Things I like: ...................... Things I hate: 1. Driving ...........................1. Eighteen-wheelers 2. Swimming .......................2. Jellyfish Thank you.
Gah. Driving's a pain. Let me just rant for a minute. My parental units have taken it upon themselves to train me in the art of wasting gallons of fossil fuels. And they don't seem to like the way I drive. I'm sorry, but if an eighteen-wheeler is barrelling towards me, I'm probably going to pull away. Nevermind there's white line there--if I go over the line, I'll just get back on the road. Better than dead. Also, since I happen to live on some curvy-ass road in the middle of nowhere, I have to take the switchback turns and twists. Which means slowing down. And since I have to be yelled at when I happen to take the turns too fast, I'm sort of being conditioned for caution. So, then, put me on a major highway. Flatter, yes. Not as much hills and slopes. Less curves. Wider lanes. And tell me to go faster. Speed limit's fifty-five. I'm going about forty. "Hurry up," they say. "Gonna get your ass run over." So I hurry up. Take a (gentle) curve at about fifty-three. "Slow down!" they shout. "Gonna get us all killed!" Make up your mind, people! I know I'm voicing my impotent frustration and my deathly fear of motorized vehicles. But when I relate my concerns, they must tell me to shut up. No driving if I argue. I'm almost willing to take that bet. So yes, I survived the Jeep that tailgated me for ten miles. I successfully piloted our tank of a minivan on perilous plummeting hills and snaking roads. I didn't get hit by that eighteen wheeler. And now I need a rest. And maybe a nerve pill.
Today, my friends, I tried a new and dangerous thing: driving. Yes, I'm that young. Just finishing up driver's ed. I get my permit this Wednesday, my liscense next year. Today was my BTW (Behind-The-Wheel) driving sentence/test. Four hours of me, some freshman girl I don't know, and the teacher. I thought I was going to die. Every time we came to an intersection, I instinctively slunk to a fetal position in the floorboard (Or thought about it, if I was driving). I have had a deathly fear of intersections since the car crash when I was ten. We were T-boned and my friend, who was sitting on that side of the vehical, was killed instantly. And of course I kept thinking about that. I was a wee bit scared. It was raining today, which was a plus. And I've never driven above twenty miles per hour before, so driving up a major highway at sixty was a little disconcerting. But it all turned out well. I survived Trial by Mountain, having made it up the snakey road that leads up the mountains and back. And after that, it wasn't so hard. Not even the intersections. And best of all? I'm sitting here typing this. I made it. I didn't die.
We took her to the vet today. She was too weak to even walk into the office. We had to carry her. She's lost a lot of weight. She got sick a couple of weeks ago, right after the last time she got loose. I don't know if her running around has to do with whatever is wrong with her. She's eleven now, so I suppose that she's going to have off days, but I'm worried about her. I cried the whole way through the vet visit, even though there was nothing particularly wrong. They're keeping her for testing... hopefully we'll know what's wrong with her by tomorrow. I hope it's easily treatable... working with a budget doesn't help and if it's bad we might not be able to get the best care. Still sad, --Milady
Not that it matters to me, since I have the whole week off for exams anyway... but it brings out my inner child. My corner of the world has been in a severe drought for just under a year. This has been the driest winter ever. Compounded with the fact that we haven't had snow for five years, and I was totally in awe when I saw the white stuff heaped everywhere this morning. So, of course, I go out to play. I can be a four-year-old when I want to, right? I spent about an hour chucking snowballs at my little brother, crashing into trees on sleds, and falling on my rear end. A lot. And so, after being totally humiliated and still having the time of my life, I come in to warm up and check out the forums... Haha! Snow day! Yay, snow!
*Sigh*. One of my New Year's resolutions was to quit complaining about my acute lack of inspiration, but I can't help myself. I've got this whole week off (except tomorrow morning) because I'm exempt from most of my exams. I'll be home alone all week, which makes for some good writing time. Problem? No ideas. I've either finished or retired all of my pending projects, so I HAVE NOTHING TO DO. I've been browsing the web all morning and still I haven't found a spark. Maybe I'm just trying too hard. Anyway, since I now sound like a total newbie/loser, I'll just go huddle in a corner somewhere. Cheerio!