Eclipse Ecstacy

I have a bit of a confession to make. I'm a fan of the Twilight Saga, but anything dealing with gross Mary Sue (Bella) and Gary Stu (Edward) just makes me want to gag. No, I go to the movies and read the books for Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and Alice. Why can't the books be all about them? Those four hardly get any screen time, and it's a bit sad for my friend and I. Then again, it makes us appreciate it more when they are on screen. Most of the time it's just "I can't have you" or "Oh Edward, I love you sooooo soooo much" *gag* I mean, I'm a romantic story person, but that's not romantic. That's just CLICHE. I mean come on. New girl, pretty, gets loved by every boy in school on the first day, including the mysterious boy from across the tracks that no one can get through to. When does that ever happen? I mean, I'm sure there are girls like that, but in my experience, they're hoes. It's just disgusting. Carlisle and Esme, as well as Jasper and Alice, have a sweet kind of love, the kind I like. It's not cliche, but it's what it should be, undying love that isn't showy or gag inducing. Plus, I have a soft spot for guys in uniforms and doctors, as well as mothers and fashionable nice people. So yeah, there is my rant.

I realize that I haven't updated in like 3 weeks, but I just haven't been up to it. It's weird. I just have some writing depression, and it sucks. I know this is just a little update, but I've been feeling guilty, so here it is!

Happy Blogging!

I think writer's block is simply the dread that you are going to write something horrible.

                     -Roy Blount Jr.

Paging Nurse Devon

Wow, I've been slacking off lately. Actually, no. I've been working hard, kind of. Working hard and moping around being depressed, which hasn't happened in a long time. I keep feeling like a fifth wheel with my friends, and it's really bumming me out, even if they say that's not true. When they have a choice between me and someone else, it's always someone else. I don't know what's wrong with me. Actually, I do. I'm no fun, and I'm not obnoxious or random or funny like the rest of my friends. I've found myself getting jealous of my friends, one for a concert and another for a boyfriend and the rest for friendship I don't seem to have. I only have one good friend and I can never see her because she's always traveling or working. I never tell her how much she means to me...

But I won't go into that, because it will probably get me in trouble

Today, I went to my orientation to become a volunteer at our local hospital, and I'm super excited for my first day, July 6th. I have to wait forever because of summer school, which I need in order to graduate. I'm not dumb or anything, but I'm taking gym then so I don't have to during the year. Anyways, I got to mingle a little with the other people in the volunteer group and it got me working a little more on my communication skills. I'll need to converse with patients, just make them feel more comfortable, get what they need, communicate with other nurses, and keep organized. I'm so excited to be in this environment, and to see if being a nurse is what I really want to do, but if my attitude stays the same, I'm sure it will be wonderful. It really makes me happy to know that I will be able to make people's lives happier and more pleasant if I do my job correctly. This will really help me in the long run, and I can't wait to get started!

Short entry, but I don't know much else to blog on

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

When you're a nurse you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.

-Unknown

Gotta Catch 'Em All!

So what's the latest craze from grades 1-12? Silly Bandz! Rubber band bracelets shaped into various symbols, such as animals, princesses, medical stuff, military or food. Now the Silly Bandz are the animals, and everyone else has other brands. They go on your wrist in a squiggly line, and you can get a pack of 24 for $5, which is about 20 cents a band, making them a good toy for a child with thrifty parents. There's hundreds to get, and stores can't keep them on the shelves. I admit, I drove out of my way to get the medical pack at Target, only for them to be completely cleaned out! I was bummed.

Now the thing is, schools all around are starting to ban these bands. Why? Because they're a distraction. Kids are trading them during class, and schools are notorious for banning collectible, tradeable things. Let's name some examples, shall we? There was the Pokemon card craze of the 90s, which was followed by Yu-Gi-Oh later in my school years. I'm sure there was a ban put on the silicon bracelets that had an underlying sexual meaning too, or they just faded away. Marbles were also put away, because kids would gamble with them. Then, there were always CRAZY BONES. Little monster of every shape and size that would sit up, and you'd take your best one and flick it at your opponents bones and the person with the last one standing one? Yeah, those. My friend always had a million of them. She had a million of everything I wanted, and she never used the stuff. She only had it because she could afford it. I had a good sized tin case of them, and we played at school all the time, me and my guy friends, until they were banned because people felt bad if they lost them or they were stolen or gambled away. Elementary school children are very crafty, they are.

