even an end has a start

evenin'

so, the infamous science test turned out to be completely horrific, more so than even I could predict. We spent about thirty minutes on water and streams, and that ended up being about a quarter of the test. We spent about a week on soil, there were no more than ten questions. It was as much baffling as terrifying, really. A 60, please. I'm gonna do what mark corrigan does; beg to jesus to get me what I want, and say I'll beleive in him if he does so.

But really, que sera sera. Though I was on the verge of tears for a couple of hours after the test ended, I just don't care anymore. This test had been looming over my head for over a week prior and I feel completely free now that it's gone. hoorah, there goes my A in that class! Though I got a 100 on a project, so that's something.

It's so annoying to blog after a 'long time', isn't it? I totally I lose even the slightest bit of motivation to blog I might've had a few days ago. This weekend all I wanna do is watch Louis Theroux documentaries. it's pretty sad. You KNOW you're a freak when you obsess over a TV journalist. And when you're more into factual documentaries than movies. I suppose it's partially a British thing--shit, you can't watch the BBC and not get into those 'gritty' investigative documentaries, can you? I'm weird for this, nonetheless. Louis's awesome. King of the Awkward Stare. which is nicer for an awkward-starer veteran like me...I'm not alone. (but I'm not as nice or as clever as him)

It's ten past eleven so might as well do the usual School week run through, no?

In art we finished our op-art projects, and about time too, though I think I'll find myself saying this about every art project. Luckily we're moving onto what is essential just plain old drawing. Just plain old drawing is actually what I'm best at when it comes to art, largely due to there being no creativity involved whatsoever. Yay! It won't be too bad. I really just sit there and listen to other people and read and do the bare minimum and mute my perfectionist tendencies. Have to get a picture out of a magazine though, which isn't ideal. I found a nice one, but it has no real meaning to me and appatrenly this is all about these photos having PERSONAL MEANING to onself. Honestly I think I'll be hard pressed to find such a thing in National Geographic or the Delias clothing magazine.

Next year I kinda have to take two art classes which is so not fun. It's course selection week and I so far can't be bothered to put a shred of thought into this. I really wanna take Chemistry(junior class) as well as bio, but what with teacher cuts almost no sopjhomores get this. which is awful. (and we're concerned about a music teacher with THIS stuff happening? and the middle school is raising money for smart boards?!) I get to do photography, which is probably gonna happen but I still don't want it that much. Good thing is, I get a better gym option, one with a decided lack of sporty guys, competitive games, and, indeed, physical exercise. there are no downsides to this.

Health this week was an accuumulation of shitty things. I had to write a bs letter to a soldier and personally I find a written letter that has been forcibly written to pass a class is very condescending and honestly I'd rather there be no written letter at all. hey, that's just me. Then we watched videos that are all like DRUGS ARE BAD, DRUGGIES ARE STUPID, IF YOU DO DRUGS YOU WILL DIE DIE DIE THOUGH YOU ARE A WORTHLESS HUMAN BEING NOT WORTHY OF SAFETY OR SUPPORT OR RESPECT AND YOU PROBABLY GO OUT AND PARTY ALL THE TIME AND WEAR TRASHY CLOTHES CAUSE YOU'RE A TEENAGER ON DRUGS AND TEENAGERS SUCK DONT DO DRUGS KIDS. you know the type. We did the obligatory legalizing marijuana debate. I've become more interested in the issue since last time I've seen this discussed in school, and I've noticed a bizarre phenomenom. I'm in one of the most liberal states in the country, and yet when it comes to the drug topic, everyone seems to magically transform into a conservative and I look like fucking Ghandi. (did Ghandi have an opinion on this?) Of course, the 'legalize it' side was just me and a bunch of daredevil guys. (another thing. ladies, what gives? This was on a scale of 1--keep it illegal--, oto 10--legalize it--and I swear I was the only female above a five. huh?). It was actually very odd indeed. And I don't consider myself like super-super left-wing. when it comes to all the legalize/illegalize debates, I pretty consisently go liberal, but I'm not too big on environmental stuff and I think some left-wing war policies are a bit stupid and I'm far too misanthropic to be a hippie. (though as for equal rights for gays and whatnot, yes, 100%). All of the far-far-far-lefters get a little uncomfortable on this topic, it seems. I'm confused. Enlighten me? It was an interesting experience, even though I've never seen such a biased health teacher, and I do not think the fact that the idea of certain drugs being legal makes you squirm is a valid argument, and I do not think the teacher should treat it as such. give me your opinions, sure, debates are the best, but please find some way to back up your opinions first.

World Civ was a usual repetition of drawn-out subjects re the middle ages, attempting to break down the cardboard castles we'd half-heartedly put together last weeks(my group's had collapsed already), and watching people's crappy Feudalism powerpoints. I was given the job of presenting the slides done by the girl who wasn't there. actually, I wasn't as much given the job, my sleep-deprived and frankly painfully idiotic mind somehow imposed this upon itself. See, I hadn't seen the show in full, and I swear the info looked uncanilly like mine...I just figured someone had messed with the layout, seems reasonable, no? (why I have the brain to even, like, read and write is actually beyond me). I realized about half way through that this wasn't mine, and there's really no backing out then, is there? fuckfuckfuck. Presentations are always a nightmare for me so I honestly try not to laugh at other peoples. why you would, I don't know. But some people did. Screw them.

