Tunes to Stave Off Boredom

So....while doing numerous hours of homework, I've discovered and been introduced to some amazing artists and songs, which have saved me from hours and hours of ultimate boredom. I though I'd share a few with you, in case you're in need of some new tunes.

First up, we have Lauren O'Connell. Basically, I'd love to be Lauren O'Connell when I grow up. Not only does she have an amazing original voice, she plays at least 8 instruments and several household objects in unique ways, and her lyrics are really meaningful. So you should listen to everything she's ever written. My favorite song, and the one that one of my friends originally showed to me, is the one in the link, White Noise.

http://www.youtube.com/LaurenOC12#p/c/4F6514652BBFF464/0/8hI5Rs-VXQE

Another incredible artist, who I actually found off of a Lauren O'Connell song, is Benjamin Jameson Morrey. Another singer-songwriter with meaningful lyrics, his voice sounds so innocent and simple that his lyrics are allowed to speak for themselves. My favorite song of his, the one in the link, also has a very cool video (the video in the link). It's called "Hospital-Pt.1".

http://www.youtube.com/benjaminjamesonmorey#p/u/4/VS4lBW1wYsM

So, if you're ever in need of some amazing music and have something that must be done that you aren't exactly thrilled about...look either of these two artists up. You will not be bored any longer!

Top Ten Lists and All That Jazz

As is always...it has been too long since I last entered the blogosphere with a trusty Youtube soudtrack and some really freaking awesome books to share. Darn Facebook, Too Bloody Addicting. So...too make up for lost time...I present to you a list:

Top Ten Books to Enter Your Brain As Soon Is Humanly Possible (Ranked in No Way According to Goodness Level) That I Have Read This Summer:

1. Going Bovine, by Libba Bray
HILARIOUS BOOK! Plus sincerely random, and a little bit sad. Also, my favorite part of the book? The Acknowledgments. They sold me on this book. They are the funniest credits I have ever read or heard about, and rival some of the books I've read. Plus, it's 4 pages long. And once you get past that, the book will make you laugh out loud, and maybe even cry a little. I did, for sure. But the mix of ancient Norse myths, smoothie drinking happy cults, Molecular Biology to explain time travel, and garden gnomes is one you just won't get anywhere else. I can promise you that.
2. Mockingjay, by Suzzane Collins
3. Ink Exchange, by Melissa Marr
4. Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card
5. The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine, by April Lurie
6. Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
7. Marked, by PC Cast and Kristin Cast
8. The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
9. Will Grayson, Will Grayson, the latest amazing novel co-written by John Green and David Levithan
10. Tithe, by Holly Black

Plus the Alex Rider Series, by Anthony Horowitz, but that's not one book, so it doesn't make the list. You should read it though. Even if it is a little bit made for 14 year old boys...I still like it a lot. Don't know what that says about me...

An interesting side note: Have you noticed that in all good spy books the spies work for M16 (the English Special Operations) or are rebels and work on the "Dark Side" of the law? Why is that? Because they're the most badass, I guess.


Top Ten Songs to Listen To Insistently For Hours On End and Drive Your Family Crazy With (That I Have Heard This Summer):

1. Dragonstone Din Tei, by O-Zone
The best Romanian Pop/Dance song ever made! Mandantory crazy dancing and singing in terrible Romanian accents while listening to this song as loud as the speakers can go.
2. Break Me Out, by The Rescues
3. Dynamite, by Taio Cruz
(DISCLAIMER: I don't actually like this type of music much, or Taio Cruz pretty much at all, but this is one awesome dance song, and also gets stuck in my head for 8 zillion years after I hear it once, so I listen to it all the time right now.)

Ummm....since I have to go buy school supplies and eat dinner (Except not at the same time, though that would be....handy?), this will get finished SOON. And I mean it this time!

I will see you soon! Hope you have some new books on your list now. It's why I do this.

Actually...I do this just because I want to. But that's always an added bonus. :)

DFTBA. (Don't Forget To Be Awesome.)

Classically Epic

Wait...what is this website again? Oh right...my blog! It's been too long, blogosphere, and I apologize profusely for that! But, with 2 and a half days left of school, expect more from me on a slightly more organized manner soon!

