A Sleepily Written Brain Dump

     Hello, everyone. For this week's entry, I decided to take an idea from my English class and turn it into a blog post. I'll be taking random words or phrases from the internet and writing for 180 seconds about each one of them without stopping to correct grammar or pausing at all. Keeping with the quick theme of this post, let's get started without further ado.

"A red box"

     As I walked into the room, it felt as though I could cut the energy in the area with a knife. It was a grueling day at the police station, just like any other. I mean, when your job is law enforcement, you don't exactly deal with daffodils and cupcakes every day.
     However, it was my birthday, and I was particularly sad that I had no one to cut some cake or even spend a night out doing nothing with. So, as I always did,  I went home. Surprised was I when I saw my family crowded around a red box in the middle of my tiny apartment when I unlocked the door.
     "Surprise!" they yelled. Taken aback but delighted, my eyes went to the box once more. A second later, a Dalmatian puppy jumped out and ran towards me, jumping at my knees and yipping.
     "For you, for company," said my sister. And I was never again alone when I came home from work.

"Panic"

     Panic is a twitching leg and a hitched breath. Panic is the feeling of wanting to rip one's hair out if it wouldn't add to the already overwhelmingly long list of current problems to address. Panic was right now.
     In all my life, I had never felt so anxious. It was my college graduation, and by that point, I had already done the work needed to walk out of the university with a diploma and into the rest of my life. However, Walking out onto the stage was a daunting thought. What if I tripped and fell? What if I had forgotten some requirement and my name wasn't called?
     What if they weren't in the crowd.
     Choosing to pursue a career in art, coming from a family of scientists who believed the humanities were wastes of time when things like cancer didn't have a cure might not have been the easiest choice, but it was where my passion was. I even paid for myself to go to college, working jobs in the day and studying at night, taking out a loan for the rest. Even after all that, all I wanted was their support.
     "Next, Mariana Lopez," called Dean Ana. As I walked up onto the stairs, I looked out into the crowd. my family hadn't shown up. Suddenly, though, the Dean started to say something.
     "This exemplary young girl, in addition to graduating our program, has been one of our most hard-working and honest students throughout her time here. Because of this, she has graduated with the highest honors we offer. In addition, we would like to offer her a teaching post here at the Academy. This is a very rare honor, Mariana, so you can accept or decline later. However, congrats either way."
     The rest of the room went silent. Then, a few seconds later, cacophony. A standing ovation. And inside me, peace. Finally.
     "Yes," I breathed.


Please don't judge my attempts at writing on the spot, and make sure to come back every Friday/Saturday for a new post!

The First Day of School, 8th Grade Edition

     Hello, Candies. This Wednesday, the school bells at my local academy for adolescents started tolling again, and I had to be up at 6:45 am once more. At the beginning of each year at an American middle or high school, one must always meet their new instructors, whether with unrestrained excitement (me) or with cold, dark dread (also me). This emotionally stressful day absolutely had to become a chronicle in the never-ending epic of Nandy, so here is my first day in school, 200% overdramatized.

     So we start off at about 6:35 am when the first of two alarms I set for myself goes off. At this point, I'd already been awake for a while due to jitters and the fear that I'd somehow sleep through my two obnoxiously loud wake-up calls, but even so, the thought of removing myself from the warm cocoon of my blankets and heading off to the cold, hard seats of my new desks was a thought I didn't want to entertain. However, I had no choice. Off to school I went that day, after the obligatory photo-ops and "you're such a big girl now" coos. What happened from now until 1:12 pm. would set the tone for the next 10 months.

     Ok, time for my first class. The first teacher I visited that day was my Spanish 1 teacher, whom I will not name. She started class with one word I recognized (Bienvenidos) followed by a bunch of other words in Spanish that I couldn't dream of following. This was not going to be une caminata en el parque, I soon realized. The teacher herself was an old grandma, so maybe she will understand our plight with her years of experience teaching, but I knew then that this class was going to require some work.

