Looking for the Moon

Happy BEDA(ugust) 2011 everyone! Are you excited? 

I am particularly excited because I've decided to do something special for today. To kick-off what I know will be an awesome BEDA month, I'm sharing with you a short excerpt of something I've been working on. You guys have to understand that I am very insecure about my writing but I've told myself that if I want to write, then I should write and that I shouldn't care about what others think because, hey, it's all objective, baby. Anyway, all I've been doing these past several days is this piece of writing here, working on my other blog (where I am also doing BEDA, but a boring one), making my own tumblr (I got one for creeping purposes), and, of course, POTTERMORE (I AM IN!!!!!!).


This is just the first quarter of the "chapter" (I don't feel it's an actual chapter). If I feel like it, I'll put in the second quarter tomorrow or some other day.

Enjoy. If you can, let me know what you think, if you don't get something, or whatever. If you think I suck, let me know too. I will use your flames to roast marshmallows. 

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            “By by by the light of the silvery moon…”

            My eyes snapped open. I lifted my head and saw that the iPod dock’s green numbers flashed 11:30PM. I sat up, blindly reaching out to pat the top of my bedside table.

            “Light, light. Let there be li—ahh.” My fingers finally brushed the lamp’s base. The lamplight bounced off of the disco ball, dressing my bedroom in an eerie glow. Gene Vincent’s voice quietly twanged against the night but I lowered the volume anyway just in case my parents or Caleb woke up.

            I got up, listening for the soft tell-tale snores that came from my older brother’s room next door. Confident that only I was awake in the Sierra household, I quickly got dressed in gray sweats, a black tank top and a gray hooded jacket, crooning along with Gene Vincent. I never really cared much for the original musical version of “By The Light of the Silvery Moon.” In my opinion, it was meant to be a rockabilly tune, not for Doris Day.

            “Honey moon, keep a-shinin’ in June,” I sang along in a low whisper. I pocketed my cellphone and a mini flashlight. As I sat down on the carpet to tie my Converse, a loud creak came from behind my bedroom door. Caleb’s snoring had stopped, replaced by a shuffling of heavy feet, a long pause, and then the unmistakable sounds of the flushing of the toilet from down the hallway. I tiptoed across the room and turned off the iPod, cutting off Gene Vincent mid-chorus. I waited for Caleb’s feet to return to his room. A minute passed. ‘C’mon Caleb, go back to your room,’ I thought. I glanced at the clock again. 11:42PM. Now annoyed, I tiptoed to my door and opened it just a crack, wide enough to peek outside. I could see Caleb’s faint silhouette, his back turned toward the bathroom door, just standing in the middle of the hallway.

            “Caleb,” I whispered. He stood there, motionless. “Caleb!” I hissed, a little louder this time. He didn’t seem to hear me. “Dear God,” I mumbled under my breath as I lightly stepped out of my room and walked toward my brother. Upon reaching him I asked, “What are you doing?” and poked him, hard, on the shoulder. Caleb turned, his half-lidded eyes turned toward me. I poked him again, this time on the cheek, and Caleb finally came to.

            “What the--?” he groggily asked.

            “Dude. You’re sleepwalking.”

            “Again?” he asked.

            I nodded. A groan began to escape his lips but I quickly covered his mouth closed with my right hand. I made a shushing noise and pointed to our parents’ bedroom. Caleb’s brow furrowed and he held up his hands, telling me to let go.

            “Where are you going?” he whispered as I turned back to my room.

            “It’s the 29^th,” I answered as I turned the knob.

            “New moon this month?”

            “Yep,” I smiled, pushing my door open.

            Caleb paused outside of his bedroom and scratched his head, his hair sticking up in the back. He looked up, still sleepy. “Just send me two flashes when you get there. You have your flashlight?”

            I patted my back pocket in response. Caleb nodded, “All right, g’night then.”

            I stepped up to Caleb, smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. “G’night, Anakin Sleepwalker.” He waved me away and went inside, smiling. 

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Thank you for being awesome and going all the way to the bottom. Again, HAPPY BEDA!!! I will see you tomorrow.

Today.......

I really loved...pan de sosa.

I smiled because of...a funny Snape gif on tumblr.

Lyrics playing at this very moment as I type this part of the blog:

"500 days, I know it wasn't the best but I won't ever forget, no, I won't ever forget you..."

