L'Amour

My band geek finally called! It was so good to hear from him. Band's coming home tonight anyway.

I picked a rose from our garden the other day.


Elle est tres belle, n'est-ce pas?

We're reading The Little Prince in French, so my rose reminds me of "la rose du petit prince". Supposedly the rose symbolizes the author's wife, Consuela, and their hardships. I can see how it fits together.

Earlier in the week, I made fudge for my friend's birthday. Finally, here are the pictures:

I made chocolate-covered strawberries with the leftover melted chocolate. I haven't had them for so long, that when I took the first bite, I was addicted. I melted chocolate the next day and made some more. I finished the last of them today. I'll probably be making some more tomorrow after school and I'll probably eat them around 5 PM. They're straight from the refrigerator when I eat them, so they're nice snacks after a hot day.

We started swimming in P.E. today. So many of my friends were sick or they got hurt (one of my friends messed up her knee or something and she could barely walk) that they couldn't jump in with me today. Most of them were overjoyed to get out of swimming, but one of my friends with allergies was really upset. Apparently she really loves swimming. I admire her so much.

In-class essay in English. We're supposed to be preparing for the SAT, so it was completed in 25 minutes. The prompt was difficult: What motivates people to change? I blanked, but after about three minutes, I started my introduction and realized that I could use the book I just finished reading: Ayn Rand's We the Living. It is a very loose example if you've read the book, but I used Kira Argounov's determination to go to the Institute of Technology, though it is unladylike in the Soviet Union of the 1930s. I basically said that she desired to be greater and build an aluminum bridge, despite the protests of her family. Then I connected that to how her motivation came from the inside and Kira's own desires, certainly not from outside sources. Tada! I'd say I got a 5. Certainly not a 6, but I doubt a 4.

I haven't been knitting for a while. It feels so strange. It's almost been a week now. I believe I'll start a yellow scarf from the Malabrigo I got at ImagiKnit during spring break. Plus, I want this really badly. So many cute sweater patterns!

How Upsetting

My band geek hasn't called me all day. I called him twenty times during lunch, but that's when band was supposed to be checking in for the cruise, so I figured he'd be busy. And yes, I did really count. It was an exact 20 times. He promised he would call me at least three times a day. But he didn't pinky promise. I had to rush to class, so we didn't have time. And now it's past seven pm and band is supposed to be enjoying the ship and entertainment.

Earlier today there was a car accident in front of the school. It wasn't much (well, the Volvo got maybe $10,000 in damages according to my mom, the insurance expert, but Volvos are expensive anyway), just a little fender bender. Well, somewhat. There was a reddish Volvo that didn't stop or something and plowed right into a BRAND NEW black Ford SUV that was waiting at the light. The Ford didn't even have a license plate yet, it was so new. And of course, because of that force, the black SUV was pushed into the back of a huge white pick-up truck. The pick-up truck didn't have any damages whatsoever, but the black Ford SUV had several white marks and a few dents, and the front of the red Volvo got all crunched up. The light on the right (facing the car) was completely damaged.

I miss band so much. This entire day has been somewhat difficult for me. AHH and tomorrow's my friend's birthday! I have to make her strawberry fudge!


Updated at 10:05 PM to include:

So I made the strawberry fudge. It did NOT turn out how I had expected it. The recipe called for unsalted butter; I used salted. Other than the butter-heavyness, it tastes pretty good. I'll post the pictures later. I have to go to bed.

Found a Friend in the Business

I left my backpack in Mom's car and she's on an inspection. So I can't do homework until she comes home.

I'm obsessed with Chris Brown's "Kiss Kiss" and "With You". Mostly "With You".

Today was band's last day for a week. A whole week. They're heading up to Canada tomorrow morning. Since I have nothing better to do and since I adore band, here's the itinerary my friend dropped off for me [my notes are in brackets]:

Wednesday, May 14, 2008
4:45 AM: Arrive at school
5:00 AM: Buses depart for Los Angeles [the port is in Los Angeles]
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: Arrive San Pedro, check in for cuise, board Sapphire Princess
2:00 PM: Welcome aboard meeting in Club Fusion for all students and parents
3:00 PM: Compulsory guest muster drill [I've tried, but I can't understand this]
4:00 PM: Sapphire Princess sails for Vancouver, Canada
5:45 PM: Dinner in Vivaldi Dining Room - casual dress, no shorts, blue jeans, or T-shirts
7:00 PM: Dinner ends, enjoy the ship and entertainment
11:00 PM: Lights out

