I thought it was rather fitting. (The shading of the plane made the drawing come out weird, but you get the idea.)
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Welcome to Hawaii.
It was a 6 hour flight. I did a lot of different things. There were no in-flight movies, but that wasn't really a problem. I sat down, flipped through the vacation brochure they provided, and did this.
I thought it was rather fitting. (The shading of the plane made the drawing come out weird, but you get the idea.)
So. Welcome to Hawaii.
I thought it was rather fitting. (The shading of the plane made the drawing come out weird, but you get the idea.)
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Wedding Singer
I need a wedding singer at my wedding someday... I'll just have to be careful not to run off with him. ;)
The Original Creeper
Guess what. I've been getting some really crummy hours, less than twenty a week on average. But they come at just the right time to be annoying. I teach three lessons, and then leave.
So the one day that I plan something late at night.... they give me a 10 hour work day.
And honestly, I didn't mind it. Morning lessons aren't so bad, even if I was just subbing for a day.
Then I did some Lifeguarding for the Chinese Olympic Synchronized Swimming Duet Team and ...
Ya. Read that sentence again. The two Chinese girls are practicing in Palo for the 2016 Summer Olympics. They have one girl Chinese coach, and one French guy that is rather in-touch with his feminine side.
They were fun to watch. But I'm already sick of the first 20 seconds of their music.
It made for a good conversation piece with the little kids, even if they didn't know everything I was talking about.
After one class, the father of one of my students (he swims laps during the lesson) came up to me and started talking in the most beautiful Australian accent I have ever heard. His name is Chris, and he operates and indoor sports facility that operates year-round to teach kids sports. He runs the soccer program they call "little kickers," and introduced me to his "mate (insert name here)" who runs the basketball program. They are looking for coaches. He asked if I was interested.
I was more interested in listening to his beautiful accent than the fact that he was practically offering me a job.
I don't know the first thing about being a soccer coach. I've never even played soccer. He didn't see that as a problem. Apparently, If I can teach kids how to swim in a pool, I can teach them anything anywhere.
Interesting theory. Pretty flattering. And did I mention that I loved his accent?
I suppose he would have given me a business card, but... he was in a swimsuit. So he gave me the basic URL, and said I could look it up if I was interested.
That goes for Australian accents as well.Moving on. I finished my lessons. I took my bike, noticed that the front tire was rather flat, but thought that it was enough to get home on. Silly me. I got about half way. Then the tire was 100% flat.Plan A) Walk to the closest intersection (thankfully, not that far away) so that I could call Dad to come and get me. Then I remembered, I didn't have my cell-phone. Split second plan B) Walk slightly past the intersection and into the little car wash on the corner. A car wash is for car care/maintenance. It probably has air for tires. It was a good idea. But there was no air. Split-second plan C) Ask the lady towel-drying her car if I can borrow her phone. Repeat basic idea of plan A.
Plan C works.
She was blonde lady, probably in her early thirties (but ages are so easily miss-guessed, as you will see), and she was really sympathetic to my plight. She decided to stay with me until my dad came, so we started talking. Here is the gist of our conversation:
"I'm glad your brother (who actually answered the phone) picked up for a strange number."
Me: "Oh, we don't have caller ID (later, Dad told me that we do on one phone... you learn something new everyday.) so we usually answer the phone. (Now I try to be funny) But if it's a political add, we hang up."
"Who would you vote for if you could?"
Me: "The Republican candidate."
"I'm not too political, who would that be?"
Me: "Mitt Romney"
"Oh, so you're Mormon."
Wow. That was fast. "Yes."
It turns out that her mom was baptized a few weeks ago, but she didn't have any strong convictions to join.
She said "So, you have lots of siblings?"
Dang, this lady is good."Yes, there are five of us. I'm the second oldest."
"So, how old are you, 13?"
Ouch. "I'm 17." Maybe she's not that good. I do look younger than I am, and I was riding a bike whereas most 17-year-olds drive. I said I had just come from the pool, not from work. So it was a little saddening, but understandable. I blew it off by saying something about how people always think that Eliza is older, and how it probably has something to do with her haircut.
Not long after that, my Dad drove up, we attached the bike to the back, thanked the lady, and left.
Very interesting, Alayna, but how is this at all relevant? Well, I now had half an hour to eat, shower, and get dressed for PHANTOM.
I did. We were pushing the time restraints, but we left at 8:30.
I saw the "Phantom of the Opera."
I have wanted to see it for a long time. It is leaving on September 2nd and yesterday was my last chance to see it. Because of my crazy work schedule, we had to go to the 9:30 pm performance.
They usually have a good deal for locals tickets. But it only applies for the best (and most expensive) seats in the house, and you have to buy them in even numbers. So Eliza, Mom, my friend Melissa, and I went. We bought the tickets on Saturday for the following Monday (August 20th).
