General Eccentric

My 200th

2007-09-18T20:11:00.001-04:00

Feeling: cold
Listening to: "Machine" by Josh Groban

So Northampton was pretty much amazing. We got to Massachusetts around noon, and stopped at the Sugar Shack for maple ice cream, which both Katie and Sara liked much to my delight. After that we drove over to the farm and Sara, Katie, and I walked around the barn for a few minutes so we could look (aka fawn over) the horses. We had to leave though, because my mom had to be in Northampton (at that point we were technically in Hadley) to go to her musical, so we hopped in the car and drove there.

Once at Northampton, we started walking up to the main street when we passed a gay book store that happened to have a book that I've been dying to read (Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary... it's a really campy parody of the old pulp novels of the fifties) in the window. So we popped in, laughed at the funny liberal bumper stickers, and debated buying Derek "I love my penis" mints. We wandered around for a while, and walked into whichever stores caught our fancy. After a while, we got hungry, so we went to a Tibetan restaurant ("Everything is hotter in Tibet!") where I got spiced potatoes, Sara got Tibetan chicken soup, and Katie got Yak. Afterwards we shared some mango ice cream, which was about a million times more delicious than I expected.

After lunch, we wandered a bit more before ending up in a used bookstore. Once there, we perused the choices, and I ended up getting Feminist Fairy Tales and Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers which is a history of lesbianism in 20th century America. The used store wasn't far from the car, so we figured we'd all just wait there for my mom, who was only going to be a few minutes behind us. So we all sat on the car (Katie on the windshield and Sara and I on the hood) and all of the sudden, the car alarm went off. I was expecting it, because I know my mom thinks that kind of thing is funny, but Katie must have jumped about three feet. It was hilarious.

The ride back went really fast because we were all just talking and laughing, which was amazingly fun. I needed some new inside jokes and I now have a lovely little surplus.

DO NOT WANT!!!!! Oh... sorry. I thought I saw Kermit the Frog.

So as many of you may know, I will be switching to LiveJournal after this post in favor of better privacy settings. The ramblings of my daily life can now be found at http://fanatic6.livejournal.com but FYI, it is limited access so only my LJ friends can see the restricted posts. It's a sad moment for me, because I've been maintaining this blog for more than two years now, so that's a pretty significant chunk of my life right there. Longer than any actual journal I've ever kept, that's for sure. So, dear readers, I leave you with a line from my first post that is still, somehow, relevant.

It seemed to me like people were getting a little sick of my obsessive ramblings...

My Big Move

2007-09-15T16:35:00.001-04:00

Feeling: bummed
Listening to: "Breathe Me" by Sia

No, you did not misread the title. I'm moving! Just not in the way you'd think.

After my 200th post (this one is 199) I will be making the transition to LiveJournal official. More on the reason I chose to switch can be found on my entry there, but it has a lot to do with LJ having privacy settings that Blogger doesn't. Ill be sad to go though, as this blog contains two and a half years of my life. Compared to the three days I used my most long-lived regular diary, that's an 'effing lot. It needed to be done though, and I feel like this was a good time to do it.

On to happier news, last night Sara and Katie came over for a movie night. We didn't actually end up watching any movies, but we did put Secret Window on in the background for some white noise. Katie made her usual sandwiches, Sara and I did our APUSH homework, and we DID NOT WANT Kermit the Frog because lolcats are teh awesome. Oh man, it was like, the very definition of epic win.

Today I plan on just chilling out and finishing up some homework before heading out to Massachusetts to bum around downtown Northampton with Katie and Sara tomorrow. There are lots of shops and good fun to be had, as well as a museum within walking distance that reportedly has some stuff by Picasso. Huzzah!

My First Day

2007-09-05T16:24:00.001-04:00

Feeling: bummed out
Listening to: "Now or Never" by Josh Groban

Alright, first a quick recap of the past week before a recap of all my teachers.

Last Wednesday, I got my hair dyed (yay!) and afterwards bummed around Lake George for a few hours with Katie. We went to the wax museum which was really fun, although I was startled by things like a laser pointer going around in circles. Yeah.

Sunday was the demoliton derby which was a blast as usual. There's something very satisfying about junk cars smashing each other to scrap metal while a crowd cheers its approval.

On Monday, I babysat for my neighbor's kids, who were really cute and pretty easy to take care of. After I was done there, I went to Crossgates with Katie because she had expressed an interest in doing some shopping. I actually found some nice stuff, so I'm glad we got the chance to go.

Alright, now for the good part. The breakdown of my teachers.

Health- She was nice enough, and seemed like a fair grader, so I think health with her will go by pretty quickly. She wasn't boring or overly-enthused, so I have a feeling we're going to get along just fine.

Gym (Coletta) - If I have to have a guy's coach, I'm glad I got this one. He's the nice, young one who made sure I actually got to touch the frisbee during ultimate frisbee last year. I'm also relatively satisfied with the people in my class, so it shouldn't be too horrendous.

APUSH (Abrams) - I have a feeling this is going to be a good year for me in history. Abrams was completely awesome and I can tell she's going to teach us well. I think the best way to describe her is basically me, with a Katie swirl and Pfaff sprinkles. I think the people in my class are going to make a good group too, so we'll see how that goes.

French (Tangirala) - Mme. Tangirala isn't Thompson. Not Thompson > Thompson. Enough said.

Chem (Armstrong) - He seems like a pretty solid teacher, even though he's a bit dull. In the 37 minutes I was in that class, I found myself trying to focus because he had a tendency to kind of ramble on about irrelevant points. He's kind of nerdy though, and I personally find that appealing in a person, so I think that as long as I don't fall asleep, it'll be fine.

Math (Wardwell) - Probably not going to be my favorite class, just because I literally don't know a single person in it, and the teacher kind of bugs me. She's actually the same sort of mildly infuriating that my mom can be, which is probably why I don't like her. Subconsciously, I think that I'm afraid she's going to tell me to clean my room or empty the dishwasher.

SciFi Lit (Cleney) - I didn't really get to know him because of the assembly, but he seemed alright. But we're not doing The Guide after all, which is a total let down. I think I'll enjoy the class anyway though, just because I'm a such a scifi geek.

Alright, that's all I've got. Peace.

My Memories

2007-08-26T19:40:00.000-04:00

Feeling: productive
Listening to: "Criminal" by Fiona Apple

Oh man. I am going to die laughing.

I've been in the process of a massive cleaning of my room for when my French student comes. Yes, it's so bad that I have to start now. So I got my general floor space cleared off and organized every flat surface available (none of which had seen daylight in months) a few days ago and then took a break. Today I moved on to my closet, which isn't too bad, but there are these two boxes in there that I haven't looked at in years... I just kind of load them in with everything else whenever I move and put them somewhere that I don't have to think about them too much. I decided to go through them, and I am so glad I did.

First of all, I found my Backstreet Boys CDs. Awesome. Also, I kept finding all these random journals from sixth and seventh grade before I had my blog. There are a lot of them... I'd randomly start one, use it for three days, and then forget about it completely. I found one that was full of Hilary Duff and Clay Aiken lyrics, one that I used for my one and only published Harry Potter fanfiction, and one that chronicled my first and only boyfriend. I found the original "Adventures of Kara" too, which I need to frame or something, because in 20 years it'll be worth something, I just know it.

I think the best part though, was finding a letter Kara wrote in one of my journals on (according to the date on the letter) March 11, 2003. This is a direct quote:

Dear BB,
Hi! It's me, Ron! Ha ha! Just kidding. It's Kara. We are on the bus going to the opera. *snore* If my handwriting is messy, it's because of the bus. Now if you're reading this on the bus, I told you not to! Here's my autograph!
Kara Johnson

Please try not to die laughing.

My Schedule

2007-08-25T13:10:00.000-04:00

Feeling: relieved that they didn't fuck up my schedule
Listening to: "Misery Business (acoustic)" by Paramore

Period Zero: 1st and 2nd Health - Carman

Period One: A days: Gym - Coletta B Days: Study Hall 11

Period Two: APUSH - Abrams

Period Three: French - Tangirala (side note: NO THOMPSON! YESSSS!!!)

Period Four: A Days: Choraliers - Warner B Days: A Capella - Warner

Period Five: Lunch

Period Six: A Days: Study Hall 11 B Days: Chem - Armstrong

Period Seven: Chem - Armstrong

Period Eight: Math - Wardwell

Period Nine: 1st and 2nd: SciFi lit - Cleney 3rd and 4th: Lit Decisions H - Kott

My Bowling Pwnage

2007-08-24T16:38:00.000-04:00

Feeling: awesome
Listening to: "Fences" by Paramore

It's been a while since I've done a legitimate post, but not much has happened until earlier this week.

A few days ago, I was officially hired at Aeropostale. I'm only a temp because I'm sixteen, so I'll be working until October fifth and then I'll be brought back around the holidays. My first day of training is tomorrow, so wish me luck!

Last night was almost-midnight bowling, which was completely awesome. A lot of people ended up coming, so there were about nine of us in total. It was good to see everyone, and I'm glad I rescheduled it so that more people could come. Pictures are on Facebook for those who are interested. After bowling, Katie slept over and we watched 300, which involved the use of the word "epic" in more contexts than I thought possible.

Today I got some pictures printed for my picture wall, which came out great.

Currently, I'm working on finishing the AP homework I put off all summer, as well as planning my cross-country trip for the summer after senior year. It's going to be beast.

That's pretty much it for the time being... enjoy waiting for your schedules. I know I won't.

My Misery Business

2007-08-17T13:13:00.000-04:00

Feeling: music high
Listening to: "Misery Business (acoustic)" by Paramore

I've learned something recently. Watching MTV at 5 AM isn't always bad. For example, when I was watching MTV at 5 AM I happened to get a glimpse of their "artist of the week" which this week, is a band called Paramore. I think I'm in love:

Oh. My. God.

Seriously. When that girl sings... I am lost for words. The seconds between it ending and me starting it again break my heart. Damn. I have chills.

I'm sorry Cote de Pablo, and I'm sorry Josh Groban. But my main persuit is now Hayley.

What? At least this one isn't 20 years older than I am.

My End of the World

2007-08-12T15:01:00.000-04:00

I love this man.

My Kayak

2007-08-10T21:40:00.000-04:00

Feeling: bored
Listening to: "Teardrop" by Massive Attack

So it's been a while. Let's recap, shall we?

On Saturday was Sarah's sweet sixteen, which was INTENSE. It was awesome. Seriously, someone should have one of those every year. Only next year we'll think to get a few rooms so we can move the party upstairs and use the pool. There was (really good) food, and music (no Spice Girls... *tear*) for us to jam to, and a lot of people that I hadn't seen in a long time. Booski, Lisa, and Derek were there, not to mention of course, Sarah and Katie. Pictures are on Facebook, although I didn't take too many because it was kind of dark and my camera didn't work well in that particular light.

After the party, Katie came over to watch Revelations, and we made it through all of three (more like two and a half actually) before admitting that we were exhausted and going to sleep. Katie left bright and early for Maine.

A few days ago, I went kayaking with my dad, my dad's friend, my dad's friend's daughter, my brother, and my brother's friend which was really cool. I hadn't been kayaking in a while, so it was really neat.

That's really about it. My brother is in Massachusetts for a few days, so I've been enjoying the peace and quiet that comes with having the house to myself. On Sunday I'll be applying for a few jobs, so wish me luck there.

Oh, and a new Adventures of Kara is up. I may work up another one tomorrow, but no guarantees.

My Skybus

2007-08-03T23:53:00.000-04:00

Feeling: toasty
Listening to: the three different TVs that are all on right now

So I believe we left off with Spider Pig and me leaving for Chicago. Cool beans.

So on Thursday we started heading west, and that night we stopped at a hotel. We went to Dave & Buster's for dinner, and Eddie and I won enough tickets to both get t-shirts. The next day we drove all the way to the hotel in Indiana that we always stay at, before hopping on the train into downtown Chicago. We stopped at a Jamba Juice (SCORE!) and hung out near the lake before getting pizza and heading back. The next day we went to the Warren dunes beach, and had great weather for it. Danielle and I swam for hours, and I made my yearly climb (FINE, pitiful crawl) up the monster dune. That night, Eddie, Danielle, Sam, and I watched like, seven little kids (aka we put in a movie and waited for them to fall asleep) so that we could go to the Simpsons movie with Norm the next day. As you can probably tell from my previous post, I loved it. After the movies we went to Aunt Jane's house for dinner and a corn hole tournament (yeah, I don't get it either... it's a midwest thing) which I lost, but it was a solid, competative loss. Monday we explored downtown Chicago before finally heading back to Cincinnati.

In Ohio, we basically just chilled out for a few days. On Thursday I went to The Beach, which is an awesome water park, with Eddie and his mom, brother, and sister. It was cool to get to meet them, and they were all really nice. At the park, it seemed like every single lifeguard was a complete hottie, so naturally, Eddie and I enjoyed ourselves. I even flirted with this one completely hot (and definitely gay... she had a rainbow anklet) lifeguard for like, five minutes. Eddie will back me up on this; he was making fun of me for a good hour afterwards.

Today I flew home on Skybus, which is an awesome airline that I definitely hope to revisit sometime soon.

Tomorrow is Sarah's party which is going to be exactly that... a party. I managed to bring home the chocolate fountain, I'm excited about wearing my semi dress again because let's face it, I look hot in it, and Katie is coming over after the party for a Revelations DVD nerd party. Yay!

It's almost 12:30 right now, but I really want to get some of my pictures on the computer, so I'm off to do that.

My SpiderPig

2007-08-02T20:36:00.000-04:00

First off, everyone needs to watch this:

If you don't think that's hilarious, you're a communist.

Alright, now that I've got that out of my system, I think I can successfully recap the past few weeks. And what an eventful few weeks they've been.

Not last Saturday but the one before, I went to Kierstin's house to see her while she was back from Cheese Land. It was great, and we all had fun. When I got home, Eddie and my brother were back already from Massachusetts. The next day we went to Outer Zone and did a round of laser tag before chilling out in Saratoga (aka getting ice cream and riding the carousel) and later that night, we roasted marshmallows in the backyard. On Monday we went to the Great Escape which was cool; we had picked a great day to do it because even though the weather wasn't perfect, there were no lines. Afterwards, we took the trolley to downtown Lake George (which I had no idea you could do) and got dinner at Capri Pizza, stopped at the candy store, and walked along the lake. The next day, my dad took Eddie, Garett, and I to the Alpine Slide (see post: NOT Lyrics from a Fiona Apple song for more on how that works) and Eddie headed back to Massachusetts with his dad.

The next day (Wednesday) I met Kierstin, Katie, and a few other people at Moe's so I could see Katie for the first time in weeks and say goodbye to Kierstin before I went out of town. It was great, and I got lots of pictures (plus an awesome video) that will be online eventually. Afterwards, my mom took Katie and I shopping for a prom dress that I could potentially wear to Sarah's party, but it was more or less a disaster. Nothing I found was anywhere near the price of the $12 dress I had found earlier (it was a size too small... it wouldn't zip unless I got a few ribs removed and a breast reduction) but it was still great to hang out with Katie.

Thursday we drove into Chicago, but I've been on the computer for a while, so I'll recap starting there in my next post.

I fly back home tomorrow, and Saturday is Sarah's party! I have a lot to do...

My Deathly Hallows

2007-07-21T15:30:00.001-04:00

Feeling: Shocked
Listening to: "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap

After days, weeks, months, of waiting...

After not sleeping until 5 AM when my eyes got swimmy to the point where I couldn't even see the words...

After sleeping in the same clothes I wore to the bookstore and waking up only a few hours later to start back up exactly where I'd left off...

After not eating for 24 hours...

After countless fanfictions, spaz attacks, foilers, spoilers, hand puppets, lightning bolts, and debates as to how it would end...

...it's over.

Right now I really need a hug, a sandwich, a nap, and above all else, a shower.

My Spaz Attack

2007-07-19T20:44:00.000-04:00

Feeling: AHHHHHH OMG SUPER PUMPED
Listening to: "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap

Oh. My. Josh.

Harry Potter comes out tomorrow night, and I'm flipping out. I've been trying to remain spoiler-free (which isn't working... I may have accidentally read the ending on veryliberating.com) to the point that I've considered putting one of the "no entry" signs the vestal virgins had in "History of the World Part I" across my brain.

I'm taking no chances though. I've restricted my buddy list on AIM so I can only be instant messaged by people who I know for a fact won't spoil it for me, and I've imposed limits on my internet use as well. I can check my email, but I made a filter that tags everything with an assortment of HP-related words and sends it to my archives instead of my inbox. MySpace and Facebook are only allowed if I receive a notification in my email. And needless to day, veryliberating.com is OUT.

I will not relent!

I'm getting my bracelet bright and early tomorrow before work, so I won't have to wait long.

After finishing the book (I refuse to sleep until I do... it shouldn't take me long anyway) I'll probably nap for a bit before going to Kierstin's party. I almost missed it because of a family party in Massachusetts at the same time, but I convinced my dad to let me stay home so I can see her before I leave for Ohio.

Speaking of which, Eddie is with us Sunday through Tuesday, and on Thursday (I'm pretty sure) we leave for CHICAGO!

It's going to be a good week...

My Maine Weekend

2007-07-16T13:58:00.000-04:00

Feeling: thirsty
Listening to: "Grace Kelly" by Mika

Woah... it's been a while. Fortunately, not too much has been going on.

I went to the midnight release for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix midnight release, which was intense. I drove there with Derek and Sam, and met up with Sarah R once we got there. It was showing on three screens... it was that big of an event. The movie itself was really well done. Obviously it was cut down a lot (we noticed the first twelve chapters go by in around 5 minutes, plus there was a lot of stuff that wasn't there at all) and even though they changed a lot of stuff to make the stuff that they did leave in make sense, it was pretty good. Overall I give it a B+ which is still pretty good.

I worked a lot last week, and on Friday we went to Maine. It was fun. On Friday we drove up and stayed in Ogunquit for the night. We walked along the Marginal Way, which is a path that runs along the ocean, and is very scenic. I'm still kicking myself for not bringing my camera... it had rained earlier and the sunset was lighting up the clouds like I've never seen in my life. It was amazing.

The next day we drove into camp, which was also really fun. I haven't been in a few years because the camping weekend has always conflicted with the weekend I go to Chicago. It was cool because I got to swim a lot and go kayaking (which I love) on the lake. The weather on Saturday was really nice, but it got rainy on Sunday, so we opted to come home last night instead of today.

I hope to get in a few more hours at work until Saturday, when I'll be going to Massachusetts for a party, and returning with Eddie (yay!) until we go to Chicago a few days later.

Not to mention... HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS COMES OUT IN FOUR DAYS!!!!! AHHHHHH!!! I'm flipping out so hard...

Not sure when I'll have a chance to update again because by the time anything interesting happens, I'll probably be pretty busy. I'll try, but no guarantees.

My Zucchini

2007-07-06T20:49:00.000-04:00

Feeling: headachy and hot
Listening to: "All'improvviso Amore" by Josh Groban

So Wednesday was the fourth of July. It was alright I guess, but pretty boring. My dad and I got a late start going to Massachusetts, so I missed tubing behind my cousin's boat on the Conneticut river, even though I did get a chance to go swimming after I fell in later that day. Long story. It was still nice though, because I got to see people I hadn't in a while, despite the fact that I got a lot of jokes about my Pepsi addiction. (I'm 16 days sober by the way) I also talked a lot with my cousin Christine, who's an eighth grade English teacher, about college and such. She had a lot of really good advice, and made me a little less nervous about picking my major.

I didn't do much of anything yesterday, except I went to the grocery store to get stuff for baking. Today I worked at my dad's office for a few hours. Exciting stuff.

I really don't have much to do until Ohio (except get my ticket... yikes!) so I'll probably just work and bake. Fun. Also, Harry Potter is coming up. I really need to get my tickets for that too.

In other news, it looks like I will, in fact, be going to Sarah's sweet sixteen in August... there was some debate because I wasn't sure I'd be back from Ohio in time, but I will be, and I'll bring the chocolate fountain with me.

That's all I can think of right now... I'm going downstairs where I don't feel like my brain is boiling.

