Ugh. I hate crunch time.
I still have the majority of my packing to do (though I am slightly farther ahead then my mom) and I have to do laundry in order to complete said packing...mostly since I haven't worn (or washed) my shorts since...early September. Plus I have to finish my Senior portfolio by Friday (but I'm planning on turning it in tomorrow morning) and I have two finals on Friday I have to study for. And a paper that I haven't even remotely started, though it shouldn't be that hard to complete (that's what they all say).
Like I said, I hate crunch time.
OmgweleaveforHawaiiinfourdays...
Days 'til Hawaii: 4
Days 'til Christmas: 25 ( I think I messed up the days a few entries ago, but I think this is correct)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
BEDSY Day 56 (Tuesday November 29th, 2011)
It's Taco Tuesday at my house tonight. Yes.
I have this really weird feeling that I haven't blogged for a while...even though I blogged yesterday. It might be due to the fact that I missed two weekdays last week since we had Thanksgiving Break. My blog feels empty...
I still haven't decided what I'm going to do next week when I go to Hawaii. I'm not sure if I want to just write everything down (since I'm not taking my computer with me) and post all of the days I missed when I come back, since I'm missing five days of school...or if I want to just do one massive post covering EVERYTHING on the Saturday or Sunday I get back. Probably the latter, though...
Days 'til Hawaii: 5
Days 'til Christmas: 26
I have this really weird feeling that I haven't blogged for a while...even though I blogged yesterday. It might be due to the fact that I missed two weekdays last week since we had Thanksgiving Break. My blog feels empty...
I still haven't decided what I'm going to do next week when I go to Hawaii. I'm not sure if I want to just write everything down (since I'm not taking my computer with me) and post all of the days I missed when I come back, since I'm missing five days of school...or if I want to just do one massive post covering EVERYTHING on the Saturday or Sunday I get back. Probably the latter, though...
Days 'til Hawaii: 5
Days 'til Christmas: 26
Monday, November 28, 2011
AKfdfsgbsjdopdnsa: BEDSY Day 55 (Monday November 28th, 2011)
Don't ask me about the title. That's kind of what's going on in my brain at the present time.
So much to get done in the next five days...Next four days, actually, if we're only counting school days.
Whoever's idea it was to have our trip to Hawaii the week after the last week of the trimester needs to have their head checked. That was a terrible idea. It means finals. It means that every band class from now until Friday is crucial.
It means that tensions are high. Because people have been waiting for this trip for a long time, and now it's hard to believe that it's finally here. That we're leaving early Sunday morning. That we'll be there this time next week.
Here's hoping the rest of this week goes well. We need it.
Days 'til Hawaii: 6
Days 'til Christmas: 26
So much to get done in the next five days...Next four days, actually, if we're only counting school days.
Whoever's idea it was to have our trip to Hawaii the week after the last week of the trimester needs to have their head checked. That was a terrible idea. It means finals. It means that every band class from now until Friday is crucial.
It means that tensions are high. Because people have been waiting for this trip for a long time, and now it's hard to believe that it's finally here. That we're leaving early Sunday morning. That we'll be there this time next week.
Here's hoping the rest of this week goes well. We need it.
Days 'til Hawaii: 6
Days 'til Christmas: 26
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
College Status Update:BEDSY Day 54 (Wednesday November 23rd, 2011)
Half day at school. Been free since 10:30 this morning.
Aaaaaand now I'm watching Mulan and doing my Calculus homework.
Today is going to be hodgepodge. I'm warning you now...
First off, I got notice from the college I want to go to that my application is complete (as if I didn't already know that when I sent in my application) and it's ready fro review.
Great. Now all I have to do is wait for an acceptance notification.
And my mom told me what I should study in school. I want to go into music education...but my mom said that I should get a minor in math. She said I had a greater chance of getting a job that way. I'm good at math, and I like math...so maybe this could work out well for me. Plus that means I would get to hang out with the cute, smart, nerdy guys in the math department. I could deal with that for four years...
Days 'til Hawaii: 11
Days 'til Christmas: 32
P.S. TOMORROW'S THANKSGIVING!!!!
Aaaaaand now I'm watching Mulan and doing my Calculus homework.
Today is going to be hodgepodge. I'm warning you now...
First off, I got notice from the college I want to go to that my application is complete (as if I didn't already know that when I sent in my application) and it's ready fro review.
Great. Now all I have to do is wait for an acceptance notification.
And my mom told me what I should study in school. I want to go into music education...but my mom said that I should get a minor in math. She said I had a greater chance of getting a job that way. I'm good at math, and I like math...so maybe this could work out well for me. Plus that means I would get to hang out with the cute, smart, nerdy guys in the math department. I could deal with that for four years...
