Because the future is right around the corner...

Being a Junior in high school in modern day has come to mean having your life all planned out on a carefully calculated chart with GPAs, test scores, and extra-curriculars as variables to affect to career outcome, whether it be at point 6 (public accountant) or point -32 (trash man). However, I have come one step closer to completing my graph- I have discovered what I want to be when I "grow up" (put in quotes because I doubt I will ever reach a level of maturity over one that enjoys Disney movies). I have decided that I want to be an English teacher. I love reading, I know how to write a decent essay, and I like telling people information. So why not be a teacher? But there are more specifics to my future career- I want to be a teacher in New York City. I want to teach Othello to inner-city black kids. That's really what I want to do with my life. I want to read Shakespeare and Salinger and Hawthorne and Nabokov over and over again, spreading my love of literature to kids who will probably not appreciate it and never use the knowledge. Also, living in New York on a teacher's salary will probably find me living in Alphabet City with a few roomates sharing rent on a studio. But that's ok- this is a dream, a more realistic one that famous modern writer with talent under the ass. And this is what I want, I think. So, I will go for it. Because that's what I earnestly want to do.

"The only constant in the universe is change"- I Ching

Now, i have never been one to undergo dramatic change. I've lived in the same place in the same city my whole life and I still have friends from when I still was in diapers. But my education took a geographic detour for about four years when I started going to school the the valley. The valley is a very inclusive place; not many people in it go father than Laurel Canyon. However, from the 6th to the 9th grade, my mother drove me over that canyon every weekday morning, and even some weekends when my social schedule called for it. As a result, all of my friends were in the valley. I was happy at the middle school there, no doubt, even with its pecilular year-round schedule. But when it came to high school, there was not one more generic and back-washed than North Hollywood high school. I'm not going to say I hated it there; After all, I had some good friends and even some good times. But I was pretty damn unhappy. The teachers were nothing special and the classes were none too complicated (except for geometry, my achilles heel). About 80% of the kids I went to middle school with went to the main campus with me, and they weren't really the 80% I wanted to spend the next four years with. But I was stuck at NH for that little length of time because my dear old Humanities magnet had turned me down. So I was pretty unhappy. Serena was a big advocator of me joining the zoo magnet, an extremely small school on the LA Zoo grounds, but that was a no-go. It was Hami or bust. So how happy was I that I got into Humanities my 10th grade year? Utterly and extrememely pleased. Sure, I miss my old friends a lot and there are times when I feel a little lonely, but I prefer Hamilton over NH and I'd make the same choice again if I had to. I just had to get out. The Valley of the Dolls did not need another Barbie.

Super Super Sweet 16

My best friend ever, Serena, has wanted a sweet 16 for as long as I have known her. Not one of those 135k MTV deals that shows the world how spoiled she is, but just a nice party with her good friends (all 635 of them). However, when her father backed out of paying for half of her Europe trip this summer, her mom told her she could not have a party. So, obviously, action needed to be taken. Along with Serena's other bfff Austin (who has awesome party planning skillz), I organized a party at Pinz bowling in Studio City. Pinz has, after 7, Rock N Bowling, where they turn on the dark light and turn up the radio. There were about 7 people all together, a perfect number for bowling, and we played a grand total of 3/4 a game (some technical issue prevented our finish). However, unfazed, we all went back to Austin's house for ice cream cake, conversation, and a late run to a local park. It was a totally fun party, in my opinion, that made me miss all of my old valley friends =(. Still, Serena deserved it all and more. I hope she had a great time because she's a sweetie and I love her to death. Happy 16th year, baby girl!

"I get by with a little help from my friends"- the Beatles

A girl needs her besties. After all, who will listen to her hysterical break-up crying or her angry rants at her mother? It's a cat-scratch-cat world out there and good girlfriends are few and far between. However, I am super amazingly lucky to have two girls I can totally and constantly depend on.

I will start with Serena (left), my sister from another mister. I have known this girl since we were itty bitty sixth graders with bad hair and flat chests. We had almost all of our classes together, hung out on weekends, and became each other's families. During high school, we've drifted apart a little (she's a socialite, I'm a hermit) but she will always be my numero uno chica and I am THERE for her no matter what. We always have fun hanging out and I'm sure we'll always stay in touch throughout our lives.

My other best friend is December (right), who is more anti-social, like me, but still quite the butterfly among the tainted youths and druggies. December and I think fairly similarly, although we are quite different (I don't think I'd ever be able to dress the way she does). Still, there isn't anything we can't tell each other, and when we really need a shoulder to lean on, we're totally there. December isn't the most consistent, but she is the most supportive and I know that regardless of where we end up in life, we will stay in contact throughout or experiences

Because Education is the Key to Success*

Ever since I started high school, I have been asked repeatedly about my plans for college. It's a good conversation started for people who have no idea how to talk to teenagers. It is often a very awkward conversation because I honestly am not sure what I'm going to study (although English and Photojournalism sound promising). But I'm fairly sure as to where I WANT to go to college. The University of Arizona, located in Tucson, has been familiar to me since I was little. My mother grew up about 3 blocks from the campus and graduated from there, where she got her degree in Radio and Television. I even have a cousin who is the professor of Art History there. I've been visting the campus for years, and the area around it. I've always liked it there, even though it's over 100 degrees for about 5 months a year. Also, my grandparents will be too old to drive by that point and I'd like to be there to make sure they'll be ok. So hopefully, in the first semester of my 12th grade year, when I apply to U of A (and a number of other colleges, just to be safe) they will see me and think "hell, why not? Welcome Stephanie Brown" =)

*success not guaranteed

Viva la Espana!

Being the international traveler that I am (Italy in 2005, Canada in 2006), I am going on yet another voyage out of the country! From July 1st to July 17th, I will be in SPAIN! And best of all, withOUT my parents! I never would have believed it possible, but I kept my grades up all year and so now I am allowed to go! Thanks to Sra. Salazar (my spanish teacher), me and 14 of my peers will be venturing all over the country, from Madrid to Barcelona to Costa Del Sol and several spots along the way. We will even be spending a day (but NOT a night) in Morrocco! Being a huge Bogart fan, I hoped to visit the famed Casablanca, but I believe we will remain in Tangier for safety purposes (think the slasher trash film Turistas). Anyway, I am SUPER excited to be getting out and away, although I will miss everyone here in the good old U.S. of A (whose birthday I will also miss... oh well). I'm so excited! I can't wait!!!!

Advancing in Academia

Well, my first year of Hamilton High School is officially over. I am no longer the new girl in Humanities 10th grade, with the anti-social tendencies and split ends. Now I'm an upperclassman, an 11th grader in 3 APs who will no doubtfully still have the anti-social tendencies and split ends =). I never change... still, I did good on my final report card, i believe. High B in chemistry (my toughest class), an A in Algebra 2 (a joke of a class, unfortunately), and A's in English, History, and Yoga, and hopefully an A in Spanish 2. Next year, I will be taking Spanish 3, AP US History, AP English, Math Analysis, Digital Imaging, and AP Art History, they rumored curse of the Humanities Magnet. Plus, there's a bunch of summer work to be done before September. But I'm excited. I'm good at school; I always get the rep as the 'smart girl', who lets people copy her notes cuz frankly, she doesn't give a shit. Still, it looks good on a college app, which is definitely what I need because I am very lacking in the extracurriculars department. So goodbye, little underclassman with the scary boyfriend and helloo newly single (hopefully not for long) Junior with her shit together. I'm so ready to get through this