My Eager Eyes

2007-06-29T21:34:00.000-04:00

Feeling: like I'm about to melt
Listening to: "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers

So... it's been a while. Let's start with Ohio.

About two weeks ago, my dad was like, "Hey, feel like going to Ohio next week?" to which my obvious response was, "Chyeah!" So last Thursday I was on my way to Louisville airport via Baltimore on Southwest airlines.

On Friday, Eddie and I babysat 5 kids, all under the age of five (a 10 month old, a 2 year old, two four year olds, and a five year old) which was relatively easy after we put in the movie and had them all entertained by animated cars.

That Saturday I went to a farm, pet sheep, and held baby chickens (Eddie got pooed on!) all while being super gangsta in Happy Feet masks with Eddie and Jackson at the birthday party for Jackson's little sister. Afterwards, we went to Dana's graduation party which was mad fun. We got in a water balloon fight, and when the water balloons ran out, we just started filling up water bottles and trying to get each other wet. After a severe soaking, Danielle, Eddie, Emily (Eddie and Danielle's friend), Jackson, and I all chilled out and took pictures. It was insanely fun.

That night Danielle and Jackson slept over and we watched Borat. the next morning we went to church, which was actually really awesome. It had really good music and was actually kind of set up like a Blue Man group concert. It was a huuuuuuge place and there were a lot of people, not to mention free soda and coffee before the service. I got led out of my spiritual desert, watched an interesting thing on the Cincinnati Zoo, and drank some Sprite. It was actually pretty fun.

After that Eddie, Danielle, Jackson, and I went to "Evan Almighty" which was okay despite not being as funny as I had expected.

The next day (Monday) Eddie, Eddie's friend Peter, and I all went to the Creation Museum with Mindy, Brady, and Ruby. It was intense. It's this new museum in Cincinnati that's devoted to the belief that God created the universe. I thought it would be less Christian-ey due to the fact that Christianity isn't the only religion that believes in creation. There were creepy animatronic people everywhere, as well as Amish people and entire church groups on day trips. The "science" behind the whole thing was a bit off... according to the museum dinosaurs co-existed peacefully with humans until AFTER Noah's flood when they died out because a type of plant they ate wasn't found in abundance in the new world. Yeah. We got some pretty interesting footage though, and I can't wait to see what Eddie and Peter do with it.

That night, Eddie and I slept over at Dana and Danielle's house with Emily which was really fun. We played card games (which Eddie cheated gratuitously at... cheating which I only partook in once) and watched a movie (I guess... I fell asleep less than 30 minutes into it) and used the chocolate fountain. The next day we went for lunch and ice cream, and Eddie, Danielle, Emily, and I broke minor laws and became petty criminals after wading across a public pond.

The next morning I woke up bright and early (3 AM!!) so that Ed could drive me to the airport. I left Louisville at 6:30 and stopped for a few hours in Chicago before getting home. One thing I learned: it's a bad idea to not take a decongestant before flying if you're congested. My ears plugged landing in Albany, and fully unplug until this morning. I still have a headache. I got home, fell asleep at 4 after trying valiantly not to, and slept until 1 PM the next day.

Today I didn't do too much. I unpacked, made banana bread, and watched the season premier of Degrassi which was actually pretty good. I also talked to Katie for probably the last time until August, which I didn't think would depress me as much as it did.

I've been filling out some applications for both a job and a volunteer position at the Red Cross so hopefully I'll stay busy for the rest of the summer. I know July is going to be crazy. I'm going camping, back to Ohio, Chicago, and Eddie is going to be here. Not to mention, two Harry Potter releases which I am SUPER PUMPED for.

I think that's going to be it for now... I've typed up a sufficiently long post and my brother is home after being gone all day so he's going to want the computer.

Peace.

My Vogon

2007-06-14T14:09:00.000-04:00

I know I just updated like, less than an hour ago, but this was too amazing to wait.

(click for bigger)

Heh. Vogon bad.

I knew there was a reason I liked Get Fuzzy. Major props.

My Name

2007-06-14T13:05:00.000-04:00

Feeling: happy
Listening to: "Buddha's Delight" by Haley Bennet (what? I told you it was catchy)

Yesterday was the global regents, which I rocked. Except for the DBQ where I did all three things instead of choosing two, I'm really proud of myself.

After we brought Katie home, I went over to my dad's office to do some work which really just consisted of typing a bunch of numbers in the right place. Not exactly brain surgery, but I'm making pretty good money.

When I got home, I saw an IM message from Sarah Rumrill that people were going to the movies at 7. It was like, 6:45 but I really wanted to go so my mom brought me and I met up with a group of people (Sarah R, Sam, Liz Grebe, Alyssa Earle, and later Derek and Kayla Summers) to see Shrek the Third. It was better than the second, but the funny parts were really when we were making fun of the movie (Character: I remember high school. I got called names! Us: Like queer? Was that one of them? Faggot.) when it got too sappy or predictable. Also, the best part was that I found someone who ACTUALLY EATS POPCORN AT THE MOVIES! Katie and Sarah S refuse to have any part of popcorn-eating, which baffles me. But Sarah R and I were able to eat our way through most of the bucket popcorn despite neither of us being particularly hungry. It was a beautiful thing.

I actually started this post last night... I had done the "Briana is" google search thing for my own amusement and actually came up with some pretty entertaining results. Voila:

BRIANA is a suspenseful adventure of unexpected love and deceit.

Briana is a peaceful woman who believes in non-violence.

Briana is rather bossy, but she does not like to be with people that she can boss around.

Briana is attracted to foreigners.

Briana is truly a woman of God

BRIANA IS BEING USED AS A SCAPE GOAT!

Briana is a beautiful, African princess.

Briana is holding a photo of a woman with a gray cat on her shoulder.

Heh. I also discovered that there was a very butch lesbian sharing my name on American Idol for a while in 2004. Fun stuff.

My Music and Lyrics

2007-06-12T14:30:00.000-04:00

Feeling: giggly
Listening to: "Never Again" by Kelly Clarkson

So have you guys heard this new Kelly Clarkson song? It's awesome! Her other stuff is good, but her last four hits have been essentially the same song. I was beginning to get a little peeved, until I saw this:

EDIT: apparently the video is "no longer available" but I'm sure it's still on YouTube somewhere. I have also been informed that the song is less than new... my bad. I guess it's my somewhat ego-centric policy of "if I haven't heard it, it's new to me."

*mouth drops open*

I think I'm in love. The lyrics may be about as deep as a puddle in some parts (I wouldn't advocate using the term "bet it sucks" in anything you want to be taken seriously) but musically, it rocks out loud. Kelly has such amazing vocals, and they really shine in this song.

Moving on.

It's been a pretty uninteresting week. I had my French final today, and global is tomorrow. Eh. I talked to Mme Palden after the French final, which was nice because it's been so long and I miss having a sane French teacher.

Today I had the house to myself, so I ordered Pizza Hut and rented "Music and Lyrics" on Pay Per View. It's such a good movie. It's cute and funny without being overly sappy. Although the ending seems kind of arbitrary, I still recommend it. The music isn't half bad either. There's this one song that was obviously written to be funny that I actually really like. It's called "Buddha's Delight" and in the movie, is a song by a Shakira-esque pop star who's questionable "Buddhist in a thong" philosophy is being made fun of. It's surprisingly catchy. Check it out if you get the chance.

I stayed at my dad's house last week, which actually wasn't too bad. He doesn't care if I drink the occasional Pepsi with lunch and has satellite TV which meant that I got to watch Logo until one in the morning.

Speaking of Pepsi, I'm thinking of joining a twelve step program. I'm officially hooked on the junk. The vow I made on Friday to not drink it for 21 days lasted all of the weekend... I got two liters with my pizza and can't stop drinking it. Someone help me and stage an intervention, please!

That's it as far as I can tell... I'll update again with more if I think of anything else.

My Post of Plentiful Pictures

2007-06-04T17:22:00.001-04:00

Feeling: pretty good
Listening to: "Lacrymosa" by Evanescence

Tell me that is not the cutest thing you've ever seen.

Oh wait, maybe it's not. This is:

I made the mistake of joining the Facebook group "I live for pictures of cats with funny captions." Some of these are so cute I feel like my head is going to explode into candy. There are, quite literally, thousands.

As you can tell from the first kitten, I went to Porates with Katie on Friday. I was expecting it to really suck, but I ended up liking it a lot. The battle scenes could have been trimmed for time, and there was a part at the beginning that definitely could have been cut to save time and confusion, but overall I thought it was a great movie (definitely better than the second one) despite what the critics (or Sarah) say.

Before Porates was Shen Idol. We only got to see two performances because we needed to get to our movie, but we got to see Kelsey, who ended up in second place. I'm glad. She's such a sweet girl, she totally deserves it.

Saturday I baked muffins for three straight hours so I could send Karin off to Nantucket for the summer. Sunday was kind of empty without the maddening chaos of her trying to pack everything she'll need for three months in one night.

Last night I stayed at my dad's house, where I will be every night until Thursday (I'm pretty sure) when my mom gets back from Florida.

I updated AoK with a short Porates-based panel. I'll save you the time and put it here:

My Porate

2007-05-31T17:42:00.001-04:00

Feeling: nonchalant
Listening to: "Songes" by Emily Loizeau

Good news, I didn't get shot. Not so good news, I still have to go to Shen.

Last weekend I ended up in Massachusetts babysitting my twin cousins Jack and Delaney which was an adventure. I used the bribe of "s'more cookies" (chocolate chip cookies with graham cracker crumbs and mini marshmallows baked on top) to keep them well behaving, so it wasn't too crazy.

When I got home, my brother was just getting over a weird 24 hour flu thing. Go figure.

I pretty much chilled out on Monday. I baked these really good raspberry jam wedges, twice, and both times they didn't last more than a few hours. I have magical baking powers like that.

Tomorrow is Shen Idol and Porates of the Caribbean (yes I spelled Pirates wrong on purpose... I do that now) with Katie, although I think we might have to skip Shen Idol if we want to be home before one in the morning. The only showings of PotC are at 7:40 and 10:20. Normally I'd go for the 10:20 showing, but it's like, three hours long. I'm not so sure my mom would be so accommodating in the ride department at 1 AM.

That's pretty much it... just thought I should update.

My Shen Idol

2007-05-24T16:48:00.000-04:00

Feeling: HECK YES
Listening to: "Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5

Man... it has been too long. Let's see if I can remember anything...

Last Wednesday was Boston, which was crazy fun. Even though one of the members of our museum group lost $20 and made us look for half an hour. Shopping was good fun as well, I got a mother's day present for my mom, and spoke French with some kids from Canada who I'd heard walking around all day.

On Saturday of that weekend I went to the fourth birthday party of Jack and Delaney, my four year old cousins. It was total chaos but really fun. And I actually talked to people which was a nice change. Plus, my cousin Eddie (not Ohio Eddie, the other one) said that if he goes back to the set of NCIS he wants to take me if it's at all possible! OMG! I would probably have a spaz attack and die of Extreme Fangeek Syndrome (EFgS) but at least I'd die happy...

Last week was relatively uneventful as far as I can remember... Katie came over on Friday and we watched a movie which was fun.

We got a fire pit the other day. I can't wait to try it out.

It looks like we're going to be hosting a French student in October. I'm so excited! Hopefully I'll be able to go in April, because I kind of got shafted last time when I went in February. It was soooooo cold and I missed out on Paris in the springtime! It was still amazing, but it'd definitely be better in the spring.

Tomorrow is towel day... good fun. It's also Senior Skip day. It was supposed to be an everybody skip day because we didn't use all of our snow days, but apparently our GAYFAGGOTDUMBASS superintendent decided we didn't need it. I mean, this guy never even taught at a public school, and now he's trying to run one? Even Mrs. Ashe, who I have never heard say anything bad about ANYONE, says he's not qualified to run Shen. Personally, I don't even think the man is qualified to run a McDonald's. Not to mention, everyone is freaked out because supposedly some kid is going to come to school with a gun and start shooting tomorrow. Even one of the teachers who was all, "Blah blah he got suspended nothing is going to happen" was unlocking rescue windows just in case. I so don't want to go to school tomorrow.

In other, less troublesome news, Sarah totally rocked her Shen Idol audition today. It was AMAZING.

I have to go try to convince my mom that I'm too "sick" to go to school tomorrow... but just in case I die, I want this entry sent to every newspaper possible along with the message, "CALLED IT!!!"

My Balls Are Your Balls

2007-05-11T16:21:00.000-04:00

My Lonely Room (wah oooo)

2007-05-07T20:09:00.000-04:00

Feeling: super jazzed for Wednesday
Listening to: "Dreaming of You" by The Coral

I haven't updated in forever... I know. My apologies. But life is crazy and so am I. I got sick and I've been pretty busy, so I haven't been around/in the mood to post.

The Friday before last was really awesome. Derek and I were the celebrity couple of the evening. He was Angelina Jolie and I was Brad "awkward and uncomfortable" Pitt. It kicked so much ass. My dress held up well all night, and I was very proud of the fact that my shoes stayed on until about 9:30. There were crepes and a HUGE chocolate fountain from Saratoga Sweets. It probably could have eaten the one Eddie and I bought. Awesome. Then I went home and had no voice and was sick for three days.

Oh yeah, I'm out to my mom now too. We were talking about a friend of mine and she was all, "If you were lesbian or bisexual, I wouldn't care." So I was like, screw it and told her I was, to which she replied, "Oh, I knew that." *facepalm* SHE COULD'VE LET ME KNOW! It would have saves me a lot of time and effort.

So I barely made it back to school in time to go to Montreal the next week (this past Friday) but I must say, it was a pretty cool trip. I missed Wiki the entire time because she would have been in-your-face French speaking with me. However, I still was chatting it up with people in French whenever possible, particularly the tour guides at the old Montreal tour. I got crepes and did a little shopping and overall had a pretty good time. I even saw a hobo eat out of a trash can!

I pretty much chilled out all weekend... I did a DBQ from hell and some laundry and went to Jane's house for Cinco de Mayo. The day after tomorrow is Boston with cult/lit which is going to be fun, and after that... who knows?

That's all for now. I'm slowly but surely working on a new panel for the Adventures of Kara. I'm sure I'll have some more inspiration after Lady Heather returns on Thursday.

Rock on.

My Participation

2007-04-26T15:38:00.000-04:00

Feeling: thirsty
Listening to: "Snow White Queen" by Evanescence

So I'm sixteen now. That's pretty sweet. On my birthday, Katie and I went to Saratoga for s'mores, and then went to my house to watch Borat ("Those poor mortgage brokers!") which was really fun.

Monday I wore my new Swarovski necklace to school because I'm in love with it and wanted to show it off.

Yesterday was NYSSMA which was a disaster. Chorus was awful and I felt so sick I couldn't even stand up for the last song. I went to the nurse and tried to call my dad but he was in a meeting so he didn't answer and they made me go to math. Like a total retard I randomly started crying on Derek in the hallway because I just wanted to go home, which I did get to do after math when my dad picked me up after he got the message that I was sick.

Chorus got a silver... how we managed that, I will never know. Ms. Baird probably slept with someone. Although, it'd have to be Jesus that she's screwing to get us a silver, because chorus really sucks. Choraliers got gold with distinctions later that day (I wasn't there for it but I hear we were good) which was totally deserved because we did hard songs.

Today I stayed home again to rest up, because tomorrow is a long day. I'm getting my hair done after school, donating blood, and then going to the semi that night.

I am fortunately feeling better, so we'll see how things go!

My Webcomic

2007-04-21T13:34:00.000-04:00

Feeling: excited
Listening to: "Machine" by Josh Groban

New panel of "The Adventures of Kara" is up. Just thought I'd let you all know.

Nothing is really new as of right now. I turn sixteen tomorrow, which is exciting.

The next few weeks are going to be insane fun. This is what my schedule looks like:

Sunday, April 22: Turn sixteen (kick ass!!!)
Monday, April 23: dinner with dad, get temps
Friday, April 27: donate blood at the YMCA, semi formal
Wednesday, May 2: NYSSMA with chorus and choraliers
Friday, May 4: Montreal with French (possible murder of Mme Thompson... depends on the number of times she uses happy thumbs)
Wednesday, May 9: Boston with cult/lit

This schedule does of course, assume that I'll be alive. After my mother sees my report card, I may conveniently go "missing."

That's about all for now... I just felt like updating.

My CSI

2007-04-18T15:43:00.000-04:00

Feeling: hmm...
Listening to: "Everything Back But You" by Avril Lavigne

So I think I'm going to temporarily have to become re-addicted to CSI.

Before you turn away in disgust, hear me out.

CSI is on it's way out. It sucks this season. But it looks like they're bringing back Lady Heather (who is awesome) at around the same time they're going to kill off Sara.

Now, nothing about Sara has been confirmed yet, just that her contract is up, she hasn't renewed it, and she goes missing in the season finale. That's confirmation enough for me.

Plus, CSI is almost over. I can feel it dying. I actually hope that CSI ends this season for the sake of every one's sanity. Which is why I need to watch while I still can. It's only about four episodes until the season is over... I think I can do it without becoming a crazed fiction writing fangirl.

Although I can't guarantee anything when Lady Heather comes back. She kicks so much ass.

My Maker Makes

2007-04-15T13:26:00.000-04:00

Feeling: bored
Listening to: "The Maker Makes" by Rufus Wainwright

Hmm... not much is new. I stayed at my dad's last night and watched Logo until three AM.

This morning I watched "Between the Lions" on PBS simply for this:

That's right. The meaning to life shows up yet again. The producer or something was a friend of Douglas Adams and the show was started right after he died. The 42 on the jersey was added for him.

Towel Day is going to rock SO HARD!

My Return "Home"

2007-04-13T23:39:00.000-04:00

Feeling: like my throat hurts
Listening to: my neighbor's music, which is still going full blast at midnight

Ended up staying overnight at Eddie's friend's house. Don't worry, there were other girls there. Chocolate fountain was a big hit. Not so much in the morning when all the chocolate had solidified.

Just got back from Ohio yesterday.

Immediately got in an argument with my brother who was trying to kick me off the computer with the argument, "I haven't been home all day." Yeah, well, I haven't been home all week dipshit.

Later got in an argument with my mother about how installing the new AIM slowed down our computer after she spent "hours" fixing it. Too bad that in "fixing it" she somehow deleted JavaScript again.

Then Brady and Ruby called me to say goodnight which made me want to cry because I had been home less than 6 hours and I already wanted to go back to Ohio.

Slept fourteen hours... I guess staying up until 5 AM before two hours at 30,000 feet wasn't the best idea.

Babysat at the Rizzo's. Kids were not Brady and Ruby. Gavin was the most sarcastic child under the age of ten that I had ever met and Liana kept saying "hot dog" and "babies" for reasons I have yet to understand. I watched The Little Mermaid. Fun for me.

Disney lets gay people get married in their parks now. Good call, Walt.

Won't be going to Josh Groban apparently. He's in Albany on July 28th and I'm in Chicago on July 29th. Oh well, I doubt this is the end of Joshy, and I'm sure he'll be back in the area eventually.

Babysitting again tomorrow. Yay for me.

Sorry about this post guys... I didn't feel like taking the time to string together pretty sentences.

My Fountainseph

2007-04-11T16:52:00.000-04:00

Feeling: chill
Listening to: "How to Save a Life" by The Fray

So... yeah I'm a little bored so I thought I'd do a brief recap of my week.

Thursday I got here and played "pillow" with Brady and Ruby. I don't know how but they for some reason think that if they pretend to pillows I will tickle them. It's pretty funny.

We hung out most of Friday and Saturday and then on Sunday (Easter) we went to Jackson's house. Jackson is, I believe, my second cousin once removed. Something to do with my grandma's brother on my dad's side. Jackson came over later that day and we walked down to Ludlow Avenue even though nothing was open. That night we watched "The Prestige." Coolest. Movie. EVER. It's insane good, so if you haven't seen it, go rent it today.

Monday Peter (Eddie's friend) came over and we worked on the next PLASTICBANjO sketch. Sort of.

