SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *releases the balloons and streamers and confetti* *brings out the cake* Okay, so obviously neither of those things actually happened (though cake sounds good, doesn't it? Or maybe pie...Peanut butter pie! Yum!) But it's pretty exciting. And it took long enough, really. I don't have any real special way to celebrate my 100th post...Since it's not videos, I can't really compose an entry that has bits and pieces of all my other entries. Though, if you think about it, all my other entries had letters, and so does this one. So I'll just try to use every single letter in this entry. =] On to other things...
First, this video is absolutely hilarious! Hank, I love you!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqXX6kuk_XQ
Second, I'm going to finally cover last weekend. Well, on Friday, two of Dad and Leslie's political friends came over for dinner, and it was actually really fun =] Great conversation, and really good food. Saturday I got up at 5:30 and we left around 6:00 for Mt. Bross/Lincoln. I was pretty tired, but I didn't sleep because I've actually found that I have more energy for hiking if I don't sleep on the car ride...I don't know why, but I do. It was REALLY cold and there was snow pretty much everywhere. At the beginning I was especially cold, but it was made better by my dad giving me extra socks to put on and the fact that the trail crossed over into the sunlight for the ascent up Bross. It's definitely a lot tougher hiking in the snow, but we made pretty good time up Bross (and were the first people on the summit from that trail that day), where we sat down only briefly before deciding that the weather looked good enough to continue over to Lincoln (we didn't stay long on Bross' WIDE summit because it was pretty windy and we wanted to get moving). It didn't take very long at all to get over to Lincoln, which had a short semi-steep climb up to the summit. We stayed longer there, and there were actually OTHER people on the summit!!!! One of them was nice enough to take a picture of us (we took a picture of him, too =]). But, it started snowing/hailing just as we left the summit. And going back down Lincoln was really, really slippery....actually, going down the mountain was really slippery pretty much until we reached the edge of Democrat to head down the trail--a lot of snow that a lot of people had walked on. I believe we were quite a bit slower going down than going up because....well, for me it was because I didn't want to fall and break anything. Once we got more into the big rocks and then the flat trail, we were a lot faster, though. =] Despite the cold and the ice and the snow, I had a LOT of fun.
Dad and I stopped in Fairplay for a late lunch (enchiladas!!!) and then headed home....I don't really remember what I did until dinner....I was really tired. We had risotto, finally!!!!! And then we watched the double episode of the X-Files, which explained pretty much the ENTIRE show. But I was falling asleep during a lot of the show, and went to bed pretty early.
I slept in far too late on Sunday, but somehow was still in a tired daze as we walked through the BX/Commissary--I did finally remember to buy soap though (that probably doesn't sound exciting, but it is). After we got back and I ate some lunch (because I had a granola bar for "breakfast), I did homework for the REST of the day. SERIOUSLY. I had to do several different things for French, revise my Chemistry lab report, finish a bunch of Pre-Calculus homework (which my dad and I spent about two hours on, maybe), and write a paragraph for English (which I ended up doing Monday during lunch). We had good cabbage soup for dinner (yeah, it doesn't sound good, but it IS), but that was the only interruption in my afternoon of homework. Needless to say, I was stressed and super-tired. *sigh*
Monday and Tuesday were taken up by school and more homework....On Wednesday I had my Emily Dickinson poetry presentation, which didn't go so well but we managed to get an 84 on anyway and didn't really affect my grade. Surprisingly, I didn't have pretty much ANY homework that night! It was actually really unnerving.....Yesterday we played dodgeball for about 45 minutes in weights and fitness, which was really fun even though I'm really bad at throwing the ball. We did a bunch of stuff with equations in Chemistry, which I'm beginning to really, truly understand. That doesn't mean it doesn't hurt my head, though! I didn't have much homework last night, either--just a stupid French grammar sheet and studying.
This morning I woke up at 5:30 to go to a review session for pre-calculus, which turned out to not be as great as I expected it to be. But I guess it did help me to review the stuff right before the test, because I remembered a lot of stuff for the test. And, we had a really fun English class (once the vocab quiz was over) and discussed a lot of interesting topics =] I don't have nearly as much homework this weekend as I did last weekned, but I do have 4 dialectical journals due on Thursday, and I want to finish at least 3 of them if not all 4 because I know I won't want to be doing them during the week, but we'll see how that goes since we're going hiking tomorrow. And I have to actually plan out my personal project since I have my mentor meeting with Ms. Bieger on Tuesday.
