blah, blah, MONDAY

Today I volunteered myself to teach a how-to-fix-your-Blogger-layout crash course. Of course, with the new template designer tool that should not be difficult at all.

In the spirit of the thing, I decided to have some fun with my own blog template... but NO! I cannot change mine! it is so happy! So I made a new blog for the sake of playing with layout. I had to put some content up there, just because, so that I could actually see what the layout was for. Check it out, if you are so inclined :)

(note: many of the things posted on there were composed during what I call "The Year of the Misguided Teenage Angst." Because before the summer of 2009 I had few good friends and no sense of Philippians 4:8.)

Kathryne

new things

Today, I stepped out of my comfort zone.

I showed up for a government exam unprepared.

I wrote a speech to give at my school event tonight... in the 45 minutes before I had to be there.

I showed up to run through The Precious Blood with Doug, who was to accompany the Girls' Ensemble for the first time on that song, and since school was cancelled yesterday we couldn't practice then.

Doug forgot the music (my only copy), so I played it from memory. If you could call what I did playing. I think that's an insult to the piano.

I stood up and gave a speech I had never practiced and only had a detailed outline for.

I started crying in the middle of it.**

I completely deviated from what I wanted to say (read: skipped the last half because I was crying.)

And then I hugged people :P

Kathryne

*turns out he postponed the test.

**I allow myself allowance for 2 cries a year. Preferably not in public. NEVER in front of 200 people. But Mr V is leaving in March and I will miss him. And I was stupid enough to put the part about him in the middle and not at the end.

little bug grew

and I stayed home from school today.

but I chatted with Christine and Colin, and got another Awesome Possum post up, and it's all good. except that Latin homework I need to do...

Kathryne

home alone :)

...pretty much all day. I like it. I love my family, but I also love being able to work on whatever and do it all on my own schedule while multitasking with whatever and eating (almost) whatever I want. I got a lot accomplished today, actually :)

As for now, I am eating my favorite ice cream (Ben & Jerry's Cheesecake Brownie)

and listening to my new favorite artist (Audrey Assad... okay, so, tied with Regina Spektor. David, you asked, here's your answer. And she has a free single on iTunes!)

and talking to my favorite mother (I mean... my only one... on the phone)

and typing this to my favorite people (at least, most of them)

and my life could not be much better (unless I were miraculously to find my other purple sparkly shoelace).

Kathryne

mmmmore

Yay, teaching self two new songs because I forgot that the girls will need something to sing at choir tomorrow :P

None But Jesus

Hosanna

And I got a cat-sitting job! that's good, because I have not babysat in forever and a day and I need the $10...

Kathryne

QSG etc

:D

I am here with CHRISTINE!

We have done many fun things this evening.

Like making devious plans for tomorrow, which may or may not involve going to Rita's in 1860s clothing complete with hoop skirts.

Or, like making surprising observations about tomorrow, which may or may not involve the fact that it will be the 1 year anniversary of the first time we ever actually talked to each other.

Or, like making other interesting things, which may or may not involve yet another blog and/or a certain doofus.

Or, like making silly reading errors, which may or may not involve thinking a friend said "the chances of us breaking up get higher when we're dating."

Or, like making even more nefarious plans, which may or may not involve guilt-tripping a certain owner of a certain beloved car who may want to sell said certain beloved car... into not selling said certain beloved car.

BPAC :)

Kathryne & Christine

new things

SO. guess who has a blog now?

...yep. PRINCESS! :D

so that made me happy.

ALSO. finals are over! my class DVD is finished! and all I have left now is a speech on my thesis, and I will be done working for the rest of the year :)

my week has been amazing. all days should be half days. I can work on stuff (like Sandy's ever-expanding present... muahaha) and eat whatever and I have a HUGE pillow of time I haven't had all year. This is amazing.

Kathryne

happy things!

So, there's this thing going around Facebook...

"If you like this status I will post on your wall something I like about you. Make this your status if you'd like a challenge :)"

(originally the smiley was going the WRONG WAY. oh, that bugs me!!! but I changed it.)

Sandy thought (reasonably) that one of us OI people started it, but I am sad to say I did not. Idk about anybody else.

