l3 - This list is longer than I thought it would be...

What makes me angry, more than anything, are chronic complainers. People who will find anything and everything to possibly to complain about. Again, it could be part of my chill personality, but there is no need to complain all the time! My biggest issue is that there is no reason to complain about some things because there is literally nothing you can do about certain situations. Please do not complain if you can’t change it!!! To me it’s just common sense. And instead of complaining about everything, you could be finding a way to change or fix the problem. Another things that really makes me angry, which goes along with people that complain, is lazy people. Not only people who just sit around all day, but also people who don’t do adequate jobs in school or at work. To me, you should go out in the world and do something productive as often as possible. The worst is a lazy person who complains about everything. I don’t think I could even stand to be in the same room as a person like that. We probably wouldn’t get along at all. Besides these major things that make me angry, there are other minor things that just get me a bit mad. These things include but are not limited to; when my brother forgets to turn on the bathroom vent when he takes a shower and gets the bathroom all full of condensation, rainy days in the summertime, when there is no good food in the house, and people who lie all the time. That last one should be its own category, actually. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves. I don’t even understand why people have to lie all the time! I’m not going to judge you, no matter what the truth is. Just please tell the truth.

l2 - Athazagoraphobia

I’m not really afraid of many things. Not even the typical “afraid of the dark” or “afraid of death” types of fears that people claim. However, there is one thing that sticks in my mind that I really am fearful of. I am afraid of being forgotten by the people that I will never forget. I believe this is called athazagoraphobia. It’s not even like my fear is being forgotten by people I don’t really know, because that doesn’t matter to me. It’s just a fear of the people that are a big part of my life just completely forgetting about me, and losing all meaning of the times we spent together. To me, I always just think about how much the people I have in my life mean to me. And then I think about how deeply rooted some of these people are in my life, and how awful it would be to not have them feel the same even in the slightest way. Like, there are some things that I do, base aspects of my life around, which relate to a time in that spent with someone, or a memory that I have with someone from my past. It’s a horrible feeling to think that the people that mean so much to someone cannot even think twice about you anymore, or even worse, forget about you. It might be an irrational or dumb thing to fear, but I can never seem to get rid of it. Maybe it’s because the kind of person I am (and the Aquarius in me) gets attached very easily, and always has a place in their heart for people they appreciate. And I don’t even mean this to sound over dramatic; the fear doesn’t even hinder my day to day life. It’s just always in the back of my mind!

l1 - Super Bowl Celebrations

The Super Bowl always has good connotations for me. It is always within a few days of my birthday, so the birthday party festivities usually just blend into the Super Bowl celebration. For the Super Bowl, my family and I usually make a ton of fancy foods and dips and have a good time. We spend time with some of my closest cousins, eat good food, and enjoy the football game of course. In the end, it might just be an excuse to relax, enjoy each other’s company, and prolong the celebration of my birthday. Not that I am complaining about that, though. My greatest Super Bowl memory would have to be two thousand and seven. It was a few days before my actual birthday, but we had my party on that day. I remember sitting on the couch in my living room, writing in a new Marilyn Monroe journal that I had just gotten for my birthday that day (and I still have, by the way), drinking some French vanilla hot chocolate. This year was similar, actually. We had my family over in the morning for a breakfast brunch that I planned instead of a dinner. I even invited my best friend over to celebrate with us. Afterwards, we just unwound, and said our goodbyes because it was only my family and I watching the game. I’ve noticed that I never really remember the actual football aspect of the Super Bowl games; I just like spending quality time with people around me. That’s a good thing in my eyes, though. Later on down the road, it won’t matter who won the football game, but we will always remember the good times we had and the people we spent it with. Super Bowls are great for creating memories!

k4 - Spring Is In The Air

It was spring, and all of the birds in the area were looking to make their new nests. The little English town of Nottingham was where Maureen lived. She was a sweet girl, young and beautiful. She had no children of her own, but often liked to have her nieces and nephews over for the day to play in the luscious landscape of her yard.

It was one of those afternoons, and Maureen was preparing a berry pie downstairs in the kitchen. The air weather outside was simply beautiful, so Maureen didn’t hesitate to open up all of her windows and allow the fresh and crisp breeze in. One room in particular, was a bit odd. It had nothing in it, except for a spare bed and dresser. It was used as a guest bedroom whenever someone was in need of a place to stay the night. Maureen opened the window in the guest room just like she had done in all of the others, and promptly returned to her pie making downstairs. Her niece Jessica and nephew Tom were scheduled to arrive shortly.

While she was busy rolling crusts and slicing berries, an English pigeon had also taken an interest in Maureen’s guest bedroom. The fact that there was bird patterned wallpaper on the walls might have confused the pigeon, but it flew right on in threw the open window. The bird found a plethora of things in the room that could be beneficial in its nest. It gathered stray threads, bits of cobweb, feathers from the insides of pillows, and even a thimble that must have fallen loose from Maureen’s sewing kit.

