Team iPhone

So, as I've mentioned before, I got an iPhone for Christmas. Well, sort of. My parents surprised me with...a picture of an iPhone, because they wanted to make sure it was something I actually wanted. Anyway, the iPhone finally arrived today, yay!

Ain't she a beaut?

My excellent experiences with two iPods and various encounters with the magnificent MacBook Pro have converted me into something of an iFan, so tickles me pink to read  that a possible prototype of the iPad 3 has been spotted at this week's Consumer Electronic Show. Since I've had to come to terms with the fact that I can't bring all these

with me to college next year, a certain sleek, white tablet e-reader is on  my purchase list.

But wait, dear reader! I know you're probably thinking, "Well, that's nice. An iPhone. What a nice thing for her." But do you realize the implications of my new iPhone? This means that I can blog, Tweet, and post pictures and video from absolutely anywhere! (Except on airplanes and at school, where phones are strictly contra legem.)

Speaking of Twitter, my updates should be a bit more frequent (and more interesting) now that I don't have to send those pesky texts to 40404. Follow me! twitter.com/@nicolemcalee

End of an Era

Today is a sad, sad day in Delco.

The Archdiocesan school closings, though somewhat expected, still managed to rock the county. The tradition of Catholic education is indelibly intertwined into the very fabric of life and history here, and it seems like today is the end of a long and happy age. How ironic that this sad news is announced on the Feast of the Epiphany, the day that tradition says the three wise men, bearing gifts, finally found the infant Jesus. What a terrible "gift" we received today.

That Delco will lose Bonner and Prendie, as well as Our Lady of Fatima, St. John Chrysostom, St. Cyril, Annunciation BVM, St. Francis de Sales, Holy Saviour-St. John Fisher, and St. Gabriel - contributors of such rich tradition in this area since their foundings -  saddens me deeply. Kids lost their childhoods today. Families lost their second homes. Rivalries, friendships, traditions - evaporated. Vanished. Gone. It kills me.

But most of all, I feel so bad for the kids. I can't imagine what kind of pain and shock they're feeling right now.
Sure, I go to O'Hara. Am I relieved to hear that my school is staying open? Absolutely. But if the shoe was on the other foot and O'Hara closed, I would be beyond devastated. O'Hara is my home and my family. The thought that one day it might cease to exist - maybe not now, but someday - petrifies me. Now, those kids - my peers, people I might have known well - have lost their home and their family.

Those who are joining the O'Hara family next year will no doubt be welcomed with open arms. Already, it warms my heart a little to see topics like #delcolove, #welcometothefamily, and #onation on Twitter. That said, it certainly doesn't mitigate the pain.

Today, we put the rivalries and the past behind us. Today, we need to be a family.

"Ohana means family, family means that nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten." - Lilo & Stitch

How I Became a Registered Voter

This will all make sense, I swear.

So, I've trick-or-treated every year since I was a tiny tot. That includes this year. No Halloween parties for me, just trick-or-treating with two of my friends. For me, it's less about the candy and more about how much fun it is to wander the neighborhood in a costume. (I dressed up as Elwood Blues, for the record.)

I knocked on the door of a house down the street and it was answered by my neighbor - but not the neighbor that lived in the house. It was answered by one Mr. Tom McFadden, Esq., who also lives on my
street. Mr. McFadden is a very nice man, a lawyer, and an Upper Providence Township councilman.

Needless to say, I was confused.

Mr. McFadden squinted and said, "You're a McAlee, aren't you?"

I nodded.

"Are you 18 yet?" he asked.

"No, sir. I will be in December," I replied.

He told me to hold on for a moment and walked out to his car. After fishing around for a minute or so, he returned with three voter registration forms - one for me, and one for each of my friends.

"There you go!" he said, proudly. "When you turn 18, fill this out and mail it to the courthouse."

I thanked him, and we moved onto the next house.

