Post # 30: The Hiatus

It's winter break! Yay! The semester is over and I have three weeks to devote to things that are not school! I'm over whatever illness that crawled up from the depths of Hades to plague me, and my mom is going to make peanut butter cookies tonight!
Because it's break, we aren't required to post anything, but I'm still going to. That way, when my blog becomes all sorts of popular, there won't be this big three week gap between posts. And also, I like working on this blog. It's fun.
I knit, in case you didn't know that, or you forgot. So, of course everyone this year got a hat. I made the LilSis a One Direction hat, I made my Grandma a spiral eyelet hat, and I made my Mom a Bert and Ernie hat. One side has Bert, the other has Ernie. It turned out pretty fabulous. I knitted my best friend a hat to match the fingerless gloves I made her for her birthday. Right now I'm working on a pair of fingerless gloves for my Grandma. They will match her hat, once I'm done.

Also-I went and saw Catching Fire. It was exceptionally well done, and really great and I don't want to see it again anytime soon. It was too emotionally taxing for me to call it "enjoyable". I enjoyed seeing Thor. I enjoy Colin Farrell movies. I sat curled up in my seat hoping we were nearing the end of the two-and-a-half hours so I could stand in the sun and do something mindless during CF. Even the comic relief wasn't enough to relieve the tension. The PTSD-filled brutality of it was too much for my chest to handle. But it followed the book really well!

Post #29: A Thankful Heart

I am thankful for many things, including, but not limited to, my family and friends (duh), comic books, mechanical pencils, pizza, lined paper, libraries, and this blog assignment.
Yes, you read that correctly. I am thankful for this blog project.
I am thankful because it requires me to write at least twice a week. Even if I don't manage to do as much personal writing as I would like, I know that I have a guaranteed requirement to write something each week. And, I have to publish it. People actually read this. And by people I mean Mr. Burge and WDJ. And sometimes NatPark. But it's still out there. I still have to write.
And, what's really great, is I can pretty much write whatever I want. One of my posts has to relate to English, and that's fine. English is my favorite class. Mr. Burge is a big reason why I stayed on at my school. And it's really fun to write about my love/hate relationship with literary canon.
But I really enjoy the personal posts.
The personal posts are a challenge for me because at least half of the time I put into those posts is spent trying to come up with a good topic. At first I tried to write things that sounded extremely sophisticated and would appeal to all sorts of readers. But as I've become more comfortable with my writing, I am writing what makes me happy. If it means I write an entire post about my love for a depressed 80's band, so be it. If you don't want to read about that love, find another blog. It's a good feeling to not care about what you write, so long as you write what makes you happy.
I'm also thankful for Johnny Cash.
-D.

Post #28: Is It Really So Strange?

I love The Smiths. I love them with almost every fiber of my being. I didn't always, though. At age eleven, I thought Morrissey was the biggest whiner on the planet. Seriously, get over yourself. You don't have a girlfriend because you are a whiner.
Fast forward two years. As soon as I hit high school, it all made sense. Throw my homework onto the fire? Sounds like a plan! Their music was the story of my life! Not really, but misery loves company. If I wasn't a happy camper, Morrissey totally understood. Why do I smile at people I'd rather kick in the eye? Morrissey never had an answer, but he sure did know about what a suckfest life can be. And he knew the importance of being intelligent and clever. "There's more to life than books, you know, but not much more" he says in "Handsome Devil", and being the girl who would live in the library if she could, I couldn't agree more. And their album and single covers featured the likes of James Dean (from East of Eden!) and Elvis. And if there is anyone I could possibly love more than The Smiths, it's The Big 'E'.  And the Smiths loved the King too. There's a cover of "His Latest Flame" on Rank.

Morrissey is almost always sad on the Smiths albums, but now again there is a song that has a glimmer of hope. Songs like "Ask" and "I Won't Share You". They're both a little bleak, but hopeful all the same.
For our song project in English a couple months ago, I seriously considered bringing a Smiths song. I decided on Josh Ritter, but it was pretty close.
Josh Ritter is almost a complete 180 from The Smiths. He has some sad songs, but most of his songs are hopeful about love. Even his angry post-divorce album has some hopeful songs about love. He sings about love that seems pure and innocent and complicated and confusing all at once, and I think that's what real love is. Complicated, but wonderful and pure. And not just love toward a significant other. Love toward all things in life is that way.
My love for The Smiths is that way. Complicated sometimes, but always wonderful.
"No it's not like any other love, this one is different because it's us." - "Hand In Glove"
-D.

Post #27: Oh, Yeah. He Died.

Clerval's death didn't seem like a big deal. It was one paragraph and then Frankenstein passed out again. In any other book, I would be a little irritated, but in Frankenstein, I see why Shelley would downplay it.

By downplaying Clerval's death when we first find out about it, she is able to focus more on the effects it has on Frankenstein and those around him. All of the deaths are downplayed, except one. And I think that it's really effective. 

As the bodies begin to pile up, Frankenstein feels more and more guilty. He becomes sick from his guilt and starts to concern his family. 

Victor played with fire, and it burned his house to the ground. And, The Creature literally burns a different house to the ground. There is a lot of fire, both literally and figuratively. The Romantic ideals and science mix and explode with extreme force.
 And, quite frankly, who in their right mind would say "You know what sounds really fun? Screwing around with crap we don't understand, like reanimation! What could possibly go wrong?" Now, don't get me wrong, I think that screwing around with something you don't understand is a great way to learn and gain understanding, but reanimating flesh? Not such a great idea. 

But, it also raises ethical and existential questions. How far is too far in science? Why do we as humans struggle to make connections with other humans? Do you see the same red that I see? Will we ever know the answers? 