( (500) Days by AJ Rafael)

Friend of the day: David Levithan

Hours of sleep last night: 8 (although I slept late again because of Pottermore and HTML and CSS stuff)

--Jen 

Withdrawal Symptoms

First of all, let me just say: GO MAVERICKS! Pulling a 96-94 win against the Lakers in the 4th quarter? For Game 1? YES YES YESSSSSS. (I have been dubbed "family traitor" because every one else is rooting for the Lakers. Right. Well, if I had to choose, the Mavs are my babies, man.)


Today is the first day of the two AP WEEKs, a.k.a. Two Monstrous Hell-ish Weeks. I'm taking three AP tests (US History, Physics B, and English Language), but there are others who would kill for my "light" load. This week, for me, means serious studying sessions at home so I have to "party" in the mornings and during my frees in order to keep up with my other non-AP classes. Pray for me? Or at least send some awesome-waves my way (and everyone else taking AP tests, too!)? Thank you.


I'm loving and hating the weather at the moment.
I love it because:
1) That lightning is, to say the least, MEAN, man.
2) Rumblethunderiscoolrumblethunder!
3) I love the smell of wet dirt. Mmmmm.
4) There's something super soothing about listening to the rain.
I hate it because:
1) It's a bit distracting.
2) There's nothing better than going to sleep with the rain in your head. But, alas, I must stay wide awake to study. Shucks.
3) Where's the wind? Wind chills would make this whole thing better!


All right, I hope this short post will suffice for today because I have to go and study, study, study. 


You realize this daily posting comes to an end tomorrow? Are you sad? It's not gonna be the same after a whole month of posting and trying to come up with good topics and filling out the "tallies" at the bottom of each post. How did we ever survive after BEDA(ugust) 2010? I've never been this sad to leave our blog temporarily before. 


Part of Facebook Conversation from Last Night:
Jen: "So I kept checking the blog for your post. Then I realized: It's MAY. I am embarrassed."
Kendall: "Haha I know. I felt the same way when I was thinking about what to talk about today."
Jen: "Ope, BEDA withdrawal symptoms."
Kendall: "If messages had a like system, I would have liked that response."


Anyway, we must wean you of the dependence you have developed on our posts this past month! Hahaha, just kidding, I'm sure you (all) won't miss us (except Malta, of course, because we love Malta and Malta apparently likes us . . .). We will definitely update this blog as we complete any of the tasks on The List. The summer season definitely guarantees you more regular posts and, of course, we have BEDA(ugust) 2011!


In just this month, we went from a little over 2,000 views to nearly 5,000 (last time I checked, the total was at 4,983!). We added ads to the blog. We finally had our first viewer from South America (Peru!). We improved our commenting features.


Stats for April 2011:
Most Visited Post(s): With 20 pageviews each, we have a tie between What the Eff is Malta? and Friday: A Special Valentine
Top Countries with Most Views: 
1) United States with 2,408 views (of course)
2) Malaysia with 24 views
3) India with 23 views
4) Iran with 17 views
5) Singapore with 13 views
Busiest Day: April 17, 2011 with a total of 188 views


April was a really special month (for many reasons, of course, but we all know that one special reason!) I don't think I can really express in words just how much. I wish every month could be more like April 2011.

• • Today......

I really loved...the thunder, the lightning, and the pitter-patter of the rain.
I smiled because...I took a(n almost) 2-hour nap right when I got home
Lyrics playing at this very moment as I type this portion of the blog:
"...Turn off the radio and say hello."
(Shortwave, Part 1 by Alan Lastufka & Luke Conard)
Hours of sleep last night: I technically went offline at 1am, then I just HAD to read The Mayor of Casterbridge a little while longer so I went to sleep at 2am--so that makes 2 and a half hours?
Times it got COLD: Just 2 . . . 
--"Well, we know what that really means!"
--"Torn, huh?"
--"Of course, that's what I like to think!"
Friend of the day: Thomas Hardy (and SparkNotes . . . so shh!)


--Jen :)

Thursday: Mie's Mornings

THE FOLLOWING POST IS MY FAILURE POST. I DID NOT POST YESTERDAY. I TYPED ALL OF THIS UP ON THURSDAY NIGHT, BUT I DIDN'T GET TO POST IT UNTIL NOW (AND IT'S FRIDAY MORNING). SORRY. I'LL PUT UP MY FRIDAY POST LATER ON TODAY OR TONIGHT.


**EDIT** at 4:30pm (4/22/11): We JUST hit 4000 under Total Views. Whoo.
________________________________


Day 21!


This one'll be short. I wanna go to sleep. Kendall's still at that NASA dance in school. Gah, I wanted to go.

