I never posted about this on the blog (because I was freaking out about it so much), but I somehow ended up writing a column for the local newspaper. They wanted a kid from each school in the area to write about stuff happening at that school. My yearbook teacher and friends thought I should do it. This all happened a couple of weeks ago, but the issue with the first article in it came out yesterday. I had several people tell me today that they'd read it and enjoyed it. The secretary at the middle school even mentioned it when I went over there for peer tutoring. She'd only asked what my name was a few days ago. I didn't think she remembered it! I'm a little embarrassed. I mean, everyone's said good things about it, but of course the would in front of me. I'm so paranoid about it.
It's so hard to write posts about just general life stuff now because of play practice. By the time I get home, I'm worn out and have forgotten most of the day. I could write about play practice, but there's really nothing to say. I'm not great at building things, so I'm the one doing the small, random jobs, such as holding something or searching for different props and things. I'm really happy I joined crew, but it doesn't give me much to blog about.
One random tidbit that might be interesting: there's apparently a ghost up in the passage way that leads from the costume/prop room to the place where the lights and stuff are controlled. I haven't actually been past the costume room and I haven't heard the footsteps that everyone else claims to hear (even when I'm in there alone). I'm not really sure if I should believe everyone or not. One girl claims she was chased once. We'll see how I feel in a month. I can say that that area is creepy, so I can see why people would believe there's a ghost there.
I usually look forward to Saturdays because I get to sleep in, but that's not happening tomorrow. Why? At three a.m. my mom and I are leaving to drive up to Indianapolis to visit Marian University. Marian isn't one of my top choices for a school, but I definitely think I'm applying there. It should be interesting. Although, the long car right in the wee hours of the morning may be even more interesting thanks to sleep deprivation. Here's to hoping I can get some sleep in the car.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Writing Troubles
I wrote in one of the posts from Sunday that I've been having trouble writing lately. After thinking about it a bit, I think this is because I've been so exhausted recently. By the time I get home and have time to write, I'm half asleep. I have to suffer my way through homework first too, which doesn't help.
Still, I think I'm starting to get into a new schedule, and writing is starting to get easier again. I'm a lot busier than before, but it's getting to the point where I'm finally adjusting to it. Let's hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that.
I managed to get a decent amount of writing done in class the other day when we weren't doing anything. That was the first time in a while that I started writing and didn't stop every five seconds trying to figure out what happens next. I just hope I can keep this up for a while. I'm starting to enjoy the time I spend writing again compared to the slight dread I felt when I knew it was going to be difficult.
Still, I think I'm starting to get into a new schedule, and writing is starting to get easier again. I'm a lot busier than before, but it's getting to the point where I'm finally adjusting to it. Let's hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that.
I managed to get a decent amount of writing done in class the other day when we weren't doing anything. That was the first time in a while that I started writing and didn't stop every five seconds trying to figure out what happens next. I just hope I can keep this up for a while. I'm starting to enjoy the time I spend writing again compared to the slight dread I felt when I knew it was going to be difficult.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Ouran Live Drama
I had heard a while back that they were making a live drama version of Ouran High School Host Club, but since then I hadn't heard much about it. Well, I finally watched episode one last night thanks to Isabel. I have yet to watch anymore of it, but here's my basic reaction to episode one:
I thought the episode was really faithful to the manga and anime (although Isabel tells me that changes later), which I enjoyed. Still, it comes across as a little over the top as live action. I love it, but I think that's just because I was already a fan. If you'd never seen Ouran before, it would probably just come across as weird to you. (Granted the anime and manga are weird too, but that's how they're supposed to be.) Also, I think Kyoya is my favorite host in the live drama (Tamaki is in the manga and anime), and I really like the actress who plays Haruhi.
Haley finally finished reading Mockingjay, so we got to talk about it at lunch! I love talking about books with people when they've just finished reading them. It's so fun to see other people's reactions to things and hear what they think.
I know I'm forgetting something that I wanted to mention in this post, but I guess that'll just have to stay a mystery. Maybe I'll remember and put it in a later post. I can't get my brain to cooperate at the moment.
I thought the episode was really faithful to the manga and anime (although Isabel tells me that changes later), which I enjoyed. Still, it comes across as a little over the top as live action. I love it, but I think that's just because I was already a fan. If you'd never seen Ouran before, it would probably just come across as weird to you. (Granted the anime and manga are weird too, but that's how they're supposed to be.) Also, I think Kyoya is my favorite host in the live drama (Tamaki is in the manga and anime), and I really like the actress who plays Haruhi.
Haley finally finished reading Mockingjay, so we got to talk about it at lunch! I love talking about books with people when they've just finished reading them. It's so fun to see other people's reactions to things and hear what they think.
I know I'm forgetting something that I wanted to mention in this post, but I guess that'll just have to stay a mystery. Maybe I'll remember and put it in a later post. I can't get my brain to cooperate at the moment.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Storms and a Baby
It's been cloudy and rainy all day long. I don't mind rain if it lasts for an hour or two. It can actually be kind of nice. But those days where you never see sunshine suck. I know I'm not the only one who just feels sleepy the whole day and doesn't want to do anything. It sucks. For most of today, it was just cloudy with the occasional rain and maybe some thunder and lightning here and there. Then, it started pouring this evening. We were up at my aunt and uncle's for supper, and it was crazy. My uncle said that a ton of their trees have been hit with lightning because their house is up pretty high on some hills. It was insane.
I had a lot of fun at my aunt and uncle's though. My cousin Cassie is there visiting, and it was great to see her and her new baby! The baby's name is Valory, and she is absolutely adorable. I mean, of course she is. She's a baby. Still, she was a particularly cute baby.
Other than the baby, it was fun to talk to the rest of my family too of course. We were there a lot longer than I expected. We probably would have stayed longer, but I was pushing my parents to go home because I had homework to finish. (And that isn't because I was pushing it off. I swear. I've been working on it in bits and pieces all weekend. Yay AP classes!)
Honestly, I was expecting to have more to talk about in this post, but unless I launch into details about our conversations, there's not much else to say. I would normally be in bed right now, but I'm giving myself extra time since we were at my aunt and uncle's. I want to try and read a bit more before bed. (I will probably regret this in the morning.)
I had a lot of fun at my aunt and uncle's though. My cousin Cassie is there visiting, and it was great to see her and her new baby! The baby's name is Valory, and she is absolutely adorable. I mean, of course she is. She's a baby. Still, she was a particularly cute baby.
Other than the baby, it was fun to talk to the rest of my family too of course. We were there a lot longer than I expected. We probably would have stayed longer, but I was pushing my parents to go home because I had homework to finish. (And that isn't because I was pushing it off. I swear. I've been working on it in bits and pieces all weekend. Yay AP classes!)
Honestly, I was expecting to have more to talk about in this post, but unless I launch into details about our conversations, there's not much else to say. I would normally be in bed right now, but I'm giving myself extra time since we were at my aunt and uncle's. I want to try and read a bit more before bed. (I will probably regret this in the morning.)
Writing Romance
I have been having such a hard time writing lately. I don't know if it's because of lack of time or if it's just plain old writer's block. All I know it that everytime I sit down to write, it feels like I sit there forever, and I'm lucky if I get a hundred (usually crappy) words down. That's not what this post is about though. As much as I would love to complain about that for a whole post, I won't bore you with that. This post is about writing though.
