Finally, the end of the month arrived. "It's time to unlock your banks," Mrs. O'Malley announced. - Willie Wins by Almira Astudillo Gilles
Is there someone in my house to help me manage my money? If so, I'll appoint him or her my Mrs. O'Malley. If not, I'll appoint myself.
What money?
Her smile was like a big, warm hug. - The Day Eddie Met the Author by Louise Borden
Today I will give someone my best smile. I'll aim it at a person who probably doesn't expect it from me. As for the particular effect my smile may produce, I'll leave that up to the target.
It's very hard to smile when I am in this much pain. I am not comfortable. :(
But I will try to be :)
And you greet the village chief respectfully. "Jambo, Mzee!" Hello, Respected One! - For You Are a Kenyan Child by Kelly Cunnane
My elders have already been down the road of years that I have yet to travel. Just for that, they deserve my respect.
I didn't disrespect any elders today.
Grandpa says, "It's all right, Jessica. All artists make mistakes. And sometimes you can turn a mistake into something good." - Lunchtime for a Purple Snake by Harriet Zeifert
I get the point. If I make a mistake today, I won't get down on myself or treat it like the end of the world. I'll use it as a midcourse correction and continue toward my goal.
I think fourteen million hours of swimsuit shopping was a mistake. Although I did have fun with my mommy.
When something frightening happens, the best thing to do, I think, is to stay calm, figure out what to do, and then (even if you're afraid) make yourself do it, no matter what. - Blow Out The Moon by Libby Koponen
If I get scared today, I won't panic. I'll use my head. It's good to know I have help ready and waiting between my ears.
Today was a good day. I was not scared.
"I'm sure you're much nicer than you look!" - Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter
I will try to live this whole day without judging people by their covers. I will not assume that a grumpy face equals a grumpy person.
In Wal*Mart today.. There was this lady who, judging by her cover, was a perfectly nice lady. BUT SHE SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN WAL*MART. I think common courtesy is just something you should have while you shop in a place where tons of other people are shopping. She would take forever (always right in front of where my mom wanted to be looking) and just leave her cart a few feet away so that both her cart and her self were in our way. AND WE KEPT SEEING HER! It was ridiculous.
We also watched an interview with Jesse James, who cheated on Sandra Bullock. And after watching that, we thought he was a pretty nice (slightly troubled, though) guy. So if we had judged him by his cover (which was actually mentioned in the interview), we may not have felt the same. We kept an open mind. He seems pretty nice.
I do judge books by their cover, though. You can't blame me, though; I'd like to design book jackets for a living. So I kinda have to. I think I might do some reading before bed; a book I checked out almost solely based on its cover (it's hot pink!). Goodnight!
When Flying Jack was four years old, people would ask, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" "A pilot!" he would say. - Flying Jack by Kathye Fetsko Petrie
I will be a responsible dreamer. I will feel free to have my dreams and to work toward them, but I will keep them in perspective. I will not allow them to run my whole life. I will not forfeit my self for my dreams.
I don't even know what my dreams are. So they obviously aren't running my life..
"Someone may have stolen your dream when it was young and fresh and you were innocent. Anger is natural. Grief is appropriate. Healing is mandatory. Restoration is possible." - Jane Rubietta
It's quite late and my laptop is going to die. So that's my cue to go to sleep and try to have some dreams. Good ones, please!
"Forever and always," I said, "no matter what happens, we'll be best friends." - Stepping on the Cracks by Mary Downing Hahn
I wonder if I'll use the word forever today. If I feel it coming on, I won't stop it; I'll let it out. I understand that many Forevers in fact don't last forever. Big deal. I'll express how I feel now and let Forever take care of itself.
"Hi, sleepyhead," she said. "You've been missing a lot of pretty countryside.... It's been like something out of a picture book." "Has it?" Kit said with disinterest. - Down A Dark Hall by Lois Duncan
Do my parents try to maintain contact with me in simple ways I couldn't care less about? Does it ever occur to me that when they make dumb remarks, they really don't care what I say in reply? They just want to hear my voice. If such a remark comes my way today, I'll respond with some warmth and actual words. I'll give grunts and short, flat answers the day off.