-D.

Post #26: The Pink Tree

          On that cold morning in early December, Madeline Ross rolled out of bed, put on her pink slippers and put on her pink robe. She found pink ornaments still in their packaging lying on her desk. The day had barely begun and it was already the best in her six-year-old life.

            “Mommy! Daddy!” she cried running down the stairs. “look what the tooth fairy left me!”  Her parents chuckled. She hadn’t actually lost any teeth, but the tooth fairy might leave little presents for little girls for no reason. When Madeline ran into the  living room, she stopped dead. She was so excited, she nearly peed her pants. She dropped the ornaments and ran to the bathroom. After washing her hands, she ran back to the living room. It was still there.  She squealed very loudly. There, in her living room, was a pink tree, six feet tall and covered in sparkles. Her parents got off the couch and smiled.

            “Do you like it pumpkin?” Her daddy asked.

            “Oh yes! Oh yes oh yes oh yes!” she cried jumping up and down.

            Billy Ross rolled out of bed to hear his younger sister squealing in delight. The day had only just started and he could tell it would be the worst in his ten-year-old life. He shuffled down the stairs and into the living room. He was so horrified, he almost peed his pants.

After washing his hands, he returned to the living room. The nightmare was still there. He moaned. There, in his living room, was a pink tree, six feet tall, covered in those little glitter things his sister was always dumping everywhere.

            “Billy look!” Madeline cried, hugging his hips. “It’s a pink tree from heaven! The tooth fairy brought us a pink tree!” she danced around the room.

            “More like the devil brought us a pink tree from Hades.”  Billy muttered under his breath.

            “Billy! That was not appropriate!” His mother scolded.

            “Sorry.” He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His mother gave him a We’ll-talk-about-this-later look. She headed to the kitchen, her husband following close behind. Madeline ran to catch up with them.

“when do we get to decorate it, daddy?” Madeline asked four times in rapid succession.

“Tonight, after you get back from school.” He said.

“Yay!” she cried, and happily sat down for breakfast.

“Susie!” Madeline called when they got to the elementary school.

“Madeline!” Susie called back. They gave each other a hug.

“Guess what I got! A pink tree!” Madeline squealed. Susie squealed with her.

“Can I come over and see it?” Susie asked, wonder in her voice.

“Of course.” Madeline said matter-of-factly. “Right mommy?” she asked.

“I’ll see what I can do. Have a good day sweetheart.”

“Thanks mom!” and with that, the two girls hurried to class, still squealing about pink trees.

At lunch, Billy never heard the end of it. It was all ‘Billy has a pink tree’ this, and ‘pink tree at Billy’s house’ that. Billy sat by himself, until Carlie Jacobson sat next to him.

“Hi.” She said. Billy blushed. He had a huge crush on Carlie.

“Hi Carlie.” He finally managed to eek out.

“I heard you guys have a pink tree. It’s awfully nice of you to let your sister have the pink tree.” She said. “Last year we had to decorate the tree with Hot Wheels instead of the ornaments. But in the end it was worth it, because my little brother was so excited.”

“Yeah…Madie’s pretty excited.” He said.

“Maybe I can come over and see it sometime.” She said getting up to leave.

“yeah, totally.” He said.

Maybe the tree wasn't as bad as he thought. 

Post #25: Experimenting With Things Beyond One's Understanding

Today, Mr. Frankenstein created his creature. He did not yell "it's alive! It's alive!" At the top of his lungs. In fact, he was horrified and disgusted and then he passed out. It was pretty anticlimactic. We talked about the tone of the passage and we are going to eventually (hopefully) talk about theme at the same length. I think the most important theme is the idea that you shouldn't screw around with crap meant to be left alone. However, that does not sound even remotely academic, at all. And that's fine. Right now I'm brainstorming and that idea is at the center of my idea web. I like idea webs, even though Mr. Burge thinks that they are silly. They help me see all of my ideas at once, so I can process relations and similarities. I love idea webs and lists. So, I dug out my thesaurus and started looking up synonyms. I eventually came up with: experimenting with things beyond one's understanding often leads to undesired and unexpected consequences. I think it's a solid statement of theme to start working with. Obviously it needs work, but it's a start. I love working on statements of theme. I understand what something is about. I can pick up on those nuances and whatnot. I love constructing statements of theme. Their structure is so much different than the way I would normally write, much less speak. That's why they're fun. It's a change from the way I would normally think about word order. It's a challenge. Challenges are fun.
"If everything seems under control, you are not going fast enough." - Mario Andretti
D

Post #24: Persistence Finally Pays Off

Crazy. Task Master. Mean. Irritating. Scary. If there's a demeaning synonym for 'Persistent', I've probably been called it, both to my face and behind my back. Three years ago, that really bothered me, but now, I really don't care what other people think. I'm still aware, and I try to make sure that I am not being rude, but what other students think of me isn't a big deal anymore. What is a big deal, however, is making sure that what I need done gets done. If that means I have to beat people over the head (figuratively, of course) about getting things done, that's fine. They can hate me and be resentful, but stuff gets done.
The Capstone project has been a very large thorn in my side. I have gone through three theoretical projects and pretty much all of them have not worked out. My latest failed project, Police Explorers, required that I participate in 60+ hours of additional community service, plus a four-day camp at a local military base, and because I am planning on going out-of-state for my higher education, I won't be able to participate for the full year, which means I won't qualify for the program's competitions and awards. And that's fine. Because I'm not going to lie, I really just wanted to shoot a gun once or twice at the target thing, and ride around in a police car and learn some protocols and demonstrate my knowledge of ten-code. Shallow, I know.
On Friday, I went to talk to a community liaison who is teaching the EMT class at my school just to check in about the EMS class I'm taking to see where we are concerning state certification. Long story short: We're now a state approved class. He is going to oversee the forty hours next semester, and I'm going to get certification, along with anyone else who is 16.
The community liaison said that because I continued "bird-dogging" (his word) about the class that: one, getting the state number for the class was accomplished and two, I have left a legacy for future students. From what I gathered, as long as the class is offered to students, the state will certify those students as first responders.
My persistence paid off not only for myself, but for future students at my school. And that's a cool feeling to know that my "craziness" has affected many people in a positive way. And now I have a senior project that is going to work out, and is fairly contained.
"If you can't change yourself, then change your world." - The The
D

