Two Jokes

I posted this joke a while ago, but felt the impulse to post it again (it's so funny ^^). I heard this from a friend and re-worded it slightly--adding some adjectives, changing the sentence structure, correcting grammar issues, etc.--but otherwise this is how it was told. (Note: I don't believe that blondes are dumber then any other--I myself am a blonde--but I thought this was funny. No offense intended if you are a blonde.)

There were three groups of people arguing heatedly over who was going to have the privilege to go to Mars first: the Russians, the Americans, and the blondes. The Russians argued furiously, "We get to go to Mars first because we were the first ones in space!" The Americans retorted angrily, "No, we get to go to Mars first because we were the first ones on the moon!" The blondes spoke up smugly, "Well, guess what, we don't even want to go to Mars, we are going to the sun." There was a shocked pause, and then the Russians and Americans burst out laughing. The blondes yelled, flushed, "We're not stupid, we're going at night-time!"

And the next I received in an email:

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director, "How do you determine whether or not a patient should be institutionalized?" "Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub." "Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup." "No," said the Director, "a normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"


You gotta love that. ^^

Random Things

Sorry for not posting in a while, life has been really busy. ^^

First of all, happy belated Thanksgiving! Mine was pretty awesome; my family and I went to my grandma and grandpa's for lunch, and hung out there for most of the afternoon. I watched The Ultimate Gift (one of my favorite movies) with my sister and older cousins and aunt.

Secondly, I reached my NaNoWriMo word count goal, 20,00, on the 23rd. NaNoWriMo was really fun, and I can't wait for 50,000 words next year. :)

Third, I re-watched The Return of the King last night with my younger sister and wow, I really love that movie. (I mean, seriously, who doesn't?) The recurring themes of friendship, perseverance, and sacrifice are what make The Lord of the Rings fantastic (it helps that the actors and actresses--along with the sets, locations and special effects--are the best). And of course you can't make amazing movies out of horrible books--Tolkien's books are even better then the movies (if you can imagine that). Directly after finishing the movie, I ran downstairs, pulled out The Return of the King and skimmed through it all. (Isn't Pippin hilarious? He had me laughing the whole movie).

Finally, I have an ear-infection. I get a runny nose, and, opposed to blowing it, I suck it back up, therefore clogging my ear-canals and infecting my ear-drum. *clutches ear* At these times, I'm very grateful for doctors and medicine. And pain-killer. (You would be amazed should you find out how much I've taken since the beginning of my ear-pains)

Namarie, and blessings,

Photoshoot

(Note: this post is mainly for Hannah...Hannah, you can save all the pictures to your computer and wah-lah! You have them. ^^)

Okay, so yesterday, Hannah came over to my house and we had a "photoshoot" (that makes us sound like professional photographers, but we're in reality just two crazy girls running around with a camera). Also mixed in here are some pictures that we took (sometimes its me holding the camera, sometimes her) at the teen-center we went to with a whole bunch of people we knew. (Among those present were my brother, Jake, Hunter, Alex,and Tanner.) Also, I put the captions above the photos, for clarification. (Click on photos to see large image)

This was one where Hannah was twirling, and I caught her mid-turn:

This one was at the arcade....

Me preparing to jump.

Hannah about to climb the wall.

Hannah gazing into the eyes of a cute little straw man.

Ha, back at my house, Hannah cracking up.

Hannah listening to me (her sister taking the photo)

Hannah skipping. *laughs*

I love this next one. Chloe (Hannah's sister) and Hannah were talking about something, and I, in a burst of inspiration, snatched up the camera and took a picture. ^^

Ha, Hannah was obsessed with taking pictures of the candy at the teen center. This was the best one.

I love this next one! I love the tiles.

My hand is the one with the black hair binding around the wrist.

This next one was back at my house; I use it as my profile picture.

Hannah and I at the teen center.

Hannah in the car on the way to the teen center. (I was originally in this picture, but half of my face got cut off, so I just cropped all of it out)

Hannah cracking up yet again (I have so many pictures of her laughing, because the minute I would hold up the camera, she would start giggling and then so would I, and... *throws up hands in despair* it would be several minutes before either of us could calm down)

Her jeans (she took this one).

Me. (You can see the colorful arcade games in the background). This isn't the best picture because it's blurry, but I like the coloring.

