EmilyLady's Journal

Moving On To Another Blog

2010-02-06T17:31:00.001-08:00

I am giving up this blog for the blog under my Chinese name, Li Hua Bai. Would you like to see?

http://bailihuari.blogspot.com

It's still me, I promise. And of course you all can call me whatever you like. I like my Chinese name better but Emily's quite fine.

Emily

Helping SOS Children's Villages

2010-01-30T05:07:00.001-08:00

Ever thought about donating to SOS Children's Villages?

I got this in an e-mail.

WARNING: The following passage contains a certain amount of disturbing information relating to child trauma.

"Go outside and study for a little while. "These are the last words Yannick, a little boy in Port-au-Prince, heard from his mother. He reluctantly went outside as he did not want to argue with his mother. Yannick and his mother lived alone in their small house. His father had left them a long time before. "Luckily" says Yannick "because he often hit me and my mom." Yannick and his mother, who had a disability that prevented her from walking properly, were a strong team in coping with their difficult everyday life.

Yannick remembers the moment his life changed..."The earth started to shake and there was a loud noise." And then the little house collapsed behind him, burying his mother who was unable to save herself because of her disability. The boy was horrified and ran out onto the street. He slept on the street and had hardly anything to eat until he was taken to an emergency aid camp.

On January 22, Yannick was taken in by the SOS Children's Villages, Haiti. He has been very withdrawn and quietly observes what goes on around him. During the day he appears well, but during the night he has nightmares about his experience so severe that he wakes with chills and even vomits. The trained staff at SOS Children's Villages are helping Yannick. Although he is emotionally devastated and grieving, he knows and feels that he is in a safe place where people are taking care of him.

Many children like Yannick have arrived at SOS Children’s Village in Santo, Haiti, with more coming every day. Most are severely traumatized and need a warm hug in addition to food, water, and medical attention.

If you want to donate: https://secure2.convio.net/scv/site/Donation2?idb=0&df_id=5060&5060.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=hiqepj4t91.app7a

Here's more information about SOS Children's Villages: http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/What-we-do/Pages/default.aspx

A Quick Note

2010-01-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

Look, I'll be honest with you people. It's not cool that there are, currently, exactly 1,199 more stories on fanfiction.net for the new Star Trek film than there are for the Original Series. It's just not okay.

This isn't to blame anyone. It's just, you should know, NOT OKAY.

After a YUGA Meeting and a Run

2010-01-10T12:53:00.001-08:00

EDIT: No idea why the links are unclickable. Sorry.

I feel way alive right now. Most days I like to walk but when I push my body to the limit and go for a real run, I feel great. And who was to think I wouldn't get chased by any dogs? I think this might be my day.

Today was also a YUGA (http://www.planusa.org/content172382) meeting. This month, we plan to kick gender discrimination's ass (last month it was AIDS).

One of the big things we've been working on is this: http://www.planusa.org/becauseiamagirl/about.php. We held a whole discussion about what gender discrimination IS, WHY it happens, and to WHOM it happens ... because there are ideas people tend to have about men, of course, as well as women.

My own examples varied: I suggested women were expected to invest more in aesthetics, for one (going to Kohl's this winter, I found turtlenecks on sale in the men's department for nine dollars. They were a rich, warm, durable material. But they had tissue-paper-thin turtlenecks for the same price in the women's department). My second example pointed to men touching and making inappropriate comments about female figures and feeling it's perfectly okay. I brought this up because I, like many women, have faced this in my own home.

We also discussed that very important issue of women being drawn in by the media and needing to be a certain shape, and how numbers were extremely important in the modern world ... namely, the numbers on the scale!

On the subject of body image, here is something I wrote and submitted anonymously to Teen Ink magazine during the fall. At this point I don't mind others knowing I wrote it: http://teenink.com/poetry/all/article/132677/Shoulds/

And was a blog entry I wrote not so long ago on celebrating oneself, and why it is most difficult to do.

And now it's time to get back to my Sunday afternoon.

Black Teeth and Gray Lice-Filled Hair

2010-01-08T11:52:00.000-08:00

While going through old files on the computer I discovered proof that ten-year-old Emily had more than enough time on her hands.

Hello. My name is Barney. I am a cool person. Let me tell you about my life. Well, here goes!

Every morning, Mom calls me downstairs.

“Yo, Barns! Barnsey, Warnsey, get down here, ya little freak!”

I do not listen.

“I am not going to school today!” I shout back, mad.

“Oh, yes you are!” she bellows.

She comes into my room, maaad! “GO TO SCHOOL!!!!!” she screams at the top of her stupid lungs.

“Make me!” I say back.

She screams real loud.

“Ha, ha! Mom, you are a mad dog!” I laugh.

I chuckle.

She turns poofy and red all over.

I guffaw.

She smokes at the ears.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!!!!!!”

shouts my dear, sweet mother.

See how calm and beautiful she is? I love her black teeth and gray, lice filled hair. I also admire how her bones are starting to crumble and her face is falling off. See what I have to deal with?

One Freak and One Who Is Freaked

2010-01-06T16:59:00.000-08:00

"Call me ... COMMANDER FUNK."

2010-01-01T06:15:00.000-08:00

Snowy Library Day

2009-12-22T13:42:00.001-08:00

Rhode Island is caked in snow. It's quite beautiful. Snow seems to be a vague improvement on this not-always-so-beautiful little state.

Library work felt so good today. My insulin pump decided to take another stab at my well-being so the nice quiet library was such a relief ... it's so intellectual, so calculatory, so soothingly intensely relaxing, this shelving work ...

Speaking of which, I was amused by this story -http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/health/views/03cases.html?_r=1&scp=7&sq=homeless+man+French&st=nyt - which tells of a man apparently devoid of emotion but brimming with intellect, and who enjoyed his work shelving library books.

So last night Benjamin, Jack, and I watched "Star Trek: The Next Generation" for the first time. We love the Original Series but have never watched TNG. Well, I suppose Jack had seem some, but Benjamin and I had never watched any of it. It gave me the creeps ... it was like a soap opera and a weird, nauseous, and vaguely charming spinoff. But in "Unification" - the woman who plays Amanda Grayson - YUCK!

So now I have some books to pick up and must get back to me library thang.

Even As We Are Told to Celebrate ...

2009-12-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

So what I wonder is who decided that the presence or lack of an epicanthal fold determines one's superiority.

One thing that disturbs me more than anything else in life is when people pull at their eyes in imitation of Asian peoples. My father did that and my brother's friends do that. My father's parents used to refer to us as "the round-eyed people" and sneered that the "Chinamen" needed to learn English, that the way they spoke was absurd (to which I say, jiba, qing lianxi ni de zhongwen!). Recently I have been researching Epicanthoplasty - the spacing out of the epicanthal fold, or "Westernization" of the Asian eyelid.

That same day I learnt from http://www.healthline.com/blogs/diet_nutrition/2008/03/skinny-on-being-thin.html that being ridiculed for being thin happens too. Not just being fat.

And then I found this disgusting rant on http://www.momlogic.com/2008/08/size_12_youre_fat.php, which reminded me, once again, that I am the wrong shape and size.

Weight. Color. The shape of the face, nose, and eyes. What Makes You You. Are these things to be celebrated?

Yes.

At least, that's what we hear from encouraging voices ... because they are THERE in the media, even if they are not always heard as clearly as the others. But I grew up reading American Girl Library and lots of books on how your shape and size and What Makes You You were meant to be celebrated and enjoyed, so I have heard that everyone is special and unique.

But it's not always so easy.

Are these really things to be celebrated? Sure. But we don't want to celebrate them. We want them to be different.

It is not easy to celebrate who we are.

Life. Ouch. Dead. Life. I Think. Bedtime.

2009-12-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm just about dead. It's not often I'm mightily pleased the weekend is over, but here we are.

Saturday and Sunday both brought Community Chorus concerts. We kicked it off with "Seventy Six Trombones" which of course is a great song. You can't help but burst with wild energy when singing it ... or at least I cannot. And then we did a wonderful new ballad called "Tuimbe", which is in African-style tune about music in life's little joys ... and some of the not-so-little ones, too. One of the best was "The Tortoise and the Hare" ... you can listen to "Tuimbe" at http://listeninglab.stantons.com/item.php?stno=429408 but I'm sorry to admit I have no clue where you can find "Tortoise". It's a new song, and just for some reason seems to be nowhere on the Web. So the first half of the concert was really rip-roarin' good theatrical and silly stuff - except for "Anyway", which is dedicated to Mother Theresa (you know a song is cheesy when you're embarrassed for the saint to whom it's dedicated).

(I should note that the poem - http://www.prayerfoundation.org/mother_teresa_do_it_anyway.htm - has been attributed to Mother Theresa but is thought to have originated with Dr. Kent M. Keith. The poem is quite nice. As a song it was cornball times ten multiplied by the radius of pi squared.)

The second half was all Christmas. I've got to tell you, you know, I always hated "Santa Baby" until we actually sang it. It's so much fun to sing ... and "North Pole Rock and Roll" was a medley of a bunch of familiar songs: "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town", some old Elvis tune ... really, if I weren't 90 percent dead, I could tell you more. Maybe later. I'm dead. So very dead.

Oddly enough, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" was most difficult of all to sing: I take it everyone had his or her own idea of the traditional song ... it was very trying, that particular piece. And yes, we messed it up during both performances.

(This is in fact a lie. Well, a half-truth. I mean, WE messed it up in the second performance. Yours truly messed it up in the first.)

And today was a meeting with YUGA (http://www.planusa.org/content172382) finalizing plans for the AIDS awareness Dance-a-Thon in Providence. Come to Local 121 on Saturday and watch me and a bunch of others dance our wee leetle hearts out. http://www.local121.com/home And join YUGA if you are a Youth who wants to be United with other youths for Global Action and Awareness.

Emily

(Only Two) Things to Say

2009-11-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

I have two things to say on this virutally starless Rhode Island night. (Some of the more country-ish, open-road towns have clusters and clusters of bright silver stars winking above, but not me here in this suburb.) The first:

Why do people have to get high on marijuana when there are conversations to be had in Chinese? Nothing gives me a high like talking with someone in his or her (non-English) native language.

The other:

Okay, so you've got a seventeen-year-old girl in front of you. You haven't seen this girl in probably almost a year now, ever since she stopped attending Saturday evening church service. Last time you saw her, she was pale and skinny and eating nothing but carrots at the Wednesday night church suppers. Then she went into the hospital. Put two and two together.

A tip for getting along with teenage girls, no matter how old you are: when you see the young lady a year later, don't tell her she looks like she's "gaining a pound or two", no matter how well you mean.

Emily

Dreaming

2009-11-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to share the other night's dream.

It begins with a banned of drugged zombies at my door. Some of them I know; one is a cartoon character from Family Guy and a few are fellows from my past I had hoped never to see again.

I am not entirely sure what to say.

The zombie-druggies (I think they were really really drugged, not corpses - and one of them happened to be an addict from my past, so ...) pile into my front room and start sabatoging the house with their anti-social zombie etiquette. Some lie down on the couch and pass out. Others start moaning about their horrible, horrible lives to me. I begin playing counselor and offering advice. The zombies do not take the advice but instead decide to murder me. I run around for a while and, when the zombies are probably stumbling around confused somewhere in the house, I pick up the phone and dial 911.

