Giggles and Musings

Twilight vs. Buffy the Vampire Slayer

2011-03-16T00:10:00.002-06:00

This is an blog post I wrote for my Writing and Rhetoric II class. I was about the differences between Buffy and Twilight. I don't really like it, as I barely scratched the suface of the topic and its written strangely. I don't what about it, but something really bothers me..... It's almost like I was trying to write an essay and failed miserably. I don't even know.

Here it is:

There are huge differences between these two works about vampires. They start with the main character and go all the way to the way that the lore is used. There is also a huge discrepancy between the quality of the writing.

I think that the biggest difference is the two main female characters. First, you have Buffy Summers who is a strong female character. She is the Slayer, the latest in a line of female warriors who fight demons, vampires and the forces of evil. She is a teenage girl, yes but she is the hero of the story. She makes sacrifices again and again to fight evil and in the end of season five she even gives her life to save the world. Although she fights it sometimes, saving the world and the safety of others always comes first. She is not a perfect character and she makes mistakes, but she always does her best to correct them. She has a sense of duty to the world that she cannot help, but fulfill. She has preternatural strength and speed and she is a talented fighter. She is small and blonde and gorgeous. She has a very tight knit group of friends, who are more like family than friends. Buffy is a witty character and has some issues with her destiny and becomes exponentially more complex as the series goes on.

Bella Swan is totally different. In fact, Bella and Buffy are complete opposites except for the fact that they both fall in love with broody vampires, more on that later. Bella Swan is never really physically described. She has dark hair and is pale. She feels out of place at Forks High School and is very clumsy. All of her life, she has been the responsible one in the relationship between her and her mom. She comes to Forks and takes care of her father doing all of the cooking. She is very good at school and for some reason all of the boys she meets seem to be attracted to her. Bella has very few defining traits. She is in fact, what is known in fanfiction circles as a Mary Sue. This means she is perfect character. Often, Mary Sues are the author inserting herself into the story with only shallow flaws, such as being clumsy. They are also used as a way for the readers to put themselves directly into the story. Bella has few friends and even fewer close ones. In fact, she spends the majority of her time with the family of her boyfriend.

As far as the vampiric counterparts to our females, we have Angel and Edward. Angel is around 245 years old and was originally from Ireland and his name was Liam. A vampire named Darla transformed him and together they terrorized the world for a hundred years. Around 100 years before the show, he was killed a Romani gypsy girl and was punished by her clan. As punishment, they restored his soul. He had done all of these unspeakable things and now he had a conscience. He left Darla and struck out on his own. He started to fight for good, against the other vampires. He first appears in the pilot of Buffy and gives Buffy some vague help. He comes back several times with the vague warnings. Buffy has feelings for him and he tries to avoid that for a while by showing up as little as possible. Angel is a noble character trying to make up for his past sins. He fights against his relationship with Buffy, because he knows that it is bad for her. At one point, he actually looses his soul, reverting back to his evil self (Angelus) and Buffy actually has to kill him. Her duty is more powerful than her love. He comes back and they actually continue their relationship, until he leaves for good. He leaves, because it will be better for Buffy that way. He wants her to move on and live her life. He cares enough about her to leave and she is strong enough to move on, as is he. They continue on with their lives and date others and Angel even has a kid. Yet they are still in love the entire time.

Edward Cullen is 109 years old. He was born Edward Masen. He was in the hospital dying of Spanish Influenza, when Carlisle changed him into a vampire. He lived with the Cullen family for most of his existence. He was a “vegetarian” from the moment he was created, with that exception of a decade where he ate only the evil people. He doesn’t eat humans, because he chooses not to. He is a very old fashioned person and he doesn’t believe that he has a soul. He actually exhibits some stalker and controlling behavior, although Bella is the only human who knows she never comments. He watches her sleep and doesn’t like it when she is away from him. He thinks that he is the only person who can keep her safe. Edward can hear people’s thoughts, everyone but Bella’s. The Bella/Edward relationship is not one of equals. He is older and has more knowledge. He is also stronger and faster. He controls her a lot. It is actually a traditional relationship with a subservient woman. When Edward leaves Bella, she falls apart to the point where she stops functioning and he also has difficulty functioning normally. Their relationship is not a healthy one, but after a token effort from Edward in the first book, neither makes any effort to leave. Although Edward leaves entirely in New Moon, neither really moves on. Bella spends the entire time trying to remember him using adrenaline and Edward tries to pretend no one exists, but when he thinks that Bella is dead, he tries to kill himself.

These two works have completely different messages and themes at the core. Buffy has so much depth to it, but one of its many facets is the power of the feminine. Buffy is a strong woman, as are most of the other female characters. Strong in mystical ways, but strong nonetheless. Buffy, Willow, Tara, Joyce, Jenny, etc. also possess an incredible inner strength and moral compass. Their moral compasses don’t always point true north, but they fight the good fight to their death (and Buffy dies several times). Twilight is very much a product of Stephenie Meyer’s Latter Day Saint background. Twilight is very much about abstaining until marriage and a woman’s place in a relationship. It certainly isn’t the healthiest relationship example to be giving kids. Bella is the protected and Edward the protector.

I have definitely boiled this down to the simplest it can be and I have barely scratched the surface of this issue. There are so many more components and even more things that differ. I am sure that this will offend someone and for that I apologize. I do know that both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Twilight Saga are about more than I mentioned here. Although it may not seem like it I did read and enjoy the Twilight Saga. I just think that there are also a lot of issues with it both thematically and in the way it’s written.

I do believe Buffy is the better creative endeavor.

College

2010-10-11T16:15:00.004-06:00

It's been a while since I blogged. I've been meaning to I've started several posts in my film classes, mostly about how annoying everyone is, but I haven't had a chance to finish any of them.

It is the beginning of my sixth week of college. It's gone by so fast. It's hard to believe that its been 8 weeks since I left Aspen. I miss it. Not so much the town, but the security and familiarity it provides. I also miss my high school. Not something most people think about, but I liked high school. I was comfortable there and I understood the status quo. I miss knowing who the actors were and feeling comfortable saying things like "Hey, want to be in my short film? I need a guy to play a dad." I also miss my theatre teacher. She's awesome.

I really like my Writing and Rhetoric class. I have a great teacher and we have great lectures and discussions. I like class and I even like the reading we do, but I don't like the essay homework. I guess, because its college she's more critical, but I am not any better. We are supposed to be doing personal narrative papers that are also analytical about so aspect of culture, but I don't know how to do both. Our subject options are as follows:

"Image and Identity

You can be specific and tell a story about your name such as how you feel about having been named after someone in your family, having the same name as your best friend, or how your names don't really fit you. Or you can take a more general approach and write about what it means to you to be labeled with a racial category, how you respond to cultural labels such as being called "all boy," "girly," a "WASP," a "redneck," etc.

How do images of you help or hinder your ability to "see" yourself? How does your use of photography influence how others see you? Maybe tell the story of a photograph that is important to you. Describe the image and then tell what it means or what it shows in terms of cultural beliefs, patterns, tendencies, or myths. You might think about things like the motion of family, friendship, race, class, gender.

Place/ Space and Identity

Can you think of a place that always makes you comfortable or uncomfortable? To what do you ascribe that sensation? What is the relationship between architecture or urban planning and the behavior or attitude of the people in those designed spaces? How many places can you think of that are critical to who you are? In what ways do our places make us who we are? What about those places where you don't fit, where you feel awkward? Is it possible that the place itself (not just the people in those places) in inclusive or exclusive? How?"

I have nothing to say. Absolutely nothing. I understand what she wants me to write about and I have thoughts, but I don't think that any of them can be developed into a 3 page paper. She kept talking about how it should be one well developed idea, well I don't know if I can do that. I don't if I have one idea that can be fleshed out that much.

My First Year Seminar class is the bane of my existence. It's not the class itself, but rather the teacher and the other people in it. They just are not my crowd and none of them try. I am barely trying and compared to them I'm an overachiever. It's annoying and I don't like it. I'm trying not to let their lack of motivation affect me. I don't want to start using them as my measure. I came from a school of overachievers and so I was used to having something to strive for. Here the kids seem to be much less worried about grades and class. It's a little disorienting. I'm not sure I like it.

I also really like Moving Image Arts. We discuss movies and its just nice. I think there is a little bit of the element that causes problems in literature classes. Sometimes I think that my teacher is looking for meaning that isn't there and its just as annoying as it is in english class.

I have a really hard time in my Moving Image Production class. It feels like a science class. I am just as helpless in this class as I have always been in science class. I do think it is a good idea to try everything, but the more I try the more it seems like I belong behind the camera, dealing with the actors and the department heads and they can deal with all of the technology. I don't think I'm going to be very good at that stuff. I just am more of a big picture/ idea person.

School so far has been quite the adventure. Outside of school I haven't made really any friends yet, but I did join the Harry Potter club, so that should change when meetings start up. I did find my nearest movie theatre and the Target and the nearest grocery store, so I am settling in. Hopefully as time goes by I will become more comfortable here.

I need a job!!!?!

2010-09-09T21:33:00.002-06:00

I don't know how to do this. I've had job since I was 15 with my mom and I have no idea how to go about getting a job, but I need one. I don't know how to do this. I have only had two jobs: one, being a sort of junior receptionist for my mother and the second, working as a barista at Starbucks. I sort of stumbled into both of those jobs and now I don't know what to do. I have gone on to the Columbia website for these things and I don't really see anything that I think I'd be good at. There was one job in my building, but I don't think I'm really right for it. It's being a judicial assistant... I don't really know what that means and I looked at the job description and the qualifications and I felt like it was really hard and above my qualifications. But I am worried that I'm not really qualified for anything and I guess the only way you become qualified is to pretend that you are, so that people will give you jobs, so that you become qualified. That just seems really dishonest and I don't want to tell someone that I can do something and then let them down.

I thought it was a really good plan to try to work in a movie theatre or movie rental store, because those are the places that I typically spend the most money, but I can't figure out how I figure out if they're hiring. I wouldn't be totally against working in a Target or something. I might even be okay with working in a Macy's, but I just worry that I wouldn't be a good sales person. I guess I just have to put myself out there, but do you know how nerve-racking that is. It's so much easier to get up on a stage and act like an idiot, than to ask someone for a job in complete seriousness and have them laugh in your face.

First Homework. PANIC!!!

2010-09-04T19:01:00.003-06:00

I finally logged into the SchoolFusion equivalent at my college called Moodle. Now, all of that is well and good, but my issue is this assignment.

"Your bio should tell us some basic things about you and be professionally presented. You need not tell us things we already know. For example, that you are a student at Columbia. Make sure what we see is not a first draft."

I have no idea what to do. I mean does he want... "Rachel Bielinski was born in blah blah blah and then at the age of seven she moved to blah blah blah. Her parents are Bridget and both of whom are now married to others. Her step-parents are Steve and Susan. Her birthday is blah blah blah. She is interested in blah blah blah."

Or is it more of like who I am as an artist?? I know that college is supposed to be more free and you figure it out all by yourself, but I... like doing things right. So, if it is at all possible I would like to do my first assignment of the year right. I guess I'll just have to do what seems right to me. I don't really have problem with the bio part, my real issue is "professionally presented." I don't know what that means. I'm not sure if I should talk about my love for Buffy and Charmed or if this is supposed to be something that I'd want my employers to see. It's entirely possible as well that this whole thing is an exercise in seeing what we think the assignment means.

Well, at the very least I know that I did the other half of the assignment right. I was asked to put an "actual, recognizable photo of yourself." I cropped my Senior picture and put that up. So, if I were to be graded right now I would get a 2 out of 5... which is why I need to figure out what kind of bio I'm doing, but I'll get there. I have 6 days and plenty of time to do a million drafts.

2010-08-28T22:27:00.001-06:00

Holy Crap! It's been a crazy week! I left Aspen for college on Monday. It was sad and I don't think that its sunk in yet.

Packing up the car to go was quite an adventure all by itself. I had too huge purple duffels full of clothes and way more random assorted boxes than I had originally planned. But Steve is a genie with the car and he got most of it in the trunk area. Then we were able to put everything that we needed access to during the trip in the backseat.

The drive was fine. On the first day I was really tire, so I tried to sleep as much as possible. I watched some Sports Night and we listened to some music. We ate breakfast at the Golden Burro Cafe in Leadville. It was kinda weird...There were these "Please keep your children under control signs every few feet and a strange and slightly angry help wanted sign saying that people with facial tattoos or no clocks or watches or who only wanted money for drugs and were going to quit with notice or who only wanted money to pay for concert tickets and would be asking for a lot of time off need not apply. We stopped for the night in Omaha, Nebraska and ate at a ....well I can't remember the name of it, but they had decent pie. It was late when we got there, but I have to say a far as I could tell there is nothing in Omaha. Steve is not terrifically good at following the GPS, but with my help we only got lost once (and I was asleep when it happened so I had nothing to do with it). The second day was pretty simple. There was a tiny bit of confusion when we were almost to Glenview, but we straightened it out and arrived without getting lost. We talked more this day about politics and life and what I thought it was good. Steve and I got along fine and everything went well, but I prefer driving with mom, because with her you can listen to music and talk.

When we arrived in Glenview, I saw Lucas for the second time. Lucas is my 13 month old cousin who is the size of a two year old. He is very mobile. I was staying in the basement of my grandparents' house in Glenview on the pullout couch in front of a giant television. It was fun.

The day after I got to town (Wednesday), I went to visit my friend Sydney at Lake Forest College. I was driven to the North Glenview train station and got on a train heading north. I stayed on the train for three stops getting off at the fourth a station called Lake Forest. I looked around for my friend and found no one waiting. I called her and she said she was waiting at the train station. I looked again and still couldn't find her. Finally she went inside and asked the man if there were two Lake Forest stations. It turns out there were. I was at the West Lake Forest station and she was at the Downtown Lake Forest station. I ended up having to take a cab to get to her. We walked from the downtown train station to her dorm. I looked around her dorm and met her roommate. Then we went and ate in the dining hall (they had really good caesar salad). We talked a lot. She was having a hard time adjusting, but it seems to be a little better now that classes have started. When we were done hanging out, I had to take a cab back to the West Lake Forest station to take a train back to Glenview. I got back to Glenview and had to shower again because we were taking Christmas pictures. I had a mini breakdown for like no reason at all. My Aunt Nancy made dinner and it was very good and we all took fantabulous pictures. My Uncle Tim, Aunt Nancy and their kids Lily and Jack got me a bin with stuff for my room. We also celebrated the birthdays of Aunt Nancy, Uncle Brian and Lucas.

The next day (Thursday) was the big shopping day. My mom and Steve and I went to Pearle Vision, Costco and Target. First we went to Costco. We bought this awesome Shag blanket and lightbulbs and lots of batteries. Then we went to Pearle Vision to look at glasses. There were one pair at Costco that were okay, but nothing I really liked. We had been in Pearle Vision for about half an hour when the salesperson suggested that we pop the sunglass lenses out of a pair of Ray Bans and I was sold. After my mom had a little altercation with the salesperson we bought my glasses. Then we went to Target. We bought so much at Target it was ridiculous. We did two laps!! After Target we went to Steak and Shake for a late lunch. I had chicken fingers, because we were going to eat dinner in a short while and I didn't want to be too full.

We went to Giordano's for dinner and I dropped a piece of pizza in my lap. I am such a klutz. When we got back to the house, we organized the cars and made plans for the morning.

Friday was Moving Day!!!!!! We got up and were out the door by 7:15am. We drove from my Grandparents' house to my dorm. We had to do it in two cars and two people per car. We got to the University Center around 8:30am (half an hour early) and pulled right into the alley where we were given two carts and assisted in packing all of our stuff into it. While my family and the RAs did that I was instructed on where to take my bike. Then I met my family at the elevators and we all went up to my floor and were guided to my room. I was the first one here, so I got to pick my side of the room. I chose the side closest to the windows, which face south just like my windows at home. I unpacked my books and DVDs and made my bed. Then I went down to finish the official check-in process. We had to walk around and get our card stamped at each station. I got my key card for my room and my key for my closet (I'm not really sure why I need a key for my closet, but okay). I also got my mailbox combo and let me tell you, these mailboxes are not easy to open. I finished my process and was unpacking the rest of my stuff when my roommate arrived. She brought her entire family: mom, step-dad, grandmother, older sister, younger sister, younger brother, and two cousins. She didn't however bring much stuff. I have so much here to make me comfortable and remind me of home and then I look out the window and remember how far away I am. I stuffed everything in my closet and then we went to Target again. There is a two story Target in downtown Chicago and we got cubbies to put by the refrigerator for food and under my desk for drawers. We got a harp for my lamp and little drawers for on top of my desk and several more bins for toiletries and stuff. After we got my room all set up, we took pictures for my grandma and for Facebook. Papa had to leave to go help my grandmother babysit Lucas. My mom and step-dad and I went to Girodano's for dinner again. Then they walked me back to my room and I signed them in as guests and they came up for a little while and then I walked them out.

On Saturday, I got up around 9am and called my mom. She said that they were going to pick up my new glasses and then come down. When she got here she arrived with another shelving unit and another bin for under my bed. We set up the other shelving unit and then went to go get my books. First we stopped and I opened a bank account, because my previous bank only has locations in Colorado. Then we walked over to the bookstore and found that we needed a printed copy of my schedule and we didn't have it. Instead we logged on to Oasis with my mom's Blackberry. We got all my school books, and I didn't rent them I bought them. I found out that for First Year Seminar I'm reading Frankenstein, Things Fall Apart and The House on Mango Street. I read The House on Mango Street my freshman year of high school and Things Fall Apart my junior year. I just find that really funny. Then we walked back to my dorm, so that I could drop off my books. Then we walked all the way across the world to go to Maggiano's for lunch. After lunch we stopped at Pearle Vision and got my glasses adjusted. Then we went to Navy Pier. We were at Navy Pier for maybe an hour before I got fed up. I was tired and there were a tone of people, so we made our way back to my dorm. I said goodbye to parents and that was hard. I 'm going to miss them. I came back upstairs and went to dinner at the cafeteria and then I watched Sports Night. Now it is time for bed goodnight.

West Wing, Joe Walker of A Very Potter Musical and EMERGENCY!

2010-08-13T18:31:00.001-06:00

I watched West Wing until 1am. The stupid thing is that I now have to
work and I was watching the 7th season, when I left off in the middle
of the fourth. It’s actually pretty good. The problem is that I
don’t really like any of the characters. There was this one Latino
character working on Vinick’s campaign that I liked, but he quit. I’m
hoping that he’ll go to work on the Santos campaign, but he’s a
republican so… Anyway, it’s weird having the team broken up. I miss
Donna and Sam and CJ. Well, CJ’s there, but it’s different. She’s
different. I prefer the original dynamic. I don’t really like the
new press secretary, she seems bitchy. Vinick is kind of an asshole.
I don’t like him, but that could have something to do with the fact
that I don’t like his politics or the way he campaigns. I like the
season, because the writing is still interesting, but it’s a funny
experience being attached to so few of the characters. I can’t wait
for Donna to come back, because I know Donna ends up with Josh which
is awesomeness. They were meant to be together from the first season.
But they made it okay that they weren’t together. It was never
really annoying that they weren’t together. Not like it was on
Smallville. The whole Clark/Lana relationship was so stupid. They
loved each other, but couldn’t get it together and be together, which
in some ways is good. Clark never really belonged with Lana, he
belongs with Lois, but in the first couple seasons all you want is for
Clark and Lana to be together.

Sexy Transition! (Sorry. What the Buck reference. :D) I am currently
totally obsessed with a little known actor named Joe Walker. He
played Voldedmort in A Very Potter Musical and Dolores Umbridge in A
Very Potter Sequel (both of which are on youtube). He is awesome as
both characters. He made Voldemort loveable, which is not an easy
thing to do. He is also pretty buff and shirtless for ¾ of A Very
Potter Musical. But the funny thing is that he was even more in shape
for A Very Potter Sequel and it makes his portrayal of Umbridge very
interesting. He is so funny and practically has a fan club at this
point, because he’s pretty boss. But he isn’t as famous as a lot of
the people I have crushes on and he’s way closer to my age, than
pretty much everyone, but Joe Jonas. He might actually be closer, I
don’t know when he was born. He is awesomeness in a buff package.

I’m bored and hungry and bored and hungry. I don’t feel good and my
throat is sore and apparently Strep throat is going around and so now
I am a little freaked out that I might have strep. Well, at least if
I get sick now I won’t be sick later.

