escapadery!
I should be writing about the general hobnobbing and adventures that have been going on lately, but I tried and they're so muddled together in my head (quite comfortably, sort of like my bookshelves) that I can't quite figure out which pieces go where and it's too late at night to bother, so I shall just set down some pertinent facts.
i. My recently acquired friend Jonathan (met through the usual set) has moved to the area; we have been musicking a lot and watching The Matrix and Old School Who (with Jonathan & Alessandra's friend Rosemary who came for a visit; we made root beer floats and TARDIS cookies and I ended up sleeping at the Nielsons only half by accident; nearly everyone turned up there eventually -- Sarah, Alessandra, Victoria as she lives there, Alessandra's brothers Brennan and Jesse who are visiting from Maine).
ii. In return for me lending him a spare guitar as his got stolen, Jonathan is lending me his old laptop, which is very exciting, as it is about a decade newer than the last computer I had, and also has many endearing eccentricities that will lead to blogging fun later (the screen is propped up with vecroed sticks!). Also it has a Serenity sticker on the back, which, yay. I actually had it over a week ago, except about five minutes after I was left alone with it the screen promptly fell over and the computer stopped working. I know I have a black thumb when it comes to machinery -- and plants! -- but this is ridiculous. (I think the Angelusmobile has been sabotaging my relationships with other inanimate objects, as he is still extremely narked at me for the poncey wicker basket I affixed to his front, and for not letting him savage other bicycles. Also because he is evil.) Anyway, it's fixed now and should be coming into my possession again tomorrow, and I really hope it doesn't take one look at me and commit suicide out of fear, as many objects seem to do at the sight of me.
Some parties suspect the lending of the computer is a not-so-furtive plot to give me no excuse not to participate in NaNoWriMo this autumn.
iii. I am acquiring a kitten! Her name is Cordelia (yes. she's absolutely a preener, too.) and she is white and fluffy and really tiny alkhflkjhfsg n'awww. The Meholicks' cat gave birth about a month ago and I was promised a kitten as a belated birthday present; she is nearly old enough to come live with me. Alas, as we are looking for a new house, we may have to lend her out for a bit as a rental house allowing two cats may be difficult to find. I am v. amused at the fact that we will now have a black cat and a white cat. My mother is disappointed that none of the kittens had any colour -- every cat we have ever had has been black, white, grey, or some combination thereof.
iv. My hair is mostly back to red and blonde, with a lot of dark brown bits left over from the black. I still have one or two applications of pink left, as well as some dark strawberry blonde.
v. On Saturday, I had my first gig, sort of by accident. It was this way: our church had a small festival with food, craft vendors, and local music on Saturday as a community outreach. The night before, Dad says to me, "by the way, we have an extra spot in the line-up -- do you think you can put together a few songs?" Says I: "ULP." I dragged out all of the songs I can play from memory that would be appropriate for a church festival (my arrangement of John Donne's "Song (Go and Catch a Falling Star)" and Laura Marling's "Night Terror" are entirely too spooky and odd), and at noon was being ushered onstage. It was outdoors, which was extremely pleasant, although I could have done with a bit less sun in my eyes (I did wear a hat). The microphone was, I think, quite the best I have used, and my voice was in unusually top form despite my having scarfed down a hamburger moments before going up (food is not good for singing, but I was ravenous, and I'd rather not have my stomach growl into the microphone). I did some a capella -- "His Eye Is On the Sparrow"; "Death Came A-Knocking" -- because it required very little preparation, and put a guitar song in between each (Patty Griffin's "Poor Man's House" and Gillian Welch's "By the Mark") so I looked a bit more as though I knew what I was doing. I suppose I must have been very convincing because, um, I got encored. (There weren't a lot of people watching, especially when you take out my parents and Jonathan, who'd come along, but...still.) I had no idea what to play, as my mind had gone blank and I couldn't think of anything else I knew terrifically well, but luckily I had chords for "We Can Work It Out" in my guitar case. I had not played it in a few months, but fortunately I did not mess up very much, except once when the wind blew my chord sheets backwards and I had to stop for a moment. Also one of the other musicians joined me on electric guitar, which was -- scary, but neat.
