Writing on the Walls

Hey there, Blue Powerblogger here!

So I had an interesting er..."chat" with a kid at my school last night on facebook. It went a little something like this:

Taylor

hey

9:58pmCaroline

WHAT DO YOU WANT???

jk

hey

9:59pmTaylor

cool man.

hows lfe

9:59pmCaroline

swell.

it would be totally awesome if i didn't have all this homework to do

9:59pmTaylor

thats good

i have a lot of makeup work

when are we going out for icecream

10:00pmCaroline

yeah how long were you out of school?

huh?

10:00pmTaylor

a week but when?

10:00pmCaroline

what are you talking about?

10:01pmTaylor

icecream date?

haha

10:02pmCaroline

you are a fag

haha

10:02pmTaylor

lol thanls

10:02pmCaroline

no problem

and still i have no clue what you are talking about

10:03pmTaylor

WHEN CAN I TAKE YOU OUT

10:03pmCaroline

um never.

10:03pmTaylor

o yeah your dating that kid that used to play soccer

10:03pmCaroline

haha no

10:04pmTaylor

yeah you are

10:04pmCaroline

umm....nope. unless something has happened that I am unaware of

10:05pmTaylor

your lying right now

10:05pmCaroline

i wish i was lol

10:06pmTaylor

ok ig2g toodaloo

10:06pmCaroline

sure later

this has been...weird

So yea, it was basically the strangest conversation I've had in a while. And I don't know how to get the font back to normal, so we're stuck with this. For those of you who are wondering, "Taylor" is Taylor G. (I won't say last names for confidentiality reasons) but you guys should know who I am talking about. He's in my chemistry class. That conversation was incredibly random, and I still have no clue what he was talking about, so I plan on clearing things up with him tomorrow during science.

Strange conversation #2:

So I was driving these two boys home from school, Colten and Sam. Here is part of our conversation from the trip:

Me: So what are you guys doing on your first night of Thanksgiving break? (the two boys were hanging out at Sam's house)

Sam: Well, we'll probably get naked, and see what happens from there. Anything ensuing will probably just be a result of attraction and flirtation.

Yeah, it was awkward...

Strange conversation #3:

There's this awesome european kid that goes to our school, and he is hilarious. I was talking to him about this girl that he likes, and then he turned the tables on me and inquired about the kid I am crushing on:

Conor: So how are things with you and your boy?

Me: pretty awesome, I guess

Conor: how? why? I need details! Elaborate! Who, what, when, where?

(So I told him some recent events)

Conor: I have to meet this kid! When can I meet him? He must meet my approval!

-yeah, he's kinda obsessed with my love life for some odd reason...

So those are three interesting conversations I've had within the past few days...Join us tomorrow for a riveting post from Bri!

And listen to "Writing on the Walls" by Underoath!

-Caroline :)

They Won't Let Me Go

Hey guys. I have not much to post today because during the break, nothing special happened to me. So here's a pretty short post for today:

I still have some homework to do even though it's a few days into the break. The teachers just couldn't let me off with a simple homework assignment or even the generosity of no homework for the break. Instead, I got:
A 2 page packet from AP Statistics
A couple of free response questions from Calc AB
Two chapters of word identifications and short answers from AP US History
A large packet and a difficult online test (from what I heard) from AP Chemistry
All of which I'm still not finished with >.<

We're also installing a new hardwood floor in our house which didn't help me finish my homework either. And to top it all off, it rained on the days I wanted to play tennis. Not the best break I've had.

On a GOOD note, all that stress and bad fortune inspired me to write a song. It's called "Gaining My Wings" and it still needs some heavy editing but it sounds pretty good sound-wise. I'm also thinking about recording in the winter break so I can finally show people more than just the lyrics... though I might need someone to sing a song or two that I wrote out of my voice range (silly me). So now I'm actually resenting winter break because it might be twice as worst for me and generally everyone who has the same teachers as me. So join us tomorrow for and exciting post from Caroline!

-June

Note: This is weird. I came back to this post to find half of it gone. Stupid editing glitch/bug/defect.

Random Statement: I found this quote on the internet and I thought it was pretty funny even though it is racist:
"I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks so I wondered what mothers from Asian countries use? Toothpicks?"

