I know, I know.

Alright, if you have NO idea why the hell I tagged you in this note, just go ahead and skip to the fourth paragraph 'cuz it's probably the only part you care to read.

I haven't written anything in a few days. But life's been pretty quiet around here...I find that a month ago, I would've given anything for a week like this one--chillin' around the house, making the occasional trek to Java, meeting up with a few friends. And--well, I guess it's not as fun and relaxing as I remember, but I have very little to complain about.

Invisible Man is cool, cooler than I expected. To anyone that is just starting it or hasn't read it yet, I say hold out--the first...oh, third of the book is pretty slow but it gets much better. Just trust me on that one...

I am GOING to Philly fringe, and reeeeally excited--not only to see Two Face Commedia (Jessssss), but also to see some of the kookier stuff-a show combining monologues and circus stunts? A show in which you are seated at a cafe and given a pair of headphones, which give you instructions to act out your OWN show? Oedipus on skateboards? Shit, this sounds AWESOME. Shelby is excited to get her theater nerd on.

Let's not fall in to the third-person thing. What else is new? ...Uh...OH, I emailed Mr. Kreft and I think I'm going to have a GREAT time in AP Lit, he seems really cool. Also, I'm working on this proposal for some AP classes...You see, AP's supposed to prepare us for college, right? Well one of many things I totally loved about Gov School was in a college environment, the line between social and academic gets reeeaaally blurry, and it's in no way unusual for students to continue the learning experience outside of class. A lot of times, professors will even hold events in which class material can be discussed in greater detail in an informal, social setting.

Alright, nerds, now holla back on this one--say we have three scheduled events per semester: one breakfast, one lunch, one dinner, and it is required that everyone in the class attend at least one of these events to discuss a book, lecture, or something else together. And the whole thing can be very student-led...all the professor teacher would have to do is show up. Or...maybe not? If they did show up, it could be totally mutually beneficial, as they could gain new perspective and hear students really speak up about class.

Now...the question. Is this reasonable? I mean...will kids be into this...will TEACHERS be into this? I've yet to figure that out, but I wanted some opinions so I tagged any possible AP'ers out there and would REALLY appreciate it if you guys let me know. Okay. You can stop paying attention now.

Thinking about school makes me think about the strike. Now, sister is probably the biggest teacher's pet you will ever meet, but I am nerrrvous. I want the very best for our teachers. Even the ones I hate. But--BUT--I am not interested in graduating late, I am not interested in starting off the year all outta whack, I am NOT interested in being 'out of the loop' where all that's concerned. I wish the district would stop being assholes and just end this the civil way--wihle there's still time...

Two Very Rich Things

Are in the Wawa bag beside me, so the goal is to keep this post short.

NO! I have not blogged in a while. I'm sorry. I was in Rhode Island, having the best weekend ever. Literally. I think it might've been the best weekend of my entire life.

And it was so damn simple, you know? Step 1: Cram 3 days' worth of clothing and pajamas into backpack, Step 2: Pile into Henry the Honda with the Hickman ladies plus Aubrey, Step 3: Enjoy 6-hour northward car ride thanks to [censored] tunes, Step 4: Step out of the Honda, wrinkly and mildly cramped, 286 miles later to greet Sam's awesome grandparents in Newport, RI.

...Which might just be the sah-weetest little town in New England--beaches, mansions, shops--yup, we saw it all, folks, and after this raucously relaxing good time, methinks I deserve some Limited Edition Dave Matthews Band Magic Brownies ice cream (may the gods rain blessings on messrs. Ben & Jerry) and Pomegranite Tea. Goodnight.

Missing...

And here, I was about to write a note about how wonderful and fancy-free I was feeling today when this shows up in my inbox.

Shelby - I just looked over your paper. the paper should not be written in the 1st person. could you please modify the paper? I will count it as handed in on time, but it should be in the 1st person. Thank you.

Eight Pages. All over again. Because nowhere on the RUBRIC does it say anything about NOT USING FIRST PERSON. I was having a good day, such a good day...

