So, I deliver the announcements to my school every morning on the intercom, and usually end the agenda with a “Would you rather.” You know, like “Would you rather win a Nobel Prize or an Oscar? Always lose or never play?

When I was younger I had some weird obsession with reading books about death. I know, I know, that can’t be healthy but I am now aware that I was a definite freak in the fifth grade. Basically, if you take a gander into the depths of my bookshelf, it is not uncommon to come across books titled “Baby Alicia is Dying”, “ I Want to Live”, “ Don’t Die My Love”, “ Somewhere Between Life and Death”, “ Too Young to Die”  and “ Sixth Months to Live”, all credited to the same author, Lurlene McDaniel. I can confidently say my taste in books has improved since my little Lurlene phase. At least I hope. Somehow, it always ends up that holidays always bring a whirlwind of literature. Come holidays, come books. Sometimes I ask for them, sometimes I don’t, but I always receive many many books.

Well, it has indeed been a while. With
confidence, I can say that I do believe I am back to the normal scheme of
things! You see, I could go on about how this last month I sort of went through
a bit of a crisis, kind of similar to that of Britney Spears, minus the head
shaving and…well actually it had absolutely no similarities to Britney Spears, but
I will still spare you the details of my petulant angst. Basically I didn’t
clean my room for a month and I think I let college applications get the best
of me. Long story short, it is all over now, well not the applications, but the
crisis. For some anomalous reason I woke up this morning, despite being exceptionally
tired from my winter formal the night before, feeling so swell! I realized that
it is the holidays and there is so much to be excited and thankful for! So,

In August one of my German exchange students had given my parents a handmade Cuckoo Clock as a gift. It was hung up on the office wall and up until a few days ago it had just kind of hung there, gone unnoticed. Well, apparently we forgot that it is actually supposed to “coo.” Yesterday, my dad took the initiative to flip the switch. I am now granted the gift of knowing EVERY hour when it is, well, a new hour. I am not sure how much I like that concept.

I really wish I was more informed on politics. I mean I guess it’s not entirely accurate to say I am completely clueless because I guess I do know a little, maybe even enough to get by only being seventeen and all, but I definitely don’t know enough to win a heated argument. My water polo coach, Kirk, has been trying to pick at me all season, all out of fun of course. He is quite conservative and I guess I come off as rather…well, liberal. Its no ones fault but my own really. There are dozens of political affiliated magazines around my house, newspapers, websites…parents. But I still find my self still quite clueless. Its not that I don’t care… because I do. I get really envious of people my age talking about a certain proposition or candidates platform with the most confident and accurate depiction. Similar to how I am just obviously not a natural artist (you should really see my Art 1-2 portfolio), I am just not naturally politically informed. McCain and Obama both seem to have these grand ideas of “change”, some of which I am even slowly beginning to understand. I really hope that whoever does end up winning will follow through with their so called “change.” Coach Kirk did say something a while back that I do agree with, “They're not running for God, they're running for president.” Boy is he right.