Summer Lists

Well, today I am technically supposed to have my semester exam for this period. However, I have already finished my dual credit class, so there is nothing special about it. There is no exam to take. I have to take fifth and seventh period exams also, but I exempted the exams for those two classes, so I will be in the commons for those parts of the day. Next week, I only have to come to school and check in on Thursday, and I have first period only on wednesday. Friday we have graduation practice, then graduation. Monday we have off because of memorial day.

Nearly every summer, I have this list of songs that I want to make videos for, books that I want to read, and things that I want to do. This year, I haven't made them yet, so I decided to make them into part of the blog post. Let's go!

Summer Songs

• Summer's Not Hot by Selena Gomez
• Come and Get it by Selena Gomez
• Deathbed by Relient K
• Candlelight by Relient K
• A World Without Danger from Code Lyoko
• It's Time by Imagine Dragons
• Mamacita by Family Force Five
• Tank Top by Family Force Five
• Down at the Twist and Shout by Mary Carpenter

Summer Reading

• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
• The Great Gatsby
• Catch 22
• The One That Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
• Doctor Who/Star Trek (A crossover series that I will have to buy online)
• Some kind of manga series that I haven't determined yet... possible fma or something. I really wish there was a Doctor Who manga series...

Not-Bummer Summer List

• Go to the beach
• Get my drivers liscense
• Make music videos
• Read books
• Make a green screen video
• Cover more songs on the ukulele
• Apply for scholarships
• Make skit/sketch videos
• Have a party
• Dye my hair red
• Spend time with Taylor
• Pre-order This Star Won't Go Out
• Watch Les Miserables (the newest movie)
• Buy one of those "50 movies for $8" sets from walmart and watch all the old, cheesy movies
• Make a short film
• Learn ASL
• Get a new SMASH book and finish the old one
• Watch both the old and new versions of The Great Gatsby
• Get books from Half Price Books
• Screen print more shirts, possibly some with the lizardbreathwalker logo on them
• Paint things
• Sew things
• Get mini business cards from Moo.com
• Get another Snow White gig
• Blog more
• Post 365 nerds vlog (on my birthday, July 29th!)
• Start a bank account
• Start actually getting payed for ads and monetized videos
• Go swimming
• Go adventuring with my friend, Sarah
• Vlog more
• Get a WIDE ANGLE LENSE (maybe)
• Modify tshirts
• Go shopping at a thrift store and modify the clothes I buy
• Make a pikachu hat (or buy one)
• Get in shape by playing Just Dance on the xbox 360
• Work on videos for the Knowledge days channel, and be ready to release them when school starts
• Get a better intro video for my youtube channel that represents what the channel is about
• Go to some sort of concert (I would go to boomin' by the bay, but it is no longer by the bay, but in houston, and I only know about one of the artists that will be there, and I don't even care for him that much)

There are probably more things that I can't currently remember but will put here eventually. I feel like some of these won't happen and some of them are bound to happen no matter what. I think I might post an update about half way through summer about how far I have gotten. I am also not going to blog as often during the summer (sorry!). I haven't figured out the schedule yet, but I'm thinking about once a week. I will be posting videos more often though, so that might be helpful. Oh, and if you have anything that you think that I should do or whatever or if you are doing something interesting this summer, feel free to leave it in the comments. Book reccomendations are highly appreciated also.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Friday... Finally.

Today is Friday, May 3, the day before prom, 2013. I'm really excited about tomorrow, and I would love to be out of school today, doing things to get ready like many of the other girls, but I don't have the time or money to do so. I'm not getting my hair or nails professionally done because it takes too long AND costs way too much.

I only decided last night how I want to do my hair for prom, and I'm still clueless about my nails (although french tips are tempting). I made reservations for dinner before prom yesterday after school. We're eating chinese food at one of my favourite places... Jade Palace. Its a chinses food place in Humble that has some really good food at decent prices and some really sweet oriental people run the place. One of the waitresses, Sylvia, is kind of like my adoptive grandmother. Not many people go there for anything fancy, but I knew that they could seat us on such short notice. Things like Italiano's, Zio's, Olive Garden, etc. were either way too expensive or bound to be booked.

I think that tomorrow will be a really long but a really fun day. I love dancing, which makes prom really fun for me. I enjoy dressing up, but thats not really a major thing for me. I will get up early in the morning to start getting ready, take pictures, then meet everyone at a friend's house. We'll leave there and go eat, then go to prom. After prom, we'll go back to the same friend's house and stay up all night playing videogames and boardgames and talking. Fun. Nerdy fun, nonetheless, but fun.

Many people are going out and partying or drinking after prom. Personally, I think that's a really terrible idea. You don't have to be drunk or otherwise intoxicated to have a good time. Keep all of the kids from our school in your prayers, in hopes that we'll all be back at school on monday, safe and sound.

In other news, I'm currently reading a book called "Girl In Translation", by Jean Kwok. Its about a girl who comes with her mother to America from China. Its about how she had to adapt to the American school system and way of life. She and her mother work in a garment factory and live in a broken down apartment building that is due to be demolished at any date. Its a really good book that gives insight into what immigrants go through and feel like in their coming to America.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Nerves and Coffee

Tomorrow is Region contest for One Act Play. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I am super excited and scared and nervous and I want for us to advance. Please, keep our whole team in your prayers today, tomorrow, and saturday. We will be very nervous and anxious. This is the second time (I think) that THS has ever gone to region in One Act, so we all feel pretty special. We have been working every day almost since the last contest. We will be leaving our school at about 7 in the morning, and we perform at about 4 in the afternoon. We will be staying the night at a hotel near there. At least pray for us to do well and have safe travels.

