Off to a good break

                           Tomorrow is my dad's birthday and I am going over to his house. I will be over there until Wednesday. I have not got to see him for about a month now and I wish that I got to go over there more often, instead of just popping in for the holidays. I also wish that he lived closer, but that will always be my home. The place that I grew up at, and also the most comfortable. Even though things are not always the best, it is still the most familiar. We plan on watching a bunch of movies and just relaxing. My sister is coming back Sunday so we will get to spend some time together. When I get back home, my parents and I will be getting pictures taken. Their one year anniversary is coming up and my mom said that "it will be fun". I don't really know how that's going to turn out but if she's happy then I guess it will work out. That is my spring break plan so far, so we'll see what else happens. I hope you all enjoy the week off from school!

Disturbing Trends in 2013

I thought that this article was very important for us to know about the state of our future. We already know that our country is broke. Did you know that 58 million people in 2010 from ages 50-64 will not have enough retirement to live on for the rest of their lives? Our government is only trusted from about 7% of Americans. How sad is that? We are running out of water and everyone is just running around pretending like everything is going to be cool. How are we going to have fresh water in the next twenty years? It's time people! We need to reevaluate our life style. Not just now, but we should have started doing this a while ago. Our animals are going extinct, and it is  going to take more than a few thousand people to help our ecosystems. This article gave me some what of a reality check in understanding where our world is standing right now. So just don't stand around waiting for someone else to fix the world. You can make a difference.

Anticipation

I am watching the season finale of Face Off (a really cool show on Syfy), and everything is going wrong for the last three standing. I feel kind of bad for Anthony because his piece keeps breaking or recently getting locked in the mold. The girl who did that mold for him-which was her only job by the way-got it locked, and they just pulled it out. It is still in one piece, but still. I think that she could of done her job a little better. I can't wait to see who wins and the performance will be totally memorable. Keep your fingers crossed! Whatever happens, they all did a wonderful job.

Writer's block

 I know it's really lame to write a blog about having writer's block, but this is truly how I am feeling, so I will not lie. I need some more inspiration and I'm having a hard time finding where to look. My life is not that interesting right now, so I will not bore you to death talking about it. That is why I have not blogged in the last few days because I can't seem to stick to one topic and just run with it. So I apologize if my last few blogs were of no importance to you and didn't seem to stick in your brain. For those of you who are also having writer's block, I know how you feel. These are some tips that will hopefully make you a little less freaked out while staring at your keyboard.

Being Open Minded

 I finally have my classes set for next year. When I first walked into guidance, Mrs. Cable asked me if I was ready to be a Junior. I said yes.Of course I am ready, ready to get my life started. This is only one grade higher, but still. Although, I really don't want to leave my friends or go to a far away college all by myself. Friends are the one's who get you through the day. They make sure you are never down, and if you are, they are there for you. You can't be afraid to take risks and make choices that will be completely pinned on you. In order to be successful in life, sometimes you just have to go with your gut and not worry what the people around you think. When I chose my classes today, I made that choice based on how I think it will effect me. Not the people around me but for the reason of it benefiting me later in life. I think today I was open minded because I was willing to try something new that I didn't originally plan.

Reading

Today in English, we read the whole class period, which was great. I am almost finished with my book (City of Bones) and I can't wait to read the next one in the series. Although, I almost freaked out today on my way home from school. One of the main characters in my book just got kidnapped. The bad thing is, I don't even know if he is dead or not because they took him away before I could tell. The part where I am at seems like everything revolving around the other main character is crumbling. She has lost the three people that she has ever loved in her life in one weeks time. That would be horrible. I almost don't want to find out what is going to happen next because it will probably be something else bad. However, how much worse can it get? Hasn't she already hit rock bottom? Well, I am going to find out after I write this, so enjoy this movie trailer of City of Bones which comes out August 23, 2013. Unless they postpone it, which I hate.

