Who Are You Most Like?

Celebrity Quizzes are available online to discover someones famous doppelgänger.  I read the story of Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald. After reading how Gatsby obtains and exercises his riches to win a girl I began to wonder if I was like any one in the book.  Am I like Gatsby? Curiosity hits us all and if you want to know you relate to the most then read this article to become aware with how each character conducts themselves and what their major flaws are.  Maybe you are more like Gatsby than you think!

Gatsby is non stop thinking about how he can win Daisy’s love.  There is nothing striking about Daisy other than the fact that she is dumb, and has hopes her daughter will turn out to be “a beautiful little fool”.  Despite these flaws, Gatsby still wants her, and tries to get her as if she is a prize.  The capricious desire to attain Daisy’s love is stalker-like, but Gatsby provides his one and only goal is to make the circumstances just right so Daisy will love him.  He is disconnected from his own parties, since the celebrations are just stepping stone events to his ultimate goal being Daisy. Gatsby’s personality flaw includes his juvenile appearance that he can’t rely on his opinion to be confident and needs the approval of others.  Feeling like he wasn’t good enough for Daisy he broke it off with her which encouraged him to become successful so he could win her again.

Daisy grew up wealthy and did not have to worry about an education or how to get a career, as being born in the East Egg was successful enough.  She fell in love with a poor solider which supports the fact that being from the East Egg money was not an issue for her.   The only female that this blog post has included, is Daisy and her major character flaw is that she is helplessly naive.  This is clear to the reader when her husband cheats on her, and she believes he will have the common sense to change his behavior, and eventually stop.  Later, she realizes his open relationship status is not changing. Daisy wishes she stayed the fool she was, and hopes her daughter will not have to deal with such heart break and that she is a beautiful little fool. After Gatsby ends the relationship, she searches for a way to painlessly move on, which results in her hasty decision to marry Tom the very next day.  

Do you feel like you might be like a spin off of Gatsby?  Perhaps Tom is more like you than you think.  The capricious love that Tom has for other ladies, that are not Daisy, is inappropriate and rude.  He is a married man, and this shows his issues toward commitment.  Instead of being fixated on one girl like Gatsby is, Tom is attached to the fantasy life of being in love with multiple women.  The one women who he is married to gets talked down to as if she is not worth it.  He doesn’t know about the affair with Gatsby, but when Daisy explains she is leaving it becomes clear as to what the reason was.  He turns out to be okay with this, as he has several ladies to choose from.  He is not a romantic, but rather just in it for the lust.

Nick is from the East Egg and he is from old money, but decides to live in a place where people with new money are.  He does this because he is unselfish, and particularly fascinated to be around different people, rather than be around people he has seen his whole life.  He is fascinated with Gatsby’s life, just like Gatsby is fascinated with Daisy.  Nick is nosy as he wants to know more about Gatsby’s life, when he really shouldn’t be.  However, Nick does get his questions answered since Gatsby is after Daisy and Nick is her brother.

The Great Gatsby is filled with trait driven characters, perhaps you have a match that you are similar too!  If so, consider that fictional characters are always solely fictional, sometimes they are based on real people.  If your friends, or enemies, write novels beware that perhaps there is someone characterized to have similar traits as you do.

POST UVA COLLEGE VISIT

My family and I dedicated a little less the 24 hours to this trip.  The two hour drive was worth the experience at Charlottesville.  First thing we did was check into our hotel that evening, and as I fell asleep that night knowing there was a big day tomorrow.  November 27th consisted of not only Thanksgiving dinner, but also the opportunity to explore the University of Virginia campus.  We did not have a tour scheduled, so we walked around aimlessly, and wandered to the University hospital, and tugged on several doors that were locked.

At Charlottesville it was 40 degrees Fahrenheit of face numbing weather, so we found refuge in the University of Virginia hospital.  The hospital had a modern design to it, and I love to be surrounded by such a innovated architecture.  Everything seemed to be well maintained, and there was a piano in the lobby which I desperately wanted to play.  However, there was already another musician playing a guitar, so for me to play my song over his would have been unnecessarily rude.  I know I could have politely asked if I could play a song, but for heavens sake I am still just learning and I am not ready to perform anything.  What's funny is that it didn't even occur to me that I probably need permission from someone who worked in the hospital, but in my eyes the only obstacle was the other talent.  We stepped outside where we would look into the windows of buildings and decide if they were classrooms, offices, or dorms.  It was fun to gather up the context clues around a location to decipher what that area was.

By peaking into one building we saw that it seemed to have a enough room to sit around 8-10 families, and there was a huge sign in front of it that said, "Little Johns Deli".  From this we decided it was a place we could eat.  We didn't make a nebulous decision to eat here, rather a twitter user replied to my dad recommending this restaurant.  To say the least, we were not disappointed with their whole grain, all-natural ingredient made sandwich options it was a great place to have breakfast.  The original plan was to eat somewhere on campus, but having it be Thanksgiving all the campus cafeterias were closed.  We made reservations to eat at the Omni Hotel buffet for Thanksgiving dinner which we consumed at around 1.  We got home by dinner time, but I was too full to eat anything, so I skipped that meal.  Which wasn't a bad thing considering I ate 5 plates at the buffet.

Overall, visiting UVA was a great experience.  I liked seeing a small town surround the UVA campus, and it kind of gave a colonial vibe to it.  Compared to George Washington University and Georgetown University which are both surrounded by metropolitan lifestyles.  I love Virginia weather, and so the location makes me love UVA even more.  When we were driving home I was thinking about the pro's and the con's of UVA, and honestly could not come up with one negative aspect.  I want to make a lot of money, so the Darden School of Business would be a great fit for graduate school.  Although, UVA does offer an undergraduate degree it is very expensive when I could get the same education and credit elsewhere for much less.  I haven't visited many undergraduate colleges, so I can't compare it to anything I have seen before.  The University of Virginia is talked about constantly at my school, and now I can finally contribute my first hand thoughts, also I can keep this style of school in mind when I visit others like it.

PRE-UVA College Visit

I occasionally feel like there is not enough hours in a day, and I can not plan for my future.  However, this Thanksgiving break I am taking a few hours away from my days off, so I can decide if the University of Virginia is my kind of school.  I would like to visit the Darden School of Business,  since when after I graduate I was considering to go into business.  Although, I really don't want to stay close to home... for reasons...  I want to take college as an opportunity to jump from the nest and live independently.  I think I will really like just being by myself, and having the only responsibilities be me.  I will keep you guys updated on what I thought of the school once I get back :D

Americans United as Americans?

