The End

Well Junior year is coming to a close, and so dear blog we must say goodbye (Anne Frank reference :)). Well maybe not goodbye, but this will be the last required post I will have to make. That's actually kind of sad. Although sometimes it seemed hard to get all my blogs done on time, it was actually quite enjoyable. It gave me a place to express myself and think things through. It's also going to be nice to be able to look back years from now and see how I was when I was 16. It's like an online diary, just a little less personal. I don't see how anyone can say they hate blogs. I mean sure I don't really like to write, but to me this isn't really "writing". And if you can't get over the writing part then just think of it like this, it's an easy grade. I'm glad Mrs. Matthews introduced this to us. I would have never thought to start a blog on my own. Even though I may not have much to say at times, it's nice to be able to say something. When no one will listen there is always a place to put it in your blog. Then it's there for the whole world to see, if they care to listen, well read I guess. This blog has given me an outlet for all my pointless crap and I've enjoyed it. I may not have another post for a while, but I want to make an effort to come back to this blog someday. It'll be worth while. Farewell for now. This isn't goodbye, this is just I'll see you later. 

American Idol

Well last night was the result show for the semi-finals for American Idol. The final three were Haley Reinhart, Scotty McCreery, and Lauren Alaina. As usual, they waited to announce the final two until the last five minutes of the show. Usually I don't mind setting through the performances but last night they had people that I had never even heard of; I wasn't too impressed. But in the end I was pleased with the two America chose. The final two that are competing for the title are Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina. These two are some of the youngest contestants this year. Lauren was 15 when the competition started and has recently turned 16. Scotty is also 16. These two were my favorites from the very beginning. It's going to be difficult to have to choice who to vote for next week. I most likely will just end up voting for both like I have all season. I can't wait to see who will take the title and what Fox has in store for the finale. This should be interesting...

Things I'm Going to Miss from Junior Year

Junior Year has probably been my favorite year in high school. Sure it was harder, and I experienced my first break-up, but in the end it was a pretty great year. There are so many memories. For example:

• APUSH!!! Just gotta love all the things we can do with Paff's name. 
• Computer Graphics Group
• The Diary of Anne Frank
• Prom!
• Fluorescent Fever
• Sadie Hawkins
• Thespian Festival
• English class: This is probably the first year that I have actually enjoyed English. I was able to actually somewhat understand the books we read and I really enjoyed our class discussions. I didn't feel like I was doing honors English work because I actually understood and didn't struggle as much. My essay writing has improved and I've learned several new vocab words. Thank you Mrs. Matthews for making English enjoyable this year.
• Early - Release Friday
• "Drama Momma" t-shirt
• ACT

The list can just go on and on. I've kind of hit a road block right now but I know there are millions more. I'm going to miss Junior Year and all the amazing teachers I have had. This is one year that will never be forgotten.

A Lazy Day

"Today I don't feel like doing anything

I just wanna lay in my bed

Don't feel like picking up my phone, so leave a message at the tone

'Cause today I swear I'm not doing anything"

Bruno Mars has the right idea. It's nice to take a day and do nothing every now and then. It's nice to just stay in your pajamas all day and maybe watch some TV. Or if TV isn't your thing then you could finally read that book you've been dying to read or listen to that new song. There are so many things you can do on a "lazy day". What you do all depends on your interest. For me, I usually just watch TV or sit around on Facebook. It's sad to say that Facebook is such a huge part of the lives of today's youth, but it's true. Facebook addicts aren't just teens, adults are addicted too and sometimes they can be worse than the teenagers. Whatever you like to do on your "lazy day" it's always nice to just take time for yourself. Today's world moves at such a fast pace that sometime we forget to just slow down for a minute and "smell the roses". Yes, I know I just used a major cliché but it's true. We often forget the simple things in life and sometimes it takes a "lazy day" to remember them all. I think "lazy days" are needed but there can come a point when they become a little too much. It's okay to take a day off from the world every now and then as long as you jump right back into the real world and actually do something with your life. You will never get any where in life if you just sit around waiting for something to happen to you. It's the ones who try in life that will succeed. Even Bruno Mars touches on this in his song. He says:

"Tomorrow I'll wake up, do some P90X"

and

"Yeah, I might mess around

And get my college degree".

Bruno Mars realizes that he is going to have to work at some point in order for his life to be successful but he is also allowed to enjoy a day to himself. I think everyone needs to grasp this view point and maybe then we would have a lot more successful people in the world. It's funny to think that an idea like this can be found in a song, but isn't that the whole point of music? At least it used to be. Music is meant to inspire and taken in the right context this song can convey an excellent way to view life. 

The Diary of Anne Frank

On April 13, 14, and 15, the Apollo Blue House Players presented the production of The Diary of Anne Frank. It was one of our larger plays and I dare say one of the best. A lot of time and effort went into this play. With auditions being held in November, there were many months spent on this production. Although it may seem like a long time, this was actually a shorter amount than we usually have to prepare. Even though it was shorter and we all freaked out, I think the amount of time was perfect in the end. Sure there could also be one more rehearsal but with the amount we had we didn't get sick of the play before we even performed. Sometimes rehearsing too long is worse. Actors get sick of the play and they don't put their best foot forward. A time limit puts a needed stress on the actors. It gets the adrenaline pumping and makes for a great show. 


