Yes

Oh, I see. Yes, TR: Underworld is pretty cool so far. As I mentioned before, I die quite a lot. But I am getting better. Heh.

And.. yeah. Talk to ya later!

A "special comment"

Hey, one more thing.

A note about Obama's choice of Rick Warren to head the invocation at the inauguration....

At first I was appalled by this choice. It thought it was a horrible thank you gesture to all the liberals who worked so hard for him during the campaign. I mean really, this guy seems a little intolerant, to say the least.

But then I started thinking. I have always thought that tolerance is the backbone of liberalism. So maybe Obama is making one of his most liberal moves by including Warren. To tolerate people who are intolerant. Apparently this guy does some good things, as well as bad. But I dunno. I guess in my heart of hearts I think this is a bad move. But maybe it really doesn't matter. Warren will get his fifteen minutes of fame, and then he will be gone. He will have no part in the governing administration.

What do you think about this?

Hello

Hi!

Yes, I am playing Tomb Raider: Underworld. I think it is the same one you played the demo of, Joellymo.

I don't think Gracie will be very active for a while. But I am sure she will be ridden again at some point. I hope so. But in the meantime I am enjoying riding Carmen. I have ridden Gracie 90% of the time though.

The Amazon gifts are always great. You can buy pretty much anything. And you can buy it cheap too. At least clothes, shoes, and purses are cheap. I really needed some good winter boots and I think I found a great pair. Thanks again.

And, I am loving my new computer. I use it all the time. It is great and very fast.

I am glad you all liked your presents.

Well, that is all. Bye!

O happy day

Well, Grammy and Nono are over right now. We have just opened all our presents. I got two books, a cool purse, and an outfit. I bought a pair of nice black pants and a matching shirt at the mall a while ago, and Grammy took it to give to me for Christmas. Heh.

Also, Grammy and Nono came to my riding lesson today. They had a good time. It was a good lesson. And... Gracie is healing very nicely! She is going to be ok. She was up and eating today when we saw her. She still had her IVs there, and her leg looks awful. That's where the infection started - in her leg. But she is doing well, and I am glad about this.

Anyway, that is all the latest news. I started to play Tomb Raider - the new one - on my computer. It is pretty cool, but I suck at it. Haha. I die quite frequently. I burn to death in massive flames. That's how the game starts. A huge mansion explodes and you are stuck inside. It looks really good, though.

So... bye!

Merry Christmas (sales at the mall)

I am writing now on my new computer. It is very cool. I like it a lot.

And... so... I think that is all. Yes. I got a lot of really good stuff for Christmas. I can't really remember everything, I have to go through it and see. But I like it all. I got a whole bunch of socks. heh.

Anyway, I hope you had a good Christmas. I hope you like all the things we got you. Bye!

Oh yeah. I got a total of 5 gift certificates this year. I spent all of them yesterday. haha. Delia's, Amazon, J Crew, Sephora, and Sanrio. Thanks for your gift to me, Joellymo! I bought two pairs of boots and a purse with it. I should get them before my trip and I can bring them with me.

Ok, bye!

One less pill

Hey.

I had a funny dream last night. I dreamed that Sam, my riding instructor, had us run laps around the arena before our lesson. haha.

Anyway, no news on Gracie. Maybe I will go in today or tomorrow and see how she is doing.

And, now school is officially over. Yay! I am glad. Now I can relax. This month has gone by very fast.

So.... that is all. I am just hanging out now.

Oh yeah! I saw Dr. Fung last week and he said that this will be my last month of accutane treatment. I have one month left, that is. That is pretty cool. Although I am kinda scared to go off them. I wouldn't mind staying on them.

Ok, bye.

Boo

I have very, very sad news.

Gracie could die at any moment. She has an infection in her bloodstream. Her organs are failing. She was almost put down twice.

Yes. That is what's happening as of Saturday. I saw her. She looks terrible. For all I know she could be dead now.

I am very sad about this.

But, I also had a good lesson with Carmen. I jumped again.

I just thought I would share this news with you. Bye.

Hey!

Hi, sorry I haven't posted in a while. I am still here.

Well, I my English thingy went well. Did I tell you about it? We had to do a presentation on our paper about humans and animals.

Tonight is my History 8 final. Yay! That class is over! Haha. Man, that teacher was odd. I didn't learn nearly as much this semester as I did last semester in History 7 with Ms. Klask. But oh well. It was all self-taught. I just used the textbook. His lectures did not really do much for me. And usually I take great notes in all my classes, but in this one I just gave up. No notes.

And Monday is my History 25 final. I get a ten point bonus because I made it to every class except for one (when the teacher was absent). I made it to every night class and I missed three English classes (one because I slept all that day. Heh.)

Anyway, I keep track of these things. I also keep track of how many riding lessons I have had. I have had 27. Yes.

I guess some of you know about my lesson last week. It was fantastic. The best one so far. Why? I dunno. Maybe because I cantered a lot, and for the first time I did it correctly and I felt the night and day difference from how I had been doing it before (and falling). The canter really is the most stable gait that a horse has, even though that is counter intuitive. I mean, when the horse goes fast you assume it's harder to stay on, but it's not.

I rode Carmen. Elizabeth, the girl who I usually ride with, rode Gracie. Elizabeth is really nice. She is in middle school but she has been riding for five years. Wow. She must have started really young. Last week it was just me and her.

Oh and Saturday, they are having a potluck thing at the stables. I want to go, but what should I bring?

so.... I am excited about my trip in January! But.. I will be getting home the day before school starts. I wonder how that will be. Heh.

Ok, I just realized I lost my prescription paper from my doctor. ((*^&%$.

Anyway, yes I hope I will be ok on Jan. 20. I will only have one class that day.

... I forgot what I was going to say....Gah. I am mad about my missing prescription.

Well, mom and I have been wrapping stuff. Yes. Stuff. We have finished wrapping Joellymo, Maki, and Paul's presents. Right now they are sitting in front of me on the couch.

For Mom's birthday, Grandma got her a really ugly Christmas vase. And it's broken. But she got some nice Christmas bowls too.

So... that is all. Bye.

Hey!

Almost Christmas

Hi!

Well, I have about a week left of school. Yay! But I sort of have a lot to do.

A girl in my History 8 class, Jen, asked me a while ago to study with her for the final. Yesterday we met at Barnes and Noble and did that. She is really nice. Then I gave her a ride home. She goes to Foothill high school, class of 2009.

Apparently I am getting a laptop for Christmas. That is pretty cool, I think.

Mom has a pile of unopened packages in the house. But the table is still covered in decorations so she can't open them yet. She has to set up the wrapping paper station before she can open them.

And... that is all. Today we are finalizing the passport papers so that I can get it.

Short post

Well, Mom just had me throw away our pumpkins. I tossed them up the hill in our backyard.

Am I the only one who thinks pumpkins have feelings? I think they are sad now. But today Mom is putting up all our Christmas decorations. It will probably take a couple days actually.

Anyway, that is all.

Paul and relations

"Just give me the food, Mom!"

Carmen

Random stuff

Hi.

Well, I am glad (very very glad) that I wrote my monster paper for English over a week ago. The first draft is due on Thursday. Yay!

I am back to school but I like that. It ends in less than three weeks!! It will be so nice to not have any school obligations over Christmas, like I did in high school. Yes.

And.. yesterday Grandpa went to school with me and sat in at my Indian history class. Then he introduced himself to the teacher. I didn't mind, though.

Now they are gone. (Yay.) Haha. One week is long enough for them to be over I think. Although, this last week felt literally like three weeks. It went by so slowly, but not because it was tedious. Quite the opposite. I wanted it to last a long time and it did. Unusual I guess.

Anyway, Grandma left some Christmas gifts with us. There aren't too many and I decided to open one of them today. However, I did not find a single one with my name on it. There was one that said "for: Lauren or Grayce." It turned out to be a Rachel Ray cookbook that Mom already had. Heh. So... no gifts for me this year? Mom thinks they have more that they haven't sent yet.

Oh wait, that's not true. There was a bag with no tag that had a really pretty sweater and underwear in it. We assumed that was for me. But it's not like I don't have enough underwear. Gah.

So... I guess that's it. I am very excited for Christmas this year and for my trip in January. Yes. It will be fun.

And... I am glad that cold weather is finally here. The main reason I like cold weather is because I can wear all my very nice winter clothes. I have more warm clothes than summer clothes. I like them. I like wearing scarves and gloves too. Hahahaha. I think that sounds kinda weird. Am I obsessed with clothes or something?? I must be. Looking in my closet is like going to the mall. Haha.

