Thing I've Learned #69: Cars Are Sexy

I watched Tokyo Drift last night.

Ever since I went to Japan and my friends on the trip were horrified I'd never seen it, I've been pestered about it. And finally--FINALLY--I saw it. It was on TV, and I was like cool, I've been wanting to watch this for a while.

Sexiest. Cars. Ever. Viper = Yesssssssssss...

So let me clarify: Yes, I am a girl. Yes, I like cars.

My dad didn't like the movie.
"So...the entire point of this movie was to show cars going sideways."
"Uh...yeah. So? They were AWESOME."
They really were. I've got a serious car crush on the Viper right now. :)

In other news, Kali has been an absolute monster this week. I think it's "that time of the month." She's been spooking like crazy and almost dumped me several times. And today when I was lunging her she bolted twice and tore the line out of my hands. But she was so tired from that she was good when I rode, haha. And Leah, the girl who's kinda-sorta leasing James came to ride him today. I like her because she likes him.

Oh and I fed James Pringles. Pickle flavored Pringles. :D He loved them.

Thing I've Learned #68: Either Time Flies, Or I Stepped Through a Wormhole

Has it really been two months? Shame on me. So here's a quick update: I can't remember too much of what happened in February, except that it was cold all the time and I got Kali. :) She's got some attitude problems and major ADHD, but she'll jump literally anything you throw in front of her, so I'm not complaining. March has been relatively boring. Took the SAT, which must be illegal somewhere. Four hours of testing? Good god. Went on a field trip to a renaissance faire, which classifies my english teachers as the best teachers ever. And now it's spring break, and only barely warm enough for a tank top. Florida, what is WRONG with you?! And all through this time I have been reading. I think my count on contraband books is up to eleven now, and for the record, False Colors is still my favorite.

How about a random fact of the day?! The average thread count for Egyptian royalty in the 18th dynasty was 83. Am I a nerd or what? I dare you to find a use for that fact today. :)

So today I'm off to look at Rollins College. Which frankly is a waste of my time, because my number one criteria for colleges is NOT IN FLORIDA. But my parents insist, so I must comply. And speaking of colleges, I was supposed to be in San Francisco this weekend looking at Berkley, but all the flights were full. Ah, the cruelty of traveling space available. Plus, Rollins is only about 45 minutes away from my house. The last thing I want is for my parents to show up in my dorm on the weekends! Or to have to live at home for college. Mom, Dad, I love you, but I NEED MY SPACE. Pros of a college in California: No parents trying to backseat drive my life.

That made me sound like I hate my parents. I don't! I love them. I just want room to be myself, you know? And besides, Florida's weather is gross.

Thing I've Learned #67: I Am a Six Year Old Boy

Today was my birthday. I asked for a Nerf gun. I got a Nerf gun. My dad loves it more than I do. I foresee wars in the future. My mother regrets buying it already.

Thing I've Learned #66: Horse Shopping is Not Like Shoe Shopping

So, the news on the horse hunt is as follows: Kate loves Prestley, and while I liked him a lot, it wasn't quite true love. Yesterday, we went to see a chestnut Irish sport horse mare named Kali. And I like her a lot. More than Prestley. She was a little nervous, but it was raining when I was riding her, and I don't know if that had anything to do with it. I must have a weakness for imperfect horses. Anyway, I sense this is going to be a difficult search. Wednesday we might go see Lyrical, we're going to see Kali again, and I don't know who else.

There's one mom and I both like, a bay gelding. He has a silly name, like Ollie or something. Today my father and I decided that if I like him and end up with him, we will rename him Brego.

I swear, if I had a dollar for every time I made a Lord of the Rings reference and no one got it, I would be a rich woman.

But in all honesty, my horse will have to have an awesome name. If it's name is retarded, it shall be renamed. Probably something literary or historical. How about Bucephalus? Haha, I would.

I finally wrote last night! Some random thing about Kit and DeLacey and Kit's 21st birthday. It isn't finished and I have no idea where it's going, but knowing them, probably to the bedroom.

My birthday is tomorrow! Here's hoping for that Nerf gun...

