I have had intense colds the last few weeks. My mom suggests that it is because of my late nights, but I always retort that I need to stay up late. Why? you might ask. Well, I have copious amounts of homework. I could probably share my homework with all the children on my street and still have enough to satisfy me. And when I have lots of homework, I need to stay up late because I don't just want to go home from school, have dinner, and do homework for three more hours. I also need to stay awake to read and talk to my sister and watch some TV and have a tiny social life with my family. Sometimes I get really stressed when I think about what my life will be: All I do is school, then homework, only to be followed by college in a year, more homework, then a job just so I can pay for vacations, and then years down the road, after working to save money for retirement, I'll have some earnings (hopefully) for a vacation, but I'll be too worked out and arthritis-filled to really enjoy said vacations. And then I'll die. Sometimes my mind just goes in circles with this pattern, hoping to find a way out, but we have to live.
Anyway, all that to say that I stay up late to do homework and have free time, then I get sick because I stay up late, which makes me miss school to recover and use far too many tissues, which means I have to stay up late again to remake work that I missed when I stayed home because I stayed up late, which made me sick.
Life is one uphill climb, let me tell you, and I am so excited for summer I could scream. And I know I love school and I love the learning so much, but it takes a toll anymore on a person.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
My Month of Special Significance
My month of special significance would need to be March. Besides the fact that I was born in March (on the 15th, the "Ides of March", the day that Ceasar was knifed...), I enjoy March because of the weather. March weather is so exhilarating! I love snow, and I love rain. March seems to be a wild card when it comes to weather. One day its blizzarding ("Like the month of March in the year 19-something or other," my momma always says) and the next it's pouring rain and then it's partly cloudy with a blustering wind followed by a smattering of sunshine with a later touch of snow. Many of my favorite poems of Robert Frost contain snow as a theme, and I associate snow with March.
March is also the month my Aunt Debbie passed away in, which greatly influenced my life and the life of my family when I was in the eighth grade. I've always been a serious person, but there's something about my aunt's death that changed me that year. Maybe it was because I was young and hadn't known anybody that died who was so close, but every March I also feel her passing again.
March is also the last stretch of winter before spring. I like March because we're almost through the cold months, approaching the warm months, but with enough frost and rain left to enjoy. Spring, and rebirth, is right around the corner, but far enough away to give you something to look forward to.
March is also the month my Aunt Debbie passed away in, which greatly influenced my life and the life of my family when I was in the eighth grade. I've always been a serious person, but there's something about my aunt's death that changed me that year. Maybe it was because I was young and hadn't known anybody that died who was so close, but every March I also feel her passing again.
March is also the last stretch of winter before spring. I like March because we're almost through the cold months, approaching the warm months, but with enough frost and rain left to enjoy. Spring, and rebirth, is right around the corner, but far enough away to give you something to look forward to.
If your childhood were packed in a trunk, what would be inside?
1. Ballet shoes and white Keds with sparkly beads on the laces.
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harriet the Spy.
3. My teddy bear, named B.
4. Cherry tree blossoms.
5. Fluffy pillows.
6. Christmas tree ornaments (handmade in preschool) and Christmas lights.
7. My Precious Moments Bible.
8. Notes from my Mommy.
9. Lunch money.
10. Bright colored, plastic bead bracelets. (Handmade.)
11. Peter pan VHS movies.
12. My favorite backpack from kindergarten. (Magenta, L.L. Bean.)
13. The "Welcome Back Daddy" sign Emily and I made when my dad came back from Iraq.
14. Sand from the shores of Chincoteague.
2. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harriet the Spy.
3. My teddy bear, named B.
4. Cherry tree blossoms.
5. Fluffy pillows.
6. Christmas tree ornaments (handmade in preschool) and Christmas lights.
7. My Precious Moments Bible.
8. Notes from my Mommy.
9. Lunch money.
10. Bright colored, plastic bead bracelets. (Handmade.)
11. Peter pan VHS movies.
12. My favorite backpack from kindergarten. (Magenta, L.L. Bean.)
13. The "Welcome Back Daddy" sign Emily and I made when my dad came back from Iraq.
14. Sand from the shores of Chincoteague.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
The Great Gatsby
For Honors English class we've been assigned the book The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgeral, to read. I started it having no idea whatsoever about its subject. I had heard of the book before, but never read it. As I started reading, I got pulled into the story line quickly, wondering what this book was really about.