I am panicking just a little bit about packing my room up. I have too
much stuff and not enough time. I don’t know how I am going to pack
it all. It’s pretty overwhelming. There is stuff everywhere and even
as I put things in boxes, it doesn’t even seem to be making a dent. I
am having a very hard time. I don’t know what to do. I am trying,
but it just doesn’t seem to go anywhere. I work all day and I don’t
make any progress. I just want to start dumping things in boxes. I
wish I could get it empty, but I try and it’s just not happening. I
don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to make it work I just want
to get some where I need to try to have everything that isn’t going
with me packed by Monday. I need help and I can’t get anyone to help
me. I need a voice of reason. I am going to beg her to help tonight
and hopefully I can convince, because I need to have two really
productive days this weekend. I need to get somewhere because as
stupid as this sounds feeling productive makes me motivated. I know
right how backwards is that. I feel like I’m drowning in stuff and no
matter what I do I can’t get out. I’m swimming as hard as I can, but
there isn’t visible shore in any direction. I know it’s there
somewhere I just can’t see it. Ok…that metaphor got a little awkward.
I am so… I’m not tired per say I feel like I got sucked into a gel
goopy substance and I’m stuck in this weird floating world where
nothing happens and everything is boring. I know…doesn’t that sound
like so much fun (*sarcasm*).

Now I’m back from lunch and I’m full and tired and bored. This day is
oddly busy and slow. It’s actually kind of annoying. I drink more
water in one day at work than I do in a whole week otherwise. It’s
like how I eat when I’m bored. It’s something to do. I just found
out that Governor Schwarzenegger supports gay marriage. That makes me
ridiculously happy.

I AM BORED! The phone just rang! JOY OF ALL JOYS! I had something
to do for approximately 30 seconds. We had to call the paramedics.
They just got here and it wasn’t nearly as exciting as it would have
been if this was a movie. If this was a movie there would have been
panic and screaming and such and as it was everyone was just very
calm. It’s more fun the other way. But perhaps not so good for the
paitent, although if it’s a movie there’s nothing really wrong with
him.

Orientation at Columbia College Chicago

2010-08-02T19:59:00.002-06:00

I'm telling you, they should call this registration. I went thinking that I was going to get a tour and stuff like that, which though I have already had two tours I could use, but instead it was basically registration with a bunch of seminars.

When we got there in the morning, I was sent upstairs and was told to stand in a line according to the first letter of my last name. Of course my line was the longest. But it wasn't so bad standing there because there were things posted in the windows that said things like "5.5 miles to Obama's other house" and "78 yards from where Ferris started the parade" and "27 miles from where the time traveler met his wife". When I got up to the table they gave me a name tag and a blue bag and then I sent to take a picture for my Columbia ID. After that we went back to the first floor of the 1104 S. Wasbash building, which is the film building and apparently the oldest surviving skyscraper in the world (or something like that), and there was a speech. After the speech, we were split into groups and went to go do an icebreaker. I thought we were going to do one of the theatre icebreakers that I was used to, but all we did was the name game (say your name, your focus and one interesting thing about you).

After about 15 minutes we went back to the building and split up again to go to our seminars. My mom and I went to a financial aid seminar and then ended up siting through the next one, because the presenter wouldn't answer our question and the answer ended up being "click on this link". Then we went to a on-campus job seminar. The presenter there was also not very helpful, but afterwords we had an orientation leader named Caitlin chase us down the street and answer our question. She was very nice and energetic and a little more the type of person that I had expected to find.

On a side note, I discovered that I am more outgoing than most of the film majors. I think it is a direct result of my theatre experiences and friends. I never really hung out with the "film people," because there were none at my high school. I just hung out with the closest thing I could find. They were typical theatre people: outgoing and funny and creative and crazy and weird and awesome. To hang out with them you have to become like them. Not that its exactly a chore, because it all about expressing yourself. Besides all that, I was in IB Theatre (my hardest IB class) and I had to learn to get over things that were embarrassing and just do it. You can prepare all you want, but once you are onstage, you just have to go with it. Improv is key. Well at orientation, without even thinking about it, that training kicked in. I was nervous beforehand and I stressed about my outfit and what I should say, but once I was there I just went with it. I was just myself. I didn't feel scared or nervous anymore, because this was me and I couldn't do anything to change it. So, together my friends and my favorite class helped me be a more confident person.

On with the show, then we went to lunch. As I was walking to pick up my sandwich I broke my shoe. So then during lunch I had to walk 9 city blocks (7/10 of a mile) in one shoe. We went to a Payless and I wanted to just replace my shoes, so I didn't have to think about it, but they only had them in pink and I don't like pink, so I never would have worn them again. On the way back I had a small panic attack, because we had almost know time left, but caught a cab and made it back in plenty of time. Then we went off to pick our classes. First they talked about the required number of credits and types of classes and such and then they talked about film foundations which are the first year classes that all film majors are expected to take. They kept telling us that what we took was up to us and that we had to choose and be independent, but it turned out that we had four required first semester classes and so there really was no choice.

After we registered (which wasn't that hard and took some people way too long), we went to Grant Park and played Two truths and a lie. It was mildly shocking to me that there were people who didn't know what this game was. After that we picked up our Columbia IDs and were free to go.

At the end of the day it felt like a long way to go to click a couple of buttons on the computer. But I had fun and I met a girl who seems pretty nice and lives on my floor, her name is Hayley. After we were officially done, we went to the Columbia Computer Store and bought my film and Mircosoft office software, as well as an external hard drive. Then we popped into the Chicago public library and then went and had Giordano's for dinner. When I got back to my Grandparents, I crashed hardcore and ended up sleeping for more than 12 hours. All in all I'm glad I went.

Um...I have no idea what to call this.

2010-07-22T21:52:00.003-06:00

Ok, well…. I’m bored. I ‘m at work right now and I’m bored. That

is…annoying, because I have 8 hours and 20 minutes left of work.

Luckily though, no one has been particularly nasty yet. If I wasn’t

here I would be sleeping. Granted I am getting paid $14 an hour not

to be sleeping and I have been doing a lot of sleeping, but I like

sleeping.

I had a really weird dream last night. I dreamed that I was on an FBI

task force hunting a serial killer and so I woke up at 2:30 am and

couldn’t get back to sleep, because all I could think about was

catching this guy.

I am really thirsty, when Nancy gets back I am going to get some

water. I wish that I could work an operator, but generally they don’t

have those anymore…but can I tell you how annoying automated systems

are? You listen to all of these prompts, but none of them apply to

you and all you want is to talk to a human and that is that last

prompt on the system. I think that if a company got actual operators

then it would have a much higher customer service rating. Is there

such a thing as a customer service rating?

Nancy and I were just talking about good cop/bad cop which made me

think of Die Hard and that John McClane is the epitome of bad cop. I

really want to watch all those movies again. It’s like the 80’s were

the Golden Age for action movies. They had stars like Arnold

Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Bruce Willis. I don’t why,

but they were just better…maybe it’s because they used physical

stunts, instead of CGI. It’s actually cooler to see a physical stunt.

I think that’s why Live Free or Die Hard stood up to the original 3,

because it was mostly physical stunts, so visually it was the same. I

think that in some ways too much CGI (as much as I love fantasy

movies) messes with the age old tradition of film. Well, technically

its not age old, because film was invented in the 1880’s, but still.

I want to create a fantasy world with as many physical stunts as

possible, because its just not as fun when you can tell they didn’t

actually do it themselves (or that it wasn’t even done by a human).

I am bored again… I now have 6 and ½ hours until I get to go home. I

just killed two hours. Well, not really killed, because I was

answering phones and typing messages and scanning Driver’s Licenses

and Insurance cards and checking patients in and such. I actually

don’t mind working, while I’m here, but I hate the idea of working, so

I get a stomach ache the day before, but once I am working, its all I

can do, there is no room for extraneous thought. Well, when the phone

is ringing at least. When it gets quiet I think too much and then

apparently I talk too much. That is why I am writing this right now.

It is an effort not to chatter. But the thing is that I love to

chatter. I talk to myself, to my computer, to my cat and dog, to

characters in books, movies and tv shows. I just like to talk. I

have thoughts and opinions about everything and I like to share them

with the people around me. Apparently people find me annoying, my mom

even cuts me off, which just makes me mad. That’s probably a

character flaw. But everyone has character flaws, so I’m not that

worried about it.

I’m starting to get nervous about college. I’m worried that I’m not

going to be creative enough. I have a lot of ideas, but I can never

seem to bring them to fruition. I have a hard time creating character

and my stories are never indie compatible. I just hope can find

someone who likes Buffy and 80’s action movies as much as I do. If I

can’t I’m afraid that I’m going to be very lonely. I could never be

completely lonely with Harry for company, but still. I also hope that

I can find someone to go to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and

the Deathly Hallows, because that would be a sad event to attend by

yourself. But I am excited to be able to film things and learn about

the process and what is possible. I am a little worried about being

behind everyone else, but I guess at this point the most I can do is

jump into whatever they give me feet first. Still, I can’t help

thinking about how far behind I could be. Ok… I want to be done with

the pity party now.

Now there are 2 hours to go until I get to leave!!! Yay and I

balance, even better. I have nothing to say…I am going to go home and

watch NCIS, maybe I’ll even call Erin.

Now there are 25 minutes left in my scheduled day…I still have to wait

to see if the 5:30 is going to show and then make sure I balance and

do all the wrap up stuff, but its so close. Nancy likes Bruce Willis

too. Yay!!!! Positive vibes. What can I say that’s positive?

Um…..I"m home!!!!!! Thats positive and now I get to sleep and read Live Free or Die Hard Fanfiction.

One more thing...the formatting on this post is all weird, but I'm too lazy to fix it. Sorry!

Packing

2010-07-19T22:48:00.003-06:00

Sometimes I want to just write...just babble on here, but I am afraid, because even though the only person who reads this regularly is my mom...it is public. I started a Die Hard fanfiction the other day, but I will likely never finish it. I have started packing and I never realized how much stuff I have. I mean I know that my room is at capacity, but I never actually thought about how much stuff that was. And how many boxes it takes to pack up... especially the books, because you can't put them in big boxes. I have maybe half my books a little over half in 8 or 9 boxes and I haven't started to pack all my other stuff. I mean I have a record player and over 100 movies, as well as at least 65 seasons of television and a closet full of clothes and then assorted awkward things that don't really have categories. It is quite an adventure. I'm trying really hard to only take what I can't live without, but I have always been an overpacker. I'm hoping to keep the book below 25, but that probably won't happen. I am taking all my DVDs, but I am compacting them, by putting them in a giant CD case (at least the movies). I am also trying not to take the gitchy stuff that fulls every momentarily empty space in my room. For example in plain sight from where I am sitting I can see: Uno cards, a bottle of ibuprofen, a set of dominos, quidditch Uno cards, a nativity carving, pink and orange stationary, 4 Entertainment Weekleys, a clock with no batteries, my prom shoes, my math book, an empty pack of gum, history flashcards from junior year, a greecian urn, a statue of Storm from the X-Men, a barbie doll of Storm, 8 candles, two empty water bottles, a broken watch and about a million other things. The fun part is I get to pack that all. I am going to end up with a million miscellaneous boxes. Well bye.

Disney Musicals

2010-07-15T13:01:00.000-06:00

I love Disney musicals. I love the lyrics and the heart and the love in all of them. I love that they're so fun to sing along to. I think that everyone (even the boys) should watch them as children. They are such a fun, solid base for morals as you grow. It sad that they don't really make them this way anymore. I mean The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Snow White, Mulan, The Lion King, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Aristocats, Pocahontas and I'm sure I'm forgetting some. I love them and the art is so beautiful and there is so much there that you could watch them a million times, which is good, because that's what most kids want. Disney's more recent children's efforts are awesome too, but you lose something with computer generated animation. It feels like there is less blood, sweat and tears, less of a bond between the animator and the kids at home. It is almost purer. I will be sad if there comes a time that children don't know these movies, because I found that they often connect people with huge differences that otherwise would never talk. We all wanted to be princesses and wanted a man to sing to us. There is no greater magic in the world than a four year old in her Ariel costume sitting in front of the television singing Part of Your World at the top of her lungs, unless its being able to match her word for word and off key note for off key note. People who say that there are bad messages in Disney must only look for the bad in life, because these movies are about joy and love. There is a reason that Disneyland is called the happiest place on Earth. It's because that's what this is all about. It about joy and laughter and bonding and love and fun.

Sorry for the random rant about Disney muscials. Let us not forget the live action ones like Mary Poppins. I mean Julie Andrews won an Oscar for that. That's how awesome it is. Okay now I'm really done.

IB SCORES!!!!!!!!

2010-07-06T23:18:00.003-06:00

IB Scores came out today. Look at the screenshot above to see mine!! In case you were wondering about the scale & is a perfect and 4 is passing! SL stands for Standard Level and HL is Higher Level. (The picture you can see part of in the background is a screen capture from the Outsiders. Its my desktop background.) I did pretty good. Whatever anyone else says I'm proud of myself, because this was hard!!!

Let's see in English I got a D on my final oral commentary, so that grade was a little shocking. I am very proud of my theatre grade, because it was my hardest class. I did a really good job on my history Internal Assessment, but I don't feel like I knew as much as I could have during the test. Math was hard, because my teacher was not very good t commanding a classroom, so it was not easy to learn in that environment and I must have one really well on my test, because I didn't do so well on my IA. I am so proud of myself!!! :D

Huge

2010-07-02T11:18:00.002-06:00

I watched the first episode of this show yesterday and I am not at all sure how I feel about it. Maybe its just that I'm lucky enough to not really have a weight issue, so I don't really understand where the characters are coming from. I do really like Nikki Blonsky though. I felt sympathy for her character not wanting to be made to hate herself, but at the same time I was worried about the characters being healthy. I didn't really care if they were skinny or anything resembling it, but I kept thinking would being healthy be so bad. I don't know this show may just not be my thing.

New phone and Computer

2010-07-01T19:22:00.003-06:00

This week with the exception of a panicky hour from about 5pm to 6pm has been a good week with me and electronics. On Tuesday, I got a new phone, because the screen on my old phone stopped working. I had my mom's old motorola razor and I got a Nokia Twist 7705. Closed its dimensions are 2.7 inches x 2.7 inches x 0.59 inches, but it swivels open and has a full keyboard. I can text much easier now.
Then today I got my brand new 15 inch MacbookPro for college. In fact I am writing this blog post on it. I have not had a chance to really explore it yet and see everything it can do, but unlike the laptop I was using which was my mom's old laptop this one has working speakers. The operating system is very different, but I will figure it out. I just discovered that there is no end button, hopefully there is a command that does the same thing. I am excited to keep learn about my new gadgets. At the very least it will be an adventure and I will probably have frustrated moments along the way, but my friends who have already been converted assure me that once you go Mac you never go back, so we shall see.

Graduation Speeches

2010-06-01T00:33:00.002-06:00

Aspen High School Co-valedictorian Kevin Mehall's speech:

Before I begin, I'd like to thank my grandparents who traveled from Denver and from Michigan to be here with me today. I'd like to thank my parents and brothers for always supporting and encouraging me.

At Aspen High School, we have some of the most dedicated and inspirational teachers. I would like to thank you for the impact you have made on my life.

Lastly, I'd like to thank my friends. My high school experience wouldn't have been the same without you. You're such a great group of people.

When preparing this speech, I e-mailed two of my uncles who were also valedictorians here at Aspen High School a generation ago, and asked them for ideas. Unfortunately neither had a copy of their speech, so I had to write my own.They did have some good, profound and moving advice: short, is good -- shorter is better. You can thank them later.

Fellow classmates, Congratulations.

Here we are ending a significant chapter in our lives.

We've been through a lot together. We've worked hard. We've spent sleepless nights finishing assignments ... or more often than not, chatting with friends on Facebook until realizing that an assignment (or a graduation speech) was due in 4 hours. (By the way, teachers and parents, those experiences helped us master the art of accomplishing tasks under pressure-- a skill that will become very useful later in life, I'm sure.)

We've stressed over grades, losing a lot of sanity. Those pesky, arbitrary symbols that seemed to rule our lives.... What did they get us? The chance to wear these..... fashionable gowns? Those grades that we worked so hard for-- or didn't-- are not what we'll remember. They're simply too arbitrary, too limiting,yet too important to ignore. Grades don't measure our growth or what we achieved. They don't measure our friendships, our character, or our ingenuity. Ex Ed, lunchroom conversations, and athletic endeavors had more impact onshaping who we are today.

Now, here we are, ready to open a new chapter in our lives. We are faced with endless choices. We can be bystanders-- or we can get up and do something. We have the power to make a difference in the world; we just have to choose to try.

Without people like you and me asking questions and choosing to investigate, we wouldn't have electricity, airplanes and the Internet.We'd still be sitting in the dark. We need to know when to break away from the structure and create something new.

It's not the facts you memorize that matter; it's the connections you create between the facts that make the impact. This is not something that can be measured by a test and assigned a grade.We need to take the initiative, not just follow along.To quote John Cage, "I can't understand why people are frightened of new ideas. I'm frightened of the old ones." It's up to us to to make change where none have dared.

We'll face challenges. It won't be easy.Closed minded views sometimes make it difficult to move forward.Greed often takes precedence over what is right. Generations before ours have looked the other way while destroying our environment.It's up to us to do something.

We all leave here with unique talents and unlimited possibilities. We, the Aspen High School Class of 2010, can shape the world. We need to be unafraid to explore.

We are getting a diploma today, but we are taking with us so much more. Our hard work and our experiences have made us ready for the next step in our lives. We each get to choose what to do with it. Dare to dream.

Aspen High School Co-valedictorian Maxwell Zimet's speech:

Before I start this speech, the administration would like me to make a few announcements:

1. By popular demand, every day will be enchilada day at the cafeteria. (Mmmm… enchiladas).

2. Because there were no snow days this year, there will be only snow days next year. Anyone found at school will be given detention. (Serves you delinquents right…trying to learn).

3. As Josh Berro Appreciation Day was such a big success (Josh was really appreciated), the fourth school day in April every year will be Josh Berro Appreciation Day. (Good work this year everyone. I saw Josh get hugged a lot that day).

4. In the interest of political correctness, students will no longer learn at school, as the knowledge they acquire could cause them to do something that someone will disagree with. (Seriously, Sesame Street got rid of the cookie monster - now he's just the veggie monster. The cookie monster raised me - he's one of my role models! This is an affront to enthusiastic cookie eaters everywhere). Students will now be forced to watch “An Inconvenient Truth” through all four years of school.

5. The Supreme Court has ruled that calling Kirk, Andy, and Ian bald violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, so anyone found calling them bald (or any synonym, including shiny) will be expelled. Kraunz is still OK, as he just got a haircut.

I additionally have an announcement of my own that I forgot beforehand, so I'll just say it now: I am selling ad space in my speech to pay my way through college. I am charging $100 for a simple sentence, $200 for a compound sentence (with $100 extra for each conjunction), and $500 if you have no idea what any of that means. Just come up and whisper it in my ear, and I'll throw it in when I feel would be most inappropriate.

Now for my speech: I'd first like to clarify our class's motto - “2010: Best Year Yet” - or something like that, which I think can be incorrectly construed as us gloating. We aren't the best because we are so great - everyone before us was just terrible.

Now there should be some transition words I don't feel like adding.

Aspen High School provides what I believe is one of the best high school experiences in the world. We have a work/life balance, as opposed to students going to school in penitentiaries in New York like Stuyvesant and Horace Mann. We live in Aspen, CO, giving us athletic opportunities that others cannot even dream of. My cousin just flew in (and boy are her arms tired!). But seriously, she hasn't seen snow in four years! We have great XED trips. I tried kayaking on XED, which I probably never would have tried otherwise. It was awesome! Additionally, we have a great athletic program that the entire community takes an interest in. Nowhere else in the world are there programs comparable to those offered to students by the Aspen Institute.

Our school also offers a great edumucation, err…eat-a-cation, err… well we got most of the letters. We have ridiculously devoted and passionate teachers who take an avid interest in the intellectual growth of their students. These teachers' enthusiasm does not end when class does - the teachers are always available to discuss a cool new idea or to help a student. We have every program imaginable, including gifted and talented, special education, English as a Second Language, speech and debate, model UN, National Honor Society, and International Baccalaureate. We also have the Student Achievement Center, an amazing resource to help students to get work done. I have spent all of my available free periods for the past few years in the SAC. As well, we have modern and quality technology.

Our school is flexible - teachers and administrators bend over backwards to ensure that the needs of every student are met. Skiers' schedules allow them to miss school to pursue their athletic passions. Independent study courses are available for students to learn online or outside of school hours in order to meet their personal demands. For instance, we have concert or jazz band almost every day before school. I have taken math for the past few years on my own from resources on the MIT website.