Halfway

Goodness gracious, it is already Friday!
I guess my mother says some weird things every now and then. Yesterday at dinner, it went something like this:

Mother: Your father showed me the letter you wrote for him. He was very happy to read it. You should write more letters in the future. Kevin, you should write letters too.
Me: But we live in the same house.

Mother: Thank God for the good food!
Me: You don't believe in God.
Mother: Uh, thank Lao Tian Ye (the god in the sky who is a part of Chinese mythology), then.
Me: You don't believe in him either.
Mother: Right, I don't.
Mother: But I believe in Kejing and Kevin! May you find people who are... [this is when she tells us to find good people to marry, yadayadayada].

This morning around 3:25am, I woke up to the sound of my mother putting the dishes into the cupboard. Finally, I got my fifth hour of sleep until 5:50amish, when I decided to get up because I was never going to fall back to sleep.

It is kind of annoying when I am walking around in the mall and I see these youngish girls who think they are so cool because they are wearing Abercrombie or something, and they really aren't that cool or pretty or anything and they just strut around... =/ <--Am I mean for mentioning that? Have a beautiful Friday!

-Kejing

P.S. I'm really tired.
P.P.S. I saw Ms. McLanahan at Target this morning!

Give Thanks!

Below is a video I made especially for today- enjoy!

- Jonathan

I am so, so, sorry. On the actual day of my blog post I was trying to survive a seven hour car ride and I completely forgot about posting. I’m not really sure what I was thinking that day, so I can’t really recreate a post for you. I guess the only thing I was really thinking about were the songs I was listening to while I was drifting in and out of sleep. So I'll just share those with you. Exciting right!?

	Elliot Smith - Angel..>
	Found at skreemr.com

	Kings Of Leon - King Of The Rodeo
	Found at skreemr.com

	Modest Mouse - Trailer Trash
	Found at skreemr.com

I really love this whole album.


The Strokes - New York City Cops



-Viv

under the knife

So I am going under the knife tomorrow. (I'm having my wisdom teeth removed.) Now, some people think this is a minor surgery. But in fact there are many possible ways I could end up dead. The surgeon could be drunk or on drugs. He could have a sneeze attack. He could be a hired hit man. You never know. . . So I want to share with everyone a few last words.

You have been there for me so much for the past. . . since we met. You are amazing and thank you so much for helping me with. . . everything, if you know what I mean. Now I'm in the middle of the room.

Today singing with you was awesome. It made me think about the old days. We definitely need to hang out more. 3:15 AM Be there. We need a new one!!

I am so glad that we are friends this year. I didn't like how last year turned out and I really missed you. And we should definitely be calculus study buddies. High five.

What can I say? You are my go-to guy. You are amazing and I don't know what I would do without you. And I would like another cooking lesson, if you don't mind :)

Running with you has been awesome. You are great to talk to and you help me to run when I don't feel like it. Which really means a lot to me. We should definitely run the five mile loop at Forest Meadows soon.

Oh geez. You are the sweetest person I have ever met. You are so helpful and genuine. And you are part of the cutest couple. I will have the CD for you ASAP. Promise. Sorry I didn't have it tonight.

I wish we hung out more because I think you are pretty much awesome. One day before we graduate I will have your birthday present that I was supposed to give you over a year ago. Sorry it'll be so late.

I am so glad I met you this year. I am so glad that I talked to you and we are friends. Oh, Philip Zimbardo. . . my sister wants me to tell you, she really likes you and is available if you are. I'll give you her number if you want. You have a really cool accent.

I figure we're both going our seperate ways, but I'm going to try to make more time for you.

I hope we will be friends still.

We never see each other and I hate that. If I live through my surgery, then we are going to hang out because I am going to find a time when you aren't busy with all your crazy AP's and everything. I miss you.

You are the best. I don't know what else to say.

It's hard for us right now. I really want things to get better. I need you to see things from my perspective a little bit. I need you to work with me for this to work. We will run once a week. And it will be great. You will see, trust me.

I saved this one for last because I have thought all day what I wanted to say to you. And I still don't really know, so this is off the cuff. I have so much to say to you, but not all right now. I guess, just, I'm really glad that you ended up asking me.

The end. Goodnight. I love you all. Sorry if you weren't mentioned. . . I have an excuse because I have a lot on my mind.

