Quickie update :)

I think I've finally regained my skill for immense amounts of reading :)

In the past I was a quick, adament reader, but over time it slipped away. So it would take me weeks upon weeks, even a month or so, to finish an average sized book. It was pathethic :P. This past week & 1/2, or two weeks though, I've been on a roll. I finished Prescription for a Superior Existence, which I'll briefly summarize at a later date, and I cannot set down the London murder mystery, The Victoria Vanishes.

I spent my afternoon working at the soccer/lacrosse tournament park that I have been employed for the past two summers. My wage has been raised to $8.50 an hour, which is wonderful to me :), and hopefully I'll have a decent number of working hours this year. I talked to my parents and we decided that instead of receiving a laptop as a birthday present, I'll work throughout the summer. Then at the end I'll contribute money, and they'll pay a good portion, and I will get a nicer laptop than I would have originally.

So in a week it will be my birthday :O! Actually, since it's 11:00ish, my big day will basically be over I'm assuming, but still. I don't have any plans for it yet, I guess I'm counting on my friends to come up with something fun to do, they should be good at that. But I'm debating if I should come up with something myself to save them the hassle.. I don't know. It doesn't really matter much right now because I cannot think of anything fun to do anyways. I'll just be happy goofing off with my friends :).

I contemplated having a party at my house. Two years ago I had one in my yard/ the hay barn, and it was pretty chill. I illuminated the haymow with strings of decorative lights, played music from the ipod, and a few brave souls, including myself, sat for awhile in my ice-cold little inflatable pool. It was a nice time, but I don't think I could duplicate it, or surpass it, in the limited time frame I have. Unless I made it for a later date, I just don't know. Maybe I'll just leave it at doing something low-key with my closest friends, parties are expensive anyways.

One thing I'm wicked excited for is my new bookcase! Tom is building me one, and then I get to paint it however I want :D! The one I have now is pathetically insufficent. None of my books, aside from the really small ones, can be placed vertically inside of it, they must be stacked horizantally. It was a hand-me-down from my dad, so I'll definitely keep it. I just need more space for my freshly printed friends :)

Well, I signed myself up to work again tomorrow from 10-3:30, so I best be heading off for bed. I know this post wasn't very enlightening, but I was in the mood to write something anyways. Expect a better one soon.

♥ Olive

Just be.

It's so frustrating to sit in front of the computer and not have the slightest idea of what to talk about :. All I seem to ramble on about is my day to day life, I wish I had something of more value to contribute. I want to talk about the things that matter, I want to transfer the ideas and revelations inside my head into written form, but it never seems to happen. Nowadays, it's like we don't even have time to think, to just be. We have to excell,excell,excell. I am an active member of the overachiever's club, all of my marks are above 90 and I participate in just about every extracirricular, minus sports. I am worn down and squeezed of my ambition like an orange at the Tropicana factory.
Summer cannot come soon enough. Time needs to warp itself to a slower pace, to allow me to savor it. I want to just be able to live, to do the things that make me happy on my own accord. I don't want to answer to obligations or deadlines. I want to lay in the sun and soak up its radiance, I want music to invade my ears and convince my bones to rock and sway without my mind's consent. My exilim camera will give my eyes a rest and do the seeing for them. I will talk about life around a campfire with good, geniune people, squishing smores between graham crackers. I will quit being afraid of failure, and write a short story. If it sucks, oh well. There's enough paper in the world for me to make a second attempt, and a third, a fourth, and so on. However, there isn't a second life, not that I am aware of. It's incredibly important that we make the most out of it. Lives shouldn't be measured in dollars. It's the little things that matter most. The hugs you never want to be released from, the brushstrokes to the canvas, the words written on paper and inscribed in the mind, the elements that make up who you are, whoever that may be.

Bleh, I'm not 100% sure that was conveyed in the way it exists in my mind, but I atleast tried to make a halfway meaningful post for once. I hope they improve with time :P.
I chose the picture because for one, it reminds me of summer and the carefree bliss I wish I could have throughout all the seasons, and for two, it's of Shayla and me, and she has come home from college for the summer :)! So just a little tidbit of an update from my life, I've been spending some time with her lately. I would write more, but it's 11:04 and I could use some sleep. Plus I need to read a little in my book before it must be returned to the library.

