Okay, quick update on my life. First, as many of you probably read in the N&O's obituary section, my grandmother passed away on Friday morning. This came as a shock, but also as a relief. She was in a lot of pain, with a terminal illness, congestive heart failure. Although she was doing better than she was two months ago, she was unable to live on her own, or even live at home because she required round-the-clock medical attention. I loved her and will miss her dearly, but I think that the amount of pain she was in made living very difficult. The visitation was tonight, so I went with my mom, sister, aunts, uncles and cousins to greet family and friends.



My gums still bleed almost constantly, which is annoying and painful, but I guess they'll heal eventually. I have Greensboro orientation this week, on Thursday and Friday, which I'm pretty excited about. I also got to meet my roommate last night and she is very sweet and nice and a lot like me, which is good.

One week from today, I will be in California on the youth mission trip. I am really excited!

The last thing I wanted to include on this post was a list of books I've read recently. I recommend them all:
Waiting for the Barbarians, by JM Coetzee
Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver
My Traitor's Heart, by Rian Malan
Black Like Me, by John Howard Griffin
Dust Tracks on a Road, by Zora Neale Hurston
The Autobiography of Malcom X, as told by Alex Haley
Under the Banner of Heaven, by John Krakauer
King Leopold's Ghost, by Adam Hoschild
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, by Harriet Jacobs
Without a Net, by Michelle Kennedy

I got my wisdom teeth removed on Monday morning. Apparently anesthesia makes me completely loopy, lol. The last thing I remember before surgery is that I got an IV put in my arm and then they put that nose-oxygen thing on me, and then they asked how I felt. I told them the room was spinning and I felt light-headed. I closed my eyes and they asked again, "how do you feel?" I couldn't actually speak, so I just opened my eyes and looked around. Then everything went black. I remember one part from the actual procedure, when I kind of woke up while they were giving me shots in my gums to numb me. I remember trying to ask how many shots I actually had to get, but they just told me to go back to sleep. Then I woke up to them saying, "It's time to get up." When I finally "came to" the nurses and doctor had left the room, and I found that I was crying but I couldn't figure out why. I wasn't in pain, I wasn't scared or sad or anything, but I couldn't stop crying. The nurse came back in and said, "Oh, that's normal. The medicine you're on is a lot like Valium and it's going to make you cry and laugh for the rest of the afternoon, but you won't be sad and nothing will be funny. It's just how the medicine works." On the way home in the car, my mom says I told her the story of my surgical procedure at least 20 times. I remember telling it to her the first two times, and then being confused because I turned to her and said, "did i just tell you that story twice?" and she said yeah you did. And as soon as she had said that, I just started telling the story all over again. When I got home, I told my sister and my mom the surgery story at least six more times. They were laughing so hard. Often they would try to finish my sentences, which they could do pretty well since they had heard the story so many times, but everytime I would say, "No! You're telling it wrong." And then I would say exactly what they had just said, which only confused them more.

The doctor gave me pain meds to help relieve whatever pain/discomfort I might be feeling. I started taking the pills, and about two hours later I started throwing up. I threw up a good 12 times in about 6 hours, so I quit taking the pills. But I still felt horrible-- I couldn't eat or drink anything without throwing it up, and I was in a TON of pain because I couldn't take the hydrocodon or whatever. I also couldn't take normal OTC pain relievers like IBUProfin because they make me sick if I take them on an empty stomach as well...it was a VERY long day.

The swelling is about the only bad thing today. I can eat and the pain is SO much better, but my cheeks are huge. I sleep a lot, about 2 hours of sleep for every 2 that I'm awake. I can't complain though-- mashed potatoes, chicken broth, diet mountain dew, and ice cream haven't gotten old yet!

I kept thinking I would post, and here I've let almost a month go by with no word from me...
It's been crazy hectic this last month, with AP Exams, finals, major projects in every class, graduation parties, and mission trip preparation.
Where to begin??? Today is June 8, and that means it's graduation. Yes, today is the day I've waited 13 years for-- I'll walk across a stage, get a diploma, flip my tassle and say goodbye to all the friends I've made for four years or more. I can't believe it's the "end." I can't believe it's the "beginning" either. I'd love to say I feel nothing but sheer happiness and excitement. But that's a lie. I'm really sad, afraid, anxious, happy, excited, and frustrated all at the same time. And I can't necessarily put a cause/rhyme/reason for every one of those emotions, but I can say that that's how I feel and that's how I've been feeling for about a month now. It's hard to imagine leaving all your friends, family, school, everything you've known all your life to go start your own adventure somewhere else. But everyone does it, so I have assured myself that I am not the first, nor will I be the last person to ever feel like this.
I am afraid of one thing today: and that's crying. I do not want to cry at graduation because I don't think I would be able to stop. Once you get me crying about one thing, I will probably cry about more things...oh well. I'm turning in to quite the woman, I suppose.

