There was a strange wind today. It whipped about the road, thrashing the tops of trees, and ripping cabbage heads from their patches and sending them tumbling into the road. It violently tugged at the coattails of schoolchildren and gentlemen and almost toppled the pillbox hats of proper ladies strolling down the street.
A woman living in the Scottish countryside opened her door and immediately had to hold onto her veil. "A very strange wind this is," she muttered. "A very strange wind indeed." It almost peeled every petal off of the flowers in her window boxes and set to kicking about the produce in her vegetable garden. "I better phone Gardenia," she said, shaking her head and re-entering the house.
Oceans away, a magician named Gardenia steps outside of his study to measure the wind. "Forty leagues away and it still finds me," he says wryly, smiling. He steps back into his butter yellow house to look for some graph paper and a book on meteorology. A tap comes from his windowpane. "One moment, please," he calls to the entrance. The tap comes again. "I'm coming," he shouts back there. "Just one moment." The tap comes yet again, more insistent this time. "I said, one moment," he replies irritably. That's when he realizes that the tapping is not coming from where he is standing on the bottom floor, but from the upper floor of his manor. A tree branch, perhaps? He thought. But no. His spine and skull were tingling. This was something out of the ordinary. Dropping his books, he races up the spiral staircase to the upper floor, bursting into his library. There. The tapping WAS coming from the window, and it WAS a tree branch, but there was something else there too. Something small and soft and fragile. The magician cranked a lever to open the window and his jaw dropped at what he saw. A basket with a thin blanket was hooked onto the tree branch outside. The wind was indeed making the trees tilt and pitch violently, but it was the basket that was making the tapping noise. Gardenia lifted the basket off the branch and carefully maneuvered it inside. Whatever was inside the basket was magical, he could feel that, and it might react badly if accidentally bumped against any of the magical objects he had in his library. Unfortunately, in spite of the man's best efforts, the basket did bump into something, but it didn't explode or send off sparks. It cried instead. A baby? the magician thought. But it was a very strange cry. A plaintive mewing more than the wail of a human baby. Gardenia set it down upon his desk and then carefully unwrapped the blanket, praying to the gods for protection in case whatever it was attacked him. It WAS a baby. But not a human baby at all. It was a ferret. Whew, the magician thought, leaning against his desk and wiping off his brow from relief. He didn't know why this infant ferret had been brought to him, but he was sure the answer would reveal itself later. Closing the window, he took the basket downstairs and began research on how to take care of ferrets.
It was only too bad he didn't see who had snuck in through the window right before he closed it...
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
A Strange Wind
There was a strange wind blowing today. It made the treetops thrash about and whipped the dead autumn leaves into the air. The sky looks strange, too. It keeps alternating between being deceptively sunny and then suddenly overcast. When I went outside to observe the weather, the sky had two different tones to it. The horizon had large cumulus clouds wafting through it and pure blue sky in the distance. The middle of the sky, however, was completely covered by a dome of thick and heavy steel-grey clouds. It ran in arc-like streaks over the center of the atmosphere and appeared very foreboding indeed.
The original reason I came outside was because the wind was whipping about the windows of my parents' house even though it was pure sunlight streaming through the windows. Once I stepped outside, however, I caught the wind trying to make off with the trash can. It had whipped it out to the middle of the road and was dragging it pitifully across the cement.
"Oh crap, I better get that!" I quickly looked around for a pair of shoes. My father's loafers were nearby, but a spider had taken up residence in one of them. I opted for a pair of my brother's old Lacoste shoes instead. I raced outside to catch the trash can as it was skidding across the road. Then I replaced it behind the house, out of the wind's path. Oh dear. What now?
Actually, this kind of weather makes for a good story...
The original reason I came outside was because the wind was whipping about the windows of my parents' house even though it was pure sunlight streaming through the windows. Once I stepped outside, however, I caught the wind trying to make off with the trash can. It had whipped it out to the middle of the road and was dragging it pitifully across the cement.
