Poop and Prejudice

Readers are winners.

In AP English, we've been "reading" Pride and Prejudice. I use the term "reading" loosely because a) about half the class has opted to read Sparknotes instead of the novel and b) the other half has opted to watch the BBC movie instead of reading the novel. Granted, I also use the word "half" very loosely. While reading Wuthering Heights over the summer, I found the joys of audiobooks. I didn't even read a page of Pride and Prejudice. Audiobooks are great--I was able to read a lame book and work on lame calculus homework at the same time! Yessssss.

A few weeks ago, my teacher told one of rare football players in AP English that if he brought a picture of himself reading Pride and Prejudice on the bench, we would receive extra credit. To which he replied, "I don't sit on the bench".

It just so happened that I was photographing that game for yearbook, and another one of the photographers brought a (hot pink) copy of the book. It has a peacock on it. Thus, we took many pictures of various AP students in a diverse spectrum of activities "reading" Pride and Prejudice.

Well... that was unexpected.

I took the SAT Physics subject test a few weeks ago, and it was awful. I really put off studying for it, my physics teacher is far from competent, and the only reason why I took it is because one school that I am applying to (Columbia) requires it. I didn't get through the entire test, and stumbled through what I did get through, thus, I wasn't expecting an impressive score at all.

And I didn't get one.

But I did get a 630 (out of 800), and while it's far from my goal, it isn't bad. To put it into perspective, the average score on an SAT Physics subject test typically ranges from a 635-645. Granted, this is very skewed from what the average student would achieve, given this test, because the average student does not voluntarily take the SAT Physics subject test. So while I'm slightly below average, and that really does not meet my standards, that score really isn't worth fretting about. Luckily, from what I can tell, colleges view the SAT subject tests as more of a reflection of your education than your intelligence, and my score wasn't all that bad, so I should be okay. And even if I were super stressed about it, there wouldn't be anything I can do to change it, because the test reports are due by Dec. 1st.

A word of advice to you sophomores and juniors: get your testing out of the way now, so that you aren't stuck with poopy subject test scores tainting your academic record.

Gimme a Break!

His milkshake brings all the boys to the yard.

It's officially Thanksgiving Break. Here's what I've accomplished:

• Introspective journaling
• Three college apps completed (Boston University, Columbia University, University of Virginia)
• Family Reunion at the family farm in Huntsville, TX. I am related to a man named Achilles Napoleon Bonaparte Tompkins. That puts Renesmee Carlie Cullen and Albus Severus Potter to shame.
  
• Filmed another "Man vs. Wild" video. Still in editing process
• Sleep. Yes.
• Rented "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Airplane!"
  
• Saw Deathly Hallows. It was good. It wasn't my favorite book, and I don't really like the movies. But it was good.
• Went to the Texas Renaissance Festival.
  
• Finished Pride and Prejudice

The Renaissance Festival, yes. It was actually cleaner than I expected. Granted, there was a great deal of raunchy costuming, and it probably wasn't the most sanitary thing, but it wasn't as bad as my parents conveyed to me. Then again, they are my parents. It was actually a lot like Disney World, except with less clothing. I would definitely go again, but I don't think my parents were too keen on it. While there, I spent my parents' my money on a pair of mukluks ($10), which are a type of Native American hand-knit boot, a chocolate-covered banana ($6?), stew ($6), and a hair-braiding ($34). My brother also purchased beefjerky ($10?) and an ocarina ($30), which he has been playing it incessantly. His favorite selections are "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" and "Bad Romance".

Left to right; me, my grandma, and my brother. As if you couldn't deduce that without my help.

Beggar's Stew. Ah, medieval cuisine.

The back of my head is ridiculous.


I earned the trust of a hippogriff. Jealous?


Only $500!

The ocarina. Of time.

Georgia Tech--So Fly!

I've been accepted to the Georgia Institute of "echnology"! Well, according to the sign in the picture, that's what it's called. It's okay, it's a technical school--they don't need to know how to spell, even if it is their own name.

So far, I've gotten in to Baylor, Tulane, and Georgia Tech. I really can't see myself at Baylor, though.(By the way, I'll post the infamous letter typo later, so that may be forever glorified in the realm of the internet). In addition, I'm still waiting to hear back from a few schools, and I'm particularly interested in Georgetown and Columbia. I've decided to list pros and cons of the schools I've been accepted to, disregarding Baylor. Thus, these are my evaluations of Georgia Tech and Tulane.

Georgia Tech

• PRO: Offers intensive education in the maths and sciences
• CON: I really want to be well-rounded, and learn more than just physics and calculus
• CON: The GA Tech foreign language department is crap.
• CON: Atlanta kinda scares me.
• CON: Same southern ideas as those that exist here.
  
