Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...?

I worked at a movie theater many, many moons ago. Around seven years ago, though, one night I was put on podium. For those of you who don't speak theater language, this means that my job for that night was to be the greeter and ticket ripper who greets and then conducts the customers to their appropriate screen.

It's horrible to be put on podium. So repetitive. So, when a guy walked into the complex and asked me if I knew where a mirror was, I was glad to have a change of pace and was able to direct someone to the bathroom instead of theaters, of which I was sick of saying Blah Blah is in theater xyz to your right.

Our conversation went something like this:

The dude: Do you know where a mirror is?
Me: Yeah, in the bathroom...
The dude: Okay, thanks.

Thrilling, right? I told him to go ahead and go to the bathroom (since, obviously, that's where mirrors usually are). The guy headed for the bathroom. For a few seconds, I just asked myself how this dude could not know where a mirror would be. Strange people in this world, I tell ya. Then, I moved on in my train of thought and continued with my Blah Blah is going to be in theater zyx to your lefts.

A couple of minutes later, the mirror guy approaches me (again!). What can I expect from him now? Where could he find toilet paper?

The dude: A mirror's not in there. You mean, you didn't see that whole wall that was plastered with your reflection?
Me: Okay...I'm pretty sure a mirror's in there.
The dude: No, I checked and didn't see him in there. Oh great, this guy is giving the mirrors genders and naming them? Geez.
Me: Him?
The dude: Yeah, you know, a mirror.

----------------------Long pause----------------------

Me: Umm...oooooooh. You're talking about Amir! Oh, yeah, I think he's working concessions tonight.

Alas, the mirror dude just wanted to see Amir (which is conventiently prounounced like a mirror). It just made so much more sense! Who's the dumb one now, Shannon? Why don't I just go take a look in the mirror...which is in the bathroom. (That's also where toilet paper is kept, for your information).

The Scrunched-Face Look

Tell me, do you find scrunched faces on animals cute?

A Potbellied Pig.


A Persian.

A Pug.

A Person.

Yeah, me neither.

Okay, fine, the pig is cute.

Movin' On Up

Children learn at an early age to express their creativity in unique ways--sometimes resulting in graffiti. Take a look at the drawing below which I discovered on the playground at the school I work at. This child is clearly learning to graffiti for the first time, since the drawing is done in sidewalk chalk. Tsk. Tsk. I admire the child for wanting to share his love of lollipops, but that face is kind of a creepy one, which made me not enjoy the Lollipop Licker wording as much.


Now, we fast forward through this child's life a few years and he's progressed. No longer is he drawing on playgrounds, but rather, he is now expressing his need to beautify the city by writing on street signs. I took the featured picture below in Stratford-upon-Avon, England last year (I must admit that this picture is my favorite from all the pictures I took in the United Kingdom).

This child who has gone from drawing lollipops to writing Hammer Time has moved up in more ways than one:

1: The child can now reach higher things than the playground stairs. He can now reach tall street signs to express his thoughts.
2. The child no longer is drawing a gremlin-looking thing who loves to lick lollipops.
3. The child actually used song lyrics to promote his graffiti, which I find hilarious...since it's an American song (on an English stop sign) from the early '90s.
4. The child made me laugh with his whole STOP Hammer Time stunt, because it was so unexpected for me to find next to Shakespeare's burial site in 2009.
5. The child has left behind chalk and gone for permanency, thus leaving behind his mark for all to enjoy...unless, of course, the street sign gets taken down.
6. The child has moved all the way from Utah to a city in England that is best known as Shakespeare's birthplace and burial site.

Despite this child's creativity, he does have one downfall. No, it's not the fact that he is drawing on public property. No, it is not the fact that it's irreverent to write on a stop sign that is right next to the Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare was buried. No, it's not the fact that Hammer Time is not written in a straight line but starts moving in the upper right position. The downfall of this child is that I never see any good graffiti around here, in Utah...oh wait, four years ago I saw a stop sign that said STOP (obviously) and then underneath, it said Bush. Somebody actually wrote STOP Bush...in Utah!