Task:  Evaluate the extent to which the colonists developed a sense of identity and unity as Americans by the eve of the Revolution?  Use your knowledge of the period 1750 to 1776 to answer the question.

Thought Process:  Hi there!  Alright time to get started.  First things first do you understand the prompt?  We are asked to EVALUATE aka provide evidence for the REASON as to how colonists developed as a nation, but the days preceding the Revolution.  We are to use 1750 all the way up to 1776, which means a few years prior to the French and Indian War until right before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

Come up with a list of reasons that you can use to support your point!

• 
  French and Indian War (1754-1763) The British (and the Americans) won this battle!  It definitely boosted their moral... even though later it led to debts, and taxes to pay for those debts.
• Lexington and Concord (1775)  This is when the British had their first attack.  They experienced the Guerrilla warfare of the Americans for the first time.  Here the Americans united especially when they created the "one if by land, two if by sea" system to alert the colonists of the British arrival.  Paul Revere and William Dawes galloped to Lexington from Charlottesville. Warning other that the "regulars" were coming.
• Battle at Bunker Hill (1775)  This is an interesting one, because although the American lost they felt like they won.  During the first 2 attempts of the British to attack the Americans, they failed.  The third attempt was successful since the Americans ran out of ammunition, HOWEVER the British suffered heavy looses.  This battle led the Americans to believe that they needed full force on the war efforts, and all eligible men needed to fight in the war.
• Boston Tea Party (1776) This caused great commotion because the extreme radicals dumped expensive tea into the ocean causing the British to impose the Coercive acts so that they could pay for all the damages.
• Groups of people like the Committees of Correspondence, the Continental Congress, and the Sons of Liberty were formed in order to create a new government system.  They were grouped together with the common interest of wanting to cede away from the British.

Great now we can work!  We can use the process my teacher gave me which is the X, however, A, B, C, therefore Y.  X is the counter argument, weird I know.  I have always been told to never have the other side in the essay.  A, B, and C are all the point to support YOUR POINT, which is the Y in the picture.

Let's write a thesis shall we?

The Americans were divided between the Loyalists and the Patriots, however through the boosted moral at Bunker Hill, the desire to over throw the royal control through the Boston Tea Party, and rebel group formations, the Americans had formed a sense of unity and American identity prior to America actually being created.

Cat + Mouse

In effort to not try to push and shove words into my memory and actually learn it.  This is why I have come up with a way to utilize these words on my blog!!

Before school many students are rushing to get ready because they slapped the snooze button one too many times. Students always prevaricate when they talk about how they forgot, yet claim to have done, their homework.  I see it as foolish to try to deceive a teacher in this way.  They think they can get away with just forgetting do it if they swear to get it done.  It's not like the teacher would be vituperative, because school isn't the place where children are disciplined.  The downside is that teens get a zero in that low percentage category, but that is a zero for the easiest section to get perfect in.  No one is trying to beat you down, it's not a cat and mouse game at school… the only way it gets any close to that is the catty girls at school.

Knife Course

I went to a knife class to learn different cutting techniques.  I learned a bunch of information and I was sure to record it all in my binder.  Now, it is transcribed and ready for me to share to you.  I broke this into categories of what the instructor went over, so I tried to make it easy to follow.   He was really funny so maybe I will include a follow blog post of the jokes he made :)  But the jokes where so good that I can't remember them.

Knife Safety:
Do not take knife and board together.  Instead just go with board.  Use back of the knife to scape off food.  Don’t plunge the knife into water.  To store keep the knife on a magnet or inside a bamboo block.  Not because it looks cool, but because you need to keep it somewhere where it is away from

Different Knives:
A pairing knife is used to cut small vegetables, and the other only knife you will need is a French chef knife.  A French chef blade has a rounded bottom and flat top, meanwhile a Santoku has a flat bottom and a rounded top.  Both the French chef blade and the Santoku do the same thing and give the same type of cut.

Caring For Knifes:
On the tip of the knife there are little pieces of metal that separate every so often, so a honer(hoe-ner not aw-ner) is used to put teeth back into position.  To use a honer you should be almost parallel to the blade and use a down and across motion.  Each side of the blade should be honed 20 times.  Overtime, the tip of the knife becomes dull, so you need to physically shave the blade 2 times a year with an electric sharpener.  To do so just run the blade through the coarse side about 10 times per side, and then through the smooth side 2 times per side, afterwords it should be honed.

Holding the Knife:
Right before the handle at the end of the blade should be the knifes balance point.  Hold the balance point with your index and thumb then wrap the 3 other fingers around the handle.

Using the Knife:
Press the tip down and use the back of the blade to chop the food.  Use a rocking motion to cut the food, and press the food through as if it was a car wash.  As you are pushing the food through be sure to grab the food with a claw grip, meaning the fingers are tucked away.  Aim for cutting the food in a way that they will all be a uniform size.

Other Tips:
If your cutting board is moving around on you that can be dangerous.  Therefore, place a wet paper towel underneath the board so it does not move.

Cutting Foods:
Cut a cucumber in half and then flesh side down start cutting it into uniform pieces.

Cutting a bell pepper can be easy simple cut of the sides and after all the sides are cut off the middle is what remains

To chiffonate basil layer the basil, roll it like a crepe, and then cut it into thin vertical strips.  To keep the basil fresh and to keep it from turning brown store it in cold water to use later as a pretty finishing garnish.

Cut off the root of an onion then cut slivers into the onion but not all the way through, then cut into the onion straight down to make cubes of onion that are roughly uniform in size.

To supreme an orange cut off the top and the bottom then cut around from top to bottom then cut out from the membrane.  Keep the membrane to make orange juice.

When buying a whole chicken drain out the juice over a trash can.  Then take out the gizzards and hearts out of the chicken and through them out.  Keep the necks and stuff them back into the chicken.  Cut off the fat near the bottom of the chicken.  Sometimes it is helpful to use a boning knife which is curvy and helps get around a bone, but a french knife works as well.  Pop the thigh of the chicken and cut off the whole leg.  Then to separate the thigh from the chicken leg look for a change in the color of skin and cut there.  The thigh will be yellow and the drumstick is purple.  Dislocate the chickens shoulder and cut down into the wing, so that all that is left is the body.  Cut off the little parts of the wing, because there is very little meat there anyways.  Cutting into the breast bone involves going to the side of the bone that sticks out of the chest.  Curve the knife around the body to get as much breast as you can.  The flap under the breast is the tenderloin, but if you cut up the next vertical piece, and then do a 2/3 cut, you will be left with 2 tenderloins.  It is easy to get 2 more if you take the piece you have left and cut it in half across the grain.  The oysters is right below the thigh and it is dark mean and it is the best part of the meat.

