Zzzz

OK, I am an idiot. So, I've been spending the fast few days trying desperately to get back on a healthy sleeping pattern for school. And I just fucked it up. And now it cannot be undone. I decided to take a nap when I got home. Sounds nice, right? Yeah, well I slept until 10:30. That's an 8 hour nap. Now it feels like morning and I'm never going to be able to fall asleep again. FML.

School=AsjdgisgesDIFSGHIESHfgSD @$(W#&REHfi fml

Well, I have officially attended one day of school. It wasn't too bad. I refrained from falling asleep on the first day--something I had expected to be inevitable since I had stayed up into the wee hours of the morning the night before doing last-minute summer homework! (Which, by the way, we didn't even have to turn in. blah.) But I think I pretty much managed it. Afterwards, I came home for a catnap which turned into 5 hours and I don't even know if that even qualifies as a nap. Then I did my small bits of homework, ate some yogurt, caught up on Jersey Shore and Awkward, nerded out for a little while on Pottermore (silverhallow186!!!), and then resolved to go to bed at 10 as to make it through another school day without sleeping. So, exhausted, I got all ready for bed and slipped under my duvet and lay there for about literally 3 hours and I just could not fall asleep. I don't know why, but I've been like that lately. I just cannot fall asleep ever until like 4 am even if I'm super tired. I start thinking and I don't know. It's impossible. So now it's almost 1 and I'm wide awake even though just 3 hours ago I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open and I haven't slept a wink. Does this qualify as insomnia? I don't know. So then I started thinking about blogging and kept thinking about it and decided that if I didn't post something I wouldn't be able to sleep. Sooo, this is it. While lying in bed staring at the ceiling, I made a list of rules that would help me get through this school year, since it seems so dark and ominous and terrifying. So here it is:

Guidelines to a Successful Sophomore Year

1. Sleep whenever possible, except in class. Seriously. Don't sleep through Algebra, no matter how unbearably boring it may be.
2. If you’re ever wondering what to do, do something productive.
3. Limit of 1 episode of Gossip Girl a day. Applies to any other show as well.
4. EAT BREAKFAST.
5. Don’t fuss over your hair; it’s never going to look right.
6. Don’t procrastinate until the last possible minute on projects.
7. If you feel like you should do an assignment, do it.
8. Study for exams!!!!
9. Don’t get involved in risky activities. By risky I mean… well, you know what I mean.
10. Don’t be mean to people unless they call you a bitch or steal your boyfriend or kick you in the shins.
11. Don’t sneak out of class to eat donuts.
12. Don’t eat donuts in class instead of doing your work.
13. Limit daydreams about Chuck Bass/Ron Weasley to 10 minutes per class period.
14. Eat only 1 ice cream per lunch, no matter how deliciously tempting a second one looks.
15. Try to keep your balance and not trip over desks, backpacks, or other objects. Also, don’t fall down the stairs.
16. Don’t wear leopard print at any time for any reason.

Well, there it is. I think if I stick to these rules over the school year, I'll come out alright. Well, maybe not alright, but hopefully alive. Now, off to sleep. xoxo Dylan

Brand-New Header & *Name Change*

ATTN!

Wow. 2 Posts in 1 Day? I KNOW! It's crazy. But this is important. While looking over my blog this morning I made a crucial decision. The name. Has got. To go. It was nice for a while, but it was getting old. Sooo, I updated slightly. Here's a list of changes to take note of (though they aren't very noteworthy for the most part):

a) New Name

b) New Header

c) Tumblr icon added to the right

&

d) New domain name/web address/thing-a-ma-gig. Changed from curiositykilledmyboyfriend.blogspot.com to http://chillin-withdylan.blogspot.com/

Sorry for any confusion this may cause! eeeenjoy!

Last Days of Summer (Update)

Fun Fact = I started this blog exactly one year and one month ago from today! Truth! I was about to start my Freshman year, and now look at me. Can you say soooooophomore? Not that being a sophomore is a big deal. At all. (Can you say threeeee moooore yeeeaaarssss?) But, it's just.. better...than being a freshman.

Well, there are 3 days of summer left. Three days = 72 hours. I already know that I will be spending about 15 hours doing my summer reading. (I picked a long book, then procrastinated for the entire summer.) And I will be sleeping for 30-36 more hours. Probably 36. Maybe 40 if you factor in midday naps. Which have been surprisingly frequent this summer. OK so, not very surprisingly. Whatever. Anyway, the point is that this means I only really have 15 hours of summer left.

Oh.

My.

GOD.

That just sunk in.

*Moment of silence for Summer 2011, we will miss you dearly.*

Actually, I don't know how much I will really miss it. I didn't do very much. I basically sat around the entire summer watching all 4 season of Gossip Girl, eating BBQ chicken pizza and drinking unprecedented amounts of cocacola. (GOOD NEWS= I got over my addiction for the most part! Drinking so much has like desensitized me or something, I swear. It's just not the same anymore ): ...) But the point is, it's been a very unproductive summer. Due to this, it feels like it rushed by so fast I only can't tell you one thing that happened. Jeez. Not cool.

I can remember a few fun things, of course. How could I forget such momentous occasions such as:

a) San Diego b) Los Angeles c) Seattle d) Cape Cod e) Kentucky

4/5 of those trips were AWESOME.

So, yeah. The usual. Travelling. I literally was in and out of airports. I feel like I'm probably racking up the frequent flyer miles. Anyone fancy a free trip to Europe?

*Fancy*

I sound so lovely and British!

Speaking of lovely and British, NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM. Or Matthew Lewis. Or whatever. HOLY PANTS!!!! He came out of NOWHERE. I was distracted by Ron Weasley all these years and I never even noticed... Actually I don't think anyone noticed... He was always chubby... and just... not very attractive... and then all of the sudden it was like SURPRISE ATTACK I'm sexy. Wow.

OK That's enough. I feel like I get carried away when I start talking about British people.

Sooooooooooooo, I'm almost done. But I know what you're wondering. Why are you blogging? I thought you were on Tumblr now. Aaaaare you COMING BACK?

Yes, yes, no. Or... Wait, yes, no. I don't know. AH! OK. I am blogging because I had a sudden urge, OK? I stopped blogging mainly because I was busy and it took a lot of time and honestly, I was bored. And therefore my blog was boring. So I took a break. Tumblr is great because it's more of an instant-gratification situation. No strings, no pressure, no work. So that worked for a while. But at the same time, I kind of miss just blogging. So I think I'm going to ease back into it. But don't get too excited. I'm talking like once-every-two-weeks for now. Hold your horses. "For now" means "for now", not UNTIL SOME UNSPECIFIED DATE THAT SHE IS PURPOSEFULLY WITHHOLDING FROM US TO MAKE US WAIT WHYYYYYYYYY. Chill. I don't know the answers.

SO. Anyway. I'm still regularly on Twitter and Tumblr. And Facebook even though I kind of hate it. My Tumblr again is http://queenofsmarts.tumblr.com/, and all my other sites are on a sidebar on some side of this blog I'm not really sure.

Aaaaaalrighty. I might post some writing here too. Just a headsup ;)

xoxo D

(Been watching too much Gossip Girl, like I said)

Giving into temptation... now with increased procrastination.

