I'm gonna get so drunk...on Mountain Dew!!

Tie and I were accosted by some Mormons today.
We'd seen them approach a couple people walking in front of us, so we crossed over to the other side of the street, just to be safe.
There's nothing wrong with Mormons. But I didn't want to take part in a polite, but passionate spiritual debate.
They saw me and greeted me anyway, commenting on Tie's interesting appearance.
For those of you that haven't seen her, she looks like a giant bat/miniature wolf.
Then they politely asked me if I'd be interested in going to their church.
I asked if they meant the Mormon church.
Our conversation went something like this.
"Hello there, ma'am. Are you enjoying your walk?"
"Um...yes." The sky is a lovely dark gray and it's 60 degrees outside. I'm walking 2 miles in flip-flops with an overly-curious dog. Not so much.
"Wow, what kind of dog is that."
I didn't really feel like explaining. "I don't know. I got her off the internet." Weird as it sounds, that happens to be true.
There is a brief moment of good-natured laughter.
"Well, ma'am, would you be interested in checking out our church?"
Um, do you mean temple? "Um, do you mean the Mormon church?"
"Yes, that's it's nickname."
More laughter.
I tried to extricate myself from the situation politely without coming off as a Bible thumper. This is what I managed to come up with: "Um...no thanks. I believe in the Bible, not the Book of Mormon."
The Mormons only seemed a little offended, but they got more aggressive with their pitch.
"We believe in the Bible, too!"
"No, thanks...I'm good." Aren't I so wonderful with people?
"Oh, well, do you know who wrote the Book of Mormon?"
What kind of question is that? "No...."
"Well, it was written around the same time as the Bible. In fact, they were written at the same time." Um, that's cool. I'm really not sure what you're trying to prove.... "I really don't think you understand. We could definitely explain it to you so you DO understand."
"Um, no, that's okay. I'm just...not in the mood for a spiritual debate. Have a nice day, though."
"Oh. Okay. Well, have a nice day."
I felt bad. Maybe I should have talked to them, but I know they would have talked me down. And I didn't really feel like explaining the differences between our two "religions" and pointing out that what they believe is COMPLETELY different from what I believe.
And as soon as I walked away, I thought up all this stuff I could've said that would've been direct, but not overly confrontational.
But that's how life works.
I like Mormons in general. For some reason, they're always really polite and chatty.
Sure, some of them get a little overzealous.
But there were two Mormons who talked to me today, and the one who didn't do any talking was completely cheerful and friendly, where the other guy was friendly, but still a little persistent.
And my Mormon guy friends are chivalrous, respectful, and moral.
So all the good ones aren't taken. They're Mormon. And the Bible (I couldn't resist being a little preachy) told me I shouldn't get involved with someone who doesn't believe in Hell.
Or that Jesus was the Son of God.
Oh, and good works aren't everything.

WE WANT YOU!