I had coffee this morning for, like, the first time in a week, so I am really jittery and the anxiety of contest being tomorrow just kind of makes it worse. AAAAH!

I have to make sure that I check for any make-up work today, so that I won't be bombarded on monday, AND so that the teachers won't be upset about it. I already have my bags mostly packed for tomorrow, but even then I will be running around like a chicken with its head cut off tonight, trying to get everything ready and double-checking what I have to pack.

Yesterday, one act practice only lasted about an hour, so I thought I was going to have extra time to do stuff. I really didn't. Immediately after practice, we went over to my grandparents' place and worked on washing some of the dishes that were in their china cabinets in the fire. The cabinets were wood, but they were in the part of the house that didn't really burn. They are covered in soot and stuff, but they are salvagable. The cabinets are not worth anything though, because the smoke and heat has damaged the wood. Yesterday we washed the set of dishes that my mom and I chose to inherit (my grandparents had 4 boys). They are a cream color with gold-ish edges and green leaves and pink flowers on them. there are cups and plates and bowls and all kinds of things. There are at least three other sets that need to be washed, and some women from the church that my grandparents go to are supposed to come over today and work on them, because they want to help. I am amazed at how well Simple Green, which is a de-greaser, works to get the gross-ness off.

My Gold Key came in the mail the other day. Its a little gold pin that looks like a key with a circle on it that says "The Scholastic Art and Writing Awards". I put it on the collar of my letterman so that I can wear it and show it off all the time. I kind of wish that it was a necklace instead, but its still cool that I can wear it.

I'm going to go try and finish reading my book, because it just got really good. Its called "Stolen" and its by Lucy Christopher. Its about a girl who is kidnapped in England and taken to Australia. Its really good.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Rubber Boots and Candles

This morning, I woke up at about 6:00, which is roughly 30 minutes earlier than normal. I was told by my mom to find a flashlight, so I ended up giving up my booklight. I tried for about ten minutes to get back to sleep, but it didn't work.  And, in the candlelight with no running water, I got ready for school this morning.

Last night it rained and whatnot. I wore my zebra print rubber boots today just because it was an opportunity. I also put on what little makeup I normally wear in the half-dark, and fixed my hair in the half-dark too. I got to school about 30 minutes earlier than usual, so I spent a lot of time reading this morning.

The girl who was supposed to lead FCA wasn't able to make it this morning, so I had to improvise a lesson. I talked about easter and its real meaning and how it should impact us more and stuff. I don't feel upset about her not being there, and I'm fine with improvising a lesson. I really didn't know I could do it, but it was just as good as some of my other lessons.

If the lights aren't back on by the time I get home, I'll have to vlog in the dark, or else outside. Either way, it will be interesting. I hope its back on so I can use the wifi to upload the video.

I'm going to visit a college on Saturday, so that should be fun. I think that I will vlog on the way there. I could even use my car camera stand! I will have to find a different way to upload it though. I may end up uploading it late at night or something. The weekend after that, I will be going to another college. I will be staying at a hotel with wifi though, so I can upload it then.

I have begun reading the book Born Standing Up, which is Steve Martin's autobiography. I think that its pretty good so far. This is the first time I have ever read an autobiography, so I wouldn't know. I found out yesterday that Esther's book, This Star Won't Go Out, is already available for pre-order, and will officially come out in January of 2014. I can't wait until it comes out. I never knew Esther, but I think it would have been neat to know her. I think its cool that people make a difference in the world, and leave an impact on the people they meet, even after they're long gone. I want to be that kind of person. I started watching Esther's YouTube videos yesterday, and I want to watch them all. She just seemed like an amazing, friendly, and happy girl. I looked at her website and she would only be a little more than a year older than me if she was still alive. If you aren't a nerdfighter, feel free to check out the vlogbrothers youtube channel and the website of the This Star Won't Go Out Foundation to know more. The foundation helps parents of kids with cancer to be there for their kids and help them in caring for their child. There are bracelets and shirts the you can buy (links on the website) and all of the procedes go to the foundation. I think I might buy some when I get the money.

I think I will probably participate in Esther day also, which is a day that people remember and honor her by just loving one another and telling eachother that they love them.

Another holiday that is coming up is Impossible Astronaut Day, which I am way too lazy to explain, but I will say is a doctor who thing and it is happening this month!

I want to go to vidcon someday. I want to go at least once as a regular person and once as a performer... I forget what those people are really called. Sorry, I just saw something about it and I decided to mention it. I can't get to California, though, so I have a major problem there.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

April

I would do some crazy april fools day prank, but I'm too lazy.

So far, this month is starting off very dreary and rainy. The sky is cloudy and bleak. Yesterday it rained and hailed. I know that rain on easter sunday is normal, but hail?

When I got home after the performance on thursday, I was handed an envelope. I opened it to find a letter and a certificate. About three or four months ago I entered two of my poems into a contest. I didn't expect to win anything, but I figured it couldn't hurt to enter. In the envelope was a letter explaining that I had done very well in the contest and I had won not honorable mention, not a silver key, but a gold key. The actual award is supposed to come in the mail sometime soon. All I have for now is the certificate. I didn't win at the national level, but I did advance to that level. I think I should get some kind of cash reward, but I don't. At least I know I'm a good poet though.

