Not Much Progress

I am terrible at clarinet. We started seating auditions today, and my audition was so terrible, I'm guaranteed last chair. And there is no up-side. I was supposed to get a school bass clarinet, but even that didn't happen. One bass we have is apparently so gross no one is allowed to even touch it, and half the body is missing on the other one. If I'm lucky, my parents will let me rent a bass clarinet.

[/rant]

News!

I finished the Transition Scarf (school spirit scarf from the last post), and hopefully it will receive at least 2nd place at the fair next year.

I'm not even halfway done with the afghan from Ravelympics. Looks like it will be an ongoing project throughout the year.

Trust me, the color looks way better in person.

Woven. :)

Gotta love the new liondesign.



Still working on Seeing Green.

The Final Word:
+ " 'Victime' is always feminine. What does that tell you." - Mme Smith, AP French teacher

Band, Football, and a String of Other Things

It's been a long time, I know. School has been overwhelming me. On the bright side, I went to our rival's home football game on Friday (they played another team; not us) and recorded videos. They're (almost) all posted here.

Homecoming drama and the works. I'll probably reuse the dress from last year (gasp!) because I spent some serious money on it and I'd rather not get a whole 'nother for only one night. Maybe I'll change my mind. Maybe. Maybe I won't even go at all. I'm considering it. Homecoming's only fun if you go with the right people, and I'm pretty sure that everyone else has made plans already and I'm not included. Oh well.

Highlights from the game?

The score never changed after this; the home team (Amador Valley High School) lost 28-3.

Band.

The only reason I'm actually looking forward to the coming weeks is band performing at football games and being able to record them.

I'm not in band this year either. My parents keep saying it'll take up too much time. But I was accidentally placed in Wind Orchestra instead of String Orchestra, so I'm in a really small band that's no fun because hardly any of my friends are there, and our String Orchestra has sixty members. Ah well.

I'm working on a school spirit scarf and that afghan I was supposed to make for the Ravelympics event Afghan Marathon (I ended up having too much summer homework that I didn't have enough time to finish it up, so it's an ongoing project). It's gorgeous, but I want to be able to use it soon. It's taking too long.

Freakish amounts of homework tonight. Better get working.

Back

I have missed you, dear blog, and very awesome blog readers.

Camp was very time-consuming, I must admit. Then I recovered from camp, then recorded our school marching band practice for the 2008 field show (Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Phield Show). I'm still in the process of convincing my parents that I can handle band, as I have recently been invited to join our marching band even though most people have already learned the field show. Hopefully my dad will be convinced when I tell him that I got a 2300 on a practice SAT today (if you're out of the loop, a perfect would be 2400).

Gnarls Barkley's Crazy is pretty awesome. I'm currently listening to it.

Alright, now for some awesome camp pictures!

While I'm waiting for them to load, let me fill you in.

Saturday: Arrive & audition
Sunday: Dance
Monday: Indian Bowl (staff performances)
Tuesday: Dance
Wednesday: Skit Night
Thursday: Jazz Night! (4 hours of nonstop jazz)
Friday: Ensemble Night
Saturday: Special Dinner & Dance
Sunday: Final Concert.

Yay, pictures loaded!

We always stop at Memory Lane on the drive up to camp.

Two lovely girls from our "pentagon" groupie. They both go to the same school which happens to be our rival school. Our colors are blue and yellow, and theirs are purple and gold. :) I was thrilled to see them wearing our colors (though it was just the camp shirt), and they were, well, kind of awkward wearing our colors.

Pentagon! Front row: Kindle (braids + scarf) - violin & me - violin; Back row: Laura - clarinet, Suzy - trombone, & Maiya - clarinet (though she would make the perfect stereotypical flute)

The light shines out from Maiya's head.

We love this kid. To show our affection for him, me, Kindle, and Maiya decorated his hair with Fruity Cheerios. Doesn't it look so amazing?

So those are the highlights of camp. Oh yes, there's also Choptox. :)

It's kind of a long story, but here's the gist: Skit night rolls around (Wednesday) and we decide to do a reality TV show based upon our cabin. We have 27 girls in our cabin (we're the largest, but we're divided into 3 rooms). Since it's band camp, we have stereotypes of each instrument (i.e. strings are really brainy, flutes are preppy, trumpets think they're the best, etc.). As a commercial break, these two (HILARIOUS!) girls go on stage, one of whom has a trombone. She buzzes feebly and hardly makes a sound. The other girl says, "Lips too small to buzz that trombone? Then try Choptox!" And then we have another girl, dressed as the amazing Andy Martin goes on stage and endorses Choptox. Andy was actually there at the performance, and we were told later by one of the people with him that he was dying of laughter.