Tuesday we went to Don Pablo's, a kick ass Mexican place that we go to every time I come to visit and I got sung to for my birthday and got to wear a sombrero (pictures later) and eat delicious food. Then Eddie and I went back to Ludlow because stuff was actually open. we ended up buying like 60 sticks of incense and lighting one on the way back. It was funny... we looked super sketchy walking around with this smoking piece of incense that could very easily be confused for a cigarette. We're so cool.

Today we randomly decided to buy a chocolate fountain. Just because we're cooler than you. we're bringing it to a party tonight at Eddie's friend's house because we wanted to use it before I left.

Tomorrow is my last day here, which sucks. Tonight I'm missing Katie's horror movie fest (and don't you DARE say you wouldn't have invited me... YOU HAVE NO OTHER FRIENDS! By the way we totally have to get together when I get back.) but oh well... que sera sera.

Oh, and I totally want a Zune now. They kick ass.

My Panda Sex Song

2007-04-10T13:47:00.000-04:00

No time for a regular post... I'll update when I get back to CP.

Check this out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=avWkQUjQ2PM&mode=related&search=

It completely made my life.

Also, keep watching the video until it gets to the actual performance because even though he's singing the butchered version of the song, it's the best I've seen him sing it live.

"My GOD stop whistling!"

2007-04-04T21:49:00.000-04:00

Feeling: stressed
Listening to: my brother's incessant whistling of Christmas songs

So I didn't get home until 7 PM

And I have a million things to do

For example, six math homework assignments

And Garett won't stop with the Christmas music and cellphone ringing

But my hair is shorter

And I have three new pairs of shoes

So it was totally worth it

I just doubt I'll be saying that when I find out I failed math

no time for spellcheck... brother is right here

My To Do List

2007-04-03T15:39:00.000-04:00

Feeling: busy
Listening to: "The Sweet Escape" by Gwen Stefani

All my laundry
About 10 late math homeworks
Call Mindy
Clean my room
Take a shower
Try to do my hair in a way I've been thinking about for like, three days
Test that new silver eyeshadow... it's so very shiny
Maybe start packing...?
Look up a list of gay Roman Catholics for Sam... although I'd usually discourage this kind of thing, I'm too much of a history nerd to stop myself
Type up the Upstate Update for Aunt B... I've missed the past two and I feel guilty
Find pictures to send Aunt B; I'm not sure she ever got any of us
Watch new NCIS
Watch new House
Painfully tear myself away from said episode of House to watch Josh Groban on "Dancing with the Stars"
Get review books/money for review books/money for science shirt

Starting...

now.

My Hoopy Frood

2007-03-31T11:35:00.000-04:00

Be there.

My Good Friend Maria (The Craziest Girl on the Block)

2007-03-27T20:39:00.000-04:00

Feeling: happy
Listening to: "I Feel Pretty" from West Side Story

Just a quick update because I'm in a pretty good mood, and I want to capture it before the shit hits the fan like it always (inevitably) does.

I just took the best shower ever... I put a CD player in the bathroom so I could listen to music, which I haven't done in a while. My hair smells REALLY good too.

A new House is on in 15 minutes, the weather was insane good today, and I might get to skip school on Friday.

Chorus and Choraliers have their concerts on the same day so I only have to go out once, and I'm staying after school tomorrow for Recycling Club because Lisa is a vicious recruiter.

Also, the Country Drive In is open. SCORE!!!

My, Oh My

2007-03-26T19:38:00.000-04:00

Feeling: ...wha???
Listening to: "Hey There Delilah" by Plain White T's

Soooo... I should probably update.

Let's start with LOTE fest on Thursday. It was pretty awesome. We got to dance at West too, so we ate lunch there which made me nostalgic for last year's lunch. It was awesome compared to this year. So then we danced, and got to drag some poor unsuspecting ninth graders up with us. Sarah and I also got to see Pfaff which was awesome because she looks really different. I almost didn't recognise her because she's supper skinny and cut her hair really short. She mentioned that Katie and I have been spreading some nasty rumors about how much she likes semi-colons, which I think is pretty funny. See Katie? If you had joined dance club, you could have seen Pfaff and discussed semi-colons. That's what you get for not listening to us.

Friday and Saturday was the speech and debate tournament in Scarsdale which was insane fun. On the way down we stopped at this super shady deli and I ate what has to be to sketchiest cheese sandwich I have ever had in my life. I'm lucky I lived. The tournament itself was also pretty fun even though it ran pretty long on the second day and I wasn't able to babysit. Oh well, they need me on Saturday too.

I think I get to skip school on Friday because there are a million field trips so no one is going to be doing anything. Yay being rebellious!

That's really about it... I don't feel like adding to my list tonight so I'll just end it here.

My Silver Pool of Light

2007-03-23T08:25:00.000-04:00

Feeling: excited/nervous/sleepy
Listening to: "Suddenly I See" by KT Tunstall

Okay, quick post because I am trying to kill about some time I have to go to the overnight tournament.

I went to Hairspray last night... it was really random because we had decided to go about 3 hours before it started and ended up with great seats in the tenth row. I'll recap it in more detail when I get back, but it was really awesome. It's always great when the lines are so funny that not even the actors can stop laughing.

And now some more for my 100 things list:

41. I have a weird thing for Australian accents. Any number of offensive things could be said, but if said with an (authentic) Australian accent, it's okay.
42. 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything.
43. I hate when people point out their sarcasm. If you have to point it out, it obviously wasn't good sarcasm.
44. Gaydar is a gift. Use it wisely.
45. If I think of a screenname I like, I'll register it even if I don't plan on using it right away, just in case I want it in the future.
46. I hate when people claim they hate all labels. Some labels are good sometimes. They help you know what's what, and a label could also be the difference between drinking Coke and drinking Bleach.
47. I love nature, as long as it's outside where I don't have to touch it.
48. I am allergic to carrots, apples, and possibly watermelon and strawberries.
49. Joss Stone's music is good, but I can't get over the fact that she looks like a really good transvestite.
50. I'm kinda awesome at public speaking.

C'est tout.

My Shining Moment

2007-03-21T17:07:00.000-04:00

Feeling: ARGH!! (the angry way, not the pirate way)
Listening to: "The Maker Makes" by Rufus Wainwright

Quick update just because I felt like it...

Scenes ended today, which is a little sad but mostly a relief. We SUCKED. The individual solos were good but no one had memorized any of the other stuff, plus our Major General wasn't even there so we had to cut the whole thing in half. Candiede was good, but I'm afraid I don't much like acting. I either over dramatize it or don't go big enough, so next year I may just help direct the little ninth graders. I can tell people what to do and still be a drama queen as I show them what to do.

Earlier today we watched "The Miracle of Birth" in science. No lie, I cried. And then I laughed at myself for crying so I ended up doing the half-sob half-laugh that makes me sound like I'm being attacked by a pug. I can't wait to have babies.

LOTE fest is tomorrow, and I have to sing in French because I definitely need the extra credit.

In other news, my mother must be off her meds or something because she's gone into full psycho-bitch mode. Yesterday, she was mad at me for not cleaning my room, so she unplugged all the wires on the back of the computer and took the keyboard to work with her, along with the remote for TV that's downstairs as well as the one that's in my room. I don't think she realizes that the little buttons on the TV still work. Then she got all whiny about how no one does anything around the house and how that made her so angry that she didn't fall asleep until 5 AM. I was tempted to ask if her insomnia had anything to do with the sleep meds that she's addicted to and hadn't taken, but I have a feeling I would have gotten slapped, so it was probably smart of me to keep my mouth shut.

And I've saved the best for last...

JOSH GROBAN IS COMING TO ALBANY!!!!!!!!! Tickets aren't on sale yet as far as I can tell, but save the date. He's coming July 28th. I am THRILLED! WOOOOOOOO!!!!

And whilst still on a positive note, I shall depart here.

PS: This is post 161! SWEET!

My Heart in a Headlock

2007-03-19T17:40:00.000-04:00

Feeling: sleepy
Listening to: "Sewn" by The Feeling

So yeah... I haven't really been doing normal updates recently. I've gotten lazy. So sue me.

Not much has really been happening. I babysat last Friday again which went about the same except that Liana was used to me enough to yell, "I NEKKED BABY!" cheerfully as I (attempted to) put her in her pajamas. Oh, and when I got there Gavin saw me and went, "Oh great." I didn't realize that four year olds were capable of sarcasm, but it was pretty obvious that he was NOT happy to see me. But once he noticed my Supergirl shirt he lightened up enough to yell at me to get out of his room when I told him it was time for bed. Gotta love kids.

Hmm... I'm realizing I haven't done any serious updates in like, a week and a half. Last time I mentioned speech and debate I was going to the RQT and NCFL tournament at CBA, but unfortunately, I was too sick to go. However, this weekend I'm going overnight to a tournament that will send me directly to nationals in Houston if I make the top two. And as many of you may know, I've only ever finished second. That's a pretty sweet deal for me.

Speaking of sweet deals for me, I'm going to Ohio! I leave in a little more than two weeks, and even though I'll only be there for a week (compare to three weeks in July) it'll still be, "Calliente!" as Eddie put it, because I haven't seen them in like, ten months. Yay!

The LOTE Fest is on Thursday which should be an interesting experience because it's unlikely that I'll be at home passed out with delirium-inducing fever this year. The shirts are awesome too. Last year they were really lame but John Mars designed them this year and they kick severe ass.

I have a lot coming up the next few weeks. This week is speech and debate, the week after next I leave for Ohio, and in four weeks I turn sixteen! The weekend after I turn sixteen is the semi, and the weekend after that is Montreal, and somewhere sprinkled in all that is NYSSMA and hopefully Houston (good thing I have a Frequent Flier Card) and at that point it'll be like, June.

Jeezus. I think I need to go lie down.

My Boredom

2007-03-17T19:55:00.000-04:00

Feeling: ehh...
Listening to: "L'Ultima Notte" by Josh Groban

So I think it's time for round two:

21. I buy all my music legally.
22. I am very easily entertained.
23. I write things I need to remember on my hand.
24. Sometimes I wonder what I'm going to laugh at myself for doing 30 years from now.
25. I really like to sing.
26. I have a great deal of trouble getting myself to shut up.
27. When I'm pissed off I'll rant until I run out of steam at which point I feel bad for ranting.
28. I can say four things in Russian, which I can barely pronounce, that would probably get me arrested were I ever to actually go to Russia.
29. I strongly believe that white people need to stop getting tattoos of Asian characters unless they have a specific connection, for example, they were adopted by Asian-American people.
30. I do a lot of stupid shit, but at least I own up to most of it.
31. I hate people who can't or won't laugh at themselves.
32. I have no problem with things like hypocrisy, being a poser, or attention-whoring as long as you'll admit to it.
33. I like oxymorons. They make me happy.
34. I have a strong inclination towards the melodramatic. It sucks.
35. I definitely watch too much TV.
36. I love Ellen DeGeneres but her stand up isn't that funny.
37. I like Canada.
38. Scarlet Johansen is overrated.
39. I have difficulty spelling normal words... it's rather odd.
40. I'm a compulsive spell checker.

That's all for now.

My 100 Things (Part One)

2007-03-11T14:20:00.000-04:00

Feeling: nervous
Listening to: "The Maker Makes" by Rufus Wainwright

Alright, I saw this on my friend Kate's MySpace, and it appealed to me because I like talking about myself so I'm going to start listing 100 random things about myself... it'll be interesting to look back on in the future.

My full name is Briana Susan Pipczynski.
I hate my middle name.
I love my last name.
Douglas Adams is like God to me, and Josh Groban is Jesus.
I've never actually gotten high, I'm just surprisingly good at faking it.
People who are given everything they want in life should be shot because they will never be a productive member of society.
I'm nervous about 88% of the time.
I love NCIS because it's funny and Cote de Pablo is hot.
I wished I was emo for pretty much all of eighth grade.
I've moved more times in fifteen years than most people do in a lifetime.
My first conversation with my best friend was about moving and Oreos.
I constantly underestimate the permanence of ballpoint pens.
A good conflict can make me feel better after being depressed for weeks.
I hate people who say they're stuff that they're not because they want attention.
I don't think I've gone a single day without listening to music since I was at least nine.
My mom hates a good percentage of my friends because she thinks they exclude me or use me.
She's probably right.
Everyone in my family loves Katie, including several people who have never met her.
I'm a really passive aggressive person, and I try to control it, but I slip up a lot.
I'm neither well-adjusted or maladjusted.

So there's one through twenty... tune in later for more.

My Friends Will Never Let You Down (Until You Hit the Ground)

2007-03-06T15:38:00.000-05:00

Feeling: a little bit nerdy
Listening to: "Friends Like Mine" by The Donnas (hence the title)

Hmm... I started this post expecting to write about babysitting, but it appears I've already done that.

Not much else is new, but, speaking of babysitting, KATIE got asked to babysit. KATIE! They must not like their kids very much...

No offence, Katie, but you don't exactly have a way with children. The offer to help out so you don't maim anyone and can go to bed at your insane early bedtime still stands.

Choraliers is going to Connecticut on Friday all day to sing at some music competition. It's a huge honor because only one other school in New York State is going, but I'm really just glad I get out of school, because I don't think I can handle going to school all five days this week.

I have an art essay due on Friday, too, which I might get the weekend to do. I'll probably ask though, because I don't want points off because I knew I wasn't going to be there in advance. Speaking of cult/lit, I did really well on the To2C assignment and I've done well on the last few tests which means my grade is probably pretty good. I'm doing good in cult too (despite that DBQ that she obviously graded drunk) as well as math, which obviously means that my science and French grades suck. I'm working on finding a balance though.

I have the RQT and NCFL tournaments at CBA on Saturday, and I really hope I do well because I could go to states where I have a feeling I'd do well enough to go to Nationals in Houston, which is exciting because I've never been to Texas and Texas pretty much counts as it's own country. Wish me luck!

Yeah, I totally just typed "Wish me lunch!"

I must be hungry... I'm going to go have a snack.

My LiveJournal (Why I Wish I Had One)

2007-03-04T00:51:00.000-05:00

Feeling: anxious
Listening to: "Dreaming of You" by The Coral

I realize this makes three posts in less than 24 hours, and that sort of scares me. But at least you'll never run out of reading material!

Oh, who am I kidding? No one reads this.

Heh.

Anywho, I just babysat today and totally made more money sitting on their couch and drinking their soda than I would have made working two shifts at the Bistro. Kick ass. Gavin is funny... his big thing now is that he's Clark Kent and likes to as people if their in trouble so he can make swooshing noises and "rescue" them. Liana basically just sits there and says "purple" and "Big Bird" (I'm sorry "bih biwd") because I don't think she really knew what to make of me.

In other news, the Drama Llama was able to cut back his conflict hours, which is making me nervous because I said some things (which I still completely stand by) to the person who was fighting with and just made up with the person I said them about. I realize she would probably never say anything, but I still feel dumb. Although Katie agrees with me, so I feel a little less dumb.

My sister is home for the week... a few of you know what I'm planning, so I'll be sure to let you know if I manage to do it or if I (more likely) chicken out and feel like a coward.

My mom says I need to get off the computer now... it's one in the morning so I probably should.

My Life's Playlist

2007-03-03T16:13:00.000-05:00

Feeling: musical
Listening to: basically every song on my iTunes

Alright, this is a life playlist survey in which you put the songs that come up on shuffle on iTunes. I haven't bothered with one of these in a while, but this one was freakishly accurate. You'll se why in a minute.

Somewhere in my wedding vows, I will include:
"Per Te" by Josh Groban

My theme song:
"Machine" by Josh Groban

Behind my back, my friends think I'm:
"Defying Gravity" by Idina Menzel & Kristen Chenoweth

When I'm in the shower, I sing:
"Wannabe" by the Spice Girls

This song describes my grandparents:
"The Only Difference Between Martyrdom and Suicide is press Coverage" by Panic! At the Disco

My favorite thing to do is:
"Weeping" by Josh Groban

My birth was like:
"I Constantly Thank God for Esteban" by Panic! At the Disco

My innermost desire is:
"So She Dances" by Josh Groban

When I'm drunk I say:
"Un Dimanche Au Soir" by Le Vent Du Nord

At my wedding they'll play:
"Haunted" by Evanescence

Next time I'm in front of a crowd, I'll say:
"Hello" by Evanescence

My message to the world has always been:
"Un Giorno Per Noi" by Josh Groban

My ultimate song for dancing is:
"Vive l'amour" by Le Vent Du Nord

My deepest secret is:
"All About Us" by TATU

My family is described by the song:
"Dangerous and Moving" by TATU

If I got lost on a desert island, I would yell:
"Low Rider" by War

If I reached the top of Mount Everest, what I would scream:
"Summer Nights" from Grease

My last words will be:
"Gomenasai" by TATU

My day will be like:
"In memoriam" by Les Choristes

Will I ever have kids?:
"Wilderness of Danger and Beauty" by Phil Collins

What makes me happy is:
"Born to Hand Jive" from Grease

Right now, I feel:
"There's a Good Reason These Tables are Numbered Honey, You Just Haven't Figured it out Yet" by Panic! At the Disco

Highschool was like:
"Clowns (Can You See Me Now?)" by TATU

This song will be playing when I meet the love of my life:
"Hallelujah" by Rufus Wainwright

My alter-ego is:
"Not Gonna Get Us" by TATU

My make-out song is:
"I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan [side note: OMG HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA]

My friends see me as:
"Now or Never" by Josh Groban

At my funeral they'll play:
"Lullaby" by Josh Groban

To cheer myself up I:
"Time to Dance" by Panic! At the Disco

Best. Survey. Ever.

My Drama Llama (mroof)

2007-03-03T13:46:00.000-05:00

Feeling: like it is ON
Listening to: "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" by F.O.B.

Damn... it looks like the Drama Llama (thanks for the phrase Sarah... I already overuse it) is going to be working overtime this week.

It's going to be tough for me to keep my new year's resolution of avoiding conflict, because it's everywhere. And as you all know, I'm a drama whore, so it's going to be hard not to jump in and make things worse. I'll do what I can, but I'm going to try not to majorly screw things up.

I also think now is a good time to mention the new Internet Rule: AIM is like Vegas; What happens there, stays there. This means that you shouldn't use AIM conversations against someone, or Teh Internets will forever label you a jerk loser n00b. And as we all know, jerk loser n00bs get stoned. Just not in the good way.

It's actually been around for a while... just though now is a good time to mention it. Also thought I'd mention that I can, in fact, keep secrets, despite my huge mouth. Shocking, I know. I don't expect to be creating an angry Encyclopedia Dramatica entry on myself anytime soon.

That's all, folks. Just a quick post to publicly use the term "drama llama" some more.

My face... meet my palm

2007-03-02T18:11:00.000-05:00

Feeling: *facepalm*
Listening to: "Machine" by Josh Groban

So... the past few days have kind of sucked.

Mostly because I was supposed to go see Mindy, Ed, Brady, and Ruby (no Eddie... *tear*) because they're only two hours away visiting Massachusetts. My mom said if the weather was bad though, we couldn't go. So of course we got a massive ice storm that gave me a two hour delay but made it impossible to go anywhere. I realized this was going to happen during 3rd period French yesterday and was able to control myself until I got to chorus where I pretty much broke down and cried for like, five minutes. I did it again when I got home, too. Damn... I've been really weepy recently. That was the first time I'd cried since like, early January.

Anyway, later that day I went to gym, where I made the mistake of thinking I could cross country ski. Well, I can't. In a 20 minute period, I fell 12 times, not counting the five major face plants. It got to the point where my friends stopped waiting for me and just left me sitting there. Once, I fell so awkwardly that it took a coach helping me for five minutes to get up. It was okay though; I actually want to take (downhill) skiing lessons now. However, by the time gym was over, my jeans were so soaked that I ended up changing into my gym pants to go to scenes.

Scenes was pretty good... Pirates is kind of a mess but my other scene is coming together really well.

Today just sucked in general. My mom managed to be a total bitch in the six seconds I saw her, I've had a headache and a sore throat all day, and my side is KILLING me which sucks because that was supposed to go away about three weeks ago.

Despite all the physical issues though, I am feeling a little better. People kept checking with me all day to make sure I was alright, which was so nice of them. I've got Josh Groban playing, and it looks like I might get the house to myself for a little while tonight.