What's happened since my last post...well, I turned 16! Which is insanely crazy, in my opinion. The Earth just keeps on spinning, I suppose...

And I've read some really good books since then! It's been a bit of a visit to the classic side of literature for me these last couple of weeks/months/when did I last post on this anyway? My English class is finishing up the year with an emphasis on Utopian/Dystopian literature and themes, so we read the classic novel "Fahrenheit 451", by Ray Bradbury.

I have to say, I was skeptical going into this unit. I've read 4 or 5 short stories by Bradbury, and I didn't like a single one. They were creepy, and weird, and I didn't really care for his writing style. But" Fahrenheit 451" blew me away! I haven't read many novels in highschool English classes that I've actually liked, which added to my aprehension. But this novel was exciting, thought-provoking, and interesting! It was also really well written, with a metaphorical prose like feel, and really had an interesting critique on US society! It was a little creepy, but it only added to the atmosphere and critique, without making me throw it across the room like other (*ahem*lord of the flies*ahem*) books we read this year did. You should definitely read it!

Oh, yah, summary. I do those, don't I? Well, it will have to wait, as will the other book I'm going to recommend from my English class. Finals Studying calls... 2 and half more days, and then I promise I'll be back!

To leave, here's a picture I found today, which I think is pretty cool:


Have a good 2 and a half days!

Poems, Some Rambling...What Else Is New?

Once again (this is becoming a bad habit) I have neglected the blogging world. Bad, bad me. And I am about to do it again, when I really don't write anything of importance in this post. Only to say I shall be back! And soon!

And to post this, a sonnet I wrote for English class. (Atleast I got one positive thing out of the 7 thousand years of homework I've been doing, right?) We had to write it about an object that gave us strong emotion. I wrote mine about my hate-love relationship with my violin. Maybe i should have written it about my hate-love relationship with iambic pentameter instead... anyway, for your potential reading pleasure, here you go:

Hate, Love, Sore Fingers, and Soul

The wooden box inside the wooden box,
Has yet to show the music that it makes.
The notes inside my head are not unlocked,
My confidence, though not begun, still breaks.

The notes, the page, they swim before my eyes,
But still the bow presses onto the string.
The melodies, the harmonies, subside,
Yet I still play, head set on finishing.

I hold my breath, release into the sound,
And now I know the reason that I try.
To know myself, relax in what I’ve found,
Now this is music as my fingers fly.

It’s hate, and love, and sore fingers, and soul,
Emotions bend, break under my violin bow.


So that's the sonnet.
Something potentially of note, that I didn't mention before....
I performed at our school's Coffee House on Friday night. It was really really fun...i did two covers: Halleluah, by Leonard Cohen, and I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends, by the Beatles (the best band ever, of course) and then one original song I wrote, called Crooked Valentine. Maybe I will post it here someday.

Until that day, my blogging friends, farewell. I am off to battle the evil monster of homework, and this time, I shall win.

Back With Books

Hello...sorry that I have been absent for such a long time from the blogosphere! Holidays, and homework, and finals coming up means my life is homework, sleeping (not enough of this), and running around trying to do either of the two. But I did get some AMAZING books this year (or should I say last year? Ack...brain doesn't like time), so here are a few you should definetly read, atleast twice.

Paper Towns, by John Green:

If you haven't read anything by John Green, you are missing out! Looking For Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines are amazing books. So is Paper Towns, which I don't actually own, to my sorrow, but borrowed from my next door neighbor (Thanks Shannon!) who got it for Christmas. It follows the senior year of Quentin Jacobsen, your completely average nerdy gamer who spends a lot of time hanging around the band room, even though he's not actually in the band, and his hopeless love for his neighbor Margo Roth Spielman. His life changes one night when, a month or two before the end of the year, Margo climbs into his window dressed as a ninja, and they rampage the town in a deadly plan of revenge. His life changes even more when she doesn't come to school the next day, or the next, or the one after that...and she's reported missing. And, as if it couldn't get any more exciting, Quentin discovers clues Margo has left to help him discover where she is, and why she's hiding. But, as he goes deeper and deeper into Margo's disapearence, he begins to wonder whether or not she really ever wants to be found, and if she's really the girl he fell in love with. Culminating in an across the state road trip of epic proportions, this book made me smile, laugh, roll around on my bed, and glue my eyes to the pages. It is written so well...I actually wrote a song about it afterwards. Who knows, maybe I'll post that on here someday. But you should read Paper Towns...it's deep thought disguised in a graduation gown of hilarity.