"Oh crap, I better get that!" I quickly looked around for a pair of shoes. My father's loafers were nearby, but a spider had taken up residence in one of them. I opted for a pair of my brother's old Lacoste shoes instead. I raced outside to catch the trash can as it was skidding across the road. Then I replaced it behind the house, out of the wind's path. Oh dear. What now?
Actually, this kind of weather makes for a good story...
National Boxing Day
I never knew where this day came from, to be honest. I just associated it with the sport of boxing and I knew that it was a Canadian holiday so I thought that the Canadians must really like boxing to devote an entire day to it. Matt was the one who explained everything to me.
"Boxing was where you boxed up all the gifts you didn't want and return them."
"OH," I said. I had not thought of that.
"OR," he continued. "It's where you box up leftovers and give them to the homeless."
"That's very nice of them," I said, giving a smile.
"Yeah...I guess."
I laughed at that. " 'Yeah...I guess' " I said, imitating him.
"I think it all started with the rich. They were like, 'We have all this food left over...let's box it up and give it to the poor...I guess.' "
Well, to celebrate boxing day, I boxed up any leftover presents I still had to give people and left them in a pile in my room. I love seeing piles of presents; it just makes me so happy.
Also, I took a long drive with Craig and we went to the grocery store to buy cat food for Mogmi. That poor cat. The cat food ran out pretty early in the winter break and so, at the first available opportunity, we drove out the grocery store to get some more. I also picked up some ingredients to make cream cheese chewies. I don't really know what they are, but a friend of mine gifted me some baking utensils, the recipe for cream cheese chewies, and bag of something called "butter-me-up" mix. I hadn't had time to make them yet, so I thought I might as well make them today.
Of course, once I came home with the groceries, I read the ingredient list and realize that I didn't have powdered sugar. Well, I thought,it's a nice day outside so I take a walk to a nearby grocery store to buy powdered sugar. Once I get back home, I start to mix things together. Then I open the fridge to get some eggs and
"We don't have eggs, do we?" Well, by that time, the sun was going down and it's the middle of winter so I decide to drive to the grocery store this time and buy eggs. I also pick up milk for Matthew, just for good measure.
Once the baking's done, I try some cream cheese chewies and they're...they're pretty good. They taste like a mix between cheesecake and regular cake. Not spectacular or melt-in-your-mouth, but not bad either.
Anyway, it's 8:30 again and I'm sleepy so I go to bed just to be woken by Matthew calling me. He says that he's driving back from his family's house and that they bought me gifts. He wants me to come over to get them. And well...
"Boxing was where you boxed up all the gifts you didn't want and return them."
"OH," I said. I had not thought of that.
"OR," he continued. "It's where you box up leftovers and give them to the homeless."
"That's very nice of them," I said, giving a smile.
"Yeah...I guess."
I laughed at that. " 'Yeah...I guess' " I said, imitating him.
"I think it all started with the rich. They were like, 'We have all this food left over...let's box it up and give it to the poor...I guess.' "
Well, to celebrate boxing day, I boxed up any leftover presents I still had to give people and left them in a pile in my room. I love seeing piles of presents; it just makes me so happy.
Also, I took a long drive with Craig and we went to the grocery store to buy cat food for Mogmi. That poor cat. The cat food ran out pretty early in the winter break and so, at the first available opportunity, we drove out the grocery store to get some more. I also picked up some ingredients to make cream cheese chewies. I don't really know what they are, but a friend of mine gifted me some baking utensils, the recipe for cream cheese chewies, and bag of something called "butter-me-up" mix. I hadn't had time to make them yet, so I thought I might as well make them today.
Of course, once I came home with the groceries, I read the ingredient list and realize that I didn't have powdered sugar. Well, I thought,it's a nice day outside so I take a walk to a nearby grocery store to buy powdered sugar. Once I get back home, I start to mix things together. Then I open the fridge to get some eggs and
"We don't have eggs, do we?" Well, by that time, the sun was going down and it's the middle of winter so I decide to drive to the grocery store this time and buy eggs. I also pick up milk for Matthew, just for good measure.
Once the baking's done, I try some cream cheese chewies and they're...they're pretty good. They taste like a mix between cheesecake and regular cake. Not spectacular or melt-in-your-mouth, but not bad either.
