"Even the biggest failure beats the hell out of never trying."

Yesterday evening, they made me play piccolo...

While I do love the piccolo, at home, when there's nobody else in, when I'm feeling particularly ambitious, it is totally unfair how last night went! Well, just this week in general, as far as piccolos are concerned.

On Saturday, my dad revealed to Cathy (whilst at the Garden Party, watching me fail on the alto flute) that I own a piccolo. She told me to bring it to my lesson on Thursday, which I did, with a slighly worried sense of dread. But we didn't have time to play it in my lesson, so I thought I was free... but no. Just as I was leaving Maestros, we walked past John (Training Band conductor) and Cathy thought it'd be a good idea to let him know I had a piccolo. He told me to bring it to band the next day. 

Friday, piccolo in bag, with the intention of keeping it there, I turned up to Mezzos and Bryony immediately declared "Alicia! Is that your piccolo!? Maybe you should play it today!" (because she's such a good friend ;) ) Tess was all set to make me play it, when we decided to merge with seniors, so I was left playing it next to somebody who is actually a bit of a picc god, if I'm honest, feeling a little silly - at least with bass and alto they're low pitched, so nobody hears if you make a mistake. Everyone hears the picc. Cathy said I played well, considering the circumstances. I laughed.

Training Band was less embarassing, due to the fact that nobody can hear you, because the saxs and brass drown everyone else out ;) but still... piccolo D:

At the same time, I do love the piccolo, and now have an incentive to actually practice it, so I don't sound like a fool. Which is all good, I think :S

xxxxxx

That one time of year when the infant school has their summer fair... argh.

I get this every year, for one day, all day. They insist on hiring some guy with a massive microphone and speaker system. His voice is whining through my house... Darnit!
I decided to cover this disturbance up by rediscovering Spotify... which you have got to love, despite this new "only play songs a certain number of times" policy! I mean, seriously?
But whatever, I'm listening to Aqualung :) joy joy joy

Actually, it was the Garden Party today, so I probably ought to mention that... The performances were all fine, even Mezzos! :O
My dad took the opportunity of telling Cathy that I have a piccolo :S so I'll be expected to take that to my lesson on Thursday. Although... piccolo is really fun to play, so if I can learn to play it nicely, that'd be good...
Thursday also, Cathy will lend me her old open-holed flute, to see if I could cope with one - as I'm (probably hopefully) finally getting a silver flute in summer, and we have to decide open or closed holed... So that'll be nice. Nicer than my own anyway.

More about the Garden Party... Uh, I hung out with unusual people, as seems to be becoming customary for me. Tristan was around for a while, who I've never really had a chance to speak to much. Also David Sharman, who I don't really speak to enough either. And then just anyone I could pick up really... I don't know, I just seemed to end up with people I'd never really spoken to much. It was fun. Also Mark was around for some of the time, as were Lucy, George and Stuje. Oh, and Aaron, who's insane at the moment for some reason. He felt the need to dance about and sing... weirdly. But anything goes around me these days, if I'm perfectly honest.

I need to go, because we're going out for dinner later.
Bye xxxxx

Try not to see a black dot, but a big white area around it.

http://www.demotivation.us/best/life/filter_all/try-not-to-see-a-black-dot-1247877.html

If I got it right, it's telling us we shouldn't dwell on the bad things in life, we should look at the good all around them too, and see that there's always going to be something trying to ruin that good, but the good will always be there. Or something...

Collection of Thoughts

I keep starting posts with nothing to say, writing a single line and exiting. They've all collected in my 'Drafts' box so I'm copying and pasting.

Where would the world be without text messages...?

Facebook... would you stop emailing me when I ask you to?!

Fear of webcams slowly subsiding... AND THEN LUCY GOES AND TELLS ME SHE'S ALWAYS PARANOID HERS IS STILL ON. WHAT IF SOMEONE'S WATCHING ME THROUGH MINE RIGHT NOW!?


Let's pretend I didn't nearly miss my French exam because I was so absorbed in revising Biology this morning... Keep pretending... Mrs Holden has yet another reason to hate me.

Speaking of which - NO MORE FRENCH! D: <-- face of distress

When I should be revising, all I feel like doing is going out and sleeping in the sun. When I should be sleeping, all I want to do is revise. When I'm out in the sun, I'm wishing I was revising. THERE IS NO WINNING THIS.

Would whoever moved the bus stops in Reading kindly put them back now?!

Oh... I am feeling a little fear of Biology results...

Where would the world be without sixth formers...? Where are we going to be without them next year!?

I need to re-watch Peter Pan.

And other Disney movies...

THE LION KING.

Right. I'm sure if I'd bothered to go on and actually write full posts every time I thought something random, they'd actually be vaguely interesting. But evidently my mind wants to do its own little thing... Sorry.

No more lessons until September! Just the small matter of GCSEs then... :L

I'm having some thoughts. They are really quite angry thoughts. Again, they've stemmed from Biology revision. Stem cells...