Don't worry about a thing

It has been kind of a lazy week for me. Time seems like it's traveling in slow motion. I'm not trying to worry about everything else around me. I am just trying to take life slow, like what this panda is doing right here. Relax a little. People are always running around doing five million things at once. I say, that it will get done when I get to it. We have twenty-four hours in a day. Why don't you space out your work and take breaks so that you don't suffocate in the stress? Don't be afraid to breathe every now and then. I am the type of person who's mind never seems to rest. I don't know why, but it is constantly running all the time. This week is dedicated to those of you who work your heart out all the time. Just in case you forget, this is a little reminder that it is not the end of the world. The world is a sphere and that means that a new day will come around, and give you another chance to try again tomorrow.

My voki

We had to make a Voki for my English class and here is mine.

You ask how my weekend is going?

My weekend started out as average. I didn't mean to sleep in until noon but it just kind of happened. The bad thing is, I didn't even feel refreshed when I woke up. Don't you just hate how when you sleep too long it makes you feel even worse than you did before? That was me on Saturday. I felt kind of not there all day. Today I made sure to not sleep my life away so I made myself get up earlier. We went over to my moms friends house for the first time and I got to meet her. She has like five horses so we got to ride them. It was my first time, and it was kind of scary being that I didn't know how they would react to me. But she guided me through it and it was kind of fun. I'm not really doing anything in particular for St. Patrick's day. Though I did learn the history of why it's so special. You should look into it.

13 Things I Learned From Tom and Jerry

   

1. Enemies are the best of friends.
2. They are the one's in life that you will eventually need.
3. You never find something if you are directly looking for it.
4. You need to have patience.
5. Don't be a "scaredy cat" all the time.
6. Learn to run faster.
7. Don't brag.
8. Don't be arrogant.
9. Tom can't run through walls.
10. Jerry can sneak by in a flash.
11. Cats are not sweet.
12. You don't need dialogue to have a great T.V. show.
13.  Music always makes it better.                                                                                                                                                                       

AOW #6: Testing

Is this how you feel the night before the big test? Sometimes this is how I feel. Face pressed in a book, trying to decipher what I am looking at.
            For as long as I can remember, teachers have always tested me. Did you know that you even take tests in kindergarten? I thought it was all about nap time and recess. Little did I know that I was being tested at some point in time. Maybe if they told me that I had to take a test on  a certain day, I would of done better. I need to be warned ahead of time so I know what to study for.
            My testing experience is a wide variety to choose from. Especially since I have probably taken over a thousand in my life. I get nervous when I see the amount of questions. I normally flip to the last page of the test booklet to see how many  numbers there are. First of all, you should never do that. It just makes you even more nervous. Once I get through the first half page, I usually start to calm down. Unless I absolutely don't know what I got myself into. Good thing that doesn't happen often.
            Do you like taking MSL's, or better known as common exams? Why do they even need a hundred different ways to ask a question? Recently, testing has changed, and the questions on the exams have gotten harder. At least, that's what everyone was talking about last semester. Our school didn't even want to use them but that didn't stop North Carolina from doing anything. MSL's are supposed to be a more efficient way of testing. I don't really know how. To me it is just more stressful. I don't like the idea of taking a test on the computer because your work could easily be erased with the click of a button.
            I also kind of feel bad for the teachers. They don't like the idea of the new testing just as much as we don't. Plus, our scores from these new test can determine if they keep or loose their job. Nobody should feel pressured like that. The amount of exams you have to take just depends on your course, so choose wisely the next time you register.

           

Slipping time

Can you believe that we are already a fourth of the way into 2013? What about that the school year is 3/4 of the ways done? This year has flown by for me. I think when you are enjoying life, it goes by faster than when you are down. Even going through some bad times this year, it hasn't stopped me from trying to keep my head up. Have you spent your time wisely? Do you ever want to go back to a moment and change it? Maybe not. Maybe you are that person who doesn't regret anything, a firm believer in "everything happens for a reason". I think about this a lot and wonder where I would be if I made different choices. I don't wish to change anything. I want you to take a big risk sometime in the next little while and comment about it. It could be something that you did in the past that was courageous. Time goes by way too fast and you can't sit back and regret the things that you never had the guts to do before. Go ahead, dare to make that choice that could change your life for the better.

Why is life like a game?