With that awesome metaphor, I have to leave. Expect more books later. Dun, dun, dun.....

As I said before, I am trying to write a novel in 30 days. That's 50,000 words...and I have 1,390! But here is what I have so far (thank you Emiko, this is for you!). Sorry, quick post, need sleep and I have quartet performances tommorow in Orchestra, so I have to practice for that! The busy life of a nerdy teenager...

Anyway: Here's what I have so far. And this is a rush of creative ideas, so it is not edited in any way. Beware!

Prologue: The Pen

It was a cheap, blue, 15 cent, reusable, Walmart pen. I didn’t know how it had gotten onto my desk, as I had a personal vendetta against Walmart, and pens in general. You can’t erase anything you write with a pen; it’s too permanent. I don’t like permanence. I guess I’m a little weird that way.

Anyway, the pen. It was blue, had a few dents in the lid, and was sitting mysteriously on my Pre-Calc desk, smack dab in the front, two desks from the pencil sharpener and three from the window. Basically, the desk right in the middle of everything, where it would be difficult to plant a pen. But there it was. Battered and blue, taunting me.

It was a last minute decision. I wasn’t going to pick it up; I wasn’t even going to touch it. I was going to go to lunch, buy a pumpernickel bagel and orange juice, and sit outside in the courtyard with my history textbook, like any normal Tuesday afternoon. But, somehow, this didn’t happen. I picked up the smooth pen and tucked it into my bag, and left the room. And it wasn’t a normal Tuesday anymore.

Chapter 1: The Significance of a Pumpernickel Bagel

Nobody likes pumpernickel. It’s pretty much a proven fact. And this is why I always eat pumpernickel bagels on Tuesdays. Tuesday is bagel day, and by the time I get to lunch, which is late, since I actually write down the homework on the board and don’t sneak out of class early by asking to go to the bathroom seven minutes before the bell rings, there is nothing left but about seventeen pumpernickel bagels, which the staff keep ordering, even though they should know by now nobody likes pumpernickel, some limp carrots, and orange juice. And so this has become my Tuesday diet.

On this particular Tuesday, I arrived at the cafeteria to discover there were no pumpernickel bagels. I was shocked speechless. After 156 days of pumpernickel bagels, there were none. None. Not a single bagel was left in the foil-covered tray where they were usually carefully stacked. I could not believe this…something was drastically wrong. I stopped in my tracks, and checked my watch. Yep, it was lunchtime on Tuesday, September 23rd, and there were no bagels. Instead, on the whiteboard where purple pen spelled out the torture item of the day, there were two words: Vegetarian Lasagna.

Lasagna? Who ate lasagna? Especially vegetarian lasagna? And on Bagel Tuesday? This could not be happening. First the stupid Walmart Pen, and now this. Ultimate wreckage of Bagel Day, and thus the rest of my Tuesday. I slouched towards the lunch line, and purchased a cheese stick and orange juice, both of which were warm, and looked sad and lonely on my tray without a bagel.

With the day already in ruins, I headed over to the doors, running into them with my face and propelling myself forward. This is the proven best method to open doors, if you don’t mind weird looks, and have stuff in your arms. Which I normally do. Plus, it is a test of strength: me against the evil steel doors of the public school institutions of the world. Watch…one day I’ll be on Oprah. Or have broken my nose. One of the two.

After my struggle with the doors and the purchase of warm lunch items, I headed to my bench, only to have my stomach plummet through my red converse covered in doodles. There were people sitting on my bench. Not just sitting, however. But making out, and drinking chocolate milk in between kisses. With straws. As if the making out wasn’t horrible enough, they had plates of vegetarian lasagna lying next to them, halfway eaten.

