M Y . C O N N I E S

OMOA - The Meet-n-Greet

2009-08-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

The Official Schedule:
2nd - AP US History (yr)
3rd - Early English Literature (sem) / Modern English Literature (sem)
4th - AP Economics (sem) / AP Macroeconomics (sem)
5th - free period
lunch
6th - Pre-Calculus (yr)
7th - TA (sem) / [AP] Amer. Government (sem)

We are now past week one of OMOA, dubed The Meet-n-Greet. I feel, at the end of the first full 7 days, as if I've been back to school for a much longer time. Never before has the phrase "hit the ground running" been the truth. I'm tempted to say I've hit the ground sprinting.

AP US History is with Mrs. Wisecarver, nicknamed Wisey. She knows all! So far we've had a quiz on chapter one and I have a quiz on chapter two come money. I find US history interesting, but the text book couldn't make it any more boring that it already has. I've been putting it off and off. I don't even want to go near the dumb thing. I'm in a class with juniors (only juniors take the class) so I feel beyond odd - almost like I should know everything and I don't.

Early English Lit with Mr. Worley is almost a joke. It is a lot like a skate through english class. The only other option is AP English and I don't want that work load. That would be 5 AP tests on my plate! No thank you. I don't know anyone in the class, which doesn't really bother me, but it's no one in my "group", which means that everyone uses the class for a social period. It's only week one and I'm already poised to strangle the 'blonde' who sits next to me.

AP Econ with Mrs. McCollum is shaping into my favorite class by far. I enjoy her structure because she treats it much more like a university class and let's us take responsibility for everything. The subject itself interests me as well and for the first time we are learning something entirely different from scratch. It is great.

Pre-Calculus with Mr. Livingston is a busy-work like class for me. The sad part is that I can't even fly through it. The 'review' is horrible. We are suppose to be "dusting off the summer cobwebs." Ho boy, let me tell you, there isn't anything to dust cobwebs off of. I couldn't refresh anything if I tried - it went stale way beyond the expiration date.

I TA (teacher assistant) for Mrs. Dikes in her reading class (really, really low level english) with two juniors. So far I've graded papers for an hour for five days straight.

All is going well. I'm having a hard time adjusting back to the American way, if you will. Homework is crushing me and I only have four academically challenging classes!! Most of it is just a lot, and I do mean a lot, of studying and memorization. One would think that would be easy, but when you are shoving four different subjects up there, there really are only x amount of hours in the day. I've figured though, that if I break for the bathroom once, eat twice, and sleep -8 hours, then I should be able to fit everything in...

A/N: My camera, which broke, has been fixed, free of charge, and should be rtb sometime this coming week!

Gone is the Summer

2009-08-16T15:53:00.001-07:00

Where in the world has the summer gone? If you find it please return it to Jennifer Moore at (360) 929-4464 and you just might get a very handsome reward.

Today, 16. aug 2009 at 15.55, marks the ending hours of our last weekend of freedom. We start the first invassion at 1100 on 17. aug. Dubbed Operation Locker Recovery, we battle it out for a locker and bless our lucky starts in hopes that there are some extras. If worse comes to worse, we take it up with the school to fight for seniority rights amongst the Overlords (administrators). It is imperative that we accomplish this mission. The ability to accomplish other missions rests on the success of this one.
Operation Make it Out Alive (OMOA), the key to our success, will commence 0735 on 18. aug 2009. Only united against our oppressors, overlords and pedagogues alike, will we prevail through these troublesome times.

The summer has come to quite a shocking end. It seems like just yesterday I arrived back to CA and last week that I jumped the pond to step state-side in this fine (yet crumblingd) country. My ending weeks in Ridgecrest have, for the most part, as been spent in the center of a teter-toter - one end sits my friends and family the other has a startlingly large towering stack of U.S. History. No joke, my U.S. History summer assignment is quite daunting. She, Mrs. Wisecarver (Wisey for short), has assigned no less than 180 pages of reading spread out in six chapters, 524 key terms/vocab words essential to our understanding, and ten presidents presiding over WWII until Clinton to know everything about. I've had my work cut out for me. Did I mention I have a quiz (which is, I've heard, ridiculously hard) on chapter one on the second day of school.

Goodbye delusional word, hello startling reality of today....