Days 'til Hawaii: 11
Days 'til Christmas: 32
P.S. TOMORROW'S THANKSGIVING!!!!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
We're Being Attacked by Hottentots: BEDSY Day 53 (Tuesday November 22nd)
For those rendered totally confused at the title, it's from Mary Poppins. It's a part of the "Step in Time" scene on the rooftops where the admiral sees all the commotion going on a few houses over.
By the way, this is one of my all-time favorite movies. And I'm watching it on a super stormy night. Absolute perfection.
By the way, this is one of my all-time favorite movies. And I'm watching it on a super stormy night. Absolute perfection.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Relief: BEDSY Day 52 (November 21st, 2011)
Something has finally gone right in my life. This pleases me.
The list of the people who got into our school's Wind Ensemble (which is the top instrumental group) went up. And I was on it. Seated in the chair I wanted. For those who aren't familiar with the world of performing arts, one's "chair" determines the level of difficulty of the music they play. For instance, first chair plays the hardest music, and more often than not holds the melody within the section. That's not to say, of course, that the other parts aren't important. In fact, some of the second and third parts are often the most interesting, as they set the harmonies and the chord changes and whatnot.
Sorry. Talking like a future music major here...
Anyway, I'm happy. I've been nervous for the past few weeks, not necessarily about if I would get in, but about what chair I would get and what chair my friends would get (just about all of my best friends got in as well). But everything managed to work out the way we wanted it to. Sure, there were disappointments. There always are. There are ninety kids who can try out to get into Wind Ensemble, but only 35 are allowed in. Some people aren't ready their sophomore year, and won't be ready until their senior year. Some people were ready for the musical maturity and rigor since the very beginning, putting them in Wind Ensemble all three years. Some people, on the other hand, will just never be ready.
The thing about our Wind Ensemble...getting in isn't just about how well you can play. That's part of it. Our audition consists of playing a (hopefully) prepared piece. We receive a score, and that determines our position in the band. But that isn't everything. Our director considers who has the right attitude to be in the group. There are no egos. People have to take themselves out of the equation and put the band above everything else. People who don't do that aren't going to make the cut. You could get a perfect score on your playing test...but if you think you're hot stuff and put all others below you...you're not needed in that group. Sorry.
It's not about you. It's about the band.
All seriousness aside, I'm so incredibly excited for this group. There are so many talented people in there who have a great chemistry (that's another slight factor that is considered in picking people--who is going to work the best together to best benefit the band overall)...we'll do great things. We'll go very far.
Ain't no stoppin' us now.
The list of the people who got into our school's Wind Ensemble (which is the top instrumental group) went up. And I was on it. Seated in the chair I wanted. For those who aren't familiar with the world of performing arts, one's "chair" determines the level of difficulty of the music they play. For instance, first chair plays the hardest music, and more often than not holds the melody within the section. That's not to say, of course, that the other parts aren't important. In fact, some of the second and third parts are often the most interesting, as they set the harmonies and the chord changes and whatnot.
Sorry. Talking like a future music major here...
Anyway, I'm happy. I've been nervous for the past few weeks, not necessarily about if I would get in, but about what chair I would get and what chair my friends would get (just about all of my best friends got in as well). But everything managed to work out the way we wanted it to. Sure, there were disappointments. There always are. There are ninety kids who can try out to get into Wind Ensemble, but only 35 are allowed in. Some people aren't ready their sophomore year, and won't be ready until their senior year. Some people were ready for the musical maturity and rigor since the very beginning, putting them in Wind Ensemble all three years. Some people, on the other hand, will just never be ready.
The thing about our Wind Ensemble...getting in isn't just about how well you can play. That's part of it. Our audition consists of playing a (hopefully) prepared piece. We receive a score, and that determines our position in the band. But that isn't everything. Our director considers who has the right attitude to be in the group. There are no egos. People have to take themselves out of the equation and put the band above everything else. People who don't do that aren't going to make the cut. You could get a perfect score on your playing test...but if you think you're hot stuff and put all others below you...you're not needed in that group. Sorry.
It's not about you. It's about the band.
All seriousness aside, I'm so incredibly excited for this group. There are so many talented people in there who have a great chemistry (that's another slight factor that is considered in picking people--who is going to work the best together to best benefit the band overall)...we'll do great things. We'll go very far.
Ain't no stoppin' us now.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Fortune's Fool: BEDSY Day 51 (Friday November 18th, 2011)
It's almost ten o'clock where I'm at, and everyone in my house is asleep. And I'm really close to heading that way, too. Just wanted to post before I went to bed.
To wind down the week, I'm watching Baz Luhrman's "Romeo + Juliet", which is my favorite film adaptation of the play. Oh, Leonardo...