I talked to my parents today. I even helped my Daddy with one of his many ridiculous projects.
"Gecko," said Elephant. "This world is all connected. Some things you just have to put up with." - Go to Sleep, Gecko! A Balinese Folktale retold by Margaret Read MacDonald
If I were going to go corny on this subject, I might stop at the next worm I see and say "Greetings, brother!" Or, more seriously, I might take five minutes out of this day and look around myself and try, just try, to grasp the idea that I am connected to everything and everything is connected to me.
I'm sure it's true.. That we're all connected. We don't always know how, though. Sometimes not until much later.
I'm tired out from telling people what not to do. - No Laughing, No Smiling, No Giggling by James Stevenson
Today I'll concentrate on DO, not DON'T.
What did I DO today? I really don't know. Nobody told me DO NOT.
I don't really think this makes a whole lot of sense, anyway.
But I DO think it's time for bed.
I forgot to tell you in the last letter three important things that I'm too shy to say to your face. - The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
Regret is a hard thing to live with. Especially hard is the regret of words unsaid. Regretful and unnecessary - for there are ways to work around shyness.
Is there something I've been wanting to say to someone but I'm too shy to say it in person? If so, I'll write it out today. And tomorrow, if my words still feel right, I'll deliver them.
I really don't know what to do for this. Especially since I try not to have regrets. So I don't regret not saying something to someone, because I don't regret. If I want to say something to someone, I'll do it. Even if I'm shy, with enough support/encouragement, I can usually summon the courage to say it.
Mend-It McGregor, everyone called him, because he could mend most anything that needed mending.... - Inventor McGregor by Kathleen T. Pelley
Have I thrown out anything lately that could have been fixed? From now on, I'll take a second look at stuff before I toss it.
I don't throw things out that can be fixed. I fix them.
Actually, I don't know if that's true. I throw things away a lot, but only because the people around me don't throw things away, and I have to be the purger.
I don't know, though.. I don't really agree with keeping things that are broken. I think it's a waste of time and space, especially since most of the time, you won't get around to fixing things you say you will, anyway.
I need to go to bed so I can wake up early and fix the state of my room. It's not suitable for sleepovers! Which are happening tomorrow. So, off to dreamland, and then fixing my room/house/life.
For my mother's sake I would keep an eye on my sister. - Shark Bite by Todd Strasser
This happens a lot: There's something I know ought to be done, but I'm not doing it because no one has told me to. If it happens today, I'll ask myself "Will Mom be happy if I do it?" And follow the answer.
Well, tomorrow I'm going to clean. Which needs to be done.
I'm also going to post all these blogs that I've written but haven't typed.
[Just to let everyone know, I have been writing them on the correct day. I just haven't gotten them online yet.]
I also need to write my grandma tomorrow.
So those things need to be done. And I will do them.
[Big Anthony] was so busy listening to compliments from everyone that he didn't notice the pasta pot was still bubbling and boiling.... - Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola
Every day I work at stuff. Sometimes I try really hard. Today I'll ask myself this question: Exactly why am I trying hard? Is it because I want to do a good job? Or because I'm fishing for compliments?
I don't think I aim for compliments. They are nice, though.
The only thing that keeps my spirits buoyed is this letter I received from Daniel. - A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island, Delaware, 1861 by Karen Hesse
Is there someone in my life whose spirit needs picking up? As I consider how to respond, I'll think small, not big; real, not expensive.
I think I could pick someone's spirits up. I know I want to, I just have to think of how to do it.
Maybe I'll just call and say hello.
"She started it," Jack said. - The Rudest Alien On Earth by Jane Leslie Conly
No more passing the buck. If someone tries to goad me into bad behavior, I'll either be mature enough not to get sucked in or, if I do participate, mature enough to take the heat myself.
I am always good.
And if not.. Amanda did it. ;)
...I'll bring your gifts - ribbons for your branches, buckets of water, and a wheelbarrow of mulch. - "Celebration" Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems by Kristine O'Connell George
From day's dawning to spectacular sunset, I am daily the receiver of nature's gifts. Today I'll be the giver. I'll tie a ribbon to my favorite tree or plant.
