Let's see if I can make a good habit of writing in my journal once a week!

I know I have mentioned before that I live in the Middle of Nowhere. Luckily, only fifteen to twenty minutes from Middle of Nowhere is Somewhat Somewhere, also known as the town of Culpeper. I was fortunate enough to visit this town on Sunday. Unfortunately Sunday turned out to be the coldest day of the week, but even that couldn't make me regret getting out of my house, since I hadn't really left for a fun trip in quite a while.
( Click here to read about my search for Pokemon!Collapse )

I hope everyone is having a Happy Valentines Day. Some may call it "Singles Awareness Day," but I much prefer "Discount Chocolates Eve." I'm not the kind of person who likes flowers, since I can't see them, so this holiday has always been about the candy for me. Unfortunately, I'm on a new dairy free diet that stops me from taking advantage of those 50% off heart-shaped boxes of caloric, decadent bliss. However, not all is lost for me this holiday, since Valentines Day is quickly becoming the day my mom tricks my dad into giving me money.

It's really quite brilliant. My mom can be as crafty and clever as the best of them sometimes. Last year, she sent me a little package for Valentines Day (I was still in college.). It had a very cute resin doll in it, a horribly tacky double-walled clear plastic cup with hearts and glitter floating in between the walls*, and an adorable card. When I opened the card, I wasn't expecting anything more than some sweet words to go with my awesome gifts, but there was a little money in there too. When I called her to thank her, she said that dad had put in the money. I was surprised, since he hadn't done so in the past.

She told me that she brought the card to him and asked him if he wanted to sign it. He certainly did want to sign the card to his daughter. After he signed, she asked him what he was going to put in it. When he looked at her questioningly, she said, "Well, I'm sending her the package. You might as well put something in the card." And that's how I became a few dollars richer. I commended her for her amusing approach and thoughtfulness. I also told her to thank my father for his somewhat involuntary generosity.

This morning, she bustled into my room with Ashby, the most adorable Cairn Terrier, at her heels. She handed me a package shaped like a Christmas tree and two cards. One was from her, and one was from dad. I opened them both while thanking her. Once again, the one from dad was sporting money. Since it was quite successful last year, she once again brought him a card to sign this year and told him it needed something in it. I'm always amused by how she gets away with such things.

My amusement gave way to curiosity, as I held the package and wondered why she was giving me a Christmas tree. It turned out to be a parasol-one that I'd watched her purchase and had forgotten about in my morning haze. When a look of realization crossed my face, she laughed, since she's usually the one who forgets things like gifts that she knows she's getting. I have albinism, so the parasol was both a fun and very practical gift. Even without the candy, my mom knows how to make my Valentines Day very sweet.

*I love this cup for how cute and tacky it is. She has since followed it by buying me one with floating eggs and bunnies for Easter and one this past December with glitter and floating Christmas trees. She said she looked at Halloween, but there weren't any to be found. We can always hope for next year!

I grew up in Yorktown on the edge of suburbia, far enough to not quite be in a development but close enough to still dislike it. My father, who grew up not too far from where we lived, watched the wild marshland of his childhood become populated. He recalls when main roads finally connected small communities and when normal roads became back-roads. He told me many times about how the major development on the other side of Victory Boulevard used to be swampland.( Read more...Collapse )

Once again, these are just some stories or whatever that didn't make it into my post on pkmncollectors for the sake ob brevity or the lack of true relevance. Here's a link to the post over there too. http://pkmncollectors.livejournal.com/14042472.html I'm also putting this under a cut for the sake of saving space on people's friends pages.

( Snip snip!Collapse )

With my resolution to post more in my journal, I bring you a story from two(?) Christmases ago.

It was the day after Christmas (and all through the house...). Mom and I were exhausted from cooking Christmas dinner for the past three days. We had enjoyed the company of relatives from both sides of the family for a big Christmas dinner the day before and were very glad that we only needed to reheat the plethora of leftover dishes from the previous day to have that night's dinner.

During the heating process of numerous dishes, I sauntered into the kitchen and smelled something unusual. After taking a minute to place the smell, I asked, "Is something burning?"