I've spent a lot of time with this play this week. As a part of my humanities class, we watched our school's production of R & J. Which was very good. As are just about all of the plays that my school does. But this was still quite good. Probably because I knew about half the cast, and it was really cool to see them bring these characters to life in a different...voice than the one I probably heard in my head the first five times I read this play in school. Both Benvolio and Tybalt were played by girls. And they rocked it.
The only downside was the fact that the immature junior high kids who were there with us in the audience (as a way to "enhance" their comprehension of the play, since that's one of the big literary focuses in 9th grade) would not stop talking during the scene changes, nor could they contain their wolf-whistles and laughter whenever Romeo and Juliet kissed. Which was just about every other scene. Learn some etiquette, kids. It'll take you places.
Initially, when I first read this play, I didn't like it. I found the "love at first sight" scenario a bit...juvenile. Yes, I was thinking this as a fourteen year old. But over the years, I've developed a liking to it. Seriously. Some of the best lines in literature are in this play. Like I said, my favorite adaptation is Baz Luhrman's film. Yes, it's very visually...stimulating (my English teacher called it "R & J on crack" [or acid]) and it's a little odd hearing Shakespearean vernacular in the context of a modern-day setting...But he does it so tastefully. And I think that is the difference between this and other "modern" takes on "Romeo and Juliet". There's another version I've watched, by Zefferelli, that was geared more toward using the actual sixteenth-century Verona setting. Traditional, I know...but it's been done before. Probably thousands of times. Sometimes, you need something different. Like substituting swords for personalized guns.
It's funny...we're introduced to the basic story of the "star-cross'd lovers" at a young age through just cultural permeation. I remember watching an episode of "Hey Arnold!" where the kids of PS-118 put on the play. But you hardly ever get the entire story until you read it for yourself. Which, typically, isn't until high school. And, often times, it's completely different than what we're exposed to.
I still prefer the original, though...
(Mercutio just died...sad day.)
(Ope, there went Tybalt as well...)
As a side note...while we studied this in ninth grade, my teacher showed us a video of this acting troupe called the Reduced Shakespeare Company doing the "abridged" version of Romeo and Juliet in about twelve minutes. I had never laughed so hard in my life. They (and by "they", I mean the three guys in the troupe) mess with the dialogue and makes jokes about the situations, but they're really smart about it. The version I watched even had a Star Wars reference in it. Shakespearean "purists" may find it blasphemous...but you have to have a heart of stone to find something in this worth your laughter. Not when you have two middle-aged men playing Juliet and the Nurse.
To wind down the week, I'm watching Baz Luhrman's "Romeo + Juliet", which is my favorite film adaptation of the play. Oh, Leonardo...
I've spent a lot of time with this play this week. As a part of my humanities class, we watched our school's production of R & J. Which was very good. As are just about all of the plays that my school does. But this was still quite good. Probably because I knew about half the cast, and it was really cool to see them bring these characters to life in a different...voice than the one I probably heard in my head the first five times I read this play in school. Both Benvolio and Tybalt were played by girls. And they rocked it.
The only downside was the fact that the immature junior high kids who were there with us in the audience (as a way to "enhance" their comprehension of the play, since that's one of the big literary focuses in 9th grade) would not stop talking during the scene changes, nor could they contain their wolf-whistles and laughter whenever Romeo and Juliet kissed. Which was just about every other scene. Learn some etiquette, kids. It'll take you places.
Initially, when I first read this play, I didn't like it. I found the "love at first sight" scenario a bit...juvenile. Yes, I was thinking this as a fourteen year old. But over the years, I've developed a liking to it. Seriously. Some of the best lines in literature are in this play. Like I said, my favorite adaptation is Baz Luhrman's film. Yes, it's very visually...stimulating (my English teacher called it "R & J on crack" [or acid]) and it's a little odd hearing Shakespearean vernacular in the context of a modern-day setting...But he does it so tastefully. And I think that is the difference between this and other "modern" takes on "Romeo and Juliet". There's another version I've watched, by Zefferelli, that was geared more toward using the actual sixteenth-century Verona setting. Traditional, I know...but it's been done before. Probably thousands of times. Sometimes, you need something different. Like substituting swords for personalized guns.
It's funny...we're introduced to the basic story of the "star-cross'd lovers" at a young age through just cultural permeation. I remember watching an episode of "Hey Arnold!" where the kids of PS-118 put on the play. But you hardly ever get the entire story until you read it for yourself. Which, typically, isn't until high school. And, often times, it's completely different than what we're exposed to.
I still prefer the original, though...
(Mercutio just died...sad day.)
(Ope, there went Tybalt as well...)
