Two Guys, a Girl and the Odd Chick Out

Hi kids! Sorry I haven't written in such a ridiculously long time... I'll be catching up on all your lives (I've missed that a lot) A.S.A.P.!

In my 3rd semester of theatre, I became very good friends with 3 fellow drama kids, who I love to death. There's Jerry, the hot gay boy who is hilarious, sinngs like a sexy-arsed angel, and has become a vegan & animal rights activist over the course of the three months. There's Meg, the beautifully eccentric girl who says cute things & meows a lot. And finally, there's Kyle, the ultimate nice guy who is adorable & extremely humorous. When Kyle & Meg aren't making out or fighting, they're meowing "I love you" to each other.We were all in I Hate Hamlet together in November, and we've been inseperable ever since. In December, we took a bus trip to Ohio with my step-dad's hockey team, my step-dad, and my mom, where Jerry sang the National Anthem, Kyle filmed, and Meg and I were subjected to a sport. *Shudders* We stayed in Ohio overnight (since Jerry would be singing for the game the next day, too) and I must say, I was very excited about sleeping in a bed with Jerry... until he snored in my ear. We did have lots of fun making sandwiches for the hockey players in preparation of the trip, and purchasing lovely things in the awesome downtown shopping district. Most of the time these days, we all just hang out at J.W.'s, where Jerry sings karaoke and I sit there, being in unrequited love with him... and video taping, of course. Check out the way he sings "I'll Be".Everyone quickly learned how anti-alcohol, anti-smoking, anti-drugs, & anti-conformity I am one night when we all went to a Coney Island after an I Hate Hamlet rehearsal. My three new friends, along with Justin, another theatre kid, all wanted to go out to their cars and smoke pot. I was shocked and unbelievably upset to find out that they did this stuff to themselves, and that they would do it in my presence. I immediately burst into tears upon hearing what they wanted to do, and everyone said they felt terrible for making me feel so horrible, and decided not to do it around me. Meg and Kyle still continued to smoke cigarettes every second of the day, Jerry kept "smoking socially," as he called it, and he seemed to get drunk nearly every time we went to the karaoke bar. I worried about them all constantly, especially Jerry, whom I had grown the closest to. I was relieved beyond belief when Jerry made the New Year's Resolution to stop smoking, and I was thrilled when he made a vow to never drink as much as he did the night before Thanksgiving, when he got so drunk, he couldn't give me directions to his house, and he had to sleep it off on my living room couch. But New Year's came and went, and Jerry kept smoking, and even got extremely drunk again-- at least I knew how to drive to his apartment by then. I became depressed (not to mention sick from the smoke) every time we went to a bar. I went home crying every night... couldn't he see how much he was hurting me by hurting himself? Or did he just not care? I took to shooting Jerry dirty looks every time he ordered a mug of beer or a shot, and was extremely upset when he tricked me into paying for one of his shots.A few nights ago, Jerry invited me to his apartment, where we would hang out with Meg and Kyle, like usual. But when I got there, they all kept going into the bathroom together. I figured they were doing drugs (it had really smelled like pot in there to me...) & felt like they must think I was a real moron to not guess what they were doing. I felt humiliated, assuming they'd all had a big laugh, thinking they'd pulled one over on me. I called Jerry up the next day and demanded that he tell me what had been going on in the bathroom. He admitted they'd been drinking beer, and that they'd stashed it in the bathtub when I'd knocked on the door. Trying not to cry & failing, I told him how hurt I was that they'd lied to me, and that if they were going to be doing stuff that they knew would bother me, don't invite me in the first place.Jerry and Meg came to my house the next day and explained to me that they wanted me around, but they had wanted to drink really bad, so they hid it from me since they knew I'd have one of my emotional breakdowns & leave if I was aware of what was going on. They said that they love me, but feel like they have to tiptoe around me & can't completely be themselves when I'm there. I don't want them to feel like that, but I worry about them so much, and I just don't know what to do.

<3,>

In Love (Scenes) With a Gay Guy

Theatre is going marvelously. We're now holding practices at Buckham Alley, where the play will be held, and I must say I adore the place. Wednesday we painted the set burgundy and went over the dramatic & romantic scenes. The place is right in the ghetto-- homeless people sneak in and sleep in our dressing room & rats live in the props. But other than that, the place is lovely! *Claps excitedly* My gaspingly romantic scene with Jerry has become even more-so. I was delighted when he decided we should go off on our own and practice our scene repeatedly. Toward the end of the scene, when we're dancing, we (as our characters) say:BARRYMORE: You know, Lillian, there is another question that many ask. A question regarding certain activities and their practice in the next world.LILLIAN: You mean activities of a physical nature.BARRYMORE: Aren't you curious?LILLIAN: Surprise me.Jerry suggested that Barrymore should really surprise Lillian by goin' in for a fervent kiss there. I was very fond of this idea, but Lori wishes for him to spin me into his arms in a hot, tango-like move. *Shrugs* Which is still fine with me, of course. *Runs outside to screech excitedly like a 13-year-old at a Justin Timberlake concert or other such nonsense* I feel that we should dance to "Let's Make a Night (To Remember)" by Bryan Adams, but no. There will be romantic '40s music... possibly a song called "Dream Dancing" by an old fellow named Ray Anthony and his orchestra. *Waves to Grandpa in thanks*

Obviously, I've had a crush on Jerry for a while. Wednesday night, he managed to change that. After theatre, I rode with him to J.W.'s for karaoke. Lovable theatre members Meg and Ben met us there, as did Jerry's pals, Amanda and Kristi. Meg & I were a bit worried that it's a 21 and older bar, but we had no trouble. As soon as I got there, I signed up to sing "Lucky One" by Amy Grant. I immediately regretted this when Jerry and Kristi got up and sang "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge. They we incredible! As loud as the music was, I'm sure my heart could be heard thudding like crazy. Jerry was better than Ewan freaking McGregor. Just look, here's a mini-video I taped of them singing "Come What May". Then DJ man announced, "Now here's Holly with 'Lucky One'!" And there I was. On stage with my braided pig-tails and total lack of singing talent. Afterwards, Meg told me, "You looked so adorably innocent... I loved it, dahling!" A while later, Jerry sang "Your Song" Moulin Rouge-style & I believe that's when I melted into a puddle of a warm butter-like substance on my chair. *Gestures helplessly to link* Just watch the man sing "Your Song". I don't have a crush on Jerry. *Guiltily smacks self on forehead* I'm head over pink tennis shoes in love with the guy! Oh, the warm, endless hugs he gives... Those gorgeous eyes (sometimes pine green with specks of brilliant gold, sometimes the exact opposite). The way he's so sweet, hilarious and irresistibly adorble. His voice... speaking and singing. But then there's also the way he tells me, "I need a boyfriend, Holly," and tirelessly continues his search for his perfect guy, while I've already found mine... and he's gay. Sigh. Oh man, I still can't get over the fact that I stayed out till 3:30 A.M. at a bar with fun people who think it's cute that I dislike the idea of drinking and smoking. I especially heart Meg, with her snazzy faux-fur coats, always amazingly creative displays of eyeshadow on her lids, and adorable way of speaking. She says things like, "I enjoy that coat" and proclaims her undying love for random objects and people at will. *Squeezes her*I must go now, to begin writing a play based on tonight's theatre adventures, which I'll tell you all about in my next entry. Did you all check out the wonderful caricature Zach did of me, on my front page? If not, CHECK IT OUT! *Hugs*

