Featuring cheese, showtunes, and even some emotion

I spent the day asleep till eleven, then went sledding with Allison (the coolest freshman you will ever meet, plus one of the all-around hottest girls ever, for serious, it's not fair) and the boyfriend. We got some awesome hills, and then suddenly ran out of energy and ended up with the three of us sprawled in the snow at the bottom of a slope just talking. Heh heh :) Then we went back to her house and ate cookies.

I am sitting at my computer listening to the soundtrack of The Princess and the Frog. Keith David is seriously such an epic villain.

I've had a good weekend.

Friday, hung out with Ian, then went to Silver Diner with a bunch of the choir-drama kids, then to RTC. We lurked at the roof of a parking garage, frolicked in the fountains, and were accosted by some kids trying to sell us "Booty Sweat," which apparently is actually a legitimate beverage inspired by the drink from Tropic Thunder. In any case, we were supposed to buy it so the sixteen-year-old could support his eight year old she-male daughter, "Samantho." It was very entertaining.

Saturday! Didn't actually take the SATs I thought I was registered for. Guess I wasn't... but I went to see Nine with some kids. I thought it was fantastic, but they didn't quite agree. Then we decided to fly kites and play on a playground, pics on facebook if you wanna see :)

Then on Sunday I had horsebackriding and yoinksed some western saddles for Oklahoma. I had to clean them, they were filthy, it was disgusting. A cappella group rehearsal, and then after church I spent the night at Gift's apartment. We made delicious pizza; Mike (her fiance) didn't want anything on his side other than cheese, while ours had tons of veggies and whatnot, so there was a distinct difference in elevation. It was delicious, though, and we ate it while watching a video of John Pinette's standup. "Let him go, he's just a baby!" Good times.

Today I am practicing with Ian for coffeehouse; he roped me in for a duet by promising me Simon and Garfunkel. I love you all!

Today was my audition for Oklahoma /nerves!/

It didn't go too badly, actually, I did the ridiculously difficult ballet dance as well as I could and I've been told I was pretty good, my monologue went over really well with the people in my time slot (of course, I'm good friends with most of them so there might have been a bias) and I actually managed to hit that high f that I was so terrified about.

Have I ever mentioned I really love traditional ballet dancing? To watch it, I mean, and I wish that I could do that. Even though I would actually like to have joints that function when I am old, I still wish I could be a pretty ballerina. I could have been, if we hadn't moved! I was in ballet in kindergarten! One of the girls was auditioning for the featured dancers section (because Oklahoma, right in the middle, has a random-ass dream ballet) and she's a really great dancer (she's a really nice girl, too, actually, she's in Madrigals with me and once when I was freaking out over my physics grades last year she came and talked to me even though I barely knew her so yeah I'm rambling but the point is she's really smart and nice)--

Just so you can actually keep track of what I'm saying: anyway, she did this little ballet routine that was choreographed by another 12th grade ballerina, and she was on point, and it was so lovely and graceful and I felt so envious. I like feeling pretty; when I'm doing dance routines, even though I'm not trained, I feel so graceful and lovely, which is why I'm always pretending I can dance.

Anyway... I can't remember where I was going with this post. But the point is, my audition went fairly well and I'm pleased with everything.

Callbacks on Thursday! Wish me luck.

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I also wanted to mention (I forgot as I was about to click "post") was that I started using our elliptical again and I'd forgotten how much I loved it :)

Part of my reason for stopping is that when I began using it, that daily exercise ended up getting tied into not eating and all kinds of bad stuff, and when I pulled myself off of it, I had to let go of a lot of things. Like what happens with serious cases of anorexia; where it's so extreme that when they stop, they can't restrain themselves at all and often end up becoming obese. Which sometimes then circles back...

I really needed to start again, though. I have actually been putting on pudge, which bothers me, and I know it's my fault because while I don't eat much more than last year, I also do absolutely nothing at all in terms of physical stress. And I always hate it when people complain about things that they could easily do something about, and instead of doing something, they just complain. I can't stand it. So I decided that instead of whining about gaining weight, I would actually exercise and maintain my size.

