Some "Camping" Trip

Author’s note: Cassie and I decided to write about a hilarious memory that we shared together while at a campsite with her family. We were originally going to make a combined piece, but decided to write separate point of views on the same time. Our main focus in this piece was to see just how much two people’s perspectives may vary from each other and it was overall just a fun piece to write. Please comment on both pieces.

Cassie


No one can truly express, with any amount of words, just how it feels to have a best friend.  When a person comes into your life, that is truly special, that’s not something you are going to get everyday, that is something worth fighting for and holding onto.  That’s how it is with my best friend Callie, we click, it’s as simple as that.  We agree and disagree, but we accept each other and hear each other out.  Finding a person who knows every secret about you and still loves you is truly something that not a lot of people will experience in their lifetime.  “Best friends are the sisters God forgot to give us.” ~Anonymous. Enough said.  

The simple memories are ones that in the end, matter most, for every single one is special in its own way.  Pulling up to the campsite, Callie and I bounded out of the car and walked down to the fire like the cool cats that we were, still humming the song that had been playing on the radio.  A night full of burgers, smores, and sunshine all to share with my best friend equals an obviously great time.  With the country music blaring from the radio, I rolled my eyes and set out to change that, turning on my favorite station, a Katy Perry song played through the speakers, only to have it changed right back by my brother who never fails to get on my nerves. Being the classic brother and sister that we are, I changed it back continuing in what seems a non-ending cycle, until finally he gave up and I grinned in satisfaction.  The next song came through and let me tell you first off my dad can absolutely not dance for the life of him.  Of course, that doesn’t stop as he breaks into the whole routine, unfortunately for all the people around which included my mom, brothers, my dad’s friend Ralph and his son Alex, along with Callie and I.  

The boys having caught fish earlier, I spent the majority of the night getting a piece of fish dangled in front of my face courtesy of Alex, much to my dissatisfaction.  We are now sitting at a picnic table, waiting for our cheeseburgers, as Callie is showing off her latest phone background which consisted of us posing while wearing the dorkiest sunglasses we found in Kohls the plastic hanger sticking straight out. Soon, my uncle and cousins along with my dad’s work friend and his wife are all here.  

Sitting around the fire, I look around at the sea of happy faces stuffing burgers, hot dogs, hashbrowns, and beans in their faces as if they had never seen food in their life.  In the moment, although I thought nothing of it at the time, I was truly happy being with my family, some delicious food, and a best friend.  

As night settled in, the boys trudged down to the pier to fish, armed with only flashlights and fishing poles, and the most ridiculous headlights strapped across their foreheads.  Callie and I remained, content with the fact that we now had several smores in our stomachs, our music playing, and a marshmallow between our fingers that we were in the process of turning a regular marshmallow into marshmallow taffy, a bonfire tradition.  When we got bored we wandered around on the paths, just talking about whatever we came to mind, or in silence because for us silence didn’t have to be awkward, it felt perfectly okay to just know that we had someone with us who understood who we were.  

After sneaking around in the woods, in a failed attempt to scare to guys who had now returned empty-handed to the fire we resorted to one of the tents.  I put on my i-Pod setting it to shuffle on one of my Avril Lavigne albums and we plopped on the air mattress joking around and telling each other stuff that wouldn’t make sense to any other person who could’ve been listening.  We understood each other and that was all that mattered.  When the boys snuck up to the side of the tent in a fail attempt to scare us, we fake screamed and pounded our fists against the side seeing if we’d able to catch them off guard.  We crawled out the tent, when we were sure they had left and heard voices coming from the next tent over, could payback be any more obvious?  With myself following Callie’s lead we sprinted the distance between the two tents, wincing at any twig that snapped beneath our feet not wanting the parents to catch us in the act.  When we got closer we slowed and the next thing I knew Callie was on the ground.  “Wait. Cassie don’t-” she started, but before I had time to process anything I was on top of her, a stick painfully cutting into my calf.  

