Kickin' it with Troy, Gabriella, and Sharpay

Hellooo Viewers!

Yesterday was my first day of high school.
It.
Is.
AWESOME.
I love it! I was really worried, but now I'm not. I know where my classes are, and I actually haven't gotten made fun of yet. Let me give you my synopsis of the past two days.

First Day!
I had the jitters in the morning since I had no idea where I was going. Before school started, people would ask me, "Are you excited for high school?"
My reply would be, "No."
Sometimes to people I don't really know that well I'd say, "Oh yeah, I guess. Excited and nervous, you know. Just school. Another year... yeah." *Polite Smile*
I know this sounds weird, but I'm really unhappy I didn't get my picture in front of my front door on the first day. We forgot. I guess I'm kind of OCD about that, and it's really bothering me. Well, you can't go back in time... yet.
So, my dad dropped me off, both of us oblivious we forgot to take my picture... and I trudged over to the front of the school. I met up with a few friends there, and we walked around a little bit. An upperclassman pointed out where my homeroom was. It is in a pod, which is across the junior parking lot, and let me tell you, juniors aren't good drivers... at all. Well, I guess they're okay, but even in Cougar Camp, some students told me that the trek to the pods is a dangerous one, and that you could probably get hit walking there. Well, I crossed the parking lot and survived. No, please. Hold your applause. My homeroom was kind of small, but at least I knew four people there already. I'm not very close to them though. Homeroom was a bit boring, we kind of just sat there and got updated schedules. The kids who didn't already get their agendas got them, and our homeroom teacher just let us talk a bit. So, I sat with my friends and we talked for almost all of homeroom, which isn't really a long time since homeroom is short.
Next, I had to go to Healthful Living. My schedule said to go to the Main Gym, so I did... and then they directed me to Trailer 2. Thankfully, my health teacher does not believe in homework. Hallelujah!
After that, I had Chorus, which thankfully is in Trailer 5, which is really close to Trailer 2. Plus, the trailers are right outside of the Main Gym, so even when I have gym, my first two classes will be really close together! Tons of students told me that the chorus teacher is a nightmare and a psycho and whatnot. But, I love her! She is amazing and really funny! Also, we get to go on a trip to Atlanta, Georgia in March and stay at a Hyatt. Then, we get to perform at some place. Plus we get to go to Six Flags and an aquarium! It is going to be so much fun! I know we are doing more on that trip, but it's just slipping my mind right now. I love chorus! It is my favorite class! Oh yeah, that's right. Real life High School Musical, ladies and gentlemen! Well, we don't really burst out in song, but I love music and plan on doing all the plays and musicals.
After that awesome class, I had lunch. I got the first lunch of the day, which I'm happy about. My chorus teacher told the upperclassmen to group with us and take us to lunch, so an upperclassman accompanied me to lunch, and when I saw my friends I said goodbye to her. Lunch was fun too. I got to sit with my friends outside in the courtyard. It was a beautiful, sunny day. After eating, me and one of my friends inspected the cafeteria. It was absolutely filled with people! I don't understand why they didn't want to eat outside, because ever since elementary school I've fantasized about having lunch outside. I don't know why, but it always seemed so cool to me.
After lunch, I had Algebra 1: Part 1. It was elementary. Not the school... but the word. I mean it was easy. That's probably because we are just starting school and they aren't going too hard on us, but my math teacher seemed pretty cool. She was nice and not extremely strict. The class wasn't too far away from the courtyard where I eat lunch. Plus, I got to sit in one of those desks I've always wanted to have class in. Yes, I have always looked forward to sitting in the desks that are connected to the chairs, have a shelf under the chair, and an arm rest. Yes, that is exciting to me. Don't judge.
My last class of the day was Honors English 1. I think the teacher may be going easy on us since we're just starting out, but it was fun. I sat behind my friend, and we had a fun time. The teacher seem really nice, and she loves her dog.
When the bell rang, I walked to the front of the school. There was a whiteboard there that told us where our buses were, so I hurried over to my bus and got driven home. The busdriver didn't take me to the correct stop, though. She was on the wrong street, but I didn't complain because it was the same stop as my middle school one. This year, it's supposed be a lot closer, exactly where my elementary school bus stop was.
But, when I got home, I got in this really terrible mood even though my day was great. I laid down on the couch and my mood just got worse and worse. I felt like it was going  down, down, down. Sugar, we're goin' down, down, to another town. Yeah, that's a song. Anyways, I felt like there was a bunch of weights on the front of my body, and I felt all this pressure. But, my mood got better later and we went to Pizza Inn, my favorite pizza place. I already went to my favorite restaurant, La Rancherita, the day before, so that's why we didn't go there.
I'm pretty sure I haven't mentioned this, but at my Sweet Sixteen, La Rancherita and Pizza Inn will be catering. At my wedding, I will have a queso cheese fountain. Trust me, I will.
So, all in all, it was a great day.

