Which Firework Are You?

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Falling For You (A poem I wrote)

Setting the clocks forward
always leaves you in a sleepy funk
even though you’ve done it a million times.
Falling for you is like that,
yet it’s familiar
like that spot on my ceiling
where the paint is chipping
that I stare at as I fall asleep.

The world is full of details that aren’t meant to be seen
the first time you look.
Every day you notice something new.
Live a little more.
Falling for you is like that,
yet I feel I know you inside-out
like the rain-cloud-gray socks
I’ve had since I was ten.

In that instance when my foot misses the step.
During the few seconds before I sneeze.
For a moment before my dream from last night
slips from my memory
like sand through my fingers,
Forever exists.

Forever has nothing to do with the future
or imagining what it might be like.
Nothing to do with immortality.
Nothing to do with time
or fairy tales
with their happily-ever-afters.
Forever is like curling up in your bed
after a very long day.
Falling for you is like that.

The Haunting In Connecticut

So the reason I didn’t go to bed last night until 2 in the morning was because I was too scared to be in my room, in the dark, alone.

I’m not one to see scary movies… Ever.  I started watching The Ring with my mom when I was twelve and I made her turn it off at the part when they showed the girl in the closet with the screwed up face.  And I saw Silence of the Lambs earlier this year.  (By the way, that’s a great movie.  See it.)  That’s about the extent of my horror movie experience.

In case you didn’t know, the movie is about a family called the Campbells.  The oldest son, Matt, is suffering from cancer, and they decide to move to a house in Connecticut so that they can be close to the hospital where Matt is being treated and tested.  Mrs. Campbell decides to move into a particular house even when she finds out it used to be a funeral home.  But as soon as they move in, Matt starts seeing things and hallucinating about the house’s past occupants.

I think what was the best/worst about this movie was the whole idea that it’s “based on a true story.”  And to top it all off it takes place in Connecticut.  Guess who lives in Connecticut?!

I just looked up how it’s “true,” on the internet.  Apparently it’s based on a family called the Snedekers and their supposed experience living in a former funeral home.  But the guy who interviewed the family said each individual person’s story didn’t match up.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1522969/snedeker_family_how_true_is_the_connecticut.html?cat=40

Booo.  It was still really disturbing, though.  HOLY SHIT, there was this one part when the mom was asleep in her room and she saw a guy in the doorway, and she thought it was  her husband because it was dark, so she got up to look AND THE LIGHTS FLASHED AND IT WAS THIS REALLY WEIRD FACE.

Anyway, it’s definitely worth seeing.

Album covers

Saw this on FB, did it, loved it.  Now I wanna do a few more kus it’s fun xD

To make your band’s album cover, do the following:

1 – To get the name of your band, go to Wikipedia and hit “random”
or click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random. The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 – To get your album title, go to Quotations Page and select “random quotations”
or click http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3. The last four or five words of the very last quote on the page is the title of your album.

3 – For your album cover photo, go to Flickr and click on “explore the last seven days” or click http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days. The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

4 – Use Photoshop or similar to put it all together.

5 – Post it to FB along with these instructions and TAG the friends you want to join in.

Allison needs (a google game)

1. Allison needs a loving home

2. Allison needs to get laid

3. Allison needs more good farmers to raise corn, wheat, rye, oats, barley, peanuts, cattle, hogs and sheep, all of which do well here.

4. Allisons needs your help in telling people about http://www.apuppyforthepresident.com/

5. Allison needs a nickname

6. Allison needs your prayers

7. Allison needs a big sister to give her encouragment that she’s a special person

8. Allison needs to buy two fish

9. Allison needs little help from the beauty shop

10. Allison needs surgery

11. Allison needs some glowsticks by Lloydy

12. Allison needs to wear sunscreen

13. Allison needs a Seamless Backup System Video on AOL Video

14. Allison needs a new lawyer

15. Allison needs to start being investigated by the DA

Violin and whatnot

I had my first college audition last Saturday, and I have to say it went VERY well, contrary to my previous thoughts about the event.

The whole car ride up the night before, I was shouting vehemently at myself to stop worrying.  It’s a technique my violin teacher gave me.  Hahahaha, it sounds a little mean, but it actually works.  DON’T EVEN GO THERE.  YOU KNOW YOUR MUSIC.  JUST FOCUS AND QUIT BEING A BABY, RAAARHGHGHKH.  You get the gist.

