Lady Authors, and Stalking

I am possibly a stalker.

Or just obsessive. I am currently talking to Niki about the fact that I think that I am a creep as of late in regards to Maureen Johnson. I told Niki I may be an obsessed stalker, she responded with just a fangirl. Then I told her about looking up about egg substitutes (because apparently you can use bananas, and that would probably work better considering there hasn't been applesauce in this house since I was a little kid), and she said it just means I'm considerate. When I explained the other things I kept thinking about wanting to give her when I get my books signed she told me I might want to cut it down >_<

I. Have. A. Problem.

That's the thing, everybody has that one person that they put at the top of a mountain in their head, and mine just happens to be Maureen Johnson who I will be seeing in person and it's just exciting and nerve wracking. And I keep wondering if ten books is insane.

Really, the only thing that isn't making me worry like a boss is the fact that now I only have to get Lauren Myracle to sign my copy of Let it Snow. (side bar: apparently let it snow has been optioned to be a movie. YAY!).

I feel like making this list of awesome female writers, so here it is:

• Maureen Johnson
• JK Rowling
• Gayle Forman
• Elizabeth Scott
• Suzanne Collins
• Sarah Dessen
• Ally Carter
• Lois Lowry
• Gabrielle Zevin
• Catherine Murdock
• Liza Campbell
• Ellen Hopkins

And probably a lot of other awesome ladies I can't immediately think of.

Speaking of Elizabeth Scott, I just recently bought a new book by her to read, so I'm gonna go do that.
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek

PS: BEDA/BEDiJ/BEDJ? I think June is a good month to blog.

Things I'm Sick Of

I'm sick of gay being used as an insult.

I've honestly been sick of that for a while. In ninth grade I went on a tirade any time my friends used the word gay that way, and eventually they stopped, but honestly, not before they all knew I liked girls.

I'm also really sick of how anyone who is too different gets labeled as a freak by my dad. Or how the kids from my health class would say the word fag without a single thought about it.

Why can't people's attitudes change for the better? There is nothing wrong with being different, or being gay, or just really anything! People are so discriminatory. I just can't stand it anymore.

These people, I just want to throttle them. I want to tell them to fuck off, and stop insulting perfectly decent people. People who are probably a helluva lot nicer than they are. But I'm too quiet. The extent of my ability to stand up to anyone I'm not friends with is to tell the annoying kid to leave me alone. And I don't even do that well. I know you're not supposed to fight violence with violence, hate with hate, but I wish I could just beat these people up, or make them feel like I feel when I hear the word gay used as an insult.

There is nothing wrong with me just because I like girls.
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek

My Laptop

I need a new laptop.

I've had my macbook for five/six years. The keyboard has enjoyed malfunctioning on me for the last two of those years, keeping me from being able to type with spaces, backspaces, and various symbols from time to time. I keep an extra keyboard under my bed for when I have to write a paper and my laptop decides it doesn't want me to.

My laptop is also falling apart (the glue is failing), held together by electrical tape in various parts, and other parts just show the inside by a sliver. I'm on my third laptop cord, and my second battery. The down and right keys were popped of by me long ago as a developed nervous habit in early middle school.

I know I won't get a new laptop until at least after this summer, because we have a lot of finance issues to think about with my dad retiring soon, and he and I going to college. I may even have to pay for it with some of the money I make working this summer.

But I'm still sad to think that this is the end of the road for my laptop. We've done so much together. We moved to Hawaii together, we discovered fanfiction together, we discovered youtube together, we wrote stories together, we made horrible videos that will not be discussed, we had skype chats with friends far away. It's a bond I can't say I'll ever forget. I wake up every morning, and if I have school, I shower, then turn on my laptop to play music while I get dressed. If I don't have school, it goes immediately on my lap so I can see what I missed every day.

It's so amazing that I can feel this attached to what is essentially a piece of plastic with metal and wires inside.

In other news, there is a hole outside in the yard. We think some bunnies have taken residence. However, now we have to figure out what to do with the dog, because we don't want her going in there after them while she's tied outside.

Also, my dad is making* me have some friends over so that we can try pork butt and a beef brisket. He forced me to clean my room because of it, which barely took an hour, but it's unnerving to see the floor of my room. I actually like hopping across the room in the morning, and it's such a habit that walking across my room normally is just creepy.

Anyways, 16 days until Maureen Johnson!
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek
*He literally told me, invite friends over, because we're not eating all of this meat by ourselves... so I guess it's a barbecue? I only have one friend who actually has asked her mom. Although one of my other friends lives right down the street, so if she's coming, she'd probably just have to tell her mom she's not gonna be at dinner.

Being Self Centered

So it occurs to me that, in general, blogging is a very self centered process.

With blogging you are talking about your opinions, your day, your past, your future, your projects, your likes and dislikes, and generally just yourself. You can be a political blogger, and you are still entirely there because it's all about what you think. Really, unless you are blogging for an organization, where you get to use the pronoun "we", it is guaranteed that what you write will be self centered.