I don't have much more interesting news....Umm....we've started watching Seinfeld on DVD, and I'd forgotten how funny it was!!!!
Okay, I'm pretty sure I used every letter! =] Soo........presidential debate tonight, hiking tomorrow (I'm pretty sure), and dialectical journals to look forward to (I guess).
I hope everyone's doing well! Cheers!
26 September 2008
21 September 2008
WAY too cool
Oh my god. I'm on a PotterCast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SQUEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I sound kind of like an idiot, but whatever. I'm. On. POTTERCAST. Mmm.........it just sounds so cool!!!!!!!! Ahem. PotterCast 165, roughly around 1:21:00. (Yeah, I checked) I can't believe I got the chance to play that game!!!
Seriously. That just cheered me up so incredibly after a very hard day. Thank you so much for releasing that today, guys.
I slept in until about 10:00 this morning because I was so tired from the school week/hiking yesterday......and, somehow, even though I got about 11 hours of sleep last night, I've been exhausted all day. We went to the comissary in the morning, but I spent about 6 or 7 hours this afternoon/evening working on homework. And I still haven't written the paragraph on how lines 62-87 of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock fit into the rest of the poem. Because I have NO IDEA. I mean, I have a vague, stupid idea, but I want to talk to Joel maybe tomorrow and then write it during lunch. It IS only a paragraph, after all. Besides, I'm too tired to write anything of quality. Because I did a bunch of stupid precalculus problems for hours today....I figured out all but one with the help of my dad (thank you) and that one problem....well, there's something weird about it and the answer in the book. So......I'm going to take a shower and go to bed real soon, cause I'm awfully tired despite getting so much sleep last night
I'll really try to make another detailed post about my weekend tomorrow. I just had to express my excitement about PotterCast and BEING ON IT!!!!!!!!! =]
As always, happy thoughts all around, and best wishes to those returning to the areas affected by Hurricane Ike. Can you believe it's already the week? *sigh* Well, Cheers!
Seriously. That just cheered me up so incredibly after a very hard day. Thank you so much for releasing that today, guys.
I slept in until about 10:00 this morning because I was so tired from the school week/hiking yesterday......and, somehow, even though I got about 11 hours of sleep last night, I've been exhausted all day. We went to the comissary in the morning, but I spent about 6 or 7 hours this afternoon/evening working on homework. And I still haven't written the paragraph on how lines 62-87 of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock fit into the rest of the poem. Because I have NO IDEA. I mean, I have a vague, stupid idea, but I want to talk to Joel maybe tomorrow and then write it during lunch. It IS only a paragraph, after all. Besides, I'm too tired to write anything of quality. Because I did a bunch of stupid precalculus problems for hours today....I figured out all but one with the help of my dad (thank you) and that one problem....well, there's something weird about it and the answer in the book. So......I'm going to take a shower and go to bed real soon, cause I'm awfully tired despite getting so much sleep last night
I'll really try to make another detailed post about my weekend tomorrow. I just had to express my excitement about PotterCast and BEING ON IT!!!!!!!!! =]
As always, happy thoughts all around, and best wishes to those returning to the areas affected by Hurricane Ike. Can you believe it's already the week? *sigh* Well, Cheers!
16 September 2008
Happy things!!! (and some NOT so happy things)
First, I am sincerely sorry that I haven't updated this in about three weeks for the...maybe two of you who read this. I know everyone hates this excuse, and I hate it too, but it's the truth: I've been busy. School started, and I managed to keep up okay for a little while. But then school ACTUALLY started. Meaning, quite simply, that I was bombarded with tests and essays and projects and homework and quizzes and reports and....GAH. For example this week: History test yesterday, Factor quiz and Poetry project due today, French fairytale due tomorrow, Vocab quiz and recitation of a memorized French fable on Thursday, and Chemistry lab report due Friday. Plus, I have a "report" on a poet due next Wednesday that I've been working on, and a bunch of other math and french and everything homework. I like school, really, I do, but I hate Rampart and I'm getting peeved at my French teacher and really, really peeved at about half of my peers who don't give a crap....ANYWAY....
I'm actually going to start with the not so happy things so that I can end this entry on a happy note.
Happy things now!!!
