The Attack of the Sheetle

So, it's the last day of BEDA. Today, I present you with a long and complicated story.

The Attack of Sheetle
On a lovely final day of April, a young girl was walking around her neighborhood, thinking about her homework she needed to finish and the epidemic of flu and balloons.* It was a beautiful day for once, which is an unusual happening in Colorado Springs in April. However, she had just taken a huge math test and was also freaking out about it and hoping her teacher accepted her homework a tad bit late.

So, this young girl was wandering around on a path, when she suddenly discovered a beetle and a sheep stumbling across her path.

Upon this, she remembered what everyone had been freaking out about at school and on the news and in the newspaper. In fact, her best friend seemed to know everything about it, and was panicking and spewing facts. What was the name though? ...............Oh, yes. Sheetle flu! More dangerous than the swine flu affecting Mexico, more dangerous than the avian flu, and immediately fatal. Well, not immediately, but in just a few short days, and she always liked to exaggerate. She quickly walked away from the beetle and sheep, trying to remember everything she could about sheetle flu.

It was a combination of sheep and beetles, obviously. The beetles gave it to the sheep, who could easily give it to humans just by passing very close to them. Quickly doing some math equations, involving vectors and matrices and derivatives, she determined that she had just barely missed the distance in which she could have caught sheetle flu from the sheep. She was safe for now, but just by a small margin.

She quickly walked on, trying to recall more about sheetle flu. What was it her friend had said in French class? Oh, yes! He had given her a paper clip stolen from the teacher, telling her that it would protect her from sheep infected with sheetle flu.** As I am sure you know, sheep were secretly trying to take over the world, and defeat their human oppressors.But, now the beetles have joined with the sheep, to cause a cruel and brutal end to the human race. Panicking, she pulled out her paper clip, hoping it would protect her even further if it was actually in contact with her skin.....

Then, as she was nearing her home, she passed a yard full of dandelions, and another flashback of knowledge came to her. DANDELIONS WERE A SIGN OF PLACES INFECTED WITH THE SHEETLE FLU. And this yard was full of them. She stared in horror at the lost house, and then quickly ran away towards home to find some help.

She ran through her door, and upstairs to her cell phone,where she dialed Hank Green. Even though Hank had no clue who she was, Hank could fix everything with his amazing powers of awesomeness and songwriting. Hank quickly agreed, and rushed over from Montana, to save the state of Colorado, all the way singing, "What Would Captain Picard Do?"*** It took Hank only a few hours to quarantine and heal the infected people by replacing them with awesome, and to remove all the infected sheep and beetles from the town.

The girl hugged him and thanked him for saving her beautiful town, and immediately invited him to dinner at her house. The whole town had a celebration in honor of Hank, and she went to bed thinking of the amazing awesome**** Hank. When she woke up, she saw Hank's plane flying back to Montana, and knew that everything was right in the world again.

AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER. THE END.
Okay, two more quick parts.
One: Awful math test =( I only missed 8 points, which isn't bad especially for Mr. Perry's test, but...well, it was annoying. And confusing. *sigh*

Also, IT'S THE LAST DAY OF BEDA!!!!
*streamers* *crying* *balloons exploding* *sobbing* *handing out of BEDA cake* *sits in a corner, wondering what will happen now*

As you can tell from that, I don't really know how to feel about this. I mean, part of me is very happy, because I actually accomplished the task of blogging every day, and it was a lot of fun. I feel like we should have a huge BlogTV party or something, complete with dancing and cake and streamers and fireworks and the handing out of signed copies of Suite Scarlett.

On the other hand, I am quite sad. I had so much fun doing this! I mean, I'm going to keep blogging, especially now that I have gotten into the swing of things, and I think that my blogging has improved.***** And I've met so many awesome friends through this, from all over the world, and gained a bazillion inside jokes. Oh, and I gained a tiny little monkey. And I'm scared that everyone will go away after today, and not come back. Which would be incredibly sad, because I would miss my friends!

How does everyone else feel about the ending of BEDA? Happy? Sad? Confused? Indifferent? COMMENT!
However, I did wear my "party socks" in celebration of today.******

So, congratulations on surviving BEDA! We need to make shirts or something for everyone! Or, we could just all go buy ourselves a copy of Suite Scarlett in paperback!

Cheers! DFTBA! And DON'T STOP BLOGGING!!!!!! KEEP IN TOUCH!

*Why balloons? Who knows!!!!!!! Because she's random that way.
**Just as in real life, my life is worth more than my French teacher's. *wink*
***That's the song Hank was singing on BlogTV while I was writing that section of the story
****Because I have no other word choice, apparently
*****What do y'all think? Has my blogging improved? Am I at all funny? Or do you just read my blogs and lie about how much you like them. LEAVE THE TRUTH IN THE COMMENTS.
******Those aren't actually my party socks. Although, if y'all like them, they might become them. I think they are VERY festive.

Swing hard!!!!!

I think I'm running out of blog ideas. And since it's 9:15 at night, and I have a huge stupid math test tomorrow....Uh....Don't expect this to be great.

Well, so tonight was our MYP Completion Ceremony. Ugh. So pointless. And I was not kidding when I said this morning that I didn't have the time for it. First, it was in the gym, with us sitting on the bleachers. So a lot of the numbers got sort of messed up, and we had to fix them when we were getting in line to receive our certificates. Also, IT WAS SO FREAKING UNCOMFORTABLE!!!!!!!!! Especially when I'm wearing a skirt and Mr. Thompson (the IB coordinator) is rambling on about baseball for half an hour. Which brings me to my second point:

What was up with that speech about Mickey Mantle, Mr. Thompson?! He asked one of my classmates who Mickey Mantle was, and all he knew was that he played baseball. (Though, that's more than I knew...I had no clue who he even was!) Seriously, none of us had any clue what he was talking about. Even the PRINCIPAL didn't know what Mr. Thompson was talking about. I don't think Mr. Thompson himself knew what he was talking about. He just kept rambling on and talking and talking. Quote: "Let me give you a brief history of his aunt now..." As we're all sitting there, talking, and conused, and bored, and reading texts over my friend's shoulder. Also, "So his dad started throwing all his clothes into the open suitase and...you know......*trails off*" Uh...okay. Then he went on talking about all the home runs Mantle made, and his farthest hit, and also all the times he struck out in his career. (We're fidgeting and getting uncomfortable and wanting to get out of that stupid gym over to the cookies and lemonade) In the end, he managed to tie it back into IB by saying something like, "You have to swing hard to hit a home run."

This was us during his talk:

The funniest part was when he finally released us. There was a stampede of kids running down bleachers trying to get out of that stupid gym. Basically, it was really boring. As I said, I've been in IB since 3rd grade, and our principal was talking on and on about the "IB character traits" such as "Thinker" and "Risk Taker" and "Well-Rounded." Me: God, it's like we're back at Academy International or something!* He also used the word "IB-ish." Which is a very "IB" word.** And, just as he does every single morning on the announcements, he ended with a quote.

Oh, and my friend Chris didn't get his certificate!!! They couldn't find it in the pile, along with one other. But the other girl got hers afterward, and Chris didn't! =( She was walking away and I was like, "Hey! Chris didn't get his either!" We were joking that our French teacher had something to do with it, because she despises him. Honestly, though, I don't know why we needed a whole boring, long ceremony, when they could have just mailed us our certificates. I did get some fun pictures, a video of Jon "being funny,"*** and some really fun inside jokes from now on about Mr. Thompson and Chris "not graduating" MYP. (for now)

I completed MYP! 8 YEARS OF IB DOWN, 2 MORE TO GO!!!!!!