I feel like the weight of the world is always on my shoulders. Any choice I make will effect me for the rest of my life. People are always watching. Critiquing you as you carry out the simplest task. They find some way to get to you and mess up your whole game. Well you know what? I'm tired of all the games. I'm tired of constantly trying to be the best that I can be. Even if I am doing the best that I can do, someone will always be better. I feel like we are everyone elses ginny pigs and we are just being tossed more and more hardships. They want to see what we will do. If we will crack under the pressure. Does it really matter who the best is? Why does someone always have to win? Most importantly, why isn't what we put our heart and soul into, good enough?

Do they really know what's best for you?

I was deciding what classes I will be taking next year and I think I finally figured them out. That got me thinking about what the guidance counselor said to me last year. "Are you sure you don't want to take this instead?". Yes I'm sure. Why do they try and change your mind anyway? Just when you think you are positive about taking something, they find a way to make you confused again. She almost convinced me to take an easier class than what I took. I guess she thought I couldn't handle it, but I ended up taking the class that I originally wanted. I passed that class with a high B. Does it look like I handled it okay? I think so. It turns out that they did the same with a lot of other students. They made them change their mind and the students ended up regretting it later. Do counselors really know what's best for you?
        The same thing happened to me yesterday. We were in the car and my mom and me got into an argument. I strongly disagreed with what she had said, and I told her that she was wrong. I know she was trying to help and figure out what's best for me but you just don't say those types of things. A lot of times other people think they know you and so they try to make your life easier. There is also a line that you do not cross, and a time when you should make your own decisions.

Finally friday

Today has been pretty good. The best part is that it's Friday. I don't have to get up early tomorrow to go to school. I don't have to listen to other people's drama that I don't care about. I won't have to do homework or projects or anything. I can relax and take time for myself. I always try and help other people before I help myself. I don't like to wait until the last minute to do anything, so I make sure everything is done. No worries, next stop, weekend time! Friday is the day that everyone looks forward to all week. Just saying the word puts a smile on your face. We wait all week for Friday to come around, and when it does, it doesn't last that long. The weekend usually flies by, and before you know it, the day no one wants to mention is already here. Monday. Poor little thing. Who even decided to make Monday the villian anyway? Oh well, it's not like you can change the days of the week. If you could, you better believe I will be finding that person and ensuring they fast forward that day. Now that I have gave Friday some credit, I will now enjoy my weekend.

Mornings

I am not a morning person. I don't see how some people can just get out of bed, and immediately start getting ready. It takes me a good fifteen minutes to get up. I think its funny how right when you wake up your like, "I can't wait to go to bed tonight", then just an hour later you completely reject that thought. I think that I'm a procrastinator the most in the morning. I just push everything back and say, "just give me five more minutes". Then twenty minutes flies by and your like, "Oh no! I'm going to be late!". I have learned that the only way to wake up is to not "close your eyes". You even know you shouldn't be sleeping so you give whatever excuse to say your not. The only way to feel better is to go ahead and get up. Too bad I don't live by that though. I keep telling myself that I will go to bed at a reasonable time but you just have too many things to do. It used to be really easy for me to get up in the morning. I have realized that it has gradually gotten worse each year. I really think I need an intervention or something because the amount of sleep I get is not enough to get me through the day.

People who get mad easily

 

I don't understand what makes the world so mad. I mean, it is always something isn't it? Why can't everyone just take a step back and forget the people around them. Take a moment for themselves so that nobody gets their feelings hurt. The sad thing is that most of the time, for whatever reason they are mad, it is normally not for a good enough reason. I also don't know why people let everyone get to them. If you constantly let the small things in life make you mad, then you are never going to be around to watch the good things happen. Did you know that your attitude can rub off on people? Somebody might be having a rough life and they are just boiling inside. You could be the better person by helping them with their anger or just smiling at them. It's really not worth it to get mad over something small because it could change your day and the people around you.

