Edit

So that politically correct thing didn't work out. I did have a great Christmas though; one can never go wrong with helping the poor and then spending time with family.
I also took the time to get some Chris Botti CDs, given my keen interest for a while. Got 'December' from iTunes and found 'A Thousand Kisses Deep' and 'To Love Again' for $9.99 each at Best Buy, so of course I splurged a bit. If you didn't know, Chris Botti is a jazz trumpet player, and he is AMAZING. His sound is smooth and velvety, and his music is always emotional stuff. His duets in 'To Love Again' are all fantastic.
Also introduced to myself via blind grab-and-buy at Border's to Third Eye Blind. Pretty mainstream sound, but they really don't try to be anything else, which you've got to respect them for. Still, some of their lyrics are pretty stupid.
Also got a bunch of musical recordings I have yet to listen to, such as Funny Girl, A Class Act, Spring Awakening and Hello, Dolly!. Thank goodness I have a break.
Happy Holiday Season to you all, once again.

'Tis The Season

Happy Holiday Season, all (I like to be politically correct: it makes me feel important).

I mean, Christmas is great and all, but what about the other holidays? Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day... they all have their own cultural importance and history.

Which is why I thought this week's episode of Community was so great- a confluence of traditions at Shirley's former Christmas-only party (also, epic fight scene).
So- this holiday season, as the holidays come and go, I will blog about them (it's my excuse to blog- because I love you guys!).

Also, I recommend some of my secular and non-secular seasonal favorites:
December-Chris Botti
Let It Snow!-Michael Buble
A Merry Affair-Various Artists

Happy Holiday Season, everyone.

Cutest. Thing. Ever.

Happy posts, happy posts...

Hell and Back-ish

First update in about four weeks! That's great. I missed this so much, my fingers were itching for typed self-expression for awhile now. Sorry, but college apps are still not done. Almost! So close.
Right now, all the stress is just piling on and sometimes I'm barely able to keep up. I haven't been able to be a morning person for awhile now, it's difficult when you have a 10:30 bedtime and a 5am calltime.
Some things have happened that have made me realize the duplicity of people (I find it ironic that I am reading "The Great Gatsby" as I find this duplicity). People I respected seem to have turned their backs on one of my good friends, laughing and poking fun at him and it killed me to see him struggle on his own. It's all said and done now, but looking given past experiences, I don't think I can look at some people the same way ever again. People can be such bitches sometimes.
The hell I aforementioned is, of course, college applications. Way to put my high school experience into perspective. I wept as I input my grades for math.
The best and probably only enjoyable part of the application for me was writing the personal statement for the UC applications. Reminiscing... call me a sympathetic fool, and I'll only be inclined to agree.
Also, more inspirations that I've found include The Nerdist, Chris Hardwick. Fine fellow, nerdy and hilarious. His site is great, and also Web Soup. YES. This, The Soup, Dexter, It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia and USA Network all make me want cable SO badly. Also, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, AverageJOE, has been doing neat stuff with his forum. Journalism can help me set up interviews/chances to meet them, yes? Like they did with me and LALO ALCARAZ?! Hell yeah. He's my hero. One of them, at least.

If you don't believe me, here is some Hardwick stuff:

Primal ME Therapy


Melons!


All of the above video are Web Soup. Huzzah! They works.

APP

College apps need to be done soon. I have not started. Workworkworkworkwork.

ITS HERE.

After a full summer of nonstop prep and such and such, the SAT is finally here.
Of course there's a lot of pressure: colleges see this, my parents paid over $2000 to raise my score, I took the whole summer to raise my score (dammit) and my parents DID pay a whole lot of money to raise my score.
But surprisingly, I'm not nervous. In fact, I'm PUMPED.
Is this cocky? I think so. But it's helping. Listening to the song "It's Me Life/ Confessions Part II" is really getting me going at the moment.
However, I still can't shake how muy importante this test-o is. I know I have to do well to show colleges that my grades aren't completely displaying my intelligence (apparently, though, I'm already scoring above my GPA. Go figure). Even though I'm once again in the pool of children who don't know what to do with their lives anymore, this score can get me into a good school and such.
Apparently, I care more than I let on. But I'm still pumped.
And to those reading this who are completely nervous for tomorrow: don't worry. You're smarter than you think. Stay calm, awake, aware and you'll do well. Don't, for one moment, say you can't do it. YOU CAN.
"Don't bend/ don't break/ baby don't back down."

