- why english is such a pain:

1. the bandage was wound around the wound.
2. the farm was used to produce produce.
3. the soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
4. since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
5. a bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
6. when shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
7. the insurance was invalid for the invalid.
8. i did not object to the object.
9. they were too close to the door to close it.
10. the wind was too strong to wind the sail.

- hamsters bark. i'm not even kidding. my sister tried to pick up my hamster and she dropped him on his cage. when she went to touch him again, he started making noises at her that sounded somewhere in between a crow and a squirrel. it was rather freaky.

- not that i blame him or anything. i mean, sure, maybe he shouldn't have been so wiggly, but if i fell on top of some metal bars, i would probably utter some sort of previously unheard of noises myself.

- you know how a lot of advertising slogans and what not say something along the lines of "to us, you're a name, not a number". well, i spit on that.

- first of all, there are more numbers than people in the world. if there aren't, just make more. so at least with a number, you are individual. and while it's true that you could just make a new name, most people can't do that without ruining any chances their child had to hold their head high in the world. with a number, there is virtually no way that this john smith is going to be confused with that john smith.

- secondly, names are supposed to be a representation of people, and people are unstable. people are unsure, so what's the good of giving them a name? names, like people, change, and are no comfort when we're looking for stability. if my name were "elizabeth", people might call me "elizabeth" or "liz" or "beth"... some people might get technical and call me "eliza" or "abeth". but all that would just be for me. where's the certainty, yo? oh, right, with a number. if i was "725 648 977," there's not much you can do to that to make me unsure that it's me. and i like to be sure.

- i hate it when you're just about to pull into your driveway and a good song ends and then a crappy song comes on, but you're too close to home to make it worthwhile to change the station, but the song is on for just long enough to grate on your nerves.

- for example, i was just getting home from purchasing delicious candy for the band trip tomorrow when the sweater song ended. and what better to follow weezer than kid rock? no, wait. that's wrong.

- it's raining! i am gleeful like a giddy little girl right now [that's a scary thought]. i love rain and everything that comes with it (except perhaps for the copious numbers of squishy worms on the sidewalk). i love the look, the feel, the smell. i love that it makes times seem slower, but it lets you see things faster. i love that it makes you think even if you're not thinking about anything at all. i love just being in the rain.

- more than anything, though, i think i love when it starts to rain again because now, instead of bathing regularly, i can just stand outside. cheers to that.

- i don't know why, but i have a tendency to get injured - usually in comical fashion.

- perhaps it's the fact that my mind doesn't compensate for the fact that my body is wider than desired. perhaps it's the fact that my arms are long and dangly, such as would be expected on a 14 year old boy. perhaps it's that my ears have never been good and that it somehow affects my balance. perhaps it's that i'm too short to see what's coming. or perhaps i'm just a klutz.

- i walk into things. often. doors, tables, people, cars, poles, music stands, walls. i've tested the strength of my body against all of these elements (and too many more) on several occasions.

- but it's not just walking into things. i get strange "ouchies" for strange reasons. once, a boy threw a shoe at me and it tore off several layers of skin in my hand (i have a scar). the other day at lunch, i went to smack my friend in the ass thigh, but i missed and hit some girl's hand instead, and she had these giant girly nails that pierced my skin. this other time, i was eating a popsicle and the stick gave me a sliver. and when i was younger, we were playing on the snow ice and i slipped and of course i landed squarely on the protruding jagged ice stick of sharpness and felt like i had cracked a rib and/or punctured a lung for about two weeks.

- sometimes, i just hurt.

- that's right folks, spring is coming, and i can smell it. all the signs are pointing in that direction. what are the signs, you're wondering? well i'll just have to tell you:

- there was that annoying cardinal outside yestermorning that insists on coming back and ruining my springtime sleep every... well.... spring
- i have actually witnessed patches of grass, and the snow that is left is of the disgusting mushy variety
- people have stopped wearing humoungously huge jackets (for people who live much closer to the equator than i (i.e. not in canada), an explanation: people have stopped wearing socks)
- not sure, but i may have spotted the sun the other day
- i have started to shave my legs again