Today Is Awful.

Today, 31 troops were killed in Afghanistan when the Taliban shot down their helicopter. 20+ of them were part of Navy SEAL Team Six, which was the unit that killed Osama bin Laden. 28 of the 31 were special forces.
Before this happened, soldier deaths that appeared on the news did not really affect me. To me, it was just a number. But 31 people....that's unfathomable. I'm praying for them. And I know that posting about it on a blog/Facebook/deviantART doesn't do anything to help. But I'm not old enough to sign up yet.
oh yeah, and the USA officially sucks. We have a double-A rating now? Oh, great. Excuse me while I start packing.

LAST UPDATED ON JUNE 24, 2011?! WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!
So hello everyone. As you can see, I've been neglecting my blog....I should be reported to the ASPCB(American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Blogs.)  ....Okay, that wasn't funny. Sorry.
Lately I have been DYING OF BOREDOM. Honestly, I need something to do.
But I've got some stuff lately. Here it is.
STUFF I'VE ACQUIRED IN THE PAST MONTH OR SO

• Saucony ProGrid Kinvara 2 :3 
• Bikini (oh my gawd. What's happening to me?!)
• Ossim shorts that are so ossim that they deserve a misspell.
• HD cable for my PS3/TV. The graphics rock my socks.
• A new hairstyle. Whoahhh. 
• A really tough piano piece from my teacher. Battle of Waterloo. :P

So recently I have - oh wait a second, an ad just appeared on my Facebook, but part of it was blocked, so instead of reading "Chestnut Brass" I read it as "Chestnut Bras." Lol, fail.

Anyway. So recently I have ♦been running a lot ♦ watched Insidious, it wasn't all that scary but I screamed a few times ♦ can't lose weight asdf ♦ had major artblock ♦ gone to Lake Erie without sunscreen, subsequently been fried ♦ been teaching myself a song in Latin ♦ been growing my hair out longer; it's about 15 inches ♦ gone to my friend's going-away party ♦ tried to make hotdogs in my friend's chimalaya(sp?) and failed miserably* ♦ been practicing cadences/scales/borrrrinnggg on piano ♦ been toasted by the >90 degree heat here ♦ sat on the floor of my friend's garage and watched the giant thunderstorm above us until the garage started to flood ♦ watched the ice cream man part of Legion at my friend's house; one of my friends was screaming louder than me and the other one(the one I was using as a teddybear) was laughing because he didn't find it scary** ♦ been vidchatting a lot ♦ been actually bored by Stephen King books because I've read them multiple times(gasp) ♦ fallen in love with the ten-years-ago Keanu Reeves; I need a time machine, and I need it now ♦ ya know what...I'll stop there. 

Now here are some links. 

http://artoftrolling.memebase.com/ Okay, so this website has some of the best internet pranks I've seen(otherwise known as "trolling.") Don't be fooled by the boring stuff on the first page. If you're still not convinced, check here. These are some of my favourites from across the site. http://cheezburger.com/strawberry.and.vanilla.milkshake/favorites

http://gabrielle.youarelame.com/  I love this website. You type someone's name in the URL and it shoots out insults. It's mean, but the idea is pretty funny. Also, the various music makes me giggle. (especially the one that goes "ra-ta-ta, tata, tatatata, yah ta-ta-ta.." and the "mana-mana..." Lol, this sounds so screwed up out of context. 

Alright, I am done here. 

Gabrielle out. 

*first hotdog: thrown in the fire by friend because it was covered in newspaper. second hot dog: torn into chunks and eaten my me/my friend. third hotdog: cooked over a scented candle. I took one bite and almost puked. fourth hot dog: i gave up and ate it cold. Not very ladylike of me, huh?
**pff. I wish I couldn't find things scary. But the Ice Cream Man was FREAKY D:

