A Strange Light

I spend a good bit of my time in public lately.

Now don't get me wrong, I still love pulling on a pair of sweatpants and hiding under my comforter for hours at a time, but since I've started dual enrolling, I have to go places and interact with people.

And even though for the most part I "fit in" (whatever that means) fairly well, I still kind of feel like this happens when I'm walking around:

(Only I don't look quite so fantastically beautiful.)

It's not because I sometimes spontaneously make spastic movements because I'm excited about something.

 

It's not because I look funny. (Usually.)

 

It's not even because I have this inexorable urge to break into the abandoned coffee shop at school and wander around dramatically singing "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."

 

 

Don't judge.

 

I have this one teacher at school who is very interested in the fact that I happen to be a dual enrolled student who is also homeschooled. He told me he's always been a little skeptical about homeschooling in general, so naturally I felt a little pressure from the get-go to prove to him that whatever negative thoughts he had about homeschoolers weren't true, at least not for me.

 

So when we had our first test on Monday, my normal love for tests of all shapes and sizes was slightly tainted with anxiety. It was pretty typical as far as tests go, and as far as testing goes at this particular college, it was a pretty typical day. There were a couple of people who finished in five minutes, which used to impress me but I now know generally means they did quite poorly indeed. I finished in about twenty-five minutes, but I knew I wouldn't get picked up until later and I was quite comfortable, so I pretended to check my work for fifteen minutes longer.

 

I felt like I probably did okay on the test, but I wasn't sure, and I was worried.

 

Thusly, come the next class period, I was quite relieved when I walked into the classroom and the teacher said, "Here comes my star student!" I got the highest grade in the class, and I was pleased.

However, when the teacher was going over the test, I noticed one question that I had missed that he had not marked incorrect.

 

Oh, great.

 

My grade was already further away from a perfect score than I was happy about. To speak up and point out to the teacher that he had given me too high a grade would be stupid. I was at the top and I was happy about it and I did NOT want that to go away.

 

But on the other hand, honesty is the best policy, yes?

 

Nobody should have to deal with moral dilemmas at 9:45 in the morning.

 

Nevertheless, deal with it I did. I raised my hand and from my seat in the back row (I came in late on the first day and the teacher made us stay in whatever seat we had chosen) called out, "I think I missed one and you didn't take off for it."

 

Every head in the classroom turned around and stared at me.

 

The teacher is somewhat hard of hearing, so he asked me to repeat myself. The other students all looked at me, their confused expressions screaming, "What is wrong with you? SHUT UP."

 

I repeated myself and the professor got a little twinkle in his eye. He turned to one of the students in the front row and asked what they thought he should do. She said that since it was his mistake, she thought I should get to keep my original score, to which the professor replied that he decidedly disagreed.

 

He started walking down the aisle and I put on a brave face. I had literally just given away two precious points from my test score, and I felt like a tender part of me was about to have a giant red X scratched across it. But when the teacher handed back my paper a few moments later, instead of a glaring, blood-red -2, I saw a cheery, scarlet +2 written next to the question.

 

Now this teacher is a Genuine Antique Person, and he has a ball cap to prove it. I thought maybe he had just misunderstood me, but all I could get out was a confused "Umm..."

 

The teacher, talking to the whole class, said that because he's eighty years old and has been working at the school for ten years, he can basically do whatever he wants because the school isn't going to do anything to him. Apparently he also believes that honesty is the best policy, so in a case like mine, if the student doesn't try to hide the mistake, he rewards their honesty.

 

So that worked out.

 

Except that here I am, less than a month into the semester and already everyone in that class thinks I'm a little strange.

 

But that's okay. I didn't know that the teacher was going to reward me. I just knew this: Even though I don't loudly announce to the whole world that I'm a Christian, if I don't represent that in my actions, people definitely will never have a chance to see Christ through me.

 

So if looking a little strange to others means maintaining a good testimony, I'd say that's a pretty good tradeoff.

 

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. (John 1:4-5)

 

People may not always understand the difference, but they will always notice it.

 

Be the light.

 

Be strange.

Back to School Essentials

Monday was the first day of school.

*breaks down sobbing over the death of my good friend, summer*

I know most of you share in my grief.

I'm back to dual enrollment, and after my first day, I think I can expect another interesting semester. 

Admittedly I was slightly terrified to go to my first class despite this being my third semester, namely because I watched God's Not Dead a week ago and I was heading into a philosophy class in a decidedly non-Christian environment.

Fortunately, the scariest thing that happened was that I had to get to know a stranger and then get up in front of the class and introduce him. 

College is great, guys.

Perhaps some of you are feeling overwhelmed by the coming work and stress of the school year.

Well, I have a blog, so obviously I know what I'm talking about. Here are my essential tips to make getting back to school as pain-free as possible.