My mother assured me that nothing was burning. We then began talking about the various dishes. When we got to the green bean casserole (Which, for those of you who don't know, is a dish comprised of green beans, cream of mushroom soup, and these little crunchy onions that you broil on the top.), my mother froze. "The green bean casserole!" She gasped.

She and my father ran to the oven and pulled the rack out to check it. All the onions on the top were black instead of a deep, golden brown. Almost as soon as it was exposed to the air, the top burst into flames. Surprised, my mother let out a yelp. Smoke billowed out into the kitchen, and there was much yelling from all of us and a little bit of laughter on my part. It seemed to me to be an event that I usually only saw in cartoons and comedy movies and was, by its very nature, quite amusing. The flames must have been four or five inches tall at their highest point.

As my mother tried to extinguish the flames muttering a string of "hoo hah oooh ahs" as people sometimes do when things are hot, the smoke alarm sounded, its screeches filling the room. The only comfort was knowing that it actually still functioned!

Possibly only seconds before it went off, my grandmother began yelling from across the room, "Fan the smoke alarm so it doesn't beep! Fan the smoke alarm! Fan the smoke alarm..."

My mother shouted back exasperatedly, "I think it's a little late for that!" However, my father complied anyway, standing on a chair dragged from the kitchen table with a dish towel in his hands. I suppose attempting something after its too late is still an attempt. It seems to count for the government, at least.

After the flames were extinguished and the smoke alarm reset, my mother scraped off the burnt onions, replaced them with fresh ones, and broiled the top again while watching it very carefully. We all then gathered at the table for a nice meal that did not arrive on the table flaming.

What did you think? I'm certainly no David Sedaris or Frank McCourt, but I hope you liked it nonetheless!

There's nothing like going through my old LJ posts to make me realize how much I've grown over the years. Luckily, there's a "Delete Entry" button just waiting to be used! I left a few of the older posts, since deleting all of them just seemed so strange. I don't want to erase everything of who I was when I was less mature, but only a small portion is necessary. I left some of the more important ones.

I left the one about my graduation because I had forgotten how much work I had to do the last couple months of my senior year. I'll probably never tell you all about the suicide of my friend. A classmate asked for stories about him recently, and I'm just barely ready to write them down for him. The grieving process is a long and personal journey, but I am glad to say that I now understand that his death was not my fault. It took two years to feel like I hadn't been the one who let him down and let him die. It took another two years for me to finally admit that I have no control over anyone's actions but mine and that it was ultimately his decision. Now I'm just left with the pain of missing someone who meant so much to me.

I left my nerd post, since I am still a nerd and like many of those things. I don't really cosplay anymore, nor do I keep up with many anime or manga, however, my love for the Japanese language and culture has deepened to the point where I'm olanning on going for my masters and PhD. in a Japan-related field. I'm really interested in literature and how it explains and deals with cultural issues. I'm also very interested in Women's Studies in Japan. Ishigaki Rin is one of my favorite Japanese poets. I can't wait to get into grad school to continue my studies.

I left the "mundane" post because I had actually forgotten that my grandma hadn't known that Sandi had died. It's interesting what I forget over time. I feel as if I am more forgetful now. I wonder if it is because I'm thinking about so many things at once...

I left the one about Preview because college was (and probably will always be) a continual cycle of excitement, and frustration. I wouldn't trade it for anything though!

I hope to update my story about being stranded in Norfolk at 1 am to make it a better read. I also plan to make more well-written posts from now on that actually say something that people might find interesting. That being said, I rarely update! Maybe I'll try to do so with a little more frequency.

This is my Wants List for pkmncollectors. If you are looking at this because you have my name in a swap just know that I'll be happy with anything you get me, no matter how far up or down it is on the list. Items in bold are ones that I'm unlikely to ever bring myself to buy, either because I don't collect that Pokemon or just can't justify it in my mind somehow... I'd be very excited to get any of those. Any plush on this list can either have no hang tag or a detached one, but I'd like them to be in very good condition. There aren't any pictures because my Internet out here in the middle of nowhere sucks. Feel free to ask me (or, if it's a secret thing, our host) for pictures!