As a side note...while we studied this in ninth grade, my teacher showed us a video of this acting troupe called the Reduced Shakespeare Company doing the "abridged" version of Romeo and Juliet in about twelve minutes. I had never laughed so hard in my life. They (and by "they", I mean the three guys in the troupe) mess with the dialogue and makes jokes about the situations, but they're really smart about it. The version I watched even had a Star Wars reference in it. Shakespearean "purists" may find it blasphemous...but you have to have a heart of stone to find something in this worth your laughter. Not when you have two middle-aged men playing Juliet and the Nurse.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Golden Entry: BEDSY Day 50 (!) (Thursday November 17th, 2011)
Wow. Fifty days of school. Wow...
Relatively speaking, that's not very many. It's still less than halfway through the projected 180 days...and yet in some respects, it seems like a lot of time has gone by since I first started this project. I've had band camp (even though that was before school started), I've had my fair share of all-nighters (all because of English), we've already gone through an entire sports season, we've had homecoming...and now we're a mere week away from Thanksgiving. And just under two weeks from going to Hawaii.
Thus far, I'm glad I decided to do this...thing. I don't really want to call it a blog, because I don't really feel like I blog all of the time. Sometimes I blog about relevant things. But most times I'm complaining or ranting or rambling about irrelevant things. Either way, though, I relish in being able to write down whatever is in my head, whether it be good or bad. It's kind of been that way my whole life, though. I was never much of a diary keeper, just a thought-jotter. I have notebooks upon notebooks stacked up in various hidey-holes in my room, some more loved than others that I've doodled/wrote in over the past six years. But that's still okay, I suppose. Just as long as all of the thoughts get out...I know that I have my rants, and I usually feel better afterwards...but I apologize for all of the negativity at times. I'll try harder to make things more positive around here. :)
That being said, here's to another 50 entries...plus another eighty.
Listening to: The Decemberists "Calamity Song"
Days 'til Hawaii: 17
Days 'til Christmas: 40
Relatively speaking, that's not very many. It's still less than halfway through the projected 180 days...and yet in some respects, it seems like a lot of time has gone by since I first started this project. I've had band camp (even though that was before school started), I've had my fair share of all-nighters (all because of English), we've already gone through an entire sports season, we've had homecoming...and now we're a mere week away from Thanksgiving. And just under two weeks from going to Hawaii.
Thus far, I'm glad I decided to do this...thing. I don't really want to call it a blog, because I don't really feel like I blog all of the time. Sometimes I blog about relevant things. But most times I'm complaining or ranting or rambling about irrelevant things. Either way, though, I relish in being able to write down whatever is in my head, whether it be good or bad. It's kind of been that way my whole life, though. I was never much of a diary keeper, just a thought-jotter. I have notebooks upon notebooks stacked up in various hidey-holes in my room, some more loved than others that I've doodled/wrote in over the past six years. But that's still okay, I suppose. Just as long as all of the thoughts get out...I know that I have my rants, and I usually feel better afterwards...but I apologize for all of the negativity at times. I'll try harder to make things more positive around here. :)
That being said, here's to another 50 entries...plus another eighty.
Listening to: The Decemberists "Calamity Song"
Days 'til Hawaii: 17
Days 'til Christmas: 40
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
First Times: BEDSY Day 49 (Wednesday November 16th, 2011)
Today was a days of firsts for me.
Today was the first day I've ever had detention in school.
I'm a good student, I swear.
I got it for parking on school campus. Meh...The worst part, I suppose, is the fact that I can no longer drive to school for the rest of the month since I can't buy a parking pass at the current moment. Which also means I can't leave at 2:00...But I guess things could be worse. It beats having to stay after school for FOUR HOURS on a Friday.
Anyway, I had to sit in one of the small theaters at my school for an hour at the end of the day with the rest of the delinquents...and do my chemistry homework. This is why good students don't deserve to be in detention. We use it to do homework. It's an excellent study hall. But still...I would've like to go my entire high school life without getting any sort of demerit. I guess I could cross it off my bucket list of things to do while in high school...But I'm determined that this is my only time.
Today was the first day I've ever had detention in school.
I'm a good student, I swear.
I got it for parking on school campus. Meh...The worst part, I suppose, is the fact that I can no longer drive to school for the rest of the month since I can't buy a parking pass at the current moment. Which also means I can't leave at 2:00...But I guess things could be worse. It beats having to stay after school for FOUR HOURS on a Friday.
Anyway, I had to sit in one of the small theaters at my school for an hour at the end of the day with the rest of the delinquents...and do my chemistry homework. This is why good students don't deserve to be in detention. We use it to do homework. It's an excellent study hall. But still...I would've like to go my entire high school life without getting any sort of demerit. I guess I could cross it off my bucket list of things to do while in high school...But I'm determined that this is my only time.
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Five-O: BEDSY Day 48 (Tuesday November 15th, 2011)
(First draft of this got deleted...>.<)
So I figured I probably should tell you guys why I'm going to Hawaii in 18 days.
