the house all the myself...kinda

parents away
awesome sister (not as awesome as erin though) taking care of me
friends sleeping over
should be an amazing weekend.
but what happens here, stays here. haha!

my date!

first about your kindness blog. my favorite commercial on tv is the one where one person sees someone do something nice, even as simple as picking up a baby toy and giving it to the mother. the person who witnessed this act of kindness then does something nice for someone else. im going to do it, you should too.


now for my date....since i cant call and tell you erin, im going to give details.

so he picked me up and met mom and dad. it wasnt too bad. dad had to tell him that mikes last name is my dads middle name. oh! mikes middle name is chris and mine is christine! ahah i just that was kinda cool. anyway.... he picked me up and we went to the movies. the car ride wasnt awkward. hes really talkative which makes me talkative. so that was good.

we got to the movies and he had this look on his face. i was like "whats that face for?" HE FORGOT HIS MONEY! HAHAHAH i found it halarious but he was sooooo embarrassed. i felt bad for him. so i had to pay for the tickets. we went and saw invincible. it was good. but it was really crowded for some reason. and things that were worth a chuckle, people were like ROFLing. so i was laughing more at the people then at the movie.

at the end of the movie it was kinda wierd. he had his arm around me the whole time but he took my hand at the end, and when i turned and looked at him he was really close. i turned away. i dont know if he was going to kiss me or not but i turned away just in case. but we went back to the car and he asked me to be his girlfriend...i said no. i had to. it was out first date! way too soon. but then he asked me to homecoming, i said yes. even though i hate dates....ill skip the next part :) hahaha. we went back to my house becuse there was nothing else to do. he met the woods' haha. of course they had to be here. we just watched tv and talked and stuff. he had a 12 30 cerfew so he left around 12. i said goodbye and then called him later to make sure he got home ok, he lives like a half hour away.

so basically this kid is the cutest thing ever! o goshhhhh cant wait to see him monday!

Kindness

Today I came to work an hour earlier than normal and there are these poor guards that have to stand outside all the security gates ALL day and ALL night. So, they were there as normal - wearing their matching poofy coats since it was dark and cold at 6am today. They say hello and have a nice day to everyone in the constant stream of traffic going into campus. They always smile - even during torrential hurricane-like downpours and they have to stand in the elements with plastic shower caps on their hats.

So, today - I was going through security - and a car pulled up to the security gate next to mine, and instead of handing the guard her i.d. - she handed him a bag of dunkin donuts AND two dunkin donuts coffees! And then (after showing her id of course) she proceeded through the security check and my security guard did a mini happy dance and gave her a thumbs up. She wasn't a fellow security guard. She didn't seem to know them at all. It was just a random act of kindess.

Maybe I'll bring a coffee for one of the airport security people later. Or not. Because then I'll probably be arrested.

awkward moments and school...

so rooney asked me on a date saturday, we are going to the movies to see little miss sunshine...i think

well we have been talking a little bit trying to figure out what movie and what time and everything. yesterday, we decided on little miss sunshine but then later i found out this a chick flick. i tried to tell him today but we just had an awkward moment instead. i was talking with two of my friends and they were like
"LOOK ITS ROONEY! BEHIND YOU" but i didnt want to turn around. but they kept saying it so i thought he was standing right behind me. i turned around to talk to him cuz i just thought he had stopped to talk to me. but when i turned around he was just walking by with a friend, it was sooooo obvious that we were talking about him. i waved, he waved...and walked into someone. hahaha. i wanted to tell him that we picked a chick flick so i was just like "oh mike(his real, first name) i need to talk to you." but it was really confusing cuz he was with friends and so was i and they kept talking to us. this doesnt sound awkward, but even people around us were like "cailin that was really awkward...what happened?" omggg i dont know.

i have a gift, i can make any situation awkward without meaning to. yay for me.

yesterday i had an SAT class. it was pretty good. we had to write an essay and it wasnt too bad. it definitely wasnt great writing but for not preparing for it i think i did pretty well.

