Life goes on.

Contrary to popular belief, life still goes on during National Novel Writing Month. At least for me it does. I've been very busy with school.... Lots of music - about 12 hours a week.

Here is a Beethoven song on piano:

I have also been practicing essays and paragraphs to be put into essays.... Here is a paragraph I'm particularly proud of (except for the fact I used the word 'essay' a million times):

Ignorance of proper technique breeds improper essays. Treating an essay like a close friend leads to first and second person writing and words such as, "me, you, they, I, their, and your." Such words are inappropriate for essays as the point of the essay is to convince. Personification makes arguments weaker. Essays also need to pop with creative sentences and colorful descriptions. Too many words, however, may clutter the point and confuse the reader. Succinct sentences that prove points without personification take practice but pave the way to proper papers.

I have also been doing science.... We did an experiment with an egg which was very interesting. It went this way....
Take an egg and soak it in white vinegar for 24 hours (I did 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 apple cider vinegar).

The shell disolved off the egg and it was very squishy. The egg also swelled from 5 1/2 inches to 6 inches because of osmosis.
After rinsing off the egg, we put it in some syrup for 24 hours. In the morning we were pleasantly suprised with a deflated egg that measure 4 1/2 inches!

 

 

After 24 hours we rinsed the egg again and put it in a glass of distilled water for another 24 hours.
What a surprise we had!! The egg swelled to 6 1/2 inches around the middle!! It was huge!

And it bounced like a ball.

I've also been drawing.... I got the idea from Doctor Who when he said, "The doctor is in!" It made me think of The Peanuts gang.

And then.... Well.... My imagination took off.

I spy with my little eye.....
The Doctor (wibbly wobbly timey wimey! And his sonic screwdriver!)

A Cyberman with a serious problem....

Snoopy, K-9, and a Dalek.....

And of course Woodstock is nearby. (You wouldn't believe how hard he was to draw!)

 

And the TARDIS.

 

 

Oh yeah, and a banana. Bananas are good.

 

 

 

I've also been reading.... I just finished Larklight by Philip Reeve which was really good! I wasn't planning on doing a review unless someone wants me to.

And oh oh oh! I FINALLY finished the Two Towers chapter I have been reading for the past two months!

 

NaNoWriMo is also going well.... I'm at 28,375 words. Here is a little snippet for you:

 

“Are you going to stand there and collect water or are you going to come aboard?” a friendly all-American voice called from the top of the stairwell leading into the plane. Daniel and Varina exchanged a glance and then hurried up the stairs. Two towels were waiting for them at the top.
“This is an airplane, not a lake,” explained the man. He was handsome with brown hair, swoon-worthy bright blue eyes and a broad smile filled with perfect, shining teeth.
“Thanks for the towels,” Varina was saying when suddenly her face flooded with recognition and she moaned, “Oh no….”
“I take it you know who I am,” said the man, his blue eyes sparkling with mirth and a smile playing around his lips.
“No no no,” said Varina. “I refuse to go anywhere with you as our pilot! Let me off this plane right now!”
Varina turned around and tried to push her way past Daniel but, thin as he was, he blocked the door.
“Hold on Webb, who is this man? Why can’t we fly with him?” Daniel asked.
“You don’t know who he is?” Varina asked incredulously.
Daniel shrugged. “I’ve never seen him in my life.”
“He’s Tony Leslie!” Varina spouted, as if by name alone Daniel would be able to decipher who their pilot was.
“Who is Tony Leslie?” Daniel asked, his face blank.
“You haven’t heard of me in the UK?” Tony Leslie said to Daniel, his face assuming a crushed look.
“I don’t know… Maybe we have,” Daniel shrugged. “I wouldn’t know because no one will tell me who you are!”
“He’s a stunt pilot!” Varina said.
“Not just a stunt pilot, but the best stunt pilot in the United States. No, in the world! Dare I say; the universe!” Tony Leslie smiled gallantly.
“I’ve seen his stunts on TV,” Varina said. “He purposefully puts his life in danger and does these outlandish tricks… I won’t fly with a stunt pilot!”