Different Kinds of Cuts:
A Julianne is a long thin strip, meanwhile a Brunoise is small cubes made from cutting up a Julianne.

Making Chicken Stock:
To the bones and water, about 1 inch above the bones,  and simmer for 8 hours and skim the fat you see within the first 1/2 an hour.  Then take a mirepoik, (2:1:1 ratio respectively) of onions, carrots, and celery.  Cook the mirepoik for 1/2 an hour and then strain it, finally add in parsley, peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary.  If it is thick then you are doing it right.  Get the mixture to be in gentle simmer with no lid which is one bubble every second.  It can easily be stored in ice cube trays or in baggies.

Do not make fish stock unless you have a venting hood.  The best kind of fish to make a stock out off is trout and rockfish.  Note:  If you are making a fish stock then use white fish and please make sure you have a vent hood, other wise you would want to sell your home, but it won't sell.

Setting a Goal in 5 Steps.

Making a goal is easy if you follow some simple steps

1) Write down everything you want to do, and I do mean everything.

• Why?  Some “silly” goals can lead to realistic ones.

2) Cross out all the unrealistic goals, and prioritize your list based on what is most important to you.
3) Start with the #1 most important goal and make a list of steps that you will need to make to get to that goal.  Make sure to have deadlines included in the description of how to fulfill the step!
4) Now put the most important goal, and its step into a calendar.

• Why?  Since your list is prioritized you are putting this into your calendar so that you can make sure this gets done.  That way the things you simply do not have time for are not urgent.

5) Great!  You might, actually you probably will, have to go back and re-work your goals.  It is not that you did it wrong, because everyone needs to re-work their problems at some point!

Death.

If I could choose how I die then I would go with something quick and painless, or something really exhilarating and not painful... which sadly does not exist.  I am left with the most extreme and painful scenario of being skinned alive versus just gun to the heart.  Sadly, deaths are mainly unexpected and quick and need I mention painful.  So while I think about death often I do not want it to happen to me.

The Alchemist

The Alchemist meaning the man who can turn coal into gold.  Thou who can mix elements to create something worth more than the original value.  Also known as the title of my book about a sheapard, but not just a sheaperd, rather about a shepard and his metaphors.  I had to read this book and then create a game from the idea of a life long journey.  I decided to do it based on a school theme, so all the rewards and sacrafices are school based.  I think my game is entertaining and creative, which will make for great game play. 

Do I Miss Makeup?

The only reason I am grounded from makeup is because of my unkept nails.  If I were to just stop biting them and let them grow out, then I would most likely be afforded the opportunity to wear makeup again.  I have a feeling like a novice all over again, because I do not know what the new products are out!  Seeing as I was able to catch up on everything when I was 13 and it took me about 2 weeks I don't see how I can't do it again.

Tysons Corner has a Town Square?

When I was told to pack up my things, and that we were moving to a city called Tysons Corner I was scared.  Better said, I was timid for what was going to come next.  You see I didn't want to turn the next page and continue writing my story, because what if it didn't go the way I had planned?  I mustered up the courage to make new friends and continue my journey commonly referred to as life.

Originally I envisioned a corner named after a guy named Tysons, but that was were our apartment would be; I thought I was going to live on the corner that Tyson named.  I was wrong and Tysons Corner was a city, while it had a major mall it had the potential to get a lot busier.  Now with the implementation of the new metro there have been construction companies working at it for the past few months.  While it might be super crowded and we might live in danger and theft, there are benefits.

An example of what the benefits of the new Tysons includes the Town Square that has been built.  It is called to Learners Tysons Corner Town Square and this city is actually going to hold events there.  I can't wait to go to the first event, and see how they have put everything together.

The Library's Kindle?

Recently, I have decided that I have an interest for reading all types of book, specifically mysteries.  I have not started Sherlock Homes, or any other famous thrill books.  What I have found the most interest is in is when I am turning the page to see what other clues the reader gives us about a case.  I have tried to download books from the Kindle, but I never actually used the Kindle device so we sold it.  Now I use the app for my Mac, or the iPad which makes reading easier on the eyes because I can change the font, and color.  I tried going to the library in my community, but all the books were feminist historical non-fiction books.  I did not pick up anything I couldn't put down.  Then I tried to visit the library on a Sunday, and that defiantly did not work out, because it was closed.  After that,  I tried to go to the online data base that the library has and I put a bunch of books on hold.  I suddenly got a flood of emails telling me the books were ready to be picked up.  That is when I realized I didn't have a sure way to get to the library, so I resorted to the Digital Library they have.  This Digital Library contains popular books that are free to check out and borrow for some time.  Which in my opinion is odd, because if it is online why can't everyone have a copy?

2014 World Cup

I still remember Barcelona winning the World Cup, was I in sixth grade?  I believe it was 2011, and we were in a crowded dimmed cafe with a widescreen television.  They were playing the final soccer match and people surrounded the television with appetizers.  I didn't have food, rather I had my aunt to keep me company.  We were watching the game and we stayed until Barca won.   It was great because she visiting from Spain, and I am half Spanish, so it was a great moment of pride when we won.  Now it is the 2014 World Cup and I have to say, time really does fly.  I have changed so much, for the better as always.  It will be interesting to see who would win this year. . .

College Essays...

It is not that time of the year, rather it is too early for that hectic season.  I am just finishing up my sophomore year, and I overheard upperclassman discussing the struggles of writing college essays.  After getting around to think about it those five minutes before class was over I realized that college essays are all about myself.  I just need to sell myself, and point out how fabulous my life is, along with my countless achievement.  I mean how hard could bragging be?

Scary

The yellow tinted light made it hard for me to open my eyes, but I was able to open them enough to make out his face.  I always awaken frightened from my slumber, and once again I freaked out because I had no idea where I was.  My hands were strapped down, and the man laughed saying it was no use.  He played my youtube cover of Bullet Proof, and added "if the straps are bullet proof, then they are defiantly Hailey-proof."  He approached me and as he did my eyes remained squinted. My eyes weren't bothered by the light, rather I was terrified of what was going to happen next.  In the movies this is the worse part, so a shiver was sent down my spine...   That is all I remember, and I begun to cry.  Had I been buried alive?  It seemed like dirt was seeping from the walls into where I laid.  At least I wasn't claustrophobic I thought.  Suddenly, the memory of a conversation of the worst way to die appeared in my head.  My answer was getting skinned alive, so I should be thankful that that is not happening to me.

