A fantastic weekend

For the past month, I have been telling myself that the weekend I am experiencing right now could either be the best weekend of my life, or the very worst. It turned out better than I ever dreamed it could.

The obstacles I was to face this weekend seemed dark and ominously tall all throughout this week. I knew my birthday would be fun (it was my sixteenth; it had to be!), but I was dreading the thought of a Learner’s Permit test for which I had not had the time to study for. If I were to fail it, all would be lost and I would feel like such a loser. The day after my birthday was the biggest meet of the year; the meet every cross-country runner nervously looks forward to all season. I craved the thought of finishing the race and knowing that I had successfully reached my goal of making it to the state championship meet.

Well as you, the reader, very well know, the whole Learner’s Permit did not work out, and I couldn’t have prayed for a better miracle. I was disappointed at the time, sure, but then the weekend took off. I had received the check I had desperately been waiting for for two weeks that day (aka my birthday) and I could finally buy my new iPod. But, first, I had a race in my way.

My race was the last one of the day on a course I truly despise. I ran the best race of my life yesterday. I started out in the right spot and moved up from there. I finished 4th overall, though technically it was 3rd. I almost got a personal record and beat my time from last year at this same course by well over a minute. I got to the chute and screamed “I’M GOING TO STATES!” Friday was an awesome – though nerve-wracking – day. After years of narrowly missing the opportunity to go to States, I made it. And boy, was my daddy proud of me.

Today, I purchased my new iPod (and dubbed her Persephone – I decided that she was a girl) and even though I bought a new iPod, I went off and bought a case for good ol’ Pandora just so she wouldn’t get mad. I know, I’m referring to inanimate objects as if they were animate – get used to it. Right now I’m listening to a large range of music thanks to the computing power of this monster of an iPod. (Sorry, Pandy!)

I got home from the shopping charade to find another check for me to cash and then we had my family birthday party. I got the portfolio I have been wanting and can’t wait to put it together.

Oh, and I got a cell phone. No biggie for most kids, because, you know, most kids have had them since they were, like, five, but, this is a big deal for me. This will be the first cell phone ever to come into my possession. That’s right, I am now sixteen years old and still don’t own a cell phone – but, have no fear! It’s on its way.

At first, I didn’t want one. And, I still don’t want one. The fact is, it has become a necessity. You can’t deny it. When I’m all alone and don’t have  a person who owns a cell phone nearby, I’m scared shitless. Now, that won’t be a problem anymore. On Monday, we’ll order my phone (and now, I’m not getting an ENV like everyone else seems to have) and I’ll have it just in time to take it with me on the States bus so I can text my mom and tell her where I am and such. It will be the first time in my life that I will totally be reachable. It’s scary and yet comforting at the same time. I’m rather excited.

So, I’d say it has been a fantastic weekend despite my worries. Even though I said goodbye to a friend I have known all my life, the world doesn’t seem so scary anymore. I’m looking forward to the meet on Saturday. I will get to go up against New York State’s finest runners; and I’m one of them. That has yet to sink in for me. Happy Birthday to me.

Now, my birthday is officially over. The best part?

The weekend isn’t over quite yet. Hello, second morning of sleeping in.

From death and funerals to stem cell research and abortion

Cross country season picked back up again. On Monday morning I was awakened by a song coming out of my iHome speaker at 7:30 (which is much too early to meet my approval, I’ll let you know). I got up, showered, grabbed some Cinnamon Toast Crunch and put it in my bag, and then was out the door and on my bike, heading for the high school.

We started running. That’s what you do in cross country, if you didn’t know. We ran up prison hill. Some were encouraged to go on and run around the entire prison (the prison that Lindsay Lohan’s dad was kept, oddly enough), and I was one of those encouraged. I felt great. I had started out in the way back with a couple of my fellow teammates on the girls’ team, but little by little I had inched all the way up to the people that had fallen behind from the leading pack. I passed two newly instated runners and then fell into pace with the smartest kid in our entire school. My plan was to catch up to the leading pack which consisted of my best friend, my boyfriend, and another friend, but instead, he (being the smartest kid) and I started talking. We started talking about stuff that really mattered. Important issues, problems, and beliefs. It was nice to have an intelligent conversation, and it distracted me so much that I didn’t even notice when we passed another kid that had fallen behind from that same leading pack.

Our discussions ranged from death and funerals to stem cell research and abortion. It was like we went through the entire endless cycle of life during that one discussion we had during our run. I told him about the funeral I had had to go to recently and the unfortunate situation it had to be under, and then he shared how once when he was younger he had two funerals in one day to go to. We discussed how we both are not sure if there is a God up there and the hypocritical actions that are associated with members of the Church.

