I'm mostly completely packed, and I'm leaving tomorrow morning to spend 3 weeks at Yale doing academic-y things and not getting a lot of sleep. I don't know how consistent my computer access will be, so I don't know how often I'll be blogging.
So, the ways to follow me in the next 3 weeks: 1. Twitter. I can now tweet from my phone. Confusing, yet useful. 2. Herd of Blog. I've got a post going up every Wednesday.
So you might have heard that I'm planning for a pretty epic summer. School got out last Thursday, and my first epic event of the summer occurred Friday night.
#1: MEETING SARAH DESSEN
Sarah Dessen was doing a reading and a booksigning at my local barnes and noble to promote her new book Along for the Ride, so of course my friend and I were there. My mom's membership allowed us to sit in the third row and hop up really quick to get in line when she started signing.
She read a section of the book (if you're interested, it was the same section she read on her youtube channel) and then took questions. I remember her responding to a question about why her characters cross over in her novels; she said it's due to the large amount of requests she gets for sequels, as well as a desire to create an inside joke with her fans.
Ms. Dessen also said something about names, and how sometimes she steals them from people who come through at her book signings. When she signed my books, she told me that she would've named her daughter Natasha had her husband not voted her down. Since my friend's name is Dynahlee, which is unusual, we're hoping to see our names pop up in a future book, maybe.
Oh, iPhone pictures.
#2: FARRAGUT NORTH
Last night my friend Alison and I went to see a play called Farragut North in LA. It was staring Chris Pine, Chris Noth, and Olivia Thirlby, and we were maybe hoping for a little run-in with Captain Fine himself. The play was great: Pine never leaves the stage, which is like a giant screen. Images are shot down on it, and the scenery moves around, and Pine just kind of freezes. I've got to admit that some of the political stuff was over our heads, but it was really exciting nonetheless.
After the show we were standing in the lobby waiting for the actors to come out when Alison suddenly stopped a man who was walking by us. I couldn't really catch what she was saying, but it included the words "my friend Steven" and "would you mind signing this?" As Alison scooted up next to him to take a picture, who he was popped into my head.
That's JJ ABRAMS. THE JJ Abrams, the director of "Star Trek" and the creative mastermind behind "Lost." And I was too stupid to hop into that picture... Can you imagine standing that close to that much genius?
We waited in the lobby for about ten more minutes, and then the actors came downstairs. Alison popped over to Chris Pine right away and got him to take a picture with us.
[For explanation into the ontd_startrek signs, click here.]
As soon as we took that picture, JJ Abrams walked up to Chris Pine, and we watched them have a conversation. WE WATCHED THEM HAVE A CONVERSATION! Since we didn't want to interrupt, unfortunately we didn't get Captain Fine to sign anything.
Okay, I don't know if you saw that. Maybe you need to scan back up the page? Because, yeah, I met CHRIS PINE. And, of course, being me, I was to stupid to say anything.
Hello. I seem to have adapted some kind of blog-once-a-week strategy. That seems to be working out alright, I think. Any opinions?
BIRTHDAYS
So as I mentioned before, Sunday was my birthday. I was woken up at about 9:30 by my friends standing in my room singing to me. I sat up, muttered, "you guys are insane," and threw a teddy bear at my mother's head. Then I was taken to Hof's Hut for breakfast without being allowed to get dressed.
Now I do have to say that it wasn't a total surprise - a few weeks before my mom had asked me if I wanted her to throw me a surprise party, to which I shrugged. Then she added a disclaimer: "I'm not the kind of person to do that." What I didn't know was that she was going to steal my phone and hack into my e-mail in order to contact my friends and arrange for them to assemble in my bedroom and kidnap me.
It was fun anyhow, although I was a bit annoyed that she hadn't arranged for me to be dressed during my kidnapping.
ERR... STRESS.
Last week I took a scantron test as an entrance exam for AP Language and Composition. The test was difficult, but I finished it in the time they gave us and it wasn't totally impossible. When the list of accepted people went up today, I basically expected to see my student number up there. Don't take that the wrong way, please - I'm not saying that I feel like I'm smarter than the rest of my class, or anything like that; I just felt like I did pretty well on the test. So I was really surprised that my number wasn't on the list, and the numbers of all of my friends were.
So basically I spent the morning texting my mother and stressing out about waiving into the class. At lunch I went to see my English teacher, who seemed confused that I hadn't been accepted, and promptly wrote the AP teachers an e-mail. A half-hour later, she was informed that due to an "oversight," my number had accidentally been omitted from the list.
Ultimately, a day of stress and feeling inadequate all due to someone's typo.
I've had a pretty good last few weeks. I haven't had much homework, so I'm now all caught up on my TV and actually find myself bored often. Bored, imagine that! I think last summer was the last time I was actually bored, and had nothing that I HAD to do.* So that's been pretty great. Unfortunately now I have to get ready for finals.
I'm slightly suspicious that one of my good friends has forgotten about my birthday, which is kind of hurtful and confusing. She's planning a party for one of my other friends, whose birthday is a few days after mine, but she hasn't mentioned mine at all. There isn't really anything I can do about it, though - it's not like I can say, "hey, what about my birthday?" She either remembers or she doesn't; I can deal either way.**
Fortune cookie! The best mirror is often a good friend. So, good friends, do I sound like a complaining bitch, or am I justified in feeling sad about my friend possibly forgetting my birthday?
* Okay, technically I do have to do driver's ed. But then technically I don't HAVE to do it - I just have to do it to get my license. ** Or, well, I can pretend to deal.
5/12 in comments on Ali's facebook status Ali: It's been calculated that I've lived 19% of my life. Strange. Me: So when exactly are you dying? I want your JKR autograph. Kidding. Kinda. ;) Ali: Well, if you align my life to The Wizard of Oz, I'm at the tornado scene and everything is still sepia. So don't get your hopes up. Me: hahahahaha Steven: Only 81% to go Me: And when that 81% is up, I WANT YO SPARKLY SHOES. Please. Me: Oops, didn't mean to be all gangster there. Dude, I WANT YO SPARLY SHOESIZZLES!
5/25 to 5/26 via facebook watroom Ali: I've been thinking about this for the last few minutes and I can't not bring it up: What would you do if you met yourself from the future? I'd totally make out with me. It's actual narcissism, to be sure. I can't be the only one who has thought about this. RIGHT? hahhahaha Me: ummm. Ali: You know you'd be all over that. Jennifer: i think i would have a really long conversation with my furture me and then go out to eat dinner at Corner Bakery(and eat a monster cookie). Ellie: i'm pretty sure i'd talk to myself about all of the things i'm way too embarassed to talk to people outside of my head about. Like what would i do if i met my future self. I'm pretty sure i'm the only one who would really understand my convaluted thoughts. Taylor: that would be sorta creepy... especially if the future me had a different personality... but id probably do the same stuff that ellie said Ellie: why would the future you have a different personality? And even if she did, don't you think she could still relate to yours since it had once been hers? Whoa my brain just kinda shortcircuited
5/27 via facebook instant messaging Ellie: hank's awesome. Me: completely. Ellie: like i know we're all essentially made of awesome Ellie: but his awesomeness is awesome Me: hahaha yeah Me: hank is made of extra awesome Ellie: definitely Ellie: its like someone put a bunch of extra chocolate chips in the hank and john cookies Ellie: wow that was lame Ellie: but you get the point
5/28 David: Which would you rather have, eggs or watermelon? Michael: What? Huhhhhhh? Me: That doesn't work. David: Just pick. Me: You can't compare eggs and watermelon. David: Just pick! Me and Michael: Watermelon!
5/29 Ali: Geocaching gear? Me: Yeah, how to buy a GPS. Ali: I think I saw a news thing about that - they have, like, these handheld devices. Me: Yeah, GPS's. Ali: Oh.
Ali: The stuff on SkyMall is so cool and useless. Me: Like the NeckPro Traction Device? Ali: I don't even know what that is. Ali: Oh. Wow. Me: I can't even tell what it does. Me: I looked at it and I was like, is that a jockstrap?
5/31 (only more like 5/30 because it was really early in the morning) via skype Ali: The other day I went on facebook and the first thing Briana typed to me in the chat was "can you imagine Steven with boobs?" And I said yes.
6/1 via skype instant messaging regarding a picture of Zachary Quinto from the MTV movie awards where a circle visible in his back pocket looks like a condom Me: he tweeted it Me: well not the condom, the picture. Ali: omg really? hahaha Ali: it's pretty awesome Ali: hahaha his pants are so tight. Me: dude they are. Ali: LMAO he probably saw the comments about the condom XD
regarding Audrina Patridge, rumored to be dating Chris Pine Me: captain fine can do so much better than her. Ali: ewwwwww. she's denying that they're together thought. one night stand? UGH. Me: oh god, I hope not. the thought of that kind of makes me cringe. Ali: chyeah, he's better go to a clinic. Me: hahahahaha Me: or borrow zach's back pocket condom just in case. Ali: pahahahahahahaha.
6/2 via skype Ali is eating a yam. Me: How's your yam? Ali: Pretty bitchin'.
And one more. Unfortunately not one that I'm part of.
