Top Ten of 2008

So there've been lots of these in the past couple days pertaining to world events, typically with Obama's election being numero uno. So I want to apply it to my life. What's the best thing that happened to me (little ole me) in 2008?
10. Blogging- yes, it's done just what I wanted it to do. It's relieved a ton of stress and given me a good way to recollect my year. I'll probably do another one of these in June and much will change. But much will stay the same.
9. Mozart concert- probably the most stressful concert of my life and I didn't fail. Despite the fact everyone thought I was going to. BAM. It was stressful. It was scary. IT WAS AWESOME. And Fed still loves me.
8. Surviving AP Bio- the few, the proud, the survivors. After a 60% dropout rate, we made it. And we survived. And we had so much fun (especially after we had the AP test)
7. History Fair- I know, my year much have been awful if a highlight was history fair. But I learned a lot about myself and everything else. And Christie and I did a terrific job.
6. AP Physics- I know I talk about it a lot. But I met a group of people that are just awesome. The class was epic. You wish you were in it. Deal.
5. All-states- yes, it's because I did well. But being first in all-states the first time you get a recommendation is a big deal. And it set me up for All-Eastern which should be terrific in 2009.
4. Yo-yo Ma concert- it was amazing. He is amazing. Nothing else needs to be said. And he played Amalia happy birthday.
3. GBYSO tour- 10 days of simple amazingness. We laughed. We played. We cried at the last concert. I miss you girls so much. We will have an epic reuniting sometime. Really, we will. Love you guys.
2. Getting into college- any college. But especially MIT. I wasn't expecting it at all and screaming at a computer screen is an amazing feeling. And tubes are quite terrific.
1. Senior year- I don't know if this really deserves number one, but it's certainly a relief after junior year. And there are certainly some very nice priveleges. And I am taking an amazing course load.

So this next year better be pretty amazing. Hopefully a couple more college decisions in the greater than zero direction and a virtual game of which college should Melody go to (*hint*). And maybe Kurzman'll ease up a bit. And maybe a couple other good things might happen that I will censor on my blog. Some of you know. Others should know. Others just shouldn't.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

So it's Christmas. I like Christmas. A lot. :)
Yes, I'm only half Christian and it's only by blood and I don't believe much of the religion. But I do love the traditions. We spent all of yesterday getting ready (putting up the tree, decorating the tree, getting last minute presents, wrapping everything, setting up a train around the bottom of our tree, watching Christmas specials, etc.) and finally went to bed quite late. But alas, Santa came with less than normal, but it's all good. I also threw my MIT tube under my tree for good measure. So yes, it's been a very merry Christmas. And hopefully a happy new year...
And I got a 100 dollar shopping spree at H&M with my mom which I am getting psyched for. And some good food. And a blanket for college. And a bassoon ornament. And I can't wait to do Christie's puzzle. Or the puzzle I got for my mom. Somehow I feel obligated to do puzzles since they helped get me into MIT. And they're fun!
Well in any case, Happy Holidays. Tonight's the fifth night of Hanukkah.

and the rotational velocity is...

Okay, so it was just an epic day yesterday. Just absolutely epic. Well, school itself wasn't though at least we had a two hour delay. But then it was just school which is just ugh. I have such senioritis and it's so hard to get to work. Well, we took the free response part of our APES test, and I screwed up one thing completely, but hopefully it won't kill the test... :/. I can hope. So then Christie and I took the bus to Davis School and visited our first grade teacher, Mrs. Hodgedon, and Mrs. Dorer. It was really cool because she actually remembered us and brought out a book of pictures of our class that was absolutely adorable. Christie and I were so cute back then. And there was an incredible picture of Mike Dale.
And then we went over to Christie's house and hung out and pretended to do homework. And then Christie's mommy drove us and Shreyas to the physics reunion at Bamboo. We seriously had the most epic physics class ever last year. And it was amazing. And all the amazingness came flooding back. And we talked about physics. And college. And how awesome college will be. I'm excited. And I need to get my Caltech essay written and I wanna get in. Hopefully. Gahhhh.
And then I went home and practiced and pretended to study for Chem and APES and totally didn't and it was bad. :(. This is senioritis. Don't let it happen to you!

Numnumnum...

Okay, I have no clue what the title is about. Nonsense is always good though.
So what's happened recently? Yesterday it snowed. And then snowed and snowed and snowed. Well, pretty much there's lots of snow. It's pretty. But wet and cold.
I got my district scholarship thing done and dropped it at the guy's house. All I can do now is cross my fingers that something good will come out on January 10th. And hope everything gets there on time...
I picked up my portraits from Burlington Studios and went to Trader Joes for some stuff. I forgot how nice it is to have free time. It's actually pretty incredible.
Tonight a group of us are going to hang out before Sowmya goes off to India and is warm and all (lame). I'm sorry this is an awful blog post, but in any case, it'll be a good night.

tubular to the max

I GOT MY TUBE! Actually the whole day was epic today, so I'll start at the beginning. We went on a field trip for APES today to the Harvard Museum of Natural History. We took the T into Boston/Cambridge, got coffee, went to the museum, looked at pretty animals and glass flowers, and ate. One large piece of yummy pizza later, Christie, Alex, and I went to various shops around Harvard Square. And then we headed back to Alewife. And started a massive game of Never Have I Ever. Alex "lost" and Christie "won". Yeah, it depends on your definition... Alex got 40+ and Christie got about 20. So Alex does stuff... :)
So then we got back at like 1:50. From here, I engaged in a massive failboat. Alex said that Nipunn/Marissa/others would be at the high school at the end of the day. So we searched from 1:50-2. And found no one. But apparently they were there. And then I decided to stay after before history fair and get lots and lots of community service. Unfortunately, I also told Christie to call me if she got her tube. And she did. And I ran home. Literally, ran. And I got my tube. See!

It had confetti and a poster and a coupon and lots and lots of other fun MIT goodies. And then I contented myself, called my mom and made sure she'd be home in time to take me. And she was supposed to. But apparently not...
Well in any case, we got in a mild fight, and I decided to walk. I got there by 5:44 and judged 2 individual docs and an individual performance. I can't believe I was considering doing history fair again. Thank goodness I had a moment of sanity.
So Kristine gave me a ride home and my mom swept me off to band where everyone marvelled about getting into MIT. Oh isn't life great...
And now I'm on the computer, writing a Thinkwrite, and needing to study for Chem. AND WE HAVE A HALF DAY TOMORROW!

ZOMG ZOMG ZOMG

So last night was one of the best nights of my life. And I mean that in the least "that's what she said" sort of ways...
I GOT INTO MIT! Early Action. I'm getting a tube. I'm so excited. And Christie got in too. It's like completely ridiculous and I love it. I will definitely post a picture of me and my tube when I get it. Hopefully Thursday or Friday.
Well, so that makes me officially 3/3 so far. And that makes me officially really pleased. I didn't think this would go so well, but so far it has been amazing. I mean the applications aren't fun, but the other stuff is pretty awesome (like getting in and college visits and stuff). So I'm finishing up the last of my college stuff (Caltech, Northwestern, Cornell (in that order more/less)) and finishing the before vacation stuff. And I really must start learning math... hmm.
Well in any way, it's good news. I want pictures of Christie and me posing together with our tubes... :)

College college college

I got into U. Illinois. Expected... yes. Does it still feel good?... yes.
So I will get my acceptance packet next week and those are always good. I honestly have no idea if I would go to UIUC or Drexel if I got in nowhere else. UIUC is a great engineering school, but it's in the middle of nowhere and Drexel gives me a BS/PhD program in Philly. So it's all up in the air. And MIT decisions are rapidly approaching. And college app deadlines are rapidly approaching. And Christmas break is rapidly approaching. So yes, life is crazy and my heartrate is overly fast much of the time. But all is well. I went to bed at 8:30 last night which was pure amazing. And I got my APES assignment done. And I got everything done Thursday night/Friday morning. But it felt so like junior year. And that's not a good thing...
Hopefully next week will be more calm. I can only hope.

Work?

I'm a senior. Work is not supposed to happen. And yet it is. On Friday (yes, tomorrow), I have a rough draft of a 5-7 pager, an infomercial, and an APES packet due. Thankfully, the APES isn't due until midnight, I'm done with the infomercial, and the rough draft is only being checked. So I'm working away to get to 4 pages right now and then it will be bed time. Thank goodness.
So tomorrow I get my second decision. UIUC. I think I should get in, since they go a lot by stats and essays and I liked both of them. So *crosses fingers*. Tomorrow 6 PM. As I'm doing APES. Yeah, I don't procrastinate. What in the world are you talking about?
What else? I had an orchestra field trip today that was boring. We played for a veterans group on base and there were more of us than them. Yeah. Cool beans. And today I filmed for the infomercial. Sundo is amazing. Absolutely awesome.
And other than that, I just need to write some college essays this weekend/scholarship essays, and practice a lot. And survive 7 more days of school. And 6 more gym classes.

Bleck

I'm going insane right now. Like I'm fairly sure of it. And it's really awful. I got home yesterday and my Drexel admission packet was there (!!!!!!). Sure, it's not an MIT tube... but still awesome. I got into the BS/PhD program, which only takes 6 years, so I could be Dr. Melody Morris when I'm 23. Yes, really. I also got into the honor's college and got about 17000 in merit based scholarships. All in all, a good deal. I was hoping for higher merit, but my friend Justin says they don't usually give top scholarships to the top kids, so I guess I'm okay with that. I also got a free bumper sticker which may or may not be used at some point. I still need to apply to a co-op scholarship, which could get me 6000 more a year, which would make Drexel a good financial choice.
So in other news, MIT released its release date yesterday at 6 pm. I really think colleges overdramatize all this, but I'm now in freak out mode. I doubt I'm going to be accepted EA (probably deferred) but there's always a chance. Well I'm going to stop talking about this and you'll get to see on Monday at 9 PM. Or 8:47 PM. I'm scared. And I'm stopping now.
In other news, I stayed up far too late last night doing a Senior Project log that was absolutely pointless. So I'm tired right now. I think I'm just permenantly tired. And I'm so ready for winter break... (especially for a physics party)

Murf...

