Grace Leonardi
Sunday June 7th, 2020
Yesterday I dyed my hair in my basement with my friend Brooklyn and it turned out a mess. I was trying to do mine pastel purple but it just ended up an ugly blonde tone. I guess that’s my luck.
We had been planning it for a day and a half and were finally ready. We spent all night watching tutorial videos and videos of successes and fails on YouTube so we would know what to do.
Brad Mondo helped us a lot and entertained us with his videos (reactions and tutorials) so when we tried to vlog it, we were hoping to get his opinion on our work. We didn’t end up vlogging it all the way through though, so the footage we did get will not be put out on the internet.
The two of us ventured to the store to buy the dye and succeeded with that. Brooklyn got blue and I got lavendar. We bought developer and bleach, as well as shampoo for color saving. When finished, we headed back home and to the basement to start making our hair beautiful colors.
Three hours later we realized that would probably not be the case. She did mine and I did hers. In the end, they both ended up looking pretty decent (not great, not terrible, and definitely not what we expected).
Overall it was fun and something I wouldn’t have wanted to experience with anyone else. Love ya Brooklyn!
Thursday June 4th, 2020
This week has been action packed to say the least. I’ve taken bike rides, camped out in a tent in my backyard and sewed stuffed animals at my grandma’s house. I’ve taken all week to think about and plan for this final blog of mine, and am finally ready to share my final words for the school year.
I’m going to keep it simple and informative because there are more important things to say then “I walked up to my local ice cream place and got soft serve, while going to the table to eat it, I spilled it all over myself”.
In a time like this where there is so much going on from COVID-19 to a civil rights movement and the devastating death of George Floyd and other unarmed innocent people, nobody wants or needs to hear about silly unimportant occurrences in my daily life; they need to hear this.
The world is ever changing and there will always be something going on, whether it be good or bad. The best way to live is to face the situation head on with a positive outlook. Each and every one of you has a bright future ahead and the universe has great plans for the coming time.
There are some very important issues going on currently that we need to bring awareness to but I am not in a position to talk about them because I have never walked in their shoes. Their lives are important and they deserve loads of respect for their strength and what they go through, but that aside, everyone should be treated equally in all aspects of life. The struggles that these people face are never going to disappear, but with the help of good humans, we can make it so there’s a significant difference on the daily.
I am doing my best to educate myself and advocate for the right cause and a future of respect and equality. Due to safety issues I have not been able to attend any of the peaceful protests but I do support what they stand for.
Be a good human and have a great summer š
Thursday May 28th, 2020
I stayed up all night and worked on my online Economics class and was kept company by one of my NYLT friends, who I talked to while I worked on my assignments.
We talked about everything from D&D to camping to life and school. It was very nice to talk to someone while keeping busy so that I didn’t zone out or fall asleep.
In the class we have less than two weeks left and I still have three chapters to complete. Big Rip. It’s time to spend every waking hour on this class so I don’t fail. Wish me luck haha
Wednesday May 27th, 2020
This week Iāve been doing a strict diet to lose some weight and I just blew it.
My mom and I are doing Dr.Kellyannās 10 Day slimming reset and cleanse. Green smoothies every morning, protein shakes in the afternoon and bone broth at night.
I went from 170 to 162 in six days and I think thatās pretty good. Though I messed it up quite a bit today getting ice cream after my chiropractor appointment, I believe that I can get back on track and get to my goal weight!
Tuesday, May 26th, 2020
I hope you all had a lovely Memorial Day Weekend! My family didn’t do much except bike rides and yard work, but the weather was amazing! John and I took a bike ride from our house to the Target Plaza and back which was about 6 miles! It was so hot outside but the ride itself wasn’t too difficult. We went to look for Peace Tea and a Hawaiian Shirt, which we found 50% of.
I will admit it was miserable in the store having to wear the mask and breathe into myself by default, and my seasonal allergies gave me quite the downfall because I sneezed the second we walked in the door from the outdoorness I had just ridden through. The looks I got from people were brutal. We walked to the back of the store to clothing to look for my Hawaiian shirt then traveled to the food area for the Peace Tea.
Annoyed with the masks, John was moping around as we looked for the tea. We searched every food and drink aisle- Target had no Peace Tea anywhere. We checked out and left to look someplace else for the tea. Riding our bikes down to CVS, we looked for the Peace Tea and they had none. Next, we went to Dollar Treasure because third time’s a charm, right? No! No it’s not, sadly.
The only place that we were certain carried it was 5below, which is closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I honestly feel bad, John just wanted some of that sugary goodness and ended up having to settle for a Cotton Candy Faygo soda, (which by the way tastes amazing!).Ā If I vlogged this, I totally would have called it “The Quest for the impossible treasure- Peace Tea” or something corny like that.
Thursday May 21st, 2020
Yāall please take my advice to heart. Appreciate the life you have. Everything that you have and appreciate. Everything you may take for granted.
All of the people in your life whether youāre close to them or just sit next to them in a class. Whether theyāre a lifelong friend or a middle school bully. Cherish every moment in your life.
