Yesterday was stressful because we had a test in Bio. It was very stressful, but it wasn't as hard as we all thought. My hand hurt so bad because I had to write two essays. I'm only used to writing one, so my brain and hand had to adjust. Then spanish was spanish as usual. Mr. Castillo didn't understand what I was talking about when I was asking him a question. It was frustrating, because he thought I didn't understand how to do it at all. Whatev. Then after school I went home and watched TV and sat around being lazy on the computer. I should have been studying for english, but whatever. I looked online for some music and a couple songs that I like. "Another White Dash" by Butterfly Boucher, "Take Me Out" by Franz Ferdinand, "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane. I like finding good music. I want to buy some more CD's. I like music. I need an iPod or something. I'll ask for one for Christmas.

Today was a good day, I guess. We had a test in English but it was basically memorization because she told us everything that was gonna be on the test right before we took it. Calculus was calculus, more beginner work on limits. Pretty easy so far. Then lunch was so weird. There was like one beep of a fire drill so everybody got up, but Mrs. George told us to sit back down because it was a false alarm or something. haha. False alarm. Then there was a girl fight. It was a hardcore fight. The girl was pummeling another girl who was basically lying down in the booth with her head against the wall. The punching girl got in at least 10 good punches before the authorities got there. Nobody was doing anything! Nobody was screaming, just all the girls at the surrounding tables (including myself) were holding their mouths saying "Oh My God". It made me sick to my stomach. I couldn't finish my fries. I especially lost my appetite when I saw a clump of the girl's hair on the floor. Eww. I was shaking. The whole experience was so scary because I was right there and I knew the girls and all I could think about was how bad it hurt that she was getting punched and her head was getting hit against the wall all at the same time. Yucky. Anyways. Biology was good because we had a sub so I got my English and my Calculus homework done while I was supposed to be reading chapters 6 & 7. Spanish was spanish as usual, just like it was yesterday. During one of our role plays Zack and McKenzie did theirs about me, and it was something like: "who did you call? emma. why did you call that prostitute? because. where did you go yesterday? emma's house." It was funny. I was cracking up, because usually Zack and I are partners and we make the silly skits like that. Mr. Castillo was like "do you know what you said? It is a harsh insult." He was all serious. I totally knew Zack was kidding. I didn't take it as an insult at all, which made it even funnier. I bet I was blushing or something. Darn pale skin.

So grit day is coming up soon. That pumps me up. I like Grit Day. Then I'm going to Ohio for Emmy's wedding! That really pumps me up. I can't wait! Yay! Now I'm gonna go hang out and probably go to bed a little early or something. I need the sleep. I love sleep so much. With a passion. haha.

I am taking a respite from studying for my first A.P. Bio test to blog. So. Let me tell you about my weekend.

Friday was a pretty good day. We had a test in AP Calculus, and it wasn't that hard for me. It's just review. Then we had some more study time in AP Bio because we got our books. Then we had the entire period to work on our scripts in Spanish. My camera came out and the boys started taking model shots. Check them out: http://community.webshots.com/user/refvemma. Meanwhile, Tillman and I worked some on our script. We got the first 3 scenes- they were very short. After school I went walking with Ashley on main street. It was fun, and I'm glad that I finally got some excercise. Then I went home and got ready for the game, and then Ashley came and picked me up. There was a bit of drama about the rides, but I think it got a little settled... I hope. The game was fun, and long. It was fun sittin w/ Ashley and Sami and Preston and Evan and McKenzie and Nancy. We got to shake these shakers that the cheerleaders made. They were fun. Towards the end of the game, we started yelling: "put taylor in" because he hadn't played the whole game. Then they put him in (not because of us... haha) and we cheered really loudly and stood up. It was funny. I think that was the first time I paid a lot of attention to an actual play. I sometimes pay attention to the ball after it's thrown or something, but I never see a play from beginning to end. It was pretty cool. I was really hyper at the game, and I don't know why. After the game, we waited for Taylor to come out of the locker room and then we went to TJ's Zesty Italian. I didn't even know this place existed, but apparently it's been there the whole time I've lived in MA. Weird. I calmed down and I had to go home right afterwards because my curfew was midnight.