A little while ago, Lois Lowry came out with a new book in The Giver series. I read The Giver when I was in like fifth grade, and it was really great. Probably about a year ago I found and read Gathering Blue and Messenger, which are the two books that continue the story. Kind of. Then, I found the new book, Son, and I began reading it on thursday night. I am about half through with it now. It is much longer than the other three books, but it is absolutely fantastic. I hope that it finishes up the story nicely and connects everything.

Auditions are today for the talent show. I am scared to death because I still haven't decided on a song. I have a CD of one that I can do just in case, but I have been wanting to do one with my Ukulele. I brought it just in case, along with my binder of music. I keep looking through it thinking that the right song will just pop out at me. My mom suggested that I do "Some Nights" by FUN, but I would have to edit the lyrics a bit. I would love to do the song "Finding Something To Do" by Hellogoodbye, but the chords are a little too complicated for me to perform without music. I thought about "Good Time" by Owl City, but I don't care for the song that much. Theres "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been" by Relient K also, but I don't feel like thats the song that I want to do. "Me Without You" by TobyMac is a good one, but I don't know all the words that well. My song on a CD is "Can You Feel It" by Family Force 5. I really don't know what I'm going to do. I want to play my ukulele, but I also want to be able to dance around on the stage, which I can't do if I play my ukulele.GRRRRRF. I guess I'll know by the time auditions start.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight

I just finished reading the book The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith last night. It was a great book with a really cute story. TSPOLAFS, gosh that is a whopper of an initialism (not an acronym, because you can't pronounce it as a word), follows the 48 hour story of these two teenagers who meet in an airport and end up on the same flight to London. The girl is on her way to her father's wedding to her new stepmother and the boy is on his way to... Well, another event that is similar but not the same. And they're so perfect for eachother and end up talking about everything under the sun and basically falling in love within the first few hours of them meeting. I would give this book basically a 9 out of 10 because it ends in a cliff hanger, and I want to know if they end up becoming boyfriend/girlfriend or if they ever see eachother again. I thought it was going to be terrible because the beginning is kind of slow, but it turned out to be a great read, and unique because the story happened in such a short amount of time.

The librarian is not at school today, which bothers me because I don't have a book to read since I finished TSPOLAFS. I don't know what I'll do all day to occupy my time, especially since I don't have drama practice today. I guess I'll study and work on scholarship applications. Maybe when I get home I'll work on a video. I have a couple ready to edit, I just have to sit down and work on them.

I wonder what the SPOLAFS really is. I mean, obviously the probability is very small. I guess 1 in 1000000000 or so. I wish you could actually look that up, because I tried and I still didn't find it. Probably because it is impossible to study.

I really don't know what to talk about today. I'm not really in a talkative mood. More of a thinkative mood.

I'm going to try and start an exercise routine soon. I'm kind of scared, because I'm not very athletic at all, but I really do want to get back into shape. We have a really long driveway, so I'll be using that to run and bike and walk and stuff. We also have a weight lifting set thing. I forgot what its called. It is not wieght stuff exactly, but more like resistance training. GAH, why can't I remember what that is called?!?! I've thought about eating healthier, but I really don't like to do things like that, and it requires too much willpower, so I will not. I figure some exercise is better than none at all.

Prom is the real reason that I am going to start exercising again. I need to make sure that I still fit into my prom dress. I need to lose that winter insulation. I am by no means fat, but I do feel slightly unhealthy, though I am probably underweight for my age/size. I think if I can start now and get used to exercising, maybe the dreaded "Freshman 15" will skip over me. I also know that it will be better for my future and I will have fewer health problems when I am older. I think its wierd how exercise plans always say "Consult your physician before beginning any new exercise regimen or diet", but no one ever does, unless the doctor is the one who tells them to do it. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. I just think exercise needs to be a spontaneous thing, where you decide maybe a week or two before, not consult your doctor before you start it. Doctors don't know me. They don't know about what I need to do. *Insert attitude here*

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Room

Yesterday, at about this same time, I finished Les Miserables. It was a good book, but I was glad to finish it. Then, at lunch I went back to the library and got a new book. I was planning on getting "The Statistical Probablility of Love at First Sight", but I saw another book that I got instead. Its called "Room" and its by Emma Donoghue.

Room is about a boy who lives with his mom in this one room building. His mom was kidnapped and put into this room buy the character "Old Nick". She was used sexually by the man, and the boy, Jack is their child. Through a very complicated plan, they manage to escape. And thats as far as I have read. I'm about half way through. I think I might finish it by tomorrow. I think I'll check out another book today, just to make sure I have plenty to read tomorrow.

Tomorrow is one act play competition day. I'm scared and excited at the same time. It feels like there should still be a month's worth of practices left, but we only have today. I just want to get it over with.

I have drama practice today, but I also have to stay after school. I have to be in tutorials to take a quiz that I missed in spanish class. I'll probably have to go to tutorials on monday too, to do what I miss on friday. I just want the week to be over already. Tomorrow will be such a long day.

I really want to get back to reading, because I was at a really intense part.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Fear

Okay, so today I am headed to the dentist. I brought my laptop along because I need to work on a 5 page essay for sociology. I'm doing so in the car. I get car sick really easily though, especially when I read, so I am being rather cautious.

I have to have a tooth removed today. Not looking foreward to that. I'm a little scared actually, since they have to give me laughing gas and I won't be in control of anything, The tooth they have to remove is actually half of a baby tooth. It just didn't want to come out of my mouth, even though the adult tooth has already grown in and pushed it to the side. Everyone thinks it sounds painful, but its just annoying mainly. It doesn't hurt unless I try to move it.

