Rage

My cat is attempting to lay on my keyboard and it's making it incredibly hard for me to type and procrastinate about doing my AP study questions for Macbeth.

But, I need to inform the world about the travesty that is my yearbook staff. In fact, I don't even consider most of them staffers. Yes, that is how bad they are.

They refuse to take ANY initiative whatsoever, and then complain when they have no material to work with.

Ok. They are given a spread to complete. Usually it's something non ambiguous like a club page or student page (history, art, science, pep rally, homecoming, etc.). As the person in charge of that spread/page it's their responsibility to 1)write the story for their page 2)take or request that pictures be taken for their spread 3)write captions for their spread 4)interview or request for someone to interview students for their page AND FINALLY 5)make sure that everything is done BEFORE or AT deadline.

Honestly I wouldn't be upset if they weren't playing games during class, doing other homework, and just acting like incompetent children.

Is it that hard to look in the photo folder (that is sorted by month and week) to find pictures for their page? Is it that hard to ask me or the other editor to help them with their story? Is it that hard to ask the class if someone can cover an event?

I understand people have jobs and extracurricular activities. I understand. I'm a leader in many things around the school, not to mention all of my AP classes. I UNDERSTAND things get hectic and sometimes it seems that there's not enough time, but I promise THERE IS.

Would I be blogging if I didn't think I was going to be able to finish my Macbeth assignment before tomorrow? No.

I just wish they would use their time in class and just work on their page throughout the time it's assigned to them instead of waiting A WEEK before deadline to start ANYTHING.

It's gotten to the point where I meet with each staffer individually to see their progress. I have a handful of good ones that do their job and do good work, but they don't make up for the lazy/incompetent ones that don't. Also, I'm an editor. Which means I have to multitask and work on 935786y397 things at once. I don't have time to hold someone's hand for 10 minutes, literally standing over their shoulder making sure they're working and being productive. Today I was working on 3 different pages and helping the staffers AND still managed to get stuff done.

It's gotten to the point where if I can't deal with a staffer (because they're acting like a dumbass) I just let the other editor Ashley deal with them.

Jeez. If I hear ONE complaint from someone concerning me I will blow a gasket. I just want to be all, "BITCH, I'm the E-D-I-T-O-R. Ashley, and I CONTROL your grades. " Seriously. I gave a few of them 70s and 80s because they had nothing done. And that's only because our supervisor refused to let us fail them. This is how I feel 85% of the time dealing with them:

Ah well. Only 3 weeks until Christmas break... Then I don't have to see their lazy faces until January. Sometimes I wish I could clone Ashley and myself so we could do the book by ourselves.

Thanksgiving recap

Oh dear.
It’s been a while hasn’t it?
I guess I should start at the beginning.

Field Trip
My AP Art History class took a trip up to Dallas to visit the Nasher Sculpture Center and the Dallas Museum of Fine Art. I thoroughly enjoyed the sculpture center, and even though this guy:

…wasn’t our docent I still found everything highly interesting. Now at the Dallas Museum… oh man. Our docent led tour was only supposed to be 40 minutes, but it lasted over an hour and a half and we had only seen FIVE pieces of art. FIVE. Finally for the last 30 minutes we got to roam around on our own, but I really wished I hadn’t wasted an hour and a half of my time to “study” (we honestly knew more about the art than our docent) FIVE pieces of art.

Luckily, our teacher said that when we go back in the spring she’ll let us roam on our own.

Thanksgiving break

A week of pure bliss. I can honestly say that I have done very little of my loads of homework. I should probably be doing that now…

On Monday I volunteered at my town’s Thanksgiving food drive.

Then Tuesday I started my 3 day Thanksgiving extravaganza at my stepmom’s parents’ house. We had thanksgiving lunch there and I stuffed myself full of meat and bread. Then the next day we decorated for Christmas. Thursday my family and I went to my grandma’s house and had Thanksgiving lunch and dinner. My aunt trimmed my hair (no more unsightly split ends!) and my parents got another reminder of what well behaved children my siblings and I are compared to my cousins.

Later that day I got to meet Bernice, the woman who practically raised my dad. She was my grandparent’s housekeeper for the majority of my dad and uncle’s childhood. She’s 81 and lives on a dilapidated piece of land literally out in the ‘boondocks’ of east Texas. My grandma said that my dad spent more time at Bernice's house than they did at their own grandmother's house. I can't blame them. Nanny was mean.

