i desperately need another vacation

i'm stressed out and tired. therefore i refuse to use capital letters. ha. 

four days (including today) since i got back from vermont. three of actually not being on vacation.

and already i need another one.

sunday....

-got up early because of church, but was tired because of the late trumpet party saturday night

-went to church, sang in choir, actually listened to the sermon....just kidding, i usually do that

-went home and began to work on my homework

-was distracted in homework because people in my family decided to be loud talkers

-finally finished long boring homework

-put up christmas decorations around the house. wanted to find specific decorations, and of course, didn't 

-went with my brother to game night with youth ministry

-played intense games of sardines, which was fun

-found out that vegan cheese is gross; therefore never going vegan

-was informed that i no longer had a joseph for my christmas pageant, obviously a major problem

-went home, began to decorate tree, but stressed out about joseph problem

-stressed out about pageant, annoyed that vacation was over, resulted in a very bad restless night

monday....

-woke up early, already very tired because of aforementioned sleepless night

-got ready for school, groggy, monday-after-vacation-ness

-went to school......nothing exciting happened....except for getting a pile of homework and a large inscription on my english teacher's board that said 'warning! intense work week!'

-went to jazz ensemble which was fun, except for the fact that i really wanted to go sleep the entire time

-went home for about two seconds

-went to church to have conversation about joseph problem, and semi-resolved it

-went and had good but hard trumpet lesson....brain was completely fried resulting in forgetting that fourths and fifths were not major and minor, but augmented and diminished....

-went home and ate yummy kale and bean soup whose broth was addicting

-did pile of homework.....worked hard.....went to bed at a reasonable hour

tuesday..........

-woke up late (6:00)

-was very very rushed getting ready for school and was out the door a few minutes later than usual

-had even longer day at school and was given about fifteen piles of homework

-went to jazz band, jammed out on trombone, had fun

-dashed home for about two seconds (literally)

-went to friendly's with my mom and brother for a florida trip fundraiser, goofed off with anna

-went to handbell choir and regular choir at church for very long, tiring rehearsal, not looking forward to homework when i got home

-got home at nine o'clock, the homework commenced

-worked crazy hard for a really really really long time until i had finished literally everything

-finally fell into bed at midnight

and so today was a long tiring boring day and now i want to sleep. bye.

The Epitome of Monday

I hate Mondays. I hate them.

Last Friday was a good day, all dressed up and ready for our marching band competition on Saturday. It was fairly warmish too, so I was able to dress in a more summery-fall fashion, with nice sandals and a floaty blue skirt. 

Then Saturday came, and with it, the rain. It didn't stop us from practicing though....in the rain for two and a half hours before moving to the gym for the last bit. (We would have done the whole practice outside, but the show was going to be indoors because of the rain so we had to prep for that.)

The show itself was really fun for an indoor show! We stood in this one GIANT horn arc around the edges of the gym and had the colorguard stand in the middle which actually had a really cool effect. Now, we are the biggest band in the division, with 86 band members and 52 of them in hornline. (Remember, this is Maine....) And if that many people can make a huge wall of sound out on a field, just imagine for a moment the amount of sound we produce inside of a gym. Yeah....that's a lot of sound. We literally made people jump when we played our first note. It was awesome. And when it came time for awards, we found out that we had gotten 4 stars (FOUR STAHHHHS!) in all captions, which was a really really good score for this point in the season. We have three more shows to get up to all five stars so we are looking really good. Go marching band! And the celebratory late-night Friendly's run was good as always.

Yesterday was church and Olivia's birthday party which was very fun. We went to see the movie Dream House, which is sad and creepy but a really good movie. Dinner, presents, and cake followed and were very good too.

So it was an excellent weekend.  

And then came today.

Today just started out badly. With cold and tiredness. School was not much better. I was given about a million projects and a ton of homework and the school was literally freezing cold. I was shivering all day long and had goosebumps all over. 

Now onto a doctor's appointment and that evil homework.

I hate these Mondays. Grr.

Rainy Day Here To Stay

Welcome to fall, the season of rain. Cold rain. Here in Maine, in terms of precipitation, we have the season of snow, followed by the season of light warm rain and mud, and then the season of storms, and finally the season of cold hard rain.

It certainly is feeling quite fall-like at this time. There's a definite chill in the air, a crisp edge to the wind and the cold soaking feeling of the rain. None the less, I love fall. LOVE. IT. I enjoy these rainy days, I like curling up with a blanket and a steaming cup of cocoa while the rain pours down. In fact, that's what I would LIKE to be doing right now, but t will still be quite a few hours before that will happen. About 3 and a half actually. Instead I'm sitting in my chem offlab (otherwise known as my very infrequent study hall) typing up this post and freezing because this school is so darn temperamental in its temperature. When it's hot outside, it's scorching inside, when it's cold outside, it's like an igloo inside. 

I really just want to go home.

Really.

This study hall is stupid.

And boring.

Get.

Me.

Out.

Of.

Here.

Please?

My other classes this morning were not so bad. Real Life was OK, and APUSH was actually really good and fun! I am liking the class a LOT more than I thought I would. French will be tedious as my last block, and this study hall is torturous. 

Hate study hall. Hate it. 

You know what? This post was supposed to be about loving fall, and rainy days and it turned into a tirade against study hall.

I apologize. 

But maybe I should just end this post, and wish a was at home with some hot chocolate and stop boring you to death?

That sounds good....

Bye-Bye Summer, Hello Sophomore

It's official. Summer is over, school has begun, and I am a sophomore. And you know what? So far it's not that bad. On our first day, sophomores, juniors, and seniors come for the first half of the day, and freshmen come the second half so we high schoolers only have a half day which is pretty cool.

When I got to the school the first thing we did was take school pictures and get our schedules and lockers and turn in all of our paperwork before we sat in the auditorium and listened to our principle talk. And our assistant principle talk. And the police officer talk. And the guidence director, and the athletic director, and our advisors.

A lot of talking was done. And it was pretty much the same thing they told us a million times last year except now we were adressed as sophomores. Yay.....

After all the talking and logistics were straightened out we got to run a mini schedule of all eight blocks (we have four each day, and each are 85 minutes) which today were only eight minutes long. All my classes seem really good and pretty challenging, and I know that they are really tough classes because almost all of them require special teacher recomendations to get into. I seem to have good teachers though, and it seems like the classes will be of some interest. On one day (red days) I'll have Advanced Placement United States History (from now on reffered to as APUSH-college level course), Real Life (1st semester) and Health (2nd semester), Honors Chemistry (junior/senior honors), and French III. On my other day (white days) I'll have Honors Math III (honors junior), Wind Ensemble, Chemistry Lab/Study Hall, and Honors English 10.

Now one of the interesting things last year that I did was at the beginning of the year I wrote a quick first impression of each teacher and each class, and at the end of the year I did a comparison on that and how I actually like the year and I thought I would do that again :)

APUSH

Wow. Seems like a really tough class, but the teacher seems good, and I think I will be learning a lot and that it should be pretty interesting as I DO enjoy history.

Real Life

Everyone says this class is really boring and useless, but I think the teacher is nice enough and he was talking about some cool stuff we'd be doing. Seems easy but pretty fun overall.

Honors Chemistry

I'm excited for this class! I love chem and I'm good at it too so...I like the teacher, she certainly is a talker, and she seems to know her stuff. Personally I think it will be easier than honors biology last year.

French III

Same teacher....pretty much same class....continuation on last year probably. (aka more French boredom)

Honors Math III

Not sure about my teacher, she's a bit...crazy. I hope this class is really good though, I've had really good math classes the past two years and I hope I learn lots! Thank goodness for more algebra and not trig!

Wind Ensemble

YAYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!! BAND!!!!! I'm so happy to be in wind ensemble this year and not concert band because wind ensemble plays really good music and my director says he's got some great stuff picked out so I can't wait for our first real class.

Honors English

I think this will be a really good English class - much much MUCH better than last year. My teacher seems really great and funny, and has a good class layout. Yay for English!

Well, there you have it. Back to school tomorrow for a full day and then a four day weekend - YES! Anyone else have their first day today? How'd it go?



Whirlwind

It certainly has seemed like a whirlwind this past week- hence my not posting which I apologize about. Must get better about that. Sorry. Anyway, there have been three big things happening this week.