♥ Olive

Memorial Weekend

HAHAH. :)

So here's the rundown;
I listened to the first bloggers that posted in favor of me getting the haircut :). It truthfully doesn't look much different. I mean, it's obvious that it's shorter, but I kept the same style, so it's not a real significant change. But it's drastic enough to satisfy me. What do you guys think..? The pictures are below :), or will be when I get to that point in my post, haha. The first photo, above this, is just Amanda, Julie, and me goofing off with the art teacher's webcam during class ;D. Friday night the three of us went out to the drive ins. We intended to watch Angels & Demons, but I convinced them to go early so we could see Star Trek. Hahah :), my inner geekdom was pleased. I agree with Hannah,it was wonderful, I loved the entire thing. Amanda and Julie laughed at me, but oh well. I'm a self-proclaimed dork, I realize this.
Afterwards we were all too sleepy so we went home after roughly 20 minutes of the film we came to see. There's a nice atmosphere about the drive-ins, I like it. It feels cool to be able to just chill in the back of your truck, snuggled under a blanket, watching a movie in the fresh spring air.


Memorial Day doesn't really contain much excitement for me. I feel sorry for the soldiers who have died defending us, and I respect them for everything. Plus I'm personally strongly opposed to war. But our family doesn't have any traditions for the holiday, so I took a chill day with myself. I saw the town parade with my friends, Julie even brought her ferret :). I was starting to get annoyed though, because fiftymillion people asked me why I wasn't in it >:. Apparently the King/Queen are supposed to ride on the float with the band, but noone gave me the memo. Thanks, alot. I heard about the tradition, but assumed that since noone approached me that it wasn't being done this year. This would make sense becayse the King is in the marching band anyways. Oh well. Afterwards I bought lunch at Subway and picked up groceries at Walmart. I decided to try out boca burgers, Amanda suggested them to me. I'm a fan :). Also, I got these delicious Edy's strawberry popsicles. I'm in love with them, they actually taste like REAL frozen fruit. Utterly scrumptious. The next day, which is today, I slaved over my homework for most of the day. I successfully wrote up two lab reports, did some Spanish cultural research, and wrote an analytical essay on Edgar Allen's three poems concerning dreams. I was drained afterwards. I did allow myself some breaks in between, especially siezing the chance to spend some time outside in this nice weather :). Lately, I've been really into taking my Border Collie, Candy, for walks down our little country road. I feel horrible that I never give her the attention she deserves, but I'm making an effort to correct that. She's such a sweet, lively thing.

She does however have a tendency of wandering off of the road :P

Tonight I drove myself and Zack to a restaurant to meet up with the other Answers Please members. In case you guys don't remember, it's that club I belong to where we compete in acedemic competitions, like a quizbowl setup. Well we had our end of the year dinner, and it was quite enjoyable :). It's different though, hanging out with people who I usually only associate with in school. I like these people, they just aren't my regulars, haha. We had fun anyways. After dinner we decided to hit up an icecream place, and Mary and I rode this little musical carousel for $.75, haha. It was well worth it :). Then Zack and I jammed to TDWP's new cd on the drive home, while talking about a bunch of random things. Now I'm sitting here, exhausted and ready for bedtime. As always, I'm sorry for the infrequent updating. I'll catch up with comments and blog posts when I get some free time tomorrow!

Have a wonderful week :)!
♥ Olive

Ramblin', where to begin

I tasted summer on your peppery skin.
Been saved, the warm of the waves. I felt a slip into
the watery grave. My girl, linen & curls.
Lips parting like a flag all unfurled. She's grand, the
bend of her hand, digging deep into the sweep of the sand.
[Summersong - The Decemberists]

Extended weekends are the best :).
I think it was because of an extra snowday, but for Memorial Weekend, we received Friday, and we will also have Monday and Tuesday off. Five day weekend sounds good to me. Thursday was Senior Skip Day, and Julie wanted Amanda and me to ask to hang out with her instead of going to school, but my mom would not lift her iron foot on the matter. Even though my grades and attendence have been fairly outstanding :P. She wasn't buying into the "C'mon mom, I deserve a break" speal. Oh well. Fortunately the day was easy to handle, and after school Amanda, Julie, and I went to art club, then out for icecream with our favorite teachers, haha. Seriously, how cool are we? Hahah. Atleast they aren't men, or creepy. The art teacher is really young, and alot like us so it's fun being with her. Then the music teacher is like a mom, and we hung out with her daughter, who's the same age as us, too. Then the band teacher is an absolute sweetheart. The music teacher brought her son and his girlfriend too, so we all just crowded together at this little outdoor table, trying to lick up our icecream before it melted all over our hands. It was a fun time :).

