Sarah's Blog

Top 10 Things I Have Learned at University

2008-09-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

10. Incessant guitar playing results in bad blisters. Use a pick.
9. Every building has upwards of 10 entrances. They all look vaguely the same, but can save precious minutes between classes.
8. Facebook is the enemy.
7. The weather is always wrong for what you have in your closet.
6. You will never eat the leftover turkey wrap that was bad the first time around. Just throw it out.
5. Tea: the best and cheapest addiction around.
4. When walking for over an hour each day, minimal baggage is crucial.
3. It is impossible to read about the Minoans while watching the Jays.
2. Your internet hookup will NEVER work the way it's supposed to.
1. Microwaveable Indian food is probably a bad idea.

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music to change your life.

2008-08-20T21:48:00.001-07:00

There are certain songs out there that just seem to get you in a way that others don't. I don't know exactly why it happens. But I've been thinking about it lately and have decided to compile a list of the songs that, aside from being beautiful expressions of music, have also moved me emotionally.

I only ask that anyone who sees this lets ME know about one song that's moved them- more than one, if you've got the time. I'd love to know what gets to other people.

I've got about a thousand of these, but I tried to shorten it down to keep things simple. :)

Pie Jesu - Andrew Lloyd Webber
Wake Up - Coheed and Cambria
Tuuti Lasta - Rajaton
Lotus Land - Cyril Scott
The Blowers Daughter - Damien Rice
When David Heard - Eric Whitacre (this is a shortened version... the real one is 15 minutes long, and about a thousand times better, but this one's STILL pretty good.)
Boats and Birds - Gregory and the Hawk
Paint it Golden - Colbie Caillat and Jason Reeves
Speeding Cars - Imogen Heap
I'll Cover You (Reprise) - Jonathon Larson
Loveology - Regina Spektor
Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright
Milano - Sigur Ros
White Houses - Vanessa Carlton
The Secret Life of Daydreams - Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Give them a listen. Couldn't find the Rajaton song on YouTube, but all the others are there!

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I wonder...

2008-07-30T21:32:00.001-07:00

There was a time in my life when everything seemed to align itself behind a certain set of ideals. I had a family who loved me, a spotless school record, a best friend whose basement was as much mine as hers. But things changed, as they are wont to do, and it doesn't seem to work out so neatly anymore.

Don't get me wrong. I love my life. It just seems like my set of constants has totally disappeared in the past year or so. I found out that I was bad at chemistry, that friends can come and go in the blink of an eye, that my relationship with my parents was far from flawless.

Even the ugly walls of my high school seem like they were anchoring me for the past few years. Without them I guess I have to start over. Which is kind of appealing in a lot of ways, but also makes me wonder exactly what sort of changes I might be approaching.

I can't come to any sort of logical conclusion tonight... I'm much too muddled right now to even approach any kind of answer. Something to wonder about.

White Houses

2008-07-09T21:56:00.000-07:00

Crashed on the floor when I moved in
This little bunk alone with some strange new friends
Stay up too late, and I'm too thin
We promise each other it's til the end
Now we're spinning empty bottles,
it's the five of us
with pretty-eyed boys girls die to trust
and I can't resist the day
No, I can't resist the day

Jenny screams out and it's no pose
Cause when she dances, she goes and goes
Beer through the nose on an inside joke
I'm so excited, I haven't spoken
And she's so pretty and she's so sure
Maybe I'm more clever than a girl like her
The summer's all in bloom
The summer's ending soon

It's alright
And it's nice not to be so alone
But I hold on to your secrets in white houses.

Maybe I'm a little bit over my head
I come undone at the things he said
And he's so funny in his bright red shirt
We were all in love, and we all got hurt
I sneak into his car's black leather seat
The smell of gasoline in the summer heart
Boy, we're going way too fast
It's all too sweet to last

It's alright
And I put myself into his hands
But I hold onto your secrets in white houses.
Love, or something, ignites in my veins
And I pray it never fades in white houses.

Maybe you were all faster than me
We gave each other up so easily
These silly little wounds will never mend
I feel so far from where I've been
So I go, and I will not be back here again
I'm gone as the day is fading on white houses

I lie, put my injuries all in the dust
In my heart is the five of us
in white houses

And you, maybe you'll remember me
What I gave is yours to keep
In white houses
in white houses
in white houses

- Vanessa Carlton

show and tell

2008-07-06T21:03:00.001-07:00

Looking through these, I had a huge desire to share them with people. I don't know why. Maybe because some of them remind me of my friends or of myself so much that it's hard to believe it was written by a complete stranger. Maybe because some of them are truths you never knew til you read them. But in any case, here they are... just a few of the PostSecrets I've been saving up for a while.

(this is one of my favourite quotes now)

(me too - I wish there were more of it)

(Talk about graduation blues)

(There's a method to my madness)

(... makes you think.)

(translation: I still believe in you, and in us)

(Me too. But it's hard.)

(Can't say I haven't done this.)

(for all you IB English types!)

(You wouldn't think I'd be able to understand this.)

(That's all of you - my amazing friends who are so fantastically crazy and wonderfully insane!)

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catching up

2008-07-03T22:07:00.000-07:00

I haven't written a real blog entry in a while now, and since there are a lot of people I haven't seen since school let out, I figured it was time to get this going again.

So what have I been up to lately?.. well, the last time I really updated was IB exams. About a million things have happened since then. Post-IB parties... getting my cast off... the Phil spring concert... Lisette's birthday... the Groundwater Festival... Nuit d'Ete... Disney... the Ching tournament... music council dinner... prom... IB Bio barbecue... Vicki's birthday... recital in Bayfield... Kitchener Jamboree tournament... and the Canada Day party. There's no way I can talk about all of those things, but if you want to know you can ask.

Ball has been going really well this year. We're a tier 2 team, but we've beat a lot of the tier 1 teams we've played. And I really like my teammates and feel happy this season, which is a welcome change from previous years. I think we're going to do well this year. We have Qualifiers at the end of the month... as long as we place high enough there, we go to Provincials on August 9th/10th. Then if we place top 3 there, we go to New Brunswick for Eastern Canadians. We've got a pretty good shot of getting there, so I'm excited :)

Anyways. I should really be up to bed - I have to clean the house before Saturday, and I'm going to Maheen's tomorrow for a How I Met Your Mother marathon. I'll be up early to get things straightened up. Yuck!

