HAPPY MAY 25 (Pre-Post)

HAPPY MAY 25th!!
Can't blog. Must sleep. Pics and stuff in the morning. You can wait. XD
Oh!! And my towel came in handy.

LINKS!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geek_Pride_Day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Towel_day
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glorious_Twenty-fifth_of_May#Calendar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIB_3

Also, before I go, my Dad turns 42 in a few days! Yaaaay.....
Sleep.
__, ,__
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I Iz Schizo? =D

Huh....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schizotypal_personality_disorder

Let's take a look at how this applies to me, shall we?

• Ideas of reference (excluding delusions of reference)

Yup.

• Odd beliefs or magical thinking that influences behavior and is inconsistent with subcultural norms (e.g. superstition, belief in clairvoyance, telepathy, "sixth sense", or bizarre fantasies or preoccupations)

Odd to whom exactly? And yes.

• Unusual perceptual experiences, including bodily illusions

No bodily illusions. Although does realizing about once every 3 months that I'm actually really just a whole buncha meet on a skeleton count? Because that happens. And man, it is SO weird.

• Odd thinking and speech (e.g. vague, circumstantial, metaphorical, or stereotyped speaking)

      Oh most definitely.

• Suspiciousness or paranoid ideation

Who wants to know?? Seriously though. Definitely. CLOWNS?? Those are some scary bastards..... OH! And mimes. Creepy. Ninjas?? Oh GOD. Trolls..... The government... MY NEIGHBOR! Oh crap. O____O

• Inappropriate or constricted affect

Yeah, sometimes.

• Behavior or appearance that is odd, eccentric or peculiar

Do I even need to answer this one??

• Lack of close friends or confidants other than first degree relatives

I'm not sure how to answer this. I now have two close friends, but all the years before that? Not one.

• Excessive social anxiety that does not diminish with familiarity and tends to be associated with paranoid fears rather than negative judgments about self.

Huh. This is a little creepy. I think that Wikipedia has been reading my mind. OR listening to me through my built-in laptop microphone!!

.......I KNEW IT!!

The Bloggerlympics

I have something strange to share with you all! =D

The Russians have slowed down in reading my blog. What with that, guys? You used to read it quite a bit! Second only to the US. You seem to have fallen off it some time ago though. Last week the Germans were reading it more. Now you've surpassed the Germans, but you're still bested by the French and the Americans.

You still come in second in the all-time views though. I thank you for that. =}

Keep reading, cyberminions!! =D

Make me proud. =^^=

-Rahel <3

I Finished Good Omens!

I finished Good Omens.
I finished Good Omens.
I FINISHED GOOD OMENS.

.....Dear Goddess, what have I done?


I am about to loose it.

I FINISHED IT!!!!!!!!!
THE ONLY BOOK THAT MY TWO FAVORITE AUTHORS WROTE TOGETHER!!

...And it's over. It's all over.
I know what happens.
I know what takes place.
I know what transpires.
It's no longer a mystery.
I love it so much, but I can't re-read it for at least a few months.....

*sigh.*

The good news is that... <spoilers><!-- This kind of gives away the whole book. Highlight the blank spot to see them anyway-BUT ONLY IF YOU'VE READ THE BOOK FIRST. (Cooper! I see you. Don't you dare...) -->...no one died!! Sure, there was that office full of telemarketers. And that mailman. And those whalers. Heh, that kraken totally PWNED them. But other then that? All my beloved characters!! THEY LIVED!! Huzzah!!! I LOVE YOU NEIL AND TERRY!!!!</spoilers>

...Phew. Anyhoo, although I am terribly sad that it's over (and that it was slightly anti-climactic), I am so glad that I read it. I feel so much better. =^^=

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T READ IT:
GO BUY IT. RIGHT NOW. EVEN IF YOU CAN BARELY AFFORD IT. IT IS INEFFABLY AMAZING. It puts a whole new spin on religion, life, the universe, and everything. It's basically up there with 42.


...Go on! SHOO!!!

STAR testing, Asterisks, Technology, HTML5, Kids These Days, and Teleportation

I took the California's English Language Arts STAR test for 10nth grade today.
It was so easy.
I must ask. Do people actually not pass this? I don't think that it's based on a bell-curve...

Besides feeling quite secure about acing the test, I had quite a laugh. One of the short essays we had to read then use to answer questions was a speech by Bill Gates. (or maybe it was a written announcement. I'm not actually sure.) As much as I'm unsure of Bill Gates*, it was a very funny and motivational speech. I don't remember the exact words, but it was something about the food chain and how glad he was to be in this day and age (where he wouldn't be eaten by beasts). This speech was then followed up by this dude griping about kids these days, technology, and people's dependence upon gadgets. Although I do think that technology should be handled carefully**, I giggled while reading the whole thing. It was just too funny! I could just picture an old man furiously writing the thing, frowning and shaking his head.
Anyhoo, it made me remember the dream I had last night. In my dream, I was standing outside of the Ojai Library with some people I know around me. I'm pretty sure that some of my close friends were there too, but I wasn't paying attention. I was working on a website using HTML5. On a chalk board.
That's right. I was standing there and working out a website by hand. I remember stepping back, a blissfully maniac grin on my face, and telling everyone who would listen "It's done! What a great site. Look at that! I figured out how to work divs. Isn't it beautiful? What an amazing site. And it's finally finished... Now I need to get to a computer. The world needs to see this!" I don't quite remember what the website was for, but I remember the pride I felt when making it. It was mine. My child. My creation.
And I did it in 'real life.'
I just thought that was cool.

