Just Because I Can

80 Degree Weather in Late April

2011-04-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

So, I haven't posted since Feb. and I'm terribly sorry, although, I don't know if anyone actually reads this, but I feel bad for not posting for so long.

Today, the weather was lovely--80 degrees and sunny. There is only one bad thing about that though and that is--school is boiling. The air conditioning isn't on yet, so the school is really hot and stuffy and it makes you sleepy. Especially when you're like me and exhausted all the time anyway. I took a nap during my free, because I couldn't keep my eyes open, it was terrible

Teen Titans (200th post)

2011-02-21T16:35:00.000-08:00

Recently, I've begun rewatching my favorite television series from when I was a kid: Teen Titans. As I'm rewatching, I love it just as much (if not more) than I did when I was a kid. This show sparked my obsession with Robin (who I still have a gigantic crush on). There is Raven, from an alien planet who has dark and mysterious powers. She's very secretive and quiet. There is Beast Boy who can transform into any animal (including prehistoric ones). He is loud, talkative, somewhat charming, and flirtatious. There is Cyborg, who was an average teenage athlete until he had an accident and needed to have most of his body replaced by robotechnology. He loves to eat and is very competitive and usually light hearted. Starfire is an alien from the planet Tamoran. She has incredible strength and can shoot power lights out of her eyes and hands. She has the ability to fly as well, but all of her powers rely on her emotions (which is different from Raven who needs to be in control to ensure her powers don't blow something up and this difference is explored in season one episode seven). Last, but certainly not least, is Robin. He is a master of Marshal arts and extremely secretive and slightly obsessive (but none the less, extremely sexy).

You would think that Starfire and Cyborg would get together, while Robin and Raven are drawn to each other because they would understand the dark side of one another, while Beast Boy is left to pine over his crush from season two (Terra). I'm sure some people do ship that way, but the show just can't support those ships (except for Beast Boy and Terra, but after season two when she is turned to stone it is hard to argue that that ship can continue, especially when you look at Beast Boy and Raven together).

I have three ships on this show:

I ship Beast Boy and Raven because he compliments her dark behavior with his bright and bubbly personality. He is understanding of her dark behavior (even if sometimes he can be insensitive).

I ship Cyborg and Bumblebee (who is a member of Teen Titans East) because she is sassy and they just go really well together. I love Bumblebee and I wish she was in more episodes.

Last, is my favorite ship of all time (tied with Katara and Aang) is Stafire and Robin. They're perfect and I love the two of them together.

Books

2011-02-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

I'm reading Looking for Alaska by John Green and I absolutely love it. I'm also reading Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome and I'm really enjoying that. I'm reading that for my AP Lit class. I told my AP teacher I was really enjoying it and he thought I was being sarcastic, which I wasn't. I've actually enjoyed everything we've read so far (except for Ben Franklin's autobiography, but I think he knows that few and far between enjoy that book). We've read a bunch of poem by Emily Dickinson (I really like her writing style, and envy her way of life), we read Cuckoo's Nest (which was amazing, extremely powerful), The Great Gatsby, and Six Degrees of Separation, which I loved.

I really enjoyed everything that we've read so far. We don't dicuss books that much though, which can be somewhat frustrating.

I love reading. It's such a great escape from everything.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

2011-02-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is one of the best books I've ever read. Honestly, I loved it. In the beginning I didn't really like the main character, Charlie, but he really grows on you after a while. The whole book is letters from Charlie to a friend.

I can't say much about the book because I don't want to give it away. Honestly though, I loved the way it was written. Chbosky spent a lot of time make Charlie's writing improve over time. The book was just...amazing.

The College Hunt Begins

2011-01-22T10:16:00.000-08:00

I got my SAT scores back. I got an 1860 out of 2400 or a 1270 out of 1600. Not bad for a first time without any prep.

But now I have to do some prep and take them a second time in March. I'm trying to get into the 1300s or so. That's really my goal. The closer to 700 I can get my math and reading scores the better.

I'm taking my ACT in February and we'll see how that goes.

I've been looking at colleges in the South and Midwest. There are 9 colleges that I and my college councilor have put together. There are three that I put down: UPenn, Swarthmore, and Northwestern. She put down six that are all in the Midwest, in pretty ho-dunk places, but I'm okay with that.

Gay marriage

2011-01-18T11:15:00.000-08:00

I don't understand why people are against gay marriage. Why do you care if two people who are in love get married? When people talk about protecting the "sanctity of marriage" it makes me really angry. People get divorced all the time, you can't tell me that is part of the sanctity of marriage. How about you outlaw divorce? Or maybe make people take a test before they get married? Or how about put a limit on how long a person has been with another before they can get married? Nobody would ever do that because it's "ridiculous". Well so is saying that two people of the same sex who are in love can't get married.

My dad says he just doesn't want it to be called marriage. He says he doesn't care as long as they give it another name. Why do you care what it's called? Two men or two women should have the same rights as a man and a woman. Anyone who says otherwise should have their brain checked in my opinion.

Untitled?

2011-01-07T09:08:00.000-08:00

I've had this blog for nearly two years now. But lately, I haven't been blogging very much.

My mom just made a blog, but it is private--I think it is so she can have a journal of sorts that she doesn't have to hand write. I think that is...interesting. I mean, but what is the point of having a blog if you don't let other people read it. But then again, it is easier to type than it is to hand write.

Next thing I know, she'll be all over my blog. Uhoh! Haha.

The Carver Party

2010-12-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

Every year, on the last day before Christmas break, the juniors at my school (my grade this year) throws a Christmas party for the kids at the Carver Center. We have games, food, face painting, and dancing. It's really fun.

So, I organized a lot of it, but I had a lot of fun doing that. I love little kids, and I had a lot of fun at the Carver Party. I was face painting (which I was terrible at!) and dancing with the children.

I made one friend, he was three, and his name was Kyle. He was so cute. I carried him around for I don't know how long, but my arms and back are killing me.

So then last night, I went out to dinner with Beno's family to celebrate the fact that he got into Northwestern. I was telling Beno's mom about the Carver Party and about how I carried around a kid for such a long time. She knows that I do Pegasus. She said, "you're going to end up working with kids." I think she's completely right. I love kids, I love little children. They make me so happy. If I could surround myself with little kids for my entire life I would.

Northwestern

2010-12-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

My friend, Beno, go into Northwestern early decision!

This is very exciting, not only because he is done with the college search, but also because it has been my dream school since I was in the 7th grade. I'm so excited for him!

Not much has been going on recently, I haven't been a very good blogger and I'm sorry. I have much too much work to blog properly. :(

Just An Average Day

2010-12-06T15:03:00.000-08:00

So, with my luck I don't really expect much out of the day. As long as I don't fall flat on my face, the day is a success.

I went to school and my eye was really itchy. Everyone was concerned because my eye looked awful. I went to the nurse and she said I might have pink eye. She said I wasn't allowed to touch my eye and that if it went down then I was fine.

I went through the whole day worrying that I had pink eye. That would've been the third disease I'd gotten this year (mono, Lyme and then pink eye).

Luckily, at the end of the day, the nurse said I didn't have it.

The highlight of my day is a tie between two things. The first is my physics teacher telling me (after I informed him of my possible pink eye) that "if I got one more disease" we couldn't be friends anymore. I was happy because it meant that we were friends! Then the second thing is that during AP Lit my Lit teacher hugged me. Across my desk, just hugged me. So....yeah.

It was a good day.

Pot

2010-11-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

It should be legalized. Now, I'm not saying that because I smoke pot. I've never smoked pot. But I still think it should be legal.

It would help the economy. It would lower crime.

But more than that, I don't think the government has any right whatsoever to tell people what they can and can't put into their bodies. The prohibition in the 1920's went completely against our rights, just like the fact that drugs are illegal. The government shouldn't be able to tell us what to put into our bodies. This is freaking America.

Just like they shouldn't be able to ban fast food or soda or things that are deemed as unhealthy.

Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal

2010-11-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to see Love and Other Drugs with my mom. Anne Hathaway played Maggie Murdock and Jake Gyllenhaal played Jamie Randall. It's a pretty typical Hollywood love story. Boy sleeps around, never really loved anyone, girl is pessimistic and sick, they meet and both fall in love. Blahblahblah. I enjoyed it because they are both extremely attractive, and there were some very funny parts (involving Viagra).

There were some political undertones in the movie. Mostly because Jamie Randall works for Phiser and is trying to sell drugs to Doctor's offices, not only that but Maggie takes elderly people up to Canada because they can't afford their medication.

...
Really?

Ben Franklin and Gatsby

2010-11-18T15:17:00.000-08:00

I feel bad for neglecting this blog because of my Tumblr whoring. I don't really know what to write about. I haven't been to the movies recently, nor have I read any good books. I've been so busy lately. We are listening/watching/reading an opera in French class right now, so once I've finished that I will write about the opera.

So far I'm really enjoying it, it is the story of Quasimodo. It's very interesting, and the singing voices are beautiful.

More Weight Issues?

2010-11-15T15:04:00.000-08:00

More pro-ana rubbish. It scares me. It really frightens me that girls (and boys) can read about starving themselves and think it is a good idea. What about eating 500 something calories a day sounds enjoyable? Why do people think that being 80 pounds is beautiful? I am about 95 pounds, and I think I am too skinny.

If you think about it, being that skinny as a woman actually goes against nature. Throughout evolution women with wide hips showed that they could bear children, and women with breasts showed that they could feed a child. So it is implanted in a mans' brain to seek out both of those qualities in a woman. Therefore, it actually goes against nature for a woman to be so skinny, not only that, but men shouldn't be attracted to a woman that skinny. It goes against their programming.

The moral of the story is: have hips and boobs. It is programmed in men to like that more than being built like a 12 year old.

First Quarter is Over

2010-11-10T17:51:00.000-08:00

My grades for the first quarter:

Chorale: A
Honors Pre-calc: A-
Honors French 4: B
Honors US History: B-
AP Lit: B-
AP Chem: D+
Honors Physics: C-

I better do better next quarter...

Wednesday

2010-11-03T18:32:00.000-07:00

Friday is the end of the quarter which means we're being loaded with work. He said we could turn our chapter questions in late, which is really nice of him.

He thinks really highly of me, which is really nice. It's nice to be believed in. I didn't do very well on my last test (I got in the mid 70's) and he said, "What happened? You're so much smarter than this." I've only had him for about two months, I don't know why he's made that assumption. Then we had a paper due and we did a rewrite. I got an 82 on the whole thing. He told me my final draft should have been my first draft, because he knows I'm capable of more.

My question is: how?

Two Things That Made My Day

2010-10-30T17:29:00.000-07:00

My parents told me that yesterday when they were meeting with my advisor at school, they went to speak to my AP Chem teacher (Mr. LB). He told them that he wished he had more students that were like me: that were taking the class because they enjoyed it and not so it looked good on a resume and who were so enthusiastic. He said I had the ability to take the class, but because I didn't take honors chem, I didn't have the foundations. It was nice to hear him say that about me.

I went to Pegasus today, and afterward there was a pumpkin carving party. I thought it was for volunteers only, but it turns out it is for kids and volunteers. I was the only volunteer there who wasn't an instructor, but I didn't care one bit. I had so much. I started talking to two parents who had a daughter with Autism, they found out I was a volunteer and the mother said, "You guys are wonderful, I don't know what I'd do without you. This program has changed her life and you volunteers are just amazing." It made me smile, it was so great to hear that I was making a difference.

Then I played with an adorable girl named Maya who had a hearing impairment. She was so cute!!!

It was a wonderful mischief night!

Regrets

2010-10-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

People often ask what your one regret is, or what would you change about your life. When people ask me this I think about things that maybe haven't gone so well and etc, but honestly I don't regret anything.

If I could go back in time I wouldn't change anything, I might relive things, but I don't want to change anything. Everything that has happened to me, and everything I have experienced has made me who I am. I don't want to change that. I like who I am--so why would I change that? I have no regrets. I don't know how many people can say that.

I am...

2010-10-19T18:24:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking a lot recently about the type of person I am.

I am the kind of person who likes to be by herself, but also likes being with people.
I am the kind of person who likes having secrets, but also loves sharing them.
I am the kind of person who trusts everyone, until that trust gets broken. Once you break my trust, you'll never get it back.
I am the kind of person who is very outgoing and not very private (obviously, otherwise I wouldn't have a blog).
I am the kind of person who likes to be nice to people, but isn't too nice, cause that just gets you walked all over.
I am the kind of person who likes science and math, but also likes history and English.
I am the kind of person who is very opinionated, but likes to hear what others have to say.
I am the kind of person who loves to talk, but also loves to listen.