I was really anxious, actually, that taking this up again (I started using my exercise ball again a few weeks prior) was going to reawaken tendencies. Especially because last Friday, at one a.m., for some reason I had a major freakout. I was trying to fall asleep but I kept getting really restless and thinking about the fact that my thighs were touching (omigod, big deal right? RITE??) and suddenly had to get up and practically tore apart my sister's room (she wasn't there) looking for a tape measure so I could freaking measure myself. I called myself disgusting, which is something that I haven't done since freshman year and that whole mess, and was crying and a whole mess but also trying to be quiet because everyone was asleep o.O

I'm proud of myself, though, because I actually managed to mostly calm myself down. I had to take out my diary that I only use in times of stress or boredom, and literally just started listing reasons I should not worry that I was at 145 (the heaviest I've ever been). For example, I just started using weights and doing sit-ups again, so some muscle mass may cause weight, I ate more than usual tonight, my period's about to start and I'm bloated. And then a whole bunch of anxious "dear God please God don't let me fall into this again," because it's awful and no one deserves to go through it. Especially me, because I'm usually too practical for that, I think.

Anyway, I'm feeling good now, and I'm not really sure where that spaz attack came from. But rest assured it is subdued!

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My lovelies, this turned out so much longer than I had originally anticipated. Näkemiin! (which, apparently, means goodbye in Finnish)

First day of senior year <3

It was okay... First period AP Gov was fine, I have friends in it who sit near me, same with third period, English. Fifth period of course is Madrigals, which is a super awesome class.

I nearly had a panic attack that there would be no friends in my AP Calc class, but joyously Timothy was there. Timothy and I are biffles in the same way that I don't traumatize Matt because he LOVES ME. Except more actually biffles.

Tomorrow I get to be at school at six thirty to SING. YAAAAAAY.

Man, I'm on a Hayao Miyazaki kick!

I watched Howl's Moving Castle last night... I got so confused sometimes, because while I know it strays pretty far from the book, I kept getting tripped up on minor details. Like, "Is Sophie actually changing back and forth, or is Howl just able to see it because he's a wizard?" and "Wait... does Sophie know that Howl knows about her curse?" and "Wait... did that scene actually happen because they're acting like it didn't..."

I just finished watching Princess Mononoke, which all kinds of epic and win and just the kind of movie I'm in the mood for right now, beautiful and majestic and strange and not crammed with details like so many fantasy movies are. And I do agree with what Andrew said so long ago after watching it--that nothing is really actually resolved in the end. It's just going to happen all over again. BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT! You gotta believe....

IN YOURSELF! Sorry, shout out to Magic Knight Rayearth. Anyway, the point is that you have to just suspend disbelief. Because that's what fantasy is all about :)

I also reread the first volume of Amatsuki, while I cried that no one had continued translating and scanlating the chapters. The last one came out more than a year ago, yes? Curse their eyes!


Today I felt very much like sitting around doing nothing and that is precisely what I did.

My Hana Yori Dango is, I hope, temporarily assuaged now that I've finished the manga and almost watched the live action series twice through. I'm avoiding the anime for now.

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The other day I went into D.C. with some friends that I don't hang out with often--my friend Kerry contacted me in the middle of July and told me about a German exchange student that she was going to be spending some time with. Seeing as I take German, she invited me to come along. So she, I, another friend, and the German exchange student frolicked through D.C. for a day. We spent a few hours in the museum of natural history, then walked for about half an hour looking for a place to eat that was reasonably priced, before heading back to the Mall for museums and then realizing we were done with the museums.

Let me say, though, I adore museums. I actually do, not ironically. I find them really interesting, and I love looking at the exhibits, and I love them, I really do. I know, I'm such a loser~

After we were done with the museums, we went and saw Ponyo. For a RIDICULOUS matinee price. I mean, $8.75 for MATINEE? Ugh. Shoot me. Ridiculous.

Anyway, Ponyo was extremely cute and whimsical, very much a children's movie, which is extremely unusual for American children's movies, which tend to provide humour to apply to all ages, and very probably not worth $8.75. I have to say, I love Liam Neeson's character, the magician father? He's all walking around in his striped suit with a puffy cravat and giant red hair and either an extremely gaunt face or just heavy makeup.

It was such a random movie too, with all the kids knowing random dinosaurs and random things about the moon.

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Lately I seem to be getting into fits of gloom, which is a little annoying. I think it might be the imminence of school, but I'm not sure. Perhaps the abundance of unfinished summer assignments?