Uh....I kind of feel like I should do something else in this blog, so I'm going to do some quick in your pants jokes:
The Magical World of Harry Potter....In Your Pants
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland....In Your Pants
The Great Gatsby.....In Your Pants
The Other Side of You....In Your Pants
The Secret Life of Bees....In Your Pants
The Odyssey....In Your Pants
Animal Farm.....In Your Pants
A Ring of Endless Light...In Your Pants
And my favorite by me:
Hope is not a Plan...In Your Pants

Okay, off to study a bit more for math (although, it's kind of pointless) and fill out a chart for history. Sorry I'm so boring this last week of BEDA! =( Hopefully tomorrow, OUR LAST DAY, I'll be more interesting.

Cheers! DFTBA!

*Academy International was my elementary school, where I did the PYP program for IB
**Not an IB word. Geez...
***I told him to be funny, and he obliged. =)

Wizard Rock Awareness Day

It's Wizard Rock Awareness Day!!!!!!!!! In all honesty, I don't really know WHAT that's supposed to mean...I mean, I'm in the facebook group, I love Wrock, and....I'm trying to make the people of BEDA maybe more aware of the movement than they already are.* =]

Well, I still firmly stand that the Wizard Rock movement started with Harry and the Potters in 2002. I know technically the Switchblade Kittens released "Ode to Harry" before that, but I'm not really sure I consider them to be a wizard rock band...You can argue about it, but I'm sticking next to Paul and Joe!

Okay, once again I don't have an awful lot of time to write this blog, so I'm going to summarize several of my favorite Wrock Bands =]

The Moaning Myrtles
Lauren Fairweather and Nina Jankowicz from New Jersey. I think one of the reasons I love the Moaning Myrtles is because I relate to Lauren a lot, based on her fiveawesomegirls videos especially. How lonely she was, and how much Harry Potter has given to her! Plus, they're both just so funny and sweet....and I love that they chose to write about a ghost, Myrtle, who everyone likes to make fun of. And, they even took picture for their CD cover in a bathroom stall to accentuate the fact that they're representing a ghost who lives in a bathroom.

Their songs are so...varied, too. Some are just plain funny ("Emo Guy" "What About Myrtle"), and some are really sweet and true ("Transparent" "It's Too Late"). Both of them also do so-called "muggle music" on their own. Lauren's song "Nerdfighterlike" really touched me, and prompted me to actually get involved in the Nerdfighter movement instead of just watching videos on YouTube. And Nina's song, "Circus," about our government in the US, never fails to make me laugh.

They're both incredibly friendly, and sweet, and definitely real people. MYRTLE LIVES!!!!

The Parselmouths
Well, they really are like the West Coast counterparts of the Moaning Myrtles. I guess I like them for a few reasons....
1) Their songs are so great! Especially as they aged and matured, the music became amazing...really good to dance to. And just really great songs in general
2) I also really relate to Kristina, again through the fiveawesomegirls videos...but when I saw her at Terminus, I was too shy to actually say anything....
3) "This is Never Going to End" LOVE THAT SONG
4) Again, friendly and sweet and real and....yeah....

The Mudbloods
I only really just learned about this band through PotterCast this summer and then when I got to see them play at the live PotterCast at Terminus. I guess, when I heard them, they just sounded so DIFFERENT from all the previous wizard rock bands that I'd heard. It's just something about their music, and how Adam sings, and just how humble they are in general. =] Plus, gosh, their songs are so BEAUTIFUL. "A Pensieve Full of Unrequited Love"**

And, again, Adam has amazing "muggle music." His song "Books Say and I Say" is so great...I love especially, "And Shakespeare says/We've only got two options/Either everyone gets married/Or everybody dies."

I really like especially how humble the band is. =] And I thought it was funny that they named their band the Mudbloods, and then later realized that their name was kind of...you know...a racial slur. But, their music is so great, that it really doesn't matter.

The Ministry of Magic
Okay, I think this band had been around for a little while before I actually heard about it. It started in 2007, but I didn't even really know it existed until last summer because of Terminus and the fact that Kristina talked about them a lot. And, I'm ashamed to say that I only just bought their music this year. Though, that was mostly just because I have to wait until I have money on iTunes....Anyway, I am so glad now that I bought their music!!! I absolutely love, "The Bravest Man I Ever Knew." I played this song for my friend, and it was the first one she actually liked, because she said she liked the techno beat...and she's not into wizard rock (she thinks it's strange)

Definitely, their techno-ish beat is awesome. And, who wouldn't love a guy who dresses up as Voldemort to sing?

The Whomping Willows
Classic band, really, which started around the same time as Harry and the Potters. I love Matt because...well....uh...because I do? No, really, he's great. And his music varies a lot, too--he can be really angry, really funny, or really sweet. I mean, I guess he really is that classic Wrock music, though he's started to branch out more. And, who wouldn't love the guy who created the House of Awesome?!***

Potter Ink
Well...my friend Cody actually only just introduced me to this girl. But she's great. I don't really know how to describe her, so just....look her up on myspace. But her songs make me cry like no other, especially "Weaker Divided."

RiddleTM
England! Beautiful voices! Also manage to make me cry an awful lot! ("For Jo" *cries*) Something is just special and amazing about their music and their voices and....yeah. Love them, too =)

Ugh. I know that was really boring and short and incoherent. But...sorry!!!!!!!
Better tomorrow, maybe?
Cheers! DFTBA!

*I know most people are acquainted with Wrock, but...I didn't know what else to write about. And it IS Wrock Awareness Day!
**Seriously, I am IN LOVE with this song. Adam....*swoons*
***Nerdfighters FTW!

The Horrors of IB

STRESS!!!!!!!!!!! *twitches* *twitches* *bangs head on desk* *bites fingernails* *looks around randomly, gets distracted by something shiny* *hit head on desk again because she NEEDS TO FINISH THESE THINGS*

Okay, so the title of this blog is actually a bit of an exaggeration. IB isn't that bad. It's fun, it's somewhat challenging,* you get to geek out with all the fellow IBers....But, towards the end of semesters/year, it gets hectic. And evil. IB lurks around your corner, waiting until you fall asleep at your computer so it can hit your head with a rock and you wake up with a MASSIVE headache. Especially since this is the end of MYP for us...teachers HAVE TO FINISH THIS. Believe me, they're freaking out just as much as we are about all the stuff they have to grade and the things they haven't taught or done with us yet. We're all in this together!**

So, I've been doing IB since 3rd grade. So, I've been dealing with it for 7 years. And I plan to go on to the DYP programme for my final two years of high school--DYP is the one that seriously turns the smartest kids into a pile of tears and sweat and flashcards and post-its, and they just blubber on. In elementary school, it wasn't that bad, as I'm sure you can imagine. The only truly IB thing we did was an "Exhibition" project in 5th grade to prove that we had actually learned something through PYP.*** In middle school, it got tougher, especially as we started heading towards 8th grade and the teachers were "preparing us for high school." Tests, projects, labs, essays, reports GALORE! And in 9th grade they're all preparing us for 10th grade and trying to undo some of the damage that our middle school teachers did....and teach us things we apparently already should have known....but we never get taught. High schools and middle schools need to communicate the whole MYP programme and curriculum....But, ironically, IB people are VERY disorganized and often have no clue themselves what is going on.

Anyway, this week......*runs away in terror* I just did my Personal Project at about 7:00....It actually felt like kind of a waste of my time, because when I finished presenting, everyone was looking at me like, "Huh? Why'd you do THAT?" (I did a study of politics and the types of Republicans that live in El Paso County, CO. I'd explain, but I am very tired-don't know how I'm managing to write this-and just presented it for a bunch of people, so I DO NOT want to do it again) But, like the amazing IB students we are, all of us sophomores were on Facebook yesterday complaining and panicking and congratulating someone who finished. We're all stressed out, but we're not actually WORKING on it. Classic!

Also, if you follow me on twitter, you know that I was supposed to do an English speech today. And we were all very upset with our teacher, because he gave us zero guidelines and such. But, I still worked on it like the diligent little student I am. AND HE WASN'T HERE TODAY!!!!!!**** How dare he?! What else this week? Well....

