today has been a long, excruciating day. i awoke at 7:00 AM to rub my eyes, put my band uniform on over my pajamas, and drink a carnation instant breakfast. oh, to go march in the rockwall christmas parade, of course. (you know i wouldn't do all of those things for my own personal enjoyment, don't you? especially on a saturday morning.)

so i marched in the parade. the piccolo i've been abusing this season gave its final dying sputter and cough. the entire middle register of the poor thing is shot. not to worry; it will be sent to shop to be repaired before next season. but next year, i'll get the nice new school-picc that Amanda uses, that i covet. :9

this monitor screen is quite dusty! ::clears a space big enough to read what i'm typing:: lol, maybe it's not that bad. but it's getting there.

anyway...erm...after the parade i walked all around through downtown rockwall looking for my mother, who came to pick me up on some little-known sidestreet. yes, it's always a delight to wander around wearing a band uniform. dee-light. we finally found eachother, and i got home for a little while, before leaving for all-region auditions at Berkner High. the way they did auditions this year was extremely weird, where we played in front of eachother. strange, experimetal, and not efficient in the least. i ended up being ranked #20 in my room, and they only allowed #12 from each room to continue to Phase 2. damnations. i was close. and ah, there's always next year. solo & ensemble is more fun anyway. and state. :D !!!! i <3 state.

anyway. i got home around ..i dunno, 8:00ish? and started playing with my hannukah present from last night--Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets playstation game! YAY!! it's really neat! jeremy says he'll lend me final fantasy 7. i'm holding him to that promise.

speaking of which, he's sick. poor chap. looked really dreadful this morning...he actually showed up for the parade, talked to Mr. Jones, and then left becuse he was feeling icky. feel better soon, you! i must give thee your hannukah presents.

anyway, i'm off to watch the mav's game, SNL/MadTV, and eat Applebee's. (:

choosing a college to attend is going to be difficult for me. i've been mulling over possiblity after possibility for a couple of years now, and i just don't know what i want. an enormous state school like UT where i could be close to home? (i like my family, so sue me.) well, at UT you're pretty much a number...especially with an undergraduate class of 36,000.

so what about a smaller private school, or a liberal arts school? i could stay in state, but at a smaller and more personal school. but ultimately is this what i want?

part of me wants to be competitive and try to get into these difficult schools like Rice. that would be great. and thanks to my aunt and uncle, i now am considering attempting to get into Northwestern (back home, in Illinois.) It's expensive, as all college is, and it's far from texas. i'd only visit probably about 3 times a year, at best. so...expensive. but it's competitive, and it draws me in. (even though i doubt myself on whether or not my grades/test scores are actually good enough and high enough to get into a school like that. argh.) and i don't like Texas much, and i'm dying to go back home. i haven't really considered texas my home yet. is that bad?

i don't know. i'm just very confused. i don't know where my family and i stand with money issues...i have not a clue. scholarship and financial aid, i have no idea what i'm doing with that. playing scholarships for flute? i don't know. i'm lost. and i'm not even going to start ranting about the SAT...

so meanwhile i'm fretting over this college thing, when i really should be concerned about what's in my very immediate future--tomorrow, actually--all region auditions. ::gulp:: i'm prepared. it just depends on my competition, and how well i play tomorrow.

tonight's the last night of hannukah. it's been a really wonderful one. i got yet another gift from my secret pal--a car air freshening kit, in cinnamon. it's awesome. i'm going to put it in there as soon as the new-car smell fades from my car. yup, it smells like new car. don't know why.

i'm off to chill out with some hot chocolate (heh, that was a contradictory statement) and then practice my flute. ciao.

oh, come now, really. i'm not sexy. of course if you'd like to argue otherwise, then feel free to do so. totally just kidding. meh, go away!
yup, school's a drag. i hope i'm not still failing algebra. and i hope i'm not failing physics now. jglkrael;jkg.

alright, whoever my secret pal is, I LOVE YOU. they have gotten me 5 things so far for Hannukah. a harry potter wristwatch, a box of gelt (chocolate coins), a tiny little espresso-shot Starbucks coffeemug thingie (i use it as an ornament in my room, hehe), and today, an adorable snowman candle. {{hugs secret pal}} i want to marry you!! :D

oklahoma practices are uh..well, they're...going. as a whole, i don't know about well, but they're...going. i'm singing varied parts...soprano, second soprano, and alto ... because i'm fickle and my voice does different things at different times. hehe. i rather enjoy singing. but not ms. gorham. eesh.

