Reasons Why Shakespeare Isn't Worth Your Time

Every 9th grader in the U.S. of A. reads Shakespeare. Most commonly Romeo and Juliet, the stupidest love story in the known universe. My parents read it. My grandparents read it. 
And now it's my turn.
I...highly dislike it. Why would anyone like to read Shakespeare, who manages to create the worst tragedies out of otherwise fine things? I have other reasons why Shakespeare isn't worth reading, too:
1. Over-dramatization. Apparently, hidden deep within the Old English, there's humor, but Shakespeare also over-dramatized. Mostly, he killed off characters mercilessly. On the wall of our English room there's a Shakespeare's death count poster. I think the worst is King Lear or Hamlet, with around 14 dead people by the end. In good stories, people (or other organisms) don't die.
2. Old English. Like, gross. You can't even tell what they mean unless you take the effort to go read on No Fear Shakespeare; and sometimes that's forbidden when we read as a class. Even then it's not an easy read. Well, how are we supposed to write an analytical compare-contrast essay if we can't discuss the meaning and comprehend the story in class?
3. Why on EARTH do connoisseurs of fine English call Shakespeare the 'Noble Bard'? Shakespeare is in NO WAY noble! One is not noble if you make people listen to lute music instead of actual, good music like U2. Also, the plots of his plays certainly aren't noble, they're sad or stupid or just plain out, "Why would anyone want to write or read this junk?!?"

TRUTH, drawn by me.

4. People always quote Shakespeare! There's a whole arsenal of other really great quotes out there that were NOT said by Shakespeare, get some out of there instead of reverting to Old [VERY OUTDATED] English. STOP SAYING THINGS SHAKESPEARE SAID BECAUSE HE WAS NOT COOL.
5. Shakespeare made up a way to TERRIBLY insult people with his Old English. Now, we are forced to insult each other in this way at the start of every English class while we read Romeo and Juliet. It's not fun and I think we shouldn't do it because the world could do to just chill out for a while. Even though our insults aren't meaningful, it's stressful. I always think, "Why are we faking insulting each other? Why even do that?" It's not funny. It's not cool. That part of class should seriously be discontinued, because it's just pointless and it's a waste of time.
That kind of turned into a rant, but Shakespeare is literally and truly stupid! Why even bother! If I'm ever an English teacher (which is highly unlikely), I WILL NOT force my students to read Shakespeare. I don't believe he has anything worthwhile to say to us. 
Now, on to the rant on Romeo and Juliet. This is literally the worst love story I know about. First, I get that in those times, girls were... married off... to rich guys when they were even younger than me (14). Still, that's rude and weird and not cool. Then, Romeo seems to be this really emotional, depressed guy who's really lovesick and just rushes between one intense crush and another. NOT GOOD. Chill, Romeo. Chill. You don't always have to be in love with someone (although maybe that's easy for me to say? I've been single my whole teenage life...I don't know). I don't like how quickly Romeo and Juliet fall for each other. And they get married just about the next day after they meet each other. What's with that?!? Weird, that's what, and a large reason Shakespeare isn't a good thing. It's also just not really possible. Yeah, there's love at first sight but even then... get to know someone before you marry them... I think they should have slowed down and done some compatibility checks with their personalities first. Because right after they get married Romeo gets in a fight and is exiled and then Juliet gets sad and drinks the potion-thingy and then Romeo comes back and thinks she's dead and then he kills himself and then Juliet wakes up and Romeo's dead and then she stabs herself and it ends in a big, sad, stupid, why-did-I-waste-my-time-with-that MESS. That's not how the vast majority of love stories end. It's certainly not how they SHOULD or are SUPPOSED to end. 
If I'm wrong, correct me. But still. Even someone like me, who would find things like pep band romantic, wouldn't want a relationship to end like that. 
So basically, Shakespeare is just like, NOPE. I've given you ample reason.
(THIS IS TO YOU TOO, MR. PARKER. SORRY. SHAKESPEARE IS JUST NOT COOL.)