Two math tests: One tomorrow (right after personal project night) and one Thursday (right after MYP completion ceremony) Our math teacher hates us. *sigh* But, we hate him back, so it's okay!
US History project: Shouldn't honestly be too hard, but....still....why this week?!
Physics lab/lab report: Also, quite easy. But, just one more thing.....
English project: And, I hate my group. =[ Stuck with them! HELP!!!!!!
Random French crap that won't be for a grade, but I'll probably end up doing anyway....

Er...I think that's all I have to say. I need to get some sleep, so I don't get even more incoherent than I am now.***** At least Personal Project is done, and in 2 days we'll be done with MYP! WE WILL BEAT IB....IT WON'T BEAT US!!!******

I'm too tired to actually explain the IB programme, so her'es a website and some basic terms:
International Baccalaureate
PYP: Primary Years Programme K-5
MYP: Middle Years Programme 6-10
DYP: Diploma Years Programme 11 & 12

Cheers! DFTBA!! (Don't Forget To BS Assignments)

*Sort of. Not really all that challenging, though they say it is!
**Oh no. HSM reference *groans*
***I still don't know how they actually evaluated our Exhibition. I think we just did SOMETHING, and they let us "graduate"
****I think he wanted to stay away from sophomores who would attack him with questions....
*****Yeah, sorry about that. Hopefully this wasn't too painful to read
******Well, we can always hope.....

Why you should go camping!

Okay, I know some people seriously hate camping and can't stand the idea of being out in nature, cooking over a fire/camp stove, with no electricity or shower or internet.* And, while I myself do love camping, I understand that. So I'm not saying that everyone needs to go camping all the time. I just think you should let yourself experience it once in your life, at least, before you decide you hate it. Even then, try it with some friends and see if it's different =]

Hem, Hem:**
Kat's Top 10 Reasons to go Camping at least once in your life.
1. You get some amazing pictures and memories.
Same as traveling, really. Except your pictures of nature are almost guaranteed to be beautiful and breathtaking and amazing. Breathtaking pictures of mountains, lakes, streams, rock formations, WILDLIFE. Seriously...I take so many pictures when I'm out camping. Also, camping tends to bring about even more hilarious memories and times you had with your family/friends/whoever you were camping with. Because if you are truly camping, the memories and pictures come along with it! =] Bears, bad cooking experiences, rain, rolling out of the tent while sleeping, etc, etc....

2. It's actually quite easy
Some people tend to think that camping is hard. But it's really not. You should have some basic cooking skills at home before you try cooking on a camp fire. You should have a tent, sleeping bag, flashlights, food, water, maybe a camp stove. A game or books so you don't get bored. Some cooking utensils.....As long as you don't choose anything too complicated or high-tech, camping will be a breeze because so much stuff is out there so that you don't have to work hard while camping, but can just relax.

3. It's relatively cheap!
Again, as long as you don't go buy all the high-tech, confusing stuff, and you don't try to rent an RV or something, camping is cheap! Many places a free to camp, or very very cheap if they aren't completely free. Much better than having to rent a cabin for who knows how much for a few days. And much better than a hotel room!

4. Food tastes better when you cook it while camping...
Usually. I mean, at home you'd never eat a "foil dinner" of rice and corn and potatoes, but when you're camping it seems like heaven =) Granted, if you have no cooking skills, it still won't taste great. But, also, if you've been hiking a lot,*** then pretty much any food tastes like heaven, no matter how badly it was cooked. Plus, there's that feeling of accomplishment that you actually cooked something on a camp stove/fire. Breakfast burritos! =]

5. You have some really fun times with your friends.
Obviously, this one goes along with the first one about the memories. But, this one is specifically for if you go camping with friends, not family. Whenever we go on our overnight at GS camp, we come back with the best of stories. Like how we accidentally pitched our tent on a hill, so in the morning I ended up at the bottom of the tent, near everyone's stuff, especially the riding boots. Uncomfortable! Or how it was raining, so the counselor was shoveling extra pudding into our bowls. Or how, on our "challenge" overnight as CIT/WITs, they didn't leave us the food so we couldn't prepare the cooking until the food was delivered. Not having a can opener, so banging the can of fruit open with a mallet used for setting up tents. See what I mean? FUN TIMES FTW!!!!

6. You can see the stars =]
Since most of us live in or near very big cities, we have never actually seen the stars. I remember when we went camping at the Monument Valley Navajo tribal park...I'd never REALLY seen the stars before, because even at GS camp some of the buildings have electricity, and it's not that far from Woodland Park. But the Navajo tribal park had no cities nearby, and no buildings with electricity. So we could see every star coming out, one by one. It was one of the most beautiful, wonderful experiences of my life. And I want more of those! Unfortunately, not many camping areas are even that secluded anymore. But, you can still see more stars out camping than you'd ever see at home in the city!

7. You get to visit some beautiful places
Seriously. So many places are beautiful, but they are secluded. So the only way you can truly see them is to go camping, since there's no other way to get there. And just being out in nature, being a part of nature, being at the mercy of nature, makes it beautiful. LIFE is beautiful when you're camping. Plus, by camping in these places, you help to ensure their beauty, their peace, and...just the places in general. Camping benefits the environment, as long as you do it the old-fashioned way with tents and "leave no trace." Camping is one of the most natural things you can do, as long as you do it properly. So get camping!!!

8. You have great story material.
Yes, THIS one again. But it's true! I don't feel like repeating everything I just said about memories and fun times. Anyway, you can share camping stories at that same party, if none of the other stories go over well! You're almost bound to get people laughing, choking on their drinks, etc. And you're bound to get some of the people asking you tips on camping, or reliving any funny camping stories they had when they were kids! I constantly repeat camp stories with my camp friends, and it NEVER gets old! These things don't fade away! They're always funny!

9. Seclusion! Relaxation! Time to think!
Especially if you choose to go camping by yourself. The wilderness is the perfect place to go to try to get someplace to relax and think about things and all that great stuff. The nature and the wilderness does some amazing stuff to your brain and your ability to make sense of things. So get out into that nature and spend some time in it!

10. You have something to blog about!
Always ends here. Because you can blog about just about any experience, and people will read it. I myself took advantage of blogging about camping earlier this month. Shameless self-promotion of earlier blog.... So, if nothing else can get you out camping, wait until you are out of anything to write on your blog, and then go camping so you have something to write about. WIN!!!!

Ugh. Stress. Personal Project, 2 math tests, English speech, US History Project, MYP Completion ceremony. Crazy, crazy last week of BEDA. My blogs will likely get progressively more incoherent and such. Especially tomorrow. Deal.****

But I love my frieds!!!!!!*****
Cheers! DFTBA!

*No internet. Yes. I've done it for 4 weeks. You can do it for a few days.
**A thousand useless points if you got that HP reference!
***Hiking often goes hand-in-hand with camping, though you are not required to hike if that makes you shy away...
****Really, I am sorry. But there's nothing I can do about it.
*****Thank you for giving me some things to laugh about. =D

Confessions of a Nerd Girl Part IV

Yay! Last one...in April, at least. If y'all really enjoy these, then let me know and I'll continue them the next Saturday I blog =] Although, I'm having a tough time coming up with more confessions to tell y'all....so, it might have to wait just long enough for me to come up with more confessions.