I woke up late--but not too late. 'Round 10:30 is pretty good for me--the guilt sets in if I get up past eleven. So I shower, get ready, head downstairs...and mom has left my candy as well as my unwrapped PGSIS Yearbook DVD on the dining room table. Sah-weet! So I unwrapped a chocolate and reminisced before heading out to go see Gavin dressed as captain planet.

As I walked into SAVE camp, kids were coming out of the woods...and I realized how much I missed the little guys. And then I walked into the house and realized, huh...I miss the big kids too, the counselors, momma Hamilton. I mean, I realize it's not the same people as last year--part of what made it so much fun was Mr. Hamilton running around in a wetsuit and Brian plotting in a cape and goggles. But--the woods, the jokes, the flexibugs, for gods' sake. I miss all of it. [Oh, and green hair is really quite becoming on Gavin--All I can say is THE POWER IS YOURS, KIDS!!!!!)

Then, it was off to another place I missed--I walked into Montgomery theater just in time to hear the last 5 minutes of Shakesperimentation, my very first class there (gaw). Who would've thought that two years later I would call myself a theater kid, hangin' with friends from the Actor's Company and all. So Franny & Jess (yes, they get an ampersand as they are THAT awesome) and Aubs and Sam and I all headed over to the Java and grabbed coffee after class, just to catch up--and I must say. Franny and Jess are two of my favorite people in the whole wide world. And the whole is more than the sum of its parts--they're truly a dynamic duo. After laughing, joking, and much storytelling, they told us we should come to Philly Fringe, and I think I see some birthday plans in the works...I dream of trains, grandparents, and classy dinners...

I REALLY miss theater though. I want the stage, I want a new character,a new life to invent, a new emotional puzzle to solve, new scenes to script. I want jokes and games and coffee every Monday. I want that weekly affirmation--I work hard at it and I actually see the results...I want to be aware of myself in ways only the glaring stage lights can make me see. I'm counting down, I know it's close. And THAT is exciting.

But enough of that. I've got a f#@$%* paper to revise.

UPDATE: Mom and I are disputing the email! At no time was it mentioned to me that first person is inappropriate, my first-person writing is all personal observation (ie FACTUAL), and I even cited myself (observations from former papers) where I could. The internet says that that's alright, and pending Sara's response I might have a Research Methods professor say it's alright too, in which case Coddington will have no, NO argument.

10:28 and I'm...

...Feeling a little giddy. It's the product of two things: (1) The fact that I finally got the fucking research paper DONE and now all I have to do is ...well...pretty much tear it apart and write it again, but I have direction. Kudos to my mamacita for dealing with my BS while I wrote it...and sifting through said BS to find...a thesis statement? What?

Anyway. The other reason I'm giddy is (in celebration of completing aforementioned rough draft) mom and I enjoyed reheated Ghanaian food for dinner and a little Framboise for desert. Suffice to say it doesn't take much to get this 100-pound chica a little silly, and I'm feeling quite pleasantly tipsy right now. Hopefully, I'll make it 'til the METEOR SHOWER TONIGHT...who's with me? Or am...I...the...only...dork

...here?

Yeah, I thought so.

I deserve to be excited. Finally, an end to the boring days spent working on this nooonsense. Now I can get back to writing in the story, as well as reading my comp books....still in love with Joseph Heller, by the way.

[Currently Listening to: Time Bomb by Beck]

Bona Fide Boredom.

What is it with my muse and showing up as soon as I have important things to take care of? Today was devoted to writing my senior project paper. But of course she was there to distract me, coming up with new video projects left and right and leaving my fingers itching to pull away from the keyboard, pick up a pen, and write in the new story.

But nrooooo! I needed to work on my paper. Of course she won't participate in THAT, and I'm left on my own to spread my very dry topic out over six pages. So far I have about, uh, one page, with one-inch margins. You know what? Screw one-inch margins, 1.25 are sooo much easier to read. Maybe then, writing this paper wouldn't be like freakin' pulling teeth.

