Day #25 If the SATs/grades did not exist, in what way should colleges/teachers evaluate applicants?

I think colleges should base their evaluation of you on your transcript. Tests are terrible for determining skill, honestly. Lots of people, myself included, have terrible test anxiety. I do way better in school because we spend a lot of time learning and reviewing topics. Also, the tests ask you to cram EVERYTHING you know into your brain for three hours and that is completely unreasonable. I'm good at math when i'm in a class, but when you give me a test on a concept, especially one that requires me to recall everything i've ever learned in math, i'm not going to do as well AT ALL. College is going to be like this:  a teacher teaches you something and then you learn it and then you test on it and then you're done with it. That is how highschool works too. Asking a student to regurgitate everything they have learned in all subjects is insanity. It's not accurate. Not only is the student unable to cram everything, but also the anxiety from taking a test can seriously affect how they do. Also the student might do BAD on a  test because they haven't learned everything! Their teachers might not have done a very good job preparing them. ACT/SAT tests are probably the worst way to grade how someone will do in college. Colleges need to know how a students does IN SCHOOL--not on a test!

Day #24 Who makes you laugh the most?

The person who makes me laugh the most? Thats unanimous. My sister Faith Tyler. She is seriously the person who I have laughed the hardest and most often with. Pat of this is because i've known her my whole life--we're not even a year a part. We've grown up together since we were tiny tiny kids, and we're really close. Our personalities are extremely similar, and our sense of humor is almost exactly the same! We think the same things our funny, and we're always messing around! Another reason why I laugh with Faith the most is because we basically laugh at nothing. LITERALLY. The things we laugh at barely deserve to be laughed about, and the majority of the human race would never UNDERSTAND what was so funny! We just love to laugh, so we find excuses to laugh at stuff! Sometimes it's the casual chuckle, and sometimes it's the knee slapping, doubled over, can't make a noise, tears coming out of your eyes kind of laughing--which is my favorite. It's also easier to laugh with someone when you know them well--and you don't care if they see you ugly laughing with tears streaming down your face. But basically, it's because me and her are like, the same mind. We see the same thing and we both laugh at it for some reason. The reason is Telekinesis.

Day #23 Why Do You Think Eyebrows Exist?

Eyebrows exist because they show emotion! Think about it--how many times have you  communicated to someone through your eyebrows?! You raise them when you're questioning something a person has said, you furrow them to let someone know you're mad, you squeeze them together when you're laughing or happy, you lower them when you're sad--You use them to talk to people all the time!  Also, they're a form of beauty. Look at what people look like without their eyebrows! 

THEY LOOK REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And not attractive at all. So basically, eyebrows make you look like a human being. Looking like a human being is naturally something that you would like to occur.

But , i'm no eyebrow expert. So what do all the smart people say about this?

"Scientists aren't entirely sure why we kept this hair, but they have a pretty good guess. We know that eyebrows help keep moisture out of our eyes when we sweat or walk around in the rain. The arch shape diverts the rain or sweat around to the sides of our face, keeping our eyes relatively dry. The most obvious advantage of this is that it lets us see clearly when we're sweating a lot or out in the rain. Without eyebrows, getting around in these conditions is a little more difficult. The shape of your brow itself diverts a certain amount of moisture, but eyebrows make a significant difference in your ability to see. Diverting the sweat away is also good because the salt in sweat irritates the eyes, making them sting a little." 

http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/human-biology/question520.htm

Basically, eyebrows are like little umbrellas for your eyeballs! And they make you not look like an alien! And they help you tell people what you're thinking!

That, my friend, is why they exist. 

So don't get rid of them because you need them to live. 

Day #22 Things you've learned that school won't teach you

I've honestly learned a lot of things that school won't teach me. First of all, I've learned how to write creatively. English class won't teach you how to be creative--that's something you have to learn on you  own. Basically, school doesn't teach a person how to be unique or creative, all of that has to be learned outside of the school building. I learned this by reading and writing on my own time. The ability to create has to be exercised regularly in order to master, and that's something i've done on my own.  School also doesn't teach a person how to take the lead on something. They push you toward that, but they never officially tell you how. I've had to do this multiple times on my own, especially when it comes to dealing with my little sisters. I'm the eldest, so i've had to learn how to become a leader on my own. I've also learned that school IS NOT the most important thing in my life. School DEMANDS that it be your everything, your all. It demands for your time during the day, and even the time you have OFF OF IT (which i think is incredibly stupid--school work should not be done at home. Homework is the single most stupidest thing ever invented. We go to school eight hours a day, therefore, we should not have to go home and spend four more hours working on MORE WORK. If that is what school is for, then they should just have us stay at school from 8 a.m. to 9p.m. because that's how late I get homework done some nights). Your life is way more important. At least it should be. It's about PEOPLE. It's about forming friendships and relationships with people--LIVING. Not school. School doesn't teach you that at all. Also, school doesn't teach you what your purpose is and who you are. That, unfortunately, has to be completely discovered on your own. School really only deals with basic education--stuff you need to be smart when it comes to the BOOKS. It doesn't teach you about LIFE.

Day #21 Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it

So far, my life has been plauged by stress! I honestly expected my senior year to be more layed back and comfortalbe, but it turns out THAT IS NOT THE CASE! In fact, senior year has been more stressfull than anything, surprisingly! First reason: college. College is around the corner. As of now, I still don't know exactly where i'm going next year. I have to decide between WIU for four years, or LLCC for two and then WIU for the last two--IT'S HARD TO DECIDE! SO, currently, that's my issue: WAHT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?! This causes a significant amount of stress on my life, as you might guess. That honestly is my lot in life that I'd rather NOT have. Also, I have regular school to worry about. I only have two hard classes that involve an extensive amount of homework--but i'm not exaggerating when I say EXTENSIVE. Pre calc and Dual Credit English are pretty rough, I'll admit. Math is math, and i'm not the best at it, so I usually have a ton of homework and tests and gunk that I hate. English homework usually comes in five individual pieces that must be completed by the next class period. And lets not forget all the ESSAYS I have to WRITE! So there's THAT. Third reason: JOB. I used to work regularly at a restaurant, but because the restaurant wasn't making enough money, they had to lay off almost all of their workers for a while who were paid hourly and replace them with managers who work for a salary, that way the sales wouldn't be effected. Unfortunately, I was one of those workers. They haven't worked me since october, so It's been a month and I need money. So my parents want me to get a NEW job. So now I have to apply for a bazillion other places, and it was hard enough getting the first job so now everything is bad. Applications take FOREVER TO FILL OUT, TOO!!!! And now for number four. MY SANITY. MY SANITY IS SLIPPING AWAY.

# 20A Day In The Life....

A day in the life of me? I'll give you fair warning--it's not very interesting! I'll go through my average school day. On an average B day I have three classes: Pre-calculus, General P.E., and TV and radio Broadcasting digital media at CACC. Well, I also have a zero hour class called madrigals that I go to in the morning before school, at 7:30. Anyway--so my day.

I wake up in the morning at 6:30, curse the sun for existing,  then stumble around my room trying to get ready. My mornings are pretty hectic--I don't give myself much time. I wake up at 6:30, and I have to be out of the house at 7:20, giving me 10 minutes to get to school and my class that begins at 7:30. Usually, I viciously stuff my breakfast down and have to run out the door to get there in time. 

Once I get to madrigals, we sing. Madrigals is a Christmas choir. During the Christmas season we do concerts and go caroling, and we have a madrigal dinner where we decorate our schools cafeteria and simulate a real medieval Christmas! People come and are served food, and we put on a performance and sing for them. This takes a lot of practice, so the madrigals choir comes in everyday before school to practice our songs. 