So, summary of my life. I'm not even going to try to catch y'all up on everything I've been doing over the past three weeks. If you really care for some strange reason (like having a telephone booth fall on your head), then go ahead and ask. Otherwise, happy thoughts. Cheers!
I'm actually going to start with the not so happy things so that I can end this entry on a happy note.
- My great aunt died about a month ago. Actually, I was told this about two hours before my presentation at Terminus, which didn't help me prepare. I don't know why I didn't tell y'all before, but I just really needed about a month to accept it on a very personal level. Because while I didn't see her in person very much in my lifetime since she lived in Canada and later in Poland and Russia, I felt extraordinarily close to her--much closer than to even my grandpa on my mom's side. She was an amazing lady in every way, who first taught me about good food and the value of life. And....well, she didn't deserve cancer. The only thing I can say is that at least she didn't suffer long. Rest in Peace, Susan.
- Mmm....so my stepmom had an event on Saturday. Meaning that for about the past two weeks I've felt practically invisible when I'm at home. And it didn't help my stress levels at all.
- Obviously, the projects, etc, which I already mentioned.
- Still suffering from Post-Terminus depression. Really?! Shouldn't it have gone away by now? *sigh* I actually started crying on the 7th because I couldn't believe it had been a month.
- My iPod, my dear Luna, broke. NOooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!! ALL my wrock music was on there. I mean, yes, it's still on the computer, but now I don't have wrock to cheer me up anywhere...I have to be right by my computer. =[
Happy things now!!!
- Democratic National Convention=LOVE. Total, complete love. I'm so excited for this election, and so upset I can't vote.
- I also got to walk around with my dad the weekend of the 6th and 7th in our neighborhood for the Democratic party. It felt GOOD, strangely....
- Saturday Night Live parody of Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton this past Saturday. Really, if you haven't seen it yet, go to Saturday Night Live's website and WATCH IT. Unless you support Palin in which case (1) DON'T and (2) you're crazy. Anyway, it's now my official "cheer up Kat" video. Whenever I'm upset, I'm going to go laugh my butt off watching that video.
- It's Hayley's birthday!!! SQUEEE!!!!!!!!! I know I've never met her, but she is awesome, one of my favorite people in the world, and I hope one day to meet her in person or....read one of her books that I'm sure will be published.
- Weights class. I know it might sound weird, but weights class is so good. The one at school is exhausting, but I always feel really good afterwards--tired, but good. And Body Pump always makes me feel almost unbelievably better after a day of brain-numbing at school and hours of homework.
- ONE MONTH UNTIL PAPER TOWNS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, summary of my life. I'm not even going to try to catch y'all up on everything I've been doing over the past three weeks. If you really care for some strange reason (like having a telephone booth fall on your head), then go ahead and ask. Otherwise, happy thoughts. Cheers!
24 August 2008
Happy Birthday John Green and Frak!!!!!!
Squee!!!!!!! Both absolutely amazing people who have brought so much to my life. John, with his amazing books, and Frak with his amazing commentary on PotterCast and love of Pellegrino. =] I wish both of them a VERY happy birthday....and, I am going to help Hank make John happy....more on that later, when it isn't supposed to be secret anymore!
You may have noticed that I only posted two entries yesterday...and that's because I decided against posting a huge ranting/complaining post about my sister and her "superiority" and family issues and all that. I really do need someone to talk to about it who doesn't know my family but who will just sit there and listen. But I don't think ranting to my journal will help in this case, because I need someone to give advice and be comforting and all that. So...if you're up for that, let me know...Skype: lunasnargle E-mail: kdancingintherain@yahoo.com
Erm...so...this weekend. Yesterday morning I....uh, I'm pretty sure I spent it reading and hanging on the computer when I should've been doing homework. Leslie and I also went to Barnes and Noble, where I bought The Road by Cormac McCarthy (which I needed for school but also really WANT to read) and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (which was only 3.99 and Leslie always seems willing to buy good books for me....) Around 1:20 we left for theater (and got there about half an hour early, during which time I read some of An Abundance of Katherines). The first show was As You Like It. Absolutely hilarious, especially since they portrayed it sort of in modern times...It was funny seeing the second scene and remembering Ian in a fat suit as a sumo wrestler, though! After the first show we went to the Indian restaurant and waited for quite a while for Elyse. But, in the end, it was worth it. My Panneer Masala was really good, they have fantastic naan, and I even got to have Cookies and Cream ice cream at Baskin Robbins, and I probably haven't had actual ice cream (not sorbet or gelato) for about a year! The second show was Venus and Adonis. It wasn't as interesting as As You Like It, but, again, the portrayal in modern times made it funny, and the ending was beautiful. =]
Today I've been doing all the homework and studying I should have been doing yesterday....Oops. We also went to the BX/Commissary, King Soopers, and OfficeMax. So I'm now pretty dang sure that I have everything I need for school, either supply wise or food wise. Yay! But....I made flashcards for my Arts & Tech vocab test, my Chemistry test on the Periodic table, and printed out a map of France so I can study the provinces for my quiz tomorrow (so pointles...) I also typed and sort of rewrote my English paragraph, but I'll do it more thoroughly tomorrow. And took notes for US History now that I finally have a binder for that class! *sigh* I need to continue studying for my Chemistry and French quizzes tomorrow, though....
