So Very Petlike

Pets are amazing and everyone should have one at least once in their life. If you don't, I'm sorry.
First of all, I'd like to say that I have three pets that are all slightly crazy,

• Leah-She's just a sweet dog who's obedient and kind and always wants attention from humans while completely ignoring other dogs for their owners. 

Artsy Photo of Leah (Photo Credits: Me)

• Timi-Timi is our oldest cat, and though now he's quite nice nicer than before, when he was younger, he was king of the neighbourhood. He always prowled the streets and got into fights with our neighbours' cats over who was the boss of the neighbourhood. In fact my dad loves to tell the story of the time my cat was underneath my mom's car and he went outside to check out the source of mewling and hissing and heard him under the car and tufts of fur were just floating out from underneath. Now that he's older, he is more cuddly and actually lets us touch him approximately once every other Wednesday.

The ferocious Timi (Photo Credits: Cat treats + My camera)

• Cactus-We got Cactus when we came back from Sweden from the person that had been taking care of Timi while we were away. We took Leah with us, even though her ticket cost more than ours combined. Anyway, the person who had taken care of Timi loved him so much that she got a kitten while we were away. Then she moved somewhere that didn't allow cats, so we got both. Cactus' nickname is shadow because in the first two weeks of getting her, the most any of us saw of her was maybe a tail visible from behind the shredder. She started liking me first and I was the only one who could approach her, then eventually pet her and call her by scratching whatever surface is nearby, followed by a mimicking of petting a cat, then she comes over. Our family believes that she had bad experiences with men because she never seems to trust them much, though she's become much more snuggly and is currently lying on my arms while I try to type this. 

A picture of the Cactus I know (Photo Credits: Me and cat treats)

• The three of them combined seem to have conspired so that whenever we sit down, they want out, and they can never go out at the same time. At least we're getting exercise. 

Second of all, I'd like to describe why I am a pet and why that probably bothers people. I am not up for adoption, but if you want to adopt a pet, may I recommend this shelter? Also I don't think adopting a human is legal....
I believe I am most like a dog, but not the obedient kind, who always does as told, but the type that just can't be trained. I believe my mother has figured out this long before I have. First of all, I am asked repeatedly to do the same thing, until I finally do it, and in the beginning, I was rewarded, but now, I just have to do it so I've stopped caring so much for doing it.
Second of all, whenever I get a new toy, I play with it for hours and then forget about it. I don't play with toys anymore, because it's not "socially acceptable" and though often I don't care about it, teenage logic have taught me that I have to be exactly like everyone else, but still be completely and utterly different somehow. Now back to the toy thing. I recently got a new item. It was a curling iron. This is not something to be played with and should only be used when needed, but I wanted to use it! So what did I do. Every so often, I'd go downstairs, plug it in, wait for it to heat up while prepping my hair with a heat protectant, brush through it and curl my hair for a minute, then brush through my hair again so it wasn't so noticeable. Hello mother, yes, I do this... Now for those of you blessed with long straight locks, you may be wondering how no one noticed. Well my hair is naturally wavy/curly, depending on how long it has been since it has been straightened or wet. Straightening makes it straight for about 10 minutes before my hair rebelliously starts to become wavy again, then curl up. Wetting my hair makes it curly aflack. (That is a term I use in my head for AF, don't ask, I didn't consciously do it, my mind is strange. ) Anyway... uh bye?

So Very Challenging

Imagine a sweet and innocent Alicia in 4th period, realising that not only is she not quite the nicest person to others, she isn't amazingly wonderful toward herself. Imagine her talking to her friend about it. Imagine them both determining that they need to change, at least temporarily.

This happened today, and has caused me a dilemma. I enjoy making little jokes that are not the nicest toward myself or toward others, and I enjoy being able to use any word I wish, but sometimes I go a little overboard, then feel quite terrible about it. This happens to me on a regular basis, so I created a challenge for myself to neither swear or be mean to anyone, including siblings or myself. 

I need this book (Photo Credits)

As well as this one (Photo Credits)

Note, if you are reading this blog, there is a large chance that I can stand you. Now, approximately an hour after it started, I realised it is a lot more challenging than you would imagine when you bravely decide to do it with you friend.

Because I am doing this, I decided to write a positive post about things I like about the world, this is also sort of my Thanksgiving post. 