After Madrigals, I go straight to the most loathed class I've ever taken in my life: Pre-Calc. I absolutely, positively hate it. I strongly dislike math, and pre-calc is extremely hard! 

I have to survive 80 minutes of pre-calc before I can be free.

My teacher usually lectures and gives notes for most of the class, then gives us homework (that is sometimes impossible to do, so I rarely even get it done at home. I ask her for a lot of help.) 

Right after 80 minutes of pre-calc i go to my favorite class: General P.E.

General P.E is, I swear, the best class to have after pre-calc. By the time I finish pre-calc, my brain is dead, and working out and playing games with friends really is a great way to relieve the stress and to put my brain back in it's normal orbit.  It feels great. As of now, we are playing Ultimate Polo and Soccer. Hilariously, Ultimate Polo is exactly like real polo--but WITHOUT the horses! We play on our feet, and rather than have long wooden sticks like the polo players get, we have these long foam mallets. Also, the ball we play with is larger--It's one of those medium sized plastic bouncy balls you can get at wallmart. The game is then played the exact same way as real polo! We have two goals, and each team tries to use their mallets to hit the ball into the opposing goal. It's insanely fun. And soccer is soccer, as I'm sure you know!

After that, i eat lunch. I get 12 minutes because I have to drive my car to the middle school to catch the bus that takes me to CACC, so I usually have to jam my food down my throat--much like breakfast again, eh?

Then I go to CACC, where I learn how to edit videos, and also where I'm working on my independent project, which is this blog.

Then I get to go HOOOOOOOOOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOHOOOOO!!!!

And when I get home I work on all my homework and then I go to bed and then I wake up and do it all over again. 

My life is boring.

Day #19 Ten things that make you really happy!

This is SOOOOO EASY! This is probably the easiest blog of ALL! Mainly because so many things make me happy! Not even joking!!!!!!!!

Alright, so I'm going to list out the things that make me really happy as I think of them, not in order of happiest to less happiest, just as I think of them!

1) Matt Langston's music. 
Matt Langston is the lead singer of my favorite band, Eleventyseven, and also the lead singer/producer/creator of my favorite Indie pop band The Jellyrox. Basically, anything he writes, I love.   Really, to describe Eleventyseven and The Jellyrox in my own words wouldn't even be close to how amazing I think they are. But I'm going to try! So, Eleventyseven is a punk rock (slightly punk pop) band that  writes insanely funny, deep, and meaningful songs. Emphasis on FUNNY. They parody a lot of things, but they are a legitimate band, and write their own music. They don't take songs already written and make fun of them. They write their own music parodying everyday things! Their songs are ALWAYS loud, fun, upbeat, and pretty much wonderful to dance too. For example, they have a song called Quota that truthfully complains about how hard it is transitioning from college to real life that goes like this: *imagine super fun synth beat*

Working this day job,

Just to get a paycheck,

Rent was due last week,

I haven't paid yet.

Driving this beat up hand-me-down,

That I can't afford to fix if it breaks down.

Living off ramen,

Girls no comment,

If you're feeling me, feel free to chime in,

Praying every night that it don't get worse,

I walked out of college and into a curse.

This phase won't last forever.

I don't wanna live my life just to meet a Quota,

Taking everyone's orders,

Marching around like a corporate soldier.

I wanna live life like everyday is golden,

I'm gonna put my life on a hold up,

I'm gonna take it over, take it over, take it over.

Clocking in right at 8 AM,

Clocking out when I've lost all will to live.

I need to see a shrink but it costs too much,

Never thought a tax return would give me such a rush.

Sick of eating takeout,

Going on blind dates,

Wish I had friends instead I've got roommates.

Should I take another job to make ends meet,

Or should I call my parents and admit defeat.

This phase won't last forever.

I don't wanna live my life just to meet a Quota,

Taking everyone's orders,

Marching around like a corporate soldier.

I wanna live life like everyday is golden,

I'm gonna put my life on a hold up,

I'm gonna take it over, take it over, take it over.

Basically, they are insanely fun. That's really all I can describe them as. Just wonderful and fun. As for The Jellyrox, it's like Eleventy minus the guitar rifts and insert super intense synth beats. The Jellyrox music is sugary, and 80's, and is the perfect thing to play at any dance party you may have in the near future. NO JOKE. The music is perfectly wonderful. Having a bad day? Listen to the Jellyrox. Stepped in a mud puddle? Listen to The Jellyrox. Spilled lunch in your lap? Listen to the Jellyrox. Failed a test? Listen to The Jellyrox. It's the cure for sadness, I swear. Eleventyseven and The Jellyrox seriously make me SO HAPPY. 

2) Laughing. 

Laughing is seriously good for a person. I know this because I looked it up! It is so good for you and your mood, and I love doing it. Having a great laugh with someone brings people close together, and it's just so fun! Being able to enjoy yourself to the point of which you can't control your laughter is the happiest thing ever!

3) My family.
My family really makes me happy. (Most of the time!) We're actually very tightly knitted. Like, we actually TALK to each other. We know one another. I have a relationship with my mom, dad, Faith, Lydia, and Vanessa all separately and collectively. I know I could count on them for anything. We, for the most part, all get along really well, and that makes me so so so sosososososo happy!

4) Reading.
I love to read. Reading is an escape--you can go anywhere at anytime and your mind can be opened to a million different things! And it teaches you. You learn how to communicate, you learn how to write, and all this is done by reading a book. Literally, there is no form of entertainment in this world that can boot reading out of number one, for me.

5) Writing.
Writing basically goes hand in hand with reading. I love writing. I love taking my mind, my thoughts, and transforming them into words! And then, when I read something I've wrote and I think "Wow. That was really good."

6) Acting.
Okay, so I've been a drama queen since I was born. Acting comes naturally to me. I LOVE ACTING. Nothing makes me happier than being on stage and entertaining an audience! I love entertaining people! I love the feeling after a show when everyone on stage and off can say, "That was great. We did awesome with this one!" Acting makes me super happy.

7) Singing. 
I've been singing since I was a little kid, and I seriously have a passion for it. I do Madrigals and jazz choir at my school, and I have a great time. Being able to sing with my friends and share the same love of music is a fantastic thing.

8) Movies.
Movies (the NON-sad kind) make me happy! I LOOOOVE comedies! If you asked me what i wanted to watch, i'd go straight for the funny ones. Watching a funny movie or a funny TV show with my family is truly paradise to me. Being surrounded by loved ones while enjoying a funny story is wonderful.

9) Learning. 
Learning is something that I've always taken on avidly. Being able to learn something new makes me feel accomplished, and gives me great satisfaction. I also love being able to demonstrate what i've learned.

10) People.
Though I said in a previous blog that people are scary, people do make me happy. Maybe i'm just observant, but I know that everyone has a story to tell, and I love meeting new people. There are a ton of people in this world, and being able to meet even  a small amount of them makes me happy.

Day #18 Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.

Public Apology.
For my public apology I'd like to apologize to everyone in the entire world for having to put up with how much I talk. In my opinion, I talk at a normal rate and speed, but, according to everyone else, I am very wrong. According to everyone else but me, I TALK AN AWFUL LOT. I especially hear this from my family, who has to put up with me every single day. I honestly can't tell you how many times I've been told to "slow down"  and/or "shut up"! So to the public: I apologize for speaking at an insane amount and insanely fast, and for interrupting people whenever they try to talk! I can honestly say that when my mind is thinking, I say what I think, no matter who is talking! When i'm thinking about saying something, I can honestly say that I don't hear ANYTHING except for my own thoughts! So i'd like to apologize for THAT! I'd also like to issue a public apology  to everyone who has come to my house and was unaware of the  utter chaos he/she was walking into. MY FAMILY IS CHAOS. I have two younger sisters who fight almost constantly and talk  million  miles a minute and I have a dog who yaps at everything and my house is always a mess. Also, me and my three other sisters have been known to all talk at the exact same time to the exact same person. Like, literally, we all try to have a conversation with the same person at the SAME TIME! That tends to overwhelm people. (My grandma being one of them.) This tends to also make people want to pull their hair out. SOME people are okay with it, my boyfriend being one of those people--but he's known my family for a long time, and he has a big family himself! For people that don't know anything about my family and aren't used to so much excitement, they get a little freaked out. When this happens, I usually just suggest they get over it. We can't change our ways! People just have to learn to adjust. So i'd like to issue a public apology for my constant talking, and my crazy family!

