Alphabet Found In Nature

The last Blog Topic!

The Christmas holidays are almost here, and if you are like me, this means that you are once again struggling to come up with the perfect gift for your parents or siblings. You don't want to spend your hard earned allowance and something expensive, so your options are limited. Besides, what makes an acceptable gift for the people who you care most about? What do you get for someone who buys their own things?

In my family, there are two different family cultures that come with my parents. That isn't to say that they are of different nationalities. They just have different traditions. On my mother's side of the family, it is acceptable to give them something useful such as socks, a desk lamp, or as with my mom, cooking supplies. My dad's family buys fun things because if you needed something, you would have gotten it already. Neither of these different traditions are bad.

So think about what types of gifts your different sides of your family give to another. For my dad, I will probably get him a set of professional Frisbees (he likes to Frisbee golf). For my mom, I am probably getting her kitchen supplies (again) that she has mentioned wanting.

Just remember, when giving very close relatives gifts, make it personal. If you and your dad love going golfing together on the weekends, get some golf balls and decorate them with sharpies. Nothing has to be expensive.

And by the way, cards are always nice.

I have decided to not respond and to pick a differant topic to expound upon...

This week, my topic of choice is how music effects us.

For young adults, music is a great pacifier. Think about it: How many teenagers use their ipods or mp3 players every day? Why? Because music is calming. Music defines us. It is a way of communication and expression of feelings. It influences the way we think and feel.

It isn't surprising. Why do people play Christmas music in December? Why is upbeat music played at parties? Music gets us in the mood for something. It changes our thinking. It even influences what we wear. How many teenage boys do you know that model what they wear after rappers because its cool? How many girls modeled their clothing after Madonna?

My goal is not to deter anyone from any type of music- that wasn't my point. My point is to be aware of the impact your music has on you. Why do you like this specific style at this time? Right now, are you in the mood for heavy mettle, or are you thinking that it is time to listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers?

Lansing Michigan During the Winter

This is my favorite winter picture-Isn't it beautiful? It really shows what a typical winter in Lansing looks like. It gets so cold, Lake Michigan literally freezes over. Snowmobiles travel right across the lake; I have actually walked on it. It really does get that cold and has snow as deep in the picture- usually more.

Anyway, I picked a picture from Michigan because I love being there during the winter. My fondest memory of being there at my grandma's house, which, in its entirety, fills up half of a school classroom, is just trying to cook dinner and play card games with all of my relatives. In the summer, all of us usually moved outside to eat for lack of standing room.

As peculiar as that memory may be, that is how I like to remember winters in Lansing, Michigan- in my crowded grandma's house, on a street where everyone is related.

Likes and Dislikes About Winter

As a general rule, I adore winter. Winter is a time of family gatherings for holidays. The snow is quite pretty, and if we are lucky, we sometimes have snow days. I don't mind being cold because I am used to it. I like the cold so much better than the hot. Also, I like the Christmas music and the anticipation of Christmas. The winter season also comes with days off of school- a huge plus.

Unfortunately, there are some things that I rather dislike during winter. For one thing, it means that semester exams are nearing. Teachers cram in all of the work that they hadn't gotten to before. Roads get icy and dangerous for traveling (I have some real fears about that sort of thing.). Also, it means a time of cleaning house and some stressed out parents leading to wired siblings. I think that everyone will agree that the Christmas season was so much easier when we were younger.

I have to say that the good things about winter outnumber the bad things. Because after all of the stressful things are over and done with, the rewards are great.

My favorite memories of the season aren't specific- just hanging out with family members from far away, decorating the house, shopping for gifts, watching peoples' faces when they open them, and baking.

Twilight Movie Out Tomorrow!

Instead of commenting on someone else's blog this week, I have decided to pick a topic of my own.

To celebrate the very popular movie, Twilight, coming into theaters tomorrow morning, i thought I might express some of my views on the book. My mom has informed me that some adults think that this book teaches teenagers to be irresponsible, that their parents are clueless, and that it is okay to get into an unhealthy relationship. Well, I might have to disagree with that statement.

For one thing, I don't think that they are necessarily being irresponsible. Bella has been taking care of her parents for as long as she can remember. Edward is also responsible. he makes sure that Bella eats. He also makes the decision not to kill her in the first place. he has saved her numberless times. the only time that they didn't come home on time was when it was a life or death situation. So no, I do not think that this book teaches teenagers to be irresponsible.

