The Smokey Diaries

I'm writing the story of a Shetland Sheepdog named Smokey who is also a pirate, as well as a lofty sports figure. In all of his stories, he ends up wooing his two friends, Kay T. (the golden retriever) and Lacey (the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel), only to realize that he's been dreaming as he sleeps on the way to his next adventure! Of course, every so often, he arrives at land, and has a real adventure, but the oceans are big, so he has quite a few dreams.
I've already finished two stories, and am working on a third one. They're great fun, and I base my characters on my puppies from my Nintendogs games, so I have an image set in my mind when I write my stories. And here's the great part: I WRITE them! On paper! Yes! Good-Bye, computers; hello papers! Who says it's old-fashioned?

Actual Geometry Quiz

It's not complete, of course, but it comes from an actual Geometry Quiz I had to take today. It looks kind of hard to me...but I'm a sissy.

clipped from kcdistancelearning.blackboard.com For problems 4-5, use the diagram of the right cylinder. If r = 3 yd, and h = 7 yd, find the lateral area. For problems 10-12, use the diagram of the right cone. If r = 5 in. and h = 12 in., find the slant height. 7 in. 17 in. 13 in.

Caramel Corn Day

I've decided to make a holiday. I'll call it "Caramel Corn Day". Yes, indeed. Now, you have to be clear—Dad's version of caramel corn is really good. But...I got a package of Act II Caramel Corn for my parents (who willingly shared it with me)...WOW! It's so good, you feel like screaming. Yes, that's right. Screaming.

In other news, I got the Sims 2: Nightlife yesterday instead of having to wait until Wednesday. YES! *punches air with fist* No, it's not what I expected...but hey? What is? I stayed up until 4:15 last night playing it.....ah, the good old days. But now I have to "buckle down" and get some schoolwork done. All play and no work makes Jenny a really irresponsible girl. *Cough* Unless she already is.

Enough talk. Here I go. Happy Caramel Corn Day!

Club of the Sun

Nightlife...Sort of

You know I like to play The Sims 2. And, if you do, too, you know that they have an expansion pack entitled, "Nightlife". Now, I have to say that, being one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I am not some sort of hypocritical party animal; neither do I want to have the Sims under my control be anything different. But, after having done extensive research (28,900 pictures on a Google Image Search), I have found that this "Nightlife" that is so highly spoken of is nothing more than a couple hundred extra things for your community lots (plus some outfits). Nothing more. And so I ask you—what's wrong with that? Go ahead, yell at me if I made an understatement at your favorite game. Sue me. I put myself into this mindlock so as to keep my morals up...and my motives down. KEEP IT CLEAN!

Anyway, so I am going to buy the game...on Wednesday. I have planned it, and I will buy it, then when I get home, I will...*sigh*...go do my schoolwork. Basically, I am going to drive myself NUTS for the next 4 days. SuNdAy....MoNdAy....TuEsDaY....WeDnEsDaY ...then—BANG!—I'll be all right. I hope.
Well, gosh—I darn'd better be all right! I withdrew $30 from my bank account for that program! AND I have to buy my parents a gift! Like...."let me off here and I'll buy you chocolates." I darn'd better be..."all right".........

In other news, I have to go finish my Spanish. Yep, you heard right—I didn't finish it from 2 hours ago. C'est la vie, right? Well, not exactly, since I'M the one who's supposed to be doing the work. *Ahem* Anyway...

Ah, the Dreariness of a Saturday

You know...NORMALLY, Saturdays are supposedly the day of the week—time to party, have fun, etc.................

I'm still looking for the "fun" in this particular one.

You'd think by now I'd have found it! But no! No, I say! I'm sitting here, supposed to be working on Spanish, trying to think of what could possibly be so fun about this day!
Now, last Saturday, my mom and Taiya and I were at the Mall of America in Minnesota, riding the rides and getting cutsie souvenirs. That was a fun Saturday. Well, at least it was until I lost my little stuffed horse. :( But it still was better than today! Today...I sit in my blue computer chair, at home, where I am stuck here working on Spanish. Not that I have anything against Spanish...it's just that...my gosh, I could be having fun! But why can't I? Because I have to do school.