Then came the abortion topic, which then lead to a conversation chock-full of stem cell research. I had heard about it, but wasn’t exactly sure what it was all about. He informed me of everything about it (seeing as how it had been the topic he’d chosen for the recent research paper he’d had to do). What I don’t understand is why people are against it. And, it ties in with the abortion thing. I think that women should be allowed to make the decision of whether or not they want to abort their pregnancy. Let people frown upon a mother’s decision to abort her pregnancy, but if that mother is not ready to be a mother, then why not? If that girl is carrying the baby as the result of a rape she doesn’t want to be reminded of, why not let her make the decision to rid her body of that growing embryo? And, if every woman or girl that decides to have an abortion also donates the stem cells within them, that could initially save lives. You go from “killing” something that doesn’t quite exist yet to saving someone whose liver is failing or is in vital need of a heart transplant and just needs a donor.

Let stem cell research carry on! Let it save lives despite the many frowns of disgust it is receiving! We were put on this earth somehow and are now being plagued by disease left and right. If we’ve discovered a way we can cure, why not carry on and finish it? It means having one less child to feed, sure, but it also means one less person hanging out in an isolation room in the hospital just waiting for that heart or liver or lung or whatever to come. I say that science makes more sense than God. Science can save lives when God obviously can’t.

One day summer slowly floated away

I have decided that I hate fall. I absolutely abhor it. When I was younger I thought I had to love it just because my birthday happens to fall (haha) within those select three months, but now I know better. I’ve learned to hate it.

Sure, the trees are pretty. Beautiful, even. Possibly even gorgeous. But… their prettiness doesn’t distract me from the true evils yet to come. I can see right through that pretty, innocent little façade. They can’t fool me.

I love summer. I love its warmth and the constant urge to go swimming in our beautiful pool. I found one thing I hate about it, though: that fall is the season right after.

Autumn just brings in a whirlwind of newness that leaves me dazed. It’s a season of starts. School, Cross Country (practices and endless trips to the “start”ing line), coldness, unwanted but necessary organization, and just all of that crap. And Autumn takes the sun away and leaves the world cold.

Summer’s still in the air for now, but I can feel it slowly floating away. Fall winds and clouds are slowly invading my tropical dreamland. The sun is going down sooner than it should. Oh, how I wish it was still June!

This shows how observant I am

I honestly am not a very observant person. I don’t recognize details (unless they’re important to me), and I almost never notice anything. Maybe this explains why I made a blunder today.

We had our first “real” Track meet of the 2009 season today. I got up in the morning with almost everything ready, but I needed to grab my cross-country hoodie from the dryer. I wrote a note to myself and stuck it onto my mirror so I would remember to grab said hoodie from the dryer.

Okay, so I remembered just fine without the sticky note, and I went downstairs and pulled my hoodie from the dryer. I put it on over what I was wearing and went along my merry way. I got to school, wore the hoodie for a little while, then put it in my locker before heading off to Health.

For our Track meet, I put on my uniform, my sweats and the hoodie. The opposing team we were to run against arrived just as I was stretching my hamstrings on the steeple. I figured they would see my name on the back of my hoodie and try to swallow their fear. You see, most teams see me as a threat. I fought back a laugh as I pictured the reactions upon seeing my name. Then, I went along with the meet.

The 4X8 went rather well, if I do say so myself. I got a rather decent split time (2:33), and got our team the lead we needed. We won that one.

It was after the 1500 and before the 3000 that I got a clue to my blunder. The 200m races were going on, and all of the people on the infield were to be crouching down so the officials could see one another from across the way. I didn’t think I had to crouch down – I thought I was out of the way. The officials yelled out to me, and then yelled “Hey, JEEVES!” and then when that didn’t work, “GOWANDA!” and, believe me, I crouched. The thing is, I didn’t catch the “JEEVES!” comment at the time.

After the 4X4, I pulled my hoodie back over my head. Suddenly I noticed that there was a rip near a hood, and it made me really sad. The hoodie had taken me through years of running seasons, and there it was, falling apart. I had also noticed earlier that it seemed more stretched out than I remembered, but I figured I must have lost a little weight. (Haha…)

My friend dropped me off at the baseball field to join my parents, and I walked up to them and said: “after years of hanging in there, this hoodie is finally falling apart.” Then my dad sort of looked at me funny and said: “you do know that you’ve been wearing your brother’s cross-country hoodie this whole time, right?”

Suddenly, it hit me. Everything made sense.

His hoodie says “Jeeves” on the back, and I realized that that was what the official had yelled at me earlier. It was obviously stretched out because he’s a little bit bigger than I am, and lastly, I did remember that his hoodie had sort of been tearing near the neckline. I blushed, said: “that explains a lot!” and then flushed with more embarrassment because of my cocky thoughts about how my opponents must have been “swallowing their fear.” What a joke!

If I had taken one quick glance at the name on the back of the hoodie, I could have saved myself from this little “incident.” I bet my friends were all wondering why I was wearing my brother’s hoodie, but they never said a word. I guess this just goes to show how observant I really am.