But, no one can beat the STOP Hammer Time sign because:

I've toured around the world, from London to the Bay.

It's "Hammer, go Hammer, MC Hammer, yo, Hammer"

and the rest can go and play.

U Can't Touch This

***I don't support graffiti, but if you're going to do it anyways, then you might as well make it entertaining for those who have to see it everyday.

Picture Day

Tomorrow is picture day. Great. I haven't had a "picture day" since high school. It's been so long that I've forgotten what I'm supposed to do. Just sit there and look pretty? Well, as you can see from these two pictures I've posted, I AM quite the looker. But I find it strange that the only person who comments on just how beautiful I am is Grandma--hey, and she wasn't even wearing her glasses when she said that. I must really have knocked her spectacles off with my incredibly good looks.

I work at an elementary school, right? So, staff gets a free packet of pictures...of themselves. What the heck am I supposed to do with pictures of myself?? Despite what you may think, I'm not the type to frame a picture of myself and set it on the nightstand next to my bed so that it's the last thing I see before I go to sleep and the first thing I see when I wake up. One can only view so much beauty during the day, so I need a break from my flawless face, just to keep me grounded...that's why I will not frame a picture of myself and put it next to MY bed. But, there is a guest room in our home and I think I will frame this old picture of me (the one where I'm wearing a super stylish hat) and put it next to that bed. I'm sure this picture would give the guests pleasant dreams.

Now, as to what to do with the pictures I take tomorrow--of course, my coworkers are helpful--both of them told me to hand out my pictures to guys. Umm...yeah...fantastic idea! My response to that? "Okay. On the back of the picture it'll say Hi, I'm Single. Nice to meet you." And just by seeing my beautiful face the guys will be like, How in the world is this gorgeous woman still single? Oh, and in fine print her picture says "Best country line dancer"? I CANNOT pass her up!

I hope my picture tomorrow turns out as stunning out these two. But, I'm just not sure I can top these pictures--I had a brilliant smile, good hair, and my body is not in an awkward position...at all. I'm just not sure I will be able to pull that off again. Wish me luck that I can look as good tomorrow as I did in these. It would mean a lot. Hey, maybe I'll even send you one of my pictures for supporting me (I am going to have like, 50, so I could even send one to your grandma). Wouldn't you just love that? And I know the perfect place for it: on your nightstand. That way you could have a natural night light--from the glow that I radiate--my picture would just brighten your day or night.

By George! He's awesome!

Last night I was playing a board game called Loaded Questions. One of the questions that came up was If you could be like anyone who would you be and why? My answer: George Costanza, because he's my hero. It was a shame that the guy who read the answers aloud didn't know how to pronounce "Costanza", let alone didn't know who George was! Are you kidding me?!!!! He's only the greatest TV character of ALL time. And, because not everyone in the room knew who George was, I looked dumb for saying he's my hero after one of the other guys described George as "a bald guy who lives at home and is unemployed." But, there is so much more to George than that description. Those people in the room who didn't know who George was should be the ones feeling inferior because Georgie-boy is amazing, simply put.

George is my idol because:

He's cheap and not afraid to show it.
-Example 1: He will buy Elaine a nice cashmere sweater as a gift, but only because it's on clearance...for having a red dot on it. (The Red Dot episode)
-Example 2: When invited to a dinner party, George would rather bring Pepsi over a bottle of wine, and instead of cake, he wants to bring Ring Dings to save money. (The Dinner Party episode)

-I like people who are openly cheap--as long as they're not cheap with me. But it's okay if I'm cheap. Also, I like you generous people, too. Hmm...I just like people to give me stuff. Yeah.

