Today was a long, long day - I cleaned my room. Well, I got most of it done. There's still a ton of the small things that collect dust laying in the middle of the room on the floor, as well as stacks of books occupying all flat surfaces. I rearranged just about every piece of furniture in there, and it looks great.
I even got up early to do it...if 10:30 is early. It is when I'm on vacation from school, and on weekends.
I thought of something the other day, and I'm wondering if it's just a coincidence or not. In Twilight, a series all about vampires, the main character's name is Bella. The name of the actor famous for portraying Dracula (also a vampire) in 1931 was Bela Lugosi. Is her name a homage to him? I realized the interesting coincidence while listening to the song "Bela Lugosi's Dead" by The Bauhaus, in which the singer cries "Bela!" over and over.
I'm going to go relax now, because it's been a very long day of productivity and my head is splitting with an allergy headache.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
A Christmas In Review
Yesterday was Christmas! Woohoo! In a very self indulgent manner, allow me to run down how it went.
I was fortunate enough to get the three things I had most emphatically asked for: an electric guitar, a black sweater, and Dr. Marten boots. We'll cover those boots first, because they're the ones currently on my mind the most.
They are 14 eyelets on each side, and take about 10 minutes to put on. They're still quite stiff, and I'm told they take a bit of time to get used to walking in. My uncle said he had a pair just like them when he was younger, and my mom used to wear 8 and 10 eyelet ones.
In an attempt to break them in today, I wore them on a run. Don't worry - I didn't actually try to run. I knew that would be suicide. However, even after walking about a mile, my feet hurt something terrible. I couldn't catch up with my mom when she walked any faster than I was going. She reassured me by reminding me I had my tennis shoes in the car, but I decided not to put them on. A little pain was probably going to be a part of the breaking in process, right?
We went to Barnes & Noble to get fancy coffee after the run/walk, and I still had the boots on. I was fairly certain at that point that my heels were bleeding, but I did not care. I'm somewhat stupid when it comes to pain, especially in the name of fashion. The original punks wouldn't have cared about terrible blisters, although they weren't exactly in a state of mind to feel anything.
Warning: if you get grossed out, don't read the next paragraph.
When I came home, I took those pictures and then took the boots off. I took the right off first, although the left was the foot with the most pain. My right sock had a small spot on it that was greyish-yellowish-red, and when I took it off I saw there was a teeny tiny blister (the grey was from the leather). "Not bad," I thought. Then I took my left boot off. There was an enormous spot on that sock, and a huge blister underneath. A quarter could not have covered the entire thing. Needless to say, I now have two large band-aids on my heels.
That is my new guitar. It's a real Fender Stratocaster, and it's left handed. Apparently it used to be right-handed, but my uncle's friend, from whom he got it, flipped it. I got it about an hour after we got to my Grandparent's house, and I played it continually until we left 5 hours later. My fingertips are horribly shredded, but as you can obviously see, I don't mind my gifts causing me pain.
I started to suspect I was getting a guitar when A) my uncle wouldn't let me go into the spare bedroom to hang up my coat and B) when there was no gift from him, only a guitar case from his cat. Eventually someone pointed the latter out, and he told me to go take a look in his truck. I did. There was nothing there.
I came back in and told him I didn't see what I was looking for, when everyone started laughing and he said, "It's sitting right there." He was pointing at my chair, where it was sitting. He was actually crying, something I've never seen before.
In addition to those two, I received many thoughtful gifts. Plus, the tight black sweater I mentioned! I requested it "to wear while I listen to The Cure and The Bauhaus". It looks great with my black skinny jeans and 14 - eyelet Docs.
I hope everyone out there had a wonderful Christmas, and got to spend it with family and friends.
I was fortunate enough to get the three things I had most emphatically asked for: an electric guitar, a black sweater, and Dr. Marten boots. We'll cover those boots first, because they're the ones currently on my mind the most.
They are 14 eyelets on each side, and take about 10 minutes to put on. They're still quite stiff, and I'm told they take a bit of time to get used to walking in. My uncle said he had a pair just like them when he was younger, and my mom used to wear 8 and 10 eyelet ones.
In an attempt to break them in today, I wore them on a run. Don't worry - I didn't actually try to run. I knew that would be suicide. However, even after walking about a mile, my feet hurt something terrible. I couldn't catch up with my mom when she walked any faster than I was going. She reassured me by reminding me I had my tennis shoes in the car, but I decided not to put them on. A little pain was probably going to be a part of the breaking in process, right?
We went to Barnes & Noble to get fancy coffee after the run/walk, and I still had the boots on. I was fairly certain at that point that my heels were bleeding, but I did not care. I'm somewhat stupid when it comes to pain, especially in the name of fashion. The original punks wouldn't have cared about terrible blisters, although they weren't exactly in a state of mind to feel anything.
Warning: if you get grossed out, don't read the next paragraph.
When I came home, I took those pictures and then took the boots off. I took the right off first, although the left was the foot with the most pain. My right sock had a small spot on it that was greyish-yellowish-red, and when I took it off I saw there was a teeny tiny blister (the grey was from the leather). "Not bad," I thought. Then I took my left boot off. There was an enormous spot on that sock, and a huge blister underneath. A quarter could not have covered the entire thing. Needless to say, I now have two large band-aids on my heels.
That is my new guitar. It's a real Fender Stratocaster, and it's left handed. Apparently it used to be right-handed, but my uncle's friend, from whom he got it, flipped it. I got it about an hour after we got to my Grandparent's house, and I played it continually until we left 5 hours later. My fingertips are horribly shredded, but as you can obviously see, I don't mind my gifts causing me pain.
I started to suspect I was getting a guitar when A) my uncle wouldn't let me go into the spare bedroom to hang up my coat and B) when there was no gift from him, only a guitar case from his cat. Eventually someone pointed the latter out, and he told me to go take a look in his truck. I did. There was nothing there.
I came back in and told him I didn't see what I was looking for, when everyone started laughing and he said, "It's sitting right there." He was pointing at my chair, where it was sitting. He was actually crying, something I've never seen before.
In addition to those two, I received many thoughtful gifts. Plus, the tight black sweater I mentioned! I requested it "to wear while I listen to The Cure and The Bauhaus". It looks great with my black skinny jeans and 14 - eyelet Docs.
I hope everyone out there had a wonderful Christmas, and got to spend it with family and friends.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Christmas Break!
I watched the movie Labyrinth today - man is it weird. I wanted to see it because it has David Bowie in it, and a blogger I follow has a quote from it on her blog that made it seem pretty funny.
Where to even begin? The puppets were actually very good. The visual effects were somewhat decent - especially for the 80's. However, it was so absurdly strange I cannot even describe it. I am actively forgetting it as I type.
Actually, typing this all as it comes into my mind, looking back I kind of enjoyed it. I think the few hours between my viewing of it and my typing of this mellowed it out a bit. The scenes featuring David Bowie were my favourite, of course. He was just the right mixture of creepy and charming.
Today was the last day of school until January 4th! Yay for break! Apparently a lot of classes had free days, but I had two tests and a major project to complete before I got to experience any festive-ness. Oh, and one other thing - in Health class, we had to watch a video of a live birth. The general adjective used by everyone to describe it was "Unnecessary". I agree with that, because I see no reason why they should have to show that. I suppose it is a very good argument for abstinence, the only form of birth control they're allowed to teach.
From 4th hour on, thankfully, I got to put aside learning for the rest of this year. In 4th hour we went to the library and spent the hour reading. OK, to be honest, there was more chit-chatting than actual reading going on.
5th and 6th hour were the school-wide celebration, which was a reward for raising, as a school, over 2 thousand dollars for a local charity. Each classroom had different activities going on in it, and you signed up for them the week previous. I signed up to watch Napoleon Dynamite, a film whose funniness I had forgotten. It was a blast, mostly because I got to watch it with friends.
Well, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go and strum randomly on the acoustic for a while. Happy holidays, in case I don't post again before Christmas!
Where to even begin? The puppets were actually very good. The visual effects were somewhat decent - especially for the 80's. However, it was so absurdly strange I cannot even describe it. I am actively forgetting it as I type.
Actually, typing this all as it comes into my mind, looking back I kind of enjoyed it. I think the few hours between my viewing of it and my typing of this mellowed it out a bit. The scenes featuring David Bowie were my favourite, of course. He was just the right mixture of creepy and charming.
Today was the last day of school until January 4th! Yay for break! Apparently a lot of classes had free days, but I had two tests and a major project to complete before I got to experience any festive-ness. Oh, and one other thing - in Health class, we had to watch a video of a live birth. The general adjective used by everyone to describe it was "Unnecessary". I agree with that, because I see no reason why they should have to show that. I suppose it is a very good argument for abstinence, the only form of birth control they're allowed to teach.
From 4th hour on, thankfully, I got to put aside learning for the rest of this year. In 4th hour we went to the library and spent the hour reading. OK, to be honest, there was more chit-chatting than actual reading going on.
5th and 6th hour were the school-wide celebration, which was a reward for raising, as a school, over 2 thousand dollars for a local charity. Each classroom had different activities going on in it, and you signed up for them the week previous. I signed up to watch Napoleon Dynamite, a film whose funniness I had forgotten. It was a blast, mostly because I got to watch it with friends.
Well, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to go and strum randomly on the acoustic for a while. Happy holidays, in case I don't post again before Christmas!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
It Feels Good To Be Blogging, My Friends
Hey, dear readers, how's it going? Right now I'm listening to "Rebel, Rebel" by David Bowie, a song I can kind of play on guitar. It sounds weird because it's meant for an electric and I use my mom's acoustic (restrung for my left-handedness, of course).
I'm really hoping to get an electric guitar for Christmas, and since my uncle works at the pawn shop, there's a good chance of that happening. However, he has a bit of an issue with the fact I don't mind playing a right-handed guitar upside-down, and I've gotten into multiple arguments about that with him. He's talked about how the guitar isn't "ergonomic" enough, and that will make playing harder - the weight of a guitar is more likely to mess me up than a corner digging into my ribs will. He also throws around various terms he either read somewhere out of context, or just made up completely. It's kind of infuriating, because he doesn't actually know anything about playing guitar - he only knows the stuff he needs to know to sell it for more money and take it in on pawn for less.
Anyway - on to lighter stuff. High school is going absolutely awesome! The fact all four classes pretty much mingle now has made finding people like myself a bit easier, and I'd say I've made some pretty good friends. The most beneficial thing to making friends was the fabled "Trip To Western". I don't recall if I mentioned it in any posts, but basically the marching band went to Western Michigan University for a weekend and had a ton of insane fun. None of my friends went, forcing me to pretty quickly make some new ones. Fortunately, there's no better place for forging relations than a very fancy hotel at 1 A.M. Euchre is a game made more fun simply by being played in odd places, such as a skywalk or hotel lobby next to a drunk wedding party.
I've yet to do my Christmas shopping, which is a bit concerning. I'm hoping to go with my grandpa this weekend, which is cutting it pretty close. I still have no clue what I'm getting anyone but my mom and my grandparents, but I've gotten a few suggestions. Last year, I got my grandpa to go into Hot Topic with me to get my mom's gifts - that was a riot!
I've been moving both backward and forward in time with music listening lately. I've been getting into modern alternative a bit more lately, because I know that's where I'll probably end up as a musician myself. I need to get to know the terrain a bit, learn the tricks of the trade. I've also been digging bands like The Who and The Rolling Stones, not to mention David Bowie. OK, they're not really of a time period different than I've listened to, but they were always looked over in the past. Just to add on to a lengthy paragraph, I've started to really like Nirvana. A good 25% of the stuff I've learned to play on guitar (acoustic, not my bass) is Nirvana. My only complaint is that they tuned almost all of their songs different than standard, making them unplayable.
Well, I feel a duty to give you a break after all that reading. Be prepared, however, for another post soon. I'm single, I don't have a driver's license, and I've just about read everything funny on Cracked.com, so I should be able to post more often. I think with the approaching winter that will be easier, because it's too cold for anything else to be going on. Good day to you, dear readers!
I'm really hoping to get an electric guitar for Christmas, and since my uncle works at the pawn shop, there's a good chance of that happening. However, he has a bit of an issue with the fact I don't mind playing a right-handed guitar upside-down, and I've gotten into multiple arguments about that with him. He's talked about how the guitar isn't "ergonomic" enough, and that will make playing harder - the weight of a guitar is more likely to mess me up than a corner digging into my ribs will. He also throws around various terms he either read somewhere out of context, or just made up completely. It's kind of infuriating, because he doesn't actually know anything about playing guitar - he only knows the stuff he needs to know to sell it for more money and take it in on pawn for less.
Anyway - on to lighter stuff. High school is going absolutely awesome! The fact all four classes pretty much mingle now has made finding people like myself a bit easier, and I'd say I've made some pretty good friends. The most beneficial thing to making friends was the fabled "Trip To Western". I don't recall if I mentioned it in any posts, but basically the marching band went to Western Michigan University for a weekend and had a ton of insane fun. None of my friends went, forcing me to pretty quickly make some new ones. Fortunately, there's no better place for forging relations than a very fancy hotel at 1 A.M. Euchre is a game made more fun simply by being played in odd places, such as a skywalk or hotel lobby next to a drunk wedding party.
I've yet to do my Christmas shopping, which is a bit concerning. I'm hoping to go with my grandpa this weekend, which is cutting it pretty close. I still have no clue what I'm getting anyone but my mom and my grandparents, but I've gotten a few suggestions. Last year, I got my grandpa to go into Hot Topic with me to get my mom's gifts - that was a riot!
I've been moving both backward and forward in time with music listening lately. I've been getting into modern alternative a bit more lately, because I know that's where I'll probably end up as a musician myself. I need to get to know the terrain a bit, learn the tricks of the trade. I've also been digging bands like The Who and The Rolling Stones, not to mention David Bowie. OK, they're not really of a time period different than I've listened to, but they were always looked over in the past. Just to add on to a lengthy paragraph, I've started to really like Nirvana. A good 25% of the stuff I've learned to play on guitar (acoustic, not my bass) is Nirvana. My only complaint is that they tuned almost all of their songs different than standard, making them unplayable.
