Year in Review: 2008

January: Start spring semester and Education 10, Populations Biology, Archery

February: Hang out with Wyatt, Carri, and Jon for his birthday; movie rentals cease at work; talk to Beth Child, former bio professor, for a letter of recommendation; work the polls for the presidential primary election

March: Begin fieldwork with Ms. Brown at Rancho Cucamonga High School; go on first ever camping trip with pops class and Professor Robin Ikeda; begin surveying Day Canyon for fungus with fungus buddy Jenny; submit application to UCR for internship

April: Go on second camping trip; finish fungi survey; accepted by UCR for Copernicus internship

May: Receive A- in pops; see Speed Racer; finish the first version of my teaching portfolio

June: Work the polls for the CA state primary; get the flu and remain sick through my birthday; my mom has shoulder surgery; I start playing Pokemon Ranger for the DS; my grandma gets me a new bike for my birthday and for getting all As at school

July: I am chosen to be Green Team leader at work; I "lose" my car and report it stolen, then find it in the other side of the parking lot; I start the internship at UCR

August: Finish at UCR and leave enlightened and gracious; become an obsessive DBZ fan once again; restart my Tenchi/DBZ crossover with the intent to finish this time; go to Carri's 21st b-day party; start Chaffey following my new ed plan; finally work as a true GM clerk at work; someone from my store wins a car

September: Finally become an ardent Obama supporter and buy a shirt and some buttons

October: Halloween party at Wyatt and Carri's

November: Obama wins the election by a landslide; the beginning of a new era for the country

December: Finally buy a new iPod; have someone steal my debit card number and buy something from Canada online; find my lost DBZ figures again

The Forest

This is a creative writing piece for my class senior year about the first time Jon and I saw the forest on our day of adventuring.

From atop a short yet steep hill, a stretch of open, barren land stretching from one knoll to the next is the only thing separating one from the edge of humanity’s civilized world and the peaceful paradise bathed in sunlight and the shade of tall tress. Walking across the grassless earth, the next hill becomes clearer. Rocks decorate the brown dirt, a small stream of water gurgling down and passing over the speckled granite chunks. The top of the next hill brings the destination into view, the forest not shrouded by the usual smog of the lower valley. To the left lays a seemingly dangerous quarry of gray and white rock, the most common of its kind found often in backyards and park playgrounds. On the right, a long and winding worn dirt path heads in the opposite direction of the valley of stones, snaking closely by the mountainside and then returning to its original straight-line direction. A chain-link cage, obviously man-made, protects a pipe and the raging water that flows through it, the furious stream echoing through the mountain canyon. Ahead on the trail, a weeping willow sits undisturbed by the light afternoon breeze, beckoning weary travelers to take refuge in its cool foliage. Hiking past the giant tree, the entrance of the forest becomes visible, and as one makes the final strides toward the calm and cool woods, the breeze begins to die down until it is almost nothing but a faint whisper upon the leaves. Almost immediately in one swift gust, a horde of strange insects descends upon you, blinding you from your line of sight and landing on various parts of your skin, causing one of the worst forms of irritation. The quiet and steady sound of the delicately flowing stream echoes through the empty woodland, filling one with a sense of calm that only nature can provide. The sun overhead is all but blocked out completely by the various branches of leaves that are just barely starting to turn in preparation for the autumn season. The light bouncing off creates the subtle illusion the branches are on fire while still maintaining their natural radiance and beauty. A log, suspended from two trees by unraveling yellow twine on both sides, swings slightly over fallen brown leaves, enticing the inner child to skip over and hop on to relive days past. An old net attached to a tree hangs just above conveniently paced metal spikes, almost looking like a man-made trap set to catch someone’s prey. Past this stands a crumbling stone bridge, dating back farther than anyone really knows. The once strong viaduct, now rusting with age, leads over the small stream, and when the slippery rocks are climbed, an old car riddled with bullets resting on the other side becomes discernible, along with the rest of the forest. Inhaling deeply, the sweet scent of the all-season flowers overwhelms the senses, and for the first time, the setting sun becomes apparent through the vegetation above. Only the sounds of the trickling water, the faint buzzing of insects, and the serene quiet of nature itself fill the ears, and a state of tranquility is reached. All of this makes the long hike up under the hot searing sun worthwhile, and perhaps the most rewarding is the view from atop that small hill after night has fallen and the lights of the city twinkle below.

23 October 2003

Truth.

Reflection

A gaze upon the sky by innocent eyes yearning to discover the universe’s great truths. It seems so long ago as Father Time pushes everything and everyone forward. The grass was soft and itchy, and the satellites twinkled above in the cool air. My mom called me inside, but I begged for a few more minutes. He was the only one I could beg for more time with, and he always would be. As usual, it was granted. We continued to stare, conversation unnecessary. The other’s company was most important. Many evenings passed in this fashion before we reluctantly said goodbye. He would leave for his house ten minutes away, and I would watch from my door until he was down the street. Much of our free time was spent with each other, and it still remains one of the most peaceful times in my life.

He was my best friend whether by accident or by fate. As symbolic as it was literal, he made me take that leap of faith with him on the steps during recess. Together we started a journey that would shape not only our teenage years but the rest of our lives. He would become the one I couldn’t wait to see, the one I would do anything for, even cheat and commit academic dishonesty. I, the straight A valedictorian, put his name on my work so he would graduate with me. One summer that is still clear in my mind, I watched him cross the grass from the shade of our meeting tree. Perhaps a cliché, I found myself grinning so dumbly that I had to look away.

I have always been a critic of teenage love because teens know nothing of the real world. What life have they experienced to understand that emotion? Still, I feel I must say I was perhaps the biggest hypocrite. I always cared for him, but the true way I felt was deeper than friendship, perhaps even that something more. I did love him, and what ever that meant never mattered. He knew and I knew what it was.

He was my best friend. He saved me, made me jump from that step. We grew up together, went on a journey of our dreams and imaginations, and even wrote a thousand page story. He showed me anime and trance, what a friend could be, this emotion that I still cannot describe. Did I love him? Do I miss him? The answer to both is yes. Even though life has pulled us onto separate paths, those memories and experiences mean more than that. Life is a journey, and your companions will change whether by choice or necessity. But I would be less prepared for that journey had he not made me take that leap those years ago. For that I will always be thankful, even if I never tell him

Cracker

Christie Scott

April 23, 2004

Period 5

Cracked surface, baked by the sun’s rays
In the heat of day it dries, hardens
Crunching softly as it breaks into pieces
Like fallen leaves in autumn
The surface, rough and uneven
A cobblestone road traced with your finger
And in the taste lies nothingness
The void into which all things end up
Surrounded by white, lying softly alone
The cracker on its napkin

