I Need To Be Put In A Protective Bubble

Every year on New Years Eve and during the summer my family visits our family friend's lake house with the owning family and another family. We have done this since ever before I can remember and this past weekend we made the trip once again. A downside of going to the lake during the summer is no air conditioning. All they have in the house is a window unit in the basement which is completely crazy might I add. The basement will remain relatively cool and the first floor of the house stays the same as outside which is awful in 100 degree weather. We drove the hour trip up and arrived early Friday afternoon. I got to see my four close family friends that are around my age, which is always completely wonderful because I love them all  for the most part. Anyways on Saturday, I was helping carry down the tubes to the lake so we could go tubing. I was carrying the back of one of the tubes and walking backwards down the hill from the house and being the graceful person I am; I fell backwards and twisted my ankle. It didn't really hurt that much and I shook it off. After coming back from tubing and later that evening went to go play Bocce Ball and when I was walking to the other side of the Bocce court (for those of you that don't know, you play Bocce in the grass in a roped off area), my ankle locked up and gave out. Now that I think about it, it makes sense because I was really stressing that ankle because I was trying to shake off the first ankle twisting. Anyways, that second twisting really did me in and I was in so much pain that entire evening. It was made worse because the rest of my family had already gone home so I couldn't leave if I wanted to. I really wanted to stay, so I just hobbled around everywhere. Moral of the story: I am extremely clumsy and I tend to hurt myself. I've sprained my ankles so many times that this didn't surprise me one bit.
(Picture from overtons.com of the tubes we were on!)

Meeting the Shecks

Last Tuesday I met Ryan Sheckler. I am not an extremely big fan or anything and I must admit that I only like him for his looks. (: For those who don't know who Ryan Sheckler is; he is a professional skateboarder who skates for the skate company Plan B. The latter I only found out through my little brother. I went to the signing and I came out with four different things signed: my cell phone, two posters and a skateboard as well as a fabulous picture of the both of us and a hug. My friend and I also had him call our other friend who could not be there. He was a lot sweeter and cuter and person than I expected! It was a lot of fun! Second famous person I've met. Who have you met? (Second post today. Yay!)

The Inception of My In Car Driving

Where I live, you must complete a two week Driver's Ed course, six hours of in car time with an instructor and 60 hours separate of that on your own time, ten of which hours must be completed at night. Just the other day, I had my first in car driving lesson with the instructor. I arrived to find a person from the state's department of motor vehicles there to observe my instructor as she observed me. No pressure at all. I could also tell that she was extremely nervous, so of course that made me more nervous than I had previously been. Thank goodness the lesson was extremely easy stuff like making turns and stopping correctly at stop signs, etc. We also drove through a neighborhood and my instructor acted like I knew the area (which I didn't because I don't live by the driving school at all) which was kind of annoying. She kept looking at me strangely as I asked which way I was turning. She finally realized after I mentioned something about where I live that I live a good 10- 15 minutes away and never drive up that way. All in all though the lesson was uneventful. The most exciting that happened was while I was attempting to back into an alley way and pull out was a grasshopper making it's way into our car. I tried my best not to scream. Naturally I was unsuccessful. It was also a tad awkward because the observer sat in the backseat for the full two hours without saying a word. At the end of the lesson though, he asked me a few random questions about Anti-Lock Break System on cars.
I also wanted to take a moment to say a word about the new movie Inception! It was absolutely amazing. I recommend you go see it if you have the opportunity. I saw it last Sunday and it was even better than I accepted. I won't say much about the plot because I don't want to ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it, but there are many plot twists and it plays with your mind. I am also a long time Leonardo DiCaprio fan and he was great in this movie!