MOM FORGOT TO BRING A CAMERA! This wasn't too big of an issue, because Melissa (always prepared) had brought one. I just thought I'd mention it because it has to be some kind of significant historical thing. The time my mother forgot a camera at a major event.
I found out that you can steal photos from facebook... which I will now do. (evil laugh)
This is Melissa, Michael Crawford, Alayna, and Eliza.
Who is Michael Crawford?
Mom kept wanting to take photos... even though it wasn't her camera.
The theater was a LOT smaller than I thought it was.... and I think we had the best seats in the house!
People were taking pictures, so Mom decided that we could too. One of the ushers thought otherwise.
This is the photo of "no photography."
The set was unbelievable! Things moved so quickly! And when the curtains moved aside to show a TON of wax figures acting as part of the opera house audience, I kind-of jumped. I'm not a fan of wax figures. They used wax figures like movies use extras. Need people to fill an opera house? Make them out of wax. Want Michael Crawford greeting guests? Make him out of wax. Need to fill up the stage in "Mascarade?" Make half of the people on stage out of wax! (I actually didn't catch on to that one until about half-way through the musical number. I said, "Melissa, some of those people are wax." She had already noticed it.)
I REALLY loved it. I swear, if this were like a Disney land ride, where they record your reactions, I would make millions. I was SO involved. There were blinding fireworks, and when they shot fire, I felt the blast of heat. Even though I knew the general idea of what was going to happen, it still surprised me. I knew the chandelier was going to fall... but I still almost screamed.
Fun fact. The Phantom of the Opera is the original creeper. Listening in on conversations, delusional ideas, popping out of random places all the time, obsession with Christine, and a major case of egotism.
Raoul on the other hand.... "what a man" is the phrase that comes to mind.
I'm definitely "Team Raoul." He's not crazy, he loves Christine but isn't manipulative, he sings a real love song, and he comes to her rescue! (Even if it back-fires and he ends up in a cage with nifty spikes that go in and out on Phantoms command. And then he has to watch helpless as Christine makes-out with Phantom in an Aladin/Jasmine style distraction, something I could barely stomach.)
Christine sings beautifully. But there really doesn't seem to be much going on in her head. She's pretty weak and I'm not sure that she deserves Raoul. But she certainly doesn't deserve to be stuck with Phantom.
Madame Giry (the lady who communicates with Phantom, brought him here, the whole shebang) was really tall, and wore a black outfit that was a cross between Nanny McPhee and Elphaba. I liked her.
The cast was great, and played their roles perfectly. I enjoyed the whole thing and loved every musical number. It was edited, so the story was rushed, but still understandable.
The thing I didn't like about it was the other people in the audience. The guy that cut us in line for the tickets without a second thought, and then made snide comments when we reclaimed our spots (led by fearless Melissa). The lady who was obviously drunk and sang along with parts of the songs and played on her cellphone. WHO PLAYS ON THEIR CELLPHONE IN $80 SEATS??? I pretty much hated her.
The end. We left (after the usher kindly said the show was over and invited us to leave the theater), and got another photo for proof that we had been at Phantom.
Mom got talking to a couple who had come form Ohio, just to see this play.
As a fun side note. Do you know the song "50 Ways to Say Goodbye?"
I always thought of it as a mix of "Phantom of the Opera" and "Mariachi."
See for yourself.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Pets-not-Smart
I have been house/bird/cat/dog -sitting for the past 3 days.
I was planning on telling you ALL about it... there was a lot of crazy stuff that was interesting and fascinating and all that.
But I can't. I was specifically asked not to.
SO. It looks like you are stuck with the boring things.
I have NEVER owned a pet other than the occasional fish. Suddenly, I'm stuck (literally, because they wanted someone there at ALL times) in a house with a bird (Serengeti), a cat (Crystal), and a dog (Sadie).
The person who lived there has dish network. So I watched TV. A LOT.
I watched Rizzoli and Isles, which is a crime show that I've wanted to see. It's pretty good.
And I can say that because I watched 6 episodes PLUS the summer season finale.
Commercials are annoying, but doable. During commercial breaks, I drew this.
There were a LOT of commercial breaks.
I did bio homework (which I recently have learned, might be for NOTHING), and read, practiced the piano, and BLASTED "Call me Maybe" when it came on the radio (which I brought from home).
I dealt with the animals.
The bird was fine. On my first day there, whoever was in-charge told me a lot of stuff about how to keep a bird.