Sleeping Difficulties, Cooking Dinner, Duma Key, and Photoshop Elements 6

Hello everyone~!
Lately I've been having trouble falling asleep, or having strange dreams...These people were insulting my boyfriend and that night I dreamt that one of those people wouldn't let go of me even when I asked, so I kicked him. Isn't that horrible..? I think it's stress - which is never any fun. :( And then another day, my brother and I had been talking about Cole MacGrath(the main character in Infamous) and a kid that used to go to our school named Cole had appeared in my dream that night. Then last night my heart started to race at random intervals...it was strange. I would inhale, and my heartbeat would accelerate to a kamikaze thumpthumpthumpthump. Then I'd exhale, and it would become ka-thump...ka-thump...ka-thump..That really can't be good...
Also, I made tuna casserole for dinner tonight. ..Just....thought I should let you know. (My mother's right hand is basically unusable for her because something is wrong with her nerves, so my brother and I help with dinner/other tasks now.)
I finished Dreamcatcher by Stephen King. I'm really glad I didn't stop reading it. I was actually going to(getting bored) then things got better and it's one of my favourites now. I'd recommend it to anyone. And now I'm reading Duma Key(by the same author..surprised?) It's about an amputee-turned-artist in Florida that goes through some pretty nutty stuff when things start to pick up in the book.
And I've been drawing a lot. Art block is something I've had for months(honestly, I just didn't feel the motivation) and I think I'm making up for it now. Check my deviantART here: Gabrielle's art...
Also, Coldplay released two new songs: Major Minus and Moving to Mars. They're both pretty good. Major Minus is amazing, in my opinion.
Okay, I'm done for now because I have to get off the computer. Bye all! :D

Goldmine.

Hello everyone! I haven't blogged in a little while...well, in my absence from here, I've -

• celebrated a 6-monthiversary
• swam in the river(twice, and went tubing)
• learned how to cook bacon, eggs, sausage, corn
• been working on my British accent
• gotten better at distance running
• lost my contact in my eyeball
• slept in wayyy too much
• written a little bit
• started reading Dreamcatcher, which will be my fifteenth Stephen King book to conquer. :D

Oh, and I discovered this amazing band called The Firmament. I can't stop listening to their songs. They're sort of alternative, I can't really describe it, but they're amazing. I'd recommend them to anyone, regardless of taste. Try listening to Time Travel, if you're in an okay mood, or Constellation, if you're upbeat, or Forge, if you feel hyper, or Again if you're feeling down. Yes, they're awesome.
Now I think I'm gonna finish this drawing....Photoshop is being really stupid today and I can't take it much longer. -_-

Half-Mile Runs, Awful Bus Rides, and Exploding Sunscreen

Hello everyone! It's been a little while since I've last blogged. I've been relatively busy, with our school field trip to Cedar Point Amusement Park on Monday, and piano practice, reading(OMG READING?!), etc.
I was going to put up some sweet pictures from Cedar Point, but there's a small issue. My camera was in my friend's bag when we were riding a coaster and the sunscreen in said bag burst open and drenched everything inside. As of now, the camera still fails to work properly. But she had it much worse - her iPod and her phone were temporarily disabled(her phone works now, but her iPod is gone.)
So instead, I settled for finding pictures of the best coasters on the Internet..... Here's a list of the ones I rode.
Let's start with the best, ja?

Hnnngh, big.

1. The Millenium Force. I was getting shivers even looking at this beast while we were waiting in line. It stands 310 feet off the ground and has a maximum speed of 90 miles per hour. But I don't regret it at all. That feeling I got when we were at the very peak and were a millisecond away from dropping was just too good. 
 



Meanie..

2. The Mean Streak. This is given that name for a reason. This wooden rollercoaster was bumpy and I thought I was going to die when we went down the first hill. With huge drops and screaming speed, this one was one of my favourites(I have an unhealthy obsession with it; I think I have bruises on my ribs and...chest from this one but I rode it three times all the same). The line is always short though. ;) 
Mean Streak.
3. The Magnum XL-2000. A big drop and some pretty sweet loops made this steelie a keeper. It also had a bunch of short tunnels. Definitely worth the short wait.



The Maverick. My head hurts.


4. The Maverick. Wow. i waited in line for almost an hour for this ride. But it was so worth it - it has the steepest angled drop in the entire park(out of 17 coasters, mind you) and the twists and turns gave me a bunch of concussions :D There's also another feature of this ride that really gave it a thrill, but I'll hold my tongue...it's better for you to find out yourself. 
Maverick. My head hurts.
5. The Iron Dragon....it was okay. It was the only inverted coaster I rode. And the only reason I dislike this one is because of the sunscreen disaster. But otherwise it had some satisfying loops to it.
6. The Gemini. Two trains(at Cedar Point, they're not cars - they're trains) race each other on a massive woodie. I was on blue, and we won because we are just amazing. The drops were pretty sweet.
7. The Skyhawk. Not a coaster, but worth mentioning. It's the biggest swing ride in the world, and goes over 60 mph at top speed. And I, a swing ride lover, kept wanting to ride it again and again.