Which only reminds me of the arrogance of the people in my old science group, who boldly announced how they had no problems with public speaking whatsoever in front of me who, clearly, does. and I don't actually think it's some virtue to be able to do so. good? yes. vital? Obviously, that's hugely variable. But there were some series egos in this group, so there's no telling them that. And FYI, can we please clarify what 'good public speaking' is? Because I fear these prople are way off. Being able to project your voice as is necessery is good, not being scared is good, eye contact is good, however, saying loads of ums and waving your arms about and giggling and finishing with the infamous 'so...uh, yeah' is NOT good. I'm sorry, no two ways about that.

I had to have lunch with one of these narcissists on Wednesday, they switched the lunches around because people were doing state standard test things. A vegetarian who would announce it in a heartbeat, she looked condescendingly on the fact I'd chosen to eat a meat-based in an effort to, y'know, not be hungry. She also talked about the fact she knows the oh-so-obscure musical Hair and decided to sing, singing songs which specifically require a strong vibrato to sound good, one that most people do not possess. and she's likable?!

I finsished reading Oedipus in English this week and it turned out to be utterly brilliant though no one else seemed to agree with me. Never read a play I've particularly liked before, actually, never read a good one for school, anyway. I didn't much like a Midsummer Night's Dream, honestly, but what do I know about anything? NOTHING. Other than that it's all grammar and stuff.

I completely cannot recall about half this week, it's just all blurred together. Through a process of lack of sleep and extreme stress and mania, I got a bad headache and stayed off school Thursday. I haven't slept that long since June, I think. I'm totally out of it.

and oh yeah, I want summer nooooow.

We booked our plane tickets back to England, we're there for most of August which is good. I'm not spending as long in the area where I used to live which is a shame but it could be worse I suppose. I spoke to one of the people I'm going to V with today. I'm so crazy excited now I almost cannot contain it. Bring on summer.

Music wise, it's been a typical week of indie pop and electronica for me. Editors, the Naked and Famous, Oh Land, Alex Turner, the Rural Alberta Advantage, Silver Swans, Anna Calvi. good stuff. also getting into huge arguments on a pop-punk cover of Friday. I'd rather listen to the original.

Anyway, night

so why has march been so randomly crazy?

There's your usual stuff that needs saying. I have a science quiz on Friday and I don't know any of it. And I'm not allowed to panic to anyone, apparently, because they're all like 'yeah, Naomi, you're gonna do so badly, you're gonna get like a 95'. Sorry for my arrogance there. Flattered as I am, that doesn't help when I KNOW that anything more than a 75% on this would be miraculous.

So I try to study, then I panic, then a study, and so on and so forth. Late nights all around.

So, might as well just do a song post, no?



Turns out, alex turner solo is absolutely gorgeous. though to be honest, I expected nothing less. I'm all the more excited for May--arctic monkeys--and August--V. Why is V still on my mind? 149 days. all I can think about is being packed like sardines in crowds, barbeque smoke, sunshine, and beer being thrown and landing in my hair.

and outside my head, it's not getting warmer, stores don't sell the CDs I want, and my Empire Stikres Back CD skips random parts. sighness.

anyway, er, yeah, night.

Ewan McGregor

...is my life...

Revenge of the Sith came out just before I hit puberty, I believe. Because of that, when I've watched it again in more recent years, it's been shown to me in a totally new light.(yes, I am talking about Obi Wan, obviously.)(yes, Ewan's gorgeous, isn't he?)(yes, I'm gonna spread this out over another paragraph).

I've been in a Star Wars mood lately. And when I say mood, I mean addiction. obsession. pure that's-all-i-think-about level of devotion for the past week or so. It's funny cause I've loved Star Wars, really adored all the movies, bar maybe Phantom Menace but that has Qui Gon Jinn(lovelovelove) so that makes up for it, since Attack of the Clones came out. although after re-falling in love with them now I realized how little of the dialogue I really understood when I was younger, particularly in I, II, and III. Now that I actually have a general idea of what's going on, and am not completely overwhelmed by all the pseudo political talk, I have realized how fucking fantastic the whole thing is. I really love them. and I'm a reglar now on Fuck Yeah Star Wars. I'm lost among a fandom of aging men and pre-pubscent boys, but it's fine because the fandom's awesome and the movie's are great. GREAT I TELL YOU.

Can I say I've never been like fangirl-batshit-crazy over an actor before? Not even David Tennant, I'm pretty sure(but not certain--that was a while ago), not even Johnny Depp or Elijah Wood or Jared Leto, therefore I fail as a heterosexual girl. But I have a redemming point now. Ewan. McGregor. oh. my. god. have you seen him? in anything? even in magazines? he's...amazing. breathtakingly wonderful in all of the ST movies, and attractive obviously, and really lovely, and he can sing, it's fantastic. I never realized before just how great he is. and all of a sudden I am really an addict, to him, for no reason. search "Ewan McGregor tumblr" and literally you will be glued online for hours upon hours upon yet more hours, or at least I was mid-week, it's sad but unavoidable with someone like him.

(Aren't Scottish accents just the best accents out there? No? I'm writing this on St. Patrick's Day, am I[though I'll publish it the day after]? Ah, the nonconformist I am. Scotland's great.)

Team Ewan McGregor, yes, yes, yes.