The Fearful Freshmen

In the beginning of August, through National Honor Society (which I am Secretary in, woop!), I will have the pleasure of giving tours of my school during Freshmen Orientation to all of the nervous, wide-eyed rising Freshmen that will be consuming our halls next year. I am so excited to be giving the tours, that it is actually kind of funny. I get to do 12 groups, 6 groups of girls in the morning and 6 groups of boys in the afternoon. I get to tell them what I think of my school and they have to listen to me; it's wonderful! I was given a list of things to talk about including HSA testing (our state's high school standardized tests), discipline, attendence, scheduling and guidance, clubs and athletics and showing them where everything is around the school. In all reality it isn't that difficult at all. However, I don't understand why we are supposed to talk about some of the items on this list. For instance, PSAT testing? You typically take the PSATs as a sophomore when they are paid for by the school and then a second time as a junior to qualify for the National Merit Scholarships. Furthermore, when you are a sophomore at my high school you have a really big meeting with your guidance counselor and you go over all of that kind of stuff and you get mutliple notifications sent home with you. So, I don't get it. Also, they make it sound like if you miss more than nine days of school it will be the end of the world. Last year I missed 12 and absolutely nothing happened to me. I just find it kind of funny because the things that are on the list of topics are kind of contrary to the actual goings of our school. The above is a picture of one of my very best friends and I our freshman year!

The Beautiful Bucknell

So I would like to start off by apologizing for my absence in the past week or so. I have been so busy and tired with Driver's Ed, yoga and etc., so I have not had the chance to write! Also, nothing much interesting has really happen so I didn't want to bore you with the random ramblings of a teenage girl. However, this week something has happened which has made me excited. Story time. (:
On Monday, I made a meeting to meet with my guidance counselor to discuss the billion questions I have. I am the type of person that if I don't go over things or get my questions answered that it will drive my crazy. My guidance counselor's amazing though, so she doesn't mind at all. Anyways, on Monday I met with her and discussed my questions I have about applying to college and also this conundrum I am in because of requirements for applying to Bucknell. I have to have two consecutive foreign language credits of the same language. At first, I was like oh, of course I have that. I completed Spanish I and II in middle school as high school credit/work and then Spanish III my freshman year of high school. Apparently though, Bucknell's policy has changed and those classes must be completed in your actual high school years, no exceptions. Now, I will be signing up for Latin I and II in August online and take those classes in addition to my classes at school. If I did not do this I couldn't apply to my dream school. Which would completely devastate me you see. Hopefully this will show initiative and Latin should help with language comprehension, writing and english and that is related to my major and sort of what I want to do. I'll fill you in this year on how I will be dealing with five AP classes as well as two classes outside of school! So much for a chill senior year, but I still certain it will be a fun year. Hopefully!

Oh, The Irony

Recently I have been finding the many things ironic, or rather, noticing many things around me that are ironic! Like for instance, the fact that I must clean my room so that the cleaning company can come and clean my room every other week. I don't understand that at all. My mom calls it "straightening" for the cleaning service. I call it cleaning. Also, just random topics I have been discussing have been coming up all over the place, (I would say college, but that is in like every conversation I have these days). 

And exciting new ladies and gentlemen! I no longer completely hate Driver's Ed. It's true. I'm am now 'eh' with it. I actually started to talk to a few other people so I do not feel completely lonely like before so it makes me feel a lot better. I can occupy myself now as the instructor drones on and on about turn signals and signs.  I have also done some pretty great doodling during class that I find quite amazing. My favorite is of the man running into the tree. I have also decided that I now have a quite unhealthy obsession with iced tea. I have already been obsessed with iced green tea for quite some while. When my family was at the beach my mom joked and called me Juno because at the end of the week I was walking around with a big gallon of green tea in my hand. Today alone I have probably had at least 32 oz. of tea. Yay antioxidants! 

Pay It Forward!

