Foxed: A Stop-Motion Animation!

Even needs to have some sort of break in their day, and here is a great stop-motion animation called Foxed created by my friends, James Stewart and Nev Bezaire!  What makes this so great is the use of stop-motion which requires a lot of patience and skill.  Every scene is excellently created, and captivating.  It will surely keep you on the edge of your seat!

Even though it is not created with real actors and actresses, it is capable of conveying emotion through sound.  The background music is intense, and the use of dialogue makes for a phenomenal piece of work.  The various camera angles also help convey the emotion, using first person and third person perspectives.

Most videos I watch aren't stop motion, however this style helped contribute to thriller like atmosphere.  Honestly, I rarely find a stop motion animation that I enjoy, and I particularly liked this one because it made my heart jump when Emily couldn't get her mom's attention, and there was someone else... some thing else in her place.

Please check it out here!
https://vimeo.com/138706287

A TEENAGE Novel Written By A TEENAGER?

Growing up I was confused.  Who am I really?  Am I date-able?  What traits would my ideal boyfriend have?  Would I ever find someone who didn’t want to be ‘just friends’?  Boys seemed to fog up my adolescent mind.   I envisioned a day I would marry a man of my dreams, despite the rumors I overheard that I was too unattractive, too forward, and too persistent.  My first adultlike thought was when I was five years old, and I had a desire to be a mommy.  Either this was because of my strong desire to have a sibling, or the unconditional love from my mother inspired me to pursue a similar relationship.  I am not setting up the scene to a teen pregnancy survival story.  Thankfully, and somewhat selfishly, I no longer have the desire to have a child of my own.  I blame the hormones for making my emotions fluctuate at inconvenient times, and for my odd decision making skills. Here I provide you the opportunity to enjoy this unique memoir outlining the high school experience of an average American teenager.

(coming soon :D)

Grab Some Coffee And Judge Me (non formal introduction)

backstory:  I signed up for this Coursera course online and I had to introduce myself.  This is what I whipped up.

Let me hook you right here, right now: I am 16 year old author.  Well... Arrow's Rescue was never published... and I was 8 years old at time, so the book, unfortunately, couldn't make it to the charts.  False advertising? Maybe.  Serious about this class?  Most definitely.  I have always enjoyed writing, and try to update my blog about the activities in my life.  If I was to write a book I would call it The Teenage Chronicles and All the Thing the Hormones Made Us Do.  Also, I have diaries upon diaries full of gossip, rumors, and fairy tales about vicious, and fictitious, boys that have made me feel a certain kind of way.  My diary keeping began in 6th grade, because it was a homework assignment.  Now it seems all the writing I ever do is for a grade, or SAT score out of 12.

Now I am a senior in high school, but not a senior in writing. Sure, ink glides off of my pen, and my fingers click-clack away on the keyboard, but nothing is ever concise enough to give me an A in my Advanced Placement English courses.  I need help so I can do well in my Advanced Placement English Literature course that will commence in the fall of 2015.  Hiring tutors isn't an option for me, so I am trying to utilize Coursera's free resources to make my writing more fluid, and enjoyable.

I need all the help I can get, AND THIS MEANS YOU so please give me all the constructive criticism you can summon (and leave the devil I call bad writing in hell).

GMU V JMU. Is it just one letter different?

I am going to examine the two universities of George Mason and James Madison.  Is it just a few letters that make them different?  Most defiantly not.  First I'll address size, even though JMU holds the longer name, GMU is the larger school.  I don't have a preference for a small versus a larger campus, but I would like to be able to go for a walk and stumble into some people I do know.  If I had to choose I would probably go with a more selective, small class, school.

James Madison felt like they were trying to be a large campus school because they had their campus so spread out.  However, both seemed to have just as many buildings as the other.  I didn't like how they both had classes that were taught lecture style, and how they considered a small classes one that had a group of 30 students, but hey it is what it is.  I would rather have a personal 1 to 1 connection with the professors, like William and Mary.

