It took three hours and almost some tears, but I've done it! You'll now find me at www.howtohackhighschool2.wordpress.com. Make sure you add the 2, because otherwise you'll go to nothing. Possibly a site I ended up deleting because I messed it up. ANYWAYS, just go to that website from now on, and everything will be dandy! Thanks folks, and sorry for the rough transition.
-Eliza
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
I Am Literally the Worst
I am so, so, so, so sorry I haven't posted in so long. I've been so busy, which I'll tell you about in a minute. However, I think I've figured out a way to change that. I've set a weekly reminder on my phone that'll well, remind me to think about if I have anything to post about or not. If I do, I'll post- if I don't, I won't; it's as simple as that. Additionally, I'm considering taking this blog and running it via WordPress. Honestly the only reason is the fact that WordPress has an app, and for some reason Blogger doesn't anymore. I love using Blogger, but being able to blog from my phone would be much more convenient. I'm not positive that that's what I'll do yet, but I'll let you know when I've made my decision.
I've been babysitting about 40 hours a week- a little more than I'm in school. I babysit every weekday, and will continue to until school starts August 25. It's been really fun, I absolutely adore the kids, but it does take away a lot of free time. It's worth it though, because the money I'm saving up is going towards my school's fine arts department's trip to ORLANDO! Disneyworld, Universal Orlando (only Harry Potter world, which is obviously going to be my favorite.), it's going to be a blast. On top of babysitting, I am also taking weekly lessons with my band director over the summer, to start prepping for All State auditions. I also have softball two night a week, for an hour each night, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sometimes I'm out there for more than an hour, as in sometimes three hours a night, watching games for my brother, my nephew, and 2/3 of the kids I babysit. Again, I love it, but that also takes up a fair amount of free time. However, softball season ends this weekend actually, so that shouldn't be an issue. Band camp starts August 8 (I'M SO EXCITED BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE ON PICCOLO) which will take up most of my time too, but there will be a couple weeks I only have to babysit until band camp starts. I signed up to take AP English Language and Composition, and I got some summer homework, so I've been quite busy working on that too. I have to read A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, as well as The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and then answer some questions about the characters, a plot synopsis, the theme, etc. I'm almost done with TSL though, so I'm looking forward to that. I finished AFA a while ago, and I honestly did not like it.
Anyways, the main point of this post is to explain why I've been such garbage at posting, and what I plan to do to fix it. I'm going to go look into WordPress now, so I'll let you know how that goes. Thanks for not giving up on me!
-Eliza
P.S. School supplies is officially on sale at Walmart, but I don't know for sure about Target. I'm excited, how about you guys?
I've been babysitting about 40 hours a week- a little more than I'm in school. I babysit every weekday, and will continue to until school starts August 25. It's been really fun, I absolutely adore the kids, but it does take away a lot of free time. It's worth it though, because the money I'm saving up is going towards my school's fine arts department's trip to ORLANDO! Disneyworld, Universal Orlando (only Harry Potter world, which is obviously going to be my favorite.), it's going to be a blast. On top of babysitting, I am also taking weekly lessons with my band director over the summer, to start prepping for All State auditions. I also have softball two night a week, for an hour each night, but on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sometimes I'm out there for more than an hour, as in sometimes three hours a night, watching games for my brother, my nephew, and 2/3 of the kids I babysit. Again, I love it, but that also takes up a fair amount of free time. However, softball season ends this weekend actually, so that shouldn't be an issue. Band camp starts August 8 (I'M SO EXCITED BECAUSE I'M GOING TO BE ON PICCOLO) which will take up most of my time too, but there will be a couple weeks I only have to babysit until band camp starts. I signed up to take AP English Language and Composition, and I got some summer homework, so I've been quite busy working on that too. I have to read A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, as well as The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and then answer some questions about the characters, a plot synopsis, the theme, etc. I'm almost done with TSL though, so I'm looking forward to that. I finished AFA a while ago, and I honestly did not like it.
Anyways, the main point of this post is to explain why I've been such garbage at posting, and what I plan to do to fix it. I'm going to go look into WordPress now, so I'll let you know how that goes. Thanks for not giving up on me!
-Eliza
P.S. School supplies is officially on sale at Walmart, but I don't know for sure about Target. I'm excited, how about you guys?
Saturday, May 21, 2016
Theatre Banquet
Hello all,
The theatre banquet was on Thursday, and that was a blast. Most of the seniors gave a speech and awards were handed out- I didn't get a letter or anything because I've only been in one performance venue, but I will next year! I'm going to do large group speech and individual speech, plus possibly one or both of the plays. of course, I'll have to make sure I'm not taking on too much, but I'll make sure I can balance everything. I don't have much else to say, but as always, leave questions or comments down below.