Other than time, this play also differed from past plays. We actually had funding! Murry sponsored our show. They gave us money to build our set and provided our scripts for us. This lifted a huge burden off our shoulders. Without the funding we would not have been able to present this production. The set was required to be much more intricate than past sets. We couldn't do the typical high school classroom or any other typical high school based set. This set had to look like an annex. It had to look like people could actually survive in it for three years. And this set could not be a "one-story" set like most. There had to be definition in rooms. The Van Daans had to have a place upstairs, even if that place couldn't be seen. And Peter's room had to appear smaller than the others but still have enough room for two actors to be in it at a time. Anne's room had to be able to support a sofa plus another form of a bed. Not only were the bedrooms a hard task to complete, there were also things like the kitchen, the bookshelf, and the door. The kitchen had to look like it could actually function. There had to be a "stove" for Peter to burn his star. There had to be a bookshelf to hid the entrance to the annex and a door for the Nazis to break through at the end. This set was more complicated than anything we have ever encountered. Thanks to Murry and the talent of Mrs. Berry's husband and fellow students, our set was able to come together perfectly.


This play was probably the most nerve-wracking play I have ever done. I remember pacing back in forth during green room on opening night. (Green room is something we always do before a play. We all come together in the teacher's eating area and Mrs. Berry speaks a few words of encouragement, we sing Lean on Me, and it's on with the show.) This show had a lot of pressure for me personally. This was the first time I had ever played a lead role. All eyes would be on me. I was nervous and often hard on myself. I would get mad if I stumbled over a line or my fall didn't look real enough. But in the end I received a lot of compliments. I even had some people say that they were glad I died because I was annoying. I guess that means I was doing my job right. I was supposed to be an obnoxious teenage girl and that's how everyone saw me. I was very happy with my role and was pleased to know that I did it well. I really became my character in this play. I don't think I can say that about any other play. 


In the end, we had amazing performances despite the little screw ups. I don't think anyone will look back and regret doing this play. I admit I wasn't quite sure about this play at first, but looking back I'm glad we did it. It pushed us all to truly use the talent we have. Any one can pull off a play about high school. It takes talent to pull off a play about history.

Girls Night!

There comes a time in every girl's life that she needs a "girl's night". This is a night to just hang out with friends and forget whatever stress or drama taking place in their life. It's a night to put down the phone, stop texting any guys, and just let loose. Now I'm sure most guys picture a "girl's night" as pillow fights and pajama dance parties, but its nothing like that at all. We may sit around in our "pajamas" but they aren't the typical pajamas displayed in most movies. Usually they consist of some old t-shirt and a pair of shorts. We also don't sit around watching romance movies while eating popcorn. We may have popcorn at some part of the night but you better believe that's not all we are going to eat. The movie industry has really distorted the image of a "girl's night". In all honesty, a "girl's night" is much like a "guy's night". We like video games and scary movies too.
For me and my friends, our night usually consist of going to Walmart, stocking up on junk food, renting a movie, and heading back to the house we are staying out. Most the time we eat all the food and never watch the movie. We like to sit around and talk or take stupid pictures. We may act like idiots the whole night but it's a lot of fun.On election day I had a girl's night just like I described. After school I went and picked up my little sister from school, took her to my mom, and then headed to the twins', Kara and Karissa, house. It was going to be us three and Summer, our typical weekend group. We didn't really have anything planned other than having to be back at school the next morning, our day off, to paint the dressing rooms. Aren't we just dedicated little drama students? But other than our PPP (Pizza Painting Party), we had no plans. We ended up sitting around and just talking until like 10. We didn't really want to go out any where without Kara and she was at work until 9. But once our whole gang was back together we headed to Walmart. There we stocked up on junk food and considered buying the craziest pajamas we could find. We left without the pajamas mainly because no one wanted to pay the outrageous price for them. I rented You Again before we left, but just like every other time we didn't watch it. We spent the rest of the night talking, laughing. and just enjoying some girl time. Girl time is always needed at some point.
The worst part about every girl night is that eventually it has to end. But it's nice to enjoy those few hours and remember the simple things in life. I don't know where I would be without my friends. They are like my second family and they help to shape me into who I am today. 

Relationships: Are you ready?

Many people often ask the question, when is the right time for a relationship? The answer to this question depends on the person. Whether you are about to start dating for the first time or you just went through a breakup, this question must be answered. For me, it's the latter. I have only been in one relationship and we recently broke up, well if you consider four months ago recent. And now I'm starting to talk to other guys. I like the idea of having a boyfriend, and having someone always there for me, but I'm really enjoying being single. After two years of being in a relationship I feel like I just need to be single for a while. I need to just enjoy my friends for a while. I feel like four months just isn't enough time. I'm not really sure if I'm ready to be in another relationship and be tied down again. For some people four months seems way too long to wait, but considering I spent half that time healing from the break up, I don't think I'm quite ready yet. Don't get me wrong, I like hanging out with guys and going on dates. I just don't think I want a "relationship". It may sound selfish but I don't want to have to worry about someone else, I just want some time to focus on me. Everyone needs that from time to time. Not only is there the fact that I want time to myself, but I'm just not ready to be hurt again. I can't imagine having to go through another break up anytime soon. There is never a guarantee on how long a relationship will last. It's scary to just put your trust back in someone else when your heart was recently broken. So rises the question, when are you ready? I guess there never really is an answer. When your ready, you will just know. Simple as that. Although at times that doesn't seem very simple. You don't want to wait around wondering when you are going to be ready; you want to know now. But only time can tell. Time is the answer to everything, no matter how much it may suck to wait.