The Secret Life of an (Actual) American Teenager

Don't you just hate it when you've worked super hard on something and then your stupid computer loses it!
I had this really great post going about the joys of string cheese and other foods that are meant to be enjoyed both before and during the process of eating, and not just for their taste, (and it even included a witty haiku), but then all of a sudden *wham* my computer screen just went white and all of it was gone. And blogspot kindly saved my post... after it was all gone...

...

You're not going to get the complete blog post that I intended to post, but I've included the haiku for your enjoyment.

I really like cheese

Especially when it's string

Strawberries also

This is really frustrating because I had a string ( oh yes a pun!) of thought (not cheese unfortunately) going, and now it's *poof* gone. Completely. Wiped off the face of earth; or at least of my computer.

Okay, rant ended, on with life :)

For the past several days I've been plagued with a cold. Nothing like finishing off the year strong with a sore throat, runny nose, and headache right? This cold has been a bit different than other colds that I've had recently though. The symptoms didn't come all at once; instead I had a day and a half of a really bad sore throat, then about a day of having plugged up ears and a headache, and then after that came the runny nose (right in time for the 5K of course). I can't decide whether I'm happy or upset that this cold acted the way it did. On the one had it would have been miserable to have had all these symptoms at once for a day or so, but at least it would have been over and done with. The way it has gone down I have never felt particularly miserable, but the general discomfort has stretched over close to a week. I suppose it's my body's way of telling me that I need to be done with school so that I can catch up on all the rest I haven't gotten this year.

I am excited about being done with school soon. In terms of school ending and this blog, this is actually the last post that I am required to write for my class. I doubt that I'll stop blogging completely though; I've enjoyed it more than I thought I would. It's really not too hard. All it takes is a computer, a little free time, and an event, story, recipe, memory, song, movie, book, joke, experience, or anything else that inspires you. After that the creative juices start flowing and before long you have a blog post. I started out this blog series by having a list in each post. I enjoyed coming up with my lists, but I found that before long I ran out of good topics that I could incorporate a list into. And so I gave up on lists, and I am glad I did. Getting rid of the lists allowed me to really write about anything that struck my fancy. I could expand further on my ideas and I found that my blog posts flowed more smoothly. (With the exception of this post of course, because it is all over the place! Bear with me.)
I believe that I learned something about myself while writing these blogs, but that was not really the point. The intention of this blog series was to let other people have a peek into the life of a pretty ordinary, 17 year old girl that lives in central Illinois, with the hope that maybe the reader would learn (or remember) how much fun - and how hard it is - to be a teenager.
I hope I have succeeded in this regard at least a little.

Without further ado, I will leave you for the moment with a quote by Raisa M. Gorbachev

Youth is, after all, just a moment, but it is the moment, the spark, that you always carry in your heart.


Peace to all and stay safe!

"And Sometimes There Isn't Any Milk In The Fridge"

This last weekend, I performed in my first high school production; as one of the stars of the show. I played Lilli Vanessi/ Katherine Minola in Cole Porter's "Kiss Me Kate." Up until this point, I had never had any real acting experience and I wasn't a great dancer, but I could sing. I was thrown into the theater community with a few pointers and then *wham* it was opening night, but strangely I wasn't scared. I knew my lines, I knew my songs, I knew where to go when, and I had found that being on strange felt natural. I had my fellow actors around me whom I could depend on to know where they were going and what they had to do, so all I had to do was step into this other part of myself that wasn't really me; it was a 1940's movie star diva with a fiery temper.

Opening night came and went; then Friday, then Saturday matinee, and finally it was the closing show and I wasn't ready to go. I found that I was already dreading the fact that I wouldn't be running down first floor hallway on Monday afternoon yelling "HOLD THAT ELEVATOR!!!" as my friends in the elevator smirked and pretended to close the door; I was dreading the fact that I wouldn't have to sit through an hours worth of notes from the previous days rehearsal as we attempted to get started; I was dreading the fact that I wouldn't have to put on that awful wig again (okay, maybe I wasn't dreading this, but it definately crossed my mind that this was the last time I would have to wear it).

But most of all I was dreading the fact that I would no longer be spending 2+ hours with bunch of my new-found friends every day. I realized that when we got back to the real world and when I didn't have rehearsals with them every day, I probably wouldn't talk to them as much, or laugh with them as much, or spend as much time with them. It's not that I didn't want to, it's just when you're not with someone for a significant chunk of time each day, you suddenly find that you don't have as much to talk about, or that your other friends (who you probably hadn't talked to as much when you were in the musical) had lots to say to you again. I've found this scenario to be true during sports seasons as well. During volleyball, I talk the most with the rest of the volleyball team; during basketball, my team is my family; during soccer, which is a sports team I'm not on, I find that I spend more time with other people who aren't on the soccer team. Nobody does it on purpose, but regardless, it happens.