Last summer, I took Trig and P/SAT Prep during summer school and I received scholarship to offset the costs. In return, I worked for an hour every morning at the Lower School autoline, opening car doors for the little kids. I stood out at the autoline, along with other scholarship workers, and we wore those reflective orange vests. And we greeted the kids arriving to school, and opened the car doors for them, and helped them out of their car seats if necessary. It wasn't fun-fun, but it wasn't boring either. The whole summer, we saw the same kids over and over again, of course, and it's cool to see how kids say goodbye to their parents or, if they have siblings, the things they say to each other early in the morning. 


Anyway, there was this specific truck that almost ways ended up in front of me at the autoline, and I was always the one to open the back car door. The cutest little girl with full cheeks and blonde hair (always tied in either pigtails or a long braid) would always greet me on the other side of the door. I could tell that she was shy and soft-spoken (SP?) from the very beginning with the way she slowly and carefully unbuckled her seatbelt. I took her backpack from her lap that first day as she gingerly stepped out onto the pavement. She then took her backpack, adjusted it on her shoulders, and whispered (she whispered!) to her father in the front seat, "Bye, Dad. I love you."


She was, hands-down, the most adorable thing I had ever seen.


For the first several mornings, I opened her door for her. Then one day, as she went about unbuckling her seatbelt, her father turned from the front seat and said, "Mie, did you wanna ask your friend something?" He cocked his head in my direction as Mie smiled.


She softly asked me, "What's your name?" as she carefully stepped out of the truck.


"Jen," I answered. 


"Hi, Jen," she said shyly. Then she turned to her dad, whispered her goodbye, and waved to us goodbye.


Her father thanked me and I smiled and shut the door.


There were mornings when Mie's father's truck stopped a couple of scholarship workers in front or behind me, but Mie and I never failed to smile and wave at each other. She made my mornings, and I hope I helped make hers too.


On the last day of summer school, I didn't get to open her car door because she and her father arrived a bit later than usual. We were already folding and packing up our vests when that familiar truck finally pulled up at the autoline. Mie ran out of the truck and came up to me, carrying a little baggie in her hands. The morning bell was about to ring at any minute, but Mie gave me a big hug and thanked me "for everything" before running off to class. I waved a final goodbye to her father before he drove off.

Mie had given me a Ziploc bag of goldfish snacks and bubbles (!!). I had fun with those bubbles for the rest of the summer.

I really like kids—they’re so genuine. When they say something, you know that they always mean it, every word, no matter what. I saw a lot of kids that summer and it felt good that I made some sort of an impression on at least one little girl that whole time. She doesn’t go to our school during the school year, but maybe she’ll be back this coming summer. I hope she remembers me just as I remember her.

Today…

I really loved…nothing.

I DID NOT smile because…of sad stuff. And failure. 

Lyrics playing at this very moment as I type this portion of the blog:

No music.

Hours of sleep last night: I did not sleep. Kidding, I slept for 9-10 hours.

Times it got COLD today: Who really cares?

Friend of the day: A Tiffany and a Kendall--there should be more Tiffanys and Kendalls in the world.

--Jen................................ 

On this day...

April 11, in the year…

…1689, William III and Mary II were crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain.
…1865, President Abraham Lincoln gave his last speech.
…1919, the League of Nations founded the International Labour Organization.
…1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1968, prohibiting discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing.
…1970, the United States launched Apollo 13.
…1976, Steve Wozniak designed and created the first Apple 1 personal computer.
…1994, Kendall Tacon was born.
…2001, Australia beat American Samoa in an international match of soccer, 31-0.

Oh wait what? Back up there.

Happy birthday, Kendall!

You have a cool birthdate, 4-1-1.
Why does “4-1-1” mean “information”? Because 411 is the directory assistance number here in the United States. If ever you need operator assistance or a specific area code (or a really awesome best friend), you dial 4-1-1.
__________

Kendall: Instructions for your 17th-Birthday-Puzzle-Scavenger-Hunt-Mash-Up
Part 3: Remix!
You’re doing well so far… was that triple puzzle hard?
The three puzzles should have told you what you need to look at now. Just take the first eight. Each of these eight “sets” consists of two letters.

You’ve actually already started to try to crack their code. But you have to know this: these sets are phonetically spelled, so make sure you sound them out correctly. Pretend you’re in Spanish class; the pronunciations there apply here also.

You should have started with 8, but you should have 16 individual “pieces” after you finish. BUT MAKE SURE THAT YOU KEEP THE PAIRS TOGETHER, IN THE CORRECT ORDER.
For example: 1--2 becomes 1 and 2
(See what I did? I kept them together and in the same order. This part should be simple!)

