NUMBER THREE! Warning: this may seem trivial, but girls all over the world will understand.

SHORTS.

Shorts have been around for men since the late 14th century, originally created within the British military as a way to keep cool in hotter climates. Women cyclists had worn them since the 1890's, but shorts only crossed over to women as a fashion when, in a bold and jaw-dropping move, 1932 tennis star Alice Marble wore them during a match. Since then, famously known gals such as Betty Grable and Audrey Hepburn, shortened and brought respectable style to the name of shorts. And the rest is history.

Shorts only came to me in the month of August, 2013.

Okay, girls. Now is the time to come clean. I know for a fact I'm not the only one to stress about how my legs and especially thighs would look in shorts. And nowadays it is especially difficult because girls tend to think that as long as we don't see ALL of their hoo-haa, it's appropriate to wear. I'm sorry, but if I'm not employed as a gynecologist, I don't want to see your lady parts. And the certain girls that just SHOULD NOT WEAR ANYTHING THAT GOES UP THAT HIGH just don't help to convince me that shorts are something good to wear.

I mean, look at Audrey Hepburn. She wore those with class. She closed any argument that sexist men tried to even breathe about shorts at that time. Not to mention, she taught us all that you can still look good and feel good without having to bear all of your unmentionables to the whole world.

But I get it, we are not all Audrey Hepburn. We don't all have amazing legs and thighs like her. Which brings me back around to my issue; and probably a lot of women's issues. I think there are clothing that can highlight your good parts and bad parts, you just have to find the right ones for you. And in the past, when I would wear shorts, I would inevitably discover too late that the shorts just did not look good on me. So, my confidence in them shattered, I stopped wearing shorts all together for many years.

But, like my previous posts brought out, I have been trying new things lately. And I decided to finally face the music the other day. While shopping with my friends for school, I decided to try on a few pairs of shorts. And, delighted by the way they made me look and feel, I bought them.

Now, like I said above, certain girls feel they have to bare-all-to-get-all. Or maybe they just like the way they feel when they get attention for the lack of cloth they have around their bodies. I don't feel that way. Let's return to a time when women were approached by men. When women had the power, so to speak. When men weren't cowards who played games with the woman they were interested in. When they just came out and said if they liked you and asked you if you'd like to go to dinner. A time when things were done with class and respect. THAT was a time when women were confident and self-sufficient and didn't rely on a man to take care of everything. When you could walk around without being looked at like an object by men.

I'm not a feminist. I just believe that girls should wake up. That they should realize that, despite what men try to tell them, they have the power. They are beautiful. And they don't have to stoop to low levels to get a man or feel good about themselves. Like I said earlier, you just have to find what looks good on you.

And don't be afraid to uphold your values. I live by the fingertip rule. If when you put your arms to your sides, your fingertips touch skin, it's too short. If they touch cloth, you're good to go. And don't think that because of this rule you have to sacrifice cuteness or hotness factor because I promise you, I found some good looking pairs of shorts that are really stylish. 

So there it is. I've ranted long enough. And now I have some cute shorts to wear so I don't have to suffer out in the heat and so I can mix up my look. So have fun with it! I know I did. 

THE QUEEN GETS LOST!!!!!!

Yes, you read the title correctly. My poor Queenie escaped the other day and was missing for two whole days! So yeah I wasn't thrilled.

On top of that I had been having a really bad week. And then, one Sunday morning, I woke and got ready to go to the meeting, only realizing later that I hadn't seen her. Now, normally in the morning, I immediately go to find my baby and squeeze her. That morning I was running late because I had barely slept. So I left and when I got home I looked for her.

But no baby.

She was not in her usual spots. She was not in her unusual spots. She was not hiding in some seemingly impossible place. We TORE the house apart. And when we finally had searched the house through and through for the hundreth time, we gave in to the growing fear that she had somehow escaped the house completely.

Thus the problem grew from a contained house-size problem, to a huge open unknown problem. And as my cat is a BIG BIG BIG part of my life, you can imagine my reaction. I had had Sapphire longer than any other pet in my whole life. She had been through at least FIVE moves with me. We had made it through thick and thin and she was there for me no matter my mood. She was there to cuddle with and take funny pictures of and laugh at when she did something stupid like fall off the bed. I could not imagine my life without her.

And at that moment, all I was doing was imagining the worst. I don't know how long a stared at the busy road that spread right outside my window, where cars went 55 to 60 mph. I don't know how long I stared at the thick woods behind the house where she would be lost forever. And when one night had past, morning came after many tears and with a SIGHTING.

My aunt lives in a trailer park across and down the road and she knows a lot of people in there. And that morning she called me and related a sighting that made me want to cry some more. I think I did, actually. She said that one of her friends owns the only other calico cat in the trailer park and some of her neighbors had caught a kitty that they thought was hers. They brought the kitty to her, but upon being told that it wasn't hers, they let the poor thing go. They hadn't known yet that my baby was missing and that the very cat they had once had in their hands was MY baby.

But we then knew where my baby had gone. I set off to the trailer park to search for her at once. Unfortunately, as it was a hot day, my aunt informed me that all the cats in the trailer park normally hide under the trailers to escape the heat during the day. And so, the search was deemed impossible. Because something you must understand about this trailer park is that it's HUGE. And most of the trailers have openings underneath them, not to mention the porches that adorned EVERY SINGLE ONE. 

So we decided, much to my crazed mind's dismay, that we would wait until the sky began to darken to pick the search back up again. According to the people my aunt know, they all said that the cats would always come out when the sun went down. And so when it got dark, we set out again. With time running out the darker it got.

Shaking a bag of treats, spreading pictures, and talking to all we could, the night came and I turned on my flashlight. We couldn't stay out much longer. Two people sent us in the same direction as to the last time they saw a cat fitting my baby's description and we were about to head that way when a friend of mine called us on our cells. He was in the opposite direction and was claiming he saw a kitty like Sapphy.

We had to decide whether to follow the direction of two or one who wasn't sure. We went to my friend first. And it was a good thing we did.

A man who lived in a house right before the trailer park was outside with my friend and said he saw a cat that wasn't one of his own. He said it had been under one of his pine trees but it had run off. We began to search over his yard and then came the cry: "There it is!"

I ran over and shined my flashlight over a cat that crouched under a pine tree. Her eyes reflected the light back at me and I drew a shocked breath: "It's her! It's Sapphy!" 

And there she was. I told the others to stay back and I approached slowly with the treats. At first, she ran a little ways away, but then she registered the treats in my hand and drew close enough for me to scoop up. And then we were reunited!

I brought her home and shut her in my room, safe and sound. She ate like a fiend. And she purred. And I prayed in thanks that we found her. And now here she is, in my room, sleeping on my makeup stand.

And for all the ways I imagined that she could have escaped, I followed her the other morning and found a window with a broken screen where she jumped out of and tried to escape again. So now we keep that window shut. And because she is still VERY curious about the outside (she meows and sits at the door) I am going to purchase for my little dork a harness so we can go outside together, without the threat that I might lose her.

For now though, she will just have to deal with the fact that she is grounded until Armageddon. 

Even more so now that she has finally discovered our new family member, Zari, and now tries to hunt her in the middle of the night.

Read me in my next post!!!

CRAYFISH, CRAWFISH, CRAWDAD. THE SECOND... SORT OF.

ANIMALIA ANTHROPODA CRUSTACEA MALACOSTRACA DECOPODA PLEOCYEMATA ASTASIDIA ASTACOIDA/ PARASTACOIDA

Okay, so this one is a little complicated. (As you can tell from the title.) I guess I should just start at the beginning with this one too.

Yesterday, I awoke much like any other morning. Madison, our dog, was barking outside and Theresa, the mama of the house, was painting. I got up and simultaneously got lost in a book I've been hooked on for the last few days. I can't quite recall when it happened, but Theresa came to me with a cup covered with a paper plate and asked: "Do you know what this is? I don't think it's a bug." Maddy had been barking up until this point at something in the grass of the yard and Theresa finally went to investigate, discovering something... strange.

She lifted the plate and I peered inside, my eyes widening with recognition, "That's a crawfish!"

But how, do you say, did an animal that lives in rivers and ponds get into our yard, so far from home? We have our hunches. One involving a cat that recently had a paw injury. We figure the kitty found him by a pond and, being a natural hunter, decided it looked yummy. But then discovered that the pincers on a crawfish mean business.

So there we were, crawfish in a cup. Thankfully, my sister had owned a crawfish when we were little, so I remembered what to do with him. I filled a bucket with some water and moved it inside until I could decide what to do. It was kind of an unsaid truth that I would be the one to take care of it, whether I brought him to an animal shelter or what. But I also recalled that Theresa once owned fish and had an empty tank downstairs. I got her permission and proceeded to prepare it for it's new tenant.

It had everything a crawfish needed, according to my research. It had light rocks that it could move and rearrange. A cave and hollowed fake log for it to hide inside. And enough space recommended for the amount of water it should have (about ten gallons). I cleaned the stones and dusted off the top, washing out the tank and setting it all up. Once it was filled about halfway, I stood over the bucket with trepidation.

This was the part where I was supposed to approach from behind and grab it from the sides to pick it up. I lowered my hand underneath the water and spoke softly, probably more to myself than it, "Okay, time to move you. It'll be okay. Just gotta pick you up...." However, what I hadn't read on the internet yet was that crawfish have two speeds: really slow and really fast; a "turbo" that comes from the fins. And as soon as the tips of my fingers brushed its shell, this "turbo" was activated. He flew out from under my hand and hit the side of the bucket, causing me to recoil in surprise with a scream that probably scared it even more. Water got everywhere and I sat next to the bucket, breathing fast and chuckling a little from shock.

Okay, so new plan. I grabbed a fish scooper net and I lifted him from the back, quickly transferring it over to the tank. It hid under the cave while I finished filling it. And now here we are. Well, sort of. Here we are after I purchased an under water filter and some shrimp pellets.

I'm not sure what gender it is because I haven't gotten a chance to look underneath it. I researched how to tell, but I'm not about to try and lift it again. It's explored and moved the rocks and eaten the pellets and seems to have gotten used to the tank. Unfortunately, it doesn't like me very much. It doesn't like anyone very much really. Crawfish are very territorial and like to rear up and point it's pincers at you should you get too close. So my face at the glass, watching it, apparently intruded into its personal bubble. 

It's strange, having a pet that doesn't really like you. Although, I'm not always Sapphire's favorite person either. But it's kind of cool to have such a creepy looking pet. And it is very interesting to watch. 

ザリガニ

So here it is. A new pet I thought I'd never have. ZARIGANI THE CRAWFISH. (Zarigani is the Japanese word for crawfish, so I basically just typed 'crawfish the crawfish' lol.) The name makes me think of a cranky samurai. It seems to fit its personality and it's gender nuetral, so yay. I'd post a picture but Zari is hiding right now... maybe I'll catch a picture of it soon. Until then.

Read me in my next post!!!

NEW NUMBER ONE!

SWIMMING UNDER WATER!

When I was younger, just a wee little kid wearing a cute little one piece, I learned to swim the usual way. I would clutch for dear life to the side of the pool until finally one day someone taught me to doggy paddle and to trust my body not to sink. Then it was no holds barred! I jumped and dove and flipped. 

And one day, when I was much older and hadn't been swimming in a while, I dove into a pool down to the bottom of the ten foot deep end and sat there on the bottom. It was fun, opening my eyes and blowing bubbles out of my nose. But unbeknownst to me, water had entered into my ear canal and popped my eardrum, rushing deep inside where it could not be simply shaken out. That night I woke to throbbing pain inside my ear, so strong a pain that I could not stop crying and begging to be taken to the hospital.

At the time, I was in North Carolina with a friend and her grandparents staying in their trailer. And for whatever reason, her grandparents just DID NOT LIKE ME. When I complained of pain and asked for some medicine, they thought I was a druggie, but anyway. After an hour of trying to convince them that my ear needed immediate attention, they drove me and my friend to the nearest hospital and I was admitted into the emergency room.

A very pleasant doctor inspected my ear and diagnosed me with a serious ear infection that had swelled up my ear canal and was causing me to go deaf. He gave me ear drops and inserted a small tube to help open up the canal. Then he prescribed me drops and said that I would need to keep the tube in for a few weeks. Thankfully, I wouldn't be permanently deaf in that ear(which was the left one, btw) but I would be for quite some time until the swelling went down and the tube could be removed. Fun, right?

My ear is now in good shape, but the doctor said that I would have to wear an earplug in that ear if I were to go swimming again. Yeah, like that was going to happen anytime soon! And it didn't.

For a long time, I didn't swim. And when I did, I no longer dared to go under water for more than a few seconds. But I discovered when I did go under the water, that I had forgot how to swim under water without plugging my nose! And so it went like this for a long time and my love for water became an unrequited, untouchable love from a distance. And now I'm twenty years old.

Now the present time comes into this story. One day not to long ago, I got sick of it. I was determined to stop being a wimp and get over my fear. With the help of supportive friends, I finally went under water again without my nose being plugged! I swam a few feet and emerged victorious! I did forget to put in an earplug, so my ear was a little waterlogged for a couple days, but it was worth it! I can now show my love for the water! 

One of my dreams is to go see those professional diver/performers who pretend to be mermaids at amusement parks! They are amazing! They can hold their breath for so long! I envy them so much. 

Read me in my next post!

HELLO- LONG TIME NO SEE- UH, READ.

HELLO!!!! GOMEN GOMEN!!!

I know I haven't posted for a VERY long time. For this, I apologize. (Although, sometimes I wonder if anyone even looks at my blog anymore...) But I've been busy and have been doing a lot of research and I believe that I should attempt a REVAMP! My blog needs a direction.

SOoooo.... any ideas? Lol.

Lately in my life I've had my attention drawn to something I've been doing without realizing it. I think that this is a good direction to lead my blog into. So I reveal to you all now the thing that my blog shall focus on: ALL THE NEW THINGS I'VE BEEN TRYING!!!!

The other day my friend told me that lately I'd been working on something. Curious, I asked him what it was. He responded that I'd been trying a lot of new things lately and proceeded to name off a few of those things.

Now you have to understand: I am an inside, reading a book, lazy person by nature. So when he brought to my attention that my personality itself was experiencing a change, I was pleasantly shocked. They say a person can never change. I disagree. And many psychology experts agree as well. I will not make excuses, saying: "Well, that's just who I am!" because I would rather take pride in being able to adapt and mold myself into a good person.

Anyway, that was a bit of a rant. I'm just tired of people making excuses. But again, anyway! I had been trying new things that the "old" me would have never even been motivated to do. Things that now make me proud and confident in myself to say that I've accomplished. And who doesn't want to feel good about themselves?

So I'm going to write about these things. A lot of them I can attach pictures to, so I'm excited. And maybe, just maybe, these posts will inspire someone else to take the steps they've been wanting to take to change and do something outside their comfort zone! It's kind of like growing up, but in a fun way. Lol. You'll see why I said that in some of the next posts... 

Thank you if you have been patiently waiting for another post! Sorry it's taken me this long to give you another. Hopefully, if this works the way I want it to, I'll be posting more often!

Read me in my next post!

Meganekko: "Glasses-Wearing Girl"

Normally when people ask me if there is any new development in my life I can often say: "Nah. Nothing new since the last time I spoke to you." So, let me just pretend that you all just asked me "Anything new?" Because now I have something genuinely new happening in my life.

I AM GETTING GLASSES.

I didn't really think that I'd ever need glasses. My sister Sam had got glasses when she was young and has been rocking them ever since. My mom has reading glasses and I think my other sister has them too. I'd jokingly try on my friends' pairs and ask if they fit me, receiving mixed responses. So, I'm semi- familiar with glasses.

Not to mention the obvious glasses following in the otaku world. I'm definitely familiar with that... Anyway. The term for the boy is Megane and as you've probably realized, Meganekko is the term for a girl wearing glasses in manga/anime. 

So here I go. But I guess I'm only going to be a part-time Meganekko. My sight is fine when it comes to things close to me; like in the same room. It's when I'm driving that I'll need them the most. So, yeah, at least my fifty year old friend won't have better far distance sight than me now. (It's true. We compared.) 

SO! For all you readers out there rocking the Megane or Meganekko look: own it! I am joining your ranks. Make me proud, fellow glasses wearers! Leave a comment!