1. Do something exhausting the week before you start back to school (just make sure you have time to recover before school starts). I flew across the country and then gallivanted all around California and then flew back across the country less than a week before I headed back to school, and I didn't even have time to get nervous or stressed about school starting.

2. Wear a fantastic outfit on the first day. Especially if you're going to be walking into a classroom. Your outfit and the confidence you have in it will be the first impression your classmates get of you.

If you don't feel like this,

Keep trying.

You'll get it. Thumbs up everybody!

3. Have your phone handy in case you're early to class. Unless you're unfortunate enough to be in a school that doesn't allow cell phones to be visible period when you're in the classroom, this simple device can prevent a whole lot of pre-class awkwardness.

As a general rule, I don't like to talk to people, especially random people I meet at school. So whenever my classmates get uncomfortably chatty, I pull out my phone and *BOOM* I have an instant excuse to be my wonderful taciturn self. If your neighbor doesn't get the hint, execute evasive maneuvers.

4. DO NOT forget your wallet in the classroom on the first day only to realize it's missing halfway to your next class which you only had fifteen minutes to get to, causing you to have to hustle back to your first classroom and, upon not finding your wallet, to frantically search for your professor's office, making you late (and sweaty) getting to your second class.

^^^this is definitely a purely hypothetical situation^^^

5. Based off of number four, I feel like I can accurately say that it's a good idea to have a backpack to keep your stuff in rather than leaving your things loose to stealthily slip under your chair and get lost.

6. Don't blog the night before class instead of doing your homework.

Wait...

Peer Review

So I've taken quite a few writing classes, whether at home or through homeschool co-ops or in my dual enrollment classes. They've all been very different in many ways, but one thing that has been the same in every last one, the thing that all English teachers seem to love and all students love to hate, the thing that never fails to drive me absolutely bonkers - peer review.

I simply don't understand how anybody can write anything so bad as all the papers I have to evaluate. So in an attempt to better relate to ninety percent of the people in my composition classes, I've decided to try to write something like the hoi polloi... *AHEM* Meredith's poor writing!

Poor Writing About Writing

Writing is one thing that almost all students I know have to do alot of. Though, not many people are very good writing. And, I think I must be good at it because well, I just do it alot. Though, there are something about it that are just distasteful. One thing that people dislike with writing is, that it takes alot of time. And, alot of people are really criticism of other's writing especially when they think their are mistakes. I had one teacher who always told me I used to many commas and then gave us alot of rules about them, but, I think that I use them right all ways. He said that their where only too people in the class who knew how to use them, commas, rightly, but, I was thinking he got confused and is wrong. He also told the class that he can tell when they dont know how to use commas because, they just put them in every, six, words, or so. I know I don't do that, so,,,, I think I'm ok. 

To conclude although people battle, ferociously, against  writing. Though I think, its ok, and continue to do it alot.

I hope my thoughts weren't organized too clearly... I don't think I did a very good job being bad. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a writing assignment to do.

On College Professors

I'm like actually giggling just thinking about writing this post... It's going to be too much fun.

I have been dual enrolling at Pensacola State for about a month now, so I've gotten pretty used to the way my teachers teach, test, and grade. And even better than all that businessy jazz, being me, I've found something humorous about each of them.

(I'm also going to use Rate my Professor to help me write this post, simply because I think that it's absolutely hysterical what other people say about my current teachers. I shan't name names, but maybe you'll know some of them anyway.)

I shall now tell you about my algebra teacher.

First of all, just understand that he is awesome. He's like the coolest ever (for a math teacher). He somehow manages to make his class fun, which boggles my mind, and I just sit there like

Yeah. It's pretty legit. Plus, he has an awesome beard and looks like Jeffery Dallas.

Next I think I'll talk about my American government professor. He comes to class every day decked out like he's heading off to Hawaii. He starts talking, and an hour and fifteen minutes later, he stops talking, and you'd better have written everything he said down. One student said that he "has a script of the entire history of the world memorized."

Next is my music appreciation teacher. At first glance, she looks like a sweet, kind old lady who plays the piano for her sad little Baptist church. But then she starts talking, and you learn that she is a past Navy officer with zero tolerance for rule breakers and high expectations. And when she sits down at the piano, she plays funky spunky chunky monkey jazz with high energy. So for her I say simply this: looks can be deceiving.

And now my English Comp I teacher.

He's super cool.

He's like fifteen minutes late to class all the time, which is fine by me because I get to sit and read and laugh inwardly at my apelike classmates. 

He never lets out less than twenty minutes early. 

I was really expecting to hate him, namely because of this review: "omg professor [name deleted to protect the innocent and also because this genius spelled it incorrectly] is a horrible teacher he is very confusing when he assigns papers then he turns around and grades like a nazi. i didnt learn anything and he needs to help the students that ask for it. i would never suggest taking him unless u love to write and can write super well right off the bat because otherwise u will b in the hole :("

Ooh, and here's another good one: "I would tell anyone that like the subject english not to take Mr. [Goodness people, his name is not that difficult to spell] He does not explain things to you well. I will say that he is a pretty funny man, but thats all I could say about him."