"Hello," burbles the male receptionist on the other end, who sounds remarkably like the head of the theater department I recently auditioned for, "You've reached 911 Services; please state your emergency; if you are experiencing fire, robery, or attempted murder, please stay on the line and we will send an ambulance and police officers your way; if you are experiencing medical trauma, please describe your symptoms and we will send medical assistance in the form of ambulances and physicians; for all other calls, please hang up now."

"Hi, um, my hosue is full of drugged nuts who are chasing me around ... trying to kill me ... I think they might have had a little booze, too," I state calmly into the phone.

"Oh please," says the receptionist. "This sounds like a great plot for a movie, but you're just spewing nonsense, and so -"

"No, I'm serious. They've filled my house!"

"I have better things to do," sniffs the receptionist, and slams down the phone.

The rest of the dream is a blur - I leave the house to do some shopping or something. I come home and the drugged zombies have disappeared, leaving my brothers and mother in their places.

"Hi," I say. "Did someone send police officers to get rid of the zombies?"

"Um, no," replies my mother. Then she hesitates. "But they did send movie executives."

Pink June

2009-11-18T17:41:00.000-08:00

Adopt Donald!

2009-11-05T06:12:00.000-08:00

Donald
May 1997

Donald is a captivating, expressive and sensitive twelve year old boy who wants a forever family to call his own. He describes himself as being funny, silly, athletic, and just a fun kid. In the spring and summer, Donald loves to garden. He loves to grow tomatoes and eat fresh lettuce from the garden. Donald takes great pride in the vegetables that he can harvest. He enjoys many summer activities such as hiking, fishing, riding bikes, swimming, and camping. Indoors you may find him playing video games, watching movies, or playing cards. Donald's favorite movie is "Alvin and the Chipmunks". Donald loves to laugh and tell jokes. A childhood favorite book is Dr. Suess' "Green Eggs and Ham". His favorite sport is football, and he loves to cheer on the Patriots', Tom Brady!

Donald would love the opportunity to be with a family that could teach him how to draw, play sports with him, and have snowball fights. Staying active and being outside is important to Donald. He enjoys helping adults do yard work and chores. He is an affectionate young boy who thrives on attention and being around those who have a good sense of humor. In school Donald is currently in the 7th grade. He enjoys and is good at Math but appreciates help with homework assignments.

In Donald's words, "adoption is more difficult to talk about because I've been waiting for a long time. I don't think it will ever happen for me. I want a family that will always be by my side, watch sports with me, and play outside with me. I want a family that will make homemade mac-n-cheese with me, which is my favorite food. I dream about being in a family, going to Disney World, going to college, and becoming a policeman."

Donald will thrive in a family that is structured, consistent and firm with their rules, but a balance of love and nurturing. He has been given many reasons not to trust adults in his life and will need a family that will not waiver in their commitment to him. He is hopeful there is a family for him, but scared that a family will give up on him, as they have in the past. Because of disappointments in his life, Donald will also need a family that is patient in allowing him to trust others again. Donald is a compassionate, cuddly and irresistible little boy who has the potential to grow and succeed, but needs a family who will believe in him and be committed to parenting him.

Click here to view Donald's and other recent Tuesday's Child segments.

That's right, Donald doesn't think he'll ever be adopted. No kid is ever too old to be adopted.

Emily

Dolls. Looking for a Piggie. Shelving Books. And Also a Link About Suicide.

2009-11-03T13:09:00.001-08:00

Shelving library books is a really physical job. It's nice. Very nice. On the other hand, shelving the reference books gets to be really exhausting - it's mathematical, alphabetical, and physically taxing. So this has turned out to be a most interesting job, this paging at the library. Well, I'm glad to have it: volunteering is nice but I didn't even know I could have this as a job. For some reason, I guess, I supposed one had to be older than seventeen to be a page ...

Yesterday brought me to the antique shop in the local village. And they had a Japanese doll in a case predating 1921. And so this made me determined to organize a proper place for my Old Dolls collection. And it looks great, the squat little shelf under the window full of dolls ... if I can get my camera working a little better I'll put up a photograph. They look really lovely.

Today I would like to head down there again to pick up the most interesting-looking little ceramic piggie (I have a certain respect for pigs after reading the almost exclusively meat-related article in the Funk and Wagnall's encyclopedia set). But my blood sugar isn't in a cooperative mood this afternoon. This keeps me from walking into the village like I would otherwise be able to do.

I found this today - thought it was definitely worth posting. It's a really helpful article on suicide prevention; goes very in-depth about just how suicidal people tend to feel beforehand. I liked it. And I appreciated how unbiased it was, versus some of the other articles on suicide out there.

http://www.essortment.com/all/dealingwithsui_reel.htm

I suppose I'll go back to researching atomic elemental formulas now. You know it's a bit tricky, figuring out just which element has which particular formula ...

Emily

I Can Actually Eat Candy and Other Little Things About Halloween (Not Much, but Enough)

2009-10-31T06:23:00.000-07:00

I've never been much of a stickler for Halloween. Nor have I ever felt a particular fondness for it. It does have its fun charm, its uniqueness, its colorful personality. But I've never taken very well to stumbling around in the dark tripping over my own costume ... and holding a flashlight and candy bucket, and then of course not ever getting to consume all the candy. I've never been particularly fond of candy, either! Chocolate, of course, is wonderful. Chocolate is great. But anything really manufactured, anything really particular - like gummy worms or Sweet Tarts - I could never get into that stuff. Benjamin always rather liked the variety, though. And Jack has a gummy worm (and gummy bear) problem. We're stopping at Rite Aid every other night to refresh his supply.

As a general rule, people tend to assume I've lost all interest in candy since I have juvenile diabetes. WRONG. If I take the right amount of insulin I can eat all the candy I want. This just happens to not be very much. I've only had diabetes for five years, and even before then I was just not into the candy.

And also for your information, I had apple pie yesterday and three chocolate chip cookies the day before, without breaking any rules of any sort. Also balanced it out with fruits and vegetables and whole-wheat bread. So I am a winner.

Jack is going as Ringo Starr this year (he has a Thing for Ringo). William has a Star Wars costume of some sort ... not quite sure exactly what he is; some sort of clone with a mustache. Ben is on the fence about getting dressed up. He's quite sure he isn't going out for tricks or treats but might like to dress up anyway. He's thinking of being a coal industry executive (as Ben will tell you, the coal industry is evil and you should support the Reality Coalition).

I of course shall be watching "Catspaw" from Star Trek's second season. This is, in fact, the way to celebrate Halloween.

So happy Halloween.

Emily

"A Nerd Like Me, a Nerd Like Me ..."

2009-10-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hey. I began work as an official library page today. I don't know how much it says about my personality that shelving books is my Dream Job, but there you go.

Oh, not to mention the Star Trek audio-book that arrived at the library (per the request of yours truly) this afternoon. And then there was the checking out of Euclid's Elements. My first boyfriend should be a nerd like me. That could be a song ... "A nerd like me, a nerd like me, all you've got to be is a nerd like me ..."

Emily

Bengal Rescue

2009-10-20T13:45:00.001-07:00

This was posted on Fabulous Lorraine's blog ... I've never actually met a real Bengal cat but Lorraine has a great love and passion for them and says they really are some of the most wonderful animals on Earth. So:

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

SOS Bengal Rescue NOW!!!!!!!!
We have two really lovely Marble Benglas sisters who need help NOW. We have until Wednesday evening to save them, or they will die. Not be "Put to Sleep" or "Euthanized". They will die. They are healthy, later generation, no behavioral problems. None of this is their fault.

Ohio are you there? Anyone near enough to make it?

All you need to foster these kitties is a room, anywhere. And a love of animals. No special experience.You have heard me talk about Bengals, and the problems with Lear and Magic, and you have also heard me say that most Bengals are wonderful loving kitties. These girls are later generation, with NO problems. Magic and Lear are early generation, who came with a LOT of problems. There girls are very, very adoptable, but what they need NOW is a foster home who can take them until we can get them to a current foster, or to stay with you until we find them a home.

They have no time.

I can't make it in time. And I have no more rooms. Help them and I will owe you a Favor.

A Really. Big. Favor.

(Yes, like in Neverwhere.) (Note: She's referring to her Boss's novel.)

From Janet at Great Lakes Bengal Rescue:

I have a situation in which I need a foster home for two bengal sisters in Cleveland, OH NOW. Due to a domestic problem, hospitalization, divorce, and now a move, the girls have no home. I have until tomorrow evening or they will be euthanized. I have no foster homes in OH. Please crosspost any way you can and keep fingers and toes crossed for the girls. If you can help, please email or call me.Thanks, JanetJanet SaltzmanGreat Lakes Bengal Rescuewww.greatlakesbengalrescue.comFort Wayne, IN260-672-2204

Love and Please Help Me,

Lorraine

So tell people.

Emily

On Home-Schooling and Why It Might Possibly Be Just the Slightest Bit Less "Easy" Than Some Think

2009-10-07T11:59:00.001-07:00

I would like to drop this quick note from myself, a home-schooled senior in Rhode Island: I can't even begin to tell you how often I get, "WHOA, home-schooled, I wish I were home-schooled, it must be so fun, you get to sleep in, and you don't have to do work, and it must be great to slack off; you have it so easy!"

...

...

...

Ha. Ha. Ha.

The next person who says this to me can have ALL my Latin, Russian, Chinese, German Literature, English Literature, chemistry, geometry, and World History. Yes, I get through all of this in a day. No, it is not in small amounts. Good-bye.

Emily

Emily's Sorry Attempt at a Pancake

2009-10-03T18:08:00.000-07:00

Thanking the Fiends

2009-09-24T13:37:00.000-07:00

I want to thank all the Fiends (http://fabulouslorraine.com or http://blog.fabulouslorraine.com, where we all hang out since we can't be together in person) for their comments on my poem on Teen Ink's website. It's posted as anonymous, because it's of quite a personal nature, but I really really can't thank them enough. My whole week was made eight thousand percent perfect by their comments and their just reading it.

Emily

A Fun Night And Getting Better and a Question For Trekkies

2009-09-15T18:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight was my first ever community chorus practice; loads of fun. We have all this fantastic music we're doing, from secular Christmas songs (the concert is of course at Christmastime) to traditional spiritual to the Star Spangled Banner to random fun theatrical songs.

I am getting better. I got back to library shelving today! I never thought I would miss shelving the mysteries (we don't get along. Ever. At all) ... but it was really really really nice. I am so content just shoving volumes into their correct places.

I asked a question on Yahoo! Answers and got one totally weird answer that just does not work for me on so many levels. The question was, "Trekkies: what think you of Leonard McCoy?" and goes on to say, "It seems people don't love him in the same way they tend to love Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, or both. I love Bones! Am I the only one who is very attached to him?"

So tell me your thoughts on McCoy. Because it seems like he's left in the dust so much of the time!

I tried for a few minutes to think of something more to say, but there wasn't anything, so, like. Bye.

