The Last of the First-- The First of the Lasts

So I just got home from the last home game of my first year of high school marching band. It's really sad, actually. I had two seniors in my line (I was the only freshman in my line :D), and it will be weird not to see them, or any other part of my line, every B day and every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-8:30. I really got to know the people next to me. I will really miss them. I think I might make them each a card. Also, it signifies the beginning of a long string of endings- not only of home football games but of everything in life. Nothing really lasts forever on Earth. (Which is a good thing and a bad thing...) I have 3 more last home games left. It's really sad, again. It's crazy to think about life like that. It's like thinking "in 16 years, I'll be 30. In 4 (ish) years, I'll graduating." It's all kinda scary. I remember my first game this year. It was so scary even though we didn't get to march on the field (it was super wet). It was so surreal actually being in the band. I have grown up loving the marching band, even when they weren't so good. It was crazy to wear the uniform and play with the people I used to watch and look up to. Now, my first season is over. I think I'll go cry. jk :D

Okay, so this kinda stupid, but

I probably had one of my proudest moments of my life, this week. Perhaps you will recall a previous blog, written by me, about a boy that Ms. Nelson and I were working on to get into speech team, and then he said that he was going to do it. Well, this boy (M) happened to try out for the school play, "Up the Down Staircase" and got the part of Jose Rodrigez. Everyone who tried out got a part, so it wasn't a big triumph on his, or anybody's, part. Well, we were in play practice, and I decided to actually pay attention to how well everyone was doing. I noticed that anytime M did something, it was really good. His inflection all the way to just how he sat was perfect for his character. I was really impressed. Here's a boy who's in his first theatre experience, doing better than those in their 5th. When I told him he was doing a really good job, he seemed surprised and really proud. I could tell this was something he was enjoying and was glad that he was doing well. I know he's excited for more opportunities, and I can't wait to see what he does.

Yesterday.

Yesterday was my last performance of Banjo Boy (a world premiere of a new musical about Meredith Willson) and of the summer. We had a really strong performance. Everyone was on. Probably the best performance of the run. It helped that we had a huge, reacting audience. That really helps, actually. We were also archiving and getting a recording for a cast album. :D I'm pretty sure we get a copy of at least the cast album and maybe the archival video. I don't know for sure, though. Then, we had strike. I helped Jennie with the costumes as I had before. I made this huge tape ball out of the blue painters' tape we used to label tables and whatnot. We sorted out laundry and made sure we had everything. People were designated as "Basement Cleaners." They organized costume stuff into boxes and swept the floor. The basement was spotless. We cleaned all the tables and counters and swept the floors of the dressing rooms and make-up room. They looked hardly breathed in. We loaded some accessories and coats into Joan's car. Then, it was time to say good-bye. Some interns were leaving that night. Most, today. It was sadder than I thought it would be. I spent 2/3 of my summer with them, and they were leaving. I hugged everyone, except Geoff (he patted me on the back-fine with me :D). Careth, my buddy, was probably one of the hardest people to say good-bye to. :C I'll most likely never see or hear of most of them again. I guess we have Facebook. I hope that I can see most of them again. :D They are all so talented. I will miss them a lot. And that's what I did with my last 3 days of summer.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation............

Do you remember those papers you would have to write when you were younger about what you did on your summer vacation? (I hated those. FQR) Well, this is kinda one. I started my summer rather slow. ish. I had to help with Bible School. I also sang pit choir for FACT's production of PIPPIN. Then started Joseph. We had rehearsal a lot. Then the actual show, which went amazingly well. (I was in the Youth Choir (for the 2nd time, I might add)). Then, I was (and currently still is in) Banjo Boy. (A new work about what Meredith Willson's regrets.) Yeah, so I haven't had a summer since the end of June. Still, I'm super excited to go back to school and start HIGH SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I forgot to add that I went to All-State Camp. I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I miss it. :C Soon school will start and my life will remain complicated, but just complicated enough. :D ~Sarah* -FQR- FQR= For Questions and Research

Artwork

Remember that posting a while ago in which I was ranting a ton??? Well, you may recall me mentioning that I paint. Here are some of my paintings. WARNING: They are not for everyone. They are very odd. I won't be offended if you don't like them. I will understand. They are really strange.