I had a dream where everything I cared about (in a certain setting) was ripped away from me and there was NOTHING I could do about it.
Nightmares am i right?
I trust that it was just my mind being super messed up and mean for some odd reason but truly if that situation had been real my life would have been ruined.
I know what youāre thinking- in your head after reading that you either think im over exaggerating or over dramatic but imagine a living in a castle where meals are cooked for you and your bed is always made. Imagine having a significant other (of your gender preference) and being engaged to them.
Then think about losing all of that. Getting kicked out of your castle house, living on the streets, depressed and unsafe. Your fiancƩ left you for someone else and moved on without barely noticing the affect on you. How would you feel in the made up scenario I just put together for you?
That feeling is how I felt after waking up from that nightmare. Losing it all with no rebound and no way to get it all back no matter how hard you try.
It was thoroughly terrible. Moral of the story is appreciate your castle, whatever it may be or whoever it may be. Cherish every moment and never for a moment take advantage of it. Love the life you live.
Wednesday May 20th, 2020
I had a weird dream last night
I was on the upper level of the church connected to the north campus of my elementary school. A lot of familiar people, not from school or that school even but familiar from other things were also there.
The people near me as well as myself were hiding from something. The church service had just started when the guy next to me who I know from scouting told me his plan.
On three, we get up acting like weāre heading to the restrooms then as weāre heading down the ramp to the main level, we take the doors out and follow the tunnel down to safety. I didnāt remember a tunnel anywhere at north campus of the school but again this was a dream, so anything can happen.
Iām still not sure what we were hiding from but then I followed the plan and I bolted because they were coming for us. The choir started singing and the congregation stood up and joined in. This was the perfect time to get up and leave.
I ended up in either a mall or an airport (I couldnāt tell which one) but does that kind of make sense what it looked like. I saw another familiar face holding a magazine who told me to run then walked away slowly as if he knew what was about to happen.
My parents were calling me on my pink flip phone that was in my left back pocket and said to come back to church or else. I remember thinking that if I had to get out of there so bad that if I went back it would be torture or I would get in big trouble.
I wandered around this airport mall looking place for a while until they called my name over the PA system. I ran and hid in a bathroom stall. They found me. Whoever they were, whatever it is that I was running from was just a metal door away from me. Then I woke up.
Tuesday May 19th, 2020
This morning John and I made a donut run! We went to Tim Hortons in the rain and went crazy with our order.
A dozen donuts, two singles and two Iced Capps. The lady inside seemed confused at the order and asked me twice if I’m sure thatās what I want in which case I said yes. Who would imagine a teenager spending over $25 on donuts?
Iām convinced she charged me extra though because singles are 99 cents, small Iced Capps are somewhere between $3 and $4, and the dozen was supposed to be $9.99. That doesnāt add up and she didnāt give me a reciept. Nothing I can do about it now though.
Donuts are great!
Monday May 18th, 2020
today I had my first Drumline sectional for bassline 2020! We met in a pavilion at Riverbends and each grabbed our own picnic table to stay distanced.
It was pouring rain in pretty gloomy but we made the best of the time that we had there. We have three members new to bassline, one new to Drumline altogether and two bassline veterans.
On the way to practice, I picked up Maddie and we had a few extra minutes, so we hit Tropical Smoothie. It was a wild ride there; we ordered and the guy didnāt give us the total until we got to the window and i was 75 cents short so I had to change the order last minute.
Thatās like the most embarrassing thing to have happen at a drive through, but the guy was so nice. He gave us the full sized smoothies and we paid for the small ones. He is an angel and our savior of the day! That man deserves an award or a raise or something!
Once we got there, and waited for the rest of the team to show up we caught up ā it had been so long since weāve seen each other and it was really nice to get to talk to her again. Sean was the next one who arrived and the three of us radiate crackhead energy together which will make for a great bassline this year!
Once practice started, we worked on warmups and got them down, taught out new member how to mark time and learned half of the cadence. A very successful rehearsal and a great time overall! We accomplished so much and Iām very excited for how this season will turn out and am very proud of us as a group.
I will say I tried that cringey bonding (in the rain) thing and it really didnāt work, I looked like an idiot but thatās okay cause I do most of the time anyway haha.
Hereās to a successful first practice and a great season with my section- who have the best self titled co-section leaders ever!
Friday May 15th, 2020
Happy Friday everyone! I hope everyoneās week went well!
This week I attended a virtual orientation class for the New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts (NYCDA) to get ready for the summer intensive program I am taking with them this summer.
During the class, the film and television students as well as the musical theatre students were taken on a mini lesson experience with NYCDA staff mimicking what the classes will look like this summer.
The call was on Zoom and there were about 50 people in there. What a fun experience!! I canāt wait for the actual program this summer.
Thursday May 14th, 2020
Phineas and Ferb always knew how to seize the day. No matter how boring the world may have been on any particular day, they would make the most of it-and from their backyard.