Senior picnic was yesterday and I had a blast. We signed yearbooks, ate some yummy food, played a TON of volleyball, ran around, talked and just basically enjoyed each other's company. I realize that as much as I have grown tired of most of the kids in my class and at my school, I will always treasure whatever relationships and memories I have shared with them.

The last day of school was utterly heartbreaking and joyous all at once. We got those moon-bounce things that you can jump on and that was AWESOME. But realizing that the relationships I've had with these teachers won't exist in teh same way in college broke my heart. I have grown really close to so many of them, and the fact that I could come to them and they would talk to me like an adult really changed the way I saw myself and adults. I realized through them that I've grown so much these last four years and I've become a completely different person. There's a song by Sara Groves that I like to call my graduation song. Here's a snipet of it:

I don't want to leave here
Don't want to stay
It feels like pinching to me,
Either way.
But the places I long for
the most are the places where I've been
They are calling out to me,
Like a long, lost friend
...And the place I was wasn't perfect,
But I had found a way to live
And it wasn't milk or honey,
But then neither is this.
...the future feels so hard
and I want to go back,
But the places that used to fit me
Cannot hold the things I've learned
And those roads were closed off to me
While my back was turned
The past is so tangible,
I know it by heart,
Familiar things are never easy
To discard
I was dying for some freedom,
But now I hesitate to go,
I am caught between the promised
And the things I know.

I guess I'll just leave it at that.

My REVISED list of things to do:
Graduation Audition (done)
RCCF cookout (done)
AP Exams (Spanish- done; English- done; Psychology- done)
Mission Trip Fundraise "Parents' Night Out" (done)
Graduation open-house (May 20)
Last Youth Group/Senior Send-off (May 21)
Youth Group Senior Saturday (May 27)
Final exams (last week of May, first week of June)
Church services, where seniors will be recognized (June 4)
Last day of high school, after-school party and senior-faculty kickball game (June 6)
Senior Picnic (June 7)
GRADUATION (June 8)
Getting WISDOM TEETH REMOVED (June 12)
Orientation days at UNC-G (June 20-21)
Mission Trip to California (June 23-July 8)

And then I have about a month before I move into my dorm in Greensboro! WOW! If I seem a little stressed or anxious, refer to list. It is probably because of something on that list that I seem a little emotional. Because, to be quite honest about it, this whole "last year" thing is very much an emotional roller coaster. Because I am moving (an hour) away for college, it seems like nothing will be the same. New friends, new church, new classes, new job, etc. So right now my emotions are going haywire because some minutes I am so thrilled to be closing one chapter and opening a new one. Other times, it's really difficult and heartbreaking to even imagine that I have to say goodbye to all my friends and family. So, if you don't mind, it might be necessary to cut me a little slack on the emotional front in the next month or so. There's a lot going on that's requiring more emotional and mental strength than I necessarily have...

So, I've enrolled at UNC-G! I am in the International Honors College and have already been assigned a roomate. Her name's Amanda and she's from Jacksonville, NC. And I've already signed up for one class: International Human Rights In Literature and Film. Should be pretty good.

My list of things to do:
Graduation Audition (done)
RCCF cookout (done)
AP Exams (Spanish- done; English- done; Psychology- done)
Mission Trip Fundraise "Parents' Night Out" (May 12)
graduation open-house (May 20)
Final exams (last week of May, first week of June)
Last day of high school, after-school party and senior-faculty kickball game (June 6)
Graduation Picnic (June 7)
GRADUATION (June 8)
Getting WISDOM TEETH REMOVED (June 12)
Orientation weekend at UNC-G (June 20-21)
Mission Trip to California (June 23-July 8)

I guess that's it. Wow. Soon it'll all be here, and then WHOOSH it'll all be over. Wow. I can't believe it. When you type it up and post it, it isn't so unrealistic that I will go to college orientation in a little over a month! I can still remember being two and being upset because someone else got the good swing at daycare...or being six and being upset because my kindergarten teacher was moving away and because my sister got to sit in the front of the bathtub. How time flies!

