You does know how to wukk up?

Okay, so as you know, today was my first day of school here on the island, and it was...interesting. Of course the culture is SO off from the American one, but its not even that that made today so very odd.

So, at the beginning of the day, I met my teacher and stuff; he's cool. He's not really my teacher, but he's almost like a homeroom teacher, so he takes attendance and whatever, and then we go to our other classes, or our teachers come to our homeroom class. I don't really get it, but I guess they've got their reasons. So we had history and then math; that was an experience in and of itself. My math teacher was very nice to me, but in the same breath, she was about ready to bite off people's heads. I'm guessing that I was spared the craziness because (1), I'm new and (2) I am really well behaved and get my work done in time and properly. In fact, when she saw my work, she said "wow, for an American student, you are doing really good work. You know, many of the others are slackers and complain all the time, but you are doing a really great job." I was flattered and offended at the same time. Sure, yeah, thanks for letting me know that I'm doing well so far, but what does it mean that I do good work for an American student? I mean, ouch.

Anyways, we went to our first break and had lunch and stuff, and after having TERRIBLE pizza, I headed back to the homeroom area with this girl that I met. She's already referring to me as her "new best friend." We've just got A LOT in common, 'tis all. But yeah, I got back and I'm meeting new people and talking, and here comes this guy who, like the rest, introduces himself, but then asks me where I'm from. So then I said, "oh yeah, I come from 'such and such' a state" (yeah, that's for all you stalkers out there) and he goes "Oh really! I was born there," and then out pops this other guy saying, "wow, that's your pickup line?" I was, at this point, extremely confused, but then the guy I was talking to blushed. Then the other guy said to me, "He likes you." and he's all, "whatever; your a loser, Bob." (I didn't catch his name, so I'll call him Bob), but yeah, at this point I was like, "Okay, let's go somewhere else." So we get back in the classroom, preparing for our next class, when this other guy walks up to me, asking me out for his friend. He goes, "Yeah, you see that guy over there. He really likes you and wants to know if you'd go out with him." I was once again flattered, in a sense, but I just really didn't get it. Anyway, I came back with this short but sweet response. "Too short; sorry." I mean, he was really short, but that's not even the point. (1) I don't know him from Adam, (2) I'm not allowed to date, unless I want to be shot, (3) I am actually not interested in that sort of thing; I've stopped thinking about guys a long time ago. I'd like to enjoy my adolescence while it lasts, thank you very much, (4) and finally, he's really short, like by my knees and I'm not super tall anyways. He went away, chuckling, while I stood there, disturbed by the awkwardness of it all.

So in science, we had the same teacher as our math, nothing special about that, but we then had another recess. So I hung out with that same girl (let's call her Tracy), and we went to hang with her "clique". Tracy introduced me to everyone, including this guy named "Tony", who looked especially strange since he has orange hair and he's black (not such a great mix, and I should know because I'm black as well). But yeah, we were all talking and laughing, so on and so forth, and then Tracy asks me if I go to parties. I thought she meant if I went to school dances, so I asked her if that's what she meant, but before she got to answer, in comes Tony, and he goes, "Wuh she does mean is does you know how to wukk up?" (AKA, "What she means to say is do you know how to dance 'the way we dance'") I knew this because my parents are islanders, so most of the terms weren't too foreign. I started to laugh so hard because it was just such an odd question. So I responded, "Uh, I have no idea; I've never tried and have no plans to do so," but that's not all.

Almost in the same moment, I get this tap on my shoulder, so I turned around and there is this other really small guy, and he goes, "Where have you been all my life?" Oh my god, what is it with these boys over here! So I said, "I don't know..." and it sorta went like this;
"I can't picture my life now without you."
"My name is Katrina, and you are?..."
"You're more like god."
"Okay, you're starting to creep me out..."
"You are my new girlfriend, I can see it."
"yeah, no, sorry..."
"Well, I gotta go, but I know I'll see you later," and with a wink, he was gone. I felt like I needed a Pepto Bismol; nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhe- okay, you get the point. I was super grossed out.

Anyhow, after this break was Spanish, so we headed to spanish class, but apparently, there was this teacher conference for about half an hour, so we had to wait in front of the class. Luckily, we've got this thing called a student leader. Her job is to be a complete nuisance and control everything, from your eating habits to the way you breathe; I mean, she was so overbearing. All I could hear her say was, "Don't do that, sit down NOW, be quiet, put that back, I won't say it again." I mean, and then, to top it off, she was also small and had a squeaky voice that was very annoying after hearing it so often. I just wanted to be like, "Okay, pipsqueak, PLEASE shut up and mind your own business before I drop kick you to China, but of course I'm not a violent person, and neither am I willing to get in trouble over her and her control issues, or should I say "lack of" since nobody listened to her anyways.

Anyhow, that was about it for my school day, but I've gotta say, it was LOADS of fun, besides the multiple boy harassment situations, strict teachers, annoying peers, and disgusting lunch. I can't wait to go to school tomorrow and hang with Tracy and Tony again, they are really great. They actually made me feel like I wasn't even new; in fact, lots of people asked if we had already known each before today, but it sort of felt that way. I hope you guys have a great day in school tomorrow, and if you do end up having a rough day, just remember this post, and how a few hang ups didn't ruin my day, so don't ever let it mess up yours :-).

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

11.30.11- La Roux "I'm Not Your Toy"

Hey everyone; welcome back to Music Daily, which looks like it has been neglected AGAIN... LOL, sorry guys, but my first day of school here on the island starts tomorrow, so getting all of my supplies and uniform (yes, uniform as well) has left me with NO time to dedicated to my lovely blog, but I need to write a schedule so that I can fit my blog in on even the craziest of days; so I apologize.

Anyhoo, moving on, today's song pick of the day is my ALL TIME FAVORITE La Roux song, "I'm Not Your Toy." It's about a girl telling this guy that he can't just play with her emotions all the time like love's a game. I love the lyrics because they are just so... appropriate. You know, there are those songs that just have lyrics that work so well for the theme that it's amazing. My favorite lyric, though, is the first line:

"Love, love is like a stubborn youth that you rather just deny."

That line describes so much in under 15 words, and especially in the very beginning of the song. It's not only the lyric, but the backing track that makes this song. I'm a sucker for a good steel pan, so the rhythm in the track with the steel pan makes it really good, in my eyes. It's ultimately a dance song, so the vocals aren't so great. I mean, are they ever really awesome? In fact, the La Roux duo is pretty much a vocalist and a very popular keyboardist, and he is responsible for all of their songs' great beats, so the vocalist, well, she just tries her best to work over it. I, at first, did not like her voice, but it has grown on me. It's just a really different sound that La Roux creates with their songs, such as "I'm Not Your Toy," and I hope that with this post you'll see that as well.

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

11.24.11- Lupe Fiasco ft. Trey Songz"Out Of My Head"

Hey guys; it's Music Daily time, once again, so anyways, today's song is a favorite of mine by Lupe Fiasco, "Out Of My Head." The song is just the typical "girl, you pretty, and I'm famous, so you must like me, so you are now my girlfriend" sort of rap song, without the arrogance of Kanye West. But yeah, sure Lupe Fiasco is no B.o.B in my eyes, but he's really humble and smart when it comes to music, and so I have no qualms with having one of his brilliant songs on my blog. Anyhow, I'm talking so much about Lupe instead of the song itself. It's just got a nice beat, great chorus, terrific lyrics, and altogether a great package. Now, what I may NOT like is the fact that Trey Songz is in it. He's great and all, but there is nothing about him that stands out to me. In fact, he reminds me COMPLETELY of Chris Brown. I mean, I look at the music industry as sort of a monopoly game. You put your money on a lot of land because it's worth such and such amount of money. If someone lands on it, they are forced to pay up to you instead of buying the same lot of land and also making a profit, right. In other words, once there is a certain artist that has already made it big in the industry, you shouldn't be able to just continue and make a clone of that person and make money off of it, too. But that's how I would have it; first come, first served. Now, Trey may not have the bad rep that Chris has, but he does have less talent, so we'll see how long his career lasts; I'm curious to find out. But anyhow, the song is great, and after hearing it, I can't get this song "out of my head" :-).