I'm tired. Period.
And stressed.
And wet. Really wet. Well, yesterday. I wrote a rough draft of my Caltech essay. Apparently it was awful according to ma mere. And then I pretended to cry on the couch. And my mom went to the bathroom and got water and poured it on my head. I still feel it in my ear. It's disguisting.
So I had gbyso yesterday and was all alone all day. Cecile isn't feeling good, so I had to sight-read the first part for Mozart all day. And Mozart is just icky to sight-read, not because it's hard, but because it requires a ton of concentration. And that's just not cool. And that's part of why I'm tired.
And then I got home and pretended to do homework. I sorta studied for my chem quiz, which actually went quite well (I think). And then bed-time. So tired. And I have actual homework tonight. Ugh.

I am not a woman of science

So I decided not to do Women of Science. I realized a boat was not going to be built, nevermind succeed. So instead I got to help setup so I got the t-shirt, the bag, and lots of candy. And an incredibly inaccurate globe. Mexico is now east of Florida. And the white text "Women of Science" is in the Atlantic.
So Madrigal Event was last night and tonight. It's decent I guess, but there were some incredibly dumb spots in the plot. On the other hand, there were some solid jokes. Mixed bag. And I got out of there by 8:15, so I was happy. So today's a YPO day followed immediately by Mads dinner, so I will be running. But at least it's only Saturday. And I really want to finish my Caltech essay soon because I think I may end up liking it. But alas, we'll see.

PAIN PAIN PAIN

We lost. Math team. Pain. Awful. And yet I did better than I did last year by 10 points. And yet we still lost. And I got a team problem. And we still lost. It was painful to the max. Like more than the max. Like the uber max.
Christie and Youngyi got 16s, I got a 14, and Shreyas got a 12 (I think?). Kristine got a *cough* 2 (jk, love you), but got a team round problem. Victor got a 2/4, not sure. But anyways, it was bizarre. And I got a 6 on analytical geometry! Boo ya! But somehow, it is unsatisfactory given the loss. Pain pain pain. Other than that, today was good. I'm apparently doing women of science on saturday, which means I need to make a boat in the next 36 hours. I know. Wonderful...

When mu->0, Melody->ground

Mmm, so ice skating. I remember being 7. I was good at ice skating. But apparently ice skating isn't like riding a bicycle. It's more like falling off of one. Especially when Alex hits you. Yeah, I fell. And yes it was embarassing. But yes, it was fun.
And then we went to the mall and obnoxiously tried on semi dresses. Pictures will come later. Awesomeness will come now. Not that it matters since I can't go to semi because of YPO. I shake my fist at YPO.
And then we wandered the mall. I got arm socks at Wet Seal, and I grabbed a gift for my mommy, which we'd both been eyeing for a while. And then I got home and read mail and ate and bassoon lessoned and ate again and read Dante (I FINISHED WITH INFERNO!) and now I'm blogging. I know. Boring. But it has been a terrific day. You wish you were in it.

BYE BYE

So I have brought myself away from the facebook community for the rest of 2008. BUT I FOUND OUT (about 2 minutes ago, actually) THAT I GOT INTO COLLEGE! Sure, it's Drexel. But Drexel's a college and I know people there, and I have friends, and I'M INTO COLLEGE. Somewhere. Anywhere. I'm so relieved right now. And excited. I'm going somewhere next year. So now I can finish those last three apps with confidence. Or just jump around excitedly for a few more minutes. Hmm...
So other than that, life is pretty chill. UIllinois decisions come out in 9 days, but I'm not overly freaking out about that. And MIT either comes out in 10 or 17 days. Hopefully 10. But honestly, I'm into college. That's what matters.
School is well, school, but I'm surviving. Christie, Alex, Allison, and I are all going ice skating today at the Edge which is going to be fun. And it's a half-day/X-block, so I'm out of here in 30 minutes. Pretty awesome.
So no more facebook, but yes to college. That's a sacrafice I'm willing to make...

Wait, what vacation?

So it's been Thanksgiving break, thank goodness. Though it really hasn't been much of a break, except, well, Thanksgiving. But I already blogged about monsterous amounts of food, here's the past 2 days...
Friday:
I got up by like 9 AM (yes, naturally, and mostly on my own). I tutored at 10 and got home by 11. I know, I felt bad for my tutoree, but he actually concentrated pretty well and I was able to show him some cool math stuff. I was rather impressed. AND he got a 90 on his last math test. I win!
So then my mom and I went over to Burlington Studios to pick out senior pictures and order them for Christmas and stuff. Whatever. I'm not sure why people want pictures of me, but apparently they should...
And then we went to the windshield replacement place and my parents went over 2 hours later to drop off the car... well whatever, it's unimportant.
And then I came home and worked on college apps. I got my Johns Hopkins and Peabody apps done. And then the mouse broke. The left click wouldn't work, we rebooted and it still didn't work, so we got a new mouse. And presto chango, IT WORKED. And my panic attack was gone.
I got my USC app done last night and almost all of my Thornton (the music school) done. This is all very good because it is due December 1st... :) So now I'm 6/9ths of the way done. Only 3 more! (Cornell, Caltech, and Northwestern)
Saturday:
So I got up at 9 again, this time with some persuasion. I ate breakfast, got ready, and went to the post office at 11:30ish to mail off my Peabody app. That's what I dislike about music places. Most are pretty low tech, so you can't do stuff by email. Oh well, I'll survive. I decided to hang around the area, since the physics reunion was at 12:30. I went to Marshall's then met a group of awesome people and talked and chilled and stuff and Bruggers. It was pretty solid. Except Nipunn was barfing instead, which is indeed tragic. Well, c'est la vie...
I got home and my parents decided we needed to get tires on my mom's car and that my dad needed to get new glasses and that I needed to accompany all this craziness. I guarantee I was not such a fan. But I went along and got a walk through the mall and a Trader Joe's run out of it. I suppose Peppermint Joe-Joe's and looking at semi-dresses is an adequate reward. I guess.
So about semi. My mom is volunteering to take me to Joanne's fabric, let me choose a pattern and fabric and make me a dress. I'm alternately saying yes and no. I haven't really had anything custom made for me before, but I'm scared she'll make it what she wants instead of what I want. So I really don't know. And I don't really have a solid vision of what exactly I want.
Well, let's finish the last 3 apps, then decide. And another physics reunion will happen in December, minus Sowmya and plus Marissa and Nipunn :)!

Things I'm thankful for

Mmm, Thanksgiving. So I guess rather than wasting time talking about what's up, I'll do a list of things I'm thankful for:
1. Amy Campbell telling me that "Your application is in review so you should have an answer very shortly about admissions!!!!! :)" YAY! Especially the smiley face and the five exclamation points. I was also invited to the Engineer of the Year ceremony during February vacation with my parents free of travel costs!
2. Mrs. Kurzman giving a reasonable test
3. Last year's seniors being home
4. All my friends
5. My parents
6. Mr. Berlino being the chillest English teacher ever.
7. Being 2/3rds done with college apps by Monday
8. Food
9. Still getting an all-state rec after a pretty bad district audition
10. GBYSO for giving me awesome subjects for college essays
11. Being almost done with college essays
12. Loving when I'm not loved back
13. Safety schools that I like
14. The mentorship experience
15. My bassoon
16. Not taking a real math class
17. Blogging
18. Being a senior
19. Being so tired I'm giddy
20. Life
21. Things like this: http://www.creationmuseum.org/ because dinosaurs and Adam and Eve definitely lived at the same time...

umm, back to being a bad blogger... sowwy

So yes, I know I said I'd finish my Wash U. post on Thursday. Maybe Friday. And ya know? It's Thursday. (of the next week... :))
So day 2 of Wash U. (which is better than the day 1)
I got up wayyy too early (7 am is so early... hmm, college time). I went to a wind quintet with the music director, who talked to he afterwards. The group wasn't amazing, but I think he really would have prefered for me to have come a different day. But it was cool.
I then went back to the dorm and my host was just waking up. I finished packing up my stuff :'(. As I walked over to admissions, I met this guy who started talking to me. He was a student at Wash U. and relieved a ton of my worries about the school (mostly involving drinking). He was a really nice guy. Admissions agreed to hold my suitcase for the day, I grabbed coffee (and found out I still had a lot of money on my card), and went to the information session. It is really bizarre to go to an info session without your parents... I never realized how much those things catered to parents. And then the typical tour. I went and got lunch, had my interview, and then wandered around campus a bit more. I saw the deer again (she's so cute...), and took pictures. I went to the library, looked around. It's really nice how new a lot of the buildings are, but yet they aren't unlived in. I headed back to admissions, called my taxi, and went off to the airport. I connected through Detroit and got home around 11. And then school on Wednesday...

I'm deliriously happy

So it's been the weirdest past 3 days. But yet also some of the best...
So Monday and Tuesday I was in St. Louis visiting Washington University in St. Louis (Wash U. or WUSTL). It was a ton of fun. Let's start with:
MONDAY!
So I got to miss school. And it was exempt. And I didn't have to pay for the trip. It was good (QED). So I had to get up at 3:30 PM; that was painful. And I quickly finished packing and showered and we were headed to the airport at 4:30. I got there at like 5 and we left at 6ish. I got coffee and a muffin and I was off to Memphis. Memphis was sooo southern. It was crazy. I walked onto that thing that connects the terminal with the plane and BAM it smelled like BBQ. And it smelled good. So then I ran over to the next flight to St. Louis and I got there by 11ish CST. I was already pooped. So then I took my prepaid cab ride to Wash U., checked in, dropped off my stuff, and started to explore. First thing I saw... A DEER. In the middle of Brookings Quad. It was amazing. And the campus is gorgeous. So I wandered for a while, found the DUC and ate. And then I went to a Calc II class (SERIES). It brought me right back to Huff's class which was awesome. So then I found my host and she took my luggage and I went to an engineering info session and tour. The engineering program at Wash U. is pretty awesome because it leaves a ton of flexibility, so I could take lots of music and stuff. And the facilities are nice and they're adding on a lot. Tis exciting. So then I met with my host and I got to see my room. It was nice, not amazing, but not horrible. My host needed to study for her Calc II test, so I hung out with another prefrosh (Lindsay) and her host before we went to dinner. Dinner was a chicken quesadilla which was fantastic. And then our hosts went to study and Lindsay and I went to this cafe place and talked and chilled and drank good hot chocolate. Around 10, we went back to the dorm with our hosts and got ready for bed and talked to more people. Bed at midnight.
I'll finish this later...
But in more exciting news, I GOT INTO ALL-EASTERN!!!

WUSTL!!!!