     Second period was P.E., so nothing special happened there. We sat and listened to the teacher map out our year for us, and it was a welcome break (as about 99% of breaks are). He seemed nice, if demanding, but totally manageable. Afterward followed the highlight of my day; English. No, the subject wasn't my favorite, and no, what we were doing that day wasn't exactly a thrill ride, but this teacher seemed right up Nandy Alley. She was young and relatable because of it, and her intelligence and sense of fun showed through her every action. But alas, the period had to end, and off to science I went.

     Science was, again, nothing too special. Our teacher seemed funny but down-to-Earth, and we soon immersed ourselves in a brain-intensive first-day activity. Lunch after that was also just like last year, with nothing much else happening to take my mind off the dread I still carried with me from the beginning of the day, the dread of my notoriously disagreeable fifth-period teacher. All too soon, the bell rang for the end of lunch, and I trekked to my history lesson with a pounding heart.

     Mr. HistoryTeacher was a master of instilling fear into the hearts of innocent teenagers, as I was soon to find out. He spoke with a gruff voice such bitingly sarcastic words I was simultaneously marking his as one of my worst teachers of all time him and afraid of what would happen if I hated him and he found out. "Maybe he'll get better or I'll develop a thicker skin soon," I thought. When the bell rang, I felt more relieved than I had for a while, and I dashed off to math.

     My math teacher, pleasantly enough, was actually my math teacher from 7th grade who happened to move up to teaching 8th this year. Since I liked her style of teaching and her approachability, she was both a bit of familiarity and a break from my history teacher's inaccessible manner. Her grading, she said, wasn't going to be as easy this year as it was last, but those were trial matters in the wake of my history nightmare. After that class, the day was over.

     To see updates on how the rest of the year plays out, make sure to follow this blog and come back every Friday for posts!

     

The Reopening of School; a Discourse

     It's that time of year again, at least in the United States. Supplies are being shopped for, clothes and shoes are being bought, and alarm clocks are returning to use from a summer of blessed hibernation. The vibe of the season is palpable; a time of both hope and dread, of new beginnings and bitter endings. One of the trademarks of the August-September Back-to-School season is the vast amount of cheesy internet content created in honor of this pivotal time for youngsters. From frivolous life hack videos to horrifying storytimes (okay, maybe not those), you can find it all. And now, it's time for me to add to the mix. Here are my thoughts on going into 8th grade.

     First, let's talk about MAZE day. For the uninitiated, this is the day when kids find out their schedules for the year. It's also the day on which you are inevitably disappointed as you find out that, yet again, you'll get to look forward to another year of running across campus. And why do they even call it MAZE anyway? Makes no sense...

     Secondly, this is the time of year when you realize that American schools start way too early in the morning. I'm usually not fully awake until 2nd period, and that's at around 9. Maybe I'm just lazy or something, but I'm not the only one by far. For this reason, we should really reconsider when school starts every day.

      Lastly, and most optimistically, at this time of year is when we rediscover our internal curious children as we start on another leg of our journies through the world of knowledge. School is sheltered like no other place is, with friends placed in your lap and the freedom to make mistakes with no other consequence other than a letter on a sheet of paper. Although school can really suck and is nowhere close to perfect, I am happy to be going back.


Make sure to follow this blog!

     Hello, dog biscuits! It's Casper here, back at it again with another guest appearance on Nandy's blog. If you want to see more of me (likely) or more of her posts (slightly less likely, but don't tell her I said that), make sure to follow this blog and come back every Friday for new additions. Ok, now that the promo is out of the way, I have something deep to talk about. And when I say "deep," I really mean deep. A few days ago, we went to this weird place a few naps away in the car. After I was so rudely woken up and the family got out of the car, we set off on a walk down some steep wooden stairs. Now, that's strange enough to be considered a blog-worthy adventure, but it gets weirder, so just you wait.

     Anyway, after almost getting trampled and/or flipped over on those stairs, this strange grain-coated ground was what awaited me. The rough grains (I heard the humans call it sand) got in between my toes and was on the whole not something I would recommend my fellow canines step in. However, every step overturned some of the sand, which released the most delectable aromas into the air. Smoke, other dogs' pee, and something salty and fishy, all for my smelling pleasure. I was content to sit in the sand and sniff for a while, and maybe get some sunbathing out of the way while I was at it, but this was when it all went downhill (again, literally. I am not a dog of symbols and allusions; those are human impracticalities).