We (in quarantine) should think like Phineas and Ferb. Build a rocket, fight a mummy, climb the Eiffel tower. Discover something that doesnāt exist or give a monkey a shower.
Maybe not those things or to that extreme, but be creative and make your own fun. Whether its on a FaceTime call with friends, alone or with your family there are so many possibilities of things to do.
Think like an animated teenage boy with a triangle head and youāll never be bored!
Tuesday May 12th, 2020
I now realize my comment yesterday about DC and Marvel could raise some trouble so I’m going to get this out of the way here. Yes I am aware that there are tons of things in the DC Universe outside of Arrowverse, and I have watched a few others, just not significantly enough to be able to talk about on a blog.
I do plan to widen my viewing horizons as soon as I have time. My comment yesterday was just My Opinion and it is not fact, just my opinion. Lots of times people confuse opinion with fact, and may think somebody was stating some wrong fact when it was just their opinion. My opinion was not meant to harm or aggravate anyone. I will do my comment justice and my opinion still holds.
DC is better than Marvel. (just my opinion)
Monday May 11th, 2020
Gooooooood Morning Utica High School and extended family/any viewers on here. I’ve unintentionally been silent the past week (for my blogs) and I feel really bad about it, but at this point there is nothing I can do except wait for time travel to become mainstream.
Last weekend on my birthday, I ordered a Wii game called Karaoke Revolution: Glee EditionĀ and it’s supposed to be coming in the mail today! I am so excited for it and can’t wait to sing along with all my favorite Glee songs from season one!
I started watching The Flash last weekend and am now on season two! I have never really been a huge superhero or comic person, but I will say that the DC shows have me hooked! I watched all of Legends of Tomorrow a while ago and really enjoyed it. Now that I’m invested in The Flash, I think I can consider myself a true DC fan!
I have watched a few episodes of Supergirl and intend to start that as soon as I finish Flash followed by Arrow. I could definitely become a super fan very soon. I’ve already sunken into the interview and YouTube research rabbit hole (which comes naturally when entering any fandom correctly). I’ll be sure to update you guys as I continue in the process and become more addicted to these shows!
My verdict stands that DC is better than Marvel.
I’ve tried getting into Marvel stuff before and it’s just not as good.
Sunday May 10th, 2020
Happy Mothers Day to all the moms and grandmas out there! I hope your day is filled with love, joy and family and that you each feel as loved and appreciated as you make your kids feel!
On another note, my little brother turned 15 today! He’s all grown up and taller then I’ll ever be (hahaha). we’ve been through so much- years of great times and some not-so-great ones. As much as I would love to share embarrassing John stories on a public website for the whole internet to read, I will be a kind sibling and save him the unease. Happy birthday john, love you <3
Thursday April 30th, 2020
ITS elections are coming up and iām super excited! Theatre is basically my entire life and where the majority of my positive highschool memories take place!
Theatre has been such a positive community and family to me since the first day I walked in that room, and I would be honored to be able to serve them as their secretary for the next school year.
There are some other amazing people also running for that job and to be truthful no matter what happens I will be so excited and supportive for whoever winds and know that theyāll do great next year!
One thing I have to do that Iām pretty worried about this campaign for the position. We are supposed to make a video telling everybody why we would be best for the job but if you know me you know that I donāt like talking about myself.
I personally think Iāve gotten creative with my video enough that I donāt have to promote myself foresay but show them what I can do. Wish me luck everyone!!
Monday April 27th, 2020
Happy Monday Everyone!! Hereās a quick update on life for you all, quarantine has been rough just like before but Iām getting more used to online schooling. I am still non-stop listening to the Jonathan Larson project, I just started listening to Tick, Tick…BOOM!, The weather was really nice today so I spent a little bit of time outside.
Drumline auditions are coming up soon and I am so nervous but Iāve been practicing hours every day. My chops are nowhere near where I want them to be and I am honestly scared for auditions and the results of them. My heights arenāt great and my marching isnāt the best. Like- I know the technique but just have A decent amount of trouble carrying it out, and staying in attention cause of the ADHD and other similar problems I have which Iām not comfortable putting out online.
I have been doing everything I can to make tenorline this year and thatās my goal for this school year (if it doesnāt happen, I do have other goals too haha, this is just the one Iām focusing on right now).
Our theme this year is Piano Men!! I am pretty excited about it and know itās going to turn out amazing! We get to do a Billy Joel medley, an Elton John medley and songs from Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder!
Im so excited for this marching band season and am super happy with my senior theme! I am sad that we wonāt get a real band camp this year though. Pretty disappointed I wonāt get to spend a night crying at the tree or get to experience senior bowling or figure out a nonviolent and appropriate senior prank.
Thursday April 23rd, 2020
Staffing NYLT is an experience that has truly changed my life for the better!
You see the content and the lessons from a whole new perspective and learn a lot more about everything you were taught the year prior. NYLT has allowed me to be authentic and enthusiastic to the extreme!
The Grace Leonardi that those participants met and spent a week with was more me than I think Iāve ever been. My enthusiasm blew the participants minds for the better and I showed confidence that I didnāt even know I had in me.