He has the mentality that everything needs to balance out.
-George was in the bookstore and brought an expensive book into the bathroom with him to get some reading done while doing his business. He was not planning on buying the book, but once the bookstore employee found out the book had been in the bathroom he made George buy the book. George's plan to get his money back for the book (since the store wouldn't let him return it because it had been marked as a bathroom book) would be to steal a different book then return the stolen book to get cash that should make up for the cost of the bathroom book. (The Bookstore episode)

-I like his logic. But, stealing's a no-no. If you rip me off then I will try something passive-agressive to get back at ya. Say, for example. you're this one company that just charged me for medical services when I'm not even on the plan. If you don't give me my refund then I'm definitely going to write you a bad review on the Internet for everyone to see. See how it works? Good. :)

He thinks about nothing of importance.
-In one episode while at the coffee shop he was talking to Susan and wondered why bathroom stall doors don't go all the way to the floor. She wanted to change the subject. He didn't. This bathroom stall door length stuff is serious stuff. (The Postponement episode)

-I actually wonder about stuff that has no meaning. Just read some of my blog entries, and you'll see for yourself. Also...why in the heck did they make a 4th Indiana Jones movie?? It boggles my mind.

He is a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man."
-He is me in a male body.

He can't hold a steady job.
-I get bored with my dumb jobs, too, George. It's okay. We're just special. Of course, I've never been fired like you have. But it's okay, I still love you.

He will pretend to be someone he's not.

-Whether his goal is to impress someone or to have fun playing a role of someone who he wishes he were in real life, he can act. He's most well known for using the name Art Vandelay, and for being an architect. He has also been known to play the parts of a marine biologist, an emporter/exporter named Art Cordelay, and as being the author of La Cocina.

-I have only really pretended to be someone I'm not...in real life, once. Yep, my sister and I were in the same art class in high school and sat at the same table along with like, two or three other people. We told our tablemates we were twins and that our names were Brooke and Cindy. For that whole semester, I was known as Brooke, the twin to Cindy, who was in art. Awesome.

He is hard-working.
-George will work hard when he wants to. For example, he worked really hard to find a place to sleep in his office while at work. He may not be the hardest working employee but he sure is the hardest worker of trying to cut corners and manipulate the system. He was able to sleep under his work desk and even had a handyman do work to his desk and install shelves for an alarm clock for him to awake to. (The Nap episode)

-I have to admire his passion for sleeping at work. In fact, at the job I had before this current one, I would (accidentally) fall asleep while watching Seinfeld. Ironic. One time I was just chillin' there, probably snoring and drooling, and when I woke up there was this random girl in the room. Hmm. I wonder how long she had been there. Or, what she saw...or heard. I guess if you snooze you lose.

He will think really hard to try and get revenge...or, at least, a good comeback.

-"Hey George, the ocean called, they're running out of shrimp."

"Oh yeah, Reilly? Well, the Jerk Store called, and they're running out of you." (The Comeback episode)

-You have to give George credit for all the effort he put into coming up with this comeback...in fact, it took him like, the whole episode to say that to Reilly. And, it takes guts to fly all the way to Ohio just so you can say a lame comeback, when you're just going to get thrown a comeback right back at you. A comeback that beats yours by 10 million points. Reminds me of my life.

He will go to great lengths to prove someone wrong.

-Example 1: George is about to breakup with the current girl he is dating because they never have anything to talk about. However, when George is about to break up with her, she tells him that her friend told her that George will break her heart. George therefore stays with the girl he was about to break up with to prove to the friend that he would never break the girl's heart.

-I would do the same.

-Example 2: He tells Susan's parents that he bought a house in the Hamptons. They, of course, know he didn't. They ask to see his house. So, being George, he drives them all the way to the Hamptons in hopes that they will just want to turn around and not see his place after he took forever to get there from stalling. He finally caves in, after pretending the whole day and driving them around all day, and tells them he doesn't actually own a house in the Hamptons. They simply reply with "We know". (The Wizard episode)

-I wouldn't do the same. What a waste of gas...but mainly a waste of the money I spent on gas.

