Filed under: Uncategorized
Hello, all. Today, I would have to say is a very important day. No it’s not just the fact that we have a day off as far as school goes (which, don’t get me wrong is awesome), but the simple fact that our world isn’t perfect. Ever since the dawn of time, when Jehovah first created life (or maybe a little after), there has been fighting. War. Countries have been threatened, lives have been lost. There are a brave few who stand up to the challenge, however, and put their life on the line, 24/7 to defend us. Ourselves and our future. I know what you’re thinking, how can Bella, Gabby, and Siena be so talented, smart, and witty, and also save the world whilst doing so? Although I would very much like to agree with you kind people, I have to say that no, for once I am not in the spotlight.
It’s about honoring not just one person, but the many who have risked everything for their country. They make it able for us to go about our daily lives, for us to believe whatever we wish to believe, to pursue and education as well as happiness. My grandfather served in WWII, years ago, and I would also like to honor him now, and the millions who fought alongside him. Take this moment to realize what you, as an individual can do. Be your own hero! Go out of your way to do good. And meanwhile, if you know someone who served in a war, tell them a simple ‘thank you,’ which personally doesn’t really even begin to describe how thankful you should be. Give them a hug, a smile, even a handshake. Just let them know how much they mean to you, and mean it.
Happy Veteran’s Day everyone, or is it Veterans’ Day?
Filed under: Uncategorized
Actually, I’d love to re-word that to: The Quandary That I Find My Generation In. First and foremost: music. I know that music changes through the years, but there are some songs, and artists that are timeless, and probably will remain timeless for years and years and years. The point is, folks, I think that my generation is in need of a wake-up call. I do appreciate a lot of songs that kids my age listen to, however, they just aren’t my style. That’s not a crime, definitely not, but sometimes I wish that I could enjoy that kind of music a lot more than I actually do. Still, no matter how hard I try, I really can’t. A lot of people think I’m weird (but I know that already), and the music I listen to (categorized as “crappy old music”) is… for lack of a better word, strange. So. I am assigning you Children an assignment that must be completed ASAP. (:
There are some amazing songs out there, and I’m only going to give you about three or four. I want you to cultivate your music tastes haha. Yeah. Don’t I sound so professional? Anyway… Here are some songs that I love. (: Hope you enjoy. If you don’t I don’t want to hear about it. Haha just kidding! O:
“Rock and Roll Suicide” – David Bowie <3
“Last Nite” – The Strokes
“Bullets” – Tunng
“I go Crazy” – Paul Davis (no that’s kind of a joke.. but still…)
Now. Go ENJOY yourselves, my tan-faced children. (Bonus points if you know where i got that quote.) There is more to come, my darlings (quote), and expect a follow up to this in a few days, yess?
Maybe you noticed the difference in my icon today, but if you didn’t, let me inform you: I have a classy beret (and a mole. Yeah, Siena sorta forgot that when she made my original icon. What a great sister.) What exactly is a beret? Dictionary.com defines it as:
be·ret (bə-rā’)
n.
1. A round, soft, brimless cap that fits snugly and is often worn angled to one side.
Although the dictionary built into my computer simply says that it is a round flattish cap of cloth or felt. If you ask me I will say it is a french cap that is pretty cool, especially when purple. Anyway, what does it have to do with anything? Beret’s also remind me of this movie I used to watch when I was a little kid, it was called American in Paris and starred Gene Kelly. Maybe I was a weird kid, but I loved that movie. Anyway, Gene Kelly is a painter who sings and dances, and basically the important part was he was a painter. And if I’m not mistaken (I probably am), he wore a beret. So I associate beret’s with art. From all of the blubbery rambling, you probably realized that today I did something that had to do with art.
Also, as a side-note I would like to admit that a: we haven’t posted in a long, long time, and b: I’m too tired to really understand what I’m writing, so yes this is a bunch of rambling. Deal with it… Please? Anyway, today I had to wake up early (10:00 AM) to go to an art class taught by Orly Avineri. Not only is she a great artist, she’s also Ilan’s (a friend) mom. Upon entering the building, I ran around a lot, chased their cat who obviously didn’t like me, and chased Siena. Minutes later, we commenced in artistry.
