Hard Times

I remember a time, after my parents had had a fight when I was a little girl. Afterward, my mom sat my brother and I down and told us not to worry, because she and my dad would never get divorced, and that we would never have to choose between our parents. A few years later, due to a completely unrelated matter, my parents did get divorced, but we were never forced to choose between them, thank God. We both still see both of our parents all the time, and there's never really been a time when we felt like we had to choose one or the other. We've been very lucky.

Jerry and Matt have broken up. Of course, this has nothing to do with my parents' divorce, and it's really nothing like that... except that I have that breathless panicky feeling stuck in my throat like I'm going to have to choose between them. I won't have to do that, of course. I'm sure things are going to be very weird for a while, but I hope we can all somehow still be friends. Jerry is and always will be my best friend, but I've grown close to Matt in the past year, too. I felt like we had something awesome, the three of us, as friends, that had nothing to do with Jerry and Matt's relationship, and I don't want that to go away. If it does, I don't know what I'll do. I'm going to miss our late nights at diners, the fun we had at rehearsals, and being able to call them "my boys." I can't stop crying. I wish I had a big stuffed animal to hug. Why did I give all of those away? Christmas songs are making me tear up, because they got together last year, right before Christmas. Tracey's Christmas party is really going to make me cry, because that's where I met Matt. I just want to wake up and have their breakup have been a stupid nightmare I had. I can't believe how stupid I'm being, getting so upset about this- you'd think it was my breakup! I'm sure they're hurting a lot more than I am, which must really suck, because my heart is broken into tiny shards. Good thing we have a lot of Kleenex stored up from everyone's colds.

Speaking of being sick, I got terribly ill last Saturday night. I threw up for twelve hours straight, and had to go to the emergency room at the hospital. But I didn't just have the flu, as it turned out. A lot of really hot doctors decided to keep me in the hospital for over 24 hours for observation, and, after a lot of really painful tests on my stomach, they figured out that I have a large, benign tumor covering my liver, and that my gall bladder was only functioning 10%. An ultra-oh-my-God-hot surgeon came into my room and informed me that my gall bladder will have to come out, and that they'll be scraping the tumor off my liver while they're in there. I'm now on an awful low-fat diet until I can get an MRI next week. Ew.

Well, I've got a bunch of homework to do, so I guess I'll get back to that. Just wanted to bitch about my problems a bit. It didn't really help, but oh well.

<3, Holly

Beautiful Disaster

"It's the first time I ever felt this lonely. I wish someone would cure this pain. It's funny when you think it's gonna work out... till you chose weed over me, you're so lame. Can't you see that you lie to yourself? You can't see the world through a mirror. It wont be too late when the smoke clears. 'Cause I, I am still here. But everytime I try to make you smile, you're always feeling sorry for yourself. Everytime I try to make you laugh... you can't, you're too tough. You think you're loveless. Is that too much that I'm asking for?"--"Too Much to Ask"--Avril Lavigne

I never really had friends in high school, except for Sarah, who never had my same lunch hour, and not many of my classes. I remember sitting at my desk and trying to concentrate on weird-arsed journalism assignments, but those freaking preps never shut up. The preps bragged about how wasted they'd gotten over the weekend, the goths actually handed each other bags of weed in the halls, and the freaks were always so obviously high. I was disgusted by all of these groups of people. The only kids who seemed cool to me were the straight-edge band nerds and, since I didn't play an instrument, I hung out by myself, paranoid that every single group made fun of me. I couldn't believe these people did all these drugs, after everything we learned about in health class. I swore I would never hang out with people who knowingly killed their brain cells & altered their perception like that.

I finally made friends in college. As soon as I experienced the thrill of theatre, I knew that was where I belonged. These people seemed to genuinely like me. I became friends with Jerry immediately and, over the months, I fell in love with this incredible gayboy. Life was suddenly wonderful because Jerry was my friend.He drowns in his dreams...He was the most talented, passionate person I'd ever met. The moment I found out he drank all the time and smoked pot every once in a while, I was devastated.An exquisite extreme, I knowI couldn't just stop being his friend... Jerry wasn't one of those nameless high school druggies that I'd so easily called losers.He's as damned as he seemsI was amazed, though... how could someone who was so smart in every other aspect of life do those things to his body?And more Heaven that a heart could holdI knew he was sad, but why did he think drinking and drugs would help? My family didn't entirely understand why I was still hanging out with Jerry. It was because, when I looked at him, I didn't see some guy who did things I completely disagreed with. I still saw one of the most extraordinary people I'd ever met. I wanted to help him somehow, even though he didn't think he needed help. And if I try to save him, my whole world could cave in. It just ain't right... it just ain't right

He recently started attending AA meetings, and I couldn't be prouder of him for that. But at the same time he started AA, he joined a band, which I thought would be great for him. True, he seemed happier now that he could sing all the time, but he now had to go away for a week at a time & at night, the band would sit around a campfire, drinking and smoking pot. He told me these trips were the most fun he'd ever had. That stung. The most fun I've ever had has been with him. I really like Jerry's new bandmate and friend, Shannon. In fact, I think of her as my friend too. But she does smoke weed, and when Jerry's with her, he does too.

The other night, I was at a late-night diner with Jerry and Shannon. After we ate, they wanted to go to her house and watch a movie. But they wanted to smoke pot while they were there. Shannon asked if it'd be cool with me if she & Jerry went ahead and smoked, and then I could come over and we'd watch the movie, so I wouldn't have to see them get high. I understand that she was trying to be nice to me, but I can't be around people who are high. I went home and cried, amazed that I'd been able to keep my composure around them (for once) until I could get into my car and break down in tears. I felt like they'd rather get high than be with me, because they knew I would have continued hanging out with them if they'd just kept away from the pot, and we all could've watched the movie together. And that wasn't all that bothered me... every time I thought about Jerry doing that crap to himself, my insides froze. He didn't seem to understand, but I knew he was endangering his health, his amazing personality, and his incredible talent. Before I'd left the restaurant, I told him I at least wanted him to wait till the high wore off before he drove home. But I researched facts on weed (which Jerry always tells me are complete bullcrap) and a high can last for hours. Thinking about the delayed reaction time marijuana gives a person, I laid my head down on the desk and basically had a nervous breakdown. As much as I love them both & I believe they love me, I get the impression that Jerry and Shannon think I'm a naive little girl.

I can't convince him to stop. I can't talk to anyone about it. I feel so alone... powerless... hurt. Terrified. There's nothing I can do. My tears won't help, but I can't stop them.

<3,>

Straight Eye For the Queer Guy

Holly's Headlines or Things Holly Has Learned Recently

• Hugging Jerry is good; colds are gross


• New theatre class not up to students' standards


• Holly is cast as Alice in Lost, a confused character who is basically Holly herself


• Meg and Jerry are cast in Interiors as the dirty psyches of proper people


• Kyle is cast as normal guy Dan in Scuba Lessons


• Columbiaville Mansion will be transformed... (Harold Ziddler style) INTO A THEATRE! Kyle will be in charge of the plays, Jerry will be directing, and all four of us will be acting. Our first show will be Rebecca


• Kyle and Meg move in with Jerry; color is introduced to his apartment


• At Holly's 20th birthday dinner, we discovered that Jerry would marry Holly had he been born straight


• Sarah will be giving birth to Kaitlin Marie any time now

So theatre class is not entirely thrilling this semester. Lori, the only theatre teacher I've ever had, has quit. We all thought Lori was the best thing since sliced bread, even the folks who'd had other theatre teachers. Lori let us use our imaginations and play around with our scripts. I Hate Hamlet was the best experience of my life... and no, it wasn't just the all the physical interaction with Jerry. *Grins* But that was definitely a plus. That play was a challenge. I learned to speak with a German accent for the role, Jerry and I actually had to learn to dance, the boys had to figure out how they should sit while wearing tights... It was incredible, the whole experience. The main thing was that Lori encouraged us to have so much fun with the play. When our work was done, we still wanted to go to J.W.'s and hang out. I had my 2 first kisses there with my fellow theatre students, Chris and a very drunk Jerry (he seems to turn straight when he's drinking, so you'd think I'd approve of his love of alcohol, wouldn't you?).