3.5 Years Ago

2/14/05

11:40 am

So here I am, selling flowers on the curbside of the store. Whodda thought that I could get paid for sitting for the next two hours? Heh. This is pretty cool, though, actually. I just made a sale to a nice older man. It's kinda funny 'cause earlier Jared wasn't sure what to get and asked my opinion. So did this guy "because I'm a girl." You know we woman all think alike. Today does make me a little sad, though. Not too much but enough. The only Valentines I ever got were from classmates, and we were all forced (which I think is lame BS). If everyone [mad another sale] gives cards to everyone elss, then it takes away from the real meaning. Ya, ya, I know. That way no one feels bad. Soft, fruity America (in the words of George Carlin). Then again, what is the real meaning? Who knows anymore with the cards and the candy and the flowers and blah blah blah. Hallmark, I blame you. You're running a smart operation and making a profit. Then Junior year Jon and Wyatt went on a double date with me and Amanda. They gave us each a faux flower and a sucker. That was probably the sweetest thing he's ever done for me (and it will probably always be that way). [12:00=Sale #3] But then I lost the flower a month or so ago. It's in my room somewhere, I hope. Maybe behind my TV and video games. How funny. We became friends over video games. Anyway, there was nothing else from him that really meant anything like that. Well...except that Ryoko figure. He loved that thing, but he gave it to me for my fifteenth birthday. Memories... Plus, one time back in 9th, he compared me to Cassi in his life: Cassi was Pakistan (he doesn't even know where that is...okay, neither do I), and I was the world. Even in a firendship way that meant a lot to me. But that bum...


(journal entry I wrote as I sold flowers on the curb at work a few years ago, I text messaged Jon, and he said "Ha ha, you were a beaner for Valentine's." He's half Mexican so it was okay he said that.)

Celebrating

The last day of spring semester is today, and we got our grades in populations biology.

*drumroll*

I got a B+!! I was going to be happy with a C, but I got an 89% on the final and one hundred on the project and my field notes. I read the text, well, almost never. I pulled it out at the end there with hard work. I'm proud, and if that counts as bragging, I don't care.

I also got an A in archery and bowling, an A+ in my teaching class, and probably an A+ or very high in anthropology. I call this semester a success, probably my favorite, and the beginning of the rest of my schooling since I know what path I am finally on.

Now it's time to relax and enjoy me some free time this summer.

:O)

Just for Fun

Which Harry Potter Character Are You?
	You are Dumbledore. You're the wise sage in any group. With your guidance, any situation can be resolved in the fairest way possible.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Biology on the Brain

You know you think too much about biology when you walk by a car whose plate starts with HAR and the first thing you think of? Hardy-Weinberg.

Bivalve and commensalism with a crab (or a mite and mammal hair)

Predator-prey and asymmetrical predator prey

Ah! Don't forget mutualism and asymmetrical mutualism.
When two organisms do well together but okay apart, but one gets more dependent on the other.

K=carrying capacity in the ecosystem and the niche and resources it uses
It can't go above K. Period. Sometimes a species can outcompete another- Case 1 or 2 depending on your graph. Or they are at equilibrium whether it's stable (case 4) or not (case 3).

T. confusum vs. T. castanaeum (beetles that do well depending on hot/humid or cold/dry). The part in the middle they're both doing alright.


....

I'm done.

Small World

You know, the more I talk to people, the smaller I realize my world really is. My neighbor is the mother-in-law of my history prof last semester. She brought her granddaughter in tonight to the store. She was a cute kid. I just got a message from my friend from bowling class saying he knew one of my buds on my top list on MySpace I've known that guy since we were eleven. My pops teacher at Chaffey knows the teacher who inspired me to love biology and be a teacher because she was a student at Ontario High, where she taught. The guy who does a lot of work around the bio lab and who is the brother of the head of the department is the husband of my second year Latin teacher from Etiwanda High. Plus one of the girls in the high school class I was observing is the daughter of one of the ladies who works in the bakery at my store. She thought I was smart after my presentation. :O)

God, how weird.

Fall Semester

General Botany
Intro to Physics
Invertebrate Zoology
Statistics


16 units and class all day Monday and Wednesday.

Do I think I can handle it? Yes. Can I wait? No.

Totally.

What Beer Are You?
	You are Guinness. You are brooding, bitter, and often in a dark, pensive mood. You are an intellectual and a dreamer, but your passion and emotions can sometimes get the better of you.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com Which Family Guy Character Are You? You are Brian. You are smart, sophisticated, and somewhat of an alcoholic. Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

The Simple Stuff

Listening loudly to your favorite band/song on the way to work, even if it's a Saturday and you have to be there all day.

Or listening on your computer with an energy drink you haven't had in a while, even though your shift starts in half an hour.

So Confused

So...

Tomorrow I register for fall term, and I am not sure about what I should take. I finally know what I want. I want it so much it makes me want to hop on my scooter and just ride free. But I am also impatient about getting there. I have spent forever it feels at school, and I have an ed plan I had to rearrange for various reasons. But I know what I have to finish in the undergrad lower division section before I transfer. It's just a matter of when do I finish and when do I transfer? Should I hurry up and cram it? Should I go two more years and pace myself? I just want to reach my goal. Maybe that is the part I am overlooking. I will get there. It will take time. If I rush, I may have to slow down and take even more time. I don't want that for sure. I just have to relax, take it a semester at a time, and transfer when I am ready. Forget everyone else. I have my own pace.

I will get there, and it will be worth it. I don't need to stress because things are alright for now. Be positive. I have a job, my health, a car, a house to live in with my family, and a cat who can be a booger. I need to stop worrying so much.

Just chill and relax, man.

To Do

Bio 52 (Botany)
Bio 56 (Invertebrate Zoology)
Bio 5 (Intro to Molecular Biology)
Bio 23+L (Micro and lab)
Chem 22 (General Chem II)
Chem 75A (Organic chem)
Phys 5-20A-20B (Physics intro and physics for scientists)
Comm. Studies 4 (Small Groups Dynamics/gen ed course)
Math 60 (Calculus with Apps)

So much to do, so little time...

I want to take Bio 52, 55, COMSTD 4, and Chem 22 this fall semester. Am I insane or what??

Ode to Hope

A/N: I wrote this for my creative writing class one night as I listened to
the most depressing trance song I ever heard and reflected upon life and
hope.

Hope
shines bright
like search lights
through dense pea soup,
stronger
than a spider web
spun in intricate designs
but more fragile
than sparkling crystal
Hope
so out of reach
like clouds in the sky
but right there
in front of you
like the grass and dirt.
Hope
is a butterfly
landing on your arm,
gracing you with its presence
for no more than mere seconds,
then flying up into the sky
before you can grasp it
in your hand,
once again out of reach.
Hope
floats like a flower petal
on the wind,
then sinks to the ground
to be trampled upon
unnoticed.
Hope,
more empty than
a black vertex
relentlessly sucking in celestial beings
or a dark room
abandoned long ago,
left to collect dust and dirt.
Hope
drowns you
like quicksand,
and the harder you struggle,
the faster you sink.
Hope does float
and so do you,
until you let go
and swim on your own.

