Three days of...
Insanity. I loved every minute of it, but insanity.
Wednesday: Regions; it was awesome. Remember when I said I doubted I would be feeling this good about Knowledge Bowl? I was wrong; we finished second at Regions, beating the Staples and Little Falls teams that got a bye into the meet. It was great. So, we're going to State, and best news, Rianna's coming! I won't be alone! :)
After Knowledge Bowl, Logan and I took Crystal out to celebrate her getting back. We went to Applebee's and then to Crystal's. I got home around 7:30; it was fun, despite the fact that we were all exhausted.
Thursday: Sarah asked for some calc help Thursday morning, so I stayed at school until quarter to five helping her with that, and then spent the next three and a half hours at Burger King doing English and Art History; Crystal came and we went to her house until ten thirty when we went back to Burger King and then Mom and I headed home.
Friday: Took the Art History test and was informed third hour that there was a surprise birthday party for Sara at 5 at Rafferty's. So, I called my parents, talked to Crystal and worked everything out for the night. We surprised Sara and then went and saw
V for Vendetta as a group, which was awesome. I wouldn't suggest, however, sitting between Logan and Sara while watching such a politically charged movie; oh and a room of books will make Sara start hyperventilating.
Afterwards we went to Perkins, where we hung out for about forty minutes before Crystal and I went to my house. All in all, it was a fun few days, but now I have to do some Art History, which will just be insane. How many slides to I have to do? Oh, yeah... like 80. Stupid slide guide.
Subs are fun!
I'm really doubting that on Wednesday at this time I'll be feeling so great about Knowledge Bowl, but right now, it's all good, and that's all that matters.
So Brainerd sent three teams to Sub-Regions: the
Starbellied Sneetches: Sarah G, Rianna K, Michelle T and Catherine L (now sans James and Jen Dens) which was the top of Sub Region A; the new and improved
Sudoku d'etat: Logan, Sam, James and I (still sans Tay; maybe Tay is never coming back from Germany...) top of Sub Region B, and
Sanitation Nation: Bryce O, Ian M, Larry L and Jeremy B (also lacking a Dens), at the bottom of Sub Region B.
Going into the competition, the entire team of Sudoku d'etat was, shall we say,
arrogant about our chances to make it to Regions. We looked through the teams sitting in Rezac's room and had to contain our incredulity, which I will admit was slightly difficult. After all, maybe something really strange would happen? Didn't the third team last year make it to State for no apparent reason?
We show up at the meet 9:20-ish and the tests aren't handed out until 10. Things drag along we sit and chat, all 12 of us since every team was short a person, and I sat with the girls, because, well, let's face it; I'm outnumbered 95% of the time, so I was relishing the fact I wasn't alone. (Oh, Crystal, expect me to call you often on Wednesday)
I get the written and we start; we probably finish in about a half an hour. It wasn't a horrible written, but it wasn't super easy either. So, the amazing corrector/coordinating lady actually manages to correct all of the written rounds before we head off to the first oral round. We had a 45, which was the high, but a team in our Division had a 44, so it was going to be close.
One thing I love about Subs; you play in a power-ranked type of situation round one, and then have a chance to dominate for the rest of the time. Round one goes exceptionally well considering we faced the team with the 44; we leave that round with 17 points and they leave with 8. Other than the messed up math questions, it's all good. We're leading by a couple points after this round.
Round two was killer; we started out blazing getting 7 of the first 8 questions, and the first six. We cool down a little and end the round with 24. Now, all season long, we have not broken 20 points, so Sam, Logan, James and I were pumped about that. After this round, we're leading by 22.
Round three we played the second Little Falls team and the other Brainerd team, which is fine. We do relatively well the round; miss some pretty obvious ones and argue with the judge again about a math question. We come out of the round with 18; the second best score in the room was 7. We break 100 before the final round, which we're thrilled about.
We eat lunch; and we all remember that once you make it post season, the Knowledge Bowl people love you more and actually feed you lunch. So, pizza at lunch, and around 25 point lead. I sit with Sarah, Rianna and Michelle, and I feel horrible that they're not doing so hot. They're in fifth place in their division after the third round; only a few points out, but they'll have to have a really good last round to have a chance to come with us and the
Death Eaters to Regions.