Thursday, May 15, 2008
Please refer to the daily Princess Patter for information on ship activities, food service, and entertainment options.
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM: Performance/clinic in Princess Theater - Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble Perform
3:30 PM - 5:30 PM: Band Awards (Senior Banquet) in Club Fusion - formal attire, drinks and hors d'oeuvres served
5:45 PM - 7:00 PM: Formal dinner in Vivaldi Dining Room
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Student only dance party in Skywalkers - please stay in formal attire for the entire evening!
11:00 PM: Lights out

Friday, May 16, 2008
10:00 AM - 12:30 PM: Jazz Band performance in Princess Theater Mike Vax and Bill Hill - clinicians
2:00 PM - 4:00 PM: CLINIC OF ALL BANDS & SEMINAR - HISTORY OF MUSIC - JAZZ APPRECIATION - MIKE VAX AND BILL HILL - Princess Theater
4:00 PM - 5:15 PM: Student only karoke party in Skywalkers
5:30 PM: Group photo - open deck area by pool
5:45 PM - 7:00 PM: Dinner in Vivaldi Dining Room - casual dress, no shorts, blud jeans, or T-shirts

Saturday, May 17, 2008
7:00 AM: Breakfast
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM: Disembark the Sapphire Princess in Vancouver, Canada
10:30 AM: Vancouver City sightseeing tour
1:30 PM: Check in for ferry
2:00 PM: BC ferry to Schwartz Bay
3:15 PM: Arrive Schwartz Bay, transfer by bus to hotel
4:00 PM: Check into Victoria Marriott Hotel
5:00 PM: Jazz Band performs at Causeway near Milestone's Restaurant
6:00 PM: Concert ends with dinner on your own
10:00 PM: All students in their own hotel rooms
10:30 PM: Lights out

Sunday, May 18, 2008
6:00 AM - 7:00 AM: Breakfast at hotel
8:00 AM: Depart hotel for tour of Butchart Gardens
11:15 AM: Boxed lunch provided, board buses for return to hotel
12:15 PM: Return to rooms, prepare for performance
2:00 PM: All American Band Show and Contest - FULL UNIFORM [field show]
4:00 PM: Show ends at Parliament Building
5:00 PM: Dinner on your own in Victoria
10:00 PM: All students in their own hotel rooms
10:30 PM: Lights out

Monday, May 19, 2008
6:00 AM - 7:00 AM: Breakfast at hotel
7:15 AM: Depart for parade line up
8:00 AM: All bands in formation - we are #3 in parade
9:30 AM: Victoria Day Parade steps off
10:30 AM: Load trucks and buses for return to Vancouver
11:30 AM: Depart Victoria for ferry to Vancouver from Schwartz Bay
12:30 PM: Check-in for BC ferry
1:00 PM: BC ferry departs for Vancouver
3:30 PM: Arrive at Vancouver airport and begin checking in for flights to San Francisco.
6:40 PM: United #564 scheduled to depart - arrival SFO is 8:51 PM
7:45 PM: Alaska #714 scheduled to depart - arrival SFO is 10:14 PM
8:00 PM: Air Canada #534 scheduled to depart - arrival SFO is 10:15

In a nutshell, we bus down, cruise up, and fly back down. One of my friends in band is really consciencious about her grades and knows that she will have a ton of work to do when she returns. Her solution? Don't bus down or cruise up. She will just fly up on either Friday night or Saturday morning and meet band there. She flies back with band on Monday night. Though she will miss the entire cruise, I really admire her for making the sacriffice for her grades. AP testing is on Thursday for World History, and she does not want to make it up on the Wednesday after she returns. She has to take major tests on Tuesday and then she has an in-class essay on Friday, so she will be bombarded already. So she'll stay here with me and just miss school on Monday. My band geeks are going to call me at least three times a day. :) It's wonderful!

Today in orchestra, the conductor said something about how we were progressing on a certain song. He said we sounded better than his band. Because he is not the official band director (he's just the assistant band director), all the good bands (like Jazz Band and Wind Ensemble) don't go to him. He gets the... kind of reject bands (Concert Band (aka Symphonic Band) and Jazz B; Jazz A is the official Jazz Band and Jazz B is the other one for people who didn't make Jazz A). So when he made this comment, my friend whipped around to me, and yelled, "HAH! WE SOUND BETTER!" fully knowing my love for band. And of course, I shouted back at her, "YEAH, WELL IT'S CONCERT BAND! WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?" Then I turned to face the conductor and he was looking at me a bit suspiciously. Oops. I totally dissed his band right there. Oh well. He'll be gone until Tuesday with band, so I guess it's okay.

