Surrounded by Blue People

Yesterday, I was at school for a total of about twelve and a half hours straight. Why, you ask? The answer is simple: Bandemonium. 

This was the first year that my high school has presented this event. A bunch of bands from the middle schools that feed into my school came to play at one big concert, in addition to my school's jazz bands, wind ensemble, and marching band. In short, there were about five hundred band students crammed into the gym. Even better: for the finale of the evening, all five hundred of us played "Don't Stop Believin'," as well as the high school fight song, at the same time. I pity the drum major conducting at the center. 

I saw no reason to even stop at home before Bandemonium, mostly because, when I take the bus home, I don't even walk in the door of my house until after three thirty. It also takes fifteen minutes to drive from my house to my school, and that's when there AREN'T three hundred middle school kids going the same way. So, after tenth period (which ends at three o'clock), I hung out with a few of my equally nerdy band friends and worked on some homework in the cafeteria until about three forty-five, which was when the middle schoolers began arriving for our four o'clock call time.

The delightful thing about the whole affair was, despite the fact that I am but a lowly freshman, when the middle schoolers are there, I get someone to act condescending towards. In general, I think I'm doing well in high school; I've gotten involved with a good amount of clubs, I'm keeping up fairly well with my studies, and I've befriended those outside freshmen of my same gender.

Oh, and another thing: I made a FaceBook. Previously one could hear me going on rants about how it was created for college kids, how no one really needs one, and other things concerning internet censorship and the obsession of our generation with technology. Oh well. Guess I'm just one of the herd now. Dontcha just love America?

In the Absence of a Social Life

Not that I mind, really. I quite enjoy having entire days to blow reading manga online and watching chuggaconroy's Let's Play of Majora's Mask. It's only from an objective point of view that my existence begins to appear rather...pathetic.

But that's okay; let anyone else think what they what. To each his/her own, right? I've spent 4-5 hours the last three nights at crew for my school's freshman improv show, and it's tiring work. Last night we did strike (taking down the chairs, risers, sets, etc.) and that lasted until about eleven o'clock. It was nice to have the cast helping out, half because the work got done faster and half because it was to feign condescension towards them when we knew how to do something correctly and they didn't. Pfft. Actors.

In unrelated news (well, only sort of), my phone has been returned early despite my hanging up on my father during a shouting match over the landline. Well, technically he only gave it back to me because strike was going to go so late and there was no certainty that I would be able to use someone else's phone, but still, he hasn't yet given the command for me to give it back to him, so I think I may be home free.

Despite the return of my cell phone, stress is placed upon me primarily by the fact that I only have ONE WEEK UNTIL HALLOWEEN. This may seem, to some, a trivial matter, but despite the fact that I am fifteen I see no reason why that should stop me from trick-or-treating. I mean, c'mon; free candy, yo! This year I am going as Link from OoT, which is a relatively simply costume, clothing wise. All I need are a pair of brown boots, white turtleneck and leggings, and the green tunic that my mom is almost finished making. Seriously, that woman is such a good seamstress that I have begun to suspect the involvement of witchcraft. It's the accessories, though (sword, shield, gauntlets, belt, etc.) that are killing me. I still need to finish making my shield out of foamcore (no easy task), my mom is trying to find a way to make gauntlets, and we still haven't ordered my wooden Master Sword from online yet, which we need it order to correctly size the vinyl sheath-thingie that is going to be slung over my back. Oh, and the Hat. If ANYONE is going to be Link, they need the Hat.

Well, I'm running out of material, so I think I'll quit while I'm ahead. Peace out.

(Oh, and in case anyone was interested:

http://www.mangareader.net/355-24824-1/akagami-no-shirayukihime/chapter-1.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?src_vid=VQ5sBwX7S7U&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_452793&v=65HDJuvvHlY)

Confiscated

The tale about to be told is one that sounds like just like the sort of whiny drivel you'd expect from the blog of any well-to-do suburban kid who had one flaw in their otherwise expertly crafted schedule. This, however it may sound, is not that. This is all I will say to defend myself, otherwise, draw what conclusions you will:

My cell phone has been confiscated. Not as a result of misbehavior or disrespect in any regard to my father (who happens to be the one paying for my wireless service), but because of a failure to respond to calls made by him to said cellular phone.