     The tall guy and Nandy, as well as some other tall guys and laughing human-pups, started walking downhill to what looked like a rolling blue carpet. I thought it was water, but to this day I'm not totally sure. It was a deep blue from afar, but as I got closer, it became the clear I was used to expecting from my water dish at home. As we went closer to this water thing, the sand underneath me got cold at first, and then fine and wet. Then, out of the blue (the water is blue; get it?), a white carpet of foam came from the rest of the water-thing and attacked my paws! Of course, I ran away, but the rest of the humans dipped their toes in it. What? 

     Later, I accidentally got a little foam on my paws. It dissolved immediately into a watery feeling, so I'm almost sure this was just a large water dish for the Supreme Dog or something. It would be fitting, I suppose. Although the water wasn't really my thing, I could see why the humans enjoyed it. The feeling of it running over you, cold and refreshing, is something I could see as being potentially pleasant for creatures nor burdened with luxurious manes like mine. It also had a certain serenity and it made the humans happy (and got them soaking wet, might I add), so for that, I give this excursion 4/5 pawprints.

Thank you for reading this post and thank you to Nandy for transcribing this into human-speak. See you whenever Nandy next runs out of ideas!

Double Feature; 5 eco-friendly swaps for daily life // 3 green summer activities

     Hello, Candies! Sorry for not posting for two weeks. The first, we were leaving India so writing was a bit hectic. This week, I honestly forgot to write. But, as an apology, I'm writing a double post this week; 5 eco-friendly things you can do and 4 things I've done or will do this summer with my seemingly endless free time.

1. Bar soap and shampoo
    Bar soap is kind of an obvious swap since it eliminates the need for plastic body wash bottles. But what about those plastic shampoo bottles? It turns out that the folks at Lush and many other companies have started producing bar shampoo and conditioner. It's used just like regular shampoo and conditioner except for that it has to be rubbed, not squeezed, onto your hand. I've also heard that it can smell great, depending on what kind you get.

2. Forego the loofah
     Since we're not using body wash anymore, you can stop using those plastic bath sponges. Not only do they create waste that's hard to recycle, they can also provide the perfect home for loads of bacteria. Instead, try lathering soap with some good old-fashioned elbow grease.

3. Ecosia!
   Ecosia is a great Chrome extension that uses add revenue from all of your searches to plant trees! The German company donates 80 cents for every dollar they make to organizations that plant trees where they are needed most around the world. To add, look up Ecosia in chrome and click "Add Extension."

4. Ziploc bag replacements: reusable jars and wax wraps
    Using Ziploc bags is, for obvious reasons, bad for the environment. There are, however, many replacements for them that are much more eco-friendly. For storing things in the fridge, try reusable wax wraps, which are basically pieces of cloth coated in beeswax that can be used to wrap food and keep it fresh. Otherwise, you can use old jars and containers to store and carry food.

5. THIN PLASTIC RECYCLING
     Places such as Whole Foods will take old thin plastics that are normally difficult to recycle and recycle them for you if you bring them to the store. This way, you won't have to throw away as many plastic bags and the like.


And now for part two of this post...

1. Going to the beach
   Especially if you participate in a beach clean up, this activity is eco-friendly and perfect for summer. Honestly though, as long as you don't add any garbage of your own to our waters, you're already helping the planet a ton.

2. baking
    This isn't exactly summer-exclusive, but baking or cooking can be a great way to treat family and friends and pass time that needs passing, if you're like me. If you do bake frequently, consider a silicone baking mat instead of parchment paper so we can saaaaave the treeeees!

3. reading
    I love curling up with a good book and a glass of tea or juice, so this activity is definitely one of my go-tos when I'm bored. I read on a Kindle mainly, which saves books from having to be printed and is also super convenient since I only need to look for one device to find my entire library. However, if you do read on paper, consider donating the books to your local library when you're done with them

4. cleaning
    Now I know what you're thinking; what the what? Who cleans for fun? And I would be the first to admit that cleaning can be mind-numbingly boring, but it can also be therapeutic. Sometimes, it's actually enjoyable to clean and prepare for the new school year while listening to an audiobook and chilling.

