She's a Fighter

You know those weeks where there are only four school days in the week, and yet it manages to drag on for an eternity - an eternity of way too many homework assignments, and not enough time for breathing - and by the end of it, everyone around you, from your friends to the people who sit behind you in AP Eng, are super cranky? And no one actually thought the week went very well anyways, and you aren't even able to grudgingly say that at least a lot of work got done, because in actuality, the bare minimum of work got done, and you actually have a load of work sitting in your inbox that you're staring at sadly until you finally fling yourself at it Sunday night?

What I've just described is TOTALLY my life right now.

It's hectic. It's difficult. It's all so unforgiving, and merciless in it's battery. I didn't even get to watch any TV until Thursday night, when the weekend officially commenced! Terrible, terrible. I swear, my head may explode. Especially when my mom and I are having conversations like this:

Me. "Gosh, Mom, I'm so stressed right now. Can I have a hug?"

Mom. "Sure, honey." *gives hug* "Why do you think you're stressed? Do you think it's because you're missing all these scholarship and college application deadlines?"

I'm definitely not, by the way. Missing the deadlines. No, my mom, I think, actually ENJOYS giving me cardiac problems. I think she's just going to keep needling me about college, and stressing me out, until I eventually crack down, and agree to go to UW, closer to home, instead of California.

Anyways, the brief - extremely brief - amount of free time I was allotted by the Universe was spent reading Tamora Pierce's last book in the Beka Cooper [my favorite of all Pierce's heroines] trilogy, Mastiff. Seeing as though the fantasy genre falls under my very general category of "escapism," I thought that this book would be my savior, whilst I was pinned by the unyielding onslaught of suck that was my week. It was, but it didn't necessary save me. It more of just acted as a crutch as I limped along through Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Don't get me wrong: it's not bad, or anything. In fact, if you're a fan of Beka, or Tamora in general, please pick it up. Really. It's just that, I'm not sure of whether I just didn't have the time to absorb it fully and in its entirety, or if I had just reached that point where I was so stressed, I hated everybody... but I didn't really like it. I felt that there were aspects of it that were a little gimmicky, or out of place, or just wrong... but I also can't honestly say that the terrible week I had didn't impact my reading. I think I may have to go back and revisit it later, at a point in time where I don't feel like the only sunshine in my life is present when I'm sleeping.

Besides, we read Oedipus Rex and Antigone in AP Eng this week, and I may have reached the point where I'm just tired of fictional people I like (mini spoiler alert!) dying.

Anyways, I managed to find other things to get me through the week as well, such as endless jamming to One Night Only's "Say You Don't Want It," Blue Raspberry Jolly Ranchers, Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate (pictured above), and the fact that one of my best friends imported Royal Wedding English Breakfast tea from England, and has promised to give me a tin.

Anyways, here's to you having had a better week than me. It may have even managed to ruin my weekend, too. Maybe some Harry Potter is in order...

#11. Tamora Pierce's Mastiff. Beka Cooper leaves a recently-buried fiance, and the guilt about her relationship with him, behind, in order to track down the people who stole the king's son.

PS. While I only fought the stressful forces at play in my life, I would like to remember those brave souls who have fought the dangerous and deadly all over the world with our country's armed forces. Today is Veteran's Day, a day for honoring those who have entered onto battlefields, knowing they may never come back from it, but feeling that what was at stake was worth it anyways. To those brave and beautiful men and women who deserve our eternal thanks and gratitude, I can only say, "Thank you, bless you, and well done." <3