Hannah talking with somebody. Thought the lighting was AWESOME. Plus Hannah has an awesome side-profile. ^^

Yep. Hannah laughing again.

And again (love this one. This is what Hannah looks like most of the time).

Both of us love this one!

And this one.

Okay, click on this one to get a bigger version. Both of her legs are off the ground! It's so awesome!

This one is of me sitting on the porch. Thought the coloring was cool (the contrast between the white pavement and my blue jeans).

Me lousily trying to climb our tree.

Ohmiword, both of us love this one!

Hannah and I smiling.

Me grasping the wall.

I love this one!!!

And this is me, Hannah, and two of our friends. From left to right, Hannah L., me, Hannah, and Delaney.

It was so much fun taking these pictures.

I'm getting my braces off December 22! I'm actually really excited. I've tolerated them for two years, and it seems like I can't wait another day now that the end is actually in sight. ^^

Later,

Tag

Yes...another tag. I've seen this one about ten times in the last few days on all the blogs I follow in my dashboard. ^^

And it's for this lovely award... (I actually think it's really pretty ^^)



Here are the rules...

1) Do a post about the person who awarded you, and their blog.
2) Give the award to 5 of your favorite blogs, give a reason, and leave a comment telling them they have been awarded.
3) Answer the 10 random questions.
4) Have fun!
I was awarded by Emily Shae and JT and Emily.
Emily Shae--I love your blog! Your design is so pretty, and your posts are full of fun, yet once in a while, there's a serious one thrown in just to balance things out and shade in your character a bit more.
JT--I love being a Warrior of Light. You remind me constantly who this life is all about, so thanks for that. :)
Emily--*Grins* the font used consistantly through your blog is one of my favorites. Isn't it called the King and Queen Font? (at least on my laptop, it is ^^) And besides, your posts are so interesting, and your siblings are so cute. ^^ And I love the snowmen. :]
1) Have you ever ridden an elephant? Not that I can remember, no.
2) Have you ever eaten squid? Are...you...kidding...me. No. Way. *thinks then gulps* actually, I might have eaten it when I was in China nine years (or so) ago. I ate chicken legs, and perhaps squid.
3) What is something crazy you have done with your best friend? Well, at my birthday party with my bestest friend in the world and two amazing friends (Jenna and Jordyn), we stayed up until like three o'clock, eating cold noodles (and throwing them everywhere), squashing bugs, and talking (and talking...and talking...). Also, two Halloweens ago, the same bestest friend and I went trick-or-treating while singing Give Me Your Eyes. That night, we stayed up until about five in the morning. Which is crazy. ^^
4) Have you ever held an alligator? Uh...no.
5) Have you ever let a snake slither through your fingers? What Kind? Yes, a mere gardner snake. When I was younger, I was obsessed with snakes. I even let them bite me.
6) What is your first and foremost dream in life? Glorify God and continue to grow closer to him. And, of course, I wouldn't mind publishing a book or two.
7) What is your dream vacation? England. Hopefully it's long enough to obtain an English accent. ^^
8) What is the funniest movie you have ever seen? Night At The Musuem 2 or The Apple Dumpling Gang.
9) What is your favorite song? Agh...okay, I'll list several of my favorite songs. Fireflies by Owl City, What Faith Can Do by Kutless, You Belong With Me and Teardrops on My Guitar by Taylor Swift, Again by Firefly, and Whatever You're Doing by Sanctus Real.
10) If you could change the world in one way, what would you do? Ohmiword...I want to change the world in so many ways. Probably say bring everyone to Christ, but everyone else is saying that, so I'm going to say stop all poverty and bad trafficking (as in drugs and worse).

Alright, so now I'm going to award 5 people (don't be obligated to do this if you don't want to, and I'm trying to tag people who, to my knowledge, have not been tagged yet):

Abigail Kraft, 'cause you're so darn awesome. ^^

Marissa, for the same reason.

Jake, 'cause you're always willing to read Midnight and critique honestly; plus, when I need something to read, you send me Call of the King (Ash'del is SO awesome ^^).

