Ultimate Frisbee

Northend Thunder @ Spring Reign 2010

Well Spring Reign has come and gone and it was super awesome and super fun. For those of you who don't follow Ultimate - Spring Reign is the largest youth Ultimate tournament in the world. They had a record 90 Elementary through High School teams this year and we played out at this super humongous park in Burlington. We were originally signed up for A division but upon further consideration decided we really wanted to win at least 1 game so got bumped down to B. We ended up going 3-3 and played some really good teams from WA, ID (almost), and Canada. It was a little frustrating for me because within the first 2 points of the first game on the first day I got hit in the face with the frisbee and had to sit the rest of the day due to possible concussion risk. I appreciated their reasoning but at the same time was very frustrated because after about an hour I felt just fine and the bruising and swelling had become much more reasonable and I really wanted to play.
I got to play Sunday, however, and definitely verbally supported the team 0n Saturday. Saturday night we also got to watch an exposition game that Seattle Riot/Sockeye played for our benefit. Seattle Riot is Washington's women's professional ultimate team and Sockeye is WA's men's team. They were hella crazy good and it was awesome watching their enthusiasm, mad hucks, and epic layouts. I also got to stop by Five Ultimate's tent and bought myself an awesome pair of Ultimate shorts (yes, Ultimate does have it's own brand of clothing and distinct style) and also got a cool ultimate charm and bumper sticker. And free pizza! How could I forget.
Sunday we played this one team from Canada and were schedule to play Del Monte from ID but they forfeited so they could make it back to ID before 2am. So we ended up just using the empty field to scrimmage and do some drills and generally chill. And our coach taught me some awesome trick throws that I need to work on but which are super awesome.
Basically I'm super glad I joined the team (even if I do only get to play one season) because it is so diametrically opposite from debate and I think that change of environment was really beneficial. I'd never been on a sports team of any sort before so the teamsmenship (not a word, I know) was really foreign yet so uplifting. In addition I've met some really neat people and learned how to play a wicked awesome sport.
So that's the message of the day, kids! Eat your vegetables, exercise three times a week, and learn how to play Ultimate Frisbee. It's a hell of a game!

Spring!

Well dear readers, March 20th has come and gone, and now we are officially in that most glorious season of life and hope and warm weather - Spring! I always forget just how happy Spring makes me and just how much I enjoy it. I'm not sure if it's all the flowers, or the mild temperatures, or wearing flip-flops, or that it's almost Easter then my birthday, but something about Spring just makes me very, very happy. So today I decided to celebrate and wear a nice colourful outfit: jeans, purple ribbon, green cami, orange polka dot half-length, red chunky necklace (to match my red fingernails), then I put my hair up in this crazy awesome new updo that my hair is FINALLY long enough for and used 4 or 5 different coloured barrettes to pin my bangs back. I feel very colourful and springy.

I am also on Spring Break which adds to my enthusiasm. Grades get posted tonight but I already have a pretty good idea of what my grades are and they're all good so that is another reason for happiness. In addition, I am finally sewing my graduation dress. I am SO excited. I sewed the bottice and straps yesterday and today I'm going to sew the bottice lining and also the skirt. One features I like so much about the fabric I chose (besides it's beautiful colour and design) is the way it lays. It's this gorgeous cherry brocade and it has just such an elegant drape. That is really nice because the dress is shorter so the elegant fabric really helps it dress up. All right. Enough said about my dress.

In other awesome Michellian news - I'm getting my ibook today! And I might be getting an itouch, but we'll see. Point being - best birthday/graduation present ever. I've been telling my parents they're getting me an ibook for said occasions for like six months so we found an awesome sale and are taking advantage of it. Also - because I'm a college student (technically) I get $100 off. Not bad.

Now, though running the risk of boring all you stalwart readers who have made it this far - I'm going to run through my movie reviews from the past...however long it's been.

Sweet Home Alabama (2002) PG-13 Romantic Comedy **/*

Truth be told I forgot I had put this on our Netflix queue so it showed up one day and although I'm sick of romantic comedies I decided to watch it anyway. I loved all the main actors but their characters left a lot to be desired. The entire movie stank of predictability so although it was cute and charming, I saw it coming from a mile away. As far as romantic comedies go, it's definitely not the worst I've seen, but I'd put Carolina and 27 Dresses far above this one. Plot is basically Witherspoon moving to NY to become a fashionista and she gets engaged to mayor's son (Dempsey.) Mayor doesn't approve, Witherspoon is already married (oops.) so she has to go to Alabama to get her husband to divorce her. He won't. She stays to try and persuade him. You can guess the rest.



2012 (2009) PG-13 Drama **

Disclaimer: This movie was not historically accurate. It didn't do the 2012 legend justice and quoted some inaccuracies.
Review: Stupidest thing ever. The movie basically follows this one family (plus or minus a few people over the course of the movie) and their quest to get on the Arks to get to safety because apparently there is a way to survive the end of the world and the US government was smart enough to figure it out. Go figure! The little girl's screaming got old after the first time she did it, the computer graphics left a lot to be desired, and the humor seemed strained and mechanically inserted so that the whole movie wouldn't be dark. Didn't really work. The good parts were (in no particular order): A selfless president, LA getting trashed, the Russian guy. The bad parts were: everything else. And at over 2 hours and thirty minutes trust me there was a lot of "everything else." The movie was too long and too stupid.


