Dancing Queen

Isn't Maya epic?

A spin off of "Name that Tune"

Rather, it's "Name this Cat":



Help? (After "Sweeney" was shot down, I'm rooting for Boris. Suggestions are welcome.)

Oh my god

I'm done with middle school.

YESSS!!!

School Countdown: 1 day

I can't believe that I'm actually writing this, knowing that next time I blog (unless I do so at 6:20 in the morning when I'm eating breakfast) I will officially be done with middle school. Like, not just done with that one particular year of middle school. Done as in DONE done.

While at times it has been a really long year, for the most part (and considering the length of a year), it truly has gone by fast. This is one of those times when I'm not getting all sentimental-"Slipping Through My Fingers", though.

Rather, here's a better one:



So to kind of sign off...thank you, readers, for putting up with my rants this year when you probably had better things to do. Be ready for some posts tagged with "Summer"---this is the final "Spring"!

School Countdown: 2 days

Today was the final orchestra concert. To get an idea of how several of them went, heres recordings from three of them:

"Under the Sea"



"Finale" (Beethoven's 5th)



"Raiders of the Lost Ark Theme"



"Pink Panther" (My bassoon demonstration. This was today)

School Countdown: 3 days

Two orchestra concerts today. One tomorrow.

Griped about the dress code for a nice chunk of the evening. Probably what's most frustrating is that there is no way that hasn't already been approached to change the code. I used to be all passionate about can-we-wear-hoodies, but now if we could just untuck our shirts I'd be the happiest camper ever.

School Countdown: 4 days

And two of them (tomorrow and Wednesday) are Orchestra Concerts, so I won't even be there.

I feel insanely on top of things, as I have plans for the first week of summer to be completely set aside to getting my life back in order. I'm using my trusty Remember the Milk! to make lists of things I need to do, and I honestly can't wait.

Only four more days until I have to start writing "Summer" as my tag instead of "Spring"!

Blissful Nothingness

I feel terribly guilty, as every night before I go to bed I realize I haven't blogged. I dread doing it, and then smack a video or LOLcat in and call it content. True, there is no oath for this year that it making me blog, but I know that if I stop doing it then I won't ever start up again.

So I'll report what happened today: nothing. You all know that that means something. A full day with no commitments? That's a rare treat at the old Taylor place.

For the first time in ages, I slept in. REALLY slept in---the dog woke me up at 10:30. I piano-ed for most of the day, digging out sheet music from years ago to songs such as:



and

Happy Richard Shufelt Day!

That wasn't supposed to make sense. It's a Musical Theatre joke.

Speaking of which, the final recital was tonight, and the only thing that stands between me and the end of the school year is three orchestra concerts and the final two days of school.

From algebra class

"Kaitlyn loves to draw :3"

Making my spot in the world

I went to about ten minutes of the final school board meeting today, and they went over the results of the schools for the QAR (some school test-thing that proves that yes, we are a school). I was given a golden ticket forever ago to go and talk to them, and I did. I told them greatly about how there was a rather limited source of different levels of education and that I was typically bored in class.

One of the recommendations for Scott was "provide different education through differentiation." That's me right there, readers!

Upon finding this out, I did the usual victory-slam (like in Mean Girls where one arm is a sling and you fling the other arm into it).

Thing is, the slamming through the other hand/fist up...into my face.

Oh, and my German video got first at State! Mike got second, as we were, again, the only people to do videos. You'd think there would be more Berlin Film-Fest hopefuls in Kentucky.

For those of you who missed my movie, Schwimmen!, here it is:

Events on an eventful day

• First orchestra concert where we go to the schools
  
• Went with Mom to say "hi" to one of her friends who worked at the school
  
• ...and gave an impromptu bassoon concert in the Special Needs room.
  
• Attempted to put hair in bun
  
• Failed
  
• Went to rehearsal
  
• And stayed their an hour longer than it said we would be there
  
• Wasn't able to go to Joana's to pick up my character shoes (Sorry, Joana!)
  
• Planned to look over my agenda for tomorrow

As for Aubrey---I was totally, totally, TOTALLY going to write Vagrants today. Insanity is what insanity was, sooo that didn't go over. But I really wanted to, believe me.

What I might be ashamed to say

Last year, around this time, I prided myself in being an almost-vegetarian. Today I wound up eating three turkey sandwiches.

I can't be completely blamed for the first one---it came with the school lunch for the field trip, and it was paired with a thing of orange juice and some apple slices. From there, I couldn't find much around the house, and so another sandwich.

For dinner after the dress code meeting? Guess.