today in shakespeare, my teacher mr.velten said that to be a good writer you have to be able to write a sonnet. i strongly disagree with this. if your a writer, that doesnt mean your a poet. right? he isnt making us write a sonnet or anything but i just think thats its not right to say your not a good writer if you can't write a sonnet. its really hard!
for those who dont know what a sonnet is, its a 14 line poem that has iambic pantameter. 10 stressed and unstressed syllables. but, it also has to have a rhyme scheme. a b a b c d c d e f e f gg...for example...(i will just give you the words that rhyme in each line)

A~ hat
B~ know
A~ cat
B~ so
C~ why
D~ hope
C~ sky
D~ soap
E~ say
F~ couch
E~ pay
F~ slouch
G~ dog
G~ log

not so easy. haha.

im very upset because since school started i cant read anymore. wayyyy too much going on to stop and read. the only thickens im reading right now are texts books.

so yeah, i think thats all i have to share for now. bye!

cailin

To do list:

Day One
4:45 am Write (YAY!)
6:30 am (give or take 30 mins) Go to work
7:30 am Start experiment.
7:35 am Sit at work with nothing to do but worry about all the things I have to get done.
3:30 pm Drive 30 miles south, pick up dog, in rush hour.
4:30 pm Throw dog, dog crate, dog food and whatever else I can get in one trip, into car.
5:30 pm (give or take 4-5 hours) Pick up hubby 30 miles north, drive 115 miles more north, in rush hour
7:30 pm (give or take 4-5 hours) Meet parents for dinner (YAY!)
8:30 pm - 11:00 pm Breathe sigh of relief. Drive 115 miles south.

Day Two
4:45 am Write (YAY!)
6:30 am (give or take 30 mins) Go to work
7:30 am Start experiment.
7:35 am Sit at work with nothing to do but worry about all the things I have to get done.
3:30 pm Drive home like total and complete maniac, safely.
4:30 pm (give or take 2 hours) Laundry. Iron. Pack like total and complete maniac, safely.
7:30 pm Writers group (YAY!)
10:30 pm Go to bed. Or pack. Most likely pack.

Day Three
4:45 am Go to work (BOOOO)
6:00 am Start experiment
6:05 am Write (*shhhh!*)
8:00 am Sit at work with nothing to do but worry if I finished everything that had to get done.
2:30 pm Drive home. Relaxed.
4:00 pm Put myself and hubby in taxi with a neatly and calmly packed bag(s).
5:00 pm GO TO GERMANY! (YAY!)

F.L.A.M.E

In Criss-Cross, which I'm still reading despite the Polish/Pole-ish ordeal, Debbie (one of the narrators) uses the FLAME game on her crush. When I was growing up (ok and a little bit after I grew up too...) we played MASH. Which was so fun especially when your best friend ended up in a shack, married to a guy that still picks his nose in public, riding her huffy bike to work at a hot dog stand - and you married the captain of the football team, lived in a mansion, was a brain surgeon, with a convertible BMW. Anyway Debbie introduced me to FLAME yesterday on my drive home and here are some of my results: (if you are very careful you can also play this while driving...)

Here's how you play - or maybe you already know...
F: friends
L: lovers
A: affectionate
M: married
E: enemies
You count how many letters each of your names adds up to - eliminating those letters that are shared. Starting with F in flame you count through Flame until you see where you land. For example:

Cailin and Rooney (tee hee): 10 letters (eliminating the shared 'n') - 10 would end you on the E for enemies. Good thing we did this Caily or you would have wasted another Shakespeare class giggling about this guy. You can thank me later.

Me and hubby: 7 letters - L - Lovers.

Mom and Dad: 7 letters again - Loooovers.

K & S (getting married in 2 weeks): 11 letters. F for friends. I'll accept that since they are best friends and everyone knows you're supposed to marry your best friend. Aww.

