11/19/2003
Hi. I'm Ashley, and this is my very first blog. I've never done one of these before but Madison says it's really fun, so I guess I'll give it a whirl! Anyway, you're never going to believe what happened today! I was picked to make the Class of '04 Video to be shown at graduation! It's such an honor! Wow! How much fun is this going to be! I can't wait to get started!

11/21/2003
Miss Bigalow gave me the brand new school video camera today and showed me how to use it. I'm going to film the big game tomorrow. It's Secret Central against Chatsworth - the biggest game of the year - and I get to be right down on the field with the team! Too cool!

11/22/2003
OK. It was totally NOT my fault! There I am with my new video camera getting great shots of the team when all of a sudden I see Jeff Jackson running right at me and then... he ran right into me! But are you ready for this - the coach was mad at ME! He said I was in the way and made Jeff miss the pass! Hey, I was just doing my job. So I wandered onto the field a smidge - what's the big deal? I was standing right there. It's not like Jeff couldn't see me - he ran into ME!

11/24/2003
I can't believe it! Everyone's mad at ME! They blame me for losing the big game on Saturday! But I swear, I was just doing my job! And let's remember who the injured party is here - Jeff Jackson ran into ME! I was just standing there! And to top things off, he broke the school's brand new school video camera! Miss Bigalow was none-too-happy about that, I can tell you!

11/26/2003
Good thing it's only a three-day week at school. Just about no one is talking to me except my best friend. Honestly! It was just a game!

11/28/2003
Madison and I went shopping tonight and ran into The Three Mallketeers - Tonya, Cathy, and Ro Ro. Ro told me she and Cathy found a new guitar player for their band, Talk is Cheap - but you're never going to believe who! G.G.! Here's a girl who's spent all four years of high school wearing a bat to school - not a real bat, just a bat necklace - but still it's a bat! And now she's playing guitar with the coolest band in school! I can't even believe it!

11/29/2003
Madison and I sat with Jenny and Bryoni at the game today. Bryoni is so awesome when it comes to horoscopes. She said my stars are pointing to a year of great learning and accomplishments! Just wish that were true of our football team. Well, at least they can't blame me for losing the big Thanksgiving game. I wasn't even near the field!

12/01/2003
You know, sometimes it's just not your day. Here's what happened...

Miss Bigalow gave me a new video camera and told me I had to be really, really careful not to break this one. (As if I broke the last one!) Anyway, I went over to the Spanish Club meeting after school, and there's Jeff Jackson still totally mad at me for running ME over at the game! Well, I totally ignored him. "Build a bridge and get over it, Jeff!"

Anyway, Ro Ro's in the Spanish Club too, so I asked her to sing in Spanish. She was awesome... even if I didn't understand a word! (I take French.)

OK, but just as I was going to leave, G.G. suggested I have the whole Spanish Club get together and say "Ola!" OK. Good idea, you'd think, but her idea was that I stand up on the desk so I could get an "interesting angle" on the shot. Good idea, you'd think. So I did. Only, well, it was totally not my fault they make cheap desks these days. My foot went right through Miss Bigalow's desk and I really couldn't help it but I dropped the camera.

G.G. and her "interesting angles." How am I ever going to explain this to Miss Bigalow?!

12/02/2003
Yup. As predicted, Miss Bigalow was none-too-happy again today! I explained it wasn't my fault. She said, "If G.G. told you to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you?" OK. OK. But it wasn't REALLY my fault. Build a bridge and get over it, I always say!

12/04/2003
Saw Magenta Morgan today. She's totally "out there." She loves making herself noticed. Today she was wearing all green - including her hair! She said she was going through an elf phase! Too bad I didn't have a video camera with me today!

12/05/2003
OK. Miss Bigalow said this was my last try. If I break this camera, she'll find someone else to make the video! When is she going to figure out it wasn't my fault?!

12/07/2003
Madison and I went over to Natalie's last night for a party. Everyone was there - Brandon and Michael, Sarah and Emma, and of course, the Three Mallketeers, Tonya, Ro Ro and Cathy. We were all having a great time until Natalie said she was going to run for President of the Prom Committee. I can't believe it! I want that job! Besides, I've already decided absolutely everything! Well, we'll see about that!

12/09/2003
Madison called. She and Michael had another fight - and right before the Christmas dance! Seems they haven't been getting along well at all these days. If they're not careful, they'll never get voted Class Couple!

12/10/2003
Well, finally, I got some stuff on film for the Class Video today. I went over to Mr. Horrigan's Driver's Ed class and filmed the kids driving through the cones in the parking lot. It was hysterical! Jeff Jackson saw me and drove right through three cones! He'll never get his driver's license at this rate!