Post #23: The Dangers of Obsolete Technology

So, I have a Polaroid Instamatic camera that belonged to my late Grandfather. For the holidays this year, I want to document each day in December with a single picture and compile a scrapbook with those pictures and whatnot.

I just paid an ungodly amount of money for some Polaroid 600 instant film. I got five packs of ten photos. This was the cheapest set I could find, as some of the SINGLE packs of ten cost upwards of $45 each. Now, I understand that no one has used an instamatic for a long time, and all of the film is expired, but I figured that since the film that had been in the camera had been okay, surely the expiration date couldn't mean that much.

So, for my Mom’s birthday last Sunday, I loaded in one of the cartridges and took it to the party. I was only planning on taking a few pictures, no more than two or three, However, the film was damaged and all of the photos looked like this:

All I got was a little hump. 

So, my Uncle, who was in town for my mom’s birthday, told me to just use up the whole pack, and that is exactly what we did. I had everyone fill out the rest of the photo, building on the little hump.

That one is mine. The one previous is by my Grandma. 

I really hope the rest of them turn out and none of the other film is damaged. On the bright side, my Uncle made a really good slow cooker dinner with chicken and garlic and quinoa.

May your photos turn out better than mine.

D

Post #22: Frankie

So, we are starting Frankenstein and we need to be familiar with Bible stories so we can recognize and analyze the references. I recently found all of my bible notes from my East of Eden project, and I have been letting my sister use them for her studies. I went back and reread some of them…

Some are pretty snarky. But, I understand and remember each story. My notes about Job are sort of funny: “Job is a good guy. One day, Satan comes and visits God and says: ‘Job is only good because you gave him so much.’ So God gives Satan power over Job to Satan, but says he can only go against his stuff. Satan says ‘cool.’ Job loses all of his possessions and his kids die. Job still praises God…”

The Job notes continue for nine more index cards. But, I have found these notes help me to understand and remember what the stories are about.  There’s only so much you can learn from Jesus Christ Superstar and Supernatural.

But, I really do enjoy many of the Bible stories. And the New Testament has some good stuff. I can get behind most of the teachings of Jesus.  I am really looking forward to reading Frankenstein and making connections not only to Bible stories, but to Greek and Roman mythology, Shakespeare, and Milton’s Paradise Lost.

I love discussing literature. I love to read. I’m really looking forward to reading something new and something that isn't Shakespeare. (Sorry Hamlet).

-D

Post #21: Checking Off The Little Boxes

While I run the risk of sounding like Hermione, I like taking tests. Tests have right answers and wrong answers, unlike my life right now. Tests have no grey area. My life is filled with grey area. My Mom often tells me that I see everything in black and white, and until recently, I didn't agree. But, as always, she's right. I do think in black and white, and in lists and in outlines. I like rules. I like checking off boxes. Mr. Burge says that I need to stop being so concerned with checking off the boxes and be more concerned with doing things that I love and building a platform to use after I graduate. But with colleges and scholarships and school and graduation, I need to think in lists. I have post-it notes everywhere with reminders and things I have to get done. I feel more organized when I have little boxes to check off.
Tests give you a structured view of where you need to improve. They say "Yes! You mastered something" or "No! You need to work on something".  Checking off boxes does the same thing for me.  The little boxes say "Yay! You accomplished something" or "Hey! You need to work on this!"
I want to enjoy life, but I am more concerned with the idea that if it doesn't get done right, it will snowball into something that will be too hard to fix later. I know that I'm going to graduate, and I know I'm going to have an A in English. But everything else is just too hazy to make out.
I am doing things I love. I'm writing, and I'm going to work with our local Police Explorers program. I'm working on my first responder certification. I'm writing a blog twice a week.
I just also love to check off little boxes. I like to feel like I'm getting things done and that I'm accomplishing something.

Signing off from way out on the Eastern side of the State,

D

Post #20: Memorization

Hamlet proves himself to be fairly good at memorizing things in Act Two, Scene Two, by reciting a speech he remembers one of the players performing a couple years ago. I'm pretty sure if I were that adept at memorizing things I would never have to study again. Second to Telekinesis/Telepathy, that would be the best superpower ever.
But, I don't, and like everyone else, I have to practice something in order to memorize it. I chose Hamlet's speech in Act Four; Scene Four because I think that it is arguably the most important speech in the play. It demonstrates Hamlet's struggle to prove to himself and to Old Ham that he is capable of avenging Old Ham, and righting the wrongs committed by King Uncle-Dad. It also demonstrates that Hamlet likes to whine and hear himself talk. All Hamlet wants to do is avenge his father and still hasn't, even though the only thing preventing him is his own cowardice. Fortinbras, on the other hand, is leading an army to their deaths over a pice of crappy land.
I love public speaking. I love acting. But I also think I would rather write an analysis and take a test than perform in front of the class. I am still a little self-concious about my lisp, courtesy of my retainer. I know that it's a whole heck of a lot better than it was back in September, but it still plagues me.
And I'm really not sure how to come in costume. I have some black clothes and a sword, but I definitely do not have a suit of sables. I looked through my costume bin, and I did find my ugly holiday sweater. It has gold sequin reindeer prancing about. I did not find anything that resembles something a Danish prince might wear en route to England.
If I were en route to England, it would probably be via airplane, and thus I would wear something warm.
From this point forth, my thoughts be on memorization, or my grade be nothing worth.