Being able to come out of my shell like that and be authentic while also playing the roll of a responsible leader and role model was such a fun thing to do and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity.
The amazing people Iāve met through staffing NYLT have become some of my best friends who I talk to almost every day and make time/travel a distance to hang out with as they do for me!
Last year as the tech, I got the chance to interact with each of the participants and have real conversations with them. I was an outlet for them to be able to connect with staff and keep them awake.
Iāve been told by a few participants that I was the genuine human connection they looked forward to seeing and talking to each day in between presentations, which melted my heart with joy.
I also gave them a taste of home by playing music for them and starting frequent dance parties. I was able to take something from theatre and apply it to them, which was sort of my legacy with the participants.
I changed the way they looked at Fireflies by Owl City by combining it with a special version of the dance for the Macarena.
This year as a Troop Guide I will have a different impact on participants, being able to personally mentor them as a leader and someone theyāll be able to put their trust in and learn from.
As a Troop Guide, I am assigned a patrol to work with and help give the life lessons and leadership lessons for the week. I will be able to connect with them on a personal level and allow them to feel okay to make mistakes but learn from them and become a team.
One of the things I am most excited about as a Troop Guide is getting to know my patrol and being able to bring them close during the ethical decisions campfire.
I am being careful not to give too much away about the course itself, but to wrap up; NYLT has changed my life and if youāre in scouting, I strongly recommend taking it because it will open you up to so many opportunities and experiences you canāt get anywhere else.
Go to NYLT!!!
Wednesday April 22nd, 2020
NYLT. An acronym not familiar to many, but to those who are familiar with it, has a very special meaning. National Youth Leadership Training is a summer camp put on by the BSA (Boy Scouts of America) that teaches scouts meaningful life lessons on team development and the ability to work with and form a team with strangers, teaches them leadership techniques and skills as well as practical first aid and basic scouting skills.
I took NYLT as a 15 year old at Silver Trails Scout Reservation (may it rest in peace) in 2018 and it turned out to be one of the best decisions Iāve ever made, along with trasnferring to Utica. (My two best decisions ever)
Iām going to be 100% honest, I was super hesitant on going and still pretty new to scouting when I went, but the experience changed my life for the better!
I had a super rough week out there from waking up covered in spiders to having to carry a 20lb rock on a 5 mile hike to tripping on my shoelace and spraining my wrist to the bone. (which still hasnāt completely heales in case you were wondering)
I have a habit of getting hurt a lot, and when I sprain things, they always end up worse than they should be. Every bone Iāve sprained has ended up a deep tissue sprain or a sprain on the bone which can take months to heal if youre lucky.
But thatās not what itās all about. Itās not about what little things happen throughout the week, its about your overall growth and the things you learn being able to be applied to real life.
My participant year at course was messy, but what made it worth it was seeing all the things we learned throughout the week come into play in a real situation.
Iāve probably told this story a thousand times but itās something iām very proud of and is a moment that I go back to for peace or when Iām struggling with something.
Picture a forest, the sky is dark but the stars are bright. You and five others are in a field in the forest around a small campfire. You had been fighting with each other for hours beforehand, pretty bad fighting, and everyone was involved and is to blame for at least part of what happened.
None of that matters though, youāre all angry at each other. You take 20 minutes to cool off in your respective tent (about 50 feet away-ish) then meet back in the center and make a fire together. everybody is quiet while youāre making the fire, my mind was racing and thinking about all the things I had done wrong that day and how I felt so bad about all of it and wished I could take it back. I canāt say the same for everybody else because Iām not in their heads, but I know it was similar. I know that because of what happened next.
We all sat down. Six strangers around a fire. Six strangers who have been forced for the last seven days to become a family.Ā The conversation lasts hours, everybody pause the hearts out, tells everything thatās on their mind, all their baggage and life story and we support each other.
We talk and talk and talk. Talk about our outlooks on the universe, our personal beliefs, our families and our lives up to this point. We cry, we hug, we all have a mutual respect and care for one another. We forgive each other and talk all of our problems out.
Then once everything is said that needed to be said, we stand. Huddle up and with our arms around each-other and we look at the stars. We enjoy the simplicity of the moment. The sound of crickets, of our fire burning, the stillness and peace around us.
We called it our ākumbayaā moment. Before heading to bed after an emotional night, we collectively agreed that the next day when we wake up weāll put everything behind us and be the perfect team.
We could do anything. This proved that everything the course was supposed to show us worked and that we, as a team were finally at the Performing stage.
Stay Tuned for tomorrowās blog – NYLT part two, Staffing!
Tuesday, April 21st, 2020
The government travel ban was extended to the end of june so im not able to go to NYCDA.
Iām a little bit heartbroken not gonna lie. I auditioned and had a scholarship to their Summer Intensive Musical Theatre program and was going to go.
Itās a 4 week program in New York City that would have earned me 6 college credits and an experience at the New York Conservatory, a real theatre and film (acting) college, the one that I plan on applying to for real next year!