To be honest, there's plenty of affairs and mistresses and drinking and wild parties at 3:00 a.m. in the morning and bootleggers and mysterious men in pressed 1920's suits and unrequited love, and that being said, it's a good book. I find it quite like a soap opera, where I'm reading the book, and suddenly I burst out into emotion, yelling at a book character for doing something crazy. If I'd have any complaints, it would be that the main character, Nick Carraway, basically just watches his friends and aquaintances sink deeper into the mires of their self made misery. But still, it's a good book.
F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the 1920's beautifully, capturing the angst and unrest and awakening of a nation fresh out of a war and into the roaring twenties. The characters are unique and individual, and if you haven't picked up a copy of the book, I would definitely suggest it! I still have three more chapters to go. I can't wait to keep reading!
To be honest, there's plenty of affairs and mistresses and drinking and wild parties at 3:00 a.m. in the morning and bootleggers and mysterious men in pressed 1920's suits and unrequited love, and that being said, it's a good book. I find it quite like a soap opera, where I'm reading the book, and suddenly I burst out into emotion, yelling at a book character for doing something crazy. If I'd have any complaints, it would be that the main character, Nick Carraway, basically just watches his friends and aquaintances sink deeper into the mires of their self made misery. But still, it's a good book.
F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the 1920's beautifully, capturing the angst and unrest and awakening of a nation fresh out of a war and into the roaring twenties. The characters are unique and individual, and if you haven't picked up a copy of the book, I would definitely suggest it! I still have three more chapters to go. I can't wait to keep reading!
Boy Bands and Concerts
My sister is obsessed with the boy band "One Direction". (I'm serious... OBSESSED.) She sings their songs all day, makes jokes that you'd only understand if you are familiar with the boy band members: Niall, Zayn, Louis, Harry, and Liam, and she has their posters plastered all over her room. To be fair, I have 2 posters of them in my room, but that might be because I think they're cute. (And they're British, so, they've got accents. Not that that determines one's self worth, but it sure helps capture the attention of American teenage girls.)
Whenever my sister runs through the house screaming about One Direction, their tour, the last shirt color they wore, my dad rolls his eyes and walks away. But even worse is the fact that my dad actually has been humming the lyrics to their songs because Emily plays them so much.)
I remember boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. I wasn't that crazy about them then because I was younger, but I still remember the general craziness attached to hearing their songs and seeing their faces on TV or on posters. But it never ceases to bring a smile to my face when Emily comments on her British boy band One Direction. She really loves them.
Which brings me to the fact that, in twelve months, I'll be at the Hershey Giant Center watching One Direction perform at a concert, my crazy screaming sister beside me losing her mind, surrounded by thousands of other fans screaming their heads off and losing their minds, while I stand their with my ear plugs securely in place, dreading being mobbed by a bunch of fan girls. It's going to be quite a night, I'm sure.
Whenever my sister runs through the house screaming about One Direction, their tour, the last shirt color they wore, my dad rolls his eyes and walks away. But even worse is the fact that my dad actually has been humming the lyrics to their songs because Emily plays them so much.)
I remember boy bands like the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. I wasn't that crazy about them then because I was younger, but I still remember the general craziness attached to hearing their songs and seeing their faces on TV or on posters. But it never ceases to bring a smile to my face when Emily comments on her British boy band One Direction. She really loves them.
Which brings me to the fact that, in twelve months, I'll be at the Hershey Giant Center watching One Direction perform at a concert, my crazy screaming sister beside me losing her mind, surrounded by thousands of other fans screaming their heads off and losing their minds, while I stand their with my ear plugs securely in place, dreading being mobbed by a bunch of fan girls. It's going to be quite a night, I'm sure.
My Favorite Things
Here is a list of some of my favorite things. (And for your information, I wrote this listening to the Sound of Music song on favorite things):
1. Large sweaters (particularly my mom's large sweaters from the 80's that my dad gave her)
2. Brand new school spiral notebooks (they make me want to write and fill the pages!)
3. Prescriptionless glasses (bought at Walmart, these are nice accessories and they make me feel smarter when I do my homework wearing them)
4. Luden's cherry cough drops (fabulous for a cough or scratchy throat, or just as a sweet treat, honestly)
5. Having conversations with my sister using only our eyes (we know what we both mean just by looking at each other)
6. Reading by candlelight (there is just something so beautiful about reading how others read in the past, before so much electricity and technology)
7. Coming home from school to find my cat Fred in the same place I left him (he's so lazy and sleepy and lovable)
8. Fresh, sweet berries with sugar sprinkled on them (they remind me of summer!)
9. Buying used books and finding underlined and highlighted passages in them (it tells you about their previous owners!)
10. Walking into school in the morning, feeling sluggish, melancholy, and craving coffee, and then seeing the lovely smiles of my best friends (they are God's greatest gifts!)
