"Anan's (not so) Randomness!"

My Mom is not a spaz (Mrs. Stuckwisch isn't either.) If I had to put up with even half of the nonsense they deal with every day, there wouldn't be any little children left to populate the planet. They never run through the yard screaming, I've never seen either one of them throw hard boiled eggs across a yard, and they don't burst into tears when someone climbs over a gate.

I am amazed by their presence of mind in these situations! They almost always handle it in a much more dignified manner than I could ever manage. If a nine year old boy was climbing on *my* furniture I would toss him out a window... but all our windows are still intact. This is only because it isn't my jurisdiction to "parent" the nine year old. When even my gentlest chidings make a 7yo girl burst into tears, it pretty much makes me fall apart as well.

Maybe some of you envy this havok. It seems pretty crazy to me, but I guess it's possible. I suppose I prefer the screaming and giggling of 13 other children to sitting alone in a house. It might make me very depressed to think that there are others who always have little children around, who when they aren't beating you with sticks, can be very adorable and endearing.

So maybe I'm thankful, or at least I should be, but I sure don't "feel" like it most of the time.

(I already wrote all this and then the %^*&@#*@#* computer bleeped it so bear with me...)

I realized something rather notable this afternoon. I've always known that I'm a workaholic, but I never thought about how that could apply to my education. A fashion major involves alot of things that I already know how to do... it's still work but it's become almost mindless. If I'm going to devote four years of my time, and my funds, to something, I want it to be something I can learn from. Certainly there are things I could learn in a Fashion Design program, but they're all things I could teach myself just as easily. All the famous Fashion Designers I've read about didn't even major in fashion! They majored in things like journalism...

No, I don't want to study journalism (though I do spend far too much time considering how to imporve our local lousy newspaper...) Studying organ has popped back up again. An organ major is even more labor-intensive than a fashion design major. That's great because I don't want the easy way out. There are quite a few things about organ/music in general that I have to work very hard at. Such as counting... *grumblemumble* It's not that I can't do it, but it takes alot of work. Therein lies the challenge! Ta-ran-ta-ra! Whereas I can easily rattle off the short list of things I could learn from a fashion program, I can hardly begin to do so when it comes to organ.

Yes, I'm insane. Stop making those weird faces, you'll get stuck that way.

To restate my point: I don't want to take the easy route! Isn't it convenient to think of just majoring in something I already know something about? Yes, but it's hardly interesting at all, though it would certainly be fun... Seriously. Do you want your college education to be four years of being bored by "learning" things you've already mastered? Hmmmm? Fess up now... and suffer my centure.

It is true that I have a head-start on studying organ, unlike many other organ majors, but it's hardly equal to my advantage in sewing.

My "tentative plan" is to go ahead and apply to Stephens college and if I'm accepted and get good scholarships then I will consider it, but I'll go ahead and apply for places like Valpo (*gasp* yes,yes, theology... bleh), and Notre Dame as well. Sadly not Hillsdale or Bethany... :-(

Random note: "Jo" always said that the folks at ND weren't very "good Catholics", but I prefer mediocre Roman Catholicism to sadly deteriorating Lutheran theology anyday... <hides from Valpo fans> Go ahead and be offended BTW.

I just finished listening to a CD compiled by none other than the Most Right Reverend Doctor Richard Stuckwisch. I thoroughly enjoyed it... but not for the reasons you might expect.

I was not pleased that some of the songs were on there. I mean, I like the songs themselves, but since Pastor picked them out specifically and put them on a CD for me it made me jump up and down and growl, "OOooooo Pastor! You're in BIG trouble!"

It all made sense and made me happy up until #11... and #12... and #15 I think. These songs made sense as well but they both ripped my heart out and made my blood boil. Oooo.... How could someone pinpoint those *exact songs* that would make me squirm in my seat? Hmmm?

After "My Life Is A Country Song" I was ready for it to be over but then I heard it... "I'm Good" by Bucky Covington. It starts out something like: "I've got my eyes on the deacon's daughter" and it goes on from there... I love that song. And yet... It just isn't right that Pasto' should put it on a CD for me! Hmph!

I can make it clear enough that I loved the CD, at least because it was so great at teasing me, and as a certain sage once said, "You know, we tease you alot, but you don't seem to really mind."

Most notably, all the songs on the CD were sung by male singers. I smell a rat (or maybe even a dead fish).

-Annabelle who is going back to sewing now and won't check her email for at least 20 hours...

I just finished listening to Blue Moo. (Several times...) Suddenly the epitome of coolness is singing in the shower, and my new goal in life is to teach a hippo to dance. I have a strong urge to take all of my siblings and go march through the grocery store shouting “We’re the Uninvited Loud Precision Band!” The singing in the shower song makes me think of somebody, but I won’t mention names.  In other words I’m very happy.

Another Sandra Boynton CD; “Rhinoceros Tap” has a song called “Tropical Sand”, which I enjoy despite my love of heat etc… I have my reasons.

You like Hawaii where the oceans roar. You like Bermuda with the pink, pink shore. You like Aruba where the palm trees sway. You like Montego with its beautiful bay. You like the tropical sun and the tropical sea. But hey, mon, Alaska sounds good to me.

Refrain: I got the sand in my toes and the sand in my nose, the sand in my ears and the sand in my clothes. I got the sand in my hair and the sand in my face. I got the sand most ev’ry place.

You like the tropical birds in their tropical flight. I get the tropical bugs with their tropical bite You like to be playing in the sun when it’s hot I wish I could find me some shade where it’s not. You tell me the islands are very very pretty, but me, I find them…a little too gritty.

There’s another verse but you should just listen to it. :D  

...So after dinner I started "waltzing" around the Great Room (Great Rum?) with my water glass and singing what I know of that song from Sleeping Beauty. The one where they're dancing around in a forest. Martin said something like "She's going crazy!" and I had to agree.

I just thought y'all might appreciate that. Gaaaaaah! The smileys won't work! ":-|  Work! ":-|  Hmph.