     That's all for this post. Make sure to comment and share, and I'll see you next Friday!

My Opinion On... Dogs!

     Hello, world. I did a post like this a while ago, but with pictures of toast. This week, I decided to bring back the style of writing and share with you my opinions on various canis lupus familiarises. Let's roll over to the pictures!

 

This dog caught my eye as soon as I glanced at it. Those innocent eyes set in that mane of soft fur truly mane you want to hug this dog and take him/her home. However, when you think about it, that fur would take a lot of work to keep clean and perfectly groomed. In addition, since this color of fur would show dirt very easily, the dog may be discouraged from playing and having fun. Maybe not, but either way, this pup brings to light our tendencies to favor pretty things (and animals), even if the beauty is impractical and annoying at times.

This gets 5/10 muddy paw-prints from me

10/10 on froooooooooooofyness though

This pupper came up when I image-searched for "stupid dogs," and sure enough, Google didn't disappoint. This doggo makes me feel strangely happy inside. Although that tongue thing is a little weird and those eyes look genuinely creepy in that moment, this dog is kind of inspirational, if you think about it. He/she wasn't afraid to run around really fast with that weird face on, no matter who was watching or had cameras out. Maybe it was running towards a squirrel or just for fun, but in both of those scenarios, we can learn a lesson from this doggy; always be as confident in yourself as you would be if no one was watching, because what you consider a flaw might be quite the opposite.

9/10 muddy paw-prints from the Nandyster here

This dog was picked solely because this photo shows the truth; that not all cute dogs are cute all the time. For a dog to look like the Before picture, he must first be bathed and go through a phase of looking like the After. Even though this picture was meant to be funny and show how hilarious a wet dog can look, it also shows how the phrase "beauty is pain" has some truth. Although I hope this doggie wasn't hurt in this bathing process, he/she definitely endured some discomfort (I know this because my dog vehemently despises baths and I haven't met a pet who likes them yet) to become the fluffy dreamball he/she surely became afterwards, which should be appreciated. Similarly, we should give some credit to those who make beauty their art, since, as this photo shows, it's not always rose foot baths and sugar scrubs.

This pic gets 7/10 muddy paw-prints

This is obviously the cutest dog out of all of these photos. No one can compare to the Casper. No dog on this planet has the same soft fur on his head that he's always pushing into your hands to be petted, or the same pink tongue that likes to lick your hand when he's happy. Other dogs may have already done everything he will ever do and more, but no dog can say they won the hearts of a certain Nandy and her family like Casper can. I had to use an old photo since I haven't seen him in almost a month, and I miss him so much writing this is almost making me cry. Casper, we'll see you in just a few more days, and hopefully you'll be as happy to see us as we will be to see you. Ruff on!

This photo gets... 15/10 gold paw-prints.

Thanks for making it to the end of this doggolicious collection of rants. Tune in next Furiday for... something to be decided! Aren't my puns paw-sitively purrfect? 

ok i'll stop

     In the year of 2015, the 196 leaders of the largest intergovernmental organization on the planet got together and decided that the world was great, but it could be way better. And obviously, the only way to truly improve anything anywhere is by setting goals. So they set some goals; 17 of them, to be exact. These goals, to be met by 2030, are meant to help give every human access to what he or she needs, from food and water to basic rights and an education. They are meant to make the world, simply put, a better place.