• I like the people in the world, they inspire me every day and make me a better person, no matter what I do. 
• This one is in light of recent tragedies. I love the fact that as soon as terrible things happen, people unite to help those in trouble, and those who are in trouble end up surviving, even though tragedies have occurred. 
• I like that the fact that that the United States finally legalised gay marriage, even though it's long overdue.
• I like the fact that no matter how slowly, developed countries are becoming more accepting of the world. 
• I am thankful that I have caring and kind parents who pay for me. We're expensive.
• I am so thankful for my friends because no matter how much I stray from ideal, they love me no matter what.
• I love the fact that I have found something that gives my life purpose and gives me hope, but it challenges me to aspire for more. 
• I am glad that no matter what, I have hope.
• I love books and reading, the fact that I can pick up something light an dive into an alternate universe or a land far, far away. It gives me an escape and sometimes, when I'm stressed or feeling down, I can just end up fighting to death in an arena being cheered on by people with interesting hair.

I would love to write more because this makes me feel pretty happy about my life, but I have to go be an even better person by doing homework that isn't the most interesting but is still quite important. That kind of sounded nerdy but I admit, I am an English nerd and proud of it. 

PS: The post about how I embarrass myself is on it's way, as well as the blog post that I have written but don't have good pictures for yet. 

So Very Awkwardly Nice

Hello fellow strangers and people I've pestered to read my blog,
I realise I was supposed to write about sleep as I promised in my last blog post, but I was bored on a Sunday night so I started formulating two blog posts in my head, neither of which have anything to do with sleep. I laughed at my jokes so I decided to write them down for a later date, but finished this one and decided to publish it. So here we are. This may be similar to Hyperbole and a Half, I've been reading that a lot lately and tend to be influenced by my readings, so if it is, I didn't mean to but at least I gave credit.
Depending on who you are, you may be familiar with my compliments or wonder why I am writing a post about them because all I do is harmlessly tease you. (Note: I NEVER MEAN anything mean) How do I know this? Well I tend to glorify every single person around me, which I guess is a good thing, but I also am terrible at social. This clashes with compliments in a weird way. These are the steps that seem to occur.

1. I notice something I like about whoever I am currently looking at. This happens almost instantaneously and is the easiest part of this whole thing. My thought process ends up something like, 'She's quite attractive."
2. I try to figure out what I like about the person, as my mind usually just ends up mean girling (That is a verb, and if it isn't, it should be)

   

   Credit to a random website that came up when I googled you're like really pretty mean girls

3. I stare at this person for a while until it becomes creepy, trying to figure out how to phrase the compliment without creeping the other person out, while creeping them out. I suspect by the end of this, there is drool hanging out of my mouth and I look really weird. 
4. I immediately say I zoned out and start laughing awkwardly to avoid creeping whoever I was staring at out. 
5. I then decide that I can't put the compliment off any longer and try to phrase whatever I was saying in words. In my thoughts, I'm saying "Your eyelashes are really pretty." But sadly, my social skills are very faulty so I usually end up sounding like someone who just got their wisdom teeth pulled out, or like a little kid trying to create a coherent sentence, which probably sounds something like, "Eyelashes grow pretty."
6. The other person usually looks at me with a sympathetic smile and laughs a little awkwardly to try to avoid an even more awkward situation and says something like, "Thanks?"
7. I then feel ashamed and try to explain myself, but again, my social skills are flawed because I don't often exercise these skills, as my mother seems to have noticed. This ends up sounding something like "HahaImeanyoureyelashesarelonganditreallysuitsyoureyetypedoyouusemascaraorsomethinglikethatbecausetheylookamazingandI'mprobablycreepingyououtrightnowsoIshouldprobablystopspeakingbutanywayyoureyelashesarereallypretty."
8. The person looks at me with a blank face, then politely smiles and says, "Um could you say that a little slower?"
9. I take this as a chance to save myself and try to form a coherent thought so I don't look like even more of a weirdo, but it's better than before so it probably ends up sounding violent but nice, like "Your eyelashes are really pretty, like I wish I could rip them out and glue them onto my eyes, they're that nice."
10. I hide my face in shame while they look at me with a confused and bewildered expression, then realise it was a compliment and blink then say something like "Uh thanks..."

