Saturday, October 31, 2009

Last One :(

Hey! The last performance of Mulan was today :'( I think I'm gonna be really upset when it all sets in.

Ellie B is over right now :D She came to the play. So, I'm not really concentrating on this post at all. I mostly just wanted to say "hi" since I haven't posted in a few days. So...

HI!

:)

Talk to y'all later!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Monday, Monday, Monday, Monday...

This week feels like one Monday after another.

I'm dealing with some personal junk right now, too, so if y'all could just pray for God to help me out, that would be appreciated.

I feel like I'm asking for prayer all the time. I'm sorry! I know there are a lot of more serious things out there for you to be praying for.

At least I've been writing. A little.

I have play practice tonight. I should be glad, but I'm definitely not.

I don't have much to say, and nothing particularly encouraging. I'm sorry :(

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

An Epic Song Epically Fails in Latin

Wow, two new followers! How awesome is that? Thanks, Izori and Einar!

Well, I took Bethany's advice and switched my internet browser from Internet Explorer to Firefox. So far, so good! It'll take me a while to get used to the slightly different way it works, and we all know how I detest change, but I think I'm going to be happy with this. One thing I'll have to get used to is the spell-check thing. Whenever I type "lol", it freaks out -.- I know I can just add "lol" to the dictionary, but I'm not sure if I want to. We'll see.

Remember that song "Preliator" by Globus that I posted a few days ago? I posted the Latin lyrics and challenged you all to see if you could translate it.

Well, I couldn't translate it in my head right, which was bugging me, so I started trying to work it out today. I made a frown-worthy discovery:

It doesn't mean anything.

Sure some of it make sense, but if the Latin lyrics I found are correct, whoever wrote the song had no idea what they were doing. The endings are inconsistent, and in some places not even correct. Like, some of the endings used don't even exist.

Even where I can translate whole chunks, it doesn't make sense. "I eat the family"? Um, no. But that's what it seems to say. I'm even overlooking the fact that the ending for "family" is incorrect.

Also, maybe this is just whoever wrote down the lyrics, but the words "dies" and "deus" are used interchangeably. *eyebrow* Um, sorry, they may sound alike (DIH-ace and DEE-us) but "day" and "God" aren't exactly synonyms.

*sigh*

Who knows, maybe I'm just a lowly high schooler who doesn't know her Latin, but...I don't think that's COMPLETELY the case for sure.

Sorry. Opposite from last night, I'm kind of grouchy right now. It's because of my sister. It's like she's been taking stupid pills lately.

She's plenty smart, really. She's funny, nice, helpful, good with people, and plenty smart. She has 0 confidence, though. I mean, really 0. And it's all happened all the sudden. She wasn't like this a month ago. I can't image what happened. I mean, I'm sure it's hormones, but she's driving me CRAZY. Typical conversation in the car:

Me (to my dad): I've been listening to this awesome song Kyle showed me lately.
Daddy: Oh, cool. What's it called?
Me: "Preliator". I can't wait to get an iTunes card so I can buy some more songs like that.
Lizzy: Did you say you can't wait to get an iTunes card so you can buy some more songs like that?
Me: Yes. (back to my dad) Anyway, do you want to listen to "Preliator"?
Daddy: Sur--
Lizzy: Did you say do we want to listen to "Pre...Pre..." What's it called?"
Me: "Preliator". Yes, that's what I said. Do you?
Daddy: Sure.
Lizzy: Um...
(I plug in my iPod and we start listening to it. Daddy turns it up a little. He likes music loud, like me.)
Me: Isn't it cool? It has kind of an eerie sound, don't you think?
Daddy: It d--
Lizzy: Did you say it has an eerie sound?
Me: YES!! (I turn around to look at her) For heavens sake! Stop repeating everything back to me!
Lizzy (looking shocked and hurt): I'm just trying to make sure I get it right.
Me (highly frustrated): Well, I wasn't even talking to you, so it doesn't really matter!"

*sigh* That's how every conversation has been lately. She repeats EVERY FREAKIN' THING you say, and then asks you what words mean. Words that she knows! "What does 'take advantage of' mean?" "What's a snort?" "What's bacteria?"

AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

And my mom is out of town, so I have to help Lizzy with her school work half the time, too!! Imagine trying to teach math to her when she's acting like this! Just reading half a page of her rhetoric book takes her thirty minutes and she has to ask me every sentence what stuff like "opportunity" is!

(repeat above exclamation)

She's not stupid, I don't want you to think that. But she sure is ACTING stupid. She's not. I'm sure of it. She's never been this do-less before. She's always been...I don't want to say "slow", 'cause that's not it. Just...now I don't want to sound cocky by saying "not as fast as me". But do you know what I mean? And she's always had confidence issues. But this is crazy! And it's driving me crazy!

(repeat above repeated exclamation)

*sigh* Sorry. I know this was long, ranting, personal and possibly mean. I just wanted to share this frustration. God knows I'm in need of a serious dose of patience right about now. Prayers would be appreciated, but I know there are a lot more important things going on in y'all's lives than me snapping my sister's head off, lol!

Vote on the poll :)

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Some of Just About Everything...

I'm in a good mood right now.

Table of Contents for this post as it were:
News About my Writing **mildly exciting**
School *ARE...YOU...READY...TO...GRUMBBBBBBBBLE!*
An Award from Lady Brainsample, and I tag seven people. *woot*
**HIGHLY RECOMMEND CHECKING OUT** Some blog stories I'm hooked on.