Well, I feel a duty to give you a break after all that reading. Be prepared, however, for another post soon. I'm single, I don't have a driver's license, and I've just about read everything funny on Cracked.com, so I should be able to post more often. I think with the approaching winter that will be easier, because it's too cold for anything else to be going on. Good day to you, dear readers!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Sublymonal
Does anyone else remember those incredibly weird Sprite commercials from last year? They were centered around "Lymon", and seemed to be purposefully trippy. I'd kind of forgotten, until I was wandering around in the links at Cracked.com and found an article featuring one. I was intrigued, and headed to Youtube to do a bit of research for myself. I found this dude, who states he made his 2 - part video out of various scenes from the "Lymon Project".
I felt I should spread the weird. I'd like to provide a link to the actual "Sublymonal" website, but it gives me a 403 error whenever I try to get there. Oh well. Enjoy! (or fear!)
I felt I should spread the weird. I'd like to provide a link to the actual "Sublymonal" website, but it gives me a 403 error whenever I try to get there. Oh well. Enjoy! (or fear!)
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
As many of you are surely aware, today is Thanksgiving. I have had a pretty good one, all things considered.
First things first, the food this year was the best I've ever experienced. There's normally one or two things I don't like, and I've never been too much of a fan of poultry. However, everything rocked this year. I even loved the turkey, which was very tasty and completely free of nasty fat/skin/dark meat.
Since my mom and I got our own house, we've hosted the meal. Our family is very small - I'm the only kid, and actually the only one under 40. Like every other year, the attendees were my grandparents, my uncle, and my great-aunt with her boyfriend Ernie.
My grandparents got a Labrador puppy last Sunday, and they brought him along too. There was a debate as to what his name should be, with options such as Buck and Ruger being tossed around (it's hunting season, and their store is a DNR deer check station). Eventually, however, the name Buster was chosen. Buster is freaking hilarious, and gets really hyper and plays and then crashes and naps. I'll post a picture when I remember to take one, someday.
I've got a lot of things to be thankful for this year, although I don't really want to list them all. I hope everyone reading this has had a good day as well, and I'd be thankful if you have. (Get it? Thankful? And it's Thanksgiving? Never mind...)
First things first, the food this year was the best I've ever experienced. There's normally one or two things I don't like, and I've never been too much of a fan of poultry. However, everything rocked this year. I even loved the turkey, which was very tasty and completely free of nasty fat/skin/dark meat.
Since my mom and I got our own house, we've hosted the meal. Our family is very small - I'm the only kid, and actually the only one under 40. Like every other year, the attendees were my grandparents, my uncle, and my great-aunt with her boyfriend Ernie.
My grandparents got a Labrador puppy last Sunday, and they brought him along too. There was a debate as to what his name should be, with options such as Buck and Ruger being tossed around (it's hunting season, and their store is a DNR deer check station). Eventually, however, the name Buster was chosen. Buster is freaking hilarious, and gets really hyper and plays and then crashes and naps. I'll post a picture when I remember to take one, someday.
I've got a lot of things to be thankful for this year, although I don't really want to list them all. I hope everyone reading this has had a good day as well, and I'd be thankful if you have. (Get it? Thankful? And it's Thanksgiving? Never mind...)
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Everybody Wang Chung Tonight
I sincerely apologize for my lack of posting, despite the fact an article in Wired said you shouldn't do that. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what's keeping me from posting. I have a large number of started posts, bu none I seem to finish. Anyhoo.
So, yesterday I had a party. It was a smashingly successful one, considering more than two people came. That's what happened at my last two, anyway. I think a major helping point was the fact I gave out invites more than two days before, this time being prepared an entire week early. I also invited a TON of people, knowing not all would show up. At the highest point of attendance, there were 9 people in my basement.
Because of the fact I have upperclassman friends, some people drove. For some reason, that absolutely blows my mind. Is that strange? I suppose in a few years, it might blow my mind that some people won't be driving.
The party was obnoxiously loud from the very beginning, because of the drum kit and my record player. I could hear the party from outside the house. Seriously, at the beginning of the party only three people were there, and the drumming started as soon as we went downstairs. To be brutally honest, it wasn't really even drumming, just noise. I have two pairs of sticks, and two different people were hitting them randomly at the same time, different tempos. My mother requested it stopped pretty early on.
We had Guitar Hero set up, as well as pool, so everyone stayed well entertained. After a while everyone got bored with the GH, and we put on some Zeppelin (specifically, Led Zeppelin IV). Trust me, with the people that were there, that is very danceable music. Actually, the dancing was rather insane. There are three support beams (pole-like objects) down there, and Cory saw them as an invitation to dance rather, ahem, wildy. When I went upstairs to get more chippage, my mom asked what on earth we were doing to make the floor vibrate.
At one point, I received a cell phone call from my friend Courtney, who was there. I saw her holding a phone, so I assumed it was her and hit ignore. I didn't check to see if it was home or mobile, which was a mistake. Eventually, I asked her to stop calling me, and she said, "What? I don't have a cellphone." It was someone else's phone she was holding, and her dad was trying to call me. I went upstairs with her to call him back, and had to explain why I ignored him 4 times.
"Oh, I thought Courtney was calling me."
"Isn't she there??"
"Um, yeah, but I figured she was fooling around with her cellphone or something..."
"She doesn't have a cellphone."
"Oh. Um..."
"Can I just talk to Courtney?"
He was calling about giving someone a ride, or something.
It was a totally awesome party, with guitar playing, pool, obnoxious drumming, and records. I had a ton of fun, and I think the same applies to everyone (hopefully!). I'm really lucky to have friends who can have fun with what they're doing, instead of complaining about what they could be doing.
So, yesterday I had a party. It was a smashingly successful one, considering more than two people came. That's what happened at my last two, anyway. I think a major helping point was the fact I gave out invites more than two days before, this time being prepared an entire week early. I also invited a TON of people, knowing not all would show up. At the highest point of attendance, there were 9 people in my basement.
Because of the fact I have upperclassman friends, some people drove. For some reason, that absolutely blows my mind. Is that strange? I suppose in a few years, it might blow my mind that some people won't be driving.
The party was obnoxiously loud from the very beginning, because of the drum kit and my record player. I could hear the party from outside the house. Seriously, at the beginning of the party only three people were there, and the drumming started as soon as we went downstairs. To be brutally honest, it wasn't really even drumming, just noise. I have two pairs of sticks, and two different people were hitting them randomly at the same time, different tempos. My mother requested it stopped pretty early on.
We had Guitar Hero set up, as well as pool, so everyone stayed well entertained. After a while everyone got bored with the GH, and we put on some Zeppelin (specifically, Led Zeppelin IV). Trust me, with the people that were there, that is very danceable music. Actually, the dancing was rather insane. There are three support beams (pole-like objects) down there, and Cory saw them as an invitation to dance rather, ahem, wildy. When I went upstairs to get more chippage, my mom asked what on earth we were doing to make the floor vibrate.
At one point, I received a cell phone call from my friend Courtney, who was there. I saw her holding a phone, so I assumed it was her and hit ignore. I didn't check to see if it was home or mobile, which was a mistake. Eventually, I asked her to stop calling me, and she said, "What? I don't have a cellphone." It was someone else's phone she was holding, and her dad was trying to call me. I went upstairs with her to call him back, and had to explain why I ignored him 4 times.
"Oh, I thought Courtney was calling me."
"Isn't she there??"
"Um, yeah, but I figured she was fooling around with her cellphone or something..."
"She doesn't have a cellphone."
"Oh. Um..."
"Can I just talk to Courtney?"
He was calling about giving someone a ride, or something.
It was a totally awesome party, with guitar playing, pool, obnoxious drumming, and records. I had a ton of fun, and I think the same applies to everyone (hopefully!). I'm really lucky to have friends who can have fun with what they're doing, instead of complaining about what they could be doing.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Searched!
Wow - something freaky happened today. During second hour, the police brought the drug dogs to the school to sniff around and find drugs. I honestly didn't even know they were doing it - until I was pulled out of class.
At one point, he opened my book bag and pulled out this little brown and dusty square of wax paper. It looked very "suspicious", and he said "What's this?" in a rather serious tone. I was trying to think of a way to reassure him it wasn't drugs when he threw it back in and said "Looks like an old muffin wrapper. Gross!"
When he looked in the pocket of my bag I put books I read for enjoyment in, he pulled out one that happened to be in there. Cory (the locker partner) busted out laughing, and I just stood there feeling mortified. I had a copy of the book Sex, Drugs, and Coco-Puffs by Chuck Klosterman in there. The cover art is a cereal bowl full of pills. I said, "Umm, it has less to do with that stuff that you'd think," as he studied it. He said he was just seeing who the author was, because he was an L.A. teacher before being vice principal and had never heard of it. That brought many a laugh in the retelling of the story, believe me.
When he looked in the pocket of my bag I put books I read for enjoyment in, he pulled out one that happened to be in there. Cory (the locker partner) busted out laughing, and I just stood there feeling mortified. I had a copy of the book Sex, Drugs, and Coco-Puffs by Chuck Klosterman in there. The cover art is a cereal bowl full of pills. I said, "Umm, it has less to do with that stuff that you'd think," as he studied it. He said he was just seeing who the author was, because he was an L.A. teacher before being vice principal and had never heard of it. That brought many a laugh in the retelling of the story, believe me.
"You got searched too?"
"Yup."
"Find anything?"
"Nope."
That conversation went on a few times, until all eight people whose lockers were searched came in. One girl said they found Motrin, but she wasn't going to get in trouble for it. Even though everyone was done, the vice principal still took forever. By the time he started making calls, 2nd hour was almost over.
Their conversation went pretty quick, although it sounded like my mom was a little annoyed at having her class interrupted. Later, I found out this was because she was somewhat nervous herself, even though the very first thing said was "Don't worry, Drew's not in trouble."
The rest of the day was pretty much spent making jokes about getting searched. Cory said he's going to bring in dog treats on Monday and keep them in our locker the rest of the year. I think he means it, too.
Now I'm prepared for Halloween; good luck scaring me more than that did!
The rest of the day was pretty much spent making jokes about getting searched. Cory said he's going to bring in dog treats on Monday and keep them in our locker the rest of the year. I think he means it, too.
Now I'm prepared for Halloween; good luck scaring me more than that did!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Last Weekend
I realized that recently, I haven't been keeping all my dear readers informed of my day to day life. I also realize that I haven't been posting much at all lately, but when I do it's usually about one specific event. So, shall we get on with last weekend?
Last Friday was marching band's last game of the season (as far as I know). I walked uptown before rehearsal, and got totally soaked in the horrible rain. Everyone took shelter at a friend's house, so we chilled there until rehearsal. On rainy days, we practice in the High School gym, which stinks. It's impossible to really get any idea of where to go in there, because the yard lines aren't underfoot for reference. We went into the rain again after rehearsal, to get McDonald's (the Meal of Champions when it comes to band).
The plan was this: if it was raining after half time, the band would march back to the school and take shelter. It was raining the entire time we marched down to the field, and during the first half of our pre-game show. It stopped while we were in the stands, which was nice. It wasn't too cold out, so almost everyone took off their raincoats. It started raining again just as we marched onto the field for half time, but stopped during our second song.
Because it wasn't raining when we came off the field, our teacher told us we had the 3rd quarter to wander around and that we had to be in the stands for the 4th. During the said wandering, the skies opened up again. Everyone was running about, looking for raincoats, taking shelter under trees and umbrellas. We quickly got into parade block, hoping to be allowed to run back to the school chaotically, but we were forced to march. It was a long, long walk. When we got into the school, everyone had to hang their uniforms on the back of a chair to dry them. I was soaking underneath my uniform too, without a change of clothes. Still, it was a very fun experience.
On Saturday, I awoke to discover the fact my wallet was missing. I had left it (and my Aquafina Chapstick - Oh no!) in my uniform jacket. Well, it's not like I had any money anyway. Actually, the first thing on my schedule was going to work, to hopefully replenish said wallet. I've found I like working on Saturdays, before major evening events; it keeps me from spending the day talking about how excited I am for whatever I'm doing later.
The major event this Saturday was Courtney's Halloween party. I never actually received an invite, but since she had called me before setting the date to make sure I could make it, I figured I was invited. It went from 5 to 11 PM, which seemed like an incredibly long time for a party. she invited tons of people, and about 17 people came. Compared to my last 2 parties, where only 2 people showed up,this was pretty impressive.
It turned out the reason for the long hours was that everyone there was going on a hayride to a corn maze when it got dark. The hayride was kind of a bad idea in retrospect, considering most people weren't dressed warm enough for the 40 degree weather. It was also kind of illegal, since there were 17 people riding on an open trailer - no railings or cap - down major roads. It was just as bad on the way back, but we supposedly took a shortcut that time. I say "supposedly" because it still seemed like way too long of a ride.
The maze itself wasn't as horribly cold, because a) we weren't in the back of a moving vehicle and b) the corn blocked out some of the wind. Apparently, our group was supposed to supply it's own flashlights, but no one brought any. The people in charge of the corn maze had a few to let us borrow, but we ended up having to take the strobe lights off the back of the truck and carry them around. My group of five originally had a normal flashlight, but we ran into one of the groups with a strobe and they MADE us trade. They were getting majorly freaked out by the silence and the flashing, apparently. We took it, and turned it up as high a possible so there wasn't too much darkness between each flash. I don't think anyone in our group was scared by them, just annoyed by the whole "even more difficult to see" thing.
There were six stations throughout the maze, each with a "you are here" map on it. We also had maps, but they weren't of much use because we didn't look at them. The maze was enormous, and apparently in the shape of a stack of pumpkins. Everyone kept saying, "We're going in circles, we've already been here!" I'm sorry, how can you tell? IT'S CORN! Everything looked exactly the same to me. We only found three of the stations, and two of those we found by following other groups around.
The next day, was working a concession stand out at the gun club to try and raise money for our band's trip to Disney next year. Honestly, the concession stand isn't bringing much money in. We're a little over breaking even, but no where near where we thought we'd be. It\s kind of a boring job to do, as well.
