Lately, I have been pushing myself way too hard. I refuse to just let something go, like homework, for example. I, being a perfectionist, refuse to leave homework unfinished. I cannot stand having missing assignments. But sometimes, you just have to ignore those kind of things. Yesterday I had a random day off of school because the heat broke, and it was almost as cold as it was outside in our classrooms. And apparently, it was just going to get worse. So, no school! I was thrilled to have a day of doing nothing. I got to sleep in until nine, which is a rare occurrence, even on weekends. I laid around all morning, finished Goblet of Fire, and ate yummy Chex Mix stuff that I made myself (I'm quite proud of this achievement). After doing just a few chores, I cuddled up under my fluffy comforter in my bedroom with my laptop and wrote. I currently have thirteen unfinished stories in the making and with all the craziness that comes with high school life, I have not been able to make any progress on them for over a month. I even rediscovered an old document with an almost completed story on my laptop from, like, seventh grade (mind you, it was terribly written). I spent most of my morning sprucing up said story and listening to the second soprano part for the Coventry Carol, over and over and over and... well, you get the point (this is all thanks to my dear Katie, the musical genius of our school, whom without, our Girls Ensemble would not be half as good as it is now. And as I have said in an earlier post, Katie is a senior and will be leaving my friend Megan and I in charge of the Girls Ensemble, when it most definitely will not be as good as it is now. Sigh.) My quiet morning was then interupted by a Facebook message scheduling a two hour long choir practice for our Behold the Lamb concert on the 20th. I love choir, and everyone in it, but it was very hard to leave my warm bed and all of my stories and journey out into the subzero (well, below freezing at least) temperatures to get to the Lower school where we would have practice. We didn't even have soup, so there was nothing to really motivate me to get out of bed. Of course, eventually, I did make it to practice, a bit late, but nevermind that. I also finally found something to motivate me- I wore my new Quidditch World Cup tee-shirt. And my Ravenclaw scarf. They made me happy.
I am pleased to say that the Behold the Lamb songs are finally sort of coming together, which is awesome... Girls Ensemble songs, well... they need some work. But we're getting right on that. Tomorrow, actually. Let's just hope that our pianist can focus this time.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
My Very Lengthy and Detailed Harry Potter Experience
I do believe this post is past overdue...
Well, last Friday I had the privilege of going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a.k.a. the best place on earth. We did have to wait a couple hours before being able to actually get into the Harry Potter world part. After being thoroughly annoyed by the man who was blocking the entrance into Hogsmead and not letting anyone in unless their little ticket with the time they are allowed to come into the park said 12:40 or earlier (it was 12:50, and our ticket was for one o'clock), we were finally let in, along with a huge crowd of other people waiting ever so patiently.
The first thing you see when you walk in is the Hogwarts Express, complete with smoke and sound effects. Behind that is Platform 9 3/4, and then you are on the streets of Hogsmead. To your left are Honeydukes, Zonkos and the Three Broomsticks (and more...) and to your right are Dervish and Banges and Ollivanders. There are a lot more little shops set up between them, each with a 'closed' sign, or a 'out to lunch' sign. You can't actually go into these shops, but its fun to peer into the windows and look at the very detailed setup inside.
If you keep walking you pass a little corner where the House banners are displayed (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff). Occasionally, you might be able to see a few students from Durmstrang or Beauxbaton lined up so you can take your picture with them, and sometimes the Frog Choir treats you with a song, complete with their talking toads. Keep going and you pass a butterbeer stand, and then in the distance the unmistakable tower of Hogwarts castle appears.
Walk through the gates of Hogwarts and students in their House robes great the 'muggles'. Inside of Hogwarts is probably the best ride/rollercoaster I have ever been on. Make sure you stow all loose items in the lockers on the room to your right before continuing, because you will lose them on the ride. Keep walking through the dimly lit corridors and you pass the Potions classroom and the Mirror of the Erised. You emerge outside to Professor Sprout's Herbology classroom, where a whole bunch of very strange, exotic plants can be found, including Mandrakes and Devil's Snare. After re-entering Hogwarts, the House Points are displayed to your right, with Gryffindor in the lead (of course...). The entrance to Proffesor Dumbledore's office lies ahead.
