Across_the_Universe

I'm really excited for this new addition to HP next year. I really need to get back there to pick up some of my missing credits...maybe next year I'll be able to go. I actually might be able to go to ECB, but I haven't asked my mother yet. Anyway, this Intamin hyper is shaping up to be GREAT! I really love that PhotoShop mock up using goldenrod track and light blue supports. I think they go together well.

As of right now, my list contains: 1.)The United States of America -Pennsylvania -Maryland -West Virginia -Virginia -North Carolina -Florida -Ohio -Indiana -Illinois -New Jersey -New York -Connecticut -Rhode Island -Massachusetts I am going to Rome this November to visit my brother, who will be studying abroad there in the fall, so that will add Italy and Vatican City to my list. Sadly, Rainbow Magicland will not be open when I'm there.

I've always wanted to go to Japan, and these Trip Reports just make the place seem so amazing! It's just one of those quirky places everyone should at least visit before they die. Maybe I'll be able to go on a TPR trip someday; hopefully a Japan one! :

I've been listening to the Chess soundtracks recently, and it's amazing how much the London version differs from the Broadway version. Basically, The Russian, Anatoly, stays the antagonist throughout both Acts in the Broadway version, ultimately losing to the American, Freddie. In the London version, Anatoly wins at the end of the first Act and the second is him defending his title after he defects from Russia for Florence, who was once Freddie's chess second and lover. Russia wants him back and threatens his wife and family if he wins and doesn't come back. Story aside, the songs are great; my favorites being "The Arbiter," "One Night in Bangkok," (although hearing Adam Pascal rap it on the Live in Royal Albert Hall version is quite funny) "Anthem," and "Pity the Child." It's quite long though and features quite a few themes besides Chess. Cold War propaganda and love are two main themes in the musical. Chess is one of my favorite musicals right now. I wish we'd do it at our High School, but we don't have enough males to cover all the leads and still have male voices in the ensemble.

^ I think my school is one of the few schools that uses Percentages to determine GPA. For example, my weighted GPA for my freshman year was 105.8138% (H/G courses are weighted 10% extra and AP 20%). And I'm still hoping for my sophmore year schedule to be fixed. I hope if I can't get into Jazz Band, I can at least get into Intro to Theatre. I'm really excited for APUSH, since the teacher is probably my favorite in the school. Not as excited for AP Chem though...that shall be fun!

Bland's Park -> DelGrosso's Amusement Park

The Guidance department at my high school is not all too great. I'm already having difficulties with my schedule for next year. I found this out about a week or so ago. Here's the classes I requested for next year: (With a break between Core Classes and electives) English 10 (H/G) Earth and Environmental Science (H/G) Algebra II (H/G) US History I AP French II Chemistry AP Band Jazz Band The problem lies in Algebra II. They couldn't fit it in! Band and Jazz Band are 7th and 8th period, and Alg. is offered 1st and 8th, and I have French II first! What may end up happening is that I'll take Algebra II as an independent study. Math is my best subject, I really don't need too much instruction in it. I ended this year with a 98.66 in H/G Geometry, with a 100 on the final exam (Yes, I'm a complete and utter nerd.) But whatever. It'll get worked out.

I know you've heard this a million times before, but I love your TR's. You take AMAZING pictures and you add so many personal touches your reports. Seeing a TR of this caliber from a park I've always wanted to go to makes me want to go there even more!

^Oh, I NEVER would've done that. Plus, they were going up the stairs and I was still in the switchbacks. I hate people who line jump; it's bad enough having to deal with it every day in Freshman Lunch.

I really haven't experienced too many long lines; having never really been around to too many large parks. The longest line was for Sky Rocket at Kennywood opening year. We were there for the parade in late August (Our band was the first thing in the parade, by the way) and the wait was posted at 45 minutes. So, neither of the two people I was with wanted to ride, so I was stuck alone in a line, not even sure if this was allowed and who do I see up the stairs? Our group of instructors. (We were easy to find, all wearing our show shirts that had about 0.05% to do with our show.) I was quite aways back, so I thought nothing of it. Right as I got through the switchbacks, the ride malfunctions and they start running empty ride vehicles. But, the line kept moving, so I was happy. So right as I get to the station, guess who's getting off? The instructors. They ask me who I'm with and I told them my group didn't want to ride. They were cool with that. So i get in the back seat and this lady sits beside me. She has a purse with her. WHen the ride attendant tells her she can't have it, she seems surprised. Why would you think you would hold on to your purse on a LAUNCHED, LOOPING, ROLLER COASTER!? On a lighter note, the ride was fun, and I only waited 15 minutes above the posted wait time. Throughout the day, it was up to almost 2 hours, so I was glad I had time to ride it before we had to get dressed for the parade.

Now that looks like a great wooden coaster. Too bad the only time I ever go to Wildwood is in Late April/Early May, when only the pier where the Boomerang is is open...

I am very, very interested, but I cannot say with 100% certainty that I will be there. If I would come, however, my mom would probably come as well.

I'd love to go, but I'm not sure because that's the day before the first week of band camp, which I really need to get a good night's sleep the day before, since band camp is 12 hours.

I've always loved your comics and would LOVE a copy of the book. Now to convince my mother to order it for me....

