Thursday, May 28, 2009

Farewell Thee, Laptop!

listening to: Sweet Transvestite, Rocky Horror Picture Show (HAHAHA)

My lovely friend Joanna was suppose to burn me a copy of the Rocky Horror Picture Show album (I even gave her the code on my iTunes giftcard to pay for it!). Last night she gave me the CD, and I popped it in my laptop a few minutes ago. IT WAS THE INSTRUMENTAL VERSION! I am so pissed off. I would send Joanna a disgruntled text message, but last time I texted her during school she got a detention ):

So now I guess I'll settle for my RHPS pandora radio, but I have to turn my laptop in to the school in a few hours. I was up until 1 flashdriving stuff. Yuck. I was also up half the night with a vicious stomach ache. I got up at seven-freaking-thirty this morning. I got ready in 7 1/2 minutes. Not happy, am I.

Farewell Thee, Laptop! I'll see you again in late September!

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Spring Awakening

I'm going to see Spring Awakening tonight (: 

I'M SO EXCITED!!!

It's one of my favorite musicals--one of my top three. I just love it. 

YAY! 

-Annie

Friday, May 15, 2009

I was up until 5 am last night drawing...

 I haven't gotten to bed before 1 am in over a week--my sleeping schedule sucks. Last night, I just simply wasn't tired, so I stayed up all night listening to Once on this Island and [title of show] and RENT. Every so often, I get this weird urge to draw, especially RENT related things (who'd a thunk?), such as the tango pose and this picture of Adam Pascal that looks like a monkey. At like 3 am last night, I started out drawing Idina Menzel, but I can't draw women at all. Weird. So I ended up drawing a picture of Jess L. Martin as Tom Collins: 


I don't know. It's just a rough sketch and only took about half an hour. It isn't too terrible, though, for the minimum effort I put into it. It's rough and scruffy--but so is Collins--so it kind of portrays his personality. What do you think?

After I was done, I was still terribly bored and not the least bit tired, so I formulated this marvelous idea. I took a picture of my drawing (seen above) on my computer and uploaded it into Gimp. I spent the next hour or so coloring it, which was a bit more difficult than I anticipated. 


And--voila!--here is my finished product, which I finished about 4: 30 am. It's intentionally rough and sketchy and artsy and unnatural looking--that's what I wanted. I think it really captures Collins; he's sweet yet rough. I know it's kind of sloppy, but that is what I wanted and I think it gives it character. I tried to use warmer colors to bring out to his soft side, but I don't know. Maybe I should have shadowed more. I'm not sure why I made the background a purpley-salmon color; I just thought it looked nice. All in all, what do you think? 

Yes, yes, I know that it's a bad thing for my life to revolve around RENT. I just love it so much! Jesse L. Martin was surprisingly easy to draw; I love the shape of his cheekbones. His nose is irksome, though. It's a weird shape and was difficult to draw. 

Yes, I have no life. For some unusual reason, I am most creative at late hours of the night. What's fair about that? 

Have a nice weekend!
-Annie

Thursday, May 14, 2009

"If I die with a cheeseburger in my hands, I'm a'gunna die smilin' "

I have gotten virtually no sleep this entire week. Not fun. Seeing as I was tired beyond belief, I was going to try to go to bed early (which, evidently, didn't happen) and I probably didn't get until until 2 or 3. (Insert frowny face). I couldn't get to sleep, so I decided to do my chemistry homework. I lied down again after I finished, and saw the clock read 1:01 and I was like, "Oh my gosh! That's the molar mass for Hydrogen!" That, my friend, is sure-fire of knowing that summer hasn't come soon enough. TEN MORE CHEMISTRY CLASSES IN MY ENTIRE FREAKING LIFE!!!!! That deserves some partying.

I am hoping you didn't notice that I spoiled my goal of posting every day for ten days by not posting for the past two (oops!). I have good excuse, however, for Tuesday. So, I was watching TV after school and I get this call from my friend Joanna asking me if I want to go to this random concert that night. Blindly, I said yes--ignoring the fact I still had an entire paper to write, not to mention chem homework and 50 pages of To Kill a Mockingbird to read.