I love books that have a bit of romance in them. The book doesn't have to be centered around romance, but I've never found having a bit of romance in a book to be a bad thing. If any of you have read my writing, you'll know that I haven't written anything that I'd consider entirely romance, but a lot of what I've written has had a bit of romance in it. Truthfully, the idea of writing something that's just romance is a little intimidating to me. It sounds way too easy to screw up.
It's a bit difficult to explain why I feel this way. I guess the short answer is there are so many things you have to be careful of when you write romance. First, it usually helps if the readers want the two characters together, although this doesn't really have to be the case. You also have to be careful that you make the relationship happen realistically. You can't just have them professing their love for each other after only meeting five minutes earlier. Then, you have to be careful that you don't insert too much pointless drama. I guess all of this stuff is true no matter what you're writing, but it just seems more intimidating in romance.
My fanficition Avatar: The Next Generation was the first time I really attempted to write romance. Those who have read it know that there really isn't much romance at all. The characters are young, and the two couples in the story aren't going to be very serious. Still, it was the first time I really wrote about relationships that evolved. I had to write about crushes, starting to date, and the actual relationship in that story. It wasn't the focus of the story, and it wasn't entirely romantic, but it was the first time I'd ever really attempted something like that.
The project I'm writing now is about friendship more than anything else. Still, the characters are teenagers, so I could avoid romantic relationships completely. The main character has a crush that, while not entirely important to the plot, is still there, and another character has her first boyfriend in the story. I didn't put these things in the story to focus on the romance. They have other purposes. These kids are fourteen, so I'm not writing about them finding their true loves. If I was, I'd probably get intimidated.
Maybe someday I'll write something more romantic, but for now, I think I'm going to steer clear of it. To be honest, I probably wouldn't be writing romance even if I didn't find it intimidating. Like I said, my current project focuses on friendship, and for the moment at least, I find friendship to be just as interesting of a subject to explore as romance, if not more so.
I love books that have a bit of romance in them. The book doesn't have to be centered around romance, but I've never found having a bit of romance in a book to be a bad thing. If any of you have read my writing, you'll know that I haven't written anything that I'd consider entirely romance, but a lot of what I've written has had a bit of romance in it. Truthfully, the idea of writing something that's just romance is a little intimidating to me. It sounds way too easy to screw up.
It's a bit difficult to explain why I feel this way. I guess the short answer is there are so many things you have to be careful of when you write romance. First, it usually helps if the readers want the two characters together, although this doesn't really have to be the case. You also have to be careful that you make the relationship happen realistically. You can't just have them professing their love for each other after only meeting five minutes earlier. Then, you have to be careful that you don't insert too much pointless drama. I guess all of this stuff is true no matter what you're writing, but it just seems more intimidating in romance.
My fanficition Avatar: The Next Generation was the first time I really attempted to write romance. Those who have read it know that there really isn't much romance at all. The characters are young, and the two couples in the story aren't going to be very serious. Still, it was the first time I really wrote about relationships that evolved. I had to write about crushes, starting to date, and the actual relationship in that story. It wasn't the focus of the story, and it wasn't entirely romantic, but it was the first time I'd ever really attempted something like that.
The project I'm writing now is about friendship more than anything else. Still, the characters are teenagers, so I could avoid romantic relationships completely. The main character has a crush that, while not entirely important to the plot, is still there, and another character has her first boyfriend in the story. I didn't put these things in the story to focus on the romance. They have other purposes. These kids are fourteen, so I'm not writing about them finding their true loves. If I was, I'd probably get intimidated.
Maybe someday I'll write something more romantic, but for now, I think I'm going to steer clear of it. To be honest, I probably wouldn't be writing romance even if I didn't find it intimidating. Like I said, my current project focuses on friendship, and for the moment at least, I find friendship to be just as interesting of a subject to explore as romance, if not more so.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Fall Play and Other Things
I've been meaning to post something about this, but I have yet to find the time. Yesterday, was the first practice for my school's fall play, Barefoot in the Park. I'm on stage crew, and we have practices every weekday for the next seven weeks. Because of this, I have very little time for anything but homework once I get home (and the practices will keep getting longer and longer). That's why it's been a while since my last post. I wanted to write something yesterday, but by the time I could, I couldn't think. I'm having the same problem now. I've already forgotten most of the day, and I'm so tired that I don't want to try and remember. But I will.
We edited our rough drafts of the critique we're writing in AP English. Critiques are hard! This is the first time any of us have written one, and we're all struggling through it.
I was hoping to finish this article I had to write during yearbooks (more about that later!), but I didn't manage to. Instead, I finished it after play practice, and I'm going to try and email it off during tomorrow's class. I'm so nervous about this, and I'm scared that it's all wrong! It's been stressing me out a lot lately (which is not something I need with my busy schedule right now).
After we took our tests, we watched part of the movie Swing Vote today. The teacher had been talking about this movie, and I had never heard of it. Then, when it came on, I realized I have seen it before. Now I'm confused because I have no idea when or where I saw it, but I definitely did because I remember the whole movie.
I've got to go help my friend Ji out. She wants me to peer edit her critique (since I didn't get to in class today). I've just got to figure out how to put comments on it since I can't use the comments function (since it's not on her word processor). I'm going to stop rambling and go help her with her paper.
We edited our rough drafts of the critique we're writing in AP English. Critiques are hard! This is the first time any of us have written one, and we're all struggling through it.
I was hoping to finish this article I had to write during yearbooks (more about that later!), but I didn't manage to. Instead, I finished it after play practice, and I'm going to try and email it off during tomorrow's class. I'm so nervous about this, and I'm scared that it's all wrong! It's been stressing me out a lot lately (which is not something I need with my busy schedule right now).
After we took our tests, we watched part of the movie Swing Vote today. The teacher had been talking about this movie, and I had never heard of it. Then, when it came on, I realized I have seen it before. Now I'm confused because I have no idea when or where I saw it, but I definitely did because I remember the whole movie.
I've got to go help my friend Ji out. She wants me to peer edit her critique (since I didn't get to in class today). I've just got to figure out how to put comments on it since I can't use the comments function (since it's not on her word processor). I'm going to stop rambling and go help her with her paper.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Animals: Both Cartoon and Real
So far this weekend has been packed full of stuff. I'm looking forward to sleeping tonight because it didn't happen much last night.
We got out of class early on Friday for a pep rally. Our school isn't usually the most energetic at pep rallies, but yesterday's was particularly bad. At one point the principal actually stood up and said we wouldn't have another pep rally unless we actually participated. Everyone cheered a bit louder after that.
Friday night was football homecoming, but some of my friends and I decided that it would be a much better idea to go see The Lion King 3D instead. Haley's cousin Rachel, who used to go to our school but is now in college nearby, came to get Haley, Jordan, and I and drive us to the city she lives in (about an hour away). We decided to go eat at Denny's, a restaraunt that I hadn't been to in years. We sat there waiting for our food for at least an hour and a half. We were going to leave, but they told us our food would be free if we stayed and waited. Needless to say, we stayed.
The Lion King 3D was amazing! I plan on writing or filming a review later, but if you have chance to see it, go! I was surprised that most of the people in there were teens or young adults. There were only a couple of parents with their young children. When "The Lion King" came up at the beginning of the movie (after The Circle of Life) and at the end of the movie the audience started applauding. There were also some people (or at least my friends) who were singing the songs quietly to themselves. It was so much fun. It was so cool to actually see The Lion King in theaters. I was impressed by the 3D too. I usually hate 3D, but I thought they did a really good job. I think it's because it's not obvious 3D. The 3D isn't even that noticeable.
After the movie, we went to Rachel's apartment, where we spent the night. We watched most of Tangled before we fell asleep because we were so tired. I'd been wanting to see Tangled forever! I need to watch the whole thing sometime.