It's an amazing way to challenge yourself to think positively not only about circumstances but also people.

AND... oh, Sandy, you made me smile OUT LOUD.

One thing I like to do, as a private, modified Optimism Initiative, is to take a person I don't like all so much (no names) and write something positive about them every day for 2 weeks. I have never actually carried this through all the way on paper, but I'm about there...

Kathryne

best Facebook event EVER.

Ohmy. My cousin joined this group/event, and when I saw it on my wall I almost laughed out loud... then almost cried, because it's so marvelous.

'Tis International 'Correct Every Spelling Mistake You See on Facebook' Week!

Do it!!!!

Andee: be forewarned. I will get you, my pretty, and your little brother too! (just kidding. unless I find it fun to correct him.)

Andee: be extra forewarned, because I feel like picking on you.

Kathryne

Pastels! (bonus)

So, I know I already posted...

but honestly, I just appreciate SO MUCH the ability to just take two hours and just... do. Something. Besides homework.

Today I decided that my "do" of the day (or, more likely, of the week) would be to get out the new chalk pastels.

And then I broke every rule of chalk pastels I could think of (light colors first, don't use black, yada yada), just to see what would happen.

Funnily enough, I actually like it a lot better than the other pastel I've done... the one where I followed all of the rules.

Now, I can do a still life with perfectly-blended shades and the right order of application and everything, just as well as the next person.

But, there's something about just throwing the colors at a blank slate in semi-resemblance to not-very-much-of-anything that creates the most brilliantly exquisite mess you've ever seen, and it just makes me HAPPY.

maybe I'll take a picture when I'm done, but for now it's back to homework.

Kathryne

nervish.

I am going to my veryveryvery first interview today!

*breeeaaatthhheee... that's it...*

and the funny thing is, I'm not really that nervous... more like NERVISH,

that anxious-happy feeling when you're not sure whether to dread or to get excited or what on earth you should do (it usually involves a little bit of twitchiness)

so pray for me

and I'll post my ACTUAL smile thing (although this is making me smile... mostly) later.

(and my quote of the day)

Kathryne

random!!

Lots of random smiley things today.

Since I was not exactly thrilled at the prospect of spending 2.5 hours on math homework I'd already worked on for 1.5 (and my CD player is broken), I had to find something to make it fun... so I wore my new shoes. Bright colors make me happy =P

Then I found random things on the internet that made me laugh, such as:

"I tried being normal once... worst five minutes of my life."

(^^ SO TRUE!!!)

hehe =)

AND, AND AND!

I am officially beginning "Katie's Book of Commonplaces" today.

What on earth is a "commonplace," you may ask.

Basically, it's a quote. When you boil it down, that's all it really is.

So I'm going to keep it by my side as I read The Picture of Dorian Gray. by Oscar Wilde. Because that book is amazing and the most quotable product of media after The Princess Bride.

Except it's a WHOLE lot more depressing (it's like Russian lit for English speakers!)

but it's still fun.

I have at least 3 things underlined every two pages.

AND, AND AND!

This weekend I officially began "Katie's Book of Awesome People," which has been in the making for a very, very long time.

This chick is seriously losing it, I'll bet you're thinking.

But no, no, listen!

It's great.

I know that in my life there are people that just make me go "OOH! I just want to ADOPT that person as my new [grandmother/grandfather/mother/father/sister/brother/pet parakeet]!!"

So this is where I write them down, write WHY they're in there, and I have to think about it. And then at the end I give each of them a word, that is just their word.

As of now, I have the title page, the introduction, the dedication, and two entries. Aren't you proud of me?

One thing about today that is not making me smile, at all... I still have an hour to work on math, and I just wasted forever on Chemistry (bleeechhh) and Facebook. hah. Only about 15 minutes of forever were on Facebook.

OH! And I also ate Greater's ice cream!!

Black Raspberry Chip, doncha know.

Kathryne

WOOHOOO!!

New decade, awesome!

I stayed up until 6, uh, this morning. Sleepover at Christine's!! And happy birthday to her =)

I'm really sleep-deprived, but it's all good.

I launched my new blog today =) Check it out here, at http://kathrynes-reflections.blogspot.com/

...now off to do my resolutions!

Kathryne