Pass Dumbledore's office entrance and you find yourself in Dumbledore's office- complete with a realistic hologram of the famed professor that talks to the muggle visitors. Walk through his office and you emerge into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Harry, Ron and Hermione greet you there, explaining how they are about to save you from a 'dreadfully boring' class taught by Proffesor Binns and fly you down to the Quidditch match. Walk out into the hallway and you pass the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, Fat Lady and all. Keep going and the picture of Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin greet you, talking amounst themselves about the famous 'boy who lived'. Ahead is the Sorting Hat, and beyond that is the ride itself.
You ge on, stap yourself in with a brace that comes over your shoudlers, and move towards a dark hole. After a quick 'good luck!' from a Hogwarts student, Hermione appears before you as a hologram like before. She explains how she is going to use Floo powder to get you to the Observatory, and from there Ron and Harry will fly you down to the Quidditch field. You then disappear into a cloud of green fog, and begin to fly.
You float into a staged setup of the Observatory, and hear Ron's voice praising Hermione's brilliance. You bob up and down, and the ride turn you so a huge Imax-sized screen takes up all possible space. (I tried to find the end of it, but when you're strapped in by your shoulders into a little enclosed space that only allows you to look ahead, its kind of hard.) They are both on brooms, and Harry yells for you to follow. You then begin on a really, really scary flight around the castle. And I don't mean, like freaky-creepy Paranormal Activity scary, I mean like this-has-got-to-be-real scary. I was literally pulling up my legs whenever they looked like they were going to hit something.
The cool thing about this ride is you feel like you are actually flying. Like, you're definitely moving. After following Ron and Harry for a little ways, the whole time screaming like a maniac, you come to a screeching halt in front of a bridge-type thing. Hagrid is standing there with a huge chain in his hands, and he wants to know if anyone's seen a dragon. You duck under the bridge and zoom after Harry and Ron, but not soon after you are being chased by the Hungarian Horntail from Goblet of Fire. The ride changes to a staged setup again, and you are inside that long covered bridge. The dragon is totally destroying the bridge to get to you, and you turn around to face its huge head, which promtly spits fire (super hot red fog) at your face.
Then you're in the Forbidden Forest (another setup), with the giant spiders. I can't remember much from this part, mainly because my eyes were closed and I was screaming like I was about to be murdered the whole time. What I do remember is they spit at you. Some of it got in my mouth. It was gross.
You then get to meet the Whomping Willow. I swore it was inches away from hitting my legs. And what could make this ride any better but... dementors! Super creepy, black cloaked...things that suck out your soul. Of course, my cousin and I yell 'expecto patronum!' at the same time, but it doesn't work because, unluckily for us, we do not have wands. But fortunately, Harry comes to save the day with his awesome Patronus charm and we follow him back to the Quidditch field where you meet none other than..... Draco Malfoy!
This was probably my favorite part of the ride because you actually feel like you're flying with the Gryffindor team. You know in the Chamber of Secrets movie, when Harry is being pursued by Dobby's Bludger? and him and Draco fly along the edge of the field, in and out of those beams? Yeah, that's what they did this time. If I could have hugged my knees to my chest, I would have.
You then fly straight up, hover for a while with Harry before plummeting down towards the water. You skim across it and back up to the castle where the Quidditch team greats you inside- they won the match by the way. In the next room, Dumbledore, Hermione and a few other Hogwarts students are giving you a huge round of applause, probably for surviving the ride. Dumbledore sends you back to the 'muggle world', and you flip up on your back, almost upside down and spin. A lot.
After you get off the ride, you are so overwhelmed by the sensory overloads, adrenaline rush and just amazement at how cool the ride actually was that it's kind of hard to walk straight. It doesn't help that you have to get off on a moving conveyor belt.
At the exit of the ride is Filch's Emporium, which is pretty much like the souvenir shop of Harry Potter world. I got a Ravenclaw house pin from there, and you can also get tee-shirts, hats, scarves, backpacks, mugs, etc.
The two other rollercoasters, the Flight of the Hippogriff and the Dragon Challenge are across from the exit.