So finally when we actually got to our hotel after 7 hours of getting caught in blizzards and being confused by incompent mapquest directions, I was way too exhausted to even think about being nervous.  But I was pretty hackin’ irked because my right ear was all botched up from the change in atmospheric pressure or whatever on the way up, and also because my mom snored really loudly all night.  And getting irked is a bad thing, especially when I’m in such a volatile state of nervousness.  Any sort of intense emotion can set me off.

We got up bright and early to register.  I was okay throughout breakfast and registration.  They had donuts, so I had one and that calmed me down.  After getting all my stuff together, my mom and I continued on to an orientation-type assembly.

And that was when all hell broke loose.

A little while after we sat down, my mind got antsy and had nothing to think about except FREAKING OUT.  I tried to relax and listen to the jazz band, but it was getting me a little worked up because everything they played was really upbeat and like… scurrying.  They were phenomenal, I was just not in a good state of mind xD  So then I tried yelling at myself again, but that failed because my utter exhaustion from only getting six hours of sleep the night before kicked in.  And then I just got really sick to my stomach.  And I’m not talking butterflies in the stomach or nervous tummy twisting.  I’m talking about being legitimately nauseated to the point where I was trying really hard not to gag and retch… LOL.

I went to find a practice room so I could warm up, and my mom was all “you’re making this more than it needs to be,” and I was like SHUT UP, I’M NOT NERVOUS!!!  because I was seriously trying to convince myself that, even though it was a complete lie.  So then she left and I looked in the mirror and I looked ghostly and ill.  But I felt better after practicing for a while.

Then I had my sight singing exam, which I would not have even been able to attempt had I decided not to take AP music theory this year.  I botched a few things up, but I think I did pretty well for the most part.  I’m sure there were tons of kids who had no idea what they were doing.  I’m not saying that as an insult.  I was one of those kids a little less than a year ago.  So that small succees gave me a little boost of confidence, and I headed to my audition.

While I was waiting for my turn, I sat outside the room cross-legged on the floor and closed my eyes and just breathed and tried not to think about anything.  My mind is overactive so I couldn’t really clear it, but it did help me relax.  Then it was my turn.

I got up, went in, played the first part of each of my pieces, talked a little with the adjudicator, and BAM.  It was over.  That was it.

All that freaking out for ten minutes or less playing the easiest excerpts from songs I’ve been playing for months for a really nice lady.

Let this be a lesson to you; no, I’m not going to tell you not to flip out.  Because you will freak out when you don’t know what to expect.  I promise you that.  What I want to tell you is that the best way to overcome your fears is to face them.  No matter how much you prepare, you will never know all there is to know.  When it comes down to it, you just have to buckle down and do whatever it is you need to do because most of the issues come from being worried about the unknown.

Hopefully next Saturday when I have my next audition I won’t freak myself out so much   Wish me luck!

The Dance

I went to Red and Whites last night… it pretty much pwned.

The key to having a good time at a dance is to go with a really fun date who you don’t feel awkward with.  Because you don’t want to get embarrassed with you inevitably look like a complete tool on the dance floor XD  Speaking of which,  you need a guy (or girl) actually dances.  ‘Kus you know.  It’s a “dance.” Because the people who don’t even make an attempt to have fun dancing just suck.  I mean, I guess if you just like to stand on the sidelines and drink soda, too, then maybe it won’t be a problem for you, but I HATE when people waste time standing around at parties.

When I went to Counties with the guy I was dating last year it was TERRIBLE because he’s one of those intellectual types who thinks he’s above everyone, therefore he thinks he’s too good to move around a little bit on the dance floor because it’s “stupid and unneccesary.”  Pretty much as soon as we got to the dance, he straight up told me that he didn’t want to be there.

Lucky for me, I’m no longer dating an ass-brain

I get why people think it’s stupid.  The music is mostly mindless stuff with too much bass and oodles of computer editing, and most people (me included) really have no idea how to dance, so they just look ridiculous XD  As a result, you’ll always feel a little bit self-conscious at such events,  but that’s kind of what makes it fun.  There’s nothing like shaking off those insecurities and just having a good time.

That’s what I did last night, and it was definitely the most fun dance I’ve ever been to

Cutest couple evurrr ^_^

How do you deal with a crappy teacher?

I don’t want to give details so as not to hurt anyone’s feelings/get anyone in trouble (the internet is a dangerous place), but I did want to discuss a certain situation.

I have a teacher this year.  A couple weeks in we knew he was trouble when he gave us a quiz on something we had never gone over in class.  He’s one of those teachers who NEVER gives the answer because he wants you to “figure it out yourself,” which is all well and good as long as we eventually hear it from him and have it explained to us.  But we don’t.  We NEVER DO.