After you translate them, “remix” them around. You should end up with three words, a song title of one of my favorite bands.

Once you figure out the song title, Google the lyrics and use the CHORUS (yes, just the chorus) and the following Ottendorf cipher (A what? Come on now, be resourceful) to figure out the next step.

1-6-1, 4-3-5, 6-1-5, 1-2-3, 2-1-2, 6-1-4, 1-2-1, 3-6-4

Good luck!
_________

Recap of Kendall's scavenger hunt? I'll just describe what I set up, Kendall can tell you his side of the hunt.

Okay, I got to school early so that I could set up everything in time. I have been busy for the past couple of weeks so I didn't get to do this as timely as possible. Last year, I was ready by the time spring break ended, but my spring break this resembled a senior's fourth quarter. So I didn't get a lot done, including preparations for Kendall's annual birthday scavenger hunt. Nevertheless, I succeeded in preparing something that I was proud to call mine and dedicated to Kendall.

So, Kendall and I walked up to homeroom and his locker had a sign on it that said, "Are you ready for this? Open your locker." in a ransom-note kind of font with the cut-out letters and mismatched fonts and sizes.

Inside, I placed another sign that said, "Just follow the spiders. No, not the butterflies. Follow the spiders." with an accompanying post-it on which I wrote a three-number lock combination. Oh yeah, and Kendall is deathly afraid of spiders. TERRIFIED. He wrote about arachnophobia for his big Biology research paper last year.

I taped strips with images of black spiders along the Weinberg walls and the lockers which led from Kendall's locker (thanks Spencer for taping the ones above the lockers--I couldn't reach...), through the back fire-exit-stairs near W301 and to the second floor. The spider trail led to Shayne's locker.

Inside Shaynes locker was a picture of Aragog (hahahahahaha) and a folded piece of paper with the next set of instructions, along with 6 pieces of construction paper with designs on them. These strips of paper were pieces of three different puzzles, and Kendall had to piece together each of the puzzles and flip the strips over in order to figure out the three words needed to move on in the scavenger hunt.

I believe the three puzzles formed something like, "Look at my blog post titles."

He then read the instructions on today's BEDA post (above) and the song title he came up with was, "Friend Like Me" by Hawk Nelson.

Using the Ottendorf cipher and the chorus lyrics of the song, he then decoded the next message which said, "SAO TABLE."

Under the SAO table, I taped a piece of paper with the sentence, "PRINCES BATHE EVERYDAY SINCE PRINCESSES CAN SMELL." The letters were printed within puzzle pieces and were lined up in a way that you could read "PHYSICS" downward. I alternated the highlighted the letters to trick him.

In the Physics hallway, I taped a strip of spiders on one of the mirrors. Then, I placed the next set of codes onthe bulletin board across from the mirror so that when Kendall looked into the mirror, he would see the reflection of the codes behind him.

The next set of codes consisted of pictures that basically meant, "Go to Winney and say, 'I surrender to the strawberry ice cream.'"

I instructed Winney that she would only give Kendall the instructions only, and only if, he said the exact words mentioned above. Kendall got it right and she told him, "It's in Jen's locker."

Which wasn't that big of a deal beause all that was in there was a measly, though well-picked and appropriate, card that apologized for my lack of a real present and that strongly suggested that Kendall hold the guilt card above my head until I sufficiently make up for it.

Originally, I had planned on getting him this, but I never got around to ordering it. Next year will be double, no worries, I promise. He seemed to enjoy himself though. I expected him to take a really long time (especially with the triple puzzle thing) but he was very quick. I swear, he gets better and better every year. I have to make next year's harder. Much harder.

Oh and I'm wearing all blue for your birthday week. You didn't notice last year, I think, so I'm making sure this year that you know it's in your honor!

TODAY......
I really loved... 1000 Awesome Things
I smiled because... "Wait, P-H-Y-S-I-C-S isn't a word, right???"
Lyrics playing at this very moment as I type up this portion of the blog:
"...and the world is turning inside out, yeah..."
(Don't Stop Me Now by Queen....performed by Rhys and Cole)
Times it got COLD today: 4 so far....hopefully that number will go up?
Hours of sleep last night: 3 hours and 50 minutes
Friend of the day: Kendall!!!

--Jen :)

Vinegar Hands

Day 10!

I spent six hours in the Student Center today working for the General Store in preparation for the 'Iolani Fair this coming weekend!