This summer for my birthday I had a no clothes policy. But now I am not doing that. I will accept clothes for Christmas. Of course, Mom and Grandma are the only ones that give me clothes...

When they came to my riding lesson on Saturday, the grandparents took nearly 60 pictures. Yes, 60. For a one hour class, that's one pic every minute. Haha. But they turned out very very nice. I rode Carmen. And Sam had me go over a (small) jump. Carmen trotted into it and cantered out. Everyone clapped for me b/c I actually cantered without falling.

And Grandma said that Sam told her some really nice things about me. Sam said I will be a really good rider, and that she wished she had me when I was "ten years old." She also said I was very nice and caring. That made me feel good. I was riding with three other girls who have been riding for at least one year. They all come at least twice a week too. Sam said, "yeah they're all rich kids." Sam said she wishes I could come more often. But all the girls are nice. Elizabeth, Torii, and Mikayla. Mikayla is only nine years old, but she looks like she's 12. I mean, compared to Bethany, who's ten... well she doesn't compare. I cannot imagine Bethany riding a horse and jumping too.

Anyway, I have been riding for five months now. I can't believe that. I have had 25 lessons. Soon I will have been riding as long as the other girls have. That's cool.

Ok, that is all. Bye!

Bye!

Hi.

Well, this has been a very good week. It was great to see Joellymo and Maki and Paul. I will miss them tremendously (until I see them again soon).

I am glad we have so many good photos too. Yes.

Anyway, now Mom is making some pancakes. I had a piece of pie too. Heh. And it's back to school tomorrow. But only 22 days left.

So, that is all. Bye.

Good time

hi.

Well, we are having a great time so far. We have played the Wii (me for the first time. I am really good at bowling.) We have gone mega shopping. Today we are doing some more shopping. Yes.

Paul is being very good and happy. He is so cute!

Anyway, that is all. Bye!

Cleaning

Well, I had a good lesson yesterday. I didn't fall/jump off. Grandma and Grandpa want me to take them to one of my lessons. So I will take them next Saturday.

And... I am looking forward to today! Hopefully Joellymo will be feeling better. I have cleaned my room so it looks ok. There should be enough room in here.

So... I have pretty much finished my English paper, even though I believe it is due on December 11. Heh. I was just in the mood to work on it this weekend.

That is all. Bye.

Ahhh! Splat.

Hi.

Well, I went to my riding lesson this morning. Apparently Katie was sick, so Sam was there.

It went very, very well. I felt really good. However, I fell off Gracie again. I actually jumped off her. I abandoned ship.

It was quite funny actually. She started cantering but I let her. I did this for about ten seconds and Sam said, "wow you are cantering on her beautifully!" So I was like Great! But then she ran up to the corner and she ran right for the fence. I thought O My God, she's going to jump the fence! Hahahaha. Of course she would never do that. But that's what I thought anyway. So I jumped off her.

But I had a really great time otherwise.

That is all. Bye!

Looking forward to it.

I saw Zahra yesterday before class. I told her I dropped math. She said she is still hanging in there. Actually, she wanted to copy some of my notes from a day she had missed a couple weeks ago.

And today is my appointment with Dr. Fung. I will tell him once again what a miracle he has prescribed to me. But then I have to do my blood work. Did I tell you about my experience at the lab last time? It was awful. The guy spent five minutes trying to get blood in my right arm. It hurt a lot. Then someone else got blood from my left arm. So... I am hoping that doesn't happen again. Yes.

Anyway, Joellymo and Maki-san and Paul-chan are coming tomorrow!!! Yay! Please come to our house Saturday for dinner. That would be very nice. I hope you have a safe flight!

And Grandma and Grandpa are coming on Monday! Ahh! So many guests! But it will be fun.

Clean room

Hi.

I went riding yesterday instead of Saturday. I had a good time. Katie wants me to come in on Thursday and do a private lesson with her. So I am going in on Thursday.

And I am busy cleaning my room so that our esteemed guests will have a place to stay at our house. Things look pretty good right now. Tomorrow we are getting new carpet installed. So we will have to put all the stuff from Mom's room into my room.

What do you think about the prospect of Hillary Clinton as Sec. of State? I dunno about that. Some say she will not like being beneath Obama.

Anyway, that is all. Bye.

Meow

Hi.

Well, I went into Subway Sandwiches today and the lady I always see there said, "hey you're early today!" I guess I go in there a lot, haha.

And, god, I have a lot of time now that I am not going to math.

And my knees were bad again today. Especially when I first wake up and get out of bed. I literally cannot walk.

Anyway, that is all. Bye.

Oh, and Posey is having a huge fight with A'amna's cat Simba right now. And Bernie has been eating rats. Eating them. Ingesting them. And then he throws up.

Hello

Well, I am experiencing severe knee pain again. It's worse this time. This morning I could not lift my legs to get into the shower, much less walk. But it's much better right now. Just sleeping is tough.

But I got a new paper assigned in English. The question is, "how different are humans from other animals?"

I guess it sounds interesting. I don't know how I will do it though.

Anyway, mom liked my analogy I used for having a new president. I said it is like having a new baby - you are obsessed and every day is new and exciting.

So... that is all. Bye!

Funny pic of our new administration

Hello

Hi.

Well, I just withdrew from Math 1. I don't have to have a grade for it.

I am sad and happy. I am sad because I was hoping that I could have done better. And maybe I could have passed. But that was a risk. I am happy because I am done with math! At least for now. I will probably have to take some more later. But not for a while. I survived through more than half of the semester.

Now mom is sad because I will be spending more time at home, haha. But not next semester. Nope. I will be gone all day on Monday and Wednesday. I went to go check out the classrooms yesterday. They seem ok. No more classes in the really nice 2400 building.

I think Obama picked a person for Press Secretary. And he picked David Axelrod to be his senior advisor. That was the guy who ran his campaign. Good choice I think, since the campaign went so well.

Now I have less than two months until the semester ends. It ends for one of my classes on December 18. Another class ends on Dec. 22. In History 25, the only thing left is the final test. It will be multiple choice only, while the first two included essay portions. In History 8 I only have an essay and a final test. Both are due on the last day of the semester.

So... I am pretty confident I will do well. And we have one more paper for English, some quizzes on The God Delusion, and one reading response on a sample from the textbook.

Anyway, that is what's going on right now. Not too much. Bye!

Hi.

Well, English went well.

But... I have to make a decision. Tomorrow is the last day to drop a class. After that, you are stuck with a grade. Now...there is a very good chance that I will not pass calc. So... what should I do? I don't want to ruin my GPA with a d or f.

And I approve Obama's selection of Rahm Emmanuel as chief of staff. I don't know anything about him, but I like the way he looks. He looks good and very liberal and smart. It will be so nice to have a nice looking White House, especially with Michelle Obama as First Lady.

The Republicans have already slammed Michelle because she wore a dress "straight off the runway" on Tuesday. Well, guys, she is the First Lady now and she is allowed to wear nice clothes.

Anyway, I also watched Sean Hannity's show last night. He talked with a guest about their hopes that Obama will "change his mind" about all the issues once he is in office. Once he really gets to know "our brave men and women" he will just change his mind about the war. He will "evolve" as a president. Hahahahahahaha. I feel bad for them. They are just dreaming though.

Ah, yes. So I know now that with my schedule for the Spring, I will be at school on Mondays from 9:30 am to 4:20 pm. !! This is because I am taking two science classes that both have three hour lab periods outside the lecture. That's pretty heavy duty. I will have to work really hard. But I am good at working really hard.

.... that is all. Happy first day of Obama's presidency-elect.

Edit: I just heard that Obama ended up winning North Carolina. Barely. Another red state is blue.

Good morning

Well, I got an A on my history test. Yay!

And I just registered for classes for next semester. I got into chemistry, biology, anthropology, and speech. Yes.

So, I am very happy.

But I am bummed about prop 8. I don't know about any of the other props. Oh well.

So... I am very happy that we will have a new president soon. And no more McCain/Palin nonsense. Mom and I disagree about Sarah Palin. I think she is secretly really relieved that she lost, but mom thinks she is very ambitious and wants to do more. I don't know. Who knows?

Anyway, yes. I am very happy right now. Except for math. I have a 65% average on three tests so far. And we have one more test plus a final. So I think I can improve this.

However, we have now started integral calculus. Yeah, I don't get it too well. I have had some experience with differential calculus, so that was a little easier. But now it is something completely new. I haven't learned something completely new in math for a long time. So, we will see.

But I am looking forward to bio and chem next semester. I really liked my bio class at Foothill, so now I will get to do more with it. And I like chemistry. It is very difficult, though. Some of it is easy. It requires very easy math.