Great Grandma Eleanore's

2009-07-26T07:16:00.000-07:00

Every year, faithfully, I make a pit-stop lunchin with Great Grandma Eleanore. She is a unique individual who eminates the ways of the 'Moore' to a T. For all of our stuborn do-it-ourself ways we have her to blame because without her none of us would be possible. All that aside, we love her dearly and call her and visit her like it is our duty as family members.

Usually we opt to go out to lunch, spend two or three hours humoring her, then return to the safety of our vehicle on our way home from the retirement community of Floral City, Florida. She skewed our plans though and decided to make us lunch which was more of a dinner. Her beef and pork roast turned out excelent for a woman who probably had not cooked in years and had not eaten meat in many many more. It is hard to ruin mashed potatoes and gravy, but I think the vegetables and cola slaw had seen way better days. In honor of my birthday she made cake too.

This time honored tradition ended with a promise to come stay with her. Many older folks drop hints here and there, but not Grandma Eleanore - she drops bombs bigger than the nuclear war heads we droped on Japan. Once you promise her something you can't go back on your word no matter what - at 87, you'd break her little heart. So now I've promised to come stay the night with her before she croaks, as she puts it. I've got it all planed out; I'll fly into Orlando to get my mom's car (she's planned to give me it for college) and make a pit stop on Friday on my way up to college to stay the night only to be on my way Saturday. It's fool proof!

University of Florida

2009-07-20T09:53:00.000-07:00

The University of Florida is located in Gainesville. They pride themselves in their outstanding achievements in not only athletics, but also academics. UFL is ranked in the top 20 of U.S. public universities and is known throughout the nation by all persons.

The tour at UFL got a bit rained out - literally. We began in their admissions room with some Gator trivia then a movie; which, if I might say so myself, was rather entertaining. We then continued on a walking tour around the campus. By way of tours I thought this one lacked the personal vibe that some of the others gave off. We were in a larger group and seemed a bit more structured by the tour commity rather than given by a student, though our guide was a rising senior.

Pros:

- equine teaching unit

- equestrian team

- anthropology department

- "perfect" distance from home (not too far, not too close)

- variety of acedemics

- lots to do in and around the campus (though this could be said for the other two schools)

- some of the top proffessors in the nation

- historic

Cons:

- very big and spread out campus (are we on or off campus yet?)

- very populated

- horrible parking issues

- crowded town

- most difficult to get into

- a lot of roads through campus (not as pedestrian friendly)

- neglected landscaping (not as pretty of a campus)

Conclusion:

It seems that it has been expected that I attend this school by all members of my family so I believe that led me to have higher expectations for said school. Honestly, I was soarly dissapointed. I expected a lot more from the school and though it has all the academics and sports a girl could ask for it didn't have the right feel. I felt very lost and overwhelmed walking around campus and it didn't give off the real college vibe that I was looking for. I would be happy attending UFL, but it is not the first one on my list.

Florida State University

2009-07-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Florida State University is located in the capital of Florida, Tallahassee. They pride themselves in bringing together students who eminate their philosophy; strength, skill, and character. FSU was founded in 1851, making the the oldest continuous site of higher education in Florida.

The tour at FSU was fantasatic. We started off with a driving tour around campus from the safety of an airconditioned van and concluded it with our own walking tour with an admissions seccion sandwitch in the middle. Florida State was by far the most stricking of campuses with the real college feel to it.

Pros:

- pretty campus (very clean and well landscaped)

- historical (has many of its original buildings still standing and blended newer buildings in with the old remarkably well)

- located just blocks from the capitol

- good layout

- friendly people (the stood out the most from all the schools - everyone went out of their way to accomadate me)

- nice surrounding neighborhoods (the areas around campus were very clean and nice looking)

- coldest of the three choices

- excellent study abroad program (four established campuses abroad)

Cons:

- farthest from home (this could go both ways....)

- no horse teaching unit

- suspended anthropology department (major downfall though it is not the only major I'm looking into)

Conclusion:

I honestly love this school. Everything about it has what I was looking in by way of a university. The suspended anthropology department is a major downfall, but they still offer lots of cultural studies classes so its not like I won't get to study something that interets me, I just won't get the title for it. On the other hand, it would be an excellent place to pursue international affairs/relations and political science. Overall, this is my top choice even though that means I would be a Florida Seminole.

University of South Florida

2009-07-20T09:04:00.000-07:00

The University of South Florida is located in Tampa, FL. They pride themselves in being one of the top research universities in the country, being a remarkably diverse school, and being a metropolitian place of education. South Florida graduates more teachers than any other school and features many new state of the art technologies.