If anyone could help me get over my awkwardness, please help me, I'd like to be a nice person instead of an intensely creepy one. I seem to have mastered it on paper, as my dance friends know, but I would like to be able to social some day. Please help...

So Very Flexible (Part 1)

Hello fellow strangers and people I've pestered to read my blog,

Thank you for voting on my poll. As most of you are dancers, there was a tie between Nutcracker and sleep or lack thereof. Those of you who aren't dancers, sorry, you'll have to wait approximately three business days for your package to arrive.

As many of you probably know, each year, Park City Dance does a performance of Nutcracker. We do variations of some of the dances and let the magic come to small children and grown adults on stage. If you want to witness this, free your schedule for December 19. It is located at the Eccles Center and I don't know how to get tickets other than at Park City Dance. Anyway, back to the actual subject. As Nutcracker hasn't occurred yet, I can't say how it went, so I am instead going to talk about auditions.

Okay, so auditions are extremely challenging, just so you know and most likely, you won't get a part, or a callback. I had never gotten either of those until this year. You get one part by default, but you can audition for more parts. I did that every year including this year and guess what? I got a part! Here's how it happened, and here are some tips in the mean time

The old arabian costume (Pictures from Park City Dance)

• Dress and act as you would for the part. I was auditioning for Arabians and they have a really intense gaze, so to intensify it, I chose a judge to look at every time we were to look at the audience. I also did a thicker eyeliner than I normally do. This was the first year I dressed the part.
• Practice as much as you can on the sideline, even after your group performed. People might notice this and appreciate the fact that you continue trying to improve, even after you finish. I kind of did this, I marked it, but couldn't do it full out because of all the people there.
Be confident. Even if you are the most self conscious little child, you must give off the air of confidence and people will believe you know what you are doing, even if you don't. 
• Read the requirements like they're your bible. This is extremely important if you want a specific part. 
• Audition for more than one thing, there are plenty of amazing roles to go around, and you're allowed to audition for as much as you want, and the more you audition for, the more experience you get and the more likely you are to get a role. 
• Have fun. Trust me, we're all nervous, but it's dance and if you're auditioning, dance should be fun for you, so enjoy the extra time you get dancing. 
• Lastly, if you don't get a role, don't fret it. Maybe this wasn't your year, or four years in a row, or maybe you just weren't ideal for that role, either by being too tall or too short. No matter what, it's not because you're a bad dancer. 

~Alicia

PS: Congrats to Taylor and Mikelle for elephants! You guys so deserve it and are amazing and beautiful. 

Pictures from Park City Dance

Also to Ali for Mother Buffoon! You are going to be such an amazing mother buffoon!!!

So Very Nostalgic

Hello fellow strangers and people I've pestered to read my blog,

I put up a poll last week, as everybody seemed to notice, and by everyone, I mean two people. (PS: I have a new poll too) It was about what to write about next. The result was a unanimous decision for me to write about my dance story. Just a warning, if you want a happy and funny post, skip this one.

So, it all started out in 6th grade, when my dad got his sabbatical, a thing where if you work hard and be a good boy, you can travel abroad for six months or a year to work there. This doesn’t happen often and my dad got the opportunity to do this. As I am bilingual and have been since I was a fetus child, I went to a Swedish school and met some amazing and tall friends.

I was short okay (Picture was taken by Rebecca on my terrible old phone)

The last day of school in Sweden (Pictures taken by my mom)

Anyway, I danced there, with crappy teachers in crappy studios just so I wouldn't stray too far behind in dance when I came back to the United States, and so that I could be with my friends when I came back. It was amazing. I took a 'jazz funk' class about half an hour away and traveled every Monday and Thursday on the subway for an hour to ballet and tap at a dance school in Sweden. It was too late to join academy teams by the time we realised that those are always better.

Anyway, I got back to the United States and since I had missed auditions, went to two different dance groups during academy camp. I started at a lower level but then got moved up and joined the best dance team in the history of the world. (Sorry anyone else) They were amazing and kind and caring and sweet and I loved them to death.