Wow. It has been an insane week.
The teachers decided to bombard us with random projects and essays, so I've been really busy.
And I got sick. Again.
The second my teacher mentioned a virus going around the school, I started sneezing my brains out.
Thanks, Mr. Hurd.
Wow. No wonder the "Rent" movie flopped. I saw a recording of the last performance last night and...wow. Coarse, yeah. My parents were flinching at every F-word and put their foot down on watching the "sex scene". (I watched it later and it's a little offensive, but there is no nudity, just sexual dialogue. And I got what Jonathan Larson was trying to show. These three couples' relationships have been strained recently and a night of bad sex is the last straw for all of them. And I'm still the same no-sex-before-marriage person I was before, so while I don't condone that, I understand it. My mom thought it was showing how all the relationships were based only on sex, but I disagree.) And it was so much more powerful, open, and raw than the movie ever could have been (no offense, Chris Columbus. Nice try.). Mark was an actual, 3-dimensional character, not just a background image. Benny seemed like a worthwhile person who'd bought in the system, but still loved his friends more than anything and would have done anything for them. And Roger, my least favorite character from the movie, was less of an arrogant, angsty jerk and more of a human being. You could see that he had trouble opening up, was scared of what the future would bring, and your heart broke when you saw him lose the one thing (or person) that made him so happy.
And, since it was the last performance, the original cast came up on the stage afterward and everyone was bawling through a rendition of "Seasons of Love". That's when I lost it.
And as much as Jonathan Larson hated Christians, the church, and religion, his parents were some of the nicest, most open, and loving "religious" people ever. It was great to see them with all the cast members, regardless of sexuality or whatnot. And they were so proud of their son and it sucks to think he never got to see how many people he reached with his musical.
Dustin Lance Black's acceptance speech for "Milk" last night reminded me of the musical, because he was gay, and had always hoped that he would one day fall in love and get married. But the part that hit me the most was when he gave a shout out to all the gay and lesbian teens and told them that they were beautiful and that God did, in fact, love them. And I just started crying, because it's true, but a lot of Christians don't think that, and even those that do have a hard time showing it, because the media assumes that if we hold our stance on gay marriage, we somehow hate gays, but it's not true.
And, just like it's possible for Christians to love non-Christians, it's possible for Christians (or regular people) to be gay. It's not right, I do think it's a sin, but they're not faking their love.
Just saying.
Phew. Now to rant about something else.
Ugh, like "Twice Upon a Marigold". "Once Upon a Marigold" has been my favorite book for 6 years, and when I saw the sequel at Borders, I just about had a stroke. Then I read it, and while it was okay, it seemed a little pointless. Jean Farris only wrote the book because fans wanted to know what happened next, and I felt like she didn't really answer that question, which was irritating. I never wanted "Once Upon a Marigold" to end; I couldn't wait for "Twice Upon a Marigold" to end.
Oh, and I am in love with Peter Abrahams. His Echo Falls series is the bomb. It's hard for me to put down his books.
Laaaaame two of my best friends started dating. They're a good fit for each other, and they seem really happy, but it is SO awkward to hang out with them as a couple. It was even more awkward when I was the third wheel at a sort-of date. It was like they were more comfortable with me there, but they didn't actually want me there. They didn't want me to leave, but they weren't going to make it easy. So I just left.
And I've noticed a bunch of my girlfriend's think is totally okay behavior, to invite friends along on their dates. WHAT THE HECK?? One of my friends kept avoiding dates with her boyfriend, stating, "It would be too awkward if it was just us."
??????
SO?????? Isn't that the point? "I'd be more comfortable if you were there."
??????
I'M NOT YOUR BOYFRIEND.
Yeah, fun weekend. "Rent" was so worth it, though. Why did it have to close???

But it's been no bed of roses, no pleasure cruise

Freddie Mercury.
Tyler is my bad friend.
We had to take the Washington State Health Survey, and they asked lots of questions about drugs, alcohol, and friends.
Tyler, Tyler, Tyler.
Yesterday they locked us in the building because someone supposedly had a gun.
But no one had a gun. We were safe.
And they didn't even check backpacks, so it was a little pointless.
Ha, my mom loves "As You Like It" now, too.
It's just so amazing. Even the evil duke Frederick is a sympathetic character.
And he get his happy ending.
He just wanted people to like him.
To achieve this, he violently overthrew his brother, banished his niece, and hated on everyone.
And then he became a Buddhist!
Progress reports came today. I'm passing. And I have plenty of credits on my transcript. Mwahaha.
Ancient Greek culture kind of disgusts me. Homosexuality was encouraged, but only to "keep girls virgins".
How come the girls HAVE to be virgins, but the guys can screw each other?
THEY SOLD LITTLE BOYS TO MEN!!! Pederasty was okay, too!!
And married women couldn't EVER look at another naked man, but "virgins" could stare at as many penises as they wanted.
Since all men in the Olympics were naked, married women weren't allowed to attend.
If they snuck in, they were throne off a cliff.
And WOMEN weren't allowed to perform naked, but guys were.
Talk about sexism.
Mes chiens!! Ou est mes chiens???

Kookabura...gum...something like that...