After that was all done, Joe and I went on our annual haunted-house trip. This year, all the ones we normally go to were closed (because it was a Sunday). Instead, we went to one about an hour away, that was very professionally done. There weren't many actors, but the ones that were there would follow you around for a few rooms. At the end there was a dude with a chainsaw, which is always the thing that scares me the mot. The only way out of the room he was in was through a black-hole tunnel, one of those things where you're on a little bridge that goes through a brightly light tunnel that rotates. Joe had apparently never been in one, because he was totally freaked out by it. Both of us walked leaning to one side for about 5 minutes after it, because it really got into your head.
Overall, it was a pretty awesome weekend. Oh, and I finished this post just in time for the next weekend!
Last Friday was marching band's last game of the season (as far as I know). I walked uptown before rehearsal, and got totally soaked in the horrible rain. Everyone took shelter at a friend's house, so we chilled there until rehearsal. On rainy days, we practice in the High School gym, which stinks. It's impossible to really get any idea of where to go in there, because the yard lines aren't underfoot for reference. We went into the rain again after rehearsal, to get McDonald's (the Meal of Champions when it comes to band).
The plan was this: if it was raining after half time, the band would march back to the school and take shelter. It was raining the entire time we marched down to the field, and during the first half of our pre-game show. It stopped while we were in the stands, which was nice. It wasn't too cold out, so almost everyone took off their raincoats. It started raining again just as we marched onto the field for half time, but stopped during our second song.
Because it wasn't raining when we came off the field, our teacher told us we had the 3rd quarter to wander around and that we had to be in the stands for the 4th. During the said wandering, the skies opened up again. Everyone was running about, looking for raincoats, taking shelter under trees and umbrellas. We quickly got into parade block, hoping to be allowed to run back to the school chaotically, but we were forced to march. It was a long, long walk. When we got into the school, everyone had to hang their uniforms on the back of a chair to dry them. I was soaking underneath my uniform too, without a change of clothes. Still, it was a very fun experience.
On Saturday, I awoke to discover the fact my wallet was missing. I had left it (and my Aquafina Chapstick - Oh no!) in my uniform jacket. Well, it's not like I had any money anyway. Actually, the first thing on my schedule was going to work, to hopefully replenish said wallet. I've found I like working on Saturdays, before major evening events; it keeps me from spending the day talking about how excited I am for whatever I'm doing later.
The major event this Saturday was Courtney's Halloween party. I never actually received an invite, but since she had called me before setting the date to make sure I could make it, I figured I was invited. It went from 5 to 11 PM, which seemed like an incredibly long time for a party. she invited tons of people, and about 17 people came. Compared to my last 2 parties, where only 2 people showed up,this was pretty impressive.
It turned out the reason for the long hours was that everyone there was going on a hayride to a corn maze when it got dark. The hayride was kind of a bad idea in retrospect, considering most people weren't dressed warm enough for the 40 degree weather. It was also kind of illegal, since there were 17 people riding on an open trailer - no railings or cap - down major roads. It was just as bad on the way back, but we supposedly took a shortcut that time. I say "supposedly" because it still seemed like way too long of a ride.
The maze itself wasn't as horribly cold, because a) we weren't in the back of a moving vehicle and b) the corn blocked out some of the wind. Apparently, our group was supposed to supply it's own flashlights, but no one brought any. The people in charge of the corn maze had a few to let us borrow, but we ended up having to take the strobe lights off the back of the truck and carry them around. My group of five originally had a normal flashlight, but we ran into one of the groups with a strobe and they MADE us trade. They were getting majorly freaked out by the silence and the flashing, apparently. We took it, and turned it up as high a possible so there wasn't too much darkness between each flash. I don't think anyone in our group was scared by them, just annoyed by the whole "even more difficult to see" thing.
There were six stations throughout the maze, each with a "you are here" map on it. We also had maps, but they weren't of much use because we didn't look at them. The maze was enormous, and apparently in the shape of a stack of pumpkins. Everyone kept saying, "We're going in circles, we've already been here!" I'm sorry, how can you tell? IT'S CORN! Everything looked exactly the same to me. We only found three of the stations, and two of those we found by following other groups around.
The next day, was working a concession stand out at the gun club to try and raise money for our band's trip to Disney next year. Honestly, the concession stand isn't bringing much money in. We're a little over breaking even, but no where near where we thought we'd be. It\s kind of a boring job to do, as well.
After that was all done, Joe and I went on our annual haunted-house trip. This year, all the ones we normally go to were closed (because it was a Sunday). Instead, we went to one about an hour away, that was very professionally done. There weren't many actors, but the ones that were there would follow you around for a few rooms. At the end there was a dude with a chainsaw, which is always the thing that scares me the mot. The only way out of the room he was in was through a black-hole tunnel, one of those things where you're on a little bridge that goes through a brightly light tunnel that rotates. Joe had apparently never been in one, because he was totally freaked out by it. Both of us walked leaning to one side for about 5 minutes after it, because it really got into your head.
Overall, it was a pretty awesome weekend. Oh, and I finished this post just in time for the next weekend!
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Rocky Horror Picture Show Live!
As mentioned in my previous post, there was a performance or Rocky Horror Picture Show Live! that I wished to attend. Now, the tale of said trip.
Since May, I'd known the local performing arts group was doing a theatrical version of RHPS, and I probably mentioned how excited I was about once a week. I wanted to audition for it (wouldn't I make a great Frank-N-Furter?), but it turned out you had to be 18 to get a major part, and I think 16 for a back up singer/actor.
I went with Courtney and our friend Leah, who is absolutely crazy about RHPS. Out of four showings, we could only make it to the Saturday night at 8 due to multiple band things. The theatre it was at allowed audience participation, as long as you didn't throw food items. We all got stuff together to bring, because no one wanted to pay 10 bucks for a premade pack there.
I must say: Courtney did not have fun. Th closest she came to enjoying the show was, "Well, it's better than being at home." It's a bit ironic (or is it just coincidental?), because my uncle and I were talking before the show (he went too) about how his friend used his girlfriend as an excuse not to go, saying she didn't like plays. My uncle thought the dude was lying, because "what girl doesn't want to be taken to a play?" I think RHPS is exempt from that rule, however.
I'd never been to an actual audience participation show before, and it was pretty awesome. I knew people threw stuff, but I hadn't realized everyone would be shouting things at the actors. A lot of the things they said seemed to be pre-planned, as in they say them at every showing. However, other things sounded pretty improv.
In all truth, the play was better than the movie. It had more jokes, and the audience participation was cool. I also enjoyed the fact that the character Rocky had speaking lines in the play. Actually, the Narrator was a close family friend of Leah's, and she had been in a play with the dude who played Frank Furter.
After the play, we were standing around in the lobby waiting for our ride. All the actors were in there, signing autographs and getting hugs and whatnot, and Leah wanted a picture with Frank Furter. She hadn't realized she knew him at that time, so she was deathly afraid of asking him for a picture. "You ask," she kept saying over and over again. Eventually, after listening to her say over and over how much she would regret not getting the picture, I asked him fro her. While he had his arm around her, I had difficulties with the camera phone, leading him to comment about "Poor dear must be so frightened, with this scary dude putting his arm around her for so long." Eventually I got the picture, and he wandered off for the next group of people. He was totally in character the whole time, which was slightly frightening.
Does anyone else have any cool RHPS viewing stories? From what I've heard, every showing of it is an experience.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Weekend At The Grandparents' Place
This last weekend, my mom went to Chicago to watch the marathon. I elected to stay home, because A) I had a muzzleloading shoot on Sunday and B) I wondered how it would be to stay home while she was on vacation.
This meant I spent the weekend with my grandparents, at their house half a mile down the road from us. I lived with them for 8 years (I was still living there when I started this blog), so it didn't seem like it would be too big of an issue to stay there for one weekend. I discovered that one grows used to their own house pretty quickly.
The plan was this: I'd ride my bike over to their place Saturday morning, work until the store closed (for those not in the know, they own a gun shop where I am employed), and then go into town. On Sunday, my grandpa and I would leave early for the shoot, and get home around 4.
Work went really well, and I made enough money to (hopefully) fund a viewing of Rocky Horror Picture Show Live! with my friends this weekend (trust me, I'll be posting more on that soon). I usually have fun at work, because it's easy, yet slightly challenging. Plus, the whole store atmosphere is very relaxed, and when customers come in it's usually like having a friend or acquaintance drop by for a visit.
After work, we went into town to get dinner and, apparently, go clothes shopping. I was not aware the second item was on the agenda, which was a nice surprise. The only problem was it was another school's Homecoming, so the restaurant we went to was packed with teens. It was a little awkward, especially when I recognized a few people. Still, the food was good! I got a new pair of skinny jeans as well, so you could count that as a victory.
When we left for the shoot on Sunday, I knew it would be cold, so I dressed pretty warm. Unfortunately, it's impossible to wear gloves when you're muzzle-loading, so I ended up not being able to feel my fingers for the rest of the day.
The shoot was a multi-discipline shoot, with four 50-point regular targets, a smoothbore target, a pistol target, and knife and 'hawk throwing. I included all this info because I now have a reader who knows what I'm talking about: the awesome Crush of Society guitarist Bobby! He shoots muzzleloaders as well. Anyway, I did well in all the regular targets. I managed to hit the paper all five times with the smoothbore, but kind of gave up on the pistol when I had only hit it twice out of 6 shots.
When they announced the winners, I was pleasantly surprised to discover I had taken third place in the regular aggregate. I was only four points away from first, and I had been up against a lot of very good shooters. I got a knife as my prize for that, and a mug as a thank-you for being a Junior shooter (I was the only person under 50 there).
All in all, it was an interesting experience. I had fun, but would I pass up going to Chicago again? Probably not.
This meant I spent the weekend with my grandparents, at their house half a mile down the road from us. I lived with them for 8 years (I was still living there when I started this blog), so it didn't seem like it would be too big of an issue to stay there for one weekend. I discovered that one grows used to their own house pretty quickly.
The plan was this: I'd ride my bike over to their place Saturday morning, work until the store closed (for those not in the know, they own a gun shop where I am employed), and then go into town. On Sunday, my grandpa and I would leave early for the shoot, and get home around 4.
Work went really well, and I made enough money to (hopefully) fund a viewing of Rocky Horror Picture Show Live! with my friends this weekend (trust me, I'll be posting more on that soon). I usually have fun at work, because it's easy, yet slightly challenging. Plus, the whole store atmosphere is very relaxed, and when customers come in it's usually like having a friend or acquaintance drop by for a visit.
After work, we went into town to get dinner and, apparently, go clothes shopping. I was not aware the second item was on the agenda, which was a nice surprise. The only problem was it was another school's Homecoming, so the restaurant we went to was packed with teens. It was a little awkward, especially when I recognized a few people. Still, the food was good! I got a new pair of skinny jeans as well, so you could count that as a victory.
When we left for the shoot on Sunday, I knew it would be cold, so I dressed pretty warm. Unfortunately, it's impossible to wear gloves when you're muzzle-loading, so I ended up not being able to feel my fingers for the rest of the day.
The shoot was a multi-discipline shoot, with four 50-point regular targets, a smoothbore target, a pistol target, and knife and 'hawk throwing. I included all this info because I now have a reader who knows what I'm talking about: the awesome Crush of Society guitarist Bobby! He shoots muzzleloaders as well. Anyway, I did well in all the regular targets. I managed to hit the paper all five times with the smoothbore, but kind of gave up on the pistol when I had only hit it twice out of 6 shots.
When they announced the winners, I was pleasantly surprised to discover I had taken third place in the regular aggregate. I was only four points away from first, and I had been up against a lot of very good shooters. I got a knife as my prize for that, and a mug as a thank-you for being a Junior shooter (I was the only person under 50 there).
All in all, it was an interesting experience. I had fun, but would I pass up going to Chicago again? Probably not.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Homecoming Dance
Tonight was my first High School dance. Usually before dances I am nervous and pace a lot, but I managed to keep myself occupied at work all day. My only major problem was that of my health, because all week I've been fighting with a cold/allergies. Also, last night was the homecoming football game, and I virtually destroyed my voice with cheers and cadences for band. I am not exaggerating when I say I was incredibly happy to get an entire raspy sentence out without my voice just disappearing. Fortunately, I got my voice to come back at least a little in time for the dance. Well, I was at least understandable.
When I got out of the car in front of the school at 7:30 sharp, I walked up to the giant crowd of people getting checked in by two guys I'd never met, and only seen in the halls once or twice. The one who seemed to be more talkative turned to me and asked "Do you play drums?" I told them no, I was a bassist. "Oh, we need a drummer for our band. You look like a drummer. Isn't it hard to find a drummer in this school?" We then went into a long discussion about drumming, and each of our respective bands. Keep in mind, I had no clue who these dudes were and they didn't know me. They were basing the entire conversation on looks. It turns out they were in a band with a friend of mine that also plays bass, which I found interesting.
The line to check in was about 15 minutes long, I kid you not. The air was really thick with a mix of every brand of perfume and cologne people were wearing, prompting the thought "smells like teen spirit." (yes, I'm a dork, get over it.) I went with Courtney as my date, of course, but we didn't actually arrive together. This was due to a lack of planning on my part, with us basically just saying we'd find each other once we got there. This was not a good plan. There were over 500 students in there, and I was starting to wonder if we'd even see each other at all in the entire 3 and a half hours. Thankfully we did, because I got there first and waited near the entrance for her along with my other friends who made similar foolish plans.
How can one really say much more about a dance? It was crazy! The differences between J.H. and High School continue to present themselves. At this, there were almost no people awkwardly standing to one side of the dance floor, refusing to dance. I was outside the main mosh, but I still busted a groove with everyone else. Apparently, the trick to it is being an idiot while moving your limbs in a semi-coordinated manner.
I showed up to the dance dressed all nicely,
but before long I had my tie loosened, and my shirt was untucked with the top button undone. All the dancing I did really takes it out of you! It became warmer and warmer in the room as the night wore on, which I mostly blame on extreme physical activity taking place.
Fast forward to the end of the dance. I really didn't want it to end, because it was so fun. As we walked out, the air was once again thick with the smell of teen spirit, only this time in a less perfumed manner. I turned to Courtney and stated, "This will make such a good blog post!"
