Archive for the ‘Nonclassified Nonsense’ Category

ARGH! Well, with every mistake I make using windows, I learn something,
right? I gotta start thinking of it that way. What doesn’t kill you can
only make you stronger–Nietzsche. When discussing the hundred or so ways he
tried to design a light bulb that didn’t work, Thomas Edison said that those
weren’t a hundred failures but rather a hundred ways he’d now learned
wouldn’t work. He also said that invention was 1% inspiration and 99%
persperation. So I guess that makes inventors geniuses with a strong work
ethic. Or stubborn, one.

In any case, I copied all my new mail to a Compose Mail window, read it
offline, figured how to make the thing print properly (it was set to
“envelope.” DUH!), printed out something from Eric the Awful, and then tried
to get out of that window only to loose everything by exiting AOL! Okay,
okay. Learn. You learned, something, Jonah. Get a grip.

Anyway, I’ve got to get back on now and check to see what Geof has to say
about my webpage. I told Max I’ve got one. He seemed pretty impressed.
Max’s hero is the unabomber. He dislikes all technology, especially
complicated computer stuff, although he can maneuver around the web
successfully. He called last night from the academy while we were watching
Clueless to ask me what the name of it was. I told him but then said that it
wasn’t listed under anything, I didn’t think. I can’t remeber the address.
Geof put it up under the permanent place, and I forgot what it is. I wrote
Ben, but he hasn’t responded. Course, all i said was, “I think it’s written
on a scrap of paper somewhere around the computer.”

My life is written on scraps of paper. I have this habit of scrawling down
phone numbers on little slips and then coming back weeks later to find them
and wonder who the heck they belong to. When I was cleaning up my room
before leaving for here, I put all the scraps in a neat envelope sized box
that Melissa gave me a gift certificate to Books-a-Million in for my
birthday. Otherwise, I just stuff them into one of the top drawers of my
desk so I can shuffle through them in a panic when I need someone’s number
and didn’t write it on my handy dandy note card I keep folded in my wallet.

Everything comes to an end. Paths separate. Friendships fade. Closeness
ends with distance as people grow further apart by miles and interests.

My face is sunburned. That’s because I wasn’t restless today. We built a
fence. Jef, Nathan, Steph, and I started working on it this morning by
digging holes for fence posts, planting them, and drilling screws into two by
sixes to go along the top. When I talked to Dad tonight, he said, “I hear
y’all had an argument.” I answered, “_I_ didn’t argue. I was just
expressing my opinions which didn’t happen to correspond to other people’s.”
Nathan insisted we do it one way, while Steph was strongly suggesting we do
it another. I added my two bits’ worth, which resulted in Nathan driving his
car off in a huff. That left the three of us girls to operate an electric
screwdriver. Chalk that up as another bundle of learning experiences I had
today. The fence actually looks like crap, but I think it’s sturdy enough.
Michele came out to offer her suggestions–“No, that’s not level.” Then
Nathan finally reappeared much later with a slightly improved attitude. As
Steph said to him, “You need practice with this.” Personally, I think he
should never work in an environment that includes women.

We eventually got it all done, stringing hog wire along the posts and lacing
some to the gate. All this was in preparation for Basket Case, who is
preparing to foal any minute now. Michele insisted on near perfection,
saying, “A foal’s only successful skill is self destruction.” Basket is in
the small riding ring now with a pile of hay and wood shavings in one corner.

Nathan and Eli went to see Black Sheep at the dollar theater as per my
suggestion tonight. They invited me to go, and I do want to see that movie
(it’s got David Spade in it, my hero and the most sarcastic man alive), but
Jef and I had already rented Life Boat at Safeway. I enjoyed it. It’s a
Hitchcock version of a John Steinbeck novel.

Cool. Saw Clueless. Even better than Buffy the Vampire Slayer. My
vocabulary has increased dramatically. I want to see it again. Fortunately,
Jefiner guessed the trivia question correctly at Safeway, so we got to rent
it free till tuesday. Rent it free. heh. I guess if I get restless again,
I’ll watch it then.

When it was over, Michele asked if I was going to computerize my wardrobe.
Nathan was like, “Yeah, which pair of jeans goes with which t-shirt.” I
retorted, “Hey, it’s tricky matching t-shirts with flannel shirts!”

I’m addicted. Jef asked what I’d really like to do this evening when we were
trying to figure something out and all I could think of was getting on the
internet. Nathan and Steph went to get a shake earlier on. They invited us,
but to get out with them almost defeats the purpose. I dunno. I guess I’ll
go to bed. Everyone else has.

She ended up dating a non-highschool guy after all.

Ah, I’m bored. Not really. I’m never really bored. I’m just… restless.
Very restless. Steph, Nathan, Jef, and I are here at the Bremers. Everyone
else is gone, the cadets to the academy, Eli and his parents to a sunday
school graduation banquet or something of that nature. Steph, Jef, and I
clipped Grody with a pair of sheep shearers and scissors. It’s getting dark.
I’ve already swept and mopped the kitchen. Everything else is in a
comfortable sort of disarray that I don’t want to disturb. I’m eating my
second apple of the day. Ate one for breakfast on the way to church this
morning with Jef. That was a Granny Smith, and this one’s a red something.
I also ate an orange and I don’t know how many strawberries along with
strawberry shortcake. That’s more fruit than I’ve consumed in a while. I
may gain some weight if I stay this restless when there’s not much more to do
than eat.