Okay, so I have my free WUSTL visit tomorrow and I am more than excited. I mean, I miss school, go to a college that I really like, and have interviews and tours and information sessions galors! What else is there to life? Unfortunately, I have to leave the house at 4:20 tomorrow morning.
And I swear I will blog about this. Probably not Tuesday night. But definitely by Wednesday.
Well anyways, today I had GBYSO. I admit, it's really frustrating to play a piece when everyone around you is just trying to learn it. However, it is also nice because MM actually sees that you know what you're doing. Oh yes... fun stuff. Other than that, it was a messy day. I also wrote my Drexel essay this morning (well I added to my UIUC essay...) and it is in decent shape. That'll be submitted fairly soon...

Wasting time...

So I submitted my WUSTL application. Yes, it's like 2 months early. And yes, I did it instead of doing one due on December 1st. But I didn't procrastinate. Then why is the title of this post "Wasting time..."? Well, because that's what I've been doing since. For example, here's my new wordle:

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/300527/Blag

It's pretty awesome. Now which binder should it go on? I'm thinking chem...

BAAABBBBBBBB...

cock...
So it's been a sweet week. Very chill, especially after college apps. A few tests, but nothing awful. What else is there to say? I've started the next round of college apps (WUSTL, Drexel, JHU/Peabody, and maybe URochester/Eastman). I can't really decide whether or not I want to apply to U. Rochester. I mean, it has Eastman, but the engineering is pretty... not great. I'm not sure, it'll probably be based on time. And it's an expensive app. So we'll see.
So math team (I guess that's the most exciting news of the week): CHRISTIE GOT AN 18!!!!! And Bedford won. Again. I know... big surprise. BUT... we did it without McGowan's hand signals. Well Youngyi got a 14, Shreyas and I got 12s, and it went down from there. We got a 9 in team. And we got a 0 on round 3. Yes, a zero. For a whole round. Ugh, sophomores. But whatever, the winning streak continues. Though I admit, Christie, Shreyas, and I sit in a corner and lament; so no worries, we miss you guys!
Toodles!

The Calm after the Storm

So it turns out my Caltech essay didn't get written. I'm not the type of person that has anything decent written in a first or second draft. For example, my common app essay currently has 7 drafts and I think I'm happy with it. Though I expect I'll reread it and hate it. It's really frustrating. So I got partially through a rough draft, but it was unorganized and messy and I didn't have enough time to get it all together. So I didn't submit it. It'll get done by January 2nd. Probably sooner rather than later.
So life has calmed down a lot. Griff is still assigning a boatload of stuff, but it's not hard so I can deal. I had my last chem test of first term, which was easy, but because of the time limit was tough. I only had to guess on 3, which is less than I heard other people talking about. But the best part of the last few days was ROBERT PINSKY.
Okay, so Mr. Berlino got Mr. Pinsky to come in and talk to us. He's the former U.S. Poet Laureate and also translated Dante's Inferno. And on top of that he's really entertaining and insightful. I think I would actually enjoying taking a poetry class with him (he teaches at BU, so that's not going to happen). We were there for two hours and he was really engaging. Anyways, I really appreciate what he said. Read some of his poems. They're really sick.
And best of all (at least for the next 4 years) OBAMA IS THE PRESIDENT ELECT!!!!!! WOOHOO! (even though I can't vote). And the ballot questions went the way I wanted them to. Yes, I am part of the majority. Yes, I like it.

It's a crazy crazy crazy world

So I'm not going to go through this day by day. Because it's been nuts. But rather boring. But nuts all the same.
I've done 3 humanities essays, 4 college essays (and I still have one more to do... yikes), and countless hours in front of a computer screen.
I submitted my MIT app on the 27th and my U Illinois app today. Both are EA or a priority deadline, so I should find out in December. Until then I cross fingers.
What else? I haven't practiced in a long time, which is just bad, but I haven't gone to bed before 12 in the same amount of time. Things will chill out by Monday when my Caltech app is due. I'm going to try to get it in by Monday. Otherwise, it'll just be a RD app, but I'd rather just be done with it. Though it is a painfully long app. Not Stanford, but more annoying.
Let's see... we reached the quarter point in the year: 41/164. Friday was 43/164.
I had my first math test on Thursday. I hadn't been on top of doing math so the week before was a cram fest, but I learned everything. I think I did okay on the test, but we'll see. *crossing fingers*
So life is a very mixed bag. I have GBYSO tomorrow which is always good. And I really should go to bed soon and try to get stuff done tomorrow (like a caltech essay... ugh). Anyone that reads this: How in fact do I show an interest in math or science? I think I'm going to do my essay as a group of little things I do (like count measures of rest in binary, math team, Drexel mentorship) and show how the little things will eventually become one thing. At least that's currently my thought process, but it could change in the next couple days.
Ugh, so tired. Night!

wordle

Okay, so I found this on someone else's blog, but this is so cool. (Sorry about the blurriness.) So it takes your RSS feed and puts it into this. So go to wordle.net . It's awesome.

stress stress stress... and RITE OF SPRING

So I didn't finish my post on Wednesday, but we had an orchestra concert. It was... well, an orchestra concert. Really not exciting.
Thursday: 32/164=16/82=8/41
SUPERHERO DAY! Okay, so Alex, Christie, and I dressed up as Charlie's Angels. Christie was the Asian one. I have pictures. Really. And they will get on here... probs after Nov. 1. So it was a fun day. Though no one understood it because we don't have any classes together except APES. But anyways:
day 1: Sr. project (or college stuff), Chem electrolysis lab, music quiz in humanities, gym, and APES. Lecture in APES is a bad way to spend a class. Trying to pull water bugs out of tanks is a good way. And it was a good day. So anyways, I went home and tutored for an hour (woohoo), did homework, practiced a lot for my recording that was the next day, and went to NRCB. It was a fun time. And then I slept.
Friday: 33/164
Blue/white day. I admit. I didn't go all out. Or even close to it. Honestly, I wore a blue t-shirt and jeans and my math team sweatshirt. But at least I was in blue.
So it was a boring day until x block. I had my recording during x block/afterschool. And our office is a pain. So my recording person told me on Thursday night that he might be a bit late, but I figured that was fine. Maff was supposed to go down to the office and let them know to let anyone with large amounts of recording stuff to go down to the band room. It would have worked quite well. Except the office wouldn't let him down. So I called my dad, got the guy's cell phone number, called him, and he told me he was in the office. An hour had gone by already. So he wasn't set up until about 2:30. We did a couple takes of each and were done by 4. My parents made me write one college essay (MIT) before homecoming and then I went to homecoming. It was interesting... lots of drama. But anyways:
Saturday:
I got up, wrote half a college essay, meant to get a lot more done, which sort of failed. But anyways, I had YPO rehearsal from 3-6, which was interesting. We had Cohler and a bassoon sectional with someone named Stephanie, who apparently studied with my teacher when she was in high school. Small world. So I ran (meaning Amalia's mom drove) to BU for a gBYSO rehearsal from 6-9:30. I was late. It wasn't much fun. But whatever. We had a angry Italian at times and a happy Italian at times. But whatever. Big concert tomorrow.
Sunday:
So we had to be at Symphony Hall at 9:30. Not fun. Too early. Sleep needed. We had rehearsal from 10 to 1ish and then went to the Pru for lunch (burgers at Flamers!). It was a fun time, though I sort of wish I had gone with Cecile and Hillary and John to Symphony Sushi. Not sure. We'll see about next time. So then we had el concerto! It was exciting, but scary. The first 2 movements of Beethoven went pretty well, though I blacked out and felt like I was about to faint in one really loud bassoon part, but I survived. And then the 3rd and 4th were messy, but we still got applauded, so it was okay. And then intermission. And then RITE OF SPRING. ZOMG, that piece is amazing in symphony hall. It's simply brilliant. And even though we had some mistakes, it was so surreal to be playing Rite of Spring when I'm 17 in Symphony Hall. Insane. So then I got home and did all the homework I should have done earlier in the weekend and went to bed.
Monday: 34/164=17/82
Day 3: started working on posters in psych (yay?), talked in senior project (yay?), started Dante in humanities (yay!), did my APES homework in math, which didn't matter (yay?), and played with bugs some more in APES. And superworms. I <3 class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">superworms. So then I got home, did the tiny amount of homework I had then went to work on college essays. I did 3 drafts of my common app essay (I edited one, my mom edited one) and got a lot of progress. It was really exciting. Only 5 more to go! Ugh. Stress stress stress...
Tuesday: 35/164: I admit I can't wait for 41/164=1/4. But that's still 6 days away.
So anyways. Day 1: Sr. project (Hebert asked me what I was doing. I think he's getting suspicious. I don't really care), AP Chem quiz (and we got a quiz back. I did well. But I answered things wrong that she marked right. no complaints), art/music in humanities, gym (walked around the track, nbd), and APES test. I went in thinking I was all cool that I didn't study. Bad move, I should have studied. Well, whatever. I missed the bus and Allison's family gave me a ride home. And then I tutored. Apparently something I had done in his little book thing was on his quiz (I'm not helping him with math class, but just general math concepts and stuff) and he did well! Yesssss... FTW. Then I got home and crashed for about 3 hours and started homework. AP Chem lab notebook is now all set and I'm humanities' essaying now. I had forgotten that I greatly dislike writing essays.