This semester, our teacher is Amy. She doesn't seem to enjoy our idiotic antics nearly as much as Lori did. And instead of doing one whole play, we'll be doing short little plays that should confuse the audience nicely. She likes yelling at Jerry, Meg & Kyle for swearing, but she's just assigned Jerry and Meg to parts where they say dirty, dirty things that will do a wonderful job of offending my grandparents. Kyle will, of course, be playing the attractive guy who gets the attractive girl. And I've got the part of the confused girl who has no clue what's going on with anything in life. Do you see what's happening here? We're all playing ourselves. There's no challenge here. *Sigh* But I'm sure it'll be sort of entertaining. And hey, what am I complaining about? I got a part. *Smacks self and promply resumes writing entry in usual Happy-Go-Lucky-Holly manner*The fun news is, Meg & Kyle have moved in with Jerry! Last Wednesday, after theatre, Jerry and Meg stayed in the car and were sad about their exes while Kyle and I moved his and Meg's things inside the apartment. It turns out that Straight Boy knows how to decorate, and he really surprised the heck outta me when he put in Savage Garden to work to. Who knew the gay guy would suck at decorating, and the straight guy would be so good at it? Eventually, Meg and Jerry came in and the full-out decorating & consumption of Jerry's awesome vegan tacos began. I've never seen Jerry's apartment look so neat... and so colorful. Meg's big, red Buddha umbrella hangs in the corner above Jerry's beautiful wicker and glass table. Kyle's picture of our cast from The Elvis Monolouges is upstairs in what is now his and Meg's bedroom. Meg & Kyle hung her huge purple tapestry on the upstairs ceiling while I snapped pictures galore. We all got little-kid excited by the end of the night, and I caught this hilarious candid video of Jerry that he's very upset about. We've dubbed the place The Theatre Apartment, and plan to film a sitcom starring the four of us called Creative Differences. T'will be very lovely indeed.

<3, Holly

A Lesson in Tough German Elegance

It was a chaotic Wednesday night two weeks ago at Mott College. The stuffy air in the hallway was thick with tension as theatre students practiced lines in small groups, all from little yellow books titled I Hate Hamlet. Lori would call groups in, one at a time, and every group seemed to want to be the first to audition. I liked how we were able to audition in groups, rather than stand up there in front of Lori and her clipboard alone. After finding out that Lillian (the chick I wanted to play) was supposed to speak in a deep German accent, I got more than a little freaked out, as I'd auditioned for the part with a smoker's voice. As I practiced with various groups in the hallway, I decided I'd like to try out for the part of the phony, suck-up real estate agent, Felicia too. But when Lori asked me to sit out in the audience, I felt my stomach drop-- only Nick, Frankie, Meg and I were sitting out there, while everyone else still got to rehearse and try out some more. This didn't look good at all. Meg and I decided that if we didn't get parts (and we really wanted parts now), we should at least get candy or something for trying so hard. Miraculously, Lori let six of us stay an hour later than usual and audtion our arses off. She told us the cast list would be posted the next day.So Thursday, I went back to the college and checked for a cast list no less than five times. It was never there! I was so anxious, I felt continually sick all day long. I couldn't even eat! And when I can't eat, it's time to call an ambulance and pump my stomach because I must be frickin' sick. I didn't sleep much that night, and I couldn't get to school fast enough Friday morning to see if the cast list was there yet, for the love of Almighty God, before I ripped all my hair out and shipped myself off to the nut house. It was there and I was in the play! I got the part of Lillian, and my kiddo Shawna's going to play Lillian on the alternate days! *Does the ultimate happy dance, which happens to be a combination of the Macarana, the twist, the Monkey and an odd-looking version of jumping jacks* I was so thrilled, I wanted to conjure a patronus or make amends with my arch-nemesis or something. But I don't really have an arch-nemesis, and I can never get the fake wand I bought at K-Mart to do any sort of magic. *Shakes it half-heartedly, then tosses it over shoulder bitterly* So instead, I went to lunch at the lovely, deliciously elegant Italian wonder, Ruggeros, with Sarah. I was all giddy to see that Sarah's tummy is all paunchy, and you just know there's a tiny dude or chick growing in there. I'm excited because I'm going with Sar-bear to her ultrasound tomorrow afternoon and we'll see if she's got a guy bun or a girl bun in the oven. Fun will be had by all.

Currently, I am in my P.J.s and ready to go to sleep, after two long nights of theatre in a row. Not that I did any work tonight... it was more like, Cast B did a ton of acting while Cast A (that's us!) sat around and watched/supervised them. I'm very excited that Cast A looks like this:Andrew Rally: Kyle John Barrymore: Jerry Deirdre McDavey: Jessie Lillian Troy: Holly (that's me! Hoo hoo) Felicia Dantine: Meg Gary Peter Lefkowitz: Justin

Monica and I played with Nick's baby, Jay, a lot. He's a hilarious little guy whose hobbies include drooling all over the place, snoring while he's awake, and staring at random people in complete awe. I heart Jay. *Pats his fluffy, cotton-like hair* I'm having a lot of trouble with this whole German accent thing that my character requires me to have. Lillian's supposed to be this elegant, 80-year-old chain-smoker who speaks in a very deep, tough-sounding German accent. Everyone kind of fears and respects her, but she also has to be extremely likable. *Blinks* It is very hard to do, and my throat hurts so bad after doing the Lillian voice, but it's fun to hack my words out while talking about the torrid love affair I once had with The Famous John Barrymore. Bow chicka-wow-wow. Oh yes... I am the chick.

<3, Holly

Annual Crap Hits the Fan Day

Once or twice a year, a time comes along when my dad and I have to have a big fight about something. The most common Fighting Subjects are (A. my grades (B. anything school-related and (C. my grades. But this year, my grades weren't so bad, so the subject of the fight yesterday had to be the not so commonly fought about (D. money. For my open house last month, I got roughly $700. Now, a month later, I have about $80. Sure, I suppose I spent that a little fast, but I feel that I bought things I've been needing for quite a while with that money (hilarious fluffy pink steering wheel cover and adorable stuffed mermaid not included). Plus, that money was kind of mine to spend, right? Not the way Dad sees it. Apparently, I should have saved all my cash so I could pay for my own books when the school year starts in the fall. Of course, I could have done that, but seeing as Dad's always payed for my books, how would I have known to save my money to buy my own this year? So, a good part of yesterday evening was spent with Dad engaging in his yelling routine, and me in my habitual crying.
When that was done, Dad decided to interregate me about my brother, Zach, and his girlfriend, Christina, and what they do day and night. *Rolls eyes* The high points of this argument were when I pointed out that I'm not my brother's keeper, Dad insisted that I should know where they are and what they're doing at all times, and I talked Dad out of kicking Zach out of the house by suggesting that Dad make sure Christina has gone home before Dad goes to bed. The overall argument ended with Dad insisting that I get a job immediately to get back the money I blew. So, starting tomorrow, I'll be out job hunting, once again. *Throws a small, contained tantrum*
Last week, Dad, Zach, Christina and I all decided that next Tuesday, we should head over to Cedar Point. The reason for this is, Zach insists that he can't make it to Vegas this August, like we've been planning all year because Vegas Vacation time conflicts with Christina's Birthday time. Of course, I could still go to Vegas with Dad (he almost has to go because the Vegas trip this year happens to also be a business trip for him), and it would be just the two of us, but what am I going to do while Dad's in meetings? And what if he wants to do some gambling, as he always does? It's not exactly safe to wander around Las Vegas by myself, methinks. And so, I'm out of the Vegas trip I look forward to all year long. Hopefully, we'll still be able to do this Cedar Point thing Tuesday.
Okay, I believe I'm done whining for the moment. It's just making me more irritable, and I'm supposed to be an optimist, for God's sake! I think I'll fill out a nice, happy survey... one I'll steal from Ashley. *Nods decidedly*