Not that there’s nothing to do. Jef is reading something out loud to the
lovebirds. If I knew where some cards were I’d build a killer card house or
play endless games of solitare. There’s lots of stuff to read, but I don’t
feel like it. I feel like writing. I guess that’s what got me into trouble
in the first place. Writing. Thoughts down on “paper.” Have to send them
to someone.

We were trying to figure out what to do. I think Nathan and Eli are going to
a movie when Eli gets back, maybe. We’ll have to see about that. But until
he gets back, we’re not really going to go anywhere. Now we’re talking about
Clueless. Jef is saying Michele said we should watch it. Nathan said
disparangingly that it’s probably a chick movie. Oh, looks like we’re gonna
go try to find it. Yeah. something to do.

Got into an “argument” with Nathan today about money and the future. Michele
was talking to us Bama types along with Jefiner about college, careers, etc.
I was over at the computer typing a letter to my grandfather when Nathan
said nice and loudly, “At least major in something practical, not something
useless like political science.” Everyone laughed. “Hey,” I answered, “I’m
not going to school to get a career. My goal in life is not to make money.”
He seemed pretty surprised by this. “You mean that you’re more interested
in enjoying your job than in making money?” he asked. “Exactly!” “Joanna,
you can’t tell me that you’re going to be perfectly happy living on 10,000 a
year!” “I’d like to be able to live on as little as possible,” I answered.
“Oh, yeah right. You’re going to need money for a computer, modem, phone
line WHICH YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT. In 15 years I’m going to say, ‘I told you
so!'” he yelled. I asked him what he was going to say that about, but Steph
and Jef were yelling at us to stop arguing. I finally got him to answer
when he came over to fix the printer. “In 15 years you’re going to be
concerned about how much money you make.” “In 15 years I may very well have
a different attitude,” I answered.

I don’t understand how people can’t see that. Do they honestly believe that
he who dies with the most toys or bank accounts or credit cards or the
biggest house wins? Maybe I don’t make that great a capitalist after all.

This keyboard is one of those that makes noise when I type. That’s annoying,
because I try to be as unobtrusive as possible when on the computer. Maybe
because I get yelled at for being on it at home. Or have been. Now that I
mainly just get on at night or when mom’s not home, it’s not a problem. But
I still wish it wouldn’t make as much noise.

Come to think of it, I don’t understand why people think a lot of things.
Maybe I’m just an arrogant idealist anyhow.

No one’s inside, so I think I’ll play the piano now.

Eh.. I hate Windows. Well, I mean, I can maneuver around within it okay.
Like, compared to DOS. But it’s not a Mac. And I really don’t like this
version of AOL. I don’t really like the one we have on our Mac either, but
it’s better than nothing.

I would rather have a pencil and paper than all the power in the universe.
That’s because I could actually use the pencil. I wouldn’t know what to do
with raw power. Shock people, maybe.

Dzzzt.

It’s.. I guess almost 12 if not that already. Mountain time. We got up at
ten till 7 central time, left the motel we were staying at in Vernon, TX, and
drove here. I dozed some in the back seat, curled up between the door and
the ice chest. I knew I was asleep because Steph and Nathan were listening
to stories on tape from James Harriot (a vet in England). I’d hear a part of
the story and have absolutely no idea what was going on, which meant I’d been
asleep. Nathan and Steph drove most of the way. We ate supper in Wichita
Falls at a Mexican place, then they let me drive the rest of the way to
Vernon, about 40 miles. Whoopie. I did it in about 30 minutes, since I was
going 80. That’s the first I’ve ever driven Nathan’s car. He wouldn’t let
me before. He let Eli take it to a senior banquet tonight though, which I
thought was really nice of him.

I also drove from just outside the Colorado border to the Bremers. The
Saturn is a nice car to drive. I can see why Nathan likes it so much.

We left my house about 7:20 on Friday morning. I had to get up an hour early
to vaccuum my room and change my sheets and stuff. There was a wreck or
something somewhere either in Louisiana or Mississippi, and traffic was
backed up a long ways. Steph and I had to pee like heck, so we pulled off at
the next exit. I suggested we eat at Shoneys since we’d have to wait anyway
for traffic to clear up. A lot later, we passed through Longview. It was
about 3:10. I hunkered down in my seat so Nathan wouldn’t see me staring
wistfully out the window in his rear view mirror. It turned out that we hit
Dallas right at 5, so we got caught in rush hour traffic. It would have made
sense (to me, if anyone) to stop in Longview for an hour or so, considering
that we got into Vernon at about 9 something that night. I could have driven
a lot later than that. But I didn’t have directions anyhow. I couldn’t get
on AOL the night before or that morning. Quite annoying.

I just read all my new mail (or at least all the new mail it said I had)
online, because with this thing, it won’t let me read it off. Took about 10
minutes, and that was skimming.

We went to a dance class at the Academy tonight with the guys. Even Nathan
went. It was great. I learned to tango, foxtrot, some kind of waltz, and
jitterbug. Mostly I was with Spirit, who has lousy time, but that was okay
since I was a beginner at most of the stuff. We came back to the house,
cleared all the furniture and rug out of the living area, and did some
country stuff. Then moved out on the deck and danced beneath the stars.
There were three guys and four then five girls, so we weren’t too
outnumbered. It really is fun to dance with a guy who knows what he’s doing.