Reg:“I don’t know, but hopefully I figure it out soon.”

When I woke up this morning, despite the imminent math class that would consume most of my Friday, I knew it would be a would be a wonderful day.

That assumption was wrong.

Now I know that today was destined to make me want to have one of those dramatic, break-down-sobbing-in-the-shower-scenes. Except I don’t do things like that—instead, I drink seven cups of coffee and do my math homework.

The story I am about to tell is the in-between time; what happened after my optimistic start this morning and before the seventh cup of coffee currently burning the roof of my mouth.

Today's Fact :)

No matter how much you enjoy classical music, after 2 hours, you're ready to hop off the train....

        ~Sayuri

Summer's Boyfriend

So today was the first rehearsal of the new Youth Symphony season... it was also the first rehearsal of my musical career in which I played viola.

Let me tell you, sight-reading alto clef was just like trying to read Korean. Does not compute.

I just sat there staring, trying my very best to understand what was before me without any hope of actually doing so.

It was much like how I imagine having a boyfriend must be.

Less than three,

~ Summer

Backlog of Facts: by Sayuri

ahhhh as per usual I'm late!!!!!!!! Go figure :p lol it was a good thought though. So here are the facts from the last few days....

Friday: Saturday is the beginning of Banned Books Week! (No kidding, I stumbled on that on MSN on Friday afternoon lol)
Saturday: My college won their homecoming game! (Yay!)
Sunday: Marquis breakfasts are just a way to prove the cafeteria is capable of making good food....they just choose not to

ahhhh is it friday yet?!?!?!?!?!?: Today's New Fact

I would go crazy in a large college. Like Reg's, for instance. The idea of sitting in a classroom with 200 other people attempting to learn would be pointless, irritating, and a waste of money. I can't stand attempting to listen to a speaker (any speaker) in a large group, for an extended amount of time (45 minutes is BEYOND pushing it).

That's today's tidbit folks!

           ~Sayuri~

Summer's House?

Possibly nothing annoys me more than people who act like you have to go to church in order to be a Christian. I'm faced with this problem quite often because I always manage to attract SUPER Christian people. It's kind of weird. One time I was talking to this super Christian girl and she was like "so what church do you go to?" and I said "I don't go to church" and she said "wait. I thought you said you were Christian?"

Umm, what?

Since when do I have to go through an institution to be something I truly believe in? Saying you can't be a Christian without going to church is as ridiculous as saying you can't go shopping without going to a store.

I am perfectly capable of shopping online, thank you very much.

Anyways, the last few days I've been noticing I've been really, really sore. Randomly. Then today while driving home from school I noticed that every place I was sore appeared to be sore from driving. Randomly. So when I got home I told my mom and said "maybe I died in a car crash and nobody's had the heart to tell me." To this she said "maybe we're all dead." When I said "then this must be heaven" we both gave an automatic groan. Living in a place that constantly smells like cow poop, I certainly hope this isn't heaven. Cow heaven, maybe. If this is heaven, what happens when we die? Do we go back to earth?

In any case, I think this soreness stems from my being sick... again. This is ridiculous because I was just sick! However, in my pathetic state I've come under the strange belief that I want to be a part of pottermore. Yes, pottermore. Originally I thought it sounded a bit shit, but then I watched this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLrhHbU0z8M&feature=relmfu) and it all looked like such fun! Apparently you get an owl? Does this mean you get to go to Diagon Alley?? Does this mean you get to meet Hagrid??? Honestly, this site intrigues me. WHAT IS IT?!

Yes, I still love Harry Potter.

Who doesn't?

Honestly, we're the Harry Potter generation. Our kid's will probably have nothing like what we had, waiting for each book to come out. There were parties for the release... it was awesome. Never again! Never again.

Speaking of parties, Honey and I are at a loss as to what to do about Halloween. We've had our costumes planned for about a year now, but we have no place to wear them! Any time we talk to someone with a house, they always brush us off. Honestly. We don't need their house THAT bad...