Back to the present: Today, my parents dragged took my brother and me to the courthouse to renew our passports, and my mom remembered that I could finally file that voter registration form, at, well, the Office of Voter Registration. Which I did.

And that's how I became a registered voter.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

So what have I been up to for the last few weeks? My last post wasn't much of an update, really.

Well, I've come to a few notable milestones recently - the senior Snowball dance (shout-out to my kind friend and date, Ryan M., who's an excellent dancer), my 18th (and golden!) birthday, my last O'Hara Family Christmas as an O'Hara student, and my final Christmas before college (which is kind of terrifying). In short, I dressed up nicely, I can go to jail for real now, I caroled, and I heard a lot of "you should definitely be a lawyer/speechwriter/professional clown."

Yours truly - pre-Snowball

Also, I was accepted to Boston College and Saint Joseph's University! Hooray! Those letters were some pretty good Christmas gifts.

Speaking of Christmas, my Christmas vacation has been, by all accounts, pretty good so far. I got some nice toys for Christmas - including an iPhone! Well, kind of. It's on its way. But you know what that means - blog updates from all over the place! And Santa brought my brother and me a keyboard, so I can finally start taking those piano lessons I've been hoping for. (Tangent alert: I must be the first person on the planet who actually asked for piano lessons.)

Look for an update quite soon, and for my up-to-the-minute musings, don't forget to follow me on Twitter!

"Be Awesome."

A lot of what I've posted so far this year has been joyful, happy, wonderful news. Like I've said before, I'm a pretty lucky person. Today, not so much.

Today wasn't such a great day for me. A few weeks ago, I learned that Mr. Cook, one of the single most influential people in my life and one of the best teachers I have, is leaving O'Hara to pursue a new opportunity. Today was his last day, and it was a hard one.

Mr. Cook - commonly known by students as just "Cook" - and I have been pals since about Thanksgiving of my freshman year. He moderated the TV studio, and I had just been accepted as a crew member. The studio was my first home at O'Hara, and it continues to be the place where I feel most comfortable and confident, due in no small part to Cook. Being in his Media Production class made me think about a lot of things in a different way. Leading a Kairos retreat with him (Hot Magneta for life!) changed me profoundly for the better.

Cook has almost a cult following among O'Hara students - especially his devoted Frisbee players, TV crew members, and Kairos charges - for good reason. He's just the kind of teacher - no, the kind of guy - who makes people want to be the absolute best people they can be. He doesn't just teach, direct, and coach. He inspires. We get along like a house on fire, so it's hard for me to face the idea that I'm not going to see him each morning, in the studio and in class, and each afternoon, when I'd hang out in his classroom during my free period.

This morning, Cook left us with some parting words, a passage from 1 Thessalonians: "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ." Right now, it's hard to give thanks about this - one of the most important people in my life, moving on. But Cook also told us to "be awesome." So I'm going to try to be awesome and carry on, never forgetting everything he taught me.

"Dancing is not a crime!"

This is a friendly reminder that you really should see Footloose tonight and tomorrow night at O'Hara! This is closing weekend and your last chance to check it out - I promise you won't regret it! It's fantastically full of signing and dancing and laughing and crying, so you don't want to miss this one!

Also, don't forget to follow me on Twitter @nicolemcalee for updates and observations by yours truly!

(Phew. That was a LOT of exclamation points. Here's one more for good measure!)

All Atwitter

I am now an official inhabitant of the Twitterverse!

In case you just can't get enough of me via these sporadic-but-increasingly-frequent blog updates, you can now get up-to-the-moment information about how I'm feeling and what I'm doing via my Twitter! Which you can find here! Be kind and follow me! Check up on my comings and goings frequently!You want to know what I ate for breakfast or what music I'm listening to? Well, you'll probably be out of luck in that department. But all the good stuff will be Tweeted for sure.

I must admit that Twitter is, at the moment, still a bit of a mystery to me, so stop by and drop me some advice!