More later.

I wonder...

2008-06-29T18:47:00.000-07:00

Why life is the way it is.

I wonder why things always come back to get you when you least expect it. Things you didn't even realize you were doing until someone did it to you.

I wonder why we strive so hard to be included, when even a minor exclusion can shatter everything in our minds.

I wonder why pain unintentionally caused is the hardest to deal with. Why it hurts so much more when there's nobody to be angry at.

I wonder why one lonely night can undo an entire year of happiness.

I wonder why we push everything aside to try and achieve what we think is success - and then wonder why we lose everything important when the dream falls through. Why family, old friends, old beliefs get ignored when we're pushing for what we think will bring us glory.

I wonder why we never wonder about these things, not until it's too late.

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Dear Body

2008-06-22T21:33:00.001-07:00

Dear Toes: I'm sorry for stubbing you so often. Thank you for putting up with flip flops and nail polish all the time.

Dear Feet: I don't like how big you are, but thanks for not being any bigger.

Dear Ankles: I'm sorry I broke you and then walked around on you for three months. I should have listened to you sooner. Thank you for putting up with high heels and all the pitching I've done over the years.

Dear Legs: Thanks for carrying me around for eighteen years. Sorry for all the times you've been hit with baseballs. Thank you for being strong enough to let me pitch well :)

Dear Butt: I'm sorry for sitting on you so much. I'll try not to do it as often in the future.

Dear Belly Button: Thank you for being an innie.

Dear Stomach: I'm sorry for all the weird things like wasabi and processed cheese that I've put in you, and thanks for taking it all in stride.

Dear Back: You're kind of annoying, because you hurt without reason sometimes. But thank you for being generally straight and useful.

Dear Left Arm: You kind of suck, but you're stronger than the average arm anyways. No hard feelings.

Dear Right Arm: Sorry for all the elbow/shoulder issues. Thank you for helping me beat anyone and everyone when arm wrestling, and throwing a 55 mph fastball. :)

Dear Neck: You are vastly under appreciated. Thanks for keeping my chin up and dealing with all the necklaces I drape you in.

Dear Mouth: I make you work pretty hard. Maybe I should give you a rest more often.

Dear Nose: I'm sorry for all the locker rooms I have made you smell. I'll try to spend more time in gardens instead.

Dear Eyes: Thank you for being blue, and having perfect vision. I'm not very happy with you for having blond eyelashes though. You win some, you lose some.

Dear Brain: I'm sorry for putting you through IB. You pulled through admirably though. Oh, and I'm sorry for all the times I've banged my head against my desk. That was probably uncalled for. But hey - 18 years and no concussions!

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deadrock

2008-05-08T19:44:00.000-07:00

I'm having trouble focusing on anything right now. It all keeps drifting back to... exams, exams, exams - goddamn. I didn't want to be one of those people who couldn't talk about anything else.

It's been weird. I kind of fall into studying like a hole. It's scary as all hell, but it's kind of comforting too. The hole sucks, but at least you know what's going on down there. There's nothing to distract you from what you need to do.

Problem is I get myself kind of stuck down there. I forget how to relate to people, because all I think about is myself and my own stupid issues. And then something happens to remind me that I'm not just a rock living in a hole, and then I have to reorganize myself just so I can wrap my head around the idea of feeling stuff.

Anyways. It's stupid, I know. But it's what's going on with me right now.

If I am a little bit ignorant or antisocial or I just seem strange to you right now - forgive me. I promise I'll be back to normal soon.

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spring concert theme much?

2008-04-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

Sing with me, sing for the year

Sing for the laughter, sing for the tears

Sing with me, if it’s just for today

...

Dream on, dream on, dream on, dream on -

Dream until your dream comes true.

-"Dream On" by Aerosmith

a little bit Crazy

2008-04-08T16:26:00.000-07:00

Auditions and callbacks = 3 hours
Rehearsals 3x a week for 10 weeks = 60 hours
Rehearsals 5x a week for 2 weeks = 20 hours
10 Saturday and Sunday rehearsals throughout = 40 hours
3 extra dance rehearsals = 5 hours
Individual music rehearsal = 10 hours
Performance time = 2 (spirit assembly) + 3 x 4 (dress rehearsal and shows)

total time cost = 152 hours

Lipstick and tights for show nights = $40
Destruction of brand new black flats from too much dancing = $30
SAC fee = $30

total monetary cost = $100

total sanity cost = all of it

$100 + 152 hours + sanity gone = "Crazy For You"

And it might even be worth it if we have enough people come see the show.
Thursday April 10th - Saturday April 12th
7:30 pm, Cameron Heights caf
Tickets $10 for students, $15 for adults.

BE THERE OR BE LAME! :)

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death by laughter

2008-03-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Oh god, this makes me laugh.
:P

Happy almost spring!

snow & stupid neighbours.

2008-03-09T17:48:00.001-07:00

Who else is bemoaning the fact that we got 40 cm of snow yesterday- a record snowfall for KW??

Seeing as how I live on a crescent within a crescent, my street is always the last to get plowed. So it wasn't surprising when I woke up this morning to find the road hidden beneath three feet of snow.

The surprise was the six inches of water running underneath it.
Yeah. After all that snow, we're also FLOODED!

For most of the day, we though a water main must've broken or something. We called a guy from the city to come down and see what was up. Soon, however, we discovered the real truth:

One of my neighbours has had his GARDEN HOSE running for the past MONTH!!

Apparently, he didn't think anything of the fact that water was continuously running down his driveway. He even dug out some snow so that the water could run out onto the street and stop his driveway from flooding.

!!!

In any case, this explains why our street has been so icy for all of February. It's been almost impossible to get through at times, because the water freezes into slates that are 2 or 3 inches thick, and thus doesn't melt for a long time.

It also likes to form ridges, somewhat like miniature mountain ranges, that nobody can drive through. Definitely almost drove into a ditch going over one of those a few days ago.

Anyways, that's my rant for the day. The snow is up to my waist and the flood water is still running - it's been an insane day!

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A Simple Guide to the 4 Vocal Parts

2008-02-27T19:44:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys, this was too good to pass up. Enjoy!