I don't know why I listened to those reviews in the first place, since they were obviously from very credible sources who would do well in an English class and know the difference between a "Nazi" teacher and someone who has expectations of his students... Totally.

This is my favorite class now.

My conclusion: College professors are an odd, widely-varied species which will never be fully understood or explained.

Engines

In my Drivers Ed course.

Which mechanical part or feature listed in Module 9 do you think is most important?
I think the most important part is the engine.
Why is that particular part or feature so important?
The car can't be driven if the engine is not functioning properly.
How do you benefit from that part or feature?
If the engine is working right, I can drive the car, which is always a plus when driving.

I pity the person who has to grade my work...

Youth Group Games

I've been looking at group games for teenagers.

It has been an entertaining experience.
I've found a couple that have been particularly interesting, and I thought I'd share them with you.

Top Ten Worst Group Games EVER.

1. Ultimate Cantaloupe - Ultimate Frisbee, but with a cantaloupe. Please tell me you see that this is dangerous, potentially very messy, somewhat wrong according to the laws of physics, and very, very stupid.
2. Slip 'n' Slide Kickball - Kickball, but with Slip 'n' Slides in between the bases. The game description even recommends keeping a first aid kit on hand during play. Is this not an obvious enough clue that THIS IS A BAD IDEA?
3. The Human Knot - Now, I have heard stories from some of you about the notorious untangling game...and this sounds pretty similar. Really. "Let's have all these hormonal teenagers with low standards and no sense of personal space link hands, arms, legs, and who knows what else and then try to get apart from everyone else! That sounds like a fun, wholesome, safe activity!"

4. Thread the Spoon - Take a frozen spoon, tie yarn to it, and thread it through your shirt and pants. Pass the spoon to the next player, who will also thread the spoon through their clothing. This one is just gross.
5. Duct Tape Head - Two players compete at once. Mummify the players' heads with duct tape, sticky side out. Dump a box of plastic spoons on the floor in front of them and have them roll their head in the spoons. Whoever picks up the most spoons in a minute, wins. Yeah. Cuz I LOVE rolling in spoons while my head is wrapped in duct tape.
6. Kill Ball - Players stand in a circle with a volleyball. They start a volley. The first person to miss goes and sits in the middle of the circle. The other players start a new volley, hitting the ball three times. After the third hit, the next player must kill the ball into the middle, trying to hit the player in the middle. If they succeed, play continues. If they miss, they must go to the middle. (Honestly I'm not sure if this is one of the worst games ever or one of the best.....)
7. Frisbee Dodgeball - Dodgeball, but with Frisbees instead of balls. Last time I checked, I prefer NOT getting hit with the Frisbee, don't you?
8. Silent Telephone - Like the game of Telephone, but instead of whispering the word to the player next you, you write it with your finger on their back. Be sure to gently trace the word while laying your soft, warm hand on the other player's arm (to be sure they hold steady). When you finish the word, let your hand linger just a little....it helps the game, really.
9. Trust Fall - No explanation necessary, right? Okay, good.
10. Anything involving chocolate syrup, marshmallows, or toilet paper.

Avoid these games at all costs. Please.

I am a terrible blogger

I am sorry, dear friends. I have failed you yet again by not posting in over two weeks.
I had one duty: to entertain you all with my droll humor and stories from the viewpoint of a high-school, home-school, almost-done-with-school...

WAIT. WHAT DID THAT SAY?

I.
Am.
Almost.
Done.
With.
School.

Cool.

Now being done with school is always a momentous occasion, because this of course means that summer vacation is upon us. However, this year it is extra exciting for me because two things.
One, I'll be starting my junior year in the fall, which means I am halfway through high school! And two, I'm dual enrolling come August as well! Yes, yes, yes, hold your applause. (I know you didn't really applaud)

I have now taken the SAT and the PERT, so I'm basically a scholar, DUH.
I have run a mile in eleven minutes, so I am getting better.
I have seen The Importance of Being Earnest and loved it. A lot.
I have run insane numbers of errands in three days.
I have made an idiot of myself myriad times.
I have decided that I am now a runner. Officially. (Running sounds so much nicer than glorified walking, which is depressing, albeit accurate)

Random word:

Schadenfreude
 scha·den·freu·de

Noun
Pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune.

Thus concludes the end of my blog post. (Lovely redundancy, eh?) I am not even going to bother saying that I will never fail you again; in fact, I'm going to tell you now - EXPECT ME TO FAIL. 

I'm going to pretend you guys want to know about my life

I have been a terrible person.
Or rather, a terrible blog owner.
I'M SORRY!!!!!