 Introducing the United Nations Global Goals for Sustainable Development, the key world in that name being global. These goals are for the world, not just a specific part of it. Do you or somebody you know live on Planet Earth? If so, please visit globalgoals.org where these benchmarks are written up in their entirety, as well as instructons on what you can do to make your contribution, such as using bar soap instead of liquid soap in bottles (it works better, too), donating functioning but unused items to local shelters, and spreading the word. Find a goal that speaks to you and do everything you can to help meet that goal. Get obsessed, get informed, and get to work, because humanity needs everyone to step up and help out if we're ever going to meet those standards. There are so many random little things that we can change about how we live that can have a positive impact on our world, and yet, are not thought of or practiced. But now, it's time to change that, for "The world is not given by [our] fathers but borrowed from [our] children" - John Madison.

 inspiration : Pissed Off For a Better World by Hank Green of the Vlogbrothers

     It was pouring rain an we could see that, outside the windows of our hotel in Mysore. However, we manged to board our cabs without coming into contact with the cold water, thanks to a conveniently placed awning. We thought there would be another one outside our destination, the famous Mysore Palace. Oh, how mistaken we were...

The ride there, in a nice little taxi, revealed many surprising things. For part of it, it seemed as if we were driving through a river, which really made me appreciate the great service storm drains do for our roads. Anyway, we thought, it can't be that bad at the real palace, right?

We got out at the side of the road at an alternative entrance to the palace. Our next task was to get onto the sidewalk, but to do that, we had to cross the aforementioned 6-foot wide muddy river. And I was wearing socks an cotton flats! Needless to say, we got *a little* damp.

That's when our umbrella broke.

That was our situation; half our party under a tree offering meager shade, with a broken umbrella to supplement it, waiting for 3 more of us from a different taxi and getting drenched. That's when a very suspicious-looking man under a large plastic umbrella offered us some shade. Me being me was like "is this safe?" My mom, already wet to the bone, just shoved me over. So now we were sharing an umbrella with a generous but somewhat raggedy man we just met. Thanks!

The other half of our party arrived, bringing us to a total of 6 wet adults and 1 cranky toddler. After scouting the area and deciding there was no hope, we decided to go back. But alas, the Uber app decides not to work. So the 7 of us pile into an auto rickshaw for 3 and ride home.

life is recursive at times

and that's nice.

a routine can feel

like a worn blanket

comforting and essential.

but sometimes the blanket wears out

holes appear.

people come in whilst you try to sleep.

they say "fix your blanket; it has holes"

they stick their fingers through the gaps

cold and electric

shocking you awake

and you say "yes, i'll fix the blanket

but let me sleep first"

for you know that sleep-deprived and crabby fingers

create more holes

but the people don't stop

they think because you are asleep that you will forget

but how can you forget

when it is your blanket in the first place

how can you forget 

when you're the one who feels any drafts 

let in by the traitorous apertures

sometimes, it gets hot under the blanket, okay?

sometimes, i need the holes

to let in the breeze of change

they say variety is the spice of life

but you think that the only right spices 

are those that complement your basic flavors

fine

the dish tastes better if the cooks all agree

but the dish tastes better with a chef's personal touch

i said i'll do what needs to be done

i said when i'll do it

i can even tell you how

but please

give me my space and time

don't prod me

for i do my best

when not followed by the sharp ghosts of your words

when clear-headed and free from the sharp metallic screech of your repeated commands

which, the first time sound like a delicate chime

and now sound like a knife against steel

i do my best

when calm and not harried

when not badgered, hounded, chivied, or nagged

when i'm

     not

          this

               annoyed

     Most of us non-recluses can agree that traveling is great. The new sights, smells, and cultures can really put your insignificant problems into perspective (or make you feel worse, if your problems are actually significant), but let's face it; the actual process of traveling is kind of a pain. It is so much of a pain that I have decided to dedicate an entire post to its damnation, as is very apparent if you read the title card. 

     First, let's talk about road trips. Being stuck in a cramped car for hours; yay! Although looking out the windows of the car can be nice, it usually gets boring. The sights are usually limited to highway signs, dusty hills, random stores, or the occasional pretty natural sight. And don't forget the excessive joint pain and the hours holding in your pee until you find a rest stop. But anyway, my main reason for this post was to rant about planes.
     AIRPLANES! Climb aboard and get to your destination on the fastest commercially available method of transport today. enjoy luxuries such as recycled air, freeze-dried noxious-smelling meals, 10 minutes of good window views and hours of horrible ones (if you're in the 20% who actually get a window seat, that is), bathrooms used by many airsick passengers (sick with fun, amirite?), an joint cramps that are literally out of this world. You will be treated as a V.I.P (very irritating passenger, that is) by a sleep-deprived flight crew. Don't forget to take advantage of our half-functional entertainment systems or listen to the sounds of babies crying and people snoring that surround you, all for the low low price of, well, a lot. Call 1-800-TAKE-A-BOAT today!
     Seriously, I hate planes. Whatever, at least they land at one point, and getting out is the best feeling ever.