I do desire strongly to see all of the people I've missed out on. Ian keeps niggling me because I haven't spent as much time with him the past two weeks or so, but I spent practically every day of July with him, the greedy pants!

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I have this incredibly strong urge to watch Hayao Miyazaki films right now, but Youtube is DUMB.

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<3

I'm so hooked on awful television it's not even funny. It started off well enough... I enjoyed cartoons, some more intelligent than others. I was then sucked into Project Rungay. America's Next Top Model soon followed.

Then I started watching crappy SCRIPTED television. Where I once could not even bear to watch Secret Life of the American Teenager, a lazy day spent on the couch hooked me on it. I haven't fallen to the point that I seek it out, but I do not hesitate to watch it. I can't stop watching Make It Or Break It either. It's really bad.

AND the reality shows didn't end... the "Real Housewives" shows on Bravo, and oh God, the addictive hot mess that is NYC Prep. I just can't get away from all these annoying, self-entitled people.

~ ~

I spent all of last night watching "Boys Before Flowers" (the live-action version) and it's really addictive. If it was American television, I would think it was awful, but it since it's Japanese and it's an adaptation of an anime that was an adaptation of a manga, it works. It's the style; it's a certain attitude and style of anime and, from what I've seen, a lot of Japanese television and that's why Americans seem to fail at adapting anime for their own purposes.

Hence, the hot mess that was Dragonball Evolution. Because you can't really take a slapstick anime and try to make it a combined serious-epic/high-school-outcast/coming-of-age/cgi-scifi movie and have it work.

I've been working the past week as an intern in Representative Paul Tonko's office, and it's been pretty fun, I get to joke around with my fellow girl scout intern and the college age interns.

Our chief of staff wears a cardigan all the time; Courtney (the other girl) and I didn't realize it was more than just a fashion accessory until we were eating outside one day and saw her leave to go to lunch, sans the cardigan. She had a full sleeve tattoo on her left arm. Pretty BA!

Today Courtney, the two guy interns and I went to the senate gallery and watched the confirmation of Sonya Sotomayor. I was squealing like a fangirl: "Oh look, there's John Kerry and his face that looks so evil! There's little teddy bear McCain!"

Jokes aside, it was really amazing and solemn, or would have been if the four of us weren't all really sarcastic jokesters.

Did YOU do anything historic with your day? :D

It's been almost a week since I got back and it took me this long to post... Sorry. Somehow I'm just not good at updating my life on livejournal.

Astonishingly enough, guys, the Baltic and Scandinavia are beautiful. I loved Copenhagen--they have lots everywhere with dozens of bikes that people rent and then ride about the city. And people are kayaking through the city in the canal. I got hit by jetlag hard, though, and it was such an awful flight there that I didn't tour in Copenhagen, and I didn't see the Little Mermaid. I didn't get seasick this time when we got on the boat, though, excellent!

I don't like cruises, as a means of tourism, because I don't think you actually see the city at all. I do like huge buffets with tons of beautiful food that you just can't leave because you need to taste it.

My favorite part of the trip was not a location. I was walking through the buffet line with a serious face and this old, small, black man with an accent said to me, "Smile, my lady, smile!" When I complied he said, "It's beautiful!" I love people like that.

There were some song-and-dance shows that were generally pretty good. There was one really awkward dance where the male dancers were literally pole-dancing. Like, really sexually pole-dancing. There was one getting really into it, and I noticed because I'd been watching him the past few shows. I was sitting there thinking, "I see you. I see you, Latin diva. Don't pretend. I know that in your heart you're really wearing tasseled pasties and a sequin thong. I see you, diva."

On the cruise ship they had an art gallery, which was beautiful. I am now obsessed with Martiros Manoukian--some of the pieces by him were so dynamic, so colorful, and just so ultimately beautiful that I would seriously walk through the art gallery just so I could stare at them. Look at his art, if you can. It's amazing.

Anyway, since I've been back I've spent a lot of time with Boy, and I spent a lot of money buying formal shirts because I'm doing an internship next week and I didn't own any formal shirts. I can't go to a congressman's office shirtless, even if he is liberal. I will not be THAT kind of congressional aide~ And then I went shoe-shopping, because I also would like to not walk around DC barefoot and I owned no formal shoes.