Okay, I've heard from all the colleges I applied to. (Actually, I've known for about two weeks now, but I wasn't ready to go public with that information).
I got in at Elon, Meredith, Purdue, American and UNC-G.
I'll probably end up going to UNC-G, but that can still change, I guess, between now and May 1.

I guess that's all I want to post about.

Oh yeah, prom was amazing. Josh and I went to Khanki (I can never spell that right) beforehand, and everyone stared at us because we were dressed up as if we were going to...well...prom. Imagine that! But that was fun, anyway. Then we went to prom, in the cold drizzle. The music was good; we danced most songs, only with each other, but again, we're just friends. We had our portrait made there, which was fun too. Then after it was over, we helped clean up (because we're weird like that), we got our "favors"-- wine glasses that had RCHS PROM 2006 "A Black Tie Event" printed on them, filled with hershey kisses and black and white M&Ms. Then we went to IHOP, where we probably bugged the waiter to death, but that's half the fun of being at IHOP at 12am. Haha. Anyway, senior prom was a wonderful success; I had a great time; too bad it was over so soon.

Now there's a series of things to countdown before graduation on June 8:
-graduation speech audition (yes, I'm crazy enough to audition)
-RCCF cookout
-AP Exams
-Final exams
-Graduation rehearsal
And then...the class of 2006 is heading out! Wow. Four years flew by. It's all kind of sad really. I'm excited about starting something new next year, though. :)

I'm back from Costa Rica--- back from having one of the most memorable and exciting times thus far, in my short 18-year life. From zip-lining through the mountains (which I remarked is a completely other way to view God's amazing creation-- i.e. you usually see the moutains from the peak or from the ground, never from half-a-mile up, in between them) to hanging out at a local discotec, I found that traveling abroad, regardless of the food, homesickness, sickness, sunburn, is something I will always, always, always want to do.
Edwin got bet 10 dollars that he wouldn't eat (i.e. consume) a cigarette. He did. He ended up in the hospital because his entire body had gone numb and his response time left a lot to be desired.
We got to take a boat ride through Monte Verde National Park and see howler monkeys, crocodiles, blue herons, iguanas and other awesome wildlife. We horseback rode in the mountains, galloping a little (except for me, because I got "abuelo" the slowest horse in the history of horses...abuelo means "grandfather" in Spanish). I got sunburn that blistered over, which was pretty gross but kinda funny too, especially because I will never get rid of the tan-line from my capris. A few of us went to a Bible study in Spanish, which was really cool-- a whole other experience, and surprisingly, I could understand most of it. We volunteered at an elementary school, where I met some awesome kids that I fell in love with. We took dance lessons, which out of 21 kids, only about 5 of us actually danced for more than 10 minutes. We visited a volcano and a hot springs resort, and amazingly we survived 10 days with no air conditioning (it was at least ninety most days) and no hot water...and the worst-- no ice or iced tea. (now that's hardcore).
THere were some other awesome experiences that were more bonding than anything-- hanging out, singing and playing guitar until midnight on our front porches, playing "Stupid Ninjas" on the bus, singing Wizard of Oz as we skipped through the airport (my hair was in braids, and I was appropriately dubbed Dorothy), laying out by the pool at midnight and staring at the stars and talking. It was a truly awesome time with fun, hilarity, and certainly Spanish-immersion.

PROM IS ON SATURDAY! Josh and I are going (no, we are not dating. We are friends) first to Kanki and then to prom. I am very excited. My dress is floor-length and fades between dark pink and light pink and has dark pink glitter sewn into it. It's really hard to describe, but as soon as I figure out how, I'll post pictures of it (and of prom, and of Costa Rica).

What to post about?
Well, it is 10:35pm right now, and that means that in exactly 17 hours and 25 minutes I have to be at RDU International Airport to fly to Miami, where we will catch our flight to Costa Rica! That's right: 4 A.M.!

I am staying, along with Rachel, with a family that consists of a stay-at-home-mom, retired-teacher dad, and two sons: 26 yrs old and 13 yrs old.

I am packed, except for one pair of pants that's being washed and a few items for my carry-on bag.

Other than that, life is mostly ho-hum, as I anxiously await the arrival of my final two college descisions. These two places, and the money they want to offer, actually impact where I go next year a lot.