the night before last, i got the Paul McCartney "Back in the U.S." two-disc set. it's AWESOME. he does a ukelele version of George Hari's "Something". it totally rocks. last night i got this adorable ring-stand-holder thingie shaped like an elephant, and you put the rings on the trunk. this is convenient, because i have an abudance of rings...not really expensive, mind you, but they are rings. i wear anywhere from 4-7 rings on any given day. someday, i will be like Ringo Starr and wear two rings on each finger, and examine them constantly. lol. ::heavy breathing:: i like rings.

everybody, go out and download beck's "lonesome tears." it's so beautiful. gorgeous strings, awesome lyrics & vocals. this new beck cd kicks butt. thank you, paul.

Beck
"Lonesome Tears"

Lonesome tears
I can't cry them anymore
I can't think of what they're for
Oh they ruin me every time
But I'll try
To leave behind some days
These tears just can't erase
I don't need them anymore

How could this love
Ever turning
Never turn its eye on me
How could this love
Ever changing
Never change the way I feel

Lazy sun
Your eyes catch the light
With promises that might
Come true for awhile
Oh I'll ride
Farther than I should
Harder than I could
Just to meet you there

How could this love
Ever turning
Never turn its eye on me
How could this love
Ever changing
Never change the way I feel

oh...oh dear...

marcia is a psychobitch. she's funny sometimes, when she's being cruel to jan...especially in the movie from a few years back. that was a very funny movie. plus, she gets to date desi arnaz junior and davy jones. i mean, come on.

hey, this is neat, i love country apple--tis one of my favorites! i have a bottle of ze body spray...

quizzes are fun. anyhow, i got $40 from my parents tonight for hannukah, to put toward a new wristwatch. :D i really am in dire need of a nice watch. i have not had a watch that wasn't digital, that wasn't more than $10 in...well, in many moons. i'm excited.
oklahoma practice vas funny tonight. we sat around and sang some stuff in the choir room. i'm a soprano...i...think. sometimes an alto. lol. i can hit the pitches without sounding like a screeching cat, so that's what counts, right? right. then we ran around randomly singing moulin rouge songs after we got dismissed. i <3 moulin rouge. i asked for the soundtrack for hannukah. (:

Hergie534: oh, I have news
Hergie534: at 4:11 AM this morning, I, Michael Hergenhan, completed the Rubik's cube

most excellent.

welp, back to the daily grind, indeed. the break was nice, but school is ..not. although i can't say that my day was particularly mentally taxing. this morning before school, i got my hannukah gift from Paul. really awesome stuff! in pretty wrapping paper that i saved! anyway, it's the new Beck CD, which i've already listened to a bit of, and it rocks. and, he gave me a Harry Potter page-a-day calendar, which is neat. :D thanks Paul! yaaay!

band...then history, in which i did nothing truly productive except for a quiz...spotlight, in which we had a sub, so i did some of lez's homework for a candy bar in return, and I hunted around for my character analysis packet which i've conveniently lost (again!). grrrrrrrmmm. i sat through lunch in the theatre classroom continuing to help lez, and then went to physics, where amanda and i played the game where you scribble a shape on a piece of paper and then the other person makes a little picture out of it. it is so much fun! and we got our horrible test scores back. i made a 63, which was actually one of the higher grades. ::cries:: physics and alg, you are dragging my GPA down! townsend had better curve our grades or give us a re-test! grrm.

people seem to be entertained by my webcam, as not-exciting as it is...lol. i like it, tis fun. just wish i could put it in my room and not the office.

anyway, i am off to oklahoma practice in 'bout an hour .. so .. ciao !

relientkad: O:-)<----VaVaVirgin ;-)<----Rach :-D<-----Kathryn :-[<----VaVaNothing after enlightening conversation with aforesaid two parties

EXPERIMENT #709: Serenading VaVaVirgil In A Desperate Attempt To Win His Affections.