When I got out of the car in front of the school at 7:30 sharp, I walked up to the giant crowd of people getting checked in by two guys I'd never met, and only seen in the halls once or twice. The one who seemed to be more talkative turned to me and asked "Do you play drums?" I told them no, I was a bassist. "Oh, we need a drummer for our band. You look like a drummer. Isn't it hard to find a drummer in this school?" We then went into a long discussion about drumming, and each of our respective bands. Keep in mind, I had no clue who these dudes were and they didn't know me. They were basing the entire conversation on looks. It turns out they were in a band with a friend of mine that also plays bass, which I found interesting.
The line to check in was about 15 minutes long, I kid you not. The air was really thick with a mix of every brand of perfume and cologne people were wearing, prompting the thought "smells like teen spirit." (yes, I'm a dork, get over it.) I went with Courtney as my date, of course, but we didn't actually arrive together. This was due to a lack of planning on my part, with us basically just saying we'd find each other once we got there. This was not a good plan. There were over 500 students in there, and I was starting to wonder if we'd even see each other at all in the entire 3 and a half hours. Thankfully we did, because I got there first and waited near the entrance for her along with my other friends who made similar foolish plans.
How can one really say much more about a dance? It was crazy! The differences between J.H. and High School continue to present themselves. At this, there were almost no people awkwardly standing to one side of the dance floor, refusing to dance. I was outside the main mosh, but I still busted a groove with everyone else. Apparently, the trick to it is being an idiot while moving your limbs in a semi-coordinated manner.
I showed up to the dance dressed all nicely,
but before long I had my tie loosened, and my shirt was untucked with the top button undone. All the dancing I did really takes it out of you! It became warmer and warmer in the room as the night wore on, which I mostly blame on extreme physical activity taking place.
Fast forward to the end of the dance. I really didn't want it to end, because it was so fun. As we walked out, the air was once again thick with the smell of teen spirit, only this time in a less perfumed manner. I turned to Courtney and stated, "This will make such a good blog post!"
Thursday, September 24, 2009
First Game
So, guess what last Friday was? Our first performance for marching band! It was pretty fun, all in all.
We got out of school at 2:16, and had a rehearsal at 4. After the rehearsal, we had time to go and get a bite to eat, then head on over to the school to get into uniform. I decided to spend all the time we had in between things wandering around uptown with my friends, because the whole town is less than two square miles in size, and it was much more convenient than driving 18 miles home and back again. Isn't living in a small town fun?
All we really did in between the letting out of school and the rehearsal was head to places, such as a friends house to get black socks for the uniform and to the Marathon station to get something to drink. It was surprising just how little time we had, until you thought about the fact walking to the school campus took 5-10 minutes.
Rehearsal was a bit upsetting, because of a disagreement between I and a friend that I'd rather not get into. Fortunately, everything resolved itself, and everyone walked away a bit happier.
On the plus side, we did pretty good at rehearsal. We were trying out a new method of marching off the field we had only learned on Monday, and it worked like a charm. None of the trumpets played, because we had to save our chops for when it mattered, but I was pretty confident. I'm the youngest (read: least experienced) trumpet player, and I'm pretty good. If I could do it, everyone else could for sure.
After rehearsal we walked to McDonalds, got a quick snack, blah blah blah. We had to eat on our way back to the school, because we had to start getting dressed soon. The report time was 6, and the teacher advised we saved half an hour to get ready. All we really had to do was pull on our uniforms over our clothes, because they're made of thin material and it was going to be cold. I think the uniforms look kind of cool, actually, in a weird way. The only part I dislike are the hats.
We have to wear the bucket-style hats with plumes, and the rule is there can't be any hair showing. I have hair past my shoulders. The reason I grew it out (one of them, anyway) is the fact that I look like a freak without it. This was no exception. There was actually a row of chairs lined up with long-haired guys sitting in them, all grumbling about the fact we had to put it up as one of the girls helped us put it into a pony tail. The completed product was me with virtually no hair. No one recognized me, a few people said I looked like a girl. I took it down after Half Time, and was quite relieved. Strange, that in order for me to look like a guy I had to have my hair down instead of up and short.
Even though it was absolutely freezing cold, it was pretty fun. I'm seriously looking forward to our next game, which is Homecoming. Can't wait!
Even though it was absolutely freezing cold, it was pretty fun. I'm seriously looking forward to our next game, which is Homecoming. Can't wait!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
High School
Last week was my first week of High School. I was a tiny bit nervous, thanks to multiple people's warnings ("watch out for Upperclassmen!") However, this fear was totally misplaced. It was almost exactly like Jr. High, with the exception of the fact I'm no longer on top. Still, I think it's cooler to be at the bottom of High School than the top of Jr. High.
The first day was probably the worst, because I was still trying to find my way around and figure out where all my classes are. It was also a bit of a bummer that all we really did was cover the rules. I mean, by this point we should really be able to survive without being told basic common sense. After three years of the same thing at the Jr. High, and five more of a similar style in elementary, anyone who doesn't get how to avoid trouble probably has bigger issues to worry about than that.
The rest of the week started ups out with the curriculum, so it was a bit better. I wound up with a 100 question test, a 65 question test, and a two and a half page paper on the second day, and I like that. I'm definitely looking forward to having a bit more of a challenge from this point on.
All my teachers are pretty cool, so I'm lucky there. One of my friends, who has almost all the same classes, managed to compare every teacher we have currently to an awesome teacher from previous years.
Well, I actually have to be getting to school. I'm still typing theses on my mom's Jr. High classroom computer, but now I have to walk across campus to the High School. Better hurry!
(P.S.: this post is actually just an assignment from Language Arts I typed up, with a bit added to it. I think if I write all my assignments like blog posts, I'll do pretty well in class!)
The first day was probably the worst, because I was still trying to find my way around and figure out where all my classes are. It was also a bit of a bummer that all we really did was cover the rules. I mean, by this point we should really be able to survive without being told basic common sense. After three years of the same thing at the Jr. High, and five more of a similar style in elementary, anyone who doesn't get how to avoid trouble probably has bigger issues to worry about than that.
The rest of the week started ups out with the curriculum, so it was a bit better. I wound up with a 100 question test, a 65 question test, and a two and a half page paper on the second day, and I like that. I'm definitely looking forward to having a bit more of a challenge from this point on.
All my teachers are pretty cool, so I'm lucky there. One of my friends, who has almost all the same classes, managed to compare every teacher we have currently to an awesome teacher from previous years.
Well, I actually have to be getting to school. I'm still typing theses on my mom's Jr. High classroom computer, but now I have to walk across campus to the High School. Better hurry!
(P.S.: this post is actually just an assignment from Language Arts I typed up, with a bit added to it. I think if I write all my assignments like blog posts, I'll do pretty well in class!)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Puzzling
Hey! How have all of your Labor Day weekends' been? I spent mine camping. We (me, my mom, Joe, and two other family friends) do every year, and it's always pretty fun.
We stayed at a state camp ground we hadn't been to before. It was right on Lake Huron, and the beach was only a five-minute walk. We spent most of Saturday on the beach, tanning and swimming. On Sunday, we went to an art fair in Port Austin, and played putt-putt golf (I lost).
When we were in Port Austin, we stopped at a cool little tourist store we visit every time we come up. They have tons of puzzles and stuff for sale, and I was goofing around with a Rubik's Cube that had numbers instead of colors. My mom and Joe were off somewhere else, and they called me over. Instead of putting down the cube, I carried it over to where they were.
They were standing by a little table that had a 9 square puzzle on it, and a sign that stated "finish in 5 minutes or less and keep the puzzle!". I don't mean to brag, but I am awesome at those things. My grandparents got a few for me a couple of years ago, and I solved them in about 10 minutes apiece. I handed the cube to my mom, and set to work.
I solved the puzzle in two minutes. The guy who was behind the counter gave me my free puzzle, congratulated me, blah blah blah. We left the store right after, to go to the grocery store next door and get some food for dinner. As Joe was off looking for something else, my mom was busy saying, "That was really cool, how you solved it that fast!". I responded with, "Did you steal that Rubik's Cube??". Apparently, she accidentally walked out with it. I called Joe over, and the look on his face was priceless. My mom was incredibly embarrassed, and had Joe return it to the guy.
There were many bloggable moments this weekend, but that one totally takes the cake.
We stayed at a state camp ground we hadn't been to before. It was right on Lake Huron, and the beach was only a five-minute walk. We spent most of Saturday on the beach, tanning and swimming. On Sunday, we went to an art fair in Port Austin, and played putt-putt golf (I lost).
When we were in Port Austin, we stopped at a cool little tourist store we visit every time we come up. They have tons of puzzles and stuff for sale, and I was goofing around with a Rubik's Cube that had numbers instead of colors. My mom and Joe were off somewhere else, and they called me over. Instead of putting down the cube, I carried it over to where they were.
They were standing by a little table that had a 9 square puzzle on it, and a sign that stated "finish in 5 minutes or less and keep the puzzle!". I don't mean to brag, but I am awesome at those things. My grandparents got a few for me a couple of years ago, and I solved them in about 10 minutes apiece. I handed the cube to my mom, and set to work.
I solved the puzzle in two minutes. The guy who was behind the counter gave me my free puzzle, congratulated me, blah blah blah. We left the store right after, to go to the grocery store next door and get some food for dinner. As Joe was off looking for something else, my mom was busy saying, "That was really cool, how you solved it that fast!". I responded with, "Did you steal that Rubik's Cube??". Apparently, she accidentally walked out with it. I called Joe over, and the look on his face was priceless. My mom was incredibly embarrassed, and had Joe return it to the guy.
There were many bloggable moments this weekend, but that one totally takes the cake.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Record Player Needle!
Hey everyone - guess what? I finally got a new needle for my record player! I broke the old one back while school was still in session, and even before that the speed setting on the player was broken. In essence, it's been forever since I've been able to listen to any of my records.
I had hoped to be able to find a needle for my record player while I was in Chicago; I had no idea how hard of a task that would be. See, I was under the impression there were a few different kinds of needles, but they were basically universal. Boy, was I wrong. After being rejected at a few different stores, I decided I would just try and find one online - again, a very difficult task. I discovered a nice company that "carries every needle made since 1930", and set out to find mine on there. This involved running up and down the basement stairs about five times, because I kept forgetting either the company's name or the model number. Eventually, I found the manufacturer and started browsing inventory. Of course, they didn't have my exact model. I gambled and got a look-alike, with a similar model number.
Despite the site saying it would take 1-2 days after shipping, a week later I still had no needle. I was getting upset, and relieved to see an email from the seller. Turns out the guy misread my address, and I had to spell out all the numbers for him. Fast forward 5 more days, and I got the needle! Yay!
Needless to say, I'll be spending a lot of my time hanging out in the basement, listening to the awesome sound of vinyl and playing pool and video games. Hey, it's better than playing "bejeweled" for four hours straight!
I had hoped to be able to find a needle for my record player while I was in Chicago; I had no idea how hard of a task that would be. See, I was under the impression there were a few different kinds of needles, but they were basically universal. Boy, was I wrong. After being rejected at a few different stores, I decided I would just try and find one online - again, a very difficult task. I discovered a nice company that "carries every needle made since 1930", and set out to find mine on there. This involved running up and down the basement stairs about five times, because I kept forgetting either the company's name or the model number. Eventually, I found the manufacturer and started browsing inventory. Of course, they didn't have my exact model. I gambled and got a look-alike, with a similar model number.
Despite the site saying it would take 1-2 days after shipping, a week later I still had no needle. I was getting upset, and relieved to see an email from the seller. Turns out the guy misread my address, and I had to spell out all the numbers for him. Fast forward 5 more days, and I got the needle! Yay!
Needless to say, I'll be spending a lot of my time hanging out in the basement, listening to the awesome sound of vinyl and playing pool and video games. Hey, it's better than playing "bejeweled" for four hours straight!
Friday, August 14, 2009
Cedar Point
Hello, BW readers. Lots has happened in the past few weeks! Of course, you all know I went to Chicago, but it's been almost 2 weeks since then - I'm afraid I waited too long to write a post about going there.
A more recent, very awesome event was going to Cedar Point this last Wednesday. For those who don't live in the Mid-West, Cedar Point is an amusement park known for having one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world, the "Top-Thrill Dragster". They also have the record for most coasters in one park, 17. In other words, they are incredibly freaking awesome.
I went with my mother, one of her teacher friends, and Courtney. The four hour ride there was uneventful, but still fun. Once we got there, we headed over to "The Mantis", one neither my mother nor I had been on yet. The sign at the end of the line said it would be an hour and 3/4 to the ride, but it barely took and hour. A good thing, too; it wasn't that great of a roller coaster.
I don't really wish to bore you by describing each and every ride we went on, so I'll go with only one: the last one of the night, the one they're known for. The "Top-Thrill Dragster". My mom wouldn't even go on it with us, and she's not exactly a wimp when it comes to rides. I wouldn't have gone on it at all, but Courtney forced me to. The line was about an hour long, and it was a long hour indeed.
It may not look impressive in that picture, but let me tell you - it is. 420 feet tall, and gets going up to 120 mph almost as soon as you start moving.
I spent most of the wait panicking, because the closer to the actual ride you get the more you can tell about it. We timed it: it was less than 10 seconds from start to finish, and after half a second the car was already up to top speed (they had a radar gun thingy display on a screen).
The worst part of the wait was definitely a sign seen halfway through the line, with various safety instructions. The final one wasn't concerning safety, however; it was about "rollbacks". Apparently, sometimes they don't get it going fast enough on the first try, and it stops at the top. They then lower it back to the start slowly, and send you back on up again. I think the sign was there to reassure you this was normal and safe, but it didn't work for me. The only thing making it seem like you aren't perpendicular to the ground is the speed, and being lowered to the ground slowly would counteract that. Scary.
We finally got on, and were moved toward the starting line. It's supposed to have a drag racing theme, so it has a "1,2,3, GO!" light system set up and lots of noises. We had to wait for the car in front of us to be launched, and then got to sit and wait. The lights were really fast, so by the time you saw them you were pretty much already moving.
It...was...AWESOME. I loved it. I loved the feeling of acceleration, I loved slowing down at the top enough to be able to talk to Courtney for a split second ("My ears just popped - OH SH-!!!"), and I loved plummeting straight towards the ground at really high speeds.