Love Always <3,

Katrina Lowell

11.21.11- Maroon 5 "Moves Like Jagger"

Hey, I just found this in my post list, and I remembered that I didn't post it, so here it is...

I am really surprised at myself that I didn't put this on as a song pick earlier, so therefore, Maroon 5's "Moves Like Jagger" is Music Daily's song of the day. I don't know ANYONE who doesn't like this song. I mean, it's just so good. It's got some catchy whistles here and there, an awesome concept, and Maroon 5- enough said. But yeah, This song is pretty much a feel good song about having the crazy moves like Mick Jagger and just having fun. Now, If you are like me, you first saw this song on "The Voice." I was so excited to hear this new song because I was sure it was going to be amazing, and sure enough it was... until Christina Aguilera came on stage. I don't have anything against Christina or anything; I mean she's the ultimate diva of the 21st century, but I think that the song didn't necessarily require her ooo's and aaah's, but whatever. So yeah, the song is a really good job on Maroon 5's end, not only for the awesome idea, but, as always, their great lyrics and vocals which mean so much to me, as you know.

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

Beautiful- Chapter 5: part three

~Chapter 5~

part three-
Outside Margret's office seemed to be a riot that nobody could explain. There was nearly every student in the office, screaming and chanting. I didn't really get to hear what they were saying, but I'm sure that it wasn't anything nice. I soon saw my mom and dad arrive, and they were... shocked, to say the least. I don't know what my mom expects sometimes. She wants to be this, "Oh, lets get together and work things out in a calm sort of way" type of person when I know that that's not what's going to happen. In fact, since that morning when I saw everyone acting like idiots over Jenny, I knew that something like this was going to happen. Why? Because I'm just logical like that. Anyhow, luckily, my dad's a cop, and therefore INSISTS on walking around in his uniform, so when everyone saw him with his badge and all that, they calmed down and the true chickens ran for their classes. My mom found her way to the office where she gave me a hug and that look that says "this is why you shouldn't be getting yourself in trouble." I rolled my eyes a little, and by the time Margret, my mom, and I got settled into some chairs, the whole issue had blown over. "Well..." I chuckled. I, personally, don't like the fact that my dad's a cop because I know how bad I can be. He knows it, too, so he's always exposing me to this and that and telling stories that always end in, "... so you see why you need to behave, Trina?" But, for whatever reason, at that moment I felt proud that my dad was a cop; whether it's that he cleared the crowd or that he was there to cover my butt when I needed him to. So then, he came in and took a seat while the "Jenny crew," as I like to call them, sat outside until Margret called them in, but I guess Margret wanted to do some discussing or whatever. "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Lowell; I'm glad to see that you guys were able to make it here, craziness and all." She seemed a little riled up by the whole situation, and therefore, started her tapping of the pen. Great.
"Well, yeah, we just want to make sure that Katrina starts learning from her mistakes and taking responsibility for her actions." My dad looked over at me with that serious face that he gives people while he's writing them a ticket or something. "I heard her side of the story last night, and it was very upsetting to me because I didn't know...well, I didn't know how to deal with it, correction wise." I looked over at my mom; were we really having this conversation right now?
"Katrina, what do you think your mom means by this?" I sat there for a while, trying to find the best words to use, when Mr. Leng came in with his notepad and pen. He acknowledged everyone and pulled up a chair. Margret filled him in and then motioned for me to continue. "Well, Um, I was bullied VERY badly when I was younger, and so from a really young age, I didn't feel like I could do anything about it, and so I had a lot of pent-up anger." At that point, Mr. Leng looked over at my parents who were whispering something to each other; "I think that after one incident of 'blowing up,' I haven't recovered. You know, these things still feel like open sores that have never healed, no matter how much I want them to." Margret motioned for me to stop. "Do you remember the incident when you feel like you first broke down?"
"Well yeah, sort of." Mr. Leng then spoke for the first time during the meeting. "Now Mr. and Mrs. Lowell, I think that I've heard enough from Katrina to where I am able to somehow understand why she acts the way that she does. I think that your daughter is having trouble moving on from this painful part of her life. Therefore, now that she's older, these things that are happening to her now remind her of things that happened then, so she seems to be reacting in a protective sort of way, as if protecting that little girl that she was who was being ill-treated." I know that everyone continued to discuss different things during the meeting, but I just felt so removed after what he had just said. I never understood why I was such a rebel sometimes, but I then noticed that I only become this "tough" figure in situations where I'm reminded of the way that I was treated when I was smaller. It just made so much more sense to me, but then the lunch bell rang. Apparently, the meeting with Jenny's crew was postponed until  the next day since the whole drama with everyone in the office took away too much time to fit them in. So, I walked out into the main hallway, on my way to my locker, when Van came up to me. "Jeez, those losers were all up in there like a swarm of bees! What ended up happening?"
"Well, you know, 'Officer Dad' came in with his baton and started beating people with it." We both started laughing. "So, Kat, I'm gonna head to lunch. Want me to save you a seat?" I was trying to avoid telling her about Brey, but I guess I had no choice. "I'm actually going to sit with this new kid today. Seems pretty cool, so-"
"Wait, you're actually being nice to someone. Wow, that's interesting." I nudged her playfully. "Just shout me when you're done eating so we could hang, kay."
"Coolio. See ya later." So I ran up to my locker and started packing up my stuff. Then I got a tap on my shoulder. Thinking it was Van again, I swiped it off and turned around, not expecting to see Brey there.
"Woah, you gonna break off my hand or something?" He was smirking sarcastically. "I just might, so be careful."
"Ohhh, here comes the scary Kat monster!"
"Whatever, dude. I'm hungry..." As I started walking towards the cafeteria, he run up in front of me."Hey, you never told me if you were gonna hang with me for lunch." He said that with a look on his face like me meant that statement to be more of a question. "Okay, sure. I've gotta go buy lunch, so just find us a table and I'll be there in a sec."
"Okay, cool." He walked away, looking around for an empty table while I had just lost my appetite. I don't know why I was suddenly so nervous, but my stomach started to flutter. As I went through the lunchline, I was just thinking about what to say, and what not to say. Sure, I could be over thinking this, but you never know. So after I had picked up all of my food and paid, I walked around, looking for him. I found him sitting at this one table, coincidentally RIGHT NEXT to Jenny's table. I stopped in my tracks, but then he started ushering me over, so reluctantly, I went. I sat down and looked over Brey's shoulder to make sure that Jenny didn't see me. "So..." Brey said, trying to start a conversation.
"You told me that you're from Michigan, right?" I said, trying to act casual.
"Yeah, moved here last week, actually."
"Cool; so how do you like it here?" He started to laugh, and he, once again, confuses me.
"I'm sorry, but I've just got to know what that whole thing was about this morning." I rolled my eyes.
"You sure you wanna know?" Just then, one of Jenny's friends, Hayley, turned around and saw me. Then I saw her whispering to all of the other girls at the table, and then, finally, Jenny got up. "Oh my god."
"What?" I pointed behind him and then he saw her, neck brace off (how surprising) and in a short (and I mean short) skirt and a lime green tank top with knee high converse. She started to walk up to our table, Jock boyfriend in hand. I looked over to Brey. "Okay, so she REALLY hates me, and I don't think this is gonna go well, so you'd better go."
"No, I'm not going anywhere. It's cool." Jenny was now right next to the table.
"What do you want, Jenny?" She smiled.
"Oh, I don't know Kitty Kat, some revenge." I laughed. "Really, and how to you plan on doing that?"
"Maybe with a little bit of mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, chicken, and some help from my friends." Just as I was about to question her, she took her hand from behind her back and dumped a full cup of mashed potatoes on my head. Then her boyfriend followed with milk and gravy.
"Oops... sorry." I sat there, in complete shock as the milk started to run down my face. To my surprise, Brey got up from his seat and approached Jenny's Boyfriend. "Hey, what do you think you're doing?"
"Uh, is it any of your business? You aren't her boyfriend, right?" When Jenny's Boyfriend turned around to leave, Brey picked up his bottle of water and poured it all over him. He turned all red and ran over to go get some more of his football friends while Brey came over to me. "Come on, Katrina. Let's do this."
"Do what?" I asked. Then he gave me a bottle of Orange Juice. "Make it rain."