What do you eat late at night?: Life cereal almost overflowing with Silk vanilla soy milk or peanut butter and jelly dunked in a mug of Silk vanilla soy milk. I'm a bit of an oddball, I suppose...
Your completely irrational fear?: Bugs. I have nightmares about them, I get uncontrollable shivers when I'm around them, I can't sleep in my bed if I've spotted one anywhere near the vacinity of my room. And it doesn't matter what kind of bug it is, I freaked out over a roley-poley that I spotted trying to roley-pole its scary arse underneath the couch today. I realize I could squash it, but I'd probably have a heart attack if I came within two feet of it.
What do you carry with you at all times?: Lemme check my purse... Okay, I always carry my wallet, sunglasses, cell phone, a mini-Kleenex package, dental floss, gum, my sparkly pink makeup bag, my sparkly pink mini-fan, and a picture of my mom and I.
What do you miss most about being little? Hanging out with just Zach all the time. I don't remember the time it was just me and him, but I really, really miss those days. We used to hang out in the back yard playing Calvin Ball (the game from Calvin and Hobbes) and then we'd come in and play Matchboxes on Atari and eat peanut butter & jelly sandwiches dunked in milk. *Sighs in a reminiscent manner*

What was the last song you were listening to? "Family Tree" by Darryl Worley. Hee, I just love that song with the little kids laughing at the beginning and end and the whole thing about the "hand me down clothes... and hand me down shoes, we got the big bellied momma, here we go again blues." Adorable!
If I were a __, I'd be -
sin: Obsession... what with all the obsessing I do, you know.
scent: Pumpkin, since I'm always eating stuffed pumpkin shells... I'm bound to smell like a pumpkin!
body part: A stomach. Woo hoo, all the food comes straight to me!
Well! That brightened my mood up considerably! Hurray, hurray!
--Holly :-D

Fun With the Play and Reconstructing the House

Oh... my... goodness. You've got to be bloddy kidding me! FOD WORKS AGAIN?! It's a freaking MIRACLE! Praise the LORD! Well... I wrote this entry in April (yes, April), and I s'pose I'll finally get to post it here! Here 'tis...
________________________________________________________

It was raining lightly as I lugged two blue cotton-encased pillows and my sequen-covered "Hollywood" tote bag into school. As I flip-flopped my way to the auditorium, nurses-in-training, gothic folk and various college professors looked at me like I'd grown a second head. My mom had thrown my hair up into a teased massacre that looked as though I had been on my way to the prom, but got caught in a tornado on the way. I was sporting my sparkly "DIVA" tank top with a bright orange button-down shirt draped over it, and peach-colored plaid capris covered my pale legs. My many accessories looked like they had been chosen by a a kindergartener who was playing dress-up, and didn't know how to match colors up yet. My theatre kiddos and I (some dressed in prom dresses, others in mideival wear, and the rest still in their every-day getups) gathered furniture from the teachers' lounge together for the set of Wanda's Visit. Lori's husband and kids, with the help of Don, Kyle and James, had built a "bed" onto the edge of the stage the previous day, so Lori now made the "bed" while Shaunna set the "table" and Leah decorated the coffee table with magazines.
Soon enough, we all crowded into the green room (uh...teachers' lounge) and it was time for everyone to get into costume and report to either Algie, Leah or me for stage makeup. This was a rather difficult task, as the guys tried to talk their way out of having their blush done, and most of the girls despised all forms of lipstick. It was very chaotic in the teachers' lounge due to the fact that Rachel, Steve and Kyle kept shouting their lines across the room to each other. Karen was frantic to find some hairpray to prevent the inevitable static cling her prom dress created when it came into contact with her panty hose. The mood drastically changed from hectic to peaceful at 7:45 as we all joined hands and stood in a circle while Lori gave us a pep talk. Kyle and Algie's hands felt sweaty, and I was relieved that they must have been as nervous as I was. Although the smell of hair products and lip gloss was strong in the air, I could make out Don's wonderfully tropical scent, and it was very comforting. It was very quiet when Kyle suddenly burst into "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", the song his crazy character sings in his play, "Funeral Parlor", and we all joined in singing, though no one knew all the words. It was all very lovely and emotional, like the candlelit service at church on Christmas Eve. *Tear*

Leah and Kyle being cute.

The cast of Actor's Nightmare (James, Don, Sudie, Jennifer, and Karen)
Before we knew it, it was 8:00, and I waited backstage while Shaunna and Nick started off our play, Wanda's Visit. Shaunna's lines had a breathy quality to them since she was trying hard to keep from hyperventalating, but it really went with her character. I wasn't nervous at all as Don played the sound of a doorbell, and I threw my arms around Nick and cried, "JIM! JIM! Oh, Jim, Jim, Jim!" The audience was packed, unlike last time, and they were awesome--they gasped and laughed in all the right places, and Zach laughed the loudest during the backrub scene when I exclaimed, "OH YES, IT'S POSITIVELY ORGASMIC!"

Everyone did a great job in all 6 plays, and Scene 6 was a total hit with the audience. Zach brought a gaggle of friends, both sets of my grandparents were there, as well as my dad, Mom and Mike, and even some people from last semester's theatre class! Monica, Jim & his wife were there, as well as Regina, her daughter and her brand new baby boy! I held him and marveled at how adorable his tiny hands and feet were. My grandparents Z. gave me a sweet card and $10, and so did my dad & Zach. My grandparents Shoup got me a gorgeous diamond necklace to match my ring! Then we all tried to go bowling, but the stupid thug at the bowling ally wouldn't let us bring our Tim Horton's inside, so I hugged all my theatre pals goodbye until next fall. *Is sad, yet happy*

My dad has completely made over his bedroom. It's a beautiful shade of light blue, and he ripped up his carpet to reveal a lovely hardwood floor. I re-organized the bookshelf yesterday, and 'tis extremely pretty, if I do say so myself. *Beams proudly* We still need to re-paint every room in the house, but we're going to do my room next! Hoo-ray! I was going to try for an under-water kind of theme, but I've since changed my mind, and have decided to create a Hollywood-theme. You know, my bedroom shall now be a glamorous dressing room, since I'm an actress and all.. *Takes a bow, though she's done nothing with it yet* Love you all!

4 Days Until Scene 6

That's right, kids (um... kids who are over the age of 13), you should all come and see our cluster of plays, Scene 6 in the Mott Memorial auditorium on Wednesday, April 30. We've been working really hard on it, and almost everyone has their lines memorized. "Now all we have to do is have fun with it," is what Lori told us on Thursday... which is what I've been doing all along. I mean, come on, how can you not have fun with a script like this?
Wanda (me): (crying) And then my second husband gave me herpes! And every time the first one would call to threaten my life, it would trigger an outbreak! Herpes is often set off by emotional turmoil, you know.
Jim (Nick): Oh yes... I've... read that...
Wanda:And then I thought, to hell with men! Maybe I should become a lesbian! And I tried that, but I just wasn't attracted to women, so that didn't work out, did it?
Ah yes, fun will be had by all!
This past Wednesday, Nick brought his adorable doll of a 3-year-old daughter, Martiza, to class, since his wife is in the hospital. Algie held her on her lap in the auditorium while we put on Wanda's Visit. We have this scene toward the end of the play where we're at a restaurant and I start choking, so Nick tries to give me the heimlech maneuver, but fails miserably, so Shawna pushes him out of the way and gives me the heimlech the right way. But when Shawna pushed Nick, his daughter started crying! I didn't know what had happened, and I thought she was crying because she thought I was really choking, so I said, "Oh, sweetie, I'm okay! See?" Kyle laughed and said, "She's upset 'cause her dad got hurt! She doesn't care if you're choking!" Oh. It took quite a while for Nick to calm poor Martiza down, but when he did, we went back to the play, the part where Don and Kyle (playing a couple of thugs) drag me back stage while I scream, "AAAAAH, HELP ME, JIM! IT'S THE KINGPIN!" and guess what happened? Martiza giggled for about ten minutes at my expense. *Snorts* That kid...
Well... I would tell you all about how I can't get enough of staring at Don throughout his play, Actor's Nightmare, but I don't want to bore everyone. So instead, here's something even more boring! A SURVEY!
10 musical artists you can't live without
1. Lifehouse
2. Amy Grant
3. Michael W. Smith
4. Darren Hayes
5. "Weird Al" Yankovic
6. Avril Lavigne
7. Michelle Branch
8. Jennifer Love Hewitt
9. Shania Twain
10. Kelly Clarkson
9 movies you could watch forever
1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Moulin Rouge
4. Orange County
5. Newsies
6. The Wedding Singer
7. Mr. Deeds
8. Loser
9. Anastasia
8 books to keep your mind, for lack of a better word, smart*
1. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
5. Kissed by an Angel (The Power of Love) by Elizabeth Chandler
6. Kissed by an Angel (Soulmates) by Elizabeth Chandler
7. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (No, I'm not kidding!)
8. Chicken Soup For the Teenage Soul Journal by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Kimberly Kirberger.
7 dreamy boys/girls (whatever your preference)
1. Jonathan Jackson (ex-Lucky, General Hospital; Jesse, Tuck Everlasting)
2. Brian Gaskill (Rafe, Port Charles)
3. Don Morisette (George, Actor's Nightmare; Jesse Aaron, The Elvis Monolouges)
4. Nick Lachey (98 Degrees)
5. Jon Arbuckle (Garfield)
6. Nitz (Undergrads)
7. Trent Lane (Daria)
6 inanimate objects you couldn't live without
1. The computer
2. My Daria watch
3. My CDs
4. Vegetarian food
5. My pillow-top bed
6. The Harry Potter books
5 TV shows that aren't dumb
1. Daria
2. Clone High, USA
3. Undergrads
4. The Critic
5. The Simpsons

