Yeah, one of THOSE days.

Ugh. I really hate feeling fat. It just plain sucks ass. Honestly, I might even fear the feeling nearly as much as I fear actually getting fat. Either way, I still feel like shit. Pardon me, I'm venting. I've been comparing with my sister a lot lately, and how I'm the one who always wants ice cream and not her, and how I'm not running around constantly (or have the desire to), and she is (does). I flipped out at dinner because she just doesn't eat anything. Makes an excuse all the time - "This is too hard to chew!", "I don't like it!", "It doesn't taste like it did at the other restaurant!". And don't be fooled by these - trust me, she's old enough to know better, plus the fact that she has never been a particularly picky eater. Plus, I was all nervous and hyperventilating over not having enough vegetables today. It all sounds ridiculous to you, but to me, I still shudder at the thought.

Everything's been going haywire.

This talent show thing that my friends and I were entered in - someone backed out, we can't find anyone else to take their place, and the event is 3 days away, not to mention that we haven't made outfits yet and we have absolutely no clue who is going to take our dropout's place. Plus I was dragged into doing some duet with my friend to a Shakira song I haven't even heard. Sigh.

Sooooooo much work - would you like some sleep with your life of homework and nothing but? I guess, for me, the answer to that is no. Them tired ol' bags are beginning to creep up and darken below my eyes once more. I don't know how to prioritize it all - it's so much! I know that's what happens before standardized testing and all, but that doesn't make it any more pleasant! Well, at least I finally found a friend who actually understands where I'm coming from. It seems that all others are bored because they have nothing to do - homework for them is finished, and they're not C- slackers. How in the world do they do that?

After such a negative post, I suppose I should count my blessings.

• True, good friends who genuinely care for me
• Supportive, loving, and humorous family
• Everything I really need at my fingertips
• Opportunity to become well-educated, in spite of the work
• Really, I kind of do have the freedom to do what I want within reason, set for my own good
• A lazy dog to laugh at and confess my problems to
• A roof over my head sounds cliche, but it still counts
• Goals in mind, and the resources to achieve them
• So many choices that others do not have, many of which come from being an American
• Extended family willing to come down, visit, and spend time with us because they enjoy it, not because they feel obligated to
• Savings! My own bank account!
• Savvy parents who are wise spenders
• A super cute pain-in-the-neck lil' sis
• A strange and original awesome and coherent and smart brother who DOES NOT smoke and DOES NOT drink excessively
• Entertaining things to fill my time

And that will be all for now!
~sleepinl8

New Template

Tell me what you think about the new look! I was attempting to make it look summery and brighter. Tell me about how easily you can read it, if the colors are too much, etc. Thanks! ;) Oh, one more thing - something's up with the poll gadget, and when you first visit the site, in the poll area there are a bunch of reactions - to see the poll instead of the reactions, just refresh the page.
~sleepinl8

Fire and Water, Burning and Drenching

I've got 2 new issues to present: one a national horror and the other much more local, and hardly as catastrophic.

I'll get the really bad news out of the way: so, this Florida pastor, Terry Jones, in Gainesville officially decided to burn all those Qurans (Korans). He previously threatened to burn them on 9/11 last year, but the bastard was caught and forced to take vow to never threaten an act like this again. This time, he says he burned them by order of a majority rules vote of an online poll. The poll excluded any option to not punish the Quran, but instead listed several other punishment options for the Quran, such as shredding, drowning, facing a firing squad, and finally, burning. As you can see, the burning got the most votes. So, after pledging not to do any of the mentioned, he broke the promise and burned who-knows-how-many Qurans on April 1st. I found it kind of ironic that this happened on April Fool's Day - some joke. Ignorant of the act was America, while citizens of Pakistan and Afghanistan revolted against the burning on a nearby United Nations building. All the while, at least 12 of these people were killed, several injured. Why anyone would feel this strongly about something that doesn't even interfere with their life, and knowing that their actions would make national news, is beyond my, and most everyone else's moral-valued thinking.

On a lighter note (yet still not real happy) there have been some major weather issues going on where I am. A long line of horrific severe thunderstorms plowed through our area last week. The first day it stared out just super windy, then it was stormy, you know, thunder and lighting and all that jazz. Kind of fascinating, actually. Then, next day comes along and it's real nasty. You look out your window at noon and everything's just soaked.

Our poor dog - we stuck her outside when the rain calmed down a bit, figuring she could manage underneath our covered lanai. Of course while we're gone, the storm kicks up a notch (or ten) and we see grass getting mowed by the wind - literally, it was sheared off like a buzz cut, with shavings all over the roads. Oh, and get this - our skimpy basketball hoop, which is not attached to the ground, stayed upright the entire time. But my precious, 3-year-old weeping willow snapped in half. All of the branches are gone, and all that's left is the trunk. I'm sure that willow's weeping now.

Anyway, that night was not the kind of night where you fall asleep to the pitter-patter of rain on your roof - instead, a tornado warning went off that night; I could hear the sirens out on the streets.

The next morning, I got several texts from my friends saying they weren't coming to school. My doting mother took me anyway. Well, those girls didn't miss much - there were 2 tornado warnings and a fire drill. Of all days to choose to do a fire drill, how stupid can you be to pick that day?

I missed the bus because I couldn't find it anywhere on the ramp (hey, you don't exactly have 20/20 vision in pouring rain, constant thunder & lighting, plus 40+ mph winds!) I wasn't alone - most guys from my bus stop couldn't find it either. We actually saw it pull out of school campus, and we all ran after it hoping maybe it would stop for us. Too late - the bus pulled out on the main road and honked at us, while a guy who had made it on was mocking us, smiling and waving at us suckers. Everyone was drenched, our clothes vacuum-sealed to our bodies, our shoes squelching, and our umbrellas inside-out. My mom came and rescued us, yet she still laughed at how pathetic we looked. Driving into an enormous puddle in the road in our neighborhood, the car almost stalled. The tires were completely underwater.

Yesterday, the lake was muddy with eroded soil and at least 6 inches to a foot higher. Not that my lake is of unusual size or anything, but with the amount of distribution that would have to occur to make every area of the lake the same depth, that much depth increase is a huge difference. Despite the wet surroundings, that day actually had beautiful weather that came out of nowhere - sunny, clear skies, gentle breeze, nice temps.
~sleepinl8