We woke up rather early this morning to meet a couple of Haley's family members at the zoo. I hadn't been to the zoo in years, and it was so much fun. One of the first things that we saw when we got in there was some guy with an unidentifiable animal that he was letting people pet and feed. He told us that it was a South American porcupine. It was so sweet and cute! It was really cool to get to pet her. We saw a lot of other animals too, but that was the most memorable one.
Two other fun moments from the day: Jordan got licked on her shoulder by a giraffe. It was hilarious. We all saw it coming towards us so we backed up quickly. Jordan just ducked. It was hilarious. There was also a bee that refused to leave us alone while we were eating our lunch. I was the first one to get up and attempt to hide behind Haley. Eventually, we were all up from the table while everyone else there stared at us.
It was a lot of fun. It's time for the relaxing part of the weekend though.
P.S. I have no idea what the title's about. I couldn't think of anything, and remember, I got very little sleep last night.
We got out of class early on Friday for a pep rally. Our school isn't usually the most energetic at pep rallies, but yesterday's was particularly bad. At one point the principal actually stood up and said we wouldn't have another pep rally unless we actually participated. Everyone cheered a bit louder after that.
Friday night was football homecoming, but some of my friends and I decided that it would be a much better idea to go see The Lion King 3D instead. Haley's cousin Rachel, who used to go to our school but is now in college nearby, came to get Haley, Jordan, and I and drive us to the city she lives in (about an hour away). We decided to go eat at Denny's, a restaraunt that I hadn't been to in years. We sat there waiting for our food for at least an hour and a half. We were going to leave, but they told us our food would be free if we stayed and waited. Needless to say, we stayed.
The Lion King 3D was amazing! I plan on writing or filming a review later, but if you have chance to see it, go! I was surprised that most of the people in there were teens or young adults. There were only a couple of parents with their young children. When "The Lion King" came up at the beginning of the movie (after The Circle of Life) and at the end of the movie the audience started applauding. There were also some people (or at least my friends) who were singing the songs quietly to themselves. It was so much fun. It was so cool to actually see The Lion King in theaters. I was impressed by the 3D too. I usually hate 3D, but I thought they did a really good job. I think it's because it's not obvious 3D. The 3D isn't even that noticeable.
After the movie, we went to Rachel's apartment, where we spent the night. We watched most of Tangled before we fell asleep because we were so tired. I'd been wanting to see Tangled forever! I need to watch the whole thing sometime.
We woke up rather early this morning to meet a couple of Haley's family members at the zoo. I hadn't been to the zoo in years, and it was so much fun. One of the first things that we saw when we got in there was some guy with an unidentifiable animal that he was letting people pet and feed. He told us that it was a South American porcupine. It was so sweet and cute! It was really cool to get to pet her. We saw a lot of other animals too, but that was the most memorable one.
Two other fun moments from the day: Jordan got licked on her shoulder by a giraffe. It was hilarious. We all saw it coming towards us so we backed up quickly. Jordan just ducked. It was hilarious. There was also a bee that refused to leave us alone while we were eating our lunch. I was the first one to get up and attempt to hide behind Haley. Eventually, we were all up from the table while everyone else there stared at us.
It was a lot of fun. It's time for the relaxing part of the weekend though.
P.S. I have no idea what the title's about. I couldn't think of anything, and remember, I got very little sleep last night.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
My Favorite Classics
I'm not someone who's read a lot of books that are considered classics. (Something I hope to change in the future.) Most of the "classic" books I've read, I've read because of school. Still, I've really enjoyed a lot of these books. Here are three of my favorite "classic" books.
The Chosen by Chaim Potok.
I had never heard of this book until it was one of our summer reading options for AP English. I'm not even sure if it's technically considered a classic even, but I'm counting it. I think this is the only book on the list where I actually cried while reading it. It's a great book about friendship, which is one of my absolute favorite things to read and write about. It also takes place during World War II, and as a huge history nerd, I love reading historical fiction. Not only that, but I learned a lot about judaism from this book. You can read my review here.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
. When I first started reading this book, I was really weirded out by it all. By the end of the book though, I absolutely loved it. It's very interesting to think about and analyze. The author wrote about how he was scared the world would really be, which is kind of a scary thought. What's even scarier is that we've definitely moved towards the world described in the book. Huxley's world may be an extreme one, but it's definitely obvious where it all came from. You can read my review here.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
. I'm not going to lie: the first time I ever heard of Wuthering Heights was when I was reading Twilight. After that I heard more about the book, and I was intriqued by it. We were supposed to find a classic book to read for English 11 Honors, and this was immediately the book I looked for. It's not a happy book, but it's really interesting to read. I hate virtually every character in the book, but they're all so interesting. You can read my review here.
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
. I had heard of this book before, but I had no clue what it was about when my English 11 Honors class began to read it. I was really surprised about how much I liked this book. I've seen some people criticize the book because it's not an acurate representation of the south at that time, but I don't think that really matters. I think it's a wonderful book. You can read my review here.
The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter
. I was having a really hard time coming up with a fifth book, so I was looking through some of the books I've read on Goodreads. Then, I stumbled across this book that I read over a year ago for English 11 Honors summer reading. I'd forgotten how much I love this book. It was about a part of American history that I didn't really know about: Native Americans capturing white kids and women and making them a part of their society. Again, I love a lot of historical fiction. I think it definitely shows the Native American side (and the side of those taken captive) very well. Unfortunately, I read this book before I started doing book reviews.
The Chosen by Chaim Potok.
I had never heard of this book until it was one of our summer reading options for AP English. I'm not even sure if it's technically considered a classic even, but I'm counting it. I think this is the only book on the list where I actually cried while reading it. It's a great book about friendship, which is one of my absolute favorite things to read and write about. It also takes place during World War II, and as a huge history nerd, I love reading historical fiction. Not only that, but I learned a lot about judaism from this book. You can read my review here.Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
. When I first started reading this book, I was really weirded out by it all. By the end of the book though, I absolutely loved it. It's very interesting to think about and analyze. The author wrote about how he was scared the world would really be, which is kind of a scary thought. What's even scarier is that we've definitely moved towards the world described in the book. Huxley's world may be an extreme one, but it's definitely obvious where it all came from. You can read my review here.Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
. I'm not going to lie: the first time I ever heard of Wuthering Heights was when I was reading Twilight. After that I heard more about the book, and I was intriqued by it. We were supposed to find a classic book to read for English 11 Honors, and this was immediately the book I looked for. It's not a happy book, but it's really interesting to read. I hate virtually every character in the book, but they're all so interesting. You can read my review here.To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
. I had heard of this book before, but I had no clue what it was about when my English 11 Honors class began to read it. I was really surprised about how much I liked this book. I've seen some people criticize the book because it's not an acurate representation of the south at that time, but I don't think that really matters. I think it's a wonderful book. You can read my review here.The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter
. I was having a really hard time coming up with a fifth book, so I was looking through some of the books I've read on Goodreads. Then, I stumbled across this book that I read over a year ago for English 11 Honors summer reading. I'd forgotten how much I love this book. It was about a part of American history that I didn't really know about: Native Americans capturing white kids and women and making them a part of their society. Again, I love a lot of historical fiction. I think it definitely shows the Native American side (and the side of those taken captive) very well. Unfortunately, I read this book before I started doing book reviews.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Favorite Disney Moment
It feels like it's been a long, long time since I've written a Disney post. This is going to be another list of my favorite Disney moments. These can be just about anything, and like usual, I'm sure there are going to be lots of awesome ones that I miss.