My head was about to explode. There were lasagna eaters making out and drinking chocolate milk on my bench. The red bench, carefully positioned underneath my favorite vine maple trees, with perfect angles for people watching, and reading unnoticed. And right up against the stone wall covered with ivy, so I could lean back, and be both shaded and protected from the wind. That bench was my solitude: it was my Lord of the Flies clearing. And the people in it were being pig’s heads in my clearing.

Stepping back into the doors, I banged my head on the steel bar at the top, and received a temporary shock to reality. One, I didn’t own the bench, and anyone who wanted to could sit there. Two, I had just made a Lord of the Flies analogy. I obviously needed a social life or religion, and badly. I had reached a point of nerdiness that wasn’t even funny any more. Gosh, this was one heck of a Tuesday.

Turning around, I headed for the next available spot: the reference section of the library. No one reads reference books, unless forced to by an evil social studies teacher or their very out of touch grandmother, and so I was sure it would be safe. Not that my assumptions were having any pull here today, but, luckily, I was correct. There was nobody in the library except for a few sophomore geek-types, some over-achieving independent math students, and the librarian, who was hidden behind a battered copy of The Fellowship of the Ring. I headed back to the reference section, and pulled out my pitiful lunch from my canvas bag.

A quick note on canvas bags: they are taking over the world. I know we’re supposed to be eco-friendly and all, but really. Pretty soon small Asian children will be making canvas bags in sweatshops in Canada, and they’ll be piling up in department stores everywhere. The employees won’t be able to make it out of the store, the stacks will be so huge. We’ll have to evacuate the country, and make all of our clothes and shelters out of canvas bags with the words “Green is the New Black”, “Save the World”, “Go Green!” and “Fred Meyers” printed on them.
But, back to me, my pitiful lunch, and the reference section. Let me suffice to say, it was a long lunch period.

Chapter 2: Stick Figures

Lunch was not the high point of my day. But what came after lunch made it look like 7th Heaven: a free period.

Now, I bet most people in the world would not be dreading a free period. They would be rejoicing, spinning in circles, inventing new, untried ways to sneak and off campus and not get caught, and finishing up the homework due the next period. Okay, the last one’s a long shot, but you never know. Miracles do happen. Sometimes.

But, of course, I am not most people. Consider this: It might take some imagination, but I know you can do it. I have no friends (I left them all in Oregon when I moved in 7th grade), a perfect 4.0 GPA, all my homework is done the night before, and I’ve no desire to leave the school campus, plus no way to be back in time for 6th period, as I have no car, no driver’s license, and my bike has a flat tire. In short, my life is a pathetic sob story.

I protested the free period, but it was in vain. This is the problem with having no extracurricular activities and no social life, and taking online classes for fun. Plus thinking AP Biology and AP Lit are fun classes. Basically, my nerdiness has defeated me, once again. Darn.

Anyway, with absolutely nothing to do and a whole period in which to do it in, I have been cultivating a hobby: drawing stick figures. With top hats. I call them the Minions, and they live in the back of my Spanish notebook. They’re cultivating a small society there, inventing microwave popcorn and shoelaces, and all the good things in life.

But today I was too tired to help the Minions microwave the popcorn and tie their shoes. I was too tired to think, or look at my AP Bio book, or even eat my warm, limp cheese stick. I just put my head down on the table and sighed. My sigh knocked over the large reference books stacked around me, and they slowly dominoed onto my head. Typical.

The Craziest Idea Ever

Well, I think I've gone insane. My family agrees. Because (wait for it, wait for it): I'm going to try to write a novel in 30 days. Yes, 30 days. The entire month of November. Here I go, the girl who can't write a 5 paragraph essay in a week, trying to write a whole book in a month!

You can blame my friend Dana for getting me into this crazy scheme. http://evergreendr.blogspot.com/ This is her blog, Elf, where she first advertised the crazy scheme: The NaNoWriMo contest. Write a novel in 30 days, since November is National Novel Month. And me, being the gullible writing-crazy girl that I am, went right to the website (http://ywp.nanowrimo.org/) and signed right up. So, we'll see where this goes. Maybe it will turn out something good...maybe it will be a complete disaster. We'll see!