Bandapalooza! (and some random photos of cars)

Last Thursday was the band program's biggest concert of the year: by the end, we had 266 wind players plus the percussionists; around 320 of us total. It was certainly fun and interesting, so I think I should tell you about it. 
Our call time was 4:30 after school, although the actual concert started at 6:30. This was due to the fact that we had to rehearse with every ensemble. This made for pretty much a mock concert. Though it was crowded and there was hardly any room on the stage, and I had to sit right next to the percussion's gong, and by the end of everything we were swamped by tiny little sixth graders, and the hallways were crammed full of cases, everything turned out well. 
We played Esprit de Corps with the Wind Ensemble, but before that they played the Imperial March from the original Star Wars movies (I liked that!). Then we played a bunch of easier stuff with the younger kids. It was fun to have such a large band, which is something you don't get every day.
Well, that whole fun fiasco was last Thursday. It was a white day, so we didn't have band at school that day. That made the next school day a red day, so there was band. 
And there were tryouts for Wind Ensemble. Live ones. During class.
I had only found out that they would be on Friday on that Wednesday. I hadn't really done any homework for the second half of the week because I spent nearly all the time I had at home practicing a few measures of Esprit de Corps to play at the audition on Friday. I even practiced after Bandapalooza on Thursday, which I believe might be part of the reason I am currently sick. More on that later, though.
I woke up on Friday in kind of a oh-yea-I-have-an-audition-today haze. It stuck with me right through the first half of the school day, until I left lunch early to walk to the high school for band. I was nervous and jumpy, as I've only been playing trumpet for about 10 months compared to 3+ years for all my other friends. I'm honestly not sure whether or not I expected to get in or not; while I'm very good for how long I've been playing (excuse me for bragging), I just don't really have all the skills I need. I know this because I spent my whole summer in a section full of real strong trumpets. I'll get there. But anyway, I auditioned despite my doubts. I played pretty well but the start was weak and I didn't articulate anything very well and- actually, I could go on about mistakes all day. But Mr. Taylor was impressed with where I was. That is a good thing. 
So next year I will not be taking Wind Ensemble, but instead playing first or second in Symphonic band rather than the 3rd part I play now. And there's a great new class called Jazz Techniques that's for everyone who's not in JV or Varsity Jazz. Mr. Taylor said that if I take to the style, he'd put me in JV Jazz by the end of next year. So... cool! 
All that ended last week. Over the weekend, I went to my private trumpet lesson, like I do every Saturday, and walked dogs for a local shelter (that's for a school project). 
On Monday, I woke up and felt sick. But I couldn't stay home, really, because after school there was a big placement test for Honors Chemistry next year. So I went to school and half-struggled through the day, then took the test. It actually surprised me that I understood it quite well. I also found it interesting and therefore am looking forward to taking it next year. 
After the test I promptly went home, announced that I had a cold, and flopped onto my bed. That's where I've been for the past 3 days. Now I'm back at school, which is convenient because the weekend starts tomorrow. Oh well. I’m still a bit sick anyway, so it’ll be good to have some more time at home. 

Now to the more important matters- summer!!! It’s only 3 months away plus we have a week-long break in there! That means marching band, some online sophomore classes, and, much to my chagrin, driver’s ed. I don’t really want to learn to drive- or, I do, but not already! Where has my childhood gone?!? The thing is I wouldn’t at all mind driving a Range Rover or Subaru BRZ, but neither of these are in my budget, nor are they very practical, so… no. Also, neither of these are super good in winter weather, which we have an abundance of. Besides, I probably won't drive myself to school until college- or maybe ever. My parents say cars are highly impractical to have in college. I don't understand this yet but I probably will eventually, so I'm good with it.

Dream car 1
http://www.subaru.com/vehicles/brz/index.html

Dream car 2
www.lexani.com

Cars are really- REALLY- unimportant now, though. I don't know why I'm even worrying about it right at the moment, as I have to first sign up for and then complete 2 sophomore credits during the summer, learn to drive, and handle marching band in there too.

