gotta DANCE.

All I can say is: How has it taken me eighteen and a half years to see Singin' in the Rain!!! It is so so good. Anyone who has not seen it needs to strap themselves to a couch with something yummy to eat and watch it right now. Literally, don't finish the post until you have seen it!

I have always wished I could dance. Every time I see someone dance, the wish grows fonder and stronger.

The Dances I love:
Tap
Ballet
Hip-Hop
Interpretive
Waltz
Slow
Polka
Jig
Irish
Musical
Jazz
Lyrical
Ballroom
Contemporary.

the list goes on...

Every summer there was a catalog that came in the mail from the park and rec for dance classes. I took ballet and tap every summer when I was four through about nine. I hated it every year. It was miserable. We stood in these weird positions and occasionally clicked our heels to make jingling sounds. I know plie, releve. that's about it. How I regret hating dance classes!!

I wish regret was something you could teach a seven year-old. A mother may say, "You'll regret quitting!" This means nothing. What then could keep them motivated to want to stick with something? I don't know. If anyone has suggestions, comment before I'm a mother!!

Anyway, dance is wonderful to watch and to do. It's beautiful to see. The act of dancing, I feel, is releasing because you have to let go of inhibition. It opens you up, if just for a moment.

WARNING: Don't drink coffee on an empty stomach.

The title is pretty self explanatory, but let me give you an empirical story as to why not.

I had two cups of coffee today. Nothing to eat.

Much later. I'm tidying up my newly-cleaned room and packing for a trip. I have some music on and I'm singing along. My vibrato sounds more like a petrified adolescent male sound wave going through puberty. In other words, it was rather more shaky that it ought to be and usually is. Then I realized my hands were shaking. I was so confused. I had a lot of pent up energy. Then I realized and had two cups of coffee today and nothing to eat.

Second food observation of the day. Strawberries are deceitful. They taste so good that it doesn't really seem like they could be healthful, but somehow they are...

Advanced Placement

This week is AP week. Today I had the government exam. It went much better than I expected it to go! That's good news. Thursday I have English. My teacher is so frustrating that if I fail, I will accept it as a testimony to her poor teaching skills, and not to my ability. This may be an exaggeration, but a small one.

Here's the story about government - a much more interesting one than the english one. My dad has taught at school for thirty years now, and for the past fifteen or so, he has coached the We the People team. What this means is the AP Government class uses the We the People curriculum and studies intensely various parts of the system of government. There are six units:

Unit I - philosophies influencing the Framers.

Unit II - making and ratifying of the Constitution

Unit III - I can't even remember...

Unit IV - Congress :(

Unit V - I just know they know a lot of court cases

Unit VI - CITIZENSHIP! [and for Dan, a lot of denizenship as well]



I was in Unit VI. (Can you tell?) We learned so much about citizenship and civil rights and immigration and communitarianism and grassroots. Most of that was useless on the exam. The AP exam was more structural, so the majority of what we learned first semester was totally irrelevant to it. I don't regret it for a minute though!

There was a preliminary survey thing. One of the questions was "How much did this course of study influence your choice of major in college?" [more or less...]. I said strongly. I plan to major in photojournalism, which doesn't seem related to government, and I guess it's not, but since my unit also had little to do with the structure of it, I guess it makes sense! I learned a lot about people and awareness. Just this past Saturday, I was talking with a new-found friend from the band Leo, and he read this book called "5 Things White People Like." One of them was awareness. He was saying that people like to be aware, and then they think that justifies the lack of any following action. I said to him, "Does that mean we should become unaware?" I agree that people like to think they're doing something by knowing, but that shows a problem with their hearts, and perhaps there is not the right kind of awareness. Perhaps people know what is going on, but they don't know what they can do about it. News should explain problems and suggest some solutions without being too partisan. It's perfectly possible - it's called grassroots!!

But anyways. On to the point of why I'm writing. One year, my dad's We the People team made third in the country. One of the guys on the team - he was in Unit II - died four years later just before his college graduation from Taylor University. His name was Brad Larson. His parents found all his journals - personal and prayer - and compiled most of them into a book which they sent to my dad. I saw it yesterday and picked it up for a read. I saw the sections where he faithfully recounted their trips to Madison for the state competition and to Washington D.C., for nationals.

