Hey guys. This is going to make me sound like the worst person ever.

But I'd appreciate a little bit more of feedback on this blog.
Grace, Erin & I all help out together for this. We try our very hardest to think up interesting topics for you guys, take time to take photos once in a while, and right now Grace is REALLY trying to find time to help me make the blogs. Do you realize how busy we are right now?

This sounds bratty to you, but just imagine it you. Maybe you have a YouTube. Nobody comments on your videos. Nobody comments on your channel. Nobody recognizes you as a talented person. It stinks! What we feel right now is just like a waste. We have lots of fun on our blogs, and would never quit just because of this, but we'd like to have some comments as we continue!

Please?
-Sonali

Not In The Mood

"Hey, Sonali. Why so quiet Sonali? Huh, huh?" Kit poked me relentlessly as I sat on the couch, unmoving.
"Go away, Kit." I said, my voice steely and cold.
"Why so quiet, Sonny Seas?" Kit prodded.
I bet she didn't even realize what she was doing.
"I said, GO AWAY!" I finally turned and blasted her in the face with my scream.
She shrunk back and silently hopped off the couch. I felt bad immediately.

Kirsten looked up at me from her needlepoint across the room and gave me a sad, sympathetic look. I knew that look. I'd seen it given to me many times, over and over, from everyone.
It was a I'm-sorry-you-have-depression-problems look. I hated it.

My phone vibrated.
It was from Annabeth.
"We're having a Glee Club meeting at 5 - don't come, for my sake. -Annabeth" It said.

I looked at the phone for 10 seconds, my eyes blank.
Then I set it down on the sidetable.
Stood up.
And left.

-Sonali

Back To School, Buddies

Apparently March comes in like a lion, and out like a lamb.. but what about, say, September? What does September come in like?
I say, September comes in like the first firework on New Year's Eve. You're waiting there, in the bone-chilling cold, for the dang fireworks, and the minutes tick by and the sky stays clear. You go buy a hot dog from one of the few vendors that even try to make sales on this pre-holiday night. You come back and watch the sky a little more. Still no fireworks. You finally decide it must not be going ahead, and turn around to head home, and then ... BOOM! The first firework comes in like a brainwhack and you're totally shocked.

Yup, that's September for ya...

........................................................

"Welcome, students, to another year of learning and academics!" Ms. Appal gestured her arm to the rest of the room, as if welcoming us.
I jiggled my leg. I was impatient.
Spanish class had just started and I was dying for it to end already. Spanish was my last period of the day and I just had to get to Glee Club. I was just dying, I tell you.

I was prodded in the small of my back by the back of a pencil. I slowly turned around to make my actions un-noticeable by Ms. Appal, to find Bridget staring at me with a challenging, & playful look on her face.

"Wanna walk with me to Glee after this class?" She whispered.
"Uh.. you bet!" I said, then gave a smile, to show I was willing. She grinned back, a sparkling white grin that left me feeling sorry for my own teeth.

The bell finally rang, and I put away my papers and my Spanish textbook (lets just say it was the size of a bible) into my navy Aeropostale messenger bag. I turned to the desk behind me, but Bridget was already at the door.
"Lets go!" She said, urgently.
I followed her out and we walk-ran down the halls, trying to avoid trouble but trying to get to Glee on time.

We walked into the classroom just as everyone was sitting down.
I breathed a sigh of relief and sat in a plastic desk chair next to a girl in jeans and UGGs (and a Hollister hoodie) with her head stuck in the last Percy Jackson book, and Bridget.

Suddenly the room of teens went quiet as Ms. Pike's click-clack footsteps neared the classroom.
"Good afternoon, class!"
"Good afternoon, Ms. Pike." We said back.
"This is the first day of school, and the start to a great year." She smiled. "But our start was a bit late this year, so we will get down to work immediately!"

Everyone groaned. Ms. Pike laughed, because we all knew we didn't really hate Glee Club work. We were all just as excited as her to do it all.

"Alright.." Ms. Pike went through her clipboard sheets. "Our theme for Sectionals is Fame."

Everyone hooted. I looked at Bridget and we shared an excited look. Fame?! Cool!

"The selection will include three songs. A group number, a very heart-warming solo, and a duet." The hooting got louder. "And no, its not a romantic duet."

Annabeth, as I realized her in the room for the first time, looked disappointed when Ms. Pike said that. The bad Sonali inside my head snickered. Who was she wishing to do a romantic duet with? I wondered.

I searched the room, and then found Annabeth's eyes resting on Peter. Peter smiled at her.

I swallowed my own spit, then looked up to see Ms. Pike looking at me.

"Will you do it then, Sonali?" She said.
"What..?" I said.
"I asked you a question." She said sourly.
"Uh, then I guess my answer is yes?" I felt bad for not listening.

Ms. Pike's sour smile instantly turned into a rainbow grin. "YES! Okay! Alright Sonali, you'll be doing the solo!"

-Sonali

Thanks AG, for making our wish list a little bit longer.

New items on AG!
Wow!
Cool!
Shiny!
Amazing!


.. Not.
First of all, what IS this little furry snow outfit?! It looks like its made up of cotton balls! Baby blue and white cotton balls! Gross! No 8 year old in their right mind would wear that!
And the 'Snowflake Ball Gown'? Looks like a fairy. 'Nuff said.

But the Ruby & Ribbon Dress is quite decent. Kinda snazzy, actually. Another item to add to the wishlist. (Maybe a Christmas gift for us, Grace? Please?)

The Torturous Wishlist-
Ruby & Ribbon Dress
Pretty & Plaid Outfit
Pet Show Outfit


Grace didn't even want to buy anything more from AG until Felicity and Elizabeth were officially retired.
Thanks, AG. Thanks, thanks a lot.