My mother recorded the entire thing, which has proved to be both fascinating (seeing candid anything of myself is weird and intriguing, because I never see myself from that angle!) and terrifically embarrassing, aaaaaack.
That Saturday turned out to be, I think, one of the happiest days I can remember for quite a ways back -- nothing especially extraordinary happened (other than My First Gig), but the sky was blue blue blue brushed over with clouds here and there and the air was warm and I had fellowship and fun and food. I also threw water balloons at children -- or rather, sling-shotted water balloons at children, with the help of Timmy and Jonathan (the sling-shot took three people, and yes, it was quite safe). I lay in the sun for a bit and took pictures of the trees and people and goings-on and laughed a lot. Afterwards Mum, Heidi, Leandra, myself, and Jonathan stopped at the Goodwill in Reynoldsville on the way home, where I found awesome red flats.
Really, though, I'm still getting over the fact that I sang in front of an audience all by myself and people liked it. I even felt good about it while it was happening, which I rarely do -- it was one of those particularly magical perfomances when you aren't performing, you are the music, you're inside of it, possessed and possessing, and despite my throat squeaking a few times when I came to shouty bits and my fumbling a chord here and there, it was good. Also some guy wants me to play at his church on Saturday oh dear.
vi. MY OVEN IS WORKING AGAIN. The igniter seems to have died -- the oven's been shaky for quite some time, and for a few months we couldn't get it to go on properly unless we banged the oven door with terrific force several times, only even that finally stopped working and I HAD NO OVEN FOR A MONTH. IT WAS AWFUL. We had to buy cookies (which I'm not really opposed to because I love certain store-bought cookies, but NOT ALL THE TIME), and there was NO CAKE AT ALL and there were several group activities to which I WAS UNABLE TO BRING DELICIOUS BAKED GOODS AS IS MY GENERAL HABIT. (Seriously though, baking has become a very large part of my existence and I felt a little lost without it. Not to mention hungry, and deprived of sweet things to nibble on. I spent much more money than usual on candy, although it was nearly all on sale...) Anyway, someone who fixes ovens showed up yesterday and fixed it at last. I AM OVERJOYED and now have a delicious fresh batch of chocolate crinkles to exemplify my joy.
vii. Moony is all boxed up and waiting for someone (namely Dad) to have an errand in Clearfield, because that is the only place anywhere near here where there is a DHL drop-off. Curse you, Apple's DHL-only policy. Curse you, small town. I miss my iPod and I am becoming twitchyyyyy...
viii. Today was not nearly so excellent, as I had only-as-successful-as-usual by which I mean not particularly job searching -- I have more applications to fill out and have left my name at several places again OH LORD COLLEGE STUDENTS QUIT YOUR JOBS AND GO TO COLLEGE ALREADY THANK YOU. I did however acquire a three-dollar black-and-white-striped double-breasted blouse at Rue21, however... But then I had to walk home, because I was stupid enough to tell my mother that I would be fine doing just that. It was long and arduous and my ankle had a nasty cut on it which my shoes exacerbated so I limped for a while and finally took off my shoes and just walked the two miles home barefooted. Am really feeling terrifically discouraged about this whole job business; prayers would be not only appreciated, but craved.
ix. Last night there was a terrific thunderstorm, with sheet-metal thunder, fierce lightning, and lashings of rain. I went out onto the porch to watch for a while; it was glorious, wind whipping around, rain in my eyes, creating miniature rapids in the mud beneath the trees -- the whole street was grey-green and strangely luminous. My reverie was interrupted by the sound of the door locking behind me. Since it was two in the morning, Dad, who had fallen asleep on the great chair in the living room, found it time to lock up. He was too sleepy to see me -- until I banged on the door before he quite finished locking it. Romance? What romance?