Credit: http://hs.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2254686530&topic=3054

THE SOPRANOS are the ones who sing the highest, and because of this they think they rule the world. They have longer hair, fancier jewelry, and swishier skirts than anyone else, and they consider themselves insulted if they are not allowed to go at least to a high F in every movement of any given piece. When they reach the high notes, they hold them for at least half again as long as the composer and/or conductor requires, and then complain that their throats are killing them and that the composer and conductor are sadists. Sopranos have varied attitudes toward the other sections of the chorus, though they consider all of them inferior. Altos are to sopranos rather like second violins to first violins - nice to harmonize with, but not really necessary. All sopranos have a secret feeling that the altos could drop out and the piece would sound essentially the same, and they don't understand why anybody would sing in that range in the first place - it's so boring. Tenors, on the other hand, can be very nice to have around; besides their flirtation possibilities (it is a well-known fact that sopranos never flirt with basses), sopranos like to sing duets with tenors because all the tenors are doing is working very hard to sing in a low-to-medium soprano range, while the sopranos are up there in the stratosphere showing off. To sopranos, basses are the scum of the earth - they sing too damn loud, are useless to tune to because they're down in that low, low range - and there has to be something wrong with anyone who sings in the F clef, anyway.

THE ALTOS are the salt of the earth - in their opinion, at least. Altos are unassuming people, who would wear jeans to concerts if they were allowed to. Altos are in a unique position in the chorus in that they are unable to complain about having to sing either very high or very low, and they know that all the other sections think their parts are pitifully easy. But the altos know otherwise. They know that while the sopranos are screeching away on a high A, they are being forced to sing elaborate passages full of sharps and flats and tricks of rhythm, and nobody is noticing because the sopranos are singing too loud (and the basses usually are too). Altos get a deep, secret pleasure out of conspiring together to tune the sopranos flat. Altos have an innate distrust of tenors, because the tenors sing in almost the same range and think they sound better. They like the basses, and enjoy singing duets with them - the basses just sound like a rumble anyway, and it's the only time the altos can really be heard. Altos' other complaint is that there are always too many of them and so they never get to sing really loud.

THE TENORS are spoiled. That's all there is to it. For one thing, there are never enough of them, and choir directors would rather sell their souls than let a halfway decent tenor quit, while they're always ready to unload a few altos at half price. And then, for some reason, the few tenors there are are always really good - it's one of those annoying facts of life.. So it's no wonder that tenors always get swollen heads - after all, who else can make sopranos swoon? The one thing that can make tenors insecure is the accusation (usually by the basses) that anyone singing that high couldn't possibly be a real man.. In their usual perverse fashion, the tenors never acknowledge this, but just complain louder about the composer being a sadist and making them sing so damn high. Tenors have a love-hate relationship with the conductor, too, because the conductor is always telling them to sing louder because there are so few of them. No conductor in recorded history has ever asked for less tenor in a forte passage. Tenors feel threatened in some way by all the other sections - the sopranos because they can hit those incredibly high notes; the altos because they have no trouble singing the notes the tenors kill themselves for; and the basses because, although they can't sing anything above an E, they sing it loud enough to drown the tenors out. Of course, the tenors would rather die than admit any of this. It is a little-known fact that tenors move their eyebrows more than anyone else while singing.

THE BASSES sing the lowest of anybody. This basically explains everything. They are stolid, dependable people, and have more facial hair than anybody else. The basses feel perpetually unappreciated, but they have a deep conviction that they are actually the most important part (a view endorsed by musicologists, but certainly not by sopranos or tenors), despite the fact that they have the most boring part of anybody and often sing the same note (or in endless fifths) for an entire page. They compensate for this by singing as loudly as they can get away with - most basses are tuba players at heart. Basses are the only section that can regularly complain about how low their part is, and they make horrible faces when trying to hit very low notes. Basses are charitable people, but their charity does not extend so far as tenors, whom they consider effete poseurs. Basses hate tuning the tenors more than almost anything else. Basses like altos - except when they have duets and the altos get the good part. As for the sopranos, they are simply in an alternate universe which the basses don't understand at all. They can't imagine why anybody would ever want to sing that high and sound that bad when they make mistakes. When a bass makes a mistake, the other three parts will cover him, and he can continue on his merry way, knowing that sometime, somehow, he will end up at the root of the chord.

---

Lol, some of this stuff is so true. Like the tenor / eyebrow thing. :P
Except I don't hate sopranos as much as this makes it sound like we do... hehe.

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random linking time!

2008-02-25T15:57:00.000-08:00

February's top ten links.

1. www.GetWellMitch.com - a blog written by Mitchell Sherratt, a former classmate of mine who's recently been diagnosed with leukemia.

2. Emmy Rossum - Slow Me Down

3. Friends Green, a search engine dedicated to saving the rain forest (powered by Yahoo search)

4. Fight Breast Cancer by spreading the word. Click to give a woman in need a free mammogram!

5. Kate Voegele - On Top of the World

6. Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Falling Slowly

7. An amazing blog: Indexed

8. Two words: The Nubrella. Lol.

9. Act Like a T-Rex Day. HELL YES.

10. Amazingly awesome hobbit house.

To work in some shameless plugging, make sure to check out the Grand Phil Youth Choir's Bursary Benefit Cabaret this Saturday (March 1st) at 7:30 pm (silent auction / refreshments at 6:30). $20 / ticket for adults. It should be an awesome show, lots of strange and beautiful repertoire lined up! This website has our full season schedule.

horribe, terrible, no good, very bad... fortnight?

2008-02-24T20:19:00.000-08:00

Well, it hasn't been a great couple of weeks, admittedly. I seem to have hit one of those times when everything goes wrong, no matter what you do.

I mean, spraining my ankle was bad enough. Most of you know already that I messed it up pretty badly... I was on crutches for about three days, and I've just gotten the hang of walking around on it. Mind you, I'm still a bit of a club foot, since I can't hold my leg properly anymore. The ankle won't bend at all, so it's a bit of a problem. It's not so bad as long as I don't go very far... or up or down any stairs.

I also found out recently that I'm not going to be able to go on the Washington trip, something I'd known was a possibility, but not a strong one. In any case, I'm pulling out tomorrow, so I guess there'll be a lucky person on the waiting list.

And then there's all the little things... the fact that I'm way behind in bio... that I still have to finish writing up my CAS hours... that I can't seem to sleep well anymore, no matter how hard I try... and that I've apparently picked up a virus from my sister, because I have a fever and a massive headache tonight.