I don't think that the parents are being clueless either. Bella's mother attempts to keep contact with Bella on several occasions. She noticed that Edward and Bella were closer than they were attempting to let on. Charlie, Bella's father, is not clueless either. Just because he didn't know that Edward was a vampire (and really, who would), doesn't mean that he doesn't take care of Bella in his own way. He puts chains on Bella's tires when the roads got icy, he checked to make sure that Bella was in bed and asleep in the night, and he disconnects her battery cables when he thinks she might be sneaking out. He was doing everything in his power to take care of his daughter.

Edward and Bella do not have an abusive relationship, either. Everything Edward does is keep Bella safe. He does not make her do things Bella is not comfortable doing. It makes sense that he would want to be everywhere she is. Look at how many times she has almost been killed. Edward saves her at least three times just in the first book in the series. Bella and Edward are very good for each other.

So to all of you Twilight fans out there, have a great time at the movies!

Things That I Am Very Thankful For

Okay, obviously I can't list off everything that I am thankful for, but I am going to make a good effort to list some of the top things that I am thankful for.

• I am thankful for my parents and all of the things they have done and sacrificed for me.
• I am thankful for my siblings for the entertainment they bring and the occasional help they offer.
• I am thankful for my other relatives. I wouldn't be who I am today without them. I am also thankful for the entertainment they can bring and the advice that they have given me.
• I am thankful for my friends for all of the help they have been to me and for all of the fun times that we have had and will have in the future.
• I thank God for all of my teachers. The challenges they have faced me with have made me a stronger person. I have learned much.
• I am thankful for all of the people who have provided food for me.
• I am thankful for the good neighborhood I am in.
• I am thankful for my good home.
• I am thankful for all of my family's possessions.
• I am thankful for my good health.
• I am thankful for all of the experiences that I have had.

Update on Podcasts

This week my partner and I finished our video podcast about how to vote and how votes are counted. For me, the most difficult part was getting the script done. The script was originally about how the votes are counted, but there wasn't enough information on the subject to fill a single minute. So after spending a few days surfing the Internet and not finding anything about the voting process without some politics or opinions involved, I made a new script about how to vote and how the votes are counted. Then, it took us a couple of days to find an opening large enough to record. Several groups would rush into the recording booth before we had a chance to record, but we finally got around to finishing the recording. I'm just glad that it is done so that I can finish the other projects before Thanksgiving break!

Political Cartoon

The political cartoon below shows a donkey going the opposite direction of common sense. The donkey represents the democrats. So this cartoon is showing the Democrats going away from common sense. I picked this cartoon because it was one of the easiest cartoons to interpret, not because I am against Democrats.

Invention

If I were to create a new invention, I would create tape. This tape would be strong enough to hold heavy things together, yet gentle enough to remove from objects without pealing the paint or coloring off. Think about how many times you have tried to wrap a gift. Now think about how many times you have attempted to reposition the misplaced tape and removed the pattern on the paper. This tape would look like ordinary tape- clear. If I succeeded in creating this useful tool, I would sell it to a company, like Scotch, so that all people could use it. Otherwise, it would be useless. I wouldn't be able to produce such a tape by myself, and what would be the point? Someone else would eventually event it later anyway.

Comments...

I commented on who i am and who i want to be... enjoy the weekend!

Why Sunset is inspirational

The picture below titled Sunset is awe inspiring to me. This picture reminds me that the world is a big place and a beautiful place. It is also inspiring to me because I love photographic art. This is an excelent picture with great resolution and detail. It adiquitly captures natures beauty. This picture is inspiring because I wish my photos were half as good. I find tht it is a chalange to capture an event or object at the perfect angle for viewing. This appealing, yet ordinary photograph reminds me that yes, it is possible for even me- a photographically challanged person- can capture the precise and abundant art of nature.

Sunset

Scary Movie Experiance

In my computers class, we have made podcasts about our favoite scary movie. I wrote about Lady in the Water. (Feel free to view the movie clip below.) I have had my script done for a while, but because my class is sort of loud, I waited for an opening to do my podcast in the "sound proof" area. While I was waiting, I wrote the movie script about a curant event.

So today, I have finally gotten a chance to make my podcast. I did a few recordings, because I was unsatisfied with my short speach- note, my final recording still has a few stutters. I found out how to add music to my podcast by asking someone who is more computer savy than I, but now that I have added the music, I can't hear it in order to tell if it is what I want. I tried turning up the music, but I haven't been able to hear it. Perhaps I will figure that out on Monday.