<3,>

How Fencing Can Be Hot

I was pretty dang excited at theatre the other night when Jerry asked me to go karaoke-ing with him. I'd always wanted to try karaoke (despite the fact that I completely lack musical talent), but this would have taken place at a bar in an extremely dangerous part of town. So naturally, I called up my best friend and begged her to come with me. Sarah said she'd go with me under two conditions, 1. she could bring Matt and 2. she wouldn't have to sing. None of us minded that this was a gay bar, but what bothered me was the "bar in a dangerous area at 11 P.M." part. Before 11:00 rolled around, I had wussed out, called Jerry and asked him if we could hang out in a non-bar atmosphere in the daytime where I wouldn't be afraid to step outside of my car. *Rolls up into a ball and cowers* Being an extreme wimp sucks sometimes. Jerry and I met up with Sarah and Matt at Pizza Hut Wednesday evening before theatre. Over the course of our pineapple dessert pizza, Sarah and I decided to play "Guess Jerry's Age." She guessed 19 and I guessed 20. "Way off!" he told us. "I'm 30." *Clunk, clunk* went our jaws as they hit the table. He doesn't look or act 30-years-old at all. Whoa. We stayed and talked about everything from Jerry's and my histories in theatre to Sarah & Matt's upcoming baby (Kaitlin Marie, they've decided to name her) to how hellish high school was. Then we went to the mall to get some frozen cappuccinos, and for once in my life, I was actually late to theatre. Dun dun dun! Sarah and Matt thought Jerry was almost as amazingly awesome as I think he is. But not quite, of course. After all, they haven't seen him play John Barrymore yet. And until they see that, they haven't lived.

I realize you're all sick to death of hearing about theatre, so I think I'll talk about it a little more! I seem to have become rather attached to the regal German accent I use when I'm Lillian, so I use it everywhere I go, which greatly annoys Zach. I also have a tendency to buy my character gifts. I bought Lillian this huge "diamond" ring and ritzy faux-fur jacket. Not only do I love playing my part, I love watching everyone else (especially Jerry and Kyle [Barrymore & Andrew]) act. Their fencing scene is brilliantly cool, and I'm sure it's extremely wrong that I find that scene hot. *Grins guiltily* They just keep jumping all over the stage and Jerry's got that deep voice of his that I think is so ridiculously sexy and... sigh. I have a problem, don't I?Mom and Mike are back together for the moment. After staying at my grandparents' house for a few days, Mom went back to work and realized that she really missed Mike. Mom asked me how I felt about the situation. I thought about it and we were both surprised to realize how much I want their marriage to work. They're good together, they just have an awful lot of bumps in their relationship. She went back home that night, but she's laying down some serious rules, and now I'm just hoping everything works out for the best.

<3,>

The Dramatic Entry

Sigh. Double sigh. Sigh, sigh, sigh. For the past couple of weeks, I've been coming to theatre and wistfully watching the sweet scenes between Kyle's and Jessie's characters (Andrew and Deirdre), but I've also been teasing them about how they haven't yet added their makeout scenes to their rehearsals. Of course, this is mainly due to the fact that Jessie's boyfriend is furious about her having to kiss Kyle & having Jerry kiss her neck in this play, and Jessie's very distraught about her dude being so mad. But I was totally unaware of this predicament when I was laughing about the total lack of lip-locking between Kyle & Jessie. But Kyle, at least, managed to get his revenge on me last night. Lori finally directed the Lillian/Barrymore scene toward the end of the play that Jerry and I hadn't practiced together yet. Before Lori gave us stage directions, I had no idea that this scene was supposed to be so... "Danielle Steel book" intimate. But it's like... all romantic and intense. Here's how it goes, basically:(The ghost of Barrymore is shocked when Lillian enters and can see him. At first, he doesn't remember her & she's rather extremely irritated by this. But then he remembers... really remembers, and holds his hand out to her. Lillian's still pissed at this "vomanizer" but she takes his hand, and they reminsce about that night when they stole champagne from a party, came back to his apartment, and made love. They passionately embrace and are almost kissing when...)Kyle suddenly decides to imitate porn music. Loudly. Non-acting members of the class decide this is the funniest thing ever. *Is slightly ashamed* I guess I had that coming... When we got back in the swing of things, Jerry had to twirl me into his arms in a stunningly romantic gesture that I managed to ruin, take after take, but actually did it pretty well in the end. But then Jerry and I had to attempt slow-dancing while reading our scripts around each other's necks. *Makes a note to memorize lines ASAP*In other news, I went with Sarah and Matt to the ultrasound last week and am thrilled to announce that they're having a GIRL, they're having a girl! Matt was sort of dissapointed, while Sarah was more tickled than I've ever seen her. I'm so excited, I almost want to get a job, make a few trips to Babies "R" Us and buy 2 years-worth of girlie clothes, teddy bears, and other baby-worthy merchandise. But Sarah has a lot against the color pink, and I don't have time for a job. *Pouts for a bit*

Well, it looks like Mom's marriage to Mike isn't going to last much longer. He's full of promises he can't keep, and she just can't take it anymore. Mom and I stayed at my grandparents' house last night, and Mike keeps calling and... she can't talk to him. It's so heartbreaking to see my mum go through this for a third time. She's the absolute best person in the world, and it's terribly sad that she has to keep going through this crap with guys. To change the subject once again (though not completely), I wish I had a guy in my life. I know it seems like such a weird time to wish for this, what with Mom & Mike's problems, and hearing about boyfriends who are jealous of the other girls kissing guys in our play (nope, it's not just Jessie's boyfriend that's mad). But watching Sarah & Matt and seeing Moulin Rouge-romantic couples everywhere I go, and having this super-close scene with Jerry... really makes me wish I had a guy of my own. And it's scary that I seem to know who the guy is that I want. It hit me tonight when I was watching everyone act out a scene from I Hate Hamlet. Of course, I can never have this guy, what with him being gay and all. Maybe if I could just have a guy that's exactly like him in every single way except that he's not gay. He's so awesome, though... I hardly ever whine about this sort of thing, folks, but I had to get this out. Once again, sigh. When did drama become so... dramatic? Later, everybody.

