Foiled again!

I was so close! Cami left her blog signed in on my computer again and I was going to post an awesome picture of a dinosaur on it, but then my computer froze and logged out! This must be how all the old school villains feel when the hero swoops in and ties them up. Now I just need a twirly mustache.

Well I took all the effort to draw that Dinosaur, he deserves to be shared.

I think I'll name him Rupert.

How to save life

This man, in the smallest way, with just a few words, changed my life.

I Believe in Music the Way Some People Believe in Fairy Tales

(I'm going to attempt to be more artistic this time. Maybe I will turn this into something and get a scholarship for it. lemme know what you think. it is a bit long. pictures to follow)

In front of a hidden theater, the kind that only plays artistic films or documentaries, stands a patched up cello playing the most amazing music you will ever hear. It is not a lost symphony or the work of a genius. Just the soft notes of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" but the story of the man singing along as he strokes the instrument, makes it truly remarkable.

Eli Potrash struggles to remember the lyrics to the song while the notes themselves flow so easily through his hand. Three young people laugh while they walk down the side walk towards the theater, just three unremarkable people.

But they stop a ways away. They look at him, and at each other, then keep walking. They're not going towards the ticket box now, they're walking towards him. He pretends not to notice, and continues to sing. "Somewhere over the rainbow. . . " They're standing in front of him now, the two girls standing a bit closer than the blonde boy. He's studying the board that proclaims the titles. “way up high. There's a land.. la la la la...” The notes continue but his voice stalls. “once in a lullaby.” He smiles at them and they smile pleasantly back. One hasn't stopped smiling at him since she looked at him. “Hello.”

“Hi,” They both reply. “That's lovely.” the smiling girl pulls a bill from the pocket of her shorts. He can see a 5 printed in the corner. She leans over his purple back pack his has placed before his feet, open to expose the few belongings he keeps with him, but also to show he is open to donations. She looks at him to make sure that's where to place the money and he nods. She drops it in and straightens back up.

“Can we take a picture of you?” She asks. The second girl, she has a sunflower in her hair, holds up a camera.

“Sure,” Eli answers. “Lots of people take my picture. More than I'd like.” He laughs but poses for the camera. It clicks and he expects them to leave now, like most do.

“It's very beautiful.” The smiling one comments. “How long have you been playing the cello?”

“Oh I'm not very good. My true instrument is the bass. I'm a bass man.” (here he goes again thinks the cello). “If you heard a real cellist you'd know the difference.”

“It's still very good.” The sunflowered one says.

“Oh I'm much better on the bass. My muscles are getting all messed up from playing the wrong instrument. I was in an orchestra my first year. The first year I was playing the bass, I was in an orchestra.”

“Well you're wonderful.”

“Thank you. I play for people. Some people I see, some people I don't, some people only I see.” He laughs, and the kids chuckle politely. The boy has returned now. He seems nice, but anxious to get to a movie. “You never know, whats up here,” He taps his head and they laugh again. “Worlds all around us. Seen, unseen, real or fake. Some intersecting some not.” (you're rambling again Elie) “I'd like to get on the internet. Show people what can happen. I'm sixty years old and playing here. I'd like to do something still.”

Smiles turns to Sunflower, “You're camera has video doesn't it? We could film you and post it on Youtube or something. Can we?”

“I'm not really prepared at all.” He says, but the girl already has her camera out again, and pointing at him. So he begins to play. “Somewhere over the rainbow. . .” Again he pauses. “la la la, la la la la la la, why can't I?” The three applaud and grin brightly.

“Thank you so much.” The sunflower one says as she replaces the camera in her purse.

“Yeah.” Eli is almost blushing. “What movie are you seeing?”

“We don't know yet, what do you recommend?”

“Oh I like Attack of the Block, but I like movies where people get eaten.” They talk for a while about what he's seen at the theater he plays at. Finally the kids dismiss themselves.

“It was great talking to you.” they say, and shake his hand.

“I love meeting young people.” He tells them. “It gives me hope.”

They walk away, and Eli continues to play his cello. Just three unremarkable people.

“Blue birds fly o'er the rainbow.” But he was remarkable. “Why, oh then why,” but he had changed them, just a little. “Can't. I?”

Its not easy being green

Here's today.

my dad had to take my sweet little car to get new tires yesterday, so he left me his huge bright green truck to drive. when I say bright green I mean BRIGHT Kermit the frog, dinosaur green. This was less awkward when it advertised my dad's store, but now its just green. Super awkward. This is an actual photo that I just took, not a likeness on the internet. That's the car. You see my issue.

I am afraid of parking in big cars, so this truck scares me. this is because the week after I got my drivers license, I crashed into a parked car at kholers, and by "crashed" I mean attempted to park and destroyed the side of her car with the evil van.

Well I rose above my fears today and drove said truck to the high school! (yay! cheers for Kate! way to overcome your big car parking fears!) This, was a mistake.