Day #17 What is a book that has been recognized as ‘great literature’ that you dislike? Why?

I am an avid reader. Honestly, I rarely ever read a book that I don't like. I always try to find the best in literature because someone took the time, energy, and imagination to write it, and I respect that. Usually, if i'm not enjoying a book, I stop reading it and I never finish. Books that I have done this to include Brave New World, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Pride and Prejudice, and Wuthering Heights. As you can see, they are all classics. I love classics, which was why I attempted to read all of them. Some of them I quit because I lacked the time (Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights) and some of them i quit because I just didn't "get it". Brave New World is one of these examples. I read 100 pages of Brave New World. The book is only 300 pages long, so I was a third of the way through. And throughout my time reading those 100 pages I  kept thinking: What is going on?! Literally. If you've ever read Brave New World, you know--if you disagree you're lying!--that it is extremely "trippy". So pardon me for a few minutes as I tear it apart. Brave New World makes NO SENSE and has NO PLOT. All the characters are just floating around, doing drugs, giving themselves to other people, being mind controlled, manipulated-- EVERYTHING. They have no real opinion, character or anything that sets them apart from everyone. And when they do (as in John's sake) they are MESSED UP! I honestly can say that Brave New World is the absolute strangest book that I have almost  (as i only read a third of it) ever  read. Everyone in the Brave New World is completely and utterly mind controlled, has no morals, and has little to no opinion on what happens around them. It's also extremely suggestive, which is very surprising considering it's a classic that people are encouraged to read. If I ever encouraged anyone to read Brave New World I would turn pink from embarrassment and drop dead. There is no way I would tell someone to read it. I stopped reading it because I wanted to read LITERATURE! What is also surprising is the large amount of positive reviews I've heard about it. People literally enjoyed the book, and claim that it deserved the praise it got! I do not consider it good literature! It's a book about a bunch of mindless people who basically live constantly in drug trips! How does that teach us anything about life?! But, then again, I also have no idea how classics become classics. How did a book about an man catching one fish (Old Man and the Sea) become famous? How did a book about a fancy man who turns evil and messes up his whole life (The Picture of Dorian Gray) become famous? I honestly don't know (though, I'll admit I liked Dorian Gray). I don't know how a classic becomes a classic. But I do know that A Brave New World should not have been one!

Day #16 What is the absolute hardest thing about staying alive?

I think the hardest thing about staying alive is probably  having to work so  hard to avoid accidentally getting yourself killed everyday.  If you've ever seen the show "A Thousand Ways To Die"  you know that  ANYTHING and EVERYTHING can kill you. Plus, you don't always have control on how you die. Though that is true, you still have to be careful everyday and try to NOT get yourself killed. You have to LOOK before you cross a road so you don't get run over. You have to carry the scissors DOWN. You have to make sure there isn't any water on the floor by your feet when you open an oven. You have to make sure you're watching your hands when you wash the knives after supper. You have to make sure you stay away from sharp things. You have to make sure you don't accidentally drink draino or windex. You have to make sure you don't slam your car into a tree.  You have to make sure you don't die EVERYDAY. And sometimes, it can be exhausting! I mean, wouldn't life be so much easier if we just HIRED people to make sure we don't die? They could look before we cross the road. They could wash the knives. They would dry the floors before we open ovens. They could check stuff before we eat it so it doesn't melt our insides. I mean, that would solve SO MANY PROBLEMS, RIGHT?! It's so difficult to pay attention for our own well-being! Why should we have to work so hard to stay alive? Why should we be so cautious? I don't know about you, but as soon as maids start doubling as "Keep you from dying" assistants, i'm hiring one! I don't WANT to die, and I don't want to deal with the stress of having to make sure that I DON'T!

So, if anyone wants to volunteer as my "Keep you from dying" assistant, I would appreciate it.


Just Kidding.

In all honesty, now, the hardest thing about staying alive is food. You know when you come home from school and look in your pantry and you can't find anything good to eat and you're afraid you're going to starve to death because you don't like nachos or cheetos or pudding or candy or ice-cream? Yeah. Thats the hardest part about staying alive. Finding good food to eat so you don't starve.........until supper time.

Day #15 If one TV show could be real, which one would you want it to be? Which one would mess up our world?

So my most favorite show in the entire world is Supernatural. It's a mystery/thriller/ adventure/ sci-fi/paranormal/horror/ EVERYTHING and it's awesome. I've seen all 8 seasons (season 9 is playing on TV right now) and it is literally one of the most addicting things i've ever seen in my life. The characters are gripping, cleaver, hilarious, brave, and adventurous and I'm basically in love with them. So in the start of the show the main characters are named Sam and Dean Winchester and they're basically these two brothers who go around the United States stopping paranormal forces, saving people, and preventing the apocalypse. Yes, i know, it sounds pretty stereotypical, but I'm going to tell you in all honesty: IT IS SO GOOD. In fact, I challenge anyone and everyone to give it a shot. It is seriously entertaining. I especially recommend it to those who enjoy scary/horror movies and TV shows and/or movies that have extremely developed plots. Supernatural is like a horror/thriller movie with every episode. What does this mean? This means that with every episode you are literally on the edge of your seat. The wonderful thing about the show is that it also mixes a ton of comedy in, too. What could be more perfect?! The show has  thrill, excitement, adventure, and comedy thrown in!  Also, the characters, like i mentioned, are really great. They're gripping, and they have weaknesses--they're not perfect. Almost always everything goes wrong for them, but they overcome their obstacles through struggle. It keeps viewers attention. Another notable thing about the show is the fact that characters come and go. For example, in the fourth season the character Castiel was added to the show. Cass is literally a great addition and adds much of the comedy. Also, the show changes as it goes, and each season has it's own new plot.

I would like it if this show would be real so I could meet my favorite characters.  Also, it would be nice to call in Sam, Dean, and Cass in whenever something weird happened. (for example, everytime you heard footsteps in the next room....and you were the only one in the house...) AND  The world would definitely  be safer in that respect. But basically, those are the  ONLY reasons. If this TV show was real, our world would be totally messed up BAD.

I mean, in Supernatural, demons and ghosts and witches and all sorts of other crazy crap is happening all the time, threatening people, and the apocalypse almost happens. Pretty sure that is NOT good for our world. If all of this stuff became true, things would be REALLY REALLY BAD.  Plus, Sam and Dean don't always have the chance to save everybody. People die, and they can't do anything about it. So they might not help as much as i wish they could if they were real. Because of this, I definitely don't want Supernatural to be real because if you have to call Sam and Dean in to solve your problems, someone is going to die....and it could be you.

Day #14 Your bucket list is limited to three items.

A bucket list is, to my knowledge, a list of things that you have to do before you die. In fact, a very notable movie i've seen (starring Morgan Freeman) was titled The Bucket List and was about these two men who were diagnosed with cancer and they become best friends and create their own bucket list and finish it together. They had a LOT more room than this blog allows! Narrowing my bucket list down to three ITEMS? Challenge accepted.