HERE ARE MY WEEKEND PLANS

1. Watch I Love you Phillip Morris.(don't judge me)
2. Watch Moulin Rouge
3. Watch Big Fish
4. Watch Trainspotters
5. Watch Angels and Demons
6. Watch The Men Who Stare At Goats
7. Watch Amelia
8. Watch the Ghost Writers
9. Internet
10. Homework

I don't care how bad people may judge the first eight movies to be. I get special treatment because I almost never watch movies, right? Ignorance makes up for my bad taste.

It's gonna be great.

I think my mom'd realise something's up if all these movies randomly appeared on my birthday list, no? Thus it must all be done in secrecy. I must reveal my obsession piece by piece. first, "have you seen Big Fish? Oh yeah, it's a Tim Burton thing...and Tim Burton's good, so we should see that" and then we'll watch it and I'll be like "oh, that's Obi Wan Kenobi, isn't it? oh, his name's Ewan McGregor, you say? Oh I had NO IDEA. he's such a good actor, right? what else has he been in? let's watch more movies". she needn't know how many of my favorite pictures on Tumblr are of him.


Everyone's hatrid twards Rebecca Black is childish and stupid. Most things I've heard about it comment on the silly lyrics(though apparently being told you're a firework or hearing glee sing sing 'L-O-S-E-R I can only be who I are" not a typo--is totally fine) and calling her a "stupid bitch". when I say stupid bitch, I mean really, that's like half the content in some of these infuriated blog/vlogs I've seen. It should go without saying that someone who considers this a crux to their argument--or who thinks they're the first one to comment on Friday, for that matter--isn't really someone worth valuing. Rebecca's actually a bit smart. Se's a teen pop star for the briefest moment, it goes under the same category as hating Justin Bieber(though yes, his songs are better, more production values). It's just so, so juvenile, hating these teenagers who haven't really commited any serious travesty to the music world with what they're doing. The people who, in my opinion, should be widely abhored, are met with love, mainly by the Rebecca Black haters. Namely emo bands and post-grunge bands. ALL OF THEm. GET RID OF THE LOT. BURN THEM AT THE STAKE. MUSICAL BLASHPOMY. although I'd actually be cool keeping the Colour and the Shape, if I'm honest, and MCR do not fall under any of these categories in case you were wondering. I very much want Gerward Way and co alive.

sorry to go all Rolling Stone going-against-the-tide re the Rebecca Black thing but I believe it had to be said. those who hate it, just grow up, for the love of god.

So the remarkable thing is, I haven't been to a concert since early December. Weezer, they were fantastic, but now they're coming thick and fast. apparently Manchester Orchestra are touring with Cage the Elephant and O'Brother. The tickets are so cheap it's almost scandalous, so I'm going--it's May 10t. I LOVE Manchester Orchestra and this has given me the kickstart to buying CtE's most recent record--I'm up for it. it all brings me back to Biffy Clyro/Manchester Orchestra/O'Brother/The Featrures, March 30th 2010. One of the best shows of my life. Was almost in Simon Neil's range of sweat. (again, don't judge me for this.) and I could have talked to James if I had the guts. Alas, I did not. I remember how sad I was listening to I Could Feel A Hot One after they'd gone. sniffle. new album, please. Funny thing is, wEEZER ARE also playing in Boston the same day as Arctic Monkeys. Talk about bad scheduling. Boston's gonna be empty.

So, school.

Main news of the week is our school's probably gonna cut one of the music teachers(and with it most of the music department thing) and everyone's up in arms about it and writing annoying signs and wearing supportive t-shirts. It's positively drenched in sensationalism and I'm just being quiet about it because I disagree with just about everyone else. Here's what bothers me--can we please just learn to be realistic? #1--I don't know the exact numbers of debt my town is in, and neither do any other students, so it's all well and good for us to say 'well, they should cut this, this, and this' when we've NO IDEA what this equates to or what the consequences are for the school. Therefore, to do so is silly #2--yes, they put far too much money into sports. In my ideal world, they'd cut most of the sports. But my ideal world is also free of Aids, rape, and discrimination. And honestly all of those problems are gonna be sorted out before my school cuts some sports, so get over it #3--These people who complain are all in the music department. It's not about the importance of the music department to them, it's the fact that they're in it. If we cut all the visual arts, most of them wouldn't be at all bothered. Selfish? Yes. #4--There are oganizations outside of school that can do this stuff you'll miss, so it's not the end of the world. #5--People are going on about how valuable the teacher they're cutting is as a person. The committee can't back down now, can they, they can't just go 'well, he's popular, we'll cut this other person instead". How unfair is that?! And besides, it's entirely possibly you're cutting someone else's favorite teacer if you're cutting someone else, particular if they're in the arts, as most people would say that's where the bulk of awesome teachers are situated. That is NOT fair. #6--Apparently my disagreement means I don't have an appreciation for the arts, or music. If you know me, you know that's nonsense--I know more about contemporary music than anything else. How arrogant. #7--"well, show choir is our family! some of us can only feel accepted here!". such crap. this isn't Glee, guys. I know people in these clubs, and they're totally normal, average, acceptable people for the most part. they DO feel accepted elsewhere. and fyi, this kinda undermines people who don't feel accepted at all. not in the arts OR in sports. I'm not explicitly talking about myself here because I'm totally fine most of the time, but still, this just isn't true and its unfair to others. #8--academics come first. I'm sorry, but there's no way around that. I hear some of the AP language classes might be cut, and my science teacher today was talking about the frustration in THAT department due to cuts. really, guys, my school is regared nationally as a good public school, and the AP classes are absolutely essential in my mind, far and away above music or arts or anything. #9--'It'll damage the nation as a whole--these people need the INSPIRATION to make music and sing". bullshit. Most mainstream artists who are generally regarded as good did NOT start this way. this is perhaps different for Broadway/Opera/whatever singers, but still. if you like music, you'll like music. if you're good at music, you're good at music. whether you're in a club or not. you'll go far with it, whether you're in a club or not. #10--these guys are all about the data that shows positive correlations between academic achievement and extra curricular activites. fyi, no one's IQ drops randomly cause they stop doing show choir. nor will their determination. I HATE statistics like this because there's so much more going on than just these numbers. for one thing, determined students do well in school AND do loads of outside stuff. therefore, lots of people in extra curriculars = determined kids= good grades. also, schools that can afford this stuff = wealthy schools. it's no secret wealthy schools get good exam results. there is way more going on than this.

