8/13/10

I have never been this tired in my life.

Or since that one time in biology when the entire class pulled all nighters finishing our micro-organism lab.

Anyway, the reason I am so drained of energy is because I spent the entire week volunteering at a camp for special needs children. I've been involved with the organization, the Friendship Circle, since I was about eight years old, but I have to say this summer camp was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had with them.

My friend Sarah and I were paired with an adorable eight-year-old named Emma. Every day we had so many activities; arts-and-crafts, music, swimming, field trips, and everything else we did was such a blast.

Besides playing with all the adorable kids (and releasing my inner child in the process, I mean seriously, who can resist making sock puppets?), I really enjoyed spending time with the other volunteers. In a strange way it gave me hope for the future generation. Everyone there was so mature and was completely engaged with the kids, no one gave a have-stitch effort.

I really hope that attempt at a colloquialism was correct.

So like I said, all the teenagers there were mature and responsible, but also completely crazy, as was exhibited in an extremely competitive game of lazar-tag after camp on Wednesday. This lazar-tagging session was followed by a bus ride home which included a football game. Now stop and think for a second. A football game, in a moving vehicle, with the windows open. Can this end well? For the football, it didn't.

Oh wow I just got really distracted for a good 15 minutes.

Happy birthday to Annie Oakley and Alfred Hitchock.

Awesome.

8/6/10

Well. Tomorrow, Sammy and Ashley are leaving for New York. On Sunday, Sydney and Shannon are leaving for performing arts camp. On Wednesday, Bret is going to San Francisco. Arielle is currently in Hawaii. Sophie is somewhere in Northern California. All my other friends have done something or other somewhere else this summer.

I would estimate that 95% of my summer has been spent in my bedroom. I know I have so much to be grateful for. Even though money's tight right now so many people have it worse. I understand how truly lucky I am. But that doesn't mean I don't wish I was somewhere else. I watch the Travel Channel constantly. Just the other day I went to William Shakespeare's childhood home and a floating village in Vietnam in the same day. But meanwhile my friends are having experiences. Real ones. And I'm really, really jealous. And I miss my friends. I miss talking to them every single day. When they're on vacation they aren't very quick to reply to my text messages or Facebook wall posts. They all have better things to do. And I guess I would be the same way if I wasn't stuck here.

And just yesterday I was thinking how lucky I was to live in a nice area. And I am lucky to live in a nice area. It would just be luckier if I had the option to leave whenever I wanted. In Arkansas you can get your learners permit at age 14. If only California were that awesome.

But I do have to say our state has gotten slightly more awesome since the repeal of proposition 8. Weddings have been a favorite topic of mine since I was a little girl, and I am so glad that now everyone in my state will be able to have one of their own.

Anyway. I just needed to do some complaining. Happy birthday to Alfred Lord Tennyson, Edith Roosevelt, Lucille Ball [the amazing and hysterical], and M. Night Shyamalan.

Reading a good book would help me relax right now bad. Too bad I'm going to go read my AP Euro text book.

7/31/10

Many of you know that I am soon going to enter my sophomore year of high school. It has recently come to the attention of my friends and I that there is little to nothing important that happens sophomore year. Freshman year is exciting and awkward; you're at a new school with new friends and new teachers and a lot of other new stuff. Junior year is a big deal because everyone is turning sixteen and learning how to drive and getting jobs and thinking about college (if you aren't already). And senior year is important for obvious reasons.

So this realization has given me a brilliant idea. I am going to make a documentary called Sophisticated Morons in order to chronicle the events of an average suburban high school's 10th grade. And then I realized that I am not that great with film, so I might as well change the concept from documentary to weekly updated YouTube series. I don't know if anyone will watch it, but I think it's a good idea.

This just reminded me of the Suckumentary from The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Tibby makes a documentary about losers and people with lame lives and things like that. But my "film" isn't a tribute to losers. My friends and I aren't losers... all of the time. My "documentary" isn't a tribute to school or high school or sophomore year. It's more an ode to the students and everything we have to put up with. Especially nowadays, with our entire public school system falling apart around us.