We'll probably end up running through the sprinklers again, just like New Year's Eve. Sure, no one comes to said sprinkler parties, but that's only because they're scared they're not AWESOME enough. That's right.

Less than three,

~ Summer

Today's Tidbit: ~Sayuri~

Telling my boyfriend not to pay for something of mine is about as effective as practicing a dialog in a foreign language with a concrete wall and expecting it to answer back.

Failure & Learning: a post by Sayuri

Yes...I'm aware I fail at life LOL. Sorry about not posting yesterday, time got away from me--and boy does time run fast! So, to make up for it, I'll supply yesterday's and today's tidbit as outlined in a previous post.

       Monday: Performing basic locomotor skills (i.e. skipping, running, leaping, hopping, etc.) improves brain function and development.
       Tuesday: More people are fan of Zombie-Jesus Jeremiah than not a fan. (my college will once again partake in Humans v. Zombies in the spring....no I'm not kidding....yes, I wish I was.)

My Story "Reaping the Reward", Let me know what you think! ~Sayuri~

Reaping the Reward

“Will you please state your full name for the court?” a robotic voice asked in the hushed room.

            “Sylvia Mae Thomas.” I said clearly, suppressing a cough.

            “Thank you. And, Ms. Thomas, You entered a “not guilty” plea for one count sexual harassment, one count assault with a deadly weapon, is that correct?”

            “No.” I whispered back.

            “I’m sorry, can you speak up please?”

            Coughing into my elbow, I met the eyes of the woman, steel grey against brown. “I said, no. I would like to change my plea.”

            “To…?”

            “Guilty.” The objections of my lawyer were silenced by the resounding knock of the gavel against hardwood. Turning my way, the judge grimaced.

            “Please state for the court what you did.”

            “I chopped off my husband’s genitals,” a few soft gasps from the women and a couple of groans from men seated in the courtroom echoed in the wooden hall. Thrown off, I glanced at the bystanders, took a breath, and continued. “and I placed them in the garbage disposal,” more echoing groans of sympathy pain from the men, “and I flipped the switch.”

            The prosecutor blanched, her face turning the same alligator green as her heels. “How did you commit this crime?” 

A ha! A "lightbulb" moment for Sayuri: A post, by Sayuri :)

Hey y'all,
    So because I'm not exceptionally creative as of now AND I'm pressed for time almost every day that ends in -y, I have decided that I will post something new I learned every day. Some posts will be longer than other, some will just be basic sentences BUT at least it's something :)

            Until tomorrow,
                      Sayuri

P.S. Going to post the story I wrote last week.

The Girlfriend Code: A Post by Sayuri

"I'm alive!!!!!!!!!" Imagine that :p  Sorry I've been away so long, life got in the way :) SO here are a few things that I believe girlfriends do....

 1. Whether we have our own sweatshirt or not, we will always prefer yours and you won't always get it back. What can we say? We look good in your stuff :)
 2. We will say "Whatever you'd like" and sometimes we DO mean it. Sometimes, we don't.
 3. We don't like being squished.
 4. Honk at us to hurry and we'll slow down even more. (don't be a butt, be patient & we'll reward it later)
 5. Just because we don't like our hair, doesn't mean it's going to take us 83475728 hours to get ready.
 6. We can be patient too................sometimes.
 7. We love you. It's true. So when we say it, if you ever feel we over say it, just remember that one day, we won't be around to tell you & you'll be wishing it could be overused.

That's all folks!
       ~Sayuri~

A psychological study by Reg's roommate

I have never liked surprises. I enjoy being able to think through a potentially embarrassing situation beforehand, so I can minimize the effects of my social inhibitions.

Once, when I was about five years old, my parents told me I had to go to dinner with Daddy and his coworkers. My hair was curled, Mom dressed me in my best (cleanest) dress, and Dad gave me the instruction: “use your Florida manners” (my mother’s mother lives in Florida.) The combination of the aforementioned put me in a somber state; I knew this would be a “speak only when spoken to” and “Reg, stop putting olives on your fingers” affair.