"If you want to change cages, put a dish towel over your arm, so he doesn't scratch you. He is allergic to avocados, but enjoys lots of other fruits (list of fruits). When you put treats in his cage, you might want to be careful, or wear gloves. He can bite, and he doesn't like girls. If he DOES bite you, don't worry, it won't bleed that much, but you might want to put some hydrogen peroxide on it anyway, just to be safe. Birds are smart, and scientific inquires prove that birds have the brain function of the average two-year-old, and are really good at mimicking. be careful what you say around him, because you never know what he's going to pick-up. I remember this one time when (insert drawn-out story of bird mimicking the telephone ring, and the voice of someone's father). He likes to be sung to, and his favorite song is "Oh what a beautiful morning," and you should sing it to him about twice a day. The water bowl should always be full, and if it gets slimy you might have to take it out and clean it before re-filling it. The bird-seed needs to be replaces, when it looks like there are just shells, and make sure to throw it out, because flies grow in there..."
That was what they told me.
This is what I took from that,
"DON'T touch the bird. Watch the water and food. Whistle when you feel like it."
I think I liked the bird best. It would make really funny noises, which got confusing. It mimicked the ring of my cell-phone (though not too convincingly) and even said "Hello" when I answered the phone. It was really good at the "cat call," and I kept whistling the theme to "Rio," hoping it would catch on.
It didn't. What it DID manage to pick up was my laugh. I was laughing at something on TV, and the bird was laughing with me... with what was almost my laugh.
wierd.
Now I understand why everyone hates cats.
I seriously thought that I had lost the cat. I checked everywhere I could think of, but didn't see it. For 5 hours. I was just about ready to call someone, when the cat came strolling in and curled up next to me, begging to be petted. Crazy thing.
It would disappear at night, and then, just before I went to bed, it would purr and meow outside my closed door sending me on a little guilt trip.
There were times when the cat was actually nice. Times when I actually enjoyed petting it.
But they were fleeting.
The dog stayed outside, but not in the front yard (apparently, it could crawl through the front gate). She was sweet, and really obedient.
The whole thing was kind-of weird and left a LOT of responsibility on my shoulders. I used my cell-phone more than ever before, as it was the only way to keep in contact with the 3+ people who were in-charge, and needed to talk to me. I was "on call" and had to leave places early and abandon other plans to go and sit in a mostly-empty house. But there you go.
How did I get roped into this?
The owner lady was in need of someone to house-sit while the regular house-sitters went on a brief vacation. She wasn't thrilled about having a 17-year-old watch the place, but my correspondent made it seem like I walked on water, and kept talking up all my good qualities.
Amazing. I didn't know that she thought so highly of me (no matter how conceited that sounds, it's true).
Anyway, that was an adventure.
I was planning on telling you ALL about it... there was a lot of crazy stuff that was interesting and fascinating and all that.
But I can't. I was specifically asked not to.
SO. It looks like you are stuck with the boring things.
I have NEVER owned a pet other than the occasional fish. Suddenly, I'm stuck (literally, because they wanted someone there at ALL times) in a house with a bird (Serengeti), a cat (Crystal), and a dog (Sadie).
The person who lived there has dish network. So I watched TV. A LOT.
I watched Rizzoli and Isles, which is a crime show that I've wanted to see. It's pretty good.
And I can say that because I watched 6 episodes PLUS the summer season finale.
Commercials are annoying, but doable. During commercial breaks, I drew this.
 |
| this is the bird. |
I did bio homework (which I recently have learned, might be for NOTHING), and read, practiced the piano, and BLASTED "Call me Maybe" when it came on the radio (which I brought from home).
I dealt with the animals.
The bird was fine. On my first day there, whoever was in-charge told me a lot of stuff about how to keep a bird.
"If you want to change cages, put a dish towel over your arm, so he doesn't scratch you. He is allergic to avocados, but enjoys lots of other fruits (list of fruits). When you put treats in his cage, you might want to be careful, or wear gloves. He can bite, and he doesn't like girls. If he DOES bite you, don't worry, it won't bleed that much, but you might want to put some hydrogen peroxide on it anyway, just to be safe. Birds are smart, and scientific inquires prove that birds have the brain function of the average two-year-old, and are really good at mimicking. be careful what you say around him, because you never know what he's going to pick-up. I remember this one time when (insert drawn-out story of bird mimicking the telephone ring, and the voice of someone's father). He likes to be sung to, and his favorite song is "Oh what a beautiful morning," and you should sing it to him about twice a day. The water bowl should always be full, and if it gets slimy you might have to take it out and clean it before re-filling it. The bird-seed needs to be replaces, when it looks like there are just shells, and make sure to throw it out, because flies grow in there..."
That was what they told me.
This is what I took from that,
"DON'T touch the bird. Watch the water and food. Whistle when you feel like it."
I think I liked the bird best. It would make really funny noises, which got confusing. It mimicked the ring of my cell-phone (though not too convincingly) and even said "Hello" when I answered the phone. It was really good at the "cat call," and I kept whistling the theme to "Rio," hoping it would catch on.
