Hiya peoples! . . . Can't think of a good intro to my ramblings. . . so just read, and I'm sure you'll get the idea.

Over here things are going great and I'm meeting so many people who would make the best characters in books (lots of the time because their personalities are so exaggerated and two dimensional, but what the hey, eh?).

For example, there's a shuffling old "gamekeeper" who has a certain fondness for animals that most find annoying. Remind you of a certain Harry Potter character? *nudge nudge* But in this case instead of Blast-Ended Screwts it's pheasants, which are, I have to tell you, the most skittish and retarded animals belonging to the bird kingdom, and that's saying something.

Also there's the stay-at-home trophy wife of the mansion who hires her neighbour to off the peacocks (pets of the gamekeeper's. Not wild) without telling him. Then there's the Australian couple who're helping out as well. The woman is a masseuse who believes she has psychic abilities (if you've ever seen Friends, you know who I'm thinking about) and the man has a great sense of humour and I like him a lot.

Actually, "liked" is more like it. He just told me and Liam (nephew of owner of the property) about how when he was young he used to go gay-bashing boys at his school. Shocked, he seemed to realize his mistake, he quickly became more serious and said "Of course, I don't do that anymore. I have gay friends, you know."

I breathed a sigh of relief. So he had been stupid and cruel in his youth. Who hasn't made mistakes in their past? As long as he's realized his mistakes and feels remorse, I shouldn't judge.

"But," he continued thoughtfully. "That doesn't mean that I don't think that they shouldn't be all piled into a rugby field and left to die and rot into compost."

Jugde! Judge! Judge!

"And to be honest," he added, his usual grin coming back. "If it weren't for the fact that them gays were small and all" *does impression of weak girl* "-back then and are now many of them are tall and tough, I'd still be doing it!"

He and Liam laughed.

My opinions of them reached a low lower than mine of Dr. Delbray (aka - the Evil Scotsman who made me cry at least once a day in my first week in India). At least Dr. Delbray had the courage to insult me to my face (frequently). This Australian guy (Paul) admitted that the only time he did it was when they were smaller, weaker, and outnumbered.

And now, after my defense of homosexuals, asking him (with a bit of an edge to my voice) what he held against gays (which he said he only minded if they were men. Lesbians were fine. . . grrrrrrrrr. . . >:( ), etc. he keeps on doing impressions of stereotypical impressions of homosexuals and making stabs at them.

Damn this man! I swear, if he ever gets the hint from my falling silent whenever he talks about homosexuals through his narrow-minded cowardly skull and asks me what's wrong, I may explode and tell him exactly what.

I mean, I have nothing against people who have something against homosexuality (ie. certain Christian people in my family), but that's because I respect that other people can have different opinions. But to go from not approving of it to beating them up? And to do it just because others do it instead of upholding a moral belief? Now that's another story.

Anyhoo, but yeah.

I'm actually having a great time here. I've just helped prepare for a nice wedding, I'm getting spoiled (it just seems to follow me wherever I go. And yes, I am gloating), there's a cat and dog here that adore me, and I've just finished rereading a Harry Potter book which always puts me in a good mood (and everyone else within hearing distance in a little uneasy one. Apparently I cackle quite a bit. . . )

Hope y'rall having a ball (dance, sport, piece of anatomy, or otherwise),

Love!

Lentil,

The Girl Who Actually Started Writing This As An Email to a Friend Met in India

Lentil Plays at Sorting Hat!

Hiya everybody!

Lately I've been (re)reading Harry Potter (and the Order of the Phoenix, currently) and, as can be expected, my mind did funny things. For example, it latched on to the question, "Which House would the people I know be in?"

My mind answered immediately for some people, but for others it was actually kinda tricky. But as you can imagine, once I started thinking about it and finding the perfect Houses for people, I had to tell. I'm not very good at keeping thoughts to myself. Thus. . .

In this blog update, instead of telling you what I'm up to, I'm gonna tell you what House I think you'd be in if Hogwarts were real (a delusion I cling to harder than the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus)! Yay!

First, I'll tell you what each House is known for (according to what the (true) Sorting Hat says and what I've observed of the characters in the books).

