My Middle School Friends

Right now, I´m sitting here at Burns Middle School hanging with a group of kids that are ages 12 to 14. Let me just say that they must be on something because these kids are so hyper and have so many ideas that it just completely blows my mind. Like, they're always screaming or telling you this really random but funny story that happened to them while they were in class. For instance, today, this little boy came in and was telling me all about how his teacher ripped him off on his grade and gave him a 65 when it was supposed to be a 90. Then, he went into this long spiel(sp?) about how this teacher was awful and how no one liked him and how the rumor was that everyone was trying to get him fired.

But besides that, they're pretty cool kiddies. They're so little and cute you just wanna give them this big ole hug. They always seem to think you are the coolest person alive because you're in high school and you have a laptop. But with the laptop come all the little nosy students. They're all like, "OOH! You have a laptop...Whatcha doin?...Can I see?" A little annoying at times, but very cute.

They also can't really play their instruments that well yet either. They're still in that stage where everything is hard and they just don't want to work hard enough to play all the good stuff. But that's okay, they'll get there. All I know is that it feels so cool to be able to sight read their stuff on the violin when I play cello! And I can transpose the base clef into treble so I can play the cello part on the violin. Oh yeah, I am soooooo awesome!

Anyways, I promised the kids at the middle school that I would blog about them and I hope this suffices. Love you cuties :)

Metal Forks

So I have a question: what is wrong with allowing mature teenagers to use metal utensils when they consume their midday meal? Honestly, why do we always have to use plastic forks, spoons, and knives (what a joke)? I mean, it's one thing to eat outdoors at a picnic complete with plastic silverware, but in the cafeteria? I guess it just goes along with the theme of FAKE! The food is fake and therefore we need fake forks? The only problem with this hole free philosophy is that the food is so fake that you can't cut it. The fork breaks before your food does. And that, I have to say, is completely depressing. And if you are of a cleanlier nature and avoid touching food at all costs, then you are toast. It is completely impossible to cut any of the food into bite size pieces that will fit in your mouth without spilling crumby stuff all over yourself.

And why, you may ask, do these horrible people not let us have metal things with which to cut our food like normal human beings? *Drum roll please* Because, we will use them as weapons. Yeah. Okay, well I can kind of see where they get this idea, because when fights break out in the cafeteria and girls will use their nails and pull out hair, it may not be a good idea to have a pile of metal forks just screaming, "Use me to stab her!" But honestly, because a few people are immature I am forced to use my hands to split food or risk breaking the thing? I don't like the idea at all.

But you see, that's not even the worst part. The ultimate gut puncher is that in elementary school, WE WERE ALLOWED TO HAVE METAL FORKS! Isn't that great? When you are six years old and can barely write your name, you are still allowed more privileges than a seventeen year old? Come on. That is insane.

Celebrity Crushes?

You know those types of people who hear the name of a celebrity and freak out about how gorgeous he is and how he was amazing in this movie or that? The same ones who start those freaky fan clubs that know every single detail about that person's life and scream whenever that person's name happens to be mentioned? Well, I am NOT one of those people. I feel sorry for the person who has to deal with all the paparazzi and the crazy stalker fans. But sometimes I find what's really sad about their lifestyle is that America doesn't fall in love with the actual person for who they are, but merely for the different characters they portray in movies or TV shows. It'd be such a bummer to have all these people who completely adored you for someone you're not and just pretended to be for a few weeks. When would you ever find someone who would look past all of the fame, fortune and plasticity of Hollywood and care about the person on the inside?

Now, I'm not saying that I won't say that so-and-so is cute or that if we lived in the same town that I'd like to date them or something. But going overboard and writing the fan mail that they never have time to read, or pasting posters of them all over every single possession? I'm not so sure that's even good to think about. It's just kind of hard for me to fathom why someone would want to plaster this person's pictures everywhere when in two weeks that person my not be cool anymore. I don't know, maybe I missed one of those girl genes...the one where you're completely boy-crazy at twelve, love to spend the day shopping, and wearing pink, glittery stuff. Sometimes to me, celebrity crushes seem like a far-fetched dream that has a slim chance of coming true.

Life without me?

I know this may sound crazy, but I'm going to say it anyways. Have you ever been living your life, just being normal, and then wondered what would happen if you were to die right then and there? Well....I do....sometimes.