That's the kind of person I am.

Flying Time.

2010-10-13T15:40:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just sit and think.

I think about what my life was like last year and how different it was. And then I start thinking about the future, and what my life will be like in a year.

In a year, I'll be in my first quarter of my senior year of high school. I'll be deciding where I'll go for the next four years of my life. It's just...crazy.

It's crazy to think that I felt so old when I was in 6th grade. I was turning 12 and I felt so old. And now my sister is turning 12 and I think of her as being a baby. I'm turning 17 and I feel old, but I realize that when I'm turning 30 I'll feel old, and then 40, and 50, and 60, and so on and so forth.

It's all relative I guess.
It's just...crazy how time flies by so quickly.

UPenn, Swarthmore, and Drexel

2010-10-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my mom and I drove to Philly to see Swarthmore and then went to look at UPenn and Drexel (since I'm a junior in high school now and need to start figuring out the "type" of college I want to go to).

We got to Swarthmore and the campus was beautiful. I loved the campus. It feels like a classic college. It's got a pretty big campus and only about 1500 students, which is a nice size I think. There were so many posters about stuff going on. Lots of clubs and opportunities, I really liked it, but I wouldn't go to Swarthmore for two reason. Firstly, there is a gym requirement...yuck. I mean...honestly? And it is only about 3 and a half hours from home, and personally I was hoping to get a bit farther from home.

My mom and I drove into Philly and went to see a movie (Easy A--it was very funny). We spent the night at the Holiday Inn and then next morning (this morning), we got up to see Drexel and UPenn (which are right next to each other).

Drexel was my least favorite of the three by far. I hated it. There wasn't a campus, just buildings throughout the city where they held classes. I don't like the fact that it was a five year program either. Also, apparently a lot of people go home and don't get very involved with stuff going on at school, which I don't want. I want to get involved in what is going on. I want to join clubs and do activities, not just sit in my dorm room all alone. There are about 10,500 people at Drexel.

Lastly, we went to UPenn, which was definitely my favorite. The campus was in the city, but it felt isolated. There were trees and parks, and no cars were driven inside the actual campus, it was all paths purely for walking. The buildings were beautiful. There were lots of signs about stuff going on (which was awesome) and the best part was all you had to do was walk and TA-DA--you were in the city. I loved that. I would definitely consider applying to UPenn.

That was my two days in Philly, it was a success, because I now know the type of college I want to go to. Either in the city with a campus that isn't mixed in with the city or a train or bus ride from the city, but the campus has to feel homey, and there has to be a lot of student run clubs. That's what I want. I want to be a part of a community. But not a sorority. Nope, I'm a GDI (as Mrs. B, a teacher at my school said). She was in a sorority and she said they used to call girls like me GDIs. God Damned Independents. I take that as a compliment.

First Monday of October

2010-10-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

My first Monday of October was not so amazing. I freaked out at this boy in the grade above me cause he was a complete jerk to me. I don't really feel like explaining. But I ended up crying and ran to the science office and cried in front of my AP Chem teacher (he's this big buff football/lacrosse player type--not someone who knows that to say to a crying 16 year old girl). But it was nice that he tried to make me feel better.

It was an interesting first Monday.

This weekend (since it is a long weekend) I am going to Philly to look at Drexel, UPenn, and Swarthmore.

Is This Just Fantasy?

2010-10-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last night was the homecoming dance.

It amazes me how different last year is from this year.

Last year, I was miserable. I was in a relationship that was falling apart. I didn't have many good friends. I wanted to leave my school and move away. I wanted to curl up in a ball and hide from everyone and everything. I was miserable.

This year, I'm happy. I have friends who are fabulous. They listen to me and love me. And I love them. I still don't love my school, but it is better cause of my friends. I'm happy now.

Dandy.

2010-09-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well isn't this all fine and dandy? I'm in a foul mood all because of a chem test and Ms. G who works as the secretary at my school.

She is so annoying.

Firstly, she doesn't like letting people use her phone to call their parents (even though we don't get service at school and she's supposed to let kids use her phone). She told me during freshman year that she was going to charge people because she kept getting in trouble for high phone bills. Local calls don't cost anything, so she shouldn't be getting charged. Also, if she wasn't gossiping all day I'm sure she wouldn't mind letting kids use the phone.

Secondly, last year Emma and I ordered pizza. He said it'd be there in 30 min (at 12 o'clock), so at 11:50 we went up to get the pizza. The pizza guy was already there, but how were we supposed to know that. Ms. G got angry at us claiming that she had to drop everything she was doing (all she does is answer the bloody phone) to see who ordered the food. Sorry the pizza guy got there 10 minutes early.

So today, there was a lot of rain so the middle school go out early, and having a younger siblings in middle school I thought to call my parents (using the phone in the science office). My dad calls Ms. G so she can get a message to me about pickup. Instead she posts a note saying that only brother and sister are being picked up by carpool so I almost got left behind! All cause I was finishing some stupid AP Chem test....gahh.

I don't know why this got me in such a bad mood.

AP

2010-09-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I'm feeling about the whole "AP classes" thing. I'm taking two AP classes this year (Chem and Lit). Now, Chem I can understand because you are either right or wrong in your answer. Standardizing science or math is simple. But how do you standardize literature or English? If it were simple definitions or questions about what happened in a story are factual, but that isn't what's being asked. They want essays that analyze pieces of literature. There isn't a right or wrong answer for that as long as you can back it up, but the AP people have decided there are right or wrong answers. Which is ridiculous. How can they say that I'm wrong if from my personal experiences I determine a different meaning than someone who had different life experiences. Authors don't mean for their literature to mean the same thing to everybody, they have a meaning in mind when they write it, but other people will think in different ways. Also, I asked my teacher, Flachs, if I had to stick to the traditional five paragraph essay format when writing my AP essays. He said yes, and that they were sticklers for that format. Does that seem odd to anyone else? I would think that they would want people to be creative and be different than other people, but apparently....not.

So I told this to my teacher, because he is an English teacher and should appreciate that. He did. I did my first prompt in class (it was about The Crucible and Burke's quote, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing"). I didn't think I'd do too well since usually my better essays are written in a form other than the traditional form.

Prompts are graded on a scale of 1 to 9. He was handing them back and he said one person got a nine and that the lowest was a 4. He handed mine back and I got an 8. An 8! I was so surprised, pleasantly surprised, but surprised none the less.

September...

2010-09-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

September is coming to an end. It's the 26th and we only have four more days until October (which is my favorite month because of how dark it is). Today, I'm going to a Yankee game with Beno. They're playing...(wait for it...):

THE RED SOCKS.

It is gonna be awesome. My September has actually be spectacular...I'm loving life right now.

My Goal

2010-09-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

I have made a goal for the end of this school year. My goal is to weigh 110 pounds. At the moment I weight about 94 pounds, and that is underweight for my 5 foot 4 inch frame. I'm not quite sure how I can put on a good 15 or 16 pounds, but I guess it'll mostly be trying to eat more and exercising so I can put on muscle.

I've been writing down what I eat every day, but I need to figure out the calories, which I haven't done yet.

28 Pages of History to Read

2010-09-14T15:54:00.000-07:00

I don't want to do it!!!!

So, my second and third days of school were both good (although, I did puke on the second day too, into the headmaster's trash bin as well....oops). Today, I was puke free, which was nice. A relief, considering today was picture day as well. So being in covered with puke wouldn't be good. Hopefully, my pictures turned out well.

I've had a good first three days of school, let's hope the rest of the year goes as well.

My First Day of Junior Year

2010-09-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

I get to school and set my locker up pretty quickly. I am greeted happily by many people considering I missed the college trip my grade went on because I have mono and Lymes and it would just be too tiring. It was nice being bombarded with hugs from friends like Emily and Paige. My drama teacher, Mr. Anglin, gave me a big hug too--he's such a nice guy. So anyway, my first day was certainly an interesting one.

First period, I had honors pre-calculus with Ms. Johnson. I sat with Zach, Sheetal, and Kyle (and I"m pretty sure we're going to try to get a fifth seat at the table so Patrick can sit with us too). That class was fine. She seems nice, but I feel like her class is going to be difficult.

Second period, I had free, so I hung out with Patrick and Alex R. in the cafeteria. I took my Lyme medication during that free because I take a good bacteria supplement in the morning, and I have to wait for two hours before I can take my Lyme meds. Now normally when I take them I eat something, but I figured I would be okay because it was later in the morning and I drank a bit with it.

Third period, I had honors US history with Mr. Murphy. I'm really nervous for his class because US history is not my strong point, in fact I've never really had a US history class before. I was sitting in class and my stomach started to hurt, so I raised my hand and asked if I could go the nurse. I went and she wasn't there, I waited for a little bit and figured if I ate a little a bit I'd be fine. So I went to the cafeteria (which is a new company and so is all new people except for one woman named Gladys). I asked her if I could have a piece of bread and pay later, since you have to pay for breakfast, and she said I'd have to ask Chef Lisa (aka the boss). So I went to her and explained about my Lyme meds and she said I didn't have to worry about it. Which was very nice of her, since she doesn't know if I was faking or not. I got a piece of bread and ate it. I went back to the nurse and she still wasn't there. I went back to history class. My stomach was feeling a bit better, so I figured I'd be okay. I felt my stomach starting to do flips again and I raised my hand to ask if I could go to the nurse and as I raised my hand I coughed. With that cough...I puked down the front of my shirt. In front of everyone in my class. Including a new girl who I haven't introduced myself to. Mr. Murphy handed me tissues and Emily moved Caroline C's bag out of the way so I could run outside. As I ran out of the room, I apologized to Mr. Murphy. I got Miss Anna to call the nurse and she came to her office. She called my mom to let her know and she gave me a tshirt to wear for the rest of the day. So, that was an interesting first history class of the year.

Fourth period, I had choir. I love to sing so of course that class was fun.

Fifth period I had honors French four...which I'm really nervous for. Monsieur Shee seems like he'll be a really good teacher though, so maybe it won't be so bad. We listened to the song "Paroles, Paroles" by Dalida and translated the lines. We sang along, and it was quite fun. Our homework was to translate a few of the lines from Dalida's song "Laissez-moi Danser".

After French class I had lunch, which was...uneventful at best.

Right after lunch I had honors physics with Mr. Mitchell. There are only eight people in my honors physics class. That class is apparently extremely difficult, but I read the assigned reading already and it didn't seem too bad so far...but chapter 2 sections one through five should be.

I then had AP literature. My first ever AP class. My teacher is this guy named Flachs (his full name is Mr. Flachsbart). He's got an extremely deep voice. There are fifteen people in my class, which is my biggest class by far. Our first book on the agenda is Miller's The Crucible, I'm really excited to get started. I'm just nervous to have to take my first ever AP class.

My last class of the day was an elective taught by Mr. Sargent. It's a history elective called The Making of Modern Day China. Our only text for the class is Professor John Bryan Starr's book Understanding China. Professor Starr teaches at Brown and Yale universities and he lives in New Canaan, and so because he's so close he's going to come to our class to answer questions. Which is really cool in my opinion.

That was my first day.

Classic vs Classic

2010-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

I am in AP Lit this year. That is my English class. For AP Lit I had to do a summer assignment. I had to read two books (two classics) and answer questions about each book. I chose Emma by Jane Austen and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. They are both classics written by English women, but they are so different.

I've been in love with Emma since I was nine years old and my mom showed me the movie for the first time. As soon as I had enough reading stamina to get through it, I read it. So I was more than happy to read the cheerful little (well 438 paged) novel. The characters are likable (except for Mrs. Elton) and I just really enjoy the story.

I knew nothing about Wuthering Heights and so far I'm not enjoying it. The first five chapters are boring. It is basically an introduction to the characters. Over FIVE chapters. Yuck. Then all the characters are just simply miserable and out to get revenge on one another. The characters are so unlikable. Yuck.