Only then did we realize that the tent was staked into the ground and that was the string holding it down.  I rolled off of her, but made no attempt to stand because we laid there speechless, dying of laughter.  When we finally did pull ourselves from the ground, we avoided eye contact knowing we would just have another laughing fit, and brushed ourselves off only then realizing we both had some nasty cuts on our calves where the stick had got a piece of both of us, along with scrapes on our hands and forearms.  Callie, having volleyball the next day, was frantic to cover up her “battle scars,” so we rushed to the car to get sweatshirts.  Returning to the fire, we shared knowing looks, but casually joined in the conversation anyway.  

Being our usual weird selves we took to only speaking spanish and if any one spoke English in response we acted as if we had no idea what they were saying.  When Ralph told us to make him another hamburger I responded with, “Yo no cocino hamburgesas muy bien,” or in other words, “I don’t cook hamburgers very good.” When confusion was evident on their faces, we both took the opportunity to bolt from our lawn chairs and act it out, which proved to be a lost cause even with my cousin, who had a few years of practice up his sleeve, helping with a few words.  You eventually sat back down, drowning our failure in more marshmallow taffy and singing songs we learned in spanish with Alex occasionally joining in.  As we pitched in the conversation, we laughed openly and rubbed our sore legs every so often as night set above us, the stars twinkling over our heads.  It was truly the end of a perfect night and some memories I would hold dear to my heart for the rest of my life, though simple as they may be, this is what built up the friendship between Callie and I, into where we both stand today, together.  

Callie

I can’t imagine anything better. The weather is nice, I’m outdoors, the music makes me laugh and what makes it perfect is that I’m sitting on a beat up picnic table with my best friend, Cassie, laughing right  there with me. Her dad puts on absolutely horrible music and starts dancing in a god awful embarrassing way that makes me die with laughter.  Nothing could make this more perfect. Her brother’s perfectly annoying, as usual, and her brother’s friend is walking around with a hatchet acting like he’s so cool and tough, which he’s not. Even that keeps Cassie and I laughing because the mood is absolutely, you guessed it, perfect.

Her dad grabs some burgers off the fire that he made and offers one to Cassie and I. Ladies first I guess. We pig out until it gets dark and the boys go out fishing for tomorrow's lunch. We decide that this is the perfect time to go explore the campgrounds. We walk around imitating people we know and being perfectly obnoxious as we go. Luckily not too many other campers are around to be annoyed. As a joke we come up to our campsite but cut through the woods instead. Right at the edge of the campsite we duck behind a tree plotting out our attack to scare her brother. But of course, since it’s Cassie and I, we each manage to step on a stick and get everyone’s attention. So much for the element of surprise.

Once we’ve each had plenty of s’mores, we head back to one of the tents and play music on Cassie’s iPod telling each other random stuff that only best friends would tell each other. Cassie’s brothers and cousins try to scare us by slamming into the tent or putting their hand on it as if they were a ghost. We counterattack by pushing them over every time. We’re too smart for their tricks. Then, as a trick for us, we stealthily run  to the other tent where there’s a lantern glowing from the center.

I duck behind a tree and motion for Cassie to follow. We run behind another before our final sprint to behind the tent. Once we’re clear, I bolt with Cassie close behind. As I’m running I don’t see the tent line jetting out of the corner of the tent because of the darkness and trip. I fall hard on the ground. Just as I turn and start my warning to Cassie, she trips as well and falls hard in almost the same exact spot as me and manages to bring a big stick with her to cut up our legs.

Our initial reaction was, “Are you okay!?!” but that quickly passed. We lay there for nearly three minutes laughing too hard to stand. Once we finally do get off the cold, hard dirt ground we go into another laughing fit as we realize no one was even in the tent, and the lantern was just left on by her cousin. I nearly wet my pants, or shorts to be more exact, when I fully process just how stupid we were. After we pick ourselves up and dust ourselves down we head to the car to grab our sweatshirts to attempt to cover up the scrapes and bruises we so gracefully received from the fall.

