Cirque du Soleil

If you want to see something amazing and unbelieveable, go see Cirque du Soleil. I went on Friday night with my boyfriend and his family and it was honestly the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my entire life. This is no circus folks. As much as it sounds like, "oh there's going to be sweet animals there and stuff"....heck no. This is nothing like what we saw as little kids. Plus, clowns are scary anyways.

With tons of vibrant colors, singing (that's in a completely different language!), dancing, trapeze artists, acrobats, everyone in spandex suits, it's one of the best performances I've seen. I believe that each show is pretty different but for the most part the show goes through sort of a story plot. I got to see the Saltimbanco show which is Italian. It literally means "to jump on a bench". Believe me, they did much more than just jump on a bench. The show is inspired by the hustle and bustle of big cities and has sort of an urban feel to it. Saltimbanco presented an interesting and fun way to look at an imaginary city.

The show went through several acts, all in a two and a half hour show. There were Chinese poles in which acrobats would climb up with no support or harness holding them up. The trapeze artists were ridculous and were literally flinging each other around and catching the other with their feet. The artistic bicycle was pretty cool, where one guy rode a bicycle in every way imaginable. The Russian swing was literally a human catapult and they would increase their height and fly off into the air doing back flips and twists then landing on a mat. I can't describe how high they flew in the air, it was probably to the point where they almost hit the ceiling. From the picture you can see that people stacked up on top of each other and did flips from that high in the air.

I could go on and on forever about what else the show had, but that would ruin it for those who haven't seen Cirque du Soleil. It doesn't even sound that great from me describing it. It's one of those things you won't believe until you see. I sat there half the time with my hand over my mouth in amazement and actually feeling nervous that someone could actually fall to their death. The people that participate in this show have unbelieveable strength and flexibility. I can't imagine doing that as a career. So whenever you get the chance, go see Cirque du Soleil! You won't regret it.

Beating West

The most anticipated tennis meet of the year was on Saturday when the girls tennis team took on West. We played City High in the morning and beat them 9-0. We couldn't wait any longer until we had to play West.

Ever since I can remember we have always had a rivalry with West. They've traditionally had ridiculously good tennis and an amazing coach. When I was a freshmen, we were still battling with them to see who could go to state and who could win the state championship in the end. Though we didn't make it to state my freshmen year, it's still always come down to us and West. That's all we ever really think about, is this particular meet.

The history goes further back though. Sophomore year we lost to West in the state championship final in tough tiebreakers and close matches. That was one of the toughest losses I've ever endured as an individual and as a team. The next year (last year) we beat them in an 8 hour battle that had to be moved indoors due to the rainy weather. I've never experienced a greater win such as that. Winning the state championship over three-time state champs is the greatest feeling in the world.

Saturday was an important meet because we both had something to prove. We have to defend out title, they have to fight back to earn their reputation back. We beat them for the third consecutive time 6-3, and oh, it felt so good. People have really underestimated our team this year because we lost three seniors who were all in the top spots last year. But what people don't know is that there's more to our team than a few decent tennis players. We have a deep team full of competitiors and that's essentially what tennis is all about.

I couldn't be happier with the way we played on Saturday and I hope the season continues to be successful. I can't wait until we make it to state and meet West again!

True Love <33

There's something I always think about when I see shows that are trying to help two people find true love. Oh let's see here...a Shot at Love, the Bachelor, I Love New York, Flava of Love, etc. the list goes on and on. Something I can never understand is why in the heck people are trying to find their soulmate on TV. I'm sorry that I talk about reality TV all the time, but come on, you know it's interesting.

Alright, so let's be honest. I love watching a hunky bachelor go on these romantic dates with all of these women, and treating them all with the utmost respect and care on this major adventure trying to find a girl he wants to spend the rest of his life with. That's adorable and all, but not realistic whatsoever. Come on. Like everyone finds their soulmate in freaking London or on these amazing trips with the somehow "perfect" romantic atmosphere. As for the trashy Shot at Love, I Love NY, etc. etc. oh geez. They are oh-so-entertaining, but oh-so-staged as well.

Who would have thought to put a bi-sexual bachelorette on TV with a bunch of women and a bunch of guys and let America sit back and see what happens. Yes these shows are entertaining and I am not bashing them because they aren't the most tasteful, but because they aren't reality TV. They are simply not realistic at all. The houses are cool and the date locations aren't that bad either, but don't make up stupid challenges to see who wants to "fight for my love the most". How dumb. I wouldn't really like having a camera follow me around for a few months/years or however long it takes to get my whole love story on film. Let alone would I want America watching me make some decision breaking 1209381203 people's hearts along the way.

Regardless of how entertaining these reality tv shows where people try to find their true love for life, I'm not buying into it. Do you realize that most/all people never stay together? "Things didn't work out with Bobby, so I'm back again, watch me now break 31 more peoples' hearts". Seriously? I just don't understand how people think they can find someone they are truly happy with and truly in love with when they have a camera following them around 24/7, the person is kissing like 10 other people at the same time as you, and no matter what someone always gets hurt. Wow, what a thing love is.