Jennie, my mom's really good friend, who might as well be family is in the ICU at Raleigh Community Hospital. She has kidney failure (they're functioning at 10%), pancreatitis, and still suffers from pulmonary fibrosis. There may also be problems with her liver and other organs, but they are unable to do the tests properly (I'm not entirely sure why, but I trust the doctors, so I'm sure they have a good reason). I'm really worried about her, and she can't eat or drink anything because her kidneys and pancreas can't handle it. In fact, she can't even swish water around in her mouth and then spit it back out because that makes her pancreatic enzyme things activate, which puts pressure on the pancreas and makes the problem worse. It's all way complicated. Anyway, so I'm staying at her house right now, and taking care of her dogs and cat: Max, Misty, Finney and Ginger (cat). My golden retriever is here with us too, and she's being a great friend to M, M and F in their time of hardship without their beloved owner.

I guess that's about all. Ms. Greenwalt is going to be our keynote speaker at graduation in June!! Speaking of, for anyone who's interested, graduation is June 8! :)

That's about it. I guess I'll head to bed--- gotta rest up for Costa Rica, where it is a balmy 85 degrees.

• SLA was great!
• Enviro-thon is on Friday!!! (I spent Saturday morning at Duke Forests, at a perscribed burn site and at a logging site...very cool).
• Got in to UNC-G (4 down, 2 to go...still waiting to hear from American and Chapel Hill)
• Friday evening Spanish Honor Society had a movie night--- watched Frida, ate good food--- tons of fun, even if a couple of us fell asleep during the movie...
• Threw 20 feet, 1 inch in shot-put at the meet on Thursday; threw 41 feet in discuss!
• have 4 major projects/papers due this week-- I'll be glad when it's over
• Costa Rica in less than 2 weeks!

That's all. God bless- Lindsay

Okay, so I'm leaving for Costa Rica in like 3 weeks!!! I am soooo excited! And what's also super exciting is that I am going on a mission trip this summer with my youth group. We're going to Pasadena, California to run a VBS program for innercity kids. It's going to be awesome.

So I spent the weekend at Topsail Island with the mission team, prepping for the trip. We spent most of the weekend democratically deciding on our team covenant, including objectives and team verse(s). I'll try to give a brief run-down of the weekend.

We got to the church at 5:30 (the specified time) only to find that none of our adult leaders had shown up yet...so we waited. And at about 6, they showed up, one by one. We didn't leave the church until about 6:40pm, or so, even though we were supposed to have left by 6pm and arrived by 8:30. We finally got to Topsail at about 9:30, and we wandered around in the dark trying to find our condos. We found them-- one for the girls and one for the guys. There were 7 female students, and three female leaders, plus my youth minister's 10-month old, Elisha. There were three bedrooms (2 double beds, 1 set of bunk beds and 2 pull-out couches). I ended up, much to my delight!, in the room with my youth minister and Elisha. The guys (seven guy students and 3 guy leaders) had their own condo, but we congregated for meetings and meals in the girls' condo. Elisha woke us up (and by us, I mean the two of us in our room) at 5:30am, and his mother didn't find it all that amusing. I, however, thought the situation delightful and enjoyed being up at dawn with this darling little baby.
We spent the day writing our team covenant and playing games. We only went down on the beach once, because it was so cold. I did wade into the water until it was just above my knees. My jeans were unmistakably wet after that. Dinner Saturday night was homemade spaghetti and meatballs, compliments of Carlye, Cameron and me. I was in charge of the pasta, and Cameron of the sauce (and meatballs). The boiling water splashed onto my hand once, but Cameron said I only got 1/2 point for that injury (we get points for injuries-- its a game-- based on creativity, though they can't be purposeful, and seriousness), but but when the Ragu sauce splashed onto her hand, she got 1 point. I told her that wasn't fair because the Ragu sauce was at least 100 degrees cooler than the water, but she didn't listen. Oh well.

The car ride back to Chapel Hill was one of the most interesting and most fun experiences of my life, and I would tell you about it, but you wouldn't understand half of what was going on. You really had to be there. Let' s just say that between Ben, a youth leader, and Emma, Cameron, Tim and me, (and Brownie, the teddy bear), the screaming, music playing, shutting-windows-on-people-who-stick-their-heads-out-the-windows, spanish-speaking, stupid-joke-telling (and more) never ends. It was quite the adventure, and quite the bonding experience. (In fact, I think I'm all bonded-out with these four people...but there's still 16 others on the team I need to bond with! I'll update you more as we get closer to the dates of our trip!!!!

