So, I was gonna blog while I was in England some more, but then the internet got shitty, and then I was gonna blog right after I got back, but then things got busy and stayed that way, and then it turns out it had been a fortnight since my last post. Thus, I present to you a post about the time I spent in an England, in an uncharacteristically concise manner. sort of.
I got to hang out with the friends I mentioned in my V Fest post a couple times. I think they're the only family I know where the term 'family friends' really applies.I went round to their house and played weird video games. Then, we drove to this park near where they live. It's all play equipment, but it's great, really dangerous in a way you rarely see anymore. trust me, it's cool.
We went to the zoo for my sister's birthday. god, that was tedious. I don't like or understand zoos in the slightest. Since it was cold and rainy, rather than unbearably hot, the animals were pretty active, which I guess was cool. despite this weather, the people there didn't seem particularly perturbed. that's the ultimate problem with zoos for me, as it is, unfortunately, for many public places. I suppose that's to be expected.
My splurging on whatever CDs and DVDs tickled my fancy continued throughout the remainder of my time in England. I'll say it once I'll say it again; HMV is an amazing place. I bought Tim Minchin, Metronomy, the Horrors, and finally--finally!--the new Wild Beasts record. All I would highly recommend. oh and speaking of music, congrats to PJ Harvey for winning the Mercury. She wasn't my favorite but Let England Shake is a good record, she totally deserved it anyway.
I bought new brown Wellingtons for V! I got to wear them in the end, which is odd because I was sure I wouldn't have to, and was buying them just to be certain, as I do so frequently. They were good quality, too, so it was worth it. This was done the day before V, which was extremely cold and wet. In the mean time, we got texts from our mad friend going out and buying baby clothes for a baby that isn't hers. We saw those guys again in the morning, too. we went for a walk and talked about crazy costumes for the festival.
After V died down, we took a trip to the town I used to live in. It's a little English village so yeah, it's basically the same as it always was. We went to the post office and down this country walk that was right by my house. And my old school! Which has gone to hell, as it's under new leadership and stuff. I find it rather unnerving going round where I used to live, as I sort of feel like I don't belong there at all, crazy as that may or may not seem. I feel intimidated. Also, I hate seeing people I know in public, especially people I haven't seen in ages, which is very likely to happen there so I was in a panic for a lot of that. I still sort of miss that place, but it's getting better every year. The people in our old house haven't changed it too much, too, which in itself is very comforting. We tried to get into the V site, but it was blocked off for more than a week after the fest ended. We ended up just driving around little villages, and I listened to Cat's Eyes. And oh yes, clothes! I'm judgemental so I like to compare the clothes in America and England, like I did last year, even though my fashion knowledge extends to oversized t-shirts and going "ooh look at that picture! Miu Miu shoes!". Last year I recall saying I liked England's clothes more; this year I side with the States. English girls like to wear floral patterned everything at the moment. I got a weird top with a swan on it that made me feel like the girl in Crystal Castles. And then I got stripy skinny jeans! Oh god, stripy skinny jeans. I shouldn't be let near clothes, I just can't be trusted to make good decisions.
I didn't see many old friends while over there, but I did get to hang out with these two girls I used to know. One I went to school with, and was friends with, the other I saw only a few times a year but we always got on well. I hadn't seen the latter for three years. She is now that most endearingly gregarious of people: a drama kid! I had to try to talk musicals. Although actually the worst bits were talking school, particularly cause I felt so distant from all of the stuff they do. Not that I want to do GCSE's, big tests scare me to the extreme, last week my mom proposed the idea of my taking the PSATs in October and I went off on a teenage Temper Tantrum for most of the day. but all of the stuff that goes with the GCSEs, with being in the last year before Sixth Form, all of the menial elements of British school life...I wish I was part of it. It works, to some extent, the other way round too, though. They seemed to love the fact that I actually take "one of those yellow buses" to and from school. Also, we did this weird hippie thing involving the special powers of particular stones. I was surprised by how well us three got on, considering all our differences. Overall, a good day.
Spent one day in London. Train ride in listening to Elbow--beautiful record, though has obtained some scratches, god knows how, I've been careful with this disc. The old London rooftops are great. Because of the Olympics next year, they're doing all these renovations so London's tricky to move around in. I went to the Natural Science Museum! I haven't been in about ten years, we looked at crystals and stuff about space. Then, we hung around Harrods, and I looked at magazines, vintage movie posters, and the crazy expensive clothes they have there. Then, I went to the hard Rock Cafe! Which in itself isn't that great a place but I'm a stupid music geek. Lastly, my sister dragged us to Hamleys a half hour before closing time, and I lay in a heap in a state of semi-consciousness in the teddy bear section.
Here's something I like almost to the point of a fetish; historical reenactments. and a less edgy fetish there never has been. There's this manor house round where I used to live that does those circa Tudor, Elizabethan, and WWII at various points during the year. They have people dressed up inside the house, and then stalls and shops--making cheese, beer, etc.--in the surrounding area. This time round people were getting their Tudor on and there were about 150 of these actors wandering around. It's not like their big Elizabethan reenactment, where they have 250+people and it's amazing, but still it was pretty damn cool. Best people were the minstrels who wandered around the grounds, creepy alchemists in the woods, and the drunken layabouts having a party in the small brewery who attempted to slur some innuendo at us as we wandered past. I know, I know, romanticizing medieval Europe is all too easy when the sun is shining and you're just watching people play weird string instruments and such, but in reality those times weren't good, we've established all of this. Still, I just love the idea of being a Tudor for a day, you know? I could picture myself getting involved one day, if at the ridicule of everyone I know, except you basically have to talk to the general public, which is hardly my forte, is it? Damn my vacant social skills! And damn you, 2011. I just wanna pick herbs and bake bread and wear weird clothes all day.
I finally saw the Inbetweeners movie! Overall, pretty good. The Inbetweeners is very lovable, even when it's not at it's funniest. It's all about capturing a teenage sense of humor, and in this they did it brilliantly. the ending was very cliched, though, which is my main complaint. much as I love the Inbetweeners, a sequel would be awful.
Our last day wasn't good. Heathrow was hell. Yesterday's flight was cancelled cause of Irene, so they were trying to get twice as many people in. Tickets were a mess and it took an hour to check in, even though there were five people in front of us when we got in line. Also, I'd been quite sick for most of the week and was getting very anxious at everything. Not Heathrow at its best. The plane ride was okay though.
I know these posts are very late, I've written stuff already and I'll get that up soon.
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Showing posts with label friends. Show all posts
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
in which I blog while watching BBC1.
Hey! It's England! And the morning! And the BBC! This is fun! I love BBC in the morning at my grandparents' house. I just ate a croissant. America's croissants aren't nearly as good as those you get in Marks and Spencers, and it's such a shame. My family are discussing whether the thing they can see in the garden is a fox or a flowerpot. I'm watching a cooking show. Could this BE more English?!
I've decided to blog to you intermittently over the course of today, as today is going to be a little bit crazy and rushed. Nevertheless, I'm extremely excited. Jet lag is a wonderful thing, if only because it allows me to get up earlier in the morning and watch crappy TV and go outside when it's cold. This is a great morning. Hey, my grandmother has just presented my mother with three bottles of white wine. Why this is happening at 10 in the morning, I couldn't say.
Anyway, I should back up a few days first.
On Tuesday, I went to Concord in the afternoon with my mother, as she was looking for 'quirky' gifts for some English friends of hers. 11 months she has to buy gifts, and she starts looking literally on the last day. We didn't have very long to look, but she found necklaces in a place we've been to before. I had to get back quickly so I got a drink and we left, when a thunderstorm started. I had a few minutes after getting back, and then in the evening I went to my friend's house. That was a whole lot of fun. It was with some people who I'd only met like once before so it was a bit weird at first, but it got normal pretty quickly. They all swam but I didn't feel like it, so I just sat on the side for that first part of the night and listened to music. After that we went inside and had food, and observed his younger siblings being hilarious(ly awkward). Afterwards we went outside and played Manhunt in the dark and again, Manhunt isn't really my thing but I hung out on the deck for whichever team was convenient at the time. After everyone left I played Animal Crossing for a few minutes. That was a really awesome day.
My family always pack on the last day. it may sound nightmarish, and trust me it is, but since we didn't have to go until the late afternoon this could have been worse. It turned out I couldn't really fit all my clothes in my suitcase, so that was a problem, and there were issues with electronics and what have you, so that took away most of the day, though there was a bit of time after to read. Headed to the airport at about 5 ish. Not too busy and no flight delays, got through security quickly, had dinner, and got on the flight.
