But you didn't have to cut me off

But you didn't have to cut me off

It's after hum and before hum and I'm sitting with Rachel at that place that we always sit at this time Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays and she's got her headphones in, listening to the mix that G made her.  It's really sweet, really, but it's got some really weird stuff on it, and sometimes I have trouble aligning people's musical tastes with their personalities.  Briana's go really well together, and so do Rachel's, and Emma's but I'm not sure about me, or G, but that's because I don't really know him, or maybe Kevyn.  But actually I think her's sink up pretty well.  I'm sure none of that makes any sense.

It's almost Spring break and I'm really excited even though I know the week is going to be way too short, because E is going home and my mom is coming to see me and Nicole and Kev and I are going to the coast for a day.  My goals are the same, sleep a lot and read a lot, but I'll probably watch a lot and stay up late a lot instead.  That's the way things always turn out.

I'm suddenly grumpy.  Ugh.  I hate Mondays.

Barely strapped in for this air conditioned drive

Barely strapped in for this air conditioned drive

Here's one more post for before it's November.  I think October might be one of my favorite months.  Last night was the Lady Danville/Lenka/Jack's Mannequin concert and I was in the front row and it was amazing and fantastic and gorgeous and I wish I could live it over and over again.  Right now I should go to sleep but I don't want to, so I'm going to write about how my mom is coming for parents' weekend on Friday, and about how she's going to take me and Em and Rache and Kev out for breakfast on Saturday.  Tuesday is my bio midterm and I'm trying not to stress because that won't really do me any good, and it's going to start getting really cold soon and I need a warmer coat, and I think someone who lives above my just dumped something out the window.

Tomorrow:  breakfast, bio, dinner, more bio, sleep, Monday.

Baby it's like we're walking on a wire

Baby it's like we're walking on a wire

I'm home for break and I've already been to Target twice and driven to LA accidentally and seen a play and visited my dad's new car storage unit thing and listened to NEEDTOBREATHE and Bon Iver and Jack's Mannequin and Joe Jonas.  I keep going through these phases of my-mother-is-so-annoying-I-need-to-go-back-to-school-now to I'm-so-bored-I-need-to-go-back-to-school-now to why-are-you-waking-me-up-it's-so-early-and-I'm-not-at-school.

So here are some things I've accomplished:  an almost-done outline of my NaNoWriMo novel, two and a half episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," a pink-and-beige striped scarf.

Still to do:  read On the Road, read parts of Leviticus for hum, see "Ides of March," "50/50," "Footloose."

Love is all we have to lose

Love is all we have to lose

Hi, blog.  I've missed you quite a bit, actually.  I have a paper due tomorrow and it needs editing but I don't want to work on it right now.  Jack's Mannequin's new album is out and it's wonderful and amazing and I am so, so excited for the concert.  I love concerts so much.  And music and friends and weekends.  Right now I'm listening to needtobreathe and it's not raining which seems a little bit strange.  I'd kind of gotten used to the sound.

Here are some things about college:  it doesn't feel like school.  It's hard to be around people 24/7.  I miss my mom and my dad and my sister and my dogs and my shower.  I miss Michael and Jen and Briana and Gabs and Ellie.  I really dislike the fly that's flying around my room right now.  I mailed a bunch of letters this morning.  I hope I get letters back.  My yoga pants and new sweats are coming on Monday.  I'm really excited for them.  It's been so cold here lately.  And I guess it will be for months.  

I just helped Rachey clean her room and cleaning makes me feel so refreshed.  I'm so awake now, even though today is Friday and Friday is my ridiculously long day and I should just feel like sleeping right now.  I suppose I aught to try.  Aught is such a funny word.  

Ten thousand drunken kids in a field can't be wrong

Ten thousand drunken kids in a field can't be wrong

Right now I am making a mix cd for Michelle called "No Nickelback in College" because really, if I have any influence on anyone from high school, I want it to be that they shouldn't waste time listening to Nickelback when there is so much more out there.  Which is the way I tend to think about a lot of things.  And then I end up wasting my time anyway.  Isn't there a quote about wasted time, and how if you're enjoying it then it's not really wasted?

Here is a list of things that make me happy:
1. Van Gogh paintings
2. Anderson Cooper
3. New episodes of "Leverage"
4. "Gus don't be" the prisoner of marzipan, an incorrigible eskimo pie with a caramel ribbon, the one game at Chuck-E-Cheese that isn't broken
5. Foster the People

She hid around corners and she hid under beds

She hid around corners and she hid under beds

Today I had the words "trace us back trace us back" stuck in my head, which is a lyric from "Hysteric" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but of course when I couldn't get it out of my head I didn't know that, so I wrote it on the fingers of my left hand and traced all the veins on my palm in pen.  I sat doing nothing in most of my classes today and I was out of paper and so I traced the veins on my palm in black pen and then in red pen.  I'm now listening to Florence + the Machine, and I think the lyrics are pure poetry, and I made nearly 200 cookies tonight and so all the scribbles on my hand have washed away.  At some point today, maybe in Euro while I was doing nothing or in photo while I was doing nothing or maybe in econ, I considered getting a tattoo, having my favorite words, lyrics with me all the time, a part of me.

But of course my favorite words change all the time and so I couldn't commit myself to something so permanent.  I can't commit myself to anything, really.  Tomorrow is Friday and it's the last day before break, which I'm so excited for, because I miss not waking up at 6 AM and not sitting in econ surrounded by idiots for an hour a day and not being behind on "The Vampire Diaries."  I'm going to San Francisco in a two weeks to go to a special exhibit of Impressionist paintings, and I'm going to buy a winter formal dress, and I'm going to finish my college apps and sleep a lot and watch "Skins" and write and enjoy the weather and pretend that the two weeks aren't going to end.

I wish I was better at living in the moment.  

Lying in your attic

Lying in your attic

My unconventionally summery playlist:

1. "Madly", Tristan Prettyman
2. "Zorbing", Stornoway
3. "Mr. Therapy Man", Justin Nozuka
4. "The Man Who Can't Be Moved", The Script
5. "Straw Dog", Something Corporate
6. "Love Lost", The Temper Trap
7. "On My Way Back Home", Band of Horses
8. "August", Julia Nunes
9. "Used to Be", Beach House
10. "This Is the New Year", Ian Axel
11. "Demons", Guster
12. "Pocket Change", Josh Domigo
13. "Miss California", Jack's Mannequin
14. "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To", Weezer
15. "Make Me Wanna Die", The Pretty Reckless
16. "Black Tables", Other Lives
17. "The Guy That Says Goodbye to You Is Out of His Mind", Griffin House

I am so, so glad that it's finally summer, even though I spent today watching "The OC" and "Friday Night Lights" and making jewelry and spilling tomato soup on my dog.  I've made plans for Monday to watch the second installment of "The Lord of The Rings" with Alison because it's a requirement for life, or so she seems to be implying, and my sister's leaving Saturday for five days, and then when she gets back she's leaving for another three weeks, so it's going to be me and my mom most of the time, which means lots of shopping trips and driving lessons and such.

When I visited the Louvre, I saw the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and I was completely amazed at how huge it was.  I spent nearly ten minutes just walking around it, looking up at it, imagining the feat that it must have been to have carved it.  That was such an amazing feeling - feeling small and insignificant but still part of this world, part of this world and its people that but their efforts towards things that are so grand and magnificent and everlasting.

I am looking forward to the future.  I'm going to use this summer to move on, to cleanse my life of the parts of it that I don't like.  The past is past, and there's nothing I can do about it right now.  I want to be one of those that leaves something everlasting behind for the world to enjoy - an Athenian, or so they say.

Haven't you heard that I'm gonna be okay

Haven't you heard that I'm gonna be okay

Today I'm finding the lyrics to songs by Hilary Duff to be extremely relevant to my life, much more so than when I actually listed Hilary Duff as one of my favorite artists around 2003.



The only thing dated about this video is that denim skirt - it's not short enough for today's standards. 

If you think that you feel nothing at all

If you think that you feel nothing at all

1. Who actually uses the "it's complicated" relationship status on facebook when they're actually in a complicated relationship?  I thought it was just a joke... like "chillax" should never be spoken in real life and Crocs should never be worn outside one's house.

2. I really love looking at everyone's prom pictures, in a totally non-creepy, loving happy people sort of way.  I love the whole idea of getting dressed up and going to a dance - it's so classic high school experience, but in that naive 1950s sort of way, not the teenage-movie get-drunk-at-house-parties way.

3. Song lyrics, man.  Just song lyrics.  My favorites right now:  Greg Laswell, Ben Folds, Jack's Mannequin (always), Julia Nunes, Beach House, Phoenix.  So great.

4. My sister has been listening to her iHome all day.  She never listens to music.  But there she is, listening to music, and it's all mine.  All my old favorites, from 8th grade and freshman year, before I discovered the Matts and art history (Dadaism is quite similar to Gaga-ism) and cardigans.  Flashbackkkk.

5. "Letters to Juliet" was extremely cute.  Movies like that always put me in the mood to write.  I get into this mood where I type furiously on the keyboard determined to create witty characters and happy endings and entire novels in short periods of time.  Unfortunately that never works out too well.

6. How is it that whenever I want a pretty picture to come up on my tumblr dashboard, none do?  I guess that's a rhetorical question, unless you have an answer for me.  And dear person who recently left me an art joke in my formspring:  your art joke didn't make any sense.  Encore une fois, sil-vous-plait?  Also, I got nail polish all over my hands.  At least it's my favorite color.  It's called gunmetal, but the texture's weird and I think I need a new bottle.  It's by Sally Hansen.  My birthday is soon.  Hint, hint.

7.  I would like it to be summer now. I would like that a lot.  That sounds like something Dr. Suess would write.  Green eggs and ham.    

Don't panic, there simply is no need

Don't panic, there simply is no need

Today was the longest day ever, besides the days at Yale last summer and the days in France last month.  I got home around 5 o'clock and I ate mint chip ice cream.  Then an hour and a half later I ate dinner.  I faked my math homework and now I'm sitting here zoning out and looking at pretty pictures on tumblr like I always do when there's something I should be doing that I don't want to be doing.  Only right now there isn't exactly that sort of something.



That's why I starting watching "Glee", performances like that.  Of course I just watched that completely out of context so I have no idea who Finn's referring to or why Rachel looks so awkward.  But this weekend I might actually have time to catch up.  Ah.  :)

These videos are too big for my blog but I want to post them anyway.  Oh well.

I know in time this ship will hardly ever cross my mind again

I know in time this ship will hardly ever cross my mind again

I just got home from a France info meeting.  As excited as I am, new places freak me out.  Also, new people, new foods, and planes.  And all of those things are involved in this trip.  This is a different kind of stress, though - it's not school related, but it's still stress.  I don't like stress.

This is another one of those long weeks.  Ugh.  We're all picking classes for senior year right now, and if that isn't stressful, I don't know what is.  I keep comparing myself to everyone else - well, she's taking pre-calc, shouldn't I do that too? - and it sucks.  I hate that I do that.  Next year, it's only going to get worse, when everyone's applying for UCLA and USC and I just want to go to some liberal arts school where I can read books all day and not have to listen to cheerleaders gossip. Not that I don't gossip myself.  God, I really need to knock that off. 

21+ shows = sad Natasha

I won't worry my life away

I won't worry my life away

Last night was the Cord Progression concert for Life Rolls On, featuring Jason Mraz.  I'm pretty sure I've established by now that I'm a control freak.  I like things to run smoothly and work out.  Last night, they seemed to, at first at least.  Everyone arrived at my house on time, and we got in the car at 6:16, which was only a minute later than the time I was aiming for.  We got dropped in the parking structure underneath the theater and then followed some strangers up the stairs.  Then I got out my passport and my credit card and we got in line to go inside.

But then the worst happened.  One of the sets of tickets got canceled on my card - automatically by Ticketmaster, without me receiving any kind of notification that this had occurred.  I only had four tickets, but I had eight people with me who wanted to go see Jason.  The lady at the door sent us to the box office, where the woman at the window told me there was nothing they could do because the concert was completely sold out.  It was one of the scariest moments of my life - I was imagining giving up my ticket and just leaving and letting four of the other girls go in, and I was talking to my mom on the phone and she wasn't telling me what to do, and everyone was staring at me wondering what was going on.  It was absolutely terrifying.  But thank God for Dynahlee, who asked to see a supervisor, and Sharon, who told the supervisor that we were teenagers who had no way of getting home.  And then the supervisor sold us tickets.  She was going to give us two sets of two in the wheelchair section - but then, as luck would have it, she found four seats in row 10.   

Yeah, ROW TEN.  We shuffled around the tickets a bit, and I felt horrible for Ellie and Sharon and Jen and Simone for ending up with row twenty-six, but HOLY SHIT ROW TEN.  The concert was absolutely amazing.  The opening acts were the Makepeace Brothers and Bushwalla, and both were great.  Jesse Billauer, the founder of Life Rolls On, also spoke for a bit and showed a bunch of videos about the organization, which is so amazing and inspirational and it makes me so happy knowing that there are people like that in the world. 

When Jason finally came out sometime between 9:30 and 10:00, Jane and Sharon were falling asleep, but they woke up right away.  He played a bunch of new songs, including one that he'd just finished that day.  I'm so lucky to have been one of the first people to get to hear it.  And he played my favorites - "Dynamo of Volition" and "You and I Both."  Despite the fact that we were several times one of the few groups standing in the theater and the people behind us actually left because of it, it was amazing.  The music was beautiful and Jason was funny and it was so, so, so much fun.    

Also Sharon saw Selena Gomez sitting in our row and freaked out, thereby ruining her indie image.  And we had a bit of a camera malfunction when Simone was trying to take our picture with the Makepeace Brothers, but it's okay because the resulting video is hilarious.  The whole night was basically a comedy of errors.  But it all turned out fantastically, and I'm so glad I had the chance to go.  <3    

If this little light of mine combined with yours today

If this little light of mine combined with yours today

How many watts could we illuminate?  How many villages could we save?

I am in a surprisingly good mood right now despite the fact that I've used up an entire box of tissues in the last four hours and have a headache and have to read Hamlet.  I'm listening to Jason Mraz and getting more and more excited for Saturday by the second and smiling because Jason Mraz is adorable.  I finished all my homework for tomorrow a few hours ago and I already did a bunch of stuff that's due on Friday and I'm overusing the word "and" but Jason is amazing, so it's okay.  I don't think he'd mind.

Things I am looking forward to in the future:
1. Saturday!  Jason Mraz concert!
2. Alex is visiting?  I'm not sure when exactly.  Sometime in March, I believe?  Ellie and I are going to kidnap him and take him to Disneyland.
3.  Spring break.  France!  Five weeeeeeks!
4. The week after AP tests.  I'm not too excited for the week of - but the week after.  Yessssssss.
5. My birthday.  And then summer!  And then VidCon!  And then a bunch of weeks of blissful free time!  And then senior year.  But I can deal with that.



I can't believe it's only the beginning of the week.  Go by quickly, please?

And you let go to what the end will show

And you let go to what the end will show

Random thoughts:

1. If I lived in a Jane Austen novel, I would have thousands and thousands of hats, and lots of empire-waist dresses in various colors.
2. The new facebook layout confuses me.  A lot.  And does anyone else think it's been running slower lately? 
3. Gchat noises are much more pleasant that fbchat noises.
4. I am not a fan of Hamlet.
5. I hope my grades go up as the semester goes on.  This is not a good start.
6. One of my favorite songs at the moment:

7. I really hope this week doesn't suck as much as last week, or the week before that, did.
8. I'm excited to read The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To but first I have to finish The End of the Affair.
9. Formspring is a strange thing.
10. A gladiolus flower looks like this:

Gray and smudged and dirty like your face

Gray and smudged and dirty like your face

I don't have anything interesting to say today.  These are the lyrics to one of my most favorite songs.

Sometimes when I’m singing you draw pictures on the walls
And I wonder then if how I’m feeling makes sense to you at all
I show tunes to you I’ve written, and you cover them in paint,
They’re better now, grey and smudged,
And dirty like your face.

I swung you to the city and you wished that it was new,
So you could write an art house film and I could make my debut.
All I am asking of you now, is just to take me back in time,
To the nights above the city when you asked if you were mine.

And i’d drive with you all morning down the streets and avenues,
And we’ll sit among the gravestones and i’ll try and break the news,
That i’m happier with you that I will ever be again,
But i’ll give up before i’m done and we can dance in the rain.

I swung you to the city and you wished that it was new,
So you could write an art house film and I could make my debut.
All I am asking of you now, is just to take me back in time,
To the nights above the city when you asked if you were mine.

I would give everything I have to tell you everything I want,
But there’s too much I have to tell you, too much that i forgot,
I wonder now if all this time, will linger in my mind,
Beyond the days we spend so vacantly when this is left behind.
I won’t regret the taste of you or how your head feels on my chest,
I’ll never spill a single secret, or a sin that you confessed
And and I won’t cry when this is over,
When its time to say goodbye,
I won't cry
I won’t cry.

I swung you to the city and you wished that it was new,
So you could write an art house film and I could make my debut.
All I am asking of you now, is just to take me back in time,
To the nights above the city when you swore that you were mine.

 "Debut", Fortunes Fall

I found a tidal wave begging to tear down the dawn

I found a tidal wave begging to tear down the dawn

I stole this from Kate, who stole it from somebody else.

Deer: May 21 – Jun 20

This Native American animal symbol is the muse of the zodiac. The Deer is inspiring lively and quick-witted. With a tailor-made humor, the Deer has a tendency to get a laugh out of anyone. Excellent ability for vocalizing, the Deer is a consummate conversationalist. This combined with his/her natural intelligence make the Deer a must-have guest at dinner parties. Always aware of his/her surroundings, and even more aware of his/her appearance, the Deer can be a bit self-involved. However, the Deer’s narcissism is overlooked because of his/her congeniality and affability. In a supportive environment the Deer’s natural liveliness and sparkly personality radiate even more. He/she is an inspiring force in any nurturing relationship. Left to his/her own devices the Deer can be selfish, moody, impatient, lazy, and two-faced.

I think it sounds like me.

The weather we're having right now is outrageous. I love the rain - when I'm inside. But walking around in the rain is miserable, especially when people hit you with their umbrellas and stand in the middle of crowded breezeways to talk to their friends, or in the middle of pathways to wait for their friends. Usually the only way around is through puddles or through the rain, and either way, it's wet. I hate being wet.



My dog fell asleep on the floor of my bedroom and she was making little dreaming squeaks until my mom took her out a minute ago. I love puppies. And I love love love love love this song. It's just amazing and I keep listening to it over and over. The beauty in art is just... indescribable. I know that makes no sense... people amaze me. Yep.

That's why I want to visit Europe. I'm learning about all these amazing paintings and sculptures and huge Gothic churches in art history, and to be able to go there and experience everything in person... just, wow.

I'm using a lot of dotdotdots tonight. Ellipses? Yeah, I think that's what they're called.

Tomorrow's Friday. :)

I'd lay down on the cold ground

I'd lay down on the cold ground

Today I woke up, ate burnt french toast, and read 50 pages of City of God. Then I took a shower, ate lunch, and read another 50 pages of City of God. Then I watched a very bad Disney movie with my dad and sister. The movie was about two kids who find a UFO and then one of the kids develops telepathy and there are girls involved and such. Whenever I watch things like that I always wonder if the people who write about teenagers were ever actually teenagers themselves.

Joking with people over the internet does not work. Also, friending teachers on facebook does not work. Awkward "mixers" of people who do not know each other do not work. And recording videos on facebook without plugging your headset in first doesn't work. And neither does covering Simon & Garfunkel.

New favorite songs:





This song (which I can only seem to find here and on iTunes.)



Volunteering tomorrow. Then I have a bunch of art history stuff to work on, and I neeeeeed to finish City of God if I'm going to finish my 6-12 page review by Thursday. Also Miley haters *coughMichaelKangcough* need to find a better way to spend their days than making fun of fans like me.

And follow my tumblr too because it's cuter than my blog, but I can't go and change my blog name, now can I? I've had it for way to long to switch it up all of a sudden.

My favorite songs: a(n incomplete) list

My favorite songs: a(n incomplete) list

me: why are you wearing lip gloss?
gillian: cause i like it.
me: but we're not going anywhere.
gillian: yes we are.
me: at three o'clock. it's ten am.
gillian: just go take your shower.

In No Particular Order

My Beautiful Rescue - This Providence
The Mixed Tape - Jack's Mannequin
One of Those Days - Joshua Radin
Vanilla Twilight - Owl City
Anthem - lady danville
The World Moves Madly On - The Weepies
Closer - Kings of Leon
Twenty Years - Augustana
Crack the Shutters - Snow Patrol
One Red Thread - Blind Pilot
Drive - Incubus
Fight Song - The Republic Tigers
Before the Worst - The Script
Bruised - Jack's Mannequin
Gotta Get Thru This - Daniel Bedingfield
Always Where I Need to Be - The Kooks
Debut - Fortunes Fall
Blue Eyes - MIKA
Fearless - Taylor Swift
Something - The Beatles
The Guy that Says Goodbye to You Is Out of His Mind - Griffin House
Black Tables - Other Lives
Can't Let Go - Landon Pigg
San Francisco - Brett Dennen
Hands on Me - Vanessa Carlton
West Coast - Coconut Records
A Beautiful Mess - Jason Mraz
Assassin - John Mayer
Indigo - Tom Milsom
Sex & Reruns - Matt Duke
Wedding Dress - Matt Nathanson
Sounds of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel
Ohio - Crosby, Stills (and Nash and Young?)
Silly Love Songs - Paul McCartney
Wake the Sun - The Matches
Beautiful Soul - Jesse McCartney
Belt Loops - The Films
Rains in Asia - Jump Little Children
She Is - The Fray
Into the Sunshine - Julia Nunes
(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To - Weezer
Hand In My Pocket - Alanis Morissette
Fairy Tales - JoJo
I Want To Save You - Something Corporate
You and Me - Lifehosue
King Without a Crown - Matisyahu
Name - Goo Goo Dolls
Brighter Than Sunshine - Aqualung
Moondance - Van Morrison
1901 - Phoenix
Don't Forget - Demi Lovato
You Make My Dreams - Hall & Oates

To be added to later, perhaps.

Lazy Sunday

Lazy Sunday

G'day.

Michael: i never get something at restaurants that i can make..
Michael: HAHAH
Michael: and a grill cheese ma'm is preteen cooking 101
Me: yeah thats what my dad said
Me: but i like grilled cheeses
Michael: hmmm ur such a girl
Michael: niavety
Michael: and so esoteric
Michael: AHHAH
Me: esoteric is a good thing
Michael: oh
Michael: well it sounds bad

Last night I picked up my guitar for the first time. I spent about two hours with two different tuners tuning it, and I'm not totally sure if it's in tune, but I guess it doesn't have to be perfect. Then I watched some videos on fingering and frets and vocabulary and things like that. Alison explained chord charts to me and helped me with a c major. But it still sounds - off to me. Maybe my ears are just off? Anyhow, now I'm watching Greg Holden videos (I really do love him) and watching his fingering as he plays. The whole concept of changing chords while you're playing sort of mystifies me. Hopefully that will become clearer eventually?



Oh, Julia Nunes, why must you come to LA on a Thursday?

Today was a pretty lazy day. After the craziness of cookie baking yesterday, I slept in until around 11:30 then just lazed around the house for a while. Later on I watched "Say Anything," which I'd never seen before and really loved, then I went out to dinner with my dad. I love these quiet evenings where I don't have anything I have to do. Not having school tomorrow has just put me in such a great mood.

I really should repaint my nails.

Getting back on the horse or the bike or something like that.

Getting back on the horse or the bike or something like that.

So... This feels a bit strange. I haven't exactly blogged much lately. How are you? Who are you? Are you still out there?

I'm still here. Chugging along and such... that made me think of the Little Engine that Could. I wish I were the Little Engine that Could. Anyhow.

I'm taking pain-in-the-butt classes. I only really like one of them, my English class, which is really small and cozy and the teacher's a kick and it's not too hard or too easy. I have it 6th period so it's a really great way to end the day. But the rest of my classes are boring or difficult or just plain a waste of time. I really look forward to the weekends, and then they go by really fast and suddenly it's the week again. On top of all that, I'm supposed to be prepping for the SATs and looking at colleges and doing driver's ed. I have made zero progress on all three of those fronts.

Besides school, I'm basically really great. I know I never really talked about my whole summer-at-Yale thing beyond saying that I met some really amazing people, but I think the entire experience really helped me grow as a person. I don't want to be cheesy and sappy, but - okay. Let me put it this way. In the past few months I've gone to a concert, a Nerdfighter event, and antique shopping, without my parents, in places that I'd never been before, and I had absolutely no fear of that. That used to be my first instinct - like, don't talk to strangers, hold your wallet really close the entire time. So, this is a good thing, I suppose.

In other news, I discovered that I really like acoustic guitar players named Matt. These include Matt Nathanson and Matt Duke, among others. Also, I am epically behind on NaNoWriMo. I keep telling myself I'll catch up this weekend, and then I have so much to do and I just don't. I honestly don't think I'm going to finish, but as I don't like my novel or where it was going anyway, I'm not that broken up about it.

I've also decided that I really want to learn how to play the guitar. But I really don't have time to take lessons and I don't know if I have enough patience to teach myself, like my friend is doing, or actually the musical talent required to do so. It's sort of irrelevant at the moment, anyhow, as my mom said she won't take me to look at guitars until after I get my learner's permit. And I honestly don't see that happening anytime soon.

And now it's almost midnight, so I should be heading to bed so I can get up tomorrow and somehow miraculously finish all my homework before I have to meet with a group for APUSH so we can color. Have I mentioned how much I cannot wait for the year to be over?

- Natasha