It didn't. What it DID manage to pick up was my laugh. I was laughing at something on TV, and the bird was laughing with me... with what was almost my laugh.
wierd.
Now I understand why everyone hates cats.
I seriously thought that I had lost the cat. I checked everywhere I could think of, but didn't see it. For 5 hours. I was just about ready to call someone, when the cat came strolling in and curled up next to me, begging to be petted. Crazy thing.
It would disappear at night, and then, just before I went to bed, it would purr and meow outside my closed door sending me on a little guilt trip.
There were times when the cat was actually nice. Times when I actually enjoyed petting it.
But they were fleeting.
The dog stayed outside, but not in the front yard (apparently, it could crawl through the front gate). She was sweet, and really obedient.
The whole thing was kind-of weird and left a LOT of responsibility on my shoulders. I used my cell-phone more than ever before, as it was the only way to keep in contact with the 3+ people who were in-charge, and needed to talk to me. I was "on call" and had to leave places early and abandon other plans to go and sit in a mostly-empty house. But there you go.
How did I get roped into this?
The owner lady was in need of someone to house-sit while the regular house-sitters went on a brief vacation. She wasn't thrilled about having a 17-year-old watch the place, but my correspondent made it seem like I walked on water, and kept talking up all my good qualities.
Amazing. I didn't know that she thought so highly of me (no matter how conceited that sounds, it's true).
Anyway, that was an adventure.
Friday, August 17, 2012
THE OLYMPICS!
Everyone is aware of it.
The opening ceremony was AWESOME. The video (which is proving to be elusive) of the Queen and James Bond "skydiving" into the Olympic Stadium was awesome.
Nathan Adrian, who proposed to his girlfriend when he arranged for her to give him his medal from "Worlds." She was jumping and smiling, clutching and American flag and a sign with his name. As he exited the pool after his Olympic race, he blew her a kiss. It was SO cute. He won Silver... I think.
Nathan Adrian won the freestyle by 1/100th of a second. Americans are good at that. ;) And he's really cute.
I want to remember Missy Franklin.
When the reporter asked her about her gold in the 100meter Backstroke, all she talked about was how glad she was that her parents were able to be there in the stands to support her. She turned down endorsements so that she would be eligible to compete in her High School Swim Team. She brought the good news of success to the tragedy stricken Aurora, Colorado. Her schoolmates got together in a huge group to watch her race on TV. They stood and cheered, wearing their matching T-Shirts and grinning all around. She goes to a Jesuit school. She attends a "Anglophile" club, where they talk in British accents (Emily would LOVE that), drink tea, and learn about England. She didn't move to a "major swimming state" just because she was getting good. She stayed with her family and friends. She sang the national anthem at the medal ceremony. She is always smiling. She is my age.
And if I needed another reason to love Missy Franklin... here it is.
The World watches.
There are moments of intense excitement, and moments of intense disappointment.
There are mistakes.
There are miracles.
But what will we remember?
Here is what I want to remember.
The opening ceremony was AWESOME. The video (which is proving to be elusive) of the Queen and James Bond "skydiving" into the Olympic Stadium was awesome.
Gymnastics. This is the first medal for Great Britain in living memory, and it's the team competition. LITERALLY. Ukraine and GB hug and celebrate bronze and silver. Japan calls for a reconsideration of scores, and gets silver. The Ukrainians leave in fourth place, with a sudden pang of disappointment but keep their heads up and their emotions in control as they leave the stadium. It makes me dislike Japan.
The Womens US Synchronized Diving duo (Kelsi Bryant and Abigail Johnston) both happen to collect rubber ducks. They bought a Team duck for the Olympics. One of them named it.
They had it with them before they started their dive. Their parents were really supportive and wore matching T-Shirts. With a rubber duck on the sleeve. They got Silver, and were SO excited. I was excited for them, and I liked the back-story.
They had it with them before they started their dive. Their parents were really supportive and wore matching T-Shirts. With a rubber duck on the sleeve. They got Silver, and were SO excited. I was excited for them, and I liked the back-story.
The parents are synchronized too. Both their arms went up simultaneously to cheer for their kid. I LOVE the reactions of the parents that they show when an Olympian does something really spectacular.
The Irish Gymnast, Kieran Behan, was told he would never walk again several times. He is only the second Gymnast EVER to represent Ireland in the Olympics. He sponsored his own way to The Games through bake-sales and car washes. A medal was never a possibility. But this was HIS day in the Olympics. His floor routine began beautifully. He stumbled near the end. But he had accomplished his dream.
Nathan Adrian, who proposed to his girlfriend when he arranged for her to give him his medal from "Worlds." She was jumping and smiling, clutching and American flag and a sign with his name. As he exited the pool after his Olympic race, he blew her a kiss. It was SO cute. He won Silver... I think.
