I am really looking forward to Christmas! I think that the best part of Christmas is when people like the gifts you give them. It makes everyone get the warm and fuzzies. I finished my shopping yesterday, but it was so tempting to buy more for everyone. All of the nice thngs that I knew people would love would jump out at me...but I'll write more later. An older sister whose name I shall not mention wants me to call and order pizza now so she doesn't have to wait for it to be made. Must free the phone line!

One of Many Conversations in My Busy World of Babysitting

With Christmas coming the kids I'm babysitting are getting increasingly excited and anxious about Santa's arrival. Here's what Dylan and Raina had to say about it:

Dylan: (In a very loud, melodramatic voice) Look what Santa gave me! SPIDERMAN and his motorcycle! *pauses to see my reaction and shakes with joy*

Me: Wow! I love Spiderman! When did you see Santa?

Raina: At my cousin's Christmas party. But the reindeer were scared, so they stayed on the roof and Santa came in a car.

Dylan: They weren't scared of me! (Triumphantly) And Santa gave only me a present, Raina didn't get anything!

Raina: (Heatedly and Belligerently) LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE! You didn't see any reindeer, and Santa gave me a present too!

Dylan: (for the rest of the evening, mumbles) Liar liar pants on fire, liar liar liar, liar liar pants on fire...

Left Brain, Right Brain

The subject in school that I struggle with the most is writing. It was a surprise to me when I realized this, because it used to be my strongest, not the weakest part of my schoolwork. I was trying to figure out how this had happened, and I decided that there could be one or two reasons why I have to work so hard to write a good essay.

#1. I used to write all the time, whether creative writing or a school composition. The last few years I had very few writing assignments, and my writing muscles slowly atrophied. Could the simple reason that I dislike writing so much be that I didn't exercise my composition skills?

#2. I've learned a lot recently about the differences of the right and left brain. They say that if you use your left side of the brain mostly, you think in words. (or something like that.) I used to see my words in my head as I talked. It was like those screensavers where you have a phrase run across the screen...I would see the words run through my head in consistent motion...and I think that you use the left brain for writing. However, a few years ago I learned that when you draw pictures you have to look at shape, something which the left brain doesn't do. Seeing the negative and positive spaces is a skill of the right brain. I taught myself how to use my right brain, to see shapes and colors etc. As I became more adept at that, my drawing skills increased, and I seldom used my left brain. Aha! Maybe I used my right brain so much that my left brain isn't use to the exercise! hmmm...

Or it could just be that my writing book is more challenging...which is probably what it is, but the other solutions sound more interesting.


I have watched a lot of movies recently, being sick and all. Probably my favorite one that I saw was War of the Worlds. Those of you who have seen it are probably wondering what's wrong with me. At least, I've had a few people ask me that already. Teehee. I've always been a fan of the science fiction and fantasy section of the library. (Though some gets a little too strange for me.) I just read some H.G. Wells this summer, and I was interested to see what a movie about one of his books would be like. Sometimes though, I wonder what Wells had gong on in his mind. Some of his stuff is very strange. I read The Time Machine at twelve o'clock a.m., and I did not sleep well that night. (And I'm not one to be scared, either.) Anyway, I absolutely was contented with War of the Worlds. The blood spraying everywhere was disgusting, but it didn't bother me that much. The part where the ferry tips over and all the people are in the water trying to escape the tripods made me want to become a really fast swimmer. That way if a tripod was ever chasing me, I'd escape. Yeah right. But I'm thankful that tripods and aliens aren't invading the earth.

Two Recent Events

A couple interesting things have happened to me recently. One frustrating, one slightly funny.