Anyway. I just wanted to tell you guys a few things.
1. I'M GOING TO CAMP THIS SUMMER!!!! I am SO excited! Camp was one of the best things that I've ever done, and I can't wait to get back. I met some of the most amazing people and learned such important lessons. (Like that the potatoes at the Four Winds taste better with ketchup.)
2. I finished the huge literature project that has been consuming my whole life lately. Consequently, I should have more time (not to mention brainpower) to blog now! I've really missed being on here, but I really haven't been able to think of anything to say. I even sat down to write a post a few times and just couldn't.
3. I haven't been running as much lately. In fact, it's been almost two weeks since I've really run. I have like two reasons for this: first, that dumb lit project, which is over now, so it's no longer an excuse. Secondly, after I did two miles, I've had this pain in my hip that worries me when I run. I'm hoping to get some new shoes soon that will help at least a little bit with that. But yes. I have lost my motivation.
4. I'm taking the PERT and the SAT within a month. So I'm going to feel really stupid. :|
5. In just 43 days, 7 minutes, and 43 seconds, I will be going to North Carolina. And I can't stinking wait.

I think that's everything. Oh, also...prayers would be appreciated as we finish up the year - things are always really stressful for us around college finals season (having a college student and college professor in the same house is like double trouble) Yeah! So...I love you guys...big virtual hug to all of my followers. <3

I am a celebrity

It's been a little while since I caught you all up on what I've been doing/reading/listening to/all that jazz.
You probably don't care to find out, but I'm going to tell you anyway! :)

What I've been doing:
School, friends, running, music, video games, music, art, school. Ah, yes, school - always the alpha and omega.

What I've been reading:
Besides my Bible, really the only book I've been reading is The Count of Monte Cristo. Yes, it is a required book; however, I am enjoying it immensely and will probably reread it someday (Despite the fact that it's like 900 million pages long)

What I've been listening to:
This I actually have to divide into two categories...
What I've been listening to while running  
1. Ever Ever After by Carrie Underwood
2. What Faith Can Do by Kutless
3. God Girl by Jamie Grace
4. What Makes You Beautiful by One Direction (I'm sorry guys, but I'm human)
5. Praise You In This Storm by Casting Crowns
What I've been listening to all the rest of the time
1. My Straight No Chaser album, which is Christmas music but I really don't care. :)
2. Far and Away soundtrack
3. Liszt, Mendelssohn, Rachmaninoff
4. Ever Ever After by Carrie Underwood (Yeah, I kind of really like that song right now)
5. Favorite Song by tobyMac <----- weird name

What I've been watching:
Besides the obvious MUSICALS MUSICALS AND MORE MUSICALS, I've been enjoying Persuasion (thank you Sarah!!!!) a LOT. It's actually been almost a week since I last watched it, so I'll probably be popping that in soon. So yes, movies like that and also comedies. Anything that makes me laugh my head off I love. :D

What I've been eating:
Chicken. Twice baked potatoes. Cookies. Peanut butter. Pizza. Bread. Cheese. Chicken.
Tada!

Anywho...that has been my life lately! THanakKS forOROR LissssTTNEEING!!

The End

This blog was started in July of 2011, which means I've had it for nearly two years.

And it's been fun, let me tell you! Besides getting to tell you all about the fun things I've done over that short time, I've also been able to share some of my thoughts on more serious things. My blog has been a big part of my life for these couple of years. 

However, all good things must come to an end. I have the SAT coming up in a month, and piano, and all the other things of life that just keep one busy.

And so I must discontinue my blogging. 

Nearly 15,000 pageviews and 338 posts from that first one in July, I bid you all goodbye.

Hopefully someday I can pick it back up again, but until then, I will miss you all. Thanks for making this such a great experience for me!

Dealing with Dudes

In order for this post to be appreciated to its maximum capacity, there's a few things I should make sure you all know about me first.

1. I'm homeschooled.

2. We go to a homeschool co-op with a bunch of other homeschool families.

3. I like to be in charge of everything.

4. I am kind of a stickler for spelling and good handwriting.

Anyway. 

I'm taking a world literature class at co-op this year and currently we're reading The Count of Monte Cristo. (An excellent book, by the way) Our teacher assigned us a project where we have to either defend or prosecute the main character. There are about twelve or so kids in the class, so we had to divide into teams. And I got a team full of guys.

Don't get me wrong, I love them and all, but goodness...this project is going to be a test of my patience (which is limited). So here are some lessons learned from my literature group thus far.

When dealing with dudes, you must NEVER...

NEVER EVER mention bacon. Or meatloaf. Or cheeseburgers. They will never shut up about it.

NEVER EVER let them write stuff down. Unless you are different from me and can abide abominable spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and handwriting.