Thing I've Learned #65: Every Time I Ask For a Kitten I Get a Horse

Long weekend numero dos! Exams are over, halle-frickin'-lujah! And my parents are buying me a new horse. They finally agree that while James is the cutest pony on planet earth, he is also better suited to be a dog than a jumper pony. And so, I'll be getting a horse who actually DOES WHAT IT'S TOLD. And isn't afraid of trot poles. And the wind. And flowers. And it's own shadow. Tomorrow mom and I are driving with Kate and her friend Shannon to watch a horse show. And while we're there we're going to look at a horse. He's a gray gelding, and his name is Prestley. He's quite adorable. :) I'm excited.

There were a few others we looked at online, namely a bay mare named Lyrical that Kate kind of likes. And there's another bay mare my mom likes named Isabella. It's funny, I've never had to go horse shopping like this before. We bought Lillie because I had been riding her for lessons for a while, and we bought James because I had been working with him a bit before Lillie died. But this whole looking for a horse elsewhere thing is new to me. So I'm glad Kate will be there to help.

In other news not related to horses, my birthday is Tuesday! It's funny...I swear I feel younger the older I get. You know what I asked for for my birthday? A Nerf gun, a Playtex pirate ship, and 300. The first two being incongruous to my age, and all three out of character for my gender. Most teenagers ask for a car...

You know what I should be doing right now? Annotating. The Great Gatsby is due on Thursday. I'm on chapter two. You know what else I should be doing? Writing. Aside from the teeny short story I wrote for Christmas, I've written nothing since November 30th. I should be working on my historical "projects." Because yes, my nerd love for Greek history translates into my writing. There's the Twin Project, which I believe I've talked about, which I've written...a lot for. There's the Patroclus Project, which I've written two little things for, and then there's the Alexander Project, which is fairly new and has nothing as of yet.

Which brings me to my new nerdy/fangirl obsession: Alexander the Great. Well, it's been an intrest for a while. I think it becomes an obsession when you decide to write about it, but I digress. You see, when it comes to history, I think like a writer. I think about history as stories, the people as characters. I think about Alexander as a person, as a man. Not as his accomplishments. I think about what he acted like, what went through his head, how he met his friends, what he thought of them, you know? People stuff. And I digress again. Where the Twin Project is Castor and Polydeuces, and the Patroclus Project is Achilles and Patroclus, the Alexander Project is Alexander and Hephaistion. (I'm sensing a theme here...) What can I say, I like relationships. Especially when the two parties in question are famous, historical, and handsome. Oh dear, I'm such a nerd!

And on that note, Sarah has just challenged me to a write off, so away I go, hopefully to (finally) get some words down! Ta!

Thing I've Learned #64: Long Weekends are Tiny Pieces of Heaven

Okay, admittedly this long weekend will end with midterm exams...but still. And you know what I should be doing right now? Studying. But Sarah's coming over instead. And we're going to watch movies and hang out instead.

I love watching movies with my friends. Most girls are like, "Oh, let's watch Titanic and The Notebook!" And I'm like, "Let's watch a gory movie! How about Gladiator?" And Sarah agrees enthusiastically. We're awesome.

Yesterday was our girly day, though. We went to the mall, and I think we spent about two hours in Forever 21. And I bought thigh high boots. Pair 57. My father was not pleased.

I'm sure other things happened to me that week, but I don't remember them, so they must not be important.

Thing I've Learned #63: Authors Are Weird People

Alane Ferguson, author of the Christopher Killer, came to our school today. She told us about fighting with her sisters and all the dead people she's seen and the creepy things that have happened to her. And she said she met Stephen King, and he was weird. Authors are weird in general, I'm starting to see. I liked her a lot. She was funny, and nice, and she had a lot to say. Which is important in a writer. And not just that, but knowing what you're talking about. And having a passion for it. She definitely had those.

And then she did a writer's workshop. EB, Sarah, and I all went. And you know, she liked us! We did a writing exercise and she read mine, and Sarah's too. She said they were very good. Mature, I think was the word she used. Of course, there was much nit-picky criticism attached, but it felt good. Embarrassing...but good. She said we could e-mail her our stuff, which was really neat. You don't really use that word much anymore, neat. But it was. It was neat.