STAY TUNED FOR MORE CHAPTERS BEING POSTED!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

11.23.11- Yolanda Be Cool Vrs DCup "We No Speak Americano"

Welcome back to Music Daily; today's song is "We No Speak Americano" by Yolanda Be Cool Vrs DCup. Now, looking at the title, you might have NO idea what song I'm talking about, but that's because it isn't known for it's lyrics, but for its amazing track. I mean, it's in complete spanish, so unless you know spanish, the words are a mystery, but what you can count on is that it will make you dance 'til you drop. I swear, this song just so good and I don't know why. You know that I don't typically pick songs just because the DJ did a good job; I seriously don't get how you could until now. For instance, David Guetta confuses me; he's a DJ and that's all he does, yet his name goes before the artists that ACTUALLY sing the song. For instance, "Where Them Girls At," a song that is really popular on the radio is known as David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and T-Pain. What happened there? The only thing that stands out in the song for ME is "Where them girls at, girls at?" and then a bunch of oooh's; I don't even think that the background music is all that good, and it's not even a song that's like "Party Rock Anthem" where there are long breaks of just the track to dance to ("We No Speak No Americano" is like that) because, in that case, I would HAVE to give props to the DJ for making the song what it is. Anyhow, before I go even more off track, I just can't get this song out of my head; it's just unbelievable. I love the music video, too. You know, half of these songs that I put on my blog I have only listened to on my mp3 player or something, but have never seen the video for it; I just think that it makes it a tad more exciting to see it for the first time when putting the song on my blog. But yeah, I just saw the video and was cracking up half the time, not because the video was funny, but because it was just brilliantly directed. It just goes along with the whole theme of the song perfectly. At any rate, I hope you guys get to enjoy the song as much as I have thoroughly enjoyed it myself.

Love Always <3,

Katrina Lowell  

There's a frog in my bathroom...

Okay, so I told you that I just moved to an Island out in the Caribbean, so a lot of the things that happen here are SO far off from what I'm used to out in America. I'm an American, but my parents are from out here, so some of the things that I freak out about they just easily brush off, but recently the island wildlife has been throwing me for a loop.

First of all, there are a bunch of African Snails, which I don't mind since I love snails. I used to keep snails as pets and stuff, so it's pretty cool to see these giant snails everywhere, but then my dad told me that some of them have these poison barbs that they shoot out as protection and now I'm terrified. In fact, if I see a leaf even resembling an African Snail, I become nervous.

Yep, it's a snail on steroids

Anyhow, that's just one animal. Then you've got the birds; we eat breakfast at this opened up restaurant at the hotel every morning which is really nice and it's on the beach, but they've got this major bird problem. At first it was cute, all the little birds trying to eat your crumbs and stuff, but then one day, they got on my bad side. I went to the buffet with my dad and brother one morning, but we decided to get the drinks first, bring them back to the table, and then go and get our stuff to eat, so I poured myself some guava juice (my all time favorite), took it to the table, and went back to the buffet. When I came back, though, I saw this tiny, fat bird sitting on the rim of my glass with his beak in my juice. I stood there, stunned, for what felt like forever before one of the waiters came over and shooed off the bird. He chuckled and took my glass, telling me that you generally have to have someone at the table at all times or you cover your stuff with a napkin. Since then, I make sure that my juice is monitored at all times.

Oh no he di-int!!!

Now, today, I've got three stories to tell. The first one is about a monkey. Now I SWEAR that they aren't Green Monkeys (They look like Baboons or Mandrills), but they say that we only have green monkeys on the island, so whatever. Anyways, our room key got demagnetized, so my dad sent me to the front desk to go and get new ones. So yeah, I walked down to the lobby, got new cards, yadda yadda yadda. Because all of this is outdoors, I could see my room already from the path leading from the lobby. In order to get to the room, I have to go down this other little walkway that has an open, grassy area one one side, and like a mini forest on the other. Before I turned onto that walkway, something told me to stop and look. Sure enough, this large, freaky looking monkey gallops at full speed from the grassy part, across the path, and into the bush. I was so stunned, I mean, I had really wanted to see one of the infamous monkeys, but at that point I was just really scared. So I continued down the path and nearly peed myself on the way to my room because I felt like I was about to get attacked by an angry monkey. Ugh...

They say that it's this (Green Monkey)

But to me, it looked more like this (Mandrill)

My second animal encounter today was at the restaurant again at around dinnertime. Last night when we were having dinner, we were hearing this faint meowing sound, and we just figured it was a cat up a tree or something. For me it was very unsettling because I love animals and would do anything for them, so it hurt me to the core to hear this little kitty and not be able to see if it was okay or not. Anyhow, tonight we were having dinner and my brother (who is a passionate cat lover) says to me, "Look, there's a cat." I couldn't believe that next to my dad's chair was this precious black and white cat. He hung out with us for a while, hoping that someone would drop a piece of bread, and then he ran off to another table. If that wasn't enough, here comes this other cat, this time he was a beautiful white with orange-brown and black spotted cat who was being fed by the people at the table next to us. It was just a very interesting experience to be dining with the felines.

Aww, how cute is this

Okay, so the final animal encounter that I've had so far has to be with the frog. Now I'm here, sitting on the computer, reading my blog (so what, I read my own blog! LOL, I still get excited at the end of a Beautiful post) and I decided that I need to use the restroom, so I open my bathroom door and see this dark, round, and rather larger creature in midair (mind you, I'm not wearing my glasses, so that's what it looked like to me).  I quickly slam the door shut and tell my dad that there's a flying cockroach in my bathroom. My mom had told me that there were a bunch of flying cockroaches here, and so I deduced that that was what I saw. So my dad goes in, and then after about a minute or so, he tells me, "Go in there and tell me if that's a flying cockroach." I refused since I HATE bugs and just thought that it was his way of pulling a stupid prank. So them my mom's all "well, what was it then?" and then he tells us it was a frog. A frog... how terrific. I've never seen a frog before, far less in my bathroom. Like, how on earth did he get in my bathroom? LOL, **Sigh**

YOU are a very bad frog (I think it was whistling frog, just FYI)

Okay, well keep an eye out for more of my Tales from The Island posts. I'm sure they'll be often, but not an everyday thing. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed sitting here, writing about all of my crazy experiences over here.

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell 

Beautiful- Chapter 5: part two

~Chapter 5~

part two-
When I finally got to Mrs. Wiry's class, she was in the middle of dissecting a sheep's eye; what a great way to start the day off, right? So, anyway, she had the sheep eye in her hand and a scalpel in the next, and as I walked in, she turned and looked at  me, giving me that nasty look that she gives to all students that come in late. Luckily for Van, she had a COMPLETELY different schedule than mine, so we only had lunch, P.E., and detention together, so she was exempt from the drama. She walked over to me, sheep eye and everything, and looked me over. "What's your excuse, Ms. Lowell?" I shrugged, but it was obvious that that was the wrong answer. "You must have been doing something; choking someone, stealing someone's lunch money, cussing someone out; I mean, that IS what you young punks do nowadays, right?" I think that you could see the steam coming out of my ears, not only because I didn't like how she was treating me today, but because she reminded me of an old teacher that I once had.

