Reflections of Rain

Where I live, it's usually really dry.  Hot and dry in the summer, cold and dry in the winter.  We hardly ever see rain.  This year has been remarkably different.  It's rained nearly every day for a month, and those of us that love storms are ecstatic.  As I was walking from the testing center to the library today, feeling the rain kiss the top of my head, I had the chance to think about just what it was I love about rain.
For one thing, once it starts raining, everything goes quiet.  The usual rush of the day is muffled; people go inside, and for once everything is peaceful.  For another thing, once you get over the little bit of cold it brings, the water catching in your hair and dotting your shoulders can be one of the most relaxing things in the world.  Rain has a way of getting under my skin and sapping out all my tension.  And then there's the smell.  It's like there's something beautiful and otherworldly just hanging in the air, waiting to see who can find it.  I always feel closer to God after walking in the rain.  I think it's a feeling I'll never get tired of.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Mad Five-Hour Dash

Hello!  Wow, um, that was kinda the craziest couple days of my life.  I was writing on Saturday, and I looked at where I was and realized, "Hey, if I do nothing else all day, I might just end up finishing this!"  Guess what I did?
I went shopping for a costume for an upcoming Renaissance Fair. ;)  Then I went to my weekend job (cleaning the bathrooms in my Dad's office).  Then I went to Panda Express, got home and camped out on my couch for five hours as I desperately tried to finish my revision.  And I was successful!  I would have jigged if not for the fact that it was midnight and I needed to get to bed so I would be awake in church the next day. ;)
Now for the really difficult part: other people's criticism.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

The First Mishap

Well, I knew something like this would happen.  I mean, honestly, trying to stick me, an uncoordinated young woman with bad ankles, in an Irish Dance class?  What was I thinking?
Okay, I'm just teasing, it's not that bad.  I still love Irish Dance.  However, I am also still uncoordinated with bad ankles.  Which leads to where I am now, with an ice-cold water bottle against my foot.
See, when it comes to Irish dancing, you're supposed to keep your feet crossed at all times.  Unless, you know, you're kicking or something.  Basically, your feet are constantly passing each other in fairly close proximity to each other.  And I kinda mashed my own foot.
It wasn't too bad, or so I thought.  All I did was step on my own foot.  But then the next day it was still hurting.  I think I may have bruised it.  Needless to say, going back to class was interesting.
My thoughts: "'Kay, remember to stay on your toesNOPE THAT'S NOT HAPPENING!"
How do I keep doing this to myself?

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

I Liiiiiiiiive!

Yes, I am quoting Mushu.
I'm back!  Yes, Internet at my apartment is still being dumb.  Hence I'm writing quickly at school before class starts/my computer runs out of battery because I couldn't find a nearby cord.  Not much going on, just settling into the swing of school (another reason I haven't posted in a while.  Homework eats your time like nothing else!).  I am actually enjoying classes, though.  Irish Dance isn't as hard as I thought it would be, now that I actually know which foot to start on and the difference between a skip and a leap. :)  Hopefully I'll be posting more regularly now, but I am still having issues, so we'll see where that goes.
Oh, and guys, remember that Swan Prince book I was going on about a little while back?  Well, the sequel, The Stone Kingdom, is coming out tomorrow on Amazon!  You should go check it out!  Seriously, this is something you need to read.  These books are amazing!

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Austenland

So, for those of you who don't know, I am a huge fan of Shannon Hale.  Therefore, I was super-excited when I found out they were making her novel Austenland into a movie.  However, it was only going to be showing in "select theatres," which I figured meant only in big cities... and since I'm in a relatively small town, I figured I wouldn't be able to see it until it came out on DVD.
You can already guess where is this is going, can't you?
Yesterday I got a call from my mom, who asked if I was interested in seeing Austenland with her this weekend.  I was soooo excited!  Saw it last night.  My thoughts:
If I hadn't been sitting, I would have swooned.  Like, seriously, can you say "oh my horde of attractive men!!!"?  Martin was just soooo cute, and Nobly was sooooo darling, and... and...
Oh, you want my opinion of the movie, not just the men?
The movie itself was great!  I loved the protagonist, and Mom and I were both laughing nearly all the way through!  Jennifer Coolidge was the perfect choice for Miss Charming, and the romance... well, if I bring that up I'll get on the subject of hot men again, so I'll let you see it yourself.  Seriously, this is one of the best feel-good movies I have ever seen, right up there with Penelope.  I highly suggest viewing this marvelous movie!  I mean it, go watch it!  Find a Cinemark (which is apparently the theatre chain that's showing it).  Be prepared to laugh.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

No Internet... Again

Well, turns out that giant storm we had kinda knocked out the internet at my apartment... again.  What's worse is that not only do a bunch of college students not have internet, it went out over the weekend, so management didn't know about it until yesterday... and supposedly it won't be fixed for a couple days.  Which means I'll be coming to school really early, and hanging out at the fencing arena a lot (they have great internet!).  In any case, if I don't post again for a few days, blame either homework or lousy internet.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