The only thing I didn't like, actually, was the fact it twisted on the way down; it would have been much more dramatic had you seen the ground rushing towards you the entire time, instead of being spun towards the boring steel supports. Still, an awesome ride.
After the thrill of a lifetime, we headed home. I valiantly tried to stay awake the whole four hours - and keep Courtney up against her will, for company - but I wound up crashing around one. I slept in until about 1:30 in the afternoon on Thursday, too.
I can't wait until next time.
A more recent, very awesome event was going to Cedar Point this last Wednesday. For those who don't live in the Mid-West, Cedar Point is an amusement park known for having one of the tallest and fastest roller coasters in the world, the "Top-Thrill Dragster". They also have the record for most coasters in one park, 17. In other words, they are incredibly freaking awesome.
I went with my mother, one of her teacher friends, and Courtney. The four hour ride there was uneventful, but still fun. Once we got there, we headed over to "The Mantis", one neither my mother nor I had been on yet. The sign at the end of the line said it would be an hour and 3/4 to the ride, but it barely took and hour. A good thing, too; it wasn't that great of a roller coaster.
I don't really wish to bore you by describing each and every ride we went on, so I'll go with only one: the last one of the night, the one they're known for. The "Top-Thrill Dragster". My mom wouldn't even go on it with us, and she's not exactly a wimp when it comes to rides. I wouldn't have gone on it at all, but Courtney forced me to. The line was about an hour long, and it was a long hour indeed.
It may not look impressive in that picture, but let me tell you - it is. 420 feet tall, and gets going up to 120 mph almost as soon as you start moving.I spent most of the wait panicking, because the closer to the actual ride you get the more you can tell about it. We timed it: it was less than 10 seconds from start to finish, and after half a second the car was already up to top speed (they had a radar gun thingy display on a screen).
The worst part of the wait was definitely a sign seen halfway through the line, with various safety instructions. The final one wasn't concerning safety, however; it was about "rollbacks". Apparently, sometimes they don't get it going fast enough on the first try, and it stops at the top. They then lower it back to the start slowly, and send you back on up again. I think the sign was there to reassure you this was normal and safe, but it didn't work for me. The only thing making it seem like you aren't perpendicular to the ground is the speed, and being lowered to the ground slowly would counteract that. Scary.
We finally got on, and were moved toward the starting line. It's supposed to have a drag racing theme, so it has a "1,2,3, GO!" light system set up and lots of noises. We had to wait for the car in front of us to be launched, and then got to sit and wait. The lights were really fast, so by the time you saw them you were pretty much already moving.
It...was...AWESOME. I loved it. I loved the feeling of acceleration, I loved slowing down at the top enough to be able to talk to Courtney for a split second ("My ears just popped - OH SH-!!!"), and I loved plummeting straight towards the ground at really high speeds.
The only thing I didn't like, actually, was the fact it twisted on the way down; it would have been much more dramatic had you seen the ground rushing towards you the entire time, instead of being spun towards the boring steel supports. Still, an awesome ride.
After the thrill of a lifetime, we headed home. I valiantly tried to stay awake the whole four hours - and keep Courtney up against her will, for company - but I wound up crashing around one. I slept in until about 1:30 in the afternoon on Thursday, too.
I can't wait until next time.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
The Half-Marathon
WOOHOOO!!!! I ran the half-marathon on Sunday. For those not in the know, my mom and I (as well as a few of her friends) have been in the training for a half-marathon the last 6 months or so. The training has been brutal, but it's also paid off.
It was the Rock & Roll Half-Marathon, with live bands every mile. Of course, that really sweetened the idea of doing this run. I love rock, and what better way to run than while enjoying it?
I'll admit this right away: I didn't run the whole thing. Bummer, but I made it all the way to the 11th mile marker before having to stop for a walking break. Considering the furthest distance I had ran previous, without walking stops, was 3.2 miles, 11 miles is absolutely insane. In all, I ran about 12 of the 13.1 miles, with a time of 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 22 seconds. Yes, the seconds matter.
This is the course of the race, for reference:
It wound through first the streets of downtown Chicago, and then along the water. At points, you could see the fastest runners on their way back from the loop, which was cool.
They had 21 delayed start corrals, each with about 1000 people in them. I was in corral 20, along with my mom and a few of her friends. By the 10K mark, I had passed a person we knew in the 17th corral, meaning I had moved forward 3,000 people. I started with a pace group of 3:15 (we would finish at three hours and 15 minutes). I ended with the 2:30 group, an incredible span of time to move ahead.
Actually, it was a really enjoyable run until the 10K mark. I had no trouble breathing, my legs didn't hurt, and I didn't get any cramps from lack of breathing. unfortunately, around that point, I started to have horrible stomach cramps, the kind many get when they run long distance. It was bearable, but made what could have been a fun run not so much fun.
I stopped for a walking break at mile 11 because my legs hurt incredibly bad. They had started aching around mile 8, but it was practically unbearable by that point. I walked for about half a mile, but the pain in my legs wouldn't go away. I started to run again, figuring I could make up for a bit of lost time. When my heart started feeling really funky, like it was missing a beat, I stopped again. Scary, huh? I walked another half mile or so, with a few little bursts of running here and there.
Finally, during the last half mile, I had a realization: my legs hurt just as bad whether I was running or walking. I figured running would just get me to the end, and end the pain a little, faster. I ran from that point on, but kept close watch on how my body felt, especially my heart.
When I got to the final stretch, surrounded by families of runners and people who had already finished, I was incredibly relieved. Despite that, the race wasn't over yet.
The P.A. system was blasting rock songs, tying in with the theme of the marathon. All of a sudden, the song "Pinball Wizard" by The Who came on. It's one of my favourite songs to run to, and it inspired me to use up that last little bit of energy I had to sprint the last 100 yards or so.
I finished, as mentioned, with a time of 2 hours and 33 minutes. Everyone who was with me kept telling me how amazing that was, and how amazing it is that I made it 11 miles without stopping. However, I'm not going to say it was amazing. I say it was an amazing tribute to the stupidity and stubbornness of a 14-year old boy. Only one of us could manage to do something so incredibly painful and dumb as this, without stopping and realizing that at some point.
Finishing was, well, an incredible relief. I was tired, in incredible pain, but I did it. My legs still hurt, three days later, and I move like a 70 year old man. But it was worth it.
It was the Rock & Roll Half-Marathon, with live bands every mile. Of course, that really sweetened the idea of doing this run. I love rock, and what better way to run than while enjoying it?
I'll admit this right away: I didn't run the whole thing. Bummer, but I made it all the way to the 11th mile marker before having to stop for a walking break. Considering the furthest distance I had ran previous, without walking stops, was 3.2 miles, 11 miles is absolutely insane. In all, I ran about 12 of the 13.1 miles, with a time of 2 hours, 33 minutes, and 22 seconds. Yes, the seconds matter.
This is the course of the race, for reference:
It wound through first the streets of downtown Chicago, and then along the water. At points, you could see the fastest runners on their way back from the loop, which was cool.They had 21 delayed start corrals, each with about 1000 people in them. I was in corral 20, along with my mom and a few of her friends. By the 10K mark, I had passed a person we knew in the 17th corral, meaning I had moved forward 3,000 people. I started with a pace group of 3:15 (we would finish at three hours and 15 minutes). I ended with the 2:30 group, an incredible span of time to move ahead.
Actually, it was a really enjoyable run until the 10K mark. I had no trouble breathing, my legs didn't hurt, and I didn't get any cramps from lack of breathing. unfortunately, around that point, I started to have horrible stomach cramps, the kind many get when they run long distance. It was bearable, but made what could have been a fun run not so much fun.
I stopped for a walking break at mile 11 because my legs hurt incredibly bad. They had started aching around mile 8, but it was practically unbearable by that point. I walked for about half a mile, but the pain in my legs wouldn't go away. I started to run again, figuring I could make up for a bit of lost time. When my heart started feeling really funky, like it was missing a beat, I stopped again. Scary, huh? I walked another half mile or so, with a few little bursts of running here and there.
Finally, during the last half mile, I had a realization: my legs hurt just as bad whether I was running or walking. I figured running would just get me to the end, and end the pain a little, faster. I ran from that point on, but kept close watch on how my body felt, especially my heart.
When I got to the final stretch, surrounded by families of runners and people who had already finished, I was incredibly relieved. Despite that, the race wasn't over yet.
The P.A. system was blasting rock songs, tying in with the theme of the marathon. All of a sudden, the song "Pinball Wizard" by The Who came on. It's one of my favourite songs to run to, and it inspired me to use up that last little bit of energy I had to sprint the last 100 yards or so.
I finished, as mentioned, with a time of 2 hours and 33 minutes. Everyone who was with me kept telling me how amazing that was, and how amazing it is that I made it 11 miles without stopping. However, I'm not going to say it was amazing. I say it was an amazing tribute to the stupidity and stubbornness of a 14-year old boy. Only one of us could manage to do something so incredibly painful and dumb as this, without stopping and realizing that at some point.
Finishing was, well, an incredible relief. I was tired, in incredible pain, but I did it. My legs still hurt, three days later, and I move like a 70 year old man. But it was worth it.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
This One Time, At Band Camp...
Guess where I've been every weekday since last Thursday? Band Camp! It's not an overnight camp, but lasts all day every day. It's a lot of fun, and pretty tough.
I'm lucky enough to be the only freshman trumpet player, because our third trumpet decided to become a drummer (dummer?) and our first trumpet became a flag girl. There's only five trumpet players in all, from senior to freshman. We have the melody of virtually every song, so we have to make it sound like there are about 20 of us. Needless to say, my chops are dead at the end of each day.
I'm kind of shocked at how much I've been able to learn in just this past week. Roll steps, how to turn, managing to cover a distance that would normally be 2 steps in 44, while playing an instrument. We've got very ambitious formations for the half-time show, and it's tough. In one song, we have 56 steps to move about three yards. In another, 16 steps to move 15 yards. Running backwards, in time to music you're supposed to be playing, is very difficult.
Our theme this year is "decades", with a song from the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's. They are:
I'm lucky enough to be the only freshman trumpet player, because our third trumpet decided to become a drummer (dummer?) and our first trumpet became a flag girl. There's only five trumpet players in all, from senior to freshman. We have the melody of virtually every song, so we have to make it sound like there are about 20 of us. Needless to say, my chops are dead at the end of each day.
I'm kind of shocked at how much I've been able to learn in just this past week. Roll steps, how to turn, managing to cover a distance that would normally be 2 steps in 44, while playing an instrument. We've got very ambitious formations for the half-time show, and it's tough. In one song, we have 56 steps to move about three yards. In another, 16 steps to move 15 yards. Running backwards, in time to music you're supposed to be playing, is very difficult.
Our theme this year is "decades", with a song from the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's. They are:
- Rockin' Robin
- Surfin' USA
- Old Time Rock 'n' Roll
- Mickey
"Rockin' Robin" is incredibly easy, and has pretty simple moves. The toughest part is going backwards and ending up as part of a diagonal, but I'm managing. "Surfin' USA" is about the same, although we have a solo we need to memorize. I can barely hit all the notes in it, so at a few points I just mime the fingerings (don't tell anyone!). "Old Time Rock 'n' Roll" is the one with the whole "44 steps, 1 yard" thing going on. The one trumpet player literally stays on the same yard line the entire song. "Mickey" is the toughest, with lots of running, both backwards and forwards. At one point everyone forms two circles and the guys have to go inside of them. At that point, everyone stops playing and the girls do the "Hey Mickey" cheer thing. I get to stand in the middle, looking embarrassed while being serenaded. Then we literally run across the field, to form a giant triangle thing.
Despite how tough it is, it's pretty impressive. I'm proud of myself, and how well the section is doing. My back, feet, and lips kill at the end of each day, but it's still a ton of fun.
(P.S.: I wrote this entire post on a Windows 98 powered by dial-up, at an elementary school's library. I've been sliding the rolley chair between two different computers, just so I can achieve about the same things I could with one window and tabbed browsing. Mad props to those who have to surf the net like this every single day.)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Green Day!
Guess where I was last night? A GREEN DAY CONCERT!!! Woohoo! It totally rocked. This was my first actual rock concert, and quite a good introduction to the concept.
We got the tickets off of Craigslist, a nerve wracking experience for my mom. She was afraid they would be counterfeit, which is a valid concern. When we met the guy in the parking lot, my mom wanted to be able to write his license plate down so we could track him down if they were.
"Drew, do you have a pencil?"
"Only this unsharpened one."
"Here, let me see it."
She proceeded to use my dull pocket knife to sharpen it, leaning out the window to avoid getting wood chips in the car. That is what he pulled up seeing: a person leaning out the window waving a knife about. Poor guy must have been terrified.
They said "obstructed" on them, which we took to mean a score board or something in our way. It turns out we were directly behind a huge black curtain. Needless to say, we weren't happy. Fortunately, they were redirecting everyone with tickets for there to seats parallel to the stage, with a great view.
The were opened for by The Bravery, whom I had never listened to before. For those of you who don't feel like looking them up and haven't listened to them, they sound like Coldplay, with a bit of The Cure thrown in when they're live. The singer was very New Wave, which was amusing. Their set was pretty short, and riddled with technical difficulties. I still really liked them, and thought, "I'll probably be opening for them in the future."
Then Green Day came on. AMAZING!!! I swear, they played for three hours. Billie Joe came on stage and immediately cussed us all out because we weren't all dancing. I was, though! I danced the entire concert, and am paying for it today...ahaha.
He did this weird thing during the song "East Jesus Nowhere" that I thought was pretty cool. He started out by asking the audience who wanted to be saved, and everyone started screaming. He was saying all this biblical stuff, and then launched into the song. Towards the end, he asked the audience to send a child onstage, from the mosh pits. This little nine year old came up, and said his name and all that good stuff. Billie Joe held his hand to the kids forehead and said biblical stuff again, and then BAM! The band launched into the loud parts of the song again, fireworks went off, and the kid fell backwards onto the ground, spread eagle.
When the song ended, He shouted at the kid, "Get the f**k off my stage now, you little brat!!" it was pretty funny.
