Fast Times at Corn Field High

Sometimes I wonder what compels me to even go to my school anymore. I swear, it's like instead of going to school and getting smarter, people in my class are going to school and getting stupider. Actually, that probably has to do with the amount of pot that a lot of them smoke on a regular basis. I'm serious. The school districts in my county have certain reputations. One's known for slutty girls, one for super-athleticism, and mine is known for the large population of potheads.

In my economics class today the teacher left the classroom to go make copies. The guys sitting around me immediately take the opportunity to start talking about the teacher. Whatever, it happens. I'm 100% sure that the teachers talk about us. But one of them goes, "Duuude did you see his eyes? He's totally high right now." To which another replies, "They're so red! He should be in a better mood than he is, though. I bet him and [insert other teacher's name here] light it up all the time." At this point it's all I can manage to not roll my eyes and laugh out loud. I mean seriously. Did you also notice that he's wearing glasses today, which he doesn't normally do. This probably means that he has a problem with his eyes or contacts. And the other teacher? Yeah, his wife's a police officer. I'm not sure how much "toking" he gets up to.

Just because a large number of people in our school smokes pot does not mean that the teachers do as well. I mean, I guess I could be wrong. There are probably teachers that do get high. But I doubt I'm wrong on this one. God, I've just realized that I sound a bit like a prude. I'm sorry! But I'm bookish and slightly introverted, okay? I'm not sheltered, I have "seen" a part of the world outside of academics and parent-approved activities. But I actually want to do something with my life besides "hang out" and just get by. That said, I honestly can't wait until I can get away from the stoner population that I've been forced to grow up with. Some of them are very nice people, to me at least, but pot does nothing to help the brain cells. And you can definitely tell with the majority of these people.

Just two and a half more months. That's it. I can hold out until then. I think.

Sushi!

 Week 1 of being 18

My first week as a legal adult. [My mom says that you're not really an adult until you can provide for yourself. She kind of has a point.] The glorious day of my birth began with fog so thick I could barely see the other side of the high way on my way to school. It ended with gifts from my family, including my wondrous new Nook! I still haven't really used it yet, though, because I have some books that I bought a while back that I need to read. I finished The Once and Future King, over a month after I started it, and I'm not going to review it. Honestly, I don't have enough words to do it any justice. You should definitely read it, though. My WYSE team advanced to sectionals [yeah!]. Unfortunately, I didn't place in my subjects, English and math, but I don't really mind as much as I thought I would. My friends took me out to a sushi and steakhouse. It was delicoussssss! I hadn't eaten there since prom last year, and I had forgotten just how delicious it is. They [sort of] surprised me with cheesecake. And we ended the night by eating Blizzards from Dairy Queen and watching re-runs of Hey Arnold!

The only downside to this week is the illness I'm now fighting with Advil, Luden's Cough Drops, and cold medicine. I don't think I've ever had a birthday without getting sick at some point. But overall, a great start to my 19th year. And thanks to Lex, Anna, and Hazel for wishing me a happy birthday!

Where's the laugh track?

Friday night I attended an overnight thingy at the college I'll be attending next fall. Well, it was actually an overnight for next semester's freshmen who are applying for the honors program. The person I was *supposed* to be staying with was rushing a sorority that night and never showed up. I would have been panicked, but I got to hang out with a couple of my brother's friends. When it was time to go back to the dorms for the night the RA found me a room to stay in.

I go in there, meet one of the roommates and another girl staying there, and everything seems good. They're both nice. We're about to watch The Hangover. The roommate mentions that her roommate is a bit crazy and tells how she fell off the top bunk last night. The girl walks in with one of her friends and I know her. I know her. Great. Because I know her and know what she's like. And I don't like her. She chats for a couple minutes, leaves, and comes back with a group of guys who are also there for the overnight.

The start talking about how they skipped one of the "lame" presentations [how could they know if it's lame if they didn't go to it, stupid] to watch the TKEs get initiated. Now, I have nothing against fraternities or sororities. I have friends and family members who I adore greatly that are/have been in one.In fact, I might join one when I go to college. Who knows. But there's always that fraternity and that sorority which is like how they are portrayed in the movies. So they start talking about how "effing awesome" it was. And every time one of them says TKE [pronounced teek] they start chanting, "TEEK TEEK TEEK TEEK TEEK" over and over and over again. At this point I'm thinking, "Is this really my life? Am I in a sit com?" And complain how they can't go to the party.