1)Be in the cast of The Phantom of the Opera.
I love acting, and I love being in musicals, and i've actually already been in my original bucket list show. My original show was  Les Miserables, but I actually made it into that show over the summer when the Springfield Municipal Opera was putting it on. Phantom was/is my second bucket list show. I would LOVE to someday, sometime, somewhere BE IN THIS SHOW. I don't care who I am, I just want to be in it. It's amazing and it's music is gorgeous. I literally can't explain how much I love Phantom. It's mysterious,  thrilling, fantastical, and glossy and I would absolutely die of happiness if i could make it into it.

2)Travel to Africa, go on a Safari, and see an Elephant....
I love elephants, and I've always wanted to travel to Africa. I have a family friend named Titus and he was born and lives in Kenya. I've heard him tell stories of Africa,  and I would love to see it someday.  Africa holds a unique form of beauty. Though to most it might appear as nothing but  dry desert, Africa is iconic. I want to see the wildness of it--the untamed environment. I want to see the beauty that can be seen nowhere else in the world.

3) Write a bestselling book.
One of my dreams is to become a writer, as you might have guessed. I don't know when I'm going to write, what i'm going to write, or if it's will even be "all that good". But a dream of mine is to write something that people will ADMIRE and KNOW. To leave a piece of myself to other people.

Day #13 What is one change that you would make/have made to your life that will make/has made it better?

Okay, so what would I change? Hmm. That's a hard question...

LOTS OF STUFF.

Sometimes life just gets pretty rough, and honestly, the best way to stop that is to change things.
If I could change one thing I would change this: I would be more outgoing.
Yes, that's kind of a general term, "outgoing", but let me get specific. To me, outgoing would mean standing up for myself and making myself noticed. I would have liked to start off happy with myself and ready to be myself!  It's not that i'm completely not outgoing--I am when i'm comfortable and I don't feel like i'm surrounded by a lot of people with  pre-determined judgments about me. I think that's really what it is. Some people aren't bothered by what others think about them. Some people don't care at all! They just know who they are and be who they want to be, regardless of what others say or think. That's an admirable trait. I don't have it. Well,  I kind of don't have it. I used to be really meek and i used to really care about what people thought about me (I still do, a little, but so does everyone--at least a little bit!). Now i'm a little different because over the course of my junior year I kind of "discovered" myself. I decided who I was, what I wanted to be, and who I wanted to be. You know "found myself" as some people say. It was painful, and hard, and it was a very rough year for me, but it was also one of the greatest. It was so, so important to my future (and my sanity) and I'll never regret it. I just wish that i would have been more outgoing from the start. If i was outgoing, it wouldn't have been as hard for me as it was. I would have probably made a smoother transition that wouldn't have resulted in what it originally did. Being outgoing would be a nice change. Being  blissfully unaware of judgement would be amazing. Well, you'd be aware, you just WOULDN'T CARE! So that is what i would change. I would make myself more outgoing!

Day #12 A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.

So, I'm going to be a bit serious on this one because I just feel very serious today.
I'm going to give a piece of advice that's been really apparent to me lately, and has been affecting me on a day to day basis in my own life.

Don't let people change you for the worse.
Sometimes the people you know and trust don't treat you right. I know, I know, they're supposed to care about you and support you and be there for you always, but sometimes they aren't.  It's completely awful and miserable when they don't.  You feel  betrayed, thrown under the bus, and just completely worn. It  makes you feel like you've done something wrong. They were on your side once, right? So did they change or did you change?  Did you push them away?

Truth is, they are the one who changed.
It doesn't matter how much you beat yourself up--the truth will always be the same. They are the one who decided to make the change, not you. And it hurts--it really does. You  want things to be the same again. You might not know what you did--but you didn't do anything but be yourself.

People change. It's terrible, but they do. Like I said in my previous blog: People are scary because you don't know what they are thinking. You don't always know what drives them to do what they do, or what drives them to be nice to you one day and mean to you the next.

But no matter what happens, keep this in mind: Don't let them change you. Don't let them get under your skin. Don't let them make you feel terrible. If they want to be like that, then let them go. It really is their loss.

I know that all the 'self esteem' websites probably say the exact same thing, but this really is true.

You have to take care of yourself.
The world would be a better place and people would be happier if everyone stayed true to themselves and didn't let those that hurt them change them.

Day #11 The thing(s) you're most afraid of

I will admit this now: I am afraid of many things.
Here they are, and here's why.

OH THE HORROR!

Elevators--You are trapped inside a box in a dark elevator shaft hanging by a chord between floors jammed next to people you don't know (who could be killers) , and if the electricity goes out or a fire starts  or the thing has technical problems-- YOU ARE DEAD. And if you do like they do on the movies and try to  crawl out of the top and shimmy your way down the shaft  (like a ninja, whom you think you are)  you will slip on the lubricated chords and fall to your death. Or,  If the thing shuts down when you're on it by yourself and no one knows about it, you could starve to death on one of those things. Elevators are way too scary. TAKE THE STAIRS, MAN!

Parking Garages--If you've ever seen  the movie The Call  then you know that parking garages are basically  concrete car-filled buildings of death. You want to get kidnapped? Go to a parking garage and wait. You won't be there more than twenty minutes before some psychotic killer tries to reverse their car right over your body, misses, jumps out to apologize, and then jumps you, knocks you out, and throws you in their trunk to take you away to torture and misery. If you EVER have to go to  a parking garage, carry an axe with you or something. No pyschotic killer in their right mind (hahah) would ever attack an axe wielding maniac (which you would be posing as). Or, better yet, just never go to one!

The Dark--I don't care what anyone tells you. I don't even care what you tell yourself. The Dark is flipping scary as heck. Go to sleep without a night light? I'm surprised you're still alive. You must be in cahoots  with your  closet monster because he's obviously killing off all the other baddies that live under your bed, in your walls, in the shadows, in the ceiling, under your pillow etc. There are THINGS in The Dark, I tell you. Every single scary movie ever made basically tells you this. The Dark is not to be trusted. What you can't see can definitely hurt you. And you can't see The Dark because it's The DARK! Sleep with your lights on, make a deal with your closet monster, or get viciously attacked in your sleep.

Spiders-- There is an unspoken rule that many people seem to forget about: The maximum amount of eyes acceptable is two. TWO. Any creature living or dead that has more than the maximum amount cannot be trusted. SPIDERS HAVE EIGHT. Do you see the issue?! Eight eyes that could be watching your every move! Or even if only one or two of those eight eyes are focused on other matters, six to seven of them could be on you! Eight eyes--not okay. Also, LEGS. Any creature living or dead that has more than four is unacceptable. SPIDERS HAVE EIGHT. Do the math--that is twice as many! Spiders have broken  the unspoken eye and leg rule, therefore, they must be evil. Also, let us talk of the way they move. They are extremely fast, and very  skilled at avoiding ones vicious smashing. I cannot begin to describe to you the spiders that  have escaped my wrath because they took a strategic step to the left or right with perfect time and accuracy. Also, spiders do not know how to respect personal space. They ignore all signs or implied warnings. For example, a sign on my bedroom door might read: Knock before you enter. Spiders? They walk right in taking no consideration. They are vain, ignorant, rebellious and sly critters whom I will forever have an axe to grind with.

Tests--Tests are truly the epitome of evil. They feed off of ones fear and use it to power themselves. In fact, the reason that tests escape detection is because they have literally taken over the minds of every teacher ever. They get inside their minds and convince and seduce innocent teachers into believing that the teachers need them in order to survive-- that they need to create them (tests) and force their evil onto students in order to live another day. That truly is one of the most evil things ever done. And it is still undetected to this day. I have a dream that  someday this suffering will end. Someday, teachers will never grade another test, and students will never have them forced upon them. Someday.