I thought about vlogging with my brothers on the car ride, but I'm not sure if they're up to it. One is asleep ( the one that is 13 years old) and one is reading a book (the 6 year old). I may do it in a few minutes though.

The thing about going to the dentist for us is that we have to drive for more than an hour to get there. Then we have to wait in the waiting room for anywhere from ten minutes to an hour. It is rather complicated.

I get to miss drama practice because of this though, so that's nice. After this, we get to go eat dinner at a Mexican restaurant with my grandparents. Not sure how well I'll be able to eat or how hungry I will be, but whatever.

Have I informed you all that we got a new car? Its a Buick Enclave, and I love it. Bucket seats in the front and middle rows, then three seat in the very back. It is quite a bit more roomy and comfortable than our Chevy HHR. The HHR was good and more fuel efficient, but it was super cramped. There is no way I could use my laptop while we were all inside.

I made a laptop case out of duct tape. I finished it yesterday. It has a main pocket for the laptop, then a pocket on the back for the charger. Then, it has a flap and a strap to hold it by. And it had two other pockets, one for pencils and on for CDs or whatever. It is water proof too. It is red and black and pink zebra striped.

I gotta get off for now. Don't want to get sick.
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So... Getting a tooth removed in a non-sugrical manner is actually really fast and easy. I laid down on the bed chair thingy that they had, then I watched a movie as they gave me laughing gas. They then did a numbing paste stuff on my gum, followed by numbing shots. They then just took the tooth out. It didn't really hurt at all, except one of the two shots, which kind of hurt a little.
Laughing gas gives you a feeling that is hard to explain. Basically, all of your limbs go kind of numb, but you can still feel and move them. Like, when your arm or leg falls asleep, but not that extreme and all over your body. It really just made me want to go to sleep.

The numbing of my gum was a little different though. It felt like my mouth became, basically, dead. I still can't feel really anything with it. And it has gotten in the way of my speech a little bit, but nothing major.

I really don't think it was as big of a thing as I presumed it would be. It was nothing to be afraid of, but when I first went back into the room I was scared senseless. Just goes to show you that fear is a temporary and shallow thing. And many times what we fear is really not that scary once we get up close.

I've been scared of many things throughout my life. When I was little, I was scared of the Operation game, the game where you do this fake surgery and if you mess up it makes a loud beeping noise. I was scared to death, to the point that I would see the box or hear a similar noise and my heart would start racing. The fear became almost crippling, since I couldn't even go down the board game aisle at walmart without looking at the floor the whole time. I slowly tried to convince myself and others that it would be fine to be around it. I just couldn't bring myself to play it or watch someone play it, or ever watch one of the commercials for the game. About a year and a half ago, I had convinced myself that the only way to get over the fear was by exposure, so after school one day I went and watched while one of my friends was playing the game. It kind of cured me, or at least gave me an extreme tolerance for it.

Nowadays, my only real fear is death and the things associated with it. Everything else I can get over pretty quickly, or at least talk myself out of being afraid of. I think the main thing is working to get past your fear and not letting it control your life. Oh, and I'm slightly afraid of heights and getting lost, but I get over that rather quickly.

Man, my mouth is still really numb. I hope this doesn't prevent me from eating Mexican food, because I'm really hungry.

My mouth is kind of bleeding a tiny bit. Its not as bad as it was. My dad told me earlier not to swallow the blood because it would make me sick to my stomach. But I really don't understand why or how that would happen. Sounds like a question for the Scishow (a show on science that one of the vlogbrothers does).

Love,
Elizabeth W.

BOOOO! CONFRONTATION!

BLECH! I have to go talk to the counselor again today. I have to get more transcripts and a scholarship application and get a paper filled out and all sorts of things. I really don't want to. However, I think I might have to do it during this period, since she is rarely there during lunch.

I have started on the book I am writing, but it is not a book. Its a screen play. A movie script. Really and truly.

I've had this idea for a while, I have just never put it down on paper. I don't want to reveal too much, but I will say that it is historically based. I know, I'm such a hypocrite for that. Most of the details are really fuzzy though, so I can make up most of it. Its a movie, so that gives me even more right to make it inaccurate.

I don't want to give away too many details, but I will say that it is a serious story and is rather curious. The key word? Elephant. Seriously, that is the current name of the almost-movie. I haven't thought of anything better.

I am only about a page into writing it, so don't expect it in theatres any time soon.

I really wonder how different it is in writing a stage play and a screen play. Same basic stuff. Except for special effects, why couldn't screen plays be performed as stage plays?

I didn't get to look for my old stories yesterday. Instead I watched a movie on Vudu with my family. Brave. I've seen it before, but thats okay. Its still a good movie. Its funny, because I have a friend who looks a lot like Merida, and she has relatives with the white streak in their hair like Merida's mum.

Well, I better get off to the counselor's office. I really don't want to go. BLECH. Don't forget to comment names for the bear contest. It ends on the last day of February. Goodbye.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Can't Stop Reading!

I started reading "The Fault In Our Stars" yesterday and I am more than half way through the book. Literally cannot stop reading it. I managed to put it down while I type this, but I'm still thinking about the story.

There are many things that I hate and many things that I love about John Green's books. I love the fact that the characters seem so real and that they are so relatable. I love that the plot is very unpredictable and totally different than what you would expect. However, I hate the fact that half way through he tries to kill of the main character. It makes for a good story, but it drives me crazy. It also bothers me that he puts many things in the form of ABC/123 lists when he writes. Sometimes is okay, but he seems almost obsessed. I love that he is such  a quotable author.

"I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once."