The concert was kind of weird. It was some random orchestra thing and people singing in languages I am not fluent in. They were very talented (e.g. there was this 10 minute drum solo that was crazy) but it just wasn't my thing (It was called Yanni...or something, by the way). For reasons unknown, we decided to park like fifteen blocks away from where to concert was...and we basically sprinted through the streets of Pittsburgh to get there. Joanna and I were completely out of breath my the time we got there--our athletic abilities are mutually pathetic. It reminded me of in the movie Connie and Carla, when they're like "Maybe we should work out..." and then they burst out laughing. The movie is about these two show-tune junkies who accidentally witness this mob murder and they are running from these two guys and they need to hide somewhere so they go to LA and pretend to be drag queens. It's like my favorite movie ever. I think that's because Connie and Carla are basically me and Joanna in twenty years. Yes, I can totally picture us pretending to be drag queens...

Anyway...

The concert ended at like eleven and of course we had to sprint the zillions of blocks to the parking garage. So, at eleven when any sensible teenager would be sound asleep after doing all their homework, I was running through downtown Pittsburgh laughing and screaming. I got home at eleven thirty (and thank god my parents didn't really care that I was out late on a school night) with truckloads of homework to do. Joy.

We went to Primanti Brothers before the concert and there was this guy talking really loudly at this table near us. It was so funny. This is what he was saying:

"If I die and all I eat are lettuces and carrots, I'm a'gunna be real sad. But if I eat cheeseburgers, I'm a'gunna be real happy. If I die with a cheeseburger in my hands, I'm a'gunna die smilin' "

That made my day (:

Have a fabulous weekend ( I don't have school tomorrow!)

-Annie

Monday, May 11, 2009

Day Six: Under the Sea...Under the Sea...


So, in Geometry today we had to walk outside and down the hill to the football field and measure ourselves next to some random object. Amber and I chose this random thing. I have no idea what it is. Anywho, we had to print the picture off our laptops and measure our real heights and our heights in the picture and find proportions to find the height of the random object. Except, Amber and I got bored and took random pictures. hehe.

This was the icky normal one:
Today was pretty fabulous for a Monday. I have been listening to songs from the Original Broadway Cast of the Little Mermaid. Weird? Yes--but it's a chipper break from tragedies like Spring Awakening. I have a new aspiration: I want to be Ursula in The Little Mermaid. Whenever I come across a character with a lower alto-mezzo range and an idiosyncratic personality, I add it to the list of character I want to be one day. I have a lower singing voice with a rough but awesome belt, and a thing for weird characters and I hate that most female leads are boring Sopranos. Yuck. Anyway, here is a list of characters I want to play. Most of aren't leads but rather awesome personalities and voices:

-Ilse in Spring Awakening
-or Marta in Spring Awakening
-
Reno in Anything Goes
-
Heidi in [title of show]
-
Any random ensemble member in Cats
-
Florence in Chess
-
Lucy in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
-Velma in Chicago (hahaha)
-Maureen in RENT
-
Or Joanne in RENT. I'm not black, but my voice is closer to hers.


There's way more, I'm just not in a thinking mood. My brain is the consistency of mashed potatoes.


Oh yeah. My friend befriended NEIL CICIEREGA on Facebook (Youtube sensation; Potter Puppet Pals) & he accepted!!!!!


(I blocked out their last names so you can't go stalk my friends)

NEIL! She was looking at his info on Facebook, and he likes Hedwig and the Angry Inch, this play Anthony Rapp was in, and Pee Wee's Big Adventure!

My friend (who is a guy) wants us to take pole dancing lessons with him. He's the one who ice skates and tells us what to buy when we go shopping. Why do I have to make the weirdest friends? (:

-Annie


Sunday, May 10, 2009

Day Five: Two of My Favorite Things


Enjoy this picture of a zebra in New York City:



Saturday, May 9, 2009

Day Four: Thank You Mom!

A stick of meat, a roll of duct tape, and a pygmy apple pie.

Today I over to my friend Mathilda's house and helped her prepare for her eighth grade trip. She's a year younger than me, and I went on in last year. She needed to borrow a dress or two to wear because the first two days of the trip they want you to look nice. I didn't know what she wanted, though, so I brought about thirty, half of which I haven't worn since I was twelve and was unaware I still had.