I'll survive. The past week was fun, despite this sickness. But that's a small issue and it's ending. So. I'm good.

'Bye. :)

The Thing with Trumpets

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The thing that some people and not others (shame on them) do in school called 'band' can be taken in through many different points of view. To some it's an easy A on your report card. To others of us, it's a serious lifestyle. I fall into the category where it's a lifestyle.
This may sound odd, but if you think about it, there are always people who really love band. We practice more than most, attend nearly every band function there is, and listen every minute of band. And spend the summer doing marching band. Good stuff.
Over time, a lot of people have amassed hordes of band personality tests, memes, and that sort of stuff. It amuses me to read these. They can be horribly inaccurate or else disturbingly correct (for some individuals). My friends complain that trumpets are loud and obnoxious and never stop talking (very true of one certain guy who literally WILL NOT be quiet when we're not marching), and cause a loss of water breaks during field show practice.
Goodness. If I ever did any of that, do excuse me, friends.
The other thing that bothers my non-brass friends is spit valves. When I go to talk to them before band class, I'm careful not to empty those in the front of the room, where the woodwinds sit.
I think that all this loudness and such is indeed one iteration of a trumpet's personality, but also, trumpets nearly always play a key part of every piece in concert bands. Currently, in Esprit de Corps, we play a loud fanfare kind of thing at the start, which must stay on tempo and, of course, is what everyone hears. Listen for yourself:

It's excellent music, yes, for concert band. This particular video is from this channel and was actually conducted by the original conductor of the piece.
UPDATE: I HAVE A LIVE AUDITION FOR WIND ENSEMBLE IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS AND I HAVE TO PLAY PART OF ESPRIT DE CORPS AND BAND-A-PALOOZA IS TONIGHT. SOMEONE HELP ME. I NEED TO EXTEND THE NUMBER OF HOURS IN A DAY BY ABOUT A BILLION AND A HALF. THANK YOU. :) I'll be fine.
What was I saying? Oh yes, about trumpets. Although we can be loud and do a lot of showing off, we play the fanfares and melody, too. Yep.

bvso.org

I really have no idea was this post was for, but anyway. It's here now so... yea.

After the Break Time

Today is the last official day of February break, however, since it's Friday we're being led right into a weekend and so I have 2 more school-free days.
The break itself has been good. It went way too fast for me. Last Friday was the band fundraiser. The total number of $$$ we earned hasn't been released yet, but I'm sure it was a good amount. Unfortunately I was stupid enough to NOT sign up to be there the night of, so I looked through the photos my dad took the night after. I wish I had been there! It looked great. We had this thing called the "Giving Tree", which was actually a white Christmas tree with a marching hat on top. Guests would choose a paper tag off the tree and buy/donate whatever it said on the tag to and/or for the band. I didn't see it in person but it looked great. From now on, I think I will always have a white Christmas tree with a marching hat on top at Christmas time.

the "Giving Tree"
(as seen by me)

