Dearest Samalamadingdong

I decided that the topic for this post shall be music. Lately I started listening to The Killers and Death Cab for Cutie and Coldplay. Coldplay is especially good for walking to. I get home from church two hours before the rest of my family does because I go to a different one than they do. Two weeks ago It was so beautiful outside that I decided that I had to get out and enjoy it and soak it up before it disappeard. So I leashed my dog, put on a jacket and some shades, popped in some tunes and set out to breath. Let me tell you, that was the BEST walk I have ever flown solo on. I happened to be listening to Coldplay and the songs were perfect for my surroundings.

Music is such a wonderful thing and there is a song for every single thing you may be feeling. Classic, pop, country, techno, jazz, rap, acoustic, alternative, world, rock. And the ability to hear is amazing as well. How all those little sound waves are transducted into brain impulses and you register it as what it is. How fast it all happens and how tremendously it is able to impact how you feel.

And how you can distinguish so many different sounds. Different instruments, favorite song by just a few notes and people's voices. As Juliet does say

"My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words
Of thy tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound."

So I shall list my 10 favorite musical groups and a little blurb about them along with my favorite song of theirs.


1. Jack Johnson Better Together


Johnson was born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The son of well-known surfer Jeff Johnson, he took an interest in the sport from a young age - he began surfing at the age of 5. At 17, he became the youngest invitee to make the surfing finals at the Pipeline Masters on Oahu's north shore. One week later, however, his stint as a professional surfer ended when he suffered a surfing accident at the Pipeline that put over 150 stitches in his forehead and knocked a few of his teeth out.


2. Brett Dennen Heaven


He has traveled extensively across the U.S., serving as stagehand and to tour and/or play on bills withfor musicians such as John Mayer, Michael Franti, and guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela, Sheryl Crow, Shawn Colvin, ALO, Jackson Brown, Taj Mahal, Ziggy Marley, Xavier Rudd, Corinne Bailey Rae. In 2007, he introduced Guster and singer-songwriters Meiko and Joshua James.


3. Coldplay Rainy Day


The members of Coldplay met and became friends while living in the same dormitory at the University College of London (UCL) in the mid-1990s. They formed a band, originally naming themselves Starfish. When friends of theirs who were playing in a band called Coldplay no longer wanted to use the name, Starfish officially became Coldplay. The name was taken from a book of poetry called Child's Reflections, Cold Play.


4. Death Cab for Cutie Crooked Teeth


Plans is Seattle quartet Death Cab For Cutie's fifth album, but in many ways it's an album of firsts. It's their first for Atlantic Records, after a long and productive relationship with Seattle-based indie Barsuk. It's their first recorded on 48 tracks, their first recorded on the East Coast, and their first with a song originated by a member other than Ben Gibbard. Plans was recorded over 28 wintry days in early 2005 at Longview Studios, housed in a converted barn in Massachusetts. Chris Walla, as always, served as producer--and claims not to have seen daylight once during the recording. Perhaps that's why he suddenly blurted out the album title to Harmer during a lull in conversation over burritos.


5. Straight No Chaser Can't Take My Eyes off of You


If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image fo students in blue blazers, ties and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser (SNC) are neither strait-laced nor strait-faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch. As original member Randy Stine Comments, “We take the music very seriously; we just don’t take ourselves too seriously.” In the process, they are reinventing the idea of a capella on the modern pop landscape. Originally formed over a dozen years ago while students together at Indiana University, the group has reassembled and reemerged as a phenomenon - with a massive fanbase, more than 20 million views on YouTube and numerous national TV appearances.


6. Neon Trees Animal


Neon Trees is a rock band from Provo, UT, with origins in Southern California. Formed initially by neighbors Tyler Glenn (lead vocals/keyboards) and Chris Allen (guitars), the band made its first home in Provo, eventually adding Branden Campbell (bass) and Elaine Bradley (drums/vocals) to the lineup. Although a well known band in Provo, the band didn’t receive nationwide exposure until late 2008 when they were chosen as openers for several of The Killers’ North American tour dates. [1] Not long after, the band was signed by major record label Mercury Records in early 2009. Additionally, the group was voted Band of the Year in 2009 by City Weekly, a popular Salt Lake City publication. (Totally didn't know they were from utah!)


7. La Roux Fascinations


La Roux is an English electropop and synthpop duo made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Kate Jackson (born 12 March 1988) and keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid. Sales of the group's song "In for the Kill" spiked 600 percent when it was played on the HBO show Entourage in August 2010. Later that month, it was announced that an EP remix has been released in tandem with the November US tour. In October a second video for the song was released that was shot at New York's landmark Hotel Chelsea. The song was released in the United States 7 October. Elly Jackson's first interest was in folk music. She was particularly interested in Carole King and Nick Drake whose music she discovered in her parents' record collection. Ben Langmaid is the second half of La Roux but he does not participate in the music videos or live performances with the band. Langmaid, a London-based producer and composer, has been involved with various other music projects in the past.