We then went back to Julie's and watched the Rugrats movie until those two passed out. Then I hung around for a bit, paid Tom and his friends a visit down back where they were having a bonfire, then got some much needed zZzz's. Today was relatively uneventful. I left Julie's and took Amanda to her boyfriend's early in the afternoon, then spent the day lazing around, doing some reading, and watching Dead Like Me. Also-- something more exciting. My mom is considering the idea of a LAPTOP for my birthday, which is coming up the thirteenth of June :D! I have wanted one for so long. The thing is though, our budget, like many other's lately, is tight. So we are going to investigate local used computers at this place here that has a reliable reputation. But if they don't have anything I like by next week, I can get something new, as long as it's reasonably priced. This means like less than $600.00. Probably more in the ballpark of $400-500, at most. I might get her to give me some lee-way if there's one that is just flawless, but we'll see.
What brand/models do you guys suggest? I know most of you already have laptops, so I want to know what's good :). Don't say macbook though, that'll just tease me, haha. I plan on buying one of those beasts when I'm older and have a job that can afford it.
Currently I'm hung up on this HP G60, it's $499.00, so it might work with our budget.


Another thing I've been contemplating is changing my hair. I mean, I like it okay the way it is, but it's getting awfully boring. I think my hairstyle has been the same for more than a year D:! Time for a change, perhaps? Plus as it's getting hotter out, more hair is going to equal more nuisance. So I might cut it. Not just a trim, a cut :P. I'm thinking slightly above my shoulders. It will be a significant change from how it is now though, so I'm a little nervous. I don't want it to turn out awful, especially since this fall is when I have to take my senior yearbook picture. If I do it, I plan on keeping layers in it, and maintaining my bangs. So should I do it...? :P.

In the last post I said I was reading TheVictoria Vanishes, but I actually changed my mind and began Prescription for a Superior Existence first. Both works are from the library, and are due back the 31st :[, but I hope to finish them. This one I'm nearly halfway through and it's superb. Like, it has me hooked :). Maybe I'll review it once I'm done.

Have an excellent weekend :),
♥ Olive

Junior Prom

Ah yes, the epic night has come and passed.






I can't explain the relief I felt once this whole shindig actually got underway. I have spent the last few months stressing and worrying about organizing this night, and hoping for it to be a success. Everything paid off though, and the night went off without a hitch :). I woke myself up bright and early Friday morning to get ready for the prom crash demonstration. Despite my shaky nerves, the experience was nice. Myself along with some other girls got all made up gruesomely to depict whatever injuries we were chosen to have. I had the pleasure of a face abrasion ;), plus the bloody scapes along my arms and legs.

Hah, that's my friend Mary and myself, obviously. So the rundown of the morning included us sitting for 15 minutes in a junked up vehicle that was set up to look like it T-boned another vehicle, which flung out the two girls from that car onto the ground, one dead, one unconscious. I was in the car of survivors, the passenger to the drunk driver. So once the audience of students arrived and started sitting down on the bleachers, we were instructed to begin our speel of yelling, crying, and pleading for help. After a couple screams I realized that I sounded ridiculous, so I stuck to fake crying and clutching Lindsey's hand in the backseat. The rescue squad came and removed us from the car using the jaws of life and stretchers. The "dead girl" was concealed in a bodybag and driven away by the hearse. Our performance wasn't bad I thought, and the girl who organized it even said we were her best, most realistic group so far :). That made me happy. Afterwards was an assembly that was sad to listen to, about a deputy who lost his brother to drunk driving. Then we spent the rest of the day rehearsing the Grand March procedure and decoroating the stage. Just as a random note, fake blood does NOT come off easily, haha. I had red arms for the remainder of the evening, and I spent the rest of the day peeling latex skin from my face :P. I thought it was pretty neat though, I wouldn't mind participating in things that require me to get all made up and cool looking, like thater. But there aren't many opportunities for things like that around here, especially on a non-professional, just-for-fun scale. Then after school I went to Julie's to hang out with her and Amanda :). We watched movies and stuff, and I slept over.

prom time!,.
I headed out to my hair appointment around 9:30ish, the lady was really nice. Then I went to pick up Tom from his house and we proceded to mine to get ourselves ready. Since Tom can't drive, amusingly enough, I stuffed myself and my dress into the driver's seat to go down to the school. It looked absolutely ridiclous, haha. Now I'll just post some photos from before the Grand March.


hah, we're goofs :).


amanda looking ravishing as always ;)


tom and myself again :)


derek and his awesome mohawk, and girlfriend alyssah :D

And the 2009 Prom Queen is...




Tom! Hahah, no I'm joking :P, but in reality...


Say whaaaaat?!

