Only Slightly About Mermaids (And Not Really About Harry Potter Either.)

We'll get the mermaid bit over with first. I have a question. Do you like it? What do you want to see happen? What's the good, the bad? PLEASE GIVE ME SOME FEEDBACK! That's what the commenting button is for. :)

(Was that a little two forward? I'll try and be more subtle from now on.)

You can tell by looking at my blog that I post stuff when I am FEELING an EMOTION. Usually joy. Because I don't want to post when I am bored because then the writing will just be boring and you will then be bored.

But right now I am RATHER JOYFUL.

As most of you know, I am on a looooooong road trip. Right now we are in Canada. And on Eastern time. Which is weird for me. Because almost everyone I know is now running two hours behind me. So when I am asleep, every one is all active online! And when I wake up, everyone is all "sleeping!"

(Why am I telling you this? I forgot.)

(Oh yes. I remember.)

So, currently, all of my USUAL CROWD are all "We are stake dancing!" And I am all "Aww." Like the little fish in Gnomeo and Juliet.

And I am sitting here blogging.

(I forgot again why I am telling you this.)

LOOK! A DISTRACTION! (I promise that that distraction is made of awesome. Enjoy.)

Um. Um. Oh yes!

Amanda! If you are all boringly blogging while your posse hangs out at a delightful stake dance where they are sure to play Journey, why are you full of joy? (Especially as you just got your miserable AP Calc test score back!)

Gee, thanks for reminding me. You're a pal.

(Let's take a quick moment to say "boringly blogging" out loud. C'mon, do it! It's like eating Fruit Gushers. But wordy. And not fruit flavored.)

I am joyful because I am a fan of people who are fans of me. They are called friends. Also, I am a fan of vlogs. Also, I am a fan of obsessing over music. At the moment, Owl City and then, this Silly Love Song. Also, for my nerdy friends, I have for you a song about a Homicidal Squirrel.

You are welcome. :)

Hmmmm. So remember. Mermaid feedback, pronto. Ahem, I mean... I like mermaids... Do you? You should tell me about how you feel about them... And their stories... That are posted on blogs...

Alright Amanda, that's enough Amanda for one night.

Much love!

Last thing.

REAL last thing.

(Does anyone out there actually click on all of the links that I put in these things? Let me know if you do!(How about everyone just starts commenting please! That would be awesome!!!))

Pickled Mermaid

Dear friends,

Yeah. I know. I haven’t posted in ages. I have this motivation problem…

That’s actually why I’m coming to you today. I have an idea. I want to tell you the story of my secret life. I want to write it all out for you. But I need help. My idea is that I would write a chunk and post it on this here blog. You would then read it and yammer and demand the next chunk, thus giving me incentive to write! Good idea, yes, no? We’ll see how it works out.

Without further ado, I present to you:

PICKLED MERMAID

Or

THE COMPLETELY TRUE STORY OF MY LIFE AS A MERMAID

7/8/11

You just laughed, didn’t you? I know what you’re thinking (Here Amanda goes again, splashing along in her little pretend mermaid world. I bet she’ll say humorous things!)

Hah. Hah. Hah.

I know that you’re not going to believe me. That’s why telling you about it is such a great cover. No one actually believes my secrets.

I wouldn’t have believed it. Before it all happened, I thought that mermaids only lived in a Disney world, in a television show.

Am I glad that I became a mermaid? I honestly haven’t decided. There is so much good that came with my transformation, but also so many secrets, so many lies. So many consequences…

Your first question is how it happened. How did Amanda Peterson, Officially Normal Girl, become a fishy water junkie?

Well, the circumstances were just right…

Spring Break of 9^th grade. Our family was vacationing in Florida. The very first night, we went swimming in the pool at the hotel. It was a gorgeous pool, set 6 floors up and open to the entire sky. My siblings and I had a grand old time splashing and playing pretend. I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for playing pretend mermaid games with my siblings (My brothers are always the dolphin companions.)

The sun was setting and the parents decided that it was time for dinner. “Come on!” They said, “We’ll order pizza to the hotel room.” My three youngest siblings instantly agreed to that plan, their toes were wrinkled and their arms were covered with goosebumps.

Andrew and I had other ideas. We begged and pleaded to be allowed to stay out a little bit longer so that we could swim in the inky black of the pool at nighttime. My parents rolled their eyes, but consented.

Andrew and I now ruled the pool. The orange of the sun fled and was filled in by the navy night sky. Twinkling stars were faintly reflected in the water. The moon came out and shone down on us.

We spent more time under the water than in the air. Andrew amused himself by diving over and over for a pool toy, but I sat at the bottom of the pool and just stared at the sky through the water.

