The Quarterly Report
What even is a quarterly report? Am I just making that up?
Hello there! Today was officially the Last Day of Freedom (I go back to school tomorrow). It seems wrong that I have to go to school before the state fair. The state fair is meant to happen at the end of the summer, before school, when you are still allowed to have fun. My family would go every year and get taffy and goldfish for a dollar. I remember the first year we got goldfish at the fair. I was begging my mom, because I though fish were so cool. She said yes, partially, I'm sure, because she thought I had awful aim and would not be able to land a ping pong ball in one of the glasses filled with multicolored liquid. Boy, did I prove her wrong. I got my little ping pong ball in the big "two fish" glass at the center. Of course I couldn't take care of TWO fish all by myself, so my brother was awarded the other. I named him "Guppy" (based off the fish in the movie Aquamarine, even though he was not a guppy fish) and got very offended when my mother hit bumps in the car on the way home. I took insane precaution when getting my Guppy settled, and only accepted the very best water we had to offer to our small aquarium. My brother's fish, whose name I cannot recall (if he even came up with a name), died overnight. Guppy lasted a couple weeks, and when he died, I was too squeamish to get the body out. I demanded that my mother bury his little corpse in the backyard, rather than flushing him or disposing of him in the trash can. I've always been afraid of dead things. I have no clue why. Guppy was followed by Funky Hat (whose actual name was the full lyrics to the song "Funky Hat" from Wizards of Waverly Place, because of the orange blob on his head), who died when we went on vacation. There is one fish, however, that meant a lot to me. Melony. I even made her a song. It's only one line, but I was like 10. Melony, my melody. That's all I came up with. When I sang it to her, I would actually get a little teary-eyed. I was such a sap. After 6 months, my mom sat me down and told me that Melony had passed away. I cried, and she and my father consoled me. I found out in the past year, however, that Melony had been replaced by a few other goldfish identical to her, in order to spare me of her loss for a while. I actually caught my mom trying to do the same with my brother's beta fish, whose name I couldn't remember. His original beta was multicolored, and my mom thought it had passed away. She went to the pet store and replaced it with a new fish, only to find that the original wasn't actually dead. She hid the original in a little bowl tucked behind some bottles on the liquor cabinet. When I confronted her about the fish, she came clean. My brother was blissfully clueless about the whole thing, even though the new fish was a completely different color. I named the new fish "Romeo" as a secret. Since this fish was red, he believed his fish had "finally chosen a color". What a dork.
After the long line of goldfish, I got a few angel fish, one of which bullied the others because she was bigger. When those fish died, I gave up on aquatic species. They actually grossed me out a little.
As I was saying earlier, it's the end of summer for me. That means it's time for a tradition I've held for about 8 years with a friend. Back in fifth grade, my best friend and I decided to read a book at the beginning of the school year every year. The book is called "The Boys Next Door" by Jennifer Echols. It's a wonderful teen summer book, and although the writing is very eloquent, the plot is hilarious and makes you crave innocent summer love. I have no idea if my former bestie has held up the tradition, since we rarely speak, but I have, without fail, read it every August. I think having traditions is comforting, and although I don't have many, this is a good one. I started reading the book today, and I'm already over halfway through. I know what's going to happen in the end (heck, I knew it the first time I read the dang thing), but I still get caught up in all the scenes. If you're looking for a harmless book about silly teenage love, it's one I would suggest. The main character, Lori, is as clueless as she is sweet. She is an endearing character, who is countered by Adam, the main love interest. Adam is bouncy and full of energy, but make no mistake; he's always up for a good fight. The characters are comforting to me, like friends I can read that I know will always be there. I think Lori and I would be good friends. I like the idea of an endless summer, and the book perfectly captures this.
I'll stop talking up this book you've never heard of, and start talking about what I've been listening to. I woke up this morning with "Each Year" by Ra Ra Riot stuck in my head (big surprise, I know). It's such a good song, and I could listen to it on repeat for eternity. Currently I have "Say My Name" by ODESZA (feat. Zyra) stuck in my head. I could totally be a DJ for a low-key coffee shop in the future.
I'm gonna go read some more of my favorite summer book (start a book tradition, I highly recommend it). Later. chums!
