keep track with chalk tally marks on the sidewalk.

I know a few of my blog readers have the same assignment as I do, so I know you'll be participating this weekend. But for any of you who aren't in my literature class, are you going to try this too? I think it'd be interesting to hear your experiences! 

I'll Never Forget Her

This past saturday, September 15, my dog passed away. She was named Izzy, and I loved her very, very much. Sounds cliché, doesn't it? But for anyone who has ever owned a pet, they know that when someone says this about an animal, it's the truth. Izzy has and will always hold a special place in my heart. I don't know how a 13 pound miniature dachshund can break my heart, but I now know that it is very possible.

There was a quote that I am trying to recall right now, and I am not sure who said it exactly, but it sums up owning a dog quite nicely:

"No one can break your heart like a dog can."

Izzy did break my heart, but I know that it was her time to go. She was sick to the point that trying to keep her alive would have been unfair to her. She couldn't walk, eat, or control her bowels. It was weird seeing my previously lively and capable dog in such a state of decay. We chose to put her down, and on saturday morning at nine a.m., Izzy passed on. Since she was put into an IV that gave her the fatal medicine, I'm not sure exactly the moment she passed away. After I knew she was gone, I gave her one final hug and told her I loved her. My mom brother and I all took turns saying our last goodbye, and when I looked over at the nurse, even she was crying.

When they were going to take her body away, it was at that moment I knew I had to leave. My mom gave me her car keys and I ran out to the car and sat and cried. I held my head in my hands and relived my memories with my beloved Izzy.

She was approximately nine years old when she passed away. We adopted her three years ago from a family friend who was no longer able to adequately care for her. When she arrived at our house she was severely underweight and depressed. She was so skinny that we could see her rib cage. After a few months she gained weight, and was happy as could be. I knew that she loved her life with us, and she loved all of us individually. She spent many nights sleeping in my bed with me, sprawled out, with her butt in my face. Even though I expressed my agitation in those moments ("Izzy, move your butt already!!!"), I never got really upset with her.

I don't have many videos or pictures on hand of Izzy, but I do have a video of her on my blog that I took just a few months ago.  The funny thing is that when I took that video I had no idea that in just two months she would be gone. I knew that someday she would die, but it always seemed like something far off.

Izzy's death was so shocking because she didn't show any signs of illness until last Monday night. She started to throw up and go to the bathroom everywhere, and it was really hard to see her so vulnerable. Her stomach bloated up, and I could see the pain she was feeling expressed through her eyes. I'm certain it is something I will never forget. Her eyes were always immensely expressive, and even during our final moments with her when we said goodbye before they put her down, I could still see the spark in her eyes. She was saying how confused she was, but I could also see that she knew it was her time to pass on.

I didn't cry quite as much as I thought I would over the weekend. After we got home from the vet, I was sniffly and bleary-eyed for quite some time, but I managed to bounce back better than I thought. Even though I can feel Izzy's absence, I know she is not gone from my life. I will always have my memories of her, and while it doesn't feel like enough, it's better than nothing.

As I wrote this post, I listened to the song "Honeybee" by Steam Powered Giraffe, and since I'm already playing with clichés tonight, why not I add on another? Towards the end of the song, they repeat the same five or so lines over and over.

"Hello, goodbye, t'was nice to know you. How I find myself without you... that I'll never know. I let myself go. But what do I know? Now you have to go."

Listening to this made me think of Izzy, and loving a dog in general. No matter what happens after a dog's passing, I have not met a single person who regretted owning their pet. There is something about owning a dog that allows you to release your inhibitions, and love something without rhyme or reason. It remains a mystery why they touch our hearts in this way, and how we manage to carry on even though it was their time to pass on. These lyrics made me think of this, and I'm not sure why.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. I love Izzy. I cherish every memory I have of her, and I know that she will always be regarded fondly in my household. I wish that she didn't have to go so soon, but I know that it was her time. Having Izzy as a companion was a rewarding experience, and I wouldn't trade it in for anything in the entire world.

Carpe Diem!

At the request of Lizzie, I am writing a blog post today. Things have been terrible lately, but luckily I won a pencil in Latin class yesterday that says "Carpe Diem". I plan on carpe-ing the living hell out of my diem tomorrow. The reason I won the pencil is because in Latin class we play a game where we all sit on our desks, and take turns answering what a vocab word means when the teacher holds up the flashcard. If you answer incorrectly, you have to sit in your desk. Whoever is left sitting on their desk after she's gone through all the cards twice gets to choose from the prize bucket. Let it be known right now that my Latin teacher has the best prize bucket of any teacher I've ever had. She has temporary rainbow tattoos, pencils with semi-inspirational phrases written on them in Latin, and miniature rubber duckies. The greatest thing about the rubber duckies is that they're all dressed up in different little outfits, and one was actually in workout gear and had a little duckie sweatband on its head. Most. Adorable. Thing. Ever.

La da dee.

There's close to 15 minutes left in the school day, and my throat feels like a little animal is scurrying all around inside of it, it's so itchy! All day it's been itching on and off, despite the fact that I took my allergy medicine this morning. I decided to blog to try and take my mind off the discomfort I'm in right now. I tried reading a book, but I couldn't concentrate. Luckily, I don't have much homework this weekend, so I can relax some.

In other news, Homecoming is tomorrow. Am I going? No. Do I wish I were? Well, sort of.

