NaNoWriMo and homework

Hey everybody!  This is an update because I haven't posted in a while.  It will probably definitely be long-winded because I always have a lot to say, but recently I've been extra-busy.

First order of business: NaNoWriMo.  Yeah... about that.  I totally failed, with my novel weighing in on December 1st at a whopping 843 words. I won't even go into how I totally lost my grasp on where the story was going about a week into November.  That's what happens when you're taking 7 classes (3 of which are college classes), practicing 3 instruments, and still trying to eat, sleep, and have a tiny bit of time leftover for social activities.  And by "tiny" I really mean "only enough time to go to church on Sundays, check Facebook once in a while, text between homework assignments, and maybe see some of my friends in person about once a week."  I know a lot of people like to say that homeschoolers have no social life.  Until about 6 months ago, I was a total social butterfly.  Then I realized how much I have to do in order to be ready for college next year and my social calendar went out the window.  Now it's crunch time.  Fun.  But at least when I get to college, while all my classmates are complaining about the workload I'll be able to say (like the 90's kid I am), "talk to the hand".

Ok, onto homework.  I'm currently a student at an online charter school, so I'm technically not homeschooled anymore. (Even though most of the time I'm going to class in my bedroom, wearing Tinkerbell PJs and drinking hot cocoa.)  Until last week, I was taking 7 classes: 4 classes with my online school, 2 dual-credit college/HS classes online with a community college, and lastly playing alto flute in the flute choir at another community college.  

Flute choir rehearses on Fridays at 12:15.  It's an hour drive to the school, an hour rehearsal, then I hang around for an hour until my hour flute lesson (my teacher is part of the school faculty), then an hour drive home.  That's a FIVE HOUR chunk of my day.  So I'm not going to be playing in the flute choir this semester.  I'm really sad about it, because the class was a lot of fun and a flute choir is probably the most ethereal ensemble I've ever heard.  But, I just can't afford to lose so much time.  

Last week my 2 online college classes finished.  Those were hard.  I took Intro to Lit and Intro to Music - neither of those subjects are particularly challenging, but managing my time was.  Those classes take a year's worth of material and squash it into one 16-week semester.  There were piles of reading assignments and then you had to spend a minimum of 6 hours a week on the class forums, plus a minimum of 4 hours writing papers and working on research projects.  All that on top of 4 other online classes, most of which are heavily reading-based. (Spanish 1, Physical Science, SAT Prep, Algebra 2.)  I felt like one of those clowns trying to keep a dozen plates spinning on top of thin poles.  By the end of the semester, all my plates were tumbling onto my head.  But somehow I finished the college classes and I'm still alive.  Now I'm almost scared to find out what my grades are.

...And I'm about to do it all over again.  In about a month, I'll be taking 3 online college classes and 2 online HS classes.  I'm also going to be taking Spanish 2 at a local community college, because while I'm good at reading Spanish, I am a weak Spanish speaker and I feel like I need the face-to-face relationship with my teacher and classmates to force me to speak it more.  No, my parents don't speak Spanish.  Yes, I have friends that are taking Spanish, but a typical conversation with them goes something like this:

Me: ¡Hola! ¿Como estas?
Friend: Hey Shelby, what's up?

Me: Estoy bien, y tú?

Friend: I'm good, thanks. 

Me: AAAAARGH!!!!

I'm going to make another post right now about my adventure into the world of college applications and what I want to do with my life.  If I put it all in one post, it would be too long and boring.  And boring, my friends, is something a writer never wants to be.