As could be expected, Andrew eventually grew tired of swimming. He got out and sat by the edge. He said that he would only wait for me for ten minutes. Ten minutes was not enough time for me. The entire night would not have been enough time for me.

Such beauty, such peaceful grace of the night, surrounded me. Looking back, it is no wonder that something so magical happened at that lovely hour.

I was floating on my back at the center of the pool. My head broke through the brightest point of the moon’s reflection. In that instant, I fell. I fell through the water just how you would fall through air. My back hit the bottom of the pool. My limbs grew incredibly heavy. I had no air. I thought that I was going to die.

That is when my vision turned silver. It was like blacking out, except it felt like soaring through the sky.

When the silver faded and I came to, I was floating back on the surface of the pool like nothing had happened. When I questioned Andrew about it, he said that I had gone under for a moment, but had resurfaced moments later. I didn’t tell him about the silver light.

As chance had it, I didn’t end up swimming for the rest of our vacation. I got sick and stayed in bed while the rest of my family frolicked in the lovely water. I was so jealous.

Looking back, I am so glad that I got sick. If I hadn’t, I would have figured out about the tail in front of a bunch of strangers. And then everything would have been ruined.

How did you find out that you had been turned into a mermaid?

I found out when we returned home. When I drew up a deep bubble bath and plunged right in.

Wait, wait, wait! Yes? So water reveals your tail? That is correct. Then how didn’t you grow a tail every time you washed your hands or showered? Ah, yes, this is important. I can only access my mermaid form when I am completely submerged in the water.

So if it rains, I am okay. Most of me may be wet, but as long as I am not completely under water, my tail won’t appear.

That’s awfully convenient… I think you’re just making this up.

PSH! Because you’re such an expert on mermaids…

Hello Dearie

There are like twenty Crayola markers in the wastebasket next to me. This tells me that my mother has found a lot of free time in her life after being released from being the Primary president. She is in organizing mode.

I never realized till today how STRANGE silly string is. The texture continuously changing from one weird thing to the next.

First day of summer was today. I woke up at 7. By choice. My brain told me that I had slept in.

Wanna know something odd? I open my curtains and shutters within the first minute of being awake. Every morning, a little person inside of me expects to see something different, something surprising outside of my window. A unicorn, a bowl of mac and cheese, a poster covered in chocolate bars. The possibilities are endless.

But it is always a peaceful scene to me. The leafy lilac tree, the green green lawn, (the boring fence) and the gorgeous sky.

I like twos quite a bit. It is June second. HAPPY JUNE!

I had Thai food for dinner last night. And for breakfast this morning. Also lunch. I had a cheese sandwich for dinner. I want a mango. Mangoes. Mmmm.

Honestly, I told myself that I was only going to post things here when I had something to actually talk about. But since Kelsie begged and pleaded and offered me her firstborn child...

You got a whole post of brain meltings.

Have a dandy night!

At the End of Third Period

The school year is over. Yearbook day tomorrow, but, honestly. There are things that I am glad to be over with (AP Calc, physics labs, the icky smell of the cafeteria, etc.). But there are a lot of things that I am going to miss dearly (blocking off the stairs with the rest of the ballroom mafia, the sunrise I've seen walking to the bus the past few weeks, etc.). Because there is never again going to be a year like this one. I am never going to walk up to someone and say "Yo, wassup ma homie g?" quite the same way again.

I have this thought that any memory can be beautiful, depending on how you let yourself remember it and how you tell it others. I've got a memory for you now.

We are all waiting, our stomachs are gnawing on themselves. For me, I was either just frightened out of my mind by calculus or had the varying experience of ballroom. Most days lunch is an escape, but it can also be an obligation. Sometime I leave my class on the top of the world. Sometime I leave cold inside and wondering how the rest of the day will hurt me.

I always walk fast because there is a good bubble of time before the lines get insane. I usually have three options: pizza, (boring) salad, (even more boring and the queue is never a short wait) or the A la Carte line.

This year, after I conquered my fear of the A la Carte line, I had almost the same thing every day. Trix yogurt, nachos, and a red apple.

I eat these things very particularly. Their order in my life is almost as important as brushing my hair each morning.

This is how it works.

Sit down. Place nachos in front of me, but away (we don't want to risk an elbow in that cheese) the apple goes to the left of it. Yogurt goes directly in front of me. Peel foil halfway from the top, insert spoon. There are always two colors. I have to eat one color at a time. Usually the color that is not pink first. It is okay if the colors are mixed for the last two bites. Set yogurt beyond the nachos, scoot them forward.