Forced Flow and Apologies

You know the feeling when you have something to say but you just can't seem to find the words to say it? It seems like I'm living in that state permanently right now.

I'm sorry I haven't posted in such a long time...school started and wham! Homework hit me over the head like my AP US History textbook. And it was not comfortable.

But about that feeling. That is one of the reasons I write, because I feel like, if I can force the words out onto paper and throw them into something that can say what I wanted to or not, then maybe, someday, it will be easier to get them to come out of my mouth. So far this hasn't happened yet, but I'm still hoping it will.

And I guess the reason I said that is that I have been writing a lot of poetry and songs in the last couple weeks, and it all seems to be trying to make sense of what's inside my head. It doesn't make much sense (neither does what's inside my head, for that matter), but I feel like it says something important. So, because I have been horribly neglectful to my blog and because I need to show it to someone, no matter who that might be, I'm going to post a couple of the poems on here. If you like them, then that's great...if you don't understand them, than your brain probably works in a normal fashion, unlike mine. Here goes.

The raindrops
pound drumbeats on my window
blur the outside
into torrents of gray mist
and I sit
waiting for someone
anyone
to break the loud
silence
with nothing but the raindrops
for company


It's the same old story
prove your glory
friend then enemy
what have you done to me
feeble reality
touch my lips to yours
one last time
I can claim you
even when you're forced to be mine
freezing
burning
the girl on fire
perect eleven
please aspire
to kill me
sparks fly upward
catch my dress
burning
transformed
fly away
before you too
catch fire


Turn up the music

it blocks out

your thoughts

thinking is too routine to be painless

lacking orignality

you mind is like a playlist on repeat

the ferris wheel

circling over the suburbs

carrying the weight of everyone

but yourself

you trip over everyone else's burdens

in your haste to turn off the light

everything looks better

when all you can see

is the dark

Bittersweet chocolate chips
Ripped paper
Thousands of never finished sentences
Millions of words never formed by my shaking lips
Salty cheeks
Belated news
Caps lock is on
And everything is a love song
She said it was dangerous
And forbidden
So we rushed out
To prove ourselves reckless
And to prove that love
Conquers everything
We swung our legs
Over the edge of the bridge
Laughed at the height
Heady in the danger
And your perfume
Popping multi-colored bubbles
With our bare feet
Glittering highlights
Of sunlight
In your caramel colored hair
You said you’d be here forever
I said that I knew that
Already
And we sat in our isolated moment
Until
I woke up

Disclaimer: The second poem, entitled Game Piece, was written right after I finished the book Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins, which was about 20 minutes ago, actually. It's the sequel to the Hunger Games, and I won't give you a summary, because it is impossible to do without giving something away. But if you like twisted love stories, rebellion, action, moral decisions, and cliffhangers, you should read this book. After the Hunger Games, of course. If you have a hard time with sadness or some bloody action though, it is definetly not the book for you. But it's a nonstop adrenaline rush, with an amazing complicated plot and characters. Here's the cover: And, hopefully, that makes up for my absence in the cyber-world of late. Hope you enjoyed reading, and I shall see you (well, not exactly, but you know what I mean) next time I happen to be in the cyber-world.

Possible Employee of The Best Bookstore Ever

So, as I was buying Running Shoes today for Cross Country, I decided to go over to Village Books, my favorite local bookstore in the entire world, since it's right across the street. I walked in with a pair of shoes, and I walked out with a pair of shoes, Cathy's Book (which will probably be reviewed here soon), and...a job application.

Some background information: I love Village Books, and it's been a running joke in my family that they should just hire me, since I spend so much time there anyway. It's my dream job: working in a bookstore, helping people buy books, and reading books ALL DAY. What could be better? And my mom had talked to the owners at a function she went too, and they said they could give me a job if I applied. They can't pay me until I turn 16, but I would still get to work there, and I could count it for volunteer hours.