I was with them for two glorious years of laughter. In fact, at the studio, we were told that we were the closest dance group and I honestly and completely agree, we had sleepovers every other month on average I think, though I was only able to participate in two. I did feel slightly behind sometimes, but by the end of the year, I always felt that I was caught up, until I wasn't. After the results for Academy were posted, I was devastated. My friends were in Teen C (Ballet 7) and Senior A (Ballet 8A), which was amazing, but I, a former Ballet 6er, was moved to Teen A (Ballet 4) and Ballet 6 again. It hurt so badly and as an extremely self conscious person, I blamed myself for everything. I had been moved down two levels and would have to move up 4 levels the next year in order to be with my friends.

My mom blamed the dance studio and wanted me to be happy so she asked if I wanted to go to the other dance studio in Park City, but I had been in this one since I was 3 and I refused, after of course breaking down on the floor at the dance studio crying and saying I didn't want to dance anymore because it hurt so much. I went home that day and started a slideshow (Please don't click the link unless you were in the dance group), so that I could show it on the last day of dance. We were all a weeping mess and it was amazing. I remember Sawyer, one of the dance teacher's daughters coming in and saying that none of the people in her group were hugging or crying. I miss them so much and often keep blaming myself.  

During the summer, we met with two of the dance teachers and they both had the same reason that they moved me down because of my year in Sweden, but I find fault in that. First of all, why wasn't I told and second of all, why was I moved up.

Now, three months plus a few more of staying up all night crying and blaming myself, I have finally accepted that there's nothing to do but keep dancing and hoping that someday it'll get better. I don't feel challenged in jazz or tap, and I wish I were more challenged but there's nothing I can do about that.

To end this on a happy note,  I got the part of an Arabian for Nutcracker! I will be travelling to schools and performing and it's going to be great. It's my first call back ever as well as my first role ever.

PS: Sorry for the rant, I just needed to get this out of my system and wanted to express my honest opinion.

So Very Welcoming

Hello fellow strangers and people I've pestered to read my blog, I’m Alicia Whitty (Hahahaha the blog title... Get it?...) Now that that’s over with.

I rode in a limo for the first time on Saturday. Also my friend celebrated her Quinceañera. For those of you who don’t know what that is, I barely know either, but here’s what I know. It’s basically a tradition for girls who live in or girls who are from Latin American countries to celebrate their 15th birthday and growing into adult women. Anyway, back to the more interesting things, my life... heh...

So anyway, back to the limousine. We had just finished getting ready for the church service and party after practicing for the dances we were going to be doing in front of the audience, we were at my friend Val’s house when this long white limousine pulled into the neighbourhood. Like the mature teenagers we were, we squealed and started taking pictures. We got into the limo, followed by Val and her dress, see below.

The limo that pulled up at the house (My picture)

We went to the church service where I totally knew every single word the priest was saying. (In Spanish... I’m taking French...In other words, that was sarcasm) I’m slightly scared I was rude or something... Anywho, after that, we went to take pictures and then decided to go to Walmart and walk around because it’d be pretty hilarious. I kept trying to get the rest of the group to sit by the TVs and just stare at them and if anyone asked, say we couldn’t afford a TV at our house, while wearing expensive dresses. After we all had a good laugh we drove around in the limo and listened to music. Poor Holly felt violated, offended, hurt and bad when we were asked to skip ‘Drag Me Down.’ Anyway, to say the least we had a lot of fun.

Soon it was time for the party, and we helped with the final preparations then waited in the hotel room for a grand entrance. The entire party was amazing and we got to listen to popular music and turn into a synchronised team whenever songs like the ‘Macarena’ and ‘The Slide’ and those songs that told you what to do. We then performed our dances and Val got a puppy... A puppy! SHE GOT A PUPPY FOR HER BIRTHDAY! Then they started blasting mariachi music until 1 AM which was when the party ended. To say the least, it was so fun.  I’m not even being sarcastic because I was with my friends. It was pretty great and all that…

Val and her dress (Creepshot credit: me)

Note: Most of the time, I am being sarcastic about literally everything so don’t take everything I say seriously. In fact, sometimes I will be sarcastic but actually mean what I’m saying. Please don’t be confused. That’s my job. :) Heh anyway, that is what happens in my wonderfully strange mind. I don’t even know, I’m babbling right now aren’t I. Yes… I guess that I am.

I don’t really know what else to write so um yeah... Bye? Bye for now? Au revoir? I need a good ending.