i. My recently acquired friend Jonathan (met through the usual set) has moved to the area; we have been musicking a lot and watching The Matrix and Old School Who (with Jonathan & Alessandra's friend Rosemary who came for a visit; we made root beer floats and TARDIS cookies and I ended up sleeping at the Nielsons only half by accident; nearly everyone turned up there eventually -- Sarah, Alessandra, Victoria as she lives there, Alessandra's brothers Brennan and Jesse who are visiting from Maine).
ii. In return for me lending him a spare guitar as his got stolen, Jonathan is lending me his old laptop, which is very exciting, as it is about a decade newer than the last computer I had, and also has many endearing eccentricities that will lead to blogging fun later (the screen is propped up with vecroed sticks!). Also it has a Serenity sticker on the back, which, yay. I actually had it over a week ago, except about five minutes after I was left alone with it the screen promptly fell over and the computer stopped working. I know I have a black thumb when it comes to machinery -- and plants! -- but this is ridiculous. (I think the Angelusmobile has been sabotaging my relationships with other inanimate objects, as he is still extremely narked at me for the poncey wicker basket I affixed to his front, and for not letting him savage other bicycles. Also because he is evil.) Anyway, it's fixed now and should be coming into my possession again tomorrow, and I really hope it doesn't take one look at me and commit suicide out of fear, as many objects seem to do at the sight of me.
Some parties suspect the lending of the computer is a not-so-furtive plot to give me no excuse not to participate in NaNoWriMo this autumn.
iii. I am acquiring a kitten! Her name is Cordelia (yes. she's absolutely a preener, too.) and she is white and fluffy and really tiny alkhflkjhfsg n'awww. The Meholicks' cat gave birth about a month ago and I was promised a kitten as a belated birthday present; she is nearly old enough to come live with me. Alas, as we are looking for a new house, we may have to lend her out for a bit as a rental house allowing two cats may be difficult to find. I am v. amused at the fact that we will now have a black cat and a white cat. My mother is disappointed that none of the kittens had any colour -- every cat we have ever had has been black, white, grey, or some combination thereof.
iv. My hair is mostly back to red and blonde, with a lot of dark brown bits left over from the black. I still have one or two applications of pink left, as well as some dark strawberry blonde.
v. On Saturday, I had my first gig, sort of by accident. It was this way: our church had a small festival with food, craft vendors, and local music on Saturday as a community outreach. The night before, Dad says to me, "by the way, we have an extra spot in the line-up -- do you think you can put together a few songs?" Says I: "ULP." I dragged out all of the songs I can play from memory that would be appropriate for a church festival (my arrangement of John Donne's "Song (Go and Catch a Falling Star)" and Laura Marling's "Night Terror" are entirely too spooky and odd), and at noon was being ushered onstage. It was outdoors, which was extremely pleasant, although I could have done with a bit less sun in my eyes (I did wear a hat). The microphone was, I think, quite the best I have used, and my voice was in unusually top form despite my having scarfed down a hamburger moments before going up (food is not good for singing, but I was ravenous, and I'd rather not have my stomach growl into the microphone). I did some a capella -- "His Eye Is On the Sparrow"; "Death Came A-Knocking" -- because it required very little preparation, and put a guitar song in between each (Patty Griffin's "Poor Man's House" and Gillian Welch's "By the Mark") so I looked a bit more as though I knew what I was doing. I suppose I must have been very convincing because, um, I got encored. (There weren't a lot of people watching, especially when you take out my parents and Jonathan, who'd come along, but...still.) I had no idea what to play, as my mind had gone blank and I couldn't think of anything else I knew terrifically well, but luckily I had chords for "We Can Work It Out" in my guitar case. I had not played it in a few months, but fortunately I did not mess up very much, except once when the wind blew my chord sheets backwards and I had to stop for a moment. Also one of the other musicians joined me on electric guitar, which was -- scary, but neat.
