Same Stuff, New Domain

Hello you all!

I would like to inform you all that I have moved domains! You can still find my old posts here if you would like, but all of the new (and amazing cool fantastic) stuff will be at my new domain

emilyxie.com

I promise you won't regret it

AP Score Reports

First, I was just at camp, and did not have any internet, so I couldn't update my blog!

Second, this will probably be my last post regarding AP tests and scores. Sad, I know.

To all of those who have received your scores, congratulations. You didn't die of impatience before your scores came in the mail. On the off chance that you didn't do very well, it's okay. Do not fret. Whether you cancel your score, withhold it, or keep it. Odds are, if you are a good student, one bad score won't really hurt you too much.

No matter what your score is, you should be proud that at least you pushed yourself to work hard and achieve at a college level. That in it of itself is something to be proud of.

Painting

Again, my absolute "hatred" (I guess you could call it a love to hate relationship) of the AP Art History test has sparked a new love of art. In fact, I have decided to take up painting as one of my newest hobbies.

So, a few days ago, I went to Michael's and bought a few more canvases and painted a few things, but my favorite was of two cactuses (cacti) in front of a sunset. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Again, by no means am I an artist

Finally, Scores at Last

Today, I woke up at the crack of dawn, again. However, this time it was not a fruitless endeavor! I actually got my scores and I was quite pleased.

I know my previous blog posts my have eluded to the fact that I did not feel particularly confident after a number of my tests. Now, I can tell you with full confidence that you can have no fear if you feel that way. There were many tests (Art History) that I definitely did not feel very good about. I remember walking out of the test and thinking that I would be lucky to even get a 2! Let me reassure you that those thoughts happen to even the best of us. Now, I won't get into the actual scores of my tests, but I will tell you that I didn't do half as bad as I thought I did on any of them. In fact, that 2 that I thought I got? I didn't even get a single one.  AP tests aren't designed to kill you, and I promise that you will do better than you think you will. The curve for most tests is a lot lower than the tests you are used to taking in class, so chances are you will walk out feeling pretty bad about your test, thinking you got around 70%, but in reality, that 70% could translate into a 4 or 5! So just don't sweat it.


However, if you did receive your scores yesterday, today, or some day in the future and you aren't pleased with them. Have no fear! You can always withhold your scores from colleges for a small fee paid to the College Board or you can just cancel them all together for no fee. Don't feel like one bad AP score is going to ruin your chances of getting into college or anything like that. If you are a good student, one AP score shouldn't change anything. 


Good luck to all those getting their scores back in the next few weeks! I'm sure you all did wonderfully! 

College Board Woes

Yes, I am an utterly insane, sleep deprived, hopeless nerd. Please don't judge me, but I may or may not have stayed up for the majority of the night, waiting in anticipation for my AP scores. Trust me, you would do it too if you took so many and were as impatient as I am. However,  my efforts did not pay off; I was sorely disappointed this morning for a plethora of different reasons.


First of all, the scores were supposed to be released by phone at 7:00 AM EST, so, 6:00 AM CST. However, upon opening my tired eyes at 6:00 AM, there was no news of scores being released. Upon calling the number for the score reporting service, there wasn't even an option to hear my scores. Unaffected, I checked Trevor's twitter (Trevor is the head AP guy). He said "I will send out a tweet as soon as the AP Scores by Phone system is turned on." So, I just continued to wait and frantically refresh the page until 20 minutes later he said, "Sorry for the delay, as soon as I have confirmation the score by phone system is up and running I will post.". I again waited (quite impatiently) until about 7:30 AM CST. By then I was significantly more sleep deprived than I would have ever liked to be. I was also extremely frustrated, but just wanted my scores.


On top of waiting for an hour and a half to just have the score reporting service open at all, I had one other major problem. As soon as Trevor had announced that the score reporting service was live, I quickly called and provided all of the information that was requested, only to hear a very solemn message at the end that went something along the lines of "we have located your score report", okay, that's great (I was overflowing with joy and excitement at this point), but then it took it turn for the worse when it continued by saying "a customer service representative 'may' be able to assist you with hearing your scores, you may call AP services during regular business hours Monday through Friday, sorry, goodbye!". 


So, in the end, after spending hours awake in anguish over receiving my scores, after being delayed for an hour and a half, after frantically punching the refresh button over and over again, after dialing and redialing the AP score reporting service number, I am no further to receiving my scores today than I was yesterday.


It astounds me that a standardized testing service as strict on time limits and dates as the College Board can't even get scores released in a timely and complete matter.

Alaska

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while; I was in Alaska!

I went on a cruise to Alaska for a week. Some people may think that going on a cruise to Alaska is the last thing they would want to do. Why go to the land of snow and tundra (also known as the last frontier) when you can go to the Bahamas or the Caribbean and rot in the sun?

I'll explain why you should pick Alaska over any warm place in the world. Let's be honest here, you will be able to go to the beach almost anywhere warm. To be honest, beaches are nothing new or unique (discounting those that are, like the black sand beaches in Hawaii). However, in Alaska you can see glaciers among other amazing things, including bears, whales, porpoises, bald eagles, etc. You may say that you don't care about seeing a giant piece of ice, but if you think about it, that giant piece of ice may disappear before your children get to see it, so why go sit on a beach and rot away in the sun (and probably get skin cancer) when you can go see sights and smell smells you have never experienced before, and may never experience again?

If you say that you are "more of a rot in the warmth" kind of person; Alaska has something to offer you. Why sit in the sun on a beach when you can sit in the warmth of a hot tub under the cool beautiful Alaskan sky?

I mean, if you really want to go rot away on another beach wherever you go, do it, but if you want to experience life, go Alaska!

If my somewhat abrasive commentary did not lure you away from your spot on the beach, maybe these pictures will.

By no means am I an artist

After taking AP Art History, I've developed a new found love for arts and crafts. I went to Michael's and bought miniature canvases and have been obsessed with them! They are too much fun to paint, and they were super cheap too.

I decided not to paint any mammals. I am quite the amateur. Last time I tried to paint a dog it ended, let's just say, not so well. So, i painted a lady bug instead. I've had a pretty laid back day today; I just did some cleaning and attempted to paint. I have got to say, I quite enjoy the dandelion though. My painting adventure did not do a complete nosedive, I guess.

Thing that makes me happy #6

Wireless vacuums may actually be the best invention ever. They completely eliminate the need to maneuver around the cord and find an outlet.