I blog, and I talk about what's going on, how things have changed for me, things I think are cool, ect. Ultimately, I think that makes this a media that has a far larger possibility on a personal/relational level. By reading about a person, you can take them in, and if you like them you can establish contact and make friends. So that's really cool.

But then, on the other side, if you blog something and there is no response from anyone whatsoever then you have to wonder what is wrong with you, because again, blogging is all about the person writing.

Anyways (and this post is more just me flitting off, because I really have no conclusion to make about what I just said), I'm now wondering if the people who end up making blogs are ultimately self centered people. Honestly, I'd say I'm a self centered person. I try not to be, and I'm definitely working on my conversational skills as of late (I feel I talk about myself too much) to try and make sure that I'm letting other people get a word in edge wise. Although that is somewhat funny, because I'm usually either a conversation hog or I am far too quiet and just sit and listen to the conversations that are happening. Perhaps maybe moderation is the key?

So what do y'all think about the self centeredness involved with blogging? I'd be interested to know.

20 Days until Maureen Johnson book signing!
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek

Taking Challenging Classes

I'm currently paroosing the AP forum on College Confidential, and I just need to say this.

The reason I take AP classes has nothing to do with GPA. This seems to be a common idea as to why most of the peers of the posters on CC take AP classes. If I wanted a higher GPA, I would take honors classes, which give a .5 boost instead of a 1.0 boost, but I could almost guarantee I would get straight A's (I'm counting my honors math course as AP for the sake of this discussion, because it is a Calc BC prep course, and we've been doing calculus for a whole semester). Right now, in my AP classes, I have two B's and one C.

The obvious reason that I take AP classes is because it gives me college credit. Money is really tight. When I go to college, my dad will be following a semester later, and my mom will have only just finished her associates. We're living in the first house we've ever owned ourselves. My dad will be retiring after I start school. I'm paying for my own schooling, and I'd rather work for the AP credit on my parents' dime now than college credit on my own dime later.

Now, the real reason I take AP courses is because I'm not sure how to survive any other way.

I love learning. I get lost on various wikis because I like seeing a term I don't know, and understanding it. I like knowing how the world works. I like knowing how the criminal justice system works in Australia, or about feral children, or random unnecessary facts about various products. I just like knowing these things and being able to whip them out whenever I like. But more than just memorized facts, I like deep discussion that utilizes these memorized facts to mean something on a larger scale.

In my AP classes I can raise my hand and ask a question without being the person who asks a lot of questions. When a teacher asks a question, 85% of the time we're just expected to all answer, because it should be obvious. No raising hands to answer, because it's not a class with just one smart alecky Hermione Granger.

I've taken two credits worth of regular credit classes this year. These have just killed me. I use these classes to read, or do homework for other classes, or when there is no homework and I don't have a book, I write random letters to my friends... Or color. The point is, in these classes I don't need to pay attention more than to get the assignments in order to get A's. Physics-97% A, Driver's Ed A, Health 95% A (and I have two assignments on there that I got incompletes on despite turning things in). I don't have to pay attention to get these grades whatsoever. And I'm bored to tears.

Next year, I am taking 5 AP courses, amounting to 6 AP tests (music theory, french, lit, calc, micro and macro econ), and possibly 7 if I end up self studying for AP stats (because I hear that is a ridiculously easy exam, and I used to self study math a lot for math team). I have been told by a few adults that I am crazy. It's my senior year, what kind of insane mind do I have to do this? Particularly as a music ed major who will be auditioning all through winter? I don't need these classes, what am I doing?

What I'm doing is not being bored, taking advantage of college credit I need, and college credit that could be fun. I'm delving deeper into subjects I love (math, french, music theory), avoiding patronizing classes full of people without any work ethic (lit, econ), and learning.

Why am I the crazy one for wanting to take the greatest advantage of my opportunities to learn and grow?
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek

PS: Plus, not having any finals my last semester senior year will be absolutely sweet. ;)

This

It deserves a whole blog post:



~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek

Summer =)

I want a challenge to do this summer.

I mean, I'm going to likely have a job, and I'll have summer homework for Lit, Calc, Econ, French, and maybe music theory, but I want something to do this summer. I think everyone understands the summer doldrums. I just want to avoid it and DO something this summer.

So my question is do you know of any good summer challenges to take on?

It only recently occurred to me that Darren Criss might have a twitter. So now I got that going for me. I still haven't watched Starship, which makes me a really bad Darren Criss/Team Starkid fangirl, but I just have been busy watching lost. Which is not an excuse. But LOST!

Since we last spoke I have made it halfway through season two. I'd be farther, but I've been writing and reading a lot lately. That and refreshing my youtube page. I keep getting so close to first comment, but then I'm one or two behind. It's depressing. Well, actually, it's awesome, but y'know.