On Saturday, I woke up at like 10:30. I love sleeping in. Then Dad and I washed my car. It was very detailed. It is very clean now. We waxed it, but the black stuff still didn't come totally off of my roof. Too bad. So my car doesn't feel as ghetto now. I can survive until I go off to college (wherever that may be). Then Mom and Dad and Jill and Charlotte went over to the Harts for a party. I went out to wal*mart and I got a cute track jacket and some cute shoes and a picture frame and then I went to eat at subway while my pictures were developing, and then I went back to wal*mart and I got a new cd (BarlowGirl) and my 7 or 8 pictures- costing only $3.15. That pumped me up. I came home and they weren't home yet, and Ashley called so we went walking again. It was fun again. Then when I got back at like 8:00, they still weren't home, and Ashley called again so I took a shower and then went to Taylor's house to hang out with Ashley and Taylor and Todd and Matt. We went to 89 Fun-n-wheels but Ashley and I just watched. It was funny to watch them. Evan met us there and then when they were all done with their tickets we went back to Taylor's house. We hung out at Taylors house for a couple minutes and then rode around... they wanted to go to Julia's party but that didn't happen because everybody left that party b/c it was lame and cops were circling it. Haha. Cops. Then Ashley wanted to go home and watch Soap Net and I thought it would be weird if it was just me hanging out with those guys because I was the only girl, so I went home too. I watched Noggin and then went to bed at like 1:00.

Sunday was a regular day. Church was good, Cleve's sermon was good. Now I have to go back to studying. I got in a groove and now I need to go over some stuff that I kinda forgot. I am over the hump of procrastination. It's weird. I don't think that has happened to me before. Whatev. Ok. Time to go. Hope you guys like the new template. I don't know how to put links on there, so sorry about that. I'm not very good with HTML and stuff like that.

As I get further and further into College decisions and things of that nature, Carolina keeps on rising up on my list. I originally didn't want to go there because I didn't want to go where 'everyody else' went. So I said no way. But then I realized that it was a really good college. Another pro is that Shmimmy and I will room together (!!!) if we both go there. Yet another pro is that I got the Morehead (sp?) Scholarship nomination (along with Alex... there's a funny story there, maybe another blog). I don't expect to win this nomination, because I know for a fact that I am not one of the 25 smartest kids in North Carolina. I don't have high hopes, but I do hope to make it past the first round. I think I can do that. But anyway. That's another pro. Another convincing point is that it is cheap. I hate spending too much money. I feel really guilty, and I don't want that feeling about the college that will ultimately play a huge role in my future. Dad finally admitted that the Corrolla that I currently have is really ghetto and he would think about getting me a new one but he also is thinking about how he is supposed to pay for Duke or Wake or Stanford. So if I go to Carolina, I might get a used car, and that is a hefty pro. Also, I think that if I wanted to go to Graduate School, I could go to a place like Duke or Stanford or Wake for that. It would be just as good. And I'm also thinking that I don't have to go to a big school like that to feel smart. I am not the smartest ever, just pretty smart. I don't even try to think that I'm the smartest ever. I'm most likely not the smartest person in our school. So why do I need to go to a huge school? I probably don't want to go to an expensive college to get a good education that I won't even use. I don't even know what I want to be yet. I just want to be happy with a job that I like and a life that I like. I don't even really like school all that much. I want to have fun. I don't think I want to have to worry about grades for four more years. I don't want to be a doctor or a lawyer. I want to enjoy my life to the fullest. I don't think that is settling, do you? I think Carolina is a good choice. I sound like I'm justifying why I can go to Carolina. I think I just want to get into the other colleges to see that I could go there if it was what I really wanted, but maybe I don't really actually want to go there. Does that make sense?

I don't think I handle stress very well.

I have a cold. I want to sleep. We have a big Calculus test tomorrow.

But it will be Friday. Halleluia.

I think I'm allergic to the Jr. High or something. I've had a cold ever since we went down there for english. We're out for english, but back down there for calculus. By the time we get out for calculus we will probably have to go down there for Biology. Who knows. I hate being sick. My throat hurts and I couldn't sleep at 2 in the morning last night. I promptly got up and took 2 vitamin C and 2 motrins. Then I went back to sleep. My throat is still scratchy and I don't know why. I probably have strep, and it will hit me on the weekend so I won't get to miss any school. I guess it's better that I don't miss school. Whatever. I'm tired and I'm starting to ramble. I'm gonna go watch the olympics. Good night!

So I got a 50 on that pop quiz in biology. It was the highest grade. Holy cow.

I hate homework so much. But not as much as pop quizzes.

Bod got mad at us because we didn't "take advantage" of our study day last week so he gave us a pop quiz today. I missed at least 6. They are 4.5 points each. That means I'm maxing out at a 73. I think that's a quiz grade. Maybe he will give me extra credit because I was very specific on the nucleotides. I probably missed way more. Whatever. Maybe he will not count it. I don't feel bad, because I went to Windy Gap, I had Calculus and English homework as well, and we're not having our test for a long while, so why should I study when I have so much else to do? Oh my. So basically Bodnar wasted another class period with giving us that gross quiz and telling us about the labs we are going to do. I don't like him when he does stuff like that.