.

The Corkscrew....first thing we rode when we arrived. Little coaster, short ride, but there were a whole bunch of loops and crazy turns. It's good to get yourself "pumped up" with, as my boyfriend put it.

The bus ride was about 4 hours one-way...I slept on the way back though(nicest. sleep. ever.) We were surrounded by a bunch of swearing dbags...and Kyle had a piercing migraine...and we were starving...but I think it was worth it. Definitely.

In other news, I had a workout for cross country this morning. I really need to get in shape, hohohoho. But I'm still excited for the workout on Friday.     .........That's really odd how I'm still anticipating something and I know( I KNOW) that it's going to suck once I'm really into it. Then again, that's what running does to you. It's like a disease and I'm diagnosed with it now.

I also saw a bunch of E3 trailers....Games like Assassin's Creed Revelations, Modern Warfare 3, Resistance 3, and Battlefield 3 just look gorgeous. Plus I'm now Facebook friends with the singer of the song that plays during the AC Revelations trailer. It's pretty sweet.

Oh, and as for the thing on the internet that struck me.....

This website makes me loathe humans. And Stephanie Meyer.(Notice my use of the word 'and', but not 'including'....)

http://www.mylifeistwilight.com/

Triumph

Today is June 1, the first day of the month and the last day of the 2010-2011 school year. It's very nice to be free. This summer I'll be doing what I love to do, with no lousy interruptions like schoolwork. I won't be using the computer as much and I'm going to be outside. Things like playing the piano, practicing karate, riding my bike, singing, reading books, running, and drawing will keep me entertained for these three long months. They keep the depression at bay.
My school year was good overall. I had excellent teachers(Jewett, Dennison, Cain, Papa Covs) and my classes weren't too difficult. I think March and April were the points in which the s--tstorm really rolled in, but I got through it and I'm glad. Moments like the headless chicken discussion, the fly ignorance incident, the junior high dances, all of our musical rehearsals, and so many more are things I'll never forget. .......Eh, scratch that. I'll probably have forgotten by next week. My memory is really quite awful.
Enough about me for today. Now it's time for me to show you something.
I found this image on the website The Art of Trolling*.

By the way, if you didn't know, this is a list of networks in your area that you can access on your computer. So it's just a bit alarming to see that up there. Put yourself in that situation for a moment and consider your options. 

Alright, I'm done here for a little while. I'll blog soon. But now I'm going to go outside and get some sun. It's about time. Also, check my network connections. 

*very funny database full of Internet pranks and examples of witty backsass. Beware, it can get gross though. x__x

Slick one.

What's going on? Well, in one sentence, I burned my hand, am listening to the Lonely Island, and cooking like a muffin. It's extremely hot here.
So I decided something. To keep my blog from being TOO boring(even though I have 1 follower and it's Maggs, shush) I choose to post one thing that struck me for every blog post. And then gabber about it. It can be a story, picture, or a video....
but the thing I found today just needs to be addressed.
Kinder(brand name) Surprise Eggs are a type of candy from Germany. It's a little plastic container inside a hollow chocolate egg that holds a toy. I've had them before when they were sent/brought to our family from Germany, and like all German candy, they're delicious. Sadly, they're banned in the United States, and you can actually be fined for smuggling them*.
The point I'd like to make here is about a commercial for said candy. You can watch this and draw your own conclusions(aka, how many hours of sleep you'll lose tonight.) I encourage you to try not to think about it.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot - "kinder" is German for "children." I advise against bragging that you had the chance to eat Kinder. At least put "chocolate" or "brand" after it, for the sake of us all.

Okay, I think that's enough for one day, no? I don't know when I'll blog next. Bye for now. ~Gabrielle

*from an article about the 1993 ban: On January 10, 2011, a Winnipeg woman was almost fined $300 dollars when crossing the border with a Kinder Egg in her possession because it was not reported to the border officials during a random car search.  When officials found the egg, it was confiscated, leaving the woman very confused, as Canada has been selling the product in stores since 1975. Much to her dismay, the border officials were very serious about the seizure of the egg, and sent her a 7 page document that asked her for permission to destroy the chocolate egg and enclosed toy. If she wished to have contested its termination, she would have had to pay a sum of 250 dollars to store the item. It is rumored that people sometimes smuggle Kinder Surprise treats across the US-Canadian border as gifts for family members.