You know, something very similar happened to me in a dream months back.
I had just read a ton of The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. (From The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.) I was at the part where Ford had just found a teleporter on a ship (that they were stuck in. And that was about to blow up.) and they were trying to make it work. Just as I drifted off, I tried to picture the teleporter. It looked like this:

Except that it was 3D, the font was beautiful and curving, and that it glowed. (And yes, the dotted and dashed purple lines are supposed to be glowing. Sue me.)
Anyway, all you had to do was jump into the string of words and you could take off....

I thought that this was pretty awesome. =)

PS!! Okay. Why the asterisks, I'm sure you want to ask? I just finished Good Omens. IT WAS AMAZING. So amazing in fact, that I'm going to write another post about it RIGHT NOW. =D

_____________________________
*Okay, Windows lovers. Sorry to crush your dreams, but I'm not a Gates fan. Windows just isn't my operating system. If you like it, then that's fine... I'll just stick to Linux though. =^^=


**Seen the Matrix? I have. Lemme tell you: I am waiting for the machines to strike. Or us. Whoever lands the first blow.

Geeky May!

May is magical this year.

Here are some of the awesome things that have taken or will take place this month:
1- Beltane/Mayday
4- May the 4th be with you; Avengers comes out in theaters
5- Revenge of the fifth
6- Full Scorpio moon
10- Mother's Day (For all Geeks living in their Mom's basement)
23- World Turtle Day (I like turtles! =D)
25- Towel Day (HHG2G); Geek Pride Day; Men In Black III comes out in theaters; The Glorious Twenty-Fifth of May (Discworld); Wikipedia updates it's Terms of Use
27- My Dad turns 42

Trousers Meets Bella Sara

Not everyone can get away from the sick, it seems. I thought that I was safe-I thought that maybe the virus would pass me by. Boy, how I was wrong.
Yesterday, I felt something weird in my throat-as if something was stuck. I woke up this morning and it was uber scratchy. Now I can only speak if I drop my voice about an octave.
Suffice to say, I sound like a dude.

I think it's awesome.

I used to get mistaken for a boy all the time as a kid- mostly because I hated pink, purple, dresses, flowers, and everything else associated with girls. Except unicorns. Unicorns ROCK.
Anyway, even though I still don't wear that kind of stuff, I almost never get mistaken as a boy anymore. Actually, it did happen last month, but that was the first time in years and I had my head lowered. The man apologized sincerely and seemed embarrassed, but I assured him that it was fine. When he left, I felt a kind of small happiness.
I suppose I like being mistaken as a boy. Does this -coupled with the fact that I only feel comfortable in pants- mean that I'm a cross-dresser? My gender identity is female, but I dress as a male- I'm probably a transvestite.
[NOTE! Being a transvestite is different then transgender. A transgender is someone who identifies as a different gender then they were born with. Being a transvestite usually has nothing to do with sexuality or gender identity.]


Before I go!!
I have some more confessions to make.
*AHEM.*
I like pokemon. I never used to play as a kid. I'm a girl. I'm almost 16 years old. And yet pokemon still rocks.

And lastly, I still totally love unicorns! I will proclaim my love for unicorns in the only way I can- Through pics.

I still love dragons more though. =^.~

[UPDATE!]
My voice is better and I can pretty much speak normally. My throat, however, is quite agonized.

Dwight Schrute= Love/Hate

I've been watching The Office! It is amazing. It reminds me of a happy Dilbert. (How is that even possible???)
Unfortunately, I have fallen into a love/hate one-sided relationship with Dwight.
As much as I despise him, he got me at "Question: Where can I keep my terrarium?" I litterally cheered when I saw that. Then, when Michael didn't know what a terrarium was, he said "It's a fish-tank with snakes and lizards." Michael then told him that was an aquarium, to which Dwight looked at the camera, smiled curtly, and subtley rolled his eyes.

I knew I was hooked.
Sure, the guy's a jerk-ass, but I think that if I met him in realy life, we'd probably get along splendidly. XD

And the Desert Island thing?? CLASSIC.

Rahel: A Direct Characterization

More schoolwork!! =D
Sloppy, but fun. =^^=


Write a short (one-paragraph) character description of your own. Use physical descriptions, thoughts and/or actions to describe your character. You can use both direct and indirect characterization.

I'm not sure if you want me to describe myself or a character of my own, so I will just choose myself.

Rahel was always of an intense mindset-no matter what she did, she did it with vigor. She typed out her stories like a madman, always making mistakes and hitting backspaces, cursing the slippery keys with the sort of vengeance that only comes with guilt. Guilt it was, as she berated herself over the smallest of mistakes. She always liked to do things wholeheartedly and leave satisfied with the results. That isn't to say that she was a perfectionist. Her room was in shambles, she was absent-minded, and she loved to sleep in-she just made sure that she did these things very well. 

