Inspired Moments

I have very random moments of artistic inspiration in my life. I've noticed that the times when I'm in the worst mood are the times when I notice the beauty of things the most. By the "things" I notice, I'm referring to landscape mostly.

Take today for example. I wasn't having a horrible day by definition; just one of those days where I get tired of what's happening. I was on my way home and I stopped to see if the mail was still in the mailbox. It wasn't. But then, before I pulled away, I noticed the way the light was hitting the mailbox and the landscape behind it was gorgeous. Something about it just struck me.

Well, luckily I had my camera in my purse, and I used it. I took picture after picture of that mailbox, among other things, just trying to document on film what I was seeing in reality. And I'm fairly happy with the results.

I really want to take up a photography class somewhere though.

Photography gives me such a sense of thrill at the beauty that I notice when I look
through the lens of a camera.

Expanding Musical Horizons

^different

I decided recently that I wanted to listen to something that I hadn't really given a chance yet. Something new, different, and maybe a little obscure. Definately underground (not commonly liked). The only problem with this is; finding music that isn't well known is difficult because, well, it's not very well known. I'd love it to be something I discover myself instead of being told to listen to it, but if someone tells me that a certain type of music is good, I will give it a chance.

I've started listening to a lot more mellow music, folk-sy, indie beats and some electronica-type also. The Shins and The Postal Service are examples of that, and while The Shins are fairly low-profile, The Postal Service is popular among the "scene" crowd, and The Shins do have some recognition. Doing a MySpace music search brings up some good stuff, but it's all packed in and hidden among the music that's more popular or just plain crappy. Actually I take that back (the word "crappy"), because I like to keep an open mind and not label any kind of music as good or bad, since someone somewhere likes it, and to them it's good... even if I'm not crazy about it.

I'm just so tired of the main-stream music lately. Notice that I said I am "tired" of the music, not that I don't like it anymore. Sure, I will sing along to The All-American Rejects and The Fray... and I even enjoy Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" if I'm in the mood for it, but lately I just want to listen to something different. Everything becomes so similar and now I'm just longing for a revelation and an enlightenment in my music. I want something that makes me think "God, this is amazing! I've never heard anything like this before!" or just simply, "This is very neat."

I'm still trying to find somewhere online to search for something that meets those requirements. I spend hours surfing the web, either doing my usual Myspace, Facebook, Blogger routine stops or looking for music. I just want to find something that catches my ear from the first beat; or even if not from the first beat, something that I grow accustomed to. And maybe it will be something completely obscure and different from anything I listen to now.

You never know.

The Girl With the Curly Hair

On a normal, day to day basis, I like to wear my hair straight. I find that my naturally curly hair has a tendancy to "misbehave", and I just don't like the uncertainty of that. So, I straighten it. I take a flattening iron to my often-dubbed "beautiful" curls, and get rid of them! Good riddance!

However, every once in a while, I feel the need (or the unwillingness to take the time to straighten) to let my curly-ness FLOW FREE!
Today was one of those days, and I was suprisingly pleased with the results. I woke up when my alarm went off; not hitting the snooze button as I usually do. I washed my hair and spent the majority of the morning applying products and styling, leaving only a few minutes for outfit-choosing. I walked out of the house uncertain of my hair, since last glance at a mirror had not shown promise.

BUT... when I finally had the chance (during my free block today) to look at myself in a mirror, I had a pleasant surprise. Nicely shaped, defined (still somewhat frizzy from the rain) curls greeted my eyes. I had achieved what so many of us strive for, and yet remains unattainable; "a good hair day."

Congratulations, hair. You have impressed me today. You have saved yourself from a severe tounge-lashing and numerous put-downs (from myself- don't worry, I'm not bullied).

Ah, the drama of having hair.

Allergies....nuffin da do abou' um

So I love the time of year right now, with the weather and all, but seriously. I could do without allergies. How is it that they never seemed to affect me when I was younger, but now... now my head explodes with a ginormous sneeze every .5 seconds. ack.

Ok. So I'm exaggerating a little. But even if I don't sneeze rapid-fire all the time, my nose or eye is always itchy. Ugh.

I filled out college applications for 4 out of the 5 schools I'm applying to. The only thing left is to ask Mrs. Pitlo for my GPA, class rank, and transcripts. Which could take a while because she's not the most avaliable person around. It was so frustrating going through my apps and not being able to fill out the GPA and class rank part. arrgh. But I also have the majority of my visits planned, so that's good. I realize that I'm trying to get this all done in a day, but I just don't like the uncertainty of my situation right now. A lot of my friends already know where they're going. I have a friend who's already accepted into Iowa State! Talk about pressure.

Well, weekend's over. School tomorrow. Yee haw!
At least my birthday is in a week.


Thank God for allergy medicine. Without it I would surely be in allergetic hell right now.

The Adventures of Kelsey, Leah, and Izuzu (part 2)

It's been a long time coming, but this is part 2 of my "Izuzu" series. If you haven't read the first part, "The Beginning", yet, it's in a previous blog here.


^The stars of the story: Leah and I!