I couldn't actually tie any ribbons today, but I took care of two flowers that mean a lot to me.
I got home today (finally!) and my mom and I made sure that my flowers were okay (from the 5-hour drive they made without me).
The first flower is the one I got on BTI day, a white rose (obviously) that I just really wanted to keep intact. It's dried by now so I didn't know if it would survive the travels, but it did.
The one I was really worried about, though, is one I got at pass downs. I've only had it for a while but it means so much to me. It's a glass flower, with a green stem and turquoise petals, and I was told that it represents ΘΧΕ and ΔΟΠ together.
I've also been told that the relationship isn't what it used to be and isn't what it should be. I'm terrified that the glass will break, and if I need to move it, I carry it as carefully as if the relationship is actually based on this flower.
It's a beautiful flower, and I treat it the way I think we should be treating our brothers and sisters: caring for it, protecting it, and loving it.
I want every Delta Pi to love every Theta Chi as much as I already do, and I want every Theta Chi to feel the same about every Delta Pi.
We can work together as well as green and turquoise go together (which is pretty darn well - best two colors ever), and I hope that we always do.
Right now, the glass flower is safe with me. Love you brothers and sisters <3
But then I looked and soon I saw, That scarecrow was all stuffed with straw! - "Scarecrow Eyes" Shout! Little Poems that Roar by Brod Bagert
A bully. A new school. A stern teacher. A tryout. Hardly a day passes when I don't have to confront at least one scarecrow. But, hey, I'm a person, not a crow, and I know that the best way to deal with a scarecrow is not to fly away but to meet it head-on.
I ain't never scared.
Minds, like diapers, need occasional changing. - The Ballad of Lucy Whipple by Karen Cushman
I have an opinion today, but twenty-four hours from now my mind may have collected new information. I will not muzzle my mind with stubbornness. I will give it a chance to be heard.
It's hard to change an opinion, especially when you're supposed to have it. Or you think you are.
I have new opinions on something. But my feelings are basically the same.
When someone else is talking, you should be quiet until they're finished. Even if they talk a very long time. - Please is a Good Word to Say by Barbara Joosse
Sure, I listen - but exactly whom am I listening to? Am I so busy listening to myself that I'm not really hearing what others say? Today I'll concentrate on listening to the other person - and maybe find out what I've been missing.
I listened during interviews today.
There once was a man who danced in the street. - Rap A Tap Tap by Leo and Diane Dillon
When the spirit moves you to dance - dance!
Am I wound too tight? Overcivilized? Do I schedule my fun? Dance only on a dance floor? Next time I feel like dancing, I'll dance - even if I'm in a parking lot.
I don't schedule my fun. I mean, I do. But I also have fun whenever I want.
I definitely don't wait for a dance floor to dance. I dance all the freakin' time. As anyone who knows me knows.
Right now, I am sitting in the basement of a church in Philadelphia. Not having too much fun because no one seems to know what we're doing.
As of now, the trip is.. interesting. The train took way longer than it should have, because we had to rescue another train's passengers. We traveled for over 12 hours. And then got here and had slight freakouts because of the hundreds of people eating "dinner" at the church. There are 11 of us just kind of sitting here now.
We did go out and take pictures. That was fun. Unscheduled fun, even.
Awesome, I know. Anyway. I'm gonna see if any more fun is gonna happen tonight.
"Maybe there won't be marriage, maybe there won't be sex, but by God there'll be dancing!"
With the food went polite conversation. - Saffy's Angel by Hilary McKay
I won't spoil my meals with arguments and contentious talk. I'll keep it light, positive, pleasant. When my stomach is happy, I'm happy.
Lunch was awesome, with my sisters! And we definitely had lovely conversation. I got to talk to a sister I didn't really know before, so that was cool!
Dinner was good conversation, too.
And breakfast tomorrow morning (in like.. 4.5 hours) will be awesome, too. Because it's Krispy Kreme. Heck yeah.
A is for Asparagus. - The Vegetable Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta and Bob Thomson
TODAY I WILL EAT A VEGETABLE.