Meanwhile, the niece and nephew of Maureen had arrived. Eager to get outside and play in the wonderful weather, they both rushed upstairs to set their bags down. When they opened the door, however, they caught the last glimpses of a pigeon fluttering out the window, and a magnificent nest sitting on the dresser. There was a faint chirping, and Jessica checked the nest to find two newborn pigeons making their new home inside their aunt’s guest bedroom.

k3 - Explore, My Little Explorer!

The harbor was a wonderful place for anyone and everyone to go and have a good time. There was plenty to enjoy; the harbor had wonderfully plush grass to sit on or play games on, seating by the water, snacks and drinks, and sometimes even music. Night or day, the locals were never disappointed with a trip to the harbor. One fine evening, just around sunset, Mrs. Parker and her young son, Thomas, decided to travel down to the harbor to enjoy the view and spend some quality time together at one of their favorite spots. There was a perfect opening of grass left in the warm setting sun, so they didn’t hesitate to lay their blanket down there and claim the spot as their own.

Before they knew it, they were both engrossed in the intense game of catch they had begun to play. When she was at the point of nearly collapsing from exhaustion, Mrs. Parker went to go fetch some unsweetened iced tea for Thomas and herself.  But Thomas, being the restless and ever energetic child that he was, decided that he didn’t want to stop having a good time. Thomas wandered far over to the edge where the water met the land, and just started to let his mind run wild. He looked off into the distance at the gleaming lights. Before his mind could tell him any better, he was halfway around the harbor, over the massive bridge, and into the heart of the city. He paused a moment, and looked at the path that he had traveled. For a fleeting moment, he was scared that he had no idea where he was or where his mother was. But seeing the beauty of the lights, and being so free, was a wonderful rush.

Lost in his thoughts, he hardly noticed when he heard the frantic footsteps of his mother behind him. She scooped him up in her arms, kissing him relentlessly out of worry and anger. However, soon Mrs. Parker realized that her son had a carefree spirit, and was just exploring the beautiful world that we live in.

k2 - Baseball Games and Broken Bedposts

James listened and waited for his Mother’s footsteps to get further and further down the hallway. He lay perfectly still until he heard her bedroom door shut and her TV go on. He first shot one eye open, making sure he was in the clear. Then opening the other, he silently pushed back his covers and got up to lock his own door. His heart was racing for fear of being interrupted, but a calm came over him when he looked straight ahead and saw the beautiful wooden object that his heart desired so much in that moment. As he crossed the floor to retrieve it, the room seemed massive. Every creak in the floorboards he made seemed to be able to wake the dead, and his feet seemed to thump the ground louder than they ever had before.

When James’s hands grasped the baseball bat, his bedroom was no longer just a bed, dresser, lamp, and window. The pillow at the head of his bead, usually used for sleeping, was the home plate of a baseball game that could change young James’s life. Outside of the window, the lights of the outside world in the distance became the spotlight on him, the batter. The coatrack in the opposite corner became the ruthless pitcher with a wicked poker face. Standing and ready to swing, James could feel the sweat developing on his brow, and beginning to travel down his neck. He closed his eyes, and the game began.

With his heartbeat pounding outside of his chest, James lifted the bat as the pitcher prepared to throw a curve ball his way. The ball was released, and James’s arms automatically began moving into position. He swung, lost in the moment. In his head, it was the most beautiful homerun that anyone had ever hoped to see. The crowd in the distance went wild, as he jogged the bases reveling in glory. However, upon returning to reality, James was met by a broken bedpost, and a very angry mother.

k1 - The Storm

It was the worst storm their town had seen in years. The power was out, entire trees were being effortlessly knocked down by the wind, and there was a weather advisory for the whole area. The weather man had seen it coming, thankfully, so the people of this small and tight knit community had time to prepare. Mr. Clark had a daughter, Tanya, who was a sophomore in high school. She and her best friend were both sixteen. I guess you could even say he had two daughters, because Tanya’s best friend Sara was always at his house. Sara went on vacation with the Clarks, ate dinner with them, and even went to church with them.
On this blustery Wednesday evening, Tanya and Sara had rugby practice. Mr. Clark let them go even in the bad weather conditions, but it was against his better judgment. The whole time they were gone, he was like any other over concerned parent, and worried nonstop. They had made arrangements for Sara’s Mom to drop Tanya off at home after practice. Being as worried as he was, Tanya’s father Mr. Clark decided to wait up for his daughter on the living room chair. The next thing he knew, Mr. Clark was abruptly awoken by the loudest thunder he had ever heard, and the living room was bright white from the lightning. Through his groggy eyes, he thought he saw the outline of an unfamiliar object in the middle of the floor. He remained really still, and waited to see if it would move. With the next flash of lightning, he saw the object on the floor start to shift position.
He slowly stood up, grabbed the chair from underneath himself, and raised it in the air, ready to attack the intruding thing. Just as he was about to strike the strange moving trespasser, his daughter and Sarah popped their heads out from underneath a blanket, with expressions of fear and confusion! It turns out that they had decided to both go back to Tanya’s house after practice, and sleep on the living room floor because they were scared to sleep alone upstairs with the storm. Mr. Clark was relieved that they were home safe and there was nobody breaking into his house, but slightly embarrassed at his rash actions.