But lets begin with the humorous, that is Kayli Anderson's reaction to the car when I picked her up to school this morning. Kayli lives two doors away from me, she's probably my favorite person, definitely my favorite Asian (Gretel is a close second). That is not racist, cause if she read this, she'd laugh. She's way into Asian culture, is learning to play the banjo, and is in three Japanese classes. Kayli's awesome. Well I pull up at her door this morning, honk with my awkward horn that just sounds like it belongs to this car.

She looks out the window in confusion and thinks: "That isn't my ride. So why are they outside my house?" with a closer look she sees my face in the drivers seat. At this point I imagine she broke out into hysterical laughter, and prayed this wasn't the vehicle I was going to kill her in. (she lived.)

Well, we drove to school, parked successfully, (I'm proud to say I can park in very large cars! I have conquered my phobia. now I have a new one) and went to class. At lunch Emily and I decided we should go get Arby's together and bond as best friends. Mostly because no one else could come. We arrive at the car to see a lovely yellow ticket shoved under the windshield. I almost started to swear, but refrained. *pause to be proud of me. . . . Continue*

The ticket informed me I would have to pay a $60 fine for not having a parking pass, and getting a boot on my car. Well there was only one problem, other than the fact that I'm totally broke and I didn't want my dad to pay $60 for my idiot-ness, there was no boot on my car. In fact I drove to Arby's, got a sandwich, drove to Emily's to pick her car up, drove back to my house, and Emily drove back to the school (and still made it back on time for class).

I refused to pay this fine, and insisted I would go yell at the finance office. I'm a nice person I don't yell. So I calmly explain the situation and was informed that they are allowed to ticket me for a boot because even though it wasn't there if the school wasn't too ghetto to own more than three boots, I would have gotten one. She then told me to talk to the tracking office. Book Depository Lady was there, I was certain my life was about to be diminished $60. She told me to come back and talk to another lady but I would probably still have to pay (this is a faulty system I know.)

My death seemed imminent, and I contemplated my pending funeral in AP Euro, and who would receive my belongings after I died. I trudged my way after class back to the office and found a different lady, whom I had never seen before, sitting in a small office. I told her the sob story of my day, and she handed me the most beautiful white piece of paper I'd ever seen. "Fill this out and we'll get rid of the ticket for you all together." She then proceeded to do the same for a boy who walked in with the same problem.

So this story had a happy ending! No ticket, and I learned that not ALL the office workers at American Fork High School are either evil or useless. Thank you mystery lady. I will forever remember your kindness to me.

Now! not that this post is long enough, but I have one more story. After first period I discovered what it means to be REALLY high. Some kid was sitting at his desk, attempting to pack up to go to his next class and seemingly not able to comprehend how his notebook would go into his backpack. I turned away for like two seconds and when I looked back, he was on the floor, probably half unconscious. My EMT instincts (that aren't actually there) didn't question why he had fallen, only that he needed help, so I put his notebook in his backpack for him, and handed him his glasses and awkward bracelet, helped him to his feet and watched him stagger out the door. (Mr. Atwood did nothing. probably wise.) Only after he left did the thought occur to me "He was higher than a kite!" I'm hoping he went home and sobered up, or at least found his next class. That and he's just a bad drunk, and didn't O.D. Who knows, maybe he was just sick. Yeah right Kate, not even you're like that on Sudafed. Thank you pessimistic voice of Reason.

So I guess, you help a druggie get on his feet, and you don't get parking tickets. Thanks Karma!

For those of you who don't already know. I'm a geek. it's a fact, that I am not only comfortable with, but proud of! I obsess over Wheel of Time (like how as soon as I finish this post I will be off to read it until my eyes literary won't stay open any longer.) The points are these.

1. if you appreciate a good fantasy, that totally shows up every other fantasy you ever read, read this. you're mind will explode, and we can discuss the sheer awesome that is Robert Jordan.

2. While I was busy obsessing over Wheel of Time, I found some fan art. Then I found this picture, drawn by some guy who never read the books and was hired to draw this for some strange obscure European country. No one knows. point is, if you don't know Wheel of Time, just laugh at these photos. If you do know Wheel of Time, I invite you to laugh until you pee, because its both ridiculous but slightly accurate. Rand's face, is just... the best. plus everyone looks evil.

Enjoy. LOL! (no you're not. whore.)

p.s. i just learned this isn't a very big image and you can't enjoy it as much as it should be. so here's a link to it. so you can appreciate it here. (hope that worked)

Special? I think I am

So I know I've already had my little rant about this film, but then I learned that if I want to get extra credit for watching it, I need to type up a paper about my thoughts on it. And that's so much more fun in blog form. (yeah I started a sentence with a conjunction. Do you have a problem with that Sean Connery?)

So here is my blog post on this wonderful film, dedicated to our one and only Laurel Shelley, Phd. That's probably not true, but wouldn't it be cool? So I will give her the title, because this is my blog and I can grant Phd's to whomever I wish! Today I wish it to be my English teacher.