It's always fun, hearing English accents on the cabin crew on Virgin Atlantic flights. We got off the ground quickly and were faced with a surprisingly short flight(5 and 3/4 hours. Thank the jet stream). Luckily, I got the good entertainment system this time round so I got to actually choose what I wanted to watch. The first thing I watched was this documentary called the Only Way is Essay, which I've heard loads about. Basically, it follows the lives of a group of 'chavs' in Essex, a place infamous for its poofy-haired, orange-skinned, high-heeled white trash residents. I'm actually from Essex, but I just take that in my stride. The show was brilliant and I can't wait to watch more while I'm here. Unfortunately the Office wasn't on the plane, but THEY ADDED PEEP SHOW TO THE LIST. First year they've done that! It may have taken seven years, but Peep Show has reached that milestone. I also watched 30 Rock(my 2nd time--pretty okayish), Family Guy(getting progressively less clever and funny as time goes by, it seems), the Simpsons(still going strong, if largely ignored, like the opposite of Family Guy), Modern Family(actually not bad), and the Inbetweeners. Oh my god, the Inbetweeners. Everyone in England's been crazy about that show, and this is the first time I've watched it. It's not like comedy genius but, wow, is it addicting. My mind was blown by how awesome Will is...and whoever plays Jay, they're brilliant, that was amazing. But wow, WILL. He's like a young Mark Corrigan, and it's great. Hopefully I can watch more episodes again. The show's like crack. Oh yeah, and my mother accidentally ripped the upholstery off the plastic part of her chair, and there was this god almighty tearing sound throughout the almost-silent cabin.
We had to circle about a bit before landing, Heathrow being insanely busy as always. Getting out of the airport, however, wasn't nearly as bad as it sometimes is. Got our luggage quickly. My grandparents had ordered a taxi for us, so he picked us up and we drove for 90 minutes to get to the house. I listened to Manchester Orchestra and slept for the first time in almost 24 hours. We finally got to my grandparent's house, and I felt dreadful so I forced myself to fall asleep in broad daylight. That afternoon I went down to the corner store, and bought English candy and music magazines. Very interesting to see how things change over the course of a year. We got back and had dinner.
On Friday, we went into the center of town for the afternoon after a slow morning. We're at a tourist-y beach town so naturally we dropped by the beach for a few minutes, which I guess was nice. Then we went food shopping, and went into Boots, where I spotted some lipgloss in every color under the sun, placed with no irony intended among pictures of pouty-lipped women. Then, finally, after 11 months of waiting, I got to back to my favorite store in the entire world...HMV. Oh my god, it's like heaven. Unfortunately I think they're planning to shut down some HMV shops(loss of income, illegal downloading, competition from iTunes, digital generation, you've heard it all before). And I honestly don't know how I'll be able to survive without it in future years. It's like bliss, they have SO many CDs and DVDs and they play awesome music and they have such great deals. I've mentioned the Two CDs for 10 Pounds deal before, and it's great because you can go in there and just buy something you never even considered buying, and you might end up loving it. Also, I got Imelda May's record for three pounds. Three pounds! How about that? Also, the new Kaiser Chiefs album. But looking through the selection, in that moment I just wanted infinite money so I could walk out of that place with twenty CDs--Wild BEasts, Patrick Wolf, Jamie Woon, James Blake, the Horrors, the lot. But two for now will suffice. Oh yes, and my mom bought something by Them Crooked Vultures. Honestly not something I would listen to otherwise, but it's a very slick record. Also I finally found Amlie on DVD! Ahh, the endless list of wonderful things about HMV. One of the things in England I still miss. I think it'd just make being a music fan so much more enjoyable, cause it's something I could do regularly--once a week or something--and I could buy new releases or I could buy old stuff so cheaply, and I would feel like I actually lived in a culture that cares about music. And I mean caring about it in the way that people who are really into music do(not just the godawful pop/emo/shitty gross commercial rock crowds). That would be so, so wonderful. Anyway, enough of HMV for now. In the evening my aunt came by, and I had a great night from then on.
Now, it is currently late in the evening of today. I had a pretty decent day. After that morning I ate lunch outside as a picnic, on these retro picnic mats that are from the actual 70s, and are covered in flowers and swirly patterns and they're just the coolest things. In the afternoon I went shopping at this really cool town near here, mostly to allow my mother to buy gifts for her friends again. So, we went into quirky shops and they had a market, and markets are pretty amazing. We went into furniture shops and I bought stuff at an old-fashioned sweets shop, which I ate secretly in a local cafe. I ended up walking through a lot of the town barefoot. We went swimming at this public pool and it was late so it was really quiet and nice, then in the evening we walked around a park outside. We had curry for dinner and watched trashy TV. The perfect English evening, no?
This is getting pretty ramble-y, so I'll get back to you later in the week. I'll quickly tel you I've been listening to a lot of Arctic Monkeys, Katy B, Them Crooked Vultures, et cetera. Not reading anything terribly interesting at this very second. That's it. Goodnight. Enjoy your summers.
I've decided to blog to you intermittently over the course of today, as today is going to be a little bit crazy and rushed. Nevertheless, I'm extremely excited. Jet lag is a wonderful thing, if only because it allows me to get up earlier in the morning and watch crappy TV and go outside when it's cold. This is a great morning. Hey, my grandmother has just presented my mother with three bottles of white wine. Why this is happening at 10 in the morning, I couldn't say.
Anyway, I should back up a few days first.
On Tuesday, I went to Concord in the afternoon with my mother, as she was looking for 'quirky' gifts for some English friends of hers. 11 months she has to buy gifts, and she starts looking literally on the last day. We didn't have very long to look, but she found necklaces in a place we've been to before. I had to get back quickly so I got a drink and we left, when a thunderstorm started. I had a few minutes after getting back, and then in the evening I went to my friend's house. That was a whole lot of fun. It was with some people who I'd only met like once before so it was a bit weird at first, but it got normal pretty quickly. They all swam but I didn't feel like it, so I just sat on the side for that first part of the night and listened to music. After that we went inside and had food, and observed his younger siblings being hilarious(ly awkward). Afterwards we went outside and played Manhunt in the dark and again, Manhunt isn't really my thing but I hung out on the deck for whichever team was convenient at the time. After everyone left I played Animal Crossing for a few minutes. That was a really awesome day.
My family always pack on the last day. it may sound nightmarish, and trust me it is, but since we didn't have to go until the late afternoon this could have been worse. It turned out I couldn't really fit all my clothes in my suitcase, so that was a problem, and there were issues with electronics and what have you, so that took away most of the day, though there was a bit of time after to read. Headed to the airport at about 5 ish. Not too busy and no flight delays, got through security quickly, had dinner, and got on the flight.
It's always fun, hearing English accents on the cabin crew on Virgin Atlantic flights. We got off the ground quickly and were faced with a surprisingly short flight(5 and 3/4 hours. Thank the jet stream). Luckily, I got the good entertainment system this time round so I got to actually choose what I wanted to watch. The first thing I watched was this documentary called the Only Way is Essay, which I've heard loads about. Basically, it follows the lives of a group of 'chavs' in Essex, a place infamous for its poofy-haired, orange-skinned, high-heeled white trash residents. I'm actually from Essex, but I just take that in my stride. The show was brilliant and I can't wait to watch more while I'm here. Unfortunately the Office wasn't on the plane, but THEY ADDED PEEP SHOW TO THE LIST. First year they've done that! It may have taken seven years, but Peep Show has reached that milestone. I also watched 30 Rock(my 2nd time--pretty okayish), Family Guy(getting progressively less clever and funny as time goes by, it seems), the Simpsons(still going strong, if largely ignored, like the opposite of Family Guy), Modern Family(actually not bad), and the Inbetweeners. Oh my god, the Inbetweeners. Everyone in England's been crazy about that show, and this is the first time I've watched it. It's not like comedy genius but, wow, is it addicting. My mind was blown by how awesome Will is...and whoever plays Jay, they're brilliant, that was amazing. But wow, WILL. He's like a young Mark Corrigan, and it's great. Hopefully I can watch more episodes again. The show's like crack. Oh yeah, and my mother accidentally ripped the upholstery off the plastic part of her chair, and there was this god almighty tearing sound throughout the almost-silent cabin.
We had to circle about a bit before landing, Heathrow being insanely busy as always. Getting out of the airport, however, wasn't nearly as bad as it sometimes is. Got our luggage quickly. My grandparents had ordered a taxi for us, so he picked us up and we drove for 90 minutes to get to the house. I listened to Manchester Orchestra and slept for the first time in almost 24 hours. We finally got to my grandparent's house, and I felt dreadful so I forced myself to fall asleep in broad daylight. That afternoon I went down to the corner store, and bought English candy and music magazines. Very interesting to see how things change over the course of a year. We got back and had dinner.
On Friday, we went into the center of town for the afternoon after a slow morning. We're at a tourist-y beach town so naturally we dropped by the beach for a few minutes, which I guess was nice. Then we went food shopping, and went into Boots, where I spotted some lipgloss in every color under the sun, placed with no irony intended among pictures of pouty-lipped women. Then, finally, after 11 months of waiting, I got to back to my favorite store in the entire world...HMV. Oh my god, it's like heaven. Unfortunately I think they're planning to shut down some HMV shops(loss of income, illegal downloading, competition from iTunes, digital generation, you've heard it all before). And I honestly don't know how I'll be able to survive without it in future years. It's like bliss, they have SO many CDs and DVDs and they play awesome music and they have such great deals. I've mentioned the Two CDs for 10 Pounds deal before, and it's great because you can go in there and just buy something you never even considered buying, and you might end up loving it. Also, I got Imelda May's record for three pounds. Three pounds! How about that? Also, the new Kaiser Chiefs album. But looking through the selection, in that moment I just wanted infinite money so I could walk out of that place with twenty CDs--Wild BEasts, Patrick Wolf, Jamie Woon, James Blake, the Horrors, the lot. But two for now will suffice. Oh yes, and my mom bought something by Them Crooked Vultures. Honestly not something I would listen to otherwise, but it's a very slick record. Also I finally found Amlie on DVD! Ahh, the endless list of wonderful things about HMV. One of the things in England I still miss. I think it'd just make being a music fan so much more enjoyable, cause it's something I could do regularly--once a week or something--and I could buy new releases or I could buy old stuff so cheaply, and I would feel like I actually lived in a culture that cares about music. And I mean caring about it in the way that people who are really into music do(not just the godawful pop/emo/shitty gross commercial rock crowds). That would be so, so wonderful. Anyway, enough of HMV for now. In the evening my aunt came by, and I had a great night from then on.
