Daddy Daughter Dance 2009

Every year of high school our class holds the Daddy Daughter Dance as a fund raiser. We held this years on February 9th. I love the Daddy Daughter Dance because it's a chance to be with your friends in the class, eat yummy deserts, dress up and even dance a little. Now, I'm not usually one for dancing, but I do enjoy it at the Daddy Daughter Dance. Maybe that's because it's fun old music like the Beatles, David Bowie and others, or maybe it's merely being with good friends. In fact, I spent a good deal of my night Waltzing with My, Armand and Ventana while doing the twist with Claudia.
Everyone is supposed to bring some sort of the desert and this year I decided to make a cake from my new recipe book. I decided on the Chocolate Malt Ball Cake. It took me three or four hours to make it, but once I tried it, I realized that it was worth it. It was absolutely delicious!
Another part of the dance I really like is watching the little girls and seeing what they wear. They are so cute! Anyhow, I had a very fun night and I'm already looking forward to next years dance.

The Duchess

I saw the Duchess the other night with mom and Greg. Overall I thought it was very good. Some parts were stunning like the costumes, hair, cinematography and overall visual experience the film had to offer. I thought she, Keira Knightly, did a good job, but I wasn't entirely clear whether or not I liked how Ralph Fiennes played his part. It was odd, for he was supposed to be the bad guy, but he played it differently. I didn't quite know what to feel towards the character by the end. The Duchess tells the true story of the duchess of devonshire and the trials she faced in her married life. It was sad, for you really got to see what life would be like for women in those times. Especially women who had a mind of their own. It was very good and though rather depressing, I did enjoy it. it was not my favorite film of the year, but I thought it was nice quality film. I especially liked it because ever since I saw the portrait of the duchess at the Huntington, I have had a strange curiosity concerning her. 

Lovely film, and lovely lovely costumes. 

Happy Birthday

Well, it has been quite a long time since the last post and I'm very sorry for that.
Anyhow, on Tuesday, the 27th, it was my birthday! I turned 16 and I feel like it as well. I don't feel extremely different or anything, just a little older I guess. I'm still trying to figure out if that's a good thing or not.
I had a great day at school and Ventana and My surprised me with a vegan pumpkin pie and a cranberry orange bunt cake! We decided to have some of the pie at school, it was really yummy! I had all the usual classes, Main Lesson, which is Physiology, German, English, Orchestra, Math, and Golf. After school I went out to Beverly Hills so I could visit my favorite store and have dinner at a restaurant I adore. I went with mom, Greg and grandma Martha. I have loved Anthropologie for a couple of years now. It seems as though every time I go in there, I see tons of things that I love. I found a green blouse shirt, a pair of cute stockings and a little sweater that feels Swedish or German. I wish I could have bought everything in the store!
We next went to Il Fornaio, which is my favorite restaurant. I always get this amazing chicken, broccoli, pasta dish which I could eat all day long! It was just as yummy as always. Then it was time for my favorite desert, whose name always escapes me. It is a fruit cup like dish, with sherbet and berries and cream. Yummmmm. It is fantastic! By the end of the meal, I was so stuffed I could hardly budge. When I got home, my dad arrived with a very special gift. A Kitchen Aid! I've been wanting one ever since I was little and now I have one! I'm so excited to be able to whip my whipped cream in a minute rather then five. I can't wait to start cooking and I think I'll start this weekend.
Anyhow, I had a wonderful day and I am so thankful for all the wonderful gifts! Thank you all very much!

The End and the Beginning

Well, the year is coming to a close. It is an end as well as a beginning. A time to start afresh, and let things go. Looking back on 2008, I realized that I grew a lot this year. Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. This year we performed the play "The Mouse that Roared." That really felt like the beginning of things to come in high school. It was a challenge and also extremely fun. I learned to golf in one of my favorite classes of the semester. I survived Spirit Week without many scratches and even earned myself a bow from the teacher I impersonated. My acting grew at Theatricum this year. My scene and monologue were big challenges and I am so proud of how hard I worked and that I was able to pull through. I got a great part in Taming of the Shrew and had a wonderful time. I learned a lot about acting, Shakespeare and what helps me with a scene. Being in a repratory Theatricum play has been a dream of mine since I was a little girl. It was one of the highlights of my summer I really hope I can be a part of it again next year! I took some great photos this year. I'm not a master or anything, but it's nice to improve. I audtioned for Pippin and sung in front of people on my own. That has been a big fear for a while. Even though I didn't get the part I wanted I made my new part really fun and I'm so happy with what happened. I've taken chances with the role and wasn't afraid to look odd in front of everyone. The Native American trip will always linger in my mind for 2008. It was an amazing experience and I am so lucky to have been there. I will never forget the memories I have from there, the beautiful canyon, the friends I made and the laughs I had. I fulfilled another childhood dream by performing in the Halloween skits. I played in the winter concert loudly and didn't mess up more then twice. In all I think this past year really helped me begin to conquer some of my fears and well as accomplish some of my dreams. I had a wonderful time and I made so many good memories. I remember 2007 as a rather strange year, but I know I'll remember 2008 as one where I had hard times as well as fun ones. Goodbye 2008, hello 2009. What do you have in store for me I wonder. What goals will I accomplish and fears will I conquer? Happy old year and happy new year.
May 2009 bring joy and good fortune.