1. I'm really, honestly, SUPER clumsy.
Yeah, basically. I run into things a lot, fall down stairs, fall up stairs, trip over practically nothing, knock over trash cans, get a lot of bruises and cuts and...yeah. Here's a short list of some rather amusing clumsy things I have done:
~Once, I ran into my locker door. I'm not kidding. I was getting my books out of it in seventh grade, and I turned around to close the door and talk to my friend at the same time. Aaaaaaand...I ran into my open locker door! It hurt, and it was also quite, quite, VERY embarrassing.
~I was walking down our wooden stairs once in my socks, and I slipped. I grabbed the railing, out of instinct not to...you know...DIE. Unfortunately, this caused me to hurt myself even more. I still feel, HARD, right on my butt, and I also got a massive cut on my arm from the stair railing. So, my attempt to "save" myself actually, in fact, made me hurt myself even more.
~Ugh, so I kind of already told y'all this one. But, as I'm sure you can imagine, I get hurt a lot at camp. When we were playing Capture the Flag one day, I was basically one of the targets because I'm a relatively fast runner. You'd be right to assume that I got hurt. But, I didn't even get hurt when I was sprinting. I was running, but not even that fast, when I completely biffed it. I fell, and I cut my arm, shoulder, knee, and also bruised my knee quite bad.
~I constantly run into desks at school, so much so that my friends hardly notice when I say, 'OW!!!" anymore...because it only means that I ran into a desk or hit my knee on the bottom or dropped something on myself or poked myself with my pencil.
~Oh, and on Thursday I SOMEHOW bruised my elbow. I don't even know how, but I got home and put my elbow on my desk, and it hurt. It still hurts. But I have no freaking idea how I hurt it. *sigh* I get bruises a lot, and I don't even know how half of them come about.

This picture describes my clumsiness pretty dang well:

2. I DESPISE driving.
I'm not even kidding when I say this. I did driver's ed last April/May. And the last day I drove was May 12, 2008. I haven't driven in about a year. Why? Because I hate it! It's so stressful!!!!!! And I don't really see how it's worth it, when I can walk or ride public transportation or the such. I mean, it's not like I could afford a car even if I wanted to be able to drive around this summer. Okay, I actually do have a good reason for not liking driving, I think. My stupid driver's ed teacher.

I took driver's ed at the Air Force Academy, and I swear the teacher there has been teaching the class since the Academy opened in 1954. He's incredibly old, and he has something weird going on with his teeth on one side of his mouth. I'll admit that I did learn a lot from the actual class, and he certainly made sure we were getting the information we needed to get to pass the permit test and the test at the end of the class (to benefit insurance). He was annoying in how he interrupted our conversations when we had a break and were trying to talk. But, honestly, he wasn't that bad in the classroom. It was 3 1/2 hours Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday for 3 weeks (4:30-8), and it was time-absorbing, but I survived. My opinions on him COMPLETELY changed when we got on the road.

I was okay when we were just going on his usual course around the Academy. But, THEN, he took me on the highway MY FIRST DAY!!!!!!!! Needless to say, I was completely panicked.* I know, I know, highway driving is some of the safest driving. But, going 70 miles per hour when you've only driven for an hour before that at about 30 miles per hour on an air force base.......AAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!! =[ Plus, if I drifted over just a little bit, he'd freak out and grab the wheel. Or, if I didn't press the brake right exactly when he wanted me to, he'd press down on the brake on his side of the car. I did discover that I was quite good at parallel parking, amazingly. And by the last hour of my instructor driving (we have to do 8 here in Colorado), I was a little more confident. However, that changed greatly once my parents asked me if I wanted to drive. I'd start thinking about everything I had to pay attention to, and how paranoid he'd been, and how stressed I was...And I'd always answer no. Still, to this day, I always answer no if they ask me if I want to go practice driving.

I suppose I should probably figure out how to at least not hate driving anymore, if I'm going to live...pretty much anywehre other than New York City. Or Europe.** I could live in a big city in Europe and ride trains everywhere. Yeah, anyway...I'm definitely not a fan of driving. Yes, I do have a permit, but I only have 8 out of the 60 hours I need to get a license. And I'm not even sure I remember how to drive anymore. So, yeah, NOT getting my license anytime soon.

Describes my driving instructor and me VERY well.

3. I love horseback riding =]
Well, you've probably gotten this from the fact that I go to horse camp each year. I've been riding horses since I was about 6 years old, though I've never been able to afford lessons so I could show or compete or anything. And, OBVIOUSLY, I could never afford a horse or a place to board a horse or land to keep a horse on or...yeah.

But they're so gorgeous. =] I've never seen more graceful creatures on land...Dolphins probably top them, but they'd just flop around on land.*** I really seem to communicate well with them, too. I love cantering/loping around on the back of a horse. I love feeding them, and I love grooming them. I actually even don't mind mucking out their stalls. They can be a pain when you go to catch them and tack them up, but humans would be the same way. And, really, it's just a sign of their intelligence that they know they're about to be ridden around by a probably very inexperienced young girl who pulls too hard on the reins and kicks them too hard to get them going.****

But, if you treat them well, and like equal creatures, then they're an absolute treasure. And SO therapeutic to talk to, because they really seem to listen. And you really get to develop good relationships with them, so that they know what you want.

HORSES!!!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, until tomorrow, frieds! Cheers! DFTBA!

*And, also, I thought he was an absolute insane old man who didn't know what he was doing....Yeah......
**I WANT TO LIVE IN EUROPE!!!!!!!!!!
***Well, they couldn't actually live on land, but you know what I mean
****I feel so bad for the horses at camp, because a lot of the girls love horses, but have no idea how to really deal with them or how to properly treat them. Sometimes I really want to yell at them, but most of the time the girl doesn't know any better. But the poor horses!!!!! =(

A bit of fun history

Once again, I wasn't sure what to blog about. So I went back into my mind and went over some of my nerdy passions/OBSESSIONS. As you can imagine, I have a lot of them!

Anyway, back in 6th grade (2004-05), my sister and I stumbled upon the Disney movie "Newsies." I shared it with my best friend at the time, and we naturally got completely obsessed with it.* We argued constantly about whether Race Higgins or Spot Conlon was "hotter." We got the soundtrack, copied it, wore suspenders and newsboy hats, made our own newspaper cover about the movie, printed out bazillions of pictures. And, I, for my part, started a grossly awful fanfiction about Newsies.** (Click here to read, if you dare)

Well, okay, let my defend myself a little bit here. It is an AMAZING movie. I think it's Disney's best movie...or at least, DEFINITELY their best live-action/non-animated movie. Made in 1992, Kenny Ortega choreographed, starring Christian Bale when he was only 17 years old. And it's actually quite historically accurate. Which begins the wonderful nerdiness that went along with my obsession....I went online and looked up a bunch of stuff about the REAL newsies strike of 1899.

So, prepare youself for a bit of a fun history lesson here. Basically, the newspapers in New York raised the price of their papers during the Spanish-American War (both the cost for the newsies and the cost for citizens to buy from newsies), which was perfectly acceptable since the sales made up for it. Once sales went down, most newspapers reduced the prices again...except the New York World and the New York Morning Journal. So, the newsboys (most of them) decided to go on strike and refuse to keep selling the "papes." And, amazingly, the newsboys of 1899 actually DID sing in the streets to get attention, just like in the movie/musical!*** =] In 1899, newsies were gathered at Irving Hall from all over. 5,000 newsboys attended, and several gave speeches about the strike and what they should do....several leaders became appointed throughout the strike. In the real story, the newsies strike stopped after 2 weeks, when the publishers of the World and Journal agreed to refund unsold papers, though they did not lower the price from 60 cents for 100 papers.

Of course, there are many differences in the movie. In the movie, it appears that Pulitzer and Hearst made the price raise overnight, not because of The Spanish-American War. Obviously, they sing songs and dance. And they have a gathering at Irving Hall in the movie, though it happens rather differently...not with a diverse amount of people getting up to speak. And, in the movie, the newsies win the strike when Pulitzer and Hearst agree to lower the price of their paper for the newsies from 60 cents to 50 cents. Which, of course, is not how history played out.