Anyway, it's 8:30 again and I'm sleepy so I go to bed just to be woken by Matthew calling me. He says that he's driving back from his family's house and that they bought me gifts. He wants me to come over to get them. And well...
Christmas Day 2011
This year's Christmas wasn't half-bad. It was kind of nice actually. I cooked breakfast for my parents and we watched The Nutcracker ballet on television. After church, my mother went to help with the Christmas party down in the church's gym so I spent the hour practicing piano in the now empty church. I had Coldplay's "The Scientist" stuck in my head so I played that one first.
A long while later, my former choir director came in to return the music sheet stand and she heard me playing. We had a short chat in which she asked when I was graduating college.
"Um," was all I said.
"Oh, so you've already graduated college?" she asked.
More "Um". I love non-committal responses.
"Well, Merry Christmas, and if I don't see you at New Year..."
We shared an awkward hug before she left; I went back to piano practice. My father came in shortly thereafter. Apparently, my parents had been looking for me for a while. My mother kept trying to call me (I took that moment as the perfect opportunity to tell them that I had left my phone at the house), and sure enough, when I arrived home, there were seven missed calls from my mother. I do have a habit of disappearing and not telling people where I am. I'll work on that as one of my new year's resolutions.
Anyway, my mother and I took a long drive that Christmas evening. She mostly wanted an excuse to talk and vent about her life. (My dad does this, too. Actually, most people do this to me.) So I was a bit sleepy and emotionally worn out by the time we drove back home. I went to bed at 8:30 and drifted in and out of sleep for hours. My brother, who is spending Christmas thousands of miles away with other relatives, sent me a text message four minutes before midnight. He was talking about some bells ringing or something. I hadn't completely fallen asleep the last three and a half hours I'd been in bed so I decided to get up and try out something I've been wanting to do for years.
Every holiday season, a few radio stations will start playing Christmas music starting in November and lasting all the way until Christmas Day. My question was, did the Christmas music stop at exactly midnight? Or did it stop a little earlier or a little later? Well, since my brother's text message woke up four minutes before Christmas ended, I snuck out to my car (my house does not have a radio, you see) to answer this question. I plugged in the car keys and turned them a notch, then I pressed the radio button. The station was just in the beginning bars of "Winter Wonderland." It wasn't really my favorite Christmas song or even my favorite version of this song, but I listened to the entire thing anyway. The song ended at 12:01 am, and I listened closely to what came next. Sure enough, after that song ended, the automatic radio host came on and he no longer said, "YOUR Christmas station" after his spiel. The next song to come on was Leona Lewis's "Better in time", most definitively NOT a Christmas song. I switched to another Christmas radio station to double-check. They were playing one of Pink's hard-rock-I'm bitter-and-resentful-because-of-my-crappy-life-and-my-unfortunate-childhood-so-I-wrote-a-song-to-whine-about-it-on-the-radio kind of songs. (As you can probably infer, I don't particularly like Pink. I like some bitter and resentful songs, but not so much the way Pink does them).
And that was it for me. That was how I knew Christmas was over (for another year, anyway)--the radio had stopped playing Christmas songs.
A long while later, my former choir director came in to return the music sheet stand and she heard me playing. We had a short chat in which she asked when I was graduating college.
"Um," was all I said.
"Oh, so you've already graduated college?" she asked.
More "Um". I love non-committal responses.
"Well, Merry Christmas, and if I don't see you at New Year..."
We shared an awkward hug before she left; I went back to piano practice. My father came in shortly thereafter. Apparently, my parents had been looking for me for a while. My mother kept trying to call me (I took that moment as the perfect opportunity to tell them that I had left my phone at the house), and sure enough, when I arrived home, there were seven missed calls from my mother. I do have a habit of disappearing and not telling people where I am. I'll work on that as one of my new year's resolutions.