I'm in a good mood though, as I started reading Catch-22 and am now thoroughly in love with Joseph Heller. His prose reads like poetry--there's this wild rhythm to it that makes it seem like it should be spoken. I'd actually really like to use something of his for my YAC audition monologue. Whaddya think:

As far back as Yossarian could recall, he explained to Clevinger with a patient smile, somebody was always hatching a plot to kill him. There were people who cared for him and people who didn't, and those who didn't hated him and were out to get him. They hated him because he was Assyrian. But they couldn't touch him, he told Clevinger, because he had a sound mind in a pure body and was as strong as an ox. They couldn't touch him because he was Tarzan, Mandrake, Flash Gordon. He was Bill Shakespeare. He was Cain, Ulysses, the Flying Dutchman; he was Lot in Sodom, Deirdre of the Sorrows, Sweeney in the nightingales among trees. He was miracle ingredient Z-247. He was -
'Crazy!' Clevinger interrupted, shrieking. 'That's what you are! Crazy!
'- immense. I'm a real, slam-bang, honest-to-goodness, three-fisted humdinger. I'm a bona fide supraman.'
'Superman?' Clevinger cried. 'Superman?'
'Supraman,' Yossarian corrected.

I think it would be fun. But then, I think playing a science experiment gone horribly awry, a girl who thinks she's a plant, would also be fun. Perhaps my perspective is a little distorted. And by distorted I mean freakin' weird. What can I say...I like a challenge?

In other news, I will be writing my college essay based on the phrase: "What is this? No, it's not a podium. It's a lectern. Why is that important? Because it's NOT A PODIUM!"
You see, the assistant dean of the school of communications said it at American on Friday, and I think I laughed the loudest of everyone in the room, cause right away it reminded me of three english teachers: (1) The grammar nazi, (2) the sweetheart, and (3) the goofball. I realized any one of them would've made the same exact joke in the three years of english in which i learned the most. And over these three pivotal years, the way I tell a story has improved immensely. And over these three years, I've gained better stories to tell. AND as I've grown, I've met more and more people to share my stories with.
And that, in a nutshell, is who I am. Now LEMME IN YOUR SCHOOL!

Well, hopefully, this is considerably more dynamic than last night's note of boredom. Off to more important things--ie getting under the covers and watching a movie.

Come Back....

Apparently my muse--flightly little thing, she is--has chosen to walk out on me once again. I can't even claim that nothing's happened in the past few days--hell, just today I baked cookies with le G, screamed my way through a half-hour car ride with Erin, Angle, Sam-ity, and Dana (oh and Guster, Mika, and the Black Eyed Peas), and ate seven courses of Moroccan food--good god, it was delicious. It was one of those 'high on life' kind of nights which, for me, seem to correspond with how much sunlight I've gotten that day (apparently I'm a plant). Inappropriate jokes were made (say 'pitas' out loud and tell me what it sounds like), sad sad dances were danced (thank you Joan Marley), and, well? People were touched in typical Erin Olkowski fashion.

The day before I went to American University. I can't even get into detail about it....suffice to say it's MY SCHOOL. I am so excited to apply there.

Plus I'm excited for Rhode Island, Boston, New York, and Philly--yes, that's their geographical order, and also the order in which I'll visit them, it's mostly college visits and a little pleasure in between (visiting Annie, Dave & Stef, and Diane & Karen).

The problem is these great things are happening, but without dear Muse there's no writing about it in any sort of pretty, interesting way. Sorry.

[Currently Listening: Shoot the Moon by Norah Jones]

You Know...

you know...

sometimes the smallest, simplest things around here remind me that despite its faults, this really is MY town.

first and foremost, everyone should note that I am particularly happy because, for the first time since (four...six...carry the two...) MONDAY, I have consumed 20 oz. of the sweetest nectar of the gods, aka White Mocha Latte w/ an extra shot. The only thing that has me miffed is the girl at the counter @ MSJ asked--and I kid you not--"An extra shot of what?" "Of ESPRESSO, you stupid little s***," I so badly wished I could reply (hadn't had the coffee at that point, yaknow). But seriously, what do you think I want, EXTRA chocolate? Christ. She's new. Remember that time I was laid off, and supposed to get picked back up in the summer when they needed extra help again? Hm. Apparently THEY DON'T. The worst part is, despite bad business practices, I am ADDICTED to their delicious drinks, even when they ARE poorly made by ignorant little incompetents.

