It seems our little brother's growing a mustache.

*cough*
Let's get through this without crashing...
When you are on your way to your grandparents' house for Thanksgiving, the last thing you're expecting is to be chased by either a drunk or a terrible, terrible driver. Really really fast. Because that's what happened to me and my sister. We were minding our own business when this crazy guy gets right up behind us. I happened to notice that he had swerved into the left lane more than once and was waiting until the very last second to brake whilst driving much too fast for comfort.
I know, because I was speeding very badly to get away from this loonie, but guess what? HE KEPT CATCHING UP WITH US!!!
I was horrified.
Today was much less eventful. I woke up, bummed around the house, took some medicine for whatever lovely fall/winter ailment has commandeered my upper respiratory system, got gas (I've led a very sheltered life as far as gas stations go), and set up a checking account (whee).
Which completely took it out of me, so I've been asleep since right after lunch.
Now I'm just waiting 'til that previous medicine has worn off so I can try some other drug. If I seem high to you during the next week or so, I probably am. :)

That's why parachutes aren't made of wood.

Amazingly, I have escaped being sick, as I foolishly went to the football game Friday night in the rather damp, less-than-warm weather without much protection from the elements.
Also, two of the three tests that were scheduled for tomorrow have been postponed. Thus, I shall not end the day drooling and convulsing. Maybe just a little bit of twitching and insane laughter after Calculus.
Best Buy apparently isn't interested in employing me during the holiday season, so I went to pick up an application at Cajun Cookers. Yes, I realize this is a food job, but I know the people that own the building and some of the other employees. And Mom says she's okay with me keeping the job as long as I want, so long as my schoolwork keeps up.
No problem...
I think.
So that's the update of the day. Don't expect one anytime soon, as you might be disappointed. But do check back at some point, I may have an amusing holiday anecdote.
And remember, celebrate Thanksgiving BEFORE you put up your Christmas tree.

Squiggly.

First off, click the link once you've read as much as you want.
Two, anyone wanna go see Finding Neverland this weekend? I've called dibs on the review.
Next, yes, I realize that I was in the paper this morning. I did, after all, give them a quote.
Sixth and lastly ... um ...
Can't wait 'til Thanksgiving break.

Goodbye, goodnight.

Stuff and things and stuff. The driving forces behind my life since Wednesday-ish have been car trouble and waiting to hear from Best Buy. Friday night I found out that I had no brake pads, so Saturday and Sunday were spent either in my mom's car or off the road. Very boring, but I did manage to sort my novelty socks from my regular socks. Also some work with my watercolors and an afghan. Anyhoo, my brakes were replaced and my radiator was ... I don't know, they did something to it ... Monday. And then this morning there was what we believed to be smoke coming from under the hood. So I call and tell Mom that it's doing so. It turned out to be steam. But that meant that something else had to be replaced. So it was.
Craziness.
And I finally called Best Buy, got my name and number out, and am ever so patiently awaiting a return call.
Also it is getting close to Thanksgiving and the official Christmas shopping season. Yay capitalism.
So I'm off to finish my homework. Yay rah.

Mmmmm...pi!

Bow before the queen of the uber-nerds! I may have been defeated in my bid for president of the Spanish club (actually, nearly all reasonably acceptable candidates were), but I have managed to capture that position in Mu Alpha Theta. We celebrate Pi Day with style. We work next-to-impossible math problems. We voluntarily take a test in the dead middle of winter. Whee.

Peter Pan Syndrome

Whee! I am now 18. To that effect, I have full rights as a citizen of the United States - I can vote, smoke, see R-rated movies, sign my own report cards, and go to the local mall without my mommy's supervision. Also, I can get a job and not be restricted by child labor laws, and be convicted as an adult for any felonies I may or may not commit.
So yeah, being an adult is cool, especially since I still feel like a minor ... just have to watch out for cops.
And practically the first thing I did was apply for a seasonal job at Best Buy. I went through a bit of pain for that one, too. My sister wouldn't give up the chair to the computer, so I had to either kneel or stoop or squat in front of the thing while filling out a 20 page personality assessment and who knows how much other information.
It'll be weird if I get that job. I mean...money? Work? What are these?
And another sign that I have finally hit adulthood - my grandmother got me a pair of jeans and I liked them. Remember when you were a little kid and you'd get clothes for Christmas? Yeah, grown-ups like that kind of stuff. But I'd still take cash any day.
If any more revelations arise, I'll be sure to jot them down.
But now it's calculus time. Unless it's Macbeth time.

Hello, fluffy.

Whee. In two days I'll be able to get into R rated movies, sign my own name on my report cards, and order things from the home shopping channel. Only that requires money. So whatever.
Seventeen has been a pretty good year, all things considered.
Mom's making strawberry cupcakes tomorrow night (yummmm). And hopefully I'll see most of everyone at lunch tomorrow. :)
Kinda tired now. So I leave.