My mother recorded the entire thing, which has proved to be both fascinating (seeing candid anything of myself is weird and intriguing, because I never see myself from that angle!) and terrifically embarrassing, aaaaaack.
That Saturday turned out to be, I think, one of the happiest days I can remember for quite a ways back -- nothing especially extraordinary happened (other than My First Gig), but the sky was blue blue blue brushed over with clouds here and there and the air was warm and I had fellowship and fun and food. I also threw water balloons at children -- or rather, sling-shotted water balloons at children, with the help of Timmy and Jonathan (the sling-shot took three people, and yes, it was quite safe). I lay in the sun for a bit and took pictures of the trees and people and goings-on and laughed a lot. Afterwards Mum, Heidi, Leandra, myself, and Jonathan stopped at the Goodwill in Reynoldsville on the way home, where I found awesome red flats.
Really, though, I'm still getting over the fact that I sang in front of an audience all by myself and people liked it. I even felt good about it while it was happening, which I rarely do -- it was one of those particularly magical perfomances when you aren't performing, you are the music, you're inside of it, possessed and possessing, and despite my throat squeaking a few times when I came to shouty bits and my fumbling a chord here and there, it was good. Also some guy wants me to play at his church on Saturday oh dear.
vi. MY OVEN IS WORKING AGAIN. The igniter seems to have died -- the oven's been shaky for quite some time, and for a few months we couldn't get it to go on properly unless we banged the oven door with terrific force several times, only even that finally stopped working and I HAD NO OVEN FOR A MONTH. IT WAS AWFUL. We had to buy cookies (which I'm not really opposed to because I love certain store-bought cookies, but NOT ALL THE TIME), and there was NO CAKE AT ALL and there were several group activities to which I WAS UNABLE TO BRING DELICIOUS BAKED GOODS AS IS MY GENERAL HABIT. (Seriously though, baking has become a very large part of my existence and I felt a little lost without it. Not to mention hungry, and deprived of sweet things to nibble on. I spent much more money than usual on candy, although it was nearly all on sale...) Anyway, someone who fixes ovens showed up yesterday and fixed it at last. I AM OVERJOYED and now have a delicious fresh batch of chocolate crinkles to exemplify my joy.
vii. Moony is all boxed up and waiting for someone (namely Dad) to have an errand in Clearfield, because that is the only place anywhere near here where there is a DHL drop-off. Curse you, Apple's DHL-only policy. Curse you, small town. I miss my iPod and I am becoming twitchyyyyy...
viii. Today was not nearly so excellent, as I had only-as-successful-as-usual by which I mean not particularly job searching -- I have more applications to fill out and have left my name at several places again OH LORD COLLEGE STUDENTS QUIT YOUR JOBS AND GO TO COLLEGE ALREADY THANK YOU. I did however acquire a three-dollar black-and-white-striped double-breasted blouse at Rue21, however... But then I had to walk home, because I was stupid enough to tell my mother that I would be fine doing just that. It was long and arduous and my ankle had a nasty cut on it which my shoes exacerbated so I limped for a while and finally took off my shoes and just walked the two miles home barefooted. Am really feeling terrifically discouraged about this whole job business; prayers would be not only appreciated, but craved.
ix. Last night there was a terrific thunderstorm, with sheet-metal thunder, fierce lightning, and lashings of rain. I went out onto the porch to watch for a while; it was glorious, wind whipping around, rain in my eyes, creating miniature rapids in the mud beneath the trees -- the whole street was grey-green and strangely luminous. My reverie was interrupted by the sound of the door locking behind me. Since it was two in the morning, Dad, who had fallen asleep on the great chair in the living room, found it time to lock up. He was too sleepy to see me -- until I banged on the door before he quite finished locking it. Romance? What romance?