In the Limelight

Hey.
Sorry I couldn't update you on my 'performance' last night.
That's what I'll try to do now. Ahem:
So, I walk in the fancy auditorium and there are about three people (we were 15 minutes early to play as the parents came in) and all the other performers were on the stage, ready. Luckily I had been right about the Orchestra dress code, so I ran backstage with "Orchestra teacher" and "Orchestra teacher's twin sister" which was a little disorienting, and came on stage.
Remember how I said I lost that music I got this morning?
Well it turns out that that was the wrong part anyways. So I sit down. There were 7 kids- four violins, 1 viola, 1 cello, 1 bass.  I knew all of them but 1.  Five eighth graders, me, and one sixth grader. Normally I play viola in school orchestra, but violin was my original instrument and I was instructed to play that.
So we played our little pieces as the crowd trickled in. We had several pieces which were, as I had suspected, easy (except for this one tune with a swinging beat and a lopsided pace).  We would take little breaks occasionally.  It was actually really fun.
I love sight reading.
We played this one piece, Impravada, that we were playing in our school orchestra.  Impravada is a great piece, but I was SO USED to playing the viola part right next to me that I got really disoriented. It was annoying.
We finished with our grande finale, but the Superintendent was held up, so we reran our first two pieces (which most of the audience hadn't heard) and then decided to play Deck the Halls, another school piece that had not been programmed. I firmly resolved to play the viola part, as it did not go onto the C string (which violins don't have) in this piece. Then the curtains closed, so we didn't get to do that.
The parents chattered softly and were very pleasant. They seemed to like our playing.
Then we went back in the orchestra room and "Orchestra teacher" spun her sister tall tales about the impishness of my friend "Alex" and me. Totally exaggerated.
Well, I have some other stuff to do now. So thanks for tuning in!

Hot Water

In half an hour, my school system is having a meeting with the Superintendent of our district.
I have been selected to participate in a small string ensemble performing at this event. There were supposed to be rehearsals before school today and yesterday, but I was misinformed about several times and locations, thus I was present at neither. Then this morning I was presented with the music. Unfortunately, this music has disappeared.
So I am going to be SIGHT READING about 10 pieces in front of the Superintendent.
LUCKILY:
-I'm a great sight reader
-The pieces are really easy
BUT I'M STILL FREAKING OUT.
Well, I have to go now.
Tell you how it goes!

Voice Recognition

A lot of you viewers probably have iPhones and iPads with voice recognition software.
I am not really a tech-y person. Meaning, although I am actually decent at computer programing, I prefer to read than acquire new appliances or applications. So I don't really know the details.
There's dragon software or something, which types what you say....
But that's about all I know.
Anyways, today I had my first GROUNDBREAKING experience with such technology. At our school, we have acquired a "Mac Cart" which is a sleek white cart of computer ports containing 30 Mac Books. We've used these several times so far this year, and this year they were utilized for science research. Friend A (who I will call Clarissa on this blog) and I sit together, and we were each presented with a lap top.
"Clarissa"'s had a rather small circle with a picture of a microphone in a green bubble present. It seemed to be registering our voices.  Yet we could not seem to delete it or put it to any remotely useful purpose.
Over the course of our science period, random windows and applications kept popping up as we discussed the lap tops for no reason.
OR SO WE THOUGHT.
So yeah, as you have already figured out, this mysterious bubble was sound recognition software, which opened documents as we named them. Soon we had also made this discovery and put it to good (if not entirely educational) use at once.
It was a great pleasure to, out of no where, bark "Switch to Chrome" and have the little window pop up... Enjoyable.
So as you  roll your eyes in disgust at my lack of tech-knowledge, all I have to say is "Oh yeah? Well I was the one who opened iTunes with my voice, so ha!"
All you people with shmancy apps, I'm catching up to you!
~Julia

Breeding Blorphy Bulldogs go Downhill!

In addition to the weather around here being rainy and miserable, I have shocking news.
Now, I'm sure we are all familiar with the bulldog.

These wrinkly canines are a common association with the spiky collar, and well known by all.
But here's the catch - bulldogs were never destined to be this ugly. The bulldog "look" is not remotely similar to that of almost any other dog (besides, perhaps, the pug) and research shows that, 200 years ago, this was not the case.
Bulldogs have been intentionally bred to look more wrinkly, squat, and outright weird. Apparently a lot of people find this attractive, "cute", in their pampered pet. Although I do not find bulldogs repulsive in the slightest, I am not sure why their unusual physique was deliberately squashed.
So, yes, this is weird, but why is it bad? What has this done?
Good question.
The answer is A LOT.
Bulldogs are suffering major health issues do to overlarge teeth or wrinkles clogging their nostrils, as well as some damage to other internal suffering. Also, being so squat has some disadvantages.  Many bred bulldogs are currently incapable of having sex without human assistance, nor would the females be able to give birth - the heads of their young are just too big!!!
With these grotesque developments, bulldogs' live spans are dramatically shrinking.  People are rallying to stop and even reverse breeding in this direction. No dog fan myself, I sincerely hope that bulldogs will   receive a much healthier body as time passes.
Good luck, doggies!
~Julia

To People in Poland

Today I have been viewed by an individual in Poland.
I consider this to be an honor.
Thank you for viewing my blog, person in Poland!
~Julia

Hair Snips

I am doing something impulsive today.
I am cutting my hair. To my chin. Not myself, at a shop. But still. My hair hangs about halfway to my waist, and cutting it is simply unbelievable. To me, at least. This will be the shortest my hair has ever been since age... 3. Wow.
No, I am not a girly girl who cares about hair styles. I just like having long hair. More importantly I am used to it.
I will do everything in my power to resist a trip to those horrible sinks and long, spindly scissors... This is not voluntary. My hair is extremely willing to mat within one or two days, and at this length, my mother has taken a stand. It was bound to happen. At the moment I am feeling reckless, and so rather than repeating the inch-cut cycle, I am trying something new.
I must be going insane.

UPDATE: It turned out that the  hair place was all booked up. Looks like this will have to wait until next week.

Welcome

Welcome to Argon.
My name is Julia. This is my first blog. With no blogging experience, I can only hope that my posts are satisfactory.  If you do not find them so, I am sure that thousands of other, more dignified blogs are begging your attention, and I will not hate you for abandoning my blog completely.
Okay, so Argon is an element. On the Periodic Table.

Argon is that green one on the side, Ar. Isn't it gorgeous? I probably won't mention Argon that much in future posts, but I felt you should meet it.
Oh, it's just amazing....
Anyways, here is my blog.
Wish me luck!