Okay, so I lied. I forgot to add the 101 Things About Me and the Cast List before my last entry. So sue me. I'll do that before I add this entry. Yeah.
I had an interesting weekend.
First, on Saturday afternoon, I had to go to a family picnic at my cousin Jeanette's house. Her sister, my cousin Kim, had come to visit along with her husband Robert[?] and their three daughters, Mackenzie, Shelby, and Brianne. I hadn't seen Kim, Robert, or Mackenzie for about five or six years (the other two weren't born at that time), so there was really no way I could get out of the family shindig.
I'm pretty glad I went, though. Kim is really nice, and so is her husband. He had just gotten back from Iraq, and he has to ship out again soon, so it will probably the last time I will see them for another 5 or so years.
Right away, Jeanette's daughter Haley attacked me with a brush and squirt bottle. She enjoys doing hair, and so for about an hour or so I had my hair squirted with water and matted to my scalp. After said hour, Shelby joined in on the fun, and so I had a girl to each side of my head.
They even had a few toys that served as "make-up". One was a water yoyo, which they would use as shampoo one minute, smashing it against my head and leaving me praying that the thing wouldn't pop. The next minute, they would press it against my cheeks as though it were blush.
"Pretend like I put too much on you, and it made you choke, okay?"
"Okay..."
"You have to cough."
*cough cough*
"Okay, now I'll blow in your face and make it better. So then you have to say, 'Thank you, you're doing such a good job,' to me."
This scene played out quite a few times, from both girls.
After awhile, the salon turned into a hotel, as well. The two set up a small bed for me on the floor, but before I could "sleep" they had to take my jewelry and "clean" it. Among the items was Brandon's Jr. High ring and my mom's old ID bracelet that she gave me. Shelby and Haley squirted water on them, wiped the water off with a Kleenex, and then set the jewelry on top of the TV.
"You can't have it until morning," Shelby said. She pushed me rather roughly onto the floor and stood hovering over me until I shut my eyes. I had to remain like this until a few moments later, when Shelby made the sound of a rooster and pushed me into a sitting position.
"Can I have my jewelry?" I asked, leaning back against the coffee table so that Haley could "wash" my hair.
"No!" Shelby said sternly, brandishing the index finger of justice. "You're GROUNDED from it!!"
Well, since I was grounded from my own jewelry, I ended up leaving it at Jeanette's house.
At this point, the hotel shifted once again. Shelby suddenly became the mother. i was the "nice sister", and Haley was the "mean sister". I quickly reversed these roles, as I decided within a few minutes that I would run away from "school", which took place in my cousin Cassie's room.
Shelby saw me making a break for it and quickly caught me, dragging me back to Cassie's room. "You're a bad girl!!!" She yelled, putting as much authority into her voice as a five year old can muster. And that's a surprising amount. "You're going into the Bad Girl Room!"
So, school was now the Bad Girl Room. I was in this room most of the day, but with the help of Cassie and Mackenzie I did manage to escape a couple of times. I was always dragged, kicking and screaming, back to my prison.
After the barbeque, my family and I (now with my cousin Joyce and her two children in tow) went back to my house. I was only there for a few hours, until Brandon came and got me Saturday night.
After my mom talked to us for a little while and made us a bit late, Brandon and I made our trek down to Murray. We met up with Brandon's friend, Chris, and the three of us decided that it would be a fun idea to climb the water tower that was outside of town, by the highway. This was around 12:30 at night. So we started walking in that direction, and it wasn't long before a state trooper pulled up beside us.
"Do you have any ID on you?" he asked, giving us that "I know what you did," look.
Brandon was the only one with ID on him, so the trooper wrote down his name and birthday, and then [without ID] wrote down Chris's and my information. He also asked where the three of us were headed, and not wanting to admit that we were about to trespass, said we were just going out for a walk.
"Is something going on?" Chris asked, leaning casually against the side of the trooper's car.
"Actually, yes," was the response. the trooper seemed more than willing to share his story. It turns out that the small gas station there in Murray, the Mustang Express I believe, had been broken into and a large quantity of Marlboros had been stolen.