Ender's Game

I just got to chapter ten in this book and I am glad that I didn't give up on it. A lot of times whenever you are reading a book, you either know you love it from the start, or you are thinking about whether or not to give it a chance.You should always give it a chance because you might just be a few pages away from a really good part. When I started reading this book, the grammar kind of annoyed me because it is from a seven year olds point of view. Even though he is a genius, it doesn't excuse him for the way he speaks to other people. Other than that, I have really enjoyed this book and it is interesting. Unlike any book I have ever read. Not saying that it is the best, because I have not finished it yet, but definately unique. I dont want to ruin this for anyone who is thinking about reading it but I just wanted to say that one of the characters just betrayed someone close to them but not on purpose. Kind of a shock. So anyways, I also wrote about this today because I just found out that the movie comes out November 1, 2013. I am happy that they have decided to make it into a movie but I just hope that it doesn't put shame to the book.

Message in a bottle

To the curious person who has stumbled upon my message. As you have probably guessed by now, if you have seen movies about these types of things, I am writing this to you from a far away Island. My plane crashed on the way to Hawaii, which was supposed to be my dream vacation. You can see how that turned out. I don't know much about planes but when you see emergency lights and oxygen masks everywhere, you know you have a problem. Long story short, everyone was screaming and the plane was spinning out of control until it landed in the water. At first, everything was silent as the noise was replaced with the gurgling of water bubbles. I managed to make my way out of the plane with only this paper, pen, and bottle in tow. Kind of ironic right? Then I swam to the closest shore. It had to of been a miracle that I even made it that far. I have been living here stranded with limited supplies for about a week and no search and rescue team has come. So if I am still alive by the time you recieve this, please send one and hope for the best. If I dont make it out alive, please tell my family and friends I love them a lot. Tell them that they can make an arrangement to split up my belongings so they can remember me forever. Tell my English teacher that I just finished that book on the way up here and it was really, really, really good. I want to be remembered by everyone as the person who tried her best on everything even if it was hard. The person who was nice to everybody even if she didn't particularly like them. Also, the person who wanted to make it out of here alive.
I guess this is goodbye, at least for now.
                                                    Lydia

Forgive & forget

Things could be better in my life right now. Im trying not to let other people put me down. Mostly just their attitudes. Today we were supposed to visit some family but that got canceled just because of a petty fight. I wasnt a part of it, but it just ticks me off how other people can change your plans. I was actually looking forward to see them but now we have to change it for another day. Even if you are not up for a visit with loved ones you should at least make it anyway so nobody worries about you. What if that was the last time you could ever see them again or something terrible happens? Hopefully not, but how many times do you hear stories about people that couldn't say goodbye? Sadly that has happened to me and it was all over trying to forgive somebody. Little did I know that another relative living with that person was going to leave and I didn't get to say goodbye or see him in his last few days. So, if you are ever mad at somebody just try to forgive them as quickly as possible so that everyone is happy.

Me

                              

What do you think defines you?
A fancy word,
a picture,

a name
a song?
What about a million wrongs?
Do your past mistakes make you who you are today?
Maybe you will know someday.
To properly describe who I am,
I wrote a poem
What is a poem?
Is it a powerful,
riveting,
thought-provoking
piece of work?
This is only a fragment of me.
I am
smart,
funny,
hard to break down,
and easy to build up.
One who doesn't like to frown.
Right now I'm feeling quiet.
I don't want to think,
or stress,
or worry about the things around me.
I just want to empty my mind.
I want to think about me.
My future.
Where I will go.
What I will be.
I don't want to be asked to plan out my entire future
because I don't know.
I don't rush into things.
I change my mind a million times.
I often second-guess myself.
If it wasn't for those things,
I wouldn't be me,
sitting here writing this poem for you right now.

Career Day At Gaston College

Today we went on a field trip to Gaston College. When we first started to leave to get on the bus, I wasn't feeling too confident about it because of how unorganized the whole thing was planned. I started to tell one of my friends, "why did I even come on this trip?".  I guess it was just to have a free day from school, but what I didn't know was how much I was going to learn. I think when we got there and were going to different classes, it became something that made me think about my future a little more seriously. I mean, there is a wide range of medical jobs you could go for. I don't want to necessarily become a doctor or a surgeon. I am still not sure what I want to be, but today helped me understand where to look. Now that I realize that I didn't go there to just get out of school for a couple of hours. I went there to actually learn something. I think it is pretty sad how people pass up opportunities because they don't feel like it. One small choice can make a big difference in your future.