Three Weeks

...until the end of term, and the ball, and holidays. We have to finish our documentary before that, though. So I'm not wishing the time away, exactly... I'd also love to get my art internals all finished and resubmitted so they don't carry over into term three, when we'll be starting 3.3 -- can't believe I'll be making my last NCEA art submission ever in a matter of months.

Today I went to DressSmart and had a very successful shopping trip with Roz & Helen. I bought gold, not-too-high heels from Wild Pair for $30, and a little gold sequined purse to match for $11. I also found this gorgeous long wool coat in Creem (the shop where I bought my ball dress last year, it has some lovely stuff) and I called Dad and said "I know this isn't what I came here for, but, I do need a winter coat..." and because he is so kind he let me use his money and buy it. I know. I've been spoilt.

A friend of the family, Marcelle, (whose husband was the one who played matchmaker between my parents!) has very very kindly offered to make my ball dress. So yesterday we went to Centrepoint Fabrics in Newmarket and bought a pattern and material. I ended up buying something totally different to what I initially thought I wanted -- but I am super pleased with my choices and can't wait to see the dress start to take shape. Tickets for the ball go on sale this week on Monday and Tuesday -- year thirteens (rightly) take priority and so that's another expensive day, but of course, well worth it.

I've been watching a lot of the series Dollhouse on the recommendation of a friend, and while I'm enjoying it, I can see why it was rated so badly and was eventually cancelled. I mean, let's be honest, Eliza Dushku cannot act. The role really requires extreme versatility, after all, she has to take on different personalities sometimes multiple times in a single episode. But as an actress, Dushku doesn't seem to be able to dig any deeper, and often doesn't convincingly "transform". A few of the other performances are pretty flimsy, too. However it's forgivable, because the idea is pretty fascinating. And I'm enjoying having a series to follow. I suppose I could always go back and watch season one of House. Aww! So much has changed...

My to-do list is so massive. Thankfully I've checked off some of the ball-related things this weekend, and yesterday in town we had a really good filming session, but there's still heaps to do. I'm praying for a burst of energy and motivation this week.

All right well I have to go and clean the bathroom now. Then I'll have dinner (I'm sure it will be delicious -- Nana is chopping up vegetables to be roasted) and attempt to do something productive, and I suppose after that I'll go to bed. And another week will come.

Champing At The Bit

Roll on Friday, when I will be deadline and exam-free.

I figure that, of late, I have not been performing my duty and updating you, followers & readers, on the happenings of year 13. So basically, here we are, week something-rather of term two. It is one of what I deem to be the Three Great Bottlenecks which occur during the school year. The entire first term is basically quite breezy -- sure, they put a little bit of pressure on ya, just to keep you focused -- and the occasional internal assessment manages to provoke a little bit of customary school-related stress here and there -- but overall it's a walk in the park. Then you go on holiday for a couple of weeks, and forget to do any of that planned "preparatory work" that you decided would put you in a comfy position in time for exams. All is well and good when you return, except a slight nagging sense of impending doom. This nagging sensation grows and, by week six or... is it seven... exams are suddenly upon you. And by upon you, I mean straddling you, slamming your forehead into a computer screen (filled with various websites which are all quite unrelated to any of your subjects) and screaming "DEADLINES!"

Because, if you're a bleeding fool like me, this is also the time when all the art subjects decide to have major assignments due. As I am taking both painting AND design, I have 20 credits' worth of work due on Wednesday & Thursday... that's a third of the (minimum) amount of credits I have to get this year. Plus these stupid mock exams. And the thing is, I can't even cast them off as insignificant, because they may end up counting towards something.

So after I've handed in all my assignment work and done my three exams, (media, English, French) consisting of a total of five essays, we will enter Lull Number Two, a deceptive window between Bottleneck One and Bottleneck Two. For us media students, it will be filled with an ongoing, consistently vague panic over trying to finish our documentaries. In art, we will no doubt begin our end-of-year portfolios at a dangerously leisurely pace, misjudging the length of time until the final, massive deadline at the end of term three. For some reason, even though this is my third year of doing art, I know it will be the same... It always, always is.

I thought that I would dread the end of high-school but I don't feel that way anymore. I am ready to leave. That doesn't mean I won't feel nostalgic and cry heaps throughout that last week of term four! But it does mean that I'm "over it" in a sense, and I guess I am looking forward to some changes. Some.

My life plan has gone through a trial period of a few months' thinking and thus I have reached a conclusion (I think) which entails going Auckland University next year and doing a conjoint degree in arts and fine arts. I will do the first semester and then travel for the second. I think I have already mentioned this in several places throughout this blog, but you know. Changes come.