Summer's Ramble

I have something to say.

A half-baked musing and questionaby-sane rambling from Reg

He seems to have stolen my ability to write.

I am not concerned by the loss of everything else he’s taken— my emotional range, my figurative innocence, my contentedness—but my ability to write is too much. Perhaps, to clarify, I should say not that he’s taken my ability but my gumption.

Nothing has moved me in a very long time.  This used to be so easy; everything had a story waiting to be told, and anything could be my muse. I still recognize the potential of the world as material for my half-baked musings and questionably-sane ramblings, but now I cannot be moved to write. I do not want to write.

Strange though, I would have assumed that now I would need to organize my thoughts on paper more than before. I used writing as a catharsis. If I didn’t write what I felt or thought, I would not know what I felt or thought. I could reach conclusions on paper that I wouldn’t dare to think about.

I do not have exceptional style, my spelling’s atrocious, my diction is adequate, and my syntax is unremarkable, but I am honest on paper. Only through the written word can I declare what I truly believe.

Thus, though I know it is futile, I beg for this piece of me back. I need to be able to trick myself into feeling every once in a while and I need to be able to express my thoughts to an apathetic world.

That is all.

Your butterfly,

Reg

Summer's Satire

The gentleman-ly skater boy came in again last night. While I made his drink, he said "I'm feeling goofy today so I'm wearing my hat."

His hat?

Red- and green-striped elf hat.

Yeah.

What do you say when someone points out one of the most ridiculous things about them?

In my case, you just hand them their drink and hope they don't break out into "Jingle Bell Rock".

Anyway...

Today's post is going to be the ridiculously long satire I had to write for my ridiculously annoying language class.

Deal with it.

"Damn girl, you should slow down"--Reg vs crosswalks

I never realized how inexperienced I was with this "adult life" thing until this morning.

Until this morning at 9:23 am, to be precise.

My day started with nearly being hit by a car on the way to class while trying to unsuccessfully cross a highway against traffic.

On my way back from class I was wolf-whistled at by a car full of men (bros, in Cinnamon's terminology. The ones that wear black socks and cargo shorts, salmon polo shirts and shades with neon frames.) I searched, perplexed, for the girl I thought they were calling at for a full minute before realizing there was only me. There is only me because I'm the one girl in my apartment complex stupid enough to take a three hour math class on Friday mornings.

Then I almost got hit by a car while trying once again to cross the highway before the annoying crosswalk voice told me I could. A friendly man in the car that almost hit me told me, "Damn girl, you should slow down."

Finally my only friend at UNCC, Leticia, wanted to go to the mall today. I have never used a bus other than for choir trips, so the nearly hour long ride was quite an experience.

And I haven't even had to transfer from one route to another yet.

I'm not sure how being a southerner and a city girl works for Leticia, but she does it with style.

Your butterfly,
Reg

Summer's Move

I'm moving tomorrow which means packing tonight. I've moved and packed many times before, but it wasn't until tonight that I realised how much of an adventure packing really is!

The Truth About Packing

1. You never know how many clothes you have until you try to carry them.

Seriously, it felt like I was carrying a dead body! Not that I know what that feels like, or anything...

2. You Discover Treasure!

Okay, maybe not treasure... but you do find things that you were too lazy to look for before. For example, I found my iPod on my bed under a pile of clothes. I've been wondering where it went...

3. You Feel Neater

Not in a "neat-o!" fashion, nor in a "scotch neat" sort of way. When you put all your belongings into various containers, you feel very neat and tidy. It's like "yeah, I CAN clean my room! Woot!"

4. You Find Awesome Clothes That You Half Wish You Hadn't Found

Take knee socks, for example. I didn't know I had any until I found them, but now I'm totally wearing them tomorrow. A part of me wishes I hadn't found them in the first place... but I can't resist!

5. You Find Things That You Should've Thrown Away Years Ago

... and you finally throw them away because you don't want to pack them. Packing is the best way to rid yourself of useless crap!