My dad signed me up for that thing. I didn't want to do it. Now he gets annoyed at me for not getting excited about the thing I told him I didn't want to do. Anyway, I feel it within my rights use that as an excuse to jump into frivolous consumer culture. And I didn't even buy that one pair of super-cute purple flats.

WHAT THE BUCK?

I'm so glad to be back, and I'm so bad at updating that my life kinda fails when it comes to livejournal, because I remember looking at old entries and it went, "I hate that fucking whore" to a series of videos and twilight hating and sometimes occasional updates and then back with Ian with no legitimate explanation whatsoever, and it's a little ridiculous because I put so much importance on lj because it connects me to you guys and then I don't ever update it unless there's absolutely nothing else going on in my life, which is the most useless time to update it ever.

Anyway, I love you all and I want to see you very strongly.

I guess I've been nervous for the end of this year, because almost all my good friends at Herndon are seniors, but the sorrow didn't really hit me till just now.

My friend Sarah made the most amazing video on facebook, with a montage of pictures to music of a lot of her best friends, and I seriously felt like I was about to start sobbing.

Don't leave, seniors! Please don't leave!

I think one of the best things in the world is that I'm not one of those people who spends all their time listening to music and discovering new bands. I mean, I love music, but you know the kind of person I'm talking about, right? It's a good thing I'm not a huge music person, because I would be that elitist. I would be the snob who hates a band once it gets popular. And I hate those people. And everyone would hate me.

The thing is, I do that with EVERYTHING ELSE. Well, not so much that.

I'll be okay with something, but if it's popular, I HATE IT. Take Eragon. I mean, I enjoyed it. It's okay. It's not a masterpiece by any means. But when people kept telling me it was amazing, it was a crowning piece of fantasy literature blah blah blah, I began to hate it. Because I could see ALL these flaws in it that somehow these mentally handicapped blithering maniacs couldn't see. And it makes me so inexplicably furious when people refuse to acknowledge flaws. (Probably because it's about the only place I channel negative energy...)

Anyway, that explains part of my loathing for Twilight. You know what? They're mildly entertaining, if you shut off your brain. In fact, they're perfect if you just want to shut off your brain and read fluff for a while. But when people call them romantic masterpieces, it INFURIATES ME. Also, the fact that apparently Stephanie Meyer is so hilariously deluded that she believes each book plays homage to romantic masterpieces. For example, Twilight, the first novel, is representative of Pride and Prejudice.

I can't even express this.

Dot.

Dot.

Dot.

That's right. Twilight is to be compared to PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE.

Congratulations, Stephanie Meyer, you're so inspired by your own so-called writing talent in writing what basically amounts to the ultimate "Here teenage girls insert yourself in the story because the main character is so personality lacking" book in the world, that you compare yourself to Jane Austen. Wow.

Anyway, I would not have all these issues with Twilight if it was not so freakishly popular, especially with this Edward obsession when he's SO CREEPY. He's controlling, chauvinistic, and freakin' creepy.

I found this site the other day linked from a webcomic update, where this woman annotates Twilight as she reads, coming up with some REALLY astute observations as well as some good-old-fashioned entertaining snark.

Finally, my APs are all over and done with! It's been quite a pain, especially since I've been so inexplicably sleepy all the time lately--plenty of sleep, no problemo. I've also been eating more than necessary and not doing anything but sit around or nap so I've got quite the little food-baby at this moment.

Part of my sitting around lately has been manifested in a Disney obsession--over the weekend I spent some time with my sister getting my mother her present and peeking for a prom dress--they're so expensive, but I found one that I really love, AND I found it online for almost sixty dollars less than the store. Here, go take a look. ANYWAY, DISNEY-- We listened to the Hercules soundtrack and the Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack while in the car, and it spawned such a desire in me to go review all my old favorites. I started with Beauty and the Beast, followed it with Hercules, and the other day I watched HofND.

I have to say, Hunchback is probably one of the most underrated disney movies EVER. I know that it's impossible for it to be completely pure to the Victor Hugo novel, but for what it is it's incredible. And I have no idea how it got away with a G rating, considering that it contains the words "licentious," "damnation," and has implications of lust and sexuality. For a children's movie, it's incredibly dark, despite attempts to lighten the subject matter, and the complexity of the characters is actually incredible.