Second Day!
Today was great, again.
When I walked into Chorus, my teacher was eating chocolates.
Hungarian Chocolates.
She gave one to some girl and said, "So, these are Hungarian Chocolates. I can't read Hungarian, so tell me what flavor that one is."
I spoke up, "Um, I will gladly be a taste tester sampler person."
So, she gave me one and I think it had a fig in it. It tasted alright. I kept the wrapper since it was written in Hungarian. I think it looks really cool.
Don't you?

After my amazing Chorus class, I went to lunch where I sat in the shade, which was pretty nice. Math and English were easy again.
The only times I got semi-made fun of, was twice when these kids called out, "FRESHMAN!"
It wasn't a big deal... but I guess I look like this:

Hurricane Irene is coming in, and I'm leaving really soon for the lake with my friend Megan!
Please pray for North Carolina.
Thank you,
Emma<3

Tic Tock

Hi.

I want to say thank you to my mom for letting me blog at this hour... 10pm.

I am going to high school in a matter of hours, and something just occurred to me that I haven't been worried about... but I am worried about right now.
Tourette Syndrome.
I've been so caught up in "Where am I going?" and "How will I know how to get to this place?" when really, my biggest worry just came to me.
How are my teachers to know what Tourettes is and how to handle it?
What if I get in trouble for ticcing in class?
What if they don't understand when I try to explain myself?
I'll probably end up clapping during class and the teacher will get annoyed.
Emma, how did you make it in the past years?
Well, my mom usually gives the guidance counselor a DVD to watch about Tourettes and also give to my other teachers to watch. She gives them a bunch of information about it each year, but this year she didn't give the DVD to my guidance counselor.
It's not her fault. Apparently my mom has to talk to some other person about it, and they were supposed to call her and set up some meeting, but has that happened? No.
So, now I'm going into high school, where not only the students will judge me and nag me about why I'm making these movements (I know they are curious and don't understand) and maybe even won't want to be around me because I'm "weird", but the teachers won't understand either.
I constantly get comments about my Tourettes. It's tiring explaining it to everyone. Sometimes people think they know what it is, but they have the wrong idea.
I know I will probably get made fun of, and maybe people won't even bother to get to know me, but I can't stand that the teachers who are supposed to be reliable adults you can count on won't understand why I clap or bend down or cough constantly and all of the other countless tics I have.
I'm so nervous.
I'm trying to pray to God, but I'm having troubles and doubts right now.

Emma<3

The Tourettes Guy

Hello There.