So, I went in with my mom today, and picked up a job application! I have to write a letter about my interests for working there, and fill out the 8 pages of the application, turn it in, and we'll see how it goes!

History Mysteries and Purple Shoes

Sorry I haven't been posting in ages and ages and ages....I have been doing homework! I know, here you may gasp "Why? School doesn't start for another two weeks!" And I shall tell you why. I'm taking AP US History this year, and we have too (no, we get too!) read 5 chapters in our textbook and take notes on them. I'm halfway through Chapter 3: Settling the Northern Colonies, 1629-1700. So, a book you don't want to have to read this summer: The American Pageant. It's actually kind of interesting, if you like history, slavery, religious radicals, and tobbaco. Oh, and corn. Lots of corn. But it's also not too fun to spend a summer day inside taking notes. So, if you feel like a long book full of more than you ever wanted to know wbout the US facts, pick it up at the Sehome library today. They probably won't let you check it out if you're not taking the class, but you could always try.

Off to my last summer run...I start Cross Country practice tommorow! School is fast aprroaching! But, I will be facing it in a new pair of purple low top Converse, so like isn't all bad....

Bloody Brilliant!

I have to say, I've been dissapointed by the Harry Potter movies in the past. They all seem to be missing crucial parts, they cut out my favorite characters, and they skip really awesome lines. But, 4 hourse ago I went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince in theaters, and I am astonished. Amazed. Stupified. It was BLOODY BRILLIANT! It was the best Harry Potter movie so far, in my opinion, and this time they actually managed to stick to the story line and make it a great movie. Wow. If you have an opportunity to see it on the big screen, do it.

Part of being a die hard fan is, of course, dressing up for the movie. I went with my sister, my dad, and one of our friends. In order to dress up as Tonks (Nimphadora Tonks, Animorphmagus and punk Auror), I had to die my hair purple. This is us before we headed off to the theater. I'm in the middle, as Tonks, my sister is on the left as Luna Lovegood, and our friend Dana is on the right, as Bellatrix Lestrange. Our costumes were the best of the bunch, I must say....and the movie was as good as the book. Maybe even better...

Demon Hunting...Well, Vicariously, That Is

I know, long time, no blog. Summer swept me up, and I've been engaging myself in my "summer routine", so to speak: wake up somewhat groggily, swim team practice for an hour, running, bike home, sack out with a book, weight lift, watch a movie, interspersed with playing outside, eating cherries off our tree, and playing my guitar. Heaven. But, as trips to Village Books are a definite must in my life, I have a new series to share with you! The Mortal Instruments Series, by Cassandra Clare. It consists of The City of Bones, The City of Ashes, and The City of Glass. These books are amazing. I bought the series two weeks ago, and I'm already re-reading them.


They follow Clarissa Fray (Clary for short) and her discovery that she's not who she thought she was, and neither is the rest of her world, when she witnesses a murder only she can see, in a downtown nightclub. This is her first encounter with the Shadowhunters, teenagers who kill demons, covered in mysterious tattoos they call Marks. And the first time she meets Jace. She is suddenly thrown into the world she belongs to, but has been hidden from ever since she was born...for good reason. Secrets, battles, forbidden love, betrayal....everything in Clary's life is about to change, but for good or evil; not even she can tell. *evil laughter in the background* But, honestly, I love this series. If I could become one of the characters, I would. They're the type of books you can read, and then pick them right up again and read them over, and it's even better the second time through. They do have a lot of violence, and a little mature content, but overall, an amazing summer read. And they have really cool covers.Unfortunately, Blogger won't let me put them on, for some weird reason. Well. I will put them on later, to see if they work. Until then, I shall sign off.