Also, while I'm reminiscing, remember Aaron Carter? Nsync? Backstreet Boys? Dream Street? Video and Cassette Tapes? Walkmans? Now we have Justin Bieber, DVDs and iPods. Oh wait, there was something before iPods...

These bad boys!

Hit Clips, baby!

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

It's On!

So I get my senior pictures done in less than a month. More like...3 weeks exactly and I want to look my best. Therefore, I have made it my goal to lose at least 5 pounds by that time. I have never been successful in the whole weight-loss department, and I have been overweight most of my life. I'm sick of it, and many times I have tried to do something about it. About 2 years ago, I gave up Pepsi. Lately, I've had 2 cans and it BURNS. I just wanted something cold and quick. I won't do it again. But now it's summertime, and you know what that means...ICE CREAM. My mom just bought this amazing cookie dough ice cream, and I want some so bad, but I know I shouldn't have any. I need to stay vigilant. Tomorrow I'm hopefully going to my grandpa's and I'll help my mom plant flowers and do some manual labor which will keep me from eating and keep me moving. At our field commander sectional today, we moved the stands from the bottom of the hill to the marching band field at the top of the hill. It's a little slope, but it was work carrying that big stand up. The two other girls had to stop many times for just the little stands, and I laughed, but that was me last year, always bellyaching. I went the whole way with no stopping, and I was proud of myself. I could feel those abs working, but I don't do that everyday. Maybe I should. I just can't wait for my days to be filled with stuff so I don't have to eat all the time. Soon I can start swimming and stuff, and hopefully I can volunteer at a local hospital which will keep me busy and on my feet.

Anyways, to help me with this endeavor, I purchased a bottle of Acai Berry Supplements. I'm a skeptic, but hell, desperate times call for desperate measures. I have about 2 weeks worth of pills, so if I up my activity and down my calories, I should start to see results. If I don't, I'll have wasted my cough drop money. Why do Halls have to be so nasty? Bleh. Well they came in handy for my fellow field commander/cheer leader who was losing her voice, so I guess they came to good use.

I really need support, so anything would be awesome!

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

Stick Shift Troubles

My family has a truck. That's all it is, a truck. An appliance white 1996 Ford F150. I hate it. Mom hates it. We've tried to sell it, but no one wants it, so it sits idle in our driveway half the time, and we store it in the winter. What a life huh? Still, my parents insist on me learning how to drive a stick shift, because it's a skill I'll never forget. If I stay in the US, I don't see why I'll ever need it, because sane people buy automatics. If I go over to Europe, there is more of a chance that I will get a stick shift, but even that is a stretch.

So anyways, I started to learn to drive the abomination a few weeks ago in the nearly empty high school parking lot, and I was able to shift to second gears, turn, "park" and all the jazz. I just can't start from a dead stop, which is kind of important, especially when you have impatient people behind you. However, I did drive the whole mile home after that lesson. Then my next driving experience came on Friday, after an NHS meeting. Dad drove the truck to school to pick me up, so I thought I could drive home. With the younger NHS kids watching, I managed to stall twice, and I gave up. Little did I know that the parking brake was on. I'm so good. Then there was today. Dad drove me around the neighborhood and I watched his feet the whole time. Regardless, I stalled about a million times as I followed his route, twice at a stop sign in front of my neighbor's house, with all of them outside, and then about 4 times at another stop sign with someone behind me. I sat at one intersection for about 5 minutes, because I couldn't start and I would wait for cars half a mile away to pass before I tried to go again. I messed up a lot, but I can still shift gears. It's at the point where I don't know if I'm stalling, or if it will buck and keep going. I went in a big loop, but at least I got that far. I just can't start the damn thing. That would be really nice. I need to learn how to drive the thing so I can drive it during band, hauling the heavy stands to and from the football field a quarter mile away. We've been mooching off another girl and her truck for a year, but she's graduating, and I don't trust her little brother, so I gotta trust my undriving abilities.