Lady in the Water Movie Clip

Lady in the Water Movie Clip

There was a time in my life that changed my perspective on things last year. My dad was having lots of bad headaches and so he went to the doctor's to see if anything was wrong. They never found out what was causing the headaches, but they said that his thyroid was a bit swollen and it would be good to get it checked. He got blood work done. Nothing was abnormal, but the doctor advised my dad to get a biopsy of his thyroid done. This was nothing new; my mother had her thyroid tested for cancer, and she was fine. I wasn't worried; it would be an outpatient surgery. He would leave a little before I went to school and be out before I got home.

The surgery went well. My dad wasn't in any pain. The doctors told him that they would call in a week if the lab results were positive for cancer. Three weeks came and went. My dad went back to the doctor's to get his stitches out. The doctor told them it was good that he came. The doctor wouldn't take out the stitches, because my dad tested positive for thyroid cancer. My dad went in for an other surgery the day after to have his entire thyroid taken out. Later, there was a month that he took radio-active iodine. We couldn't go near him. He had Thanksgiving in the hallway instead of the dining room.

I learned to be very thankful that year; we were lucky. You would have to try to die from thyroid cancer. My dad is healthy now. I also learned how much I love and need my parents. I also learned that no matter how bad I think I have it, it can always be worse. I am glad that my dad got the easiest cancer to treat. But the most important things I have learned are to live life to the fullest. Don't take anything for granted. life is threatened so easily. Bad things don't just happen to a bunch of unfortunate, nameless people.

Things I Want to Do...

I want to graduate from high school and college.I want to be a teacher.I want to raise a family.I want to see the number 100 one my birthday cake.I want to go to Washington D.C.I want to see Elmer Fudd run for president. I want to win twenty free cell games in a row.I want to make my parents proud of me.I want to put molding around my room.I want to finish a learning the piano song "To Zanarkand"I want to help build a set for a school play or musical.I want to learn a language other than English, Spanish, Pig Latin, or Ubyduby.I want to see someone dig a whole to China and prove that it can happen.I want to fly a kite without getting the strings tangled.I want to see pigs fly; that's when everything will happen. I am sure there is more, but I would like time to do them; there is no way I could ever complete the list. I think 15 is good for now.

Upcoming Report Card

Coming into this school year, I was slightly nervous. I made an upgrade to an honors class. I was worried that I wouldn't be quite up to speed with my other peers in that class. I also was expecting more challenging work in my literature class, and, of course, I was a bit nervous about my computers class, because computers and I don't seem to be compatable. There was also the added stress from not knowing my teachers very well.
My worries of crashing and burning in the middle of the academic feild seem to have been for naught. I am pleased with how my grades have turned out so far. Knowing that my grades are good has been a great comfort to me, but this should not make me complacent. I have a long way to go in this semester and there are always ways to improve. I intend to use my report card as tool to help me know where I need to work a little harder. I look forward to the rest of the semester in good faith that I will succeed.

Favorite Halloween Costume...

There are a lot of good, creative Halloween costumes out there that I have seen. Not all of them are store bought. My mom is especially creative when it comes to costumes. I myself have been a bag of leaves, a box of popcorn, and a lady bug. My siblings have been a tree, and a monkey and a fridge complete with a light on the inside. But I think that my favorite Halloween costume was a lobster. One of my siblings when they were about four years old asked my mother to be a lobster for Halloween. She made the claws with oven mitts and the body was all red. I think I can honestly say that a lobster suit is a very creative costume.

Logo Vote

So I voted online for the new Logo for our town. My first choice was the City of... in a wave sort of thing. It had the name of the city in red. I guess it appealed to me because of its simplicity. My second choice was the logo with the swirls because my younger sibling helped me pick it. My third choice was the one in all black with a picture of the city above City of... I liked this one because of its simplicity, but I really liked that it was all in black and white. To me, that looks professional. What did you vote?

The Newest Project

Everyone, I am working on making an iPhoto presentation on myself. I have to find pictures of the letters in my name in everyday things and then add photos that tell something about myself. I picked nature for my theme on my name. I wasn't anticipating that it would be more challenging to find random pictures of letters in plants and rocks on the Internet. Unfortunately, I have one of those names with double letters of the most difficult sort. For example, how many "e"'s can you find out of tree branches? What makes an "L" or an "I" recognizable? I didn't just want to give the letters out as letters either, because that is too easy. I want people to look at it for a few seconds and then say "Oh, I get it. That's a (add letter here). How creative! I hadn't thought of that!" In retrospect, I probably put a little too much effort into creativity. This weekend, I will be finding a "K" and some pictures that represent me. The rest of the pictures should be the easy part, but I really wanted the letters in my name to be original. The tenth time people see an A frame for a swing set, they will get board.