I've told you that I'm a part of my high school's marching band which, over the past five years, has built up a pretty extensive reputation. So we get invited to a lot of different places to perform. One of which was the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA.
One of which is the 70th Anniversary Memorial of the attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu.
We're kind of a big deal.
While we're down there we get to do all the fun stuff you're supposed to do while you're in Hawaii: explore the beaches, luaus (complete with fire-breathers), touring the Dole Pineapple Plantation.
Not to mention visiting the USS Arizona memorial.
This is a very emotionally charged trip. Our hometown has a pretty big naval base that is the source of a lot of jobs in the area. Plenty of kids, past and present, in the band have parents who work there. Kids' grandparents worked there in the past. There are also a few students who had relatives in Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack. While we're down there, we're scheduled to give a performance on/near (I'm not sure yet) the USS Missouri, an aircraft carrier that was stationed at our navy base for a really long time. it was also the ship on which the peace treaty between the United States and Japan was signed, ending the war between the two countries.
I (and the rest of the seniors in the band) feel lucky to get another "big trip" during high school, my first being the Rose Parade my sophomore year. Our director only likes to do big trips every three years, so everyone get a chance at a big trip. But this was something we felt we couldn't pass up. This isn't the Rose Parade which (with the exception of two or three out of 123) pretty much happens every year. This doesn't happen every year. This is an important day in my nation's history, to the people who willingly put their lives on the forefront to protect the freedoms we've been blessed with. Performing for them doesn't seem to be a big enough 'thank you' to them.
Aloha for now.
Days 'til Hawaii: 18
Days 'til Christmas: 41 ( I know yesterday said 41, but today is actually 41)
So I figured I probably should tell you guys why I'm going to Hawaii in 18 days.
I've told you that I'm a part of my high school's marching band which, over the past five years, has built up a pretty extensive reputation. So we get invited to a lot of different places to perform. One of which was the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA.
One of which is the 70th Anniversary Memorial of the attack on Pearl Harbor in Honolulu.
We're kind of a big deal.
While we're down there we get to do all the fun stuff you're supposed to do while you're in Hawaii: explore the beaches, luaus (complete with fire-breathers), touring the Dole Pineapple Plantation.
Not to mention visiting the USS Arizona memorial.
This is a very emotionally charged trip. Our hometown has a pretty big naval base that is the source of a lot of jobs in the area. Plenty of kids, past and present, in the band have parents who work there. Kids' grandparents worked there in the past. There are also a few students who had relatives in Pearl Harbor at the time of the attack. While we're down there, we're scheduled to give a performance on/near (I'm not sure yet) the USS Missouri, an aircraft carrier that was stationed at our navy base for a really long time. it was also the ship on which the peace treaty between the United States and Japan was signed, ending the war between the two countries.
I (and the rest of the seniors in the band) feel lucky to get another "big trip" during high school, my first being the Rose Parade my sophomore year. Our director only likes to do big trips every three years, so everyone get a chance at a big trip. But this was something we felt we couldn't pass up. This isn't the Rose Parade which (with the exception of two or three out of 123) pretty much happens every year. This doesn't happen every year. This is an important day in my nation's history, to the people who willingly put their lives on the forefront to protect the freedoms we've been blessed with. Performing for them doesn't seem to be a big enough 'thank you' to them.
Aloha for now.
Days 'til Hawaii: 18
Days 'til Christmas: 41 ( I know yesterday said 41, but today is actually 41)
BEDSY Day 47 (Monday November 14th, 2011)
Slow Mondays are slow.
Days to Hawaii: 19
Days 'til Christmas: 41
Days to Hawaii: 19
Days 'til Christmas: 41
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Weekend Post: Things I Miss (Sunday November 13th, 2011)
Friday was Veteran's Day here in the U.S., so I didn't have school. No punishment. Not that I don't have any already...
God, I need to write. And not anything that pertains to school assignments or college essays or anything part of BEDSY (although having this blog helps sometimes) but something that's in one of my journals or in the dusty archives of my hard drive that I haven't touched since the beginning of the school year. My creative juices have crusted over and it's becoming hard (at times) to get them flowing again. But I can still feel them welling up inside me. And I need to let them out. There are a few stories that I've been working on for almost two years, and I haven't touched them in weeks. I feel almost lonely without them. After I write this, I'm determined to pop in a movie and write. And write. And write.
It's nice to come here, though, and not have a word limit or page requirement. To just be able to let thoughts flow freely, no matter how much or how little there is.