I am waiting for English so I can turn in my evolution vs. intelligent design paper. I think it turned out pretty good. I think next week we will start reading "The God Delusion."

Now the guessing game begins for who will be in Obama's cabinet, etc. I don't know if he will pick any Republicans. Maybe he will. But how will that work, having Republicans helping you make decisions?

Anyway, yesterday in math, I heard from another classroom Obama's and McCain's speeches from Tuesday playing really loudly. It was quite funny. Mrs. Henson would say, "now let's take the derivative Pi/x" interrupted by "Yes we can!" Hahahaha. Haha.

So that was fun. Now I will... wait some more. Bye!

Yay!

Well...

President Obama!

Yes.

Gah

Hi.

Well, I did really well on my History 25 test today. That's the good news.

However, I did not do so well on my math test. I got 46%. Haha.

Anyway, Zahra's friend Yasmeen did bad too and now she is dropping the class.

Believe it or not, someone in my class got 100% on the test. Without any extra credit. Just got every question right. Idiot. Or bitch. I hate whoever that is.

So... that is all. Now it is raining and I am very comfortable inside with my blanket.

Party day

Hi.

Well, it is supposed to rain today. But I don't see any.

It sure rained yesterday! It rained for half my riding lesson.

I had a really good ride on Gracie yesterday. The best ride I have had on her. Katie, my instructor, taught me a miracle trick that keeps Gracie going in the direction I want. Katie said I did it really well. When you do something well she says, "YES!" She is really nice.

Anyway, I hope we have a good party today. It will be fun.

Weird

Hi.

Last night I had a vision. Or just a dream.

In it I was watching the election night coverage on MSNBC. They announced that Obama won. Then they showed him at a huge giant rally giving some thank you speech. Next they showed a huge giant McCain rally. McCain and his wife were there. He was wearing a clown suit and a mask. He took the mask off and started crying.

Yes, I really dreamed this. I also had a dream earlier that people would start calling Obama a "communist" and that came to pass. So... I think this is a good sign. Haha.

Anyway, that is all. Bye.

Busy

Hi.

Well, I just took a math test that I think I seriously failed. And I studied really hard. (*&^%$##. It was about graphing various complicated equations without using a graphing calculator. Fun. Each graph was worth 30 points, and there were three of them. Out of 150 points, that is quite a large chunk. I skipped two problems, worth a total of 25 points. So now I can only miss 20 more points if I want a C. I think I missed more than that. Oh well.

Maybe not seriously failed, however. Maybe a D. I just hope for a C every time I take one of these things. Except for the first one, in which case I expected an A or B as I usually do in my classes. Gah. And the teacher will replace your lowest test grade with the grade you get on the final. Hopefully I will do well on the final. At least now I know that I won't have to go on to Calc 2 and 3. No thanks!

But I did decide on what classes I will take next semester. We register next month. I will take Biology 31, Chemistry 31, Anthropology 1, and Speech 1. Yes. The numbers just refer to which class it is, because there are several different biology classes, etc.

Anyway, next week I have an English paper due and a History 25 test. Did I already tell you about that paper? It is about evolution and intelligent design. Unbiased, just informative. Yes. I already wrote a paper focused on evolution for my last one in this class. So basically I will be saying some of the same things. I hope that's ok. I mean, I won't copy word for word what I wrote in my last one. Just the ideas and theme will be similar.

And, finally, cold weather is here! And rain. I like rain, even though that is not the popular opinion. I can start wearing my sweaters and jackets, etc. I have a lot of them. I like wearing them.

So... that is all. Bye!

Blah.

Hello.

Well I had a good ride with Carmen on Saturday. We cantered. It was fun. I didn't fall.

And.... I was deathly ill this morning. I did not feel well.

Obama is airing a thirty minute tv show tonight, as Chris Matthews said just now. I wonder what it will be.

Anyway, that is all. I am very tired. Very tired.

Pics

Here are some really small pictures of me on Gracie and our very cute cats. If you click on them they become very large.

Jeez

Well, it looks like Ms. Wicked Witch has a new name for our guy Obama: "Socialist."

Idiot. What's wrong with a little socialism anyway, not that Obama is anywhere near a socialist. He just is being honest in how he plans to pay for stuff in the coming years. Through taxes - on the rich people. What exactly is wrong with that? Hm?

So... this is their latest strategy. I guess it's better than "terrorist." Or Muslim. But, like Powell said, what's wrong with being Muslim?

This is all they have left, poor things. Really, they have nothing else.

News

NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!

Colin Powell endorses Barack Obama today on Meet the Press!

Go Obama!

Here is a brief special comment, as Keith O. likes to say.

As you may or may not remember I voted for Hillary Clinton back in February during the primaries. I really wanted her to beat Obama. I thought Obama wasn't tough enough to handle McCain (or the presidency).

Obviously I was wrong. Now I am glad Obama won. He is tough enough. He has won all the debates according to most polls. He is beating McCain pretty well so far. I am really surprised. Happily surprised.

Anyway, that's all I wanted to say. I like Obama now. He really is the best Democratic option. And Biden is a good vice president nominee (even though I think Hillary might have an awesome choice too.)

I still really like Hillary. I think she is a tough lady that could have handled being president too.

..... bye!

Tired

Hi.

I had a good ride with Gracie today. I saw a girl riding like a maniac, jumping all over the place. Then she asked Katie to make the jumps a foot higher. Crazy lady.

My midterm went pretty well I think. We will see.

Now I am watching people on MSNBC tear apart a stupid congresswoman who said the media should do an expose on the liberals in congress who may be "anti-American." Hmm, channeling McCarthy are we? Idiot. Pretty funny though.

Anyway, that is all.

Go Obama

Hi!

Well, my midterm is today at 4. Finally it will be over with. Yay!

And... the debate was pretty testy yesterday. McCain was very, as they say, "aggressive." I guess that's code for "mean and stupid." Can you believe what he said about "the health of the mother" when trying to attack abortion? He basically said it doesn't matter. I think that will come around to hurt him.

Anyway, once again most polls showed Obama won the debate and he is ahead in the national polls. So life is pretty good right now. Hopefully it will stay that way.

We put an Obama/Biden sign in our front yard. And we have bumper stickers now too, even though we haven't put them on our cars.

I feel like this election is sort of like World War II. Now please let me explain, haha.

Imagine what life would have been like for everyone if Hitler had won the war. But somehow the good guys won. The good guys always seem to win. Like WWI. The Germans lose. If they hadn't lost, they would have tried to take over everything. I think it is written in the stars that the good guys win. Of course this isn't always the case. But I really think that's true.

In American history, the good guys win. Like in the Civil War. Like the American Revolution. Like the French and Indian War. Like the Spanish-American War. It just seems like we are lucky in war.

Anyway, that's how I feel this thing is. A war. An American war in which the bad guys have a chance to win and ruin the country. Bad things could happen if they win. But history has taught us that the good guys always win these major wars.

Anyway, I am just confident that Obama will win based on this pseudo logic. He has to, ya know what I mean. He just has to. The world can't afford for him not to win.

Now, I am in no way comparing John McCain to Hitler. Don't get me wrong. I am just saying he represents the "bad guy" who will ruin things if he wins this war. He just has to lose.

So.... I am pretty much brain dead right now. Maybe that's why I am rambling on about this. And... please don't quote me on any of this. It might just sound stupid. And of course this election won't change the entire world, like Hitler could have, but it will in some ways.

Did you watch Rachel Maddow's show when that idiot guy completely insulted her and her entire show? Good thing Keith O. put him in Worst Persons the following night, hahahaha.

Bye!

School dayz

Hi!

I am working hard on my TEN essays for my history midterm on Thursday. Yes. Jeez.

And, we got our second paper assigned in English today. The topic is "why do the theories of biological evolution and intelligent design spark social tension?" or something like that. Well, that sounds interesting, but we have to unbiased on this. Gah. How do you write unbiasedly about intelligent design?

And I am watching Hardball and Chris just said, "comparing Sarah Palin to Hillary Clinton is like comparing an igloo to the Empire State Building." hahahaha.

.... I have a paper for History 25 due on October 29 and I haven't had a chance to even start the book we are supposed to be writing about. Heh. My English paper (first draft) is due at the same time. So somehow I have to do both at once. &(*(*^R%$#.

Anyway, that is all.

Yay

Well, I have good news. I am passing in every category of my math class!

I passed my test from last week. Yay! I never thought I would be celebrating a 71%. Hahahaha. That's how it goes I guess.

Anyway, I am very happy. Yes.

So that is all. Bye!

