whoot...

Well, that little cough I was talking about yesterday seems to have ushered in something else. I woke up this morning tired and achy and felt downright miserable through my classes, until I decided that I just wanted to go back to bed. This is unusual enough for me that I decided to check my temperature, 101.2. I don't know if that's considered running a temperature or running a fever, but it looks like I'll spend this weekend sleeping.

differences

Well, one thing is definitely different about this town- at home around this time of year, I would be stricken with drainage and a alternately stuffy and runny nose. Here, such is not the case- but I have developed a cough, which I am rather pleased about. I'll take coughing over drainage any day.
The main purpose of this post is to show off this picture, Beauty and Beast by sketchy of DeviantART. Unfortunately, the original (uncolored) version has been removed from DeviantART, probably because the artist never finished it. It took me a long time to color this, and I never would have even attempted it without my new best friend, paint.net.
The girl in the center is Kid, from the game Chrono Cross, the woman to the right in the white dress is... let's call her Kid's mother, Schcala Zeal, the glasses belonged to Kid's guardian, Lucca, who died in the fire that you can (sort of) see behind Kid. The pouch-thing is the Astral Amulet (sans logo, even I'm not that dedicated, it wasn't drawn there, so I didn't color it.) The red/orange fire wolf/fox/beast is a highly stylized version of Lavos, or the Timedevourer, the malignant alien prescence within the earth that was supposed to cause an end to life on the planet. Lavos was tricky to color- in Chrono Cross the Time Devourer (which is NOT the same thing as Lavos but is close enough for my purposes) was the color of fire, with a blackened belly such as you would see when you pull a charred log from the flames and part of it are still glowing cherry-red.

Things I've Learned The Past Few Weeks

Think before saying something sarcastic. It can get you into trouble.

You can apply the concept of surface area to volume ratio to anime! *chuckles*

Riding your bike against the wind takes longer than walking.

People in war tend to be drunk. *ROFL*

Don’t try spinning over ground with pit holes. You can twist your ankle.

Riding your bike and looking up is NOT a good idea.

Lollipops are illegal in Washington.

When walking by a group of people smoking, clutch your lungs and put your hand over your mouth and nose while saying, “Must…not…inhale… cancer…eating away… my…insides…!” This will reward you with nasty looks and the highlight of your day!

Washing your truck in San Angelo should be a state competition of who-can-dry-their-vehicle-the-quickest-before-dust-and-grime-cling-to-it.

Doing cartwheels on asphalt is dangerous.

Ducking behind a bed to hide from overly happy preps armed with make-up attracts odd looks, but works!

Being almost anemic isn't fun.

things aren't always as they seem

It's true. They aren't. This is just a short post to showcase the latest picture I've colored, and to mention something I found funny.
I found myself in need of a book to read, and Fruit Bat let me borrow one of hers (which she had not yet read), it's called A Wolf Story by James Byron Huggins, its a christian novel, and I found myself interested. I opened it to begin reading and discovered that it was about... hares.
Think rabbits, but wild and capable of defending themselves reasonably. The first five chapters are about hares. Lol. After that I think we get into some wolves, but I'm not quite there yet. I just found it infinitely amusing to hear the hares talk about battles that they'd been in, and how they were going to fight. Thus, I am loathe to call them rabbits.... but seriously. Hares?
The picture is of the Kingdom Hearts character Axel as a lion (Axel Lion by hibbary, DeviantART)- I colored it last week, but forgot to post it....

Song of the Wanderer

I have a paper I should be writing right now... but Fruit Bat and I are going home tomorrow, and I've got some pretty strange stuff on the brain.

Well, not so strange. I've recently drawn a picture you see, of a girl, and a unicorn, so I'm thinking of other girls, other unicorns, and wandering. There's a book by Bruce Coville, part of the Unicorn Chronicles, called Song of the Wanderer. In this book there is a song that is sung by different characters, the wandering song... I memorized it when I was younger, just because I thought it was beautiful. So, as a pre-trip homage to a book of my childhood, The Song of the Wanderer.

Across the gently rolling hills
Beyond high mountain peaks
Along the shores of distant seas
There's something my heart seeks

But there's no peace in wandering
The road's not made for rest
And footsore fools will never know
What home might suit them best

My heart seeks the hearth
My feet seek the road
A soul so divided Is a terrible load
My heart longs to rest
My feet yearn to roam
Shall I wander the world or stay safe at home?

But oh, the things that I have seen
The secret paths I've trod
The hidden corners of the the world
Known to none but me and God

Yes the world was meant for knowing
And feet were meant to roam
But one who's always going
Will never find a home

My heart seeks the hearth
My feet seek the road
A soul so divided Is a terrible load
My heart longs to rest
My feet yearn to roam
Shall I wander the world or stay safe at home?

Oh where's the thread that binds me?
The voice that calls me back?
Where's the love that finds me?
And what's the root I lack?

(Art by akreon of DeviantART- you can go buy the print)

College/Pets/Depression/Helplessness

I'm very sad right now. I just got a phone call from my mom. She can't take Dakota's antics and behavior anymore. She wants to get rid of him. I can understand. I left him there and they have to deal with him. I wouldn't have done so. Not if I had my own place...but I don't. I'm absolutely helpless at the moment. He apparently took her lunch box and several food items off the counter while she was at work and ripped/ate them. He then jumped on my bed and chewed off the corner to the crate that my mom put up there to KEEP him off the bed. She was REALLY angry.*sigh*
I contacted the Austin German Shepherd Rescue Organization via email. Hopefully they'll respond. I refuse to send him to an animal shelter. He still needs physical therapy and I don't want him going to just anyone. I don't want him back out on the streets. If this organization accepts him they'll find him a nice home. The problem is I don't know if they will. He's only part German Shepherd. I'll know in a few days.

I feel like crying...

And now again

I've found myself

So far down, away from the sun

That shines into the darkest place

I'm so far down, away from the sun

That shines to light the way for me

To find my way back into the arms

That care about the ones like me

I'm so far down, away from the sun again...

~3 Doors Down "Away From The Sun"

Elements and Toast

I like my hair okay. I mean, it's not special in any way shape or form, but it's mine, so I like it. The reason that I bring this up is because I believe that the wind is in love with hair. Over here in we've had QUITE strong winds for the past couple of days (strong as in I-can't-ride-my-bicycle-in-a-straight-line-and-I-think-it-might-be-faster-to-walk) and consequently, no matter how carefully hair is brushed or restricted in the morning- it's everywhere by the time you get to class. Anyway... my sprouts seem to be doing okay- the day after the first one popped up the second one sprouted, since the second was further from the light, it's bent all out of shape to get to it. If I leave them in the same pot, I know that one will kill the other. There just isn't room for both of them. (to all plant lovers, I apologize, but I was so sure that one of the seeds wouldn't sprout that I planted two.) If it comes down to that, I actually think the bent sprout will live, because it's the one that's trying harder for the light. And on a completely random end note (as though the whole post hasn't been random...) French Toast- have you had it? I thought I had, I thought I didn't like it. Turns out that I haven't. What I thought was French Toast was actually Dutch Toast. Which I didn't even know existed. But probably should have guessed. (One of the few countries that my family can actually trace our ancestors back to is Holland). Dutch toast is made by dipping bread in pancake batter and frying it in oil. It is served with butter and syrup or powdered sugar. French toast is made from dipping bread in a milk/egg mixture that is grilled and served with the same. Fruit Bat's family puts sugar and cinnamon in the mixture. ........ why is everything so complicated?