Besides the fact that it was ridiculously hot during our 90+ minute walking tour, U of South FL offered one of the best tours of the three in my opinion. Of the three schools it is also the easiest of the three to get into, but it is also the largest.

Pros:

- closest to home (about 40 minutes in all directions)

- excellent applied anthropology program (the Center for Public Anthropology rated USF's anthrpoogy department 2nd in the nation)

- new and modern campus (established in 1956)

- closed and concentrated campus (little to no roads through campus making it the most pedestrian friendly of the three)

- good parking (parking garages through out campus)

- lots to do around campus (just one block from Busch Gardens, Adventure Island and MOSI)

Cons:

- in a big city (located in the outer bands of Tampa)

- HOT!! (ugh...)

- no landscaping or asthetic value (buildings feature a very 50's geometric architecture and very genaric look - looks more like a naval base than college)

Conclusion:

I can see myself attending USF, but I can see a lot of down falls to the school. I like that everything is newer and more modern, but it doesn't have the traditional college loook that I want. It is a very pedestrian friendly campus of caiters to mass transit more (a big up). This is the largest of the three schools and because it is so close to Tampa there are more non-degree seeking students. Overall, USF is third on my list (should I get admitted to all three).

College Tour 2009

2009-07-15T10:42:00.001-07:00

Today is the last preparation day before the beginning of what will go down in the history books as the ultimate college tour (Ok, my history books). Tomorrow we, being my mom, aunt, and myself, begin what will be a three school tour. The kicker, we are shoving these three schools in three days which happen to be speard across the entire length of Florida.

The Schedule:
16. july > USF Tampa, FL
17. july > FSU Tallahassee, FL
18. july > UFL Gainesville, FL

Some of you might be wondering why I'm only looking and considering these schools especially when they are in Florida and anyone who has met me knows I hate warm/hot weather. I'm pretty much limited to a public Florida school with the pre-paid program that my parents set up for me when I was younger. If I choose to go to another school then I have to pay for that on my own.

The Profile:
Basically, I'm looking for a public four-year university in Florida. That right there narrows down my choices to 11 schools. Environment is a big factor for me since I already don't really like the warm weather - I would HATE to go to a real southern school. That elminites Florida International University in Miami, Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, and Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Meyers. Now I'm left with USF, UCF, UFL, FSU, UWF, UNF. For those of you who just think that's way to many U's and F's its South FL, Central FL, FL, FL State, West FL, and North FL. I don't want to live in Orlando so there goes UCF and UNF and UWF don't really offer what I'm looking to study. Thus, we are left with USF, UFL, and FSU.

What was it you wanted to study again? Well, I've narrowed it down to social sciences in particular anthropology, political science, and sociology. These interest me; what kind of job I can get with a degree in these I haven't a clue. Heck, I might get to college and find out that I don't even want to study these which is another reason why I want to go to a large school (lots of other study options).

Are you seriously looking at FSU because we, the family, might just disown you? I know, I know, y'all don't have to tell me twice. Besides the fact that they have just suspended their anthropology program, it looks to be a fairly nice school in a nice location. All in all, it is a fall back school. I, too, really want to back my bags for the Gator Nation!

USF = University of South Florida (Tampa)
UCF = University of Central Florida (Orlando)
UFL = University of Florida (Gainesville)
FSU = Florida State University (Tallahassee)
UWF = University of West Florida (Pensacola)
UNF = University of North Florida (Jacksonville)

The Nordvind

2009-07-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

The Nordvind is a hotel on Treasure Island; no, not Robert L. Stevensen's Treasure Island, St. Petersburg, FL's Treasure Island. Apparently we ''know'' people and have ''connections'' because, faithfully, every time we come to visit we end up taking liberties with the Nordvind's pool, beach access, and parking.

We took said liberties on Saturday for a picnic dinner and sunset sighting. The picnic consisted of my mom, grandma, aunt, uncle, cousin, and myself of course with sandwitches, mini quiche, fruit, veges, and holy fudgies by Oreo. Leah, disciding that I was okay to play with, dragged me into the pool where we swam from the sharks before dinner. As if that wasn't enough, deciding I was even better than she thought, had me run up and down the beach after eatting. Where this kid gets all of her energy, I'll never know, because after running up and down the beach she hadn't had enough of the pool or doing anything for that matter, so we played in the pool some more before the sunset.