4 songs with meaning to you
1. "Ask Me"--Amy Grant
2. "Simon"--Lifehouse
3. "This is Your Time"--Michael W. Smith
4. "Have You Forgotten?"--Darryl Worley
3 articles of clothing you wear all the time
1. Jeans
2. Amy Grant concert tees
3. Las Vegas casino tees
2 best friends
1. Mom
2. Sarah
1 random fact about you 1. I broke my ankles last year while trying to catch my cat, Daria.

The Case of the Overflowing Theatre Class

Hey, folks! Good Lord in Heaven, do I ever miss you FOD folks! I don't know what the deal was with FOD being down for so long. Then, when FOD finally worked again, my dad was always around, so I couldn't get on the computer! This whole being grounded from the computer business is nothing short of hellish! I miss you kids, I miss my Sims and I miss the fan fiction versions of my favorite Harry Potter characters! *Throws a temper tantrum for five minutes before realizing she is now on the computer and there's nothing to complain about*

Over the past week, I attended all of my classes for this brand-spankin' new semester, and I must say they're downright smashing! My computers class is so easy, it's boring. The teacher's like, "This is called a mouse!" It's just sad. But at least it'll be an easy A! Although my English Composition class is three hours long, it's still fine and dandy like sour candy, as we get to write all sorts of lovely stories! And there's nothing I enjoy more than making up stories... just ask my dad! Heh... bada-bing! *Clears throat* Anyhoo, we partnered up in English on Monday, and my partner was an Arab girl named Robob who just moved here from Cairo, Egypt and didn't speak much English. But she was very friendly, nevertheless! In that class, I also met a new pal named Waylan, a really enthusiastic 39-year-old dood who sings Gospel music and seems really excited about every aspect of life. I swear, that guy's got the most contagious smile! He's lotsa fun. *Hugs for Waylan*

My Tuesday/Thursday math class is also 3 hours, and it definitely seems like it. *Yawns to get point across* However, I plan to make the most of the class, and am determined to get an A. *Excitedly holds up helpful calculator/secret weapon that does fractions and things* Wednesday night was theatre practice, and I was sooper thrilled that most of my old theatre pals have returned for theatre practice level 2. Leah, Kyle, Don, Larry, Jason and Nick are all back, but Morgain, Regina, Chris, Pat and Monica are no longer theatre folks. Apparently, Morgain and Larry had a very angry breakup, and they now very much dislike each other. *Cries*

We were all surprised beyond belief when it turned out that we have like, 25 people in theatre this semester! Our new people include a hilarious middle-aged guy named Steve who has MS, and is in a motorized wheelchair and a beautiful and happily engaged 19-year-old named Karen who is a missionary-in-training. Those two really stick out in my mind, but we have a bunch more people besides them like Rachael, Jenna, Frankie, Algie, Sudie, Ivory, Kim and a lot more folks whose names I don't remember. This time, we're going to have a much bigger play! Leah, Kyle and I are all determined to do Clue. *Nods decidedly*

--Holly :-D

SuperHoll Sunday

Hey kids! I've heard this day referred to as Superbowl Sunday by many people, but I like to think of it as Holly Gets on the Computer For 4 Hours Because She's Ungrounded From it Since She's Pulling a Hermione This Semester and is Doing Very Well in Her Classes Day. It has a nice ring to it, but I think folks will still call today Superbowl Sunday, as the name of my day might be too hard to remember for some. I have something against football (and all sports that are not Quidditch), and so I'm spending today online while my dad is at Mario's. Mario's is my dad's favorite restaurant because he knows all the waitresses and customers there. It's almost like Dad has moved into Mario's, seeing as he's been there for like, 7 hours a day for the past week. *Shrugs* But he always seems to be in a good mood now! *Bows to folks at Mario's & gives them Harry Potter fan art for putting Dad into happy-mode for me*
Dr. Veliz (she's the best doctor in the entire world for those of you who haven't heard) has ordered my mom to take two weeks off of work because she's fatigued, and is getting so stressed out that her Lupus has flared up and she's been really sick. Dr. Veliz, my grandparents, Zach and I have all advised Mom to just lie back now and let Mike take care of all the money problems he caused. That's right! We're forcing him into employment! He's going to be making a magazine for the county, and we shall all poke him with pointy sticks and things until he makes some money. Speaking of Mike, last night, he decided to dazzle us all with his brilliance by informing us that "sh*t" and "f*ck" are not swear words. *Blinks* I think I got dumber just being in the room while he was talking about this/offending my grandparents. *Pokes him with stick*
Dood, I'm afraid of my math teacher. He'll do a problem on the board, then he'll just turn and stare at me for like, 10 seconds before going onto the next problem. *Cowers* I don't know why he does that and I'm freaked out! *Sobs* Moving onto a much more amusing topic, we had to partner up with someonewe didn't know very well in theatre this week, and interview them. My partner was this guy, Frankie, who told me he enjoys swing dancing, makin' love to his girlfriend in his dance studio and smoking weed. We have a drug addict in our innocent little theatre class! *Shakes head* It's a shame, but perhaps we'll be able to talk him out of being a druggie by the semester's end. Oh hey, and onto another subject! I finally got to exchange Christmas gifts w/ Sarah and Samantha! Sarah got me a luffly little Harry Potter post-owl & HP stickers, and Samantha got me an adorable winter-scene jelly candle. Hurray!
*Gasps in excitement* GUESS WHAT? HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX IS COMING OUT JUNE 21ST! I'm happier than the donkey from Shrek when he embarked on his mission to save the princess with his ogre pal. Geeeeeeee!