This is an opportunity of a lifetime to be able to go live in NYC for a month and learn more about musical theatre in professional Acting, Singing and Dancing classes. I still have a touch of hope that maybe itāll all get resolved rather quickly and iāll be able to go but I know its very unlikely.
People say Broadway dreams are unrealistic and will never come true but I wonāt let that stop me from trying and giving it my all! Hopefully iāll see you soon NYC and eventually Broadway (if and when I work my way there)!
Monday, April 20th, 2020
Graceās log, day 38 of corona quarantine. The sun is shining, the wind is blowing and itās going to snow tomorrow. Where else on earth can you get all four seasons in one day but our wonderful home, Michigan.
Iām one speck on a humongous earth that is right now are going through the exact same thing that I am. Think about it, here I am on my couch, in my house, in Rochester Hills, Michigan, the United States of America, the continent of North America, western hemisphere, the earth, the universe and weāre all a part of it. I find it so interesting to hear everybodyās story and to think of mine from an outside view.
Itās cool to take a step back once in awhile and look at yourself from the outside, your story. Your life. The people who impacted you along the way for better or worse, the experiences you love to think back to and some you wish you could forget. Look from the outside and see how much youāve grown, how much potential you have and whatever it is that youāre passionate about, see yourself as you really are, not somebody that you want others to think they see. I feel as if Iām just rambling bits of my brainās ālittle wisdomā, so Iāll fill you guys in with my weekend.
Over the weekend, I baked peanut butter cookies from scratch, dyed my hair and practiced drumming! The weekend itself was slow but when I look back at it we did quite a few things. Though the week before went fast. Very fast. In a way I hope that this week will go similarly fast but that instead I will get to savor each moment for what it is.
And thatās what you missed
Friday, April 17th, 2020
Sometimes I wonder what my blogs would look like if my daily life was simply interesting. Would I struggle to find something to write about? Would it come so naturally? Who knows?
What I do know is that psychologically this quarantine and being home so often is messing with my brain. Itās weird because on one hand, living at home is a lot more lenient on a schedule and should be easier than normal school. I can take naps whenever I want, so thats a plus; but on the other hand, itās really difficult not to see everybody every day.
I find that as the days go by I get more and more withdrawal symptoms for school. I miss it a lot. Anyway, I donāt want to make this whole blog boring and another day of me complaining about missing school. I want to give you readers something interesting to read. Sometimes my life is like that but not every day.
My family (as a whole)ās life on the other hand is crazy! Looking at the four of us compared to other families, we do have somewhat of a ādark cloudā. We joke around with our friends that if we all had GoProās 24/7 the footage would be a hit online because of all the random things that happen to us on the daily.
We call it Bein Leonardi and as silly of an idea as it is, we do have instances often that you would hear about and laugh at. From my momās interactions at work to my dadās silliness to my clumsiness and my brother and his friend group, between all of us, we have constant something going on.
Today I didnāt watch any TV, which is pretty surprising but I did bake cookies!! It was my first time baking alone and first time baking from scratch (not from the box) and it was a little bit rough but the cookies turned out really good and were worth it!!
Also iāve been constantly listening to the Jonathan Larson Project album and those songs are so good!! I also have a Glee playlist which has been my go-to recently!
Thursday, April 16th, 2020
Today has been super eventful! Wake up, log onto schoology and start my daily assignments. At 10am I had a theatre zoom call and it was really nice to get to see Mr.K and Mathis. Iāve really missed them since school got out.
One of the simple things I look forward to every day at school is walking into the drama room just to say hi or for lunch or class. Then at 11am I logged on to another zoom call, this one for AP Stats! We talked about the AP test and things going forward for our class the rest of the year.
Today I was also able to do something good for my own mental health and for others. I went and visited a few of my friends after I had lunch today. I texted a few people that I would be out and I stopped by their houses and we talked for a while through my car window from a safe distance!
It was really nice to see them all and I feel a lot more warm and fuzzy inside now after seeing everyone! I miss seeing people every day and talking to people face to face. Im telling you all, when we get out of here, nobody better ever take advantage of being able to talk to people face to face, or give someone a hug.
Another thing that happened today is that the Jonathan Larson Project was aired on youtube! Jonathan Larson was a an American Tony Award-winning composer and playwright from NYC. (He wrote the musicals Rent and Tick, Tick…Boom!) Jonathan Larson died young and didnāt get to see his own musicalās opening night (Rent).
The Jonathan Larson Project showcased his never-before-heard songs at the 54 Below bar in New York. The five very talented singers: George Salazar, Andy Mientus, Lauren Marcus, Krista Rodriguez and Nick Blaemire brought his setlist to life in a tribute to his music. The original concert from October 2018 was recorded and streamed today for all audiences to see. Iām lucky I was able to watch the recording tonight and so glad I did!
After that ended, I also watched the Disney sing along thing hosted by Ryan Seacrest and well, lets just say I didnāt refrain from singing along, even if my family was watching TV in the other room.