Gryffindor:

Positive traits - brave, noble, stick to their principles

Negative traits - see the world in black and white, quick to judge, jump into things without thinking, can play martyr, arrogant

Slytherin:

Positive traits - ambitious, resourceful, shrewd, good leaders, unafraid of others' opinions/prosecution/prejudice

Negative traits - can often forget about others' in reaching their goals, can be cliquey, prone to starting malicious rumours, cunning

Ravenclaw:

Positive traits - intelligent, creative, wise, into learning and books, self-disciplined, can keep their irrational emotions under control

Negative traits - can often seem a bit reserved, perfectionist, they find it a little hard to let loose, can be shy

Hufflepuff:

Positive traits - hard workers, loyal, tolerant, like fair play, can be a bit quirky, because they're the mixed bag. They're the House that you get put into if you don't fit into any of the others (the founder, Helga Hufflepuff, was the only founder who wanted to educate everybody, not just a few, which is where your open-mindness can come in)

Negative traits - can often have a follower attitude, have lower self-esteem

OK, now let's get started. If you don't know the people I'm talking about, just skip over it, because there won't be much use of it. And, I just have to add, that putting this up is rining alarm bells in my head, saying "You're gonna hurt people's feelings! They're going to get angry at you!"

But I just can't listen to that voice. I need to tell you all now that I've thought of it. So if you think you might get offended (remember, I don't think any House is better than any other. ie. I don't think that if you're in Slytherin that you're a bad person. Or that if you're in Hufflepuff you're a wuss. I like them all. They're all Rowling's babies, after all ;P ) don't read them. It's that simple.

Muzzah - Gryffindor

Fajah - Gryffindor

Stump - Hufflepuff

My uzzah Fajah (Herb) - Slytherin

Ryan L. - Gryffindor

Trevor - Slytherin

Ilona - Ravenclaw

Gramma - Ravenclaw

Granny - Hufflepuff

Grandad - Ravenclaw

Gramma L. - Gryffindor

Grampa L. - Hufflepuff

Squash - Ravenclaw

Nibbles - Gryffindor

Ali-the-Fair - Ravenclaw

Aunty Yo-Yo - Hufflepuff

Uncle Dale - Hufflepuff

Mandy - Hufflepuff

Chelsea - Hufflepuff

Zak - Hufflepuff

Aunt Laura and Uncle Gordon - Ravenclaw

Ryan K. - Gryffindor

Drew - Gryffindor

Aunt Alison - Ravenclaw

Maija - Gryffindor

Uncle Ed - Gryffindor

The Apteds (Uncle TJ, Aunty Cheryl, Jonah, and Laura) - Hufflepuff

Stacey - Ravenclaw

Eric - Gryffindor

Jen - Hufflepuff

Aunty Anita - Gryffindor

Uncle Alex - Gryffindor

And then there's me. But the Sorting Hat can't sort herself! (I took a few online quizzes (OK, tons) and half put me in Ravenclaw, half put me in Gryffindor, and one put me in both! But I don't trust personality quizzes. They've only known me for a few minutes, and you can manipulate the results) Helpeth me! Leave your comment or send me an email telling me which House you think I belong to.

Or just ask why I put you in a certain House and I'll spill all. I just didn't think that certain people'd want everybody knowing certain things about them when they don't even know who might me be reading this (don't worry, sometimes I think it's just my Mum and Gramma. ;) )

Love!

Lentil,

The Girl Who Just Realized That This Was Kinda Like One of Those "Which Sort are You?" Quizzes Except That You Guys Didn't Get To Take the Quiz!!! *cackles*

I Have Developed a Hearty Dislike of Sheep. . .

OK, so here are the answer to all of your questions that I’m sure you’re all dying to ask me: yes, yes, no, maybe, of course, I only did that once, and I can so do a whole blog update without getting lost in my own side tracks! Oh yeah? You watch me!

I started bicycle touring in the second week of April. I left my hostel, waving goodbye to Benny, an employee at my hostel who’d helped me with assembling my bike and who I had somewhat of a crush on. He looked at me worriedly as I fumbled clumsily with my heavily ladened vehicle.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I know it looks like I’m depressingly incompetent, but I can do this.”