Seth, 'cause you're writing is so much fun to read. :]

Chloe, 'cause you told me about... *clears throat*. 'Course I won't say what you told me...But thanks. ^^

Namarie,

P. W. Catanese Replied!

Today, I went on P. W. Catanese's website, obtained his email, and sent him one. Here is what I wrote:

Dear Mr. Catanese,
This email is mainly concerning The Mirror’s Tale.
See, I was browsing the kids section in my local library, and the title and cover design of The Mirror’s Tale caught my eye. Pulling it out, I read the back, and my interest was immediately piqued. Throwing it into my bag, I hurried to the check out, jumped into the car, and, as my mom drove out of the library parking lot, I pulled it out and began reading.
Oh. My. Word. This book is probably the best book I have ever read. And this is coming from a complete bookaholic. I have read the works J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, J. K. Rowling, Shannon Hale, Lois Lowry, Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Oscar Wilde, Jane Austen, Shakespeare, Christopher Paolini, Madeleine L’engle, Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, Mark Twain, Frances Hodgson Burnett, L. M. Montgomery, Alison Croggon, Martha Finley, and so many more. And you know what? Your book, this single solitary book, beat them all. It beat out Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Pride and Prejudice, The Inheritance Cycle, A Wrinkle In Time, A Midsummer Night’s Eve, The Great Divorce, Little Women, The Tale of Two Cities, The Giver, Princess Academy, Emily of New Moon, The Little Princess, The Naming...all of them.
I was reading it over Halloween, and I cut short my trick-or-treating time to come back and read The Mirror’s Tale. After I finished it, I flipped back to the beginning and promptly read it over again.
This book is the only book out of all the hundreds and hundreds of books I’ve read that’s ever made me feel sincerely scared. When Bert’s uncle stumbled down and found Bert and the mirror, my stomach hurtled into my throat, and refused to leave. I am not even kidding. I was scared. My heart was pounding, and I was even sweating. I was that scared.
You showed excellent use of foreshadowing in this book. You mixed the perfect amount of tension, conflict, and downright scariness together to create this masterpiece.
I applaud you.
And also, I thank you for writing this utterly phenomenal book. The next time I go to a bookstore, I am planning on buying The Mirror’s Tale so I can read it over and over again.
Sincerely,
Rebekah ________[I had my last name there, but I don't really want to have my last name floating around the internet. ^^]
PS If you would like to hear me rant on and on about your book, visit this link: http://bekahsbubblyblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/oh-my-word.html (my blog post concerning your book ^^)

And you won't believe it...well, you will. I gave it away in my title. But anyways...HE REPLIED!!! *grins*
Here's what he said...

Hello Rebekah. What a great message to receive. I'm really happy that you enjoyed The Mirror's Tale so much. Those are some impressive books to beat out as your favorite, and I can't believe you cut into your trick-or-treating time to read it! I read your blog entry too, and liked it a lot. It's nice to know that at least some readers are picking up on the foreshadowing. If you get a chance, I hope you'll read some of my other stories. And since you liked The Mirror's Tale, you should know that two of the characters from that story will appear in my new book, Dragon Games (The Books of Umber 2). They are minor characters, and a reader doesn't need to know anything about The Mirror's Tale to enjoy Dragon Games, but it's a special treat for anyone who knows the story of Bert and Will. Dragon Games is the second book in The Books of Umber series. So maybe you'd want to see if your library has the first book, Happenstance Found (The Books of Umber 1). Thanks for the note. Keep reading, and keep writing -- I think you're a very good writer as well. Keep up the good work. Best, P.W. Catanese
The novels of PW Catanese: Visit www.pwcatanese.com to learn more and become a Facebook or MySpace fan. Read Happenstance Found (The Books of Umber) in hardcover now, paperback Dec 09.

I think it's so awesome of him to reply. I mean, seriously, this guy must have a lot on his plate, what with being an author and having a regular job. And yet he took the time to reply to my email. *sighs with happiness then starts laughing* Sorry, couldn't help sharing my little "claim to fame" with y'all. :D

Namarie,

PS and I DID like his book that much. This wasn't all put on to flatter him or anything. ^^

Golfing

Today, my siblings (Abby, Josh, and Peter) and I went golfing. A few pictures...

Abby's the girl in the pink kneeling, and the other is Josh.



Abby with the pin.



Abby and Peter discussing their next move.



The beautiful lakes.



Peter's "special" ball that he was so proud of.




Peter mid-swing.



Peter teeing up.



Another shot of the lake...



Josh lining up.



The hole. Duh. :D



Josh picking up his ball.



Josh putting.



Josh mid-swing.



Peter mid-swing.



Love this one. Josh kneeling, lining up.



Later,