We ARE BHS

So it's school spirit week. But to catch up:
Monday: it was Columbus Day and as expected, my mom and I closed up our place on Goose Pond. It was sad, since we didn't spend that much time this year and I realize that it is probably the last year for about 4 years that I will be closing up. Not that closing is any fun... it's lots of cleaning and organizing and other oh so fun things. We also went to the Lindt discount store and got a pound of mint truffles for 3 bucks (they were "imperfections" which just meant they over/underfilled them. More over, less under). We also went to Price Chopper which I've raved about in the past. It's amazing. It needs to expand to the Boston area immediately. So back to the week:
Tuesday: 30/164=15/82
So, it was the beginning of spirit week. And today was sports team day. I know, lame. But I proudly wore my math team sweatshirt (it is a sport) with my Czech soccer jersey underneath. It was a fun time. So anyways, day 2: psych first (reviewed for a test, Boschetto was afraid he had hypotized us (he hadn't), yeah, boring), then AP Chem (Redox quiz about stuff we never learned, big surprise), then orchestra (freshmen are so annoying), then math (what math?), then orchestra x block rehearsal. Yeah, I meant it when I said boring day. So anyways, I went home, did homework, had my last lesson before my recording session on Friday. I'm a really boring person...
Wednesday: 31/164
80's DAY! Okay, I went all out. I'll upload pictures to this probably tomorrow or Saturday. I crimped my hair, wore leggings, leg warmers, horrible make up. Oh it was great fun. I got the most bizarre looks. It was fabulous.
So day 3: psych test (easy, peasy, lemon-squeezy), senior project (I hate that class. I just want to survive until second quarter when Hebert will leave us alone), humanities (urm, I read the Iliad last night, but I don't remember it... well, one miniquiz is dropped every quarter... and it was only like an 80), math (I mean college apps), and APES (lecture.)
Finish in the morning... it's bedtime...

maybe blogging will turn into a once a week endeavor

SOOOO...
I sort of talked about Monday. The only exciting thing was the math meet. We did really well. However like every October math meet, we did it alone at home which is never nearly as exciting as the real thing and yelling "pi/2" and "7/3" during team round. But we won. Though apparently Winchester has joined our league and got a 108, so it might be iffy this year, even with our apparently strong team (if we continue like this, we could clean up in States and NE's...)
So then I had a painfully long and boring orchestra rehearsal, went home and did homework. I know. Boring.
Tuesday: 26/164=13/82
Day 1: chilled during sr project, learned more redox stuff in chem, finished our greek music and presented in humanities (apparently mine was really long... it didn't feel that long...), played gladiator ball in gym, and finished our soil lab in APES. All together, a very normal and boring and plain day, which is really nice at times. I had a lesson that night, which went pretty well, and pretty much just had a basic night. It was good.
Wednesday: 27/164
Day 2: REALLY CHILL. Psych: notes on sleep and consciousness and stuff and Rusty the narcoleptic dog. I could watch him all day. AP Chem: an activity series lab that was actually pretty cool. Orchestra: Play tests. Such a joke. Srsly. Math: well, you leave 3 kids in a room. They don't do math. Speaking of which, I need to do math... X: Senior picture and club pictures. Senior picture was so stupid. There were many bees swarming and 200 kids on wooden bleachers. Scary combination. But at least math team will have a picture in the yearbook. YAY! And Christie and I are in the same row.
So then I went home, tutored for an hour (for payment). It's so hard to ever turn down 20 dollars...
And then I had my MIT interview. It turns out that he had 2 sons that were in GBYSO, one in YPO, and one who is majoring in horn at Northwestern right now. I really liked him. And we had lots to talk about. Despite my nervousness, I think the interview went really well. YAY!
Thursday: 28/164=14/82=7/41 (zomg, more than 1/6th of the way there!)
Day 3: definitely my hardest day. And after yesterday, I didn't get a lot of sleep due to Iliad reading and something that took longer than it should have. Psych: meh, more notes. Boring day. Senior project: strange discussions. Apparently all of the world's problems are caused by 5 year old girls in beauty pagents. Yes... Humanities: another easy miniquiz. YAY. And our first essay. That was originally due on October 29th. And then we asked him to push it back. And it became October 27th. How? Not sure. Math: college stuff. Again, I need to do math. APES: lab! Collecting water samples and DO readings. Fun?
So I got home exhausted, started my dream log for psych, and then went to NRCB. And then I got home and finished. And then went to bed far too late.
Friday: 29/164
TGIF. So I was really tired today. I handed in my dream log and submitted my "request to teacher to send recommendation" form to Boschetto for MIT and Caltech. It's weird. I didn't think I really wanted to go to MIT, but the more I learn about it, the more I think I like it. But who knows if I'll get in, so I don't want to get too attached. And then sr project, where I did... nothing? And then AP Chem where we finished the activity series lab and started electrochemistry. I think I like electrochem. I'm looking forward to the math. And then Sheinfeld lectured us in art. I know I drifted off a few times. It was painfully boring. And then gym which I just barely managed to get through. By that time I had accumulated quite a tiredness/dehydration headache. It was unfun. And I stayed in school because Nipunn said he was coming during APES. And then APES: Griff was at an indoor water park in Chicago for his mother-in-law's 70th birthday. Oh yes, he was having fun. So we had a study. And Nipunn was supposed to come in. And didn't. Until like 1:59. And I needed to go home and sleep. So I saw him for 2 seconds. It was not cool. So I got home and just crashed. It was so good.
Saturday:
This will be the only YPO rehearsal in which I have fun. Okay, not true. But it definitely was a lot of fun. So we played Mahler and then Zander started working on the 4th movement and there is no wind part, so he let us go. And guess who was just outside the rehearsal... HEATHER! Oh man, I forgot how much I missed her. It was a photo bananza. I love my new facebook profile picture too! Anyways, it was great. And I admit YPO sounds good. It's just frustrating that it's not all high school kids. It's like comparing tomatos and tomatillos. They're different species. And Zander told us "everyone in this room WILL go to South Africa." Well, Mr. Zander, we will see about that...
And before rehearsal, my mom and I went shopping and got this awesome new peacoat so I no longer will look like a 3 year old. Well, I may still wear my jacket, but I love this coat.
Sunday:
Again, TGIS...
Yay gbyso day! Paige and I talked. And then we had actual rehearsal. It was a painful day since it's the week before a concert. So Fed tries to make us do everything we've been doing wrong in the past 5 weeks. It was just ouchy. And by the end, we were all so tired we were making silly mistakes. But alas, that happens.
Tomorrow, mom and I are going to close up goose pond. It's always a weird mixture of emotions. I miss the place, but it's nice to go and visit. And go apple/blueberry/raspberry picking. And get this awesome hot chocolate. But I am going to have to get up early. So I need to go to bed.

BABBBBBBB...cock.

I will finish this post later, but in recent news, math team scored a 121 on the first meet. I got a 14, Christie got a 16, and Yongyi and Shreyas got 18s. Bam. I'll actually blog later...

Busy week?

Yes, I know. I'm a senior. I should have plenty of time to blog. But no, I don't. Just believe me...
Tuesday: 21/164
Day 2+Rosh Hashana=easy day.
In psych, we started the next unit, since Boschetto wanted to give a test, but couldn't due to Jewish holidays! In AP Chem we did a lab where we separated Koolaid. It was loads of fun (*eye roll*). In orchestra... we were bad. And then in math I made my common app account. I'm so annoyed because of my 3 schools I'm applying early to, only caltech requires Common App. So I'm stuck doing 3 apps in the next month. We had an NHS meeting during X block and then I went home. And apparently Northwestern lied to me. Not a semifinalist. Just kidding... I had a lesson and then did lots and lots of homework. No fun at all.
Wednesday: 22/164=11/82
FIRST DAY OF OCTOBER! AND a half day. Another good combination.
So day 3... we talked about sleep in psych (which made me very sleepy), we discussed our essential questions in sr. project, we had a mini quiz in humanities on 2 books of the Iliad. I had only read one. But I think it still went well...
And then I did something in math (not really important, I'm sure) and then Griff talked in APES. Really very boring. So I got home around noon, did some homework, worked on my common app essay, fun stuff. Yeah, really, my life is boring...
Thursday: 23/164
SUPER AWESOME!
So it was a day 1, which usually isn't that great, but it also played host to my first field trip since freshman/sophomore year.
So I had senior project free first where I caught up on homework of some sort, then AP Chem, where we started chemical reactions (redox!), then humanities, where we "made ancient Greek music". Okay, I applaud Mrs. O'Toole for the idea. But ancient Greek music is more than just choosing a mode and putting words of the Iliad to notes in that mode. But it was fun. And then WE WENT TO A FARM. So Griff has a share of this 1 acre farm in Belmont and we got to talk to the lady and do work for her and in return we got community service hours and an education and I got out of gym and we got free food. It was so much fun. We're going back in the spring to help plant. SO EXCITED.
So then we got home and I studied for SATs, did homework, went to NRCB, scheduled my recording (!), and studied for 2 tests that were on...
Friday: 24/164=12/82=6/41
So my great week led to a horrible Friday. I had 2 tests, in a row. Psych was uber easy and AP Chem was weird. I'm not sure what I think yet. And then nothing for the rest of the day. When I got home, I had my dad go with me to Stop and Shop and grab all those SAT essentials (cereal, pencils, trail mix bars, VitaminWater... etc). And then I went home and watched the Red Sox until 11 and went to bed.
Saturday:
UGHHH. SATs!
So this is my LAST time ever taking SATs. Honestly, I could get a 600 composite and I wouldn't retake them. I swear. I think it went well. I'll let you know on October 23rd...
So then I went to YPO where Zander told us that he's going to teach Obama how to speak. Ugh, he is so cocky. But I admit the string section is AMAZING. It's incredible.
Sunday:
To quote Zach Sheets: "TGIS"
GBYSO DAY!
So it really was a pretty boring day. Like really boring. I barely played at all. But for whatever reason, when I'm at GBYSO, I feel happy inside. So it was all good. It turns out I don't need to directly ask Fed for a rec (thank goodness). And I talked a lot. And got through about 300 lines of Iliad. And before GBYSO I set up my MIT interview. Wednesday at 6. AHHHH. Nervous nervous nervous.
And now I'm home, blogging when I have a mountain of hw. So I shall do it now.

Bad bad blogger...

Okay, I know, it's been a week. And I'm currently blogging when I should either be working on an APES paper that's due in 24 hours or sleeping... but I really need to blog.
So last week (days 15-19) was pretty crazy. We got class rank on Wednesday (happy melody!), got psych tests back (happy melody!), took easy humanities tests (happy melody!)... yeah, I think you get the point. It was a fun week, but very crazy. I played a lot of bassoon, did quite a bit of homework, realized I don't like organic chem as much as I originally thought, made a brain cake (and got myself sick because I ate so much brain cake... it really gave a new meaning to "brain food"), and got a letter from Northwestern congratulating me on being a national merit semifinalist (nope, I haven't heard from BHS yet, but I trust Northwestern). They also told me that if my GPA and transcript matched my PSAT results (which were really not good...), I would be a good match for their school. YAY I MIGHT ACTUALLY GET INTO COLLEGE.
Anyways... then came weekend.
Saturday:
I got up nice and early and my mommy and I went shopping (TJ Maxx and Macy's). TJ Maxx had like nothing and the jeans didn't fit and ugh, it just wasn't fun. And then we went to Macy's and I freaked at some prices on jeans and then found this sales rack with jeans for $12.50 that actually fit. YAY FOR PANTS! Okay, I know, that doesn't sound particularly miraculous, but it really was. Jeans never fit me. So I got 2 pairs...
And then I went to YPO and played contra. I'm actually *gasp* starting to like contra. I actually know when to move what finger, so it's starting to feel more normal and it isn't screwing up my bassooning either, so I'm okay with it. But I still like bassoon better...
And then I got home and meant to do homework and instead submitted my USC part I app (with GPA!) and MIT part I app. It was exciting to hit "submit".
Sunday:
GBYSO! So GBYSO days are always amazing...
We had sectionals and then double divided with Janet. And when we're with Janet, the bassoon section plays around a lot, so we were goofy. It was bad.
And then I got home and did the homework I should have done a while ago... whoops...
Monday: 20/164=5/41
Woohoo, day 20!
So it was a typical day 1. Senior project chill day first where I helped someone with calculus and did my chem homework. AP Chem where we did the same flame test lab as in sophomore year where we stuck chemicals into a bunsen burner and looked at the pretty colors. And then came humanities, where we got 2 quizzes back (over 100 on both... my I love humanities...). And then gym (sticking 40 kids in the back gym to play matball is a bad bad idea...) and then APES (soil tests). It was really pretty boring. And then when I got home, I got a letter from WUSTL reminding me to take advantage of their travel grant (yay!). And then my mom got home and took me out shopping to Marshalls. I got: 2 dresses, 1 sweater, and a pair of jeans. The dresses are SOOO pretty. One is like perfect for interviews and the other is just really cute. And the sweater is cashmere and really soft and will be nice for both interviews and auditions. And I always need jeans that fit. So then I got home, watched bad TV for a while, practiced, and started homework. And now it's bedtime.