A lot of my friends are attending this year, and as much as I would love to go, I just do not have the money to buy a dress. I was going to ask my mom to take me dress shopping on Wednesday night, but my dog ended up having a medical emergency and we had to spend the evening at the veterinarian office (more about that escapade will come in a later post...). Basically, I don't have anything to wear, and my parents still don't know the dance is tomorrow. I think I might go to the football game tonight, just for shits and giggles.

I know that Lizzie is going, and my friend Anna, who recently moved away, will be stopping in tonight at the game. I really want to see her, so that is another thing spurring me towards going to the game.

STOP THE PRESSES.

Okay so I'm currently sitting in the school library and on the sides of the bookshelves are magazine racks and I glanced over at an issue of Mad and I looked at the title and I thought it said "ERECTION FROM HELL". After freaking out a little bit, I checked again, and as it would turn out it actually says "Election from Hell." Well, this certainly has been a long week, hasn't it?

BACK TO REGULARLY SCHEDULED POST.

I really want to go hang out with my friends tonight, which is unusual considering these past two weeks or so I've just wanted to be alone. I'm not sure why that is, but I'm hoping it'll pass soon, because being sad and alone isn't necessarily fun, even though when I try to hang out with friends I just get anxious. Go figure, huh?

Welp, it's six minutes until the final bell rings, so I suppose I should call this a wrap. Guess what? My throat doesn't itch anymore ;) 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!

WHOA. I just realized something this morning as I washed my hands in the smelly school bathroom.

My blog is one year old.

HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!? It seems like just yesterday that I was sitting in my poorly lit bedroom choosing a theme for my new blog, Infinitely Pi. It's almost surreal, to be honest. When I first created my blog, I had absolutely ZERO intention of keeping it updated, let alone investing time in it everyday. I feel like a momma whose baby is all grown up. Despite this monumental moment in my blog's history, do not expect this to be the last of me. I am planning on continuing to update my lil' 'ol blog. Rather than screaming at all of you about how excited I am for the rest of this post, let's take a look at some of my blog's best moments in time:

• My first blog post on Infinitely Pi!!!
• When I decided I was going to blog more often.
• DO I NEED TO SAY ANYTHING EXCEPT "SWAG SNOWMAN"??
• The Tic-Tac incident.
• First documented post about math-hatred.
• First Top-40. 
• The day of the Muumuu's.
• Overly-dramatic haiku monday. 
• R.I.P. my favorite pen. 
• WWND?
• Baby, won't you be my girl? 
• The Olive Garden Incident. 
• My artsy-farsty day. 
• The Blueberry Hands.
• Remember when I was a champion?
• My lawn gnome with the over-done name. 
• Sketch
• That day I quit blogging. 
• 100th post.
• The first song I posted on my blog.
• Josalyn's rockin' b-day party. 
• When I FINALLY passed Honors Geometry.
• In which I was peer-pressured into watching "Beauty and the Beast".
• NGTJAW.
• Ew gross Driver's Ed.
• I really like the title of this vlog...

Whew. Was this post self-indulgent? Yes. Is that any different from usual? No. 

I am feeling to elated right now because going back and looking at all of those old posts brought back so many fond memories. This has been a journey of epic proportions for me, and I am so glad that it is going to continue. Where is my next destination for Infinitely Pi? I'm not sure. But I know it's going to rock. 

Synopsis of the Past Week

Long time no see?

I don't know why a week long break in blogging seems so long for me, but this week has just dragged on. There is so little I want to blog about anymore, it's sort of weird. I thought that school would inspire me to blog 24/7 all over again like last year, but so far that has not been the case...

Perhaps it's because of the fact that most everything that's been going on in my life is not blog-worthy. Some things are too boring, some wouldn't make sense unless you knew my friends, and others I have deemed too personal to share with the internet. Because of these reasons I feel like I'm stuck in a rut.

Even right now as I sit in my bed, listening to melancholy music, I feel like I have nothing going for me anymore. I'm lonely and I miss Lizzie. Even though I saw her on friday I usually don't see her over the weekends and it makes me emotional. Even just typing those last two sentences makes me want to say so much but I know that I simply cannot. I feel like I'm a bottle that someone's stuck a cork into, and it's so frustrating. This is my blog, so why is it so hard to share nowadays?

Will this post get deleted later? Probably. I'm going to try and practice restraint and not delete something for once. 

Sewing Misadventures

This weekend I tried to do something I haven't done in years.

I sewed. Like, on an actual sewing machine. The last time I did this was probably in eighth grade, and since I'm a sophomore now it has been a considerable amount of time. I actually forgot how to even set up a machine, and my mom had to reteach me how to do everything, which was annoying, to say the least.

Today I'm sporting my latest creation, which is a headband! I decided to ease myself back into sewing with something tiny and easy, and the headband proved to fit the bill. The only problem is that I have a rather large head and the first one I made I followed the pattern exactly and the finished product was way too small for my head. The second attempt went much smoother, after I added two extra inches of fabric onto the pattern! It took the greater part of my Sunday afternoon to finish it, but it was well worth the effort.

Yesterday I decided I wanted to make a purse, since I bought a pattern and some fabric to make a purse a few months ago. I never had the gumption to make it, though. Once again, my mother had to basically spoon-feed me every step, and now I'm almost done! I'd never made a purse before, so it's really challenging! I have to use interfacing, which is really hard to pin. I also have to pleat and use basting stitches, which are two other things I'd never done before!

The only hitch I've had to deal with thus far in making the purse is that I purchased the wrong size zipper!! So I had to stop production yesterday and since my mom has today off she agreed to go to Hobby Lobby and buy an appropriately sized zipper.

I would post pictures of my creations, but unfortunately my camera is broken :(