THE PAPER!

Who would have thought MTV would come out with a show other than Tila Tequila's "a Shot at Love" or "the Real World"? Last week a brand-spanking new series came out about a high school paper called "The Circuit" from a high school located in California. It's just like any other high school newspaper production, right? No, it's even better! With all of the paper's staff and drama-rama to go along with it, this is probably the funniest show to watch as a newspaper staff member myself.

Apparently in California it's a really big deal to be editor-in-chief. "I'm the big cheese, I'm the big cheese" as Amanda, the ever-so-hopeful future editor, would say. She dances around the kitchen with her Easy Mac and spends all hours of the night on a weekend to work on her essay in order to get the title of editor. As she spends hours slaving away at her computer on a Friday night, all of the other staff members are shown to be out partying and enjoying themselves. Then it goes on to show everyone else stressing out later about their papers, as she's out basking away in the sun by the pool. This girl is crazy.

The staff members are slightly harsh and somewhat cruel to our friend Amanda. Many find her hard to listen to, to take orders from, and simply just to be around in the first place. With a demanding, in-your-face type of personality, the other members find her hard to get along with. She falls ill and stays home from school the day the essays were supposed to be turned in, and her mom had to run in and hand it in for her. The staff goes out to eat later that night, and call her and ask her how she's doing with several bursts of laughter and muttered comments that she could plainly hear.

The funniest part of this show to me was not only how staged it all is, but also the couple that is on staff. As they are making out trying to finish their essays last minute, we also get into their "texting lives" and watch as they text each other IMMEDIATELY after they find Amanda is the new editor-in-chief. I can tell you now, the only reason I'm watching this show is because it's so dumb, it's entertaining. Torch is nothing like this show!

Advice to younger class officers....

I know when I was a freshman class officer I was always in the dark about what to expect for the upcoming years, how to raise money, when to prepare for what, etc. So this is an entry dedicated to the young leaders at school so they can better prepare themselves for the fun years ahead. :)

First things first, try to get the entire class involved in everything. Whether it's a car wash, bake sale, garage sale, ANYTHING make sure to have your classmates lend a hand. It's the toughest thing to feel like you're alone in all the fundraising and working to get the class money to spend later on. So ask around, ask friends and tell them that if having a good prom is worth it to them, they better help you out NOW instead of later.

Second, make sure to raise more money than you'll think you'll need for prom. It's better to have too much money to know what to do with as opposed to running out and running into the red. Be creative and think about as many fundraising opportunities that you can think of. You'll be surprised at the new ideas and different things that will draw people in and make them want to get involved.

Third, always plan ahead. Plan earlier than you need to. In the long run, you won't feel as rushed and crunched for time to do things. Allow yourself plenty of time to get things done and make sure to communicate with each other. It's important to have meetings often as well, so that everyone can come together and share ideas and brainstorm together as a team.

My best three tips I can offer to the young ones. After I graduate this year, I'll be expecting people to step it up!

The Prom Break-Down

From previous blog posts, you can see that I have a lot going on. I've been organizing our senior prom since the spring/summer of last year. I've been pretty high-strung lately, and right now this blog is serving as a place to vent. You don't have to talk to me to know that I'm stressed out. It's evident on my face with all of my stress pimples. : D

Problem numero uno, we could not find a place to have prom to save us. A Touch of Class is wayy out there on the other side of town and is one of the most difficult places to find in my opinion. Elmcrest was out because number one I think they were trying to get rid of schools having their proms there, and two because there is a wedding on the ONLY day we could have prom. Due to lovely AP exams and what not, our principal decides that there is one weekend, and one weekend only to have prom. (But it's the weekend before exams, ha.) Oh, and we were also told no senior skip day...wait, what?

Problem numero dos, there are so many elements and bits and pieces that go into this one special night. We had to book a DJ, a place, catering, security, a hypnotist (one of the most important parts of post prom), and parents to sell the tickets. We had to figure out decorations which is a huge hassle but oh-so-fun...so we ended up hiring a professional decorating service to do it for us. : D We picked out the dinner menu, class gift, where we want everything, what time everything needs to be, etc. It's like there's so many details that they all kind of blob into one huge stress pimple. Thank goodness our team of class officers and sponsors are responsible and hard-working, despite all of our busy schedules.