1. I tend to leave glasses of water all over my room. Two on my vanity, three on my bureau, and one on my window sill, etc. My cat schooner has a habit of drinking from the glasses...a habit which I despise. When I wake up in the middle of the night thirsty, I never know if my water is clean or cat-contaminated. Schooner also sticks his face so far into my glass that he loses his balance and falls over, splashing my water all over the contents on my floor. (And there are usually quite a few things on my floor.)
On Thursday morning I ran up to my room to grab my library book. I was frustrated to see Schoons had once again dumped my water. I wiped it up, forgot about it, then went back downstairs. (An hour passes.)
I went to my computer to do math. I started it up, then turned on the monitor. (Or rather, tried to turn it on.) I thought that it had been unplugged, which happens often. Sure enough, it had been; but when I turned it on, instead of seeing the "Press a Key Now," I saw blackness. And then I heard "ffhp ffhp ffhp." Uh oh. No matter how much I tried the monitor wouldn't turn on. Whenever an electronic appliance doesn't work for me, I call Aaron. And that's what I did here. He and Mom came up and we all came to the same "conclusion." The water had shorted my monitor. Aaron comforted me with this: "Don't worry, it's the worse monitor in the house anyway." Thanks a lot. At least it isn't my very own, just a cast-off from my Dad's office which I grabbed.
END OF STORY #!.

2. I think it was Thursday evening around 11:00. I washed my face and went into my room to moisturize it. I almost used my hair straightener. (Lotion that's hair straightener...not the irons.) I thought that was very funny. I had just turned the lights out when I realize that my face needed a little more cream. I groped through the dark till I found my cream, then applied it to my face, climbed back into bed, and was wondering what that strange smell was. My hands smelled like it, and the scent seemed to be clinging to me. Then! Light dawned! I jumped up, turned on the light, and sure enough; I'd used my hair straightener. I flew to the bathroom sink, flushed my face, then made sure I used the RIGHT moisturizer. Aaron was saying I'd have very straight eyebrows...Ha! As if they were curly.

Signs...

Signs of Bria being gone:

~washing dishes takes a LOT longer.
~the graphing calculator is free most of the time now.
~my secrets are whispered into a black furry ear (kate's) instead of my sister's.
~not as many new, amazing, gourmet food (e.g cowboy pie, fried bananas...if you can call it gourmet. more likely "exotic.")
~whenever i get my e-mail on webmail I don't have to retype my name in because bria used it last.
~my exercise video is always where i left it.
~the laundry is backed up a little more than before.
~the Internet is free at night; I don't have to wait til one o'clock to use it.

Thank God for good food, clothes, a loving family, and shelter from the rain and storm.

Me an Obese Priest?

I took a test that said in my past life I was an obese priest who lived in North Canada who was killed in battle. Lovely.

Softball Pirouettes

Today we had a church picnic. It started with a loverly game of a trivia thing, and then there was food and all that jazz, and then the fateful softball game I'm here to tell you about. I was so absolutely determined to hit the ball out of this world. The ground was quite wet, and to my ABSOLUTE embarrassment, I swung mightily and twirled around all the way on my toes and gracefully (so I've been told by a few people) flopped to the ground. I sat there for like one second and was so incredibly embarrassed. but then I got up. I couldn't hit the ball for like TEN pitches after that. Oh joy I felt stupid. And then I hit it badly and dad caught it. Here's where I say a bad word. Next time up to bat practically all the people who knew anything about softball and baseball were giving me millions of tips on how to connect the bat with the ball. I swung again, and fortunately I didn't pirouette that time.

Someone came over to me later, and said they'd heard all about my twirling fall. She said she'd wished she'd seen it, and that someone had gotten it on a camcorder and then she could send it to Funniest Home Videos. Haha-*sarcastic laughter*. But then I re-enacted it for her. So all was fun and it was a good day.

I like lollipops

BEWARE! MUDDLED THOUGHTS!