I can barely type on this weird new keyboard, so I'll stop now.

Let me end the post with one of the sad jokes my friend sent me to distract me from my flight dread.

a: what's the difference between a tuna, a piano, and a pot of glue?
b: IDK
a: you can tuna piano, but you can't piano a tuna
b: LOL. But what about the glue?
a:I knew you'd get stuck there
b: -_-

I got off school yesterday as if it was a horse with an uncomfortably hard saddle that most people couldn't wait to dismount. However, my seat was warm and comfy, and I was good at riding this thing. I'm certainly going to miss seventh grade; it's one of the last easy ponies I will ever get. eighth grade is all about preparing for high school, and the American high school education system, from what I've heard and seen, is substantially responsible for the mass amounts of cortisol in the bloodstreams of adolescents today.

See all those big words? That's "Nandy, it's time for you to grow up and act like an almost-high-schooler" Nandy talking.

Today, being the first day of summer, is also a day of deep reflection and reminiscence. For me, an iconic song (in my mind) is as effective as an iconic smell when it comes to bringing back not just superficial memories, but the feelings that accompany them. I know that last summer, I spent almost every weekday at my taekwondo class preparing for a black belt. At least once a week, my mom and I would get some boba tea after the class, which I'd sip on the way back home. Then, I'd usually go to the pool, chaperoned by my maternal grandparents, who were visiting us at the time. I know that I felt happy and that the water was my favorite place to be (it still is, behind the ocean). However, knowing I was happy is shallow compared to the bliss songs from the period like "Unforgettable" and "I'm the One" can bring. Even if I didn't particularly like these songs when they came out, they are now some of my favorites, just because of how they are like time machines to me. They take me back to the distinctive feeling of the Summer of 2017, a summer of taekwondo targets and blue pools.

This summer, my family and I will be traveling. I'm not going to say when or where (safety) but know that if the uploads are a bit inconsistent (or more frequent because I might be bored), it's because of my iffy computer and/or internet and/or free time access. 

Until my next post, enjoy this longer rant-type post, courtesy of my now cavernous schedule. I am literally doing nothing.

Oh, wait- that's a lie. On Tuesday, my new Fitbit Charge 2 arrived, so let's just say that meeting that 10,000 step goal has been a top priority of mine. I'm surprised to find out that I am not as much of a couch potato I thought I was; it's been really easy to get 10,000 steps a day so far. Hope I didn't just jinx it.

So anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and my new blog signature, courtesy of the aforementioned cavernous amount of unscheduled, potentially potato-state-inducing amount of empty space I have in my schedule.

  

     *I made that graphic myself - no template or assistance at all! Are you proud of me? No? Ok*

     Hello, Candies. In honor of the end of school, I decided to do a post on a thing that has bugged me this entire year; my roller backpack. Don't get me wrong; I think roller backpacks are useful, especially when your backpack weighs like 25 pounds (11 kg). Still, though, they can be an extreme discomfort in the posterior in the following ways:

1) Puddles are the enemy of roller backpacks. Rolling through them gets everything inside wet, so I hope you enjoy slightly moist pencils and erasers. Also, when it's raining, people with roller backpacks have 2 choices. They can either let the backpack get wet because there's no way you can fit yourself and the backpack under an umbrella or you can wear the backpack on your back and get a hernia from the weight of the wheels. -_-

2) GRAVITY holds the backpack to the ground, but it also punishes you for every slip of your finger. If you happen to walk too close to a doorframe and your backpack catches in it, it will fall over and cause everyone within a 2-meter radius to put on their judgey-judgey hats and give you the side-eye until you stop blocking the doorway. Or sometimes, they won't wait for you, which brings me to my next point...