Real quote from the Newboys Strike of 1899: "Ain't that ten cents worth as much to us as it is to Hearst and Pulitzer who are millionaires? Well, I guess it is. If they can't spare it, how can we?... I'm trying to figure out how ten cents on a hundred papers can mean more to a millionaire than it does to newsboys, an' I can't see it." ~ Kid Blink

Anyway, I think the movie is beautifully done, both historically and just as a movie. It's very...I don't know....heartfelt, true, lovely, etc. Of course, since it's Disney, they have to work in a girl who likes Jack Kelley and they kiss at the end...the first time, she is rather annoying, but then you get over it. Plus, the music is AWESOME =D

Spot:

Race:

Christian Bale as Jack Kelley:

NEWSIES!!! Carryin' da Banner! =]

Uh...yeah. So, today one of my classmates fell asleep in precalc/SL IB Mathematics I and started snoring. Twas hilarious! =D Well, now I've got to work on an English speech, my Personal Project, math homework, and a US History project. *sigh*

Until tomorrow! Cheers! DFTBA! *I get obsessed with things very easily. ESPECIALLY when I was in middle school. Yeah....
**I'm still embarassed about that one *blushes*
***Man, I would love to travel back in time and see that!

Shakespeare's Birthday & Rambling

There was a sign on my library door today that said, "Happy Birthday Bill" with a picture of Shakespeare and the date April 23. I had not seen it until today, so they are a bit late on warning us....I mean, if I hadn't had study hall today, then I'd have no idea at all. But, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILLIAM.* I actually love Shakespeare's plays, although definitely much more when I see them performed than when I have to read them....after all, that's what they were meant for. He never wanted students to sit in desks, reading and analyzing his plays to death. =]

This is going to be an incredibly random blog post, because I am not really in the mood for blogging, and I also don't know what to blog about. In fact, for part of it, I am turning to Maureen's blog suggestions! How would your life be different without the Internet? Again, this is not going to be an incredibly detailed answer. But, obviously, I wouldn't have a bunch of the friends I have now. No Skype frieds, no England/Lithuanian/Dutch/New Zealander frieds...Basically, I think I'd be incredibly lonely. How would I have discussed and speculated Harry Potter theories? How would I have attended HP conferences?** How would I know about nerdfighters and the fact that we are AWESOME, not lame? How would I know that there are people who actually long to spend time with me and laugh with me and actually enjoy talking to me. I mean, it's not like the internet is my only form of communication. In fact, I absolutely adore writing and receiving "snail-mail" letters. There's just something so personal about them, and they're a lot of fun to write, really. I mean, you have to put time into it, depending on how long it takes you to handwrite something. Plus, who doesn't love receiving mail? And, I mean, I have several other forms of entertainment, as well. I adore reading, and I can read for days and days, provided I have enough books to read.*** I love drawing and painting, as well. And hiking/running/swimming =] I just think I'd be a lot more lonely in general without the internet, because it really does connect me to a world of people and friends and fun and information and entertainment and love and happiness.**** =] Oh, and while I do have other forms of entertainment, I do picture myself getting a tad bit bored without the internet. Not terribly, but...I mean, with no one to talk to, doing everything on my own would get pretty boring.

This video only vaguely relates to the question, but I love it! Also, completely unrelated, but I found when I picked up Pride & Prejudice again (I need to finish it, but I keep getting sidetracked) Last year, I made a list of "Baby Names"***** involoving Literary Characters....It was a thread on the Leaky Lounge, and I had a lot of fun with it.
Jack Algernon (The Importance of Being Earnest)
Earnest James (The Importance of Being Earnest & Harry Potter)
Fred Bastian (Harry Potter & The Neverending Story)
Wesley John (The Princess Bride & The Importance of Being Earnest)
Adam Colin (A Ring of Endless Light & Harry Potter)
Lily Nymphadora (Secret Life of Bees & Harry Potter)
Anne Christine (Persuasion & Phantom of the Opera)
Meggie Ginevra (Inkworld & Harry Potter)
Wendy Luna (Peter Pan & Harry Potter)

Ugh. The thing literary/HP nerdfighters do in their spare time. (If you could not already tell, I ADORE The Importance of Being Earnest. Lovely book/play)

What else? Uh....day of all classes definitely sucked, if you were wondering. Also, I've had Mamma Mia by Abba stuck in my head for days now, and I just want to share the torture with y'all.

Just one look and I can hear a bell ring
One more look and I forget everything, o-o-o-oh
Mamma mia, here I go again
My my, how can I resist you?
Mamma mia, does it show again?
My my, just how much Ive missed you

I was considerably cheered up by Hank's DFTBA rap video, though. I love Hank. I love John. I love Maureen. I love the Nerdfighters. And I RAWR YOU!****** =D =D

Until tomorrow....*sigh* Cheers! DFTBA! (Dead Frogs Teach Bored Anatomists)

*I think calling Shakespeare "Bill" is disrespectful. But, I'm also a Literature Nerd.
**Probably through mailings *gasp* Like in the OLD days!
***Always an issue. How do I get all the books I want to read? HELP! =[
****"I wish you peace and love and happiness...." ~Mudbloods By love, I mean people caring =D
*****These will not actually evolve into Baby Names. It was just the best title I could come up with. Though, by all means, if you are about to have a baby and can't decide on a name, use one of these! =]
******Hopefully that wasn't too creepy....Been feeling very sentimental and....touchy-feely.

Day of Pointlessness and Randomness

I usually do not like to blog about my day. But, today was rather pointless and interesting and random. So, there you go!

Well, firstly, HAPPY EARTH DAY. Earth Day is one of my favorite holidays, although it's also a holiday that I have some strong opinions about. I mean, I love that we have designated a day to celebrate the Earth and figure out ways to protect her and all that amazing stuff. But, also, I don't think it's right that people think that April 22nd is the only day of the year that they are obligated to care about and for their earth. I mean, if we don't want to destroy our planet, then we should care EVERY SINGLE FREAKING DAY!!!!!!!! So, yeah.

How can you protect your earth every day of the year? Well, buying fuel-efficient cars certainly helps. Or just walking/biking/carpooling/riding public transportation. Those options are better. Also, please turn off your lights...do you REALLY need them? REALLY?! And, turn off your computer...I mean, okay, if you're leaving for half an hour, I can understand, but anything longer than that....Also, remember to unplug your computer. Because even if it isn't on, it's still using electricity if it's plugged in.* Recycle--it's not THAT hard. Go vegetarian at least one day a week...I'm full vegetarian, and it's amazing the beneficial impact being vegetarian has on our planet. Compost. Plant your own vegetables. Insulate your house. Reuse things when you cannot recycle them. Look into how you can safely recycle your old technology. Basically, try to reduce your carbon footprint, my friend. Etc, Etc, Etc.

I don't want to get into a debate on global warming and whether we cause it. Because, frankly, whether we are or aren't, it doesn't hurt anyone to release less carbon dioxide and greenhouse gasses and become less dependent on fossil fuels and use less energy in general. So, just do the above steps, anyway, whether you believe in global warming or not. Just take care of our earth, okay? Why? Because I LIVE HERE. *wink* And SO DO YOU.

Oh, and also, I really want a SmartCar. Not only are they adorable and tiny, they are the most fuel efficient cars other than hybrids. WIN! Unfortunately, they are crazy expensive in the US. Not win. =[ Why must the US be so against helping our environment and making it affordable? Sad day!

On to my random pointless day. So, the juniors took the ACT today, which meant we only went to school for about 2 hours. Started at 11:52 and ended at 2:12. SO FREAKING POINTLESS!!! I didn't do ANYTHING in either class....Well, we never do anything in French. I turned in my project in Physics, and we sort of attempted to plan our lab, and then we watched Mythbusters. WIN! If you follow me on Twitter, you already saw this, but whatever. Our "Vite Fait" at the beginning of French class was to describe our weekend in 5 sentences using at least 7 different verbs. Mine were all really...not connected, but my last one was the most random: "Ce weekend, je regardais Dr. Who. J'aime Dr. Who!" Teehee.