I feel extremely bad. This is going to be such an awful post. I don't really know what to write about today. I didn't have yoga and I'm still sore from yesterday. I went to Driver's Ed per usual. It still sucks as does the large group of friends that insists upon talking and laughing obnoxiously throughout the entire three hour class. I really want to scream at them all. Today we talked about road signs.  Oh! Also, during break I went into Subway and I forgot my change and the man behind me ran up to me and gave it to me while I was filling my drink. I'm pretty sure it made my day. It's nice to be nice as my friend's dad says! (: 

Now as I ponder school related items I am happy to say that I have crossed a few things off of my million item long list, which excites me so. I only have 999,999 things to do now! A new development has been made though and I will be visiting Disney World in November! My parents finally got that all taken care of and we will be going for our fourth year in a row I believe, our second year staying on property which I love. Last year we stayed at Port Orleans - French Quarter and this year we have upgraded to the Wilderness Lodge. I love Disney World with all my heart. I am such a little kid when I go there and it is always a really nice break from school whenever we go. It will also be one of our last "doable" family vacations because once I am in college it will be harder to coordinate going on decent vacations. Enjoy my picture of Rafiki in Animal Kingdom from last year's vacation! So I think it is safe to say that I love Disney World and Subway tons. Oh and Stephen Jerzak, listen to this and look him up. He's my absolute favorite.

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Stronger

So as you already know, I continued my yoga classes today. It was brutal. Who knew Yoga 1/2 would have me drenched in sweat about ready to pass out? It was such a hard workout; I probably lost five pounds during class. It was pretty much awful in the beginning though because my friend and I had never done a legitimate yoga class before this (except beginner pilates the day before). The poses were challenging and apparently it was even a harder class than normal because the woman next to my friend turned to the man on her right and asked him if class seemed harder than normal. Go figure that's the first class we take and on the day where it is even harder than normal. I was really happy I completed the entire hour and a half though. I felt so accomplished by the end. It was really really hard, but I think it was worth it. If I decide to take the more difficult class again I now sort of know what I have to do. It was also better than it would have been because our instructor had a co instructor that really helped us do the poses correctly and learn how to do everything. I'm pretty sure my favorite was when we rocked back into the Laughing Baby. Just the name made me laugh and it felt really good too!
In other news, I actually made a friend kind of with one other girl in my Driver's Ed class so it actually might not be that miserable for the remaining eight days. I am really happy I now have someone I can talk to because I am such a talkative person and the class was depressing me. ): As my mom said I'm 20% done so far! Also, I still have yet to order my senior pictures! It is really bad because I need to do that soon before I forget. This week is also the week to turn in my parking permit form for school, so that is something else I have to add to my list of a million things to do. Oh and I have to make an appointment with my guidance counselor and sort out another list of a million. (And, by the way I really did write this yesterday I just forgot to publish it. So I have written everyday like I said!) Well anyways, I'm sore and sleepy. I need a massage, ever had one?

30 Hours Of My Life That I Will Never Get Back

Today was a wonderful day, that is, until I went to my first Driver's Education class. I had heard that it was going to be boring and redundant with silly movies about staying out of "the No Zones" of trucks from the 90s. However, I was in no way prepared for horrible experience that was my first Driver's Ed class. First off, I walk in and the room is awkwardly set up which does not make for a comfortable setting at all. Then, as people begin to arrive I get the pleasure of sitting next to the quietest, most awkward being alive. The boy said two words to me the entire class and barely acknowledged me when we had to do a scavenger hunt through the Driver's Handbook. I believe all of these are items I could overlook if I at least had a friend in the class or knew someone, not even someone I was terribly good friends with. I wouldn't even mind not knowing anyone if all, but three other people came in the class by themselves as well. It's just kind of depressing and you even get a $20 discount with every person you come with. That I also did not know. Even overlooking all of that, the material we are learning is just terribly boring. Today we discussed the basic requirements to achieve your provisional license, when/how you can get your license revoked and basic safety information with two corny, 90s films thrown into the mix. As soon as the 20 minute break rolled around, I called one of my best friends and ranted to her about how much of a waste of time this entire class was going to be. A stupid, state required waste of time. We have quizzes and everything. I feel like there are so many other things that I could be doing that could be more productive than this so it is just quite frustrating. 