AWKWARD

September 19: 14/164=7/82
Oh man, it's a Friday. I love Fridays.
So, let's see. I stayed up far too late on Thursday night and it was hard to get up. But after a nice long shower and a yummy breakfast, I had the wonderful experience of the Day 1 blues. Just kidding, since I had free senior project block first. I worked on APES homework (yay for productivity!). And then I had AP Chem and we got back our first real test. And I did... okay. And apparently okay was the best grade in the class. Which led to arguments that matched the merits of last years complaints in AP Bio with an added Brit. But anyways, after that we started organic chem, which is way cooler than when we did it in AP Bio (mostly because I was totally lost in AP Bio). So then was break and humanities (sheinfeld and mrs. O'Toole talking to us about ancient Greek music and architecture... woohoo? Actually it was. One kid asked if all the penises had fallen off in Greek sculptures and Sheinfeld talked about how it was there. Awkward to the max). And then gym (freaking awkward). Okay, so I'm taking sophomore/junior gym/health (BACKSLASH MANIA), so I know almost no one in there. So we were playing medic ball and this sophomore guy kept pointing and then chucking the ball at me. And then screaming at me that he was going to get me out. It was... scary. And superbly awkward. So then we had APES and we did a lab about specific heat capacity.
So then I went home and crashed and slept for 5 hours, woke up long enough to practice and then went to bed.
September 20:
So I got up around 10 and ate and homeworked, etc, until 2, when I left for YPO. YPO... was bizarre. I talked to Sangwon for a bit and then actually went to rehearsal. So one member of our bassoon section quit between last week and this week, so we got a college kid who's named Colin. And I don't like him. He's not THAT good (Cecile could take him, and I mean in a fight), but they've put him on first. And moved the Walnut Hill girl's seatings (though not mine). That is what I hate about NEC.
So then I got home and did homework and made my MyMIT account. Yes Marissa, the dark side. And then I did most of my part I app. I'm finishing it tomorrow. Ohhh college apps. And I need to set up my interview. It's going to be a fun 40 days coming up...

Productivity--- what's that?

September 15: 10/164=5/82
Let's see. So it was a rather boring day 3. In psyche we had a quiz (it was amazing... I could actually understand the question being asked), in senior project we destroyed Mr. Hebert's heater and then went to the English office because it was so bad. In Humanities, we got a pop quiz (5 questions... really easy) with 2 bonus questions. It's so bizarre that I'm actually at the top of an english class. But it's really nice as well. In math, we chilled (I'm not sure why I didn't work on actual math... but it's so tempting just to sit around) and in APES we learned how to setup the dissolved oxygen sensors. It was pretty cool. We then tested them in the little pond in the old courtyard (though MUCH more on that later). So then I went home, homeworked, realized I am going to apply to U. Rochester/Eastman, and started to freak about college apps. YAY...naht.
September 16: 11/164
yay for having to resort to the decimal system for days of school!
So it was a day 1. Free block first period (I worked on APES), AP chem second (review for test on wednesday... ugh), humanities third (Ms. O'Toole had a weird talk about ancient greek music and Sheinfeld... was sheinfeld), gym fourth (I got smacked in the head with a football (woohoo! who needs braincells?)), and APES last. It was a terribly boring day except for APES. So we went out to that same old courtyard to collect water samples (just like Monday), but it ended slightly differently. Apparently there was a ground wasp nest and someone stepped on it. And then we had swarming wasps and expensive scientific equipment. Christie had one get stuck in her hair and sting her on the head (it looked painful), Jacob got stung on the inside of his arm and Marina got stung on the back of her knee. So our APES class had lost 3 people to the nurse. And then Griff went out and poked at the nest and low and behold also got stung. Needless to say, it was a crazy day. So then I got home, did homework, had a lesson, and decided to fill out my Drexel application except the essay. Which I did. But when I hit "submit" I got a thing of gobbledigook so I hit the "back button". While brought me back to the last page... except with someone else's application. It was freaky. And I don't trust Drexel's secure network.
September 17: 12/164=6/82=3/41
It is really tragic that 41 is prime. But ANYWAYS.
It was our first day 2 + half day combinations. Except we couldn't leave early because they switched the periods weirdly. Anyways, I had psych first where we learned all the bio we learned last year. YAY... not. And then I had my first really AP Chem test which didn't seem that bad. But we'll see on friday. And then came activities fair/senior class meeting. Apparently there's a decent chance that semi is going to be in one of the elementary school gyms. I'm rather annoyed. We're dressing up to go to a gym. Ugh. And activities fair was ridiculous. Step team was next to chess team was next to ACE and enviro club and... it was overwhelming. I honestly don't even remember what I signed up for (other than enviro, science team, and french club... just for a hoot). It was nuts. Anyways, then I had math (we stayed in the science office again and chatted with Mr. Stephenson) and then orchestra (I need to avoid sarcasm in that class... it's just so hard). So then I headed home, ate, worked on homework, and practiced. It was quite boring.
September 18: 13/164
Another day 3. Psych was full of more awkward demonstrations of neurotransmitters, senior project was more talking (though in Hebert's room), humanities was easy (duh), I actually did math in math, and APES was rather dull. I think Griff is scared to do too much now that he's killed half the class. So anyways, I submitted my Drexel app during math, so I've officially applied to college (minus an essay, recommendations, and a few other important things like a transcript). FIRST COLLEGE APP SUBMITTED! AHHH! It'll be nice to get an early answer that I'm in though and a huge stress reliever. And yet, even if I end up there, I think I'll be happy. That's the ideal safety, right? So anyways, I finished my biodiversity data collection after school, walked to Allison's house to give her the map (she was sick today), and walked home. And I'm out of shape enough that that tired me out. And then we went to the Senior College planning meeting. It was... really boring. And I learned almost nothing. But apparently class rank/GPA comes out next tuesday, so I'm excited for that. But we'll see. Anyways, I still have a psych thinkwrite to write now, so I should stop blogging.

FEDERICO IS MY FAVORITE PERSON EVER

So this year is going to be really bizarre. Because I'm going to be going from a 70-something conductor who is so full of himself that I feel like I'm about to laugh at him on Saturday, to a 40-something conductor who is the sweetest man alive on Sunday. Honestly, I love Fed more than anyone should love someone 20+ older than she. But ANYWAYS...
Today was a pretty normal Sunday. I got up around 8, my mommy made breakfast, and I worked on my APES project a bit more. I like my project a lot because I'm using the pictures that I took on the family vacation to Alaska 3 years ago, which is bringing back a lot of memories. Oh, the days of being a carefree froshy. Ugh. So then it was GBYSO TIME! Honestly, I look forward to Sundays more than any other day. So I talked with Eileen and Jahn and John (haha, Jahn and John, say that 5 times fast). And then we had rehearsal (Beethoven). It wasn't bad, but I was really tired, but it was with Fed so it's all okay. And then we had divided with Marky Mark. Mark Miller is another one of my favorite people in the world. Like, last year I was petrified of him, but now I think his weird twisted humor and sarcasm is actually funny. In any case, we worked on Rite of Spring, which is always awesome. And I got to play contra, which I'm actually starting to like (which is good because I'm going to be doing it a lot this year, so it appears). And then we had tutti Rite of Spring with Fed again. And there's this really exposed part right near the end that we got to for contra and it sort of worked. Anyways, the concert is going to be amazing and you should all come. Period. October 19th, 3 PM, Symphony Hall. It's going to be amazing.
So as I was waiting for my daddy to pick me up, Fed came behind me and we had a short talk (and he rubbed my cheek like a good Italian.. OMG, I love him). Sorry for this obsession. I can't stop myself. ANYWAYS...
We finally got home and I finally finished my APES project. And now I'm off to bed. And I love Fed. And I'm a poet. And I didn't even know it.

