Good News, Guilty News

Bonjour, mes amis!

What do you want to hear first, the good news or the guilty news? Let's start with the guilty, I like finishing things on a positive note.

Guilty News: I restarted World of Warcraft (WoW) yesterday morning. I've already played for a total of eight hours. Although it's not like I've had anything to do the past two days, so that's not *so* bad. It's that or sit on Facebook for hours. However, one of the positive things I did with my time is the....

Good News: I've begun learning how to play "River Flows in You" by Yiruma. I've figured out all of the notes on the first page (I'm not so great at working with keys other than C) and I can actually play about the first two lines with both hands! Hurrah! And, I'm also looking to buy ce pupitre pour mon piano. I shouldn't have too many difficulties convincing my parents. After all, they already spent $80 on the keyboard but I have a hard time playing with such an awkward height difference. The stand is only $20 and it's adjustable, plus I have $10 so they really would only have to chip in half. What's $10 to get me to use an $80 instrument?

As a result of both of these, I probably won't be doing any more double posts a day ('probably' being the keyword here). However, I should still be posting every day or two. I know I won't be able to resist rambling to my small audience here for long, nor exercise my French when my WoW buddies get tired of it. :P Now I have some cleaning to do to ensure the parents will be happy to spend $10 on me!

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Thus Far in my Quest to be Employed

Bonjour, mes amis!

Alright, I kept mentioning the job but never actually writing about it, so here it is. Wednesday, I got a phone call from Cub (it's a grocery store) around 10:30 in the morning. That's rather early for a girl who stays up until 1 or 2am regularly. Anyways, the guy on the other end of the phone introduces himself as Matt and he begins the phone interview process for me to become a cashier.

Matt: Name a time you had a big project to complete, and tell me how it went.

Me: Well, *Stifles big yawn* in my english class we had this optional project to do, *Stretch* ...

You get the picture. Well, he had great things to say about me, so he went ahead and sent me on to the interview process with the manager at the store. We originally scheduled it for the next day at 3pm but it turns out that there was a big all day "meeting" (I found out when I arrived they had done lots of wine testing) and so we rescheduled for Friday. At 10am. *Groan!* But I was too excited to be brought down by the fact I was getting up early for a job I didn't have, so Friday rolls around and I get dressed up and go to my interview (mind you, I woke up at 8:30 to get up and look nice and awake!). This man was very pleased with my availability and the like, and he even introduced me to the woman who would be my direct supervisor if I got the position. He said he would call "today or tomorrow." The rest of Friday afternoon I spent clinging to my phone like I was a mother with her newborn child. No call. Saturday I wake up, and start to think they're not going to call. Joy. So I try to talk to a friend about it.

Me: ... Yeah, and they really liked the fact I'm pretty much open whenever!

Justin: If you don't get the job they just found someone with more work experience, I know all about operating a business. That includes the hiring process!

Alright, so I've never actually been employed before... But c'mon, I woke up at 8:30am, got ready to go, and made it to my interview with fifteen minutes to spare and a smile on my face. Finally reading all of those silly news articles paid off! I felt confident, I didn't fidget, I didn't smile too much but I did when it was appropriate.. Things like that. And they really liked what I had to say.

Sunday comes, and I've more or less forgotten my hopes of the job. I wake up this morning to my phone buzzing.

Me: *Groans, smacks phone* .. Wait.. *Leaps out of bed, clears throat* Hello?

They had five people interviewed for the position. I was "very highly ranked" but didn't get the job, however, he wants me to get interviewed at another store for a produce position tomorrow. He said I'd be stocking shelves and that sort of thing. Most joyous day.. But hey, even though it's about twice as long of a drive (if not a little more) at least it's at 10:30am so I have time to get there without waking up earlier than before.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Non français... je suis fatiguée.

Would -You- Eat a Mango Pickle?

Bonjour, mes amis!

My family and I were visiting les parents de mon beau-père (my stepfather's parents) for dinner when his mother pulled out a jar from the fridge saying she wanted to give it a try. I happened to be sitting at the table, not facing the kitchen as the following events occurred. She quickly moaned at its scent and put the mango pickle in the trash, the rest of the family ran to inquire and also quickly backed off. My mother came to the table saying, "Oh that's disgusting!" while making some silly faces. I, already irritated by the fact they smoked two cigarettes on the way there, told her not to be so rude because there are people who eat and like them. She then announced loudly, "Delphine wants to try one!"