Old Gang Sign

Hellooooo, everybody! How was your New Year's? Mine was simply mahvelous! Well... for the most part, anyway. Although, I had to wonder, as I watched the countdown to 2003 on the Cartoon Network, why do they always sing that song, "Old Gang Sign" on New Year's Eve? It just doesn't seem fitting to me. *Grins stupidly*
And now to abruptly change the subject! Folks, I'm grounded from the computer once again. On the morning of New Year's Eve, my dad announced that he had my report card in his hands. I was pretty mad that he had opened my mail, of course. I mean, correct me if I'm wrong here, but I'm pretty sure it'd be difficult to mistake the name "Holly" for the name "Ken" on a piece of mail. But whatever anger I was feeling toward Dad was nothing compared to the familiar feeling of dread in my stomach.
Dad informed me that I'd failed my distance learning classes and my intro to theatre class. He asked me what was up with that, and I explained that I'd tried my best to keep up with the classes, but it was just too much for me to handle. Dad didn't really yell at me that much, but I ended up crying anyway because I was extremely dissapointed that I'd failed my intro to theatre class, despite how many notes I'd taken and how I tried to make sense of the crazy diagrams of theatre in anient Greece. However, I know I didn't try hard enough, and so I'm going to devote as much time as Hollyly possible to school this coming semester. I know I can do it. I mean, just look at my grades in theatre practice and career exploration. I got 100% in theatre and 90% in CE. I'm going to do awesome in all of my classes. As much as he upsets me sometimes, I really, honestly want to make my dad proud. And, of course, the rest of my family. And most importantly, myself.
This past year has been one of the best yet, and in honor of 2002, here's... *drum roll*...a survey!
~Appearances~
clothing item/outfit of the year: Red Mirage, Las Vegas shirt and jeans.
hairstyle of the year: French braids.
jewelry of the year: Amethyst (birthstone) ring.
car of the year: VW Bug convertible.
hottie of the year: Dave Loisel, the vegetarian boi whom I have a crush on.
~Daily life~
food of the year: Mom's homeade stuffed pumpkin shells, all the way!
class of the year: Theatre practice, the greatest, most incredible, awesome class anywhere, of all time!
appliance of the year: My friend, Ed, the computer. *Hugs him and lovingly cleans his screen with Windex*
recreational activity of the year: Acting, pantomime and improv.
means of communication of the year: Face-to-face.
most despised means of communication: The phone.
~Sentimental~
gift of the year: Daria--Is It College Yet? DVD.
vacation of the year: Las Vegas, summer of 2002.
holiday of the year: Christmas, o' course!
achievement/s of the year: I've taken a class that I absolutely love, and has helped me figure out who I am and what I want to do with my life, as well as made awesome new friends during, and has majorly improved my self esteem. Plus, I've been in my first play, The Elvis Monolouges! And I've gotten my G.E.D., of course!
memorable moment/s of the year: Pantomiming and doing improv in theatre, getting ready for and acting in the play, going out with the theatre folks, mistakenly wandering onto the roof of the Flamingo Hilton with Zach in Vegas, breaking my ankle in two places and spraining the other while chasing my cat, Daria, becomming dehydrated and being hospitalized for a day, helping Mom and Mike move into their new house, visiting Mike in the hospital and Samantha's birthday party.
insight of the year: "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."--Albus Dumbledore.
miracle/blessing of the year: Mike surviving after being deathly sick with hepatitis and chronic fatigue, and me getting my G.E.D.
~Personal~
embarrassing moment of the year: When that hot doctor took my cast off after having it on for two months, and saw all that gross leg hair.
body part of the year: Eyes.
heartbreak of the year: When Sarah wrote in her online diary about how she'd cheated on Zach with numerous guys. For the next couple of months, I constantly felt like I'd been punched in the stomach.
health issue of the year: In January, when I got the flu, and puked for 10 hours straight, then had to be rushed to the hospital because I was so dehydrated.
fetish of the year: ...Harry Potter merchandise?
phobia of the year: Spiders.
crush of the year: Dave.
~People/social~
old friend of the year: Sarah, despite everything that happened. She's still a great friend.
new friend of the year: All my theatre friends, especially Leah, Kyle and Don.
relative of the year: Mom, who was there for/with me during all the tough times I had this year, and all of the good times.
internet buddy of the year: Lucy, who's been an awesome online pal since 2000!
enemy of the year: Osoma Bin Laden.
reformed enemy of the year: Shakira.
~Entertainment~
musician/singer of the year: Amy Grant.
band or group of the year: Lifehouse
album of the year: Avril Lavigne--Let Go
movie of the year: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
biggest waste of nine bucks and two hours: The Good Girl and Abandon
actor of the year: Brian Gaskill (Rafe, Port Charles)
actress of the year: Erin Hershey (Alison, Port Charles)
all-around celebrity of the year: J.K. Rowling.
televsion show/series of the year: Port Charles
television channel of the year: Cartoon Network.
website of the year: freeopendiary.com and fanfiction.net.
book of the year: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
magazine of the year: Animal Times
--Holly :-D

ENFP Spells Holly

Ew. I don't feel good today. My stomach hurts, I seem to have a bit of a cold and there's a spider on the floor in the kitchen, so I can't get any Pepto Bismol from there. *Cries* Dude, Mike got a job. Yes, my step-dad, Mike. He got a job. A real one! And he actually gets a pay check and such. *Shakes head in wonder* I can't believe it. Mike is now Mr. AT&T, so he goes around to people's houses and tries his darndest to sell them on AT&T. Yesterday was his first day on the job. At one house, an old woman answered her door, informed him that he "Sure looks good," and promptly informed him that she didn't like AT&T, then slammed the door on him. I'd say it's going well. *Nods happily and gives a thumbs up*

I have a class called Career Exploration where we take surveys and basically waste an hour of everyone's day. A couple weeks ago, we took a survey called the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. The test informed me that I belong to a group of folks called "ENFP", which means that I am "Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Perceiving." This is what that says about me: "Warmly enthusiastic and imaginative. See life as full of possibilities. Make connections between events and information very quickly, and confidently proceed based on the patterns they see. Want a lot of affirmation from others, and readily give appreciation and support. Spontaneous and flexible, often rely on their ability to improvise and their verbal fluency." Then it proceeded to give me a list of jobs that I'd be good at. I like the idea of Playwright or Screenwriter. I could be like Colin Hanks in Orange County. Anyway, so my new major is Creative Writing.



I muchly enjoy Theatre Practice. The other day, I realized that I sound a lot like the Band Camp Girl from American Pie when I talk about it. I'm all, "And this one time, at theatre practice, Kyle was doing his monolouge, and he kept saying, 'No, no, no, DAMMIT!' and it was so funny!" Yeah... I'm a nerd. But then there was this one time, at theatre practice last week, and Zach went with me. I did my monologue for an hour and everyone says I need to act more bitter and angry, so I've been observing divorcees. 'Tis amazing. I went to my cousin Allison's play a couple weeks ago, and their play (Charlotte's Web) makes ours (The Elvis Monologues) look like Cruel Intentions and their look like Sesame Street. So... yeah. I'm sorry, but ours is better. *Sticks tongue out at them*

Mike has recently developed the idea that I'm going to convert from Christianity to Paganism since I'm so into Harry Potter. He heard this dude on the radio say that a girl killed herself because she read Harry Potter, and then she looked up Divination on the web, and apparently, her horoscope or something told her she should kill herself. I couldn't even begin to tell him what was wrong with that. He told my mom, "Wendy, I'm worried that Holly's going to do something like that!" Yeah, thanks for giving me so much credit, Mike. Besides, Harry Potter doesn't promote Divination or anything, it basically makes fun of it! Geez... stupid people. So... *HUGS FOR EVERYONE except for you nutcases who think Harry Potter is evil*

I apologize if I haven't noted you back yet, but I'm still grounded from the computer and it's rather hard to get on here. But I will note you all as soon as possible. Thanks!

--Holly :-D

Ah Crap, Not Again!

Well, that's just great. I'm grounded from the computer... again! On Wednesday, Dad came home from work and he somehow found out that I lied about re-taking my very first psychology test in September, so now I'm grounded from the computer again until I actually do re-take it. He started yelling at me like he always does, and I cried, and it wasn't pretty. So... I just thought I'd get on here and mention that to you folks while Dad's at work.

I went to see The Santa Clause 2 with Dad the other day, before he went crazy. I didn't think anything could be better than the first Santa Clause, but I was wrong. That movie absolutely rocked, and gets 5,000 stars and 7 thumbs up from me! Aw, there was all this sweet, mushy stuff and an adorable little girl and his little boy Charlie's such a cute little pre-teen now... The movie's just full of "aw"s and that's my favorite type o' movie. Bernard is cool, too. Can't forget that guy, with his gnarley yarn hair. I'm gonna go, see it again on Sunday with Mom and Zach. Ah yes, and while I was at the movies, I got this spiffy Harry Potter bucket! It was full of popcorn when I got it, and now I plan to take it to the beach sometime.