More Than Just Painted Nails and Highlighted Hair

I read the most amazing nonfiction book this week. And you know it has to be good, because I usually hate nonfiction books. But this one made the real world just as amazing as a fantasy one. It's called the Kabul Beauty School, by Deborah Rodriguez, and follows Rodriguez as she travels to war-torn Afghanistan, after the fall of the Taliban, in 2001. At first, surrounded by doctors, engineers, and therapists, she feels out of place, and worries that she can't make an impact in the Afghan people's destroyed lives. But she soon discovers one thing that she, and only she, can bring to Kabul, Afghanistan: a beauty school for the many Afghan women she befriends on her trip. And soon the Kabul Beauty School becomes more than just teaching women to die hair and paint nails; it becomes an escape from prejudice, abusive husbands, and a country that doesn't appreciate women. It's a really amazing story, and everybody should read it. it will make you laugh, cry, and want to fly to Afghanistan right now, this minute, to meet the amazing women whose stories are told.

Gifts Of Red Glass

So, for my birthday, I did get a few books...and a few more gift certificates to buy them, which are always good too. One of the books I got was Red Glass, by Laura Resau. It's an amazing, funny, touching story about illegal Mexican immigrants, red glass, chickens, road trips, and facing your fears. It follows the story of Sophie's sixteenth summer, and the little 6 year old boy who burrows his way into it, bringing more worries and fears to pile on top of Sophie's already higher than average pile. His name is Pablo, and he's discovered at a hospital with her stepfather's business card in his pocket. Thus starts her summer, and the road trip to find Pablo's family, where she discovers stars, strength, limes, salsa dancing, perspective, and....Angel. The story's really well written, and I recommend it to anyone who likes Hispanic culture, journeys, or a book to read...one with words. It's one of the better ones in that category.

Last Night of Being 14....

Well, as you may have guessed from the title, I turn 15 tomorrow! Crazy, right? I'm pretty excited. Hopefully more books will be floating my way...always good in my opinion. The more books, the better.

Speaking of books, I have a few recommendations, to make up for the time I've spent not posting and enjoying the sparse sunshine (while I'm not slaving to finish my homework). The first is Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, by Gabrielle Zevin. It follows the story of Naomi, who slips while walking down the stairs at her high school and wakes up in an ambulance with the past 4 years of her memory erased. She can remember up to 7th grade, but the last year of middle school and the first 2 and 1/2 of high school are total mysteries. She has to re-learn who she is, and discovers who her real friends are in the process. It's a really good book...funny, mysterious, sad, romantic, even heartbreaking at times...all melded together into a novel you can't put down. At least I couldn't. It does have a little bit of inappropriate material in it, so I'd wait till at least 7th or 8th grade to read it...unless you're really mature.

That's the cover...I really like how it's laid out. Very nifty. So...good read there.

Another good read is Saffy's Angel and the following books (Indigo's Star, Permanent Rose, Caddy Ever After, and Forever Rose, which I haven't gotten to read yet, but am looking forward too). They follow the eccentric Casson family (all named for paint colors by their artist parents) -Rose, Indigo, Saffron, Cadmium, their mother Eve and their father Bill-and the people they meet along the way. These include Michael, Caddy's dricing teacher who may be something more, Sarah the wheelchair girl from down the lane, Tom from America, and many more. Saffy's Angel follows Saffron as she discovers that she was adopted after her mother, Eve's sister, was killed in a car crash. When she discovers a note in her grandfather's will, it leads her on a wild race to find her stone angel and herself along the way. Meanwhile, back at home, Caddy attempts to pass her driving test after nearly 100 lessons, Indigo faces his fears by rappeling out his bedroom window, and Rose paints the walls. It's an amazing book and series, which will cause you to wish you'd been born a Casson.

Another nifty cover...the world's full of them, it seems.

Well, I've gotta go enjoy the last hours of being 14! Hope you're having a great week, and happy reading!

May Day, Drug Lords, and Cookies

Happy May Day everybody! Well, I guess that was yesterday. But, still. Happy May Day!

SO, some book reccomendations. I've been a bit lacking in these, and all other posts lately. Sorry about that! Track is coming towards the championships (JV for me) and I've had a lot of homework. But, as always, I still find time to read.

One book I'm currently reading is The House of the Scorpion, by Nancy Farmer. It's about a clone, Matteo Alacran, who's a copy of El Patron, a dangerous powerful drug lord who practically owns Opium, a country which takes up the land between the US and what used to be Mexico. He must come to grips with what it means to be a clone, and the danger he is in. Will he be able to escape and save himself? I don't know. I haven't finished the book yet. But I really hope so. If you like science fiction, action, or mysteries, and don't mind a little horror or weird science, this is a great book, and written really well.