Saturday and Sunday were normal. Nothing much to say there. I don't find much value in that thing they call 'Valentine's Day' other than giving and eating chocolate and giving valentines to close family members. But that's just me.
My dad had Monday off from work, so we all went shopping together. We went to the mall but didn't buy anything except stuff from The Container Store for our kitchen. I tried on a bunch of clothes but I elected not to buy them. I did end up buying that quality book I mentioned in my previous post- and I also got a coloring book (the complex, detailed kind). These two things have kept me occupied for the past few days. Also that day we went to a shoe store and I decided that my next pair of shoes will be a pair of Vans high-tops, either in entirely white or black Hawaiian print. Or something like that.
Tuesday I stayed at home. I practiced trumpet and wished for more snow, as it was all melting.
Wednesday I had to go to the dentist. I helped my mom with grocery shopping and we went clothes shopping again- this time at a different mall, and I came home with several new outfits. This time, though, my dad was at work so I couldn't drag him off to the Vans store to look at their shoes. I want to get him a pair with hibiscus flowers on 'em. But he says that people won't take him seriously then. I don't understand that, but ok.
Thursday (yesterday) was another stay-at-home day, and it's good we did because we had kind of a mini-blizzard (not the Dairy Queen kind) thing most of the day. And the power was out. I couldn't cook anything for lunch because the stove wouldn't work, obviously. It came on just in time for us to cook dinner, though. 
Today my mom and I went over to my grandparent's house for lunch. My mom and grandma and I played a three-hour game of Earthopoly, a form of that old classic game Monopoly, and it couldn't really end since all the properties were evenly distributed between the three of us. Now I am home and my dad is editing the photos from the band fundraiser and my mom is playing her violin. Bedtime soon. Goodnight!

Break Time FINALLY

Today is/was the last day of school for a week. Next week there's no school and then we go straight through March with no breaks. 
So this is time to recharge. 
Tonight is the big band fundraiser complete with big band music from Varsity Jazz. Stupidly, I signed up to do set up yesterday instead of something today. Next year, I'll do set up again, but I won't be stupid enough to pass up a chance to be there the night of. It's also kind of weird that I helped out yesterday instead of today because both of my parents will be there helping tonight. Oh well. 3 more years to do it. 
Now, on to what I will be doing over break. 
Over the break I am staying here at home unlike a lot of my acquaintances at school. People are going to Hawaii and New York and Sun Valley, for family vacations and ski races and the like. While here at home, I have some organizing to do in terms of my house (I’ve let stuff build up over the past few weeks), a minuscule and insignificant amount of homework, and I know we're going shopping and stuff one day this week. On Wednesday I have to go to the dentist. Other than that, I'm hoping to watch Star Wars or some other movie and continue reading the would-you-rather series from SparkLife. This week's was very perplexing and related to Valentine's Day. See it here. I ended up not deciding what thing I would go with in the end.  

I decided just a minute ago when I paused to think that I would write about why Ireland is a great thing and why I want to go there. First, it’s naturally green! All the green is real pretty especially during the few times when it’s sunny. Then there’s Dublin, the capital, where everything that you could want in a city convenes. And then, of course, there’s all the people! You know there are more famous bands and actors and stuff from Dublin than you might expect? Examples U2 (old but good) and Domhnall Gleeson (most people know who he is, right?). 

Ever since I posted my “Assigned Thing” post I’ve kind of wanted to write to the other actors from Star Wars. Kind of…

Dear Domhnall Gleeson:

…

Who are you?

…

…

I don’t know since I’m not the type to stalk celebrities and also my phone doesn’t have Twitter/Instagram/Facebook/etc. 

…

I like Star Wars. (That’s the only one of the movies you were in that I’ve seen)

…

What’s Ireland like?

…

Um, what else… (Meanwhile in my brain: disrupted binary brain code: 00110a;lsk011dj?*ERROR*wha?t to say… a;lks00111010100dfj?huh what’s happening 01110101010s;l?;aks0101000101ejawkn/;? GET ORGANIZED! 00101111010010end it now10111010001010111010 < organized binary brain code)

…

Yeah.

(end of letter thing)

…but not really. *Sigh* I fail at writing letters and I especially lose my mind around celebrities.

I want to go to Ireland for the abundance of green, Dublin, and the Irish dance (which I used to do competitively).

And while I’m there, I do not wish to run into any famous people if I can avoid it, thanks! 

(For any of you that actually took the time to read the Would-You-Rather above, I REALLY don't want to EVER FIND MYSELF STUCK IN AN ELEVATOR WITH ANY ACTOR OR ACTRESS ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM STAR WARS. I WOULD PROBABLY JUST FLOP TO THE FLOOR AND NOT BE ABLE TO SAY A WORD. FOR THAT REASON I'M NOT RIDING ELEVATORS pretty much ever again. JUST IN CASE. [yeah, just me being paranoid] But I don't want a list of everyone who's ever liked me, either...)