I'm sure many of you have heard of the "Tourettes Guy".
He even has his own website and everything.
He makes videos with an incorrect portrayal of Tourette Syndrome, and posts them on YouTube and his website.
Other people re-post his videos and write things in the movie captions.
For instance, YouTube user Tidus067 posted "The best of tourettes guy part 2"
The caption he put for the video was "a guy with tourettes, IF YOU HAVE TOURETTES OR ARE OFFENDED BY THIS VIDEO DONT MESSAGE ME ABOUT IT AND DONT WATCH IT THEN? Part one removed by youtube... i no longer have the videos sorry"
Well then, douchebag, if you know you are going to offend people, don't post the damn video. If you want people to watch it, don't tell us not to.
There are so many imbuciles in this world.
In the Tourettes Guy videos, it just shows him using random cuss words in his sentences while talking, like "Pass me the ****ing salt!" or even pointing to a photo and saying, "Who's that ***?"
I really hate how many views the videos get. Tidus067's video got a whole 5,098,300 views. dannyj86's re-posted video, "Tourettes Guy, Best Of" has 20,435,127 views! It's ridiculous and it makes me sick.
The Tourettes Guy's username is EaglesFan98TG.
That man makes me sick.
He even had the audacity to put his YouTube channel in TSA colors.
Or maybe he didn't even know that teal represented TS. Probably not, because he's so stupid.
I don't care if he sees this blog. Go ahead, you can even show it to him for all I care. He makes very offensive videos, and I'd even say all of this to his face.
I even e-mailed the TSA about the Tourettes Guy, even though they probably already know about him since he's so famous, but the TSA never e-mailed me back.
I'm done ranting.
Teen angst...


Emma<3

The Final Chapter ... Of Summer

Hello people!

I start high school tomorrow.
I know, I know. Amazing, right? Hold your applause.
But, I'm really stressed about it. There are around 4 to 5 different buildings, and I have to walk from building to building each day and it's confusing. The upperclassmen told me that my teachers are ... interesting, and that I only have one good one.
I really want to sign up for Photography Club and Drama Club, so I'm excited about that. I looked around on the high school website for dates for auditions and everything, but I didn't know if they were based on the past year or this year, so I e-mailed the drama teacher.
My mom said that it's hard the first day, but then it's just like transitioning to elementary school or middle school.
My response was that this school has a bigger campus with more buildings to get lost in, and there's more work and it's harder, and AGHH!
Looking at everything, all in all, there isn't an extreme amount to be worried about. It's not like college, where you have an even larger campus, and have to live on your own, and worry about a job, and AGHH!
But, in high school you have to worry about college, and then getting a job, and everyone always says, "Start preparing for college early!" and AGHH!
My Anxiety Disorder makes me worry a ton, and even though I take medicine for it, I still worry and stress about everything.

 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?"
Matthew 6:25-27

God gave me Anxiety Disorder, so I can't help but worry, but I try my hardest to work everything out.
I know worrying isn't a sin, but sometimes I wonder, why does God give us things that make us sin? Like, with OCD, you feel the need to do things that could be sometimes be sins. My OCD used to want me to try to breathe underwater, or lick knives. But, I also can get tempted to say mean things to people. Things that I don't actually think about them. Even though that doesn't happen a lot, sometimes OCD will make me think sinful thoughts.
But, maybe that's not God who gave me those things.
We were all born with sin.
It's hurdles the devil has thrown at me, and God wants me to be a track star.
All I know for sure is that God will always love me, and if I meaningfully ask him to forgive my sins, he will.
Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.
There's a different version to that song my friend made up...
Justin loves me, this I know, for his music tells me so.
I think that's pretty clever.
I'm trying not to stress too much. I need to relax. Tomorrow is going to go fine.

New School. New Atmosphere. New People. New Teachers. New Classes.
I don't do "new".

Dear Lord, help me.

Thanks for reading! I'll make sure to tell you about the first day of school tomorrow, if I don't have a heap of homework.(:

Emma<3

My Family

Hey everyone!

My family helps me get through a lot of hard times...(:


Me & my little bro, Sam.

Us, again.


Left to Right: Sam, brother. Mom. Dad. Me.

I love you guys, and thanks for helping me through some pretty tough times!!!<3

Emma<3

Pedicure Day(:

Hey Everyone!
Or the few of you that actually read this blog...