Some Things

So let me tell you about some things.

I love the fiveawesomeguys...as you all know...or should know. Anyway one of the fiveawesomeguys has a blog that I quite enjoy. It's just people putting things in front of their faces, but it's quite entertaining. Here's the link: http://facereplaced.blogspot.com/ And that same person, Charlie, as his name would be, also posted a video of a song he wrote. It's kinda about halloween, but I have quite a fondness for it. Check it out:



My stepmother also told me about this site: http://wishuponahero.com/ Now this is a site where people make wishes and you have an opportunity to grant these wishes. These can range from a house to someone wanting a Christmas card for his or her son. Some of the wishes are ridiculous, some so easy to grant. Why can't we help make someone's Christmas great? You are supposed to be eighteen to sign up...but if you want to fudge the truth, I'm not telling. How can they get mad at us for giving anyway?

Yeah...have a most excellent Thanksgiving.

-Brianna

A Boy Brushed Red

Hello there, Blue Powerblogger here!

So this past Friday, November 21, signified the one-year anniversary of my spinal fusion surgery!!! Some of you may wonder, "what the heck is that?", so I am dedicating my post to scoliosis!

So in February of 2007, I noticed this weird lump on my back. I pointed it out to my parents, who simply shrugged it off, saying it was probably just a pulled muscle. Well, I am a worrywart, so I made them take me to the doctor. The doctor pretty much freaked out, and said I had severe scoliosis. She tried to make light of the situation by saying, "well, the good news is, now you get to use one of those cool rolling backpacks!". Thats when I started crying.

So basically, I was diagnosed with progressive scoliosis. Now, everyone has a slight spinal curveature, maybe of about 15 degrees, but mine was 45 on top and 50 on the bottom. This meant that my spine could start compressing my lungs and causing other serious health defects. Since growth can worsen the degrees, we had to take immediate action. The doctor sent me to Shands hospital in Gainesville for treatment and to possibly have surgery. We were unimpressed with the specialist there, so we got a referral to Shriners Hospital in Philadelphia. Once we met with the spine specialist there, they decided that I needed a brace for the time being. It was a pain in the $@% though because I wore it all day for six whole months and then I still needed surgery! So on November 21, 2007, I had spinal fusion surgery, which is where two titanium rods are bolted to your spine with twenty screws. It was an eight hour surgery! Then, I had to stay in the hospital for a week and practice moving around and stuff. I think that it was during this time that I had to take 24 pills of medicine a day, which was insane. The drugs have caused me to have little memory of my stay in the hospital. 

Then I was sent home, but the problem was, it was incredibly painful for me to sit up...and I had a four hour plane ride home. So I laid on the floor of the plane the whole way. I had to stay home from school for a whole month, which sucked, but I had rarely any makeup work to do (thank God for compassion!) 

So yeah, that was my rollercoaster ride. But now I am all better, I just have to be careful with my back.

Oh, and youtube "You're Ever So Inviting" or any other Underoath stuff. They are the jam. My newfound obsession. And download "A Boy Brushed Red Living in Black and White".

Until next week,

-Caroline

A Very Interesting Voice Mail

Heeeeey people! I've got a lot of homework again so here's the post!

Today was pretty interesting. During tennis, a very distraught person (We will call this person "X") called my friend (We will call this person "Y"). When X got home, she found her window open and nobody was in the house at the time. She was scared that someone broke in so she called Y over to come and go in the house with her. Well, it turned out nobody was in there and so they left me a very interesting voice mail. Check it out. (She calls me big brother by the way. That's she says she's my little sister):
X: Hey Junie-oba. Your little sister is going to get raped and then killed. Please come save me... not really because Y is here!
Y: June, X is not going to get raped or killed...
X: Ya I am! How do you know? You're not God! Maybe God doesn't even know. He's deciding. You better pray for me!
Y: June, it's okay. We got bored so we call--
X: NO WE'RE NOT BORED! Oh my gosh! I'm going to die! No, I'm going to get raped and then die.
Y: June don't get irritated by this voice mail.
X: Bu-but June loves me so it's okay.
Y: You're not going to get raped or killed.
X: Yes I am!
Y: Yeah by... (garbled, I couldn't hear it).
X: NO! Oh so if I die it's all your fault. Junie-oba loves me.
*Laughter*
X: Okay bye.
Y: June, don't get irritated by this voice mail. Okay bye June.
X: Bye.