A few mos. ago, I gave into the dark side and got a Twitter. Now, things have escalated to a whole new level. I just made a Tumblr. I know. It's bad. It's compulsive, really. But maybe it's for the best. I mean, I love blogging, but I never have time! So, I'll probably still update this occasionally, but I think I'm going to make the big switcharoo. Follow me there, if you wish! It will be more short & snappy, with plenty of ha-ha's, wtf's, and ooh-la-la's to go around.

http://something-like-magic.tumblr.com/

xoxo

5/2

Aaaah, well I ended up getting super busy in Florida and totally had no time to blog for the rest of that week. I'll sum up the whole vacation into one word: awesome. Disney & Universal were really cool, especially Harry Potter. I could rave about that forever, but I'm not going to. (=

So, now I am back. I have been for a week. I am again swamped with schoolwork and I have to catch up this week so I can already say that I will have no time for this. I won't have much else going on either, so no big deal.

This is just a quiiiiick update, mainly to let you know that I'm still alive.

Au revoir!

Day 2 in Sunny Florida

Today, I decided to get my exercise for the week and went kayaking through the mangroves... It was actually really fun, though my arms hurt like hell as we were out there for two hours. I was hoping to see an alligator, but no luck today!

Me expertly maneuvering our boat through the mangroves:

Skills.

Anyway, we also saw these awesome crabs that were at the bases of the trees. They looked like if they closed up, they would turn into something else, like a transformer. They were sooo cool.

So, then we went out to lunch at this sports bar and I literally had the best gyro ever. Just saying.

So THEN I attended a BBQ with about 17 members of my family. It was chaotic, to say the least, as my family is basically insane. But, hey, it was entertaining. And there was food, so I was A-OK.

The weather is HOT here, and so far my attempts at tanning have been completely unsuccessful. I vowed to get one by the end of the week, but it seems like it's just not gonna happen.

Alright, time for bed.

(: CK

Extraordinary

After a long day of travelling (woke up at 3:30 am), I arrived in Florida at around noon. It's sunny and beautiful here- 85 degrees!

I went for a walk on the beach, and I sat there for a long time, looking at shells, and thinking that they are quite like people. You can easily pick apart the pretty shells just by staring down at the surface of the sand, but to find the truly extraordinary ones, you have to sift through all of the others. It's easy to find a nice shell, but it takes hard work to find the most beautiful ones amongst all the rest. So I thought, what makes a shell so impossibly spectacular? It's not just the outside, but also the interior of the shell. It's the brilliant colors and the glossy surface, but it's also the barnacles in interesting places, the perfectly imperfect cracks, the chipped edges, the specks of dirt crusted onto the surface. The perfect shell isn't so perfect, it appears. I find that the most magnificent shells are the assymetrical ones, he ones that are not only beautiful but also interesting. Something to set them apart from all the rest. Because shells are like people. It's easy to find someone who's beautiful. It's harder to find someone who is extraordinary in so many ways.

I found a shell today, and I thought that if I were a shell, it would be me. It was an ordinary shell- plain white -but there were deep canals carved into the surface. In truth, they reminded me of the scars which mark my own skin. I wondered where the shell could have gotten these marks, and I realized that there was a story there, behind those scars. Then I looked at all the other shells on the beach, and realized that every single one has a story, just like every single person in the world.

I don't know how that shell got those marks, and I probably never will. In a world with so many people and so many stories, how can we really know anyone? I feel like the deepest connection you can have with a person is for them to tell you their story, the story behind their scars, cracks, and chipped edges.

So, here I am in Florida. Thinking about my story. Thinking about life. Thinking about anything and everything all at the same time.

Alright, well, seafood waiting. I'm in Florida, after all. I left my camera at home accidentally, so I won't be posting any pictures until later in the week. I'm having it shipped down here. I'm so excited to take a break from the cold weather and quite frankly from people in general. I'll probably have a lot of things to blog about this week.

Au revoir mes amis, CK

Au Revoir

I'm leaving for Florida tomorrow at 6 am... I'm really excited! I will be staying at the house for the first half of the week and then going up to Disney and Universal for a few days... I'll take pictures each day and keep you posted! For now I just have to get through the plane ride........ :/. I'm going to re-read Looking for Alaska I think. Because if people were rain, I'd be drizzle and she'd be hurricaine. Bye!

Here comes the sun

People say that life is a rollercoaster, but it seems more like a merry-go-round lately. Endless days of the same old thing, you know? Repeating over and over until it feels routine. Eat, sleep, school. And don't forget to take a minute and breathe. I guess I'm stressed. Which is why I'm awake right now. But it's not just that. It's more than that. Days are passing faster than I can keep track. As soon as I feel like I'm getting hold of one, it slips through my fingers, and then it's tomorrow. Is it possible to slow down time for a second, just sit down, relax. I'm going to fall asleep soon, and then I'll wake up a short while after that, and it will be a whole new day. But not really. It will just be the same day I've lived so many times before, played again for my viewing pleasure.

Not that I'm complaining. It's easy. But boring. I feel like I'm not doing anything. Time doesn't mean anything. I guess I just have to get through the week. Then I'm off to Florida for vacation, where I can take some time to chill out. Laugh. Swim. Write. Tan. Eat fruit. Sounds nice. But first I have to survive this week, which I can already predict will be a long one.

Au revoir, mes amis.

CK

Doctor WHO?

OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!

I just heard that Doctor Who is coming to America. This month. In 13 days. I am so beyond excited you have no idea. As a supporter of all things British and a bona fide nerd, you have no idea just how much this means to me! Now, I don't know if this remake will be as good as the original, but judging my the trailer, it looks AWESOME! Of course... Americans do have a history of absolutely destroying fantastic U.K. shows (think Skins). But since it's going to be produced by BBC America, I'm guessing it will be up to par.

In other nerdy news, creemie stands opened this weekend and I still haven't had one. It's torture. Truly. I'm going tomorrow, I hope. I need a chocolate creemie in my system or I might drop dead. Not even joking.

Alright, lots to doooo.

xCK

Welcome to the Dark Side

I have joined the Dark Side. (No, not a Star Wars reference, I literally did join the Dark Side.) In other words, I got a Twitter. So you can follow me. At the moment I have 1 follower. I consider that to be an achievement. If you look on the right sidebar over here------------------------------>, there is a handy dandy little icon which quite obviously leads to my Twitter. So click that. If you want to.

In other news, well... there isn't really any other news. I have about 250 pages of Red Scarf Girl to read tonight. So I'd better get on that ASAP. Or I will risk failing Freshman year.

Freshman Year = Almost Over

It's crazy. C-R-A-Z-Y.

OH, I DO HAVE NEWS! One little tidbit. Today, I had French Onion Soup for dinner, and when I was chopping the onions I had a genius idea. I thought it would be smart to close my eyes so that they didn't burn... Well let me tell you... My eyes were fine; it was my finger that ended up burning when I almost chopped it off with a knife. So yeah. Onions + Knives + Eyes Closed + General Clutziness = Not a good day for me.

Okay, BYE.

-CK

Houston- We Have Orange Juice!

!At last, my life is complete. I am no longer falling into a dark and neverending casm of misery, for have seen the light. The orange, silky, deliciously citrusy light (with Vitamin D + Calcium). I am so happy right now. I could jump. I could sing. I'm pretty sure I could fly, but I'm going to actually try due to potential for serious injuries.