Car project

We bought new tires for the car on Friday. It is supposed to be ready this morning.

One of the rims got a little bashed so that may have to be replaced too.

And Sarah P. has officially been found guilty of "abusing her power" in Alaska. Haha. Now McCain and company are saying the investigation was just a bunch of Obama supporters trying to bring her down. Whatever.

And... that is all. I am waiting to go to my riding lesson later. Hopefully my car will be ready, but if not Mom is going to take me.

Bye!

Cold today

Hi!

Well, Mrs. Henson gave us fifteen minutes to redo problems from our test on Wednesday. That only helped because Jeremiah told me how to do one of them before class, haha.

My new friend Yasmeen gave me a ride home today. That was really nice of her. She is Zahra's friend.

And... my obsessioin with Ashley Mello has slightly diminished today. I heard her talking to her "babe" on the phone and she said something like "that's so gay..." Usually I dislike people who talk like that, but I will forgive Ashley. :). Heh. And... she likes to show off her body. I mean lots of cleavage and midriff showing. I will forgive her for that too.

Anyway, Zahra told me the only thing she does during math class is countdown the time. I told her I do the same thing. haha.

So that's all. No homework till next week except for studying for my history midterm on Thursday. Yay!

Haha

Hi.

I just got back from English with Mr. Sato. (He is Japanese-American). He is really cool.

And you know something really odd about the Wicked Witch of the Arctic? She has an infant son. Her daughter will soon have a child. So Palin will have an infant son and an infant grandchild... that is most unusual! Haha.

Anyway, that is all. Bye!

Hey!

Hey!

I will now tell you my thoughts about the debate last night....

I thought it was basically a repeat of last week, except McCain was even more awful. He said once again that Obama "doesn't understand" but then Obama nailed him on the Bomb bomb bomb Iran thing. Right after McCain said "thank you very much" when Obama called him responsible. What a stupid, sarcastic thing to say. "Thank you?" Obviously Obama was not really complimenting you. Idiot.

Anyway, most polls showed the Obama won ... again.

-----

And this doesn't relate at all to the above, but I thought that I would share this with you.

I met a girl in my calc class named Ashley. She is 17. We both get to class early and we talk, mostly about homework. Anyway, I have become completely fascinated by her. She is so beautiful and naturally, I hate her for that. But I have a crush on her at the same time. I don't mean crush as in the "I have feelings for you" sense. I don't mean that. It's really just a fascination. And pure and simple jealousy.

Maybe this is too much information and I don't why I am telling you this. So take it however you want to.

Anyway, Ashley always sits next to this guy named Jeremiah. He is married and he has a kid. I wonder why they like to sit with each other. I know she likes to copy his homework. But she got a 93 on the first test. How do you copy homework and get an A on the test??? I would really like to know that.

I always go to the lab room with Zahra and Yasmeen after class on Friday. I saw Ashley there last week. She told me to have a nice weekend and I didn't look at her when I said, "you too." That has really been bugging me. I always worry about things I say and do to other people. And she didn't know my name when she said that. Heh. Here I am obsessing about her and she doesn't even know my name.

.... don't get any ideas. I am not in love with her. Haha.

So.... I know she has a boyfriend. He actually bought her the same purse I bought for myself at the county fair. Is that some twist of fate? Something we actually have in common? Haha. I heard her talking to him on her cell phone. She said, "I watched this movie about this couple. It was just a movie about this couple. Yeah. About a couple. And I hella missed you. I hella missed you." ??? I guess she is not that intelligent. She is only 17, after all.

Anyway, that's that. Bye!

Boo.

Well, my math test went ...ok. I think I probably got a C on it unfortunately. I studied all week, though.

Anyway, expectations are low for this class. I just have to remind myself that I have A's in all my other classes and I got the highest score on my History 25 class last week. Yes, I just have to tell myself that. And it's not like I am going to be a math major or anything. Definitely not a math major!

I guess I didn't mention this before, but I thought about mentioning it. I think I am back to square one as far as what I actually want to "major" in. I am not sure if I want to go in the science route at all. Biology, chemistry, zoology - maybe not for me at all. To be honest, those are not really my best subjects (although I am very good at chemistry and I have never taken a zoology class before). But I just don't know. My favorite class right now is English of all things. I would never have said that in high school! Never, not with the teachers I was blessed with. But I love it now. What could this possibly mean? That I should go in the English route? What would I do with a major in English???

And I like history and am obviously good at it. My teacher last semester said I was a "champ" at history. So what could this mean?

I guess I just have to take more classes, to see what things I am good at. Of course, you don't always have to like the things you're good at, ya know? It doesn't always work that way. Oh well.

Anyway, I have to go to class now. I just thought I would share this with you as I have been thinking about it lately. Maybe I will write more later.

Bye!

Oh yeah, the debate! Duh. I will tell what I thought when I get home. Yes.

Hey!

Well, I got the highest score on my History 25 test . Mrs. McCoy announced to the class indirectly. That restores my academic confidence that I had been losing recently.

Anyway, that is all. I took the bus yesterday morning. A'amna's aunt gave me a ride to the BART station where I got on the bus that goes to Las Po.

So... bye!

God, why me?

Well, I was in an accident on the freeway today. I tried explaining to Mom what happened, but she couldn't understand, so I won't try to explain it to you. The gist is that someone ran me off the road and my tire blew out. Simultaneously. At the same moment.

Yes. I almost died. An ambulance was called but I was fine. Luckily, one of the witnesses (of which there were many but none stopped), got the person's license plate number and called the police.

A very nice woman stopped and helped me. She called Triple A and everything was taken care of. There doesn't seem to be any other damage to the car other than the tire.

The car rolled across the four lanes and hit the median. I would have been in it had I not jumped out the door as it got onto the road. No one hit it.

But I also managed to drive myself to Fremont for the Ohlone Days gathering today. It was quite busy at Coyote Hills. I had a good time.

So, that's that. I have to take the bus tomorrow to school. Luckily there is no school on Tuesday.

That means I have to finish all the math review problems so I can get the answers in the ILC. My teacher wrote out all the solutions to the problems and she will put them in the lab room (ILC) tomorrow.

Ok..... that is all. Yesterday it took me three hours to do seven math problems. Then it took me an hour to do seven this morning. I don't know how long it will take me to do the last six.

Ahh!

Well, I had a pretty good ride with Gracie today. I rate it as a "pretty good." A "great amazing ride" was when I cantered on Carmen. Just to compare.

Anyway, I didn't fall off luckily! But Sam worked me hard. I did a lot of trotting without stirrups. That is seriously scary, especially on Gracie, who likes to trot like a maniac - really fast. But it was good.

Yes, I had a good day today. Now I am working on my math studying. Ya know what's really frustrating? When your math teacher gives you review problems with answers attached, but she can't guarantee the answers are correct because she worked the problems out really fast late at night. Do you ever have that problem? Yes, that is the way of things. I have answers that may or may not be correct. d*&^%.

Anyway, I also have a midterm coming up for American History, Part Two. On October 16. This is the class that only meets once a week. My teacher is really nice, Mr. Steinberg (also really old). Not that that's a bad thing. :)

So he gave us ten essay questions to work on. He have to write two of them for the exam, but we don't know which two. So I have to write ten essays by then and memorize them.... fun. Heh. We do get two pages of notes, though. But you can't write ten essays on two pages, however. Oh well. I am starting on them tomorrow.

Also for tomorrow I am going to this place called Coyote Hills for an Ohlone Indian Powwow. This is for my History 25 class. (By the way, the test I took on Wed. in that class went very well. I had to memorize 6 essays for that one.) So I will have to find out how to get there and where it actually is.

.... that is all. Wish me luck on my test next week. Please. Thanks.

Politics

It seems the polls show that most people agree with us about the debate. People siad that Biden was 98% knowledgable, or maybe it was that 98% of people thought he was knowledgable. I don't remember. Anyway, that's a high number. heh.

And most people said he "won" the debate.

It has been raining off and on today. I heard it while I was in bed last night and this morning. For some reason I really like hearing the rain in the morning.

And I liked Keith O's show yesterday. He played a one minute rendition of the debate. I liked the moment when W.W. was shown saying "we shouldn't look back in the past at George Bush," then saying "we should look back to two years ago when McCain voted for this..." Hahahaha.

Yes. That is all. Bye!

Debate

Happy Friday everyone!

Well, my long hard week is finally over. Yay! My test is done and my paper is done and my math homework is done. Now I just have to study for a math test on Wednesday. Hopefully I do better than last time.

