illin'

Cat. On my keyboard, was. Now he's just on my right arm, which is an improvement. It means that I can actually type. What is it about these animals that allows them to divine what to do to annoy and enchant human beings at the same time? Because they do. Annoy and enchant me, I mean. And exasperate me. Come to think of it, annoying and enchanting equals exasperating, and I've always maintained that exasperation is a form of affection. 

There's actually something soothing about having a cat plunked down on your arm. Or maybe I just like it because cat is warm! And since I (still) have chills, a hacking cough and a sore throat, warm is good. Not to mention the fact that I'll miss having cats around when I go back to China. 

Despite my almost-cold, I'm feeling rather energetic and in a get-out-and-do-something-because-no-illness-is-going-to-get-the-better-of-me mood. Maybe I'll go for a short walk in a little bit. Unfortunately, I will have to look like a dork on my walk, because I'm wearing a winter sweater and still am cold. For some reason, wearing a turtleneck sweater in the middle of September is just dorky. And I just saw two people walk by in short sleeves. Waah. 

Maybe if I get out of the house, my headache will go away? 

we tried to hold it back

So. I'm leaving on Thursday. In everything I do, I keep coming back to the startling realization that I'm only going to be with Brynne and Carew for TWO MORE DAYS. And I'm going to miss them horribly. I'm going to miss having them around pretty much all the time. And I'm going to miss seeing my friends in real life. Skype just isn't the same, not by any stretch of the imagination. 

Not that I'm griping or anything, I can't imagine having to live across the world from my friends and family and not have skype, it's just that recently I've realized how pale online communication is in comparison with face to face. Maybe it's the fact that online communication can only, at best, engage three of your senses. Or maybe it's just the distance. 

Speaking of Distance, HERE is a song that Brynne and I listen to when we miss each other, suitably enough called 'Distance'. Check out Reina Del Cid's other stuff too. She's really good. 

Have I mentioned that it's fall here? I have not. So I'm telling you now. It's fall in Pendleton, Oregon. I'm drinking in my share of cold, wind and blue skies, because supposedly it's still blazingly hot and humid in Ningbo. I'll find out for sure soon. 

photo-licious

Brynne's cousin, Kierra, is here for the weekend, and the three of us went to the park and took photos and generally made fools of ourselves. Here are some of our antics: 

on whatever popped into my head

The retreat was awesome! But I really don't have the energy to blog about it right now. We got home Sunday evening, and I was thoroughly exhausted. Yesterday, I was sick, and today I have no brain. Seriously. This morning, Gareth asked me what eighty-eight divided by five was, and I told him it was fifteen point six, when I knew it was SEVENTEEN point six. For some reason, my brain shut off just as I started talking, and everything I said came out all jumbled and wrong. I guess it's just one of those days. 

I finished 'Speaker of the Dead' by Orson Scott Card last night, and I thought it was amazing. In fact, I have to admit that I like it slightly better than both 'Ender's Game' and 'Ender's Shadow', even though I really don't know why. Maybe part of it is the fact that there's always been something about books that question whether or not all truths should be told or not that fascinates me. 

One of my random lists is about to make an appearance. Yup, here it is. 

Things that fascinate Layli: 

1. truth
2. good and evil
3. possibilities
4. paradoxes
5. reality
6. thought patterns
7. brainwashing/manipulation techniques
8. psycholinguistics
9. artificial intelligence
10. humour in different cultures

I guess I am plagued by the typical INFP fascination with good and evil. THIS is an interesting article, written by an INFP about our 'thing' for good vs. evil. And if you have no idea what I'm talking about, go down to the 'Links' section and read 'About the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator'. 

Have a nice day! 

on friends, blogs, books, Baha'i retreats, pseudonyms, saints and (not) writing

As you certainly have noticed, there have been major changes made to my blog. It's really all Brynne's fault. She made me the banner. If you don't like the new template as well as the old, blame it on her. Or, better, go check out her blog. It's awesome, and you'll get a different view on what we're doing. Plus, she's doing a better job of posting all of our exciting doings around here. 

Anyhow, I've finished 'Sorcery and Cecelia' and 'The Grand Tour', both by Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer, and am now 128 pages into 'The Mislaid Magician'. After I finish that, I'm going to read 'Speaker for the Dead' by Orson Scott Card, and then the advance reader copy of 'Twilight of Avalon' by Anna Elliott, since Brynne and her mom both say it's very good. 

On to other things. Brynne, Carew, Gareth and I are leaving this afternoon to go to a Baha'i retreat. We'll get back on Sunday, and I'll be sure to write all about it sometime soon after. 

And finally, since Brynne Annaë made me drool, and since I thought of a wonderful plot twist for my WIP (of which I recently deleted about 20,000 words) which involves me having a pseudonym, Brynne and I used that as an excuse to look at names instead of write. Now I have two that I can't choose between, Zuleia Meital and Zenaida Meital. Right now, I'm leaning toward Zenaida, just because of this, but... I like the name Zuleia slightly better. And I do realise that they're both utterly unpronounceable. 

...

Hi there! 

I'm in the middle of 'Sorcery and Cecelia', which is, so far, very good. I'm also in the middle of writing a response to Abby's letter on The Letter Game blog, and making a macramé belt for myself. I'm probably going to finish my response to Abby, but I'm not going to finish any of the other things tonight. I hate going to bed with things left undone, but sometimes it's inevitable. Hopefully, tomorrow evening I can go to bed with everything done and out of my head. I guess it's my form of obsessive-compulsion. Everyone does something. 

on awesome

Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I was way too hyper and had too many other things to do. It's not that I don't love my blog, it's just that when there's something else to do, blogging sort of fades into the background. But I'm back. 

Oh, by the way, Brynne and I have started posting on The Letter Game. But I'm not going to ask anyone to go and read our posts. That would just be obnoxious. 

There was some drama surrounding my getting to Brynne and Carew's house, but apparently throwing money at problems really can help things. A lot. So now I'm here, and everyone's awesome is rubbing off on me. 

And now I'm going to go write Abby Kavanaugh a letter. Or at least start.