Plus, Katie got her singing Valentine's gram which was made doubly sweet by the fact that she had dodged it because she wasn't in homeroom the first day they were delivered... Sorry Katie, I guess I forgot to mention that I know a good percentage of Tri-M and had found out that they were doing them the next day for people who had been absent the first time they went singing. Whoops, my bad.

My Biggest Pet Peeve of All

2007-02-27T18:22:00.000-05:00

Feeling: angry
Listening to: "Boston" by Augustana

Are they serious?

Because, seriously, my grandmother is DEAD

She's not coming back

I realize the one-year anniversary is coming up

But reporters need to STOP CALLING MY HOUSE

And my mom needs to stop calling the reporters first

Because this infinitely big fifth dimension we're moving through?

It's called TIME

And a lot of it has passed

We need to MOVE ON

THIS ISN'T HEALTHY

There's this thing called life

They need to stop wasting time and start living it

Because you never know...

...tomorrow you could get hit by a car.

My Sixth Grade Self

2007-02-25T20:11:00.000-05:00

Feeling: nostalgic
Listening to: "What Dreams are Made of" by Hilary Duff

That's right folks, I think it's time for me to admit it.

I love Lizzie McGuire.

Seriously. It's such a good show. I watched the movie the other night and completely spazzed. I was singing along with all the songs, and reciting lines with characters because I know the whole thing by heart, I even remember the previews when it was in theatres. It was for PotC 1 and Elizabeth used the line, "try wearing a corset" and I was so excited because it looked like a good movie.

I am such a loser.

My Subconcious

2007-02-24T15:54:00.000-05:00

Feeling: *yawn*
Listening to: America's Next Top Model on the TV downstairs

Damn... I had the weirdest dream last night. My sister, my cousin Jackie, Donald Faison (Turk from Scrubs) and I were all going to the mall. When we got there, we went our separate ways and I ran into my friend Adam. He was apparently suffering from some terminal disease and because there was no cure, he was constantly smoking pot to make himself feel better. Well, if he got pot, I wanted some. So I tried to convince him to sell me some of his weed, but he didn't really want to, so I said, "I have a family party this weekend. If I'm NOT high while I'm there, I'm going to have to kill myself."

He was just about to give it to me when a friend of mine (I don't know how because I've never seen this person before in my life) was like, "THERE'S AN EMERGENCY PHONE CALL FOR US WE HAVE TO GO!" So we took off and started running through the mall, following a security guard who was leading us to the phone, and we were running through random stores like Express, and I fell and they kept running and then I flashed forward to when I was high as a kite right before the family party I had mentioned.

Then, right before the hilarity was to ensue, I woke up.

Then I went back to sleep and dreamt I met Hilary Clinton at a photo shoot for her election campaign.

I guess that's what I get for eating Oreos before bed...

My Smile (Though My Heart is Breaking)

2007-02-22T19:29:00.000-05:00

Feeling: kinda sad
Listening to: "Я СОШЛА С УМА" by TATU

I was actually going to update like, three hours ago but my mom needed the computer to "find a phone number real quick" which somehow turned into a forty-minute email. After the first thirty minutes I gave up and went downstairs to watch the Discovery Channel, and my mom ended up using the computer for an hour and a half. Looking back, that was probably the intent all along as we have three phonebooks downstairs that she could have used to begin with. Eh, whatever.

I'm really just posting out of boredom anyway. I was supposed to go chill with my little cousins in Massachusetts for a few days, but that's out because I have no way of getting home on Sunday because my mom doesn't want to make the drive and my dad will be at a basketball tournament of my brother's. It's a shame too, I was really looking forward to doing something different.

The truth is, I've been kinda depressed recently. I'm not sure why, I've just been really down. I think it's because I have too much time to think, and as we all know, me thinking too much is a dangerous thing.

It doesn't help that I haven't seen my favorite cousins in more than six months. I couldn't sleep last night so I was up until 3 AM looking at pictures from my last few trips to Ohio.

I'm sure it's just because I have nothing better to do than be depressed. Really, I don't. I'd attempt something productive, but what's the point? I need to do something different and just get out of my own head for a while, but unfortunately, I don't really have an outlet for that.

Which is why I'm sitting here in my pajamas at 7:45 at night with my blankies and a stuffed polar bear that I've had for fourteen years typing on my blog about how miserable I am.

God, when did I become such a complete loser?

Don't answer that.

At this point I'm just waiting for Scrubs and CSI: to come on so I can distract myself with outrage at bad writing and Sara/Grissom smut. That's right, I'm willing to die a little inside (one of the side effects of watching new episodes of CSI:) so that I can think about anything other than what I'm thinking about.

I have a feeling that writing much more will only make me feel worse, so I'm going to stop typing now.

My New Look

2007-02-21T20:06:00.000-05:00

Feeling: sexayyy
Listening to: "I'm Like a Lawyer With the Way I'm Always Trying to Get You Off" by Fall Out Boy

I got my hair cut today. Check it:

I like it like this a lot. The shortness is also probably going to make it way less annoying.

Please also note my kick ass Blue Man Group rock concert movement shirt. I'm just awesome like that.

Wow... I just realized that between sick days and snow days and vacation, I have more than two posts a week in February. Go figure.

My Chance to be a Man

2007-02-19T20:36:00.000-05:00

Feeling: chill
Listening to: the llama song (llama llama duck!)

So today was kind of awesome. Katie and I went to Saratoga to hang out (PS: TOGA SUCKS!) and it was pretty sweet.

We went into a bunch of vintage stores, and I almost got my palm read, and Katie has started to identify herself as a former contortionist and meanwhile, I sadly didn't have enough money for chocolate body paint. So sad.

(Maybe next time)

It was so fun... Katie bought a fifties houswife skirt from the ACTUAL fifties, and I tried on a $400 dress that I liked, and we had lunch at the circus (Katie was kind enough to be the man and pay as I had been the guy earlier as I held her bags and sighed heavily while she shopped) and then we looked into belly dancing, which sounds superfun.

I'd usually type more about the day, but I have carpal tunnel and my wrist hurts, so further details may be slightly delayed.

My plans for the rest of vacation include: getting my hair cut (my bangs are becoming mutinous and have threatened a hostile takeover of my face) and hopefully "Epic Movie" with K to the izzle (I don't know why I say these things... someone please stop me) as well as babysitting my twin cousins or working the Sugar Shack in Hadley towards the end of the week.

That's about all my carpal tunneled wrist has the strength for right now... I'm going to stop typing now before my eye starts projectile bleeding.

My DOUBLE Snow Day!

2007-02-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

Feeling: pleased
Listening to: "How It's Made/Comment C'est Fait" on the Science Channel on the TV downstairs

So yeah... we got another snow day today. KICK ASS!

In the many years I have been going to Shen I don't think this has EVER happened.

This. Rocks.

Not to mention, even if we do have school tomorrow, it'll be Respect Day which is basically a school-wide party that was invented as a way to slack off before February break. Because, oh yeah, starting Saturday, I get the whole damn week off! YESSSSSSS!!!!

Just thought I'd mention it.

My Snow Day

2007-02-14T12:08:00.000-05:00

Feeling: lazy (although I think this picture should have been used for the 'sexy' mood... LOOK AT HIM! It's a beautiful thing)
Listening to: "Miss Murder" by AFI

So, today is a snow day. I think everyone will agree with me when I say HELL YEAH!!!

It's great timing too. I hadn't finished my lit. homework and my cult. project's group was pretty unprepared. Lucky us!

This snow is insane; I just looked outside and you can barely see anything. I'm not a very good judge at amounts of stuff, but I think I can safely say we have at least several inches, and it's still coming down. Good for Shen for doing something right for once! So far this year, they've already mismanaged school funds by building a transportation center that not only do we not need but is built better than the high school, not starting on a pool that we actually voted for three years ago, going over budget on a pool they haven't even started to build yet, and oh yeah, they hired a child molester! Needless to say, this was a good move by them.

In other news, they released a new video for "February Song" by Josh Groban! Now, before all you Grobanites out there (Katie) put your spaz hats on... I'd watch it first. They butchered it! The first verse goes directly into the second chorus without any regards to the first chorus and second verse! Not to mention, they added a really aggravating percussion into it halfway through which really obviously doesn't belong there. The video itself is okay... not his best, but still good. I now have a fetish for worn down old boots thanks to the video. But I don't think I'll ever be able to get over what from now on will be known as the "Pre-Valentine's Massacre."

(It was released February 13th.)

Speaking of Valentine's Day... today IS Valentine's Day! Eh... okay. I'm actually pretty indifferent to it. So far the snow day has made it better than last year, but the lack of sarcastic tshirts and fishnets on my arms has made it not as good as eighth grade (lmao good times). So I've decided that I'm going to go eat the heart shaped cookies my mommy made for me and be happy that I still have a head to eat them with.

I'm kinda sad about the snow day though... I paid good money to have people sing stupid songs to Katie in homeroom and embarrass her while at the same time making her homeroom teacher hate her even more. They were also going to sell flowers, and I love buying myself flowers.

Oh well. I still got to sleep until 11 PM on a school day and if I make it through tomorrow, all that's left between me and February break is Respect Day and we all know Respect Day is just a school-wide excuse to slack off before February break. Speaking of which, Speech and Debate is doing henna tattoos of "respect" in different languages, so it's going to be insane. Come get one!

My Even NEWER Layout!

2007-02-12T19:26:00.000-05:00

Feeling: snarky
Listening to: "Keep Holding On" by Avril Lavigne

So... I changed my layout again. To something that wasn't almost exactly like my myspace. Yay for me!

I had a little fun with this one. The electric blue made me think of literal electricity, so I kind of took it from there. Some of you may have noticed the new title as well. It's my own personal play on GE (General Electric) which I thought was very clever. Reading all that Douglas Adams has been a pretty big inspiration.

I even changed the comments. Yay!

I'll probably be changing some minor details around in the next few days, so bear with me.

That's about all the time I have time for now... I have to work on an 'effing project from Kopchick that she gave us like, three days to do even though the other teachers gave their classes two weeks. I've somehow ended up doing both the presentation and the handout, which is difficult because like, 25% of the information I need is with Sonya and she has yet to contact me...

I have to do like, all my lit work for A Tale of Two Cities too.

Gah.

My New Layout!

2007-02-11T19:10:00.000-05:00

Feeling: excited
Listening to: "Chemo Limo" by Regina Spektor

EDIT: I just found out that FreeWebs has some insanely awesome layouts, and there are a few I really like. They may require some serious editing (for example, my favorite one doesn't have a sidebar) but I think I can work around it. Look for something new soon!

As some of you may have noticed, I have a new layout!

As some of you may have also noticed, it is very similar to my myspace layout.

The reason is this: I like that one more. A lot more.

Don't get me wrong... the old one and I had a good run. It was like, a year and a half if I remember correctly, and for someone with the attention span of a two year old with ADD (me) keeping something the same that long is pretty impressive.

It was pretty difficult to change too. It's not easy modifying a myspace layout to fit Blogger. They use completely different different systems, so basically what I did was take random elements of the myspace and plugged them into the old layout's HTML. I also fooled around with the colors of text and stuff.

I'm still fine-tuning it, so if you run into any problems with dead links or if there's just something that bugs you about it, let me know. I've changed layouts to meet the needs of readers before.

Despite the fact that I'm the only one who ever reads this. Yes, I read my own blog posts. It's funny to see what I was writing about in like, eighth grade.

Now, to mark the premier of the new layout, I give you the remake of something I did almost... actually exactly... one year ago.

1. Sometimes I get the feeling that you severely dislike me, but then you do something that makes me question myself.

2. I miss you.

3. You're the Rachel to my Ross.

4. You're the greatest person EVER!

5. I'm incredibly jealous of you.

6. You've changed to the point that I barely even know you anymore.

7. I hate you more than you realize.

8. I'm very concerned about you.

9. I question your motives.

10. You're fun.

Hmm... this one is harder than the last one. Good luck!

My Waterloo

2007-02-10T15:15:00.000-05:00

Feeling: defeated
Listening to: "Teardrop" by Massive Attack

Okay, so maybe I didn't place at speech and debate this time. CBA completely screwed us over. Because there weren't enough people in either JV or Varsity Extemp to qualify the winner for a bid to state, they combined the two categories. Basically what that means is I had to compete with people who were way better than me and I normally would never have to go up against. It was also a pretty small tournament; only like five schools went and not a lot from each school. CBA took advantage of that by sending like, 30 of their own students to completely shut everyone else out. But I actually don't hate them anymore. They were really nice and the prep room was really fun despite the fact that it's technically supposed to be completely silent the whole time. Yeah... sure. The tournament itself let out really early. They were spazzing in their rushing of people, and I was done at around noon, which is about three hours earlier than usual. It was pretty impressive. CBA of course, won overall sweeps (Shen got second) but hey, they have Jesus on their side. When Jesus is rooting for you, it's pretty hard to lose.

Also, I'm surprised I didn't notice this before, but check this out:

http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/go_fug_yourself/2007/01/fuguary_jones.html

It makes me very happy that Josh Groban's ex-fiancee seems to be losing her mind from lack of him while Josh seems to be doing okay. It also makes me happy that despite her "supermodel" status, she's only identified as "Josh Groban's ex-flame." YAY for Josh being better than she is!

That's about all... Valentine's Day is coming up, which can only mean one thing: me going around and informing everyone who will listen that St. Valentine was beaten to death and beheaded before binging on delicious chocolates. Anyone care to join me? I may throw a pity party for myself...

My Medical Excuse

2007-02-06T17:15:00.000-05:00

Feeling: "But I don't wannaaaaaaaa" *whine*
Listening to: "Your Call" by Secondhand Serenade

Gah. I've been directed to chug the equivalent of four water bottles in under 30 minutes then wait an hour to have my dad take me to get an ultrasound that involves people sticking things where I wasn't planning to have things stuck for quite some time.

But the good news is, I get to see what a few of my internal organs look like. I've already seen a few thanks to my CAT scan, but this is a different level of imaging. I get to see what they look like on the INSIDE. Jealous?

Probably not.

In other news, I've come up with a series of stick figure drawings for each of my classes. Cult/lit gets a special 3-parter. I'll put them on Smackjeeves soon in lieu of new AoK panels. Speaking of which, I haven't forgotten that we left off with a mysterious cabin. I just lost the book in which I had everything written up, but I dislike the idea of what I can remember. I'm trying to work everything out but it's surprisingly time-consuming. For now you'll just have to enjoy the sort-of fame that comes with being on a Wikipedia-affiliated website like COMICWiki (see links section).

Also, PLASTICBANjO Productions has a new video! It's about diversity in the workplace and is actually the funniest one yet. Check it out via the PLASTICBANjO link in the links section.

That's all for now.

My "Oh Shit" Moment

2007-02-03T15:39:00.000-05:00

Feeling: WTF?!?!
Listening to: "Animals" by Nickelback

Okay, it's time I came clean.

I had to be up at an obscenely early hour today (don't ask) so I was watching VH1 for the usual 5 seconds of actual music videos they play daily.

And then, something strange happened.

I was watching the video for "Fergalicious" and found myself... liking it. I'M SUPPOSED TO HATE FERGIE! AHHHH!

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO ME?!?!?!?!?!?!

My February Song

2007-02-02T17:09:00.000-05:00

Feeling: are you effing kidding me with this shit?
Listening to: "Curse of Curves" by Cute is What We Aim For

Just a quick post because we don't have one for February yet, and February is one of my favorite months because not only is it the black sheep of months with it's only-28-and-occasionally-29-day-ness, but it's also the start of February sweeps which is my favorite sweeps month. There's been plenty of planning and the actors have usually hit their stride without being stressed out, not to mention it's got cool stuff happening without being over the top like May sweeps usually is.

Not much else is going on... I'm not really feeling better but I've been able to make it to school for two days and I actually don't have that much work to make up. My doctor's visit yesterday went well. I apparently have lymph nodes in my colon, which means there's a virus in my lower right quadrant somewhere, and I get to have a pelvic ultrasound to help figure out where/what it is. Lucky me.

That's really about it. I kind of feel like making cookies (YES Eddie, this time would be for you) but I may just slack off and end up eating peanut butter out of the jar again.

And with that, I leave you with this:

"Stop it! You're killing me! IT'S LIKE I'M A PUPPY AND YOU'RE A SCARY GHOST!"

PS: Katie, loved the outfit today. The Jamaica hat was a bit much, but the skirt/tights may have caused my spleen to explode (in the good way) so, well played.

PPS: I just made it through that entire post without spellcheck finding a single spelling typo! YAY!

My Own Personal Hell

2007-01-31T17:10:00.000-05:00

Feeling: owwwwwww
Listening to: "Lacrimosa" by Mozart

Well, haven't I had the adventurous week. Let me fill you in.

Last Tuesday was the only day I really had off for the entire Regents week, so I enjoyed it in the only way I know how: slacking off as hard as I possibly can. Good fun.

Wednesday I had to go up to Troy for a meeting and ended up being out all day doing errands with my mom.

Thursday was the math Regents which was a total joke, and then Katie came over for a little while and we conducted a little science experiment as to which foods are most aerodynamic when shot out of a chicken cannon (don't ask). We also made Jell-O cake (I still have some for you Katie... sorry!) and pondered the possible uses for a fire extinguisher ("We've got a live one!"). Again, good fun.

Friday was day one of the All County Chorus rehearsal that refused to end. I was there from two in the afternoon until seven at night, and then I went directly to Katie's house (I just missed you Booski... quel domage) and hung out there before they dragged me to the movies to participate in all sorts of shenanigans until all hours of the night. Think me, playing one of those car racer arcade games at around midnight in the middle of the movie theater's lobby screaming, "SUCK IT LOSERS! YOU WON'T FIX THAT WITH YOUR LITTLE SOLDERING GUNS WILL YOU?!?!?!" Exactly.

So I got home at like, one in the morning and fell into bed without even changing out of my disaffected youth clothes first. Because, after all these shenanigans, I got to wake up at FIVE THIRTY IN THE MORNING to go to another All County rehearsal that lasted from seven in the morning to when the concert was over TEN HOURS LATER. Not to mention I also realized I had lost my mom's brand new iPod shuffle. That was a fun little chat we had on the way to school.

During lunch at All County, I all of a sudden got a really bad stomach ache. To the point where I could barely move. So I had to suffer through a few more hours of rehearsal and a concert before I got to go home. We waited until Sunday night, at which point the pain was still pretty bad so I got to go to the ER.

THAT was fun. After waiting for three hours I got morphine and a nice little juice box full of apple juice and a chemical that makes your insides glow up under the CAT scan and which screws with your stomach so badly that they have to give you MORE drugs to stop you from throwing it up.

Then I got the CAT scan which was pretty freaky because I thought it was going to shoot me into a rip in time-space and it kept talking to me and telling me when to breathe.

But all my labs and the scan came back normal for appendix anyway, so we knew it wasn't that and I got sent home with some narcotics my mom won't let me take. By the time I did get home at three AM I was already vomiting from the morphine so we figured it would be a good idea for me to stay home.

I'm still pretty messed up, which is why I haven't been in school... I'm okay as long as I'm on a combination of super extra uber ibuprofen (think six Advils in one) and Tylenol, but the second they wear off I'm pretty much useless. It's to the point where I have to get up to take them at around two in the morning just so I can get out of bed after I wake up. I have a few appointments coming up, so hopefully I'll be back in business soon.

I spent today reading Booski's LiveJournal entries from the first one until around June of last year and missing the Katie who signed onto LiveJournal every once and a while and said that Shen sucked, and I quote, "major donkey." And so much for updating every day Booski... you had it going for a while but at this point you'd need about 120 entries for all the days you've missed since your last post. Ah, nostalgia.

I'm off to go eat ice cream, because one of the benefits of chronic pain is an almost all ice cream diet. By which I mean a pint of banana ice cream is about all I'm able to choke down.

My Epic

2007-01-22T22:16:00.000-05:00

Feeling: creative
Listening to: generic M&Ms "horror music"

http://www.becomeanmm.com/?studio/movie/show/3158be914f624ebe5471a1cda8129d3bdbcc08a7

That's me as an M&M that saves the galaxy. What do you think?