It's days like these, when the rain won't stop, thunder and lightning are abundant, and my internet is slow, that I love Washington.
Note the sarcasm.
Driver's Ed is FINALLY over.
We had our final test today and I passed!!
Eh, I was pretty sure I would, because the test wasn't too hard, but it's good to know anyway.
Except I didn't have time to feel cocky and triumphant (which is good; I need to work on NOT feeling that way) because nearly everyone else failed.
.....
Oops.
My aunt visiting for a week. My dad picked her up at the airport and is on his way.
It's too bad, though, that it's raining so hard.
She lives in Florida and was just in San Diego, so a thunderstorm might be a bit of a shock.
Welcome to Washington, Lisa!!!
Uh-oh...how did this happen?

You Should Follow Islam

You believe that there is one true God and that it's your duty to submit to his will. Life may be trying, unfair, or painful here on earth. But you're waiting for the Paradise in the afterlife. Religion is the most important thing in your life, and you are fully devoted to God. You are willing to fast, pray often, and follow all of God's rules to make sure you have a place in heaven.

What Religion Should You Be?

Yeah, it's a monotheistic religion that believes in God and God alone, but that's where the similarities between Islam and Christianity end.
Well, not really, but I don't believe agree with Islamic beliefs.
Ah, and I was one question away from getting Christianity as my answer.
Don't judge me!!! (Ha, taking a leaf out of Pastor Ty's semi-ridiculous and confusing sermon)
Rather shocking news today. A girl from my former church got pregnant...on purpose.
I did NOT see this coming.
Not only was this completely random and out of the blue, but it sort of evoked feelings like, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??? WHY WOULD YOU DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT ON PURPOSE??? 'JUNO' WAS JUST A MOVIE!!!"
Seriously, WHY does watching "Juno" make someone want a baby??
She didn't even KEEP the baby!!
Yeah, yeah, Pastor Ty, don't judge.
Um, I read that passage in the Bible yesterday, and it TOTALLY cleared things up.
1 Corinthians 5:12-13
12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you.
Still, he did make a good point about not condemning anyone, because that is setting yourself up as God, but if it is someone who is KNOWINGLY and WILLFULLY sinning, you need to have a talk with them.
That sounded totally psycho-Christian, I know, but pregnancy??

Skippy peanut butter forest

"Invisible" by Pete Hautman is fascinating, but ultimately depressing. I wasn't exactly surprised by the ending, but I was a little surprised by the circumstances. I just knew that a lot of it wasn't real.

What Your Bed Says About You

Outward appearances aren't important to you at all. You think that the over emphasis on looks to be shallow. You try to be an organized person, but you often fall behind. Certain parts of your life tend to fall into chaos. You are not very high maintenance in general, but you are high maintenance about a few things. In relationships, you tend to be quite dominant. You enjoy taking charge. You tend to be a dreamy, head in the clouds type of person. You think in terms of possibilities. You are a total homebody. You are happiest when you're at home.

What Does Your Bed Say About You?

Alexis is moving to Texas. That would be funny, because it rhymes, but that's depressing, too.
We have to devise a plan to make her stay.
She doesn't want to move, because she'll miss high school and Disneyland. Why are her parents making her move at this pivotal time in her life in the first place? Way to be insensitive and selfish, guys.
The sophomores got their schedules last night. I checked with a couple of my friends and I only have one class with each of them, except for Alexis and Kevin. I have three classes with Kevin - what's up with that? And he got put in some random vocational class he did NOT sign up for. "Best Classroom" - sounds thrilling.
I'm pretty excited for school to start, but the school is so big and my classes are so far apart, I'm afraid I'll be late.
My dad was freaking out because my locker wouldn't open. I didn't think it was supposed to, but whatever.
So Wednesday was sort of a momentuous occasion: I got my first pair of skinny jeans, hahahaha.
And they were pretty cheap, so that's cool.
I don't have one of those pyscho-religious uber-strict families that makes their girls wear knee-length skirts and never lets their kids watch PG-13 movies, but my mom was pretty adamant about me not getting skinny jeans.
But then I tried some on and she saw I didn't look like a harlot, so she let me buy them.
Funny thing, too, my dad actually asked if I was going to buy some before I let for the mall, and my mom said he was the one that wouldn't allow skinny jeans in our household.
????
Although I'm a little apprehensive about wearing them because he saw another pair of regular fit jeans that I have and was like, ":O Are THOSE your skinny jeans???"
So if regular fit is too tight, he'll have a conniption when I pull on my skinny jeans.