D

Post #19: Mixtapes

So, this week, I learned a that a really close friend of mine had never had a mixtape/compdisc (compdisc is short for Compilation Disc) made for her. This mad me sad, mostly because I was raised on a healthy diet of classic late night TV, books, and mixtapes/compdiscs. I recently found all of the mixtapes my Mom's best friend made her in high school and I've been working through them. There's some awesome stuff on there, like this song by the B-52's. And there's something about the way cassette tapes sound that is so exciting for me. It's not the warm sound that comes from vinyl, but a noise that sometimes sounds like it's going to get eaten and warped and give out. It's a good noise. A scary one, but fun nonetheless.
I think that we often see compdiscs as something you would make for your significant other, but I think that they should be made for anyone you love.
My mom used to make them for my Uncle and Grandpa, and vice versa. I love mixtapes. I love music. Compdics are an easy way to share that love with the people I love. My friend likes country music, so I put some Randy Travis on there, but the rest of the songs are total 80's awesomeness.
Her gratitude and excitement for the compdisc this morning made my heart happy. I hope she loves (or at least kind of likes) all of the songs. I tried to keep it basic. There's nothing too weird on there. Most of the songs are fairly mainstream. I hope. I think my view might be a little skewed.

Thank you to all who have served to protect our freedom.

-D.

Post #18: College (Pricing Is Not) Fair

I went to the college fair today at UNR. Then I came home and lied on my floor for a while. Some of the schools were fifty thousand a year. That's two hundred thousand dollars for a bachelor's. Yikes. Education is important, but 200k? Really? Even with the scholarships and whatnot, who could afford that without landing in mountains of debt?! Not me, that's for sure.
As I look at the piles of college information scattered on my bed, I am compelled to just lie on the floor some more. Some days I'm really excited for college and I can't wait to graduate and start a new chapter in my life. Other days, I just want to lie on my floor and not get up.  I will be one of the first couple of people in my immediate family to go to college. My Grandpa went to college, as did my Mom and my Uncle, but most of the rest of my extended family went right into their careers.
I want to got to college! I want to get that degree in Creative Writing and/or Criminal Justice! I want to do things! But I also want to lie on my floor for the rest of my life. Mr. Burge said we would be continually hit with the two-by-four that is our future, and I've been trying to dodge it as much as possible, but it's exhausting.

The career expo next door was a lot more helpful. There was a law enforcement table with packets for the local police explorers program! I think that might be my capstone now. I think I want to be a police officer. Or a paramedic. And a writer. And a princess.

Worse comes to worst, I'll get along. - Billy Joel

D

Post #17: Yaz(oo), Colin Farrell, and A Hostage Negotiator Named James

I made my weekly trip to the library today. I had new Colin Farrell movie:  Dead Man Down and The Best of Yaz waiting on the 'holds' shelf and I was pretty sure my day couldn't get much better. Colin Farrell and 80's music are two of my most favorite things.
While I was looking for a book on Emergency Medical Services, I came across Bullets, Bombs, and Fast Talk: Twenty-Five Years of FBI War Stories. Score!
I have a secret (okay, maybe not too secret) love for anything law enforcement and emergency-situation related. I think it's really fascinating. This book is by James Botting and tells of his various experiences as a SWAT agent and a hostage negotiator. I'm really excited to read something by choice. I didn't find any EMS books, though, and that was a little disappointing.
As I type this, I have "Situation" blasting quietly on my CD player. I also have a not-so-secret love for 80's music. Seriously. My goal in life, along with being a princess and being in a movie in which I get to be Matt Damon's kid, is to go back in time and marry Simon Le Bon circa 1982 when he was young and blond and beautiful. Simon Le Bon is the lead singer of Duran Duran, another one of my most favorite things in the world. Although, honestly, I'd settle for any of the Duran Duran boys circa 1982.

Don't worry if you're confused, we all tend to be sometimes. - "Serious"

D

Post #16: Professional?

As I work my way through my capstone project, I am required to work with adults. That's all fine and dandy, but the way I have been treated lately by these community members is starting to become less than professional.
While I understand that events can happen that warrant more attention than a senior project, unless you're dead, there is no real reason why you can't text, email, call etc. someone to let them know you can't meet with them.
I sat in the lobby for thirty minutes after the meeting had already been postponed (not by me) from the previous day only to have another member of the Sparks Police Department tell me that I would be contacted "later" by my contact. I have not them from them since last Monday.
Not a "sorry I couldn't make it" or a "when can we reschedule" or even an "I don't think this is going to work".
Nada.
If I had been the one not to show up or not contacted, I would have been held responsible for a lack of professionalism and my opportunity to work with an organization would be taken away.
But when an adult behaves this way to a student, there are no consequences. I am only a student. I do not warrant the respect or courtesy given to other "professionals".
I am upset that as a student I am treated this way. Until I have proven that I am or am not professional, I deserve the courtesy that would be given to any prospective community partner.
When did it become okay for "professionals" to disregard my time, let alone anyone else's time?

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

D

Post #15: VEGAS BABY!