I can't believe I have school tomorrow! I've recalled the main reason I hate school: I'M ALWAYS TIRED!!!!! Seriously, no matter now much sleep I try to get, the work is draining, and I never really feel as awake as I do during the summer.
I don't know how many times I've thought the phrase, "Eff this, I'm going to Hogwarts," recently. A lot. Definitely. I think I'd have more friends there and a lot more fun...anyone want to join me in the quest for a happier life at Hogwarts? =]
So........Happy Birthday again to John and Frak!
I hope y'all are having a better time than I am right now, and I'm sending what happy thoughts I can y'alls way right now. Cheers!
You may have noticed that I only posted two entries yesterday...and that's because I decided against posting a huge ranting/complaining post about my sister and her "superiority" and family issues and all that. I really do need someone to talk to about it who doesn't know my family but who will just sit there and listen. But I don't think ranting to my journal will help in this case, because I need someone to give advice and be comforting and all that. So...if you're up for that, let me know...Skype: lunasnargle E-mail: kdancingintherain@yahoo.com
Erm...so...this weekend. Yesterday morning I....uh, I'm pretty sure I spent it reading and hanging on the computer when I should've been doing homework. Leslie and I also went to Barnes and Noble, where I bought The Road by Cormac McCarthy (which I needed for school but also really WANT to read) and An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (which was only 3.99 and Leslie always seems willing to buy good books for me....) Around 1:20 we left for theater (and got there about half an hour early, during which time I read some of An Abundance of Katherines). The first show was As You Like It. Absolutely hilarious, especially since they portrayed it sort of in modern times...It was funny seeing the second scene and remembering Ian in a fat suit as a sumo wrestler, though! After the first show we went to the Indian restaurant and waited for quite a while for Elyse. But, in the end, it was worth it. My Panneer Masala was really good, they have fantastic naan, and I even got to have Cookies and Cream ice cream at Baskin Robbins, and I probably haven't had actual ice cream (not sorbet or gelato) for about a year! The second show was Venus and Adonis. It wasn't as interesting as As You Like It, but, again, the portrayal in modern times made it funny, and the ending was beautiful. =]
Today I've been doing all the homework and studying I should have been doing yesterday....Oops. We also went to the BX/Commissary, King Soopers, and OfficeMax. So I'm now pretty dang sure that I have everything I need for school, either supply wise or food wise. Yay! But....I made flashcards for my Arts & Tech vocab test, my Chemistry test on the Periodic table, and printed out a map of France so I can study the provinces for my quiz tomorrow (so pointles...) I also typed and sort of rewrote my English paragraph, but I'll do it more thoroughly tomorrow. And took notes for US History now that I finally have a binder for that class! *sigh* I need to continue studying for my Chemistry and French quizzes tomorrow, though....
I can't believe I have school tomorrow! I've recalled the main reason I hate school: I'M ALWAYS TIRED!!!!! Seriously, no matter now much sleep I try to get, the work is draining, and I never really feel as awake as I do during the summer.
I don't know how many times I've thought the phrase, "Eff this, I'm going to Hogwarts," recently. A lot. Definitely. I think I'd have more friends there and a lot more fun...anyone want to join me in the quest for a happier life at Hogwarts? =]
So........Happy Birthday again to John and Frak!
I hope y'all are having a better time than I am right now, and I'm sending what happy thoughts I can y'alls way right now. Cheers!