I also miss reading. For fun, that is. I've done reading for school (which hasn't been nearly as much as usual, which saddens me), but I haven't read any of the books that are stacked up on my bookshelves. There are about a dozen books that I've collected over the past six months, and I haven't been able to read ANY of them. Which makes me sad. There is one book I'm reading--Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs--that I've had and been reading since the middle of summer. It's not a particularly difficult book, nor is is terribly long, and I enjoy reading it. (Plus there are pictures, or rather, photographs of strange, strange people and phenomena). But I'm still less than 75 pages into it. I just haven't had the time to read for pleasure. Which I think is a true crime. People shouldn't be punished or prevented from reading.
I was talking to one of my friends the other day (another sad occurrence is that having a conversation with any of my friends often consists of complaining about how much homework we all have) and she said she didn't start her homework until almost 10 o'clock the night before. I asked her why, thinking she had basketball practice and whatnot...She said she was reading. For fun.
This is the point at which I realized that I needed to get out of my AP English class (in addition to that all-nighter I pulled Wednesday night). When English starts interfering with my ability to read (oh, the irony), that's when I deem we have a problem with the system. Plus my English teacher says that we learn nothing from "happy" books, that they are boring and unnecessary, that everything we learn we learn from sad, depressing books. B------t. I understand that a pessimistic book makes both the subjects and the reader appreciative of the goodness in life, and some of my favorite books are sad (The Things They Carried, The Great Gatsby, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, The Grapes of Wrath)...But seriously. Disbelieving in the merit of "happy" literature is nonsense. I've read sad books with happy endings, and I've learned more from them than I did from Heart of Darkness. No wonder my entire English class is suffering from depression.
On the bright side, only seven more days in this class.
Days 'til Hawaii: 20 (When did that number get so small?!)
Days 'til Christmas: 42
God, I need to write. And not anything that pertains to school assignments or college essays or anything part of BEDSY (although having this blog helps sometimes) but something that's in one of my journals or in the dusty archives of my hard drive that I haven't touched since the beginning of the school year. My creative juices have crusted over and it's becoming hard (at times) to get them flowing again. But I can still feel them welling up inside me. And I need to let them out. There are a few stories that I've been working on for almost two years, and I haven't touched them in weeks. I feel almost lonely without them. After I write this, I'm determined to pop in a movie and write. And write. And write.
It's nice to come here, though, and not have a word limit or page requirement. To just be able to let thoughts flow freely, no matter how much or how little there is.
I also miss reading. For fun, that is. I've done reading for school (which hasn't been nearly as much as usual, which saddens me), but I haven't read any of the books that are stacked up on my bookshelves. There are about a dozen books that I've collected over the past six months, and I haven't been able to read ANY of them. Which makes me sad. There is one book I'm reading--Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs--that I've had and been reading since the middle of summer. It's not a particularly difficult book, nor is is terribly long, and I enjoy reading it. (Plus there are pictures, or rather, photographs of strange, strange people and phenomena). But I'm still less than 75 pages into it. I just haven't had the time to read for pleasure. Which I think is a true crime. People shouldn't be punished or prevented from reading.
I was talking to one of my friends the other day (another sad occurrence is that having a conversation with any of my friends often consists of complaining about how much homework we all have) and she said she didn't start her homework until almost 10 o'clock the night before. I asked her why, thinking she had basketball practice and whatnot...She said she was reading. For fun.
This is the point at which I realized that I needed to get out of my AP English class (in addition to that all-nighter I pulled Wednesday night). When English starts interfering with my ability to read (oh, the irony), that's when I deem we have a problem with the system. Plus my English teacher says that we learn nothing from "happy" books, that they are boring and unnecessary, that everything we learn we learn from sad, depressing books. B------t. I understand that a pessimistic book makes both the subjects and the reader appreciative of the goodness in life, and some of my favorite books are sad (The Things They Carried, The Great Gatsby, The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, The Grapes of Wrath)...But seriously. Disbelieving in the merit of "happy" literature is nonsense. I've read sad books with happy endings, and I've learned more from them than I did from Heart of Darkness. No wonder my entire English class is suffering from depression.
On the bright side, only seven more days in this class.
Days 'til Hawaii: 20 (When did that number get so small?!)
Days 'til Christmas: 42
Thursday, November 10, 2011
BEDSY Day 46 (Wednesday November 9th, 2011)
Yeah. I know. I missed a day. (Last night was a baaaaaaad English night.) First one in 46 days. Punishment ideas?
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
BEDSY Day 44 (Tuesday November 8th, 2011)
Long-arse day. Long week. I have a massive homework project that is due on Thursday that I've worked rather minimally on.
Tired. Going to bed.
Short entry is short.
Tired. Going to bed.