Unfortunately, I haven't actually done anything with iPhoto yet. I decided to save my pictures in a Word document on my USB stick because of the computer troubles we had with saving the pictures. I have been busy looking up pictures during class and haven't figured out how to put these pictures in iphoto. I did try a few times, but I never quite figured that out.

Overall, I am certain that I am coming close to finishing the project. I look forward to seeing it finished along with seeing everyone else's presentations. These should be an interesting few days!

Water Lillies

Homecoming Newsletter Progress

My group is done! I am very excited to announce that we have successfully completed our Newsletter. It looks great. I thank my group for the effort they put into the articles and the minute details. I am in debt to my group member who, thanks to his great computer skills, artfully organized the newsletter articles and pictures.

Our success didn't come without a struggle. I had trouble writing an article about the Homecoming dance. Putting some of the shortcomings of the dance in the best light was a challenge. Also, it was a somewhat like a typical dance. I had to choose the right words to make it sound special and appealing to readers, not to mention the editing that went into it. My writing was definitely not without error. And not only did I have trouble writing the short article, I had to take a picture for it. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take the family camera inside the dance. I ended up taking pictures of people waiting outside in the dark. As one could imagine, I had a lot of pictures of people's backsides, and there were many pictures that were too dark to make out. Again, it was a struggle to portray the dance in the best light. Thankfully, my article got done, and I found one picture that was worth putting in the Newsletter. I am pleased with everyone's articles and photography, and I am proud of the end result!

My Physical Goals

For the past month, I have spent part of almost every school day in gym classes. But for the first time this school year, we went outside and ran a mile. I hate to admit it, but I don't have many athletic abilities. After I ran the mile, a very slow mile, I felt like I was going to die and it pained me to see how many other peers passed me- some more than once. Though running a mile was an accomplishment for me, it was also a blow. In the week following, my legs still ached from that measly little mile. Perhaps a pulled a muscle. I hope I built some in the proses. But the fact remains, that measly little mile was difficult for me to finish. My goal for this year is to be able to run a mile easily; hopefully, I will be able to run two miles. If I apply myself in gym class and run around my neighborhood at least once a week, maybe I will be a stronger runner for it.

Homecoming Newsletter Assignment

My next project in my computer class is to create a newsletter for homecoming week. Because homecoming week hasn't finished yet, we have not started on some of the articles. However, we have gotten the template laid out. It should be relatively simple to add in the articles with the template made. As far as I can tell, the project is coming along nicely. I am happy with the group I am working with. They are all doing a nice job participating in the assignment so far. If we continue to work together next week as well as we have this week, we should finish the newsletter ahead of schedule.

Intellectual Goals

My intellectual goal is to get on the Honor Role. Though it is a realistic goal because I am typically an "A"-"B" student, it should be a little bit more challenging for me because I have more honors classes than last year. However, I am well up to the challenge. I hope to accomplish this goal by completing all of my homework assignments on time and studying for tests diligently. I will attempt to accumulate more sleep and eat breakfast consistently in order to fortify my concentration level. Are there any more suggestions?

Saint Assignment...

Making a power point on a saint was a very good idea in my opinion. Hearing about how other people made it to sainthood is a very comforting, if not, inspiring, experience. Knowing that it is possible to be saintly is very important. If it wasn't possible, people wouldn't even try to be good.

I really enjoyed making a PowerPoint on a saint because, for one thing, it was easier than anything else I have done in the class. Familiarity with a program is important to me. I had fun toying with all of the fun transitions and clip art. However, I was disappointed because the saint that I picked didn't have much solid information as far as history goes. I picked St. Blaise because I figured that there would be loads of information. Instead, I ended up searching around and only finding legends. I was pushed for time, (our power went out on Sun.) so when I only found only a single page of information at five different credible websites all saying roughly the same thing, I just went ahead and made the power point. Though I wish I could have found more in my research, Istill hope that everyone learned something new in my presentation.

This Week's Blog Promt...

What Are Your Emotional Goals?

Well, my emotional goal is to be less stressed. Last year, I had some problems. I would be fine until a big project or until the end of a semester. Then I would get all stressed out, start panicking, and losing sleep over things. Consequentially, my grades dropped a bit and my concentration was low and flawed. I think that I will be able to manage stress best by keeping things in perspective and keeping procrastinating to a minimum.