NEVER EVER allow yourself to be the only girl on a team of guys. 

When dealing with dudes, you must ALWAYS...

ALWAYS manage to sneakily be the boss. (Although I know I'm the boss of all those boys anyway.)

ALWAYS throw an elbow once in a while to keep them in check.

ALWAYS stand up or sit on your knees or something so you're bigger than they are. It earns you instant respect.

Stuff I will never understand when dealing with dudes...

They like to argue. About everything. And if you're not currently arguing about anything, they will create something to argue about.

Pretty much everything about them actually. This is going to be an interesting project.

It's a good thing that I'm friends with all of my teammates, cuz otherwise someone might get hurt.

I go spazzo

HAAIII GUIIZZEE!!!
I don't really feel like saying anything deep or meaningful, because I'm just soo excited! This week is gonna be fuunn!! x)
Today I am going bowling...which I have a feeling could warrant a good self-ridicule post at a later date.
Tonight my little sister has a spelling bee...she's nervous...
Wednesday is nothing special...except maybe one teeny little thing...
Thursday we have PE...
Friday we have co-op...and that night we get to go to Fine Arts at PCC to hear the Jaffe family! I'm suuuuper pumped for that, like soo much it's kind of insane...it's just gonna be one boss concert. Legit.
Saturday is gonna be boring as boring goes. And by boring I mean SO TOTES NOT BORING.
So yeah! I'm in a good, crazy mood today, and thusly I pity anyone who has to come in contact with me!
I hope your Monday is going as great as mine is, and that your week will be fun too!
I'm going to shut up and go eat breakfast now.

I know what I did

It's been a really long time since I just posted some pictures from fun stuff I've been doing! 

I guess y'all prolly all thought that my life has just been boring, huh?

Well...the word "NO" just isn't NO enough to say how wrong that is.

Here's a mishmash photography post that can hopefully journal a LITTLE bit.

 I volunteered!

 I wrote, doodled, and goofed off a LOT.

 I had bunches of fun with all my friends...who are all amazing and I love them! <3 (rabbit trail)

 I got a haircut! :)

Since I got a new camera in November, I've gotten back into photography and this was one of the first sunsets I shot with my new camera.

And boy was it gorgeous...the sunsets are always beautiful here but this one was particularly breathtaking.

I tested the waters of portrait photography! I suppose you could say this is a sneak peek at Geoffrey's senior pictures? Although this one is more of a blooper. ;)

We looked at old pictures and found some gems...yup, that's my dad!

So yeah! That's what's been going on! Add in some Ultimate Frisbee, music, and lots of school, and you have my life! 

On not understanding

As much as I don't like it to be true, I don't understand much. I suppose you could say that's kind of the way of the world. Maybe that's how God intended it to be...cuz if humans could understand everything they'd have more reason to justify being equal with Him, something we will never be. I'm going to tell you some of the things that I don't understand (and please understand that this list is nowhere near complete)

I don't understand why people like me. They say I'm funny and enjoyable to be around. 

Really I'm just mean and everyone thinks I'm kidding. :)

I don't understand all of the laws of the universe. Sure I can talk for a very brief period of time about the laws of angular reflection when applied to a Frisbee, and I can tell you about how Usain Bolt is faster than gravity, but that's about the extent of my knowledge. What goes up must come down?

I don't understand why people kill other people. Like seriously, I can understand really, REALLY disliking someone, but going so far as to end their life? That person has made more memories than we'll ever know, they've done things we can't possibly imagine, and they have family, friends, and countless other people who will be influenced by their death. 

I don't always understand why people die. I think of the car accident that I saw last week...two wonderful people died in just an instant. And we just drove by and continued our own lives. There may not have been a good reason we can see for why they had to die. Maybe they were just so awesome that the world couldn't handle them.

On a lighter note, I don't understand mathematics.

I don't understand guys. Duh, I'm a teenaged girl, naturally I'm interested in guys and my friends being interested in guys - it's a bunch of drama, and it's fun, and it's confusing. It's so cool to see how the girls band together...it really is just like a big girls vs. guys in the end. 

I don't understand why I can't always catch the Frisbee. I've lost many hours of sleep over this. It's frustrating, y'all.