Though the sunset was not a picture perfect sinking orb over the Gulf, it did provide some spectacular pictures with the camera on the sunset setting. It was a nice evening done classic Florida style, on the beach.

Busch Gardens - Tampa

2009-07-14T05:39:00.000-07:00

Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL is the ultimate family attraction. Anheiser-Busch has managed to provide the public with not just an amuesment park filled with rollercosters and games, but also a zoo filled with every imaginable animal pertaining to their African theme. Just like any park, the people at Anheiser-Busch have pulled tourists in with excelent ticket deals and have managed to nail the gullable people in the shops and food stands where something as basic as a meal will set you back ten big ones.

For the rollercoster enthusists in all of us (or just the teens and husbands alike), Busch Gardens has four large, gravity deffying costers and two smaller, more tame tracks for the new enthusists or mom. The park's best rollercoster is by far the montu. Fortunately for us, neither days we went (we went friday and sunday all for the price of one admission) were the lines long for this attraction. It holds the title of longest rollercoster in America and at the time of its construction (1996) it was the fastest and tallest inverted coster.

For all you moms out there, Busch Gardens offers loads of air-conditioned gift shops and shows. We only saw one show which is rather unusual for our attraction going tendencies. KaTonga was awesome, amazing, beautiful, entertaining, fantastic, and any other postivie discriptive word out there. KaTonga takes guests on a musical celebration of African animal folklore. The show is split up by four stories, each of which feature a different animal and a lesson to be learned. It was quite surprising to see a show of the magnitude in a theme park. Unlike other show attractions offered at other theme parks, you actually have to have some theatrical tallent to get a spot on the stage.

For that family geek, there are opprotunities to meet the keepers of a select few animals throughout the day. Just being in the right place at the right time, mom and I had the opprotunity to meet the alligator and elephant keepers. The Keepers introduce you to the animals (pointing out which one is which even though you can't tell see any differences), talk to you about what they eat and what their behaviors are. Busch Gardens also offers these information sessions for the chimpanzees and gorillas, lions and hyenas, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, clydesdales, tigers, orangutans, and gibbons (leemer like monkeys).

Busch Gardens is just a lot of fun. Between the rollercosters, gift shops, expensive foods, and animal attractions, the park has something to offer everyone. Personal favorites of mine include the Montu, Skyline, Congo River Rapids, and the Serengeti Plains viewed by train.

A/N: Some of the pictures taken (refer to the slideshow to the right) have a bit of a glow to them. This was due to a grimey finger smudge on the lens that wasn't noticed at the time (don't ask how it was missed).

Numero Uno

2009-07-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

One thing I as excited about was having some real Mexican food. Well, I have yet to have that Mexican, but I have had Cuban as of now and let me tell you, it hit home! With nothing more than some sliced turkey, a gallon of milk, and a half eaten loaf of zucchini bread mom and I decided that we would go out. Apparently Numero Uno is a local hot spot for Cuban that has won a number of awards for its authentic Cuban cuisine.

We started the evening meal off with drinks. Mom went with a traditional glass of wine. I went with something a bit more exotic; Materva, soda latina (Latino soda). I was slightly unsure of what it was, but it was discribed to me as an herbal soda - it reminded me of an herbal tea (cold) mixed with Sprite. It tasted fantastic. We kicked off our pallets with some bocaditos (starters) of beef empanadas and tostones. I've made empanadas before, but they put some special spices or sauce or something that made it absolutely fantastic.

The main courses were some traditional Cuban dishes, just like the starters and my drink. Mom ordered boliche which is beef stuff with chorizo and hard boiled eggs. Chorizo, for you non foodies, is a spanish smoked pork sausage. I ordered bistec salteado which is pepper skirt steak sauteed with peppers and onions served with white rice and black beans. I can't tell you much about the boliche, but the bistec salteado was absolutely fantastic. We capped the night off with some tres leches at home with a nice hot cup of Joe.

Over all, it was an excellent night of Cuban eatery. I tried to renew my Spanish, but in all honesty the only thing coming up was Danish. I'm not sure how I should look at that - I'm relaly good to Danish or I took three painful years of Spanish in school for absolutely no reason.

(boliche)

(bistec salteado)

Leu Gardens

2009-07-09T15:28:00.000-07:00

Following the night of the fourth, the family and I took a nice (well, as nice as one can have during a Florida summer) stroll through a local garden, Harry P. Leu Gardens. Leu Gardens boasts a winding three mile paved path through a traditional southern style garden.