Anyway, two other random and slightly creepy things happened to me today:
1) While I was walking to school, I was walking behind this homeless guy wearing a bazillion layers and carrying a burlap sack full of who knows what. He looked back at me, and I just kept on walking VERY quickly on past him. CREEPAH!
2) While I was walking home, this middle schooler told me I was hot. Uh.......Conversation:
Middle school boy: Hey, are you a teacher or a student?**
Me: *attempts to ignore then realizes iPod is not in, so I don't have an excuse* I'm a student
Middle school boy: Do you go to Mountain Ridge?***
Me: *shakes head*
Middle school boy: Rampart?****
Me: *nods*
Middle school boy: Oh. Just wondering. Cause You're hot.................. *keeps talking but I do not hear what he says because I choose to keep walking*

I did not know what to make of this. =/ Weird. VERY weird.

Ugh. So I have all my classes tomorrow, since we had a snow day on Friday. =[ I hate having all my classes. Stupid 45 minute classes. Art, Pre-Calculus (AKA IB SL Mathematics 1), English, Physics, French, Study Hall, US History. Grrrr....TOO MUCH STUFF IN ONE DAY!

Er...so I should probably do some homework and spend just a little less time on the internet. And actually get some sleep tonight. Also, snow days screw everything up. Because I now have no idea whatsoever when my English speech is due. *sigh* Alas....EARWAX!

Until tomorrow! (8 more days of BEDA) Cheers! DFTBA!

*This of course goes for anything else plugged in. YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE THAT HAIR STRAIGHTENER PLUGGED IN ALL DAY.
**Why in the world does he think I'm a teacher?! I know I look older than 16 often times, but...really?! For one thing, why would a teacher be carrying a Harry Potter backpack?! Sheesh...
***Our neighborhood middle school.
****The stupid, crappy high school I attend. Woopee.

SPURS!!!!!!

Bleurgh. I am quite tired today and do not really know what to blog about. *sigh*

Okay, so you might (and probably will) find this entry incredibly boring. But, it's the start of the NBA playoffs, which means I actually start watching basketball games! And...usually get no sleep whatsoever because the games tend to last kind of late. Basketball is basically the only sport I ever watch on TV. I would watch soccer (AKA football for you Europeans) on TV, but Colorado has this prejudice or soemthing against showing soccer games on TV....occasionally I'll find one on DirecTV if I'm at my mom's house. But, basically, it's rather depressing, since I love the action of soccer games =]

Oh, wait, the topic of this blog was supossed to be basketball. Oops. Sorry for the tangent....ANYWAY. Basketball. Yes. I think I love the sport so much because I actually understand it and can play it semi-well (though I'm nowhere near agressive enough) and enjoy the action. My team is the Spurs of San Antonio, since that's where I grew up. And, they are actually a very good team....most years. Although, with my man Ginobli out for the playoffs this year, I'm not getting my hopes up. I mean, I'm also not giving up on them, but I don't think they are going to go all the way this year. Sadly. Ginobli, Tim Duncan, and Tony Parker are always the big three, they assist each other and make the big shots....I think that Ginobli is just a great player all around, and it is one of my biggest wishes to meet him.

Fun fact: While he goes by Manu Ginobli, his first name is actually Emmanuel. My dad told me this last night...Manu is more "macho' sounding, I suppose.

Well, THIS is an amusing picture of him =D =D =D (that's me laughing. Trust me.)

Anyway, as I'm sure you can imagine, basketball games can get pretty messy. Especially in these "win or go home" situations of the NBA playoffs.* I will demonstrate this by detailing several examples from the Spurs-Suns** match-up in 2007. It was Game 4, and it ended up being a series-tying game (meaning it was now 2-2). During one of the games, Robert Horry bumped into Steve Nash, and it was a pretty nasty flagrant foul I suppose. Then I believe several players from the Suns got up off the bench to hold him back or something along those lines.*** Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw, to be precise (google FTW!). Anyway, there was somewhat of a fight. Robert Horry was suspended for 2 games, and Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended for one. It was rather crazy deal...First of all, it was hard to prove that Horry's bump into Nash was on purpose...and secondly....why the hell are Stoudemire and Diaw leaving the bench because of it?! Sheesh.

Also, in Game 1 of that series, Steve Nash and Tony Parker collided pretty hard near the end of the game. Parker was shaken up, but Nash got a nasty cut on his nose. He managed to stay in the game and make several helpful points, but his nose wouldn't stop bleeding. Which, of course, was a danger to him and a danger to the other players lest they slip in the blood dripping all over the court (yeah, I know it's gross. Deal). Anyway, he ended up missing basically the final minute of the game, and the Spurs won Game 1 of that series. To this day, I'm still not sure the Spurs would have won that game if Nash had not been out that final minute...But, they did, for whatever reason, whatever fates intervened, blah blah blah.

Okay, wow. I'm sure that was really boring. Anyway, the Spurs DID win last night, which means I have a little more faith in them at least beating the Mavericks (maybe). Tony Parker was great, but poor Ginobli looked so sad =[ I don't think he even cares whether his team wins, he just wants to PLAY. Poor guy.

All righty...I'm done talking about basketball for now......

I want to BE Mrs. Nerimon
So we can build a little house with a lawn....
And watch our love go on and on and OOOOOOOOOOOOON...

Ahem. Sorry. I had to.
Uh....so, if that was too boring for you, how about you go watch my Tuesday video for GenerationOfAwesome? =D

Also, I've decided I need to get more sleep...I know, I know, we're Nerdfighters...We run on AWESOME, not sleep. However...sleep is good sometimes. I should plan in getting a tad bit more. So I don't fall asleep in pre-calc or mix my colors wrong in Art....

Hopefully tomorrow I will be more exciting.**** Until then, Winged Monkey ningers Skype frieds! RAWR!
Cheers! DFTBA!

*The NBA playoffs are "Best of 7" whoever wins 4 games first goes on.
**The Suns are from Phoenix, Arizona, if you didn't know
***Wow. I am NOT good at retelling stories....Let's go look this up on Google and see if some old news story will save me...
****Hey, at least you got some crazy basketball stories, right? Maybe? Don't hate me? *nods*

Past and Future Letters

Okay, so, for today at least I am completely out of original ideas. So I'm stealing something from nerimon's video today. =D I have decided to write a letter to my past and future self. Yay! I know it's totally unoriginal, and I accept this. Hopefully tomorrow I will have something more interesting to write about. On we go......

(The one to my past will be short)
Dear 11 year old self,
Okay, I know right now you're pretty upset that your Dad is going to Iraq. And these months that you're stuck with your mom are awful. But rest assured that you will gain something out of this experience, and that you will become rather proud.

Middle school sucks. I know it does. You're lost, you're confused, you don't know who you are anymore. But don't blow off these years. When it comes time to leave, you'll really miss those hallways. And make sure that you embrace your Humanities teacher, because she will become your best mentor, the person you still look up to and thank. By the time you graduate 8th grade, you'll find yourself crying. So don't waste these years. It may seem like it sucks, but you'll miss it when it's over.

I know you have no clue what I'm talking about, but PLEASE get involved in the HP fandom a lot sooner than you originally did. You love these books, and they get you through the toughest times. Once you discover the whole community out there just like you, your life will change. So don't wait until 2007. Also, don't try to hide your nerdy passions. Whether you hide it or not, you'll never be popular or even liked much. The teasing will still continue. And, if you embrace your nerdiness, you'll discover a whole community of people who want to be your friend. I know, right now you have no clue what the internet will mean in your life. But it will mean A LOT. And if you just do these things sooner, you won't be quite as lonely.

Unfortunately, I can't reassure you the loneliness will end. It won't. But it's okay. You do have people who want to be your friends, and who think that you're awesome, and who will miss you when you're not around. Yeah, middle school sucks. But don't be afraid to put yourself out there. PLEASE join cross country sooner. Oh, and that swim team? Don't join. It's awful. Take people's compliments more often, and listen to your teachers, because THEY will make the true difference in your life.

