top ten slumber party movies

This one is for my lovely crazy-curly-haired friend. Operation Slumber is on stand by.

• Mean Girls. most quotable movie ever.
• 13 Going on 30. looooveee:)
• 27 Dresses. Benny and the Jets.
• 17 Again. A tolerable Zefron.
• Sixteen Candles. '80s classic.
• The Breakfast Club. another '80s classic, but more emotional.
• Devil. five people trapped in an elevator.
• The Last Exorcism. she has kick ass red Tims.
• Harry Potter :)
• Hairspray. good morning, baltimore.

Hope y'all are having a better Tuesday than me.

a failed test (day 20)

Imma finish this. You just watch.

Day 20: How important you think education is.

I live in an extremely affluent suburb. Our public education system is ranked as one of the best in the state and college is not only encouraged, it's expected. The kids in classes are the types that stay up until one or two AM to finish all their homework--going to bed before eleven is an unheard of luxury. Going to bed before two is an unheard of luxury for the upperclassmen taking AP classes.

We have an overwhelming amount of brainiacs in my school (we also have our fair share of potheads, but whatever) and there is a very high level of academic stress from both faculty and parents. It's the way the community operates.

Recently, however, attention has been brought to the fact that this high level of pressure isn't exactly mentally healthy--in the past ten or so years, we've had at least eight suicides and two or three "tragic accident" deaths, some of which may have also been suicide. Most of the students killed themselves at least partly due to the enormous amount of stress from grades and school.

I sincerely hope that you have never had to deal with a classmate's death. It is simply awful.

Because of all this, I have maybe a slightly cynical view of education and its importance. No doubt, it is vital to succeeding financially in life, and I will admit, I have plead with my friends to do their homework, guilting them with the whole "if-you-don't-do-your-homework-you-won't-go-to-college-and-you-won't-get-a-job-and-you'll-be-homeless-and-die-alone" speech.

But really, education shouldn't be important enough to cause suicides. It is supposed to help you, not agonize you.

I love my school. Honest. And I am a fully-fledged nerd and I stress over grades all the time. I value education, and I recognize that I am so, so lucky to live in a town where people care so much about it. I am getting opportunities other students will never have. I appreciate that.

But I don't care to the extent that those poor kids did. My mental health--and yours--are more important than a failed test.

deliciously independent

My spring break '11 achievement: navigating the Green Line into Copley Square.

Didn't get lost on the way there, didn't get lost on the way back and refused to let myself be embarrassed by the ticketing system or the subway maps.

A few friends (read: fellow English class nerds) and I launched a trip to the Boston Public Library to look at microfilm and Times Magazine archives for our historical research papers. It was quite an adventure--the librarians were on the frosty side and the building itself was churchlike and daunting.

We got a pint of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough ice cream and a packet of 48 plastic spoons and ate it on a bench in Copley Square/waiting for the subway and had a marvelous time people watching. We people watched the whole day--on the subway, in the library, in CVS, in the food court. People watching is a sport.

Highlights of the day included seeing bald biker dude with a kilt and a boombox on our inbound trip, a man with teal hair and matching shoes, some poor doctor with a pink newspaper who got sandwiched between us on the outbound trip, a homeless man with a sign reading "HELP JOE GET SMASHED" and seeing somebody blow bubbles in the courtyard of the BPL. Oh, and seeing two of my friends hold hands. Love you guys.

It felt deliciously independent to be wandering around Boston all on our lonesomes. I was beyond proud we didn't get lost and I'm looking forward to future excursions into the city :)

For fabulous photos of Boston, check out this blog.

fabulous & flawed (day 19)

I'm on a roll.

Day 19: Disrespecting your parents.

Well, this isn't actually a question. It's not even a complete statement. I'm just going to assume that it means your thoughts on disrespecting your parents and just chug right along here.

When you argue with your parents, it's called disrespect. That's a fact. Using this logic, I disrespect my parents. You disrespect your parents. We all disrespect our parents.

Just because I argue with them doesn't mean I don't appreciate all they do for me. It just means that sometimes we disagree.

My parents are fabulous and flawed. We will never be on the same page regarding boys or strapless dresses, but that doesn't mean I love them any less.

i'm all about them words

Remember that blog challenge? Yeah...

Day 18: Your beliefs.

This one's pretty easy, to be honest.

I believe in God. I do not believe God has a vendetta against Jews or gays or anybody else. I believe God is more like a force and less like a person. I believe that God controls karma.

I believe everything happens for a reason, even the truly terrible stuff.

I believe in luck, in superstition, in karma and wishes.

I believe in true love. I do not believe in love at first sight.

I believe that life is about loving what you have and not envying what you don't, which is extremely tricky--nobody said life was easy. In fact, everybody says the exact opposite.

I believe that laughter heals.

I believe that everyone has a soul mate.

I believe rain works like a sleeping pill to help you fall asleep.

I believe everyone has to fail a couple times. It builds character.

I believe that no matter how awesome you may be, the first pancake will never come out right.

I believe we're all a little crazy, especially in high school.

And lastly, I believe in words. Words have power and soul. They express feeling and thought and life. They are gorgeous. They are never ending.

...Say I'm all about them words. Over numbers, unencumbered, numbered words...hundreds of pages, pages, pages...