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!

But alas, it had been done, and I had just been talking about being open-minded. I took the jar that was brought to me. This is sort of what I saw.

But a little less appetizing when it comes from a jar, and covered in a green oil-herb mix instead of red. The scent was just like brown-sugar, but I felt a little nauseous. Daunted by all of the strangeness, I asked for a fork. Mon beau-père snatched the jar, picked the small one I had been eying, and took a bite. He kept eating, so I made my move before I had a chance to think twice. It wasn't very appealing but it wasn't awful. A moment later it tasted comme cornichons à l'aneth (like dill pickles), and a moment after that it tasted little but was spicy. Well, to the extent pepperoni is, but I'm not a fan of spicy food. I ate the whole thing in one bite.

This is coming from the girl who doesn't like any sauces on her food beyond ketchup on fries and soy sauce on rice, the girl who didn't try sour cream on her baked potato until she was at least twelve. Oh how I've grown! I think Mom nearly had a heart attack but I don't think she ever tried it. Wiser of us two? Perhaps. More knowledgeable? Not when it comes to mango pickles.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Yiruma; Reflections

Bonjour, mes amis!

I've been listening to this song on repeat all morning. And I was listening to more of Yiruma's pieces last night. It's eerily beautiful, the way it make me feel so peaceful and just forget all the worries the world holds. This is why I love music the way I do. This is why I could imagine myself dedicating the rest of my life to music... choir is definitely a favorite, getting to use your own body to create this type of magic is describable only with music itself. Yet, I've always loved the sweet sound of the piano.

I played the clarinet in fourth grade and liked it, but I hated practicing. I tried the flute the next year but I wasn't a big fan, so in sixth grade I returned to my clarinet. In seventh grade I gave up band, and therefore my instrument, in order to have other electives since I knew I wanted to learn French. How cruel, to make me choose between my two biggest passions, French and music! So for a Christmas present that year, my father signed me up for piano lessons. While I liked playing at the actual lessons, I hated practicing at home on our piano. It was out of tune, the keys were worn and chipped, and some of the strings must have been loose because a few keys, including middle C, you had to press hard on quickly to get any noise out of them. My teacher never knew I didn't practice, and she still called me a natural. I think she was just being nice, yet at the same time, I did quite well. Dad promised to fix it up but never did. He's forgetful and we aren't made of money. So, I quit piano lessons when the school year ended.

The next year I started voice lessons. I liked to sing but I was very nervous. I slowly became more comfortable singing with a piano and my voice teacher, but I still couldn't practice at home. My teacher was from New Zealand and she traveled back home for the holidays. I chickened out of calling her a month or so later, and we never heard from her again. We never got our money back, either. Little did I know, those voice lessons would help me get into the choir of my choice in high school.

I went to three Halloween parties that night, my sophomore year, and this was the last and the best of the ones. I went with my then-boyfriend who could conveniently drive to all of these places. He was also in band and choir, and he planned on majoring in music. At the party, I was sitting at a table with him and some friends who were chatting, and the friends got up to go dancing but I wasn't really in the mood to dance. Instead, I heard Cascada's Everytime We Touch, and started singing it with the best quality voice I knew how, just sort of having fun, you know? But he leaned in close to me to listen and I pulled away. Just like before, still rather shy when it comes to singing around others, though I'd gotten better. I kept singing. He did the same thing. I started laughing. Third time, I decided to ignore him and kept singing anyways. He told me I should join choir. So I did (with some debating, of course).

After some rushed practices with him and an old friend, the director gave me my voice check and decided to put me in the more experienced choir. While he felt that I was still at the other choir's level, he figured I would quickly outgrow them because of my prior music experience. I truly hope he was right about that, and I do feel like I grew a lot this year in my musical abilities. I had another voice check at the end of the year which would determine my placement in choir next year, either the same one or up to Concert Choir, which is the best and only mixed choir we have at the high school. This time instead of critiquing me, he actually complimented me. I'd say the hard work paid off.