Crazy 3 days... and a weird mix of emotions

September 11: 8/164
Oh that infamous day in history. And we didn't even say the pledge today in school. The loudspeaker wasn't working...
So after that wonderful bit of irony that is oh so typical of BHS, we had a very normal Day 1. I did my chem homework in senior project, made a project out of straws of the different periodicity thingies in AP chem, got lectured at by Sheinfeld in humanities (I was on the verge of falling asleep... ugh), played ultimate in gym (I caught quite a few passes and got a couple points... it was great), and had my first test in APES. I was surprised because my APES test wasn't that hard. Or maybe I'm just so lost in what a hard test is nowadays (grr AP Bio...).
So then I came home, did homework, and had a concert with North Reading Community Band at an assisted living facility in Malden. It was a lot of fun. We played some great pieces such as "American Salute" (big bassoon solo... awesomeness), Holst's "First Suite in Eb" (which was so much better than when BHS Wind Ensemble played it), and a great jazzy arrangement of "Amazing Grace". We're always really well received at this place and it reminds me of how much music can change people's outlook. I felt great. Honestly, even if I don't make it as a professional musician, I want to join a community band and continue to play in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and in community concerts. It just gives you such a high...
September 12: 9/164
Hat and I are soon going to run out of fingers...
So today was a completely typical Day 2: Psych was boring (I lost a point on an assignment for not bringing my book to class and actually going and getting it when almost no one had theirs and didn't lose a point... grr Boschetto), AP Chem was notetaking, orchestra was a snooze, and we ACTUALLY STARTED OUR MATH CLASS! It was crazy. And the lecture guy's voice cracks at times. It's so funny. So then I called my daddy who took me home. I ate lunch and promptly fell asleep. For about 4 hours. And then I chilled and practiced and started my APES project. It was good.
September 13:
So today I was completely screwed up. I told my mom I want to quit YPO (because I sort of do) because tour overlaps with our last gbyso concert and YPO tour is mandatory. And I'm not terribly excited about YPO. But she wouldn't let me and I had a middle-school-fit. It was rather pathetic actually. But my mom forced me to go to YPO anyways. It was okay, I guess, but I can see why Zander and Gunther Schuller get along. They're exactly alike. Both think that they're the greatest thing ever. Ugh, I was disgusted. But Mahler is starting to sound good. Already. I'm on 3/contra, which is okay, but I have a first part as well. So I'm still really confused about how I feel about the whole thing, but hopefully it'll all work out. My mom is insisting I keep with it until at least the first concert (partially because I signed up for it and partly because then it'll be on college apps... I know, I'm a bad person), but I may keep going. That is TBD.
So when I got home, I chilled and made a cake (dark chocolate cake with triple chocolate fudge frosting... I was in the mood). And then I went back to work at my APES project and talked to Soyeon. I love you Soyeon!

Je suis un slacker.

September 10: 7/164
So we are officially through one 6 day cycle! YAY! So it was my last first cycle (okay, I agree, that one's a stretch). What else? Psych was pretty basic (correlation does not imply causation... dur), Senior Project was fun (though Hebert seriously does not understand my project), Humanities was great (I did the homework due today and got extra credit for doing it on time... wah?), math was still a study, and APES was a walk in the woods (yesssss... awesomeness). And then apparently the first bus in the line got broke down, so all the buses had to back up in the driveway. Isn't our new school wonderful?
So I finally got home and sat around. I'm having extreme motivational issues that need to be fixed. No slacking until at least January 23rd. After that, you're home free. But that's an awful long time...
I got my short humanities paper done (one page double-spaced!).
And now I'm here pretending to do an AP Chem free-response question... yay!

School... ugh.

Monday: (September 8) 5/164
So it was one of those typical day ones. I expect a lot of homework and none comes. So I have no excuse for getting on computer. So I can't blog.
So let's see. I worked on homework during Senior Project. We actually learned stuff in AP Chem. We did our 1-4 minute talks in Humanities (I went last so I didn't have to actually talk about mine after I talked). Gym was a joke. We got to go outside during APES and ID trees. It's a fun time.
And then I got home and chilled and practiced and did another 25-minute college essay (and I hate topic #2. I don't have a personal, local, national, or international issue I care that much about without sounding really cheesy).
Tuesday (September 9): 6/164=3/82 which is about 1/27... yay math!
So it was a day 2. And day 2's are amazing. In psych... well, it's psych. We did a worksheet and a powerpoint. ugh. In AP Chem, we actually learned somemore. And she took points off my test. I'm annoyed. Then came orchestra (oh man, I miss chamber from last year... gbyso/ypo can't come quickly enough this week). Then math (yay study block!). Then X-block where we learned about our community service requirements. They really aren't going to be that bad. I'm actually looking forward to tutoring (it was fun this summer).
It was an overall relaxing day. And then on the bus ride home, Hat and I commiserated about how much we miss Nipunn (and the other last-year seniors).
So I got home, watched part of that series about the pregnant girl on ABC Family (it was better than I'd expected), and I practiced. And then I went to my lesson (my mom forgot about me and came back a half hour late). It was a fun time. I like being forgotten. Then I came home and ate and did homework. Lucky me.

YUMMO!

Oh man, so today was one of those absolutely fabulous days filled with excitement and craziness. So let's start at the very beginning...
1. My daddy got up and got donuts this morning. And even though I feel like I have gained 10 pounds, they were so good so it feels worth it. And then I showered and dressed and worked on my APES homework, which really is my only homework (which is both good and bad I suppose).
2. GBYSO THE EXTRAVAGANZA! Oh man, my last first gbyso rehearsal was amazing. Let's see. I got there and hung with people before rehearsal started. And then we had sectionals. Except our sectional coach did not show up. We found Janet and she told us that we could hang out (apparently she didn't want to coach us because we're "too exhausting". And we are). So then we started to explore the secret passageways of BU. And there are lots. It was pretty cool. We found a staircase that looks like it should be at Hogwarts (except it doesn't move), a way to get to the roof (though we didn't go up), and best of all, the BU prop room. Oh man, it was pretty sick. They had everything you could want (wheelchairs, fake guns, shoes, dresses, lighters, etc.). So then we had actual rehearsal. In which I didn't play. And then we had more actual rehearsal in which I played contra. And surprisingly it worked. So now I have a contra and a bassoon in my house about 10 feet away from me. It's pretty awesome. Oh, and Janet told us that her nickname is Frodo. So I made a facebook group.
3. We came home, ate supper, and I've been APESing until now. But today was uber YUMMO!

Zipadeedooda... and HANNA

Oh man, it's currently raining like there is no tomorrow. And at this rate, we will all have floated off and there will be no tomorrow. But there was a today... and it was good.
So I got up this morning at 9 and I was panicked because I was supposed to get up at 8, but apparently I wouldn't wake up (says my mother). So I quickly showered, got dressed, ate multigrain pancakes, and we were off to NEC. I had my YPO seating audition which went fairly well (though not as well as I had hoped.) It was so hard to read the adjudicator's faces... ugh, frustrating.
So then we came back home and made fabulous grilled cheese. And then we went SHOPPING! Oh man, it's the first time I've gone shopping in a very long time. And I didn't find anything, but just getting out of the house and not doing homework or cleaning or anything was awesome. Before we left, my mom made me do a rough draft of a college essay in 25 minutes (it's like college apps+SATs all rolled into one hellish 25 minutes). But other than that, life was good.
And after shopping, my dad and I went out and caught dinner. Okay, not so much. We went to Stop and Shop and got lobster. Part of the agreement of that whole cleaning fiasco 2 weeks ago was that if we did it, we would get a lobster dinner. And we did. Though I had a disfunctional lobster. It only had one claw and was missing a leg. It was a terrible loss (especially the claw). But just having lobster was more than fabulous. And then we had cake. It was great.
I worked on APES homework for a bit, practiced, blogged/talked to people, and am off to bed. And it's raining. A lot. And FIRST DAY OF REAL GBYSO TOMORROW! (aww, my last first gbyso rehearsal...)

I'm a bad blogger...

So this past week has been super crazy... I apologize for the lack of blogging.
Last Weekend (August 30-September 1):
Oh man, the last weekend of freedom before school. Ugh. School. So we headed up to Goose Pond on Sunday. We went apple picking and blueberry picking at the farm that my mom's friend in high school runs. I love that place. I've grown up in that apple orchard. Yes, I'm weird...
What else? We walked a lot and chilled. It was just generally relaxing.
Tuesday: (September 2) 1/164
ZOMG. My last first day of school! Gahhhhh. It's so weird that I'm finally really a senior. So it was our crazy day in school in which we go to every one of our majors for like half an hour and get absolutely nothing done. And more than anything, I realized that I have some really easy classes. All my mixed level 4/5 classes are almost all level 4s, so they're a nice relaxing experience. I have people in these classes (especially humanities) that haven't been in my classes since like 8th grade. It's really bizarre. So my only tough classes are going to be APES and AP Chem this year (I think). It should be much better than last year (well, duh).
Wednesday: (September 3) 2/164
First real day of school. I had a AP chem test that went... ehhh. And everything else was pretty decent. I had Sheinfeld the entire day (senior project and humanities). But other than that it was okay. We also had our Lorax test which was really basic and I think went well. Of course AP bio completely skewed my concept of what "doing well" feels like.
Thursday: (September 4) 3/164
So I'm actually going to stick with doing a count-up of my days this year. And I love that snow days get subtracted from the denominator. So I realized how incredibly pointless my day 2s are (Psych, AP chem, gym/health, math, X). It's pretty much a 2 major day. And I've never ever had a 2 major day before. And then I got home and fell asleep for 4 hours. And then had to do my APES packet and my psych thinkwrite. And I was up until 2 AM. This not procrastinating thing isn't working so much...
Friday: (September 5) 4/164
So my day 3 has 5 majors, but it doesn't feel like it (Psych, senior project, humanities, math, APES). Math is a study, humanities is a level 4/5 class (we read 100 lines of the Iliad and people were lost... ugh), psych is a 4/5 class, senior project is a seminar, and APES is going outside and identifying trees. APES is definitely going to be a lot of work, but it should also be worth it and I'm interested in it, so it's not going to be AP Bio all over again. And then I got home and slept for another 3 hours. I need to stop crashing...
So tomorrow I have my YPO seating audition. I'm petrified. I'm sort of ready, but not completely solid, so it could go well or superbly badly. I'll let you know. And then Sunday is the first BYSO rehearsal of the year and I'm so excited!

I'm a boring person

So this is going to be short. I cleaned. All day. Shoot me. Now.
Honestly, I did nothing else. No interesting mail. No college revelations (though I'm looking forward to my free visit to WUSTL!). Tomorrow should be better. Hopefully. Sorry.

GET ME OUT OF THIS HOUSE

Okay, so this cleaning stuff is driving me mad. I am a messy person, I admit. But that only increases how much I hate cleaning. Well, no, I'm just uber OCD about fully cleaning (I either want something to be completely clean or completely a mess; I can't deal with anything in between). And then I started to react to all the dust I was getting and got this bad headache and my stomach felt all weird. It was uber yucky.
So anyways, then I cleaned somemore and actually started to feel better...
Wow, I really did nothing today. I made a decent portion of dinner and then I watched Project Runway! I gotta say, the designers did a really great job and even though the challenge was quite wacko, they almost all did a really nice job.
So now I'm blogging then it's off to bed. I'm boring and I'm really sorry about that.