Wednesday, April 15th, 2020
Today is somewhat of a random day. It is tax day. Tax day is not a day when taxes are due, but the day you must file your tax return. I didnāt know that and was under the impression that it just meant to pay your taxes. But our taxes arent actually due today. The coronavirus outbreak is the cause of this ānot-so-taxesā day.
It also snowed…in April. A week ago it was sunny, warm and beautiful, almost like summer but today it had to snow. The day I had to drive to Birmingham for a doctors appointment and the roads were white and slippery. The cold whiteĀ Ā dust in the air made it hard to see and had my windshield wipers working out for sure.
My brother told me that he had never heard a song from wicked. A little disappointed, I stopped at a red light, pulled over and turned on the soundtrack, blasting the speakers and belting every last note until we got there. We were thirty minutes early for that appointment, so I made him stay in the car and listen to the majority of tue soundtrack. As Dancing Through Life ended and Popular began, I got a call from my aunt who talked to me a little bit about Glee, which I finished today.
The final episode was so emotional and I was struggling to hold back tears the whole episode. In the last scene, when Sue stepped off the stage and introduced the New Directions, the music started and it happened. Bursting out of my face were a boatload of tears that didnāt stop for 20 minutes. I was crying for so long I was late for dinner.
Iām going to have to go back and rewatch that part once I put myself back together cause i missed it cause I couldnt see through the tears. The show is over and now it feels real. Itās time to restart it and rewatch all of these characters grow up again!Ā
Tuesday, April 14th, 2020
āItās finally come time to pay the piperā My dad said this afternoon after he hung my guitar and ukulele on my wall. During this break from school Iāve found that a lot of things are getting done that we put off saying āweāll do it eventually, when we have timeā.
Room cleaning has been big on the list of things to do while youāre off of school as people are getting sick from corona. Iāve spent countless days on cleaning different sections of my room and a little closet corner I have right outside of my room. Iāve been working on it a while now and it still isnāt complete, but itās getting really close.
Itās the time to do what we always say that weāll do later.
Also, Itās my momās birthday and we surprised her with some friends pulling their cars into our driveway and having social distanced cake and wine! The look on her face when she heard the car horns and came out to some of her best friends standing in the driveway with their cars decorated was the best possible reaction and I believe was a great social experience for all of us in this time. Yay!!
Monday April 13th, 2020
Today I tried something new. My detailed personal schedule was nice, but planning out every minute of my day made me go crazy.
I didnāt think that would happen when I made it. Itās like Iām under the reign if past me was a major control freak. So, Iāve decided to update my schedule!
From now on, I will be following the time table of a normal school day, except sleeping in a little longer cause I donāt have far to go. With the school year being permanently moved to be at home and online, I should technically be less stressed, which I hope is the case in the upcoming weeks, but how exactly will online schooling work?
We have Schoology, but how will we be graded-or taught? Iām not good at learning by myself. I hope not having a teacher around wonāt affect my intake of new information too much, or worse-affect my grade. I just want to do everything I can to be successful in this COVID-19 infected world.
Friday, March 27th, 2020
Well gang, Weāve reached the end of week two and itās been tough. From the beginning I was disappointed that we wouldnāt be able to go to school every day. It keeps me active and alive.
I think we all took for granted the daily interactions we have with teachers and our peers in school. I donāt have many friends at school, but I miss everybody. Seeing the faces and the energy and excitement that each class brings.
I miss my teachers and their passion for doing their jobs and taking care of us every day. I miss the awful crowded hallways and the aggravation I feel when walls of people walk slowly and turn around abruptly to run straight into me like im invisible.
All the things I thought iād never miss, and all the people who barely even talk to me- theyāre all I can think about and all that I wish I could go back to.
Ive heard that we may not go back the rest of the year and honestly Iām very upset. I canāt even imagine what its like for the seniors, wondering about graduation, prom, senior skip day and the rest of the senior privilege holidays.
We may complain about school, but itās an important part of all of our lives and allows us to make the best of every day.
Thursday, March 26th, 2020
Music makes my world go round. The emotions and feelings that come with different types of music are out of this world!
I have always been a music person but right now I want to focus on not music as an art but the music itself and how it makes a difference in daily lives.
When youāre happy what do you listen to, happy songs? When youāre sad, what type of music do you listen to? How does it make you feel? When youāre in a really lovey-dovey mood and feel romantic what do you to capture the essence of how you feel?
When youāre angry how do you harmlessly express that? When youāre in a confident mood, what do you listen to? There is music for all types of emotions that help cultivate the feeling inside.
Music helps me through everything- sickness and health, joy and sorrow, gets me through anxiety attacks and confrontations. Every day in life I use music to not only express myself but as a part of myself that I am closest to.
Wednesday, March 25th, 2020
Thereās nothing quite like waking up to yelling outside your window. This has been the case for the past few days in my house. The construction workers outside are putting in gas lines for the new road theyāre going to build. They yell at the top of their lungs so they can hear each-other over the loud machines theyāre using to destroy our front yard.
