May-term, Summer and College

Today is my last day of school because I am doing May term. My May term project is to construct a Tesla Coil and see how it works. For those of you that don't know what a Tesla Coil is, this link will explain it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_coil. I think it will be very enjoyable and teach me about electronics yet it may be a little dangerous because we will be dealing with high-voltages.

After and during May-term I am working on Current Jam at the high school. I am going to be the video switcher which entails switching the video that is playing on the screen in the background. The video is taken from the four or five camera that are running during the show and a streamed to the projector. I have someone above me that tells me which one to put on and when. I just have to make sure I queue up the right camera and make a smooth transition from one to the other.

This summer I am not doing very much. I will get a job if I can but if I don't it I will probably end up doing a lot of yard work and taking care of my pool. My summer isn't going to be very long as it is have been previous years because I have to leave for college in early August. I'm going to hang out with my friends as much as I can because I won't see much of them once the summer is over.
Next year in college is going to be a life changing experience. I will meet new people from all over the U.S. and I will be living away from home. It's only a six or seven hour drive or an hour plane ride from home but it's still away from home. I don't anticipate it being too difficult of a change and actually am looking forward to it. My sister is living only an hour away so if I need any help I can visit her. In college I plan on studying some kind of engineering possibly chemical engineering or the like. That means I will be taking a ton of math and science courses which is good for me because I enjoy them. Alas that is my plan for the upcoming year and the beginning of the rest of my life. I don't know if I will ever write on this blog again so, so long readers and a happy rest of the life to you.

Characters from the Story World

Character 1: Eric Cartman

Eric Cartman is a pecular character that does basically whatever he wants. He does things that people in our society would never do and yet he can because he is a clueless child. The things he does and says are so outrageous at times and at others it is something we may have want to have said but it would not be benificial in anyway if we did. This ability to do anything in strange situations without being socially outcast is funny to us and intrigues us as to how people in the real world would react to such a thing.

Character 2: Plastic Barbie

Barbies is the plastic doll that everyone knows. She has had the same figure as if forever and embodies what people think is beautiful although in reality I don't think anyone could live with such features. She was the little doll that girls played with and the same doll that brothers terrorized. For some reason having a rotating removable head just called to brothers to pull of myself included although my older sister didn't have very many of them. I'm not sure why kids are so attracted to such a doll, maybe its the features, maybe its the image, or maybe its just because its a plastic doll that can be moved about but whatever it is, Barbie has stayed and will stay in the timeto come.

Character 3: Peter Griffon

Peter Griffon is the loveable, sorry for saying this, dumbass on the show Family Guy. He is fat and giggly and does all of the stupid and harmful things that you've always wanted to try to do. He isn't outrageous like Eric Cartman but is funny none the less. Being an adult and a father, Peter does the things that parent shouldn't do and at times, his children show it. Doing stupid things is his forte and shrugs them off after the episode with a laugh and smile. He is important to society showing what not to do as a parent or an adult. Overall he is a loveable character that shows possiblitlies of obscure scenarios.

A Well-told story

1. Stories are very important in early childhood because they teach children life lessons. I think the reason that people read stories to children also includes the reason of preoccuping the child. Children can be a handful at times and often require a distraction. At an early age children learn about things in real life and fill in the rest from books to further their learning.

2. I think older people read in order to pass the times or perhaps to remind them of their youthful time. In addition to this older people may read more political articles in order to learn about the world outside of their immediate area. This news is important to them because they ususally have many people that they care and worry about and it tells them if anyone might be in danger or in trouble.

3. Information travels between passes between people around the world through stories and writing. As such it is a major way for the nation to communicate with itself and things like The New York Times Best Seller lists capitalize on that. People in general like to know the low down on everything that is happening especially in our day and age. Issues come up, people learn about them and like to discuss with others in order to feel like they have an influence on topics they may not. More importantly stories share the feeling of the writer and allow other to ponder the ideas.

4. I remember where I was when the World Trade Centers were hit, cutting my lip open while skating, adventuring through the marshes and many many more stories. I remember these because they stand out when next to normal memories. They teach me what to do in life and how to live and more importantly they teach me right from wrong. In stories I hear about or listen to, I try to relate my own life and how it would impact me in an effort to improve myself.

5. a. Deep characters with emotions and morals
b. Interesting timeline with events that provoke thought and emotion
c. An idea or specified theme to centralize the story
d. Conflicts that reflect struggle and bring characters to reality
e. Coherent and understandable
f. Relate in some way to an event in the world
g. Character development

Entry VI

Well lets see. Today is a free day to write about whatever and what is on my mind right now is how I am going to function when I am at college. I can't wait to be off to college. My parents drive me crazy in a way. They constantly tell me to keep my room clean and other little things like that. I mean my room isn't completely sparkling clean but its definitely not extremely messy. Come on, I should be able to have it a little disoriented; I am a teenager and all. I know my parents don't expect me to be perfect and all but give me a break. I am at the beginning of my life as an individual. I am a caterpillar emerging from the cocoon for the first time to become a butterfly. I can't fly right away; I have to let my wings spread out and bathe in the sun before finally taking off. Children need to experience and learn things themselves to fully grasp concepts instead of the parents just telling them. Well this is at least true for me. One time when I was watching my mom cook, we had a coil stove that was hot. My mom told me not touch the stove while she went to do something because it was hot. Being me I didn't listen to her and, yeah that's right, stuck my finger on the stove. I was in a bit of pain after and started crying but it's a experience that I needed to have. I guess the thing that I'm trying to say is that in college if I don't know how to do something, I'll figure it out in one way or the other.
From my writing you may think that I don't get along with my parents at all. That is not the case, we actually get along rather well but there are just certain things that we completely disagree on. Since I am running out of time I have to finish this post later which means sometime in the next couple days. Until then this is all you get. Hope it was interesting.

Poetry Critic

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

2. I selected this poem because it was a memoriable ones that had read in elementary school. In my free time I used to go through poem books by Shel Silverstein because they were always fun and interesting.

3. The title is very fitting and logical of its use. It is used in the first and last lines of the poem and is described throughout. Basically it is what the whole poem is about.

4. The three lines before the last of each stanza rhyme which creates a sort of ease of reading the poem. It adds a sort of rythm to it and allows the reader to partially forsee ending sound of the line. The poem also using a great deal of imagery. In the first stanza he describes where the sidewalk ends very vividly by portraying the grass, the sun and a bird in the area. This allows the reader to better imagine the place that he is describing.

5. The tone of it is sort of forebodding. It seems to be telling the reader that it is not a desirable place to be and to not try to seek it out. Also it sort of seems like it isn't really a place that you are able to go to and is a fictional place that people always wonder if it exists. No one ever really sees the end of a sidewalk or thinks anything about seeing the end of a sidewalk. Its just a mistery that is interesting to think about.

Writing Territories

I generally read science fiction and fantasy novels. I have read the Dune series, Redwall series, part of the Dragonlance series and many more. These type of books have always been the type I read for enjoyment. Of course I have read other types mainly just the ones assigned for school. As for writing myself, I don't do a whole lot of it. I guess I don't write that much because it takes me a while to get it down on paper the way I like it. Usually my writing would be in the form of short stories but I have written some poetry. I do not write too frequently only a couple times a month or when I feel like it. Just like what I read, I enjoy writing about fiction. This is because I am a little more science and math oriented in my life and tend to think about that it a little more.

I have always loved to go exploring and as a child I did a great deal of it. Once when I was with a couple a friends, we decided to explore the Nine-Mile Creek. It was the winter so the creek was frozen over and we were walking on it. The ice seemed pretty solid so we didn't see any harm in doing so. We were having a great time walking on the creek and chatting until we came to where the creek intersects Highway-62. At the intersection the creek goes under the highway through a small tunnel. Being kids and thus not being the brightest we decided to try and crawl on the ice through the tunnel. When we were about 15 ft in or so we heard the ice start cracking. In a panic we turned around and hightailed it out. The whole while hearing the ice cracking and crunching. We made it out safely but when we were deciding what to do next, my foot went through the ice and into the frigid water. My foot and part of my leg got completely soaked with the freezing water even though I had boots on. I managed to get my foot out pretty easily and we started back for my house going as quickly as we could. With my foot freezing, I was worried that I might get frostbite. Eventually we reached a warming house at a park where we went into the bathrooms to warm up. After drying out my foot and warming it up I was glad to find out that there seemed to be no harm done to it. From there we walked the last couple minutes back to my house where the rest of the day wore away and my friends departed for their homes. To this day I still enjoy these kinds of adventures but I am now more cautious when walking on ice and check it more thoroughly before putting my weight on it.

Creative Writing III

1. It was quite interesting and different writing a play rather than a normal story. It's entirely weird to leave out exactly what the actors are doing to allow for them to add their own stuff. At times it is hard to have the characters describing the conflicts and situations instead of explaining it with a narrator or the like. I don't think I attempt to write any sort of drama writing in the near future.

2. I would say to live and do all of the fun things while you are young. Don't worry about the little things while growing up and go out on adventures because when you are older you are expected to behave like an adult and not do any of the fun stuff. Doing fun stuff doesn't include drugs though because they can really mess people up. On top of that always give it your all. Thats basically my advice and I give it because there is some stuff I would have liked to do but at this age it may seem weird or I may be held more responsible for it.

3. Great literature lasts so long because it is epic or it brought about a revolution in writing. It tells of great adventure or does something that is against the current times. It is so well thought out and different from the general writing that was taking place when it was written that it stands and changes the trend in writing. Personally I do not think that I will ever write something that will be remembered through the ages unless it is some discovery about math or science. This is because I am not very artistically inclined and focus more on my math and science skills.