***

At that moment I remembered Mrs. Zelda (Z for short). She hated me, but I don't know why; I mean, I wasn't bad YET. In fact, I was a pretty decent little girl. At any rate, she used to yell at me, insult me, and just completely disrespect me in front of the entire class almost daily. I felt like I was right there in the classroom, watching this abuse unfold, with the nasty things she would say swirling around in the air, and the images of her bending down and pointing her finger in my face, reprimanding me for needing to use the restroom, or getting something wrong; belittlement. All of a sudden, this rush of anger took over me because while I saw all of these things happening, there was nothing, NOTHING, that I could do to stop it...

***

Because this was a normal thing for Mrs. Wiry to do, I let it go and started to head for my seat, but she stopped me with her hand. "Ms. Lowell; I asked you a question. As a student, you are obligated to answer."

"Actually, Mrs. Wiry, not be be rude or anything, but that's where you're wrong. I don't HAVE to do anything. In fact, I don't even HAVE to stay here and talk to you right now, right? I mean, after all I am, as you said it, a punk." She seemed stunned by my response, but I found it only necessary for the behavior that she was exhibiting herself. Despite what I had just said, she stopped me once again. Her attitude was so noticeable, that even that even everyone else in the room started to get uncomfortable. At this point, my patience had been worn thin and could break at any given moment. I knew this, and so I set my backpack down, just in case, so that when I knock her out, my stuff doesn't end up all over the place. She, too, put down the eyeball and scalpel, then returned to staring me down. I stood there, fists balled and ready for a fight, when she finally spoke. " I'm going to ask you ONE MORE TIME, Katrina. What were you doing that caused you to be so late today?" 

"Well, Janice, I was taking a new 11th grader to his class. He approached me while I was at my locker and gave me a piece of paper with his class number on it and I took him there, just trying to be helpful. In fact, I'm even having lunch with him today just so that he won't be alone. But, since I knew that you are so biased that you wouldn't believe me when I tell you that I was late helping someone out, I didn't even try. Can I sit down now?" She gave me a hard stare and then stepped a little closer to me; as did I. "Katrina, I know your type."

"And what is that?"

"The 'bad girl wannabes,' but I'm going to let you know RIGHT NOW that none of that is tolerated in my classroom, do you understand me?"

"No, Mrs. Wiry, do you understand ME because I just told you why I was late and you don't want to take that, but that's fine and all because I've got a meeting that I've gotta attend anyhow, so I'll just tell you with this one thing and then leave. I don't know what's wrong with you upstairs, and I don't really care, but all I'm gonna let you know is that I will not be 'tolerating' any of your disrespect anymore. This means all of your little remarks that you make throughout the class period, because at the end of the day, I don't deserve it since I don't even have to do something wrong for you to get all up in my face like you have today. I'm no little girl; I am a grown girl that can handle herself, so don't treat me otherwise. At the end of the day, I'm bigger now and can do you MUCH harm, and we both know this. In fact, I am struggling to keep my fist from going down your throat, so, to save both you and me the trouble, keep your little issues to yourself, hmkay? Alrighty Janice, you have a great day." As I walked out I saw her face get red with anger and then, as I got further down the hall, I heard a loud scream. I was actually really proud of myself, I mean, I didn't put my hands on her or anything, so I was good, right? I found out soon enough because when I got to Margret's office, she was on the phone, calming down someone and I had the feeling that I knew who. I walked in, even though she was putting her finger up at me, telling me to wait, and sat down in one of her chairs. "Yes, Janice, I know. She's here with me right now and we'll talk about it, but you need to calm down. Okay, yeah, why don't you talk to Mr. Leng?" Mr. Leng was our guidance counselor. He's cool, I guess, but I'm not one to go and pour my feeling out to someone, so it's very rare that we meet, and when we do, it's pretty much that I was forced to go there, and we usually just end up playing Monopoly or something instead of talking. Anyhow, I think that Margret's suggestion didn't sit very well with Mrs. Wiry because Margret started cringing. "Okay, yeah, that's a lot of anger that you've just displayed, I think that you should just go home. Don't worry, I've got a sub who'd love to come and do the dissection for you. In fact, take the whole week off, you sound like you need a break. Okay? Alright, Janice. I'm so sorry." When she finally got off  the phone, Margret took a deep sigh and ran out the office without even paying me any mind. After about 10 minutes, she came back and sat down at her desk with a cup of coffee. "Katrina, Katrina, Katrina..."
"Yes, Margret, Margret, Margret?" Apparently she didn't find that funny because she started the pen tapping business again.
"Why are you here? Our meeting isn't until an hour or so from now."
"Yeah, I know, but I was about ready to tear Mrs. Wiry's hair out, so I decided to come down and hang with you instead." I added a little grin for emphasis.
"Uh hu, okay. She told me that you were late. Why's that?"
"Oh, yeah, I was taking this new kid to class. 'Tis all."
"Oh really..." she seemed to become interested because she stopped tapping her pen for a sec, but soon resumed. "And what is this new kid's name?"
"Something weird like... oh yeah, Brey"
"You mean Breyson Bradey? Yeah, I met with him a couple days ago. Wow, so you actually did take him, eh?"
"Yeah, no biggy really." I smiled, and she smiled back. On the inside, I really don't think that Margret's all that bad. I can see that she believes in me sometimes, that she knows that I can be better than I act.
"That was pretty nice of you, Katrina, but before I can let you off the hook, I need you to promise me that you'll never put me in another bad situation wit Mrs. Wiry again, okay? She can be a little scary sometimes." We laughed and sat there talking for the rest of the hour, but then I remembered that this wasn't all fun and games because here came Jenny with her neck brace, parents, lawyers (yes, plural, as in more than one), and a bunch of her worthless friends. Last time I checked, they weren't invited, but then I saw Van who rushed into the office with Margret and I. "What the heck is going on?" She actually seemed genuinely concerned.
"I don't know but all I know is that it's not going to be pretty..."

Want to see what happens next?

STAY TUNED FOR MORE CHAPTERS BEING POSTED!


Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

11.18.11- Chester See "Why won't you Smile"

Okay, I'm back, don't worry. To resume Music Daily, I decided to use a song by Chester See, a YouTube musician who you might know from a previous post for "Nice Guys," which he wrote along with KevJumba and Nigahiga. Anyhoo, yeah, I love his voice, it's just so soulful n' stuff, lol. Yeah, the song is pretty much about trying to cheer up your friend and asking them to smile "just for a little while." The music video is so sweet and funny (Kevjumba put the icing on the cake for me) that it's sure to put a smile on your face. Sorry that this is so short today, but I've gotta head out the door in a sec, but tomorrow I'll write a better one, I promise.

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

Momma's a Blogger!

Hey everyone,

Sorry that I haven't gotten around to blogging much, but we just recently relocated to an island and we are just working on settling in. I have posted some blogs that I was going to post a while ago, but I wanted my mom to edit them first, but she just told me to go ahead and post them anyways. That's something that you might have not known; my post content may be great, by my mom's editing is what REALLY puts the icing on the cake, the cherry on the Sundae, the bow on the present, the wind beneath it's- you get it. I don't know what I would do without her help, but i'm going to have to find out because I've got something to announce; my mom has now become a blogger. With all of the craziness of the move, my mom needed an outlet to vent, so I just set her up with a blogger account. It doesn't have any posts on it yet, but I can't wait to read them when it's up and running. I basically made this post to promote her blog, since she worked so hard at promoting mine. I really want you guys to check it out, so I'll give you guys the link and write another post as soon and she sets out her first post; I'm sure it'll be great. That reminds me; I will be adding another part to my blog called "Tales from the Island," which is the name of my mom's first part of her blog as well. It's just a little spot for me to share with you guys some of the experiences of the island from my perspective. Well, I wish my mom the best of luck on her blog and I REALLY encourage you guys to hop on that page just to see the outline of it and then start reading ASAP (tell your moms, dads, step dads, step moms, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, brothers, friends, foes, etc). Thanks guys!