Yankees vs the Oakland A's

2010-08-31T13:31:00.000-07:00

Last night my family and I went to a baseball game. Yankees vs the Oakland A's. It was a really fun game and we sat in the bleachers, but a guy behind us made the night a bit less enjoyable. He was such a jerk. Kurt Suzuki (who plays for the Oakland A's) came up to bat and he yelled, "GET ON YOU BIKE AND DELIVER MY FOOD!!!!" and "HEY KURT--YOUR MOTHER SHOULD HAVE HAD THE ABORTION!". >.<

My sister was texting her friend at the game and he told her to get off the phone and was then making fun of her! My parents were getting ice cream so I turned to him and said, "Would you stop being so rude to my sister?! She's eleven!" And then he was making comments about me. If you're going to make fun of an 11 year old at a baseball game and make racist comments about an opponent then you shouldn't be there. You ruin it for everybody else.

He was an ignorant bigot with an IQ of 27 at the highest. Uh.

Politicians

2010-08-30T07:18:00.000-07:00

I hate them. They spend all their time trash talking their opponents and none of their time talking about what they actually stand for.

I hate Lady Gaga too. She's not talented at all. I mean, listen to this. It's just...uh.

Sorry, this is a lame blog post.

My Illness Has Driven Me To Insanity

2010-08-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

So. Yesterday, I go to the doctor and it turns out...

I may have mono ON TOP of having Lyme disease.

...

My life rocks. Mono + Lyme disease? That makes for an awesome last month or so of summer.

So this boredom has caused me to do two unthinkable things...listen to Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte on CD (which very boring to listen to in case anyone out there is wondering).

And:

Get a tumblr....even though, I already attempted one of those. I'm so sick and so bored I figured I would try it again, it's something silly I can do--so why not right? I have a feeling this is going to be a new addiction/momentary obsession (a lot like LookBook, which I haven't been on in forever).

Here is the link to: Just Because I Can (The Tumblr Version)

Lyme Disease

2010-08-25T08:53:00.000-07:00

I have Lyme disease. I found out last week and I have to take antibiotics twice a day for four weeks. Yuck. I also got a summer cold so I'm stuffed up. It's awful.

I'm also sick of people leaving spam on my blog posts. Just putting random Chinese characters and then lots of periods afterward. It bugs me. STOP IT.

Boys Don't Cry

2010-08-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

I saw the film Boys Don't Cry for the first time on Sunday night. Hilary Swank won her first Oscar as Best Actress for her role in this movie. She plays Brandon Teena (aka Teena Brandon)--a transgender woman from Lincoln, Nebraska. Brandon falls in love with Lana (played by Chloe Sevigny) and the two of them become involved. After two of the local men (John Lotter and Tom Nissen, played by Peter Sarsgaard and Brandon Sexton the third) discover Brandon's secret, they rape him. They discover that Brandon reports them to police and to prevent her from getting them arrested they kill him.

I wish this were the making of somebody's imagination, but sadly, it isn't. Brandon Teena was biologically a woman, but wanted to become a man. Sadly, because of prejudices it was difficult for her to be what she really wanted to be--a man. Luckily, justice was served. Lotter was sentenced to death and Nissen is serving a life sentence.

This movie was absolutely spectacular. Not only were all the performances amazing, but the movie itself is chilling. Hilary Swank is truly amazing and I can see why she won an Oscar for her performance. It is one of the most powerful movies I have ever seen. I highly recommend it.

Walking Skeletons

2010-08-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

I was talking to my friend, Vic, when she mentioned two things to me. Pro-ana and pro-mia bracelets and websites. Girls at her school will wear pink bracelets if they are pro-ana and blue bracelets if they are pro-mia. I didn't know what she was talking about and when I asked I was disgusted by the response. Pro-ana means pro-anorexia and pro-mia means pro-bulimia.

I decided to do a little research. I found four sites that really bothered me, but I'm sure I could find many others that are just as disturbing. Dying to be Thin, Angel's Tips, It Withers and Withers, and The Ana/Mia Chronicles are all either pro-ana or pro-mia sites. These sites are all disgusting.

On Angel's Tips (which in my opinion should be named "Devil's Demise") it gives tips for anorexic girls on what to do to encourage themselves. One of the tips is "buy yourself a cute mini-skirt that is one size to small. You can still fit it on, but the question 'Does my butt look big?' will be rendered irrelevant. The answer is yes. Anyways, wear that skirt, by yourself, alone, in a room with a mirror. Twirl around in that skirt. Think how good it would feel to have that skirt fit you. And only one size too big! Shame, guess you can't have ice cream after dinner tonight. Guess you can't have ice cream at all." What kind of person does this? I understand if you are overweight and wanna get down a size and you do this, but this isn't about people losing a HEALTHY amount of weight--this is about people being unhealthy.

It Withers and Withers "helps" both bulimic and anorexic girls. At the bottom of the web page it says, "I am in no way promoting any Eating Disorder. Copyright 2005." I haven't ever heard such bull. Obviously the writer of the blog is encouraging eating disorders--they are providing a how to guide for Christ's sake! It tells anorexic how to lower food cravings and it tells bulimic girls what foods to avoid eating because they are hard to vomit up.

The Ana/Mia Chronicles is written in by a bunch of different people. They are all girls who are one or the other, or switch between the two. Every entry is sad though. These girls (and not only girls, women, fully grown women) are obsessed with getting to smaller numbers and smaller BMIs. I don't understand. Why is this the fad? Why are people obsessed with getting smaller and smaller? It isn't even like it's attractive. Looking like a walking skeleton is horrible and I don't understand would ever want to look that way.

The last site...I have to read the whole thing and get back to you on it. It seems to be a girl who suffers from anorexia. Although this is so awful, it deserves an entry all its own.

Crying Babies

2010-08-13T15:41:00.000-07:00

I have been sick since Tuesday with a fever so today my mom took me to the doctor's office. Across the hall from me was a 17 month old baby who was crying. She just kept crying. It was so sad. I hate hearing babies cry. It pulls at the maternal part of my heart strings.

The doctor said I may have Lyme's disease so I had to have blood work done. I have never had it taken from the vein in my arm before. I've only ever had my finger pricked. I was really nervous to have it done, but I was okay actually. I was quite proud of myself.

I get my blood test results on Wednesday. So we'll see

Something That Made Me Smile

2010-08-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

I saw this online and just thought it was really cute.

"Hate To See You Go": Geoff Hartwell's New CD

2010-08-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

I am going to do my first music review ever on Geoff Hartwell's CD Hate to See You Go. Geoff was a teacher at the music camp I was just at and they were selling his CDs and I just had to buy one after I heard him perform at the faculty concert.

Tumbelina (by Geoff Hartwell and Jerry Scaringe featuring Sonny Landreth on the slide guitar):

"Tumbelina! Tumbelina! I'm fallin for you!"

Drinkin' Bourbon Whiskey (by Geoff Hartwell):

I think the guitar part throughout the whole song is sick!

Hate to See You Go (by Geoff Hartwell featuring Dana Colley and the baritone sax):

This song has kind of a sexy, brassy feel to it. It's really cool, it's like a ballad of sorts.

Dreams (by Geoff Hartwell):

This song started and it has a completely different feel then the rest of them. It's much more upbeat and folk-y sounding in my opinion.

Bar Fungul (by Geoff Hartwell and Rich Kelly):

This song is quite jazzy in the beginning. It stays so upbeat and funky. It's cool.

Summertime (by George Gershwin)

Maybelline (by Chuck Berry)

Are You Happy Now? (by Richard Shindell):

This song is more rock and roll. I would expect that from him, mostly because he has hair all the way down his back. Then again, I shouldn't make judgements like that.

Honest (by Geoff Hartwell)

Water is Wide (traditional; Geoff Hartwell with Cindy Cashdollar on a 6 string Lap Steel):

This mellow track, is the perfect ending to this CD.

His album is considered a blues album, but I more thought of him as a rock and roll guy. Although he has a blues-y sound when it comes to his voice and his playing. I really like the flow of his CD, there is enough variety that you don't get bored without it being random or being able to recognize a style.

A Day Full of Horses

2010-08-07T17:34:00.000-07:00

This morning I went horseback riding as normal. I got a horse named Justice. I had never ridden him before. I was on for about half an hour and I was having a really difficult time getting him to trot. So I was starting to trot down the long side of the ring when he took off. I leaned back and circled him and I was fine. I got a round of applause for handling it so well. So that was nice.

Then, I go to Pegasus. Which is always awesome. After my first class, my student (who suffers from Autism) put his helmet away and then pulled off his pants. He then started peeing. I wasn't exactly sure what to do. I got his mom and she fixed it, so that was interesting.

Then I was working with a horse named Remy. He would not stop causing me problems. He kept trying to bite me and step on me. Little brat.

National Guitar Workshop

2010-08-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

(The wheel of keys...)

I went to camp on Sunday and was there until noon today. It was called National Guitar Workshop. They had rock, acoustic, jazz, keys and then voice. I took voice. I made some amazing friends while I was away. A lot of them live in my general area which actually (which is nice) the only ones who don't live near me are Claire (Texas), Jeremy (MA), and Madison (California).

It was honestly a wonderful experience. My friends that I've made at camp have really changed me. I will see them again, I'll make sure of it.

Blogs and Stairs

2010-07-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

My friend, Emma, told me I should get a Tumblr. I created an account and then...I had no idea what to do. The set up was confusing and just...yuck. So I deleted it. I have now had a Tumblr for all of ten minutes. Exciting. I have yet to make Formspring, although that will happen when hell freezes over.

Also, I thought I'd blog about my dad. I was going to earlier, but I wanted to talk about my trip to DC and then the song.
On Saturday night my dad took a pretty bad fall down the stairs. We think he may have broken a disc in his back, but we aren't sure. He's on pain meds, but starting to feel a little better. Hopefully, he'll be better soon.

"Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars

2010-07-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I wrote this blog post about a song that I really liked and meant a lot to me.

And then today, Beno (the same friend who invited me to prom) showed me a beautiful song. It's called Just The Way You Are by Bruno Mars. It is beautiful. I love it, so much.

Oh her eyes, her eyes

Make the stars look like they're not shining

Her hair, her hair

Falls perfectly without her trying

She's so beautiful

And I tell her every day

Yeah I know, I know

When I compliment her

She won't believe me

And it's so, it's so

Sad to think she don't see what I see

But every time she asks me do I look okay

I say

[CHORUS]

When I see your face

There's not a thing that I would change

Cause you're amazing

Just the way you are

And when you smile,

The whole world stops and stares for awhile

Cause girl, you're amazing

Just the way you are

Her lips, her lips

I could kiss them all day if she'd let me

Her laugh, her laugh

But I think it's so sexy

She's so beautiful

And I tell her every day

Oh you know, you know, you know

I'd never ask you to change

If perfect is what you're looking for

Then just stay the same

So don't even bother asking

If you look okay

You know I say

[CHORUS]

The way you are

Girl, you're amazing

Just the way you are

[CHORUS]

This song is beautiful. I love it.

Washington DC

2010-07-29T13:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't seen my friend Vic since June of 2008! I haven't seen Aya (who I've written about many times) since last July. I've been missing the two of them terribly. Two weeks ago (on the 12th of July) my parents bought me a train ticket to DC so that I could see the two of them. Aya lives in London still, but she was visiting Vic on from July 26th to July 28th. That is when I went as well.

I took an 8 AM train to DC that got into Union Station at about 12. I got off the train and saw Vic in the station. We both began jumping up and down. I ran to her (or tried too, there were business men blocking me). We embraced immediately and started talking right away. Aya was dropped off about half an hour later. The three of us went and sat in a park and simply hung out. It was awesome, we just caught up on everything that had been going on.

That night I fell asleep early, but apparently I was talking and MOVING in my sleep. In the morning, I got to hear stories about how I was acting. That was...awesome (or as we would say, "ewesome"). We basically just got to catch up on what had been going on, and I know I had an amazing time.

I had so much fun! it was definitely the highlight of my summer. We picked up right were we left off, and I adore the two of them so much.

Dog Walking

2010-07-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

I walk my dogs (Jessie and Belle) 2.5 miles every day. I like doing it, but sometimes they can be such a pain. For example, today. Belle decided she didn't feel like walking. So she was pulling and jumping on me. Then, a dog came running up to mine and they started freaking out. It had gotten out of its yard and just...

This dog caused me problems.

Bowling

2010-07-21T08:47:00.000-07:00

I haven't been bowling in forever. So when the opportunity came up to go bowling with Roddy and Emma I snatched it whole-heartedly. The last time I went bowling was probably in 2005 or 2006. So it has been a while. At first I was doing really well, but then...I'm not sure what happened, but I stopped doing so well.