The first is, of course, marching band. Naturally, I'm totally loving every second of it....well...not the seconds when my water bottle exploded but pretty much every other second. We have worked hard for several hours every day this past Monday-Friday usually around 4 to 9 in the evening. It's been a lot of fun to get back with the family (and oh what a crazy family we are) doing slides and flip-flops and jazz runs in advanced technique block, frantically memorizing music, marking and re-marking sets with chalk and soap, marching and playing and getting yelled at and singing and marching and getting yelled at again. It's been good. Really really good.

The second thing has been nowhere near as much fun. Summer homework. I've been working like crazy reading biographies, textbook chapters, articles, and novels, answering questions, doing reading logs and taking an AP practice exam. Thankfully, I am nearly done and should finish tomorrow or Monday. I have made great progress the past couple of days, for example I just sat down today and wrote a two and a half page essay on why John Brown was an influential person in American history.

Not cool.

Very very boring.

And finally, the hurricane. In a few hours Irene will strike my area, and who knows what's gonna happen then. As one of my friends posted on facebook today, 'I live in Maine! I should be worrying about moose attacks and blizzards, not hurricanes!'. Hurricanes are kind of odd for us out here, I mean we were supposed to be hit by Earl and Kyle last year but they both went out to sea, but Irene isn't going to do that. She's going to be tearing into here tonight, so tomorrow and Monday should be interesting. For those of you also on the East Coast where the hurricane has already hit or will hit, good luck and my prayers are with you! I will try and give you an update of how I am doing through the storm tomorrow, but if the power is out I'll have to wait on that :)

Summer Endings and Beginnings

It's that time of summer when things are starting to end and wrap up.

Summer, before school starts, will be over in a couple weeks.

Our long days of sunshine shorten with each turn of the earth,

The weather starts to cool- or not. One day it feels like fall, the next the height of July.

Summer freedom starts to fly away as you remember all of your assigned reading and other homework.

It's getting to be that time where things are ending and the joys of summer slip away one by one.

Soon the flowers of spring and summer will dry up and wither away for the winter.

But I suppose it's OK that summer is slowly leaving because it means new things are to come.

In just over a week I'll be back with the marching band for our 2011 season, my third season with the band. The Planets in '09, Pat Metheny in '10 and I'm pumped for a great fall with this year's show 'The Music of Trevor Rabin' featuring selections from National Treasure and Remember The Titans.

Of course with the end of summer and the coming of marching band means the beginning of fall, my favorite season. And with fall, and August 31, comes the start of my sophomore year of high school. 

Much as I groan and grumble about the beginning of the school year, I am excited to some extent. I've got some great new classes: AP United States History, Honors Math III, French III, Honors English 10, Honors Chemistry, and Wind Ensemble. Not to mention marching band, jazz band, this year's musical, and the Florida trip with the band in February. While I will most certainly be missing some people, friends who transferred for 10th grade, last year's 8th graders who aren't going to my high school for freshman year, and my now post-grad friends now starting college, I think it will be a good year.

However....

I'm hanging onto summer for as long as possible.

In the Midst of Summer

Being on summer vacation is a truly excellent feeling.
Yesterday was my last day of finals, and my last day of freshman year. I'm happy to say that I passed all my classes with high honors and am excited for a challenging sophomore year come September!
For now though, I sure am enjoying the summer.
After school was over yesterday, my friend Haley and I hopped on the bus and headed down to the local ice cream shop where we treated our selves to large amounts of chocolate ice cream topped with Reese's and plenty of whipped cream. Needless to say, it was a great start to summer vacation. I spent the rest of yesterday lounging around and playing badminton with my brother and my mom and I went shopping in the evening, which was good because I needed a few more summer clothes.
Got some orange plaid shorts a couple tank tops, and also the lovely outfit I am sporting today, some gray jean shorts and a aqua-green and white striped shirt. Very summery and awesome.

Today I simply relished being able to sleep in until eight, which is so much better than having to wake up at five-thirty every morning to a shrill alarm clock. Best part of summer- no annoying alarm clock.
This morning I went to my brother's final assembly at the middle school at which he received a number of awards, and then came here and finished ready Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows out on my front porch. I figured that I had to read it again before the epic second half of the movie comes out in July :)
I also had a practice up at church for trumpet, and soon I am heading out to my final driving lesson! I'm very excited...I take my permit test of Monday and should have that permit in my hands by 3pm, at which time I can legally drive. Bwahaha.
I'm also going out to dinner with my extended family tonight to celebrate my grandmother's birthday.
All in all, it's been a busy and fun first day and a half of summer vacation!
What have you done so far with YOUR summer?

Four Down

Oh finals week...oh joy. 

Finals are extremely miserable and annoying and they take a long time, but at least once you're done, you're done.

With the way my finals schedule, I ended up having six finals (I have 8 classes but there obviously was no final for study hall and playing at graduation was our band final)

Yesterday my first final was French, and I'd say that that was probably my easiest final so far. It was basically a common assessment measuring speaking, listening comprehension, reading comprehension and writing. It wasn't bad at all- although I don't have my grade for that yet...there's always the possibility that I will change may mind about it being bad or not ;)

Next I had a free block so I went and chilled in the library before my second exam which was English. That wasn't bad either, so yesterday wasn't bad at all in terms of test difficulty! (Although I don't have grades for either test yet, so...)

Today, goodness, today.

I began the day with a very hard history final. Way over 100 questions, multiple choice, matching and a TON of short answer/essay. It was brutal, but I got a 95 which made me really happy :)

I had the second test block free and my mom took me to this coffee shop place where I got this really delicious coffee/chocolate drink that had whipped cream and was quite marvelous. I also got a really yummy everything bagel with veggie cream cheese and I ate these wonderful food items in a squishy chair and read Harry Potter 7 and emptied my head of history. There is really not much that is better.

Later I headed off to my geometry exam which went quite well too, and which I got a 92 on, so I'm happy.

Four finals down, two to go tomorrow (gym and biology) and I'm not terribly stressed about either and at eleven tomorrow morning....I WILL BE FREE.

A sweet sweet feeling. To celebrate, my friend Haley and I are going to get ice cream, and then it is just sweet sweet summer. Yayness.

And my brother has to go to school the next day...and I am SO going to laugh evilly at him on Friday morning when he has to get up and go to school while I have to do absolutely nothing.

Hello to Goodbye

Hello end of school! Goodbye classes! Hello summer! Goodbye to school!

Today is my final day of freshman classes before three days of finals (which I'm really not that worried about) and summer. Finals though aren't even really days of actual school though because you only have to  go for your test blocks, etc.

I had my last biology, band, history, and gym classes last Friday so today is my last study hall (which I am sitting in right now), and last english, french, and geometry classes. 

Now, I often like to compare what I thought of my classes and teachers at the beginning of the year, and at the end of the year. Some of you may remember this chart that I had made and put on here after four days of classes.

So, a comparison. 

Honors Biology

Fall: Lots of homework, but good teacher and great class!

Spring: My first impression was pretty much correct. Bio WAS a lot of work, but my teacher really knew what she was talking about and I learned so much. Though I am kind of glad that I am done with the class just because it was a lot of work and I'm ready for summer, I really did enjoy the majority of this class.

Concert Band

Fall: Awesome! Only two trumpets and I get to play first.

Spring: Well, there did end up being four trumpets, but I still was the sole lead. I really did love playing first all the time and of course talking to my band buddies was a lot of fun. My teacher? Eh...really didn't like him much although he was much better from the end of March on. It was still good though because it was fun to play with some other really great players and friends.

World History

Fall: Seems good. Like the teacher.

Spring: Yes, history was a good class. We had a lot of really rowdy people in our class but I think I learned a lot and I really enjoyed my teacher. She was really great.

Phys. Ed.

Fall: Eh...not my favorite.

Spring: Gym was never my favorite class, but there were some things that were fun. Like badminton! And I did have a good group of friends in this class which was nice. Also I thoroughly enjoyed the time my teacher brought in cupcakes....she was a pretty good teacher.

Study Hall

Fall: Kinda boring for a whole 85 minutes

Spring: Same. Though sometimes I would get good work done, study hall was mostly just absolute boredom. Spent most of my time reading Harry Potter and trying not to listen to endless conversations about lacrosse.

English

Fall: Good class, not sure about the teacher.

Spring: Let's just say THANK GOODNESS NEXT BLOCK IS MY LAST ENGLISH CLASS. I will be celebrating so much afterwards. I was sooooo right about being unsure about the teacher because he was pretty awful. I won't go into details, but he was just awful. Which made the class not a good class. So happy to be rid of THIS class!

French

Fall: Love class, really good teacher.

Spring: Oh goodness...I was so wrong. Most boring class, very annoying teacher, also very very happy that it is my last class today. Too bad I have the same teacher for the rest of high school French. 

Geometry

Fall: Not that bad, actually kind of fun!

Spring: Pretty much the same. Although it was not fun, it was a regular class in which I learned a lot and wasn't too stressful. It was good.

Ahh. I'm glad it's almost over.

Finally, A Final Product

Completion.

Victory is mine.

I finished the main writing of this piece a little while ago but then I had to format it for all the parts. Like the score only has the four basic parts, but there are a LOT more. I've got trumpet 1, trumpet 2, clarinet 1, clarinet 2, flute, oboe, alto saxophone, french horn, and trombone/tuba/other bass instruments.

I am extremely please at how it turned out, and I cannot wait to play it at camp in about two weeks. It also serves a dual purpose for camp because we're supposed to bring something that we've created and I'm just going to bring this instead of slaving over a painting or something. I've already slaved over this.....although it was not really work for me because it was very fun.

Anyway, the main point is that I am very happy with it. Yay me.

Also, today was the last day for half my classes! Woot! Except for the final, no more biology, no more band, no more history and NO MORE GYM. (The last one in particular makes me very excited)

I can't believe freshman year is almost over....here comes SUMMER!

Feels Like Summer

It is a really good feeling when it feels like summer, and there are always these little signs that make me switch my mind from spring into full-blown summer mode. Sometimes this can be a bit of a problem when it starts feeling like summer in March and there's still several months of school left. Not good. 

It feels like summer because I know that school will soon be over. Teachers are talking about finals pretty much every class, my SAT is a week from today, senior graduation is also in a week, we've had our final concert (it went really well!), we've hit our last long weekend, and teachers are starting to tell us we need to start studying for our final. It also makes me really really happy that I shouldn't have to have some of my teachers ever again. Which is good.

It also feels like summer because of what I'm wearing. I'm routinely walking around in flip flops, skinny jeans with the bottoms rolled up and cute summer tops. Light and floaty and summer-y. Awesome.

I think that the biggest indicator for me though, is that heavenly summer smell that drifts through my window. You know....the one that smells like grass and sun and wind and dirt and grills and amazingness? It is probably my most favorite smell. Just beautiful.

What makes you feel like it's summer?

The End Is Near

I would love any proof that the end of school is fast approaching. Talk of Memorial Day parades, and announcements of next year's marching band show (Music from the movie National Treasure, by the way. Going to be AWESOME!), working through our last unit in most classes, counting down the days left....anything but what my math teacher told us to copy down today.

Schedules for final exams. Yay...

Pretty much in my school we have eight classes, or blocks (periods) rather because study hall isn't really a class. Four 85 minute blocks a day. We have red days with four blocks and the white days with the other four classes. 

Our exam schedule is as follows: 3 days (June 14, 15, 16), 3 testing blocks each day, and you don't have to be at school during the blocks that you don't have tests. 

Actually, my schedule really isn't that bad. I only have two tests each day and my free blocks are the second test blocks so a get a break between tests.

Day one is White 3 (French) White 1 (Study hall, no test) White 2 (English)

Day two is Red 3 (World History), Red 2 (Band, but playing at graduation is our final so it's a free block) and White 4 (Math)

Day 3 is Red 4 (Gym; why we need a final for this, I have NO idea....) and Red 1 (Biology) and the last block is for make-up if you missed the test.

Ugh.

Finals....

Turning the Tables

When you accidentally wake up at four-thirty in the morning, an hour too early, this could be a sign that your day might not be the best.

If you accidentally wake up at four-thirty in the morning, AND it's raining, your day probably won't be so great.

If you accidentally wake up at four-thirty in the morning, and it's raining, AND you are all happy because it's finally Friday, but then you realize it's only Thursday, your day has taken an almost certain downhill plunge.

And, if you accidentally wake up at four-thirty in the morning, and it's raining, and you are all happy because it's finally Friday, but then you realize it's only Thursday, AND you have tests or quizzes of some sort in three out of four classes that day....you just know that it's going to be a bad day.

I was ready for one of, you know, those days. Like the one pictured in this cartoon:

I did not, however, have a terrible day. My powers of telling the future of this day were wrong. The first very good thing was walking into second block English class I saw, not my usual, extremely annoying, gets-on-my-nerves-so-much-every-class teacher, but a very funny substitute. Score one for a good day.

All my quizzes and tests were not hard either....and I was assigned minimal homework. Two more bonuses. The day was really looking up, and so here I am now typing this post and the rest of my day doesn't seem that awful either.

I'm just going to do my minimal bit of homework, chill and head to spring jazz rehearsal. I'm excited for this because (assuming my brother brings it home) I get to play trombone :) 

I haven't gotten to play some decent 'bone in quite some time and I miss it, so this will be good.

The moral of this post? Don't make assumptions. They can be very wrong.

Looking Forward

Ever since getting back from April break, teachers have really started to push towards the end of the year.

Talking about mid-quarter grades going in on Friday.

Term papers being assigned in the coming weeks.

Standardized tests in math and English.

SAT in biology.

Finals,

finals,

finals

in every class.

Spring jazz, competition at Six Flags, pops concert, memorial day parade, and graduation to play for in band.

Plus....I have a life outside of school. I think....

Sometimes it sure doesn't feel that way!

I've just been putting together a calendar for these next three months, and goodness! Is it ever busy! I'm pretty sure that I'm only going to be home for about, oh, four days in July....

It promises to be a good, busy end of the school year and summer, that's for sure!

If Just Signing Up for the SAT is Stressful....

The penultimate day before April break, in my first block 10th grade honors biology class I was handed a thick paper booklet. 

It was emblazoned cheerfully with the words "Getting Ready To Take The SAT Subject Tests!"

I groaned. The SAT was probably anything but cheerful, but I knew I should take it now, even though I'm only a freshman, rather than wait and forget everything I learned this year and do terribly.

Still, I put it to the back of my mind in Paris, but yesterday I finally figured it would be good to sign up for the darn test already and so my dad and I went into our office to sign up.

I had figured on it being a pretty easy, fairly painless process. They'd ask me to put in my basic personal information, I'd choose what test I was taking and when and where, and then we'd pay and print my admission ticket.

Let's just say....signing up for an SAT, is a nightmare.

First they just asked for basic information.

Name, address, grade, school, etc.....

And then more basic information.

Race...religion...blah blah blah.

Oh and so then it's like 'build your college profile!'. And I'm thinking, I don't want to fill out a college profile, I'm a freshman, I just want to sign up for the stupid test.

But it makes me fill out the college profile.

What do you plan on majoring in?

What is your GPA?

What is your class rank are you?

What size college do you want to attend?

What is the highest level of education you want to have?

What are all the classes you have ever taken or plan to take?

Which of these subjects are you an honors or AP student?

What is your average grade?

Are you top 10%, above average, average or below average in these subject areas?

On

and

on

and

on.

Oh and it repeatedly keeps asking me if I am indeed Sally {insert middle initial and last name here} like on every page.

Finally it lets me actually choose my test and test center....

And pay...

And get my ticket...

The whole process literally took an hour.

If signing up for the SAT was stressful....well, I can't wait to see the actual test. 

Breathing Again

I love schedule, I find comfort in routine, regular life suits me well. 

It was so good to be back to that today. 

Sunny, warm days in Paris filled with pastry and walking and gardens and churches and architecture and sandwiches and vacation were simply amazing.

(by the way here are a couple pics)

But today even being so ordinary was just comforting and nice.

Waking to the sound of my alarm at 5:30....well no, that's not true. I was awake at three still suffering from jetlag, but I actually got out of bed at 5:30.

Heading off to school at seven, listening to the radio in the car and laughing at the morning show, grabbing a coffee in the cafeteria and chilling with some band friends before first block, spending first period study hall reading les mis, suffering through another annoying English class, having a rather relaxing French class, lunch with friends, and ending the school day with a good geometry class. After school, heading home on the bus and then down to the middle school to drop some stuff, thankful that my mom drove me as it was cold and raining, home again to ready myself for tomorrow and practice trumpet and write this post.

Gotta love vacation, but, gosh....the regular routine and normalness of day was totally awesome...

D is for Dreadful

D is for Dreadful

I do not like days like today.

Raining.

Gray.

Blahhhhhhhhh.

Having three tests didn't help AT ALL.

I need some tea.

I need a bubble bath.

I need to sleep.

I need to not think about how badly my math test went.

I need hot food.

I need a good book.

I need to play trumpet...

March Musings

Yo peeps. LOL, I guess I'm feeling a little gangster (or 'gangstah' if you want to say it the way we Mainers do) Must be the new shirt I'm wearing...kinda gangster, grunge-like. Or maybe I just really wanted to start my post with 'Yo peeps'. I dunno.

Anyway, some musings on MARCH.

March is our 3rd month (duh), but in the time of the Roman empire, March, or what they called it, Martius, in celebration of their god, Mars. Just a little fun fact for ya :)

So now that it's March, I am so ready for the snow to disappear. That would be fantastic. I want it to get warmer and sunnier, and have the birds singing, the grass to grow, and for the early spring flowers to pop up from underground.

I'm tired of the snow....so I'm desperate for winter to end and not go on into APRIL as it has in the past. Seriously, a few years ago we got little snow during the winter, it was pretty mild, we got through March, it seemed like spring had sprung....

and out of nowhere, in the middle of April, we had two huge blizzards.

That wasn't a lot of fun, especially when we thought winter was gone.

This winter though has been pretty chilly and we've gotten a bunch of snow. The band room has been absolutely FREEZING since, like, November because the heat didn't turn on.

It was literally 51º (F) in there yesterday! Brrr! So cold, I had to use my plastic mouthpiece.

And then today, March first, what do they do?

THEY ACTUALLY TURN ON THE HEAT.

And once the heat is on, it's quite nice in the band room, actually. 70º (F) this morning to be exact. It was quite nice! My only question is....why couldn't they have just turned the heat on last December?

So that's March so far....I always find it a long, and often boring month, so I sure hope it goes fast!

I'm not dead yet!

Hello everyone, long time, no see type! Life's been pretty crazy since I last left you, but I had a moment now so I thought that I'd sit down and type out a little post here, about halfway through my break to let you all know what I've been up to.

My first semester of high school ended on Monday! (it was pushed forward a day because of a snow day) I studied like crazy for my midterms and was very happy to get high scores on all of them, and end up with high honors- all A's - for the quarter! Woot! Glad that's over....that stressor is gone. I was extremely pleased with my final project for history. These cute little warriors I told you about previously. Here are some quick pictures I took on photobooth:

Heehee. I love these guys. They're totally going up on a shelf in my room. 

Of course the biggest thing going one is LES MIS. And let me tell you, it is so awesomeincredibleepicintensecoolbestthingever. Being in the pit is just so cool, playing along to these great singers, in just about the best show ever. 

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*bounces off walls in excitement* I cannot believe our first show of six is next Friday evening- a meer week from today! Thankfully I have no worries that we'll be completely prepared. EEEP!!!! SO REALLY REALLY HYPER AND EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!

Another thing is that in one month from today......I turn 15! :) 

So there's a little update for now- see you in another coule of weeks!

Into The Future Once Again

It seems odd to me that we sign up for our classes for next year in January, with a half of the year still left, but that's what we do. And once again, it's forced me to think about the classes I want to take in the remaining years of high school before going on to college. Right now, I want to focus on music and science classes because I really like science and I intend on pursuing music after high school. And I gotta say....I like the looks of what my projected courses look like...

Freshman Year (Actual)

Class	Honors Biology	Study Hall/Offlab	Concert Band	Honors English (9)	Honors World History	French II	Phys. Ed.	Honors Math II
Pass/Fail
Credits

Total Credits So Far: (projected) 7

Sophomore Year (Projected)

Class	Honors Chemistry	Wind Ensemble	Offlab/ Concert Band	American Traditions (H?)	Honors English (10)	French III	Honors Math III	Health (.5) Real Life (.5)
Pass/Fail
Credits

Total Credits So Far: (projected) 15

Junior Year (Projected)

Class	AP Chemistry	Wind Ensemble	Offlab/ Concert Band	American History (H?)	Honors English (11)	French IV	AP Algebra	Music Theory
Pass/Fail
Credits

Total Credits So Far: (projected) 23

Senior Year (Projected)

Class	Wind Ensemble	Concert Band	Marine Biology (H?)	Anatomy and Physiology (H?)	French V	Honors English (12)	AP Music Theory	Chorus
Pass/Fail
Credits

Total Number Of Credits: (projected) 31

We need 24 credits to graduate and so looks like I'll be tracking well! Obviously, as I go along I'll fill in the charts and change things I need to change, but I hope that this schedule will work for me. 

Also.....An exciting announcement....