WRITING:
Big news! If I compile "Mirror" and all the random will-put-somewhere-later scenes I've written, the total comes to

102, 423 words!!

Yay!! How completely awesome is that?? *sighs dreamily* and I remember the day I hit 30,000...

I've been writing a lot lately, but not adding directly to what I have. I'm just writing random scenes that come into my mind. Maybe (hopefully) I'll use some of them in the actual book.

Hmm. Would you be interested in reading some more of those random scenes? Remember, they'll be really disjointed, and the facts might not even be right. I may never add the scenes into the book, they're just random brainstorming and phrases I've come up with. I'm definitely up for posting them if you WANT me to.

SCHOOL:
You know that presentation I've been working on? The Art Grant Project?

No?

Whatever. Anyway, I spent a long time on it. A very long time. And, if I do say so myself, it's not a bad presentation. I spent almost ALL DAY yesterday working on the poster to go with the presentation. Today I had to present it.

And I left ALL my notes AND the poster at home.

*bleep*

I was so upset. I had to completely wing my presentation. I had NOTHING. Not even the random notes I'd taken months ago. All of it was sitting on my desk. I gave a fairly disorganized presentation that lacked the ease and persuasiveness my original would have.

*sigh*

I HATE IT when stuff like this happens. I supposedly did fine, and I came in third, which isn't TERRIBLE. I still want to know if I could have done better, though, you know? And I never will. I'll never know how awesome it COULD have been.

*sigh*

AWARDS/A FOLLOWER:
So, a week or so ago, Sam started following my blog, but I couldn't find the blog, so I couldn't link back to it. Well, I found the blog, so HERE it is :) Just wanted to make sure Sam didn't feel cheated there :)
I've been awarded by the lovely Lady Brainsample! She's awarded me the Kreativ Blogger Award! I'm all about creative, so that's definitely a great compliment! Thanks!

"Rules":
1. Kopy the Kreativ Blogger picture and post it on your page
2. Thank the person who gave it to you and link back to their blog
3. Write seven things about you that we don't know
4. Choose seven other bloggers that you would like to give the award to
5. Link to the bloggers that you choose
6. Let the winners know that they have the lovely award.

#1, check.
#2, check.
#3...is going to be difficult, since I'm definitely pretty open on this blog. What don't you already know?? Hmm...

1. I have a VERY low "idiot tolerance". Some call it being impatient, I prefer my term ;)
2. I am an OCD perfectionist procrastinator. Being one is hard enough. Combine all three, and you've really got your work cut out for you.
3. I hair almost down to my waist in 8th grade.
4. I not-so-secretly love metal music. (I especially love the look on peoples' faces when I tell them that XD)
5. My goal in life (well, one of many) is to write and unpredictable romance.
6. It took me thirty seconds to learn to read an analog clock (the kind with hands), and months to figure out how to read a digital one. *shrug*
7. The sight of people spitting out their toothpaste absolutely disgusts me.

Alrighty, now that we have THAT out of the way...

I award...

1. Earwen
2. KnightWing
3. Mia
4. Gracie
5. Seth
6. Mr. Puddle
7. Insanity

**NOTE** KnightWing, Seth, Mr. Puddle and Insanity: I realize this award is a bit...feminine looking :) I won't be offended if you don't display the award or anything (like I ever am, lol), I just want you to know I love your blogs!

Now all I have to do is tell everyone they've been awarded!

And the last thing I want to mention...

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED:
Two fellow bloggers have going on some really awesome serial-style stories (hah, alliteration XD).

Earwen from Thoughts of a Shieldmaiden has an awesome story going on about Maid Marian and Robin Hood. I really don't like keeping up with blog stories that much, but Earwen has me hooked :) Check it out if you want! The link to the first installment is HERE (the post starts out as something else, keep reading, the story opens towards the middle).

And secondly, KnightWing has an awesome story going on about the Justice League as teenagers. I know basically nothing about those superheros, and I'm still loving the story so far. I definitely recommend dropping by if you want a well-written piece in a reasonable length post (none of this takes-twenty-minutes-to-read stuff). You can find his blog dedicated to these stories HERE.

That's a wrap :) Hope you've enjoyed that Conglomeration of Kendra.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

The God of Loser, Failure and Jerk

There was a guest pastor at my church today, and he was interesting. It was extremely difficult to follow his line of thought, and he went off on so many bunny trails, but I got a few random good things from his sermon. My favorite was this:

In the Bible, God is often referred to as "the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob". If you think about those three people, Abraham left a lot of things unfinished, or didn't finish them right. You could kind of see him as...well...a little bit of a loser.

But Isaac came behind him and picked up where he left off. God has placed Isaacs in our life to help us out. Of course, Isaac was kind of a wussy who didn't really fix things a whole lot either...He couldn't even finish was was already started a lot of times! What a failure!

Then you have Jacob, who was the go-get-'em type. He liked to seize the moment, which was sometimes great, but sometimes ended badly. God has placed some Jacobs in our lives to help us live in the moment, too. Then again, Jacob's rash attitude earned the reputation for being a tiny bit of a jerk...

So, basically, all three of these guys kind of failed. Abraham never finished anything, Isaac never finished anything right, and Jacob was just too out-there sometimes.

And that's when Joseph comes in. Joseph did EVERYTHING right! He stayed close to God, he was brave, he was strong, he became second-in-command of Egypt, he saved his entire nation! Joseph picked up with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had stopped and he tied everything together. Joseph was awesome!

So...wait.

Why doesn't the Bible say "the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph"?

Our God is the God of the underdogs :) God is on the "losers" side. Thank goodness! We're all "losers" from time to time! Our God isn't just the God of the rich, famous and successful. God is a personal God who's rooting for all the "jerks", "losers", and "failures" right along with the "winners"!

Now, of course, all those titles are in quotation marks, because are any of us really "losers", etc.? No. We might act like jerks or losers sometimes, but, guess what?

God doesn't make losers!

We're all winners in the long run, but just to show us that he's on our side even when we look bad, God calls him self "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob".

I thought that was kind of interesting. What did you think?

Just really quick, I want to share a link to a cool song that Kyle showed me. He finds cool music like this and sends it to me. I usually (actually always) love it.

This song is called Preliator, and the words are in LATIN!! How cool is that? If you could understand them, it'd be even better...lols XD I found the lyrics, though, so if anyone besides me feels like translating, here they are:

Hosana Meus
Fortuna deus
Aeterna Teus
Mystre, Morte, Sancte Pior

Fortuna hosana deus
Legionus ab comae
Fortune fortuna equis
Ad pugnatoris in veritae
Hossana meus
Fortuna dues
Protego causa
In sanctus

Aeternus praetor
Firmitas semper
Coryphaeus
Rex Regis universe
(Prosay solis hosanna
Protego sanctus causa
Padre illuminata
Gloria in resurrectem
Gloria in unum diem)

Terra tenebrae
Telluris malus
Quisere pere curiatus
Genitor edo
In ex domino
Patris illuminata
Rex Regis universe

(Prosay solis hosanna
Protego sanctus causa
Padre illuminata
Gloria in resurrectem
Padre alluminata
Gloria in unum diem)

Lacrimosa, lacrimosa
In ex dominum

Actually, I feel an award coming on...See if you can translate any one section of this. You can use Google if you want to, but try it without first. If you're even moderately successful, let me know in a comment! Hail all the fellow language geeks! :)

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Retarded Post

The Sweet 16 party was fun :D It was a little awkward getting warmed up to the other girls, but I still had fun :D

I ate strawberry muffins at Emily's house for breakfast.

And I came home.

And I talked to Shang on Facebook.

And I didn't feel like eating lunch.

And I talked to Shang on FB again, lol.

And I did math. I could have done logic, but I didn't.

And I cleaned a lot. BLECK.

And...here I am. I'm going to babysit in an hour. Fun. It's not like I don't want to go, I just don't want to either. Kind of a *shrug* feeling, you know?

I didn't go to the tournament game last night. Or the one today. Ben (The Dare Devil) is going to hate me. Josh (The Nice Guy) will probably be disappointed. I feel like a failure. Crap.

At least Emily liked the card and present I gave her. I actually made a decent-looking card this time. Usually they look like crap.

*sigh* Maybe I'm tired. I got plenty of sleep though. Like seven hours. Which is plenty. Whatever.

I learned some stuff about some people last night that is good news and bad news. So I'm thinking a lot about that. And that's as specific as I want to get. Sorry.

Okay, this is a retarded post. I'll just stop now. Thanks for reading, play practice for the 31st show starts back Monday. Yay? This time when we do the show, it's the last time FOR REAL. Hmm.

I think I'm hungry. I'm going to eat something.

Friday, October 23, 2009

School Schedules. Care to Share?

I've been doing so well in keeping up with my school work that today is barely hard at all :)

I'm curious, though. Every homeschooler's day looks different, and so does every public schooler's. What is a typical day for you? Here's mine:

9:00am: Get up.
9:15: Eat breakfast, read whatever book I'm reading for school.
10:00: Art history. Research, write the paper.
11:30: Read a chapter in "How Shall We Then Live?" and make notes of things to add to my timeline.
12:15: Eat lunch.
12:45: Math.
1:15: Read the chapter in Latin, learn the new grammar rules, make flashcards, and do assigned exercises.
2:15: Read 10 pages or so in biology, add new vocabulary, make notes.
3:15: Read a lesson in logic, do the long, easy, brainless and pointless excercises.
4:00: Work on whatever presentation I'm working on (art grant project, a debate, some other presentation).
4:45: Finished with school! Do chores, and whatever house-cleaning I might have to do.
5:15: Oh sweet freedom. Time to check Facebook, read, write, or blog.
6:00: Dinner.
6:30: Leave for dance, or soccer, or play practice. Whatever it is that night, lol XD
9:30: Get back from dance, or soccer, or play practice. Whatever it is that night.
9:35: Facebook, write, or blog.
10:15: Off the computer, brush teeth, get on pajamas.
10:30: Get in bed and read, write, journal.
11:30: Lights out (usually :)).

And that's a typical day for me. Of course, it varies a little with each day. For instance, I've done all my Latin for this week, so today all I have to do is review. Biology wasn't much today either, and neither was the reading. Then you have those days where you've procrastinated and it takes FORTY TIMES LONGER to do everything :)

We're reading "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, and I am LOVING it so far. The story is exciting and mysterious, the writing style is interesting but not TOO hard to read, and the dialogue is full of dry humor--my favorite kind :)

Also not on the schedule: MY FRIEND'S SWEET 16 TONIGHT!! How fun is that?? The first Sweet 16 I've ever been invited to. Not that I don't have any friends (lol), most of my friends just haven't started turning 16 yet. This is the girl I mentioned in Awaiting the Sensation of a Short Sharp Shock (Emily) who helped me feel more comfortable with the "popular kids". She's so nice and fun, and I'm really excited about her party tonight! Only two things are "bad" about this:

1. I have a soccer tournament game tonight. Yeah, TOURNAMENT. I missed basically the entire soccer season between the play, being sick, and the DC trip. How SUCKY is that?? I can't believe this! I think my team is mad at me, too :( I went to the game last night, and we lost, so we have to play again tonight (EXACT repeat of last year; it's crazy). But I can't miss this girl's Sweet 16, can I? NO! *sigh* I don't know...
2. The restaurant we're going to has peanuts. I'm definitely worried about getting peanut stuff in my food...Oh well. Hopefully I won't die or something. (I won't die, I might break out in hives and feel bad, though...)

Anyway, back to schedules. What does yours look like? Whether you're public, private, or home schooled, we all have different working styles. Care to share?

Thursday, October 22, 2009

"Mirror" Excerpt

FIRST (even before some follower business): Thanks, Bethany, for sparking my imagination yesterday! Your quote ("I don't know if I'd give up my life for you, but I do know my life would be worth living without you.") helped defeat writer's block and inspired an interesting scene of my book! I never would have come up with the quote on my own. I hope the scene does the quote justice :) THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!

Second: W00T to Amanda and Sam for following! Thanks, y'all!

And now, the Bethany-Quote-Inspired scene...

"I don't know if I'd give up my life for you, but I do know my life wouldn't be worth living without you."

I stared at Luken with large, solemn eyes and tried not to feel the same way. He kept his distance, didn’t come closer at all. The four foot gap between us might as well have been a football field. His green eyes held my blue ones. He was gorgeous, he was clever, he was magical, he was an elf! His dry sense of humor rarely failed to put a smile on my face.

“What are you trying to say?” I asked. I tried to make my voice harsh and commanding, but it came out gentle.

Luken didn’t answer, just stared at me. I knew his feelings for me were strong, but if he wanted them reciprocated, he was going to have to swallow his pride and admit he loved a human.

“I…” he began, but seemed to choke on his own words. “I told you,” he finished impatiently. “It’s your turn to speak.”

Great; time for a heart to heart, one of the many things I’d come to hate over the past few months.

“I don’t know,” I whispered. I could barely hear the syllables, but I knew Luken’s elf ears would. The truth of the words must have resonated with his Elfsense, because he looked away without speaking.

“It’s Darren, is it not.” It was a statement, not a question.

I frowned. Was it? I couldn’t be sure. It might have been. Or maybe it was just that I didn’t feel safe with Luken? He was so difficult to understand, so difficult to know. Every time I thought I had him figured out, he would do something completely out of character and throw off my whole analysis. I’d only known Luken for a few months, too. Love didn’t happen in a few months, did it?

I was sure I loved Darren. 100% sure. But how did I love him? Friendly love? Brother-sister love? Romantic love?

“You overanalyze almost as bad as an elf,” Luken said dryly, still looking off into the distance. He suddenly brought his eyes to mine. “It was the second thing I liked about you.”

I swallowed hard. I knew what he wanted me to ask, and I wanted the answer so badly that I couldn’t cheat him of the satisfaction: “What was the first thing?”

An almost mischievous gleam crept into Luken’s eyes. That didn’t help the situation at all, it was Darren’s gleam, not Luken’s. “Your eyes.”

Well, that’s not cliché at all, I thought sourly. But at the same time, I felt a blush rush to my cheeks and my heart palpitate. “That’s funny,” I murmured, dropping the feature in question. “That’s the first thing I noticed about you. Your eyes were so big and green, I almost seemed to fall into them. They weren’t blue like all the other Dormians’, either. And they reminded me of Darr—"

I glanced up in time to see Luken’s green eyes storm.

Oops.

“You don’t have to be so jealous,” I hissed, suddenly angry. “One thing’s for sure: I could never love a boy who allows me only to think of him all day long!”

“I’m hardly a boy anymore,” Luken sniffed.

Well, if we’re going to be petty, let’s be petty. “Childish is as childish does,” I shot back. Luken smirked.

“I do hope you realize the irony of that statement.”

I blushed in irritation and embarrassment. “I do,” I said stiffly.

All at once the matter at hand seemed to come back to us and all the haughty humor left our faces. I looked back at the camp. The dying fire glowed orange against the black horizon. I could make out Darren’s sleeping profile in front of it. The warm feeling I got when I looked at him…that couldn’t just be cast aside for another, could it?

I turned back to Luken. He was staring off into the distance, a detached look on his face. The feeling I got when I looked at him…it was different, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t love. I felt tingly, excited, self-conscious, admiring. I wanted him to think well of me. I worshiped his mind, his sense of humor, his face.

“How much longer until we reach the Elven Realm?” I asked tiredly. “Days? Weeks? Not months, is it?”

Luken didn’t react beyond answering, “Weeks, for certain. Five, perhaps six.”

I gave a huff and scowled. Six weeks to think about this. Six weeks with nothing to do but walk between Darren and Luken all day and sleep across from them at night.

This world could definitely use some motor vehicles. Drop a couple of four-wheelers in here…we could cut days off our trip. I smiled a little and turned to go back to the camp.

“I’m going back to bed. Good night.”

“I love you.”

I felt like I’d run headlong into a brick wall. The words stopped my heart. Really. I didn’t feel it beating anymore. The words had come so unexpectedly. So…so something else, too.

“You…no you don’t,” I said uncertainly. He must be kidding. Did he really say that?? “Since when? Why? Why didn’t you say something earlier when we were actually talking about this? I...it…you…” I put my hand to my face. Stop babbling.

“I shouldn’t love you,” Luken said, looking back at me. His green eyes were as wide, open and desperate as I’d even seen them. Now he did cross the space between us until he was so close I had to tilt my head up to look at his face. “It doesn’t make any sense. It’s against all Elven tradition. You humans are so much weaker than we are, so much less intellectual.” Fury leapt into my eyes, but he went on. “But you’re different, Paige. You aren’t weak in mind. You’re strong, you’re intellectual, you’re clever. You’re beautiful.”

I was beautiful? To an Elf? To Luken, the height of masculine beauty? Surely he’d seen countless Elven ladies in his time. I couldn’t be as beautiful as them, could I? No, I couldn’t. Was he lying? Why would he? Luken wouldn’t lie about something so silly as this. He’d have no reason to. Luken always had reasons.

I started to back away, but Luken rested his hand on my shoulder, stopping me. A chill started at the base of my neck and tingled down to my toes. His eyes seemed larger than ever as they searched mine. His skin was pale, with that odd suggestion of green. His straight, angelic hair fell over his shoulders, framing his solid, masculine jaw. He was beautiful, how I’d always pictured as an angel. My eyes found his again and locked there. The greenness was almost overwhelming, blotting out all thought. The bright color reminded me appropriately of peacock feathers.

He looked so alive, and with his hand on my shoulder, I could feel that life pulsing into me as well.

I could feel it coming before it happened. He leaned toward me and I leaned toward him involuntarily, as if we were magnetized. The motion was slow, but steady. I knew what I was doing, and yet at the same time I wasn’t thinking at all. My mind had shut off and there was only feeling.

His mouth and mine connected gently. His lips moved over mine, mine trailed over his. I felt both serene and alive at once. I could almost feel his life flooding into me. His heartbeat was mine; we breathed as one.

The kiss escalated. I felt his hand behind my head, I put mine on his shoulder. It grew more intense. I couldn’t tell where my mouth was anymore. I’d lost myself in him. If my mind had been engaged I would have been afraid for sure. Time stopped and raced forward. We’d been together forever, we’d met only a second before.

I don’t know when it ended. I’d lost all conception of time.

When we pulled away, it took my mind a few seconds to awaken. When it did, I realized my senses were on overload. My mouth tingled, my eyes were wide, my were cheeks on fire, the back of my head seemed to throb where his hand had rested.

I stood there, staring and breathing audibly.We stood paralyzed for minutes until the fire died and left us alone in a pitch black world.

And that's what I wrote yesterday. Not amazing by ANY stretch of the imagination, but at least I wrote something. I don't know where it goes either. Somtimes I just get these scenes in my head and I have to write them down. I'm not 100% how to get here, and I don't know what happens next, but I wrote this.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments? I hope the end of the scene doesn't imply anything that we ALL know I'm NOT implying...what do you think?

Anything is appreciated, but critisism the most. I'll be flattered if you thought the scene was good, but what I MOST want to hear is how to make it BETTER.

Thanks, y'all :)


P.S. I also got invited to a Sweet 16 party for a girl who was in the play with me!! :O How nice is that? I'm so excited!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

You. Help. Now.

Hey!

WOW, it's been a while!

I have written a proper post in at least a week. Yesterday I was going out of my mind trying to finish this art grant project for art history and study for the biology mid-term that I hadn't started studying for yet.

For the art grant project we have to come up with an art or cultural project that we want the government to fund. We have to put together a presentation trying to convince the class that we should recieve the grant money.

My project is called (at least right now) the Historical Reality Project. Basically, it would be an interactive, virtual reality walk through American history. It's geared to kids with learning disabilities in hopes that "living" history for themselves will help them understand and retain information better.

The project is going fine, but I'm not sure how to make it AMAZING, you know? My visual aids could use some work. I was just going to throw together a poster, but...

OUR TEACHER EXTENDED THE DEADLINE FOR THE PROJECT!!

We have an extra week; yay! So now I have time to make a more exciting visual aid, but what? Hmm...

I'm definitely looking forward to getting caught up in my work. I'm tired of playing catch up all the time. I hate constantly feeling behind. Mostly in Latin, art history, math and a little in biology.

Haha, so basically everything but logic and BritLit. Shocking.

I'm definitely wanting to get back to Mirror. See?? I told you I'd come around :) The passion for the story is back, now all I need is a plotline...

Okay, I really do need help with that, so I'm going to ask you to randomly brainstorm with me. If you are reading this, come up with something crazy, random, exciting, realistic, romantic, mysterious or funny. Or anything. Just come up with something, click "comments", type your idea, and click, "publish". Those three steps could help me finish this book, y'all! Your helps is appreciated ;)

And I'll know if you came and didn't do that because I watch the page hit counter.

Lols ;)

Well, I don't have much else to say. I'm going to go finish watching National Treasure with my family :) Thanks in advance for your help!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

List Format: DC

LIST FORMAT!

- I'm typing on my friend's laptop, and some of the keys are missing -_- There are just nubs where the key should be. So that's annoying. (Love you, Amanda :))

- Feeling MUCH BETTER

- It's very cold and rainy

- I love my friends! We all ate Atomic Fireballs on the metro ride back to the hotel, and the pictures are unbelievable :)

- Everything is SO HUGE!

- I saw the Declaration of Independence!!!!! And the Constitution! It was amazing.

- I told a really personal secret to my friends that I love, and I'm starting to regret it...which is horrible, because I really trusted them...*sigh*

- I haven't studied for the biology test AT ALL. Monday is gonna SUCK.

- We leave tomorrow.

- I'm tired, but nowhere near Tech Week Tired or Practicum Tired.

That's about all. I've lost two followers :'( Oh well; ya can't please everyone!

~Kendra

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Monumental Monuments

Hey! I'm in DC!!

Can't talk long, really tired, really sickkk!! It feels kind of like a knife is stuck in my throat :(

We looked at the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials! WOW; not to seem, like, country or anything, but they are SO HUGE!! Way bigger than I thought they were going to be. The quotes written on the walls are amazing, but I actually don't agree with some of what Jefferson said... :O It feels weird disagreeing with one of the founding fathers...

There is already drama between some people. *sigh* I haven't figured it out yet, but Kendra is on the case...

Not that I'm nosy or anything.. ;P

Well, super tired, talk to you later! No promises about tomorrow.

~Kendra

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Basically Nothing...Oh, Yeah, and Washington

So, today was good. Just long. And this evening has seemed longer than anything in the world and it's only NINE O'CLOCK. What am I supposed to do all night? FACEBOOK??

I could write. But I don't know what to say. I sort of feel like a failure in that area, but it's not as depressing as you'd think.

Tomorrow I leave for the class trip to Washington, DC!!!

Sorry; maybe I should have mentioned that sooner? Lol ;P

I should be a lot more excited than I am. Like, I'm not dreading it or anything, just not as psyched as I should be. WASHINGTON, DC!!

...meh. It's not, like, MULAN or anything.

Lol.

Guess what? There's a get-together at Mulan's house this Saturday for movies and pizza. FUN FUN FUN!! Only I can't go, I'll be in Washington.

*sigh*

I know, Washington beats pizza and movies, but still. I'm afraid people are going to start forgetting how much fun we all have together and stop hanging out. Hopefully that won't happen. Shang wants to meet at the coffee shop more, which would be lots of fun, too.

I'm really tired but NOTHING compared to how I was a week ago. NOTHING. I'm still kind of sick. I should really be in bed resting right now, or at least not on the computer. Or I could be reading "Pride and Prejudice." Or trying to write. Or getting ahead on school work.

But I'm not. I'm here.

And...that might have been building up to something profound, or maybe my brain is just going in circles. I think the latter.

:)

I might try to blog while in DC, but no promises. If I don't, I'll just talk to you on Sunday/Monday! Bye, y'all!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Awaiting the Sensation of a Short Sharp Shock... ;)

"Mulan" is over until the 31st when we do it one last time.

...

Um...I think I'm sad. But I can't tell yet. I don't think the "shock" has really hit me yet, you know? Not seeing people tonight...it'll be weird for sure.

The after party cookout last night takes the place of the coffee shop party as the best night of my life :) :) After what happened at the pizza place, I was determined NOT to get stuck with the little kids. I decided to make the effort and hang out with the people my own age.

It was awkward and hard at first. They weren't rude to me or anything at all, they were perfectly nice, but I didn't know what to say. I didn't know them all that much and I didn't feel like I had a lot to contribute to their conversations. I almost decided to cut my losses and just go back to the 8th graders, but I didn't.

As the night went on, they talked more, and I did, too. I actually think they liked me. They talked to me just like they did each other, and everything was great. Really, really great. So great I can't even really explain it.

They were all nice, but this girl named Emily probably helped me the most. She made sure I wasn't left out or left behind, and she made me feel more comfortable about myself and about everyone else. Shang helped a lot, too. He's always been nice to me, from the very beginning.

The hay ride was a lot of fun :) We took a short one while it was still light, but then we took a long one after it got dark. Small trailer, big crowd. It was...interesting ;) I was at the very end, so every time we'd speed up quickly, I'd go sliding to the edge and have to grab people, lol! There was a lot of that going on. We lost 6 out of like 10 bales of hay XD It was a complete blast.

I looooooooooooooooooooooooooveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee those people! Not because they're the "cool" crowd, but because they're actually nice and so much fun. I loved hanging out with them, and I hope I'll see them more. Really, really hope so. I think I miss them already.

Oh, and quite a few innuendos went around, as can be expected, and I actually got them. Not sure whether that's a good thing or not, but for now I'm just gonna count it as a good thing, lol XD

Well, now that I'm finished tell you about how amazing last night was, I'll tell you about today:

I am sick.

I have a really bad cold. Headache, aching body, sore throat, sore chest (might be muscle soreness, though), runny nose, stuffy nose, sinus pressure, and sneezing. The whole sha-bang.

Although I feel like crud, and I had so insanely much school work to do today that my mom actually EXCUSED SOME OF IT (can I get an epic *GASPPPPPPP*?), I don't feel quite as down as you'd think. Last night's glow hasn't worn off.

I just...

Um...

*shakes head* Sorry. Never mind. I don't know.

Hope this jumbled and ranting post didn't bore you to complete tears ;) Thanks soooo much for all your support during these past few stressful weeks! Y'all are awesome!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

...Hi.

Opening night: worst performance so far, but not TERRIBLE.

Saturday afternoon: one of the best performances so far.

Saturday night: another of the best performances so far.

After party: ...

COMPLAIN ALERT!

I got to the pizza place FIRST, which is apparently a bad idea because then you don't get to choose who you sit with, they choose you :-/ I got stuck with all the 8th graders.

Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with 8th graders in themselves, just how they act. Highly immature, and just annoying. Of course, I didn't just want to stand up and go sit with the people my own age, because that would probably have been kind of rude to ditch the people I was already sitting with. But I ended up having 0 fun, and actually left super early. But that was also because of my being sick.

Oh, yeah, it finally happened :-/ I think I'm getting an exhaustion cold. *sneeze* :( Oh well. TAKE SOME TYLENOL SINUS AND DEAL WITH IT! XD

Over all, things have been going about as fine as one can expect. The last performance for a while (we perform again on Halloween) is today :( I'd probably feel sadder if I weren't so sick and sick of it, though, you know? I love this play, I love these people (some more than others, lols), but I'm just really tired! And school is killing me! No, more like hacking me to death with a bloody ax. I have about 2-3 days worth of work to do TOMORROW.

*closes eyes* I am trying not to think about that.

You might be asking why I'm not at CHURCH seeing how we have to be there at 8:30 for band practice. Well, my lovely family decided I could use an hour of down time, and they are coming back to get me in--oh. Twenty minutes.

Don't you love how time flies? -.-

Sorry for the complaining tone of this post, I'm just so tired. I'm really still having a good time, and I love, love, LOVE IT. Sign me up for The King and I in June!!!!!

Hey, did I just hear someone groan?

;) Thanks for listening and encouraging me these past couple of weeks! Don't worry, it's all coming to a close now. After today, you will be talking to a free Kendra!

:)

:'(

?

Friday, October 9, 2009

End of Chapter One?

No, I'm not done with my school work.

No, I'm not finished with my cleaning chores for the week.

No, I haven't straightened my room yet.

Yes, I am posting anyway.

BECAUSE IT'S OPENING NIGHT TONIGHT!!

I gotta post on opening night, right? :)

Unfortunately, this is probably the last you'll hear from me until late Saturday afternoon. I'm spending the night with a friend so I can go to the cast party, remember?

I'm very excited, and not as depressed that it's all ending as I would have thought. I still have three cast parties to go to, and it seems like the friendships I've made might be more long-lasting that I'd at first thought.

Am I finally learning to Carpe Diem?

Even though the performances are all only beginning, I feel like I'm starting a new chapter in my life. I have no idea why; I haven't done anything different or said anything final to anyone. It's the strangest feeling. I feel like I've grown up all at once and I'm looking ahead to a blank future just waiting for me to fill it up.

Well, wish me luck! Here comes the first moment of the rest of my life...

(No, THIS is...)
(No, THIS is...)
(Haha, sorry, couldn't resist ruining that solemn moment ;P)


P.S. Thanks for following, Aaron!!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Your Daily Dose of Tpyos ;)

So yeah i'm so tiredddd and it's only like three forty five! Like, seriously, really exhausted. we did two shows for little kids today, and they went really well, yay! The make-up guy did Shang's hair differently today because he said it looked too young. I like his hair fine, but whatever. THe make-up guy slicked it all back, and Shang was so self-conscious, lol! He looked fine though.

So all the other kids got excused from school today as a field trip, but no such luck for me :( So now I've got a day of school t odo. But it's not gonna be taht bad because I knew it would be so I planned other days harder than today. I don't have that much to do today.

I'm so tired y'all. Like, wow. and it's so early in the day,too!! Ugh, so many typos...okay, i'm gonnna talk to ya later! Er, bye...wow...maybe I'll post soem pictures later!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

CRISIS AVERTED!

W00T!! Thanks, Logan and No Name for following!! Y'all rock :)
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>.>
<.<

Could it be? ("The Huns are...gone??") I have a moment of...f...f...free time?????

WHOA!!

But, really, just a moment. I gotta get dressed for the third and F...F...FINAL dress rehearsal tonight!!!!!!!!!! :O :O :O :O :O And help Lizzy fix dinner at 4:30 so we can eat at 5:00 so we can leave a 5:25. (We really only have to leave at 5:30, but...never mind, I'll get to that in a second.)

So, tech week has been going well. I think. Long nights, but the show is looking great, just like Shang said it would :) Everyone is still so nice and awesome, and the fact that this is all gonna end in four days is just too much for my overly-attached brain to handle!

I'm getting better at singing. Notes that I couldn't hit at the beginning of the show are just coming out of my mouth. Who knew my parents would be right??? ;)

My parents left after lunch for a conference called Catalyst. Basically, it's the most awesome, exciting and innovative thinking conference in the country. Or at least that's how it's been described to me :)

I'm thrilled that my parents get to go, but that does create an issue:

They won't be here during the busiest time in the play.

My grandma is staying with Lizzy and I until our parents get back late Friday night. That means Gr'anne will have to take me to all the practices and stuff, even though she's not crazy about driving around late at night.

Which brought up a monumental, horrible, sob-able crisis: "I'm sorry, Kendra, but it doesn't look like you'll be able to go to the cast party after the show Friday night."

Me: *blink* ... *blinkblink* ... *blinkblinkblink* ... *tears*

Mom: "We already talked about this! Don't you remember?"

Me: *head shake*

Mom: "It's not fair for us to ask Gr'anne to drive you around at 11 o'clock at night!"

Me: *nod*

So that was good for a lot of tears. It was one of those things where you know crying isn't going to help, and you don't want to make your mom feel bad, but the tears come anyway.

I went to eat breakfast, still mourning the loss of one of the last chances to see the cast members. Then I heard my mom calling to me if I knew the phone number for this girl who's also in the play. Feeling a glimmer of hope, I ran downstairs, calling over my shoulder that I was going to look.

I couldn't find the number, but as I ran back upstairs, it turned out not to matter because my mom had found it herself! She was on the phone with Mom-of-Fellow-Cast-Mate asking if I could spend the night with her Friday night after the cast party!

*holds breath*

...

YES!!!

Hooray! A cast party is not lost! :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

My mom is amazing :) <3

Um...what else to say...

School is...a lot. We're reading "Pride and Prejudice" this week, which I am really looking forward to! I haven't started it yet, but I think I'll like it.

A week from today my class leaves at 9am for the Washington DC trip! :O :O Wow, it snuck up on me! Since that week will be really busy, I basically am trying to do two weeks worth of work this week, which really sucks because I am so tired and busy with "Mulan"! And tomorrow is the "school performance" for the little third-graders, so I'll be gone from 8-3 -.- How am I supposed to get 10 days worth of work in 4 days?????????????

Writing is absolutely non-existent. I've barely even been blogging.

Dreams: I dreamed about avalanches all Sunday night. I don't feel like explaining that, but it has to do with Mulan.

Last night, I dreamed a lot. I dreamed that I was going through the "Mulan" script, and I found a whole paragraph of my lines that I had never seen before. I was so freaked out that I would have to memorize them before the show tomorrow, lol!

I also dreamed about Ellie B. and Shang.

That's all I can think of to say. Sorry I've been such a bad blogger lately! Thanks, everyone, for all your encouraging comments! :)

"Eyes of my ancestors, shine bright for me!"
"How can this girl bring glory to our name?"
"Let me rise from the ashes of my destiny!"
"May she rise like a pheonix from the flame!"

Monday, October 5, 2009

Hello. The brain you are trying to reach is unavailable at this time. Please try again later.

*folds hands and looks calmly at you*

I am tired as crap.

Now that we have that out of the way, I'll get on with a post before I have to eat dinner in--TWENTY MINUTES?? DANG IT! I HAVE TO GET DRESSED AND GET MY NEW SHOES TOGETHER AND FIND THOSE STUPID BLACK PANTS AND FINISH THIS PAPER!!

*palmforehead*

Never mind. Bye.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Tech Week Begins

Basically, this is just to say I posted.

I am very tired.

So begins the infamous tech week.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Best Night of My Li-ife!

So basically, tonight was the best night of my life. After a LONGG play practice, a bunch of us went to this coffee shop and hung out and watched Mulan. Everyone was so nice to me. I love these people. And you know how I feel about using "love" lightly. I am really going to miss these guys.

Carpe diem. Best day/night of my li-ife!

Friday, October 2, 2009

Political Satire

"Jonathan Swift’s “Gulliver’s Travels” is a beautifully constructed political satire. Swift subtly mocks the ways of society and the politicians of his day. The story at first appears to be a charming tale of a man’s adventures, but when one reads more closely, the delightful mockery of pompous political leaders emerges. The main character of the story, Gulliver, enjoys traveling, and visits the strangest places. On his first voyage, Gulliver lands on the island of Lilliput, which is inhabited by persons of only six inches in height. These little people, despite their diminutive stature, believe that they are the most intelligent and wonderful race to ever walk the earth. Their unusual and unnecessary laws make for interesting situations for Gulliver. On his second journey, Gulliver finds himself on and adventure quite the opposite of his first. His ship runs into a storm, and Gulliver ends up in Brobdingnag, a peninsula populated by giants. Quite unlike the Lilliputians, the giants are a reasonable and good people, skilled in seeing the big picture. After Gulliver leaves Brobdingnag, he voyages to Laputa, where the most unusual people dwell. The Laputans are eccentric and science-obsessed, worrying constantly that the sun will go out and performing disturbing “projects” to aid society. On his last escapade, Gulliver visits the Country of the Houyhnhnms and Yahoos. The Houyhnhnms are rational horses, while the Yahoos are barbaric and disgusting humanoids. Through these four voyages, Jonathan Swift touches on many laughable aspects of his times from hoop-jumping politicians, to close-minded leaders, to the sometimes foolish innovative approaches, to the corrupt nature of humanity."

And there is my introductory paragraph for my paper on "Gulliver's Travels"! I'm actually enjoying the book, but I wish we had a little longer to read it. Cliffs Notes are a gift from God, I'm telling you! :)

Schedule for Mulan from now until the last performance:

Friday: 7pm-10pm

Saturday: 2pm-7pm, cast get-together 7pm-until

Sunday: 1:30pm-9:30pm

Monday: 6pm-10pm

Tuesday: 6pm-10pm

Wednesday: 6pm-10pm

Thursday: 8am (school performance :O)-3pm (we have other shows in between)

Friday: OPENING NIGHT!! 6pm-(perform at 7:30pm)-9:30pm, go to Mexican for dinner

Saturday: 1pm-(perform at 2:30pm)-4:30pm, 6pm-(perform at 7:20pm)-9:30pm, go to pizza buffet for dinner

Sunday: 1pm-(perform at 2:30pm)-4:30pm, cast cook-out later

I would totally be looking forward to all this, except for one tiny detail:

AFTER THIS IT'S OVER!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! *SOB SOB SOB SOB SOB SOB SOBBBB*

And that's all I have to say for now. Farewell.

It's possible that I will post later tonight, but only if something REALLY EXCITING happens :D