Summer begins...

So, not much of interest has been happening lately. My graduation was on June 20th (Fathers' Day), and, as you all are probably already aware, I chose not to go to the ceremony. Instead, we had a really lovely party on the 19th, and another on the 20th at my friend's house. Thank you all, by the way, for all the graduation wishes. I really appreciate your thinking of me.

Since then, I've basically been driving my brother back and forth from tennis, visiting the Wesners, singing, learning Elvish (yes. Elvish.), hiking and taking walks, reading, and watching the World Cup. ...yeah. I've been doing a lot of that. I was devastated when the US got knocked out, but I can't say I was surprised. In retrospect, I shouldn't have been surprised that England got beaten out as well, but... wow was that depressing. I was planning on cheering for them if the US got sent home, but now that we're both gone, I suppose I'll just go with Argentina. Eh.

But soccer aside, I'm going to see one of the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival's productions on Saturday with my family (both the ones related by blood, and the ones that aren't (:D), so I'm excited for that. I've also been meaning to play more badminton... I may or may not have already mentioned this, but I'm starting a badminton club as soon as I get to Goucher (because there's no way I'm going to survive the last few weeks of summer in Maryland without it), and I need to get "training" for that... heh. I have so many good memories connected to badminton, really. Good friends, good weather (and some not-so-good weather)...

I'm sorry there's not much more I can really talk about. I haven't really been doing anything too dramatic. My sleep schedule is all screwed up now, though... I usually wake up at around 5.30, and go to bed at 10.30-11.00ish, but now, I've started going to bed at around 2.30-3.00 in the morning, and waking up at 7.00ish. (Told you. Not interesting.)

I'll write when something more exciting happens. Until then, my love to all.

Tasha

Lots of news

Well, I suppose I should get the bad out of the way first: my laptop crashed, so I haven't had much computer access. I've been able to get most of my files back, as I email most of them to myself at school, but there's still a lot of stuff that I did over the past summer at the writing programs and the NSLC that I won't be able to find again... ah well.

But other than that, things have been going great. I got my driver's license on June 3rd (finally). And prom was... well. A LOT more fun than I expected it would be.

Just a few pictures, but I think you get the idea.

Monday was my last day of high school. That was interesting... on the one hand, I am so incredibly happy to be leaving. On the other hand, there are some people I'm going to miss seeing almost every day. And there's this strange feeling of attachment to the building itself. On Monday morning, I went around to all my usual haunts (past and present): the hallway outside the computer lab, my desk in the library, the green room, the forest pathways behind the parking lot, my favorite tree... and I don't know how much I'll miss those places, but there was the kind of "this is my last time here" kind of thought going through my head. Very strange.

But moving on: I went to my summer orientation at Goucher yesterday. It was amazing. I met so many people I liked (and one person I rather didn't, but that will probably change as I get to know her, as we'll be riding together). I took the equestrian placement in the morning and, of course I'm not on the team. Having never ridden at that level, and having not ridden in about four years I never expected to be. I took the placement because I was interested in taking lessons, and I was going to sign up as a beginner. But the head of the department said that if I had any experience riding at all, I should take the placement, so I did... and I got placed the level above beginner. And I've got a job at the stables for next year set up. So... that's good, I suppose. :) It was amazing seeing some of the other people riding, though... the two girls who made the team were just beautiful to watch.

I've also decided that I'm starting a badminton club. I asked around, and there isn't one already, and quite a few people I talked to said they would be interested, so... I've got that project ahead of me. I'm also working on setting up my schedule for the fall semester, which is turning out to be surprisingly complicated... I kinda wish that the advisors could be of more help, but I suppose its good for me to figure out all this stuff on my own. My advisor is also my professor for the Philosophy of Science, and I met him yesterday. I like him, so far at least. Interesting sense of humor... he refers to the building in which he works as "the labyrinth," and to the area in which his office is as "the place where the minotaur resides." I was the only person in the class who got that joke, which I think he appreciated.

So... I'm excited.