PennyLane809: it's a little bit funny, this feeling inside.
VaVaVirgil: That's all?
PennyLane809: i'm not one of those who can easily hide.
VaVaVirgil: what?
PennyLane809: i know it's not much, but it's the best i can do.
VaVaVirgil: That right?
PennyLane809: my gift is my song, and this one's for you.
VaVaVirgil: Is your song and this one's for me? I'm not sure!
PennyLane809: and you can tell everybody this is your song!
VaVaVirgil: I see.
PennyLane809: it may be quite simple but now that it's done...
VaVaVirgil: Now that it's done? Yo, if U haven't seen it yet, check out www.ydouthink.com.
PennyLane809: i hope you don't mind, i hope you don't mind...i hope you don't mind that i put down in words
VaVaVirgil: I'm hoping for a memory upgrade.
PennyLane809: how wonderful life is while you're in the world.
VaVaVirgil: Is while me 're in the world? I dunno...
PennyLane809: so excuse me forgetting, but these things i do
VaVaVirgil: These things i do?
PennyLane809: you see, i've forgotten if they're green or they're blue. anyway, the thing is, what i really mean...
VaVaVirgil: Sorry, I can't find any theaters in or near Salem, OR (97301) showing "GOSPEL ACCORDING TO AL GREEN" on Sunday, December 1st.
PennyLane809: yours are the sweetest eyes i've ever seen.
VaVaVirgil: i can't understand what you're saying...
PennyLane809: ::blinks::
PennyLane809: oh forget it. ::pounces::
VaVaVirgil: No problem. What else do U want to talk about?

MISSION: STATUS UNCLEAR. It seems that Virgil is playing dumb by responding incoherently to my serenading attempts. What a tease! Either that, or he is truly confused...

EXPERIMENT #527: Coming On To VaVaVirgil (an IM robot.)

PennyLane809: oh baby oh baby
VaVaVirgil: Oh yeah?
PennyLane809: oh baby oh baby
VaVaVirgil: Baby oh baby?
PennyLane809: oh baby don't stop
VaVaVirgil: Baby don't stop? What's that supposed to mean?
PennyLane809: you turn me on!!
VaVaVirgil: Oh yeah?
PennyLane809: oooh yeah
VaVaVirgil: Yeah, huh? Tell me, do you think you would ever try smoking?
PennyLane809: oh yeah oh yeah oh yeah
VaVaVirgil: i seem 2 be having some trouble answering your questions.
PennyLane809: i find your buddy icon intensely attractive.
VaVaVirgil: You find my buddy icon intensely attractive?
PennyLane809: it's turning me on.
VaVaVirgil: It's turning you? Really?
PennyLane809: oh yeah baby.
VaVaVirgil: Yeah.
PennyLane809: sex machine.
VaVaVirgil: Yeah. Some of my best friends are.
PennyLane809: oh really? can you introduce them to me?
VaVaVirgil: Introduce them to U? I'm not sure if I can do that. Smoking makes is harder to do good at sports.
PennyLane809: mm.. am i making you harder?
VaVaVirgil: Not sure. I don't know you that well.
PennyLane809: SSSSSEX
Auto response from VaVaVirgil: [Service too busy]

MISSION COMPLETE. Robot is left rather uncomfortable. I have also been left rather uncomfortable .. i'm going to go take a shower and clean myself now. ::cracks up::

happy december (and hannukah night #3, as well.) i'm listening to "yellow" by coldplay...how long has it been since I listened to this song? far too long. it's definitely a winter song. i don't know why but ... it is. i love this song. "yeaaahh..oh yeah you're skin and bones...turrrrrn in to something beautiful..."

anyroad... last night's Hannukah festivities were quite enjoyable! i took so many pictures. ah, the joys of digital cameras are many. i'll upload some of the better ones. so, i got my uncle hooked on Icy Tower, i wore a burger king crown all night and dubbed myself the Hannukah Queen, and i made the most awesome menorah-centerpiece thingie. my mom appointed me head of decorations girl, so i had fun prancing about and hanging things everywhere, and playing with big banners emblazoned with HAPPY HANNUKAH in all this metallic print. All we were missing was the enchanted ceiling to make it look like the night sky, and snow. ::chuckle:: but i did put this silver tinsel stuff on the chandelier.