I went to Las Vegas last week for a memorial tailgate for my Grandpa the weekend before last. UNLV played Hawai'i and won with a field goal in the last 5 seconds of the game, 39-37. It was a pretty exciting first game. But the whole weekend was filled with sad, silly, and weird moments. And a little bit of crying.
I get a lot of crap for supporting UNLV, but even my Uncle, who went to UNR, roots for UNLV when the two schools play for the Cannon (the one UNLV is gonna take back on Saturday). My Grandpa was "an original rebel", and was on the first UNLV football team in 1968.
Don't believe me? Willie Davison, #66

That's him.

Anyways, it was a really fun time, and stories were shared, hugs given, and I spent some time with family I don't often see.
I also got to hang out in the NV Highway Patrol RV, which was beyond awesome.
On Sunday, we got to tour the UNLV football locker room, which was a mess, and see where the team trains. I also got a drive-by tour of the campus, which was cool and scary all at the same time.
And it was warm in Vegas. That was really nice.
My favorite story was about how my second cousin (who is an adult with a family now) used to torture his little sister (who was about 4) when he was a teenager with the intercom system they had in their home when they were kids by saying "The witch is going to get you! I'm the witch and I'm going to get you!" much to the amusement of my also teen-aged Mom. His sister did not understand where the voice was coming from, and being four, was scared out of her mind.
After my Mom told this story, we discovered that my Uncle Buck has an intercom system between his house and the guest house where we were staying, and spent a good deal of the night in paranoid fear that "the witch" was going to scare the crap out of us.

UNLV GO! FIGHT! WIN!
Go Rebels!

D

Update: UNLV won the game, 27-22. The cannon is headed South! 10-26-2013

Post #14: The Play's the Thing (Driving Me Crazy)

Today in Mr. Burge's English class, we read some more Hamlet, but we also watched. It's fun to read Hamlet, but no one in the class is too adept at reading AND acting out something they're seeing for the first time. I don't think anyone is adept at that. But today, we watched some of the David Tennant version, much to the excitement of NP,who very much loves Doctor Who. We watched the bit with the "Dumb Show" that came before the actual play. It's quite funny. 

I love Hamlet, don't get me wrong, but I'm ready to move on. I want to read poetry or a novel or something that isn't Hamlet. His craziness is rubbing off and making me crazy! I want to read something that isn't about going nuts, because that seems to be where I'm headed. Senior year is going to be the  end of me! Scholarships, capstones, AP, tests, life, and not enough hours in the day. Yikes. Maybe I caught Senior-itis over the break. 

Hamlet struggles with walking the walk. He has no problem talking the talk, but actually doing things?

Not such a strong point. 

I think as seniors we are all struggling with the motivation to be productive. While we are not plotting to kill our Uncle-Dad's (I hope), we are plotting our graduations and, by extension, our futures. Where are we going to go to college? How are we going to pay for it? Have you got your cap and gown? How are your grades? Have you sold your soul to the All-Powerful Limbo Stick? What would you do for a Klondike bar?

Can we graduate yet?

Après moi, le déluge 

D

Post #13: One Week

It's fall break! One week of no school, unless you are failing a class. One week to get ahead on whatever it is that you need to get ahead on. I need to study for the SAT/ACT, fill out college applications, and get my capstone solidified. Thankfully, I didn't get too much homework, and all is quiet on the home front.

I am planning on spending at least two hours every day on SAT/ACT prep. I need to bump my scores up a good 15-20%. I only got a 1230 on the SAT. I need a higher score if I want to even come close to a full ride. Maybe I'll steal the answers. If Captain America and Black Widow could do it, so can I. 

I am going to fill out at least three college applications this week. At this point, whoever offers me the most money and has the programs I want is going to be the winner. My three for this week are UNR, UNLV, and Champlain. Yes, UNLV and UNR. 

I have contacted my community liaison and we are working to set up a project for my capstone. That should be done soon. 

I'm not going to lie. I also plan on watching as much Fringe as I can handle. And knitting stuff. And NOT watching some Canadian comedies about the theatre. And maybe I'll go to the movies. I am going to use this week to take a break. I need a break. We all need a break. This new schedule is wonderful. I was unsure back when we started, but now I'm thrilled.

Make good choices.

D

Post #12: What Are You Doing Here?

This year, I am taking an Emergency Medical Services class in order to get my CPR and (hopefully) First Responder certification. Last week, we were taking some notes, and a community liaison came in to shoot some footage for a video she was making for the district. She is often at my school, and knows that I'm in the Media department. She looked at me with surprise and said "what are you doing here?"

I looked up from my book. "I'm taking notes."

What are you doing here?

I go to a school full of kids who know what they want to do for the rest of their lives. They're all taking classes centered specifically around those dreams. Unless they are a freshman, it's pretty rare that someone would take classes outside their academy. 

I don't know for sure what I want to do with the rest of my life. I know that I don't really want much to do with video journalism. I entered the media department because I thought it would be a chance to act and write. It was not. And now as I look ahead into the hazy abyss that is my future, I realize that it's okay to have no idea. I'm sixteen. I shouldn't have to have an idea. 

That woman looked down at me and asked me what I was doing there. 

I'll tell you what I was doing. I was doing something that made me happy. I was furthering my education and learning something new. I don't know what I want in the future besides to be happy. I want to write, and I want to read and travel and be a police officer or a paramedic or an English teacher or an actress or I don't know. The pedestal young adults are put on for knowing exactly what they want is so high, that trying to get off is hard. It's a long drop, and changing your mind begins a runaway train of events that even John Reid can't stop. I want to take classes that not only further my education, but enrich me personally. I want to get my First Responder certification because I can. It's something I want. That's it. Yes it could help others, but really, I'm taking it because I wanted to do something different this year. I wanted to take at least one class that was fun.
Life's too short to spend time pleasing someone else.