Now, it is currently late in the evening of today. I had a pretty decent day. After that morning I ate lunch outside as a picnic, on these retro picnic mats that are from the actual 70s, and are covered in flowers and swirly patterns and they're just the coolest things. In the afternoon I went shopping at this really cool town near here, mostly to allow my mother to buy gifts for her friends again. So, we went into quirky shops and they had a market, and markets are pretty amazing. We went into furniture shops and I bought stuff at an old-fashioned sweets shop, which I ate secretly in a local cafe. I ended up walking through a lot of the town barefoot. We went swimming at this public pool and it was late so it was really quiet and nice, then in the evening we walked around a park outside. We had curry for dinner and watched trashy TV. The perfect English evening, no?
This is getting pretty ramble-y, so I'll get back to you later in the week. I'll quickly tel you I've been listening to a lot of Arctic Monkeys, Katy B, Them Crooked Vultures, et cetera. Not reading anything terribly interesting at this very second. That's it. Goodnight. Enjoy your summers.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
So, Great Week.
I've had the most amazing few days, it's been brilliant. Though, I have been sleep deprived even by my sleep deprived standards. Urge to resist becoming the 'neurotic sleep deprived coffee-addicted freshman' stereotype fleeting fast.
Let's begin with today. After ten hours of sleep. First things first, amazing weather for the first time in forever. Sometimes lately I wake up and think it's March. Can't wait to wear shorts again soon. Sort of. Was reading for most of the afternoon, staying outside, then went to the mall. There's something so glorious about red shorts. And sort of burned orange shorts, too. Yay, shorts. Plus, I finally found the Sweeney Todd movie soundtrack in FYE, which I've been looking for for ages. I listened to it all afternoon, can't wait to obsessively listen to A Little Priest, there's something so pleasing about the idea of, like, being in public listening to a song about cannibalism, while everyone else around you is none the wiser. Stephen Sondheim is brilliant. I'm trying to learn some of the easy piano versions of some stuff I got for my birthday, particularly Pretty Women. One of my favorites. and I'm listening to more of the Sweeney Todd Broadway stuff...so good. Came home, was reading again, and had a piano recital(which I don't believe I've mentioned very much?) in the evening. Was surprisingly very calm though was struck with a huge headache, but I somehow worked my way through my piece. The place was filled with the usual set of eight year old child prodigies, and kids in Gap dresses with camera-waving over zealous mothers, and me. Apparently I made up for the relative simplicity of my piece with 'dynamics', but who knows. This is questionable. I had to perform in flats--ugh, I might as well perform in flip flops for all the trouble they've caused me. But oh oh oh, some guy played a piece from Amelie. Amelie. Yann Tiersen, fuck yes. He was sososo good, and the piece is gorgeous. On top of this and getting to play in this huge, magnificent, Gothic library, I got to play on an effing Steinway grand piano...I might just have to organize a sort of gang of friends to help me steal that piano, because I simply cannot return to my upright after that amazing experience. Grand pianos make my life. My mom says that maybe in a couple years, we could get a grand...just have to get good at piano first, I suppose. I would do it, for a grand.
Tomorrow is a sleep day, homework, et cetera.
Friday. Get home from school, get to go to said library to practice quickly on aforementioned piano that is the epitome of beauty in musical instruments. Had to practice in the shoes, and there's something entertaining in how they didn't match with old jeans and an Arctic Monkeys t-shirt. A piano teacher I don't know said I played beautifully, so good. Quickly come home, and went to travelling fair thing that comes to my town for two days every year. This is always an interesting, and sometimes fun, experience, though most of it is spent running around looking for lost friends rather than doing anything. I don't go on rides, so this works for me. I was much happier with this year's than I expected. I hung around with the usual groups of people, waited for them in lines, threw around someone's shoe for the hell of it...that experience ended up being almost violent, then had to look for someone's 'favorite lip gloss' in the dark. I always associate big nighttime events, such as this, with a slight feeling of sadness, even when I'm at my happiest. It's hard to describe. For the first time this year, I feel as if my freshman year is about to end...even with a month to go. Do you have any idea just how fast(how...too fast) this year has gone? I have a problem with being scared of the future, thus this is not good. I observed last night, just how many people I talked to who I didn't know in middle school. That kick started this nostalgia thing. So many good people, so many more than last year, wow. It's a weird, contrived sense of unity that probably doesn't exist in reality. No one else senses that. And I'm both shy and introverted, what do I know about the social networks of my grade? Nothing, that's what. So I'm ignorant of it, so what? I hated 6th grade, I wasn't a big fan of 7th grade, I loathed 8th grade, I hated all but about five people, at the best of times, who I was with in middle school. Even with all its separate issues, mainly concerning sleeping patterns, high school is such a step up from that. 'The best four years of my life' I certainly hope it is not, but the worst, it has not been so far. So...in between the loud Katy Perry songs, the friends, texting, people basically attacking one friend, meeting new people, talking to people I haven't talked to in ages, screaming people on rides, being cold, running around, darkness, and watching as two policemen casually ignored the weed-smoking teenagers ten feet off, this is what this night did to me. Why am I such a sentimental mess.
Thursday was good too--Arctic Monkeys concert! It was interesting to note that there was a basebell game beginning and ending at exactly the same time, and as Fenway is right next to the venue, getting in and out was a nightmare. For the first time, I really observed the extent to which some people will go for this. Never a phenomenon I have understood with sports, and never a phenomenon I will understand with the Red Sox in particular. It was me, my family, and some shy indie kids, waiting in line outside the gig while hordes of screaming drunk, red-capped lunatics ran past down the street. One feels truly alienated because this is Massachusetts culture at its most stereotyped(and, er, most true) form, yes? Anyway, it was the usual venue, and the Vaccines were supporting so I got to check out the hype around them. They always blurred into the usual oasis-wannabee bands that crop up on the NME regularly. They were alright. Post Break up Sex is a good song, but everything else...eh. Maybe it would've been cool in 2006. Anyway, 2nd time seeing the Arctics, last time they were less than dynamic, but someone fell on me and I blacked out for a couple of moments. The crowd was, dare I say, even more crazy this time round, and I was further away, so much so that I could barely see Alex(it is crucial that I see Alex. Crucial.) but no matter. They opened with something from Suck It And See(comes out in June.), then did The View From The Afternoon(headbanging, woah), Brianstorm(amaaaaazing), This House Is A Circus, Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair, Teddy Picker, Crying Lightning, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, Potion Approaching, Brick by Brick(*eyetwitch*), If You Were There Beware, Do Me A Favour, and Cornerstone. Encore was Pretty Visitors, another Suck It And See song, and the brilliant Fluorescent Adolescent. They were surprisingly more energetic this time, though they were having drum issues and Alex remains both annoyingly and adorably shy. Those were all good songs live. They played a few more new songs, sad to say they all sound fairly tame, and in particular I miss Alex's old lyrical style so much. Listen to Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not, and tell me that those words coming from a seventeen year old aren't brilliant. I dare you. Now it's so, like, bland. Can someone please, please, please, for the love of humanity keep Josh Homme away from all future Arctic Monkeys records? Because I do not want California surf pop on my Arctic Monkeys record. I'm sorry, I just don't. At least Alex had the sense to cut his hair, otherwise all hope would truly be lost. Regardless, I'm still looking forward to the record, and the concert was really good and I'm so excited to see them again in August.
Listening to them and Man Orch and Elbow lately.
So, school.
Art has proved to be beyond frustrating and boring, so I've taken to doing my homework instead of doing any work. my piece looks terrible. Next I have to paint a picture of my house. Fun.
Health, not very interesting, talking about birth control(*yawn*). It's funny how the health teachers here all think they're so liberal because they talk about condoms and whatever, but secretly they're uber conservative and they're actually reluctant to talk about birth control and just want everyone to stay virgins forever. On Thursday we had to design a 'perfect partner'(a bit personal, no?). I don't see any purpose for this. My only input was voting on hair and eye color. it doesn't bare thinking about, the activity that has been planned for this. Also, I totally need to get started on my health project.
