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!