Unknown

Not knowing is worse.

No results. Sigh. I don't think I won anyways. But not knowing is definitely worse.
I'm listening to the (500) Days of Summer Soundtrack to cheer up. Goooood stuff. Ya'll should pick it up. Lots of alt-rock dance tracks and some sad British pop music. Also Regina Spektor. Love her.


Also Community. Funfunfun. Joel McHale is hilarious.


Hope for more blogging soon. This was uplifting. I should talk more about things I actually like.
Like pineapple.

Catch Me

Its tomorrow.
They announce the winner tomorrow.
The winner of the Herbblock Foundation Contest will be announced tomorrow, and I'm more scared for this than anything in my life.
This contest is the chance for me to prove to my dad that I can survive in the cartoonist world, though even now I'm having second thoughts.
Nothing is clear.
This contest will make it or break it for me. This contest will decide what I will do with my career, with my life, with ME.
I'M TERRIFIED. I don't know what's going to happen if I don't win.
I can't stop tearing.
I'm falling into fear.
Catch me.

Vampires!

So, the first issue of the Scroll came out Friday.

It was pretty tight for a first issue, I think. Minimal mistakes compared to last year, and we made good time in finishing. This year is looking pr-etty good.

Return to the Land of the (Semi) Living

I'm baaaaaaaack.
Well, in the last two (busy) weeks of summer, I was surprisingly unproductive. Big surprise there, right?
BUT, in good news, I have begun something amazing and new to me: storyboarding!

Okay, it's really difficult when you get stuck. Like, I'm stuck. And it kind of sucks. I don't know where to go from this point, but I'm sure SOMETHING will turn up.
I'm really trying hard to push all of the negative thoughts out of my head, like "Your perspective sucks, retard" or "Maybe I should start on something else..." or my personal favorite "Hahahahaha BLEH."
And these are all comments from myself, it that gives you an idea of how pathetic I am. HAPPY THOUGHTS! Comments such as "I like this" are far more encouraging.
Anyways, in case you were wondering, I'm starting a project that, I admit, was thought of a bit spontaneously. But it does have characters I have been wanting to use for awhile, so I guess it's not too spontaneous. Anyways, the story's still a bit twisty, there are still BIG gaps, but I'm pretty sure I know where I want to go with this.
BTW, it involves superpowers. Fanboy yay.
Also, school started today, yay. I like all of my teachers this year. But then again, I shouldn't judge (too much) on first impressions alone. More blogging to come tomorrow. I PROMISE.


Maybe.


:)

Sorry, in advance.

It looks like I won't be updating for a while. Very long posts, at least. Homework and preseason are taking up the rest of my summer schedule, and I'll probably be only updating with little snippets like this one (if I update at all, that is).
For now, you all can enjoy all of the other greater writers on blogspot.com. Expand your blogoshpere!

Something

All of the sudden, it's changed. I'VE changed. I overlooked something important that was right in front of me, and now that I look at it, I realize:

I love writing.

I can't choose between writing and drawing. I can't be just a political cartoonist anymore. I can't even just be a writer anymore. Somehow, somehow, they must go hand in hand. Somehow.

Back

to the storyboard.

Entertainment 2

Practice review numero dos shall be a show that is now near and dear to my heart, even thought I've only seen one episode. But that's okay, because almost everyone else who's seen the show has only seen one episode. If you haven't guessed already, the show is Glee.