His use of language and plot elements just makes for a delicious novel. However, I  have no clue what I will do with my life once I finish reading TFIOS and the books that he has co-written.

Yesterday I told my drama teacher that I would not be able to come to One act play practice on one day during spring break. I knew she would be unhappy, but she really overreacted. I have only missed one other day, so she can just kiss it. It being my foot. Although that seems a lot more insulting and a lot less creepy when said aloud.

I have not had coffee in the mornings for several days. I actually did some mild working out yesterday. Hopefully I can keep it up and maybe increase it so that I can be sure to fit in my prom dress a little better. Meh. I hate exercise.

I really don't know what to talk about. I just want to go back to reading TFIOS.

I have to do an FRQ next period in Economics. Free Response Question. I really hate AP classes and exams. My senior year will be over in just a little more than a six weeks as far as grades go, but I still have to take the AP exams and finish my dual credit class. BLECH.

I will see you tomorrow.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

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I finished TFIOS during 4th period. I now no longer know what to do with the rest of my life. I guess I have to go buy the books that John Green co-wrote now, so that I can read them. Is it possible to be addicted to books? I think I may have a problem.

TFIOS was really a great book. The ending was sad, but realistic... Mostly. I know the characters are not real, but I can't help feeling sorry for them.

I finished the book in two days. Actually less.

Well, I have nothing else to do but class is almost over, so bye.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Describing...

So, I noticed this morning that I am really terrible at describing things eloquently. This upsets me, since I would love to write a book someday, and every time I try to begin a story, not only do I get writer's block or write myself into a corner, the story ends up being really really short because I lack the proper ability ot describe things. So, for the rest of the week, I will have a short part of my post in which I will describe something that I can see or have seen. It is your job to determine what it is and comment such. Maybe this will help me get used to describing things. Oh, and I will try not to be too poetic about it, because that could get confusing.

They once were trees. But now they sit there so silently. They have been changed from their original form. Murdered, some might say, but only for the betterment of all humanity. So many of them, it would take a computer to keep track of them all. But now, though they are still trees, in some form, they bring so much more to those who touch them, see them, and hear them. All sizes sit in a room, waiting to be opened. They no longer look like trees, for they have colors of all sorts in and on them. Bright blues of an August sky ranging to the bloody reds of battle. Carefully, oh so carefully stacked and placed and organized by number, letter, color, age, importance. The smell of age sits inside, waiting to be given as a gift to the next person to open the covers of these no-longer-trees. And on each sliver of wood, letters swirl into words and words into sentences, and on and on into stories and lives and facts. I waltzed into their dwelling place and snatched a few from their homes. Quick glances, then I placed them back. One after another, flying in and out of my hand until I found the right one. The right shape and color. The perfect weight in my hand. The vanilla-like smell swam through the air, bringing pleasure to my senses. This was the one. Whatever story or life or lesson contained within would soon be mine. A part of me never to be forgotten. A journey to go on once, but never to return, for the journey is never as fun the second time. A few clicks of a keyboard, a beep, and the blunt smashing sound of a rubber stamp on paper. And off I was, onward to fulfill another Great Perhaps.

Okay, did you get it? Leave it in the comments below if you did, and tell me how you thought my description was and how it could be improved. By the way, I stole the "Great Perhaps" part from John Green, who had stolen it from Francois Rabelais. Not really stolen, on either account, but I feel like using that word.

I think that I need to follow the advice of John Green and find an Ilene. I know that they don't have to be named Ilene, but whatever,

For those of you who don't know about John Green and Ilene, Ilene is the person who has basically been the editor, encourager, and book writer helper person for John when he was writing his books. He credits he not only in the books, but also in one of his videos. He says that she basically helped him turn a book idea into something real. I need this kind of person  who can look over my stuff and not be afraid to say "this is crap" or, "why don't you do this instead" or "this is actually pretty good... so far". Most of the time, when I start writing, I just go with it, and I end up not showing anyone because I either think its terrible or begin to get discouraged or run out of ideas. I need someone to help me figure out how to continue. I need an Ilene. Presumably, someone who has done stuff like book writing before and could act almost as a mentor. If you or someone you know is interested in filling this position, please contact me. Or, if you think we could co-write a book, that would be cool also.

I can not count how many of my stories have just died because I thought they stunk or I wrote in the wrong direction and into a corner. In fact, this has pretty much happened with all of my stories.

One of my favourite stories of all time was one that I co-wrote with my brother. Basically, it was a story of our many adventures and games during childhood, which went through the different worlds and themes of different video games that we were into at the time. Tak and the power of juju. Super mario sunshine. Lord of the rings. Luigi's mansion. We pretty much included everything. I really wish that I could find the rough draft so that I could get him to work on it some more with me. I think I may look for it when I go home tonight, or maybe even bring up the idea of re-writing it.

My brother and I used to write stories all of the time. They were all pretty epic. One time we even started writing a play. We would sit down with a bunch of notebook paper and start throwing out ideas. Then, once we got started, he would say the story aloud and I would write it down, throwing in ideas and tweeking the vocabulary here and there to make it better. The video game story had like 20 or more pages, and we weren't even half done. The play that we worked on was only about 5 or 10 pages, but it was pretty cool also. It had people turning into wolf-like monsters and the main character having to fight them off while trying to find a cure.

Gosh, I HAVE TO FIND THOSE STORIES!!!!!

So, I think I will go do something semi-productive now, since there are only 10 minutes left in class. DFTBA!

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!

I have failed. I did not get to work on the vlog yesterday. I had to go to church, and then I had to go to bed.