Chris once again explained that we were out for a walk, and also that we had not seen anyone out driving or walking in the time that we had been out. The trooper seemed satisfied, and so after telling us that if we "saw anyone with an abundance of Marlboros" to give the sheriff's office a call, he drove on.
We continued on as well, and didn't meet any further interruptions until we were so close to the water tower that we could just smell it. I mean see it. The trooper pulled up along side us again, and I imagine he had reason to. By this time we were further outside of Murray, and it probably looked like we were making a run for it.
"You guys lost?" he asked suspiciously.
"Nope, just going for a walk," we repeated once again. I don't think he bought it any more the second time. "We're headed up there to the highway, then we'll probably head back."
"All right..." the trooper looked reluctant to leave, but finally he pulled ahead and kept on going. we watched as he reached the highway, and a sheriff pulled right up beside him. The two officers stopped and chatted for a moment, and once the trooper had gone the sheriff decided to check us out.
Right away he didn't exactly make himself out to be the smartest man in the world. He stopped his car on the side of the road, only he forgot to put it into park. So as he climbed out of his car it started to roll, and very nearly hit me.
[Brandon's mom's advice the next day was that I should have grabbed my leg and fallen to the ground screaming in pain.]
He just laughed nervously, said something along the lines of, "I suppose I should put it in park." and resumed his climb from the vehical.
As many policemen seemed to do, the sheriff shined his flashlight in every face present but his own and asked us the very same questions the state trooper had: where we were going, where we had been, did we see anyone?
He then asked to see the bottoms of our shoes. So we all obligingly turned up stuck our foots out for him to inspect with his nifty little flashlight. He passed over Chris's, passed over mine, and then stopped and looked at Brandon's for a few moments before saying, "You won't believe this, but those look like the exact same footprints."
Figures.
"If you did it," the sheriff told Brandon, "just come clean and we can get this mess straightened out. The guy that owns the place isn't too angry, since all that was stolen was Marlboros."
It wasn't Brandon, of course, so the sheriff requested that the three of us travel with him down to the Mustang Express so that he could compare the footprints. That way, he would "know what he was looking for". We couldn't exactly refuse without looking suspicious, so the three of us hopped into the car.
After the sheriff had us in the car, he radioed in, "I have the three subjects with me, and I'm heading back to the Mustang to check a few things out."
Once there, Chris and I were told to stay by the car while he pulled Brandon off to the side of the building to show his shoe around to everyone present. The murmured amongst themselves for a moment, then the sheriff took one of Brandon's shoes and went inside to compare the footprints.
Chris and I surveyed the broken window and door for a moment before deciding that now it was probably safe to stand by Brandon, now that they had his shoe and were done with him for the time.
Now that we were closer to the building, I picked up on one thing that was said: "We have a Chris Wilkins, a Brandon Campbell...and some girl named Tory."
Eh, guess I don't look like the criminal type?
A woman peeped out of the window and looked at Brandon, then ducked back inside, and the little conference continued on this way for a few more minutes. Finally, the sheriff came back outside with a huge, isn't-this-just-funny grin on his face, holding out Brandon's shoe.
"Well," he said as he gave Brandon's shoe back, acting as though it were a cute little joke. "it isn't the one."
"Surprise, surprise," Chris replied, and the sheriff's smile dropped. He almost looked like he wanted to arrest Chris then, but he let us go. We came to the conclusion then [probably wisely] that it wasn't the best night to go climbing. So we went back to brandon's house, and had some good, wholesome fun.
That reminds me of the time that I was riding with Britt and one of his friends, and Britt's friend [the driver] got pulled over for something or other. The police woman, who is nicknamed "Robo Tits" in Ankeny, looked into the car with her flashlight and asked, "Where you guys headed?"
"Home," my brother snarled. He has a thing against policemen of any sort.
"And you're going with them?" the woman asked, shining the light on me and lifting an eyebrow. She definitely had the wrong impression.
"She's my sister." Britt spat.
