*kicking and screaming*

And that's how I am currently posting this entry... Why? Because, really, I have other stuff to do, and I'm just a procrastinator. But I knew that I would be a bad, bad blogger if I just suddenly dumped this blog and never posted again. That and my cousin was threatening to hack into the computer, which I immediately beat down, seeing as this thing has all the anti-spyware and that sort of good stuff, plus she kind of flunked Computer Hacking 101.

So yeah. I'm back.

So far no one has been killed (on purpose) or mutilated (beyond repair) or injured (greviously). Mostly, it's bruises and really dry knuckles. Sometimes it's wrenched wrists and the like, but that only lasts for a couple of days (until the next time we practice self-defense in taekwondo)...

Speaking of which, I recently tested for (and received!) my green belt, so now I'm eligible to go out for Friday night sparring classes and get beat up by black belts (whee!). I'm not sure if I'll start that immediately; perhaps I'll get my driver's license first, but that won't be until late October at the earliest. Dang. But yeah, classes are going pretty well. I already know the first half of my form, so I should get that out of the way pretty quickly. The new kicks are fun, albeit that a lot of them have the words "spin," "jump," or "hook" in them. Not that easy to get when one has more torso than leg and has the agility of a three-legged rhinocerous. Still, very fun.

Another interesting event is my moving into the basement apartment. It's all nice and fixed up, and I recently got the last of the furniture moved in (mostly lamps and a nightstand for one of the aforementioned lamps). Still need to vacuum the den, and Mom will eventually move the computer desk down there. It's a really good place to do homework, since Phil had the courtesy to leave behind this huge desk, makes things a lot more comfortable than leaning over a lap desk or something like that. There's a bathroom immediately adjoining my bedroom, so that's especially convenient. There's also a door leading out to a walk-out patio, so if there's a ever a fire I can just open the door and I'm home free. Since it's in the basement, if I ever hear the tornado sirens in the middle of the night, I can just roll over and go back to sleep. (There's something to be said about having the safest bedroom in the house!) So yes, I'm quite content down there; it's very cozy.

Just a quick request for my readers: My cousin, Chris, joined the Air Force and has graduated from boot camp. My family is very proud of him, and hope that he continues to do well. We got some photos of him, and he's looking very military. It's like he knows where he belongs now. I just wanted to ask that everyone pray for him and his safety. I don't think I really need to expand on that, do I?

Other than that, I can't really think of anything else to type. The various newlyweds are doing well, the dogs are fine, and my sister still hasn't taken over the world, although she did get a summer job at John Deere, which we are very happy about. (She's fascinated with tractors.)

Current Mood: Caffeinated!

Random Useless Fact of the Day: "Remember the Maine!" Yeah, you know that ship? It probably wasn't even blown up by Spain. All anyone really knows is that she exploded, but new evidence says that the Spaniards didn't do it: perhaps it was rebel Cubans blowing up the ship in an attempt to draw the U.S. into the battle (well, it worked), or maybe a misloaded cannon was the reason for the explosion.