On our way up, Logan says we shouldn't answer any questions all round long, but James and I say no. Bad idea; relish the fact that you're dominant while you can. That's my motto at least.
We start the final round and do relatively okay; I never thought we were doing stellar or anything, but we end up with 21 points, which is apparently very good overall since the second highest score was 12. I know I was shocked when Sarah told me the high in their room was 8.
We hang around Washington and wait for the results; the Sneetches at this point have an outside chance at making it to Regions. Results come in, the Sneetches will not be going to Regions. We finish with 125 points; the next best score in our division 90, which is still about ten better than the top score in Division A.
So, I'll be gone on Wednesday now for Regions which are at Staples. I'd say we have a chance to make it to State; the top Little Falls team is on par if not a little worse than our team as it stands. And so, barring any surprises, I'd say we'll probably make it to State, which would be sweet. I'm very happy with the team we have going on to Regions and hopefully State. Next year's team should be pretty interesting too; if it all works out wonderfully... Max, James, Sam, Logan and I on the same team. That'd be sweet. :)
Oh, and I'm the only girl again. Damn, how did that work out? But, hey! If we make it to State, I totally get my own room. Go me!
And the best news of all, Crystal is back tomorrow! And hopefully not going to be ill on her flight, but she's back! Yay! I totally feel special because I talked to her while she was gone and Logan didn't.
Knowledge Bowl, Knowledge Bowl, dresses and Knowledge Bowl
So, the few days have been very busy, but lots of fun. On Thursday it was the final Round Robin of the Knowledge Bowl season; it was going to be an interesting meet right off the bat because Tay had left the day before for Germany, so we knew we were going to be short him. Little did we know that Rezac and Pritschet would decide it was best if we played one short, and therefore our team for the final meet was Sam, Logan, Michelle T and I.
The meet went okay... It wasn't spectacular by any stretch of the imagination but we somehow managed to scrape together a third overall with a pathetically low amount of points. The only good news, we managed to move up one place in the overall regional rankings; therefore we will now be the top team in our division at Sub-Regions on the Monday after break and
not have to face The Starbellied Sneetches which is the girl power team at Subs with Rianna, Jennifer, Sarah, Michelle and Catherine. I'm very happy with our post season team; it was the team I was expecting all along: Logan, Sam, James, Tay and myself.
So, next day, we have a meet in St. Anthony in the afternoon; which is great, I miss the second half of the day. I even get to tell Alvarez I'll be gone the Monday after break, go me. So, we arrived at St. Anthony, our team only slightly different than the day before with Sarah in place of Michelle. After the written we find out that we're tied for seventh, and have been placed in the third room (C). The top Brainerd team has managed the highest written score and is seeded in the top room. The other Brainerd team is something like 26th or something.
So, we manage decent rounds all around never actually leave the third room; we got to know our readers pretty well. And finish eighth in the end, two and half points out of placing, which was seventh. Of course, since I can personally come up with four questions that I had right and we went with a different answer, that irks me. We don't actually leave St. Anthony until a little after nine; that's fine, we'll be home 11:30-ish. We drop Jason off with his parents so they can go to Florida and go on our merry way.
Mom picks me up so that I can go spend the night at Crystal's because we're going dress shopping at the Mall of America for prom on Saturday where we will be meeting Rianna and Sarah at some point because Sarah's down visiting her sister for the weekend. Crystal and I are on the road out of Brainerd by eight and we arrive at the mall around a quarter to eleven.
We go in search of a dress shop and find one pretty quickly, but I find nothing. Two dresses I slightly like, and I try them on, and they are nothing special. Well, so we start walking around in hopes we will find another dress shop. We walk into one and not a single dress is less than $300, so we're out of there pretty quickly.
I'm kind of frustrated by the lack of dress shops, so I suggest we go to the Apple store because no trip is complete to the MofA if you don't go to the Apple store. So, we look around, and I basically come to the conclusion I should buy an I-pod with the money my mother gave me instead of a prom dress. That way, I a) have something I'll wear more than twice and b) have what I want now as opposed to later. We walk out of there, and I'm kind of contemplating it.