• PRO: They guy-to-girl ratio is really high, which is always a nice thing if you're a girl.
• PRO: Awesome recreation center. Not that I'm athletic, but it's nice, anyway
• PRO: Studying abroad is cheaper than studying at the Atlanta campus.
• PRO: Has a strong alumni fan-base, huge stadium, and a decent football team. Once again, I don't really care too much about that, but it's nice.
• CON: There are way too many Waffle Houses nearby.
• PRO: Strong ROTC.
• PRO: Not many people from my school go there.
• CON: I wouldn't know anyone
• PRO: My mother seems to like this one the most.
• CON: My mother seems to like this one the most.

Tulane

• PRO: I love New Orleans. The French Quarter is awesome.
• CON: Kinda close to home.
• PRO: Community service is really important to them.
• PRO: Quirky language department.
• CON: Not as academically rigorous in maths and sciences
  
• PRO: More academically diverse
• PRO: Tons of films are shot around there (I actually went on the Green Lantern filming set this summer while visiting)
• PRO: New Orleans has a creepy history.
• CON: New Orleans is creepy.
• PRO: It's a very "northern" school
• CON: Guy-to-girl ration is significantly lower than that of GA Tech
• PRO: Super rad trolley system (GA Tech does have a trolley thing, but it isn't as cool)
• CON: The roads are terribly dangerous
• PRO: Cajun food.

By the way, did anyone else notice the random blue bullets and the font change of "Georgia Tech"? Weird.

Here's the letter. By far the least formal of the acceptance letter's I've received, as it was online. But honestly, what do you expect from an engineering school? I think they're sending a legitimate one, later though.

And this was in their (massive) bookstore, where I felt obligated to try on everything that I could put on my head.

My Education Has Gone to Pot(ter)

A good portion of my school dressed up. At school. I wish I had brought my camera. I apologize for depriving you of potentially glorious pictures.

I have a calculus test tomorrow (wish me luck!) The majority of my class took it today because they were going to the premiere, didn't want to study tonight, and wanted to sleep during class tomorrow.

My friend spent $20 dollars on a wand. I'm pretty sure it's plastic. Granted, it does light up.

This is just getting ridiculous.

Let me get this out: I've read the books. I've seen a few of the movies. I do like Harry Potter--it's entertaining, definitely. But the culture that it has created: the musical genre, countless books derived from it, the influence on pop culture--that's even more entertaining. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the movies. I am, however, a fan of the people that are fans of the movies. Or say that they're fans of the movies.

And so, I'll leave you with this little gem:

Oh, I find out tomorrow whether or not I've been accepted to Georgia Tech. And it's the first day of Thanksgiving Break! Finally.

Things That Have Happened During My Hiatus

Shalom.

I haven't posted in a really long time. I'm sorry. No time. I thought I would give you a run-down of the things I would have posted about, had I put through the effort.

• Got my Baylor acceptance letter, but it said I was admitted to the class of 2014. They resent letter with correct graduation date. Will post scans of letter in future.
  
• Recognized by school-board as National Merit Commended Scholar. Made awkward faces for the newspaper photographer.
• Took Physics Subject Test. Endured much mental pain. One kid in the room made noises exactly like a vibrating cell phone. Made pain much more entertaining.
• Auditioned for Region choir. Missed Mixed choir and progression to next round of auditions by two chairs, thus was placed in Women's choir. Participated in Region clinic and concert. Clinician strongly resembled Gov. David Paterson of New York.
• Intend on having a senior photo-shoot for choir Christmas concert. Very excited.
• Reading Pride and Prejudice in English. Find it highly intolerable.
  
• Football team had first playoff game. Won, but barely. Another photographer brought Pride and Prejudice, and we took pictures of various people reading it. Will post later.

Finally, I stayed up all night procrastinating on finishing an economics project, about David Ricardo and Free Trade. My partner and I are not in the least bit conventional, so we made a music video as alternative to a slideshow. We got a 100.

I am under the impression that by reading Pride and Prejudice, my language in regular conversation has been altered. Do you fancy this strange?

Busy Bee

I've been super busy. But expect to be bombarded by blog posts soon.

Spiders? Why can't we follow the Butterflies?

Honestly, I only used that title because a) it's probably the greatest Harry Potter quote of all time and b) it has the word "butterflies" in it. And the choir went to go see Puccini's Madame Butterfly yesterday.

Summary: Pinkerton, a naval officer marries a hot Japanese woman named Butterfly (who I still believe he found on a creepy Asian mail-order bride website). They get super kinky, she renounces her religion, and then he leaves her for America. She waits three years for him to come back, then tells his pal they have a kid together. He comes back, now that he has a baby mama, and brings along his second wife (hoorah for polygamy), who wants to adopt his son as her own. Butterfly agrees to give up her freakin' adorable son, only if Pinkerton comes himself to pick him up. While the son is playing, Butterfly blindfolds the child and subsequently commits suicide, and Pinkerton enters shortly after the deed is done. The end.

Review: The set was amazing. Indescribable. Personally, I'm not a big fan of Puccini, but it was better than I expected. The kid was the cutest thing I have ever seen. I give it 2.43289 out of 5 stars.

I'm kinda tall. Granted, I had on five-inch heels.

Oh, and we had 15 layer lasagna. Albeit, it was really hard to count the layers.

Yes.