But anyway. Let us return to the happy place. While walking Obi this morning, and again when coming home from Main Street Java, I was pleased to be reminded that around Souderton, I know the shortcuts, the back ways, the alleys and side streets. You can't just walk up Main and down Broad to get home from Java, you have to cut through the theater parking lot, wave to Trish through the Tilly Mint's window, and get your feet wet in the Wile Ave Park's dewy grass before walking the rest of the way home, whether that's shorter or not. But it's not just stuff like that--it's knowing that the guy on the corner with the screened in porch loves Outkast and Gnarls Barkley, and thanking your Barista by name at the Java, and taking comfort in seeing the theater director's car in the parking lot, knowing that a great show's starting soon. (Reefer Madness! Kyaaa!)

Little things, you know. Simple Pleasures. Which only seem to show themselves when I'm caffeinated. Bummer.

I've missed them, though.

[Currently Listening to: Into the Sunshine by Julia Nunes]

The past few days have been too boring to post anything better than this.

Are you procrastinating right now?
Well, that's the point of these quizzes, right? Yeah, I have dishes to do then I have to get back to Alida's and help clean the kitchen. Could be on a freakin' photo excursion in a SUNFLOWER (my favorite!) field, but Nooooo. Fucking dishes.

Other than your name, what was the last name someone called you?
Sophie, I'm sure--though, at this point...that's pretty much my name.

If you could find one long lost friend of the past, who would it be?
Well...it wasn't that long ago, but she sure is lost.

Was your sixth grade teacher a man or a woman?
We had both at Valley, though I think it was primarily women that year.

What was the last thing you drank?
Cherry Capri Sun. I don't love cherry, but juice in a pouch? Gotta love it.

At what age do you think a person starts to get old?
When they start acting old, ie not driving at night, getting very particular/curmudgeon-ish,

etc

What was the last thing you celebrated?
Seeing Sam and Aubs together again made me do happy dances inside.

Have you ever had any teeth pulled?
oh, plenty. Never bothered me much, though.

What was the first job you ever had?
Worked behind the counter at Dad's ice cream place. I miss it...

Do you think you will vote this year?
God Damn, I sure wish I could.

What was the last thing you cooked in the oven?
Hmm. It's been a while--I've been putting together cold lunches since getting back. Have been craving produce, so generally do red pepper, cucumber, hummus, grapes, pitas, cheese. IN the oven, though....prolly brownies.

What was the first tape/cd/record you owned?
first record: I never owned one, but there are a few at my grandparent's house I'm hoping to rescue the next time I'm over. first tape: I'm pretty sure the Lion King soundtrack. I believe my first CD was a Radio Disney mix.

Have you ever eaten something other people might think is gross?
Frogs Legs are much better than everyone thinks

Have you ever invented anything?
My problem is I'm plenty good at inventing things, but I never really turn my thoughts into actions.

Who do you think you clash with the most?
People that screw with my friends. Asshole teachers. People that rub me the wrong way in general.

What time of day are you most likely sitting on your couch?
Probably napping/reading around 2.

What color is your toothbrush?
Blue and green.

What is the closest grocery store to your house?
Giant. *shrugs*

When was the last time you colored with crayons?
Heh. Saturday.

Have you ever owned a plant? What was it?
Hehe! A cactus.

At thanksgiving dinner, what is the first thing you go for?
The door. Disgusting excuse for excess, that is.

Do you have any special talents?
Nothing particularly earth-shattering, but I guess.

Have you ever been to a nursing home?
Yeah, we used to do christmas concerts at Peter Becker in elem. school choir. Good times!! I know a lot of people don't like them, but I think a nursing home could kind of be like...a return to dorm life, old people style. It has the potential of being fun, that's all I mean.

What holiday do you enjoy the most?
Everyone just gets more pleasant around 4th of July.

What was the first video game you ever played?
Mario Kart, gah. A classic. Love it.

What is the one thing you own, that if it got lost, you would be bummed?
Mp3 player....OH WAIT. That happened. >:(

Do you have a favorite breakfast item?
Tilly Mint's scones and lemon curd and devonshire cream.