Check out this link for I.B Hostage's new blog

Love Always <3 (that means you mom),
Katrina Lowell

Beautiful- Chapter 5: part one

~CHAPTER 5~

part one-
As I took my first steps through the school gates, I felt the stares of haters burning through my sk- okay, maybe it wasn't that bad; just a little discomfort, but seriously. Van started giving everyone that threatening look that we "bad girls" have. I hastily made my way inside, where I felt a flush of relief; I wasn't scared or anything, I mean I could take them down one by one (as B.o.B says, "rack 'em up, knock 'em down; dominoes."). When I turned around to talk to Van, though, I found her in a heated fight with one of Jenny's close friends. Just as I was about to run out and separate her from the situation, Tony came to the rescue and she immediately calmed down. Maybe that's the only thing that keeps him from being completely worthless; the fact that he keeps Van tame when she needs to be. They started to head down the Sophmore's hall where Tony's locker was when I got tapped on my shoulder. I turned around and there stood this rather tall, awkward, but cute looking, guy. He startled the heck out of me, but I just laughed it away. "Hey, my name's Breyson, but everyone calls me Brey. I'm new and I can't find my class. Can you help me?" He grinned at me and ushered a crumpled piece of paper at me. Just then I noticed how brown his eyes were, but then I caught myself. "Oh, uh, yeah. It's Mrs. Norell's class; she's a 11th grade teacher, so your a Junior?"
"Yup. Why; you aren't?" I tried to work around this question because I'm a freshman and we get a bad rep around here, but eventually I had to tell him. I was really surprised at his response; "Really? Cool, my girlfriend back in Michigan's a Freshman." I didn't know what to say... It was just an odd moment. Thank goodness we arrived at his class and I didn't have to respond to that. "Well, here you are, room 301." I smiled and pointed at the door. "Thanks for your help. I never caught your name though..."
" Katrina... Kat, actually"
"Not the Katrina?" He seamed so surprised, but I had no idea what he was talking about.
"Um, by that you mean-"
"The one with the 'fan club' outside?"
"Oh, yeah. That's me..." He gave me an odd look, but then got distracted by the school bell.
"Nice to meet you, Kat. Maybe you'd like to sit with me for lunch?" I was flattered, but didn't want to seem all mushy and stuff.
"Maybe." He seemed a little disappointed, but he nodded and waved goodbye. As he headed into his class, Van ran up to me, showing me that it was time to head to my class.
"What are you doing all the way up in the Junior's hall? We're like five minutes late for class." She grabbed my arm and started running, but I didn't even care; I was finally gonna have something besides mystery meat and beans with lunch today.

Want to find out what happens next?


STAY TUNED FOR MORE CHAPTERS BEING POSTED!


Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

T-Shirts

I recently noticed that popular YouTube stars, such as KevJumba and Nigahiga, have started making T-shirts with some of their signature quotes or something about them that their viewers like. Then I thought that maybe I should start making T-shirts for my blog that you guys might like. Here are some of them:
1. 
2. 
3. 
4. 
5. 
6. 
7. 

Once again, these are just a few ideas of some merchandise that you guys could sport to show some of your favorite parts of my blog. Leave a comment below as to what you think of the T-shirts and if I should really make some. <3 you guys!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

11.9.11- Rihanna "Say It"

Hey readers! Welcome back to Music Daily. "Say It" by Rihanna is my song of the day; I couldn't decide on a song today, so I plugged in my mp3 player, pressed shuffle, and told myself that the next song that played would be the song of the day. Therefore, "Say It," one of my all time favorite Rihanna songs, was chosen. It's pretty much her telling this guy, who obviously likes her, to "spill the beans." It's got a catchy, old-school R&B feel along with an interesting story line. Sure, the concept seems shallow, but think about it; what other song that you can think of off the top of your head can remind you of this idea (excluding "Girlfriend" by Avril Lavigne; I hate that song)? It's surprising (to me) that although this was on Rihanna's "Good Girl Gone Bad" album that it wasn't up there with "Umbrella", "Shut Up and Drive", "Disturbia", and "Don't Stop the Music." Maybe it's because it's not really "dance club" material, even though neither is "Umbrella", but I guess that doesn't really matter since Umbrella is so catchy and good...sounding...ish. Anyhow (before I get a little more off topic and illiterate), it's a personal favorite picked completely at random that I'm sure you guys will enjoy. Thanks for reading!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

Entry 8- 11.7.11

Dear Journal,

Have you ever had two friends that you really value, and vice versa, that hate each other's guts? In that case, you are caught in the middle, especially when they are in a disagreement. What do you do?  Well, here are a few solutions.

1. Distance yourself; don't let them vent to you about the other person. Tell them that that is between them and it's none of your business. That way they can't ask you what the other person said to you and create more drama.

2. Talk to both of them separately; even though you want to keep yourself out of their dispute, talking to them separately can help them resolve their issue quicker. Ask each one what's going on, how they feel about it, what they've done to "stir the pot," and how they can help to get the problem fixed.

3. "Blackmail" them; don't worry, this isn't as bad as it sounds, but sometimes when the argument that they are having is too heated and your being pulled into it, the best thing to do is give them a stern warning. Tell them that if they don't stop fighting with and without you around, that you'll stop hanging out with them. Follow through with it, though. Sure, it'll be hard to not talk to your friends, but sure enough they'll come around and understand how their disagreement is affecting the people around them and how important them getting along is to you.

These are only a few suggestions for you to use when you are confronted with this situation. I know that it isn't only physically tiring, but emotionally, when you are trying to get your friends from clawing out each other's eyeballs, lol. Well, I hope that you've been able to take away something from this post!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

11.8.11- P!nk "Glitter in the Air"

Hey readers; welcome back to Music Daily. Today's song is one that isn't really new or anything, but one that is a personal favorite. Of all of P!nk's songs, "Glitter in the Air" is my favorite just because it's so... unlike P!nk. She's known for hit rock songs such as "Get this Party Started" and "So What", so when I heard this song on the radio last year, I was pleasantly surprised; I guess it's just a song about letting go, feeling love, so on and so forth. My favorite line is 

"Have you ever looked fear in the face and said 'I just don't care'"

It actually reminds me a little of Amber's poem, "Which One" which talks about triumphing over your fears and being yourself. This was the first of many inspirational songs by P!nk, leading up to her baby, Willow. Anyhow, I really like this song and I'm sure you'll like it, too.

Love Always <3,

Katrina Lowell

Mystic Land of Pretend

I fell
       down
               down
                        down
a hole to a mystic land of pretend.
There are trees over head with
the thin gossamer threads
of spider webs,
that glinted like silver in the moonlight.
The moon over head was gleaming bright
shining like a spotlight on my small form.
My emerald eyes shone the light of the moon
as I puzzled over where I could be.
"It's a dream Susan," said a voice in the trees
or was it from the onyx pool to the left of me.
Maybe it's from the carpet of pine needles
on the forest floor.
Then I heard it again
Susan, Susan!
The mystic world was blurry now,
I reached for it to no avail.
I woke up in my bed with my mothers lavender eyes staring down at me.
It was all a dream...I guess.

-Amber White

Entry 7- 11.6.11

Dear Journal,

Whenever you know that one of your really good friends is going to do something that you KNOW is going to get them into trouble, or that is wrong, what do you do? In today's post, I'll answer just that.