They managed to make every song last 10-20 minutes, with audience participation. He had people come onstage and sing, and at one point a guy came up from the mosh pits and played guitar. He was incredibly ADHD, with all his running and jumping and stuff. I want to write a description of all the songs, but then we'd be here all night. "Holiday" was sweet, and "Hitchin' a Ride" went on forever.
One other cool song was "King For a Day". I'd never heard it before, and thought he was singing "Gay For a Day". I had good reason to think that, too. The lights were rainbow, and the whole band was dressed up like Village People. Billie Joe did...inappropriate things to the stage, and launched into falsetto covers of "Shout!" and that song from Back To The Future Pt. 1. It was hilarious, and incredibly well done.
It was freaky, towards the end. They had cameramen all around the catwalk into the pit, and the images were being projected onto the screen behind them. The images were all filtered, so they looked like the cover of Transformer (old Lou Reed album - anyone heard of it?). He was singing right at the camera, and my mom tapped me on the shoulder.
"Drew, he looks just like you on screen!"
And he did, in a way. His hair was a bit shorter, but other than that we looked alike. It was pretty crazy.
All in all, it was a pretty amazing first concert. I wish I could go on about it for hours, but then of course you'd get bored (if you're not already). My parting comment is: No one knows how to pogo anymore, and not enough people get into the music as much as they should. My neck hurts, and my throat absolutely kills, but it was SOO worth it. Someday I'll be the one onstage!!
We got the tickets off of Craigslist, a nerve wracking experience for my mom. She was afraid they would be counterfeit, which is a valid concern. When we met the guy in the parking lot, my mom wanted to be able to write his license plate down so we could track him down if they were.
"Drew, do you have a pencil?"
"Only this unsharpened one."
"Here, let me see it."
She proceeded to use my dull pocket knife to sharpen it, leaning out the window to avoid getting wood chips in the car. That is what he pulled up seeing: a person leaning out the window waving a knife about. Poor guy must have been terrified.
They said "obstructed" on them, which we took to mean a score board or something in our way. It turns out we were directly behind a huge black curtain. Needless to say, we weren't happy. Fortunately, they were redirecting everyone with tickets for there to seats parallel to the stage, with a great view.
The were opened for by The Bravery, whom I had never listened to before. For those of you who don't feel like looking them up and haven't listened to them, they sound like Coldplay, with a bit of The Cure thrown in when they're live. The singer was very New Wave, which was amusing. Their set was pretty short, and riddled with technical difficulties. I still really liked them, and thought, "I'll probably be opening for them in the future."
Then Green Day came on. AMAZING!!! I swear, they played for three hours. Billie Joe came on stage and immediately cussed us all out because we weren't all dancing. I was, though! I danced the entire concert, and am paying for it today...ahaha.
He did this weird thing during the song "East Jesus Nowhere" that I thought was pretty cool. He started out by asking the audience who wanted to be saved, and everyone started screaming. He was saying all this biblical stuff, and then launched into the song. Towards the end, he asked the audience to send a child onstage, from the mosh pits. This little nine year old came up, and said his name and all that good stuff. Billie Joe held his hand to the kids forehead and said biblical stuff again, and then BAM! The band launched into the loud parts of the song again, fireworks went off, and the kid fell backwards onto the ground, spread eagle.
When the song ended, He shouted at the kid, "Get the f**k off my stage now, you little brat!!" it was pretty funny.
They managed to make every song last 10-20 minutes, with audience participation. He had people come onstage and sing, and at one point a guy came up from the mosh pits and played guitar. He was incredibly ADHD, with all his running and jumping and stuff. I want to write a description of all the songs, but then we'd be here all night. "Holiday" was sweet, and "Hitchin' a Ride" went on forever.
One other cool song was "King For a Day". I'd never heard it before, and thought he was singing "Gay For a Day". I had good reason to think that, too. The lights were rainbow, and the whole band was dressed up like Village People. Billie Joe did...inappropriate things to the stage, and launched into falsetto covers of "Shout!" and that song from Back To The Future Pt. 1. It was hilarious, and incredibly well done.
It was freaky, towards the end. They had cameramen all around the catwalk into the pit, and the images were being projected onto the screen behind them. The images were all filtered, so they looked like the cover of Transformer (old Lou Reed album - anyone heard of it?). He was singing right at the camera, and my mom tapped me on the shoulder.
"Drew, he looks just like you on screen!"
And he did, in a way. His hair was a bit shorter, but other than that we looked alike. It was pretty crazy.
All in all, it was a pretty amazing first concert. I wish I could go on about it for hours, but then of course you'd get bored (if you're not already). My parting comment is: No one knows how to pogo anymore, and not enough people get into the music as much as they should. My neck hurts, and my throat absolutely kills, but it was SOO worth it. Someday I'll be the one onstage!!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Indiana (Pt. 1?)
Does anyone remember me mention I was in Indiana a few weeks ago? Well, I believe the time is here for me to post about it.
The place in Indiana I was in specifically was a small town called Friendship. It actually has a Wikipedia page, which is interesting considering I could stand on top of the town bank and see all the way to the other side. It's significant because of an event that occurs there twice a year: the NMLRA (National Muzzle-Loading Rifle Association) has it's national shoot there. I've been to it before, once when I was four and once when I was eight, but there is a difference between those times and this time; this time I was actually shooting in it. A national competition.
The reason I was there before was my family has always been involved in the NMLRA's functions, My grandparents especially. They have a booth set up on the commercial row to sell stuff at, and my grandpa, mom, and uncle used to shoot in the competitions they have there.
Shooting on a national range was pretty cool, actually. It was like a giant pavilion, with a big bench running down the middle. Most of the people there had enormous tackle boxes filled with loading supplies and who knows what else, while I stood there with my little pouch and tiny box. It wasn't bad, since my grandpa functioned as coach and was there to chat with the whole time.
I shot well, scoring in a few different matches. I took second in an NRA match, and third in a 4H match. The medals were really cool looking, and I got a certificate. In addition, I got bragging rights that I shot and placed in a national competition. Woohoo!
I'd like to update you on the other cool stuff there, such as the flea markets, and the not-so-cool stuff there such as the southern accents, but I have to go to work. woohoo...! If you remind me, I'll post about them soon!
The place in Indiana I was in specifically was a small town called Friendship. It actually has a Wikipedia page, which is interesting considering I could stand on top of the town bank and see all the way to the other side. It's significant because of an event that occurs there twice a year: the NMLRA (National Muzzle-Loading Rifle Association) has it's national shoot there. I've been to it before, once when I was four and once when I was eight, but there is a difference between those times and this time; this time I was actually shooting in it. A national competition.
The reason I was there before was my family has always been involved in the NMLRA's functions, My grandparents especially. They have a booth set up on the commercial row to sell stuff at, and my grandpa, mom, and uncle used to shoot in the competitions they have there.
Shooting on a national range was pretty cool, actually. It was like a giant pavilion, with a big bench running down the middle. Most of the people there had enormous tackle boxes filled with loading supplies and who knows what else, while I stood there with my little pouch and tiny box. It wasn't bad, since my grandpa functioned as coach and was there to chat with the whole time.
I shot well, scoring in a few different matches. I took second in an NRA match, and third in a 4H match. The medals were really cool looking, and I got a certificate. In addition, I got bragging rights that I shot and placed in a national competition. Woohoo!
I'd like to update you on the other cool stuff there, such as the flea markets, and the not-so-cool stuff there such as the southern accents, but I have to go to work. woohoo...! If you remind me, I'll post about them soon!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Another COS Update
Quick post today, my apologies. I just want to ask you dear readers to take a look at the following link:
http://www.myspace.com/crushofsociety
that's right - it's Crush Of Society's MySpace! It is very plain at the moment, but I guarantee it will be completely glorified in a little while. As it is, you can add us and see the line-up, perhaps read a bit about our style. Oh, and of course - listen to us play! That's right, I have a song up. It's a horrible recording, because I broke the mic on my MP3 by setting it on my amp a while back. Despite that, it's still us.
So, check it out. Who knows, maybe you're all lucky enough to be fans of the next world-famous band!
So, check it out. Who knows, maybe you're all lucky enough to be fans of the next world-famous band!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Crush Of Society Update And Me Losing The Battle
When WAS the last time I posted about Crush Of Society? I have no clue, nor the motivation to check.
We finally have all instruments necessary to play music. At our last - and only - practice, I borrowed a snare drum from the school. Now that's it summer, we can't really do that anymore. So, I used my vast network of musician friends to find a cheap drum kit. By that, I mean I was chatting with the band's former drummer when I found out he was selling his old kit for $75. I saved up, and went over the other day to pick it up.
It's actually in nice condition, which surprised me. I mean, only 75 bucks? That's pretty crazy. There's only one hole in the skins, and the cymbals, while dented horribly, are still playable. They're black, my favourite colour.
I'd like to have Bobby and Stephen over so we can actually use it, but Stephen (the drummer, for those of you not in the know) is on a scouting outing the whole week. I'm not, because I finally dropped out.
It's kind of a bummer, because I feel like I lost a three year battle with my evil leaders. However, it was just becoming so painful and worthless. They had given up on me, I had given up on caring. I started wearing my leather jacket everywhere, not showing in uniform, ignoring instructions, what have you. The people I actually liked in the troop are currently fellow future rock stars with me in COS, so it's not like I'll fall out of contact with them.
Anywhoo...I'll post any songs recorded on here, for all of you dear readers!
We finally have all instruments necessary to play music. At our last - and only - practice, I borrowed a snare drum from the school. Now that's it summer, we can't really do that anymore. So, I used my vast network of musician friends to find a cheap drum kit. By that, I mean I was chatting with the band's former drummer when I found out he was selling his old kit for $75. I saved up, and went over the other day to pick it up.
It's actually in nice condition, which surprised me. I mean, only 75 bucks? That's pretty crazy. There's only one hole in the skins, and the cymbals, while dented horribly, are still playable. They're black, my favourite colour.
I'd like to have Bobby and Stephen over so we can actually use it, but Stephen (the drummer, for those of you not in the know) is on a scouting outing the whole week. I'm not, because I finally dropped out.
It's kind of a bummer, because I feel like I lost a three year battle with my evil leaders. However, it was just becoming so painful and worthless. They had given up on me, I had given up on caring. I started wearing my leather jacket everywhere, not showing in uniform, ignoring instructions, what have you. The people I actually liked in the troop are currently fellow future rock stars with me in COS, so it's not like I'll fall out of contact with them.
Anywhoo...I'll post any songs recorded on here, for all of you dear readers!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
OH NO!
So - I'm at the public library typing this. Want to know why I'm sitting here, surrounded by weirdos, instead of at home with Scrubs playing in the back ground? Read on.
As a few of you may already know, I spent the last week in Indiana. I was there for a national shooting competition with my mom and grandparents, and had a lot of fun. I'll probably post more about that later, when I have more time.
Anyway, my mom decided to bring our computer. Even though we were going to be in a giant valley with zero coverage, it seemed like a good idea. Not so much. We kept it in their trailer for "safekeeping", and left it there when we were packing. While I am sitting here in a library in Michigan, the dear computer is in my grandparent's trailer in Indiana. about 9 hours away. DUDE!
The G&G aren't coming home until Wednesday, either, so there's no hope of getting it before then. Am I going into withdrawals? Yes. No point in acting tough right now. The computer is my main source of entertainment, as well as communication with friends. I hate using phones, although it looks like that's my only option for now.
This is a very long way of saying, I'm sorry if I fail to comment on your blogs the next few days. We'll probably be coming to the library again, before Wednesday, but there's no guarantees. Please, Dear Readers, wish me luck. It's gonna be a long four days.
As a few of you may already know, I spent the last week in Indiana. I was there for a national shooting competition with my mom and grandparents, and had a lot of fun. I'll probably post more about that later, when I have more time.
Anyway, my mom decided to bring our computer. Even though we were going to be in a giant valley with zero coverage, it seemed like a good idea. Not so much. We kept it in their trailer for "safekeeping", and left it there when we were packing. While I am sitting here in a library in Michigan, the dear computer is in my grandparent's trailer in Indiana. about 9 hours away. DUDE!
The G&G aren't coming home until Wednesday, either, so there's no hope of getting it before then. Am I going into withdrawals? Yes. No point in acting tough right now. The computer is my main source of entertainment, as well as communication with friends. I hate using phones, although it looks like that's my only option for now.
This is a very long way of saying, I'm sorry if I fail to comment on your blogs the next few days. We'll probably be coming to the library again, before Wednesday, but there's no guarantees. Please, Dear Readers, wish me luck. It's gonna be a long four days.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Winner Is...
Aquafina Chapstick!
I'm glad people actually voted, and took the difficulty away from me with figuring out a post. So, Aquafina Chapstick. Good choice, if I may say so myself.
I discovered this stuff last year, around the beginning of the school year. My mom and I were both running low on chapstick, so we made a trip to the local Walgreen's and took a look at their selection. I quickly grabbed some crappy Blistex, not caring enough to look at the other stuff. My mom, however, opted for a kind we'd never seen before, the previously mentioned Aquafina stuff. She raved about it, but I really didn't care.
A few weeks later, however, I forgot to grab the crappy Blistex when I was getting ready for school. Panicking, already feeling my lips start to crack and bleed and cause people to vomit at the sight of me, I asked my mom if she had any chapstick. "Well, I have an extra stick of that Aquafina stuff. Want to use that?" Too desperate to care, I took it and used it. Little did I know, it was the best thing on earth!
It tingles when you use it, and stays hydrating for almost 3 hours! Plus, if you drink Aquafina water, it feels weird (honestly, I think it would work with any cold water. Our school's vending machine only supplies that, though). I used it non stop the whole winter, glad we had bought a 3 pack.
However, one fateful day, I ran out. When i looked for another stick of it, I discovered we had run out. I forced my mother to take us into town immediately, so we could get more. After three different store's chapstick displays, I realized it wasn't going to be easy to find. Eventually, we found some at WalMart, but it was in a different form, with fruity flavours. Also, it didn't tingle. I was unsatisfied, and checked the lipbalm display at every store we went to. I experimented with other stuff, but none of it was quite as good. I had given up hope.