Nathan Adrian won the freestyle by 1/100th of a second. Americans are good at that. ;) And he's really cute.
I want to remember Missy Franklin.
And if I needed another reason to love Missy Franklin... here it is.
The Fab Five Gymnastics team.
The song that was their unspoken-anthem. I LOVED hearing it, and it made the whole thing seem more tender and real.
Kyla Ross, Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney, and Aly Raisman
They ALL have a Y in their names. They are REALLY cool. I really admire Jordyn, and her sticky situation of having to be happy for a teammate (Gabby) while loosing a golden (literally) opportunity for herself. Gabby went on to win GOLD in the all-around. I want to remember their BEAUTIFUL routines. McKayla Maroney did a perfect (I don't care what the judges say) vault. I remember the final landing on Aly's floor routine, when she KNEW she had led them to Gold, and the emotion filled in her face.
When the "Fab Five" held hands in a line, craning their necks to see the scoreboard.
Kyla Ross, Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney, and Aly Raisman
They ALL have a Y in their names. They are REALLY cool. I really admire Jordyn, and her sticky situation of having to be happy for a teammate (Gabby) while loosing a golden (literally) opportunity for herself. Gabby went on to win GOLD in the all-around. I want to remember their BEAUTIFUL routines. McKayla Maroney did a perfect (I don't care what the judges say) vault. I remember the final landing on Aly's floor routine, when she KNEW she had led them to Gold, and the emotion filled in her face.
When the "Fab Five" held hands in a line, craning their necks to see the scoreboard.
Gabby spent SO much time away from home. There are a lot of things wrong with the way they score things in Gymnastics. The Fab Five was unparalleled in their performances in the team competition, but when it came to the individual events... we were kind of bad.
They didn't have very good coverage of Gymnastics. We only saw a few of the Countries compete, and we didn't see ANYONE on the "rings."
P.S. Aliya Mustafina from Russia always looks like she's about to cry. And most of the time she is. Russians cry. That's just what they do.
Why do Chinese Gymnasts look so young? Because they wear little-kiddy hair-clips. True Story.
This is Kimberly Rhode, the shooter who has medaled in the last 5 Olympics.
They didn't have very good coverage of Gymnastics. We only saw a few of the Countries compete, and we didn't see ANYONE on the "rings."
P.S. Aliya Mustafina from Russia always looks like she's about to cry. And most of the time she is. Russians cry. That's just what they do.
Why do Chinese Gymnasts look so young? Because they wear little-kiddy hair-clips. True Story.
This is Kimberly Rhode, the shooter who has medaled in the last 5 Olympics.
WHY DO GYMNASTS KEEP STEPPING OUT OF BOUNDS ON THE FLOOR ROUTINES?
That towel that Eliza noticed Danell Leyva Gymnast always has... it's his lucky towel. He takes it everywhere, apparently. And it must have worked... because he got bronze.
I BELIEVE IN MICHAEL PHELPS!
One "fourth place" and suddenly he's a flop. Guess what. Ryan Lochte got fourth too. It's nothing to be ashamed of. You get up, move on, and put it behind you, like Michael said to the reporter. The irony that one extra stroke won him a Gold medal in Beijing with a 1/100th of a second difference, and one extra stroke by the South African guy put Michael in Silver. After everything the reporters are bagging on him about, I loved watching the amazing relay that made him the greatest Olympian EVER. Michael Phelps is awesome, with 22 medals, 18 golds. And he said that this was his last Olympics... but we'll see.
P.S. Swimmers always lick their lips on the medal podium. It's kind of ridiculous. They usually don't sing, with the exception of the Women's 4x400 relay. But they always lick their lips.
Katie Ledecky who, at 15 years old easily won one of the longest races in the Olympic Pool. 800 meter freestyle.
Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-amputee runner. He never medaled. But he was a great inspiration to everyone who saw him run. He's going to do REALLY well at the Paralymic games.
The United states made a comeback in diving. David Boudia winning the Gold (sneaking past the Chinese diver). And the 18 year old British diver, Tom Daley. Just because he is super cute, and has the most amazing British accent. (Mom said he was too short to be attractive, but when we heard his accent, that all went out the window!)
The Jamaican runners were... crazy good, and Usain Bolt knows it.
America didn't do so bad either.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerry Walsh Jennings... had an Olympic GOLD MEDAL THREE-PEAT!!!
Their Olympic record is AMAZING, and the last match was super intense... even though it was
U.S.A vs. U.S.A. Crazy stuff. They had the most patriotic medal ceremony, and it was touching to see. Kerri wants to try again in Rio, 2014. Misty in set on retirement. The team is gone, but it'll be legendary for a long time to come.
The Olympics are always great to watch, and they are pretty inspiring too. Did you know that 7 countries let women compete in the Olympics for the first time in 2012?