Summer Jobs!

Babysitting where the struggle could get real.  What I mean is that their are so many opportunities when stumbling into a career, like watching other peoples kids.  I was told by the mom that I would have to tell the boy no if he did something wrong.  Luckily, this is not my first picnic and when I told them that they laughed and smiled as they saw me as a great candidate for the position.  Everyone seems to be getting summer jobs, and I didn't realize it but I too have fallen into this trap.  I am just like the typical teenager getting a summer job for these months off.

Video Violence?

Video games do have violent themes, however that does not rub off on the players.  I really do not believe that because you play video games you are more prone to do more violent things.  In my opinion, it is more about who you surround yourself with, and the choices people make.  We had a big discussion about this in Spanish class, and most people agreed that how people are raised impacts them greatly.  I mentioned that people realize video games are fake, and most of the class laughed.  I just hope that they do realize Call Of Duty is not normal, and actual warfare is a lot more intense. Violence is not affected by video games.

Summer Courses

Summer is an exciting because of the pool side, boys, and oh ya... no school.  I love my summer time, and last year I spent it in Spain, also I embarked on my first online learning.  I took Spanish 3 over the summer, which was super fast paced and ruined my academic standing in Spanish 4.  Maybe, Spanish 4 just hit me so hard that I could not handle it, or the teacher was just venomous toward me.  However, what I believe is that the course was so fast that I didn't learn what I needed to.  To avoid this I decided to take another summer course, not in hopes to fail the next school year, but rather to make room for electives that I would like to take.  I am taking the required course of personal econ and finance because I chose to take TV production at Fairfax.  I am excited for the rigorous school year.  I am going to be a junior!

Not UPenn Yet.

There are two reasons I like to visit Pennsylvania, the Amish village and the Hershey chocolate headquarters.  Interestingly enough I knew this from the get-go because, disregarding my visits the ski resorts, my first and second trips to Pennsylvania included going to the Amish town and then Hershey chocolate factory.  The third trip was to show my spanish aunt around and she loved it.  We were able to visit both Amish and the Hershey factory, which was a blast.  Being able to visit a faraway fairytale land is exciting because you know what is there, yet it is different every time.  Where do you like to travel?

Must Deal with the Cards Dealt

I would rather be prepared for something, than think of something last minute, however I have fallen victim to the last minute crisis in English class.  What occurred was that I had forgotten to print out my discussion notes, but it was not hard for me to contribute to the conversation because I had read the section we were assigned.  As everyone read out their annotations, my hands were frantically flipping through the book to summon a good discussion point.  Thankfully I had written a few key words and page numbers on the fold piece of printer paper I was using as a book mark.  I slide that out of its place, and just then it was my time to speak.  My task was to list the symbols found throughout the book, and hadn't realized I was supposed to ask and answer the question, so on the spot I had to come up with the meaning of a handful of symbols.

I started out strong, and then realized a note I scribbled on the paper that read, "p74 Estella and Pip are playing cards, and Pip ends up crying."  More of a summary I think to myself.  Then I start speaking, and I read what I had written down, now I say that I though the cards could symbolize something.  I racked my brain for what it could mean, and I came up with the perfect comparison.  Pip was a sad boy yes? An orphan.  He was with Estella and playing cards with her, but all she has intended to do is break his heart.  As they were playing cards, maybe the game could represent the quote that reads, "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."  The five other students at my table, ohed and awed, and I was ecstatic.  One girl even told me she really, like REALLY, liked that comparison, and maybe it could encourage some people to procrastinate, but not me because I was paranoid that whole class period.

Modern Connection of 1984

1984 portrays the fear the nation withheld about advanced surveillance combined with public knowledge of their private life. One of the reasons 1984 is a prized work of literature is due to the fact that the future that George Orwell predicted is a parallel to present day, at least some aspects are.  Edward Snowden acts like the hero, or possibly a villain depending on your stance, because while to the government he is an unloyal citizen he is thanked for his bravery of exposing the government and unraveling that knot that revealed how much the government and corporations really know about us. Snowden and Orwell are similar because they both reveal to society what kind of world we are going to be living in with advanced technology surrounding us, both mention the extensive work it takes to expose this to the public, and both were knowledgeable about the subject.

Practice 1984 Writing #1

Discuss the idea of Room 101, the place where everyone meets his or her worst fear. Keeping in mind that for most of Winston’s time at the Ministry of Love, he does not know what he will find in Room 101, what role does that uncertainty play in making Room 101 frightening? Does the cage of rats break Winston’s spirit, or does it merely play a symbolic role?
 
In 1984 by George Orwell, Room 101 symbolizes the power of the Party, and Winston's spirit is crushed due to what the Party has behind Room 101 for him.

Room 101 is frightening for the readers and the people of the dystopia because of the overflowing amount of questions that it brings up.  The security guard would call a man or women to Room 101 and each time the people scream and fight, they even sacrifice each other by saying "take him, not me!" (Orwell 237) this leaves the mystery behind the door never ending.  Everyone in the waiting room for Room 101 is guilty of Thought Crime or disobeying the government (Orwell 232).  This just leaves room for the criminals to blame the technology because they have become desperate, "something is wrong with the telescreen...he's the one that's against the Party, not me"(Orwell 237). The Party has so much control over the people, because they are all paranoid that they are going to slip.  When Joseph Kony 2012 was infamous he would target children to be apart of his army, because they were the easiest to brain wash.  In this society as well children are targeted,  some children are apart of Junior Spies just to ensure that they grow up to be loyal to the government.(Orwell 233)  The technology runs the society and it is up to the telescreens to be an extra set of eyes to make sure everyone is in order.  Countless parallels can be drawn from the book to society, but one thing we can not say is that we are being watched just as much as in the people of the story are, because people of 2014 say things like "no cop no stop" when driving a car through a red light.  We need order and a government to keep us in line so the society does not become chaotic, but we do not need so much control that people can not be themselves respecting society.

