The New Faces of Match.com: Reggie and Cecily

21 Days 

Reggie and Cecily, a young, happy couple, met on Match.com a few weeks ago, and immediately sparked a connection. They had been chatting back and forth, sending flirty texts, e-mails, and even the occasional phone call. They decide they need to meet face-to-face, and set the date for April 14, 2011. Here is an account of their first interaction:

Cecily: Reggie...is that you?
Reggie: "'You're late'" (Currie, Jr. 119).
Cecily: Oh, darling, I'm so sorry! I've been here for over twenty minutes, I just wasn't sure what you looked like, so I had a difficult time finding you.
Reggie: I guess I forgot to mention that I was in a wheel chair, huh?
Cecily: Yes. Also the fact that you do not have legs, and only about half of an arm.
[Cecily and Reggie get past the initial awkwardness, and eventually start to have a lovely time together]
Reggie: Cecily, I've been thinking, about us. I have never met anyone like you, and there is nothing in the world that would make me happier than you becoming Mrs. Fox. And I know you might think that we haven't known each other long, but my motto is; engaged today, engaged tomorrow, "'makes no difference to The Fox'" (Currie, Jr. 117).
Cecily: Oh, dearest Reggie, I would never think this is too soon for an engagement. In fact, silly boy, "we have been engaged for the last three months" (Wilde 32).
Reggie: Wha-? The last three months? We've only been talking for a few weeks.
Cecily: Well, I've actually been viewing your profile for almost six months now, and even though we didn't talk at all, just your profile, the beautiful picture, and inane facts, well, "I daresay it was foolish of me, but I fell in love with you" (Wilde 32).
Reggie: That's...beautiful. Is there anything else I should know about? Have you adopted children for us to raise together?
Cecily: No, do not be ridiculous my love. However, I have already started planning the wedding! It's going to be amazing, I'm gonna get real weird with it.
Reggie: Really, the crazy hasn't been turned on yet? [To himself] That's awesome. [To the bartender] "'Pour me a shot'a that Turkey,'" actually, make it two (Currie, Jr. 108).
Cecily: Celebratory shots! How delightful! I'll have two, too!
[Reggie looks a bit perplexed]
Cecily: I have all of the wedding plans organized in multiple binders back at my house, my good friends Lady Bracknell and Gwendolyn have been helping with every detail! Would you like to come over and look through everything? I'm sure we have cucumber sandwiches, cake, bread and butter, and muffi-
Reggie: Hold that thought! Is that my phone ringing?
[Reggie picks up his phone, which clearly was not ringing, mumbles something into it, and then hangs up]
Reggie: Oh! Wow... I'm so sorry to do this to you, but I just remembered, my brother, Bunbury, is very very sick. I'm supposed to go over to his house tonight to take care of him!
Cecily: Oh, my love, that is so very thoughtful of you! Taking care of your brother like that. I am so lucky
Reggie: Yes. I am a very generous person, always putting others before myself. Why don't you go home, I should be there in no time!
Cecily: "Considering...that I only met you to-day for the first time, I think it is rather hard that you should leave me for so long a period," please go as quickly as you can, so soon you will be back with me? (Wilde 34)
Reggie: Of course, sweet Cecily, I will be back in no time.
[Reggie wheels himself off, never to return again, Cecily still looks giddy and cheerful]

Debate Day

24 Days 


When I walk into the room, I see two desks facing each other in the middle of the room, surrounded by all the other desks. I heard all about the AP English debate earlier in the day, and now, seeing these desks facing that way, everything became way more serious. I knew what I had to do. Bring. It. On. I knew that I, Cecily Cardew, was ready to take on whoever sat in front of me. After all the instructions, I received the assignment and prepared all of my notes. Even though I felt confident, when I found out I had to go first, I definitely felt a chill down my spine. Even worse, when I found out who my partner was, the meanest girl in the class, Jackie Shroyer. For some reason, she had it out for me. (I secretly think it's because she wishes to steal my sweet fiance, Algernon, from me). When she approached me in the middle of the room, she did not try to disguise her hatred, and resentfully said, "having to face-off against YOU has ruined my week." I was terrified when I had to present my case first. However, after I went, the class stood up and applauded my efforts, for over ten minutes! At this point, I knew I had "reached 'absolute perfection'" (31). At this point, I was clearly the most amazing person in the world. When the praise subsided, I motioned to my partner, already accepting defeat, and telling her, "you can go on" (31). I held the power over the meanest person in the room, and it felt good. Jackie had her opportunity in the spotlight, but it paled in comparison to the moving, intelligent argument that I made. Sitting across from Jackie, I felt that she finally had overcome her hatred for me, seeing that I could hold my own against her in a discussion. When we both had to leave to go back to our seats, I felt sad, because "it is always painful to part from people whom one has known for a very brief space of time" (31). I felt like this new connection between me and this bully could eventually lead to a great friendship. However, I was snapped back in to reality when the vote took place at the end of class. I had completely forgotten that this was a competition. Even though the friendship I got from the debate was far greater than any bonus points, I still wanted to WIN. I didn't expect anything other than first place. But, when the votes were tallied, and the results were announced, it wasn't my name that I heard coming from Ms. Serensky's  lips. No. Instead of "Cecily Cardew," I heard, "Jackie Shroyer." My heart dropped. How could I not win? What cruel, cruel world. I wish I could hide forever and never enter the AP English classroom again. Not only was this the worst day of AP English 12, but it was also the worst day of my life. 