Emily

Being Ill and Finding the Nerd Things That Make Up For It

2009-09-14T11:51:00.000-07:00

Waiting and waiting for a bout of illness to fly away so that I can live my life. You know there's like nothing more fun than jumping on the trampoline on an autumn night? Okay, that's what I wish to do. And the stupid lungs won't let me (believe me, I tried).

It seems someone has very generously donated a boatload of Star Trek novels to the local library. A big nerd like me. Isn't that great? I wish I knew who'd done it so I can thank him/her profusely. There are a bunch of Next Generation books, in which I have little interest, but also a bunch of old-time Trekkie novels. The library, I guess, chose not to put them on the shelf (WHY NOT?!), but rather the "For Sale" cart. Oh well, suits me fine. I just wish other nerds could enjoy them. Or people who weren't nerds and were then converted. I can convert you, if you want.

Yesterday I submitted something to Teen Ink magazine (wish me luck). I told my mother and she said, "I thought you didn't write poetry anymore." To which I replied, "I thought so, too."

My creativity was semi-sapped when my ex-father was living with us. The abuse that went on at home can ruin a person. But something seems to have happened within the last week. Maybe the bronchitis triggered some sort of Word Juice and brought me to write real poetry again.

Since I have no schoolwork to do for now, what with the doctor telling me to do as little as possible, I guess I'll go back to doing my nerd things.

Emily

Inside

2009-09-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

The library is quiet today. Rain is coming down outside. It is a miserable day. Why isn't everyone coming to the library to turn it into a happy day?

Emily

Pippin, School, and Don't Touch Her!

2009-09-08T05:23:00.000-07:00

'Kay. I'm alive, I promise.

It would seem I did not make "Pippin" - they haven't got a cast list posted yet but haven't gotten back to me in the almost two weeks since I auditioned, so I figure I've been rejected. This means, however, that I can join the community chorus. It was one or the other.

I've been walking around feeling self-conscious, figuring everyone assumes I have the H1N1 virus - since I have this thing that brings about reckless coughing. People are probably like, "DON'T TOUCH HER!"

School has started again. I love the renewed structure. It's nice to have school back. People get dead bored when I tell them I'm home-schooled, though - a typical conversation with any adult:

"So Emily, what grade are you in now?"

"Twelfth."

"Ooooooh, a senior! Is it exciting?"

"Well, yes, I suppose so; I mean, I'm home-schooled -"

"Oh," the person will deadpan, his/her smile crashing to the floor. Then they just walk away.

Fun.

School is school, my friends.

Speaking of which, I have to go get my day started.

Emily

Forgotten

2009-08-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Sigh. You know, I can't actually remember whatever else I planned to say about the stage, but maybe my brain has wound down a little since the play. And who knows, perhaps it will come back to me if I make Pippin - for which I auditioned on Sunday. We'll find out if I've made it either tomorrow or Thursday. A sliver of entertainment for the moment:

Very very green.

Emily

On Stage

2009-08-16T09:44:00.000-07:00

So I have not been blogging at all for the last while because I was busy with play rehearsals. We cram the play into five days, since this compnay tours cross-country, working with kids from different counties, starting in Washington State and ending in RI. It was great fun - not nearly as much fun as last year, but nothing could really beat the Snow White play we did last year. And besides, this year it was really nice not to have a lead role - the last two years I did and it was really terribly hard work. Fun but exhausting. I remember every day last year, when I was the Wicked Queen and had this maniacal evil laugh to do, the first thing the directors would say to me was, "How's your voice? Drink plenty of water!"

The only thing I do NOT like about being backstage so often - well, besides, the boredom you get from just sitting there for a while - is that when you actually do come on stage, you're all tensed up and not ready to roll. You get broken in pretty quickly when you have a lot more stage time, but I was rusty each time I went onstage because being backstage gives you plenty of time to get tensed up.

The first performance was agonizing. Some people were just awfully sloppy. Others were great. But the first performance is pretty tough, because you're in front of a real crowd for the first time - and crowd interaction is involved here, so everything changes a little: the movements change a bit and actors' facial expressions' change, so that some of us were not quite sure how to hold ourselves. (Now, I know this sounds like it's coming from an amateur. It is. This is my third play.)

After a painful first performance ...

... we had a mind-blowingly fantastic second performance. It's too bad there are only two performances, because the third would have been a-rockin' and a-rollin', and the fourth would have been better, and then the fifth ...

The biggest issue with the second performance was that one of the really important cast members got sick, and one of the directors had to take her place. She tried, though. She was brave. "No, no, no, I have to go on ... I can do it, really I can ... no worries ..." She tried. But she couldn't have done it; the poor thing was really awfully ill. I can't believe she made it through the first performance!

This has been a long enough blog entry. I write anymore and it will seem like too much for one entry ... so more later, I suppose, because I DO have more to say.

Emily

All In One Wonderful Building

2009-08-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

It's great that I'm shelving regularly at the library now. Works wonders for the muscles, spirit, and brain. Perfectly relaxing and good exercise at the same time - a lot of concentration but not much brainpower. A bit like tennis - or beading or coloring, but with more walking around and carrying things, reaching up and bending down.

Not to mention the library is a place to do deliciously nerdful things. Here is a place where I get to visit Star Trek websites without my brothers looking over my shoulder, read about everything from how human blood works to folk tales of the Hmong to the physical possibilities of time travel, and keep out of the thick Rhode Island heat. I love this place.

Emily

The Rain Brings ...

2009-07-31T17:02:00.000-07:00

So much rain; it's almost incredible. However, the rain tends to lead to this ...

... so it's not like it's useless. It might almost be worth it.

Down Below

2009-07-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

Jones

2009-07-25T17:18:00.000-07:00

I have a spoon doll, thanks to a molto kewl local antique shop. (There were loads of wonderful antique shops in Stillwater, MN, but there are a couple nice ones in this really small town of mine.)

"I don't have a name for her yet," I told William. "What should we call her?"

"Think of a book ..." he suggested.

"A book character?"

"Yeah." He paused. "How about Coraline?"

But I suggested Coraline was kind of a special name. This doll was not a Coraline.

"How about we name her after Junie B?" I exclaimed. "We can call her Junie!"

William said we should call her Jones.

"Perfect!" I said. "Because Coraline's last name is Jones, too!"

Thank you, William.

(Post trampolining outside. We're a bit frazzled.)

~Emily

Freak Potato

2009-07-21T18:13:00.001-07:00

A Few More Photographs

2009-07-19T06:58:00.000-07:00

As far as the photographs go, I think we left off somewhere around the trip to the antique shop - well, one of many antique shops we visited - and the Star Trek drinking glasses.

After the glasses, I found this.

Interesting, no? ...

Later that day, the Fiends left for a three-hour cruise on the lake (whose name I'm afraid I don't know).

I - very gladly - stayed behind to have supper with Susan Runholt (http://susanrunholt.com/ ... but if anyone wants to tell me how to paste a link here so that you can just click on her name and be led to her website ...). Susan was a really kind, genuine person - one of the sweetest people I have ever met in my life.

I never get tired of this shirt.

A lovely MN sky.

A day alone in town ... sitting by the lake reading Star Trek books.

And finally, Benjamin is happy that Emily is home. Emily is not.

Jack, of course, is the same as always. And not particularly happy to have his sister taking up his computer time.

Thus ends the travel log.

Until next time.

~Emily

Picking Up Alice

2009-07-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

Library this afternoon ... for the first time in over a week. It felt so good. "Intensely Alice" finally came in for me, the latest in the series I love by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. I hate to say it, but I really think she's losing her touch in the way she writes in Alice's teenage voice. But hey, I still want to know what's going on with the characters; I've been following the series for almost five years now and I am not about to stop ...

~Emily

More Photographs

2009-07-12T13:40:00.001-07:00

So we move onto birding with the Birdchick (http://birdchick.com/wp ... she rocks. Check out the blog). The nature reserve was amongst the most beautiful places I have ever visited. And I saw an Eastern bluebird for the first time in my sixteen years. Can you believe it - living in Rhode Island and never having seen a bluebird? There just don't seem to be many of them around these days. But Sharon - the Birdchick - assures me they're making a comeback.

Lorraine's gigs were so completely awesome. I don't think I've ever had so much fun in my life as I did the Friday and Saturday I was in MN. This is me having too much fun with my marvelous camera at about one-thirty in the morning, post-gig.

Almost dead!

And does anybody else like the shirt I got at the nature reserve?

Yes, and this of course is Emily having WAY too much fun with her camera.

That's a pillow on my head, if you were wondering. Some people have asked.

Revelle reading "The Zombie Survival Guide" (which I've never read), as a zombie.

A good deal of fun with Lorraine and Cabal, her boss's (http://journal.neilgaiman.com/) dog.

He was a terribly sweet dog.

Chantrelle did not disappoint with the socks:

No, she never ceased to amaze me.

Donielle, who was impossible not to like.

Revelle was very excited to find, in a little antique shop in Stillwater, my favorite word to describe her.
This same antique shop bore the cheesiest but most fascinating Star Trek drinking glasses (thanks to Lorraine for pointing them out: I said, "Check out these Star Wars glasses. Ha." Though I don't actually watch Star Wars - that's Jack's forte. And Lorraine said, "If you go over there you'll find Star Trek glasses." I leapt away to see.)

More pictures are coming. But for now, I need a break. Eat supper, maybe, after a long day of working at a local festival. Waitressing is a fun way to keep busy!

~Emily

Snapshots of the Marvelous Voyage

2009-07-11T17:45:00.000-07:00

I promised you pictures, and now that I'm home from my second trip - as a nanny for a family vacationing in Massachusetts - I ...

... keep trying to think of something clever to say, but the best I could come up with - seriously - was, "I have got them pictures, dudes."

If someone would like to volunteer to kick the dead half of my brain into shape ...

This here was the only vegetarian item on the menu of Leo's Grill and Malt shop in Stillwater, but it was totally worth it. Yummy fruit - a delightful touch.

My roommate Revelle, being Special. She has a thing for Jurassic Park and velociraptors - so here she is, Revelle the Velociraptor.

The view from the gazebo nearby the inn where we Fiends gathered.

The bridge, of course, leads to Wisconsin. Isn't this so amazingly beautiful? (Ha. I didn't miss Rhode Island.)

The Valley Bookstore had birds in it, in a big glass cage. I did try to get better snapshots of the brightly colored ones, but I had trouble. I am, after all, a novice.

Chantrelle had truly awesome socks.

Perfectly Fiendish!

Siri, Bobbee (my temporary mom for the trip, and Revelle the Veleciraptor's permanent mom), and Marjorie (who gave me this camera).

(For those who wonder, "Here for the Quiche" refers to Lorraine of http://blog.fabulouslorraine.com/. She is called Quiche and is the leader of the Fiends. Plus she's awesome. Forgot to mention that.)

Revelle found a hat in an antique shop. She sports it, as you can see, with pride.

Like mother like daughter ...

Now, I am afraid this shall have to be the conclusion for now. More tomorrow? Or whenever I can get around to it? I will be back, I promise. I would like to say I'm not ready to fall over and never ever get up again, but the thing is, I am.

So more later, Fiends and all.

~Emily

Coming up ...

2009-06-30T11:56:00.000-07:00

I now have a camera and I promise you pictures.

Thank you, Marjorie ...