Anyway, my mother and I took a long drive that Christmas evening. She mostly wanted an excuse to talk and vent about her life. (My dad does this, too. Actually, most people do this to me.) So I was a bit sleepy and emotionally worn out by the time we drove back home. I went to bed at 8:30 and drifted in and out of sleep for hours. My brother, who is spending Christmas thousands of miles away with other relatives, sent me a text message four minutes before midnight. He was talking about some bells ringing or something. I hadn't completely fallen asleep the last three and a half hours I'd been in bed so I decided to get up and try out something I've been wanting to do for years.
Every holiday season, a few radio stations will start playing Christmas music starting in November and lasting all the way until Christmas Day. My question was, did the Christmas music stop at exactly midnight? Or did it stop a little earlier or a little later? Well, since my brother's text message woke up four minutes before Christmas ended, I snuck out to my car (my house does not have a radio, you see) to answer this question. I plugged in the car keys and turned them a notch, then I pressed the radio button. The station was just in the beginning bars of "Winter Wonderland." It wasn't really my favorite Christmas song or even my favorite version of this song, but I listened to the entire thing anyway. The song ended at 12:01 am, and I listened closely to what came next. Sure enough, after that song ended, the automatic radio host came on and he no longer said, "YOUR Christmas station" after his spiel. The next song to come on was Leona Lewis's "Better in time", most definitively NOT a Christmas song. I switched to another Christmas radio station to double-check. They were playing one of Pink's hard-rock-I'm bitter-and-resentful-because-of-my-crappy-life-and-my-unfortunate-childhood-so-I-wrote-a-song-to-whine-about-it-on-the-radio kind of songs. (As you can probably infer, I don't particularly like Pink. I like some bitter and resentful songs, but not so much the way Pink does them).
And that was it for me. That was how I knew Christmas was over (for another year, anyway)--the radio had stopped playing Christmas songs.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas Eve--my favorite day of the year!
It really is my favorite day of the year. When I said this to one of my friends, she asked, "Why Christmas Eve? Why not Christmas Day?"
"Because Christmas Day is so close to the end of Christmas. I love the day of anticipation more. I love Christmas Eve because I spend all day waiting for Christmas to come. It makes me excited."
Anyway, I had a productive day--got all of my chores done, went jogging, played Christmas carols on the piano, and even went last-minute shopping for Christmas. My mother had a coupon for $10 off anything in the department store of JC Penny and it was expiring today so she told me to go ahead and use it. I asked her what she wanted to buy and, without hesitation, she said, "Underwear." And so I bought my mother underwear. Now I don't know what size her underwear is, and I didn't want to take a pair of her undies into the mall, just in case someone might think that I stole it. So, what I did was take a pair of her clean underwear and cut out a paper replica of it. Imagine the look on the face of the saleslady when I held out my cut-up copy and said, "Do you have any underwear in THIS size?" Mind you, my mother has a bit of a hefty waist so we're not talking petite undies here. I saw the saleslady' eyes grow all wide when she saw it. "Um, er, we might have that size over there." She ended up showing me a pair of just the right size and I "bought" it with the coupon.
When my mother came home from work that night, I showed her the new undies and her first reaction was, "Wow! A name brand! I've always wanted of these!" Apparently, she had liked this brand of underwear for a long time, and had sworn to buy one someday but always balked at the last minute. She thought they were too expensive. I didn't even notice the name brand, but then again, I don't notice much.
Well, they fit when she tried them on so I must have done something right.
Anyway, I went to Christmas Eve Mass tonight and halfway through, I realized that I had forgotten my gift to my godmother! I had wrapped up these blue-and-white porcelain food dishes for her gift, you see, and then I forgot them at home. I started to panic in the middle of church, but then I remembered that I could just give them to her some other time. A late present is still nicer than no present at all, at least most of the time. I apologized to her after church, but she said that she had a present for me, too, and that to wait until tomorrow to exchange gifts. Christmas IS technically tomorrow so I suppose it can wait until then. I can't wait until she sees her gift! I quadrupled wrapped it because my godmother has four sons (three of them very young) and the extra wrapping is just in case one of them gets their hands on it before she's able to open it. This way, the dishes should be safe in case one of them tries shaking it or accidentally drops it. Now that I think about, though, quadruple wrapping it might have been overkill. She might have a hard time unwrapping it at all. Oh well. It's all been done. In any case, Happy Holidays, everyone!