Short entry is short.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Fill yer Boots, Man: BEDSY Day 43 (Monday November 7th, 2011)
As weird as this may sound, I've never been happier to do push-ups. All 50 of them. It means that people are being disciplined. That people are finally understanding why we do what we do. It's a little late to have this realization, but...better late than never, I always say. People need to understand that they aren't entitled to any sort of reputation established by those before them. they have to earn it. And they have to work hard to earn it. I hope people will understand how big the payoff is when they do work hard.
Sorry for the ambiguity. But I feel that I would get in trouble if this was found by the people to whom this post is referring. Some people probably need to see this, though. Others don't deserve to see it, they don't deserve to be frustrated because some other people aren't doing their job.
It's been kind of a rough day. Started with forgetting my binder at home and having to turn around so I could go get it, which also meant that I didn't get the car after school. Tomorrow will be better. Wednesday will be better. Only four days this week. We have Friday off. Something tells me I'll be gratetful for that.
Sorry for the ambiguity. But I feel that I would get in trouble if this was found by the people to whom this post is referring. Some people probably need to see this, though. Others don't deserve to see it, they don't deserve to be frustrated because some other people aren't doing their job.
It's been kind of a rough day. Started with forgetting my binder at home and having to turn around so I could go get it, which also meant that I didn't get the car after school. Tomorrow will be better. Wednesday will be better. Only four days this week. We have Friday off. Something tells me I'll be gratetful for that.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Anti-Bullying: BEDSY Day 42 (Friday November 4th, 2011)
Okay.
This entry was not really going to about anything in particular. It was simply going to entail something about our (official) last football game Friday night (which we lost) and how we had our first parade yesterday morning and blah blah blah.
Not anymore.
So I was watching a recent video from Mike Lombardo, a well-known YouTube musician/vlogger, and he talked about this new bill that was passed in Michigan that pretty much allowed kids to be bullied by anyone, including teachers, school administrators, volunteers, parents, and their peers, if they just happened to be gay, if the offender could provide ample "religious" or "moral" reasons for their actions.
Um. What.
The bill is called the Matt's Safe School Law. Oh, the irony. The bill was named after a boy, Matt Epling, who committed suicide after being victimized by his peers because he was gay. In a society that is pushing so hard for equal rights with regards to sexual orientation, in which New York just legalized gay marriage, how is it possible for something like this to pass? I don't care what party the state is affiliated with. This just isn't right.
This hits hard, considering a few of my really close friends just happen to be gay. I feel fortunate enough to go to a school where people don't get ostracized for being gay, at least not in a particularly noticeable or significant fashion. But still...School should be one of the safest environments for kids, especially if their home life is less than stellar. Unfortunately, sometimes, school is one of the places kids avoid the most because they receive just as much ridicule as they do at home.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent". This bill is literally handing the consent to the haters on a silver platter. I don't care about your religious views. That doesn't give you the right to personally attack a child for being themselves. In fact, that's almost the direct opposite of many religious standings: treat others the way in which you would like to be treated. And this bill doesn't specify the age of the children this bill affects, either, meaning that students as young as first-graders all the way up to seniors in high school could potentially be victimized for their sexual orientation. As American citizens, people have the freedom to express what they believe, whether or not they argue that being gay is "moral" or "immoral" (not that people really have a choice in the matter). But those beliefs and opinions should not play into the well-being of others. Bullying in any way, shape, or form is not okay. Faulting someone for their individuality is not okay.
This post is dedicated to Matt Epling and all others whose lives have been negatively affected by bullying.
Link to the article: http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/michigan-gop-pass-bullying-bill-giving-license-to-bully/politics/2011/11/03/29580
This entry was not really going to about anything in particular. It was simply going to entail something about our (official) last football game Friday night (which we lost) and how we had our first parade yesterday morning and blah blah blah.
Not anymore.
So I was watching a recent video from Mike Lombardo, a well-known YouTube musician/vlogger, and he talked about this new bill that was passed in Michigan that pretty much allowed kids to be bullied by anyone, including teachers, school administrators, volunteers, parents, and their peers, if they just happened to be gay, if the offender could provide ample "religious" or "moral" reasons for their actions.
Um. What.
The bill is called the Matt's Safe School Law. Oh, the irony. The bill was named after a boy, Matt Epling, who committed suicide after being victimized by his peers because he was gay. In a society that is pushing so hard for equal rights with regards to sexual orientation, in which New York just legalized gay marriage, how is it possible for something like this to pass? I don't care what party the state is affiliated with. This just isn't right.