<3,>

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

Hyperventalation Ensues

Theatre is different this year in the fact that Lori will no longer be just handing out parts and saying, "Okay, get memorizing." This time we'll have to actually try out for parts. Lori has decided we'll be doing I Hate Hamlet, a play in which there are only 6 parts. However, we're to have the play over a course of 4 nights in November, so Lori's going to try this thing called "double casting." That means, two people will play the same part, but on different nights. *Shrugs* But that still means that only about 12 of us will get parts, out of about 22 people who almost all want to act. So crap. The play goes like this: Andy Rally's a TV actor whose girlfriend, Deirdre, thinks he's hot stuff... but she still refuses to have sex with him, or anyone, much to his dismay. When Andy's show gets canceled, TV producer Gary decides to cast him as Hamlet in Shakespeare in the Park, but he... well, isn't a very good actor. So his real estate agent Felicia, his talent agent Lillian & his girlfriend Dierdre, have a seance to bring back the ghost of famous Hamlet actor, John Barrymore (Drew Barrymore's great-great grandpa) to coach Andy so he can play Hamlet well. Sounds good, no?

Wednesday was Script Reading Day in theatre, so we all gathered ourselves into groups of six containing 3 girls and 3 dudes, so that we could read the play together for the first time. In our group, the likable & easily amused Danny played Andy, shy & quiet girl Ashley was Deirdre, good ol' Kyle played Barrymore, cutie-pie Monica was Felicia, the walking pick-up line Ben played Gary, and I was Lillian. I have to say it went quite well, except that Danny seems to be very near-illiterate and Ashley doesn't seem able to say the word "sex" or make out with anyone on stage, as her part requires. Kyle kept helping Danny pronounce words & Ben asked Ashley who turned on the sensors. During this reading, I decided that I very much want to try out for the part of Lillian. She's all old & won't quit smoking... She has hilarious lines, and although Leah will probably also want her part (and may be better at it, seeing as she is a chain-smoker & I'd never touch a cigarette with a 10-foot pole), I REALLY want to be Lillian. I can do a smoker's voice quite well though & perhaps Leah and I can both do the part. I'm not very excited about competing with Leah, as she's my kiddo, but... sigh. I know one thing-- I don't want to do technical work or makeup or directing or... anything other than acting, so over the next week, you can watch me hyperventalate. *Fishes through purse for inhaler* Look, Nick & his wife had their baby and he brought him to class! His name is Jay and Leah seemed to go even more nuts for him than I did.

Mom and I went to Great Lakes Crossing yesterday to look for the I Hate Hamlet script in their bookstores, since Lori didn't make enough copies for everyone, and I must practice before trying out. But they didn't have the script there, or at Borders, or at the Borders here in Flint, or anywhere else. While at the mall, we were bumped into by many foreign people who apparently felt the need to yell things back and forth across the mall to each other in Yugoslavian. In other, completely off-topic news, OH NO, JOHN RITTER DIED! I loved that guy! I had just recently started watching Three's Company reruns and 8 Simple Rules was my favorite show! I watched a special about his life, and Mom and I thought it was quite neat that, when asked what he would do if he wasn't an actor, he replied that he wouldn't want to do anything but act, as that's what I always say... *Hugs for Angel-version of John Ritter as well as his family, friends & cast-mates*

Holly

Improvisational Humping and Daria Is Neat

Name: Holly
Nicknames: Wanda
Age: 19
Height: 5' 7"
Hair Color: Brown with some fabulously fake blonde highlights
Eye Color: Blue-ish green
Born in: Flint.
Education: Edjamawha? Oh right, my schoolin'. High school ran into my sleeping schedule, so it was pushed aside and replaced by a G. (good) E. (enough) D. (diploma). And now there's college, and I make my own schedule now, so my classes are in the PM nowadays.
Fav. Hobbies: Teaching my dog to talk (she's up to three words and no, they're not "bark, woof and arf"!), reading nerd stories (fan fiction), and acting (like a dork).
Fav. Singers, Groups & Musicians: Amy Grant, Lifehouse, "Weird Al" Yankovic and Michael W. Smith. And Evanescence is fairly awesome as well.
Fav. Movie: The HPs and Orange County, Moulin Rouge.
Fav. Books: The Harry Potter series, courtesy o' J.K. Rowling, the Kissed By An Angel series by Elizabeth Chandler and This Lullabye by Sarah Dessen.
Fav. Animal: Kitties, dogs, horses, they're all good.
Favourite Place you'd want to Visit: Besides Vegas for the 40th time? How 'bout Platform 9 & 3/4? *Grins nerdily*
Fav. Color: Tickle Me Pink (for you weirdos who weren't brought up with Crayola, light pink).
Fav. School Subjects: Theatre an' English.
If you were a character on the Cast of Friends, who would you be?: The guest character who doesn't like any of the normal characters, and brings her friends Daria and Johnny Bravo to make the show better.
If you were a Flower, you would be a...: Holly plant. I'm poisonous yet festive!
If you were a tree, you would be a...: Peach tree. Mmm, peaches...