It's definitely pretty messed up.

My Bad Day

2007-01-19T19:24:00.000-05:00

Feeling: gloomy
Listening to: "Awake" by Secondhand Serenade

Well, today sucked.

I have a fucking 78 in science, so that's fun. It's probably one of my better grades. I can't go to Katie's hibachi dinner birthday (although I may make the movie) because I have my All County concert, which my mom can't go to, I can't go to the next speech and debate tournament, I have a headache, and for reasons unknown to me, my lower left ribs hurt.

I'm too miserable to even feel like doing anything to make myself feel better.

It doesn't help that I had to go partnerless in gym class again today, because even though I have friends in the class, they all seem to want to work with each other. Am I really that bad?

Guess so.

It's almost enough to make me want to turn on the car in a sealed up garage with a hose running from the tailpipe into the window. Almost.

But I'm hanging in there.

Not that any of you particularly care.

You're probably scoffing at your computer over how I wish I was emo.

And someone just went "lol" when I said I was having a sucky day. Yep. Ladies and gentlemen, meet... my friends.

My Overkill

2007-01-14T16:22:00.000-05:00

Feeling: annoyed
Listening to: "Overkill" by Colin Hay

Oh happy day. My mother is on a new campaign to bring religion to my life by attempting to drag me to the "cool church." She's all excited about 30 minute services and married priests in jeans and SNL skits during the sermon. But I'm not buying it. Church is church is church is church is church. I don't care how "hip" the pastor is or if they use "rock and roll gospel" because in they end, I will always find church rather, well... preachy. All that bullshit about "we forgive those who trespass against us (but only if they're upper-class white males who still like sex with ADULT women)" is a little too much for me. Don't get me wrong, hypocrisy is a trait to be admired, but pretty much any organized religion takes it a little too far. And as long as they're holding services of ANY sort, this "cool church" is still organized religion.

Not to mention my mom's been all preachy about birth control and morning-after pills ever since I got a letter from Planned Parenthood. Funny story actually, no one told me it was there so it sat on my counter for like, a week. I was a bit disappointed though, they just wanted me to write a bunch of letters to pharmacies to carry emergency contraception. I may never need it, but knowing my friends, someone will eventually (*cough*KATIE*cough*) so I filled out the little forms and mailed them off.

(sorry Katie, I was totally joking)

In other news, I spent some time baking yesterday and made cookies. Sorry Eddie, not for you (yet... I'm still perfecting them).

And uhh... the US Postal Service is off notice because not only did I get my order, I got a refund. It was only like, three bucks, but it was more a matter of principle than anything else.

That's about it for today, we have tomorrow off and I'm likely to be bored, so there's a 76% chance I'll end up injured. Stay tuned!

Pip

Factiness

2007-01-09T15:59:00.000-05:00

Feeling: chipper
Listening to: "Dreaming of You" by The Coral

Eh... it's been about a week since my last post, so I figured I'd write up a short blog before my brother gets home.

Good news everyone! The Adventures of Kara was famous! We made it to Wikipedia! The good news is, I'm not the one who typed up the article, and no one else I know did either. The bad news is, we were deleted after two days for being "A7" aka not being "notable." Psh. I say we advertise SHAMELESSLY and by this time next year we will be notable damn it!The other good news it that I was able to copy the article into Microsoft Word (or at least the cheap Open Office equivalent) so we will always have a hard copy of that one time we were famous-ish. Rock on!

Nothing has really been going on... I got sick for a few days and had to miss the Shen speech and debate tournament which is depressing.

I also got the package from Bath & Body Works that I got online TWO WEEKS AGO and paid extra for shorter shipping on. But I wrote them a super angry letter and they gave me free shipping. So I'm okay with that.

After two and a half weeks I have Stephen Colbert back along with most of my shows, so I'm a little less drifty. Hmm...

Also, I'm taking advantage of our digital cable's Free Exersize TV On Demand (and not just to watch the one video of the playmates working out) so I might actually keep one resolution. As for my homework, I dunno. I have yet to do a math assignment this year. But I'm working on it.

And last but definitelly not least, Katie got a new computer! So I expect full comments and at least one LJ update per month. THIS APPLIES TO YOU TOO BOOSKI!! Although you have your myspace, so I'll give you a pass... FOR NOW! Don't make me put you on notice.

Speaking of on notice, SNOW IS ON NOTICE! Or at least it would be if there were any. It feels more like early April than January. But I hear we're expecting some soon, so I'll add it when it gets here.

That's it for now.

Pip

(PS Blogger spellcheck isn't working, so excuse typos)

It's been a long December...

2007-01-01T00:40:00.000-05:00

Feeling: sufficiently depressed
Listening to: "Under the Gun" by The Killers

Well, we're about 41 minutes into 2007 if my computer's clock is correct (which it usually is) and already, the new year is just as boring and depressing as the last. Oh well, here's to hoping.

I know I promised a recap of my holidays, but pretty much everything that I expected to happen, happened. We were two hours late because my sister didn't bother to start getting ready until about 10 minutes before we were supposed to leave, I got yelled at for wasting time putting music on my iPod, my uncle got drunk and pressured minors (namely me) to drink as well (but I was able to pass the shot, yes, the SHOT, off to another uncle) and to top it all off, I felt like an 'effing cow next to my cousins. For more on my holiday, read my satire.

But, all complaining aside, it is the new year, so I should probably make some resolutions.

Lose about 10 pounds. (diet, exercise, eating disorder... note to self: write to Olsen Twins)
Avoid confrontations. We all know I'm a whore for a good battle of wits, mostly because my opponents come unarmed, and even a good exchange of verbal abuse can boost my spirits, but I'm beginning to realize that I have very few friends, and pissing off the three that I do have probably isn't a good idea.
Be nice to everyone, whether or not they deserve it. Unless they're my little brother. Or his friends. But other than that, I'm not going to hate anyone I know personally from now on to avoid people disliking me in return. If someone is so entirely unlikeable that I must hate them, I'll try to keep it to myself.
DO MY HOMEWORK! Seriously. I need to pull my math grade up or I am SCREWED.
Actually WIN a speech and debate tournament instead of being stuck in second place

And now for resolutions I will ACTUALLY keep:

none of the above (except the winning Speech and Debate thing, because I kick ass and take names)

Oh yeah, I'm committed alright.

It's about 1AM and I need to go tell my brother and his friends to shut up. Good night, and happy new year.

Santa can bring anything for Christmas... anything

2006-12-25T11:35:00.000-05:00

Feeling: :yaypresents:
Listening to: "Midnight Show" by The Killers

And now for the final instalment, my personal favorite...

(click for larger image)

Note the happy little girl in the bottom right corner... totally me.

Well, Merry Christmas folks, and I'll be back soon with a full account of my holidays. This is sure to get interesting...

You People Scare Me

2006-12-24T13:57:00.000-05:00

Feeling: Falalalalalalala!
Listening to: U + UR Hand by P!nk (the spelling gives me seizures too)

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!

(click for bigger version)

Again, credit to http://zorgia.deviantart.com/

Go Out in Style

2006-12-23T16:42:00.000-05:00

Feeling: thoughtful
Listening to: "Chemo Limo" by Regina Spektor

Okay, time for the second dysfunctional Christmas comic:

Click for larger version.

And to give credit where credit is due, here's the link to the artist's DA site.

http://zorgia.deviantart.com/

Tune in tomorrow for more!

When through it all, the rise and fall... we'll carry on

2006-12-22T15:49:00.000-05:00

Feeling: pretty amused

Hey everyone! Even though it's only the 22nd, this is the official start of my holiday posts. That's right, posts, plural. I found some great holiday comics on DA and they're perfect for the Christmas countdown. So to begin, my personal favorite:

Enjoy.

The last update was on Saturday I believe, and not a lot has happened since then. School has been pretty uneventful as the teachers were more excited to leave than we were (Mr. Hood showed up in a hoodie and jeans today) so there was really nothing to do.

Today was the traditional, "Don't do anything at all slack off skip chorus to chill in the cafeteria and eat pizza stuff your face with as much chocolate as you can get away with do anything you want" day. Seriously. You know those plastic balloon things that you make by putting colored goo on the end of a straw and blowing? Derek, Sam, and I made those in the back of science the entire class, and even got away with throwing them at Mr. Hood's face. He subsequently stepped on it, but it was still pretty funny.

Speaking of things that are pretty funny, Eddie is forcing me to comment on the comment drama from the last post. I think it's hilarious. And probably fake. Although whoever is typing the anonymous/frosty comments is pretty funny. And "secret admirers" are of no use to me because they're a secret. So there you go Eddie, you've sufficiently convinced me that it's not you.

That's all for now... I'll see you all tomorrow with the second installment of the Christmas comic series.

You Know I Won't Give In

2006-12-16T18:47:00.000-05:00

Feeling: sleepy

I know I just updated a little while ago, but the past few days have been semi-eventful, so I figured I'd put them here before I forgot.

On Wednesday we went to Saratoga to get some presents. I found the perfect present for my aunt (whose name I got in the family secret Santa) and some dog treats for my grandma's dog. Even better we went to Bailey's, which is a restaurant where you can get s'mores. They bring out a tray with a little flame in the middle and marshmallows and chocolate and crackers around the sides. It's AWESOME. They also have chocolate and cheese fondue. Delicious.

Thursday was... Thursday. Another crappy episode of Scrubs with the weird new lighting and obviously different writers.

Friday however, was interesting. My neighbor's kids were at home making mozzarella sticks, and something caught fire and their whole side of the building filled up with smoke. My side was okay; I actually didn't notice the police car and three firetrucks on the street next to our driveway until my mom and brother came in. It's not my fault! I was watching the science channel and they didn't have their sirens on!

Today I covered for Kelly at work and made a nice forty bucks. It was hard though. I didn't stop moving until my six hour shift was over. I hadn't eaten all day either, because I had planned to eat something there but there was no time. Mary and Amita kept pushing stuff on me while I was in the middle of doing something else. For example, they made me ring someone out while I was trying to deal with a teapot crisis. And what were they doing while I dealt with five customers? WEIGHING CHEESE. Yeah. This is my away message right now, so it may seem a bit redundant, but it fits.

money made covering someones shift at a job you quit: $42

tip stolen off a table you had served for an hour by someone who had spent that time talking to customers: $6

lunch: $0 because there was no time to eat

getting a paycheck for hours you thought you had already been paid for: priceless (well, actually more like fifty bucks, but you get the point)

So yeah. It was a tough day but overall worth it.

That's about it for now. I'm going to go watch Degrassi reruns and eat some more... I'm STARVING.

You're awesome for reading all of that. And even more awesome for commenting. *hopeful*
Briana

Oh, and my sister gets home from college tonight. This should be interesting.

The inside lingo had me at hello

2006-12-12T17:25:00.000-05:00

Feeling: like I just slammed my thumb in the oven door... ow

Hey all! I have a feeling no one really reads this anymore so this'll just be a quick post for my own sake.

Backing up...

Last Friday Katie came over to watch Porates of the Carribbean 2 with me, and despite my original enjoyment of the movie (see this post from July) the movie pretty much sucked. Except for the part where Elizabeth goes, "Let's all just take out our swords and start banging away at each other!" The reason it sucked was because the woman behind the first (good) one was fired from Disney for being a lesbian. Figures.

Saturday was speech and debate in Albany which was kind of scary because there were windows with bullet holes in them. Okay, maybe only one window. But that doesn't make the bullet hole any less scary. The Albany kids I met were nice though, and they taught me how to play PDQ which is a game where you jump around trying to step on each other's feet. I did pretty good (second place bitches!) but Shen sucked overall (third place speech sweeps, and we didn't even place for debate sweeps).

Sunday and Monday were uneventful, and today is the last new NCIS/House until February. I'm baking, and I slammed my thumb in the oven door. Smooth.

The timer for my banana bread just went off, so I have no time for spellcheck. My apologies.

Christmas Satire

2006-12-05T16:20:00.000-05:00

Feeling: snarky

I know I promised I would put my satire on here. I make a lot of promises. And this one I actually came through on. The satire I wrote for cult/lit is now on DA, so here's the link:

http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/44226682/

Check it out and let me know what you think. Here's my inspiration for the characters:

LORRAINE: My mother, who is two-faced to the point of schizophrenia
SARAH: My sister, and the Jell-O shots will make sense to most of you, if not, let me know and I'll explain.
ERICA: me *grin*
JOHNNY: My brother, who does pester my cousin about sports, but I wanted to make him really childish, so Booski's little brother Jimmy was a big inspiration (note the iDog)
JOANNE: My aunt, who I wish was so nice
FRANK: My uncle
JESSICA: My cousin who's the same age as my sister
STEVEN: My cousin Pete, who's actually nothing like Steven at all, but I needed someone for my brother to bug

I wanted to add my other cousin, but there was no room. Maybe next time...

That's all the blog I have for now. Check out my pictures on DA, they're right there with the satire. No time for spellcheck; my brother is right here demanding the computer.

Happy reading,
Briana

What's the story Wishbone?

2006-12-02T19:13:00.000-05:00

Feeling: Nostalgic

Does anyone remember Wishbone? My brother was talking about how his friend got a Jack Russel terrier and I immediately said, "Oh, like Wishbone?" but he didn't know what Wishbone was! WHO DOESN'T KNOW WISHBONE?!?!

Anyway, I YouTubed it, and someone uploaded like, ALL of the episodes. Insane. They had the opening credits too... anyone remember the song?

Yeah... good times.

Not much else is new... I finished my Cult/Lit satire and I must say, it's pretty good. You might not get it, but it's pretty aweosme. It's too long to put here (5 pages) but I'll figure it out somehow.

I hacked some person's MySpace yesterday and illegally downloaded a limited-edition song of Josh Groban's... I'd pay for it like I usually do, but it's not available ANYWHERE else because the only bonus version of "Closer" that's still available is the one without "My December" on it. There's something oddly amazing about Josh Groban covering a Linkin Park song. There's also something oddly amazing about Josh Groban liking Linkin Park. He is definitely AWESOME.

I took a pretty cool picture of my brother shooting pool... I haven't quite figured out how to upload it correctly yet. It's a panoramic and keeps uploading in bits and pieces even when I go around the Nikon software. I'll upload it to my DA account eventually.

Yep... that's about it.

Happy blogging,
Briana

Tomatoes and CBS Crime Dramas

2006-11-25T14:42:00.000-05:00

Feeling: silly

Don't let the title of this post deter you dear readers. It's merely a reference to a conversation I'm having with Laura (K.) about how I'm going to be a participant in the world's largest food fight in Spain (they use tomatoes as ammo) with my wife-to-be Cote de Pablo and we're going to run into Diane Farr and Peter Macinol while we're there. Long story.

Anyway... not much is new. Thanksgiving didn't totally suck this year. I spent it with my dad which was fun. I made turkey cupcakes, and uh... that's about it.

My sister is heading back to college (for now anyway) so that means we're all cooking like mad. Well, not really. I made some banana bread and I plan on making some cookies. My mom made some pasta. Nothing fancy. I feel like crepes though, so maybe I'll make some later.

Work on my satire is coming along nicely, it's become more a satire of my family than of Christmas, but I'm hoping it stays amusing. My character accuses my sister's character of dressing like, and I quote, "a hooker on Halloween" and my character's iPod gets plugged into my brother's character's iDog while listening to lesbian/emo rock. It's amazing.

Nothing else is really new... I'll keep this post short to encourage comments. I KNOW YOU'RE READING THIS!!!

Happy blogging,
Briana

One; Awkward Silence

2006-11-21T11:50:00.000-05:00

Feeling: nauseous

So yeah, I'm sick. Sort of. I feel fine right now, but every time I've felt fine since Sunday night I've made the mistake of eating something, which results in about fifteen minutes of throwing up. Jolly good fun! My weekend was quite busy actually, so it's a good thing I didn't get sick until Sunday night.

On Friday, Katie and I loitered around the mall for an hour or so before going to see "Happy Feet" and in that time we managed to lose my ticket, find my ticket, buy a top hat, and spaz over the OOTP trailer they showed before the movie. (If you know what OOTP is you're a loser too)

The movie itself was pretty good, once I got over how much the little baby penguin looks like my cousin Jack. Check it out:

It may not be as apparent to you guys, but to me it's just plain weird. It's even freakier when he talks. The penguin, not Jack.

The movie itself was pretty good. It was cute, and actually went a lot deeper than I expected. There were hard-core metaphors for the Catholic Church throughout the entire movie, although in the end, the metaphor was trumped by the dancing-ness of the penguins.

Saturday I was up bright and sun-shiney early to go to Mt. Markham for my second ever speech and debate tournament. Problem. I waited at East for like 20 minutes before finding out that we were meeting at GOWANA (a last minute change I hadn't been informed of) and we pulled into the Gowana parking lot just in time to see the bus pulling away from the school. However, a few of the parent judges were driving separately and gave me a ride, and we met up with the bus at Nisky (we bus pool with the Nisky kids). The tournament itself was pretty awesome. I got second place AGAIN (sweetness) and Tanner, one of the awesome Mt. Markham kids, got first. Guess he can't complain about sucking at expemp anymore. Between rounds I made friends with the Mt. Markham kids working the food stand, simply by pulling up a chair and buying a Pepsi. And singing the emo kid song. I couldn't believe they'd never heard of it. That was fun, we shared information about our schools ("So basically, we have sluts, pregnant chicks, and slutty pregnant chicks. *pause* And me.") I can't wait for the next tournament. It's actually not for a few weeks though. *sad*

Anyway, after the tournament, I went to the diamond dance in Saratoga and after driving around for about thirty minutes, managed to find it. I was really surprised at the variety of people there. There were high school students all that way up to senior citizens. There was an Asian guy with a moustache and suspenders, and as predicted, there was a creepy old guy who asked any girl under the age of seventeen to dance with him. Creepy guy aside, it was pretty fun. The music was good (as live bands generally are) and it gave me an excuse to wear my awesome red shoes.

Then Sunday I got sick, and Monday I got sicker, and today I'm dodging calls from the school and trying to keep warm while I hope the fact that I can't eat without throwing up helps me lose some weight.

I'm going to go work on my satire for world lit. It's making fun of Christmas in the way I've been making fun of Christmas for years. I mainly chose to do a satire of Christmas so I could use the title "Yule Shoot Your Eye Out (or at least you'll want to)" and also so I could incorporate the line, "And I think we all are reminded everyday of why the song 'Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer' is so tragically relevant this year." I'm brilliant, I know. It's basically going to be a hyperbole of my family, complete with a me character who dresses all in black and makes sarcastic remarks with lesbian undertones the entire time. If I like how it comes out, I'll post it here sometime before the holidays.

Until then, happy blogging,
Briana

It wasn't roaring, it was weeping...

2006-11-12T17:31:00.000-05:00

Mood: generally pleased

Hello world! I know I haven't been around for while... homework and other more important/interesting things have kept me away. For example, I haven't gone more than three hours without listening to Josh Groban's new CD since Tuesday. No lie, I sneak my iPod into school and listen to it during lunch.

Here's a brief analysis of the album, from my point of view. To be fair, Josh could record an album of him saying, "Hi. Buy my album. I want money" and I'd be like, "GIVE THIS MAN A GRAMMY!" However, "Awake" is truly amazing. Josh's influence is really apparent on this album as he wrote most of the songs and plays drums and piano on several of the tracks. This album is more in English and less of a popera work. Also obvious is Josh's work with his vocal coach. As much as I love his deep baritone voice, when he hits some of the higher notes and shows off his range as a tenor, I melt. Josh and I are destined to be non-sexual life partners, I swear. I'll let off with the SmartyPants!Grobanite stuff for now, as I have a feeling most of you are going to skip this section anyway. Mroof.

I've been really busy this past week. Monday was my speech and debate meeting and Wednesday I joined French Club which is LAME beyond all belief and I had to leave early because I was about to punch Mme Thompson in the face simply for continuing to exist. However, Wednesday night I joined Dance Club thanks to Sarah Sheppek who is one of the most persuasive recruiters I have ever met. Now, the two of us are going to join forces and combine our annoying perky-ness to recruit Katie. Let the adventure begin. There's a Diamond Dance (not through Shen) next Saturday which I can't wait for, because it gives me a chance to wear my HOT red shoes. Check it out:

Ahhhh... I love those shoes. Not the best picture, but still. I bought them for a wedding and they cost more than my dress. I don't accessorize an expensive dress, I accessorize an expensive accessory.