Now anyone who knows me knows that I'm not the crazy psychopath who is obsessed with death. But sometimes I just wonder what kind of legacy I'll leave behind. If I'm in my car and I nearly run off the road, I think about the newspaper story that could be published, "Girl Crashes while Driving Home." And then I think about what they'll put in the story. Will they know how loud I had my music, or what song I was listening to when I crashed? Will they dig deeper and know why I was in a hurry, or what emotions were going through my head? Or will they just assume everything or make up random facts to make it a better story? Or maybe....what if I'm not driving home? Maybe I'm riding on a bus to a volleyball tournament or I'm walking through the mall after an academic competition and then...BANG! I'm dead. What kind of story would they make up then?

Then I think that what people really thought about me would surface. Would my friends be sad that I died? Did they think I was mean and selfish and bossy, or nice and caring like I tried to be. I just have this desire to know how I will be remembered when I am no longer on this Earth.

This whole interest in the legacy I will leave behind was probably sparked by one person, Alfred Nobel. Yes, he died in the late nineteenth century so I know there's this nagging question, "How did he affect ANYthing in your life?" Well, we were in youth group one night and my youth pastor read us this story. Back in the 1800s, there was a newspaper story written about this man who had died in some sort of accident on the road. It discussed how the people responded to his death by being happy that the inventor of the destructive dynamite was finally dead. There was only one problem: the man who invented the dynamite wasn't dead. What had happened in reality was that Alfred Nobel's brother had died in the accident, but the reporter had switched the names. Once Nobel realized what the general public thought of him, he quickly worked to change his name and use his brain for the good of all people. It puts life into perspective and makes you wonder whether you're living the life that deserves a legacy.

Fall Colors

The prettiest and greatest thing about fall is the changing leaves. The brilliance of the gold, scarlet, and fiery oranges mesmerizes all who witness their beauty. When I come home in the afternoons, I love glancing out the windows and noticing how every color, though different, seems to fit perfectly with the other colors around it.

But I have to say, there is this one tree, and I have no idea what type it is, but I call it the "Fire Tree." Believe me, it completely deserves it. When autumn first begins, the leaves are dyed a bright, sunny yellow, but only on top. As fall continues to progress, the leaves on the inside of the tree begin to changes to the gorgeous yellow and the leaves on top crisp to a pumpkin orange. Finally, towards the end of the season, the inside burns the bright orange and the top is a dusty rouge. Every now and then, the sun catches the leaves just perfectly, and the tree seems to glow from within. Now I'm not a very good artist, and never have been, but seeing this tree makes me wish that I could just attempt to capture the beauty displayed before me. But, since I don't have this talent, each time I drive by, I take a few extra seconds to look at the tree and think about how pretty it is. And that, is pretty much the highlight of most of my fall days.

I Feel Pretty

I'm not sure if people have done studies on this or not, but does anyone else notice how you always feel so much better and more confident if you think you look good? I mean, the days that I feel awful, I dress sloppily and I don't feel happy all day. But the days I wake up and I'm happy, I look in my closet and find the cutest outfit and make sure my make-up looks absolutely fabulous. It doesn't matter what's happening that day or how many projects I have due, "I feel pretty" and that's all that matters.

So with this attitude, you'd think that I love shopping. Well, you're wrong. I'm not sure why, but the lure of new clothes and such doesn't really appeal to me. Well, I take that back. If it's not my money, but I'm still buying for me, shopping for clothes can be a lot of fun. If it's for me, and I have a friend/sister, and it's not my money, and we leave when my feet start to hurt, then I love it. Otherwise, ehhh, I'm not so sure. Hours upon hours spent in a store trying on ten different when outfits when you might buy one, does not sound appealing. And that's just one store! Then you have to drive/walk over to another place to find the exact same style clothes with a different brand, so you gotta try on stuff there too! It's like the field trip that never ends. So yeah, all you religious Black Friday shoppers, while you're standing in line at 3 A.M. in the freezing cold so you can get this present for your grandma, think of me, snuggled up in my covers, oblivious to the outside world :)

Birthday :)