If you are looking here for trading purposes, items higher on the list are probably ones I'd me more interested in acquiring at the moment. Also, if you have other items that, from looking at this list, seem relevant to my interests feel free to ask me! My main collection is Turtwig. I also have smaller collections of Victini, Raichu, Vulpix, Jolteon, Shinx, and Ampharos.

Note: Things that are crossed out are possibly pending Get status.

***Bianca Dot Sprite pin*** #1 Grail Want
***DX Turtwig Pokedoll*** #2 Grail Want
**Vulpix Pokemon Time strap** Pretty Grail-y

Vulpix in Egg plush thing (not released yet)
I love Eevee Jolteon regular sized plush (not sure if want. need more pictures.)
I love Eevee Eevee regular sized plush
Mismagius Jakks
Mismagius Tomy
Smaller Luxray UFO plush
Rokon with you pin
Tabunne with you pin
Victini blue puzzle piece pin
Walky Turtwig plush (I almost put him on here twice! I must really want him! XD)
Basic Badge official pin
Insect Badge official pin
Pokemon Cafe Mug
Zebstrika attack kid
Walky Pikachu pouch
Walky Eevee plush (Either size)
Minccino Patchwork mascot plush
Showers with you pin *snort* showerswithyou *giggle*
Jolteon friends plush
Leafea with you pin
Oshawott Fighting Pokemon keychain
Snivy Waza Museum figure
Shiny DX Oshawott UFO plush
Lenora and Herdier Gym Badge keychain
Deerling Waza Museum figure
Thunders with you pin
Mijumaru with you pin
Tsutarja with you pin
Victini with you pin
Ninetales dex charm
Mareep kid
Flaaffy kid
Oshawott attack kid
I love Eevee Jolteon ketchain plush
I love Eevee Flareon keychain plush
Fire/Electric type focus mini towel (The towel is just so unusual for me, but I love it! XD)
Fire/Electric type focus drawstring bag
Mareep and Flaaffy dex charms
Lilligant type focus plush
Bianca FA card

I'd love anything of Bianca!
I also like items where Oshawott is frowny/angry or ones where Victini is angry/grumpy.
I LOVE custom pinback buttons! I like them of many pokemon including Vulpix, Jolteon, Raichu, Victini, Leafeon, Oshawott, NPCs (see perler list.), cute things like pokedoll artwork, etc.
I'm not big on that many other customs, but perler bead sprites are cool. I like Jolteon, Vulpix, Raichu, Ninetales, NPCs (Bianca, Elesa, Skyla, Toiuko/Hilda, N, Volkner, Roark, Fennel, Juniper, Nurse Joy (both versions), Turtwig, etc.

So, since I don't use my journal that much, I think saying all the things that I probably shouldn't say on pkmn collectors would be fun! XD The comments in here were either too personalfor an international community that doesn't need to hear my life story or cut for brevity's sake. I love pkmn collectors so much. Everyone is so nice, and it's a heck of a lot cheaper than my other hobby, lolita fashion, which I've been too exhausted recently to do much with at the moment.

I'm too tired (read: lazy) and my bandwidth is too limited here in the middle of nowhere to post my pictures twice, so pop on over to the comm if you'd like to see cute things. Use this link:
http://pkmncollectors.livejournal.com/13677021.html

The Victini Canvas is so freaking cute! I love the little guy! When I showed him to my mom, she said, "Another one." He's my fourth Victini plush, and I worried that she thought I was silly for buying so many of the same 'Mon. I later asked her about it, and she said that I read way too much into what she said and that she thought he was cute. It's hard to figure out what people mean when you can't see their facial expressions...

Leafeon is so cute! It bothers me that I can't get all of his fur to lay in the same direction most of the time... His ears are so perky and cute, and his tail is so squiggly, but he has the FATTEST neck ever. I just can't get over how strange it looks, so I don't look at it... Out of sight out of mind! When I buy a plush in person, I compare all of one type to see which I think is the cutest, so buying from kiosks would probably drive me crazy since I would know that there were more in there!!!

