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Happy Valentine's day
Chatterbox: Chirp at Cricket
Happy Valentine's day
Happy Valentine's day!
Hi everyone, I hope you've all been doing well. I almost forgot about today; I'm glad I didn't. I hope some other older CBers show up :P
I'm getting ready for graduation--this is my last semester of high school--and have been enjoying the last few months of it while it lasts. I still don't know what I want to do for a career--"writer" vs vet/something similar--but at least I've narrowed my college selection down to 2 really awesome colleges.
I had my 18th birthday in January, so that was exciting. For those of you who are still young and wondering what growing up is like, or how grownups survive, or what the secret enlightenment is that comes with age--the secret is, there isn't one. When I was little I used to think I'd completely change when I became a grownup, but I'm learning now that no, that's not the case--you're always going to be the same person, just under a different set of circumstances. You have to learn to be mature and responsible yourself, but it's comforting to know that every other adult went through the same stressful time of change that you're going through, and they made it out alive--so you can too.
Also some more advice, which is unfortunately rather difficult in practice: be in command of yourself. And by this I mean, liberty is not doing whatever you want. When you cave in to every one of your desires, you start to lose command of yourself. Online videos (aka procrastination) are a big one for me--it is hard to resist the urge to just watch one quick video. And another, and another. Instead of denying myself that comfort, I get lazy. And that's not how a person grows. Don't let your desires control you; don't get lost in the self-love movement. It's as simple as just saying no and stepping away from the distraction/irresponsible activity. Discipline doesn't feel good, but when you get strong enough to put aside the addicting "junk foods" of life, you will be set for success!
I've recently gotten into the hobby of ant keeping...Think of it like the land equivalent of keeping fish, haha. I was considering being an entomologist for a while, but I decided I just enjoy bugs as a hobby. I think it's just the coolest thing to catch queens and watch them raise their colonies...I caught mine over the winter while they were hibernating under rocks. I have carpenter ants, acrobat ants, and a couple other genera. Does anyone else like keeping bugs?
This year our flock of sheep had 7 lambs, and they are the cutest! We got some really unusual colors this time--a brown one, a brown speckled one, and even a black and white one.
It actually hasn't been too long since I've seen some of you on YWP. I was sorry to hear about the classrooms. They've never done that sort of thing before, until now. I think something bad must have happened elsewhere on the site. The moderators even deleted my school's creative writing club classroom, and my teacher wasn't breaking any rules.
And to those who don't know me, greetings and hello! My name is Micearenice. I joined the CB in October 2015 and left in August 2019. (Though I stuck around on Kyngdom until a few months ago.) I was twelve back when I first joined, and my favorite activities were ski lodges, roleplays, and games. Today I'm hoping to see some familiar faces from back then :)
It's good to hear from you, Micearenice! I, too, am hoping we hear from more Chatterbox alums today! You're the first.
Best wishes,
Admin
submitted by Micearenice, age 18
(February 14, 2021 - 11:46 am)
(February 14, 2021 - 11:46 am)
Hi Micearenice! I joined in December, so you probably don't know me. It's nice to meet you! I think it's really cool that you keep ants: my dad is actually a beekeeper, and we used to keep bees in an observation hive in our window. Happy Valentine's Day!
(February 14, 2021 - 4:18 pm)
Nice to meet you, Sage Wolf! Keeping bees in an observation hive sounds like the coolest thing. It would be awesome to be able to watch them feed their larvae/build honeycomb/make honey. How many hives do you have?
Happy Valentine's Day!
(February 16, 2021 - 11:07 am)
It was really cool to see the bees in their hive! Unfortunately, they kept getting out into our house, so we don't have them anymore, haha. My dad works at a school, keeping bees for the entomology department. I think he also has some hives somewhere else of his own? Anyway, there are quite a few at the school, over ten. I'm not sure how many he has elsewhere.
(February 17, 2021 - 9:25 am)
Hi Mice!! Welcome back and happy Valentine's Day! It's great to see you, I'm glad you decided to visit. Good luck with college and everything, that's super cool! Whatever path you choose, I know you'll do great things. And congrats on turning 18! That's so exciting!
Ant keeping sounds cool! I'm not a bug person, but one of my friends raises praying mantises. Your lambs sound so cute!! How are your chickens?
It's really great to see you, we missed you!
(February 14, 2021 - 4:41 pm)
Hi Quill! Good to see you again, and thanks!
My chickens are living their typical dramatic lives...a mysterious predator takes one every so often (our guard dogs are slacking off), the roosters went to war with humans, and now the flock is left in the hands of one gangly teenage turken. We only have around 15 chickens these days. How are your chickens doing?