Still trying to hide everything, we sit down by the fire with some of the adults and start talking to them. Cassie and I decide it would be funny to try to talk completely in Spanish from then on and the grownups scramble to try to understand. They pick up a word here and a word there but it’s only funny to us. Every time they attempt to say something back in Spanish Cassie and I decide on the response of, “¿Que?”. Their look of confusion makes everything about this night that much better. And the look seems to be plastered to their face as we make marshmallow taffy and lick the sticky goodness off of our fingers.

What’s their problem? What’s wrong with them? Those are probably their exact thoughts. The answer to that questions is  very simple minded. We’re best friends. Isn’t that what they do? Act young and foolish because they bring that out in each other? Embrace each others quirks? Laugh at dumb jokes? Sing so obnoxiously loud that other people complain? These are the perfect qualities of my friendship that I can’t imagine being taken away. The ones that matter.

Connections

Author's Note: Lately I've just been trying to keep my writing frequency up, so I wrote about something that happened somewhat recently. I've found I write better when I write about something I've experienced or some memory, so I wrote about... well you'll just have to see. 

I spot a gentle bird off in the distance and it looks dead at me, then flies away. That's the bird. The one I've been hearing all of these days. That pure two note tune that brings a smile to my face no matter what my mood. Beautifully carried through the air, the sweat sound triggers a nonexistent memory, causing me to react in a way that can't be described.  Passed through my genes my reaction is to whistle back. The same exact two note tune.

It's truly remarkable how you can be connected to your relatives without even knowing it. Without knowing them that well or without even knowing the connection. Finding out unique aspects of how anything from really blue eyes, to a reaction to a specific noise is related to someone you barely know. 

I've recently discovered that I have this connection with my great-grandma.

Sitting outside eating dinner on mother's day a bird off in a nearby tree sang the two notes.  My grandma makes a comment about how that was the bird that her mom used to whistle back and forth with. I was positive that it was the exact bird I hear in the morning sometimes. The conversation continues with remarks on how we are alike in that way, and how my great-grandma is still here. In the form of that bird.

The hunt began as my dad tried to find a bird book and CD he had for his classroom a couple of years ago. In the meantime my grandma and I talked about the sound. By then, the bird had left and we were trying to recreate the tune it so beautifully makes. My mom tried to whistle it, and to her I bet it sounded right on, but there's a distinct difference between that bird and anything else. My grandma remembers from her childhood and knows that's not quite right. The first time I tried I could tell it sparked her memory because the smile on her face said it all. My grandma couldn't exactly get the tune right either, so it must be a special bond only I share with my great-grandma.

It's amazing the little details in life that you give no second thought until something comes out if it. That bird, the Black-Capped Chickadee we now think it is, is probably the strongest connection I have with Lumpy -- That was my great grandmas nickname. She and I never actually spent that much time together, but somehow I got this reaction to this one and only bird. It could've been any other bird that I whistled back to. But it was the Black-Capped Chickadee. The one that stood out. To me, to her but to nobody else.

Newton's Laws of Motion in Volleyball

Author's note: During my one on one meeting with Mr. Roehl, I was scheduled to have a writing evaluation the next week. I decided I wanted to write something that could be put on my home page, considering I haven't posted recently. I didn't know what to write about though, so Mr. Roehl suggested that I did a piece on how Newton's Laws of Motions affected setting in volleyball. After doing some research, (and receiving help from my dad) I definitely understood the concept much better. In this piece, I will try to use better transitions, and focus more on my conclusion.

Newton's Laws of Motion affect anything and everything that has mass. Whether the object you are dealing with is 100 pounds, or two ounces, all three of Newton's Laws will apply. The first law states that an object in motion will stay in motion and an object at rest will stay at rest until an unbalanced force acts upon it. This one is fairly self-explanatory. The second law shows the relationship between forces, mass and acceleration. In that law, part of the statement shows that force is equal to mass multiplied by acceleration. Finishing off the group of Newton's Laws is the third law which implies that for every action there is an equal reaction.