After the ride, we went to the Three Broomsticks to eat. It was absolutely amazing- and I had butterbeer!! Which, by the way, tastes like a combination of cream soda, root beer and butterscotch with a really yummy sweet frothy stuff on top.
My cousin and I then went to Honeydukes while our parents finished eating their roasted chicken and pork ribs. They have everything from Chocolate Frogs to Berty Botts Every Flavor Beans to Sugar Quills. next door is Zonkos, where I sadly didn't buy anything.
We then waited in a two hour line for the 'Ollivanders Wand Experience'. My sister Hannah was chosen as the lucky child who actually experiences the experience... if that makes sense. Mr Ollivander presented her with several wands, instructing her to either water the flowers by saying 'aguamenti' or drawing the ladder towards her with the words 'accio ladder'. The wand that 'chose' her was a wand of reed, dragon heartstring and 11.5 inches in length. Lets just say I was very, very jealous. The wand box even had authentic Ollivanders dust on it! I was satisfied with Sirius Black's wand replica, though.
At Dervish and Banges I got my Ravenclaw scarf- my new favorite fashion accessory. I also picked out an assortment of my Christmas presents (yes, I shop for myself now...) which included the Golden Snitch, a Time Turner keychain and a model of the Hungarian Horntail.
So, that's pretty much the basic summary of what we did, well, actually it was more of a very detailed explanation.... That day was the best day of my life, and I cannot wait to go there again sometime soon.
Well, last Friday I had the privilege of going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a.k.a. the best place on earth. We did have to wait a couple hours before being able to actually get into the Harry Potter world part. After being thoroughly annoyed by the man who was blocking the entrance into Hogsmead and not letting anyone in unless their little ticket with the time they are allowed to come into the park said 12:40 or earlier (it was 12:50, and our ticket was for one o'clock), we were finally let in, along with a huge crowd of other people waiting ever so patiently.
The first thing you see when you walk in is the Hogwarts Express, complete with smoke and sound effects. Behind that is Platform 9 3/4, and then you are on the streets of Hogsmead. To your left are Honeydukes, Zonkos and the Three Broomsticks (and more...) and to your right are Dervish and Banges and Ollivanders. There are a lot more little shops set up between them, each with a 'closed' sign, or a 'out to lunch' sign. You can't actually go into these shops, but its fun to peer into the windows and look at the very detailed setup inside.
If you keep walking you pass a little corner where the House banners are displayed (Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff). Occasionally, you might be able to see a few students from Durmstrang or Beauxbaton lined up so you can take your picture with them, and sometimes the Frog Choir treats you with a song, complete with their talking toads. Keep going and you pass a butterbeer stand, and then in the distance the unmistakable tower of Hogwarts castle appears.
Walk through the gates of Hogwarts and students in their House robes great the 'muggles'. Inside of Hogwarts is probably the best ride/rollercoaster I have ever been on. Make sure you stow all loose items in the lockers on the room to your right before continuing, because you will lose them on the ride. Keep walking through the dimly lit corridors and you pass the Potions classroom and the Mirror of the Erised. You emerge outside to Professor Sprout's Herbology classroom, where a whole bunch of very strange, exotic plants can be found, including Mandrakes and Devil's Snare. After re-entering Hogwarts, the House Points are displayed to your right, with Gryffindor in the lead (of course...). The entrance to Proffesor Dumbledore's office lies ahead.
Pass Dumbledore's office entrance and you find yourself in Dumbledore's office- complete with a realistic hologram of the famed professor that talks to the muggle visitors. Walk through his office and you emerge into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Harry, Ron and Hermione greet you there, explaining how they are about to save you from a 'dreadfully boring' class taught by Proffesor Binns and fly you down to the Quidditch match. Walk out into the hallway and you pass the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, Fat Lady and all. Keep going and the picture of Helga Hufflepuff, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin greet you, talking amounst themselves about the famous 'boy who lived'. Ahead is the Sorting Hat, and beyond that is the ride itself.