1. Tell them; being their friend, you want to talk to them about it and tell them that what they are doing is not okay. Explain to them everything that makes it wrong, and maybe some of the consequences. A "Pro-Con" chart would be perfect for this; just draw one out and sit there with them, gathering some ideas together so that they can see for themselves how much of a bad idea it would be for them to do whatever they are planning on doing.

2. Provide alternatives; say their only focusing on how much fun this high school drinking party would be;   mention a few alternatives to doing it. For instance, instead of going to this party that is incredibly inappropriate, suggest a get together at a rollerskating rink or maybe a trip to the mall over the weekend; something to replace the party that's equally as, if not more, fun.

3. Talk to a counselor; If you don't know how to approach your friend, or they aren't receptive to what you are saying, take a trip down to your school counselor. You don't have to even give them the specifics, or your friends name. Just say, "my friend is in trouble and I don't know how to help her." I'm sure they would be too happy to help you out, maybe even doing a partner session with you and your friend to help you to change their mind.

4. Tell an adult; if push came to shove and nothing else seems to be working, you need to notify an adult. Sure, you don't want to get your friend in trouble, but you also don't want them to get in MORE trouble for actually doing something bad. I remember one time, during a state test, I knew that two of my friends were cheating, but I obviously didn't want to get them in trouble. But when the teacher came to me, asking me if I knew anything about them cheating, I decided to go ahead and tell her (anonymously) what I knew. Even though it was hard for me to see my two good friends in such huge trouble, I know that I did the right thing and that they will benefit from it. In fact, I was told by my teacher afterwords that if I was caught hiding this from her that both their AND my test would have been disqualified, even though I didn't cheat. So, as you can see, telling someone about it could not only save them, but save you from trouble.

Sometimes your friends are in a different type of trouble, such as certain family issues, loss of a friend, or maybe even just a tough day. These four things could be applied as well, just alter the steps to work with whatever situation that they are in, and it should work just fine :-) Happy blogging!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

Entry 6- 11.5.11

Dear Journal,

I was hanging out with a friend today and we were talking about our friends, including one that we used to have (let's say her name is Jane). Jane was a typical teen girl; was extremely popular, played basketball, and her family was one of the richer ones in our area, so on ad so forth. She was a really great friend at first; when I first moved to that school, she showed me around campus, took me to classes, sat with me during lunch, made sure that I made friends; we soon became very close because of her kind ways.  So, when Jane started telling me things, such as that she was born with a severe hip problem that made her have to go into surgery right after her birth and that she once had a mild form of cancer that was very likely to come back, I really believed her, I mean, why shouldn't I have? Little did I know that all of these things were complete lies. In fact, once I started to discover these little lies that she started telling, I discovered that much of our relationship was based on lies. I wasn't the only one to find out, and as more and more of her friends learned about  her lying habit, they began to leave her, one by one. Soon she was left with no friends at all; the same lies that she used to get friends were making her lose them. Jane then apologized for her actions and returned to her sweet ways. Many of us were skeptical, but, in the end, went back to her; many, not including me. It really didn't feel good to know that I couldn't trust who I once thought was my best friend, and so I wanted to wait back and see how this was going to play out. Anyhow, things were going great, I guess, until she brought up something very interesting one day after school: "My grandmother is deathly ill and we're not sure she's gonna live." This story got her a lot of sympathy, but I think that I was the only one that noticed that her grandmother looked very healthy when she came to pick Jane up.  Granted, I left it alone, but things just continued to get worse, from stories of adoption, physical and mental abuse from her parents, other birth defects that she had, I mean the list goes on and on. She once again lost all of her friends, and, like before, apologized and went back to her old self shortly. Jane continues to carry on with her "white lies", as my friends and I call it (even though some are so seriously large that they look like a T-Rex dressed in white), and therefore, she's always in and out of friendships. Why did I tell you this drawn out story about Jane? Because I wanted to show you guys something that makes friendships what they are: honesty. You CAN'T base a friendship off of untruths; it's just not possible. As you could see in what I just told you, when your friends can't trust a word that comes out of your mouth, it not only makes you feel bad, but them, too. Now, I really do think that Jane has problems, not necessarily cancer or an abusive family, but maybe even a psychological issue. I don't really know, but I was just thinking about her and feeling bad for her because she will never have a stable relationship (be it with her friends, family, or even a boyfriend) because of her lies. If you see some of yourself in her because you lie to look better, get attention, or to hide something that you're not proud of, you should really take these words to heart. This is how everyone around you will view you when you're not honest, and I can guarantee that the guilt that you will feel will override anything that you are trying to accomplish. If you are like me and your friend is having trouble telling the truth, tell them how you feel, and help them to change, be their confidant who they can be honest to, no matter how painful the truth is, and encourage your friends to do the same. Jane and I aren't friends anymore, but I wish that instead of writing this here, that I wrote it to her, or told her that she needed to change. Maybe that would have helped her to make better decisions with what she says to people to where they can learn to trust her and build a healthy friendship with her. I truly think that that's all she needs; a good friend. Well, I hope you guys were able to take something from this post and I wish you all the best!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

11.7.11- James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado "Broken Strings"

Hey; welcome back to Music Daily. Today's song is "Broken Strings" by James Morrison, featuring Nelly Furtado. This happens to be another song on "Now That's What I Call Music 39" that I never really listened to until recently. I love this song because it's just really beautiful in so many aspects. First of all, it's a realistic and better written version of "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum; it's a story about two people falling out of love and you get to hear both sides of the situation. Another great thing about the song is the vocals and harmonies. It's very rare that you find that duet that has such unique vocalists on both sides as well as such amazing harmonies throughout the song. Lastly, I just love the song for its genuine feeling; you begin to actually feel bad for these people even though you know that it's all fake. Being able to move someone simply by singing a song is not only extremely hard to do, but it shows you how good the singers actually are with their vocal theatrics. These were only a few things that I thought were really good about this song today, but you can still leave a comment down below about what you enjoyed about it. Thanks for reading!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

11.6.11- Keane "Somewhere Only We Know"

Hey everyone. I know that I have been backed up with my posts, but being in the middle of this big move, things have been a little crazy. Luckily, when I got home I was able to settle in and listen to some music, including a new favorite of mine. Therefore, yesterday's Music Daily song was "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane. I first heard this song on the "Winnie The Pooh: The Movie" trailer. It sounded like a cute little song at first, but afterwords, the song grew into this huge hit. Something that would probably shock you would be that this song came out back in 2004, but has only really become popular recently. What a way to redeem itself, eh? Anyhow, the song is pretty much about going to that place that's your sanctuary, away from all of the chaos that goes on in our daily lives; I think that many people could relate to that; my personal sanctuary has always been my room because behind those doors, I can do anything I want without being reprimanded, made fun of, etc. I hope you, too, will be able to relate and enjoy this song and find that "place that [you've] been dreaming of." Happy blogging!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

Entry 5- 11.4.11

Dear Journal,

I've got a very interesting friendship concept that someone advised that I write about. I like it, not only because it's a bit challenging for me to respond to, but because it seems to be a recurring problem with teens today. The problem is this:

Why is it that when girls can't seem to find friends, they become so desperate for some that they end up hanging with the wrong crowd?

Then, it's proceeded by:

Why can't girls learn to value themselves and their own company instead of falling apart when they don't have any friends around them.

Here are some of my thoughts on this whole situation:

1. Loneliness; let's start off with the basis of the prompt which would be loneliness.We sometimes become so lonely that we allow ourselves to be led into bad company just for the sake of having friends; having people around. I, myself, have experienced loneliness at one point or the other; I mean, who hasn't. But, that being said, it's more about how you deal with it. I mentioned in an earlier post that my favorite quote of all time would have to be, "It's not what makes you fall down that's important, but it's what you do when you get back up." So, to tie that in with what i'm trying to say, it doesn't matter what has made you lonely, be it a bad argument with a friend or whatnot, but what you do to make things better for yourself. Loneliness hurts, but rushing into bad friendships isn't the right thing to do.