Me! How insane is that? I was happy enough to be called up to be on Court, but during the coronation after they announced Prince, Princess, and King, I was expecting to hear a different girls name, one who was more.. "popular", I guess, is the term I'm looking for :P. I mean I get along well with everyone, but I always hang out with my same group of friends. So I figured I would just be a court member, but hearing them call my name as the Queen nearly knocked me off of my feet. It meant alot to me to get it, just because I didn't go out and try to win people's votes. Like I didn't change the way I acted or anything in hopes of getting the position.




First dance with my King, haha.




rachel and myself before queen/princess crowning.


the whole court :P.

So, once we skedaddled off of the school premises via schoolbus, we went to a resort up on the lake for dinner and dancing. The place had two sizable rooms, one for eating, the soda bar, and two big-screened televisions, and one was hooked up to a wii. As soon as we got there we could not wait to stuff our faces. The Grand March dragged on forever it seemed. I loved the food though, it was a buffet style set-up. I only wish I had been more hungry so I could have tried more things, haha! But I was happy with it. We spent the rest of the evening in and out of the dance room, sometimes going outside for some cool, fresh air. Personally I'm not the dancing type, especially to the music that was played. That was my only complaint about the night. You see, we hired a deejay who we were asked to submit song requests to prior to the Prom. We did that, and much to our surprise, he did not play hardly anything from our list. Sure, by chance some of the more popular, gangsterish songs, were played. But nothing I put down was. I think only three, possibly four slow songs were played throughout the entire FOUR + HOURS. I mean helloooo... It's a Prom, there is supposed to be a selection of cutesey/romanctic tunes to slowdance to every now and then. I was so upset about that. The two songs I really wanted to hear, that were bolded on my request form, were Sieze the Day by Avenged Sevenfold, and Stolen by Dashboard Confessional. If I heard atleast those two songs, I would have been pleased as punch since I don't do the whole booty-dancing gig anyways. But ughhhh >:[. I even went up and personally requested Seize the Day halfway through the night, and he said he had it. Just for caution I asked six or seven other friends to go request it too. But did he ever play it for us...? No. He just put on whatever he felt was suitable, including 50's music that I know wasn't requested. At one point I briefly went over those forms with my advisor, so I have a vague idea of what people wrote down, and this jerk blatently IGNORED that.

Other than that though, I had a wonderful time. I got to talk and hang out with friends, take pictures, and it just felt spectacular after all the stress I went through to get there. I cannot even explain how happy I was with how things worked out. I'm just so glad I got to go with Tom, like I wanted to all along, even if it was just as friends. He put so much effort into going for me, keeping his grades up, getting his ineligibility card signed by teachers, paying for the tux, tickets, and other expenses. I was so glad he did all of that for me. Plus it was great having Amanda there to be with too :). Once the Prom was over, I drove myself and Tom over to Zack's house for a little get together. Roughly 10 of our classmates were there, so we just sat down and relaxed, talking to eachother. I see these people every day, but we never really hang out and talk, you know? Like we all have our separate groups of friends we're meshed into, but it was cool being able to catch up and get back on track with them, and their views on things. We literally sat in their garage(which is more of a living room/bar, haha) and talked from midnight to five in the morning. It was some pretty crazy stuff :P. I loved it though, it was a memorable, funny time.

Sunday should have been a recovery day, but I opted for having fun instead. Amanda, Julie, John, and I went to Walmart to develop pictures, then to the library, where I checked out a few new reads. I finished A Mind of its Own, I found it to be quite enjoyable. It really opened my eyes to how we go about doing the things we do, and the role our brain plays in protecting our ego and making our decisions. I reccomend it to anyone who's curious. I have put a raincheck on The Little Book, because frankly, it isn't that little. It's complex too, so I'm taking a break and reading some books from the library, starting with Victoria Vanishes. It's a murder mystery, but it seems quirky and fun. I'll let you know how it is, maybe I'll even review it ;).
After leaving Julie's residence, I went to the hospital to visit my Grandma. She had to be admitted this weekend because of complication with her rhematoid arthritus, and possibly fibromilalgia :/. Like basic movements were really painful for her, so they took her to the ER to check it out, and she's been there since. So it was nice being able to see her, although it was really unfortunate that she wasn't able to be home on Prom day, because she wanted so badly for me to come over and have pictures taken. But I tried to make it better for her by bringing pictures with me, and my tiara. It really brightened her up to find out that I miraculously made Queen, even though she swears up and down that she knew it all along :P. I love her. So I sat beside her bed and talked to her for quite awhile, and she seems to be in good health. Lively, happy :). I think once they find a suitable medication for the pain, she'll be home in no time.