I won’t bore you in the details, but I’ll merely show you my masterpieces. Yes, I know what you’re gonna say, they remind you slightly of a mixture of Michelangelo and Da Vinci, don’t worry, you’re not alone.
This one should be vertical and you really can’t see the words at the top. Oh well, I have to say that they look much better in person versus on a computer screen. Anyway, the instruction for this spread was to use water colors, and really to soak the page. Then you apply your colors, splatter them on and let them mix into different colors, shapes, etc.. Once this dries you can outline different shapes both real and abstract in pen. At the top I added a thick line of paint and let the paint drip down the page, then outlined it in white gel pen.
I really love this one, it took me a long time to finish, and looks better upside down, but you know. It still looks nice both ways. I did the water colors again, this time using dark greens, blues, reds, and blacks, and let them mix. I found random bits of paper and glued them on, then painted a thick black and blue streak at the top left, trailing down. I traced over everything in white gel again, making winding pathways. So this spread is pretty much a huge map of life I guess. For once my post sounds mature, ha.
To wrap everything up, I really enjoyed this class, and hope to do it again sometime soon. My sisters also have some really great pieces that I want them to (finally) post up here. What do you think? Hopefully it doesn’t make your eyes bleed… too much. I hope this inspires some of you guys to get artsy and creative or just do something differently in your life. Like if you eat microwave meals every night, maybe turn off the t.v., throw the Hungry Man in the trash (or back in the freezer) and go get Chinese or make a salad. Or go skydiving or bungee jumping or kiss a sea cucumber. Take a walk or watch a movie, or rent Creature from the Black Lagoon (remind me to tell you about this later). Buy some pepper spray or have a baby. I don’t know what I’m really talking about, but I hope this inspired you to do.
Slideshow
Filed under: Reviews | Tags: funny, love happens, movies, romantic, sad, the bucket list, the notebook
Today was this wonderful, amazing day starting off at (my usual waking up hour) 12 noon. Then I proceeded to throw a big fit (in my mind of course) because someone had used up all the whipped cream cheese. That being a total crime, I went on to complain loudly to everyone then looked for the frozen blueberry waffles because frozen blueberry waffles are like a dream come true. Much to my annoyance, the frozen blueberry waffles were all gone. So instead I had to settle for mac and cheese. Not so very elegant, yes, but who doesn’t love cheese and dough (other than people who don’t like cheese and dough of course)? Anyway, then I just sat around watching t.v. and waiting for my cousin to come over. I won’t bore you with the details about my cousin, let’s just say I’m more interesting… kidding. Of course. Why would I ever say that?
After that everything was a blur of food, sumo wrestlers, and those horrifically crappy movies with all your typical teen stars back from the early 2000’s (a painful reminder of what life was like only years ago). Besides the crazy amount of pedophiles passing off as teens (PPOAT), and tacky plots, they passed the time well. I really enjoyed “Sleepover” with Alexa Vega and her 20-something year old boyfriend…
After that we went and rented the Bucket List and The Notebook. I’ve still got to see the Notebook, but the Bucket List was pretty good. And sad. Morgan Freeman was amazing as usual (and Gabby was kind enough to explain how Morgan was a girl’s name), and Jack Nicholson, however creepy he may seem was pretty great too. It was heartfelt, touching, and hilarious. I would strongly advise everyone see it, and even though I didn’t cry (I never cry at movies, however the closest I’ve ever come was tearing up at Mulan, which is a different story entirely), I was crying inside. Okay, so maybe I wasn’t. The point is, this movie is great and I already love it. Actually, I want to see it again (:
No, I’m not seeing Love Happens. Not that I wouldn’t, but I’m not entirely sure that it’s even out yet. Anyway, the point is that to me it simple seems like one of those cliché, boring, typical love stories that are being mass-produced as a means of getting some easy cash. Of course, maybe it’s just my overly cynical self here (probably is), but I’d be willing to be proved wrong. Anyway, that leads me on this wonderful tangent about typical love stories/movies which will later lead me on to books by James Patterson/Dan Brown, which will in turn lead me to Scott O’Dell’s marvelous books, and don’t fret, I’ll get there very soon. Anyway, back to my first digression (?): the typical love stories I’m talking about are the kind I like to call “airport fiction.” Namely all the books in airports that are about some shocking 300 pages centered mainly around a studly Italian male model (My Antonio) and an underestimated, gorgeous girl and their tumultuous relationship. Okay, so I’ve never read one, but I can take a good guess. These are mainly made to tide you over for a long, boring red-eye flight to New York. It’s either that or focus on the man falling asleep, slobbering on your shoulder. And you thought you had a choice. What adorns the cover of a typical Airport Romance Fiction novel is a muscled tanned man, naked as far as we can see and wrapped in a pink silk sheet hugging a woman with flowing red hair. Or, if you like the more scenic, in-tune-with-nature images, you can have the two intimately bathing in a pool of clear water in a forest, hippie-style (don’t ask?) with a majestic white unicorn grazing in the background.