Bye for Now-
Eliza
The theatre banquet was on Thursday, and that was a blast. Most of the seniors gave a speech and awards were handed out- I didn't get a letter or anything because I've only been in one performance venue, but I will next year! I'm going to do large group speech and individual speech, plus possibly one or both of the plays. of course, I'll have to make sure I'm not taking on too much, but I'll make sure I can balance everything. I don't have much else to say, but as always, leave questions or comments down below.
Bye for Now-
Eliza
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Long Time No See
I know it's been a while since I've posted, but I've been really busy. Today's post is going to be me talking about some stuff that's happened, plus some upcoming stuff in the future. But first, a short overview.
- Show performance
- Interview
- Band banquet
- Theatre banquet
- Next marching show (note to self: talk about section leader/drum major auditions)
I had so much fun being in my school's play oh my goodness. It was taking up a lot of my time, and during dress rehearsals when I was getting home late, I was really wondering whether or not I wanted to do this next year. But then we opened, and I knew I'm going to want to stay involved with this. The energy between the cast members is almost tangible, and I love the camaraderie of everybody. Yeah, it's a lot of work, and yeah, it's time consuming, but the post-show excitement, and the cast dinner after the show, makes it SO WORTH IT. There's only one activity I've had so much fun doing, and that would have to be marching band.
I didn't get into the volunteer organization I applied for. My parents got the letter on a Thursday or Friday, but they waited until Sunday to give it to me because they didn't want me distracted from the show- a good choice. I was really upset about it, but I've had some pretty positive stuff going on in my life now, and I really didn't dwell on it for long.
My school's annual band banquet was on Monday, and that was really fun. It was a potluck, so everybody brought some food, and it was really fun. I talked to some friends I'm not super close with, but I'd definitely like to get to know them better. I teared up during the senior recognition, because my favorite section leader is graduating, and I really got to know her better because we were both in the play. I made her promise to come back and visit, and she said she would. I also got my band letter, so that was pretty cool! I'm going to have to wait before I can put it on a letterman's jacket though, because they're pretty expensive. The theatre banquet is tonight, so I 'm going to have to wait until after that's over to talk about that.
Our next marching show is going to be a Freddie Mercury tribute. I don't listen to much of Queen's music; I only know parts of what few songs I do because of my friends. I really want to be on piccolo this year, so I'll have to talk to my band teachers about that. There's a sign up list for drum major and section leader auditions, but I'm not going to sign up for either. I don't want to be drum major- I'd miss marching too much. Being section leader as a sophomore would be a bad idea- none of the upperclassmen would listen to me, so I'm not going to do that this year. I think that's something I want to pursue though, but we'll see.
Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading, and thanks for putting up with my hectic schedule!
-Eliza
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Down Time
Hello friends. I'm in C3 right now, but I finished the assignment we've been working on, so I've got some free time. This is going to be a lot of stuff I've already said, but hey, my blog, my rules.
Last night I went to my school's chorus concert, and it was really fun. I saw lots of people from theatre, and some people from band that aren't in theatre. Everybody did a really good job, I really liked listening to the songs. I really liked hearing the solos- people who got to the all state festival, or people who got a Division 1 at solo and ensemble. Those were probably my favorite performances, but I really enjoyed the whole thing.
Rehearsal is really buckling down. Opening night is in about 2 weeks, so I'm going to be at rehearsal at least 5 days a week for at least 3 hours until performances. It's worth it though, I love the people I've met and the memories I've made. That'll definitely be something I'm going to do a post about, you can bet on that.
May 2nd I have my band concert, and I'm looking forward to that. The new piece we got on Friday is really difficult, but I've already made a lot of progress. I can play most of it, now I need to master the rest and then get the entire thing up to tempo. It's going to be a challenge, but it'll be so worth it. I'm also working on The Flight of the Bumblebee, and that's coming along nicely too. I'm nowhere near being able to play it at 144 bpm, but I'm really happy with how far I've come on it. On May 2nd, I'm going to be at rehearsal until around 5:30, and then I have a band concert that I'll need to be at school at around 6 or 6:30 for, depending on when it starts, so I'm really crossing my fingers I don't get much homework.
May 3rd is my interview for the volunteer organization, at 6:45. I had to reschedule to make it work with rehearsal, but it's no big deal. I just had to push it back an hour and 45 minutes. I'm kind of nervous, but I'm going to do some thinking about what I'm going to say for a couple of possible questions, and then go from there.
