It's not a cry you can hear at night, it's not somebody who's seen the light...

My step-father has cleared out a large amount of the high wild grass just beyond the area of their backyard they turned into lawn. I finally asked today what the random flatted circle was for. Turns out he wants to make a...wait for it...seventy-foot wide shamrock out there. With wild yellow rosebushes at the edges of it.

Apparently in Belfast his...grandfather? I think it was his grandfather. Anyway some Gallagher dude dug up his wife's wild rose bushes and she told him not to because that was where the wee folk lived and they didn't like their home disturbed. He did it anyway. So the story is that the wee folk put a curse on the family. Something about first borns...something. Which apparently has seemed to have come true. So he wants to plant wild rose bushes for the wee folk. In a seventy-foot wide shamrock.

Just... <3

(This is what people do when they retire...)

I'm taking a stained glass class on Thursday, whoohoo. That'll be interesting to try out. One of my mother's friends is coming too so we'll have a good time. I'm going out with some of her friends tomorrow as well. My mother's friend Connie said "I hope we don't embarrass you". Well. Oh dear then!

When my brother had his bike accident and he was on loritab for the pain, my step-father was visiting with him to make sure he was okay. This was years ago, when my brother was keen on the girl in the apartment near him, Shalina. Shalina was over helping my brother out too, and Larry was telling Boy "you know, loritab is great for the pain, but it can bind you up." My brother, aware that the girl he liked was listening, stared at Larry to try to tell him to shut up. Larry took this as a sign he wasn't understanding so he said, "I mean constipation." My poor brother apparently then tried to kill Larry with his eyes, but it didn't work. The girl still ended up with my brother for many years, so that's fortunate!

So today Larry came up to me and in his jolly voice he said, "I made bran muffins. You want one!? They'll keep you regular!" and I kind of stared at him and then I ran away. I do wonder if he says these things to see the looks on our faces!

Everything is Doctor Who and nothing hurts.

I have been watching it...mostly non-stop when I can't sleep. Because <3. I love how many actors I adore guest-star on it! Leonora Critchlow, Ardal O'Hanlon (whom I correctly identified by his voice because there is no confusing Father Dougal MacGuire with anyone else), that man who plays Percy in Blackadder. And Mark Gatiss, of course. I'm just in awe of it. If only my former hate for David Tennant (and I still can't stand Barty Crouch Jr in Harry Potter 4) hadn't kept me from watching this sooner. I can be so daft sometimes ;) Today I was in the car telling my mother that David Tennant could basically act anything. He's mesmerizing. And I absolutely believe that.

Yeah, anyway. Real life also exists. I am heading to Missoula to visit my Jayannpants on Friday which means I will miss visiting with my mother's friend Peter. Whom she casually fucking mentioned happens to have known basically everyone from The King's Speech. He comes from an aristocratic South African family and he went to study abroad in England (kind of like one Avery Driscoll) and apparently through his family he knew the Mountbattens and the...others, and blahblahblah. It's probably best I won't be here so I don't have to fight the urge to ask annoying questions like "DID THEY WEAR CROWNS TO DINNER!? OMG SO EXCITED!"

And my parents continue to be hilarious and awesome. My mother wants to teach me to make stained glass things. With my shaky hands. I'll give it a go. Here's hoping I don't solder my face off! And Larry is making calls because he wants another horse. Apparently he annoyed some woman today because he...like...asked intelligent questions. How rude of him. How dare he know the right questions to ask! Pfft.

My step-father is awesome. He walked into the room holding this bowl of pumpkin pie innards I baked and said, "are these punkin guts for eatin'?" He was also reading the clouds to me yesterday. They were long and streaky and he was all "Those are lenticular clouds. It means there are mighty high winds around the tops of those peaks there. If you were flying a small aircraft you'd want to stay away from those clouds." He likes unleashing some of his pilot-fu. Like when we drive across the state and he points out fields he landed his plane in. It's kind of hilarious.

ANYWAY it's blizzarding here now, wheee! SNOWING SIDEWAYS! Also I am hyper. I haven't had energy since I've been here and all of a sudden YAHOOOOOOO ENERGY!

My poor mother has to deal with me *snickers* Also Simon but you see, that is voluntary.

Yesterday I got Letters to a Young Poet by Rainer Maria Rilke. It's translated into English which is sad, but it was two bucks at a thrift store. And it's Rainer Maria Rilke. Who could write a grocery list down and I would read it with glee.

Oh and I watched more Doctor Who and I now believe if they don't let David Tennant light the torch for the 2012 Olympic games in London, I will be very, very upset!

Randomly waking up when trying to sleep is annoying. More annoying when I forget where I am!

Today my step-daddy forgot he had opened up one of his non-alcoholic beers (ews) and so after dinner my mother pointed it out. He thought he would be really super cool and chug it in the kitchen, so he lifted it up to his mouth and chugged. And then it fizzed everywhere and he got it all over himself and had to spit it out in the sink. Then he spent the next five minutes, dripping it all over the kitchen floor, laughing hysterically. His laugh is a mixture between a jolly Irishman and the doctor from The Simpsons. It was pretty brilliant. And entirely refreshing that he could laugh at himself.