While I'm amazed by the determination of these kids(they were gonna write the teachers name in cups in the wires of the tennis court at 6:30 this morning. I was expecting to see the letters sort of peter out half way through--but no, they were thre) I have to dispute their arguments as being unrealistic and juvenile. their first step was arguing at a town meeting, filled with them in matching t-shirts, bawling, and a bunch of guys in suits not taking them seriously. These people are being exceptionally childish in my opinion, and need to learn to face the imperfect situations which our school faces. or at least make an effort to provide some sort of viable alternative, rather than just wave signs at me as my bus drives into school.

I seem to be filled with relentless hatrid of everything and everyone. but hey, it's warm outside.

I took a science quiz on Monday and got a 96% on it. where'd that come from? Third best grade in the class, this is a good day. We've spent the week talking about soil. yeah, soil. It's pretty horrible. And I had to do a presentation. I was told by the girl next to me to speak up. She said this while I was talking anfd my brain was natrally inclined to stop talking to hear her say this, creating an awkward pause in the presentation. That made my presentation worse and it wasn't my fault. Why do people tell me to be louder? Do they think I have a say in this? Do they think I'd choose this if I could? Then she goes and reiterates everything I've said to the entire class. My head was thinking loudly and many scatching words crossed its path. This girl got a 99% on the test. Isn't the combination of intelligence and annoyingness just the worst? Her friend got a 76% so, like, ha.

This week in health was a nightmare, I finished this Time Capsule that had been looming over my head for a couple weeks, and it was awful. I literally couldn't finish the three-page paper. It was 12:30 and I was just like "ugh, forget it, I physically cannot spill out any more bs onto this page". Then I had to find ten things that represent me(Money, phone, ipod camera, thing from paris, thing with my last name on it, V Festival lineup 2011, book, pen, calculator). I presented it to class. I mumbled throughthis, completely petirifed as per usual, and no one could hear what I was saying. your average presentation done by me. These will be the death of me. I quite liked my mom's outlook on this project, which is basically me talking about how much I love heroin and unprotected sex for three pages. Oh I love her.

Today in art, I discovered the girl who sits next to me loves Doctor Who and then I didn't shut up for a while, which is a first in art in that class. And, she loves Graham Norton! Woah, that's actually very amazing indeed. and she's a nerdfighter! She's amazing. Speaking of Doctor Who, new episode out APRIL 23rd! AHH! So exciting! This is especially great because easter is April 24th and my birthday is April 25th. it's gonna be an amazing few days! Also, Ive gone far too long without watching Doctor Who, it's sad.

In World Civ we made castles(we're in high school, aren't we?) for two days and today we watched a documentrary about castles and they went to a medieval place in England I've been to. They do reanactments sometimes. (historical reanactments are wonderful). It's not my favorite history reanactment place though--there's this one in Kent where they give you fake Elizabethan coins and stuff. That place is one of my favorites in the world.

In English our student teacher is teaching is full time. It's not too much fun, though, presenting Aphoridte when Athena was so obviously the superior goddess and then spending all of today talking about verbs. We're reading Things Fall Apart, which is dull, and Oedipus, which I don't have the literary comprehension skills to get my head around, so I'm not sure it's worth trying in the first place.

No good singles came out this week except Patrick Wolf's but Us iTunes doesn't have that for some strange music. Since I've found NO good music this week, all I've done is listen to Tom Smith(Editors)' gorgeously melodramatic baritone bellow through my house, and I lie next to expensive speakers and hear of him ramble about plane crashes and depression and such. That and the perfect synth pop wonderfulness that is La Roux. Their songs work really well together, it's funny how they work worse as singles alone therefore the publicity is worse--not that this has hindered them, of course. I'm still tempted to write 'her' when refering to La Roux, though I've known for ages that this is not the case. Also the Naked and Famous' single of the week is worth checking out. Don't you just love when the song you want to buy just happens to be single of the week? It's only happened to me three times. anyway, Naked and Famous, take Passion Pit and make them better. Took me a while to get into them. (they've been hyped for a about fortnight now, so 'a while' is maybe about six days, since I'm as fickle as all the hipsters), since the first song I heard sounded like bad Radiohead. amazingly they're not like this at all.

This weekend I AM going to find Elbow's new record. I've tried SO HARD not to listen online but I admit, I gave up and listened to Lippy Kids. I love it. you know how, as 'music fans', we're always going on about how bands need to progress their sound from album to album? And I do that, I talk about that. But you know there's a few bands who you physically cannot do that with, because it seems like their music was made for you, even though you know this is betraying your obligations as a music critic? Yes, that me with Elbow. and indeed, everyone else with Elbow. Keep on repeating music, Guy Garvey, and keep writing pretty words. (ps, why do you keep talking so much about birds?)

I apologize for going a week without writing here. My cousin's vsiting sunday and I'm likely doing nothing tomorrow. the past week has been school work and music, as you'd expect.

so, 'night.

March 12th.

This guy is awesome. It doesn't get much better than that.

This weekend is going to be hell. I have a science test monday, which covers everything from the beginning of the semester(6 weeks ago) onwards, I have a science project due Monday that I haven't started, and I have a health project due Thursday that I haven't started. Add this to liberal amounts of La Roux and Star Wars and I'm in for a busy weekend.

The science test is going to be a massive disaster, because you know when you get a 99% on a quiz the following test is going to be catastrophically awful, thatt's just the way these things work. I'm going/being forced to go to the library Sunday to study with the girl who sits next to me. I never quite understood this mutual studying thing but hey, every little helps**. The health project is pretty basic--write a three page paper about myself, answer some questions, decorate + fill a paper bag with ten things that summarize me. Needless to say writing three pages all about me will be a walk in the park, sad how I could do that any day. The value statements are just about what makes me happy/sad and where I wanna be in five years time, all that usual Health stuff. (do you know how much bs I'm gonna have to stuff into this project? D'you think I could answer this stuff honestly? pfft, as if. Don't the teachers know that half the stuff we write in All About You projects is completely made up?). The paper bag element is more problematic. What does symbolize me, anyway?

(This week was the week of private school acceptance letters. The madness of this, which I despise and like to rant about at every oppurtunity, makes me feel so fucking Holden Caulfield it makes me sick. That's who I am, isn't it? I'm him. I'm the very stereotype I wish to avoid. I spend so much time going on about how kids are forced to know their career choices before they want to and how we're forced into privaye schools and looking good for collages, that my CV's literally just gonna read "catcher of small children before they fall over a cliff". SIGH.) I don't know why the last paragrapjh led to this, but it did. Private schools aren't even worth that much. If you're smart you're smart, wherever you go, and you'll get into a good college. Public schools suck, but private schools are just expensive, elitist, overrated public schools. I don't see the big deal. The ordeal makes me sad.

The science project is worst of all. My three partners need to keep their egos in check. Yesterday we were planning to meet up in the science room before school. The male person in our group was all too fast to declare that he'd have NO problem WHATSOEVER with showing up before school. So I show up and there are the other towo people. Okay. He never shows up. Is he such a narcissist that he literally thinks he's too good for the person he was yesterday? Is that the extent of his arrogance? Because it's pathetic. The other two girls in my group got to cleaning out their turtle tank which flooded and was then having a sort of lettuce overload, and thenpone of their boyfriends came(who is perfectly boring. I'd never seen him in real life before). Mornings on G days are usually reserved for sitting alone in the health room listening to music that I'm too embarassed to listen to at times when I'm with people who might hear and recognise the song. It's a valuable part of the day. And I lost that because of someone else's overly high self esteem. I was not very happy. And I'm not very happy with writing about glaciers for hours upon hours this weekend.

I really despise homework-heavy weekends. It always feels like I never left school and I have school for a whole fortnight which is awful. I look half-dead right now even though this week wasn't terribly bad.


The snow is melting here really fast. We had an amazing sunset today and I was able to go outside in a sweatshirt to take crappy photos and I wasn't even cold. It was an amazing moment. I cannot wait for spring...I miss wearing shorts even though I shouldn't. and spring music--the Kooks, yeah I'm gonna sink that low. Although Naive is a nice little song in my opinion. But I like Razorlight more. Don't kill me!

I'm not doing Lent but in health I have to give up something for a week. Yeah, like they're really gonna control my life that much. A friend suggested I give up coffee, because I don't drink coffee in the first place. So that's what I'm doing. Health isn't too bad actually, for health, you don't do anything. Health is good because it's not art--any project which is "limited only by your imagination" instantly gets my heart racing. I'm not a creative person. And don't all your artists start telling me that everyone's creative, because that's crap and I know it even if you don't. We're doing op art. I would've thought I could handle this because when I doodle everything's really geometic, I must draw like a hundred triangles every day for no reason to the point of hating triangles. But alas my brain can't even wake up enough for that I so opted for the People Who Aren't Artists choice, which is basically writing my name loads of times and stuff. It's awful, but there we go. I have art three times next week and I really, really don't want to go to school because of it. worst. class. of the day. not joking.

We watched a video about Marco Polo in World Civ for like two days and we didn't even finish it. Crappy movie but lovely timewaster, And Kublai Khan was white in this? Even though every other Asian person was portrayed by an Asian actor? That was really quite strange. Today we started talking about Feudalism--proud to say I don't care and don't know everything about it, though my class expected me to be a master. I wish people would know how much I don't like the royal family. Why do people assume I give my absolte obedience to them? I don't! If you think this then you're just ignorant, and yet this view 'round here is so, so common that it's scary. They don't know anything about the UK. We have real politics and stuff too, guys...it's not all earls and barrons(I don't even know what those are) and such. People in this country seem to be incapable of grasping the completel insignificance of the royal family in the UK. When the stuff about the royal wedding came out, all these womens magazines were gushing over it and I was like "wait, what? who's getting married?". I can give you a pretty good list of the history of the UK's monarchs off the top of my head, but that's my nerdy party trick, that doesn't mean I actually know about the royal family or feudalism or anything like that, god. People think we live in the middle ages, dead serious, and it's pathetic. It's good that my world civ teacher mentioned how the Family are just for ceremonial purposes, but still, some people think we're so backwater. Don't talk to me about your fucking democracy, cause it all comes from English stuff.(which comes from Greek stuff. BUT MY POINT REMAINS.) We're not so oldfashioned. Our political system's fucked up, but any American would tell me in a heartbeat that theirs is too. So just because we were once imperalists and we still have knights, doesn't mean we're behind. it's working okay for us, as it is for Belgium, Denmark, Luzemborg, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the other reaosnably developed constitutional monarchies, mkay? we're in the same boat whther you'd admit it or not. And also I don't pledge random allegience to my country.


AND while I'm into this orgy of ignorant anti-Americanism, there's this Facebook group that says "Japan gave us sushi, Germany gave us cars, Americans gave us the light bulb, and England...well, England gave us something to laugh at". Fuck you. Don't you know the rest of the world is laughing at you? And I'm sorry for the many decent Americans(and yes, there are many, many of them out there) for having to deal with these ignorant double digit IQ conservative wankers. Surely, you cannot look at what most people see as your culture, and think you come off well? Fast food, crappy TV, religious maniacs, the jury's still out on abortion, the death sentence is okay, homophobia, racism, sexism, gun-owning, ignorance, sensationalism? And that's totally okay, right? That's not totally laughable? We're far, far from perfect in about a billion ways, but this Brit is not claiming to hate an entire country. Not even this hell hole.

(PS, an Englishman invented the lightswitch. Good luck turning your lightbulb on without it, you dick).

(PPS, whenever Germany comes up in conversation for whatever reason, the word Nazi is fast to follow it. I've heard some seriously erroneous beleifs on Germany and Nazi-occupied Germany, and for some reason people seem to hate the country, and yet now they've decided they're awesome for this FB group.)

(PPPS, speaking of Japan, I saw a blog post the other day with these artsy pictures followed by "My heart is with Japan today". Fuck you too, you used a tragedy as an excuse to post Tumblr pictures to your blog, that's vile. Sad thing is, you're not the only one. I'm not claiming to go rushing out there right now to save everyone, or indeed to be taking any action at all. Call me cruel, but you're exactly the same, only difference being I'm honest about it.)

Where did that all come from? Jesus.

English was a nightmare this week--grammar test Wednesday, vocab test thursday, short story test Friday. what planet does my teacher live on? The first two were stresful but basically okay, whereas yesterday's was not a fun experience. It was pretty predictable, but the essay, oh the essay, was something else. First off, we read a story and we're given six literary devices and asked to explain three of them in relation to the story and it's theme. Dull stuff, but to be expected. But the last part, describe how these devices 'place this story in the short story genre'. Okay, hang on, last time I checked, there are two qualifacations to become a short story. One, you must be a story. Two, you must be short. WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO THAT? It has nothing to do with characterization, duh! God. Now she's gonna give me a C because she rambles on and on about how if we miss out a part of the prompt that the world is literally gonna explode, or something, but what was I supposed to write to that? All the other classes are reading Tale of Two Cities and stuff, ugh.

Oh yeah, my cousin's visiting next weekend. He's moved to Chicago in september. It'll be awkward but I don't see my family much, tiny as we are.

I'm being perfectly boring, but all I wanna do is sleep and watch TV and listen to Yann Tiersen. I apologize. But...goodnight.


**Speaking of that, someone in the cagereria the other day had a plastic Tescos bag. A PLASTIC TESCOS BAG. My mind was blown.

the car we never had, the house we never owned

This song has been permenantly on my mind for the past 48 hours.



This goes under the category of "Awesome Cheesy Pop Songs" in my head--a place where Patrick Wolf is no newcomer. I totally loved his darker stuff, everything from Tristan to the Magic Position, and now there's this catchy, adorable pop-y wonderful song. Just...delighftful. But also evil--a quintescential summer song released in the dead of winter? Why? Now I just want summer about a thousand times more. Thanks, Mr. Wolf.

Though at least the snow is melting here and it's almost pleasent being outside, that's something. I always considered February the worse month, but March is far from nice, too. My random urge for summer to hurry up has manifested itself in my listening to nothing but pure pop music for the past week. Tinie Tempah, La Roux, Rihanna, Jessie J, Hurts, Eliza Doolittle, and the like. I can say I think all of these are talented to some degree(Rihanna maybe not? hard to say. she has good producers.) but I hope actual warmth arrives so I can listen to stuff with some credibility. I think the same applies for the rest of my family--moody trip-hop Groove Armada songs have been replaced with the Divine Comedy's Best Of. Not that the Divine Comedy aren't cool or anything--Neil Hannon is adorable in a very odd way, no?