While I will admit that I could have taken more responsibility in calling him back (seeing as my parents are divorced and my primary residence is at my mother's, rendering the everyday time I spend around my father rather short), I find it rather silly that his punishment for this (though I hardly see how it is punishable) is to take away my phone until I call him regularly.

This is made difficult by the fact that ALL of my calls are made from my cell phone. There is a landline at my mother's house, but the service is weak, so even when it is possible to make a call (which is a rare treat), the signal is so scattered that one can only barely hear half of a conversation. Not only that, but the majority of the time, I am not at home. Actually, I spend less than half of the day actually at my house and within reach of the landline. But of course, my father's logic is never anything short of flawless: if you want your daughter to call you more frequently, take away her means of doing so.

Not only that, but my week is filled with numerous activities: orchestra practice on Monday nights, anime club after school on Mondays, tech crew almost every day of the week, oboe lessons on Wednesdays, etc. My phone is a necessity for being able to contact my mother to let her know if I need to be picked up from school (seeing as when there's nothing after school, I just take the bus), or if some club will run late, or anything in that category. So, when crew runs late, or I'm at orchestra, or getting back from my oboe lesson in LaGrange, the question is this: how the **** does he expect to get ahold of me? How do I contact my mother? It's idiotic. It's not just wounding my ability to endlessly text my friends in some form of broken English that barely resembles actual language (which, by the way, I never have done and never will do); it makes it impossible for me to contact ANYONE, including the very person who confiscated the phone due to offense at not being able to communicate.

This post is now fueled not only by my annoyance but by my pure and unadulterated anger, owing to the fact that I just got off the phone with (guess who?) my father. Apparently ever word I utter is a "snippy remark," I have "an unnecessary attitude," and I "can't be talked to." I would say that I hated arguing with him, but wait, oh yeah, he "doesn't argue with fifteen-year-old children." Apologies, I momentarily forgot that everything I say is wrong because he is the father and his word is the law.

Well, if he can't stand talking to me, then I don't see what the issue is when I don't call him back.

___________________________________________________________________

Oh, and another thing. Here are the t-shirts I finally decided on:

http://www.cafepress.com/+its_dangerous_to_go_alone_dark_tshirt,480246574

http://www.redbubble.com/people/brandon89/t-shirts/7530047-bow-ties-are-cool

http://www.redbubble.com/people/thegestianpoet/t-shirts/7825335-caution-nerdy-thoughts

http://www.redbubble.com/people/mikeyturvey/t-shirts/7371942-hylian-hero?p=t-shirt

I got the first one in the mail today and plan to wear it to school tomorrow; the others have not yet arrived.

Ciao.

*Insert Clever Title Here*

Evidently watching abundant amounts of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Abridged Series causes one to adopt LittleKuriboh's updating habits.


*cue rim shot*


http://instantrimshot.com


In all seriousness, I'm not quite certain as to the reason why I haven't posted anything for over a week. So, in a painfully pathetic attempt to make up for about four posts that (if I owed any loyalty to the two-day updating ritual that I only claim to live by) I should have written, I will now summarize the last week of my life:


On Saturday, my best friend of nigh on eight years and I attempted once again to watch through all three extended editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy without falling asleep. And we failed miserably. Mostly because every time one of the movie's memes ("They're taking the hobbits to Isengard," "One does not simply *insert verb here* into Mordor," "Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew," etc.) came up, we'd look up the YouTube remix on my laptop and watch it through at least twice. After, of course, rewinding two seconds and replaying the quote about four times. Oh yeah, we're cool.


Despite having the day off from school on Monday, I was still obligated to attend orchestra rehearsal from seven to nine thirty, which put a looming storm cloud (not really) at the end of my evening. Not to mention that I forgot until I was dropped off at the doors of Mill Street Elementary School (our normal rehearsal space) that the rehearsal for that day had been switched to Wentz Concert Hall, a good seven-minute drive away. The rehearsals start at seven thirty, but the musicians are expected to "arrive fifteen minutes early in order to ensure prompt rehearsal start." My mother *cough* chauffeur *cough* had a miniature freak-out, being unable to recall the fastest route to the concert hall, whilst I said in the passenger seat, cursing like a sailor under my breath.