By the way, Andy Martin is seriously AMAZING. I feel so privileged to have met him and told him that I'm his biggest fan. I look terrible in this picture, but I'm overjoyed that I got it:


This man is seriously amazing. I'm so lucky to have met him. And I'm seriously practicing violin so I can be in his jazz band next year at camp (he instructs the top jazz band of the camp) and be one of those rare jazz violinists. Oh yes. His daughter looks just like him too. :) It's pretty awesome. His son doesn't look as much like him as his daughter does. And, get this, her name's Andreina. Her brother's name is Andres, so it's like a whole family of Andys!

One more quick thing: after the full orchestra performed Akademische Festoverture (Brahms), we got a standing ovation. We were the only group to get one. :) We've got skills.

The Final Word:
+ "You're too good not to be heard." -Vince Gomez

My yarn came! :)


I'll bring my yarn to camp, and cast on in exactly a week (well, five hours + a week). I'm doing the Afghan Marathon for the Ravelympics 2008, if I haven't already mentioned it.

So yay!

Camp & ...Christmas?

Two days left until camp! I just have to make sure my yarn is delivered before I leave on Saturday morning. I plan on casting on at camp for the Ravelympics (Afghan Marathon!) next Friday evening when the opening ceremony is on TV at home. ..Though I won't be watching it.

But I digress.

I have found the perfect Christmas gift for all of my friends. Scarves, hats, etc. are costly and time-consuming to make (especially for over 25 people not including family - yikes!). I thought I was going to make coin purses, but I decided against it. I have guy friends too, and I'm not sure my hardcore guitarist guy friend would particularly enjoy a small feminine coin purse. So I made my way over to Lion Brand, where I saw a link for Amigurumi toys! My mind was made up. These are the things I'm possibly going to make for people on my list (I'll probably condense the list more later):

+ Berry-Topped Cake
+ Hi-Life Cupcake
+ Love Birds (matching ones for a couple)
+ Frosted Doughnut
+ Little Lamb
+ Turtle
+ Cat
+ Penguin
+ Lion
+ Guy
+ Gnome (one of my personal favorites)
+ Pig
+ Bear
+ Alien
+ Elephant
+ Octopus
+ Panda
+ Snowman
+ Holiday Penguin
+ Best Bunny

They're cute, simple, and though not very practical, they're sure to touch the receivers' hearts.

If you are a knitter, crocheter, seamstress, or anyone else who makes all holiday gifts, then this whole "Christmas in July" planning thing is nothing new. However, for my fellow classmates, this is what we do. We plan ahead.

Off to go pack for camp.

The Final Word:
+ "We're halfway there, livin' on a prayer." Livin' on a Prayer, Bon Jovi


Updated at 3:55 to include:

I just made my list of people I need to give gifts to this holiday season. I'm currently at an astounding 58, and I still haven't counted family yet. I have no idea how I'm going to swing this. 58 gifts! Pure insanity. Maybe I'll just make around 30 bears and pigs, and then make the rest of them specialized to fit the recipient.

Yes, 58 is not a final number. Later on during the year, I'll probably look back at the list and delete about a dozen or so and add another dozen, or maybe I'll end up deleting more than I add. 58 is simply an estimate, but still - that's almost 60 toys I have to make! I am overwhelmed. I don't know how I'll ever get them done.

One of my favorite quotes, from the Andy Griffith Show, Opie's Charity:

Andy: I’s a readin’ here jus’ the other day where’s there’s somethin’ like four hundred needy boys in this county alone, or one and a half boys per square mile.

Opie: There is?

Andy: There sho’ is.

Opie: I never seen one, Pa.

Andy: Never seen one what?

Opie: A half boy.

Andy: Well, it’s not really a half a boy, it’s a ratio.

Opie: Horatio who?

Andy: Not Horatio – a ratio. It’s mathematics. ‘Rithmetic. Look, now, Opie. Just fergit that part of it. Fergit the part about the half a boy.

Opie: It’s purty hard to fergit a thing like that, Pa.

Andy: Well, try!

Opie: Poor Horatio.

Nifty House Sock #1

I was lucky to get online this morning. We have to get Comcast and fast.

I've been working on my Nifty House Socks. They're really coming along. :) I couldn't resist trying them on.


I'm so proud of them! I can't wait until I'm actually done with this one and the second sock. Hopefully this one will be finished today, and the second sock later this week.


Updated at 11:54am to include:

I found this picture somewhere on my computer earlier today. I'd have to say it's my favorite picture of all time.

In orchestra this year, bassist Kyle pushes fellow bassist David into a band locker.

AT&T IS THE WORST

It's been difficult to post lately because our internet keeps going down. We have AT&T. I have this to say: NEVER EVER GET AT&T! Expensive and useless. Pathetic. We're getting hooked up with Comcast soon.

CI-655313 <- Something I need to remember. :)