Today, I got a pedicure.
I know people are supposed to relax in their little massage chairs and enjoy getting their feet massaged, and toes painted pretty colors, but with me that's just not the case.
I know that's sounds crazy, but I have Tourettes.
Oh, the excuse I have used SO many times. Pshhh, TS deserves it. Especially since it's always true, and the excuse fits to the topic.
Today I got a great pedicure, though. Probably the best. I will explain why later.
See how I'm drawing you in? Making you want to read more?
No? Oh, okay. Darn Middle School education.
Anyways, whenever I go to a nail salon, my mom and I try to explain what Tourettes is to them, and that I may have to move my legs and feet a bit.
I try really hard not to tic, but that never ends up well... Tourettes wins.
The nail people will give me weird looks, tell me to stop moving, and talk to their friends in a different language.
I mean, come on, who understands what they're saying during that time? I always get this paranoid feeling that they're talking about me behind my- oh I'm sorry, I mean in front of my back.
I always get really apprehensive when the people tell me to stop moving my legs and feet, since I had already tried to explain it before, and half the time I don't know if they really understand all of my English... If I just tell them the same thing they've already heard over and over again, it's very unlikely that they would stop telling me to quit moving.
I don't tic so much that if they tried to paint a nail, I'd kick the nail polish everytime and it would go flying everywhere. I try extremely hard to not tic, and I distract myself with my phone, since normally they're too bitter with me to want to talk to me... or again, don't know that much English.
But, today was different. I went to a nail salon I'd never been to with my mom, my mom's friend, and my mom's other friend's daughter.
My mom's friend knows about my blog, and told me she would like to be called *Aunt Veronica.
She would also like to be known as the badass aunt married to a mob king.
She isn't really even my aunt, but I wish she was.
I had a great guy doing my nails though, and he gave me a wonderful pedicure. He was so understanding and talked to me during the normally agonizing process.
Hey, my mom always says "Beauty hurts!"
Even though my normal pedicures don't actually physically hurt me, my TS kind of ruins the experience, which in turn isn't such a great thing, so... well... you get the joke.(;
Anyways, I'd like to thank the guy who gave me my pedicure, and I'm not naming him, since I don't have permission.
I'm really tired, since I babysat a three year old and an eight year old after the pedicure today.
Alright, thanks for reading.

"Live your life, you only get one." -Me

Emma<3

Rawr!

