Two Weeks At College

So I just finished my second week of college at Utah State. I have been enjoying my classes so far and surprisingly the dining hall. The campus is beautiful and my teachers are wonderful. I have mixed emotions about my apartment though.

I live in the LLC, which stands for Living Learning Community. Also known as the Rich Kid housing. when I signed up for it, I assumed was going to be a community of academically- minded  people considering it had "learning" in the title.

However, that is not necessarily the case. I've actually been spending most of my time since I've moved in trying to get over my prep prejudice. And believe me, I have a prejudice. Most of my suitemates are "nice" but kind of immature. And annoying sometimes.

Take last night for example. It was about 3:47 AM and my roommate and I were fast asleep when all of a sudden we heard someone shriek, "Hey (insert other suitemate's name)! Want to go to McDonalds?!" After they came back from said McDonalds run, the next half hour or so was filled with listening to their extremely loud, meaningless conversation.

Now I don't care if my roommates want to go to McDonalds at four in the morning. They can do whatever they want. However, isn't it just common curtesy to whisper, or at the very least not scream, after the hour of midnight? Maybe I'm just living in a dreamworld, where people actually care about not disturbing their roommates' sleep.

I think I'll get used to it though. I've mostly been enjoying my time, I just wish that I wasn't going to school so far away. I will be good for me though. Especially once I get my own TV.

Until next time...

I knew I wasn't crazy

So I was flipping through one of my mom's magazine's today when I saw this ad:
Yes, it's an ad for Abreva. Then I got this crazy deja vu feeling and I knew that I had seen that picture somewhere else before. Then it figured it out. See for yourself.

It's also the cover of Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph! Who knew that a book cover could also make a nice ad for cold sore treatment?

Books You Should Read

I'm too tired to do any real book reviews right now, but I've been doing some reading in the last five months I haven't been posting and would like to make some recommendations. Seriously, just read the following books:

1. Wings by Aprilynne Pike. It was very addicting and I liked her concept of fairies more than a lot of other author's.

2. Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. Some of the best books that I've read all year. Way better than Twilight. I'm in love with Jace.

3. The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. Or any other books in this series for that matter. Very, very fun, fast reads.

4. Being Nikki by Meg Cabot. The first part is kind of slow but it really picks up near the end. I cannot wait for the sequel.

Just read this books, they're awesome. Plus, I'm getting Forest Born this Saturday! Still debating whether or not to do a review on it once I get it. I already know it's going to be incredible.

Taylor Swift Concert

I got the chance to see the Taylor Swift Concert on May 26 in Salt Lake City. It was the first concert I'd ever been to so I wasn't sure what to expect. The show was completely sold out, and I heard afterwards that there were over 14,000 people there! Not surprising, the majority of the people there were young girls. It was fun to see all of them with their cowboy hats on. :)

Anyways, we were in the nosebleed section so it was hard to see anything from the stage except for from the screens. Taylor was amazing though. The girl can put on quite a show. She changed her clothes a lot and there were a lot of other dancers and people up there with her. It was cool to hear all of her songs live and I liked that she sang songs from her first album as well. There was one point in the concert after she sang "Tim McGraw," that the people were clapping so hard, Taylor looked like she was about to cry. It was a cool show and definitely worth seeing if she comes to your town.

So, it's been a while

So, it looks like it's been a month since I last posted. I feel bad about that, I really do. Though there's a lot of stuff I want to talk about in this post:

1. It's the one year aniversary of my blog here on Blogger! It's hard to believe that a whole year has passed already. Though I've actually been blogging longer than that because I did have a blog on LiveJournal. It's fun to look back on those posts.

2. I'm also going to finally post a new book review, since the last one I had was Breaking Dawn in August! Considering I actually have had time to finish a book that wasn't related to school. Wow, has that really been five months? So expect that soon.

3.There's some sad news as well. This morning at school we found out that this weekend one of my assistant principals passed away. This was very shocking news, especially for the students in my grade who knew him the longest. He was an extraordinary person who contributed to our school in so many amazing ways. And even though I didn't have personal contact with him a lot, the loss was still felt deeply.

Anyway, I'll have some more posts soon. One of my '09 resolutions is to post on my blog more, so that'll be happening more often.

Have a great day!