8. Ben Folds Losing Lisa


Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds (born September 12, 1966) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and the former front man of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five who now performs as a solo artist and collaborates with many other musicians. Folds became attracted to piano at age nine. His father, a carpenter, brought one home through a barter trade with a customer who was unable to pay. During this time, Folds listened to songs by Elton John and Billy Joel on AM radio, and learned them by ear. During his years at R.J. Reynolds High School in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Folds played in several bands as the pianist, bassist, or drummer.


9. The Killers I Can't Stay


The Killers are an American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada that was formed in 2001.The band consists of Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboard, occasional bass guitar), Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals), Mark Stoermer (bass guitar, occasional rhythm guitar, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums, percussion).As an alternative rock band, The Killers draw some of their influences from the music styles of the 1980s. The group's debut album, Hot Fuss (2004) brought the band mainstream success. The Killers' second album, Sam's Town, was released in 2006, and compilation album Sawdust containing B-sides, rarities, and new material, was released in 2007. Their third studio album, Day & Age, produced by Stuart Price, was released in 2008.The band has sold over 6 million albums in the United States, over 5 million albums in the United Kingdom and over 15 million worldwide.


10.Flight of the Conchords Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros


Jake and I watched an episode of this together in the cast room during rehearsal one day. I thought it ridiculously funny so when I got home I bumped the first season up to the top of the Netflix list. I've spent the past three nights watching the first season. It's witty and completly a joke about two guys from New Zealand, Brett McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, and their brainless escapades and simple mindedness. It's wonderful :) I must warn you though, that it can be pretty crude and dirty often, but it is awesome nontheless.

Dear Jess,

Originally I had wanted to write about the various Christmas presents, and Christmas things I’ve done over the past two days (Christmas at moms, then at dads) but something extremely appalling came up and, not to put a damper on the Christmas spirit, as I wish you a very merry Christmas, but its something that’s on my mind and incredibly serious.

Two days before my oldest step-brother, Holden, turned 19, and a few weeks before Christmas itself, he was served legal papers from his own father, whom he’s lived with 50% of the time, stating that all of his human rights were going to be taken away from him. I never knew that was legal, and currently think that its completely immoral, and unconstitutional. His father, Eric, claimed that Holden was incapacitated, and unable to function in the adult world, thus Eric would become his guardian for life. With this legal process these rights could potentially be stripped from Holden:

• To marry or divorce
• To vote or hold an election
• To enter into a contract or make or revoke a will
• To appoint someone to act on your behalf
• To sue and be sued other than through a guardian
• To possess a license to drive
• To buy, sell, own, mortgage, or lease property
• To consent to or refuse medical treatment
• To decide who shall proved care and assistance
• To make decisions regarding social aspects of your life.

This sickens me to have those rights taken away has in simple terms made you a slave of your guardian. Not only is Holden an entirely capable person but he excels more so than I do in countless areas. Evidence presented by his father as to why Holden is capable were along the lines of-- he scored 177 on his PSAT, and was above average in two sections, but since on the third section he was average (not even below average) he will be unable to sustain himself in the adult word. Holden drives himself to and from school every day, this being a 50 mile round trip. He has a 3.8 GPA. The only thing about Holden that people judge is how he portrays himself socially. He doesn’t like to socialize and instead spends his extra time on the computer or with video games. 90% of all teenage boys do that too!

The first statement made in the documents to the judge had the world “autistic” in it, so the case was accepted. Holden is a highly-functioning autistic. Meaning he functions better than most and even so, the word autism shouldn’t determine the rights that Holden is given. This to me is discrimination in one of it’s ugliest forms, used to strip rights away from someone. I’ve seen many times people without mental disabilities that have less a right to live without a guardian than Holden.

All in all, the next few months will be spent supporting Holden (due to the fact that he’s legally an adult now, he must work with the attorney on his own) and molding him to be the legally accepted average 19 year old man. It makes me so sad that his own father, rather than giving as people typically do for birthdays and Christmas, served him papers saying he will be taking everything away from him. I love Holden so much, and have bragged about how smart he was on many accounts. We’re going to win this so Holden can live his life to the fullest and with all the potential Holden has, he’s going to make something of himself.

Again, I’m sorry for putting a damper on the Christmas mood, but this was just revealed last night. I do sincerely hope your Christmas is fantastic and feel free to blog about it as much as you want (I’ll post again, eventually, with the presents I got and things that I did over Christmas as well.)

Love always,
Sam

Dear Sam

I promise that this will be the last post about "You know who."
It makes me sad that poetry has such a sappy rap. But either way I wrote another one because I really want to tell him, but I think that it may be too cheesy and weird and stuff. And I don't want to cause drama or weirdness and the thought that he might stop liking me as a human being is paralyzing. And I don't know why I want to tell him and what I think I'll accomplish except maybe find out that he might like me too (which is super unlikely, but still)...
So here it is:

I don't know how to phrase this

dearest Jake

What I think of you

and what approach to take

But maybe, just maybe

if I put it in verse

It won't be too cheesy

or upfront and terse

Plain and simple

the story goes like this

I really think you're cool

One, no one should dis

I hope we can still be friends

(though I can't see why not)

'Cause I'm lots of fun

and you're smokin' hot

JK JK JK JK

Sorry! I couldn't resist...