(Inspired by the song I previously posted)

Beautiful Things

--By Andain

Got up early, found something's missing
My only name
No one else sees but I got stuck
And soon forever came
Stopped pushing on for just a second
Then nothing's changed
Who am I this time, where's my name?
I guess it crept away

No one's calling for me at the door
And unpredictable won't bother anymore
And silently gets harder to ignore

I forgot that I might see
So many beautiful things

Beautiful things

Take this happy ending away, it's all the same
God won't waste this simplicity on possibility
Get me up, wake me up, dreams are filling
This trace of blame
Frozen still I thought I could stop
Now who's gonna wait?

No one's calling for me at the door
And unpredictable won't bother anymore
And silently gets harder to ignore
Look straight ahead, there's nothing left to see
What's done is done, this life has got it's hold on me
Just let it go, what now can never be

So many beautiful things

Now what do I do?
Can I change my mind?
Did I think things through?

It was once my life
It was my life at one time

I forgot that I might see
So many beautiful things
I forgot that I might need to find out
What life could bring

(I'm so bad at titles)

Okay, time for some recent goings-on.

I got to "teach" a class this last Thursday. My mentor teacher offered to let me, and it was great. I did a lecture on adaptation and then a game with spoons, clothespins, and beans. They seemed to have fun, and I even got a compliment from one of the boys in her fifth period. Then at work yesterday one of the ladies in the bakery tells me her daughter was in my mentor's sixth period. I knew that girl was familiar. She told her mom she had fun, too. I got compliments from the kids. That made me feel great. So did being up there in front of the class. Man, I can't believe it took me this long to figure out I want to be teacher. I almost am too impatient about getting there now.

School is almost over, woo-hoo! I got accepted to the CCI at UCR. So did this guy in my education class so I get to know someone there. I'm so excited about that, too. One of the checkers at work today asked about my mold (she didn't want to say fungus, and I didn't realize why until just now). That was nice, and it's going alright. We think we ID'd everything and are now formulating the paper and a way to put our samples in cases for future mycologists. Except I was looking at the temp and humidity data for this area, and I don't see any reason that the fungi seemed to be mostly dead April 11 and then come back April 18. Then I was thinking about the dew point and how that might mean more than humidity. The two are connected, though. April 11 had the lowest average humidity, which means a lower dew point. It was also more stable that week, which is good for fungi growth. Who knows. I'' try and discuss it with my friend on Monday.

In other news, I love Armin's new album Imagine. In his song with Jennifer Rene she actually sounds good. I like that it is more vocal trance.

The Random Pile in Organismal Classification

"Greek protiston -a meaning the (most) first of all ones, are a diverse group of organisms, comprising those eukaryotes that cannot be classified in any of the other eukaryotic kingdoms as fungi, animals, or plants. They are usually treated as the kingdom Protista or Protoctista."

--Wikipedia

I Miss You

This is a song by Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana, whom I am ashamed to admit I enjoy to a point). It describes how I feel about my dad. I don't do poetry or songs well usually, so I have to borrow from someone else, even a teeny bopper Disney star.


You use to call me your angel
Said I was sent straight down from heaven
You'd hold me close in your arms
I loved the way you felt so strong

I never wanted you to leave
I wanted you to stay here holding me

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you
Sha la la la la
I miss you

You use to call me your dreamer
And now I'm living out my dream
Oh, how I wish you could see
Everything that's happening for me

I'm thinking back on the past
It's true that time is flying by too fast

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you
Sha la la la la
I miss you

I know you're in a better place, yeah
But I wish that I could see your face
Oh, I know you're where you need to be
Even though it's not here with me

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you
Sha la la la la

I miss you
I miss your smile
And I still shed a tear every once in a while
And even though it's different now
You're still here somehow
My heart won't let you go
And I need you to know
I miss you
Sha la la la la
I miss you

A Thing That Doesn't Change with Time is a Memory of Younger Days

They say scent is the strongest sense tied to memory. For me, sound more so music, reminds me of the past. Here are some songs and albums that remind me of the past in a good way.

"In the End" - Linkin Park (10th grade)
Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits - Barenaked Ladies (10th grade)
"Liberi Fatali" - Final Fantasy VIII soundtrack
"Beautiful Things" - Andain (summer after eleventh grade)
Fallen - Evanescence (12th grade)
The Spirit Room and Hotel Paper - Michelle Branch
"A Thousand Miles" - Vanessa Carlton (10th grade)
Affirmation - Savage Garden (8th grade)
2BA Master - Pokemon (8th grade)
Best of Trance Volume 2 - various (10th grade)
Sarina Paris - Sarina Paris (9th grade)
"Better Off Alone" - Alice Deejay (10th grade)
"Castles in the Sky" - Ian Van Dahl (10th grade)
"Let U Go" - ATB (10th grade)
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - Cosmic Gate (10th grade)
Addicted to Music - ATB (12th grade)
Trance Party 3 - various (summer after 11th grade)

When the rich wage war it's the poor who die

"With hands held high into the sky so blue
The ocean opens up to swallow you." - Linkin Park

Sometimes a picture is enough

"And the shadow of the day
Will embrace the world in gray
And the sun will set for you."


I've had this song from Linkin Park stuck in my head the whole day. I thought of the words as I hiked to keep my distracted from the distance, wind, and slope. I really like their new album, even though it is a different style.

I'm tired though and have to work in forty minutes. I smell like some tree, and it's bugging because I don't know what part of me does. Probably my hair because my friend and I crawled through bushes and trees. There were some good fungi samples. Unfortunately, there was also a snake. It looked like the one I came about ten inches from as I crawled over a log earlier. She yelled, and I was afraid to come down from the log. What a long and disappointing day, though.

Peace for now. I'll update later

Love Taught Me

Even if the days when I smiled a lot
Should turn out to be nothing but a lovely dream
That would be alright with me
If that's all it means

My mind's unrest, struggling with me
Recalling the past, who I could be
Gotta rise and be strong
Gotta be tough but not lose the person I am

Two lives I have, one life I live, one life I dream
In dreams I remember the better in me
Vision don't let me down, I'm depending on you
Carry me through when I see reality


--Blue Gender opening theme, English dub

These lyrics fit me so well in high school, and I still think they are powerful, at least to me.

Indescribable

I got an email alert from FanFiction.Net today. Someone added GS Distress II, my second Pokemon fic, to their favorites list. No matter how much I think it sucks and could be revised, someone else liked it enough. I felt humbled, and it feels good to know that some people like your creative outlet and storytelling. It's a welling-up type feeling, the same kind I get when I think about being a teacher. It's almost overwhelming sometimes, especially when I am pleased with my writing or am suddenly motivated either all of over again or even more so.

Despite being broke and having no time for a social life, these things make me so happy I forget about that.