To top everything off, I found out today that a friend of mine from middle school has leukemia now. The result has been this awful dragging kind of sadness that's following me everywhere... I feel like I'm angry at everyone, all the time, and it's gotten me in some trouble (in the form of pursuing a stupid argument with my brother).

In any case, I'm sorry to everyone I've been cold or argumentative to today. It's not your fault, I'm just dealing with all this... and a lot of other stuff that I don't care to publish right now.

I'm off to try and get some sleep. 'Night.

www.GetWellMitch.com

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controversy?

2008-02-11T18:57:00.000-08:00

Hey folks,
So I found this little list, and thought it was too good to pass up. Enjoy.

Ten Reasons Gay Marriage is Un-American

1. Being gay is not natural. Real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning.

2. Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3. Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage contract.

4. Straight marriage has been around a long time and hasn't changed at all; women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5. Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.

6. Straight marriages are valid because they produce children. Gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7. Obviously gay parents will raise gay children, since straight parents only raise straight children.

8. Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9. Children can never succeed without a male and a female role model at home. That's why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10. Gay marriage will change the foundation of society; we could never adapt to new social norms. Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

Credit: http://bw.org/

If you agree with this stuff (or rather... disagree with it), join this group to show your love.

<3
Sarah

extra awesome.

2008-02-03T16:34:00.000-08:00

Random awesome stuff:

1. Missy Higgins: The Sound of White. Absolutely gorgeous song.

2. Valentine's Day Surprise

3. Hearing Barry Canning perform at the WRSMC conference yesterday.

4. My birthday and the craziness that ensued (think Lisette and Kristen feeding each other lemons)

5. The new Rajaton CD, Maa.

6. Speaking of which, Rajaton's performance in London and the chance to work with them in an honours choir. That would seriously make my life.

7. Blackle. Save energy by using the black Google page instead of the white one. It's so simple... and it works :)

8. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray.

9. Eric Whitacre's Sleep. Not the greatest version of it but it's okay :)

10. And of course, Regina Spektor's Music Box. Amazingly weird and fantastic song. =D

~

Hello, Music Nerd

2008-01-16T19:50:00.001-08:00

I've been collecting these for some time now, and I think it's time I shared them.
Oh dear. Enjoy folks ;)

What is the definition of an alto?
... a soprano who can sightread.

How many altos does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
... none, they can't get that high.

What is the definition of a male quartet?
... three men and a tenor.

How can you tell if a bass is dead?
... what's the difference?

Why do high school choruses travel so often?
... it keeps the assassins guessing.

What do you call someone who hangs out with musicians?
... a percussionist.

How do you get two piccolos to play in unison?
... shoot one of them.

Why is a bassoon better than an oboe?
... the bassoon burns longer.

What's the difference between trumpets and government bonds?
... government bonds eventually mature and earn money.

What is a gentleman?
... somebody who knows how to play trombone, but doesn't.

Why is the French Horn a divine instrument?
... man blows into it, but god only knows what comes out of it.

What's the difference between the alto clef and Greek?
... some conductors actually know how to read Greek.

What do you call a musician without a significant other?
... homeless.

Definitions:

Crescendo- a reminder to the musician that they have been playing too loudly.
Vibrato- used by singers to hide the fact that they are on the wrong pitch.
Cadence- when everybody hopes you're going to stop, but you don't.
Interval- the amount of time it takes the French Horns to find the right note.

New Year

2008-01-06T14:44:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back from my crazy week in Florida and the New Year's just begun. I have to admit that the transition was not a pleasant one. I spent the hour leading up to 2008 walking around Disney's Magic Kingdom, being run over by manic parents with strollers. My feet were absolutely destroyed, having carried me non-stop for the past fourteen hours in crappy sandals. While the fireworks displays were spectacular and the rides reasonably fun, the oppressively huge crowds and sickening amount of noise somewhat dampened my New Year's Eve excitement.

That's not to say that Disney was all bad. Quite the opposite actually. I loved some of the rides, particularly Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith rollercoaster. And the whole atmosphere of the place was pretty amazing... particularly around New Year's. If I could cut out the part from about 11 p.m. til 2 a.m. that day, it would've been a fantastic trip.

But I've decided that 2008 is not going to be represented by those miserable hours... I've tried to come up with some goals for the year (I hate the world "resolution"; it's just too final. I never liked to make a resolution I couldn't keep, and I like to try and do stuff even if it seems a little bit impossible).

First and foremost is to get through the year without exploding. There's a lot of stress happening this year, despite the amazing stuff that I'm sure will come... there's IB orals and exams, there's choosing a university and starting university, moving away from home, writing my first set of midterms... the list goes on and on.

I want to figure myself out. For someone who's trying to get into a psychology program, there's a lot I don't know about myself and why I am the way I am.

I want to learn to live for the moment instead of living on a delay. No more trawling through ancient pictures or re-reading old journal entries... no... I need to experience emotions as they happen instead of storing them away in some dusty attic.

Finally, I need to learn how to trust. It's all about love, I guess... I want to learn to believe in unconditional love and true friendships. It's time to stop sticking this "high school" label on everything and everyone I know; these are real people to love or lose, and I have to start treating this like it's real life.

I'm sure that doesn't make any sense, but it means something anyways. I think.

More later.

this is how it works

2008-01-05T12:11:00.000-08:00

This is how it works
You're young until you're not
You love until you don't
You try until you can't
You laugh until you cry
You cry until you laugh
And everyone must breathe
Until their dying breath

Oh, this is how it works
You peer inside yourself
You take the things you like
And try to love the things you took
And then you take that love you made
And stick it into
Someone else's heart
Pumping someone else's blood
And walking arm in arm
You hope it don't get harmed
But even if it does
You'll just do it all again