Hey Yinz,

So, yesterday I went to Cougar Camp. Yes, I know how that sounds... but it's not a camp to learn how to score younger men. It's my highschool camp! Our mascot is a cougar. No, I don't mean Missy G... but the animal. It wasn't really an orientation. Different people go at different days and times according to their last names, so I was with Samantha Patrick at the time we went, which was 12:15pm. Then, it turns out they break you into even smaller groups, and we got separated. But a little before it started, we talked talked to *Maria (*Name changed!).
So, while talking to "Maria", I bent down, which is one of my tics. It kind of looks like I'm ducking. That, or as many people say, I'm "dropping it like it's hot". I kind of like that phrase better. Maria just gave me one of those huge smiles and said, "What was that?!"
I am so used to this, but it's still annoying. I'm always really nice about it though, and shake it off.
Alright Maria, it's not like I just popped my eyes out, then put them back in. I just squatted.
"Oh, I have Tourettes," I replied, unphased.
"Oh my gosh! You could so use that to your advantage!" she exclaimed.
Oh dear Lord in Heaven.
But Maria just continued, "You could really use that to your advantage! You could totally go around slapping people like 'Oh, sorry, Tourettes!' and never get in trouble!"
Now, why in Hell would I do that?
And she continued some more, "Like, you should so do that! You couldn't get in any trouble 'cause like you have Tourettes!"
She was even displaying the movements, showing me how I should slap people, and she was laughing, but she was the only one. Sam and I really didn't think it was funny.
So I responded, "Oh, well that's not really what Tourettes is."
"But still, you could totally use that to your advantage!" Maria grinned.
I know she didn't mean it in a negative way, like "Carl" or "Jack" had, but I was still unhappy with what she said.
When Maria went to talk to someone else, Sam and I just looked at eachother.
Sam told me, "Whoa. I would never say that to someone. I can't believe she just said that!"
I replied, "Welcome to my life. Everytime I go to a new school, this is what happens. People don't understand, and I get made fun of for it."
I understand that Maria was just clueless about it, but she should have recognized I was feeling uncomfortable, and stopped. My Tourettes is no excuse for slapping people in the hallways, because the tics don't just come automatically and happen all of a sudden. I would be a pretty messy eater if that was true... But, you get this feeling, and if you don't do the tic, the feeling gets worse. I can't really explain the feeling, but if you don't have TS, be glad. I know that a lot of people out there have worse problems, and I totally acknowledge that. I'm just saying TS is very unpleasant.
But if you really want to feel that feeling, overdose on dopamine. Badooomp Schhh!!
Yeah, that was a drum noise at the end...
And I am aware the joke is corny, because I'm pretty sure no person in their right mind wants Tourettes.
Dopamine is produced in the basil ganglia, which is in the middle of your brain, and overproduction of this chemical is one of the causes of Tourette Syndrome.
Oh yeah, that's right. Rising ninth grader knows her science! That's why I got placed in Honors.(;
Anyways, I shook it off and went throughout the day, only to find that apparently a lot of my teachers are terrible. In the former students' opinions, pretty much all of my teachers the upperclassmen either had no idea who they were, or the majority choice: they didn't like the teachers. At all.
Except for one. But, I have to wait until second semester to get her...
So, exciting stuff, touring some of the school, watching a cool video, and playing team building games like Huggy Bears. GREAT.
I had an okay time there, and I slept over at my friend Megan's house afterwards.

High School... Ready or not, here I come.

Now, to go watch some Syfy!(:

Thank you for reading.

Emma<3

Here Comes Dorothy!

Hey People!