Throughout this whole voice mail I was like,"Huh?"

To another person: It's okay if you lose your first match. I guarantee that even Nadal or Federer lost his first match. It's not whether you get a point or a game. It's whether you can get back on your feet and come back again and again with twice the determination until you finally get that win. I would know. ^_^ My dad was merciless with me back in the day. He wouldn't give me a single point unless I earned it (even when I was seven years old). So cheer up ^_^. You've shown a much faster improvement rate than your opponent. You just need to work on your confidence a little more. In a few months you'll be able to beat everyone on JV, probably varsity too. Keep smiling.
-From the very worried people

Well that's all I have to post today. So join us tomorrow for another riveting post from Caroline! *applause*

-June

Random Question: If parents say, "Never take candy from strangers" then why do we celebrate Halloween?

Nathaniel Hawthorne Isn't So Bad Anymore

Sometimes, when our physics teacher approaches us in the hallway during the morning, telling us the second answer to the quiz was actually eleven, and that he is thinking about it for grading purposes, it is the least of our problems. When someone enters second period and looks at you with wide eyes, handing you a letter you need to give someone else who would never believe it, you don't remember that you put approximately ten rebounds, and not eleven. Who cares you could have gotten a 100 yesterday before lunch, if your friends cannot bear to smile at each other? Suddenly, nothing matters in the world except my own unhappiness and my friend's problems. It is enough to smile encouragingly as a best friend becomes ecstatic as the English teacher announces that we are now going to play a Jeopardy game rather than observe a vapid movie about an Italian mad scientist in Italy. So, be careful, and make sure your friends do not start tearing up or frowning the entire time you are with them, because any type of elatedness would help a good portion of your fellow power bloggers.
Good luck with everything.

-Kejing

Cabinets

Hey guys!

Over this past week I’ve realized that I hate my elective classes. If I could choose anything, my days would probably be filled with math, some science, english, and geography. My general art class, which is supposed to be soothing, is actually really stressing me out as I spend my class time watching my pot crumble before my very eyes. And I’ve already addressed French. As much as I complain I actually like BC, Physics, and Lang; I’m pretty sure I must be some kind of freak. It’s perfectly normal for someone to be stressed out (something I’m very good at) in BC, but not so much in Art 3D-1. Maybe that’s why I like the required classes more, I’m at home.

Speaking of which, today I walked into my kitchen after school and was pleasantly surprised to discover that our cabinets have been installed (not the bottom ones yet, but they hopefully will be tomorrow)! Before we had crappy white cabinets, but now we have awesome wood ones (with a cherry finish that brings out the warm tones in our kitchen tile)!

Yeah, other than that I have to say the day was kind of awful so I don’t really want to bore you with it, but at least soon I’ll have somewhere to store the cups.



Oh how I love the holidays!

-Viv

as promised

I have a feeling this post has great potential. First of all I have an outline and second of all I have taken a Tylenol PM already so it adds that extra element.

So first let's discuss New York.

Yes we missed the plane, but not really. You have to check your bags 30 minutes before your flight. Even though we were at the airport within the 30 minutes, we were two minutes past by the time they were ready to check our bags. This caused them to be unable to check our bags, and you can not fly without your bags. My dad yelled and yelled at the poor little guy at the desk, Roger. I felt so bad for him because it really seemed like there was nothing he could do. My dad demanded to see Roger's supervisor. The woman came over and tried to help my dad. They realized he was a member of their rewards program so we had an option for all of us to go ahead and fly on the flight we originally planned, except my dad. He would take the next flight and all of our bags. Welllllll. Once this was established they tried to get tickets printed for the flight. At that minute they were beyond the time limit to print tickets and the whole fiasco started all over again. This time he needed to see the supervisor of the supervisor. At one point he went behind the desk and looked at the computer screen himself to see what was REALLY going on. Roger did not look amused.