Man, I went to theatre practice the other day, and when I turned the corner into the hallway that leads to my class, it was pitch dark. It was like that nightmare everybody has about walking down the dark corridor, only I decided to not walk down it. I turned around and went down the alternate hallway... only to find that it was dark too! Finally, somebody from class yelled to me, "HOLLLLLLLLLLLLLY!" and I was like, "WHAAAAAAAAAT?" and they were like, "THE LIGHTS AREN'T WORKING!" and I was like, "NOOOOO CRAAAAP!" So I felt my way to the auditorium and we had theatre. Pat, our "tech man" tried to fix the lights, but he ran outta batteries in his flashlight, so I lent him my Gameboy batteries, and then there was light. During Nick's monolouge, we found that his friend had killed himself a couple weeks ago, when Nick began sobbing uncontrollably in the middle of his monolouge. It was really sad. Luckily, Leah did her monolouge right after that, and her monolouge gets the Hollarious Stamp of Approval. Heheh... she has man-slaves.

By the way, my diary's niftified now. Yup, Z-Bear helped me make it pretty yesterday. I made the collage. *Goofy, proud smile* That's Ron, Hermione and Harry; a family pic of Mom, Dad, Zach and I when I was about 3; Daria and Jane; Zach, Sarah and I; Rafe and Alison and... I think there's a pic of me now too.

--Holly :-D

Spending Devil's Night @ School

Wheeeeeew, I tell ya what! Party hardy! Where'd everybody go this Devil's Night? I'll bet you crazy kids spent the night drinking an overcaffienated beverage like Mountain Dew and playing Spin the Empty Mountain Dew bottle or something totally uncalled for such as that! Well, I bet I can beat all of ya for fun tonight. That's right! I went to... MOTT COMMUNITY COLLEGE, BABY!

Now I know it's customary for me to spend Devil's Night hanging out at home, eating the candy I originally intended to hand out to kids on Halloween, but I decided to do something cool this year, so I went to school. I know, I know... I'm such a rebel. I bet that you folks would just love to hear me drone on and on about my theatre practice class, but I'm going to rant instead. Sorry to dissapoint you.

I was planning on going to Larry's party tomorrow night, but Morgan informed me tonight that, "It's going to be a party party, Holly. I mean, you know, with drinking and stuff." And well, we all know that the strongest thing I drink is pineapple/orange/banana juice. Speaking of which... *returns with juice* Mmm... juuuuuuiiice... And so, I will not be attending Larry's Halloween party. Instead, I will be holding a Courage the Cowardly Dog-athon at my mom's haus. T'will be much more fun than the party party, I assure you. *Is pensive* But you know what I've been wondering? Why is a party only considered cool amongst college kids if it's a drinking party? I mean, I always thought the "cool parties" were the ones where folks sit around, playing Scattergorries and eating chips & salsa while Lifehouse plays in the background. *Shrugs* I guess I'm not "hip". And I'm probably not "down" either. So I figure I don't have the "411" and I'm most likely not "jiggy with it". Oh well.

Maybe on my 21st birthday, I'll have a group of hot guys over to play Naked Uno or something. I'm very good at Uno, so... yes... *Cackles in a Halloween-like fashion* By the way, I have decided on my big Christmas present from my Dad for this year. You see, my brother and I are a bit... well... how should I put this...? Ah yes--SPOILED ROTTEN. And since Zach and I are spoiled, Dad buys us one big present each, every Christmas, along with little presents like DVDs and other not-so-ridiculously-expensive gifts. For my big present this year, I have decided on... *drum roll* a CD player for my car! It's true, I don't have a license yet, due to laziness... and loneliness. I don't like driving a car by myself, and so I've been having people drive me places for as long as possible. But most of my friends are chain-smokers. And I have asthma and a strong dislike for cancer, and so I just can't ride in a car with my chain-smoking friends any longer. I shall get my license soon. That is a promise.

Okay, bed time for Holly. Night-night.

--Holly :-D

Psychological Problems

Oh, dear... yesterday didn't go very well at all, did it? No-sir-ee, Bob. It did not. I had just finished cleaning the entire house, and I was very proud of myself, for the house seemed to sparkle merrily. The house was very happy that I'd cleaned it. I decided I'd earned a reward for cleaning the house so well, so I turned on the computer, ready to sit down and read a nice, mushy Harry Potter fan fic. Just as I typed in "fanfiction.net", my dad asked if I'd been studying for my distance learning psychology test. I hadn't, so he said I'd better get started on it.

So, I hauled my heavy, yet lovely pink backpack out to the family room, ready to study for the test that would take place on October 3rd... or so I thought. At this time, Dad informed me that I'd gotten something in the mail from Mott's distance learning office, reminding me of my test during... the week of September 23rd, which was last week! I don't know what my dad's problem is, but he seems to enjoy opening my mail, and Zach's too. That's frickin' illegal! I should sue. And I felt like suing him when he immediately started freaking out, yelling at me so loud, I'm sure our neighboring countries heard. He began throwing random pillows, all the while screaming his head off about what an irresponsible, lazy kid I am.

Apparently, yelling at me about my psychology test wasn't enough, so he demanded that I show him the syllabus for my distance-learning sociology class. I thought my test for that class was going to be on October 3rd too... but, according to my syllabus, the last possible day to take the test is October 2nd. Dad then went on another rampage. This time, for some unknown reason, he decided to pick up all my school folders & papers, and threw them accross the room. While he was throwing all my stuff, he lectured me on how disorganized I am. I said, "Um... I know I'm disorganized, but how will you throwing my stuff around help me get more organized?" Apparently, this was the worse thing I could have said at that moment. He yelled, "You always have time to play! Play, play, play, that's all you and Zach ever do! You never do any work, and you'll never amount to more than a McDonald's employee!"

As I gathered up all my school stuff, Dad screamed, "I don't want you going to any parties or anything for the entire month of October! You stay home and study!" I was like, "Dad, when do I ever go to parties? I'm always home." He raged, "Don't change the subject! I don't want you going on the computer for the month of October either!" He ended his ridiculously loud, angry lecture by saying, "Get out of my sight, it makes me madder than heck just to look at you right now." Nice. Real nice.

I know I'm disorganized, and I really need to work on that. What I don't get is, why does my dad always yell at Zach and I when we do something wrong? Why can't he just stay calm and give us some advice about how we can better whatever sticky situation we find ourselves in? Ugh. Yelling at us doesn't make us want to get to work. If anything, it makes me want to do the opposite of whatever Dad says. I think my dad is the one who needs to study psychology because, obviously, he's got some definite problems in that area.

Well... *yawns* I stayed up too late studying, so I'm going to take a nap now. Oh yes, as you can see, I'm using the computer while Dad's at work. *Rolls eyes* People think they can keep me from my internet. *Pets monitor*

--Holly Rachael >:-0

We're Not Lost, We Just Don't Know Where We Ar

Wednesday was a very fun-filled day, since I went to my wondermously insane class, theater practice! Laurie, the professor, had us all talk about what we'd been up to since the previous Wednesday. Since you FODers don't have a clue what's been going on with me for a while either, I'll fill ya in...

My dad and I studied for the math portion of my G.E.D. test that I was going to take on Friday morning-- all... week... long. Needless to say, it was a very monotonous few days. Occasionally, I would begin to understand some of the math problems Dad was trying to teach me. However, when I didn't understand a problem, he would freak out and start yelling at me about how easy this stuff was. I should be in the Guiness Book of World Records under "Most Emotional Person of All Time" because every time my dad yells at me, I cry. And that's quite often.

The only time I got to do something that wasn't math was when my dad was sleeping. Whoa, I was so stressed out after all that math, I was so glad to find the super-mega-awesome Harry/Hermione fan fic, The Tango is for Two by Vanilla PuF. Good stuff there, Sadora, good stuff!