The closing ceremony was a huge show, and they really put everything they had into it. Crazy stuff that no one would ever think of was done, live music from the most prominent British bands was played, and everything was done to represent the heart of Great Britain.
I'm looking forward to Rio!
And now, some quotes from my family, watching the Olympics:
David: "How do they move the Finish Line (in track)?
Watching Deedee Trotter (a great name for a runner)...
Eliza: I like the pink sparkles by her eyes!"
Mom: "What is wrong with her eyes?"
Watching MX racing...
Alayna: "This is not safe." understatement of the century.
Watching platform diving...
Eliza: I don't think that should be allowed... it's too cool!"
Watching Beach Vollyball...
Mom: "How could she make the same mistake again?"
Alayna: "Mom, that was an instant re-play."
Watching Gymnastics...
Alayna: "Russians cry. That's just what they do."
Eliza : "I like how the logo says 2012."
Mom: " Oh, I thought it was just a bunch of geometric shapes."
Everyone: "Why is everything so pink?"
And with that, I close my coverage of the games of the 30th Olympiad....
P.S. Swimmers always lick their lips on the medal podium. It's kind of ridiculous. They usually don't sing, with the exception of the Women's 4x400 relay. But they always lick their lips.
Katie Ledecky who, at 15 years old easily won one of the longest races in the Olympic Pool. 800 meter freestyle.
Oscar Pistorius, the South African double-amputee runner. He never medaled. But he was a great inspiration to everyone who saw him run. He's going to do REALLY well at the Paralymic games.
The United states made a comeback in diving. David Boudia winning the Gold (sneaking past the Chinese diver). And the 18 year old British diver, Tom Daley. Just because he is super cute, and has the most amazing British accent. (Mom said he was too short to be attractive, but when we heard his accent, that all went out the window!)
The Jamaican runners were... crazy good, and Usain Bolt knows it.
America didn't do so bad either.
Misty May-Treanor and Kerry Walsh Jennings... had an Olympic GOLD MEDAL THREE-PEAT!!!
Their Olympic record is AMAZING, and the last match was super intense... even though it was
U.S.A vs. U.S.A. Crazy stuff. They had the most patriotic medal ceremony, and it was touching to see. Kerri wants to try again in Rio, 2014. Misty in set on retirement. The team is gone, but it'll be legendary for a long time to come.
The Olympics are always great to watch, and they are pretty inspiring too. Did you know that 7 countries let women compete in the Olympics for the first time in 2012?
The closing ceremony was a huge show, and they really put everything they had into it. Crazy stuff that no one would ever think of was done, live music from the most prominent British bands was played, and everything was done to represent the heart of Great Britain.
I'm looking forward to Rio!
And now, some quotes from my family, watching the Olympics:
David: "How do they move the Finish Line (in track)?
Watching Deedee Trotter (a great name for a runner)...
Eliza: I like the pink sparkles by her eyes!"
Mom: "What is wrong with her eyes?"
Watching MX racing...
Alayna: "This is not safe." understatement of the century.
Watching platform diving...
Eliza: I don't think that should be allowed... it's too cool!"
Watching Beach Vollyball...
Mom: "How could she make the same mistake again?"
Alayna: "Mom, that was an instant re-play."
Watching Gymnastics...
Alayna: "Russians cry. That's just what they do."
Eliza : "I like how the logo says 2012."
Mom: " Oh, I thought it was just a bunch of geometric shapes."
Everyone: "Why is everything so pink?"
And with that, I close my coverage of the games of the 30th Olympiad....
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Brady Bunch
 |
| Every face (except one) is looking in a different direction. Like on the cover of "The Brady Bunch." |
Pretend that this was posted on Sunday... because it was supposed to be.
I didn't have the time to do anything real. So this is what you get.
I'm house-sitting at a place that has everything but the internet, so I take advantage of it when I'm home (just for a bit). SO I won't be on here again until Wednesday.... but man, will I have some stories to share!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Cartoons aren't cool.
This person doesn't mean anything to me. This person isn't even real. It's cartoon-ized. I did it during the Court of honor, and I didn't have an eraser. This was done in a purple colored pencil since that was the only color that was sharpened well enough
I guess that this one kind of counts too. Every single phone that we own is the same style, company, model, year, and color. We put a sticker on one and called it "Top Secret." But the sticker wore off. So on the historic day when I GOT A CELLPHONE...I had to come up with some way to make mine different.
So I painted it Orange. With nail polish. I had to do about 2 and a half coats, plus a clear coat... but it's staying on just fine. I'm rather proud of it. Ir might look kind-of sloppy, and maybe it's old, but it's mine and it
LOOKS like me. So I am happy.
LOOKS like me. So I am happy.