Then I dueled her brother with these sticks of foam about half the size of a pool noodle. I won, of course, because though he may be the noodle ninja, I am the noodle warrior. Then her friends called and said they were going food shopping for their trip (a concept I find completely ridiculous) but I tagged along and walked over to this teeny grocery store. Mathilda's friends obviously do not understand the concept of sarcasm, because when I suggested they buy a miniature stick of meat and a giant roll of duct tape, I was only kidding.

Later, randomly, Mathilda and I decided that we should try to go on vacation this summer with our friend Joanna. After realizing we had no money and no licensed driver willing to take us halfway across the country, we kind of came down from that cloud. We comprised with our ideas and formulated an ingenious plan. There's this water park near her grandma's house like three hours away and we thought it would be fun to go there some weekend this summer. Mathilda's mom kind of agreed, I think, so the plan is looking hopeful (:

I can't wait until me and my friends can drive. I am not looking forward to the actual driving part (a klutz like me will only triple the number of car accidents each year in this country) but rather the concept of not nagging a select parent to drive you to the mall, or drive you to your best friend's house who lives thirty minutes away, or drive you to a random elementary school in the middle of farm country to see a play by awesome people geared toward ten year olds, or drive your friend Joey home when you're not exactly sure where he lives and your other friends are screaming about Anthony Rapp in the backseat, or drive you home in the middle of the night from your best friend's weird catholic high school where you were stalking this hot guy while you're having a poptart fight in the backseat. Needless to say, I ask way too much of my parents. They're always happy to drive, but I can't wait until they don't have to escort me out of rather idiosyncratic situations.

Unfortunately, you can't even get your permit here until you're sixteen. Joanna and I will be 16 next summer, and Mathilda the following winter. Ergo, it's going to be quite a while until you see me and my friends on the road. I am looking forward to the day when I can drive me and my friends home at 11'o'clock on a school night from my friend's ice skating show where we were prancing around like drag queens and microwaving repulive vending machine cuisine and screaming at adorable yet terrified children dressed like bananas. I'm tired of trying to explain all of my random, nonsensical escapades to my mother.

However, I am very grateful for my mom and all the crap she puts up with. I know she'd be happier if she wasn't driving my impolite friends all over the tri-state area, but she's happy to anyway. I know she'd be happier if she didn't overhear conversations about Adam Pascal's pants from the back seat, but she happily tunes it out. I know she'd be better off if my friends didn't smash Nascar PopTarts into the car's upholstery, or lose teeth in the nooks and crannies, or spill Hot Fries all over the floor. Ok, I did half that stuff, but I'm happy my mom deals with everything.

Thank you, Mom. Happy Mother's Day!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Day Three: Secrets


PostSecret is possibly one of the greatest ideas ever. If you haven't heard of it, I would suggest going to the website (click me!) and check it out. A bunch of people mail these postcards in, each card an idiosyncratic work of art with one thing in comment: the postcards reveal their darkest secrets. The postcards are published on websites and in books, but of course, remain anonymous. Some of the secrets are witty and humorous, while others are morbid and terrible. Nonetheless, they're tons of fun to read.

I heard about PostSecret a long time ago, but a few weeks ago in Creative Writing class we were assigned to make our own. Of course, no one revealed their darkest secrets to the class--no teenager in their right mind would--so a lot of people made theirs up. Mine wasn't fake though--I admitted to a deep childhood secret: I killed my imaginary friend. (:

True story. He was an imaginary Pokemon, a Charmander to be exact, and his name was Zippo. One day, I realized five-and-a-half was WAY too old for friends of the imaginary sort, so I plagued Zippo with so horrid, fatal disease that only kills imaginary people. Soon after, Zippo the imaginary charmander died. Then I cried a bit.



Secrets are...weird. It's inexplicably easier to admit things to complete strangers rather then your closest friends. I guess there's the factor of judgment to add on. It's easier to gossip about people who aren't standing right next to you. It's sort of like that. I don't really know what I mean.