School today was torturous, I truly need a recovery day. But alas, I'm a busy, obligated girl. So I went to school, did my work, finished my English test, and did the majority of my homework tonight. Actually I think all that I have remaining is studying for my Chemistry test. I was hoping to go to bed at 10:30 tonight, but looking at the clock I realize it's a quarter til eleven. So 11:15 seems more plausible. Gah, I need a vacation :P.



Thanks for bearing with me on my lack of blogging,

♥ Olive

Rejected.

Yeah, that whole New Visions thing..., not going to happen.
I received my letter in the mail, and as soon as I felt how light it was, I prepared for the worst. Sure enough, I spotted those words "We regret to inform you" in a millisecond. At first it felt like a slap in the face and I stormed off into another room. But Tom followed close behind and comforted me in the bizarre, yet effective ways he does. I'm still unhappy, but I have given myself time to mull it over and make some decent realizations for the better. My "vain brain", as decribed in the nonfiction psychology book I'm reading, is busy sheltering my ego and changing my motives and plans to be more appealing. I'll let it do its job though, because I would prefer to indulge myself in something beneficial, than sit around feeling sorry for myself. I decided to use this setback to focus on what I truly love; writing.

Medicine is going down the drain, but in theory when I think about it, writing a good book would bring me much more joy. I still might test the waters in psychology, but otherwise, creative writing and journalism are my current interests. Being a journalist could be exciting. A big dream of mine that I hope to make into a reality is opening my very own bookstore. I envision doing that when I'm older though, settled in a town I'm in love with, in a beautiful house. After my nomadic tendencies I hope to harbor simmer down :).

So this afternoon I went out for icecream with the girls, John, and the ferret. Soft serve cheesecake = ♥. Mrs.Barosi, the music teacher joined us there. It was a good time, aside from the sun roasting me in my black cardigan sweater. Ms.Hsai showed up to see us too, she's the chinese band teacher :). Tomorrow is the Prom Crash demonstration, which I signed up to partake in. I'm a tidbit nervous, just because I feel awkward in front of a crowd. In case you don't know what I'm rambling about, every year before Prom, the rescue squad puts on a "crash" where they set up junk cars to resemble an accident, and students act out the roles of drunken drives, and injured/dead persons. They undergo the whole process of the ambulance showing up, using the jaws of life, putting people on stetches, zipping the dead inside a bodybag and leaving in the hearse, ect. It's intended to snap people out of the idea of drinking and driving. I truly hope noone here is that ignorant to do so :/. If they are, I hope our performance sways their mind. I supposedly will have to sream and become upset seeing Cassie all dead and such, I hope I can do a decent job and not sound totally fake, haha. We'll see.

♥ Olive

Glueing tinsel to your crown, he's got you talking pretty loud.

Called to see if your back
Is still aligned, and your sheets
were growing grass all on the corners of your bed.
And you've got too much to wear on your sleeves.
It's got too much to do with me.
And secretly I want to bury in the yard,
the grey remains of a friendship scarred.
[Kissing the Lipless- The Shins]
It's been stuck in my head, doesn't necessarily have meaning :P.



weekend update.
Last week was hopefully the end of my stressful frenzy :). It's the week before Prom now, but I'm realizing that everything is set in stone now, and there's no sense in worrying. Now I just get to watch the magic or chaos unfold, and make do with whatever happens. The tickets are bought, the dress is being picked up tomorrow, and I'm ready for it. I spent most of this weekend with Amanda and Julie. Friday night I slept over at Julie's after venturing around town running errands/destroying boredom. We wound up laying in her bed for the rest of the night playing with her cute little ferret :), and watching Dexter on dvd. I'm starting to get hooked on that show, by the way. The next day was even better. We dug our old rollerblades out of the closet, I had to borrow a pair from Amanda, and we took to the streets. Since the sidewalks here are awful, I drove us to a more roller-friendly town nearby. I was embaressingly clumsy, since the last time I went "rollerblading" was at some indoor skate rink ages ago. Amanda and Julie were quick to help though, pulling me behind them for the beginning of it. Once Julie went down a small hill with me, without me crashing, I gained some confidence at it :P. I was still slow at it, but progress was made. Oh, we also ran into this little gang of 8ish year old bikers. They were hitting jumps at this sandpit place we were passing through. I felt slightly intimidated... haha. It was lame. One of them, assumably their leader, was like "Hey ladies, how about you show us a 360." So Julie and I awkwarded stepped a circle, since you obviously can't glide with ease on sand, haha. Then we gave the kids a thumbs up and continued on our way. Unfortunately we ran into the little troublemakers a few more times on our journey, but we avoided conversation :P. All the skating around became tiresome, so we stopped for icecream at Stewarts. I got my favorite flavor, birthday cake. Once we were refreshed we headed back to where I parked, next to the local park. It was there that we played like born-again elementary kids, with pictures to prove it.