"Soon It Will ALL BE CLEAR"

"Hidden Among Chaos"

"Through My Muddled Emotions"

"Our Target Audience"

"The Mirror"

"Sorry Mom, but I can't Paint Flowers"

"A Gift for Shannon" (oil pastels)

"The Yellow Brick Road" (oil pastels)

"An Easy-to-Keep Promise"

"The Tinted Windows Guarding Lovers From Reality"


So there you have it. There will be more later. Let me know what you think: POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CRITICISM IS ACCEPTED!!!!! :D

A Super Contagious-- Yet Self-Caused, Disease

Facebook Yes, I have succumbed. IT EATS YOU UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's super fun and super time-consuming. I get on the computer just to use Facebook. I think I may have a problem. I think I need to go to Facebook Users Anonymous. "Hi...Uh...My name is Sarah....and I have an addiction to Facebook." *applause* Join if you have no life. If you already have a life, as I did, don't join! You will be swallowed up by it!!!!!!!!!!!! It is super fun though. For example, I play Harry Potter Trivia- I'm a SCHOLAR. I also have 89 friends. Yes, I do know all of them. And, yes, Ms. Nelson, I am using my hostile-looking picture as my picture! :^@ To summarize, Facebook eats you up.

So this week, at my church, we had Bible School. The theme was Power Lab or something like that. Basically, science!!!!!! yay!!! I was with the preschoolers. I really do not like kids. I am a major control freak, as I have already stated, so kids frustrate me. Today was the last day. We decided to build a fort. I don't know why but it kept them occupied. So one boy hit this girl. She started crying, and our leader took them aside. She made him apologize. He went under a table and cried. I understood it as a remorse attack. Whether it was remorse for hitting her or getting caught isn't relevant, in my opinion. It just surprised me that a preschooler would have such strong emotions. I don't have that strong of emotions and I'm in high schooler. I guess it just proves that we are all different.

By the way, I have bronchitis, and I want to shoot my bronchial tubes.

Lovely News!!!

GUESS WHO IS A HIGH SCHOOLER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's right, me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just a little excited. For a while, I was slightly worried about high school. But as life progressed (as it always does) I became warmer towards the idea of high school. I hope it's as great as I'm expecting/hoping it will be. I have already been called "Freshy," "Freshman," "Freshmeat," and more. How exciting!!!!!!!!!

A Complete Surprise

So, I was riding the bus home today when I heard the most astonishing news: A certain girl in my grade, "Carla," thinks she might be pregnant. She did the un-do-able with her boyfriend 2 or 3 years her senior. Evidently, he didn't use a condom and she wasn't on birth control. She hasn't missed her period yet or been tested, but she is totally worried. You may be wondering "Naw, how can you trust a person on the bus?" Well, let me tell you something about my source. This boy, "Kyle," has ridden the bus with me since I started riding in 3rd grade. Granted, I've only started having actual conversations with him this year, but he's told me many secrets, such as who he likes and who his friends like. He is my friend only on the bus. We are not in the same social groups. We don't sit together at lunch or talk any other time during the day. We are both totally okay with that. However, I have acquaintances with some of his friends. "Carla" is one of those. I really trust him. Not enough to tell him my own secrets, but I have trust issues, so. It's not official. I doubt that she is, but I just felt that this was one of those moments that the world needed to know about. It's one of those things that change people. I hope she isn't pregnant. It would not be good. I think she would most likely give it up for adoption. I will keep you posted.

1 day left of MIDDLE SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Check out "Cute is What We Aim For," a fantastic band!

I HATE TECHNOLOGY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I was going to burn our documentary we made for GOAL and give it to the interviewees and my grandpa. I, first, spend about an hour fighting with Jennie's computer just to figure out that it wouldn't work on her computer. Then, after supper, I decided that perhaps our family computer would do the trick. No such luck!!!!!! I tried to burn it over and over again. After I would burn it, I would run upstairs and try to play it in our DVD player. Everytime, it said "No Disc." I think I may just shoot it! Normally, technology works just fine for me. But, NOOOO! The computer decides to be totally stubborn and hate my guts. ARG!!!!!!