Do I have a dark secret? No. Not really. Nothing compared to other people. I have tiny flukes of my past that embarrass me, but certainly nothing epic. Most of them are funny, anyway. Like one time I when I was like 7, I was mad at my brother, so I wrote his name in his handwriting on this piece of furniture. My mom got mad at my brother--and he blamed it one me--but she didn't listen to him because it was his name in his handwriting. I doubt anyone else in my family remembers that. But I do. I remember the slightest, insignificant details of everything. It's a vexing quality.

I do have a secret--though it isn't very secretive--that I am still a little embarrassed by. When I was ten, I had a huge crush on this extremely irksome guy. I'm not recalling any of the details, but it would be a cute story if it wasn't so humiliating. Or if the guy wasn't such an asshole. He still brings it up. Isn't that sad? Honestly, it's because everyone hates him and that was probably the most positive attention he's gotten in his life. Honey, I was ten. Move on.

It is weird how casually people can reveal their secrets. I've listened to people I hardly know spill the darkest secrets without a care. The other day in the geometry class, I overheard this girl carelessly spilling her life story to people she really isn't friends with. I only listened for a minute, but she was talking about her dad left her when she was three and now he's like an alcoholic and is trying to get money from her, and how her boyfriend was abusive. I don't know about you, but those aren't things I would tell just anybody. I felt bad for her though :(

One time, I was talking with my friend that I don't see very often online and he spilled this entire story about how he really liked this girl at his school but he was too afraid to ask her out because he'd gotten rejected before. He ranted on and on about how ugly he was and how he was such a nerd and he'd never get a girlfriend. Then I remembered one time I was at this restaurant with my friends and one of them admitted that she thought this guy was going to ask her out, and he was nice in everything, but never in a million years would she ever go out with someone like him. Listening to this guy's misfortune life unravel, I felt terrible but was at loss for words. I had nothing to say because secretly I know a lot of what he was saying was probably right.


Another time my friend told me she used to cut herself. It was buried in an irrelevant conversation, and I'm not sure anyone else realized what she had said, but I did. I never asked about it, and she never brought it up again. It's weird though--she's one of my best friends now and I would never imagine her doing anything like that. I hope she never brings it up, I kind of wish I didn't know, because I know she's kind of had a tough life and wasn't really saying this to get attention. She didn't have many friends before us and I wish we could have been there for her. But we weren't.

Holy crap. This was intended to a short, light post. That was about an hour ago. Oh well, tomorrow's post will be shorter. I apologize for my endless ranting! If you haven't heard, I am posting every single day for ten days to see if I can. Today is Day Three, and so far so good. One more week to go.

So, lastly, does anyone have any humorous secrets they're willing to share? Leave a comment (:

Psst--I think the time on my blog is off. How can I fix that? I don't know what time it says, but I am posting this around 11:45 pm on May, 8, 2009.


Thursday, May 7, 2009

Day Two: Shh! I'm not suppose to be on Blogger!

  I have plans for tonight, so I figure I’d post now so I don’t forget. Because, of course, I promised to post every single day for 10 whole days. Even if that means typing this post up in a Microsoft Word document, disguising it as my homework (:


             Last night I had to go to my brother’s band concert, and spent like forty minutes talking to my friend’s five-year-old sister. She was talking about how she really wanted to live in the rain forest in a big leaf and then she grabbed a lock of my curly hair and tried to braid it, but ended up tying it in a knot. Oh, little kids make me laugh.

My friend Mathilda, her sister, and me

      My performance of a few scenes from the play, The Lion in Winter, is this evening. It isn’t a huge deal, seeing as my lines are barely memorized, but I’m excited. As for manly clothes, I scavenged through my closet last night for something that wasn’t pink or fitted or jeans or sandals. It took a while. I ended up looking more like a pauper then a king, but it will do. Last weekend my friend Sarah organized a script studying party at her house, and most of the ensemble came. The six of us—me, Mathilda, Sarah, Elizabeth, Olivia and Ben—decided to run our lines outside because it was nice. We sat in the middle of the street and began reading the first scene. The next thing I remember is Mathilda and I running around in circles, belting out songs from Rent at the top of our lungs. Huzzah for being easily distracted! So, instead of studying the script, we played Apples to Apples and painted our toenails. So much for being prepared…


             I counted wrong yesterday. Now there’s only SEVENTEEN more days of school—INCLUDING FINALS! My plans for the summer are the following:

             -Two weeks of Theatre Camp in June, that I’ve been doing since I was eight, and it is absolutely the best place in the entire world. They are basically family (:


Last year...wow do I look different

            -(Probably) two weeks in July of this writing camp thing my friend is making me do. I have to wait and see if I get in though. I don’t really know what to think of that yet.