 

Don't get too attached to Tony Leslie (who looks like Captain Jack Harkness and is named after Tony Curtis who played the character The Great Leslie is one of my favorite movies). Just sayin'.

 



Day by day, and with each passing moment....

....Strength I find to meet my trials here; trusting in my Father's wise bestowment, I've no cause for worry or fear.

Those who have been around since my first month of blogging may remember THIS post about my first day of school.
I thought I'd do a post similar - about the curriculums I am currently using.

In science, I am studying biology with Exploring Creation with Biology by Dr. Jay Wile. I have been using the "Exploring Creation...." curriculum for almost my entire student life. They are very good books, though sometimes dry and boring, like all science books can be. I am enjoying biology a lot more than physical science, which was the last book.
And off to the left is my self-decorated amazing science notebook.... complete with Paul McCartney, the Beatles, a Star Trek logo, the TARDIS, the Ninth and Tenth doctors, and a picture of my piano.
And above the Beatles is a quote by Benjamin Franklin: "Never leave that for tomorrow which you can do today."

In math I am grade or two behind... So I'm trying to get caught up in that.
So far in algebra we've just been doing review... All the easy questions are throwing me off! I expect them to be hard, over think them, and end up getting the wrong answer. Sigh....
Teaching Textbooks is a good math curriculum for those who don't understand how math works (that would be me!). It explains things very well and you can buy an explanatory CD for the computer that helps you along as well.

My mother is the teacher of my writing "class" made up of me and two friends. We are learning how to write good essays using The Lively Art of Writing by Lucile Vaughan Payne. I am learning lots of good things! I only wish the author would cut back on the examples!

I'm learning cursive for the first time....

And I'm still learning Dutch with Rosetta Stone.

The literature course I am currently going through is Excellence in Literature the American literature study. The books to read include, Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin, Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne, Moby Dick by Herman Melville, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.

Then of course there's music..... I'm in choir and ensemble where we are singing very very fun songs!
I also started singing lessons! Very very exciting... I'm sing the Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) currently... Maybe I'll post me singing it when I get it worked up.
There's saxophone:

And piano! Right now I've got lots of piano on my plate.... scales, Hanon excercises, a Handel Gavotte, the Solfeggietto, Beethoven, Christmas jazz.... Lots to work on.

And here is me playing "Day by Day" arranged by Mark Hayes. I playing this in church on Sunday.

Live long and prosper!

When there is simply nothing else to blog about.....

I do not consider myself an infinitely clever person (unless it is in creating very complex plotlines and confusing the reader, making them think that this is the plotline when really it's just a tease. I like doing that). I have been having trouble thinking up a blogpost but I decided I had better post something lest you think I had abandoned you....
Well, I still don't really know what to post about so I guess I'll write about which books are currently holding my attention.

Frankenstien by Mary Shelley. It is the third book in the Vancouver Sun children's classics series (although how Frankenstien made the "children's classics" list I have no clue....). I have decided to put the Vancouver Sun books on hold for now because of all my other reading responsibilities.

The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien. I have been trying to get through this book all summer.... I just can't seem to do it. I'm at the part where Frodo, Sam, and Gollum are trying to get through the dead marshes. The only time I really read this is at drivers class on Saturdays and Sundays during break, when I'm not talking to my friend who likes Sherlock.

Ephesians by Paul from the Bible. My Sunday school class is going through an inductive Bible study of Ephesians. It is quite interesting, though we are only 2 chapters in!

I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris. I started this book a few weeks ago and have gotten a fair way through it.... Though I may have to abadon it once more.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin. My literature "class" (made up of me and two friends - taught by my mother) is currently reading "Autobiography" (correction, I am reading it.... my friends have already finished). We are using a literature course called "Excellence in Literature" and it has (I believe) nine classics in it. "Autobiography" is the first. So far I am really enjoying it! Benjamin Frankling is an amazing man. I will likely post a review once I have finished the book.