3) Feet of other people. Inevitably, especially in a crowded school hallway, you will run over someone and/or trip them. Honestly, I stopped caring after the 2nd day of school when this happened because of I apologized to everyone I ran over, I would be about 31.41 minutes late to every class ever. And passing periods are 4 minutes long. It's not that I'm not sorry, but its kind of hard. The least you could do, annoyed victim of foot flattening, is accept my apologetic look and not make a big hairy deal about it to your friends. In addition, maybe try using those marbles stuck inside your face to LOOK FOR MY BACKPACK! It doesn't take a genius. Also, half the time, I run over you because nail could probably outpace you so I cut past and try to get to class. Just sayin'

Thanks for reading my rant and my last post as a 7th grader, because next Friday, IT WILL BE THE SECOND FULL DAY OF SUMMER VACATION!

bye!

Stop Annoying Me; A Letter To Things and People

     Hello, Candies. Today, I was annoyed at things (and people). Therefore, I will call out things that irritate me in general, because that's how you feel better about things. You keep thinking about them *sarcasm*.

Side Note: I didn't post last week because I had a super stressful project that we really should have had 2 weeks to complete, but because it's the end of the year, we only had one.

And I only got a 95%.

Rip-off.


Anyway, on to the post.

1) If you're an eraser, please stop falling off my desk. On a similar note, if you're a binder, notebook, or folder, stop pushing erasers off the desk. Seriously. Mommy loves you, but not enough for you to clear desk estate by pushing your siblings off the treacherous cliff that is the edge of the table.

2) If you're a sick human bean, please cough elsewhere, or at least not into your hands and then proceed to touch my stuff. Need I pull out a device and show you what happens when you expel air from your bacteria (or virus)-colonized nasal passages and lungs? I shouldn't have to, seeing as you probably own some soap and know what it's for. You have also probably been trained in some basic etiquette, I'm assuming, so y u do dis?

3) If you're a hard- or paper-back book (yes, those still exist. Shocking), I implore you to stop closing when I take my hand off of you for one second. I don't know if this happening means that the book's binding is of high quality or if it's a sign of the opposite, but whenever I accidentally move my hand off the pages of a book for half a second, the pages flip and I lose my place. I could bend the book back on itself, but then the pages fall out and that's even worse. Please stop, book publishers.


That's enough discussion on annoyance. I'm tired of my own annoying writing voice, so goodbye.

A Gymnastics Anecdote

Hello, Candies!

On Wednesday last week, I was videochatting with a friend of mine. We were both really into gymnastics back in the day when I wasn't a stiff old woman, so we decided to try some of it old tricks. Needless to say, we sucked. Really bad. It was embarrassing. Anyway, we went about our days until this Wednesday, when we chatted again. Somehow, this friend of mine had managed to regain in a week what took her months to learn the first time and hadn't done in a year or so. I, on the other hand, was... well... a stiff old woman.

It
Was
Embarrassing.

That day, over videochat, she coached me back into a half respectable shape.
The next day, I was sore. And I had CAASPP testing, which is another story entirely.
However, now it's like a competition. By next week, who will come out on top? Who will out-gymnasticate?
Hopefully, the gymnastiqueen will be me.

Wish me luck!

-Nandy

P.S. your can probably deduce from the lack of signature that I forgot to write this post until 10:15 pm when I was about to go to sleep, and that this was all typed in my phone.

*yawn*

Casper Time!

     Hello, humans! It is I, Casper, and I have returned to this site again to update you on the state of affairs when it comes to Nandy the Candy with an impartial and sometimes snarky perspective on things. Let's get started!

     What better to start with than school, the place to which Nandy disappears at an ungodly hour and from which she returns half a day later! She seems to have some sort of testing going on at school which makes her even more tired than usual, but on the whole, things seem okay on that front.

