Wasted Summer

School starts in four days. I guess it's natural to feel like a summer never lives up to its potential, but I'm feeling pretty melancholy about the last few months. It feels like I spent too much time inside the house because I didn't have anything to do or anyone to do it with. I saw all of my friends at least twice, but in a span of three months that's not that great. I saved all of the summer work for the last minute (I'm about halfway through both The Grapes of Wrath and The Tipping Point, haven't started the work for either, and haven't read the 77 pages of my history text book yet), and am now rushing to complete it.

I have all of my school supplies set up, and my outfit picked out for the first day of school. I have plans to go to the mall and get a few last-minute clothes (because really, can you ever have too many clothes?). I have all of the things on my wish-list. I have the schedule I want (or I will, a few days after school starts). So everything is set up in that front.

I'm excited to see my friends every day again. I'm excited to finally be taking physics, and to get back to Latin. Part of me is excited to have a routine again. Part of me thinks it won't be a repeat of last year; that I won't be so weighed down that I crack. But then, part of me is afraid that it will happen. Part of me imagines afternoons filled with homework that I can't bring myself to do, nights turning into screaming matches with my parents. I'm afraid that they've taken the wrong lessons from last year, and are going to start off being so restrictive that it'll choke me early on. It got worse when I felt like I couldn't do anything to help myself.

It's frustrating when people lose trust in you, because they didn't listen to you in the first place. Their punishments only reinforced my growing hopelessness. I didn't have solace at home or school. So I'm afraid of that again, of having nowhere to turn if I stumble again. I'm afraid of feeling helpless as I become increasingly unable to do the things I need to do. I couldn't relax because it was always on the back of my mind; that I needed to do something and I knew I wasn't going to. It felt like trying wasn't worth it, because I'd already failed; that once I failed, I couldn't succeed again. I was miserable, and I don't want school to do that to me again. It seems like school shouldn't be a thing that breaks you.

I'd like to be trusted to do things on my own again. It doesn't seem like it'd be such a big deal to be able to set my own restrictions for small things. I guess they'd argue that I proved I couldn't handle it, but that's forgetting the many variables contributing to my downfall, so to speak. I'm afraid that I'll be tired all the time again. I'm afraid that I'll fall behind. It feels like they're expecting me too, as if I haven't learned anything from last year, or this year is just a continuation of last year. It's not, and I wish they'd extend the same trust to me that they did at the beginning of last year. This year doesn't have the same influences as last year, after all. It's fair to say that I'm a different person, and I could at least be given a chance.

I've digressed. I meant to talk about how the close of summer invariably brings a melancholy feel, no matter how well or poorly it was spent.

I have to go to bed now, so I guess I'll leave this somewhat unfinished. Maybe I'll continue my solemnity tomorrow, if I don't realize how boring it is by then :P

Lazy

I don't know what to write. I'm kind of bummed about school starting on Tuesday.

 

I'm going to get a haircut eventually. Tell me, friends, should I just get a trim, or change my style? What style should I get, if so?

 

Anyway, till next time.

Boots!

Today I am the proud owner of a lovely pair of boots! I've wanted these for ages and finally had enough. I cannot wait till it's cold enough to wear them regularly.

 

Aren't they great? I'm totally going to wear these all the time. They're pretty comfy, too. With my new jacket and aviators I am basically going to be the coolest person ever.

 

Do you know what those boots say? They say badass. They're not some frilly knee-highs with pointy little toes. Those are getting shit done boots. These are boots that don't ask no questions, don't tell no lies. Do you understand how awesome these boots are? I think you do.

 

I'm going to go try on outfits with my new boots. Till tomorrow, friends!

Revised Schedule

I received my new schedule in the mail today! It's much improved; I have study hall, phsyics, and English AP. Unfortunately, I still have U.S. History 2A, instead of AP. There isn't an AP class in the slot I currently have it in, so I'm hoping I can switch it with gym. I don't know if there's a gym class every period like there was the previous years, but I can hope! I have to wait until school starts to talk to my counselor, since they're no longer accepting schedule revisions, which sucks, because that means I have to sit through at least a day of USH A.

 

Hopefully it'll all work out, right?

 

I have been eagerly awaiting my date with Zack all day! I'm already all dressed and am now super duper bored. Hours never go this slowly when I'm doing something fun. I read a little bit of summer reading, and should continue to do so, but I can't bring myself to subject myself to more boredom. Ah well; I'll get it done eventually.

 

I'll tell you all about my date tomorrow! Till next time, friends!

Post-Extravaganza

I'm kind of relieved that BEDA is close to the end. It's been fun to be involved in blogging again, but it's hard to think of something to say every day, especially on those days I just laze around.

 

Today was one of those days. I started out with honorable intentions, reading a chapter or two in The Tipping Point, but I just couldn't continue. It was awful. Reading that book is like walking through cement. Tomorrow I intend to finish it, and start The Grapes of Wrath, before going on my date with Zack! I probably won't, but whatever. Date with Zack! I'm so excited for that! I'm going to wear the dress that Kim gave me on Saturday.

 

I keep forgetting to write an entry till right before I have to go to bed, so I always have to cut it short. Good night, friends! Till next time!

EXTRAVAGANZA

Sorry this entry is so late in coming! I took pictures of my presents with my mom's phone and she only now relinquished it to me to be uploaded. Get ready for a PICTURE EXPLOSION.

