Plagiarism?

This week I copy-pasted whole paragraphs from scholarship essays that I've written previously (but didn't get), and put them together into a "Thank You" letter to accept the one scholarship that I did get. Half tuition scholarship to BYU Provo!!! And all I had to do was write "thanks," send a picture, and mail it off. Boo-yah.

And then I tried to write an essay on why I should be chosen for the Principal's Award. And that one sucked. I'll try and fix it before it's due. And that's it.

Personal Promenade

Prom was this weekend. Along with a MILLION other things (and I only exaggerate slightly).

The three things that I knew about in advance were my swim meet, prom, and Amanda's wedding. 

Oh, and family was in town for the wedding. Yay!

I went to the swim meet in the morning. My dear friend Emily came down to support us in the last "real meet" and Aria came too. I qualified for regionals in the 100 free, which means that the only event I HAVEN'T qualified for yet is the 100 breast.... missed it by 2 seconds. Still, I'm pretty cool. Eliza finally tackled the 200 free, and qualified with time to spare. All in all, (though I don't think we had a chance of beating the other team) it was a pretty great meet. 

After that my dear friend and Sunday Sister, Ari, came and did my hair and make-up for Prom. She was so awesome that we finished about an hour and a half earlier than planned.... so I wandered around the house, chatting with family... finding accessories....watching my phone.... waiting for the Party Bus (yes. my group of friends rented a Party Bus and thought it would be fun to pick me up from my house, in case I needed more time to get ready because of the swim meet). They were late. Oh well, it was still fun.

I "technically" went to prom... in the fact that I took pictures with the group. I went to everything but the dance and had everything but a date. ;)

But we took a LOT of pictures.... and I don't have any of them. Yet. Melissa's mom took a ton of us together and individually. The girl who arranged it all had a semi-professional photographer come and take pictures. I paid $15 for the CD of pictures that will be made/photo-shopped/mass produced. So I have no photos... but I will soon have a TON of them. 

Then we were dropped off at the J.W Mariot (where Prom was held), and I was picked up to go to the wedding. (It didn't really happen as smoothly as that, but there we go.) It was beautiful, it was good to see everyone, it was awkward because I knew one of the people who was catering (I know him...but I'm not his greatest fan. Let's leave it at that). 

 This wedding totally upheld my theory that only little kids catch the bouquet. But the REALLY funny thing is that her mom was mad at her for catching it "you should have tossed it to someone else!!!"

This was our "sassy" pose.

One Grecian urn.... ;)

Weddings are all great fun. The take-down??? Not so much.

It wasn't perfect. It wasn't exactly how I pictured my senior prom playing out.... but it worked. More or less. And hanging out with family was really important.

Beastly Almost Carbon Footprint.

I wrote a essay about RTC and reducing your carbon footprint this week. Well, they were giving away 20 iPads to the winning essays... so I did it. I could post it here as proof of completion but you really don't need it and it isn't very interesting. So there we go.

Other thoughts.

Beauty and the Beast (The Musical) is TOTALLY like Phantom of the Opera... if Gaston was actually a good person.
Observe.


Think about it....

Belle/Christine is a beautiful young girl in a new place, with a doting (though dead, in Christine's case) father who is elemental putting Belle/Christine in the situation that starts the play's plot line. (Christine's father taught her about the "Angel of Music," and she meets the Phantom at her Father's grave. Belle takes her father's place as a prisoner in the Enchanted Castle.) Belle/Christine lives in the castle/secret underground place for a time, then Gaston/Raoul got a group of people to attack the stronghold of the Beast/Phantom. The Beast/Phantom lets them come in without much resistance. Raoul/Gaston attempts to kill Beast/Phantom but Belle/Christine stops him. Somebody dies, and the rest live pretty much happily ever after. (...does the Phantom actually DIE? I'm not actually sure. But there you go.)

Beast/Phantom is horribly disfigured, and is isolated because of that. He is the master of his Enchanted Castle/ Opera house. He sees Belle/Christine as his only hope.He kind of obsesses over her.

Roses. And mirrors.

The Beast asks Belle to take the mirror with her to "remember him." Insert song, "Think of Me."

Common people don't really worry about Beast/Phantom until Belle/Christine wanders around. Then he's a murderous, scary, big deal.

Gaston and Raoul are both really fit men. And awesome.

Anyway. That's that.


And one more thought.

To be "almost" something, is to be nothing at all.

I am "almost" everything. 

To "almost" win is to lose.

To "almost" get it is to miss.

To be "almost" chosen is to be forgotten

To be the runner up is fall short.

To be a nominee is nothing. 

I sometimes feel like I am doomed to be forever "almost."

A Day Without Sunrise

There was no sunrise here yesterday.

I thought it was strange. (someone should sue me for the over use of that word)

On my walk to my seminary carpool, I've become used to seeing the sunrise.
Yesterday there was no sunrise. No clouds. Not even a highlight of the rising sun. The entire sky was a mass of even gray. No variation. No color. Just a dusty gray. (Literally. We later found out that it was caused by dust in the wind)

Given what happened yesterday, I can't help but see this as a metaphor or symbol.