I really am questioning my ability to do anything at all on a schedule. I really stink at it. I end up doing things really early or really late. And right now, I really don't feel like doing anything productive.

I have procrastinated all week about my Economics homework. I have no clue why, but if I don't get it done before wednesday, or at least half way done, I really don't feel like doing it. So, I am only abouyt 1/4 of the way through, as of this morning, and the assignment is due on Monday. I really hate homework. And I really really have a bad case of senioritis.

I brought my SMASH book to school today and glued some random stuff in it this morning. Just stuff I found in the pockets of my letterman jacket, like lists, bookmarks, whatever. I feel like when its done, it will be nothing but a book of junk. But, that is okay, because it will be something nice to look back on in order to remember my senior year. I think I will get people to sign it as if it were a yearbook. I won't have an official yearbook for my senior year until the beginning of next year, and some people won't be here to sign it. I figure the SMASH book is close enough.

I just took thirty minutes to type out an extra credit essay for Sociology. I really just sat down and did it, then turned it in. No second guesses, no extra revision. I. Just. Did. It. I made an 80 on the test, and this was a chance at up to 20 points to bring it up. I figure I'll at least get 10 or so. Thats fine with me. I just want to give myself a little extra cushioning on my grades.

I did not get to have coffee this morning, and I now have an excruciating headache. Well, not that bad, but it does hurt a little. I just want to go to lunch, because I am starving.

I am really not sure that I want to read this Stephen King novel. It seems good, but I have had it for several days and I haven't gotten but maybe 30 pages into it. I wish I had another John Green book. Or something like it.

Oh, and I have officially changed locations for my third period class. I am now officially in the library every day during this time. I don't have to go to a classroom anymore, and there is a substitute teacher to watch over students. I think its dumb. I liked my cozy little dark room with all of the computers and only a few people. But, at least I now have easy access to check out books, even if it will take the sub a while to figure out how to work the machine to check them out.

I really just want it to be the summer so I can wear shorts and a tank top all the time and dye my hair red and work on all kinds of videos with my new camera. I really want these things to happen. I also cannot wait to get a new camera. I hope to get a DSLR one, so I can adjust the focus when needed.

Well, I'm off to google different DSLR cameras. DTFBA!

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Happy Post Of The Day!

Okay, so I woke up this morning to one of my friends posting on facebook that he is going to prom as the 11th doctor, complete with bowtie and fez. He isn't my date, but I am now ten times more excited about prom, nonetheless.

I am posting this from my fifth period class, since I don't feel like reading a book right now. I am trying to type quiety so that I will not draw attention to myself. I have already finished the assignment. Actually, I finished it yesterday. I just don't want to get in trouble for being on the internet or whatever.

Today I have to go to the post office immediately after school. I have to mail off a scholarship application along with some transcripts. I hope my mom doesn't make me drive to town. It will be really hectic due to traffic, not to mention I have never driven in town before.

I am significantly more relaxed today since I know that the transcripts and stuff will be taken care of. I am also very tired  since I stayed up late last night working on stuff and I drove to school this morning and didn't get to drink all of my coffee.

I hope to get to edit my vlogs and stuff on wednesday and get them uploaded. It is hard for me to make more vlogs without uploading the others first, because then the others become useless and outdated.

There is a chance that I might get a new camera for graduation. I hope so. I was told to basically look up which one I want. The thing is, I don't know which one I want. I would love a DSLR camera. Something with a good FPS would be nice. Then I could do some of the slow-motion things that I have planned but haven't gotten to film yet.

I checked out a new book from the library yesterday, "Dreamcatcher" by Stephen King. I have never read any of his books, but I figured this one looked good. I hope it is. If not, I will have to return in and find something more interesting.

I really want to read John Green's other books. An Abundance of Katherines. The Fault in Our Stars. The problem is my lack of money and ability to go to a book store, and the school library's lack of more interesting and more recently published books. My friend's older brother has all of the books, and she said she would ask him to bring them back from college so we could read them. But who knows how long that will take. Dah-vEEd, if you are reading this, which I doubt you are, you should somehow get all of your John Green books to Ellen ASAP and then tell her to give one to me to read.

I loved Paper Towns, I just felt that the ending was a bit of a let down. The person who seemed to matter most really didn't matter that much in the scheme of things. People part ways and it just bothers me that the ending is so sad and realistic. Then, so is life.

But the best thing about Paper Towns is that it makes me want to do something that will keep me memorable, even when I leave my town. I have already made some legacy with the blog and YouTube, but I still feel like I could do more. And I really have the need to do it before I leave high school, and to do it with my friends. Like, pull an all nighter doing things like Quentin and Margo did. Not mean things like revenge, but fun random things like going to the mall dressed in random costumes and spending a night in the woods in a treehouse and stuff that we will never get a chance to do again.

If you have any idea of things like this that I could do with my friends or a story of your own, leave it in the comments.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Another Delicious Book

Sorry that I didn't post  yesterday. The school's computers were being stupid and wouldn't let me get on blogger for some reason. But I did get on Tumblr when I go home, and I'm slowly figuring out how it works...

Anyway, right now I am addicted to a book. I have had it for a while, but never read it. It was in a box of books donated to the school. It was in the wrong age range, along with a bunch of others, so I got to take it. Its called "Tithe" and the author is Holly Black.

I was really unsure about it at first. I just really wanted something to read, so I picked it off my shelf. The first few chapters are really boring. However, once you get past that, you can't set the book down. Its about a girl who is a "modern nomad", as stated by the back cover. She has these friends that are fairies, and then she finds out that she is one and it leads to a really complicated adventure mixed with several love stories and a bunch of odd characters throw in the mix.