‘Tis the season

It feels good to be back in the swing of things. After taking two months off, I am back and hopefully will be better than ever.

Instead of going home to a TV chock full of possibilities and a cupboard of chips and unhealthy snacks, two of my best friends and myself go running everyday after school. After cross-country ended, we all sort of stopped. Now we have greeted running like an old friend we’ve missed greatly.

The feeling of running is like no other. That freedom; the endless possibility. The knowledge that though yes, cars and modern transportation are faster, our legs can also do the job just as well. Give us time and we will run for miles and miles.

Track is just around the corner, and I intend to make this year even better than last year (and last year was phenomenal for me). I feel great, running feels good, and the air just doesn’t smell as sweet as it does when you’re running. The heavy breathing, the struggling to talk to the person you’re running with – I’ve missed it greatly. I cannot wait for the Track season to begin. My intentions and confidence will take me far.

Resolutions: take 15

I have not been very… dedicated to my past resolutions. Last year I didn’t make any because my Spanish teacher made us make some out in Spanish. Yuck. That ruined it for me. Well, this year is going to be different. I have asked a friend to aid me in the process of quitting the two things I plan to, well, quit. Not quit cold turkey…but ease my way into the process of quitting. I have already started.

1.) Swearing – I have been swearing up the wazoo for as long as I can remember. It all started when I began playing Halo 2 online with my brother, and yeah, you tend to curse when you lose. That’s exactly what I did (even though I am actually not bad at Halo by any means). Then came my first year of Varsity cross country. My teammate (and yes, one of my very good friends) was the one who really taught me how to swear. It was eff this and eff that day in and day out. I have to be careful when I am around younger kids – it takes a lot of my self control not to utter a single swear word. My friend is going to help me quit this habit.

2.) Knuckle cracking – I am noticing that my knuckles have gotten bigger over the years, and they are not very attractive. I don’t have… pretty hands anymore because of my obsessive knuckle cracking. I crack my knuckles when I am nervous, when I am bored, and when I know my parents will be annoyed by it. Well, I plan to stop. However, back cracking and neck cracking are still permitted.

Those are the two things I plan to cut from my life in the next year. Hello, 2009. Hello pretty hands and clean mouth.

An experience in Elma

We had our Sectionals meet yesterday at Elma Meadows. I was included in the prediction of people to make States, but, alas, the prediction was wrong. I got 13th (technically 11th) instead of fifth…which was what I was aiming for. It is okay though. The boys’ team made it, so I am still going down to Long Island to watch my friends and my brother run at Sunken Meadows State Park (I still wish I could run there, though… *sulks*).

My brother Trevor was there with his college cross-country coach and a few friends. His friend Josh had made a banner that said “BRENNA” for a girl he knew who ended up winning her race. Well, he asked Trevor to help him hold it, so, of course, Trevor said “sure!” He also said that I would be angry that he didn’t make ME a banner, but it’s not like I would ever find out. Right as he said this, a photographer from The Buffalo News came along and took a picture of them holding the banner. Guess his secret’s out (my mother told me this, I obviously was not there).

Open your copy of The Buffalo News to the second page (Sports section, I think…) and check out Trevor and Josh holding a banner for Brenna. I think that it is funny as all hell. =)

The end

Today is over. It came and went. Everything that I predicted came true, but there were also a few twists.

I woke up at ten o’clock, just like any other gorgeous summer morning. I rolled around on my bed for a little while before I decided that it really was time to get up. No use wasting the day, right?

The sky today was crystal clear, as was yesterday and the day before that and the day before that. Absolutely no clouds in sight. I wallowed around the house, munching a bowl full of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and looking out the window. I finally stepped outside at one o’clock to get my hair cut.

I walked out of The Chop Shop (local hair place – run by a family friend) a whole new person, my hair shorter and more wild with curls. Of course, I had to ruin it by putting it into tiny little piggy tails for cross country practice.

Practice was hell. H-E-double-hockey sticks. We ran over to Prison Hill, and did hill repeats… In the blistering heat. We did six and then my friend and I ran back to the school together with our shirts lifted up, trying to catch even the slightest hint of a breeze.

I got home and took a dip in the pool (which was FREEZING), and then made breffast fo’ dinna. I barely had enough energy to enjoy the meal I had made, I was so wiped out from practice.

As promised, after dinner my mother drove me to the gravel pit to get a good view of the sun drowning in the sky. We had a hard time getting a good view without burning our eyes out of our sockets, but we eventually settled in and watched the sun disappear.