Belle and the Beast's dance in Beauty and the Beast. I love the scene, and the song is one of my favorite Disney songs.
The opening of The Lion King. To me this is a very iconic Disney moment. It's one of the first things I think of when I think of The Lion King. I love how the opening of The Lion King 2 is very similar.
Simba becoming king in The Lion King. It's just an amazing scene. I don't really have a reason.
The Beast dying and becoming human again in Beauty and the Beast. This scene is so sad and beautiful and amazing.
The ending of Pocahontas. Normally, I probably wouldn't have thought of this, but I saw it as I was reading this post. I love the awesome instrumental of Colors of the Wind that's playing in the background.
In the incinerator in Toy Story 3. Even though I knew they were probably going to make it out, it was still really intense. Plus, I love how they all work together to get out.
The ending of Toy Story 3 when Andy and Bonnie play with the toys together. It's such a sad moment, but at the same time, you know it's for the best.
I think seven moments are a good number to go with. What are your favorite Disney moments?
Belle and the Beast's dance in Beauty and the Beast. I love the scene, and the song is one of my favorite Disney songs.
The opening of The Lion King. To me this is a very iconic Disney moment. It's one of the first things I think of when I think of The Lion King. I love how the opening of The Lion King 2 is very similar.
Simba becoming king in The Lion King. It's just an amazing scene. I don't really have a reason.
The Beast dying and becoming human again in Beauty and the Beast. This scene is so sad and beautiful and amazing.
The ending of Pocahontas. Normally, I probably wouldn't have thought of this, but I saw it as I was reading this post. I love the awesome instrumental of Colors of the Wind that's playing in the background.
In the incinerator in Toy Story 3. Even though I knew they were probably going to make it out, it was still really intense. Plus, I love how they all work together to get out.
The ending of Toy Story 3 when Andy and Bonnie play with the toys together. It's such a sad moment, but at the same time, you know it's for the best.
I think seven moments are a good number to go with. What are your favorite Disney moments?
Sunday, September 11, 2011
My 9/11 Memories
I had two blog posts planned for today. One of them was going to be about 9/11. However, I'm now about to fall asleep, and I doubt I could write anything worthy of posting at the moment. I'm not sure why I didn't have time to do this earlier in the day because I really haven't done much today, but somehow, I didn't find time to do this earlier. I also got so distracted that I kept putting off my homework. Then, at about 6:30, I just suddenly felt extremely tired. I have no idea why I'm suddenly so sleepy, but I managed to get my homework done. Let's hope I actually did everything right...
I guess I'll attempt to write about 9/11 anyway, but I don't really have any thoughtful comments about it. If read some great blog posts written by others today, and I don't have anything that could rival theirs. I was eight when it happened, and my eight year-old mind didn't really get the whole scope of what was going on. I knew it was bad, but I had never heard of terrorism or the World Trade Center.
We were out at recess when it happened (or at least when the school heard about it). When we came inside, our teacher looked really serious (something that wasn't unusual for this teacher), and she sat us down on the carpet to talk to us. She tried to explain what was happening, and I could tell that this obviously wasn't a good thing even though I didn't really know how bad it was. I don't really remember what she said to us. I just remember sitting on the carpet listening to her.
The only other memory I have from that day is sitting in front of the TV later and talking to my dad about it. Again, I can't remember what either one of us said, but I can remember staring at the TV as they showed the towers falling.
I was flipping through channels earlier today when I came upon MSNBC. They were showing their actual coverage from 9/11. My brother and I sat there watching it for a little while, and I realized that he was only a year old when the attacks happened. This was honestly the first time this thought occured to me, and I honestly was a little surprised when I realized that my generation is probably one of the youngest that remember the attacks at all. Most of the kids younger than us, who were alive that day, have probably forgotten. We'll be some of the last people alive to remember the attacks when we're all elderly. Granted, most of us probably can't remember them well (based on the conversations I've had with people I know). This makes me want to go talk to my sister and see if she can remember anything at all. (She was six and in kindergarten at the time.)
That's really all I have to say about 9/11. I could get into more I suppose, but I really don't know what I could say that you haven't heard before. I've definitely remembered those who died today, and I'm sure you have too. That's not something I really need to repeat. And I definitely don't want to get into the politics, controversy, or anything like that.
One last thing, today was the last mass with our current priest at our church. He's changing parishes. I always hate things like this. It's hard to see people go. We have about a month until our new priest comes, and I'm not really sure what we're doing until then. I think we're just going to have a different priest come each weekend or something like that. I'm sure that won't make the transition any easier, but we'll deal with it. Our new priest grew up in our area, and he was apparently only ordained recently. I'm sure he'll get along with everyone well since he already knows some of the people around here. I really hope everything goes well.
I guess I'll attempt to write about 9/11 anyway, but I don't really have any thoughtful comments about it. If read some great blog posts written by others today, and I don't have anything that could rival theirs. I was eight when it happened, and my eight year-old mind didn't really get the whole scope of what was going on. I knew it was bad, but I had never heard of terrorism or the World Trade Center.
We were out at recess when it happened (or at least when the school heard about it). When we came inside, our teacher looked really serious (something that wasn't unusual for this teacher), and she sat us down on the carpet to talk to us. She tried to explain what was happening, and I could tell that this obviously wasn't a good thing even though I didn't really know how bad it was. I don't really remember what she said to us. I just remember sitting on the carpet listening to her.
The only other memory I have from that day is sitting in front of the TV later and talking to my dad about it. Again, I can't remember what either one of us said, but I can remember staring at the TV as they showed the towers falling.
I was flipping through channels earlier today when I came upon MSNBC. They were showing their actual coverage from 9/11. My brother and I sat there watching it for a little while, and I realized that he was only a year old when the attacks happened. This was honestly the first time this thought occured to me, and I honestly was a little surprised when I realized that my generation is probably one of the youngest that remember the attacks at all. Most of the kids younger than us, who were alive that day, have probably forgotten. We'll be some of the last people alive to remember the attacks when we're all elderly. Granted, most of us probably can't remember them well (based on the conversations I've had with people I know). This makes me want to go talk to my sister and see if she can remember anything at all. (She was six and in kindergarten at the time.)
That's really all I have to say about 9/11. I could get into more I suppose, but I really don't know what I could say that you haven't heard before. I've definitely remembered those who died today, and I'm sure you have too. That's not something I really need to repeat. And I definitely don't want to get into the politics, controversy, or anything like that.
One last thing, today was the last mass with our current priest at our church. He's changing parishes. I always hate things like this. It's hard to see people go. We have about a month until our new priest comes, and I'm not really sure what we're doing until then. I think we're just going to have a different priest come each weekend or something like that. I'm sure that won't make the transition any easier, but we'll deal with it. Our new priest grew up in our area, and he was apparently only ordained recently. I'm sure he'll get along with everyone well since he already knows some of the people around here. I really hope everything goes well.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
I Could Never be a Sales Person
I love Saturdays. Sleeping and not having to go to school is the best. I haven't done much today other than read and work on some homework. I have to write notes on a chapter of AP U.S. history this weekend, and I'm about halfway done at the moment.
After posting yesterday, I remembered that there were two things I forgot to mention in that post. I decided I'd just post about them today. Now that it's almost a day later, I'm not sure if I want to post about them or not since it feels kind of pointless now, but here we go anyway.