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

Back in the mid-1970s, we adopted some fairly ambitious goals to improve efficiency of our cars. What did we get? We got a tremendous boost in efficiency

                      ~Jay Inslee

Woot! 10th Post!

Wow, I was exhausted by 11 after the banquet last night. What a full day, but it was a wonderful day, so I'm glad I was tuckered out. I slept for like 9 and a half hours, which never really happens since something always wakes me up. I completely kicked my sheets and electric blanket off the bed, but hugged my comforter. How I do that, I will never know. Mom took me out to JCPenney's to get a fabulous bathing suit that I found on my boredom drive a few days ago, and I'm so excited to wear it! I'm very self conscious, so getting excited about a bathing suit is about as likely as having Haley's Comet go across the sky on the day you're born and/or the day you die. But it's sooo cute! It's like a little dress, so I'm not as worried about my thighs and hips. Lovely!

But a shopping trip for a bathing suit soon turned into something a lot more. We went to World Market, this amazing store with merchandise from many parts of the world, and I wanted to get a print that said "In Love With London" on it, but it needed a frame and I couldn't afford it. They have candies from Europe, Japan and China, Moroccan scarves and decor, and fun party things and house ware. I love that store so much, but I never really go there because no one else wants to go. Then we went over to Old Navy.

oh.   my.   gosh.

It was worse than black Friday. It was a One Day Wonder, with $1 flip flops. When we got there, a line was weaving through aisles halfway around the store, and the only flip flops left were black and white, and maybe some beige or gold in another size. We went to look for shorts, but we couldn't find any, and we weren't going to wait in that God awful line either. There were team members in clashing outfits with a megaphone horn giving out random prizes, and the black ladies would go crazy if they won. It was a complete zoo, and we had to push our way out of there. No more one day wonders for us!

So my mom walked down the strip mall to the Dress Barn. I have a new favorite store (kind of). I've been getting more and more addicted to dresses lately, and I don't really know why, but this place was FULL OF THEM (who knew?) We went in looking for dresses for a friend's wedding, and my mom never wears dresses, ever, so it was a new experience for her, and I loved helping her out. I tried on a few styles, but one was too old-lady for me, one was too big and too fancy for anything and the last one was cute! I got a salmon sundress for myself, to wear to the wedding probably my friend's grad party, and my mom got this cuuute soft blue dress, that flattered her fabulously, and I even found some matching shoes. They had this strap she didn't normally like, but she LOVED these shoes and they were on sale! It was a great day for a mother/daughter day. We had Panera, and I was exposed to their Caesar Chicken Salad SANDWICH and I wish I got two! It was GREAT. We ended up getting pastries too, and even though we were still full from lunch, we had them too.

Basically, I love shopping. I love getting new things and buying new clothes to look beautiful. I love it when I can make people look better too. That's why, if the whole nursing career doesn't work out, I'll work as a fashion consultant or just at a department store. I don't know what about being a woman makes most of us like shopping, but it's just so much fun! I love going with my friends when they'll try on stuff with me, or I'll try stuff on and they'll give me their opinion. I hope I still have friends like that in a future, and some that don't, because I have those now and they're amazing people!

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

The quickest way to know a woman is to go shopping with her.  

                      ~Marcelene Cox

All Is Fair in Love-

One of my defining characteristics among my friends is my love of rainbows. I mean, I LOVE. RAINBOWS. I don't know what it is, but something about the way that all the colors are arranged just awakens something in my brain and it's pleasant to me, but they have to be done right. For example, this picture isn't quite right, as the rainbow has almost no green, so it bothers me a little bit, but the picture does represent my feelings. I have many accessories and such with a rainbow theme, and during my trip to Europe, I just about fainted with how much more they had. I bought a belt, socks, and I wanted to buy a rainbow hoodie, but I didn't for some reason. My first day of marching band, I wore my rainbow belt, and my whistle was on a rainbow lanyard. After the practice, a girl that came back after a year away came up to me and said "I was going to ask you something, but it might offend you." So I replied with "No, what is it?" and she asked in a hushed tone, "Are you like...a lesbian or do you just like rainbows?" Now this girl is awesome, and I know she would never try to offend me. There wasn't any tone of disdain in her voice, and I just laughed and said "I just like rainbows"