But you can't deny

it did add a funny twist

Anyways, hope your holidays are filled

with many moments of cheer

and you have a super blast

ringing in the brand new year

----------------------------------------------------------------

Also, I need help with math still and Coraline is a really good movie and I will try harder to think of ideas for the sketch book, which we WILL FINISH!

Love,

Jess

Dear Sam

So here is my post and I'll write what I already told you and then tell you more. I like to post positive things that happen so that when I get into the "My life sucks beyond worth" funk I can come back and read these things.

So I started praying about a month ago because I just felt like maybe if I ask someone for help that supposedly controls the universe, then the helpless feeling I was feeling would ease. Then I could just turn the problem over to the supreme being of everything and then I could say that I truly did all that I was capable of and let it go. It's like having a conversation with an imaginary friend and at first it sounds weird talking out loud to yourself but after a while it starts to be fine. Like reverting back to being a little child again. Anyways. I started praying for Jake because I felt so sad about him being so downer all the time. The fact that he's a senior and has a toilet GPA, doesn't know what he wants to do with his life, feels like his family doesn't like him and he doesn't fit in. Doesn't have friends, no motivation for anything, never had a girlfriend. The list just goes on and on. So I said hey, if anyone can do something about this mess its GOD.

So I did. And the 3 days in a row I prayed for him he seemed decently happy. Then I stopped and a few weeks went by. The other day we were in groups in AP Psych and he and I were in a group together and he was the lowest I have ever seen another human being. But it wasn't where all he talked about was death and dying, he was more matter of fact. We talked about not fitting into our families and how he doesn't want to be around Lloyd anymore and how he hates the show and wants to drop out and how hormones are nuts and stuff. And that day I came home and was feeling ridiculously sad for him and I just wanted to cry. Because I wanted to hug him and tell him that I liked him as a human being. That he was so amazing on stage and that he was funny and that he can do it. But I didn't.

Because I feel really happy most of the time and it's hard to see others sad and not be able to give them what you feel. So the other night I started praying for him again. I told GOD that I was done and that he either needed to somehow let me know to give up and let it go and stop being friends with this kid, or he needed to show me that there is still something there that is salvageable as a friendship. Yesterday was better, and today was perfect.

Yesterday at set building he came at 4 and then Nick Santiago showed up. We worked together for the entire time they were there. And it was so much fun. Nick is hilarious and my abs hurt afterwards. Jake just followed us around and didn't do anything unless he was directly asked to. The conversation bounced around and made no sense and was unpredictable. Jake and I didn't talk very much but I caught him looking at me and it made me laugh inside. CHEESY WARNING: I really enjoy looking at him :) And sometimes we look at each other for no reason...

The conversation somehow got to hair and Jake challenged me to a hair off because we both said we had soft hair. Nick was the judge but he never passed a verdict. Both of our hair is really soft. And it's funny because I sit behind him in Psych and for a long time I thought about how soft and shiny his hair looked and I wondered how he got it that nice and I really wanted to feel it. And I got to yesterday.

The other thing was that when the left, Nick waved me over to tell me what the instructions were for the project we had been working on. Then he gave me a hug and walked towards the door. Jake was behind him and he walked towards me and opened his arms and said "hug" and I realize that it probably sounds really immature and awkward but it wasn't, it was more telling and matter of fact than asking. And it wasn't a short hug either. And back when they were blocking the Friar Lawrence and Friar John scene where Friar John tells Lawrence that he didn't deliver the letter to Romeo, they were supposed to greet each other with a hug. She had Jake hug Navid over and over because he was so awkward and she wanted him to get it right and I thought "Wow, that would be sad to be so physically awkward when accepting affectionate gestures..." but hugging him wasn't awkward. Normally it should have been a huge endorphin rush, but it wasn't. But I take that as GOD's sign that he isn't hopeless. So I'm not going to give up just yet.

Today was even better. We walked together from 1st to 2nd period and he told me about this game called Fallout Los Vegas that he was going to get Nick so that he could go over to Nick's house and play it on his x-box... Which I thought was pretty funny. Then after 2nd period (because we're on opposite sides of the new building ground floor) He made it to the door a little before me and he saw me. He was already walking with Thad Allen, but he looked back at me a bunch of times and then when we got outside he walked REALLY slow for me to catch up, which I thought was a nice. And all the way to Psych he kept looking back as though to check that I was still there, but not all the way back. More of like sneaky glancing and I walked right behind/next to him the entire way. Thad kept talking. Then at Psych he walked in first, but held the door for me. He told me more about Fallout LV and then in drama Jon wasn't there so we sat in the very back alone. And after the movie was done we walked up to the stage to talk to Lloyd. I was last to walk up because I had to turn off the projector and stuff and I was behind him. He went to walk to the back of the group, and then he backtracked and sat down right near where I was walking up so all I had to do was sit down. Then She told him to pull up the screen and he said that he didn't know how, so I went over with him and showed him. He did a good job and I told him that.

I think that he's finally seeing that I mean good and am extending an olive branch and I think that at first he didn't believe me, but he's seeing that I'm genuine and serious and stable.