Anyway, that's next Saturday. After my second speech and debate tournament that is. Because at the first one in Sauquoit (I'd never heard of it either) I DOMINATED! SECOND PLACE JV EXTEMP SPEAKING BITCH! And at my first tournament too. Hell yeah. I pwn. So does Shen. We dominated as well to win the entire overall competition. Next week: Mt. Markham. Which is going to be fun because I made friends with all (six) of the Mt. Markham kids at Sauquoit and they're all really nice.

But I'm going out of order. To recap; Monday, speech meeting; Tuesday, Josh-attack; Wednesday, French Club and Dance Club; Friday, day off (in Troy all day); and Saturday, Saquoit pwnage. Hell yeah.

Not too much else has happened recently. I found out that I will not, in fact, be going to Jamaica for Christmas, and instead I'll be at my cousin's house in Massachusetts listening to everyone whining about my dead grandmother. I'm rebelling by throwing a full-scale temper tantrum. I know it won't get me to Jamaica, but it will keep me entertained while I'm stuck here.

But that's not all...

A few weeks ago my twin cousins came over for the weekend which was both hilarious and exhausting. Think a three year old getting his hand stuck in a birdhouse. Yeah.

After less than two months of employment, I quit my job. I have a feeling I'll go back sometime in the future, but for now, I'm unemployed. Don't judge me.

Katie and I went to the Tri-M talent show (how could we not? they would have killed us if we didn't) which was awesome. I knew like, everyone there, and most of the acts were really good.

I'm making a list of stuff I want to do before I die. It'll be up later for you guys to make fun of. Because you all suck.

Happy blogging,
Briana

Believe what you hear

2006-10-21T23:39:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to say that I find it really funny that my mom talks about me on the phone and thinks I can't hear her...

...when the only thing seperating her room and the computer desk is about a foot of plaster.

SNL, no time to post more.

Music Game going around DA...

2006-10-15T18:00:00.000-04:00

[ RULES ]
1. Put your library on shuffle.
2. Post the first line from each of the first 25 songs it plays.
3. Make people guess. NO CHEATING
4. Strike it out when someone gets it.

1. Give us this day our daily dose of faux affliction
2. Baby the clock on the wall is lying
3. It's not the end of the world, in fact it's not even the end of the summer
4. I woke up this morning with this feeling inside me that I can't explain
5. This song goes out to my good friends
6. Hey Mona Lisa, who was Leonardo?
7. Perfect by nature, icons of self-indulgence
8. Something isn't right, I can feel it again, feel it again
9. I'm on my way from misery to happiness today uh-huh (uh-huh)
10. This ain't comin' from no prophet

Free cookie to whoever gets the most.

You Can't Play the Victim this Time

2006-10-10T16:05:00.000-04:00

You have a problem with me?

Fine.

Fuck you.

Make up your mind...

2006-10-08T21:43:00.000-04:00

Feeling: happy to have my computer back

Hello again! It's good to be back. Not that I've ever really been here recently. But you get the point. My computer crashed like, two weeks ago because my mother ignored everything I've been telling her about the computer for the past year and a half (she refused to get rid of AOL and buy Norton) and even though it was fixed on Monday, my mom was in Georgia for a week and couldn't pick it up from the place.

Speaking of which, two nights after I got a NEW BIG COMFY BED I had to go to my dad's house and sleep on a couch. Only in my life people, only in my life.

Overall life's been good. Work is fun, even if I'm going to have to take like, a week off because of my ORAL in two weeks (which I'm completely stressing about by the way) and I went to visit my old teachers a few days ago which was fun because all of them remembered me. Yay!

I died my hair a few weeks ago, so it's red now. I don't feel like posting a picture, but I'll put one up sometime soon. Maybe.

Really, not a lot has happened recently. My life is pretty much school, work, school, school, school, more work, more school, homework, homework, homework, homework, homework, and more HOMEWORK! GAH!

*ahem*

Anyway, all I'm hanging on for right now is the impending visit of my little cousins (Jack and Delaney) at the end of the month, the hayrides ("That was NOT a MagLite!" ... "Are you guys watching porn?" LMAO) although I might miss those because I haven't been to the past two CAPTAIN meetings, and as always, the promise of a future without impending Cult/Lit disaster.

It's wierd... going back to the middle school made me think of how much I've changed even since I was in eighth grade. For example;

I've gone from wanting to marry Eric Szmanda to wanting to marry Cote de Pablo, Erica Durance, Diane Farr, and Lena Katina all at once. And maybe the chick who plays Sofia on CSI. Maybe.

I went from having two married parents to being a child of divorce.

I went from having two tonsils and a chronic infection to having a vocal range that's three times bigger than it ever was.

I went to fucking FRANCE!!! (that's a good thing)

For some reason, I went from maybe wanting kids *someday* in the future to wanting a baby REALLY BAD. I'm not even kidding here. I can't wait to have kids.

I became a Great Escape season pass holder.

I finally accepted that Clay Aiken is, always was, and always will be, a really big homo.

I fell in love with Josh Groban and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for completely different reasons.

I went from wannabe-emo (I'll admit it, I was) to darkly cynical.

Oh crap... Without a Trace starts in 5 minutes, and I can't miss this week because last week Danny and Elena TOTALLY got it on. I already missed NUMB3RS, but that I can watch on CBS.com anytime this week.

Happy blogging,
Briana

Let it Burn...

2006-09-22T15:44:00.000-04:00

Feeling: upbeat

Finally, a few good days for Briana!

Let's start with... Sunday, shall we?

Sunday was the first meeting for CAPTAIN which was totally awesome, even though Jared abandoned me and Kelly and there are a few people who hate us already. Panera after the meeting was hilarious because when you mix that CAPTAIN group with root beer, nothing good can come of it. We were seconds away from getting kicked out when my mom showed up.

Monday was pretty uneventful, it was okay thanks to the Tide Simple Pleasures scent strips I had in my pocket all day (lol) but my cold was pretty bad.

Tuesday was the NCIS season premier which was, needless to say, AMAZING. Cote de Pablo as Ziva David- a rogue Mosad agent with a heart of gold- interrogating a half-naked Iranian intelligence operative by exchanging beatings... DEFINITELY the sexiest thing I have EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE. I'm going to take a page out of Katie's book and declare my love for a fictional character. I've fallen for Ziva... and fallen hard. If she's sleeping with Tony I'll shoot myself, I swear.

Wednesday was pretty uneventful, I was fighting a rough battle with the cold that declared war on me last week, but it looks like I won because I'm feeling a whole lot better as of now. I got a 102% on a math test (something that hasn't happened since sixth grade... no lie) and watched Project Runway.

Thursday (yesterday) was the season premier of CSI which was total and complete CRAP. Catherine got drugged and raped (oh the DRAMA... lord), Grissom bought Sara a veggie burger (because she's a vegan dyke, we all know it), Warrick was like, "Hey, I exist too!" and Greg and Nick were just singing mice in the background (and Greg looked like he aged 10 years over the summer). But I'm going to keep watching because I'm a loser and I'm addicted to CSI like most fashion models are addicted to heroin.

Not my best analogy, but I'm working on it.

Today school was fun because everyone was in sort of a weird mood and we were all doing the most random stuff. Like playing The Penis Game in math because we had a substitute. Fun. I got to catch up with Sonya in cult/lit and my science teacher thinks I'm "deep" because I think that life is a cosmic mistake and I'm a hedonist (kind of). I saw Mrs. B today when I walked out to the busses with Booski, and she offered me a ride home. I felt kind of bad for abandoning Katie (if you're reading this, sorry!) but it was nice to see Mrs. B and Jimmy again. Also today, I have a JOB INTERVIEW! YAY! I'm about to enter the world of commercial industry that I'm going to be stuck in for the next 60 years (if I don't die first) or until I win the lottery. How exciting.

After I sell my time (and my soul) to my future employers, I will be heading to my dad's house for the weekend because my mom is on a YMCA women's retreat and my brother is going to a camp for the families of kids with cancer with his friend Luke and the Romanos. We're going to MA tomorrow to help my Aunt B do... something. I'm still not quite sure of the details.

Season premier of NUMB3RS tonight... YAY!

Happy blogging,
Briana

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I HATE SHEN!!

2006-09-15T17:35:00.000-04:00

Feeling: nervous

"We don't have chemistry. Or banter. Or common interests. You're a yoga instructor and you get colonics. You don't appreciate the chaos and absurdity of life on this planet and in this city. You don't understand irony, or ethnicity, or eccentricity, or poetry, or the simple joy of being a regular at the diner on your block. I love that! You don't drink coffee, or alcohol. You don't overeat, you don't cry when you're alone; you don't understand sarcasm! You plod through life in a neat, colorless, caffeine-free, dairy-free, conflict-free, but in all self-possessed way. I'm bold. And angry, and tortured, and tremendous and I NOTICE when someone has changed their hair part, or when somebody's wearing two very distinctly different shades of black or when someone changes the natural temper of their voice on the phone. I don't give out empty praise. I'm not complacent, or well-adjusted and I can't spend fifteen minutes breathing and stretching and getting in touch with myself; I can't spend three minutes finishing an article! I check my phone machine nine times every day and I can't sleep at night because I feel that there's so much to do, and fix, and CHANGE in the world and I wonder EVERY DAY if I'm making a difference, and if I will ever express the greatness within me, or if I will remain forever paralyzed by the muddled madness inside my head. I've wept on every birthday I've ever had because life is HUGE and FLEETING and I hate certain people in certain shoes, and I feel that life is terribly unfair, and sometimes beautiful and wonderful and extraordinary, and also numbing, and horrifying, and insurmountable. I hate myself a lot of the time but a lot of the rest of the time, I adore myself, I adore my life and this city and this world that we live in, this huge and wondrous, bewildering, brilliant, horrible, world."

-"Kissing Jessica Stein"

That's pretty much how I've been feeling this week.

School started a little more than a week ago, so here's a recap of my classes so far:

Cult/Lit: absolutely terrifying but completely amazing. It's a lot of work, but so far I'm having a lot of fun. I get to got first for my oral presentation, so I have about half the time they recommend people take, but I'm so super excited anyway.

French: My teacher is absolutely psycho. She talks to us like we're five, she has a super creepy smile, she's obsessed with Tommy Lee and reality shows like Rock Star: Supernova and American Idol. She makes us applaud everything and gives us "smiley thumbs" whenever we get a question right. She also says things like, "On Friday we're going to have a little quizzy on the verbies. Please remember to bring in your workey-bookey money!" I'm just waiting to have her hand back a test... (free cookie to whoever figures that one out)

Chorus/Choraliers: pretty awesome, my range is HUGE now that I'm tonsil-free so between the two classes I sing alto, alto-second, soprano-second, and soprano. And I hit all the notes really well. I'm so excited for lessons.

Math: my teacher goes slow and explains everything so it's really nice to understand what's going on.

Lunch: not great, but I actually eat with the same people I ate with in like, third grade. Caroline, Ashley, and Liz as well as Cara and Ariel is actually a really fun group, and a good thing too because there was no way in HELL I was going to eat lunch with Andrew again.

Bio: I already have Mr. Hood wrapped around my finger. It's going to be a good year.

Gym: SUCKS A LOT!!! I have no friends, I'm not in shape (how could I be, I have three hours of homework every night!) and the whole class just generally sucks. I did get into archery instead of tennis though, so that will be interesting.

Comic updates have been changed to once a week because no one has time to read them and I don't have time to post them. Deal with it.

Not much else is new because I haven't had time to do anything other than homework; but the first CAPTAIN meeting is this Sunday, and the following Panera root beer meeting should be interesting.

It's weird... I keep thinking about what being a junior at Shen is going to be like, and then I remember.

When your heart's heavy...

2006-09-05T18:25:00.000-04:00

Feeling: like I hate making big decisions

Hello all, and welcome to my last post of freedom. I will soon be enslaved in the monotonous torture that is life during the school year. Ugh.

I don't really have a post, so today is really going to be me ripping off Derek's LiveJournal post from a while back. And here we go:

Hello.
My name is Briana.
I like to think I'm unusual, but I have a feeling I'm just like every other teenage girl in America.
I like to use being a teenage girl as an excuse for everything. Kind of like what people do when they say "It was the '70s!"
My parents are divorced, and I saw it coming as soon as I heard them discussing paper towel brands for lack of anything better to talk about.
I'd move in with my dad, but my mom has digital cable and internet access, so I stay.
I love every single Dan Brown novel, even though in the back of my mind I do realize they're all exactly the same.
I have no problem paying close to $50 for a Harry Potter book on the day it comes out.
I have no problem paying $20 for a Red vs Blue DVD because RvB is the shit. No lie.
I love Clay Aiken and his music despite the fact that he's gay.
I love t.A.T.u. and their music despite the fact that they're NOT gay.
I pretend I still enjoy watching CSI because it's gotten bad, but honestly, I love that show than I love kittens.
I lie about how much TV I actually watch.
I check my e-mail more in one day than some people check theirs in a week.
My biggest fear is to see everyone I love die.
Josh Groban is like God to me.
I want to have children more than I want anything else in life, including a career, a chance to see the world, or a big house and lots of money.
I sing in the shower.
I like to sing into a hair brush in front of the mirror... no joke, I do it all the time.
I'm planning a cross country trip that I'm going to take when I graduate high school, and if you want to come along, fine, but you have to pay your own way and tolerate endless hours of listening to Clay Aiken and Le Vent du Nord.
I'm a HUGE poser when it comes to bands like Fall Out Boy and Death Cab for Cutie.
I'm actually not a poser when it comes to Panic! At the Disco... I really did like them before they were on the radio or MTV.
I'm either too nice to my friends or not nice enough.
I like to bake, but I hate cracking eggs... ew.
When I'm at home I compulsively brush my hair, but I never have time at school so I always look like a wreck.
I strongly believe my sister gets everything she wants and my brother is the favorite. Katie saw my fridge, she can back me up.
I prefer Pepsi over Coke and can usually tell the difference.
For some reason, I like KFC Pepsi more than anything else.
I'm a vegetarian but only because it makes it easier for me to be a picky eater.
I created a secret blog only to post on it once.
I kind of want to keep this thing going forever, but I have a feeling people are only going to read half of it before getting sick of me, so I think I'll stop it here.

Happy blogging,
Briana

It's just the weight of the world

2006-09-04T14:45:00.000-04:00

Feeling: soooooo embarrassed

Oh.

My.

God.

About 10 minutes ago, my dad stopped by to bring my brother to the pool (it's the last day it's open) so I figured I'd run outside to give him some of the brownies I made last week. So I ran out in my pajamas, gave my dad the brownies, and turned around to go inside. The front door was locked. And because my family is in no way smart enough to keep a spare key anywhere around, I figured I'd just go in through the garage. By that time, my brother and my dad were already long gone. For some reason, the code wasn't working and my garage door wouldn't open. Great. I kind of just sat there for about 15 minutes before finally deciding to just get it over with, go over to my neighbor's house, in my pajamas, not wearing any kind of shoes, without even brushing my hair from the previous night (and everyone who knows me knows how bad my morning hair is) and asked to use the phone. As it turns out, my mother had decided to change the garage door code and not tell anyone. This isn't the first time it's happened either (see post: *ringringring*) so I'm getting really sick of my mom's paranoid "I don't want your father guessing the code" bullshit.

And to make it all that much better, my brother just walked in about five minutes ago because no one was at the pool, so if I had waited another 15 minutes I could have used his phone. Now he's claiming it's his turn on the computer even though he promised me before he left that if I let him change his away message I could have it for "more than an hour." Hmm... looks like that promise lasted all of 25 minutes.

But before all this annoying locked out of the house-ness, I was in Massachusetts for the weekend. I got to help paint a derby car because last night was the DEMOLITION DERBY that my cousin Eddie (not the Ohio one) is always in. As much as I love big cities and dislike dirt and such, there's just something about seeing a bunch of crappy old cars that are covered in mud smashing each other into scrap metal that just makes me happy on the inside.

And for the best news of the summer, THE FIRST SINGLE FROM JOSH GROBAN'S NEW ALBUM HAS BEEN RELEASED!!!! Not for purchase or anything, but you can listen to it on AOL music. Check it out here. In my opinion, it's amazing. I can't wait for it to be released on November seventh!!!! I have a feeling this album is going to be a lot different from anything we've heard from Josh in the past, but it's also going to be a lot better. I'm so excited!!!!!

And now for even better news of the summer: Kara should be getting back to Clifton park today... YAY!!! That reminds me... I have to go update The Adventures of Kara because I wasn't around to do it on Saturday. Anyway, I'm hoping everyone can get together at least once before school starts. I'm also hoping Kara has at lease a few classes with me because I have nothing at all with Booski, Katie, or almost anyone else I know.

That's about it for now... I'm off to watch the Spike TV marathon of CSI and lament about how much the upcoming season is going to suck. It looks like Catherine's estranged biological father has put a hit out on her. Fantastic. Hopefully after that I'll put a hit out on my little brother. And if I'm lucky my dad will take me to Staples so I can get SOMETHING for back to school, because not only do I not have any clothes, I don't have any notebooks, pens, binders, ANYTHING!!! I realize I can't get that much because they don't really give a list in high school and you have to find out from your teachers on the first day, but seriously. COME ON!

Anyway, happy blogging,
Briana

Don't Give Up

2006-09-01T18:20:00.000-04:00

Feeling: overall really depressed but happy because of the small sunbeam of hope Josh Groban gave me

Once again folks, Josh Groban saves the day!

I was really upset because my mom was yelling at me because... I'm not really sure why. Something about cleaning my room and writing thank you notes. Which I did yesterday.

Speaking of yesterday, I think it's very interesting that my mom finally went shopping and bought a ton of food... for my sister. And then decided it was a good idea to not let me go to Boston with them (I literally WASN'T ALLOWED TO GO) and leave me at home all day, by myself, without any food at all. Thanks mom, for yet another cherished childhood memory. I guess it's just as well... last year when we went to move Karin into her dorm, my parents tried to pass it off as a "vacation" even though I was immediately banished to the lobby where I spent three hours pretending to be interested in the baseball they were showing on the TV. And then I got strep throat.

It's actually pretty funny, most of my memories are accompanied by "even though I had strep throat." Like when we saw St. Louis, when I went to France, my dance recital when I was in kindergarten, the entire second grade, the last two times I went to Boston... Now that my tonsils are gone, life is going to be really different.

Anyway, back to today and my hero Josh Groban. So I was really pissed off/depressed because my mom was being a bitch, my brother has been a total brat ever since he found out I might be going to Jamaica, and my sister took my camera's memory card along with three of my shirts with her to college. I finally finished all the mindless chores my mom asked/screamed at me to do and I decided to check the Josh Groban website... and what I found was amazing enough to keep me happy until the next time I'm forced to interact with my mother.

Josh Groban is done with all the vocals for his new album! All that's left is the mixing process which doesn't take too long, so his new album should be out soon! WOOHOO!!!

Better yet, he released a 30-second teaser for the first single off the album (the full thing will be released on Monday on AOL music) and even though it was only 30 seconds long, it was exactly what I needed to hear:

Everybody wants to be loved
Don't give up
Because you are loved

That is really the best thing I could have possibly heard when I was just about ready to whip out my black eyeliner and go emo for a few hours. Then of course, my mother called and I was ready to pull out my hair, but another 30 second dose of You Are Loved was enough to keep me sane.

And thanks to a few hacking skillz learned from Eddie, I was able to navigate the page source enough to find the video clip and download it onto my computer so I can watch it whenever I want.

In other news, the walk through at school was the day before yesterday, and I must say that I AM GOING TO DIE!!! I trek across the building and up a flight of stairs THREE TIMES first thing in the morning. After that it's not so bad, and I generally stay on one side of the building, but my first few classes are ridiculous. Not as bad as Katie's though... she went with me and her schedule is way worse than mine.