The Walky Eevee bag was an awesome find. I've been kinda down recently and can't do a lot of the things that I usually do to cheer myself up, like taking a walk, spending time with a friend, or walking to a food place to just get out and get a bite to eat. I recently moved from a college campus in the city to my grandma's house in the middle of NOWHERE. (I also don't have any friends near here.) Town is a post office and a store/gas station. Town is a at least a 15 minute drive away, which seems very far for a legally blind girl who will never drive, so shopping for cute things online is one of the very few things that cheers me up. Anyway, I had wanted one of these, but I never thought I would find one that I could afford. Then, I was having a really bad day and saw a post on the comm that Floroma Pokemart was having a sale. It was on flash sale and really cheered me up. It arrived and was an even brighter pink than I thought it was. I've been in bed first with horrible pain in my mouth from grinding my teeth so much that my mouth was swollen and then with being sick from not eating much while my mouth was in pain. When I rolled over to see Eevee, I smiled a little, even though I was hurting. (My mouth hurts less now and I can chew more easily!)

Turtwig is too cute! He's a TURTLE with a TWIG on his head. I've never used him in my games, since I prefer greater speed than the super-cool Torterra has to offer, but I still love him, especially in the anime. I have a Banpresto plush of him and now two adorable kids! I think I'd like to get more 'Twigs in the future. I'm thinking of a few plush and maybe more cute figures. My mom is also now "collecting" him, since she wants whatever I buy of him, and I end up getting her some Turtwig things. She's been in my room for unrelated reasons before, seen my Turtwig plush, grabbed him, hugged him, and asked, "Why is he not mine?!" She also pretended to steal him the day I got him in the mail. XD

I collect buttons. I collect SO MANY buttons. I haven't counted them in a while, but there are probably at least 200 in my collection. I don't have many Pokemon ones so getting more is exciting!

I still don't have a big Pokemon plush to cuddle. I'm thinking about getting one of the larger Victini plush. I want a Snugglemon! >w< I also like the Sleeping Snivy, but that might be a little too pricey foe a Snugglemon...

So, I'm writing this before the painkillers, because on the painkillers, music is too complicated and I apparently type my sentences with spaces only after each sentence. Itkindoflookslikethis. Whichisprobablyveryhardtoread.

Anyway, A few of my teeth have been sore on and off for the past month or so. I'm terrified of the dentist, because I had the most painful wisdom tooth extraction that involved chopping an impacted tooth into six pieces. I didn't even have the good drugs during it and woke up in the middle to blood and medical blue everywhere. Since then, I've always been scared even though my current dentist is really nice...and probably related to me...I think she's a distant cousin.

ANYWAY, my teeth were in such terrible pain last night that I couldn't sleep. I was so confused and thought I might have to get a million root canals. However, I went to the dentist today, and she had NO IDEA what was wrong. She called in the other dentist who practices there, and he had no idea either! 0.o She decided that it was probably due to me grinding my teeth when I sleep. Lovely. It makes sense, since I do grind them, especially when I'm stressed. (And when am I NOT stressed these days?) She sent me home with pain meds and nausea pills, because strong pain meds don't settle well with me. This particular nausea medicine does the job but not without making me feel like I'm at sea. The last time I was on it, I felt like I was swaying in my desk chair and almost fell out of bed while trying to get into my tall bed at college.

I'm trying to check all my e-mails before the meds, since I'm sure I'll end up sending barely intelligible messages while on them. But my face is not feeling the good, and I have a sinus headache on top of all that, because WHY NOT??? It makes my mouth feel that much worse. I completely lost my appetite, but I did end up napping with a cup of mashed potatoes today. I'd wake up, take a bite, and then go back to sleep. I'm not looking forward to the "I took too many pills" feeling and have been avoiding taking the pain meds all day, but they will probably be nice for sleep, It's definitely better than feeling like half my face is going to either explode or fall off.

So, I haven't posted in forever, but I have to tell this story!

Thursday night, my best friend was really upset and wanted to go out to a local club to meet people and cheer up. It had been raining on and off all day, but we managed to make it there and stay fairly dry. We had a decent time. We had never been on 80's night before. After a while, we decided to skip out and get IHOP. The rain had picked up. We ran to her car and began heading towards the restaurant of delicious breakfast foods, when we came up upon some high water...

( So, then...Collapse )