My Expectations for Great Expectations

Well, this past couple of weeks I have been furiously reading Great Expectations, in hopes of finishing it in time to write my analysis and turn everything in by March 15. So far I'm a little more than half way into it (I'm a little behind), but so far I think it's a pretty intriguing book. It's not one that I would personally choose, and it's kind of funny, because whenever someone asks me what I'm reading, and I show them the cover they say,"Oh. Assigned reading, right?". I swear, like 4 different people have said that to me! I don't think the book's that bad - I guess people just say that when they see it's written by Charles Dickens. I thought it was pretty funny though. The book's going alright though, and I found a laptop to use at my grandma's house, because my home computer still isn't fixed! ARG! I have a laptop of my own, and I convinced my dad to buy wireless internet so I can do it myself at my house - yay! Hopefully the router will be installed ASAP!

I really can't believe that it's pretty much spring. It finally dawned on me when I stepped outside this morning and felt the bright sun on my skin and the soft, pleasant breeze of spring. I could see some tiny plants beginning to sprout, and I jumped on my trampoline a little bit, truly enjoying myself outside for once. I'm not much of a winter person; in fact, now that I really think about it, I never once played in the snow this winter. No snowmen, no snowball fights, or snowforts - nope, I'm just not a wintery, snowy person. Spring and summer are my favorite times of the year. Although, I do enjoy the snow...up until after about New Years. Then I really get sick of it, and just want it to all melt away. I know this sounds kind of stupid, but another reason I'm excited for spring is NEW CLOTHES! I absolutly love the feeling of new clothes, and I just got this cute spring jacket that my mom said I can't wear until spring, and as we were standing outside in the sun, I convinced her to let me wear the coat this week! I supose that when I'm older I won't live in Utah, because I really do dispize the snow and cold. I hate ice skating, skiing, snowboarding, playing in the snow, or anything like it, so I guess I'd be better of in Flordia or India or some place like that!

Something that has just come to my attension, is how rude people are to me just because I have red hair. I've been called Ginger, Gingy, Devil, Satan's Mistress, and some other things that arn't very appropriate. I do admit that some of the names came from a certain someone who I am kind of evil to...hehe, but I just kind of have that "evil" personality. I like torturing people. Of course, I'm always just kidding, but some people tell me they are afraid of all redheads because of me. Oops!

*Sigh* There is nothing better than going to give a speech or a talk, and totally winging it. That's what I'm going to be doing today at about 6:30. Whoopee. I prepared for it, but I've just been too overwhelmed with homework and crap to get into it. So when I go there I'll pretty much just be reading off my little paper and embarressing myself in front of 50 someodd people. Great.

I think I might be maybe one blog behind, but I'm pretty sure I"m back on track now, after my computer delemma. It doesn't really work out to be doing an internet based class when you have no computer, but I try. :)

IN THE LAB, AND ABOUT MY GRANDMA

OK, I'm back, ready to finish typing for my blogging assignment. Last time I had the chance to get onto a computer it was at the Layton Library, which I had to quickly wrap up, since my time limit buzzer rang. With no working computer at home, I am eagerly taking every chance I can get to get some computer time to do my assignments.

I must say, this school is pretty strict about being "on task" in the computer lab. I swear, every single time I enter this lab I get caught for doing something that they think is "off task", when in reality I'm getting graphics for a poster project, or (like I'm doing now), trying to finish my Honors English blog. It doesn't help that I have a Ninja turtle background, because that totally makes it seem like I'm on something oppasite of what we're suppost to be doing, but somehow I manage. :) I bet there are like 3 administrators reading this as I type to make sure I truly am "on task".

OMG. I can't believe it. The 5 minute bell for school to get out just rang. To finish up my 500 words, I'll share with you an essay I've been writing about my Grandmother from Puerto Rico.