It was still really fun though!

Teen Mom

2010-07-14T19:08:00.000-07:00

There was a show on MTV called "16 and Pregnant". Each episode followed the story of a sixteen year old mother from towards the end of their pregnancy to the early days of mother hood. MTV then did a spin off series called "Teen Mom". I love watching it. I love seeing how these girls have grown, plus they all have really cute babies.

The first couple is Amber and Gary. They have a beautiful baby girl named Leah. When Amber got pregnant she moved in with Gary into his apartment. Amber wasn't able to finish high school so she decided to work on her GED. She and Gary have a rocky relationship so she moves into her own house. She gets a job at a nail salon and continues trying to work on her GED while paying for Leah to be in day care. Leah is a beautiful baby. She's so cute! Amber and Gary had a very hard time getting along during the show and I think it was because they were unsure of how to deal with the stress of being parents.

The second couple is Ryan and Maci. They have a son named Bentley. Maci lost her virginity to Ryan, but then got pregnant. Ryan's parents desperately wanted the two of them to be together and get married, but there was no way that they could get married, they fought way too much. Maci dropped out of high school and was taking community college classes. Ryan on the other hand, was simply a lazy bum who did nothing and wasn't willing to get a job. He was also extremely cheap. He refused to buy cake mix for Bentley's first birthday. Maci and Bentley are both better off without him, he's a good for nothing bum.

The third teen mother is not a couple, although she wants a boyfriend pretty badly it seems. Farrah is the mother of baby girl Sophia. The boy who got her pregnant isn't involved at all through the whole show. She lives with her parents and enrolls in culinary school. Her mother is quite the...character. In the beginning Farrah is not a good mother, she likes to go out and party, but later (after a rude awakening from her sister) she really steps up. She wanted to date and everything, but realized that high school guys and even college guys aren't mature enough to want to be a dad yet. Farrah is certainly annoying and spoiled, but she is a better mother than she used to be.

My favorite couple by far is Tyler and Catelynn. They had a beautiful baby girl named Carly who they gave up for adoption. A couple named Brandon and Tereasa agreed to have an open adoption with Tyler and Catelynn. Tyler grew up in Michigan with his mom. His mother (Kim) was never married to his father (Butch). Butch was in and out of jail often with drug issues. Catelynn's mom later married Butch, after Catelynn and Tyler were together. Butch and Catelynn's mom move away during Catelynn's senior year, so she moves in with Kim and Tyler. The two of them have to deal with different issues than the other parents. They might not have Carly with them to worry about, bu they have to deal with not getting to see her everyday, and wondering how she is. They get email updates and visits, but they miss out on the everyday experiences. Butch and Catelynn's mom were not supportive of their decision to give their daughter up for adoption. After a while Catelynn's mother apologizes for the way she acted towards adoption. Tyler and Catelynn are an adorable couple. They are in love and Tyler proposed to Catelynn. She, of course, said yes. If I were her I would say yes. Tyler is a truly wonderful guy, and Catelynn is adorable. They really are my favorite couple. I found their website Tylerandcatelynn.com and have enjoyed looking at the adorable pictures of Carly.

I'm looking forward to the new season of "Teen Mom"!

Pants

2010-07-14T08:46:00.000-07:00

I got a pair of hand-me-up sweat pants from my 11 year old sister. They are from the store Justice (which used to be Limited Too) and I noticed the other day that these pants say "friends like you for you" on the tag.

I think it is really odd, but kind of cool that there are words of intelligence on the inside of my pants.

"Olivia" By Harly Poe

2010-07-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Last August I wrote this entry. I was listening to the song "Olivia" by Harley Poe and I decided to post the lyrics here.

Olivia

I got my figures on the wall

Comics stacked up in the hall

I got a movie in my DVD player

I got my music that I love

And a girl sent from above

I got my problems but

They seem so little next to her

Man, oh, man I got no money

Spent it all on my new honey

I got you and you got me

And that's all that we need

No one seems to understand me

Lay there still don't ever leave me

I feel inside your all I have

So baby hear my plea

[CHORUS]

And even though I can't converse with you
There are so many other things that we can do

As you lay there lifeless on my bed

You were never really living so you can't be dead

You'll never die so tears won't be shed

So you think that I'm so cruel

Not like when I was back in school

I didn't have a friend and everyone was mean

Introverted and I know it

And I'm not afraid to show it

Cause there's no one here like me

It's my scene

Man, oh, man I can't relate

To others I don't feel so great

I don't need people, don't need friends

I only want my toys

Loving you it must be said

I'm talking to myself again

That's okay cause mama said
I'm not like other boys

[CHORUS]

Olivia, you're not a real female

But you'll work for me

You'll be there when relationships fail

Olivia, your skin it feels

So real

On the Internet

Is where I got this great deal

Alright!

[Repeat verses and chorus]

"Hairstyles of the Damned" by Joe Meno

2010-07-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

I finished reading the book "Hairstyles of the Damned" by Joe Meno. It's the story of Brian's junior and senior year (in 1990 and 1991) in the suburbs of Chicago. Brian's best friend is a pink haired girl named Gretchen who literally kicks ass. I was really drawn to this book at first, but after a while the book seemed to be a bit all over the place, but then again, I guess that is fitting. Teenagers aren't exactly organized, and it is told through Brian's point of view. I still would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't been as all over the place as it was.

My favorite part was the last two pages or so of the book. Brian really hits on the key part of growing up. He understands that even by being punk, you are just conforming to another group. He gets that everything you do is judged and all you can do is just try to be yourself, without conforming.

The Last Airbender

2010-07-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

The Last Airbender was quite possibly the worst movie I've ever seen. I couldn't even sit through the whole movie it was so bad. I've never left during a movie before, and I've seen some pretty bad movies. Firstly, we (Bria, Emma, Colin, and I) saw the movie in 3D which I hate because they charge you an extra two bucks just so you can wear some dumb glasses and watch the lame 3D effects.

My actual critique of the movie is that first of all they said three important names incorrectly. They said Aang as if it were spelled "Uhng", they said Sokka like "so-ka" instead of "sah-ka" and they said Iroh like "ee-roh" instead of "eye-roh". That really bugged me because for Christ's sake SAY THE NAMES RIGHT.

Then, there were things that didn't fit in with the actual series. Firstly, Aang was bad at water bending in the movie, but he's supposed to be naturally talented at it. Secondly, he didn't see the room full of Avatar statues at the second air temple, it was the first. Not only that, but Commander Zhao doesn't capture him at an air temple at all, and Aang certainly wasn't set up by a man in the temple! Then, when they are going through the earth bending towns, the boy who gets in trouble for throwing pebbles, he isn't supposed to be so young, he's actually seventeen and his name is Harou. These are just a few examples of discrepancies between the series and the movie.

Apart from the fact that there were errors in the story line, even if you weren't familiar with the cartoon, the movie was horrible.

The make up jobs were horrible, Zuko is supposed to have a scar, and it looked like a five year old had painted it on. Then Aang's arrow is supposed to be solid blue, not that lame tattoo thing. Uncle Iroh is supposed to be short, fat and jolly, not thin with braids.

The acting was horrific. Noah Ringer (who played Aang) over acted in every single scene. He didn't have the light, carefree boyish charm that Aang is supposed to have. Then the Katara (played by Nicola Peltz) in the movie was the Katara portrayed in the play that the gang goes to see in the episode called "Ember Island Players" in Book Three: Fire. She was over dramatic and kept going on about hope. It really bugged me that Katara narrated the whole damn movie. She isn't supposed to do that! Nicola Peltz has an extremely pouty face, which I found really unattractive. I know that doesn't have anything to do with her performance, but I just didn't like looking at her pouty, sad looking mouth. Jackson Rathbone (who played Sokka) was simply terrible. Sokka is supposed to be goofy and funny, and Jackson Rathbone killed the character. He's just not a talented actor, but then again, why am I surprised? He was in the bloody Twilight movies (which I refuse to see considering the book series is a disgrace to literature, or at least the last three are, the first one I genuinely enjoyed). Cliff Curtis (who played Fire Lord Ozai) was pathetic. Fire Lord Ozai is supposed to strike fear into the hearts of everyone, and Cliff Curtis isn't exactly a threatening person. My favorite character, Uncle Iroh, was played by Shaun Toub was okay. He was certainly better than the others, but he wasn't that good. I love Uncle too much to hate him, but I was disappointed by him as well.

Overall, the movie was a disgrace to the cartoon that I love so much.

LookBook

2010-07-03T19:53:00.000-07:00

My friend, Charlotte, invited me to the site LookBook.nu and I hadn't posted anything until today. It's actually kind of cool. People post outfits and stuff.

Anyway, here is my page.

So Much Avatar

2010-07-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Last week my brother and sister ordered the complete box set of Avatar: The Last Airbender on DVD. It got here on Tuesday afternoon and we immediately started watching it. I wanted to watch all 61 episodes of the show before I went to go see the movie today with my friends. I did it too. I watched 61 episodes of Avatar in three days. It was totally worth it as well. The show really is unbelievably well done. I love how the story line weaves together and fits together so well.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the series, it's the story four nations (Fire, Water, Air and Earth) and the people in these nations can bend (or control) the element of their nation. Not everyone can, but certain people are born with the ability. There is always one Avatar (or master of all four elements) alive at one time in the world, and once the one Avatar dies, the new one is born into the world. It is one spirit being reborn over and over again. Aang is an Avatar, but he disappears for 100 years after getting frozen in an ice cube of sorts. During that 100 years the Fire nation wipes out the Air benders and has tried to take over the whole world. He is rescued and it is then his job to master all four elements and save the world. The other characters in the story are Katara (a water bender), Sokka (a water nation warrior and Katara's sister)), Toff (an earth bender), Zuko (a banished prince of the fire nation and a fire bender), Suki (an earth nation warrior), and Uncle Iroh (Zuko's uncle and an ex General for the fire nation).

I am a bit hesitant to see the movie (titled: The Last Airbender) today, I'm excited because I honestly love the series so much, but if they mess it up, I'll be really annoyed. There are some...interesting castings. The one I'm the most surprised by is Dev Patel playing Prince Zuko. Nicola Peltz is playing Katara, she looks so pouty and...I'm not very happy about her playing Katara, I guess we'll have to see how she does it. Jackson Rathbone is going to play Sokka, and he's been in those horrible Twilight movies (gag me), but we'll see how he does as Sokka, who is meant to be funny. Other than that, I'm not too opinionated about the casting, I guess we'll see how it is!

Sungha Jung

2010-06-29T17:21:00.000-07:00

Last summer I saw my friend Annabel for 45 minutes, but this year I got to spend Sunday night, all day Monday, Monday night and the first half of Tuesday with her. It was epic. We were hanging out in my room playing guitar and hanging out. While we were hanging out she showed me Sungha Jung. I listened to the pieces he played, and oh my goodness, he is spectacular!

Listen to his stuff! Buy his CDs! Support him! Please!

Annie Get Your Gun

2010-06-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

Today, while waiting for my friend Annabel to get here I watched the movie Annie Get Your Gun on TCM (Turner Classic Movies). It was made in 1950 and Judy Garland was going to star as Annie Oakley, but after about a month of shooting she got fired and replaced with Betty Hutton. I thought Judy Garland would have been much better. Betty Hutton was okay, but I thought she wasn't as vocally strong as Judy Garland would have been, especially during the song "Anything You Can Do".

I really enjoyed the movie as a whole though.

A Wednesday to Remember

2010-06-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a fantastic day. I went to Patrick's house to swim and to dye his hair purple. So, Patrick, Alex, Peanut, Isaiah, Sissy and I went swimming and I dyed Patrick's hair purple. After seeing Patrick's hair Peanut asked me to dye part of her hair...so I did.

I loved dying their hair. It was really fun. Overall it was just a really good day. That's what I love about summer, I get to hang out and see my friends. It's so relaxing and the weather is lovely.

I'm loving summer so far, and I'm only a few weeks in. I've taken 465 pictures so far this summer...so I have no idea how many I'll have by the end of it!

Blue Nailpolish

2010-06-22T14:53:00.000-07:00

My favorite color for nail polish is blue. So far all summer my nails have been blue (although, summer hasn't really been going on that long). I'm going to try to keep my nails a shade of blue all summer!