And finally....

The Freedom Factor by Gerald N. Lund. This is one of my all time favorite books ever. It is about a man named Bryce who is a senator's aide in Washington DC. He is working on an amendment that will destroy the checks and balances in the Constitution. A man named Gorham and a very pretty lady named Leslie are against the bill but whatever they do, Bryce refuses to change his mind.... until he's thrown into an alternate universe where the Constitution was never ratified.
I will probably do a review on this book when I finish it as well.

So there you have it, the books that currently hold my attention, "Autobiography" and "The Freedom Factor" being the main ones.

Tomorrow or the next day I will perhaps write about the different curriculums I am using right now.

Live long and prosper. =)

Propaganda

Propaganda comes in many shapes and forms. Perhaps you have seen some that look like this:


Or this:
Or even this:

For a class I took two years ago we were given a handout with different kinds of propaganda.
The top of handout says, "A number of techniques based in social psychological research are used to generate propaganda. Many of these same techniques can be found under logical fallacies, since propagandists use arguments that, while sometimes convincing, are not necessarily valid."
Some different kinds of propaganda are,
Ad nauseam: A simple slogan repeated enough times that it might be taken as the truth.
Appeal to fear: Pretty self explanatory.
Appeal to prejudice: Pretty self explanatory.
Beautiful people: Depicts famous or beautiful people and makes people think that if they can look like that certain person, they'll be perfect.
Black and white fallacy: There's only two choices. For example, "Join us or die."
An example of World War 1 propaganda that I thought was kind of funny was, "Bond slackers are Kaiser* backers."

*Kaiser- German leader.

For my World War 2 class, each student had to create a piece of propaganda that limits personal freedom.
Here is mine (NOTE: I do NOT believe the phrase I choose! I have nothing against homeschoolers OR public schoolers).
The propaganda says, "Don't pay the fool, go public school."

My dad (who helped me with this project) and I tried to make the homeschoolers look deformed, with flat heads, empty eyes, and three fingered hands. We also gave them shirts labeling them as "Home skolers" showing that they don't know how to spell... And of course, the jester hats to show that they are "play the fool" by not going public school.

I couldn't resist putting a piece of propaganda within a piece of propaganda....


A rejected phrase for my propaganda was, "Don't be foolish, avoid homeschoolish!"
Thanks but no thanks Dad.
On Tuesday when I brought my poster to class everyone loved it.
Mission accomplished.
=)

The Blue and the Gray

How do like the new "fall look" of the blog? I personally love it! ;D Of course, I may just be biased because this is my blog.

Today I went to a friend's house (the friend that had surgery - she's doing great!) and we watched the movie "Gettysburg" with our mother's. What a sad, sad, sad day for America that was... It was a horrible battle!
Mom and I had a lively discussion with my friend and her mother about the South and North's reasons for fighting the Civil War. Many people are mis-informed and think that the Civil War was only fought because of slavery. In reality, only 25% of the South owned slaves and about half of that 25% had less than 12 slaves.
The South's reasons for seceding and their reasons for fighting were 1) They wanted to preserve their way of life. Think about it, they were very agricultural and those who grew up on plantations only knew slavery, nothing else. If slavery was abolished, how would the farms with acres upon acres upon acres of cotton be plowed and harvested? I'm not saying slavery is right... On the contrary, I think it's atrocious. 2) Because the South was very agricultural and the North was more industrial, more voting citizens lived in the North. Because of this, the North had more representation in Congress (According the the Constitution of the United States each state will have 2 senators and 1 representative for every certain number of people (when the Constitution was ratified it was 30,000 people, I believe. It has changed since then) and the South had less representation in Congress. The North would make decisions for the whole nation (because they had more congressmen which meant they had more votes) that didn't benefit the South. 3) This is perhaps the biggest reason the South seceded and fought in the Civil War. They wanted states rights. Here is a quote my mom found in a book that I think sums it up nicely:
(Uncle Clay and his niece Deborah had just visited the Yancey farm in the South).
"They (Yancey's) don't own any slaves," she (Deborah) remarked. "Is it because they think it is evil - or are they just too poor?"
"Both I guess." (Uncle) Clay shook his head with a puzzled air. "It's odd Deborah. Buford (Yancey) has told me many times he'll never own a slave, but he's also told me that nobody is going to tell him that he can't own a slave. There are lots of men like that in the South. If it came right down to it, they'd fight for the right to do as they please. That's what state's rights is all about."
(A Covenant of Love, p. 304, by Gilbert Morris)
You have to wonder, if the federal government had left the issue of slavery in the state's capable hands, would the Civil War taken place? And where would our state's rights be as of now, in 2011? Would they be better or worse? Personally I believe that things would be better off for our American nation, because the power would be with the states, where it's supposed to be. NOT with the federal government.
But I'll let you decide for yourself. =)