~Emily

The Flying Fiend

2009-06-24T16:09:00.000-07:00

I am flying tomorrow, for the first time in eleven years, from teensy Rhode Island to Minnesota. I have never been there, nor have I flown in eleven years, nor have I ever traveled alone.

I am one of the Fiends.

See http://blog.fabulouslorraine.com for more information.

I would so happily write more but just realized I need to be on my way home from the library. Must run. But I will be back in RI on Monday evening and will try and post then. I'm sure you'll get plenty of pictures from Lorraine's website.

~Emily

Fathers

2009-06-21T17:47:00.001-07:00

Happy Summer Solstice and Father's Day. No father is here to celebrate with us and while that sucks, it would be worse if my ex-father were actually here.

I wonder about fathers sometimes; I have this idea in my head that they're all, er ... evil. I would love to hear from those who have good fathers. Tell me what makes them good fathers. This is something that is important to me to know.

~Emily

Munch munch munch, said the vulgan

2009-06-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

Another interesting conversation with Will this morning:

"Emily, that huge bird outside, eating the little bird - was that a chicken or a turkey?"

"Oh, that was a turkey vulture."

"What?"

"A turkey vulture - they eat dead animals."

"A turkey vulgan?"

"No: vulture."

"A vulgan ..."

"Okay, call it that if you'd like."

"We saw a vulgan! Just like Star Trek!"

I don't even know where he learned that term (okay, so I tease Ben about having certain Spock-ish characteristics. That might just possibly be where he picked it up).

~Emily

"I think they should just call them 'dogs'"

2009-06-13T18:02:00.001-07:00

What is your idea of like a completely perfect Saturday?

Benjamin and I went to see Star Trek ... and then came home and played tennis. So awesome. So completely and utterly wonderful.

(Oh, and the movie was too. Ben wasn't sure he wanted to come but had a spring in his step on his way out of the cinema.)

Seriously ... what is your idea of a completely perfect Saturday? I would like to know.

The day had a little extra glow with this morning's conversation with William. I take it most parents eventually have the conversation about hot dogs with their kids? The why-are-they-called-hot-dogs talk? I find myself wondering how often the conversation goes like this:

"Emily, why do they call them 'hot dogs'?"

"Well, I don't really know."

"I think they should just call them 'dogs'."

I was kept busy today. In the unscheduled way. And that is just the way I like it!

The last couple of weekends were really busy, in the scheduled kind of way. This is something I also tend to like, but not as much.

Except for the upcoming voyage to Minnesota: this is one scheduled event that doesn't faze me by its being scheduled. Leaving on the twenty-fifth to see the Fiends (see http://fabulouslorraine.com)!!

William is watching a movie on the other side of the room. Ever since the paintings were rearranged, so that the smaller one is parallel to the television and the larger one above the sofa, I cannot see the film reflected in the glass. I keep glancing up out of sheer habit.

The smell of popcorn fills the house as Jack and William watch their film. I have to tell you ... things have been so wonderful since my ex-father left the house.

~Emily

Emily, The Purest Creature On Earth

2009-05-18T15:45:00.000-07:00

Had a doctor appointment as bland as ... as ... well, I almost said vanilla ice cream, but not only would that be perfectly unoriginal, it would also be going against my opinion of vanilla ice cream. Vanilla is special. So mostly, the appointment was just bland. Aren't these people DONE with me yet?

Anyway. Went home and brought myself back to life with "The Trouble With Tribbles." It helped. A lot. Then tomorrow of course I have another appointment and I think by then I just may be too dead to bring myself back to life. Maybe someone else can do it for me?

I am taking the "What Fantasy Creature Are You?" quiz I found on Facebook (speaking of which, who ever knew Facebook could be so much fun? Er. Well. You probably did. I only just got an account and am very happy I did). Let's see.

One moment as I finish the quiz.

"When someone attacks you, how do you react?"

Can't I just scream or elbow them or something? I don't think I would "drown them or rip them limb from limb; use [my] inhuman strength [to] drain them of their life force; crush them with [my] powerful legs, and stab them with [my] weapon; strangle them with vines, burn them, drown them, crush them ...; scorch the flesh off their bones," or "cause their death with [my] good looks."

Huh.

If I had to choose one of them, maybe the last.

Kidding. Er. I was just ATTACKED, right? So I don't have much time for thinking, do I? So, let's say I would just ... This will take a minute. Moving on.

I chose the second. Can I give back their life force after I've gotten away from them? Does it hurt them to take their life force?

I wonder how much faith I should have in a quiz that contains the word "vegitables."

Here comes my result.

Unicorn. I am "the purest creature on Earth."

Right. Sure.

Otherwise it does sound surprisingly like myself.

Maybe now I should try "Which of the Seven Deadly Sins Are You?".

Or, I could read a book. This is the library.

I opt for book.

~Emily

Profile Update!

2009-05-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

I think it's time to update the Profile. So I did. Things change fast at sixteen.

~Emily

Algebra, Fotoflexer, Why Beading (Like Shelving) Is Therapy, and Potential Pancake Wreckage

2009-05-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

I had a dream that I posted a new blog entry. A sign? I can't remember what it said. Sorry.

I don't have anything much to say but feel I simply must post. Hmm. It's raining. I have a new bracelet on my wrist, one that I made - plus a ring (which was once a bracelet - but I didn't have enough wire to re-bracelet it, so I turned it into a pretty little ring). I am having enormous fun with my new jewelry hobby. It's therapeutic. It is actually a lot like shelving - a lot of concentration, but not much brainpower. So calming, so entrancing, so satisfying.

Oh, I have also been having more - much, much more - fun than I ought to with photograph-enhancement sites like FotoFlexer.

It's an avenue in Providence - some of the trees were a bit on the green side for October:

I've been reading "Impossible" by Nancy Werlin. It is wonderful and weird at the same time - and it gave me horrid nightmares; I'm not sure how I feel about this book - it's been taking some rather disappointing turns. On the other hand, there is still something morbidly beautiful about it.

I'll try and see if I can learn how to upload other photos from my overly-fun time on Fotoflexer and Picnik - for some reason they couldn't download onto my computer files, so I had to save them on Facebook instead. And then I couldn't upload the Facebook photos onto the blog, so, er, if anyone wants to teach me to do this, I would be happy to accept some instructions.

On a final note, I made William's pancake this morning and did not leave the insides sticky with batter or the outsides black and crumbling. Normally I'm like a teen sitcom character - the kind of cook that runs out of the kitchen in an apron and chef's hat screeching, "It's gonna blow!"

This has never happened to me. It will. I will post when it finally does. I will even try and take pictures.

Off to do some algebra. And then read. I need book time after algebra. (I had taken a long break algebra and I quite hoped that my brain might have improved while I was away from it, but of course it didn't.)

~Emily

Shelving is Therapy - and Why You Should Click to Give

2009-04-22T12:37:00.000-07:00

I feel like a teen just sitting here at this little laptop in this little library. Sometimes I feel older than other kids I know, and right now it just feels good to be, like, your typical high-schooler pitter-pattering away on the laptop.

Although my mind is programmed as, "I should not be sitting here having fun on the computer. I need to work: shelve, check in, answer the phone." But Wednesday is not a storytime day - I am free to hang out. I'm so used to being here on Monday and Friday to help out.

Library work, I think, is therapeutic - checking books in has kind of a rhythm to it; and shelving, especially, requires a lot of concentration but very little brainpower. Perfectly soothing and steadying.

I think I'm starting miss it a bit. I definitely feel a prick of jealousy for the volunteer who is shelving now. I think she sort of has to do it, as, you know, a signed-up volunteer, rather than a walk-in one such as myself (Mondays and Fridays are not really walk-in days - I've been working at story hour for five years and am not about to stop this wonderful three hours a week!).

So anyway, Happy Earth Day. I'll repeat what I said on St. Patrick's Day - my blog is terribly green, is it not?

Please, please, please, please, in honor of Earth, will you Click to Give at The Rainforest Site? - http://therainforestsite.com. The more Clicks, the more money goes to conserving our pretty chattery creepy wet green forests. There are all sorts of organizations on the site - child health, literacy, animal rescue, breast cancer, and hunger - as well as the rainforest.

I make an effort to do it every day and woul be enormously grateful if you did, too. You can pick one, or do all of them. Or just a few. It's up to you.

~Emily

Parrotfish Vs. Luna

2009-04-19T10:15:00.000-07:00

After I read "Parrotfish" by Ellen Wittlinger, I wondered why on earth people kept comparing it - often putting it down in the process - with another novel about transgendered teens, "Luna" by Julie Ann Peters. So I read "Luna" (though the first Julie Ann Peters book I read was "Between Mom and Jo" which pretty much rocked) and finished it yesterday.

And here are ...

Reasons to like "Parrotfish":

1. It's a riot.

2. It will stay with you because it's hilarious AND touching AND infuriating.

3. The main character's first-person narration is pretty much priceless. Grady. Rocks.

4. It gave Benjamin the idea to get me a bottle of organic peppermint shampoo for Christmas.

Reasons to like "Luna":

1. It's intense and fascinating.

2. It's really multifaceted.

3. It rips at your heart really hard. You know ... in a good way.

I can't help it. I think I like "Parrotfish" just a little bit more. But "Luna" will never leave my heart.

~Emily

P.S. I just started another Julie Ann Peters novel. It's called "Far From Xanadu." Methinks this Julie Ann Peters is a really marvelous writer.

Het Bibliotheek?!

2009-04-15T15:14:00.000-07:00

Here is my Dutch Twitter page: http://twitter.com/eminnederlands.

My Dutch is in desperate, desperate need of improvement. In fact, it's down on all fours screaming and crying for improvement. We'll get there.

(Seriously, I said, "het bibliotheek." Who says, "het bibliotheek?")

~Emily

The New Kid

2009-04-04T07:28:00.001-07:00

Last week brought a Variety Show held at my local high school. It was enormous fun; I had no idea some of these kids could do what they did.

I felt strange, though.

In the middle of the fourth grade, I started home-schooling; and so I haven't really been able to grow up with my elementary school classmates - not in the way they grew up with each other. So when I was there in the audience, watching and listening to everyone greeting each other with intense hugs and little shrieks and big smiles, I felt like The New Kid: only in this instance, I knew everyone but nobody knew me.

I got the chance to catch up with a few kids, though. I ended up have a wonderful time.

Sometimes I wish I were part of the high school.

~Emily

A Little Hole Opens Up In Me (And Other Things)

2009-03-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have twenty Followers on Twitter. It's funny, I joined Twitter because Neil Gaiman talked (and talked) about Twitter and obviously really liked it; and so I figured, Okay. Something's got to be kind of cool about this Twitter thing. Whatever it is.

And I think it's just so much fun, and actually is very cool.

I am EmilyLady on the site, if thou art by some chance interested.

I picked up a copy of Laurie Halse Anderson's new book today - "Wintergirls"! I told myself I would wait until I found it at the library to read it, but I knew I would be upset and missing it if I didn't take it home with me from Barnes and Noble. And so I did. I had to.

Sometimes that just happens when I start a book - I put it back on the shelf and walk through the door, to the car waiting outside ... and a little hole opens up in me.

What else is there to say? ...