I suppose that this parting after the musical is especially hard because a majority of these people are seniors who will be graduating in a little over a month. It's sad to think that these wonderful people have been in the same hallways of Uni as I have for the past 4 years, but that I'm just getting to know them as they're about to leave. I'll end this whirlwind of a blog post (from musicals to friendship to partings all in 1 post!) with something that one of these seniors said one time. He said something along the lines of, "Life is a journey, not a destination, so make sure you enjoy it on your way." I guess I'll just have to enjoy them while they are still here!

Peace to all and stay safe!

Art, Kunst, L'art, 艺术, Τέχνη, アート, Искусство, Arte. Sanat. Celf

An artist is a dreamer consenting to dream of the actual world. - George Santayana

Art has always been a part of my life. My parents first noticed my creative side when instead of sitting in my high chair and obediently eating my food, I played with it as much as possible before eating. I smeared it places, I threw it places, I made pictures with it. Food was my first art medium.

Music was the next kind of art I discovered. My mother is a piano teacher so I had always been around music, but when I was in kindergarten she began to teach me and a few of my friends in a children's music class. We learned the notes and sang silly songs (my personal favorite was a Sesame Street song entitled "Everyone Makes Mistakes"). I grew to love music. I have been playing piano ever since that first class; so twelve years now. There was a period in junior high when I almost decided to quit, I didn't think it was worth the time it took, but as I look back on it now, I am so thankful that I did not end up quitting. Music gives me an outlet to make something truly beautiful and a way to express myself through it. In time, I also began to sing. First, just singing in church and singing in the car, but then more and more as I realized how much I enjoyed it (along with the fact that I realized I had been born with the natural ability of a good voice). Singing allowed me to express a whole new side of myself that I couldn't with piano. It is somehow more personal than playing piano. I think that is the case partly because you're born with the voice you have been giving; there is no swapping or getting a better model, your voice is your voice. I'm hoping to continue both singing and piano in college, and frankly, I don't think I would be able to give them up; music is too much a part of my life.

More recently I have begun to explore some of the other mediums of art, like ceramics and simple pen and paper drawing. I have been pleasantly surprised that I enjoy these forms of art too. I like the simplicity of sitting in a chair with a pencil and a piece of paper; I like the versatility and life-likeness of clay; I like the structure and robotic motions of patterns and signs. At this point I'm not as good at this type of art. It's a whole new world that I'm just beginning to explore, but that looks extremely exciting.

For the spring musical this year at my school, we're doing a production of Kiss Me Kate. I offered to design the t-shirt and put a lot of time and effort into it. Just yesterday, I saw it on the t-shirt for the first time and it was so exciting to see something that I had made actually put on something and have people compliment me on it! I'm extraordinarily (and probably too much because I mean it's only a t-shirt design) proud of it, but it's just so neat to be able to share something you made, something you created, with everyone else!

 There is some talk of cutting funding in the fine art departments in different schools, so I think it is important to really showcase the benefits of art. Here is a list of 5 things that art has given me; it really has given me a lot!

1. A way to express myself
2. Time management skills
3. An appreciation for the beautiful things in life
4. Experience teaching myself and working on my own as well as learning from others and working in groups
5. Fun!

Peace to all and stay safe :)

My seventeenth birthday creeps ever closer.
Lately I have been too busy to worry much about missing my childhood or growing up, I've just been worried about getting through my next paper, test, or, well, blogpost (actually that is not true I really enjoy blogging!).

However, today is a bit slower. Sure, I still have three tests to take before we reach the end of this quarter, but I've reached the point where I know I'll study for a while, and then I'll be done. No need for excessive stressing five minutes before the test; it's not really going to make much of a difference. That's one thing I hope that growing up allows me do to: take everything in stride and accept the facts of life for what they are. And maybe stress a bit less as well, but judging from some of the adults I know I doubt that is going to happen.


As promised, here is the list of things I'm looking forward to growing up for.

The Excitement of Aging

1. Being Done With High School - People say that Junioritis doesn't count; they need to remember their junior year of high school. As great as Uni can be, the constant, heavy workload and expectations from teachers, parents, and even fellow peers, can be suffocating and all I want to do is escape the narrow corridors of this stone "castle" that has been my second home for the past four years.

2. No More Curfew! - Although it still applies for another year, I cannot wait until I no longer have the state-enforced curfew for minors. Ten o'clock on weekdays? Eleven on weekends? Who is at home by eleven o'clock every weekend? Not many people I know.

3. Finding My Soul-Mate and Meeting New People - Who knows when it will happen, but I'm looking forward to that day. What little girl doesn't dream at some point of her wedding day and finding that "perfect person" made just for them? And college never hurts anything with the influx of new people into your life. I am looking forward to my little world of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, expanding greatly in college.