He also was like "you haven't seen it here (meaning this house, not Montana) in the winter have you?" and my response was, "I was here in the winter when I lived here." He looked confused so I said, "remember? I lived here for like six months?" More confusion. "I worked at Pizza Hut?" "OH YEAH!" To be fair to him, that was eight years ago, just before I moved to Australia! I thought it was amusing. He doesn't even eat Pizza Hut. Wouldn't go near it, so I don't know why that jogged his memory!

Tomorrow lots of people are coming for Racism Day lunch/dinner. It'll be nice to see most of them since I haven't in a long time. I usually miss them when I visit, even though they live in Helena. I hope to be incredibly interesting and witty. But I'll settle for Not Asleep.

Soon I will be able to watch the new ep of American Horror Story. I am excite! That'll put me back to sleep, surely. Right? RIGHT?!

My brother randomly came through town today to drop his dog Loki off here so we can dogsit for a few days. So I was woken up with "COME HUG YOUR BROTHER" and then my mother took me shopping for hours.

We wet to Wal-Mart where they were selling guns in plastic packages. They had pink ones. You know. Fer them gals. Bitches like pink. I couldn't believe it. I want to take my camera and take photos so I can show my NZ friends the glory that is the sporting section. <---Sarcasm. Also there was someone parked in the lot with a vanity plate that said "Ma Cow". So yep. I'm in Montana now. YEE YAW.

We also went to the store my niece works at so we could get a turkey for Racism Day (my mother had to listen to my ranting all day long, wheee) It was nice to see her! She's so grown up. I remember when she was 3. /old lady

And that's it. Being with my parents is awesome though. They're both lovely and hilarious. Even if Loki seems convinced I am some kind of alien and every time I move he growls. It has to be the hair. Don't hate on fake gingers, Loki. Are you some kind of dog-racist?! He doesn't mind me when I'm throwing a tennis ball for him. Just when I am hanging out inside. Le sigh.

Also, in Wal-Mart, my mother said "I have to get some balls for the dog. He needs some balls" And I couldn't stop laughing. She was generous enough to sigh and then ignore it instead of scolding me! Ah, love!

EDIT: Fixed my email inbox finally. Turns out I accidentally blocked the images mail uses to run with AdBlock when I was trying to block an ad on the side of it. LOLwhoops. I am so smrt. At least I figured it out!

I am in the US and already I have lost my cousin. Not...dramatically. She was going to meet me in the international arrivals lounge and here I sit and I cannot find her. So, alas, I think my San Fransico Sara plans have been dealt a deathly blow.

I am so dramatic when I am sleepy. Also I was talking to my step-daddy and the stupid phone cut me off :( And my mommy isn't home to complain to. HUMPH! And today is very windy up in the skies. Both flights have been like long earthquakes. In the air. In a tube.

I slept on the plane and totally snored. Buuahaha! I also watched Rise of the Planet of the Apes twice because once I chose it and then they showed it again on the long flight where they don't have on demand. So I got to notice all the parts they edited out. Like Draco Malfoy's Tom Felton's fate. It just went black. Glad I saw it with that bit in because...uhm...yeah. Also James Franco is tasty as is Frieda Pinto.

All I can see out the window here is smog and smart carts. But it's a magical land, yo. GOD the US depresses me so much. Seriously. And no one is here yet to make it better!

EDIT: The 'welcome to the US' video they showed in customs had all these Americans going "welcome to our country" and not one of them was Native American though they seemed to work every other race of people in there (so at least it wasn't white-washed which is something). You'd think, considering it's a welcome to our country video, they should like...put some of the people who were here first in the damn video. Just a thought.

1. My family is the most awesome thing in the world.

2. Still waiting on my program to confirm my results to the loan people so I can get my second semester loan. If this is refused, this entire year is basically a wash. And it's 7 weeks til the end of term (break weeks not included) So. That sucks. But-

3. My family is still the most awesome thing in the world.

4. I now have all The Kills albums! :D

5. Simon is wonderful for cheering me up.

6. My family is seriously the most awesome thing in the world.

Talked to my sister and my mother on the phone which was a grand way to spend the afternoon! My step-father is so adorably awesome, by the way.

Mom: "Larry, I'm on the phone with Lara, do you have any questions for her?"
Larry: "Is she happy?"

I'll tell you what, Larry, the fact that you asked that makes me very happy, indeed. You win all the things.

♥

Let's see if I have more luck doing this meme. Stolen from Jill!

Day One: Ten things you want to say to ten different people right now.

I did my family for this part, since I know people who read this who get absolute anxiety attacks over these particular memes and I won't do that to them. Only three people reading these are on here, one is my sister and the other two I live with. If you are reading this at ALL, I love you!

Beware. I am totally honest and mushy when it comes to how I feel about people (well 9 out of 10) because I am part Care Bear. And sometimes it makes people go O_O.

( My Ten Things )