This photo is from our Chicago trip, when we ate at the Rainforest Cafe, which is this super-cool restaurant decorated to look like a jungle or a rainforest. There are even "thunderstorms" every few minutes! I decided to pose outside with the gorilla for a quick picture.








The Brain Bee is tomorrow!!! It is in the format of a spelling bee, but the questions are all about neuroscience and the brain. For example: This is the disease in which acetylcholine receptors on muscle cells are destroyed so that muscle cells can no longer respond to the acetylcholine signal to contract.

The answer: Myasthenia gravis.

Ten Random Things About Me
1. I am a country-music junkie.
2. My favorite type of pizza is mushroom with bacon.
3. I hate dressing up.
4. I was a scarecrow for Halloween five years in a row when I was little.
5. I was born at Rex Hospital in Raleigh.
6. My favorite ice cream flavor is a toss-up between Chocolate Lover's Trash and Cake Batter.
7. I like realistic-fiction books or history books.
8. My favorite color is yellow.
9. Iced tea is the best invention ever and anyone who believes that tea should be served hot is just plain wrong.
10. I like watching the news (local and CNN), Law and Order: SVU, Friends, Medium and House.

Nine Places I've Visited
1. Chicago
2. New York City
3. Santiago, Chile
4. Toronto, Canada
5. San Diego, California
6. Washington, D.C.
7. Williamsburg
8. Greensboro
9. Atlanta

Eight Things I Want To Do Before I Die
1. Own and operate a dance studio
2. Marry the man of my dreams
3. Raise my kids to love themselves for who they are
4. Write and publish a novel
5. Run for president
6. Adopt at least one child from every continent
7. Teach school
8. Appear on the Oprah show

Seven Ways To Win My Heart
1. Write me love letters
2. Hold my hand
3. Laugh with me
4. Play the guitar and write/sing a song for me
5. Wipe my tears when I cry
6. Love me for who I am
7. Send me flowers just because

Six Things I Believe In
1. Y'all is a word and should be used often
2. Toilet paper goes over the roll, not under
3. Miracles
4. God
5. True love
6. The beauty in all people

Five Things I Am Afraid Of
1. Dying while my kids are young
2. Spiders
3. Heights
4. Making the wrong decision about college
5. Snakes

Four Of My Favorite Things In My Bedroom
1. Dance, Dance Revolution
2. Brownie (bear I've had since I was born)
3. Photographs and letters (the ones on my bulletin boards)
4. Books

Three Things I Do Everyday
1. Check my email.
2. Pray
3. Complete at least one Sudoku puzzle

Two People I Want To See Right Now
1. Lauren
2. Cameron

One Thing I Am Trying Not To Do Right Now
1. Go to bed.

• My sister has strept throat. (Guess who is likely next in line? I really hope I'm not, but that's what happens when you live with other people-- I use hand sanitizer like it's my job, so hopefully, I'll stay well).
• Track season has begun! And from the soreness in my legs and back, I know that circuit training has already taken its toll. (lol.)
• I have been accepted at the three universities that have replied thus far: Meredith, Purdue and Elon. All three offered me money, but I'm just not sure that any of those places are the places for me-- I know that sounds silly since I took the time to apply to each of them, but I think the way I view myself and where I'd be happy spending four years has changed, or at least I've changed it. I am still waiting to hear from UNC-CH and American, my top two choices. I will likely also apply to UNC-G before all is said and done.
• I entered Oprah's National High School Essay Contest, for which the prompt was:
  How is Elie Wiesel's book Night relevant today?
  I'm still waiting to hear back as to whether I'm a finalist.
• The trip to Costa Rica is in just a little more than a month! I am sooo excited. It is going to be an awesome week-- though, I have to admit that I was a little disappointed because Mr. Slattery said that we'd be there during Semana Santa (Holy Week, the week of Easter), but it turns out we'll be there two weeks prior-- it's really a bummer because in many Latin American countries, Semana Santa is a national holiday, and everyone is festive and out celebrating. I thought it would be a really cool experience, and I was thrilled at the idea of going to a Catholic mass that was in spanish, but I guess I can still technically go to a church service in spanish, it just won't be the Easter service.
• Our school administration is going on a tyraid about facebook. Apparently students are using facebook to harass others, which isn't cool. But the way the administration is handling it isn't particularly good either. I mean, I understand their concerns, but on facebook, it is very easy to see who says/does what. So, making all these announcements and lecturing us is just a waste of time. The only students who are actually listening are the ones who aren't going to use facebook to harass others anyway, and the students who are are the same students who aren't listening to the lecturing. Plus, I think there's an awful lot of harassment that goes on at school that doesn't get reprimanded, but as soon as it's online, everyone has a hissy fit. (It's not that I think it's okay to insult other people onlne, but I don't think it's okay to do it at all. So the tyraid also needs to include the harassment and bullying that goes on every single day at school.) Just my opinion. Take it or leave it.
• Riley, my sweet, sweet puppy, is wild as ever, but learning new stuff everyday. He can give high-fives, shake with both paws, beg, lie down, sit, and understands "go get your bone/toy and lie down." We're working on stay and speak right now, but it's slow going. I started clicker-training him, and at first he ran away from me whenever I clicked it, but now, he knows that a click is a reward of sorts, and he responds really well.
• I was sure all this year and all last year that I wanted to teach highschool history for a living. But I was talking to an elementary school teacher today, and she seemed confident that highschool wasn't the place for me-- elementary school was. And she also said that fourth grade was where I belonged. Which was interesting because she teaches second grade...anyway...I have no idea what I'll be studying in college or what I'll do after college. My plans change about every day or so.
• I'm going on the mission trip this year to Pasadena, California. We're working with Harambe Missions, and we'll be running a VBS program for inner-city children. I am sooo excited.