A Serious Man (2009) R Black Comedy **/*

This film was not for the faint of heart. I have never seen a comedy so utterly dark and black before and it took me a while to adjust. Actually it took the entire movie. We follow the sad, depressing story of Larry Gopnik, a 1960's Jewish suburban dad for whom everything goes wrong. Literally. His kid smokes pot, his wife is leaving him, one of his students is blackmailing him, his wife's new fiancee is a creep (and kicks Larry out of his own home), Larry's brother is a loser with a large cyst on his back, and Larry's neighbor keeps trying to steal some of Larry's hard. And his lawyer charges him like $250,000 and hour. That's not all though! We follow his journey, all the while all he wants to do is be a good Jew and have his family back. Well, that never happens. There were some pretty funny parts, but you have to have a soot-black sense of humour to enjoy them. Otherwise, don't bother. Trust me, you'll regret watching it.

Value: Michelle should go to bed earlier. Criterion: This post.

I feel really shameless being on here right now. It's late, I should go to bed, I have tons of work to do. And then I remember it. Yes folks, it's true.



I stripped my bed this morning. I never re-made it. And I just mentally obscenitized when I remembered that. And then I made up a new word to describe my revelation. Deal. with. it.




Good night.


Except not for me. Because I still have to go make my bed.

February

February makes me very happy. Somehow just the month changing makes me believe winter is almost over and spring is in sight. With spring comes Sheila, nice weather, a quarter change, my birthday, then SUMMER.

I don't really have a whole lot to say. School is cool. I'm probably 65% towards Gonzaga at the moment, but it comes down to Honors program and $$$. I was looking at housing/meal plans today and they have cool themed dorms so I'm thinking either the outdoors dorm (they go on hikes together and cool stuff) or the substance free. I'm going out to visit over President's Day weekend and I'm excited for that. Hopefully it'll make my decision a little easier. Sometime when I have more time and more desire I'll outline all the plusses and minuses of each choice (Gonzaga vs. UW)

In the mean time, I'm also excited for Spring because over spring break I'm going to finish sewing my graduation dress!!! I'm super excited about it - it's going to be beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I also have to have my senior pictures done by the 25th so one of my friends is taking them but he needs to email me back or maybe I'll email him or something to get a time set up. Maybe doing outdoor senior portraits in February in Seattle is a bit optimistic. I certainly hope not.

Other than that I have a tournament this weekend - my last invitational EVER. Sad day. Then State quals, Nat quals, State speech, State debate (I decided to go in LD and get my ass kicked) then hopefully Nats then...no more debate for Meechy. Unless I join Gonzaga's nationally ranked debate team (they ranked 12th in the nation last year - NOT BAD.)

Basically I just want life to hurry up because it's going to get really interesting but not for a while. The interesting parts have way too much filler in between. I'm so done with filler. Yup. That's that. Chao.

2010

Well! It's a new year. And that makes me happy.

It's also a new quarter, which leaves me less than enthralled.

However, as with any milestone, I will detail what I hope to accomplish in this next year. Looking back on this list from this time last year, I actually did pretty much all of it! Yay me. :)

2010:

• GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL. EHRC graduation valedictorian, possibly but not probably STHME as well. STHME conflicts with nationals, and in this case nats definitely trumps a 2nd graduation.
  
• Start UW. I will continue to live at home for the first year to save money but transitioning into a 4-year campus environment and getting involved with UWish things will definitely be fun. But the best part is that I've taken all the toughest classes in running start so all I have left are 4 pre-recs then electives.
  
• Get a car. Hopefully. It's a priority, but we'll see if it actually happens. In order to get a car -
  
• Get a job. Necessary to buy a car, car insurance, and gas. Probably wouldn't have said job as a means to make $$$ for college, but rather to pad my personal spending $$$.
  
• Visit Sheila. Hopefully for her graduation/our Yosemite graduation camping trip. I really miss her and it will be really good to see her again.
• Club Rust. Possible - sort of depends on a few things. I have enough money for it though, so I'm tentatively planning on it.
• Turn 18. Inevitable. Smoke, vote, buy porn (KIDDING), and generally enjoy being an official adult. 2010 will be a great year for voting. :D
  
• Volunteer more. I want to get more involved in Blessed Sacrament and my new Dominican home-away-from-home the Newman Center.
• Nationals/State. My goal this year is to be a state champion in at least 1 event, trophy in at least 2 (should be 3...making state finals isn't that hard.) and earn Nationals hardware. I'm hoping to go to nats in SC and make it to semis. Then I get a trophy. Otherwise I'd do EC and Expos for supps and hopefully make it to finals or semifinals thereby securing either a trophy and recognition on the stage in front of 4000 people or a little plaque. If I get eliminated from supps in time then storybook. Oh yeah, and the cool thing about supps finals is doing the final on stage in front of a few hundred people. No pressure. Actually I'm cool performing in front of as many people as possible with memorized speeches, but I still get a little freaked with impromptu or extemporized speeches, particularly the latter.
  

I can't think of much more, so I guess that's about it. I am super excited about transitioning from high school to college and all the independence and adulthood that brings.

My courses for this quarter are PolSc 203 - International Relations, Math 141 - Pre-Calculus, and Span 122 - Spanish II. Should be fun. 15 credits richer; another quarter older. And life goes on...