First, we packed some pickled onions. Oh, it looked so good. And with the chili peppers, aiiiyyyyooo. But my hands still smell like vinegar.

Then we made Tiffie's guri guri. I've never tried guri guri, and if you don't know what that is, here's a link. I think it's a cross between ice cream and ice cake. There were two flavors, orange and strawberry, and we made batch after batch after batch...they all smelled so good. I think I'll try to make some this summer. The recipe wasn't too hard.

Then came the hardest part of the day: coconut and pineapple cookies. Scoop dough, roll into balls, chill trays, take out trays, press cookies, place pineapples, smooth edges, then into the oven! We didn't do all of that at the same time, though, but it was, to quote another volunteer, "labor intensive."

Now if you know me, then you know about my irrational...fear...or more like apprehension...for pineapples. We used candied pineapples, but STILL. It's the same thing!

While we worked in the morning, some other workers were cooking the huli beef in the kitchen. And I'm a carnivore, and Is loves mes mys proteins, and it smelled like HEAVEN.

Anyway, it was a hard day, but it was also fun at the same time. I've never really gone (legitly) to the family fair before because States has always been on the same weekend, so I don't really know what I'm missing every year. Which is sad if you really think about it. Working pre-fair shifts every year kind of reminds me of that--I get to bake cookies, but I don't get to enjoy them at the fair with my friends. And I also realize, whenever I work before the fair, just how much work and effort goes into these two days of fair fun.

Moving on, Kendall alluded to something obnoxious that he does in his post yesterday. He tends to correct/laugh at me whenever I don't do or say something that he does differently. And yes, I do get annoyed sometimes, but it's not like I don't annoy him either. Actually, I think one of the obnoxious things that I do to him is that I tend to complain about my stress a lot to him. I don't usually complain to anyone else but him. So I am going to have to work on that, too.

And yes, we've been having more views lately! And that's awesome! But that may just mean that there are only one or two of you who just keep coming back. Which is still awesome! If you don't know Kendall, or if you have never talked to him, please do so! You don't know what you're missing!

Okay, I have to get back to my homework now.

If you can, make sure that you go to the 'Iolani Fair this weekend, April 14-15, Pa'ina in Paradise. There will be great food, games, entertainment and fun! And please support the Junior Class of 2012 by buying malasadas! Go Raiders!

TODAY......
I really loved...special limited-edition OREOS!
I smiled because...of that cookie dough smell!
Lyrics playing at this very moment as I type this portion of the blog:
"...I wanna show you a different emotion..."
(Have You Ever Been by Jimi Hendrix)
Hours of sleep last night: 6 (slept late)
Times it got COLD today: 0...well, maybe 0.5. Ahh, never mind. 0!
Friend(s) of the day: Pre-fair shift workers

--Jen :)

First Day Without A Weird Post Title

Day 8!


Cole is watching me type my post right now. I am in The Physics Room, and it's lunch time. I have to write this post now because I won't be home until late tonight. 


Cole told me to remind myself in this post to bring My List sometime maybe after next week. If you're a constant stalker of this blog, you know that  we love lists (This blog is based on The List!). Anyway, this list is a list of books that I want to read basically before I die. Um. There is a good number of books on this list and I have been chipping away at this since I was in fourth grade. I really worked on it during middle school and I got a lot of it done, mostly the classics. I feel very proud of myself when I get references to classics all of the time, unlike some people (littered with these? I don't know, maybe). I also read a lot of Stephen King. And the Shannara series made up most of my seventh grade year. 


Usually, Kendall and I read the same books and I try to get him to read the books that I've read before but he's a very stubborn person when it comes to crazy fantasy stuff that don't make a good first impression. I really wanted him to read the Shannara series, but he wouldn't. Elfstone was the best. Except for the fact that the girl turns into a tree! Come on, Terry Brooks, be more creative in your solutions. But I really liked Scions and Wishsong. This is probably the closest I'd ever get to sci-fi/fantasy.


I also went through a phase for historical fiction, specifically on slavery and African-Americans. And Native Americans. YOU SHOULD READ PANTHER IN THE SKY. NOW. GET UP RIGHT NOW AND GO BUY IT OR GO TO THE LIBRARY OR SOMETHING. JUST READ IT. It's about Tecumseh's life.


Cole says I should make a list of movies to watch. When will I ever have the time to watch movies? I don't have free time!


So, Cole sat next to me as I wrote this, making endless suggestions and comments so forgive me (and him, I guess) if the post has responses to invisible comments and such.