I was in the bathroom at school the other day when two of my old best friends walked in. There was someone else in the bathroom, but they were actually in one of the stalls, which meant the three of us were just kind of there at the sinks. As soon as the walked in my awkward self got a little nervous. I've barely spoken to one of them since middle school, and I still fill kind of weird around the other one even though we talked in class all last semester. We started up a conversation though. It was awkward, but not quite as bad as I expected. To most people reading this, this may sound random and unimportant, but these two were my best friends for a really long time (in addition to Summer, who still is one of my best friends. Our group kind of split in half I guess...). It's just so weird whenever I see them now. I miss them, but at the same time all three of us have changed so much that it's just not the same. Yeah...
I also forgot to mention that Ji and I went around selling yearbook ads again yesterday. This is getting kind of stressful. We have seven businesses between us, and we only managed to sell one ad last Friday. We sold another one yesterday. One business told us they're definitely not buying one, and there's another business that we're almost positive isn't because they're really indecisive. Out of the other three, one we just managed to find yesterday, and they're thinking about it. I can't find addresses for the other two business anywhere. They're no where online, in the phone book, and no one I ask has heard of them. I'm going to have to talk to the yearbook teacher Monday because I'm not sure what to do about them.
Before I wrap up this post, I just want to share a cute little scene I saw earlier today. At about noon, I went looking for my little brother to see what he wanted for lunch. I found him on the ground outside just reading a book with both of our dogs beside him. It was so random but adorable. I looked kind of embarassed when I found him. I think he was just taking them out so the could go to the bathroom, but he took a book to read while he was waiting and lost track of time or something. I'm not really sure what happened, but it was cute.
After posting yesterday, I remembered that there were two things I forgot to mention in that post. I decided I'd just post about them today. Now that it's almost a day later, I'm not sure if I want to post about them or not since it feels kind of pointless now, but here we go anyway.
I was in the bathroom at school the other day when two of my old best friends walked in. There was someone else in the bathroom, but they were actually in one of the stalls, which meant the three of us were just kind of there at the sinks. As soon as the walked in my awkward self got a little nervous. I've barely spoken to one of them since middle school, and I still fill kind of weird around the other one even though we talked in class all last semester. We started up a conversation though. It was awkward, but not quite as bad as I expected. To most people reading this, this may sound random and unimportant, but these two were my best friends for a really long time (in addition to Summer, who still is one of my best friends. Our group kind of split in half I guess...). It's just so weird whenever I see them now. I miss them, but at the same time all three of us have changed so much that it's just not the same. Yeah...
I also forgot to mention that Ji and I went around selling yearbook ads again yesterday. This is getting kind of stressful. We have seven businesses between us, and we only managed to sell one ad last Friday. We sold another one yesterday. One business told us they're definitely not buying one, and there's another business that we're almost positive isn't because they're really indecisive. Out of the other three, one we just managed to find yesterday, and they're thinking about it. I can't find addresses for the other two business anywhere. They're no where online, in the phone book, and no one I ask has heard of them. I'm going to have to talk to the yearbook teacher Monday because I'm not sure what to do about them.
Before I wrap up this post, I just want to share a cute little scene I saw earlier today. At about noon, I went looking for my little brother to see what he wanted for lunch. I found him on the ground outside just reading a book with both of our dogs beside him. It was so random but adorable. I looked kind of embarassed when I found him. I think he was just taking them out so the could go to the bathroom, but he took a book to read while he was waiting and lost track of time or something. I'm not really sure what happened, but it was cute.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Teaching
I had to go to school early today for a Beta Club meeting. Beta Club meetings never take that long. Basically, I just walk in, sign in, find out whatever's going on, and leave. She always has donuts there for us, but I never eat any. I'm the sort of person who's in no mood for food until I've been awake for an hour or two. (And I've usually only been awake for about an hour when I get to the meeting. I sleep in as late as possible.)
Beta Club is in charge of the blood drive our school has. We're supposed to donate blood, or if we can't, find someone else to. I never plan on donating blood (Words can't describe how terrified I am of blood. It would be horrific.), so I asked my sister to donate blood. For some reason, this is incredibly exciting to her. She just turned sixteen two days ago, so she just barely makes the age limit for donating blood. I'll never understand her happiness when I handed her the forms. I'm going to stop talking about this because typing the "b" word is getting to me.
In AP U.S. History today, we all had to talk a bit about a part of the chapter that had been assigned to us. I had about three paragraphs. Basically all I had to say was Parliament gained power as the real exectutives of Britain, and they weren't as concerned with controling the American colonies because it meant raising taxes which wouldn't make the landholders and merchants, who they relied on for support and re-election, happy. That's almost exactly what I said actually (except it was slightly more detailed).
The Internet was down at school today, which meant we couldn't really work on yearbook stuff. Instead, we flipped through TV channels. Ji had the remote, and she never stayed on one channel for more than five minutes. We watched parts of Scooby Doo, Alton Brown, news channels, and various other things.
Remember how I sayed peer tutoring was stressful? That has gotten so much better lately. Before I started peer tutoring, I was kind of afraid that it would make me doubt the fact that I want to be a teacher. Luckily, it hasn't. In fact, I think I'm more sure now than I was before. It's made me consider becoming a middle school or special needs teacher though. When I first got put in special needs classes at the middle school, I wasn't too happy about it, but it's really not that bad. I still think I'm going to stick with high school (and not special needs) though. I don't know if I could deal with middle schoolers all day.
It's gotten to the point where I've gotten comfortable with the teachers and aides in the classrooms I'm in. I also know a lot of the kids better, and I don't feel as awkward working with them anymore. One boy gave me a high-five when I walked in the classroom today, and there's another boy that likes to ask me questions about what high school's like every day.
Today, I was going over multiplication flash cards with three of the kids. Two of them were supposed to be competing to see who could get the most, but the other kid kept cheating and telling one girl the answers. Then, both of them would try and grab the card out of my hand quickly. I had to keep flipping the cards without giving one to either girl. All of this over who could get more cards? It's fine for an hour and a half, but I don't know if I could deal with that all day.
Even though I don't want to teach middle school, this experience has made me more sure that I want to teach high school. I think before I was worried because it's such a big decision, and I didn't want to screw it up. To be honest, that still worries me a bit, but I really do think I'm making the right decision by majoring in secondary education. Let's just hope I'm right.
I almost forgot the mention this, but Haley, Jordan, and I were talking about Pottermore at lunch today. Both of them have gotten in. I want my email! They were telling me how awesome it is and everything. I can't wait to be sorted! Jordan's a Slytherin and Haley's a Ravenclaw. Haley wanted to be a Slytherin, so she's not too thrilled. She says she doesn't think she'd ever be able to get into the common room. I really hope I get Hufflepuff, but I wouldn't be surprised if I get Ravenclaw as well. If only my email would come!
Beta Club is in charge of the blood drive our school has. We're supposed to donate blood, or if we can't, find someone else to. I never plan on donating blood (Words can't describe how terrified I am of blood. It would be horrific.), so I asked my sister to donate blood. For some reason, this is incredibly exciting to her. She just turned sixteen two days ago, so she just barely makes the age limit for donating blood. I'll never understand her happiness when I handed her the forms. I'm going to stop talking about this because typing the "b" word is getting to me.
In AP U.S. History today, we all had to talk a bit about a part of the chapter that had been assigned to us. I had about three paragraphs. Basically all I had to say was Parliament gained power as the real exectutives of Britain, and they weren't as concerned with controling the American colonies because it meant raising taxes which wouldn't make the landholders and merchants, who they relied on for support and re-election, happy. That's almost exactly what I said actually (except it was slightly more detailed).
The Internet was down at school today, which meant we couldn't really work on yearbook stuff. Instead, we flipped through TV channels. Ji had the remote, and she never stayed on one channel for more than five minutes. We watched parts of Scooby Doo, Alton Brown, news channels, and various other things.
Remember how I sayed peer tutoring was stressful? That has gotten so much better lately. Before I started peer tutoring, I was kind of afraid that it would make me doubt the fact that I want to be a teacher. Luckily, it hasn't. In fact, I think I'm more sure now than I was before. It's made me consider becoming a middle school or special needs teacher though. When I first got put in special needs classes at the middle school, I wasn't too happy about it, but it's really not that bad. I still think I'm going to stick with high school (and not special needs) though. I don't know if I could deal with middle schoolers all day.
It's gotten to the point where I've gotten comfortable with the teachers and aides in the classrooms I'm in. I also know a lot of the kids better, and I don't feel as awkward working with them anymore. One boy gave me a high-five when I walked in the classroom today, and there's another boy that likes to ask me questions about what high school's like every day.
Today, I was going over multiplication flash cards with three of the kids. Two of them were supposed to be competing to see who could get the most, but the other kid kept cheating and telling one girl the answers. Then, both of them would try and grab the card out of my hand quickly. I had to keep flipping the cards without giving one to either girl. All of this over who could get more cards? It's fine for an hour and a half, but I don't know if I could deal with that all day.
Even though I don't want to teach middle school, this experience has made me more sure that I want to teach high school. I think before I was worried because it's such a big decision, and I didn't want to screw it up. To be honest, that still worries me a bit, but I really do think I'm making the right decision by majoring in secondary education. Let's just hope I'm right.
I almost forgot the mention this, but Haley, Jordan, and I were talking about Pottermore at lunch today. Both of them have gotten in. I want my email! They were telling me how awesome it is and everything. I can't wait to be sorted! Jordan's a Slytherin and Haley's a Ravenclaw. Haley wanted to be a Slytherin, so she's not too thrilled. She says she doesn't think she'd ever be able to get into the common room. I really hope I get Hufflepuff, but I wouldn't be surprised if I get Ravenclaw as well. If only my email would come!
Book Review: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
ISBN: 1593081251Published: July 25th, 2004 (first published 1811)
Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics
Read from April 13th to September 5th, 2011
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Review:Jane Austen’s first published novel, Sense and Sensibility is a wonderfully entertaining tale of flirtation and folly that revolves around two starkly different sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. While Elinor is thoughtful, considerate, and calm, her younger sister is emotional and wildly romantic. Both are looking for a husband, but neither Elinor’s reason nor Marianne’s passion can lead them to perfect happiness—as Marianne falls for an unscrupulous rascal and Elinor becomes attached to a man who’s already engaged.
Startling secrets, unexpected twists, and heartless betrayals interrupt the marriage games that follow. Filled with satiric wit and subtle characterizations, Sense and Sensibility teaches that true love requires a balance of reason and emotion.
As you can tell above, it took me almost five months to get through this book. The simple reason for that is I spent the first month and a half only reading the book in school. When school got out for the summer, I rarely picked up the book. This was because I didn't get that into it. I read Pride and Prejudice a few years ago and loved it. I didn't find Sense and Sensibility to be as good. By the end of the book, I didn't care for the characters all that much. They were okay, but I wasn't that emotionally vested in them. I was pleased with the couples but not terribly excited about them. Overall, this book was just okay. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't incredibly great either. I'm still glad I read it though, and I hope to read more of Jane Austen's books in the future.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Four Day Weekends Throw Me Off Track
The four day weekend really screwed up my days, sleep schedule, etc. I laid in bed for hours last night before finally falling asleep at some time during the early morning. I honestly can't remember a whole lot of the day because I was half asleep through most of it. Hopefully I can think of some things for this post.
We turned in our first paper in AP English. This paper is our first assignment that goes toward getting college credit. I'm kind of scared to think about the fact that she might be grading it right now or maybe already has. I don't think it was that great, but I hope that's just because I'm so nervous about it.
We finally got to hand out yearbooks during yearbook class today. It really wasn't that eventful, but I like knowing that everyone finally gets to see it (even if I had nothing to do with last years). Ji and I handed out books to the kids in Spanish and study hall. The study hall kids had kind of scattered across the school as some where in the library and some went to teachers rooms to get help, so we had to go to about four different places other than the Spanish and study hall rooms. After that was all done, we finally got our theme for this year's yearbook down. I'm so excited about it! It's basically the theme that the teacher and I talked about at the workshop over to summer, which makes it even awesomer to me.
Third block was stressful because I was supposed to help this kid who absolutely refused to do his work. The teacher told me to go help someone else because he refused to do anything. Luckily, the girl I ended up helping had no problem actually working, and everything after that went fine.
I almost forgot to mention that my friends and I discovered that one of our friends switched schools today. It was really unexpected, and there were a few sad moments today when someone would comment on how weird it felt that she wasn't there. I'll miss her. I now have an empty seat beside me in AP U.S. history and government. She was quiet like me, so when it was just us two, we didn't really talk to each other since I don't think either one of us is great at starting conversation. Still, she's an awesome person, and it sucks that she won't be there anymore.
We turned in our first paper in AP English. This paper is our first assignment that goes toward getting college credit. I'm kind of scared to think about the fact that she might be grading it right now or maybe already has. I don't think it was that great, but I hope that's just because I'm so nervous about it.
We finally got to hand out yearbooks during yearbook class today. It really wasn't that eventful, but I like knowing that everyone finally gets to see it (even if I had nothing to do with last years). Ji and I handed out books to the kids in Spanish and study hall. The study hall kids had kind of scattered across the school as some where in the library and some went to teachers rooms to get help, so we had to go to about four different places other than the Spanish and study hall rooms. After that was all done, we finally got our theme for this year's yearbook down. I'm so excited about it! It's basically the theme that the teacher and I talked about at the workshop over to summer, which makes it even awesomer to me.
Third block was stressful because I was supposed to help this kid who absolutely refused to do his work. The teacher told me to go help someone else because he refused to do anything. Luckily, the girl I ended up helping had no problem actually working, and everything after that went fine.
I almost forgot to mention that my friends and I discovered that one of our friends switched schools today. It was really unexpected, and there were a few sad moments today when someone would comment on how weird it felt that she wasn't there. I'll miss her. I now have an empty seat beside me in AP U.S. history and government. She was quiet like me, so when it was just us two, we didn't really talk to each other since I don't think either one of us is great at starting conversation. Still, she's an awesome person, and it sucks that she won't be there anymore.
Monday, September 5, 2011
Naruto Never Ends
I hope everyone in the U.S. had a good Labor Day today, and that everyone in other parts of the world had a good day. My Labor Day just consisted of sitting around the house and procrastinating on my homework (which I am going to regret when I have all of it to do tomorrow).
I spent my morning watching episodes of All That, Kenan and Kel, Clarissa Explains It All, and Doug that I have recorded on the DVR. I love the 90's Are All That block on Nick. It was a great idea. I'm so excited that Hey Arnold and Rocko's Modern Life are coming on tonight. I haven't seen them in forever.
I also watched some Naruto and How I Met Your Mother today. As I was watching Naruto, I realized that I've been watching the show for years, and I've only watched through episode 172. I still have to finish the series, and then I have to watch Naruto Shippuden. If you go back and read some of my first blog posts, you'll see that I was just starting to watch Naruto when I began this blog almost two years ago. (This blog turns two on September 7th! It's the same day my sister turns 16.) I really need to start watching more episodes. If only I had more time.
That's really the most note-worty (yet not really note-worthy) parts of my day. I'm going to go read some awesome Jimmy Neutron fanfiction now.
I spent my morning watching episodes of All That, Kenan and Kel, Clarissa Explains It All, and Doug that I have recorded on the DVR. I love the 90's Are All That block on Nick. It was a great idea. I'm so excited that Hey Arnold and Rocko's Modern Life are coming on tonight. I haven't seen them in forever.
I also watched some Naruto and How I Met Your Mother today. As I was watching Naruto, I realized that I've been watching the show for years, and I've only watched through episode 172. I still have to finish the series, and then I have to watch Naruto Shippuden. If you go back and read some of my first blog posts, you'll see that I was just starting to watch Naruto when I began this blog almost two years ago. (This blog turns two on September 7th! It's the same day my sister turns 16.) I really need to start watching more episodes. If only I had more time.
That's really the most note-worty (yet not really note-worthy) parts of my day. I'm going to go read some awesome Jimmy Neutron fanfiction now.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
My Sister's 16th Birthday Party
My sister's 16th birthday party was/is today since her actual birthday is this Wednesday. I'm already worn out, and I still have to make it through the night with a loud group of girls just down the hall. Thank God it's a three day weekend, and I have an extra day to sleep in.
My birthday present for Regina wasn't much. I just gave her a little bit of money. However, I made her search for it. I made a scavenger hunt and made her go through it to get the money. The funny thing was that I had the money in my pocket the whole time. The answer to the last riddle was the number of dollars I was giving her, and I just handed her the money when she solved it. She wasn't too happy about that.
The party started at six this evening. My sister invited about seven girls, and one of them was more my friend than hers. I'm so glad Ji came because she helped keep me sane. It's not that I don't get along with all of Regina's friends. It's that there are just two of Regina's friends that drive me insane when I have to be around them for extended periods of time. The two of them together plus Regina means torture for me. Ji and I found ourselves seperated from the group or with the girls that I am kind of friends with too for most of the party.
Regina and most of the other girls had a water balloon fight that Ji and I decided not to participate in since we didn't want to get wet. Then, Regina hit my brother with a balloon when he didn't want to get wet either. He wanted revenge, so he, Ji, my mom, and I filled up some water guns while everyone else was inside. Turns out I got wet anyway. The hose sprayed everywhere when I turned it on, and then Ji and I started squirting each other. It was hilarious when Matthew finally got Regina too. Another funny moment was when I slipped ice down that back of her shirt while she was eating.
One of the girls had the idea to walk down to the playground of the school that about half of us attended for elementary and middle school. Ji and I went with them but didn't stay long. We came back to the house, and she insisted on putting make up on me even though it was pretty late at this point.
After that we went out to the backyard where Regina, her friends, and my parents were roasting marshmellows and watching The Hangover using a projector. We stayed out there and talked for a while before coming back into the house where it was cooler.
There was a Star Wars marathon that had been on TV all day while we were running in and out of the house. We sat down to watch some of it. It was the end of Episode III, and Ji had never seen Star Wars before. I had to do quite a bit of explaining. Some how we got onto the topic of Japanese and Korean culture. Ji started explaining Korean food, and she showed me the youtube videos that explain stuff about Korea. They're some pretty awesome videos.
I tried to convince Ji to spend the night and help me deal with Regina and the two girls spending the night, but she decided to go home. Now I'm dealing with them on my own. The three of them have invaded my bathroom while I'm typing this and are currently putting on face masks. Yeah, I'm never getting sleep...
My birthday present for Regina wasn't much. I just gave her a little bit of money. However, I made her search for it. I made a scavenger hunt and made her go through it to get the money. The funny thing was that I had the money in my pocket the whole time. The answer to the last riddle was the number of dollars I was giving her, and I just handed her the money when she solved it. She wasn't too happy about that.
The party started at six this evening. My sister invited about seven girls, and one of them was more my friend than hers. I'm so glad Ji came because she helped keep me sane. It's not that I don't get along with all of Regina's friends. It's that there are just two of Regina's friends that drive me insane when I have to be around them for extended periods of time. The two of them together plus Regina means torture for me. Ji and I found ourselves seperated from the group or with the girls that I am kind of friends with too for most of the party.
Regina and most of the other girls had a water balloon fight that Ji and I decided not to participate in since we didn't want to get wet. Then, Regina hit my brother with a balloon when he didn't want to get wet either. He wanted revenge, so he, Ji, my mom, and I filled up some water guns while everyone else was inside. Turns out I got wet anyway. The hose sprayed everywhere when I turned it on, and then Ji and I started squirting each other. It was hilarious when Matthew finally got Regina too. Another funny moment was when I slipped ice down that back of her shirt while she was eating.
One of the girls had the idea to walk down to the playground of the school that about half of us attended for elementary and middle school. Ji and I went with them but didn't stay long. We came back to the house, and she insisted on putting make up on me even though it was pretty late at this point.
After that we went out to the backyard where Regina, her friends, and my parents were roasting marshmellows and watching The Hangover using a projector. We stayed out there and talked for a while before coming back into the house where it was cooler.
There was a Star Wars marathon that had been on TV all day while we were running in and out of the house. We sat down to watch some of it. It was the end of Episode III, and Ji had never seen Star Wars before. I had to do quite a bit of explaining. Some how we got onto the topic of Japanese and Korean culture. Ji started explaining Korean food, and she showed me the youtube videos that explain stuff about Korea. They're some pretty awesome videos.
I tried to convince Ji to spend the night and help me deal with Regina and the two girls spending the night, but she decided to go home. Now I'm dealing with them on my own. The three of them have invaded my bathroom while I'm typing this and are currently putting on face masks. Yeah, I'm never getting sleep...
Friday, September 2, 2011
"It was you! You did this to me!"
Now that I'm looking back on it, today was actually pretty evenful compared to my usual days.
It was picture day today. I'm not too fond of picture day. We take them in a dark auditorium, and there are tons of people just staring at you as you take them. Senior year your pictures don't go in the yearbook because you get to turn in senior pictures, but we still had to take them for school records or something. Needless to say, I did nothing for the picture, and I'm sure it turned out horribly. I am wearing one of my awesome Hunger Games shirts though.
Remember that paper I mentioned that we were writing for English? We peer edited it today. This has done nothing but make me even more nervous about the paper. I don't feel like mine is good at all. I really hope that this is just me panicking over nothing.
At lunch today, Haley was going on about how she's been absolutely obsessed with Disney movies lately, and she has no idea what caused it. She started trying to think of why this is. Suddenly, she stood up, pointed at me, and said very loudly, "It was you! You did this to me!" I burst into laughter as she kept on going saying stuff like, "I watched your video about Disney! This is all your fault! I'll never forgive you!" It was absolutely hilarious. I can't even begin to describe how awesome her reaction was.
During government everyone started to smell something, which we eventually figured out was freshly popped popcorn. It turns out that the guidance counselor was popping popcorn over in the concession stand, which is next door to the government classroom. I was absolutely starving at this point because it was the end of the day and I hadn't eaten much lunch as it was particularly disgusting today. We had to smell this popcorn popping for at least half and hour before the guidance counselor came into the room carrying a decently sized bag of popcorn. He said that it was unfair for us to have to smell it popping and not get some. As soon as he sat the bag down on a desk, at least half the classroom, including me, ran up to get some. Usually I don't think of my school as being that great, but it's moments like this that make me realize it's actually pretty decent. I'm not sure how many schools have a guidance counselor that would just come in and give the kids popcorn. There are advantages to attending a small school.
