School Bells Ring...

A LIST OF NUMBERS:

2 AP Chem assignments I'm proscratinating till tomorrow
3 writing contests with deadlines in the next two or three weeks I haven't started on
1 writing assignment that must go out
1 semi-edible lunch to pack
3-5 colleges left to visit
2 full months of school until we're out for the summer
95 grade I'm hoping-against-hope-almost for on my Latin test
18.8% of applicants accepted at Duke University
9.5 hours of sleep I hope to get tonight
TOO MANY classes of Driver's Ed to suffer through

And, in spite of the math, I'm very happy to go to school tomorrow.

The Fabulously Glamorous Reentry to Sayers

Around 2:30 Thursday morning, the day of our departure from Disney World, I began feeling queasy. By 3:30, I began the re-viewing of my past meals. I have not thrown up in years-- I mean years and years and years. I have now crossed out bulimia as an acceptable dieting option. Anorexia, however, was looking pretty enjoyable as I crawled-- I mean, crawled on my butt literally through security at Orlando International Airport. I was afraid I was going to pass out and then throw up on the person in front of me. It was pretty much hell.

However, I didn't eat ANYTHING yesterday (a sip of ginger ale was all) in the midst of our long trip from Orlando to Sayers. We finally got home in the mid-afternoon and I went promptly to bed, and woke up at 7:30 this morning.

I think it was either the kalamari I had for dinner (squid; great, but will not be trying again) or the off-tasting brownie I had at Goofy's Candy Shop. Even at that steep price to pay, however expensive, Disney World is worth it. I have photos up at innovativeteen.blogspot.com and will have more up here, later.

Keep Hooooolding Onnnnn

Also known as a rather annoying/semi-good Avril Lavigne song, also known as the motto of my week. I have been extraordinarily busy this week, stressed out and CRAZY so thank GOD it's Spring Break next week. I have to make Roman food tonight, perform a scene from Hamlet to conclude my Shakespeare test, and study for an AP Chem re-test that unless I ace I will fail Chemistry forever. Of course, my locker completely jammed so I missed the bus this afternoon and spent fifteen/twenty minutes asking people to help un-jam it.

Still, I will take my cue from dark-lined Avril and keeeeep.... holllldinnnngggg.... onnn...

Blog Updated

Few of you know the blog I have for my European travels, www.girlmeetseurope.blogspot.com, but I've just updated it with the goal of doing so more often. Revie, Madeline and I are giving ourselves a graduation present of going to Europe in 2009. If you're at all interested in how we handle logistics, money, and eventually handle ourselves in FOREIGN COUNTRIES, check it out.

How Life Has Changed

This is the fifty-first post of You Got Schooled! and I have been for a total of two months next week. Thinking of this as a kind of anniversary, here's a list of how my life has changed by attending (GASP!) public school, in no particular order.

1. I'm happier. I can honestly say that. Excusing a bad hair day or a bunch of C quizzes, I am happy every day.
2. I have structure for five days a week, and then none whatsoever for the weekend. Works out fine for me.
3. I no longer have a long commute to my place of education. I LOVE this. I LOVE walking home from school on a beautiful day.
4. I have less free time but, refuting an original worry, I still have time to read blogs, write articles, get published and do music. This might change if I get a second job.
5. I've made friends for the first time in Sayers. It's ridiculous how fast people were friendly, which is a testament to prayer and to the coolness of Maud Lovelace kids.
6. I've realized how I hate overachieverism. Especially now as I hang out with all the math/science geniuses, I see how they all stress about grades (okay, not ALL that much.)
7. I'm SO much more chill! To translate for the geriatrics: I'm much calmer and less likely to pounce on people or burst into tears. I have cried so much less, it's unbelievable. My tear ducts don't know me.
8. And as a carryover, I'm at peace with myself. Most of the time. The inner Gabrielles have an occasional battle.

My friends have even noticed the change in my voice on the phone. "Gabby, I hate you! Your life is too cool!" Yes, yes it is. I have been given so much: in happiness, in clothing (which is happiness), in circumstance. If it were less, it would be payback, but it's not. It's a gift and I thank God for it.

Scones for School

I'm baking scones tonight, as I have two parties in classes tomorrow. One is for Foods & Wellness, where we are celebrating our International Foods project. I did England (go figure.) And then in English, we are concluding The Great Gatsby by throwing a 1920s party and I am bringing even more scones to that as well. My family is grumbling because it's a great recipe and I'm only giving them a few scones. So goes life.

It's so weird to think we're finishing Gatsby. Not because it's super special (although it's a fantastic novel). It's just an iconic book for eleventh grade, the way you read Macbeth senior year. I'm nearing the end of my junior year of high school. Bizarre.

Ode to Teacher, Part Two

Dr. Klimpson

My Latin teacher for this year. He is one of the best teachers I've ever had. I mean this is the strict sense of the word: he is organized, he assigns regular and the right amount of homework, he communicates very well, he laughs with us without getting buddy-buddy, and the students respect him. And he loves Latin without it being annoying.

I've had one-two-three-four-five Latin teachers now, but Dr. K probably takes the prize-- maybe. I've done Latin in various uncoventional settings.

ACH! It's late and I still have so much to do! Well, Dr. Klimpson is an excellent teacher and one I'm very proud to be taught by. Except when I get 77s on his tests.

Celebration of Mediocrity

I'm all for mediocrity right now as I received two As, two Bs, one C and two exempt (either slack teacher or study hall = no grades) on my interim today. Happily for all those C-westioning my intelligence, the C is really a B after the 93 I got on an AP Chem test. YAY!

It's big doings over at Innovative with our interview with E. Lockhart. Check it out at www.innovativeteen.blogspot.com, it's the third post down.

After this weekend, two huge writing projects will be out of my hands (one already is) and I'll have more time to blog about lovely life. Life really is lovely right now, in spite of various high ups and low downs.

Revie said on the phone, "You sound so happy!"

I am.

A Before School Memo

My bus will be here soon, but I wanted to document several noted changes.

1. I will be rising at 6:30 am every school day and Saturday morning to get writing done. For school, this means doing the shower-packlunch-setclothesout deal at night and getting to bed by 10:30/11pm.

2. I will be increasing my daily walk to 40 minutes/day. I'll be taking Driver's Ed soon and I won't be able to visit my exercise class as often... sad face...

3. Um... um... I will be reading too! I have books on hold about Coco Chanel, Robespierre and Michelangelo.

Little changes but I want to remind myself of them. It's something that Christina Katz (thewritermama.wordpress.com) has done and I think it is a good idea.

A Lovely Day

Thanks to SOLs, our county gave an afternoon half-day to all upperclassmen. Meaning? I didn't have to show up at school till 11:30 am. I slept in, then had time to do my hair (wonder of wonders!) and ease my way downstairs at 9:45. I proceeded to check my phone and discovered Vithya had invited me to join a bunch of kids from AP Chem at Panera's for brekkie.

It was a lot of fun (chocolate croissants and science geeks mix well) and I got a ride to school, which was also lovely because... hello... we have a half-day! I also re-tested in AP Chem (and I think I did really well!), got a 105 and 101 on Latin quizzes and got a B on a math test. Good grades, good grades.

Tonight? No homework clouds the horizon so I'm planning on fitting in an instrument before my dance/exercise class, and then crying for the Project Runway Season 4 Finale tonight.

The Spring Book Preview

Books I'm very excited about that are coming out this Spring! I'll edit this post some and then post it on Innovativeteen.blogspot.com. Will be adding more as I find them.

This looks like a new take on Patricia Wrede's classic Sorcery and Cecelia.
Dark fairy tale? I'm in. Both of these are debut authors.
E. Lockhart! She's interviewing with us next week, and I am so excited about this book. It comes out March 24, I believe. I'll be in Disney World; but maybe they have bookstores...
More E. Lockhart! This book is tri-authored, and looks very interesting.
This is the sequel to a series I enjoyed, though I thought the writing was a bit newbie-ish. It's too high fashion for me to miss, though.

Nothing a Good Book Can't Cure

Sorry for the lack of posting late. I went to Faulkner over the weekend to celebrate Madeline's quite belated birthday. We watched The Other Boleyn Girl, The Jane Austen Book Club, Shakespeare in Love, Casablanca and Bewitched. Then I got home on Sunday to sleep for 13 hours and then my week happened so... yeah.

I've begun a habit of spending my study hall in the school library. It's a fairly large library and very quiet and pleasant, instead of the stressful awfulness of my regular study hall. And I'm about two-thirds of my way into Galileo's Daughter by Dava Sobel, which is excellent and making me want to move to Italy immediately. Since an immediate move doesn't seem practical, I'll settle for a year after college.