Well. I think this is a good idea. I don't know how it will work out, but we'll see. OH I HAVE A FUNNY STORY I FORGOT TO TELL.

Last night I saw a production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. It was an absolutely amazing show and a fabulous production. My best friend Ashley was the pianist in their orchestra, and she is absolutely phenomenal. Everyone involved in the show was so talented and I would give anything to be in a production of that caliber. After the show Ashley's sister Sheila picked us up and we decided we wanted frozen yogurt, but the frozen yogurt place was closed. So then we decided we wanted gelato, but that store was closed too. We ended up going through the drive through at Jack in the Box to get shakes and smoothies. We didn't know what we wanted and there was no one behind us in line, so the guy that worked there told us to take our time. Sheila said something along the lines of, "You know they can see us right? I wonder where the cameras are," as she stuck her head out the window and began to look around. The drive through guy, who we did not know was listening, piped in by saying, "There are no cameras. But I can see you nonetheless." We laughed so hard it was ridiculous. Best drive through experience ever? I think so.

Happy birthday to the amazing, fantastic, best-person-to-have-ever-lived, I don't have words to express how much this person matters to me, J.K. Rowling. The Harry Potter series has brought me so much joy since it first became a part of my life in the 2nd grade; and to this day whenever something is wrong I can open any of the seven books or pop any of the DVDs into the TV and I will instantly feel relieved. I can honestly say that my life would be different without this series, and your existence is the primary factor in its existence. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and once again, happy birthday.

In addition, today is the birthday of two of the most important fictional characters in history. Happy birthday to Harry James Potter and Juliet Capulet. And Neville Longbottom. So make that three of the most important fictional characters.

I used more semi-colons then usual in this post.

7/17/10

Do you ever have such a good day that you bask in the glory of said day for as long as you possibly can? Well, I had a day like that Thursday.

My mom woke me up around 11:30 since I had a make up piano lesson at 12:15. The lesson itself was nothing special, but my teacher and I talked about Harry Potter for a few minutes, which put me in a good mood for what I was about to accomplish.

After my lesson I went to pick up Sydney from her house so that she could help me face my fears. I had decided to get my ears pierced.

Some of you may recall that I am deathly afraid of needles. That's my only explanation for why I waited until I was 14 and 3/4 to get my ears pierced, which really didn't hurt at all. I'm glad I did it, because not only can I wear earrings now, but because I proved to myself that I can control my phobias. It is kind of strange to have two little heavy (well, not really heavy) things in my ears. I can feel their presence but I can't see them without looking in a mirror. Like my nose. It's so weird.

After I returned from getting holes punctured through my earlobes, I quickly changed into nicer clothes and went to pick up my friend Shannon so we could drive into Hollywood and see the 2008 Tony award winning musical, In the Heights. Well, our seats were fantastic, the show was fantastic, and I really loved everything about it. There is nothing I would have changed or fixed at all. Everyone should see this show while it's on national tour, it has something for everyone to enjoy.

And because this is Los Angeles and I was seeing a critically acclaimed show, there were bound to be a few curious celebrities. Directly before the show started I saw Jason Alexander from Seinfeld, among other things, enter the theatre. He was being approached by fans nonstop and I chose not to go up to him. Then intermission happened.

Fortunately, I did not have to go to the bathroom during intermission so I was able to people watch as hundreds of patrons filed out of the theatre. One person in particular caught my mind. Apparently, TJ Thyne, who plays Dr. Jack Hodgins on my favorite TV show Bones, had decided to see In the Heights also. I was in too much shock to approach him as he walked out of the theatre (ask Shannon, I was practically having a panic attack), but I decided I would politely bombard him on his way back. And I did. And I got his autograph. He was very nice. I appreciated it greatly. As you can see, I'm still kind of in shock.

After the show I made the traditional stop by the stage door where I got autographs and pictures from almost the entire cast, including Lin Manuel-Miranda, who wrote the music and lyrics, created the original concept, and starred in the show. The entire cast was so gracious and kind. And I have to say actors in New York are very to the point, sign the playbill and leave kind of people. In LA they stop and have a chat, pose for all the pictures you want, the whole nine yards. Even though I love New York, I am grateful at times for the laid back Californian attitude. But only at times.