"1/18/10
"I headed down to Mr. Moore's room for our final dry run. But before we started, he praised us ridiculously. 'I am truly humbled by you guys in Unit II This is the reason teachers teach, for times like this when your students amaze you.' He told me specifically how good my writing is and how precise I am. I know from Jeff that the last day he would praise you to boost your confidence but I didn't expect that. Before all the other stuff, he says, 'I don't usually talk from my heart...' Dang."

At State:
"1/20/02
"...Unit II starts us off. Of course our worst question (about the Electoral College) was first. We we didn't let that stop us. We were money.... Time saw Mr. Moore bust a cigar when I was talking. After, Mr. Moore said it was a good thing that Unit II started because we set the bar high.... In his comments, Kaminski goes, 'Brad, I've been doing this 15 years and I am positive that no one has ever cited Caleb Strong.' .... After it was over, Kaminski gave us the E word [excellent]. On of the other judges compared Heritage's legacy to the New York Yankees in baseball. I think that is what moved Mr. Moore to tears."

When the team was announced in the top 10 at Nationals:
"Sunday 5/9/02
"....Everyone is screaming and hugging and no one hears the next 6 or 7 teams. 'You know how sweet this is that we did this for Mr. Moore,' says Kludt."

About the last competition:
"Monday 5/10/02
"We got up at 8:30 AM and leave for the Senator Dirksen Building. When it was our turn the other units did well, some better than others... and then 2 hours after our group started, Unit II is up at 11:30 AM. We all did great. #2 deliberation question. I got in my Patrick Henry quote, Liz her 'had every Athenian been a Socrates' and Tim's quote about 'is a saw a good tool?' comment. Mr. Moore gave us a nice speech: 'Take a look around...' He said that we had a really tough judge and a really bad lady disguised as a grandma, but we did a great job... after walking around that afternoon we went back to change for the formal awards dinner that night. After dinner there were some regional awards and the greatest 15-20 minutes of my life. First the announcement of seven 4th place teams. We all hold hands and liz tells me that if we get in the top 3, she's gonna kiss our cheeks. 'In no particular order, the first 4th place team is ... Virginia!' Then another state and another state with the excitement building each time. The fourth 4th place team is their first time in the top 10 ...oh, man ... well it had to come to an end some time... 'New Mexico!' We're still alive. Fifth - Colorado. Again a popular top 3 pick. 'And sixth, 4th place team is ..... California!' I stand up and inadvertently blurt out an expletive. 'Oh, shit!' but only loud enough for Liz to hear, thankfully. That was Liz's and my favorite moment, I think. 'You just swore in front of your mom,' she whispered. I was amazed. Mr. Moore predicted California to win it. 'And seventh 4th place team is ................Texas!' Oh, my goodness! We couldn't believe it. We did it. They announced 3rd next ... 'WISCONSIN!' Hugs all around. I looked and Liz and she almost cried. I looked back at Mom and went to hug her. We got a sweet plaque after a long walk thru the tables that sat 1500 people. They announced the top two winners and then Liz dragged me out on the dance floor and everyone got their groove on. We went back to the hotel and I called Jeff, he was so pumped for us! .. Mr. Moore told Liz that Unit II was 'the heart and soul of this team.'

"Tuesday 5/7/02
" ... we flew home and were pleasantly greeted by a lot of people. Parents, friends, teachers ... more pics ... more hugs ... then home. Mom said it 'was the coolest thing any of my kids has ever done.' But I knew you wouldn't know how cool it was unless you were there. Then bed. What a weekend.
"P.S. I love Liz and Tim.

"Wednesday 5/8/02
"Mr. Moore's speech last night stressed 2 things: "A mind, once stretched, never returns to its original shape. And, how he loves that we take risks."

More Photo Journals

Good news. First the story.

I have a camera. It only likes to work when it is eating the juice of these rechargable kodak batteries. Not any other batteries. The charger is really cool because instead of just having the electrical plug things stuck on it, they're removable and it has a bunch of other plug things so that when you travel to different countries with different kinds of plugs, you can still charge your batteries without getting an electric shock. However, I lost the plug for America. Hm. Howe convenient. I couldn't find it for about two weeks. It's been a long time of not taking pictures.

But yesterday I found it! I was overjoyed. My little brother Jeff was talking to my boyfriend Ian on the phone and I was screaming and dancing around as I plugged in the charger for the first time in weeks. I'm excited to start taking pictures again!