Me, looking aloof. This was Bernice's old house that is pretty much in shambles now. She lives right next to in double wide trailer.

I hate to sound cynical, but to my family, it seems that Thanksgiving is just another excuse to cook and gossip about each other. Not that I’m not thankful for everything, but that’s just the vibe my family gives off.

Since I didn't see my mom for Thanksgiving I sent her a message over facebook wishing her a happy Thanksgiving. Instead of a “you too!” or “thank you!” I received a “make sure you cleanse yourself with plenty of water from all the food you ate. Make sure your sisters are washing their faces and brushing their teeth too.” But I guess that’s my mom’s way of showing that she cares.

So here I am now:I should really be doing some homework.

Something to brighten your week

Things that are stressing me:

1. Prom being in March
2. Finding a date to Prom
3. Christmas shopping
4. Plans for my birthday
5. Keeping my grades up and weaseling my way up another 3 or 4 spots in rank so that I'm in the top 10% for sure (I have to be at least 25-30)

Things that make me happy:

1. My cat drinking out of our faucets and literally throwing tennis balls at our walls
2. Not having a lot of AP work in English (I'll have to read Macbeth over Thanksgiving though)
3. Thanksgiving
4. Getting things in the mail, and sending mail out
5. Field trips and wearing dresses

Where has the time gone?

So...

I've been avoiding the computer.

I'm scared to check my email because I honestly haven't touched it in a week.

I lost the hard copy of my college essay which I wrote on a friend's computer, and he had to wipe his computer clean so it no longer exists.

Plus I'm so burnt out on staring at a computer for yearbook that all I want to do when I get home is watch Iron Chef or a random movie, but I can't. Because I have homework. And I've been overcome with the need to spend time with my little brother.

So...

Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things soon. I'm going on yet another field trip Thursday to the Dallas art museums and I'm hoping that after that I can find time to write, send out letters, and start planning a secret Santa exchange.

I have to admit though, due to Facebook I don't really feel like I'm neglecting my blogger friends :)

*Edit: I've sent in a college app. I can't handle this. I feel happy, but nervous.

Also, if you have time visit this site!

"Just because boys kiss you doesn't mean they like you."

The above is some sage advice from one of my college friends.

I was talking with her at a football game Friday and I was just asking her about her classes and whatnot when my friend Hang walks up and sits down next to us.

Hang is awesome, but as soon as she sat down the conversation veered from academics and professors to boys. And girls. And the fun stuff that you can do in college.

As my college friend divulged her various exploits we all leaned in and ooh-ed and awe-ed in jealousy and fascination at her experiences, even if they were cringe-worthy (and some of them really were).

After perhaps 10 minutes of chitchatting the woman in front of us turns around, her face contorted in distaste and said, "You need to turn the smut down. It's starting to get really bad."

And we were all like:

And my friend was like, "Okkkaaaayyyy." And we promptly moved to the colder, remote part of the football stand that only the "cool" 13 year olds and pot heads sit at.

Honestly, if she didn't want to hear anything offensive she shouldn't have sat in the student section. Also, after a few minutes of observation I realized that her son was a band student. Why is this observation important?

I don't think she realizes the amount of "smut" that her son engages in that is actually a million times worse than anything she heard while eavesdropping on our conversation.

What makes it even funnier is the fact that my friend didn't even say anything that explicit other than the fact that frat guys get pretty rowdy.... The really explicit stuff she mimed. And unless that lady had eyes in the back of her head then I doubt she really had any reason to scold.

Worry

I think one of my friends may be bipolar or schizophrenic. And I’m not jumping to conclusions or anything. Year after year I’ve watched her slip deeper and deeper into her mental state and I’m honestly worried about her.

She’s been diagnosed with anxiety problems, but I think it’s more than that. I have anxiety, and whenever I get really bad I shut down and want to cry. I don’t want anyone to talk to me, touch me, or even look at me. She gets argumentative. She can go from loving a person and thinking that they’re awesome to loathing them because they merely expressed worry about her. She thinks that people are constantly out to get her and she can’t handle everyday situations like stress, deadlines, minor confrontations, or multitasking. She’s not empathetic towards others, which makes them feel frustrated towards her.

I don’t know what to do. I don’t want her to hate me, but I also want her to get help. Maybe I should suggest she talk to a therapist/psychiatrist so she could vent to someone other than her friends? Would that be pushing it?

Because when she’s happy she’s great, but once she gets upset she gets violent and has uncontrollable anger. I’m worried about her.