People--I have three words for you: PEOPLE. ARE. SCARY. People are probably the most scariest things on this earth. They are scarier than elevators, scarier than parking garages, scarier than The Dark, scarier than Spiders, and--I never thought I'd say this--scarier than tests. Do you want to know why? Because you never know what they're thinking. They could be thinking ANYTHING and unless they tell you, you will NEVER KNOW. The only way to get inside their head is to ask them what they are thinking, and if they  rebel and REFUSE to tell you-YOU WILL NEVER EVER KNOW. EVER. Now THAT is scary.

Day #10 Are you afraid of aging? Why?

Aging.
Raise your hand if you want to age!
Yeah, that's what I thought. Keep your hand at your side, because if you don't, you're a liar!
Honestly though,  if you asked anyone that question,  all of them  would keep their hands down--and for many reasons.

Why don't we want to age? Why are we afraid?


Basically, we associate aging with dying. That's right. We think that getting older means we're getting  closer to our own coffin. We look at an elderly person and we automatically think "Oh God, they're gonna die soon."  But I don't agree with that! Dying is inevitable! It will happen, no matter how old we are, and it can happen anytime. Getting older is a blessing. It means that you lived and that you are still living. It is an achievement! Each year you get older you should be thanking God. Aging is simply a measurement of how long you've held on to life and should be celebrated.

Am I afraid of aging?
Well, yes. I believe there is no way to keep people from fearing that. People fear aging--but I fear it for more reasons besides death.

Getting old means your body gets old. You get weaker. Your  body starts "settling down" as I call it. It's not the same as when you were young! You don't have to be a high stamina, angstey teenager anymore. Your body is settling down and preparing to raise and guide other generations.  But it still hurts. It's sad, not being able to do what you want to do with your own body anymore. Aging comes with a price.

Another thing I fear is being forgotten. You see all these elderly people in assisted living or nursing homes and you think "Dear God, that must be miserable." They sit in there all day, swept aside by society. Society wants to forget them because it fears them because society fears death.   I don't want to be forgotten. I want to be known.  I really want people to know I exist, and I don't want to take crap from anyone. I want to be that old person who says "Don't start feeling bad for me. I earned my way here and I'm proud of it. I've taken good care of myself to get to the age I am today." I honestly will fight against going to a nursing home tooth and nail.

I also semi fear loosing my mind and getting senile. I'm pretty sure i'm going to be  kooky when I'm older. But, I'm kind of kooky now, so maybe nothing will change.

There are plusses to being older though, that people forget to mention.
You get wiser. You've learned the ropes of life from experience! You've seen things that younger generations haven't seen! You become a resource because you know "history" because you experienced it first hand! And, my favorite: YOU CAN BOSS PEOPLE AROUND. You want a glass of water? You tell someone to get one for you and they do. You want to watch your favorite movie? By golly, you get to watch it! If you want it, you boss people around because they respect you and they'll hook you up with what you want.

Day #9 What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)

This is probably one of the easiest things to talk about. Basically,  I miss a time in my life. I miss being a kid. This has become extremely apparent  to me now that i am a senior in high school. I find myself thinking--ALL THE TIME--"Man, I remember the good old days." I'll be sitting in Math class thinking, "I wish I was in second grade math learning how to multiply numbers instead of being here learning how to find the exact values of trigonomic functions." Or I'll be in English class thinking,  "I wish I was in second grade reading 10 page picture books instead of reading 600 page books like Jane Eyre or 13 page essays followed by an intense analysis." I miss the excitement of going to school, the excitement of going to recess, the excitement of going to lunch, the excitement of life. Everything, for me at least, was literally an adventure. Recess was a time where I didn't have to even be present in this reality. I could go off and pretend to be whatever i wanted, go wherever i wanted, all in my own imagination. Playground equipment wasn't just playground equipment. The playground was a jungle! It was a spaceship! It was a different country! It was neverland! It was WHATEVER i wanted it to be! And my friends weren't my friends. They were horses! Or fairies! Or space men! Or aliens! Or creatures made up in our own minds! We could be whatever we wanted to be. Our imaginations were our lives. Not that i'm saying that I don't have an imagination now--i DO--but it's not the same. It's second rate, really, it seems. And don't even get me started on the work load or the stress. The most stress I got out of school was the stress that came from wondering if i was going to like what was for lunch that day! And the work load was either non-existant, or included one worksheet and maybe a story to take home to read! Today my stress is through the roof. Tests, Quizzes,  hours  of homework each night, jobs, college,plays, musicals, clubs, relationships--EVERYTHING. It's just plain insanity. When my stress is almost too much, I let my mind wander to when I was a kid, when everything was great. Didn't have to worry about a single thing. There was always someone there to help me. No work. Life was just a whole lot of fun. But the reason why being a child is so EASY and relaxing is  because, as a child, you don't have independence. You have to listen to others. You don't choose things for yourself. When you grow up, everything changes. You have to make decisions for yourself, and that's really stressful. Also, as you gain knowledge, you are expected to demonstrate that knowledge. Work get's harder. You graduate from coloring pictures, to learning your alphabet, to reading a sentence, to reading a paragraph, to reading a short book, to reading a longer book, to reading a REALLY long book in which you also have to analyze and develop an educated opinion on it too. Everything just gets gradually harder as your mind gets sharper. There are drawbacks to everything, but there are also great things that come out of them. I loved being a kid. But the thing is, isn't a kid's number one goal to get older? To grow up and make decisions for themselves? To be independent? Yes! I think a person just has to enjoy each separate time in their lives. I honestly don't think i'll ever stop lusting after the blissfull innocence of childhood, but I can  also honestly say that being older is  great  too. I can drive and take myself places. I can read--LOTS OF THINGS. I can do hard calculations. I can think critically and come up with complex ideas. I can make more choices for myself. Both times had pros and cons. You just have to enjoy them as they come.

Day #8 The next book you see that has over 300 pages, describe it in detail.

So, for this blog, the closest book to me was called "Shadow of the Hegemon" by Orson Scott Card. This sci fi novel is part of the Shadow Series, which is a side series to the  Ender's Game series. If you don't know what Ender's Game is, I'll clue you in. It's a book about this kid named Ender who lives in the future earth after our world has been attacked by aliens(in the book these aliens are called 'Buggers' because of their bug-like appearance, and in the moive they are called Formics, which I think is much cooler.)  Basically what happens is  this: In this future world the military recruits young children and raises them to be soldiers so when they come of age, they will beable to lead their own armies against the aliens. But the catch is this: The children are already fighting the war and they don't know it. The military trains the children on these simulators, and the children believe that they are simply playing a game, one that they've played a thousand times with their fellow soldiers.  But when the military believes the child is  trained enough, they turn the simulator on. The simulator is not a simulator anymore, and the children, thinking they are only playing a very intense game in order to win, are actually directing real star ships with real fighters on them. Starships where real people and real aliens die.  Ender is one of these children. In fact, he becomes a protégée, and the military uses his skills  to blow up the  enemy planet and destroy an entire species. Ender  doesn't know that it is real until after he's done it. Just in case you read it, I won't tell you anymore. But I will tell you that is is very good and that the following books in the Ender Series, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind are very good too.

Anyway, the Shadow Series is about one of Ender's good friends, Bean. Yes, his name is Bean! It's because he's extremely short! The first book, which I've already read, is called Ender's Shadow, followed by Shadow of the Hegemon, Shadow Puppets, Shadow of the Giant, Shadows in Flight, and Shadows Alive. As you can see, Im slowly working my way through the series.

