What's on my Nightstand

So. I love acting and all. But the end of this play and speech team season was a great break from everything. I need time to just go home and enjoy my days. Not nights...like when I normally got home around 9 pm. I've been reading a lot more with all of this time on my hands. However, this may be starting up again...if I make my school musical: Singing in the Rain (best. musical. ever). I want to make it, but at the same time...I want to have a life. And I need a new job. Desperately. I hate working in the food service industry. My job is like smushing a Panera Bread, a Starbucks, and a concession stand all into one. It's the most stressful thing I've ever dealt with and I really need a new job. I'd say two years on a job as a teenager is a good time to quit :)

Alrighty. To the books. I won a 6-word memoir contest at my school-which by the way, I was embarrassingly pointed out at my school's spirit week assembly to get my prize...awkward. And Maggie cheered me on. It made me smile :) But awkward. Still awkward. Oh, and I didn't win. But the second place prize was better anyway. The first place prize was a giant gummy worm...ew. The second place prize was a small bag of gummy worms and...a Barnes and Noble gift card! I was so happy! So I went and bought two books: Viola in Reel Life by Adriana Trigiani and Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler. Okay, so the second one seems kind of iffy. But at the same time, interesting. I normally don't like love stories, but lately I have.

I also am reading I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore. It's a movie now (which I'm sure you've heard), and I'm going to a book discussion at my public library on the book next Wednesday. I don't know how I'll have time when I have a research paper and a project to do. But oh well. It'll be an adventure.

Last, I have a...puke...disgusting book. Ughhhh the dreaded ACT. How is it even important?! Well okay, I get that it's important. I just hate that everyone's freaking out about it. It's just a test...that determines what college you go to. I don't know, it just doesn't seem like a huge deal to me. I hope to get around a 24 to 27. A little above average. Unlike my friend who got a 30 on hers...way to make me feel dumb. Anyway, I refused to take the ACT class because of lack of time so I bought this book. Let's see if it actually does anything. Maybe it'll teach me how to fill in bubbles on tests. That's always helpful.

That's Amore

Valentine's Day is about love. It's about showing your significant other, even your family and friends, that you appreciate them. That you care about them.

...but I don't get it. Shouldn't people do that everyday throughout the year? I mean sure, it was fun to receive a heart sticker from my fellow speechie (teammate) in celebration of Valentine's Day and her birthday. And I enjoyed the Buzz Lightyear valentine from my friend. And the Disney princess one (with stickers!) from my grandma. Aaaand the flowers and card from my parents. You're probably expecting me to say I got a lovely surprise from a boy. And that he climbed up the side of my house, climbed into my window, and left a sweet teddybear and roses for me. But this isn't fictional. I don't mean to be bitter, but...Valentine's Day has never gone, how do I put this, successfully (yeah, that's a good way to word it) in the last few years.

Anywaaaaay, shouldn't we always show those that we care about how much we love them? Today in speech class, we went around the room saying what love is. Some had cute, cheesy things to say. Some had stories about their dogs...that made them burst into tears. But one caught my attention. He said, "I don't really understand the point of this day. Because this is the kind of love we should be giving to each other all the time-not just one special day of the year." My thoughts exactly. Don't just set aside one day during the year to show those you love how you feel.

So, back to bitterness. I wrote a paper tonight. Well, I did research for a paper tonight. A lot...of...research. Basically, previous junior students at my school have called it "hell in a paper" and many other things I can't say on here. It's a big eye-opener to those who have never actually done REAL research for a paper. No. Google searches don't count as REAL research. I mean you've got to admit, everybody uses Google. But using it to find all of your research isn't really actually putting in the work to get adequate results. Actually, this is what my paper is about. And I don't want to summarize it anymore so feel free to ask and I'll send you a copy of it. So, I was moved up into Honors English starting this semester. And it's a lot more work. Well, reading some chapters of Huckeberry Finn and then taking a quiz on them isn't exactly more work. We've just done waaaaay more with our research paper than the academic level English classes. I was almost done with my research and about to start the actual rough draft when...

my teacher changed my topic. Completely. Turned it in the opposite direction. So I've spent all weekend researching and beginning to write the paper. But back to this lovely holiday, this is what I was getting to...so....I'm spending my Valentine's Day writing a paper. Not that I like this holiday anyway. Actually, I don't (but I think you already got that vibe a long time ago). So I've sat at my computer doing work for the last three hours. And I think I'm going to explode. So, to celebrate the fact that I've now been single for exactly a year (now let's think about this: A year ago today was Valentine's Day also...), I made cookies. Pretty exciting, huh? Well, it's the most exciting thing that I've done all day so I'm pretty dang excited.

Snowed In

You know that scene in the movie Twister! when everybody walks out of their houses after the tornado and they all look at what the storm brought? Well, that's how I felt last week during what was called the Blizzard of 2011. Where I live, we never have snow days. But we did last Wednesday. And I'm glad, because there is no way I would've even made it to school. I was stuck in my house for over 24 hours. Seems boring, right? Well me and Maggie planned ahead. We saw it coming, so she slept over. We were more than prepared for the Snowpocalypse.

We woke up the next morning and walked outside, having that feeling I described earlier. I was shocked. My neighbors couldn't even open their front door! There was at least 2 1/2 feet of snow. That's a little less than half my height! Not to mention that it was almost below zero. But I enjoyed that feeling of being stuck, not being able to go anywhere...

and then we had school the next day. The end.

It baffles me.

That people could not want to spread God's word. Especially when God calls us to go out and spread his love to the world.

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV)

I just wish that people would be willing to take a stand and be unafraid of what people might say. In another case, I noticed that a friend of mine has shut down from our school Fellowship of Christian Athletes because they don't learn anything. The problem is, they have more knowledge of the Bible than almost all of the leaders. Instead of sitting back and saying nothing, why not spread what you know? We could be doing so much more than we are.

I ask you, do you not know that those that are lost around you are walking around dead? We are living among the dead, yet doing nothing to save them.

The Day of Birth.

Otherwise known as, my birthday. It just happens to fall today. 12:55 pm, eastern time-if you want to be precise. I turned 17 today. Man I'm getting old! Last year, I had a pretty bad birthday. This year I didn't really expect much better. But I had an amazing birthday! I went out to dinner with my parents and went to the weekly Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting at my school. But the best part was coming home to a scrapbook made by my very best friend in the entire world, Maggie, and seeing pictures I had no idea she even had and realizing how amazing my friend is :) I love you Maggie!

Today is World Food Day.

One in seven people today are going hungry. I've decided to take a 24-hour fast. Starting today at around 2 pm, I will start.

If you go to this website, you can take a quiz. For every correct answer, 10 grains of rice will be donated to someone in need. You pay nothing; the advertisers pay for you. So do it, I dare you.

What will you do for World Food Day?