You ge on, stap yourself in with a brace that comes over your shoudlers, and move towards a dark hole. After a quick 'good luck!' from a Hogwarts student, Hermione appears before you as a hologram like before. She explains how she is going to use Floo powder to get you to the Observatory, and from there Ron and Harry will fly you down to the Quidditch field. You then disappear into a cloud of green fog, and begin to fly.
You float into a staged setup of the Observatory, and hear Ron's voice praising Hermione's brilliance. You bob up and down, and the ride turn you so a huge Imax-sized screen takes up all possible space. (I tried to find the end of it, but when you're strapped in by your shoulders into a little enclosed space that only allows you to look ahead, its kind of hard.) They are both on brooms, and Harry yells for you to follow. You then begin on a really, really scary flight around the castle. And I don't mean, like freaky-creepy Paranormal Activity scary, I mean like this-has-got-to-be-real scary. I was literally pulling up my legs whenever they looked like they were going to hit something.
The cool thing about this ride is you feel like you are actually flying. Like, you're definitely moving. After following Ron and Harry for a little ways, the whole time screaming like a maniac, you come to a screeching halt in front of a bridge-type thing. Hagrid is standing there with a huge chain in his hands, and he wants to know if anyone's seen a dragon. You duck under the bridge and zoom after Harry and Ron, but not soon after you are being chased by the Hungarian Horntail from Goblet of Fire. The ride changes to a staged setup again, and you are inside that long covered bridge. The dragon is totally destroying the bridge to get to you, and you turn around to face its huge head, which promtly spits fire (super hot red fog) at your face.
Then you're in the Forbidden Forest (another setup), with the giant spiders. I can't remember much from this part, mainly because my eyes were closed and I was screaming like I was about to be murdered the whole time. What I do remember is they spit at you. Some of it got in my mouth. It was gross.
You then get to meet the Whomping Willow. I swore it was inches away from hitting my legs. And what could make this ride any better but... dementors! Super creepy, black cloaked...things that suck out your soul. Of course, my cousin and I yell 'expecto patronum!' at the same time, but it doesn't work because, unluckily for us, we do not have wands. But fortunately, Harry comes to save the day with his awesome Patronus charm and we follow him back to the Quidditch field where you meet none other than..... Draco Malfoy!
This was probably my favorite part of the ride because you actually feel like you're flying with the Gryffindor team. You know in the Chamber of Secrets movie, when Harry is being pursued by Dobby's Bludger? and him and Draco fly along the edge of the field, in and out of those beams? Yeah, that's what they did this time. If I could have hugged my knees to my chest, I would have.
You then fly straight up, hover for a while with Harry before plummeting down towards the water. You skim across it and back up to the castle where the Quidditch team greats you inside- they won the match by the way. In the next room, Dumbledore, Hermione and a few other Hogwarts students are giving you a huge round of applause, probably for surviving the ride. Dumbledore sends you back to the 'muggle world', and you flip up on your back, almost upside down and spin. A lot.
After you get off the ride, you are so overwhelmed by the sensory overloads, adrenaline rush and just amazement at how cool the ride actually was that it's kind of hard to walk straight. It doesn't help that you have to get off on a moving conveyor belt.
At the exit of the ride is Filch's Emporium, which is pretty much like the souvenir shop of Harry Potter world. I got a Ravenclaw house pin from there, and you can also get tee-shirts, hats, scarves, backpacks, mugs, etc.
The two other rollercoasters, the Flight of the Hippogriff and the Dragon Challenge are across from the exit.
After the ride, we went to the Three Broomsticks to eat. It was absolutely amazing- and I had butterbeer!! Which, by the way, tastes like a combination of cream soda, root beer and butterscotch with a really yummy sweet frothy stuff on top.
My cousin and I then went to Honeydukes while our parents finished eating their roasted chicken and pork ribs. They have everything from Chocolate Frogs to Berty Botts Every Flavor Beans to Sugar Quills. next door is Zonkos, where I sadly didn't buy anything.