I took another acting camp this week, and at the beginning I wasn't particularly happy with it. My friend Janie and I were frustrated since we were doing a lot of the same stuff as the past week and because the other campers were not necessarily at our level... I guess that sounds a bit arrogant, but I don't mean for it to. Throughout the week, I made a great friend named Julia. She is a great actress, and she will be sleeping over at my house tomorrow, along with Janie. We warmed up to a lot of the other kids too, and today during auditions for the musicals we wrote, we found out this one kid named Bryant is extremely funny. We worked on the plays a bunch today, and tomorrow we will be working even more. Then, at 3pm we will be performing them. I'm really looking forward to it.
In the beginning of the week, I wasn't too happy... but every day has gotten better. I can't believe tomorrow is the last day!
The thing that I'm most excited about is that I got the part I wanted in the "Fractured Fairytales" play! I auditioned for Dorothy and I got the part! She is really dumb, but I love playing those types of characters. I get to save the day with zebras, which I am really excited about.
I love to act. Acting is my passion, along with singing, dancing, and playing the guitar. I also love to write.
So, people with Tourettes can accomplish things that normal people can, because even though we are different, that's one of the best things about it.
I don't want this to come off as life is so easy for people with TS, and they can do whatever they want, because that is not always the case. When my tics get really bad, sometimes I want to crawl out of my skin. I hate it, but I don't let it get in the way of my life. I jump over those obstacles.
I will lay awake at night, constantly ticcing, and ticcing. But, you have to learn to relax, and distract yourself. Take deep breaths, and think about other things.
I am turning 14 in less than a month, which means in  about 6 months I can start Driver's Ed. I don't know if I'll be able to drive though. Ever. I mean, how can you drive when you have to clap your hands, straighten your legs, and blink your eyes really hard, plus a TON of other tics that can distract you from the road? If I clap my hands, they will be off the wheel. If I straighten my legs, I'll go full throttle. If I blink real hard, I won't see the road. Plus, tons of other tics that I do could cause me to get into an accident.
Maybe I will have restrictions on my license? I know my mom has one where she HAS to wear glasses, but I don't know how any restrictions could apply to me but "DON'T DRIVE."
So, maybe I'll never be able to drive... at least not comfortably without any accidents... But, that's okay. Less work for me to do, and my friends can drive me around.(;
I don't really feel that way (that it's good to not have a license), because I really do want to drive.
Who knows? Maybe one day I won't have as many horrid tics! Even though my TS hates me, and would probably have me develop tics that would restrain me from driving.
Well, I'll have to wait and see. All I know is that God knows what will happen, and all I can do is pray for help and guidance.
My mom once (or many more times than once) told me that God gave me TS, OCD, and Anxiety Disorder because I can handle it, but you know what? Most of the time, I feel like I can't.
Life with TS is hard, but I know that there are more people out there with TS that may have it harder than me. Even though I was diagnosed moderate-severe, I am heavily medicated, and some people either can't afford medication, or haven't been diagnosed.
I remember when I was 5, I was a lab rat. My first tic ever was a cough, and it got so bad that my chest was bruised. They diagnosed me with asthma, and gave me an inhaler, and even a cube shaped breathing machine. Then, they decided I didn't have asthma, so I inhaled all of that medicine for no reason. They went through tons of trials and tests, and even telling me I was allergic to Fall. Yes, the season. It didn't make any sense to me when I was younger.
Eventually, I developed more tics, and they finally diagnosed me with Tourette Syndrome.
I have been through so many different meds, I remember getting my blood drawn almost every month for lab tests and getting EKGs done a lot.
Once, in the third grade, I was put on Risperidol, and it made me gain ten pounds! We took me off of it, and I lost a ton of weight. Funny thing is, I am currently taking that medicine (or it's generic, Risperidone, which is basically the same thing, just a different name and manufacturing company or something), and I lost weight when I started taking it! Only for a little while though, but I thought that was pretty cool in a strange way.
Well, I must run! I need to go watch Alphas, which is on my favorite channel, Syfy. It comes on Mondays at 10pm. I recorded it, so I'm good to go!(:

Thank you for reading.

Emma<3

The Angry Family

Hey Everyone!

Today I did a play at Raleigh Little Theater during my camp and the parents came to see. My fellow campers and I wrote a play called "The Angry Family" and performed it.
I must say though, there is one guy there where it was hard for me to even look at him.
No, I'm not saying he's so friggin' ugly I can't bare to even be in his presence.
He had a tic.
A tic that I have.
That's why I could barely look at him.
I don't think he had Tourettes. Just a tic, or maybe even a chronic tic disorder.
But putting two people who have TS- or in this case one who has TS and one who has a tic, can end disastrously.
When I see someone doing a tic I have, or even just a repetitive movement, I have to do it. It's so annoying, and this dude had this eye tic that I also have. We scrunch up our eyes and blink and stuff. Whenever I looked at him it kind of made me angry inside, not because I hated him, but because I couldn't bare seeing him tic. He was a nice guy, but I just couldn't look at him.
Awkward when you have to work in a group with him...
Anyways...
The play went pretty well. I was LeRoi, the family hobo.
It was extremely fun!

Thank you for reading my blog.(:

Emma<3

Guys These Days

Hey Yinz,

Yes, I was born in the Burgh. Pittsburgh, that is.(:

During the eighth grade, I rode the bus with these total jerks, and I'm so nice that I'll change their names while talking about them, even though they deserve to be publicly humiliated. I'm about to go to highschool, where they will probably ride my bus again... Oh Lord.

So, "Carl" and "Jack" are total idiots.