So over fall break was my birthday and of couse it was one of the greatest days ever. Not because of the presents I've received or anything like that, but because of the people who came to my party and the time I spent with them. That to me is better than any sort of gift they could bring to me. I don't get to spend near enough time with the people I care about and these occasions grant me that time. I feel bad for the people who think that if they don't have enough money to buy me a present then they shouldn't come at all. Like, that seriously doesn't matter to me, and I wish that they could know that and still come out and enjoy the fun.
The Friday before my birthday, we had a party with just my family. It was sort of chaotic, but that was to be expected with such a large group that included three children under the age of four. We ate dinner and laughed at funny things that had happened during the week. Overall it was a great night, and we had so much fun chasing the little kiddies around and playing outside. Oh, and I got a new cell phone...yay!
The next week, I had a small party with a few of my girlfriends. That, I have to say, was hilarious. It was supposed to be a movie night, but we talked so much that we only watched one movie: The Proposal. After we watched it we laughed for hours and then made s'mores indoors which was pretty great if you ask me. We had several of them catch on fire, too, which is kind of scary when the flaming marshmallow is right next to your face! Just a small fire hazard. But then, we broke out the camera. I started taking random pictures: goofy, action shots, and a few good ones. It's so funny how people react to the camera. Like sometimes they'd run and hide, or others....hide behind a tree like a secret agent. Yeah, you may not want to ask about that one. haha!

Sensory Halloween

Well, as many of my friends know, I don't do Halloween. My parents didn't like the idea of having the five of us dressing up to participate in the most Satanic day of the year (not dissing I promise, just explaining why I don't do it). Anyways, a few years back my church started this thing called Harvest fest so I'll describe that.
Busts of laughter ring through the air as I perch on my stand. "Okay, it's all clear. Ready? Set? GO!" I shout to the 3 feet tall children beside me. As Superman races the Incredible Hulk through the huge inflatable obstacle course, I catch glimpses of their red and green costumes. Next in line, Cinderella is anxiously awaiting her turn, although she doesn't appear to be more than three years old. Shyly, she bats her eyes at the adults while she waits for the green light. Her smile melts my heart like marshmellows in hot chocolate. As I once again give the signal to the kiddies to race, I inhale deeply. The scent of hot dogs, hay, and bonfires penetrate my nostrils and again I am reminded of the amazingness of fall. Protecting me from the freezing temperatures I have on 3 shirts, a sweatshirt, leggings, blue jeans, and an amazing UK sock cap. With the wind nipping at my cheeks, I look around at the smiling faces and realize that this is the greatest place to be on Halloween: serving the community and spreading the Good News :)

All Clammed Up

Anytime I get mad or extremely emotional, I just completely lose my voice. It's not like I don't have enough words, because believe me I do, it just feels like my vocal cords have been strangled by my emotions. When someone says something that goes against what I believe in a derrogatory way, my anger instantly flares up in such a consuming way that it's kind of scary sometimes. Like today, we were in US History and my teacher was making remarks about republicans and democrats. Now I know that that shouldn't make me mad or aggravated, but sometimes it seems as if he's taking a personal stab at me and my beliefs. When he finally asked me what I thought on the matter, I was so mad that all I could do was bite my lip in an effort not to say something uncuth and rude. But then the problem is that everyone misinterprets the silence as admitting that I'm wrong, which is totally not the case. Sometimes I wish that I was gifted in the art of thinking quickly on my feet, but as that is not the case, I'll just have to get over it.

Sadie Hawkins

Okay, so as many of you know, Sadie Hawkins is coming up. And I was really bored during AP Calculus so I decided to look up the origin of Sadie Hawkins. There was a comic strip back in the late 1930's created by a man named Al Capp. He made this little town, Dogpatch (no lie), and explains the origin of Sadie Hawkins Day like this:
Sadie Hawkins was the daughter of one of the earliest settlers of Dogpatch, Hekzebiah Hawkins. She was the homeliest gal in all them hills. . . . For 15 years, [she] had failed to catch a husband. Her pappy, in desperation, one day called together all the eligible bachelors of Dogpatch."

He declared Sadie Hawkins Day. A starting gun is fired, to give the boys a head start, then a second gun is fired, and, as her father says, when Sadie "starts a-runnin', th'one she ketches'll be her husband."

Sadie did catch one of the boys. The other spinsters of Dogpatch reckoned it were such a good idea that Sadie Hawkins Day was made an annual affair.

So, later in the strip he uses Sadie Hawkins Day to spark an ongoing romance between Daisy Mae and Lil Abner. So that's why the girls ask the guys and the rest of the random traditions that go with the dance. Random fact of the day for ya! And it's all on www.straightdope.com. Isn't that great?

Oh and here is one of the strips that appeared in papers all over America: