I accept.

Today at school the entire student body attended a presentation based on, "Rachel's Challenge." You may have heard of it. Rachel Scott was the first person shot and killed at Columbine High School in 1999. She had a premonition she was going to die young, but that'd she still have a profound impact on the world. After she died, her father and family started a program to teach others what she believed in and to carry on a chain reaction of compassion and kindness. Her message is meaningful, emotional and if it hasn't already reached your ears and invaded your mind, I heartily encourage you to visit http://www.rachelschallenge.org to learn more.

I feel guilty, now, for all the instances I could've said something to brighten someone's day and didn't. Or didn't even give being friends with someone I didn't know a chance for whatever reason. I understand it is difficult to eliminate all prejudice, but I am more than willing to try.

I don't want to write too much, although this has had an impact on me and I definitely want to put it in this, my online journal, and later in my private journal. There is a ton I'm feeling that I cannot easily express in words. I am also aware of the fact that neglecting my homework will not be positive...

Though for now, I have a question for all my readers and/or followers that I would really love if you'd please take a few minutes to answer.

What is your goal in life?

I've had an odd day.

I have a stuffy nose and I'm hoping it's due to plain 'ol allergies and not a darn cold. I have a good fear it's the latter. Blegh. I dislike being sick with a burning passion. Granted, I'm not sure I know anyone who enjoys it, putting aside the fact they might be able to stay home from school and evade whatever dangers there. I swear I'm going to have to invent a machine that automatically blows my nose for me. Wow, don't I sound very lazy. Ah, whatever. It's spot-on and true.

I'm re-reading the book, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, for duel purposes. One, it is the first book our book club plans to discuss in two weeks time, and two, the sequel to it comes out on September 1st. I have it pre-ordered and everything. I seriously recommend going and checking it out of the library sometime in the near future. It is futuristic fiction, a 16-year-old female is the protagonist, there's a love interest and it's well-written.

I wish I could fast-forward time ahead enough to Wednesday so I could be done with an art project. I'm just dying to show you all! In the meantime, though, feast your eyes on this, a new art project:
A Starburst edible necklace! I was inspired by my friend, Patricia, who thought this necklace
that I already own, was really Starbursts assembled on a string. I know these two versions look pretty different at the moment, but I should probably keep the Starbursts packaged as much as possible until I'm certainly ready to eat them. Still, I thought it was a neat idea.

I went to the library yesterday to return a book that was overdue on my card, even though my mom had all the intentions of reading the book, not I. While we were there it was hard to resist not getting anything else, so we passed by the travel section and I picked out a book about Glasgow and Edinburgh. I also perused the CD section and walking away with the Atonement Soundtrack--it's already on my ipod I love it so much-- Less Than Jake's album, Anthem, Jack Johnson Sleep Through The Static, a random Paul Simon and the Broadway Original Recording Soundtrack of The Fiddler On the Roof.

YouTube videos take forever to upload and it's ticking me off. *Shouts at laptop*

Write it down on a post-it.

I am at a loss for words at the moment. Plus, I figure I should save all my best writing for my short-answer and essay ridden history test tomorrow. Oh, joy. For your viewing pleasure, here's a post of mainly photos.


I think I'm becoming very good at the candid shot:



Have a magnificent week, everyone!

You can breathe but the air is running out.

Today was okay. In the morning before school started, I saw an old friend and we talked for a few minutes. As we bid our farewells, I had a momentary thought of what might've been different had I not neglected them as much as I had in the recent past. It was good to talk, though. I think it would've been apparent if they resented me and since it wasn't clear, all is alright and my conscience relieved.

I learned in English that our teacher was getting ready to hand out the letters my fellow classmates and I wrote for this year's freshmen. I explain more of what it's all about here. They have a week to track me down. We'll see how it goes. Oh, and my friend suckered $15 out of me to buy cookie dough she is selling or order to fund-raise a band trip to Washington, D.C. She's lucky I have a sweet tooth and she's cool.

I swam in my PE class and only then did I realize how lonely I am in that class. I know a few girls but wouldn't describe any connection we have as friendship. I suppose it's time to make new friends. Here's the thing, I think it's hard to befriend or join an already established group of friends. Maybe I'm just making excuses and will continue to until the cows come home. Or this school year ends. Whichever comes first.

Puja and I are lab partners in chemistry. We had to boil salt water to observe a physical change. It was intuitive, as I'm sure was intentional, considering it's technically our only serious lab thus far. We successfully avoided burning ourselves and/or setting our lab station, not to mention the surrounding objects, aflame.

Spanish was uneventful and likewise with history. We don't get the tests we took back in math until three weeks from now. Apparently, we all did horribly enough to warrant the slate be cleared. In other words, it won't count as a grade. I can't judge the fortuitousness of this until I get it back. The clock is ticking.

Our first project in art was an "all-about me" flip-flop collage. She said we could do any kind of shoe, so long as we did two and followed and meet the other specifications. Here is a picture of what they looked like the night before I glued the laced part onto the shoe. Is it really any wonder that I chose converse? I also had lost the separate piece I had for the back part where it says "all-star." A few days after taking this picture I created a new one. I was too proud of it to wait to show the fully complete version, which I don't have back yet. Honestly, there isn't much a difference, I just tend to notice all the minor flaws.

This is what it looked like under construction:

The next-to-close finished product:



Those other two don't require much -- if any -- explanation. Now I'm off to go finish reading one book and start another.

Oh, oh, oh! Which reminds me, for book club this year, we're going to have t-shirts. How rad is that? :]

EDIT: I knew I was forgetting something. I got this splendid recognition:
Now it is my distinct honor to tag four other bloggers for this. If you'd like to be nominated as well, just drop me a comment. Thank you, adubbskthx!

I received this lovely award from Kait, too. Thank you, thank you, my dear! I appreciate it oodles.

Maybe I'm just tired, tired of never knowing.

I drew on top of this picture that using photoshop. Cool, huh?

My weekend was borderline between awesome and alright. I did very little besides finishing homework that was due today and chilled. I tried working on my art project until realizing it was futile if I lacked the proper glue, which, I must admit, wasn't very long. My decision has yet to be made final: start a new drawing, or talk to my teacher and just finish my brother's portrait and have that count as a grade. Hmm.

My time home this evening from five to about seven was spent helping a friend over the phone with math. Algebra 1 Honors stuff -- in essence-- I should specify. Material I personally covered back in seventh grade. You'd think that wouldn't be that long ago, and I suppose it wasn't truly, but I was shocked how much I had to verify with websites. I think she has a better understanding of what she's doing, now, along with myself! I didn't mind helping her through, because I found it beneficial to me, giving me a good reason to brush up and review. She's so sweet and I could tell she was willing to do whatever to not feel like a burden. I hope she perceived that I was genuinely happy to assist.

I've started reading Ethan Frome, and am very intrigued by the author, Edith Wharton's, style. I find that as I go through it, I'm mentally paraphrasing and summarizing what happened in less intense and high quality language. Seems to me that's how comprehension usually goes, haha.

I thought I'd share something my brother bracketed, I assume because he liked it. I like it, too:
"Her wonder and his laughter ran together like spring rills in a thaw. Ethan had the sense of having done something arch and ingenious. To prolong the effect he groped for a dazzling phrase, and brought out, in a growl of rapture: 'Come along.' "

I think it's high-time I comment you lovelies back then head off for the direction of dreamland.

Expanding universes and alternate realities.

A kid in my Spanish class yesterday said they had a Miss Delaney for a teacher in their past and I immediately thought of the song with the same name by Jack's Mannequin. Why? Well, my mind works like that, I suppose. It sounded familiar and I figured out where I had heard it before within nanoseconds. It is hard to put my brain around the complex things that my brain does. Goodness, is everything a paradox, this picture included?

My first week of my second year of high school is almost at an end. I've been asking my incoming freshmen friend, Emilia, a million questions and she's been happy and cooperative to answer them. Maybe I'm crazy, yet I want to get inside that boat again, understand what it's like once more. Meanwhile, I am ready to be the older one and hold responsibility. Ready to grow up and leave. I can't jump the gun, though; I've still got some time.

Either this weekend or the following, a former classmate of mine and serious violin prodigy of age 4 (now 16), Esther Muradov, is going to play a local recital to fund-raise for her trip to a competition in Spain -- in SPAIN. She is absolutely amazing. She, my dear readers, has played at Carnegie Hall. If that's not downright awesome, then I don't know what is. It's inspirational to know a girl I had 7th grade World Cultures with has gone on to live her dream. She's so sweet and humble, too!

I better get some sleep and change my alarm. Have a fantastic weekend to all!

Hey now, you're an all-star.

Here's the pair of converse I had my friends write all over at the end of seventh grade. There are a few witty comments and I know I said they also wrote on my shoelaces...yeah, well, I had taken them off after they inked my hands the years ago and I'd have to locate 'em.

Hello, August.

Another two stellar finds from my mom's closet! :]

New month, new adventures.

The neighbor barbecue has been re-scheduled to next weekend which is fine with me. I can't say I had anything important planned either now or then. It might conflict with hanging out with Nikki, but she might be super busy by then like she said. I really miss going to the same school as her. I feel like we're planets going in different orbits and only cross paths once in a while. I know it drives her nuts to not have a cell phone while both her sisters do. Perhaps she'll get one for her birthday this year.

I was tagged by Kait to list seven "interesting" things about myself. I shall give it a go.

1. Sometimes I wonder if I'm a hypochondriac. At the mention of most diseases I feel there I have a matching symptom and I thus do some research/surfing of the net. For example, I've thought I was bi-polar, and probably would get cancer. My doctor has never made any diagnosis supporting these perhaps outlandish assumptions.

2. I've had toe surgery on both my big toes due to ingrown toenails. I have now had the procedure done to pernamently kill the certain troublesome nail cells and have been a much happier camper since.

3. I skipped the second grade and did just fine in third grade a year younger than my new fellow classmates. I cannot nor do I wish to imagine what would've happened had I not.

4. I have a tendency to over-react in situations. I reserve it for the bigger-deal things nowadays.

5. I own about eight pairs of converse, including a pair I let my friends at the end of the seventh grade practically litter with their signatures and witty comments written in sharpie everywhere -- even the laces!

6. My first ever musical was "Don't Say No To the U.S.O" in sixth grade in which I was in a trio of women riveters [imagine Rosie the riveter] during WWII. It actually was a lot of fun, despite being performed on the small stage.

7. I watch a lot of old TV shows from the 80s. Remington Steele, Cheers, and Moonlighting, just to name a few. They're all really good though.

I have no idea to tag, surprise, surprise.