Like I said, this was a lot of stuff I've already said, but I figured why not. As always, if you have any questions (or general interview tips!) leave them in the comments. Thanks for reading!
-Eliza
Last night I went to my school's chorus concert, and it was really fun. I saw lots of people from theatre, and some people from band that aren't in theatre. Everybody did a really good job, I really liked listening to the songs. I really liked hearing the solos- people who got to the all state festival, or people who got a Division 1 at solo and ensemble. Those were probably my favorite performances, but I really enjoyed the whole thing.
Rehearsal is really buckling down. Opening night is in about 2 weeks, so I'm going to be at rehearsal at least 5 days a week for at least 3 hours until performances. It's worth it though, I love the people I've met and the memories I've made. That'll definitely be something I'm going to do a post about, you can bet on that.
May 2nd I have my band concert, and I'm looking forward to that. The new piece we got on Friday is really difficult, but I've already made a lot of progress. I can play most of it, now I need to master the rest and then get the entire thing up to tempo. It's going to be a challenge, but it'll be so worth it. I'm also working on The Flight of the Bumblebee, and that's coming along nicely too. I'm nowhere near being able to play it at 144 bpm, but I'm really happy with how far I've come on it. On May 2nd, I'm going to be at rehearsal until around 5:30, and then I have a band concert that I'll need to be at school at around 6 or 6:30 for, depending on when it starts, so I'm really crossing my fingers I don't get much homework.
May 3rd is my interview for the volunteer organization, at 6:45. I had to reschedule to make it work with rehearsal, but it's no big deal. I just had to push it back an hour and 45 minutes. I'm kind of nervous, but I'm going to do some thinking about what I'm going to say for a couple of possible questions, and then go from there.
Like I said, this was a lot of stuff I've already said, but I figured why not. As always, if you have any questions (or general interview tips!) leave them in the comments. Thanks for reading!
-Eliza
Sunday, April 24, 2016
I Kept My Promise
Hey guys, I finally found time to do the post I told you about? I know it's been a while since I said I would do it, but I've been really busy with life in general. But alas, I'm here now.
First on today's agenda is Solo Festival. I got a Division 2, which is the second best. You could get from a 1 to a 5, and there was a range of points for each rating. I was two points away from a one, which would have been AMAZING, but I got some good comments for improvement. I'm looking forward to next year, but I'm actually kind of glad that it's over, because now I have more time for other things. I spent a lot of time practicing, and even though I loved it, I'm glad I have some extra time for homework or whatever I choose to do with it.
The Dallas Brass concert was definitely something I'm glad I signed up for. During the day, they did a clinic with us, where we worked on the piece we were performing. Then, later that night was the actual concert. Two middle school bands performed, as well as the Dallas Brass by themselves. It wasn't a stereotypical concert either;they used lights, had choreography, and played a range of songs from jazz to classical to pop. If they're ever near you, I definitely recommend going.
A Midsummer Night's Dream was also something I really enjoyed. I will admit to almost falling asleep a couple times, but that was because I didn't get enough sleep the night before, it was by no means a boring show. I really liked seeing the interpretation of the play, and the actors dd a really good job conveying the meaning of the play. It was in Shakespearean English, it wasn't a modern version, so it was sometimes hard to comprehend what they were saying, but the body language and blocking of the actors really helped with that. It was a really fun day, I'm glad I went.
I got an interview for the volunteer organization I applied for! It's on May 3rd, but I realized I'm going to need to reschedule to work around rehearsal. That'll be fine though, I'll be able to make it work, because all I need to do is sign up for a time an hour and a half later on the same day. There'll be 8-10 people interviewing me, so I'm kind of nervous about that, but I'm excited. I really hope I get it, and I'll be sure to keep you updated!
Speaking of rehearsal, May 2nd is going to be fun. I have rehearsal until 6, and then a band concert at around 7. I'll have to be there at 6:30, so I probably won't be home from 7:15 am (when I leave for school) until probably around 9 pm. 14 hours of school, and I won't have much, if any, time to do homework. My teachers are pretty cool though; if I get homework, which I probably will because of pre-IB classes, I'll just have to explain why I won't be able to get it done and they'll be understanding about it.
That's all I have for now, I'll do another post when I can!
-Eliza
First on today's agenda is Solo Festival. I got a Division 2, which is the second best. You could get from a 1 to a 5, and there was a range of points for each rating. I was two points away from a one, which would have been AMAZING, but I got some good comments for improvement. I'm looking forward to next year, but I'm actually kind of glad that it's over, because now I have more time for other things. I spent a lot of time practicing, and even though I loved it, I'm glad I have some extra time for homework or whatever I choose to do with it.
The Dallas Brass concert was definitely something I'm glad I signed up for. During the day, they did a clinic with us, where we worked on the piece we were performing. Then, later that night was the actual concert. Two middle school bands performed, as well as the Dallas Brass by themselves. It wasn't a stereotypical concert either;they used lights, had choreography, and played a range of songs from jazz to classical to pop. If they're ever near you, I definitely recommend going.
A Midsummer Night's Dream was also something I really enjoyed. I will admit to almost falling asleep a couple times, but that was because I didn't get enough sleep the night before, it was by no means a boring show. I really liked seeing the interpretation of the play, and the actors dd a really good job conveying the meaning of the play. It was in Shakespearean English, it wasn't a modern version, so it was sometimes hard to comprehend what they were saying, but the body language and blocking of the actors really helped with that. It was a really fun day, I'm glad I went.
I got an interview for the volunteer organization I applied for! It's on May 3rd, but I realized I'm going to need to reschedule to work around rehearsal. That'll be fine though, I'll be able to make it work, because all I need to do is sign up for a time an hour and a half later on the same day. There'll be 8-10 people interviewing me, so I'm kind of nervous about that, but I'm excited. I really hope I get it, and I'll be sure to keep you updated!
Speaking of rehearsal, May 2nd is going to be fun. I have rehearsal until 6, and then a band concert at around 7. I'll have to be there at 6:30, so I probably won't be home from 7:15 am (when I leave for school) until probably around 9 pm. 14 hours of school, and I won't have much, if any, time to do homework. My teachers are pretty cool though; if I get homework, which I probably will because of pre-IB classes, I'll just have to explain why I won't be able to get it done and they'll be understanding about it.
That's all I have for now, I'll do another post when I can!
-Eliza
Monday, April 11, 2016
Small Update
I don't have a ton of news for you all today, but a little bit is better than none, right? Anyways, theatre has been going really well. It's kind of hard because it's a new thing, with new people, so I'm still getting used to that aspect, but it's really fun, I love it.
Solo Festival is this Saturday, which I'm really nervous for, but I think I'll be fine. It seems a lot different than anything I did in middle school, even though we had a solo festival of our own. I'll be sure to do a post on that, but I don't know when for sure. The day after that, Sunday, I'll be selling chocolate bars outside of Walmart with a couple of my friends to raise money for the band trip. The band directors put out a sign up sheet and I figured it would be a nice way to earn some money for it- all money raised will be divided up equally between the three people there. It's supposed to be really nice, so that'll be fun.
Tomorrow, the Dallas Brass, a world-renowned brass quintent, is coming to do a clinic with my high school, and at least one middle school. That's 400 kids! It's going to be so crazy, but I'm really excited. Tomorrow night there'll be a concert with them, but just the high schoolers will be performing, I think. I'll put that in a post, too, but I doubt it'll be Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday or Thursday, but don't hold your breath.
On Thursday, my C3 class is going to go to the local performing arts center to watch (college kids??? I don't actually know) perform A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare, which I'm actually really excited about. I borrowed a copy of the script from my teacher, but it has an easier translation with it too, so I should probably finish that before we go. Just to clarify, my next post will include stuff about solo festival, the Dallas Brass thing, and the MND performance, as well as anything else that comes up. Thanks for reading, and as always, comments and questions go down below!
-Eliza
Solo Festival is this Saturday, which I'm really nervous for, but I think I'll be fine. It seems a lot different than anything I did in middle school, even though we had a solo festival of our own. I'll be sure to do a post on that, but I don't know when for sure. The day after that, Sunday, I'll be selling chocolate bars outside of Walmart with a couple of my friends to raise money for the band trip. The band directors put out a sign up sheet and I figured it would be a nice way to earn some money for it- all money raised will be divided up equally between the three people there. It's supposed to be really nice, so that'll be fun.
Tomorrow, the Dallas Brass, a world-renowned brass quintent, is coming to do a clinic with my high school, and at least one middle school. That's 400 kids! It's going to be so crazy, but I'm really excited. Tomorrow night there'll be a concert with them, but just the high schoolers will be performing, I think. I'll put that in a post, too, but I doubt it'll be Tuesday. Maybe Wednesday or Thursday, but don't hold your breath.
On Thursday, my C3 class is going to go to the local performing arts center to watch (college kids??? I don't actually know) perform A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare, which I'm actually really excited about. I borrowed a copy of the script from my teacher, but it has an easier translation with it too, so I should probably finish that before we go. Just to clarify, my next post will include stuff about solo festival, the Dallas Brass thing, and the MND performance, as well as anything else that comes up. Thanks for reading, and as always, comments and questions go down below!
-Eliza
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