This whole time the girl that I don't like is flirting with them, tossing her hair around, standing with her butt sticking out -- the usual.One of the boys mentions that they want to be on the football team. She says, "Well I'm on the dance squad so I'll be sitting right behind you, cheering!" *cue hair tossing and waving of the pom poms conveniently placed on the window sill*

This went on for about ten minutes before the RA, who happens to be one of my friends, saved me. In the end, I stayed in a room with two different girls. I felt bad for the other girl, she seemed really nice, but damn. Her roommate is something else. I mean, I felt like I was in Sydney White or something. I didn't want to be a prude or anything, I have been to parties and been around people like that. But I was not going to be subjected to the ridiculousness of the whole situation for the next nine hours.

December Favorites

To be honest, I'm not even trying to get this done before the month ends. I give myself a week after.

BAND: Fall Out Boy Let me be straight with you. Middle school and freshmen year I was a bit of a scenie weanie before the "scene" thing kind of took off. I was absolutely OBSESSED with Fall Out Boy. I think I've mentioned it before, but I am a proud owner of all the albums that Fall Out Boy ever put out. Including the obscure acoustic album and the album that they didn't even promote. I know all the words to pretty much every song. Except for the non-promoted album and the last album [the last album was complete crap, sorry boys]. This month it's been more of a nostalgia thing. I still think they're pretty good. I mean, Patrick Stump's voice is amazing. I wouldn't necessarily recommend them. But if you want to, it won't be a waste of time.

SONG: "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" Come on people, it's Christmas! But I want to be specific about this one. My favorite recording is by Hilary Duff on her Santa Claus Lane album. From 2002. Classic Hilary Duff. And I don't really give a crap that her voice was auto-tuned the crap out of. It's Hilary Duff. I just love her so much.

BOOK: The Hunger Games If you don't know about The Hunger Games I don't even know what to think. I reread it because my friend Kayla was reading them for the first time and I was a little jealous. It's just so good! I'll give you a little bit of background, although I think pretty much all of you probably know about it already. It's set in what used to be a part of America, after a huge war. There's twelve districts all being controlled by the Capitol. Every year they host the Hunger Games where two tributes, one boy and one girl, from each tribute have to fight, or just survive, to the death until only one remains. I guess this way the Capitol can remind everyone how big of jerks they are and the power that they have. The book follows Katniss Everdeen and her experience with the Hunger Games. It's the first in a trilogy and I'm begging you to read it if you haven't already. There's even a movie coming out in March, I think!

BLOGGER: the lexical gap. Lex is probably my all-time favorite blogger. She's funny, witty, and tells it like it is. She has this whole series going on why she hates Twilight. I mean, that alone is reason enough. Seriously, though, her blog is so fun to read. She's really upfront about the way she feels about a certain topic/person/thing/etc. and actually gives rational thought out reasons [unlike a lot of people who think they make sense but just sound ridiculous]. If you don't follow her blog you're missing out.

YOUTUBER: wehavegirlfriends The funniest thing of my life. Three guys, Kevin, Mitchell, and Kyle, tell short stories from their lives. Most of them are about things that happened while they were in high school. Stories like parties, run-ins with cops, and girl issues. It may sound kind of overrated, but these stories are so freaking hilarious and not what you would expect. I laughed so hard I almost peed myself. It's actually more like a podcast with very crudely-drawn illustrations. As in, stick figures. Do me a favor and just watch one. That's all I ask. You will thank me for this.

TV SHOW: Sons of Anarchy I actually didn't watch any particular TV show series this month. All the shows that I normally follow had finished their seasons. My family did get Netflix this month, however, so I decided to watch Sons of Anarchy from the beginning. It's an FX series about a motorcycle gang club.Yes, a motorcycle gang. They live in southern California and run a car repair shop. While secretly running guns and eventually drugs.Listen I know it sounds weird that I like this show, but I can't stop watching it. Plus the main character is hot. In a different way. Watch it, don't watch it, but I'm obesessed.