23 August 2008
Looking for Alaska
Oh. My. GOD.
This is probably going to sound really cheesy or something, but...This book changed my life. I'm completely serious in saying this, too. It's a long story, but I connect with this book so much. And it made me cry like no book other than Deathly Hallows.
John, I loved you before, because you were sweet and funny and, with Hank, started the amazing Nerdfighters group. I had way too much fun watching you on YouTube. But....I couldn't ever find your books at my Barnes and Noble (which was weird...) So I was resigned to thinking, "Hey, John's amazing, and so many people love his books, they must be good." But I couldn't ever truly say, "John Green is an amazing author," because (*blushes*) I hadn't actually read your books.
Anyway, after Terminus I've been thinking even more about his books and how I wished I could have gone to the Nerdfighters meet-up on 8/8/08 at the library. And, like fate, I was sitting in the school library with two of my friends eating lunch on Tuesday. Staring at the shelves, there, before me, was a black hardcover book with purple smoke on it. Oh my god, I thought, Is that REALLY Looking for Alaska?? It was. I recall saying to my friend, "I can't believe they have this," and then immediately checking out the book, which is something special in itself because I NEVER check books out from the library. Like, ever.
So, I started in on Wednesday and I was done by Friday. At one point, it was so good that I was overwhelmed and upset that school is started now and I couldn't stay up all night to finish the book. I cried so much during the book, and I related so much to the (SPOILER!!!!!!!!!! BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...........) death of a really good friend and how it could physically make you hurt inside. But the book was just so amazingly beautiful....It was awe-inspiring, and, like I said, a little overwhelming because I KNOW I'll never in my life write a story for young adults as well as John's book.
I'm completely serious in saying that Looking for Alaska changed my life. It did, in so many ways that I can't really even explain and that probably wouldn't make sense to anyone even if I could. So, John, you are AMAZING. And I love you.
This is probably going to sound really cheesy or something, but...This book changed my life. I'm completely serious in saying this, too. It's a long story, but I connect with this book so much. And it made me cry like no book other than Deathly Hallows.
John, I loved you before, because you were sweet and funny and, with Hank, started the amazing Nerdfighters group. I had way too much fun watching you on YouTube. But....I couldn't ever find your books at my Barnes and Noble (which was weird...) So I was resigned to thinking, "Hey, John's amazing, and so many people love his books, they must be good." But I couldn't ever truly say, "John Green is an amazing author," because (*blushes*) I hadn't actually read your books.
Anyway, after Terminus I've been thinking even more about his books and how I wished I could have gone to the Nerdfighters meet-up on 8/8/08 at the library. And, like fate, I was sitting in the school library with two of my friends eating lunch on Tuesday. Staring at the shelves, there, before me, was a black hardcover book with purple smoke on it. Oh my god, I thought, Is that REALLY Looking for Alaska?? It was. I recall saying to my friend, "I can't believe they have this," and then immediately checking out the book, which is something special in itself because I NEVER check books out from the library. Like, ever.
So, I started in on Wednesday and I was done by Friday. At one point, it was so good that I was overwhelmed and upset that school is started now and I couldn't stay up all night to finish the book. I cried so much during the book, and I related so much to the (SPOILER!!!!!!!!!! BEEP, BEEP, BEEP...........) death of a really good friend and how it could physically make you hurt inside. But the book was just so amazingly beautiful....It was awe-inspiring, and, like I said, a little overwhelming because I KNOW I'll never in my life write a story for young adults as well as John's book.
I'm completely serious in saying that Looking for Alaska changed my life. It did, in so many ways that I can't really even explain and that probably wouldn't make sense to anyone even if I could. So, John, you are AMAZING. And I love you.
Summary of first week of school
(Just FYI I have a lot of thoughts today, which I will be splitting up into three separate journal entries, possibly four if I want to say something else....more, maybe? Anyway, this is the first.)
So, first FULL week of school. I think that one extra Friday last week was incredibly stupid, and I didn't do ANYTHING work-wise that day. So yes, first week of school.
To be completely honest, it's kind of...stunk. I mean, it hasn't been all bad, of course, but I'm not happy at Rampart AT ALL. Plus, I feel like I've changed a lot as a person this summer, what with Girl Scout camp and then Terminus. I mean, I've realized that a lot of the people I considered my friends truly are people who just talked to me because I was there. Not everyone, of course, but it was an interesting discovery.