Enough said there, right? On to Dan Brown who is pretty much synonymous with James Patterson. I love reading their books, but let’s face it, the main characters are either gorgeous, yet aged men in their late 30’s/40’s who still can manage a few hours of swimming laps in a pool and can pull off a delicious chocolatey baritone voice. Or there’s the brainy heroines who are world-class geeks with ’swimsuit model’ bodies. Buuut, they’re still entertaining reads and far better than “Abandoned Love,” “A Love Tested,” blah blah blah. Anyway, the gorgeous heroines remind me of Scott O’dell’s classics. Take Island of the Blue Dolphins, or that other one, Carmen was it? And then there’s a few others I’m pretty sure with those beautiful, courageous girls stranded in their own world, fighting to prove themselves, etc., but still, his books aren’t half bad (If my memory’s correct). Anyway, this huge tangent means absolutely nothing, I’m just tired on a Saturday night and rambling like an old man.
Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Outrage at my mindless speculating? Feel free to alert the staff (aka: me). Have a wonderful night/day/year/life everyone.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 500 days of summer, joesph gordon-levitt, zooey deschanel
*note: it’s disabled. ):<
Basically, it’s about two people. “Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn’t.” It skips back and forth through the 500 days they spent together before their breakup somewhere around the 100’s (or 200’s). The boy is Tom Hansen, the girl, Summer Finn. Tom works at a greeting card company and lives a fairly normal life until his boss has a new assistant; Summer. From the minute he sees her, he knows she’s the one. On the other hand, Summer knows that Tom definitely isn’t “the one” (still, that doesn’t mean that they don’t like each other. A lot.).
I really enjoyed this movie a lot, and I’ve been waiting to see it for a very looooooonnng time. Well, I can definitely say that I am satisfied–no, more than satisfied. I would definitely recommend you go see it. Like… NOW.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: arizona, camping, las vegas, lost, OC fair, utah
week one hollywood : So, this was super, super fun. Our cousin from Carlsbad drove up with her mom to meet us at our house. From there we drove up into the deep, scary depths of Hollywood (mainly consisting of people in stuffy looking costumes of movie characters and bald, shirtless men scratching their potbellies). We drove up into this huge big hill (not the one with the hollywood sign) filled with winding passageways and narrow streets. By the way, they really need to invent a word to go in between hill and mountain. It’s really hard to describe big hills. Anyway, we went up into this private drive and voila! We were at my mom’s cousin’s house… or mini-mansion. Here we spent about a half a day, then a night, and a quarter of a day, so basically one day and one night added up. It was very fun and nice knowing you sort of had your own private drive on top of a gigantic mounthill (my new word for bigger than a hill, smaller than a mountain).
still week one i think : So just a few days after (think, one) Hollywood, I get piled into a teeny little red sports car with the rest of my sisters. This time headed to the OC Fair. Joy to the world! I’ve been here once before with my other cousin from my dad’s side (he was the youngest of like seven kids, so all our cousins are about thirty years older than us), about a year or two… or four ago. This time with her boyfriend, who for now I’ll just call… Jobe (which was what we actually called him). It was super exciting, I mean first of all… the food. Amazing. Corn dogs, sausage hot dogs, turkey legs, ice cream, frog legs, even battered potatoes, which sounds strange but are fried, fatty, and amazing. Just a sidenote: I don’t do rides. Not amusement park rides, not even carnival/fair rides. When I go to Knott’s Berry Farm I go on Jaguar. In fact, sometimes (depending on where I sit), it’s just a little too dangerous for my taste (yeah. really. although i did go on silver bullet like twice, but that’s a whole ‘nother story). Maybe I felt empowered or Jehovah struck me with inspiration because I think I went on like every ride except the generic version of Supreme Scream. Probably the trippiest ride was the zipper, a violent little ride, not for the faint of heart (aka: me!). So we ended that day with a lot of fried food and not-so-safe rides (two that had enough pressure to push you against a wall and keep you there), a bad mixture that equals the not so pleasant need to throw up (but I never do, so don’t worry. ‘Cause I know you were worried). At this time I was introduced to LOST.