To be perfectly honest, I'm not exactly sure where I'm moving to... not permanently, anyway. I just haven't decided yet. What I have decided, however, is that it's better this way. I feel sorry for the kids that know exactly where they're moving and when, because they don't have any adventure. That's right, peeps, my life's got adventure.

I should sign off before I start quoting Sesame Street songs.

Less than three,

~ Summer

p.s. Adventure~! Our story's true!

Summer's Glare

This morning, I decided that today was the day that I was going to NOT glare incessantly.

It was working perfectly... perfectly, until AP Lang. More specifically, my AP Lang teacher.

Say you'll respect someone's hate of speaking up in class only to take back your own words, will you?

Oh yeah.

She's going down.

Less than three,

~ Summer

p.s. the sad thing is, that was at around ten in the morning. Ruined my glare-free day. Oh, I hate her even more now...

And it doesn't rain in the winter (well, like it does in the summer, at least)--a post by Reg

It is raining in the summer.

I suppose unless you are from a climate similar to that of the Central Coast of California, you won’t understand how strange this seems to me.

I’ve also been told it doesn’t rain  like this in the winter.

I know it should be unusual for me, but I rarely notice it. I don’t notice the differences. I don’t notice the oppressive humidity, the thunderstorms, the cicadas calling in the night, the rolling too-green hills or the red clay that sticks to my shoes as I walk. I can’t comprehend that my home is a very different place, far away.

Maybe too much air-travel as a child has screwed with my perception of distance. Perhaps it’s better I don’t feel the distance.

Your butterfly,

Reg

p.s. I miss you guys!

Best and Worst: Indie Music Edition

The other day, my boss asked me if my parents were really strict with my driving. "Not really," I said. "Oh, it's probably because you're the youngest. Parents are always the most strict with the oldest child," she said. You know what? She was right.

I remember the days when my parents would require my older sister to say where she was going when and with whom. By the time it got to me, the third kid, it was more like "Hey mom, Sayuri's picking me up to go to the movies and then we're gonna spend the night at Reg's house. ... mom? Mom, are you listening? ..."

Oh, how I love being the youngest.

Anyways, the radio station I listen to plays mostly acoustic-y, indie-type music. Calling itself "the perfect blend", it takes music from literally everywhere and plays it. Needless to say, there's a lot of JUNK. However, there's also a lot of awesome-ness! Therefore, I'm going to take this time to introduce you to some songs to give a listen and some to avoid like the plague. You're welcome.

Best and Worst: Indie Music Edition

Best:

- The Decemberists: "This Is Why We Fight"

Oh, the Decemberists. One of the best bands, in my opinion. I love almost all of their songs, but this one has been on the radio a lot recently and it's just so good. I think it's the kind of song that anyone could like, and most would understand. Five stars!

- Maia Sharp: "Death By Perfection"

Strangely enough, my mom introduced me to this song. I saw the lyrics on her bulletin board and asked about them, as that board is usually reserved for inspirational quotes and whatnot. It wasn't until recently that I actually heard it. Of course, this is a very hipster, "pave paradise"-y song... nonetheless, I like it!

- Mumford & Sons: "The Cave"

Such a good song. I first heard it on a cd my sister made for me, and I love it. I always get so happy when it plays on the radio. Mumford & Sons have an incredible folksy, honest sound. This song is no exception!

- The Kooks: "Naive"

This song is nothing new, but I still love it. What's not to love? They're british, for goodness sake! I love pretty much anything by the Kooks... also, this song played at the end of "17 Again". Hmm. Random.

Worst:

- Adele: "Rumour Has It"

Oh my goodness... this song. It's my worst nightmare. Actually, I take that back. It's my dream come true, as it's a song I can actually play on the guitar. See, I only know one chord. Luckily, this song requires hardly more than one chord, so it's very much in my league! Honestly... whenever this song comes on, I want to bang my head with a pipe, but only if the resulting vibration doesn't create a "d". Almost the entire song is in d minor, and almost the entire song uses those "oohs". It all sounds the same. The only interesting part is in the middle, when it starts sounding like something. Then it goes back. Kill me now. Honestly, it wouldn't bug me so much if I didn't know Adele was capable of MUCH better music.