I happen to be for stem cell research. If we can develop a way in which embryonic stem cells can be conditioned to the point where they may cure someone of paralysis, then I'm all for it. As long as it doesn't involve killing. Which it doesn't. (Well not technically speaking, but I'll explain.) This is where I start getting annoyed.

It is my belief that you should not take life for food; I don't think it's justified.

However, when posed with the fact that plants are alive, and I eat vegetables, I am quick to point out that plants are not conscious, that is, capable of thought.

Then there are those who argue that because an embryo cannot give permission, using it for research or treatment of others is a violation of its human rights. These people argue that an embryo, a mere group of CELLS, no less, has human rights. According to my reasoning, which I stand by, it is more than justifiable to use embryonic stem cells. They are not conscious/capable of though; and in that respect are no different to a plant cell. How can an embryo have rights, when plant cells certainly don't? And how is it, that some of these same people, are then okay with eating an animal that has been reared and then killed for the purpose of nothing more than food, even though the nutrients provided by meat can be found from other sources. This is a source of much frustration. Fine. Eat meat. But do not argue that you shouldn't do embryonic research, which can provide cures for so many thousands of people, all of whom would otherwise have no prospect of a better quality of life, is unjustified because it is a violation of human rights.

I know that there are many people against embryonic research for other reasons, and I realise I havn't really accounted for that, so I should probably mention that not all people against embryonic research are (in my opinion) hypocrites. Some of them even have very valid arguments, which I will not bore you by countering here. But yeah. Embryonic research. Good thing. ;) xxx

Well, it's been a while...

And I've returned to my blog. It's really a good place to be. :)
Let's see, what have I been up to recently?
Last weekend I went on DofE with Rachel, Rhianna, Rob, Louisa and Andrew. So that took up some time (3 days to be precise.) It was great fun and I'm looking forward to the expedition. However, we will have to make sure we don't attempt to walk over 15km per day, because by the second day particularly, we were just too knackered (we had 18km planned.) When you're working these things out on a map, you really don't have a clue what it's going to be like walking that route, with a heavy bag (about 16+kg I think) and aching feet. It was definitely worth it though. The first night, Rob, Louisa, Andrew and I slept out of our tents, under the stars - so to speak. That was such a cool experience. We played 'truth or dare' until about 11 (what happens on truth or dare, stays on truth or dare, I'm afraid) and then chatted for a while, and then tried to sleep (less easy for some of us as a certain someone snored :P ) Uhm, on the second day we walked right by Sophie's house, which was completely unexpected. The campsite was lovely and had amazing showers! Then the third day we ended up in Midgham - a place where Rachel and I had to keep our heads down, having previously insulted the entire Midgham population, whilst going through it on the train.
It was totally knackering, and that night I slept 14 hours, went to Mapledurham Craft Fair with Grandma, and then went home and slept a further 3 hours at about 2 in the afternoon... Then revision :/

I'm actually finding that I'm losing the energy to revise. I figure I'll have to start revising somewhere that's not home, because at home I can just make excuses. I need to figure this one out - either stay at school for several hours (not really an option because they close the library) or find a library. Definitely something.

Right, so I've covered Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday. That was the weekend of the *flinches* royal wedding...  Then that Tuesday I didn't go to school either, because I had an operation on my mouth. Uhm, sumarising points... Well firstly, I would've paid to hear someone ask me a new question, or tell me something new about my op. It's only, what, the 7th time of hearing the same information and the same questions that you get bored... Secondly, general anaesthetic HURTS. Sort of. It hurts when they're putting it into your arm. I watched, because I'd rather know what's going on, but they tried to shield it from me >:(

Then waking up - that was an interesting experience. I have vague memories of not being able to open my eyes, thrashing about in the bed LOTS, crying my eyes out, ripping the blood pressure thing off my arm, being told to calm down and telling them I WAS calm, making a nurse give me a hug, and needing to spit a lot. They must've loved me in the recovery ward. ;) Apparently I had five different types of painkiller in my system though, so who can blame me?

Then while still slightly anaesthatised I sent some texts (not advisable) which I believe were rather over-affectionate, and incomprehensible, but hey, what can I say? The drugs actually took a long time to wear off, so I continued to be over affectionate and slightly dopey through Wednesday, which was the day we did some filming for Sex Trafficking Awareness. So this involved going around school with two video cameras in a too-short skirt and extremely low cut top and some borrowed heels a size too big for me... The looks we got :L It's okay though, because it's all for a good cause. I only feel sorry for Roseanne, whose lap I apparently took it upon myself to sit on, whilst dressed so inappropriately. My bad. *I actually have no memory of this.*

I think that's probably it for now. I'm very bored of practice papers, very bored of school, and in general having frequent exam-panics... nine days... But otherwise, all is well, and I had an amazing band session last night (got to see everyone from tour :D ) even though Becca abandoned me for a Vietnam meeting -.- (I joke, no grudges held)
Bye bye
Alicia
xxxxxx