I'm writing this post sporadically as I talk to friends on facebook. The rapture happened 25 minutes ago. So, I figure we all make a team base in Chicago to fight the demons. Thankfully though, it appears some of the raptured, such as Maureen Johnson, managed to grab their phones, and are tweeting in the sky right now.

I miss the pool.
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek

So Close to Over P2

Whooooooooop!

So close to everything. Let me count the days!

• 29 Days until Maureen Johnson is forced to sign ten books for me! (June 13th in Naperville, IL)*
• 12 Days until school is OVER!
• 7 Days until graduation (which means about 372 days until I GRADUATE this godforsaken place. I'm pretty sure there will be cake somewhere)
• 24 Days until I get my driver's license =)
  
• 15 Days until memorial day (which includes a parade, and a weekend where the pool is open, and six flags is open full time)

Actually, there isn't as much so soon as I thought. I used to be able to make lists like this that had about 30 different things.

I made cookies, there are still plenty left if you want any! *presents plate of cookies*
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek

*I feel like listing all of the books she will sign: Let it Snow, Zombies Vs Unicorns, The Key to the Golden Firebird, The Bermudez Triangle, 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Devilish, Girl at Sea, Suite Scarlett, Scarlett Fever, The Last Little Blue Envelope. I will probably bring her baked goods in exchange for this, but that means I need to find a recipe that does not involve eggs.** Oh boy.
**It makes me sound like a stalker that I know so much... well, I follow her twitter, nuff said.

PS: I mostly wrote this to waste time while I waited for megavideo to let me back in. I'm watching Lost. Tis epic if you haven't watched it. And it's on netflix streaming! (I'm only watching on megavideo because my dad's watching baseball right now).

So Close to Over

Tomorrow is Europalooza. It's the celebration of not having to learn anything more upon completion of the AP Euro test. The objective is to escape class as often as possible to gorge yourself, and try to do it in front of any freshmen you know.

I should be able to go...
2nd period-my health teacher is a pushover
3rd period-my math teacher is married to my history teacher
4th period-I have a work period tomorrow, so I should be able to go get something to bring over
7th period-that is when I have euro
8th period-my physics teacher said I can go after I finish my summative, which will only take me about 15 mins.

Unrelated: I am baking on Thursday. Probably just a LOT of chocolate chip cookies (I'm considering using three bags of chocolate chips, depending on funds). It is my own personal: everything is done, so I need a new focus.

Really, by Wednesday everything will be done. Jazz band concert was on Monday. Wednesday was my last tuba lesson at the community college for the semester. Friday was AP Euro. And Wednesday will be AP English and the band concert (I still don't know how my playing a sousaphone is supposed to factor in, because I'm in both bands, trip over my dress frequently, and I really need someone to empty my spit...). After this I am done, with only finals left on the horizon (with the exception of math, a piece of cake. And once I remember how to find limits and do certain derivatives, I will be set). So I am making cookies. Maybe a pan of brownies, but I don't know if that is in the budget unless I jet get tub cookies, which are NOT the same thing.

Actually, they probably are the same thing xD

I posted a new fanfic about Brittany/Santana HERE.

And I guess bad news last: I didn't get drum major, or section leader actually (although that was more of my decision, because I just really didn't want to do sousa, considering it's a lot more time with a sousa on than the last time I marched sousa, and my shoulder still isn't quite right). I was totally bummed, but you know I got over it. Some people are really giving the kid who did replace the senior drum major a hard time. I'm probably one of the only people who congratulated him once I got over not getting it. He's a good kid, just not very well liked by non adult figures in general.

Anyways, Happy Mother's day, go tell your mom she's awesome!
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek

Effusive, Effervescant, Effective (not affective)

Question: Do all health teachers have racist and homophobic undertones come up while they tell stories, or am I just unlucky?

Really, I am waiting for the sex ed unit in earnest, which makes me sound like a perv, but I have reason. Basically, what I know to be the stereotypical health class tells you that:

1) Sex will kill you.
2) Sex will ALWAYS make you pregnant.
3) If you're LGBTQ, figure out what to do on your own/that's just WRONG.
4) Going along with one and two, condoms do not work.
5) If you aren't married, sex will scar you so much mentally that you might as well just go to the asylum now.

This actually was my middle school health class, because sex ed was brought to us by an outside catholic organization focused on abstinence, and slewing facts towards choosing abstinence. An excellent example of this would be the statistic that condoms only work 75% of the time when being used properly.

I think I've said something regarding this before, but it's popping into my head right now, as the current lesson is: walk outside without SPF 50 and you will DIE.

Anyways!

Random awesome thing:


Everybody needs friends like this. EVERYBODY.

And once all this AP stuff is done I'm baking. There will be cake (perhaps of the cup variety) and brownies and cookies. I'm planning on blowing a lot of money on this.

And now I just spent far too much time thinking about how I will get it all to school. THAT IS FOR LATER!

And now, back to far too much English.
~Jess the Nerdfighting BandGeek

PS: The title is just me practicing vocab haha.