And to leave you with a poem I wrote for English, on a subject close to my heart:

Butterscotch
Reminds me of days spent
Watching the mixer
Turning the amber
Dough
Waiting for the ding
Of the timer
Tasting the
Gold
Hot
Treasure
Of Sunday afternoons

Hope you enjoyed that. I'll be back soon, with more of the same. And some of the different. Just to mix it up a little. :)

Spring Break Photos

Today was photo upload day, and so I have some photos from Spring Break I'd like to share with you. I went out to Waldron, an island in the San Juan islands, and had tons of fun out there. Then we came home and had an easter egg hunt in the rain. All good Northwestern fun, right?

Here's our group (friends, family, next door neighbor, dog) piled in the back of my grandma and step-grandpa's old beat-up Waldron truck.

This is the aforementioned relatives cabin- small, cozy, and crammed. But I like it that way. My grandma has a weaving studio in the back, and they have a huge wood stove which they cook delicious meals on. Especially tortillas and pies.

How can you resist that face? So cute and fuzzy!

The intrepid Easter egg hunting party...armed with baskets and rain gear.

And last, but definetly not least, our new kitchen cabinets, built by my grandpa and installed by us! Yay! No more green plastic tubs for us!
And that was Spring Break! Stay tuned...there are some book reviews coming your way next post! And have a great spring day!

I Love My Bike!

I've been able to ride too school these past two days, and I am loving it! The weather is finally nice, and I'm hoping it lasts. *crossing fingers and knocking on wood* One of the perks of riding is my bike. I have an Xtracycle, an especially rad bike.

Here's a picture of me on the first day of school this year, ready to board my bike and start highschool:

Isn't the bike cool? It has two saddlebags, where my backpack, lunchbox, runing stuff, and violin reside, and a place where people can sit as I ride them around. It makes the load much easier to bear.

If you'd like to know more about Xtracycles, you can look at the homepage of the company that makes them, http://www.xtracycle.com/. If you live around here, you can get them at The Hub, my favorite used bike store ever. And you can visit them here: http://www.pedalproject.org/.

Bikes in general are pretty cool; always good to lower your carbon footprint. Plus, you get excersize and you feel good about yourself and the environment. So get out and be the engine today!

Springing into...Spring!

Hey guys! I'm really sorry i haven't posted in ages and ages...there was the adnoids, and then I got the stomach flu, and so I was buried in make-up work and homework. Plus track turnouts. But it's Spring Break (rejoice!) and so now I have time to do stuff! It's a very weird concept, having time... :)

Speaking of track, I had my first meet on Wednesdsay. I ran the 800, and my time was 3 minutes, 9 seconds, which isn't bad...that's a PR (personal record) for me! Not to mention that by the time we ran at 6 pm, there was standing water on the track, it was raining so hard we could barely see, and we'd been standing in the cold for about 4 hours. Not the funnest experience of my life. I'm hoping the next one's a bit warmer.

And we even have sun today! I am thrilled. My mom is outside gardening...making up for all the rain we've had. Our garden is beginning to bloom! It's beautiful. Observe:


Isn't it wonderful? I'm loving the sun and the flowers...and just spring. It's my favorite season!

Goodbye Adenoids!

Today I got my first taste of surgery, IVs, laughing gas....all that fun stuff. And it tastes like charry syrup and grape popsicles. On the plus side, my adenoids are now history and I can breathe better then I've been able to in a long time! I'm hanging out with a book and lots of popsicles.

And that book is.....another Tamora Pierce. Lady Knight, the fourth in the Protector of the Small series. It follows Kel as she is given command over a refugee camp on the Scanran lines, and her part in ending the war. It's got action, humor, emotion, good lines, and lots of medieval history mixed up in there, definetly a good read.

Speaking of good reads, I am running out of them! *Gasp* What will I do? Any reccomendations from the masses that I'm sure read my blog? (ha, ha, ha)