I really like musicals. I've seen West Side Story on Broadway and some others in other locations I can't recall (nothing too exciting) I'm also currently in one, and it's actually rather cool. Everybody prepared for the most misleading musical title ever? Once Upon a Mattress. So, know that everyone's mind is in the gutter, let me dig it out for you. It's a musical retelling of "The Princess and the Pea," where the Princess, Winnifred, is the 13th girl tested, but the only one tested for "Sensitivity." I will be portraying the part of the Wizard this year. The part doesn't have much singing, but it is rather important to the plot. In Act II, the Minstrel, who has been banished, makes me reminisce about the old times when I performed and how I inspired her. She then gets me drunk and I blab about the plan to her. (The events of the last sentence are implied, I don't actually have to act drunk) But, It's a fun musical to act in, and rehearsals are always fun!

I've finally changed mine. I'm not using the Alan Wake Windows 7, theme, which changes wallpapers and have AWESOME sounds. For example, when you plug in a device like a Flash drive, it plays the sound from when Alan picks up something in the game.

I would be very interested in this set....if I owned a Blu-Ray player. My family might get one soon, but I'm not sure when. I don't own any of the RAW DVD's so being able to catch up, and in HD, would be great. Like I said, I don't have a Blu-Ray player, but I'd be very interested in this set when and if I get a player.

My current Facebook profile picture. Just me chilling in my room. (My walls are actually white. iPod touch camera isn't so great at low-light photos) Me being a nerd at Scholastic Quiz. I'm the one with the pen in my hand, in the "thoughtful" pose. Me being a band nerd, during my duet with solo trumpet. This was at the All-Chapter Championships at Hersheypark Stadium. You can't see my face because the baritone horn is in the way. In case you're wondering whether Hersheypark was open when we were there, they weren't. They were open for the Group 2 and 4 championships the week before, but since our band is so small (11 instrumentalists), we're in Group 1, for the smallest bands.

Favorite wood: Viper at SFGAm Favorite Steel: Apollo's Chariot at BGE

I'm doing well in all of my classes. Algebra IB H/G and Strategic Reading H/G are semester courses, so I had to take a final in them. The Reading one was SO easy, since the class was basically a re-hash of everything I've learned ever. The Algebra one was also pretty easy, but there were a few things I couldn't recall. I don't know my exact grades for those 2 classes yet, but all of my other grades are in for the semester: Active Physics H/G- 96.08 A French I- 98.99 A Band- 101 A American History I H/G- 98.18 A As for how I have a 101 in Band, when we did our major scales tests, we could play the scales in 2 octaves to get 5 extra credit points. For our minor scales (which are coming up) the natural form is the only one required, but we can do the other 2 forms to get 5 extra points for each. So, on my major scales midterm, I got a 111.67%, so thus the 101.

My school, Greater Johnstown High School, is pretty cool. It's one of the only schools in PA that combines Normal academic classes with Vocational classes. The only problem is that we have the vocational classes pushed on us, even when we want to go mostly academic. A lot of the classes have laptops, some of the English classes have nooks and I think next year we're getting iPads. Exactly why I do not know. The area that contains GJHS today used to be a Junior High, before becoming JHS. Then, in 2003, they built what now is the A-D wings of the school. They kept the E wing because that's where all the shops are and it's better to keep all that there than try to move it, and the auditorium because it's just that awesome. They did renovate most of it though. I'm a freshman and it sucks. My schedule was all f**ked up this year: So, I'm a rather intelligent student, and according to some of my friends, the smartest in the grade. So I was VERY surprised when I logged on to PowerSchool in August and not seeing AP US History (Grad. requirements changed this year, Freshman can now take AP History) and French, but H/G History and FRESHMAN SEMINAR! (H/G students can take a French/Spanish instead of this class). So, I eventually got my schedule changed, and by switching out of Jazz Band (8th pd) and into Concert Band (7th pd, I could transfer my H/G History to 8th period, which opened 6th, which was the Freshman French class. It's acceptable for this year, as the Freshman Seminar class insulted my intelligence. We learned what about rules and the Code of Conduct in there before I got switched out. Freshmen now have to get walked to lunch by their teachers because they run. People still run. Nothing changed. And freshman didn't get their class selection sheets for next year yet. But it doesn't matter, since I know exactly what I'll be taking: Core Classes: English 10 H/G Earth and Environmental Science H/G Algebra II H/G American History II H/G Electives: United States History I AP (The class I was supposed to be in this year. I'm taking it and APUSH II as an elective because the teacher is that good) French II Band Jazz Band Fingers crossed that everything works out! So, here's a picture of my school with little descriptions of the wings. HHS is "Health and Human Services" and the Cafeteria isn't down the C Wing, it's across from it. My School. Hardly anyone knows the auditorium is the F-wing and it really doesn't make sense. It's closer to the A than it is to the E.

That actually looks fun. But I don't know if the reports of unsafe G-Forces are true, so I wouldn't go traveling for it.

When I saw that there was a Volare in North Korea, I instantly thought of this. I wonder if the government keeps one in private for that purpose. (I've never been on one, but from what I hear, they're very painful)

Dania Beach Hurricane looks like an awesome woodie! Too bad that the FEC it's a part of is rather sucky and a place I'd be afraid to go alone, if at all.

Campus by Vampire Weekend on vinyl!