I really don't like Facebook. Yet now I'm a part of it. Urgh. But it's valuable enough for communication purposes that I suppose I will keep it.
I hate how every little change you make instantly shows up on your profile page! Is there no privacy? I mean, it's not like I'm taking part in unspeakable atrocities through facebook that need to be hidden from the world, I'm just a private person who doesn't really want people to be able to monitor everything she does on facebook. For example, I removed my relationship status in order to avoid the possible uncomfortable situations which some of my friends have encountered, and people instantly make assumptions. Incorrect assumptions, I may add. I suppose they've now learned what happens when you make assumptions. Do people really have nothing better to do with their time than to check everyone's mini-feeds to see what they've changed?
I do like the pieces of flair though. It's like a virtual version of the front of my purse!
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Adventures in Driving II
It's the second adventure I've typed anyway. Driving mishaps happen pretty much whenever I go somewhere new.
This one actually came to pass on Monday, and I started writing about it on Monday, but then I forgot about it. I was trying to reach the not-so-distant land of Colerain, where Chuck E. Cheese, Half Price Books, and Ihop live so I could visit Home Depot to find some lovely flowers to plant in Ronda, Michael, and Kate Corbin's yard. I knew I had to get on Ronald Reagan, but for some reason it never occurred to me to ask my mom which direction I should be going. I chose east Ronald Reagan. I chose incorrectly. We had passed Blue Ash, narrowly (and an eensy bit illegally) escaped an entrance ramp onto the dreaded valley of horrors know as I-71 (or something-else-71), and come to the end of the Ronald Reagan freeway by the time we were positive that we weren't in the right place. A phone call verified that we had gone the wrong direction. Fortunately, the exit we took landed us in Montgomery, the least shady place you could ask for when trying to turn around in an unfamiliar place.
Eventually, we reached the Colerain Home Depot. We left that place to seek out Ronda's Fairfield home. The directions I wrote from what my mom dictated to me told me to turn on "Reysor". We drove all the way through Fairfield (crossing my old enemy, Dixie Highway, in the process) before realizing that we were once again lost. I turned around. Again. As we headed back, a song began to play on my iPod. This same song played in the last Driving Adventure I chronicled on this blog. It seems to choose the perfect moments to come up in the shuffle. The chorus of this song goes like this: "Maria, Maria, Maria, where did you go?". My brother about killed himself laughing. On the way back through Fairfield, I saw a street that I was pretty sure would take me to the Corbin house by a back route. For some odd reason, Jonathon was against that. I can't imagine why (I checked with Ronda later, and the street actually would have gotten me there just as I had thought it would). As we drove, it occurred to my brother and sister that they could help look for the street if they knew what it was called. I told them its name, and they spotted it shortly thereafter. Apparently, it was spelled "Resor" rather than "Reysor", but sometimes I only see the exact thing that I'm looking for.
This one actually came to pass on Monday, and I started writing about it on Monday, but then I forgot about it. I was trying to reach the not-so-distant land of Colerain, where Chuck E. Cheese, Half Price Books, and Ihop live so I could visit Home Depot to find some lovely flowers to plant in Ronda, Michael, and Kate Corbin's yard. I knew I had to get on Ronald Reagan, but for some reason it never occurred to me to ask my mom which direction I should be going. I chose east Ronald Reagan. I chose incorrectly. We had passed Blue Ash, narrowly (and an eensy bit illegally) escaped an entrance ramp onto the dreaded valley of horrors know as I-71 (or something-else-71), and come to the end of the Ronald Reagan freeway by the time we were positive that we weren't in the right place. A phone call verified that we had gone the wrong direction. Fortunately, the exit we took landed us in Montgomery, the least shady place you could ask for when trying to turn around in an unfamiliar place.