Well we finally made it out of Tallahassee and flew to Atlanta. We had a very short time there but we were all hungry. My dad warned us to make it extremely quick so we wouldn't miss our flight. I was the first one ready and as I approached the place where you board the man informed me that I would have to get on right then. The flight was leaving. Did I want to wait for my family? Or did I want to get on the flight? Well I told him my family would be along in a few minutes and he told me I was probably going to miss the flight. So I took my own ticket and scanned it myself, much to his distaste, and got on the plane. I was going to New York with or without the rest of them. Well it seemed as though my sister and father were taking a dangerously long time to board the plane. It turned out that my sister did not hurry when she was getting her food. She took her sweet time and was, in fact, just ordering when I boarded. Yes, we almost missed that flight too. And then she left her textbook in the airport. For about a minute I was the favorite daughter but it was short lived.

When we arrived in New York, it became apparent that we had nowhere to stay. It turned out that the hotel we were supposed to stay at had actually double booked us, so we could not stay there. We drove around and looked at several places, but they were not to the liking of my parents. "It's just not the type of place that we are used to staying." I was wondering if they realized that we might have to settle or sleep on the street. Finally we found a place, but I thought the fact that we had nowhere to go made the trip memorable.

The first night we were there we went to eat at the Red-Eye Grill. While we were waiting to be seated, Juno's dad (from Juno obviously) walked right past us. A REAL CELEBRITY. Thinking on my toes I said, "Oh my god, I love Juno!!" and he said, "Thank you." Wowsa. How awesome is that. We also had the most amazing waiter. My sister and I were both really depressed to find out he was married. We even got a picture with him before we left the restaurant.

Well I saw Wicked. I have to say it was the most spectacular thing I have seen in a long time. It made me laugh and it made me cry. The songs got stuck in my head and everything. If you ever have an opportunity to see it, do NOT pass it up. It was probably my favorite part of the trip.

We also went to Cafe One, Two, Three. I don't remember what I really had to say about that.

We saw Spamalot and it was hilarious. That was my pick for play and I was so proud of myself. I have the soundtrack now. :) Clay Aiken was in it. . . . ha ha ha.

The next day we had brunch at a really expensive place in Central Park, Tavern on the Green. They had first and second courses. I thought you had to get one of each so I spent about an extra twenty dollars on food I didn't even eat because I wasn't that hungry in the first place. Yes, at this point I was far from the favorite child.

While we were walking after brunch we saw some street performers. Breakdancers to be more specific. One of them called this three year old kid out from the crowd as the volunteer. The mother was freaking out. Turned out the guy wanted to do a flip, jump thing over her son. In fact, it was likely that he would be seriously injured if he looked up instead of keeping his head down like they told him. But, in the end the little boy was fine and the jump was awesome.

I also saw Grease on Broadway. I won't go into much detail, but it was really different from the movie. Ace from American Idol was also on it. I didn't like him much but apparently he was very attractive to most people. I guess he just isn't my type.

We went shopping. It was intense. It lasted for HOURS. And I hate shopping. This was not my favorite activity.

On our last evening there, we went Ice Skating in Bryant Park. It was only the second time I had ice skated. But I was amazing. I did not fall once. Yay for me.

During the trip home, something happened, but I can't remember what it was. I remember thinking, 'huh, I think that would be really interesting to blog about' but the Tylenol PM is really starting to kick in.

So yes that was New York.

I was going to write about the rest of my life but I think that that is enough for you to read right now.

Until next week,

-Lacey

EDIT: Now I remembered what I saw on the way home to share. We saw an arrest. A guy had 51 rounds of ammo, a hacksaw, and some type of bow staff and just nonchalantly went through security. We sat on a nearby bench and watched because we had a lay over. It was awesome.

Are we still tagging things?

A few years ago I had a discussion with my mother. I told her I didn't remember when I became so sarcastic. Her response surprised me. She told me my humor had always been quite dry and she would often get comments about it from my teachers.

So let me apologize if I come off as rude. Sometimes I do intentionally, but most of the time I'm really being sincere in what I'm saying. Just ignore the sarcasm in my voice. I mean, when I say 'excuse me' I really didn't hear what you said.

Not that I'm not rude. I have a tendency to mock. I know for a fact that I have not always been as mean as I am now. I think it started in middle school. I mean everyone hated everyone including themselves back in those days. I really am trying to work on that. I'm trying to be less mean, and of course if you ever hear me being mean just let me know...I'll remedy the situation. Unless I've had a cruddy day...everyone deserves to be mean on especially bad days.

Funny thing is, although I often talk about how much I hate people and how stupid they are, I actually care greatly for most people. My friends and family in particular. So, guys, even if I say something cruel or I offend, just know that deep down I care. Don't think for a second that I don't think about my friends often. Don't think for a second I constantly worry about them. Don't think for a second I wouldn't do anything for them.

I'm sorry that I can't be a better friend. I have a keen sense of the emotions of those around me. I have since I was a little kid. Thing is, I'm terrible at expressing my feelings and can never think of the right words of comfort. But I'm always there if someone needs me...even if I'm the worst comforter ever.

So I think you all are awesome.

Wow this seemed cheesy...I need something else...

So the other day in Physics, Mr. Carpenter asked if any of us knew what a muleon (I'm not sure how it's spelled but that is how it sounds) was. I said, 'I think it's a mix between a horseon and a donkeyon.' Carpenter was the only one that thought it was funny. I still think it was incredibly clever.

Monday out.

-Brianna

PS Thanks everyone for making my birthday awesome!

Alexithymia

On the outside, you look normal, even happy. No one thinks anything is out of the ordinary. No one stops to question or ponder. They think that everything is ok. But I know the truth.

Hiding in the shadows, you pretend that no one notices whats really going on. You mask the pain. You live a lie, acting as if nothing is wrong. But when you look closer, thats the root of your problem. I can see it in your eyes: the doubt, the insecurity, the sadness. Bottled up inside, they ravage your soul. You portray it in your actions subconsiously. The way you walk, with head down, shoulders slumped. The way you rarely speak up and voice your opinions. The way you hang back from the crowd. You cling to those close to you and let no one else in. You ostracize yourself from others, hoping that you can remain invisible. I am in your circle, one of the few that knows these things. You say to me, "God hates me". You complain of all your problems. Maybe you haven't the best of luck. I can relate, and thats why I'm trusted. But I've also changed, and thats why I can help. 

If only you could see that you're more than a list of broken hearts and shattered dreams. You are more than a fractured spine, an ex-soccer star, a D in biology. You are more than those names you were called by your "friends". You are more than your faults. You are an awesome guitar player, a great blocker in ultimate frisbee, and an interesting person. Your personality, your character is beginning to reveal itself, even if only to those close to you. Why can't you accept what you are and not live by what you aren't? Why do you keep yourself hidden from the world? If people only knew...

"with downcast eyes, there's more to living than being alive"

-Caroline 

What to post...

Hello people. I have not a clue as to what to post. I'm very tired right now and I need to start on my chemistry so let's cut to the post.

I don't know why but this week I've been getting a bunch of," I hate my life," comments. When I ask why the person hates his/her life, I usually get," Because I failed this test," or "Never mind," or even "I don't know." Sometimes I wonder what your lives are like after school because school doesn't tell you enough about someone's character. It makes me think what people think their lives mean.

It bothered me a little so I went on a few sites and searched,"I hate my life." I got some interesting results. Here are a whole bunch of people who have great lives. They have parents who love them, they have money, they have friends, they have an education and pretty much everything. Yet they hate their lives for some petty reason. Here's a list of what I've found:
Boredom, got dumped, didn't get that car/cellphone, I'm fat, mom yelled at me today, reputation has been damaged, just bought a ipod classic when the ipod touch came out a day later, can't get famous on YouTube, too emo even for me, nothing is working like how I want it to, blah blah blah sob sob sob...

Sometimes I can absolutely not stand it when people whine over something so small. When I look at the people who call themselves fat, I see them at a healthy weight. When I see that someone barely missed an A, I look at the other 5 A's that they received. When I look at the people who are so depressed and tired of life, I look at the people who are thankful for making it the next day in a country at war. When I see people who think they have no talent, I look at the depression that's blocking them from using the talent they so obviously have. There are thousands of people that have almost nothing but are more thankful than the ones who have everything. The definition of life has become less important too. There are people throwing their lives away for no reason. Why is suicide the answer to some people's problems? I know this is a liberal statement but I go against abortion. Why choose abortion when you can choose adoption? Abortion denies the right for a person to live. What is life to people these days?