He eats "gross" stuff.
-He ate a donut from the top of the garbage because the donut only had one bite in it. But, just as he was taking his glorious bite, the woman he was dating's mom walked in the room and saw him eating from the garbage. (The Gymnast episode)
-I used to be in high school. Consequently I needed to earn money for college. Consequently I worked at a movie theater. Consequently I would clean the theaters. Consequently there was food left in the theaters. Consequently sometimes there was half-eaten candy boxes left in the cupholders. Consequently...

He uses famous people as his claim to fame.
-In The Mom and Pop Store episode, George buys a Chrysler LeBaron just because the dealer told him that the car was once owned by John Voight. He then goes around telling everyone he was driving John Voight's car, even though the previous car owner wasn't the famous John Voight.
-Once upon a time, I owned a Chrysler LeBaron too...but I never said anyone famous used to own it. But that's besides the point. What I really want to say is that George and I both owned Chrysler LeBarons!! YES. However, my claim to fame is that the band Papa Roach is from my hometown and went to my rival high school. Unfortunately, they graduated a few years before I even started high school. And, besides, I'm not even a huge fan of Papa Roach.

He makes it look like he's putting effort into tasks.
-George is really excited to take his current girlfriend to a formal ball. However, when he finds out she wants to breakup with him before the ball, he avoids her at all costs. "If she can't find me she can't break up with me." She calls him. He never answers. He then pretends not to be avoiding her by calling her back at her home phone and leaving a message when he knows she's working at the time. (The Susie episode)
-So me.

-In one episode, George claims that by acting agitated all the time it makes you look busy and stressed, like you're doing a good job at work.

-Does it work for him? Oh yes, it does.

He is creative.
-When George finds out that his Christmas gift from his boss is a donation to The Children's Alliance, George figures he doesn't need to spend money on all his coworkers. So, he makes up a charity organization called The Human Fund and tells all of his coworkers that his Christmas gift to them is that he made a donation to this (made up) organization. (The Strike episode)
-How original is the name The Human Fund? Heck yes! Not only is The Human Fund a creative name, but it's a creative gift to give to fellow coworkers, while still not spending any money. The bonus for George is it makes him look good by pretending he's actually a part of a service organization that is out to make the world a better place. 

After listing just a few reasons why George is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G, I'm surprised to see George never got married. Tell me, Magic 8 ball, since George and I have some similar qualities, am I in the same boat as him? Oh, spare me the answer on that question. But do answer this for me, what's not to love about George?

Like a Cheese Stick

I put on a radio station from the TV that was called Y2K Hits. Obviously I'm not caught up on what's cool nowadays because a song came on that I thought was peculiar...for being a "hit", especially during this day in age. Yet, this random hip-hop song was totally my style. Frankly, I was surprised that I had never heard of it before...because the song's chorus was just that spectacular.

The chorus that I heard went like this:

Now I'm feeling so fly like a cheese stick.
Like a cheese stick,
like a cheese stick.
Now I'm feeling so fly like a cheese stick.


What has gotten into hip-hop artists now to where they go from "singing" about money, skanks, cars, bullets, and ghettos to about mozzarella sticks? I could really get into this new fad they're in right now. Singing about food? Sounds good to me--especially if their next song is about pizza, cake, or mashed potatoes (wouldn't that be interesting?).

I just HAD to look up these lyrics because I thought the lyrics were just too good to be true. Much to my disappointment,

the actual lyrics went like this:

Now I'm feeling so fly like a G6
Like a G6,
like a G6.
Now I'm feeling so fly like a G6.

I see hip-hop artists have stuck with their same old topics of money, skanks, cars, bullets, ghettos, and the like. Can't they ever go out of the box just once and make a song about mozzarella sticks? I liked that version so much better. Yo, G's, you have let me down. Until you start singing about cheese sticks, pizza, cake, or mashed potatoes, then for now I'm going to stick to my own little world and listen to cheesy songs.