As pertains to Harry Potter:
House: Gryffindor. I used to think I'd be in Hufflepuff since I tend to be all optimistic and I tend to be a bit of a doormat, but I don't like doing work like the 'puffs and folks tell me you've got to be brave to be a theatre major.
Favorite Book: Good ol' book 3, Prisoner of Azkaban.
Favorite Character(s): Hermione Granger. That kid's great, sticking up for the House Elves and always looking out for her kiddos, Harry and Ron. *Fondly ruffles her hair, making it a bit bushier*
Wand: 12", Holly (*grins*) and Veela hair, springy, good for Charms.
Pet: (Pets, actually) Chyna the Talking Dog, Daria the Escape Artist Cat and Amy "Scratch Attack" Cat.
Hi kids! What's new? What's new with me is that school has started, which, of course, means that theatre has started! *Bursts into relieved tears* Oh-ho, I'm so freaking glad! *Sputters and sobs* Do you have any idea how much I've missed that class? To me, the word theatre is synonymous with the term complete and utter happiness. The good news is that Leah and Kyle (theatre just wouldn't be theatre without them), Nick, Shawna, Sudie and Monica (from 1st semester) have all returned! The bad news is that Don, the dude who gets my vote for Hottest Theatre Kid and everyone's vote for Most Likely to Win an Acadamy Award, has graduated. *Goes pale* I'm just sick about it. Plus, we lost a ton of other fun actors... like, 12. So that sucks. We haven't done a whole heck of a lot yet, but we did some pantomiming which consisted of the whole class losing their friends' dog, and ruining folks' hair colors. We also got to play my all-time favorite theatre game, Bus Stop, where you must get the person "waiting for the bus" out of their seat by doing some quick-thinking improv. I got a new guy, Justin, out of his seat by walking up and saying, "BEEP BEEP! I'm the bus, get in!" but then stealing his seat when he got up and exclaiming, "Ha ha! I'm not a bus, I'm just a person who wanted your seat!" Then Kyle decided to get me out of my seat by walking up to me and pretending to hump me. After about 5 seconds of this, I looked at my watch and asked him when the bus would arrive, but he pointed out that, has this happened in real life, I would have been long gone. I had to agree, and admitted defeat. *Hangs head*
I recently decided to re-read some of the Daria fan fiction I used to read obsessively a few years ago, and realized that I can't just abandon this awesome stuff just because I now read Harry Potter fan fic. That would just be wrong, as this stuff is great, and I'd forgotten just how great it is. I used to bloody love the show Daria, but it was the fan fic I was REALLY addicted to... specifically a cluster of Daria fan fiction written by a writing goddess who called herself Invisigoth Gypsy. The fics always managed to cheer me up and make my day a zillion times brighter, and I think you should all read her stuff if you ever get the chance. The whole series is focused around Daria and Trent, and how they were both too scared to admit they liked each other, so it was extremely cute, and it's one of my favorite sources of entertainment. Plus, there was no Tom (the boyfriend Daria eventually had)! Hurray for Trent and not for Tom. Now, move toward the link... that's it, closer... closer... The IVG Shipper Continuum

<3, 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 Trouble With Wanda's Visit

1. Current Clothes: Black tank top that says "DIVA" in glittering letters with an orange button-down shirt over it, jeans, pink & red "X O X O" toe socks and flip-flops. It's my Wanda wear, except I'll have some bright pink capris instead of my jeans for the play...
2. Current Mood: Worried and annoyingly forgetful.
3. Current Music: "If You're Not the One"--Daniel Bedinfield. *Sighs wistfully* These are some good lyrics.
4. Current Taste: Grapes.
5. Current Hair: All ratted up and thrown up into a glittery, dissarayed mess. It's the Wanda do.
6. Current Smell: Cancun perfume.
7. Current thing I ought to be doing: Going over my lines repeatedly until there's no possible chance they can get out of my head.
8. Current Desktop Picture: A homemade mass of Harry/Hermione pictures.
9. Current CD in CD Player: "Holly's Car Tunes."
10. Current dvd in dvd player: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
11. Current Color Of Toenails: Irridescent blue & purple.
12. Current Refreshment: Vanilla soy milk.
13. Current Worry: *Through gritted teeth* Must get lines memorized... but... can't. *Seethes*

I can't believe this. I went through my play, Wanda's Visit, approximately 5 million times before I went to theatre tonight. When I got there, I watched the incredibly hilarious play that Don stars in, Actor's Nightmare. In the play, Don's character, George, is an accountant who mistakenly wanders onto the set of four different plays, and all the actors think he's the main character of every play. He, of course, doesn't know any lines, but he has to make them up throughout all four plays while the other actors get more and more impatient with him, the poor guy. When everyone finished with Actor's Nightmare, it was time for Wanda's Visit. Nick, Shawna and I got on stage and started going through the play... but I kept either forgetting my lines, or getting them all mixed up. And it didn't help that Lori stopped me every two seconds to inform me that I wasn't hanging all over Nick nearly enough. I called "Line!" so many times that I felt like Don's character. *Groans in frustration*
I wished Leah were there. She wasn't there yesterday either, so Kyle called Leah on her cell. Kyle told us exactly how the conversation went:
Kyle: Leah, where are you?
Leah: (raspy-voiced) ...Who the hell is this?
Kyle: (sarcastic) I'm your stalker, geez. It's Kyle! Jason's freaking out because you're the only other person in his play, so he has nothing to do but complain.
Leah: I have bronchitis! Tell Jason to stop being so gay and blow one!
Kyle: I'll tell him your exact words.
Leah: Good!
Even when she's sick, she's hilariously honest! Oh, that Leah... I know she couldn't be, but I really wished she were there. I always do good when Leah's there because she cheers me on and gives me confidence. *Sigh* Hopefully, she'll be better by next week. It's a lot funnier when she's offensive to Jason's face.

I know everyone's sick of hearing about the fan fiction *cough* SMUT *cough* I read, but... you've just got to see this one! In T.G.I.F. by babygrrl, Harry's got a date at a nightclub with Chrissy, a young, giggly witch with extremely big... eyes. But would he rather go home with Chrissy, or that liberated witch in the hot red dress? Guess who that might be? Hermione? Dun dun dun! This story is hot. babygrrl should get paid millions of Galleons every time she does one of these little masterpieces. *Nods fervently*
Yesterday, I was at the Olive Garden with Mom and her friend, Julie. We had a lovely dinner, but when I got to my car, I couldn't find my keys anywhere. Mom and Julie had already driven off, so I went back inside to search for my keys in the restaurant. They weren't there. I tried to call my mom, but the volume on her cell phone was turned all the way down. Finally, she called my cell and asked where the heck I was. She came back to get me and take me to theatre, and that's when she noticed my keys in the ignition of my car... but the car was locked. *Rolls eyes* I couldn't believe it. So at 10 P.M., when theatre got out, Zach came into class with an extra pair of keys and three friends. Lori was all mad that I had all those extra people there, distracting the actors, but what could I do? I feel so irresponsible this week. *Sighs*
Love you kids!
--Holly 8-X

I'm Over Here, Under This Pile of Fan Fiction

Um... yeah, I've been neglecting my diary for way too long, folks. I mean, sure, it deserved it, after treating me the way it's been, not letting me post or leave notes. But I don't know how long it's been working... or even if it is now... *crosses fingers and knocks on wood, waking up everyone in the household* The good people over at portkey.org & restrictedsecion.org (grr baby, very grr!) have been keeping me in constant supply of unbelievably brilliant fan fic. I seem to be addicted to Harry/Hermione smut. Oh, but who could read The Red Dress by Libbie without saying something along the lines of "Absolutely!" and reading it repeatedly?