Both atmospheres seemed safe, and friendly.  Both had your average buffet styled selection, however it felt like JMU had more to offer.  JMU also was more focused on education degree I am looking to obtain than Mason was.

Now socially, James Madison has more of a reputation for being a party school when compared to George Mason.  However, I feel if you look at the right review, or talk to the right people, anyone could convince you any school was a party school.  It truly depends on the people you hang around in college.  I do realize that the schools that are labeled as being party schools may have environments that are harder to get away from.  Anyways, dorm life was... interesting. They didn't suck like Virginia Commonwealth University, but they weren't top notch like W&M, so I would say that I enjoyed them both the same.

James Madison University was definitely a sport orientated school, because they had an enormous stadium.  I asked about the cheer program they had and apparently there are seven different levels which is crazy to think about.  I'm looking forward to cheering for not only football, but for basket ball as well, since at my school basketball doesn't get the cheer team, rather they get the dance team.

If I had to choose William and Mary would be my number one college choice, but James Madison University follows closely because of the fact that although it seems the same as George Mason University, I see that it offers just a teeny bit more.

W+M versus VCU (sounds easy right?)

 

For the Saturday, and Sunday during my Spring Break the Draper family headed to central Virginia to visit both Virginia Commonwealth University, and the College of William and Mary.  I didn't take a single picture at Virginia Commonwealth University, so does that mean that William and Mary is the better school? I don't think that should stand as the deciding factor, even though it is an accurate indicator.

First we stopped in Richmond, actually first stopped an hour before that for lunch at Cracker Barrel, and to fill up the tank with gas.  It's interesting to realize that during most road trips we decide to eat at the all-American comfort food serving Cracker Barrel.  It is also one of my mom's favorite restaurants, and since it was her birthday weekend the choice was hers. 

Virginia Commonwealth University was a very clean, and welcoming campus.  I enjoyed the new buildings that surrounded the polite, academic orientated kids.  We actually had the opportunity to walk into one of the freshman dorms here, and the hallways were tight with a foul smell.  Poor freshman, but at least it was only mandatory for the first year.  The William and Mary dorms were much more spacious, and clean.  Unlike VCU, we got to see a common area at William and Mary where both girls and boys could hang out together.  When I am looking for a college campus, I would prefer to have a common area with bathrooms that are cleaned by the staff instead of by the students.

 The photo above was taken at the William and Mary Sunken Gardens, and we took a few too many pictures here...  However, it was absolute beautiful, and both schools being in Virgina really excite me.  I believe anyone could go anywhere in the state of Virginia, and not have to look far in order to find a good view.  Both campus's had a major gardens, and I really liked how students could use this area to hold activities for either clubs, or intramural sports.  

Both libraries were spectacular.  I actually preferred the Virginia Commonwealth University, to William and Mary, because I felt like there was much more space, and VCU library seemed more developed.  Both facilities had mac workstations with high end editing software which was very thrilling.  When I am in college I see myself making videos, perhaps pursuing the fruits of my you tube channel, and having an editing station to my disposal would be great.

Both schools have cheer teams, and Greek life which are both things I am also looking for.  The Greek life at William and Mary is more developed because they actually have sorority houses on campus.

 The football stadium at William and Mary was absolutely massive.  It seemed bigger than many of the schools that I visited.  I really would love a big football field, because that means a big team, and impressive cheerleaders.  I can't wait until I get to cheer in college, because cheer is something I am truly passionate about.  Although education comes first, and both schools offer a great teaching program, for the educational career I want to go into, it really bums me out that VCU doesn't have a football team.  William and Mary is a beautiful school, and they are part of the NCAA division 1 team.

To wrap up the review on both of these schools let me tell you they both seem challenging to get into.  Virginia Commonwealth University is more of a fall back school if anything, and William and Mary might just be my dream school.  I really can't wait to get into those buffet lines, and attend these schools.  I just have to raise my GPA, and test scores, and maybe my dreams will become reality.

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.