Dufflepuds

All week I've been pretending I'm a dufflepud. You know, those invisible, one-legged "ugly" bouncing dwarf creatures that Lucy helps in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The reason: a bee sting. I stepped on a wasp while playing ultimate in the park, and 24 hours later (the magic allotment of time it takes for me to have the allergic reaction), my second toe swelled up and the rest of my foot itched like Icabod (think Dr. Seuss). And it has proceeded to stay swollen and itchy for the past 3 days. Which means I've been hopping around rather a lot like a dufflepud (only not as high), or, when in public, trying to disguise a limp. Though there is not much use disguising it when you are only wearing one shoe (too painful to put the other one on). But I should have been wearing shoes in the first place for that game of ultimate. Afterward, as I was sitting pitifully on the picnic table bench with 5 concerned (though mostly curious) little kids surrounding me (there is no better way to make friends with little kids then get stung--they want to see what it looks like, and are so awed that you aren't crying, and ask tons of questions about how it happened), Mr. Beiser came up and said, "you know, they did come up with something to prevent that." I caught my blond self just in time from asking "what?" Because of course he went on to say "shoes."  In my defense, I didn't have sneakers with me, because I hadn't planned on playing. Too hot, I thought. No need to add to the 30 deaths-by-heatwave that the weather channel reported. But I got lassoed in anyway by threat of peer pressure, so I kicked off the flip flops and the rest is history.

I know you are wondering: but was the game worth the sting?

Nope. An emphatic nope.

Right about now I need a transitional statement to connect this paragraph to a new, unrelated paragraph. But I'm sick of transitional statements, so we shall move bluntly and not so fluidly forward.

At present I am in love with summer. I know that is nothing new, but the feeling is especially poignant today because it is chillier (gray sky and about 72...so yeah I should suck it up because it isn't really "cold") and I'm in a sweatshirt. I prefer tank top days. Sweatshirt days are fun and cozy when you have autumn air or winter snow and a fire for both, but I don't appreciate them during the summer.

I have especially been enjoying all the fresh fruits and vegetables. Between our garden and friends' gardens, there is so much tastiness and health and long life available I am quite content. It has also been making mom very inspired, and she is coming up with all sorts of delicious meals and desserts. She is the best mom ever. And not just because she makes me good food :).

*Come up with your own transitional statement here*

I gave my first speech for COMS101 on Saturday evening to the Spano's and my family. It went well. I didn't feel nervous until 2 seconds before I started, and that went away soon. It's funny, because I was reading in my communication textbook that 75% of Americans list public speaking as their greatest fear, even ahead of death, spiders, and snakes. Interesting, because I fear none of those things. Okay, snakes are a little creepy, but as long as it is over there, and I am over here, it's not that bad. I would not list snakes as my greatest fear. Which begs the questions, what is my greatest fear? I've been pondering that for a while, and I haven't come up with one yet. Which does not at all mean I don't have one. =)

Getting it uploaded to YouTube for my teacher was an adventure though, because our internet upload speed is s-l-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-w. And half way through the internet crashed. But I restarted it, and it worked the second time. Phew. And no, I'm not providing you with the link to YouTube so you can watch it. Haha. Well, if you beg, I might give it to you.

Ciao.