At school, we were doing these things called Multi-Genre projects, where we picked one thesis about a specific topic and wrote different pieces about it answering the thesis question. So, to make friendly conversation, I asked Carl and Jack what their topic was, and they said theirs were both on the KKK. So I told them I did mine on Tourettes and they just laughed and laughed and totally made fun of it. This was not the first time they had been completely rude to me, but on some small occasions they would actually be decent, so that's why I was actually talking to them. Jack had been going to school with me since Kindergarten, and should have known that I had Tourettes since my elementary school guidance counsler would come speak to the kids each year, but no. This insensitive tool, who probably did remember I had TS, and didn't care, went on making fun. They started cussing insanely and loudly acting like they had Tourettes, and I told them to stop, and that they were immitating Coprolalia, which was an uncommon form of Tourettes. Carl kept saying, "You don't have Tourettes, you don't have Tourettes!"
Do you know how many times people have told me that? Well, yes I do, dumbass, I know myself. I live in my own body, thank you very much. I know what goes on, and I'm. not. kidding.
Anyways they kept saying things like, "Could **** I go to the ******* bathroom, please ****?" and just inserting swear words into normal everyday sentences. It really ticked me off, so I ignored them for the rest of the bus ride since they wouldn't stop.
Eventually near the end of the bus ride, Carl said, "You really have Tourettes?:
No duh, jackass, I've only been saying that for the past twenty minutes.
So I replied, "Yes, I do, duh!"
He apoligized insincerely and we got off at our stop.
But life goes on.

Oh the tools you'll meet in this life.

Emma

Awkward Encounter

Hey Everyone!

I am nearing the end of an amazing Summer. It has been my first Summer in 6 years since I have been on a Year-Round calender 3rd - 8th grade. I went to a really cool church camp called Centrifudge over in Ridgecrest near the beginning of Summer for a week, then the next week I was at the beach in Deleware for a whole week with one of my best friends, Megan. The next week I went on a mission trip in Red Springs, NC. At Centrifudge, I met one of the guitarists from Rush of Fools who played praise songs for us everyday, and I became friends with all of Kinetic Worship during my mission trip. Currently, I am going to an acting camp at Raleigh Little Theater, and I will be at another one (still at RLT) next week.

So, today we did an acting excercise, since, hello, we are at acting camp, called Park Bench. You basically put two chairs next to eachother to form a "bench", and one person acts as themselves, while the other acts as a "weird person" whos full intent is to make the "normal person" leave the bench. For instance, if someone in a random park came up, sat next to you, and said, "I eat children," then you would leave. Well, at least I hope you would... but if someone just says "Hi!" then you probably wouldn't leave. It was an improv practice, I know it sounds boring, but bear with me. Anyways, I was next up in line after this one kid (who I will not name, we will just call him Fred). Fred said (ooh that rhymed!) to the other person- this may not be a perfect quote because this happened many hours ago and my memory isn't great but I remember most of it- "Hey, you may not want to sit next to me. I'm kinda scary. I have this thing called Tourette Syndrome where I randomly lash out at people!" and he starting hitting the other dude, who got up and ran away.
So I said, "Uh, that's not funny, I have Tourette's," really loudly.
The dude didn't look exactly mortified, and at first I'm pretty sure he didn't believe I had it, but then said, "Oh, sorry."
After my turn I went up to him and said, "That's not what Tourettes is. I was diagnosed moderate to severe and you don't see me lashing my arm out at people."
I also told him something along the lines of that I was heavily medicated and that he didn't know what TS was.
So he said he was sorry and that he didn't know what TS really was, and that he was just basing that off of South Park.
SOUTH PARK.
I know South Park makes fun of everything, but my friend had told me about the episode too, and it is extremely disrespectful (which the show shoots for, so YAY, you've achieved your goal), and a completely wrong portrayal of Tourette Syndrome.
Funny thing is, I love South Park...
So, that was my awkward encounter of the day.

In the words of an amazing red-headed eight year old, Don't be a hater.(;

Peace&Blessings, (I'm a glozell1 fan!)

Emma<3