So we'll see how all of this goes. Hopefully tomorrow will be good too and even when his bipolarity takes him down that he will still see me as a friend.

Dear Jess

World peace would be fabulous! I wish all those things could happen and people could see out of other peoples perspectives. This idea is not lost on me today of all days when I wanted to wish with all my heart that some people could see out of my perspective and on top of that, change their ways too! Of course, that didn't happen, and will not happen, so in my sadness, frustration, and anger of today, I instead spent it shut in my room writing a poem that, suffice it to say, had no purpose other than a distraction. Here it is:

My Mind

Left inside an empty room
To ponder thoughts of many kind
That weigh me down like heavy tomes
Inside this thing I call my mind
With crazy thoughts that bounce around
I’d say it’s like a circus tent
So many things that can’t be found
Still packed away for the next event
The clowns I know are scary thoughts
Laughter, though they try to win
Beneath those masks they’re so distraught
Tiny cars they all fit in
My minds is like a highway too
The traffic changing day to day
With rapid thinkings going through
None can find the time to stay
My anger turns to road rage
Yelling constant words of scorn
This car has turned into a cage
And all around’s a blaring horn
My mind is like a music band
Creations of a lovely kind
All produced from my own hand
Within this thing I call my mind
The saxophone is what I choose
Sweet music sounds and it can be
Anything like jazz or blues
This is creativity
But lingering near I fear’s the block
That hides until you need it least
When time is running from the clock
It dines on your creative feast
He is my mind, I do agree
This loathsome, ugly, cruel big creature
Sometimes he is all I can see
That eats up my creative features
To say the least, my mind’s a feast
With flavors I’ve yet to explore
With cravings roaring like a beast
Somehow I need to fit in more
These cravings become my desires
Unlike real life I’m never full
I’m always always pressing higher
Making real life never dull
My mind is like the endless sky
Stretching far as the eye can see
With no limits I’ll reach so high
Going for eternity
My mind is space, the galaxy
Beautiful without a sound
Stars appear occasionally
Until of course I hit the ground

I’m back inside the empty room
My thoughts and mind back in my head
Words and memories bounce around
As I lay here in my bed

With pencils and eraser bits
All these things I try to find
To describe what all that fits
Inside this thing I call my mind.

Love always,
Sam

Dear Sam

I don't know what it means but I like it:

There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she’s blind. She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He’s always there for her. She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.

One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she can see everything, including her boyfriend. Her boyfriend asked her, “now that you can see the world, will you marry me?” The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend is blind too, and refused to marry him. Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying. “Just take care of my eyes dear.”




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometimes I wish that you could give someone you're perspecive or take theirs. That would be cool. It would also be nice for others to be consistant, whether it be nice or mean or tacky or cold or outgoing or shy. I also wish that making friends was as easy now as it was in 1st grade. Where you were happy to be and there were no weird dynamics and gossip and angst. World peace would be nice too...

Dear Sam

I wish that I did cool things like you... Like write huge crazy stories about ficticious characters and such. But alas, maybe it is so we can balance eachother out.

Do you ever have moments where thoughts or emotions overcome you? Like seeing a gorgeous sunrise in first period and, for a second, being totally immersed in the moment and what you see? Sometimes I have moments like that. Today I had one. I all of the sudden have gotten very much into other human beings. I love everyone and it is so much fun! It makes me happy to love other people. Not the romantic love, but loving them for being human and alive and having thoughts and opinons and breathing air.



My moment was today towards the end of rehearsal. Jake came in late because he took a nap after school and slept through the alarm. He didn't join in on the stage combat lesson (he doesn't want to fight anywyays.) So he stayed for about an hour and we just talked and he followed me around helping with some menial work Lloyd needed done. He was very genuine and happy and friendly. There was one point when we were talking and he said something about his dad wanting to sell realestate and he laughed and I looked up at him and he was ridiculously beautiful for those few moments and I was amazed at how beautiful he was.

I know that sounds wacky tacky but that's okay. I like observing people and finding beauty in them. That sounds tacky and all romantic too but that's okay.

The play is going awesome! I am loving every single second of assistant directing. I love being needed and I love helping people and having all the answers. I love making new friends and sharing inside jokes with everyone.

Thanks for the hug yesterday OOO!
So I had a really bad day yesterday (for absolutly NO reason) and I got in the car after rehearsal and cried home. I changed into my pajamas and about 20 minutes later, my dad comes in and askes if I want to talk about it. I said no, and he said that he's always here if I ever change my mind and that he loves me. Then he left. About 15 minutes later he comes back in and askes me if I want to play HALO REACH with him and the fact that that was what he was offering melted my heart and I played with him for 2 hours. I just thought that that was the sweetest thing. His way of showing that he cares in the way that he knows how... Pretty much my dad is the best one EVER

Goodnight
Love,
Jess

Dear Jess,

So, I mentioned NaNoWriMo earlier, and I thought I’d take a post to describe to you what my ‘novel’ is going to be all about.