Nessie

Pictures of a MASSIVE goldfish have been circulating the Internet recently. I suspect that this is the REAL Loch Ness Monster:

Well, Scotland, I guess you'll have to be closing all of your tourist museums around Loch Ness, stop selling all of your tourist shirts, hats, keychains, mugs, sweaters-for-your-dog that say I Survived Loch Ness or Nessie is My Friend etc. because in my opinion, your "monster" is only a giant koi fish. Which isn't cool at all. Say goodbye to anybody ever coming to visit Loch Ness again (like I did a year ago. And no, I didn't take one of those boat "tours" to try and spot Nessie. Nor did I go into your museums...you guys charge way too much!).

Stop pretending this is Nessie, because everybody knows it's a FAKE now that we've seen how big koi fish can grow to be:

And, frankly, you should be embarrassed that you believe dinosaurs are still alive. Yep, that's right, I went to a dinosaur museum a few weeks ago that said dinosaurs are extinct, and I kind of believe them.

Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Scotland. I actually do regret not spending a fortune to walk through a cheaply-put-together museum catered to tourists. And believe it or not, I actually do regret not riding one of your "Let's find Nessie!" type of boat tours. I guess that's the whole Loch Ness experience...I mean, there's nothing else to go off of, right? I'm actually sad, too, that I don't have a mug that says I Believe in Nessie...because then at least, it'd prove that I'd been to Loch Ness, which is kind of famous. Oh, sure, I have pictures of me with the water in the background, but that looks like any other body of water. What makes Loch Ness so special is that it has an actual monster-of-a-thing living IN the water, and I really wish now that I had gone into that museum and saw other "undoctored" photos of Nessie at her best--above the water. Then I could've had a picture taken of me next to those pictures to prove that I was at Loch Ness...or at least in a museum of Loch Ness. Anyways...

I'll pretend that the classic picture of Nessie (above) is real and that there really aren't koi fish that huge, just to help you out and keep the tourists flowing in your direction. After all, you're Scotland, and you're cool. I'm glad to be of Scottish heritage, even if what you're most known for (at least around here) is Braveheart's William Wallace (no, not Mel Gibson) and most of all, the Loch Ness Monster. I mean, between those two options, Nessie is clearly the most realistic character of the two...and I could've had a one-in-a-zillion shot (kind of like finding OJ Simpson guilty of murdering his wife...) of seeing Nessie if I had taken a boat tour!

Thunder Mountain Man--My Inspiration

Dear 50-Year-Old Shannon,

I hope to be like that 50ish year old man (except in a woman form) my brothers saw at Disneyland (in June) who was carrying around a fart noise maker and pushed the button near teenage girls at Thunder Mountain (how ironic...since that wasn't the boom of thunder the girls were waiting in line for). He was cool because he had a sense of humor and personality and couldn't care less of his age. Please don't be a deadbeat. Oh yeah, I hope you're rich too.

Sincerely,
Almost-25-Year-Old Shannon

PS: You don't necessarily have to carry around a fart noise maker to be cool when you're 50. On second thought, why would anyone need one of those, anyways, especially at Disneyland?? There's enough entertainment--you're at the happiest place on Earth, for goodness sake! Actually, that guy was also probably the type of guy who listens to his iPod at Disneyland--which, according to my brother, is like texting while on a date. Big no-no. Nevermind being cool like him. Disregard this whole letter. But yeah, I'm still hoping you're rich.