Erin

Audio books

I listen to a lot of audio books due to my VERY LONG commute, and right now I'm listening to Criss-Cross. She has a lot of interesting/creative descriptions and one of them stopped me dead today. She described one of her characters as having a Polish head. I rewound and listened again. And there it was! This guy had a Polish head. For a long time I tried to think of what exactly a Polish head looked like, and thought about my Mom's head since she's partly Polish, and then that point in the morning must have arrived where I had a sufficient level of caffeine in me because it dawned on me - it was a pole-ish head NOT Polish head. Seriously. I'm glad noone was there to witness my realization. Still, I have been thinking about what a pole-ish head looks like all morning. And now I think I'm going to have to bribe hubby with some highly espressoed drink at B&N so I can find that sentence in a real live Criss-Cross book and put the mystery to rest. At least it's Friday. It's amazing I survived the week.

Erin

shakespeare

I had my first day of shakespeare today. It was a little on the boring side but all of my friends are in it so i just kept giggling the whole time. I am a little excited but more confused on why I CHOSE to take this class.

im slighty distracted in school though.

i love boys :)

epecially Rooney


i will def write later but i have to do homework right now.

Cailin

Garbology

In Ally Carter's book, I'd Tell You I Love You but Then I'd Have to Kill You, the Gallagher Academy girls have to study the hard science of garbology (it's a school for spies by the way, and that's not all they study). At first, the school felt very Harry Potter-ish to me - but as soon as the story got started, I was hooked by the voice of the characters. They are super-intelligent girls that attend spy school, but still worry about what to wear (though it's to a stake-out instead of a dance more than likely) - boys - and studying for tests (except they're on biochemical warfare or something instead of algebra). The academy is all girls and when a boy from another school shows interest in Cammie, everyone becomes suspicious, wondering if he is truly a love interest or trying to infiltrate the school. So, they go through his trash which I believe to be an effective way in getting to know someone.

For example in my hubby's trash you would find:
1. an advertising insert from Performance Bikes with pages ripped out for future reference
2. an empty tube of dog toothpaste (I'm not lying)
3. a spider cricket

Cailin's trash would have:
1. a love letter from an ex-boyfriend (she's a man-eater, we've all tried to talk to her about this), ripped up, and sligthly charred
2. a mega bottle of cheerleading strength hair spray
3. a vocabulary workbook.

My non biohazard trashcan at work has:
1. a peppermint teabag (I don't particularly love tea, but it's an ice box in here I tell you)
2. an empty package of banana bread oatmeal
3. gum

Hmmm. I'd say my trash is a bit misleading as I sound like a ninety year old granny.
Erin

9/11~ through the eyes of a 6th grader

it was the first few days of 6th grade and i was so excited to be back. i saw all of my friends and we chatted about what we did with our summer. it was a day just like any other, but then we had an assembly. i didnt think this was unusual, and i dont remember walking there or fumbling with seating trying to sit next to my best friends like i always did. i dont remember how they broke the news to us but i do remember sitting there being really confused.

how do you explain to a 6th grader that someone has just purposely flew into 2 buildings trying to kill as many as they can?

i didnt know that the world trade centers and the twin towers were the same thing, so i thought 2 buildings were hit, which ended up to be the truth. but then we heard about the pentagon. i just couldnt fathom why anyone would want to do this. i hadnt really heard of terrorists before, so i was trying to absorb everything, not understanding the whole concept of it. now if you ask a 4th grader what a terrorist is they would know right away, which is actually really sad. i remember just sitting there in total shock. i looked to my right and saw a girl stumbling up the aisle bawling. i just assumed, as i do to this day, that she knew someone who works in new york or dc. we resumed classes but every tv was on in the school. in our classes we just watched the buildings burn and fall, over and over again.
i dont think i will ever forget the shock on everyones faces, no matter how young i was

Cailin

The classics

Cailin you have to read Shannon Hale's (Princess Academy) post from yesterday. I think you will agree with her. What books do you have to read this year?

Sad day.

Today kind of snuck up on me. I can't believe it's been five years since 9/11. It feels like no time at all to me - even though since that day I've changed jobs twice, moved twice, met my husband, and celebrated our one year wedding anniversary. I wonder it if feels like just yesterday for the poor families touched the closest by this tragedy.