I only have 164 days to wait and the anticipation is killing me. I'm so happy I got super-early bird pre-sale tickets in August, since V sold in record time this year. 80 minutes! Although this doesn't even seem to be the truth somehow, from the tales I've heard. Some people were on straight away and couldn't get tickets! It sucks for people who actually wanted to go and couldn't get tickets...and makes all the V-Hating especially tiesome and frustrating. It is not a lineup for chavs. (British to American translation; chav = trashy teenage delinquaint). Last night I was under the impression I was gonna be able to watch Biffy Clyro on some crappy late night TV show, before I realized the channel doesn't show for my TV. I didn't wanna go to bed till I physically couldn't saty awake, so I stayed up for another hour watching Eminem videos on Fuse. He's good! Indie Elitsts are so silly, it's so extroardinarily close-minded to say a whole genre of music(rap) doesn't belong at a music festival! What is a music festival if not a celebration of live music? Wow oh wow, some people.

But I understand you're probably not going to V, so this is of no interest to you...

For all I've complained of Arctic Monkeys' new song, they're playing here in May and obviously, I'm going, as it will be amazing. Last time I saw them--December '09--was a brutal concert. Fun, but brutal. therefore I'm staying out of the main crowd this time. This will unquestionably not be the case in August. In August, I'm fighting to the front, getting squahsed in the crowd, and just generally revelling in the chaos. Can't do that with my parents, obviously, so May'll just be a ...warmup, until the real bedlam begins. Plus, like, a crowd ten times the size of May's? Um, yeah, August'll be great.

Yesterday was the big day for Elbow fans, like myself--new album! Aaaaah! With three English tests this week it seems unmlikely I'll be able to actually get out of the house to buy it and I don't wanna ruin the experience with YouTube. But, my god, is it tempting. Every single review has been positive, averaging about an 7/10 or 8/10 or so, and everyone's talking about this one song, called Lippy Kids, which is basically about everyone not recognising adolescence as the highly important time it is("Don't they know these days are golden?"). Guy Garvey usually finds the perfect balance between reality and romance, so I'm hoping for an interesting song. And an interesting album in general! This day did NOT come fast enough. Friday can't come faster too. US TOUR NOW PLEASE.

New Wombats album released on my birthday? And I listened to Tokyo at every possibly oppurtunity today. Can honestly say I'm very excited. I loved their 1st album, it was so adorable and perfect and I could listen to it all day, ugh, you too, April you come faster now.

On another note, I was impressed/shocked by the American CD stores getting Beady Eye in right off the bat. I'm sick of Beady Eye, yeah, I'm not a fan and I don't understand the hype--BUT I was amazed that they had them here, is all.

Well, as for school, we finally pushed through our 1st art project after 5 weeks and I really don't wanna go to class because the next one is hell. I have eight days to do a health project. Science is alright, though I DO NOT want to do our next project or indeed read about plate tectonics. Or listen to the know-it-alls behind me--who really do diserve nicknanames at this point, for all they aggravate me. BUT, I do enjoy how the girl next to me has gone on a mission to label the guy who sits next to her a peodphile, and tomorrow is bringing in a pedobear(sigh.) printout tomorrow.


World Civ is cool because it's all ancient history in China and Asia in general, and I reaaaaally don't wanna go into the European Middle Ages because a lot of people are closeminded enough to think that I'm word perfect on the subject. it takes the slightest bit of brain power, that many seem to lack, to realize that that's just silly. Ugh! What is wrong with everyone at school? Even the smart people come off as two-dimensional and silly, y'know? And there's just so much crap---superfical friendships, discrimination, slut shaming, ignorance, arrogance, and bullshit to say the least. This is not news, I know, but it's been getting to me a lot lately. Some people live under rocks, really, it's unbelievable. I keep hearing the M word--that is, one used to describe a Little Person--EVERY SINGLE FUCKING DAY and I'm like, really, guys? What year are we living in? Are we really so fundamentally vapid that we neglect all notions of progression? And fake friendships just to look good? And act horrible to others because they dress the slightest bit differently? And act the same as others, because that's all you've ever known? And act better than everyone else to feel better? And laugh at people who are quiet for many reasons, but one of them being they(I) don't want to talk to the overwhelming majority of people they are forced to comunicate with everyday, because they're so vacuous and boring and cruel? High school, high school, high school....

Um, yeah, that's that rant gone. Happy pancake day, Brits, I've probably gained weight after all that sugar and pancake and lemons, though it's my favorite meal of the year, so I can't complain. Can't really gush about it either, sadly--too much studying to be done.

Bye.

Um, Arctic Monkeys.

They released a song earlier today and was amazed by how much I didn't like it. I mean, it was alright, but just not to the caliber of their old stuff. I was never part of the crowd that said they were going downhill with Humbug, because personally I think it's a good album with a more unique sound than their first two records, though perhaps lacking in the good lyrics department. In the first ten seconds of the song, all I was channeling was mid-oo's "I wish I was Jack White" blues rock silliness that is pleasing but decidedly overdone at this point in time. Then it got more poppy, yet somehow slower(this band seem to do that a lot), but...there was no big chorus. there were no witty anecdotes about day-to-day life in northern England. not even some insane, frantic drum beat. No, all I see is flowery dresses and palm trees and dissapointment. what gives?

I'm sure it'll grow on me. They do that a lot. But I do think it's their weakest single to date. Also, no, I do not want Whatever People Say I Am Part II, not at all. I subscribe to the beleif that bands need to change and every record needs a different sound. I'd rather they did this than did something samey. It's just my personal beleif that this is less creative than their other work. no big deal.