Now I've been told many times by several friends that it wouldn't surprise them if I turned out to be at least bisexual, and my other friend says she's waiting for that day to come for some reason. I don't have any problems with gay people, or gay marriage, because I believe that everyone is special in their own way and they all deserve the same amount of happiness. Heck, even the Declaration of Independence says that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Now my dad has stressed the "PURSUIT of happiness" bit, but we're not guaranteed it. You're allowed to work for it. But I digress. My dream for years and years has been to marry a gentleman, and have children with him, and live with him till death do us part. The man is the constant in the equation, yet at the moment, I feel like I lack a sexuality. I don't feel attraction to either side, though last year I was like BOYS BOYS BOYS. I've come to the realization that men are imbeciles, at least in high school, so I just shouldn't waste my valuable brain power on them. Another thing is that my dad is a homophobic, and if I ever became a lesbian, than the relationship between us would probably break completely. In the long run, that would be bad...


So I plead that one day things will change, and that one day headlines with read "GAY MARRIAGE LEGALIZED IN THE US" and cheers will be heard around the world, though it might cause travel to decline to areas like Belgium and Niagara Falls, but I hope not because both places are beautiful!


Happy Blogging!
-Devon 

Who would give a law to lovers?  Love is unto itself a higher law.

                          -Boethius

Clarinet Chaos

Seven years ago, I took the step in middle school to join the fifth grade band with about a million other people, and me, being so lucky, was chosen to play clarinet with about 20 others. My two best friends across the street played clarinet, and I wanted to too! Little did I know what a hassle it would be for me now a junior in high school. (almost a senior, can't forget that!) Last week, we received our audition music for next year, something new. Usually, we don't do auditions for concert band until after marching band, but my band director finally decided that this would be better because it better shows our playing abilities and some people don't play the same instrument in marching band as they do in concert band. That KILLED me this past year. It was my first year as a drum major/field commander/student director and therefore, I didn't play my instrument for about....5 months. I went down six chairs placements, from 5th chair and playing 2nd part, to 11th...last...playing 3rd. Now for all of you who aren't familiar with all these band terms, even though the directors say that's not the case, chair placements show one's proficiency within the band. First chair is the best player in the band, and last chair is the "worst". Also, there are first, second and third parts, with the first part being the hardest and the third part being the "easiest". While still in the top band, being last chair made me feel horrible, so I signed up for lessons to prevent this next year.

Lessons were awful. I'm a very sensitive person, and I was on some major hormone pills, which made it all the worst. Every Wednesday (pretty much) my mom would drive me out to my teacher's house, and we'd play. I'd feel horrible about my lack of ability, because he would always play complicated pieces from memory, and he taught the best 3 players, as well as the only freshman in the top band. Here I was, a junior, last chair, while the top player was a junior and had only been playing the instrument for a year. Yeah, I felt like crap, often having to hide tears. We stopped the lessons after about 2 months, and I felt even worse when I was called a quitter. Part of me wants to go back, now that I'm a bit more chill, but another just says "save your mom's money." After all, I'm only going to be in band for one more year, since I probably won't play in college.

So now, I'm wetting my new reed and getting ready to practice my music. The chromatic scale is going to kill me, because I never learned it all the way up and down, while other people just zip up and down the whole thing. I feel like I should ask for help, but when? Yeah, it's just a huge fiasco, and hopefully I won't feel as emotional and crappy once I get my destined last chair once more. I hate being pessimistic, I really do, but it just slips out sometimes. I hope I don't get last chair, because we're graduating five seniors in the section, but we're also getting a bunch of kick butt freshman apparently, and there are a bunch of soon to be juniors and a soon to be senior in the other band that have a change to come up. I just gotta work at it! Tryouts are the week after Memorial Day, wish me luck!

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

I look at my clarinet sometimes and I think, I wonder what's going to come out of there tonight? You never know.

                                    -Acker Bilk

Forgetfulness

So I'm really forgetful, and I hate to admit it. I don't forget things like birthdays or my parents' anniversary, but that's because I have them written down. However, I do have a tendency to suffer from the whole "out of sight, out of mind" thing. Like today. Two months ago we had a big band concert, with the 5th-8th grade and the two high school bands playing. At the end of the program, all of the bands play two songs together, so the middle school band director gets up on this drum major stand that I used last year, and she directs them all while me, the two other drum majors, and the two high school band directors handle the other bands. My friend and I dragged that stand from one end of the school to the other, down a hill and then up a hill. However, the trailer was locked, so we just slid it underneath. 

That was two months ago. 

Where do you think the stand is today? If you guessed under the trailer, you are right!

I was at school for 2 and a half extra hours today for drum major try outs, and while the other auditioners and I were waiting to go into our interview or wait to see who got picked, I kept thinking "I'm going to get those keys from Foster and get that stand in there". Did I? Of course not. I couldn't see it! It will probably be under there until Memorial day, when we need to come to the school and get uniforms. Or maybe tomorrow during band I'll just get the keys and do away with it, because my poor Tommy has been out in all weather, and he can't handle that, my poor metal baby.

...

Yes, I named a stand. He was my support through the months of marching band heaven and hell. He's a big boy, and I put him through much abuse. No one can replace Tommy, not even his big brother Adam, who will be mine next year!...Whoa...need to tame the ego. I will NOT be a dictator!

So this was a pretty fail entry. I wish I could keep a topic going and keep it entertaining like Sarah Thomas but I just don't seem to have that ability yet. Hopefully when life goes on I'll have more exciting things to write about. 

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

"Please stop quoting me. Not everything I say is some witty quotation."

-Mark Twain

Introduction! Introducción! Einleitung! Hello! Hola! Hallo!

Okay, so that second half of the title could have been my first sentence, but it gives more room to be creative, even if this first sentence wasn't really creative at all, in hindsight. ANYWHOS I'm Devon! You can call me Devon, Ducky, Pia (don't ask) Mrs. Lambert (Or Mrs. Ratliff according to M.A.S.H) or anything else really. I wish for a nickname that sticks! I absolutely LOVE the store Charlotte Russe, and I frequent their website, as well as ModCloth.com even if I'm poor and can't really afford anything at the latter. I love vintage style, because it's classy and mature and usually not as whorish as current fashion. Perhaps it's because I can't pull off the whore look, but I don't think I would want to attract the attention of that sort of man. Instead, I'd want to attract more mature men, perhaps and older man, but not like...OLD old. Like...5-10 years older than me, but I'm not sure yet. I need to date people my own age first.

 I love color, especially when it's put into rainbow sequence, as in ROY G BIV. Makes me want to make a Sim named Roy Biv. Photography is a hobby of mine, though I don't do it much because my digital camera can't hold a charge for very long. I like to make things pretty, myself included, though when I put on makeup, I think I look like a gay guy trying to make himself look like a woman. My hair is cut short, and my English class constantly makes me feel like a man because in half the books we read, hair represents femininity for a woman. I ADORE Carey Mulligan's hair. It's so cute and playful, and just the way I wish I could make it look, but I'm not as cute as Carey. To think she was once a playful, minor-character Bennet sister in Pride and Prejudice and now she's out for an Oscar or something! I don't know, I don't keep up with such celebrity babble, but I do drool over them otherwise. Adam Lambert is my current obsession, as well as his famous AMA-kiss-recipient, Tommy Ratliff! Let's see, Peter Facinelli is a stagnant addiction, and will be hyped up again once Eclipse hits theaters. I personally hate Bella and Edward, and since they dominate the story, it's hard to like the series, but Dr. Carlisle, Alice and Jasper make it all worth the $7.50 I pay for a matinee....$7.50. Hollywood sure knows how to weasel money out of broke kids, I tell ya, coming from a broke kid who spends their FREE time on the computer blogging about thyself. I need a job...

Well, that's enough of an into for tonight. If I stay up much later I won't be able to make it through the afternoon tomorrow and I really need to! Plus if I write much more, I won't have anything else to blog about for a while.

Happy Blogging!

-Devon

"Don't be so humble--you are not that great"

-Golda Meir