On the upside, we only have 2 more days of school left.

For the Morbid Word-Lover In All of Us

If you click on the title, it will bring you to this site: http://www.ugoplayer.com/games/hangmanextreme.html This is a game for the Morbid Word-Lover in all of us. DO NOT PLAY IF SQUEMISH!!!!!!!!!!!

How Slightly Unfair

As it is June, it is graduation time. Why is it that high school graduation is glorified and celebrated much more than college, middle school, or elementary graduation? I survived middle school! (Well, almost...I have approx. 3 days left.) I think that surviving middle school is quite a feat. You have to live through those awkward years of your life and getting used to the raging hormones inside you. Everyone and everything's changing. It's a difficult time, for some. I really didn't have that hard of a time, but still. I personally think that middle schoolers need some sort of ceremony. We get a little assembly during school. They don't even call every student's name, just those getting the Presidential Academic Award. I don't think it's quite fair. Some would disagree while some would agree. It's all about how you look at it. All I have to say is "how slightly unfair."

Something I'm Proud Of

So, like any other woman, or man sometimes, I like to change people. I like to change the way they think, act, or what they do. The recent change (probably my most successful)involves a slightly athletic and terribly unmotivated guy-friend. I did, however, have help from Ms. Nelson and Shannon. Here's how it went. This boy, "M," is, as aforementioned,slightly athletic and terribly unmotivated. Ms. Nelson realized a hidden talent in him. In GOAL, we were doing Reader's Theatre. She saw how good he was and pounced on it. Shannon, Ms. Nelson, and I told him everything about IHSSA (Iowa High School Speech Association). He seemed pretty interested. Ms. Nelson talked to one of the coaches about him. (I think she talks to him about more students than M, but that's a whole other conspiracy theory.) M has never seen any performances of IHSSA, so he is truly relying on our promotion of it. Here is the best part. We were on the bus ride home from our school trip to Adventureland. I was sitting with another friend and he and another friend were sitting in the seat behind us. We started to talk about high school, a common topic among graduating 8th graders. We were talking about activities. He said that he really wanted to participate in Speech Team. He said that he wanted to do Improv and Mime. (That's also what I want to be in, just saying.) When he said that, I about hugged him. I wouldn't have if I could have reached him, but you know what I mean. I was so surprised. I thought he was only acting interested. He would be really good at Improv. He goes through life winging it. (But don't we all? *philosophical moment*) I was very happy. I like to change people, like I said. So I am quite proud. :D

PARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*NOTE This is a lot of bitching right here. If you don't enjoy bitching please move on.* My parents are pissing me off. Really my family in general. It's not just me being a teenager. My family is seriously bugging me. First of all, my younger sister. Some people would say it's just a clash of personalities, but those people don't live in my mind. I am one of those people you could describe as a control freak. I like things to go the way I do it because I feel that I could do it in a more efficient or better way. My sister is one of those people that doesn't help my "condition." She does things slowly and inefficiently. She always needs help with her homework and doesn't retain skills especially in math. She doesn't act like an 11-year-old. She frustrates me to the max. I can hardly stand to be around her. I seriously need to see a pyschologist or something. I'm messed up. Second of all, my parents are on my case all the time. 1st, it was because I coughed. "You're getting sick!!!! You need to go to bed earlier!!! You should this!!!! You shouldn't that!!!" I coughed once. 2nd, I have finally found a hobby. (I'm always bored. I'm not easily challenged. My parents were forever trying to find a hobby for me.) It's painting. I love painting. My stuff is odd. It's nowhere near conventional art. My parents don't understand it and probably don't really care for it. Anywho! I paint often. I normally paint kinda late at night (9-11 P.M.). Not always though. It's just that one painting takes a while. If I start it at 8, it won't be done for another hour or two. I would think that they should be glad that I have found a hobby. It's better than having me rot my brain out on tv or something. The second part of that is this situation. So the current painting I'm working on is pretty cool. I got this really cool brown color from my water. I decided to layer it on to the painting for a really cool old-look for the white spots. I didn't know that one section of the paint was still pretty wet. I just went along "painting" the water on the paper. I got into the wet paint and it went all over sections that were supposed to be "painted" with water. So I had to mop it up off the paper. They yelled at me to go to bed. After I got it all fixed, I had to wait for it all to dry. By that time, it was too late to stay up and wait for it to dry. So I wrote a note and set it on top of the water. The gist of it was this "Don't dump this water. If you do, you will regret it. It's very important to me. I don't care if you are my parent. Just don't touch it." Sure it's a little mean, but it gets the point across. The water was key to the painting. My mom got all defensive: "You shouldn't write stuff like that. It's not very nice." Or something like that. I understand that I could have written it in a nicer way, but I was completely pissed by then because of them yelling their asses off at me. I didn't need them yelling at me. I was frustrated. I just wanted to work on my painting. Painting is like a relaxation technique for me. Some people take up yoga; I paint. Planning it out, mixing the colors, adjusting the original design to fix mistakes, displaying my feelings, opinions, thoughts, randomness, etc., in a way that is not obvious. It's a great stress reliever. My parents just don't understand. Nobody in my family understands. I'm kinda like the ugly duckling of the family. I'm weird. I don't really fit in. I don't really fit in anywhere. I'm just so different. Don't get me wrong, I'm totally proud of my difference. The last thing I want to be is normal. I just---------I don't know. Excuse my rambling/bitching/trying to figure out life............ ~Sarah*