And... gosh, maybe I'm completely wrong, but I thought Joe Biden did an awesome job last night. Personally. I liked it when he attacked Dick Cheney, calling him the most dangerous vice president ever, right after Wicked Witch agreed that vice presidents should have more power. I liked that moment for some reason. Maybe I am crazy.

I was also surprised when Joe got a little emotional when talking about his son. It just means he really cares and believes in what he's talking about.

But the pace of the debate was so fast! Both of them talked very fast. Especially compared to Obama and McCain who both talk quite slooowly and carefully.

I actually thought Biden did better last night than Obama did last week. Is that completely wrong? I dunno. Just my opinion.

Anyway, Wicked Witch didn't exactly crash and burn like everyone expected her to. But she didn't answer the moderator's questions at all. Maybe she didn't understand them or something.

So... that is all. Now I am watching Keith Olberman's post debate show. Bye!

Ouch

Remember how I said I was afraid of falling when cantering on Carmen? Well, I didn't fall off Carmen.

But I did fall off Gracie. Right on my back. Splat.

Yes, it was not fun. I am extremely sore today.

Gracie just got excited and started cantering unexpectedly. Katie had me get back on her again.

Anyway, now that's done with. Now I am terrified to canter on Gracie. She has a much bigger stride than Carmen. Gah. But I gotta do it, right? Yes.

So... that is all.

Cry

A sad note.

The Yankees have been eliminated from the playoffs for the first time in twelve years and for the first time after firing Joe Torre. And they just played their last game at Yankee Stadium.

Boo.

Debate

Yes, that debate yesterday was quite interesting. I was shocked at how rude, disrespectful, and condescending McPain -haha- was. "Obama just doesn't understand this and that..." Why couldn't he just have said "I strongly disagree with Obama on this and that" which would have been a more accurate description anyway.

Oh, well. McCain did better than I thought, also. Not to say that he made sense, especially when talking about the war. I thought that Obama actually came off as more intelligent and fluid. When Obama made good points, McCain just laughed this evil little condescending laugh. Gah.

I too am looking forward to the debate between Wicked Witch and Biden. I recently saw an interview of her with Katie Couric and she was just spewing nonsense. Something about Putin "rearing his head" and flying over to Alaska... or something. Haha. I will have to tape it b/c I will be in class that night.

I am glad that the polls showed that most people thought Obama "won" the debate.

-----

Anyway, today is my next riding lesson. Yay! This week Sam will be at a horse show, so someone else will be my teacher. I don't know who.

And... school is going well. I definitely had an easier week this week. But I have a lot of studying to do for a test in History 25 next week. And I have to finish a report on a book for History 8. I haven't finished the book, but it is really small. I have to churn out four pages about it by Thursday.

I had my first math test a couple weeks ago. I didn't do as well as I thought. Actually I did pretty bad, for me. And I have yet to receive full credit on the homework. But Mrs. Henson lets you correct all the problems you missed. So I have been doing that every Friday with Zahra. We try to help each other.

Yeah, calculus is hard. Really hard. I am trying my best, but I can't say for sure that I will get an A in the class in the end. Of course the semester is only 25% over, so I still have a lot left to do. Yes. We'll see. I mean, I know I am not going to fail. It's not that bad! I just mean that I have a low B at the moment.

So... that is all. Man I had some crazy dreams just a minute ago. I always feel like I miss out on sleep when I dream like that - when I am awake in my dreams and in some troubling situation. Oh well.

Haha

Grammy, that pic of SWWP is so funny.

Today in English Mr. Sato had us go over the 12 California props that will be on the ballot in November.

I think I will only vote on three: I will vote no on Prop 8 (designed to alter the constituion so that gay people can't get married), no on another one that says minors have to notify their parents before getting an abortion, and yes on one that improves living standards for animals raised for meat and eggs. So, yeah. That's how I am voting.

One more thing.

Hey, I forgot to mention.

Sam recommended that I buy some riding pants, but she didn't tell me where I should get them from. So I tried to go to a town on Main Street that sells western supplies, but Main Street was closed for a "special event." Gah.

Then I went into Subway (sandwich place) and I saw this woman wearing riding pants. I asked her where she got them and she said, "I have no idea, I have had them for years." Boo. But then she told me about this little used tack store called Happy Trails. You would never find it unless you knew it existed. Heh. I mean that its location is horrible. But they have large selection of used riding pants. I bought a pair that cost three dollars b/c it has a patch. A little patch makes it only three dollars? Cool. Then I bought another pair for 55 dollars. One pair is black and the other is dark gray. So I wore them to my lesson today.

Quite fortuitous, don't you think?

Also, Carmen is much smaller than Gracie, so I knew that if I fell the fall would be shorter. Heh.

Ahh!

Hi!

Well, I went to my lesson yesterday, but I was with three other girls and I didn't really do much. So... I signed up to go in today! And I am really glad I did.

I was on Carmen today. She is nice, but her trot is not as great as Gracie's.

Anyway... I cantered! Yay! Fun. Then.. Sam had me ride without stirrups. To trot. She said, "I don't care if you go thirty feet, just try it." But Carmen wanted to canter at this point, and I couldn't get her to stop. So I was on a runaway horse with no stirrups. I was pretty terrified and I almost fell off several times. Haha. But everyone told me that I looked really good. I wonder how that works. Heh.

So... yesterday was my no homework day. It was nice. Now it is over. Boo.

I will commence my math HW in a few minutes, but I just thought I would share what happened today. Bye!

Dead tired

Hey all!

Well, the school week is over. Hooray! I have decided no more homework til... Sunday! One whole day - Saturday- of no homework! Haha. Jeez.

Yes, I have been quite busy lately. Yes.

Anyway, tomorrow is my riding lesson. Yay!

And... well... I don't know. Today I did a two hour lab with Zahra. Right after class. It was long and tedious.

So... now I have started watching my political shows. Not much going on really. Just Sarah Wicked Witch refusing to cooperate with people investigating her ethics scandal. Why are they making such a big deal about it? Now everyone is talking about it, morons.

That is all. Bye!

Hey!

Hi all!

Don't worry, I am still here! Just getting a lot of work done. Yay! I just now, like just a second ago, finished the first draft of my morality paper for English. I think it turned out pretty good. I decided to go with the "can non-religious people have morality?" question and I found a lot of evolutionary evidence to show that humans developed morality millions of years ago when we lived in little clans. Morality was the basis for survival back then. So yes, I feel so much better now that that's done.

And on Monday I had my first math test. It went pretty well, but I am thinking I got a high B on it. Our teacher won't return it until maybe after Friday - bummer. My pre-calc teacher always returned them the very next class meeting. Oh well.

And.... thinking.... I don't know what else. I am keeping up with politics every day. Grammy, do you watch the Rachel Maddow Show? It is pretty funny. I just love that interview that Sarah Wicked Witch Palin did with Charlie Gibson. It is so amusing how much she doesn't know about things that a president should know about, ya know? Amusing because I am confident McCain is going to lose, that is. Otherwise it would be terrifying.

I had a really good ride with Gracie on Saturday. We were working on the "power trot," working up to the canter.

Oh yeah, this is hilarious. The health insurance company had a little mix up and they said I wasn't covered under our new plan. So I went to pick up my prescriptions yesterday and the total was over a thousand dollars! Haha. The Accutane alone cost five hundred dollars. But it is working like a miracle. Seriously. And no side effects! The only thing that happened was some knee pain, but that's it. My skin is not dry, and that is supposed to happen to 90% of users. Cool.

Anyway, next week should be lighter on the work load I think. No tests or papers.

So bye!

Grr.

Hey!

School has been keeping me pretty busy lately, so I sorry I haven't posted since last week. I am working on a million different things. I have my first math test on Monday. The first draft of my morality paper is due on Thursday. And I have two reading quizzes next week. So, yeah.

But I am still having fun through it all. I really like my teachers this semester. Yes.

My math teacher said that a math lab class, called Math X, is looking for assistants to tutor pre- and intermediate algebra students at Las Po. Zahra and I are going to look into that. The pay is $8.75 per hour. That could actually be really cool.

I got a pedicure yesterday at mom's hair salon. My pedicurist said she hates getting pedicures done on herself, and if someone touches her feet she "kicks them." Haha.

Then I talked to A'amna for a little bit. She said she met a guy in San Jose. She doesn't have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but her mom and aunt do not know that. Instead of going to school, she goes to San Jose to see this guy. She calls him her "boyfriend." But how long can this last really? She said he is Mexican but he converted to Islam after he met her....?!? Okay. Whatever.

Either way, this made me very jealous for some reason. I mean it really made me upset. Really upset. I don't know why. I told her I thought this was cool, but really I just feel like why does A'amna deserve a boyfriend and I don't? I have no idea why I feel this way. I secretly hope it doesn't last between them. Nothing against A'amna, though. I just don't want her to have a boyfriend.

----

Anyway, that is how things are going at the moment. Today I have another riding lesson. Yay! Bye.

Witch's brew

Hey everyone!

Well, I had a very, very good ride today. Sam was my teacher. She really works you hard, jeez. I am dead tired right now. But Sam is really, really nice, though. She always calls me "honey" and "sweetie."

And.. school is going great. Apparently A'amna is going to Las Po, too. Her mom said she was going to DVC, but I guess not.

I have to write a paper on morality and what it means to different people for English. I have no idea where to start. "Um, what are your morals?" How will I do this? I don't know yet. But I will think of something. If you have any ideas, let me know. I have to create interviews and a survey. What should I ask?

Anyway, I did another lab with my friend Zahra. As I said before, she is going to Berkeley in the spring. But she doesn't know how to pay for it. She said that taking out interest loans is against the Muslim religion. Well, that sucks. It also sucks that she has to wear two layers of bed sheets everyday in one hundred degree weather. But she never complains. About anything. I actually really admire Zahra.

So Roger Federer beat Novak Djokovic today in the semifinal. He will play either Nadal or Murray in the final. They are still playing, but there is a rain delay.

I discovered Sarah Wicked Witch Palin's favorite diss for Obama. "I guess being a mayor is sort of like being a community organizer, except you have actual responsibilities!" That's it? That's your best attack? How clever you are, Sarah Wicked Witch. You are so gonna be an awesome vice, possibly actual, president. And what's your daughter, younger than me (can you imagine me having a child?), gonna name her kid? "The Anti-Christ?"

Anyway..... that is all. Bye!

Ahhh!

Ya know something really frightening? Sarah Palin. How much does she even know about Iraq? Now all the sudden she could be making, literally, life or death decisions about Iraq?

Maybe she'll just parrot McCain: "Iraq is a peaceful, stable country now. The surge is working. We are winning. We are close to victory... (but we will never reach victory, so let's stay in Iraq forever.)"

Sorry, but I just can't get over her and her backwards ideas. Gah. I think McCain said he'll just "educate her" about foreign policy.

Anyway, my lesson went well yesterday. Katie was my instructor. I rode Gracie.

And I have been watching the U.S. Open. So far Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic are doing well. Last night the big match was between James Blake and Mardy Fish. They neglected to mention that they would be showing a woman's match, involving a girl who could very well win the whole thing: Dinara Safina.

They're like "I can't wait for the Blake/Fish match! But oh yeah, I forgot, here is Safina first..."

Well, they showed the first set of the Safina match, then they showed NOTHING of the second set. Instead they showed another match between two unknown guys Del Potro and Simon. Excuse me? Safina almost lost! And you're showing two nobody guys instead? So they finally showed the third and final set of the Safina match. The second it was over, they cut to another men's match. They barely showed Safina and her opponent, whose name I can't spell, shake hands. Grrr. They would not have done that if Blake and Fish were playing first instead.

That was annoying. But Safina won, so that's good.

Anyway, I will stop my rant now. Bye!

And yes, it is 9:15 Sunday morning. Why am I up?

And a final thing about Palin: she wants to teach creationism in schools!!!!

Gah

Hey. Bad news.

Grandpa called again yesterday. He said that after hearing the news about Sarah Wicked Witch Palin, he is now voting for McCain. Great. He's voting for an Evangelical.

Anyway, that is all. I am waiting to go to my lesson.

Edit: I guess you already knew that! Heh.

Hi

Hey!

Well, my first full week of school is over. Yay! I like all my classes so far.

Last night Mr. Steinberg lectured for three hours with a fifteen minute break and a fifteen minute video. Gah. He talked sometimes about the appropriate topic and sometimes not.

Today I did a lab with Zahra and her friend. It went well. I have always liked Zahra. She is Muslim. She wears a head dress and a dress and pants. Everyday, even in 100 degree weather like today. But she is extremely smart and nice. She is going to UC Berkeley in the Spring.

And tomorrow is my next riding lesson. Yay! Last week I rode Shane. He was a very nice, energetic horse. He didn't cut corners and he trotted when I wanted him to. He has one eye, like Max. I like him. But Gracie is still my favorite so far.

Anyway, that is all. Bye!

Oh yeah. Mom said Grandpa called today. He said that he watched Barack Obama's speech last night and was so inspired that he might actually go out and vote for him....wow!

Yawn, tired

Hey!

Well, today I went to school early and had some pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Yes. They make that sort of stuff in the cafeteria.

Today's lecture topic in English was "The Allegory of the Cave" and "what is the mind? what is thinking?"

Tonight is History 8. A kid in that class was in my English class last semester. Last week I noticed he was staring at me but I couldn't remember his name. His name is Josh. This morning I saw him in the cafeteria and he said "how are you? See you in class." He is sort of strange.

Yesterday I saw my friend from Foothill, Luke Greenaway, in the cafeteria. He was a football player and Homecoming King. He asked me to have lunch with him and his friends. One of his friends was Esther Kim, someone I knew from math class at Foothill.

Luke has always been really really nice to me. I have always wondered why, because he and I are so different. (He is cute and not very intelligent. But very popular.) Anyway, I'm glad he likes me. He gave me a big hug. He is studying EMT and criminal justice.

So, that's all. Tomorrow I am gonna do a math lab with Zahra after math class. It seems that I am branching out, slowly, socially. Heh.

Bye!

Ouch

Hey.

Well, I am starting to feel the nasty side effects of Accutane.

My knees are in extreme pain. They hurt everytime I move them. Seriously. I have no other explanation besides the pill. Yes.

But other than that today was good. I had my Friday morning Calc class. Parking was very easy because most people don't have class on Fridays.

Omg. My History 8 teacher. He talked about random things for 2.5 hours last night. Nonstop. About the syllabus and the joys of learning history and the importance of learning history and WWII and the Civil War and Indians and the Great Depression and... Jeez. Sigh. I only have to do that once a week luckily. I miss Ms. Klask and her nice voice and interesting class structure. Yes. But Mr. Steinberg is nice.

Anyway, I will sit down now and do nothing so that my knees can heal. Bye!

School

Well, I survived yet another first day of school. It was pretty good.

I had Calc and History 25 yesterday. I like both my teachers, Mrs. Henson and Mrs. McCoy. They are both really nice.

The Calc class was nearly empty. My friend from Foothill, Zahra, is in that class! Cool.

My American Indian class was quite full. In a big classroom.

Today I had English. It's in the same room that my English class was in last semester. I really like that room. My teacher, Mr. Sato, is really nice. He's probably my favorite so far. And usually I hope for female teachers.

Tonight is History 8 with Mr./Mrs. Steinberg. It's in the same room that my other history class is in, 2490.

But man, the parking is crazy in the morning! I was late for my first class, but everyone was late for that class. I never had that problem last semester with my classes in the afternoon and evening. At four it's usually almost empty. Oh well.

So... that's that. Overall I had a good impression so far. We'll see how things progress. It looks like I will be doing a lot of work and writing a lot of papers, haha. But not too many tests.

I haven't done anything except go over the syllabuses in class. Everyone is different and runs their class differently.

Anyway, that is all. Not too much to say yet. Bye!

Oh yeah. On Tuesday we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. That was really fun! They have a couple awesome new exhibits on otters and jelly fish. Very cool.

Marine World

Hey! Sorry I haven't posted in a while.

Yesterday we all went to Marine World, now called Discovery Kingdom. Yay! It was fun.

We saw the dolphin show and the Shouka the killer whale show. Those guys are very very cool.

The tiger show was canceled because the trainer "called in sick."

I also went on a new ride called White Water Safari. I got soaking wet after going under a waterfall and being sprayed with water jets. Haha! It was the best.

Today my riding lesson is at 11:00. Last week I rode with four other girls. It was ok. I kept getting stuck behind the other horses. The others were cantering and so for the last fifteen minutes I didn't do anything.

But this time I think I will be on my own. With either Heather or Sam. Sam is another teacher. She is very nice. She likes me a lot. She said I did a really good job for someone who has just gotten into it.

Anyway, I am doing well.

Oh yeah. Yesterday, or the day before, I had a little pill mix up. Either I skipped my night pills or a I took the wrong ones, I don't remember. But I didn't sleep at all, and in the morning I couldn't see correctly or walk. My vision was all whacked out. When I looked at my pictures on the wall, they would start moving around. haha. My pupils were very dilated. But I am fine now. I don't know what happened. Poor mom thought I was gonna die.