From the files

Ice cream with Julianna in Carlisle:





A little rock figurine I drew in Sketcher:

Never thought I'd be saying it

But I ducked out of YTHC this season. It's been an insane year, and I haven't exactly had a break from anything. With Dad deploying and Jamaica and everything, I don't think I could have balanced everything out.

I might be working backstage in July, though. I really just need to take June off and breathe.

My life

Is terribly uneventful right now.

Well, yes, I have recitals and concerts pretty much all of next week, and today Mom and I went to Louisville to get some shopping done and listen to a concert by a friend of ours. But everything seems to be covered on Mom's blog.

I feel the need to still post here, though. That way, if something comes along, I'll post it rather than viewing it as no real importance.

Blog365: Day 136

Nothing terribly exciting happened today, but perhaps you can find some interest in my mom's blog. (I'd like to take credit for the sweater issue, as Mom stole that bit of shenanigans from my dress code survey. And yes, Mom, that is the third time I've said "shenanigans" today. That was my fourth.)

Cell phone blogging. On my way to Etown for another exciting adventure. Real post tomorrow. Sorry.

These are a few of my favorite things

Put it the order they occured:

- Not having German homework
- Rereading Phantom of the Opera for the third time (This is a beaten up copy---pages are tornish and edges curling, not to mention today it went through the rain)
- Having 11 days of school left
- Studying for the science test...
- ...but Mom picking me up just before my teacher gave out the test
- Splitting a Hershey's bar
- Watching the Pilates group lesson
- Having my own Pilates lesson (Including the AMAZING Cadilac---I felt like I was jumping out of Cats. It's amazing.)
- Lunch at Whole Foods
- The last Musical Theatre rehearsal
- Diablo
- Taking out DanceDance Revolution and being beastly at it
- Going to bed early (Well this WILL occur in several minutes)

All in all, a splendid kind of day.

Thanks, Papa!

For sending me this:

"I AM your host!"

I got to play Drama Department MC for the chorus concert tonight. I actually only got to read announcements, but I'd have loved to pull a real Joel Grey, excessive makeup and all:

So

I'm having second thoughts about this school talent show thing. I really don't know anything that I haven't already played that's a huge audience pleaser (such as Ice Dance or Sorcerer's Apprentice).

Anyone have an idea for something I could whip together really quickly on piano? I guess I could do something on bassoon but I've been doing so much of it lately. Besides, everyone in that school knows that I play bassoon and that I play it pretty well, so it isn't the huge surprise factor that I'm going for.

And now everything is fine

Because I found my socks.

Socks: MIA

My lucky socks are missing. Like, we checked the band room AND the gym. And in just about every other place they've been. They're gone!!! So I've been spending some time trying to find them...please send Good Sock Hunting Vibes!

Power to the purple socks

One of the lovable (read: strange) things about me is that I have a pair of purple-striped knee socks that I wear every Thursday. I don't even care WHAT I'm wearing---those socks will go with it somehow. Everyone seems to love those socks, and so Thursday is typically one of my favorite days of the week.

This week, those socks were dirty. I figured that I could go a day without them. After all, how terrible could it be?

I was sadly surprised. Let's just say the day started out with my reed cup spilling IN MY PURSE and my best reed almost breaking and then went downhill.

Tonight was the band concert, so naturally I was freaked out that the absence of the socks would throw me off. Mom did laundry and threw them in, but with the dress code being black pants, white shirt, I couldn't very well slip purple socks past the band teacher.

So, in hopes that it might work, I threw those socks into my bassoon case and took them with me. Yes, readers, you might call me a geek but I NEEDED those socks. Badly. The solo was that night and I didn't need any more misfortune. (When I had to leave the case in the band room, my mom threw the socks in her purse so as to keep them near).

My reed fell to the floor twice, but thankfully we were in the gym---rubber floor! It bounced several times as I yelped "NOBODY MOVE!" and blew it off. It didn't break or even crack. I had a sense that the socks were beginning to work their magic.

Did they do a good job? I'll let you be the judge there: here's the video of me playing "Sorcerer's Apprentice", my dream piece since 5th grade (as well as the piece that made me want to play bassoon in the first place).



I'd like to say that I'm pretty beastin' there, if I do say so myself.

For the second year, I won the award for "Most Outstanding Musician: Female". I find it interesting that I've gotten it on two different instruments---last year I played oboe, and this year bassoon. Here I am with...pretty much everything:



And here's me with my amazing band director ("I love you Mrs. Redmon!!!"):



I think tonight was a very appropriate final gig for that bassoon; the high school is wanting their instrument back. I'll still have the other bassoon, though, so I'm not quitting---you'll be able to hear about plenty more bassoon drama later. I need a couple days to focus on something else, like piano.

BEEEAST!!!

Penultimate concert evening

The middle school concert is tomorrow, so I'll be able so show off some wicked bassoon (Sorcerer's Apprentice, as I've said more than ample times) and hopefully it'll all go well. I'm kind of hoping that the rehearsal doesn't go AMAZING, because that's what happened with the high school concert: our rehearsal went bad, but the performance was nothing short of epic (for what our 23 members can do, which is quite surprising!)

Of course, there is the other music, but I'm not terribly concerned about it, as I can play it fairly easily. It's not terribly hard music, but with everyone coming together (and with PERCUSSION! I haven't played with percussion in middle school since forever ago) it sounds much better.

Then it's dashing off to Youth Orchestra, which I'm kind of nervous about. It IS just rehearsal, but I've been neglecting my music since I've been going insane on this bassoon solo.

Oh, and I totally love my accompanist and band teacher. They helped my mom and I schedule a get-together with the accompanist to practice without a bunch of people listening in as I learned what the piano part was---I had never heard it until this afternoon. He was rather friendly and helpful, and even let me record him playing it so that I could run through it a few times at home (which I have taken full advantage of).

One concert down

The high school concert is down, and in two days is the middle school concert. Tonight went surprisingly well, despite me not really practicing my music (and only seeing the final piece this afternoon). We played us a mean "Heron Bay" and "Mission: Impossible", and "On a Hymnsong by Philip Bliss" went really well as well.

Oh, and my new nickname is apparently Hannibal Lecter. Inside joke from band with "Annabelle" somehow sounding like "Hannibal". Thus, Hannibal Lecter.

Now I'm working like a mad hatter (HAH HAH HAH) on "Sorcerer's Apprentice", all my orchestra music, and what I'm planning on doing for the end-of-the-year Talent Show. My song of choice (played on piano and hopefully singing as well?)

Bullet statements

• Mom let me sleep in late today because I knew I wasn't doing anything in first through third period (and it turns out I wasn't). It was nice to actually sleep for the first time in several days.
  
  
• The piano player for "Sorcerer's Apprentice" didn't show up today...again. I'm getting a little anxious about it.
  
  
• I'm not entirely sure what to do for an upcoming school talent show.
  
  
• The first rehearsal for Wizard of Oz was tonight, and despite being in a rather nasty mood about it beforehand, I'm really excited now.
  
  
• Maya sent me this:
  
  
  
  
• The high school band concert is tomorrow, so I practiced some of my music for that (and Sorcerer's Apprentice). Looks like I'm a beast on Apprentice and somewhat adequate for high school music.
  
  
• I really wish I didn't have to go to school tomorrow. We're not doing anything as far as I know. Hopefully, we'll finish Sound of Music in German.
  

Blogging from the road. 20 more minutes and we're home... And then only 45 more minutes of weekend. So not ready to go back to school tomorrow.

Carlisle: first and last day

If today had a theme song, it'd be "One Short Day" from Wicked. Everything today was just bang-bang-bang, because one can only fit so much stuff (and so much food!) in one thirteen-hour period.

The day started out with breakfast at this really cute diner that Dad and I actually had breakfast at when I came up. It was a tough call, but I chose blueberry over chocolate chip pancakes at the last minute simply because B comes before C in the alphabet. When all else fails, go to the tried-and-true alpha-beta.

We met some of our "invisible friends" for coffee (actually hot chocolate and a couple sodas) this afternoon, so I got to chat up with my friend Julianna for the first time in about two years. Naturally, we discussed everything that nobody else at the table would understand, so we got ourselves our own small island so as not to confuse everybody. (We also met for ice cream, which was delish as well).

After watching the Derby (which started at 6:30 rather that 6:05) it was back to the feedbag for meeting some of Mom's college friends for dinner. Again, more great food that I probably should have restrained myself on. Then again, why not go a little all-out? It's the weekend.

All in all, a really good day. Too bad tomorrow is going to be 10 hours of driving.

Surprise!

We aren't in Alabama. We just had to write that so as not to reveal to Dad that, actually, we were going to Pennsylvania to surprise him for his birthday. Aren't we good at lying? (Even though we were all close to bursting by the end?)

Oh, and Mike, some of the kids at the party, and I all went to see Wolverine at 9:30 this night. It wasn't quite as epic as the trailers made it seem, but a night out with friends to see an overrated movie later that we should is good for you every so often.

Happy Birthday, Dad! (Even though your birthday is tomorrow.)