So, with orange juice in hand, tomorrow will hopefully prove to be a fantastic day. It's April 4th, which is one of my Universal Days in April, and also corresponds to a psychic reading I got over the summer, so it's supposed to be lucky for me. I don't usually put too much value in things psychics tell me, but this guy... everything he says is accurate. I go every summer. Two summers ago, he told me that I would face health problems in the near future. 2 months later, bam. I fall through a window. Crazy, right? So I'm going to wear my lucky socks tomorrow and hope for the best!

I am SO excited for Spring, it's ridiculous. I am beyond pumped. I can't wait to go to Florida too... I went shopping for spring/summer today, so I am all ready! Sun + Sand, here I COME!

Alright, dinner is calling. Au revoir mes amis.

CK

Day #6, Still No Orange Juice

And no sunshine, either.

I am spending my time racking the far regions of my enormous brain, in every last attempt to come up with the best April Fool's joke ever... I will think of a good one this year. I will.

So, the one highlight of my day was dinner. Which I just finished eating. When I tell you what I had, I pronounce that you will be insanely jealous. You really will....because I had............BACON.

We actually had a shortage of bacon in the Harbison household tonight, prompting what we call an EBR, or, in other words, an Emergency Bacon Run. Sometimes, bacon is a necessity. So, we booked it to the store and brought home the bacon. And we ate it with a side of french toast. Delish.

I have bigger news though.

Bigger.

Bolder.

At the store, while on said EBR, I spotted a new Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavor that I just had to give a whirl. And I usually reserve my whirling for Imagine Whirled Peace (oh heavenly ice cream flavor goodness), but this one sounded simply splendid. It's called Red Velvet Cake. My oh my. If you know me, you know that red velvet is my favorite flavor of cake, especially in the form of a cup, more commonly referred to as 'cupcakes'. So, with that in mind, I was super excited to try this flavor... There it was, on the shelf... Calling to me. So I bought it. And I ate it.... and let me tell you....

IT WAS HORRIBLE.

IT IS A DISGRACE TO ICE CREAM.

I couldn't even finish my bowl, and as someone who regularly eats a few pints of ice cream a day, that is really saying something... It does not taste like red velvet at all. It tasted fruity. And gross. Fruit + Ice Cream = WTF. Strawberry ice cream? No. Cherry Garcia? HELL NO. Fruit should be reserved for sorbet, and sorbet should be reserved for Haagen-Dazs. And I wouldn't complain, as I know that some people dig the whole fruity ice cream thing, except for the fact that NOTHING about Red Velvet Cake implies any sort of fruit involvement. I was expecting something far different. Something rich. Smooth. Like velvet. But NO. It is bitter. Fruity. And the cake batter has the consistency of a dish sponge. No thanks. Ben and Jerry, you have failed me for the first time. I am truly disappointed. B&J can SMD. LOL. Get it? OK.

Alright, I'm off to play a rousing game of Settlers of Catan. I will be back shortly. I have a list of must-blog-about topics piling up.

Aren't I being a good blogger lately?

x CK

Oh and headsup, I really don't post to Facebook anymore. So you're going to have to check back here yourself. Or subscribe. Whatever floats your boat. Ciao. =)

Day #5 Without Orange Juice...

...and I am suffering.

I swear there is a correlation. Every single time I don't drink orange juice, I literally have the WORST day ever. It's madness, I tell you. Madness. I also just looked at my bed and realized that my comforter is switched to the stripy side...shit. Maybe I'm paranoid, but seriously... not cool universe. Not cool.

I just ate 2 bowls of Great Grains and the rest of the pint of Late Night Snack ice cream. And a Diet Coke. I drank a sip, spit it out in disgust, and poured the rest down the drain. Where it belongs.

Sometimes, I feel like my life is a TV show, and every day is an episode. Some episodes are really repetitive, some are almost unbearable, some are hilarious, some go by way too fast, and some feel like they'll never end. Let me tell you though, if my life was a TV show, I would totally tune in every week.

Yeah, so, I'm pretty bummed right now. Without orange juice, my life is falling apart, I swear. I am going to grab some essential oils, play some techno music, and take a bath. Definitely sounds like a good plan. Techno solves all problems. Literally, I could be in the crappiest mood ever, turn my iPod on, close my eyes... and it's like... heaven. It's not even really techno music that I listen to (well, some of it is), I don't even know if it has a genre except awesomeness. It's like noisepop, electropop, straight-up house music. It's awesome. I should do a music post sometime in the near future and enlighten you all with my exquisite tastes.

Kbye. CK

Super Souflee!

Mission successful! The souffle turned out beautifully. I had a few misteps along the way (forgetting to turn the oven down to 375, spilling powdered sugar all over the floor), but in the end, it was peeeerfecto! Here are a few pics (sorry about the quality of the last two; they were taken with my cell phone camera because the digital camera died) :

My favorite part of the process, beating the egg

whites into blissful and puffy perfection:

Finished souffle:

It rose at least 4 inches above the rim...

it deflated a bit before my camera was ready!

And, let me tell you, it was absolutely delicious. Scrumptious. But, how could you not expect it coming from me, baker extraordinaire? Alright, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but hey. I've got talents.

Speaking of things I've got, I've also got a craving for Late Night Snack. It's the Ben & Jerry's flavor, and let me tell you... Deeeeeeelicious. I had a cone of it at the local scoop shop, and I was immediately infatuated. Love at first sight. If I had to choose between a pint of Late Night Snack and Rupert Grint, I would choose the ice cream every single time. That's a HUGE deal, if you know me and my obsession with British men. And gingers. And specifically with Rupert Grint, who is glorious in all forms. So, back to the ice cream. Ever since I first tasted it, I have been searching high and low for it in stores, to no avail. It's nowhere. Sold out. For good reason. Obviously, I'm not the only one under its spell.

So, today, I stopped into a local convenience store to get some butter for the souffle, and to my surprise I saw it there, in the freezer... Only one left in the whole store, and it was looking at me with this sly expression. I knew I had to have it. I rushed it over to the cashier. I only had 5 bucks with me, so forget the butter, I'm getting some Late Night Snack! (My mom was NOT happy about me returning without the necessary food supplies.) To the point, to the point. I ate it for dessert and now I'm just craving more. So. Delicious.

The container describes it as "Vanilla bean ice cream with a salty caramel swirl & fudge covered potato chip clusters", but I can sum it all up into one word: PERFECTION. You'd think potato chips in ice cream would be weird, but let me tell you... The saltiness is like the perfect balance... Whoever created it is genius. Absolutely genius. Sent from above. (Jeez, now I'm going to be singing Britney Spears.)

So, the point of this entire rant (more of a rave) is that Late Night Snack has OFFICIALLY joined the ranks of Coca-Cola, Beef Jerky, Mojitos, French Onion Soup and Snickers bars. Delish. It has also replaced Karmel Sutra as my favorite B&J's ice cream flavor. (Though I still prefer Haagen-Dazs Mango Sorbet. It's on a whole other level.) So there.

I'm trying to be healthier. After learning that I consume over 300 carbs a day just in Coca-Cola, not to mention like 1000000 grams of sugar, I decided it was necessary to change my ways. So, I've been trying to train myself to like Diet Coke... but let me tell you. It is hard. I almost puked the first time, I swear to God. I can't even bring myself to drink it; I have to plug my nose. It's really horrible. But I keep forcing myself to drink it anyway, hoping that eventually I will become numb to the taste.