I was living in Bethesda MD, just a few miles from Washington DC. I was standing in the lab at work with a few other people, talking quietly as we did in the morning, setting up our respective experiments for the day. Another guy came in - walking briskly to his office as he was later than normal - and mentioned that he had just heard on the radio that a small engine plane had hit the WTC. And our morning talk about what we ate for dinner the night before, changed to a discussion on how a person could fly themselves into a large building. We thought - new pilot - bad luck - heart attack - or simple stupidity. Our experiments set up, we got our coffees and returned to our desks to check email and read the news like every morning. But we couldn't get on the internet. I told one of my officemates about the guy that flew his personal airplane into a building in NY, and after trying forever to get onto CNN, she turned on her radio. And this is when we realized it was not a personal jet, but a large commercial plane. My officemates and I took our coffees into the room next door which was the largest office room - and found everyone congregated around one person's desk. Somehow he had managed to get the internet up long enough to log onto CNN finance live video, where they were of course no longer talking about finance. We watched the video in horror as the anchorman reported on suspicions that the hit may not have been an accident. That the airplane had been hijacked.

I called my mom. The first tower fell while I was on the phone with her, and through the receiver I heard the report on her television, the emotion and the chaos. My cell phone had no service. I couldn't get in touch with my roommate. I couldn't check my email. All worked stopped. Experiments were forgotten. We watched the CNN video, all of us, crowding around the computer monitor. Silent. When the plane hit the Pentagon, we couldn't believe it. The news said the Washington mall had been hit and showed the fire. We saw it right there on the video feed. We saw the Pentagon on fire and they said there was a fire in the White House. That the White House had been hit - by what - they did not know. Later that night we learned that many of the reports were false but, standing in that office, we thought Washington DC was being attacked. Our company closed - but we just stayed there watching the small pop-up window on CNN waiting for updates. And then we made a pact to all leave at the same time.

When I left, I was the only car on the entire highway. Washington DC, the city with the second worst traffic in the country, was absolutely deserted. Helicopters flew over me, not the news kind of helicopters, but the military kind. I finally got in touch with my roommate and she was ten minutes from home. I paced the few minutes I was home alone, and then we sat on the couch for like five days straight and watched the news.


Erin

living with the parentals

i must admit, im not home often since i got my license. its great. but it also sucks because mom and dad have an extra tight grasp around my throat. they are making up all these ridiculous rules, and when i tell them how ridiculous they are being they just yell at me or completly ignore me. because you know...parents are always right...thats bull. but i dont care, im not home alot anymore so its awesome, when i do come home im instantly in a bad mood. they are constantly asking me why im in a pissy mood which makes me even more mad. so i just go on the computer and either write in here or myspace, which i am addicted to haha.

i know this is random but i have one question, how did the people who created keyboards deicide which letter goes where? they are defintly not in order.

Cailin

Cailin Appreciation Day

Cailin is definitely my sister. This was at the SCBWI LA conference - she came with me along with fivefootgiant mom and other sister. I'm so lucky. They shopped (notice the jumble of bags...), went to the pool, and stalked my famous agent conference critiquer who I accidentally pointed out, while I went to the conference sessions.

I could go on, but my neighbor just broke into my house for me because I locked myself out and hubby is riding his bike an hour away. Anyway if you ever questioned the value of putting a bar on your sliding door (or sawed off ski pole) - stop it. It took him like five seconds - and one philips head screwdriver - to get my door opened. I was like - 'freaky' and he was like - 'get a bar'.

Erin

Not a good sign.

"Are you interested in a position in technical editing with opportunity for advancement, good benefits, and with excellent training? If the answer is yes, and if you can find the error in the preceding sentence, you may be qualified for a Copy Editor Trainee position with the American Society for Microbiology, a leading publisher of scientific research journals."