After school Ji and I decided that we were going to work on selling ads for the yearbook. Everyone in the class is assigned certain businesses that they have to go to. For some reason my sister Regina decided to tag along. I'll admit she was helpful though because she helped us find this daycare that Ji and I had never heard of before in our lives. It went pretty quickly, but the fact that it was so hot made it drag on a bit. We couldn't turn the air-conditioning in Ji's car up that much because she was low on gas, and it was a hundred degrees. At one point the thing on Ji's car said it was even a hundred and three degrees. I thought I was going to die in that car. I was so thankful for air-conditioning when I got back home. I can't wait for it to cool down. Regina's 16th birthday party is tomorrow, and it's supposed to be ninety-nine degrees.
One last little thing: I watched some bats fly around earlier this evening. This is pretty irrelevant, but I wanted to mention how awesome bats are. When I'm thinking about my favorite animals, bats don't usually come to mind, but when I do think of them, they definitely deserve to be one of my favorite animals. I love watching them fly around. They are just cool.
It was picture day today. I'm not too fond of picture day. We take them in a dark auditorium, and there are tons of people just staring at you as you take them. Senior year your pictures don't go in the yearbook because you get to turn in senior pictures, but we still had to take them for school records or something. Needless to say, I did nothing for the picture, and I'm sure it turned out horribly. I am wearing one of my awesome Hunger Games shirts though.
Remember that paper I mentioned that we were writing for English? We peer edited it today. This has done nothing but make me even more nervous about the paper. I don't feel like mine is good at all. I really hope that this is just me panicking over nothing.
At lunch today, Haley was going on about how she's been absolutely obsessed with Disney movies lately, and she has no idea what caused it. She started trying to think of why this is. Suddenly, she stood up, pointed at me, and said very loudly, "It was you! You did this to me!" I burst into laughter as she kept on going saying stuff like, "I watched your video about Disney! This is all your fault! I'll never forgive you!" It was absolutely hilarious. I can't even begin to describe how awesome her reaction was.
During government everyone started to smell something, which we eventually figured out was freshly popped popcorn. It turns out that the guidance counselor was popping popcorn over in the concession stand, which is next door to the government classroom. I was absolutely starving at this point because it was the end of the day and I hadn't eaten much lunch as it was particularly disgusting today. We had to smell this popcorn popping for at least half and hour before the guidance counselor came into the room carrying a decently sized bag of popcorn. He said that it was unfair for us to have to smell it popping and not get some. As soon as he sat the bag down on a desk, at least half the classroom, including me, ran up to get some. Usually I don't think of my school as being that great, but it's moments like this that make me realize it's actually pretty decent. I'm not sure how many schools have a guidance counselor that would just come in and give the kids popcorn. There are advantages to attending a small school.
After school Ji and I decided that we were going to work on selling ads for the yearbook. Everyone in the class is assigned certain businesses that they have to go to. For some reason my sister Regina decided to tag along. I'll admit she was helpful though because she helped us find this daycare that Ji and I had never heard of before in our lives. It went pretty quickly, but the fact that it was so hot made it drag on a bit. We couldn't turn the air-conditioning in Ji's car up that much because she was low on gas, and it was a hundred degrees. At one point the thing on Ji's car said it was even a hundred and three degrees. I thought I was going to die in that car. I was so thankful for air-conditioning when I got back home. I can't wait for it to cool down. Regina's 16th birthday party is tomorrow, and it's supposed to be ninety-nine degrees.
One last little thing: I watched some bats fly around earlier this evening. This is pretty irrelevant, but I wanted to mention how awesome bats are. When I'm thinking about my favorite animals, bats don't usually come to mind, but when I do think of them, they definitely deserve to be one of my favorite animals. I love watching them fly around. They are just cool.
The Hunger Games Teaser Trailer
I'm a bit late about this, but I'm finally blogging about the Hunger Games teaser trailer that aired during the VMAs on MTV.
I absolutely loved this trailer! I know it's not much, but we were told that beforehand. The end of the trailer is just incredibly epic in my opinion. The rest of the trailer is cool too. I like how we see a bit of Katniss in the games, but it doesn't give away too much. I hate when trailers give away the whole entire movie. They're still going to have to put more than this in later trailers, but it definitely fit the teaser part of a teaser trailer. I definitely wasn't expecting Gale to be narrating it, but I like that we get to hear everything he says. I can't help but wonder what someone who's never read the books is thinking about all of that.
From Katniss shooting the arrow to the end of the trailer, I get incredibly fan-girly every time I watch it. Having the arrow she shoots form the arrow in the mockingjay pin was a brilliant idea. I didn't even realize Rue's whistle was at the end until someone pointed it out online. I think that was a wonderful touch. This made me even more excited for the movie! I can't wait for March!
I absolutely loved this trailer! I know it's not much, but we were told that beforehand. The end of the trailer is just incredibly epic in my opinion. The rest of the trailer is cool too. I like how we see a bit of Katniss in the games, but it doesn't give away too much. I hate when trailers give away the whole entire movie. They're still going to have to put more than this in later trailers, but it definitely fit the teaser part of a teaser trailer. I definitely wasn't expecting Gale to be narrating it, but I like that we get to hear everything he says. I can't help but wonder what someone who's never read the books is thinking about all of that.
From Katniss shooting the arrow to the end of the trailer, I get incredibly fan-girly every time I watch it. Having the arrow she shoots form the arrow in the mockingjay pin was a brilliant idea. I didn't even realize Rue's whistle was at the end until someone pointed it out online. I think that was a wonderful touch. This made me even more excited for the movie! I can't wait for March!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
First College Paper?
We took our third test in AP U.S. history today, and I was pleasantly surprised that it was the easiest one so far. (Let's hope I didn't just jinx myself.)
I got my first draft of the summary we have to write for English done today. We started it yesterday, and I honestly just sat and stared at the computer for a while because I was a little scared. We're getting college credit for this class through Indiana University, so this is kind of like my first college paper. That's slightly terrifying to me.
There's just one more thing that I want to mention in this post because I'm a nerd. I was reading Abe Lincoln Grows Up by Carl Sandburg at school today, and I'm on the part where Abraham Lincoln's family moves to Indiana. If you've read my post about Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, then you might know that I live in the same county that Lincoln did when living in Indiana. Well, they mention our county in the book, which I thought was cool. That of course meant that I had to bring it up to three or four other people over the course of the day. Only one of these people thought it was anywhere near as cool as I did. In my defence, we live where nothing ever happens, so this is as good as it gets. (Well, that and Holiday World, and both of them are still over half an hour away.)
I got my first draft of the summary we have to write for English done today. We started it yesterday, and I honestly just sat and stared at the computer for a while because I was a little scared. We're getting college credit for this class through Indiana University, so this is kind of like my first college paper. That's slightly terrifying to me.
There's just one more thing that I want to mention in this post because I'm a nerd. I was reading Abe Lincoln Grows Up by Carl Sandburg at school today, and I'm on the part where Abraham Lincoln's family moves to Indiana. If you've read my post about Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial, then you might know that I live in the same county that Lincoln did when living in Indiana. Well, they mention our county in the book, which I thought was cool. That of course meant that I had to bring it up to three or four other people over the course of the day. Only one of these people thought it was anywhere near as cool as I did. In my defence, we live where nothing ever happens, so this is as good as it gets. (Well, that and Holiday World, and both of them are still over half an hour away.)
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