Two seconds later I’d run straight into a bush.

Blushing furiously I thanked god that it was cold outside so my Benny had hurried inside right away and so hadn’t seen me. I righted my bike, brushed back my hair, and started my journey again, this time with some anti-bush sentiments. Not political – only vegetational.

I set off again, laughing at myself, saying at least that I’d gotten my little bit of embarrassment out of the way now.

Before I’d navigated the driveway a saddle-bag fell off.

Thus began a trip that only ever figuratively went downhill. Before I’d even reached the city limits of Christchurch, my start-off city, I made a wrong turn and had to ask directions. Before I’d reached my second town I realized that I’d forgotten to fill any of my water bottles with their key ingredient – water. And then I got bit by an ostrich.

I explain that last incident by saying “If you saw an ostrich farm off the side of the road wouldn’t you try to feed them bits of grass through the fence and film them while you’re at it? Wouldn’t you?”

Actually, never mind. Don’t answer that.

Just look at those ostriches though. Aren’t they so funny-looking. They remind me of those yo-yo-ing flamingos in Disney’s Fantasia. . . hey; don’t give me that look! Disney’s a genius. And that was so not getting sidetracked.

The trip only got worse, and I got so cold and so smelly, that by day 5 I quit. I was actually very close to quitting my entire trip going back home. Fortunately Melanie, my friend since (literally) birth, sent me this thing about volunteering at NZ farms in exchange for room and board and restored my trust in travel. I started. . . oh god, not again. . . anything but that. . . nooooooo!!! . . . DUN DUN DUUUUUUUN. . . .Planning!

Yes, I know. Lentil planning is a Bad Thing and must be Avoided at All Costs. But alas, ‘tis a vice I find hard to escape. I tried my best.

I got a bus back to Christchurch and stayed at a different hostel than the Jailhouse that I’d been at before. I didn’t want everybody (read: Benny) to see how quickly I’d given up. I didn’t have a serious crush on Benny; just enough so that I didn’t want him seeing just how stupid I really am. Unless it’s a cute sort of stupid. Then it’s OK.

I bought some “civilian” (non-biking) clothes, hung out an indecent amount of time at the public library, considering I couldn’t even take out any books, and got a job at a certain NZ “farm”, from where I’m writing this. But that’s for another update. ;P

Ta,
Lentil,

The Girl Who Decided To Give Up The Multi-Lingual Sign-Off For An Oh-So-English Goodbye

PS - the explanations for the photos are as following

Photo #1 - is of me in my tent, feeling very cold, and trying to capture in camera just how much a particular shirt my sister got me glows. I actually couldn't sleep with it as a makeshift pillow because it was too bright!

Photo #2 - the guy on the right is Benny. Isn't he so cute?!?! More comments about him can be found on my facebook album

Speed Blogging!

Okeydoke, peoples. Some people (*coughs* muzzah *coughs*) have been asking that I update my blog. The reason I've been putting it off so long is because internet is ridiculously expensive in New Zealand (sometimes as much as $6/hour!) and I'm a cheapskate.

And this is not gonna stop now. I'm gonna write this as fast as possible because I don't want to pay more than the $1 charged for 20 minutes at this cafe.

So here's my update:


I'm in New Zealand

I'm going to bike around the country.

New Zealand turns out to be rather chilly

I got a #@$%%$!!! cold and changed my mind.

Now I'm wearing a sweater in Christchurch and doing squat all.

I think about starting running, but then a string of booger drips into my morning porridge and I figure it's not the brightest idea.

I think about starting to paint, but then I go to an art supply store and look at the prices and how much @#$%$ stuff you need just to paint a picture and think maybe I should stick to writing.

I spend ridiculous amounts of money on clothes because all I had were bicycle clothing and one pair of jeans and a t-shirt, which were starting to attract flies (I exaggerate not!) (PS - so if the credit card people call, mom, tell them that it's OK. Lentil's just temporarily lost her mind)

I've ga- goddammit! Now I'm being charged $1.05. I'm off now.

Love love love!!
Lentil,

The Girl Who Missed New Country Music and is Listening to Enough to Kill All of My Family Members Aside from the Doeberts' (love ya) Ears Bleed