As for summer? I'm dieing without choir. Every time I get in the car to go somewhere, I turn on the radio and sing along. An alumni was going to start a summer choir but never did. I begged my parents to buy a keyboard, fully intending on using it. Unfortunately it didn't come with a stand or anything, so we don't have any place for me to place that has a decent enough height got me to work with. If I get this job, which I will write about tomorrow, I plan on putting 1/3 of every paycheck away for college. The rest will be used for gas money and other things. The first thing I want to buy is a stand and stool for my keyboard. Then I can learn another one of Yiruma's beautiful pieces, "River Flows in You." The second thing I want to buy is an AZERTY keyboard. French and music are my two passions in life. I hope that somehow I can make them blend into my future, no matter what career I pursue.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Je suis desolée pour le petit utilisation de français! Mon réflexions était pense d'en anglais, alors je les écrivais en anglais.

AZERTY Keyboard

Bonjour, mes amis!

Premièrement (Firstly):

Je veut ce clavier (I want this keyboard). Pourquoi? Parce que c'est français!! (Why? Because it's French!!) I need to use everything in my reach to stay on top of my french skills, and I must say I hate typing in French because of the accents and such. Now I don"t have that problem! Although my typing is much slower, so this will likely be a much shorter post than last.

Deuxièmement (Secondly):

Mon clavier (keyboard) est Français!!! Okay, so I went cheapo with cutting up the paper, but fingers crossed I MAY get employed tomorrow! I will write more of that once I hear back from the company. Sorry for the bad lighting, but... voilà, mon clavier!

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Qui-êtes vous?

Bonjour, mes amis!

I broke up with my boyfriend this morning for many reasons but the most important, I think, was that I need to rethink where I stand. Two years ago I knew exactly who I was and where I stood, but my Sophomore year of high school seemed to steal some of those morals away. My dear friend Kayla, over at That's Legit, inspired me to create a post about me. Who am I?

I like people knowing where I stand.

I hate hiding who I am. It's very important to let others know what you believe in, what your dreams and goals are, or even just what your favorite color is.

Tolerance and open-mindedness are very important.

That said, I realize that not everyone is going to be on the same page as me or agree with everything I agree with, nor will I always agree with them. Therefore, it's important to always be mindful of others. For example, I am not religious, but I like learning about different religions because it gives me an insight on the life of others. I cannot stand close-mindedness on either side of the argument, even if they agree with me. We must understand others in order to get along with them, and while we may not always agree on the same points, we can agree to disagree.

I'm a dreamer.

I like reaching for the highest of goals and dreaming up crazy insane perfect futures for myself. It's easiest said, "Where there's a will, there's a way."

I love chanter (to sing).

Ohhh my goodness! A year ago I didn't really understand this one, that's for sure. I mean, I sang when I was home alone, but that's about it. I couldn't drive yet and my siblings certainly gave me hell when I was younger for singing in the shower, so I avoided that as well. On Halloween this year I was at a party and my then-boyfriend heard me singing along to Cascada's Everytime We Touch (don't laugh, it's catchy..) and he suggested I join choir. I was placed into Women's Chorale which is mostly composed of Juniors (versus Choralaires, the choir where most Sophomores are put) and I was instantly in love. Everything from the amazing director, Mr. Hassig, to the girls in the choir that made me feel welcome, to the songs we sang, to the difficult struggles I had trying to get up to their level... I love it.

My worst subject is les mathématiques.

I've always been ahead of the general students but behind the honor students when it comes to math. So, as I've always been in honors math, I've always struggled very much in math. It frustrates me to no end when I can't understand something because I feel very awkward asking my math teachers for help. It's the only class I need actual help from the teachers in, but next year I will be in Pre-Calculus Honors and I can't put it off anymore. Luckily, I'll also have two handy tutors available to help me out. I'm actually a little excited for the challenge next year. I know I can handle it if I work hard.

I'm a geek.

I like school. Yep. Pretty much. ...No, I'm not mentally ill! Or at least, not to my knowledge. I like getting to see my friends every day and I like learning. My teachers were all so awesome this year, too! But yeah, not gonna lie, it's mostly the learning. If I could learn for a living, I so would! I challenge myself in as many areas as possible every school year, even the ones I know I'd never really want to go into *coughmathcough*.