We then waited in a two hour line for the 'Ollivanders Wand Experience'. My sister Hannah was chosen as the lucky child who actually experiences the experience... if that makes sense. Mr Ollivander presented her with several wands, instructing her to either water the flowers by saying 'aguamenti' or drawing the ladder towards her with the words 'accio ladder'. The wand that 'chose' her was a wand of reed, dragon heartstring and 11.5 inches in length. Lets just say I was very, very jealous. The wand box even had authentic Ollivanders dust on it! I was satisfied with Sirius Black's wand replica, though.
At Dervish and Banges I got my Ravenclaw scarf- my new favorite fashion accessory. I also picked out an assortment of my Christmas presents (yes, I shop for myself now...) which included the Golden Snitch, a Time Turner keychain and a model of the Hungarian Horntail.
So, that's pretty much the basic summary of what we did, well, actually it was more of a very detailed explanation.... That day was the best day of my life, and I cannot wait to go there again sometime soon.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
HP7 ***Spoiler Alert!***
Alright, normally I'm not a movie critic (though most of my friends are...), but I thought that Harry Potter 7 deserved a critique.
***Warning- If you have not seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, stop reading while you can. CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK! If I spoil it for you, don't blame me- you're the one who's still reading***
Overall, the movie was amazing. I thought it followed the book pretty well, though some major-ish details were left out. It was kind of slow; it lasted over two hours and hardly any important events occurred (except for killing a few Horcruxes... actually, it was only one, wasn't it?).
Here's what I loved about the movie:
1. The multiple Harrys just crack me up (especially the one in a dress...)
2. They got Fred and George's lines right when George loses an ear... 'I feel saint-like' ahh, gotta love the Weasley twins.
3. The wedding was just as I imagined it (and I loved Fleur's dress!)
4. The whole scene at the Ministry of Magic? Loved it!
5. I thought the scene when Harry and Hermione dance was so touching and cute- even though it wasn't in the book, I thought it fit in perfectly. (and I still think Harry and Hermione are a cuter couple)
6. When they destroy the Horcrux locket- it was perfect... and they got the doe Patronus right!
7. Really, just the entire movie in general. It was downright amazing.
There were a few things that disappointed me...
1. This has to do with Hedwig. In the very beginning, while they were flying in Hagrid's motorcycle, Hedwig was supposed to be in a cage, but in the movie she was flying. And Harry claims that it was Hedwig made him different from the other Harrys, but in reality it was when he stunned Stan Shunpike instead of killing him.
2. Also, what ever happened to trying to stay undercover? Hagrid and Harry were zooming in and out of traffic, and causing accidents. I think its safe to say that the Muggles noticed...
3. Hagrid and Harry never went to Tonk's house- they were supposed to Apparate there to the Burrow (reflecting back on Half-Blood Prince- why the heck did they burn down the Burrow?!)
4. Lupin never stopped by at Grimmauld Place.
5. Harry never gave Kreacher the locket (which was really disappointing, because I liked Kreacher a whole lot better after he had the locket).
6. What was up with Ginny? She really disappoints me sometimes...
7. Wasn't Wormtail supposed to die?
8. Mad-eye Moody's death was clearly under-done. I was prepared to cry. And I didn't
9. DOBBY COMES BACK TO THE HARRY POTTER SERIES AFTER BEING LEFT OUT OF GOBLET OF FIRE ONLY TO DIE?!?! What is this world coming to?
10. The scene with Xenophilius Lovegood was all wrong. It was just wrong.
I would definitely recommend this movie to all Harry Potter fans. It was amazing, and they stuck to the book so well! I can't wait to (hopefully) see it again with my cousins this week. And oh, did I mention I'm going to the WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER on Friday?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Unexpected and Unsolvable
American culture loves mysteries. They enjoy fantasizing about the unknown. To enlarge upon the unknown, especially in writing, is an example of ambiguity. Ambiguity is a word or expression that can be viewed in a number of ways. Henry James often uses ambiguity in The Turn of the Screw to add a sense of mystery to his writing.
The use of ambiguity makes James' novel a work of sinister mystery, unsolvable events and a unique perspective. The combination of ambiguity and narrative ellipsis draws the reader in, only to leave him hanging at a vital part of the story. Henry James uses ambiguity well, making it work for him.