Today in Spanish, like every other day, we didn't do a lot of stuff. We kinda chilled out until the last 15 minutes of class where he gave us a mini review on past tense and then gave us homework to write a paragraph in past tense. What the heck!? We totally could have done that as classwork. Teachers need to realize that they should utilize the time we already have devoted to that class wisely. Basically, I am going to school all of my waking hours. I have to go to 7 hours of school in the classroom and then I have to come home and do almost 3 hours of school in my room. Holy cow! I kinda understand the advanced classes like Calculus and English because they have to fit a ton of stuff in before the AP Exam. But Spanish? That really annoys me. Tonight, I have homework in every single class. That has never happened to me before. It is pretty much ridiculous.

I guess that I'm trying to say that my academic day sucked today. It sucked a lot.

So. Basically school has taken over my life and I feel guilty spending what little free time I have in front of a computer talking about random things. But I will try to post more often. I went to Windy Gap this weekend and I had tons of fun. So I will leave you with this...

"My Little Pony,
Hippie Rainbow Bag Pony,
It looks like I smoke weed
But I really do not"

This weekend was one of the more social ones in my experience. I went to a football scrimmage and then to Audra's for her's and Ashley's and McKenzie's B-day party, then I hung out at Taylor's with him and Preston and Nick and Evan and Todd and Nancy and Ashley, then back to Audras, then in the morning I went home and took a shower then hit the road for H-K-Wheezy where I hung out with Shmimmy and Megan (!!). We had tons of fun. We went to see "The Notebook" and apparently I have no emotion because I didn't cry. I guess I just wasn't in the mood. So we hung out at Barnes and Noble and went to Target and had dinner at their Country Club and then went home. I fell asleep at 10:30 because I got barely any sleep over at Audra's house. Then we went to church, and Shmimmy said it was the most random Sunday their church has ever had. That cracks me up. Then we watched Sweet Home Alabama and then I had to come home to babysit for the Baloghs. Their house is nice. I heart their computer. Then I came home and saw some of the parental's Doctor friends. Then I went to bed because I was so freaking tired. Today was a regular school day, and I was almost late for Bio because I left my house a little too late and I had to rush. Next time I know that I have to leave at a little before quarter till. That gives me about 15 minutes at home. Max. Maybe I'll eat at Dad's office or something. I don't think I'll keep on going home. Anyway. After school I did some homework and then worked on College Applications.

I am quite proud of myself because I am on top of things with my applications. I got all the teacher recommendation forms ready to give to my teachers and I've actually read what I need to do. I'm gonna send off some initial information sheets to open up my 'account' at the colleges. I'm kinda nervous. I don't want to decide my future now. I want to wait a while. Too many decisions. Maybe I'll conquer my fear if I don't procrastinate. That sounds good.

So I'm sorry for not updating my blog recently. I guess I just wasn't in the mood or something. Who knows. I'll try not to let you guys down. Haha.

I wish my (best) friends lived in Mt. Airy.

Guess what?! I'm gonna sleep on the hammock on Friday night. Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe I'll be at a party instead. Everybody and their brother's birthday is on Friday. Jill, Audra, Ashley and McKenzie. And some others. It's crazy. Anyways, I liked biology today. It was funny. I always like Biology until I remember those dang tests. Too bad. I finished all my homework today before 5:15! I was proud. And happy and fun times. I went to the v-ball game and hung out with the folks and watched Nancy and Sara J do what they do. I'm sure glad I'm not playing any more. It was such a waste of time. Whew. I can't concentrate today. Do I have ADHD? I sure hope not. I need to read my book. But it's not due until monday. Good thing. I'm halfway done. I should read some. Geee whiz I must have had caffeine today. I am typing too fast and my sentences are too short and jumpy. I'll stop now.