So I look forward to each day. I'm glad I'm not in Darfur or fighting to stay alive. I'm glad I can play tennis. I'm glad I can go to school (sometimes ^_^). I'm glad I have parents. I'm glad I have friends. I'm glad I have an iPod and a cellphone... Life is but a vapor so live life to the fullest while you can.

Hmm... I let myself get away with this post. Wow, what was I thinking? Oh well. If you are interested, this song is related to the liberal statement I mentioned above.

Well that's all I have today for this very improvised post. So join us tomorrow for an amazing post from Caroline!

-June

Sorry. No random question today. I wasted enough time as is >.<

88.9

I'm not going to pretend that some of us, or perhaps just I, haven't been updating as eagerly or as timely as we have in the past. I guess I just wanted to say my fellow power bloggers are absolutely amazing. Surely, they truly care, whether it is thinking about his or her blog post for hours and hours, or doing anything physically possible to get that post published before midnight of the next day. So, here is your red power blogger saying thank you for staying together through this really... stressful year.
I just took my little red book (The Scarlet Letter) from my backpack. Woooh... relief.
If you didn't have a computer to pass the time, what would you do? I've thought about it, and it seems like life would be much more productive. We could do all our homework and study even more, or read the encyclopedia, or listen to NPR and learn about bald Russians. Oh man, we could be so productive. With the time, we could grow a vegetable garden, thereby saving money for the family. Or, we could rewire the house so the levers do crazy things.
The graph in English showed that the average minutes of TV viewing per person around the 2004s was about 440. I thought this was ridiculous. Does everyone really watch that much TV? Is 440 divided by 6 really truly 7 1/3? I think I read the graph incorrectly. There is no way that is right...
So I think I need some sleep.
I hope you pulchritudinous people have a marvelous weekend. That is all of you. :)
Love,
Kejing

"Harry Halloween! Oh, wait- HAPPY Halloween!"

Something For Everyone

I attempted to start writing this post at 6:00 and then gave up and decided to come back and try it again later. I’m still at a loss. So even though this may be cheating, I’ve decided to “share” (i.e. copy and paste) an expert from David Sedaris’s Naked with you. The title of the chapter is the title of the post.

THE DAY AFTER GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE, I found fifty dollars in the foyer of my Chicago apartment building.... It occurred to me then that if I played my cards right, I might never have to find a job. People lost things all the time. They left class rings on the sinks of public bathrooms and dropped gem-studded earrings at the doors of the opera house. My job was to keep my eyes open and find these things. I didn't want to become one of those coots who combed the beaches of Lake Michigan with a metal detector, but if I paid attention and used my head, I might never have to work again.

The following afternoon...I found twelve cents and an unopened tin of breath mints. Figuring in my previous fifty dollars, that amounted to an average of twenty-five dollars and six cents per day, which was still a decent wage.

The next morning I discovered two pennies and a comb matted with short curly hairs. The day after that I found a peanut. It was then that I started to worry.

I have known people who can quit one job and find another in less time than it takes to quarter a fryer. Regardless of their experience, these people exude charm and confidence. The charm is something they were either born with or had beaten into them at an early age, but what gives them their confidence is the knowledge that someone like me has also filed an application. Mine is a history of almosts. I can type, but only with one finger, and have never touched a computer except to clean it. I never learned to drive, which eliminates delivery work and narrows my prospects to jobs located on or near the bus line. I can sort of hammer things together but have an ingrained fear of electric saws, riding lawn mowers, and any motorized equipment louder or more violent than a vacuum cleaner.... I lack the size and bulk to be a guard and the aggression necessary for store detectives, crossing guards, and elementary schoolteachers. Years ago I had waited on tables, but it was the sort of restaurant where customers considered the phrase "Have a good day" to be an acceptable tip....

When luck was with me I tended to stumble into jobs, none of which were the type to hand out tax statements at the end of the year. People gave me money and I spent it. As a result, I seemed to have fallen through some sort of crack. You needed certain things to secure a real job, and the longer you went without them, the harder it was to convince people of your worth. Why can't you work a cash register or operate a forklift? How is it you've reached the age of thirty and still have no verifiable employment record? Why are you sweating so, and what force compels you to obsessively activate your cigarette lighter throughout the course of this interview? These questions were never spoken but rather were implied every time a manager turned my application face down on his desk.