When Winston enters Room 101 his spirit is crushed and he sacrifices the one thing readers thought he would never let go.  Winston lives a life where he is constantly watching for those watching him, he always has to be careful about the things he says and does, sadly it is near impossible to escape this kind of life, because of certain rules like the telescreens must be in every home, but he still attempts.  Winston tries to join the Brotherhood which is a group of anarchists where he lives in 1984 (Orwell 172).  Also, he sneaks out with a young girl named Julia who is also against the government, together they find an area to spend their time with one another away from telescreens in the country side (Orwell 139), Julia understands the importance of keeping this low key, however Winston decides to take it to the next level which leads to Julia and Winston getting caught and sent to the the Ministry of Love (Orwell 221).  The government plays with the minds of the people because although it is called Ministry of Love it contains Room 101 which is pure torture.  This goes with all the Ministry's of the dystopia, everything is not what it seems, which leads to people getting brainwashing into thinking that they are living the perfect utopian lifestyle.  Winston is able to break away from this in the beginning of the book, understanding there is more to explore, literature to read, and girls to talk too, but at the end of the book his soul becomes just as destroyed as everyone else when he realizes there is no way to get out of the governments watch.  Winston is destroyed by the government through torture, and he confesses that he would rather not have Julia, than the rats eat his face which is the climax of the book (Orwell 286).  The last lines to the book are that he loved big brother, which proves how he was a dynamic character in this book. (Orwell 298)

3 girls, 1 day after school, and 1 Big Mistake

Present Day
Mylah promised her mom she would be home in time for dinner with the family, however today was not a day she should have promised.

Friday Before Today
The game was about to begin.  Three girls were completely lost out of their minds on a Friday night sleepover.  "We need to be the people who do things that people look at and say that they want to be them." Alana exclaimed out of desperation for popularity.  "We don't need people who want to be us.  We just need to do something that make us happy that we are us.  Then everything will fit into place."  Mylah explained right as the theme song for Teen Wolf began.  After the TV show ended, and they watched 3 TV shows of what followed, the girls lied in Elise's queen bed until Alana said, "so what are we going to do?"  Mylah and Elise wanted to do something adventurous and then Mylah exclaimed that she had an idea.  She jumped out of bed and grabbed the Elise's Apple laptop on the night stand, then she started typing Brooke Brady Wood Witch Hunt.  She clicked on the first link and showed it to Mylah and Alana.  "We are going to do this."  The girls looked at each other with the illuminating light from the mac and it was a smile of agreement.

Present Day
It was the Monday following the Friday night sleepover.  All weekend the girls have been memorizing the chant which was:

In the Brooke Brady Woods is were the most danger lies.

I have come because I want to see what is so shy.

There are rules to the game, okay? 

I want to play.

In the Brooke Brady Woods is were people die.

I still wanna give it a try.

I still wanna give it a try.

I still wanna give it a try.

School let out promptly at 2:05 and they met up by the green hall staircase.  Alright?  Let's go.  By 2:10 the hallways were empty and the girls had finished touching up their makeup.  They left the school campus.  Mylah's phone rang and it was her mother. "As if I am going to pick this up!?"  The girls laughed and Alana grabbed Mylah's arm and said, "We have better things to do."  All the girls laughed as they walked down the beaten path toward the Brooke Brady Woods which honestly was not too far school.   They talked about makeup, boys, and how awful their parents were.  As they approached the woods they knew that the journey had just begun because rule two of the hunt was to walk 2 miles into the woods.  Rule one was too get there before the sun had set.  There was no backing out now.

Mylah explained that step three was to sacrifice an animal, or they had the option of slitting each of the players wrists.  They did a vote and finding an animal to sacrifice won hands down.  They tried to sneak up on rabbits, they tried to get their hands on little rodents, but their was no luck.  The woods were still lit up by the sun, but it was fading.  They were getting more and more desperate for something to sacrifice because they knew they would have to slit their wrists as a sacrifice.  Alana and Elise were desperately looking until they realized Mylah was talking on the phone.  They stormed over to her and Elise exclaimed, "we need to focus here so shut it down."  Mylah laughed and put the phone on speaker, "it is my cousin" she whispered.  Mylah's cousin began to explain how she skipped the step of the sacrafice and slitting the wrist and how it still worked for her.  She hung up the phone.  Ok, so Alana the next step?  Rule 4:  Circle around what is being sacrificed and chant the words.  The girls looked at each other and nodded, then began in unison.
"In the Brooke Brady Woods is were the most danger lies.I have come because I want to see what is so shy.There are rules to the game, okay? I want to play.In the Brooke Brady Woods is were people die.I still wanna give it a try."
"I am feeling really weird about this." Elise cried out, but Alana and Mylah continued."I still wanna give it a try."
"I agree, we should stop."  Alana tried to say quick enough so Mylah would not finish, but she did."I still wanna give it a try." Mylah let out a breathe she had been holding in; a breathe from the fear that had secretly built up inside.  "Wow I think it worked."  Mylah said as she fell upon Alana, which created a chain reaction to Alana, then to Elise.  They passed out upon each other in a circle.  The sun had set. 

Frankenstein's Creation

Mary Shelley is the author of Frankenstein, and what I haven't noticed before is that Frankenstein was written by a women.  This was during the gothic and romantic period, where ghouls and ghosts were all the rage.  Frankenstein is about a man who is brought to life with a spark of electricity.  What is interesting is the origin of this idea.

Mary Shelley was born and 10 days later her mother died due to complications in child birth.  Growing up with out a mother was difficult, but having her first 3 children die is truly heart breaking.  This kept Shelley thinking about life that brings death and death that brings life.  It is a deep concept, but she was trying to see if there were some other creative ways that it would be cool to bring life.  Thus Frankenstein was created as result of one of her day dreaming fantasies.

Frankenstein is foreign book -as in not originally written in english- and therefore we are reading it in my 10th grade english class.  The whole theme this year is books from another place abroad.  What is fascinating is for the longest time until about a year ago I thought Frankenstein was a non fiction story.

First Baptist Church

They told me if I accept Christ then they would accept me.  This made me content because I knew my baptism was considered an official acceptance of Christ.  I do understand that it also means deep within me I need to accept Christ, and I do.

I asked my friend Josh if I could go visit his church.  I like to explore different churches to see what kind of lifestyle I like.  I felt like I could really relate with the people of this church, however this might be because I found another diabetic and Josh.

Like other churches there were lots of activities to choose from, and I might go to one this week.  Another similarity, is that here they liked to sing, sit, pray, and sing some more.  I love to join in on songs and they make it so easy because the lyrics are projected on the screen.

I accidentally drank the juice they pass out before they said the prayer; that was embarrassing.  Also, when I was putting my small plastic cup into the circular cup holder I broke my cup.  If that isn't enough awkwardness for you then I just want you to know the pastor was making eye contact with my dad and I almost the whole time.