I love vegetables. I don't know if I technically ate one today - caf food is lacking at the end of the year. Oh, I had some broccoli, actually. Hopefully I'll get more veggies when I'm home. Yum!
He was quick and clever with his hands, and now he was grateful for the skill which was his. - Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry
I'm going to make something. Maybe I'll get ideas from a book or a crafts fair. Maybe I'll make an origami bird, with nothing but a piece of paper. If it turns out well, I'll give it to someone.
I'm going to make something - when I get home. I promise. Crafting. Will happen.
"It is important for a child to plant a seed," she [Lady Bird Johnson] told a friend, "to water it, nourish it, tend to it, watch it grow...." - Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers: How a First Lady Changed America by Kathi Appelt
Today I will keep looking until I find, somewhere, a sign of new life.
My brothers are life!
The next morning Mom let me eat breakfast on the porch. I love eating outside. Food always tastes so much better, I think. - When Mules Flew on Magnolia Street by Angela Johnson
Home. School. Car. Mall. Come to think of it, I'm almost always under a roof. Have I lost touch with the world outside these walls? I'll open a door, step outside, get reaquainted.
I am actually outside quite a bit. I'll try to be outside even more tomorrow. We'll see. Until then, goodnight.
Up cheerup I'm up / Let me be the first to greet the light / First cheerily first / Hello day, good-bye night. - "Robin," Fireflies at Midnight by Marilyn Singer
Have I ever experienced the simple joy of hearing birds sing before I open my eyes in the morning? Or do I awaken each day to the noise of alarm clocks, TVs, and people-chatter? One of these nights I'll go to bed earlier than usual. I'll leave a window open. At least once in my life, I'm going to wake up to birdsong.
I walked to my final today with birdsong in the background. One day this week, I will do this. Maybe one day this week I will get up (or stay up?) to watch the sunrise. For now, though, I'm going to sleep.
Bless chipmunks and bluebirds and squirrels / raccoons, toucans, tigers / bats and baboons. Bless barkers and tweeters, quackers and howlers. - Bless This House: A Bedtime Prayer for the World by Leslie Staub
Today I will bless an animal - and resolve to be as good an earthly neighbor as I can be.
I bless the lions, penguins, and ... squirrels (?), oh my!
Dad bought Jackson a hamster. "He's all yours, so take care of him." - Monster Pet! by Angela McAllister and Charlotte Middleton
Whether it be a pet, a person, or even a plant, I will accept responsibility for whatever life is placed in my hands.
I can be trusted with another person's welfare. Except, not a plant. Because those die very easily. Just sayin.
Things just are, and fussing don't bring changes. - Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
Today, if life deals me a bad hand, I won't waste time whining about my rotten luck. I'll just fold 'em and say "Deal 'em again."
First of all, it's May 1. I know sometimes I don't post blogs on time, but that's not because I don't write them. I will read the day and actually write the blog down in a notebook or something, so even if they aren't posted on time, they're written. But today, just now, actually.. I realized that I'd forgotten last night. I don't know how, because I've done it for 119 days straight without forgetting. I guess my life has been sort of crazy lately, with finals and .. such. "Such" taking up most of my thoughts.. So I was studying til past 2am, and I had a visitor around 1am-ish. And I've just had a lot to think about.
Actually, the poker metaphor for today (yesterday, I mean) is really appropriate for my life.
I was recently .. dealt a hand that was somewhat surprising, somewhat expected/overdue.. And I didn't really know what to do with it. It wasn't a bad hand, not at all. Just a .. wild card, if you will. I still don't really know what to do with it, and as of today, it looks like I'll have the summer to think about it, or not think about it, as the case may be.
The hand shifted last night.. I guess I traded cards or something, because the hand got .. I don't want to say worse, but it didn't get better and it didn't stay the same. (This metaphor is getting difficult.) I'm slightly disappointed about it, but I'm not going to waste time whining about it. Today is my day to be slightly upset about it, and then I won't complain. Because if it's supposed to work out.. It will. I'm pretty confident about that.
And I don't know how the rest of the game is gonna go. I could go all in.. And win.
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