I know you're not happy right now. But don't worry--You'll be okay, and you'll find something to keep you going.

Sincerely,
Your 16 year old self

P.S. Thank you so much for always saving money! It's because of YOU that I have HP conferences, a laptop, Skype, a microphone, books, and the opportunity to do what I want. THANKS.




Dear 21 year old self,
Hey. How ya doing? Well, how about we sit down and I remind you of some things. And ask you some questions.

Look, 5 years ago, you were lonely. Really lonely. Your best friends lived no where near you, and you communicated on a computer. You weren't necessarily happy about this. They are great friends, who would listen to you rant about almost anything, and who understand you and don't judge you. But you, future self, are confused. Because a friend is supposed to be someone you can see every day and hug and laugh with....and you aren't sure you actually have any friends like that. By now, I'm sure you live in a different place.* Possibly, you aren't even friends with some of those people anymore. And, I'm sure, there are so many different ways of communicating now. But I hope you realize that the friends that you have online are true friends....I mean, I hope you've found some of those in real life by now, too.** But I also hope that you don't hate yourself for all that time you were teased and mostly friendless in high school.

Also, how are those friends of yours? Have you talked to them in a while? Do you know what some of them are up to? If you haven't talked to them in a while, but still have their screennames,*** why don't you check up on them? These people are and were your friends, and you can't let them slip through your fingers. I know, I know, you worry that you're a very forgettable**** person. But worst case scenario, they don't remember you right away and you just have to remind them. Chances are though, they do remember those fun times you had on Skype***** and all the conversations. Because the teasing you got from them was the FUN teasing. They thought you were funny. You were grateful for having them as friends. Let them know that, if you can.

Do you have a boyfriend yet? Just wondering, you know. Because as I write this to you, I've never had a true boyfriend, a first kiss, or a guy tell me I'm beautiful. I'm not exactly sad about that right now, but I would like to know if you have or have had any semblance of a love life since you were 16. Also, future self, I'd like to know how you feel about the above statements. Do you regret your lack of a love life? I certainly hope not, because at the moment I'm grateful for it, in a way. But, as you might remember, there is that one person who you feel you're falling for sometimes right now...How did that go? Did anything come of it?

How's college? Did you end up going to Oregon like I so want to right now? Has it turned out to be everything you wanted it to be? I wonder, too, how you liked the rest of high school. Did you get over not going to FVS? Did you finally accept the cons of Rampart and give it a chance?

It's a tough time right now. And I guess the best I can do is hope that in the future, I'll have some recognition of what these years meant to me. It's hard to know why things happen and what they mean right now. And I'm sure that's true in the future, as well. Most of all, don't forget these years. The present and the future are a lot easier to live in than the past, but remember this time, a time when you weren't happy and everything wasn't perfect.******
Sincerely,
Your 16 year old self

*God, I HOPE I live in a different place by now.
**Does college help? Have you found those intellectual friends you so crave?
***Provided, of course, that there isn't totally NEW technology and that you are still able to use those screennames.
****By forgettable, I mean that you believe people forget you easily. Do you still think this?
*****Wow. Does Skype still exist? Because let me remind you, it changed your life.
******Okay, I'm sure it's STILL not perfect. But really, just look back on these times and remember them, so you realize that your life CAN'T really ever be perfect, and that's not a tragedy. It's normal, and it's okay. =D

EVERYONE needs to travel

Trust me, Everyone. I'm not kidding here, guys (and girls). You NEED to travel. There's no getting out of it! Come on, get out of your home city, your home state, or, if you have the money, your home country! You can't stay in one place your whole life and become a hermit. TRAVEL, TRAVEL, TRAVEL.

Oh, and here's 10 reasons why =]
1. You get great pictures.
Assuming, of course, you are a picture person. I am. I take pictures of EVERYTHING. Well...everything except myself, that is. =D I'm really weird in that I take a bazillion pictures of the scenery and the cities and the flashing lights and the other people and occasionally the food (lol), but never of myself. Like, I have all these great pictures of New York, and very, very little proof that I was actually there. I mean, I was, of course. I have a few pictures of myself, but they are overwhelmed drastically, alarmingly, by pictures of...not me. *wink* Anyway, the point is, that travel gives you a lot of amazing pictures that you can show your friends, even if they do not want to see them. Just sit them down in front of a slideshow of your pictures and make them! Muahahahaha! Okay, also, they are a GREAT way to keep memories and keep track of events and how it felt and looked to be in that place.* PICTURE TIME!

A PICTURE OF ME!!!!!! *gasp*
2. You meet a lot of awesome people!
Even if you are traveling with your parents, you are bound to meet SOME people who are awesome and cool and amazing. People who have different accents and funny habits and awesomeness. But, you especially meet a lot of awesome people if you go somewhere by yourself or if you go somewhere with your parents but get to be away from them at certain points (ie a cruise). These people could be lifelong friends....or, you could also never see them again. Either way, you got to meet a bunch of awesome, interesting people, and learn something about the people who live there and how they act and talk and blah, blah, blah (that's German for etc). So you don't have any stereotypes or assumptions about people, because you actually KNOW. And that's always good.

3. You have EXPERIENCE.
And I mean ACTUAL, worldly experience. You've traveled, you've experienced. You've done things, seen things, eaten things, met people, traveled to exotic places.** You can do a lot of great, awesome things when you travel, like go sailboating or swim with dolphins or climb over 400 stairs. You can see beautiful places and experience them in an upfront way. You can eat funny foods (that you might not like) but never have to eat them again...or you could eat amazing exotic foods and come home with a recipe on how to cook it because you love it so much. And, you've met people from other cultures,*** religions, places, customs, traditions, and so on. EXPERIENCE. Trust me, it's a good thing. People will gravitate towards you because you know so much...maybe.

4. You can see history right in front of you.
By this, I mean you can see historical PLACES right in front of you. Rather than just reading about, say, Jamestown, you can actual go SEE Jamestown. You can visit castles and forts and everything, and actually SEE the history. Definitely more exciting than reading about it, right? I certainly think that my interest in history came very much from actually getting to experience it and wanting to know more. Anyway, the real thing is better than a picture or a description any day. (The Alamo, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, Tower of London, Trier, etc)

5. You can gain insight on global issues firsthand.
I always think it's better to see both sides of a global issue, and what better way to do that than traveling? Visiting places like the UN or European Union**** allow you to see how our global issues actually get solved, as well. Or, visiting a poor country in the Caribbean helps you gain insight into their situation and how you can help. Well, just traveling to a different country in general lets you see their insight into different global issues, especially if you talk to the people there. =]

World Trade Center site

6. You see a lot of great, beautiful places.
Uh...this one should be sort of self-explanatory. When you travel, you get to see beautiful places! Forests, mountains, oceans, cities, farms, buildings....Sunsets, sunrises, rain....Flowers, butterflies, new wildlife. Er, okay. I think I'll just leave it there. When you travel, you see beautiful places, okay?

7. You can "escape your own problems."
This one is sort of self-explanatory, too. When you go away from home, you don't have to think about your own problems anymore. I'm not saying you WON'T think about your problems. But they aren't there, right in front of you anymore. And sometimes it's really good to just go somewhere else and not think about your problems for a while. So, go relax on the beach or travel around Italy.***** Get away for a little while!

8. You have great material for stories!
Yes, yes. Again. Once again, you are at that same party. And, you know that a story about traveling is MUCH more interesting than a stupid story or a conversation about books! So, this time, you are almost guaranteed to have people like your story. EVERYONE likes travel stories...because they wish they could've gone, too! So, you start telling that great story about the time you went to the Bunker Hill monument in Boston and actualy climbed up and down all 472 stairs (or however many there were). Then, not only is everyone interested in your story, they also want to tell their great travel stories! So you started a whole conversation topic! Hurrah!