You gotta smile sometimes. Life can be really good to you when you stop feeling sorry for yourself and forget your problems for happier thoughts.

And a side note

I have been studying for my population bio exam tomorrow, and after thinking over everything and reading and rewriting my notes, all I can say is:

I so love biology.

:O)

OMI

Maybe it's just me, but...

...this episode of NOVA I'm watching has this very cool dinosaur, which no one can agree on. Was it really a dino? How did it fly? Did it glide? What where the purpose of the back limb feathers? How awesome.


Microraptor ("small thief") is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur. About two dozen well-preserved fossil specimens have been recovered from Liaoning, China. They date from the early Cretaceous Period (Barremian stage), 130-125.5 million years ago. Two species have been named, M. zhaoianus and M. gui. It has recently been suggested that all of the specimens belong to a single species, which is properly called M. zhaoianus. Cryptovolans, another four-winged dromaeosaur, may also be a species of Microraptor.^[1]

Like Archaeopteryx, Microraptor provides important evidence about the evolutionary relationship between birds and dinosaurs. Microraptor had long pennaceous feathers that form wing-like surfaces on the arms and tail but also, surprisingly, on the legs. This led Xu (2003) to describe it as a "four winged dinosaur", and to speculate that it may have glided using all four limbs for lift." - Wikipedia

Lichen and mold and fungus, oh my

This isn't my picture, but this does look exactly like some fungus that my project partner and I found in Day Canyon on Friday. It's supposed to grow from July through November, but it's almost April... Anyway, it grows on dead wood, which is where we found it. It looks like shells kind of. Pretty cool, eh?

I also realized that this indeed was where Jon and I first hiked to that one day. It was our forest. At least, it used to be a forest. Once my partner and I reached the gauging station and sat there, I realized I didn't recognize it initially because of the fires and debris flow that destroyed the area. I saw it when it was still a forest. I think it is very cool how I hiked there as a kid and am now studying there as an adult for my biology class.

Huggable

This is a slow loris, a nocturnal primate that hangs out in trees and lives in Asia. They are cute but endangered because people catch them to trade and sell for pets. We learned about them a little in anthro the week before last, and I Googled this picture because they are so cute.

In My Memory

Things I remember from when I was younger.

Watching Pokemon and looking for Ash and Misty hints
The Pokemon soundtrack
M2M
Hoku
Hey Dude
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Reading Ash and Misty romance fics
Taking that leap off the step with Jon
The Secret World of Alex Mack
Playing States on the giant map in fifth grade
That zoo game I made up that my whole class played
The swings
Spice Girls
Pretending to hate Digimon because it was ripping off Pokemon
Speed Wars at lunch in ninth grade
Drying a giant piece of paper with blow dryers in second year Latin
Sidestepping a bus on the way to school and amazing my friends
Making paper in my seventh grade science elective class
Blink 182
That guy Peter in my 10th grade science class who I had a big crush on
Trun of Flunks
9 lbs of tortilla chips for the Roman Banquet 12th grade
Being part of Honor Guard for the 2003 Senior graduation
Silent Ball
Weird Al
The Now! music series
Thinking pupa was funny (it means doll in Latin)
Zelda Gaiden
Being stuck with assigned the reproductive system in NS II
Complimented with a few others by my English III teacher while she gave the class a lecture in responsibility and how she was disappointed with us
Drunk scootering
Walking home after piano class the day before Thanksgiving and playing with my old Nokia
Ms. Serdan watching me play a song and giving me an A on the spot

Simple Things

"I'm torn between what I know and what I dream." - Armin Van Buuren ft. Justine Suissa, "Simple Things" from Shivers.

I was thinking in the shower this morning about stuff like I usually do because it's such a good place to think as long as you're not rushed. That line popped into my head. Then while I was in the classroom I visit to do fieldwork I was scribbling and thinking as their passing period was in progress. I know I need a real job to get by in this life, and I want to be a teacher more than anything else ever, even going to Hyrule or being with Jon as more than just friends. But I also have always said I wanted to be a published writer someday. Both of those are dreams, but the second is impractical and would not be a way to support myself.

That explains the quote, and I felt like just putting that out there so I can remember what I was thinking today.

Off to See the Wizard

I wish that were true. I have a few things I need to ask for...

Actually, I am just off to do fieldwork in the classroom with the teacher I have been assigned to observe. I tell you, if I was still in high school, she is the kind of teacher I would want to have. I hope to be like that and a few others I can think of someday when I'm a teacher.

So You're Standing on a Ledge

Music from my freshmen and sophomore years in high school.

"The Madding Crowd" - Nine Days
"Sarina Paris" - Sarina Paris
"Disc One: All Their Greatest Hits" - Barenaked Ladies
"Two Worlds" and "Movin Melodies" - ATB
"Toxicity" - System of a Down
"Best of Trance Volume 2" - various
"Warning" - Green Day
Shrek soundtrack
"Be Not Nobody" - Vanessa Carlton
"The Spirit Room" - Michelle Branch

Just a Thought

I was just thinking about the kind of creative person I am. I'm very expressive with my hands when talking and make a lot of gestures. My manager at work pokes fun at me because I flail a lot. I move when I tell a story, and do I love to tell stories. I also love taking pictures. So many times do I see something nice and bust my camera phone out and snap away. I say I don't need a camera, but I don't know what I would do without it. Back in tenth grade I explored drawing, and to my surprise, I wasn't bad. I could be good if I worked on that skill. I can also write a decent poem every once and a while.

Last but not not least, I write stories. I write a lot, so much it amazed me when I looked at my notebook of what I had typed and then printed out. Wow. It amazed me. Most of my poems are dark and depressing, but that is apparently what I know best. I am still way too young. One time my mom told me I was too young to be a serious writer when I was in high school, and it offended me. I told my creative writing teacher, and she agreed with me. But she was right. I still have so much to see and experience that will add to my creative pool and what I draw from. I don't need to be offended. I am young. I have too much to see and do. What I write now is part of who I am and part of my learning process and experience. I will always write in some form because that is part of my being that no one can take from me no matter how busy I get or how life gets in the way. Everyone starts somewhere, and everyone grows and learns. I hope someday to be able to write the way the greats do or at least better than some high school kid who is riddled with angst and unrequited love. That is who I was, and I haven't completely outgrown that yet.

Someday.

"Oh, all that I know
There's nothing here to run from
'Cause yeah everybody here's
Got somebody to lean on."

This Place is a Prison

This place is a prison
Locked behind bars
Chained to the stone wall
Trapped in the cell block
Doors locked, key tossed
Stained stone and cracked floor

This place is a prison
A deep hole dug for each
Dug by society, dug by you
Sides collapse with each grasp
Dirt chokes as it falls
Roots break in the hands

This place is a prison
Dark and empty, cold and alone
Stalagmites sharp and threatening
Hanging from the ceiling
Everyone lost and stumbling
Unable to find the way to light

This place is a prison
Trapped by time, frozen in place
All still move forward
As the river that never ends
As the seasons that always change
As the setting moon and rising sun

This place is a prison
Trapped by civilization’s rules
Forced to conform
Forced to fit the mold
Originality crushed
Under the jackboots of society

This place is a prison
This planet we call home
These lands which we usurped
This country then stolen from us
While no one even noticed
Too caught up in their egocentricity

This place is a prison
And people are the guards
Armed with their ignorance and greed
Not one can be liberated
Until they escape the shells
And from all earthly matters leave

Sick

So...yeah. I've been sick since December with on/off cough, and last Thursday I thought I was getting a cold again. Then it got worse, and when I actually went in, it turned out to maybe be pneumonia. He didn't do any x-rays but just said there was fluid in my right lung. Then I got a five-day dose of antibiotics which are helping, but I still cough, have stuffy nose, and an occasional headache. Periodically my ears will stuff up, and I can't hear well. I worked in the beer cooler tonight, and I was coughing after that. I'm supposed to go to bio tomorrow, and we're going out to Day Canyon. I'm not sure I'll go and will wait to see in the morning. My pants came in the mail on time and everything, and I have that sun hat. I'm all set, but I don't think I'm physically ready for that since I haven't really been able to get much rest between school and work. I need the hours and couldn't call in sick, and I've already missed too many classes and can't afford anymore.

And! I can't do the Copernicus internship at UCR because I have to take summer school. I need Physics 5 so I can take the college physics sequence this next year. The last week of school is the first week of the internship. I am so bummed about this. :O(

But this is cool. It's how my antibiotics are working right now. "Azithromycin prevents bacteria from growing by interfering with their protein synthesis. Azithromycin binds to the 50S subunit of the bacterial ribosome, and thus inhibits translation of mRNA." - Wikipedia

Best part: I understand it completely. :O)

"I only want to do some good
Too dumb to know if I could
And I just wanna feel the days I'm in."

I Regret Tomorrow More Than Yesterday

Music that gave me memories my junior and senior years in high school.

"Addicted to Music" - ATB
"Believe" - 4 Strings
"Fallen" - Evanscence
"Trance Party 3" - various
"Under My Skin" - Avril Lavigne
"Beautiful Things" - Andain
"As the Rush Comes" - Motorcycle
"200 km/h in the Wrong Direction" - tATu

Random Thought

So I'm watching The Suite Life of Zack & Cody when they start talking about how dirty your pillow gets. I do a quick Google search and find some interesting things. Then I look at my pillow sitting all innocently on my bed being six years old and the case having not been washed in a couple of weeks because I'm too lazy on my day off to do so.

I wonder how many germs are living there. Think of the cool little ecosystem going on. It kinda creeps me out, but then I get over it.

My Truth and Thoughts

Humans are arguably the most advanced animal on this planet in terms of cognitive awareness. We are the only creatures who look in the mirror, see ourselves, and realize this. We have this thing called self-awareness that other animals do not. Yet we are still animals. Richard Dawkins said, “The main purpose of all biological life is to make copies of itself.” That is what DNA does, that is what single-cell bacteria do, that is what goldfish do, that is what humans do. Because of that “higher level” we all think we have in terms of perception and thought, this is much too simple for most to handle. If I had been raised differently, then I may be inclined in that school of thought. Even in the middle of the HR phase, that would have been such a simple answer. We crave more. We want a higher truth to exist because we have this need for it. In fact, that is what religion does, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. We also attach feelings of love to the main purpose. Many animals care for their offspring but not to the extent that we do. After all of the hard work to make a copy of yourself, you’d be sure to watch it and nurture it. At least, the female in the species has that need. This is not to say that males are not capable of this because that is not true. However, biologically speaking, males in most species are programmed to go out and make as many babies as possible. Monogamy is rare within the animal kingdom. I propose that our higher level of reasoning and thinking has led us to develop what we deem morals and emotions. Even still, all of that is relative at best. What I perceive as right someone else may just as easily condemn, which is unfortunate. This leads to misunderstanding, fear, hatred, and violence. We are the only animals who kill just because. Something as simple as skin color divides us when all it really means is your ancestors came from a certain part of the world. Skin color is an adaptation, and the variants were favored by natural selection depending on the climate and proximity to the equator. The ability to think makes us separate ourselves into categories based on things such as these. It also has allowed us to advance our technology, including the way we heal people. Natural selection is a main device in evolution. The traits that work best in an environment among a population are favored and become more frequent. They are passed on to following generations because the parents were able to survive and make babies. However, with our leaps forward, we have interfered with this process. The gene pool does not get to purge itself, and what we have going on is a lot of artificial stuff. Survival of the fittest does not mean as much for humans. Because of this, we are taking over the planet, using up its resources, and probably exceeding or coming close to mother Earth’s carrying capacity for us. Some argue the planet has combated worse, and we may very well cause our own demise. The planet will heal and come up with something else. This does not mean that I am advocating killing sick, disabled, and old people. Those moral instilled in me prevent me from thinking that is a viable option, even if makes sense from a biological standpoint. What we need to do is find harmony with the environment and the other animals and plants living here. And yes, bacteria count. They are not only beneficial but vital to all life. Put that Purell away and let your kids build up immunities. If they cannot, this is only making the survival thing worse. I do not want to see any child suffering, but there comes a point when a parent, especially in this country lately, is going overboard. Despite having this higher ability to think and make sense of things, so many do not look past the present, let alone what we are leaving future generations of all life. This is why I say forget what afterlife there might not even be. We need to make this place the best it can be for everyone now and later on. I don’t care what or how many gods you believe in as long as this is still important. If they watch what is going on at all, then they would reward more so the people who think and act on this. I am not a religious or superstitous person, but even I could subscribe to that

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Things to do in the near future

1. Take and pass the CBEST (first try is in April)
2. Go out into nature, observe, and think of questions
3. Get my granddad's old camera working (top of the line in the 70s)
4. Return the Xbox to my store
5. Get camping stuff for my bio weekend trips

Yeah. I have goals, man. :-D

When the Rain Comes

A dismal sky rolling with thunder
As cold rain falls heavily on the earth
It drenches and floods
It provides and rejuvenates
The wet sidewalk reflects light
Cast down from the lamp above
Like all else in this world
The storm will pass on
Sol returns to the sky
But that light though gone
Shines beyond this
Reminding us that its presence
Will always shine when the rain comes

2/27/08, 7:09pm in my Ed 10 class

Playlist

"Life is a Boat" - Bleach ending theme
"Love Taught Me" - Blue Gender end theme
"1234" - Feist
"New Soul" - Yael Naim
"Justify" - ATB
"Baby Love Child" - Pizzicato Five
"Labyrinth" - Vendetta
"Weather Girl" - Shiny Toy Guns
"Music Is My Hot, Hot Sex" - CSS
"Harder Better Faster Stronger (Alive Radio Edit 2007)" - Daft Punk
"Read My Mind" - The Killers
"If I Am" - Nine Days
"Girl on the Wing" - The Shins
"What I Like About You" - The Romantics
"Dance Inside" - The All-American Rejects
"Be Still My Heart" - The Postal Service
"Seconds Away" - Amy Studt
"Wonderland" - Rubikon
"Let It Rain" - 4 Strings
"Circular Symmetry" - ATB
"Beautiful Worlds" - ATB

On the Move

Recap! of my always busy Wednesday.