Matches and Matrimony
When the Red Cross updated stuff, I had to take a roll-over course and get the new Lifeguarding Manuel. My mom didn't want to pay $30 bucks for a new Manual. Instead, she bought a Kindle for $50, and downloaded it for free.
Since that original purchase, my Mom has downloaded TONS of books, including all of the works of Jane Austen. Because of her obvious interest in Jane Austen, Amazon suggested she download a practically free "Make-you-own-novel/game" called "Matches and Matrimony." So I decided to play. I chose my own name, Mildred (because it sounds weird)! The instructions informed me that there were nine possible outcomes, and several Jane Austen Men to end up with (though they don't say who). What the outcome of my story would be depended on my choices and the daily activities I chose to do.
The story went day by day. I would "plan" my activities for the weekdays (choosing to "Go for a Walk" would increase my willpower. "Visiting Neighbors" would give me big points for kindness. "Reading "would give me wit. "Studying the Arts" would increase my talent. "Resting" would give me energy.)
The weekdays would pass, and the weekends would bring a ball or special visit, or some bit of excitement.
This was where the story happened.
Entire passages of Austen conversations are inserted, with small choices in conversation on my part. At the end of the lengthy conversation, your relationship with the person you talked with would be summed up in a simple sentence, "Jane likes you more." or "Mr. Darcy likes you less."
Sometimes I fell short. My dear friend Charlotte tried to pressure me to play the pianoforte, but I didn't have enough talent to do it. I brushed it off.
If you didn't like the outcome of a decision, you could easily "turn the page" back one, and choose differently. Each week was a new chapter, and you couldn't go back after that.
It was fun.
At first.
I knew not to flirt to Mr. Bingley because I've read Pride and Prejudice and seen a ton of movie representations of it. I steered clear of "Wickaby" (a combination of Wickham and Willoughby) when he entered the scene, but Lydianne (My sister, a combination of Lydia and Marianne ) was quite taken with him. Although I didn't know exactly which suitors were available for me to win, I mostly knew who to avoid.
The first problem real problem was when Mr. Colins proposed, the Kindle told me that I had to accept because I didn't have enough willpower to refuse him! I went back, and re-chose to "Go for a Walk" EVERY DAY to increase my Willpower. Disaster was avoided. I moved on.
I kept playing. It was tough. I knew I couldn't please everyone... but who SHOULD I make an effort to please?
The story began to morph. It started out with Pride and Prejudice, briefly touched on Sense and Sensibility, and finally settled on Persuasion. It moved fast. Suddenly I had this huge back story of how much I loved Captain Wentworth. I decided that I was going to end up with him. When the decisions came along, I tried really hard to mirror the actions of the heroine of Persuasion, which was difficult because I've only seen it once and I've never read it. But I did alright.
Then the major drama unfolded. Lydianne was jumping off of a wall and Wentworth was supposed to catch her, but didn't, and then she was in critical condition. Thankfully, I made the right choice in sending Colonel Brandon (obviously representing someone else from the real story) to go get a doctor. It worked out, Lydianne was resting, and I thought that all was well. Then, some random person came in and asked if I was going to go to a ball that weekend. The Kindle made me say yes!
Wentworth was shocked, and disappointed. Everything was suddenly going downhill. fast.
The Kindle gave me the stupid omniscient response that must have been programmed for my situation. "Maybe if you had more natural kindness, this situation could have ended differently."
I freaked out. I went back (which was a long way back) and "went visiting" EVERY DAY. Then I sped through to see if it was fixed. I went too fast! I ended up skipping ahead to the end, without having any idea of how I got there. Here was the end of my story.
"Mildred never married, ("No!!!") but used the many experiences of her youth to write several novels, which have transcended time."
Translation: I became Jane Austen.
I was mad. All I had wanted to do was see what Jane Austen man I would end up with. I felt like I had just wasted the past 3 hours of my life. I thought it was a stupid game, a waste of time, and a joke. I thought, "Gee, I'm glad that real life is not like that..."
But honestly... it kind of is.
You choose how you spend your time, and those choices reflect the outcomes of the really important parts of your life and the interactions you have with other people. You don't know exactly who the "marriage candidates" (in the extreme sense, but just the important people) will be, but you try to please as many people as you can.
Then again, life is different. You can't go back and make different choices. You can't just "un-say" something. But you usually get more than one chance to make an impression on or start a relationship with someone.
Honestly (if this were real life) it would be really cool to "become Jane Austen," except for the part where she becomes an old maid. I think I would like to become a writer some day (could I sound a little more wishy-washy?). But that wasn't the point of this game.
So what was the point of this post?
This was just to say that I really over-think things. I shouldn't play time-consuming and frustrating games anymore. I should be careful with my real life, and not mess with virtual ones anymore.
What was the point of you reading this post?