             -Three weeks in August inn a show with my theatre company that I’ve been in every year since I was 10. I don’t know what to show is going to be yet, but I’m super excited.

            The first show I was in (: 
Aesop's Oh-So-Slightly Updated Fables

  -And possibly vacation, but I don't know. 


             …and that’s about it. It’s the usual, except for the writing thing. There are two changes to my normal summer plans: 1.) I’m not working at church camp this year. It has bored me to death for the past couple years, and I’m finally exempted from it. 2.) We’re not joining the pool this year. Ever since I was seven or eight, we belonged to this swim club a few miles away. Last year, though, I went like twice my parents decided that wasn’t worth the money. I don’t really care though, I doubt I would go much, anyway.

             I’m starting to get dirty looks from people in my class. I think they are reading this over my shoulder and realizing that it isn’t about The Great Depression or racial segregation. I better go before I get caught (:

-Annie


Wednesday, May 6, 2009

10 Day Challenge: Day #1

I'm taking a risk and vowing to post every single day for the next 10 days (May 6 - May 16), to see if I can. I promise to post every single day; unless, of course, something comes up. So check back often! 

First, my apologies that this is going to be a lame post because I only have a few minutes of study hall left. My chemistry homework took forever--yuck. My current grades: 

-Hon. English: A
-Geometry: A-
-Civics: A
-Creative Writing: A+
Chemistry: F 

All A's--except for the dreaded chem. I do ALL my homework and fail ONE measly fifteen point quiz and suddenly I have a 54%. Fair? I beg to differ. I have a few weeks until the end of the year to bring it up. Which brings me to my next point, I have EIGHTEEN chemistry classes left in my entire life. Only EIGHTEEN more hours of chemistry! Next year I'm taking Biology, which will be easier and at my school Physics isn't required (ergo, there is no way in hell I'm taking it) so chemistry is practically the worst science class I'll ever take (:

Our last day of school was June 5, but they moved it to the 4th because we had but one snow day. Our last day of actual school is Monday, June 1st, and the next three days are finals. However, since I dropped out of Spanish in November, I don't think I have to go to school on the 4th because Foreign Language is the only final scheduled for that day. So, I'm 75% sure I get out a day earlier than everyone else! YAY! 

Tonight, I have to find some manly clothes to wear tomorrow for the final presentation of my acting ensemble. We're doing a play called The Lion in Winter and it's about European royalty in the 5th century. I play a king called Phllip (who had an affair with king-to-be Richard...haha) and a whiny prince named John. Recently, I realized I have a very feminine wardrobe and am lacking in manly couture. My only pair of pants that aren't jeans or pink or purple or a dress are these old, brown pants so I guess I'll wear those. Any ideas for my costume, though? 

I'm so excited for Summer '09 & I hope the feeling is mutual. I am doing this theatre....

...YIKES! I'm late for English--I think we're starting to read To Kill a Mocking Bird today. 

BYE!



Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Tagged (:

 I was tagged by the lovely Hannah and I think it is a great diversion from Geometry homework. Due to my lack of posting topics, here is that fabulous survey: 


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

2. Tag 8 other people:

What is your current obsession?
-Pandora Radio 
-Curling Irons 
-SUMMER '09
-Movies about Drag Queens or anything of that sort 
(Rent, Connie and Carla, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Ed Wood, etc. etc.) 


What songs are currently on constant repeat?
For some reason, Written in the Star from Aida. & everything from Spring Awakening. But, I've been neglecting my iPod lately and listening to Pandora.com, this awesome online radio. So, mostly I've been listening to Owl City, The Killers, and The Shins. 