So now you know some of the things that I don't understand (hopefully it'll help you understand me a little better) The list goes on to be CRAZY long, but I'm not worried about it, cuz I know that God understands everything and He's got a plan for me and everyone else. I don't have to understand everything, cuz quite honestly I like trusting Him better. :)

In which I do a funny

Okay guys, once again I have been gone for a while. I have really meant to be on here more and I've actually thought of some wonderful ideas for blog posts...but I forgot them all. So here we are, and I'm writing about nothing in particular. So I suppose I'll get you caught up on my life and what I've been doing that's keeping me away from you all!
First and foremost is school. I've found high school to be kind of a wake-up call for me. For the first ten years of my schooling, I was used to being able to breeze through my classes, and now that I'm in high school I finally have discovered something : school is hard.
Yeah, big surprise, right?
But I have been very busy with school, mainly my math and literature classes. I'm currently finishing up Algebra I so I can continue with geometry, my main math course this semester. The plan is to get algebra finished so I can take the SAT/PSAT in the near future. I'm also hoping to take the PERT so I can dual enroll at Pensacola State this fall, and possibly summer. (Me doing school over the summer - yeah, right.)
Literature is really fun! I'm seriously enjoying this class, but there's a lot of work. Currently I'm studying for the midterm, which we take tomorrow...kinda nervous, but mostly excited!! I love tests...
Literature is also quite a load because I inherited my dad's procrastination, so it is not a rare occurrence for me to have quite a lot of catch-up reading to do the day before co-op.
Secondly, marshmallows and sugar have been keeping me away from here.
In other words, my peeps. (like the candy...get it???) xD
I just did a funny.
But yes, I've been quite busy doing stuff with my friends! Not complaining here, just explaining! ;) Most of you reading this I've seen recently anywho, so it's unlikely that you missed my blogging presence much!
Thirdly, music has been keeping me away.
Last and least, really...I just needed three excuses because...well, three is a magic number!
I really haven't been kept away from blogging by music, I just wanted to catch y'all up on me!
I won two awards this winter. Yay.
I have a performance coming up in February where I am privileged to accompany my friend and amazing musician Tyler, and then I have a scholarship competition, and then I have a sonata competition, and then another scholarship competition, and then a concerto competition, and then another scholarship competition. And then I think I'm done. Mebbe...
Also I'm performing this Saturday, which I just remembered...so I should probably practice for that.
If I was being honest, I think playing Modern Warfare has kept me away from blogging more than music has, but hey, I have a reputation to uphold, don't I?
So that's been my life as of late!
In other news, twenty days until my birthday! Which also means twenty days until I can drive (legally)!!!
Just wanted to scare you all a little. ;)

I'm typing in a really random and off the wall title just to see if anyone even notices. If you did, congratulations! You win nothing at all! And seeing as it's going to be crazy long compared to all of my other titles I feel confident that everyone will. Drop a comment below if you noticed! :)

Dear readers,
I am very sorry for my unexcused absence over the last week.
My life has been crazy nutso busy. SO! Some interesting things I have learned this month!

1. The world is full of creepy people. Thankfully I always run into them with my friends. :)
2. The VAST majority of people are decidedly not creepy. Be friendly. But be careful, cuz I love you and I don't want you getting hurt...
3. Starbucks is amazing....but the Drowsy Poet is better.
4. Being decorated like a Christmas tree isn't all that bad.
5. You can fit more people in one mini-van than you might think. Note that I did not say it would be comfortable/legal/safe/any of that good stuff.
6. I love Reese's.
7. Be careful when posting vague status updates on Facebook. You can scare your friends and family.
8. Santa is not real. :(
9. Tumblr is seriously addicting. Dangerously so.
10. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is one of my favorite pieces of music ever ever.
11. Never EVER say, "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure I can hold it!" when there's a bathroom available. Always go pee when you have a chance.
12. If your hands are turning purple, take a break from handing out water.
13. Homeschoolers can have fun with nothing but wooden spoons and taco shells.
14. Spanish Gru is ridiculously annoying.
15. Sarah J. draws excellent mashed potatoes.
16. Sometimes when you volunteer, you get free beanie babies.
17. Pensacola has some of the weirdest weather in the planet. Seventy degrees one day, thirty the next. Wut...
18. I have the best friends in the world. Yes, you. You too. Stop blushing!

I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post over the rest of break...but I do hope that in the spirit of the season you can find it in your hearts to forgive me! <3
Merry Christmas everyone!

The answer to your questions

Things are happening lately. Lots of things.

Growing up things.

Some stuff I like, some stuff I don't like.

And I can't do anything about it.

We're growing up, people.

People are graduating and going to college, girls and guys are pairing off, and I think one word can sum up this whole sticky situation.

Questions.

Some of the questions I like:

What will I do this weekend?

I like this one because it implies that I have friends and a social life.

Really it just means will I clean or will I sit on the couch all day.

Sorry.

When is the time to study and when is the time to play?

Time to study : night before test.

Time to play : anytime else.

Where will I go to college?

This one is fun because you can torment your friends and make them think you're leaving when really you plan to go to college here in town, if you go to college.

Only now that might not work so well...

Who will I marry?

Duh. I'm a girl. This is fun. Duh.

Who will my friends marry?

Duh. I'm a girl. I have friends. We like to tease. We also like guys. Duh.

Duh.

Duh.

(any of my guy friends who are reading this - despite the fact that I don't think any of you DO read this - don't worry, we mostly leave you alone)

But for every good there is an evil to counteract...