So, I have been licensed to wreak havoc on the pot-hole-filled streets of Michigan for almost two weeks now! My dad kind of forced me to take my freaking driving test before my family members/chauffeurs all teamed up to beat the crap out of me. I was a tad nervous during my driver's test, and I think I screwed up on something about 5 times due to my anxiety, but I guess the Test-Givin' Chick took pity on me & passed me anyway. *Holds up license proudly, grinning* I look like my face is coated in grease in this picture! *Continues nodding & smiling greasefully* My car is all Holly-ed out. It has Powerpuff Girls floormats (courtesy of Zach), a Ralph Wiggum antenna topper (courtesy of Zach), a rockin', arse-kickin' CD player (courtesy of Dad), and a few layers of dog hair on the seats (courtesy of Chyna).
Theatre has been hecticly hilarious, as has always been the case with the class that I adore way more than any class should be adored. Jason the Hawaiian shirt-wearing weirdo has gotten himself a girlfriend, Leah & Kyle still have crushes on each other and don't know it, Don continues to hold his title of Hottest, Sweetest, Most Talented Guy With a Girlfriend Holly Has Ever Met, and Nick, Shawna & I are trying our darndest to get our freaking lines memorized.


Monica and Larry putting stage makeup on Don... as if he isn't hot enough already
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is out on DVD today, and I've so totally had fun pausing it on the Harry/Hermione hand-caressing in the Hospital Wing scene!

1. IF YOU COULD BUILD A HOUSE ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD IT BE? Built onto the side of one of my favorite Las Vegas casinos like the Mirage, the Rio, or the Luxor. Or hey, maybe the Excalibur so I could feel like I was living at Hogwarts!
2. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING? My orange Lucy and Snoopy--"Happiness is a Warm Puppy" T-shirt. *Hugs own doggie, Chyna* It's so true!
3. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PHYSICAL FEATURE OF THE OPPOSITE SEX? Eyes... although lips are a close second.
4. WHAT'S THE LAST CD/DVD THAT YOU BOUGHT? Chicago soundtrack/Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
5. WHERE'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? Shopping in Vegas and taking a spin on all my favorite rides at Disney World (the teacups & the Kali Rapids), Universal Studios and Cedar Point.
6. WHERE'S YOUR LEAST FAVORITE PLACE TO BE? My old high schools.
7. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE PLACE TO BE MASSAGED? Shoulders and neck, aw yeah!
8. WHAT'S MOST IMPORTANT, STRONG MIND OR STRONG BODY? Strong mind, o' course... but the latter probably couldn't hurt.
9. WHAT TIME DO YOU WAKE IN THE MORNING? Think, "It's only morning? Okay, I'm going back to sleep." *Insert loud snores here*
10. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE KITCHEN APPLIANCE? The 'fridge, all the way!
11. WHAT MAKES YOU REALLY ANGRY? Animal cruety, because my furry friends (and reptilian) can't speak up for themselves.
12. IF YOU COULD PLAY ANY INSTRUMENT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? That living bass guitar from my favorite Harry Potter fan fiction, "Blush" by Granger.
13. FAVORITE COLORS? Tickle Me Pink and Jungle Green.
14. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SPORTS CAR OR SUV? How 'bout an adorable little VW Bug, eh?
15. DO YOU BELIEVE IN AFTERLIFE? Indeed. There'll be lots of decorative sugar cookies, fluffy blankets and neat shoes. *Nods wistfully*
16. FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOK: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by the talented Joanne Kathleen Rowling, even though it doesn't really seem like a children's book to me. So, that being said, I'm extrememly fond of The Lorax by good ol' Dr. Suess.
17. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SEASON?Winter.
18. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE HOUSEHOLD CHORE? Vacuuming.
19. IF YOU COULD HAVE ONE SUPER POWER, WHAT WOULD IT BE? The ability to Apparate. You know, be in one place, and then suddenly be in another. That'd be swell as all getout.
20. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO, WHAT IS IT? I don't, but I do have this scar that's shaped like a division sign on my neck. *Points* See? It gives the impression that I like math, though, so that's not fun.
21. CAN YOU JUGGLE? I highly doubt it. *Attempts to juggle with the phone, a waterbottle and a library book on Abraham Lincoln, resulting in a broken phone* Nope, I can't.
22. WHO IS THE ONE PERSON YOU WISH YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME AND TALK TO? Jesus. That's be neat-o.
23. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE DAY? Why, it's Christmas Day!
24. WHAT'S IN THE TRUNK OF YOUR CAR? I... don't know, I'll have to check that out later.
25. WHICH DO YOU PREFER, SUSHI OR HAMBURGER? Neither, thanks, I'm a veggie kid. Well, actually, I'm a starch kid.
Holly :-D