VIDEO GAME: Super Mario Bros. Wii I bought this game with some Christmas money and it is awesome! It's kind of like a combination of the old school Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros., with a completely different twist.It has a 4-player option and has a cool feature that I refer to as "bubbling." If you're about to die you can press A causing you to be caught in a bubble. Your teammate can then release you from the bubble. There's also some sweet new power-ups [propeller hat anyone? perhaps a penguin suit?! just to name a few] and some new moves. You can never go wrong with Mario.

THING: Snow boots! I bought these boots on sale in November in anticipation of snow. It's now January and snow has yet to be seen here. In fact, it was freaking 50 degrees this week! What the heck?! I am a cold weather person and the weather has been killing me. Especially because I got these freaking amazing new boots! Not that the lack of snow has stopped me. I wear them all the time. And I will continue to until springtime. So just try and give me crap, I don't care.

And now I need to go catch up on my blogs. Happy New Year!

Day 23

A picture of your favorite book.

Instead of making myself pick a favorite Harry Potter book, I'm just going to say that they are collectively my favorite book/series. I began reading them in the second grade after the first movie came out. After that I was pretty much addicted for life. My dad loves them just as much as I do. For me, they're really the books that got me hooked on reading. I know as a seven year old you don't do a whole lot of reading, but there was a definite increase in my reading time after reading the first book. I don't know what it is. The characters, the plot, the quality of the writing. But there's just so much more that I don't even know if I can put it into words. Every time I reread one of the books I discover something I hadn't noticed before. Maybe a scene that explains something that happened in another book. Or a clever/witty remark or statement. It's more than just good versus evil. It's about doing what you know is right even if it's not the easy thing to do. Being loyal to those you love. Knowing that you're not alone, and that it's okay to trust others and accept help.

I know it's corny to say but Harry Potter really was my childhood. I've lost count of how many times I've read each book. It became tradition for me to reread the whole series every summer. Obviously, you can tell that these books have been read a lot [as I said my dad reads them, too]. We have doubles of all the books except for the first and the sixth. The last book has inscriptions written in the inside cover from when my dad and I went to the midnight release together. I really could go on and on about how much Harry Potter has impacted my life. But in the end, Harry Potter will always be a part of who I am.

Those darn kids these days just have no respect!

I have found a new hobby.

Step One: Check to see if brother is home.
Step Two: If brother is home, turn radio on to a pop station.
Step Three: Turn radio volume up loud enough for him to hear.
Step Four: Kick back and listen to brother complain about the morals of today's society.

*Note: My brother is only twenty years old. But I secretly believe that he is actually an eighty year old man controlling a twenty year old young man's body.

'Tis all!

Quiero bailar contigo.

All I really want is someone who will laugh with me. Just sit up until the buttcrack of dawn and just talk and laugh and be ridiculous. I want to drive around all day doing absolutely nothing. I want to plant my butt in front of a TV with someone and have Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings marathons. Or maybe play Xbox so long that our eyes get blurry and we can't think straight. I want to love someone like I never have before. Be loved by someone like I can't even imagine. I want someone who will salsa dance with me even though I have no clue. I just want to have that person who knows me like no other and will always be there when the world gets cold.

Take notes people.

 How to Procrastinate Like a Pro

by: Kate

The things that I've done instead of writing my persuasive essay for English 101:

• Play solitaire nonstop. I currently have it minimized on my toolbar. I've played about 15 different times.
• Facebook creep all of my friends that went to college this year.
• Tumblr. The greatest time waster ever.
• Tweet about how my persuasive essay looks a lot like solitaire.
• Watch the TV show A Haunting. [Word to the wise: if you're looking at a huge house, that's really nice but the price is cheap. It's probably haunted. Or located in the hood.]
• Go eat Mexican food. I think this one's okay, though, because food is a basic necessity of life.
• Lounge on the couch whilst watching Final Destination 2 whilst playing with the dogs. [This is hard to do in a reclining position but I've somehow managed it.]
• Browse YouTube.
• Google images of George W. Bush.
• And now, blog.