I really enjoyed my time at the first baptist church.  It was kind of like a prequel to what we had experiences with the second baptist church.  Especially since everyone was so nice I think it would be great to visit again.

Nutritionist Whole Foods Store Tour

I am fortunate to have diabetes, I mean I am fortunate enough to have a nutritionist.  My parents hired a lady from France who in an expert in the field of nutrition to help me out with the foods I eat.  She claims that I need to remove dairy from my diet and go vegan.  Personally, I like the sound of that, so I take what she says into consideration.  I have been having almond milk, and less meat since we last met about a month ago.  Today, she decided to walk me around the store and tell me about what was good for me, and what is bad.  I obviously took lots of notes, and decided to write a blog post about it so I would be able to remember the information   It's not like my dad had to tell me to do it, and then yell at me about it.  What? 

One thing should be noted: get the foods in season.  Low sugar fruits and veggies are not only good for diabetics, but also for everyone who claims to have a liver.  These foods include berries during the summer, and apples, and pears all year round.  Cantaloupe and honeydew are not healthy for people because they are dense in sugar.  What strikes me as odd is that watermelon is better, because for me its so sweet, but really it has less sugar.

Having liver or kidney flavor is one of the worst diseases to obtain.  If your at risk and you need antioxidants to flush out your system then their is more than enough food for yourself.  Vitamin C helps flush toxins.  This includes bell peppers which are sweet enough to eat alone with a little bit of hummus.  Vitamin A, C, and Selim are all nutrients found in orange and red fruits and veggies.  Kale, cabbage, and broccoli are known to be the anti-cancer pill. Tomatoes are better to get in the summer because they get their nutrients from the sun so right now during the winter tomatoes have no nutritional value.   These foods are the right choice for helping detoxicate the liver.  

Asparagus might seem complicated because of its name but really you can just through them in some boiling water and pull them out in just 20 minutes.  It is kinda like rice leave it alone and it will do its own thing and turn out well.  

Wild rice was the recommendation from the nutritionist instead of white rice because it is high in fiber and low in sugar.  What I sought to be interesting was that the nutritionist told me to have foods that were frozen like edamme and green beans. The reason for this is that we can eat them in moderation and they won't go bad.  I was looking at a lot of fine prints today and deciding what was a fake food and what actually had substance to it.

Herbs are not only used to flavor foods, but it is suggested that parsley soup be eaten at least once a week.  Another fun fact is that roasted nuts are different then raw nuts in that raw nuts are the healthier option.  Quino is a small grain and it is good to add to rice because it adds a boost of fiber.

In order to successful retain all the nutrition possible it is better to cut beets as soon as you get home.  Celery is good for dip and actually celery burns calories instead of gaining, that is until you start eating it with some hummus.  Fennel good for stews and although it contains no sugar in makes the soup sweeter.  All roots are rich for antioxidants, therefore they are better for detoxicating the body.

There are alternatives to regular dairy.  Dairy makes people bloated, and it has dextrose which causes puffiness.  Water is stored in the cells exponentially well when there is dextrose in the blood.  Hemp and soy milk and both good alternatives to regular dairy.

There are several difference names for sugar.  Almost like the companies are trying to fool use with words like cane additive, dextrose, and fructose.

What I thought was interesting was that food in cans in more toxic and therefore it is better to get foods that are in a carton.  I heard about plastic water bottles being toxic from reuse and that is why people are starting to switch to metal water bottles.

I really enjoyed reading the labels, looking at prices, and trying new healthier foods.  I am looking forward to the recipes she is going to send me, and I will be sure to write an updated blog post about how everything is going a few weeks from today :)

Egg-Tastic

Going out to eat is always a good time, however it isn't all about the food as it is connecting with old friends, or even making new friends.  You see everyone is a friend until you meet them. When you meet them that is when they can turn into an enemy.  Anyone that is rude I try to distant myself, and this includes sitting on the complete opposite side of the table.(however this has never been the case)  Sure, we hang out, but you ask if we are friends and I will say no.  There aren't many people I hate, but really I try to talk to them even if they hate me, because if you see that the other person is holding nothing against you it is easier to be friends again.

Today my dad took me out to eat with his friends, because I don't have any.  The fun thing about brunch is that there is no need for lunch, just a little snack midday a few hours before dinner.  I met a lot of people and if they make me laugh oh, 100 points to Grifindor, well in this case to who ever cracked the joke.

<3 :) Drali

Maybe Even Dangerous...

Sometime you are faced with a risky situation.  Something that could get you in trouble, however you do it anyways.  It might even be dangerous, but you still go through with it.  I still go through with it.  We all do.

The more stupid and reckless behavior is carried out by the young and naive.  I feel like sometime I fit in that category, and other times I able to break away.  However, what is the point of breaking away if you really do enjoy the thrill.  Say you don't do much on a daily basis, so popping pills is your daily getaway.  Of course, I do not speak for myself when I say that.  I feel like I understand the risk, the effects, and therefore I STAY AWAY.  So many, too many, people get hooked.  They get addicted, and there is no way out.  You see abstinence isn't just meant for sex.  If I had to choose between life or death I would want to live to see the thrill of life.  I don't need to do anything to make me feel like a risk taker, because my life is already full of chances.  I like to call them opportunities taken, because unlike someone who makes an artificial risk appear; I take mine raw.  Perhaps, raw or naked is not the right word to describe a natural risk.

There are so many risky scenarios that teens fall into.  I myself haven't fallen into anything thing… anything too deep that is.  I know I have to know my limits, I understand that an overdose of excitement could lead to death, and if you think I am referring to drugs then you don't know me too well.  You need to work on that, cause' you are a little too shabby.

If you are alluding to something be sure not to make me that stereotypical teenager.

The stereotypical teenager that drinks, gets high, and parties every weekend.

I can only dream of a getaway.  Not live one.

Blogging

90 posts, 1152 page views, and … one follower.  I am not complaining because I never want anyone to actually read my blog posts.  However, I'd like to think this wouldn't be the case with my youtube videos if I didn't beg people to subscribe to me.  The way I do it now is sort of trashy, but it works.  I like to watch their video and then tell them what I liked about their video.  When they reply to me, I go to private message them and ask them to follow me.  I try to comment on their videos when they post, so that I seem like a loyal subscriber.  It seems so bad that I do this especially since I believe in the saying, "treat others how you wish to be treated", and this is defiantly not how I want to be treated.  Let's see where my youtube lifestyle will take me xD

Being Truthful

Being truthful always gets you places.  You never stay in the same spot, unless your in a situation with another person who honestly wants nothing to do with you.  If you were to tell someone that you liked them your position in relationship won't suddenly boost up into a dating mode.  Sometimes, you get left in the dust and you have to deal with it because there is nothing you can do for someone that wants nothing to do with you.