What do you find yourself buying all the time?
Coffee. Shirts. Not sure why on that second one.

When was the last time you got a real letter in the mail?
Got one from Jess. Oh, HELL!! I haven't answered her in ages. Thank you, quiz.

Do you have a most prized piece of jewlery?
My ghana beads are sooo valuable to me!

Do you own any board games?
Not too many, but I do have SNL Sceneit, which is pretty much the only game anyone will EVER need.

What article of clothing would you say you need more of in your wordrobe?
You know, I have so many pairs of jeans, but I want a few more. A few blazers would be good too.

What chore seems the most daunting right now?
cleaning the kitchen. PS Why I'm responsible for SOMEONE ELSE'S mess is beyond me.

Were you born in the state you live in?
yup. booooring.

Have you ever lived in a house that has been broken into?
No, actually. Scary notion. I've broken into our current house. But that's just me.

What is your favorite cheese?
Ah, a nice dry romano.

Who do you know that watches the most sports?
The owner of Main Street Java. Ok--you own this really cool, chill coffee shop...but sports center is on fucking 24/7? Put discovery on or something, man, seriously.

What was the last magazine you read?
TIME, of course! Back-issue all about mark twain. What a cool guy.

Boxed In...and Somewhat Behind

No blog yesterday...I was at Sam's. But I will not, WILL NOT cease recording the daily trivia. Maybe someday, a record of my senior year will be valuable to me. Maybe. See, I would've written before I left for Sam's house, but absolutely NOTHING happened yesterday until 5 o'clock (minus a 10-minute bike ride and a tiff with mom due to extreme bitchiness on my part). At 5, Aubsbear picked me up and she, sam, and I headed over to Vince's for the little Mac's rehearsal dingus. I wish more people had come--it was just Kern, Kelly, Llamma, Gavin, Aubs Sam and I, and--some random little kids? -.- That part worried me. Like the black van behind vince should've had 'FREE CANDY' spray-painted on the side.

Buuut anyway. Other than creepy pedophilic vibes, it was one of those idyllic summer afternoons that feels like part of a movie. It felt significant in some way that I couldn't quite identify...I'm sure if I give it time something will develop from it. Maybe, in fact, I'll write about it, since my muse has awoken from her coma thanks to the newest Samantha/Sophie story--an epic tale of a battle between all of the teachers of SAHS. Readers get a cameo in the story, so once the school year starts (or perhaps earlier) jump on the bandwagon. God knows 'The Black Rings' was a hit (by the way, if you want to read that one, I have it. Better yet, if you want to type up the 156 handwritten pages so that the story is preserved outside of the falling-apart notebooks, let me freakin' know). Now that my muse is running around my head doing happy dances, I'm quite sure the prose will start to improve (pre-apologies for the rambling in this note, by the way). As team Kenya said in their first policy vote: Yaaaaay!

So the rest of the night was good--we got mexican queso-loaded appetizers at Applebee's, chilled in the Marley pool (by 'chilled,' I mean stared directly into flashing LED disco lights), then I went over to Sam's and spent a while on the back porch staring up at the stars...I missed them so much in Oakland. On the best nights, you saw about 7. Out here, you look up and the sky is beautiful and dark, pinpointed by thousands of sparkling suns. Gorgeous. And we listened to music, and the music made me cry for the one I miss, and Sam spent the better part of 2 hours calming me down and helping me feel better (thanks to banana wheels, Hershey bars, Coldplay, and a good ol' fashioned cuddlefest).

We went to bed at three, woke up at eleven, and I was soon home repacking for the next adventure--My Popop's 73rd birthday. It's not generally something I'd look forward to--my italian side of the family is predictably loud and dramatic. But he recently got diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's so I'm starting to try to really value our time. The glorious thing is when you put in a little effort and mute that snarky section of your brain, you CAN enjoy time with your family. Lovely. So we knocked on the door, he opened it and said "What's your name? What's your name?" For one horrifying moment, I didn't realize the joke he was making, just that he hadn't seen me in a long time. Then he laughed, I laughed--what a relief.