I like to think of myself as the master of procrastination. I have, however, researched some sources for my essay. And I did get my senior pictures taken today. Now I'm going to goof around a bit more until The Real Housewives of New Jersey starts at 9. 

Nerdin' it up, Harry Potter style.

In honor of the premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2, I thought I would share my dad's Father's Day present with you guys.

 Yes, you are looking at a Lego replica of the Burrow. I saw it at Wal-Mart and just knew I had to get it for him. I wish I could show you guys all the details on the inside. All the little cabinets open and have things in them, there's a pig in the pen, the chimney actually does work (well it flips the little Lego characters to the other side, still impressive). There's just so many neat little tricks.

I could go on and on and on about the Harry Potter series. I saw the first movie in the second grade and decided to read the first book. From that point I was hooked for life. My dad was drawn in, too. It's one of the things that's made us have such a close relationship. My mom goes to see the movies with us, but she's not a die-hard fan like we are. Because I was so young when I first started reading the books, I've literally grown up with Harry Potter. I know there are tons of people out there like me. It's really kind of bittersweet this all coming to an end my senior year of high school. The outside world is becoming glaringly real to me, I'm growing up. I'm not ready for it to end, but I am. 

I'm so grateful to have had such a wonderful childhood full of magic, Hagrid, grindylows, and so much more. Harry Potter has been, and always will be, my weakness. I'll always tear up when I hear that music start up (you know what I'm talking about). Whenever I read or simply look at books 5-7 I'll have sudden flashbacks to my dad and I at the midnight releasings. Especially the one where we got home at 1 am and left for Colorado 7 hours later. And I'll always be willing to discuss in minute details every plot twist and character at the drop of a hat.

I'll leave y'all with a couple links you should seriously check out if you're a Harry Potter nerd. Which means you might have already seem them. Nonetheless. This video literally had me bawling like a baby. God knows what I'll be like when I go see the actual movie tonight. And this is just a wrock (wizard rock) music video. There is a ton more Harry Potter stuff on my Tumblr, so if you're interested the links over in the side bar. Hope you enjoy!

My Summer Thus Far

In a photo series.

My big brother's 20!

And I'm horribly sun burnt.

This is why my parents love vacations now, because my brother and I can now drive they can get crunk.

Oh, you know, just feeding some baby giraffes. Nothing too exciting.

Showing Conor some love at the Garden of the Gods.

I'm using this one purely to show you Pike's Peak in the left hand corner. At 14,000 feet it took us about 2 hours to drive up it.

My lovely parents.

Notice the cold shoulder Conor's trying to give me. RETURN MY LOVE.

Just a seventeen year old and a twenty year old with matching stuffed animals. No biggie.

Nearly to the top.

The Royal Gorge! And group shot.

A herd of wild donkeys roams Cripple Creek. Where we also toured a brothel.

Some babe at the Seven Falls...

We had to stop at Dwight D. Eisenhower's library on the way home.

Kayla, me, and Morgan going to see Cars 2. Such a good movie, sometimes you just need to see a little kid's movie and pretend you're still 8.

You all know about this of course.

I decluttered my bedroom and added another bookshelf! In the process I might have discovered a drawer full of candy from 4 years ago. Now I'm slightly worried that I might be a hoarder.

Sorry if I bored you with the excess amount of pictures. I figured it'd be less boring than a long, detailed account without pictures. Because we all know I can't tell a short story... It's okay, I said it so you didn't have to.

Day 15

A picture of something you want to do before you die.

I want to zoom around Europe on a crotch rocket. This would technically cover several things I want to do before I die all at once. One: ride a crotch rocket. Two: go to Europe. Three: be a bad ass. [I understand my definition of a bad ass isn't the same as everyone else's.] There's just something I love about driving fast. I guess it's the adrenalin rush, the danger of it, or simply just the breeze ruffling [or massacring] your hair. It's so liberating. Now take all that and put it on a cherry red crotch rocket. Hellllll yeah! And then take all that and plop it done in Europe. Did I just blow your mind? If not, that's okay, because I just blew my own mind. I just really wanna be a bad ass on a crotch rocket wearing leather. And why Europe? Why not! We only live once people. Sometimes you just have to do things just to say you did it.

