I'm Still Living?

This last week, I came down with a terrifying case of strep throat. It all started Saturday morning, when I awoke on the floor of Mrs. Mumford McAvoy's living room. (We'd had a sleepover the night before, in part so she could show me her new house.) After the initial panic I always experience in the morning after I spend the night at someone's house (my first thought is always, "Oh god, what did I do?!") I noticed my throat tickled. Actually, it was more than a tickle, it was a mild soreness. I then suddenly realized that I was most likely sick, and I did not take this news well.

I went home and told my father about my throat and how I was fairly sure it was going to turn into something much worse. I was right, of course. I woke up the next morning with a fever, pounding headache, and the feeling that I had suddenly switched throats with a very untalented sword swallower. I was pretty certain I was going to die.

I spent most of Sunday on the couch, watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and writing my will in my head. (My family and Jimr get first crack at my stuff, and whatever they don't want my friends can have, etc.) I eventually had to get up for dinner, despite my requests for pizza to be brought to me. I was actually pretty dizzy and making it up the stairs took at least three minutes longer than usual, so I felt I was justified in having a couch dinner, but I guess my parents thought otherwise. After dinner I crawled back downstairs and onto the couch for more My Little Pony, and I finally fell asleep at around 9 p.m. About forty minutes later I woke up, and immediately I realized that shit was really off.

I don't know if it was some strange combination on the room being dark, my being groggy, and too much My Little Pony or something else, but I was seeing some crazy stuff. In every shadow something new and terrifying greeted me, such as the silhouette of a creepy guy in a hat, a baby head, and a pony who I was just so sure wanted to eat me.

I decided that was enough and I got as close as I could to the stairs and called for my dad. I asked him to take my temperature (which was 101.6) and bring me some ibuprofen, and after that I went to bed. And naturally, despite being pretty exhausted, I laid there for three hours. But I did eventually go to sleep, and when I woke up my headache was gone, my fever was broken, and I could move around like a normal person again. I was amazed to not have died in my sleep.

Later in the week I finally convinced my mom to take me to the doctor so I could get the antibiotics I needed, because I had a pretty important wedding shower to go to that I just really didn't want to be sick for. I felt normal again by the second day of my medication, and I am now completely better. I am no longer hallucinating killer ponies. I'll admit, though, it wasn't just the antibiotics that made me feel better. Rainy stopped by my house with a get well balloon (complete with incorrect rainbow) and a flower, and a little bit of Rainy always makes good medicine. :D Okay, the story of my illness is complete, moving on:

Quote of the day: "Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please." -Mark Twain

Photo of the day:

Word of the day: Defenestrate- to throw out a window.

Ocean Picture of the day:

(This photo was taken by the lovely and talented FirePenguinDiscoPanda)

Stay healthy and goodnight!
Love, Colours.

Green Hair is All The Rage Now In Paris (Not)

In all honesty, I've never really liked The Fourth of July. To me, all the day really seems to celebrate is burned hot dogs, roman candle-related trips to the emergency room, and drunk relatives. But everyone else seems to enjoy it, so maybe I've just become bitter and jaded when it comes to Independence Day because of past experiences. I'll admit, though, that I genuinely like visiting my grandmother and grandfather for the holiday, which is what we did to celebrate yesterday. I love my grandparents, but I think I mostly like it because they have a big in-ground pool. I may be in high school now, but I swear to god, that thing turns me into a five year old every time I jump in.

I spent five straight hours in the pool, playing mermaid, doing backflips, and eventually just falling asleep in a pool chair. When I finally emerged, I was somehow not sunburned, and I thought I had gotten off completely scott-free. But, as I now know, and as everyone else but me probably already knew, spending five hours in a swimming pool does not come without a price. When we got home, I decided that it was time for me to go to the bathroom. So, with the Panda Express fried rice we had picked up on the way home in hand, I ambled into the bathroom. As I was setting down the take-out box on the counter, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I almost choked on a piece of carrot.

My hair was green. Like, really, really, GREEN.

Okay, it could have been worse. It wasn't Oopma Loompa green, just a sickly shade of blondeish-greenish-leprechaun-sweat colour. I knew my shampoo made specifically for blondes was not going to be enough to fix this. So I half-frantically searched for the cure on the internet and eventually turned up some promising-looking results. I spent the next hour trying to fix my hair, which included wildly entertaining activities such as going outside and soaking my head in a bucket full of water mixed with vinegar and aspirin.

I had to bring my iPod and turn up the volume too high so I could drown out all the fireworks, which by the way are ILLEGAL IN CITY LIMITS, JERKS FROM THE STREET OVER. Eventually I got most all the green out of my hair, and I finished it off with a baking soda/shampoo wash today, so everything is back to normal. Hope you guys had better Independence Days than I did. And now. Quote of the Day: “You can find your way across this country using burger joints the way a navigator uses stars.” -Charles Kuralt. Picture of the day:

Word of the day: Scuttlebutt- gossip.

Ocean Picture:

Hope you enjoyed the new illustration feature! You better, because I stayed up until 5:00 in the morning to get that done for you guys.

Love, Colours.

HOLY GAWSH YOU GUISE

OKAY, SO GUYS, WRITING BREAK OVER. AND ALSO THERE IS NEWS. I WILL NOW BE ADDING ILLUSTRATIONS TO MY BLOG POSTS. YES, HAND-DRAWN. STARTING TOMORROW. ENJOY. PLEASE. LOVE, COLOURS.