-"On the Radio"

these are my (new) obsessions

2007-12-26T22:30:00.000-08:00

Regina Spektor. Check out her song Fidelity on YouTube, which is unbelievably catchy and addictive... not to mention Samson if you have the time, which is amazing in a different way.
Project Runway. Did anyone else watch the Canada version? I got stuck watching it at 1 a.m. a lot over the past couple months, and I loved it... even if Iman is the worst host ever.
Colbie Caillat. Yeah, okay, Bubbly is nice and all, but even better are Paint it Golden and Midnight Bottle. Listen and you shall love them.
My new DISNEY SONG BOOK. Yeah, I'm not even joking, I got a book weighing about fifty pounds from my sister containing practically every Disney song ever written for piano, guitar and voice. *Happy Dance* You know what I'll be doing for the next six months...
iPod touch. My sister got one of these for Christmas and I am in love with it. Not only does it play music- about 3000 songs, no less- but it also has wifi internet capability and a planner/scheduling program. Major sibling jealousy.
M&M's peanuts. They are just so damn good.
Rajaton, as always. But they are COMING TO ONTARIO IN APRIL! And I am definitely getting a ticket to see them. I'm so pumped!
Straight No Chaser. Freaking amazing all around.
My new digital camera, which I received today as an (extremely) early birthday present. Okay, so my birthday isn't for another month... whatever! My parents wanted me to have it for Florida. It kicks my old camera's ass. Good thing too, since the old one was so destroyed it couldn't even hold batteries unless you used a crapload of duct tape to keep them in.
And of course... my guitar! I got a gorgeous Seagull S6 for Christmas and I am single-minded in my attempt to learn to play it. My fingers hurt so badly today, but it was worth it. I've learned about twenty chords so far and a few songs, but I obviously have a long way to go. The only sad part is I can't take it to Florida... *sigh*.

Well, I leave for Florida in about ten hours. Wish me luck for the 24-hour car ride... see all of you when I get back! Happy New Year :)

catching up

2007-12-23T21:54:00.000-08:00

I have been shamefully neglectful of a lot of things lately, and this blog is pretty far down on the list. Unfortunately it's preceded by Christmas wrapping, room cleaning, packing for Florida, and CAS.

But I can't complain. School is finally out- finally- and I'm free from my bio lab and my history paper and my math project and bio test and history presentation and english paper... well, kind of. English still has to be done over the break.

And it's practically Christmas. As I write this in the small hours of Christmas Eve day, it's kind of just hitting me now. It's kind of ridiculous, because to be honest I've been playing carols on the piano since mid-November and decorating the house for a month. But it's been so overshadowed by work and school and music stuff that I haven't really had time to process the idea of Christmas yet, I guess.

Some people think it's kind of strange that I celebrate Christmas as an atheist. I've been wanting to explain my reasoning behind it, because I can see that it might seem a little odd. Basically, for me, Christmas is not at all about the birth of Christ. It's a celebration of love and happiness, nothing more.

What do I really get out of the Christmas season?.. I guess it's just a feeling of unity - to know that so many people are joining together to find some shared joy is an amazing experience. Even if we don't celebrate for the same reasons, the fact is that having something like this to join all our unique perspectives is a beautiful thing.

I'm not a Christian and I don't follow Christ, but to be denied Christmas and all its elements would, in my opinion, be a terrible thing. I think that even for most Christians, the day has lost a lot of its original meaning. Some might regard that as a bad thing, of course... but if it allows people like me to take some small share in the happiness on that day, is it really so horrible that we're moving towards a more generic holiday? That instead of celebrating the birth of some long-dead and highly glorified man, we celebrate our own lives and our own glory?

Just some things to think about.

Anyways, I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday and that you can find some glory of your own choosing. Next post will likely be from Florida- we're leaving on the 27th for a 10-day trip. Sayonara! :)

my new favourite site...

2007-12-22T22:48:00.000-08:00

www.TheMusicBlogger.com

“Free Sheet Music Downloads for Musicians”

This site is amazing, there's loads of completely free scores, some of which I've had tons of trouble finding elsewhere. Check it out :)

<3 Sarah

Slow Me Down

2007-12-06T22:11:00.000-08:00

Rushing and racing and running in circles
moving so fast I'm forgetting my purpose
blur of the traffic is sending me spinning,
getting nowhere

My head and my heart are colliding chaotic
Pace of the world, I just wish I could stop it
Try to appear like I've got it together
I'm falling apart.

Save me
Somebody take my hand and lead me
Slow me down
Don't let love pass me by
Just show me how
Cause I'm ready to fall
Slow me down
Don't let me live a lie before my life flies by
I need you to slow me down.

Sometimes I fear that I might disappear
in the blur of fast forward I falter again
Forgetting to breathe
I need to sleep
I'm getting nowhere.

All that I've missed I see in the reflection
pass me while I wasn't paying attention
Tired of rushing, racing and running
I'm falling apart.

Tell me
Oh, won't you take my hand and lead me
Slow me down
Don't let love pass me by
Just show me how
Cause I'm ready to fall
Slow me down
Don't let me live a lie before my life flies by
I need you to slow me down.

The noise of the world is getting me caught up
Chasing the clock and I wish I could stop it.
Just need to breathe
Somebody please

slow me down.

-Emmy Rossum

Shivering

2007-12-04T20:13:00.000-08:00

Tonight I am deathly cold. I wish I could shake this feeling, but I can't. My hands are so cold they're turning blue.

In any case, I thought about writing a blog about how I was feeling today, and then realized I've written this before. My exact mood is in this poem I wrote almost a year ago.

Freedom

These tears are on the surface, they just come and go like rain

And the slightest of your sympathies might set me off again.

And my hands are still unfeeling, and my lips are lying weakly-

I know it will not take much to defeat me.

These cries are in my core, they’ll never see the light of day.

While you’re sitting, still unwitting, still so very much the same,

I can feel them reaching out to you

To find the words I need;

You’re content and apathetic, unaware of all my dreams.

This wish is in my heart,

I don’t think it’s even real.

I wish I had some dictator

To tell me how I feel.

And I wish this fucking freedom weren’t quite so absolute

But you’ve taken all my freedom, and now it belongs to you.

-Sarah Moroz, 12/02/07

IB: Smart enough to be in it, stupid enough to stay.

2007-12-01T20:37:00.000-08:00

So I decided to actually go through all those fun anti-IB websites and pull out the stuff that's actually true for me. So here they are, the points which actually fit your typical IB student...

You know you're in IB when:

-You manage to get through your entire History of the Americas without opening your textbook once.

-You hold "parties" to study.

-You'd go into severe spasms if you ever lost your IB herd.

-You no longer speak English- you speak a combination of English, German, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Swedish, Dutch, Chinese, Russian, Norwegian, Hebrew, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, and Polish.

-Fellow IBers understand and use the same combined language.

-You feel guilty if you go more than a week without homework or some form of schooling.

-You start analyzing random books, song lyrics, and street signs.

-A good night's sleep is five hours.

-You have theological discussions at parties.