Here is an American Girl Doll music video I filmed a number of days ago. I would've had it made earlier but I didn't have a computer... I hope you enjoy! It sure was fun to make.



P.S. The pictures in the "Meet the Dolls" section are up!

Skillet, a sneak preview, and my first day of class.

Because a few of my friends like the Christian heavy rock band Skillet I thought I would post some clips from the Skillet concert I went to over the Summer. Those who don't like rock bands and static-y/bad video quality because the music was so loud, don't watch this video.
Please excuse my singing (on "Happy Birthday Korey"), my "Daddy?" at the end of the violin solo clip, and my frantic "fan girl" screaming at the beginning of the last clip (I'm not gonna spoil it for my friends who are reading this =D)



And here is a sneak preview clip from my upcoming Twelfth Night American Girl Doll production!



I had my first day of classes today. I think they went rather well, if I do say so myself. Today it was mostly getting to know people and getting to know the structure of class. I can't wait until next week.
This week's writing assignment/opinion paper is "Where do your allegiances lie and why?"
Right now my thoughts are, "First and foremost my allegiances lie with God and then with family and friends." I will try construct a paper around those thoughts.
Until tomorrow...

Not much today...

I don't have much to talk about today.
I was kept busy all today doing schoolwork. Despite getting up late I got a lot done... Bible, math, Dutch, my science pre-test, 5 pages of a debate book my mom and I are going through, saxophone, piano, and I started the third edit for my novel. I'm quite proud of myself! This has been the most school-filled day since before Summer.
I am exhausted and I think I'm getting sick... Not good! Especially since I have to sing on worship team on Sunday, plus youth group and Sunday school are starting up and I don't want to miss a second of either of them!

Right now, I'm watching Stargate SG-1. They just made a Star Trek quote!! They do that a lot...
The first one was a few seasons ago when Colonel O'Neill was being questioned by someone. Instead of using his real name he says, "I'm James T. Kirk of the U.S.S. Enterprise." Later he changes his answer and says, "I lied, my name isn't Kirk.... it's Skywalker, Luke Skywalker."
A few episodes ago Colonel Mitchell was in a fight to the death and the character he was fighting gave him a drug so he would appear dead. The same thing happens in a Star Trek episode when Kirk and Spock are fighting to the death. McCoy drugs Kirk.
After Mitchell wakes up in the Stargate episode, he says to the alien that drugged him, "Thanks Bones."
And now in the episode I just watched alternate SG-1's came through the Stargate so there where about 20 different Daniel Jackson's and Teal'c's and Sam's and Cam's walking around. An alternate Mitchell took over the Prometheus (a ship). The real Mitchell askes to speak with his alternate. When the real Mitchell comes in he says, "You don't have a beard so I'm guessing your not from the evil twin reality." In a Star Trek episode, while being beamed up, Kirk, Spock, Uhura, and I think Dr. McCoy as well, get placed in an evil reality where Spock has a beard.
I love Stargate... =D

P.S. Happy birthday to my best friend!! Welcome to the emotional rollercoster called the "teen years"
=D

An exhilarating story, among other things.