Ok so I guess I'll keep my lab job and let the pros handle the copy editing. I'm stumped.

the freshman walk

i started school today i so i have a fresh memory of this unfortunate....posture. lets pretend im the freshman...more fun that way.

its my first day of high school and i am scared out of my mind. although i am petrified, im prepared. i have every book from my locker in my extra large, expandable backpack....NO! in my ROLLIE BACKPACK. hahaha. since im small and i have every book in my locker on my back i need to slighty lean forward. to make it seems just a little bit cooler i tuck my thumbs into the arms straps near my arm pit....good leverage. its a strain on my neck to try and look up so i just let my head hang. this is actually good for numerous reasons such as:

i do not have to look at the upper-classmen who shove me into lockers and say "move you stupid freshman!"

steps are more visible...less likely to trip up the stairs

your face tends to get greasy on 90 degree days when your in a school with about 1,000 other teens with no air conditioning. so most people cant see your shining features.

they walk FAST. most of the time. they act like they dont care when the bell rings and they still have about a 5 minute walk, but u know inside thier head they are freaking out.

god i love freshman...and how, my you be asking, do i know all of this? simple...this was me.

Cailin

Matchmakers

Last night hubby and I got to play matchmaker and it was so incredibly fun, I can't tell you. For one it was like being a fly on the wall for a first date and secondly because they seem to be a very good match (if I do say so myself - although hubby technically did the matchmaking).

The weird thing about it was how fast the boys in the picture reverted to 7th grade. An example:

Scene: At the restaurant - me, hubby, and boy - waiting for girl (girl was 10 or 15 minutes late which we all agreed was not an immediate deal breaker).

Hubby: You look all fancy pants. (snickering and pointing)

Boy: (looks at his outfit slightly horrified, and then composes himself) I didn't have time to change after work

Hubby: (knows he's lying) Whatever. How many outfits did you try on before choosing this ensemble? Like four hundred?

Boy: Shut up, dude.

Hubby: (Laughing like this is the most hilarious thing he's ever seen. )

Me: (Feeling kind of bad for boy that he has to endure hubby until girl gets there.)

Hubby: She might take awhile to park by the way.

Boy: Why? (immediately suspicious for good reason)

Hubby: she drives a yellow porche.

Boy: (jumping out of his seat.) Nah dude! You set me up with a porche chik! (Looking like he could kiss hubby on the lips).

Me: sigh.

Hubby: Tee hee! Just kidding. She drives a camry.

Boy: Dude.

Hubby: You have something against camrys?

Boy: Silence. (probably regretting ever agreeing to this)

Hubby: (Looking over his shoulder at the door). There she is!

Boy: (goes pale) Really?

Hubby: Just kidding!

When girl finally got there all boys morphed back into semi-adults and we had a quite enjoyable dinner. And it was so fun because whenever boy or girl went to the bathroom, as soon as they were out of ear shot, frantic whispering about boy or girl ensued. And, we were pleased to see they liked each other. Yay.

Erin

The Panic Walk.

Let's play the 'watching people walk' game. I'll go first.

*Disclaimer*
These people are - um - fictional characters. And this is only a writing exercise.

The panic walker:

You're sitting at your desk minding your own business, getting tons of work done because you have enjoyed at least thirty minutes straight of uninterrupted focus, when all of a sudden everything around you begins to vibrate. You start to wonder if you are experiencing your first earthquake when you see Fred walk by. Fred is a panic walker, a half-walk/half-runner that will never require a locating device, because his clodhopping style of walking alerts everyone of his location within a one mile radius. Shoulders first, no swing to his arms, mouth open. Those of us new to Fred may jump from their seats afraid they are missing a meeting, or were not informed of the deadly meteorite careening toward their office. But, soon you will realize, he is only a panic walker, and he is merely mosying over to get a refill on his coffee.