Evil, Threat-Bearing Valentine Cookies

I had such an awesome night in theatre practice Wednesday! First, we went around the circle we always start the class in, and talked about what had happened in our week. I swear, theatre people have the coolest lives! Wednesday, I found out that James and Frankie are practically famous! Those two have actually been in movies. I had to ask them, "What are you doing in Flint, MI at Mott Community College's theatre class?" Turns out, their families are here. *Shrugs* So that's sweet!
When Kyle clapped his hands together and exclaimed, "Let's get ready to pantomime!" Lori pleasantly surprised us all by announcing that we'd actually be doing improv. I was thrilled to find out that we were even doing my favorite kind of improv, which can be compared to (or even called a rip-off of) Whose Line is It Anyway?.
During improv, everybody came up with some really great stuff. Kyle played a plastic surgeon who accidentally gave Shawna breast implants, Ivory and I decided to polka for beer (even though I don't drink), Kim O.D.ed on drugs while being Don's cab driver to the movie made up of previews he was seeing with James and Steve, then Shawna confessed in a whisper, from the floor, that she sees dead people.
Toward the end of the class, my partner, Frankie had to leave, as did Rachael's partner, April, so us two kids hung out. As Rachael examined the pictures on my notebook, she voiced the fact that she also feels Daria is best thing to ever happen to television viewers. It was also quite a breath of fresh air (no pun intended) to find out that Rachael is a non-smoker! Don't get me wrong, I think Leah, Kyle and Larry are some of the spiffiest kids on the block, but smokers like them and asthmatics like myself don't always mix. Personally, the only thing I might light with fire and inhale is a scented candle, not a cigarette. So I find that Rachael's definitely a near chickeroo.
This week's essay topic for English was… *echo effect* DESCRIBE SOMEONE YOU KNOW… *end echo effect*. My essay was a very sappily descriptive tribute to my mom and best buddy, Wendy G. Killbreath, called "Living With an Angel." My teacher had us get together in groups of four and beta-read each other's papers. I was in a group with two kids I went to high school with and one with which I didn't. Terrence and Trish told me they were shocked at how extroverted I seem to be when, at Carman-Ainsworth, I was the shyest kid they knew. They said they could definitely tell I'm all about theatre now. Ooh, and they also mentioned that they very much like my paper and they, too, think my mom sounds marvelously angelic! *Proudly holds up essay*
Yesterday, I went to the Grandparents' house with Mom, Mike, Zach and our luffly dog, Chyna, to make Valentine cookies for Mom's work friends. Well… actually, Grandpa, Zach and Mike all sat in the living room and watched The Best of Adam Sandler while Grandma, Mom and I made the cookies. I happily sat at the table, making an intricate icing drawing on the first cookie that was passed to me. Everyone was thrilled with my yummy-looking masterpiece, and I was very pleased with my work. But then Grandma took another batch of heart-shaped dough out of the oven, and I realized we had about 5,608 more cookies to decorate. From that point on, the Holly-painted cookies looked a lot more like glittery sprinkles thrown onto frosting than edible works of art. After a while, Zach came out to the kitchen to see how the cookies were coming (in other words, to see if he could eat any) and decided he would "help" us decorate the cookies. Seeing that Mom's cookies had love messages on them, Zach decided to make some that said such things as "DIE", "I HATE YOU", and "THIS WAS ON THE FLOOR". He got about four of them done before Mom noticed and scraped the frosting off. *Thumbs up*

Honk If Your Keyboard Has a Horn

*Honks keyboad, giggling like mad* ALRIGHT! Everything's comin' out Holly! Dude, Zach got a Dell, so he's never going to bug me about how I'm hogging the computer in the living room again, I'm passing all of my classes with flying colors, my birthday's coming up on Feb. 28th, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix will be out in June, and I have plenty of hilarious internet bumper stickers to amuse me until then!

Theatre practice was wildly amusing to me this past Wednesday, as is usually the case. We had to do pantomiming with a partner. My partner, April, and I sucked at this, but some people were hilarious! Don, who never fails to crack me up (and swoon while we're on the subject of him), "posed nude" while his parner, Shawna "painted" him, Kyle and Jennifer "performed" open-heart surgery on a conscious patient, and Leah "killed" her poor "husband", Steve. Our next project was to interview a partner (mine was Frankie) and then act out the surveys we gave each other for the class. For my survey, I played a hooker who was being interrogated by a cop (Frankie). When he asked me, "Where would you most like to go in the world?" I replied, in a Brooklyn accent, "Besides a cheap motel with you, sweet cheeks? Vegas, baby!" It was bloody brilliant fun.
I finally got my arse around to taking the written potion of my driving test last week, and I passed! So I shall be taking the driving potion of that test in 30 days, and then I'm going to see if I can talk my dad into letting me paint my car pink, although I highly doubt this will happen. I was watching this little 5 minute special on MTV a while ago, and the guy hosting the show kindly gave me the instructions on how to create my own seat-covers for my car. I shall print out some iron-on transfer Harry Potter pics, iron those suckahs onto pillow cases, then place the pillow cases over the seats in my car. Then the Harry Potter mobile shall be born at last! Muahahahaha!
*Evil laughter dies down* Speaking of MTV, they sure do have a gnarley new cartoon, don't they? They've got this show, Clone High, where these teenage clones of famous historical figures attend a high school aptly named Clone High. The main character is Abe Lincoln, whose best friends are Joan of Arc and Ghandi, who proudly proclaims, "Hey, man, Ghandi's anti-violence, not anti-comedy." I like him. He's silly. Abe is into Cleopatra, but she's usually going out with JFK. Little does Abe know, his pal, Joan is into him. *Evil laughter proceeds* 'Tis a wonderful show, and I highly reccomend it to all you other couch potato kids out there! *Thumbs up*

Boy, does my room ever look like crap. But don't worry, it won't for long! You see, my room is going to be undergoing some major construction over the next few days--*mumbles* or weeks, and I'm going to do a luffly under-the-sea theme. Indeed, I shall have to ask the good folks at Home Depot how I can blend sea green and blue together to make it appear as though my room is underwater, but I'm sure it'll be fun once I figure it out. Hoo-ray! Oh hey, guess what I did last week? I went to Hicks portrait studio so that a series of photos could be taken of me. It's a good thing I did this since the last professional picture taken of me was probably done in like... 9th grade. So, till next time, good fight and goodnight!
--Holly :-D

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!

The Jingle Cats Are My Favorite Band

I'm sorry, I lied. Lifehouse is my favorite band. But the Jingle Cats are a close second! Check it out, they're playing on my diary description! *Happily meows along with their song* Zach and I met all the people from my theatre practice class for dinner last night, except for Monica, who apparently had better plans than hanging out with her classmates at a mediocre restaurant the week before Christmas. We all went to Luigi's, the 5th dirtiest restaurant in Flint (I'm not kidding, it said so in the paper a while back). I really wanted to get everyone in the class a Christmas present, so I spent $30 on 14 frames with group pictures of us all inside, along with a bunch of candy for everyone. They all seemed thrilled with the gifts, especially Morgain and Jason, since I included Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans with their presents.

*Looks up* Oh look, there's the picture I handed out to everyone! Yuuuuup. It's downright depressing that I don't get to see all these lovely people again for two whole weeks, but I guess I'll live. It really sucks, though, that some of the theatre practice folks will not be signing up for theatre again next semester, like Jim and Pat. I may never see those two again. *Cries* And that's just wrong. I tell ya what, though, I love these folks! Last night, Jason kept handing various unsuspecting people nasty-flavored Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans and telling them stuff like, "Have a jelly bean, it's chocolate!" and then it'd turn out to be dirt or something. When it was time to go, there were hugs and goodbyes all around, and I think we were all horribly sad to see Pat and Jim go, and it was hard for me to leave. Everyone urged Zach to join theatre practice next semester, so he's going to think about it. Hurray!