Also, I'm not a big fan of my classmates. Or the IB program in general. They claim that it's so much harder and so much more work and all, but as more and more people who can't deal with the workload enter the IB program, I feel that the level of work and the quality of the lessons, etc, has declined. Or maybe I just don't like the way that the IB program is run. Okay, so I try not to be egotistical and it is EXTREMELY rare that I compliment myself or try to put myself above anyone else. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't think I was at a much higher learning and thinking level than a lot of my peers. There are probably people who are smarter (especially in math), but I think I have a lot higher level in thinking and analyzing and all that. I'm not saying I'm a genius, because I'm certainly not. Believe me, I've gotten plenty of low grades, but I always work really hard to make up for those. I just truly believe that I'd be a lot happier at Fountain Valley or some other private school in which my peers would be closer to my level, some above and some below (at least I hope so). Plus, at FVS or someplace else, I think I'd be getting a much more diverse high school experience and be learning a lot more about real life. Overall, I do think I'd be much happier.
It's almost worse knowing that I did get into Fountain Valley last year and that I could be going there right now if we'd been able to scrounge up the money. It would almost be easier if I hadn't been accepted, because then I wouldn't be fantasizing about what I could be doing there right now if we'd gotten enough financial aid. It's just so HARD. =[
I'm also not a big fan of my classes. I'll summarize my feelings on them:
MYP Arts and Tech: Well, I actually like this class so far, the theatre part, and I guess it's a good class to be in.....I don't have anything against this class, definitely.
Pre-Calculus: Well, I hate math, as people who've known me for a while are fully aware. And as awesome as Mr. Perry is, there are some things he doesn't teach us because he thinks we can learn them out of the book. But we're using a Higher-Level math book for some stupid reason and it doesn't really TEACH. So I've been getting real frustrated when I do my homework.
French IV: GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!! 34 freaking people are in that class!!!! It's way too big, way to chaotic, and the teacher speaks English half the time, which isn't going to help us with our speaking and understanding French. I don't think ANY class should have that many people in it, but especially not a language class where the students generally need a lot of specific help.
English: Actually, this is the one class that I'm really enjoying so far this year. I've only had three classes of it, but I really like the analyzing we've been doing of short stories and the new way I'm learning to write and all that. Plus, Mr. Treece is a really good teacher, I think.
Weights and Fitness: Well, I really like this class, too, but since it's a gym class, that doesn't factor into my liking of classes and the IB curriculum. I love the exercise we're doing, and Mr. West is awesome, but I don't think it counts in my factoring.
Chemistry: Mmm...well, mostly I just think Mr. McGregor is really...strange. And Chemistry is probably my least favorite of the different sciences. Plus, I've only had this class twice, so I don't have a full opinion on it yet.
US History: Erm....I mean, I love history, though I'd much rather study International history. Mrs. Gillette seems okay so far. In this class, it's mostly that I have a lot of classmates who have no clue what they're talking about in discussions. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just saying they should say what they KNOW and what they MEAN, instead of trying to sound all smart.
Basically, I'm not happy being a sophomore at Rampart High School. I know I really shouldn't be complaining because Rampart is a great school on a national scale, I just don't think it's for me. I'd like something a lot more personal. Still, at least I have the opportunity to go to a school, and a good school, unlike an awful lot of people around the world. I am thankful that I'm at a good school, but that doesn't stop me from wishing I was at Fountain Valley. *sigh*
Well, Cheers, I guess....
So, first FULL week of school. I think that one extra Friday last week was incredibly stupid, and I didn't do ANYTHING work-wise that day. So yes, first week of school.
To be completely honest, it's kind of...stunk. I mean, it hasn't been all bad, of course, but I'm not happy at Rampart AT ALL. Plus, I feel like I've changed a lot as a person this summer, what with Girl Scout camp and then Terminus. I mean, I've realized that a lot of the people I considered my friends truly are people who just talked to me because I was there. Not everyone, of course, but it was an interesting discovery.