And I spent all my Amazon money. Thanks Joellymo! I bought four pairs of shoes, a handbag, a messenger bag, and a jacket. I had an extra 100 dollars that I hadn't used.

So, that is all. Bye!

Hi

Hey!

Well, my computer is sort of acting strangely. I can't get it to work. So I am using mom's computer.

Heather called today to ask if I can come in earlier tomorrow for my lesson. She said I will be riding with a couple other people. I think I will be able to choose if I want private or goup lessons from then on.

Anyway, that is all.

Hey....

Well, you guys won't believe this. I know I have said this several times before, but seriously this time you won't.

I got a Facebook message from John Blau in Alaska. John Blau. Aka "father." Hahahahahaha.

I have no idea how that happened. It is just really bizarre.

Anyway, also my computer is dying. Yes. It just turns off randomly.

..... that is all. Today I go to the doctor to get birth control. Fun. But then I think next week Dr. Lee can prescribe the Accutane. Yay!

Although I have a feeling I have to wait a month after starting birth control before it can be prescribed.

So, yes. Very strange. Mom says I shouldn't write back to him ("Blau"). I won't. It would be funny if I did, though.

Bye!

Joellymo, I am not using my comcast e-mail. It's the same address just with "gmail.com" instead of "comcast.net"

Birthdays

Edit: Barack Obama's birthday was yesterday, August 4th. :)

Hey everyone! Thanks for all my gifts! I love them.

That is all.

Whoah!!

Hey!

I had a REALLY great ride today!

I jumped.... yes. A one-foot jump.

Gracie decided to canter out of the jump, and I freaked out for a second, haha. She was pretty excited today.

Anyway, that is all. I had a lot of fun and learned a lot today.

Hi

Yesterday Mom, Bethany, and I went to IHOP. Then we went to visit Horizon's East. I showed them Gracie and we saw Katie, one of the instructors.

So that was pretty cool.

That's all.

Funnyness

Well, this is a weird dream.

I dreamed that Grammy changed her store to sell lightbulbs, men's clothing, and barbecue supplies..... hahahaha.

Um?

Well, something strange happened today.

This morning I was reading Tony Attwood's book about Asperger's. Blair came in and asked me what I was reading. I told him.

Then he said that maybe the only thing wrong with me is that I am extremely egocentric. That I only care about myself and that I can't care about anyone else. He also said that Asperger's Syndrome is the same as Narcissistic Disorder.

So... what? Where did that come from?

I am sick of being told that I am selfish. Grandpa said it, now Blair.

I would be lying if I said I didn't care what they thought about me. In fact, I care very much. They are my family. If they were people I knew at school, then I could probably let it go. But they aren't.

I thought I had them on my side. I thought they liked me. I thought Grandpa liked the things that I did because I tried to do things that he would like. I though Blair liked me because he is always so nice to me. Michael (old therapist) said that he thought that Blair thought I was his favorite person in the household. I guess not.

Anyway, I can't just get over this. This is huge news to me. I never would have guessed this from them. I am shocked.

So.... now I will continue to go about my day and coming days trying to forget this. But it will be hard.

I don't want to tell you guys anything like this ever again. It almost feels like I am making this up so people can feel sorry for me. But believe it or not, I am not making this up.

I have been thinking back to everything that I have done in my life to see if there is any truth to what they said. I have found lots of things that would suggest that. But to say that my lack of confidence around other people and my inability to relate to them is due to my extreme egocentricity, or narcissism, seems completely insane to me. I don't get it.

Whatever. I don't know how I can change their opinions or if I should even bother.

Sigh. Luckily I have riding and Shark Week on the Discovery Channel to keep my mind off things. But maybe I shouldn't do things I like because that would just be playing into my self-centeredness. (Sarcasm).

Yes. I will go watch Myth Busters try and bust the movie Jaws. They proved that a scuba tank can't blow up when shot with a rifle. It just turns into a rocket and would send the shark into outer space! Haha. But sharks can break through a shark cage... yikes.

Bye!

Coming home.

Well, today is my last day in Sonoma. I guess I never really said I was going to Sonoma. I did. Haha.

Anyway, I had a very good time. Yesterday Grammy and I went to the beach, Goat Rock. Then we went to Laurie Drew's house and went to dinner in Santa Rosa. We went with Joyce, Cynthia, and Heather. Everyone was really nice.

I had a roast chicken and french fries. It was really good, though I could have had more chicken and less fries.

Everyone had stories to share about their horse riding experiences. Heather said she was on a horse that was about to go over a jump, but the horse suddenly stopped. She flew off the front of the horse and did a somersault. Haha! I mean, I am sure it was pretty scary at the time. But she can laugh about it now.

So.... I have been reading my Asperger books. They are informative. But the more I read, the more things I find that I don't really have. But they also say it takes on many expressions and it depends on the personality of the person. I definitely have the widespread symptom of social awkwardness. But I feel like I can read people pretty well. The books also say people can learn social skills as they get older. I do tend to copy other people in social situations. And I am very clumsy.

Anyway, that is all. I am coming home in a couple hours.

Oh no!

Well, guess what. I have a new disorder! Yay! Haha.

And.... two more people friended me on Facebook. They each have over two hundred friends!

Seriously. I hope I do have Aspergers because that means that it is not my fault. Yes. I only met one person with Aspergers and she was very rude and annoying. She was at zoo camp. She was very disruptive. The counselor told us not to blame her because she just had this disorder.

So... I am not like that. I guess it takes on many symptoms and ways of expression.

Anyway, I am not unhappy with this news. I think it makes perfect sense. Now I can blame something for all my problems.

I don't know if you remember mom, but one of the girls on America's Next Top Model had Aspergers. She said it was a form of autism.

Autism? I don't know.

On the other hand, there is no cure for this thing. So I don't know how medication can help. You just have to make sure your environment is comfortable. But that can't be the case all the time. You are going to run into situations that are uncomfortable.

Some symptoms I can right now identify with are:

Small focus. Focusing on one thing at a time.; the need to be in control for group activities; social fear; obsessing over things that I have said or done in the past; collecting and organizing things a lot; being most comfortable alone.

So, I guess that is pretty much the definition of Asperger's.

Also, sometimes people with Aspergers say things that are hurtful without really meaning to. Maybe that's why I called that one girl a bitch in my English class and why I once told mom that my problems were all her fault.

And... we think Grandpa may have it too. Maybe that's why he said what he did to me.

...... now I have to read all these books about it. I don't think it changes too many things. Maybe it will just give me some new strategies.

I feel like I am on Mystery Diagnosis. People have all these symptoms but no one can tell them what is causing them. Until finally they find out.

That is all. Grammy says I should go to an Aspergers specialist to see if they can tell me for sure whether I have it or not.

Bye!

300th post

Hey!

I went to my fourth lesson today.

Heather wasn't there, so Katie was my instructor. She is really nice.

I didn't ride Gracie because I think she was in a lesson right before mine. So I rode Carmen.

Well... Carmen is a lot different than Gracie. Haha. We went to the outside arena and she wanted to go in all kinds of directions. I just wanted her to go in a circle. Haha. But she had a very nice easy trot. I liked her. Even though she was really hard to steer. We went in smircles, as Heather likes to say.

Anyway, we also went swimming yesterday. That was fun. We are going again in a few minutes. I told them I am only gonna sit on the raft and do nothing. Heh.

So... that's that. Bye!

Gureisu

I just went to Borders and bought a couple Japanese workbooks. Mom and I want to study together. Yes.

That is all. Pretty much.

PS. I miss Sea Ranch. Boo. Haha.

Bored, etc.

Well, I just got through organizing all my clothes in my closet. It looks like the mall. Haha. I organized everything by color. Heh.

And Veronica put red highlights in my hair yesterday. It looks very cool.

We plan on going to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Marine World later this summer. I love going to those places. It should be fun.

So.... that is all. We are going to go swimming today. Even though it won't be too hot.

And yes, the New Yorker cover will just feed the fire started by lunatic right wingers who want people to think that Obama is Muslim (and a terrorist apparently). Grandma and Grandpa don't like him because they think he has "Muslim blood." Haha.

Also yes, we will have the largest group for Thanksgiving ever in the history of our family. I think. Yes. It is historic.

Anyway, that's what's going on. I hope you have a good day/night! Above is a picture of Rafael Nadal.

Hey!

Hey, well everyone is up now because Blair is going back to work. Yes.

And... mom made an appointment with the doctor for me to get birth control. Yippee. No exam required though, that's good.

I am getting my hair done today at 2:00 with Veronica. Then we are going swimming in our little pool. I haven't gone yet, but Bethany and mom have.