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From left to right and back to front: Larry, Don, me, Monica, Jim, Leah and Nick, taking a bow.
Dood, there is a mouse in the freaking house. Ah crap, I wish that sentence didn't rhyme, it makes this sound like it's a humorous turn of events, and it's... just... not. I'm not afraid of mice or anything, but I would rather that they wouldn't hang out in my family room. I was just sitting on the couch last night, writing my fic, "Harry Potter--The Bachelor" when I saw something run by really fast. At first, I figured I'd just had too much garlic butter with my breadsticks at Luigi's, and thought I must be hallucinating. After all, their food does have a pretty bad rep, and I could have had food poisoning or something. But then I heard scampering coming from behind the plants, and figured I'd better get the heck out of there if I didn't want a mouse climbing up my leg. Huh. Maybe I am afraid of mice, and just never knew it, but now I'm scared to go into the family room. *Peers anxiously around the corner*
Zach and I took our dog, Chyna, to the vet this afternoon because she's been scooting around on the carpet like she had worms. She must have heard us talking about how the vet was going to stick her finger up Chyna's butt to feel around for worms because she would not stop shaking and cowering under the bench at the vet's office. It turned out she just had some kind of infection in her butt, and she'll be better soon, so that's good.
Well, I've gotta go, and I don't know when I'll be able to write again because my dad is off of work for two weeks starting tomorrow, for Christmas break, and I'm still grounded from the computer. *Cries* Oh well, hopefully I'll be able to sneak on here soon! Later!
*Hugs for all*

--Holly :-D

Let's All Try to Smile For the Picture

...and we'll hold it as long as we can. May it carry us through, should we ever get lonely... till the season comes 'round again."--Amy Grant's "Till the Season Comes 'Round Again"

Woo! We did it! We made it through all 3 performances! Well... at least, most of us did. But we'll get into that later.
Thursday, the first night of our play, The Elvis Monolougues, we were all extremely nervous. We got into costume and Monica did everyone's stage makeup, but everyone was eerily quiet. Finally, it was 7:50 and we all stood in a circle & held hands so Lori could give us a pep talk. She started with me, saying, "Holly has come a long way since she started theatre. She told us stories about skipping her classes because she thought her teachers and classmates looked down on her. Now she's one of our most confident actresses." She's right. The students in this class have been awesome for my self-esteem, and I love all of them for that. *Tear* When Lori had said something about all of us, Leah lead us in this prayer-- "Dear God, thanks for all these great people... and let us KICK ASS tonight! Amen." Heh, a little different, but helpful all the same. We all did really well that night, and I was thrilled to see Mom, Mike, Dad, both sets of my grandparents, Zach and his friend, Lindsay all there to see me! My dad gave me flowers. *Beams*
The second night of our performance was... *thunder and lightening effects*... Friday the 13th! None of us were very nervous because we'd already performed without a problem the night before. Regina flushed the toilet during our prayer, there weren't very many people in the audience and Larry's aunt couldn't keep her insane outbursts to herself throughout the show. Most of us forgot at least one line (that includes me) and it was clear that we'd lost our focus. However, there was one major upside to that day-- my FOD pal, 'Drea came to see the show w/ her dad and I was thrilled to meet her! 'Drea rocks! *Hugs for her*
Our last performance was Saturday, and the nervousness and focus were back! We all acted our arses off, but two people had been written our of the show that night. Regina (the pregnant woman) was in the bathroom, puking up bodily fluids until Monica's mom took her to the hospital, and Chris had to skip Saturday's show due to a bad case of laringitis. At the end of the show, we surprised Lori by calling her up on stage & giving her the flowers we'd bought her. Then most of the class went to Applebees, along w/ Mom, Mike & my grandparents. Afterwards, Mike informed me that he thinks I should marry Jason (*rolls eyes and hits Mike*) and Mom told me that Don had told her I was the class' best actress. *Blushes and denies it* Mom gave me Harry Potter merchandise, since flowers die and The Boy Who Lived never will, and my grandparents bought me a cake that says "Good show, Holly!" and gave me $10. Hurray!
We took a butt-load of pictures, but we haven't picked them up yet, so you all shall see them later! *Hugs for all*
--Holly :-D
Oh yes, and since we don't have the pictures from the play back yet, here's a picture of my lovely dog, Chyna.

Not only is "I Breathe in, I Breathe Out" a lovely song, it's also, more of less, the instructions Lori gave us for the day. That's right, tonight is opening night for our play, The Elvis Monolougues and everybody is freaking out. Lori told us that, until 8:00 tonight, we all just need to chill and let out hair down because the majority of us have been on edge all week.
People have been so nervous that heated (or shall we say... ridiculously loud) arguments have broken out amongst us. For instance, on Monday, Lori told Regina that she didn't want her to wear a certain dress that Lori thought showed (and it did) way too much cleavage. On Tuesday, Lori and Regina were screaming at each other till they were blue in the face because Regina was offended by what Lori said on Monday, and thought Lori was insulting her body. Then the entire class sat in the auditorium while Lori stood on stage and demanded to know if we thought Regina should be offended. *Shakes head awkwardly*
As stressful as it sounds, this week has actually been a lot of fun. For the past few days, we've been having dress rehearsals, and this means practicing our .:::ECHO EFFECT:::. STAGE MAKEUP .:::END ECHO EFFECT:::.

We decided that we should do the guys' makeup first, since they were so resistant. *Cackles evilly* We were jerks, heh. Lori told the bois that the lighting was best in the girls' bathroom (muahahaha!), so that's where we did their makeup. I brought a camera, and Morgan and I took pictures of the guys getting their makeup done in the girls' room. We all agreed that Kyle looks like a doll when he's all made up, and I think he may be plotting our deaths at the moment. Jason, on the other hand, is having a little too much fun with the fact that he "gets" to wear makeup, and bought himself some mascara, which is something not required for stage makeup.
But even during the usually fun putting-makeup-on-resistant-guys-time, things are a bit tense between some of the girls. For example, Leah said, "I want to do Jason's makeup so I can make him look like a whore!" to which Morgan replied, "Don't you get enough practice doing that on yourself?" Um... so Leah wasn't too thrilled with Morgan for a while. *Laughs extremely nervously*

Another thing that's freaking us all out is the fact that people keep forgetting their lines. Leah was so upset after a fight with Morgan that she went on stage and forgot entire paragraphs of her monolouge. Jim did the same thing, and even Don, our best actor, forgot a line. Gah! I think it's time for a prayer now. God, please don't let any of us forget our lines tonight, tomorrow night or the next. We're all under a bit of stress, and could use some guidance. Thanks a lot. *Hugs* Amen.