Fast forward to last weekend. We were at Meijer, getting some plants, when my mom wandered over to the chapstick thing. "Drew, come quickly!!" I ran over, and felt my heart fill with joy as I saw she held three three-packs of it. "Can we get them all?" I questioned. "of course!". I was a happy person.
When we got out to the car, I grabbed the bag it was in and pulled them out. I ripped the packaging open, and selected a stick. Finally! Joy was once again possible.
Are you glad you all selected that? Me too. I might post about the other things, too, but for now you will have to make due with that. I wonder if Aquafina will pay me money for writing this...
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to put on some chapstick.
I'm glad people actually voted, and took the difficulty away from me with figuring out a post. So, Aquafina Chapstick. Good choice, if I may say so myself.
I discovered this stuff last year, around the beginning of the school year. My mom and I were both running low on chapstick, so we made a trip to the local Walgreen's and took a look at their selection. I quickly grabbed some crappy Blistex, not caring enough to look at the other stuff. My mom, however, opted for a kind we'd never seen before, the previously mentioned Aquafina stuff. She raved about it, but I really didn't care.
A few weeks later, however, I forgot to grab the crappy Blistex when I was getting ready for school. Panicking, already feeling my lips start to crack and bleed and cause people to vomit at the sight of me, I asked my mom if she had any chapstick. "Well, I have an extra stick of that Aquafina stuff. Want to use that?" Too desperate to care, I took it and used it. Little did I know, it was the best thing on earth!
It tingles when you use it, and stays hydrating for almost 3 hours! Plus, if you drink Aquafina water, it feels weird (honestly, I think it would work with any cold water. Our school's vending machine only supplies that, though). I used it non stop the whole winter, glad we had bought a 3 pack.
However, one fateful day, I ran out. When i looked for another stick of it, I discovered we had run out. I forced my mother to take us into town immediately, so we could get more. After three different store's chapstick displays, I realized it wasn't going to be easy to find. Eventually, we found some at WalMart, but it was in a different form, with fruity flavours. Also, it didn't tingle. I was unsatisfied, and checked the lipbalm display at every store we went to. I experimented with other stuff, but none of it was quite as good. I had given up hope.
Fast forward to last weekend. We were at Meijer, getting some plants, when my mom wandered over to the chapstick thing. "Drew, come quickly!!" I ran over, and felt my heart fill with joy as I saw she held three three-packs of it. "Can we get them all?" I questioned. "of course!". I was a happy person.
When we got out to the car, I grabbed the bag it was in and pulled them out. I ripped the packaging open, and selected a stick. Finally! Joy was once again possible.
Are you glad you all selected that? Me too. I might post about the other things, too, but for now you will have to make due with that. I wonder if Aquafina will pay me money for writing this...
Now if you'll excuse me, I need to put on some chapstick.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Writer's Block
Hello. I'm sorry for my absence, but I have had a bit of writer's block. I've currently got 3 different drafts in my post list, all about various topics I've given thought to writing about. Chapstick, left handed-ness, and bands I like. However, all of them lack inspiration. "Does anyone really want to read about this?" I've asked myself.
So, I will ASK everyone what they want to hear about. If you scroll around the side, eventually you'll discover a poll asking exactly that: what should I write about? Vote now, please, before all th good statistics are taken! I'm only keeping this thing up for one day, so be quick.
So, I will ASK everyone what they want to hear about. If you scroll around the side, eventually you'll discover a poll asking exactly that: what should I write about? Vote now, please, before all th good statistics are taken! I'm only keeping this thing up for one day, so be quick.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Week Highlights, Featuring A Starring Role By Thursday
Wow, this week has been a boring-ness record setter (although it's always fun to make up words!). On Monday and Wednesday, my only major tasks were to go to the gym and sweat too much, then play my bass guitar when I got home. Not too impressive, I know. On Tuesday I went shooting, once again something not worth writing about.
Yesterday was a little more interesting, but only in a slight sense. We had our music awards assembly, which is separate from the regular awards ceremony because, well, band is awesome. I stayed in my mom's classroom the entire time between school getting out and the assembly, which was about 4 hours. Can you say boring? Even though I was reading a really funny non-Blogger blog called The Sneeze and listening to David Bowie.
Finally, at 6:15, a good quarter hour before it started, my mother and I headed over to the High School it was being held at. "Hey mom, why do you think there are so many cars already?" Turns out I got the time wrong, and it started at 6 instead of 6:30. As I walked into the room, trying to remain unnoticed, they called all 8th graders who had been in band all three years to the stage. Super. It was actually pretty cool, because we got medals for our varsity jackets, a pin in the shape of our instrument (or multiple pins for those over-achiever types), and a polo for Marching Band next year.
There was quite a problem with shirt sizes, because of warehouse issues. I got a children's medium, with a girl's cut none the less. Ironically, my mother and I had a conversation about how one should not want to be like David Bowie because of cross-dressing just a few hours ago, haha. I found a friend who could actually fit into that size, and traded for a slightly larger shirt. However, still not satisfied, I went up on stage with the rest of the upset polo-people and got a different shirt. This one might fit, but I'm concerned about what will happen if it shrinks in the wash.
Today Ashley is having a party, and I'm looking forward to it. It will be the fourth party on a Friday I'll have been to in a row, and if I get to go to my friend Tessa's party next Friday I'll make it to five! Of course, I'll be the only guy at this evening's event. I was even the only guy at my own party, for goodness sake! Fortunately, I don't really mind.
Well, I've got to go to work so I can hopefully make enough money to buy a drum kit from my friend, thus completing Crush Of Society's equipment needs for the moment. Have a great weekend!
Yesterday was a little more interesting, but only in a slight sense. We had our music awards assembly, which is separate from the regular awards ceremony because, well, band is awesome. I stayed in my mom's classroom the entire time between school getting out and the assembly, which was about 4 hours. Can you say boring? Even though I was reading a really funny non-Blogger blog called The Sneeze and listening to David Bowie.
Finally, at 6:15, a good quarter hour before it started, my mother and I headed over to the High School it was being held at. "Hey mom, why do you think there are so many cars already?" Turns out I got the time wrong, and it started at 6 instead of 6:30. As I walked into the room, trying to remain unnoticed, they called all 8th graders who had been in band all three years to the stage. Super. It was actually pretty cool, because we got medals for our varsity jackets, a pin in the shape of our instrument (or multiple pins for those over-achiever types), and a polo for Marching Band next year.
There was quite a problem with shirt sizes, because of warehouse issues. I got a children's medium, with a girl's cut none the less. Ironically, my mother and I had a conversation about how one should not want to be like David Bowie because of cross-dressing just a few hours ago, haha. I found a friend who could actually fit into that size, and traded for a slightly larger shirt. However, still not satisfied, I went up on stage with the rest of the upset polo-people and got a different shirt. This one might fit, but I'm concerned about what will happen if it shrinks in the wash.
Today Ashley is having a party, and I'm looking forward to it. It will be the fourth party on a Friday I'll have been to in a row, and if I get to go to my friend Tessa's party next Friday I'll make it to five! Of course, I'll be the only guy at this evening's event. I was even the only guy at my own party, for goodness sake! Fortunately, I don't really mind.
Well, I've got to go to work so I can hopefully make enough money to buy a drum kit from my friend, thus completing Crush Of Society's equipment needs for the moment. Have a great weekend!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Musical Monday
Does anyone remember the time I said, "I'm not going to participate in Musical Monday until it's my own work"? No? Well, I remember saying it. You've waited a while, but today is the day. I had to play my bass guitar for a mock-interview at school, and had a friend film it. It's a horrible performance, possibly due to nerves, so please excuse me.
I know, I messed up the song Money pretty bad. After the first riff, I couldn't seem to find the bottom string with my pick. Also, I messed up the second part of it by totally forgetting how to do it. Notice, however, that I did not stop playing. That, at least, is pretty good.
The dude who walks in at the end of the video is my school principal, Mr. Haynes. Apparently my playing was so loud it could be heard at the end of the hall. He said, "Were you just playing Cream?" He must be a fan.
I played again for the teacher's 4th hour class, because of some little joke they have going. I guess whenever a person did an interview as a musician or singer, this one kid shouted, "Play Smoke On The Water!!" No one had, so the teacher felt I should. I then played the rest of my "set" for them, including a non-horrible version of Money.
One last thing - If you look closely at my leg, you'll see I'm wearing the skull bandanna I received with that cool prize pack. Thanks again, Eve! My teacher commented how I really pulled off the "rocker" look. I dressed the way I normally do, and it seemed to work.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Prize Pack!!
Yay! I got my prize pack from Eve @ Through Eve's Looking-Glass today! For those of you who don't know, a few weeks ago I guessed the number 42 on a contest to see how many buttons there were in a box. I wasn't even aware what the prize was, I just like to guess The Answer (look in my archives if you don't know what I'm talking about). Turns out I was only 3 off, so I won. The prize pack was as follows - Eve was kind enough to throw in some guy stuff for me, and I plan on giving the rest to Ashley and a few other peeps.
- A Pixies CD - I've been wanting to look them up for a while, but they don't have any CDs at the library
- Two packs of HT mints
- A bunch of sweet buttons and pins
- A pen that changes sayings when you click it
- Two bandanas - the pink one shown, and one covered in multi-colored skulls that I had tied around my leg at the time of the photo-taking
- A lanyard
- A lunchbox full of stickers and nail-thingys
- A compact mirror
- Chapstick - lime flavored!
- A HT baggy
- A music download thing
- A CD with a bunch of the songs she's featured on her blog, with a list
I let my mom scavange through the girly stuff, and she took the stickers, box, pen and chapstick. I'll give the rest to Ashley, 'cept for the pink bandana - one of my friends dyed her hair pink recently, and I think it will match.
Thanks a ton, Eve, for this awesome prize pack! I totally love it! Although, with the CDs, you're contributing to my juvenial delinquicy - I'm even more of a pirate, now! Haha, I'm kidding. Three cheers for prizes won with 42!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Tagged...
Ashley at mehh blog. it's kewl. ;] tagged me for a survey yesterday. Not being one to disappoint Boyd's World readers, here it is:
•Think back to yesterday; what were you doing around this time?
Probably reading blogs, and IMing friends.•Was the last time you went to the doctor's an unpleasant experience?
It was today, and although they stuck (3) needles in my arms, it wasn't too horrible. I go every week, because I need my allergy shots.
•Who is your favorite person on the radio?
Umm, the people who play THE MUSIC!
•Do you have a pop-up blocker?
The one that comes with Mozilla.
•Did you enjoy the last thing you ate, and what was it?
It was some decent tortilla chippage.
•How's your hair at the moment?
flat, because I've been wearing my new hat since school got out.
•Who was the last person to insult you and what did they say?
John, screaming, "Impeach the Class President!" It's not my fault I punched him (and embarrassed him) in front of the entire class. He was asking for it!
•Look at your planner for March 14th; what are you doing?
Who knows, that's in a year.
•Do you think marriage is only meant for a man and a woman?
Nope, not at all.
•What is your display name on Yahoo! Answers?
I have no clue, I think I've used it once...
•Why don't you tell us your password, for anything?
Sure! It's **********!
•Where did you take your profile pic?
In my basement, at my party a few weeks ago.
•Would you ever move to Canada?
Nope.
•Do you have nicknames for your friends? If so, what are some of them?
Some friends, but not many. I call Will "Willy" to irritate him, and I call Ashley "Ash" when I am to lazy to pronounce more than one syllable.
•Have you ever made up a song about a teacher?
That doesn't really make sense, and no.
•Are you allowed to swear in front of your parents?
Everything except for f**k.
•Have you ever had a black and white cat?
sadly, I've never had a cat.
Now, I get to tag people. I tag:
Now, I get to tag people. I tag:
Everyone!
I'd like to say I did that so everyone would be encouraged to blog more, but really I just don't feel like spending 15 minutes extra getting everyones' hyperlinks. I apologize, but I think all of you should do it. Just make sure to wait until it's a day I don't have any homework, so I'll have time to read it in the morning.
Monday, May 25, 2009
My Week In Paragraphs
Hmm, what to post about? I have a bunch of topics, but I can't choose which to post about. I know! I'll do all of them!
On Tuesday, we had the most important Quiz Bowl thing of the year. It's called the Tournament of Champions, and is unlike other matches because it is all solo. You are chosen to do different categories (math, science current events, etc.) based on test scores you submit a few weeks before. They have trophies for each one, as well as a medal for the top ten places in the quiz bee (more on that in a sec) and a scholarship for the person who gets the most collective points. I had planned on beating the record set by this one cool dude named Matt last year, 8 trophies (and the scholarship). I didn't, but I did get first place in the general 8th grade match and sixth in the quiz bee.
The quiz bee is this thing for everyone to participate in, and is set up with a two strikes you're out system. They go in a big circle, asking progressively more difficult questions. Each question goes to up to three people before it is thrown out. It's really fun, but takes FOREVER. In sixth grade I took third place, which is pretty good. I got a trophy, which was cool.
The second cool event I wanted to blog about was a party I went to on Friday. It was at this one dude's house I'd never been to before, and sounded fun. IT WAS! I think most of my fun was contributed to by the fact I had about three Mountain Dews, and was totally hyper. I seriously haven't had that much fun at a party since my friends the Eisenharts moved. We played some GH (turns out singing on that is tough), sat around a fire for a while, and then chilled in his basement. It was fun, all in all.
Finally, yesterday I went to a Detroit Tiger's game. It was very cool, even though they lost. I got a sunburn, though, because it was REALLY sunny out. We were in the nosebleeds, but I didn't care, because when you are you don't have to pay as much attention to the actual game. I envied those just a little further away, under the shade of the awnings that are at the very top of the stadium. I also had a VERY delicious breakfast before the game. It was an omelet, with bacon mixed in and tons of cheese all over it. YUM!!!
Basically, I've had a very fun week. I would have blogged about it all sooner, but well, I was busy having the fun. My apologies for that.