Plus, the score. The musical score is so underrated--simply because it's not as catchy as other musicals. But the performers are perfect, and both the music--which reminds me more of a classical musical than of a disney soundtrack-- and the accompanying music are phenomenal.

Here, take a gander:


That's beautiful, and it's an incredibly mature theme, ESPECIALLY for a disney movie.


I saw this compared unfavorably with The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World" but I don't think it's even comparable; this is far better. The vocals, the animation, and the emotion is far more complex than a whiny little slut-fish being unsatisfied with being a princess.

BEE TEE DUBS, GUYS, YOU WANNA KNOW SOMETHING?

POPS CONCERT IS NEXT TUESDAY AT HHS SO IF YOU WANNA COME THAT'LL BE COOL, I'LL FIND OUT THE TIME TO TELL YOU GUYS YAH SOUNDS FUN RITE



Anyway, I love you all and miss you. One Ian does not compare to Friday night orgies.

You know who's a really cool person? Squillzy. No lie. I got home from an exhausting four hour car ride and there are deliciously amazing cookies waiting for me. What is this madness? Coolest person ever.

Anyway, this weekend my awesome possum sisters took me to New York--Gift and I drove up (translation: Gift drove and I conked out), and Jen took the bus down. We went to see Phantom of the Opera, which was gorgeous and fantabulous, though I wish the Phantom had had a little more articulation at the ends of his words, and that Meg Giry had a stronger stage presence. Then for a little change of pace, we went and saw Avenue Q.

That's definitely a change of pace. It was wonderful and fun, even if Jen kept telling me to close my eyes at certain points because even though I am now legally allowed to see R-rated movies obviously the sight of ungendered cloth puppets is too much for my innocent mind.

But gee wilikers did I miss you guys, so I am glad to be back. And having to do my homework.

Huzzah!

Well, I'm off to the beach till midnight Saturday with choir!

I love you all and will miss you as I wear my itty bitty bikini in the freezing cold water. My bumper buddy and I (the ex, actually, somehow we've ended up sitting next to each other on the bus ride there) are getting along quite well, so that will be all and good and my temperamental drama queen of a HHS best friend seems to be leaning more to the "enjoyably crazy" side of her insanity cycle rather than the "fuck this bitch is CRAZY" side. Excellent!

Peace out, darlings! Toodle!

I don't know if I ever mentioned it, but one of what I consider to be the most touching scenes in any Terry Pratchett novel (and there are plenty for a satire series) is in Soul Music. It might actually be my favorite Pratchett moment, beating out the Carcer arrest scene in Night Watch with the "My boy Sam will wake up on a better world" speech and the "They did the job they didn't have to do and died doing it" speech.

Part of why I love this scene is because it's so understated, so simple, that you might not even notice it. If you haven't read the other books, you probably would just be confused by it, wondering about its place. But in Soul Music, which is actually not one of my favorites in the series (I find Susan's teenage rebellion and angsty-Sue powers highly aggravating), I love the scene where, before going back in time to see her father banished, Susan rides out on the cornfields (referring, of course, to Reaper Man.

I just think that's a beautiful image, as well as a very subtle, deft way to show the depth of Death's character; this idea of his traditional black house, where everything is black and gothic, but surrounding it are vibrant cornfields. Which is actually representative of Death's struggles in the book, because an issue is his attempt to reconcile his duty with his interest in humanity and life.

And I love finding these moments in books, where it doesn't hit you over the head with symbolism and it doesn't scream "LOOK HERE FOR YOU IS MEANINGFUL MOMENT YUSS YUSS" but it's just more thoughtful and off-hand.

~ ~

I'm second from the left, in the pink shirt and the black-and-white skirt (Pink? I never wear pink!)

I hope you're all missing me... that's what I was doing on Friday instead of chillin' wichoo.

You are all my butterstick.

I know I haven't posted anything for a while, I just haven't really had anything to say. My apologies? I've been repeatedly getting very sick lately, too, so that's part of it, and last weekend I was in Pittsburgh.

I love you all, my darlings.

I feel like so often I'm unable to help anyone with their problems.

I'm glad I was able to talk to someone, and hopefully make things a little better, for once.