I am on page 209, and I see myself finishing it by the end of tomorrow. I think it would probably make a great movie, but it would require a lot of special effects. Apparently it is the first book of a series, so I plan on getting the other two books as soon as I can. There is a little cussing and some inuendos, so I don't reccomend this for a young child. I would say anyone from ages 13 and up would really enjoy the book. It is an easy read, and really interesting.

I really have nothing else to talk about right now.

I have some "forbidden knowledge". I overheard a conversation and found out some stuff. But it was second-hand and some of the information I had to draw conclusions in order to guestimate what it means. Still, no one else knows about the fact that I know, so I feel special.

But knowing this almost-fact makes me curious about some things and makes me anxious about others. Grf.


I am really hungry right now though, and there is a whole hour almost until lunch.

I didn't have drama practice yesterday, so I was excited about going home and doing stuff that I wanted to do. Then, my dad had a bunch of papers to grade. A BUNCH. So, I worked for an hour and a half to finish all of my economics homework for the week and work a little more on some scholarship applications. Then, I went and helped him grade papers. I am a really fast grader becauseI memorize most of the rubric, and within 30 miniutes the gradin was finished. We got home a little after 6:00, so I only had time to watch one episode of doctor who, do the dishes, eat, and check my e-mail before taking a shower and going to bed. And I have drama practice for two hours today and four hours tomorrow. But I get saturday off.

It is really hard for me to blog today because of the fact that this book is so good. I start a paragraph, then after I finish it, I sit and read a few more pages. This book is so delicious. Wait. Can you say that about a book? It is so delicious to read? Well, it makes sense in my head. Whatever.

K BYE!

Love,
Elizabeth W.

Freaking Out!

Okay, so first, I want you to know that I do not do well in stressful or seemingly crisis situations. Whenever something goes wrong and I don't know how to fix it or who to ask about it and especially when it interferes with my daily activities, I FREAK OUT!

I can't really explain why this happens, it has just always been the way that I am. Most likely, I will cry if I don't have someone there to help me figure things out. And I have almost cried today because of such an event.

I got to my class during which I am allowed to work on my dual credit online college course. Then, even though I know the class won't start for another week, I logged on to the website in order to check and make sure that everything was okay. But when I got to the website, it didn't show me being enrolled in any classes.

It had done something like that before, so I figured it was just a glitch and went ot investigate further. However, it showed that I had dropped my sociology class for this semester. I searched through all the web pages to find why but I couldn't figure it out.

So, now I am sitting here with my heart racing, telling myself not to freak out, but that is exactly what I am doing. You probably couldn't tell by looking at me, but its definately happening.

I have thought about going to the counselor to ask her about it. However, I have this innate hatred toward our school counselor because she sucks (and I don't use that work lightly... or ever) at getting things done and is not a very people-oriented person. I feel like all she'll do if I go down to her office is just insult me or call me stupid because she doesn't want to deal with me. Then she'll look something up and say that I can't take the class for some strange reason and give me a crazy other option and I won't have the ability to talk to my mom about it before making a decision and really if I had just talked to the people at the college they would have just said it was a glitch and they would fix it right away.

I'm really also scared that if I don't go down to talk to her that my mom will make me talk to her tomorrow and I'll go all day today and tomorrow worrying about it. Now I feel all sick inside.

I don't know what to do. I'm afraid that whoever I go to will basicallly just say that I'm stupid or I did something wrong and I won't be able to fix it.

And the books that I had to order for the online class have already been bought and shipped and I'm just scared.





I


AM



SCARED........



I have drama practice today from 4 to 6 so I'll just call my mom before practice starts and ask her what I should do. I'm just afraid that if I start talking to someone about it I'll start crying. That generally happens when I try to talk things like this out with somebody. The counselor is dealing with schedule problems anyway with it being the first day back at school. She probably will be hateful and "not have time to deal with" me anyway.

I wrote down the problem on my top slip of paper on my clipboard, that way I won't forget it. I generally do that or write things on my hand/wrist when I need to remember them.

Now I just need something to distract myself.





I started writing a book yesterday. A children's book. I want very much to finish this one.

I did something different though. I started with the pictures instead of the story. The pictures were sketches that I lightly colored with watercolor colored pencils, then took water and went over to smudge the color around.

I haven't done them all yet. Only about four. I have them hanging on a piece of string strung diagonally from wall to wall above my bed. I wanted to use clothes pins to hang them when they were drying, but I only had paperclips. It still looks cool anyway.

My little brother got a comic book making kit for Christmas. It had paper and three binding things and a couple of cover pages. He also decided the other day that he wants to be an author when he grows up. I had to watch him yesterday for most of the day, so we got it out and started writing books. He still gets upset when things aren't perfect or he can't think of anything though, so he took quite a few breaks for cartoon watching.

I have calmed down significantly now. I'm still anxious and nervous and scared, but I can deal with it.

Love,
Elizabeth W.

An Awesome book

Okay, so I have found a cause more worthy of sharing than myself. Just go to www.veryawesomeworld.com and read the book online with someone you love. Then buy the book or share it with other people.

Early Christmas Present!

So, my uncle gave me some money on thanksgiving, and told me that I could buy whatever I want, and that would be my Christmas present from him. Well, this weekend, I went shopping with my mother and ended up spending that money. The cool part is what I got.