I got this idea during summer, which wasn’t even much of an idea but more of an image. There was a slender blonde girl wearing a vintage, but simplistic pink dress; one that looked rather odd on her due to her body type.

(imagine this but in a light pastel rose color)

She was standing next to a boy who had black hair with electric blue streaks and eyes the color of fire. Not red colored eyes, but fire colored. They were standing in the middle of a narrow hallway with gold and bronze piping lining the edges and at the end stood a cliché evil villain henchman; big, buff, bald…and clad in leather.

I guess that doesn’t really tell you much about the novel, but for that part, now you know how I came to think of it. Here is the synopsis.

My main character is named Flynn (if you think that name’s weird, we’re just getting started.) He is part of the Creation which are a group of mechanically created humans. The government is completely totalitarian ruled by the man named Beckett Augustine.

During the time/world/alternate reality (whatever it is…I haven’t quite figured that out yet) the totalitarian government has declared ‘reproduction’ illegal. That is, the only way humanity is sustained is by the machines scientifically created. The result is not quite human, but nothing extraordinarily different (their differences don’t come into play as a big part in the novel) the key concept is the fact that the government has restrained the liberty of the people so much as to disallow them from creating new life.

The other main character is named Twilla; her full name is Twillanne Beaumont (yes, I’m intending her full name to sound odd.) She is a result of some Blue Bloods breaking the rules and thus producing Ms. Twillanne. Because of this broken rule, she’s been cooped up in a small room for the 16 years of her existence, so she’s gone a little insane, but not completely. When her parents are found out and slaughtered in front of her, she finds that reading for those 16 years and having nothing better to do than to act out the scenes in her book has allowed her to know how to do strange things…such as kill with ease.

All in all, this story’s about Flynn and Twilla bringing down the corrupt government together, I haven’t really thought about the in-betweens…
That’s my NaNoWriMo!
2,507 words…47,493 to go!
Hopefully I’ll think of those important in-betweens in the meantime!

Love,
Sam

P.S.
Here’s an excerpt from the story:

“She heard another scream, this time sounding deeper than the last, one that was imitating the voice of her father. The heroine character began to peel apart, much like the wallpaper that lined her room. She waited a moment, butterflies beginning to build in her stomach. She let out a giggle again. Butterflies. In her stomach. Poor butterflies."

Dear Jess,

In the next 25 days I will be writing a 50,000 word novel.

It’s the month of November which means for my sister and I, NaNoWriMo! (aka: National Novel Writing Month) This also means another achieved 50, 000 words for my sis…and most likely a feeble attempt from me. For the past couple of years I’ve tried at the competition…and failed miserably. This year I was determined to finish on time but its 5 days into the competition and I still haven’t written a single word! Okay, I’m not giving myself enough credit here; I’ve written approximately 68 words. So this will be my time consuming goal this month. I desperately hope that no more crazy projects will come up in school so I can accomplish it!

On a different note, I am in love with Fall. The other day my sister, my mom, and I went to Snohomish; a town that is the epitome of all things Fall. There we tried on a variety of things…

…like this adorable vintage headband, that was way to small for my head!…

…and another quite vintage pair of glasses.

The stores there are all incredible; vintage, antique, boutique, everything! My favorite part of Snohomish visits is The Pie Shop.




My favorite is always and forever, apple pie.

After we left the town to head home we stopped off at a small vegetable market at a farm with star shaped squash and amazing freshly grown corn. I loved it all!

I’m changing the subject yet again; my head is so full of random thoughts that I can’t even make sufficient transitions to the next one! This subject is not as happy as the others. In fact, it caused a shed tear or two earlier today. I’ve found out that on the premiere of the play is the day that my sister goes off to college. I have two options now. Either go see my sister off to college, and most likely be kicked out of the play. Or stick with the play and miss my sister going to college; the last chance I’ll have to be with her before she's a college girl. My sister is closer to me than anyone else, and I love her so much that there’s no way I’m missing this…but the play is something I’ve always wanted to do! I feel like there’s no way out of this situation but its 2 months away right now…hopefully luck will be on my side and something will happen to allow me both experiences…

Love forever,
Sam

P.S.
I’m convinced that you, Jessica, will be the new Dr. Seuss with those mad poetry skills!

Story Time: Jake

This is my favorite picture of him. He really is an attractive human being, but he has a hard time being serious. His facebook is overflowing with pictures of him being a doofus... but that's okay.
His name is Jake Hackett and he is the oldest of three total children. He has a little sister named Lauren who is a freshman this year. I saw her at the very beginning of the school year and I thought that she looked really familiar and super pretty. Turns out their related and pretty-ness runs in the family. Jake is super weird. He can do any voice and has endless quotes from TV shows and movies memorized. He is really actually quite shy but you would never guess that from seeing him on stage. He has stomach problems and he can't eat some stuff like chocolate and greasy foods otherwise it hurts and he's always hungry and tired. Ms.Lloyd severely dislikes him. I wrote a poem about him yesterday in preparation for the "Like my status and I'll write you a poem" thing. Here it is

what can I say

dearest Jake
Walking into drama
It's like a piece of cake

I can't wait to hear you sing

at Madrigal Feast

You're the freaking King

You surely will beast

but it's not just acting

or singing on stage

writing it all down

would fill up the page

your drawings

I think they're perfect

creative genius

they do reflect

characters like Barnett Lloyd

and the crab man Graglor

eating the poor cat

I want to hear more

(what happened to him?

the terrified cat

Did Graglor finish

or did he scat?)

And the imitations

a new one every day

No one, is impossible

No limit to what you say

Ms.Lloyd

[that dragon lady]

she may not like you

but that's just shady

Jake may be lazy

but that's okay

Pretty sure sponge bob

Wouldn't have it any other way

I'm so excited

you're doing Conk TV

A hilarious addition

you definitely will be

Oh, and Mr.Hackett

you smell quite good

Like clean shaving cream

Not dirty from the hood

That's all I have so far. His drawings are awesome... He's super funny in a quirky way and he's one of those kids who's [sadly] invisible most of the time. People just don't hear him when he talks even though he's not quiet, he blends into the background and no one notices. I was in WOZ with him for like 6 months and I don't really remember him at all... except for one time when I was jigsawing outside and he and Carlos were upset at Ms.Lloyd and venting about it. I wish that I had noticed him before. I think he's pretty cool.

But it's weird because I feel like his mother. I am always trying to make sure that he doesn't get in trouble with Lloyd again, I don't want him to be hungry that's why I invited him to be part of our Anti-LittleCaesars group... I totally "held-his-hand" all day today at set building and did everything for him. When he gets tired he shuts down, when I get tired I go crazy. He was extra tired today. Probably partly because Ms.Lloyd was super mean today in drama when we performed our scene together. It's one thing to act, and it's another to sit through 20 minutes of criticism. Both take it out of you... Hopefully things will all work out for the best in the end.

Story Time part 1

So as you know, David got himself a girlfriend. But that's okay because he still talks to me and we're still friends and I am friends with his girlfriend. Funny enough her name is Jessica... Today in Psych we were partners for being blind. He came all the way to the back and sat behind me. He was blind first. He talked to me very... nicely. I didn't wear any makeup today and he told me I looked nice. Then when I was blind he drew on my back with his finger. I don't know how to make that sound not awkward. But It wasn't and he said that he liked my cardigan and it's crazy pattern. That was a really good period.

Lots of people said that I looked really nice/pretty/gorgeous and stuff and I thought that that was funny because I didn't wear any makeup and I was thinking about how I like my face with makeup and everybody else (LOTS of boys) said that I looked nice without it... So that made me wonder what I look like with it on to them, and what I look like with out it to them.

Now I want to tell you ALL about Jake. But he deserves his own post, so now I shall bid thee aideu

Dahlia Birthday Flowers

Today is my birthday. Some girls from my church brought me a card and some flowers. The flowers were dying. They bought them yesterday and told me that they looked beautiful when they bought them but they "died" over night. They didn't look that bad. But I replaced them with my dahlias because NO flower can beat them :) Plus they're on their way out anyways what with all this frost and rain. So I took some pictures with the vase and the bow. I really like the vase. Perfect addition to my collection of home decor!

Dear Sam

Did you know
sometimes I wish I could leave my life and start over. Something like the witness protection program. Leave all the baggage and people I know (good and bad) and just restart.

That's what I want to do right now. Just walk away from every single thing that is even remotely connected to my life right now and just begin again. Everything. The people I love, the people I hate, the people I have crushes on and the things I enjoy and the things I hate and the sights and smells and feelings. I want my mind wiped clean, my emotional chalkboard cleanly erased, no powdery white residue left behind: FRESH. Not worry about all the things I have to make sense of. The people that I love and the people that I hate. I'd love to be more organized with my emotions and the things that I think and feel. I wish my mind was more black and white. I wish that I could control the way I feel about people. I wish that I could trust other human beings. I wish I didn't care what other people thought of me and I wish that I could love unconditionally and not over analyze every microparticle of every experience that ever happened to me.

I want to like all aspects of myself and I want others to let me know what they think. I want others to be truthful and I want to be truthful as well. I want to use the word "I" less and say more "You"s and "They"s and "We"s. I want to be stable. I want to be consistent. I want to be reliable and dependable and trustworthy and honest. I want to be someone people enjoy being around; someone to look forward to being around. I want to be happy.

Dear Jess...

Studies show that people who eat chocolate 3 times a month live almost a year longer than people who eat less (or more) of it.

This weekend my mind has been teeming with ideas, all of which I’ve shared with you. None of which I’ve been able to make the time to share with our wonderful blog. Hopefully, in a series of posts by me, I’ll be able to present those ideas without overwhelming the universe. Today, I’ll start with the events of the weekend itself for its absolutely amazing itself!

My world has been filled to the brim with homework, but somehow I’ve managed to fit that in along with the busyness of my wonderful grandparents coming up for these three days.

-Oma and Sampa (a picture from a previous vacation of ours to SeaRanch, California)-

On Friday was the first day we’d seen them in quite a long time, seeing as they live in Northern California, so the reunion and catching up was, as always, fantastic. Come Saturday we’d decided to get out of the house and venture out into the wonderful city of Seattle.

-Here I am, with my Oma, and my little step-brother, Garrett standing in front of the very popular icon of Seattle!-

There we saw:

A beautiful wedding, that has convinced my Oma that either my sister and I must have a red, black, and white themed wedding…

As well as an old time rockin' guitarist!

And a constructionist...who was about to jump!!

We stopped off to have a drink at Pike’s Places and got a seat with a view of the water that made a perfect background for a picture of the family.

After being hydrated, I had to play model for my Oma!

Along with having the time of my life, faith parked our car right next to an insanely expensive yet insanely cute boutique store; Free People. My heart nearly failed when I saw the prettiest jacket I’d ever seen; a white lacey jacket in a Victorian type style. When looking at the price tag, I sighed, and walked away. If it weren’t for my meddling Oma (which I love with all my heart) I would’ve been fine, and let it be…but she made me try it on. I am now obsessed and want it more than anything in the world, and, I would show you a picture but even their website has none! Chances are I won’t get it, though my Oma hinted about my 16th birthday, but, now I have another ‘dream on’ store to add to my lists.

This weekend was overall absolutely great! And after a weekend like this, it will only get better. 2 weeks from now I’ll be down in Portland for the wedding of my dearest cousin, Dallas, and her soon to be husband James, I cannot wait!

Love always,

Sam

Dear Sam

Did you know...

"The Two men who appeared in the wildly popular Marlboro Man advertisements died of lung cancer, earning Marlboro cigarettes the nickname “Cowboy Killer.”

I just wanted to take a quick second and tell you what thought really hit me today. I have two friends at my church who I've known for a while now and they are very good friends. Jessica Roberts and Mimi Hansen. Last year Jessica was dating a boy named Karl Johnson. Things didn't go very well and they broke up. Recently, a thing has grown between Mimi and Karl and they really like eachother. But Jessica is convinced that it's a bad idea for Mimi to date Karl and has taken it upon herself to convince Mimi too. For a week now, every time I see them it's hard feelings, words and tears.

This made me think of our Friendship Contract and the clause that talks about boys and other friends and how it's none of our business to get involved and that the contract friend is alwasy number one. I realized that, if we follow the contract, that we will never have to deal with ugly problems like the one above! And that is so nice to know and I just wanted to clarify that fact. If you are interested in a boy that I think is bad news or vice versa, then we just wait with a box of tissues. Unless an opinion is asked (which it will probably be) then it's the other persons decision and we have to respect that and just let them learn the lesson OR enjoy a good relationship. Because people can change or behave differently around different people.

So I hope that we never have to deal with stupid boy fights. They really are so petty... Well, that's all I wanted to tell you. Hope your day in Seattle yesterday was fabulous! :) Post your pictures soon! :)

Love,

Jess

Dear Sam

Did you know...

"Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better."

So I'm posting again because I had a really good day today and because I wanted to share with you my Dhalias!

Here are the gorgeous flowers

There are red ones too, I just need to wait for a sunny day to take more pictures. While I was in Utah my mom was telling me about how I probably missed them and wouldn't get to see any blooms and I was kind of sad about that. And then I got home and they exploded with beautiful brilliance and I just shook my head. Now I know to take what she says with a grain of salt.

I enjoyed eating with you today. And I apologize for rubbing the fact that you denied my offer in your face. That wasn't very civilized. However, I do wish with a good portion of my heart that you had made the decision to come up because it has revolutionized my life and I have so many more opportunities to learn and participate in things and make friends that I otherwise wouldn't have ever gotten to meet.

There is a downside of course. The fact that I don't get to drive until senior year, the fact that I will probably not go to homecoming or prom for real, the fact that people always ask "What?! How does that work?" and always moving up in things like girls camp and Aspen grove things because I want to be with the people that are at my maturity level.

But, nevertheless, I am still grateful for the wonderful people that have come into my life because of this choice and I really wish you had said yes, but I know that it's not all over and that even though Lee and his brother and the school district are being douches, you can't let that get to you. You are just as intelligent, if not more, than they are. You have so much more passion for learning and the specific subjects and, you have social skills. So even though you are at the wrong end of a gross injustice, take comfort in the fact that you know they are wrong.

Anyways. I told you why I had a good day, so I don't think I need to rehash it except to say that it makes me feel peacfully happy inside instead of giddy happy. And I like the peace more because it is more stable and lasts longer. I just hope that we can be friends.

Hope you have a good night. Text or call me or something because I knew that we had talked about that at some point...
Love,

Jess

Dear Sam

Did you know....

"Because sharks very rarely get cancer, scientists study their cartilage in the hopes of finding a cure for the disease. "

Holy smokes girl! I just had the best day of my life... but sadly since this thing is public I'm not sure if I feel comfortable talking about all of it and using names. So can we please make it private? I'm going to to it anyways and tell you all about what happened and then we can talk more about it later

Anyways: I got to third period today and there he was sitting over on the other side of the room facing the door and I tried to say Hi to him but I couldn't! :) So I sat in third period feeling lame and chicken.

Fourth period went by (And I'll tell you more about that later :/) and I ate lunch with you. Crunching on carrots in an otherwise quiet room... :) and I was on my way to fifth period, hoping that he would be at the end of the hall by the theatre, when all of the sudden I heard "Hey Jessica M." and I was totally caught off guard and could not keep my thoughts straight. That is not normal for me but we had an acceptable conversation nonetheless. We walked all the way from the commons to the theatre and I was so happy.

Fifth period passed pretty uneventful. He had to leave half way through the class (Which he isn't really in) and left James to help Lloyd with the music. Sixth period passed boring, but quickly, and it was the end of the day. The bell had just rung and I thought I should stay here longer and I'm not sure why but I did. I was talking to James about the Domestic Violence skits and from the front parking lot stage door in he came. He gave James an over dramatic hug (to which James played wonderfully along with) and then he looked down at me (Because he was on the stage and I wasn't) and smiled soo wonderfully and said "Hello Jessica Maloy" and I looked up at him and smiled so contentedly and said "Hello David" and it was so wonderful. And as speedily as he came, he was gone. Neither of us (Jessica or James) knew why he came in. But he did and I was glad for that. Both the walk to 5th and the post 6th encounters more than made up for the poor showing in 3rd.

And that is why my day was so unbelievably wonderful.

I friend requested him on facebook and he accepted and immediatly liked my status and commented on my wall. Samantha, you don't even know how cute he is! AHHH!

NEW TOPIC

The reason that APLAC today was so odd and dissappointing is because we analyzed a poem from the 20th century that was said to be the best of it's time period. It goes like this:

so much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.

And nobody understood why it was so amazing. I still don't know either. Granted, it does paint a beautiful picture in my mind and the words are simple. But When Newton talks about how every word was carefully chosen and placed and everything has deeper meaning.... I just lose interest.

I don't believe that when William Carlos Williams wrote this he used red because it symbolized blood and white for purity and the rain was for ... whatever. I have reached this conclusion:

Writers hype up alot of what they do to make it seem deeper and have more meaning than it really does. It helps distinguish them and makes them feel more sophisticated and cultured when in reality they are just simple and pretty words on a page; no further.

Same goes with Chefs. Thinking that caviar is to die for and that spending thousands of dollars on exotic and rare mushrooms (truffles) and all that hype. I just don't buy it. Yes, it tastes good but it's not that earth shattering.

Anyways. I had a great day. Thanks for letting me eat lunch with you again!

Love,

Jess

Dear Jess

I’ve finally found the one thing that doesn’t go with black; tomato soup.

Sadly, I had to find this out the hard way by spilling nearly an entire bowl of close to boiling tomato soup all over myself and my couch.

Have you ever noticed when you’re sick, everything seems a whole lot worse and a completely miserable? That was my day today. But enough about being sick and horribly horrible days; after a good half an hour of open windows and Ingrid Michaelson my current situation will more likely than not improve!

School work has been exploding into my life and making it nearly impossible to do anything else with my time. From AP Bio to Pre Calc/Trig, I fear that I will go insane. It’s prevented me from making any more progress on my soon to be ‘own room,’ a project I had just launched towards the end of the summer that is so close I can taste it!

I had planned projects within this ultimate project like a ‘colormekatie’ style silhouette frames, and my fantastic interior designer mother’s idea of framing a rather large textile in three pieces above my bed, as well as finishing up the painting of the walls.

(Katie Soloker of colormekatie.blogspot.com. Click the pic to go to her post!)

In the meantime, as I said before school work has become the number one occupant of my time, but not all of it is bad. Starting Friday my first Studio Photography project begins. Photography has always captured my interest (no pun intended!) and over this weekend my assignment is to take photos of landscape and flora and already I have places in mind to go!

(not mine-click the pic and follow the link!)

I can’t wait to get the film from my teacher, and to sum it up, it’s a film camera (hence the film from the teacher) and is purely black and white. Out of the numerous photos I will take 4 will be developed and hopefully I’ll find a way to but them on the blog within the next month!

(now, this one's mine!)

Until then, work work work work work….

Love,
Sam

P.S.
Check out the About Us- I’ve put up a picture of our wonderful journal!

My Neighborhood

This afternoon I "borrowed" my dear father's camera and snapped some shots of my neighborhood.

Spinning and taking pictures.

Crunchy red leaves on the ground, already?


The gorgeous sunset


The huge lavender bushes in my front yard

... and I lived (and still live) up this one.

I love where I live. I love the rain, the overcast sky, the evergreens, the crisp smell of out doors. Short beautiful days and long starry nights. I love my community and the people that are a part of it. I love all the blue recycling bins that magically appear every Friday morning. I love the smell of hot coffee in the classroom every morning. I love beating the sun to school. Growing the small little garden in the postage stamp backyard. I love rain puddles and being able to safely jump into them. I love Colombia. I love being warm and snugly inside while it pours outside. Making slushmans in the street. The Seattle Macy's Thanksgiving/Christmas parade. I love moss and ferns and the busy streets of Seattle. I love how looking at the nature in the Pacific Northwest is like a refreshing drink for your eyes.
I love my life.