I guess that's about all. I will hopefully get better about being a regular-blogger, so I can write about more interesting things than just brief updates of my life.

"I believe there are angels among us,
Sent down to us, from somewhere up above,
To show us how to live,
To teach us how to give,
To guide us with the light of love."

Okay, so there's so much I haven't blogged about-- my college application process (but that's boring), our trip to Chicago (maybe later...), exams (boring), and winter formal:
This year, winter formal was amazing. Period. Nabil is a senior at my school, and we met during study hall one day. He just moved back to the states from Australia-- he's lived in China, Canada, Australia and various places in the U.S. So we went to formal together and I had one of the best nights ever. Wow.

First we went to Applebees, along with my sister Sherby, Josh (her date, and like my best guy friend), and our friends Cati, Katie and Denise. I had to teach Nabil about tipping your waiter/waitress, because in Australia it is illegal to tip. Then we headed to the dance (theme: Mardi Gras: The Spirit of New Orleans), and Nabil even wore some of the mardi gras beads necklaces I had bought at Party City. We had fun running around, taking pictures, drinking tons of soda, and talking to our friends and each other. We danced to every slow song, I think, but neither of us like fast songs, so we sat those out. Side note: the dance itself was absolutely wonderful, and mad props to those people who were on the planning committee. After the dance, we headed to IHOP, along with Cati, Katie, Denise, Sherby, Josh, Elizabeth and Rachel. And we were at IHOP until after 1am. Then, I got to drive Nabil home (to Cary), because he doesn't have his liscense yet--- it's difficult and confusing to have to drive on the opposite side of the road in the U.S. lol. Josh rode with us, so that coming back from Cary at 2am, I wouldn't be alone. I drove Josh home and then headed to my house. When I arrived at 2:45am, I promptly fell asleep. I had so much fun, though. Nabil is really fun to be around, and even if he doesn't believe me-- he's a good dancer. :)
(but he has got to try grits. He ordered some at IHOP but they were out. The waitress assured him that they tasted like paper/napkins, so he could just eat the napkin on the table instead. Of course, we all know that grits are a southern delicacy...along with sweet tea.)

Wow. I can't beleive that tomorrow is the final day of classes in 2005--- and I graduate in about 5 months!!! wow. I still remember the day I started high school (well, and kindergarten for that matter)...

Nothing new to report, really. Exams are going okay. 4 down. 1 to go tomorrow. Psychology wins for being the hardest, and statistics for being the easiest. AP Spanish was...okay...and Southern Hemispheres wasn't so bad after he decided to nix the second full essay. It was a pretty long test--- map, 8 IDs (historical significance and definition for each), 4 short essays, and originally 2 full-length essays, but he decided to cut the other one out, which was nice.

