Birthday!

Birthdays are fun:
-Hung out with friends Sat. night
-Slept late(ish)
-People called me today (wow! I got calls from people from Arizona, Virginia, Northbrook, Champaign-Urbana, New Jersey, Skokie, Texas, Deerfield, California, etc) (yeah I know…people called all the way from SKOKIE!!!). I loved talking to everyone who I don’t get to see very often!
-People from the above locations plus others IMed/e-mailed me. I LOVE the Internet.
-I was in Stevenovick’s away message. How cool am I??
-Little children from all over the neighborhood came to my door asking for candy. SO cute.
-Niles West friends came over (oh wait, that was to make a video of Hamlet for English, oops). But I played Hamlet’s father (the ghost)–I put wore a big white sheet and made funny ghost appearances, so that was fun.
-I had the longest birthday EVER today because of Daylight Savings! HA!

Birthdays could have been better:
-I want to EAT my homework (mmmmm, bio)
-Emory application is due tomorrow
-”Who does homework on their birthday?” I was often asked. “I do, I guess.”

So, now that I’m 18, I just can’t wait to head over to…Blockbuster!! I get my own card!! And I can sign off on my own USY forms–now THAT is cool. Ooh, and I can call into infomercials!

My new favorite quote

“Reach for the stars. If you miss, you’ll land among the treetops, and then you’ll still be able to look down at everyone else below you.”

1031

This Sunday = 1031…can anyone guess what that means?

How COOL is it that I’ll be 18 (yes, 18) exactly two days before the presidential election? And I’m registered! This is exciting.

And to answer many people’s questions…no, even though I was born on Halloween, I am not a witch.

My fun-filled schedule

These past few weeks have been beyond crazy and busy for me. Well, maybe not beyond…but very crazy and busy.

Here’s a little sampling of what I’ve been up to:

Sunday (10/24/04):
11:30am Leave Shaina’s house (spent Shabbos there)
12:00pm Arrive West Word (newspaper)
5:00 Leave West Word
5:30 Homework (but mostly college apps)
1:30am BED

Monday (10/25/04):
5:30am Wake up
5:45 Actually wake up
7:30 School
1:40pm Newspaper
5:45 Break from newspaper to tutor at synagogue
7:30 Back at West Word
8:15 Home from West Word; college apps
1:30am BED

Tuesday (10/26/04):
6:00am Wake up
7:05 National Honor Society
7:30 School
1:40pm Newspaper
7:00 USY meeting at Beth Hillel
9:30 Back at West Word
12:45am Leave West Word
1:00 Home; go online; write Livejournal entry

Though I luckily don’t have school tomorrow, I have a million things (apps, USY, homework, sleep, Hamlet video, etc) to do. Grrr.

To sum it all up, in the last three days, I spent about
18 hours in newspaper
12 hours in school
10 hours on homework/college apps/online/chilling
8.5 hours sleeping

And some people consider senior year a blow-off year.

I hate shopping!

I went shopping last night with Shaina. Not because I thought it would be fun (though it was good hanging out with her), but because I really need clothes. You know your life is sad when you’re so busy you don’t even have enough time to buy clothes.

In the few rare occasions that I do go shopping, I don’t find very much that I like. I hate most of the stuff the stores are showing. It’s not my fault. I used to like what the stores had to offer. But then all of a sudden, the clothes just got really ugly. I don’t like frilly things, I don’t like pink, I don’t like skirts that go above my knee. I don’t like shirts that say “Abercrombie” or “Juicy” or any of those super-expensive brands.

It’s not my fault I can’t find clothes, and therefore must resort to wearing my beloved USY shirts–it’s the stores’ faults!

Maybe the styles just changed and I haven’t changed along with them.

I should really go back to Israel. They had some great skirts there.

College apps

I am now an official college applicant.

I sent in my applications for U of I and Madison. Two down, six to go.

Nathan’s theory–the FS

I’ve always wanted to post Nathan’s super-cool theory. Enjoy:

“There are, in my opinion, four groups of people.

1) Intelligentsia, viz. those who display qualities of intelligence or ingenuity, ergo one who is ‘gifted’ or ‘endowed’ with genius.
2) Mediocrity, namely the mass population. If one is not in another group, one is ‘normal.’
3) Quiet Stupid, or those who are not too smart, but at least shut up about it.
4) FS or Flagrantly Stupid, or those who are ridiculously stupid and can’t seem to not project the stupidity onto others. These people are more of a black hole of intelligence, sucking the intelligence and will to live of those around them.

There is also a subgroup, which could fit into any of the other groups. Crazy People who are usually intelligent, but may not be. These are the non-conformists (not goths… they are FS) and the psychos, many of whom end up in high-powered positions, or in jail.” -Nathan

I think this really explains a lot of people.

(BTW, did you notice?? I gave myself a picture!!! Finally!!)

The last of the pre-application college visits

I just got back from Emory–the last of the college visits before I send in applications. My current list is, as it stands (in no particular order): Emory, Wash U, Northwestern, Tufts, UPenn, Brandeis, U of I, and Madison.

I liked Emory a lot. Of course, it’s in Atlanta, which is definitely the South. The Southerners are really proud of their Southern-ness:

Waitress at restaurant: “Are you enjoying this Southern hospitality?”

Me: “We’re from Chicago.”
Ben & Jerry’s worker: “Oh, is it cold there now?”

My dad and I visited the CNN headquarters Sunday night–we got to see them recording CNN Headline News and all that stuff. I had never really thought about broadcast journalism, but that’s something that could be really exciting to do.

Our tour guide was an old friend of our family’s who used to be in our carpool before he moved to Boston. It was really cool seeing him.

Emory was really pretty–all the buildings looked brand new, the weather was nice.

Emory Focus Session leader with a Stevenovick-esque DC accent: “If you apply to Emory Early Decision, it’s legally binding–you are legally required to come here if you get in.”
Girl in the back who’s probably from the South and probably won’t get into Emory anyway: “Really? It’s binding? I wish I had known that before I applied.”

The stats say that Emory is 38% from the southeast (probably mostly Florida), 23% Mid-Atlantic, 11% Midwest, 9% New England, 9% West, 6% Southwest, and 4% International. I would be in the minority if I went there, being from Chicago. That’s so weird.

I would not, really, be in the minority religion-wise. It’s about 1/3 Jewish (reported)–the number is probably bigger.

I’m sort of surprised that more people I’m friends with who are considering schools like Wash U aren’t thinking about Emory. If you have lower test scores than me, apply! (If not, don’t ruin my chances!)

Chauceriana–about Michael Lehrer

I wrote a poem for English in Chaucer’s style. We had to do a character sketch, so I wrote it about my brother. He requested that I post it here, so I will.

Notice the rhyming coupleted iambic pentameter. But don’t worry, this is by no means as long as any of the Canterbury Tales.

There is a guy with whom I truly love
To spend my time and not to push or shove.
He’s Michael, he’s my brother—older sib,
My good friend since we both slept in the crib.
Brown hair, brown eyes, he looks just like the rest
Of us, our Lehrer features are the best.
He spends his time at college—Northwestern,
Where he enjoys to have fun and to learn.
His talents are in econ and in math;
He’ll be successful, whatever his path.
In marching band, he plays the saxophone—
Just listen to his resonance and tone
In every song he plays at every game.
He loves the fun and music all the same.
When I need help with homework, he’s around;
I know, with him, the answer will be found.
When it comes to computers, he knows all
About them, whether they are big or small.
The Internet, a second home for him,
Is where he’d rather be than at the gym.
His friends all like him and they think he’s cool,
A great person to have around at school.
He won’t admit that he procrastinates,
But it’s one of his less-than-perfect traits.
When his work is complete, it is, however
A way for us to know that he is clever.
Because he spent his time playing with me,
I throw a football very naturally.
He’s funny, telling jokes just like Seinfeld
In humor, we knew that he had excelled.
His TV shows are mostly all sci-fi:
When Star Trek’s on, he will not blink an eye.
Between the shows, he finds the time to see
His loving teachers, friends, and family.
But sometimes, arguments between us come,
(And naturally, you’d think that there’d be some):
We fight about who gets to drive the car
Or which of us is loved the most by our
Parents, who claim to love us equally.
(But don’t tell Michael, we all know it’s me!)
I love the time I spend with my big brother
He is my favorite, I’d have no other.
I’d like to thank him for his helpfulness—
Advice and words of wisdom are the best.
My brother is a friend I’ll always know—
He’s there for me, whatever place I go.
And now, farewell, I think I’m out of time
I do not have to think of one more rhyme!

Bad day

You know how some people just seem to have a bad day every so often? It’s perfectly ok. But just imagine that times 2400. That’s what today was at school.

My teachers and school board reached a settlement very very late last night, and the teachers therefore did not strike. We all received lovely phone calls early this morning saying “Good news! A settlement was reached, and school will be in session!”

Everyone today was SO upset. Nobody expected to be at school today, and most people didn’t do a lot of their homework. There was just an aura of anger through the hallways, making the day very unpleasant.

In the long run, it’s probably better that there was no strike–we don’t have to come to school on the days off we had, college apps aren’t messed up…but in the short run, this is not fun! I had big plans for this strike–sleep, college apps, sleep, shop, study, see friends, sleep, go out to eat, etc.

Oh well. Nothing we can do now but whine. And it seems like other people are making very good use of that option.