My favorite thing that I bought was the materials to start screen-printing my own t-shirts. I got an actual screen printing screen, along with a squeegee/scraper thing. Then, I got all of the different filler and drawing inks along with some paint, and the cleaning solultion for cleaning the screen. I got a small sketchbook also, so I can sketch out my shirt ideas before I actually make them.

I think the first thing that I will screen print is a shirt with my new youtube logo on it. I haven't officially released it on the internet, but it is basically an image form of my username. I think I will make a couple, that way I can give one or two away or sell them. I now know why screen printed shirts are so expensive, however. In charging $20 dollars each, I would only be making about $8 or so profit. Thats not a lot. Once I get going, though, I can take orders and do specialty shirts.

A while back, my spanish 3 and 4 class discussed ordering screen-printed tshirts. We haven't done it yet to my knowledge. If I can get a design drawn out, and everyone to bring about ten dollars, I can buy a shirt for each person and make them. At Walmart, colored shirts are about three or four dollars each, plus I have to pay for the paints and the effort put into them. I might be able to get the people in my class to get together and make them with me. That way, I won't be making ten or fifteen shirts on my own. We could do an assembly line type thing. It would work best if the design was only one color, though. I don't want to have to line up the screen again to put more paint on the shirt. I'll need to experiment with my own designs and figure out how it all works first.

This could be such a great money saving and money making tool. I just have to get good at it. It doesn't seem that complicated. I will probably need to get more tshirts to screen print on, so I might do that with any money I get for Christmas. But think about it. Lets say I make shirts. All of them with different things on them. They cost $5 for each shirt and $5 for the paints. I charge a little for the time I put into it and the use of my equipment. I easily make $5 to $10 dollars profit. Of course, much of this will go to pay for maintenence of the equipment. Sometimes you need new screens or more of them. More solution to clean them with or more drawing and filling inks. New paintbrushes. Plus, I will need to be saving up money for college. I can't just go out and spend it all willy-nilly. Is that how you spell that?

Anyway, I got some clothes this weekend also. I got this bright red jacket and a frilly white tank to wear when I take senior pictures, AKA tomorrow. I got a blue infinity scarf too. I got all of this from a store called Maurices. Its a clothing store for women, but the sizes range from Juniors size zero to a womens extra extra large. I like it because both my mom and I can shop there for clothes and shoes and accessories. I almost got my mom to buy me some boots too, but there weren't any cute ones in my size.

Two random items that I purchased this weekend are a unicorn backpack and a book called "The Action Bible". I got the unicorn backpack from Michaels for ten dollars. It literally looks like a stuffed unicorn. I wanted to use it at school today, but I can't fit my headphones in it, so I'll probably use it like next week or something. The Action Bible is basically the comic book form of the bible. It takes all of the bible stories and puts them in chronological order with colorful illustrations and speech bubbles and boxes like a comic book. I think its pretty awesome.

Well, time to wrap things up. Its almost time to go to my next class.

Question of the day:

If you could have a t-shirt that said anything or had any image on it, what would be on it?



Love,

Elizabeth W.

Annoying Things and a Good Book

I think something is wrong with me.
Nothing major, just something wrong with the way I see the world right now.
My problem?

Everything is annoying me.

Yes, everything just seems annoying right now. My brother was very annoying yesterday when he said "You keep threatening to hurt me but you never do it." I find it very annoying that the school computer ecided not to work right today and therefore I cannot write the essays that I need to write for scholarships. It is annoying me that I have homework in a dual credit class but I cannot complete it at school because I need the giant textbook. People just doing small slightly irresponsible or mildly annoying things are driving me bonkers. I am very annoyed right now.

Anyway, I have been reading a really good book. Technically, it is the sequel to another book. I am reading "Love, Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli. Yes, I read books that are like fourth grade level. The thing is, I can find books that have entertaining plotlines and don't take forever to finish at that grade level. So, shut up, and stop judging me!

Okay, that was a little harsh...

I'm sorry.

Anyway, the first book is called "Stargirl". I find that books by Jerry Spinnelli are very entertaining. The main character is always very intelligent and philosophical in their thinking, like in the book "Smiles to Go", also by Jerry Spinelli. They are also very wierd and also like outcasts. I sit there reading thinking, "Wow, I've had those same thoughts" or "I am so much like that character!" And then I realize that that may not be a good thing. So, yeah. I am addicted to that book right now.

Something awesome also happened yesterday. The schoolboard met for out school. They decided that this friday, we will not have school! Its supposed to be so that people can go see the games of our statebound volleyball team (Thats right! State bound! What?!). This means that I get to get things accomplished on Friday. Maybe. I hope so. I need to work on some video stuff and some college stuff. I also need to get some rest. I have not gotten to sleep before ten since like thursday night. But, whatever.

I hope I get to post videos to YouTube. When you are a hard core deticated Youtuber like me (Pffff... yeah right), you tend to have YouTube posting withdrawals. I NEED to post something (*twitch, twitch*). I filmed stuff this last weekend but I didn't get to finish editing it, since it was late when I started doing and I was on my dad's computer instead of the family computer. I hope I get to finish that video and post it. I started using a program that is kind of like a miniature version of PowerDirector, so it has similar features but its like only 1/10 as awesome. And I plan to download the free trial version of PowerDirector over Christmas break and work with it then.

And, based on my number of views, it feels like this is listed on the VERY LAST PAGE of Google. Is that possible? Is there a last page? But, you have to start somewhere...

Question of the Day:

What is the thing that annoys you the most?

and also...

What is your favorite children's book?

Okay, well, I gotta go! Bye!

Elizabeth W.