AN EXAMPLE TO ME
MARIA MERCEDES PEREZ RODRIGUEZ
BY ALISSA ROSADO PERIOD 4
“I never had a grandmother, and that’s why I wanted to try so hard to be the best grandma there ever was!” my Grandma Ria had once told me in her cute Puerto Rican accent. Her true name was Maria, but since grandma ended with the first part of her name, we’d come up with Grandma Ria when we were very young, and called her that ever since. Born and raised in Cayey, Puerto Rico, my Grandma Ria truly was the best grandma there ever was; she invited us grandkids over to spend weekend nights with her, sure to be fun-filled with all of my grandma’s crazy ideas and stories, and always came to visit us on any opportunity she had. She would take time to caringly ask us about our lives, and recent happenings, laughing at all our jokes, and sharing stories of her own. It was just the way that she showed how much she cared that really touched me, and is probably why I am so attached to my grandma today.
Pouring herbal tea into a delicate porcelain cup, my grandma talked of our plans for the day, and how excited she was that I had the chance to spend the weekend at her house. Her short, curly brown hair bounced as she plopped onto bed, and after searching for the remote, turned on Little House in The Prairie – one of her favorite shows. In the middle of the comfortable bed, my grandma had set a bowl of assorted snacks for us to munch on, and in front of her was an ad for the craft store. My grandma and I loved to go shopping. One of our all-time favorite ways to shop was to track down all the yard sells on Saturday mornings. We especially looked for Antique or Estate yard sales, since we both liked to collect antiques and rare old items.
Around my grandma’s house and on the fridge, were pictures and cultural items from central Puerto Rico, and reminders of her home in the tropics. She had also once lived in Connecticut for a time, until she finally decided to move to Utah, after joining the LDS church. The oldest of her 4 children (and the only one born in Puerto Rico) came with her, and was my dad. My grandma had always dreamed of owning her own home, and being more independent, and her home in Farmington, Utah was just perfect for her. It was close to the Lagoon trail, where she often brought me walking, and we would enjoy the scenery and animals along the path. My grandma had always loved nature – her gardens were always full of abundantly blooming flowers, and she could name every single one.
“Come on!” my Grandma said to me excitedly, after a while of watching the show. “Let’s get out!” Hopping down into her little silver car, we drove to all sorts of fun stores, buying crazy make-up, new gadgets for our hair, presents for friends, and always going out to eat somewhere fun after, usually IHop for the all-you-can-eat pancakes and scrambles eggs with sausage and bacon, me grapefruit juice and my grandma herbal tea. Another one of our favorites stores was Ross, where we would spend hours looking for picture frames, or trying on clothes and shoes.
At home, after once again trying on and experimenting with all of our purchases, we calmed down to another quiet movie with snacks. Sometimes we’d even sit at my grandma’s desk and sew some pajama pants. My grandma was skilled in sewing and caring for others, since she worked at a hospital and her mother had been an excellent mid-wife. One night while talking on the couch, my grandma told me how kind-hearted and compassionate towards others her mother had been – I could tell my grandma had developed those same attributes.
As we laughed the night away talking and barely watching the movie, my grandma and I had a blast together, like we always did. As I gradually fell asleep, I realized how grateful I was for my grandma, and the example she set for me. She had gone through many trials, and her positive attitude was really inspirational to me. She taught me more than she knew, and I hoped to one day be half of what she was.

BUSY BUSY BUSY

Ok, so sorry that I've missed a blog or two, but I've been having some serious computer problems at home for the past couple weeks. I am now at the Layton Library furiously typing away to quickly finish this blog before my 12 minute time limit runs out. I origonally had 30 minutes, but you won't believe it! I spent 18 freakin' minutes trying to guess my password! SHEESH! Don't laugh at me - this computer is retarted. I miss my computer at home :(. Anyway, they have some pretty advanced systoms at this library, and it's kind of impressive in a way. (PS, if I don't finish typing all 500 words, I promise I will get them all in at a later date, but I now have only 10 minutes to type). Anyhow, at this library, apparently if you want to get on the computer, you have to ask an employee for a special password slip, sign in at this high tech computer systom, decypher the code it gives to you tell what computer you are suppost to sit at, wait until the timer on high tech computer rings for you to start you time, find your computer, figure out what code on the password slip, and begin your 30 minutes session on a computer slower than a half turtle, half worm. To top it all off, you have to wait forever to get an available computer, and most the people here are messing around on their facebook accounts! It's maddening. GRR!

It is harder than you think to not have a working computer at home for a week or two, let me tell you. But, luckily, I've survived. (now 6 minutes left, and my wrist is killing me from all this fast typing!). I feel so dumb having to come to this library to do my homework, and having to type like a madman just to get it half done during the 30 minute time limit they give you. In reality, it's really only like 10 minutes, since you have spend so much time waiting for it to load the page! And THEN, I had to spend about 10 minutes guessing my own stupid passwords to not only my email, but my disscussion board account, and blogger account! Now with only 4 minutes left to type, I seriously hope that I have gotten in my 500 words, because my wrist is killing me! Then, to take up even more time, this stupid message keeps appearing on the screen saying, "SORRY. YOUR SESSION WILL END IN 3 MINUTES. PREPARE TO FINISH. Good idea. Sorry, I'll write more later, I promise!