There was a sign in the quad last week that said "LEI'S 4 GRADUATION". I wanted so badly to take a picture of it and upload it to the English Fail blog, but I never got around to bringing my camera to school. I'm sure there will be other signs with apostrophe misuse anyway.

Ah yes. I found a friend today. This is what this post is supposed to be about, but I digressed. She's at What She Said. I know her from camp. Band camp, of course! She's a flautist.

The backpack has returned. Time for math homework.

Vest-Hunting

I've wanted a cute vest for a really long time now. I've always dreamed of a cute little thing that fits snugly but not too tightly, and carries an air of femininity I could wear over a blouse. I haven't been wearing blouses lately because they're somewhat boring. Now, I wear polos all the time instead. In fact, my enitre wardrobe is composed mainly of polos from various stores, including American Eagle. But now I'd like to pull those four blouses out of their corner and actually start to wear them. While looking through KPC, I found only one vest that meets the criteria I desired. This is it. I love that it's not huge and saggy, but I don't like that it's so see-through. I also don't want ribbing the whole way up. However, I adore the neckline and the armholes. So I think I'm going to take my chances at designing my own vest! I plan on making the bottom half entirely of ribbing (either 2x2 3x3, or maybe even 4x4 - I'm leaning towards larger ribs) and the top half entirely of stockinette. The length seems fine, so only simple adaptations will be needed.

I didn't finish the Mother's Day Purse on time. Oh well. Mom understood. Dad got her flowers anyway.

I get to find out about Chamber auditions on Tuesday! Only two days left. Though I think I'll check on Monday too, just in case the teacher's back. She hasn't been here the entire week because she caught pneumonia and was apparently in the hospital. Poor thing.

We're going out to eat at the Cheesecake Factory for Mother's Day. It will be extremely crowded, but that's okay. That's what knitting's for.

Peace Treaty Scarf Update

I saw band this morning! I asked my P.E. teacher if he would let me go early (half an hour early; I have P.E. during A period and marching band is also during A period), and he finally relented. He's a cool guy.

I've decided to change the Peace Treaty Scarf. I have this nifty olive green yarn (Red Heart's Super Soft or something like that; it was for birthday gifts) I got for $2.49. Though it may not last very long, it's really soft and it looks more manly than the ivory I was using before. Our orchestra conductor might like that better. Ah yes - it will also be knit instead of crochet. I'm using the "Men's Cashmere Scarf" pattern from this book. I really like the pattern.

We had to do an in-class essay on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and finishd it today. I ended up getting so involved in the essay that I wrote over five pages (double-spaced). We wrote about a theme in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, and I chose something about stereotypes. I think I did well; probably an A. It's Regular English (as opposed to Honors) and I was in Honors last year, plus the fact that I've never gotten lower than an A- on any essay this year, so I think I'm a pretty fair judge.

We had a math test today on probability. Hopefully an A. I don't think it will be lower than a B. I studied pretty hard and knew pretty much everything that was on the test.

I've been making an off-white little clutch for my mom for this Sunday. I don't think it will be ready in time. Maybe next week or the week afterwards. The body is finished, but I have to felt it and sew it together. Belated Mother's Day gift, it looks like.

Friend's youth group is tonight. Fun fun fun.

Jazz Auditions are Over

And I know I didn't make it. What's frustrating is not the fact that I didn't do well on my audtion, but that I have no way of knowing if I have a back-up (Chamber). The list wasn't posted today either because the teacher wasn't there. AHH! So tomorrow, I will be really anxious to find out if I made it. I don't know when Jazz members will be posted, but I don't think I made it, so I guess it shouldn't really matter. The audition went something like this:

"Play the piece you prepared"
Played.
"Play a G Major scale."
Played two octaves.
"Now, play a g harmonic minor scale."
"...Well, I don't know my minor scales.
"You don't know your minor scales? How about melodic minor?
"Um... not those either."
"Play a g melodic minor scale. Lower the 3rd, raise the 6th and 7th."
Had some difficulty, but finally got it.
"Alright. Do you know any blues scales?"
"Um... no."
"Hmmm. Okay. Well, play for me an F Major scale."
Played without a problem.
"Now Ab (A flat) Major"
Played.
"Perfect. Okay then, that's it."