By using ambiguity, James gives the novel an eerie tone, forcing the reader to come to their own conclusions. He often makes important events or information vague, again forcing the reader to make his own decisions. Did Miss Jessel and Peter Quint have an affair? Is the governess only working at Bly to gain the uncle's love? Are the children as innocent as they seem? James leaves out the answers to these questions, adding to the overall effect of the novel.
Henry James uses ambiguity to expand upon the eerie, mysterious feel of the novel that was already established my his characters and setting. He can effectively draw readers into the story and keep them in. His readers never quite know what to expect, making The Turn of the Screw a well written novel full of captivating mysteries and unexpected, and unsolvable, problems.
The use of ambiguity makes James' novel a work of sinister mystery, unsolvable events and a unique perspective. The combination of ambiguity and narrative ellipsis draws the reader in, only to leave him hanging at a vital part of the story. Henry James uses ambiguity well, making it work for him.
By using ambiguity, James gives the novel an eerie tone, forcing the reader to come to their own conclusions. He often makes important events or information vague, again forcing the reader to make his own decisions. Did Miss Jessel and Peter Quint have an affair? Is the governess only working at Bly to gain the uncle's love? Are the children as innocent as they seem? James leaves out the answers to these questions, adding to the overall effect of the novel.
Henry James uses ambiguity to expand upon the eerie, mysterious feel of the novel that was already established my his characters and setting. He can effectively draw readers into the story and keep them in. His readers never quite know what to expect, making The Turn of the Screw a well written novel full of captivating mysteries and unexpected, and unsolvable, problems.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Me and My Busy, Busy Life...
Stressed? Me? Nah, lets go with over-my-head-in-this-craziness-we-call-life.... yeah, that sounds about right.
Why am I stressed? Well, lets begin with the gazillion choir practices we had this week. One on Monday morning, one Wednesday after school. Those were both for the Christmas production choir. Then there's the million other practices for the Fall Banquet choir, most of them during lunch period. The banquet was Friday night (we sounded marvelous, if I do say so myself). We sang three songs, all of which lasted about seven minutes combined. We were there for five hours. I never knew how much fun a mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors could have with about 300 Silly Bandz when you're locked in a room with an assortment of grammar school children all night. I would try to narrate all the funniness that went on that night, but words cannot do it justice. It was a you-had-to-be-there kind of thing.
On top of having to sing at the banquet, I learned that my BFF Megan and I are being involuntarily volunteered (oxymoron, anyone?) into running the Girls Chorus next year, in place of two of the most musically talented people I know- two of our Seniors, who will not be here next year (silent tears...). Um, what?! For the record, I have ZERO talent in the music department whatsoever. I'm still trying to figure out why I'm in choir in the first place. I can't play an instrument, I can't sing, I can't hear tone, or pitch, or any of those other musicy terms. And now I'm expected to lead this thing??? Thankfully, Katie and Megan the Great (our seniors)(I said Megan the Great because 1. Megan the Great is Megan the Great. and 2. two people named Megan in this blog post would be quite confusing...) agreed to write a manual on How to Lead Chorus, How to Be a Senior, and hopefully Katie will make a YouTube video of all the parts for all the songs the chorus girls will ever sing.... haha, just kidding :)
Then we have my younger sisters upcoming birthday party. There will be horses. At my house. In my yard, and on my dad's lawn. And they will poop. yippee....
We also have a slight problem with the horse I lease, Smokey. He is lame, and we don't know why. I have tried everything, but nothing seems to help. It is most definitely frustrating.
And we can't forget that I'M GOING TO FLORIDA IN PRECISELY 8-ISH DAYS!!!!!!!!
So, yes. Stressed, well, it can't exactly describe my life at this moment. It is too weak of a word.
Why am I stressed? Well, lets begin with the gazillion choir practices we had this week. One on Monday morning, one Wednesday after school. Those were both for the Christmas production choir. Then there's the million other practices for the Fall Banquet choir, most of them during lunch period. The banquet was Friday night (we sounded marvelous, if I do say so myself). We sang three songs, all of which lasted about seven minutes combined. We were there for five hours. I never knew how much fun a mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors could have with about 300 Silly Bandz when you're locked in a room with an assortment of grammar school children all night. I would try to narrate all the funniness that went on that night, but words cannot do it justice. It was a you-had-to-be-there kind of thing.