6:40 am: Wake up, shower, breakfast
7:35 am: Leave for school
8:00 am: Pops
9:30 am: Anthro
10:30 am: Hang out in car since class got out early again
11:00 am: Archery; I do quite badly because my wrist hurts
12:45 pm: Go to my store to pick up the school tour papers
2:05 pm: Leave to meet with mentor teacher at the high school
2:45 pm: Go to Barnes & Noble to get books to donate and for extra credit
3:15 pm: Go to Grandmom's house to visit her and Uncle Rob and ask for textbook money
4:05 pm: Arrive home finally; talk to Mom and finish up an ed assignment
5:10 pm: Leave for class
5:25 pm: Run into Lisa and talk real quick
5:30 pm: Ed 10
8:30 pm: Home; look over tour stuff; dinner

I have been home about three hours total today, and the last thing I want to do is read those papers for the tour. I don't even like little kids.

Grrrr

Don't you just love it when other people blame their problems on you? They did something wrong, you caught them, and now they're pissed at you. This is why I love the show Parking Wars on A&E. The people of the PPA who are the main players in the show are just doing a job and making a living like everyone else in the world. Someone parks wrong or has outstanding tickets, but it's never their fault. The signs weren't clear or the computer is wrong. The best part is seriously when someone owns up and says, "You know, this sucks, but it's my fault, and I realize that. " I don't live in a city where this is too much of a problem, but I respect these people nonetheless. Just today I parked in a wrong spot while I ran inside the high school I will be doing fieldwork at. If I had gotten in trouble, I would have been mad, yes, but it was my fault.

Anyway, the people who get pissed make me laugh. What happened to personal responsibility in this country? If your kid kills himself, it was the bands the video games. If I get a ticket for running a light or parking in the wrong spot, the singnage wasn't clear. You are responsible for your actions and for looking after the people you care about, especially your children. Start owning up, you jerks.

End rant.

Side note: You know what's really good? Well, actually there's two things. This new creamer from International Delight called Marshmallow Mocha. Also, Cholula hot sauce. I bought it last night and am already a third of the way through the bottle. Random, I know.

I'm done.

How Odd

So...the world is full of coincidences. Last year around this time I was stocking some candy on one of the check stands, and an older lady asked if I was open. I said no, sorry. Then she looked at me and asked, "Christie?" And my response was to think if I should know her. It was Mrs. Brown! Jon, Jeanine, and I met her when we were 13 playing the Ouija board one day during spring break. She asked about Jon and how he was doing and was glad to know I was well. I cannot believe she remembered us for so long. When I saw Jon a few weeks, I told him, and he was surprised, too. She didn't ask about Jeanine, so I wonder why she only remembers us. I see her at the store a lot still. I sold her some lotto tickets tonight, and I saw her at Walmat on Tuesday when I was with my mom returning something. We met her eight years ago. Crazy.

Then a few weeks ago I find out my neighbor for six years and also a customer at the store is the mother-in-law of my history professor from last semester. She's lived here for about as long as we have. I saw her at Ralphs in December, and we were all ,"We were never here..." I was getting into my car, and she just said hi, thinking I was familiar. Then we realized where we knew each other from. I was going back to work from my lunch I think two weeks ago, and she walks into the street and stops me. That was when we found out we were neighbors. Another customer lives just down the street near the mailboxes. My brother bought goped parts from her EMT son. Small world.

The Good and the Bad

This is my list of what I think is a good mixed drink from what I have experimented with since I turned 21 last June. It is a small list, but I feel like posting it anyway.

Good
Raspberry Smirnoff + cranberry juice (store brand works just fine)
vodka + Max Velocity energy drink
UV Blue + pink lemonade
UV Blue + green Monster
Bacardi Gold + Coke
Bacardi O + Slice orange soda
Level vodka + orange juice
Bacardi Melon + cranberry juice
Newcastle (not a mixed drink, but it's the best beer I've had so far and my favorite)

Not Good
rum + egg nog (unless you make your own egg nog)

Reading this makes me think I've tried too much...but then I get over it.

Live

Music acts I have to see live someday:

Daft Punk
ATB (even if his skills are said to be hit and miss)
Shiny Toy Guns
Fischerspooner

Weirdness and a Little Bit of Hope

So yeah. My shift was almost over this afternoon, and the second to last customer I helped was the most interesting of the day by far. Basically we got into a little conversation about humans all having a common ancestor from Africa, and lava forming the paradise of Hawaii. Then we got into there being no such thing as race except the human race and the color of your skin only has to do with where your ancestors were from. He shook my hand and walked away with his newspaper. It was random but nice to meet someone talk about evolution and everyone all being equal. Taking that cultural anthropology class last spring I think made me a lot more open and tolerant. I didn't believe or even realize that no-race concept before.


I was also reading some reviews on Amazon about some boy band CDs and how they are junk. The same things are said about Hannah Montana and the High School Musical 2 soundtrack, but I listened to that for a while. I say screw the rest. If you like it, listen to it. Who cares. There is no such dividing line that distinguishes good music from bad. Somewhere in the world someone likes it, and as long as someone enjoys it, it's music.

Basically I don't care what you do, what you believe in, where you're from, and what you look like. Just don't bug me and hurt anyone else. Everyone should be happy, right?


I'm such an idealist...

Forgot what I was looking for

Do you have something that you really, really want? You're a hundred percent sure it is worth it and think about it when ever you get a chance? You ever have a really good week where that thing keeps you motivated? Then the next week it all goes south for not reason at all? You're making yourself be afraid and unsure for no reason, and it's killing not only your mood but that nice feeling you were having. It sucks, and you don't know why you keep killing that for yourself. You're tired of the status quo and are ready to move on towards that thing. The only thing holding you back is you. When nothing else should matter, you let that fear of the unknown muck everything around until you no longer are sure of what you want. And you want to run and break free and just do something to express this frustration or to move yourself closer to that goal, anything to feel better and get out of this shackled existence you've forced upon yourself. What makes it worse is that it is no one's doing but your own. And you're like goddammit. Everything sucks, but it's your fault. Things were so much better in high school, and that dream and calling were so much easier to embrace. It was a fanciful dream that I guess I am still reluctant to admit was false all along. I even think I figured out why it is hard for me to connect to little kids. It's because of my own childhood. Last week felt so much better. What is up with this week, man? It sucks.