She was reluctant to make friends, and when she actually did, she stuck by them for life. Nothing pained her more to see one of her beloved suffer. Because of this, she tried to stick with fictional and imaginary friends. This largely backfired though, as things have a way of creeping up on you-by the time she was 15, many of her best friends had died, leaving her alone with tear-stained pages, a hole in her heart, and many angsty blogposts. J.K. Rowling’s work, especially, had done a number on her. The woman made short work of some of her beloved, making it difficult to read anything at all for quite a while. 

Rahel also tended to have split personalities and identities. She collected pen-names like one might collect pinned insects, stamps, or awards. She wore each one proudly and delighted in hiding behind masks and names. "The world's a facade." She'd say. "I accept that and live in it fully." This strange take on reality and identities caused much confusion for her early on, and still does for others."I don't understand how you can be so apologetic one moment and then so... Uncaring the next." Her mother said wonderingly one day. 

"I apologize when I'm sorry." Rahel replied. "If I do something I really didn't mean to do, and I regret the outcome, I will apologize sincerely. If I don't," She added with a demonic gleam in her eye, "I may apologize, but I will definitely relish the results. So if I were to trip you and laugh about it, then I probably did it on purpose- Or at least enjoy the outcome." 

"Oh." Was her mother's slow reply.

Minionship Just Got Complicated

The minion hierarchy at my school has become even more complicated.

It started with Cooper and me being Caden's minions. Then I got my own minion (little n).

Every time I go to school, I walk down the stairs and join Caden and weird J. Caden and I exchange pre-10:00 AM (AKA: Utterly insane) news and lapse into a silence where we just nod at each other. Then weird J shows us his new apps or crazy expression. Sometimes Cooper joins us. Then we file to class.

I kind of like having someone waiting for me at school. It feels comfortable and familiar.

I don't want to leave this year.

Anyhoo, 2 weeks or so ago, I walked down the stairs to be confronted by Caden beaming excitedly. "Rahel!!" He said, beckoning me to him. "I got a minion!!"

"Congratulations!" I said. "Who is it?"

He turned and pointed to little n behind him. She gave me a little wave.

I was crushed. She was my minion! Did this mean that she was leaving me?

"Whaaat?" I said jokingly. "How could you??"

She just shook her head and, extending two fingers at us, pointed and nodded at both of us. "She's both of our minions!!" Caden said happily.

I got it and nodded. That sounded perfectly fine to me. I could share. We went to class with peaceful minds.

Throughout the stop motion class, Caden and I discussed our joint minion-leadership. He decided that we needed cool names describing each person's relationship. "So to each other, we're... 'Other... Minion... Leader.. Person...' We need a good name." He said thoughtfully.

At break Caden and I were hanging out with the other students. Little n came up and snuggled into me, hiding from the cold. She looked up at me for a moment and said "Mommy." It was the cutest thing ever. Until she looked at Caden and said "Daddy." He and I looked at each other for a moment and screamed "NO!!!!" in unison.

She paused. "Mommy, brother?" She tried. We considered then shook our heads. It didn't quite work.

She thought some more. "Daddy, sister?" That didn't quite work either. She finally settled on "brother, sister" and we were all happy.

Just today however, I was informed that another of our classmates--scary M (the one I hugged today)--Joined in on our minion-leadership with little n. I found this quite interesting, so I drew up a chart when I got home. Here it is:

PS! Now that I think of it, I'm more of Cooper's partner-in-crime then minion. Huh. >_9

PPS! I am using the first initials and attributes of the people here instead of their names, as I actually don't have permission to disclose their identity. Yet. >=D

Weak

My two best friends were not in school today. One is probably sleeping in, sick, or catching up on schoolwork. Cooper, the other one, is in New York. Was in New York. He's back today, and I'll get to see him (I'm thinking we should try out that D&D chess I'm designing), but he wasn't in school.
I know many people at my school. I've even kind of become friends with them (albeit by accident), but I'm still very afraid to get close.
So it kind of shocked me when I started to feel really lonely when the only other girl my age left for her house today. I usually don't get along with her very well (she does dumb stuff sometimes. Like take my things and hold them over my head.), but I really felt sad that she was leaving. So just before she walked out, I hugged her and said "Oh my God, I am so lonely! Goodbye." She was quite shocked (everyone knows that hugs tend to terrify me) and hugged me back. Then she said that she'd see me Thursday and walked away.

So I take it I really do need my friends to remain sane. Pretty strange. Just 2 years ago, I would have been perfectly fine on my own. I'd even prefer it.

I think the worst part about all this is that I feel embarrassed and weak from all of this. I love my friends, but I always felt secure in the knowledge that I actually didn't need them to function.

Except when I started having dreams about making friends. Those were sad. Although I always had to wake up in the end, I never forgot them. Like that one girl I met in a dream when I was about 7. I actually remember her last look. I never quite got her name, either.

I wonder if she misses me.