First a note to Miss Shelley, I fixed the whole concurrent enrollment thing, turns out the school did send my transcripts but the lady was looking for the name Kate Lyn, not Katelyn. So I drove all the way to UVU to sit in the waiting room for fifteen minutes waiting for a receptionist who was supposed to return twenty minutes prior, only to find out the room I needed was not on that floor, for nothing. Thank you UVU Concurrent Enrollment system. You suck. I revoke you of your University-ship. So go cry UVSC. (I can un-grant things as well here.)

Anyways! Finding Forrester.

So pretty much this movie was kind of awesome. Not even kind of, it was. Then again anything with Sean Connery is great. It's simply a fact of life. I liked how this movie was diverse with the boy's interests so he wasn't just a jock, or just a writer, he didn't even really have to choose between the two, not really. Well, yeah he lost the championship game because Forrester wouldn't leave his house, but that wasn't the main struggle for the kid. It was much deeper than that. I appreciate that, it makes the movie more relate-able and a lot less typical.

What I think makes Sean Connery so great is that beautiful speech impediment of his. Combined with his Scottish accent, it could put you to sleep. It's just lovely. As a writer, the best thing in the world is hearing that mellifluous voice tell you how to become a better writer. I think the voice in my head that tells me how/what to write will be speaking in that voice until I die.

Confession time Miss Shelley, I'm a movie nut. To the point where I can rant about one director for an hour. So let me tell you that I thought this movie was beautiful. The opening shots were captivating and artistic, the whole thing had this calming visual to it despite the fact that it was in the Bronx. It wasn't the world's most beautiful filming by far, but the writing made up for that. It was real, emotional and funny. It was able to draw you in with humor, and used that to make you like the characters so when the time came for you to feel for them you did. It was hard not to get emotionally involved with them, feel for them, hurt with them. At one point I yelled at the antagonist professor simply because he was being mean to Jamal.

I adored this film, in fact it probably goes on my top twenty list of best movies ever. Most of which are actually on your list of movies to watch. Thanks for having good taste in movies and giving me an excuse to watch more of them.

I know, I'm super exciting today. Well there you go. today's rants. No pictures. Suck it up. see this movie. that's all...

Punch the key's damn it!

so I was going to post my page about rules for my philosophy class that I just typed up like Emily did, and I assume Cami will be doing. Only then I was like: "Other than my teacher, who cares?" I don't even care that much! So I have decided not to post it. I will put a link (if I can figure out how to) so if you really do care about my page and half rant about what rules are, why they exist, exceptions to the rules etc. then you can read it. . . . here we go! pretending I know how to use blogger!

yeah I can't figure it out. Again I don't care enough to keep trying. You know me if you're reading this (if you don't you're probably a creeper. why are you reading the random rantings of a 17 year old girl? I'm not Allie Brosh! Go away!) so if you really care, e-mail me. I'll share it with you.

SO! its Sunday. Sunday's are my days of reflection and contemplation. Maybe I'll blog every Sunday so you guys can see what I think about, its different each week. I won't promise though, because odds are that I will forget. So! Today I've thought a lot about Invictus. I even started memorizing it.

Out of the night that covers me

Black is the Pit from pole to pole

I thank whatever Gods may be

For my unconquerable soul.

in the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not whimpered nor cried aloud

under the bludgeoning of chance

My head is bloody but unbowed. (this is all I know on my own.)

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

I love this. I think it's important to have an unconquerable soul. today I learned I'm stronger than I thought. If you want to know ask me in person. I'll tell you a little story.

Another thing I've thought about is the movie Finding Forester (which is the source of today's title). first off, Sean Connery rocks and if any of you know where I can get Robin and Marian with him and Audrey Hepburn, I will sell my soul to you, if Angela will give it back to me.

Second off, I enjoy having his voice in my head reminding me how to write. The first draft you write with your heart. The second with your head. This is my goal for the rest of my book. No more going back and re-writing, editing, anything. I'm just going to keep going. Put all my heart in it and worry about the sensibilities of if when I'm finished.

This I will promise you, when that first draft is finished I will put a link up here for the few of you who follow me. You may read it, critique it, or just say "hey look what Kate did that's cool. I'm gonna go get a smoothie now." I don't care. Do what you want, but it will be here for you. If you are offended by violence and a little swearing then don't read it. Because that's how my mind works and I think how best to express things sometimes. I won't apologize for it.

Last point of the day. Things are always more frightening in the dark than in the light.

Even if what you fear in the dark is true, it can't be more horrifying in the light than in your head.

You are the master of your fate, the captain of your soul.

-Kate.

p.s. I love my mother. We don't always get along, sometimes we fight (you'd never guess right?!), but in the end she always knows what to say to make me feel better again, and remind me what is good in the world and that I'm loved. I love you Moddy. Thanks.

p.p.s. I almost forgot a picture! I hate a post without a picture, it makes it look more daunting! don't worry I'm getting one! There it is! yay Sean Connery and all your Scottish glory!