Some of the questions I do not like:

Who will I be friends with?

I want to be friends with everyone. Really. But I'm supposed to hang out with people who are going to build me up and not tear me down. People who encourage, enlighten, and edify me. And that means that sometimes I have to make decisions I don't want to make. 

Why do I have to say goodbye?

People leave, people die, people move on...it's hard to accept. I like things to be constant, but that's not the way God designed things. If there were any person or thing that was truly constant, we wouldn't need to rely on God - He is the only one who will be perfectly constant.

Where will I go to college?

Big decisions, people.

Once in a lifetime decisions.

NOT FUN WHEN YOU'RE FOURTEEN.

It's hard. I don't like questions (unless they're on tests...I love tests) But I'm surrounded by people who love me and want the best for me, and I have a God who loves me and gives me direction and wisdom; in fact, He gives my life purpose. 

As scary as growing up is at times, I really don't think I have anything to worry about.

A Story by Geoffrey

Roger never spoke with punctuation.

“Makin’ a sandwich?”

“Hhrg”

“What kind?”

“Human pancreas”

Not much to say to that. Pliny crossed the room to their imperious sofa and jackknifed backwards into its pompous folds, spreading his arms companionably over the couch back and whistling loud and hearty.

“Do not” Roger turned from his nascent sandwich and used flamethrower eyes on Pliny. Pliny raised his eyebrows and the pitch of his whistling.

Roger left the kitchen, crossed the room to Pliny and threatened him with a mayonnaisey spatula. “Stop yourself and your whistling or I will stop yourself and your whistling and then of our faces yours will be the more shredded”

Pliny furrowed his forehead, which suddenly felt imperiled. “Mr Kapt took from me my badge,” feeling in the sofa for a pen, “so I must lift my spirit from the muds somehow.” He removed an encruddened pen.

Roger felt pity but didn’t recognize it. So he chose rather to be witty. “Maybe the muds would be a better place for your whistling than for your spirit”

Pliny did not like Roger’s wit. “I think the muds should be removed from the picture entirely and replaced by properly fertilized potting soil, wherein could grow the velvety velvet blooms of opportunity and joyings.” He waved his excavated pen around.

Pliny got very boring to Roger when he said things like this, so Roger returned to his sandwich while Pliny was still speaking. He had been trying to cut the sandwich lengthwise, holding it up on its end and sawing at it with the spatula, but he now saw what he had to do. He got out a sharper knife, impaled the sandwich through the center, and walked over to the sofa. He stabbed the ensemble into the couch near Pliny, and mayo squished sickeningly. Pliny recoiled, violently spasming over one arm of the sofa.

“My spirit nearly departed me!” he yelled at the sandwich-knife. Then he turned on Roger. “EXPLAIN?”

“I wondered if that would raise your spirit from the muds wherein it is beprisoned”

“NO.” Pliny reclaimed his bum’s own and resettled in the sofa. He tried to remove Roger’s sandwich-knife, which the sofa refused to give up. So Pliny gave up. “Anyway, now to talk about: me.”

Roger bespoke his disapproval without words; Pliny did not hear the words that Roger did not say.

“Mr Kapt has little Consideration for Those Beneath Him,” began Pliny, prepared to continue for hours, “and those beneath him have little consideration for him. So my opinion is: that we should replace all positions of authority in the organ-I-zation” (That’s the nominative case of the first-person pronoun in there, which speaks eloquently of Pliny.) “with positions of impotence and leave ourselves to our own demises.”

“I agree completely Pliny” Roger’s wit made him feel more intelligent than Pliny. This is why he exercised it so often.

“Furtherfore, I don’t know why there are so many small departments in our large company. It seems unto myself that a large company should have somewhat large departments, in order to preserve its prosthetic unitication.”

It was about at this point that Roger realized Pliny had no idea what Pliny was saying. He tried to guide Pliny back to the narrow path which Roger perceived that Pliny had left. “Should a small mind be paired with a small mouth because that would be very pleasing and convenient to others”

Pliny thought about this, but not very hard and not very long. “Yessolutely.”

It was about at this point that Roger realized Pliny had no idea what Roger was saying. So he stole his sandwich back from the couch and began to eat. Pliny finally heard Roger’s unsaid words; he unsaid a few of his own.

I need company in the muds, Pliny thought to himself; it is lonely here. So I will attempt to submerge Roger also, and then it will be equally bad for each of us therefore I will be less relatiftly unglad.

Pliny began to be friendlier than normal. “Hello, Roger,” he said friendlily.

Roger looked at him, annoyed. “You have been here for several minutes Pliny that hello was massively superfluous”

Pliny was disappointed. His deceptive friendliness had not really deceived at all. “Well, I had not yet greeted you, and I wished to comedy that situation.”

