The world is led not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example

(loosely translated excerpt from former president Bill Clinton's speech)

For young Americans, for any Americans that is, to say that they are not interested in politics, that they don't want to get involved in politics, radiates laziness, and fear of controversy. It's not a question about choosing a party, whether that be the republican party, the democratic party, or my personal favorite, the green party. It is a question about being informed. And watching the Democratic National Convention, I felt just that. Our country is so far from perfect, it sometimes seems silly to think that we will ever be reformed and respected as we once were. And I am not one who puts all my hope in Barack Obama. That's like putting one battery in a device that needs 8 and hoping it will work. But I do have hope.

I still stand firm in my belief that Hilary Clinton would have make an excellent president. Nevertheless, Obama did make quite an impression with his speech on Thursday night. And along with other speakers, his VP Joe Biden included, the party made a statement. Sure there were cliches, mudslinging, and over-used statements that go hand in hand with politics. But overall, the excitement of the night made for some good old fashioned American pride.

It's all coming to a close

So i didn't continue that post about the concert. I think most of you heard about it verbally anyway. So i feel i can close that chapter. Next up is my vacation, which was absolutely incredible. For those of you who have never experienced the powerful beauty of Niagra Falls, well, I don't feel I can properly do it justice for you. The sheer force with which the water barrells over the rock is startling and sometimes frightening. 750,000 gallons of water, or something like that, crashes over the falls a second. Now tell me that isn't awe-inspiring. The fact that nature can create something so powerful, so graceful, so incredible knocks every human inventor off their pedestal. I think we saw the falls from every angle, at every time of day. When i say the falls, i mean the combination of the three "seperate" falls. They're all in the general vicinity, of course. There are the american falls which, clearly, are on the american side of the river. There are the horseshoe falls which are technically on the candaian side, but in actuality, they span both sides. They are named so because, well, they form a horseshoe. and last but not least are the bridal falls which are small, in comparison, to the two others. we were able to view these falls from a small, lush island. of course, the ground surrounding the falls is so fertile because its constantly saturated with fresh water (the water that goes over the falls comes from all 5 of the great lakes) The popular way to view the falls is from the passenger boat, the Maid of the Mist. we were planning to join the throngs of tourists clamouring to be misted by the waters of the horseshoe falls. but instead we found whats known as cave of the winds. The name leads you to think that you'll be exploring a cave. however, this is not the case. It used to be a cave, almost behind the falls, but this cave collapsed years ago. instead, you are given a poncho and foam sandals (extremely stylish, as you can imagine) and they take you down 17 stories in a hand-tooled elevator to the bottom of the falls. If you can imagine, the view is somehow even more spectacular than the view when you are level to the falls. This is due to the fact that you are looking up at the falls, crashing seemingly onto you. you are right at the level where the water from the falls hits the river. so naturally, you get a little wet. but this is nothing compared to the hurricane deck, aptly named, as you are experiencing conditions that mimick a level 3 hurricane. just as a point of reference, hurricane katrina was a level 5 hurricane. so ultimately? you get soaked. through the poncho and all. basically, you are receiving the full force of the falls, deflected only by a large rock. its awesome =)


so that was some, but not alll, of our vacation. as a side note, i thought i was excited to go back to school but then i dropped my course change form off at the high school and suddenly, i wasnt so excited anymore

And I know we get a little crazy

Dealing with an absolute tragedy has been draining and of course, very saddening. So, I don't want to post about it. Instead, while I'm waiting for pictures to upload, I'd like to relate my first concert experience. For those of you who don't really need to know, you can stop reading at any time =)

We were originally planning to leave early, but that didn't work out. By early i mean hit the road by 11. instead we left around 2:30-3:00. As we got closer to our exit on the highway, the normal stream of cars began to thicken. and before we knew it, there was a visible line leading up to exit 104. many cars bore messages such as "honk if you love the jonas brothers" or "happy birthday joe" or "future mrs. nick jonas." Needless to say, we knew we were on the right track.

The road leading up to the venue was...interesting. The country sections of it were beautiful, full of rolling green hills, huge meadows and even a lake. but the places along the way were kinda sleezy. once we turned onto the actual road to the concert venue, the excitement really picked up. parking was surprisingly hassle free. once we found a place on the grass, we started off to the stage. since it was our first time there, there was a lot of picture taking. we passed through the first gate, saw the new woodstock museum, passed through the bag check, and the ticket check. unbeknownst to us, we were not allowed in with anything larger than a piece of paper. which meant we'd have to surrender our posters, which was a total bummer. however, we got through, bought a t-shirt and saw caitlin meehan =) we continued walking along until we encountered a massive crowd/line. turns out, the guys were still in sound check so the gates to the stage weren't open to the public yet. once they opened, people charged like antelope on the serengeti. i'm aware that was an unecessary comparison.

i don't think we were prepared for the amount of people that were attending this concert. getting past people was like wading through mud. and we had to get past all the people that had lawn seats and down to our pavillion seats. but we made it, being the troopers we are, and found our seats no problem. we were SO excited. but that's assumed. the seats began to fill up as oldies songs blasted through the speakers. the stage was all set up, with demi lovatos drum set taking center stage.

we were innocently sitting in our seats, mariel and I, when girls started screaming. a few girls started running down to the back parking lot, and all of the sudden it was a stampede: the doors of the tour bus had opened. don't ask me how we did it, but mariel and i got right up to the front of the crowd. we were literally smashed against the metal fence. the whole crowd held their breath. all of the sudden, a fedora appeared from behind the bus door. the girls went insane. that's an understatement. if you had taken a general pulse of all the girls, it would have been extremely unhealthy. joe was followed by nick and then kevin and finally big rob. seeing them in person is so surreal. you forget that they're real live people. you see them on TV and see pictures of them all the time, but seeing them live is a whole other ball game. they were rushed in, of course, but joe had time to give the crowd a wave. i could see hearts stop.

we eventually made our way back to our seats, chattering madly the whole time. once demi took the stage, the crowd fired up again. she sang a few songs that were pretty good but no one really knew. she got a robust applause regardless. especially when she asked if we were ready for the jonas brothers.

turns out, it was about an hour wait before we GOT the jonas brothers. the rumor was that they were celebrating joe's 19th birthday. another rumor was that taylor swift, joe's rumored girlfriend, had arrived. we joined the crowd that ran down to try to see her, but no one appeared. for the record, she did appear right before the boys went on. cute =)

so we waited and waited. people frequently tried to start "jonas" chants. i complained to mariel about how the jonas brothers were being divas. but finally FINALLY, the stage blacked out; the show was about to begin. now i could go on to describe their entrance, but it would not do it justice. i did, however, take a video. ask me about it =) i'm going to finish this later. stay tuned!

don't forget to hold back your thoughts and live like robots

good afternoon! i feel like i'm a public speaker addressing an empty room....

anyway, i don't have much to say. I'm actually gonna go eat lunch soon.

BUT the latest news is:

- mariel got a car! 2004 ford focus. dark grey. very cute.

- i went to cedar crest with jess and it was incredible, as always. elderly people are amazing

- i miss jess who is at pennsic having an amazing time =)

- i miss elly who is at NEMC being amazing

- i miss kerianne who is...at her house. and i even saw her today..

- there are 11 days til the concert!!!!!!!!!!!!

- I'm kinda excited for school....dreadful, i know

- the golden compass is an excellent book