The tour begins through a stunning southern plantation style home which houses the information/ticket counter, gift shop, and various rooms that can be rented out for receptions and parties. Out the door of this starting point, the garden goer gets a stunning view of Lake Rowena. Leu Gardens is home to the largest Camellia collection outside of California, the largest formal rose garden in Florida, a butterfly garden, and a house museum dating from the 1880's.

From a tourist stand point, I urge you to wait for this attraction until fall or spring because our mid-summer venture was, quite frankly, hotter than Hades. The heat was a big turn-off, but the gardens show cased many beautiful flowers and stunning tree-line scape that made me feel like we were transported back to a pre-historic time.

The Glorious Fourth

2009-07-04T19:22:00.000-07:00

America kicked off its 233rd birthday with the traditional snap, crackle, and pop of fireworks shooting off into the sky. Independence day is a national holiday marking the signing of our Constitution. Today, though it does commemorate this event in history, it is used as an excuse of sorts to express our patriotic tendencies.

Commonalities of said holiday usually include morning parades, afternoon picnics, and evening firework display. All of this is done of course with a continuous stream of red, white, and blue accessories (clothes, hats, cakes, streamers, balloons and paper cups included).

With this noted, I have to admit that Fourth of July 2009 saw little to no patriotic displays like he general public. My Aunt Donna, Uncle Gerald, cousin Leah and Grandma Jo make the trek up from St. Pete/Tampa to partake in the festivities with my mother and I. We fretted over the food and the weather and whether or not the pool would be too crowded for us to enjoy it. Fireworks were a total bust this year. Mom decided that we would try to catch the fireworks display just over Lake Eola. We arrived with half an hour to spare. After driving around for ten minutes with no promise of a parking place we said 'to heck with it' and headed off to a sports bar close to the apartment. There we grabbed some drinks (just cola for me unfortunately) and caught the middle of a Rays game.

If it counts towards anything we did eat pigs in a blanket, apple pie, lemonade, and potato salad coloured red, white and blue (apparently the potatoes came out of the ground blue....). Cross your fingers for more patriotic Glorious Fourth in 2010.

Summer of 2009

2009-06-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Summer of 2009 has officially begun!

Who: Myself and various family members from both sides of the family
What: Haven't necessarily gotten that far yet
Where: Orlando, FL and the surrounding area
When: ... the summer of 2009... did I miss something here
Why: it's a holiday baby!

I am now officially back in my homeland (and not all too sure about it) and am hitting Florida up for a month long holiday. Hopefully this can provide a nice transition back into American life. If not, maybe I'll just got back to Europe :D

Stay tuned to all of the happenings from my summer back in America. Also, note that there will be posts on my other blog. They will be more focused on the differences and my reverse culture shock.

Left Hanging

2009-06-16T18:39:00.001-07:00

Well, it looks like we won't know my schedule until the start of school. My counselor and I were never able to come to a consensus on my schedule and credits before school ended so now I will have to wait until 11. august to talk with her again. So we are all left hanging.

On a lighter not there is a clearer outlook for the near future. A college tour of sorts is being planned along with talks of a trip to Sanibel, FL. This is all in the air of course, but knowing something is better than nothing.

Also, as a note, I will be switching to this blog more permanently once I get state-side. There will be a few reverse culture shock posts and a wrap-up post on the Trials and Tribulations blog, but not few after my return. So bookmark this one with the anticipation of no return to the other.

Frustrations

2009-06-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

I think it is safe to say that my contacts with BHS counseling office has been put on hold until early August. We have come to a few rough conclusions all of which boils down to the age old proverb; you can't have your cake and eat it too. I should probably re-iterate that; you can't have what you want and make it work too. As I mentioned in my previous post, I can't take the classes that I want if I plan to show up to the classes themselves.

Luckily for me it appears that the teachers and counselor are actually talking to each other and trying to work things out for me. My new schedule looks a bit like this;

Early English Literature (sem)
Modern English Literature (sem)
American Government (sem)
Environmental Science (sem)
Pre-Calculus (yr)
AP US History (yr)
AP Economics (sem)
AP Macroeconomics (sem)
Intro to Engineering Design (yr)

This is pretty much non-official. In fact I won't know for sure if this is what my schedule will look like until the first day of school, but I have planned for a meeting when I return on the 11., 12., or 13. of August. School starts on the 18. by the way. Now let's all cross our fingers that I get at least one class with either of my friends, Megan and Emma.