AP English 11

27 Days


Dear Amy,

My journey through glorious AP English 11 can easily be compared to your various lives and deaths. Walking in to Ms. Serensky's classroom, I thought I knew what to expect. I knew the road would have many up's and down's, but I never expected what was waiting for me in May. I greatly can empathize with your feelings when Junior told you about the end of the world, as I felt similarly when I heard that I would be writing three essays, of different types, in two hours. To me, the combination of an analytic essay, argument essay, and synthesis essay was very much like the merging of comet, earth, and destruction.  The constant writings, discussions, and readings made me truly question my place in the AP English world. Did I belong? Would I do well? And much like you, eventually, I came to the realization, "I am nothing" (179). Even though you found this out as a comfort right before you reached your death, I grasped this when I saw the "3+/4-" grade on my paper. I felt a little comfort in this fact when I knew that since I truly was nothing, I had only one way to go. This upward movement did not come quickly, and after I received countless papers with a -.5 here, and a -.5 there, I finally looked in the mirror and told myself, “‘everything matters!’”(243). I can’t carelessly forget the period of Ms. in Ms. Serensky, nor can I allow an 11-point period to taint the page of my 12-point Times New Roman perfection. I realize your exclamation had much more depth to it than it did personally for me, but when I realized that everything matters, I knew that I was making a change in my life that would lead me to a road of 8’s and 9’s. And finally, when I received that paper with a 7 marked in blue, in addition to opening an envelope sent to me by the college board, adorned with the number four, I knew that “I [had] finally, finally stopped failing” (176). Like you, a weight lifted off my chest, and I knew that there was no turning back.  You had stop failing with people, and I had finally stopped failing at English. This provided as the perfect conclusion for AP English 11. From this point on, I knew I was ready to take on AP English 12, (avoiding any comets and mass deaths) and then...take on the world. 


Sincerely, 
Haley

Hedgehogs

I need to preface this post by making this point perfectly clear; I am not in any way, shape, or form, obsessed with hedgehogs, I actually only own one hedgehog thing, and it is a stuffed animal that I received as a gift. I just like them, and think they are very cute. I also would enjoy having one or two as a pet, but only cute ones, and I probably wouldn't do weird things with them, except maybe hold them and occasionally let them loose in my house. No, I would not take them on walks, sleep with them in my bed, or dress them up in any outfits (however, if I did choose to do this, I would definitely dress it up in lederhosen, like the hedgehog in Toy Story 3). I just find it very funny that Ms. Serensky does not like hedgehogs, that just baffles me, so I wanted to write this post...well, mostly just to creep her out more. 

Hedgehogs are spiny mammals of the subfamily Erinaceinae, and there are actually 17 different species of hedgehog! They are found in Europe, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand. They are nocturnal (another reason why I don't want to have a lot of hedgehogs, I like my sleep). They got "hog" in the name because of their "piglike" snout. Sometimes they are also called hedgepigs, and I don't really like that name too much. They aren't like porcupines in the fact that they have barbed or poisonous quills, they are just sharp. For defense, hedgehogs roll tightly into a ball and make all of their quills point out (it's the cutest thing ever... but probably not if you try to touch one). When hedgehogs sleep, they go under a rock, bush, grass, or hole in the ground. Some hedgehogs hibernate. An average hedgehog has 5,000 to 6,500 quills. Hedgehogs can run up to 4.5 miles per hour, or better! I think that's faster than me. And they are also good at climbing steep walls, trees, fences, and swimming. I am also bad at all of those things! Hedgehogs communicate through grunts, snuffles, and squeals (adorable). Hedgehogs get along with dogs, cats, and other pets! The website i'm reading suggests "to protect hedgehogs from particularly large, aggressive, or mischievous pets." I'm not so sure it's just hedgehogs that should be kept away from these pets, just a thought. Hedgehogs feed on snails, frogs, toads, snakes, bird eggs, mushrooms, grass roots, berries, and melons. They are also very classy animals, and they also enjoy salmon en croute, lobster thermidor, and filet mignon. However, the best way to attract a hedgehog is through tinned cat or dog food (they like the chicken flavors), chopped peanuts, and raisins. Milk gives hedgehogs stomach pain, but they do enjoy water, but not in a pool where they can not get out. The best hedgehogs to have as a pet are hybrids of White-Bellied Hedgehogs, Four-Toed Hedgehogs, and the North African Hedgehogs. They are considered the African Pigmy Hedgehogs. These animals prefer warm climates, somewhere between 72 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Interestingly, it is illegal to have a hedgehog in the UK.

That is all legitimate information I found about hedgehogs, minus the part about them enjoying those classy dishes. As I went from site to site I found a lot of unusual hedgehog things. For instance, pork hedgehogs with slivered almond quills. I don't know who would want to eat a hedgehog, even though it's not a real hedgehog, it's just so weird. 

This makes my stomach churn. 

People also spend a lot of time making craft hedgehogs, of all different varieties. I think the fact that this scares me shows that I do not have a strange obsession with them. 

What would you even do with some of these things? 

However, even though there are a TON of creepy hedgehog things, the number of cute hedgehog pictures, videos, and stories far outweigh the bad. I am going to post some of my favorites (I enjoy thinking that this is creeping a lot of people out, especially if it's Ms. Serensky): 

ITS A BABY! 

Hedgehog bath time!! 

This is definitely one of the cutest things I've ever seen, I call it "Eggy Hedgy" 

The hedgehog has a boo-boo! 

This is my favorite. I want to cry this is so adorable. I JUST WANT TO SQUEEZE IT. 

And here it is, the moment I know everyone's been waiting for, a hedgehog eating a carrot: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw-IAYxu5uo
(I recomment watching it on mute)

If you aren't a hedgehog after seeing those pictures and watching the video, then I suppose your name belongs on my "I Hate" list. 

Just kidding!