Winter Break For A Teen: Being Wholly Unproductive

Hello all!

It's 11 p.m. on a Thursday night and I'm not even tired. At this time, any other day in the school year, the math sums blur together in a hopeless mess as my eyes droop to a close. But now? I'm wide awake. And I probably will stay in this condition for a couple more hours. I really do love holidays. For my family, it's a time of catching up, relaxing, and sleeping. It is also a 10-hour car drive, crazy custom officials, and the desperate search for a rest station. 

Let me explain.

Every Christmas my family and my family on my dad's side meet up. (My cousins on my mom's side are saved for Thanksgiving). We switch houses every year. Last year was at our house, so this year we made the hike up to Toronto, Canada. Somehow, through flash snowstorms that turned into sleet we made a 10-hour car drive in 9 hours. We stopped ONCE for gas and food. Customs, which is notoriously painful at the border, took literally five minutes. Christmas miracles I tell you. We watched an insane amount of movies over those two days. (Mission Impossible 4 is terrible compared to the first one, for those wondering.) In between the movie marathoning, I managed to bake my first cake. For those of you who know me, this is quite the feat. :P

Unfortunately, I couldn't spend as much time as I would've liked in Canada. With my parents hard-pressed for vacation (going to India and college touring will do that to you), we were forced to return on Monday. The drive home was painful. I finally realized that I no longer fit in the really tiny backseat of our car ... and was sadly stuck with this realization for seven hours. After stopping at my other cousin's house in New York for dinner, we hit the road (again. fun.). Finally arriving home, we somehow made the 10-hour car-ride in 11 hours. To me, it felt like 13. 

Since then, I've been doing the typical teenager stuff:  sleeping late, lazing around, hanging with friends, wandering pointlessly around the house. I can't believe it's already Thursday. Time flies when you almost sleep through the a.m. Almost. It's been a great break from school and all the stress that comes with it. No math tests to worry about, or APUSH notes to take. It's been a very relaxing break so far, and I'm enjoying it while it lasts. 

The thought of school next week frightens me. Why? The start of school signals the start of Hell Month. Remember how I talked about Hell Week? Well Hell Month is slightly similar. Except, you know, it's bigger. With drama in full swing, midterms around the corner, crew starting, and piano lessons coming back, Hell Month is where I literally look like the living dead. It's extremely unattractive. Especially towards the end of January, when the opening night of the show is drawing nearer. I get no sleep. But more about that later. 

New Year's is in two days, and I can't believe it. Where did 2011 go? I feel old saying that. I also feel a bit of despair. Once 2012 starts, it's a mad dash to the spring semester of senior year. Wish me luck :)

From one of the many movies I've watched recently:

Quelqu'un m'a dit (Someone Told Me)  Carla Bruni

for those who enjoy songs in English:

Junk of the Heart The Kooks

Happy new year!