1. Large sweaters (particularly my mom's large sweaters from the 80's that my dad gave her)
2. Brand new school spiral notebooks (they make me want to write and fill the pages!)
3. Prescriptionless glasses (bought at Walmart, these are nice accessories and they make me feel smarter when I do my homework wearing them)
4. Luden's cherry cough drops (fabulous for a cough or scratchy throat, or just as a sweet treat, honestly)
5. Having conversations with my sister using only our eyes (we know what we both mean just by looking at each other)
6. Reading by candlelight (there is just something so beautiful about reading how others read in the past, before so much electricity and technology)
7. Coming home from school to find my cat Fred in the same place I left him (he's so lazy and sleepy and lovable)
8. Fresh, sweet berries with sugar sprinkled on them (they remind me of summer!)
9. Buying used books and finding underlined and highlighted passages in them (it tells you about their previous owners!)
10. Walking into school in the morning, feeling sluggish, melancholy, and craving coffee, and then seeing the lovely smiles of my best friends (they are God's greatest gifts!)
Choosing an Author
This past week my English teacher told us we could pick any author, American, for our novel unit papers. The first paper is a biography of the author, the second is a summary and literary analysis of one of the author's books, and the third paper is a brief summary of what was going on in America during the author's life that would have influenced their work.
Okay, 1) I like many American authors and 2) It's difficult to pick just one author for pleasure reading alone, much less a graded paper, and 3) Some of the authors I like might not be very good for writing a paper on.
I thought about this as I held different books in my hands at the library. We need three sources, at least, for the papers, and so I looked down at the various books in my hand, trying to decide, officially, what author to write on. My dad was standing beside me. Our conversation went as follows:
"Nice, Abby, Hemingway, huh?"
"Yup, although do you think my teacher will mind the whole suicide thing?"
"Nah, it was part of his life."
"Good, because one of my other choices is Sylvia Plath, and she also committed suicide."
"Ah, okay, Abby. And is that a book on Edgar Allan Poe? Wasn't he a bit creepy?"
"Yeah, you know... ravens and hearts under floorboards, and swinging pendulums of death."
"What's the other author, Abby?"
"Twain."
"That's not so bad."
"Well, two of his children died, and he sunk into a depression he never quite recovered from, and he found one of his daughters dead in their family bathtub."
My dad scratched his head. "This isn't looking too good."
I ended up choosing Sylvia Plath. We haven't really talked about her peotry, or her book, The Bell Jar, in class, maybe because of her sad story and depression, but I think writing about her life will help me understand her work more. And even though she isn't my favorite author (my favorite authors are British and Chilean), I'm excited for this report.
Okay, 1) I like many American authors and 2) It's difficult to pick just one author for pleasure reading alone, much less a graded paper, and 3) Some of the authors I like might not be very good for writing a paper on.
I thought about this as I held different books in my hands at the library. We need three sources, at least, for the papers, and so I looked down at the various books in my hand, trying to decide, officially, what author to write on. My dad was standing beside me. Our conversation went as follows:
"Nice, Abby, Hemingway, huh?"
"Yup, although do you think my teacher will mind the whole suicide thing?"
"Nah, it was part of his life."
"Good, because one of my other choices is Sylvia Plath, and she also committed suicide."
"Ah, okay, Abby. And is that a book on Edgar Allan Poe? Wasn't he a bit creepy?"
"Yeah, you know... ravens and hearts under floorboards, and swinging pendulums of death."
"What's the other author, Abby?"
"Twain."
"That's not so bad."
"Well, two of his children died, and he sunk into a depression he never quite recovered from, and he found one of his daughters dead in their family bathtub."
My dad scratched his head. "This isn't looking too good."
I ended up choosing Sylvia Plath. We haven't really talked about her peotry, or her book, The Bell Jar, in class, maybe because of her sad story and depression, but I think writing about her life will help me understand her work more. And even though she isn't my favorite author (my favorite authors are British and Chilean), I'm excited for this report.
Chopped
So if you watch the Food Network Channel, you might've seen the show "Chopped". I love this show so much. During each episode, four cooks face off to make 3 courses: an entree, a main course, and a dessert. The thing is, though, they must use four specified ingredients from a black basket for each course. These ingredients are crazy and weird and often throw the contestants for a loop. (For example, the ingredients they have to use in one dish could be oysters, cottage cheese, green tea, and brussel sprouts.) And the contestants only have 20 to 30 minutes to prepare each full course! It's crazy!