Nachos. Some days I crave them, some days they almost disgust me. Each chip is carefully selected. One with cheese on it, but not huge globs. There has to be at least of quarter of the chip untouched by cheese. How else am I supposed to hold it between my thumb and my first finger and not make a mess? Sometimes they are too salty. Sometimes the cheese is cold. Then it is really gross. Sometimes I let the guys that I sit with steal chips. Sometimes I guard them enviously. Depends on my mood and level of generosity that day.

Then comes the most interesting part of my lunch-- my sweet red apple. There are actually three parts to every apple. The sticker, the stem, and then the actual apple.

Start with the sticker first. Peel it off and put it on the shoulder of whoever has won you affections that day. It symbolizes your friendship, don't let them EVER remove it.

Then the stem. Twist twist twist while you say the alphabet in your head. Whatever letter you land on is the first letter of your future spouse. Feel free to cheat as much as you desire.

The apple. Red, always. Red so that you can be Snow White and die on the first bite. The contrast of red skin and pale flesh is beautiful. Skin is tasteless, but under the skin is simple sweetness. The stickiness is lovely and the crunch is always perfect. I always take forever to eat my apple (but I am a slow eater as a general rule) and the apple always starts turning brown before I am even close to being done with it. I get teased for it sometimes. But I enjoy the attention that my apple always brings me.

Speaking of apples and attention. Apples are really great for entertaining people. I've already mentioned pulling a Snow White, but the best thing to do with an apple is to attack it viciously.

Step One: Select a victim. Stare at them. Don't blink. When they take notice of you, proceed to

Step Two: Emit a low growl and pounce on your apple. Don't bite in too far, you want your attack to look effortless and spontaneous. And you don't want to have a huge mouthful when you move on to

Step Three: Respond appropriately to your victim's reaction. They are going to be shocked. They may burst into laughter. Or they may stare at you in horror.

Good luck with your apple endeavors.

So, yes. This was my lunch. Over and over, day after day. Sometimes I hated it all. Other days this was exactly what I needed.

I'm going to miss it. The entire thing, overall. It made me happy. Thinking of it makes me happy. I hope that somewhere in there it brought you a moment of joy.

This post is losing my attention quickly so I'll wrap this up. :)

Thank you for reading. Even though none of my posts say very much. I really appreciate it.

Smile and be at peace.

We Are Intertwined (Like Vines)

I keep starting posts. I keep deleting them before I am done.

Every year I grow older, I have more to look back on. I know that I can only learn from the past. I know that I shouldn't dwell on it so often or so deeply.

Every year I grow older, I get nearer to what is to come. I know that my choices now determine my future. I know that worrying about what might come wastes my time now.

Come on Amanda, live in the present. Find something to smile at. Work your hardest. Dance around a little bit.

Open the fridge and see squirtable whipped cream. How can you not squirt a generous amount directly into your mouth? Classy is our middle name.

Please sit up straight. Yeah, I know that it actually takes some effort, but we're going to be so much comfortable in the long run. See? Now that you are sitting correctly, your spine isn't gonna kill you later tonight. Your organs aren't squished up inside of you now. That's always a better feeling.

What are you going to do tonight? Sit on the computer, watch TV, read a book? Go to bed? Sit in your room for hours, waiting for something to happen? Listen to the storm outside.

I don't know what I would choose.

Have you been doing anything to get to your dream lately? Any progress, any effort? Or are you waiting for something to happen there too?

What do you want?

What will I do now to get there?

Goodnight sweet. Use your brain. Smile.

Because Someday Soon is Summer

Hello there!

I have a few videos for you:

Postitive

Negative

A trailer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 1

Okay. Now you may continue about your usual buisness.

School is ending. Wednesday Thursday Friday Tuesday Wednesday. End. 5 days left of my Jr. year.

Remember the end of Buffy's junior year! The Master! She DIED! And she wore a pretty dress. So that was nice.

Brain is working through Miguel's pudding alfredo sauce.

I have nothing to say. I just wanted to start this thingamabob again. Note to self: think of something to talk about.

Ideas:

Buffy

Buffy and Spike

The weather

It's too late to call the jive

Sleepwalkers

Lake Powell

Hair and it growing longer

Mac and cheese for dinner!!!!!

Siiiiiiiiiiigh.

You sure do look swell today!

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Some thoughts from today:

You can learn so much from yourself.

Think of how many people you could be.

Instead of thinking what choice you've made in the past that you would want to change, think of what choice is coming up. You can decide right now in advance. What a difference that could make.

Every person deserves you to be their friend. There is no one that you meet that could not be your friend with enough effort, or doesn't deserve you. Why aren't we friends with everyone?

How do we turn off the thing in our brains that tells us to judge people? I have a theory. I'll let you know after I have tried it if this idea works.

Let's not be offended.

Thanks for listening. Reading.

Just, thanks.

:)