-You spend all your time complaining about your work, then do it hurriedly because you want to get to bed and don't know where all the time went.

-You faithfully copy words without vowels in them, and yet somehow understand them.

-You realize that something is missing when your backpack is too light.

When asked about IB and whether or not they liked it, a student replied:
"I'd commit suicide, but I'm too busy."

aliens and applications

2007-11-30T20:55:00.001-08:00

I'm writing this from the midst of a pile of bio textbooks and H.I. sources. I needed a break.

You ever feel that way about life?.. things are just so crazy right now. School is obviously the most imminent problem, but then I remember what's still coming up. University applications are due in a little over a month. Can you believe it? I think I'm decided as to what I want to do, but I'm horribly terribly afraid of making the wrong choice.

But I'm not going to whine today. I've done enough of that all week.

What do I have to look forward to?.. well, I'm going to Florida over Christmas break, which should be fun, especially considering we just booked an amazing villa to stay in. We're driving down- which, yes, will take about 24 hours :S But I hope it'll be fun anyways. I can always waste away the hours watching an entire season of Invader Zim.

I've been thinking a lot lately about graduation. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because we've been planning out our kind-of-sort-of grad trip to Washington, and of course the Disney trip as well... but in any case, it's really been weighing down on my mind lately.

See, the problem is that I know myself a little too well. I know what happened the last time I switched schools- I literally stopped talking to all of my westheights friends. I don't really talk to any of them anymore. And I'm afraid the same thing will happen at this year.

I barely noticed it when moving to high school, because, let's face it, I wasn't that happy at Westheights. I liked the school and everything, but I didn't feel that close to anyone. Maybe it was just because I was young. But at Cameron, everything's so different. There's about a hundred people that I don't want to lose touch with. I'm not entirely sure what to do about it.

Well, I guess I'll just have to cross that bridge when I come to it.

I'm off for now. More later.

^.^

To the Max.

2007-11-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

ARGH!

It seems like everything is severely awesome or severely depressing right now. Things like

a) Dave Mitchell speech this morning
b) Feeder school concerts
c) WLU Voice Day and
d) Jugendsaengerfest (!!!)

have all been fabulous. However, there's the slight issue of homework that's kind of killing me. Below is a list of various due dates, test, horrible things, and happy things, ALL of them requiring loads of work:

November 22nd: Musical Auditions
November 27th: Transitions Concert
November 29th: History unit test
November 30th: Math project draft #1 due
December 3rd: H.I. due
December 4th: Human Physiology bio lab due
December 5th: Group 4 meetings pd A& B; Math Project Draft #2 due; Grade 8 Night in the evening
December 6th: More group 4 meetings pd A & B
December 8th: Phil choir performing at Kris Kindle market
December 10th: World Lit proposal due
December 12th: CHCI Music Holiday Concert / Silent Auction
December 15th: Phil Dress Rehearsal
December 16th: Phil Christmas Concert

Then it seems I have the week of the 17th-21st with very little interruption (other than about eight parties all happening at once)... then there's Christmas itself... work all day on the 26th, and then leaving for Florida on the 27th!

Anyways. So if I'm, y'know, a total bitch for the next two weeks, THIS IS WHY! Please don't be mad at me, it's not my fault :P

some days, you're the oyster.

2007-11-15T20:07:00.000-08:00

The Walrus and the Carpenter

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead--
There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"

"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"
The Walrus did beseech.
"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each."

The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head--
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat--
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more--
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?

"It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf--
I've had to ask you twice!"

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.

Where's Willy?

2007-11-13T20:50:00.001-08:00

Awesome = www.whereswilly.com

Basically, you enter the serial code of any paper bill (Canadian only), plus your area code. The site then tracks that bill, so if anyone else gets the bill and enters it, you can see its progress. There have been bills that travel across Canada in five hours and that sort of thing- I'm totally obsessed!

My new mission is to write www.whereswilly.com in the corner of every bill that passes through my hands. By the way, this is technically not illegal, since I'm not intending to destroy the bill or make it unusable. :P

Anyways, I hope that some of you will do the same- if not writing on them, then at least registering. Maybe someday we'll find a connection between all of us :)

Jugendsaengerfest

2007-11-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

You should all be grateful for that title, because it took me a while to figure out the spelling. :P

In any case, more shameless plugging is to ensue. The Philharmonic choir is singing on Saturday, November 17th at St. Peter's Church (7:30 pm) along with 7 guest youth choirs. It's going to be an amazing concert, and you should all come see us! People from Cameron who will be there are me, Beth, Svenja, Patrick, Michelle M, and Rachel... and potentially other people that I'm unaware of :P So check it out!

What else has been happening?.. ugh, it's been a long week. I'm so sick of school already. That's a very bad thing, considering how much of it is left. And of course, we got our midterm marks this week, and I'm 0.75% off of the average I wanted. *anger* It's all history's fault. I freaking hate history.

Well, that's not true. I freaking hate this history class. It's a terrible area of study and a terrible teacher.

Anyways, enough whining. I'm off!

Living Out Loud

2007-11-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

Alright, it's time to succumb to the real reason for all blogs: persuading people to go to stuff they never would've gone to without a bit of a push.

That was cryptic. What I mean is, I want everyone to go a conference being held at my school on November 17th. This information is taken from the Facebook group.

It's called the Living Out Loud! Conference 2007: Walking the Talk. It's all about getting the voices of youth heard and out into the world. All high school students are invited, and it's going to be amazing. Workshops will cover topics including: birds of prey rehabilitation and adaptation (with live birds), how to eat locally, meat consumption and its impact, how to plan your own event for a cause and much, much more!

Cost is $10 if you pay before November 9th, otherwise it's $12 after November 9th. Get your registration form here.

The local band Moglee and Cameron alumni Mandippal Jandu will be playing during the display fair!

Note: there is NO registration on the day of, as they need numbers for workshops and for lunch. However, you can send your form in before the conference and pay at the door.

One of my best friends is organizing this whole thing, and she's put a lot of work into it, so I know it's going to be really great. Personally I can't go, but I have a very good reason (the first major Philharmonic concert of the year, unfortunately). In any case, you definitely need to be there. It's one of the best (not to mention least expensive) ways to spend your Saturday :P

Anyways, I'm off for now. Please give Living Out Loud some thought, I know it's going to be a blast! =]

Pre-Post-Secondary Panic

2007-11-03T19:02:00.000-07:00

Oh, dear.