I'm not sure she believed him, but she didn't say anything else about it.
Anyway, on Sunday morning I went to church with Brandon. He had to preach, as the regular pastor was busy working on a stone soup of sorts. I thought that Brandon did really well, although I noticed that when preaching he is incredibly different than what I am used to him being. He wasn't as animated as usual, and he was more professional and serious. And his thoughts didn't bounce around like they usually do; they actually stayed on single ideas for long periods of time. I think I prefer him the other way, though. His spontaneity is one of the things that makes him most interesting. And I'm not used to seeing him so serious...it was almost like listening to someone new. But, like I said, he did well. That didn't surprise me much; he is very intelligent, and has such a way with words that I am green with envy.
After church we went to the potluck meal, and the rest of the day was most uneventful. We took a rather long nap after church (we hadn't gotten many hours of sleep the night before), and then headed back to my house. And today was no more exciting, except for the fact that Nick was over. He and I talked about a lot of things. That's what's great about him; I confide a lot in him, and I know I don't have to worry about him telling it to anyone else or thinking less of me for anything that I say.
I also cleaned a bit, and just about and hour ago I got back from seeing "Freaky Friday" with my mom and little brother, Landon. It was okay, there were some humorous parts. And a couple of the songs were pretty stellar.
Just for shits and giggles, here is a conversation that Casey and myself had on AIM yesterday that clearly illustrates my bitchiness:
Me: oh, what do you know? you're a little freshman
Casey: tch. so, im taller then you
Me: not by much
Me: i'm older than you
Me: and wiser
Me: and bitchier
Casey: heh, ill agree with the 1st and 3rd ^_^
Me: you think you are wiser than i am?
Casey: :-D O:-)
Me: i have witnessed and done many more things than you have, young grasshopper. i have done things that would make you want to vomit. I have also learned from these things. and I don't date shitty men.
Casey: did I ever?
Casey: (date shittty men)
Me: well, i suppose you weren't officially dating andy. BUT you must date some shitty men, because you never date them for long.
Casey: Alex? Jordan? Ryan? any of them bad? no. and andy was NOT a shitty man
Me: yes he was, and yes he is
Me: you might be too blind to see it, but i'm not.
Casey: no, i was the only one who could see he wasnt. Cause I got oast his tough-bad-ass-attitude that pissed everyone off, and got to know him
Casey: I know he may not be the greatest of all guys, but he is a good guy
Me: uh huh. okay. do you know how many guys you can say that about, "Oh, he's sooo sweet when you get to know him." yeah. sweet until he gets into your pants.
Casey: why does everyone say thats all he wanted? I dont belive it, he never tried, or even hinted.
Me: believe what you will. i'm sure laura would tell you the same thing, she dated him. perhaps there is a reason she's not anymore. and he has his reputation for a reason. it didn't just appear. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but just because you are blinded by an obvious infatuation with this guy doesn't mean he's a saint. He's a player and a pervert, plain and simple.
Casey: look, i know he's not a saint. i know his rep, which half isnt even true, and he broke up wih Laura, she was happily with him. And likeing a guy has never 'blinded' me from his bad sides before. And he;s not a player etc, even though he can act like it. yes, he can be sometimes, but he's a guy, all guys are sometimes. I dont know..maybe I just do have bad taste in men. I have a thing for the bad ones, I lvoe teh bad ass attitude, I'm just so attracted to it, like I was with Ryan, who is a tottaly sweetheart guy, but acts bad, and most of my crushes were 'bad'...Jordan and Alex were completly good tho..I dont know
Me: It's just my personal opinion that Andy is a complete and utter dick. If you like him, and you think he's so fabulous, that's fine. I believe it would be wise, however, to keep in mind [if nothing else] the "relationship" you had before with him and where that got you.
Casey: I liked him Tor. A lot..I wanted to be wit him, so I did the closest thing to it..
Me: And he took advantage of you.
Casey: how so?
Me: He lead you on and acted like you two had a relationship, and told everyone how much he liked you and how wonderful and cute you were. I do believe shortly thereafter he began dating Laura, because she was there and convenient.