Yes. The Boston Marathon bombing.

I... don't want to write the facts, so here's a link. Basic Facts

What does this mean? I'll tell you one thing. Gun Control isn't the problem. If it were, this wouldn't have happened. No. The problem is that there are people out there who just want to hurt others. People who want to kill people. And they are always one step ahead.

It's sickening. Frustrating. 

What can we do? Pray for the victims, punish the culprit. Learn what we can. Wait for the next disaster. 

This is my third disaster.

Aurora Colorado, 7/21/12 

Sandy Hook Elementary, 12/14/12

Boston Marathon, 4/15/13

There have been more. But these are the ones I remember. I remember what I was doing that day. I remember who told me, or how I heard it first. I remember the facts, and how they kept changing as time wore on. I remember the victims. I remember the murderers. I remember asking why.
Why. Why do people kill? What could possibly push them this far? How depraved must that person's mind be... to plan such destruction. When will it happen again?

And then I get to thinking like this.

 

There is so much WRONG with this world. 

 One man's heartache is another man's headline.

And then someone said this.
"You want to know why. This may sound cynical, but here's why.
It's because of the way the media reports it. Flip on the news and watch how we treat the Batman theater shooter and the Oregon mall shooter like celebrities. Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris are household names, but do you know the name of a single *victim* of Columbine? Disturbed people who would otherwise just off themselves in their basements see the news and want to top it by doing something worse, and going out in a memorable way. Why a grade school? Why children? Because he'll be remembered as a horrible monster, instead of a sad nobody.

CNN's article says that if the body count "holds up", this will rank as the second deadliest shooting behind Virginia Tech, as if statistics somehow make one shooting worse than another. Then they post a video interview of third-graders for all the details of what they saw and heard while the shootings were happening. Fox News has plastered the killer's face on all their reports for hours. Any articles or news stories yet that focus on the victims and ignore the killer's identity? None that I've seen yet. Because they don't sell. So congratulations, sensationalist media, you've just lit the fire for someone to top this and knock off a day care center or a maternity ward next.

You can help by forgetting you ever read this man's name, and remembering the name of at least one victim. You can help by donating to mental health research instead of pointing to gun control as the problem. You can help by turning off the news."

And then I heard this.

And I remember.
The world can't be as bad as it seems.
It can't.
Because in this world of horror, depravity, and darkness...
You and I live.
We carry on.

We pray. We love. We nurture.
We teach correct principles. We learn of forgiveness.
We are children of God. All of us.
All of us.


"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light"-Albus Dumbledore.

We are the light of the world. You and I. The helpers. The heroes.
Darkness is nothing more than the absence of light.
As long as we are here, as long as we don't give up, darkness cannot win.



I didn't see the sunrise that morning. The colors didn't shine through. But this doesn't mean that the light wasn't there.

Life's Little Storms

We had crazy weather for the first few days. So I jotted down some stuff about it.

Upon a strange morning. The wind's mighty arm throws dirt at the air, giving clouds a false blush as the western sky imitates the pink of sunrise. The same wind kicked in the fence of a corner house, wrecking havoc among the junk as it stole it's way across the yard, and ripped young leaves from their nurturing branches. Even in the enclosed safety of a car, an occasional rock or sway reminds us of the torrent's power. The wandering wind swirls in uncharted paths, disappearing unexpectedly only to return more fiercely. But this morning holds more than a wind. A light rain spits at the ground, testing it. Seconds later the drops fatten, fall faster, and fill the sky. From then on, it's a give-and-take between the rain and wind: ebbing of one and rise of the other. Their relationship is seemingly inverse, but then moments come where both unite in a furious tirade of energy. Oh, the rain. It falls like icy darts on the scalps and exposed skins of the passerby. We run between classes to escape the  ever-changing onslaught. And yet the sneaking suspicion that it can't last bolsters us through the roughest parts. And sure enough, before long the weather has run it's course and the bright sun erases all but the memory of the once fearsome storm.


Anyway. That's what it was like... more or less. Oh, and during the worst and coldest part of the wind... we had a surprise fire drill. It was COLD. We huddled.  We grimaced. We felt a bit like Syrian Refugees. It lasted FOREVER. It was bad news.
Two days later, we had another fire drill... and it was bright sunshine. The fire drill lasted less than three minutes. But hey, that's life. The give and take, storm and shine, long and short of it all.

Oh, I wrote another little ditty that sounds like it SHOULD have been written FOR someone... but wasn't.

"Goodbye, but not forever. I'll miss you e're we part.

 But you'll never truly leave me, while I have you in my heart.
So long, I'll see you later. Though I don't know when that may be.
If an age passes between us, I wonder, will you remember me?"

It's been a strange week. A good one, for the most part. Let's see how this next one measures up. 

So much sweeter.

Putting grand ideas into a simple, rhythmic, rhyming structure makes them stand out.

The poem ends at 4:47, but you are welcome to watch the rest!

I like rhyming. 

So for no reason at all... I'm going to write a rhyme... about rhyming. 

What is the point of a poem? Why are these words different

than the thousand other words that somehow seem less important? 

The simple lilt, melodic phrase, of words in perfect meter

make bitter truths and tough ideas seem, somehow, so much sweeter.

  If a picture's worth a thousand words, I think a poem's worth more!

A poem finds a place in the mind, like nothing has before.

In times of trouble, sorrow, grief, it returns like an old friend

to whisper a familiar phrase, and remind you, "troubles end."

I might add to this. Later. But this will do for now.

3 Months Gone

Oh ya. March is over. Oh ya. I made a resolution to do a major art project every month. I didn't finish Aria's Cambodia thing I was going to do (not by a LONG shot). But I did this in school. It was supposed to be "abstract" and... isn't. But at least it's kind-of pretty. Whatever.

Speaking about my new years resolutions, the year is technically 1/4 over. So I figured I'd evaluate how I'm doing with my resolutions. It's going to be majorly disappointing in some aspects, but I think it's necessary.So here we go.


1. Get back in the habit of journaling, at least once a week.
Aha. Well. Not quite once a week. But with Ari's help, I'm doing a lot better.
2. Set aside time at least twice a week to study for AP tests and apply for scholarships (as long as applicable)
I'm not holding up on the "twice a week thing." I need to do better on studying for the tests, but I did get a bunch of scholarship stuff out there.
3. Do some of the things I keep saying that I'm going to. (Gee Alayna, could you be a little more vague?) Triskadecaphobia T-shirt, the book for Mr. Mast, stuff for NHS, Color run, LOTR marathon, Sadies, Prom,  etc.
LOTR (check, and it was awesome), Color run (check), Sadies (I was going to ask someone... but he moved to Utah, so no go, but I tried.), Prom (to the extent that I can, I will... but I can't go to the actual dance.), The rest... we'll see.
4. Practice more often (also vague, but there you go)
It's hard to tell. I practiced the cello for the first time in a LONG time... recently. Working on Piano.
( Here is where I would say that I will work out more... if indeed I intended to commit myself to such a resolution. I don't) Aha! I swim every day. Take that.

5. Cook at least one meal a week with minimal help.
Complete and utter failure. I've turned on the rice steamer. Twice, I think. This one needs work.
6. Get to sleep earlier so I don't sleep during Math.
Ah. Sleeping earlier: No. Never before 10:30. Not sleeping: lately, I've been pretty good.
8. Learn how to count.
;)
9. Get more hours at work during summer, at least 30.
N/A... but I have everything in line to be a lifeguard again.
10. Keep in touch with friends as we move away.
I've gotten a few more cell numbers, and Melissa and I have sworn to Skype frequently.
11. Get my Drivers License. Really. And improve on my navigation skills... or get really good at using Google Maps.
..........Let's move on.
12. Find out how to use my ipod touch. iTunes, FaceTime, all that jazz.
I have discovered the magic of Pandora.
13. Have FUN and do well in Swim Team this year. And I want to be Captain.
The coaches decided that we won't HAVE captains this year, which sucks. But the team itself has been a lot better than last year (though that wasn't really hard).
14. Graduate in White, get the Medallion, get the NHS cord, and be Salutatorian.
Psych. I'm currently 3rd in my class. Don't really know how that happened, since I went from 2 to 3 after getting a semester of straight A's. I'm on track with everything else.
15. Get A's in all my classes and pass (hopefully with 4s) my AP tests.
A's= so far so good. Studying for tests.
16. Write more often. Something every week (journal doesn't count). A poem, a story, descriptive essay, something. With a year-end goal of two fully written stories. (Some of the ones that have been kicking around in my head for the past forever.)
Well.... I HAVE one for every week... but it wasn't necessarily WRITTEN that week. 
17. Do "Artistic Progressions." (You'll see what I mean) Take pictures along the way, as I spend time doing a really good picture. At least one a month, to be worked on throughout the month. (CAN include schoolwork)
Ya. Ok.
18. Get my stinking braces off. Enough is enough. It's Senior year. I want them off before I graduate.
Memorial Day.
19. Make new friends (necessary!), but keep the old. (One is silver and the other gold)
My suite mates for BYU have friended me on Facebook. Looks promising.
20. Go on at least one date... it can't be that hard....
Apparently it is.
21. Keep up with my blog.
I guess you can be the judge of that.
22. Help my neighbor write her personal history over the summer.
N/A
 23. Do the best I can with whatever comes my way, but don't freak out about thinks that I have no control over.
I'm getting better at the phrase "It's fine." or "I'll MAKE it fine."
24. Go to the Temple at least 13 times this year.
3 down.
25. Be more kind. Be more tolerant. Be more certain. Be myself... but better.
It's a give-and-take.

*New resolution* Someone in conference (I'd have to check my notes to remember exactly WHO it was) asked us to share more of the gospel in our daily social networking. (Or something like that.) So I'm going to do something "churchy" on Facebook at least once a week. Share a Mormonad, post a movie, clip from conference, or a new meme. Do that.