Yesterday and today have not lived up to the magnificence that was Thursday. Maybe tomorrow will, since I am heading to the Hollywood Bowl to see She & Him in concert. And considering the "she" is Zooey Deschanel, sister to Emily (who plays the title character in Bones), maybe I'll have a run in with a few more of my favorite actors.

7/11/10

One of the worst feelings in the world is forgetting something you really should know. For example, earlier this afternoon, as I was sitting with a few friends in a jacuzzi surrounded by bees, I forgot who wrote Three Theban Plays. I knew his name ended in "es," but that's the majority of Greek playwrights for you.

One of the best feelings in the world is remembering something you had previously forgotten. For example, earlier this evening, as I was listening to music, I recalled that Sophocles wrote Three Theban Plays.

*awkward transition to next topic*

Considering how many summer assignments I've been avoiding recently, I have had many opportunities to watch movies. And I've watched quite a few. But my two of my new favorites are Pretty in Pink and (500) Days of Summer.

Many of you probably already know that Pretty in Pink is the 1986 John Hughes classic starring Molly Ringwald, Jon Cryer, Andrew McCarthy, you know, the standard brat pack assortment. All of whom are fantastic. Even though Pretty in Pink was not my favorite 1980's coming of age hit, it's still a 1980's coming of age hit. The perms, vintage clothing, spontaneous dancing, and usage of bicycles are among my favorite quirks in this genre of film.

Then there's (500) Days of Summer. This movie was not like any other movie I have ever seen in my life. I rented it due to the fact that I am seeing She & Him (lead singer-Zooey Deschanel, one of the stars of (500) Days)) in concert, and because I had watched a Travel Channel special on Sundance, so I was in the mood for an independent film. Anyway, I am genuinely glad I chose to watch this movie. It was ridiculously funny and intelligent and unique and if I wasn't in the mood for a Judy Garland movie I wouldn't return it to Netflix right now. In short, this movie was really good. Go watch it.

Well, I guess I should be getting to sleep. I'm going to see fireworks tomorrow night because my city is a week behind the rest of the United States. It's a Pacific Standard Time thing.

7/8/10

Today many of my friends and I received the scores from our AP biology exams in the mail. Some of my extremely smart and brilliant friends got rather high scores. And then there's people like me that didn't do well at all. And then there's people whose parents are unhappy with their scores. I have a message to all of those kind of parents out there:

I don't understand what's wrong with failure. If your kid isn't trying, that's a problem. But when your son or daughter is taking a hard course, or a course that's challenging to them personally, what's wrong with doing their absolute best? Even if it isn't up to par to your standards. Some people just don't have an aptitude for science or English, or what ever subject it is. As long as your kid is trying their best, they should get praise, not punishment because they didn't get an 105% on what ever it is.

Students today are under more pressure then ever to be the best. Not everyone is going to get into Harvard or Stanford. Some kids are just happy getting their GED. So here is my mission for all you parents out there.

Embrace failure. It's just a part of learning isn't it? What I learned from taking honors biology is that I'm never going to be a doctor or a scientist and that I need a break from science to focus on aspects of my life that I can actually make a living out of. And I bet every other student in that course learned something about themselves, whether they got an A+ or an F- (if that grade even exists). I just want parents to realize that everything is a learning experience, and the grade is simply not an appropriate measure of intelligence.

This is going to sound cliche, but what if Thomas Edison's parents had told him he was a failure after his first light bulb design didn't work? Maybe they did, but clearly he didn't listen. Because if Thomas Edison, or Alexander Graham Bell, or anyone else that did something important had considered their first screw up a failure, where would we be? Because in truth, it wasn't a failure, it was just something they could improve. When Walt Disney was kicked out of art school, he didn't say, "Well, I guess I'm never going to be an artist now." He just realized that that institution wasn't the place for him, and he could go and be important somewhere else.