I don't know if there really was one. Maybe it's just so that you can roll your eyes and say, "Oh, Alayna..." like all of my closest friends do.
So that's it.
Since that original purchase, my Mom has downloaded TONS of books, including all of the works of Jane Austen. Because of her obvious interest in Jane Austen, Amazon suggested she download a practically free "Make-you-own-novel/game" called "Matches and Matrimony." So I decided to play. I chose my own name, Mildred (because it sounds weird)! The instructions informed me that there were nine possible outcomes, and several Jane Austen Men to end up with (though they don't say who). What the outcome of my story would be depended on my choices and the daily activities I chose to do.
The story went day by day. I would "plan" my activities for the weekdays (choosing to "Go for a Walk" would increase my willpower. "Visiting Neighbors" would give me big points for kindness. "Reading "would give me wit. "Studying the Arts" would increase my talent. "Resting" would give me energy.)
The weekdays would pass, and the weekends would bring a ball or special visit, or some bit of excitement.
This was where the story happened.
Entire passages of Austen conversations are inserted, with small choices in conversation on my part. At the end of the lengthy conversation, your relationship with the person you talked with would be summed up in a simple sentence, "Jane likes you more." or "Mr. Darcy likes you less."
Sometimes I fell short. My dear friend Charlotte tried to pressure me to play the pianoforte, but I didn't have enough talent to do it. I brushed it off.
If you didn't like the outcome of a decision, you could easily "turn the page" back one, and choose differently. Each week was a new chapter, and you couldn't go back after that.
It was fun.
At first.
I knew not to flirt to Mr. Bingley because I've read Pride and Prejudice and seen a ton of movie representations of it. I steered clear of "Wickaby" (a combination of Wickham and Willoughby) when he entered the scene, but Lydianne (My sister, a combination of Lydia and Marianne ) was quite taken with him. Although I didn't know exactly which suitors were available for me to win, I mostly knew who to avoid.
The first problem real problem was when Mr. Colins proposed, the Kindle told me that I had to accept because I didn't have enough willpower to refuse him! I went back, and re-chose to "Go for a Walk" EVERY DAY to increase my Willpower. Disaster was avoided. I moved on.
I kept playing. It was tough. I knew I couldn't please everyone... but who SHOULD I make an effort to please?
The story began to morph. It started out with Pride and Prejudice, briefly touched on Sense and Sensibility, and finally settled on Persuasion. It moved fast. Suddenly I had this huge back story of how much I loved Captain Wentworth. I decided that I was going to end up with him. When the decisions came along, I tried really hard to mirror the actions of the heroine of Persuasion, which was difficult because I've only seen it once and I've never read it. But I did alright.
Then the major drama unfolded. Lydianne was jumping off of a wall and Wentworth was supposed to catch her, but didn't, and then she was in critical condition. Thankfully, I made the right choice in sending Colonel Brandon (obviously representing someone else from the real story) to go get a doctor. It worked out, Lydianne was resting, and I thought that all was well. Then, some random person came in and asked if I was going to go to a ball that weekend. The Kindle made me say yes!
Wentworth was shocked, and disappointed. Everything was suddenly going downhill. fast.
The Kindle gave me the stupid omniscient response that must have been programmed for my situation. "Maybe if you had more natural kindness, this situation could have ended differently."
I freaked out. I went back (which was a long way back) and "went visiting" EVERY DAY. Then I sped through to see if it was fixed. I went too fast! I ended up skipping ahead to the end, without having any idea of how I got there. Here was the end of my story.
"Mildred never married, ("No!!!") but used the many experiences of her youth to write several novels, which have transcended time."
Translation: I became Jane Austen.
I was mad. All I had wanted to do was see what Jane Austen man I would end up with. I felt like I had just wasted the past 3 hours of my life. I thought it was a stupid game, a waste of time, and a joke. I thought, "Gee, I'm glad that real life is not like that..."
But honestly... it kind of is.
You choose how you spend your time, and those choices reflect the outcomes of the really important parts of your life and the interactions you have with other people. You don't know exactly who the "marriage candidates" (in the extreme sense, but just the important people) will be, but you try to please as many people as you can.
Then again, life is different. You can't go back and make different choices. You can't just "un-say" something. But you usually get more than one chance to make an impression on or start a relationship with someone.
Honestly (if this were real life) it would be really cool to "become Jane Austen," except for the part where she becomes an old maid. I think I would like to become a writer some day (could I sound a little more wishy-washy?). But that wasn't the point of this game.
So what was the point of this post?
This was just to say that I really over-think things. I shouldn't play time-consuming and frustrating games anymore. I should be careful with my real life, and not mess with virtual ones anymore.
What was the point of you reading this post?
I don't know if there really was one. Maybe it's just so that you can roll your eyes and say, "Oh, Alayna..." like all of my closest friends do.
So that's it.
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