Science began the week with an test. An 88, hmmm, better than average so I'm happy enough. I didn't study for as long as some, though, so that's ok. Now we're doing evolution, which I don't know enough about. I got my science project back, I got an 82, because my poster didn't look pretty, but how can you make a poster about 20th century biologists look good? I don't understand. I have to go outside tomorrow.
world Civ, watched videos for most of the week, most of them very dull indeed, talked about colonists, now constructing a sort of English village going into the industrial revolution. A good time for homework.
English, finally finished Tale of Two Cities and I must say, I liked it a lot. We did that and grammar and analysis all week, then watched some of the movie on Thursday...which was average at best. Ah well. Did another couple of fishbowls, finally got 100% on at least one, so I suppose I'm improving. My teacher was out Friday, so we watched the movie the entire time! Bliss.
Doctor Who. Weird but good this week. Had a bad headache so didn't pay as much attention as I would've liked. Interesting idea. My only other comment is this: yay, Rory, congrats on not dying.
Anyway, I've gotta write about whether pre marital sex is okay, so goodnight.
Let's begin with today. After ten hours of sleep. First things first, amazing weather for the first time in forever. Sometimes lately I wake up and think it's March. Can't wait to wear shorts again soon. Sort of. Was reading for most of the afternoon, staying outside, then went to the mall. There's something so glorious about red shorts. And sort of burned orange shorts, too. Yay, shorts. Plus, I finally found the Sweeney Todd movie soundtrack in FYE, which I've been looking for for ages. I listened to it all afternoon, can't wait to obsessively listen to A Little Priest, there's something so pleasing about the idea of, like, being in public listening to a song about cannibalism, while everyone else around you is none the wiser. Stephen Sondheim is brilliant. I'm trying to learn some of the easy piano versions of some stuff I got for my birthday, particularly Pretty Women. One of my favorites. and I'm listening to more of the Sweeney Todd Broadway stuff...so good. Came home, was reading again, and had a piano recital(which I don't believe I've mentioned very much?) in the evening. Was surprisingly very calm though was struck with a huge headache, but I somehow worked my way through my piece. The place was filled with the usual set of eight year old child prodigies, and kids in Gap dresses with camera-waving over zealous mothers, and me. Apparently I made up for the relative simplicity of my piece with 'dynamics', but who knows. This is questionable. I had to perform in flats--ugh, I might as well perform in flip flops for all the trouble they've caused me. But oh oh oh, some guy played a piece from Amelie. Amelie. Yann Tiersen, fuck yes. He was sososo good, and the piece is gorgeous. On top of this and getting to play in this huge, magnificent, Gothic library, I got to play on an effing Steinway grand piano...I might just have to organize a sort of gang of friends to help me steal that piano, because I simply cannot return to my upright after that amazing experience. Grand pianos make my life. My mom says that maybe in a couple years, we could get a grand...just have to get good at piano first, I suppose. I would do it, for a grand.
Tomorrow is a sleep day, homework, et cetera.
Friday. Get home from school, get to go to said library to practice quickly on aforementioned piano that is the epitome of beauty in musical instruments. Had to practice in the shoes, and there's something entertaining in how they didn't match with old jeans and an Arctic Monkeys t-shirt. A piano teacher I don't know said I played beautifully, so good. Quickly come home, and went to travelling fair thing that comes to my town for two days every year. This is always an interesting, and sometimes fun, experience, though most of it is spent running around looking for lost friends rather than doing anything. I don't go on rides, so this works for me. I was much happier with this year's than I expected. I hung around with the usual groups of people, waited for them in lines, threw around someone's shoe for the hell of it...that experience ended up being almost violent, then had to look for someone's 'favorite lip gloss' in the dark. I always associate big nighttime events, such as this, with a slight feeling of sadness, even when I'm at my happiest. It's hard to describe. For the first time this year, I feel as if my freshman year is about to end...even with a month to go. Do you have any idea just how fast(how...too fast) this year has gone? I have a problem with being scared of the future, thus this is not good. I observed last night, just how many people I talked to who I didn't know in middle school. That kick started this nostalgia thing. So many good people, so many more than last year, wow. It's a weird, contrived sense of unity that probably doesn't exist in reality. No one else senses that. And I'm both shy and introverted, what do I know about the social networks of my grade? Nothing, that's what. So I'm ignorant of it, so what? I hated 6th grade, I wasn't a big fan of 7th grade, I loathed 8th grade, I hated all but about five people, at the best of times, who I was with in middle school. Even with all its separate issues, mainly concerning sleeping patterns, high school is such a step up from that. 'The best four years of my life' I certainly hope it is not, but the worst, it has not been so far. So...in between the loud Katy Perry songs, the friends, texting, people basically attacking one friend, meeting new people, talking to people I haven't talked to in ages, screaming people on rides, being cold, running around, darkness, and watching as two policemen casually ignored the weed-smoking teenagers ten feet off, this is what this night did to me. Why am I such a sentimental mess.
Thursday was good too--Arctic Monkeys concert! It was interesting to note that there was a basebell game beginning and ending at exactly the same time, and as Fenway is right next to the venue, getting in and out was a nightmare. For the first time, I really observed the extent to which some people will go for this. Never a phenomenon I have understood with sports, and never a phenomenon I will understand with the Red Sox in particular. It was me, my family, and some shy indie kids, waiting in line outside the gig while hordes of screaming drunk, red-capped lunatics ran past down the street. One feels truly alienated because this is Massachusetts culture at its most stereotyped(and, er, most true) form, yes? Anyway, it was the usual venue, and the Vaccines were supporting so I got to check out the hype around them. They always blurred into the usual oasis-wannabee bands that crop up on the NME regularly. They were alright. Post Break up Sex is a good song, but everything else...eh. Maybe it would've been cool in 2006. Anyway, 2nd time seeing the Arctics, last time they were less than dynamic, but someone fell on me and I blacked out for a couple of moments. The crowd was, dare I say, even more crazy this time round, and I was further away, so much so that I could barely see Alex(it is crucial that I see Alex. Crucial.) but no matter. They opened with something from Suck It And See(comes out in June.), then did The View From The Afternoon(headbanging, woah), Brianstorm(amaaaaazing), This House Is A Circus, Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair, Teddy Picker, Crying Lightning, I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor, Potion Approaching, Brick by Brick(*eyetwitch*), If You Were There Beware, Do Me A Favour, and Cornerstone. Encore was Pretty Visitors, another Suck It And See song, and the brilliant Fluorescent Adolescent. They were surprisingly more energetic this time, though they were having drum issues and Alex remains both annoyingly and adorably shy. Those were all good songs live. They played a few more new songs, sad to say they all sound fairly tame, and in particular I miss Alex's old lyrical style so much. Listen to Whatever People Say I Am That's What I'm Not, and tell me that those words coming from a seventeen year old aren't brilliant. I dare you. Now it's so, like, bland. Can someone please, please, please, for the love of humanity keep Josh Homme away from all future Arctic Monkeys records? Because I do not want California surf pop on my Arctic Monkeys record. I'm sorry, I just don't. At least Alex had the sense to cut his hair, otherwise all hope would truly be lost. Regardless, I'm still looking forward to the record, and the concert was really good and I'm so excited to see them again in August.
Listening to them and Man Orch and Elbow lately.
So, school.
Art has proved to be beyond frustrating and boring, so I've taken to doing my homework instead of doing any work. my piece looks terrible. Next I have to paint a picture of my house. Fun.
Health, not very interesting, talking about birth control(*yawn*). It's funny how the health teachers here all think they're so liberal because they talk about condoms and whatever, but secretly they're uber conservative and they're actually reluctant to talk about birth control and just want everyone to stay virgins forever. On Thursday we had to design a 'perfect partner'(a bit personal, no?). I don't see any purpose for this. My only input was voting on hair and eye color. it doesn't bare thinking about, the activity that has been planned for this. Also, I totally need to get started on my health project.
Science began the week with an test. An 88, hmmm, better than average so I'm happy enough. I didn't study for as long as some, though, so that's ok. Now we're doing evolution, which I don't know enough about. I got my science project back, I got an 82, because my poster didn't look pretty, but how can you make a poster about 20th century biologists look good? I don't understand. I have to go outside tomorrow.
world Civ, watched videos for most of the week, most of them very dull indeed, talked about colonists, now constructing a sort of English village going into the industrial revolution. A good time for homework.
English, finally finished Tale of Two Cities and I must say, I liked it a lot. We did that and grammar and analysis all week, then watched some of the movie on Thursday...which was average at best. Ah well. Did another couple of fishbowls, finally got 100% on at least one, so I suppose I'm improving. My teacher was out Friday, so we watched the movie the entire time! Bliss.
Doctor Who. Weird but good this week. Had a bad headache so didn't pay as much attention as I would've liked. Interesting idea. My only other comment is this: yay, Rory, congrats on not dying.
Anyway, I've gotta write about whether pre marital sex is okay, so goodnight.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
That "He's Hot When He's Clever" Face
Yesterday was the big day.
Doctor Who Day.
I spent the whole day yesterday thinking about little else. I just counted down the hours, watching the DW marathon on BBC America, checked out Doctor Who posts on tumblr, and tried to color for my art project that's due Tuesday(finishing that is so not gonna happen). I found myself talking to myself and moving around my house frantically and energetically("red pencil, yes, yes, there...yes, good, good color, red") and found I'd almost turned into the Doctor by about seven o'clock. I had friends come around to watch the show. They're not particularly familiar with the show, but I'm determined to turn them into die-hard Whovians.
So, the episode! If I was on Tumblr I'd post that gif meme of David Tennant on Buzzcocks with the words "MOFFAT!" on the bottom. Also I'd describe it as a 'mind-fuck', if I wasn't so resolutely set against using the word mind-fuck. So instead I'm just going to say it was absolutely amazing, incredible, wonderful, brilliant, genius, and so on, so classic Doctor Who. A few thoughts. One, I always loved River! More so than Amy in fact; I have mixed opinions on Amy. River fits pretty well into the typical role of 'fiesty companion' in Doctor Who, which admittedly after Donna and Amy isn't so new after all, but the fact that she's also smart and almost equals the Doctor in many ways I really like. So, River, a new favorite character. I'm very fond of that scene with the Doctor and River. "And River Song, you've got that face on again". "What face?". "That 'he's hot when he's clever' face". "This is my normal face". "Yes, it is". Not only is it accurate and makes me smile, it's a line I never would have imagined coming from doctors one through ten and makes me like Eleven more than I did last series. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty much infatuated with the Doctor in every form and with every writer and actor, but I was never really completely in love with Eleven. I found him so childlike and eccentric that we couldn't really break for Emotional Bits. Perhaps after Nine&Ten, that break was needed. David Tennant kind of changed Doctor Who forever, not only with his acting, but with the whole Ten&Rose romance bit, so maybe it was good that Moffat kinda reeled us back in so it was just pure adventure? I couldn't say. I'm afraid I'm stll hung up on David's departure, sorry. I've got to say I'm warming up to Eleven now. I'm hoping we'll get some Emotional Stuff with River later in the series, and maybe Matt'll add some unexpected layer to his take on the Doctor's character with that. I'm hoping, anyway. I found the episode to be particularly mind-bending, entracing, scary, and energetic, and generally a very good way to begin the series. Got a little distracted from the end of the story, what with having friends round, but I'll be able to catch up on the episode some time soon I suppose. Awesome.
Now, only 151 hours to go until the next episode. It's gonna be one of those weeks that never ends, I think.
April vacation has been expectedly wonderful. So much sleep, reading, late nights, British TV Shows, and new music-finding. What else could I possibly need? It's a shame the weather refuses to warm up until Tuesday(accomponied by rain and thunder) but it could be worse. Last year it was warmer--I was reading stuff from my old blog earlier today, and I was talking about going to the House of the Seven Gables and Mark Twain's house in Connecticut.I suppose I wasn't so sleep-deprived last year, which is why this week was less eventful than that one.
Oh yes, happy Easter, I almost forgot! How could I forget easter? I suppose too much fun stuff has been happening to concentrate on it. I got the usual selection of chocolate, though this year I'm determined to eat it a whole lot slower. I love Easter, though not much goes on, so today was fun.
Wednesday I went downtown with some friends again. Always a fun experience! The usual dancing to folk/blues/jazz in the town's hippie gift store, laughing at money-grabbing Easter gifts in CVS, and talking about the usual(school, religion, people) in Bertuccis. Chocolate cake this time, too. Fun times, of course. There was a brief moment of panic when I had to go to my piano lesson immediately after, and I didn't know where in the town my mom had parked, so I ended up being driven around the town until I found my mom in her car, and she seemed confused. I had to run across the road and go to my lesson.
I have a piano recital in a few weeks and I've yet to force my brain into thinking about seriously preparing for that. I'm doing a version of Rimsky Korsakov's 'Song of India' which is a beautiful piece. I can play it decently well already so I supose it's not too much of a problem, yet.
AND straight after that, still on Wednesday, I went to a James Blunt concert with my mom. This probably gives you the wrong impression of my mother...she actually has a pretty cool music taste, she likes Muse, Gaga, Elvis Costello, Kasabian, bands like that. This concert was her idea, not mine by the way. I'm not entirely sure why she wanted to go. She said she liked his first album but it could just be an Ironic Thing, I don't know. I wanted to go, though, because this was April Vacation and I haven't been to a show since Weezer in December and for me May 10th is too long a time to wait to go to another. I'm spoiled, yeah. We were stuck at the back of the venue, and Christina Perri opened. Turns out this was her first ever show, and she came across as being rather overexcited in a very teenager-ish way. I...wasn't keen on the music. She played a few 'emotional' piano ballads in the same vein as Jar of Hearts, and a couple more up-beat things which were slightly more interesting. Not a whole lot to be said there. James Blunt played a hugely long set--annoying, since I only know about five songs and of those only really wanted to hear one--but I suppose he was...okay. Oh, he's so posh! And he tries not to be! He wanted to be so rock n roll so he started talking about stage diving and asking people to take their clothes off. The music was alright apart from a few cringe-worthy pieces, he did stage dive in the end, he doesn't look like how I expected him to exactly, and he closed with 1973 which is my favorite of his songs. The crowd was an interesting mix, everything from thirteen year olds in Uggs to groups of middle aged women. You've got to love the one guy trying to fist-pump energetically at a James Blunt concert.
So overall, that was a fun night, if completely exchausting. It was at my favorite venue I've ever been to, and it's just really really fun being back there, cause I haven't been there since Halloween(seeing Florence). I'm saying Manchester Orchestra with Cage the Elephant and O'Brother there in a couple weeks, Arctic Monkeys with the Vaccines the weekend after, The Script in early June, and Tim Minchin after that. Oh it's exciting.
Thursday not a lot happened. I went to a music shop to look for sheet music. I'm determined to find sheet music for Star Wars and Sweeney Todd so I can play them on piano. Sweeney Todd is problematic to find. Star Wars less so of course, but my favorite piece Star Wars is Victory Celebration, from the last scene in Return of the Jedi. It's not very popular and it's also less obvious how to arrange it for piano so it's kind of hard to find anywhere. But, I absolutely adore the piece and seeing as I'm awful at arranging pieces from ear, I need the sheet music.
Not a lot happened on Friday, fairly ordinary day. Nice weather, listening to music, at cetera.
School tomorrow, not looking forward(particularly to the irritating morning announcements which read off everyone who has a birthday that day. ho hum). Tomorrow is health(so so), science(test result back, oh dear), world civ(doing the project that my group have finished I think, usually good), and english(a new book, I suspect, probs Tale of Two Cities or Romeo and Juliet). After that it's homeworkhomeworkhomework and presents.
Good thing I've less than two months left to go, now. Summer's coming. I'm still so tired, I need a break.
Gonna go and watch Mr. Nobody online, night.
Doctor Who Day.
I spent the whole day yesterday thinking about little else. I just counted down the hours, watching the DW marathon on BBC America, checked out Doctor Who posts on tumblr, and tried to color for my art project that's due Tuesday(finishing that is so not gonna happen). I found myself talking to myself and moving around my house frantically and energetically("red pencil, yes, yes, there...yes, good, good color, red") and found I'd almost turned into the Doctor by about seven o'clock. I had friends come around to watch the show. They're not particularly familiar with the show, but I'm determined to turn them into die-hard Whovians.
So, the episode! If I was on Tumblr I'd post that gif meme of David Tennant on Buzzcocks with the words "MOFFAT!" on the bottom. Also I'd describe it as a 'mind-fuck', if I wasn't so resolutely set against using the word mind-fuck. So instead I'm just going to say it was absolutely amazing, incredible, wonderful, brilliant, genius, and so on, so classic Doctor Who. A few thoughts. One, I always loved River! More so than Amy in fact; I have mixed opinions on Amy. River fits pretty well into the typical role of 'fiesty companion' in Doctor Who, which admittedly after Donna and Amy isn't so new after all, but the fact that she's also smart and almost equals the Doctor in many ways I really like. So, River, a new favorite character. I'm very fond of that scene with the Doctor and River. "And River Song, you've got that face on again". "What face?". "That 'he's hot when he's clever' face". "This is my normal face". "Yes, it is". Not only is it accurate and makes me smile, it's a line I never would have imagined coming from doctors one through ten and makes me like Eleven more than I did last series. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty much infatuated with the Doctor in every form and with every writer and actor, but I was never really completely in love with Eleven. I found him so childlike and eccentric that we couldn't really break for Emotional Bits. Perhaps after Nine&Ten, that break was needed. David Tennant kind of changed Doctor Who forever, not only with his acting, but with the whole Ten&Rose romance bit, so maybe it was good that Moffat kinda reeled us back in so it was just pure adventure? I couldn't say. I'm afraid I'm stll hung up on David's departure, sorry. I've got to say I'm warming up to Eleven now. I'm hoping we'll get some Emotional Stuff with River later in the series, and maybe Matt'll add some unexpected layer to his take on the Doctor's character with that. I'm hoping, anyway. I found the episode to be particularly mind-bending, entracing, scary, and energetic, and generally a very good way to begin the series. Got a little distracted from the end of the story, what with having friends round, but I'll be able to catch up on the episode some time soon I suppose. Awesome.
Now, only 151 hours to go until the next episode. It's gonna be one of those weeks that never ends, I think.
April vacation has been expectedly wonderful. So much sleep, reading, late nights, British TV Shows, and new music-finding. What else could I possibly need? It's a shame the weather refuses to warm up until Tuesday(accomponied by rain and thunder) but it could be worse. Last year it was warmer--I was reading stuff from my old blog earlier today, and I was talking about going to the House of the Seven Gables and Mark Twain's house in Connecticut.I suppose I wasn't so sleep-deprived last year, which is why this week was less eventful than that one.
Oh yes, happy Easter, I almost forgot! How could I forget easter? I suppose too much fun stuff has been happening to concentrate on it. I got the usual selection of chocolate, though this year I'm determined to eat it a whole lot slower. I love Easter, though not much goes on, so today was fun.
Wednesday I went downtown with some friends again. Always a fun experience! The usual dancing to folk/blues/jazz in the town's hippie gift store, laughing at money-grabbing Easter gifts in CVS, and talking about the usual(school, religion, people) in Bertuccis. Chocolate cake this time, too. Fun times, of course. There was a brief moment of panic when I had to go to my piano lesson immediately after, and I didn't know where in the town my mom had parked, so I ended up being driven around the town until I found my mom in her car, and she seemed confused. I had to run across the road and go to my lesson.
I have a piano recital in a few weeks and I've yet to force my brain into thinking about seriously preparing for that. I'm doing a version of Rimsky Korsakov's 'Song of India' which is a beautiful piece. I can play it decently well already so I supose it's not too much of a problem, yet.
AND straight after that, still on Wednesday, I went to a James Blunt concert with my mom. This probably gives you the wrong impression of my mother...she actually has a pretty cool music taste, she likes Muse, Gaga, Elvis Costello, Kasabian, bands like that. This concert was her idea, not mine by the way. I'm not entirely sure why she wanted to go. She said she liked his first album but it could just be an Ironic Thing, I don't know. I wanted to go, though, because this was April Vacation and I haven't been to a show since Weezer in December and for me May 10th is too long a time to wait to go to another. I'm spoiled, yeah. We were stuck at the back of the venue, and Christina Perri opened. Turns out this was her first ever show, and she came across as being rather overexcited in a very teenager-ish way. I...wasn't keen on the music. She played a few 'emotional' piano ballads in the same vein as Jar of Hearts, and a couple more up-beat things which were slightly more interesting. Not a whole lot to be said there. James Blunt played a hugely long set--annoying, since I only know about five songs and of those only really wanted to hear one--but I suppose he was...okay. Oh, he's so posh! And he tries not to be! He wanted to be so rock n roll so he started talking about stage diving and asking people to take their clothes off. The music was alright apart from a few cringe-worthy pieces, he did stage dive in the end, he doesn't look like how I expected him to exactly, and he closed with 1973 which is my favorite of his songs. The crowd was an interesting mix, everything from thirteen year olds in Uggs to groups of middle aged women. You've got to love the one guy trying to fist-pump energetically at a James Blunt concert.
So overall, that was a fun night, if completely exchausting. It was at my favorite venue I've ever been to, and it's just really really fun being back there, cause I haven't been there since Halloween(seeing Florence). I'm saying Manchester Orchestra with Cage the Elephant and O'Brother there in a couple weeks, Arctic Monkeys with the Vaccines the weekend after, The Script in early June, and Tim Minchin after that. Oh it's exciting.
Thursday not a lot happened. I went to a music shop to look for sheet music. I'm determined to find sheet music for Star Wars and Sweeney Todd so I can play them on piano. Sweeney Todd is problematic to find. Star Wars less so of course, but my favorite piece Star Wars is Victory Celebration, from the last scene in Return of the Jedi. It's not very popular and it's also less obvious how to arrange it for piano so it's kind of hard to find anywhere. But, I absolutely adore the piece and seeing as I'm awful at arranging pieces from ear, I need the sheet music.
Not a lot happened on Friday, fairly ordinary day. Nice weather, listening to music, at cetera.
School tomorrow, not looking forward(particularly to the irritating morning announcements which read off everyone who has a birthday that day. ho hum). Tomorrow is health(so so), science(test result back, oh dear), world civ(doing the project that my group have finished I think, usually good), and english(a new book, I suspect, probs Tale of Two Cities or Romeo and Juliet). After that it's homeworkhomeworkhomework and presents.
Good thing I've less than two months left to go, now. Summer's coming. I'm still so tired, I need a break.
Gonna go and watch Mr. Nobody online, night.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Don't Be A Nightingale For Anyone's Space To Fill
American Mary - The National
This is what I was trying to post yesterday. I HATE YOU BLOGSPOT.
Hey.
My parents are out looking at furniture or something , my sister is upstairs but for some reason left Nickelodeon running on the TV. I've been doing science homework but the section I had to take notes on was enormous and my back started to hurt so I watched Peep Show, ate pringles, and came here.
It's a deadbeat autumn Saturday afternoon.
Or, it was. Whatever.
I had a great time at the party Friday overall. There were 13 of us and some people dressed up but I didn't. When asked my favorite celebrity I said Tim Minchin, although depending on your viewpoint you might not consider him famous. Anyway, on second thoughts I realised I could not do that hair and I don't have time to go looking for color-changing contacts or tail coat suits. There wasn't a whole lot to do there once you got over the Top 40 radio, strobe light, and the annoyance of someone turning the lights off periodically and everyone else screaming for no reason, it was a lot of fun. We delved into your typical gossipy party games, ate, watched TV, went outside briefly, had a sort of failed attempt at a Ouija board, and all of that stuff. It was funny and fun and you know...let's say socially comfortable for me. That's a stupid term I'm gonna pen, but live with it. Plus, few people infuriated me beyond belief which is weirdly rare. I love my random splurges of supposed socialness. It's fun.
Oh yeah. And that night, my sister had a birthday party for a friend, and a sleepover. As a present, her and her other friend made a giant ugly doll. It is like five feet tall. It wouldn't fit in the car so they had to put the ugly doll in one car and themselves in the other. The whole thing was ridiculous.*
Today(as in, like, today today. Be expecting time paradox things tonight, folks) I bought a t-shirt, did homework, and stayed home. Again, not bad. It's been a good weekend. I am sick of triangles and my math homework took an eternity today. Also, I added CDs to my iPod. Nothing much beyond that. Funny that.
Hang on, I'm gonna go fetch a CD.
Back. Ah, Editors, lovely. I could probably marry Tom Smith's voice alone. In this light and on this evening, this song's become the most beautiful thing I've heard. Watch clips from them at Glasto. It's gorgeous beyond belief. Saw 'em at V but obviously there are no videos from V this year. Especially of Editors for some reason.
There's a big misconception in music that Interpol are better than Editors. I'm just trying to clear that up. Editors are, too. This album's a beaut.
Did you hear Thom Yorke's doing a charity single that's just two minutes of silence? Jesus Christ! What an idiot! I like my Radiohead, of course, but Thom Yorke alone is just dumb. Thom Yorke solo = beyond overrated. I'm not gonna elaborate on that. I fear for my life for saying that alone.
Oh yes, how could I forget school. It's going swimmingly. Like I said, I hate triangles. I presented my bridge project in geometry about bridges. I was very, very scared but overall it wasn't bad. My teacher was annoyed that I couldn't find the designer. I was annoyed because I COULDN'T. That information just wasn't there to be found! I'm serious! It's irritating that my grade is lowered because of that. The good thing is that it meant I got a free day Friday where I got to read while everyone else presented their projects. Fun fun fun. Science, the test was trickier than I expected but it wasn't impossible by any means. Momentum and energy suck, okay? That is all I have to say. And, Spanish is just easy vocab and stuff. We're making salsa on Tuesday for some reason. We're in small groups and we're being tested in this stuff. It's weird. I don't actually care for much salsa...or Mexican food...I don't actually know why I'm learning this language.
Also I'm going on a field trip Tuesday for Geo. Good thing it clashes with salsa!
My gym teacher didn't get as angry with me as expected. I got zero points on Friday. We're doing harder stuff and people want me to participate but no, just no. I hate it. I basically don't understand this entire class. Why am I being forced to put a harness on? I don't understand. Why every time I wander past does the teacher ask "so, you're considering doing this, Naomi!" when I blatantly am not? I don't understand. Why does no one see that it's the 40 people looking, not the height, that scares me? I don't understand. Why do people think it's related to my quietness? I don't understand. And for Gods sake HOW is this activity supposed to make me happy and brave and have self esteem? It's a fucking log between two trees. I'll forget about it the moment I get off. It won't make me feel smart or accomplished. Knowing me I'll feel fidgety and anxious and want to disappear into the background. How this activity is supposed to be beneficial, I will never know. It's so weird. BS.
So anyway, that's basically what's happened in the last few days since I wrote here. It's not much but there we go.
I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING HALLOWEEN NIGHT. It's weird. I'm rather excited for Florence that night. but I don't know what's happening beforehand. The following week my sister is going to have a very cold, miserable few days in Maine as part of her adventure that all of her grade do. That means? No more "Ugh, Peep Show again?" or "when are you gonna stop playing piano" or "I need the computer". Bliss!
Speaking of Peep Show, Peep Show Quote Of The Post is gonna become a regular thing now because I, er, want to fuck Mark Corrigan's brain into my brain. that's actually a variation on a PS thing but never mind that because it is beyond weird and I don't even totally mean it, believe me. But anyway;
"War's never a picnic....although obviously soldiers do end up eating outdoors a lot" - Mark.
Print that on a t-shirt and I will pay you all my money for it. Just saying.
New PS series; 32 days and counting.
Also, there's a new series of Never Mind The Buzzcocks just started, My second favorite show. Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! ...yeah, I can't watch it. wrong country I am afraid. Obviously it's absolute nothingness without Simon but NMTB got me through 8th grade, in a weird way, and Noel is cool, so I feel I'll at least watch the show illegally on YouTube in a few months. I owe it that much.
Oh, my mother wants to listen to Tim Minchin. She says she's curious. I think she'll like him. Mostly I just feel very happy that I live in a family where I'm allowed to listen to songs with filthy(yet very, very witty) lyrics, watch crude television, and read adult books. Most parents wouldn't want their kids listening to Tim. I'm glad mine are more open minded.
I'm not as bad as I was last night, but I'm not being terribly eloquent at the moment. Last night I was talking about not being a morning/night person, ideally being an evening person, but realistically being a sleep person. The time doesn't feel right now.
The good thing is my writing is way less sluggish tonight. I haven't had a slow day in weeks and weeks and weeks so I was in a weird mood yesterday. But I'm better now. And about done here.
So, bye blog. Save please?
Thanks.
- Naomi
*and by ridiculous, I mean effing amazing.
This is what I was trying to post yesterday. I HATE YOU BLOGSPOT.
Hey.
My parents are out looking at furniture or something , my sister is upstairs but for some reason left Nickelodeon running on the TV. I've been doing science homework but the section I had to take notes on was enormous and my back started to hurt so I watched Peep Show, ate pringles, and came here.
It's a deadbeat autumn Saturday afternoon.
Or, it was. Whatever.
I had a great time at the party Friday overall. There were 13 of us and some people dressed up but I didn't. When asked my favorite celebrity I said Tim Minchin, although depending on your viewpoint you might not consider him famous. Anyway, on second thoughts I realised I could not do that hair and I don't have time to go looking for color-changing contacts or tail coat suits. There wasn't a whole lot to do there once you got over the Top 40 radio, strobe light, and the annoyance of someone turning the lights off periodically and everyone else screaming for no reason, it was a lot of fun. We delved into your typical gossipy party games, ate, watched TV, went outside briefly, had a sort of failed attempt at a Ouija board, and all of that stuff. It was funny and fun and you know...let's say socially comfortable for me. That's a stupid term I'm gonna pen, but live with it. Plus, few people infuriated me beyond belief which is weirdly rare. I love my random splurges of supposed socialness. It's fun.
Oh yeah. And that night, my sister had a birthday party for a friend, and a sleepover. As a present, her and her other friend made a giant ugly doll. It is like five feet tall. It wouldn't fit in the car so they had to put the ugly doll in one car and themselves in the other. The whole thing was ridiculous.*
Today(as in, like, today today. Be expecting time paradox things tonight, folks) I bought a t-shirt, did homework, and stayed home. Again, not bad. It's been a good weekend. I am sick of triangles and my math homework took an eternity today. Also, I added CDs to my iPod. Nothing much beyond that. Funny that.
Hang on, I'm gonna go fetch a CD.
Back. Ah, Editors, lovely. I could probably marry Tom Smith's voice alone. In this light and on this evening, this song's become the most beautiful thing I've heard. Watch clips from them at Glasto. It's gorgeous beyond belief. Saw 'em at V but obviously there are no videos from V this year. Especially of Editors for some reason.
There's a big misconception in music that Interpol are better than Editors. I'm just trying to clear that up. Editors are, too. This album's a beaut.
Did you hear Thom Yorke's doing a charity single that's just two minutes of silence? Jesus Christ! What an idiot! I like my Radiohead, of course, but Thom Yorke alone is just dumb. Thom Yorke solo = beyond overrated. I'm not gonna elaborate on that. I fear for my life for saying that alone.
Oh yes, how could I forget school. It's going swimmingly. Like I said, I hate triangles. I presented my bridge project in geometry about bridges. I was very, very scared but overall it wasn't bad. My teacher was annoyed that I couldn't find the designer. I was annoyed because I COULDN'T. That information just wasn't there to be found! I'm serious! It's irritating that my grade is lowered because of that. The good thing is that it meant I got a free day Friday where I got to read while everyone else presented their projects. Fun fun fun. Science, the test was trickier than I expected but it wasn't impossible by any means. Momentum and energy suck, okay? That is all I have to say. And, Spanish is just easy vocab and stuff. We're making salsa on Tuesday for some reason. We're in small groups and we're being tested in this stuff. It's weird. I don't actually care for much salsa...or Mexican food...I don't actually know why I'm learning this language.
Also I'm going on a field trip Tuesday for Geo. Good thing it clashes with salsa!
My gym teacher didn't get as angry with me as expected. I got zero points on Friday. We're doing harder stuff and people want me to participate but no, just no. I hate it. I basically don't understand this entire class. Why am I being forced to put a harness on? I don't understand. Why every time I wander past does the teacher ask "so, you're considering doing this, Naomi!" when I blatantly am not? I don't understand. Why does no one see that it's the 40 people looking, not the height, that scares me? I don't understand. Why do people think it's related to my quietness? I don't understand. And for Gods sake HOW is this activity supposed to make me happy and brave and have self esteem? It's a fucking log between two trees. I'll forget about it the moment I get off. It won't make me feel smart or accomplished. Knowing me I'll feel fidgety and anxious and want to disappear into the background. How this activity is supposed to be beneficial, I will never know. It's so weird. BS.
So anyway, that's basically what's happened in the last few days since I wrote here. It's not much but there we go.
I STILL DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING HALLOWEEN NIGHT. It's weird. I'm rather excited for Florence that night. but I don't know what's happening beforehand. The following week my sister is going to have a very cold, miserable few days in Maine as part of her adventure that all of her grade do. That means? No more "Ugh, Peep Show again?" or "when are you gonna stop playing piano" or "I need the computer". Bliss!
Speaking of Peep Show, Peep Show Quote Of The Post is gonna become a regular thing now because I, er, want to fuck Mark Corrigan's brain into my brain. that's actually a variation on a PS thing but never mind that because it is beyond weird and I don't even totally mean it, believe me. But anyway;
"War's never a picnic....although obviously soldiers do end up eating outdoors a lot" - Mark.
Print that on a t-shirt and I will pay you all my money for it. Just saying.
New PS series; 32 days and counting.
Also, there's a new series of Never Mind The Buzzcocks just started, My second favorite show. Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! ...yeah, I can't watch it. wrong country I am afraid. Obviously it's absolute nothingness without Simon but NMTB got me through 8th grade, in a weird way, and Noel is cool, so I feel I'll at least watch the show illegally on YouTube in a few months. I owe it that much.
Oh, my mother wants to listen to Tim Minchin. She says she's curious. I think she'll like him. Mostly I just feel very happy that I live in a family where I'm allowed to listen to songs with filthy(yet very, very witty) lyrics, watch crude television, and read adult books. Most parents wouldn't want their kids listening to Tim. I'm glad mine are more open minded.
I'm not as bad as I was last night, but I'm not being terribly eloquent at the moment. Last night I was talking about not being a morning/night person, ideally being an evening person, but realistically being a sleep person. The time doesn't feel right now.
The good thing is my writing is way less sluggish tonight. I haven't had a slow day in weeks and weeks and weeks so I was in a weird mood yesterday. But I'm better now. And about done here.
So, bye blog. Save please?
Thanks.
- Naomi
*and by ridiculous, I mean effing amazing.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Cool Weekend.
hello world.
guess what I just discovered? I got an A- in Spanish. Totally fine, but I FAILED PARTICIPATION. When I say failed, I mean failed--F. I've never gotten an F before. The teachers all threatened that they're serious about participation grades, but my Spanish teacher is obviously the only one to be following her own rule. Personally I don't understand the point of participation or its grades and it obviously hasn't affected my grade too much, so who cares? The fact that I got an F I find weirdly amusing. Haha!
this weekend in review; awesome. Like, best weekend of the school year so far because I really am that easily pleased. Friday I sorta did badly on an unfair Spanish quiz, did bad-ish on a science test although no one finished so we have to finish on Tuesday. My teacher was so annoyed by that and it was pointless for me because I will never understand projectile motion and all I have left are bonuses, which I can do because they're just pendulums and stuff. No big deal. Deserving of, say, a B at least. Geometry found out I did badly on a math test-79. Blah. Then we were given a project about bridges and talked about triangles. There's a bridge in Lisbon called the 25 de Abril Bridge. that's my birthday and I thought it was awesome so I hope I can do that one. And then I had last period study hall which is blisfully pointless on a Friday.