Casey: he told people that stuff? i didnt know that
Casey: I mean, I know he admitted to a few people before I told him I liked him that he kinda liked me..but I thought that was it..
Me: Maybe he didn't tell anyone else but me all that crap. I dunno.
Casey: Tor..how long is it gonna take for me to get over him? I want to be over him..but I cant get over him.Argh! I sound so..pansy ish and whiney and pitiful! aah!!
Me: I honesty couldn't tell you. I haven't been in that situation for almost two years, and I don't think I adapted to it very well anyway.
Casey: ::sighs:: I miss hanging out with you :hugs:
Me: Aww. thank you. It's nice to feel wanted.
Casey: you always have been
Casey: :-)
You see? I have no tact and I am brutally honest when I see that something is wrong. Um...at least people know I'm honest? Heh..heh...yeah.
You know, I have realized lately that people who hide themselves and pretend to be someone else annoy me. I'm not sure why it does so much, either, except that I am a person who believes that I should be myself, and my whole self, around anyone and everyone. I guess it just irks me when I think that the person in front of me may not be...well, them. That it might just be what they think I want.
It also appals me when people only show certain parts of themselves. You can be with them on Monday, and see a side of them that you adore. Then, on Wednesday, you see them amongst a different crowd and they are completely different. It's still them, just not completely. They are only letting a few extreme bits of themselves show that fit best with who they are.
To me that just always seemed wrong somehow. Like you were tricking people, or putting up a facade.
To me, it's like this: You get all of me, the good and the bad. If you don't like it, that's cool. Some people can find the good to outweigh the bad, but some don't. It's all about perference, and if I don't fit that then fine. I realized a long time ago that I can't please everyone.
When I know someone well, perhaps better than most, I feel oddly privileged. And yet, it still bothers me that I am one of the very few to know what they are really like, and that everyone else is denied the chance to know what a great person they really are.
I do have two specific examples, and I am a bit torn on whether or not I wish to use one of them. After careful contemplation, actually, I decided it would be wiser to use one and toss the other aside for now.
The example I speak of is my friend Megan. She and I had the same PE class last year, and so during every class she and I would be partners in whatever activity we were doing. she was awesome, and as crazy as I was. We would run around the gym screaming or singing odd songs, making sexual jokes every time we played basketball, and generally made fools out of ourselves. That was the Megan that I absolutely loved to be around.
When we were around a larger group, however, or her other friends were around, Megan was completely different. She was always depressed about something, or always performing some act to get attention from everyone else, good or bad.
A shame, really. When it was just her and I, she was such a fun person. When it was everyone else, she was...unbearable.
Be yourself, kids.
I realized something quite silly today. I'm jealous of Casey. Why, you ask? Well, it's quite simple.
Just the way that she talks about Brandon, and is so...obsessed with him. At times it seems like she's in love with him, instead of me. And, I dunno...I just feel at times that they really do have some deep friendship. I know that I am his girlfriend, and I defintely am thankful for that. I don't know why I feel so jealous. It's very stupid, I know, but...like I said, the way she talks about him just makes my stomach turn. I don't know whether I feel angry, jealous, or simply annoyed when she starts talking about how wonderful Brandon is, and how much she loves him and what have you.
I suppose I have also realized lately that I have even more insecurities than I thought. They just keep popping up everywhere and kicking me in the ass. Most of them have to do with Ashley, really, but there are others.
I've developed something very near hatred for myself lately. Damn being female. I always think I'm not intelligent enough. Or pretty enough. Or thin enough. What if I'm not the writer I thought, and my dreams are for nothing? What if I lose Brandon? Why am I such a bitch all the time? Why can't I loosen up, why am I so uptight? Why can't I be tougher? I hate being so overly sensitive. I should be less selfish. I shouldn't act like everyone's mother and tell them what's best when they don't want to hear it. I'm naive, I'm chickenshit, I'm all-around mediocre and plain.
I need a bubble bath. I think I will take one tomorrow...with candles and the whole deal.
Oreo