Their plan is to build a 5 Lane Highway in front of my house, taking up the majority of the front yard. Currently thereās only a two lane road (which is completely OK and does not need to be changed at all). Itās a pointless project and a waste of taxpayer money. Theyāre going to start the project, take years to complete it and itās not even going to be useful or turn out the way they want it.
This ānew and improvedā road is taking away 1/3 of our front yard and that makes me pretty sad. We have three trees in front of our house that weāve had forever. Throughout my life it is grown from 6 inches tall to close to 8 feet tall. They act as a barrier to some of the road noise and a symbol of my growing life.
The house will never feel the same or look the same without the trees. I feel theyāre a part of me thatās being ripped away. I grew up with these trees and the road workers are just going to take them, destroy them and kill them, and there is nothing I can do about it.
Tuesday, March 24th, 2020
Family game night! A phrase often heard on late night family comedy TV shows or commercials for the newest Hasbro game.
My family used to do game nights a lot when I was in elementary school, but havenāt done them since. We made time to start it up again with the way this break is going and the length of it!
My parents taught me and my brother how to play Euchre and we played a few rounds. Its a super fun game and now we are prepared for adult life in the midwest!
Euchre is a 4 player partner card game where the object is (usually in real life) to win bragging rights over friends and family. Everybody gets 5 cards and a partner.
Together you have to win at least three tricks: rounds where everybody puts a card in the middle and the highest card wins. Three tricks gets the team one point and a team wins when they reach 10 points.
Theres one thing that makes it even harder, nobody is allowed to talk, so team communication is virtually impossible.
Overall, family game night was fun and Iām glad we were able to do it!!
Monday, March 23rd, 2020
Itās only week two and I feel like Iāve been doing this for a month.
Living at home every day and doing work is kind of like laying in a metaphorical bed of nails
Youāre in a spot that is super comfortable ā a bed, a place too comfortable to bring work to, and when it comes time for it itās a lot easier to take breaks.
For this to get successful you need people who are driven and honest with themselves or on top of themselves because when youāre working any longer than six hour day from home it takes so much more effort than if you were to go to school. There are distractions everywhere as well as a tempting environment where youāre used to being able to do whatever you want
Tomorrow we start a government issued quarantine. How about that. I find it almost hard to believe that people were so busy partying with their friends or flooding the beaches of Miami for Spring Break that they ignored the people on the news who are constantly repeating these two phrases:
Social distancing and wash your hands, use a high five or elbow bump instead of a hand shake exc. these same people are posting online saying the same things but they wouldnāt even stay in their own houses. If people wouldve been a little smarter and listened, this may not have happened.
Saturday, March 21st, 2020
Self worth is the word of the day.
Theres this thing going around instagram where you post a picture of yourself and tag 10 people so they can do the same. It seems kind of silly but its a great thing for confidence cause the little things can really make a difference.
The point of it is to spread positivity and to let everyone know they matter and that theyāre beautiful. The shared quote on the posts is similar to āAll too often, women put each-other down or criticize each-other. This behavior must be unlearned. The world is unkind, if we donāt support each-other, no one willā #womensupportingwomen
Last night I was talking to one of my friends and the arc of our conversation was self worth. How the only opinions that matter in the end are your own. That in making any important decision, think of you, your well being, your safety and what will be the best for you.
Self worth is something that not many people in society have today. I know I donāt. I find it very hard to see myself, hear my name without feeling ashamed or feeling ugly or worthless or fat exc. self worth is something I need to work on.
Iāve realised its essential for mental and physical health
Friday, March 20th, 2020
Day 5 of coronacation and I have absolutely no idea what to blog about. The past three days have been so easy but with little to no outside human interaction, iām finding it hard to think of what to write.
Thereās really nothing going on in my life. I am doing homework and working on classes, I am practicing for the SAT, Iām wearing pink narwhal socks and have major blogging writers block.
I wonder what it would be like to write about nothing. If nothing could be something, and that something could be enough to entertain readers until I think of something better. But there is no nothing, because nothing is something. Even having nothing to say, thatās saying something.
The word nothing can be defined as an adjective or an adverb. Nothing as an adjective is defined as having no prospect of progress; of no value. Nothing as an adverb means not at all. both nothings describe something… Something that Iām writing about right now.
Iām struggling. This break, this social isolation business is messing with my head.
Thursday, March 19th, 2020
If this break has done anything for me, this will probably be the most memorable. One word. GLEE. Countless hours of episodes, songs and awesome storylines await me just around the corner!
I will admit and Iām not too happy about it but I started this show VERY late in life, and I wish I couldāve started earlier. Netflix has blessed me with the opportunity to experience this and be able to binge it!!
In case youāre not familiar with the show, glee follows a group of students at William McKinley high school in Lima, Ohio beginning in 2011. Theyāre all part of a student singing group āthe glee club, run by Spanish teacher Mr. Will Schuester.
They face hate from almost everybody in the school and are a group consisting of people from all school classes and groups. though they get pushed down all the time, they keep singing and keep going! They sing multiple times each episode, every day and get sabotaged frequently by cheerleading coach and school bully Sue Sylvester.