On top of having to sing at the banquet, I learned that my BFF Megan and I are being involuntarily volunteered (oxymoron, anyone?) into running the Girls Chorus next year, in place of two of the most musically talented people I know- two of our Seniors, who will not be here next year (silent tears...). Um, what?! For the record, I have ZERO talent in the music department whatsoever. I'm still trying to figure out why I'm in choir in the first place. I can't play an instrument, I can't sing, I can't hear tone, or pitch, or any of those other musicy terms. And now I'm expected to lead this thing??? Thankfully, Katie and Megan the Great (our seniors)(I said Megan the Great because 1. Megan the Great is Megan the Great. and 2. two people named Megan in this blog post would be quite confusing...) agreed to write a manual on How to Lead Chorus, How to Be a Senior, and hopefully Katie will make a YouTube video of all the parts for all the songs the chorus girls will ever sing.... haha, just kidding :)
Then we have my younger sisters upcoming birthday party. There will be horses. At my house. In my yard, and on my dad's lawn. And they will poop. yippee....
We also have a slight problem with the horse I lease, Smokey. He is lame, and we don't know why. I have tried everything, but nothing seems to help. It is most definitely frustrating.
And we can't forget that I'M GOING TO FLORIDA IN PRECISELY 8-ISH DAYS!!!!!!!!
So, yes. Stressed, well, it can't exactly describe my life at this moment. It is too weak of a word.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Just For Fun
I absolutely love the feeling I get when I sit down at my laptop and think 'hmm, what can I write about today?' A blank Word Document (or piece of paper, but writing things out hurts my hand) holds so much potential, so many possibilities. I could write about how beautiful the stars look tonight, or how the moon randomly disappeared... or how excited I am for Thanksgiving break (because I'm going to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter!!! eep!!!!- but there will be more on that later...). The possibilities are endless.
Many authors think 'what do my readers want to hear?'. Me? I think 'what do I want to hear?' I write mostly for my enjoyment, but most people enjoy my writing as well :). Some people may call me odd, but I don't mind. I am myself, and no one else. I'm me. Besides, I'm not that odd...
**you are about to read a very random rabbit trail taken straight from the depths of Lila's mind... be warned**
What did I learn today? (besides how to graph a rational expression or what stasis theory is or what ethos, logos, or pathos are, that is...) I learned that mothers tend to think that a Deathly Hallows symbol drawn on your hand means you're in some kind of gang. I learned that certain Seniors cannot stand when pizza interferes with their schedule. I learned that old people who have their little 'Daytimers' meeting in our cafeteria smell like overpowering floral perfume- and mustiness. I learned that certain peoples eyes sparkle at specific times. I learned that if you open a bottle of nail polish in a stuffy classroom, it makes the whole room smell weird. I learned that another certain Senior's mind is a 'deep, dark place' and that when they think of 'to protect', they also think of 'to eat'. And that at certain times in the day- meaning last period- said Senior will laugh uncontrollably for no specific reason. I learned that because of Daylight Savings (which I currently love- but ask me that in the spring and I will hate it) the sun conveniently shines right in my eyes in the tiny classroom. I learned that tappy shoes are very, very loud when one is walking down the halls alone- and this is why you can normally find me walking barefoot.
Yes, these are the important things I learn during my day, at least, they are the things that I remember at 11:20 at night.
Many authors think 'what do my readers want to hear?'. Me? I think 'what do I want to hear?' I write mostly for my enjoyment, but most people enjoy my writing as well :). Some people may call me odd, but I don't mind. I am myself, and no one else. I'm me. Besides, I'm not that odd...