After the walk through Katie and I hung out at my house, which was cluttered to the point of embarrassment thanks to my sister's going back to school stuff. We made muffins, watched Ark & Kerrigan, and sang Phil Collins karaoke. Okay, that last part was just me.

Alright, I have a hunger headache and I've already taken more than the recommended dose of Tylenol, so I'm going to attempt to find something to eat downstairs. My mom took my brother to the Country Drive-In, but they won't be home for a while, so it looks like I'm on my own for now. Wish me luck... if I find the Holy Grail while I'm looking, you'll most likely hear about it because I will probably eat it.

Happy blogging,
Briana

Haha... I can see the headlines now: STARVING GIRL EATS HOLY GRAIL AND IS POSSESSED BY JESUS. INSIDE SOURCE CLAIMING, "OH MY GOD!" IS MOST LIKELY CORRECT

The Inquisition (what a show)

2006-08-30T00:19:00.000-04:00

Feeling: productive

Hello all! It's been a few days since I posted last but enough has happened that I feel I can post again.

Over the past few days I have been baking like a madwoman... I made two cakes, more crepes, and brownies. And tomorrow I'm supposed to make a ton of muffins for my sister to take to college. Ugh. Muffins are easy though, so it won't be too bad. With all this baking, plus my unusual enjoyment of ironing, combined with my overwhelming desire to have as many children as possible, I've realized that I am going to be a total Stepford wife. Well, kind of. More Stepford Wife circa Nicole Kidman and Faith Hill than circa 1960's. There were gays in the Nicole Kidman version. And yet they were gay Republicans, so I don't think they really count.

Anywho, I haven't been doing much else. I went to a bridal shower for one of my relatives on Saturday (let's see if I get this right... I believe she's my mom's cousin) which actually wasn't as unbearable as I expected. It didn't last too long, the food was good, my adorable cousin Abby was there, and I got to sit next to my Aunt Patsy who is one of the few relatives on my mom's side who I actually like. I also got to visit my grandma's dog Casey which was kind of sad because I miss him a lot.

I've drawn up a few more comics and the plot is progressing well. I'm considering adding Katie in as either an overly sarcastic reclusive hermit (as opposed to a non-reclusive hermit) or as... Katie.

Speaking of Katie, tomorrow is the walk through at school, and I am dying to see her again. She called about the plans for driving tomorrow and we ended up on the phone for like, two hours. Hopefully I'll get in touch with Booski tomorrow because I've been calling her cell ALL DAY and all I get is her voicemail. Other than that, I just have to find my schedule... gah. I lost it last year too.

And while I'm at school I'll have to pick up the papers for my work card. You see, I'm going to need a job if I'm going to pay for part of my trip to JAMAICA! That's right folks, I have been invited very graciously by the amazing Mindy, Ed, and Aunt B to go with them to JAMAICA for Christmas! Sure, I'd have to leave at 6AM on Christmas morning, but I honestly don't care. Usually I would because Christmas was always a kind of big thing in my family, but this year we obviously can't have it at my grandma's like we've been doing for the past 45 + years, so it'd actually be kind of sad. All it's going to be is everyone at my cousin's house going through my grandma's old ornaments. That's a lot more depressing than a flight to the tropics. Nothing is 100% yet, but it's around 90% so I like my chances.

Right now it's like, 12:30 so I'm going to go watch South Park and maybe get to bed before 3 AM for once (*gasp*) because I have to get up before noon tomorrow (*GASP*) because I need to call Booski and have time to make myself at least fairly respectable for the walk through tomorrow.

Happy blogging,
Briana

PS: Check this out:

So true, right? I also have a 100 x 100 version for LiveJournal. Let me know if you want one of your "Adventures of Kara" counterpart for LiveJournal/MySpace.

The Splendiferous Zeppelin Escapades of Filliam H. Muffman

2006-08-26T21:35:00.000-04:00

Feeling: slightly downtrodden but optimistic for the future

Well, we're out of eggs so today I couldn't sublimate my miseries in baking. And my sister ate all the cake and all the muffins so I couldn't sublimate my miseries in baked goods either. Hmph. I've been stuck in the house all day with NOTHING to do, and I am being literal when I say nothing. I didn't even have LAUNDRY to do. There weren't even any DISHES I could clean. This is getting ridiculous.

I've mentioned my baking on and off for the past couple days, so I think it's time for a full report. I was bit by the baking bug a few days ago so I Google searched for recipes and found this website, which has recipes for all kinds of French foods. I made a yogurt cake and last night some crepes, which were both really good, so I can't wait to try more. Somewhere in all of this baking (I do it all from scratch too) were a few batches of banana muffins because somehow a batch of 18 decent-sized muffins will disappear in under an hour. The yogurt cake, which was the size of your average birthday cake, went in under two days. I'm trying to set aside stuff for my dad because he always likes when I bake, but by the time I get to it there's hardly anything left! Oh well, I guess it's a testament to how much rock at life. I made crepes (again, from scratch) which turned out AWESOME and actually tasted a lot like the ones I had in France. The batter I made had enough to feed me, my mom, and my sister with some left over. It's all I've eaten for the past two days.

But alas, today we had no eggs so I couldn't bake, which condemned me to a day of sitting around waiting for my brother to get off the computer, and even when he did, I had nothing to do on the computer either because both Booski and Kara are gone and I can only check my gmail to find an empty inbox so many times without getting seriously depressed.

My day today has pretty much sucked... my brother had been mean to me all day. And I don't mean, like, annoying. I mean actually mean. Nothing specific or anything, but he's pushed me to tears at least three times. I've had nothing to do, although my dad did take us out to dinner. The food wasn't that great though, but it was good to see my dad.

And of course, my mom just got home from her daily abandonment of her children (or as some call it, "work") telling me to clean my room (which is 100 times cleaner than my sister's) make my bed (which she told me two weeks ago she would do... AFTER she took all my sheets) and write thank you notes. Gah.

I just saw an ad for skydiving school on TV today... it's looking more and more appealing.

Well, I planned on drawing some new strips for "The Adventures of Kara" but in exactly two minutes my brother is going to want the computer (I got on at exactly 9:02 I guess) so I guess I'll just update and hope I don't run out. I'd make more tomorrow, but I'm going to a wedding shower for a cousin of my mom's who I'm not entirely sure I know, and be stuck with people I don't know/don't like all day who only ask me how old I am, what grade I'm going into, and how my sister likes college. I am soooooo smuggling in my iPod in my purse... I don't care if it's rude or not.

Oh well, at least I'll be able to load up the car with sweet corn.

My brother just informed me, "Three minutes!!" and I still have to update the comic, so happy (or unhappy) blogging,

Briana

I HATE SHEN

2006-08-24T17:36:00.000-04:00

Feeling: completely miserable

As I mentioned on Booski's LiveJournal, I'm about ready to go skydiving and not deploy my parachute. Shen's scheduling sucks, and as a result, I'm going to eat lunch at two in the afternoon. Every day. For a year. Also, NONE of my really good friends have ANY classes with me. I'm still holding out for Kara and Sonya because they're both out of town, but I'm not hopeful.

Although there's still just over a week before we head back to school, my family is already back to it's usual habits. My mother continues to try to make my dad look bad in front of me (for example, "Wow, Karin got a lot of birthday cards, did your father ever send her one? No, I don't see it." Well, my sister turned down two dinner invitations from my dad, so he hasn't had a chance to give it to her). My brother continues to think he is the center of the universe and everyone thinks that everything he does is SO COOL that he can do whatever he wants, including stealing people's breakfasts and being more annoying than anyone but Booski could possibly imagine. Unfortunately for me, this belief of my brother's conflicts heavily with my sister's belief that SHE is the center of the universe, and my sister continues to take the car constantly so no one can ever do anything.

Also, everyone else has returned to arguing about EVERY SINGLE THING possible. For example, my sister broke the filter on the kitchen sink (which she will never admit) and so my mom said not to use it because it needed to be fixed. So what does my brother do? He goes over to the sink and turns the water on full-blast, resulting in a five minute argument.

Normally, I'd be right in the middle of things trying to cause as much trouble as possible, but ever since my mother so kindly asked me to move out, I've been trying to hide either in my room or in the basement, but unfortunately I get yelled at for that too. I try to sedate everyone with baked goods, but I get yelled at for that. Yesterday instead of doing my laundry, I cooked lunch AND dinner AND muffins for my brother (and not like, cereal... actual food) because my mom had decided it would be a good idea to not leave any food in the house. Even though I cleaned everything up and kept everyone at home happy, my mom got mad because I didn't write a thank you note to my aunt. And because my laundry had been sitting in the washing machine when my sister went to wash her clothes, MY clothes got thrown on the floor, resulting in me washing them again.

Oh well... only three more years. Then I can move to the Midwest and adopt Eddie's family. Which is technically my super extended family, but not really.

In happier, less emo news, The Adventures of Kara (the only thing keeping me sane) is coming along nicely. I've worked out enough panels to last me two or three updates a week for at least the next month, if not more. I've also planned out special panels for stuff like back to school, holidays, and CBS premiere week.

Speaking of CBS premiere week, I am SO FUCKING EXCITED despite my better judgment. CSI has jumped the shark and can only get worse from now on, but I'm hoping that either this season or next season (because let's face it, there's not going to be a season after that) they'll be SO DESPERATE for viewers that they'll use the "Bobby Dawson is gay" storyline they cut out of season four because the producers are PUSSIES. I'm also hoping that the "Bobby Dawson is gay" storyline will result in a "Hodges is gay" storyline and a "Hodges and Bobby Dawson are gay together" storyline. Knowing CSI though, they'll probably have the two get married because the writers have suffered suck a break with reality it won't even matter that gay marriage isn't legal in Nevada yet. But I digress. I've even created a promo for this special episode of CSI, but it's still in my head, so if you want to see it, you'll have to ask me to act it out.

NCIS looks promising, although it will probably continue to constantly be overlooked because of American Idol. Is it so hard to move it up ONE HOUR? It would do so much better in the nine PM slot. NCIS will also conflict heavily with my new addiction to House.

I just realized that I'm rambling about CBS crime dramas. Despite all my thinking about how I've changed so much from last year, this is what I was saying a little more than a year ago today:

Random CSI fact of the day:
It looks like Lady Heather will be coming back sometime in season 6 and all I can say is: niiiiice. Lady Heather is this kickass dominatrix from an episode in season 2 as well as the "gimme an emmy" episode of season 3. In this episode it was implied (they didn't show anything but some face-touching action) that she and Grissom... er... "discussed the case". Horizontally that is. But of course Grissom had to go and be a total asshat* and bring her in for questioning on a murder charge which kinda ended all hope for a long-term relationship. This should be interesting.

Yeah. So much for maturing. At least I've grown out of my Harry Potter-esque habit of saying "er..."

*We totally need to bring asshat back.

And Boredom Prevails!

2006-08-22T17:05:00.000-04:00

Feeling: bored and like I have a headache

I am so bored. You have no idea. I have watched more daytime TV today than I'd care to admit. Ugh.

Not much has been going on... I spent two days in Massachusetts doing almost nothing. My mom had to go through my grandma's stuff with her brothers and sisters and pick what everyone wanted. No one was allowed to go but the actual children, so that meant no spouses or kids, and I had nothing to do. I volunteered to babysit Jack and Delaney which was fun because the two of them crack me up, but after that I really had nothing to do. So I went back to my aunt and uncle's house and watched a few movies and drew up the plans for a few more comics. I think there's actually a plot being developed, so stay tuned because things are about to get interesting.

The next day, Sunday, I found out my mom wasn't going to go home until MONDAY and the thought of spending another day doing nothing SUCKED. Fortunately, my dad was in MA as well and was going home that day, so I caught a ride with him.

My mom came home yesterday, and she actually got some pretty neat stuff of my grandma's. All the black lab stuff that she had is now mine, because apparently, there wasn't even a debate over who should get it because I love Casey so much. My mom also gave me a sterling silver mirror that my grandma got before she was even married because it has MO'R on the back... her initials when she still had her maiden name (Mary O'Rourke) and my personal favorite, an antique beaded purse that my grandma got in France a really, REALLY long time ago. My mom also got my grandma's bedroom set, which means I might get my sister's double bed. *crosses fingers*

They're still not finished... three days with eight people still wasn't enough to get through everything, but they're going to do stuff like ornaments at Christmas.

Today I posted a few more comics on the site, and wrote a few more, as well as drawing a special-high quality back-to-school panel. I'm still super bored though, because no one is around and Kara is in Connecticut so there's no hope of her signing on and talking. I MISS KARA!!!!

Weh.

I really need clean clothes, so I'm going to have to do laundry at some point today. Probably in a little while. Actually, probably right after I post this because my brother and sister are both in really bad moods and hiding in the basement is probably the best option for me.

Happy blogging,
Briana

Various Lame Music Surveys Stolen from Various Lame People that I Never Bothered to Post Until Now

2006-08-18T16:36:00.000-04:00

Take your top ten artists, not in particular order, and put the first song you heard by them, first fell in love with, and current favorite. Hard enough?

Note: I added some stuff

1. Josh Groban
First Heard: "You Raise Me Up"
Fell in Love With: "Oceano"
Current Favorite: "Per Te"
Introduced You To Artist: Casey Breen... haha

2. Panic! At the Disco
First Heard: "Lying is the Most Fun a Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off"
Fell in Love With: "Time to Dance"
Current Favorite: "I Constantly Thank God For Esteban"
Introduced You to Artist: Chloe on the France trip

3. Evanescence
First Heard: "Bring Me to Life"
Fell in Love With: "Everybody's Fool"
Current Favorite: "My Last Breath"
Introduced You to Artist: Uhh... the radio at first then kind of Derek

4. The Donnas
First Heard: "Get Rid of That Girl"
Fell in Love With: "Take it Off"
Current Favorite: "Fall Behind Me"
Introduced You to Artist: Uhh... they were in a Melissa Joan Hart movie when they were still The Electrocutes and after that I saw them in a commercial for the Olympics

5. Phil Collins
First Heard: "Eye of the Tiger"
Fell in Love With: "Look Through My Eyes"
Current Favorite: "Transformation"
Introduced You to Artist: The Disney Channel/Brother Bear soundtrack

6. Jem
First Heard: "Come on Closer"
Fell in Love With: "Come on Closer"
Current Favorite: "24"
Introduced You to Artist: First the promo for the Julia Roberts/Jude Law/Natalie Portman/Clive Owens movie "Closer" and then my sister, and then Smallville

7. The Killers
First Heard: "Mr. Brightside"
Fell in Love With: "Somebody Told Me"
Current Favorite: "Midnight Show"
Introduced You to Artist: the radio and then iTunes music store

8. Josh Gracin
First Heard: "Nothing to Lose"
Fell in Love With: "I Wanna Live"
Current Favorite: "Stay With Me (Brass Bed)"
Introduced You to Artist: American Idol and then CMT

9. Clay Aiken
First Heard: "On the Wings of Love"
Fell in Love With: "Invisible"
Current Favorite: "This is the Night"
Introduced You to Artist: American Idol

10. t.A.T.u
First Heard: "All the Things She Said"
Fell in Love With: "All the Things She Said"
Current Favorite: either "All the Things She Said," "Obezyanka Nol," or "All About Us"
Introduced You to Artist: the radio, some random awards show, then like three years later Derek and iTunes

Another Survey Stolen from Eddie's DA:

-How does the world see me?:
American Idiot - Green Day (fanatastic)

-Will I have a happy life?:
Hello - Evanescence (so that's a maybe?)

-What do people really think of me?:
I Must Not Chase the Boys - Play (I have no idea why I have that song, but it makes sense)

-Do people secretly lust after me?:
Welcome to Paradise - Green Day (nice)

-How can I make myself happy?
Nails for Breakfast, Tacks for Snacks - Panic! At the Disco (ouch)

-What should I do with my life?
Look through my Eyes - Phil Collins (cool! I'm already doing that!)

-Will I ever have children?:
He Wasn't - Avril Lavigne (I have no idea if that's a yes or a no)

-What is some good advice for me?:
Beethoven - Trans-Siberian Orchestra (...)

-What do I think my current theme song is?:
Love Train - Big & Rich (why not?)

-What does everyone else think my current theme song is?:
All About Us - t.A.T.u. (DUDE! This song came up both times I've taken this survey! ROCK ON... it totally is)

-What song will play at my funeral?:
Gomenasai - t.A.T.u. (aww... I really do want that song to play at my funeral)

-What type of men/women do you like?:
Stuck On You - Stacy Orrico (clingy stalkers? alright)

-What is my day going to be like?
Rush - Aly & AJ (considering I've been sitting in the same spot for an hour while I wait for my mom... maybe not)

-Why am I here?
My Last Breath - Evanescence (so I guess I'm not here for much longer)

-What will people remember me for?
Я сошла с ума - t.A.T.u (Russian for "I've Lost My Mind" so it's probably true)

-What song will I get stuck in my head tomorrow?
America - Josh Groban (very possible)

-Are there people outside waiting to take me away?
I Write Sins Not Tragedies - Panic! At the Disco (so evangelicals are waiting to take me away? figures)

-What will this year be all about?
Hallelujah - Rufus Wainwright (so I'm going to BECOME an evangelical? figures)

175 songs on shuffle in iTunes... not my main one which is why there's not that much of my normal stuff

My life is funny sometimes.

2006-08-18T00:41:00.000-04:00

Feeling: like laughing my ass off

Haha... funny story. My sister is dumb. REALLY dumb.

But first: the pool party.

It was really fun. Derek's pool was freezing, but that made it all the more interesting. We played Hide and Seek and I cheated my face off (CHEATER FACE haha Eddie) and then we played capture the flag and I was a double agent who stole my own team's flag and sprayed people with water balloons while escaping from jail. Muahaha.

Then we made s'mores and played truth or dare which consisted pretty much of Derek pole dancing, Derek lap dancing, and Derek and Sammie making out. It's a good thing Derek was the only guy there. And he's gay.

Then Derek got dared to jump into the pool in his clothes, which he was willing to do but he didn't want to get his jeans wet so he jumped in, in his t-shirt and boxers. It looked fun so Sammie and I did the same thing, except I threw on my bathing suit skirt and she wore her board shorts. But underneath the skirt and board shorts? Underwear. Heck yes. Jumping in to cold water at night in your underwear is way more fun than it looks on the tampon commercial. Way more.

Pictures are on webshots for anyone who's interested.

And now, for the icing on the cake, worthy of the 1 AM blogging I'm doing now:

My sister, the super conservative Republican, thought a quote from STEPHEN COLBERT was a good quote. Keep in mind that Stephen Colbert is a liberal who expresses his views sarcastically by pretending to be a Republican. Here's the quote:

"America's like a car, and the President is like our father, taking the country on a cross-country trip to freedom. The last thing he needs to do is be pestered by a bunch of brats yelling, 'When are we going to get there?,' 'Why is the sky blue?' and 'Do you have an exit strategy?'"

In her defense, she was reading it in Time magazine which took it entirely out of context, but the fact that my sister liked ANYTHING that Stephen Colbert ever said is hilarious enough.

I knew even as I overheard her telling it to my mom that I was going to have a good day.

I can't wait to show her the whole video which puts the quote in context.

Happy blogging,
Briana

VIVA LA LIBÉRATION!!!!

2006-08-16T23:48:00.000-04:00

Feeling: ultra liberated

Folks, I have finally done it.

I didn't think I'd ever be the kind of person to do it.

But I did it.

That's right.

I JUMPED INTO A FREEZING COLD POOL AT 10 AT NIGHT IN NOTHING BUT MY UNDERWEAR!!!!!!!!!

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am so proud of me.

More tomorrow.

Survey-tastic

2006-08-15T21:35:00.000-04:00

Feeling: chipper

Alright, it's time for me to stop ignoring the walrus in the room. It's almost time to go back to school. Ew. Anyway, I figured to start the back-to-school blogging I'd use the back-to-school survey I stole from Booski's MySpace. Even though I have yet to post the music survey I stole from her LiveJournal. Whatever.