The Tempest

Wow.  Seriously, like, wow. 
I was in the library, volunteering, and I was in the children's section upstairs (they call it the Junior Mezzanine).  The shelving process generally involves taking the books on a cart and sorting them alphabetically, unless someone has already come along and done that bit for you.  The spot I usually alphabetize in is right in front of one of the big windows.  Well, I'm looking outside, and suddenly I notice just how fast the clouds are moving.  I was enthralled.  I love a strong wind!  Then it started raining, and I was elated!  We don't get nearly enough rain here.  And then... it started raining harder.  Within a few minutes it looked like it was night outside, and the rain was coming down in sheets!  It was amazing!  That was when I stood up to start putting the books away, and realized there was water coming in from the window.
Now, these are floor-to-ceiling windows, so the water was soaking the carpet.  I went to tell one of the librarians about it, but when I got there, she was already scrambling to move the computers out of the way of a drip coming from the ceiling. :P  Luckily none of the books were hurt, but apparently whenever one of the city buildings has a problem, they have to call the fire department or something like that (I only caught snippets of the conversation).  In any case, when I left there was a fire truck waiting outside, though for what I'm not entirely sure.  But I realized something about the rain here.
It always rains when I wear sandals to the library... which means I get to slosh through the parking lot in semi-bare feet.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Stairs

They're out to get me. 
Seriously, if I haven't lost at least ten pounds by the time this semester ends, I will never, ever be able to lose any weight.  I start my Irish Dance class with a ten-minute core work-out, then of course I'm dancing on my toes for about half an hour, and then I have to hike up and down several staircases to get to my next class within ten minutes, and then... I have fencing.
I really didn't want to get out of bed today.

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

First Day Back

And I am so tired.
Okay, run-down of school this year: all classes on Tuesday and Thursday, starting at eight am and ending at six pm.  Class I'm most worried about: Irish Dancing, mostly because I suck at dancing, but this is always something I've wanted to learn, so I'll see how it goes.  Class I think will be the most fun: Welsh!  The professor is just awesome, and guess what?  He's a fencer!  And not just any fencer, he's a leftie!  And one of my best friends from high school just so happens to be in the class with me!
Yeah.  Welsh is gonna be cool. :)

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira

Help, I'm Stuck on Your Car!

So, last night I was sitting, playing around on my computer, when I get a text: a picture of something with big eyes and lots of darkness, and the words, "Help, I'm stuck to your car!"
I knew exactly what it was. 
See, my friend Sarnic frequently leaves things in Kay's car (as she is her sister, and all), and I mean, she is the one that texted me.
I think I'm rambling.  In any case, I dashed outside to find whatever she may have done to my car... only to discover nothing.  Confused, I decided to see if her car was still in visitor parking, and on my way, I discovered a little stuffed owl on Kay's car.  Mayhaps she had texted the wrong person?  In any case, I continued, and discovered that yes, her car WAS in visitor parking... and she was not there.  However, there was another owl.  I picked it up (and really hoped no one was watching me, because if they were, they were going to think I was nuts) and thought perhaps she'd snuck back up to my apartment while I was outside, so back I went. 
The moment I walked in the door, Kay holds out my phone and says, "I think you need this," (I'd run off without it in my excitement).  I'd gotten another text saying there were three owls, and one of them was on Ash's care (my new roomie).  Her car basically looks exactly like mine.  We decided the way to tell them apart was that I have a shark hanging from my rearview mirror, and she has flowers.
But I digress. 
We found the one on Ash's car easily enough, but there was still no Sarnic.  We were wondering just what we should do, when Kay mentioned she was cold and wanted to grab a jacket.  Said her wet hair was making her chilly.  Well, A) I had just gotten out of the shower, so my hair was definitely wetter, and I felt fine, and B) If we left, Sarnic might get away!!!!  But then I got suspicious.
"Hey, Kay, did you leave the door unlocked?"
"Why yes I did!"
..."SHE MUST HAVE SNUCK INSIDE!!!!"
Yes, I am aware I thought of this before, but I hadn't found all the owls yet, so obviously she couldn't reveal herself yet.
We dashed into the apartment, and there sat Sarnic with the biggest owl yet, and a smile even bigger.  We laughed and exchanged greetings, and then I turned to Kay with the accusatory pointer finger.  "You were in on it, weren't you?"
Turns out Sarnic HAD come up the first time, but didn't want me to know until I'd found all the owls, and then I came up early, so she hid while Kay distracted me with my phone.  And the whole "I'm cold let's get a sweater" thing?  Yeah, that was just to get us back inside. ;)
So I now have two owls named Annabelle and Petunia.  :D

Fare thee well, friend!
Mira