Anyway, it just got me thinking about how hard it is to learn and succeed when you have a difficult teacher.  Some teachers are mean, some  are stubborn, and some treat you like you’re five years yonuger than you actually are.

I do pretty well in school without trying very hard, but I’ve been in situations where I just drop so low because of a teacher’s method of doing things.  I’ve got a few general steps to follow when it comes to dealing with such predicaments:

1) Attempt to adjust

I’ve known so many kids who will start bitching about the teacher as soon as they start doing poorly in the class.  When you bomb a test, before you freak out and pass judgment on your poor teacher, ask yourself this question: What can I differently to do better? Adaptation to new and uncomfortable situations is a HUGE part of life.  Do what you need to do to understand this particular person’s teaching style and try your best to go along with it.

2) Do extra work

If you can’t seem to get a firm grasp on your teacher’s methods, try to take matters into your own hands. You can always study from your textbook.  (They’re always pretty straightforward, unlike teachers.)  The internet is also a wonderful source, although you have to be careful with the information you find.  Take it as an opportunity to make use of your school’s resources.  My school has an awesome library and a bunch of reliable databases online.  Doing a bunch of extra work is a pain, but if you really want to do well, sometimes it’s necessary.

3) Ask for help

Although it’s possible to learn a lot on your own, we all need help sometimes.  You can ask your parents for help, consult a teacher in the same department as the class you’re struggling in, get a tutor, or even discuss the subject with one of your peers who has taken or is taking the same course.  What I’m really getting at, though, is the idea of extra help.  Going in to your teacher and asking for help can sometimes be one of the best ways to solve your issues with a class and an ineffective teacher.  By having one-on-one time with the teacher (or even getting time with a smaller group), not only are you having things explained to you in greater detail and getting special attention, but you are getting to know the teacher and how his or her brain works.  Also, the teacher will be getting to know you and how you learn best, therefore learning a bit about how to teach kids your age more effectively.  Not to mention the kudos you’ll get from your teacher for taking initiative.  If a teacher sees that you’re working hard and trying to understand, he or she will respond to you in a more positive way.

4) Give feedback

It’s difficult to tell someone that he or she is wrong, especially if that someone is an adult who has authority over you, but constructive criticism is a good thing. Things aren’t likely to get better unless you clearly state what you feel needs to be changed.  Ask a lot of questions in class, and be honest when you don’t understand the way the teacher is teaching something.  The extra help sessions I mentioned earlier might also be a good opportunity.  You can say things like, “what did you mean by,” and “I didn’t understand what you meant when.”  It’s very important to be respectful, though, because if you get snarky, I can guarantee that no one’s going to be happy.

5) Talk to your guidance counselor

This is something you should only do when you’ve all but jumped off a cliff to try to make things better with a difficult teacher.  I do not believe in complaining to the administration about an issue I’m having with a teacher, but sometimes it’s all you have left to do.  Make sure you explain the situation as best you can to your guidance counselor so that he or she can se something about it.  You can talk to him or her about maybe switching into another class.  If you argue your case well, then your counselor will probably understand. Talking to your counselor is also something you should absolutely do if your teacher is violent, verbally abusive, sexually inappropriate, etc.  I’m not even kidding, guys, it happens, and you’d be surprised how long people like that stay on the job sometimes.  Know your rights.

Good luck next time you have to try that.  And please respect your teachers.  Just try to imagine what it feels like to teach a bunch of rude teenagers about the laws of physics.

:)

:)

I got into Tampa U and they offered me money   Now I just have to make the audition :p

That’s all.  Haha.

Update

Hey guys – I realize it’s been over a month since I posted, but you know.  I’m drowning in unpreparedness for my audition in ONE MONTH AND ONE DAY.  No big.

But yeah, here are some updates:

- I’ve been practicing a lot more   As result, my grades have dropped   ARGH, school -_-

- I got into Western Regionals.  Score of 220.  Pretty good, but 9 points shy of being good enough for All State :p  Oh well.  I was about to say “there’s always next year,” but this time there is no next year :O

- My parents are getting divorced.  Everything is normal right now, but, come summertime, we’re selling the house and they’ll each move to who-knows-where, leaving me more lost than I would have originally been as a result of leaving home.  Sorry, that sounded a little selfish.  I guess I’m lucky I won’t have to be in the middle of it all when stuff actually happens like my brother will.  Then again, I still have every right to be upset : /

- I’ve fallen for yet another boy :p  Haha, that’s all I’m saying.