Many happy returns,

D

Post #11: What a Piece of Work is Man

In Act II, Scene II, Hamlet says "what a piece of work is man." I'm pretty sure he means this in a fairly reverent way, implying that humans are exquisite, but I always read it as: man is complicated and difficult to deal with. But this term was coined (according to Merriam-Webster) in 1928, so I don't think it was what Shakespeare meant. However, the reading still makes sense.

Fair is a place where you get cotton candy.

D

Post #10: Knitting and Little Sisters

Knitting is fun, and it's a really productive hobby. You can knit pretty much anything. Heck, you can knit underwear, but it's not recommended. But things like socks, hats, scarves, mittens, and some more hats are always nice to knit, and are relatively easy. I am currently making a One Direction hat for my little sister and I am working on a couple commissioned pieces for some friends. I like to knit while I watch TV or movies, because I hate just sitting and and staring at the screen. I feel a little more productive if I am clicking away at a project. And I get a hat. You can never have too many hats. I have six, and I'm working on another one.
The LilSis and I are watching Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it's pretty cool to finally find something we both like. We can hear each other yelling at the TV screen in the separate rooms, telling the characters to make better choices, and then she comes in my room and quotes the last scene. She likes to look at whatever I'm working on knitting-wise and see how far I made it in the project during the last bit of show.

Having something in common is pretty awesome. I love my sister unconditionally, but it's hard to find things we both like when our tastes are so different. She likes One Direction, and I like Irish Punk music, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. But, we can bond over S.H.I.E.L.D. and that's pretty awesome.

I hope you have a good day and find money in your pocket.

-D

Post #9: Capstones

Capstones. What does that word even mean?  A stone that is shaped like a cap? A captain named Stone? Why is it required to graduate? Isn't an honors diploma enough to appease the education Gods?
I guess not. But, here we are, almost nine weeks into school, and thankfully, everything is starting to fall into place. I have some hours for S.C.O.P.E. (it's like S.H.I.E.L.D., but for CTE education.) and I've made contact with my community member liaison at  the Sparks Police Department. But there is still this hanging, nagging sense that it's not going to be good enough, and I won't be able to catch up and school is starting to feel a little overwhelming.
And I'm only taking one AP class. I have friends that are taking more than three, and I am forever in awe of them. How do they function? If I didn't have TV and knitting time everyday, I would probably go crazy. I specifically chose my classes this year because of that. I get off at 12:30 everyday, and I go home and do homework, and then I have the evenings to do what I want. But this capstone thing just feels like Mjollnir is weighing on my chest.
On the bright side, Hamlet is awesome. Next to Macbeth, Hamlet is my favorite Shakespearean play. Ghosts, madness, Uncle-Dads, and murder most foul. What more could you want in a tragedy? And, it's October! Halloween is coming! It's my favorite holiday. I think this year I am either going to dress up as Wolverine or Captain Kirk. I'm not sure yet. Probably Kirk.

See you on the flip side.

-D

Post #8: Thith ith How I am Currently Thpeaking

I got my braces off this morning! On the one hand, I am super excited! Popcorn! Apples! Caramel! Other banned foods! 

But on the other hand, a giant retainer. 

I'm missing a tooth. It's genetic (thanks, mom). So, in addition to the regular clear plastic retainers, I have a separate one with a fake tooth attached. It's awful. The taste alone is enough to make me ill. I have to wear it, or else I look like a gap toothed pirate. 

So, I have a beautiful smile, but I have lisp about fifty times worse than Cindy Brady's. It ith driving me abtholutely crathy. 

Onth again though,  it ith all about perthpective. 

I am very blessed to have a mom who wants me to have nice teeth and I am very lucky to have gotten braces. I have all of my teeth except one, and none of them are misshapen. 

Maybe I can ask the All-Powerful Limbo Stick to use it's great and terrible powers to give me a tooth. There's always Saint Nicholas too, I suppose. 

On different note-

Nathanael over at What A Wonderful Journey (if you're not reading his blog, you should be. He's hilarious) and I read Act One, Scene Three of Hamlet on Wednesday in English. Out loud. To the class. If you're not familiar with the play, this is the scene where Laertes tells his younger sister, Ophelia to "then weigh what loss your honor may sustain,  if with too credent ear you list his songs,  or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open to his unmaster'd importunity". Translation: Don't have sex with Hamlet. People will think you are a shameless hussy. It's a great scene, and Ophelia tells Laertes to keep it in his own pants and I honestly think that they have a really great sibling relationship. 

I don't know about Nathanael, but reading that scene was definitely a highlight of my week. 

Thigning Off

D

Post #7: The Whole Fam-damn-ily

A big dynamic in Hamlet is the family relations throughout the play. Hamlet and his dead father, Hamlet and his Mother-Aunt, Hamlet and his Uncle-Dad, Laertes and his sister Ophelia, and Polonius and his kids Laertes and Ophelia, to name a few.
I have had all five of my Great Uncles and one Great Aunt, along with their respective spouses in town this weekend for my Grandpa's memorial. Plus two Cousins, my Great Grandma, Aunt and Uncle, all on my Grandma's side, and on Grandpa's side, Great Uncle Buck, and some more Cousins.
It's been crazy. But it's also been really nice. I haven't seen most of these people in years, and I love a loud household. Granted, I don't really want seven kids like Great Grandma, but it definitely is a blast.
As we start Hamlet, I am reminded how blessed I am where family is concerned. We will all be the first to admit we are completely dysfunctional. One my Great Uncles this weekend said "that Duck family ain't got nothing on us!" I think he was referencing that reality TV family, but I don't have cable, so I'm not sure.
And he's right. But on the bright side, there are no Sister-Wives or Uncle-Dads in our family, as far as I'm aware. On my Grandma's side, there are over 70 cousins (seven kids will do that). We don't always agree, but we are always there for each other. I can't tell you with much accuracy which kid belongs to which parent or who just had a baby, but I can tell you that everyone in this family is loved.