I can't stand seeing people upset.

Seeing other people upset makes me upset. I care. It's a strength and a weakness, but I'd say it's definitely worth it. I love helping people get what they need; it makes me feel good. Shouting matches make me cringe, though. I hate it when anyone yells in anger, be it friends or parents or random people on the street. It just gives me a negative feeling, you know?

I'm addicted to Facebook.

'Nuff said.

I love making nouvelle amis (new friends).

Listening to other people's lives is very interesting to me. I enjoy talking with old friends and new friends and people I've never met before. I'm pretty open about things too, so if you can think of anything else you'd like to know, never be afraid to ask! (:

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

...Oh, the Humanity!

Bonjour, mes amis!

I just read the most ridiculous sixteen pages of my life. To those who are unfamiliar with the Doom Comic, I urge you to go forth and read it now for a good laugh. The comic features the Doomguy who is on a massive killing spree on zombies, diablotins (imps), "big-mouthed floating thingies" and the like when he discovers that he needs a gun. A REALLY big gun. During his killing spree, he spends his time talking with himself and shouting outrageous things, most likely reflecting the state of mind of the authors when this comic was written. "Rip and tear, rip and tear, rip and tear... rip and tear your guts! You're huge! That means you have huge guts! Rip and tear!"

Yet through all of this ridiculous, laughable material and très sanglant dessins (very bloody drawings), there was une image that was completely unrelated to the rest of the story but so necessary to give this comic any meaning whatsoever.

"Why can't we find a way to safely dispose of radioactive waste and protect the environment? Even if I stop the alien invasion (So that's why he's on a massive killing spree!), what kind of a planet will we be leaving to our children and our children's children, and..."

Is it just me, or is there something fishy about a hilariously stupid comic that has a frame set aside to talk about the environment? I can't decide if they're mocking it with the next line "oh, the humanity!" and returning to talking about his gun, but we'll give the authors the benefit of the doubt and say that they're trying to gently introduce the idea of caring for the environment to the public.

À demain,

Mlle Delphine

Wanted: Bilingual Spanish-English Telemarketing Representative in Aisle Six

Bonjour, mes amis!

Please, allow me the pleasure of a quick rant or simply skip this paragraph. Why do I need five years of experience to answer a telephone and do other clerical activities? Why do I need a degree to operate a cash register? Why must I learn Spanish to work at McDonalds? I'm dedicated. I need this job. If I want to go to college and have anything at all resembling a life so that I'm capable of helping others and making some sort of an affect on this world, I need money. And to get money? I need a job. If you know any company that's hiring, I would be ecstatic to work for them! J'ai besoin d'un occupation!

I do hate to rant, though, and my day has been quite lovely so I'll leave the unpleasant adult worries at that. Today I drove to Kayla's house with my recently obtained driver's license! We hung out for a few minutes before quickly deciding to go to Target. Here we bought some random things. I got a fedora (as pictured to the right) and she got a floppy awesome hat along with a flyleaf CD, toilet paper, and a few other random objects. While wandering the store, we accomplished many things. I had my first light-saber fight in the middle of an aisle, for example! We also took one of those giant bouncy balls from the metal cage and played catch in the middle of the same aisle. We (read: I) accidentally knocked down some things so we decided we should probably move along. After picking them up, of course. On our way back to her house and then when I was heading home, I wore my fedora and sunglasses-- très chik-- and felt like an epic ninja spy lady. It was legit. Then I went out to eat at Lakeside Supper Club in Montgomery with my mother, step-father, and younger step-sister (whom I will now just call my little sister)! Six ounce fillet mignon avec les champignons et frites (with mushrooms and fries). The strawberry smoothie was also *amazing*! What I'd do to get that recipe!

While I was sleeping on my ride home, my dearest friend Kayla had disaster strike her unexpectedly! She sang the National Anthem at a local raceway, and while walking in the bleachers, caught her foot and managed to injure both of them badly enough she can't walk without severe pain. Thankfully on our way home, we stopped at the grocery store and got chocolate chips. Tomorrow I will be making Puppy Chow and going to Kayla's to watch some movies with her! (:

À demain,

Mlle Delphine