I've been trying to figure out what the hell I'm going to do with myself over the next few years, and it's frustrating. Like, wanting to knock myself unconscious with a baseball bat frustrating. Or decide-I'm-going-to-go-live-in-a-jungle-and-ditch-school frustrating. There's no way around it.

Rather than try and find a new way to say this, I'm going to stick a copy of my most recent essay in here. It's called "Recess".

The world of education is a scary place to be. We each realized that the moment we had to say goodbye to Mom and Dad on the first day of kindergarten. Even those of us who didn’t break down in tears knew that our lives were going to be very different now.

We eventually got past the terrifying reality of spending eight hours a day away from home, and spent a few happy years learning mostly useless things like long division. It was undoubtedly a good time to be alive. But after a while we had to say another unhappy goodbye, now forced to face the seemingly gargantuan middle school and the new experience of taking the bus. Worst of all, recess disappeared.

And now we’ve hit high school. I suppose that outside of the chaotic cafeteria and the endless exams, it’s not so bad. We sometimes even fool ourselves into thinking we enjoy it. Deluded we may be, but at least we’ve had fun.

Unfortunately, it’s time to start thinking about our futures – or at least, that’s what my parents, teachers, and guidance counselors have told me. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been asked, “What are you doing after high school?”

This hateful question first confronted me in tenth grade, when I had to choose between chemistry and music for grade eleven. I decided on chemistry with very little deliberation. It just seemed more sensible at the time.

I suffered with my decision for the next year. Chemistry, as it turns out, is neither fun nor sensible. It started to take over my life. I came to loathe seemingly innocent things like batteries with a burning passion as we studied them for days on end. I even started to hate my favourite perfume, whose chemical breakdown became permanently stuck in my brain. Chemistry and I simply did not go together. In fact, as one particularly irksome friend put it, “You’re like a heterogeneous mixture.”

Looking back, though, I’m glad I took that chemistry course. It taught me a lot. First of all, that the difference between Kevlar bullet-proof vests and nylon pantyhose is simply a couple of carbon atoms; and secondly, that no matter how practical something seems, it’s only useful on an individual basis. My university major needs to be something that I will appreciate. But while I struggle through my own set of needs and interests, there’s still all those questioning voices of parents, teachers, and the like that need to be satisfied.

I wonder how they would react if I told them that my ideal future might be to write poetry in a dark basement, sing show tunes to myself and watch a lot of reality TV. But instead, I dole out the usual response: that I’m thinking about such-and-such a major at such-and-such a university. Then they nod their heads approvingly and make some comment about the program or the quality of the school. It’s practically scripted – everyone playing his or her reluctant part in a conversation that no one really likes.

We’ve all been thrust into the world of Choices and Decisions, but it’s not as easy as “following your heart”. Doubts and worries have swamped my sense of reason. I really should be doing a respectable degree at a well-known school, which will of course provide a high-paying job and domestic security later in life. How dreary.

I joke with my classmates about how I’ll probably end up being a lonely old cat lady, living in a box outside of Value Village and depending on my rich friends to feed me occasionally. I wonder if they ever guess that I’m actually afraid of this possibility. But no matter what the choice for my future is, it has to happen soon– university application deadlines are fast approaching.

This is where I wish we could reinstate recess. I think we still need that fifteen-minute period to get some air, shout at each other and roll in the grass. That’s all I need: a short break from life where I could go crazy and run around aimlessly for a while. Then maybe I’d hang on the monkey bars for a moment, letting the blood rush to my head; I would just catch my breath and figure out where I was going to go from there.

At this point it’s all up in the air, but in thirty days or less I’ll have made a decision – either that, or I’ll be searching for a suitable box. Nothing too big or fancy, just somewhere I can fit all my useless chemistry notes next to my clarinet and smile without regret at people passing on the street.

That pretty much explains how I'm feeling right now. Granted, I have gotten a little more information recently, and I'm pretty sure I've decided to double major in Psychology / Rhetoric and Professional Writing. The only question left is what school, and I really don't know what I'm doing about that- but at least I've got a while longer before I need to decide.

Well, I'm off for now. More later. :)

night eyes

2007-10-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it's Saturday night and I spent the day with my family. It went better than you might expect. It was my mom's birthday, so we went out for dinner and after that just sat around talking.

I really should go to sleep, I know, but I feel like I'm just waking up. But I have so much to do tomorrow. I have to do a bio assignment (more stuff about the pigs... joy), study for a bio test, go to a staff meeting (where it is entirely likely I might be forced to quit my job), and figure out what song I'm singing for the WLU voice day coming up in a couple of weeks.

Which reminds me... I'm also supposed to be figuring out what university I want to go to. Oops. I just don't even want to think about it right now.

Commencement was yesterday. After setting up chairs and risers all afternoon, I had to rush off to Phil choir rehearsal (where we worked relentlessly on Feller From Fortune), then come back two hours later to sing and play in the band and watch a couple of my friends graduating. It was sad. The most sad thing of all was how god-awful the choir was. I mean, I normally try to look on the bright side (erm, yeah, that's a complete lie), but let's just say that we screwed up big time. Our director started mouthing the wrong words at us for one song, causing half the choir to sing the wrong section and the other half to question exactly what was going on and think that they were wrong. It was disastrous.

Both sections kind of melded together for a few bars (which actually didn't sound as terrible as it could have), and then both started to fade out, but a few people kind of held on to the right part until the end. Apparently it wasn't that noticeable, but we were all freaking out. At least the band did fairly well last night.

Then, after another half hour of stacking chairs and such, I came home and flopped on the couch, Feller From Fortune still stuck in my head (with Spanish Fever struggling in there as well), and proceeded to watch a couple of hours of really bad Friday-night TV before tottering off to bed, only to wake up six hours later for an 8 am piano lesson.

I think I am dying a slow and painful death by lack of sleep.

Thoughts

2007-10-25T20:09:00.000-07:00

Oh, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Where to begin?.. I guess I could start at the beginning, but I won't. Random wandering is so much more fun.

I guess the biggest thing has been Crossroads. The lovely thing about Crossroads is that it changes every year. I get such a different perspective on it every time I go. In grade ten, I was a newbie, just learning the ropes and really just getting to know everyone in the music department. I hadn't become part of the group at that point.