Like its lead group of diverse characters, Glee comes off a bit awkwardly at first but charms with big heart once it hits it's stride.
Glee, which debuts September 9, stars Matthew Morrison as William Schuester, a high school Spanish teacher who takes over the glee club in an attempt to bring it back to its former glory. What he gets is a ragtag group of students: diva singer Mercedes Jones (Amber Riley), cocky Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), Asian-American goth Tina Cohen-Chang (Jenna Ushowitz), paraplegic guitarist Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale, and the shining star of the club, Rachel Berry (Lea Michele). Along the way, William manages to pick up star quarterback Finn Hudson through means of blackmail after discovering he has a terrific singing voice.
Starting the club, however, proves to be one of the easier parts as the club is soon faced with adversity from all ends. The principal refuses to fund glee, instead spending most of the school's budget (and more) on the school cheerleaders (or Cheerios), Finn is forced to choose between glee and football after his teammates find out he's in it, and Will is pressured by his wife Terri to leave his teaching position and and pursue an accounting job in order to finance their new family.
Glee comes off as a bit cheesy and uncomfortably bright (do they both mean the same thing?), but once the show hits its stride, its appeal shines through with its large cast of quirky characters. Unlike High School Musical, which was one of the more immediate comparisons, Glee has a deeply defined cast of characters, rather than interchangeable stereotypes.
Unlike High School Musical, each character does not have a perfect body and beautiful hair (though some of them come close), and all of the musical numbers do not cause the entire population of William McKinley High School to burst into a frenzy of song and dance.
Some of the adult faculty characters are a bit over the top, such as Jane Lynch's maliciously haughty Cheerios coach Sue Sylvester, but the craziness is all balanced by the presence of Emma Pillsbury (Jayma Mays).
Overall, Glee is exactly what its title implies: its a lot of fun, sure to get plenty of smiles and good laughs. Sure, it is a bit idealized and bright, but guard your eyes a bit and its charm will come right through.

Entertainment

I'm trying to practice my review writing, and my review for (500) Days of Summer was one of them. Truth is, I'm pretty terribad at it. So, here's some more practice, with something I love more than movies: television programs. Enjoy, my children. Enjoy. First up is Warehouse 13:


Despite its many, many flaws and cliches, "Warehouse 13" proves to be a special and unique viewing experience.
"Warehouse 13" revolves around Secret Service agents Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly), who are sent to work for the mysterious Warehouse 13 under the eccentric Artie Nielsen (Saul Rubinek). Warehouse 13, which is affectionately called "America's Attic" by Artie, houses many artifacts with special abilities.
Each episode, Pete and Myka are sent out to recover an artifact that has gone awry and neutralize its powers by dousing it in a special purple goop.
Sound silly? The adventure usually is, but the series succeeds solely because it does not take itself seriously. The drama is kept to a minimum, and most outings focus on the light-hearted pitter-patter that is the interaction between Pete and Myka. Although they stereotype as the typical polar opposite partners, their banter relies more on Pete's mishaps and Myka's eclectic interests. Think about it as "Psych" with magical artifacts.
Imagination is played to full here, in both the artifacts that need acquiring and the tools that Pete and Myka use. Items such as the Tesla, a sort of 1800's long range stun gun, show scientific items with historical resonance. Unlike "Fringe", which many viewers have been comparing it to, the show bases its mysteries more in history as opposed to science, and seperates itself from other sci-fi shows because of its premise basis.
It is defined as a comedy-drama, and its comedy holds much ground in situational humor; however, when the show does attempt drama, it seems a bit forced and overdone. McClintock and Kelly both don't act dramatically very well, but Rubinek can hold his own in more dramatic moments, though his have been few and far between. Where the show does well is popping the dramatic bubble once in a while with humorous interjections, like during a stand-off in "Magnetism" or while in a serious video conversation in "Claudia".
On the surface, "Warehouse 13" doesn't seem to set itself apart from other sci-fi series on television with its cliched characters and "scientific" items, but when you scratch away all of your presumptions and look past its follies, "Warehouse 13" proves to be a fun, engaging and unique program, best enjoyed by just sitting back and going along for the ride.

We like the same things, and I like your style

I've been seeing a lot of "So You Think You Can Dance" and the "(500) Days of Summer" Bank Reunion dance lately, and I realized something: I haven't danced in the longest time. Not that I do it particularly well or with coordination, but I love to just bust a move once in a while.
So, one of my new resolves for the school year is to bust moves with whoever every late night. By myself or with Marlissa, I will dance to the beats of whatever plays at late nights, whether it be Josh Groban or Chicago.
I'm also thinking of choreographing a dance with a partner with a rehearsed song and all. Maybe I'll film it. It'll be fun.
Watch out.

