My $1.27 (sometimes $.02 isn’t enough)

by

Kayla Sanders

When I was younger, I thought it was disgusting.  Although the taste was horrible, the scent was just enthralling.  Every time I went to the grocery store with my mom, we’d have to stop in that particular aisle so I could get a good whiff.  Coffee was one of those things that only the grown-ups drank.  I’d tasted it a few times but it was just too bitter for me.  In junior high, I drank it once in a while but the coffee to crème ratio was totally in favor of the crème.  Then one day a couple of years ago my mom offered me a cup of coffee.  I took it and she went to hand me the crème, but I didn’t take it.  I decided to give my taste buds a trip that they hadn’t had in years.  I lifted the cup to my mouth and took a sip.  It was delicious.  The warm drink enveloped me and I was thankful.

Okay, I know that’s a little over-dramatic and it wasn’t really that spectacular but my eyes were really opened that day.  These days, I love coffee.  All those times that I masked the coffee with all the crème, I wasn’t really experiencing it.  Coffee actually has quite a lot of flavor on its own, and that flavor is happiness.  That being the case, I love flavored coffee.  Hazelnut and Irish crème are my favorites, although vanilla and caramel are high on the list as well. 

Great Kitty Onizuka

by

Kayla Sanders

This past week has been full of unfamiliar experiences, ones that I once was accustomed to but have long since disappeared.  You see, one of my close friends has gained possession of a remarkable creature, a creature that sleeps all day and bites at his fingers all night.  Yes, he is now the proud owner of an adorable little kitten.  Oni (Japanese for devil) may be a typical kitten, but to me, he’s out of the ordinary.  I’m used to being around cats (I have three), but the keyword there is “cats,” not “kittens.”  To me, Oni is hyper and maybe little retarded.  He jumps around and falls off things and takes one too many hits to his little kitty head.  My cats don’t do this.  That may be due to the fact that they are fat and lazy and only pay attention to you if you have food, but that’s beside the point. 

Oni does keep things interesting though.  He’s constantly in the sink, which is cute on its own, but it’s when he misses and falls back to the floor with a thud that it’s really cute.  He chases his boot on a string and trips, falls over, runs into things, or a combination of these and more.  He falls off chairs and runs into furniture.  That little boy can take a beating. 

One thing that I’ve learned is that kittens are a lot like boyfriends.  They’re both fun, cute and cuddly.  They both make you anxious to see them and take up a large amount of your time.  When they misbehave, you can just spray them with a squirt bottle.  So what if they run away and then stare at you menacingly?  Discipline is a part of life, so deal with it.  Actually, I’m just joking about the boyfriend part.  But seriously, Oni’s awesome.  He eats, he sleeps, he plays, he poops.  He’s the greatest.