Moving on. 

On Monday, my friend Syscilia shows up next to my locker after lunch and has a huge smile on her face. I ask her what she’s so happy about. She tells me to ask our friend Emily. So I finish packing my bag and then go to find Emily. She’s at her locker. I ask her what Syscilia is so happy about. 

It turns out that she’s dating this Mongolian kid that goes to our school. I don’t have a problem with this except that she keeps bothering me to tell her who I like (which is no one). I have explained to many different people and parties of people over the years since about 5th grade that I don’t yet have a love life, but all of them seem to say that’s not possible. It’s not true that I haven’t ever liked someone, but, especially now, I just don’t give it hardly any thought. That’s why I say I don’t have a love life. For all of you who have been pestering me about it, there’s your answer. Pester no longer.

Excuse me a minute, Seabiscuit demands some hay and an apple.

This is what I spend my time on...
(my pic)

Seabiscuit was made in 2003 by Breyer to accompany the release of the film Seabiscuit, which in turn was the movie adaptation of Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. Maybe I will watch that or Secretariat in the next week.

Most everyone in the band program is currently at the Sweetheart Gala helping with something or else playing big band and jazz music. I wish I was there too. Next year. 

Also during the book I'm going to buy a quality book from Barnes and Noble. Maybe a fancy coloring book too.

And now I need to go to bed. Bye. Goodnight.

Busy (But Good) Times

I, along with the rest of the band department, am heading into a busy time. A week from last Friday (this Friday, which is now tomorrow), we're hosting our biggest fundraiser of the year- a Valentine's Day dance. It's not uncommon for us to raise enough money to sustain the band and (partly) percussion program for the whole year- about $20,000. I helped with set up today. My dad's taking pictures and my mom's managing the student volunteers. This year we have a major fundraising push because of Hawaii (which is 10 and a half months away!!!!), so we're hoping for a good turnout. It'll be a good benefit event if all goes as planned.
After that, we have a recruiting drive for the entire band program grades 6-12 called Band-A-Palooza after February break, which is where each section of band plays music with all the ensembles below it. So that means we're playing with the 8th grade band, 7th grade band, and 6th grade band. Plus the Wind Ensemble plays a more complex song with us. It's a nighttime concert and a lot of the kids from the elementary schools come and see if they want to be in band. Plus we're a bit... inspirational... to the younger bands. 
With the Wind Ensemble we're playing Esprit de Corps, a Grade 5 (the scale goes up to Grade 6) piece that's quite fun to play even though I'm not perfect at it. I'm pretty sure that will be the premier part of the evening, so we're working at it. 
After that, auditions for Wind Ensemble are due. I am trying out. I'm also going to see about trying out for Junior Varsity Jazz, the precursor to Varsity Jazz. If all goes well, I'll be in both Wind Ensemble and JV jazz. :) I'm practicing every night to have a good chance of getting in to both of these. 
After those tryouts have passed and we all know if we succeeded or not, we have region solo & ensemble in March. I'm also doing a bunch of stuff for St. Patrick's Day with dance, so I'll have band and dance to practice. 
We have a band concert in there somewhere. An early spring concert. 
Come April, we have our last or second-to-last concert.
In May, the concert band season comes to an end. I think we have a very-end-of-year concert for the rest of the school. On Friday the 13th of May, I take the AP Human Geography test. I know, bad day for it. 
In the 3 days of school we have in June, we have beginner's camp for marching band, although we all go anyway just for the fun of it. 
Then it's MARCHING BAND SEASON!!!!!!!!
All in all, the next year will be very busy and planned out plus I have to take driver's ed in the summer. 8(

Life.
trompete.ru

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone, although I find little to actually celebrate in the holiday other than family and close friends. Whatever, it's all good. :)