Watching this makes me think a few things ā One, I wish my school had a glee club. Being able to do that every day and perform alongside people who love singing as much as I do, being up on stage and compete against different schools from all around in sharing a passion sounds SO COOL!
Two, watching this wonderful show sitting at home, Iāve realised how much I miss being at school every day, interacting with everyone, hanging out in the drama room every morning, during lunch and having the occasional singing hour.
I miss band class every day, walking in and saying good morning to Mr.Bays, asking him what song weāre going to play and setting up for the percussion section. I miss coming into Mr.Kās room 6th hour and taking attendance, and working on scenes or monologues/whatever fun project were assigned for the week. I miss looking forward to rehearsal after school each day. I miss the arts and the privilege we have [with them] at Utica.
Food for thought. Iām on season three and will most definitely continue watching during my scheduled TV time over break. Iāll keep you all posted
Wednesday, March 18th, 2020
I donāt understand the big deal with the toilet paper rush. The aisles in the stores are EMPTY and people are acting like animals fighting over the rolled tissue we use every day!
I recently reconnected with some of my friends from around the country who used to be my penpals and weāre going to start writing to each other again! I feel that having penpals is a great idea because it not only allows for communication outside of the phones, but also allows for a different type of interaction between people. There is something cool about seeing their handwriting on a tangible piece of paper and knowing they are talking to you.
I proudly admit that whenever I get a letter in the mail from a friend, I get really excited like a kid on Christmas morning, and it lasts a lot longer than a text or a phone call. We do text and call each-other pretty often, but the letters that we send back-and-forth make a lot more impact for me at least.
Another pro side to talking to people from all over the country is that we get to see the effect that it has on people all over and expand the perspective from just sitting at home in my Michigan house.
My friend from Texas says that down there, they are limiting how much people buy from stores of anything (foods, toilet paper and all purchasable goods exc.) and controlling their supply with like- actual guards, and my friend from California says itās about the same as it is here with every storefront being a free-for-all.
My old neighbor who now lives in Vegas recently told us that the strip there is like a ghost town. Everything is shut down, eerie and dark.
My cousin in Florida told me that there are people walking around all over with masks on, if you cough at all you get looks from everyone and there are an equal amount of people who are freaking out to the ones who think everybody else is overreacting. Down there, some stores have been closing early to clean from all the chaos and restock and similar to here, are out of soap, hand sanitizer, tissues, toilet paper and some food products.
If Iām being honest, I really was not excited for this break. Call me weird or whatever youād like to, but being in school gives me purpose.
When I heard that we were having four weeks off, I was devastated and ready to throw a chair. As much as I donāt like being in school, staying at home gives the opportunity to lose out on what life has to offer. Staying at home is already limiting my contact and interaction with others, which I would usually get at school no problem. Another thing that staying at home prevents me from doing is furthering my learning.
I feel as if after this break we will all have more appreciation for being able to get up every morning and come to school, to be presented with new information to expand our minds and help transform us into the people we will eventually become as adults.
All of that is part of the reason I made myself that detailed schedule for over break, I didnāt want to lose my sense of purpose and my sense of life. Getting up and doing things, staying in a schedule is as close as I can get to being at school and will do me some good when it comes to going back.
As day three of coronacation continues, I will keep on my schedule and update you all here if anything crazy happens.
Tuesday, March 17th, 2020
Itās day two of our coronacation and Iām a day behind on my blog.Ā
Both of my parents, as well as my brother, are working from home and I have yet to get any time on the computer connected to wifi.Ā
Right now, I am texting this blog to my digital editor-in-chief, who will then post this for me on our site.Ā The struggle is real.Ā
I have made a detailed schedule for myself having to do with this unforeseen break so I can combat my lingering laziness and give myself a purpose.Ā
Iāll give you guys a run through of my daily schedule: my first alarm will go off at 8 oāclock and there will be multiple spaced out every seven minutes until 9am, all playing different showtunes that will progressively get more intense to make sure I wake up.Ā
Iāve scheduled myself until 9:30 am to roll out of bed and eat breakfast. After breakfast I have scheduled to practice Khan Academy for my core classes and the SAT.Ā
At 11 oāclock, I have set to work on my Econ class, and lunch at 12:30 pm. At 1:30 I have scheduled an hour to practice drumming, practice for the musical and write (in any order and the amount of time of each per day varies within the hour). At 2:30 pm I begin my mandatory break in which case I will nap, watch Netflix or do something on my phone.Ā
At 4 oāclock I plan to clean my room to keep it organized throughout the break.Ā at 5 oāclock, I read. I know it sounds silly, but I think itās important to section a little bit of time to reading each day. At 6 oāclock (roughly) I schedule a dinner break, lasting until 7:15 when I plan to work out (via just dance or YouTube workout videos).Ā
At 8 oāclock I give myself 15 minutes to go outside and enjoy some fresh air, showering immediately after.Ā I have free time until 10:00 pm when I do a bit of yoga and then meditation. I plan to go to bed around 11 to keep myself healthy over this break.