And that was all. I'm so ashamed of myself. I call myself a musician yet I can't really play my minor scales. How pathetic. He didn't tell me that I hadn't made it, but I'm sure that I won't be enrolled in Jazz Band next year. If no Chamber either, it looks like dreadful Computer Science for the next two years.

Peace Treaty Scarf for the orchestra conductor (not the same as the band director; the band director auditioned me today):

It's a Woven Stitch from Betty Barnden's Crochet Stitch Bible. I think it will work.

You Should Know By Now

That I can't forgive you. -Danny Jones

I have been outrageously busy. First, I've been anxious for choir audition results to come back. The list was supposed to be posted today at lunch, but as I was going up to the room, I ran into Steven returning. I asked him if he made it, but he said that the results weren't posted. I was like, "WHAT!?" So apparently they're supposed to be posted tomorrow at lunch. One of my friends who is already in choir this past year (and is pretty much guaranteed to get in again this next year) said that right after third period (lunch is really between fourth and fifth periods, but I suppose the list will be posted during third), he would run as fast as he could to the choir room and check my name for me. He's absolutely sweet for doing that, but if I don't make Chamber, I'll probably be really embarassed.

Second: JAZZ AUDITIONS TOMORROW. `Nuff said.


Third: AP Testing. Not that I'm in AP anything, but my friends have been stressed, so it has rubbed off on me

Fourth: English and French tests tomorrow. Both on vocabulary. Plus we're starting an in-class essay in English tomorrow. Ouch.


Fifth: Incredibly difficult math test on Thursday. I need to study at least five more hours, probably at least ten.

Ah yes. I tried to post earlier in the week, but for some stupid reason, right before I hit "Publish Post", I pressed Ctrl + A, Backspace. Then it automatically saved. So I basically lost everything I had posted. And it was a good post too. So here it is, in all its glory:


IrfanView messed up my photo. It looked good until it got all cut off. But here's the jist:

I'm going to make my Chamber friend (yes, the one that will run from third period to the choir room) a scarf for his birthday in August. I've known the guy forever - since fourth grade (almost seven years ago, I believe). This is the book I'll be using:

And this is the pattern I'll be using:




I thought I lost the book earlier in the week, but it turned up somewhere after my mom had cleaned my room. I like my room a bit messy, though. Though it might be hard to navigate through, the most important thing is that I can find everything. Which I can.

A few days ago, as I was on my way to A period in the morning, I spotted something funny-looking in my neighbor's front yard. When I came home after school, I ran inside the house, got my camera, and ran down the street. This is what I saw:

I thought something like this would be PERFECT for one of my best friends. She is a strict vegetarian dedicated to opposing animal abuse (especially those on farms), so I wanted to fill her yard with cows and say, "Holy Cow, _____'s 16!" It is, after all, a very special birthday. But when I called the place and asked for a quote, they said it would be $130 because it is about 50 miles away. Yeah, I don't think so. Love her, but I can't spend $130.

My current project is a scarf for the orchestra conductor. I have been completely unfair to him this entire year. I was always rude to him (not directly, but sort of.. indirectly. It's hard to explain), so I owe him. Big time. I'm pretty sure he's going to Canada with Marching Band (after all, he is assistant band director) next week / two weeks from now, so I thought he might be able to use a scarf. I don't know if it will actually be cold, but when I went when I was younger, the only thing I remember is that it was really cold and I was always uncomfortable, obviously spoiled by Californian weather. So anyway, I'm having a bit of trouble deciding what scarf to make him. I don't have much yarn of the color I'd like (off-white) and it has to be somewhat skinny. At rehearsal tonight, I noticed that he does have a bit of a stubby neck, so something too wide would not suit him at all. A crochet scarf would work up quickly, and might suit him well; I would use some kind of woven pattern. I'm only scared that I won't have enough yarn. But oh well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Basically, I'm hoping to mend our relationship. I'm not in love with him or anything, but it would only be courteous. As a new teacher in the district, I'm sure he has already been exposed to enough stressful situations, and I'm sure I have only made it worse with my strong disliking of him. Besides, I'll be seeing a lot of him with three bands next year. I'd rather not hate a teacher I'll have to see almost 1/2 my day. Hmm.. that's 1/8 of every school day, so maybe 1/10 of my year? So I guess... I'd rather not spend 1/10 of the next two years of high school in a class with someone I don't like. It's about time I'm nice to him. He deserves it.