Came home, went for a walk in that lovely autumn breeze, and went to this theme park specially done up for Halloween this month with three friends. It was basically ridiculously amazing. Took us a while to get there(we had to sit in the car outside one of my friends house because she was doing errands when we got there!) and I don't really do rides. Or haunted houses 'cause I'm a coward. But it was so much fun. We took a picture in one of those cheesy photo booths, watched one of my friends be buried alive, made an idiot out of myself as I was chased by a guy with a chainsaw, suffered my way through a little bit of my first candy apple(never. again.), threw candy off the top of a ferris wheel while having semi-ironic Through The Grapevine discussions that were so High School, talked endlessly about hot guys, got lost in a house of mirrors, lost a game of air hockey, payed for absolutely everyone's stuff, ate too much disgusting popcorn, and had many an awkward hug. And just generally had a good Friday night with people I like, as opposed to a growing number of people I dislike in my classes, and spending Friday night reading and watching Peep Show.
Yeah. It rocked.
Saturday was my usual guitar lesson in the morning--working on Libertines, by the way--and then your usual afternoon, went to the mall with the same group of people, plus another friend, and one of their friends. No one is our group is necessarily a real sort of shopping addict but I have nothing against trying on a million knit hats that don't suit me or wandering(appauled)through Spencers. All your usual clothes stores. Saw nothing that I particularly liked and I don't need any clothes, but I did buy an Imogen Heap CD in FYE and I got a badge that says "Meh" in Hot Topic for my sister because it's sort of her catchphrase. All my friends know that, too. At one point we all met up outside Bertuccis and for most of us had our first experience of ordering at a restaurant without our parents. We shared a pizza and stuff and talked people at school and how I am like Ferb, among other things. Kinda a weirdly amazing experience. Oh, and I got a smoothie at the end of the trip. At home I watched Grilled Cheesus for the sole purpose of being offended, and then turned my friend onto Tim Minchin, sort of.
Again. Rockage. If you're okay with such stupid use of language.
Sunday I went to a fair with my family plus my sister's friend. It was your usual greasy all-American commercial setup but I guess there are worse ways to spend a Sunday.
Came home, watched a Richard Dawkins documentary and did a really short blo post.
And today had a slow morning(cheers, Columbus), went out in the afternoon to Barnes and Noble. I got another Ellen Hopkins book, something by Alice Sebold, a nonfiction music book, and something about Euclid and Geometry. Did math homework, researched bridges, watched Mock The Week, read for an hour, caught up on piano, went for another walk, obsessed over Biffy Clyro interviews, and arrived here.
In essence, it was amazing. Ah I love weekends. So much has happened that last week now feels like an eternity away and I don't wanna go back. Oh well. The whole of October is set to be great and this is a short week, so who cares?
Only thing worrying about tomorrow, other than the whole, you know, it just generally being school thing and I have a 'stalker', is gym. Trust falls were fun, right, I'll admit that and rarely will I admit that about anything school related. But tomorrow we're going out onto the adventure course and everyone's supposed to do it. everyone. My teacher says you don't have to do it; no, you're just peer pressured and egged on and mocked if you choose not to and you let your class down if you're the only one who doesn't. Yeah, that totally leaves it up to choice. The whole class is just BS, there's no two ways around it. I'm actually dreading it. My Plan is, basically, I'm gonna wear the longest, flar-iest, most ridiculous lyinappropriate jeans I own. Maybe if your clothes aren't suitable I won't be able to do it, or something? health and safety and all that. I don't do the gym clothes thing. it's always worth a go!
Now I'm just watching Biffy Clyro interviews. my TV is broken. Shooting Stars cold turkey. there isn't a whole lot to do.
Now I remember why blogging every three to four days created not the most interesting of posts. Which is weird due to what a great time I've been having. Huh.
Now I'm just gonna watch Biffy interviews because Simon is effing adorable. There's no arguing that.
And of course, not look forward to tomorrow.
But October, you rock. Just saying.
Oh shoot, I need to do some nanoplanning, for which I have a weak, almost plagiarised idea coming together. It's better than nothing! November's gonna be a mad, mad month. And I can't wait.
Anyway. Gotta go. See you, world.
guess what I just discovered? I got an A- in Spanish. Totally fine, but I FAILED PARTICIPATION. When I say failed, I mean failed--F. I've never gotten an F before. The teachers all threatened that they're serious about participation grades, but my Spanish teacher is obviously the only one to be following her own rule. Personally I don't understand the point of participation or its grades and it obviously hasn't affected my grade too much, so who cares? The fact that I got an F I find weirdly amusing. Haha!
this weekend in review; awesome. Like, best weekend of the school year so far because I really am that easily pleased. Friday I sorta did badly on an unfair Spanish quiz, did bad-ish on a science test although no one finished so we have to finish on Tuesday. My teacher was so annoyed by that and it was pointless for me because I will never understand projectile motion and all I have left are bonuses, which I can do because they're just pendulums and stuff. No big deal. Deserving of, say, a B at least. Geometry found out I did badly on a math test-79. Blah. Then we were given a project about bridges and talked about triangles. There's a bridge in Lisbon called the 25 de Abril Bridge. that's my birthday and I thought it was awesome so I hope I can do that one. And then I had last period study hall which is blisfully pointless on a Friday.
Came home, went for a walk in that lovely autumn breeze, and went to this theme park specially done up for Halloween this month with three friends. It was basically ridiculously amazing. Took us a while to get there(we had to sit in the car outside one of my friends house because she was doing errands when we got there!) and I don't really do rides. Or haunted houses 'cause I'm a coward. But it was so much fun. We took a picture in one of those cheesy photo booths, watched one of my friends be buried alive, made an idiot out of myself as I was chased by a guy with a chainsaw, suffered my way through a little bit of my first candy apple(never. again.), threw candy off the top of a ferris wheel while having semi-ironic Through The Grapevine discussions that were so High School, talked endlessly about hot guys, got lost in a house of mirrors, lost a game of air hockey, payed for absolutely everyone's stuff, ate too much disgusting popcorn, and had many an awkward hug. And just generally had a good Friday night with people I like, as opposed to a growing number of people I dislike in my classes, and spending Friday night reading and watching Peep Show.
Yeah. It rocked.
Saturday was my usual guitar lesson in the morning--working on Libertines, by the way--and then your usual afternoon, went to the mall with the same group of people, plus another friend, and one of their friends. No one is our group is necessarily a real sort of shopping addict but I have nothing against trying on a million knit hats that don't suit me or wandering(appauled)through Spencers. All your usual clothes stores. Saw nothing that I particularly liked and I don't need any clothes, but I did buy an Imogen Heap CD in FYE and I got a badge that says "Meh" in Hot Topic for my sister because it's sort of her catchphrase. All my friends know that, too. At one point we all met up outside Bertuccis and for most of us had our first experience of ordering at a restaurant without our parents. We shared a pizza and stuff and talked people at school and how I am like Ferb, among other things. Kinda a weirdly amazing experience. Oh, and I got a smoothie at the end of the trip. At home I watched Grilled Cheesus for the sole purpose of being offended, and then turned my friend onto Tim Minchin, sort of.
Again. Rockage. If you're okay with such stupid use of language.
Sunday I went to a fair with my family plus my sister's friend. It was your usual greasy all-American commercial setup but I guess there are worse ways to spend a Sunday.
Came home, watched a Richard Dawkins documentary and did a really short blo post.
And today had a slow morning(cheers, Columbus), went out in the afternoon to Barnes and Noble. I got another Ellen Hopkins book, something by Alice Sebold, a nonfiction music book, and something about Euclid and Geometry. Did math homework, researched bridges, watched Mock The Week, read for an hour, caught up on piano, went for another walk, obsessed over Biffy Clyro interviews, and arrived here.
In essence, it was amazing. Ah I love weekends. So much has happened that last week now feels like an eternity away and I don't wanna go back. Oh well. The whole of October is set to be great and this is a short week, so who cares?
Only thing worrying about tomorrow, other than the whole, you know, it just generally being school thing and I have a 'stalker', is gym. Trust falls were fun, right, I'll admit that and rarely will I admit that about anything school related. But tomorrow we're going out onto the adventure course and everyone's supposed to do it. everyone. My teacher says you don't have to do it; no, you're just peer pressured and egged on and mocked if you choose not to and you let your class down if you're the only one who doesn't. Yeah, that totally leaves it up to choice. The whole class is just BS, there's no two ways around it. I'm actually dreading it. My Plan is, basically, I'm gonna wear the longest, flar-iest, most ridiculous lyinappropriate jeans I own. Maybe if your clothes aren't suitable I won't be able to do it, or something? health and safety and all that. I don't do the gym clothes thing. it's always worth a go!
Now I'm just watching Biffy Clyro interviews. my TV is broken. Shooting Stars cold turkey. there isn't a whole lot to do.
Now I remember why blogging every three to four days created not the most interesting of posts. Which is weird due to what a great time I've been having. Huh.
Now I'm just gonna watch Biffy interviews because Simon is effing adorable. There's no arguing that.
And of course, not look forward to tomorrow.
But October, you rock. Just saying.
Oh shoot, I need to do some nanoplanning, for which I have a weak, almost plagiarised idea coming together. It's better than nothing! November's gonna be a mad, mad month. And I can't wait.
Anyway. Gotta go. See you, world.
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