If you're still reading, I want to thank you. You must have a lot of patience, to listen to me rant about my miserable Saturday. But perhaps you've had a Saturday similar to mine.

Have a good Saturday!

New Baby Announcement

OK, so my friend's older sister...she had another baby. His name is Caden. Isn't that cute! My gosh...I can't wait to see him! My friend's...an aunt! AGAIN! YAY FOR HER! XD

The First Day of the Trip!

So here I am, sitting in a red leather chair, with my friend Taiya watching me, in the middle (OK, not the middle...but close) of Minnesota. Ah. Vacations. You gotta love 'em. Anyway, so life goes on, and tomorrow, we're going to the Mall of America to...NOT SHOP...but RIDE THE RIDES. OMG! Weird, huh? Yeah. But that how I am. Not much shopping. Lots and lots of riding. Yes, that's me...Jen.

Peace Out!

The Famous Group Photo

Ta-Da! Here it is...the one...the only...the Group Photo. Yes, indeed, these photos can either be the bane of your existence of the light of your life. They either tell everyone how photogenic you are or how you don't like flashbulbs. And did I mention the classic Girl vs. Boy episode? Remember the "bunny ears"? Classic. Any unsuspecting citizen would mysteriously grow a pair of familiar-looking ears...for the duration of the photo. Once it was over, however...they were gone. And so was the person standing directly behind them.
It's classic...and none too unusual...for my friend's mom to insist that we get our group picture taken. Me? I'm not against it. I admit, I'm not all that photogenic...but I enjoy having some fresh photos to put somewhere. But why, oh why, did they have to put me in front of two boys? I, unlike some, am a very suspecting citizen...I could see those bunny ears coming! And those two that I am standing in front of...they'd be the ones to do it, too. But you know what? It went off...with only ONE hitch!
Sigh. My eyes are closed. But that's the way of it, isn't it? There's always something wrong with a group photo. ALWAYS. Maybe in the Paradise...we, being perfect, will be able to take a decently good photo, in which NO ONE has Bunny Ears, NO ONE has their eyes closed, and NO ONE is making a funny face. But alas! It isn't the Paradise just yet, so we have to deal with this photo here...the one where my eyes are closed.

One Turd of a Tuesday!

Well. The day really got off to a fine start. NOT.
What's that you say? "What do you mean?" Oh, let me see. Let me tell you what I mean. It all started about 15 minutes ago, actually. I have this picture of my friends and I...and, sure, it's a good picture...but my eyes aren't open. Mom, of course, commented. And I threw a fit. I KNOW MY EYES ARE CLOSED! I KNOW I COULD LOOK BETTER! DO YOU HAVE TO RUB IT IN? So she started to cry, and stomped off to her room, and even yelled at Keelee! *Sigh* But wait. It doesn't end there. Oh, no. THEN, I talked to my best friend...and SHE is having problems with HER parents...and...it's like...no. I won't say it. It's like a jinx. It's...OK. I'll say it. It's like the day couldn't get any worse. But mark my words...as soon as I say that, it will. It always does.

It's the Memorial!

What's today? Not April Fools'...that was yesterday (thank God). No, indeed—today is the Memorial of Jesus Christ's Death..or in Spanish...La Conmemoración. Yes, indeed, starting at 7:30 (in Wisconsin) we start to celebrate this very important occasion. This is the only "holiday" (it's not technically a holiday) that Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate. And I'm going to celebrate it!
I have a new dress and matching jacket for the occasion. It's sort of cadet blue, with flowers made out of buttons. The jacket used to have (ugh) shoulder pads...but fortunately Mom cut them out. I may not look crescent fresh, but I won't look too shabby! (Not for the Memorial! No way!) I may post a nice picture of myself later on.
Also, it was Mom's job to make the bread and buy the wine. So she made the bread, which is basically flour and water, and rolled it out, thin as a cracker, and baked it. Presto! Four "sheets" of dry, crackery bread. (I secretly find myself thinking, "I'm glad I'm not anointed, so that I'd have to eat the bread.") And the wine. The wine is an Inglenook, without sulfides, and won't be drunk by anyone until after the event. The bread won't be eaten, either. Only after the event, when us kids can sample some of the cracker-bread, will it be eaten. Maybe then I can dip the bread into the wine...? But anyway...it's very serious. DO NOT EAT THE BREAD. DO NOT DRINK THE WINE. BE RESPECTFUL. DON'T GOOF OFF. And whatnot.
I, personally, enjoy passing the little silver pan of bread and the tall glass of red wine. Oh, it's so exciting! It only comes once a year, and I personally make it a point to buy a new dress for every year. Yes. And this year is no different. Well, OK, last year, I had a skirt, but you know.
Afterwards, the girls and I get our picture taken, in our "array", in front of the stage. All in all, this night, while being serious, is still going to be a lot of fun.