4. Having My Own "Place" - Whether it is an apartment or a house, a shed or a mansion, I am looking forward to having a place that is all mine and I can decorate however I like. I love painting my room, in fact I've painted it 5 times since I moved (in 3rd grade); about once every other year. My parents sigh and say, "Are you sure you want to paint it again? You just painted it!" whenever I bring up the idea again. The thing is, painting my room allows me to believe that the room is truly mine; it is unique to me and no one else. Plus, it's exciting! Currently, three of my walls are light blue, and the fourth is dark blue. It creates contrast as well as really making the wall pop. I would love to paint the rest of the house, carefully choosing appealing and interesting colors that matched the furniture we already own, but sadly my parents won't allow it. They think colorful houses will be less easy to sell in the future. I reply that you can always paint it white again, but they refuse to budge. Oh, well, I guess I'll just have to wait till I have a place of my own.

5. Being  Able to Share Knowledge- I imagine myself as an old woman, sitting in a rocking chair with my grandchildren, telling them about my life: what I learned, how I learned it, why it's important.  I want to be able to share my knowledge and experiences with them so that maybe it'll help them in their futures as well. I have met many people who are older than I am and nearly all of them have learned something from life! All it takes is a little time and respect to listen to their stories and in the process you might learn a lot.

And there's always this possibility:  
A man growing old becomes a child again. - Sophocles

Peace to all and stay safe!

The March of Growing Up

The beginning of March signals the beginning of a number of good things: spring is approaching, bringing with it warm weather (yay for tank tops and Birkenstock sandals!); my birthday is approaching, bringing with it another exciting year to look forward to ("I am sixteen going on seventeen..."); and the end of the 3rd quarter is approaching, bringing with it the exciting thought that I only have a little over a year before I graduate (junioritis?). Needless to say, March is a good month.

As much as I am looking forward to my birthday, as it approaches I can't help but feel a little sad at the thought of my childhood growing further away. Now, that sounds awfully melodramatic, but it is kind of shocking to wake up one morning on your birthday and realize that seventeen years have gone by just like that. It's dawning on me that soon I'm going to be heading off to college and in a little over a year I'm going to be 18 (!!! legal?!!!). I'm not a little kid anymore, in fact in the "old days" I would be at the perfect age to marry and have kids of my own. Scary huh? So here's a list of a few things I'm going to miss about being a little kid.

The Woes of Aging

1. Toys - This may seem somewhat silly, but there are some days when all I want to do all days is sit down with my Barbies or American Girl Dolls and play dress up. The older I get, the less time or reason I have to do this. People often say that imaginations begin to fade as you get older (although I know some adults who have not lost even an ounce of their imagination) and that is sad because a person's imagination allows them for a time to escape into an alternate reality of their choice; to get away from bustle of day-to-day life.

2. Being Physically Tiny - I used to love getting rides on my dad's shoulders when we would go to the zoo, or curling up on my mom's lap before bed. Some people may still be tiny enough for these activities, but by the middle of your teenage years, not many. When you're tiny you can also fit into ridiculously small hiding spots for a game of hide-and-seek which makes the game much more entertaining.

3. Little Things - This may be a quirk only I have, but I have always loved miniatures of, well, anything. Whether it be tiny spoons to eat with, tiny glass figurines of animals to collect, tiny models of big structures, tiny musical instruments, tiny (living, breathing) animals, you name it. However, when you're sixteen and you ask someone if you can eat with a baby spoon, they tend to look at you strangely.

4. The Innocent Little Kid Big Eyes Puppy Face - Pretty self-explanatory. When you're little you can make a face, maybe cry a bit, and you're off the hook. This is especially the case if you have an older sibling to place the blame on (whether or not they did anything). Not so as you get older though. There's actually a thing called responsibility, and the older you get, the more of it you receive.

5. Parents Paying - When you're little and you see something you want, you ask your parents and they either buy it for you or they don't. As you get older you have to begin to decide what is worth buying and what isn't. More responsibility! ugh...

6. Napping - I had to include this one. One of the things I wish I had appreciated more as a child was napping. I used to hate naps when I was little and never wanted to take them. Oh, how I wish I could take all the naps I gave up or refused to take then, now!

Next time it'll be The Excitement of Aging.

Until then...

Peace to all and stay safe!

I'm Sorry, Do I Know You?

Last week, one of my good friends brought his girlfriend to church with him for the first time. We were sitting downstairs in our MYF room after the service, and she was wearing an cute pair of purple shoes so I decided I would compliment her on them. I leaned across two of my other friends and said, "Elizabeth! I love your shoes!" .... Silence greeted my statement. Then another friend (who goes to school with her) asked, "What did you just call her?" "Elizabeth," I responded, "right?" I began to have this feeling of dread in my stomach. "Uh, Sarah, her name is Julia..." "Oh, crap, SORRY!"