Eventually, we reached the Colerain Home Depot. We left that place to seek out Ronda's Fairfield home. The directions I wrote from what my mom dictated to me told me to turn on "Reysor". We drove all the way through Fairfield (crossing my old enemy, Dixie Highway, in the process) before realizing that we were once again lost. I turned around. Again. As we headed back, a song began to play on my iPod. This same song played in the last Driving Adventure I chronicled on this blog. It seems to choose the perfect moments to come up in the shuffle. The chorus of this song goes like this: "Maria, Maria, Maria, where did you go?". My brother about killed himself laughing. On the way back through Fairfield, I saw a street that I was pretty sure would take me to the Corbin house by a back route. For some odd reason, Jonathon was against that. I can't imagine why (I checked with Ronda later, and the street actually would have gotten me there just as I had thought it would). As we drove, it occurred to my brother and sister that they could help look for the street if they knew what it was called. I told them its name, and they spotted it shortly thereafter. Apparently, it was spelled "Resor" rather than "Reysor", but sometimes I only see the exact thing that I'm looking for.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Summer Reading
So today I succumbed to my summer addiction and read a book completely unrelated to any current responsibilities.
I received Twilight by Stephanie Meyer at a surprise birthday party yesterday and read it today. I've been hearing good things about it for a while now, and it was better than I expected. Yes, it's a love story, but it's about a vampire and a human (which makes it so much more interesting), and most of it moves at a fairly fast pace. The book contained a suspenseful preview of the second book. Now I really want to read the second book, then I'll want to read the third, and then I'll be stuck waiting for the fourth (and final, I believe) installment. I personally think the main guy should just turn the main girl into a vampire. It would solve so many problems.
During the summer, I normally end up doing pretty much nothing but reading with a hint of gardening and a dash of artwork. Although I have a lot more to do this summer, I still plan on doing a lot of reading. There are two books that all of us AP students are required to read, and we also get to pick one off of a long list from the teacher. I couldn't decide, so I'm reading three of them. At least. Plus there's all the other books I want to read.
In all, I have quite the comprehensive list of books I plan(ned) on reading this summer. The starred ones are required (at least to some degree), and I've already read the top two. The first definitely could have been better.
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by Rowling (I couldn't not finish the series)
-Twilight by Meyer
-New Moon by Meyer
-Eclipse by Meyer
-Breaking Dawn by Meyer (once again, I can't bear to let a series go unfinished, plus this one will hopefully remain enthralling all the way through)
-The Battle of Evernight by Dart-Thornton (the final book of a trilogy that really annoyed me, but I can't leave a story unfinished)
-Heart of Darkness* by Conrad
-The Bean Trees* by Kingslover
-The Road* by McCarthy
-The Time Traveler's Wife* by Niffenegger
-Beloved* by Morrison
-Three Cups of Tea by Mortenson and Relin
-The Anthropic Cosmological Principle by Barrow and Tipler
-The Hound of the Baskervilles by Doyle (it's going to be my school's fall play, so I want to review the tale)
-Guide to the Practical Study of Harmony by Tchaikovsky
I'm probably forgetting at least a couple. Perhaps I'll post reviews of them all. Perhaps not. I haven't decided.
I received Twilight by Stephanie Meyer at a surprise birthday party yesterday and read it today. I've been hearing good things about it for a while now, and it was better than I expected. Yes, it's a love story, but it's about a vampire and a human (which makes it so much more interesting), and most of it moves at a fairly fast pace. The book contained a suspenseful preview of the second book. Now I really want to read the second book, then I'll want to read the third, and then I'll be stuck waiting for the fourth (and final, I believe) installment. I personally think the main guy should just turn the main girl into a vampire. It would solve so many problems.
During the summer, I normally end up doing pretty much nothing but reading with a hint of gardening and a dash of artwork. Although I have a lot more to do this summer, I still plan on doing a lot of reading. There are two books that all of us AP students are required to read, and we also get to pick one off of a long list from the teacher. I couldn't decide, so I'm reading three of them. At least. Plus there's all the other books I want to read.
In all, I have quite the comprehensive list of books I plan(ned) on reading this summer. The starred ones are required (at least to some degree), and I've already read the top two. The first definitely could have been better.