Bad Record

You see? I told you I can't keep up with my blogging. Look. I haven't posted since the 27th. Bad, I call it! But I pledge to try harder to keep up with my blogging. For that, I'm going to make 3 or 4 posts today. Yes. I really do have enough information to do so, you know. So look out! Here I go.

Yahoo! Avatars

Well. I'm pleased to announce that my Yahoo! Avatar has a boyfriend...Joel. He's cute, with curly blond hair and dreamy blue eyes...not to mention a winning smile. No wonder the ladies go wild.
So I moved them back in time...back to the days of....er, yore. Yes, that way I...ahem, I mean Jenny...can have him all to herself. Yes. Well. I'll shut up now, lest I put my foot any farther into my mouth.

Jay Leigh Q and the Cliff Cavern

Welcome...to the Sci-Fi world of Jay Leigh Q and her sister, Chester. Yes, they may be boy names, but I personally think that "Chester" and "Jay" have nice rings to them for girls, too. So that's why I named them accordingly.
And now, without further ado, Jay Leigh Q and the Cliff Cavern.

Jay looked straight ahead of her. It was pitch black, and the darkness was near-impenetrable. Behind her, she could hear Chester getting out of the bPod.
But wait! What was that? She saw a very dim, almost invisible light, far off into the blackness, as if there was something out there, inaccessible, waiting for them.
Chester came up behind Jay. “Jay,” she asked, “what’s out there? That light I saw—what is it?” Jay paused. So it wasn’t a mirage! “I—that’s what I’d like to know,” Jay replied, squinting to see the tiny, dim light better. She heard the stealthy whoosh of the bPod as it moved away, and she slowly moved forward. Then she remembered her flashlight. She dug it out of her pocket and switched it on. FLASH! Suddenly a brilliant LED light illuminated the entire area around the two of them. Ahead, about 10 paces, was a wide yellow Caution Line with black diagonal stripes across it. Then…there was nothing. Jay stepped forward a few paces. Still nothing. “A cliff,” she murmured, and she found herself wondering how a person would get over to the dim light at the other end of the cavern. She shone her flashlight in that direction, but all that was to be seen was a wide stretch of empty blackness. The light faded, and still she could not penetrate the darkness of the cavern.
“Let me see that!” Chester exclaimed as she rushed forward eagerly. Jay grabbed her in the nick of time. “Chester,” she said gravely. “Do you know how close we are to the edge of the cliff?” Chester looked at her, mystified. “Cliff? What cliff?” Jay leaned back. Hadn’t Chester seen the cliff? Jay walked forward a few more paces. She was now standing right in front of the Caution Line. Leaning forward slightly, she looked down. Below her seemed to be miles and miles of open space. The flashlight barely revealed anything, save some sharp rocks at the faraway bottom of the cavern. Jay stepped forward another step, onto the Caution Line, and leaned back. What if—
Suddenly there was a zzzz-click sound. Jay, startled, grabbed at her flashlight and shone it all over the cavern. She looked straight ahead of her. Right there, where nothing had been, was a row of perfectly square steel plates. They didn’t seem to be supported by anything, and for all she knew, they could be a mirage. She stared at them for a full minute, before there was another zzzz-click and another row of steel plates appeared, directly in front of the first row.
Jay looked at them uncertainly. Then a thought occurred to her. If these plates keep going, she thought, they could make a bridge to the other side! But were they stable? If they weren’t, she would be killed on the rocks below. If they were, then perhaps this was a way to reach the light…
Chester, who had just seen the plates, came forward. “Jay,” she said excitedly, “What are those?” “I don’t know, Chaz,” Jay replied warily. Chester contemplated something for a minute. Then, suddenly, she took 5 steps forward, directly onto the plates. “Chaz! No!” gasped Jay, but Chaz was on the second row. There were 2 more clicking sounds, and two more rows of plates appeared. Chester started walking across the plates, and with each step she made, another row of plates appeared. Jay, panicking, decided impulsively to follow her, and rushed forward, flashlight in hand.
They had made it to the 7th row when all of a sudden there was a faint whoosh behind them. Chester stopped. “What was that?” she hissed, as Jay turned around and looked. Whoosh. Suddenly Jay saw what was happening. “Chaz, run!” Chester looked at her uncertainly. “Run!” Chester suddenly comprehended and ran forward. The plates obediently appeared in time for her feet to touch them. Jay ran after her, not looking back, not wanting to see the only way back disappearing right before her eyes. They ran, and ran, and ran, for what seemed like forever…and suddenly, their feet touched rock and not steel. Jay looked up. The dim light was now right in front of them. It was attached to a small building.

<>

Minnesota, Here We Come!

Well! I just got GREAT news! It seems my family and I are going to be taking a mini-vacation to the Twin Cities of Minnesota! And for me, that means The Mall of America!! I love the Park at MOA! It's awesome—I go there every time I visit the Mall...which isn't all that often. So, my dad's going to be attending a meeting about baptism oversight, and Mom and my friend (I hope) and I are going to go the MOA and ride the rides and shop the shoppes! It's going to be spectacular!
But wait—there's still more. After that we'll all pile in to the car and head up to Duluth and stay at a waterpark resort! Yay(ers)! Then we'll see a freshwater aquarium, view an aerial bridge, and then go waterparking some more! The next day, we'll go home and return to the normal drudgery of life. It's going to be fun-fun-fun!
OMG, I can't wait! I can't WAAAAAIIIIITTTTTT!!!!!

Poetry Kick!

Help me! I'm on a poetry kick!
I mean, it's not BAD that I'm on a kick, but they're bad poems.
To prove my point, here is a haiku that I have just spontaneously made in the last 3 minutes:

Kudumungo
All at once, Johnny,
upon looking around, saw
his Kudumungo.

Pathetic, isn't it? Yes. No? If you don't think that's pathetic, wait 'til you hear this one.

Tapioca
Tapioca
with fine china.
Go to the Harlem
and be a whina'.
Everyone
gather' round.
Spin to one,
hot bun,
tapioca
every night.

If I do say so myself, that was HORRIBLE! What kind of crap is that? Not at all making sense. I suppose you could do better. That said, post your best poems as "Responses". I want something short and sweet, here!

Spanish Choruses

I like to share a song or something with you once in a while, so here is a song by Enya...did I mention that I had translated it into Spanish? Yes. Well. OK, so I only translated the chorus into Spanish...but here it is, anyway.

Vas allí, eres ido para siempre.
Voy allí, [y yo] pierdo mi rumbo.
Si quedamos aquí, no somos juntos;
Dondequiera es.

Cool, eh? Yes. it's Anywhere Is by Enya. I'm a fan of Enya's music. It's soothing, energetic, and spritely, all in one!
Of course, I may not have translated it correctly. But I tried. I'm no native. I'm only in 3rd-year. In any case, enjoy!
Oh, PS, if you're good at tempo and pronunciation...the song Anywhere Is is right under the Miniquarium. You can sing along in Spanish, if you feel gutsy enough!

"Jazz Baby" from Thoroughly Modern Millie

Here is the beginning of a song from Thoroughly Modern Millie. This movie is one of my favorites.

My Daddy was a ragtime trombone player;
My Mommy was a ragtime cabereter;
They met one day at a tango tea;
there was a syncopated wedding, and then came....me.

Folks think
the way I walk is a fad...
but it's a birthday present
from my Mommy and Dad....dy.

I'm a JAZZ BABY!
Little Jazz Baby, that's me!

It's sort of a long song, but it's very good. And Muzzy, who is played by Carol Channing, makes it stunning! So if you aren't the "rated-R" type of person, I recommend Thoroughly Modern Millie.

Star Wars: Episode 3.5—Blast to the Past

Ever wish you could just give Star Wars a tweak in the neck? Not make it so....DARK? Yes. Well. That's what I'm doing. I'm taking you back to Luke, Leia, and Han, and giving them a chance to make it right. It's brilliant! It's amazing! It's...hard! do you know all the possible variables in those movies? What if— What if— What if? And I can only pick one set at a time, else I'll have to write more scripts! It's almost impossible! But it's exhilarating!

Here's an example of the potentially-award-winning script. This is an entire scene. It is Act I, Scene III:

Setting: A normal-looking loading bay of a large ship. There is a door on the far right, and another one on the far left. The right one is labeled “Do Not Enter”. A dormant pop-droid is sitting next to the left door. In the center of the loading bay, a medium-sized Y-Wing sits positioned. There is no pilot in sight, as of yet. Han comes running out of the right door.)

Han: Luke! Luke! Where is he? Luke! Hey! Kid! Luke!

(Han attempts to get the pilot’s attention. He waves his arms around, jumps, etc, all to no avail, or so it seems. Suddenly, Luke, dressed in Jedi attire with a helmet, jumps out.)

Han: Luke! What are you doing here?

Luke: (Surprised to see Han) Han! What are you doing here? (Grins) I thought this wasn’t a Death Star!

Han: Kid, you have so much to learn. Anyway. So, uh, I was…just, uh, roaming aimlessly around the galaxy when I came across this interesting ship…and, heh, they had a pretty good asking price for it, soooo…I, uh…picked it up.

Luke: (After listening with amusement and skepticism) Yeah, sure. Well, in any case, it’s nice. But, sheesh, it looks like a Death Star. The Force told me that it wasn’t. But if it’s not a Death Star…what is it?

(Han doesn’t answer for a minute. Suddenly, C-3PO and R2-D2 walk into the bay through the left door.)

C-3PO: Master Han! What shortcut did you—(notices Luke) Master Luke! It is you!

(R2-D2 beeps happily.)

Luke: Hey, 3PO, Artoo. Nice to see you again. (Turns back to Han) Now, where were we? Ah, yes. What is this ship?

(Han balks for a minute. Luke continues to look at him with amusement and skepticism.)

Han: OK, Kid. Let me tell it to you straight. This was supposed to be a gift to you. I got it for free from Botho Roadrunner. Anyway, it’s…well, it’s supposed to be a time machine. But…(trails off)

Luke: A time machine, eh? And what would I do with a time machine?

Han: I don’t know, Kid. But you’re kind of quirky that way, see, so I figured you’d have something up your sleeve.

Luke: (Objects) But what would I do with it? I can’t just go time-traveling!

Han: Why not, Kid? (There is a lull. Han changes the subject.) So, Kid, how’s your sister doing? Eh?

Luke: You sure had her worried…well, it was my fault, really, but…you see, I tried to describe this ship to her in familiar terms. I guess they were too familiar. She was about to call in Security.

Han: Why don’t I go…uh, calm her down…while you get acquainted with your new time machine? (Leaves [through left door] before Luke can say anything)

Luke: (Turning to C-3PO and R2-D2) Well, should we head to the cockpit? Which way is it?

C-3PO: This way, Master Luke, sir. (Leads Luke out of room through left door. R2-D2 follows.)

So what do you think? Nice, eh? I hope so. Make a comment about it.

Today's Craving

I...have a craving. It's a strong want for a certain food, but sometimes I crave movies, games, or music. But this time, it's a food...make that a beverage.

And the beverage is...!


Extra Spicy V8!

Amazing, no? Yes. Well, it helps that Mom just got me some. You see, I was going to go out in Field Service with her, but then I woke up with this [swear-word-worthy] sore throat and so I stayed home to rest. HA! Fat lot of good that did! I bet anyone $20 that I got worse! So that was all a large waste of 4 hours. Yes. But then Mom came home with yummy V8...and I was eager to drink it....until she told me that it wasn't all that cold. So I have to wait, because Jenny LaVada only likes her V8 ice cold. ONLY ICE COLD. So, here I am, craving a luscious, ice cold blend of carrot, beet, celery, watercress, and tomato juice. Mmm. Sounds good when I describe it like that, eh? Heh heh heh.

Bad Day

Ugh, I SO do not feel good. Ow. I have a sore throat, and my stupid allergies are acting up. You see, I'm allergic to cats and dogs, birch trees, Johnson Grass, and other such things. Well, let me tell you...I have two cats, one dog, and a lot of birch trees in the front yard. I mean, it's no real surprise that my allergies are screaming...but why now? Why not then? Tell me why! So, anyway, I'm seriously congested, here. And my throat is killing me! I tell you, this isn't one of my Good days.

"Information Please"

So I was just sitting here, writing my talk, when I realized that I could watch Hogan's Heroes while I worked! So I did, and it was very interesting. The episode I watched was about the Germans putting a plant into the Stalag. So then the men didn't realize it until they listened in to a classified conversation. Then they made a daring plan to expose the plant, and suddenly, they expose him, manage to pin the crime on the Germans, and come out victorious...as usual. And so they lived happily ever after...at least until the next episode. Which is what I'm watching now.
Whoops, gotta go take a shower. I'll be back later...ish.

Dreaded PCA

I ask you. What does a Nat'l Guard Armory do? What does the Dept. of Defense have to do with it? Why do I have to know? Why do I have to care? It's, like........stupid! ¡Estúpido! But I still have to learn it. So. Sigh. Life goes on.

What—OH YES!!! YES!!! YIPPEEEEEE!!!!! I'm done with my PCA!! Yay!!!!

I'm in such a good mood, I'll make a poem:

House of the PCA
As we ourselves are tossed and turned
A Bio book has crashed and burned.
But what about my gov't book?
It, too, surely deserves to cook.
It caused me trouble, and the teacher, too...!
All of this work is total poo.
But now I'm done; And I won't start
Until the teacher works a part!

Aftertalk

I just finished writing a talk for the Theocratic Ministry School. Well...OK, not exactly finished...but about 3/4 done. It's about the Keys that Jesus entrusted to Peter. What were they? Yes, that is the question I answer. The answer is: The opportunity to gain knowledge. That's that they were. They were specifically for the "doors" of the Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles. I read 5 scriptures, 3 of them from the book of Acts. Hopefully, I can keep it under 5 minutes.
Let me guess. You haven't the faintest idea what I'm talking about. Oh, well. Too bad for you, because I'm going to talk about it anyway. Being a Witness is about half of my life, the other half being about 45% school, 15% sleeping, 20% complaining and 20% everything else. Wow. So that's why, when you see me continue, you'll be hearing about all of the above subjects. Yes. So that's how that goes.

Star Star Jen

Hi. My name is Jenny; you can call me Jen. I'm over here, in my cool blue computer chair......writing this post when I'm supposed to be doing some stupid project about The President's Cabinet.......and my Mom's sitting right next to me, yet not looking, so I'm FREE OFF!!!! Yippee!

So about me. I'm a bit of a grammatical freak, so I like to use capital letters and correct spelling; albeit driving my friends crazy, it's very useful and it helps me a lot. My favorite type of punctuation is "...", although I also like "!" and "?!", too. Also, I only use clean language, as I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses, and so that makes this blog virtually rated "G". Sometimes, however, I will use euphemisms, so don't expect perfection.

I'll stop now and let you check out the cool HTML pieces....they're pretty good. Next year in school, I'll be taking a class about HTML coding. I hope it helps me. I like those special effects! Then, the semester after that, I'll be taking one about Flash. WAY FUN!

Until Next Time,
Jenny