I'll be honest here. I'm only 38 pages into Shadow of the Hegemon.
But, be that as it may, I will still describe it to you as much as I can.

Bean is a war hero from the book Ender's Game--he helps Ender win the war against the aliens. The entire Ender's Shadow book (thats the one that comes before the one i'm currently reading) is all about how Bean got recruited by the military, and how he met Ender in battle school. At the end of Ender's Shadow, Bean is reunited with his family after nine years of being in battle school, and the book ends happily. And there begins Shadow of the Hegemon.

Like I mentioned, the battle school trained the children how to be amazing military strategists and fighters, meaning that even though the children leave the school, the knowledge stays with them. This means that Bean is the second most prestigious  commander in the world(Ender being number one) ...... and he's just been released.

This book starts off with a bang.

It starts with a warning letter sent from one battle school commander to another, advising the International Fleet (the people in charge of battle school) to keep the child soldiers under strict protection, as an enemy country has been suspected of planning to kidnap them for their skills.

Of course, the International Fleet does not listen.

So in the  first 38 pages of the book, Bean and his family are viciously attacked. At the point i'm reading, SOMEONE is trying to kidnap and/or kill Bean.

It's pretty intense, and I think I'll read it now!

So there is a little sneak peak of Shadow of the Hegemon for you!

Day #7 Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel

I could come up with about a million things to rant about because frankly, I am only a human being, and I feel very strong emotions in very strong ways and wish I could do very strong things to people that would get me very strong reactions. But I also have a very strong desire not to get my lights knocked out and my face punched into my skull.  So I try not to blow up at people in such a way that could make them want to hurt me in ways that hurt very strongly. But this is an invitation, and I would be very happy to oblige.

People who think you are better than other people, please enter the room because this little shpeel was made especially for you. Crazy is currently in control and he  just finished locking sanity, logic, and rationalization in the basement.

 Oh, and he swallowed the key, too.

So here we go.

(WARNING: People who are not one of the people listed below (a.k.a nice people), this is not targeted at you but rather at mean people and this blog is simply meant for your enjoyment and mutual agreement.)

Dear People who think you are better than other people/yuppies/jerks/you-think-you're-so-cool-that-people-go-blind-from-even-looking-at-you:


 As far as I checked, you are a human being.

 (No, I'm sorry, I know your mom (and maybe your own conscience) might have told you differently,  but you are not God. ) Do you know what that means? It  means that sometimes you are very, very, very, very, very stupid. And stupidity is one of the things we human beings are very, very, very, very, very good at. And also it's one of those things that we all have in common. We all do stupid things, EVEN YOU. So next time you laugh at Jimmy because he trips over his own shoelaces, remember that time that YOU tripped over YOUR OWN shoelaces and fell down the stairs, broke your nose, and skipped school for days because your nose looked like a mutant potatoe. (Of course that story does not apply to everyone. It might not apply to ANYONE. But IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU AND YOU KNOW IT!) You call someone stupid? Remember that you're stupid too. And you're stupid for telling someone else that they are stupid because that is STUPID.

Another thing that I previously mentioned before that you should also know, people who think you are better than other people/yuppies/jerks/you-think-you're-so-cool-that-people-go-blind-from-looking-at-you, last time I checked (yeah, I have my SOURCES!) you ARE NOT GOD. Yes. I said IT. YOU. ARE. NOT. A GOD. A GODDNESS. OR GOD OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.Want proof?  When I open up the Bible and turn to the nativity part about a new born baby, the son of God, holy is his name let us worship him, hallelujah Amen, I DO NOT SEE YOUR NAME THERE. I do not see the sentence : "And you shall call him *insert YOUR name*" I see "And you shall call him Jesus." 

Are you Jesus? Um, let me see. NO. 

So, until you can find a way to become Jesus (which is very unlikely to happen  on account of you are  a person who thinks you are better than other people/yuppie/jerk/you-think-you're-so-cool-people-go-blind-from-even-looking-at-you.) you can consider yourself a normal human being of whom I will NEVER worship. Also, if you believe you're God, try convincing your mother that she's the virgin Mary too. Good luck.

Also, I really do have a question for you. What originally made you think you were better than everyone else and that only certain people qualify as humans who deserve respect and others don't?

Everybody is human.

Unless they are aliens, but that's besides the point.

You are not the judge of worthy-ness. Everyone is worthy of respect (except for you because you have established yourself as a  person who thinks you are better than other people/yuppie/jerk/you-think-you're-so-cool-people-go-blind-from-even-looking-at-you). 

So why not treat everybody right? Let Jesus do the judging. (and NO I don't CARE if your mom  finally just told you she was the virgin Mary--you are NOT JESUS!)

And to end this rant I would like to leave you, people who think you are better than other people/yuppies/jerks/you-think-you're-so-cool-that-people-go-blind-from-looking-at-you, with the following statement:

Remember: You are stupid.

:)




Rant over.

Day #6As a hyper intelligent pan-dimensional being, what is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and everything? What is the ultimate question?

What is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything? I think we all know it's 42. Pretty sure everyone who knows anything also knows that the  answer is 42, a.k.a 6 multiplied by 7, (also a.k.a 6 multiplied by 9.....yes, I know that doesn't equal 42....but it DOES.) Deep Thought Computer was programmed to discover the Answer, but in realizing that the beings who created him didn't actually know the true, overall Ultimate Question, he found that the first  Answer he computed was inscrutable and discovered that the REAL ANSWER was 42. If you'd like more information, refer to this website:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview/id/35935.html

But, because 42 is such a basic answer, and I myself haven't read The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, I'll just give you my own little speel on what I think.

BASICALLY, the meaning of life is to discover the meaning of life. 

Mind. BLOW. 

So, the Answer to the Question is really the Question itself. The Answer and the Question are one in the same, therefore, there is no way to discover the Question/Answer until we die at which time will we know the Answer to the Question that is the Answer that is the Question. You see? The meaning of life is very simple when it is broken down into such basic terms. The meaning of life is only six words, really.

Also, there is no basic answer to the ULTIMATE question because the Ultimate question in itself is an abstract idea that holds no physical or even psychological value, truly. In order to discover the Answer we would have to know the Question but we don't know the Question because we don't know that there is an Answer that we have yet to find that needs a Question in order to solve. 

This means that in asking the Ultimate question: "What is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything?" we have basically answered it because, like I said, the Question is the Answer is the Answer is the Question.

So. To conclude: The answer to "What is the answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything" is to discover what the answer is to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Good luck. 

Oh, and a side note: 
(In Life, the Universe and Everything, Prak, a man who knows all that is true, confirms that 42 is indeed The Answer, and confirms that it is impossible for both The Answer and The Question to be known in the same universe  as they will cancel each other out and take the Universe with them to be replaced by something even more bizarre  and that it may have already happened.)

Day #5 Tell a story from your childhood.

Childhood stories. I have a LOT of those!

Probably one of the most vivid memories I have was when a tornado blew through my childhood town.

 I was around 8 years old, and we were living in a one level, three bedroom house--complete with a quaint living room and a minuscule kitchen. It was tiny and cozy, but the complete opposite of anything that could be considered safe during a major storm. We didn’t have a basement, or a cellar, and the town we currently lived in was at the tip of Illinois, right at the edge of  tornado alley.  Mere hours before it hit town, my family of six was sleeping soundly in our beds. I never really understood what was happening when I was awakened by a loud knocking on our door, the sound of  anxious voices, the whistle of the wind tearing through the trees, and the frantic running of my parents feet through the house. Moments later, me and my sister’s bedroom door was flung open, the light switch was turned on hastily, and my dad's voice broke through the silence of sleep.  