Travels

NOTE: THIS IS GOING TO BE A REEAALLLY LONG POST ABOUT TRAVELING SO IF YOU DON'T WANT TO READ A LOT THEN JUST SKIM THROUGH IT.
Like many people my age, I like and appreciate traveling. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to do very much of it in my lifetime, although things like band trips help. Then you get to leave the 48 contiguous United States for the first time and vacation on a tropical island with your family, the marching band. 
Shocking fact (for some of you): I have never been outside something like an 800-mile radius from where I live. That encompasses pretty much the west coast of the U.S. and nothing else. However, there are a lot of good things to see within that area and I've been to a lot of them. Here are some that I recommend to any traveling family:
McCall, Idaho
What it is: a small vacation/resort town built around beautiful and big Payette Lake, which accommodates motorboats, sailboats, and has a large, tidy marina. They also have a nice sandy beach area for swimmers. You can only go out about 8 yards into the water- the rest of the lake is for boats- but it feels nice in the summer. The lake's surrounded by montane forest with nicely smoky air in the summer. There are a few big mountain ranges around, but right near the lake you're in a nice valley with some rolling hills instead.
Where it is: Idaho, USA, about 100 miles above Boise
What's nice about it: The lake is really beautiful and it's a hopping resort town in the summer, so it's fun to roam around town and meet the other people that are vacationing there. There are a good few lakeside condos for rent right on the lake's shores (although those are ALWAYS reserved), and it's nicely designed to be a tourist destination. If you can't get one of the lakeside condos, there are also campgrounds for both tents and trailers just out of town, or there are nice vacation homes for rent. There are also a multitude of good restaurants and cafés. If you go over 4th of July weekend, be sure to get down to the beach on the night of July 4th to watch the huge fireworks display they do. Additionally, there's no shortage of rentals available, including but not limited to kayaks, canoes, mountain bikes, horses for trail rides, etc. There are also plenty of hiking trails outside the more built-up part of town. In short, you won't be bored here.
What's no so great: As most resort towns do, it gets super packed around the 4th of July and you have to drive awhile to get there. I believe it took us about 4 or 5 hours to get there from Boise, with several stops for gas along the way. It kind of depends on how fast you drive and how often you stop. Be prepared to wait in restaurants and cafés, especially during the evening rush, and always have a back-up plan in case something you want to do gets booked out before you get there or something else comes up. Also: CAUTION, boat owners! On the weekend of the 4th it gets pretty rough out there on the lake, and the lake police tow in many, many boats with unruly drivers. WATCH. YOUR. SURROUNDINGS. Resort town + crazy holiday = caution. That goes for anyone, really, be it with fireworks, boats, or televisions (more later on that). 
How my trip went: It was really great, other than the fact that we were sharing a four-bedroom, three-bathroom, too-small vacation home with about 16 other people. It was for a family reunion with my dad's side of the family. That being said, that vacation home was very nice and would have been really great without all the people in it. We weren't very organized, so we spent a good amount of our time sitting in various spots around the kitchen finishing breakfast and debating what to do. Also, we were the last ones of the family to get there and since our family all drove separately the garage was given to the first people to get there. We had to park in the street. I also have complaints about the mud room. I brought about 3 pairs of shoes on this trip- like everyone else- and the mud room was literally five feet square, and there wasn't a shoe rack. There was no point putting my shoes in the garage mudroom/washroom, because our car wasn't in there. Much to my dismay, the shoes in the front mudroom got mixed up and scrambled every time someone decided to come in or out, plus my cousins aren't very tidy due to their young ages. I ended up keeping all 3 pairs of shoes in my duffel bag, which was my whole suitcase during the trip. Also, the bathroom use was unevenly distributed: 5 people had the upstairs one, 4 people had the back downstairs one, and the other 9 of us rotated between the remaining main bathroom. But it was fun other than that! We would go do stuff around town in the morning hours and then come back for lunch and the afternoon. Some of the stuff we did in the mornings included a trip down to the lake beach to swim and a hike on a trail right outside of town. On 4th of July night we went to see the huge fireworks display. In the afternoons we kids would watch movies on the TV (be careful with how much you watch), play foosball on the table upstairs, and play outside in the backyard or in the spot next to the house on the mini-playground thing. For dinner we'd eat on the back patio (it was nice and warm well into the night), serve dessert, and then either go back inside or make liberal use of the hot tub on the patio. We were lucky with the weather too.
What to learn from my trip: 
Get a space big enough for your whole group.
Be prepared for delays, backed-up stuff, etc. especially if you go over a holiday.
Have a pretty solid plan. 
Schedule in time for driving.
Have fun with it!