I wonder what Bethie thinks of her retirement?

-Sonali

P.S. Is it too early to be thinking about Christmas?

The Rather Sour Idea Of Shopping

"Oooh, SONNY, you just HAVE to try on THIS pair!" Ruthie picked up yet another pair of jeans and threw it to me, just for it to land splat on my face. Without noticing, Ruthie chattered on: "And this shirt!" She threw it at me without turning around. It fell onto my outstretched arm.

I sighed slowly as I carefully picked the pair of jeans off of my head and the shirt off of my arm. The jeans were faded to a level of extreme, and the pockets were made to look hand stitched. They reminded me of Taylor Swift. With Gracelynne in mind, I walked to the change rooms and tried them on.

As I slipped my legs into the pants of the jeans, I imagined Gracelynne opening her mouth in shock "oh-mi-gosh" as she saw the jeans, then running and ripping them out of the hands of whoever was holding them, and making a mad dash for the changerooms, pushing aside anybody who was waiting.

I realized that I was standing there in the change room, frozen. I suddenly moved into action and pushed aside the change room door so I could show Ruthie the jeans.

She was going headfirst into a pile of shirts. I had to grab her hand and pull her away from the table of half-off clothing items.
She turned around, and realized it was me, and said, "Oh! Son-ALI! It looks AMAZING on you! You have to wear it on the first day of school."

I nodded. The jeans were very artsy, and made me give off a vibe that I knew it all. I liked them.

Ruthie went into the changeroom I had previously been using with a pile of pleated skirts and shirts.
She came out in an Aeropostale New York tee, with a flower splash design, and a plaid rocker chick skirt. I was envious of her curvy frame, with her brown curls that had the red strands that glinted in the sunlight. Her dark green high tops gave it a private-school edge.

Ruthie was a fashionista.
I was... Sonali.


I looked down at my new faded jeans, Avril Lavigne band tee, and Nikes. I doubted myself.


-Sonali

Quaint

I was originally going to continue my slightly stalker-ish investigation of Pleasant Rowland today, but I was interrupted by a certain 12" doll as I typed away like a maniac about how AG should eat a pie.

"Whatcha doin?" Meg sat on the desk. Her question sounded like, say, the Annoying Orange, or, more so, that little annoying girl who always has her Brownie troops surrounding her in the wink of an eye from Phineas and Ferb.

"I'm writing something, Meg. Go away, please." I sighed impatiently.
"What are you writing about?" She sounded genuinely interested for a second, but then covered her interest with an indignant snort.
"Nothing, Meg. Now GO." I spun around in my chair and pointed to the door.
"No. I want to know." Meg looked me in the eye.
"Not gonna happen." I slammed the laptop shut and walked out of the room.

Meg followed me.
"Have you seen my room yet? Huh? Huh?" Meg poked annoyance at me as we walked down the stairs.
"No." I lied. In truth, I had been stealing peeks at it all week. It was a work in progress. Grace had taken this huge styrofoam box, and filled it with quaint little Pullip-sized furniture and items. There was this quaint little dresser with a mirror, and this quaint little portrait of Meg and her best friend Celsiy, and this quaint little chair with a huge pink and purple butterfly on it, and a quaint hooked rug the size of Meg with lots of little squares of different shades of pink. And there was quaint little yellow walls and a quaint little tea set with its quaint little teapot and quaint little cups and quaint little plates.

And there were even little erasers made to be food, in the shapes of rice with chopsticks, ice cream cones, pieces of cake, chinese food take-out boxes, and even soy sauce. It was sickening.

Meg giggled. "Want to see it?"
"NO." I walked faster, forcing Meg's littler legs to fail to catch up.
I speeded away out the door, out to the backyard.


It was all so.. quaint.

-Sonali

Comments

I got a couple blog comments on my past post that really, really made me think.


Shortly after, I made a trip to the Google webpage. I found myself furiously typing the name Pleasant Rowland into the searchbox.

Before I knew it, I was reading all about Ms. Pleasant.
Turns out, she's totally forgotten all about American Girl, her very own company. Gosh darnit, I bet she doesn't even have a subscription to the catalogs (I knew it..). Pleasant founded AG in 1986. Woah, thats a long time ago. Its almost been 25 years. Next year is the anniversary, for pete's sake. Pleasant made the company in inspiration of the fact that there were no middle-aged dolls around. I'm very glad SOMEONE realized. Barbies and baby dolls are just too.. ick. (But I guess I shouldn't hate on barbies, since Mattel, our 'master', owns the barbie company too?)


Since then, Pleasant has sold the company to Mattel for $770 million, purchased a different company, and made a foundation. My oh my, she has a lot on her plate.

Did you know, that if Mattel hadn't bought the company, American Girl might not have been so... well, American? That was a real disappointment to me, because I wouldn't have minded a more international-based company.

Here it says that Pleasant and her husband Jerome are now major philanthropists in Wisconsin. Does anyone want to tell me what the heck does this long word mean?

WOAH. Pleasant is also in an ongoing debate about preservation and development. My god, what does this woman NOT do?

And some guy named John R. Lennon (not the John Lennon of the Beatles, I know, its disappointing) wrote a book roughly based on what Pleasant Rowland did. About preservation. And her foundations. And her projects.


She probably doesn't even know whats going on..
Which is the real, tragic part.
Would it be too much, to come up to her door, knock on it, and simply say, "Can you come and buy AG back?". I hope not, because I'm intending on doing that.
But then again, I guess she'd be kinda freaked, seeing a talking doll on her doorstep...

I wonder what color her house is? What her life is like? Is her house the color of the AG logo? Is she happy without AG?

-Sonali