     Next order of business; the house. The tall man left on Sunday and hasn't returned yet, but I'm hopeful that today's the day. I'm not worried, though. Although the house seems more melancholy than before, I know he'll be back. Until then, I'll have to be the man of the house!
     The nice lady seems to be doing well. She still feeds me, so yay!
     Nandy, as previously mentioned, is doing well. Last Sunday, she added another year of experience to her repertoire, but not much really changed. She has, for the last two days, retired to the upstairs about an hour earlier than she had before. As if she didn't sleep enough before! I shouldn't be judging her, though. I mean, I sleep like 2/3 of the day. Speaking of sleep, I just realized it is an hour past the time when Nandy should have gone upstairs. I should probably head up, too.

     Next time I do this, I should probably have Nandy make me a signature. Until then, you'll have to make do with this one.

1/3 of 100; a Follower Special

     Hello, Candies! Since I am finally 1/3 of the way to 100 followers, I decided to do a follower special. Here are 33.33... random facts about life, the universe, and everything.

1. My birthday is in 2 days.

2. We share about a quarter of our DNA with rice.

3. Space is entirely silent.

4. The Apollo astronauts' footprints will probably be on the Moon for the next 100 million years.

5. Uranus rotates on its side; its axis points to the Sun.

6. About 7 million direct descendants of the Mayans are still living in the Americas today.

7. Mohenjo Daro had sewers hundreds of years before London realized that many of its health problems were caused by its poopy streets.

8.  Its pro-nun-ciation, not pro-noun-ciation.
9. In my homeland of Kerala, coconut flowers are displayed during ceremonies.
10. Trees help control climate through their leaves, which "exhale" water and return it to the atmosphere.
11. J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, shares a birthday with her literary child.
12. This number has 6 factors.
13. The average American adult female is 5 feet 10 inches.
14. The average American female is a little under 5 feet 4 inches.
15. About 25 gallons of water are needed to grow a pound of wheat.
16. about 2,500 gallons of water are needed to grow a pound of meat.
17. India is the lowest consumer of meat in the world.
18. A vegetarian who eats milk and egg products can be called an ovo-lacto-vegetarian.
19. J is the only letter that never appears on the Periodic Table.
20. Dihydrogen monoxide is the chemical name for water.
21. Capsaicin is the molecule responsible for the spice in spicy peppers.
22. Hot water can sometimes freeze faster than cool water. This is called the Mpemba Effect.
23. The enzyme in our spit responsible for breaking down starch is called amylase.
24. You can remember up to 50,000 different smells.
25. Your sneezes regularly travel faster than 100 miles per hour.
26. Our lings hold over 300 million alveoli, which are sacs in which oxygen is transferred into the blood.
27. The length of your thumb is twice the length of your nose.
28. You went to check if that fact was, in fact, true by measuring your thumb to your nose.

29. You figured out that I was lying and that the length of your thumb is equal to that of your nose.
30. One ostrich egg is 30 times as large as a chicken egg.
31.  Babies are born farsighted and start to really see at 3-6 months.
32. Your largest organ is your skin.
33. 3.14 backward spells "pie."
33.33... I would like to thank you for reading.

Spray Cheese!

     Hello, Candies! It's been a while since I've done one of these posts, so I have decided to bring them back. I will be looking at some photos online and rating them on cheesiness, because I'm sure we've all seen the occasional quote so cheesy it raises your cholesterol. No? Okay then...

Although this quote may have some truth hidden inside it, it is so cocooned in cliche that I can't really internalize it. Oh well, I guess it isn't too bad. 

🧀🧀🧀/🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀

Of course, we couldn't call this a Nandy-certified cheesy post without a horrible pick-up line in there. Just... eww... You're right you're the "1" I need; if that's your best pick-up line, you're certainly a 1/10 at best.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
And why am I only a 9?
OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

In fact, this pickup line is so bad it's funny, and I guess a sense of humor can be appreciated. 

🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀/🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀

because 1.00 = 100%.

This quote, while meant to be inspiring, can actually have the opposite effect. It assumes that you know what your dreams are, and that living the life you've imagined is feasible. This quote could call attention to the fact that it's not, which doesn't help anything. Also, "confidently" looks like it's spelled wrong. At least the lettering is pretty.
🧀🧀🧀🧀/🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀

And that's all the cheese I feel like dealing with.
so bye.

I give that image a 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀 out of  🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀.