In Which My Little Brother Becomes an Adult

...According to the movie theaters. Which we went to today.

Today was J's birthday! But the first thing I did today was not celebrate; I had a Key Club meeting to attend. My mom also had an appointment, so she said that if she was busy, I'd have to walk home. But it was really easy, my president lives pretty close to me, so it wouldn't be that bad. Unfortunately, at the end of the meeting, my president wouldn't let me walk by myself. I didn't want to catch a ride with my friend Michael either, because I wasn't sure I could get myself home the first time, and I didn't want to force some stranger to drive around until I somehow winded up at my house. So I ended up waiting there awkwardly with the president and the vice president until my mom arrived ten minutes later. Once I got in the car, she told me to assert my independence next time.

With that over, we returned home with Jack in the Box. A few hours after that, we set out for dinner. I was still way full from lunch, but we were going to Harry's. And so I ate some, but not a lot... But after that, came the best part: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

OMG, is all I can say. I really did like it, it was epic and everything I imagined it to be! I'm sad that it's done... But let's discuss my experience, shall we? So like, if you don't want spoilers, I guess you won't want to read this next part.

Okay, so, I'm sitting next to J, who has a notorious habit of crying at movies. So it opens up on Dobby's gravestone, and J just starts immediately crying. It's been FIVE SECONDS. Also, he asked if he could squeeze my wrist if it got scary, which I agreed to, since it's his birthday and all. But then one slightly scary part happened, and he DIDN'T LET GO. So yeah, that was an ever-present discomfort during the movie. But eventually, I knew that a crying part was coming, and I wanted to actually cry. I mean, I never cry at movies, but I wanted to be emotionally connected with this one. So I told him to release me, so I could properly experience the sadness of Snape's death. (I love Snape, his story broke my heart in the book.)

Unfortunately, I underestimated the brutality of Snape's death. Voldemort didn't just do the killing curse, he slit Snape's throat, then commanded his pet snake to bite Snape to death. And my face is just like, D8 But then J grasps for my wrist, and it's on the other side, so he grabs my leg instead, and I nearly jump out of my seat! So I reluctantly gave him my wrist back.

When it got to the flashback, I was getting all sad. And then towards the end, WOW. Snape walked into Harry's house, right after his parents had been killed, and he just saw Lily there, and broke down. He was sobbing, holding Lily in his arms. I felt like I was going to cry, I was RIGHT THERE, but just when the tears were going to spill, Mom threw her jacket. AT MY FACE. Apparently I'm not allowed to cry for the most tragic character in the movie without interruption. So yup, I basically got no tears from that movie. ;^; I was sorely disappointed. IT'S ALL MOM'S FAULT

Anyway, that aside, I must say that this WAS a real tearjerker, for more than one reason. There was a large portion of the movie where it was just like, Snape dies, everyone is seen dead, and then Snape's past. J was bawling through ALL of that. But on the other hand, the epilogue and the credits were tearjerking, because you realize it's over. I never really thought how'd I feel about that, but it really was sad. But it was a fantastic conclusion! That's good!

So afterward, we were discussing our heads off about what happened. And then we came home, and sang Happy Birthday to J, but unfortunately, Dad and I were the only ones singing it halfway through. So it was sort of awkward...

Other than that, J got his Kindle, and he's quite happy. Overall, it was a great day for all of us. :)

Oh yeah, and just to let you know, I did get something for J: I'm making him a pinata. At the moment, it's failing, but I hope I can pull it off!

Blogging

I've been looking forward to it! If only my computer weren't such a metaphorically old fattie. Basically, my computer is a combination of outdated and quite packed, so I'm getting on defragmenting it and stuff like that. Right now, I'm blogging from my mom's computer! Windows 7 is weird. But it's actually kind of cool, in some aspects.

Alright, let's see, what happened... On Sunday, we went to my grandma's house to celebrate their birthdays. It was pretty low key, and it was nice to go there again. I always love how I can go there and stay longer, since I don't have to worry about homework. It's great!

On Monday, we went to the OC swap meet. It was quite hot, but there were enough interesting booths to make up for it. In the end, I got ice cream, handcuffs, a feather in my hair, toasted corn (a FABULOUS snack), a small cactus that I named Jacopo, and a fabulous tan. I've always wanted a small plant to take care of. I like pets that require little attention need less love understand my feelings toward them without getting needy. Like fish and rocks for example. We have a perfectly good understanding with each other. Jacopo only needs to be watered every two weeks! It's great! After the fair, we came home, and kind of laid around, most of us being tired from our trip.

Also, about the feathers in my hair. What they do is they use a tool similar to a tool they use to attach braces, I guess. Because that's what it felt like: Like they were putting braces in my hair. It was less comfortable than I imagined it to be, but it really wasn't bad. I'm happy with the feathers I chose (although I stil wonder what I'd look like with bigger ones). But the ones I have are nice, because you can hide them pretty well or have them stand out. And they don't bother me when I'm brushing or washing my hair.

On Tuesday, I went with my cousins' to sleep over at their house. (You can see pictures of my stay there at my aunt's blog.) When we got to their house, we began to organize dinner. I helped cook pizza! No really! To be honest, I don't think I was that much help, but I DID do something. In the end, the pizza was pretty good. It was a little fancy for me, but it was nice. After that, Cheryl and I went to pick up movies. We got The Green Hornet, Beastly, and Unstoppable.

The Green Hornet was good, I thought it was a great movie to just decide to watch one day. I mean, it wasn't a huge deal, but it's a movie I could watch a couple of times and still enjoy. Beastly was, um... terrible... It was just really cheesy, and I hardly understood what they were saying. They were speaking in some strange, hip lingo. And then I don't know, it was just rather silly. I don't know, man. And lastly, I saw Unstoppable, which was good! Don't think I need to see it again, though. It was a nice movie, though. I guess it's based on a true story, as well.

The next day, we woke up early to take their dog, Jenna, to the beach for the first time. Oh yeah, by the way, you probably know this, but I'm not the greatest with dogs... But this dog was totally all over me. I kind of got used to it though, so don't worry. She's a nice dog! So anyway, at the beach, she was running around, digging in the sand, picking up things that shouldn't be picked up with her mouth. She also met a few other dogs, and they were all very friendly. She was absolutely scared of the water, though. But I think she had fun!

When we got back, we watched the semi-finals of the womens' world cup. To be honest, I don't watch soccer, but my cousins do. So I sat and watched as well. It was the USA against France, and the USA won! Hooray! And then Japan won against Sweden, so yay for that too. After that, Cheryl and I decided to play some Portal 2. I was a bit rusty, since I hadn't played Portal 2 in a while. But I think we were a decent team! We figured things out in the end. It was fun! After a while, Cheryl gave her controller to Chris, and we played for a bit. As we got farther in, my strategy of running in and exploring quickly backfired on me as I was propelled into death water, ripped apart by spinners of death, and squashed by mashy spike plates. But it's all good.

Afterwards, we had dinner, which was pasta. It was good! We also watched more soccer. And shortly after that, I went back home. It was so much fun staying there, so thanks a lot guys!

On Thursday, J, Mom, and I went and saw Cars 2. It was actually pretty good! It was really cool how they expanded the realm of the movie, and you got to see how a lot of things work in the car world. It was a nice movie. J really wanted to movie hop, but we decided against it because there were a lot of workers there, because of Harry Potter.

Friday was a GREAT day. My friend from school, who shall be referred to as Evee (although she's frostedklutz at Tumblr), came over! It's the first time she's been to my house, and she seemed to have fun. Hummingbird came later too, of course. But it was really fun having all three of us there! Evee and I played Portal 2 first, and she was pretty good for playing it for the first time. Afterwards, Hummingbird convinced us to play Resident Evil 5, which was fun. Then Hummingbird played with Evee, and then Hummingbird and I played. It was great. Evee had to leave after dinner, though. Hummingbird got to sleep over, though. We had a great night of Resident Evil Mercenaries, bursting out in random laughter watching a banana slip on a human, and laughing hysterically at a picture of a sloth. (No really, we couldn't stop for five minutes.) It was great!

In the morning, I had a Key Club thing to go to called OTC, where they teach you the necessities of your board position. As for me, I learned all about the duties of a secretary, since I am one. It was quite long, lasting nearly all day, but it was worthwhile! I came home, and found Hummingbird and Mima waiting for me. We went out to dinner, and I got really full!

Today, Dad had his man-party here with darts and stuff, so the girls bailed for Winnie the Pooh. Although I was excited for the movie, I kept seeing the Harry Potter advertisments and kept getting disappointed that we weren't seeing it then.

But OMG, let me tell you. Winnie the Pooh was an hour long, but it was FANTASTIC. I was CRYING it was so funny. THAT is how humor should be. It was clever, and Pooh was an absolute idiot. Like, I seriously don't know what happened, but he was really clueless. It was hilarious, though. Piglet was like Pooh's right hand man, but he also wasn't very bright. Rabbit (who was voiced by Spongebob weirdly enough) was probably the brightest one there, but he got too caught up with himself. He somehow figured successfully getting Pooh out of a ditch would lead to bags of money and attention from girls. Kanga was hilarious as the spunky mother, and Roo was rather outspoken as well. Eeyore was depressing as ever, and Owl was intelligent yet stupid. Tigger was FANTASTIC. He wasn't even main really, he just popped in and out and stole the show whenever he did. He was silly and extremely self-confident. He got into a fight with a balloon, and then was beaten by it... Oh yeah, and Christopher Robin was really cute! I LOVED that movie. It was fantastic. I left the theater completely satisfied.

And that's pretty much it. Tomorrow, I think we have an eye appointment. Other than that, I'm supposed to get started on a pinata I promised J for his birthday. He personally requested the Space Core, which I will happily make for him.

OMG GUYS

IT'S REALLY ME.

I am SO SO sorry I haven't been updating this blog! I mean, I had an excuse during school, but this is just sad. :( Lately, my computer has been infected by this virus. At its worst stage, it gives my computer a blue screen after a few seconds of Internet access. I just got it fixed (*knock on wood*) and I am taking this opportunity to blog.

I am going to start by saying that my summer has been wonderful so far, everything I've hoped for. My birthday party was great! It was very laid back, and just a normal party, which was great. On my actually birthday, we went to my cousin's graduation, which thankfully wasn't that hot. It kind of scared me a bit, knowing I'm only two years away from that...

After the graduation, we went back to their house and ate some food. Then we went off to Ebisu to celebrate my birthday, which I had kind of forgotten at that point. Hummingbird and my dad met us there, and we had a delicious dinner! And as a nice bonus, we met our friends' from HUG parents, on their anniversary dinner. Upon hearing it was my sixteenth birthday, Uncle D started singing "Happy Birthday" in his very deep, room-clearing voice. It was really awesome, but everyone's head turned. XD He's really good at singing too, it was the BEST! N sitting next to him thought differently, though... He was so embarrassed! Don't know why he was, though, I was the center of attention there... But anyway, it was great, and the whole restaurant clapped for him at the end. It was AWESOME.

After that awesome dinner, we went to see X-men: First Class. It was AWESOME. The only bad part was when the guy in front of us got mad and yelled at us for laughing too much in the movie. But that was trivial. Anyway, it was really, really good. I totally recommend it. I didn't expect that much of a bromance between Magneto and Professor X, but oh yes, there was one. Everything was fantastic, though.

Let's see, what else did we do this summer... Let's see, we went to the Fish Fest... That was fun, but it was a bit too crowded and tiring for me... Oh yeah, we went on our HUG vacation to Carpenteria. It was fun! N and I were always the last awake... But it's alright. N, J, Dad and I all took a train, while L and Mom came later by car. The train ride was fun, N and I played with our new 3DS the whole way there. (I got the 3DS using solely the money given to my for my birthday, so thanks a bunch guys!) When we got to our stuff, we had to lug all our stuff to the hotel. I was carrying my bag, ALONG with my computer. X___X It was a trying journey. Thankfully, it wasn't too bad, though. We got there, and just kind of laid around watching Star Wars. We also bought a massive amount of junk food from the grocery store.

The next few days, we went to the beach and played in the hotel's pool. I personally don't like swimming, so I had basically one day of all out swimming in the pool and that was it. I thought that maybe, since I haven't been in a while, I would find it refreshing and fun again. I was wrong... But it was fun just because everyone was there! Didn't necessarily like the feeling of being wet, though. So I just played volleyball and Bananagrams out of the water. Oh, but we did see a dead jellyfish on the shore. It was like, torn apart! Pretty gross...

It was really fun, and I got somewhat of a tan to boot! Let's see, what else... Oh yeah, on July 4th, we went to my aunt's house, as we always do. We ate food and shot off fireworks, it was great! And the fireworks were actually pretty nice this year, they were all pretty and hardly any of them made noise!

And um... oh yeah, we went to a baseball game last night. It was fun! And the Angels won! N and I were just being silly, though... I made up a word: "AWESOMESCHMIDT". I told N it was the German way of saying "awesome". He replied by laughing and then asking, "Wait, really?"

Anyway, I guess that brings us to today. Today I spent nearly the entire day at the theaters with my friends. We went and say Transformers 3 (which I had already seen, but it was just as epic the second time), Super 8 (it was okay, it was an interesting movie), and the first part of Cars 2 (it was good from what I saw, not outstanding like Toy Story 3 or anything). But it was great getting to see them again, since I hardly ever see my friends from school over summer. So it was really nice to get in touch with them again, and in such a fun way!

On a somewhat related note, there are SO many movies I want to see this month! Captain America, Winnie the Pooh, and of course Harry Potter! OMG, it's all so epic (yes, even Winnie the Pooh, it's a HUGE THING OKAY).

But yup, things have been great so far.

We're Nearly Done!

Unfortunately, this is looking to be the most miserable weekend ever.

So basically, school was mean and decided to put everything possible in one week. Which I guess makes sense, since next week is all finals. But still, that is ridiculous. I actually pulled an all-nighter! Well, I guess that this year wouldn't be complete without one. So yup.

So the deal this weekend is that we can't play Xbox 360 or Wii. At all. I can understand why I can't play, since I have a massive amound of studying and such to do for finals, but my siblings can't play either. My mom says it's because they'll distract me, too. But to be honest, it's bothering me more that they're being punished for something they didn't do. Or well, that's kind of how I see it. That's how Noah sees it too, he's absolutely hating on me right now. But it's not my fault! Well, I mean it is because of me, but it's not my fault. Because that makes sense.

But yep, no Xbox 360 or Wii for us. I think they can still play their DS, though. But I think Mom also said something about no video games with violence, and I'm assuming she means extreme violence... Because seriously every game has violence, unfortunately. (Except for games like Professor Lay--Oh hold on, that has sword fighting, doesn't it?) So yeah, if our family doesn't seem like the happiest campers, that would be why.

Although I'm pretty much over it now, I've accepted my miserable-ness for this weekend. Although Hummingbird is here (albeit taking a nap), so it's not that bad. Only one more week.

I don't really have much else to say... My sweet sixteen is fast approaching, and I have no idea what I want to do for it. We have a date and everything, but I have no idea what I'll do! XD

Oh yeah, and by the way guys, Things Fall Apart was a terrible book. I had to read it for class, and it was by far the worst book I've read this year. I personally did not like it at all. Aren't you usually supposed to save the best for last? Well, anyway.

It's Been a Month...

Holy cow, my blog even looks foreign to me now.

So sorry about the lack of entries lately, I don't have much of an excuse, to be honest. We've been doing almost all tests these past two weeks, and we're finishing the year off. I think there's like, two more weeks of school. That's crazy! Unfortunately for me, my grades are at an all time low, and are probably going to stay that way. My attitude is kind of bad right now, it's more of a "This was a horrible year, so I'll just finish this one and do better next year" thing. I get why people say sophomore year is the worst now.

I took my first AP test just recently, and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. The multiple choice was decent, and then the essays were hard but not too hard. So I guess that wasn't that bad. The final for AP World History, however, was terrible. I heard the average was failing. It goes without saying that the test will be curved.

The STAR testing was the worst ever really, considering how easy and relaxing they're supposed to be. Math was terrible because I had been sick the day before (and was still kind of getting over it), and I'm slow as it is. Chemistry wasn't as bad, but I felt uneasy about it. English I didn't even bother studying for, and I feel fine about it. However, I had stayed up pretty late finishing an essay for that class, and so I wasn't really at my best that day either. And the last test, Life Science, was the easiest thing ever. And I haven't taken Biology in a year.

Today, I took a math test that I am sure I completely bombed. The questions I answered were phrased strangely and so I was uncertain about them, and other than that, I didn't answer some large questions because I knew there was no way I would answer them in time. So yeah, worst math test ever. EVER. Then I went to AP World History and watched an extremely depressing documentary on Africa, and felt like my test wasn't really that much of a big deal. And then I went to Chemistry and cut my finger on a can. It gushed blood.

Needless to say, I came home and was totally beat. So I took a nap for like, ever, and woke up in the evening to do my homework. Which brings us here. And I was so upset about my math test that I forgot to turn in my homework packet today. That is terrific.

Two more weeks, two more weeks... This Friday is minimum, too, so I'll get out super early. But my siblings have the entire day off, of course. And they're going to Disneyland. Without me. That's like, my life right now. Although I'm not really that concerned, that means I'll just go home and play some video games. I still have to beat Portal 2 (I am so behind on the hype), and I started Resident Evil 4 for the Wii. It's hard, but entertaining. And I started Resident Evil for the DS, but I am the worst person ever at walking. WALKING. And of course, there's always Resident Evil 5 for Hummingbird and I to play. It never gets old!