Some of the beautiful scenery you'll see outside of town. Creds to my dad for taking this photo.

The waterfront + marina.
dmbrealtynetwork.com

Utah's 5 National Parks:
I have been to all five of these, although I don't remember going to Canyonlands because I was really young- like, 2 or 3. 
The one I remember best is Bryce Canyon because we've taken several camping trips there in the recent past. This one's pretty well known, as it's a photographer's heaven and it's one of the things people go see when they do the one-four-day-weekend-all-five-national-parks tour thingy. (Hint hint: I don't recommend doing that because you'll only have a tiny bit of time to spend at each park. NOT a good idea.) 
Where it is: Southern Utah. I think it's about 5 or 6 hours from Salt Lake City. 
What's nice about it: The entire park, of course, is cool for it's interesting displays of geology! But in terms of traveling there, the facilities are nice. The campgrounds accommodate both tents and trailers with a 10:00 pm no-generators time. There are bathrooms (not showers, those are elsewhere) in the campgrounds and it's pretty quiet, somewhat sheltered by huge pine trees. Each campsite has a picnic table, fire pit, and space for 1 or 2 4-person tents. Given that it's also close to the other 5 national parks you could easily go visit the other parks on the way in or on the way back.
What's not so great: You have to drive to one of the lodges for the showers, and a lot of the trails in the canyon itself are also super steep and difficult to hike if you're not an advanced hiker. Also, some people leave lights and stuff like their radios on for most of the night, so be prepared to be bothered by that. Additionally: DO NOT take a trip here during the monsoon season, which is early August! You'll get rained out every night when you go outside to cook dinner over the fire 'cause the rain hits around 4 or 5 every evening. I'd recommend July or June instead- then it wouldn't be as ridiculously hot either. The only other not-so-great thing is that in the summer it's always thronged with foreigners- meaning not Americans- and they try to ask you questions and of course since I don't speak Chinese-French-Spanish-Korean-WHATEVER, it gets a bit bothersome. Just try your best to help your fellow campers out as much as you can.
How my trip(s) went: I've taken several different trips here, all of them camping in a tent, and it was fun. Other than that one year when we managed to catch the monsoon rains and everything was pretty much permanently soaked, all our trips have been great. It's a bit cold in the morning, but that's to be expected. Nice red rocks down there. Very pretty, geologically speaking.
What to learn from my trip:
Always have a road map, especially if you haven't driven there before. (GPS's DO NOT COUNT!!! They'll take you on the longer route than is necessary.)
Go in the middle of the summer, when it's not raining all the time.
Don't try to hike all the trails unless you're a high-intensity trail runner or something; and also, don't try to see all 5 parks in one weekend. 
Be ready for foreigners, campfires, noisy generators, lots of people, etc.
If you've never been camping before, practice in your yard first and get advice from an experienced camper. (that really goes for any camping trip but whatever.) Also know how to set up your tent before you go. :)