Day 13

A picture of your favorite band or artist.

This one was kind of hard for me because I don't really have one favorite band/artist. And it's usually changing based on what I'm feeling at the time. But as of right now my top band is definitely Cage the Elephant. They're not really "big" so you may or may not have heard of them. If you have you've probably heard their song "Ain't No Rest for the Wicked" [please watch the video, it's trippy]. My all time favorite song is probably "Back Against the Wall." I'm kicking myself right now, though, because I don't have their newest album yet and I'm one of those nerds who has to buy the actual album, not on iTunes. I love them so much because they're slightly old school sounding, but totally bad ass. They give off this attitude like I don't give a fuck. I can't really explain it much better than that. Whenever I really like music it's more than just the lyrics or the message. There just has to be some other connection I feel and can't explain whenever I'm listening. And they just have it.

Day 12

A picture of something you love.

I love books. The end. I will be the first to admit that I am a huge nerd/bookworm. Ever since I read the Harry Potter series back in the 2nd grade I've been a non-stop reading machine. The picture above is my own personal library. I have more books than are in the picture, but, as you can see, I've run out of room. So I've hijacked my brother's matching bookcase to use. Except that means clearing out an entire section of my room. This would be a problem because I am a huge pack rat and will probably someday be featured on Hoarders. I have a feeling it's going to be a summer long project.

I can't really say what I love about reading so much. To me, it doesn't even really matter what I'm reading, just as long as I'm reading. I guess it's the escape of it all. You just immerse yourself in the story, get lost in it. You can learn about different lifestyles, cultures, the past, anything. Maybe that's it, seeing into a life different from your own.

I, of course, read all the cute little novels specifically aimed towards teenage girls. I mean, what teenage girl doesn't? But after reading Pride and Prejudice in the 8th grade I've been a huge fan of 19th century books. I believe I've said this before, but I own the complete works of Jane Austen. Needless to say, Jane Austen is one of my all-time favorite authors. I'm also a huge fan of the Bronte sisters. And I also own the complete works of Sarah Dessen [who's totally pumped for her next book?!]. And, obviously, Harry Potter is the best of all. Those books will forever hold a special place in my heart. Not only did they introduce me to the wonderful world of literature, I grew up with those books! For almost 10 years now I've lived during the reign of Harry Potter. My dad and I sort of share a special bond over the whole Harry Potter thing. We're huge fans, every time a book was released we went to the midnight releasings. I will bawl like a baby at the last movie, that's for sure.

I felt the need to include of picture of my collection corner. As in my very large collection of DVDs, books, and CDs. *Pack rat*

Day 10

A picture of the person you do the most fucked up things with.

Yep, definitely Blake. In past year alone I've done things I never thought I would, and I have to say mostly because of her. I mean, some of them are completely wrong and I know I shouldn't have done them. But I definitely don't regret them. We always have a blast together. Whenever I feel like I need to just forget and go crazy she's always there. Sneaking out, parties, spontaneous day trips out of town. Anything. As much as I can't stand her, she's always been there for me and I know she always will be. Even when we were younger she had me doing crazy things. [As crazy as it gets at 13.] We used to roam my neighborhood TPing and forking people. Prank calling. You know, all the normal pre-teen things.

I'm not going to give all the details, but I'll briefly summarize one of our escapades. Our night started out with sneaking out her 2nd story toy room out a window and down a latter. Then my friend Kayla put her car in neutral and we pushed it through Blake's side yard. All the while holding blankets over the car lights. [I'm pretty sure my foot got ran over.] We somehow ended up at a gay-lesbian frat party. How do I know this? I've never seen so many chicks making out in my life. Needless to say, we got out of there. Only after escorting a friend back to his friend's apartment, and then having him escort us to our car. The night ended with a 4 a.m. milkshake run to Steak 'n Shake. All because Blake said she was bored. Before you go telling me how dumb we were, trust me, we've already discussed this. Albeit dumb, it was pretty fun. And hilarious.
Blake is usually the factor behind all our little shenanigans.