Also, I'm not a big fan of my classmates. Or the IB program in general. They claim that it's so much harder and so much more work and all, but as more and more people who can't deal with the workload enter the IB program, I feel that the level of work and the quality of the lessons, etc, has declined. Or maybe I just don't like the way that the IB program is run. Okay, so I try not to be egotistical and it is EXTREMELY rare that I compliment myself or try to put myself above anyone else. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't think I was at a much higher learning and thinking level than a lot of my peers. There are probably people who are smarter (especially in math), but I think I have a lot higher level in thinking and analyzing and all that. I'm not saying I'm a genius, because I'm certainly not. Believe me, I've gotten plenty of low grades, but I always work really hard to make up for those. I just truly believe that I'd be a lot happier at Fountain Valley or some other private school in which my peers would be closer to my level, some above and some below (at least I hope so). Plus, at FVS or someplace else, I think I'd be getting a much more diverse high school experience and be learning a lot more about real life. Overall, I do think I'd be much happier.
It's almost worse knowing that I did get into Fountain Valley last year and that I could be going there right now if we'd been able to scrounge up the money. It would almost be easier if I hadn't been accepted, because then I wouldn't be fantasizing about what I could be doing there right now if we'd gotten enough financial aid. It's just so HARD. =[
I'm also not a big fan of my classes. I'll summarize my feelings on them:
MYP Arts and Tech: Well, I actually like this class so far, the theatre part, and I guess it's a good class to be in.....I don't have anything against this class, definitely.
Pre-Calculus: Well, I hate math, as people who've known me for a while are fully aware. And as awesome as Mr. Perry is, there are some things he doesn't teach us because he thinks we can learn them out of the book. But we're using a Higher-Level math book for some stupid reason and it doesn't really TEACH. So I've been getting real frustrated when I do my homework.
French IV: GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!! 34 freaking people are in that class!!!! It's way too big, way to chaotic, and the teacher speaks English half the time, which isn't going to help us with our speaking and understanding French. I don't think ANY class should have that many people in it, but especially not a language class where the students generally need a lot of specific help.
English: Actually, this is the one class that I'm really enjoying so far this year. I've only had three classes of it, but I really like the analyzing we've been doing of short stories and the new way I'm learning to write and all that. Plus, Mr. Treece is a really good teacher, I think.
Weights and Fitness: Well, I really like this class, too, but since it's a gym class, that doesn't factor into my liking of classes and the IB curriculum. I love the exercise we're doing, and Mr. West is awesome, but I don't think it counts in my factoring.
Chemistry: Mmm...well, mostly I just think Mr. McGregor is really...strange. And Chemistry is probably my least favorite of the different sciences. Plus, I've only had this class twice, so I don't have a full opinion on it yet.
US History: Erm....I mean, I love history, though I'd much rather study International history. Mrs. Gillette seems okay so far. In this class, it's mostly that I have a lot of classmates who have no clue what they're talking about in discussions. I'm not trying to be mean, I'm just saying they should say what they KNOW and what they MEAN, instead of trying to sound all smart.
Basically, I'm not happy being a sophomore at Rampart High School. I know I really shouldn't be complaining because Rampart is a great school on a national scale, I just don't think it's for me. I'd like something a lot more personal. Still, at least I have the opportunity to go to a school, and a good school, unlike an awful lot of people around the world. I am thankful that I'm at a good school, but that doesn't stop me from wishing I was at Fountain Valley. *sigh*
Well, Cheers, I guess....
18 August 2008
Terminus, part six: Sunday 10 August 2008
Okay, so I actually got to sleep in on Sunday!!! Leslie woke me up when she went to go running around 7:00, but I stayed in bed until around 9:00, half-asleep, until I finally decided to get up and take a shower. First real shower, too—one that wasn’t at 12:30 at night! I took forever to dry my hair, though! GAH!!!! Sometimes I really hate having thick hair—I dried it with the hair dryer for about 20 minutes and then let it air-dry for another 20 or so minutes, and then straightened it. Leslie and I headed down to the vender room around 10:40 to buy me a Ravenclaw tie that actually had the right colors! Squee!!!!
I was hoping to get into Cody’s roundtable about sorting, but it was full even though I arrived more than 10 minutes early, so I went to Julia’s roundtable about Wizard Rock. So, I obviously don’t know how Cody’s would have been, but I had a genuinely good time at Julia’s—all of us there, naturally, were huge wrock fans, and Matt even came in for the last half to talk to us. I was still really disappointed that I didn’t get to go to Wrock Chicago, but I’ve heard so much about it and been around all the wrock bands there that I feel pretty close to having been there!!! Sadly, I had to leave the roundtable about half an hour early because I was going out to lunch with Leslie’s sister, niece, and nephew. It wasn’t too bad—I had some pretty plain pasta and got a pretty long time to calm myself down for my presentation.