TODAY........
I really loved..."Cole and his suggestions" (Cole)
I smiled because..."of Cole" (Cole)
Hours of sleep last night: 4 hours and 45 minutes
Times it got COLD today: 1 (but I think that number will increase.......I'm kind-of-maybe-not-really-oh-wait-I'm-kidding-I-mean-REALLY-REALLY COLD right now...FREEZING...because I'm always cold in The Physics Room)


--Jen :) 

EYY--TEE

Day 7!

I wasn't going to write this until later on tonight, but a recent Facebook message prompted me to post this ASAP. Unfortunately, you will not be informed of the contents of said message.

I just checked out Stats tab and views have been going up. We're hoping that view count will reach maybe as high as it was back when we did BEDA(ugust) 2010? The number to beat is 671 hits in one month, I think. We've also had quite a few comments recently. And for the poll on th side, let's welcome our newest (and hopefully now returning) visitors/stalkers: 1 new "friend," 1 new "creeper," and our first "innocent bystander"!

I was this close to typing, "Keep it up people!" but I realized that this simply would not be fair. We cannot ask you for your continued support if we do not commit ourselves to awesome/interesting/heart-wrenching/coolio/inspiring/[insert desired adjective here] posts. So from now on, we will publish post that falls in one or more of the mentioned categories for the rest of the month. And by "we," I mean "Kendall for now until April 18 after Jen's hellish weeks are over and when Jen feels confident that she can deliver said posts." I will continue to post and I will try, but don't be so harsh to punish/condemn me for not following mentioned goal. I do, however, some interesting stuff planned so watch for them.

Oh, and my mouth is still in hell. I recently got rubber bands for my braces to fix my HIDEOUS OVERBITE (which isn't really an OVERBITE because it's more of an OVER-and-a-lotta-bit-to-the-side-BITE).

So, I am off to finish my DPs and other school-ish things that require my attention.

TODAY.......
I really loved...ramen.
I smiled because...of my Physics lab group (surprisingly, really).
Lyrics playing at this very moment as I type this portion of the blog:
"..all I do is pray that maybe one day you'll hear my song and understand..."
(Sami by Darren Criss, Little White Lie)
Hours of sleep last night: 6 hours, 15 minutes (I overslept)
Times it got COLD today: (only) 2
Friend of the day: The 2008 APUSH DBQ

--Jen :)

ELL--AYY

Day 6! First day of the final extended schedule days this year. Sadness.

Again, I apologize. This will be short.

It was a good day. Kendall and I got recertified for CPR and the use of AED. Kendall experiences slight discomfort when it comes to mannequins or dummies so it was a bit entertaining.

I also made him freak out today. I'm the VP of the SPanish Honor Society and Kendall will be inducted into the society in a couple of weeks. I told him to get ready because all inductees will be required to say a few words in fluent Spanish during the ceremony in front of the advisers and other members of the society. He started panicking. And, yes, I knew he would freak out--that's why I told him this in the first place; this is EXACTLY the kind of thing about which Kendall freaks out, and EXACTLY the kind of thing I enjoy seeing him squirm about. I extended the joke and pretended that I had to do it, too, last year when I was inducted into the society. I told him that I delivered a mini speech about how thankful I was to be recognized in the society, that I believed that I deserved to be in the society, and that I was going to use my membership in the society to help others. As expected, Kendall's panic fit only grew worse because he didn't even know how to say some of the words I used in explaining to him what I said, let alone be able to deliver them smoothly in front of an audience.

I expected him to realize that I was joking when I said, "You have to speak. Well, actually, instead of speaking, you have another choice. You can do the traditional dance and chant while holding the candle during the ceremony if you don't want to talk in front of everyone."

However, his response clearly showed me that maybe my joke had gone a tad bit too far: "But I don't want to dance! Especially if no one else will do it!"

I told him that I was joking after that but he refused to believe me. He could only ask, "WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT TO ME?!"

Well, because you're my best friend. Duh. :)

TODAY...
I really loved...having periods 8 and 6 free on this lovely extended schedule day.
I smiled because...http://www.27bslash6.com/missy.html (Thanks Cole.)
Lyrics playing at this very moment as I type this portion of the blog:
"So she said, "What's the problem baby? What's the problem?"...."
(Accidentally In Love by Counting Crows)
Hours of sleep last night: 5
Times it got COLD today: 5 (Thank you, Mama Nature.)
Friend of the day: Cole

--Jen :)

TEE--EYCH

Day 4! The day we got ads! Yes, we have ads now.
 Anyway, I just read Kendall's two posts for yesterday and today and I feel the need to react:
LIAM HEMSWORTH, a.k.a. MILEY CYRUS' EX-BOYFRIEND, AS GALE?!?! Unacceptable.
I don't support Gale-Katniss--I'm on the baker's side (he makes awesome cakes!)--but Gale is a fine young man who doesn't deserve this treatment! I approve of the choice for dear Peeta Mellark. And Katniss Everdeen? Hmmm, she seems a bit old to me but dyeing her hair would solve that problem.