(February 16, 2021 - 11:15 am)
Aww, so cute! We don't have any turkens, but they're pretty cool. We've got around 15 too, we recently got two new chickens (I can't remember the breed off the top of my head), and we lost our silkie rooster. Our dog got one of our hens, so she spent a few days inside, but she's back in the run now and doing great! Our ducks are all grown up now too--our pekin is laying, and our mallard drake likes to protect the ladies. :)
(February 16, 2021 - 3:09 pm)
OH. MY. CHATTERBOX. Mice!!!! I missed you!! The NaNo situation sucked but we still have the CB!!! *Tackle hug* You in my mind are the ultimate CB alum. You are so kind and are (this sounds so stupid especially coming from a "littler" Cber) so mature constantly! When I have my first CBversary you will be the first CBer I "thank" (yes I'm aware the Oscars are in april) for helping and inspiring me to try to be a better human.
(February 14, 2021 - 6:37 pm)
*hugs back*
Aww, thank you Princess Juniper! :) That means a lot. You used to be Miss Autumn, right? How is your story coming along?
(February 16, 2021 - 11:16 am)
Hey Micearenice and everyone else! I had a reminder on my phone for this, although I've been so busy today that I almost forgot anyway. I popped back in last fall and was informed today is the time to come back.
I completely agree with what you said about there not being a secret at adulthood. It's just a matter of muddling on and figuring it out as you go along. The thing no one tells you is that in so many situations everyone is just as lost as you are!
I don't keep bugs, but I find them fascinating. I had a professor a few semesters ago who was a bug scientist and she would bring in videos of her grasshoppers and spiders doing their natural dances for us each class. She had named all her specimins too!
I'm not sure what today's etiquette is- should I make my own thread or hang out on this one? This is my first time joing back in for one of these reunions. I hope to get to know some of the current CBers and maybe see some older faces!
Hi, Corina! I remember you. It's fine to keep this all on one thread. Thank you for visiting us again.
Admin
(February 14, 2021 - 7:43 pm)
Hi Corina! You probably have no clue who the heck I am, because I don't recognize your name, so hi! Welcome back!
(February 14, 2021 - 8:24 pm)
Hi Joan!
I think I recognize your name but it might be from around when I was drifting away. I'm a very old CBer. I joined in 2013 and I was active for a few years but then I drifted away to other sites.
Yes, I'm a college sophomore! I go to school for interior design, so my college experience is very much defined by art/design school and all the things that come with it. Do you have any idea of what you're majoring in?
As for advice, I think the biggest thing I've seen is that college doesn't have a set "experience". It's just a period of your life, and how you tackle it is up to you. I had so many expectations going in--getting a friend group, learning how to be myself, getting a sense of style... the list goes on--and some of that has happened, but not all and never in the way I expected. So the main thing I'd like to tell you, although it's cliche (I'll explain!) is you get out what you put in. In everything. In your classes, social life, and everything in between. In terms of classes, you're actually paying to be there, so the professors expect you to be responsible for yourself: whether you pass or fail isn't really a concern of their's the way it was in high school. You'll have really kind professors, and not-so-kind professors, but mainly you get the grade for the amount of effort you put in. In terms of social stuff, the people around you have whole lives now so you have to make an effort and put yourself out there. I met one of my best friends in the world my first week, but I didn't become friends with her until the end of my first semester because both of us wanted to but we were busy and kept letting opportunities slip away from us. Finally, I decided enough was enough and dragged her out with me for a day of thrifting and dumplings, and we've been inseperable ever since.
That being said, it's a lot, don't be scared of it! You're an adult now, and adulthood is terrifying but it's also your's to define. You get to decide who you are now, without parents' rules or friends' expectations. You get to decide what parts of your growing-up self you want to keep and what parts you want to work on. You get to decide what people you want to be around (no more circumstancial friends if you don't want them!) and what environment makes you feel the best. That's such a wonderful thing, getting to define yourself, and I wish you the best of luck.
If you have any more specific questions or aspects of college you want advice on, please feel free to ask! I'll be around for a while.
(February 14, 2021 - 10:27 pm)
Thank you so much for the tips!!! If I have any more questions I'll let you know!!!
(February 15, 2021 - 8:02 pm)
No problem! Please do.
That's alright! As far as I know beginning without a clear major is commonplace at liberal arts college (at art/design school you actually have to apply directly to your major, so that's not possible). Oh, that's lovely! I really wanted to be a librarian for a time, and I wish you the best of luck with it.
(February 16, 2021 - 12:36 am)
Thank you so much! :) I'm excited to start soon! :)
(February 16, 2021 - 7:41 pm)
Hey, Corina! Long time no see. I really hope you are the person I think you are and that I'm not mixing together someone else with a similar name, haha. But if I recall correctly, we used to talk quite a bit. How have you been? It's a shame we fell out of contact.
(February 14, 2021 - 11:28 pm)