 

People started arriving a bit past 4:30--actually, everyone kind of came at once! At first we just hung out in my room, because I hadn't actually planning any activities, but then we went downstairs and played Taboo, which is a great party game. Kristen arrived, and then my dad came with the pizza! There is so much pizza here right now. We'll be eating pizza for days, and drinking all the leftover soda for weeks. Not that I mind! I was raring at the bit to get to present opening, so basically as soon everyone finished pizza eating, I went to it!

 

 

 

I opened Kristen's card first. Isn't it adorable? She included a $25 gift card, which puts me at a decent amount of shopping money! There will never be enough back-to-school shopping. Never.

 

 

These beautiful things are from Shari! I really love both of them; so pretty! I can't wait till I have an occasion to use the bag! Her card was cute too (she drew it herself!) but I forgot to take a picture of it.

 

 

Dana got me this lovely assortment of things, including: a shiny little wallet with llamas on it; delicious-smelling hand lotion, whose scent is called "Pearanormal Activity"; a really adorable shade of nail polish called "beach bum blu" that I'm wearing right now; and last but not least that gorgeous card you see there.

 

I think I actually screamed when I saw the sunglasses Maya got for me; aviators are absolutely my favorite sunglasses ever. I've resisted the urge to wear them at all moments of the day, including when I'm inside, but it's hard. That CD is, as you can clearly read, a compilation of all the songs we've mentioned on Facebook! These songs include, in order:

1. Call Me Maybe -- Carly Rae Jepsen
2. Girlfriend -- Avril Lavigne
3. Single Ladies -- Beyonce
4. Umbrella -- Rihanna
5. Baby One More Time -- Britney Spears
6. S.O.S. -- The Jonas Brothers
7. Best of Friends -- from The Fox and the Hound
8. First Day of My Life -- Bright Eyes
9. Teenage Dream -- Katy Perry
10. Heart It Races -- Dr. Dog
11. The demented, horrifying version of "Somebody That I Used to Know" where Gotye's version and Glee's version are played together.
12. What Makes You Beautiful -- One Direction
13. Oxford Comma -- Vampire Weekend
14. Human -- The Killers
15. Handlebars -- Flobots
16. Little Talks -- Of Monsters and Men
17. Feel Good Inc. -- Gorillaz

So if that's not the most ridiculous/best compilation you've ever seen, I don't know what to tell you :P

 

Tegan got me this adorable outfit, which I plan on wearing on the first day of school! I love that bracelet so much, and the skirt is just perfect. The shirt isn't something I'd pick out normally, but it's actually really cute! Tegan gave me an absolutely gorgeous card, but I forgot to take a picture of it! Maybe tomorrow, if I remember. The pen is so nice, and writes very well!

 

 

Last but not least, Kim got me this fabulous dress and necklace which I'm going to wear to my date on Tuesday! I had always been nervous about the collared dresses in that style, but it's really cute! The card is too, obviously. I am rather cute, if I do say so myself :3

 

So that concludes the photo binge! Then the cake came out, and the cake was fabulous. Okay, I lied, one more photo.

 

This is the cake my mom made! It's a computer! Isn't that fantastic? The monitor was chocolate and the keyboard was strawberry, and both were delicious.

 

After cake, we migrated upstairs and had a super makeover dressup extravaganza, during which we all put on the most ridiculous outfits we could, and Shari applied really nice makeup while I went hog wild. Unfortunately, Shari, Dana, and Kristen had to leave after an hour. When they left, the rest of us washed up and changed into pajamas, then played Guitar Hero for two hours without realizing it. We discovered that none of us, except for Kim, are even remotely good at anything. Then we went back upstairs to play Never Have I Ever (I came in third!), and hung out just talking for a while upstairs. The last of us fell asleep at 4:30, which is pretty successful for a sleepover!

 

In the morning everyone had to leave kind of early, and just like that it was over. But it was fantastic, and totally worth all the effort! My birthday gifts were lovely, as was the entire party! I'm being kicked off now, so good night, folks! Till next time! :D

So close!

The party is all set up for! We have streamers properly set up (I managed to mess them up the first attempt), fruit cut up for a fruit tray, veggie dip prepared, pizza ordered for later, balloons inflated and tied to chairs (and to the mailbox, like a proper party), pretzels at the ready for the first guests, an extra Wii controller graciously lended from Tegan, and an extremely clean house. I'm pretty exhausted and appreciate the down time before the first guests arrive (though seriously I can't wait at all omg).

 

I'm finally sixteen! So I can freely say that I'm dating Zack! He's basically my favorite person (except for Maya and Maia, of course) and I'm very happy. On Tuesday we'll be going out to dinner--our first official date! I can't wait to see him again! We haven't hung out since last Thursday and I'm kind of going crazy. He called earlier to wish me a happy birthday, which was lovely, though unfortunately I had to hang up to bathe the cat.

 

I should probably go, since people will be arriving soon. Till tomorrow, friends, when I tell you all about my amazing party! :D

Also, thanks for the birthday wishes Lizzie and Natalie! :)

My Cat is Afraid of Bubbles

Really, my mom brought home a bubble maker for the party tomorrow and my cat freaked out! In other news, my mom got a bubble maker! Also matching napkins and plastic utensils, like a real birthday party! And streamers and balloons! Balloons, guys! Tomorrow we're going to set the decorations up!

 

We did a lot of cleaning today in preparation. Specifically, I picked up the office, upstairs, and most of the living room, and vacuumed. I vacuumed the couch. Tomorrow I intend to Febreze everything, everywhere. Everything will smell of Mediterranean Lavender.

 

Everything.

 

I can't believe my birthday is tomorrow! It's just bizarre, especially after so long preparing for it. I doubt I'll even be able to sleep tonight, I'm so excited! Tomorrow, once everything is set up, I'm probably going to spend a lot of time jumping up and down in suspense for the first person to arrive. I'll try to blog before then, though, because I'll definitely forget once the party starts!

 

Good night, guys! It's my last night as a fifteen-year-old! Till tomorrow! :D

Cleaning Cleaning Cleaning

...is what I should have done today, anyway. I did a very little bit! Like in my room and stuff. For the rest of the day, I hung around the house, visited Tegan, and painted half of my nails before messing them up and abandoning that particular endeavor. I'm distracted easily, is the problem.

 

My mom woke me up around eight so I could go shopping with her, and that was pretty successful. We got food for the party! So much food. A ridiculous amount of food, really. I also got new fish, since I only had one left! I got two more of the same kind I had, and two bright orange fish. I'm very happy with them! My mom also got me some lipstick, since in two days I'll be allowed to wear it. It's a really nice color and it smells delicious. Like fruity magic wonderlips. That sounded much less strange in my head, admittedly.

 

Tomorrow I'm going to finish cleaning the living room, the office, and upstairs. Then I vacuum! I hate vacuuming, but, you know, has to be done. I realized today that my carpet smells kind of funny. Oh Febreze, you're my best friend.

 

Till next time, friends.

Smells like Flowers

I was supposed to clean the living room today, but of course accomplished nothing in that respect. As of now, I have to clean the living room, stairwell, art room, vacuum all of upstairs, and sweep downstairs. I don't think I'll be going out much tomorrow! But it'll be worth it when my house is nice and clean for my birthday party! I figure my dad will take care of the pantry, office, and porch on Friday. I'm also going to Febreze the hell out of everything on Saturday morning. My house will smell like flowers, damn it!

 

Instead of cleaning, I hung out with Tegan. We played Lego Batman and Robin, which is really just the most fantastic game (totally). At six I went to the library for a screening of The Hunger Games, even though we just bought the DVD. I really only went because Maya asked me too, and I like hanging out with her! There was some obnoxious twelve-year-olds in the audience, of course. I wonder if I was that obnoxious when I was twelve. Probably.

 

My jacket arrived today! I love love love it, so so much. It is actually like my new favorite thing. It's so comfortable and it fits well and it's adoooorable! I can't wait till the weather is cooll so I can wear it! I'm really happy with the color, too; it's more green than I thought it was, but green is my second favorite color, so that's totally cool. Now, if it had turned out purple, that would be even better X)

 

I'm being kicked off the computer, so, till next time, friends! :)

Preparations

Today I cleaned my room in preparation for the AMAZING BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA taking place on Saturday! There's still so much cleaning to do, but most of it will probably be done on Friday, of course. I'm really, really excited! I'll make sure to have more pictures than you could possibly want, ever. You will actually hate how many pictures I'll have.

My mom is apparently going to make a spectacular cake, but she won't give me many hints. The fancy cake is a reminder that this is my Sweet 16, and not some boring other birthday! It kind of seems weird to me that I'm not 16 yet, since all of my friends are by now. Being 16 means that I can wear makeup and have a boyfriend! And drive! So, exciting developments to occur soon.

Maybe after my birthday I'll actually have something to talk about, but I definitely don't right now! Good night, friends!

Short story, because I'm lazy!

The plan was to light the fire and go. There weren’t instructions after that, just run, run, go, and I thought that would be the hard part, escaping. Not getting caught. Not going to jail—that was important. The rest was easy; light the match, throw it, go. Make sure the fire caught, run. Run back to Joseph’s house, or, if that was too far, run into a dark corner and hide, run into a store and act casual, run back to my house, maybe, break in through the upstairs window, just for a place to hide. But that was risky, that wasn’t an alibi. Try to run to Joseph’s, and that was an alibi. But if I couldn’t, run somewhere else.

That was the plan, but I stood on the edge of the property for a while, twisting the matches around in my pocket. What if I ran before it caught? It’d be hard to try again. What if I ran too late? Then it wouldn’t matter. Running was the variable, I thought. But the matches felt heavy in my pocket, heavy like—like a black hole—sucking me in. That’s what it felt like. I had a headache, too; that didn’t help. My head was splitting, the more I thought about it.

Light the fire and go. It was like on a teeter-totter, the weight shifting. Go, go, go, did it matter if I went? It was so late at night, so dark, they were probably all asleep. Probably all of them were asleep, even the kids who stayed up late and listened to music after their parents made them turn the light off and what if they all panicked, once they saw the flames, and couldn’t open the door right because they were too scared. I thought of scratch marks on the door, when they dropped the key they couldn’t fit in the lock, it never stuck before; they couldn’t do it in the dark and the fire, right there—they’d drop it and scream and scratch at the door, but no one would know, because the door would burn right after them. They wouldn’t see the scratches on the door, but I’d know they were there, scratched into the ashes too, of the door and the people.

If I lit the match I could go, run, run right into the river, and stay there.

I took the matches out of my pocket but I dropped them before I could light one, in the grass. I couldn’t see them in the dark. Suddenly panic latched onto my spine and reared up, and I fell to the ground looking for them, but I couldn’t see them in the dark, and the flames rose around me, and I scratched at the ground but they weren’t there, they weren’t anywhere. I thought of them finding them in the day time and not knowing, they’d never know. I started crying because I didn’t want to die, I didn’t want them to die, I didn’t want to kill them, if I lit the matches I’d run straight into the river, I’d die, die, die.

I find the matches and threw them into the street and ran.

Maia!

Today I saw Maia for the first time in two months! Her hair is cut shorter but she's basically the same as always, except now full of camp-stories.

We wandered around the park by her house, catching up, getting my feet wet with dew and such. It was a comparatively cool day, so I wore jeans, though walking around a park in the sun might not have been the best place for that. I really love these jeans I got recently! They're so comfortable! Since it was stuffy, we wandered back to her house, and compared weird songs on our iPods. She won, by far. She has a song about a broom. I think that basically surmises it.

I also built a pathetically small pillowhive. We ran around her house looking for cats, too, which is basically like a past time of mine. Running around looking for cats. One of her cats is mean, but the other one was so nice! I love cats, really.

I didn't do any summer reading, though that's not really a surprise. I meant to, really! I'll try to get some done tonight. I finally have all of my school supplies, but I feel weird about putting my backpack together before I know my schedule. I wish I remembered when the revised version was supposed to arrive!

Oh God this entry is a rambling mess. I'm too tired to fix it! Good night, friends!

Who waaaants to thiiiink of a tiiiitle?

Today was a pretty good day, though once again I neglected to do any summer reading. Eventually I'm just going to have to buckle down and get that down, especially since we have around two weeks left of summer. Two weeks! I can't even believe that; it just seems so abnormal. It's weird to think that one day I won't have school anymore, or even that I won't be on a schedule of six hours a day, five days a week. Well, I still have two more years to deal with this (unlike all you college-bound people--jealous!).

I basically had the dinner of champions tonight. Popcorn, taquitos, and pizza pockets, while we sat on the couch and watched The Hunger Games. That just ended, actually, and I'm reminded how much I liked it. It's very true to the book, which is always a good thing in a movie adaption. Unless the book's awful, I don't know.

I decided what I want to be for Halloween! A dryad! Isn't that an awesome costume? I figure I'll get a flowy green dress and sew a bunch of fake leaves to it, and stuff like that. The best part is I also got Shari and Maia to dress as different kinds of nymphs, so Halloween is basically gonna be kickass. I guess I'm thinking pretty far ahead, but seriously, a dryad. We're gonna try to get Kim on board, too!

Speaking of Kim, she might not be able to come to my birthday party! That's a major bummer. Other people may not be able to sleep over, which is really more of a minor inconvenience. They can still come during the day, after all! I really gotta start cleaning, especially my room, which at this point is a disaster area. I tried to assemble a chair, but it was missing some parts, and now there are a couple chunks of chair kind of strewn about my floor.

I guess that's about it. Tomorrow I am definitely going to get some summer reading done! And see Maia! Till next time, friends :)

By the way, sing the title to the tune of the chorus in Who Wants to Live Forever?.

Back Again!

So you may have noticed that yesterday's entry wasn't written by me (considering the title was "I am not Strawberry"). By the time I got back from the activities of yesterday, my mom wouldn't let me on the computer, and I couldn't do it from my phone. I need to stop saving it till the last minute!

The aforementioned activities consisted of eating at Five Guys with Joy, Andrew, and Zack, and then wandering about the surrounding shopping area for an hour. I guess that doesn't sound too exciting, but it was really nice! Zack and Andrew are funny guys, and a lot of the time I was trying to hold in raucous laughter while Joy rolled her eyes. The food is pretty good, too; I'd forgotten that Five Guys is a pretty decent place. The shopping area was a little boring in and of itself, but everything is better when you have friends around!

Maia is now back for realziez, so I hope to see her soon! We have so much to talk about and so much writing to do. So much writing. We discussed going to the park on Sunday, which sounds like a good plan.

Oh, I almost forgot! My aunt was awesome enough to send me a birthday card in the mail, and included a check for one hundred dollars! I need to write her a thank you before I forget, gosh. Anyway, against my mother's better judgement, I'm only going to deposit half of it in my emaciated bank account, and save the rest for shopping escapades. I probably won't get my boots with it, but I'll get other clothes and then go back to saving for boots! This came at a good time, since I intend to go to the mall with Kim at some point.

My birthday is in just over a week! This of course means that cleaning will have to start soon, but I can't wait to hit you all with a massive post about it like last year! SO EXCITING!

Good night, friends!

I am not Strawberry.

I'm her overworked, underpaid friend Kim. She can't use the computer at the moment, and apparently she needs to post something every day for BEDA (or whatever it's called). I think I'll be decent about it, though. I'll actually talk for a bit, rather than posting a one-sentence blog entry.
Strawberry is not dead! She has not been abducted by extraterrestrials or drowned tragically in a neighborhood swimming pool, which actually could happen, because she can't swim. I know, right? I would attempt to teach her, but I know that it would end with her screeching like a banshee and punching me in the face. The only thing plaguing her is frustration over her ridiculously incorrect schedule. I feel bad talking about it, because my schedule was actually perfect, and it was one of few perfect schedules. If Strawberry isn't able to switch back into AP English...oh goodness, she would have a fit.
I'd better receive some compensation for this non-school required writing. Gah. School in two weeks. Bash my head into a wall. Kick a table and stub my toe. Rage about it to my dog when no one's around. "I cry everytiem." I'm proud to say that I'm ahead of our beloved Strawberry with summer reading. "Ahead" is an understatement, actually.
Actually, I'm being rather harsh on her. I'll stop now, I promise. I prooooomise. ...Don't punch me the next time you see me, Strawberry. Because of me, you're still in BEDA, whatever that is!
Oh, it's almost Strawberry's birthday! Hurray! Fanfare! Cheers! This girl can almost legally drive. Scary stuff. If you live within a 10-mile radius of her, beware. Road sign proposal: Drivers beware. Strawberry is nearby. Proceed with caution.
The sign would flash when she's nearby. Clever, no? Anyway, this has to be posted by midnight, and there's about 30 minutes left, but I don't want to cut it close in case I accidentally delete this and have to retype it. If I do... good grief. You would all get three words maximum if I'm forced to retype this.
Adios.
Aloha.
Alohamora.
.....That's a Harry Potter spell. I don't know. Don't question it.

-Kim

Joy

I was going to do this twenty minutes ago but I was distracted by looking through my friend's Facebook photos, commenting on all of the embarrassing ones.

I saw Joy today! It was really great. We checked out Barnes and Noble and thent tried on prom dresses completely out of season. I showed her the boots I wanted and she tried on some ridiculous heels. It was a good time, and I can't wait to see her tomorrow too!

So this entry is pathetic but I have to go to bed now (emphasis on the now) so till tomorrow, friends!

Up to My Eyeballs

Today I dropped off the schedule-changing sheet at the school. Now all I can do is wait and hope it's not impossible for me to get the classes I want. I want to take physics, gosh darn it!

If anyone was wondering, these are the boots I really want. I love that style! Haha, I bet they'll go well with the wonderful jacket I'm totally going to own on (approximately) the 22nd. Man, Kim wants to go to the mall next weekend, too. I am up to my eyeballs in shopping! Though as of now I have 8 dollars, so, maybe not so much shopping as much as wishful thinking. I'd still really like a casual dress and, like, a tee-shirt. I guess that sounds silly, but I don't have any cute, comfortable tee-shirts to wear when I feel lazy! Oh, and I'd like a comfy hoodie to wear over the tee-shirt when it gets colder. What I really want, of course, is endless revenue.

Tomorrow I'll be seeing Joy for the first time in months! I'm so excited to catch up with her! Thursday, she, Andrew, Zack, and I will go see a movie. That's the plan right now, anyway. Maybe this weekend I'll see Maia FINALLY. I kind of want to take all of the things I've written in her absence and ambush her with them. She is my writing buddy, after all.

I'm tempted to read my entries from last year. I remember on the first day of school last year, I only got two-and-a-half hours of sleep and was completely miserable. Hopefully that doesn't happen this year! I should probably stop staying up till two in the morning in time for school. I really do not have a healthy sleep schedule.

Till next time! :)

Updates all around!

Once again I forget until it's time to go to bed! Curses.

I called the school today and it seems my last guidance counselor retired. Unfortunately this doesn't help me fix my schedule, so tomorrow I'm going to go drop off the "schedule problem" sheet, which is overflowing with class changes. I'm still trying to figure out how they could get it so wrong. Anyway, after I turn it in, all I can do is wait and hope they can fix it.

In other news, Joy has come back, and I should be seeing her on Wednesday and Thursday! It'll be so great to catch up. I haven't seen her in ages. Maia also came back, but she's leaving for Paris (jealous!!!) today. When she comes back, we can finally hang out, and discuss Q&K! I'm so so so excited to see her again; we have so much to talk about!

In other OTHER news, I decided to just save up the $60 needed for the boots that I really, really want. I mean, waiting around to have enough money isn't going to get me anywhere. Also, my dad was nice enough to get that jacket I really want! It should come this week and I'm insanely happy about that. I love new clothes.

I have to go to bed now, so, till next time, friends :)

I almost forgot again!

I don't really have anything to talk about today. I really didn't do much of anything, though I originally intended to do some summer reading. I looked at the clock about an hour ago, though "Gee! I should blog!" and promptly forgot till just now. I have to go to bed soon. Euch, today was a waste.

Enjoy this picture of a cat.

Also, I decided to continue replying the old way for longer comments, but short ones I'll just reply to on here.

How are you all?

A Good Day

I did a good thing today. Not a good thing in like a cosmic, humanitarian sense, but a thing that makes me happy. That I needed to do. Some things, once you realize that they're true, you have to say out loud. I did say it out loud (albeit very quietly) and now I'm happy, happy, happy.

As for the more mundane things I did today, I went to the park! Maya is a good park buddy. Tegan doesn't really like the park, but whatever, it was fun. There's a little hollow in the ground where, if you approach quietly, you can see a little frog, but it wasn't there today. The blue heron that makes the park its home was there, though! Blue herons fly so beautifully, especially rising from the water. It's not really elegant or anything, but it arrests your attention. I can't explain it.

Tegan's family picked us up and they were nice enough to bring me out to dinner with them. We went to some fancy Italian place, the name of which I forget, and it was really just fantastic. I ate every bite, including dessert (rasberry cheesecake--oh sweet lord, so good), and the atmosphere was nice too. Someone was playing music, and he did a lot of Beatles covers that sounded remarkably like the originals. I kept smiling, thinking about that good thing I did, and Tegan rolled her eyes every time, since she knows what it is. After dinner, we compared cursive with the fancy silver sharpie the hostess gave us to mark our leftovers.

I'm thinking about replying on here instead of on your blogs. I don't know, though. It kind of feels like the conversation is more connected, the old way. I guess that's silly. What do you guys think?

This entry somehow took me an hour to write. I write so slowly! Well, till next time, friends!

Schedules have arrived!

I am completely infuriated! After waiting an hour with Tegan with all sorts of excitement, our schedules arrive, and I discover that mine is COMPLETELY messed up! I am actually amazed at how thoroughly wrong it is. Over half the schedule is wrong!

For starters, I'm slated for English 3A instead of 3AP. That's two entire levels I've been dropped! Similarly, what should be U.S. History 2AP is 2A. Physics, which I've looked forward to for years, is absent; in its place is Biology 2. Finally, in what would be my period for an elective, during which I intended to take study hall, I have sports entertainment market first semester and international business the second.

So, as of now my schedule is horrible, but it's likely there was a computer error. I say this because the guidance counselor named at the top of the page is wrong. We don't change guidance counselors, so my hope is that my schedule simply got mixed up with someone else's--maybe someone who is very confused as to why they're taking physics and study hall. As for the rest of my classes, they're technically correct, but it's likely that they'll be rearranged when I fix what's been messed up, so it's really like I haven't gotten my schedule at all.

Unfortunately, the school is only open Monday through Thursday in the summer, so I have to wait until Monday to call them and find out what happened. Hopefully I can sort this out without too much difficulty.

Till tomorrow, friends.

Clothes! As far as the eye can see!

Today I went to the mall with Shari, and it was really just fantastic! I actually bought things, which I haven't done in so long. Having new clothes is such a good feeling.

We started off, as we often do, with Forever 21. Usually we don't find much there, but I saw these lovely jeans for only $10.80. They're skinny jeans, but they're such a pretty color. Dark denim is my favorite. And they'd look nice tucked into boots, if I had boots. I don't have boots, but I want them. Goodness gracious, I'd do anything for a nice pair of boots.

Since I had some jeans to try on, I of course needed a shirt, and this wonderful dark red color caught my eye. The sweater is thin, but surprisingly warm, and I just can't wait till it's cool enough to wear it. I love sweaters, especially in lovely colors. After that, we went to the food court for lunch, and went into J.C.Penney's since it was close by. I don't normally like that store, but Shari bid me try something on.

I'm really surprised that I like these shorts. I've never had pants in any interesting color, or with a pattern, or anything like that! But they're really comfortable and not super short like my other pair. I don't normally wear shorts to school, but maybe I'll make an exception for these.

Other stores weren't as successful, but I did get some adorable earrings from Nordstroms. I can't find them online, but they're little white flowers. I thought I could wear them with my new floral attire!

There's still some things I want to get before school starts. I shall make a list for my benefit and yours!

• A cardigan. My favorite one has a hole in it, and I can't seem to find it anyway. There was one that I really liked on Forever 21, but they're out of stock now. Now I'm thinking this would be a good one to buy, but I'm not sure what color. Any thoughts?
• Shoes! Shoes are so great; I wish I had more of them. I'll need sneakers, of course, but I'd like a pair of flats or something that I can wear skirts and such with in the fall. Of course what I'd really like is a pair of boots, but boots are in general a bit more expensive than I'm willing to splurge for.
• A casual dress (or two or three). I always, always want more dresses. It's really unhealthy. But aren't dresses so nice? It's like wearing a skirt, but you don't have to worry about a matching top!
• A new dress for Model UN, because really, I'm addicted to business-appropriate attire.
• This jacket. I don't know if I've ever loved anything more than I love this jacket, except for boots.

I should really stop this before I amass a small fortune's worth of wishful thinking.

Good Feelings

Almost forgot AGAIN! I'm awfully tired and my head feels scattered, so pardon me in advance if this is not the best entry I've ever written. I think it's all the noise that's making me all fuzzy. I just feel like there's a lot of noise around me, from the air conditioner and from the music playing and everything. I'm bad at concentrating with noise. I should stop playing it when I do homework.

Today, continuing my streak of being abnormally busy, I hung out with Kristen! It was really fun and I haven't seen her in ages. We got eaten alive by mosquitos at a park, and walked to Dunkin Donuts, and gossiped about all the people we haven't seen all summer. As we walked back to her house, someone from school rode by on a bike, and it was so bizarre seeing them during summer. We also got lemonade from some cute kids, and chilled at her house for a few before my mom picked me up. I love Kristen because she's so easy to talk to; we never really run out of things to say. Now I find it weird that she'll probably read this! Hi Kristen!

Tomorrow I'm going to the mall with Shari, another friend I haven't seen in far too long. I probably won't get anything, because I've been perpetually broke, but I might try on the things I want to get online and boot off the list anything that doesn't fit. So, that's the plan. I just got the latest copy of Seventeen, so now I just want all the clothes. All of them. Clothes are so great. I wore a skirt today and felt bizarrely done up for summer, when usually I just wear shorts and a tank top. But it was nice to put effort into my clothes like I do for school.

I find it so weird that I used to wear the same hoodie every day, and jeans that were two sizes too big for me. It seems that as my style has improved, my confidence has gone up a lot. I'm still a giggly, nervous wreck sometimes, but it's much easier to talk to people than it ever was in years previous. Maybe next year the trend will continue and I'll actually become something resembling confident!

Speaking of next year, I feel like it's going to be really great. I'm excited for my classes and for seeing people, and inspired to buckle down and do the work I have to. Last year it all kind of went to hell, but I'm not a bad student at heart. So as September approaches, I get more and more excited. I can't believe I'm a junior already! An upperclassmen! Most of you reading are older than me, but you must know how I feel. Isn't it exciting? :D

I feel really happy right now, just in general. I'm happy with my friends and the summer and everything. I hope you're all feeling happy too! Or if you're not, that you will soon :)



Great Adventure

Today I went to Great Adventure with Tegan and family! Zack made several puns about it being a great adventure, and I was tempted to make one in the title, but decided I was above all that.

It was really great, though, and I don't even mean that as a pun. We started right off with Nitro, so I didn't have time to get used to, you know, jarring heights and speeds. Good golly do I hate heights. But Nitro is a great ride, and we ended up going on three times, once when it was dark, which was really better. The third time, some mean lady was in front of us who thought we were talking about her when we talked about people skipping in line and got all defensive. I tried to tell her that we weren't talking about her but whatever, some people just feel entitled to be mean.

I could've explained to her that if we did have a problem with her cutting (she and another had met with the rest of their party, who were in front of us), we wouldn't have done it in a backhanded way like talking about it with our group so they'd overhear. That's what she did when she thought we were insulting her. I guess it's not worth thinking about it, but I just hate people who are so mean and think everyone is trying to insult them.

We didn't go on El Toro or Bizarro, because the lines were just ridiculously long. We went on this new ride several times, though. It just spun around, but it was addicting in its simplicity, I guess. For some reason, after escaping relatively unscathed from Congo Rapids, we decided to go on again and all got completely soaking wet. Wet denim is unbearable, but at least it kept us cool!

The food there is so expensive, and not even that good, though the mozerella sticks I had for dinner were decent. The great part was hanging out with Tegan, which I haven't done in a while since she's been on vacation. It was a good day, and I didn't even get that burned! Success. I really want one of this superhero tee-shirts, but not Batman because everyone does Batman.

Tomorrow I'm going over to Kristen's house! I haven't seen her in ages so that'll be fun. I need to ask about going to the mall on Thursday with Shari. And on Saturday, we should be seeing Joy! This week will be a good week. Till next time, friends.

Ramblerambleramble

So here I am late once again. I'm technically supposed to go to bed now, but I could not forsake you, blogger friends! I've made it through, what, six days so far? That's impressive, if you ask me. Okay, it's not, and you didn't really ask me--though some could argue that by writing something with the expectation that you read I'm preemptively answering questions you have not actually asked yet--oh God make the rambling stop.

Today I hung out at Tegan's house, which is always nice, of course. I wish I had more friends who lived near me! Tomorrow we may or may not be going to Great Adventure; I don't really know anymore. If we aren't, it's no big deal. I can focus on writing something, maybe. Or reading. Or doing anything productive and not lazy. In my heart I know I'll do nothing of the sort, but it's nice to dream of not being a lump for just one day.

I got what will be my last letter of the summer from Maia today! Snail mail with her is one of the best parts of my summer. Snail mail in general is really great; I wish my friends were more into it! I'm not sure if I have time to write her back, but I want to anyway. She'll be back in a week! I'm so unbelievably excited for this. We're gonna do all of the fun things. All of them.

I have to go now (a horrifying ten minutes after my bedtime--God have mercy on my soul) so good night, friends! Till next time!

Dresses!

I almost forgot today AGAIN. I'm so bad at remembering daily things. I remember to feed the fish every night even though I barely look at them, but I can't remember to blog even though I check my blog all day.

Today, between sessions of Spider Solitaire and random internetin', I tried on a couple of my dresses for kicks. I realized that I have this lacy gray dress vaguely reminiscent of the Flapper style which I never wear. It's not my favorite but with a belt it looks pretty nice. I've been craving something lacy anyway, so I may  start wearing it when school rolls around. Oddly enough, I originally got it for a Halloween costume.

I also tried on my Model UN dresses, which made me want to write a report and argue over the sovereignty of countries violating peace codes--just kidding, it made me want to try on heels and put my hair in a bun. I love dressing up for MUN! I'm afraid the teachers will notice that my dresses are a little inappropriate for the conferences and tell me to stop wearing them, though. They're not that bad, just one is a little short, and the other is a little low-cut. I always want to get more, too! Man, MUN dresses are great. If only I could walk in the heels.

So I might've just spent two paragraphs talking about dresses because I didn't do anything today. Till tomorrow, friends.

Happy happy happy

I almost forgot that I have to blog today, and every day. BEDA is hard for a forgetful soul like myself! I almost forgot even though I've started obsessively checking my dashboard several times a day. It's so nice to see people comment again. I mean, obviously there wouldn't be any new comments if I never blogged. So it's nice to, I don't know, have blog-buddy interaction.

I really didn't do anything today. Like, I fiddled about online and played Spider Solitaire for an hour. There was a storm earlier and lightning struck very close to my house. It was extremely loud and my mom gave me brownie batter to comfort me, because I was a tad shaken. The storm passed quickly, but I remained inside, being lumpy and whatnot. Man, I am so lumpy. It's a little depressing.

Tomorrow I'll try to write something and maybe go visit Tegan so I'm a little more productive. On Tuesday I'll be going to Great Adventure with Tegan! That'll be fun. And on Wednesday I'll go to Kristen's house. Then probably on Saturday I'll do something with Joy and the gang; don't know what yet. I'm in a pretty good mood, even though today was pretty boring. I wish I could talk about what's making me so happy but you know, tape over my mouth.

Oh gosh short entry all up in this place. I have nothing to talk about! I'm really excited to see someone but I won't for like a week and I'm soooo impatient. Gosh, guys, I'm in such a good mood.

Titles are Haaaaaaard

My last post got a bit messed up but I don't know how to fix it so no more hearts for us! It's...It's okay...I can express my love with...words...or something...

Last night I went bowling with Kim, Zack, and Harrison (Kim's boy toy), and, as predicted, I failed miserably. More than once I didn't hit any pins. On the second game, though, Zack actually did worse than I did! This is marginally gratifying. Also, Kim won some tickets at the arcade so she gave them to me and I got Twizzlers. Oh man do I love Twizzlers.

So I don't have many upcoming plans. Today I was super-duper proactive and printed out the summer reading (according to Zack, my future English teacher does indeed check the summer work, which causes me insufferable rage). As for actually reading the books/beginning the work, I have yet to begin. I want to start off the year well, so at some point I'll go to Barnes and Noble and pick up The Grapes of Wrath and The Tipping Point. I hope you can feel my excitement oozing through the screen.

What I'm really looking forward to is my birthday! I'll probably do a slumber party like last year. Maybe. I have yet to think of anything super fabulous for my 'sweet sixteen', but then, last year was pretty fabulous. I'll probably invite a couple more people this year, though. Of course, the only reason I have birthday parties is so all my friends will get me presents :D

I'm looking forward to getting my schedule, though that won't be till later this month. One of my classes was cancelled, unfortunately; most likely they'll replace it with a study hall, as I don't think I put down a second choice. It would be great if I had study hall with Kim or Zack! I'm also very excited for physics, though I've heard it's a hard class. If there's less theory and more good ol' fashioned math, I think I should be good. I would hate a repeat of last year's misery in chem. Man, every time I remember that I don't have to take chem next year, the relief is overwhelming.

When I get my schedule, I can compile a list of the school supplies I need and start the best task of the year: back to school shopping! I already have some notebooks and so much paper. I won't run out of paper all year! Okay, I'll still run out of paper, but it will last me a while, damn it.

I suppose I'll go stare at my clothing wishlist again, desperately trying to will money to appear in my wallet. What I wouldn't give for a good pair of boots and about ten more sweaters. Man, do I love sweaters.

I'm Full of Good Ideas

So, in an effort to redeem myself for the lackluster (if that's not an under-exaggeration) blogging these past few months, I decided to copy Lizzie and do BEDA. These is clearly an excellent plan, since I have proven myself an extremely reliable blogger. Well, we'll see how this goes.

Unfortunately, Tegan's grandmother is sick, so we didn't go to Great Adventure. That'll be some time next week. Instead I'm going bowling! Tomorrow I'll tell you how well I do--if I can manage to get above a score of sixty or not. I'm not very good at bowling.

Today Kim and I trimmed the pricetag of my online shopping list, because I'm lame and don't actually go to the mall. Whenever school gets close, I want to just buy all of the clothes. Luckily for my wallet, Kim got me to abandon some things I really didn't need. I'm still broke and can't buy anything, but whatever, a girl can dream.

Whilst perusing, I rekindled my love for utility jackets. This one in particular. Isn't it wonderful? I'd never want to take it off <3 a="a" and="and" as="as" can="can" dollar="dollar" enough="enough" expensive="expensive" for="for" get="get" goes="goes" haul="haul" hope="hope" hopefully="hopefully" i="i" is="is" it="it" jacket="jacket" ll="ll" me.="me." my="my" nothing="nothing" of="of" out="out" over="over" p="p" parents="parents" potential="potential" rest="rest" save="save" stock.="stock." the="the" thirty="thirty" tipping="tipping" to="to" up="up" without="without">

I suppose I should also be worried about, you know, actual school supplies. My parents got me some new notebooks, and they're so lovely <3 all="all" are="are" best="best" blank="blank" class.="class." for="for" i="i" just="just" know="know" ll="ll" m="m" need="need" notebooks="notebooks" ones="ones" over="over" p="p" resisting="resisting" the="the" them="them" things.="things." to="to" until="until" urge="urge" which="which" write="write">

I need to go prepare for bowling adventures. Till next time, friends!

Agaaaiiinnn

I think the real problem is that I can't talk about what I really want to talk about because my mom reads my blog. It's actually very frustrating having a figurative tape over the mouth. It hinders my communicative abilities. I suppose she figures that if I don't tell her then I shouldn't tell anyone, or that she has a right to know my every thought, of course forgetting that she's frequently made it clear she's an unsympathetic ear, and placing restrictions on me which make full disclosure impossible. So I suppose the real reason I haven't been blogging is because of the tape over my mouth; I can't say what I want to, and everything else seems trivial. What, do I talk about what I had for lunch today?

I suppose this qualifies as something to talk about: on Sunday and Monday, I went to a place called Great Wolf Lodge with Kim. It's a hotel and water park, and the water park was fantastic. I've never stayed in a hotel before, so that was nice. It's basically the same as sleeping over at a friend's house. There was also an arcade, and Kim and I blew most of our coins on a horribly addictive game. I then spent all of my tickets on Twizzlers. Worth it? I think so.

Tegan has invited me to Great Adventure! That's tomorrow; on Friday I'll see if I can go to the mall with Kim. Yesterday I went to the park with Maya, Liz, and a girl named Darya who I hadn't formally met yet. A busy week after a summer of general ennui! Tegan has just come back from a month-long vacation, and Maia and Joy will be back in under two weeks. Hopefully, then, the last half of summer will be more eventful than the first.

When Maia gets back we'll have to meet to discuss Quills & Keys plans for next year. Really, I think our plans will be the same ones we had last year, but we'll actually do them this time. Things like writing contests and bake sales to fund field trips to hear authors speak! If we make it a more legitimate club, then it will look better on a college resume, of course. I don't think I have much going for me on my college resume right now, so I'd like "co-founder of Q&K" to mean something. That, and I love the club. I hope plenty of people join next year!

I have to go write a letter to Joy. Till next time, then.