And that, ladies and gents, is what I believe in, take it or leave it. Happy Thursday, darlings. One more day. We can do it :)

random thoughts

This is going to be a post filled with random thoughts on random things. Wednesdays are my reorganization days.

First, I kinda forgot to post one of my lovely little top ten lists yesterday. Oops.

Second, you should all check out my friend Sophie's blog(s). She has a tumblr version and a blogspot version and I lurk on them both to an embarrassing extent. She's a pretty and sarcastic dork, her writing makes you smile and I love her.

Third, I posted a poll because I was bored and promptly forgot about it. Question: Who would win in a fight? Options: Batman, The Rugrats, Charlie Sheen and Lady Gaga. Winners: Lady Gaga & Batman. They tied. Charlie Sheen got one vote and The Rugrats got none.

Fun fact: You know that scene in Ferris Bueller's Day Off when the sister gets dragged to the police station because she's semi-physcotic and then starts making out with that druggie in the reception area? That druggie was a teenage Charlie Sheen. The irony is fantastic.

Two more days till break. I need it badly. Can you tell?

On a more serious note, a girl named Alice died of cancer yesterday. She was seventeen and went to school with a friend of mine. Although the circumstances are different, it reminds me very much of the Jake Borson ordeal that my own school endured earlier this year, so I send love to Alice, her memory and all of her friends who are currently suffering.

Stay classy, San Franciso.

it doesn't work like that

Apparently, the government finally reached a decision on the budget so it won't be shutting down.

Frankly, it pisses me off that the possibility of the government shutting down was even a potential.

I know that the government is probably much more intricate and a thousand times more complicated than what I'm taught in social studies class. It isn't easy managaing a country like ours, because in addition to all the threats we face on a national level, our own citizens are busy creating problems as well.

But honestly? The entire government shutting down because Democrats and Republicans can't agree?

Most of the adults I know are big on preaching about compromises and getting along despite differences (hence, all of the overdone bullying laws). It doesn't matter if someone's young, old, boy, girl, black, white, rich, poor, gay, straight...but apparently it matters if someone is Democratic or Republican.

 I don't really get the whole party loyalty thing. I think that it gets in the way of people being listened to, of ideas being listened to, because there's too much emphasis on whether or not they're blue or red.

But really, Washington. We're not in preschool. You can't throw hissy fits because somebody from Texas doesn't agree with you about pro-choice or because somebody from Massachusetts wants tighter gun restrictions. You can't just shut down because you're too busy being stubborn. You have to be adults. You have to give a little to get a little. You have to step up because you're the ones running the country and the country needs you.

 I'm not saying the government has to be perfect. I know it's easy to sit here in my living room and critisize all of the people working in DC because I do not have their jobs or migranes. Their jobs are not easy, not by any means, and I'm not trying to belittle the work they do.

I'm just frustrated because of the hypocrasy. You can't pass laws telling me I have to treat all my peers the same and then turn around and refuse to maturely listen and compromise with someone that has a different political view.

It doesn't work like that. I don't know a whole lot about how a government should operate, but it shouldn't operate like that.

almost as deep

"If there's anything I've learned, it's that it's scary to think about talking to someone directly. But in the end, you always end up with the right outcome. It may not always be a happy outcome, but it will be the best for everyone."

^Direct quote from one of my friends. He's extremely inspirational and almost as deep as Albus Dumbledore.

Almost.

That's a massive compliment in and of itself.

Gosh, I love adoptive brothers.

top ten things i only do around my friends

I'm okay with being a total freak around my friends. I am a total freak with my friends, but they can't judge me for it because they're just as abnormal as I am.

• go makeup free. because I trust them to not call me fugly, even when I'm not at my best.
• eat to the point other people would probably consider disgusting.
• dance around my kitchen like i'm having a seizure.
• scream britney spears at the top of my lungs. it's nbd.
• make up words and phrases that rarely make sense.
• be judgemental. I work really hard at not judging other people, because everybody goes through personal battles. That said, I'm sorry, I feel the need to point out mismatching socks, awkward facial expressions and funny ringtones when I'm kicking it with my friends. PEOPLE WATCHING IS FUN.
• make extremely strange facial expressions. Ido this in school too, but it's worse when I'm in the privacy of my own house. I like pretending I'm a fish or a dinosaur, depending on the day.
• cry.
• spontaneously burst into irish dance jumps.
• start singing whatever i want to say.
• make animals noises. meow. chirp. woof. growl.

rewarded

I never used to think about death. I'm fifteen. Subconciously, I didn't think it was possible for me to die. I knew I was going to die someday. I just had trouble believing it.

Well. 2011 has certainly cleared that up for me.

RIP Jake Borson. RIP John Clifford. RIP Mrs. Barnes. RIP Grandma Katz.

I never knew any of these people personally, but I got a front row seat to see how deeply their deaths impacted their loved ones. I heard the silences, listened to the sobs, saw the tears, felt the ache in the embraces.

I don't know what death really is, and I don't pretend to. I have never lost anybody especially close to me, unless you count my grandmother (but I was four). I know that it's often messy, just like life. I know that it creates a slushie of mixed emotions. I know that it leaves a gaping hole in our lives but creates closure at the same time.

I'm not the most religious person, but I believe that there is something waiting for us after death. I know that some people believe that's just an idea we choose to believe in to ease the idea of death, but I opt for a slightly more optimistic view--after living a full life, we deserve to be rewarded.