I love watching this show with my family. We get really intense, guessing and betting on which cook will win, crowding around our small TV in our kitchen and watching with baited breath. Sometimes my dad leaves the room, saying, "I can't take this pressure, guys, my heart's starting to hurt!"
Then the judges eat the food, judge the contestants, and each round one cook is eliminated until the dessert round, when one wins! I just love this show, because, as weird as it sounds, it's fun watching it with my family, and I get some interesting cooking tips. I never cook, to be honest, and maybe I also just watch the show because I hope all of the cooking genius flowing around the TV screen will be absorbed into my brain by some magic process of osmosis.
And, you know, I love food, too.
I love watching this show with my family. We get really intense, guessing and betting on which cook will win, crowding around our small TV in our kitchen and watching with baited breath. Sometimes my dad leaves the room, saying, "I can't take this pressure, guys, my heart's starting to hurt!"
Then the judges eat the food, judge the contestants, and each round one cook is eliminated until the dessert round, when one wins! I just love this show, because, as weird as it sounds, it's fun watching it with my family, and I get some interesting cooking tips. I never cook, to be honest, and maybe I also just watch the show because I hope all of the cooking genius flowing around the TV screen will be absorbed into my brain by some magic process of osmosis.
And, you know, I love food, too.
Pottermore
You might know that I am a huge Harry Potter fan, both of the movies and the books. On April 13th, Pottermore officially opened to the public. Basically, it's an interactive website created by J. K. Rowling to allow Harry Potter fans more insight into the books, fun Potter-inspired games, and a chance to just continue your love of Harry Potter.
Well, I woke up early on the morning of April 13th, happened to check the Pottermore website, and found out that it was open. I signed up, received my entrance email, and in a few minutes I was exploring Pottermore. (This was much more lucky than the people who signed up in the evening, because they had to wait 1 to 2 days to get in due to the crazy amount of people on Pottermore.)
So on Pottermore, all the chapters of the Harry Potter books are laid out online, with lovely art, things to collect, and insight into the books. As you go through the chapters, you get to do things that Harry did in the books. For example, when Harry Potter is 11 years old, he goes to his 1st year at Hogwarts (the first book The Sorcerer's Stone). When you enter Hogwarts, you are sorted, based on your personality and character, into a "house", which acts as your family, your friends, and your common room and dorm room, where you sleep each night. There are four houses: Gryffindor (the brave at heart, impulsive, and those with nerve), Ravenclaw (those of wit, wisdom, and learning), Hufflepuff (just, hard working, and loyal), and Slytherin (the cunning, ambitious, close relationship folk).
So after taking a quiz on Pottermore created by J. K. Rowling herself (this is important, she really understands each house), you are sorted. I got Slytherin! Slytherin?! And that was exactly the house I wanted. (And then I made my family all sign up and take the quiz. Results: My momma got Gryffindor, my sister Hufflepuff, and my father Ravenclaw.) The crazy thing is that the houses we were all sorted into fit our personality perfectly. I'm sounding like a nerd, I know, but I love Harry Potter, and Pottermore!
Well, I woke up early on the morning of April 13th, happened to check the Pottermore website, and found out that it was open. I signed up, received my entrance email, and in a few minutes I was exploring Pottermore. (This was much more lucky than the people who signed up in the evening, because they had to wait 1 to 2 days to get in due to the crazy amount of people on Pottermore.)
So on Pottermore, all the chapters of the Harry Potter books are laid out online, with lovely art, things to collect, and insight into the books. As you go through the chapters, you get to do things that Harry did in the books. For example, when Harry Potter is 11 years old, he goes to his 1st year at Hogwarts (the first book The Sorcerer's Stone). When you enter Hogwarts, you are sorted, based on your personality and character, into a "house", which acts as your family, your friends, and your common room and dorm room, where you sleep each night. There are four houses: Gryffindor (the brave at heart, impulsive, and those with nerve), Ravenclaw (those of wit, wisdom, and learning), Hufflepuff (just, hard working, and loyal), and Slytherin (the cunning, ambitious, close relationship folk).
So after taking a quiz on Pottermore created by J. K. Rowling herself (this is important, she really understands each house), you are sorted. I got Slytherin! Slytherin?! And that was exactly the house I wanted. (And then I made my family all sign up and take the quiz. Results: My momma got Gryffindor, my sister Hufflepuff, and my father Ravenclaw.) The crazy thing is that the houses we were all sorted into fit our personality perfectly. I'm sounding like a nerd, I know, but I love Harry Potter, and Pottermore!
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