That Feeling

You ever been in the middle of some enjoyable activity after a long day just relaxing and not thinking about anything else? And then suddenly you remember. You left something somewhere where someone can see it, and that someone was not supposed to see it. You freeze and sit there, knowing it's too late to do anything about it but hoping that you'll be safe. It's like you when you remember that you were supposed to do something really important but totally forgot, and there's not even a good excuse like you were too busy. You just forgot to leave a Post-It note.

Oh, damn.

Up & Coming

Music I am looking forward to being released:

Armin van Buuren's artist album "Imagine"
Andain's artist album (finally!!)
Luke Perry & Kopi Luwak - "Fall Into the Moon"
Bissen & Thomas Datt - "Take Your Time"
the new Shiny Toy Guns album

And that's all I can think of for now. I'll probably add more as they come to me.

I don't know what words I can say

Part of me wants to just run into an open field and yell in frustration at everything. But I'm at work and there are no fields anymore because they're building everywhere. To put it bluntly and simply: fuck. (2/2/08)

That was written last weekend on Saturday. I don't know why I was so frustrated, but I feel completely different now. All day I was in such a good mood. I have a goal. It feels so nice to have something in mind and not just repeat the same empty answer. I want to be a teacher. A high school biology/life science teacher. I'm planning on taking the CBEST in April and participating in the Copernicus Project in August. I want this. I want it more than anything I have ever wanted before, even some things I am none too proud to admit. I feel driven and don't want to lose this new resolve. When I first started Chaffey I started Education 10 but dropped it. I am now taking it again and am looking forward to the fieldwork instead of dreading it. I cannot even explain this feeling I have had now since November. I'm excited and ready tp stop screwing around. I have been floating endlessly around Chaffey, taking random classes to stay full time and keep my mom's benefits. My excuse was I love to learn, which I indeed do. However, I need to move on. I finally feel capable enough. I'm finally ready.

I wish everyone could feel this way because it is better than any drug I have tried.

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You know when a song is really good? When it inspires an image and some emotion without any words. It just uses sound and melody to get something across. It doesn't need a name, either. It just needs to inspire. I wish I could find more songs like this.

Recap

My week so far in a recap solely for my benefit:

Monday- Wake up, get dressed, decide to skip class. Instead, I hang out all day on the computer until my mom and I go to the 99 Cent Store, Target, my grandma's, and the library. Then we try to figure out her dad's super cool old camera, but it needs a battery. I get dinner and try to go to bed early with no success.

Tuesday- I wake up at four-thirty after five hours of sleep. I get ready and leave for my polling place assignment. At first I am unsure about having volunteered, but quickly I get excited to be a part of everything. The day goes by quickly as we stay pretty busy, which I am glad for. A lot of people come out to vote. I arrive home a little after nine and watch the rest of House after talking to my mom . Despite wanting to stay awake, I conk out pretty fast.

Wednesday- I wake up for school at 6:30 and my brain and body both say no way. I sleep in until nine-thirty and just go to archery. I score a 26 baseline and then a 34. Afterwards I work with my friend in bio on our lab assignment. On the way home I stop at the mini mart and buy some Monsters and Diet Coke for my mom. Then I come home, write up my lab assignment, and go to my ed class, where I am overwhelmed by information. I also decide to take the CBEST in April. I come home, eat a frozen pizza, and go to bed around one.

Thursday- I wake up at eight and get ready for my appointment with the Gateways to Teaching fieldwork coordinator. After finally finding a parking spot, I rush up the campus, only to get there before she does as she is at a meeting. I don't wait long and am placed with a teacher at Rancho High. I drop of my pops assignment, finally buy the book, and come home. After recharging with a Monster, I head out the library to get a CBEST book, only to find them all checked out. I go to Barnes & Noble and buy one instead. I also get my bowling shirt, some new socks, and some gas. Fianlly I come home and start planning for important dates. Then I go to work early to work as 09, then lobby until 8, take a half hour meal, and come back to finish with 09.

Now I am home listening to some new tunes and looking back at how busy I have been lately. It feels good, and for the first time, I feel like I have direction and a goal. Life is good.

Dreams (The Poem)

They say go to school
They tell us to study
They give us standardized tests
Like we were all the same student
They tell us we need to grow up
That we need to put away the toys
Our fantasies are only that
We rebel, we ditch school
We try bad things
And then we are punished
But none of it matters
We graduate, go to college or get a job
We learn a trade or we do nothing
We peddle around trying to find ourselves
I want to say that they are wrong
That there is truth, there is hope
But I would be lying
They are right
Dreams are for dreamers
But dreamers get nowhere
Society demands a job, money, family, status
Yet I cannot crush anyone else's dream
For my own brought me friends, light
And the boy who would be most special to me
Dreams may mean nothing
But hold onto them as long as you can
That is the advice I can give
Even if it doesn't mean much

The Path

The darkness it haunts me
Trees are cold and still
Alone beneath the crescent moon
Afraid
Stumbling forward, whispers in the night
I have been here before
Yet it is strange
I'm uneasy, alone
But the others are here
Together and apart
We stumble, we search
Hope comes up empty
Still we press along
Waiting for the end, for knowledge
The dawn will restore our faith
When we learn to believe again
And clear emotions will show us
What we desire most
The Truth will set us free
And we are finally home

The Band Game

Though I've tried the trumpet, piano, and even thought about toying with something like Fruity Loops, I'm not the musical type. But if I was, this would be my band. Awesome, isn't it?

Name: Stedman Prescott

Debut Album: Friends Are My Estate

My Cover:





Lastly, this is how you do it. Pretty fun stuff for the bored and easily amused.

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random The first article title on the page is the name of your band.
2. http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3 The last four words of the very last quote is the title of your album.
3. http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/ The third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

You do what you love and screw the rest

Quote from Dwayne in Little Miss Sunshine:

"You know what? Fuck beauty contests. Life is one fucking beauty contest after another. School, then college, then work... Fuck that. And fuck the Air Force Academy. If I want to fly, I'll find a way to fly. You do what you love, and fuck the rest."

I rewatched that movie the other night, and when he said this to his uncle, it really hit me. That is so true, every part of it (except the air force, at least for me). Screw everyone else and everything else. If you like it, if it makes you happy, do it. Don't let anything get in the way. They don't matter. Being happy matters. Doing what you love to do, feeling good, it means more than some stupid beauty contest.

That is all I have to say. I love to write about my characters, and I don't care if anyone reads it or it ever gets published. I like it. It makes me happy, just like the thought of being a teacher makes me want to say screw it all and just go for it. Maybe I really am motivated this time around.