I love fall days. Today I sat out on the hammock for like 3 hours reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest for my english research project. It's due Thursday, and I probably should have read it over the summer. I was going to read Catch 22 but it was too long and had too much stuff per page. It wasn't fast reading, because you had to pay attention to this guys ramblings. Cuckoo is much more mellow. I like it. I've read 134 pages already today. That's almost halfway through! Now I won't be as stressed on Wednesday night. So anyway, I loved laying out on the hammock. It was lovely. The air was just right and there was tons of shade and the pillow was really comfortable. It makes me wish I could just lie around like that every day. I think I'll make a habbit of reading on that hammock during the fall on nice days. It is mucho comfortable. Maybe I'll even sit out there when it gets a little colder. I could just sit in a sleeping bag. That would be so great. So I'm gonna plan on reading out there tomorrow after all my other homework. I get in a zone when I read. When I came in for dinner, my eyes wouldn't focus on anything. I was to zone-y. I get very involved in my book and I get confused if I start thinking about other things too much. Reading calms me down considerably. It is a very good stress reliever. You can escape your own stressful life and immerse yourself in someone else's problems or stories. I enjoy it.

I like fall. Today's and Yesterday's weather has felt very fall-ish. I love it. It is cool and refreshing and it smells nice. We leave our windows open to get the fresh air, and it makes our house smell so good. It reminds me of a time when I was very happy. I can't really describe it. It's not like I'm not happy now, I am just reminded of a simple, happy, stress free time. Like I had nowhere else to be and I had nothing else to do. The only thing I had to do was sit around and smell the nice air. I didn't care that I wasn't hanging out with my friends. I was my own best friend. I didn't need anybody else's companionship for just this one time. I felt very introverted. Sometimes I like being introverted and lazy. I forget about drama and I forget about school and I forget about being social and everything that goes along with it. I don't worry about whether or not I have a best friend, or if I'll ever have a boyfriend. My cares just fly out the window. Smelling this smell makes me feel really peaceful. I'm wearing comfy pants, which helps complete the relaxed feeling. I love fall. I love it so much. I hope there are a lot of peaceful fall days this year. Ones like this, where I don't even leave my house. I just hang out all day without wearing shoes. I stay in my pajamas until 3 in the afternoon. I accomplish things (my laundry). I don't have anything looming over my head because I've already finished my Calculus homework. It is at times like these when I wish I did yoga. I think it would make days like this occur more often. I like it that smells bring back memories. I also like it that this smell brings back good memories. I heard somewhere that the sense of smell was linked very closely to memory. I think that's cool. Well, I'm gonna go read some more in Catch 22. I might even switch and read One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Who knows.

Tillman- rockin out yet again 

The Coffee Bean. 

Slushie- rockin out 

Nancy and Ashley at the Coffee Bean 

My ears are still ringing from the Slushie concert I went to at the Coffee Bean tonight. It was rockin'. That Tillman sure knows how to rock out. I got a CD and a free sticker and a free poster (autographed). Rock, rock on. Tillman said that when he's rich and famous and giving an interview, he will randomly interject: "Emma Refvem was in my AP Biology class". That's my 15 seconds of fame. More power to him. Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

A picture of the clouds today... they were so pretty! 

Trivial Persuit pieces that complement each other 

So I'm back. I didn't really go anywhere specifically, I just couldn't access my blogger account. So much has happened! I wanted to record my feelings after coming home from GSW, and I wanted to tell you all about my hiking trip and all about Bikestock and all about my trip w/ youth to Busch Gardens and my new digital camera and so much more! It all happened in the two weeks I was bloggerless. Tell me if you really want to know about it, and I will surely blog. I'm hoping to turn this back into a blog where I talk about my ideas and thoughts rather than just journaling everything that happens. Maybe I'll do a week summary every Saturday or Sunday or something. That way I can post my thoughts during the week so you guys won't get bored with what I'm doing.

So today was the last first day of the rest of my pre-college education. What an exciting last first day it was. I have a touch of senioritis, and a touch of anxiety about all my AP exams in the spring. AP English looks like fun. Mrs. Goldwasser is my advisor for AA, so I'm already on her good side. Lots of fun people in that class. AP Calculus looks like it will be a typical math class, just hard. We already have lots of homework (that I should get started on) It's weird being in a math class withouth Nancy and McKenzie because they were in both of my math classes last year. 1st lunch has good people. All my friends to sit with. AP Bio was funny because Bodnar was trying to scare away some people because our class is too large. We took a test. It didn't count. Thank goodness. Spanish 3 is awesome. Mr. Castillo is cool, has a sense of humor, writes neatly, and we can understand what he is saying. There aren't any of my friends who are girls in that class. Just boys. I sit beside Zach Hill and Zach Ayers and Tillman and I sit near McKenzie and Anderson. I'm excited. I feel really low key in that class. Like I don't have to talk a lot or be very boisterous. I can just chill. I'm looking forward to it.

Senioritis kinda sucks. Seriously, 179 school days left. I hope I get over it soon.

HOLY COW