I also am trying to switch out other unhealthy things with healthier ones. I'm starting with a few things, and then eventually I am going to try and cancel out all the bad foods in my life. So, apart from soda, I'm trying to change my cereal habits. I'm an all-things-Fruity-Pebbles-and-Lucky-Charms addict, so it was definitely a challenge to start eating Great Grains... But now, after a week, I have to tell you... it's not so bad. In fact, I find myself craving Great Grains almost as much as beef jerky, and that is a lot. Those crunchy clusters, they just get me, you know?

Alriiight, I will post more later about food habits, etc. Have a good week, everyone. (I hope mine's better, but I doubt it- my mom didn't get the right kind of orange juice at the grocery. People these days....)

CK (:

Mac Attack!!!

GUESS WHAT!

I'm blogging from a Mac right now. Given, it's my ten year old sisters and not mine, but... who cares. It's a glorious Mac, truly. Anyway, we are having a dinner party shortly, and so we've been getting ready all day. I'm making a souffle a la Julia Child for dessert, so I will post pics of the process for sure!

Everything is aaaabsolutely perfect right now. I have solved all of the major crises in my life, give or take a few. I'm glad the past week is over, because it's been pretty horrible. I think my misfortunes were mostly due to the lack of orange juice in the house. It always seems to cause me bad luck when I don't drink my orange juice. Also, when I sleep with my reversible duvet flipped to the stripy side. I will comment more on that later.

SO. I'll get back to you later tonight.

x CK

Books and... (No clever rhyme coming to mind....)

Hiii guys! Wow, I am starting to get behind on blogging...again. Well, you know, quarter closing, lots of work to do. I can't keep making these excused, though. I always say that I'm busy, but I'm not. I'm really not. Honestly, I do absolutely nothing. I pretty much sit around watching nerdy movies, reading even nerdier books, and playing still nerdier single-player card games. (Think Solitaire, though I prefer Freecell.) I'm not even going to say what books I've been reading. It's honestly TOO nerdy.

Though, I am reading a REALLY good book right now, which I am not ashamed to mention. Because it's just SO GREAT. Water for Elephants. They're making it into a movie, which I am super-pumped about because it's seriously the best book...ever. Though, it's a bit racy for silent reading in school... I always get to the awkward parts when my humanities teacher is peering over my shoulder..... Here's the movie trailer:

So, yeah. That's all for now. Life is good. Dreams are better. See you on the flip side. CK

3/16

I have the WORST sinus headache in the universe right now. So I can't sleep, and have resorted to blogging. (Though I should actually be doing my homework...) I also took the time to completely makeover my blog- let me know what you think! I think I'm likin' it!

I had a lot of homework to do tonight, but I didn't get much done. I spent the evening doing what I like to call productive procrastination. Instead of doing my homework, I completely cleaned and organized my loft. Counts for something, right? Hey, at least you can't say I was being lazy. That was hard work! It's my sewing studio combined with my writing studio combined with my art studio combined with my reading nook. Therefore, it gets messy... really messy. It was basically strewn with countless books, drafts of novels, journals, shredded up poetry, tubes of paint, half-finished drawings, sketchbooks, scraps of fabric, and a good amount of sewing needles. I stepped on about 10 of those. Not fun. Not fun at all.

It was worth it, though. I wish I'd taken some before & after pictures, because it was quite the ordeal. It literally took me about 6 hours to clean. Talk about a nightmare.

I should probably go. My chariot awaits. And by chariot, I mean bed. It's looking very enticing at the moment. Alright, I'll update again soon!

-Curiosity Kills. Dylan (=

Oh yeah, and DONATE!

I strongly urge everyone to give in the wake of recent events. I know I will. The Red Cross, as well as numerous other charities, are accepting donations.

HERE'S HOW:

You can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10. 100% will go to disaster relief for the 3/11 Earthquake and resulting tsunami, aftershocks, etc.

You can also donate to the Red Cross via their website.

Or, donate via phone by dialing 1-800-REDCROSS

Some other charities are also accepting donations via SMS, and via the web/phone.

The Salvation Army- Text JAPAN to 80888 to donate $10, or visit their website.

GlobalGiving- You can text JAPAN to 50555 to donate $10, or visit their website.

Save the Children- Text JAPAN to 20222 to donate $10, or call 800-728-3843, or visit their website.

MercyCorps- You can call 888-747-7440 or visit their website.

I hope you guys will join me in making a donation.

In wake of recent events....

I have a cold. Really bad one. I hate being sick. So. Much. I left school early today because I literally felt death creeping up on me, and I came home, plopped down in front of the TV, and on came the news.

SURPRISE!

Holy.

Shit.

O.

M.

G.

I don't really know what to say. I literally sat there, eyes glued to the TV, for 3-4 hours. Eating chocolate cake.

Every time a natural disaster occurs, we think "How can something of this magnitude happen?" It's really hard for me to wrap my head around the statistics. You see numbers on the screen. 245,000 dead. 1 million dead. 345,000 dead. 88,000 missing. Hundreds. Thousands. Millions. It's hard to imagine that each and every number in that statistic is actually an individual person with a story. With a life. It's almost inconceivable that so many people can just die. These numbers are huge.

It was Stalin who said that "When one dies, it's a tragedy. When a million die, it's a statistic." This quote is haunting, and utterly true. If I see a news story about a person who dies, it feels deeply personal somehow. A murder, a suicide, what have you. It's truly upsetting, because it gives you a name, a photograph, a story. When I see a nu

mber that huge, it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that it isn't JUST a number. So even though the deaths of millions is more tragic t

hat the death of one, it feels somehow less heartbreaking.

The other thing I find is that these disasters happen so out-of-the-blue. And each time one happens, I think, this is the worst thing that could ever happen. This is the absolute most horrible thing that will ever occur. And then, 6 months later, something worse happens. So where do we go from here? What can poss

ibly outdo the past few years? We had 9-11, Katrina, Thailand, Haiti... We tell ourselves that the worst is over, but it just keeps happening.

Perhaps the best, but also the most haunting, thing to come out of this is the massive surges of spectacular photojournalism, mostly coming in from Tokyo and other parts of Japan. I mean, the photography is truly surreal. I think that photographs are probably the most important aspect of news media. They capture moments in time, and they completely change the world. I mean, after seeing a great piece of photojournalism, who can forget it? There's the Man on the Moon, and then there's the Burning Monk in Vietnam, and of course who can forget the Afghan Girl? Or what about the Falling Man?

I don't know if it's only me, but photography leaves these imprints in my mind, in my heart. It's haunting. It can portray the most horrible moments in history in these beautiful, yet still dark, ways. It captures moments. Moments in history. The final moments of people's lives. Groundbreaking events- monumental, yet only momentary. Thin

gs that happened in the blink of an eye. How difficult was i

t to capture these moments in history? I mean, these photographers were in the middle of wars, disasters. They put themselves in the line of fire, for art. Fearless.

Here are some of my favorite photographs, to end this post.

I love this photo because it was such an important event, and this just captures to glory.

This is probably my favorite depiction of the

9/11 Attacks. It doesn't show the explosions. This man looks so peaceful, just falling. It's the last seconds of his life captured in

time.

Absolute favorite. Ever. I think it's called The Kiss, but I'm not totally sure. Supposedly, this soldier was actually just running around making out with any and every female person he could find on V-J Day. Even so, it basically captures the whole essence of the end of the war.

How NOT to fall and make a fool of yourself in social situations

The past few days have been rather unlucky, in the respect that I am feeling rather banged up today. Injured, I mean. I tend to get hurt quite frequently, to my and my parents' dismay. But the past couple days have been... well, extreme.

Yesterday, after taking a series of slips and trips, I decided to take a long bath in my jacuzzi tub. Relaxing, eh? So, I put some towels next to the heater, turned on some Northern Soul, and added some essential oils to the piping hot bath water. Well, let's just say that everything did not go as planned. First, I couldn't get the heat right... I like my baths basically scalding, and I just couldn't get the water hot enough. It kept going all lukewarm on me, which is definitely not okay. Eventually, I got that dilemma worked out and was able to mostly relieve my soreness with the jets.

But, when I woke up this morning, I realized I wasn't quite cured after all. I'm allergic to bubble bath and several soaps and oils, and I accidentally added one of those to my bath, it seems. I got a pretty bad allergic reaction on the palms of my hands and soles of my feet... So, I decided it would be a good idea to lotion them.... Well, it may have been a good idea except for the next idea I had... to wear rubber shoes. I'm an idiot, I really am. I was slipping and sliding around all day long in my shoes.

Then, as I went to leave school, I found a new enemy: the snow. I managed to fall several times in my rubber shoes and, as they are flats, my feet became completely numb. I had to actually take my shoes off and book home, it was so bad. I couldn't feel my feet at all, and it seems that on the way home I stepped on several shards of rock and glass, which dug into my feet... I didn't realize that there were several pieces of glass sticking out of my foot, though, because I couldn't feel a damn thing thanks to the almost-frostbite I acquired. I was walking around my house when suddenly the sensation in my feet came back and I got quite a shock...

I got the glass out and slipped into some comfy socks... Then I decided to disinfect the tweezers I used to take out the glass using a pot of boiling water. Well, not only did I spill the boiling water on myself, I also set my elbow down on the stove burner and gave myself burns, which I think are only first-degree but who the hell knows.

After all of these crises had passed, I managed to go about the rest of my afternoon routinely. I thought I was finally done with my series of accidents, but then I took one more tumble... I was just walking out the door when a huge patch of ice spun me in all directions. It was a pretty bad fall and I totally landed on my ass, which was embarrassing to say the least.

Now, I have retreated to my bedroom where I figure no one and nothing can injure me. As long as I'm alone. And not moving.

I do have a bit of a rep for getting hurt, I suppose. It's not my fault, really. I'm just... a bit clumsy, I suppose? I have a bad habit of falling and tripping over things, which usually makes me look like a complete idiot. I also tend to drop things and knock things over and break things, usually valuable, and I also have a habit of losing things and forgetting things and just plain not doing things.

I suppose that's all. I'm in a pretty grumpy mood at the mo'. It's probably accountable to the fact that every part of my body is bruised, burned, cut, or injured in some other way.

So, children. There's a lesson to be learned here. Don't wear rubber flats in March. Don't lotion your feet and then wear rubber flats, no matter what time of year it is. Don't put oils in your bath that will cause your feet to need to be lotioned so that you can't wear your brand new rubber flats. Don't get hurt in the first place, that way you won't need to take a bath that will cause an allergic reaction which will cause your feet to need lotion and ruin your chances of wearing your favorite rubber flats, even if it is March and snowy. Additionally, if you end up wearing your rubber flats, don't fall in the snow, causing them to get soaking wet and leave you unable to walk in them, resulting in no other option except to run home barefoot on the cold, barren concrete, which will probably result in cutting your feet on shards of glass which happen to be carelessly strewn about the road. You can probably also try to avoid spilling boiling water on yourself, setting your arm down on a stove burner set to High, and slipping on ice (even though the walkway was supposed to be "salted").

Also, you may want to avoid ever trusting me to hold onto your favorite necklace. And absolutely do not let me borrow your car. Because with me, everything that can possibly go wrong will most certainly go wrong.

This all started with me just wanted to take a bath. A measly little bath, because I was sore from falling down the stairs. But, of course, it escalated into a chronicle of misfortunes which only resulted in more injuries.

I think one of those YouTube people should come and just film me. No more filming at random moments to see if you happen to catch someone getting hurt. I'm a guarantee.

=)

CK

Just a V8...

It's been a month since I've posted, and I have no credible excuse... except, I have a life. And as much as I love blogging about it, I also enjoy living it. I literally have not stopped moving and just chilled since the beginning of the week... I've been so buuusy. I went downtown today, finally. I've been trying to go for ages... I'm shopping deprived. So I went, and splurged. And a felt a little guilty after everything was said and done and I was lugging twice my weight in bags down Church Street, but hey! Who cares. Shopping is good for the soul... Or is that soup.

Speaking of soup, we went to this Asian restaurant for some Asian cuisine, and I had the most spectacular bowl of Miso soup. Yum! Of course, it was accompanied by raw squid and salty caviar. I'm usually a pretty adventurous eater, but it was just...not...good. Still, I looooove going to restaurants sans grown-ups. It makes me feel so, well, grown up! I have this theory that if you took me and plopped me out on the street and turned me into a 20-year-old and gave me a wad of cash, I'd do pretty well for myself. Given, I'm only a freshman, but I can't wait to graduate and move to a city!

I think I city would be really fun to live in right after high school... For college and perhaps entry work... After that, who knows where life might take me. Maybe the suburbs... Maybe back to Vermont, though I doubt it. I could see living in California, San Francisco area, or maybe in Kentucky with my family... I could deeefinately see myself living in England. And not just because of the men, I swear. But I guess I shouldn't get too caught up in the future. I have to at least try to enjoy this wretched place. Vermont isn't that bad, I guess. I just hate the winter.

On a different note... I'm having a small dilemma. It's actually a rather large dilemma if you put it in perspective with all the other dilemmas in my life. Though, I don't have many dilemmas these days. They've been pretty scarce lately. So, this conundrum has been driving me crazy. Absolutely NUTS. Bonkers. And I'm usually pretty bonkers to begin with, so for me to take notice of my own bonkerness says something. (Is bonkerness a word? Bonkericity?) Anyway, to the predicament. Cocacola. My one, true love. I used to drink it all the time... But, lately, it doesn't taste the same and I'm sort of freaking out. I think I'm getting sick of it... which is super sad. What am I supposed to drink? Pepsi. I would rather stab myself in the foot with a large rod and then take a dive into a bath of salt. It's a miserable problem, and I don't think it can result in any good outcomes.

You know what I hate? I hate Pepsi. With all of the passion I can muster in my soul, which isn't much since my soul is an ice cold medley of stone and pure evil. I also hate Diet soda. It's like a V8. It will never quite be a Juicy. (LOLOLOLOLOL) I need to tell that story.

Okay, mini side rant. I was at this store one time and there were these two girls of about 10 who were, coincidentally, Asian, which made it 10x funnier. One of them held up this velour sweatshirt, one of those knockoff Juicy Couture ones. The other girl gave her this look and said, "That's such a V8. As hard as it tries, it'll never quite be a Juicy." And she said it in this Sharpay-from-High-School-Musical-esque voice. And I can't believe I just made a High School Musical reference, but, she really did say it like that. It was probably the highlight of my entire life.

Anyway, since my heart is made of stone and pure evil as previously mentioned, I'm going to make a list of things I hate. Because I hate a lot of things. And one of them isn't lists.

1) I hate people who hate people. Save the hate for Diet soda and material things like socks, guys. People don't deserve to be hated!! Except for the creators of Pepsi because they deserve to be shot. (Not really. Please don't go shoot them. They are probably nice people who made some mistakes in life. Like creating the worst excuse for a soda ever.)

2) I hate ponchos. Why were they invented? Someone please enlighten me, because I'm very concerned about the sanity of whoever invented these ungodly things...

3) I hate, no, I doubly hate, because single-hating is sometimes not enough, Wal-Mart. Or is it Wal*Mart. I don't even knoooow. Why was it invented? It's so GROSS. It looks like a warehouse. I can't even go inside. It's like... scary. And the people are like... dirty. I sound like an elitist snob. And I'm not. Really. It's just... that store is horrifying.

OK, before you realize that I actually wasn't joking when I said that my heart was made of stone, I'm going to stop naming things that I hate. Because I could go on forever.

Farewell.

Adios amigos. Beunos botas. (I'm so good at Spanish....)

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDylan.CK.w/e.

SNOWSNOWSNOWSNOWSNOWSNOW

I know I haven't posted anything in a week or so, but I have a really good excuse! I've been sick. Dreadfully ill. No joke. It was the strangest thing... I had basically every disease possible to have, combined. Not really. But it wasn't you straight-and-narrow stomach flu or chest cold. Well, that's old news, and I'm better now.

I miss four days of school, which is a lot... And it ran over a weekend. I went to school yesterday for the first time. And now, the angels in heaven which I didn't think were real but apparently they are because, LORD, they have answered my prayers! Not that I prayed but, they but have some kind of mind-reading powers because my silent prayers were answered! IT'S A SNOW DAY!

Here I will describe my wonderful and completely productive plans for the day.

1) Build a snow fort- it will take an hour to build, and by the time it's done, I will be so freezing cold that I won't be able to hang out in it! (Hang out=the phrase used to replace 'play' and make me sound like I'm not age 9...)

SIDE NOTE- When I was age 9, I used to think very highly of my vocabulary. One of my favorite words to use was "philandering". I thought it meant something close to frolicking, and so I used it often in various context.

e.g. Mom, my friend and I are going to go philander in the woods.

Little did I know, I had the meaning completely incorrect, and my dear mother NEVER ONCE thought to correct me. Embarrassment was imminent. And it occurred, let me assure you.

For those who don't know, though I hope you all do-

phi·lan·der (f-lndr)

intr.v. phi·lan·dered, phi·lan·der·ing, phi·lan·ders

1. To carry on a sexual affair, especially an extramarital affair, with a woman one cannot or does not intend to marry. Used of a man.

2. To engage in many love affairs, especially with a frivolous or casual attitude. Used of a man.

Another side note related somewhat to this post, but mostly related to the idiocy and incompetency of most of the citizens in this holy nation where i reside, which is admittedly not related at all to the list or side note above. Apologies.

I found this on the Web, and I actually was surprised at just how stupid some people are. You've probably seen this, but....

I am seriously not proud to be an American right now. Not that I ever really was. But, honestly. Fox News, is it that hard to check an atlas? Most of you know at least that Egypt is in Africa, if not its exact location. (I hope you do.) And, furthermore, you've probably noticed that the country labeled as Egypt on this map is actually Irac. You would think that since we've had this huge war, people could at least find it on a map. Is that too much to ask? Egypt isn't even in the Middle East! Sorry, this is just getting me all worked up, as idiocy so often does.

So, BACK TO THE LIST!

2) Get my sleds out of the garage

3) Remember that my sleds are welfare-quality

4) Plot to steal the neighbor's sleds

5) Fail miserably

6) Go sledding on welfare-quality sleds on a barely existent hill

7) Get bored

8) Go home

9) Drink hot chocolate

10) Stop kidding myself- I don't even like the snow!

11) Resolve to read Harry Potter--------again.

12) Watch Star Wars or LotR if time prevails

13) Realize that I am the nerdiest person ever

14) Smile because I'm Nerdy & Proud

15) Realize that I got absolutely nothing productive done

16) Realize there's school in the morning and I haven't done my homework

17) Consider busting out the books and doing it before bed

18) Mutter, "Screw that, I'm going to sleep"

19) Sleep

20) Sleep some more

So, THAT is my phenomenal plan. I'm so excited. Better get to that, if I want to get it all done today.

I hope all my fellow snow-day-ers enjoy it while it lasts!

CK

I have a dentist appointment today... and I am sort of FREAKING OUT. There are only a few things in this world I am truly scared of. I will make a list.

1) Dentists. It's mostly due to some horrific childhood memories. Also, I hate fluoride. Hate it. With all of the passion I can muster.

2) Airplanes. Whenever I board, I always take care to be at the end of line. As I walk down the aisle, I carefully scan every person on the plane and make sure they aren't possible terrorists. It's kind of OCD-ish, actually.

3) Spiders. This is going to sound silly- And, okay. I'm pretty much fine with anything with a diameter of less than an inch and a half. The little ones don't bother me. I mean, I can kill them with one finger if I need to... But once you start getting into those huge, monster spiders... I freak out. Not in the scream-like-a-five-year-old-and-run-around-in-circles way. In the get-the-hell-out-of-there-as-fast-as-you-can way. I have a camp on the lake, and I've had a million encounters with wolf spiders... I've gotten pretty used to it. Even though I'm really terrified by them, I actually find them a bit fascinating... They're cool if you can get a good look at them... The biggest spider I've ever seen was a tarantula in Arkansas which happened to be crawling up my staircase. I picked it up, at age 5, the fearless nature girl that I was, and showed it to my dad. "Go show it to your mother!" was the response I got.. Well... let's just say there was a lot of screaming, standing on chairs, and my father sleeping on the couch after that incident. Oh, spiders! So many memories. While any 4-inch spider can scare the bejeezus out of me, I'm pretty much gold with any other creepy-crawly animal. You might not know it by looking at me, but I used to be quite the nature girl. I used to catch snakes and keep them in my room. Which is cruel, now that I think about it. And don't tell my mother. She still doesn't have an explanation for the frequent snakes slithering around the kitchen. "The cat brought them in."

Alright, well. I need to go. My appt. is @ 3, and I have things to do before then...

CK (:

Toxic Dorito Fumes and the Cycle of Ugliness

Well, I'm pretty much sitting here reminiscing about... well, everything. I have Green Day playing on repeat- Jesus of Suburbia, Whatsername, and St. Jimmy, to name a few. I'm eating a whole bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, because hey, I deserve it. My first official high school exam week is over, and I'm pretty sure I've ace 'em all. I got a 103 on my Geometry midterm, so I spent the whole day gloating and rewarding myself with various snacks. Doritos taste pretty good, but has anyone but me ever noticed that it physically hurts to inhale them? Well, not inhale them like drugs. I don't do that. But, just if you open the bag and breathe in the cheesy smell, it makes you choke! Or at least, it makes me choke. But, hey, I'm unusual in many ways. I'll just incapability to inhale Dorito fumes to the list.

Anyway, so, I have about 6 yearbooks sitting in front of me. And I'm not one of those sad, depressing, no-life, no-friends people who sit there and flip through photo albums and yearbooks to look at all the friends they used to have, or pretend that people in photos with them were there friends when really they were forced into that photograph by a teacher to make sad, friendless losers feel good about themselves. ANYWAY. I'm not that girl. I was just cleaning (I know, a first) out my loft, and I came across my stack of yearbooks. So I started flipping through them, and what do you know? I was a pretty cute kid! Well, up until about....7th grade. Or maybe 5th.

It has come to my attention that everyone used to be so ugly! I mean, seriously. We were all super-cute in like elementary school, and then, all of the sudden, we are all little creepy children. Ah! But then, we all got beautiful. (Most of us, haha.) I think it's a cycle. At first, you're a cute kid. Then you go through this really ugly phase. And then, you emerge. Or you better hope you emerge. Seriously, look through the yearbooks from like 6th, 7th grade. We all look like we're on hardcore drugs, possibly sleep deprived, horrible at putting on makeup, with little to no sense in fashion. But, look at us today! Pretty much every girl in our grade, heck, in our school, is absolutely gorgeous now!

And then, you look at the guys. I have a third grade yearbook sitting in front of me, and this is going to sound bad, but pretty much every guy looks the same today as they did then. Height-wise especially. (=

So, cuties and patooties, I encourage you all to look through yearbooks sometime! Read all the inside jokes scrawled on the inside covers, and then scan through every page to check for embarrassing photos of you. Because, guess what! Everyone has these things, and everyone can see that awful picture where you look like a homeless person. People say that every embarrassing thing goes away with time. People will stop laughing after a while. Photographs in yearbooks are the exception. In 25 years, I will look through my high school yearbook, and I will still be laughing my ass off at how stupid you look. =)

Aside from my adorable elementary cuteness, there are other things to reminisce about. For example, my HAIR! My long, luscious locks! The lion's mane! I miss it so much. It was a part of me... for so loooong. I know I got it cut a while ago, and I know people tell me I look better with short hair. But it was just... so wonderful. I'm so sad! Also, there's this super cute picture in the 8th grade yearbook of me lying down on the grass with me hands around my face, and my wrists are pointed straight at the camera... And... it's weird because I have no scars in the picture. And it just makes me wish I could be that way again. =( Well, half of me wishes my scars would disappear, but the other half thinks they are extremely awesome. Just another thing that makes me unusual. And pretty badass, if I do say so myself.

So, randomly the other day in Human Ecology, I stabbed my index finger with a pencil really hard (by accident), and it hurt. That sounds really stupid, but it's actually pretty amazing.... I didn't think that I had feeling in that finger, but it's started coming back- finally! I'm actually really excited. I've been working sooo hard at sensory re-education for a year. It's finally paying off. I am so thankful that my nerves are regenerating so quickly. They're nowhere near finished, but I'm getting there. It's faster than was predicted.

Well, that's about it, folks. I want to go skiing this weekend, but it's so cold! We'll see, I guess.

It's a 3-day weekend for me, so I predict it will be filled with sleeping and more Doritos.

<3ck

The Skinny

So, I've failed. Completely. Utterly. Fast over.

Hey, it's not my fault that I have as much self-discipline as a toothpick. I compare everything to toothpicks, I just realized. For instance, I might say that one has as much life experience as a toothpick or that they are as boring as a toothpick. Toothpicks just suck.

K, well. I can't talk now. So much studying! That's the other reason I haven't been blogging this week... Exams, exams. 3 down, 3 to go. And, on the bright side, I only went to school for 2 hours today. Came home and watched Skins and then studied. Speaking of Skins... that show is actually really good. But I didn't catch the whole storyline because I was distracted by how smokin' hot Tony is.

Alright. More later, <3

CK

I gave in and went on Facebook today. I had a very good reason. Well, a mildly good reason. OK. It was a downright bad reason. But, whatever the reason, I broke my fast. =(

I also blogged. For an equally bad reason.

But, hey, it's hard. I'm going to try again.. starting NOW.

P.S. Goodbye, Hannah Montana. RIP. (Had to get that in there.) Not that I watch that show or anything... Lame......................... I painted a picture today. Oooooooh! I'll upload it later. And then my fast will begin again.

xxCK (The failure at Techno-fasting)

Techno-fast!

Alright, starting today, I am having my annual two-week-long break from technology, and I am SO excited. Starting today, I am putting down my iPod, cellphone, and Facebook. I will be back blogging in a couple weeks, just taking a break. My reasons for this break are many. For one, I just need some time to BREATH. To LIVE. All of this technology clouds up my head sometimes and I sit around wasting my whole life. Just think about it. We only have so many hours to live. And if we waste precious time doing absolutely nothing productive, what does that say about ourselves? So, each year, I generally take a weekend or something off. But this year, I've decided to do a full two weeks. I've just gotten so caught up in everything and I've forgotten the things that are really important to me. It's easy to get distracted with so many distractions.

I'm going to take this time to write in my journal (by hand!), play piano, paint, study for exams, and just have good, old-fashioned fun. It's a breather I've needed for a long time.

So, farewell, dear friends. From now until February 1 (2.5 weeks), I am technology free. Until then.

xoxo

Curiosity Kills

Oh, and here's a poem for the road.

The Kite

As I lengthen her string, she extends

Inch by inch, meter by meter

Until she is floating free above the trees

Spiraling whimsically in the breeze

She is so small compared to the world

Yet she seems to overtake the sky

Threatening to escape my grip

Pulling at my fingers with such

Determination that I nearly succumb

I hold her still

But I can't keep her here forever

Trapped by these phantom chains

With every gust, she grows stronger

Until the wind whips her away

Free at last, I whisper

I trace the red lines on my palm

My only memories, already fading

I tried to keep her here forever

She disappeared so fast

Proof of Insanity

Intentionally Untitled Poem

in my hand, scarlet rose

the sun, as it crept through

the walls, shaking the whole

damned bottle, bubbles rising

as I gasp for breath, drowning

my noodles in tomato sauc-

ers hovering overhead, frantically

racing to the finish line, a sigh

to be left for interpretation

-CK

sometimes i write the strangest things...

The Big Bang Theory (redefined); Also, 3 penguins share a bowl of Mac

Parking Lot

Gentle footsteps- pat, pat

Plink, plink- echoes on metal

Whoosh, the thief steals

Again, the droplets

Taken so effortlessly

From the glass

I watch her

Walking briskly now

Head stooped, leaning forward

Avoiding the storm

-

I was sitting in a parking lot while my sister played basketball a few weekends ago, and it was raining so hard that I could barely make out shapes outside of my car. Luckily, I had my journal and was able to pass time by composing this short poem and a short story I've been working on. If you'd like to read the story, you can check it out here- http://figment.com/books/9887-Star-in-my-Pocket

So, I've basically been down the past few days.. It's just been a couple crappy days, you know. Well, a crappy week. I'm not going to blog away my miseries, though. I have poetry for that.

Instead, since it's 11:25 pm and I would much rather be watching reruns of That 70's Show than ramble-blogging, I'm going to briefly update you on my life in the form of a compact list.

• I cleaned my room this week.
• I baked 96 and a half cupcakes today.
• I thought I lost my journal and almost had a panic attack. Then I found it. Under my bed.
• I also found some other questionable items under there.
• One of these items was a red skittle... To eat, or not to eat? It was tempting, but I ended up opting out of potential food poisoning.
• I had an extremely awkward conversation with my mother. Then again, most of our conversations end up awkward...
• In science class, we were learning about the Big Bang Theory, and I couldn't concentrate because I was wondering if astronauts have sex in space. I was basically considering it all day after that, until I got home, googled it, and found an entire Wikipedia page titled "Sex in Space".
• I may not have learned about the Big Bang Theory, but I think my Bang Theory was indisputably more interesting. (I'm so punny!)
• I got a B on my science test.
• I got a C in life.
• I found out that I'm not very street smart.
• I also found out that I should really carry pepper spray in my purse.
• I got re-hooked on That 70's Show. Mostly because I remembered how smokin' hot Eric is.
• I procrastinated. A lot.
• I found the missing three chapters of Harry Potter 6 in my closet.
• I had a REALLY weird dream involving three penguins, a box of Spongebob-shaped Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, and a toaster.
• The dream turned into a nightmare around the time that the toaster came into the picture.
• If you've been keeping up with the Dylan News, you know why.

Well, there you go. I know all you stalkers out there like to keep your Dylan journals updated. I should really go to bed now. As you can see, I am not in my right mind right now. I think it's the hour. Or maybe all those cupcakes.... Besides, I have brunch tomorrow with my dear father. Yippee.

^Take note of obvious enthusiasm.

Alright, farewell folks! CK

Fits of hysteria and violent outbursts can only lead to one thing...

So, great news folks! I officially have feeling in my thumb. I learned this the hard way. All I wanted was some toast and honey, but the outcome wasn't very sweet. (Punny, I know!) It was quite disastrous. It seems that I accidentally put my thumb directly into the toaster... Not my brightest moment, I must admit. I ended up with second degree burns and a thumb that was definitely feeling it. In fact, I think the whole thing was magnified by my nerve damage making it 10000x worse. All in all, not the best 10 minutes of my life. Just sayin'.

So, I got this new product for my hair... It's like chemicals. It smells like chemicals. It's called Garnier Fructis Sleek and Shine Blow Dry Perfector, or some other long fancy-sounding name. I got it for Christmas. I was a bit skeptical at first. For one, I usually don't put things in my hair that require you to wear gloves to apply and instructs you to "call poison control immediately" following a lot of contact to skin... That's just a bad sign. Knowing me and my habit of spilling things, I thought it may have not been the most well-thought-out present. Keep chemicals away from me; I will get hurt. I may also have been skeptical for the fact that upon opening the bottle, my nose was filled with such noxious fumes that I had to break out my emergency Harijuku Lovers bottle and spray down my bathroom like I was extinguishing a house fire. Like any good skeptic, I decided to do some research on the Internet before using these products... I found that it had extremely positive reviews, so I decided to try it... Let me just say.... I have never, not once in my entire life, been able to say (without a visit to a hairdresser) that I am completely satisfied with my hair. Tonight, I am. It is perfectly straight, thin, and smooth. I can ask for nothing more. I am so happy that I feel like dancing. But, I always feel like dancing so that doesn't mean much...

On a different, more raging note, I am FURIOUS. I haven't eaten a chocolate creemie with chocolate sprinkles in months. I am dying, devastated. I have never gone this long. Actually, I have. Last winter. And I went into a state of depression. I am considering buying a creemie machine so I don't fall back into the same black hole of endless night. I hate winter. Actually, I don't. But I hate that creemie stores close in the winter. I don't CARE that they don't make a profit! I would buy creemies every day! I don't care how cold it is! I WANT ICE CREAM! You know what? I will be their sole customer! I will buy all of their creemies every day and they WILL make a profit. SO HMPH, take that evil creemie stores! You can't deprive me any longer- I won't let you!

OK, I feel like your eyes are all getting wide. Oh shit, Dylan's gone crazy again. I'm sorry guys. It's just... I'm going through major creemie withdrawal. My symptoms include fits of hysteria, anxiety, insomnia, blackouts, and outbursts.

Not really.

I don't want you to think I am a psycho.

I'm not.

Really.

Kind of.

Sort of.

Okay.

Maybe a little.

Anyway! I'm going to sleep so... Until later, my friends.

CK

Well, hi, chickadees! (And... chicka....dudes? idk.) I thought that photo was clever, was it not? So, anyway, quick update! Vacation ends tomorrow (=o). I'm sort of freaking out. See, I was not very productive over break... I have a LOT to do today. I will probably be up pretty late tonight. Which is okay, I guess, since I got 12 hrs sleep last night. (Though I am yawning right now, which makes little to no sense........)

Well, I'd better get to it! Call me, beep me, if you wanna reach me! (Okay, I will admit it. I did spend the majority of break watching re-runs of South Park and Kim Possible. Don't judge.)

More later! CK

I'm the Get-Out-Of-My-Spotlight one!

Hi guys! This is the first post of 2011, yay! (And I know what you're all thinking- 2 posts in 2 days?!) Well, yeah. I'm back. In 2011, I'm going to experiment with photo-blogging, quickie posts from my phone, etc, so that I can keep my blog more up to date. It's hard since I'm always super-busy! So, you may have noticed that I updated my layout... The old one was nice, I liked it, but I wanted a more simplistic feel. So this is just an experimentation- hope you like it!

So, to begin, how about some poetry? It's been a while, I know. Here's a poem I wrote a few weeks ago... I was bored and feeling inspired.

The Real Me

People say I'm the brainy one

The smart one,

The genius one.

By people, I mean everyone

And that's just fine by me.

But I'm not just the brainy one

Underneath, I'm loads of fun!

I'm many ones;

I'm everyone!

So who are you to me?

I'm the optimistic one,

The sometimes narcissistic one

The never pessimistic one

It's really good to be-

The funny one, the happy one!

The almost always smiley one

The fearless one, the daring one

Everyone is me.

But I'm also the scared one,

The lonely one, the bored one

I'm the dulled and dimmed one

That no one really sees

But I'm the bright-idea one!

The crafty one, the happy one

I'm really just the nice one

And that's all I'll ever be

I'm the outrageous one,

The get-out-of-my-spotlight one!

I'm the would-be glamorous one

Screaming, "me, me, me, me, ME!"

I may not be the perfect one;

The perfect one isn't anyone

I have flaws like everyone

And that's what makes me, me.

I'll still be the confident one

'Cause I can take you down at Scrabble, hun

Remember? I'm the brainy one

Don't even challenge me.

I'm the real outdoorsy one

The musical one, the skiing one

If you thought I was just the brainy one,

Take a closer look and see- the real me.

I know that was pretty long- took up three pages in my journal! But I think it was really good for me to write. Sometimes, you lose track of who you are in life. You get caught up in what other people think of you, and you forget what you think about yourself. In times like these, it's good to take a moment to remember that there is more than one side to everyone! It was fun to brainstorm all the different dimensions of me, and then it was even more fun to compose the poem. I looooove the rhyme scheme. I know it's just a fun, playful poem, so it's not supposed to be some genius work of Wordsworth. But, hey, for 15 minutes on a Friday night? I think I did pretty well.

So, I hope you all have a fabulous 1st week of 2011- I know I plan to! School is starting back up, so I have a lot of homework to do... I hope everyone was happy and healthy for the New Year!

Let me know what you think about the new layout!

-CK