-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by Rowling (I couldn't not finish the series)
-Twilight by Meyer
-New Moon by Meyer
-Eclipse by Meyer
-Breaking Dawn by Meyer (once again, I can't bear to let a series go unfinished, plus this one will hopefully remain enthralling all the way through)
-The Battle of Evernight by Dart-Thornton (the final book of a trilogy that really annoyed me, but I can't leave a story unfinished)
-Heart of Darkness* by Conrad
-The Bean Trees* by Kingslover
-The Road* by McCarthy
-The Time Traveler's Wife* by Niffenegger
-Beloved* by Morrison
-Three Cups of Tea by Mortenson and Relin
-The Anthropic Cosmological Principle by Barrow and Tipler
-The Hound of the Baskervilles by Doyle (it's going to be my school's fall play, so I want to review the tale)
-Guide to the Practical Study of Harmony by Tchaikovsky
I'm probably forgetting at least a couple. Perhaps I'll post reviews of them all. Perhaps not. I haven't decided.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
It's Almost Over
My junior year is almost over! As of today, I am forever more done with French class! I really do love learning the language, but I can't say I'll miss Lorenz. I'm also done with my english classmates. I love my teacher and the class, but my classmates are so immature I can barely stand it. After our exam, a couple of my friends decided to make a list of things that are more mature than our class. The list was getting too long, so they just ended up writing "everything" at the bottom. Hopefully most of them don't get to take AP english next year.
Most Finneytownians consider 11th grade to be the year from hell, so I dearly hope that next year is not as busy. The schedule I've made for myself may kill that dream, but that remains to be seen. Now that I know what it's like to take classes wherein I actually have to read through my notes or even actually study before tests, I should be much more prepared for next year than I was for this year. My schedule and my opinion of the classes is as follows (although the classes won't be in this order, for I have put them in alphabetical order):
AP Art History: If I end up having to drop a class, I think it will be this one. History is my least favorite subject, and this class actually gets me another art credit instead of a history credit. If I got a history credit, I wouldn't have to take psych, as I will explain momentarily. This class is a huge workload. Normally, we'd get to start the work over the summer, but I'm not sure how that's working since the teacher is bed-ridden with a leg broken in three places.
AP Art Portfolio: I'm extra excited about my portfolio! Hopefully, mine will be half finished and completely planned by the end of the summer. More on that when I finish the post on my portfolio. It's one of the many posts I've started but not finished. If I finish all that I plan to over the summer, finishing my portfolio by next May shouldn't be an issue.
AP Calculus: Also known as AP Calculator, this class is taught by a monotonous yet hilarious and informative teacher. Last I heard, there were only fifteen people signed up for this class. I like small classes. It should be challenging, unlike my past math classes, but not unmanageable.
AP English/American Lit: If the current AP English teacher keeps this position next year, the class will be a piece of cake, but any real preparation for the AP exam will be done on my own. I would be elated if most of my english classmates from this year weren't taking AP next year, but that's not likely.
AP Psychology: After English, psychology is considered the easiest AP class in the school. I don't really want to take it, but I need another history/social studies credit since I got to skip 10th grade history and go straight to AP US History. I could take two semester social studies classes, but there's only one that's even remotely appealing.
Black and White Digital Photography: I've been wanting to take this class since my freshman year, and I'll finally get to take it my senior year. This will be my chill class. The only deadlines I'll have to worry about are the teacher's, not the college board's, and there aren't many facts to memorize.
Chorale: I've also wanted to take a chorus class since my freshman year, but it has always come down to a choice between art and chorus. Art has won every time. Now that I finally have room for chorus, I got into the most select chorus at our school (okay, so there are only two select choruses) after not having taken a chorus class since eighth grade. I'm pretty excited.
Music Theory: This year, music theory and music history were offered as semester classes for the first time in a few decades. Those who took theory this year were already fairly advanced music students, so the course moved along at a fast pace. I'm hoping for the same next year.
Orchestra: Next year, our orchestra will have only between 25 and 30 members. The viola section will only have three of four, and I will be its fearless leader. This could get interesting. The director has already pulled aside myself, the first chair cello for next year, our harpist, and the two best violinists to tell us that we get to work on separate music twice a week. I can't wait! There is, of course, the problem that I really don't practice my viola. I love to, but I don't have time. I suppose I will have to make more time.
Most Finneytownians consider 11th grade to be the year from hell, so I dearly hope that next year is not as busy. The schedule I've made for myself may kill that dream, but that remains to be seen. Now that I know what it's like to take classes wherein I actually have to read through my notes or even actually study before tests, I should be much more prepared for next year than I was for this year. My schedule and my opinion of the classes is as follows (although the classes won't be in this order, for I have put them in alphabetical order):
AP Art History: If I end up having to drop a class, I think it will be this one. History is my least favorite subject, and this class actually gets me another art credit instead of a history credit. If I got a history credit, I wouldn't have to take psych, as I will explain momentarily. This class is a huge workload. Normally, we'd get to start the work over the summer, but I'm not sure how that's working since the teacher is bed-ridden with a leg broken in three places.
AP Art Portfolio: I'm extra excited about my portfolio! Hopefully, mine will be half finished and completely planned by the end of the summer. More on that when I finish the post on my portfolio. It's one of the many posts I've started but not finished. If I finish all that I plan to over the summer, finishing my portfolio by next May shouldn't be an issue.
AP Calculus: Also known as AP Calculator, this class is taught by a monotonous yet hilarious and informative teacher. Last I heard, there were only fifteen people signed up for this class. I like small classes. It should be challenging, unlike my past math classes, but not unmanageable.
AP English/American Lit: If the current AP English teacher keeps this position next year, the class will be a piece of cake, but any real preparation for the AP exam will be done on my own. I would be elated if most of my english classmates from this year weren't taking AP next year, but that's not likely.
AP Psychology: After English, psychology is considered the easiest AP class in the school. I don't really want to take it, but I need another history/social studies credit since I got to skip 10th grade history and go straight to AP US History. I could take two semester social studies classes, but there's only one that's even remotely appealing.
Black and White Digital Photography: I've been wanting to take this class since my freshman year, and I'll finally get to take it my senior year. This will be my chill class. The only deadlines I'll have to worry about are the teacher's, not the college board's, and there aren't many facts to memorize.
Chorale: I've also wanted to take a chorus class since my freshman year, but it has always come down to a choice between art and chorus. Art has won every time. Now that I finally have room for chorus, I got into the most select chorus at our school (okay, so there are only two select choruses) after not having taken a chorus class since eighth grade. I'm pretty excited.
Music Theory: This year, music theory and music history were offered as semester classes for the first time in a few decades. Those who took theory this year were already fairly advanced music students, so the course moved along at a fast pace. I'm hoping for the same next year.
Orchestra: Next year, our orchestra will have only between 25 and 30 members. The viola section will only have three of four, and I will be its fearless leader. This could get interesting. The director has already pulled aside myself, the first chair cello for next year, our harpist, and the two best violinists to tell us that we get to work on separate music twice a week. I can't wait! There is, of course, the problem that I really don't practice my viola. I love to, but I don't have time. I suppose I will have to make more time.
Monday, May 19, 2008
Les Abeilles Sont Mes Amies!
I love honeybees! As the title of this post says, "the bees are my friends." For a brief moment, nothing will relate to my friends, but we'll come back to them.
Now that the AP test is over, we get to do all sorts of things in biology class. Last week, we dissected some perch one day. I named mine Arthur (which is where I got the name for my friend the mahi-mahi in the dungeon). I like to name the creatures we dissect. My crayfish was named Marcy. Two other days were spent playing charades. It got interesting at times.
Today we went to visit a beekeeper that lives two blocks from the school. It was pretty exciting. I got to hold a drone for a while, and it took quite some time for him to decide to leave me. I didn't give him a name, but I named another girl's drone friend Edgar. The guy knew a ton about bees and taught us a lot. As we were leaving, he let us scoop some honey straight from the comb to eat. It was trés delicieux!
Tomorrow, Mr. Breines is cooking up an invertebrate buffet, Wednesday we're having a mini grill-out, Thursday we're making breakfast, and who knows what we'll end up doing on Friday.
Now that the AP test is over, we get to do all sorts of things in biology class. Last week, we dissected some perch one day. I named mine Arthur (which is where I got the name for my friend the mahi-mahi in the dungeon). I like to name the creatures we dissect. My crayfish was named Marcy. Two other days were spent playing charades. It got interesting at times.
Today we went to visit a beekeeper that lives two blocks from the school. It was pretty exciting. I got to hold a drone for a while, and it took quite some time for him to decide to leave me. I didn't give him a name, but I named another girl's drone friend Edgar. The guy knew a ton about bees and taught us a lot. As we were leaving, he let us scoop some honey straight from the comb to eat. It was trés delicieux!
Tomorrow, Mr. Breines is cooking up an invertebrate buffet, Wednesday we're having a mini grill-out, Thursday we're making breakfast, and who knows what we'll end up doing on Friday.
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