i got some gude stuff last night. a black and gray striped sweater, it's like, big thick horizontal stripes, like harry potter shirts. :D and, a red sweater that is very pretty. i think blue, red, and black are my colors. and sometimes that goldish color. anyway...the two sweaters, a buttload of nail polish, some sachet thingies that smell good (?) and a $100 check from my grandparents. i looove my grandparents. i got $50 cash from my aunt and uncle. they rock. we ate a ton of latkes and kugel and all that good kind of Jew food, clogged our arteries plenty, and we celebrated my uncle's birthday because that's in December. so we got a birthday cake and a ton of other crazy desserts as well. fun fun stuff. after they left, my dad and I watched moulin rouge, hurray, and i already gushed all about that. must...have...soundtrack.

"i drew a liiiine...i drew a line for you.." <--still undoubtedly my favorite part of that song. [yellow.] (:

erm, where was i .. today i awoke at 12 (eesh!), lazed about, pretended to do homework and the like. at 2:00 my dad, aries and i went out to the barn and I rode Diamond. the best feeling in the world is horseback riding, especially out in an open field. Diamond refused to walk on the pavement in the neighborhood near the barn..he was being a nutter. he thought it was like this evil concrete river that would sweep him away or something. dork horse, lol. i love him.

what the heck, i just caught my cat licking photographs again. ... ..... ...... .....

so tonight, we lit the menorah, ordered pizza hut (nothing but traditional hannukah food, of course), and half-watched Scooby Doo. mostly for my dad, because Aries is somewhat reminiscent of Scooby Doo, and my dad's a fan. so needless to say he was entertained. i didn't like it much, but i liked Velma. she's neat, in all her orange turtlenecked glory and enormous black frames. shaggy's voice was accurate, too, at least. but that's about it.

i got the Chamber of Secrets wall calendar tonight for Hannukah. :D yeeay! and now i sit, drinking diet peach snapple, talking to people, listening to my mix CD containing brighteyes, the prom, and moulin rouge music, and my coldplay CD. and i don't want to go back to school tomorrow, that's for sure.

hallo. i just saw Moulin Rouge for the first time ever (i'd seen bits and pieces of it on TV, but not enough to amount to anything.) Anyway...I saw it...and, wow...I really quite loved it. mmmmmmmm. It's just such a gorgeous love story. I feel like such a sap, but I've been listening to "Come What May" on repeat ... it's just so, beautiful, that I want to run outside and hug everyone I know...... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!... ahhhhhhhhhhhh... I remember Lisa being utterly obsessed with the movie. I honestly didn't know what it was about or anything, I just heard that it was "weird" from numerous people.

It's very avant-garde, bohemian-ish, so if you're not into that strange sort of thing then you probably won't be too keen on it. But, please, I'm begging...you have to watch it with an open mind. Come on, be a little liberal for once. I know you can do it. ::grin::

mmmmm...my favourite scenes that I could watch over and over would have to be Elephant Love Medley, and Come What May. It doesn't hurt that Ewan McGregor is absolutely devillishly handsome. yum. and his voice!!! HIS VOICE!! it's gorgeous. it's like ... just totally amazing. Nicole Kidman is also very beautiful, and i quite like her singing voice. the whole movie was just, mmmm. mmmmm. a lovely love story, corny as that may sound. lyric time, before i post about my lovely hannukah evening pre-moulin rouge and pre-starry eyed wistful Rachel.

"come what may"
moulin rouge (ewan mcgregor/nicole kidman)

Never knew I could feel like this
Like I've never seen the sky before
I want to vanish inside your kiss
Every day I love you more and more
Listen to my heart, can you hear, it sings...
Telling me to give you everything
Seasons may change, winter to spring
But I love you until the end of time

Come what may
Come what may
I will love you until my dying day

Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place
Suddenly it moves with such a perfect grace
Suddenly my life doesn't seem such a waste
It all revolves around you
And there's no mountain too high
No river too wide
Sing out this song I'll be there by your side
Storm clouds may gather
And stars may collide
But I love you until the end of time

Oh, come what may, come what may
I will love you, I will love you
Suddenly the world seems such a perfect place ...