Well. Not much. I just felt a twinge of guilt for neglecting the blog for a few days; for some reason I feel lately that I have to update a lot more often than I once did.

Not that I don't enjoy it. And thanks so much to everyone (particularly the Fiends) for commenting. It's such a treat.

~Emily

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

2009-03-21T18:06:00.000-07:00

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang." My first play.

And it was PHENOMENAL, I tell you. It was truly, outrageously, tremendously, enormously phenomenal. Now, I know you must have been to a play before - and you know how the dancing can be hypnotic and fascinating and lovely? That was "Chitty Chitty." And you know how you want to laugh so hard even though nothing's really terribly funny, everything is just so wonderful and you're having one of the most marvelous nights of your life?

That was pretty much how it went down. And there's a lesson in this, too: if ever you are going to collect money for charity at a theatre, have the cast members stand around collecting it after the show. It works. People donate. I got to meet the child stars, Aly Brier and Jeremy Lipton.

I can't thank Miss Juliette and her parents enough. They let me have one of the most splendid evenings of my life.

~Emily

Off to Chitty Chitty

2009-03-19T10:04:00.001-07:00

Tonight is a friend's birthday present. Ah, now THERE is a sentence that makes no sense: but it's a play. She was allowed to take one friend, and she chose me, and so we are going to see "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" together. Sounds like a lot of fun.

I love theatre with deeply, almost as much as I love books. I have performed in two plays - one a production of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs", the other a bunch of Hans Christian Andersen tales - but never seen one. So this is my first, and I am so excited!

I must give an enormous thanks to Juliette and her mother for inviting me. And happy birthday, Juliette!

OH, I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M REALLY GOING TO SEE A PLAY!

~Emily

Something to See

2009-03-17T07:32:00.000-07:00

Look how GREEN my blog is! And I am green today too. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

~Emily

For Rhode Islanders

2009-03-14T07:01:00.001-07:00

http://www.adoptionri.org/photolisting.html

An Environmentally-Savvy Youngster

2009-03-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

Not terribly long ago, I posted about how William, upon recognizing he had left the water running in the sink for an extra couple of seconds, lamented that he had "killed polar bears."

This is a very environmentally-savvy youngster.

Yesterday he was pulling a paper towel off the rack, and the roll was stripped bare.

"Oh no!" he cried. "I used the last one! The world is going to end."

I didn't get it at first. I thought he was just being silly. So I said, "Boom." (The world has ended, exploded.)

"No, no, no," he explained. "It's not going to explode, it's going to get warm."

This is the same seven-year-old who gritted his teeth when I told him I might need surgery on my toe (didn't in the end) and said, "Oh, I don't know, surgery is expensive."

I can't decide whether this is a good thing ... or a not-so-good thing.

~Emily

Getting Ready

2009-03-01T10:34:00.001-08:00

I am sitting here in a black dress and modest heels and hair down - for once - and absolutely no make-up (I happen to hate wearing make-up, so I don't even bother). I am ready to perform with little Willie at my side.

~Emily

A Book, And Things Going On

2009-02-28T16:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I finished reading Pamela Lowell's "Returnable Girl". It was absolutely perfect - just so amazingly, fantastically wonderful, and it has become one of my comfort books - a book whose characters I think of when I'm hurting for whatever reason.

Sunday is normally my day off, a day when I wake up with nothing scheduled for the rest of the day. Tomorrow, however, is the local talent show. I wasn't planning on participating, but Will wanted me to sing "Give My Regards to Broadway" with him, and we've really had a lot of fun.

We are getting a snowstorm on Monday. Groooaaan ...

Yesterday was almost sixty degrees F. How much longer are we Rhode Islanders supposed to get jerked around?

I'll try and stay alive with some tea and ... some tea. Oh, plus, maybe, a new book to read.

~Emily

Monday

2009-02-23T16:07:00.001-08:00

My day is done. I like the end of a day. I also like Sunday, when I can be spontaneous - when I wake up in the morning with no idea what I will end up doing.

It is good to be busy, though. I haven't been bored in a good long while and I like things this way.

So I just finished up a day that started with storytime at the library and ended with Chinese lesson with my tutor (such fun), with rehearsal with William for the local variety talent show and babysitting in between. I'm pretty much ready to sleep. The only problem is, of course, that once I get into bed, I'm pretty much free to travel the world and I need to be doing something other than lying with my eyes closed.

I think I'm starting to sound a little wacky. Should I post this?

Oh, why not?

Good-night from Rhode Island.

~Emily

P.S. I wonder how many other bloggers aren't blogging about the Oscars?

Happy Kurt Cobain's Birthday

2009-02-20T15:46:00.000-08:00

'Tis Kurt Cobain's birthday, it is, and Jack, the great rock n' roller/grunger of the family who loves Nirvana to pieces and is probably going to be the next Stephen Tyler (if he keeps growing his hair), wanted to celebrate.

"Let's make cupcakes," said my mother.

Sure sounded great to me. But no ...

Fourteen-year-old Benjamin ended up baking three cakes: two chocolate cakes because we had extra batter, and a Tollhouse cookie cake (we just call it Cookie Cake) for Will because that's the only kind of cake William likes and no one wanted him to feel left out. Benjamin used cake gel to write "In Loving Memory of Kurt Cobain - 1967-1994" on one cake and to draw a weasel on the other. (He has a thing for drawing weasels; this has nothing to do with Cobain.)

I might have pictures soon,.

Happy Kurt Cobain's birthday.

~Emily

The Feeling of a Summer Storm, and a Link to Don-Tay

2009-02-19T14:14:00.000-08:00

The sky is purplish with and the air is cool.

It actually feels like there is a summer storm stirring up.

I am so ready to fall asleep. I think I've caught what all three of my brothers had in the last week - I feel feverish even though I don't actually have a fever (yet).

I also felt like I should put this up, just in case: http://www.adoptionri.org/photolisting.html.

~Emily

A Taste of the Freedom of Springtime

2009-02-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

I took off my sweatshirt today!

And wore just my t-shirt!

And took a walk in the woods and got lost and talked myself back to the path I had taken and danced all the way home because it's such a beautiful day and I could almost cry and William and Ben and Jack are all playing baseball and so why I am not playing with them?

(Is it my imagination, or do I sound a little like Junie B. Jones? Possibly too much reading time with Will, but I say, so what.)

~Emily

A Natural High

2009-02-09T15:59:00.000-08:00

I spoke Chinese with a couple of small children tonight - a two-year-old and his jiejie, older sister (who is four). The children can actually speak English but are partial to their mother's native tongue. Rarely does anything bring me to feel so joyful - I think I am glowing.

I have discovered in the past year that there are two ways for me to acheive a natural high: one, exercise; and two, having a conversation with someone in another language.

~Emily

The First Really Marvelous Animated Film I've Seen in Such a Long Time and Truly Amazing Weather and a Wonderful Free Sunday

2009-02-08T18:11:00.000-08:00

Will and Jack are watching Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. I am not.

It's not that I don't like movies, because I actually love movies; but I have been totally uninterested in anything animated within the past few years.

Oh, except there was that one movie.

Coraline. You know, the one that doesn't have to be italicized.

I don't think I really remember the last time I left an animated presentation with an enormous grin on my face, but this one did it, and I guess I had forgotten that animation can be truly lovely in a unique and creative way. This movie made me feel so good. As Lorraine said on http://lorraineamalena.blogspot.com, you will leave this movie believing in magic; and although I did not totally believe her, I left the cinema feeling refreshed and recharged and, yes, believing in magic.

On another note, today was fifty-five degrees F. Benjamin and I took Will down to a local playground and I found myself having more fun I've had on a playground in years. Spring is coming.

It was nice to have a day of improvisation - a day where I woke up and didn't really have any plans for the day. I like being busy, but I also want one free day every now and then. Tomorrow is a busy day, but it's all good work - morning storytime, babysitting, Chinese lesson (always a wonderful treat).

Happy happy Monday.

~Emily

William, Coraline, Library Work, and Junie B. Jones

2009-02-05T19:15:00.000-08:00

The new issue of VOYA came out today. My review isn't in this one - will probably be in the next - but this is a great issue. I love the article on librarians who became novelists.

I love library work myself. Shelving books is therapeutic.

So William and I are going to see Coraline tomorrow. (I would italicize it but Coraline is something special, and need not be italicized!) Coraline was a turning point for William - he realized, upon finishing it, that sitting through a chapter book could actually be fun. We have been speeding through the Junie B. Jones books lately. How I do love Junie B. Jones. My favorite has long been The Yucky Blucky Fruitcake and I do so look forward to reading it with Will!

William is out for a sleepover tonight. I miss him. Even one night without him makes me feel kind of empty. It sounds silly, but morning feels like years from tonight.

He is the most precious little thing. I can hardly wait to take him to see Coraline tomorrow.

I guess I'll go back to Answering on Yahoo! Answers. I spend lots of time in the Baby Names category, because it's way too much fun.

I have this thing for names.

~Emily

Number Five

2009-02-03T10:45:00.001-08:00

Yesterday the air had such a summery flavor that I wanted to cry every time I took a deep breath. It was fifty degrees F, but I could imagine that the grass was slick and green and the barn swallows would come out to play in the darkening sky.

Today we are undergoing our fifth (maybe sixth) snowstorm. It's, like, way fun.

(cough) I'm ready for spring.

~Emily

Lots About Books, a Bit About Sunshine

2009-01-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

In the sky the other night AFTER FIVE O' CLOCK were actual rosy traces of sun. Spring is just that much closer than I imagined ...

I have been reading "The Poison Apples" by Lily Archer -- not really marvelous literature but definitely such good fun that I can hardly stop myself reading it. It was a book that did not get to me in time for review last year. Shame, really, that I could not review such a fun book.

On the other hand, I will indeed have a review in VOYA next month -- 'tis definitely a novel to read, especially if you love fantasy.

William and I just finished reading Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Coraline is one of my favorite books to read aloud, and Will loved it loved it loved it.

(It's wonderful but not for adults who are, shall we say ... faint of heart.)

I think I need to rest now. The total lack of sunshine today has made me ...

Goodness gracious. Some sun just prodded through the window as I was typing that.

Well.

I think I feel more awake now.

~Emily

Poor Polar Bears

2009-01-17T13:02:00.001-08:00

While brushing his teeth the other night, William left the water running for an extra two seconds.

"Darn, I killed polar bears," he said.

Okay, if nothing else has convinced me that kids hear what you say, this did the job.

Fourteen-year-old Benjamin will not eat meat, seafood, foods with vitamin D-3, foods with gelatin, or foods with the enzyme rennet. He fishes through the rubbish bin for items that just might possibly be even the slightest bit recyclable. He is prepared to kick global warming in all the right places. And he talks a lot about the environment.

I have made a list of potential colleges to attend next year or the one after that. This is quite exciting to me, I must say. Most of them are in Minnesota, but one is in Wisconsin and another is down in Maryland. I have been to Maryland, and liked it enormously. I have never been to MN or WI but really want to visit.

Also, I want to leave Rhode Island. I've lived here my whole life and there are, frankly, so many things I don't like about it.

As a closing note to this rather erratic post, I have a new book to review for VOYA. It is truly wonderful -- a thrilling change from the last couple of dreadful reads.

Let's see ... anything to say about the weather?

Cold, colorless, and dead. Yay.

~Emily

The Great Joys of Wintertime

2009-01-15T07:34:00.001-08:00

It's snowing here (or, as one would declare in Japan, yuki ga futte imasu). I guess that's a good thing, except that we've already had an awful lot of the white stuff. I dreamt last night that the world went mad and started celebrating Christmas again. I checked the calendar and figured that either I was completely nuts or had been in a coma for the past year, the world was completely nuts and was just completely nuts and had not been in a coma, or was trying to stretch Christmastime out a little in order to bring joy into the economic darkness.

William has an awful chest cold. We'll all get it, but oh well. Spring must come soon. I'm glad February is, of all months, the shortest of the year.

~Emily

Well ...

2009-01-11T17:19:00.000-08:00

It sent chills through my blood.

I left the cinema feeling exhilerated but totally relaxed, filled up with something special.

Reading the play was one thing and seeing the film was ... something else.

Doubt.

See it.

~Emily

Happy Reading for the New Year

2008-12-31T15:37:00.000-08:00

You can follow Fabulous Lorraine and her Fiends as they enter 2009 in their many time zones!: http://lorraineamalena.blogspot.com.

Well, Happy New Year wherever you are; let's hope 2009 brings as many wonderful books as this year has.

I love many books of many genres but most of the books I read this year, and that actually came out this year, were in the Young Adult category.

My Top Nine (could not pick ten; most of the books I read this year were from previous years!) YA Books I Really Liked of 2008:

10. ... Maybe I will think of something later!

9. Huge by Sasha Paley

8. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling (kind of a kids' book, but Harry lovers of all ages will like this one)

7. Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee

6. Almost Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

5. The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt

4. The Death of Jayson Porter by Jaime Addoff

3. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

2. The Game of My Life by Jason McElwain

1. Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman

...

I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. I believe in confidence and determination all year round, but not in New Year's Resolutions.

May this year make for happiness, plus happy reading, for all of you.

~Emily

Frozen

2008-12-22T07:08:00.000-08:00

Oops, can't go to storytime this morning. The car doors are frozen shut.

~Emily

Packing Peanut Butter (and Other Things)

2008-12-21T14:48:00.000-08:00

I did a lot of holiday community service work today -- had so much fun. We lifted boxes packed with soup cans and jars of peanut butter (the boxes of peanut better were so pretty -- with all its brightly colored lids; although the peanut butter boxes were quite astoundingly heavy) and sugar and flour and stuffing mix and corn and baked beans ...

I loved it. Tomorrow I get to play pseudo-librarian while the regular librarian at my library reads books to storytime attendees. After that is the really fun part -- my playtime with the kids.

My weeks have been extremely busy since ... maybe ... October-ish, when I started babysitting regularly. Of course, they've been a lot busier since I got out of the hospital.

Monday:

Storytime

Lunch

Research (at other local library)

Tuesday:

Babysitting

Lunch

Doctor

Then this week there's a holiday party in the evening.

Wednesday:

Doctor in afternoon

Thursday:

Freedom

Friday:

Storytime

Lunch

Storytime

Babysitting

Saturday:

Freedom

Sunday:

Freedom

Also must get a few little gifts for friends and family. The holidays draw near (Hanukkuh begins tonight!).

Oh, and here's a picture of Nina. I just wish I could get a bit closer on her face. She was with me all the time in the hospital.

~Emily

Making the Blog Sparkle a Bit

2008-12-18T16:50:00.000-08:00

I went to a local Christmas concert last night -- I'm sure you'll soon be able to read about it at http://emilyssweetpeach.blogspot.com/ (the author is a different Emily). It was really wonderful; I might post pictures ...

Tomorrow is supposed to bring a foot of snow. I find myself looking forward to this, even if it means I won't be able to babysit.

Plus I love Fridays.

I feel really guilty about the blog lately. I can't really think of anything to blog about but do want to keep up with the blog. The truth is that I am really not very good at blogging (except perhaps about books!). It's time I started brightening up the blog with photographs. I don't have a digital camera, but I can download photographs with computer discs. (I sound straight out of the seventies, don't I?) Here's one to start. This was taken back in August by a friend who actually did use a digital camera.

See? Straight out of the seventies, and trying to win a staring contest with a plant.

~Emily

Rather a Miserable Kind of Day

2008-12-12T06:51:00.000-08:00

You know you're lucky to have the brother you do when you step in front of him in the hallway and say, "Thanks for your cold," and his very sincere reply is, "Oh, I'm sorry!"

I was rereading Padma Venkatraman's Climbing the Stairs this morning. It is really such a wonderful book -- heart-breaking, infuriating, hilarious, and important.

It is a very miserable day but William and I will play Mancala together. He's played about five games and is already an expert. We'll probably read Coraline too. He loves it so far.

I hope the weather is sunnier or snowier for you than it is here (very gray and damp, with the wind howling like a wolf).

~Emily

The Peachy Little Things

2008-12-09T18:31:00.000-08:00

This picture shows some of the best parts of my hospital stay. There's the spry batch of red-and-yellow carnations my mother and brothers brought to me. If you look very closely you might see the Harry Potter book peeking from the lower right-hand corner. On the left shelf sits the package of The Vicar of Dibley DVD's and, on the top shelf, the Oragami penguin my brother Ben folded for me.

It wasn't all bad.

Well, yes it was. But the flowers and penguin were great.

~Emily

Snow and Tea!

2008-12-07T06:12:00.000-08:00

It's funny how the house smells different, first thing in the morning, when snow has fallen overnight. Is it because the natural scents we take for granted are muted somewhat? I don't know ... but I love the first snow of the season, and it happened last night. It's still coming down outside.

I have a hot cup of apple-chamomile tea sitting before me. I feel good.

~Emily

Emily

2008-12-04T16:05:00.000-08:00

I wrote a lot of lists while I was in the hospital. It's one of the most perfect ways to pass the time when you've been locked up and there is no hope of escaping. I mean, I could have spent the time trying to crawl out of the window, but that didn't seem very productive, especially since I was on the sixth floor; so instead, I wrote lists.

Why I Like Being Named Emily

It sounds lovely on others' voices

I share it with Emily Bronte

Many people think it beautiful

And Why I Hate It

I am Emily due only to my father's utter inside-the-box-ness

It is a nauseatingly common name and its popularity seems to have robbed me of a certain uniqueness

Many people find it boring

...

It's all true.

I wrote a lot of other lists as well, but I have kind of a phobia about posting creative work on the Internet. I'm quite scared of people finding words and phrases and plopping them into the middle of their novels or something ... but seriously, the most interesting things grow in your brain when you're locked up. I came up with some enormously weird ideas.

(Of course, I didn't just come up with lists -- there were plays, stories, poems, and essays in there as well.)

I just figured this would make for a vaguely interesting post.

~Emily

On Babysitting and Books to Read

2008-11-30T11:22:00.001-08:00

I spent yesterday babysitting for a really marvelous baby girl. I am so glad to be able to do this again! I missed her so much in the hospital. Yesterday's highlights included the roll-the-ball-under-the-couch-and-watch-Emily-strain-to-get-it-out game, knocking on the wall because it results in an interesting sound, and seeing how many blocks we could heap on top of one another before they collapsed in our laps.

I don't really need much more than that, I have to say.

I am reading some wonderful books, including ...

The Green Man: Tales of the Mythic Forest, a collection of short stories by a bunch of wonderful authors, edited by Terri Windling and Ellen Datlow. If I go a while without reading fantasy, I tend to forget how much I like it. Only stories like these could be such a wake-up call.

Waifs and Strays by Charles de Lint. I read some of the stories in this book when I was about twelve years old and was extremely confused and a little disturbed. My mother told me to put it away and pick it up again in a few years. I did.

It was definitely worth it.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. There are a lot of things about this book that just aren't very good, says the critical part of me (and there is a rather prominent critic in me because I review books).

This book is extremely catchy and enjoyable, says the hungry reader in me.

The hungry reader usually wins.

Wishing you good reading.

~Emily

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T11:03:00.001-08:00

I love Thanksgiving not only for the warmth and richness but for the reminder that I wouldn't be here had the Pilgrims not come to Plymouth Colony. My roots are in the Allerton family (http://mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/IsaacAllerton.php).

This is the time of year for me to read and relish Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness, a story all about Mary, Remember, and Bartholomew Allerton.

What are you thankful for? ...

I love that I ...

Have piles and puddles of books to read

Know that I'm descended from the Allertons

Have three very unique and loving brothers

Am in the library right now instead of the hospital

Get to babysit for a marvelous and lovely child on Friday and Saturday

Am all done with appointments for the week

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

~Emily

How I Am Spending My Days

2008-11-19T13:09:00.000-08:00

I am so sick of clinical appointments. Okay, there, I've said it. That gets that out of my system.

(Sorry; I had two appointments today and one yesterday and two last week and two or three or something next week and ARGH.)

Moving on ...

I just picked up an extremely battered paperback copy of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight at the library -- I think my name was number one hundred-fifty-something on the waiting list. I wonder what I shall find upon reading it, having heard all the wonderful things I have?

I have also recently found myself whiling away the hours immersed in Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries novels. They're a lot of fun and a nice break from all the appointments (let's not go there again).

The weather is very cold here in Rhode Island. My breath has become very white and I need three quilts to get through the nights.

So really, I don't have much solid blogging material for now, but it's been a while and I felt I should blog anyway.

~Emily

A Reminder About National Adoption Month

2008-11-12T12:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, how many of you have little brothers? Eleven-year-old Jack is sitting on the sofa beside me (yes, I have Internet at home now, don't have to post every single blog entry from the library) reading aloud his Star Wars-esque narrative and driving me absolutely nuts.

Thank goodness. He's done now. He's actually a marvelous writer but is adding the John Williams Star Wars theme to his reading and it's really quite distracting while I'm trying to make a post. Oh well.

I'll make this quick, so I don't have to struggle for long. I was going to post a reminder that November is National Adoption Month -- a good time of year to take a look at http://adoptuskids.org and -- if you live in Rhode Island, like me -- http://adoptionri.org. There's one site I particularly like, http://mare.org, but it's really only useful if you live in Michigan. Still, a wonderful adoption site.

Jack has left the room but I'm going to go try and catch the last sliver of daylight. Just got back home from a stuffy clinic (all this hospital business is so not fun) and feel like breathing real air.

~Emily

Go Vote!

2008-11-04T15:12:00.000-08:00

I was in a public service announcement for the Women's Fund of Rhode Island earlier this year, one of a group of girls exclaiming "YOUR VOTE COUNTS!", as a little reminder. PLEASE GO VOTE! It counts! Really and honestly and truly it does! Can you imagine if we all got into the midset of "My vote won't make a difference"?

Of course you can.

~Emily

Library! Joy!

2008-10-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back at the library! Ah, peace. I did miss this place. I can hardly climb a flight of stairs and the skin under my eyes is the color of a midday moon, but I am home.

Being held tomorrow is a community Halloween party in which I was planning to participate, but life messes things up. I feel all the commotion of freaking the heck out of people will be a bit much for me, so I'll just sit back maybe with some soup or something. It might not be so bad.