9. Some beautiful places might be gone if you don't go NOW!!! Okay, so this one is slightly depressing. But it's TRUE. If you don't go to some of these national parks soon, they might be gone. Glacier National Park certainly won't last long if climate change continues. Alaska won't be the same...and neither will Greenland. If you have the money, go on that trip to Svalbard now before all the polar bears are gone! (Sad day, that day will be) Travel now, before we destroy the natural beauty of our world!

10. You have something to blog about!
It always, ALWAYS ends in this. Because, as I said, travel stories, just by being travel stories, are inherently interesting! So if you run out of things to blog about, just describe a great (or maybe not so great) travel experience. =] Shameless self-promotion of previous blog FTW! Traveling, Traveling Great blog material any day, traveling. =]

So...summarization? TRAVEL!!!!!!!!!!!! You shouldn't need a reason, but here are some great ones.

Until tomorrow! Cheers! DFTBA!

*Especially for when you're older and don't remember going somewhere when you were 2...Your parents have those pictures, so it must be true!
**Even if that exotic place is Texas or the next town....
***Again, even if that culture is Texan or Denver...ian
****I haven't been to the EU, though I'd like to. The UN was great, though!
*****Provided, of course, you have the money. Spending all your money is NOT a good way to escape your problems.

Confessions of a Nerd Girl Part III

Because I know y'all look forward to these so much! Actually, I have a feeling that there isn't too much that my skype ning friends don't know by this point, but I don't care. I'm just going to say it anyway.

1. I'm a neat freak.
Seriously. For example, my bed is currently a little messed up and it's bugging the heck out of me. Only, I'm a little lazy at the moment and also my cat is sleeping on it and I like when she's all cute and happy =] The sad thing is that I usually don't have enough time during the week to keep my room totally clean. I mean, it's not dirty--no trash or food or dirty clothes on the floor. But there are school books and homework papers lying around randomly on my desk and floor and by my backpack....And I almost never find time to properly make my bed until the weekend. Plus, I have no room on my bookshelves anymore, so books are just stacked in seemingly random places...but they're NEAT stacks!

I suppose someone wouldn't necessarily walk into my room and think, "Neat freak!" Because some things appear to be in very random places. But they aren't random to me!!! Everything has its place, and needs to stay in that place lest I freak out. I am very OCD about the organization of my school binders and notebooks and the such especially. I have to hole punch things and put them in the right section of my binder and so on and so forth. I'm not the kind of person who randomly stuffs everything into their backpack. I'd panic. ;)

Whenever I go to camp, I never have a problem keeping my stuff neat and ordered and not strewn about the cabin. Actually, one year my friend and I* started cleaning up everyone ELSE'S stuff and sweeping the cabin...and the other girls got rather annoyed with us. Also, since I work in the barn, I also always have to straighten the riding boots and helmets after every lesson because I can't stand them being unmatched or tipping over or in the wrong spot or something. I just appreciate it when things are neat and ordered and tidy, okay?

My room usually looks like THIS:

NEATNESS FTW!!!!!!!!!!!! =]

2. I love Lord of the Rings.
Okay, so, you may remember that Jordan did a challenge where he watched all of the Lord of the Rings movies in one day. Now, my family does this every year. Every winter break, we choose one weekend day and watch all three EXTENDED editons of the movies. We take breaks for lunch and dinner, but it is mostly a very butt-numbing experience. I love it though, because it's basically the only tradition that my family has. When I was younger, I was particularly into the movies. I thought they were the awesomest** movies ever, and I had a huge crush on Legolas.*** Now, I still appreciate the fact that they are BEAUTIFUL movies. Peter Jackson was a great director, and they are just so well done! If only the Harry Potter movies could live up to the Lord of the Rings movies....

The books are also absolutely**** wonderful. (Although I'm not a huge fan of the hobbit) Parts of it***** are seriously tedious and brain-numbing. But mostly, Tolkien uses wonderful scenery and imagery and characterization. It's a great adventure story, that is breathtakingly well-written. I love so many quotes from it, too!

"Many that live deserve death; and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Do not be too quick to deal out death in judgement. Even the wisest cannot see all ends." ~Gandalf

"The brave things in the old tales and songs, Mr. Frodo: adventures, as I used to call them. I used to think that they were things the wonderful folk of the stories went out and looked for, because they wanted them, because they were exciting and life was a bit dull, a kind of a sport, as you might say. But that's not the way of it with the tales that really mattered, or the ones that stay in the mind. Folk seem to have been just landed in them, usually — their paths were laid that way, as you put it. I never thought of that before! We've got — you've got some of the light of it in that star-glass that the Lady gave you! Why, to think of it, we're in the same tale still! It's going on. Don't the great tales never end?" ~Sam

3. I LOVE DINOSAURS.
Okay, you're probably thinking, "You're kidding, right? All your other confessions have been so serious!" And yes, that's true. But, no, I'm not kidding. I LOVE DINOSAURS. They are awesome. The most awesome things ever to be on this planet.

I used to call my daycare (when I was 3) Dinosaur School because I didn't know the real name.****** And my sister and I always played with those plastic toy dinosaurs when we were little. Nerdy, but AWESOME nerdy!!!!! =]

DINOSAURS FTW!

Yay!!!! Okay, so hopefully I will think of something to blog about tomorrow! Until then!
Cheers! DFTBA!

*All our stuff was already super neat. Cause that's how we are.
**I know it's not a word. DEAL.
***Judge me if you want. But those eyes! That bow! The slaughter of that oliphaunt! =] *in love*
****I can't even remember why I have this one anymore...Oh well.
*****TOM BOMBADIL!!!!!!!! AH!!!!!!!
******I still don't know the real name to this day. As far as I know, it WAS called dinosaur school.

Welcome to the joys of Colorado!

We have a snow day today. And according to Joe, I should blog about that. But that would be one very short paragraph. So I will blog about that, and also the other aspects of Colorado....some of which are great, and others of which suck. Seriously.

Snow? GAH!!!!!! I mean, okay. I don't actually mind TOO much today, since it gets me out of school. And now I have a 5 day weekend. I just hate the cold, and snow is cold, therefore I dislike snow. It's not like this is anything particularly unusual. We, here in Colorado, usually do get our blizzards in March and April. But I much prefer rain and sun and that sort of stuff. But...it's also thundering DURING a snowstorm, and I am greatly confused. THIS HAS NEVER HAPPENED TO ME BEFORE! I do not know if this is supposed to happen or what's going on....but, whatever. I have 5 days now to work on vectors homework and prepare for my Personal Project presentation on the 27th.

Kat says: :^) colorado is so weird
Tobias says: how so?
Kat says: because it's thundering during a snowstorm
Kat says: don't you think that's just A LITTLE odd?
Charlee says: lol, maybe its like in the wizard of oz
Charlee says: weird weather patterns and all
Kat says: :D
Charlee says: and then you wake up in Oz...
Kat says: and now the Wicked Witch of the West is going to start chasing me

So, much about Colorado weather is rather sucky. But as an extra perk, Colorado has SUPER beautiful scenery, what with the mountains and the forests and the rivers and the sunsets and the rain and the animals (horses!!!!) There are so many beautiful, amazing places to go hiking or running, and none of them are too far away. =]

This seems like a very short blog compared to what I usually write....But, Well...I have vector homework to do and I have to think about how to present my personal project (IB) and how to turn my research paper for English into a speech and...and, a lot of stuff. Plus I'm being distracted by skype right now.

Okay. Sorry for the distinct uninterestingness* of this blog. I will leave you with one last thing: THIS PICTURE OF THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE THAT I DREW!!!!!!! =] =]

Well, until tomorrow. When I will blog more confessions and we will probably EVEN MORE snow.
Cheers! DFTBA!

*I know that's not a word. But...deal.

EDIT: It's clearing up a bit!!!! New picture: