The first week of school has been hectic! My classes are tolerable; I seem to have a lot of (comparatively) foreign teachers: my Physics teacher (he's wonderful) is Québécois, my French teacher is Pakistani, and my Latin teacher (I'm actually going to be taking an independent study for this class) is Romanian.

In any case. My AP US History teacher is... wow. His comments are marked by an incredibly caustic sarcasm, but he's absolutely hilarious. He gets pissed, though, when no students know the answer to a question he's asked, as demonstrated yesterday; each section of AP US failed to answer a question and received an assignment from him (although we ALL have to complete it). So, w00t w00t, due Monday is a 1,000 word paper on the founding of Maryland, a 100-question test on everything pre-1763, and a graphic organizer detailing early relations between the Chesapeake Indians & the colonists. It seems a little harsh, but he's really an excellent teacher.

Also, I want the iPod Touch! ♥

EDIT: Hm, interesting comparison...

WHAT?!?!?!!?!?!?

Oh, man. This sucks. :(

Today is officially the last day of my summer vacation! ;__;

I am also pimping the German musical 3 Musketiere, which is surprisingly good.

I wish I could use my "LJ- we know drama" icon, but alas! it's on my other hard drive. Seriously, though, I'm just staying clear of all of this. Eep.

EDIT: Argh, cannot stop listening to "Nicht aus Stein"! Uwe makes it sound like a 90s pop song. XD

Opinions regarding this? Personally, I disagree with his actions. Yes, you do have the right to privacy, not having your bags searched, etc., but does anyone really care? When I read stories like that guy's, I don't really feel that he's standing up for civil rights; rather, it just seems to me like it all could have been avoided. Perhaps if the issue were more serious I would concur with Mr. Righi, but some guy just asked to search his bag! Big freaking deal. That happens all the time and no one (that I personally know) even gives it a second thought.

Contrary to what Mr. Righi stated in his entry, that an "atmosphere of obedience" is being created by this sort of thing, I think that we merely have to accept normal procedures. At least be happy that you don't like in freaking Iraq or something, where people have almost NO civil liberties! What irritates me is that people object to these silly, trivial matters when they have more rights than most people do in the world.

And what irritates me more is that the guy is somewhat intentionally antagonizing people, like the Circuit City employees. It's not as if those people have some malicious intention to eradicate all freedoms in America! They're just trying to do their job so they can get paid and pay off college or feed their families or whatever.
(EDIT: Yikes, there were about 1000 conjunctions in that last sentence.)

Okay, bottom line: I recognize that this is definitely a violation of civil rights and Mr. Righi shouldn't have been asked to reveal his purchases/driver's license, but it wasn't directly harming him. I recognize moreover that it was illegal for the Circuit City employee to bar him from leaving by force and the cop could have diffused the situation by inspecting Mr. Righi's bag and finding nothing stolen. Still, the entire matter could have been prevented by Mr. Righi himself; I almost feel as if he was asking, perhaps, for a little trouble.

(Note: I am generally left-wing, so I think this is my conservative side rearing its ugly head. ;))

Hah, excellent barbecue; my neighbor and I decided to geek out with the help of this wiki chart.

Tomorrow is the judgment day for me, ugh, i.e. when I know if my hard drive is blown or not. I swear, if it isn't salvageable, I'll kill myself. :(

Also reading Kafka's Metamorphosis online; Project Gutenberg = ♥.

I've been feeling a bit depressed lately, which is almost certainly due to the computer fiasco. I mean, I have access to the internet from my mom's laptop, but it isn't the same. The other (it's a desktop) is almost like a friend to me.
...
Oh, God, I am pathetic, aren't I?

Don't stone me, but I actually harbor some excitement re: going back to school on Friday; at least it'll do something for the ennui. But waking up at 6:15 A.M. every day = suck.

Something else that's odd: I've had exceptionally little desire as of late to trade for LM revival bootlegs, barring any with cool understudies. It's not like I've seen the revival 25 times and am totally sick of it or anything (I've seen it four times). Perhaps it's due to an amalgamation of several things, like the sucky orchestrations that I'm tired of hearing, Ali and Adam (though I adore them) being on almost every audio, and generally having heard most of the cast members a lot. This doesn't mean that I wouldn't kill for another Ben Crawford audio or a Donjolras audio, though. ;) In any case, this reminds me of trading in general: people trade for loads of audios simply to have them, not even to listen. I'm certainly guilty of this, too; I usually skip LM tracks that come up on shuffle on my iPod unless a favorite actor is on, or it's in German (search me!).
...
Well, that was really boring and pointless, wasn't it?

EDIT: Dammit, I can't even type in accents on the laptop! Argh.

Life has been sucking a bit recently; this is primarily due to the fact that I got the "blue error screen of death" when I rebooted the computer yesterday. We originally believed it to be the fault of the memory chip things, but it wasn't, ARGH. Then my neighbor came over today worked on it for five hours, and determined the problem to be of a hardware-related nature. I think the hard drive is safe, so woo. But, all in all, we're most likely going to have to rebuild the entire operating system. GREAT, AS USUAL.

I'm typing this from my mother's work computer, which is at least something I can use, but the mouse is grossly sporadic. Another excellent situation, obviously.

</rant>

Just because I can; today's purchases from iTunes:

• "Nessun Dorma" -José Carreras

• "As Time Goes By" -Mandy Patinkin XD (A note: the most wonderful rendition of this song I've ever heard was by Mark Jacoby. Oh, ♥.)

• "They Can't Take That Away From Me" -Robbie Williams & Rupert Everett

• "It's a Hit" -Rilo Kiley

• "Science vs. Romance" -Rilo Kiley

I recommend all of these titles/artists, by the way, especially Rilo Kiley.

Yay for procrastinating!

So. My AP US History teacher (the one who assigned me nine essays) lives a block away from me. Er.

The Yankees/Red Sox game on Tuesday was great, even if the Yankees won. Argh. And, wtf, the Mets keep losing to the Phillies, which means they're now only three games ahead in the division.

</baseball>

I can barely contain my excitement! I shall be attending a Yankees vs. Red Sox game tomorrow (er, tonight) in New York. I am desperate to wear a Sox jersey, but am kind of afraid of getting beaten up. XD

Most random note ever: It is slightly irritating when, in regard to Spring Awakening, people write "Hanschen" in lieu of "Hänschen". (It's just like "Thenardier"/"Thénardier".) Who knows, I suppose it's the OCD freak in me.

EDIT: I couldn't resist iconing that picture of Drew. Oh, lord. XD

I profusely apologize for the exclamation, but...

WHAT?!?!?!?

(Snitched from house_daily)

I wonder if this article is really indicative of the new season, i.e. are the Ducklings really gone for good? They were all irritating at times, but I can't quite imagine House sans Chase, Cameron, and Foreman. Bah, nostalgia.

EDIT: Aw!

The premiere of our field show at noon went quite well. Of course, it's nowhere near finished (or polished, for that matter), but still! It's better than this morning, when there were two tempi on the field.

From thefridayfive:

Imagine you are on your deathbed. Recommend to those who remain in your life...

1) One book to read. Hm. Probably a three-way tie between Les Misérables, All the Quiet on the Western Front, and Inherit the Wind (even as it's a play).
2) One movie to watch. Either Murder on the Orient Express or Empire of the Sun.
3) One food to eat. Bagels from the Bagel Château in my town. ♥!
4) One place to go. I would say a European location, but I've never been across the pond, so alas! But my vote is for New York City, "the city that never sleeps".
5) One life lesson to leave behind. This is extremely schmaltzy: always listen to your conscience, even if it means that your popularity suffers.

I'm considering switching journals sometime in the near future. I'm not entirely sure why; perhaps I just loathe my username (it was something I thought was amusing when I was, like, twelve, so...). XD

OH. MY. GOD. I think it's quite clear how she acquired that job! ;)

-

I'm really just schlepping at this point; I'm more than a little anxious about several things. There's the field show, in which I always miss several sets; then my schedule, which I sent a change request form in for, but I probably won't get the classes I want; et cetera, et cetera.
I think life will improve somewhat when school begins, as odd as it may appear.

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The clarinet bend at the beginning of "Rhapsody in Blue" = ♥. Well, really, the entire piece is lovely. Gershwin is quickly escalating on my favorite composers list; I've always harbored a certain fondness for Holst, Pachelbel, Dvořák, etc.

My current aspiration is to sleep until noon. (I even feel excited when I ponder that notion, which is kind of pathetic.)

I've been ruminating- what new TV show should I pick up (I already watch House)? I've tried Grey's Anatomy and thought it completely insipid; perhaps Lost? Still, there are 8495289 characters and plotlines in the latter which would most likely serve to puzzle me... I find it amusing, however, that, while it seems that the majority of the fandom adores Jack and Sawyer, my personal favorites are Desmond and Sayid. Ah, life!

I am in serious need of more than six hours of sleep. Ugh. At least eight hours of band camp is more enjoyable than last year, now that I know some semblance of what I'm doing. Our movements are (only three this year, thank god): "Cuban Overture", "An American in Paris", and "Rhapsody in Blue". (The theme is Gershwin, if you hadn't noticed. XD)

While conversing with my mother's friend last weekend, I learned that the musical she was the lyricist for, Carmen (which premiered in La Jolla in June), apparently got less-than-stellar reviews; this is quite odd, because her projects frequently turn out well, like Spring Awakening (vocal arrangements). She's still intent on bringing it to Broadway, though, and I would see it just for the set design. It looks spectacular.

A few observations for the good of service*:

• I have merely my closing paragraph to pen, and then I will have completed my first essay! One down, eight to go.

• Regarding the above, it is slightly difficult to focus when a group of tipsy partygoers are singing in a maudlin fashion next door.

• The guidance department in my school is becoming increasingly moronic with each passing year. On my current (and I hope temporary) schedule for the 2007-2008 year, I have a free period, a study hall, but no lunch! Well, damn! Isn't that smart, Mr. Seaman (and, yes, that is my counselor's true surname)? In any case, I shall vehemently be requesting a lunch period and Latin II.

• Although crude, the humor in Bottom appeals to me greatly. Hello, next ten titles on Netflix queue! (I must confess ashamedly, though, that I did not immediately make the connection between Richie and Flashheart from Blackadder.)

*This is quickly becoming a favorite phrase of mine, and I blame it on both Javert and my band director.

Today was quite horrid; I continually argued with my parents over trivial matters. And I keep procrastinating on my AP US homework. Ugh.

I've just returned from xthe_ingenue's outdoor production of Les Mis, though, which was excellent. :)

By the by, heh... 1998 was not a good time for Drew Sarich, especially as Judas. *ducks stones*

EDIT: Okay, there is, apparently, a "I am in love with Doug Kreeger's hair" group on facebook. XD

And speaking of facebook- this encouraged a fit of nostalgia. (It's actually quite frightening how many of those I can identify with; I'd say a good 95 percent, heh...)

( You're a 90s kid if... )

OMFG. Completely eradicate my third-to-last post. The marching band music is fucking DIFFICULT. Perhaps it would be a bit easier if the damned tempo weren't ♩ = 152 during "Rhapsody in Blue"!

As if things couldn't be any worse! Well, I still have nine essays to write, although my brain has evidently ceased to function (as a result of this music fiasco, I suspect).

SIGH. My life is disintegrating before my very eyes!

Well, today was INTERESTING.
My mother insinuated that I should see a therapist due to my extreme anxiety at playing the trumpet in front of others.
...Uh, okay.

I am most likely purchasing some form of a Getzen model, though, at approximately $850. It's obviously not the best, but I am really not in the position (nor are my parents, I'm sure) to spend upwards of $1300 on an instrument, regardless of the quality.
(I love looking up Bach trumpets, online, though. So pretty...)

I know I'm in the minority here, but I adore Jérôme Pradon's Judas. His vocals... er, they're not quite up to snuff, I must say (squeaky much?). But still! He's terribly smirky and I love it. XD