What else... well. I'll be working at a local organic farm for a few weeks this summer. They run a small children's camp, and I'll be helping out there, as will a friend of mine. So that should be fun. I went to the orientation for that on Sunday, and I'm looking forward to that.

I'll let you know when more things come up... in the meantime, my love to all,

Tasha

"Proma"

I've recently taken to referring to all the drama about prom as "proma." And, goodness, there is a lot of it. Far to much. Actually... any at all is far too much.

Most recently, two of my friends (we'll refer to them as "A" and "B") attempted to switch the location of after-prom (one of three different parties that night. Dear me) from the place we had been planning on having it since September, to somewhere else. Namely, from one friend's house ("C") to another's ("D"). A had been having some issues with C's mother, which consisted mainly of miscommunications and misunderstandings, and so, A was uncomfortable with having post-prom at C's house. B is also extremely uncomfortable with C's mother, for reasons that she will not fully explain. What bothered me was that A and B thought that they could just dictate what the rest of us would be doing, without giving us a single reason, and without telling C or his mother until after they had been preparing to host the party for a whole weekend.

To make an extremely long and tedious story short, I wrote to both A and B, essentially saying a) I don't understand why we're changing plans now, b) I'm not sure when we all decided this, c) this is hurting a lot of people's feelings, and causing more problems than it needs to be, and d) Two people cannot bulldoze their way into having the "perfect prom," while making everybody else miserable. I think I wrote all that out a bit more diplomatically, but that's the general gist of it.

A has backed down on her own, and has made up with C and his mother. B, on the other hand, is understandably upset with me and C (and especially A) for standing up to her. We've planned to move post-prom back to C's house, but this is all going to take a lot of damage control... 'sigh.'

I know I've made A and B sound pretty bad here, but they really aren't. Really. I know A is having a lot of problems at home, and she's always been very emotional about everything. And B is really a sweet girl, and a good friend. They both... just like being in charge. And tend to completely miss what other people are thinking. But you know, there's a reason I like having more guy friends, and this is why: most guys don't do all this dramatic nonsense. I feel awful for having gotten involved, even though I'm pretty sure I did what was right. I've never really done this kind of thing before. And I never want to do it again. I feel awful about upsetting B, and even worse about D and her family, who had to be caught in the middle of all of this. I can't help but think that I caused all of this by making an issue out of it. I like to think that I'm essentially a rational person, who isn't susceptible to these sort of things, but I got dragged in, and I feel like I've dragged D and her family along with me... I probably created even more of a problem by confronting A and B about all this.

And I think that that is as many times as you'll ever see me use the word "feel" in any conversation, written or spoken.

But, of course, it's not all bad. I've had almost no school work, so I've had plenty of time to work on my own little projects, run around outside, do some reading... (I've just finished "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and the other four books in that series.) I've also started trying to teach myself flat-footing using youtube.com... I know. I'm surprised too. Flat-footing is an Appalachian relative of Irish set dancing, with some influence from Native American dance... and it's really fun. I'm enjoying it.

Well, hopefully, my next post will be a bit happier than this one. I'm sorry about going on a bit in this one-- I'll try to make the next post a bit more concise as well.

My love to everybody,

Tasha

Hiking on West Mountain and Timp

Hello all!

Well. I went hiking with Susie, my dad's cousin, yesterday, and it was absolutely wonderful. It was a really lovely day, everything was green, and, of course, one can't fail to mention the good company.

I'm including a few pictures...

By the way, the water you see over there... that's the Hudson River.

Definitely the best way to spend a one's Saturday.

I realized yesterday that I'm really going to miss this place when I leave. I love all the hills, and the trees, and especially when you look at it all from higher up... it's amazing just how much of it there is. It is absolutely beautiful.

I'll be going to the White Mountains in July with Susie, after a music festival. I can't wait! I'll have to start seriously training for it though. So. More hiking to come.

Eighteen

Well... as of tomorrow, I'll be an adult in the eyes of the law.

... how scary is that? I don't feel like I should be turning 18. It shouldn't be allowed. I mean... I get to vote now. You are allowing the person who just spent the time it took to get into her pajamas thinking about the similarities between Andrew Jackson and Batman, to vote. Never mind that; I just told you that that is how I spend my time. If there was ever a measurement of immaturity and bad judgement, I'm pretty sure that's it.