"Get dressed--HURRY--and don't forget to put on socks!" He said.

Me and my sister shot out of our beds like lightning. Faith jumped off the top bunk,  the loud thump of her feet hitting the floor making me flinch, and stared at me, her eyes like dinner plates, "What's happening?!" I looked back at her and shrugged. 

We tore through our room, throwing our PJ's to the floor and yanking jeans and long sleeve shirts on our bodies. We didn't put on socks. We grabbed our blankets and pillows and ripped through the hallway to the living room where our younger sister Lydia was lazily lounging on the couch, half-asleep, and oblivious to everything going on around her. 

The next few seconds were a chaotic blur. My parents appeared out of their bedroom, my mom carrying my youngest sister, only a baby, in a carrier. My dad's face was wrinkled with worry, his arms full of other supplies and paraphernalia. 

 My mom swiftly handed me my youngest sister, Vanessa,  and took Faith and I by the arms, pulling us towards the door. With a yank, the door flew open, smacking the wall with a loud clap like thunder, and we raced to the van, the wind ripping our hair and clothes back.

 We were in the van in seconds, and my mom left us in, then raced back to the house to help my dad carry Lydia and the other supplies we brought. 

I looked out the window. The trees were dancing terribly, their leaves shaking almost with fear. Leaves, litter, and hay were flying through the air. The sky was dark, stained black as embers, and looming over us like a massive monster.

 The next few seconds, again, were a blur. My parents suddenly sprinted out the front door, and were in the van. Before I comprehended it, we were driving. "Where are we going?" I asked. My dad replied back gruffly, "The church. There's a basement there we'll be safe in." So we sped across town like a speeding train, rain beating at the windshield like mad. 

When we got to the church, we filed out of the van as fast as was possible, our arms full of our things and our hearts racing, stomachs tight like knives. The few pain staking seconds it took for my dad to put the key in the lock, drop it, then stuff it back in again to unlock the door was torturous. I remember screaming out in fear, only to be hushed by my mother. Nothing sounded as sweet to me as the woosh of the glass church door being opened, and the soft rush of safety that greeted us.

  Once we were in, sweet relief flooded through us like streams. We ran to one of the basement rooms and made camp there, throwing our blankets on the floor, cuddling up, trying to keep the jitters at bay. I remember my dad pulling out a storm radio. He let it drone in the background as my mom got me and my other sisters singing, to distract us from the storm. My parents unwrapped baby Vanessa from her baby bundle and let her crawl around. I remember how much that comforted me. Here was a baby, completely oblivious to danger, who simply enjoyed being with her family, having no idea of the stress that we had all suffered from.  

What would have happened if our neighbor hadn’t warned us about the storm? If the storm actually had blown through our town and not around it (which was what we discovered had happened the next morning) , would we have survived? 

I don't really remember if I fell asleep that night. All I remember is the sound of our voices, singing softly, and the beautiful sunlight that was there to greet us in the morning.

Day #4 What is one thing that you are proud of, that you think lacks praise/appreciation from the people around you? It could be a simple thing;it could be a secret thing.

I think I'm good at writing stories, but nobody knows that I am because I never show them. So partially, this is my fault. Basically, I'm self conscious about what I write. Will people like what I write? Am I even good at it? I honestly don't know. I write because I like to write, and because it gives me purpose. I've started  probably over one hundred story plots and have only tried pursuing about two of them. And clearly that hasn't happened either since i'm not some famous New York Times best selling author right now or anything! I don't know how to describe it!  Writing excites me. It feels like I'm opening up my mind and creation just comes pouring out. I've been doing it since I was very young. I'll just be doing anything, everyday stuff,  and stories will just come to me. Then as soon as I can,  I sit down at my computer and write. I develop characters, create their personalities, focus on their goals, their problems, their longings, their likings, their traits, their passions,  and the plot of the story until I have  a solidified idea. Of course, most of this ends up being drabble. But all of it can be continued. I leave myself room in every "Idea", as I call them, for room to continue the story. And I wish every day of my life that I could continue them. I'm proud of them. I'm proud of my ideas and my writing. As I read more and more-- dipping into classics, sci fi, romance, adventure, tradgedy, thrill, mystery-- I practice. I use what I read to fuel my stories. I learn new words, use new approaches, work on new characters and new ways to present them. I love it. I love the creation and thrill writing gives me. I'll go back and read old Ideas, which usually include a minimum 10 pages of writing, a set up for the story and a feel for the characters, and sometimes I won't recognize it as my own. Sometimes I'm so proud of it I barely know it's mine. And sometimes I'm not satisfied at all and I think it's terrible--the writing is too simple, the characters aren't likable or believable, etc. But even then, I'm still kind of proud. I took the time to write those Ideas. I spent hours of free time devoting myself to their creation. I approached each one with passionate determination and vigor. And some of them, in my opinion, are very good. (Though my opinion isn't exactly valid on account of I'm not a literature critic who knows anything about anything when it comes to writing) But I'm still satisfied with them. How could I not be? They're a part of me and they represent me and my very own original ideas. But like I said before, no one knows about them.  It's something secretive that I'm very proud of. I don't advertise it. Until I find something that I really really think is a home run, I'll probably keep my Ideas to myself. But someday I'll write a book and then people will know. And then I'll tell them "I am proud."  That is a promise!

Day #3 Educate on something that you know (or think you know) a lot about. ACTING 101.

So in my opinion, I think I know quite a bit about how to do shows (like plays or musicals). This opinion comes from the fact that I've been in many: Annie, The Batchelor King, Seussical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, The Musical Comedy Murder's of 1940, My Fair Lady, Alice in Wonderland, Les Miserables, and now I'm playing the lead role of Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It. Basically, I  just love acting, and for anybody who's never done acting and would like to know some tips, well I've got some for you.

First thing you need to know about being an actor or actress or participating in a show: Know what you're getting INTO! I can't begin to tell you how many people I've met who audition for shows that they know nothing about. They will get their character assignment and be all "yay!" and then as soon as they watch the movie for the play or look at their script or realize who exactly they're being asked to portray, they FLIP OUT! "I have to do WHAT?! I have to say THAT?! I have to wear that OUTFIT?!" Basically, they wish they would have never tried out.  Here's my little story to go along with that: I tried out for Alice in Wonderland before even looking at the character list. At the audition the director gave me a piece of paper . I was asked to list my information along with the characters I would be willing to play. So, of COURSE because this is ALICE in Wonderland, I put down Alice. Because I didn't want to limit myself, and because it's my tradition,  I also listed a few other female parts that I knew nothing about.  Guess what? I DIDN'T GET ALICE. I ended up getting this character "The Dutchess" which was one of the unknown female parts I had listed. So at first I was like "Okay, sure. The Dutchess. I can dig that." Then I looked up the character AFTER getting assigned her and found out she was an old, ugly, crazy kook who screams at her kid until it turns into a pig. Yes, it's true. You can see for yourself here:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Alice_par_John_Tenniel_21.png

Take a long, good look at the hideousness.


Anyway. So I was very angry and wished I could have gone back in time, found myself at the audition, and ripped the pen out of my hand so I could snap it before I ever wrote down "The Dutchess".   But i couldn't do that, and I ended up playing the part and having to wear this humongous blue dumb looking hat. Anyway, my suggestion? Research what you're getting into so you know what parts you want when you show up at the audition. Or else you might end up playing an ugly crazed child abuser who's kid turns into a fat pink animal for reasons unknown. 