I got my facial mole removed. YAY. I went to the dermitologist because lately it's been getting bigger and sometimes (sorry, this is gross) it bleeds, and of course, it's been hurting a lot. The doctor seemed concerned, and I'm getting the lab results back in two days (ahhh...sooo nervous). But the doctor was like "Do you want us to cut it off and give you stitches or do you want us to burn it off?" I just stared at her; "Umm...are you doing it today? right now?" "Yeah," she said. I thought I was just going to be going in for an evaluation of sorts, but I walked out of there with stitches and no mole. The stitches have since dissolved/fallen out, and hopefully it will heal without much of a scar. It's really okay if there's a little scar b/c it's exactly in line with my laugh/smile line and so it won't be that noticeable anyway. I don't care really, at all, but I'm glad the mole's gone...

My birthday is in 3 DAYS!!!! YAY! I am going to register to vote that morning, so I'm very excited. :)

More later.

Got a couple of things to update about:

1. I have yet to start any more college applications b/c, well, I'm a slacker.
2. Facebook, Bojangle's sweet tea, and country music are my three obsessions.
3. I have a major crush on this guy...which of course keeps me crazy, especially because I don't know what to do about how I feel. Lol. Oh well.
4. I got "diagnosed" (by my doctor, a licensed medical professional) with this really cool thing called Benign Positional Vertigo. It's when a mass of proteins gets stuck in your semi-circular cancals (in your ear) and makes you feel like you're spinning even when you're not. I think it's kinda cool actually. And my doctor said the only way to "cure" it is to throw your head back in a particular direction multiple times. However, she warned "Stop doing this if you get dizzy." I thought--- isn't that why I'm here in the first place, because I'm dizzy all the time?!?!?
5. I've now reevaluated my desire to be a high-school history teacher, though it's still my first choice. My second choice is now a third grade teacher.
6. I have a ton of work (like everyone at RCHS) to finish before exams start.

I thought I would link to the N&O's copy of my letter to the editor, a few weeks ago. A columnist wrote an article about how The Flame was running an ad that promoted religion, thus violating the separation of church and state. The article talked about how the paper allowed capitalism to win out in the end, and how it was promoting religion in schools. (The ad said "In God We Trust" and was a full-page ad). Here's my letter. Dr. Humble's letter said pretty much the same thing and was printed directly under my letter, which was pretty cool.


Gas-Leak-Update: apparently, everything's been fixed because we have school tomorrow, according to the RCHS website.

My birthday is in 21 days, 1 hour and 9 minutes. YAY! (not that I'm excited or anything...)

Wow. Today was an exciting day at school! The 100/200 building was having a gas-leak, and so by 8:20am, or so, they had evacuated the building and study hall was held in the 300 building instead. For any of you who don't go to RCHS, the 100/200 building holds about 2/3 of our classes, and the 300 building holds the other third.
Students who were supposed to have 1st period in the 100/200 building were told to find a classroom-- any classroom-- in the 300 building and hang out there. Teachers who normally teach in the 300 hall tried to carry on first period class like normal, but it didn't work very well, as there were 30-40, maybe more people per room. Needless to say, by 9:30am, the day was looking like it would be pointless and chaotic. That was about the time that Mr. Hames and Ms. Klein came around to each room and told students that they would dismiss school. It was like a snow day, only without the headaches of snow on the ground (like last year when it took hours and hours for each of us to get home). Anyway, that's the big story--- gas leak. School cancelled. Day off. Woot.

In other news: there are 22 days until my birthday!!! :)

I got this from Nick's blog, and I went into it skeptically, but...it's sooo true. The only thing is...I think I have much bigger weaknesses than being picky and/or rigid...but you guys might know better than I would...

Your Birthdate: December 22

You tend to be understated and under appreciated. You have a hidden force to do amazing things, doing them your own way. People may see you as strange and shy, but they know little. Your unconventional ways have more power than they (and even you) know. Your strength: Standing up for what you know is true Your weakness: You tend to be picky and rigid Your power color: Silver Your power symbol: Square Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

I got this from Nick's blog, and I decided to try it. It was actually dead on, except that I refuse to be referred to as "picky." Other than that...it's pretty accurate.

Your Birthdate: December 22

You tend to be understated and under appreciated.You have a hidden force to do amazing things, doing them your own way.People may see you as strange and shy, but they know little.Your unconventional ways have more power than they (and even you) know. Your strength: Standing up for what you know is true Your weakness: You tend to be picky and rigid Your power color: Silver Your power symbol: Square Your power month: April

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?