On Tuesday, we had the most important Quiz Bowl thing of the year. It's called the Tournament of Champions, and is unlike other matches because it is all solo. You are chosen to do different categories (math, science current events, etc.) based on test scores you submit a few weeks before. They have trophies for each one, as well as a medal for the top ten places in the quiz bee (more on that in a sec) and a scholarship for the person who gets the most collective points. I had planned on beating the record set by this one cool dude named Matt last year, 8 trophies (and the scholarship). I didn't, but I did get first place in the general 8th grade match and sixth in the quiz bee.
The quiz bee is this thing for everyone to participate in, and is set up with a two strikes you're out system. They go in a big circle, asking progressively more difficult questions. Each question goes to up to three people before it is thrown out. It's really fun, but takes FOREVER. In sixth grade I took third place, which is pretty good. I got a trophy, which was cool.
The second cool event I wanted to blog about was a party I went to on Friday. It was at this one dude's house I'd never been to before, and sounded fun. IT WAS! I think most of my fun was contributed to by the fact I had about three Mountain Dews, and was totally hyper. I seriously haven't had that much fun at a party since my friends the Eisenharts moved. We played some GH (turns out singing on that is tough), sat around a fire for a while, and then chilled in his basement. It was fun, all in all.
Finally, yesterday I went to a Detroit Tiger's game. It was very cool, even though they lost. I got a sunburn, though, because it was REALLY sunny out. We were in the nosebleeds, but I didn't care, because when you are you don't have to pay as much attention to the actual game. I envied those just a little further away, under the shade of the awnings that are at the very top of the stadium. I also had a VERY delicious breakfast before the game. It was an omelet, with bacon mixed in and tons of cheese all over it. YUM!!!
Basically, I've had a very fun week. I would have blogged about it all sooner, but well, I was busy having the fun. My apologies for that.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
8th Grade Awards
Wow, two posts in a week. Freaky, right? I'm trying to write more often, to make my readers happy people. Also, this is something I want to blog about while it's still semi-in my head.
Monday night was our 8th grade awards ceremony, which is like a small-scale graduation. Everyone dresses nice, we all get awards and stuff, it's very well run. I have always enjoyed awards ceremonies, because, well, I tend to get recognized a lot. I'm a bit of an attention whore, so this works well for me. This year there was a major award up for grabs, the Ted Stine award, and there were ten people eligible. I was one of them, and had made getting it my personal goal. More on it later, if you'll bear with me.
I was dressed for success, with an all black outfit. The only non-black article of clothing I had on was my awesome red skinny tie, as can be seen in my profile. I also had my black studded punk belt on, although I took off the screaming skull bottle opener belt buckle before hand. I doubt I would have been able to find a situation that night that it would have been necessary to risk spilling a liquid all over my crotch just to open a bottle.
Before it started, both the band and choir performed. Band played a song we've been working on the last few weeks, called "Rock Around The Clock". Despite the name, it's a pretty jazzy piece, with a trumpet solo in the middle. It sounded great, although both the other trumpet and I were a little nervous. The choir sang some song after that, with lots of solos. Then, the ceremony officially started, and we played the Star Spangled Banner (well, I might add). We also played one more song, a medley of songs from Grease. It transitioned into Pomp And Circumstance, a little trick we planned that no one but the band knew about. It was great!
After that was really the focusing moment of the ceremony, for me. They called up the Class officers, and recognized us all. Then, the teacher in charge turned and said, "Now Drew, I believe you have a few words?" I said yes, and headed to the podium. I had figured giving my speech wouldn't be that horrible, because I enjoy public speaking. However, I've never spoken to a PACKED gymnasium in front of all my teachers, fellow classmates, and everybody's parents. I'm shaking just writing about it, quite honestly. Every single person I've spoken to has said I sounded incredibly confident, and really relaxed. The reason they think that is because they weren't close enough to see my entire body shake. I've never been so nervous, and I was the whole way through. My last line was "Honestly, this classes' future is so bright, I'm gonna need shades" and I had planned on pulling a pair of sunglasses that I had conveniently hidden up there and putting them on. I had them up there, but I just couldn't do it. Everyone tells me I should have, and I respond by saying "If I had moved and inch, my knees would have given out". 100 percent of my concentration was on keeping my voice calm.
Halfway through it, right after I thanked the principals, the audience erupted in applause. Umm...I'm not done yet!! I held up my hand to try and silence them, but it did nothing. I actually considered just ending the speech there, but I spent too long on it to do that. I finished it, and was pleased with the applause.
After that was the part where everyone walked up and got their packet 'o' certificates. It was boring as all get out, because there are about 150 kids in our class. I was fidgety, too, because the next award was the one I had been waiting for. It was the Ted Stine one I mentioned earlier. In order to get it, you have to have a 4.o (except for in algebra 1, because that's a high school class), show leadership qualities, participate in extracurricular activities, and have no major discipline problems.
I achieved all of those (yay), and it pretty much came down between this one girl I don't really know and I. She got it, but they gave all ten people eligible a plaque. Ashley was another one of the canidates. Really, I'm OK with just the plaque. I think she got it because, well, she is a bit less of a trouble maker. Award winning students tend not to wear biker jackets, possess a rock and roll attitude, and talk as much as me. Now it's time to work at Valedictorian, ha ha.
The past few days I've felt a bit like a celebrity, what with all the congrats I've been getting on the speech. I was really proud of myself, and I think that's good.
After that was the part where everyone walked up and got their packet 'o' certificates. It was boring as all get out, because there are about 150 kids in our class. I was fidgety, too, because the next award was the one I had been waiting for. It was the Ted Stine one I mentioned earlier. In order to get it, you have to have a 4.o (except for in algebra 1, because that's a high school class), show leadership qualities, participate in extracurricular activities, and have no major discipline problems.
I achieved all of those (yay), and it pretty much came down between this one girl I don't really know and I. She got it, but they gave all ten people eligible a plaque. Ashley was another one of the canidates. Really, I'm OK with just the plaque. I think she got it because, well, she is a bit less of a trouble maker. Award winning students tend not to wear biker jackets, possess a rock and roll attitude, and talk as much as me. Now it's time to work at Valedictorian, ha ha.
The past few days I've felt a bit like a celebrity, what with all the congrats I've been getting on the speech. I was really proud of myself, and I think that's good.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Shooting Competition
Yesterday, as anyone who is friends with me on Facebook or MySpace probably already know, I went to a little shooting thing. It was about an hour away from where I live, at a club that seems to be suffering in both the membership and equipment departments. I went to it last year, and had a lot of fun, but I wasn't exactly looking forward to it this year. No reason, just a case of the "I don't wanna".
However, it turned out to be a lot of fun. It was exclusively muzzleloader, and only with caplock and flintlock guns. There were a bunch of competitions, and we shot in all but two. Last year when we went there were a ton of people shooting, but this year there were only 13 (at the peak). This was because a guy who's been a member since the beginning was having his 50th anniversary party that day. I enjoyed it with fewer shooters, because that meant fewer introductions to people who seem to know me but I don't know. I get tired of hearing, "My, last time I saw you, you were only this big!" It gets tiring.
The first couple of competitions were just regular shooting, and I did pretty good. I used my own gun, which probably helped, and the targets were easy. After that, we had lunch, and i figured that would help me because I was literally shaking with hunger. It might have helped my shakiness, but I still did pretty horrible. WE went and shot a caplock pistol, which was deceptively difficult. It seems all easy when other people do it, but I didn't hit the target any of the five times I shot. That definitely brought my scores down a bit. After that, we shot a flintlock smoothbore, which was just horrible. I took forever to get all five shots into the target. I'm going to blame that on the equipment, because my patch knife was dull and the roundballs were too small for the gun. Eventually though, after nearly cutting myself on the flint a few times, I got the entire thing shot. WE brought the stuff for throwing knives and tomahawks, but I took so long they were pulling down the targets and adding up the scores by the time we were ready.
I got a cool mug thing with "1776" in this sweet script across the front of it, as I was the only kid there. I also got bundle of rope, of which purpose I am as yet unaware of. After that, this one dude who spent half the time napping on the ground (seriously) pulled out an acoustic guitar and started playing some weird country ballad. It was really, really odd.
however, all in all, it was pretty cool.
I got a cool mug thing with "1776" in this sweet script across the front of it, as I was the only kid there. I also got bundle of rope, of which purpose I am as yet unaware of. After that, this one dude who spent half the time napping on the ground (seriously) pulled out an acoustic guitar and started playing some weird country ballad. It was really, really odd.
however, all in all, it was pretty cool.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Party And Review
Today was my birthday party, finally, and it was pretty fun. The only problem was, the more people I invite, the fewer actually come. I invited about 7 people to this one, and two people showed up. I think it has something to do with my shrinking friend base, which is concerning. I got in a fight with one of my only friends that is a dude, and I had to go out of my normal circle to try and keep the gender balance even today. It was not, as the two that showed up were both girls. It was still a lot of fun though, despite the fact we had very little to do.
A more monumental event occurred today, though: the release of Green Day's new album, 21st Century Breakdown. It is a rock opera, like it's predecessor American Idiot. It is all about two kids in my graduating class, and refers to my mom's generation as well.
It's split into three acts, like a play. It is like a play in it's story line, as well: it describes various events in the two kids' lives. It is incredibly long, somewhere around an hour and a half. That may not sound like much, until you put it all on one disc. The Wall was put into 2 discs, and so was Tommy, so there isn't much to compare it to. I'm guessing it will be made into a play, like American Idiot is. I it ever comes to my neck of the woods, they had better cast me.
This post was a little like a review, so I'll rate it:
five out of five stars
It is seriously great. Better sounding than American Idiot, more in depth than The Black Parade. If you have the means to get, I'd recommend it. Oh, and if you get it from Target, they throw in a bonus disc of live performances in Japan. It's worth the extra couple bucks, in my opinion.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Second 5K
Today has been pretty eventful, I have to say. I haven't gotten enough sleep yet, despite my 2 hour nap this afternoon.
It started out with me being woken up at about 6:30, to run a 5K. Seriously. I'm not even ready to be awake at that time of the morning, let alone run a freakin' 3.2 mile race! My mom also wanted to show up early, so she could verify some problems with our bib numbers. We got there an hour before it started, and got to stand around and look dumb most of that time. There were a few of my old Elementary teachers there, but most of them didn't recognize me. Well, not at first, until they saw my mom. Not shocking, considering my hair is down to my shoulders now, and I'm about a foot and a half taller than I was then. We also saw the son of one of the guys I shoot with, and spoke to him for a while.
Finally, the race started. It was a bit more accurate than the Lansing one, because they gave us little sensors that activated when we crossed the lines, not when the actual race started. My goal was 30 minutes, and it was a tough one. It didn't help that, practically as soon as I crossed the starting line, the rain they had been predicting started down. Soon, it felt like there was hail coming down. I didn't have to stop to get water, I just held my mouth open and tilted my head upward. As soon as I crossed the finish line, the sun came out. It looked, and felt, like I had jumped into a swimming pool with all my clothes on. It was horribly wet.
I ALMOST didn't make my goal, either. The first mile went by really fast, but after that, it dragged on. I thought I was going to run off into the grass and puke towards the end of it. I blame the fact my clothing was about 2 pounds heavier than usual because of water. I ran the whole way, though, and finally made it to the finish line. The giant digital display read: 30:02. I cursed silently, because if I had said any of it aloud, people's ears would fall off. Then I remembered the chip thingy they used, and that I had a late start. *phew* My final time was 29:34. I beat my goal, and with 26 seconds to spare!!!
It was a fun race, but I wouldn't advise running to those who consider themselves sane. It's not a sane thing to do, torturing yourself for no apparent reason. I'm still waiting on the 6 pack and zero body fat, but it hasn't occurred yet. I have kind of lost my chipmunk cheeks, which greatly pleases me. When people see Jim Morrison as my default on sites occasionally, they sometimes say, "that's not you" with a hint of doubt, or ask me when the picture was taken.
Seriously, someone save me from the insanity that causes me to want to do this. It's fun, and that's concerning. I shouldn't have fun while torturing myself.
It started out with me being woken up at about 6:30, to run a 5K. Seriously. I'm not even ready to be awake at that time of the morning, let alone run a freakin' 3.2 mile race! My mom also wanted to show up early, so she could verify some problems with our bib numbers. We got there an hour before it started, and got to stand around and look dumb most of that time. There were a few of my old Elementary teachers there, but most of them didn't recognize me. Well, not at first, until they saw my mom. Not shocking, considering my hair is down to my shoulders now, and I'm about a foot and a half taller than I was then. We also saw the son of one of the guys I shoot with, and spoke to him for a while.
Finally, the race started. It was a bit more accurate than the Lansing one, because they gave us little sensors that activated when we crossed the lines, not when the actual race started. My goal was 30 minutes, and it was a tough one. It didn't help that, practically as soon as I crossed the starting line, the rain they had been predicting started down. Soon, it felt like there was hail coming down. I didn't have to stop to get water, I just held my mouth open and tilted my head upward. As soon as I crossed the finish line, the sun came out. It looked, and felt, like I had jumped into a swimming pool with all my clothes on. It was horribly wet.
I ALMOST didn't make my goal, either. The first mile went by really fast, but after that, it dragged on. I thought I was going to run off into the grass and puke towards the end of it. I blame the fact my clothing was about 2 pounds heavier than usual because of water. I ran the whole way, though, and finally made it to the finish line. The giant digital display read: 30:02. I cursed silently, because if I had said any of it aloud, people's ears would fall off. Then I remembered the chip thingy they used, and that I had a late start. *phew* My final time was 29:34. I beat my goal, and with 26 seconds to spare!!!
It was a fun race, but I wouldn't advise running to those who consider themselves sane. It's not a sane thing to do, torturing yourself for no apparent reason. I'm still waiting on the 6 pack and zero body fat, but it hasn't occurred yet. I have kind of lost my chipmunk cheeks, which greatly pleases me. When people see Jim Morrison as my default on sites occasionally, they sometimes say, "that's not you" with a hint of doubt, or ask me when the picture was taken.
Seriously, someone save me from the insanity that causes me to want to do this. It's fun, and that's concerning. I shouldn't have fun while torturing myself.
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About Me
- Boyd
- Well, for starters, I'm a teen who thinks it would be fun to write about every little thing that pops into my head to be read by everyone on the internet every single day. Doesn't that tell you enough about who I am?
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