However the other side of this could be that they don't want to hurt you, or they don't want to get you into trouble.  This situation arises when you lie to your parents, but they don't punish you because they have had just about enough as well.

I don't know what I would do with someone in love with me, or with my child.  What I do know is that I wouldn't tell them not to talk to me, and I would never ignore them.

Analysis v. Critical Thinking

The other night at dinner, my dad and I were talking about the skills that I need to improve.  I came up with the need to memorize information, and he said this was not enough.  I thought a little more, and came to the conclusion I needed to work on my analysis and critical thinking.  We were arguing about whether or not it was the same thing.  I thought they were different things, so I decided to look up the meanings and write a blog about it.

My original thought was that analysis was the deeper meaning within the text, meanwhile critical thinking was the deeper thinking making connections from outside of the text.  However, I am proved wrong withen this blog post.

Analysis is the process of dividing big things into individual constituents.  This is the breaking down, and examining of what the meaning is.  Meanwhile, critical thinking is the way of deciding what information is true or false.  Critical thinking involves coming up with a reasoned conclusion based on a reasoned process.

Both critical thinking and analysis are processes to help you understand the material.  They are both ways to break the information down to see if it logically makes sense.  Analysis is more of the thinking side of things, meanwhile critical thinking is more of the part where you come up with a conclusion.

COT Essay about Womens Rights in China

From the 800 to 1750AD the Chinese began to have less rights and privileges, however they were always viewed as man’s companion and nothing more than that, and they were very cultural orientated.

In 800AD all women were viewed as man’s companion.  The men took charge, and hunted the food.  Meanwhile, the women tended the home, and maintained the garden.  Women had a big role in society just like the men did, but they were not as prized as the men were.    In the 1200AD women were still very culturally orientated, they were religious, and fital piety began.  Elder women were respected with fital piety, and women were not mistreated, but they were not at the top of the social ladder.  Empress Wu helped with the women movement of importance, however that did not leave a huge impact.  In 1750AD Chinese women began to have even less of a role because of the Enlightenment period.  Foot binding because a popular activity for women, because it provided that their feet stayed small: this was attractive.  It was very rare to see a female owning a shop or company.  The rare case would be in a situation where she was a widow.  Women did not have many rights and they were viewed as man’s companion.

From 800-1750AD the Chinese were having less rights and privileges, however they were always viewed as man’s companion, and they were very culturally orientated.

Baking Fish

It's not that is was bad.  It was just really fishy, not crusty, tasted raw, and it gave sword fish a bad name.  Using an Ideal Protien book that my mom had purchased for my dad to better himself in his eating habits turned for the worst.  I have been picking out recipes from this book and everything seems to be oven baked, when usually it isn't cooked that way.  It's not that it is bad, however it certainty is not appetizing.  I am not looking for anything to fatty, but is a little bit of crust like what you get from frying fish to much to ask for.  I really hate going to pick up the fish at the market, but that smell is not supposed to linger all the way to the dinner plate.  Since it was lacking that brown crust the fish tasted raw and unfamiliar in my mouth.  I didn't know how my feeling were toward sword fish at first, but this certainty changed my opinion.  I shared this with my dad who also had to suffer, and he explained to me that sword fish does not usually taste this foul, because they aren't usually baked.  When I said my New Years Resolution was to bake this is not what I had in mind.  However, how bad could this have really turned out is the real question.  Sure, some parts were too done, and others were under done, but there were those parts that were perfection.  I am not saying the sauce didn't help because it did.

The Walnut Basil sauce I had prepared to accompany the sword fish was magnificent.  I really liked the way it tasted, because it had the basil kick with the walnut chunks.  This defiantly helped with every swallow of the sword fish.  At first my dad and I barely took any because we were unsure of how it would taste.  Later, we were taking it by the spoonful, so we could finish up our sword fish steaks.  It was very neat to try out baking fish, but I doubt I will do it again.  However, don't let me discourage you from baking fish, because I probably did something wrong along the way.  Does this make my whole article invalid?  No!  I followed the recipe, and its Ideal Protein you should blame.  I also listed clearly what the effects of cooking sword fish were, so don't think that this post is trash like the others. ;)

Circles, Ellipses, Parabolas OH MY!

I know this is another education-orientated post, but what else am I supposed to blog about?  Boys?  My dad reads this, so please.

Not only are we back from break, but we are also starting a new unit.  I was happy that I spent the time to prepare for the upcoming topics, because I was totally ready for the new lessons despite the new seat changes we also got.  In math class we talked about circles, ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas, basically we talked about conics.  We did a brief overview today about what they were all about, so it was interesting.

I already know that an ellipse is an oval shape, circle is a shape, a parabola is half a ellipses/circle, and a hyper bola is 2 half ellipses/circles.  We dealed with identification of these different shapes.  I know how to tell the difference between an ellipse and a circle if we simply look at the sides in relationship to the radius.  The ellipse has 2/4 that would match and the circle will have 2/4 that would match.  Identifying a parabola is easy since only one side of the equation is squared.  Finally the hyperbola, how would you identify it?

Memorizing and Changing an Accent

Memorization and losing an accent in a language go hand in hand.  I studied both of these skills today, because I want to get better at my free recall, and I also want to improve my spanish.  I think that I am capable of improving not only my vocabulary, but also the pronunciation of words in spanish.  I feel especially confident in me being able to improve my memory, despite my brain age being 25.

On my day off due to wind chills below freezing, I took a test online to see how old my brain was and I was 25.  I immediately thought this was an old age, however now that I think about it could be a good thing.  The website said if it is older then your current age, then it is a problem.  However, I am probably younger then most of the ADULTS taking this quiz.  Maybe I am not so bad off after all. Free recall is constant quizzes to help remember the information.  By doing this you can retrieve the information without a cue. Free recall is when you can remember something off the top of your head without a cue.  Cued recall is, you guessed it, like free recall however triggered with a cue.

There are three steps to the information going into your memory.  The information is introduced and that is called information input.  It is then remembered by using several different techniques and this is called retaining information.  Finally, is one of the hardest steps for me which is retrieving the information.  The retrieving of the information could be free or cued recall.