next week : So this is where I take the twice a month? trip to my grandparents’ house. There I… actually I really don’t remember. But I’m pretty sure it had to do with a lot of mosquitos, mosquito bites, and The Sound of Music (if you don’t remember my grandpa watches that a minimum of a few times a day).
definitely next week : Okay, just so we’re clear, this is the big monumentous trip. Like, the big kabang! of the month. This is, well, was our trip to Las Vegas (then to Utah, then to Las Vegas, with a little bit of Arizona sprinkled in there too), We don’t go out to Las Vegas as much as we’d like, the last time was a few years ago. It was really nice to be bale to go and see our relatives who we hadn’t seen for awhile. After about a day of lounging in the pool and eating fudgesicles, we were ready. to. go. camping. in. utah.
Oh, the joys of camping, the outdoors, the chance to experience nature firsthand. By that I also mean the bugs, the bear poop, and of course, what camping trip would be complete without the outhouse! Technically speaking a hole in the ground with a cover on it that’s a few feet deep. Still, despite these things, camping was wonderful! Actually, I really didn’t mind. We fished, hiked, and made journals filled with paints and flowers from the campsite. At night we roasted marshmallows and played games, like Balderdash and Left Center Right. It was probably the most fun I’ve had in a verrrry long time. Plus, I got to spend a lot of time with my family, which just made the whole trip 100 times better.
a few days later : Back to grandparents’ house but not before we spend one night with my two cousins at our house. Watch a ton of LOST. As a sidenote: this becomes the sort of plan for our whole week together. So, now at my grandparents’ house we sit around for three days and most of the nights and watch the whole season one of lost (the second time for the three of us). It’s a lot worse the second time through (or even third), for a few reasons. One, it’s sort of boring, you already know what happens (or even some of the lines), two, when people die, you get to watch it over, and over, and over again. Yeah.
present : Which brings us full circle (or maybe just full… line) back to, well, forward to now. At 6:36 AM on a Tuesday. Why am I up so early? Or should I say, so late? Hungry, bored, and watching ABC family shows online. Why? I really have no clue, but they’re kind of entertaining too dramatic and sappy. I want brownies, in fact I can smell brownies. Mmmmmm.
Well, hope that that explains why we haven’t written in quite awhile~
Happy summer, guys, school’s almost here.
So last week (I think) my awesome cousin lent me her copy of LOST, season one. Yes, I’ve never seen the show before excluding one time when I saw maybe ten minutes of sweaty, dirty, frantic people running around in a jungle screaming. My impression of it was: “God, why does everyone love this show? I mean it’s about a bunch of people stranded on an island for five seasons.”
Everyone I knew who watched it loved it, namely my third or fourth grade teacher. She would come in the class and tell us all how she had been watching Lost, how it was great and all that. At the age of ten, I wasn’t impressed. Well, I am now. Although the plot so far is just frantic people running around screaming on an island, it’s frantic people with strange, dramatic pasts running around screaming on an island filled with weird secrets and creepy people, which is somewhat better. The first episode brings you in, and keeps your interest the whole while. I found I was asking myself why the episodes were so short. Well, they felt short. The whole season simply blew me and my high expectations away.
The first season (which I finished in maybe two weeks) was great, maybe a little too dramatic at times, but overall, great. The episodes focussed mainly on people’s uncannily freakish pasts full of murders, lies, romance, deception, and most of all, odd coincidences… yep, all of that hollywood stuff. The people are as diverse as a doctor, a lottery winner and an interrogator who’s main weapon is torture. Yes, it does push it sometimes, but it’s still an entertaining watch.