“You cannot help doing that Pliny” Roger realized that he greatly preferred the company of his sandwich to that of Pliny, especially this new and eerily friendly one.

“Why, thank you, Roger!” Pliny exclaimed loudly. “How KIND OF YOU!”

Roger stared for a few seconds at Pliny, who smiled gleefully. Roger frowned very hard and got up to leave with his sandwich.

“Well, this is a tragedy!” said Pliny, pretending to be saddened by Roger’s departure. “We had just started having such a debilitating time!”

“Exhilarating is I believe your intended term and we really had not” Roger obviously wished to leave with his sandwich.

“Well, exhilarating is futile without inhilarating—and both are necessary to physical life’s continuity,” declaimed Pliny, kindly attempting to chat about something he knew nothing of. He also made a point of ignoring Roger’s idiotic slip of the tongue: Roger made them all the time, and Pliny had grown acrustomed to them.

“Ex or in”— Roger sounded tired— “hilarity will follow you wherever you go” He again began to walk toward the kitchen.

It is being successful, Pliny said to himself, he is starting to trust me. He remarked on and was impressed by my melisma! Soon I can befray his trust and catapult him headlong into the deepest towels of the muds—ha, ha, ha.

Wait for it...wait for it...wai - BAM!

We switched sports at PE again, and you all know what that means - BLOG POST!

This month we're playing kickball. 

I'll be completely honest and say that I think kickball is a juvenile sport.

...

So yeah, I love it.

Anyways, even though I am by no means a perfect kickballer, and really not even very good, here's some things that I have learned in my many years of playing kickball. (Don't laugh, I've been at it since I was nine.)

Just because you were the best kickballer in the 8-12 year old group does NOT mean you will be ANY good in the teenagers group. 

Sorry, this really can't be helped. I was pretty much a kickball legend at PE when I was younger. Turns out, it's easier to be a legend when you're at the top of your group than the bottom. When I first started playing in the teens group, it was a smack in the face. I was probably the worst kickballer there. Which, when you have such a big group, is saying something. Fortunately, over the...um...year, I have gotten better, and I'm not the worst anymore. Just wait - it'll probably all come out okay.

Harder is not always better.

Kickball might seem easy. You kick the ball when it rolls to you and you run.

But no. Kickball is actually a game of strategy, to some extent. (most games are) Oftentimes when you kick the ball as hard as you can, all it will do is fly up...and yes, it may go far, and yes, sometimes it will work out okay. But there's a good chance that you will be caught out. So look for a hole in the outfield's defense and aim for it.

Pay attention.

Please please please...no getting hit in the face, or tackled, or yelled at for missing a ball, or getting out cuz you forgot to run...please.

Catch the ball.

This is the best way to catch a kickball.

Don't try to grab the ball...your chances of getting the ball in your possession are greatly decreased with this attempt.

Also, remember that it's easier to run forward than backward. Back up maybe a little farther than is completely necessary, because you never know how someone will kick.

And play backup. Don't always be leaving your position, but if it's a particularly hard catch and you don't know the person will get it, run over behind them just to be sure. Better safe than sorry. :)

(Also, this is my 300th post! Yay! *streamers, confetti, lame party sounds* Okay, I'm done.)

Being tired

There are lots of different types of tiredness.
Because our lives are incredibly busy (typical homeschool stuff),  I am frequently pooped. So here are my thoughts on the many ways you can be plum tuckered out.

In case you are interested, currently I have to say that the last form applies best to me right now. :)

(Also, I own a copy of Gray's Anatomy - like the medical book...not the TV show. Just wanted to tell you that.)

Physical tiredness - This occurs generally when you have been out and about all day, or have been running around like crazy at a friend's house, or after an exhilarating game of anything. Often when you are physically tired, your muscles may feel weak and possibly sore, and you will rarely have any desire to do anything.

Mental tiredness - This happens most often after a particularly challenging day of schoolwork. Occasionally, this will also happen after taking an important test such as the SAT. When you suffer from mental tiredness, you will probably find it difficult to motivate yourself to do anything but sit and watch TV.

Relieved tiredness - After an important event has taken place, you may find yourself feeling tired, even if you don't feel there is any reason to be so tired. It has been my experience that this happens because you devote yourself to whatever the event is so wholly that when it is over, you feel a sort of emptiness inside. This is one of the most irritating and also one of the best forms, as relieved tiredness will often result in new plans and goals.

I just woke up tiredness - Does this even need an explanation? No, it doesn't. Duh.

I just had the AWESOMEST time tiredness - This is actually a combination of physical, mental, and relieved tiredness. When one has spent nearly six hours with friends, playing, talking, playing, being crazy...you will experience this. As in...it's impossible to avoid.
(Although I'm not sure it can really be called tiredness. 'Tis a hard feeling to describe!)