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I had to pause in my studies to clean up a little, tidying up, if you will. I swept and dusted to the sweet sounds of Josh Groban. The kind of music that both relaxes and thrills all at once. I love the combination of notes that sends chills through my veins, makes me stop in my tracks to listen. (if you get the chance, listen to him at ) Then, once things were neat, I went back to my work.

Such a storm we had! Florida is known for her deluges, but the winds were so strong, the door blew open by itself; it whistled and moaned under doors and between cracks in windows. But, as Florida storms always are, it ended within the better part of an hour.

Algebra, environmental science, American history… sigh. I almost wish I had someone to pass a note to. I must have forgotten lunch, but it didn't matter. We decided instead to have a filling dinner. After my mom had gone to work, I finished my own at three. Normal school hours for other students I suppose. I read more from my novel till four, when I started to prepare dinner: spaghetti and a meaty marinara. It was filling as I'd hoped, and after we'd eaten, my step-dad, Rob, and I settled down in front of the T.V. to watch all his favorite law shows.

At about ten I decided to get ready for bed. No one has to yell at me to make me get sleep, I have my own bedtime and I like to stick to it. As I marked another day off the calendar, I realized something. Tomorrow would be Halloween! Well, what a treat. I absolutely adore children, so I often chaperone little trick-or-treating groups on their annual sugary outings. It's fun to get a little candy myself actually. I have no fear of fat. I smiled as I turned off the light, slipping beneath the cool, soft sheets. Yes, finally, tomorrow I'd have a little long-awaited fun. I needed it badly. In my head I planned out my geisha costume: a blue-green and yellow floral kimono with a matching blue and purple sash, my blonde hair in a bun with the two lavender chopsticks piercing it, face painted white with colorful dramatic eye shadow and black lines to make my eyes appear to slant, black fan in hand… it would be great.

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October 31, 2002

7:05AM came a little earlier than I'd have liked. I was extremely groggy, falling out of bed as I tripped on my sheets. After my morning routine, I ate a Japanese breakfast of seasoned rice in a small bowl with chopsticks. Schoolwork was a little slow but I sped up gradually.

Since we live in a condo, I could hear the little children above me, jumping with excitement as they got ready for school, anticipating the candy and fun that nightfall would bring. I reminisced momentarily, my childhood and how fun Halloween used to be. How exciting, how adventurous, how mysterious. Then I matured. What happened? With the disinterest in toys and newfound interest in boys, I lost the need to dress like a fool every year and run from door to door demanding sweets. But why not? If I could then, I can now, and there are kids who still love Halloween that I'm going to look after, and I'm not going to ruin it for them. Yes, my evening would be fun enough.

School passed rather quickly. We had another bit of a storm today, but it was weak, and subsided in a half-hour. My parents unfortunately had meetings all day. I admire them for their endurance for such strife. Someday I hope to be as tolerant as them.

5pm rolled around before I was ready for it, and I grabbed my face paints and ran to the bathroom. The traditional geisha had a white face, red lips, and red paint to shadow their eyelids. I used blue and green as well for a dramatic affect. It worked. With the eyeliner and all the color behind my eyes, I looked authentic. Well, besides my blonde hair. I slipped into my kimono and hurried with my candy-bag, paints, and fan to the Stillwell's.