"Because Christmas Day is so close to the end of Christmas. I love the day of anticipation more. I love Christmas Eve because I spend all day waiting for Christmas to come. It makes me excited."
Anyway, I had a productive day--got all of my chores done, went jogging, played Christmas carols on the piano, and even went last-minute shopping for Christmas. My mother had a coupon for $10 off anything in the department store of JC Penny and it was expiring today so she told me to go ahead and use it. I asked her what she wanted to buy and, without hesitation, she said, "Underwear." And so I bought my mother underwear. Now I don't know what size her underwear is, and I didn't want to take a pair of her undies into the mall, just in case someone might think that I stole it. So, what I did was take a pair of her clean underwear and cut out a paper replica of it. Imagine the look on the face of the saleslady when I held out my cut-up copy and said, "Do you have any underwear in THIS size?" Mind you, my mother has a bit of a hefty waist so we're not talking petite undies here. I saw the saleslady' eyes grow all wide when she saw it. "Um, er, we might have that size over there." She ended up showing me a pair of just the right size and I "bought" it with the coupon.
When my mother came home from work that night, I showed her the new undies and her first reaction was, "Wow! A name brand! I've always wanted of these!" Apparently, she had liked this brand of underwear for a long time, and had sworn to buy one someday but always balked at the last minute. She thought they were too expensive. I didn't even notice the name brand, but then again, I don't notice much.
Well, they fit when she tried them on so I must have done something right.
Anyway, I went to Christmas Eve Mass tonight and halfway through, I realized that I had forgotten my gift to my godmother! I had wrapped up these blue-and-white porcelain food dishes for her gift, you see, and then I forgot them at home. I started to panic in the middle of church, but then I remembered that I could just give them to her some other time. A late present is still nicer than no present at all, at least most of the time. I apologized to her after church, but she said that she had a present for me, too, and that to wait until tomorrow to exchange gifts. Christmas IS technically tomorrow so I suppose it can wait until then. I can't wait until she sees her gift! I quadrupled wrapped it because my godmother has four sons (three of them very young) and the extra wrapping is just in case one of them gets their hands on it before she's able to open it. This way, the dishes should be safe in case one of them tries shaking it or accidentally drops it. Now that I think about, though, quadruple wrapping it might have been overkill. She might have a hard time unwrapping it at all. Oh well. It's all been done. In any case, Happy Holidays, everyone!
Phineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is, by far, one of the best television shows to come out. Ever. And I was actually home this winter break when it was on television. And I planned to watch it. And then I FORGOT to watch it. As soon as I realized this, I went, "NOoooo!"
My mother and Hoang-Anh asked what was wrong, but I just wailed, "I missed Phineas and Ferb! And now...(hic) now it'll never come again!" I spent the next minute of my life inconsolable, hugging my arms to keep my silent sobs from shaking my body too much. Yes, I tend to be overly dramatic sometimes. You can ask anyone who's been my roommate. They'll tell you.
Anyway, it turns out that Hoang-Anh liked Phineas and Ferb, too.
"I love how the sister is always trying to catch them."
"Yeah, Candace? I watched a clip of Phineas and Ferb where she DID catch them. Also, I didn't know they were stepbrothers."
Hoang-Anh's eyes grew wide. "They're STEPBROTHERS?"
"Yup," I said, somehow proud of myself for knowing that.
After we talked about it some more, I admitted, "It's probably the only Disney show that I think is good."
"It's DISNEY?!"
Hoang-Anh sure seemed surprised by a lot of this considering that she's seen more episodes than I've ever seen...
Anyway, I know that Phineas and Ferb is a kid's show and that I already graduated from college, but I really do think it's one of the best shows around. If you haven't seen it or heard of it, then check it out for yourself. You don't have to take my word for it (Thank you, LeVar Burton).