Problem numero tres (I promise this is the last one), people need to stop complaining. Alright, I realize prom tickets aren't cheap. But with all of the things that we have to pay for in order to make this successful, we need to balance out the ticket prices and our budget. We obviously don't want to lose money off of this, but we also don't necessarily need to bring in the big bucks, either. Don't ask me for discounted ticket prices, because I'm sorry, I'm paying the same price everyone else is, too. Also, please don't complain about the place. So..would you rather have prom in the band room or gym and have the dinner in the Black Box? I didn't think so. Be thankful that we called every freaking place in town to hold this prom just so that we wouldn't have to have it at school. And as for all the rumors...to clear things up we do have a DJ, the hypnotist is going to be amazing, and the place IS FINE. They have wedding receptions and stuff there all the time. It's going to look a lot better with all of the decorations and of course all of the people inside it. We have plenty of money, too. Don't complain about prom when I hardly saw a fraction of our class helping out with fundraising and putting on dances and such. Don't complain if you weren't a part of making the money and putting work into this to make it successful.


PHEW so that's the break-down. Get off my back, prom is going to be amazing. And in a few short weeks, you can see that for yourselves.

Two Jobs= More $

I have the best job imaginable. I work only in the summers because the school year is so busy (as you can tell from my previous posts) but I love my summer job. I work at a local country club in the tennis shack. Even though it involves cleaning the bathroom every half hour, court maintenence, sweeping the clay courts 3 times, serving at events, and dealing with attitude, it's the best job for me. Tennis is a passion of mine, and being able to be around that everyday is really fun. I love working with people and playing my favorite sport, so it's the perfect combination.

My job is also great because there is really good food at the cabana by the pool. My co-workers and I call in and order them to bring us food to the tennis shack on our lunch breaks. =) I think that might be slightly illegal, but we don't have to tell anyone that. Another benefit of my job is that there is free golfing for us on Mondays? I have never taken advantage of this opportunity because I'm definitely not good at golf. I'm also intimidated by all of the guys that work in the pro shop. I've been told that the club has a nice but difficult course.

Though the club is great, I've decided to take up another job. I'm hoping to get 30-35 hours in at the club and 10-16 hours somewhere else. It's funny because I told myself never in my life would I work food service, but that's what sparked the idea of working at Beef o' Bradys which is a new restuarant that just opened. The concept of me working as a waitress is hilarious because I can picture myself already being the girl that can't remember orders, drops food/spills drinks on people, and forgets about the tables I'm waiting on. A safer option might be working retail at places in the mall. At the same time, this could potentitally be dangerous because being a teenage girl with discounts could create problems with the money I actually make.

Regardless of what second job I get, I'm hoping to do well at the current summer job I have, but also find a second job where I can get a little more hours in. I want to save up a lot of money before I go off to college so that I won't be poor and help my parents out with college costs.

Grad Party//Graduation//Prom

I'm constantly reminded by my mother that my grad party is coming up. Paper or plastic? Pink or green? This fat baby picture or this other fat baby picture? Hmm...decisions decisions. It's so weird being a senior because time flies by so fast, it just sort of seems like everything will be later on, later on. It's already April, Prom is in less than a month, and we are graduating next month? WHAT? So being bombarded by all of this grad party business and invitations shouldn't be put off any longer I suppose.

There is so little time now! I think we have 20-something days left of school, but we have so much more planning to do. Prom is stressing me out like no other, my mother has torn up the house going through baby pictures, albums, and other sentimental items of my childhood, and I have to write a graduation speech to deliver to the entire U.S. Cellular Center. Oh my. This is when I realize that procrastination is truly a bad thing, and that people really aren't that ridiculous when they start planning months and months ahead of time.

Believe me, all of this trouble and stress is totally worth it in the end. I'm just kind of ready for everything to be done with, but in the same sense not really. It's a mixed feeling because I want graduation and all the stress to be gone, but it's these memories that I want to keep forever. Leaving high school, as much as everyone says they want to leave, get out, and never come back, is true in some ways but is really, really sad. Graduation will be tough because that will be the last time that we're truly all together. In summary, despite all of the craziness that will go on in the next month, I can't wait to see what happens.

Illness

Yet again I'm pretty behind on this whole blog thing, but I'm doing my best. I already wasn't too amped up for spring break to begin, even though it was nice to sleep in everyday and just hang out. But to my surprise, I fell really ill over the last half of spring break. On that Wednesday I had to leave my tennis lesson early and go home because I felt sick to my stomach. The next day I had a fever, along with 5-6 days after that. On Friday I woke up with a huge rash all over my arms and legs which was super painful. I have never been so sick in my life!

I missed three days out of last week, too. I went to the doctor 4...I repeat 4 times over the week that I was sick, each time doing different tests for my illness. I had to do blood tests...2 of which were for west nile virus and lyme disease?! Strep, influenza, mono, etc. EVERYTHING came back normal so I ended up just having this huge mystery virus taking over my body. The only thing the doctors put me on was this anti-histamine to make the rash go away, but other than that it was just rest and relaxation (sort of) and lots and lots of Top Chef, America's Next Top Model, and the Hills.

I also missed a couple of tennis meets and a lot of practices. But...we haven't had that much tennis anyways because of the snow/mix that we've been receiving this past week. Where are you spring? So that's my deathly illness that was taking over my body for week. I hope to never get that sick again, and hopefully my immune system will get better after this.