Myspace Nostalgia

I haven't been on Myspace in forever (sorry, Myspace, but Facebook has kind of been the new "it" thing since it beat you in popularity in 2006 or something. You were cool before you became uncool.) So, I thought I would login to my page and reflect on the good times Myspace and I had together. Apparently, I had written a couple of blog entries on my Myspace blog, so I guess this isn't technically my first time blogging. It was kind of fun to reminisce through my grand total of 2 blog entries:

July 10, 2007 - Tuesday
My Research
Current mood: Lollipop

For the last week I have been doing some serious research, with no grants, nonetheless! I have been observing people doing one of life's most pleasurable acts--eating. Eating, however universally pleasurable it may be, is also very telling of the kind of person the eater is--especially when it comes to hot dogs. Through my observations, one may be able to detect the eater's personality based on the toppings the eater has on his/her hot dog.

What topping you put on your hot dog says about you:

Hot dog with just mustard on it: You like to be the spice of life, or...get this!...you think hot dogs with mustard on it tastes yummy...?

Hot dog with just relish on it: You tend to like the sweeter things in life, or...get this!...you think hot dogs with relish on it tastes wonderful...?

Hot dog with mustard AND ketchup on it: You like everyone to get along. Everyone should be treated equally regardless of race, sex, or height. Why shouldn't red and yellow be able to coexist peacefully?...or, you like the taste of ketchup and mustard blended. Is that a weird observation or what?!

Hot dog with "the works" on it: You have a tough time making decisions and you're one who tries to please everyone. You can't decide which topping you like best, so you throw 'em all on. This act of using all possible choices to go onto your hot dog also satisfies your need to please everyone. You have successfully made every topping feel as if it was wanted or needed. You want everyone to feel welcome, or...get this!...you like to eat hot dogs with the works because it satisfies your taste buds...?

I hope this hot dog observation has been as beneficial to you as it has been to me.

February 11, 2006 - Saturday
You Know You're From Vacaville When...
Current mood: Nunchucks


-You remember when the Nut Tree was a fun, family-oriented place
-Every raised truck you see driving around reads "Nor Cal"
-You take pride in telling people that Vacaville is where the band Papa Roach is from
-Your other claim to fame is you have The Outlets (but don't shop there...often)
-You know at least two people who work at Mary's Pizza Shack, Chili's, or Brenden Theatres
-You have been to the Zodiac Killer's shack
-You don't ever go to the mall because it's too far and Fairfield is hecka scary
-You use the word hecka
-You know Jarrett Bush, of the Green Bay Packers, is from Vacaville (and my bro knew him)
-You remember when Andrew's Park was a whole new concept and The Wooz was SO much fun!
-You've been to Candy Cane Lane at least 3 times every Christmas
-You are afraid of Markham & Brown St.
-You have raced to "Hamburger Hill" for lunch
-The Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is mandatory at least once in your lifetime
-You know that the Vacaville prison held Charles Manson
-You remember that the-building-that-is-now-a-church on Marshall Road used to be a movie theater
-You remember that the-building-that-is-now-a-church on Orange Drive used to be Galaxy 8, the second theater to be converted into a church

Myspace, thank you for having "blogs" on your site--you have taught me the ways of correct blogging--by writing about dumb stuff. Seriously, thank you. Also, please thank Tom for being my friend on your site. He stuck with me the whole way. What a good guy. Say, how come they're not making a movie about him?? He should be the one having a movie made after him. After all, that dude from Facebook isn't even my friend on Facebook. Lame! Now he has his own movie? What's this world coming to??? Oh, that's right, it's come down to basing people's personality types off of hot dog toppings.

Try New Things

Everyday when I go to work (at an elementary school, just so you're aware), we do the exact same thing. We verbally repeat the same exact thing every morning during calendar time. Repetition is good for children. Repitition is good for children. As a result, I now have ingrained in this brain of mine the 5 rules of the classroom:

1. Use kind words and kind voices

2. Keep your hands and feet to yourself

3. Raise your hand

4. Follow directions without complaining

5. Try new things

Well, last night I followed at least one of these rules without complaining, and that was Try New Things. Last night I went horseback riding (why is it called horseback riding? Couldn't it just be called horse riding--I mean, where else are you going to ride on the horse?) AND "swing" dancing; two things I have never really done before. Oh yeah, when I was like, six, one time I got to ride on a horse that was pulled along by a rope, but I don't think that counts. Then when I was older like, eight, I was the only person on the saddle and we followed a trail, but that horse just followed the other horses. So, I don't think that counts either.