Looking Up...

Sept. 11...This weeks Blog Prompt
This week's prompt is to create a goal based on the mission statement for my school. I have formed a goal for my spiritual life. Instead of deciding on a typical goal such as strengthening my faith, not that that is an unworthy goal, I have decided that I would like to better appreciate my faith and religion for the gift that it is. It is my believe that some of us, myself included, tend to take our religion for granted. So, apart from strengthening my faith, I would like to learn more about the early struggles and beginnings of my religion. It is my hope that, by learning about the beginning of my religion, I will gain appreciation and gratefulness for my religion.

Sept. 11... My relationship with a Mac.
Currently, we are making a storyboard. I chose "Holding Out for a Hero" from Shrek 2 because the song had many lyrics that I could put pictures to. One of the problems I am having with the song is the length. It is over the two-minute limit, but that isn't the problem. I decided to skip to the middle of the song. But the problem that I am facing is that there are these interludes between some of the verses that I am not sure how to fill up. Also, it is a fairly fast moving song as far as lyrics go. I am slightly concerned right now that no one will be able to appreciate the pictures and lyrics going along with the song because of the small space of time the pictures will be up on the screen. As things play out, I might have to downsize. At the moment, I am putting the last few pictures on and working on making citations. I have some dead space in between the lyrics, but for now, I will work on the citations.

As for the using new technology, this is actually less stressful than the last project was. Copy and pasting pictures isn't exactly new to me. I haven't had a need to explore the PowerPoint-like program on the Mac yet, so the stress of getting things done in a timely fashion is probably about to change. However, I am hopeful that I get used to it quicker than I did with numbers. I think that part of my challenge with Numbers was that I couldn't work Microsoft Excel proficiently in the first place. I know more about power point, so maybe it won't be as hard to get used to.

Sept. 11... Question of the Day!!
What makes Hollywood stars so popular?
Well, I think that the younger the person is, the more popularity has to do with looks (Reference Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, etc.) Everyone who just started hyperventilating at the sight of their very names will probably agree that they have pretty nice looks. I guess the more mature a person gets, the more popularity depends on talent.

Sept. 11... Quote of the Day!!
I recognize that today is Sept. 11, so I have picked a patriotic quote that I have found fitting.

There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right in America.
~William J. Clinton

Computer Struggles

Sept. 3-- Macs
Part of that class that I was talking about yesterday is figuring out how to use a computer. Generally, I have a kiss-of-death effect on computers in general. If I have to work with something other than Microsoft word, my dad generally assists me- and of course, I scarcely remember what he tells me about computers from one project to the next. I suppose you can understand my frustration in learning how to use a Mac of all things.Our currant project in class is working on a spread sheet rightfully named Numbers. I have used the formulas for averaging and getting the maximum and minimum numbers out of columns. However, I am still unable to use the auto fill feature or put cells in descending order. I am absolutely certain that I have plenty to learn before the end of the semester.

Sept. 3--Quote of the Day
The good news: Computers allow us to work 100% faster. The bad news: They generate 300% more work. ~Unknown

Sept. 3--Question of the Day
What do you think is the most creative (and/or effective) way to ask someone to a dance?

Well, I know the most efficient way to ask someone to a dance is to just ask them. The most creative way that I know of to ask someone to a dance is to put a bunch of things in a basket (flowers, a book, candy, use your imagination) and put prices on them. (Book $15, flowers $5, chocolate kisses $1). Put an invitation to the dance in the basket on the bottom with "Going to the dance with me, priceless" written on it. What are your thoughts?

My First Post!

Sept. 2--Quote of the Day!"

One ought, everyday, to hear a song, read a fine poem, and, if possible, tospeak a few reasonable words."~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Sept. 2--Question of the Day!

Do the pets people have reflect the personalities of their owners?

In my opinion, I think that the type of pet at least, be it a dog, parrot, toad, or whatever, does reflect the personalities of their owners. For example, someone with a flamboyant personality would have something colorful or exotic such as a parrot or a komodo dragon. A quiet person would choose to have a fish or a cat. Me, I have a toad. What does that say about me?

NottaGen's Blog

Welcome to my blog!
Just so you know, this is an assignment for a grade in a class. So please use whole words and follow the rules of standard English. Thank you!This class is about modern technology and how to use it. Part of using technology is contributing to an online community. So with that in mind, know that this blogging stuff has been rather difficult for me so far. Please be patient.