Grandma Lee is LOLS.

What is one thing that Grandma Lee can teach us?
Humor is timeless.
A 75-year old woman with the humor style of a teenage boy; talking about dating, bodily functions, and sex. She looks sweet enough, but she can sure shoot off her mouth with dirty jokes and with great timing.
But really, I'm tired of David Hasselhoff saying that almost every act he sees "represents America." Catchphrase, much?
Let's hug it out then, little bitches.

It's Official: I'm in love with "500 Days of Summer"

love stories: Apparently, they're not about love.

After weeks of anticipation and searching for theatres that dare play this film, I finally saw "500 Days of Summer."
Throughout the movie, I found myself laughing, smiling, crying (not really, just feeling sympathetic, really) at randomly distributed moments throughout the film. The film struck me as different, because, despite being classified as a romantic comedy, it turned out to be anything but that, and by that, I mean predictable.
The plot skips forwards and backwards in the 500 days of Tom Henson's (the main character, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) relationship with Summer Finn (Zooey Deschanel). The constant flashing forwards and backwards made the plot refreshing, and the explorations into Henson's imagination with the sequences of animation and splitscreen added further to the film's unpredictability. Despite all of the seemingly random train of events, the film's moments all play together and tie up very nicely.
The appeal of the characters is that they are all average, everyday people. With this relatable concept in mind, I began to see the various traits of each character- whether it is their realism, their unrequited need for fun or their childlike faith- and I felt sympathy and compassion for every folly they suffered through, especially Tom.
As a romantic comedy, its fresh, different, and revolutionary. Its quirky storytelling style, its lighthearted humor, and the chemistry of Gordon-Levitt and Deschanel make the film unique and more real than any other romantic comedy out today.
Don't be deferred by the fact that the movie is in limited release- it's well worth the time to see it.
Look for some showings in you area here.
Watch the official trailer here.

Trailer

My thoughts are muddled. It's becoming difficult to align them. Haven't been on for weeks. Just one thing remains clear: I want to see this movie.
I've watched the trailer so many times and am completely obsessed with it. It looks so charming and funny and different.
Maybe I can see this, and write about it. Let's call this "post" a preview. Or a trailer. :)

Taste the Rainbow

Ok, I've been planning this for a while, so this should be good.
So, this summer I've been working at the Spartan Scroll Shaved Ice Kiosk. It's beautiful, and I love working there (seriously). The people are so fun, and the customers always play around.
The only thing that really irks me is what the customers say sometimes. Like so:

Me: Hello! What flavor would you like?
Customer: Uh... Green.
Me: FACEPALM

Ok, so I don't really hit customers, but sometimes I want to. This is shaved ice. This is not a bag of Skittles.
Don't even get me started on the bugs. The ants just flood out of the cracks in the ground, and soon become so numerous that we cannot control them after awhile. To make matters worse, the bees come and scare some of our customers away. It's like nature is saying, "Screw you, I'm not going to let you raise money."

Me: Hello! What fl- OH GOD, A BEE!
*customer runs off*
Me: FML

At least I have great co-workers.

Feeling great.

Hey, Blogspot isn't blocked at school. Hell yeah.
Anyways, I've been listening to a lot of Andrew Bird since the concert, and I have even put to use some of the trinkets I bought there.
I love trinkets.
Sorry, that was the whole point of my blog- to test it out, and to say I love trinkets.
I'm a fool, I know.

Life in COLOR.

Nothing much, just my very first color cartoon. Enjoy.

'Bird' is the word.

Andrew Bird: one of the greatest musical minds to ever walk this planet.

