I kidnapped a banjo ukulele.

The first two days of work were pretty awesome.

So, my job consists of me and three other students planning and going through with various kids' activities at my church all summer. So far, we have planned a fundraiser, tried to learn about basketball, wrote a skit (including rewritten lyrics of 'Old McDonald had a farm.'), and sat in an quite a few meetings. It's been a grand time.

My fellow summer students consist of Montgomery, a girl a year older than me, Catherine, who is headed to medical school next year, and Gerald, a guy in his early thirties who is going back to school for accounting. We make an interesting team. 
-J-
City buses taken: 42

In which I am surpressing panic.

I start work tomorrow.

Things that are good about my job:

•  I work 35 hours a week. I will keep occupied as my friends run off to the far corners of the earth.
•  Even at minimum wage, I will be able to save a lot.
•  The people I'm working with seem awesome.
•  I get my own "office". Actually, it's a desk in a room with all the other summer students.

Things that are bad:

•  The schedule I was given seems to be more than 35 hours a week. Not only do I work 9-5 Tuesday to Friday, but 7:30-9:30 Wednesday night, 8:15-12 Sunday morning and sometimes Monday. Hopefully there's free time somewhere in there. 
•  I have to spend most Wednesdays in meetings.
•  I have to deal with the people who have made things around the church extremely more complicated than it needs to be.  
•  Because I'm around kids, I need to deal with liability stuff, a lot of which doesn't make sense. 

I'm scared. Wish me luck!
Love,
-J-
City buses this year: 40

The awkward first weekend of summer.

Well, the first weekend of summer is gone. To be honest, I dislike this weekend every year. I feel lost, at first like there's stuff I need to do, then realising there's nothing I need to do, then settling down to eat mounds of junk food and sitting idly watching way too much TV. 

Before my idle sitting, I organised my room. I ended up with three garbage bags full of crap. Younger me was a terrible pack rat. Why I ever thought I needed church bulletins (a year and a half's worth), three unfinished middle school art projects, and a lot more uselessness, I have no idea.

I don't start work until June 29th. That gives me a week and a half with nothing planned. I don't know what to do with myself.

MEH.
Love,
-J-
City buses taken this year: 35

The little ninja star of the east.

I did a fair bit of wandering this afternoon uptown with Katie A. and Sam. We killed time at the library and the police museum, of all places.

The police museum is basically a room with a few glass cases of old police uniforms, pictures and a few things they confiscated through the years. In one of the cases, there was a ninja star. The story behind it, given to us by the volunteer working there, was that it was confiscated from a crazy guy when the prime minister was in town. Yeah. A ninja star.

We talked to the rather bored people working at the museum for a good hour or so. While we were there, a cruise ship passenger came in. She's a New York city police detective and she showed the guy her badge and everything. I seemed to think that badges were something that crime TV created, but I guess not.

It was one of those moments when I realise just how small my world is.
Love,
-J-
City buses taken: 32

Summer list.

Physics and French exam down! Math and history to go. I have made it to the 'screw it, it's almost summer' point of exams. My will to study is pretty much gone.

I'm beginning to ponder what to do with my summer... so I made a list. In alphabetical order:

• Camp in a back yard
• Decorate my room with something awesome
• Drive across town (without accident or injury) 
• Finish my musical list 
• Frolic through green fields
• Get fast food in the middle of the night
• Get lots of new music
• Get something Doctor Who themed
• Go on a photo walk uptown
• Go on a picnic 
• Go swimming after dark
• Go to the beach for a day without getting sunburned
• Have a bonfire and sing camp songs
• Have a Disney movie marathon
• Spend a day at the library
• Pose with statues on cruise ship days uptown
• Practice guitar and ukulele
• Read at least 10 books cover to cover
• Read some comic books
• Rid my room of my pack rat stuff
• Serenade people with my guitar and ukulele
• Wear patriotic face paint 

Love,
-J-
City buses taken this year: 30

Art galleries and their snack food that PWNS.

I went to Sam's art show on Friday. Above is the skateboard she painted for it. She has skills.

At the gallery, there were a bunch of hipsters and refined elderly people drinking wine. It seemed so stereotypical of an art gallery. 

There was the most amazing snack food:

 Yes, that is most definitely chocolate coated strawberries that look like tuxes.
Love,
-J-

There is freedom at the end of the tunnel.

After a marathon of homework since September, I am on the last little sprint. Then exams. Then freedom. Hallelujah.

Well, not complete freedom. I have a summer job, working at my church, planning and doing stuff with kids and youth. I'm really excited, like ridiculously excited. Doing stuff I love, with the little perk of a pay check.

I feel like I'm in a really weird place right now to essentially be a leader. We'll see how this works out.
Love,
-J-
City buses taken this year: 26

In which ignorant people are ignorant.

Today, I got really angry.

In Sunday school, we were watching a video called "Everything is spiritual" by Rob Bell. Gerald said that Christian, my church's former youth pastor, had showed him the video a few years ago.

One kid in my class made a comment somewhat like,"Well Christian obviously didn't learn anything from the video." 

Now, Christian left a year and a half ago because a mistake he made. He had to leave mostly because he was honest about his mistake. I respect him for that.

The statement, plus the superiority that he said it with really made me want to punch him in the face. It was made even worse when two girls agreed with him in a similar manner.

They should have said nothing about the subject. All three of them have done virtually nothing but disrupt the class for the entirety of this year. I was really, really pissed.

Dear idiots in my Sunday school class, 
Who are you to say stuff about Christian? I know he was a youth pastor, but that doesn't mean he was invincible to human nature. 

Have you ever made a mistake, or are you completely perfect and able to judge others?


You're condescending jackasses. I would be slightly less pissed if you weren't complete hypocrites along with that. I don't even know I put up with you. I know you don't care about anyone else, you just want to fit in with all the other jackasses. 

You're a ridiculous. I know you don't care about church, or anyone but yourself anyway. You really need someone to bring you back to reality.
Sincerly,
Pissed Julianne
PS- If I hear you ask one more time about the morality of homosexuality or about the existence of dinosaurs in relation to humans, I will personally drop kick you.

Uh, people. Good thing I'm a dinosaur.

Everybody around me for the last three days has been stressed or angry at something or other.

It's beginning to get to me.

I'm in a sort of mood where I want to walk around the neighbourhood idly for a few hours, just to get away from people. Maybe sit on a swing and ponder the mysteries of the universe.

Or, you know, find somewhere to zone out listening to The Beatles.
Love,
-J-