This hits hard, considering a few of my really close friends just happen to be gay. I feel fortunate enough to go to a school where people don't get ostracized for being gay, at least not in a particularly noticeable or significant fashion. But still...School should be one of the safest environments for kids, especially if their home life is less than stellar. Unfortunately, sometimes, school is one of the places kids avoid the most because they receive just as much ridicule as they do at home.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent". This bill is literally handing the consent to the haters on a silver platter. I don't care about your religious views. That doesn't give you the right to personally attack a child for being themselves. In fact, that's almost the direct opposite of many religious standings: treat others the way in which you would like to be treated. And this bill doesn't specify the age of the children this bill affects, either, meaning that students as young as first-graders all the way up to seniors in high school could potentially be victimized for their sexual orientation. As American citizens, people have the freedom to express what they believe, whether or not they argue that being gay is "moral" or "immoral" (not that people really have a choice in the matter). But those beliefs and opinions should not play into the well-being of others. Bullying in any way, shape, or form is not okay. Faulting someone for their individuality is not okay.
This post is dedicated to Matt Epling and all others whose lives have been negatively affected by bullying.
Link to the article: http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/michigan-gop-pass-bullying-bill-giving-license-to-bully/politics/2011/11/03/29580
Thursday, November 3, 2011
BEDSY Day 41 (Thursday November 3rd, 2011)
Forty-one days and I have yet to miss an entry.
Even though there were times when I though it would be a better idea to go to bed than to stay up and extra twenty minutes and write and entry.
Like tonight.
Thursdays tend to be my late nights. Especially if I have English on Friday. English wasn't that bad tonight. We just finished our latest book, which was actually an independent novel project. I read Atonement. Perhaps I'll post a review of it over the weekend.
Busy next two days. Football game tomorrow night (first round of the play-offs) and a parade on Saturday. Woot.
's gon' be a looooong two days. Hope it doesn't rain.
On my parade.
Even though there were times when I though it would be a better idea to go to bed than to stay up and extra twenty minutes and write and entry.
Like tonight.
Thursdays tend to be my late nights. Especially if I have English on Friday. English wasn't that bad tonight. We just finished our latest book, which was actually an independent novel project. I read Atonement. Perhaps I'll post a review of it over the weekend.
Busy next two days. Football game tomorrow night (first round of the play-offs) and a parade on Saturday. Woot.
's gon' be a looooong two days. Hope it doesn't rain.
On my parade.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Acceptance: BEDSY Day 40 (Wednesday November 2nd, 2011)
College stuff is starting to crop up again. In the past two days, tow good friends of mine have been accepted into the colleges of their choice. Just makes that unfinished application of mine that much more...unfinished. Most of the application process is just getting stuff organized. But lately, I have no time fro organization. Things just kind of end up happening. Goal: send off my completed application by next Friday. As I've decided to only apply to one school, it shouldn't be that difficult.
Tomorrow night we order our caps and gowns and graduation announcements and a whole bunch of other useless crap that people think we need to commemorate our Senior Year (sweatpants, duffel bags, jewelry, etc.). Whoever said public education was free was lying...
Tomorrow night we order our caps and gowns and graduation announcements and a whole bunch of other useless crap that people think we need to commemorate our Senior Year (sweatpants, duffel bags, jewelry, etc.). Whoever said public education was free was lying...
It's November!: BEDSY Day 39 (Tuesday November 1st, 2011)
Which means...
IT'S NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH!!
Or, as true patrons call it, NaNoWriMo.
I've known about this phenomena for a few years now, but I've never actually been brave enough to do it. I want to do it one year. Maybe next year. I know it takes a lot of commitment, writing over 1600 words a day to stay on track. 50,000 words (the average length of a full-length novel) is a lot of writing. I write (obviously) and I want to write a novel at some point in my life...but not this year. Too many things going on this month. This is No-Panic November. So far, even that's not working out all that well..
For now, I think I'll just stick to doing Blog Every Day Senior Year.
P.S. Almost wrote October in the title today. Not used to November yet. Either that or it's 12:30 a.m. and I'm exhausted and have no brain power to pay enough attention.)
- Thanksgiving is in, like, three weeks
- I go to Hawaii in four weeks
- College applications are due in about a month (crap)
- The trimester also ends in about four weeks (thank goodness...my sanity level may finally rise above the You're-going-to-be-booked-into-and-insane-asylum level it's at now)
IT'S NATIONAL NOVEL WRITING MONTH!!
Or, as true patrons call it, NaNoWriMo.
I've known about this phenomena for a few years now, but I've never actually been brave enough to do it. I want to do it one year. Maybe next year. I know it takes a lot of commitment, writing over 1600 words a day to stay on track. 50,000 words (the average length of a full-length novel) is a lot of writing. I write (obviously) and I want to write a novel at some point in my life...but not this year. Too many things going on this month. This is No-Panic November. So far, even that's not working out all that well..
For now, I think I'll just stick to doing Blog Every Day Senior Year.
P.S. Almost wrote October in the title today. Not used to November yet. Either that or it's 12:30 a.m. and I'm exhausted and have no brain power to pay enough attention.)
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