Okay Cailin - GO.

attention all yellow xterra owners!!

a conversation between me and amanda.

amanda: have you heard about the "jeep wave?"
me: no! what is it?
amanda: everyone who has jeep wranglers just waves when they pass
me: no way! they just all know to do it?
amanda: pretty much
me: im starting a yellow xterra wave



so that is what i am doing. i started it yesterday. im waving to my bortheren, my fellow yellow xterra...ees. you should do the same if you own this car. people are very nice, they wave back. im figuring in about 2 years it will have completly caught on, and i started it:)


cailin

jobs and books

This is inspired by Meg Cabot's blog post on pervs:

working in Peddlers is a pretty good job, dare I say even fun at times. And although you get creepy old horny guys that are shopping with their wife just to pay for things, sometimes they are so cute and old they are fun to talk to. You can usually pick these guys out right when they walk in the door. here are the clues:

clue #1: they are carrying if not one, many bags.

clue #2: if they do not open the door for their wife, she doesnt hold it for them either, it usually shuts halfway before the husband gets there. this is most likely followed by an awkward im-trying-to-open-the-door-but-i-have-too-many-bags-so-i-have-to-use-my-foot maneuver.

clue #3: wife goes right or left and he makes a bee-line to the register to "ask a question"

clue #4(biggest give away): the "question" starts with something like "well aren't you a pretty young lady"

once I was dusting some shelves and an old man said...and I quote! "you can come over a dust my house ANYTIME!" ugh gross! how do u respond to that? I just smile and walk away.

and it really sucks when people try to bargain with you. there are price stickers on items for a reason. they think its like a suggested price or something.

well today i went over to this nice, expensive restaurant. I asked for an application. im going to be a buss girl! haha. i will get LOTS of money:) lets just hope i get the job now.

this year is going to be very busy. I have cheerleading mondays and thurdays i offered to work at the restaurant tuesdays wednesdays and fridays and if i dont have a game on saturday or sunday im working at the shop (also in peddlers, its a little nic nac shop, also the location where horny old men congregate.)

plus i promised madre and daddio that i would get better grades, SAT tutors and classes when i get the time, how am i going to keep my sanity??? i will tell you how...BOOKS. when i read a book i feel like i am the character. when the character gets embarrassed i blush, if they hear a good joke i laugh, when something horrible happens im devastated. if you interrupt me in a book and the chraracter is in a bad mood from some bad event, watch out! im going to be in a pissy mood. its like i enter another world, i love it. i hope i am not the only one to vocalize this quirk i have. if im not let me know please? teenagers need assurance :)

please and thank you

cailin

avalon high

I read Avalon High in 2 days... it was so good. It started pretty normal, but then it took this huge twist. It went from normal to kinda fantasy. Not exactly fantasy, but I dont think it could happen in real life. I can't believe Meg Cabot is writing two more. but whats manga? im really excited for them to come out!

cailin

AVALON HIGH

I haven't read this yet, but I know you have Cailly. I just read on Meg Cabot's blog that she is writing two sequels to Avalon High in MANGA. Wierd, but kind of cool. AND it's going to be a made-for-tv movie. An action movie? Did the book have a lot of action in it? I was going to read Ally Carter's book, then the new book by Avi, then Meg Cabot's Size 12 book, and THEN Avalon High. I will have to rearrange my order because I'm intrigued. Darnit. Well anyway it's a long weekend - a potentially very rainy/hurricaney weekend - so perhaps I will have a lot of time to read.

Erin

Spider Cricket update

Hubby (to mother-in-law and father-in-law who are now visiting and happily trotting off to bed...in the guest room/spider cricket country): Um. If you see any spider crickets, which you probably won't, don't be scared.
Me (thinking): they should have borrowed the Exterminator
MIL: Spider crickets?
Hubby: Oh, it's kind of funny, every once in awhile we get these things.
Me (thinking): more like massive infestation.
Hubby (looks at me to say something)
Me: Oh yeah. They're like little pussycats - they're harmless. Really. (then I freak out because something - which could have been the giant king-of-all-spider-crickets - brushes up against my arm. It's the dog. I relax and then smile really big.)
MIL: Um. Ok. (glances at her husband with obvious concern)
Hubby: Don't worry I got them all. (clears his throat, knowing he killed about three of them two minutes ago happily bajoinging themselves all over the 'guest-room')
Me: Okay. Well have a good night sleep. See you in the morning.
Hubby and I bolt up the stairs.

Erin