Also- Fam-damn-ily comes from my Grandpa Jim. I give credit where credit is due.

Well, that's the news from Lake Woebegone, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.

D

Post #6: The Secret Lives of Teachers - A Short Story

The last bus has left, and everyone in detention has been sent home. The janitorial staff has disappeared back into the supply closets, mops and buckets in hand. The teachers gather in the lunchroom, wearing pink velvet robes and bunny slippers. They place the All-Powerful Limbo Stick on the best table in the lunchroom and bow down to it. The All-Powerful Limbo Stick is a myriad of colors, and makes the students uncomfortable when they look at it, as though it is mocking them.
The English Teachers bring a stack of failed tests and papers up to the table and one by one begin sacrificing the pieces of poor writing and miscalculated numbers to the All-Powerful Limbo Stick. They set each sheet of paper on fire and chant "Jack be limbo, jack be quick, jack go under limbo stick. All around the limbo clock, hey let's do the limbo rock".
The Science Teachers do the "Elaine" around the pyre of failure while they throw boric acid onto the flames.
The Math Teachers sacrifice Casio fx-9750GII calculators to the ever-growing flames.
The History Teachers throw ipods and phones that were taken away onto the flames, and the batteries explode and the lunchroom is filled with an acrid smell of burnt pizza and dead dreams.
 The Teachers chant louder and faster and then the All-Powerful Limbo Stick rises up on a column of green flames. The teachers stop dancing and sacrificing, but continue to chant. A bell rings, signaling the end of the chanting period. The All-Powerful Limbo Stick speaks.
"I command you to bring me more failing papers! Sacrifice the failings of students to me! I am the All-Powerful Limbo Stick!"
The teachers bow once more, promising to bring more failed papers. An English Teacher steps forward.
"O' All-Powerful Limbo Stick! I shall not only bring you the sad excuses my students consider essays, but also green sheets of shame, signifying their failure to complete their assignments!" He says.
"Yes. This pleases me greatly." The All-Powerful Limbo Stick thunders. The All-Powerful Limbo Stick then disappears in puff of yellow smoke and reappears in the upstairs math classroom, near the calculator table, to be found the following morning by the first period Statistics Teacher.

Post #5: Easy Assignment?

Your homework this weekend is easy. Find a song that you want to analyze. Easy as pie, right? 
WRONG. 
I stared at my collection of CDs, and they stared back. Were The Smiths too pretentious? Was Led Zeppelin a cliché? Flogging Molly might be too... Loud. 
Why is this project so hard? It's one song, that's all. I spent at least an hour looking up and comparing lyrics. I finally narrowed it down to two. Neither of them are Led Zeppelin songs. 
One of them is a Fleet Foxes cover/edit. The song is "False Knight On the Road", which is an old folk song that they re-wrote and recorded for a b-side to their single Mykonos. It's about the Devil, I think. Or at the very least it is about temptation.
The other is a Josh Ritter song off Hello Starling. "Wings" is about change and angels and trains. It would be cool to poetically analyze all of Josh Ritter's songs. I still have all of the work I did freshman year on his other song "Thin Blue Flame". It's about Heaven and angels. 
I think that I had so much trouble with this assignment because it made me reflect on what I listen to. We were supposed to find a song with a meaning we were unsure of. I honestly have too many of those. The Smiths raise questions about the point of our existence, Led Zeppelin underscores the importance of fantasy novels, and Flogging Molly likes to yell about men on ships. 
With what is currently going on in my life, I realize even more the importance of music in our lives. Whether I am singing the 'Beer-Run' song with my little sister in the car or listening to Luka Bloom tell me I couldn'ta come at a better time while I write, music is important to me and my mom and my little sister. Even though she likes some boy bands that make me want to barf. But then again, I still listen to the Spice Girls, so I guess we're even. 

Live Long And Prosper

D

Post #4: MIIIIILLLLOOOOOOOO!!!

I had not pictured Nately as a singing moose. Don't get me wrong, I like Art Garfunkel. But he's not how I pictured Nately. 

I just finished the 1970 movie version of Catch-22. I really enjoyed it. But, like all movies based on books, Catch-22 the novel was much better. The movie followed the book in some areas, but not in others. 

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU WANT TO WATCH THE MOVIE WITH NO SPOILERS, GO READ ANOTHER BLOG

Okay. 

Hungry Joe gets cut in half by McWatt, not Kid Sampson. McWatt still crashes into the mountain. That was a little annoying. Nately dies during Milo's raid on the base. That was very annoying.  My favorite scene was completely left out. There were no naked officers holding Nately's Whore hostage. 

SCHIESSKOPF WASN'T EVEN IN THE MOVIE! 

That made me mad. I yelled at my screen and my mom had to come check on me. 

"Are you okay?" she asked. 

"NO! They left Shithead out of the movie! I wanted to watch him do parades!" I said.

She 'hmmm'-ed at me and went back to whatever she was doing. 

The Snowden flashbacks were really well done. Guts and all. Jon Voight was awesome as Milo Minderbinder. Billy Crystal makes an appearance as Mjr. Major Major. Norman Bates plays Chaplain Tappman. 

I think in terms of WWII movies, my favorite is still Memphis Belle. Harry Connick Jr. sings, Samwise shoots at Nazis, and Reverend Shaw does not dance on screen, but does have lots of pictures taken of the Memphis Bell crew for Life magazine. No one dies, but it still leaves me in a mess of ugly crying every time I watch it. 

