Texan Dreaming!

Good morning! I'm sure I'm allowed to call it that, as it is, in fact, ten minutes into the morning. The school year ended on a high note two weeks ago, wherein I recieved the results for the SAT exams I had taken earlier that year in May. I had obtained three level seven grades, the highest possible for me to achieve, and my overall percentage for the year in English was 94%, the highest in all of year nine. I also had a level eight in my grade average for the same subject, a grade so high that only six people in the three hundred pupils in year nine managed to obtain.

The summer began with the second annual "School's-Out-So-Let's-All-Jump-In-Katie's-Pool-With-Our-Clothes-On" party. I invited seven of my closest friends to my house after school on our last day, and the eight of us canonballed into the pool in our backyard, dressed in our full school uniform. The first annual "School's-Out-So-Let's-All-Jump-In-Katie's-Pool-With-Our Clothes-On" had only two guests, two girls from my school, AD and Red. This year, I invited Red, Allie, Jo, Gemma, Alice, Lee and Sparks.

The following Sunday afternoon I attended a luau hosted by Shell and her daughters Evie and Anna, who are both close friends of mine. The party was tremendous fun, complete with a Hawaiian soundtrack, a barbecue, and party games.

Since then I have been to the cinema with Evie and Anna, to see Wall-E, and then a week later to see Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging with Anna, Dov and Terry. I would definitely recommend both. Wall-E in particular was very interseting, as the directors managed to convey to the audience what the robots were trying to communicate to one another, without using speech.

I went to Camden Market earlier this week with Anna, my sister Almond, Evie and her boyfriend Bobbles, to have fun and shop like crazy. I spent some time working on a novel I am writing, and having exceedingly lengthy conversations with Almond on this. I have been swimming multiple times, I have been shopping with friends, I spent a day in London with a friend from out of school, and have spent several hours walking the seven floors of Hamleys, a toy store in central London and the most amazing place in the world.

I have also just finished reading Yes Man, a book by Danny Wallace that was not intended as a self-help book, but that has really changed my perspective and outlook on life. Written as a memoir, Danny encounters a man on the bus who encourages him to "Say Yes More". Danny takes this as a sign and vows to say Yes to every opportunity for six months. This book tells the story of the adventures he has taken, the people he has met, and the way the experience has changed his life. Definitely one for your book list.

Earlier this evening I attended Spark's fourteenth birthday party, at which we played several rounds of poker (almost all of which I won), listened to the music on one another's iPod libraries, and exploded in peals of laughter at a series of jokes and funny conversations, none of which you will understand.

On Monday I leave for the sweltering heat of Texas, and will write constantly for the duration of my time there.

Au Revoir, Y'all!
Katie J.