On the bright side I started my yoga classes today! Pilates was amazing! I left the studio feeling so relaxed and almost refreshed. Every muscle in my body felt nice and stretched out. I cannot wait for the rest of my classes! (: 

Patriotic Procrastination

So, I have been having a few issues the last few days. The main reason? My sudden urge to procrastinate. I keep on putting everything off! It's actually starting to bother me as I need to be doing several things. It all started because I have been choosing to hang out with my friends rather than concentrate on senior and college things. I mean, I guess that's alright; however, I need to get back to being productive! I haven't really done much of anything the past two days besides hang out with my loves. Today, on the birthday of America I was consumed in the festivities so I almost even forgot to update my blog! Please forgive me. (: It's really bad because I skipped  a day just a few days ago as well!
Tomorrow I plan on getting back into the swing of things. I have yoga in the early afternoon which I am extremely excited about! I have wanted to do yoga since probably my freshman year and this summer I am finally getting the chance! I also start Driver's Ed. I know, I know I'm doing this all late. It is the summer before my senior year after all. This past school year was so busy for me I barely had time to do anything. Also, all of that snow in the winter really messed with my driving practice. I have only accumulated about 10-15 hours of driving so far and I have had my learner's permit since last August. I am hoping to get my license by the end of the summer so I will not have to ride the bus next year; that is my main goal. For the next two weeks I will be attending Driver's Ed in the evening as well as doing yoga or pilates as the case may be tomorrow in the morning! Any advice on driving or yoga? I am pumped for both! The picture above is from the studio where I will be going to yoga classes!

Applications and Animal Farm

Okay so, I finished Animal Farm a few days ago! It was really good. I really enjoy George Orwell's style of writing and I love political satires. The best in the entire book is on the very last page; "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from man to pig again; but already it was impossible to say which was which." I think that was the perfect ending to a great novel and really sums up what the book is about. My favorite character by far in the entire book was Boxer and (spoiler!) when he gets taken away to the "hospital" and it is really a horse slaughterer cart I was on the verge of tears. (end spoiler!) All in all, I was very pleased with everything in the book from the style of writing to the depth of the characters. In 97 pages Orwell was able to captivate me, which let me tell you is actually quite a feat any author should be proud of! (: It takes a lot to satisfy me in a book. Currently, I am on page three of War and Peace, so I still have to get going on that book, all 1396 pages of it!
I hope I have time to read, because as the days pass I am becoming tremendously busy and it is still the summer. I know three out of six of my applications for my colleges are out so I need to start those ASAP. For, 'Bama the application process is very simple so it makes me happy. The other applications, namely Bucknell are more lengthy. Bucknell is on the Common Application and then there is the supplemental part provided by the university which contained two essays and short response questions I believe. I still have to look into in more thoroughly. I have applications from Bucknell, Elon and 'Bama all awaiting me. (: I'm really excited/ nervous to get it done with. Any advice?

AP AKA Absolutely Putrid

Well, how about that? A little bit more about the horrors of testing. Today was the first day you were able to call to receive your AP scores if you are one of the many anxious high school students across the country who had the unfortunate experience of taking any of the several AP exams this past May. Originally, I was just going to wait until the third week of July to get my scores in the mail. However, I then spoke to my friends who had already called and gotten their scores. Naturally, I wanted to know even more than before. I sucked it up and paid the $8 fee to get my scores by phone. Unfortunately, now I kind of wish that I hadn't. I wish that I had just waited. I mean, my scores aren't the worst possible; I didn't get any ones, but they're certainly not what I was hoping for.