My mother and Hoang-Anh asked what was wrong, but I just wailed, "I missed Phineas and Ferb! And now...(hic) now it'll never come again!" I spent the next minute of my life inconsolable, hugging my arms to keep my silent sobs from shaking my body too much. Yes, I tend to be overly dramatic sometimes. You can ask anyone who's been my roommate. They'll tell you.
Anyway, it turns out that Hoang-Anh liked Phineas and Ferb, too.
"I love how the sister is always trying to catch them."
"Yeah, Candace? I watched a clip of Phineas and Ferb where she DID catch them. Also, I didn't know they were stepbrothers."
Hoang-Anh's eyes grew wide. "They're STEPBROTHERS?"
"Yup," I said, somehow proud of myself for knowing that.
After we talked about it some more, I admitted, "It's probably the only Disney show that I think is good."
"It's DISNEY?!"
Hoang-Anh sure seemed surprised by a lot of this considering that she's seen more episodes than I've ever seen...
Anyway, I know that Phineas and Ferb is a kid's show and that I already graduated from college, but I really do think it's one of the best shows around. If you haven't seen it or heard of it, then check it out for yourself. You don't have to take my word for it (Thank you, LeVar Burton).
Okay, about that last post...the one on Christmas Eve eve
Wtf? The abbreviation "mP3" is in the computer's spell check dictionary and "girly" is not?! This all kinds of messed up...
December 23, 2011--Christmas Eve eve
I finished the shopping for Christmas dinner. Or, rather, my father did. I offered to cook Christmas dinner again this year, but my dad bought so much food that I think it's unwise if I try to add to that pile. The refrigerator is already crammed enough as it is now. However, my father's been cooking a lot these days--unusual for him. He's also been going to sleep much earlier--6 p.m. At least he seems more mellow. No more angry emotional outbursts or overreacting to trivial things.
On the other side, my mother has been having all these aches and pains. She's been asking me for advice on the aches, but I usually don't know what to do other than to recommend medicine or a massage. It's strange, but she reveres my word like I'm some kind of doctor. Well, I suppose I know a little bit more about the human body (since I like to read about it), but I'm still no M.D. Oftentimes, all I do is look up her symptoms on the Mayo Clinic's website or check WebMD. Then I tell her what I find. I hope they're reliable...
Lastly, my friend Hoang-Anh came over today. She brought Christmas presents for everyone and then insisted on giving me a manicure. So we sat around doing our nails and talking about boys and all that girly stuff. She ended up staying really late at my house and my mother said she could spend the night here so it just ended up being a slumber party. We talked a lot more and I took her through my mP3 player so she could write down the names of the songs she liked. We stayed up until 12:30 in the morning (very unusual for me considering that I go to sleep at 9).
"Just tell me when you want to go to sleep, okay?" Hoang-Anh tells me.
"Oh, don't you worry. We can just talk until we fall asleep. If you tell me something and I don't respond...then I'm asleep."
Then I rolled over onto my side and promptly went to sleep.
On the other side, my mother has been having all these aches and pains. She's been asking me for advice on the aches, but I usually don't know what to do other than to recommend medicine or a massage. It's strange, but she reveres my word like I'm some kind of doctor. Well, I suppose I know a little bit more about the human body (since I like to read about it), but I'm still no M.D. Oftentimes, all I do is look up her symptoms on the Mayo Clinic's website or check WebMD. Then I tell her what I find. I hope they're reliable...
Lastly, my friend Hoang-Anh came over today. She brought Christmas presents for everyone and then insisted on giving me a manicure. So we sat around doing our nails and talking about boys and all that girly stuff. She ended up staying really late at my house and my mother said she could spend the night here so it just ended up being a slumber party. We talked a lot more and I took her through my mP3 player so she could write down the names of the songs she liked. We stayed up until 12:30 in the morning (very unusual for me considering that I go to sleep at 9).
"Just tell me when you want to go to sleep, okay?" Hoang-Anh tells me.
"Oh, don't you worry. We can just talk until we fall asleep. If you tell me something and I don't respond...then I'm asleep."
Then I rolled over onto my side and promptly went to sleep.
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About Me
- jumira-wings
- Hi, I'm jumira-wings, likely to be one of the strangest people you'll ever meet.