The Malta post was great. It really was. Green-worthy, even. 


Moving on, I felt like I should tell you about something I witnessed today. I have a free period 8 (second period of the day this week) and I went to W-Lab to type up a Spanish composition. There was an English 9 class inside but there were a couple of computers free so I sat down at a computer and logged on. Other older students were also in there working papers or whatever. Just as I opened a new Word document, however, two more freshmen that belong to the class that was officially using the lab that period came in and there was only one computer left. The teacher kindly asked for one of the students not in her class to give up a computer for her student.


There was a pause. Not a short one, not really, but one of those that seem to be longer than it really was. All the older students inside the computer lab slowly looked over their shoulders at their fellow upperclassmen, including myself, waiting, even daring, the others to move from their seats. No one would look at the teacher. No one spoke. And to my surprise, every single head slowly turned back toward the computer screens, confident that someone else would stand up and give up their computer. I admit, I thought the same thing, too. But it was quickly followed by another thought: If we all thought to ourselves, "Hey I'm working on something important so I'm not leaving. Someone's bound to leave, right, but it won't be me," then no one would leave.


I also turned back toward my computer screen, just like the others. But I logged off. 


"I'll go," I said.


I'm sure I heard the faintest of sighs from behind me as I said that. And I walked out of the W-Lab with the greatest disappointment that I have ever felt for my school peers.


School is hard. And we all have homework that require the use of a computer. It's great to see students so keen on working, putting so much effort, thought and, most importantly, value into their papers and projects. As students, we should value the products we turn in to our teachers because of the amount of time and effort we put into them. And these upperclassmen, I understand, had every right to feel "protective" about their free time spent on working. 


What we forget, however, is that school is also a community. And in a community where everyone believes that someone else will do it eventually, what gets done? Who ends up doing everything or anything at all? We have to somehow stop that reflex in our minds that say, "I don't have to do it 'cause I'm sure someone else will do it." How are you so sure? Who is this "someone else" that everyone seems to trust will do everything in due time? Because, let me tell you, that "someone else" doesn't exist. That "someone else" should be you.


Taking pride in your work and making sure that you do all of it to the best of your ability isn't considered selfishness. But when your doing so affects someone else's efforts to do their best, it might as well be.


TODAY.......
I really loved...JAW.
I smiled because...I did better than I expected on my Physics test.
Lyrics playing at this very moment as I type this portion of the blog:
"...my sweet, sweet Madeline. Every time I look into your eyes, I feel like I'm alive..."
(Hello by Hawk Nelson)
Hours of sleep last night: 5 hours, 20 minutes
Times it got COLD today: 5 (that's a record?)
Friend(s) of the day: Winney and Adrienne (tie!)


--Jen :)

EFF--ARR

Day 3!

"I've stood alone a million times. / That's not the same as being alone..."
(Shaken by Hawk Nelson)

One of my greatest fears is being left all alone.

Isolophobia, monophobia or autophobia are actually different names for the peristent fear of physically being alone, the fear of not having anyone (or maybe anything) in close proximity.

But I don't fear being left alone in an empty room. I could be surrounded by so many people I know but still feel this fear or anxiety of being...alone. This kind of fear is more like having a fear of not having anyone there for me: not having a friend there for you when you need a hug or help, not having a brother nearby to make you smile and laugh when you're on the verge of tears, not having a sister next to you to tell you to keep going when you don't want to continue on. When I get married, I think I'd like to go before my husband; I don't think I'd be able to handle it if I continued living all alone.

Sometimes, our fears get the best of us and they dictate our actions, and eventually, our whole lives. This fear is probably the reason why I'm so "needy" most of the time. (I am, right? I'm pretty sure I am. Maybe some of my friends don't think so, maybe some do, but I definitely think there are moments when I just need people.)

However, ever since I realized that I was needy (a couple of years ago?), I have been trying to tone it down a lot. It's not a bad thing to need people. Sometimes, it's completely necessary and appropriate to admit that you can't do everything by yourself and that you need others to help or guide you. And there are things that are just more fun to do with others than going about it solo. I mean, I could sit by myself on the couch and enjoy marathon after marathon of old cycles of America's Next Top Model all day, but it wouldn't be as fun as making space for my sister next to me and doing impressions of Tyra together as she says, "Congratulations, you're still in the running to be America's Next Top Model."