The problem was laughed off for the moment, but I continued to be embarrassed and horrified for the rest of the hour. I couldn't believe I slipped up like that! My best friend goes to school with my friend and his girlfriend and had previously shown me her facebook picture. I saw her name on her facebook, and of course, it was her middle name that for some reason stuck in my memory... caught with the facebook stalk.

Presumably, most teenagers (at least those that have Facebooks) have gotten themselves stuck in some situation or another where Facebook has been part of the problem, so here is a list of situations to avoid if you don't want things to become extremely awkward extremely quickly.


Facebook is AWKWARD List

1. You've seen a friend of a friend's Facebook, and therefore know their name, but have never actually met them before (so they probably don't know yours). You walk up with a smile and a,"Hello, Blank." It's received with silence and a who-are-you-exactly? look... AWKWARD.

2. Some kind-of friends are laughing about a funny video... that just happened to be posted on one of their Walls... that you just happened to see... that you just happened to think was hilarious. You start to laugh and comment on one of their comments. Hmm. Turns out you weren't actually in that conversation, and they have no idea how you know about the video... AWKWARD.

3. Someone is throwing a party and it seems like everyone is invited. You've heard about it at school and people have been posting info about it all over Facebook, but you haven't been invited yet. You ask the person throwing the party if they forgot to invite you... AWKWARD.

4. Don't make stupid comments on people's pictures in order to look cool. It's not smart, because you look dumb to begin with, and then if the other person is smart, they'll delete their comments which makes you look even more dumb... AWKWARD.

5. Make sure you log off of your Facebook account when you personally are not the person sitting in front of your computer. Your friends will post something as your status, and your parents will most likely see it and ask you about it, because it will most likely be inappropriate... AWKWARD.

:) Avoid the awkwardness.

Peace to all and stay safe.

Life As I Know It (Pt. 3 Things I Really Could Care Less About)

"Sarah, your socks don't match!" my teacher comments.
"Yeah, I know, I just grabbed some out of the drawer this morning. It was dark," I reply.

The Things I Really Could Care Less About List

1. Matching Clothes; Especially Socks - Believe it or not, adults members of this world, teenagers really could care less whether their socks match or not. I know shocking (or maybe I should say "socking...") right? Here's the thing. Socks, especially during the cold months of the year, are not visible. They go under pants and under shoes. You can't see them, so why is it a big deal if they don't match? Maybe it's our little way of showing our uniqueness - see who can have the most vibrant and colorful socks.

2. Organization - Parents often think that every aspect of a teenagers life needs to be organized, and frankly, we as teenagers could care less. Sometimes my room becomes an absolute pig sty and one of two things happens: One, I don't do anything about it because I don't have the time and I know exactly where in the mess the thing I'm looking for is. Or two, I clean it up because it's gotten too much for even me to handle. But that point doesn't come very often and I survive just fine until then. The same goes for lockers, cars, backpacks, etc. etc. Oh and don't even get me started on the organization needed for college applications.

3. Laundry - Especially putting laundry away. Oftentimes, clean laundry will sit on my floor next to my dresser for a good couple weeks before I end up putting it away or hanging it up. I mean, it serves the same function sitting on the floor as it does hanging up. I can still find it and wear it when I want to, in fact it can be easier to find because it's right there!

4. Having Their Parents Around - If parents didn't think that their kids didn't want them around, and therefore didn't act purposefully embarrassing I don't think many kids would object to having their parents around... sometimes. I mean obviously if my parents were around constantly when I was hanging out with friends I would mind, but I don't mind having them around occasionally because as odd as they can be sometimes, they are my parents and they can be pretty awesome too.


5. Baseball - One of my friends suggested this to me as a half joke. He said ask any teenager except for a select few and most of them will say they really could care less about baseball. I have to agree. I really don't care. Fewer and fewer teenagers are becoming interested in baseball and more and more are focusing on soccer instead. It makes sense. Soccer is much more fast paced (relatively). Neither has scoring as rapidly as it basketball or volleyball, but at least you are watching the players at least attempt to score in soccer. In baseball you watch them swing practice swings, or throw one pitch ( then wait 5 minutes), throw another pitch (then wait another 5), throw a third pitch (and oh look, they didn't even hit that one!) and then go on a commercial break for 6 minutes until they do it again!.

So parents, you may think we enjoy talking about college and folding laundry while sitting with you in front of a tv watching baseball while wearing colorful unmatching socks...

.... but, (*gasp*) we really could care less. :)

Peace to all and stay safe in the snow!