Cleany cleany cleany

So as I explained earlier, my mom is making me clean up the whole house. I've spent 2 days on my room (it had gotten soooo bad, so it's actually not that miserable). We're recycling a whole bunch of old clothes and it's actually getting a lot better. I'm thinking I have about 2 more days left on my room (really, it was that bad before).
In other news, I lost my bassoon on Monday. Well, it went in for its yearly "checkup". But I don't have a bassoon for a week (until Friday) and I feel so useless right now.
What else? On Monday, I got a letter from Washington University at St. Louis telling me they would pay all my expenses to visit them (I jumped up and down for a while). I'm not sure when that's going to happen, but it sure will be exciting.
Other than that, my life has been rather boring. I'm doing all that last minute summer homework, went shopping (and realized that jeans simply don't fit me...grr), and slept.
Yes, I'm boring. It's not my fault.

The First of the Lasts...

It has been a ridiculous 2 weeks. gBYSO camp was a strange mixture of the highest and the lowest of emotions. So I'm not sure if I mentioned this earlier, but my seating was bad. I'm 2nd contra/4th bassoon on Rite of Spring (OMG, it's sooo amazing) and 1A on Beethoven 3. However, for the first week of camp, Hillary (who I LOVE!!!!) was not at camp. So I had to play first on Beethoven. And for once, I didn't fail at life. It was a nice feeling.
But at the same time, I miss all those people I love in gbyso (Heather, Caroline, Yi, Soyeon, etc. (and not necessarily in that order)) that aren't here for various reasons. It was just a very bizarre time socially. And it was hard not to have those people I lean on. But that's what cell phone calls are for.
Anyways, by the second week, I was pretty well settled (Paige, Eileen, and I were an amazing dorm room). I can now play a pretty sick contra (though my tongue and lips are now killing me from the GOOD VIBRATIONS). I have friends. And "some days, I just lay around ZE CASTLE!!!" Yes, that's an inside joke. Trust me, I have tons of those too.
But I guess what was the most surprising to me about the entire thing is how much I realized that I am a senior. It was my last gbyso camp. It was my last gbyso talent show. This sounds really sappy, but I have really grown up in high school with gbyso, so this was a really bizarre step. So really it was the first of what is going to be many lasts this year. Next week brings my LAST first day of school. And then will be my LAST first gbyso rehearsal. And my LAST first math meet. The LASTs are going to continue all year. I just hope I'm ready for them.
On another note, we got my senior pictures and I was quite pleased. There will be one with my bassoon in my senior project recital, so I'm very excited. And overall they were pretty decent. I was happily surprised.
And on a final note, my blog posts for the next week are going to be outrageously boring. My mom has made it mandatory that I will be cleaning for 9 hours (8 AM to 5 PM) everyday. She wants the house to be clean. I think she's nuts. But anyways, I am not allowed out of the house or on computer or television within those hours. Seriously, shoot me now.

YESSSSSS

Okay, so today is my last day at home and the Olympics made it a great one. I finished my last APES book and wrote the report (since I won't have access to internet or a computer at BYSO camp). I really hate these APES book. It's really torture to write a page long response paper on August 11th. Other than that, today was pretty chill. I practiced and had a lesson, which both went well. And then to top off the day...
US MEN'S GYMNASTICS TEAM WON A BRONZE!
Okay, so NO ONE (I don't care what you say) thought that the men had a chance at any medal. And yes, they were close to a silver, but pommels are a really tough event to do well on and Sasha Artemev kicked serious butt. It was splendid. And what I keep telling Yi is that that's the exact same medal as they got in 2004 (with Paul and Morgan Hamm, Jason Gatson, Steve McCain, etc. (and Paul Hamm won the AA gold)).
So tomorrow (well today), I'm off until August 24 in a lonely part of Maine. I'll see you then...

d/dx(x^2)=2x

So this weekend was pretty nice. We headed up to Goose Pond on Saturday afternoon where it was really nice. I ran and chilled and read Silent Spring (but I'm NOT going to like it). And I practiced. And ate. And then I watched Olympics (focusing on gymnastics). The US men's team is rather pathetic. I'm not joking, they're pretty bad. Alex Artemev could win a medal on pommels (maybe), but it'd be a stretch. Other than that, I think it's going to be rather hopeless. And then my mom and I sorted a new puzzle (San Marco Square in Venice; I wanna go).
So then we got up this morning (though I definitely didn't want to), ate breakfast and puzzled somemore. We went for a quick walk (and it started raining) so I ran home. And then more reading and puzzling and running and then we packed and headed home.
When we got home, we ate, watched more Olympics, and I practiced. I couldn't believe that the guys won the 4x100 relay in swimming! It was soo close. And the women's gymnastics team was quite inconsistent. Well, they were solid on beam and vault, but the floor seemed extra springy and almost no one could stay on floor. And bars was interesting.... Really, I'm very boring. Oh, I forgot. I played with my TI-89 almost all weekend. It's pretty sweet. I really wish I had had it for APs.

Duhhh, Duhhh, Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh

(That's supposed to be the Olympic song...)
So today was the last day of drivers ed, which means I AM DONE! I took my final which was ridiculously easy, so I better have passed, and I'm done.
We stopped at Office Max on the way home and I FINALLY got my TI-89+ Titanium, which is my birthday present. I'm so excited. Well, I need to learn how to use it, but it's going to be a fun time. I'm a nerd; deal with it.
So then we went off to Trader Joe's and they have their awesome Peppermint Joe-Joes Cheesecakes for $1.99 (I think they're trying to get rid of them), so we grabbed one and had an awesome dessert tonight.
We headed home, I chilled for a bit and fell asleep, woke up, ate supper, and then watched the Opening Ceremony. I can't even comprehend that it's the Beijing Olympics. I remember the days when Christie's mom used to joke that they would come and watch me in the 2008 Olympics... well, that didn't happen. It's so weird how time flies... Anyways, I think the ceremony was insane. It was a bit over the top, but I think that was the intention, so I don't really mind too much. The artistic portion was incredible since almost everything was done by person rather than animated. The torch lighting was cool and I was psyched that the final torchlighter was a gymnast. At least they're respected somewhere...
I practiced for an hour and a half, watched the end of the opening ceremony, and finally got the computer.

Wait, so you can drive?

So in drivers ed, part IV, we actually learned about driving. I know, crazy. I guess he figured that now that we know how to avoid distraction, not drink alcohol while driving, and not die, we should probably learn what all those funny looking signs on the road mean. But there was also lots of tests, which was actually moderately entertaining... (nerd. easily amused). And now I only have 6 more hours including the final. Thank goodness.
So then we got home and my mom and I decided to bake something. Except we didn't have the right ingredients, so that plan failed.
I wasted some more time doing... nothing at all, then changed for the NRCB concert (which didn't happen).
So we had a rehearsal instead, went home, ate dinner, Stopped and Shopped, and internetted... yeah, boring day.

Drivers ederific

Okay, I get it! I will never drink and drive. Really. You don't need to show me that Health I video where the teenagers all "take a field trip". Ugh. I hate drivers ed. Fortunately, I only have 2 more days (less than 12 hours!!!) until I am done.
So after the torture session, I had my senior pictures. I swear, you need to be a contortionist in order to do what they want. Turn this way, turn your head this way, chin down, do three turns, and smile... but not too much. And on top of that, I wanted to do a "with instrument" pose (for my senior recital and anything else musical, etc), so the guy had to figure out what was up. We survived... but it was a pain.
And then I went and tutored. Honestly, that was the best part of the day. AND the kid I'm tutoring is starting bass with Dan Johnston which is uber cool.
And then was practice time... and PROJECT RUNWAY! Today... was not a terribly good challenge. Most people really didn't understand that people walk into the Olympics looking patriotic and such... not feminine and fluffy. And leather is really no better.
Two days of drivers ed left... really...

Day after...

BIRTHDAY HOROSCOPE (just for the heck of it: from the Boston Globe)
Get serious about working toward your goal. An opportunity through one of your peers or someone from your past may be the ticket to future prosperity. Your strength, courage and drive will come back in full force as the year progresses. It's time to take your talents to new levels. Your numbers are 8, 12, 18, 27, 32, 49

What's creepy is that 27 and 8 have always been my lucky numbers (I like cubes and Little One's birthday is the 27th). So it should be a good year.

Ya know how the day after your birthday is almost always a downer. Suddenly you only have people who know you writing on your facebook wall, the food isn't really as good, and your mom no longer feels the necessity to be nice... yea, that's today.
So I got lectured at for 6 hours at Drivers Ed with a whole bunch of 15 year olds...
And then I got home and practiced. And then I went driving (sorry, I was that idiot going 20 on Hartwell Ave. and constantly turning into parking lots). And then lesson.
For dinner, I had the remnants of last night's dinner plus some extra veggies, which was good, but never as good as the day of. And there was leftover cheesecake, which was just as good.
And my mom didn't get off the computer until midnight. Thanks a lot.
And on top of that, I have a cold. I've had it for 3 days, I just didn't want to admit it. It started with a scratchy throat. Now, i have a miserably runny nose. This is no fun.
I mean, I guess it wasn't that bad a day. Just a letdown, you know?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MEEE!

So it was my birthday today! 17! Finally. I am no longer 16 going on 17!
And in addition, it was Day 1 of drivers ed, which is pretty much torture through boredom and disgust. And lots of blood. Honestly, I get it... drugs/alcohol/texting/cellphones/eating+driving=bad. Anyways, I also felt horribly old and most of the kids are from Billerica, so they're... umm, bizarre. But anyways, I survived. Only 24 hours left... ugh.
I came home, practiced, and then my mom and I went driving. I suddenly feel motivated and I'm aiming to hopefully get my license by November 23rd (the day I got my permit), though if I can, I'll get it earlier.
And then, the family went out for dinner at Dandelion Green. Seriously, no one knows about this restaurant, but it is fantastic. It's just really good food made really well. And even better, they have this amazing salad bar that comes with every entree. And my entree was free, which always makes it good.
So then we came home, I facebooked (thanks for everyone who left messages!), blogged, and ate the cheesecake my mom and I got for my birthday from Trader Joe's. It was awesome. There were 4 types of cheesecake (plain, chocolate chip, tuxedo, and triple chocolate chip) and 2 of each type. So we still have 5 slices of cheesecake left over. Definitely tomorrow's afternoon snack...

T minus 1...