But being too needy? Not good. You grow up each time you realize that you can do something on your own--the time you took your first steps, the time your dad took off your training wheels, the time you solved that beastly equation that you just couldn't follow in class but finally understood at home as you did your homework. And each time that you do something on your own, you grow stronger. And strength is what you will need the next time you fear not having anyone there by your side. And a lot of it if your fear is great.

TODAY...
I really loved...Jason Dunn.
I smiled because...I went to church.
Lyrics playing at this very moment as I type this portion of the blog:
"...don't know if I'll ever know why, or hear the sounds of angels cry..."
(Right Here by Hawk Nelson)
Hours of sleep last night: 8 hours
Number of times it got COLD: 0
Number of times I wished it got COLD: a bajillion times
Number of times I scolded myself for wishing that it would get COLD: too many to count

--Jen :)

KEY--III

Day 2!

Okay just a thing: April is the busiest month for me. I have every Saturday this month filled and it's the fourth quarter and States for speech and debate is coming up and AP tests are coming at me like a herd of angry wildebeests (yes, it's spelled with two e's). And if you are one of our regular creepers who stalk this blog (hey there!), you should already know that I'm the stressed out and paranoid half of this friendship. But if you're new here, well, now you know. I will try my best to have really good posts but I apologize in advance if they're not as awesome as you expect them to be. Most of my posts will probably be about how stressed I was the whole day or how stressed I am about writing my posts or how I have so much work to do. And you'll just have to read all of it. Or not. You could just skim it. Which is why I have the TODAY... portion of this blog; that's something I've never done before and it's kind of cool, right? Right? Anyone else think it's cool? No? Just me? Oh ok.

Anyway, my Saturday. I woke up early because I had to be in school at 8am for the AP English workshop. I didn't expect that most of workshop would be, you know, work. I thought it would be mainly lecture-based. Guess I was wrong! We actually wrote an essay and did the multiple choice part of the test. But it helped. And it was cold. 'Cause it was at Seto Hall and it always gets cold in there. I wore a jacket.

I saw Kendall after the workshop. He took the National Spanish Exam today in the morning, and he probably talked about it in his post, I don't know, I haven't read it yet. I already took the test on Thursday. Anyway, he was wearing a DFTBA shirt. I have the same exact shirt, except it's huge because it was supposed to be Kendall's but it was a bit too small for him so he gave it to me. Although I swear his shirt looked like it was way smaller than my (originally his) DFTBA shirt.

Then, I went home. Nope, I lie. I didn't. I stayed in school because we had two rounds of debate scrimmages this afternoon. It was also cold in The Room. But I had my blazer so it was all good.

Anyway, instead of boring you with how the temperature went down and how I was prepared for it each time it did (which is something that I just tend to talk about, bear with me please, I'm weird, I know), what else should I talk about?

Oh! I saw that StarKid uploaded, I think, the first scene of Act 1 of their new show, Starship. I don't have time to watch it now so I think I'll wait until the entire show is online so that I can enjoy this supposedly out of this world (see what I did there?) production.

Um. What else? Geez, I am really terrible at this. I need an interesting topic to talk about every day because my life is too boring to write about. Like, I don't know, old sitcoms that we will forever love or angler fish reproduction or the invention of staplers or something. I need ideas. Give me some? Or not, that would be okay too.

TODAY... 
I really loved...the cinnamon twist doughnut I had for breakfast.
I smiled because...Kirsten pulled a "prank" on Winney a day late. Ahhh, Kirsten.
Lyrics playing at this very moment as I type this portion of the blog:
"...it swings, it jives. It shakes all over like a jellyfish. I kinda like it..."
(Crazy Litte Thing Called Love by Queen)
Hours of sleep last night: 8.5 hours! THIS IS WHY I LOVE FRIDAY NIGHTS.
Number of times it got COLD: 3! The last time, it was FREEZING, but it could have been much colder.

--Jen :)

BEDA(pril) 2011 COMING SOON!!

Yup, that's right, we're going to be Blogging Every Day in April this year!
We did it for August ('cause, you know, April and August both start with A...) last year, and it was fun, so we're doing it again this month.
April's pretty busy because it's fourth quarter. But we'll do out besterestest.
So, be on the look out for our posts and come every day in April.
First post is on April 1!