Anyhoo, I finally made it to theater class where I learned that, in the past week, Don managed to lock himself outside of his girlfriend's apartment in his underwear. *Points at Don* Ha-ha! Then Laurie had us do some more pant-a-mime stuff. We were told to pretend that we were in a store, using the bathroom, when we find that we're stuck in the bathroom stall; the lock's broken. Suddenly, we hear someone announce that the store will be closing in five minutes. I... er, "pretended" to take my pants off and climb out of the stall with them while Morgan pretended to flush herself down the toilet to get out, and Leah used an imaginary hair pin to pick the lock on her stall. It was jolly good fun. *Nods*

Then it was time for improv, which is much better than pant-a-miming, because there's talking involved and... well, it's rather hard to act without talking. Two people would sit in the middle of the stage and act like they were at a bus stop. The objective of the activity was to get the other person out of the "bench" while waiting for the bus, but we couldn't actually say, "Get off the frickin' bench!" Laurie pretended to have lice and scared Kyle out of the seat, I decided to be an obese chick who showered Laurie in crumbs from my "donuts", and then Regina took on the role of a hooker who scared me away.

Some of the better performances were put on by Kyle who acted like he had narcolepsy, and fell asleep on Don's lap, Jason, who pretended to be a flaming homosexual, Chris, who appeared to be some sort of psycho that wanted to lick up Jason's sweat, and Leah, who took on her friend's funny and crazy Jewish aunt's personality. Thoroughly hilarous stuff there. Fun was had by all. Oh yes, and Laurie informed us that we will either be putting on a play called The Laramy Project, or one called The Elvis Monologues. I hope we don't do The Laramy Project because I saw that on Hate Crimes on MTV and... well, it gave me nightmares for months, let's just say that.

Yesterday, Mom, Mike and I headed out to the Amy Grant concert in Plymoth, but first Mike decided to drive us way out of our way so he could take pictures of the baseball field at Central Michigan University, for some reason. Well, then this hot dude gave us bogus directions, and we got really lost. After like, four freaking hours, we finally made it to the big church where Amy was performing. She was awesome, as usual, and her adorable, tiny toddler, Korina came out on stage to dance around in these cute little fairy wings. Aww... It was bloody brilliant!

Finally, this morning, I took the math portion of my G.E.D. test. I think I did okay, and I really hope I passed. And I prayed for you, MariAnn! I know you took your test yesterday; let me know how ya did! Okay, my work is done here! *Salutes*

--Holly Rachael :-D

My, Where Did You Get That Lovely Spatula?

*Sings* "Spatula City, we sell spatulas... and that's all!"--UHF. If you haven't seen UHF, the first and last movie "Weird Al" Yankovic starred in, you need to see it now! See it. *Threateningly shakes fist* Seeeee it!

You know what a really fun class is? Intro to Psychology. And I'm not just saying that because it's a distance learning class that I'm taking online! I read like, 4 chapters of the textbook for it yesterday, and I was only supposed to read 1. Fascinating, deep, awesome stuff, that psychology is.

And now, I'm going to do something that's supposed to be healthy for people, according to my psychology book--a survey!
________________________________________________________
Stolen From: Adidasangel812

Last

movie you rented = Angels II. People told their stories of how their lives were saved by angels. The scenes were all reenacted and it was really cool. Gave me the chills, it did.

song you've listened to = "Softly and Tenderly" by Amy Grant.

song that was stuck in your head- Same as above.

cd you bought = Avril Lavigne--Let Go.

cd you've listened to = Amy Grant--Legacy Hymns and Faith

person you've called = Mom.

person who's called you = I think that was Mom too, heh.

Do

you have bf or gf = Nope.

you wish you could live some where else = Not really, no. For the most part, I really like Flint. I like Vegas too, but I think I'm most comfortable right here.

you think about suicide = No, I rather enjoy living.

you believe in online dating = Absolutely! That's how my mom met Mike, and I've heard a lot of cool stories about people meeting on the internet, then meeting in real life and then getting married and stuff. But when you meet a person from online, you should always have someone you know in real life with you.

other's you find attractive = Um... I think this question is supposed to be worded differently. But some people do and some people don't.

you want more piercings = Nah, I'm set, thanks.

you want more tattoos = I have no tattoos, and I have no desire to get one. Pain is not something I enjoy.

you drink = No.

you do drugs = Nope.

you like cleaning = Sometimes.

you like roller coasters = I like roller coasters if they don't have a lot of big drops.

you write in cursive or print = Depends on what font I'm using. *Smirks* I prefer to type, of course, but I print if I must write longhand.

you carry a donor card = No, but I plan to get one soon.

For or Against

long distance relationships = *Shrugs* Sure.

using someone = *Raises eyebrows* What do you take me for? Against, o' course.

suicide = Against.

killing people = Pfft! Come on, what kind of jerk wrote this survey? I mean, really, who's gonna say, "Oh yeah, I'm all for killing people!" Psycho.

teenage smoking = Against smoking for all ages.

doing drugs = Against.

premartial sex = Actually, I have two answers for this. Personally, I promised myself when I was 8 years old that I would not have premarital sex, and I'm keeping my promise. But if two people are in love, and they can see themselves being married to each other, I think it's fine.

driving drunk = Against! What kind of weirdo wrote this survey...?

gay/lez relationships = *Shrugs* Sure, it makes some folks happy.

soap operas = For! I was named after a soap opera character, I've loved watching soaps my entire life, and I wish to someday be on a soap opera, preferable my favorite, Port Charles.

Favorite

food = Stuffed pumpkin shells.

song = "Naked"--Avril Lavigne and "Save Yourself"--Sensefield.

thing to do = Read Harry Potter books, read and write Harry Potter fan fic, buy Harry Potter merchandise, decorate my room with lurvely Harry Potter fan art, and talk about Harry Potter.

things to talk about = As I said before, Harry Potter. But I also like talking about Daria, animal rights, nifty music, movies, cartoons and soaps.

sports = Quidditch and air hockey.

drinks = Iced tea and smoothies.

clothes = The kind that advertise stuff I like such as Mr. Bean or Amy Grant.

movies = Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Newsies, Orange County, Anastasia, Frequency, Spiderman, The Little Mermaid, Beaty & the Beast, Aladdin, Tarzan, Sleeping Beauty, Heartbreakers, Legally Blonde, UHF, The Family Man, Shrek, Xanadu, Moulin Rouge, Kate & Leopold, Where the Heart Is, Office Space, Dirty Work, Save the Last Dance, Rat Race, Serrendipity, Wayne's World 1 & 2, Titanic, Pearl Harbor, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure & Bogus Journey... I've gotta stop here or I'll go on forever.

band(s) = Lifehouse, Plus One, BB Mak... this could go on forever too!

holiday = Christmas.

Okay, later!

--Holly Rachael :-D

I'm Not a Liar, I'm an Actress!

I like theater. The people there are like me! People always thought I was weird for quoting lines from my various movie obsessions. But these people do it too! 'Tis a wondermous class, theater practice. The class is every Wednesday night from 7:00 till 8:55, and I must say, Wednesday is my new favorite day of the week!

Our teacher last night was not our actual teacher. A woman named Linda was filling in for her friend, Laurie, who is the real instructor of the class. Nevertheless, we all had lots of fun. Our class of about 12 people arranged our desks into a circle to play a name game. These people were all so uniquely cool, yet everyone was friendly, and we all got along great. We had to say our name and then something that we like that starts with the same letter as our name.

Morgan likes music, but I'll remember her by her blue hair. Regina likes the ring (as in boxing), but I know her as the lady with 5 kids. Kyle likes knocking down fires, and I'll remember him as the class hottie. Leah likes Lifesavers, but it's much easier to think of her as the cool "punk girl". Jason likes jellybeans, but everyone knows him as "the tourist dude" because he always wears a Hawaiian shirt and a big hat. Then, some people, I will remember by what they like. Patrick likes picnics, Larry likes life, Don likes donuts, Monica likes modern music, Sandi likes suckers and Jim (a really fun 60-year-old guy) likes jovialness. And I, of course, am known as Holly, who likes Harry Potter. *Beams*

After the name game, Linda (who, by the way, likes liver, heh) partnered us up, and had us tell our biggest lie ever. I was partnered with Monica, an adorable short, giggly girl who looks like a prep, but isn't. Her lie was like, the most innocent one I've ever heard! She's such a good kid. I told her about how I skipped school because I was afraid of the teachers and students in high school, and how I forged my teachers' signatures so my dad would think I went to school.