I was really excited to go horseback riding! (why is it called horseback riding? Couldn't it just be called horse riding--I mean, where else are you going to ride on the horse?--more repetition.) There were three horses that like, twenty of us had to share. There was a tall horse, a medium horse, and a short horse. I, of course, wanted to ride the short horse--you know, less amount of work to get on the saddle, and so forth. Little did I know, the short horse was the feisty one. Great. I hadn't been on a horse for what, over fifteen years, and I have to get the wild one. Not to mention, I don't know what the heck I'm doing. So, my horse would trot without me wanting it to. My horse would bite the other two horse's butts for some reason and get those horses aggravated. My horse even started into a gallop, and here I was, without my feet in the stirrups (because I couldn't reach...sigh) holding on for dear life onto the saddle horn for like, ten seconds. I seriously almost fell off. I would've been bruised--emotionally.

So that was fun. I rode on the feisty one for maybe five minutes. After my turn on her I tried the medium horse--much nicer. Sure, less exciting, but maybe I had just a little more control over this one. Maybe. Still, she didn't exactly do what I wanted her to, but she was calmer...which is good in my book. I rode this one for maybe ten minutes. I found that I really like to ride horses, despite my legs being really sore today.

After horseback riding, we went swing dancing. I have also never done this before...and there's probably a reason for it. I suck. We walk into this room of about thirty people just doing all these swing moves and I'm just standing there in shock. How could I ever do that? I couldn't possibly do that. So, I didn't do that. Good thing my brother was there because he and I just did whatever the crap we wanted. We did dumb moves that no one has ever seen before. Yes, that's right, we made up our very own moves--which was kind of fun. What was even better was that I didn't care. I'm sure those swing-dancing activists were looking at us in horror. Who really "raises the roof" at a swing dance? No one. But my brother and me.

Definitely not my bro and me

This isn't us, either

Getting closer: my dancing could somehow be related to the Elaine Dance

My brother's dance could stem from The Carlton

You know how there's always at least one awkward person at a dance who will generally walk around by himself and just stare? Or start dancing by himself as he tries to fit into some group? Those people are cool! Anyways, there was an awkward girl at this swing-dancing joint. She walks up to our little group and just stands there. Then she tries making conversation with my brother. Obviously, my brother doesn't want to dance with her but the girl is trying so hard to get him to ask her to dance. It's funny stuff watching your brother try to get away but having a girl follow him around everywhere. I guess my brother was trying to get me to ask him to dance so he could get away, but I wanted to watch him squirm--it makes things more entertaining that way.

Towards the end of the dance the awkward girl left. My brother then decided to take on the role of the awkward person at the dance. He tucks his shirt in, pulls his pants up high, puts his hands in his pockets, walks around between each couple, stopping to stand in a spot for a few seconds at a time, all the while having a creepy grin on his face. What a great way to end the night. Made me laugh.

It is good to try new things. I learned not to judge a book by its cover--the smallest horse had the biggest personality. I learned you can make anything fun no matter where you are (okay, this isn't true for everything)--like you can make swing dancing something you enjoyed doing, by making a fool of yourself and dancing however you wanted. I learned that awkward people at dances are so fun to watch. But it's even more fun to watch the expressions on people's faces as the awkward person comes toward them.

I would love to go horseback riding again. However much fun I had at the dance, I do not think I would go "swing" dancing again--it's embarrassing when a guy asks you to dance and you have to explain how you don't know what you're doing. And then he tries to teach you steps, when really, you don't want to swing, you just want to make up your own stuff (or moves As Seen on TV!)...and people-watch...and people-watch...