I was right! The devil DOES live here!

Ah, football. Last night's game against JCS was really pathetic despite the noise made in the stands. All of J-town seemed to be there. Seriously, I saw a bunch of people from Madison at the stadium. Also Drew was there. And that's a miracle in and of itself.
And we will all be sad if he goes to Memphis.
Don't go to Memphis, at least not before I go to college. :(
But yeah, the final score was USJ 6, JCS 0.
BUT the fireworks show afterward was pretty cool. I might want to change my minor to pyrotechnics. :D
Today I'm finishing up my tiger costume for Heather's party, going to said party, and if I have any time whatsoever between finishing the first and beginning the other, homework. Blah. Definitions.
So off go I.

...YO' FACE!!!

Quick post before I wander into my literature book and then to CyHigh.
Two nights ago there was a string of storms that managed to hit just about every county in West Tennessee...except ours.
So yesterday, what do we do? We have some more that pass directly over J-Town, that's what.
So I'm at home with my mom and two brothers (Emily was at school, Squirt was at daycare, Dad was in Selmer...) and the alarm and sirens and news alert thingies go off.
And I'm like, "I'm not gonna get Emily." Smart me :)
So I'm keeping an eye on the TV, listening to Gary Perkins getting choked up about the good job the school system did with the elementary school lockdown and the bus driver who saved the little kids, and refreshing the radar on the computer every few minutes. Pookie was in the sunroom howling. It's kinda funny. She has to throw her head over her shoulder at an unnatural angle to do this...
We don't love them enough to bring them into the safest part of the house, especially since they'd start a fight or eat Michael >:)
Well, the tornado warning gets extended (woo hoo) until 4:30, so I'm like "I'm still not gonna get Emily." But I did get my phone and have Mom call Dad and tell him not to drive through the tornadoes. Smart me :)
And apparently some of the sirens weren't going off at first. Mom was like, "Isn't Drew's dad in charge of that?" I didn't know. But he is. They called him on the news and we heard the school bus story again.
But anyhoo, eventually it clears up enough for me to drive through the partially flooded streets and retrieve Emily from the school where everyone was camped out in the weight room and the downstairs Spanish room. Sassy Song was apparently being stupid and trying to take a picture of the storm. Sassy's such a freshman!
And everything was more or less okay after that. *curtsey*

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Happy Friday! I've had a lovely and wonderful day! Whee!
I got a picture and a card from Miki :)
and an e-mail from our long-lost Canadian friend Lauren :D
...two, actually...
Anyhoo, woo and yay and I've still got to finish typing the research paper, which I should get a B on, possibly an A if I make sure my grammar and the content are excellent.
Lucille has started her exercise regiment, and now she thinks I'm the best person in the world, as I can't get anyone else to walk her :P
But aaaaaaaanyway, I must go work on English stuff, eat, yadda yadda...

Twelve-ounce Pound Cake

Last night went exceedingly well. We got all the equipment set up and a little practice time before people started showing up. It was a pretty good crowd, especially for a smaller church. After we were done with our first set, the speaker (*coughcoughTimmy*) did his thing. Malachi. Not one of your more commonly visited sections of the Bible. Then we got up, did one slow song, and then let ourselves go with our loudest, fastest, most hyperactive pieces. We felt loved. Some of the girls wanted to take us to their host home for their Bible study and FOOD. But we had to pack up and get everything back to the Warehouse. After all, it was getting close to 10:30 and we had to sing this morning.
So I'm on a natural high right about now. Hehehe...
Later!

Also, I'll be 18 in four weeks! Woo hoo!

Have some popcorn. It's not green.

Well, for the past couple of weeks I haven't had much of a life outside of my English research paper, but it's fall break and my rough draft is turned in, so I can't very well do anything about it now. So it's time to chill out. Somewhat.
I took the dogs to the vet for their vaccinations. Lucille is officially a fat girl and needs to lose weight, so I guess I'll be taking her on more walks and crap. Pookie's fine except for some slightly funky teeth, so we're just gonna send both of the dogs in for cleanings sometime soon.
Started applying to colleges (whee). I may have already mentioned that, but I'll say it again anyway.
And I'll be doing a diary for CyHigh about the whole "I-wanna-go-to-college" process. Installments will begin soon.
I would like to see Ladder 49 before I go back to school.
Ooh! I got word earlier this week that the band is playing at Heather's church tonight. No Jordan this time, so I'll be singing all by myself. Which is fine on most of the songs, but I generally prefer to do harmony/backups/not lead.
And that's all I have for now. As my brain cells reboot I may post again.

A few minutes later
I almost forgot. The weirdest thing happened while we were taking our calculus test yesterday. We were writing along, thinking nasty things in Mr. Scott's direction for making some of the problems really horrible, when we heard this tapping on one of the back windows. Everyone ignored it at first, but it happened again. So we all look around and there is a huge crow on the windowsill pecking and flapping against the window. That couldn't be a good omen. Either that or he knew that Danny had brought cookies and muffins (they were really good, too). Lesson learned: bad omens can be bribed to go away with pastry. I wanted to let the bird in. He looked like a fairly intelligent creature. I would have named him Aloysius. Long story.

Up, up, and away!

All northwest results are in:
Sarah got third chair, I got sixth, Janell seventh.
Upset of the year: Jessica beat Libba by five places.
Congrats to the Beal sisters for placing back to back, and to Sarah Newman and Beau Sage for making the choir in their first (and only) year to audition, also thumbs up to Caroline Dale for placing well - she should be a major force in the years to come.
Good job to all of the people selected for the choir, and to everyone who could have made it but screwed up or got bumped off by someone a little better, better luck next year. Unless it's your senior year, and in that case, bummer.
And away I go.

Yay! Fall break is next weekend...I think...

Hello all who read this. Updateness:
I completed 33 notecards and 8 bibliography cards for my research paper. We were supposed to have 50, but I didn't have that many available, plus I try to go for quality over quantity...so whatever. The lowest grade we can get on this is 67. So I'm not going to look at anything by or about Shakespeare for the rest of the weekend.
Senior pics came in. (Yay) And I have plenty of wallets for everyone.
Sixth and lastly, All Northwest auditions (for choir, that is) are today. Mine was scheduled for 1:45, but everyone was running late (some more than others *coughsopranos*). Mapquest lies. Never use it. It almost got me lost. Grr. Fortunately I'm a fairly bright individual, so I found my way to the site without too much trouble. And I think I did well. Possibly top 5? *crosses fingers* I'll probably hear/read something about it tonight or tomorrow. Good luck to Adri and Sarah and all of the other people that I like that are trying out.

Recovering from a sugar-induced coma.

Seriously. We had cookies and brownies and ice cream ... and more cookies ... Monday? I believe so... Then I came home and passed out, instantly screwing up my routine for the rest of the week.
Besides that, I've been reading and taking notes on attitudes about the role of women in Elizabethan England and a selection of Shakespeare's comedies. Yeah, still have to read As You Like It and the Cliff's Notes tonight. Blah. Thus the lack of updates. I go. I study. Eww...

The trouble with senior research papers

Running about in tiny circles trying to figure out exactly what my paper will be about - I know it WILL use As You Like It as the main source, and that the women in the play will be an integral part of the theme, but what, exactly, will that theme be? Friendship between Rosalynde and Celia? Gender bending in Shakespeare's plays? I don't know, and it's giving me a mild headache.
Arrg.

18 years minus 45 days

Not a lot happened today. Received a lovely card from Miki, turned in my essay, watched part of Lost, and took a nap that I'd been needing since this morning. THE CAFFEINE ISN'T WORKING!!
Calculus test and economics quiz in the morning. Whee.
And prewriting junk is going on for the research papers. It's looking like I'll be writing on Shakespeare's female characters in As You Like It and perhaps one other play. Or I could do something about the extensive role reversals in As You Like It. Terribly entertaining, of course. Something about cross dressing and lesbians? I'm going to sit by you, but not because I'm a lesbian... 'K, I'll go away now and do...something.

WHEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Heh, I was tired at 9. That's really funny. Really.
'K, we met up at the Warehouse, made nice little folders with the music, drove to the fairgrounds, set up and voila! Sing!
I think it went well enough. Not perfect, but not bad.
And then to the rides. With Jenn and Drew. Because they both came. :)
Thank you, Jenn and Drew, for supporting my vocal habit.
But yeah...I am quite tired, and I wish to go to bed now.
Byebye.

Breathe...

'K, so it's a little over two hours before we start loading the drums and keyboard into Zac's truck, and I've just finished retyping seven of our songs. Oy, it's like cramming for a test, I tell ya! We were sitting in the sanctuary after the service trying to take down some last-minute notes on the intros for some of the songs.
I'll bet too much of this could give one of us an ulcer. So...
I'm gonna go change clothes, eat something and then we're off! Update later...maybe...if I finish my economics homework.

Rantingness

"Arrg!" says the pirate.
But why is the pirate so angry?
Well, for one thing, the pirate is a part of a band that can't get its act together. Namely the guitar player and the "lead" singer. So? The band is supposed to perform tomorrow night, but two practices have been cancelled this week, and when they actually do have practice, the guitar and lead spend a lot of time mucking around. Arrg.
The other thing is that the pirate's freshman sister is dating a sophomore womanizer, and said womanizer showed up at the pirate's house while everyone but the sister was gone. Arrg.
So this pirate is going to go do homework. Hopefully all feelings of displeasure will be transferred to calculus or English or economics. And then the pirate can go eat dinner at a friend's house (no, not yours, another friend's).
Ta ta.