Dreams

So instead of going to sleep, I am posting another blog after touring my Myspace groups. I had the weirdest dream last night, and when I woke up, it felt real even though it was completely improbable. First of all, I had these friends I had never met before. We took a plane to Europe (?), and I had the insane idea we could fly back in time for my shift at five that night. On the way home, I call my store from my cell and tell my manager I probably won't be in that night 'cause I'm stuck on a plane. Then I'm searching for someone to tell me when we'll land. There was something about the Grand Canyon and a fridge full of little mini alcohol bottles. I went to try this stuff called Hypnotiq, but I dumped it out instead. I remember clearly talking to my manager, and the people I was with gave me this bad feeling. I didn't even remember my dream until I was at work. I told my two mangers about it, and they thought it was funny. I do too, but it was more weird than anything for me.

I kind of know what it means, but then again, I don't. The being late and flying somewhere I've always wanted to visit could mean I feel that place is holding me back. That's why I'm in school, though. The dumping of the liqueur means that I threw away the last bottle I am going to buy for a while because I don't need to be doing that every night like I have been. It isn't good for anyone, especially my family where alcoholism runs and when I liked getting drunk since the first time when I was 16. I got sick at the beginning of my senior year when my friend mixed wines together. He threw it all up right then. I didn't but wanted to for the next three days because I had every other symptom on the Pepto Bismol bottle. Then I drank all that vodka at his house later that year and passed out and almost broke my nose. Not good times.

So yeah. I hope I truly am motivated this time around. I am tired of the status quo and would like to move on as soon as possible. I've been in a rut the last two years or so, and now I need to go forward again.

5 Random Things

1. I have liked politics since I was nine at least. I watched the 1996 presidential election with my dad and rooted for Clinton though that was partly because of what my parents believed. That school year we had a crash course in government because of the election, and it intrigued me right away. My political science teacher even said I should come over to their side when I told him I was studying biology.

2. I was born three weeks early thus making me a Gemini instead of a Cancer. My grandma was visiting my cousin Dan who was born three months earlier in Massachusetts, and she told my mom to wait for her to come home or have me on her birthday, which was June 8. I was born 6/8/86 around two in the afternoon so at least she got one thing she asked for. My other grandma was born June 10. Geminis are fun people, too (as if being a girl wasn't a good enough excuse to have mood swings).

3. I've hit my head very forcefully at least five times, one of those giving me a concussion. So far there's no recognizable damage, even the one time where my friend hit me hard with a wooden stick directly to the right side of my head. I looked up from reading and simply asked, "Did you just hit me?" I've never broken a bone, but I have a tendency to get scars, including a burn from boiling hot coffee pot water, stitches when I was a year, and a deep cut from my "safety" cutter at work. But I'm not that much of a klutz, I promise.

4. I took a SCUBA class in my tenth grade year, but the pool gave me an ear infection. The doctor wouldn't let me get back in the pool, and because I missed a day without a note, I got a C. This pool also turned my hair green and gave me a bruise just because I didn't dive right. (Stupid water. Apparently everyone said, "Oooh!" when I hit the surface. It hurt.) I haven't been swimming since 2002.

5. When I was six I played with this program called Storybook Weaver on our old PC. I learned how to run DOS to load it and everything. Since then I have been writing in some form. I may not have put words down, but I was always thinking about why I laid each scene out the way I did on the game. I even had one of my short stories submitted by my seventh grade teacher to a contest. That same year is also when I originally fell in love with science, more so biology.

Part of the Process

I'm excited that I get to be a part of history this coming February. As hopefully many are aware of, February 5 is Super Tuesday when 22 states holds their primary elections. When I was a student in my senior year, my government teacher told us of a student poll worker program. Since she was head of the department and it was an AP course, most if not all of her students from our school got in. I had a blast quite honestly. I woke up at five in the morning, had a cup of cinnamon bun oatmeal and a bagel, and was driven by my grandma. On the way there she asked if I would like a Starbucks, but I declined, for some reason thinking they wouldn't have a bathroom and there wouldn't be a chance to go. Of course, there was. The polling place was actually the old theater on Haven by the bowling alley. It had been converted into a church, and each individual theater of the three or four on the ground floor was a different room (adults, kids, teens), which I thought was really cool. They showed up around eight after the polls closed, and I could hear their music as we were cleaning up. They sounded like they were having fun, and even though I didn't and don't subscribe to a religion, I admired that. Anyway, I remember that day so clearly. I worked with two very nice old ladies, another woman, a man, and our inspector was a middle age guy. He took me with him when he dropped off the ballots, and then he dropped me off at home. It was on some dirt road in the dark, and it seemed all top secret. I had Del Taco for lunch because my mom gave me five dollars for food, I brought my notebook along to write, and I tried reading 1984. Overall I had an awesome, if not tiring, day. As an added bonus, they pay you though this doesn't compare to everything else.

So I signed up to do it again! Four years later in the 2008 primary, I will be on the frontlines once more. I'll be stationed at the mobile home park my dad and grandma lived in, and it's right down the street. My training class is the 17th at nine in the morning, and my brother will be a poll worker this time with me. I'll have to miss my bowling class, but that's alright. I'll let the coach know in advance. I'm going to try and contribute to CNN if I can with iReports. I already let my supervisor know ahead of time that I want to, and though this semester I am asking for a lot of leeway with school, it is about time I seriously put school ahead of everything. I love every class I am about to take, especially the PE classes (I heart archery ever since high school when we did it Sophomore year...hopefully I'll be better this time around and not lose an arrow in the grass somewhere).

Readability Update

My blog is smart. :-D

Update

I still have a cough though it is thankfully lessening. However, it seems I have developed an immunity to my cough syrup as I take more to get the same effect.

I have decided to apply to be a poll worker for the upcoming primary. I was a student worker in 2004 and got a paycheck and a really cool pin.

I finally decided on classes and am happy. I am taking bowling and archery and look forward to being in a classroom for my education class.

I have decided I don't really like trance anymore or at least the new stuff. It faded as an interest for me the same way as anime. I don't know how this is possible, but I am not too into music anymore. Maybe it's the lack of some new sounds and bands.

It's raining and isn't supposed to stop the whole weekend. Yay, especially because I am off on Sunday.

I am mostly happy about things.

Last.fm Top Ten

Since I actually started listening to music on my PC, these are what I play most often.

ATB
Shiny Toy Guns
Rubikon
Amy Studt
Avril Lavigne
Fischerspooner
Daft Punk
Vanessa Carlton
Headstrong ft. Tiff Lacey
Barenaked Ladies

Unpleasant Sight

-A dose cup full of yet more cough syrup

-A glass of Mountain Dew, which looks like something else yellow

Something even worse: a constant non-productive cough that leaves my head, neck, and abdomen sore. Being sick sucks, but the lingering cough sucks worse.

Stuff To Do This Year

1. Write more, both prose and poetry. Try to improve at it.

2. See someone about transferring to a four year university.

3. Keep my room cleaner.

4. Sell the Waste of Money (Xbox 360) on ebay.

5. Play my Wii more.

6. Walk my dog at night again.