Hey, look everybody! I changed my name for Christmastime. I'm now "Hollylujah". Excitement, excitement! *Admires new name* Oh yes, and before I go, I should mention that my stepdad almost got electocuted the other day. A pipe in the basement had a leak, and the guy at the pipe-fixin' place told him to hold a hairdryer to the pipe... but well, Mike was standing in the water and... *makes horrible electricity-gone-bad noises* But he's okay. Well, as okay as he ever was.
Wish me luck, kids! I'm off to get ready for the play! *Crosses fingers*
--Holly :-O

BTW, we were in the paper! Next to a Harry Potter ad, even! And you know what the Newsies say... if you're in the papes, you're famous! *Shrieks*

Countdown to Showtime & the Sucky Dream From Hell

*Cries incessantly* I don't like being grounded from the computer. I haven't been online for 5 days! 5 days! Forget being drawn and quartered and all those various horrible forms of torture... being grounded from the computer has got to be the worst. Oh yes, and "periodic" cramps. I've had those for these past 5 days too. *Shakes fist at no one in particular*

Oh man, I had the suckiest dream I've ever had the night before last. In the dream, my mom was still living here at Dad's house. (In reality, my parents are divorced, and I alternate between my mom's house and my dad's.) Zach and I were sitting at the computer when Dad came back from his bike ride. Oh yes, and Mom had gone for a walk. Dad grimly explained to Zach and I that the Taliban guys were out front, and that they were taking random American families to live in a concentration camp, and that we had been chosen.

At the concentration camp, Osoma Bin Laden told us we could go back home for one hour and say goodbye to whoever (I know, doesn't sound like Bin Laden, does it?). Mom was still out for a walk, but my grandma and grandpa Z. showed up and drove us around the neighborhood until we found Mom. I told her what was going on, and she said, "Oh, now that just doesn't make sense. Why would they let you come back home to tell everyone where you were going? I mean, we could alert the media!" Mom had a point, but Dad, Zach and I still had to go back to the concentration camp. There, the American prisoners were running a college course on how to break out of there. However, one of the Taliban guys caught me reading the textbook, and was about to kill me when I woke up.

When I woke up, I was thinking, Okay, how long do I have until I have to go back to the concentration camp? Eventually, I realized it had been a dream, and calmed down. Oh yeah, but I did want to point out that during the dream, I kept thinking how greatful I should be that God let me have the time that I did with my family and friends, and how I'd taken my freedom for granted all this time. When I woke up, I was kind of like Scrooge on Christmas morning (especially since my mom's house it decorated like a Winter Wonderland). I hugged Mom and all my pets and told them how thankful I was to have them. So, as scary as that dream was, it actually taught me to really count my blessings. *Nods contentedly*.

Zach, Mom, Mike and I all kicked off our holidays this past Thursday! For those of you who don't know, my mom found this lovely Christmas tradition idea in a magazine when Zach and I were little. It's called "kicking off the holidays." What you do is put presents under a big, white blanket or towel, make it look like snow, and tie ribbons to the presents that are underneath the towel. Then each person grabs their ribbon, and pulls their present out from underneath the towel. My present this year was a Make-Your-Own-Snowglobe package, and it's awesome! You put your own pics in them. And we got Mom the new Shania CD. *Beams*

Me, Mom and Zach at Carrie's open house last summer

Mom and Zach came to theatre practice with me last Thursday! It was so much fun, and I think I did a better job with my acting, knowing they were watching. I was backstage with my "co-workers" most of the night, but Zach brought his camera, and we both took a few pictures of everyone acting out their parts and such. I shall have to scan them later, so you can all see my theatre pals that I never shut up about, heh. My mom agrees with me that Don has a sooper touching monolouge. She said, "I just liked having an excuse to look at him for a long period of time." Heh, so she agrees with me that he is one of the hottest guys ever, too. But he is taken. *Pouts* I'm actually getting kind of nervous now that showtime is in sight. Thursday night at 8:00 will be our first performance, and I think we're all a little anxious. Well, I s'pose I'd better be going so I can get ready for dress rehearsal tonight. *Freaks out*


--Holly :-D

Pretty Lights Are Everywhere, Shining Night & Day

"...Christmas can't be very far away." <---You know what that is? That's right, it's a line from one of my favorite of Amy Grant's Christmas songs! And you know what that means? That means the Christmas season is upon us! Eeeeeee! How spiffy is that? Why, that's positively spiffilicious! The only thing I don't like about this season is that some people seem to think it's hunting season. And to that, I say "grrr." Grrrrrrrr, I tell you! *Glares and kicks at the freaking hunters while holding deer protectively*.

*Takes a few deep breaths* AHEM. As I'm sure you can tell, I'm just a tad perturbed about all this "hunting" business. My cousin, Lindsay, seems to have chosen one of those... those hunter bois as her boyfriend, and I didn't take kindly to the fact that she freely discussed the fact that this hunter boi was out hunting, all through Thanksgiving dinner. *Sigh* Other than the talk of how Lindsay is dating this dude, and how most of my family members ate turkey, I think Thanksgiving was lovely. As usual, my brother Zachary and I had Thanksgiving lunch with my dad's family, and dinner with my mom's. At Grandma Z.'s, Zach, Lindsay and Jennifer had fun listening to the CDs of prank calls Zach has made, and then they decided to prank Lindsay's and Jen's boyfriends. At Grandma Shoup's, I read a prayer for the turkeys that Mom printed out, and Zach & Mike thought it would be hilarious to eat turkey and laugh during the prayer. *Rolls eyes* No respect, I tell ya.



Good Lord, I had the worst flu this past week. I figured I was going to have to go to the hospital. I just couldn't stop puking, so I thought I must be getting dehydrated, like I was last winter when I had to go to the hospital. Eventually, though, I was able to keep some Coke and clear Gatoraide down, and now I'm okay. *Gives a thumbs up* Apparently, everybody's got this flu because I went to theatre practice on Wednesday to find that only five of us attended! Not even Lori, the teacher, showed up, so we had some guy named Mike who acted exactly like Lori, so it was like she wasn't even gone.

Dood. Our show opens December 13th, in two freaking weeks! I hope people start showing up to class before then so everyone can have their parts down. Gaaaaah, only about seven of us have our lines memorized so far! *Goes to use inhaler* I'm okay. We put up the new Christmas tree that Dad ordered from QVC yesterday morning. It's pre-lit and pretty. I would go, sit in the family room and gaze at it, but there's a mouse or something in the attic, and you can really hear it walking around in the family room, so... yeah. I think I'll just stay here. *Hugs for all*

--Holly :-D