Thanks very much to everyone on the Fabulous Lorraine's blog (http://lorraineamalena.blogspot.com/) for their good wishes. All you Fiends rock!

~Emily

Sorry ...

2008-10-20T10:55:00.001-07:00

I have a really good excuse for staying away from the blog for so long: I've been in the hospital for the past week and will probably remain here for the next week, or longer. Sigh. It does feel good to finally have Internet access.

Anyway, keep a check on the blog -- I'll be around when I can.

~Emily

Books and a Broken Toe

2008-10-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

Having not had a book to review for VOYA since sometime in late spring, I am proud to announce that I finished reading one this morning and will soon be writing my review .... the book was quite horrible, but still, I was happy to have a book.

While I'm here, a list of (good) books I've read/been reading in my absence from the blog seems to be in order ...

Artichoke's Heart by Suzanne Supplee. It just might be that the best word to describe this book is "likeable". It's very emotional but so much fun at the same time ...

Parrotfish by Ellen Wittlinger. I'm a bit more than halfway through this one and really love it ....

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Too good to be finished, but I finished it anyway.

Word Myths: Debunking Linguistic Urban Legends by David Wilton. I've always wondered where the word okay began, and now I know!

Spam-ku: Tranquil Reflections on Luncheon Loaf by John Cho. Each verse in this compilation of haiku is all about SPAM, the luncheon meat, and actually really lovely. Some of them are also absolutely hilarious, but each feels like genuine haiku (some have more of a traditional flavor than others -- which feel more like Western haiku).

On another note ...

I am a walker -- one harboring a great passion for journeying through an unknown neighborhood on foot. As a result of this passion, my neighborhood is no longer unknown to me -- I've been down every single street many a time; however, in the not-so-distant past, I wandered down unfamiliar streets and got myself lost, and was always nervous about that (more worried about my mother's being worried than anything else, actually), but relished the satisfaction of having found my way out. And walking become a routine but no less of a great love.

Anyway.

My toe is broken just in time for the flare of color and crisp air that marks the early Octobers of New England. Sigh. We only get so much of this weather. The cast won't come off until December, and I can only hope for a mild winter.

(If you're wondering how it happened, about a month ago I slipped on the stairs and landed on my toe, which buckled underneath me. I didn't think it was broken and so waited a while to have it examined. Of course, if it wasn't broken to begin with, it fractured when I reinjured it by tripping once more, only this time -- fortunately -- not on the stairs.)

I love walking. And I do miss it.

~Emily

The Graveyard Book At Last and Padma Venkatraman

2008-09-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

Neil Gaiman's new novel comes out today! I am so excited to read The Graveyard Book and almost as excited to see a real, actual copy sitting on the shelf of a bookstore!

Also, I would love for people to know that Padma Venkatraman, author of the very wonderful novel Climbing the Stairs, will be making appearances on the East Coast later this month; I strongly advise going to see her if she's going to be in your area -- she is a truly lovely person and brilliant writer.

Thursday, October 16th -- 10:30 a.m. at Politics and Prose. Washington, DC -- 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW; phone: (202) 364-1919

Friday, October 17th -- 2:00 p.m. at VIMS, Gloucester Point, VA 23062 -- 1208 Greate Road; phone: (804) 684-7000

Also on Friday, October 17th -- 5:30 p.m. at The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA -- Washington 201 (old campus); for more information contact Ann Repeta at (757) 221-2457

Saturday, October 18th -- 5:00 p.m. at Big Blue Marble Books, Philadelphia, PA -- 551 Carpenter Lane; phone: (215) 844-1870

Finally, on Sunday, October 19th -- 2:00 p.m. at Books of Wonder, New York City! -- 18 West 18th Street; phone: (212) 989-3270

I especially recommend going to see Padma (who is a friend of mine) if you feel passionate about multiculturalism! For more information about Padma, visit http://cliofindia.com/padma, or http://climbingthestairsbook.com (which is a beautiful site all about her novel).

And now I am going to go play with The Baby Name Genie (http://babynamegenie.com/), because I tend to have too much fun with names ....

~Emily

A Conversation With William Brewster

2008-09-18T12:04:00.001-07:00

It was a year ago today that I visited Plimoth Plantation in Massachussetts for the first time in several years, and for the first time since I had really taken an interest in the Pilgrims -- particularly in the Allerton family. I was quite hoping to meet Isaac Allerton, but he was back in England on business. I could hardly be disappointed, though; I got to meet all sorts of wonderfully cool Pilgrims, one of whom was William Brewster, and he sure had a lot to say. He talked to me (and my grandparents, who had brought me to the Plantation as a birthday gift) about how he had been put on trial. This conversation really is such a wonderful memory for me. Being so in love with the study of foreign languages, particularly Dutch, I asked him whether he had learnt to speak it during his time in Holland. On the contrary, he had not been amongst those who had lived in Holland; I was mistaken. But, he told me, the little Allerton children had learnt to speak Dutch.

"Isaac Allerton is a cousin of mine," I said, utterly delighted.

He looked amazed.

"No!" he exclaimed. "Really?" Then, looking at me carefully, he added, "I cannot see the resemblance."

After chatting for a while longer, his expression became thoughtful and he asked me, "Are you a schoolgirl? It is hard to judge your age."

"I'll turn fifteen in about a week," I told him.

"Ah! Well! I think I can see it now! You do look like him; your smile, you have the same smile!"

That was such an amazingly wonderful day. I am aching to go back there, and maybe my cousin Isaac Allerton will have returned from England when I finally do.

~Emily

About Reviewing

2008-09-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

I am going into reviewer withdrawal, which is this crazy thing having to do with my going the whole summer without being assigned a book and actually missing reviewing so much that I just write reviews of novels to pass the time. Well, it can't hurt, I suppose. Having a file of reviews may come in handy sometime (I have been in the position of writing a review on demand).

The most rewarding part of reviewing is being assigned wonderful books that I would probably never have discovered (or bothered to finish reading) otherwise. This has been the case with most of the books that I reviewed (particularly Every Crooked Pot by Renee Rosen, The Mystery of the Third Lucretia by Susan Runholt, The Game of My Life by Jason McElwain, and The Shadow Companion by Laura Anne Gilman), but of course there is sometimes a bad book. I use the word bad for its generous pool of meanings: I have read novels that were violent, vulgar, utterly traumatizing, gruesomely inappropriate for the targeted age group. When that happens I just have to keep in mind that it is actually work ... and must be done. Horrific content tends to slide off my shoulders more easily with that thought in mind.

The magazine (Voice of Youth Advocates or VOYA) has a rating system -- Q for Quality and P for Popularity, two factors judged on a numerical basis of one to five -- five being the highest. There was one book I disliked so much that I gave it a big fat one for Quality. My review was basically a dainty articulation of "This book should not be read -- no matter what, where, and who the reader may be." One day I was chatting with a writer (who is now a great friend of mine) and mentioned my reviewing said book, and how horrible I had found it. When I named the book and its author, this author said, "Oh, yes, I know her!"

"What? Well, don't tell her what I said!" I squeaked. She assured me that she wouldn't, and I think she will stick to her word.

All in all, the bottom line is that reviewing (at least in my case) makes for a lot of fun.

~Emily

Farewells -- Old and New

2008-09-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the anniversary of the death of Steve Irwin (and surely you know all about him -- played with crocodiles and venom-spewing snakes for a living). I remember hearing the news two years ago and feeling absolutely amazed. He had always been a spark in my life; nobody to whom I paid a tremendous amount of attention but who I liked and who had always been there to make people laugh and smile and freak out over how utterly messed up a person had to be to do what he did, but still, he always came out all right .... and life seemed different without him; I was disturbed in a distant but lingering manner that still returns sometimes. I don't know. Steve Irwin was just so cool and really should be alive today.

(Once, at the age of ten, I was watching him and decided I wanted to be just like him. At that point my mind was changing pretty quickly -- never really settling on any one particular goal, whether it was getting the laundry into the dryer or going to the beach or becoming a novelist. I didn't think too long about taking on a role like Steve Irwin's, but I think I'll always remember that.)

I learnt from http://journal.neilgaiman.com (thanks to Dan Guy the Webgoblin, caretaker of the blog for now) that Geoffrey Perkins, producer of the marvelous BBC radio series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, was killed in a road accident on August twenty-ninth.

This makes me truly sad -- because I can hardly emphasize how much better I always felt about anything and everything after listening to the voices of Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Mark Wing-Davey, and everyone else who helped to shape the wild but wholesome world of Douglas Adams.

So I guess I'm off to gag down my daily dose of algebra (because, you know, I have to). Keep Geoffrey Perkins and Steve Irwin in mind.

~Emily

Babies, Books, and Birthdays

2008-08-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

Of my three brothers, William is the youngest, and he turns seven today. I can hardly believe it; I mean, seven is a lot older than six. We started school a few days ago and I was simply amazed at how much William seemed to have learnt over the summer -- I had no idea that he could read so well. And now that he is seven, he will probably be reading books like the Magic Tree House series and Junie B. Jones on his own .... Sob. I can't believe he is seven.

On another literary note, the other night I finished reading The Death of Jayson Porter by Jaime Adoff. This is a book that should be read. Period (except for those who find they can't stomach hard-core content).

I've been rereading It's Not the End of the World by Judy Blume. I love that book.

This morning was spent playing with my four-year-old friend and his baby brother; and during all this fun, the boys' mother told me she was expecting another baby!

I'm a sucker for babies -- the kind of person who gasps with raw emotion when she sees one ....

I shrieked and threw my arms around her.

Wish William (who will always be my baby) a Happy Birthday in your heads.

~Emily

Some More About Books (Sorry)

2008-08-25T10:23:00.000-07:00

The other night I finished Patricia McCormick's Cut and am really stunned by how marvelous it was. Seriously, if you liked Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, you'll love Cut, which, although the two books share many elements, shines on its own.

I am currently in the middle of The Death of Jayson Porter by Jaime Adoff. This is a truly enthralling and gruesome read.

Yesterday I bought a copy of Huge, the novel I mentioned on here a few days ago (alongside The Patron Saint of Butterflies). It's a very flighty read (although it does competently address some serious issues, such as the emotional baggage that can come with being a fat teenager), and I enjoyed it so much that I really wanted my own copy. (I sometimes love fluffy YA books -- and also hard-core novels, like The Death of Jayson Porter.)

Last night I mustered the courage to watch the entire Snow White play on video (my mother had recorded from the front of the crowd). I can barely stand to watch myself perform, especially since plays tend not to translate well to film. After all, theatre and film are too enormously different mediums.

Sorry about all the book blogging. Maybe it will come in useful to some, though ... read Cut (especially if you liked Speak).

~Emily

Reading

2008-08-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

The play turned out wonderfully, although I feel guilty for forgetting to say an important line during the second performance. But the entire cast were so exhausted that I have a feeling I can be forgiven.

Last night I finished reading Cecilia Galante's The Patron Saint of Butterflies. It is a very strange book. There was something that kept me at a distance from the entire story -- the characters, the setting, everything -- but at the same time, I was compelled the entire time I was reading it. It is just an extremely strange but fascinating novel.