I took the AP Lit exam and received a three, which made me mad because that is one of the easiest tests and my best subject. Now I'll have to take the AP Lang exam so I can get a four or five on it for college credit. I took the AP Microeconomics exam and was pleased with the three I received on that test. I thought there was a chance I could get a four, but I wasn't holding my breath. I also took the AP Statistics exam and got a three! I am extremely proud of this three because of how awfully I actually thought I did. On the free response part it got so bad, at one point I was legitimately making up answers. Yet, my last exam was not what I expected. At all. I took the AP Environmental exam and I received a two. I was devastated to see this score especially after all of the hours I spent studying for the test and I still cannot believe that I did that horribly. ): It also ruined my chances of becoming an AP Scholar, something that I was hoping I could achieve because it would have looked great for college applications and it would have been a reminder that all of the hardwork I put into these tests paid off. Alas, my average for the four tests is a 2.75 and not a three so I don't get the award. I mean, there isn't anything I can do about it except learn from my mistakes. How did everyone else do? What exams did you take?

Knowledge Is Power And Reading Is Knowledge.

So, I have decided to be good this summer and read. I picked up a few classic novels last night at the library including Animal Farm by George Orwell (I love him), Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen and War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I have already started Animal Farm, only 97 pages, not too bad. The real challenge will come when I crack open War and Peace, about 1400 pages of literary delight. I believe it is on the equivalent of Atlas Shrugged (haven't read that one either). Even though it's long as anything I am really excited to read it just to say that I have. (: I am most excited for Animal Farm though just because I have really really wanted to read it for quite some time now. When I read 1984 this past year I really enjoyed it and there was a small ad for Animal Farm in that back. Now that I finally have it I will most certainly be finishing it today! 

I'm trying to read as many pieces of classic literature as I can this summer. In total so far, I have read 36 "classics", ranging from Alice and Wonderland by Lewis Carroll to In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. I actually really enjoyed both of those novels as well! Well, I am trying to get up to 50 novels by the end of the summer so now that I am actually thinking about it I am going to go read! The novels I would like to read this summer include:

Animal Farm

Sense and Sensibility

War and Peace

Paradise Lost

Brave New World

Gone With the Wind

A Midsummer’s Night Dream

Invisible Man

Sherlock Holmes

Emma

Anna Karenina

Wuthering Heights

The Prince

Les Miserables

East of Eden

The Great Gasby

The Three Musketeers 

The Time Machine

This is my list for now! If I get to 50 books by the end of the summer, that means reading 15, I will be so happy. I will cross off the books on this list as I go. Reading all of them would be amazing. Any other suggestions for good classics to read this summer?

The Woeful World Of Standardized Testing.

Today, as I reviewed my SAT scores from my June test I thought about how much I resentment I have built up towards the CollegeBoard. My scores, naturally bad, are the product of the CollegeBoard's awful and deceptive ways. They can not just as you to solve a math equation, but they must ask you in the most convoluted way possible. The fact of the matter is they want to trick you. When you take this test they are not testing your knowledge, but how well you can master what is the SAT. I know it is so frustrating for me and other college hopefuls throughout the country to have so much relying on these test scores and have this company deliberately deceive us. Especially, when a great percentage of our acceptance into college is based upon these scores.
So far, I have taken the SATs twice and the ACT once. I prefer the ACT by far. I found it much more straight forward and all around easier. I am going to take it again in September to improve what I already think is a pretty good score. However, another thing that bothers me about both the ACT and SAT is the sending of scores and all of the other fees you must pay if you want anything done whatsoever. For my first SAT, my writing score was not at all what I thought it would be, in fact in was 150 points lower than what I had received on several practice tests. I asked for score verification services. They were happy to do it, but it came at the hefty price of $50. Sending your scores to schools in another money maker. Although the CollegeBoard gives you four score reports free with your test, any more than that and you will be charged $9.50 each. As I have previously mentioned, I am applying to six schools. That's an extra $20 and probably more because most of my colleges would like to see all of the test scores across all dates, so in reality that's $40 more that I will have to spend just to send my SAT scores. The ACT isn't as nice and you must pay $9 for each score report send, an additional $54. Whether it be the money or the trickery standardized testing just annoys me. At some point I hope this will all change. Until then I will be submitting to the torture that is standardized testing.

The Colleges.