Grade eleven was amazing. While I was now surrounded by almost all my best friends, I had the luxury of just sitting around and enjoying it. That was not the case this year. We put hundreds of hours of work into those three days, and it was well worth it- but exhausting nonetheless.

I guess the only sad part of this year was that I felt like I missed the down time I had last year. Last year, I woke up at 6 a.m. to sit outside on the rocks and write. This year, I woke up at 6 a.m. (after five hours of sleep) to shower and start planning for the day. Being on council has been an absolutely amazing experience and I'm so glad I went for it, but I guess it's hard to adjust to that sort of responsibility.

There were so many people that surprised me that week. I just never expected people to be so nice, weird as that sounds. I mean, I would never have gotten the whole treasure hunt together if Mary and Stubley hadn't given up their own time to help Lisette and I with the keys and the bottles and all the rest.

And there was more... Larissa, Stubley, Maria and Dan with their thank you to the graduating MC people; Alex and Rachel, who were so amazing all week and who really gave us the nicest thank you possible; my cabin, who were obviously the best ones there; and just everyone.

Anyways, I'll stop talking about Crossroads now.

What else has been going on?... we're dissecting fetal pigs in Bio right now. As much as I would love to help with it, I haven't been able to. My group has really done the whole thing, and I've just watched and recorded stuff. I'm a bit of a wimp when it comes to things like this. The pig heart was bad enough, but opening up the abdomenal cavity and pulling out the small intestines proved a bit too much for me.

I have been reading a ridiculous amount of Cyanide and Happiness lately. It's so unbelievably horrible at times, but so funny!

I've also become addicted to this. Read it for yourself and you will find it impossible to stop.

It's funny that there are certain things that make you think, and other things that just make you want to think. I'm finding it very hard to get inspired lately. Maybe it's just all the things pushing down on me right now. I mean, what with

a) Four IB classes
b) University application deadlines looming
c) Scholarship application deadlines zooming past
d) Work
e) Music council
f) Concert choir, senior band and chamber choir
g) Philharmonic choir
h) Baseball practices twice a week
i) Trying to get my grade ten piano together
j) Applying for a passport, and
k) Still trying to fit in stuff like writing club and peer tutoring,

it's a wonder I haven't fallen apart already.

Well, I'm off to study bio. I have a quiz on all those dissected pigs tomorrow. *rolls eyes*

Retreat

2007-09-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

So this weekend the music council went on a super top-secret mission to plan Crossroads. Or, more accurately, we all piled into cars and drove three hours to Mrs. Baer's cottage on Lake Huron.
It was absolutely gorgeous, to say the least. I seriously tried to write it down and came up with nothing. Just... nothing. There was too much to say. The rocks, the water, the sunset, the campfire, the stars... even the snakes weaving in and out of the tall grass... it was all so beautiful.
And of course everyone there was just amazing. This year's council is kick ass. We decided on our theme in all of thirty seconds and just went from there.
And yes, there were some unmentionable things that happened... let those be mysteries for anybody who cares. But it was fun and windy and warm and crazy and everything in between.
Gotta go finish bio studying... more later.

Love Is Worth It

2007-09-08T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today I found myself happier than I've been in a long time.
And my inspiration came, of all things, from PostSecret.

For the past year or so I've been a loyal follower of Frank Warren's PostSecret blog, not to mention the many Facebook groups dedicated to it. I've been saving my favourite secrets to my computer, intending to keep them forever.

Today is the first time I've actually opened up that folder and gone through my secrets. The feeling after reading them was so uplifting. Just when I thought I was tired of the world, I found this.

Some secrets inspired me...

Some just made me happy to be alive.

Some of them reminded me of myself.

Some of them helped me to find strength.

And some reminded me that no matter how much cold and cruelty exists- no matter how much hate divides us- we're all here together.

No matter how bad the world seems-

no matter how alone we feel-

Somehow, we're all going to make it through.

*

Ha!

2007-04-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

I'm done my EE!!

Okay, it's just the first draft, but whatever. Close enough.

Other interesting stuff going on right now...

Went out for Britt's birthday tonight, it was loads of fun. We saw the Lookout, which was decent but kinda scary, since I'm a complete wimp when it comes to movies. I'm sure it will give me plenty of nightmares about car crashes and bank robberies, but it was fun anyways.

God, I was on such a high this afternoon after finishing up EE, but then I just realized all the stuff that's still coming up or that I still have to work on. My historical investigation's due in ten days and I barely have a topic... my Kiwanis performances are 11 days away and I haven't practiced in a week... I'm supposed to have 4 chamber choir songs memorized by Monday, none of which I have... my IB exams are in just over a month, and I haven't started studying yet... my g2 exam is in about three weeks, and I'm probably going to fail it... and, I just remembered, I have a French presentation next week that I haven't really researched either.

Well, I guess April's going to be a crazy month, but I'll work it out. I always do. Even if I have one or two mental breakdowns along the way.

Why You Should Read This Blog

2007-04-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

10. You are obviously wasting your time. You wouldn't be here otherwise. So you must not have anything utterly important to do.
9. I will never make you try to decipher things like ROFLKOKLZERS! or LOLJKSERSKATES! If you say these things online, you should go play in traffic.
8. I give damn good movie reviews, as fans of my previous blogs are well aware. Erm... except there were no fans of my past blogs, and thus no one is aware of my sweet movie reviewing skills. *Sigh*
7. Reading my blog will always make you feel lucky. Because I undergo torture each and every day, in the form of the IB program. IB causes slow and painful death, mostly because of wondering why I need to know what 5,6-diethyl-3-isopropyl-1,1,2-trimethylheptane is. Which I do, sadly. Damn you chemistry! *shakes fist*
6. I also basically have the craziest friends in the whole entire world, who generally find some way to amuse me (and thus, you).
5. I ALSO have a tendency to do/say exactly the wrong thing at exactly the wrong time, which proves for some hilarious (if embarrassing) situations. All of which you shall be privy to, if you continue reading.
4. Sarah is hella good at speaking in third person, and at using terms that should have died two years ago. *nods importantly*
3. You personally will get to witness my mental breakdown right around May 10th, as I go into my first real IB exam- Chemistry, of all things- and then again on the 14th, for TOK orals, AND on the 23rd for the IB French exam.
2. Obviously my charm and wit (erm...) has won you over, since you're still reading.
1. And the last and final reason why you should keep reading this blog...

you're done already :)