Personal fact time: I love Andrew Bird.
I know it's silly to try and throw the word "love" around as casually as I do (does that make me a whore?), but I really do have a love for Andrew Bird. Or his music, at least.
I only recently discovered Bird, at around the same time that I found out that you can actually buy music from iTunes giftcards (yes, I have been living under a rock all of my life). His name caught my eye on the iTunes store front page, so I decided to check out some of his music on Myspace and Imeem.
And so I was swept away. His combination of violin, guitar, whistling and (as I later found out) glockenspiel made for extremely unique and exciting music. Not only was it exciting, it was (wait for it)... comfortable to listen to. Bird's voice, the violin and the whistling all create very organic sounds that are only interrupted by the mechanic sound of the guitar and the glockenspiel, blending and balancing nicely to make for a soothing sound.
This is probably why I jumped when I saw that the summer schedule for Los Angeles' Greek Theatre included a concert by Bird (and Chris Botti, but that's a whole other blog). I jumped at the chance to finally see an artist I had constantly put on repeat.
After months of planning, inviting and persuading, my dad finally bought the tickets. This week alone, I have spent hours watching Andrew Bird performances and listening to his albums on my iPod to 'prepare.'
On Friday, I will attend my first ever concert, along with the wonderful Jessica, to see my favorite musician in his most natural state: making music.
I'm excited.

For more Andrew Bird info, visit http://www.andrewbird.net/

Anticipation.

tick-tock, tick-tock...
As I sit in this chair, my legs shake and sweat forms on my forehead.
tick-tock, tick-tock...
As I sit here, a series of numbers race through my head. They may be in different orders each time, but they all have one thing in common: they range from 1 to 5.
tick-tock, tick-tock...
Not today, maybe tomorrow. Until the mailman slips a fistful of envelopes into my mailbox tomorrow, the numbers will continue to pop up in my thoughts, my legs will continue to shake, and I will continue to sweat. I will continue to have to run into the storage closet and hide until my hyperventilating subsides. Until tomorrow, the clock runs strong in my head.
tick-tock, tick-tock...
I flash back to last year, right at the moment that I opened the envelope. My eyes caught a view of the scores, and my knees buckled. Breathing became difficult. An growing sense of failure rose up in my chest.
And the rest of me came crashing down.
tick-tock, tick-tock...
Am I expecting too much of what I may see tomorrow? Am I overthinking it? Am I being a worrywart about something so trivial?
"Life still goes on after you receive those scores," I was told today.
I hope it will.
tick-tock, tick-tock...

EDIT: 7/8/09 I passed.

Rest in peace, King of Pop.

Michael Jackson: A King and a revolutionary.
I'm going to write an obituary.
After hearing the breaking news of Michael Jackson's death yesterday (via Twitter and Facebook), I was still reeling from the shock as I walked into the journalism room today. I was tired as I plopped down onto the couch, and was musing the concept of death when one of my managing editors came by and informed me:
"You're going to cover Michael Jackson's death on one of your pages."
As much as I'd liked it to have been, it was not a dream; I was to write an obituary for a man who my generation only remembered as one thing: a freak.
To add to the weight, I was asked to remind everyone of who he really was; a pop icon and a rousing performer. For a generation that wasn't even conceived at the height of his fame, how was I supposed to turn their heads and let them see the true face of Jackson, behind the numerous plastic surgeries and the shiny gloved hand?
I can only compare the magnanimity of his death with that of probably Elvis Presley, but even then that would be cutting the point a bit short. Although Presley died at the height of his career and the pinnacle of his success, Jackson died on the eve of coming back, after a tumultuous time away from his career. While Presley died being remembered for his great music and his charm, Jackson died with scandal and controversy surrounding him.
Yet, we cannot forget Jackson's contribution to music, his revolution in music video with Thriller, his precision in dance and song (trust me, I've tried learning the Thriller dance quite a few times, it isn't as easy as it looks) and ultimately, his life.
To make one generation remember, to allow another generation to learn.
That is my task at hand.
I just hope I don't screw this one up.

MAJIDEEE!

Majide: Japanese vernacular for "seriously!?", "for real?"
I love I Survived A Japanese Game Show. It's hilarious, fun to watch, Rome Kanda has such charisma and it is a rich cultural learning experience.It is such a breath of fresh air from other reality shows, where the only concerns seem to be participant drama.
Today's reality TV wasteland seems to be only occupied by Lauren Conrad, Speidi and visions of "The Real World." But in all this junk, there is I Survived A Japanese Game Show.
Its premise in itself is an eye opening experience. Seeing an actual Japanese game show format is already educational enough and is sure to broaden many viewers' horizons. But the experience doesn't stop there: the rewards the winning team get all involve something special to Japanese culture (Japanese onsen with special fish pedicure, a fish market tour, a Shinto shrine visit and a soba noodle making lesson, just to name a few). Even the losers get treated to Japanese culture (rice farming, mochi making, capsule hotel stay and a position at a pachinko parlor, to name a few), even if the results aren't as luxurious.
This is something that we need, a program that shows us a world beyond our bubble, something that is fun yet educational at the same time. We don't need any more Speidi drama because that just seals us more into our bubbles. To open up, we need to see someone survive a Japanese game show.
MAJIDEEEEEE!

Boom Boom POW! Right on the kisser.

Fergie: C'mon, she's not THAT ugly.

In case you haven't heard, will.i.am recently attacked infamous celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. Now, normally, I would not be up for this kind of violence, but hearing Hilton's statement lead me to one conclusion: they're both HUGE idiots.
So this is basically what happened: Perez wrote some nasty stuff about the Black Eyed Peas in his blog, Black Eyed Peas get mad and confront Hilton, Hilton argues back, will.i.am throws the punch(es, Hilton releases statement in which he explains everything and calls will.i.am a liar and says Fergie is "fugly, bitch".
Don't get me wrong, will.i.am was wrong for assaulting Hilton, but what Hilton said in his statement was just wrong. I mean, talking/cussing/crying for 11 minutes? Don't waste our time unless you have something you want to get to the general public.
And to quote Mr. Hilton, to both of you, "You disgust me, and I have no more respect for you."

Pride and Personal Prejudice

As I fill out my application for the Herb Block Foundation JEA Student Cartoonist Award, writing in my best cartoonist handwriting (aka ALL CAPS), I got this fear in my chest that made me put the pen down.
I remembered Herbert Block's cartoons, and how they were so opinionated about big things, how sharply drawn they were, how the issues he was tackling were so much bigger than mine and how I was incompetent. Mostly that last part.
I look at my cartoons, and I see my coloring over the line, I see my failure to properly blend shades of cool grey, my unerased pencil lines and my messy lines.
I don't think I'll win this, to be honest. I still fill out my form regardless. I guess it never hurts to try.
But it will hurt if i don't win.
For sure.
Sorry, Mr. BLock.

Kevin and the Culture of Procrastination

Initiative: I hear they're on sale this weekend, but I decided that I'll go buy some later.

Okay, I'll admit it: I'm not exactly a self-starter.
I mean, I do get things done eventually and I start on some things, but when it really comes down to it, I'm a procrastinator to my core. It's kind of disgusting to me, actually, how I have to be told to do simple things like showering and brushing my teeth,
Of course, while I'm lazing around NOT doing whatever I need to do, I'm thinking about doing it...in about five minutes. It's not until someone yells at me that I actually get up and do it. Even now, when I have a huge final staring me in the face that my GRADE depends on and here I am clicking away at the computer, musing about this. HOW STUPID CAN I GET?!
Despite the fact that I am perfectly aware of this phenomenon, I still get a bit irked when people tell me that I have no initiative. hate hearing the same thing over and over again, so I kind of go off (the other times I hear it besides the one time my teacher or peer tells me is in my head. Stupid conscience).
Ah, well. Fuck procrastination, I'm off to work.

Giving/Getting a little something extra.

High school journalism: My stepping stone for the future.

Today, I got a yearbook.
Yeah, it was beautiful, and yeah, it smelled REALLY good, but there was a sort of happiness and energy that went along with it. This time, I helped to complete the yearbook.
How surreal is that?
I mean, opening a page to see some of my work and layout ideas and pictures in the book really gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. Sure, there were plenty of mistakes and grammatical errors and complaints (sorry once again, Annie), but the feeling was still there. I savored it as much as I could by flipping through the pages, signing others' books, and of course, putting my nose into the pages and taking a huge whiff.
Being a part of things always makes it better when the product is completed and looking great. Being on two publishing staffs and getting layouts and artwork churned out to the appreciative student population always makes me feel great.
I remember once walking into a classroom one day during second to distribute the newspaper. The students were rambunctious and I could barely hear anything other than chatter, but as soon as I walked about five feet into the room, decked out in my journalism shirt and cardigan, the classroom went silent. There were whispers and points, "It's the school Scroll!", and even as I went up to the teacher to hand him the stack of freshly printed newspapers, there was a lot of anticipation in the air (I felt it. It was crackling).
Of course, I cannot thank the programs more for opening my horizons and allowing me to experience something totally unique. I can also thank them for giving me some of the most real friendships and lasting memories. My high school journalism career isn't even over, and I can already tell that it will stick with me for years to come.
There's a reason I take pride in wearing my cardigan every three weeks. There's a reason I chastise April Fool's issues of newspapers. There's a reason I'm completely anal about style rules. There's a reason that I want to be an editorial cartoonist when I get out of college. There's a reason that I don't like papers that don't have cartoons or use them badly.
It's because I take pride in journalism because it's the one thing I'm slightly talented at, and I expect every other student journalist to.
Write on.

Already?

Time is relative.
It seems like just last week I was entering junior year with a mind full of optimistic goals and hopes for the outcomes of this year. I was still unsettled with this year's staff, and I was anticipating new episodes of Pushing Daisies and Life.
Now, I have none of those goals accomplished, I have been pushed into a whole new position with a news staff, I can now only anticipate two more episodes of Daisies, and my teacher has asked me to do personal statements.
Personal statements??? FUH.
It seems that college and senior year are throttling at me now with full force and little to no physical obstruction. I mean, I have a concert that I'm barely prepared for (supply-ily speaking, not musically), a SAT exam next week, banquets yet to eat at and summer classes yet to sign up for. I feel so naked (figuratively speaking) for the now.
I just hope that the future is kinder to me than I think it will be.

Ebb tide

Change: It happens.
Today was the new-old editorial board for journalism. Sitting across the way from where I used to was certainly...different.
But some things never change. I can still stare at the same person as before during meetings if I look straight ahead, I have a male and a female sitting on either side of me,I still draw a lot during ed board.
But still, the people sitting on either side of me are different from before, the food comes faster, I actually have to talk at every meeting and I can see my old spot from where I sit.
It's still kind of weird to call cartoonist my "old spot", because I haven't really grown out of it. I can't help but doodle during ed board and I almost wrote up a cartoon assignment sheet before I realized where I was sitting.
Changes to come will be big; I'll have to take leadership on a section, I have to take all responsibility for any mistakes or mishaps on my page(s), and I probably have to work more during late nights (just a hunch). These thoughts all culminated while I waited in the darkness of the room, and I freaked out a little.
I can admit right now that I am terrified for next year. All my AP's, my leadership positions, and now this new post had become very real to me. It was like life came down upon me and then ran me over with a bus.
As I thought more about my load for next year, however, the weight seemed to lessen and the pile of duties and obligations that I had seemed to grow smaller and smaller. This perpetual and recurring doubt that I had that I couldn't handle next year seemed to disappear, for good this time. I remembered the friends I had to back me up and the experiences I would have and all the new things I would learn and all the change just seemed more and more worthwhile.
I guess the reason change is so synonymous with tides is that tides will pull you in if you stand in the water, whether you want them to or not; once you're in the water you can only get out or swim. Today was an a small lap of water at my ankles, an omen to the massive change in store for next year, and whether I'm ready or not, the tide will eventually pull me in.
It all just depends on how ready I am to swim.

New'd

Life:A new one begins now.
As much as I try to, I can find not one true definition for life.
I do know that it begins and ends abruptly, that it is unpredictable, and that it has been emulated into a cheaply entertaining board game.
But as much as we try and grasp life, to try and figure out a shape it takes or a pattern it follows, it only manages to wind up more and throw us off in ways not possible to predict.
But life is not one unpredictable course; we can live many lives in our one lifetime. Each of these lives can last for any amount of time, but I think that they are all guided by a single principle established before each has begun.
Each life, ruled by a single concept, by an idea, by an inspiration, by a passion, has the potential to last the rest of your lifetime, but only those true passions and principles will last true and strong until the end.
Today, guided by the single need to write, I begin a life.
I don't know where this life will take me, how long it will last, or if I will even update it consistently; one thing, however, is certain, and that is that this life will attempt to make sense of it all.
For today, I begin anew.