"Leah's Escape"

Mr. Donovan's words hit Kelsey like a rock thrown at her head (ouch). She wasn't sure what he meant by his cryptic reply. Frowning, she urged him to tell her what he was talking about.
"It's written in a prophecy that the only person who can save a victim of Izuzu is one who truly desires to save her. Family members cannot count. They will desire to save her no matter what. The rescuer must be one from whom the victim has gained friendship. Someone who cares about her by choice, not default," explained Mr. Donovan.
“Well I don’t know what all the rules are, but I know that I want to save Leah, and if I understand what you’re saying, then I am a person who can save her,” Kelsey replied. Mr. Donovan smiled.
“Good. Then you’re going to need this.” Seemingly out of thin air, Mr. Donovan pulled a long, silver tube with a shiny black button on one end. He handed it to Kelsey without a word.
“Um, I appreciate the gesture, Mr. Donovan, but… what is it?”
“That,” replied Mr. Donovan with a wink, “is something you will know yourself when the time is right.”
Kelsey looked down again at the object, and when she returned her gaze toward Mr. Donovan, she was startled to find that her old teacher had vanished. She turned back towards the hill where Leah had been taken.
“Well, here goes nothing.”
***
Meanwhile, quite a distance further down the hill, Leah was struggling with her attacker. Izuzu had her leg in a vice grip, and as much as she struggled, she could not free herself.
“Think, Leah, think!” she told herself. Whatever it was that was going on, she was sure there had to be some way out of it. They were getting closer and closer to the river below, and Izuzu was showing no sign of stopping. Is this thing going to drown me? She wondered.
As they neared the water, Leah quickly twisted herself around and used her free leg to kick the creature in the face. With a yelp, Izuzu dropped Leah’s leg to bring his hand (or paw; Leah wasn’t sure what to call it) to his face. Reacting to her sudden freedom, Leah immediately turned and started running back up the hill. Realizing what had happened, Izuzu howled with anger. He turned to follow his victim, only to find himself unable to go in a straight line. He was disoriented from Leah’s kick. Somehow, she had found just the right spot to hit and had temporarily disabled him.
Leah continued her climb up the steep hill, beginning to feel the effects of such a strenuous activity. She felt herself gasping for breath. This was way more of a workout than she had intended when she and Kelsey had set out on their run that evening. Just as she thought she wouldn’t make it any further, she saw lights, then a figure standing at the top of the hill.
She fell to her hands and knees just as she reached the top.

(to be continued...)

Gloomy Days

Today was just one of those days that gets me down. Whenever the weather acts the way it did today, I get irritable and lazy.

I woke up at noon. That was the first thing that upset me. I know I like to sleep late, but there's something about waking up and rolling over to see a big 12 on the alarm clock that just gets to me. Today wasn't a full day by any means, so I wasn't really missing out on anything. But I just felt like I should have been awake earlier. And then even though I felt like I should've been awake forever, my sleepy eyes and stuffy head were telling me I should still be asleep.

I've been heavily medicating myself for the past few days. Between allergy medicine and Midol, I've been pretty drugged up. Plus some iron supplements I took earlier this week because I felt light-headed, like I was going to faint. Luckily that passed.

The thing I dislike most about gloomy days is my attitude on said days. I get easily irritated and bitchy. I snap at my parents, and then I feel bad about it because there was really no reason other than my bad mood. I don't feel like doing anything productive, and get upset if my mom asks me to go put my laundry away.

I don't know if anyone else is as poorly affected by ugly, overcast days as I am, but at least for me, they sure could be better.

Senior Pictures (among other things)

I got my pics back today... I was excited. I have a tendancy to be over-enthusiastic about things like this. But overall I was very happy with how they turned out.

Today was a pretty full day, and I'm fairly worn out at this point. I had my first service learning class today. I'm working with Nikki Decker (Deppe) in her Pre-K classroom. The kids don't start until monday, though, so I helped out with preparation stuff. I'm thinking that maybe working with the kids will be similar enough to camp that I won't feel awkward too much. Although I don't really work with the little girls at camp... as in the age of these kids... but I think it will be fairly alike. (Minus the camping outdoors, hiking for your meals, and riding horses. hah)

Our first Comet football game was tonight. We won. Not that I watched the majority of the game, anyway. I mean, I pay attention to the score now and then, but I have no clue about football really (besides basics) and so I spend most of the time talking. I went to the bowling alley (where a lot of kids from my school go) after the game... but there wasn't a whole lot happening there and I was starting to feel tired, so I headed home early.

I'm really hoping this school year shapes up to be one of my better high school years. So far it's not much different.

The Great College Search

So I've been thinking a lot lately about college. I always thought I'd be the one who would know where I was going before everyone else, but now it seems I'm falling behind. Or rather, falling in with the crowd of Seniors like me who are still unsure of which college they're going to.

I know what I want to do; I always have, with a few minor adjustments here and there. It's always been my goal to become an author someday (although this dream depends very heavily on my ability to finish a novel). While I used to believe that this would be enough; that I could go to college to be an author, I have since become aware of the reality that "author" isn't a steady, reliable job--nor is it a sure thing. I know now that I can't go to college and major in "novel writing" and expect to be successful- *snap!*-just like that.
SO...I have taken reality into consideration and modified my life goals; not totally giving up on my dream, just making it more practical. I have decided to major in journalism and mass communications. (Or print media, in other words.)

Well, unfortunately, deciding on a major just doesn't make the road ahead much easier. Sure, it helps to rule out colleges without my major or area of interest, but it still leaves so many choices! I've been recieving brochures, letters, and what have you in the mail since sophomore year... colleges bragging about their particular attribute that makes them "the right college for you".

But how do they really know? How do I really know? What makes a college the right college?