Liberty Bell

This is one of the songs the choir I’m in sang last year. (Audio from the Sing of America concert)

My life’s a mess and the internet connection has gone wacko again. The way things are going I won’t be able to post for a bit. So I’ll hope to see you in a few days…

When I was about six/seven I wanted to hang out with my sisters (one’s six years older, the other’s 2 and eight months) and their friends. And I didn’t want to be the girl who pulled on their hands and asked to sit on their laps or pleaded for a piggyback ride. No, I wanted to be one of them. I was spoiled and young and I was wrong.

Needless to say, I drove my sisters crazy. They’d drum it into my head that I was too young and eventually I’d go away sulking.

I got older. I decided I didn’t need my sisters. I left them alone.

Then I had a birthday. One which kids long for and life for (before 21). I was a teenager. I was one of them. One of the people I had spent the last few years avoiding.

It’s hard to mend that kind of damage. I didn’t hate the others - I just didn’t know how to interact with them. The years I had spent by myself or with the little kids I had spent thinking. Sometimes dreaming, but thinking. Not about politics - not back then - but about life, school, how things work, why the world is how it is. Then I would dream of a better place.

The teenage groups I’m usually around think about movies, life, clothes, boyfriends - something I’m in no need of at this age, and not much else.

There’s a saying I know:

Small minds discuss people,
Average minds discuss events,
Great minds discuss ideas.

I’m not accussing them of being ’smallminded’ but I’m not comfortable with that kind of thinking.

I guess that’s part of what drew me, a teen, to political blogging. I’ve always held strongly to my opinions unless proven wrong in a debate (and then I’ll quickly learn more facts about the other side.) And the political blogosphere produced an atmosphere, that although I was (am…) towards the bottom, I’m expected to be thinking. About life, and what people can do to make life better. And then I care share my views with the world

I’m feeling horrible - well, not quite. With a 101.3 fever, pounding headache, and cough, I’m not feeling horrible but am definitely not feeling great. It’s the level where you not so sick you have to stay in bed. But you’re sick enough to feel um… horrible?

Enough on me. For those who are interested, my brother went to the USMC recruiting center today. It’s his fourth time, I think. He has another appointment tommorow.

update: My fever’s down to 100 something. Although I’m feeling a lot better, I don’t expect to properly post for another day or two. (Hopefully only one!)

*yawn* The competition was yesterday. The judges are nuts. And I’m tired.

A sleep schedule averaging 6 1/2 hrs. of sleep per night is not the best way to enter a competition. But I played well. The Brahms was better then I played it before, and the Bartok was pretty good.

I was awarded an unranked honorable mention. Definitly not what I was hoping for, but not bad.

The judges are still nuts.

The county winner was a ?12? year old boy, Thomas. He’s a short but good pianist - and on a good day (if he’s playing well) he would have deserved a honorable mention, or an alt.

He bombed his pieces. Correction, he forgot half of his first piece, starting a new, never-ending, have-I-heard-this-bit-before, variation on whatever composer he was supposed to be playing. After circling for quite a few minutes, he ended his piece with a rolled chord. (That’s the standard copout.) The second was good. At least the first part. Due to the time he spent circling, he didn’t have time to finish the second piece.

So while I still think Tom’s a good pianist, in my opinion he doesn’t deserve first place.

Other people placed weirdly, some good, some bad.

I don’t have time to go into all that.

I wish I had time to sleep.

As explained at Choir Geek I’m preparing for a piano competition taking place this Saturday. Due to the extra practice time, recitals, adjudications… I’ve not been able to spend as much time blogging. Hopefully actual posts written by me will appear after 7:00, Saturday evening.

Until then, expect quotes. You might even get quotes with pictures.

Recommended blogs to read:

ACYU: Articles by conservative teens. It’s newly formed and highly recommended.
Hello Iraq: Probably familiar to many of you - it’s a great blog.

I apologize, our family’s internet connection is having problems. With the problems with the net and also the competition I’m preparing for I haven’t had much time to spend on the Liberty Bell.

I will try to keep things updated as best as I can. The competition is not until March 4th, so I will be busy for a while.

Well, I’m in my room on my computer, in case you couldn’t tell! This time though, there’s a reason beyond being bored, or annoyed - wait, shouldn’t speak so soon. Because the cause of this self-exile was a result of an annoying substance - country music. Which happens to be playing fairly loudly in the living room right now.

So it’s not the most common annoyment factor. Who cares if nearly all my friends love the stuff. Country music should be confined to asylums or used to torment people, i.e., used on people already crazy, or on those you are trying to drive crazy. At least it drives me crazy!

There’s a phrase that goes something like ‘hear it once, you’ve heard it all.’ That phrase seems especially true of country music. The lyrics seem to focus on the dog, the truck, or the wife. Or the loss of the said above.

Still, it’s just my opinion. I would never kill, or even ‘dump,’ friends who love country music. I will abandon them when it’s playing. But as long as it’s not in my home, or on the soccer field, everything’s fine.

I am worried about my brother’s girlfriend. She likes country music and his hair… *shiver*

Btw, I’m a classic rock, hard rock, heavy metal person. Eagles, Aerosmith, Metallica, Queen, Guns n Roses… that’s music!! Yes, I might be crazy - but I don’t mind admitting it.

This is the paper I talked about. It’s a short paper telling why I believe Order is the most important of Franklin’s virtues. Any comments are deeply appreciated.

I believe Order is the most important virtue because of how it relates to the other virtues. Order affects the results of other virtues. When a person acquires a habit of being orderly, they have more time more to improve other areas in their life, and to enjoy the fruit that they bring.

There was an interesting article in Huffington Post comparing bloggers to punks. Worth reading. I don’t agree with everything he says, but it’s an interesting comparison - and I don’t have time to write more up today! sorry…

Anarchy in the USA: Are Bloggers the New Punks?