"Our family puts the 'fun' in 'dysfunctional'!"
"No, we put the 'dysfunction' in 'dysfunctional'."
- Me/My Brother


In unrelated news, I only yesterday looked through my wallet to ascertain exactly what my post-fifteenth-birthday wealth was, and received a pleasant surprise: I have ninety-two dollars to blow on whatever I want. And what did I choose?


You guessed it, nerdy t-shirts. Namely, these:


http://www.redbubble.com/people/brandon89/t-shirts/7530047-bow-ties-are-cool

http://www.redbubble.com/people/jezkemp/t-shirts/7396561-one-does-not-simply-verb-into-mordor?p=t-shirt

http://www.cafepress.com/+its_dangerous_to_go_alone_dark_tshirt,480246574

http://www.cafepress.com/+zelda_hyrule_triforce_womens_dark_tshirt,292926808

For a while I was rather torn between several different shirts, not knowing whether to choose the one emblazoned with an image of Navi, saying, "Hey! Listen!" or to go the more obscure route and purchase one with a shadowy figure performing HADOUKEN with the controller commands shown below. Already I am in possession of the following nerdy t-shirts:

- Exterminate (with an image of a Dalek)

- The Force is Strong with This One

- Star Wars logo

- All Your Base are Belong to Us

- Sharks (from my uncle, who was in a production of West Side Story)

- Dumbledore's Army

- Muggle

- I'll Tell You When You're Eighteen (to understand this, read my "Post-Birthday" entry)

And now four more shall be added to my arsenal. I can freely wear a different obscure t-shirt for every day of the week. Muahahahaha.

Well, despite this being (I think) my longest post yet, it hardly makes up for a week of absence. Though it's not like it matters; no one reads this thing. I'm like a twelve-year-old posting his first highly unoriginal Let's Play in some forgotten corner of YouTube...

*Cue Victory Dance*

Guess what tonight is? If you guessed marching band practice, you're only PARTIALLY correct. No, this is far more monumental an occasion than a mere practice...this is the last evening practice of the school year! HELL TO THE YES.

Ah, well, while it's been fun (and I mean that in the loosest of definitions), I rejoice at the thought of no longer having to march with a bass drum hooked to my shoulders in a ridiculous costume that's always too warm, no matter how cold it is outside. Honestly.

For the past few weeks, I've been a member of the Youth Symphony Orchestra of DuPage, which is excellent because I need an outlet for my oboe in the form of an ensemble. The first three days of every week, though, I have all of my oboe-related activities: orchestra rehearsal on Monday night, sectionals in band on Tuesday, and oboe lesson after school on Wednesday.

So, despite marching season, I've been coping. I simultaneously dread and eagerly await tonight's practice. Weird, huh?

Procrastination Rules the Nation

Well, not procrastination concerning studying, that's for damn sure. The last six hours of my life have been spent cramming for biology and Spanish tests which I mus take tomorrow. And lemme tell ya: it's been pure HELL. Though I now have a good grasp on the concepts required to earn a passing grade, that doesn't mean I have to enjoy it.

Throughout my grueling hours of self-inflicted academic torture, I would take periodic breaks to...what else? Watch chuggaaconroy's Let's Play of Okami. It being one of my favorite games and he being perhaps my favorite LPer on YouTube, it only made sense. I myself have been in the process of trying to start my own Let's Play for several months now, the primary reason for the delay being the difficulty I am having with acquiring once again the necessary software. I posted a few days ago a video that was pretty much the weakest sauce known to man, giving off an air of "Yeah, I don't know what the hell I'm doing or when, but at least I can tell the Internet that." A friend later made fun of me for it. And I kicked him in the shins. Because he was right.

However, despite setbacks and chastisement from my peers, I henceforth make it my pledge to begin my Let's Play before the end of the year. I'm still going over my options for which game it will be, and the style of recording I'll choose, and other technical whatnot, but I WILL start it before midnight on December 31st of this year. If Skyward Sword is FINALLY released before then, it will most likely be more of a FailThrough, in which I just record my first attempt through the game. This, while not so informative, may prove to be rather entertaining. I am also eager to reinforce the meager ranks of the female Let's Playing community.

There ain't a lot of us.