- Shemekia Copeland: "Who Stole My Radio?"

Three words: Who. F*cking. Cares.

- Ray Charles: "Every Saturday Night"

A wise sister once called this the first draft of Rebecca Black's "Friday". That is the best way to describe this song.

- SuperHeavy: "Miracle Worker"

Awful, awful song. Every once in a while, I'll catch myself singing along with the chorus and I feel very, very ashamed. Honestly. This song is so obnoxious.

B-bye.

Best and Worst: Clothing Edition

All the students are herded like cattle,

All the students are herded like cattle.

Most of them are high as an elephant's eye,

and they're all so ignorant, I feel I could die...

Oklahoma parodies for the win.

Have you ever walked around campus and thought "oh my... who let you out of the house wearing that?!" Well, it happens to me all the time. Because of this, I've constructed a new segment of the Daily Dust called "Best and Worst". This should keep me entertained for a while...

Best and Worst: Clothing Edition

Let's start with the worst, because that's more fun!

Worst:

- Bright yellow sweatsuit

That's right. A bright yellow sweatsuit. Bright yellow sweatpants with a matching sweatshirt. Plus, they were those really annoying ones from Victoria's Secret that say "pink" on the butt no matter what color they are. For some reason, that just bugs me. Someone has to break it to those poor sweatpants that they aren't pink, and it's not gonna be me. Anyways, I don't think Victoria's Secret ever intended the sweatshirt and sweatpants to be worn together! But alas... perhaps she thought dressing as a bee would help her understand photosynthesis.

- Brightly colored pants

The other day, I saw a girl wearing bright red pants and a guy wearing bright green pants. I think they should get married and name their twin daughters Holly and Ivy.

- Bright orange leg-warmers with flip-flops

No, you did not read that wrong. I legitimately saw some girl wearing this the other day. Don't get me wrong, I love leg-warmers! However, there's a time and place for everything... except bright orange leg-warmers. Those have neither a time nor place. and paired with flip-flops? I don't even know where to begin...

- Army boots without pants

This is a big problem. The other day in French the girl who sits next to me was wearing army boots with a dress. Umm... what? That makes absolutely no sense. Plus, they only went about half-way up her leg so it just looked really... awkward. When the teacher asked about them, she said "they're Doc Martens". Honey, I don't care WHAT they are. If you're not going to wear them with pants, don't wear them at all. The same goes for high-top shoes and uggs... come on, people. Use your brains.

- Tube tops with shorts

Bad idea. You may think you look hot, but to the rest of the world you look like you're trying WAY too hard. Especially when it was cold that morning.

Best:

- Blazers

I don't see many guys wearing blazers, but I saw a girl wear one the other day and it made me happy. Blazers are the best thing ever. I've always wanted one, so it's nice to know that they're not TOTALLY out of style.

- Sparkly TOMS

Okay, so these should technically be under "Worst", but... come on! Sparkly shoes?! It doesn't get much better than that. I saw a girl wearing some the other day and I kind of fell in love with them.

- Stripes

While the stripes fad is ending, I feel like there's definitely a lot of stripes still around. I love stripes on anything. I don't care if they make you look fat. I have more stripey sweaters and shirts than I'd care to admit, but what can I say? Stripes are awesome.

- Floral Dresses

Hooray! Flowers? Dresses? What could go wrong? Unless they're maxi dresses, that is. But assuming they AREN'T, I love floral dresses. They're so fun and cute and casual and girly... nothing could go wrong!

- NOT skinny jeans

Thank goodness. It seems as though regular pants are coming back in, which is a very good sign. Don't get me wrong... I myself participated in the skinny jean phenomenon. However, I really wish I hadn't. Skinny jeans are just a bad idea all the way around. That's why it's awesome that regular pants are coming back in! Yay!

B-bye.