My piano teacher lives out in the country, and each week as I drive out there in the light, I think, "I should really come out sometime with my camera." It's gorgeous. There are horses everywhere, and there is this rock that is split in two. Then on the way home, since the dark is eeking further into the night, the sky was in transition from medium blue to dark blue, with streaky clouds in the sky. Mmmmm. I wish the whole world could sit for a moment and enjoy. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me. It's at school.

I find that I am always thinking of things in terms of photos. Once again, I draw an example from my drive to piano lessons today. I could hardly stay on the road because there were so many people going about the streets and parks I drove by in the neighborhood part of my drive, and as I said, there were horses out for the first time since fall and there is a little pond with the cutest wooden fence. I wanted to slow down, take pictures. There was a baseball game going on; Couples walking down the street holding hands; families at DQ.

I've learned something from all this. Two things actually.

First - Always have your camera with you. Always. Just don't leave it places. You miss out. The bit of extra weight and thought is worth it.

Second - If you think you should take a picture, you should. For instance, you drive by a beautiful scene. You have your camera with you because you've learned your first lesson, but you say, "I might be late. I don't really think stopping would really be a good idea. Plus, it's cold out." Then by the time you almost have it in you to stop, the sky has changed anyway. What's the point now? But, if you had stopped the first time, you can always stop again when it's changed and equally beautiful. I've said to myself a dozen times, "I'll never forget this sunset." I forget it the next day. Not to say that pixels are superior to man, because we all know they are not, but they definitely do have a better memory.

Photoshoot

I had my first job taking pictures this past week. I mean, I'm in yearbook, so I guess that's sort of an unpaid job, so I should say my first PAID job taking pictures. A teacher at my school runs a tutoring program after school. He wanted me to take photos for "promotional purposes." Yes, it really was not super-duper exciting, but I learned alot and it was a good experience. I've become pretty decent at taking photos of THINGS - trees, landscapes (sortof), buildings, objects. But not so much of people or actions. This was good to help me develop that skill.

For my spring break, I went to visit my sister in Georgia. One of her friends, Garrett, let me borrow this fantastic book called The Poetry of Photography. I didn't get to read the whole thing, but one part I came across said that when we take a photo, we often forget to look around the edges. We only look at the middle part and don't realize something significant is being cut out - or included - in the photo that we don't want. That book made me realize I take some crappy photos! people's heads or arms cut off, strange things happening/being there when you don't want them to be. And even with digital cameras, we sometimes still can't pick it up till we're looking at a computer.

I also learned about people. Some people are obnoxious. Let me rephrase that. All people are obnoxious. Some people are less so, and everybody is in different ways. The people who don't seem obnoxious to us probably are to someone else, or they've matured enough to disguise it to most people. I love us, but we're obnoxious. Anyway, middle school is the most obnoxious point in all of our lives. Taking pictures of middle schoolers is the worst. most of them avoid being caputred at all costs. They just make the job difficult.

There's this one boy, Kameron, who was the opposite. I love him, but I'm sure to others he is obnoxious. I just think he's cute :). anyway. He LOVES to be in pictures. Loves it. He told me. He said (talking about this kid who kept one eye on me the whole time to make sure I wasn't pointing at him), "Hunter hates being in pictures. I don't. I love it. Then I snapped this photo:




This is the book he was reading. He said "It's so sad. The girl is so sad because someone stole her horse, and it makes me so sad!" That's all. :)

Elevator Etiquette

I'm visiting my sister at college. Apparently only people in Wisconsin know how to behave about elevators. General etiquette is that, if you're outside, you wait for the person ON the elevator to get OFF before you get on yourself. I think the idea behind that has to do with the fact that there's more space outside of the elevator than inside of it. Generally speaking. However, without fail, every time that I have been on the elevator with someone outside hopping on, they have proceed to mount the elevator. I mumble, "Sorry," simply because there has been a psuedo collision, and they'll say, "It's ok." I'm thinking -- NO IT'S NOT!! It's not ok that I'm appologizing and you're 'forgiving.' I learned the hard way to give preference to people ON the elevator.

I suppose there may be some leeway with these instances because there is only one of me, and few of them at most, and when I learned my elevator etiquette, the context was the airport. My family and I would be on our way to Florida to see my grandparents or some other destination [although most other places we drove]. We'd be rushing, bogged down with bags to be checked, worrying about who would take which carry on. Do mom and dad have their ID and our tickets? Are the girls still with us? [Of course, my sister and I were just excited -- we didn't worry about these stressful questions. Perhaps this added to the stress of our parents.] When we finally made it to the elevator, there was then the necessary squabble over who was to press which buttons. And if there were strangers around, who was to push the buttons for them? When it was my turn to push the outside button, that meant I was closest to get on first, which was another important aspect of our power battle. So I'd stand directly in front of the doors waiting for them to open. They would open. There would be other families with children as excited about elevator rides as my sister and I. There would be hurried business men. There would be foreigners coming to see America. [Foreigners would be more common in Florida, coming home, than in Wisconsin...] Who ever it was, I would try to rush on to the elevator to beat my sister. Then I'd feel the reprimanding grab of my father's firm hand on my flimsy shoulder pulling me back, suitcase, carry-on and all.

This happened without fail for years until I became mature enough to realize on my own the reason why I had been pulled back all those years. Now I only wish a wise father would restrain these college students as they burst past me onto the elevator.

tea.

Good evening. I have, in the past few weeks, discovered a long lost love of tea. By lost, I mean previously non-existent. I never liked tea. Ever. In my whole life. I did always love the idea of tea, however. As a young child, I invited my girlfriends over for [juice] "tea" parties. My mom would bring out the china... for juice.

But finally, after years of longing to love tea, I do.

This is how it happened. Over Christmas, my family had a gift exchange, and I got a fantastic green mug with Ghirdeli's hot chocolate and... tea. So, I drank it. Did I like it? By no means. Did I drink it? Oh, yes. Did I grow to like it? Not really.

I was on tour with my singing group from school, when I began to loose my voice - oh dear. My friend Abby, bless her, in her motherly ways made me drink about four cups of tea daily, and she wouldn't let me have coffee, which I was accustomed to having at least once a day.

Now, no worries, I still drink coffee now, but I have finally acquired my sought-after taste for tea.


New topic:

I have been at my school since first grade, and I will be graduating in May - finally! My parents met as teachers there, and practically all our furniture is either from other teachers who were getting new furniture, or it came from the teacher's lounge when they remodeled.

So we have a long history, my school and I. It's kind of taking a dive into the pool of bankruptcy. It's not quite there, so I guess to go along with the metaphor, it's dabbling its toes in said pool. In an effort to keep it afloat, we've consolidated our two campuses [elementary with the middle/high] into one. It has taken quite an effort on everyone's part. The hallway upstairs to the library has been made off-limits to high schoolers, so we have to go down a staircase, down that hall, and up the stairs at the other end in order to get to classes there.

But here's the thing. Friday will be a huge assembly with everyone coming together. I don't really know the purpose of it, but it's happening, and it will be so... full. Today in eigth hour [Drama II :)], the superintedant came to me and asked if I'd like to speak as a representative of the student body... woh. Honored? Scared? I don't know which one is prominant in my mind.

But here's what I'm thinking of starting with.


Once upon a time, there was a boy named Timmy. He grew up in Indiana, graduated college, and moved to Wisconsin where he was offered a job as a history teacher at a Christian School. There he met a very pretty lady named Laura. They fell in love, and soon they were wed. Over time, they had four beautiful, talented, loving, outstanding, cool, honest children. They began to grow up, and they moved to a big house. Even though there was lots of space, it was very old and needed lots of fixing up and new furniture. At about the same time, the school was also doing some fixing up. They were getting new, plastic bleachers in stead of the old, wooden ones. Timmy took the wood from the bleachers, sanded, planed, and shaped them into stairs and cupboards, and the school got their new bleachers. The elementary campus was getting new furniture for the teachers' lounge, and Timmy needed furniture for his house, so he took the old chairs and sofa from the lounge.

Yes, "Timmy" is my dad, which none of you have permission to call him. To all of you he is "Mr. ____" And yes, we really have old bleachers to store our food and cups in. Yes, we really had Mr. ________'s old car, but we had to put it down recently. We have had furniture from the Elementary Teachers' lounge, as well as various teachers who were upgrading. I have been attending this school since first grade.

It is a really cool thing that we all get to be in the same building. For me, it's like seeing all the different stages, or grades of my life all smashed into one building. Wednesday, I came to lunch early when some of the elementary kids were still eating, and Mr. ______ came to me and said, "The kids are having 'red light' right now, so keep it down." I had barely remembered the lights at lunch, and flipping cards.



Well, that's all I got at this point. I don't really know how to end it, especially since I don't know the purpose of the assembly, but if you have comments, comment fast!

Peace!