We find another dress shop, this one is obviously more expensive than the first one we looked at, but the dresses aren't obscenely priced, and therefore, I can actually think about buying one. So, I find a black single strap dress that I really like and pick that up; since I wanted two dresses to try on, I start digging through the rack, and find another one that's within my price range, but not my size, so I look at the dress right in front of it, which is my size, and I grab that.
I take them both back, and try on the second one I picked up first. Basically, it's the perfect dress, it looks amazing on me, no alternations needed. So, I got to double check the price, and nearly die. Apparently the two dress right next to one another were
not the same dress. The one I saw was $100 cheaper than this one, which is quite a ways outside of my budget. So, Crystal comes and sees it and agrees, it's perfect. So, I tell her of my dilemma.
I try on the other one, which is very very nice, and I love it too, but not quite as much as the first one. So, I hang the dresses back up and Crystal and I go and walk around some more while I try to figure out what to do. We find coffee, go to Barnes and Noble (I buy
Catch-22) and then wander some more as we wait for Rianna and Sarah because I need a couple more opinions. Somewhere along the way, we find this amazing Vietnamese hand painted wood artwork store; I buy an eggshell painting on wood for really cheap. Like, so cheap I feel guilty that I'm walking out of the store with what I just bought.
Rianna and Sarah arrive a little after one and we show them the dresses. The agreement is that the expensive dress is perfect and that the other one is also very pretty; so we go off and find lunch and talk and look for shoes for Rianna and a purse for Sarah. We all debate the possibility of me finding another dress in my price range that looks as good as the second one does and that I'll love as much. Basically, the chances are none if I'm not willing to spend another day looking for a dress, which I'm not. I make the decision and we go back and buy the dress as I gaze longingly at the one I want, but by the time we leave, I'm happy with my decision.
Crystal and I head back to Brainerd around four; I'm having separating anxiety because she's leaving for Germany the next day and won't be back until the 22nd. She's just as bad, and so this is not going to be fun. We pick up Logan on our way into town so Crystal and Logan can spend the night together before she leaves.
I meet my parents at Crystal's and then we head home with my pretty prom dress, book and eggshell hand-painted Vietnamese wooden print. It was a great two days, now I just have to survive Spring Break without Crystal.
Wow, I'm bored
100 useless things about me
1. Second grade teacher's name: Mrs. McCarthy?? I don't remember really
2. Last person you kissed: Umm... Mom
3. Last word you said: Fine.
4. Last song you sang: "Geek in the Pink," Jason Mraz
5. Last person you hugged: Hmm... probably Sarah Gangl; she was excited to see me today
6. Last thing you laughed at: jade and his dancing while sitting on the chairlift
7. What's in your CD player: I haven't listened to my CD player in forever
9. What socks are you wearing: White
10. What's under your bed? A bottle of water
11. Current status: Contemplative; lots of things to think about
12. Current taste: Pizza
13. Current hair style: Pony tail
14. Current clothes: Jeans and a blue sweatshirt
15. Current Job: Unemployed
16. Current longing: Comprehension
]17. Current desktop picture: A mountain
18. Current worry: Me, my life and my future; incredibly selfish but true
19. Current hate: Non-definitive answers
20. Story behind your username: Had an idea for a bad pun since I love the word "ingenue"
21. Current favorite article of clothing: These jeans I'm wearing
22. Favorite physical feature(s) of the opposite sex: Hair, I'm shallow like that
23. Last CD that you bought: I don't remember
24. Favorite place to be: My house or Crystal's
25. Least favorite place: So many places, actually
26. Time you wake up in the morning: 6ish on school days; whenever on weekends
27. If you could play a new instrument, what would it be?: Violin, why????? I don't know.
29. Current favorite word/saying: Tactile
30. Favorite book: "Jane Eyre" Wow, I'm such a feminist sometimes
31. Favorite Movie: Lost in Translation
32. Favorite Songs: Currently... "Forever," Vertical Horizon and "Geek in the Pink," Jason Mraz
34. One person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to: A friend that went PSEO this year and haven't seen since
35. Favorite day: Saturday
36. Where do you want to go: Right now? Hawaii
37. What is your career going to be: I want to write, I'm not that great; I should use my math and sciene abilities, so let's say some kind of engineering marketing stuff
39. What kind of car will you have: I don't know nor care
40. A random lyric: Love will find you in the rough (It's hard to think of a random lyric when music is playing in the background)
41. Eye Color: Green/Hazel
42. Hair Color: Brown/blonde
43. Righty or Lefty: Righty
44.... Disappeared apparently
45. Zodiac Sign: Tarus
46. Innie or Outtie: Innie
47. Your heritage: German, Irish others
48. The shoes you wore today: Brown DCs
49. Your hair: Mid-back
50. Your weakness: In what? Life? Books? Guys? Movies? I'm a procrastinator
51. Your fears: Spiders and heights; oh failure
52. Your most recent secret? Not mine, so I can't tell, plus I said I wouldn't
54. Your thoughts first waking up: Do I have time to sleep some more?
55. The first feature you notice in the opposite sex: Hair, always the hair
56. Your bedtime: When I fell asleep
57. Your most missed companion: Can I start missing Crystal now? Because she's going to Germany in a little over a week; that's going to be soooo much harder than when she was in Peru last year, and even worse when she goes to college; I'm missing Crystal and it's been less than six hours since I've seen her
58. Your perfect pizza: Cheese with black and green olives
60. Single or group dates: Both have benefits
61. Dogs or Cats? Cats, without a doubt; cats just like me
62. Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea : Nestea
63. Chocolate or vanilla: Vanilla
64. Cappuccino or coffee?: Cappuccino
DO YOU...
65. Smoke: Absolutely not
66. Curse: Only when I'm really pissed off
67. Sing: Sure
68. Take a shower everyday: Yes
69. Have a crush: Yep
70 has run off with 44, in case you were wondering where they had gone off to
71. Think you've been in love: no
72. Want to go to college: Definitely; where? I don't know
73. Want more than what you got: Certainly
74. Want to get married: Not really
75. Type w/ your fingers on the right keys: Most of the time; but I'm kind of obsessive like that
76. Think you're attractive: Not normally
77. Think you're a health freak: No
78. Get along with your parents: Most times, and Mom all the time; it's Dad I fight with
79. Play an instrument: Yes, piano and formerly the flute; but I can still play
80. drink: Not interested at all
81. Smoke: Because once is just not enough for the question, is it?
82. Done a drug: Why would anyone?
83. Made Out: No
84. Go on a date: Depends on how you define "date"
85. Eaten an entire box of Oreos: Not in one sitting maybe over the course of a week or so
86.??? NO QUESTION???
87.??? NO QUESTION???
88. Made homemade cookies: Yep
89. Been in love: To my knowledge, no
90. Gone skinny dipping: No
91. Dyed your hair: No
92. Stolen anything: No
HAVE YOU EVER...
93. Had too much to drink: Have I ever really had anything to drink? No
94. Been caught cheating: Definitely not; if you feel inclined to cheat, at least do it well
95. Been called a tease: No
96. Gotten beaten up: Does by my little brother count? And that's because I just don't fight back
97. Changed who you were to fit in: No
98. Cried at something beautiful: Yes
99. Spent too much money on something you didnt need?: Of course! It's fun!
100. Cried when someone died: Yeah
No more mass e-mails!
Sara, darling, I love you, but sometimes these things just get out of hand. You need a blog, desperately; it would make our lives so much easier, and we would read it; you wouldn't even have to tell us to, so please, consider getting one or reusing yours or whatever. That would be so nice of you.
Talk to me, we'll create something together where you and Logan can fight until the world ends, but seriously, all these e-mails, they're driving me (and Michelle, Garrett and Crystal) insane!
Thanks.
Where are you people? (If you're Catholic, ignore my rant)
Dear Moorhead Invite participants,
For goodness sake, not all of you are Catholic, so where are you?!? I was told at four this morning I couldn't go to Knowledge Bowl and spent the next thirty minutes arguing about it; in the end, my mother made a threat I couldn't honestly take, and so I stayed home, but at least
one of you should have the decency to get on and tell me what happened! The fact that most of you either ignored your phone or had it turned off is even more irritating.
Yours sincerely,
Pissed-off Kara