Looking out/into the canyon.
www.vegas-online.de

Denver/Colorado Springs, Colorado
Where it is: Central/Northern/Western Colorado (I'm not sure exactly. Look on a map.)
What's nice about it: As the capital of Colorado, Denver and the surrounding areas (ex. Colorado Springs) have been built up pretty intensely but they have a lot of nice green space too. They have a nice downtown in Denver with offices for things like the Denver Post, shops and stores, a semi open-air mall, and more parking space than you could ever need. There's also a very nice street in front of the semi-open air mall that's open only to pedestrians and public transit, so you can walk and shop without having to be concerned about traffic and getting hit by cars while you carry your purchases back to your car! The other nice thing is the Park Meadows Center, in Lone Tree, which is a big, very nicely put together mall that has 2 of my favorite stores in it- Lego and American Girl! I highly recommend this mall to anyone looking to shop, or even just look around at clothes and Legos and stuff. Good restaurants there, too. I've been to Denver for the same dance competition for the past 2 years, and both times we went to this mall to shop and look at stuff. I think it's my favorite attraction of the Denver metro area. The other stuff I can recommend in Colorado is elsewhere. First I'd say, go ride the Pike's Peak Cog Railway. It takes you up the mountain to about 14,000 feet. They have a nice gift shop both at the bottom and the top, the trains are nice, and you can see all the way to Kansas once you get to the top. It's a long ride, so plan ahead, and it's expensive. Book your tickets well in advance because every train gets full. If you finance your trip, both in time and money, you'll be fine. If you do go, go in the summer because it's closed in the winter due to all the snow. And there's some snow on the summit year round, so don't wear summer clothes up there no matter how summery it may seem at the base. There are also a lot of good restaurants, most of them at the previously-mentioned mall, but my favorite one other than there is a small (emphasis on the small factor) pizzeria outside of Denver, in Old Colorado City (an outer part of Colorado Springs), called Pizzeria Rustica. It's very small and narrow, just a little shop in a row. It gets busy at dinner time and there aren't many tables, but it's worth waiting for because their pizza and appetizers are authentic and amazingly good. We also found a little independent Mexican place in Colorado Springs in a tiny strip mall that was actually surprisingly good because it was run by a Mexican family. Keep an eye out for things like that on any trip you take- you may strike gold!
What's not so nice: There are a TON of people and cars in the urban areas of Denver, causing a lot of clogs and congestion especially at rush hour, as with most urban areas. There aren't many super nice hotels outside of downtown, which are expensive, so create an account on Trip Advisor and look up other places you can stay (this past summer, we stayed in an apartment-thingy that these people had built off their house). Parking in downtown is also TERRIBLE. Get everywhere early so you can get the best space possible. The area's crowded. Etc. It IS a city, after all.
How my trip went: Both years that we went, I had a great time. It was fun for me, both for the dance competition, the shopping, and the fact that it was travel, which we hardly ever do. Overall it was just the kind of thing you can only describe with the word, "Great". 
What to learn from my trip: Pack and plan efficiently. Be ready for changes and/or delays due to weather, traffic, or other weird factors. Look for unexpected good things (ex. hidden restaurants). 

The downtown Denver cityscape.
www.mccormickbarstow.com

Places I want to visit, worldwide

• the British Isles
• France
• Hawaii
• Monaco
• Morocco
• California
• Kentucky
• Australia
• New Zealand
• the Caribbean 
• Italy
• Maldives
• Dubai

Downtown Dublin
www.curbfreewithcorylee.com

Countryside Ireland
theodysseyonline.com

Someday I will get to these places. As you may have guessed from the pictures of Ireland, the British Isles are one of my first priorities, because they fascinate me. Plus I can do a pretty good Irish accent, so I'd probably fit right in. 

Dubai and Monaco follow as the next places I want to go.

High-rises of Dubai
www.suitcasesandsippycups.com

Monaco + expensive yachts
www.slideshare.net

I'm not sure why I'm doing this post, perhaps because I wish for a trip of some kind right now. While drafting this I was sitting in my computer tech classroom listening to The Police (a popular 70's band) on Pandora and writing this, having finished everything else. My brain was pretty much shutting down for the weekend, and it isn't really willing to absorb or process much information.

I wish for summer.