Speed reading is a skill that helps with memory.  Speed reading consists with decrease sub-vocalization, schematic processing, and meta reading.  Sub-vocalization is the process of reading the information out loud, schematic processing is when you associate it with something else really rapidly, and meta reading is when you can scan chunks and find out what is important.

Some good strategies are summarizing information for written exams.  Taking cornel notes which consists of writing questions within the notes you take.  Doing a self explanation and having elaborate interrogation.  Another great tip is to practice test your self.

Some basic tips are reading when your alert and attentive, separate the information for trivial, pause every now and then, take notes, and remember that learning comes from mistakes.

Learning a language is similar to a great memory.  A lot of it is derived from practice, practice, PRACTICE!  It seems like the information of talking to your self, thinking about it, taking notes as you watch something, and some other memory tips also apply to learning a language, or learning any subject really.

Remember To Study (About Studying and Memorization)

Getting better at having discipline is my New Years Resolution, however I need to also get better at other skills.  I have been working on memory, studying, discipline, critical thinking, and test taking.  I found some similarities and differences that I want to share with you in the process to get better at studying and having a stronger memory.

Studying sometimes doesn't have to be done alone.  They suggest study groups of few people who really care about getting good grades.  They don't suggest re-reading the material, and they day that underlining/highlighting the information is not the key to success.  This surprised me because it is what I do most when I study.  They also said that using mnemonics for everything try to relate information.  

When you are memorizing a piece of information start early.  One of the key tips was to not cram, to practice, and to try to make it into a daily routine.  They said that chunking was an effective method.   To chunk you have to take and break down what you need to memorize into groups.  An example would be a long list of numbers that you break down into 3 or 5.  The other process they mentioned was the method of loci which is when you think about something you do everyday and relate it to what you need to learn.  If you need to memorize the order of the Chinese dynasties, and every day when you come home you see a quirky house where the cat lady lives, then a hallow house in which no one live, then a silver house where you live then it would be easy to memorize Qin, Han, and Sui as the first three dynasties in China.

What I found interesting was that both for studying and having good memory you need to make sure you focus on the material given at hand.  Another thing is that they both suggest just letting the mind wander and think of different scenarios.  They said that this was effective so that later you could recall the information for when your taking a test.  Goal and motivation were also a big key.  You actually have to care about the information that is being given to you so that it will be memorized and learned effectively.  They described various types of memory, then they described learning styles such as visual, aural, reading, and kinesthetic.  Both mentioned that breaks were key in retaining the information quickly and efficiently.  Relating the information to what you already know can be important and very helpful in remembering the information for weeks and weeks.

Memorizing and studying have similar ways to study.  This is obvious to me because studying sometimes involves memorizing.  I noticed that memorizing in this and several articles I read is sometimes meant to be learning.  They constantly mention connections and that isn't something one tends to do when memorizing.

Religions I Tried Out

Christmas time was rolling around and my freshman math teacher offered students the opportunity to help rebuild a fence for the baseball field.  In return she offered math extra credit and community service hours.  I was excited not only to raise my grade, but also to help out the community on a Saturday morning.  Fortunately, waking up early was not an issue for me.  When I got there everyone was being addressed as brother or sister, because most people were from the same mormon church.  I really enjoyed seeing how everyone was helping out each other and I wanted to go to church to find that same connection between people.  I am on a search for the best church and the one I enjoy most, so far I have visited a mormon, presbyterian, and a pentecostal church.  They are all branched from Christian church, and they hold slight differences that make them unique.

I went to the mormon church and the missionary of the church, Sister Belle, came up to talk to us at the end of the service.  She wrote down my phone number and address and said she wanted to come visit me sometime to talk more about the church.  She convinced me to go to Sunday School where I was around kids a year younger than me.  They were talking about leadership and they kept referencing the Book Of Mormon.  I was not familiar with this book, but I later realized its a continuation of the Bible and it is about the 3rd coming of Jesus.  Like all the churches, everyone was really nice and they were happy that we attended.  I didn't feel it was the perfect fit for me, but I do want to visit it again.

The next church I tried out was the presbyterian church.  Luckily, my dad had friends that went to this church and they were very friendly.  We even got to go to their house for lunch after the service.  This church was different because the Sunday School was right before the service.  I walked into a classroom that was much bigger, but that was probably because we were in a middle school.  I walked in and we were talking about the Galatians and how their were fake gospels that we shouldn't listen too.  What I found amusing was that they were calling the Book of Mormon a fake gospel and I went there just last week.  After Sunday School, I met up with my dad and the service was almost just like the mormon church.  A lot of preaching and verses from the bible.  However, at this church I noticed a lot more singing which made it fun.  I really liked being with such a nice community, everyone came to greet us, and I really do want to visit again.

2 weeks ago, I visited my first Pentecostal church.  My friend Anai is spanish and she goes to that church, so I told her I wanted to check it out.  It was really different, but everyone was super nice.  We got lots of handshakes and smiles.  The whole service was in spanish, and everyone looked latino, so my dad and I really stood out.  We stood out so much that we were asked twice if we wanted a translator: Both times we answered no.  The preachers seemed to be yelling, but really it was just full of passion. I also noticed there were lots of songs sung here too.  I guess a church is not a church without songs.  I really liked this church, but I barely understood anything.  I want to be able to relate more than just the brief points.  I don't want to visit this church again, but one day I would like to accompany Anai again.

Every time I visit a new church I feel like a stranger.  This is why I prefer to go with a group of people that I know, or even just a single friend.  I feel like I can connect a lot better and understand how they do things if I am with someone that I know.  I feel so sad when I can't understand something, or if the person next to my attempts to talk to me and I can't understand them.  I want to go to a church that fits me, and its kinda funny to think that the community service project my math teacher started got me hooked on religions.

Tis' The Season

No, I was not kissed under a toe just the ratchet one in my mind was hanging.  Other than that, my Christmas was spectacular.  My mom had decorated the tree with my help one day that dad had gone out of town.  However, that didn’t make Christmas any less special.  This year I thought would be the worst with three F’s (two I was able to bring up before break ended) and I thought I would not get anything.  However, I got just what I wanted.  A smiling happy family for one night, a GoPro, new Uggs, and a Vera Bradley traveling bag.  Almost like my mom knew me too well, because the day after my dad and I were leaving for a ski trip in Colorado.  Sometime I imagine if we had a bigger family or more friends that Christmas would be more exciting.  It is so much easier to cherish the little moments.  I really believe Christmas time is a family bonding experience.