So anyway.

I've been spending quite a bit of my time lately trying to navigate prom drama... it is awful. My "date"'s mother threw a bit of a fit when she heard I didn't want to rent a limo for the evening, and then a few of my other friends decided that we needed to do prom "right," meaning that we do, in fact, need to rent a limo, get no sleep, and spend the whole weekend together, in the city... I don't know about everybody else, but I can't function like that. It's not so much the physical tiredness that bothers me: I just can't spend that much time with other people constantly around me. It's tiring... and I love my friends. I really do. I just... need some down time. And I honestly don't see the point of renting a bloody limo...

But I'm really not in the mood for a confrontation. I never am, unfortunately... so I don't know how this will work out. I'm just surprised that some of my friends are so into the "doing prom 'right'" thing... that being said, it is only the girls making a fuss of it. I'm so glad that most of my friends are guys... I really am. They don't care much either way about prom. Just one of the wonderful things about them.

Sorry about that. Thought I should just get that out. We did get my shoes back, finally... and, of course, I'm still about half and inch too short for the dress, even in the 3 inch heels. (I have to say, a small bit of my brain is still hoping that I'll somehow miraculously grow two inches before this summer.) So, we're getting the dress hemmed. And then dry cleaned, and pressed. And, of course, this is all my mum here. If it weren't for her, it probably wouldn't even have occurred to me to get shoes.

In other news... I'm going to have to get better at replying to comments on the blog. Starting... now. Thanks so much to everybody for reading. I'm really happy I can get news to everybody now, and to some relatively far away places. I've been missing my godfather very much lately, and it's just... you know. It's just good to know we're still in contact. :)

I hope you're all doing well, as always. I'll write again tomorrow... until then, all my love,

Tasha

Well... not much to say today, but I thought I'd add a few things:

a. Dad agreed that Goucher was the best place for me. So, obviously, I'm elated. I'm sending in the forms and such tomorrow morning.

b. My history teacher took me aside after class today, just to tell me I'd make a good history professor. Which has given a WHOLE new dimension to the "what should I major in" question... and here I thought I had it mostly figured out. Well, not really. Ah well.

That's pretty much it for today... I'll write more when something more interesting comes up.

Love to all!

Tasha

Back from Maryland...

Hello there all!

Obviously, I'm not at college yet, but it was suggested to me that I start this up early anyway. I'm not sure how interesting you'll find me ranting about college selection and school work, never mind all the prom/graduation/birthday stuff I don't even really find that interesting myself... but, ah well.

I'm pretty sure I explained this, but I'll do so again, just in case: I decided that it would be easiest, and most efficient, to keep every body updated about what's going on with me, if it were all done at once-- I don't want to get to college, and have somebody/everybody feeling somehow "snubbed" because they aren't getting any calls or emails from me. I don't plan on this being a primary method of communication, of course! I'll still email and call when I can and such, but this might be a little more consistent. And... that's basically the idea.

In other news: I thought you all might like to know that I've decided to go to Goucher College! I got back from the Admitted Students Day yesterday, and I absolutely loved it. I can't really see myself going to any of the other schools I got into (Bard College, William Smith College, American University, Emerson College) and, thank goodness, my Mum agrees with me. So, I'll still be visiting the other colleges I got into, just to be sure, but a change of opinion is extremely unlikely.

Other than that... not much interesting to report. I have a prom dress, etc... (I'm going with one of my best friends, who has been that since 6th grade) We decided to get shoes to go with it from Payless, as they have something where one can choose a style of shoe, and can then get it dyed a certain color (namely, the color of the dress the shoes need to go with). We were supposed to get them last week, and they haven't come in yet... so... we're hoping they show up soon, so we can get the dress hemmed, and... urgh. I know this sounds odd, but I'm really glad to have History essays and APES (AP Environmental Scinece) projects to distract me.

Well, until next time! My love to everybody,

Tasha