Presentation. Surprisingly, I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be. I mean, I’d seen how nice the audience was to other presenters, and I knew that Harry Potter fans in general are pretty nice. I was still a little nervous, of course, because I didn’t know the people I was presenting to and how they’d accept a paper written by a 15-year-old. A pretty small number of people showed up, which was disappointing at first, but it turned out to be really nice because I left about 10 minutes for “questions,” but that period turned into a semi-roundtable with really good discussion. And everyone there seemed to genuinely enjoy the paper, though I can’t be sure…Either way, I left the room very happy.
I got Leslie to take over my volunteer shift for an hour so that I could go to the Unplugged Common room session with my favorite bands….that I never ended up finding!!!! It was pretty annoying, because that was my main chance to talk to Lauren and Kristina and all and to buy merchandise from them. Instead, I walked around searching for quite a while, bought a DVD of the Wizard Rockumentary and then found Mike and one of his friends (who was playing the piano). I talked to Mike for….well, for a while, and then I had to go back upstairs to finish out the last hour of my volunteer session. Really boring, because I wasn’t particularly interested in the presentation and the presenter did the powerpoint herself. So I pretty much sat outside in the hallway reading through the ENTIRE Terminus program, and then waited what seemed like forever for the AV people to pick up the laptop and projector.
Well….I was kind of in a bad mood after that because I hadn’t had the most exciting day, hadn’t seen very many of my friends, and I really didn’t want it to be the last night. But my spirits were lifted when we found a really good Mexican restaurant to eat at for dinner—enchiladas!! Then, that night was the Bon Voyage Ball, which I’m going to attempt to write a separate entry about…so, stay tuned!
I was hoping to get into Cody’s roundtable about sorting, but it was full even though I arrived more than 10 minutes early, so I went to Julia’s roundtable about Wizard Rock. So, I obviously don’t know how Cody’s would have been, but I had a genuinely good time at Julia’s—all of us there, naturally, were huge wrock fans, and Matt even came in for the last half to talk to us. I was still really disappointed that I didn’t get to go to Wrock Chicago, but I’ve heard so much about it and been around all the wrock bands there that I feel pretty close to having been there!!! Sadly, I had to leave the roundtable about half an hour early because I was going out to lunch with Leslie’s sister, niece, and nephew. It wasn’t too bad—I had some pretty plain pasta and got a pretty long time to calm myself down for my presentation.
Presentation. Surprisingly, I wasn’t as nervous as I thought I would be. I mean, I’d seen how nice the audience was to other presenters, and I knew that Harry Potter fans in general are pretty nice. I was still a little nervous, of course, because I didn’t know the people I was presenting to and how they’d accept a paper written by a 15-year-old. A pretty small number of people showed up, which was disappointing at first, but it turned out to be really nice because I left about 10 minutes for “questions,” but that period turned into a semi-roundtable with really good discussion. And everyone there seemed to genuinely enjoy the paper, though I can’t be sure…Either way, I left the room very happy.
I got Leslie to take over my volunteer shift for an hour so that I could go to the Unplugged Common room session with my favorite bands….that I never ended up finding!!!! It was pretty annoying, because that was my main chance to talk to Lauren and Kristina and all and to buy merchandise from them. Instead, I walked around searching for quite a while, bought a DVD of the Wizard Rockumentary and then found Mike and one of his friends (who was playing the piano). I talked to Mike for….well, for a while, and then I had to go back upstairs to finish out the last hour of my volunteer session. Really boring, because I wasn’t particularly interested in the presentation and the presenter did the powerpoint herself. So I pretty much sat outside in the hallway reading through the ENTIRE Terminus program, and then waited what seemed like forever for the AV people to pick up the laptop and projector.
Well….I was kind of in a bad mood after that because I hadn’t had the most exciting day, hadn’t seen very many of my friends, and I really didn’t want it to be the last night. But my spirits were lifted when we found a really good Mexican restaurant to eat at for dinner—enchiladas!! Then, that night was the Bon Voyage Ball, which I’m going to attempt to write a separate entry about…so, stay tuned!
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