I mean, I see it. He's changed. But it's pretty much life as usual in the Fantozzi household. The grand thing is the afternoon was not without slap fights, sarcasm, and snark (and, as usual, Uncle Dave and Stef rolling in a good 24 hours late), but as we lounged around, laughing, joking, telling stories, I got that warm feeling inside, and my inner monologue proudly proclaimed: "This. Is. Family." Lovely.

THEN, after everyone else left, I went for another adventure in the grandparents' attic (last time I went through their record collection) with my Summer reading books in mind. I couldn't find Mrs. Daloway, Great Expectations, or Catch-22, but I did find TWO different books called the Invisible Man. Well, I'll be damned, I thought. Am I supposed to read Wells or Ellison? The HG Wells book sounded soooo good. A thriller, reads like a dream (read: nightmare). Awesome. Ellison--yeah, another book about overcoming racial inequality. An important issue, sure. But I've had my share, thanks. Of course, I call Sam and she tells me we're reading Ellison.

Damnit!!! At any rate, I'm taking both home, and will eventually post reviews on each one. Plus, I now have a whole shelf of the attic full of the books that interested me--everything from Shakespeare to Steinem.

Someday, Imma have a house with a library. Off to dream about it, kiddies.

Dare I Say It...HUZZAH!

Today was spent in Montco's somewhat disappointing library, a place relatively sad/frustrating when one is fresh from Pitt's fantastic Hillman Library (twice as many stories, twenty times as many books, easily). The online cat wasn't as good, I was surrounded by people either a) talking to their friends or b) muttering their notes aloud to themselves as they transcribe them onto a word document (i will cut a bitch), and Brendlinger simply doesn't have as much stuff. I typed 'decolonization' and 'Ghana' into the Webcat and got zero--ZERO results. Ouch. Had to sort of research my way around my paper topic, and (thanks to the LOC system) pull up a call number, venture into the stacks, and hope for the best.

But just before I got up to begin exploring the sad, sad library, I saw the coolest library feature OF MY LIFE. Up in the corner of the MC3 webcat page was a little text link--"im a librarian." INSTANT MESSAGE the librarian? HOW DO YOU MEAN? [in the words of the great mr. wambold] I was so excited. Of course, I didn't really have any questions aside from "where are the stacks?" You'd think it wouldn't be that hard in a library with 3 stories, each about the size of two classrooms pushed together, but hey. It was my first time. I didn't get to play with the instant messenger feature. Seriously, though. What a good idea.

So after I figured out the somewhat confusing system (the stacks are split between the first and third floors...what?) I checked out my sub-par findings (upon looking at the return slips in the back of the book I discovered that the book most recently checked out was last opened THIRTY YEARS AGO--I can't even talk about the copyright dates) and went over to the sweet little coffee shop in the new tech. ed building. Snazzy. I got my second 16 oz. latte of the day (bringing my espresso consumption up to 5 shots) and sat to read for some ridiculous amount of time before momma picked me up for middle eastern food. Pitas, hummus, and a nice salad with feta. Yum.

Wait. Does this sound familiar? It should to all of my govies--this day could've taken place in Oakland (minus the dissapointment) just as easily as in Blue Bell. Of course, the trip to the library might've been with Sara, the coffee might've been with Charna or Raaj or Kristen (or whomever I stumbled upon at the Caribou), Lunch might've been with Leah or the dress-up crew or ICONS buddies. Given the time to reflect (or, more appropriately, debrief), I was shocked. A gov-school-ish life? HERE in upper middle outer nowhere? Perhaps there is hope. Part of me thinks I should shed the academic shell that I seemed to grow at Gov School and get back to life as usual--perhaps darken my ungodly pale skin, sit on the back porch perusing The Most Evil Women in History, go on yet another biking adventure. But right now, this feels right. I mean, my life certainly wasn't perfect pre-gov. I think this is where I need to be, and the fact that I pooled my resources and made it possible here at home says something HUGE.

I think it says "Allow your inner nerd to shine through." If that's what my gut's saying, then by god, I'll brush the dust off my ironic t-shirt, turn up my Beethoven (Shastakovich if I'm feeling frisky), stick a pencil in my hair and let it be.