So... nothing new. Nope. Nothing. Sorry.

Anyway, I hope you all are having a good summer. I can't WAIT until Jolleymo and Maki-san and Paul-chan come for Thanksgiving!!! Yay! Grandma and Grandpa from Tucson are coming too. So I don't know how we will all fit around the dinner table. Haha. We will need several "kids tables".

Also, my birthday is coming. We will have a big huge ginormous party! Just kidding. Just a little party like usual. I told mom not to get me any clothes or gift certificates to clothing stores. Haha. I have SO MANY clothes it's not even funny. You know that I like any kind of gifts, weird or cool or totally boring. I like everything!

That is all for today. I will see you soon!

What???

Ok... you guys will not believe this.

Remember Kenzie? From middle school.

Well, she just friended me on Facebook. OMG. Seriously.

I also noticed that she is out now. As gay, I mean. That's not surprising. I always knew.

Anyway.... I still can't believe this. It's been four years since I saw her. Amazing.

So... I friended her back.

!!!!!?????!!!

Oh yeah, and she's going to UC San Diego next year. b****. haha. !!

Bored

Well, my lesson went very, very well yesterday. I was much better than last week. Haha. Heather and I worked on my steering. I was holding the reins too loosely and Gracie wasn't getting the message. But I got it now. That's all we did. Heather set up an obstacle course for me to steer around. It was fun!

Heather said she was really tired from the two hour birthday party that ended right before I got there.

Anyway, I am not doing too much right now. Yes.

So.... that is all. Above is a picture of Rafael Nadal and Venus Williams at the Wimbledon Champions' Ball.

Early bird

Hey, welcome home everyone!!

Well, it is 12:13 and everyone is still in bed. I went to the mall and Togo's and the gas station while they were asleep.

I have been going to IHOP and the mall and the grocery store while everyone is in bed. Haha!!!

Anyway...... I am looking at my calendar and it is Battle of the Boyne Day on Monday in northern Ireland.

So nothing new going on. I am going riding tomorrow at 2:30. Yes.

Bye!

Um...

Well..... I am starving. Literally.

Yesterday I had cereal, Spaghetttios, and two glasses of juice. That's it. I am sick of frozen food. I haven't had a real meal in so long.

So I am going to IHOP in an hour while everyone is asleep so I can actually eat something nutritious. Like eggs.

Anyway, I was really sad yesterday when mom wasn't home to watch the men's final with me. :(
It was so exciting. It lasted FOUR AND A HALF hours plus two rain delays.

That's all. Hopefully you are having a good time. Yes.

Tennis

Hey did you watch the men's final??? OMG.

It was the longest match in Wimbledon history. John McEnroe said it was the best match he had EVER seen. The fifth set ended 9-7.

It was so so so close.

That's all I will say about it. :)

Hey

Well, I am back from my second riding lesson. I am exhausted. Haha.

I really need to be in better shape. I need to get better muscles.

It was fun!

Bye!

Oh yeah, I rode Gracie again.

Tennis

Hey, here are some more Wimbledon updates.

Venus won the final 7-5, 6-4.

It will be Nadal and Federer tomorrow in the final.

Tennis

Hey, here are some Wimbledon updates:

It will be a Williams/Williams final tomorrow. I hope Venus wins.

Men's quarterfinals: Federer, Safin, Sheuttler, Nadal win.

Men's semifinals: Nadal wins. I am still waiting for the Federer/Safin match.

So.... that is all.

Helloooooo!

I have to write loudly because you guys are waaaay on the other side of the planet. Haha. I am glad you arrived safely and I hope you are feeling well. :).

Well, I am doing pretty good as the Mom so far.

It is now 1:00 pm and I am the only one up. I have watched two tennis matches and I went to the grocery store. I bought some lunches and milk, ketchup, etc.

Anyway, I have to figure out how to use the dishwasher and laundry machine.... heh. Haha.

So... I went to my dermatologist and she told me more about Accutane. Jeez.

I have to go to the gynecologist and get on birth control. It is required. But I know birth control has a lot of benefits. It reduces your periods for one thing. And it also fights acne and stress. So that's ok.

Then.... I have to get some blood work. I will have to get blood drawn every month while I am on Accutane. ..... I HATE doing that. Gah.

Also, it has a side effect of making your skin dry. All over. Dr. Lee said I will need to carry moisturizer along with me all the time. Ugh. It also makes you a little achy in your muscles.

If you get a really, really bad headache, you are supposed to go to the emergency room..... scary.

So.... it sounds like a bummer, but really it could totally change my life too. So I will deal with all that other stuff.

And.... my second riding lesson is on Saturday. I will be with Heather again. I like her. Yay!

That is all. Please send me e-mails or comments and tell me how you are doing, ok? Ok. See ya!

Fly away

Well, Mom is at the airport right now. That means..... I have to be the mom of the house. Yes. Good practice.

The fair was pretty fun yesterday. I ended up going on a bunch of rides. It was very cool out as well. I had pizza, pepsi, and funnel cake.

Anyway, I hope you all have a good flight and a great time in Japan!!!!!! Drink lots of water.

So... now I am going to continue watching Wimbledon. Bye!

Fair

Today we are going to the Alameda County Fair.

I don't really want to go for some reason. I just want to eat their food. I won't go on too many rides.

Anyway, that is all.

Edit

I edited my previous post.

Hi

Hey, I realized that I didn't write about what I actually did today.....

Well, my horse had just been used in a previous lesson, so I think she was pretty tired. We just walked around and trotted a little. I worked on my posting and getting on the right diagonal. I also worked on the two-point position. Sorry if you don't know what that means. :)


It felt really good when I first mounted Gracie. I had forgotten what it feels like to be on a horse. It was a little awkward because you always have that feeling that you are going to fall off. I don't know the last time you were on a horse, but maybe you know that feeling. Ironically, the trot feels more stable than the walk. I mean that you feel more connected to the horse when she's trotting (moving faster than the walk). Even though your butt is off the saddle half the time when you are trotting (that's called posting, when you sit up and sit down in a rhythmic fashion). If you are on the wrong diagonal you have a double bounce when you sit down, but if feels more comfortable when you are on the right (correct) diagonal. I used the right diagonal some times and sometimes not. It's hard to find it at first.

The two-point position is when you sit up and lean forward, like a jockey sits on a race horse. You are in this position when you jump. Can you picture it? You reach all the way out to your horse's ears.

The other arena they have has a bunch of competition style jumps. High jumps. That is very advanced. Yes.

Anyway, it was only a half hour. It was really fun.

But boy, I am out of shape! I was winded after doing five minutes of posting. Seriously.

If you have the chance, watch the equestrian events during the Olympics. That is what I am studying. I could do it in miniature fashion, like mini golf. Haha.

My next test will be cantering. That's the most fun but also the hardest. It feels much better than the trot. Some horses love to canter, and some are lazy and prefer just to walk. Gracie liked walking, but she was tired.

Anyway, that is all. Maybe you (Grammy) can come to one of my lessons some day, so you can see what I am talking about. Mom has little interest in going for some reason.

Also, it wasn't too hot today. It felt really nice actually.

So.... I think that is all. Yes. Bye!

Neigh!

Hey!

Well, I'm home now. It went great!

My horse's name was ......... Gracie. Yes, seriously. Haha.

My instructor was Heather. She went to Las Po. She was really nice.

Anyway..... I signed up for another lesson next Saturday. Yay!

Good morning.

Wow, that article is really sad..... I have seen several animals die at the zoo. Two goats and one pig. But another animal was born there too - a giraffe.

I have also seen animals pacing in their enclosures. I remember seeing the hyena pacing along the fence, probably looking for food. I have seen the tigers do the same thing.

I know that Alan likes to feed his animals a LOT. The lemurs get a lot of food. Maybe it is too much, I don't know, but they are definitely not underweight.

Anyway, yes, zoos are sad places in general. But when the animals are not properly cared for, it's even worse. I think that the Oakland Zoo is a very nice place, if I do say so.

On a better note, my riding lesson is at 1:00. My dad is going with me. He wants to start up too. However, I am going to take private lessons, without him. I don't mean to be mean, but I would like the one on one thing. He can still do it too, just at a different time.

It is now 7:36. Yesterday I slept in till 10:41!!!!! But everyone is still asleep right now. Haha.

Take a look at my pics below.

Pictures continued

The baseball game pics are sort of blurry, but we were really close to homeplate.

Pictures continued

Caliente is on the top, Khodicrome is in the middle, and Bandito is on the bottom. She has fly spray on her face, that's why is looks funny.