Now, here I am. My tummy is full, my body is tired, and my eyes are droopy with sleepiness. My hair is wild, my nails are perfectly groomed and polished, and my eyebrows have been plucked to perfection (by who else but moi?). My mother is talking on the phone behind me, I hear the sounds of the TV displaying baseball in the next room, watched by who else but my baseball-crazed dad. I can hear the movie my brother is watching from here because of the insane surround sound system he hooked up. I am tired, and there are noises all around me. I am so glad that I actually did keep my promise and watch the sunset, but now, all I want to do is curl up with a book and read until I am cross-eyed. My body is tired, and I am ready to retire to my bedroom where I will greet the new day. My friend instant messaged me and asked me if I am ready for hell tomorrow. I guess I will have to live through a day and decide whether this year will be hell or not. As of now, I really cannot judge.

Quote of the day:

“When it rains, it fricken pours!”

It is all coming to an end

Two months ago, I had no worries. Lovely summer days stretched out in front of me and seemed to be never-ending. I went to sleep in the early AMs, and woke up in the early PMs. Every awakening was peaceful with the summer sun shining in my window and the birds chirping happily. It is all coming to an end.

Tomorrow is my last day of summer vacation in the year of two thousand eight. On Wednesday everyone around me will get up between six o’clock and seven (possibly even before then) to get ready for a long day of school. Getting up on a weekday and staying in my pajamas until it’s time to take a shower will not be happening anymore after tomorrow. Sitting around and reading page after page will no longer be possible. Next week at this time I won’t even be home yet. School, cross country practice, home for an hour to eat, and then musical practice until either nine or ten o’clock.

Yes, I am prepared. I am planning on using my Study Hall and lunch period times wisely. Lunch will (once again) be at ten in the morning… No point in eating breakfast, right? I am excited for a new year to begin, but I will miss boredom. No boredom will be allowed once the school year begins.

I am not looking forward to seeing people I don’t like everyday. During the summer I can invite whomever I like over to hang out, and never have to deal with those I dislike. Yeah yeah, you’re saying: “Emily, learn to suck it up! In life you can’t always choose the people you work with.” Yes, I know this (having been paired up to work on projects with several people I dislike), but that still does not make me stomach it any better.

The only thing I am actually looking forward to is wearing some new clothes. I purchased a few new band tees and a skirt from Hot Topic the other day, and I cannot wait to be sporting my new tees that say Avenged Sevenfold and Bullet For My Valentine on them.

Fast approaching

There are fiery orange leaves scattered on our driveway and front lawn. The air has suddenly grown cooler, and our pool is “too cold” to swim in. My neighbor’s blueberries are beginning to ripen, a delicious result that is usually reached by late August. Yes, summer is inching its way towards the finish line.

It seems like just yesterday that my two brothers came home from college and dumped their belongings in our garage. “Excuse the mess, it’s Trevor and Jordan’s college supplies,” the excuse I used when I led my friends through our messy garage is no longer usable. Today, we dumped Trevor off at SUNY Fredonia, and helped my eldest brother Jordan move into his new townhouse at St. Bonaventure University where he will begin his senior year of college. Yet another sign that summer is dwindling.

Tomorrow begins my 2008 Cross Country season. Tomorrow morning at approximately eight o’clock, I will roll out of bed in order to get ready and be at the school by nine o’clock. No, I don’t take a million years to get ready like most girls out there do, I just need some time to actually get going on eating breakfast and waking up. Usually I just lay and listen to my iPod for half an hour, and then glance at the clock only to find that I needed to be out of bed thirty minutes earlier.

In previous years, I have dreaded the start of Cross Country. I definitely prefer Track, but I have a feeling that this year is going to be my year. I am planning on using practices and meets for letting out stress instead of creating more. I will have a hectic schedule once school starts on September third, and I am going to have to learn to balance all of my activities. Once school begins, I will be waking up at 5:30, getting to school by 7:30, getting let out of school at 2:07, proceeding on to Cross Country practice from 2:30 to 4:30, and then going home for an hour to prepare for getting back down to the school by six o’clock for musical rehearsal. Last year I handled it, but this year I feel like I am more prepared for it. I am still in great shape from Track last June (I have not stopped running), so I will not be sore from CC practices. Schoolwork will probably be the most challenging for I know that there will be more coming my way, along with writing weekly articles for NeXt.

Yes, summer is reaching the end. Yesterday summer began, and tomorrow it is over. It has been a nice two months of doing absolutely nothing other than running every few days and attending a theater workshop for a week. I have enjoyed discovering the wonders of having a bicycle and with it, the ability to go anywhere I want. I have visited the local library on numerous occasions and have devoured over twenty books so far this vacation. My summer reading book for Honors English has yet to be read, but I know that I will not have any problems getting into it once I get my hands on a copy. Though the fiery leaves that have scattered over my lawn make me angry, I am also accepting and looking forward to the upcoming change. Once school starts I won’t ever have a chance to be bored. For these next two weeks, I am going to be enjoying the feeling of having nothing to do.