Surprises

I won the short story contest at my school. I completely did not see that coming. When I entered, I really didn't have a particular reason to do so. The story I wrote wasn't really good in my opinion. When I was waiting with the other contestants before they announced the winners, I couldn't help but notice all the talented people that were there. They were all fantastic writers, probably better than me. I thought I had no chance. But when they announced my name as the first place winner, I was beyond shock.
I don't really give myself a lot of credit when it comes to my writing. That's why I don't openly share it with others very much or even talk about it a lot. And now my short story is going to be published in a book that will be in my school library. I don't know if I'm happy for everyone to see that yet, but hopefully it will turn out okay.
Regardless of that, I am very happy. It was a great day and I have to go to another meeting next week to discuss the publication (which will by the way, be my very first.) Woohoo!
Have a great weekend!

Happy (early) Thanksgiving!

I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving tomorrow! And if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope that you have a nice day off from school. :) And if you don't live in the United States, have a huge meal for dinner anyway.
Personally I have nothing against this holiday, though it usually isn't very enjoyable to me. Family parties are definitely something that I try to just endure. I'd much rather just spend the day off doing whatever I want (like reading). I'm actually going to three Thanksgiving dinners, none of which except maybe the last one, I'll actually have a good time at. Sigh...
Well, have a wonderful holiday!

Leanna

Yawn...

I went to the midnight showing of Twilight last night. It was so stupid because we didn't even get to see the movie until 12:15, because they had to do some promotional fashion show right in the middle of the theater beforehand. It was lame. Though I think that all the boos and the chanting of "start the movie!" made them finally realize that this crowd was in no mood for that and that they should start the movie already.

And right now I'm so tired, that I really can't sort my opinion of it into anything that is coherent. So I guess I'll give it later.

Now I have to go to school...Bleh. I hope I'll be able to stay awake.

The Poem I Chose

I was looking for a poem to memorize for over an hour yesterday! Sadly, the teacher said that we couldn't do The Road Not Taken and none of Emily Dickinson's were long enough. Sigh. So my older sister suggested that I do this one:

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a croud,

A host, of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake, beneath the trees

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they

Out-did the sparkling leaves in glee;

A poet could not be but gay,

In such a jocund company!

I gazed-and gazed-but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought

For oft, when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

Yes!

Today was a good day. I got my first quarter report card today. A lot better than I thought it was going to be. Plus, I got my letter of acceptence into NJHS. Plus I got a ninety-five on my biology test.
Finally, school is actually going okay after it stunk for a really long time. So that's why I finally have a weekend of peace where I don't have to stress out over anything. Yay!
But I actually need help with a couple things, and some suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

First, does anyone have any suggestions for a poem I could memorize for my English class? It needs to be at least twenty lines, and since I don't read much poetry, I have no idea what to do!

Second, I'm doing book reviews for my school paper, and I need ideas on what books I should do. It needs to be YA, something that appeals to all types of readers, and is school appropriate. I'm lost on this too, so I would love recommends.

So any type of suggestions at all on any of these would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Does this mean I'll post more?

I got a new template! Maybe this will help motivate me to post more. I have to admit, there are no excuses. I can't say I haven't had time. Because I have had time where I could have made a short blog post. I've just been way too dang lazy. So I promise, more frequent updates will be coming. Though they will probably be short and sweet like this one.

More later (seriously).


Leanna

Book Meme

Okay, so I wasn't specifically tagged for this. I just saw it on Faith's blog and thought that it looked like fun! So here it goes...

1. List the 10 books/collected works/series that you would bring on a desert island.
2. (Optional) Say why you would bring them.
3. Link to the person who tagged you.
4. Tag 6 people to also do the meme.
5. Leave a comment to let those people know .

1. All of Shannon Hale's books, of course!
2. The Ink Trilogy by Cornelia Funke.
3. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray.
4. The Chronicles of Narnia series.
5. The Harry Potter series (that would occupy my time for a while.)
6. The Twilight series (for whenever I needed a good laugh.)
7. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen.
8. The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot.
9. The Percy Jackson series.
10. 13 Little Blue Envelopes.

As you probably noticed, I listed mostly series. But if I'm stranded than I'm going to need a lot of free time. Right now being on a desert island with no school work and just books sounds pretty good right now.

So I tag whoever wants to do this!

Internet Sarcasm

It is so hard to determine whether someone is using sarcasm on the internet. Sometimes when I leave a comment or response on a blog or message board, someone else might respond to what I said in what I might interpret as sarcasm.

You see, on the internet you're not actually there with them to determine their tone of voice, facial expressions, etc. So when you're online you have no idea what they were intending by their particular comment. So the comment can either not phase you or you end up thinking "Wait, were they making fun of me?"

So please, if you're using sarcasm with me say so. Otherwise, it could leave me scratching my head for while. ;)

Days Off from School Bliss

I can't even tell you how happy I've been having days off from school on Thursday and Friday. This is the first time I've had free time in what seems like forever! Even though I put off all my homework until tomorrow and Monday, I'm still really happy. I've spent most of my time...

Listening to this song. I get so happy whenever they play it on the radio when I'm in the car, even my family knows I love it by now. :)

I also read Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott. I loved it! It's really disturbing and dark in a way, but totally addicting once you get into it. Highly recommended.

Well, hopefully more posts will come later. Have a great rest of the weekend!

I remember when I used to be smart...

*Sigh.* Right now, I am frustrated. School is making my life extremely stressful right now. I used to consider myself pretty smart. I got straight A's every year of elementary school and I got a 4.0 gpa seventh and eighth grade. This year though, my grades have pretty much dropped. Mainly in Biology and Geometry. First, I did really badly on a Biology test (though the test was on a chemestry unit) and that brought my grade down. And right now I'm doing horribly in Geometry. I've been getting low scores on all the tests and quizzes so far, including the one I took today which I know I just failed. So that's going to bring my grade down even lower.

The end of the quarter is in just a couple of weeks. Right now I have a 3.8 but the test from Geometry is definitely going to lower it. So I'm probably going to get a 3.6 or a 3.7 first quarter. Considering I'm an honors student and in classes with a bunch of smart people, that's pretty bad. No NJHS for me.

So I'm really depressed about that right now. This year just has not been good. If I study extremely hard in all my other classes I might do well, but those Geometry tests are just going to ruin me.

So just feeling really blue lately. I just hope that things get better soon.

New Twilight Trailer

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=AvkIoi5OS28

My sister and I both agreed that the lines from the book sound cheesier when they're acted out. ;)

Plus, what's up with the creepy music in the background?

Happy Birthday to me!

Well, another birthday has come and gone. It was so much fun; I went to school and then did homework! Yay! Now begins the one year countdown until I can get my license! :)

Inkdeath is Here!

After three long years of waiting, Inkdeath is finally here! What a great almost birthday present! I got it tonight, so that's what is probably going to occupy most of my time this weekend. I'll probably even still be reading during my birthday party on Sunday, I'll be so into it...;)

I officially love Borders! I tried to get it at Barnes and Noble, but they said it wouldn't be coming out until October 7th. But there it was right in the front at Borders...:)

Have a great weekend!

The Three Meme and Baltimore Book Festival!

First item of information, there's going to be a Baltimore Book Festival! Here's some info on it.

13th Annual Baltimore Book Festival

Where: Historic Mount Vernon Place centered on the 600 block of North Charles Street, 21201 Baltimore, MD.

When: Friday September 26 from 5-9 pm

Saturday September 27 from 11 am-7pm

Sunday September 28 from 11 am-7pm

Website: http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/

Obviously I can't make it here in Utah, but if you're in the area you should definitely check it out!
Now I'll do this cool meme Danielle tagged me for!

Rules: 3 Catagories-3 MUST read books
3 Keep your eyes on these,
3 Look for these soon.

Then I’m going to tag three bloggers. They will copy these lists, but will subtract one and add their own.
(And please keep the additions 2007-09)

MUST read books:
Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen*
Undercover by Beth Kephart

Keep your eyes on these:
Identical by Ellen Hopkins*
The 13th Reality by James Dashner
Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale*

Look for these soon:
Cybele’s Secret by Juliette Marillier
Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke*
The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli

* are my additions

I tag whoever wants to do this!

I'm seriously considering homeschooling...

So I'm about a week and some odd days along in my last year of junior high at the public school that I've been going to for two years. And at this point it just hasn't been going very well for me.
My sister is considering doing homeschooling, and I think that I might too. My mother is thinking about it and I just need to talk about it with my dad now.

I am just not enjoying public school. Half of it is busy work, the students and people there are aggravating, the options very limited. If I did homeschooling I could do this Electronic High School that is available in my state and take some classes that they did not offer at my school. Plus it would give me chance to get ahead and not waste so much time with unimportant assemblies and teacher advisary classes like I'm doing now. I think that it would be an okay choice academically.

My mom is worried about how I'll do socially if I do decide to drop out of public school. I personally don't care, but I don't want to do anything that I'll regret.

So some opinions would be very much appreciated (especially from you folk that are homeschooled.) So what do you think?