10-24

D

 

Post #3: Death in the Opposite House

Last week we read "There's been a Death, in the Opposite House" by Emily Dickinson. It talked about how people find out that someone has died in a "Country Town". The neighbors "intuitively" know someone has died across the street.
That's not how it works anymore. Believe me, I know. I am spending my birthday dealing with it. Now, you can't just throw a mattress out onto the street. People don't really "intuitively" know anymore. Now we read the obituaries in the paper or online. Now you have to make phone call after phone call and repeat the news. People call you. Telephones are constantly in use. My Mom and Grandma have probably spent more time dialing phone numbers this weekend than they have in the past month.
 My Grandpa had a stroke Saturday morning. I am not writing this as an 'O Woe is me' post or to illicit an empathy grade. I'm writing this because I am not sure what else to write about. I had never been in an ICU before yesterday, and let me tell you, they are depressing places. The curtains are hideous. It is not like what I see on TV. Two of the nurses had full sleeves of tattoos.
I was not planning on spending my sweet sixteen this way, but one thing's for sure, it's been a hell of a weekend, and it sure won't be a birthday I'll forget.
Hug those you love, tell people you appreciate them and love them.
D

Post #2: Fire, Justification, and Televsion

     I'm not going to lie. I love watching TV. I don't have cable, which is a good thing.  I watch cultural shows that enrich my life on PBS, like Masterpiece Theater and NOVA and Ken Burns documentaries.
     I also watch shows that do nothing for me besides entertain me. This fall TV season, I am really looking forward to the return of Chicago Fire on NBC.
     I love Chicago Fire. It is not nearly as cheesy as it looks in the previews, and there were a couple of really powerful episodes last season. Yes, the two male leads are highly attractive, and the other fire fighters get up to kooky antics throughout the season, but it is well written and has a cohesive plot line. And hey, attractive guys are always a plus. The situations never seem too far-fetched, and the emotional reactions of the characters always seem realistic.
      I say these things to justify "good" and "intelligent"  reasons for watching, and they are reasons I watch the show, but I watch Chicago Fire mostly because it is entertaining. I watch because of the male leads and because things catch fire and everyone has to figure out how to work together and the relationships on this show are a little silly and it is a reprieve from my own world and from hard thinking about real problems. It is an hour of wondering if they had to take lessons to drive the fire trucks and how heavy are the costumes and will Dawson and Casey ever get together and how socially acceptable would it be to pet Severide's nice abs if I ever met him in real life. These are the reasons I watch every week. I'm invested in the characters and the drama every week.
     Could I be doing something more productive, like sleeping, or reading a book? Yes, most definitely. But I also could be doing drugs or setting things on fire, so it's really all about perspective. And my perspective is that if you enjoy something, that's cool. I like watching firefighters yell at each other and occasionally take their shirts off on my little analog TV with the broken rabbit ears. Maybe you like crazy moms dressing their kids up in dresses that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe combined. It's all good.

Don't drive like my brother.

D

Post #1: There's Only One Catch, and it's a Catch-22!

This past week in English, we finished up our summer project, Catch-22, by Joseph Heller. We read and annotated over the summer and then when we got back to school, we discussed and wrote essays about the book. As a class, we discussed the many instances of irony, symbolism, and Snowden's death, but something we didn't really touch on how funny this book is. Most of the humor came from complete absurdity, but I digress. There were some points where I had to put the book down because my giggling was distracting me from the novel (and disrupting the whoever I happened to be sitting next to as well). So here, in no particular order, ten of the funniest bits of Catch-22, according to me:

Note- I own the Dell 1980s-ish edition. All page numbers correspond with my copy.

1. Chapter 33, where the officer's keeping Nately's Whore are harassed by Nately, Yossarian and a couple others. The officers all walk around naked, because Dunbar throws the officer's clothes into the courtyard.   

"General, we're in a very bad strategic position. We haven't got a stitch of clothing, and it's going to be very degrading and embarrassing for the person who has to go downstairs through the lobby to get some"

"Yes, Filpo, you're quite right," said the general. "And that's exactly why you're the one to do it. Get going." 

"Naked, sir?"

"Take your pillow with you if you want to. And get some cigarettes, too, while you're downstairs picking up my underwear and pants, will you?"

"I'll send everything up for you," Yossarian offered. 

"There, General," said Filpo with relief. "Now I won't have to go."

"Filpo, you nitwit. Can't you see he's lying?"

"Are you lying?"

Yossarian nodded, and Filpo's faith was shattered. 

2. T.S. Elliott. Or almost any other time Ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen opens his mouth. (Chapter 4)

3. Anytime Milo tries to explain investing and/or the syndicate to other characters. (Especially Chapter 7)

4. The fact that one of the characters is named Shithead. Schiesskopf roughly translates to Shithead in German. (Chapter 8)

5. Shithead's Parades and his extreme obsession with said parades. (Also Chapter 8)

6. Hungry Joe vs. Huple's cat. (Chapter 12)

7. Anytime anyone called someone else crazy or a "crazy sonofabitchinbastard" (page 156) or pazzo. Because all of the terms applied to all of the characters at some point.  (Chapter 5. The word crazy is used over 20 times.)

8. Thanksgiving. Or anytime anyone got even a little drunk. (Chapter 34)

9. The Anabaptist Chaplain continually being called 'Father'. (Chapter 36)

10. Anytime the higher-ups try to out-do and out-smart and out-perform each other. (Entire

Novel)

So there you have it. The whole book is pretty funny, but these were the parts that got me to at least chuckle quietly.

Goodnight, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

D