The point of all of this is that whatever one's passions, interests, and needs are, Aspen High School provides every opportunity one could dream of to enable one's success; however, AHS also provides every opportunity to make bad decisions. It gives every student enough rope to climb up or to hang oneself. Our school's drug use far exceeds the national average, and absenteeism and cheating are problems that hinder student growth. Bad decisions are not limited to flagrantly stupid choices - they also include not utilizing our school's amazing resources. If Student Achievement sounds like a fancy new drug, you have not fully utilized our school's resources. In AHS, like in the rest of life, your choices determine your success.

People ask me why I'm smart, as if intelligence is some cool innate quality one is born with. This marginalizes the academic and removes personal responsibility from the equation. Integral calculus did not decide one day to magically waltz into my head any more than Barry Bonds found some secret to hitting home runs…Well, maybe not the best example. The point is that in learning, there is no way to cheat. What people term 'intelligence' is simply the product of years of learning for the fun of learning. As Einstein famously stated, “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.” Learning requires the attitude that school is a job that is not always fun and easy, but from which one reaps great personal rewards. In learning, like in any other endeavor, if the effort is always fun and easy, then something is wrong. It truly astounds and disappoints me that parents and children in developing countries would give anything for education, while some students here ignore the opportunities they are presented with. Especially thanks to the availability of information through the Internet, education today is truly what one makes of it.

I remember one day when the people from Freedom from Chemical Dependency came to meet with our school. They asked why students used drugs and there was a consensus that students used drugs because they were bored. The FCD people said, “Really, because the kids in New York say the same thing.” Everyone was shocked and couldn't believe that kids in New York were bored. The FCD people said the kids from New York felt the same way about us. I remember sitting in the back of the room thinking, “I'm not bored.” From that day, I took away the realization that you are only as involved in your life as you choose to be. You are responsible for how your life plays out.

Now, even the shiniest diamond has some tiny imperfections. I'd like to make a few comments about how our school could be even better. First is XED. Kirk has been following the Ute for years now, but he has yet to catch any. Maybe we'll just get him a map. Also, Storm Chasers never made it to Oz. More seriously, our school has invested tremendous resources in its technology, so why don't we have programming classes?

Some procedural advice for students continuing their education at AHS. Take classes from Jamie and Wheatley before lunch if you want to be at the front of the line. Also, stay away from the cookies and enchiladas: anything that addictive can't be good for you.

I would like to emphasize my personal gratitude and the gratitude of the entire graduating class for everything this community has done to foster our development. It really does take a village to raise a class as special as the class of 2010. I feel fully prepared for whatever I end up doing during and after college, whether it's building a robot-mounted death ray or a satellite that can pick your nose from space. Thank you all for making Aspen such a wonderful place to grow up in. In leaving Aspen, we are all losing a wonderful home, but in doing so we are now ready to go out into the world and make a new home.

I'd like to thank our class for being so awesome. I'd like to thank Mr. P, Wheatley, Klug, and anyone else who made me sit down and write my speech. Lastly, I'd like to thank the universe, since we wouldn't be here without it. Thank you universe for providing the particles in our bodies.

I would put up the Salutatorian, Kyle Feuer's, speech but the newspaper didn't transcribe it. No fun. However if I really want to I could transcribe i, because its up on Facebook...so I might.

Terminator

2010-05-06T12:52:00.019-06:00

A week ago I accidentally watched an episode Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I knew about because Brian Austin Green plays Derek Reese, the brother of Kyle Reese. I watched the first episode and then another and then another. I loved the show, but I realized that I knew none of the backstory, so I looked it up. Then, last Friday, my mom and step-dad went to Moab for the weekend and on the way home from work I got all four Terminator movies and watched them over the weekend.

Terminator came out in 1984 and was directed by James Cameron (before he was famous). I didn't really know what to expect, because I had this image of Arnold Schwarzenegger as being incredibly stupid. I became so engrossed in the movie. I liked the story, the idea that by coming back to kill Sarah Connor, the machines created the John Connor they so feared. It was a very interesting and original concept and very indicative of James Cameron's brain. I enjoyed the way that Arnold delivered his lines with no inflection. His 80's hair was funny and kind of amazing, so was Linda Hamilton's. The only things was that the score had so much synthesizer in it, it wasn't very suspenseful. However, it was very 80's. I really enjoyed the Kyle/Sarah relationship and storyline. I thought that Linda Hamilton did a good job with the narration, she has a nice voice. But overall this movie just felt like a giant setup for T-2, which is funny, because it wasn't...at all.

Okay, so this one is my favorite. It has everything: explosions, good characters, guns, a good Terminator, emotion and plot. I like the whole movie, everything from the very beginning to the very end. The version I watched was the Special Edition which is 2 hours and 35 minutes. It had a bunch of scenes that were not in the Theatrical release, a total of 18 minutes of extra scenes. I think that these scenes make the movie even better, but if I am honest, I have nothing to compare it to. I thought that Linda Hamilton did a good job of playing insanity and all the contrasting emotions that Sarah experiences in the movie. It was so real. It was not soft or easy and she didn't automatically know the right thing to do. She cursed up a storm and never used a normal word if a curse word would work. Of course, because that was how she is John Connor cursed up a storm too. The relationship between Sarah and John was interesting, because they are mother and son, but John is so much more than just Sarah's son. He is going to be a world leader. Sarah loves him and wants him to stay safe, but it is about more than what she wants. It is about the fate of the world. So, instead of just keeping John safe, she has to train him and prepare him. She has to give him the knowledge and strength he will need to fight Skynet. John Connor is played by a kid named Edward Furlong. At least, he was a kid when he did this movie. He was discovered for this part and had never acted before. He was chosen, because the casting agent thought he looked like Linda's kid. Also, shooting went on long enough that he grew several inches and his voice dropped. He had to loop the majority of his dialogue. Despite being unexperienced, he did a very good job with the emotional content of his character's life.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines was interesting for many reasons. The first was that this was the only Terminator film, my best friend had seen and when she described it. I had no idea what she was talking about. The other reason is that this movie did not come from the mind of James Cameron. It was directed by Jonathan Mostow. There were only two actors in it from the original movies Arnold Schwarzenegger and Earl Boen. Also the plot was very interesting and makes the whole time travel thing, even more confusing. So, Judgement Day didn't happen when it was supposed to, but Sarah Conner died of cancer and now John is living off the grid. Then Arnold shows up again to save him from the T-X, an even more advanced Terminator. Its turns out that Judgement Day wasn't stopped it was just postponed. But here is my real issue. If they changed the date of Judgement Day wouldn't Kyle Reese come back and tell Sarah the new date and then how does that work? Am I thinking about this too much? I thought it was interesting and I liked that Arnold came back, it shows dedication to his fans and the franchise that made him famous, which sadly, so many stars seem to lack. I thought that Nick Stahl and Claire Danes did a decent job as John Conner and Kate Brewster, but I was sad that Edward Furlong wasn't recast as John (to be honest though he is a creepy looking adult).

This is by far the worst Terminator movie. I have a question what is the point of a Terminator movie without Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is the star of the movies. It's like having Harry Potter without Harry or Gilmore Girls without Lorelai or Buffy the Vampire Slayer without the vampires. It doesn't make any sense. Aside from that although the special effects were cool and they did have a CGI Arnold, I didn't like the plot. The fact that John Conner almost dies and they save by giving him machine parts was rather sad. I felt that it was necessary and makes the point that John is more the idea than the person, but it was still hard for me, because it is so important he's human. I just didn't like it although I do like Christian Bale and Sam Worthington in other things, I did not like them in this. The highlight of the movie was Helena Bonham Carter being creepy as only she can.

Linda Hamilton is a badass. She went through a complete transformation from the first movie to the second. She made muscled arms on women the epitome of cool and won the MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance and Most Desirable Female in 1992, both for Terminator 2. Her voice is featured in Terminators 3&4 uncredited. She was actually married to James Cameron from 1997-1999 and had one daughter with him and a son with a different man. It was her idea that Sarah ha gone insane. I think that she did a really good job as Sarah Conner. I can't think of anyone else who could pull off all of the emotion. I cannot explain how much I admire her as an actress.

Michael Biehn played Kyle Reese, the time traveling soldier that is sent back in time to protect Sarah and is also John Conner's father. He loves Sarah and has since John gave him a picture of her. It was interesting to see his love for her fight with his desire to keep her alive, because he often had to be very harsh with her in the process of keeping her alive. He did a good job of conveying the love in the short time he had. I thought that Linda and Michael had good chemistry and you believed that they loved each other, even if they were only together for one night.

Edward Furlong played young John Conner in the second movie and I was very impressed with him. It was his first acting job and he had to do everything from intense emotional scenes to crazy action sequences. He was just barely 13 or so when the movie was being filmed and during the course of filming he grew alot and his voice dropped. He had to loop the majority of his dialogue and yet it is still very effective and realistic. He also had some situations where the coverage was shot much later than the actual scene and he had to stand in a hole to look the same height.

Overall I really like this franchise and all of its quotable lines. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind a bit of violence with their movie and loves realationships of all kinds.

Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green are back together!

2010-04-07T20:03:00.002-06:00

Hot for Teachers w/ Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green from Megan Fox

I think this video is funny and true, but I am more excited about the fact that Brian Austin Green adn Megan Fox are dating again. Strange things make me happy!

Spring Break Day 2

2010-03-20T23:51:00.002-06:00

We got up this morning and had a complimentary breakfast at the Paris. Then mom had to get Starbucks, so we walked all over the world and finally got her coffee. After that she wanted to make sure that I saw the ceiling in the Bellagio and so we walked over there. I discovered that I much prefer the Bellagio to the Paris, because it much more classy and much less noisy.

When we arrived back at the Paris, we got our stuff together and departed just after 11am. We had a five hour drive to Jeffrey's house. My mom made me pull out the guide book and put down things that I really wanted to do. After I did that I crashed again (I think I am suffering for residual tiredness from the past month and a half). I fell asleep for a little while. When we arrived at Jeffrey's house, we sat outside for a while and talked about life. It was nice and sunny and enjoyable. I also met his cats Prince Rupert, Cujo, Pandora and The Great and Powerful Oz. They are very sweet and not allowed outside. Then we went to dinner at a restaurant in Carpenteria called Sly's. It was really good. I had steak. Then we came home and talked some more, before I left to come in here and go to bed. night night.

Spring Break Day 1

2010-03-19T23:36:00.002-06:00

Today we got up really early, but it was snowing (over a foot), so we waited for it to clear up. This was good for many reasons, one being that I had gotten two hours of sleep the night before and so I was moving rather slowly (Damn you , adderall). I finished my laundry and packed. We got on the road around 11:30am. It was good fun. We listened to the radio, specifially 90's on 9 and talked a lot. My mom also made me read A Tale of Two Cities to her (my spring break English homework). It was a fun drive.

Then we arrived in Vegas. We are going to Los Angeles, but we stopped overnight in Vegas. I have only been to Vegas once before and I was very young and I didn't stay long. It was tonight that I discovered I don't like Vegas. It seemed to me to be all the bad things about Disney World with none of the good things. Plus drugs and alcohol and tons of stupidity. I don't think I have ever seen so much tacky in one place. And all the hotels that were pretending to be places in Europe are sad imitations of the real thing. We walked along the strip and I got really frustrated and I just wanted to go back the hotel. But mom wanted to keep walking and so we did and I got progressively more crabby. We came back to the hotel and are now going to bed. I am so tired.

I can't focus!!

2010-03-16T14:28:00.002-06:00

I am having a very hard time focusing. I have been having a time of it for a while, but now it is particularly bad. I can't focus at all. I am not focusing during class or at home on anything. I am constantly multitasking and not paying my full attention to anything. I was history trying to write about Fidel Castro and I kept thinking about Buffy it was absolutely random and frickin' annoying. I mean I was trying to focus and I couldn't remember what I was trying to write. At one point I changed subjects three times in a sentence. I haven't even been able to focus on things that I like, DVDs for example. When I am trying to watch movies, I start thinking about school and my friends and stuff and everything makes me think of fanfiction.

I don't know what to do. I need to focus, I have stuff that I need to do in the next two days and I can't focus on any of it. I think I might need to go back on Adderall. But the problem is that I hate the way I feel on adderall. I have a hard time multitasking, and I act like a caffeine junkie. I don't like, but I get stuff done and right now I am completely out of control. I need to do something. I am not going to flunk out of high school, because I can't focus. I have to start going to bed early enough, so that I can get up in time to eat breakfast. It also might help to drink more water. I feel like my brain has hit capacity and now things are spilling out of the filing cabinets where I put them.

I CAN'T FOCUS AND I NEED TO SO BADLY. I HAVE STUFF TO DO. I NEED HELP. I wish I could explain it. This is making me sound stupid and unmotivated, but to defend the only time I have been focused the last two weeks was when I was directing/at rehearsal. But I need to fix everything else, so that I can go to college, focus and graduate and then I get to direct as a profession.

BUT FIRST I NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO FOCUS. This is frustrating. Well, now I need to go to rehearsal.

NCIS

2010-03-04T09:10:00.005-07:00

My current obsession is NCIS which stands for Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It's a show a little like Bones. It's a forensic show, but the thing about it that I like is the characters. They are all very original and diverse people.

My favorite character is Abby. She is the goth forensic scientist, that is always happy. She is very good at her job, often finding things that others missed and is addicted to CafPow!s, a fictional caffeine drink. She has oodles of love for her coworkers, who she sees as her family.

I also like the leader of the team whose name is Leroy Jethro Gibbs. He seems to be a giant bastard and like he doesn't care about his team. However the truth is that he is very protective of his team, he would do anything for them. He would kill for them, just as he did for his country and his family. He has so much love and a passion for justice. He is a fantastic federal agent, but he doesn't like to follow the rules and is more likely to shoot you than to ask you questions. He is also addicted to caffeine, but he drinks sludge-like black coffee. He also builds boats by hand in his basement and was a Marine Gunnery Sargent.

Then there is Anthony DiNozzo. He is the Senior Field Agent or Gibbs' second in command. He is a movie buff and always joking. He considers himself to be a ladies' man and flirts with everything with two legs. Everything reminds him of a movie. He is often the comic relief and also, like Gibbs, has a huge passion for justice. Gibbs is his hero and whenever Gibbs isn't around Tony acts like him.

Then there is Caitlin Todd (Kate). She was a Secret Service Agent and when she resigned, Gibbs offered her a job at NCIS. She joined although she didn't know anything about investigation She had never worked a crime scene. However, she was very smart, a fast learner and a profiler. There is incredible chemistry between Tony and Kate, but she dies before anything happens between them.

Dr. Donald Mallard (Ducky) is the Medical Examiner for NCIS. He is British and is older. Ducky has been an ME for a very long time and has seen everything, so he talks about it, in great detail, constantly. He also has a tendency to talk to the deceased, but he is very capable.

Timothy McGee otherwise known as "Probie" or "McGeek," two things that Tony calls him. He is a computer geek who joins the team as a field agent in season two. He has a thing for Abby and they remain close, because they are both the geeks. McGee also is a writer and is writing books based on his time working with Gibbs and the rest of the team. He is prone to mistakes and Tony makes him do all the dirty work.

Ziva David replaces Kate in the team dynamic. She is a Mossad Officer, in fact is the daughter of the director of Mossad. She comes, because of Kate's death and ends up staying as a liason officer. She is Israeli and so has some trouble with American idioms and has some sexual tension of her own with Tony.

Jimmy Palmer is Ducky's assisstant. He actually replaces a previous assistant named Gerald. He is new to the Medical Examiner profession and is very strange. Tony calls him the autopsy gremlin. His character has a small infatuation with Abby, which often rubs McGee the wrong way.

Jenny Sheppard becomes Director of NCIS in season 3. She is a very smart woman and quite capable of handing Agent Gibbs and his crap. She often bends the rules for him. As time goes on, the audience finds that Director Sheppard was Gibbs partner a while ago and that he taught her everything she knows. They were also in a relationship and still have great fondness for one another.

Tobias Fornell is the FBI agent that NCIS works with. He is an old friend of Gibbs' and actually married Gibbs' second (read: third wife). He has a daughter of his own and is considered like Gibbs to be a bastard.

This show is very character driven, but also has the open and shut case, aspect. It is very entertaining and I recommend it. And I must be right, its the number 1 Drama on Television currently.

History and Math class

2010-03-02T12:52:00.005-07:00

I sit in history and I don't want to be here. I know that education is a valuable thing, but I am done. I am no longer interested in busywork, in taking science classes and other classes that I am not interested in. I don't mind talking about history. In fact, I find Gorbachev and Reagan very interesting. I mean come on the "Evil Empire" I think Reagan might have some issues. But its all very interesting. I am spent at least a semester on the Cold War, which is not something that most high school students even get to do. The relations between Russia and the United States during that time period. We are talking about Poland and the American Catholic Polish now. We are also talking about Lech Walesa (the head of Solidarity) and his labor movement in the 80's. Its kind of interesting. I enjoy hearing about the Polish and their enclaves in America. I think it would be cool to know Polish or Swedish or something.

I am now in math. I hate math. It's not that I don't understand it, I just don't like learning it. It is very tedious and I have a hard time paying attention. The other thing is I have a tendency to learn things for the test and then forget them. With math this is a problem, because every unit builds on a previous one. My math teacher is a Latter-Day Saint and he can't get mad, so its kinda funny when we don't do what we're supposed to. He also tends to ignore us, so we do things like read and talk through this entire period. This class is so much like a stereotypical high school movie. It's like Mean Girls of something, we do nothing, or that's what it feels like. I have no focus in this class. I will go now, because we are supposed to be working on a warm up. Yay! *sarcasm*

Glee!!

2009-12-14T22:33:00.005-07:00

I am really into this show now. Of course I still watch Bones, Supernatural, and Smallville, but I look forward to Wednesdays, because of this show. Now I am a self-proclaimed theatre geek and so becoming a gLeek was not a big jump. I am also a huge fan of Spring Awakening, but I never got to see the original cast, so I was excited to see Lea Michelle perform.

The show is about a glee club in Ohio at William McKinley High School. There are all kinds of characters and people in the show. There is Will Schuester, the young teacher (former glee club star) in charge of the the glee club, and his psychotic wife Terry. Then there is the self-proclaimed star of Glee club Rachel Berry. The rest of the Glee club includes Kurt (the gay kid), Artie, Tina, Mercedes (DIIIVA), Quinn (former head cheerleader, now pregnant), Santana and Brittany (cheerleaders), Mike and Matt (football players), Finn (QB, Quinn's boyfriend, but not the father), Puck (the FATHER, Finn's best friend, self-proclaimed badass). There is also Emma Pillsbury, the germaphobic guidance counselor and Coach Ken Tanaka, the incredibly strange football coach. The arch rival of the Glee Club is Sue Sylvester, the coach of the "Cheerios" which is what she calls the cheerleaders. All in all a great bunch of performers and a great ensemble cast.

I really like this show and most of its characters (the exceptions being Coach Tanaka and Terry Schuester). I think the story and characters are very interesting and they do a great job of choosing the music. There is the perfect mix or popular, retro, Broadway, hip hop, and rock songs. I have been listening to my Glee playlist on repeat.

My favorite pairing is Puck/Rachel. I love it in books, television, and real-life when the "bad boy" gets tamed. Plus, I think he is the only guy on the show strong enough to stand up to Rachel. They were together for an episode, but the producers are talking about bringing the relationship back, due to fan reaction.

There is great dialogue and an interesting storyline with good twists. The way its shot, is slightly remeniscent of of a documentary and at the same time a music video. There are constantly funny moments, as well as near constant drama and some of the best voices I have heard in while. I greatly recommend the show to anyone who like music. Some of my favorite cover they have done are "Don't Rain on my Parade," "Bust a Move," "Push It," "Smile" (by Lily Allen), "Keep Me Hangin On," "Gold Digger". Sorry I was starting to list all the songs they sing, its hard to pick favorites.

I am stoked for the new episodes in April and for the possiblity of a concert tour. That is something that I think everyone would enjoy.

Watch Glee and follow the stars on twitter!!

Meet Clark Kent the Cat!

2009-10-11T20:08:00.003-06:00

So, we have had mice recently in our house and we don't have mousetraps and we were going to have to buy them. This morning my mom says to me, we either need to get mousetraps or a cat. She didn't think that the shelter was open on Sundays, but its open 365 days a year. So, we drove out to the Aspen Animal Shelter and there was one kitten and someone found him yesterday in a field. He had his first sett of shots and all of his other first year shots and a microchip is paid for in the $100 dollar adoption fee. We got to play with him still at the shelter and he is playful, a real people cat. So, we took him home and named him Clark Kent. He is a sweetheart and for a little tiny cat, he's incredibly loud. Ellie is actually getting along with him very well, we haven't had a single bad incident. Its kinda crazy, because this morning when I woke up, I didn't have a cat and it wasn't even something that was on my radar. But he's so cute.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (Movie)

2009-07-16T22:23:00.007-06:00

I am a huge fan of this franchise or series or whatever. I love it and I see these people as more my friends than fictional characters. I am a ware that makes me a creep, but I can live with that. These movies are very important to me and I know that sounds strange, but they are, because I want people to be able to get the same joy that I get out of these characters.

