Laura’s place

Oh my goodness!!!! I have not written ANYTHING! I’m sorry everybody.

Anyway, last Sunday guess who was in town…AMY RAY! For those of you who don’t know, Amy Ray is the younger member of the folk-rock duo the Indigo Girls. She sings and plays guitar and mandolin. Well, she was playing at Amoeba Records last Sunday and my dad and I went to see her (she doesn’t like playing big places, even though she very well could). It was pretty crowded, because it was a record store, but it was really awesome. She played a few songs from her new album like “Bus Bus,” “She Must Be,” and “Cold Shoulder.” She’s also pretty funny. Since it was a small place, she would talk to audience members and things like that. There was a surprising amount of small children in the audience. There was a pretty diverse audience: from some old woman in her 60’s or something, to a few teenagers (including me), to a child less than 5, although it seemed the majority was between the ages of 25 and 35.

Afterward, she signed her CD. She was very nice. When she asked my name I told her and she signed my CD. Then I remembered that I had forgotten to give her the picture I drew of her (you can find it here: http://demented-cookies.deviantart.com/art/Indigo-Girl-107068712). So I went back in the record store and got back in line, at the very end. When I got back up there I said, “hello again.” She said, “You’re name is Laura, right?” and I thought to myself, She remembered my name! She freaking remembered my name!! I gave her the picture and she said, “You drew this?” I said yes and told her she could keep it and she said, “This is really good! Thank you!” I’m hoping she actually thought that and wasn’t just being nice.

She was really good, but next time I see her I hope Emily is there. The harmony the Indigo Girls add to their songs is just so…moving! Amy alone, though, is still very, very, very good. YouTube her or the Indigo Girls and find a nice video.

Next subject! My late review of the presidential Inauguration. I posted my review on deviantART but didn’t get around to putting it on my blog. FINALLY, after eight infuriating years we have a new president. I mean, even if McCain was elected I’d rather have him than Bush, honestly. Thank goodness he wasn’t elected, though (some of you may disagree with me, and I respect that. I’m just feeling the need to vent right now). Obama had a nice speech but it seemed to much like the other speeches he did before he was elected. It was pretty much a campaign speech. Other than that, I agreed with a lot of what he said. Such as BRINGING THE TROOPS OUT OF IRAQ. I saw a bumpersticker once that said, “If you’re not furious, than you haven’t been paying attention.” And I was like, “Oh, thank goodness! I HAVE been paying attention!” I liked the part with Aretha Franklin (I liked her hat). She has a great voice, even in her old age. Okay, I won’t feel this post is complete until I present my thoughts on having an African-American president…I think it’s freaking awesome! Finally this country is slowly getting over the still existing segregation and racism. I ran across a jerk on YouTube who flamed some poor guy’s video just because he was black. He said, “You’ve doomed America by electing a [n-word].” Do you find that acceptable? There are more people like that, too. Once (and if) Obama and our government has stopped the war and saved our economy, people should think differently (I say if because Obama has only been in office for a few weeks. He hasn’t done everything yet).

Next subject! Volleyball. Today’s volleyball practice was HYSTERICAL. We were playing a little drill in which there are teams of three and there are two teams on each side of the court and another team serving, then when the coach says “rotate!” we switch. Anyway, I was setter and my friend Reem (#21, and new to the team, though improving RAPIDLY) was middle digger and Tony (the assistant coach) was left digger. The drill was going kind of slowly because the servers weren’t getting their serves over. So Doris (our #1 who is about 3 feet tall but serves like a 200 pound, 7 feet tall, body-building Olympian) threw a free ball over HARD. Reem was kind of staring into space daydreaming and the ball landed two inches away from her and she screamed. You should have seen her face! It was freaking hilarious. I was grabbing my aching stomach from laughter and Tony was literally rotfl (rolling on the floor laughing). Afterward, if anyone brought it up, the three of us would crack up, Reem saying through her giggles, “I wasn’t daydreaming! I was looking for the ball!”

There was also some drama in volleyball practice today. There are these two girls on the team who just don’t seem into it. They have been on every sports team so far and there are awards for “most athletic” so I think they’re only on the team so they can get an award. They’re always late to practice and if one is “sick” the other is too. Yesterday at the game they were fooling around on the sidelines and playing on their phones. Playing on their phones. During a game. There’s a boy who helps us sometimes at practice. He’s a sixth grader and pretty overweight, but he would be the star of the boy’s volleyball team if we had one. These two girls call him “big boy.” They often hit Doris in the back of the head for fun and talk about everyone behind their backs. They don’t seem to realize how much Tony is doing for us (he goes to school in the Sunset district and takes two buses everyday all the way across town to help coach us) and they say he’s “checking us out in our spandex.” I’m thinking, “You wish!” So the team, without openly knowing it was the fate of the two girls we were deciding, had an anonymous vote on the penalty for being disrespectful like that: suspension from the next game and an apology? Or expulsion from the team? Most of us voted for expulsion. However, those two girls are known to be “manipulating” and they tried to get Tony “fired” (in reality, he’s a volunteer). So Ms. Butcher, Tony, and the two girls worked out a negotiation. They could stay on the team, but if they kept up the disrespectful behavior, they would be booted off the team before they could call Joseph “big boy” one more time.

If I were coach, I would just kick them off the team. Just like in that “Cell Block Tango” song from “Chicago”, “they had it comin’.”

Last subject! I’m going to cut my hair short (like short, short) but keep the bangs long and dye them purple. No joke. I’ve made my decision. We’re going the hair place this weekend.