What is your favorite food?
-Impossible. It changes constantly. I love Panera Bread, though.

What is your middle name? 
-Laurel (:

What are you wearing today?
-a grey New York City shirt
-hot pink pants
-green canvas shoes from Urban Outfitters

Why is today special?
-uh...I don't know. It isn't, really. It's sunny outside, though!

What would you like to learn to do?
-Become invisible. Tough cookies :(

When are you the most inspired?
-Whenever I hear or see or read something really amazing, and I'm like, "Damn, I could do something that awesome." There is also a song from one of my all-time-favorite musicals, [title of show]. The song is called "Die, Vampire, Die" and it's really random (it talks about Shrinky Dinks!) and swears a lot but it's about how whenever you doubt yourself, you have to kill those feelings--or vampires--and stay true to your art. I am inexplicably inspired by that song!

What's the last thing you bought?
-Lunch, yesterday? I bought four pairs of shorts last weekend when it was 90 degrees here, haha

What is your most challenging goal right now?
-I need to work really hard to try and ace all my finals. Wish me luck, especially in chemistry!

If you could have a home totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be?
-I would love to go to Europe someday, but I'd have to say New York City. I just LOVE it there. 

What's your must have piece for summer?
-Like clothing, or like a piece of cake? I want gladiator sandals and key lime pie (:

What would you like to have in your hands right now?
-Adam Pascal (hahaha)
-Key Lime Pie (hahaha)

What would you like to get rid of?
-Swine Flu, Sarah Palin, EDEN ESPINOSA, Prejudices 

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?
-New York, duh

What are your plans for the future?
-Gosh, I just want to get freshman year over with! 17 more days of real school (not counting finals)! I'm actually really excited for sophomore year, so a number of reasons. One being my best friend is a year behind me, and next year I'm actually going to have some classes with her. I'm siked! I'm just getting good vibes from next year!

Who do you want to meet right now??
-Jonathan Larson will always be my hero, but he died :( 
-When Rent was in my town, a bunch of my friends met Anthony Rapp, and said he was mean and icky. That broke my heart, and is the reason why I didn't stand in line forever to see him. It broke my heart. So not Anthony, but Adam Pascal!


Who is your favorite model?
- No idea. 

favorite label/shop?
-I don't know my favorite, but probably Forever 21. I spend way too much money there. 

What is your favourite piece of clothing in your own closet?
-Wow, thats hard. I don't know, but my favorite T shirt is my 'La Vie Boheme' one (:

If you had 10,000 dollars now, what would you spend it on?
-Clothes. A digital camera. An iPod that holds more than 543 songs. Gladiator Sandals. 

Do you admire anyone's style?
-I love my friend Sarah's clothes, haha. 

Describe your personal style?
-Crazy. I wear what I like. Also, if i see an item of clothing that resembles something worn in Rent, I buy it. Especially if it resembles Angel, because who doesn't love being inspired by a Drag Queen?

What are you going to do after this?
-Honors English Class! FUN! NOT!

What is the best book you've ever read?
-I NEVER FINISH BOOKS. I read half of Anthony Rapp's memoir, which was fabulous. I also recently skimmed a book called "Art in America" which was great but swore a lot. I read the 'Great and Terrible Beauty' Trilogy by Libba Bray, which is good. Harry Potter, duh. I forget the title, but a book about a kid who tries to kill himself so he goes to this mental hospital. It's really funny. My favorite children's book, by far, is The Phantom Tollbooth. I love it. I read it first in third grade, and was in a play version of it when I was 12. I was the Spelling Bee. Great book. 


What do you think about the person who tagged you?
Hannah is great. She posts basically everyday, which I admire greatly because I hardly ever post. She always has something interesting to say, with cool pictures, and she's always very honest, which I envy. She has one of my favorite blogs. 

So now, I have to PASS THE BATON to...
Whoever is bored. (: 


Study Hall is over. Picturesque timing (: 

-Annie

Monday, May 4, 2009

Greetings from Study Hall



I HAVE NOT QUIT BLOGGER!

I AM MERELY TAKING A BREAK!

Also, my home computer is broken (fun!) 
I'll be back eventually. 4-5 more weeks of school (:


-ANNIE