Winter Concert 08

On December 11 we had our Winter Concert at school. There were three groups that performed. First was hand bells. They played several songs which were pretty, but they could have done half of the pieces. Next was choir. There was a new choir teacher this year and it was interesting to see what the choir sounded like with her. I thought they did good, a bit off at times, but overall good. We, the orchestra, played last. My friend Claudia is an amazing violinist and the first piece, Violin Concerto, was her "solo" piece. She sounded wonderful and I think we backed her up nicely. Next the quartet played the Pachelbel's Canon. It was the first time I had heard them play it and I thought it sounded great! Next we played Chameleon by Herbie Hancock. That was my least favorite piece to play. It's hard for flute and we're supposed to play it really fast. We ended with my favorite piece Get Happy. The piece begins with a tom tom like drum beat, followed by the trombone and keyboard. The piece sounded great! I had a really good time! I was nervous but it felt nice playing with everyone in orchestra. I think we have a good group and I'll be sad when the seniors aren't there next year.
All in all, the night went really well. I hope everyone watching enjoyed it as much as I did.

Photographs taken by Andrew Neuhart

The Fall

We see many movies in our life. Some we like others we don't, and then there are those that are different and seem to hit a chord inside of us. I recently saw the film the Fall with my mom and Greg. I saw the trailer this summer and thought that it looked interesting so I was glad when it arrived in the mail via Netflix. I absolutely adored the film. It was so wonderful and inspiring. In a hospital in the 1940's, I young girl with a broken arm befriends a man who was injured by a fall. He tells her a fantastical story about 5 heroes. But are there darker motives behind this charming story? The film is a stunning treat for the eyes. Every shot is like a vivid work of art. It's colorful, simple and rich. The film was shot on 18 countries over the world which only adds to the films stunning appearance. The costumes were also brilliant. They were more dull for real life and when in the story they were vibrant and unusual. The acted was wonderful. The little girl had a lovely presence and you really feel for her. As for Roy (Lee Pace), the man who tells the story, he did a great job as well. He showed the pain that the character was feeling and even if his choices were not good, I couldn't force myself to dislike him. In all it was an amazing film which I highly recommend. It was really inspiring and I cannot wait to see it again! I hope it gets recognized when the Oscars come around it really deserves a nod for best costumes or cinematography.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite times. I love eating good food and being with family. This year I didn't have a huge extravagant dinner, but a small one with my mom, dad and Greg. We spent most of the day cooking and then ate. There was the usual turkey mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce as well as a green bean salad that was amazing, fig and chestnut stuffing, a relish salad and homemade vanilla ice cream. We planned on seeing a movie afterwards, but it didn't quite work out. Instead we played Scrabble which was extremely fun. I don't think I had ever played before and I came in second place! We had a good deal of laughs and invented several new words, Balorclain and Downatoupe, thanks to dad and Greg.In all it was a really fun night and I had a great time eating yummy food and being with family.

Halloween

The idea of Halloween has always been more fun then the actual day itself. I used to have a ton of fun on Halloween night. I'd go to the schools Halloween night which was a series of skits at the end of each we would receive a little treat. I always enjoyed it. Lately though I haven't been having the best Halloween. At school some of the high schoolers were putting together the skits for the Halloween night and they needed volunteers. I played Sleeping Beauty in one skit and My and Ventana were in skits as well. It was extremely fun except for the fact that the dress I was wearing was extremely tight and it was a little hard to breath. I got to lie down on this bed they made for me, and let my mind drift. It was really relaxing. Then when I felt someone sit down next to me I ran over my lines. I awoke when someone kissed my forehead then handed out chocolate kisses to the little kids. I only had a couple lines so it wasn't hard to remember them. I think the hardest part was trying not to laugh while I was asleep. Dusty, who played the prince, is the funniest person I know and more then once I had to restrain myself from laughing. In all, it was really fun and I wouldn't mind doing it again next year.
Next Ventana, My and I went trick or treating. We were dressed as Little Bo Peep and her sheep. The only problem was by the time we left school it was around 9:30 and no one was out. We went back to her house and talked and played games.
I had a great night, I wonder what next year has in store for me.

Superman Returns

I remember someone telling me I would like the film Superman Returns so I put it on my Netflix. Months, maybe even a year later I received it. I watched it, not quite knowing what to expect. I had always been rather critical of Superman just because of his suit I guess. Something about a man in a spandex blue and red suit flying around is just a little strange to me. Anyways, I found myself engrossed in the movie not wanting it to end. I think the actors were cast just right for they played their parts quite well, especially Brandon Routh, Superman. He did a great job acting one way when he was Superman and another when he was Clark. The film had some really beautiful shots and the colors were wonderful. I also like the costumes. They were 1920's/1930's like but then again they were different and unique. In the end, it was a magnificent masterpiece, but a movie that I enjoyed. I think people tend to criticise to easily. Yes, that might not be realistic, or that character wouldn't have done that,but the truth is, it is a story. And in the world of stories, anything is possible. Many people have said this film was bad, but I liked it, and recommend it. 

Bowling Day

Since it has been so long since I last posted, I'm going to do many short entries about what has been happening!

On October 15 we had our PSAT's at school. I was surprisingly not nervous when I sat down at my desk. About an hour or two later, my test sat closed upon my desk, ready to be collected. I think I did pretty well considering. Since I'm still learning Geometry, I couldn't complete all of the math questions, but other than that there it wasn't super hard.

Next we piled into school buses and headed for the bowling alley. This is somewhat of a high school tradition to go bowling after the big test. I like to bowl, but I'm not the greatest at it. I actually made a strike, but it was when I was playing for someone else. I can in last or second to last in every game we played. In all it was very fun and I had a great time.