The Back To School Survey

01. What grade are you entering?
-Numero Dix (10th for all you non-French speaking idiots)

02. What time does school start this year?
-homeroom starts at like, 7:30 if I remember correctly, but if I take the bus I get there at like 7

04. Have you done all your 'back to school' shopping?
-None whatsoever

05. Are you excited to be going back?
- a little... I get to be in the big high school, where, I'm hopeful (but doubtful) we won't be climbing all over each other like hamsters in a box

06. What class do you miss the most from last year?
-LUNCH!!! Haha... my lunch was the best. That or French. It will never be the same without the Super Group *sniff* But most likely, suprisingly, math. Kelly and I sat next to each other and Akbay was the bomb.

07. What person do you miss the most?
-I'm not sure. Probably Booski/Kara/Katie since I haven't seen them all summer. It would be Kierstin but until she moved I saw her all the time.

08. Which class do you think will be your hardest this year?
-math. It will always be math. I could take a senior-level college course at age 16 at the same time I take first grade math and I will ALWAYS find the math class harder.

09. Which class do you think will be your easiest?
-French. I kick ass at learning French.

10. Which class are you looking forward to most?
-I'll know when I get my schedule so I can tell who's in my classes. But maybe chorus? I miss Baird and because of the tonsil-less-ness my vocal range has expanded tenfold

11. Which teacher is going to be your favorite?
-I'm not sure... probably Ms. Baird because she's nice to me and lessons get me out of class

12. Still riding the bus, or driving?
-riding the bus, but after about a month my mom will probably start driving me in so I can get more sleep

13. Plan on changing your 'image'?
- I can always dream. But being the resident lesbian is a difficult image to change.

14. What's your number one goal for the year?
-not come dangerously close to failing a ton of classes like I did last year, or not missing like 7 weeks of school like I did last year, or not undergoing levels of emotional stress that people three times my age can't handle like I did last year, but probably just to get a job is a good goal

15. How long will it take for you to be sick of school again?
- However long my snooze button lasts on the first day

16. Any of your friends in your lunch period?
-I don't know... hopefully some of the same people as last year

17. What 'group' do you belong to at school?
- hmm... we're really too big to have "groups"

18. Happy with that?
-Chyeah. Big schools kick ass.

19. No 19... I'll make one up: Do you plan on having any life-changing revelations this year?
-Nope... that was last year. And I had like, eight, so that should hold me over until college

20. Still staying up until 2am and sleeping till noon?
-Try staying up until 4 AM and sleeping until 3

21. What time are you going to have to wake up?
-like 5:30... so probably around 6:30

22. Afternoon naps, or no?
-always

23. Do you plan on attending the football games?
-at least homecoming... I want to be part of the massive screaming group of half-naked football fans screaming "GO SHEN!" and wearing Native American head dresses

24. Do you plan on attending the dances?
-Of course, what's the point of going to high school if I can't embarrass myself at dances?

Title: NOT lyrics from a Fiona Apple song because Kara will get all spazzy and possessive

2006-08-14T16:46:00.000-04:00

Feeling: dancey

Alright, I'm in a better mood today. I think we're long overdue for a cheerful post.

Yesterday my dad took me and my brother up to Jiminy Peak to go on the Alpine Slide (a concrete track that runs down the mountain and you FLY down at superfast speeds on a little wheeled car) and the new Alpine Coaster (pretty much the same thing except on a metal track, at higher speeds, and with a seatbelt) which was a lot of fun. I was kind of afraid of the Alpine Slide because last time I went on it (I was like, 7) I almost hit a squirrel. But the trip this time was squirrel-free and really fun. The Alpine Coaster, which was just built in July, was awesome because I was going like, 30 mph in this tiny little car on this tiny little track with these HUGE MASSIVE turns (no loops though) and you were absolutely SPEEDING through the woods and it felt like you were going to hit a tree at any second. My brother and I also did this thing where you stand on a wobbly little platform in the middle of a big inflated cushion, and try to knock the other person off their platform with what is essentially a giant Q-tip.

After that we all went to eat at a really good Italian restaurant. The whole day was fun but kind of sad because we all kept saying, "We really have to bring Eddie here. Eddie would think this is awesome. Eddie needs to come stay with us so we can bring him here. I miss Eddie." Seriously, I understand me missing him... I was stuck with the kid for three weeks. But my dad and my brother saw him for one day. ONE DAY. Eddie, that is a testament to how cool you are.

Uhh... not much else has happened... my mom got a new car! That's right people, no more minivan for me. I kind of miss the van actually, but it was really freaking old, and now was the time to trade it in... any longer and the value would just keep going down. The new car is a black Jeep Liberty Limited Edition 4x4. I don't have a picture of the actual car yet, but here's one that's similar:

Pretty sweet, right? The mpg is awful, but my mom claims that, "If you want to be high up, that's the price you have to pay."

I still maintain she should have gotten a Yaris. Go Toyota!

In other news, my sister is turning 19 on August 20th, and I have NO IDEA what to get her. I'm thinking maybe something from the Apple store, even though she doesn't have a functioning iPod. She was thinking about buying herself a nano, so maybe I'll just get her a gift certificate. Or maybe jewelry. The jewelry is for myself... it'll end up on her anyway. Heh.

Tonight I'm hoping to rent a French movie. I read some good recommendations online, so with any luck, Hollywood Video will have at least one.

Speaking of French, my sister might be going to Montreal this weekend. I'm insanely jealous, but I'm making myself feel better by planning to teach her really obnoxious French words to use there, claiming they're polite greetings. For example, I'll tell her to work the word "merde" in at every possible opportunity. "Merde" of course, means "shit" in French and is incredibly rude. Also, if she meets anyone she thinks is nice, I'll tell her to tell them to "Va! Niche ta mere!" which, despite the fact that I have no idea how to spell it, when said means, "Go! Fuck your mother!" But surely I won't tell her that. As far as she knows, it means, "Hey! You're pretty cool!" Muahaha... my evilness is already starting to cancel out any jealousy. I AM A GENIUS!

(one word Kara... I DARE you)

That's about it for now... to sustain you until the next post, check out the comic. One of the flashbacks is already up, and I'm currently working on a few upcoming strips. I figure I should do as many as I can now, so that when school starts and I have no time, I can ration them out as needed.

Happy blogging,
Briana

Can You Help Me?

2006-08-12T17:55:00.000-04:00

Feeling: hungry and pissed

Well, it looks like another fucking bad day for Briana. What a surprise.

It started out this morning with a freaky dream I had that I was like, in a war kind of, but all I had to do was sit on a couch under a blanket and shoot people. But the entire time I was doing it, I knew I was going to get shot, even though the blanket was bulletproof (trippy, I know). So I'm sitting there shooting and Mr. Rizzo, who is also shooting, is like, "BRIANA, YOU'VE BEEN SHOT!" but I already knew that because he had told me earlier that it was going to happen. So I was like, "Yep I'm gonna die" and he was like, "No you're not, well, at least not for a few weeks." So then Mr. Rizzo went to talk to my family (aka Mindy because for some reason the couch I was shooting from was in her living room) and as I heard them talking I felt myself dying and I was like, "Shit, I'm dying" so I tried to call them but I couldn't talk so I tried to write a note to everyone saying, "I love you. Please remember me." After which I woke up crying with a MASSIVE bruise right where I had been "shot" in my dream. Weird.

As if that wasn't enough to throw off my morning, my mom came into my room just as I woke up, yelling at me to clean my room while she was at work. Gee mom, I'm glad to see you for the first time in three days too! Normally that wouldn't be so bad, but the only reason my room was a mess was because my mom had thrown EVERYTHING out of my closet looking for a big plastic suitcase she wanted to give my sister for college. When she found it, she dumped everything out of THAT so my sister could use it, and then she emptied out ANOTHER entire huge box to put the stuff from the suitcase in. Also, she had pulled my bookcase three feet away from the wall in her efforts to unplug my stereo and bring it downstairs. So I started off with a huge mess that I didn't make to clean and no music to clean to. Because of my mother. Keep in mind, too, that my sister hasn't cleaned her room since she's been home from college, it's way more of a mess than mine ever was, and she's been home way more than I have this summer. She may work but I was gone for three weeks before being incapacitated for two. So I just find it really funny that my mother is asking me to clean my room.

FIVE HOURS later, I walk downstairs to find my brother and sister eating takeout. But there's none for me. Apparently, my mom didn't give my sister "enough money to buy something for everyone" so I get to fend for myself as far as eating goes. She said if she went out later she'd pick up something to eat, but now she claims she doesn't have enough money because, and I quote, "I need money for tonight, because I'm going out with my friends." BURGER KING COSTS LESS THAN FIVE DOLLARS! So I haven't eaten all day despite the fact that I've been working my ass off cleaning up after my mother. I have no money of my own (my mom still owes me $50) and if I try to make something from what we have in the house, I can either have toast, an English muffin, or nacho chips (which I'm technically not allowed to eat yet). I can't even call my dad for something because he's in Massachusetts all day.

I finally decided that it was just better not to eat at all and to go on the computer. I sat down, but there was NO KEYBOARD. My mom had unplugged it without caring what she might be messing up (when I fixed it later, the speakers, the mouse, and the modem were all unplugged as well) and hid it in her bathroom. I then got to spend a lovely 45 minutes trying to fix the whole god damn thing which is hard enough, but to make it even worse, my computer is in a spot where it is IMPOSSIBLE to get behind it to even see what you're doing. So I finally got on the computer and sure enough, my brother wanted to go on even though I'd only been on for 15 minutes. He didn't believe me, but finally he let it go. Now he checks how long I've been on every five minutes, and I know that the second I've been on for an hour (that's generally the rule; if someone else wants to use the computer, you only get it for an hour at a time) he's going to kick me off.

So to sum up my day; I can't eat, I can't type, I can't stay on the computer, I can't watch TV because of my brother's PlayStation, and I somehow got SHOT in my SLEEP.

Excellent.

This is the Night

2006-08-08T17:53:00.000-04:00

Feeling: smiley

Hello all, and welcome to my 101st post!

Not much has happened since the big 100, but I figured I'd post anyway.

My comic strip about Kara is finally up and running... ComicGenesis was way too complicated and took too long so I found a different hosting site that's essentially the same thing. Hopefully I'll actually start updating it again, maybe even with a plot this time, but no promises. The one thing I will guarantee is that I'll animate the old ones and work them in somehow, either as actual posts or as flashbacks. I even made a banner for the site (below) so click it for the link.

Speaking of laser tag, I'm going laser tagging on Thursday! Yay! I'm probably going to pass out at some point during the game because I'm still not supposed to lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk, let alone laser tag gear. But it'll be completely worth it because it gets me out of going shopping with my mom, my sister, my aunt, and my cousin, all of whom I can't particularly stand. It's going to be sad though, as it's Kierstin's last event before she moves to the land of big malls, cheese, Packers, and... uhh... more cheese. I mean, of course, Wisconsin.

My dad took me to the Country Drive-In today, which was like eating the food of the gods after two weeks of ice cream and plain, lukewarm pasta. I tried to convince him to get a puppy, but he said no.

Now some of you may know from my AIM screen name (claymate8804) that I saw Clay Aiken in concert on August 8th, 2004 (8/8/04... get it?) which is exactly two years ago today. In honor of this, I'm wearing my Clay Aiken jersey, but I do have a confession to make.

My name is Briana.

I just added Clay Aiken to my MySpace friends list.

Partly because it's been exactly two years since I saw him in concert.

But mostly because of that super sexy new hair.

And despite the fact his official website is getting a super-manly makeover, he is still sooooooooooo gay I can't get over it.

I fucking love Clay Aiken.

How I Spent My Summer: I went to the beach, spent some time in Ohio, and, oh yeah, I was BLEEDING FROM THE NECK!

2006-08-06T17:47:00.000-04:00

Feeling: busy

HAPPY 100th POST EVERYONE!

Yep, that's right. Truthiness has reached the all-important 100th post mark. Huzzah! I considered doing a Windows Movie Maker thing like I did for the 1-1-1 anniversary, but I realize now that it was REALLY nerdy of me to do that, Global Studies project aside. I'd do a look back like I did for the 50th post, but frankly, the thought exhausts me. I'm still recovering. So I figure I'll just post as best I can and leave the celebrations to my loyal readers. *ahem* Wherever they are.

So... yeah. I believe we left off with me leaving Ohio. Needless to say, I'm back in New York, and currently 25 pounds lighter. After getting my tonsils removed I couldn't eat much, so I lost a pound or two there, but the real weight loss came when they removed my actual tonsils. Each one had to have weighed least 10 pounds each. More on that later.

After we got back from Ohio, Eddie and I went to the Great Escape with my brother. Weather was a minor concern on the drive up, but we didn't think it was that bad. When we got there, we got Eddie in for FREE (season passes) and right away we went on the Boomerang. Freaking sweet because there was like, no line. We waited all of thirty seconds. Then we started to walk over towards the Comet/Steamin' Demon when we spotted bumper cars! It looked fun and the line was relatively good for bumper cars, so we waited. We were next in line when it started to rain. And by rain, I mean pour. And by pour, I mean buckets and buckets of water. It was insane. And because bumper cars run on electricity, it wasn't all that safe for us to be there, and we got kicked out. We decided to run across to the arcade so we wouldn't get completely soaked, but I knew that I'd trip on my flip flops if I ran, so I took them off. In hindsight, not such a good idea. We made it into the arcade, but there was a HUGE puddle of water and sure enough, I slipped, fell flat on my ass, and slid a good five feet before finally being helped up. It was freaking hilarious. Then we played some games and got something to eat while the rain died down before going on The Comet.

The Comet was awesome. Because of the rain there was NO ONE there. Eddie, Garett and I got the front two seats EVERY TIME we wanted them, and we decided to have a little fun with the pictures. We did a different pose every time, and finally we were all "bears" for the one we got. After 12 times the guy at the counter was like, "Doesn't it get old?" Never. Then... we rode the Nightmare twice in a row, again with no wait. We did the Raging River twice in a row, and there was no wait to the point where we just stayed on and did it again, and we did the Desperado Plunge three times in a row without getting off. It turned out awesome because after the rain it got really nice and no one was there.

The next day we went to a wedding in Long Island which was fun... but not as fun as The Great Escape was.

Then I went to Kierstin's house one final time because she's moving in less than a week. It was really sad. But we watched Rocky Horror and mad s'mores which was fun.

The next day I got my tonsils out, which was scary as anything. Before they gave me the good sleepy drugs I remember thinking that it was a good thing they strapped down my legs because I was shaking so much. It wasn't too bad when I woke up (the fun drugs again) and interestingly enough, the first thing I said, before I had even opened my eyes, was, "Where's my cousin Eddie?" That's how out of it I was.

So I've been recovering for the past week or so... my current project is getting a website dedicated to "The Adventures of Kara" comic I've been working on since seventh grade, and maybe even developing an actual plot line for the crazy cast of characters. I'll let you all know when that's up.

And finally, once again, happy 100th post. Thanks for reading.

Occasionally.

"Wait... go back to the part about the pregnant guy." "HE IS NOT PREGNANT!"

2006-07-25T20:57:00.000-04:00

Feeling: like ordering all four seasons of Red vs Blue. RvB is the shit, no lie. There's a reason Eddie and I downloaded like, 20 episodes and have been watching them all week.

Alright... it's been a while since my last update, but I've been pretty busy. I believe we left off at me loving PotC2 and being allergic to watermelon. Interesting stuff. Let's continue, shall we?

On Friday morning we all got up relatively early to get in the car for Lake Michigan. Five hours later, we were at the lake. We didn't swim much because of rip tides that made the water kind of dangerous, but it was just as well because we got a beach volleyball game going. My team DOMINATED although we didn't really keep score until the very end, and even though I made excuses for my bad playing ("This Clay Aiken jersey is affecting my game. I'm playing like a girl.") I actually didn't do too bad myself.

We spent all day Saturday in downtown Chicago, and I was all mad because the Gay Games closing ceremony was that night and I couldn't go. All the cool stuff happens in Chicago while I'm there but I can never go. Last year it was the Mugglenet Harry Potter release party for book six, this year it was the Gay Games. I did buy a rainbow-striped bear though. While we were there we stopped at a chocolate lounge, which was pretty cool. Eddie and I got something called "Liquid Chocolate" which is basically exactly like it sounds. Awesome. I bought some chocolate too, because they had some pretty interesting stuff. Cheesecake-flavored chocolate, maple-flavored chocolate, peanut butter and jelly flavored chocolate... the list goes on forever. And then I spotted the perfect present for my sister. It may sound lame that I was gone for three weeks and didn't get her anything but four chocolates, but these are "special" chocolates. Let's just say that I had to have Ed buy them for me because I'm not 21. I am the best sister ever.

Then on Sunday we went to the Munster pool, which is a pool near where we were staying that has some pretty sweet slides and stuff. Then we ate dinner and I had to say goodbye to everyone, which was sad because they're all awesome. Seriously, I like these people more than most of my family on my mom's side. I need to go to college out here or something so they can like, adopt me. Five more hours later, we were back in Cincinnati.

Monday Ed took me, Eddie, Rebecca, and Tamika (Rebecca is Al's daughter and Tamika is a friend from Jamaica) to King's Island. It was awesome. We hit all the good rides like the Face-Off, The Beast, and The Vortex, along with some pretty awesome ones I didn't get to go on last year. The Flight of Fear is a beast because the initial take-off is 0-60 mph in like, five seconds. It rocks out loud. My picture from the ride is so funny that Ed bought me a copy. Despite hours in line, it was a great day.

Today we went to the Cincinnati Zoo, which is like, two miles from Ed and Mindy's house. We saw the monkeys and the elephants and my favorite, THE POLAR BEARS! I actually saw two of the polar bears they have there when I lived in Colorado, because when they were cubs they were kept in the Denver Zoo. They were brought to Ohio not long after I moved back to New York.

This is probably the last post I'm going to make from Ohio because we leave the day after tomorrow. Eddie is staying with us until my dad and I go to the wedding in Long Island where we'll see Mindy and Ed again. Hopefully we'll be able to go to The Great Escape so I can drag Eddie on the Boomerang at least twice.

And on a special note, I would like you all to please welcome Norm to the long list of Truthiness readers. Okay, maybe he's like, number five. But compared to the zero I started out with, that's a lot. Norm may be an adult, but he's acts as close to a teenager as anyone over the age of 20 can get. Norm, I apologize for the recent lack of sarcasm in these posts, but I've been away from my family for three weeks and have nothing to go on. Trust me, as soon as I'm back in New York, I will be returning to the regularly scheduled snark.

:squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee: x infinity

2006-07-18T19:59:00.000-04:00

Feeling: HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH MY GOD!!!!!

I just saw "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" and AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was awesome. AWESOME! Okay, there were a few parts where I was like, "Oh please. Are they serious?" but the ENDING! GAH!!! THE ENDING! I hated everyone for a full hour after I saw the ending.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't seen it, but let's just say that when "Pirates 3" hits theatres next year (it's already in post-production) I am going to be one of the first people in line for tickets. I don't care if Katie is in Michigan and everyone else is busy, I will go BY MYSELF if I have to. The entire movie I was all :squee: x infinity and having random spaz attacks. Chyeah.

So yeah... that's what I did today. Heh. After the movies we all went to Forever 21 (poor Eddie waited at the Starbucks nearby) and I got an awesome dress for the wedding I'm going to when I get back from Ohio.

Then we went to "Jungle Jim's" which is like a grocery store except with all kinds of imports from other countries, as well as normal food. I got "artesian" water from Norway that really just tasted like tap water, but the bottle was awesome and worth the $1.75 that I paid for it. I got an eclair too. Yum.

So then we went to Danielle and Dana's house, and I think I may be allergic to watermelon too. After a few bites my tongue and lips started to get itchy. I stopped eating because I didn't want to find out if I was fully allergic or not when I didn't have my EpiPenn with me.

Then... we came back to Mindy's house and... that's about it. Ruby has been throwing fits all day, so that's exhausting.

The past few days have been fun too. I went to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game which was way more fun than I thought it was going to be. I've read "Green Eggs and Ham" more times than I can count and I've been swimming at least once every day for the past week.

Chicago is this weekend and I'm excited even though buying my dress left me with only like $75 for the trip.

That's about it. So... comment. because I'm a comment whore and I want your comments. PLEASE?