I actually had the worst fear of the firepoles when I was younger. :P


Julie made a new friend. Too bad she's two feet tall :P.

After that was all over and done with, I went back to hang out at Julie's for the rest of the night. Sunday morning I went home to celebrate Mothers' Day. I picked up an icecream cake which we ate over at my Grandma's house, and stayed there for awhile. Then I gave my mom a card and her favorite chocolate, Turtles. I wanted to get her something Star-Trekky, but I ran out of time. Since my computer was on a little hiatus, the internet wasn't functioning, I tried to be productive. I cleaned my room, did some much needed organizing, and read in the latest English assignment, Animal Farm. I actually enjoyed reading it.
Basically more than half of the juniors, probably 75% of them, went on a Business field trip today. I escaped the dreaded Financial Literacy course this year, I'll most likely be plagued by it the next . But this meant all of my classes were extraordinarily small, ergo studyhalls ;). It was nice being able to do..nothing all day. Actually I finished my English throughout them, but it was still cool. So tonight I was homework-free. I got my research paper back, graded a 98. I'm satisfied.

[H]ouse fans; What did you think of tonight's episode? I got sort of confused at the end of it, because Tom was leaving and I was trying to pay attention simutaneously. I can't believe he ended up where he did though D: Thoughts?

Well, I think I have run out of interesting things to ramble on about :P.

♥ Olive

one hundred!

Wow, post #100 :)!
I'm finally catching up to you guys! Sorta.. :P. There's still bloggers like Hannah who I'm lightyears behind with my posting, haha. But I'm getting there I suppose. I just want to say thanks to everyone. When I made this, I figured it would be just for myself, I never imagined it would actually be social, haha. It's awesome though, I love reading everyone's blogs, and I'm glad you guys take the time to read mine :).

It's in!
So I think my whole dress fiasco is straightened out. I received a voicemail today from the place I bought it, saying it came in and is ready for me to come in and have altered tomorrow. I can't even explain how RELIEVED I am. It's been making me nervous for quite awhile now. Prom in general seems to be coming together last minute. I have had meetings all throughout the past weeks trying to organize things, and make final decisions. So it feels good to see it beginning to pay off. Our tickets went from a whopping $75.00/ticket, $150/couple to a reduced price of $40 or 50/person, depending on if you participated in fundraisers. SO MUCH BETTER. This week I actually got to go to a meeting at the lodge where our Prom is being held, so it was really cool being able to go inside the place and scope it out. I thought the place was neat, we're going to have an enjoyable time there :).


I dare you.
This past week I upgraded my phone :). I had the same Samsung for two years, and we got this coupon thing, so my mom took me to the Verizon store to get the LG Dare. Ahh, I'm in love with it. Touchy-feely screens are the coolest. It takes some getting used to though, having smaller fingers than I already do would be a bonus. My background is Amanda, Tom, and myself at a Rise Against concert.

Tuesday was my scheduled interview for New Visions. I was the first person they would speak to, so needless to say I was a little nervous. I kept my cool though, practicing giving the answers to their questions on the drive to the place :P. I undoubtably sounded like a madwoman, talking to myself for atleast 20 minutes, hahah. It helped though, because I remained pretty calm and collected when it was the real thing. Sure there was a time or two where my voice became slightly shaky, but I felt like I convered it up decently. They seemed to like me, but I'm not sure if I stood out to them or not. The program is highly selective, so we shall see. It probably didn't help when I forgot to bring my photo-release form, hahah. Oh well, whatever happens, happens. We find out if we are accepted next week, so I'll be sure to let you all know how it works out. It was nice being able to miss a period of school though, especially since it was chemistry, haha. I allowed myself to wind down on my way home by stopping by my favorite coffeeshop and grabbing a delicious butterscotch chai tea latte.

Interview attire. (What you can't see, is how I had to craftily "shorten" my slacks using safety pins and paperclips. I hope it wasn't noticable, hahah. But otherwise the pants would have been WAY too long.)