I leafed through the Art Institute's outdated employment notebook, and page by page it mocked my newly acquired diploma. Most of the listings called for someone who could paint a mural or enamel a map of Normandy onto a medallion the size of a quarter. I had no business applying for any of these jobs or even attending the Art Institute in the first place, but that's the beauty of an art school: as long as you can pay the tuition, they will never, even in the gentlest way, suggest that you have no talent. I was ready to pack it in when I came across the number of a woman who wanted her apartment painted. Bingo. I had plenty of experience there. If anything, I was considered too meticulous a painter. As long as she supplied the ladder and I could carry the paint on the bus, I figured I was set.

The woman began by telling me she had always painted the apartment herself. "But I'm old now. It hurts my hands to massage my husband's feet, let alone lift a heavy brush over my head. Yes, sir, I'm old. Withered and weak as a kitten. I'm an old, old woman." She spoke as if this were something that had come upon her with no prior notice. "All the sudden my back gives out, I'm short of breath, and some days I can't see more than two feet in front of my face."

This was sounding better all the time.

May you all follow your dreams.

-Viv

the big apple

Well I got back from New York today. On the plane I thought hmm should I get someone to cover my post on Tuesday? No I'll be back and it'll be fine. Big mistake.

Here are the bullet points I will elaborate on next week. Just look at it as a preview of my trip.

-Missing the Plane
-Roger
-My Sister's Fiasco
-Nowhere to Stay
-My Brush with the famous
-Our amazing waiter
-Wicked
-One Two Three
-Spamalot
-Tavern on the green
-Breakdancing
-Grease
-Shopping
-Ice skating
-Trip home

Can you wait for next week? No? I know it sounds amazing. Well I guess you will just have to wait cause I'm falling over with tiredness and i have 50 pages of psychology to read.

Peace out home skillets. :)

Also if your lucky I will share with you a composition i wrote about The Scarlet Letter

-Lacey

Just Another Manic Monday

Oh crap! It's Monday.

Having tomorrow off completely messed up my internal clock.

I forgot I had to post.

It's late and my brain isn't really functioning.

I declare this to be the worst post ever.

I love you all, and goodnight.

-Brianna

Call It What You Want

Hello there, Blue Powerblogger here, at the tail end of a truly amazing weekend! 

So I have two awesome stories to tell. The first is slightly religious, but I think it can be applied to anyone's life regardless of what faith you believe in or what practices you follow. I went on a beach retreat with my church over the weekend and one of the things that we did was partake in a prayer exercise of sorts. We were instructed to walk on the beach and find something that symbolized what was going on in our lives. The first thing I came across was a shell. It was just lying on the ground, in my path. This shell was so cool; It was one of those swirly ones with no cracks or chips or anything! I was so happy about finding this perfect shell in the mist of all the broken, eroded pieces. A way to interpret this in a non-religious kind of way is this: We all go through our days trying to avoid peer pressure and bad influences. When we get wrapped up in the parties, the drinking, drugs, sex, violence, gossip, etc., it wears away our happiness and sense of self-worth, leaving us broken and empty, much like the bits of shells on the beach. Its just kind of a life lesson to stay strong and true to yourself, to keep you from potential harm both physically and mentally.

The second story is probably one of the coolest stories I've heard in a while. Call it a freak of nature, a phenomenon, a "touch by his noodly appendage", whatever you want, but I call it a miracle. One of my good friends was in a car accident recently, and his story is just amazing. He was driving down a road and his car hydroplaned. Next thing he knew, he was upside down, in a ditch, laying on the inside of the roof of his car. Luckily, his driver window was open, so he was able to get out of the car. He had to dig his way through the dirt just to escape, and he felt a hand pulling him up and out of the ditch. Once freed from the car, the boy turned to the man who pulled him out. The man's eyes just darted from the boy to the car, and he said, "You should be dead right now". The boy turned around, and the driver's side of the car was completely crushed and flooded with water. The boy swore he never even realized it was flooded in the car, and by some miracle he was able to get out of the caved-in car with only a small scratch on his arm. No one can even explain how he got out alive.

So thats all for now! And my band for the week is 'Chasing Victory'. Look 'em up!

-Caroline