The storm!

I am writing this by candlelight…well, okay, it's a computer so it doesn't really count–but still! It's hard to see the keys. :-p

Anyways, Hurricane Irene arrived today and although it wasn't near as bad as we had anticipated, the power did indeed go out around 4 pm, and it's now about 8:30. The house is dark, with the only light being that emitted by candles, and the wind still has many ferocious gusts, so it's a little spooky. And of course, I'm living in the attic by myself now, since Jimmy left yesterday, so it's especially spooky. But Jen did offer that I sleep in the guest room on the second floor, and I refused–so I get what I get.

I'm living the true colonial farm life! It's kind of cool. I had to walk slowly up the attic stairs with the candle stretched out in front of me and I felt like I had some type of connection with our ancestors, like I got a tiny glimpse of what life was like for them. Going to bed in the fading daylight, with a candle outstretched before your eyes.

But because of Irene, we had a completely weird day. I stayed inside for pretty much the whole day! It's bizarre! And I don't think I like it. I just sat down and tried to catch up with my blogging for the majority of the day, and it just felt so lazy…like I was missing something because I spent the majority of the day on my butt.

I can't say it was wasted though, I did get the majority of the week done–but there's just so much that goes on everyday that it takes a long time to write down everything, which is what I'm trying to do–recap the day and what I learned in that day. I also got to play with the kittens since Jen's mom wanted to bring them inside to see if her dog would get along with them. And they did! And the cats loved being inside! So I think Banjo and Piccolo may go home with her…which is kind of sad. They are my favorite and so I will have another thing that I have learned to associate with the farm taken away.

Oh well, we all knew it couldn't be perfect forever.

So I'm pretty sure that's what this hurricane is about. All the changes that are going on around now with Kai going back to work and Jimmy going back to school and Banjo and Piccolo leaving the farm… I mean come on! :-/

I also began to read The Encyclopedia of Country Living, which is basically this big giant book that has a ton of really awesome info and references in it. And anyone who works on the farm reads the majority of it. That's just how it is.

So I've begun that adventure.

It's crazy to think that a full week has already passed, and all the stuff in MY life that I planned to get done during these three months–finish the scarf, learn how to speed read or at least go through that book, choose which colleges to apply to, and go through the book on meditation–i'm realizing it isn't going to get done. Not even close.

That just means life is too exciting, I guess. And that is a good thing! Still haven't been bored here–though today I got the closest. ;-)

Another big thing is that the more I work here and distance myself from high school, the more I really want to go into some sort of science. So far, I've hated science. AP Chemistry was the only class I got below a B in, and science incorporates math which is just YEUK!

But I think I have to give in. The things I'm passionate about require a sciencey background, and if I just shut up and stop giving myself excuses as to why i'm not any good at it and actually start trying at it, I may begin to like it and perhaps even get good at it.

Regardless, I can't fully understand farming at it's basic form without knowing and understanding some biology concepts, and natural power, which is something else I'm passionate about, is pure science! The best way I can help this world–in my mind right now–is to go into some sort of science. And do like a science major english minor, because I'd still like to write, but more of an educational persuasive passionate writing rather than fiction. Plus, I'm good at english, I like English, so it would be good to fall back on.

I don't know what I'm going to do when I get to college since I still want to learn a bunch of history, but I need to focus on science, and I need to hone my english skills, but I'd also love to understand another language…basically, I just really want to learn!!

And that is PERFECT. Because before my gap year started, I had lost that hunger for knowledge, and if you don't have that hunger, that desire, you just won't learn!

And now I feel like I've found a way to love learning again, and so college will be much more useful to me. And this is precisely why I took my gap year, and so far it is working perfectly.

So I raise my glass to gap years! Nothing has worked so well for me before.

With that, I will blow out my candles, and listen to the wind howl in my lonely dark attic room as I fall asleep.

This is what I did during the storm.