**you are about to read a very random rabbit trail taken straight from the depths of Lila's mind... be warned**
What did I learn today? (besides how to graph a rational expression or what stasis theory is or what ethos, logos, or pathos are, that is...) I learned that mothers tend to think that a Deathly Hallows symbol drawn on your hand means you're in some kind of gang. I learned that certain Seniors cannot stand when pizza interferes with their schedule. I learned that old people who have their little 'Daytimers' meeting in our cafeteria smell like overpowering floral perfume- and mustiness. I learned that certain peoples eyes sparkle at specific times. I learned that if you open a bottle of nail polish in a stuffy classroom, it makes the whole room smell weird. I learned that another certain Senior's mind is a 'deep, dark place' and that when they think of 'to protect', they also think of 'to eat'. And that at certain times in the day- meaning last period- said Senior will laugh uncontrollably for no specific reason. I learned that because of Daylight Savings (which I currently love- but ask me that in the spring and I will hate it) the sun conveniently shines right in my eyes in the tiny classroom. I learned that tappy shoes are very, very loud when one is walking down the halls alone- and this is why you can normally find me walking barefoot.
Yes, these are the important things I learn during my day, at least, they are the things that I remember at 11:20 at night.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Rest in Peace, Poor Thing
Have you ever felt that horrible sense of dread, like all hope is lost? The one feeling that comes right as you find out some kind of tragic news? Yes, I'm sure most of you (being human beings and all) know what I mean. Today, I discovered the tragic fate of my cell phone. It has been unmercifully drowned in our washer.
Now, I know that cell phones aren't that important (actually, I'm lying- my cell phone was one of my most valued possessions- right after my A. A. Milne books and all those amazing works of literature). But honestly, I feel as if I have lost part of myself. If you think about it logically, you talk to your cell phone more than anyone else (disregarding the fact that you are actually talking to someone when you talk to your phone). (I'm using a lot of parentheses in this post. Just thought I'd let you know.) For the Harry Potter fans that are reading this- I feel like Harry did when his wand broke. For those of you who haven't read Harry Potter (I most enthusiastically recommend these books), I feel that I have let my phone down in the worst way possible- a horrible death in the deep labyrinth of the feared washing machine that robs all electronics of their lives. I feel like such a murder, because my phone was left in my chapel skirt pocket, which was then washed by my mother today. (not that I'm blaming her, but if she hadn't washed my skirt...)
Thankfully, we had my father's old phone, which happened to be the exact model my poor deceased one was, so I simply switched the SIM card into the semi-new red phone. All's well that ends well, right? Um, not quite. Unfortunately, half of my contacts were stored onto the victim of this tragic death, thus meaning I have lost half of the numbers in my address book, along with all my pictures. So, I do still have a phone, but it will never amount to my old one. RIP, my dearest blue cell phone, because none shall ever be as great as you were- not even the exact same model (because he's red, and I like blue better).
Total Number of Parentheses: 14
***Edit: I must add that after I published this post, the little add that appears on my screen on the Blogger home page - it was about cell phones.
Now, I know that cell phones aren't that important (actually, I'm lying- my cell phone was one of my most valued possessions- right after my A. A. Milne books and all those amazing works of literature). But honestly, I feel as if I have lost part of myself. If you think about it logically, you talk to your cell phone more than anyone else (disregarding the fact that you are actually talking to someone when you talk to your phone). (I'm using a lot of parentheses in this post. Just thought I'd let you know.) For the Harry Potter fans that are reading this- I feel like Harry did when his wand broke. For those of you who haven't read Harry Potter (I most enthusiastically recommend these books), I feel that I have let my phone down in the worst way possible- a horrible death in the deep labyrinth of the feared washing machine that robs all electronics of their lives. I feel like such a murder, because my phone was left in my chapel skirt pocket, which was then washed by my mother today. (not that I'm blaming her, but if she hadn't washed my skirt...)
Thankfully, we had my father's old phone, which happened to be the exact model my poor deceased one was, so I simply switched the SIM card into the semi-new red phone. All's well that ends well, right? Um, not quite. Unfortunately, half of my contacts were stored onto the victim of this tragic death, thus meaning I have lost half of the numbers in my address book, along with all my pictures. So, I do still have a phone, but it will never amount to my old one. RIP, my dearest blue cell phone, because none shall ever be as great as you were- not even the exact same model (because he's red, and I like blue better).
Total Number of Parentheses: 14
***Edit: I must add that after I published this post, the little add that appears on my screen on the Blogger home page - it was about cell phones.
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