Ahh, let's see. What else have I been getting myself into this past week?
Oh, alright. I got one. Tuesday night, long after my interview, was College Night at the nearby community college. I went by myself, but fortunately ran into Amanda and her mother there :). I basically attacked Amanda from behind when I spotted her, hahah. Then we browsed all of the booths, grabbing packets and flyers as we went. Her mom had a party to go to, so Amanda chose to stay with me for awhile longer, and I agreed to drop her off at home later. So as we're walking along, this relatively, okay, PRETTY FREAKING HOTT guy comes up to me. I'm not used to this, by the way. And he's like "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?" I'm caught of guard and curious, so I of course said sure. Then he's like "You see, my friend over in the grey is kind of looking for a girlfriend, or a girl to hang out with, something like that. So it'd be really cool if you texted him or gave him a call or something, here's his number." And he then hands me a little slip of paper. This is in fact, the first time a stranger has given me their number, hahaha. So as I walk away, I glanced in the direction he pointed to his "friend in grey" and sure enough, I see this hefty dude flashing me a goofy-ass smile, hahaha. Like I hate to be mean, but UGH. I don't know, the look he had on just screamed "Oh yeah, I'm gettin' some", like one of those cocky looks. But the guy wasn't even in my opinion, attractive >:/.Amanda looked at the same time I did, and started laughing hysterically about the whole situation, and I found the humor in it too, haha. Like I don't care what people look like, it's just incredibly lame to try to pick up a girl, a complete STRANGER, at a college night. Especially when you have your wicked hott friend do it, so the girl is more interested in him than she would be in you, hahah. I don't think I'm shallow, I'm just not desperate. I'm not going to hook up with some guy I don't know at ALL, from who the hell knows where, haha. I doubt I was the only girl he approached either. Even if the guy WAS in my mind, attractive, I would be VERY skeptical of getting ahold of some stranger. Especially if they were really good looking, because then there's the high probability they were playing a joke on me, haha. So that's my story of the week I suppose.

Hahah, that would be my pile of college pamphlets. My bag was so heavy that night.

Today was the blood drive. It was my first time, so I was slightly nervous. I followed the instructions and ate/drank plenty to be ready for losing a pint of blood that afternoon :P. It really wasn't bad at all. I tend to look away when needles are going in me, like when they pricked my finger, and when they put the needed in my arm. I need to become less squeamish about that, it's not a big deal or anything. The whole process went well though. It didn't seem to take a long time at all, like I don't think it took more than five minutes for me to fill up the bag. Maybe even less. I just feel like giving blood is a good thing to do because it's basically harmless for the donor, it just takes a little time, and slight discomfort. But you save lives, and that's what matters.

There's my complimentary tshirt ;), and check out the iodine stain, haha. That's the arm I had the blood drawn from, obviously. Then today after school I went over to Julie's with Amanda to watch the movie Julie, Jenna, and Dan made. They did this horror film based on zombie baby dolls, pretty much. It was awesome :D. I found it to be wicked funny, because Jenna plays a flawless role as a Grandma. She pulls off the old maid dress like nobody's business. Then Julie acted as this bratty, vulgar little girl. I don't know quite how to explain the whole thing, but if I had the capability to put it online for you guys, I would. Plus Dan did alot of cool editing on it. They shot the whole thing in like, five days, haha. But it was very amusing to watch.

Alright, well I think I'll conclude this post now.
Yay for #100 :). Have a good week everyone.

♥ Olive

#99, Almost there ;)

carwash.
Was a success! :). I literally organized this whole thing in a matter of like, two days. But it worked out like I was hoping. Most of the people who promised me they would show up, did in fact come. Derek's mom was an absolute sweetheart, bringing unwanted games/christmas stuff/ect for us to sell. Her and my mom hung out while we all washed the cars. After making a run to the dollar store the previous night, and contacting a friend to supply some hoses, we were totally prepared for the task at hand. We made $241 doing this from 11:30 to 4ish, having a blast while doing it. Zack tried to play dictator, splitting us into "quadrants", each of us responsible for a specific task of cleaning. Lindsey and I were #1, the frontal/windshield region, haha.
So now I feel a little better about prom,but I'm not so thrilled with this sunburn :P. I have the most rediculous ones on my feet from wearing my flip flops all day, hahah. It's so weird looking. Plus my shoulders are like, cherry red. It was totally worth it though. Now I just need to put the money in an envelope, and write up some nice thank-you letters to people who helped us. This is slowly becoming less stressful.
Unfortunately I have a new source of worry though. New Visions. I'm completely excited, but interviews take a toll on my nerves. I'm the first person to be interviewed as well, bright and early at 8:00 Tuesday morning. Wish me luck.

I was tagged by Hannah :)
& I tag anyone who's up for the challenge!

*The rules*:
1. Respond and rework; answer the question on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your invention, and if you want -add more questions of your own!

2. Tag 8 other people:


What is your current obsession?
- Prom, and making sure it's planned out decently enough not to fail miserably.
Once that's over and done with, I can devote time to less stress-filled obsessions :).