2. Social Placement; this is actually going to be the main topic of part 2 because being a teen, people start to categorize you as soon as they can get their hands on you. I've been categorized as a loner, diva, wannabe, nerd, you name it. I wouldn't personally place myself in those bins, though; I see myself as a strong, mature, leading, helpful, beautiful individual, and to me, that's all that counts. When you start to have what other people call you define who you are, though, you become a follower; you'll do ANYTHING to rid yourself of that degrading title. That's when you start hanging with the girls who are just not very good people, altogether. As you can see, your social placement (if you let it over-rule your personal thoughts) can lead you down the wrong road.

3. Lack of self-esteem; This was sort of mentioned in the last point when I said that you worry too much about what others call you. I used to be like that, believe it or not. I didn't really like who I was, so I'd follow the popular girl around, and when we became best friends, that's when it all collapsed because I then began to "wipe the fog out of my eyes" and see that I REALLY didn't like her, and therefore hated myself even more because I noticed that the old me that was inside was replaced by this other girl; a clone of who I was hanging  out with. When you don't have enough self-esteem to stand firm with who you are, you sort of get "sucked out" and replaced, and sometimes, who you get replaced with isn't who you necessarily want to be.

4. Becoming your own best friend; When I tell my friends this, they don't really get what I mean. It pretty much stems from something my mom used to say; "if you don't love yourself, how do you expect others to love you?" That being said, being your own best friend is just spending time with yourself and enjoying your own company. This doesn't mean that you get this imaginary friend or something, but just having fun doing the things that you like to do. Me, I haven't spent time with my friends since March, and that's really hard. You lose friends along the way, you do get kind of lonely, and it's just altogether not fun. But what I can do is blog, listen to music, sing, go on YouTube, play with my dog; do SOMETHING that will cheer me up instead of going off with the nearest group of girls that I can find who may or may not be the best choices of friends for me.

5. Becoming too involved with the idea of a "friendship;" There are those people who can't seem to live without friends, so they constantly call, and hang out, and sleep over, and do this, and do that. That's all too  much; as i said in an earlier post, you've gotta allow yourself some space. When you end up doing that, it just leaves you with what feels like an "empty gap" where your friend should be if they aren't there. When you give yourself a little distance, if the friendship doesn't work out, you don't find yourself freaking out, in search for any and every "friend" that comes your way.

Well, I've got to say that this topic was very hard to write about, but I'm glad I did it because not only was I able to find ways to relate to the situation and how I can better help MYSELF in the future, but also in that I can help so many others that may have found themselves in a similar situation.

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

11.5.11- Daniel Merriweather ft. Wale "Change"

Hey everyone, welcome to Music Daily. Today's song is "Change" by Daniel Merriweather. It just happened to  be one of those songs that I put on my mp3 player within an album. Today when playing through "Now That's What I Call Music 39," I come across this AMAZING song along with so many others. The lyrics are pretty much similar to "Waiting on the World to Change" by John Mayer in that they point out some modern day issues that they wish they could change, hence the word "change" that they have in common. There is also a rapping part by Wale (wo-l-a) that is also very inspirational with the way that it addresses really important issues within our generation. The piano chords are pretty sick as well. Well, I hope you guys enjoy this song. Don't be afraid to leave a comment on YOUR song of the day down below. Thanks!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell 

11.4.11- Justin Nozuka "After Tonight"

Hey, welcome back to Music Daily. Today's song is one that I don't really know very well; in fact, I've only become familiar with the hook. That being said, when I listened to the song, it's lyrics were so beautiful that I was  just compelled to make it the song of the day. From what I gather, it's a love song about how Nozuka will make it so that  the girl that he loves "won't have to look up at the stars," or dream of something bigger than what she has, since he'll make her dreams come true. Sure, my description sounds cheesy, but I really like this song. I don't know if it's the concept of it, or the vocals that has grabbed me. Justin Nozuka has an AMAZING voice; I mean, it's unbelievable how good he is. It's not really that he's got a great vocal range or anything, it's just how when he hits the chorus, I sorta get these chills up my spine (talk about being dramatic). Anyways, I hope you guys like this song, it's really good. That concludes Music Daily for today, so stay tuned for tomorrow's song of the day!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell


P.S. There are two videos today because the first is the official recording of it and the second is a really nice "live acoustic" version that some of you might like better. Thanks!

Beautiful- Chapter 4

~CHAPTER 4~

The next morning, my mom didn't speak to me. In fact, as soon as I came into the kitchen for my breakfast, she was already out the door. All that was left was a note on the fridge. As I read it, my mouth dropped in disbelief;

Dear Kat,

We have a meeting today at your school at 11. Your dad and I will be there, as well as your counselor, the principal, Jenny, and her parents. I've set this meeting up for you to get an opportunity to apologize for your actions yesterday, so think about what you're going to say, write a letter, etc; whatever you need to do, get it done BEFORE you go to school.

-Mom

Was she seriously doing this? Like did I not just spill out my guts last night? I completely lost my appetite, and just ran into the shower and tried to get my clothes on as fast as I could. When I finally got a chance to sit on the couch in our living room, I grabbed a piece of paper and wrote down:

Dear Jenny,

I know that you should avoid the color red when writing letters, but I really didn't care at this point. I just sat there, thinking about yesterday and what I was supposed to say, when I heard the doorbell. My thoughts were completely shattered. Annoyed, I opened the door. "What could you possibly wa-" I then saw that it was Van. In the midst of everything, I forgot that we were walking to school together like we did every day. she gave me an odd look. "Woah, I see someone has woken up on the wrong side of the bed today." She gave me a hug and walked in. When she saw the letter that I began to write she shook her head. "No way..."

"Yup, my mom's making me write her a letter or something to apologize."

"You're kidding.."

"And that's not all. I've got to be there with Jenny, her parents, my parents, and what sounds like the entire school staff." I started to lace up my shoes when the doorbell rang again. "Okay, now I seriously don't know who that could be."

"I'll get it." Van got up and looked through the door hole. "What the- it's Lucas." Lucas was one of our friends, I guess. It was very rare that we saw Lucas; I mean, he was a geek. Our friendship was very unexpected, too, because Van and I were very different from his perfect, straight A's, sweater-vest ways. "Let him in," I said as I picked up my backpack. There he stood, looking all dork-ish, with this nervous grin on his face. Van and I just stood there for a while, staring at him. Then finally, Van acknowledged him. "Sup Lucas. What goes on?"

"Oh, hi girls. I was just wondering if you guys wanted to walk to school with me." He smiled at me. I looked at Van with a confused look on my face. "Okay, sure" I said reluctantly. We walked out and I turned around to lock the door. As we headed to school, Lucas began to loosen up. then I remembered how nervous he was when he was by my house. He typically wasn't that way at all, so I decided to ask him. "Hey Lucas, is everything okay?" He looked over at me, and I noticed that his eyes were darting back and forth. Van noticed it too. "Lucas, you know you can tell us anything, right?" Then he snapped out of it, grinned, and hiked up his backpack. "Nope, hehe, nothing's wrong. Just a little tired, I guess. Well, I'll see you guys later." He ran up to the school gates and went inside. "Something's wrong, Van." The situation made me very uneasy, but then I noticed that Van was looking behind me. "Looks like you're in for a problem, too." I turned around and saw what she was seeing. Jenny and her parents rolled up in their fancy Rolls Royce, and when I looked over at the drop- off zone, there were a bunch or her friends (of which there were like 400) with teddy bears, cards, balloons, and even signs. I read one which said:

WE LOVE YOU JENNY!