Doc

2010-06-21T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today I got a letter from my advisor, Doc. Doc is amazing, he's a great advisor.

"Hey APEELOZ, Olivia

Okay, I know advisors do no have to write to their advisees at the end of the year, but I needed to write to you for my own peace of mind. You are the best. Rarely, if ever, in the last 21 years of teaching, have I had the chance to spend so much quality time with so many young adults with wonderful qualities you all displayed every day. We became more than just an advisory by any measure of the word. I certainly saw you more than just during advisory time...morning, free periods, lunch and after school! After getting to know you during freshman year, by some miracle, this advisory formed in September, and I can only describe it as an explosion of good stuff. Yes, you are not perfect friends with each other on all levels, but who said you were supposed to be? You are a rarity in high school. You function like a college sorority...maybe even better. You have opinions, you have directions, and not every one of you accepts the other's. But you are absolutely amazing in your sensitivity to each other, especially in a crisis. You are beautiful on the inside, as well as on the outside. Thank you for something very special this year. I know that you know I appreciate who you are, and more importantly, what you are becoming. I know that you know you have things to fix and work upon. But I also know that you made this a fun year for me. So that is one thing you do not ever have to fix. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. I love summer as much as you love summer, but I do also look forward to seeing you next September in our new (but different) advisory room. Notice I did not write classroom, since in the back of the room, anyway, it is truly our advisory home...as it should be.

Please stay safe and have a very happy summer,
Doc"

It's Just a Little Pin Prick

2010-06-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

This summer I am going to camp for one week. It is the first time I'll ever be going away to a sleep away camp (which seems odd to people who go away every summer). I'm going to the National Guitar Workshop's summer camp for the first week of August. I'm going for voice though, not guitar...since I don't play guitar. So because I am sleeping over I needed a new shot and I had to go get it today. I hate shots. They make me really nervous.

I was nervous while sitting in the office so I sang a little Pink Floyd to myself, "Relax, relax, relax--it's just a little pin prick!" I thought it was very appropriate.

Pink Hair

2010-06-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

Today, I am dying my hair pink. Or...I'm dying part of my hair pink. I'm going to the salon and she's (Gigi) going to bleach my hair and then dye my bangs pink. Not a bubblegum pink, but a bright, hot pink. I'm so excited. My school has a rule that you aren't allowed to have "unnatural" hair colors. So I figured summer was the perfect opportunity to dye my hair.

On Sunday night I had a party at my house for the beginning summer. I had a lot of fun, mostly because it was extremely relaxed.

This summer is going to be awesome, I can already tell.

My Last Final is Done and Summer has Begun!

2010-06-09T12:29:00.001-07:00

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high
There's a land that I dreamed of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me!
Where troubles melt like lemon drops, high above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me!

Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow, why then oh why can't I?

Monday

2010-06-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

Today, I took my Honors French 3 and Honors Algebra 2 with Trig final exams. Goodness gracious, they were annoying.

Anyway, in the morning, I gave Steve (who works in the cafeteria at school) the tshirt I made for him (it was splattered painted). Before, when he asked me for it, he said he was going to pay me, and I said he shouldn't, but if he wanted to, he could pay me in ice cream. So, when I gave it to him today, he told me the freezer had been emptied out so there wasn't anymore ice cream, and I told him that was fine, he could pay in me by giving me a free muffin for breakfast (he makes the BEST chocolate chip muffins EVER). He said, "Or I could give you this." He handed me an envelope with my name on it and inside was a $25 gift certificate to Cold Stone Creamery!!!! I gave him a big hug, and then he gave me a muffin on the house too! He's such a nice guy. I love Steve!

So, I got to go home at 12:15. I had a make up horseback riding lesson at 4 o'clock. I went to that and I fell off. I was riding this horse named Cody and she got kicked by the other horse Benji. She freaked out and started jumping up and down. She was not pleased with Benji for kicking her. I was trying to pull her back so she'd stop, but it didn't work too well. I slid and was hanging on sideways, and I thought about whether or not I should just fall or try to crawl back up. I chose to fall. I let go and fell on my butt and my elbow. Cody moved away from me a bit, but I stood up and went over to her. I gave her a pat on the neck, a kiss on the nose and got back on. I was congratulated on a job well done.

It was an interesting Monday.

I Could Have Danced All Night

2010-06-06T10:48:00.000-07:00

I could have danced all night!

And still have begged for more,

I could spread my wings

And done a thousand things,

I've never done before.

I'll never know, what made it so exciting,

Why all once my heart took flight!

I only know when he began to dance with me,

I could have danced, danced, danced

All night!

"Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

2010-06-02T17:53:00.000-07:00

"The only number that would ever be enough is 0. Zero pounds, zero life, size zero, double-zero, zero point." -Page 220

I first read about Laurie Halse Anderson's book Wintergirls from Nicole's blog entry about it.

"When school started, she looked right through me in the halls, her new friends draped around her neck like Mardi Gras necklaces. She wiped me off the face of her existence." -Page 11

It is about Lia and Cassie, two seniors in high school, or that is would be seniors in high school. Cassie is dead. Lia suffers from anorexia and Cassie suffers from bulimia.

"She'd brush my hair and braid it with long words, weaving the Latin roots and Greek branches into my head so memorizing anatomy would come easy." -Page 12

The whole book is told through the eyes of Lia. She has been hospitalized twice in the past for her eating disorder. She refuses to try to get better.

"The teachers tie us to our chairs and pour worlds into our ears." -Page 12

All she wants to do is loose weight. It's amazing to hear her thoughts. All she wants to do is get smaller and smaller. She knows there is something wrong, but she just wants to be able to trick everyone into thinking she's okay.

"I am locked into the mirror and there is no door out." -Page 221

I've written about weight before, and I think it's a serious issue. I loved that she touched on that it wasn't about the number, it was about the control. Lia admits that no matter how small of a number she gets, she'll still want a smaller number. It was very well written and I enjoyed it more than I have any book in a while.

"Why? You want to know why?

Step into a tanning booth and fry yourself for two or three days. After your skin bubbles and peels off, roll in coarse salt, then pull on long underwear woven from spun class and razor wire. Over that goes your regular clothes, as long as they are tight.

Smoke gunpowder and go to school to jump through hoops, sit up and beg, and roll over on command. Listen to the whispers that curl into your head at night, calling you ugly and fat and stupid and bitch and whore and worst of all 'a disappointment'. Puke and starve and cut and drink because you don't want to feel any of this. Puke and starve and cut and drink because you need an anesthetic and it works. For a while. But then the anesthetic turns into poison and by then it's too late because you are mainlining it now, straight into your soul. It is rotting you and you can't stop.

Look in a mirror and find a ghost. Hear every heartbeat scream that everysinglething is wrong with you.

'Why?' is the wrong question.

Ask 'Why not?'" -Page 161

Take Note

2010-05-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

There is an acapella group at my school called Take Note. It is all girls and you get in through audition only. Today, I auditioned for it. I sang "Honey Bun" from the show South Pacific.

So we'll see!

The People Who Mean Most To Me

2010-05-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been thinking a lot about the people who mean more to me than anyone else on this earth. All this thinking made me realize that there are actually a lot of people whom I care about deeply. I thought I would write about these people.

Aya:
I don't even know where to begin with this wonderful girl. I love her so much and I miss her terribly. I haven't seen her in a whole year!

Vic:
A London friend who I haven't seen in TWO WHOLE YEARS. In my opinion our two most enjoyable memories are from a 7th grade dance and a trip to Camden market (which is in London). The two memories are related funnily enough. In 7th grade one of our dances was an "Oscar Night" theme. Normally this would be fun, but Vic and I...march to a different beat. We decided that we didn't want to dress up all fancy. Oh no. We wanted to do goth formal. And that is exactly what we did. So, in order to find this Gothic attire, we went to Camden market to go dress shopping. While we were there we had penne pasta with pesto (from the best pasta place in Camden market) and we then each got a nutella crepe with strawberry jam. Vic's hand got stuck to her Coca-Cola can because of the jam. It was hilarious. I miss her a lot.

George:
My best guy friend of all time. I haven't seen him since October and I miss him like crazy. Hopefully, I'll be able to see him this summer. George is the most interesting combination of ethnicity's. His dad is Lebanese and his mom is Polish. They both have accents accordingly and then he...has no accent at all.

Jake:
Another wonderful London friend. I haven't seen him in over a year, but we already have plans to see each other this summer. I wish we'd been really close earlier in my London "career", but we didn't become close until 8th grade.

Annabel:
Annabel is my far my longest friend. We met in the first grade, but she moved away to Florida at the end of third. We continue to stay in pretty constant touch and I love her dearly. I'm hoping to see her for a while this summer (whereas last time we spent a pathetic 45 minutes together).

Beno:
My prom date and new best friend of sorts here. There isn't much to say about him other than he is an extremely nice person who I love talking to.

Bria:
One of my closest girl friends here. I love her to death. She always makes me laugh and I always feel much much better around her.

Emma:
My other closest girl friend here. She is one of the sweetest people I've ever met. I can be really silly and very serious with her, which is nice, cause a friend can't be someone who you can only be one with.

Mercedes:
She is probably one of the best people to have around when you're upset. She will take you side, but also let you know if you're in the wrong, without being "mean" about it. I think that is a difficult thing to do.

Paige:
Paige is amazing because she is honest and outspoken. Not only that, but she's the one who keeps you grounded when you need it most. When you start to get all starry eyed and go crazy, Paige is the one who brings you back to reality, but not harshly. Although, she can have a very good time like everyone else, she just knows what's up and what's really going on.

Nikita:
Nikita is the one who provides us with our fattening Cheese-balls. These death balls are amazingly yummy, but disgusting all at once. She's hilarious and intelligent and wonderful all around.

My family:
My family is absolutely bonkers, but I love them so very much.

I've been thinking so much recently about all these people and how much they mean to me...it makes me feel fantastic to know I have all these people in my life.

Horses

2010-05-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

I love horses. I always have. I've been riding since I was eight, but I took a three year break from sixth to eighth grade (while I was living in England). When I moved back I started riding again. As I've written about many times, I also do Pegasus on Saturday afternoons. I've been riding every Saturday morning for over a year again now. I love it so much. I ride the difficult ponies at the barn. The ones who misbehave a lot. It's a lot of fun. I rode the crabby Mr. Chips. He's a little spotted pony. He ran me into a fence. Twice. I now have an extremely bruised knee. The next day Buddy bit my stomach and now I have a bruise on my stomach. The picture is of the lovely Pepperoni (aka Roani). He's adorable, I'm too big to ride him though.

Inclusion Teaming

2010-05-20T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today, I had an interview with Inclusion Teaming. They are have a five week summer program happening this program (or at least they hope they will, they need to have enough people signed up). It is basically a volunteer opportunity where I would be interacting with special needs kids. I wouldn't be helping them though, in fact I think they'll end up helping me. It is an educational course where four non-special needs kids and four special needs kids all interact in a room together. We'll have discussion that will help the other to better understand each other's thought process.

I'm extremely excited. Fingers crossed!

Prom at the Aquarium

2010-05-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

Prom 2010 was awesome. It was at the local aquarium (which is in Norwalk). First we went to Cort's house for pre-prom (where the parents take all the pictures). There were way too many pictures. My face started to hurt after a while and my eyes were watering after a while. We took a big Hummer-limo to prom--that was cool!

Once at prom I hung out with Nicole and danced. I danced a lot. I'm not a good dancer by any means, but I'm okay with that.

Prom Queen and King was announced at about 10 and everyone left after that. Except for the people who I went to prom with. So really, the last hour was the best. Dancing and fooling around with all my friends. It was awesome.

They gave out prom tshirts, had a photobooth, and gave out goodie bags. The shirts were kind of cool. I went in the photobooth with Nicole. The goodie bags had candy and ... (drum roll please) a Silly Band in them! Odd right?

Overall, an amazing night!

Sleeping with the Enemy

2010-05-12T14:35:00.000-07:00

During my health class at school we had a domestic violence unit and to end the unit we watched Sleeping with the Enemy. This was one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen. It is the story of Laura Burney (played by Julia Roberts) and Martin Burney who have been married for 3 years, 7 months and 6 days. Their marriage seems to be the perfect one, but in reality Martin is abusive and beats Laura whenever things don't go his way.

It honestly was one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen. It isn't particularly graphic or too too twisted (it was twisted, but nothing compared to the TV shows I watch about certain things), but it just chilled me to the bone. I couldn't believe how horrid a person Martin was, he was just a disgusting human being. A completely unlikable character.

Silly Bandz

2010-05-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

Silly Bandz. I don't understand the obsession with them. They're just colored rubber bands. The only thing I'm curious about is how they get them to stay in shapes.

Now, fads always happen, but I feel like this is an odd one. Especially considering they've been out for a while, I remember them being around a few years ago. There is a little girl who I help horseback ride on Sundays and she has fifty-two of these rubber bands on her arms. Fifty-two. That's a lot. When you're younger I understand having a few, but fifty-two? And what about the people who are my age who have tons of them? I don't understand that either...

It is a weird fad, that's for sure.

"Tea at Wordsworth's" part 3

2010-05-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

WORDSWORTH:No. Christianity is to blame. God has done nothing wrong!
COLERIDGE: You are both mistaken; they both make sure true evil doesn't take over. Not only that, but "saints will aid if men will call:/For the blue sky bends over all!"
[The men look at each other.]
BLAKE: You agree with me then, God made the evil things too.
COLERIDGE: Yes, that is true, God did make the evil things as well as the good, but the evil things are not worth less than the good things. God treats all of His creations the same.
WORDSWORTH: SAM, do you understand what you're saying? You said the same thing in that ludicrous poem "Christabel". You're saying that evil can win! Evil is not supposed to win. God made everything equal and then society ruined certain aspects of His creation.
BLAKE: You are both being foolish. God made the evil things and He should be ashamed of it.
COLERIDGE: He shouldn't be ashamed of His creation. Christianity helped to tame all the evil He created, but He would be more than willing to aid any of His creations.
WORDSWORTH: I suppose you believe that a "host of daffodils" is treated the same as your Geraldine.
COLERIDGE: If they both asked for God's help, then yes.
WORDSWORTH: Nature is meant to be admired SAMUEL, not feared.
COLERIDGE: Evil can't just enter a house though WILLIAM, it has to be invited in. Prayers and symbols of God and Christianity keep away evil.
BLAKE: SAM, I wonder if you think about what you are saying. I believe that God is to blame for all of this misfortune on Earth, and it is only made worse by society. It is a sad fact that our only hope of relief or happiness is death. Especially for those who are constantly miserable, like chimney sweeps. All we as men have to look forward to is death; God made it that way. WILLIAM believes Christianity is to blame and that God can do no wrong, although how he figures that is a bit beyond my grasp.
WORSWORTH [mumbling]: Nature is a wonderful, glorious thing! God meant it to be beautiful, we ruined it! Man ruined it! Society ruined it! God didn't ruin anything.
BLAKE [rolls eyes]: You see? We both have very different ideas about God and Christianity, but then you SAM, you have a different idea all together. You are trying to say God isn't ashamed of His evil creations, in fact He is proud? And not only that, but Christianity helps?!
COLERDIGE: Yes, BLAKE, I regret the fact that you don't seem to understand what I mean, but it makes sense to me. Sometimes bad things have to happen. Sins are meant to be made. Sometimes inexplicable acts of cruelty happen and men react to them in a way that only proves how selfish they are. Those men, who act selfishly, will be punished, while a man who suffers and later sees the beauty in nature will be forgiven. Sinners are meant to spread their tales of redemption; it teaches everyone that if you are truly sorry and see the error of your ways you'll be forgiven. A man who hears one of these horrid tales of sin will wake up a "sadder but wiser man".
[BLAKE and WORDSWORTH look at each other and then back at COLERIDGE. COLERIDGE looks back at the two of them calmly, smiling slightly.]
BLAKE: Well, SAMEUL that is certainly an interesting idea.
WORDSWORTH: Interesting? It's mad. Just like all the poetry you've written. "Kubla Khan", "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner", and "Christabel" are all ridiculous. You write with such speed and they're so quickly put together. It is all nonsense though!
BLAKE: Well, WILLIAM, at least SAMUEL doesn't need his sister to write good poetry for him.
[COLERIDGE holds back a laugh, while WORDSWORTH glares at BLAKE.]
WORDSWORTH: At least my poems are a bit more complex than simple nursery rimes.
BLAKE: I was the first. Remember that WILLIAM. Besides after Dorothy your work was never the same again!
WORDSWORTH: Why I never!
[FADE OUT as the room erupts into a fierce argument between BLAKE and WORDSWORTH. COLERIDGE sits sipping his tea giggling to himself while dreaming up next masterpiece.]

Neil Simon Says

2010-05-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

Our spring show this year was Neil Simon Says (a very clever name made up by our director, Mr. Anglin). We did a selection of skits from Neil Simon shows. I was in two scenes, I played Cecily in "The Odd Couple" and Muriel in "Visitor from Hollywood". I honestly had so much fun doing this play. Cecily is giggly and flirtatious, while Muriel is a married alcoholic. They're both extremely fun characters to play. In "Visitor from Hollywood" I had to kiss my friend, Colin. Luckily we are close enough friends that it wasn't too terribly awkward, but the fact that his girlfriend was there was a tad awkward. Just a tad. Overall, the show was fabulous and I had lots of fun. It was probably my favorite show of the ones I have been in (I've been in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, Bye, Bye Biridie, Comedy Fest 2009, Waiting for Godot, Cabaret, and now Neil Simon Says.)

It was a good last show of the year.

Tears of Joy

2010-05-07T13:27:00.000-07:00

I've been so dreadfully happy leately, I could just cry. It is ridiculous. I love being this happy though. I've been happy recently because:

1) My new AMAZING shoes that my mom got for me (even though some people don't like them...I love them)
2) My camera has been behaving well lately
3) I've been listening to tons of good music
4) I'm enjoy the company of my friends

None of these are things that significantly change my life, but I don't really mind. I'm just really happy right now, and I'm going to make the most of my happiness.

"Tea at Wordsworth's" part 2

2010-05-03T18:46:00.000-07:00

WORDSWORTH: But why put "The Tyger" in the second volume? Why put it in Songs of Experience?
BLAKE: WILLIAM, Songs of Experience is life after the horrid industrialization of our nation. Man became tainted by technology; we started breathing in poison on a daily basis. God allowed it to happen, in fact, God made us to be this way. Is he happy with the destruction? [BLAKE'S voice cracks as he stops talking.]
[WORDSWORTH and COLERIDGE pause. The two look at each other as BLAKE picks up his tea and takes a sip, his hand shaking madly.]
COLERIDGE: Can you really blame God?
BLAKE: Yes. God is to blame; He is the one who created the tyger and the man. "In every cry of every Man,/In every Infant's cry of fear,/In every voice, in every ban,/The mind-forg'd manacles I hear./How the Chimney-sweeper's cry/Every black'ning Church appalls;/And the hapless Soldier's sigh/Runs in blood down Palace walls." Our minds have been restricted by the society to which we are all constantly exposed to. We've all been weakened to the point that nobody dare stand up for themselves anymore! The Church doesn't do anything to stop this at all! In fact--they make it worse!
WORDSWORTH: God does no make it worse; the Church, perhaps, but God? No. God can do no wrong. In my poem "Expostulation and Reply" I make a point of saying that the most important lessons are taught by God. People were meant to learn their lessons from nature and God, not from books.
BLAKE: I agree with you there WILLIAM, in both Songs of Innocence and Songs of Experience I wrote the poem "The Schoolboy" the same. If you had read if you would know that institution and organized education is oppressing our youth. "How can a child, when fear annoy,/But droop his tender wing,/And forget his youthful spring?" School ruins boys. It simply helps society to brainwash them.
WORDSWORTH: That is not God--that is society and man. People would be lost without God.
COLERIDGE: People are lost with God. Christianity helps.
[BLAKE and WORDSWORTH glance at each other curiously.]
BLAKE: SAM, you are mistaken. You must be. The Church is responsible for oppressing people, they spread evil.
COLERIDGE: I disagree with you. Nature at its purest is an evil thing. Christianity helped to tame nature.
BLAKE: You're mad! The lamb is a part of pure nature, lambs aren't evil, and tygers only are because God made them that way. Each behaves a certain way because God made them that way. God is to blame.

"Tea At Wordsworth's" part 1

2010-05-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Last week our English teacher (Mrs. Z) gave us an assignment to either write a plain old essay, or to write a script. In this script we were to write about the ideals of the British Romantic poets. So basically a conversation between the Romantic poets. I wrote a script that was between Samuel Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and William Blake. Mrs. Z is a very hard grader and I usually get B's and B-'s on her papers, but for the first time, I got an A on a paper in her class! I'm quite proud of this paper and I decided to post it here (it will be in segments, because it is four pages long).

[SAMUEL COLERIDGE, WILLIAM WORDSWORTH, and WILLIAM BLAKE are sitting in WORDSWORTH'S sitting room having tea. All three have published poem in England and are all Romantic poets. The three of them meet regularly to discuss politics, religion and their views on the world.]
WORDSWORTH: BLAKE, I recently went back and read over your poems. I realized I never did ask you why there are two volumes. Not only taht, but why on earth did you simply rewrite the same poems?
BLAKE [chuckling]: Ah, WILLIAM, just the other evening I was sitting in my drawing room working on my newest piece, when I began to wonder if anyone understood why I wrote two volumes of the same poems. I was almost sure you of all people would understand it, but clearly I was wrong. I'm sure Dorothy would have understood.
[COLERIDGE smiles, while WORDSWORTH mumbles to himself].
WORDSWORTH: Yes, well, excuse me, I mean, I thought I understood it, but I simply wanted to double check and make sure my understanding was the correct one. Not only that, but "The Lamb" does not have a second version, nor does "The Tyger" have a version in Songs of Innocence.
COLERDIGE: Excuse me, WILLIAM, but it was my understanding that "The Tyger" is the "other version" of "The Lamb".
[BLAKE smiles.]
BLAKE: You would be correct, SAM. WILLIAM, you must not have looked far enough into either of the poems. In "The Lamb" I wrote, "He is meek and he is mild;/He became a little child./I a child and thou a lamb./We are called by his name./Little Lamb, God bless thee!/Little Lamb, God bless thee!" Have you looked at a lamb? It is the epitome of innocence. The tyger on the other hand, it's vicious creature, not because it chooses to be, but because God made it that way. Why would God do such a thing? Why would HE make the beautiful lamb and then contradict it with a "Tyger! Burning bright"? "Did he smile his work to see?" I wonder.

Prom 2010

2010-04-29T17:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my friend (Beno) asked me to prom. I had to check with my parents, but they said I could go. So, I'm very excited to say I'm going to prom.

My dad grew up as an Army Brat. He moved around a lot when he was a kid, living in England, Singapore, and Scotland. My Granddad was a part of the Royal Air Force, so that explained the constant moving. Although, for a time, my dad was at boarding school in Singapore. When he was at prom age, he was living in Norwich, England, but the thing is, prom wasn't introduced in England until a little while ago. So, for him, there was no such thing as prom.

My mom on the other hand, grew up in the heart of St. Louis, Missouri (Iowa Street to be exact). She lived in the same house her whole life. She went to a small all girl parochial high school. There was a prom, but my mom didn't ever have any interest in going, so she never went.

Because neither of my parents have ever gone I'm completely clueless as to what I have to do. So, I've been asking friends. Which is nice I think. Not only that, but my parents think pre-prom is silly. Pre-prom is basically taking pictures of everyone in their dresses and boys in their tuxes. Neither of them understand the point of pre-prom. Which I guess I understand, there sure are a lot of pictures afterword.

A Food Fight in Parliament

2010-04-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, the Ukrainian Parliament broke out into chaos today. It broke out into a complete mess. Someone set off a smoke bomb and then people started throwing eggs. Yes, members of the Ukrainian parliament brought eggs to a meeting. The speaker of the house guarded himself with an umbrella. An umbrella. Oh goodness.

Who is Phoebe Prince?

2010-04-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

So, today, I found The Litterbox. I began reading the entries and the writer kept mentioning a girl named Phoebe Prince. Phoebe Prince. Phoebe Prince. I began thinking, "Who is Phoebe Prince?" As I was reading I discovered that she was a girl who committed suicide in January of this year because she was being severely bullied at school. She hung herself on January 14th of this year. I kept reading and I found this entry. Phoebe Prince herself has a blog, but there is an entry missing, I would love to see that missing blog entry. I think she's a talented writer and I can't help but wonder what was in that December entry that someone thought should be deleted. I looked her up online and found three articles of interest.
The first article is written by Dr. Dale Archer. I agree with what he is saying, telling people to talk to their kids about bullying and everything. I agree that those kids should be punished for what they did to her, as should the school, but I disagree with what he writes about culture. I don't think music and video games make people think they can do bad things. You know your rights from wrongs. Always. No stupid video game or song lyric is gonna suddenly get rid of your morals. I can't believe those horrible kids wrote "accomplished" on her Facebook page. God, people are disturbing.
The second article is a Wikipedia article. Pretty basic, factual information, there isn't as much emotion in this one, but it does give me hope that those simply disgusting people are being punished for what they did. Quite frankly, I hope they get sent to jail, they absolutely deserve it. Not only that, but I hope "Phoebe's Law" gets passed. It says that two boys are being charged with statutory rape. This must be awful for the Prince family. First, they lose their daughter and now her personal life is being spread everywhere, the fact that she had sex with those boys (or since we don't have her side of the story, it could have been plain rape, not statutory) is being told to the whole world, the poor Prince family.
The third article is written by Marie Szaniszlo and Laura Crimaldi. I like that they call the kids who tortured her "evil", but that might be a bit harsh. Then again maybe not. I wish we knew why. Why did these kids feel the need to torture this girl? Why did they harass her? And why didn't the school do anything? Superintendent Sayer seems like he is completely useless. How convenient that he only knew about the bullying for a week. Not only that, but why didn't teachers report anything (like the defacing of her picture)? Why not give out detentions and suspensions?

While reading Phoebe Prince's blog (which sadly only has three entries), I read this entry. I wonder if this was before or after all the bullying. I wonder if this was before she thought "I can't do this" for the first time.

Now, you'd think with horrible stories like this people wouldn't make it easier for bullies by having FORMSPRINGS. But sadly, people still have Formsprings. Please, someone agree with me? Please. I need someone else (besides my health teacher) to talk about how stupid things like that are. People say they are curious to find out what people think about them, that's why they get Formsprings. That isn't even the point of Formspring! Honestly, I don't know what the point is, but that is not it. Personally, I don't want petty people to be able to say mean things to me without me knowing who they are. At least if I know who they are I can say something back to them, instead of sitting on my computer reading mean comments. I can't do anything about that except get upset, which I don't need. High school is messy and dramatic enough as it is--why would I add more drama to that? I simply don't understand, but at least someone agrees with me!

Best. Thursday. Ever.

2010-04-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Last night my mom took me into the city to see "Promises, Promises". It was fantastic! Sean Hayes was hilarious. He plays Chuck Baxter, a man who is trying to get a promotion and while out at a bar one night gets asked by an executive if he can borrow the keys to his apartment so his lady friend can "lie down until she feels better". Baxter agrees, but soon three other executives are asking for the same favor. These four executives each spend a night in his apartment with a lady friend. Meanwhile, Baxter is in love with Fran (Kristin Chenoweth) and is trying to spend time with her outside work. Mr. Sheldrake (played by Tony Goldwyn, who had a fantastic singing voice) is the head of the company. He asks Baxter if he can use his apartment, and tells him that he doesn't want the other executives using it. He promotes Baxter in exchange for the keys once a week.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that for there to be a twist and a plot line, that Fran is involved with (the married) Mr. Sheldrake.

The whole thing is about Mr. Sheldrake, Fran, and Baxter. Baxter likes Fran, Fran doesn't even remember his name, Fran is in love with Sheldrake, and Mr. Sheldrake is married and known for sleeping with female employees.

Sean Hayes was hilarious. The fourth wall is broken during this musical (meaning that Sean Hayes talks to the audience) and I think this added a really nice touch. It adds something funny and charming to the whole show. In the beginning he keeps having Fran confess her love, and then everything will freeze and he'll turn out to the audience and say, "I'm sorry, I'll stop!" He was just so...alive on stage. I think he was a little pitchy during the first number ("Half As Big As Life"), but he was really good after that.

Kristin Chenoweth was amazing as usual. I've never seen her on stage before, but I'm a huge fan. I really enjoyed all her songs, but really her part wasn't as big as Sean's, but she still was amazing. The character Fran, she was a little frustrating, she was so....plain and easily swept up in this affair. I feel like Kristin (who is a strong person) wouldn't ever be involved in anything like that, so it was hard to picture.
Tony Goldwyn was really good. His voice was really good, and I enjoyed the one number he sang by himself ("Wanting Things"). He was quite charismatic, and in my opinion, cute.

Now, there was one person who had my mom and I in side splitting laughter. And that was Katie Finneran, who played Marge MacDougall. Baxter meets Marge at a bar on Christmas Eve and they get incredibly drunk together. Katie was absolutely hilarious. Just, so full of life.

Now, my favorite part of seeing shows is going to the stage door after it is over and waiting for everyone to come outside. I got signatures from Tony, Sean, Kristin, and Katie. I got pictures with Sean and Katie. Katie was hilarious in person too! She insisted on taking the pictures, she was really funny. Sean was so sweet! He went down both sides to sign playbills and take pictures with people, Kristin was really nice too, she signed everything, but I think she was in more of a rush than Sean cause she didn't take pictures. That and she asked all flash to be turned off, she gets really bad migraines and flash can set those off.

All in all, a fantastic show!

Good-Bye!

2010-04-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Sadly, at the end of the school year I will be saying good-bye to my history teacher, Mr. McClure. He is an excellent teacher, not only that, but he is hilarious. I am always laughing during history class. Always. It's probably my favorite class, well, other than Chemistry.

I'm really sad that Mr. McClure is leaving. Not only is he really funny, and an amazing teacher, but he teaches an AP Euro class that I was interested in taking my senior year. Gosh, this is most upsetting. I should be happy for him though, he's going to be the head of the history department at a boarding school in New Hampshire. So that's great for him, but still, I'm sad to see him god.

I bet the people who are in Blues Band are sad to see him go too, he always sings a song or two at their concert. He goes all out and wears wigs and everything.

Promises, Promises

2010-04-19T17:15:00.000-07:00

My mom just informed me that on Thursday night I will be going to Promises, Promises. It is a musical comedy on Broadway starring Sean Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth (from Wicked and the author of A Little Bit Wicked). I am so excited. We're going to go into the city and see the show, gosh, I'm just so excited! It's a revival, which is fun, I love seeing old shows, but then again new shows are always good. Really, I just love seeing shows in general. Gosh, I'm excited!

Pictures

2010-04-14T18:38:00.000-07:00

I love pictures. Especially old pictures. My mom is putting together my sister's elementary school yearbook. In order to do this she is looking through old pictures (although she wasn't at this school for first, second and third grade because we were in England), and I have been enjoying looking through these pictures. A picture says a thousand words about a time period or a moment. I love pictures, and I love the pictures of me that my parents have of my when I'm younger. They are simply fabulous.

90 Degree Weather In April

2010-04-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

Today, it was 90 degrees outside. I nearly died of happiness! I wish I could've spent all day outside, but sadly I couldn't because I had school, but today, we didn't have classes. It was community service day, so each advisory went to a different place to do community service work. I went to the Sunrise Assisted Living Center...also known as an old folks home. We sang for the residences and I tried (and failed) at making conversation. When I got home from school (after spring play rehearsal--we're doing a selection of Neil Simon skits) I sat outside until quarter to seven. It was lovely. I just sat outside doing my history homework (which was about the rise of Communism in Russia). It was simply wonderful.

My horse bite still looks funny, I hope it doesn't stay there permanently...

A Song That Means So Much

2010-04-02T17:28:00.000-07:00

This song...just...makes my day. It's amazing.

"Details in the Fabric" by Jason Mraz featuring James Morrison

Calm down

Deep breaths

And get yourself dressed instead

Of running around

And pulling all your threads saying

Breaking yourself up

If it's a broken part, replace it

But, if it's a broken arm then brace it

If it's a broken heart then face it

And hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

Hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

And everything will be fine

Everything will be fine

Mmmmhmmm

Hang on

Help is on the way

Stay strong

I'm doing everything

Hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

Hold your own

Know your name

And go your own way

And everything, everything will be fine

Everything

Are the details in the fabric

Are the things that make you panic

Are your thoughts results of static cling?

Are the things that make you blow

Hell, no reason, go on and scream

If you're shocked it's just the fault

Of faulty manufacturing

Yeah, everything will be fine

Everything in no time at all

Everything

Hold your own

And know your name

And go your own way

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)

Are the things that make you panic

Are your thoughts results of static cling? (Go your own way)

Are the details in the fabric (Hold your own, know your name)

Are the things that make you panic (Go your own way)

Is it Mother Nature's sewing machine?

Are the things that make you blow (Hold your own, know your name)

Hell no reason go on and scream

If you're shocked it's just the fault (Go your own way)

Of faulty manufacturing

Everything will be fine

Everything in no time at all

Hearts will hold

"impulse" by Ellen Hopkins

2010-04-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I finished impulse by Ellen Hopkins (she also wrote burned). Impulse is the story of Conner, Vanessa, and Tony who are all at Aspen Springs, a center for the mentally ill, there is everything from schizophrenia to bipolar disorder. It just so happens that Conner, Vanessa, and Tony have all arrive at Aspen Springs at relatively the same time and for the same reason. They've all tried to commit suicide. Vanessa by slitting her wrists, Conner by shooting himself, and Tony by overdosing on drugs. All of them fail at this final and horrible deed, and are sent to Aspen Springs to get better. This book is also written in verse (a style which I have grown to love) and changes between being told by Vanessa, Conner and Tony.

I loved this book more than I loved burned. The stories of these three adolescents (they are all about to turn 18) are chilling. The connection between the three is absolutely fabulous. It's well written and...simply amazing. I loved this book so very much and I highly recommend it.

"I want to scream,

but I can't find my voice,

hidden somewhere

in the indigo sea that has

swamped my brain." -page 53

"Is like no other kiss, ever.

It wants, but does not demand.

It asks, but doesn't take.

It gives, and pleads for more.

It is filled with desire,

but also curiosity, and it

teaches me that a kiss

should come gift wrapped,

not stripped naked.

Most of all, it makes me

want another kiss

exactly like this one." - page 630

"I'd trade every kiss

I've stolen for one, given like that." - page 634

"My vomit tastes like death." - page 655

A Lovely Pegasus Weekend

2010-03-28T07:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I went to Pegasus and I got to work with the lovely boy, Drew. He gave me a huge hug yesterday when I saw him and "the biggest kiss ever" (in his words). He is the most adorable little boy. I was talking to him about animals (since he is a National Geographic student). I asked him to draw me a picture of an elephant and he says, "Asian or African?!" Then he told me, "You're so beautiful, you have to marry me." So, I'm engaged to the most adorable boy ever. He gave me so many hugs and kisses that day, it was lovely. I got bitten by the pony he was riding, it bit my on the right arm. It hurt quite a bit and I have a big bruise now. It was completely worth it though.

I love doing Pegasus.

Sixteen Candles

2010-03-26T14:38:00.001-07:00

Last night, since I didn't have much homework at all, I watched the movie Sixteen Candles with my mom. Oh my goodness! It was one of the funniest movies I have ever seen!!! I couldn't stop laughing! It is another John Hughes movie (I really like him now). It starred Molly Ringwald as Sam and Anthony Hall as Ted.

The movie starts with Sam's 16th birthday, the only problem is that her family forgets to wish her happy birthday because her older sister is getting married the next day. She's absolutely head over heals for a senior hunk, Jake Ryan, but he's taken by a the Prom Queen/party girl. And why would he dump her for a sophomore? Sam is approached by Ted ("The Geek") on the bus and he's pretty much crazy for her. Basically, the movie has to deal with the teen angst that revolves around these crazy situations. From senior boys to crazy drunk foreign exchange students to freshman boys paying one dollar to see a pair of underwear to drunken sex in a car, this movie is hilarious!!!!

The Breakfast Club

2010-03-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

On Friday night I watched the movie The Breakfast Club for the first time ever. I absolutely adored it! It's an extremely well done movie. It takes place in the library of a public high school in Illinois during an all day Saturday detention in 1985. The reason I wanted to watch The Breakfast Club so badly (and so, the reason my mom went out to get the DVD) is because they honored John Hughes (the director) at the Oscars, and he did Ferris Beuller's Day Off (which is one of my favorites, I love Matthew Broderick!).

My favorite thing about The Breakfast Club was the fact that each and every character is so very interesting. There is "the jock", "the Prom Queen", "the nerd", "the bad boy" and "the weird girl". Even though they are all put in stereotypes, none of them are boring characters and the layers of their characters become apparent during the whole film.

Judd Nelson plays "bad boy", John Bender. "The Prom Queen" is a girl named Claire, who is played by Molly Ringwald. Brian is "the nerd" and he's played by Anthony Hall. Emilio Estevez plays "the jock", Andrew Clark. Lastly, "the weird" girl (who doesn't speak at first and eats sandwiches with pixie sticks and Captain Crunch on it) is named Allison and played by Ally Sheedy. Each character has their own story to why they are there. They all talk and become friends and there is this understanding that they might fit in with their groups, but they aren't really all that different from each other.

"When you grow up, your heart dies."--Allison.

A Kiss For Me

2010-03-20T17:37:00.000-07:00

I've written about how I work with Pegasus before. I just started back up again, and I am so very excited. There are two brothers in the 4 o'clock class who are 7 and 9, their names are Drew and Devon. Last week was the first time I ever met these boys. I helped Drew ride the adorable little pony, Honey Bun. So this week, I wasn't helping Drew, and I told him I wasn't helping him out. He said, "it's okay, I still love you!" He gave me a big hug and a kiss on the inside of my elbow. I laughed and said, "I love you too Drew, but that wasn't a real kiss." He smiled at me and said, "well then, come here!" I bent down and he gave me several kisses on the cheek. I couldn't help but smile.

At the end of his lesson he was chatting to me about lions (because he had recently seen The Lion King on Broadway).

He made my day.

Tim Burton

2010-03-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

Tim Burton is one of my favorite director/producers, so of course I was very excited to find out there was a special exhibit of his work at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. My mom was nice enough to buy tickets (or really to get my cousin in St. Louis to buy us tickets online) for yesterday afternoon.

I absolutely adored the whole exhibit. It was filled with sketches from when he was younger or when he was bored while working for Disney (like the one featured). I never knew that he got a scholarship to CalArts from Disney for college. I think that's so neat!

There were also sketches and models from his movie. I love all his movies, except Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because the original (with Gene Wilder) is just too fabulous to mess with.

The whole exhibit was absolutely fantastic, it will only be in the MoMA until April though, sadly.

"Saving Zoe" by Alyson Noel

2010-03-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

Saving Zoe by Alyson Noel is the story of Echo starting high school, but sadly it also marks a full year since her older sister, Zoe, was murdered. I don't understand why I'm drawn to this miserable teen angst books, but I am, maybe because I enjoy the horrible, overly dramatic plot lines, or maybe because I like how quickly I read them, but whatever the reason I usually read miserable books.

Zoe's boyfriend at the time of her murder, Marc, gives Echo Zoe's diary, which she writes in until the day she dies. The book revolves around Echo's life as a high schooler and how she handles the whole thing, along with parts of Zoe's diary. Overall, it was an okay book at best. It kept mentioning things that Zoe had done (she was very into experimenting with drugs), but her journal entries weren't as detailed as I would've liked, they didn't explain enough about what was going on.

One thing that Alyson Noel did very well was the difference in styles between the regular book (which was narrated by Echo) and the journal entries.

Carrie Underwood

2010-03-18T17:57:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night I went to a Carrie Underwood concert in Bridgeport at Harbor Yard Arena. She had two opening acts (which I've never seen before). Sons of Sylvia and Craig Morgan were her opening acts. Sons of Sylvia only played for about twenty minutes, they opened with a U2 song and then played their own music. They had a very nice sound, their singer Ashley (a male Ashley) had a lovely voice. Craig Morgan was up next, I didn't like him as much, but his lights were amazing and his lights were better than Sons of Sylvia's.

Carrie came out of the floor of the stage singing "Cowboy Casanova". It was so cool. Then she sang her song "Quitter" with a really cool background that switched while she sang. The other simply fabulous moments of her concert were when she told us about how the song "So Small" (which is a favorite of mine) really meant a lot to her. She also said that she woke up one morning with most of the song "Temporary Home" already in her head, which is a beautiful, but sad, song. She sang a version of Dolly Parton's "9 to 5", which isn't my favorite country song, but I love her, so I enjoyed it. I was really happy that she sang "Songs Like This" and "Before He Cheats" because those are two of my favorite songs.

Her concert was absolutely amazing and I had a great time.

"Pretties" by Scott Westerfeld

2010-03-18T16:03:00.000-07:00

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld is the sequel to his book Uglies. We join Tally once again, but this time she is a part of the "New Pretty Town" (which means that you can guess what happens at the end of Uglies). Shay, Tally, Peris (Tally's best friend from when she was an ugly), and Zane (a new addition) all enjoy their new pretty status. Tally keeps having odd flashbacks about her days as an ugly, her memories and what has been told to her by the mysterious Special Circumstances (the government) don't match up.

The writing is consistent and the story line is still interesting, but I enjoyed Uglies more. I'm getting a tad frustrated with Tally, but I realize that is a part of the storyline, just personally, I wish she'd have more of a memory about the whole thing, but I know that would make the books less interesting.

"Beautiful" by Amy Reed

2010-03-18T15:43:00.000-07:00

Beautiful by Amy Reed is the story of thirteen (yes, thirteen!) year old Cassie who has just moved to a new town and so a new school. She gets sucked into a crowd which includes Alex (a fellow seventh grader) and a group of ninth grade boys. She begins drinking and doing drugs and quickly sheds her virginity as well. Alex's half sister Sarah enters the picture. Sarah and Cassie become very close, very fast, which (of course) pisses Alex off.

As miserable as the whole story is, it was a very well written book. Cassie narrates the whole story and I could feel what she felt. The story line was consistent and didn't jump around like other books of a similar nature (or like Wake). Overall, I really enjoyed it, no matter how sad or tragic Cassie's tale.

"There is a picture of me in their heads, a picture of someone I don't know yet. She is not the chubby girl with braces and bad perm. She is not the girl hiding in the bathroom at recess. She is someone new, a blank slate they have named beautiful." - Page 6

"I am always somewhere no one can see me." - Page 9

"Smoke follows beauty." - Page 32

"If you play dead there is nothing to kill." - Page 176

"I will go further and further inward until there is no place left to go." - Page 193

"We will lie on the beach and write songs on each other's skin." - Page 230

"Prey" by Lurlene McDaniel

2010-03-18T15:34:00.000-07:00

Prey by Lurlene McDaniel was a very quick and easy read. I read it in one sitting. It is about freshman Ryan Piccoli and affair he has with his history teacher, Lori Settles. Even though I liked that it an easy read, it could have been much more detailed. There were things that didn't make sense. For example, Lori asks Ryan if she's his first, and he lies about it, even though he's telling the story at the time (it switches between Lori, Ryan and Ryan's best friend, Honey, telling the story). Why did he lie? It was unnecessary lie, or I mean, lying to her made sense, but if he's telling the story why didn't he mention the lie? I think that Lurlene McDaniel was trying to make Lori's background all suspicious and mysterious, but I more found it aggravating that she wasn't giving more detail about her childhood or about why she decided to sleep with Ryan. Reading Prey was certainly not easy on the heart though, it's not for the faint of heart in the slightest.

"I can't help wondering--which of us is the predator and which the prey?" - Page 194

"Like Water for Chocolate" by Laura Esquivel

2010-03-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Before break my freshman friend, Chloe, gave me Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. She said that it was absolutely fantastic and that she loved it. I finished it during the first night of our power outage. It is the story of Tita (although it is told by her nameless great-niece who never met her) the youngest daughter in a Mexican family. The tradition is that the youngest daughter is never allowed to marry, but simply has to grow up and take care of her mother until she dies. Lovely right? The only problem is that Tita is in love with Pedro. Pedro goes to her mother and asks for Tita's hand in marriage, he is instead told to marry Tita's older sister.

The book is organized in two ways, months (which was confusing and didn't follow along with the actual story) and recipes (which personally, I liked). Each chapter starts out with a recipe and a part of Tita's tale involving that recipe. Now, the book starts out weird (with Tita being born in the kitchen and immediately eating solid food because she won't breast feed from her mother) to her sister being driven to live in a brothel from quail in rose sauce.

I don't really know what to say about Like Water For Chocolate. It wasn't badly written or anything, but the story line was just too strange for my liking.

A Lack of Electricity

2010-03-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

So, on Saturday night our power goes out. No big deal. I wrap up with a blanket and a candle and start to read. It becomes apparent very quickly that this won't remain fun for long. Especially when we heard that power might stay out for days. On Sunday we went to the nearest bookstore and I bought quite a few books and have read a number of them. Our power came back on Sunday night, but our Internet and home phone did not come back until about 5 PM this afternoon (Thursday). I have gotten a lot of reading done, and so will have quite a bit to blog about for a while.

The 82nd Academy Awards

2010-03-07T20:02:00.000-08:00

So, it is that time of year again! It is time for the Academy Awards. I was all excited to watch them tonight, but wouldn't you know it? ABC and Cablevision decide to get in a freaking fight. ABC pulled their channels off of Cablevision. I (luckily) realized that channel 8 was still playing though, so I dashed upstairs to my room to watch it. A bit after 9 ABC finally gave in and they started showing it in HD on channel 707 again. So I went downstairs to watch it in the family room with my mom and dad.

This year's "Slumdog Millionaire" of sorts were the movies Hurt Locker and Avatar (directed by exes Kathryn Bigelow and James Cameron). The only awards I really cared about were Best Animated Picture, Best Score and Best Actress in a Leading Role. I wanted UP to win the first two and Sandra Bullock to win Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in The Blind Side. I am very pleased to say that I was not disappointed by any of these categories. If I were Sandra Bullock I would be ecstatic. Meryl Streep was nominated for the 16th time--wow.

The other big categories of the night were Best Actor in a Supporting Role, which was won by Christoph Waltz who has never done an American film before. He won it for his role in Inglourious Basterds. Best Actress in a Supporting Role went to Mo'Nique for her role in Precious, but Penelope Cruz was nominated for the second year in a row, although she won last year, so it isn't surprising that she didn't win this year. Best Actor in a Leading Role went to Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart (which my cousin will be very happy about).

The two most coveted awards for a movie as a whole (Best Director and Best Picture) both went to Hurt Locker. I'm sure James Cameron is somewhat annoyed, but to be quite honest, I'm happy Hurt Locker won. Avatar was an amazing movie visually, but it was a recycled story. At the end of the night Hurt Locker left with six Oscars, of the nine it was nominated for, while Avatar only won three Oscars. I'm sure James Cameron is disappointed.

When Music by Prudence won Best Documentary, Short Subjects I didn't have an opinion. I didn't know any of the short films, but they all looked upsetting (as did the feature length documentaries that were up for an award). I was shocked by the speech though. Roger Ross Williams is the directed and he was in the middle of his speech when Elinor Burkett interrupted him! He was in the middle of a sentence when she came and pushed him aside and actually said, "Let the woman do the talking". She then went on to give her own speech! It was so rude, and she was obnoxious. Although, I do find it funny that on IMDb they've named her "the woman who pulled a Kanye".

Overall though, a boring awards show. Nothing too eventful.

Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-05T18:31:00.000-08:00

I am a huge Tim Burton fan. I always have been. I have been planning to go to see his Alice in Wonderland since September, and so it finally came out today. This Alice in Wonderland is not the like the original Disney version. Instead of Alice (who is played by Australian Mia Wasikowska) being a darling seven year old girl, she is instead nineteen years old. She falls down the rabbit hole for a second time. The Red Queen (played by Helena Bonham Carter) has taken over Wonderland and has basically destroyed all the wonderous parts of Wonderland. I personally love Helena Bonham Carter, she's wonderful in Sweeney Todd and Harry Potter 5 and 6. I found out she played Olivia in Twelfth Night (which is the birthplace of my name). The fabulous Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter. He looks so wonderfully creepy! Lastly, the gorgeous Anne Hathaway plays the White Queen.

It is Alice's job to defeat the Red Queen and allow the White Queen to retake her rightful place on the throne. I thought the story line was very original. And it was a very well done movie. One part about it was that it was pleastantly surprising was that it was actually a funny movie. I couldn't help but laugh at parts.

"Sometimes I dream of as many as six impossible things before breakfast."