Tip number two: When you audition, try to have a good time. It's very nerve wracking, I know! Sometimes you feel like biting off your nails, and then your fingers too while you're at it.  Anything to get out of it! "Excuse me, my fingers  seem to be off so I can't hold the script to read--GOODBYE NOW!"  Having to perform anything in front of peers can really tear up your nerves, but the number one tip I want to give people is to do your best to enjoy it. Pretend like it's you and your friend going through some lines, or, better yet, that you've already landed the part and are already at practice running lines! It calms you down, and when the director/caster sees you so comfortable in the part, he/she will be more likely to choose you. (Or if your me they might choose a part you might now want but that they think you'd be perfect to play).

Another tip: This one goes without saying. MEMORIZE YOUR LINES. Never ever ever ever ever ever EVER show up on "Off book/off script" day like "Huh? You mean I actually have to learn what i'm supposed to say and be able to flawlessly recite it back for a show that lasts two and a half hours to an audience who will be strongly judging me along with the entire cast and crew and if I screw this up I might be on my directors black list and wake up dead one morning because I ruined the entire show for everybody and drove the world into an early apocalypse?"Maybe that's a little dramatic. But still. If  you show up and don't know your lines, people might want to kill you. It is BAD WHEN PEOPLE WANT TO KILL YOU. So don’t make them want to. Learn your lines. Start learning them early. Take the script scene by scene. Force your siblings or friends to read other parts for you. DO NOT cram then all into your brain over one weekend and then assume that you’ll be able to say them all on the off script day. It will not happen. Instead of watching TV or reading a book or playing a video game, learn your lines. Once you learn a couple scenes, then indulge in doing fun things that you want to do. But remember: When you auditioned for the play you committed yourself to the show which means that you promised to memorize your lines and prevent the show  from spiraling into a  terrible  train wreck of obliviation. 

Tip #4: Acting. Basically, it’s the main point of doing a show. And there are ways to be good at it, and there are ways to not be good at it. I’m going to tell  you the ways to be good at it. As I mentioned previously, I am playing the lead role of Rosalind in my school’s Shakespeare play, As you Like It. And yes, it’s very difficult. Not only do I have an extremely vague idea on exactly what i’m saying, but Shakespeare was really cool (sarcasm) and didn’t provide any directions pertaining to how lines are supposed to be said. So how do I know how to act out his lines? I watch the show. Literally, I get on youtube and watch the scenes in question (which is all of them, I might add). It works out really great! I pull out my script and follow along while also stealing glances at the actors themselves as they act! For As You Like It I’ve been watching the Globe Theater’s version. So let’s say I needed a look at Act III scene II because I wanted to see how Rosalind convinces Orlando that she’s Ganymede (a boy she’s impersonating). I go on youtube, type it in, and then watch the scene! I pay close attention to the actress playing Rosalind, and listen to how she speaks her lines. While this is going on, I’m also HEARING the lines, and this helps me MEMORIZE them. So watching the play serves a dual purpose. Watching good actors play the parts really helps with the acting. 

Anyway, I know I'm not a professional. I'll  even admit that  sometimes I haven't even followed my own rules because I made them up after making TERRIBLE mistakes. So there’s a few tips on something I know quite a bit about! 

Day #2 The World Is Ending And You Can Save One Group Of Five People: Who Would The Five People Be?

Okay, so it's day number two and there's no word limit! So here we go.

Alright. The world's ending. Pick only five people.
Well, crap.
You see, there's always that moment where you have to decide: "Should I save my family, or should I save my friends?" I know, it's cold and heartless.  If I don't save my family, that would make me the most terrible, worthless, villainous, vilest, and treasonous person to ever walk on  God's green earth. If I don't save my friends, that would make me the most terrible, worthless, villainous, vilest, and  treasonous person to ever walk on God's green earth.Can you see the dilemma  that this creates? I'm sure you do. Not only do I have to ponder deciding between family and/or friends, but I also have to decide: Who could save my hide too? Do I want to save the people I love? Or would I love to save the people who would save me? This blog question just keeps getting trickier and trickier. So I would like to debate this. But in all honestly, that would be worthless. I'm just going to be honest here. Who would I save?  I'd have to save my family. Notice I said have to. Really, there is no other option. How could I abandon my family? Who the heck abandons their family during the apocalypse? EVIL PEOPLE--THAT'S WHO! And I am NOT EVIL. So I'd save my family: Mom, Dad, Faith, Lydia and Vanessa. Thankfully, there are only five of them. Who knows what I would have to do if there were SIX of them?! Somebody would have to be voted off the island, and then I would become the terrible, worthless, villainous, vilest, and treasonous person again, which would be bad. But no worries here. I can save them all. Plus, they are good for many things.  Can't get rid of my dad. He cooks stuff,  which would be very valuable when it came to finding food.  Can't get rid of my mom. She organizes stuff--which would come in handy when staging raids and/or vicious mobs. Can't get rid of Faith. She's my best friend, and you can't just leave your best friend to die, so that's a given. Can't get rid of Lydia. She's really strong and would be perfect for applying brute force to our enemies. Can't get rid of Vanessa because......well, because she's cute and you can't really expect an 8 year old to survive the apocalypse and defeat legions of the undead on her own,  so she'd have to do it with us. Not that we could do it on OUR own either. Would we even survive the apocalypse? Probably not. We'd probably need the assistance of Chuck Norris for that. Most likely we'd hole up underground in the sewers or something and watch Netflyx on our I-pads and/or computers if wifi was still available during said apocalypse until the zombies smelled us out and patiently waited to eat us till our next episode was over. Then we'd probably go down kicking and screaming (most likely because the zombies had so rudely decided to attack and eat us during our shows) and fight tooth and nail. Unless we could find some sort of explosive device that could destroy then without blowing us straight out of the sewers, we'd probably smash as many heads as possible until they somehow could eat us.  But I'd still save them, regardless.

Blog Challenge Line Up

Alright! Here is my one-month blog challenge list!

Here's what you have to look forward to!

1. The story of your life in 300 words or less
2. The world is ending and you can save one group of five people: who would the five people that you save be?
3. Educate us on something you know a lot about or are good at. Take any approach you’d like (serious and educational, or funny and sarcastic)
4. What is one thing that you are proud of, that you think lacks praise/appreciation from the people around you? It could be a simple thing;it could be a secret thing.
5. Tell a story form your childhood. Dig deep and try to be descriptive.
6.  As a hyper intelligent pan-dimensional being, what is the answer to the ultimate question, the life, the universe and everything? What is the ultimate question?
7. Rant about something. Get up on your soapbox and tell us how you really feel. (a pet peeve, a current event, a controversial topic, something your husband or roommate or neighbor or boss does that really ticks you off)
8. The next book you see that has over 300 pages, describe it in detail.
9. What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your life...)
10. Are you afraid of aging? Why?
11. The thing(s) you're most afraid of
12. A piece of advice you have for others. Anything at all.
13. What is one change that you would make/have made to your life that will make/has made it better?
14. Your bucket list is limited to three items.
15. If one TV show could be real, which one would you want it to be? Which one would screw our world over?
16. What is the absolute hardest thing about staying alive?
17. What is a book that has been recognized as ‘great literature’ that you dislike? Why?
18. Issue a public apology. This can be as funny or as serious or as creative as you want it to be.
19. Ten things that make you really happy
20. A Day In The Life....
21. Something difficult about your "lot in life" and how you're working to overcome it
22. Things you've learned that school won't teach you
23. Why do you think eyebrows exist?
24. Who makes you laugh the most?
25. If the SATs/grades did not exist, in what way should colleges/teachers evaluate applicants?
26. Write your own eulogy.
27. Do you feel ‘connected to nature’? Do you frequent outside? Do you believe that a connection with the earth we live on is necessary in the first place?
28. Write a poem you’d stick on the refrigerator 
29. Write a six-word fortune cookie.
30. Things that make you uncomfortable