As I lay in my bed, trying to drift into the great abyss of sleep I heard a "scritch scritch" that seemed to be coming from inside my wall. As it was nearing the 12 0'clock hour, and as I was nearly asleep, and as I fear strange noises (especially in the dark of night) I jumped to the conclusion that it was either a rat scratching along the inside of my wall (that has happened before) or it was a ghost. The later I dismissed almost instantaneously.
Perhaps I imagined it?
No. There was the noise again. It almost sounded like something was making my shades bang... Was my window open? I pulled the curtains up an inch and no, the window was shut securely.
There was the noise again! Without a second more of hesitation I darted from my bed to my parent's room where Mom was reading some sort of quilting magazine...
"I think there's something in my wall. I keep hearing noises coming from there." I said in a whisper so I didn't wake my slumbering father. Mom got out of bed and followed me back to my room where we lay in silence, waiting for the noise to make itself heard.
There it was.
"What is it?" I said in a small voice, cuddling up next to Mom in fright.
"It sounds like a bug stuck in your window shades!" Mom said. I relaxed. Good, it wasn't a rat! Although a bug was nearly as bad.... The light was turned on and the shades pulled up. Out flew a crane fly.
"I'll go get a shoe to kill it." said Mom and presently left my room. When she came back neither of us could see the crane fly... There it was! We must have looked quite comical, Mom waving the shoe wildly, trying to hit the long-legged flying creature. And me, cowering on my quilt, scared of a bug.
Whap! The shoe narrowly missed the crane fly.
"Where did it go?!"
Neither Mom nor I could find it. We moved pillows, stuffed animals, my bed, the dog... By now our sleeping canine had gotten in on the chase and was jumping around frantically, thinking it was a game.
Just as Mom was about to leave my room in defeat, I spotted the fly behind my door. Two hits from the shoe insured it's certain death and I was able to sleep peacefully, knowing my room was safe from bugs.
Bug-Killer-Mom-Lady saves the day once more!! My hero.... Thanks Mom! =D

Today I have spent the morning editing the novel I have been writing this Summer... No matter how much I edit, I end up having 11 pages left to do. Will it never end??

The choir I am in started today. It was nice to get back to choir; the director's really fun and kid-friendly. Her husband, who plays piano for choir and co-directs, is going to be my new piano teacher!
We are singing 6 songs including a tobyMac song, Simple Gifts (it's a gift to be simple, it's a gift to be free), and a song in latin! That will be exciting.
I think that next year I will try to find a more advanced choir to participate in.

Tonight Daddy and I went to a family game night at church. It was really fun! I played two games of Triominos, three games of Dominoes, and three games of Uno. Snacks are a must while playing games so we crunched and munched on sweets all night. I'm looking forward to brushing my teeth tonight. =)

My mom forwarded an email on to me (which I sent to some of you readers) about The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Arlington Cemetery. It has been guarded 24/7 for the past 81 years (since 1930). While guarding The Tomb, a guard walks 21 steps to signify the 21 gun salute which is the highest honor given to a soldier or foreign dignitary. After 21 steps the guard turns around, waits 21 seconds (for the same purpose) and then walks 21 steps again. The guard is changed every 30 minutes.
Each guard commits 2 years of his life to guard The Tomb. He lives in barracks underneath The Tomb and promises not to drink any alcohol or swear in public for the rest of his life. For the first six months of duty, a guard can't talk to anyone but instead has to learn about all the notable people buried in Arlington Cemetery and commits to memory what he learns.
After two years of serving are over, a guard receives a wreath pin. A guard must follow the rules above (no drinking or swearing for the rest of his life) or the pin is taken away.
The email says that in 2003, as hurricane Isabelle was approaching Washington D.C., Congress took a two day recess to get away from the storm. The military officers guarding The Tomb were given permission to suspend their assignment but they declined saying that guarding The Tomb was not just an assignment, but an honor. They stayed, guarding, walking 21 paces, waiting 21 seconds then started again, in the pelting rain of the tropical storm.
Now THAT is integrity. I think that is so amazing. I ask myself, would I be able to do that or would I give in to the temptation of going off duty for a few days? Then I start thinking about my generation of teenagers. Instead of learning to be people of integrity, like those guarding The Tomb, very many teenagers of this generation are on drugs, drinking alcohol, partying, having sex and babies, among other un-Godly behaviour. Think back to three hundred years ago, in the 1700's. People didn't act like that. People like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Lafayette strove to be moral men. At 15, 16, 17 years old they weren't out partying, they were studying to become someone, something, great. George Washington became a land serveyer at age 18, and he was one of the best around. People may say, "Oh well... I could never be like Washington. He was born great." Here's what I have to say to that,
"Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them."
George Washington is just like me and you. The only difference is he decided he wanted to make something of himself, set his mind to it, and did it. We can do anything through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). And we can do anything we set our mind to do. Personally, I am striving to be a moral and knowledgeable person so I can make a difference in this sin-filled world.
In the end it comes down to one question. How far are YOU willing to push yourself?

***Edit*** I received another email from a friend of a friend's friend who said that some of the above information about the guard duty may be a bit exaggerated so don't quote me. As I have not done any research myself (I am too busy) I cannot say whether either email is true or not. If the subject interests you, please feel free to search it and post your finds as a comment. =)

P.S. Happy Birthday to my favorite cousin!! May your day be filled with Mario, Nerf, and lots of cake! =D

"First" day of school.

Today was my official "first" day of homeschool, although my co-op classes don't start until the 20th.
The day started with my alarm waking me up at 8:00. While discussing the upcoming school year with my mom we decided I would be getting up at 8:00 every morning.... So far so good. Although it wasn't so much getting up as rolling out of bed with a grunt...
Moving on.
My Mom and I are going through the book of Acts in the Bible. Currently, our pastor is also going through Acts in his sermons. We are about 11 chapters behind him.
Today we read about Paul and Barnabas preaching in Pisidion Antioch. I remember our pastor's sermon on the verses we read... It was very good.
The Archaeological Study Bible we own is very interesting. It has pictures and facts about the places and people in the Bible.


Next in the day came math. Math is my weakest subject... I am trying to get through this math book (nearly finished!) by the start of my classes.
Teaching Textbooks is a very good curriculum. It comes with CDs that go into the computer that explain everything in the book. And if you mess up, it explains what you did wrong and how to fix it.
Since I don't understand math, the CDs work really well for me.




After math on the computer I did Dutch on the computer with the program Rosetta Stone. I enjoy Dutch where you repeat what the program says and hope you get the pronunciation right.
Today I learned, "Mijn trou is bruin"
Or, "My sweater is brown"
Not too hard....


After that I took a break for a lunch of a polish hotdog on a hoagie bun with ketchup, mayonnaise, and potato chips. Although no the healthiest it tasted good!
After lunch I did some creative writing with a writing kit my friend gave me for my birthday. It gives you a prompt for everyday of the year and you have to write a short story or poem or report about the first thing the prompt puts in your mind. Sorry the picture is sideways... I can't fix that.


Science is my second least favorite subject.
My dad does science with me and today we learned about water... Well, we were supposed to be learning about water. But instead this chapter was about gasses and how to categorize molecules (at least... I think they were molecules).


My mom showed me this piano/solo song a few months ago. I sung while she played and then I decided I wanted to play it. I haven't thought about this song since then... Until today. I pulled it out and played and fell back in love with it. It has a fun piano part and singing part is gorgeous and has very joyous lyrics about Christ rising from the dead.


After science I played this board game with Dad. He won...


And then we played this board game. He won again.... (Sorry about the quality of the picture... I don't know what happened).


I also played my saxophone tonight. I have been playing the same song for three weeks. Not because I can't pass it off, but because my teacher hasn't had me play the song yet. Oh well, it's a hard song, I'm grateful for the extra time to practice it.


Oh look! A cute dog!