I’m on the second season now, but don’t spoil it for me, I haven’t started it yet. I think I’m too worried that once I start watching it, I won’t stop, which really doesn’t sound that awful. (It happened during the first season) Anyway, it’s a nice show, entertaining, heart-pounding, and just plain freaky at times. I’m not quite sure how Lost has spanned five seasons, but I’m sure I’ll learn the answer to that soon, and I bet I won’t be displeased. (;
Filed under: Uncategorized
haha okay, well, everyone, I hope your summer is going amazingly!!
—Bella out
Alright, so you’ve all been hearing/reading about this new addition to our family. Thankfully this new addition’ can’t write/type, so you’ll be spared at least that much; you won’t have to read THAT much pointless stuff. Yeah. Anyway, Merry is amazing. I like to think that we named Merry for my favorite hobbit in The Lord Of The Rings. hah. But nope, actually (as Siena explained in the worm’s meat post–>) Merry is short for Mercutio. This doesn’t quite work since, after quick, but well-reasoned guessing, Merry is a girl. (Mercutio’s a guy’s name, btw if you didn’t read Siena’s post.) So it’s Merry, whether or not her full name is Mercutio, Merry seems a lot cuter and specialer than Marry. But then, who knows? Merry could in fact be a Mercutio and we don’t even know it. We’ll have to wait and see.
If you haven’t figured out exactly what Merry is, I guess I’ll have to tell you right now, before we move on with this post. Merry is a bird, a cockatiel to be exact. I’ll post up some pictures in a little while once merry gets used to our house. For now, I’ll describe her as best I can.
Merry is small, actually she’s only a few months old since she was born March 15 of this year. She’s very small, completely grey, with only one speckled yellow tail feather. All cockatiels have cute little orange patches on their faces (when they get older, you can tell it is a guy if the orange patches become brighter), and a little bit of feathers on their head (crest). Merry has a cute little green patch of fluff/furry feathers that go up to her crest too.
merry the cockatiel
Name: Merry the cockatiel
Birthdate: March 15, 2009
Age: 4 months old
Filed under: Bird Stuff | Tags: bird, meat of worms, mercutio, siena, worm's meat
Some of you, no, a bunch of you might be wondering about the title of my post. Yeah, it’s kind of funny sounding, but it’s just a random quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. (The first sentence might have made that a bit obvious, I’m not too sure about the second.) Well, it’s a line said by Mercutio sadly before he is killed, but let’s not focus on the dying part, just the Mercutio part.
As many of you might know now, we are buying a bird on friday. We have thought of many names, but one (offered by Bella) has been my favorite: Mercutio. There arises a problem, though. Since the bird we are getting is a baby, we don’t know the bird’s sex. Up until, I think, adulthood, birds remain quite androgynous. Males have bright orange cheek patches and yellow faces, females have duller markings. Now you can see that we have a problem, since Mercutio is distinctly a he. You see, it’s hard to name a bird such a genderishly constraining name–It’s not like we’re naming the bird Bobby/Bobbi, or Ashley. (Haha, yes, Ashley is also a guy’s name… just read Gone With the Wind) Well, we’re just gonna hope for a boy, I suppose. We can always call it Merry if it isn’t, I suppose.
Anyway, I can’t wait for our little birdy wirdy (as Bella says) to come home. Even though I had a bird (Louie, rest in peace), I decided to read up on birds yet again to go over anything I forgot or missed. Turns out, there’s a ton of stuff I forgot/missed. I read up until 2 ish a couple nights ago, and I’m feeling like a very prepared mother. :O
One more topic I’d like to address, the bird journal. I’m pretty sure Gabby did this with Louie, and I was thinking of doing it here, with all of us. Bella voiced my idea already; great minds think alike, right? Well I have a bunch of really cool ideas for it, so… don’t get too excited and keep checking back.
Lastly, on a more philosophical note, has anyone ever thought about worm’s meat? I know it’s the meat of a worm, but it’s just such an odd phrase. What is it’s purpose? Why does Mercutio say worm’s meat? Why not some other, more pleasant type of meat? Do worms really have meat, or is it just fat? Tell me your interpretations, friends.
c:
lol. um you might realize that merry is the name of a certain HE in the lord of the rings, so if we name the bird merry it could be a unisex name. buut if we think the bird’s a girl, it can be mary, and if it’s a boy, it could be merry. along with other unisex/androgynousy names. but i want to name it something very powerful sounding. O:
-Gabby