So biology was just my first screw up. Scratch that, Algebra I was my first screw up. But that doesn't mean I listen to the people pulling the disappointed card on me. Because I'm not disappointed in myself. That class was the hardest class I've ever taken and I know it was for many of my friends. I know I didn't do as well as I could have. I'm just happy I didn't go crazy and shoot someone. And everybody else should just be proud of themselves too. And so should their parents. Because I know how upset my friends are, when they have no reason to be!

In the scope of it all, 9th grade bio is just a minuscule part of my life. And in twenty years when I'm hopefully settled in doing what ever I've decided to do with my life, I'm not going to think to myself, "I wish I had done better on my AP bio exam." Because essentially, it doesn't matter. There are some tests that do matter, for certain things. And I have the potential of putting a really bad metaphor about how high school is just a drop of water in the ocean that is life, but I think it would be better if I didn't at this moment.

So, I hope this has put somethings into perspective for you. And I apologize if it's jumbled and ramble-y, but I really had to speak my mind. Thanks for reading.

6/28/10

For some reason, everything I have recently become obsessed with has started with the letter. It was suggested by my friend that I have a subconscious connection to the letter. I just think it's interesting.

There are three main things I've obsessed over: The Battery's Down, Bones,and Ray Bradbury's Fahreinheit 451The Battery's down is a musical-comedy web series on YouTube about the life of Broadway actor, Jake Wilson, struggling to make it big. Wow, that sounded oddly official and review-esque. Anyway, The Battery's Down is hysterical, and all together just a very good show. It is starring and written by Jake Wilson, along with many of his talented, also young actor, friends. The musical numbers are composed by a variety of talented musicians and the series is directed and choreographed by Connor Gallagher. And I'm not talking stupid but funny choreography like in A Very Potter Musical, I'm actual choreography.

What I also love about The Battery's Down is their menagerie (new favorite word) of guest stars. So many prominent players in musical theatre have been in this show! Some of my favorites included Sutton Foster, Alice Ripley, Jonathon Groff, John Gallagher Jr., Susan Blackwell, Allison Janney, Jennifer Laura Thompson, Shoshana Bean, the cast of 13, Bernie Telsey, Tituss Burgess, Matthew Morrison, Whoopi Goldberg, Nikki Snelson, Deidre Goodwin, Perez Hilton, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Caissie Levy, Kyle Dean Massey, Andrea McArdle, Kelli O'Hara, and Annelise van der Pol. As I typed that I felt like I was the announcer that lists the performers in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But anyways, that's not even everyone they've gotten on the show. Some of them are portraying characters, others play exaggerated] versions of themselves, and some make quick cameo appearances. And I am rambling on about this topic. On to the next obsession.

Bones. For years a few of my closest friends have been utterly obsessed with this show. Being in their presence has required me to watch a few episodes here and there, and when I found out that the entire series was available on NetflixInstant I decided to watch from the beginning. I'm hooked. Completely 100% hooked. And after doing some researching/stalking, I discovered that the majority of the principal cast has a training or background in musical theatre. This kind of made my life.

What I really like about Bones is that it is an extremely intelligent show. And I like the characters a lot. But the show is like a cross between a doctor show and a cop show, so it takes all the adventurous aspects of a murder mystery and pairs them with the science of a show like House. I love House also but I don't have to get into that now. Anyway, I love Bones so much and I'm bothering everyone because I talk about it so much

My last "B" oriented obsession is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Bradbury starts with a B, in case you didn't catch that. So basically, I can't explain many of the principles of the book, because my words will not do Mr. Bradbury's any justice. But I just felt so weird after I finished the book, because when I went to put it back on my shelf I realized that this extremely small (only 189 pages in my edition) book was surrounded by a lot of books of a significantly greater size. But this difference is, this book is so much larger in meaning. And that was my tacky philosophical like bit for today.

Happy birthday to the fantastic, multi-Tony-Award-winner, Mr. Richard Rogers, the equally as fantastic but more hilarious Mel Brooks, the wonderful Kathy Bates, the amazing John Cusack, and the adorable Kellie Pickler. I'm into adjectives today.

I hope you've enjoyed reading about my obsessions as much as I enjoyed writing about them. You probably didn't, but then again they're my obsessions.