12/12/2003
I can't wait. We've got the big Christmas Dance tomorrow night and I have a beautiful new outfit for it - a snow white sweater with new white jeans and my new boots! I'm going with Madison and the gang. Madison would normally go with Michael, but they're still fighting. And Miss Bigalow said I could take the new video camera to get shots of everyone on the dance floor. It's going to be a blast!

12/13/2003
OK. If the camera hadn't broken, this time I'd be able to prove it wasn't my fault! There I am tonight, standing there minding my own business. I've got the camera on and I'm getting really funny shots of Dean Darling, the absolute WORST dancer in school. When all of a sudden, Jeff Jackson and his buddy Rudy Reynolds are doing this crazy line dance in the middle of the dance floor and without looking, they back right into me. I went flying right into the punch bowl - and so did the video camera! Here's a hint for you - video camera's absolutely don't like punch! And by the way, neither do new white sweaters and white jeans, and my new boots will never be the same! I think I'm going to be sick on Monday - I can't face Miss Bigalow!

12/15/2003
When I told Miss Bigalow what happened, all she could do was shake her head. She didn't even say a word for about five minutes, then told me to come back on Friday. That was it - no yelling, no detention! I can't believe it! She's such a totally cool teacher!

12/16/2003
Can you believe this? G.G. in the Honor Society! She showed up today for our meeting and Miss Bigalow announced that at this point in the school year, G.G. is #1 and I'm #2! I can't believe it! One little B in Chemistry and all of a sudden, I'm #2. Well, we'll see about that! I haven't worked this hard for all four years of high school not to be #1 in the school! I'll do extra credit! That's it. I'll start tomorrow!

12/17/2003
Miss Bigalow said that I could do extra credit, but she wasn't sure that would affect my class standing. G.G.'s had straight "As" for all four years, and I have one B. I can't believe this - brought down by a B... as in Bat! Anyway, Miss Bigalow said she'd think about an extra credit assignment for me.

12/19/2003
I can't remember a WORSE day in my entire life! I met Miss Bigalow in her classroom after school, and just like she said, she'd thought about what to do with me and the Class Video and what I could do for an extra credit project to get me back to #1 in the class. She said, "Ashley, you've always been a bright, intelligent girl, but you're also too competitive for your own good. With you, it's always got to be your way. So, I'm going to let you continue to do the Class Video, but for your extra credit project, I'm going to assign you a partner and the TWO of you are going to work together to make the video. If you can prove to me that you do know how to work well with others, I'll give you 100 points of extra credit." OK. I'm thinking, OK. This is easy! I can do this. And then G.G. walked in!

12/20/2003
I thought about it, and I decided to just take the bull by the horns on this Class Video thing, so I called G.G. today and told her that I was so pleased we'd be working on the Class Video together. I told her that I have it all planned out and she doesn't have to worry about a thing. I have a schedule worked out to the end of the year so that we will have the whole project done two weeks ahead of schedule, and all G.G. will have to do is hold the camera. I'll do all the talking. After all, I'm the Class President. I think G.G. was happy to hear it was all so well organized. We're meeting on Tuesday after school at the gym to film the Gymnastics Team. I think this is going to work out OK after all.

12/22/2003
That G.G. is just impossible! We did our first segment of the class video today and already it's ruined! I can't possibly work this way! I can't believe Miss Bigalow stuck me with this project.. and with G.G.! And what's with the G.G.? I don't even know her real name!

12/24/2003

Natalie Nicolby is a great girl, but she can't manage her own pom poms let alone the most, entirely important night of our lives - the prom! I can't believe they elected her Prom Committee president! I gave such an impassioned speech! I have all the plans drawn up, the band selected, the decorations practically on order, and I can tell you down to my socks this prom is going to be a disaster!

12/28/2003
Email Message
From: Adams, Ashley
To: Merriweather, Madison
Subject: I'm back!

Mad -

We're back from my grandmother's house. Christmas was great! Dying to go to the mall to return a few things. You free?

What did Michael give you and when do you plan to return it? (Do I know you so well or what!)

Call me!

Ash

12/29/2003

Can't believe I have to work on the class video on my school vacation, but G.G. insisted we go to the park and get some shots of Class of '04ers not in school. We ran into a bunch of kids - Brandon and Michael and Dean the skateboarder dude were there. And all of a sudden we hear screaming and Emma Emerson has lost control of this big huge dog and is being dragged through the snow! Poor Emma. I think she's crushin' big time on Brandon and by the time he stopped the dog she looked like Frosty the Snowman!

12/31/2003
It was the party of the season! Everyone was there and Brandon was in rare form - ignoring every girl in the room except Sarah and Emma. Every girl was dying to talk to him - he's so cool he hardly even noticed! Mad and Mike had another fight. They've been doing that a lot lately. Hope she's OK.