What songs are currently on constant repeat?
- Do You Believe in Magic [The Lovin' Spoonfuls]
- Don't Trust Me [3OH3!]
- Start Wearing Purple [Gogol Bordello]

Who cooks the best for you? (I changed it because I couldn't choose a favorite food :X)
- Grandma's always #1, but it's harder for her now. So usually my chef of choice is Tom, because I can sometimes sucker him into making me delicious omlettes :). Or his dad, he makes a crazygood breakfast.

What is your favorite smell?
- Vanilla, laundry detergant[haha?], and anything scrumptious in the kitchen.

What are you wearing today?
- Ugh, I'm boring today. Denim skinny jeans, black camisole, jewelery. Earlier I was also wearing a purply-grey teeshirt.

Why is today special?
-BECAUSE IT IS SHAYLA'S BIRTHDAY!
I feel so awful that I can't be there to celebrate with her :/. But I hope she had a great time regardless! :)

What would you like to learn how to do?
- Speak multiple languages, fluently.
- Ballroom dance ;)
- And how to make/fix a bunch of things. I wish I had mechanical skill.
- Oh, and how to play the piano better than I know how to already. [which isn't very well :P]

When are you the most inspired?
- When I'm free to think. Like walking down quiet country roads, or laying in the grass. I can't be distracted by other things like the television or computer. When my brain is unwinding.

What is your most challenging goal right now?
- Well, to get accepted into New Visions. The interview is Tuesday, and I'm nervous :/.
- Having a successful prom. Planning the whole thing is so stressful, I'll be relieved when it's over.

If you could have a home totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
- Oh wow, that would be quite nice :). I'd have to do my research, but somewhere in Europe I imagine. I would want to live in a cute, quirky town, not too far from a lively city, where I could have a beautiful bookstore.

What are you looking forward to most this summer? How about least?
- I cannot wait to have the freedom of driving around with my friends, going everywhere, without school being in the way. I cannot wait to be sunkissed and free spirited.
- As for least, I'll be sad if Julie winds up moving away somewhere. I don't think she will, but Julie's unpredictable like that :P. She might decide to go off to South Carolina or someplace.

What would you like to have in your hands right now?
- A huge wad of cash, hahaha. Or a plane ticket and hotel reservations for England.

What would you like to get rid of?
- People who are ignorant and self-centered, unwilling to open their minds.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
- A warm island, maybe somewhere in the Caribbean.

What are your plans for the future?
- Attending a good college, educating myself as well as I can.
- Maybe do something medical/psyschologically related. Or journalism.
- Keep the wonderful friends I've made, and possibly make a few more.
- Enjoy the life I'm living, write a good book, or two. However many I can squeeze out :).
- I eventually want to live in a big, beautiful house in a nice town, with my own bookstore.
- Oh, and being with the guy I wind up in love with would be pretty nice.

Who do you want to meet right now?
- Markus Zusak, I love his writing. Or John Green.

Who is your favorite female artist?
- Regina Specktor, she has an amazing voice. Plus she doesn't go around getting a bad reputation.

Favorite label/shop?
- Forever 21 for like, everything. PacSun for skinny jeans.

What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own closet?
- How can I chooseee :P. I like different items for different reasons.
For casual, I love my Tilt skinny jeans, purple camisole, and grey scoop neck tee.
Getting dressier, I like my indigo colored ruffled dress, along with my black cardigan.

If you had 10,000 dollars now, what would you spend it on?
- I would buy books :)!, some new clothes, and things for my friends.
The rest would go towards savings, and probably a charity of my choice.

Do you admire anyone's style?
- Sure, there are alot of stylish people out there. Whenever I see a really well put together outfit, I think "Dang, I wish I had that." Hahah :P. Nicole, for example, is one of those people with great style.

Describe your personal style?
- Eh, I'm working on making it more unique.
But currently, it's moderately casual. Alot of skinny demin, scoop necks. I try to jazz things up with a nice sweater here and there, occasionally a dress. I need more unique pieces.

What are you going to do after this?
- I am guessing it'll be bedtime :P. It's past ten already, I'm offically beat.

What is the best book you've ever read?
- Another tough one. The Book Theif will probably have to take the cake, but I have alot of wonderful stories that I love. Thirteen Reasons Why, Looking for Alaska, and I plan on reading even better.

What do you think about the person who tagged you?
Hannah! :) She's wonderful. That girl just seems to have a way with words and writing that makes me love reading her insights and just all about her day, without ever getting bored. I envy the ambition she has. Plus she's very pretty.