Still uber excited for August though. Rihanna got added to the V lineup. Needless to say, If I see Eminem I'm guaranteed a live Love the Way You Lie duet, a privalage few have had. I'm up for that. I honerstly don't understand the blatant anti-Vness this year. They sold out in 80 minutes! So what if it's pop? It's about having fun. When did the festival scene become about faking acts of lunicy and conitnuing festival-going cliches, ie drugs, indie music, and mud. it's so silly, people, geez. As for my V-going, I might be up for someone on the 2nd or 3rd stage Sunday night, depending. I've never been to the 3rd stage, oddly--it's a tent, but the entrance is a bottleneck so getting in and out is hell. Dunno about everyone else, but I'm excited. my dad took a look at the lineup yesterday(he was in Switzerland on a business thing for most of the week) and he said it was 'not amazing' which was upsetting...

People so saw last year's V through rose-tinted glasses. V always have pop. And it will always have bad bands and bad live peformances(for example, KoL were shockingly bad live. Everything except Sex On Fire was completely underwhelming). That's what's cool about it, though, cause it appeals to loads of different people. As for me, I'll take my Wombats, Kaiser Chiefs, Arctic Monkeys, Manics, and Hurts and leave all these miserable people be.


I just listened to Katy B's "Katy On A Mission" last night. I used to hear this on Radio 1 loads over the summer, and I was never completely sold. I'm not a Dubstep fan. But going back to it now, I just suddenly become aware of this gritty, clubby vibe and I realized how good it is. Also, I fell in love with Primal Scream on the very first listen to Some Velvet Morning. All I was aware of was this great wannabe-late-90s trip-hop psychadelic rock thing with a touch of sixties flower power thrown in for good measure. So, so fantastic. Primal Scream I think are gonna be 2nd to stage headliners, and my God, they'd better clash with Eminem rather than AM. I'm high on Primal Scream songs. Cannot wait until my birthday, I'm so asking for Screamadelica.



Enough of V.


My iPod might be broken though it might just be the headphones, but it's acting weird. It's lived a good, long life.


It'd be nice if I could keep my eyes open lately. I was bored last night so I tried to watch Return of the Jedi but I could not pay attention. I was up till midnight the day before last doing a science paper that was twice as long as it needs to be, too much shock and ridicule from some friends. However, we got progress reports a couple days ago and she ranked the whole class based on grades and mine was at number one so like hell am I backing down now. (I admit the ranking business is cruel, but please let me bask in this brief period of narcissism). I got a 99% on a quiz. I wonder why I'm so fixated on grades this year? It wasn't really much of the case last year. Odd.

Shame science was awful for the other parts of the week. we're doing projects outside at the moment, testing water for O2 and Co2 and temperature and such. We have to walk outside, in freezing weather, over an icy hill, to a field where the snow isn't properly compacted so I feel in to my knees, through the forest. We're in three groups and each examining one section. Of course, being three groups, which we are allowed to choose, there is only one way 14-year-olds divide themselves up--girls, guys, and the grumbly leftovers. I'm the third category! I'm with these two know-it-all girls, one guy everyone hates, a bossy leader, and a bunch of guys whose names I cannot be bothered to learn. Plus, the three groups are as follows; wetland, stream, pond. Here's the thing with the first two--THEY HAVE RUNNING WATER. Us pond-goers were outside in negative godknowswhat at 9:30 digging a hole through ice that was at least eight inches thick. It took forty minutes, much swearing, and an array of bleeding hands. With help from our teacher, we got through with five or ten minutes to rush through our testing, run for fifteen minutes back to class, and wait for another two hours to be about to feel our thighs, let alone our noses and ears and such. sigh sigh sigh. The upshot is, our place is gonna be gorgeous in the spring.


Plus, I have another project on glaciers, with three other people. Our whole group is infested with arrogance and over-inflated senses of our self worth, so it'll be a mess. A horrible, competitive, passive aggressive mess.


Today I got asked if I was a sophomore in art, then later asked if I was junior. Haven't a clue why this should be, but there we go. I don't physically look older so I guess I'm just standoffish or something.

Getting especially tired of my world civ class, to be honest. We spent four days researching for a class timeline project. my group had no idea what we were doing and ours came out a total mess. Plus, I doubt there's a single person on the planet who has an actual interest in the Byzantine Empire. I certainly don't.

English is literally beyond boring right now--short stories and essays and vocab, blah, I almost want to cry. It's no fun having it last block. Other classes are at least onto reading books, whereas we're still reading these crappy short stories and looking for dualities. I wanna get going on a book, that's something I might actually enjoy.

I'm giving Philosophy Club at school a go. It's basically sitting in a room with six other students(almost all of them being nerdy Asian junior girls) and talking. And there's a Spanish teacher and I believe a math teacher. It's fun, actually, I intend to go again.


Let's do countdowns--V in 168 days, Pancake Day in three days, NEW ELBOW ALBUM OH MY GOD ADSLFjsdfl in two, new Kills album in a month, birthday in 51 days, new AM album in four-ish months, the Killers getting back together in two months, the Script + Tim Minchin in three months, new Kasabian album at the end of the year, new Florence album at the end of the year, etc.


Music at the moment that hasn't been mentioned--The Mariner's Children, Tinie Tempah, Hurts, Editors, Imelda May, Neil Hannon's beautiful cover of Yann Tiersen's "Les Jours Tristes". Love music. Neil's voice works so well with the flutes.



I have to have lunch and do science homework(sniffle), good day.