Too many people I know have blogs! I could take the time to read everyone's blogs, but it would take ETERNITY! or some amount of time almost that long. I think we need to start stopping people from making blogs! Let's all congregate and start the Blog Control Organization of America.
Actually, I really do enjoy how many blogs are out there. I'm just making a big deal of it. There were some people who I didn't know well enough to carry a conversation, but now, thanks to blogs, we all know more about eachother. It's very cool.
Oh @#&*^$@^!! my luscious frappe has frozen. I stuck it in the freezer to melt, I mean thicken and chill, and it froze. not that surprising I guess.
An interesting thought came to mind just now. Why are certain things called what they are. Like, why is an oven called an oven, a tree a tree, a spoon a spoon, a pen a pen, etc. Of course,someone had to name them. I wonder if Adam had to name more things than just animals. I’d never htought about this, but could Adam speak right when God made him? That’s the impression I get from Genesis. Anyway, why call a tree a tree. Hmm, this is getting complicated. Now I’m thinking that God probably named a tree a tree, only, did He say it in English. Most likely not. So what did He call a tree? The word tree probably evolved from the word God gave it.
There’s also the Tower of Babel to think about. I wonder if when the people’s languages changed if their "linguistic area" in their brain was completely wiped out and replaced with Old English or whatever it was replaced with. Actually, they probably still made perfect sense to themselves and just couldn’t understand why everyone else was speaking strangely in gibberish. I’m afraid that I’m not educated enough on this subject to write much more. Probably quite a few of you know the answers to these simple questions and thoughts of mine. I’m not usually in a thoguhtful mood like I am now, and it’s a rather strange feeling to put a few of my many thoughts down on paper.
But, I’m going to stop "thinking" right now. I’m too muddled and tired and confused to continue. Guess I’ll go and browse some other person’s blog and read their written down thoughts.

Laziness!, Thy Name Is Cara!

I love to be slothful. None of this workaholic stuff for me. It would be so easy to live my life and just be lazy. Sleep in, watch movies, read blogs...it would be ideal. People tell me I'd get bored if I did that. Hmm. I wonder if I would. Maybe I should try it and find out. Even though I like to be slothful I'm glad I am not a sloth...(I believe that was a very profound and intelligent statement.)

School started up last monday. It "officially" started, although we're not all "gung ho" or anything yet. Just getting about five subjects max a day so far.

I've been swimming like crazy as well. My mom offered something like a dollar every four laps to whoever does the most, so I've spent a lot of time in the pool. Good exercise as well as a grand way to earn some money.

Caleb 

Bria and Karen 

This is a fav from vacation. 

Elizabeth 

kimberley! 

Dreaming and Fortunes

It's amazing how all of the things from our past week get thrown together into hundreds of dreams each night. A few weeks ago, when I was sick, I had just watched Sense and Sensibility. That night I had a very deep and sorrowful dream. Something about Willoughby leaving and being a jerk. I woke up totally convinced that I was Marianne and that dear dear Willoughby was gone, oh mournfulness... then i realized that I was still me in my bed in the US in the year 2005. It was kind of a comfort to come back to normal life.

We had chinese for dinner the other night, and I entertained myself with opening fortune cookie after fortue cookie. (four all together.)

Your winsome smile will be your sure protection.

Maybe you can live on the moon in the next century.

You will step on the soil in many countries.

There is a prospect of a thrilling time ahead of you.

Well! not too shabby for fortunes! Someone got one that simply said, "Tastes sweet!" I hope they meant the cookie...

Recycled Posts?

Whenever I have difficulty with coming up with a blog entry topic I decide that I'm going to recycle old posts. But I never can get myself to. It'd just be so easy! Take old ones and put them in half a year later, and maybe no one would remember it!

Anyway, I was thinking recently about people sneezing in (usually older) movies and how they stop the sneeze by putting their finger to their nose. I've never had the sense of mind to try it. But, I've always wondered if it works. I can only think of one movie with real people that someone did it, but I could tell you numerous Walt Disney cartoons where Goofy or someone stops a sneeze.

Catch Up

Okay everyone, I'm not burned anymore.

I'll get pics, hopefully within the next week. I haven't developed film yet.

Undeniable Fact

The undeniable fact is that i am a first class, grade A, bright red beet. to some extent... I red a book on the beach and got so into it that i didn't notice the passing time or the heat overhead...you know the rest!!!! I seldom burn, at least not this badly....Guess it's a new experience for me.