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To the right, is a picture of me with my new haircut. In the picture, the majority of my hair is up in a ponytail. My mom doesn't like it when I put my hair up with this new haircut. She says the bangs are too much. Ms. Nelson thinks that in the picture I look mad. I said that I'm always mad, but I was joking. She said that I'm always hostile. I would have to agree. I am pretty hostile. I have a lot of things that bug me. The list is probably endless. You don't want to get me started. Well, there it is. ENJOY!!!!!!!! ~Sarah*

Life, in general.

Well. My haircut looks good. If I get around to it, I will post a picture of myself on here. I think I am pretty dang sexy. :D My mom doesn't really like it all that much. I had quite a theatre weekend. I saw Godspell again on Saturday afternoon. It was just as amazing the second time. (I got another hug from Ryan, but I had no one to brag about it to.) That night I saw Little Shop of Horrors at the high school. It was good but not as good as Godspell. :D Of course, they were high schoolers. I have gotten hooked on the Spring Awakening soundtrack. It's amazingly wonderful!!!!!!!!!!!! It's really dirty though. So whenever I listen to it I have to make sure my parents aren't around. I know the basic plot of the musical, but I'm no expert. I highly suggest it. I am in a band. It's with three other boys. Two of which are twins. The other is a friend of ours. One of the twins plays the drumset. The other plays piano or clarinet, but normally piano. The other boy plays guitar and bass and sings lead most of the time. He can also play the piano, but he doesn't. I play the saxophone and piano. All of us sing background. I have to transpose my butt off all the time for my saxophone or the clarinet. I'm getting better at it, but it's hard!!! The band has no name which I continue to point out every time I see them. They like the name "The Witnesses." I think there is already a band with that name. Unfortunately, decisions aren't made quickly by them. I also do not have an alternative. I like really strange names, but they don't. We'll see how it turns out. Well, that's a summary, basically, of my week. Have a good week!!!!!!!!!!!

Yuk.

I have a sinus infection. I'm taking this medicine (I just recently learned how to take a pill. I kinda have a fear of choking....) to fix it. My nose is all stuffed up. I cannot breathe through it. Everyday tasks are making me out of breath. I sound really weird when I talk. My nose also keeps running. It is not a fun day. At least I don't have to suffer through this at school or really anywhere. I have stayed home all day. I slept till 9:36. I remember this distinctly. Don't ask me why. I put the finishing touches on a painting I have been working on lately. I also painted a piece of plywood for these pieces of broken goblets (they were props for a show my sister was stage manager for. She broke 2 of them and gave them to me to paint) that I painted. It's exciting. I paint abstract art. Even if I could paint realistically, I don't think I would. Abstract art is just more fun. I am getting my haircut on Tuesday. I found this site that you can upload a picture of yourself to and then pick hairstyles. I tried to upload a picture of myself, but it didn't work. So I just used a "model" that they had. I picked one with similar facial structure as myself. I picked four and printed them. I am going to take them to school and ask people what they think. I am not good with decisions. Then I will take the picture to the hairdresser and say, "This is the haircut I want. Can you do that for me, please?" And since she is a very good hairdresser, it will turn out beautifully. I will love it. I am tired of having the same look. I need something new. The last haircut I got was when I gave 11 inches to Locks of Love. That was in early June. Depending on how short I get it cut, I could do it again. My hair grows pretty quickly for hair. I can't wait for my haircut. I hope I get better. Being sick is not fun. ~Sarah*

First,

I must apologize to my adoring fans for not writing for ever. I know it troubled you to not know what was going on inside my head and in my life. However, you have survived and are now reading this. Congratulations on not dying from Sarah-deprivation. :D Now that I've had my fun, I will move on to what I am really writing about.

GODSPELLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(I just added the blockquotes for fun. :D)

I just got home from it about half an hour ago. It was AMAZINGLY WONDERFUL!!!!!!!! If you live in the area, or not, GO SEEEEEEE ITTTTT!!!!!!!!!! Shannon and Ms. Nelson were both in it. They were amazing!!! The whole cast was!!!!

So the guy who played Jesus is named Ryan. My friends think that he is hot/beautiful/cute/whatever. I would say he's cute, but that's beside the point!!!!
One of my friends went with me. Her name is secret because some of you know her. I will call her "S." S is obsessed. She thinks that he is amazing plus beautiful. I know Ryan. (I call him "Q." I haven't to his face yet, but I'M GETTING THERE!!! I'll get the courage some day....)He helps Generation NOW with choreography. I think he might know my name. I don't know for sure. Once, I was at KFC, and he waved at me before I did. Of course I waved back, but it was a test to see if he would recognize me. Every time I see him he waves. He seems to "know" me. ANYWHO!!!!!!! I went over to Ryan, said that he did a fantastic job, and got a HUG and an autograph. I went over to S and the rest of my friends and said,

"HA! I WIN!" S proceeded to hit me. It was funny though.

Then, he was about 10 feet behind her (in front of Shannon and I)S was all "does my butt look good?" etc. She made up this song. (to the tune of Santa Claus is Coming to Town)

Swingin my hips, feeling him right. We're gonna find out who's better toningt. S is coming to town.

I love her. She is soooooo funny.


To summarize: A lot of my friends are obsessive about older, talented, Superman-shirt-wearing men.



*Sarah~



:D


teeheeteeheeteeheeteeheeteeheeteeheeteeheeteehee


This is him by the way::::

I thought I would share this with you.

This is Gerard Butler. (http://imdb.com/name/nm0124930/)

He is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!

He is my new favorite actor. (He is followed very closely by Jim Sturgess and then James McAvoy. Yes, I do have a thing for European actors. :D)




If you do not agree that he is beautiful, you are on drugs. :D

Watch Out World!!!!!!!!

Yesterday, around 11:15, I received my driving permit!!!!! Now I can drive at any time with a parent/guardian over age 21 or any adult over age 25 with a written permission from my parent/guardian. Despite that small bump, I CAN LEGALLY DRIVE!!!!! I went driving with my mom. I did not hit anything!!!! Of course, we were only on residential roads and she backed up anytime we needed to, but I DROVE!!!!! Ever since I was little, I could hardly wait to drive. I can't wait for my full license!!! For now, I will have to settle on driving with my parents. It's better than not being able to drive.

Generation NOW

So I'm in this group with Shannon: Generation NOW. It's a show choir at our civic center. It's a bunch of 8th-12th graders. It seems like Shannon and I don't really fit in with everyone else/we aren't really well liked. We are kinda weird, but really, guys, come on, don't judge. We have fun with it. I don't want to sound cocky or anything, but Shannon is the the best soprano and I would say that I am the best Alto there. (There are only 3 altos. :j)Anywho! People just don't really seem to like us. I think they are just jealous. P.S. Don't give me any comment that says "Humble or Modest, are we?" or none of that crap. I know that was not a modest/humble thing to say. Don't tell me that.

Random things

So this is my late tribute to St. Patrick's Day. Plus you can learn a bit about me! What Your Shamrock Says About You You have a logical mind, and you pay a lot of attention to details. You are very organized. Sometimes you find thinking creatively to be a challenge. You prefer to deal with the facts at hand. You don't really consider yourself a lucky person. In your view, people create their own luck. You are traditional, easy going, and appreciative of the simple things in life. Also, here is another one (in honor of my love of chewing/bubble gum): You Are Cinnamon Flavored Gum You are daring, active, and a little outrageous. You crave adventure and novelty. You like to mix things up. Your personality is extra spicy and larger than life. You love to have fun, and you are passionate about everything you do. You're definitely a fiery person, and you don't back down from a fight. Most people love your fire - but you can be a bit too intense at times!

A TERRIFYING EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wednesday morning I had the most terrifying experience of my life. I was playing with my dog like I do every other morning. These huge crows (about 4) went in the trees around me. They started cawing at each other. It was really ominous. Then they started flying. It seemed like they were coming towards me. How is this terrifying? you may ask. Well, let me explain.

For almost as long as I can remember, I have been terrified of birds. No, I haven't seen the movie The Birds. I'm just deathly afraid of them. So, for me, this was terrifying. You may laugh at my "stupid" fear, but just you wait. One day, this world will be ruled by them. Then you will realize why someone would be scared of them.

Ok, I know,

I haven't posted recently. I've just been really busy. I normally don't get too stressed out about really anything. I always have some stress, but it's not extreme. This past week was a major stress attack. We had Images of Greatness last night. We had to research someone we thought was an image of greatness. We made a display, wrote an essay and a bio-riddle, and make some food that related to them. We had basically 5 days to memorize our bio-riddle. Mine was 3 1/2 pages! Then we had to perform the bio-riddles, set up our displays, and share our food. It went, actually, really well. My person was Dorothea Lange. She was a photo-journalist during the Depression and WWII. I made a migrant worker farm (dirt cake with pictures of produce on toothpicks sticking out of it.) Then after that, I went to one of my friends houses. It was Shannon, me, and 4 boys (two are attached and the other are just friends, so don't get any ideas!) We were going to watch 3:10 to Yuma, but instead, we just talked. It was really cool. It kinda felt like a slumber party, except we didn't stay over. It was awesome to just talk with people. There are all in GOAL so they aren't stupid. They are all so down-to-earth. It's cool to know that 8th graders can have an open (and opinion-filled) discussion about not only people but issues. Of course, we did talk about people, (Who doesn't?) but we also talked about just life in general. EYE-OPENING EXPERIENCE.

A Not-so-Famous, yet important, Holiday.

Yesterday, March 8th and every March 8th, was International Women's Day. As a feminist, I decided that I am one, I appreciate this holiday. There's a boy in my grade who loves to tell me sexist jokes. He said that he was going to call me with a bunch of them yesterday. He didn't. I was happy. I hope you will always celebrate International Women's Day. CELEBRATE THE WOMEN IN YOUR LIFE!!!!! O t (That is my really bad symbol for women.) ~Sarah*

Question #1

Why do middle schoolers ask questions that they know that they other person will probably not answer? Is it because there is a tiny little chance that they like you enough to answer the question truthfully? Why does everyone have a secret? Does everyone have a secret? Why does everyone want to know their secret(s)? Wouldn't life be easier if we all just said everything we thought instead of keeping everything inside? Isn't thinking things just as bad as saying it? Why are we always so curious? (Or a better question) Why are there so many things to be curious about?

(I like questions. I will have more. : 7)

Soooooooo......

I started this blog because my GOAL (Talented And Gifted) class teacher talked about hers all the friggin time. I always thought blogging would be cool but didn't know how to start. Now I'm sitting here typing this bloggityblog with my right hand only, talking on my cellular device to my buddy, Shannon, screaming "FRIGGIN!" every time I hit the wrong key (which is, like every 5 seconds), and laughing hysterically each time. Now I'm being forced to go take a shower and go to bedditybed. CYA!