Wasting Lives

I think that we teenagers now-a-days are real life-wasters. I mean, seriously? T.V., texting, FaceBook, and videogames? Big whoop. The pioneers walked several miles each day in covered wagons, starved, froze, and did everything by hand, while suffering discrimination and persecution. We have it easy, and boy are we whiners! "Dad, I need more than just 500 texts a month!". "Mom, I don't want to make my bed! It's my favorite T.V. show!". We are a bunch of wussies. We drive everywhere we go, not walk, we can call people by phone, not pony express, and when we want food we just have to call the Pizza place, not go hunting, and prepare and cook it ourselves! What lazies! Statistics say that the average American spends 4 hours of T.V. watching A DAY! Holy cow! Also, if you do 5000 or more texts a month, you spend up to 8 hours a week texting. What a waste! I personally think texting is stupid, thus why I told my mom and dad I didn't need a phone and they could keep their money and spend it on things more worth while. I mean, really? "Hi." 5 minutes later. "Hey, what's up?". 4 minutes later. "NM. u?". 6 minutes later. "Gtg. TTFN.". We have boring lives. But what really bugs me is when people flirt and send love texts. What ever happened to Romeo and Juliet, or even love letters, or talking in person? Texting is lame, lame and lame! And I haven't even gotten started on FaceBook. Of course, I, like many others, am guilty of owning a FaceBook account. Now, FaceBook isn't entirely bad; I can see why people get it to reunite with old friends, etc., etc., but when people spend 5+ hours a day looking at other people's photos and commenting on friends status' and taking quizzes and playing weird farm games, it's just stupid.

Also, I hate to admit it, but our school is a little too...lets just say some of the people working there have too much time on their hands. I mean, seriously? You get in trouble for wearing gloves in the morning 5 minutes after you get off the bus, you get yelled at for wearing shorts (not even kidding) 1/8 of an inch too short, and for carrying a bag! And, how could I forget? You're suddenly not allowed to have food from outside (wendy's, arby's) in the lunch room. So what if you can't make a home lunch so you go shopping? They really told me and my friend we couldn't eat subway in their lunchroom, and kicked us out. Plus, their food sucks, so they can't really boss us around. My mom told me that in her day they lunch people made their lunches by hand, and the only things you really got in trouble for were fighting, cussing, and skipping. Is it really nessisary to have a rule against having "outside food", or having a piece of hair a different color than your natural? Do we really need to get sent to ISS for happening to be tardy during a hall sweep? No way. What I'm getting at is, we teenagers waste our lives, but adults are helping. They treat us like they can't trust us with a dang thing, and never give us a chance.

DIARY OF AN O.C.D. FREAK

Yes, I hate to admit it, but I'm about as OCD as they come. Yes, I organize my books in alphabetical order, yes, my sheets and pillow case have to match, and yes, I always turn in my homework on time. No matter what.

Now, it was just these past few years that I realized just how O.C.D. I really am. I mean, when you can't leave the house to go to a party without checking the stove, all the straight irons, turning off all the lights, and saying a prayer to protect the house while you're gone, you know that you're O.C.D. It's a weird feeling, let me tell you. And sharing a room with a messy, cheerleader sister doesn't help anything. As soon as she comes home, onto the floor goes her clothes, cheer bag, shoes, garbage, homework - all in one big sloppy pile that will most likly remain at that post for the next week or two, until I force her to remove it or else. And I when I say "or else", she knows I mean "Do it now or I will personally make sure you never see anything in that pile ever again."

And about school - I have never had a missing assignment in all of my school days. In fact, "missing assignment" isn't even in my vocabulary. These are the facts: Most kids can come home and put off their homework until the last possible second, while I come home and refuse to even eat until everything has been properly completed. I have my own personal organizer to plan out my days, weeks, months and years. I write down all my schedules, appointments, homework, everything. I don't miss a single thing. And I know this sounds super weird, but one of my favorite stores is actually Office Max, or Wal-Mart. I just LOVE to shop for organization items, and look at all there is to look at. I love walking through isles of blank notebooks and different kinds of pens. I enjoy that kind of creativity stuff. I love marking books and tabbing them, etc. It's kind part of the O.C.D. kind of person I am. I could spend 1000's of dollars shopping at Office Depot instead of Aeropostle and whatever anyday! I love notebooks and writing things down and planning. Thus another reason why Franklin Covey is another one of my favorite stores. They sale all sorts of planners and journals. Barnes and Noble is also a store I could spend a day at. I love the little creative books, or sometimes just going through the isles looking at novels or journals. I'm not sure if this is caused by my O.C.D.ness, but it kind of all fits together in my life. :p I think I get it from my dad - he's the same way. He plans stuff out and love to shop for books and journals and things like that. My mom, not-so-much.

Is anyone else out there as O.C.D. as I am? Probably. But when I really think about it, they gave it the right name; disorder, and disorders are technically bad. I actually sometimes like it. It helps me keep my life in check and be organized! :)

MY FUTURE!

Well, today I decided to write about my future...what kind of stuff I want to accomplish, and things like that.

The next year: In the next year I want to graduate from Fairfield Jr. High School with a 4.0, as well as start high school at Layton High, keeping up with the same type of grades. I also want to travel to Connecticut this summer and go to court with my uncle (who is an attorney), since I want to be an attorney when I'm older. I also want to re-read the Book of Mormon and in the summer, recieve my Young Woman's Personal Progress medallion. In irish dance, I want to move up to the Preliminary level in all of my dances, if possible.

The next 5 years: In the next five years I want to be graduated from high school and going to college at BYU, studying law and english and dance. I want to have my driver's licence (since I'm TERRIFIED to drive), and be preparing to go on a LDS mission when I'm 21. I want to have saved up money so that I will be able to be ready to move on in my life in the near years.

So, ya. I know that's kinda vauge, but I'm sort of having a dead moment right now, where I can't really do any deep thinking. It sucks.

This summer, as I mensioned earlier, I am dying to go to Connecticut A) because I want to visit my 3 uncles and 2 cousins B) I want to go to court with my uncle so I can see if I really do want to become an attorney and C) To chill in a more humid climate and spend some time at the beach doing what ever I want to! Ha ha. Sounds good to me.

As for my LDS mission, I am so excited - I think it'd be so awesome, and such an amazing experience to go out into the world and teach people the gospel! I wouldn't care where in the world I was called...hopefully China! Maybe by then missionaries will be able to go there - the only down side is manderin sounds like a tough language to learn.

This summer, as I said, I want to earn my Young Woman's medallion. In the church, there's Young Woman's personal progress booklets, and the medallion is BEAUTIFUL! I would be so proud to be able to wear that around my neck and represent that I have conpleted personal progress!

In irish dance, Preliminary is the level before you are a champion. I love irish dance with all my heart, and it just sets me free! What really bugs me is when people make fun of it and try to imitate it by skipping around like an idiot moron, when really, irish dance is so much harder and more beautiful than that.

But...this weekend is my 15th brithday! I am way excited, except for the fact that everyone is going to be pressuring me to get my driving permit, which I refuse to do. I have 2 parents and an older sister to drive me around, so I think I am just fine!

CHRISTMAS VACA!

My Christmas Vacation was quite fantastic. I did a bit of my homework each day so that I wasn't all stressed out the last week, and had a great time relaxing with my family over the holidays.

For starters, I got the mini laptop that I wanted. I love it to bits. It has a deep red top, with all the latest softwares and technology. I absolutly adore working on it everyday. I also got a matching red wireless mouse to go along with it. I love them both.

Second, I finished reading all of my honors English books, which I mostly enjoyed. I really liked Pride and Prejudece, because it was a love story, and I of course worship love stories and chick flicks. <3>not read this book, or any others by Bradbury, because they're all the same; creepy, disturbing, confusing, and a little on the boring side. Look on my Shelfari for the complete reviews.

Also, I finished reading THE BOOK OF MORMON. It was great! So inspiring and I totally loved every minute of it. It took me four monthes to finish it, but it was all worth it! When I'm 21, I'm planning on going on a misson for The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It sounds like such a great adventure, and great to be sharing the true gospel to people around the world.

Another exciting event that took place during the vaca., was unburying a year-old time capsol my cousin and I buried last New Years Day on the side of a wheat/pumpkin field. Of course, we were stupid enough to bury it in a cardboard box, so the note that we wrote to ourselves was wet, withered, and unopenable. I was bummed. But at least our pieces of hair and the Dove wrapper and braclet were still intact, so, it wasn't a total loss. We're planning on making another capsol soon. They're a great bunch of fun to make, bury, and most of all, find.

Well, I must say that I'm writing about dozens of random subjects on this post, but I really do love to ride school buses. Trust me. They're one of the funnest things you will ever experience, well at least if you rode my school bus. It's bus #98, and it's filled with drama, weirdos that make everyone laugh, fighting and beating each other up, pranks, fire alarms going off for reasons far from even being related to fire, and laughing and yelling beyond being able to control. I love it. My friends and I laugh and pull pranks on people the whole ride there and home, and we laugh more than I laugh everywhere else put together. :)