WE'RE SORRY THAT KRAZY KATRINA HURT YOU!

SHE'S A MONSTER!

Ah, just what I needed; a "Katrina Hate Club". Where do I sign up?

STAY TUNED FOR MORE CHAPTERS BEING POSTED

Love Always <3,

Katrina Lowell

11.3.11- B.o.B ft. Lil' Wayne "Strange Clouds"

Welcome Back to Music Daily. Today's song is "Strange Clouds," a new single by my one of my favorite artists, B.o.B. He has named this his main song on his new album which is approximately 90% finished. When I saw that he released this song, I was so excited. I have been waiting for some new songs of his to come out since I memorized every song on his last album, "The Adventures of Bobby Ray." I haven't spent enough time listening to it, but from what I remember from hearing it once, the song is lyrically genius (as what would be expected from B.o.B), catchy, and it's got Lil' Wayne on it. Enough said. Well, that pretty much sums up Music Daily for the day, and I hope you catch some Strange Clouds today. Follow B.o.B on his website (bobatl.com) or on his twitter (bobatl@twitter.com) to check out his progress on his new album "Strange Clouds." Happy blogging!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

Part 1: Summary

Hey guys,

I have covered four basic parts of friendships:

1. Making friends,
2. Talking to friends,
3. Up-keeping friends,
4. and losing friends.

I personally find those things the most important things to think about and work on. If you need some help with your friendships, or there is a topic that you think that I should talk about before moving on to Part 2, just  leave a comment under this post, and I will definitely give my advice on it in a post. Thanks for reading and I hope that I've helped you out!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

Entry 4- 11.2.11

Dear Journal,

We all have those friends who have stuck with us for what feels like forever. Amber White, who you might know as my really talented friend who writes poems on my blog, has been my BFFL for nearly six years. While that might not seem like a long time, you might remember that in my last post, I told you about the few times that I have moved and how I am moving to another country soon. Right now, we are over seven hours away from each other and the last time we saw each other was nearly two years ago, but we are still really close. You know why? Because we have learned how to maintain a friendship. I remember when we first met at a party that my mom put together. Amber was my mom's co-worker's daughter, and from that first introduction, we just clicked. After that, we started having sleep overs nearly every week and  were inseparable. When I moved the first time, we were sad, but we started sending letters and little trinkets to each other. As we got older, it became phone calls very often, and now, it's phone calls every day. I don't know what I would do without Amber, she's the best friend that I've ever had, and possibly will ever have. I told you this story because my topic of today is up-keeping friendships. Friendships tend to come and go, but when you find that one person that makes you feel good all the time, (and vice versa) it's really important to try and keep them close. Now i'm not saying that if things aren't working and you don't seem to get along anymore, that you should continue being friends, but I know that whenever Amber and I have disagreements, we can't stay mad at each other FOREVER because we both value our friendship more than whatever we are arguing about; that's what true friends do. Part of that is communication; we are extremely honest with each other, even when the topic may seem confrontational. In fact, I don't think that there is ANYTHING that we don't know about each other, or have kept from each other. That way we can work things out through conversation, and not conflict. Another thing that's important for you to remember is that girls need space. When girls spend every waking moment with each other, they tend to get irritable and snap at each other. I don't know why that is, but it is. Amber and I had a ten-day visit at my house one time, and after about the third day, we wanted to throttle each other. Looking back at it, the things that we were arguing about were really pathetic, but what we did to just calm down was to sit in opposite sides of the room and read a book. After about an hour, we would say our apologies and move on; that helped us out quite a bit. One last thing that you might want to consider is change; change happens to everyone, be it growth, personality, friends, moves, you name it. That being said, I can tell that what made Amber and I such great friends at the beginning may have changed, and so then our friendship changes as well. We are still the VERY best of friends, but the fact that we've got two different types of environments, cliques, styles, etc., we are now very different. What you have to do, in that situation, is adjust. This brings us back to talking; just talk about it. Me, I don't typically like change, and so lately some of the changes that my friend has made have sorta "bothered me", for lack of a better term. So, what I do is tell her about it and we talk it out. That doesn't mean that I like it, but at least I can understand and accept it, and I'm sure that the same could be said about me. These type of friendships should be cherished; they seem to be very rare nowadays. Therefore, take some of these points into consideration, and I'm sure that they will help to strengthen/ up keep your relationship(s) with your BFFL(s).

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

Entry 3- 10.1.11

Dear Journal,


I know how hard it is to make friends sometimes, especially when you aren't really familiar with the other people. I, of all people, should know since I have moved to different places and started new schools twice so far. In fact, I am in the middle of a huge move to another country right now. That's what inspired me to go ahead and write this entry; it's sort of a way of giving advice to myself. Here are a few things to remember when trying to create friendships:


1. Find someone that you can see yourself being really good friends with. This means not just the really popular girl that can give you a huge reputation, or the really good looking guy that you are trying to get close to. Pick someone that shares some of your intrests, seems like a genuinely nice/good person, and seems to want to share a relationship with you.


2. Don't be too picky. Once you start judging the people around you to fit a certain standard that you keep for the type of people that you want around you, people get turned off and you don't get any friends. As they say, a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. 


3. Don't be too clingy. I don't know about you, but when someone CLEARLY wants to be my friend and is all over me, I get uncomfortable and purposefully avoid them. I mean that in, for instance, making me gifts, plopping yourself down next to me, butting in on some of my conversations with other friends, kissing up to me, etc. If you tend to do some of those things, it doesn't mean that you’re a bad person. In fact, it's the total opposite; you seem to care a little too much, and and if the other person isn't as enthusiastic as you, it does create quite a few ackward moments. 


4. Be who you are. I know that sometimes, if you don't feel that the person you are, will get you any friends of value, you may start to be fake, or be who you think others would like. When you do that, though, you've got to concider a few things. For one, you never get to enjoy being yourself; you constantly have to pretend to be this person that your "friends" have come to like. Another thing is that you don't really get to enjoy your friends the way that you should be able to. In fact, you may end up attracting people that you'd normally hate, for lack of a better word. 


5. Be honest. If there is something that you want to bring up about your way of life, such as your religion, certain moral codes that your family follows, so on and so forth, don't be afriad to say it. That way the other person can get a full understanding of what you're about.
6. Have fun. Friends make you feel good, and they should be there to help you to have a good time, so don't focus too much on taking control of the friendship; just live life to the fullest and happy blogging!


Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell

Entry 2- 9.30.11

Dear Journal,

I know all too well how it feels to lose our best friend. I recently lost a really good friend of mine after a really nasty argument. What's worse is that since I changed schools, there's no way for me to fix things. No matter how  a friendship breaks, it's difficult, but dealing with it the right way is the best way for you to either be able to reconcile with your friend, or move on and make some new friendships. One thing that I hate is when your friend starts talking badly about you and trying to put you down, and then you start doing the same to them. My thing is this; if you guys were such good friends just a few weeks ago, why is the way they dress bothering you now when you used to complement them when you guys were friends? It just doesn't make sense and it just makes you feel worse. If you want to make things better, just apologize to them, even though you might have been in the right. Just to let them know that you want to move on in the right direction, and even if they don't accept it, at least you know that you did all that you could do; and sometimes, moving on is the best choice for you. I've had a friend that I was really close too, but then I realized that she was putting others down, including some of my other friends. Since it was making me uncomfortable, I told her about it and she became very confrontational. That's when I decided that she was not a good friend for me because I would not choose to be around somebody who didn't care about other peoples' feelings. Walking away isn't always easy, but by choosing yourself over someone who's making bad decisions, you benefit in more ways than one. I wish all of my readers the best!

Love Always <3,
Katrina Lowell