I just realized that I hadn't really discussed where I am planning on going to school once I graduate! I have briefly talked about college and plans for college, but nothing in depth. I am applying to the following schools (in order by choice):

Bucknell University

University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill

Elon University

University of Maryland - College Park

University of Alabama

North Carolina State University

Applying to college is going to be the majority of the first few months of my senior year. Many of the schools on my list have extremely early deadlines (like November 1 and November 15!). I am trying to start my applications as soon as possible, so come mid July I will most likely be posting about the horrors of the application process! I have legitimately been planning for college since the seventh grade; it is actually kind of embarrassing. It's completely surreal that I will be starting my applications so soon. I am slightly addicted to researching colleges, so if anyone has any personal experience at any of these schools please be kind enough to give me some feedback!

I've also been trying to apply to as many scholarships as possible, but so far no luck. ): I have also been trying to volunteer and do as much as I can to build up a better resume'. It's all so stressful!

Set In Stone!

They are finally here! Well, all of my "senior things" are here. Today, I returned back from vacation (sorry for the delay in posting) and I returned to find my senior pictures, senior schedule and senior information packet all waiting for me in my mailbox! I ripped open the envelope that contained my senior pictures in full force. I had been really nervous to see them because I had thought that they weren't going to be very good because after they were taken I saw small previews of them on the digital camera and I was disappointed. However, I was pleasantly surprised! I browsed through the proofs and only found maybe four that I wasn't fond of. This is out of seventeen so I consider that pretty good! I am really excited to order them, even though they are quite expensive.

I was also completely excited to get my last high school schedule ever. Next year will be a bit challenging though since I have decided to take five AP classes. I also got my junior year report card with schedule and I was happy to see that I actually ended up doing pretty well in Precal! That class was so challenging. Especially since I am weaker in math than in writing and quite honestly don't enjoy it as much.

The most exciting item of them all though is the fact that I got my senior packet! It is filled with my graduation date (yay! June 3, 2010) and my student "brag" sheet, parent "brag" sheet, resume sheet and transcript release form. Oh and Common Application sample sheet, but I don't really know why we are given this because not all colleges use it. I believe only one college I am applying to uses the Common App. Oh well! I don't really care, I am just sosososo excited to be a senior and the fact that the date is coming closer and all of these things are starting to happen makes it so much more fun. I can't wait to attend an ivy-covered wall university! The picture was actually taken at Elon University on my tour back in January.

The Beginning of the End.

Okay, so even though my senior year hasn't exactly started yet I figure, hey. Why not start writing and maybe attract a few people who will actually read this thing. I mean, I only ended my junior year a few days ago, but I've never been much for waiting. So, let me introduce myself. My name is Allie and I am sixteen years of age and about to start my senior year of high school. I guess you could say that in many ways I am a stereotypical girl, but then again, you could definitely say that I am more than meets the eye. One thing for certain is that I am ready to make my mark on the world. 
Anyways, I would like to start off by letting everyone know my senior pictures are tomorrow! How exciting is that? So I guess I do have some what of a purpose for starting this blog early. Senior pictures. The ones that "count". These are the pictures that get sent out to your grandmother and third cousin two times removed right? I am quiteexcited for them, yet nervous.

As a girl of course I am taking this very VERY seriously. I am getting my hair done nice and everything tomorrow morning for my 1:15 PM appointment with the picture people. It's going to be quite legit, I am getting a picture package where I bring another outfit to pose in and what not. I get to stand with a big 2011 foam box thing and everything. Oh and of course I get to pose in the hideous cap and gown that everyone loves. In a way, it's kind of sad though. This will be the LAST school picture I take that gets sent home to Mom and Dad and the last picture I get to give out to all of my friends. It is also the first reminder that I will be out into the real world soon (well, really college), but away from everything I know. Tomorrow as I put the little drape thing over my shoulders and smile it will be the first symbol of growing up and becoming a senior. Of what I have looked forward to for the past eleven years. It will be the beginning of the end.