I went into this movie very invested in its being good and I came out realizing that is was a very hard movie to make. A lot of difficult things happen in the sixth installment of Harry Potter and almost all of the plot points are related to the more depressing parts of the story. In the book there is much more happiness and frivolity, but in order to shorten it down into a movie, a lot of that had to be taken out. I think that is the really stem of all the problems that arise with the making of Harry Potter movies. In the books, J.K. Rowling is able to delve into each character's story and you get to know everyone, but in the movies in most cases they just have the most popular characters basically do a walk-through. I understand that this is the best that they can do, because there is not enough time, but I think it jobs the audience of the smaller characters.

Overall, I thought that they did a very good job on this film, but with **Spoiler Alert** Dumbledore's death and Snape's betrayal, **Spoiler Alert** I was glad that I had read the last book. Otherwise, I would have walked out of that theater livid.I think they did a pretty good job getting the message and the main events of this installment onto the screen. I thought the scene with Ron and love potion was particularly funny and I really felt the emotion when Hermione was upset about Ron. The only real problems I had were the amount of silent spell casting and the fact that they completely and totally changed THE kiss, it was much better in the book. But I would very much like to compliment the cast and crew on a job well done.

One more thing, I think that everyone should at least attempt to read these books, because at the very least, it will enrich your movie going experience.

Jonas Brothers Concert!!

2009-06-29T21:10:00.003-06:00

On June 24th, I went to a Jonas Brothers concert with my best friend Erin and my little cousin Lily. People really like to hate on them, but they are actually very good. It was also a very interesting experience. We had to wait in a very long line to even get in and then once we got there it was totally nuts. The Pepsi Center holds approximately 20,000 people and they would just start screaming for no reason. It wasn't even for the performers... I guess there was just alot of energy in that room. It got really annoying though, because it was really loud (but nowhere near the volume that it reached when the Jonas Brothers were onstage). Our seats were really good, it was a concert in the round and we were about 15 feet away from the stage.

The first opening act was Honor Society and I had no idea what to expect, because I didn't know that much about them and I couldn't find any of their music beforehand. They were very good. There was also this MC type person named Jessie James or something. She sang a song that sounded like she was lipsyncing hardcore. The second opening act was Jordin Sparks and she was pretty good. I don't watch American Idol, but I still kinda knew what to expect, because I heard some of her songs. She sang P.Y.T. and Tattoo and No Air as well as a couple songs that I didn't know.

Between Jordin Sparks and the Jonas Brothers there was a pretty long wait. They had to remove all of her equipment and put theirs down and they had to make sure that the sound levels were still accurate. They put carpet on the ramps that had the JB symbol on it and the fangirls screamed it was kinda ridiculous. Then we waited. We were sitting right by where all the acts entered to get under the stage and we saw Jordin Sparks and Honor Society enter that way. The Jonas Brothers band entered that way, but they brought the brothers on in a stage equipment box. It was kinda funny. Then the concert and the screaming started. I have never heard a group of people be so loud. After a few minutes I couldn't hear the screaming anymore, even though I could here the music fine, it was almost like a defensive mechanism.

They came out playing their newest single, Paranoid and ended up playing 22 full songs...ish.
In order (according to the program):
Paranoid
Poison Ivy
Live to Party
Play My Music (from Camp Rock)
That's Just the Way We Roll
Fly With Me
A Little Bit Longer/ Black Keys (+ Nick's speech)
Much Better(My favorite song on their new album)
Year 3000
Tonight
Gotta Find You (from Camp Rock)
Turn Right
When You Look Me In the Eyes
Don't Close the Book (I don't remember this song...I don't even know what it is)
Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond cover)
Hold On
BB Good
World War III
Battlefield (Jordin Sparks' new single...they played together)
Lovebug
S.O.S.
Burnin' Up

With all the songs and dance breaks and such, they performed for over 2 hours. They were great they did flips and played their own instruments and all this stuff it was great. Parts of the stage rotated and the effect was that everyone got to see most things. There was a piece of the stage that came up and Joe and Kevin sprayed foam. There was also this really cool water feature that they used during Lovebug. It was a huge ring and it spelled out words and shapes and patterns.

I thought the concert was great. I wish I could go again. They actually left and were right in front of us, but somehow we missed that, but my mom got pictures. Together the four of us took like a thousand pictures. Then we walked back to our hotel and we were on such an adrenaline high we didn't complain once. (and unknowingly we walked past the hotel that the Jonas Brothers were staying at). It was great and I'm so glad we did it! You should go if you can!

School's Out For Summer!

2009-06-04T14:58:00.001-06:00

I don't know the tune of that song. But school is done and I didn't fail anything. Thank God! The one time I have taken my ACT so far I got a 27 and I am going to a college application workshop in July. The end of this school year is shaping up to be much better than the last.

Supernatural

2009-06-01T12:10:00.000-06:00

Are You Compatible With The Supernatural Boys?

More on Supernatural. Created by BuddyTV

Wow, long time no...blog. School is almost over and if I am still alive afterwards I will blog more. I swear!

F.I.N.A.L.S

2009-06-01T09:01:00.002-06:00

Normally, I am in the small group of the popluation that likes finals, what can I say, I like tests. But this year it was horible. Most of my finals were projects and required out of class time. I can't deal with that, especially not at the end of the year. But it wasn't so bad in the end. The only class I am worried about is IB English. I just can't handle this. I am so ready to be done I have 7 hours left in my Junior year and feels like forever. I want to shoot someone or to rip out my english tecaher's rib cage and wear it as a hat. (That was very graphically violent, but at least I didn't come up with it all by myself. It's a quote.) I have to go, but I will report on the 2nd half of my year when school gets out.

Blank Page

2009-02-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Blank page

Cursor blinking at me

As I sit wondering what to write

Typing out of sheer boredom

And avoidance of my work

Homeward bound to stuff my face

Before coming back to the very place that I just left

15 minutes till the bus with nothing to do but debate getting on it

I need to eat I know

But the truth is it might be easier and more productive to stay here

I can wait until 9:00 to eat

As long as I do my homework now

The very work that I am avoiding

I have English and History and math

Which isn’t that much if you think about it

If I get it done later I can do other things

More enjoyable things

No not that get your head out of the gutter

I could instead of homework watch TV and movies

Then sleep and get up in time to take a shower

And start the day again the slow progression of days turning into weeks

Into months

Is boring and repetitive

The only thing that breaks it up is stress

So 10 minutes until the bus now

Still unsure if getting on it

Is the right way to go

If I go home my dog will be happy

I will be in a better mood

But less homework will get done and although the only thing

That I have due tomorrow is my math it will still be annoying

In an effort to keep my grades up

Perhaps I should stay here

But that will only do me good if I do my homework

Which would mean this poem has to end

And I am rather enjoying writing it

Either way the poem has to end

With 7 minutes till the bus and still no idea what to do

I end the poem in an effort

To make myself decide

So that I can make my decision

Instead of the decision making me.

In case anyone cares I wrote this before practice today and I did end up staying at school and doing my homework. I have late practice again tomorrow, but I plan to go home and eat first.

Perfect Man

2009-02-02T19:21:00.000-07:00

You seem so perfect

My perfect man

I find it hard to remember

I don’t actually know you

I watch the videos and I watch the shows

I read the Bios, the articles

I save the pictures, memorize the quotes

I laugh when you joke

And smile when you smile

I am happy when you are happy

Yet sad when you are in a relationship

I want you all to myself

And yet I want to share you

Want others to understand why I love you

I can never remember that I am one of the thousands who love you

And I can’t seem to wrap my head around

The fact that I don’t have a chance

You dominate my thoughts and my dreams

And although you distance frustrates me

Here I sit writing about you

You, who more than likely I will never meet

And even if I do

I will be just another lovestruck fan

I need to get over you

And move on to a real man

An attainable man

But if I can ever

Truly do that, I do not know

And so for now I won’t let you go

But rather hold on with all my might and

Hope that someday I find

My actual, attainable, loveable perfect man

I wrote this about an actor in one of my most recent new TV shows. I was really bored at the time and I was thinking about how teenage stars write lyrics all the time, so why couldn't I? It's not very song-like I admit, but I liked so her it is.

25 Things

2009-02-01T21:30:00.001-07:00

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.

1. I don't really want to do this.

2. I always do things like this when I am avoiding my homework.

3. I am very easily obsessed with movies and TV shows and people (mostly actors and singers)

4. My friend and I have figured out that I get crushes pretty much exclusively on people with talent.

5. Sometimes I think that I can sing, others times I feel like I should never sing again so I am not putting people through the torture.

6. I am still in that place in my life where my dreams are very unreasonable.

7. I drive my friends nuts daily, but I am not sure how to stop.

8. I almost always feel like an outcast.

9. My brain goes to depressing places very quickly no matter what I am doing.

10. I am not confident enough in myself to be confident in anything I like so I get pissed when you insult it.

11. I have a tattoo and want more. Maybe all kinds of protection symbols.

12. I have thought about dieing my hair many times, but never do because I am afraid that even after it grows out it will never be the same.

13. My music tastes range from REO Speedwagon to AC/DC to Demi Lovato to Deep Purple to Taylor Swift to Kansas and pretty much everything else.

14. I have a pretty strong personality but I never really have the motivation to fight with my friends when they tell me I am wrong or that something I like sucks.

15. I feel embarrassed for people who obviously are not embarrassed for themselves.

16. My thought process is so unlinear it's ridiculous.

17. I empathize with people that most people are horrified or disgusted by.

18. I am mortified by how emo and scary I sound writing this.

19. My mom is my best friend, except when she drives me nuts.

20. My favorite part of history is from 1920 to now. I love World Wars I & II.

21. I would love to write a book or create a Tv show that has a cult following like Harry Potter or Buffy.

22. I would rather be alone watching a movie or a book than with people. Fictional people are more trustworthy and at least around them I don't have to walk around on eggshells and can show it when I get mad.

23. I talk to myself all the time.

24. I read a ton and I have tried to read the classics, but I often have an issue with the language.

25. I am in advanced classes, but I daily feel like I am going to die from the work load.

Well, wasn't that strange and mildly depressing. I really shouldn't do those random things the only thing that happens is badness. Wait there is one more thing I have to say. It's really starting to piss me off that I have "What you feel" from the Buffy musical stuck in my head.

Auditions and iPod

2009-01-09T10:06:00.002-07:00

I auditioned for our musical this spring on Wednesday. I sang the song On My Own from Les Mis. I thought it went pretty well, but I didn't say so, because two of my friends were playing the we-suck game and talking about how bad it went. Then we took about half an hour to learn a dance. It was kinda fun, but a little hard. But I enjoyed and I was infintely more prepared than last year, so I didn't even feel nerveous until I got on stage. But it turns out that I didn't get callbacks, although two of my friends did. Technically not getting callbacks doesn't mean anything. I could still get a lead part, but I have strong feeling that I won't. And to be honest, I can't decide if I even want a big part. There is a part of me, as there is in every actor (or person really) that wants to be the star. But I think it would be less fun and so much more stressful and at least 3 times harder. So, I don't know.

Also yesterday we had our ExEd Shopping day and I think I know what ExEd I want to go on. I really want to go on Following the Ute with Lara Okamoto and Kirk Gregory, two of the funniest, most energetic teachers in the school and I think I have a pretty good chance of getting on it.

Yesterday I also lost my purse, but I found it and then later I discovered that I had misplaced my iPod. I had left it on the table at lunch and there was a chance that one of my friends had picked it up, but I thought that was unlikely. I had basically committed in my head to spending $220 on a new iPod. This morning, my friend gave me my iPod back, saying that she had had it since lunch and I found that although I was excited to get it there was definately a part of me that was like, "But I wanted a new iPod.....but but but....*sigh*...oh well." I find that kinda funny. But I'm a teenager, what do you expect. The idea of saving money escapes me. Ok well more later.

2009-01-02T17:40:00.002-07:00

How pathetic am I?? Here I sit, at work again and all I can think about is a certain man in a certain TV show that I am never going to meet or become friends with or fall in love with, not for real. I feel like I know, but I don’t know matter how many movies I watch and how many special features or how many youtube videos I watch. I love his character and I love how he appears in all the videos I can find of him, but that isn’t the real him. It’s the same problem I ran into with the Jonas Brothers, it’s the idea of him. But still I sit obsessed with this man, praying he will come to Aspen. I hate this feeling, the feeling of waiting for something that will never happen. It’s getting worse, because I getting to the place in my life, when I am actually starting to entertain that things are possible for me, even things like this. He haunts my thoughts and my dreams and even my actions. There is a part of me that wants him either completely in my life or out of it. But there is yet another part of me that doesn’t actually want to meet him, afraid of what I will learn. But there is the part of me that holds out hope that when (not if) I do meet him, he will be like I think he is and I will actually have a chance. Reality never reaches that part of me. I seems to also be the part that is eternally optimistic. In that part of my head, I am going to grow up and either write a book or create a TV show and then get married to one of my celebrity crushes and live happily ever after. I wish I could make things happen by sheer force of willpower, well I guess that is truly how everything happens. Someone wills it to be, makes it happen. Alright then, the first thing I will is that this day ends. Then I will that I graduate high school with at least a 3.8 GPA. I will that I get a full ride to the college of my choice and that I do what I want when I get out, no matter if that has changed from what it is now. But of course even after that tangent the first thing that I think of is him. Him, of the chiseled features and little bit of stubble, him of sculpted muscles and goofy faces. I live so much in my dreams that I am not sure sometime that any part of it is even remotely possible. Could I start a band with Erin? Could I write a book? Could I create a TV show? Or even get into a good college. I am not sure. My brain no longer separates the attainable from the unattainable, because I have started to believe I can do stuff and this has screwed up my whole system. My system was that I had no dreams that were attainable, none at all. But then I started to believe in myself, I started to think that maybe I could really sing and maybe I can change my ways and be a pleasant person. Maybe I do have the acting chops to get famous or the smarts to get into get into college. I guess I finally started to believe what other people were saying and see my own potential, but that brings with it a whole host of other problems. It means that I have hope and that I can now be disappointed if something doesn’t go my way, because I hope it will. Before I never held out the hope, so I either surprised or proved correct, but never disappointed. But now thinking I actually have a shot, when I miss that shot, or don’t get called off the bench, it becomes much more of a blow. I think that’s part of why, even though I am 16 my friend and I still have this thing called The Game that we have been playing for 9 years. Although it is in it’s 20th or so incarnation, it is still at its heart a pretend game or the kind that small children play. We both reside in our imaginations for the time we play The Game. Sometimes I love it and sometimes I don’t want to play at all. This game has changed with us as we grew up and our interests changed. It has grown with us and is almost a living thing with a mind of it’s own. We get bored sometimes and skip over 5 months at a time and sometimes we plan every second meticulously. It is a way to take a breather from real life and have fun with our fantasies. We even incorporate our favorite shows.

New Room!!!

2008-12-27T22:31:00.005-07:00

Well, It's actually my same room, but I moved my bed and my desk. It's really nice, cause I needed a change. It seems more open and is just nicer and less vertical. I had to clean my room first, but I am really glad I did it. Plus I did it almost completely by myself. I only got a little help from my mom to move my desk. Which is really heavy, even with nothing in it.

The Product of my workday

2008-12-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

I have nothing to do. Absolutely nothing. I am at work. Work doesn’t that word just sound like fun. Actually for me and most other people work conjures up images of sitting at a desk for hours and doing absolutely boring repetitive work. Well, that is my job. I get to scan things and sort them and call people who really don’t want to be bothered. I get to be ordered around by not only my mother, but also a bunch of women, some of whom don’t like me. Others who think I am privileged and get a lot of leeway, just because my mom is the boss. In fact my life is probably harder, because she is who she is. I love her to death, but…well that is way off the subject, which is work. I also work at Starbucks and I know all the stuff you are thinking, it’s either yum, they have good lattes or I can’t believe you are bowing down to the corporate supremacy of a place like Starbucks. But whatever, money is money no matter where it comes from. I need money, not to help my family or the homeless or anything selfless like that, but to further my career or should I say future career. I want to work in TV or film or something involving film in the entertainment industry. So, I need to buy movies and TV shows, preferably ones that I really like or think are well done. I want to be well versed in all the lingo and I want to know how it works, to the best of my knowledge before I take real courses in it in college. I know I sound insane, but having been like this for most of my teenage life, I am ok with it. I know what I want to do at 16 that is very abnormal. Well, I should have said that I know what I think I want. Who knows what will change in my life and in the world in the time that is going to pass before I am graduating from college and going on or getting a job. But right now more than anything I want to impact the life of someone like me. I want to return the favor and give another teenager something to live for. Something that is involved enough that you can live and breathe and eat it, day in and day out and that it will keep you alive, when nothing else enough. I want to give someone with no friends a whole new set of friends that you care about as much as your family. That you want to succeed. I want to create something with a loyal fan base that will follow the people involved in it where ever they go insuring them success for the rest of their lives. I want the fans of whatever I create to not only be invested in the characters, but in the actors. I want the fans to jump for joy, when they hear the actors have a part and cry when they get married or have children. I want people to get tattoos based on my creation and share it with their children. But here I sit although still in high school passing out frustration to the people who call and pretending I know what I am talking about and that they absolutely can’t do that. When what I want to do is to pass our inspiration and hope and love and perhaps just a little bit of an escape. So here I am with nothing to do, rambling on and on about I’m not really sure what and thinking that I have to clean my room desperately if I want to make any changes in my room. And that most of the changes I want are going to be very hard. But that is another ramble for another day. I have nothing to do and I have nothing to write about. Nothingness is in my near future, nothingness and library fines. But I am content. Well mostly, there are quite a few things that I wanted for Christmas that I didn’t get, but that is not going to cause the world to end…I don’t think. If it does, I apoligise to the 6 billion people that would die and however many animals, 73% of which are insects. Randomness is something that one should never shy away from, it should always be embraced. It gives one a light-hearted feeling of being young again. But my shift has ended and I am done with my workday, so here my epic…rant for lack of a better word ends and I depart. I will write again soon, or at the very least next Friday, when I work again.

Instead of the staff meeting....

2008-12-11T19:19:00.004-07:00

So the Starbucks staff meeting got canceled and Sydney and I had nothing to do, so we went and got food at Big Wrap and at McDonald's and then ate it all....well we at least tried. It was tons of fun and a ton of food. We decided to only do that like once a month.

Christmas Tree

2008-12-02T19:45:00.002-07:00

We put up our tree and I have started Christmas shopping only I don't know what to get my grandparents.

Australia

2008-11-28T20:06:00.003-07:00

My mom called it a big box office film and completely incomparable to other Baz Luhrman movies like Moulin Rouge, but I completely disagree. Now It has to be taken into account that I have never seen Moulin Rouge, but one of my favorite movies is Baz Luhrman's Romeo+Juliet. I thought this was a typical Baz Luhrman movie (I mean that in a good way), showing something in a different way from an interesting perspective. It truly believe that no one else could have pulled off this movie. I thought the performances by Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman where great, but the best actor/character in the movie was King George played by David Gulpilil. His character was amazing and he played it well. Some newspapers have said that Australia fell short or could have been a Disney movie. I have two things to say about that. One, I wish critics would stop beating on movies I like, because I swear critics seem to know very little about the actual moviegoers. And two I completely disagree with those assessments. This a very well done movie, the likes of which you do not see very often, because people (directors/actors) are afraid of them. The story was different and cliche at the same time, but I have to say, at this point what story isn't a cliche. I thought the action scenes were well done and you wanted the characters to succeed. I recommend this movie. Do not listen to my mother, she knows nothing.

Keeping the Pitkin County Library in business

2008-11-27T09:50:00.001-07:00

Summary of Paid Fines
Patron: BIELINSKI RACHEL

DESCRIPTION: High Wizardry [sound record
AMOUNT DUE: $0.50
AMOUNT PAID: $0.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: High Wizardry [sound record
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $0.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Pepperland / Mark Delaney
AMOUNT DUE: $3.00
AMOUNT PAID: $3.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Midwinter Nightingale / Joa
AMOUNT DUE: $4.00
AMOUNT PAID $4.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: The wolves of Willoughby Ch
AMOUNT DUE: $4.00
AMOUNT PAID: $4.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Black hearts in Battersea
AMOUNT DUE: $4.00
AMOUNT PAID: $4.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Falcon's egg / by Luli Gray
AMOUNT DUE: $4.10
AMOUNT PAID: $4.10
DATE PAID 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: The exchange student / Kate
AMOUNT DUE: $3.00
AMOUNT PAID: $3.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Aleutian sparrow / Karen He
AMOUNT DUE: $3.00
AMOUNT PAID: $3.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Charlie Bone and the invisi
AMOUNT DUE: $3.00
AMOUNT PAID: $3.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Midnight for Charlie Bone [
AMOUNT DUE: $3.00
AMOUNT PAID: $3.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: The lovely bones [sound rec
AMOUNT DUE: $4.00
AMOUNT PAID: $4.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Keeping the moon / Sarah De
AMOUNT DUE: $3.00
AMOUNT PAID: $3.00
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Book of enchantments / Patr
AMOUNT DUE: $4.10
AMOUNT PAID: $4.10
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Midnight for Charlie Bone [
AMOUNT DUE: $0.20
AMOUNT PAID: $0.20
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Charlie Bone and the invisi
AMOUNT DUE: $0.20
AMOUNT PAID: $0.20
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Keeping the moon / Sarah De
AMOUNT DUE: $0.20
AMOUNT PAID: $0.20
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Pepperland / Mark Delaney
AMOUNT DUE: $0.20
AMOUNT PAID: $0.20
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: Aleutian sparrow / Karen He
AMOUNT DUE: $0.20
AMOUNT PAID: $0.20
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: The exchange student / Kate
AMOUNT DUE: $0.20
AMOUNT PAID: $0.20
DATE PAID: 10-03-2005

DESCRIPTION: The complete book of spells
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 01-08-2006

DESCRIPTION: The encyclopedia of witches
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 01-08-2006

DESCRIPTION: A league of their own [vide
AMOUNT DUE: $2.10
AMOUNT PAID: $2.10
DATE PAID: 03-01-2006

DESCRIPTION: Joe Camp's Benji [videoreco
AMOUNT DUE: $2.10
AMOUNT PAID: $2.10
DATE PAID: 03-01-2006

DESCRIPTION: What's in a name? / Ellen W
AMOUNT DUE: $1.40
AMOUNT PAID: $1.40
DATE PAID: 03-01-2006

DESCRIPTION: Heart on my sleeve / Ellen
AMOUNT DUE: $1.40
AMOUNT PAID: $1.40
DATE PAID: 03-01-2006

DESCRIPTION: Fairly tale [videorecording]
AMOUNT DUE: $2.10
AMOUNT PAID: $2.10
DATE PAID: 03-01-2006

DESCRIPTION: A woman of valor : Clara Ba
AMOUNT DUE: $1.40
AMOUNT PAID: $1.40
DATE PAID: 03-01-2006

DESCRIPTION: Snow-walker / by Catherine
AMOUNT DUE: $1.40
AMOUNT PAID: $1.40
DATE PAID: 03-01-2006

DESCRIPTION: Poison / Chris Wooding
AMOUNT DUE: $4.90
AMOUNT PAID: $4.90
DATE PAID: 05-30-2006

DESCRIPTION: Ghostbusters 1
AMOUNT DUE: $4.90
AMOUNT PAID: $4.90
DATE PAID: 05-30-2006

DESCRIPTION: Surviving Antarctica : real
AMOUNT DUE: $4.90
AMOUNT PAID: $4.90
DATE PAID: 05-30-2006

DESCRIPTION: Acting : a novel / Sherri W
AMOUNT DUE: $4.90
AMOUNT PAID: $4.90
DATE PAID: 05-30-2006

DESCRIPTION: Black taxi / by James Molon
AMOUNT DUE: $4.90
AMOUNT PAID: $4.90
DATE PAID: 05-30-2006

DESCRIPTION: Street Angel. Volume one. T
AMOUNT DUE: $4.90
AMOUNT PAID: $4.90
DATE PAID: 05-30-2006

DESCRIPTION: Twilight / Stephenie Meyer
AMOUNT DUE: $0.80
AMOUNT PAID: $0.80
DATE PAID: 09-16-2006

DESCRIPTION: Kiki Strike : inside the sh
AMOUNT DUE: $0.80
AMOUNT PAID: $0.80
DATE PAID: 09-16-2006

DESCRIPTION: The lightning thief / Rick
AMOUNT DUE: $0.80
AMOUNT PAID: $0.80
DATE PAID: 09-16-2006

DESCRIPTION: I, Coriander / Sally Gardne
AMOUNT DUE: $0.80
AMOUNT PAID: $0.80
DATE PAID: 09-16-2006

DESCRIPTION: But I don't want to be a mo
AMOUNT DUE: $0.80
AMOUNT PAID: $0.80
DATE PAID: 09-16-2006

DESCRIPTION: It's Superman! : a novel /
AMOUNT DUE: $0.30
AMOUNT PAID: $0.30
DATE PAID: 09-16-2006

DESCRIPTION: Tris's book / by Tamora Pie
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 12-29-2006

DESCRIPTION: Party princess / Meg Cabot
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 12-29-2006

DESCRIPTION: Sandry's book / by Tamora P
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 12-29-2006

DESCRIPTION: The secret hour / Scott Wes
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 12-29-2006

DESCRIPTION: Scrambled eggs at midnight
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 12-29-2006

DESCRIPTION: Carrie: [a novel of a girl
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 12-29-2006

DESCRIPTION: Peter
AMOUNT DUE: $0.50
AMOUNT PAID: $0.50
DATE PAID: 12-29-2006

DESCRIPTION: Sharp north / Patrick Cave
AMOUNT DUE: $4.70
AMOUNT PAID: $4.70
DATE PAID: 04-11-2007

DESCRIPTION: Eragon / Christopher Paolin
AMOUNT DUE: $4.70
AMOUNT PAID: $4.70
DATE PAID: 04-11-2007

DESCRIPTION: The chronicles of Chrestoma
AMOUNT DUE: $4.70
AMOUNT PAID: $4.70
DATE PAID: 04-11-2007

DESCRIPTION: Hattie Big Sky / Kirby Lars
AMOUNT DUE: $4.70
AMOUNT PAID: $4.70
DATE PAID: 04-11-2007

DESCRIPTION: Outlander : a novel / by Di
AMOUNT DUE: $4.70
AMOUNT PAID: $4.70
DATE PAID: 04-11-2007

DESCRIPTION: Eldest / Christopher Paolin
AMOUNT DUE: $3.20
AMOUNT PAID: $3.20
DATE PAID: 04-11-2007

DESCRIPTION: Larklight, or, the revenge
AMOUNT DUE: $2.60
AMOUNT PAID: $2.60
DATE PAID: 06-13-2007

DESCRIPTION: Dragonfly in amber / Diana
AMOUNT DUE: $2.60
AMOUNT PAID: $2.60
DATE PAID: 06-13-2007

DESCRIPTION: Life as we knew it / Susan
AMOUNT DUE: $2.60
AMOUNT PAID: $2.60
DATE PAID: 06-13-2007

DESCRIPTION: Flora Segunda : being the m
AMOUNT DUE: $2.60
AMOUNT PAID: $2.60
DATE PAID: 06-13-2007

DESCRIPTION: Fields of dreams [videorecor
AMOUNT DUE: $0.40
AMOUNT PAID: $0.00
DATE PAID: 07-30-2007

DESCRIPTION: Simply irresistible [videor
AMOUNT DUE: $0.40
AMOUNT PAID: $0.00
DATE PAID: 07-30-2007

DESCRIPTION: Pretty in pink [videorecord
AMOUNT DUE: $0.40
AMOUNT PAID: $0.00
DATE PAID: 07-03-2007

DESCRIPTION: The witches in Eastwick [vi
AMOUNT DUE: $0.40
AMOUNT PAID: $0.00
DATE PAID: 07-30-2007

DESCRIPTION: Skulduggery Pleasant / by D
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 11-27-2007

DESCRIPTION: Shoeless Joe / W.P. Kinsell
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 11-27-2007

DESCRIPTION: The Freedom Writers diary :
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 11-27-2007

DESCRIPTION: Freak show / James St. Jame
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 11-27-2007

DESCRIPTION: Queen's own fool : a novel
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 03-13-2008

DESCRIPTION: Evolution, me
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 03-13-2008

DESCRIPTION: Kiki Strike : the Empress's
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 03-13-2008

DESCRIPTION: The Declaration / Gemma Mal
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 03-13-2008

DESCRIPTION: King gimp [videorecording]
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 03-13-2008

DESCRIPTION: Carpe diem / Autumn Cornwel
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 03-13-2008

DESCRIPTION: Remember me? / Sophie Kinse
AMOUNT DUE: $1.80
AMOUNT PAID: $1.80
DATE PAID: 04-22-2008

DESCRIPTION: No girl needs a husband sev
AMOUNT DUE: $1.80
AMOUNT PAID: $1.80
DATE PAID: 04-22-2008

DESCRIPTION: Winged creatures / Roy Frei
AMOUNT DUE: $1.80
AMOUNT PAID: $1.80
DATE PAID: 04-22-2008

DESCRIPTION: Operation typhoon shore / J
AMOUNT DUE: $1.80
AMOUNT PAID: $1.80
DATE PAID: 04-22-2008

DESCRIPTION: Operation Red Jericho / Jos
AMOUNT DUE: $1.80
AMOUNT PAID: $1.80
DATE PAID: 04-22-2008

DESCRIPTION: Roommates wanted : a novel
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Mary of Nazareth : a novel
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Free a man to fight! [video
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Ceres : celestial legend. V
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Ceres. Vol. 4, Chidori : ce
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: South Beach : the novel / B
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: The life and times of Rosie
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Ceres : celestial legend. V
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Women of courage [videoreco
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: The women who wrote the war
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Looking for salvation at th
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Our mothers' war : American
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Ceres : celestial legend. V
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Fighting n the Jim Crow Ar
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Becky : the life and loves
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Fly girls [videorecording]
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: The undomestic goddess / So
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Dreamcatcher : a novel / St
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Heathers [videorecording] /
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Ceres : celestial legend. V
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Great rock musicals / edite
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Rosie the riveter : women w
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 08-20-2008

DESCRIPTION: Ceres : celestial legend. V
AMOUNT DUE: $5.00
AMOUNT PAID: $5.00
DATE PAID: 10-17-2008

DESCRIPTION: Sisterhood of spies : the w
AMOUNT DUE: $29.95
AMOUNT PAID: $29.95
DATE PAID: 10-17-2008

DESCRIPTION: Pirates of the Caribbean, d
AMOUNT DUE: $1.70
AMOUNT PAID: $1.70
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Ghostgirl / by Tonya Hurley
AMOUNT DUE: $1.20
AMOUNT PAID: $1.20
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Marked / P.C. Cast and Kri
AMOUNT DUE: $1.20
AMOUNT PAID: $1.20
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Graceling / Kristin Cashore
AMOUNT DUE: $0.50
AMOUNT PAID: $0.50
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: The explosionist / Jenny Da
AMOUNT DUE: $1.20
AMOUNT PAID: $1.20
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Vibes / written by Amy Kath
AMOUNT DUE: $1.20
AMOUNT PAID: $1.20
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Girl v. boy / Yvonne Collin
AMOUNT DUE: $1.20
AMOUNT PAID: $1.20
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: In odd we trust / created b
AMOUNT DUE: $1.20
AMOUNT PAID: $1.20
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: The Matrix [videorecording]
AMOUNT DUE: $1.70
AMOUNT PAID: $1.70
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Six feet under. The complet
AMOUNT DUE: $1.90
AMOUNT PAID: $1.90
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Dexter. The first season [v
AMOUNT DUE: $1.70
AMOUNT PAID: $1.70
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: The Matrix [videorecording]
AMOUNT DUE: $0.20
AMOUNT PAID: $0.20
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Dexter. The first season [v
AMOUNT DUE: $0.20
AMOUNT PAID: $0.20
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Pirates of the Caribbean. d
AMOUNT DUE: $0.20
AMOUNT PAID: $0.20
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Batman : the long Halloween
AMOUNT DUE: $0.30
AMOUNT PAID: $0.30
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Batman : the Dark Knight st
AMOUNT DUE: $0.30
AMOUNT PAID: $0.30
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Superman/Batman. Enemies am
AMOUNT DUE: $0.30
AMOUNT PAID: $0.30
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Princess Ben : being a whol
AMOUNT DUE: $0.30
AMOUNT PAID: $0.30
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: I. Q : (book one: Independe
AMOUNT DUE: $0.30
AMOUNT PAID: $0.30
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

DESCRIPTION: Cut / Patricia McCormick
AMOUNT DUE: $1.20
AMOUNT PAID: $1.20
DATE PAID: 11-26-2008

TOTAL: $395.35

Twilight!!!

2008-11-23T19:43:00.005-07:00

Ok, Let's get one thing straight right now. I read Twilight before anyone knew what it was. I did not jump on the bandwagon. It must have been the end of 7th or the beginning of 8th grade. At the time I immediately loved the book, after I read the meadow scene. I made Erin read and it spread from there. So, of course having read the whole series, including Breaking Dawn in two days, while visiting with my Grandparents and cousins and aunt and uncles in Chicago, I went to see the movie on the 21st. I loved it, it was fabulous and they managed to keep most of my favorite scenes in the movie, all except the one where she faints in Biology. I thought all of the scenes were well done and I thought that all of the people cast were perfect for the parts, including those that I started out thinking were a bad idea. I recommend these books and this movie for anyone. I am also excited because the main cast members said they would love to do all four books and I predict that that will happen, because Twilight had an amazing opening weekend and I think will continue to have great sales. I know I have gone twice already and think I will go again, if for no other reason, then to go with Erin.

After seeing it a second time, I did notice something that bothered me, mostly because of something mom said. Bella is supposed to be every teenage girl, there is never really any real description of her and so it allows every read to put their own perspective on Bella. And something that I saw in the books, but didn't translate very well, was that, Bella is NOT just a damsel in distress. There is a lot more to her in the book than there was in the movie. In the book, she doesn't give into Edward as fast and she is more sarcastic. I was sad that my mom came away not liking Bella very much and so I would really like her to read the book. For two reasons, one so she understands why I like it so much and maybe, she will read the series and another because I really want her to stop beating on Bella. But back to the things I liked.

I thought Kellan Lutz as Emmett Cullen was a very smart decision, he very well embodied the character, including his glee for violence and such, without making him seem horrible. I thought the guy, who played Jasper did an incredibly good job at looking in pain constantly, cause that can be very difficult. I wouldn't have originally picked the girl who played Alice to play her, but she did a good job. I have to say though if it was my choice, I might still cast Rachel Leigh Cook as Alice in New Moon. I thought the women who were cast in the parts of Rosalie and Esme were very talented even though at this point in the story neither of those characters really have any depth yet.

I also liked the little details like that crest that everyone wore and the things in the house and the house itself. Technically, the house, the school, and Bella's car were wrong, but I liked them anyway. I am now freaking out about everything Twilight, so even though I sent most people who asked a Christmas list, if you need any more ideas look at the Twilight merchandise on either Amazon.com or Hottopic.com I really liked this movie and I am now reading the books again. I hoep anyone who reads this is interested enough to go see it and help insure that the sequels happen. If they don't I might cry.

Other than that I am still working at both Starbucks and AMC and I am doing pretty well in school. my last report card was all A's and B's. I am hanging out with my friends a lot, but I am still boyfriend-less (my Edward is nowhere to be found) and still a pain-in-the-butt to my mom sometimes. I am junior now and having to think about colleges. I don't really have much of an idea where I am going to end up, but it will probably be somewhere on the East Coast, but I truly have no clue. I miss all my family that's far away and this whole economy thing is freakin' me out, I wish it would just go away. I plan to actually buy/make presents for my friends and family this year and I am excited for Christmas. I can't wait 'til my choir concert and then Break and the tryouts for the Spring musical, which is going to be South Pacific. I want a smallish big part, because I think if you are one of the main characters it is more stressful than fun. So, that's my life right now. I hope to post more often, but knowing me... Well I will update you more later.

'Til the Dawn

2008-11-19T20:50:00.002-07:00

1. Put your iPod (or mp3 player, because not everyone has an iPod) on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!

IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
My Name Is- Eminem

(wow…hehehehe)

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Very Last Moment in Time- Lindsay Lohan

(What the hell is this?? I’ve never heard it before. Listening now.)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
Not Like That- Ashley Tisdale

(What does that mean?? I like normal people?? Not celebrities?)

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Looking For a New Love- Jody Watley

(I haven’t heard this either. Kinda true…)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Mirror- Demi Lovato

(I am not sure what this means. I don’t even really know what this song is about, but I listen to it often)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
The Virginia Company –Pocahontas

(What??? Hehehehe Alrighty then…)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Silent Sea – KT Tunstall
(is this good or bad? I don’t know)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Tremble for My Beloved –Collective Soul

(um…if this means I think about things I like or love a lot it’s right.)

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Make Someone Happy – Seal

(okay… making people happy is good, but Christmas songs are random)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
She Drives Me Crazy-Fine Young Cannibals

(well this is true in that all my friends are mildly annoying and drive me up the wall and awkward.. so yay for two in one.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Pilate and Christ – Jesus Christ Superstar

(what the heck does that mean??)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Rent – Rent (the musical)

(well, that is disheartening. I was hoping to have quite a different story.)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Rumors- Lindsay Lohan

(ok kinda true… I don’t want to be Lindsay Lohan, but famous… and an actress, and a singer, but I really want to go into Television and Film.)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Don’t Let It End – Styx

(well, true I don’t want the school year to end, because he’s graduating, but it’s not like he cares I exist, so…)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
White Ladder – David Gray

(what does that mean? I hope it’s good, my mom likes David Gray…so maybe)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
Who Said – Hannah Montana

(if anyone plays this at my wedding I will kill them, and be extremely angry… mostly)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll – Bobby Yang

(I can deal with that, but random, seriously)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Thank You For the Music – ABBA

(Well… I do like music…)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Banana Pancakes – Jack Johnson

(um…huh?? I like this song, but what?)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Paper Aeroplane – KT Tunstall

(I don’t really listen to this song. Does that mean I don’t listen to my friends?)

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Don’t Let Me Down – No Doubt

(someone letting me down is the worst that could happen?? Or is it something else, like my boyfriend dumping me and not being able to let go of him?? Wait, what boyfriend?)

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Father of Mine – Everclear

(What does that mean??? It is nonsensical!!)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
My Vision – Seal

(I like this song, but …it’s a happy song. Well, maybe loosing control, wait that makes sense!)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Good Times Bad Times – Bobby Yang

(um…ok)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
Dites-Moi – South Pacific

(I have never listened to this in my life)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
This Is Me – Demi Lovato

(Does that mean yes or no??)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
(It Must’ve Been Ol’) Santa Claus – Harry Connick, Jr.

(I’m afraid of Santa?!?! Hehehehehehe maybe afraid that I don’t have that giving spirit, but…)

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Whatever You Do! Don’t – Shania Twain

(um…)

WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Not Yet – Demi Lovato

(I would change how much I want a boyfriend? What?)

WHAT HURTS THE MOST?
Paper Planes – MIA

(Drugs hurts the most? It hurts other people. Wait and me because I have friends who do stuff.)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
‘Til The Dawn – Drew Sidora

Homecoming, Dance, and the college fair

2008-09-28T19:17:00.003-06:00

I went to the Homecoming game on Friday night and it was a lot of fun. We won 41-0. I went with my friend Nicole who works at Explore and is actually from Chicago and my friend Erin who is on dance team. After we won most of the school streamed on to the field and we all did the "We Are ASPEN" chant together. After the game I went to Erin's house and spent the night. Then I spent the whole day with her and we got ready for the Homecoming dance together.

The dance was very fun. I decided that I was going to dance the whole time no matter how stupid I felt and I ended up having a great time. It was way more fun than I thought it was going to be. The only thing that I didn't like is that it was a 80's themed dance and they only played like one 80's song. It was mildly annoying. But on the upside, Erin and I did make friends with this guy who is David Silver to a T (for those of you who are 90210 fans) and his name is Omar (I think). But I am not even kidding he acts like David and talks like David and dances and walks like David, it was kinda weird and Erin and I have decided that we are going to call him David.

Then today starting at 11:00 was the Western Slope college fair. I went last year and looked at colleges to try to widen my search area. This year I went to narrow my search area and I actually ended up making it bigger. I looked at Hammline, McDaniel, Lake Forrest, StBenedict's/St John's, and several others. I am not really sure what I want to major in/do with my life, but I think I want it to be something to do with theater/flim/television and History and English/writing. It was kinda fun and now Mom is talking about maybe visting colleges this summer. I am actually excited, but then I get worried about if I will get into the college of my choice and if I do how I will pay for it. Oh well, that is something to worry about later.

This weekend was very busy, basically packed full, all I can hope is that next weekend is more restful.

Frickin' A

2008-09-26T18:03:00.005-06:00

I am really angry with my mom right now. I am supposed to meet a friend of mine at Explore to go to the Homecoming football game, just before seven. But first I have to go to my mom's office to get money, because my parents don't carry cash. I was supposed to get on the 6 o'clock bus but now it is 6:04 because after the game I am supposed to go to a friend's house, but to go I have to post. So here I posted and I missed the bus. So, I am very angry right now and am now running about 20 minutes late. And I am angry that I have to take all my stuff to Erin's house. So yeah that's it.

A Whole Heck of a Lot

2008-09-19T20:41:00.006-06:00

There has been a lot going on with me and I have not really had time, plus I keep forgetting to post. So here I am with an update. I have turned in all my homework, so far. I have all A's and one B (NOT because of missing work). All in all school is going very well right now. I am also doing a 7-8 week internship with Aspen Public Radio which should be interesting and a lot of fun. I am going to start dance again in early October and plan to do the musical (which takes place second semester. I now have two jobs, I work at my mom's office and at Starbucks and I am debating going on another completely different People to People trip, but I am unsure I am going to be able to raise the money. I am also spending more time just chilling with my friends, so my year is going pretty good so far.

I am taking 7 classes this year, 4 of which are advanced. I am taking Applied Knowledge, Biology II, IB History, IB English, IB Math Studies, IB Theater and Concert Choir.

Applied Knowledge is a semester course. It is being taught by a man has been teaching for over 20 years named Kirk Gregory and he is one of the most interesting people. The point of the class is to learn about knowledge itself and to learn how to use it. Its a pretty good class, if just a little random, we haven't had any large homework assignments yet, mostly just reading and/or worksheets.

I am also taking Bio II which is a year long course. This is taught by a woman named Karen Zohar, who is very...unique. She is very energetic and passionate about science and has a tendency to do things like randomly start sing, "I'm dreaming of a quiet classroom," and of course everyone shuts up. In my school you have to take Bio I to graduate, so I took it Freshman year and I thought it was okay, so I figured I would take Bio II, if nothing else to make sure I had enough science credits. We haven't had anything really big yet, but we have reading almost every night and we already had a test which I did well on.

IB History is a two year type of advanced history course. It is almost like AP, but it is internationally recognized instead. My teacher is named Chris Bonadies and I am telling you he has weird way of teaching that I am actually finding it difficult to cope with. He never stops talking, even during tests and movies and it drives me crazy. So far we are learning about Latin American history, which I personally find incredibly annoying, its just not my thing. I like European history. As far as homework, we again haven't had anything large, but total we have probably done about 60-70 pages of reading. I am actually having a hard time with that which is why my grade in that class is only a B. Apparently I wasn't getting everything I was supposed to out of the reading and my grade on one of the quizzes wasn't that good, so now I am working to fix it mostly by reading things more thoroughly.

IB English is a two year advanced English class. My teacher is one I had Freshman year named Marybeth Thompson. She is kinda crazy and actually afraid of cotton balls, yes you read right, cotton balls. If she is close to them she actually starts to hyperventilate and she can't touch them, so if put them on the door to her classroom... Anyway, the class is pretty hardcore. We have already done a 5-7 minute oral presentation and a paper and are now starting our second book, Heart of Darkness by James Conrad. Its a pretty fun good class, even though the teacher is insane. We are finishing up Apocalypse Now in class on Monday.

IB Math Studies is a two year advanced math course. It is the lower level for people who are probably NOT going into professions where math is going to factor heavily. It is being taught by a guy named Ian Wagner and he is very nice and a good teacher. I just happen to be a stupid math student, sometimes he has to explain things to me like three times, before I get it. So far we have learned about TOK of math and about sets and Venn diagrams. We have had two test and I got A's on both of them. One thing I have to say is there is a lot of homework. Just the typical solve the math problem, but way more than last year.

IB Theater is a two year advanced theater course. I am taking it because theater is something I might want to do professionally and if I don't do that I will always be involved in it in some way. It is being taught by a teacher that is new to our school district named Lara Okamoto. She is very young, but a good teacher. It is a very fun class. We play a game at the beginning of every class and some games we have played are Whoosh, Protector-enemy, YA!, and Emotional Dinner Party. We have had almost no homework so far, but we have learned about the components of a production and we have also done several exercises on character development. Right now in class we are learning about the Isms, which are arts movements and are writing a collaborative play using all eight of them. The Eight Isms are: Constructivism, Expressionism, Romanticism, Realism, Naturalism, Absurdism, Surrealism, Symbolism. Its a great class.

My last class is the most easy one. That is Concert Choir. I took it because I love to sing, but my voice is not very trained and I want to get better. It is taught by a woman who has been teaching Choir for over 30 years I think she said. We are singing Les Miserables, Aladdin, the Skye Boat Song, the First Noel, and Phantom of the Opera and I am trying to get her to consider singing Mr. Roboto by Styx, or Ain't No Mountain High Enough or Heard It Through The Grapevine or Somebody to Love or Bohemian Rhapsody just to mix it up. Our first concert is on December 3rd.

Other that there is not much going on. I am now taking Aderol daily to try and help me focus. My friend Chengi who moved away after 8th grade is back and very easily slid back into her old spot. I really like this show called Bones that is now in its fourth season on Fox. That's about it. I will try to blog again soon.

90210!!!

2008-09-03T11:27:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know you want to hear about my life and I promise I will fill you in tomorrow, but first...

90210 started yesterday. I was super excited. I went straight home from school for the first time this year. I buffed out my room, even under my bed and I did all my homework. I was determined to go watch the premiere of 90210 and these were the condtitions. So, I finished my homework at 6:51 pm. This meant I had nine mimutes to get over to Grandma and Papa's condo. Steve actually ended up driving me (Thank you, Steve!), but I still missed the very beginning.

But I really liked the show. I enjoyed how they tied the two shows together. For example: Kelly Taylor is in the new show as a guidence counselor and Mel and Jackie's daughter is in it. Also Shannen Doherty is back as Brenda for at least the first couple episodes. The same actress who played Kelly' mom in the original show is playing her again so that's kinda cool. They did a really good job of making the story the same yet very different. Beverly Hills, 90210 was revolutionary. It changed a lot of things about TV and they could never re-make it, but they have done a smashing job of modernizing it.

Now, I don't know much about the show yet, but here is what I do remember.

There are the main characters Dixon and Annie. They are the Brenda and Brandon equivalent. They moved from Kansas and Dixon is adopted, but their dad thinks he was on 90210, but he really wasn't. Annie is into theater and likes a bunch of guys right away and loves her brother very much. Sound like anyone you know. But Dixon seems to be his own character and almost a mix between Brandon and Steve.

Then there is Naomi. She is the weird, mean, popular girl. She is dating this guy, but when he cheats on her she cheats back, which is totally the way to solve this issue. She was the person who annoyed me the most.

Then we have Ethan who is dating Naomi. He is this big jock that is nice and very much a bastard at the same time. He plays lacrosse and is the big jock on campus. He reminds me of Steve, but he is actually not Steve-like at all.

Then we have Navid who is the news guy. He is actually a cross between Andrea and David. I like him, but it annoys me that we don't have an Andrea in this show. You know, the really smart girl who is from a bad background and the like. Navid is very loyal and is Dixon's friend and the fact that his dad is an X-rated movie producer was unexpected and funny. Although I have to say that he might be gay.

Here we have the first character from the original show Erin Silver. She goes by Silver and I think she is my favorite so far. She is a pretty nice girl, but she has a funky fashion sense and a mean streak. Shes runs a vlog called the Viscous Circle. I was really excited about her.

Ryan Matthews is the young English teacher, who actually is interested in Kelly Taylor. He seems pretty cool, but I can guarntee the fact that he is yoing and hot will efffect the story line greatly.

Then there is Harry Wilson and Debbie Wilson, who are the parents and like the Walshes, not quite sure what to do with this new environment. I think they will have a more interesting dynamic than the Walshes, so keep an eye out for that.

Tabitha Wilson is Harry's alcoholic, aging, sick mother. She is a character and does and says the most random things. She will add an element of constant comedy to a sow that can get very drama heavy.

Some of the returning cast is Jeannie Garth, Shannen Doherty and the girl who played David and Kelly and Erin's mother. It is also possible that some of the other original cast members will come back at some point. I noticed some thingas that I am sure that Brenda said to her parents in the pilot. And I noticed a ton of hat tipping towards the old show. They will not forget that it happened and they are going to acknowledge it. I am very excited about this show. I hope it will be good and survive. I hope I am able to keep up.

Look What I made...

2008-08-21T21:04:00.002-06:00

I did this. To Sydney: You are seeing things this is not an almost 10 minute movie all about the JBs, No..never. I had my first day of school today, it was fun and scary. My friend Chengi moved back from Seattle after like 4 year so that was a blast from the past. I have IB Theater tomorrow for the first time so I am excited. That's about it. I am going to a KT Tunstall concert on Monday with my mom and Sydney so that should be fun. I will try to post tomorrow. bye ya!

My Schedule & My "awesomestestest" friend Sydney

2008-08-14T15:54:00.003-06:00

Pictures of me and Sydney trying to be cool and of Sydney trying to be vogue.

Yesterday I went to school and got my locker and schedule. Then today I went back to the school with my friend Sydney, so that we could compare our schedules and where our lockers are. We have Biology II, IB Theater, IB English, and IB History together. We wanted to have choir together, but due to the fact that we are in two different levels of math that was impossible. We also got the History and English teachers we didn't want, but instead of rearranging our schedules we have decided to just deal with it. We also met the new theater teacher. She seemed very nice and like she would be a good teacher. She had an easy time talking to us like fellow humans beings, unlike some teachers who talk to students like some inferior species. She was small, but it definitely seemed like she understood students. We also found out that our new assistant principal has red hair. So that's about it. But Sydney wants to talk.

Sydney Speaks:
OWWWW!I just hit my knee on Rachel's big white desk. that monstrosity. Like Rachel said, our new Vice PrinciPAL has red hair!!! what a ginger! it makes me happy. Our Principal...charlie..says we can call him CRONZY! it will soooo stick. i willl make sure of it. So yeah, we got our schedules and all that jazz. Speaking of music, we're listening to the.... drumroll please....the JONAS BROTHERS! Apparently, they're madly in love with me....Rachel, god bless her little heart, has a serious obsession. im considering asking her if she wants to check herself into that mental hospital in "Girl, Interrupted." I think she needs to make a few sociopath friends and that one girl who puts entire chicken carcasses under her bed. Then, she hangs herself. I think it would make her feel less crazy. ahaha maybe i need to go there. You can sneak me in things to keep me occupied until im done undergoing treatment. Wow, i just went off on a rant there. Anyways, School will be a blast...oh wait, Rachel's talking about the Jonas brothers now/.One minute...i must inflict unbelievable pain on her.....*hits* STOP TALKING ABOUT THE JONAS BROTHERS!~ *smiles* anyways folks, I know you love my amazing antics, but rachel's begun talking to appliances and calling her Ipod deck a HOE(as in garden appliance) so here come the meds! haha....*smiles nervously as Rachel attempts to call her computer a bleep....so i think ill go now.
peace, love, and whatever you do, always stay on your meds.

So that was my best friend Sydney. She's um... lost her medication. But don't worry I have tranquilizers. No, she's great and really smart although apparently doesn't believe in capitalizing things. Okay well, we have to go to her house and watch Roswell, Buffy, and Bones. I will report back tomorrow and let you know if I survive. Peace Out!

New Jonas Brothers Album!!!

2008-08-13T16:16:00.003-06:00

The new Jonas Brothers album called A Little Bit Longer came out yesterday and I love it. It has a bunch of great songs and it really shows how much they have grown as people and as musicians. I will do a track by track rating.

1. BB Good-- This song is about wanting a girl to be true to you and has some kinda funny moments in it. Not my favorite song, but it has a decent beat and some pretty good guitar, but it kinda sounds like Joe is really straining his voice.

2.Burnin' Up-- I have heard this song way too many times, but that aside it is a very good summer song. It was inspired by Prince and showcases their vocal abilities, especially Nick. Also, Big Rob raps on the track which is a departure from their usual style.

3. Shelf-- I don't really like this song, it seems kinda pointless and reminds me of typical teeny bopper music. Its about a girl who won't even give you a try and is just okay. Nick does hit some pretty high notes, so that's interesting.

4. One Man Show-- Probably my favorite song on the album. I love the beat. It has more of a rock vibe and is very opinionated and strong. In this song they are fed up with girls and are just like I am fine alone. Joe and Nick do a really good job with this song. I just really like it.

5. Lovebug-- This is a very interesting song, because besides the singing, which really shows that they have good voices, there is talking. Alot of it is very random, Joe says stuff like "Get off the cake" and " I dropped my pencil". The song itself is a love song about being in love again and getting to know thw girl better. It is a little more folky sounding except for the end. It s an all around great song.

6. Tonight-- This song is about a couple fighting and the fact that they aren't going to figure it out right then. Its like they need space to think or whatever. I think its a good song for them becasuse a lot of people go through stuff like that. It has a decent beat and very good vocals as always.

7. Can't Have You-- This is a pretty sad song, its about a girl leaving her boyfriend or something like that and how he kinda took her for granted and now he sees how stupid he was. And how the only girl he really wants is her and he can't have her and so he doesn't want anyone else.

8. VideoGirl-- I really like this song as well. It starts with a girl saying "OMG, Did you hear I'm dating a Jonas Brother? Its so hot!" I think the girl is Megan Jette Martin, one their co-stars from Camp Rock. Its just about people who care too much about fame and money and use people to get it.

9. Pushin' Me Away-- I really like this song because there are a lot of different sounds in it and it is again something that is very relevant. Joe's vocals are amazingly great and so are Nick's. There is also this one part where Nick goes "Aaahhhh", that is really random, but fun.

10. Sorry-- In this song the boys apoligize for every promise that they weren't around to keep. it was written with their producer and there is some speculation that Nick wrote it with Miley in mind. Just a good song and a good message.

11. Got Me Going Crazy-- I really like the opening riff in this song. This is the typical cookie cutter song about someone driving you crazy. Briney did it Ashley did it and now them. Its still a good song, just a little bit predictible.

12. A Little Bit Longer--This is a very good song and great to listen to when you just got bad news. I like the lyrics and the music and the fact that he uses cliches. But I have heard the story of this song too many times. I understand finding out about his diabetes was hard and scary. I like the song and its message and I even like the story, but I wish people would stop asking about it.

Overall I really love this album. I love the fact that their are little suprises on each song.

Plus I have the actually physical CD which has CD+Vu. This means that when you put it in your computer this program comes up and you can see all this extra stuff on the Cd, printible photos, downloadable walpapers, behind the scenes vidoes, and more. It is a great feature.

I love the CD and the Jonas Brothers. Go buy it!!!

Jonas Brothers

2008-07-16T19:05:00.009-06:00

I really really like the Jonas Brothers. In case, you live under a rock or don't have children and don't know who they are, I will tell you. They are a musical group that has been together for 3 years. They are actual brothers. The oldest is Paul "Kevin" Jonas II who is 20, but turns 21 on November 5th. The middle brother is Joseph Adam Jonas who is 18, but turns 19 on August 15th. The youngest brother in Nicholas Jerry Jonas who is 15, but turns 16 on September 16th. They actually have another younger brother who is not in the band named Frank Nathaniel Jonas and is 7. They have released 2 albums and their 3rd comes out on August 12th. They are in the middle of their Burnin' Up tour to promote their new album. when they travel on tour and the like that whole family comes. They are devoted Christians and all three have purity/chastity/promise rings.

Anyway... the reason I like them is their music is a lot of fun and it contains experiences that a lot of teenagers go though, because they write all their own music. Their single, Pushin' Me Away, is number one on iTunes right now. I think its very cool how close they are to their family and how "normal" they are. Another thing I think is cool is that Nick has diabetes, but he doesn't let that stop him from doing what he loves. They are all so dedicated and I think that's amazingly fabulous. I am never going to be able to properly express how much I like them in a blog post, but I thought I should try.
Here is the music video for Burnin' Up:

Here is a picture of Joe (my favorite):
This is Kevin (Erin's favorite):

And this is Nick (favorite of half the world):So there you have it. The Jonas Brothers who have been breaking records with their sold out shows and bringing joy to millions of people. I don't care what anyone says they do have talent. And if you are sitting there right now doubting my taste in music , I just wanted to share with you that I am also a big fan of Led Zeppelin, Cream, Deep Purple, Seal, Rihanna, Eminem, ABBA, Aretha Franklin, and many others.
I love the Jonas Brothers and I hope they stay strong and keep making amazing music.

Hate Will NOT Win!

2008-07-12T17:42:00.008-06:00

I am not AFRAID...
I am the girl kicked out of her home because I confided in my mother that I am a lesbian.
I am the prostitute working the streets because nobody will hire a transsexual woman.
I am the sister who holds her gay brother tight through the painful, tear-filled nights.
We are the parents who buried our daughter long before her time.
I am the man who died alone in the hospital because they would not let my partner of twenty-seven years into the room.
I am the foster child who wakes up with nightmares of being taken away from the two fathers who are the only loving family I have ever had. I wish they could adopt me.
I am one of the lucky ones, I guess. I survived the attack that left me in a coma for three weeks, and in another year I will probably be able to walk again.
I am not one of the lucky ones. I killed myself just weeks before graduating high school. It was simply too much to bear.
We are the couple who had the realtor hang up on us when she found out we wanted to rent a one-bedroom for two men.
I am the person who never knows which bathroom I should use if I want to avoid getting the management called on me.
I am the mother who is not allowed to even visit the children I bore, nursed, and raised. The court says I am an unfit mother because I now live with another woman.
I am the domestic-violence survivor who found the support system grow suddenly cold and distant when they found out my abusive partner is also a woman.
I am the domestic-violence survivor who has no support system to turn to because I am male.
I am the father who has never hugged his son because I grew up afraid to show affection to other men.
I am the home-economics teacher who always wanted to teach gym until someone told me that only lesbians do that.
I am the man who died when the paramedics stopped treating me as soon as they realized I was transsexual.
I am the person who feels guilty because I think I could be a much better person if I didn‚t have to always deal with society hating me.
I am the boy tied to a fence, beaten to a bloody pulp and left to die because two straight men wanted to "teach me a lesson."
I am the man who stopped attending church, not because I don't believe, but because they closed their doors to my kind.
I am the person who has to hide what this world needs most, love.
I am the guy who came out to the entire school in his senior speech and got a standing ovation for his courage.
I am the girl who kisses her girlfriend on the sidewalk and laughs at those who glare.
We are the couple who planned and studied and got a damn good lawyer and BEAT the state that wanted to take our child away.
We are the ones who took martial arts classes and carry pepper spray and are just too dangerous to gaybash.
I am the transgendered person who uses the bathroom that suits me, and demands that any complaining staff explain their complaint to my face in front of the entire restaurant -- and shares with my other trans friends which restaurants /don't/ raise a stink.
I am the mother who told her lesbian daughter to invite her girlfriend over for dinner.
I am the father who punished his son for calling you a fag.
I am the preacher who told my congregation that love, not hate, is the definition of a true follower of God.
I am making a difference. Hate will NOT win.

From queermarriage.com

I thought this was cool, and I showed it to my mom and she told me I should post it here so I did.

We Campaign

2008-07-05T10:04:00.000-06:00

The above movie is an ad for a campaign called the We Campaign. This was started by Al Gore using the money from the Nobel Prize, as well as his own money to fund it. This campaign is to promote the world banding together to help stop/slow down/prevent Global Warming. I like the idea presented in this ad that everyone no matter our differences can all band together to help the world. There are two more ads that share this same principle, the one with Pat Roberson and Al Sharpton, as well the one with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich. Both of those comercials says that these people are willing to put aside their differences and work towards the same goal of saving our planet. I think this is a worthy cause that needs to be brought to everyone's attention.

Bones

2008-07-04T21:59:00.003-06:00

I have started watching a new show. Well, its not new to anyone else as its third season is coming out on DVD soon, but it is new to me. I started watching it because one of the main characters is played by an actor named David Boreanaz. The reason this is important is that he is also the actor who played Angel on Buffy and then went off to star in his own show, which was a spin-off of Buffy. This show is based on the real life of forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs. The main character is named Temperance Brennan a.k.a Bones and she lives in Washington D.C. She works with an F.B.I agent named Seeley Booth in solving crimes and the like. It is a very funny, witty, and all around smart show. I have actually learned a lot. But it is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. They show you a lot of the dead bodies that Bones works with as well as a lot of the procedures she and other people perform at the Medico Legal Labs. But if you are not squeamish and you like smart witty banter and good looking F.B.I. agents than you should definitely check this show out.

New Chair!!!

2008-07-01T18:03:00.004-06:00

So, I was going to write about Get Smart yesterday, but my parents flaked on me and so we didn't go, hence no post from yesterday. Today, I am blogging about my new chair, but I have a friend over (Erin) so it won't be long. Yesterday, I sat in my six year old chair and it broke. I ended up on the ground. So, since my mom was already going downvalley (where all the stores live), I asked her to get me a chair. She did and then Erin and I put it together without any help from adults. Yay us!! So, I have a new chair and am writing this post while sitting in it.

So...

2008-06-29T15:25:00.003-06:00

I went to a wedding yesterday. It was the wedding of my longtime mentor Wendy Wogan (now Wendy Wogan Williams). It was a lot of fun and I made friends with two of Wendy's new nieces, Abby and Renee. I enjoyed the ceremony and the reception was fun as well. It brought back memories of my mom's wedding as I am sure that is the last one I went to. I got back really late last night and still haven't taken a shower so I still have makeup on my face and hairspray in my hair. But other than that my summer has been pretty chill so far.

I am working as much as I can at my mom's work and I might start working fro Wendy tutoring her two sons, because they hate their current tutor. I have also finished one of my summer reading books. I don't really have any plans for the rest of the summer and I am waiting to hear back from my dad about going to his house at some point before school starts. My grandparents have been out once already this summer and are planning on coming out again. I don't know yet if I am going to be able to go to Chicago this summer, but I am hoping I will be able to fit it in. I only have one last thing to say, Yay summer!

Brian Setzer

2008-06-23T11:12:00.002-06:00

On Saturday night, I went to see the Brian Setzer Orchestra. They were very good and it was tons of fun. The played my three favorite songs, which are Jump Jive an' Wail; Dirty Boogie; and This Cat's on a Hot Tin Roof. They also played some Stray Cats songs as well. It was just tons of fun. I got their new CD and Steve got a T-shirt. I was really glad I went.

News Update!!

2008-06-22T10:59:00.002-06:00

Let's see, since you last heard from me a lot of stuff has happened. After I found out about my grades, my mom and I went searching for a place where I could improve my study skills, because that was the only disconnect. I have the information and the brain to do all the homework. I am just bad at managing my time and the like. So I started doing this study skills guide thing from the Virginia Tech website and I think it will really help me. The only problem is that it is built to be done during the school year. But there are still some things that I can do now that will help me when school comes around. One of them is to create a semester schedule, then a monthly schedule, then a weekly schedule and then to create a daily schedule at the beginning of each day. I am doing that even though it is harder with the absence of normal classes. I am also working my way through my three assigned reading books and I am working almost everyday so all in all this summer is going pretty well.

Okay, maybe I didn't survive finals...

2008-06-13T20:13:00.005-06:00

I found out today that I did worse than I thought in school this last semester. I got a D- in World History and and F in both French and Chemistry. My mom and stepdad are disappointed and I am sure that my dad and my grandparents will be when they find out. I am disappointed in myself, because I know I can do better. Or I least I have to believe it to keep going. I have already started my 3 summer reading books and I think will now devote a little more focus to them in an effort to get the best grades I can next year. I am also trying to make-up my epic failure to my mom. I am going to post everyday and try to write a fully developed story once a week to train myself to work better under pressure. I am also going to work pretty much full time. I am also going to do my best to follow though with organizing and paying for my own private dance lessons. I also am going to try to motivate myself to exercise more. I am going to do all this stuff in an effort to teach myself discipline, which is the only thing missing in the equation to make me a straight-A student.

All of that is well and good, but the problem is that I say stuff like that all the time and have yet to prove it. Well, this year it is my goal to prove it and hopefully with the help of my friends and family I will accomplish that goal, before my mom sends me to military school.

I survived finals and then went to Florida

2008-06-12T12:32:00.002-06:00

Sorry I haven't posted recently. I was really busy studying for finals and freaking out that I was going to fail something. I think I did pretty good though. But anyways I was so busy that I didn't have time to post. Then the day after school got out, Thursday June 5th. My mom and I went to Orlando, Florida. My mom had a conference, but we went early, because we wanted to go to Disney World. We got there on Thursday and went basically straight to Epcot. It was fun and I enjoyed it, but as Mom said later it was kind of like paying admission just to spend money to eat and buy stuff. There were extended hours at Epcot that night, but we didn't stay long after the park closed. Then on Friday we went to the Magic Kingdom, which is the main park in Disney World. It was fun. We went on a bunch of rides and then I lost one of my contacts on Splash Mountain. We stayed at the park for a while after I lost my glasses, I actually rode the Haunted Mansion ride while only being able to see out of one eye. Then we went back to the hotel and I got a new contact and I took a nap while mom went for a walk. Then we went to Downtown Disney to eat and look around the shops there. After all of that we went back to the Magic Kingdom to finish up our day. We had found out earlier the Pirates of the Caribbean was closed for two weeks. I was very upset, because I had been looking forward to going on the ride and seeing the changes, because they added Jack Sparrow and some of the other characters from the movie to the ride. We watched the parade and the fireworks. Then we went on some more rides and as there were extended hours at the Magic Kingdom that day we stayed at the park until 2 am. Then the next day we went to Disney's Hollywood Studios, which was pretty cool, I guess. There wasn't much to do though, so we weren't there long. We did go on the Rock and Roller Coaster, which was Areosmith themed and that was fun. I also went on the Tower of Terror which wasn't that amazing. Then we switched hotels and moved out of the Disney hotel and into the Gaylord Palms, because Mom's conference was there. I am bored now so I will tell you the rest later.

um....

2008-05-25T21:30:00.000-06:00

Nothing really happened today. Sydney was maybe going to come down and hang out with me, but she didn't. I watched some movies and finished most of my homework. I have nothing else to say. So I will post tomorrow.

Footloose

2008-05-24T23:48:00.002-06:00

I just finished the movie Footloose. I have to say, I am not really sure that I liked it. It was a typical 80's movie and it was very predictable. I disliked most of the main characters, even Ren and Ariel. the only people I like were Rusty and her kinda boyfriend whose name escapes me. I thought the music was okay and the dancing was really weird. It was hard for me to think of Kevin Bacon as the type of person that needs to be in this role. The townspeople and the preacher were so annoying and I wanted to shoot them, because they were being so stupid about something as simple as a high school prom. I liked the end, but the rest of the movie was just not for me. But I'm still going to see the remake that Zac Efron is staring in.

Another Regular Day

2008-05-23T23:01:00.000-06:00

I am spending the night at Sydney's tonight and we were going to go to the park, but it was raining. So, instead we watched a lot of Smallville and then we talked her dad into taking us to the store to buy popcorn and Popsicles. It was a pretty uneventful night. we weren't even up that late. We also figured out exactly what part of the house Sydney's room is over, because we were bored. I had the most comfortable sleep I had ever had a her house because I slept sideways. That's about it.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-05-22T18:33:00.000-06:00

Today, I went to see Indiana Jones with Sydney, because we are both really big fans. It was fun. I thought it was great that they used the old Paramount logo,because it was hearkening back to the original Indiana's. The story line was actually really decent and I enjoyed the fact that Karen Allen had a cameo as her character Marion Ravenwood. I thought it was a good move on the studio's part. I enjoyed the movie, but it was a little to sci-fi for an Indiana Jones movie. It wasn't like the old ones which were all history based there was a lot of magic and fantasy in it. But regardless it was good and I think based on the ending that they will be making another one. The only real problem I had with it was that there was a lot of CGI, I wish they had used more old-school techniques to do the stunts and special effects.

Erin's Birthday

2008-05-21T19:53:00.002-06:00

Today was Erin's birthday and I forgot to get her a present, so I have to get one. Oops! We went bowling and it was fun. I actually did pretty well, and I got a strike. it was fun, but we only bowled two games. I wish we had done more. Indiana Jones comes out tomorrow, I am really excited. Sydney and I are supposed to be going right after school tomorrow. But I can't check the movie times until tomorrow, so if it is too early or too late, we can't go. That's about it. Also today was my last day of Heroes class forever. Yay!!! Plus, Sydney was trying to channel Micheal Jackson at the bowling alley and tried to do the splits and sprained something. For the rest of the night she walked funny.

Forums

2008-05-20T20:14:00.002-06:00

I love forums, because you can say what you want and no one can get in your face about it. There are forums on Fanfiction.net and they are a lot of fun. I have found a lot of people to be friends with. I think i will continue to go on often.

Today, Dara started randomly talking to us again. We excepted her apology, but we both agree, that we might not be able to trust her to not do it again, oh well. Erin is trying out for Ruckus, which is our school dance team. I am ready for summer. I just want this year to end, so I can start fresh next year.

I am going to go back to my forum and my movie now. TTFN!

I have nothing to say

2008-05-19T18:19:00.003-06:00

Today was the senior awards assembly. It was held in the district theater and all the freshmen and sophomores had to sit upstairs in the balcony. The issue with that is the sophomore class is really big and so we didn't all fit. About half the freshmen class (and me) were sitting on the stairs or on other people's laps. This is illegal because it's a fire hazard but the teachers didn't seem to know that. So of course, because it's a fire hazard, the fire alarm gets pulled. So we all had to exit the building. I almost got trampled. Sorry, thinking. Mommie!!!! No, no, no, no, no, no. Giggle, giggle, giggle.

I found out later that they um thought the fire alarm had been pulled but it didn't show up on the grid and so they don't know who pulled it or where. Wow, you would think high tech things would work better.

After we came back in from the fire drill thing ish, ok or you can say that, STOP IT!, that doesn't make any sense, STOP IT!, giggle, giggle, Ugh. Ok.

Um, a bunch of the kids went downstairs and so there were empty seats. That was good but I still sat on the stairs because the only place to sit was far away from my friends and very close to Dara, who I'm not talking to.

Don't type this. What do I say after that? Stop it. I'm asking for input here. Ahhhh!

Giggle, giggle, giggle.

Wow.

Ummm, Mom is being annoying. She's typing this for me and has decided to type everything I say. That makes this really confusing. Oh well. Ow.

Um. I don't know what else happened today. Oh, I had detention and Erin tried out for Ruckus. Oh, you spelled it right. (of course, I did.) eh, um, giggle. this makes me laugh. i wish you would stop. stope? giggle. Ok. Um, I, oh, I'm reading the Chronicles of Narnia, again. But I think I told you that already.

Have I told you that I really like lime popsicles? They, they, they're just really good. You had to put my stutter in there? Hmmph.

giggle.

I think I'm done now. Is this a post? No, no, no, no. I said, this post! This post appears to be longer than it is. I will post tomorrow. This is funny, I'm entertained by this. Goodnight.

Nothingness

2008-05-18T20:59:00.002-06:00

Absolutely nothing happened today! I spent the night at Sydney's house and when we got up we watched Smallville and then Stargate SG-1. It was relaxing and fun. I left her house around 4 and I had to take the bus home which I hate, but more so going downvalley, so this wasn't that bad. I came home and just hung out. I am kinda tired. I am reading the Chronicles of Narnia books again, because I just saw the second movie. I have school tomorrow.

I went to the park last night with Sydney and I spent most of my time on the swings. I thought about our tiny backyard and how a swing set, would probably, just fit. It made me really want a swing set in our backyard, but the problem is I don't think the swing set I want exists. I want a set with two swings and I want it to be stable. I would prefer wooden flat seats as opposed to the ones to the plastic one at most parks that squeeze your hips. I have been looking for a picture to go with this post for about half an hour and I can't seem to find the right thing. Oh well. I will post tomorrow.

Battle of the Bands 08

2008-05-17T20:08:00.002-06:00

Today, I went to the Battle of the Bands, it was alot of fun. I was there with Sydney and Erin. Dara was supposed to come with us, but she was mad at us again. We were there from around 3 o'clock til 7:30, but it started at noon. It was alot of fun seeing the kids we know playing their hearts out and having a blast. We saw so not-so-good bands and some fabulous ones. There were six awards. The school funk band and the school blues band each won one of the school -orchastrated awards. Common House won one of the Judge's Choice awards, I can't remember who won the other one. The Bolsheviks got best garage-band and Pink Helmet was the runner-up. Galen Gatzke won the best guitarist award and went up on the stage and said that he didn't deserve it and he was going to give it to someone who did. It was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. I was proud of the people I know who won awards and I thought they were really brave to get up on that stage. Now, I am at my friend Sydney's house and we are getting ready to go to the park. I will post tomorrow. Peace and Victory Out!

Prince Caspian

2008-05-16T23:41:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, after school we went to a really expensive, store in town and tried on clothes that we were never going to buy. There we met up with one of Sydney and Dara's friends named Michelle, who is rich and she bought us smoothies. After we drank our smoothies Dara opened Doughboys, so that we could see the inside, because it had been rearranged. Soon after we arrived at Doughboys, Dara and Sydney, started screaming and getting physical. I got in between them and got smacked and pushed. Sydney and I left, but ten minutes later Dara had found us and we were all friends again. Lame, huh? Then we went back into Doughboys and tried on a ton of stuff and Dara wouldn't stop ragging on my style, which was making me mad. Then we realized that it was almost time for Prince Caspian and so we had to clean up. Sydney and I went ahead to the movie and got seats which was a good thing, because it turned out that half our school was at the movie.

Then we watched Prince Caspian. it was a really good movie, but more people died and it was more violent. Also, although I talk during movies, Dara was driving me insane, because anytime Susan even looked at Prince Caspian Dara would scream, "No, he's mine." It was getting really annoying and kinda ruining the movie. All in all the movie was good, but it was really long, like two and a half hours, so Sydney and I just got to my house now.

Also today was the last day of actual school for the seniors.

Pie

2008-05-15T22:57:00.002-06:00

I had to "bake" a pie for my World Literature class so I bought a frozen pie and spent the last hour baking it. I also completely forgot that I still had dance class for 2 weeks, so at about 7:55 PM, I asked my mom what time it was and she told me and I suddenly remembered that I had dance class. The only problem was that Steve had gone somewhere with the car, so we had no way of getting to dance. It wasn't Steve's fault, I should have remembered. The only way it is anywhere near his fault is that he didn't take his phone with him, but I leave my phone at home a lot too, so I shouldn't be talking. Plus, today was our last day of filming and it was an interesting experience, because we did the show completely scriptless and I think Brad was getting mad at us, because we had no sense of direction and our last show ran over. Oops, our bad, but it was probably the most fun i have had at Broadcasting all year. Today, was a pretty good day and I think Sydney is spending the night tomorrow. I have to go take my pie out of the oven and go to bed. Goodnight!

2008-05-14T18:03:00.002-06:00

So, yesterday I got in trouble for beating a guy up at my school. I have two detentions. So, basically what happened was this: I saw my friend Dara at this table with her brother and this guy named Esly Cano. I come over and hear him saying all this sexist stuff about women. I stay silent and he keeps talking completely oblivious to the fact that I am becoming more livid by the second. Finally, he says one last thing that broke my resolve and I start whaling on him. He stands up and runs away from me and in the process takes Dara's book. She gets all mad and chases him, but since I am not in the mood to run, I just picked up my stuff and walked in the other direction. Later Dara comes up to me and says that we are both in trouble because when Esly took her book she followed him to the middle of the science wing and then started screaming. Then when she was talking to Brad, she said something about how I was hitting Esly too. So know I have two detentions, well 1 now because I served one today. I was really annoyed.

Also, I found out something really sad about one of my friend's fathers, but I won't tell you specifics because I am pretty sure she wouldn't want it posted on the internet.

I will post tomorrow!

Today and my dance show

2008-05-13T19:37:00.004-06:00

Today, I saw Tamiera's baby, Dylan Mika Wilson. He is so cute. He was sleeping very peacefully and ignored all of us crowding around him. I also had an issue with my friends, they were both mad at me. Dara was mad at me because i am not being supporting enough of her quiting her bad habit. I am trying to be supportive, but a part of me can't help wondering if she is lying to me, because she has lied to me before, about this particular habit. Sydney was mad at me because I was talking "shit" about her behind her back. I did talk about her with Kassie, but it wasn't anything that bad and it wasn't anything I hadn't told her. But we went to McDonalds' after Broadcasting and talked it out, so we are all okay now.

So, my last show was on Sunday. It was really good and we did mess up, but not was much. Dara came, but she left before the second act where our dance was. I was kinda annoyed, but whatever. Sydney tried to come, but her parents wouldn't let her, so she didn't make it. I wore different makeup because, my eyeshadow was a little dark on Saturday. I also watched 3 of the 5 Superman movies. I really like Superman and I think anyone who has the courage to stand around in that spandex suit deserves a metal. Because I know very few people who could do that. It was fun I enjoyed it. I am going to do it again next year, I might even talk to my mom about doing hip-hop too.

Ps. The picture is Sydney on the left and Dara on the right.

New Phone

2008-05-12T21:40:00.002-06:00

So, today, mom got a new phone, a blackberry in fact, so she gave her old phone to me. This is very cool for me, because I have had my old phone forever. So, it is cool to get this phone. I recorded, some songs onto it, to use as ringtones. I am very excited. I have to go to bed soon, but I wanted to post as well. Nothing special happened today, other than that. I will post tomorrow.

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T18:58:00.004-06:00

Here is what I wrote to my mom in her Mother's Day card:

Dear Mom,

Steve says Mother’s Day is about showing your appreciation, but there is no way any card could show how much I love you and how much I appreciate what you do for me. I think you are an amazing. You are one of the cool Moms out there. This is probably helped by the fact that I tell you everything and I am a good, but some parents would be freaks anyway. Thank you for always being there when I need you. Thank you for always being open to helping me with my crazy friends and always telling me the truth. (Or at least as much as you can without breaking the mom code that says, every mom has to tell their daughter they are the most beautiful girl on the planet.) I think you are fantastical and there is no better mom. I love you.

Love,

Rachel

First two dance shows

2008-05-10T22:53:00.001-06:00

Today, I had my first and second dance show and I am beat. I screwed up a lot, but it was okay because even the girls who compete screwed up. It was a lot of fun, even though I don’t like the other girls in my dance, except Erin. But it was fun any way. We had one show at 3 and then a much shorter show at 7. I had like 5 slices of free pizza too. It was a lot of fun and I want to do it again next year but I hope that we start learning the dance earlier, so I am much more confident in it. But it was fun and I am not going to post a day in Ashland today, because I am so tired. I will post tomorrow. Goodnight!

Dress rehearsal & Ex Ed

2008-05-09T22:13:00.002-06:00

Today I had dress rehearsal for my dance show tomorrow it was interesting, because the first time my group went on stage we forgot half the dance and finished way early. It was awful, because everyone else in the show was watching us. I was so mortified. Then we went and practiced in the elementary school lunchroom and when we got back on stage we were so much better. I was proud of our turnaround.

Also there is this guy who goes to our school and he is really hot, but I didn’t know he was a dancer. I saw him dance and he went way up the hotness scale. The only problem is he is a jerk and has a girlfriend. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.

Day Two in Ashland:

Heather and I got up really early to take showers. Then we met the rest of the group downstairs at 7:30 am to go have breakfast in the cafeteria.

After breakfast we got all our stuff together to go to a workshop and a play and prologue in town. We walked a mile into town and went to the Black Swan, where our workshop was. It was a culture workshop. We talked about what culture was and how each of the plays would have been different if they had been set in a different culture. It was fun , but really long. After that we were given an hour for lunch and then told to meet our group at a building across the street from all the theaters.

There we had a prologue were the woman talked about the Clay Cart, the play we were about to go see. The Clay Cart is a Sanskrit play written over a thousand years ago. It is about this courtesan (or prostitute) named Vasantesena , who falls in love with this guy and all this stuff happens. It was really good and there was a lot of humor. The set was also very cool and there were people who were doors it was a very cool concept. One part of the set was a giant blue foot so that was cool. We all enjoyed the play. After the play we had more free time and we did some more shopping.

Then Erin and I tried to head towards dinner, which was at 7, but we got lost and couldn’t find the Mexican restaurant we were supposed to be at. When we finally got there, we were 10 minutes late. I ordered a taco salad and it was very good, I loved it. Then after dinner we went to the grocery store with Heather and Lyndsey to try to buy food for our breakfast. We got muffins and orange juice and bread and apple pie. (It was my idea to get the pie.) Then we went back to the dorm and hung out for a little bit before it was time to go to bed.

I will post tomorrow!

Good Day & Ex-Ed

2008-05-08T21:53:00.004-06:00

I had a pretty good day today. My first class of the day was history, which is the class where my project was due. My partner and I presented and we got a 140 out of 145 the highest score in the class so far. So, that made the rest of my day, really good. I just realized that I hadn’t talked about Ex-Ed yet, so here goes:

I went to Ashland Oregon with 22 other kids and 2 teachers. The group met in Denver, but I drove down with my best friend Erin and another KayCee who was also on the trip. Because Erin’s mom is a real worry wart we had two extra hours at least when we got to Denver, so we just kinda hung out. The teachers Marybeth and Nancy got there right on time, which was very interesting because normally teachers get to the place they are supposed to be meeting the students early, but not these women.

Then, we went though security and it was very interesting traveling with all these people that didn’t normally travel. They were slightly clueless and KayCee left her purse on a bench, but luckily it was still there when she went back for it. Then Erin and I were able to switch with another girl so we could sit next to each other. We watched Sweeney Todd for the first time on the plane, it was intense. I am sure the other passengers on the plane though we were crazy.

Then we got off the plane at this really small airport that was basically a smaller version of the Aspen Airport and got on this rafting bus. It was really cold when we got there and by the time we got to Southern Oregon University, where we were staying it was snowing. We were so upset, because we were all sick of snow and we thought it was going to be warmer in Oregon.

When we got inside the dorm they gave us our room assignments and at first Erin and I thought we were together, but then we found out she was calling the other Rachel which was very annoying. I ended up rooming with Lyndsey and Heather, both of whom I am sort of friends with so that was fun. We got to our rooms and unpacked and got into bed around midnight.

I have decided I will tell about one day of my trip each day until I am done, so here is the first day. Expect the next installment tomorrow.

Project

2008-05-07T23:19:00.002-06:00

I went over to Kassie's after school and was there until around 11:00PM, but we finished and know I just wanted to update everyone before I went to bed. Other than the late night I had a good day. It was fun and not very stressful. I went swimming during Women's Fitness, so that was fun too. I will post tomorrow. I am going to bed.

Books

2008-05-06T22:35:00.005-06:00

Books for my World History project due the day after tomorrow, can you guess what it's on?? I will post tomorrow.

IronMan

2008-05-05T22:35:00.002-06:00

I saw this tonight with my friend Sydney, it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it very much. It is about this billionaire, named Tony Stark, who is the head of a weapons company founded by his father. He goes to Afghanistan for a weapons presentation and gets abducted by a terrorist group who wants him to rebuild the missile he demonstrated. In the process of kidnapping him, they almost blow him up and he has a ton of shrapnel embedded in him. To save his life they put in a magnet thing that keeps the shrapnel away from his heart. With the help of an Afghani scientist, he makes a suit to help him escape from his prison in the mountains. Once the suit is built he escapes and crash lands in the middle of the desert and is soon found by the military, who has been looking for him for 3 months. When he gets back he is very disillusioned, because the very people who he built his weapons to protect against have gotten a hold of them. This causes him to be very upset and decide to take Stark Industries out of the weapons business. This angers Obadiah, who has been in this company since its founding by Tony’s father. Later when Tony finds out that some how the terrorist survived and still have a hold of his weapons, he sets out to make a suit to stop them. This is the premise upon which this movie is based, but there is so much more to it, including Pepper Potts, Tony’s assistant who often provides comic relief. I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend for anyone except, perhaps, my grandmothers. I will post again tomorrow.

So...Hi!!!

2008-05-04T18:35:00.001-06:00

Hello all! As you can see by the month's gap I lied the last time I posted, by saying I would post everyday. I am very sorry I have not been posting as much as I said I would, my bad. So here is what is going on in my life. Next weekend is my dance performance and I am very nervous. Erin and I have been talking about getting manicures, for the performance, but we don’t know if we are going to have time. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I have Broadcasting, which is a news program for the school. That is about it, school is okay, and although I always need to better I am working on it. Erin’s birthday is in May and so that is exciting. Also I am almost certainly going to Florida right after school gets out and I have plans to go to see Sweeney Todd in Denver. There are a lot of good movies coming out in May which will also be a ton of fun. So that is my life right now.

ExEd

2008-04-19T19:18:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow I leave on something that my school calls Ex-Ed or Experiential Education. I am very excited. I am going to Ashland, Oregon for the Shakespeare Festival, which goes almost year round. I am going with Erin, who is my best friend, so that is a big plus. I have spent all day doing what I should have done days ago, packing. I made a list that felt like it was way smaller than normal and packed everything up. I have a lot of space in both my carry-on and my suitcase. I have no idea why this is, the only thing I can figure is that I have gotten much better at packing. Anyway, we even went up to the Gap and bought me a new pair of very dark wash jeans. They fit perfectly. I am very excited about my new jeans and having jeans that actually fit for the first time in a long while. Also I found out just a little while ago that I didn’t have any bottles for my toiletries, so I had to ask my mom if ZI could borrow some of hers. She was very frustrated that I hadn’t thought of this earlier, but said I could borrow hers, so we averted a crisis. Moving on…. There are many different places you can go on Ex Ed, including, Memphis, Mississippi, New York City, Mexico, San Francisco, the Tetons, Arizona, Puerto Rico and many more. I am leaving my house tomorrow at 7:30 am to go to my friend’s house, so that her mom can drive us the 4 hours to Denver. I am excited for the car, but not at the same time for two reasons. One, It is not just going to be me and my friend, there is going to be this other girl named KayCee there who is kind of annoying. Two, I will probably have to choose between sitting in the front all by myself or sitting in the back and having squished legs for 4 hours. I hope that Erin and get in a room together. The reason I hope for this is not because I am afraid of rooming with people I don’t know. I am finer with this I have done it twice before and it was fine. Its just now that I know someone and it my best friend I think it would be much more fun if I room with her, especially since we both have some kinda strange bedtime rituals, plus Erin can’t fall asleep if there is any light at all. I think this is going to be a very interesting experience, because I don’t like it at all when people are annoying and so I can get kinda in your face and this is Erin’s first time really traveling without her mom. I anticipate a lot of fun and strangeness and I will tell you of all the happenings when I get back next Saturday.

I'm Back!!!

2008-03-25T16:49:00.000-06:00

Well, I wasn’t really gone just busy and lazy. I am supposed to be posting every day, but as you probably know if you read my blog regularly, I have not posted for like the last 20 days. I am going to post every day though it might be a lot of pictures, because that’s all I have time for. After letting more slip than I thought I did last quarter, I am really trying to crack down on my schoolwork. Right now however is Spring Break!!!!!! I am very excited to have a fresh start. I am working all week, except for tomorrow, because I only work, when my mom works and she has Wednesdays off. This is good because I really need money. I think the last time I posted was before the play and I just wanted to say that it went well. There were only a few minor mess-ups and it was good, but our best night by far was Friday, we peaked in the middle. I am also going to back post as much as I can for the days I missed. There is not much else to say right now, so TTFN!!!

Costumes

2008-03-03T16:37:00.002-07:00

This is Erin's Missionary outfit. They look like they are part of the German army. It's kinda funny. Hehehehe

Rehearsal

2008-03-02T16:28:00.000-07:00

This picture is from yesterday, but I don't care.

These are the sets in progress. A lot of hard work went into the sets. There were rotating circles divided into 3 sets. Then there were a lot of hanging sets. We, the students painted them, but the adults did most of the constructing.

Rehearsal

2008-03-01T16:20:00.003-07:00

We were covered in paint Erin and I. that night was, so much fun. We were at school till at like 9:00am on a Saturday painting sets. Yay us!!!!

Broadcasting/ Musical Rehearsal

2008-02-28T22:35:00.002-07:00

Today after school we went to Rehearsal for like 15 minutes and then we had to leave to go to Broadcasting. Nathalie gave us all a ride again. This time Erin and I were anchors. It was really scary. I was trying to act serious, but apparently it was just scary, at least that's what Dara and Sydney said. I am not excited for it to be shown on Tuesday. We loosened up in the 2nd half, but Dara said she thought that Erin was going to kill her. I am not going to be in front of the camera again for a while and that makes me very happy. I am going to ask my mom if I can either miss 5th period on Tuesday, or I am going to ask my teacher if I can leave class early. I really don't want to be in my class when the show airs. Then after we were finished filming we had to go back to rehearsal and stay there until they got to the finale. I chilled with Dara, Sydney, Erin, and Kaycee. It was fun, but I didn't get any homework done. Then Erin came home with me and we hung around for about an hour and then we went to dance class. we learned new stuff that i am never going to be able to do to the beat. We also warned Heather that our openning night is next Thursday andthat we won't be in class. she said that, that was fine and that she was going to try to come on Friday or Saturday. I have to go to bed now. Sleep good!

Ex Ed Day

2008-02-27T20:22:00.001-07:00

Today was our ExEd day. I spent the whole day with Erin. It was tons of fun. I am on the Ashland Oregon ExEd. We are going to Oregon and are going to see lots of theatre productions. I still owe money for the trip and Marybeth told me how much, plus the $91 for rafting, and I think it was somewhere aroung $265, plus $91 for rafting. We did journal entries and then we read the first act of a play called Fences. It was a really odd play, I didn't really like it, I think its one of those that is really wierd, if you read it, instead of watch it. We also had Big Wrap for lunch, it was really good and I was able to get exactly what I wanted. Then the whole Broadcasting club left school 20 minutes before the early release, so that we could film the first show. It was really fun on the ride over to Grassroots, because we were all in Nathalie's car and playing this almost techno song. We were all bobbing to the music and the car was actually shaking. It was funny. Then we got there and Nathalie, Dara, and Sydney did really good jobs as anchors. Then I walked home and did a lot of homework. And now I am just chillin'.

Musical Rehearsal

2008-02-26T21:19:00.002-07:00

I have so much to do the next 2 weeks. I have musical practice, everyday, but this Wednesday. Our performance is in about 2 weeks and we are nowhere near ready. I'm fine, I have no lines and I walk across the stage twice, but I am worried for Tucker and Sarah and Katie and Michael. I am not really excited for this musical, because I don't really like it and now I have the songs stuck in my head which is not really fun. I don't know how, I'm going to do anything else. This will be fun especially sitting back stage for the whole two hours between the beginning and end on the play.
I might be put in it somewhere in the middle too. I don't know yet. I also have to find some low plain black or tan heels. The only thing I have is clogs and that won't work. They need to be as plain as possible, kinda like character shoes. So that is my life for the next 2 weeks. More hectic, than hectic can possibly be. I just realized something, Thursday is a week before opening night. Oh My God!!!!!!!!

Some Things I Forgot to Say Last Night

2008-02-25T20:30:00.003-07:00

They played the Indiana Jones theme song under Harrison Ford's entrance.

Jon McLaughlin played at the Oscar's I saw him live at BellyUp, I was no more than 10 feet form him for most of the concert. Him tends to make funny faces when he sings and he did a particularly bad one during his first close- up. Also he looks better in jeans, its more his style.

I was bummed that I missed Raise Up from August Rush.

Watching Johnny Depp sing and hearing part of Raise Up made me want to buy the soundtracks to August Rush and Sweeney Todd.

My mom says that once you win an Oscar, you never do any normal films again, and I think that is not necessarily true.

Some of my friends who own TVs didn't watch the Oscar's. That baffles me.

Also at one point there was a shot of Seal and Heidi and it looked like Heidi's earing was coming out of Seal's chin.

I wonder, who will host the Oscars next year, all I can say is I hope its someone better and more funny, because all Jon's jokes were incredibly stupid. I want a girl host.

80th Annual Academy Awards

2008-02-24T22:20:00.003-07:00

My mom and I went over to my grandparents condo to watch the awards. I enjoyed it. I thought that alot of people who didn't win should have, but I had a good time.

We came in at the end of Kristin Chenoweth's number. It was about 8 o'clock.

I thought that Jon Stewart's baby joke was a little bit retarded.

I thought that Cameron Diaz's attitude was fabulous, although her dress not so much.

I actually really like Helen Mirren's dress although my mom thought it made her hips look too wide.

Speaking of dresses, I liked the dress Nicole Kidman wore and the necklace, but was annoyed in the beginning, because it was, like, caught on one of her boobs.

I was annoyed that No Country For Old Men kept winning all those awards and I thought Juno deserved it more.

I thought it was cool that Diablo Cody won for Juno though, so that was good.

I don't think Jon Stewart did a very good job at all.

The other thing that was really cool was the montages from the past 80 years. They did Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Picture, and the In Memoriam.

I think Johnny Depp deserves an oscar because he gives enjoyment to the general populace, who are more important than the stuffy old people who are members of the Academy. I mean, seriously, the same people who vote now were voting in 1928. I think the Academy should be made up of people of all ages, so that it is an accurate representation of movies that real live people actually liked. Not just depressing movies about things like the Holocaust. I often feel that movies win awards based on how depressing they are. my mom says that although these awards are not voted on, by normal people, its okay, because that's what the people's choice awards are for.

I think that Hollywood is completely stupid, because Hairspray was not nominated for anything.
I was entertained by the fact that the Oscars ended 10 minutes early, instead of an hour late for once.

I am also wondering when the Miley Cyrus interview was, because I must have gotten the time wrong.

Although the girl who got best actress was really excited, I thought that Ellen Page deserved it more, which i admit I say with a very unexpert opinion, because I didn't even see the movie.

Also, Transformers didn't win anything which was a bummer.

The guy who was blogging backstage was really funny and my favorite quote form onstage is still "Cinme-blah. I can do it. Cinematography."

Also, since everyone exits the same way, why does everyone try to exit the worng way.

The Halle Berry, Judi Densch guys were really funny, but I can't decide which one was Halle Berry. I think it might have been the taller one.

I hope that I win an Oscar someday and that I can go up there and thank all of my friends and my mom and then scream and jump around in front of billions of people. I would enjoy the opportunity to embarrass myself, because even being on that stage would mean I was the best of the best, or one of those girls, who guide people offstage. But, hey. either works for me.

PS. I took the picture.

Zac Efron

2008-02-23T20:57:00.002-07:00

I just realized that I hadn't told you about my extreme obsession with Zac Efron. I am a really big fan, I have a whole bunch of pics on my computer and I also have a Zac Efron photo album.

I actually didn't like him on the first HSM, but then I saw him in Hairspray and he was amazing. then, I found out that he didn't do his own singing in the first HSM, which made me happy, because I don't like that guy's voice. He was great in Hairspray and I am very excited for Seventeen and Footloose.

I want to be in a movie with this very good looking talented actor.

I don't think he belongs with Vanessa Hudgens, because she is a slut and I don't think that they'll last long distance. I am going to pull a Katie Holmes and marry the man I had a crush on as a teenager. Yay me!!!

Oakley Jacket

2008-02-22T19:10:00.003-07:00

I got a cool new Oakley jacket today that I really like. Its really cool. Next week, I have rehearsal everyday, but Wednesday, which really sukcs. i don't know how we are going to get to Braodcasting. I hope we can do both , but the chances of that happening are slim. Whatever. I had a pretty good day. I had 2 tests, both of which I think I did good on. I have snowboarding tomorrow and I'm posotive that I'm going to be sore, because there was no class last week. Dara is driving me a little insane and I want to talk to her, but I don't want to have another blow-up. I had half or Erin's lunch for lunch today. this is often how it goes down, since she doesn't eat a ton. I am gong to go watch Smallville now and then maybe some Sports Night. TTFN!!!

Costumes

2008-02-21T21:57:00.002-07:00

I am actually very excited for my costume for dance class. I am wearing this cool black dress, that I really like and can wear other places. We are wearing black and pink and I really didn't want to wear pink, so Heather switched me in the line, so that I could wear black. This does however, mean that I now go back instead of front and although I know this in my head, my muscle memory says otherwise. I enjoy our dance, its not too difficult. I have everything, I need although I guess at some point I am either going to have to buy foot thongs or tan jazz shoes. We are doing the dance to a remix of Candyman. I am looking forward to performing, except Heather just added this kicking, jumping thing that has to be done all in sync and to the beat and you have a partner who is relying on you, which makes it even more difficult. But at least my partner is Erin. No matter what, I am looking forward to the performance.

Women's Fitness

2008-02-20T20:53:00.003-07:00

I am in this class called Women's Fitness. The only reason, I'm in the class is that I have to have a gym credit to graduate. I was actually kind fo annoyed when i found out, because I had thought I was done with gym for the rest of my life. I was really upset, but then I went and talked to the counselors and they showed me this class. Its an all girl class where all we done is run stretch and lift weights. I didn't like it at first, but now I do and I can feel the difference in my body, especially my abs, they are so much stronger now. I still wish I didn't have to take any physical education classes, but this better then a normal gym class, like in middle school.

Other than that my life is going pretty well, I have to go over my notes one more time for a test tomorrow and I have a math test on Friday, that I need to study for, but I will do it tomorrow. Also, Dara dyed her hair dark brown and Sydney is in some sort of bad moodand erin is convinced she found HJO on Facebook. That is all I can think of. TTFN!

Yay!!!

2008-02-19T11:24:00.003-07:00

I found my camera!!!!!! It was in my locker at school!!! I don't have to buy a new one. I am very excited. I am sick of school and I wish I was done. I really don't want to go to French or Chemistry and I want to watch Smallville. I have Broadcasting after school today. I am excited, I just wish the set-up was different. I think I going to campaign to write one of the scripts and see which show turns out better; the one with the script by me or the one with the script by Natalie. Erin has a report due 4th period that she isn't gonna finish, because even though Kaylyn isn't here, she will still be distracted, cause that's how Erin is. Dara dyed her hair dark brown. I like it, I think she looks better with her hair dark. And her hair was almost orange so, it wasn't even a good blond color. That's all!!!!

Disney Dreams

2008-02-18T18:12:00.002-07:00

Annie Leibovitz, the famous photographer, did a portrait series called Disney Dreams for Disney. Its really cool she used celebrities to recreate Disney characters. Some of the celebrities who participated are: Julie Andrews, Abigail Breslin, Beyonce Knowles, Lyle Lovett, Oliver Platt, Scarlett Johansson, David Beckham, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Whoopi Goldberg, Jessica Biel, Tina Fey, Gisele Bundchen, Roger Federer, and Rachel Weisz. I can't get the photos straight off the website, but here is the address and some photos I could find else where: http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/disneyparks/en_US/index?name=Gallery

Desperate Housewives

2008-02-17T19:19:00.004-07:00

I am really into the TV show Desperate Housewives, but not enough that I watch every show in real time. I get them once they come out on DVD, its just easier. I enjoy this show a lot because I love the actors. I am big fan of Felicity Huffman (who actually grew up in Aspen), and Teri Hatcher. I watch it all the time. I also watch Sports Night and Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman often. I mention this because those are the other shows with those actresses. I love all the actors on this show, they have amazing talent. I think this show will never get canceled, which in a way is kind of sad, because then I will never be caught up. (Click on the picture to see a clearer, bigger image.)

Glogster

2008-02-16T18:19:00.001-07:00

Glogster is a place kind of like blogger, but instead of making posts , you make posters. At least that is what they seem like to me. I found Glogster and created this glog: http://halliwellsis93.glogster.com/disney-dreams/ I am actually really proud of it, the subject is Annie Leibovitz's Disney Dreams portrait series. I really like it. I hope to post more glogs soon.

Camera!?!

2008-02-15T16:27:00.004-07:00

I am very angry! You remember how I told I got a Camera for Valentine's Day from my mother, well now its missing and I can't find it. I am very frustrated because I swear I brought it home last night. I took to school so i could take pictures and, then I had it at Broadcasting and I had it at Erin's House after that. then we went to dance and I set down next to my coat, but I had it after dance because I took a picture of Erin. That is the last time I really remember seeing it, but I am positive that I brought it home. I remember setting it down when I got home, but I don't remember where and I am going insane. I couldn't find it this morning, but I wasn't worried because I thought I must have left it upstairs. I know I didn't bring it to school, but other than that I don't know. Truly though it could be in 3 places, Liz's car, my room or the Dance studio. The only other possibility is a leap and that's that it fell out of my pocket on the bus. I hope it is in one of those places otherwise, I have to buy another camera and a memory card.

I got a Camera!!!

2008-02-14T21:39:00.002-07:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I got a camera for Valentine's Day. I love my mom, she always gives the best Valentine's Day gifts. I'm really excited about my camera because it takes really good pictures. It seems to me that video cameras never take pictures that are quite as good as normal cameras. I took all sorts of pictures today. I took pictures of all my friends and my school. I tried to take a picture of my French classroom, but the people in the picture freaked out and made me delete it. Whatever!!

All of my friends don't like Valentine's Day mostly because they don't have boyfriends. I enjoy it regardless. But they were being really funny and weird about it. I like valentine's Day, I wouldn't say I love it, but maybe someday I will.