So my mommy kidnapped me again and we were off to NH again. After I got my hair cut. Though it's not really cut enough. But it's not horrible (just longer than I was expecting).
So it was really rainy in New Hampshire for the entire weekend. But it's always nice when it's almost your birthday. My adopted grandparents gave me a "conscience duck" which was hand carved. It's really realistic. See, the story is that if your parents aren't around, you're supposed to ask the duck if you can do something. If it says yes in the English language and nods its head, you can do it. If not, you can't. BUT, I have a way around it. You just ask a negative question i.e. "Should I not eat a candy bar?" And yes, I thought that was clever.
So on Friday night, my mom and I went shopping in NH (which is sort of a big deal because it's about an hour drive to the supermarket) and stopped in Borders. I got a book that would please Mr. Huff. It's 50 Mathematical Ideas Everyone Should Know and it's pretty sick. (I also got another SAT Writing book since I fail at SAT writing. But I think this book is actually helpful). Let's see... what else?
Oh, and Saturday night, we got these humongous thunderstorms. At first, we thought that we lost power, but thankfully, we just got a surge on 2 lights. And we thankfully had 2 light bulbs. All was good.
So anyways, today, I slept in nicely, got up, ate a yummy breakfast, and we finished the puzzle. Well, we finished another puzzle. Yes, in 3 days, we did 2 puzzles. The first was of Grand Teton National Park, which we got when we went last year. It was only 500 pieces, so it was easy, but the pieces were really strangely shaped which made it really interesting. The second was a 1000 piecer of a German castle. It was pretty, but my mom definitely liked it better than I did. Our next one is going to be San Marco Square in Venice and I'm psyched about that one. Yes, I'm a puzzle freak.
Then I ran and we came home. And my daddy had supper ready and I ate, practiced, read the Sunday comics and circulars, blogged, and will go to bed... right after midnight when Justin wishes me Happy Birthday from Arkansas!

Well, isn't everything between 4 and 7?

Well today was a throughly bizarre day. I woke up (on my own, gasp) around 8 AM. I know. It was ridiculous. My mom got up shortly after and made blueberry pancakes with some of the blueberries we picked right before leaving NH. They make life so much better.
So then I went right to work. I finished up my APES Lorax homework, which was only hard when I got stuck on a typo (of instead of on) which confused me for a bit. And then I got distracted. And then I went back to work.
And then I ran and showered and got dressed.
And then and then and then (sorry, but it's a bad writing habit I've gotten into).
So I then went over to Wellesley for Bassoon Bash Week 2! I admit, it wasn't as amazing as week 1 (because Tony wasn't there...dur), but bassoon quartets are always amazing (especially PIGS). I'm such a nerd; I'm sorry.
So I came home again (with a small diversion to a farm stand for corn) and headed over to my neighbors for tutoring. It's seriously the easiest hour in the world. I make him do math and make sure he understands it... it was like the math I did in 6th grade, but I can also use that as an excuse, so it works. I taught him about Pascal's triangle today!!! It made me happy.
And then band (where we're going to start a reed farm. just wait.)
And then Stop and Shop for ice cream, etc. And then computer. And then bed.

HIATUS

Okay, so my mommy kidnapped me on Saturday and took me up to Goose Pond before I could blog about it. So that's where I've been. If you're curious. So let's see, what happened that was interesting?
1. I've sorta solved my book crisis. See, I raided my parents bookshelf that is in the back room. I grabbed 1984 and Utopia and started Utopia (by Thomas More (yes, the one you learned about in Civ II!)). It's pretty amazing. It's like the first and idealized Communist Manifesto. But anyways...
2. I ran and walked and bassooned a lot. But you don't care so I won't elaborate.
3. Umm, what else? Oooo, we finished another puzzle! My mom and I have always done puzzles and we finally finished this horrible one last weekend (it was out over the winter in NH). And then we went to Walmart and got 2 new ones. And we finished one in one day. It was sick.
So yes. I did not claim that it was exciting, but it's a great retreat that I can't do during the school year so it's good.
Now for Project Runway time:
I actually thought the judges were right tonight. Emily's dress was hideous. Just ugly. And she didn't realize it. So I'm glad she was out. And honestly, I didn't think that the other ones were really that bad.
However, I don't like this group of designers. They're so snotty (especially compared to Season 4 who's designers really got along fairly well). But alas, that I can't change. The designs were good and well executed and cool, so I was happy.

Composers Conference Day 3

So I got up (grumpily) this morning at 6 and did the same routine as yesterday. We got in the car by 7:45 and got there around 7:15 (yes, it was only a half hour drive after yesterday's misery). But best of all, no accidents were involved.
My chamber group is starting to get its act together which is a relief (though we're not performing, so it's really not a big deal). It's frustrating to try to play a bass line when the solo line is constantly changing tempos, ya know?
So then I had large group ensemble where we played the Beethoven Octet. It's a beautiful piece, but like yesterday, I was assigned the second part so I didn't have to work terribly hard in rehearsal, which was nice given my sleepiness.
Then came lunch. I actually got lunch (though I did bring one) in the dining hall and I chilled with a whole bunch of people. I had forgotten how awkward cafeterias feel and trying to figure out where to sit when you pretty much have lots of people you know but aren't like great friends with. But I figured it out... are my social skills improving? I doubt it.
So then I got to play bassoon duets with the bassoon coach (and my chamber coach) which was supposed to make up for me not being able to go to the bassoon bash yesterday (though I was able to go) (sorry if this is confusing). We had a really good time (well, I did at least) just sightreading lots and lots of duets. It was really nice... until my bassoon wouldn't come apart. It's been so humid lately that my bassoon has swelled a lot and the joint have been really sticky. So I carried my boot and long joint around with me for a bit and tried to pull it apart again which thankfully worked. I was petrified for a bit though.
I then had wind bash (we sightread a ton of quintets and sextets with and without piano). It was fun and Tony let me play a lot (even after I screwed up). So then I went home.
We ate supper and I promptly crashed and fell asleep. And then I woke up. And then I blogged. And then I went back to sleep.

Composers Conference Day 2

So today was a super awesome fabulous day. Period. A blog post does not need to be written... except it will be.
So I got up wicked early (it reminded me of junior year...ugh), showered, dressed, ate chocolate chip muffins that my mommy made, and got ready to head off to Wellesley College.
So we get in the car with my lunch all packed and Melody all ready to head off to a nice day of music, music, and more music. And 128 isn't moving. Of course. And it's pouring rain. And it's complete gridlock. And suddenly there's a *boom* on the back of the car. Yes, we got into a 128 fender bender. And left 2 scratches on my mom's really nice, spiffy, completely unscratched car. So whatever, eventually we got to Wellesley, about 2 minutes before I had to be there... but it was tight.
So I had my first chamber rehearsal. We're doing this completely unknown trio... it's okay, but not spectacular. But our coach is AMAZING. He's a bassoonist and is a great teacher. It's pretty sick.
So then we did a read-through of the Overture to Cosi (I thought I was done with Cosi forever. I was wrong) and Beethoven 2. I've now realized how much I'm going to miss this year's GBYSO's oboe section. The girl that played the beautiful oboe solo at the beginning of Cosi was rather painful compared to Paul's version. It made me sad.
So then was lunchtime. And since I can't have lunch in the cafeteria unless I feel like paying 10 bucks (umm, no. I'm cheap and I'm happy with that), I took the lunch I packed (sammich, cherries, carrots, and the last chocolate chip muffin) into a practice room and ate and then practiced. For 2 hours. It was fabulous.
And then... for the big finale... the best part of the day...
BASSOON QUARTETS!
So my chamber coach brought in a whole bunch of bassoon quartets and we just played them. And kept playing them. And my friend Antonio kept handing me the 1st parts so he wouldn't have to play high Bs, Cs, and Ds. But it was amazing. Sooo much fun. We played for 2 hours straight. It was amazing.
And then I went home, made/ate supper, and headed off to band (aka another hour plus of bassooning). So pretty much I played bassoon all day. It was amazing.

Tututututoring...

Today was one of those nice little intros into senior year. Okay, not really, but I got some paid tutoring in which made it better than senior year...
So I got up at almost a decent hour today and headed off for a run. It wasn't too bad. I sat around for a bit then showered and chilled somemore. I really need to actually do something moderately productive during this chilling (book ideas?). So then my mom and I went to Stop and Shop. We got some absolutely fantastic cherries (they're amazing. It makes me very happy) and other things that are more or less healthy. We got home and more chilling happened. I was supposed to tutor math at 6, but my tutoree wasn't home yet so I went over around 6:30. He is super easy... he's really just reviewing last year's math stuff so he's fine with most of it. Though I nicely explained volumes to him... (yesss).
I came home, ate dinner and prepared for episode 2 of PROJECT RUNWAY! I liked this challenge much more than the first one and the models had to pick out fabric for the designers which was a nice little twist. All in all, I don't think that the bottom 3 was appropriate, but I can't do much to stop that. And maybe I hate Stella a little less. And then I practiced again (I've gotten into double or triple practice sessions each day which breaks it up enough that I can practice for 2 or 3 hours a day). And now I'm blogging since my mom has finally gotten off the computer...

Wait, what time is it?

So last night I went to bed at 3 AM, couldn't fall asleep until 3:30ish. And my mom got me up at 8 and made me breakfast. I ate that and promptly went back to sleep. My body has no idea what time it is. At all. But anyways, today was quite boring.
I practiced quite a bit (about 2 and a half hours in total, I think) and a lesson, so that pretty well consumed my day.
Last night I finished getting all my college deadlines together. I think my college list is all set (10 places), but we'll see. I may add in a couple more, ya never know. But I have a very organized little brown book of all my application deadlines and audition requirements... all I need to do now is the applications and auditions... that's all! (ha)
Other than that, today was very very boring. I finished the packet for my AP Chem homework, which I'm not supposed to start for another week. But limiting reactants are fun (and I think I found an error in the answer key... percent yield is experimental/theoretical times 100, right?). So this year shall be just like sophomore year...

Brrr, it's getting cold...

From lots and lots of chilling. Because I have done little else. It's rather bad.
So I got up at 10:30ish, went running, thought about doing great things... and then didn't.
I practiced for a bit (I'm working on far too many things (and too many time periods... (there's Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern right now... wait, that's all the major times... zut) at the same time. I'm having concentration issues). And then I had an eye appointment (yay for mandatory eye appointments that only ensure that your eyes really haven't changed...) but I had my eyes dialated for the first time. It really didn't affect me. I normally have really large pupils anyway, but I guess I'm really not that light-sensitive anyways.
So then my mom and I did some quick shopping. I need a new pair of running shoes, so we went to Finish Line to see if they had any of last year's model on sale, but instead the sales person tried to get us to get this years at a very high price. We walked out on him... woops.
And then we came home and I practiced somemore and wasted more time and decided I want to reread HP6. And I just realized that HP and Harry Potter have the same initials. Who woulda thunk it?