And this morning I completed Huge by Sasha Paley. This one was a lot of fun; it doesn't have much moral to it, and is rather flighty, but I enjoyed it so much that I kind of wish I could begin once again and read it all the way through without remembering even a single chapter. You know how some books are ....

The Patron Saint of Butterflies and Huge are two extremely different novels, and I liked them both in very different ways.

Today I entered the library hoping to find Julie Halpern's Get Well Soon and take it home, since I read almost half of it in the library already, but someone had checked it out! I knew I shouldn't have left it on display with the New YA Books, for all the hungry teenage readers to see ....

~Emily

With a Yo Hi Ho Hi Ho

2008-08-14T13:09:00.000-07:00

I am the Queen in my town's production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. My throat hurts from the Evil Laugh and all the screaming but I am definitely having a lot of fun. The directors insist that I "conserve" and "rest" my voice, as they claim to have chosen me for the role mainly for my speaking voice.

I love being told that people enjoy my speaking voice. I love nice speaking voices and to have one, I've often thought, would be such a great gift. I really feel so wonderful when I hear that people enjoy listening to my own voice.

(Amongst my very favorite speaking voices is that of Mr. Neil Gaiman, whose audiobooks are always worth listening to.)

I have never seen the entire Disney version of Snow White, having believed, up until the age of perhaps ten or eleven, that it was one of the scariest kids' movies out there. The queen absolutely terrified both me and my brother Benjamin, and we were living under the impression that all queens were evil.

I can't emphasize enough how wonderful it feels to be sitting in the library after a day of rehearsing.

The performance is on Saturday ... I am looking forward to it and just about have every solitary line memorized.

I am off to do nice, relaxing things now, like reading Philip Pullman's The Shadow in the North and customer reviews on Amazon.

~Emily

The Life of One Home-Schooled Teenager

2008-08-06T10:57:00.001-07:00

This blog might be a good place to answer at least a few of the many questions I get about being home-schooled. What, it seems many people wish to know, is it like to be home-schooled?

Good. Bad. And many things in between.

I can't, of course, speak for every home-schooler out there. I know one home-schooling family who travel and enjoy themselves at leisure and learn about random things and involve very little paper; I know another whose children write reports and solve math problems throughout the entire week, including Saturday and Sunday. So I speak from my own experiences as a person who was in school for a while, and then was taught at home.

Upon hearing I'm home-schooled, many people ask questions. Some people are mildly curious about how much I enjoy it, and then let the subject drop; and others practically grab me by the arm and sit down to interview me about it.

I'll try to answer some of the questions I am most frequently asked.

Why are you home-schooled?

In February of fourth grade, my mother took me out of my elementary school, which, like most of the schools in my town at that time, was in certain turmoil. As a nine-year-old, I didn't observe nearly as much as she did, but I did know, from listening to reports on television, that many of the schools were overcrowded; and I deduced, from the mere fact that it was on the news, that my having to pick up the cafeteria floor by hand along with a handful of other students before going out to play as punishment for the high noise level during lunchtime, was not right.

One of my brothers, Benjamin, was in second grade at the time, and Jack was in kindergarten. William, who is now almost seven, has never been in school.

Home-schooling my mother felt she should at least try.

Is it hard to make friends?

Have you ever thought about how many ways there are to make friends? Camps, clubs, sports, events. Activity in the religious community. Talking to people on the beach or at the grocery store. No matter where you are in the schooling system, the amount of yourself that goes into society is your choice.

Many home-schoolers like the get-together sort of events that are sponsored by home-schooling associations (like Rhode Island's RIGHT and SOS) or home-schooling parents. These allow home-schooled kids and parents to meet somewhere and make friends with one another, or to catch up with old friends.

Don't forget that there are children and teens who are in school five days a week and find it difficult to make friends due to shyness.

Do you have a set curriculum?

My mother might be in the Top One Hundred Most Organized People on the Planet (no, there isn't really any such thing). It's not that she's a neat freak but that she really knows what she's doing when she puts things together for school work. So yes -- my brothers and I have schedules referring to what should be completed that week; mine tends to be organized by subject: which pages ought to be done in my math, language arts, and science books; what pages I should read in World History, etc.

Some people want to know whether I have assigned, or required, reading. No, not usually. I do so much reading on my own.

Don't you get sick of being around your family all the time?

Yes. The trick is to focus on whatever work needs to be done; and no, I am not very good at it. In fact, I have an astonishingly low tolerance for fingers drumming on the tabletop or feet kicking a chair leg.

Sometimes I take my work to the library (which can also be distracting since I know pretty much every single librarian, and we end up chatting).

Do you have homework?

No -- if we don't finish all of our work, we'll have to do it later. Occasionally we work well into the evening. Everything has to be completed eventually.

Again, people home-school for different reasons and in different ways. I know I must have missed some crucial topics on here, and if you have any questions about home-schooling, please ask in the comments -- I will happily respond!

~Emily

Bad Memories

2008-07-21T12:30:00.000-07:00

I finished reading Padma Venkatraman's Climbing the Stairs -- it was magnificent. I think it's an important book. And last night I completed The Life History of a Star by Kelly Easton. Also wonderful; I think both books and their protagonists will stay with me for a long time.

The twentieth marked the three-year anniversary of my first trip to camp. It was a camp for children with juvenile diabetes. Complete overkill on any treatment, whether you were hyperglycemic (sugar too high) or hypoglycemic (sugar too low). These three days were filled with kickball under the raging sun, watching chubby spiders dance mere inches over your head in the cabins, beetles swimming in the toilet bowls, plastic mattresses stained with something that looked like rejected stomach contents, and frozen graham cracker-chocolate pudding-marashmallow sandwiches. To top it off, the girls in my cabin hated me.

"You know everybody talks about you behind your back?" a girl two years younger than I was asked me.

"No," I said. "Why?"

"Well ... when you talk, it makes the rest of us sound kinda retahded," she admitted.

(The Rhode Island accent, for those who have never heard it, sounds rather like a thinner, less refined version of the Boston accent.)

"Oh," I said. "Because I use big words?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"Ah."

"I thought you were gonna cry," said the other girl, looking disappointed.

I have to admit that I was the Hermione Granger of the cabin -- insecure enough to flaunt a broad vocabulary and refined grammatical skills. (But I can't possibly be the only one who couldn't bear to listen to, "She don' wanna be a junia counsela" and "I ain't, you ain't, he/she/it ain't". Can I?) Anyway, I am never going back to camp. Ever. This experience turned me off for life.

The only good part of camp was listening to the storyteller. I love storytellers. (Although this was around the campfire, and all but yours truly, who had a mouthful of steel, were enjoying chubby white marshmallows.)

~Emily

Rescuing Seneca Crane

2008-07-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

According to Ms. Susan Runholt's Mystery Blog (http://susanrunholt.com/blog), the title of the second novel in her Kari and Lucas series will be Rescuing Seneca Crane. I am marvelously excited to read it. Read the first book in the series, The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, and you'll definitely have something to look forward to. I find it pretty hard to find a really wonderful book series, the kind that makes you want to get to the library as fast as possible so that you can pick up the next one; the kind with characters that will bring you feelings you just don't get every day; the kind of characters you care about so much that when something important happens to them -- like if they have a mental breakdown or a baby or something -- you'll have them in your mind and in your heart for several days.

(Something tells me Kari and Lucas won't get pregnant any time soon, though. It was merely an example.)

~Emily

In Rememberance of Zachary Taylor, 1784-1850

2008-07-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

Today we mourn the twelfth president of the United States of America, General Zachary Taylor.

Well, we don't really mourn him; we remember him. He was not the most kindred spirit. In fact, I feel inclined to confess that we includes primarily me and my brother Benjamin. We remember Zachary Taylor because he is a distant cousin of ours. We also remember Franklin Delano Roosevelt on the anniversary of his death but we actually mourn him. (He also is our cousin, via one of the Mayflower families.)

Well, keep General Taylor in your thoughts. He died of poisonous cherries and iced milk. I wonder what iced milk tastes like?

(The truth is that I actually hate milk on its own and I doubt that this iced milk would appeal to me.)

~Emily

Kind of Tying Things Up After a Long Break

2008-07-07T14:46:00.001-07:00

Well, that was a long break from blogging. I don't really have any excuse except that I've been tired, because my biological clock nudges me into staying up past one in the morning and still getting up on time to greet the day. It makes no sense. (Does anything make sense when you're fifteen?)

Our Independence Day was quiet. I take odd pleasure in listening to other people celebrate, though, and found myself engrossed in the raucousness coming from next door.

I am currently reading Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman. I'll have more to say when I'm further in but it is certainly very wonderful.

I am also absored in The Handy Religion Answer Book by John Renard and Inside Out by Nadia Shivack.

I hope all my readers had a happy Fourth of July and that no one is suffering from too much heat (it's hot here in RI).

~Emily

Freakish Images

2008-06-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Today the air show is going on in Rhode Island. I've never been to it but take little fancy to the idea of standing around in the humidity plugging my ears. It's really quite loud enough without being directly under the show itself. I don't much like that the Air Show is still going on with the war in Iraq, but it is a benefit to Hasbro Children's Hospital, a place I appreciate very much.

It seems the Air Show always takes place on a hot or humid day. The weather today in RI is both. But I never ever complain about the summertime because I genuinely hate winter. I know people who like it, and I can never understand why (except in the case of children who like to play in snow).

Last night I started reading the graphic novel adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Coraline and found myself, for the first time, fully understanding his comment on how the story would likely give adults nightmares but be a great adventure for children. There is something markedly bizarre and slightly unpleasant for me in seeing the story this blatantly (although P. Craig Russel is one of my favorite artists). The author also once mentioned how it is so much easier for him to be sickened by descriptions because his mind can do so much, but actually seeing something up front didn't bother him nearly as much. Sometimes I feel the same way; sometimes, on the other hand, I cannot bear to look. (I remember beginning his Sandman series for the first time -- not so very long ago -- and having to take several weeks to adjust to the frequent ... Sandmanness of it.) After all, your mind can always tone things down, too.

I have to rush off to do something now.

~Emily

Banging My Head Against the Wall

2008-06-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

Because six-year-old William threw up tonight.

http://emetophobia.bravepages.com

All I can say really, is crap.

~Emily

Old Things and Jitterbugs

2008-06-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Seventy-eight degrees today; utterly and gloriously perfect weather.

I'm helping out with a tour of antiques today -- furniture, paintings, and toys. I have a great fondness for very old dolls and books and treasure my German copy of a compilation of Hans Christian Andersens' fairy tales. It has the sweet old-book smell and I have found dry flower petals pressed in between the leaves.

Fortunately, much of the tour takes place outside.

Tomorrow two of my younger brothers (Jack and William) perform in their Wizard of Oz play. I am extremely excited to see nearly-seven-year-old William as a Tough Guy Munchkin (of the Lollipop Guild), Poppy, Winkie, and Twister. I really am. And ten-year-old Jack shall play Uncle Henry. Jack also has to be a Jitterbug (?) and claims to hate the costume with a passion. This makes me curious and very interested to see it.

I hope the weather is every bit as lovely in your area, but I hear it's dreadfully hot in Los Angeles. (Keep cool, Yoga Gal.)

~Emily