Then we had to tell our partner's lie to the whole class. When Monica told my lie, everyone looked at me, seemingly schocked an appalled, but they were all kidding. Some of the lies were really bad, but I'm not going to repeat any of them. It feels like a big bunch of secrets that we all know about each other, and it seems like it would ruin the fun of it if I told other people about the lies.

When everyone's deepest, darkest lies had been revealed (except for Jason's... he claimed he's never done anything wrong, so he's never lied), Linda told us why we revealed these lies. She said lying is a part of acting. You can't be an actor without lying! I thought that was so cool, because that's what I've always said! I once tried to write a short story about a character loosely based on myself called "I'm Not a Liar, I'm an Actress!"

Linda informed us that we're all going to be in a play together in November, but she won't tell us what it is! She feels that that's up to Laurie, our regular instructor. Soooo... I'm on pins and needles waiting to see what play we're going to put on!

Oh yes, one more thing. I forgot to write in here, on Tuesday, about my mole removal. I had a couple of moles that my doctor thought looked rather iffy, so she and a medical student removed them on Tuesday afternoon. Dr. Veliz said I was the first patient she'd ever had that wanted to watch the procedure. I felt so special! *Rewards self with lurvely silver star sticker* She made some pretty deep incisions, so I have seven stitches, altogether, on my right arm. The major plus to this: Getting to wear Harry Potter band-aids!

--Holly Rachael :-D

Awesome First Day

I went to my first college class today! It was super-fun. I had career exploration, which was taught by the counciler who helped me pick out my classes. She's really disorganized (like me!) but she's so nice, and very cool. When she said we were going to have to pick a partner, I panicked. The people in high school were always so mean to me, so my experiences with partners has not been good.

There were 11 people in the class, so I figured I'd be the odd one out. That was the way it usually happened in high school, unless I had a really good friend in the class. In career exploration, I was the only one sitting in the very back row, so I figured no one was going to come to me either. I was about to get up and search for someone who looked like they might be a nice person when this super-cute sk8er boi-type sat down next to me and asked if I wanted to be his partner. I was thinking, "Well, let me see, am I in my right mind? Yeah, I think I want to!"

This guy's name turned out to be Trevor, which is one of my favorite names. We were instructed to partner up with someone to learn more about each other. Trevor had a really quiet voice, but he was really friendly and talkative. He said he's 19, and works at Little Caeser's in Davison, has two dogs, a cat and a bird, and loves playing the guitar, though he's not very good at it. I told him I like to write, and he was like, "So you would rather be going to Stanford like that guy in Orange County?" Heh. I told him no, but I love that movie! He said it was his favorite. *Shrieks in excitement*

So yeah, I think I'm going to like that class very well! And everyone in there turned out to be nice! Good Lord, does college ever beat the crap outta high school! And tomorrow I'm going to theater practice! Hurray!

Oh, dude! I went for a walk with my dog, Chyna, my mom and my step dad, Mike last night. We were almost home when we saw this stray cat that we thought had finally been given a home! We asked the little girl who had said that she was going to keep the cat, but she told us her mom had said she couldn't have her! So, I scooped up Chloe (my mom named her) and handed the dog leash over to Mom as we all headed home. They said I couldn't bring Chloe in the house, for fear that she might have fleas, but I held her and we gave her some food and water while she was on our porch, anyway.

I wish I could keep her at my dad's house, where we don't have any pets, but for some reason, my dad won't let me have a cat! I don't know why. I mean, we had my first cat, Tinsel, at this house! Maybe he's still torn up about her death... So, I don't know what we're going to do about cute, calico Chloe. We'll probably try to take her to the Humane Society, and visit often to make sure she gets adopted by a good family. *Sigh* Later!

--Holly Rachael :-D

Cruisin' The Strip

*Sigh*. I've only been home for 3 days and I already miss Vegas. I miss the white tigers at the Mirage who always seemed to be pooping when I saw them. I miss the moving sidewalks that did my walking for me. I miss the spiffy novelty hats Vegas sells in every other gift shop. But most of all, I miss cruisin' The Strip (or what you civilized folk refer to as Las Vegas Boulevard). By the way, during this year's Vegas vacation, I discovered that "Walla Walla" by The Offspring is the best "Strip cruisin'" song. If you roll the windows of your rental car down and blare it, the people walking outside will glare at you. *Laughs evilly*

But as much as I miss Vegas, I still am mucho glad to be back in Flint. It's good to have you back, computer, and all my pals who live in the computer. *Hugs monitor*

One thing I don't much like about being home is the fact that the mail informed me of my G.E.D. results. I passed everything, and with flying colors, no less... except for the math. OOOOOOH, I HATE MATH! *Stomps it to death* So now I've got to go back and re-take the math portion of the G.E.D. test on Sept. 20th. But at least I get to start college before that.

I have no idea what my major is going to be! I know for a fact that I either want to be a writer or an actress... but Mott doesn't offer like, any courses that have anything to do with either of those careers! And I have to go to Mott because it's the only community college around here. *Pouts* So I guess I'm going to have to make an appointment with a councilor. *Shrugs* Ah well.

Now, I must go and fulfill my duty as Ruler of the Sims. I shall be in touch. *Salutes*

--Holly Rachael :-D

Holly the College Student

Time: 6:42 P.M.
I'm Wearing: Red Mirage, Las Vegas shirt & jean shorts.
My Hair Is: In French braids
I Last Ate: Spaghetti w/ marinara sauce @ Mom's haus
Holly's Song Pick of the Day: "Alternative Polka" by "Weird Al" Yankovic
________________________________________________________

No, you're not hallucinating... I really am an official college student! In your face, you dork-faced high school counciler that said I'd never make it to college! I went to Mott today and took my placement test. Just as I suspected, I suck at math, and rock at English. I talked to a very nice counciler person who helped me pick out my classes. All the English classes were booked full, but I got some pretty gnarley classes anyway. Check 'em out:

General Psychology
Inrto to Sociology
Intro to Theater
Theater Practice
Career Exploration

And get this-- I only have to go to school 3 days a week! Woo hoo, I've still got plenty of fan fic-readin' time! Duuude, my books are going to cost $150. I'm glad I'm not payin' for 'em! My poor dad... Well, at least he doesn't have to pay for my classes. Apparenly, GM's got this new thing where they pay for my college education, since my dad works there or something. Neato, huh?

Now all I need to do is re-take the evil math portion of my G.E.D. test, and get my driver's license. Yes, I realize I should have gotten it a long time ago... but I didn't feel like it. I kind of like it how my brother and my mom give me a ride everywhere I need to go. But I guess it is kind of mean to make other people take time outta their day to drive me all around town.

DUDE! I was at Meijer's @ the end of last week with my mom, and the frozen food aisle was covered in this icky black water that I failed to notice. I fell and hurt my knee so bad that it's now all bruised up and gross. But after I fell down, I felt myself being pulled up... This enourmous (he was like, 7'2"!) black guy who strongly resembled the guy from The Green Mile had pulled me up! When I had gotten myself together, I looked back to say thank you, but the guy was gone! And I didn't see him again in the whole store! Whoa. It was cool. I couldn't really walk, so my mom helped me to this bench while she finished her shopping. She brought me a book from the book section called Barry Trotter! It was this hilarious parody of Harry Potter, and I read like, 10 pages of it in the store! But now that I have the money to buy it, I can't find it anywhere! *Throws a fit*

Oh yes, and I should probably explain about that "Herm-own-ninny" entry I posted twice. Well, it was an accident, but now FOD won't let me delete one of 'em! AAAAARRRRRRRRGH! Alrighty, laaaaaater.

--Holly Rachael :-D