Classes

2009-06-01T17:32:00.000-07:00

Since I finally know where I will be attending my senior year, I've been in contact with my counselor (who unfortunately isn't the same from my freshman and sophomore years) about my impending course schedule. My original thoughts were the following:

The Essay
Modern English Literature
AP US History
AP American Government
AP Economics/AP Macro Economics
Pre-Calculus
Business I
Business II

As it turns out this is a total no-go. According to the counselor, Ms. Graves, because of the economic crisis they have cut back on classes or how often they have them (I'm not sure I quite understand this, but anyway). Apparently The Essay is only offered 2 period, fall semester along with AP Gov (fall and spring sem). AP US History is offered either 2 period or 4 period, but Business I is only offered 4 period fall semester with AP Econ/Macro. So basically I had to choose what I wanted which pretty much allotted with nothing.

My compromise was to switch out The Essay for Early English Literature, switch Business I and II with Intro to Engineering Design, opt for AP Econ/Macro and AP Gov over AP US History all while proposing a free period where I try to do an independent study like class for AP US History. I suggested maybe taking the free period to study and do class work for AP US History, take the tests on my own time for the class and turn in my homework; basically do everything except show up for the lectures (I'll be in another class obviously).

I'm waiting now to hear back from my counselor whether this will be a no-go or a go-go. For those of you wondering why I don't take a normal US History class or why it is even a big deal, I'll fill you in. US History is a graduation requirement for me that is normally taken your Junior year, obviously I missed that being in Denmark for that year. I really want to take the AP class because I really enjoy the teacher and in all actuality history fascinates me. I actually choose to take advanced classes in econ, gov and history because I'm interested in the world and how it works and functions. In my opinion these are all foundations for understand that.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that Ms. Graves and I can come to some consensus that pleases both me and what the school offers.

Unofficially Official

2009-05-28T13:01:00.000-07:00

Extra, extra; read all about it!

So some news that most of you probably already know (this is for the benefit of those behind the time) I will be returning to hell,,, I mean Ridgecrest. This is unofficially official - don't ask me how that works, but it dose. So, in honor of this revelation we're going to look at the pro's and con's.

Pro's:

- I will know somebody when I move (a first)

- I will know where everything is when I move (a first)

- I won't have to make new friends for school, my senior year in particular (a first)

- My new blog might retain a desert theme

- I can embrace all that the desert has to offer (maybe if I beg enough I can get a dirt bike...)

- I have the perfect environment to learn to drive

- The unofficial house rocks (I have my own bathroom!)

Con's:

- You may never see me again (I'll have been evaporated by the ridiculously hot weather)

- I won't get to see a thunderstorm like I really have been wanting to (I miss it)

- I'll be stuck in the middle of nowhere (I can't even drive yet)

- Shopping includes Wal-mart and K-mart

- My Euro-lifestyle will be shot to hell (no trains, buses, good shopping, traveling, nothing...)

I guess we can conclude that besides environment, I'm actually excited to return to Ridgecrest. (I can't believe I just said that.) I have never moved someplace where I new somebody. It is actually refreshing, especially since I hadn't planned on seeing my friends again. It's a good thing I still keep in touch with them. The biggest downside is the weather. I hate the hot weather and lack of moisture.

Welcome Home!

My Connies

2009-05-21T01:46:00.000-07:00

The new blog; A Day Laced in my Connies. I feel like I should explain this blog (the title in particular) for clarification. The most important element to understand is 'Connies'. The word connies is a slang term for the shoes Converse All Star. They have also been refered to as converse, all stars, chucks, chuchers, chuck taylors, and cons. I aquired the name connies from my Austrailian friends from my exchange year in Denmark in 08/09.

For anybody who knows me, Connies are my choice of shoe and have been since the 8th grade when I was bought my first pair. They were brown and still survive to this day. I have worn them practically everyday for the past three years. I often joke and say they are my church shoes because they are so whole riden (holly...). I can't explain the fasination with Converse, but I have one.

This blog is dedicated to my senior year at Burroughs High School. It will go through all of my trials and tribulations (couldn't help myself) of being an American teenager, the lives of my shoes, and basic reintroduction to the teenage scene from my exchange year (see my blog titled Trials and Tribulations from Scandinavia).