I tried to apply all three of these laws to setting a volleyball. With the first law, setting involves a volleyball in motion. The ball gets to it's highest peak in it's movement, then gravity overpowers the upward momentum of the ball and causes the ball to come back down. The next force acting on the volleyball would be me. I am stopping the ball from moving one way, then sending it across the court in another direction.

When I am pushing the volleyball across the court, I am applying a force to the ball. Force is the mass of the volleyball, multiplied by the acceleration I have placed on it. Since the mass of the volleyball isn't that much, the strength and speed of which I set it will be a large part of how much force is on the ball.

When the force of the volleyball is being applied by gravity, the interaction between the ball and my hands can be very immense or miniscule. The first thing I do when I set is I prevent the ball from going downward, and forcing it to go up instead. That is the action that I take against the ball. Because every action has an equal reaction, my pushing upward on the ball is actually causing me to be shoved downward. Therefore, my action against the volleyball has a reaction to my body. If I am pushing out, my body, as a reaction, will be pushed in. This causes my entire body, as well as the floor, to absorb the force the ball is placing on me.

Now imagine how many tasks everyday involve the three laws that Newton put together. Most likely every single second of your day is proving that every time you move, there's a reaction to that movement. Your television remote is going to have much more force flying across the room than a piece of paper if the same amount of acceleration is placed on both objects. The pencil sitting on your desk won't move if an unbalanced force doesn't apply to it, because it won't just get up and walk away.

Grand Canyon Project

Author's note: After my vacation to the Grand Canyon, I decided that a simple writing response would not be enough to reflect on what I experienced. Instead, I chose to do a project on the Grand Canyon, and created a website of my information learned. Below is the link to my weebly. If you have any comments or suggestions for my website, please comment on this post.

This is the link to my website: http://grandcanyon2.weebly.com/

The Wonderful World of Cartoons

Author's note: After watching a cartoon with my friends little brother I decided to further investigate why they find such simple, unrealistic ideas as intriguing as much as they do. Every time someone would fall, Nick, Cassie's little brother, would burst out laughing and I didn't really understand what was so funny. In my piece I worked on using techniques such as metaphors.

Inside a kids cartoon you can do anything. Most likely nothing can truly harm you. Falling off a cliff will only give you some cuts and bruises, and when you are covered in filth, you can be sparkling clean by the shake of a head. You are indestructible.

Why do kids enjoy cartoons? It's simple. They love how the characters have fun and adventure, and they enjoy pretending cartoons are their world. Wishing that one day they could be like SpongeBob. Children enjoy going on silly and unrealistic adventures too. Or, they could be like Dora and be able to fend off evil by the key words, "No swiping!" Who wouldn't want to be able to discover treasures in less than thirty minutes?

How can a little kid watch the same exact episode repeatedly over and over and still have interest? The theme song of Wow Wow Wubzy gets nailed into my head after two times. The lines of the characters start coming to me at three and four times. Yet the kids seem surprised at every turn in the plot and are still intrigued when Wubzy played basketball for the seventh time that day.

Some of the younger audience actually looks up to these characters. However many of them adore the cartoon characters just because of their pink hair or funny tail. Would they still like Mickey Mouse if he were just a regular human being with mouse ears? Think it through. Would you still enjoy the shows if only the lessons and adventures were the same? I doubt it.

Stage one of their T.V. favorites. Adventure and silly characters, what will be next? Will they still love their old favorites? Or will they move on, and discover that the shows they used to love, are not as entertaining as they used to be?

McDonald's Persuasive Essay

Author's note: I'm doing a project on McDonald's and had to do a persuasive writing piece for the week so I decided to write about the different types of McDonald's consumers. My main purpose was to follow the 5 paragraph essay format.

We all know that McDonald’s isn’t good for you. That’s a well known fact. However, could McDonald’s be healthy if you eat it in moderation? Some people believe that dieting and exercising are key if they want to eat at McDonald’s about once a week. Others, mostly kids, assume that they won’t get overweight from eating there 2-3 times a week. Nothing bad can happen to them, right? Then there’s the third type of McDonald’s consumer. The one who knows that having McDonald’s maybe once or twice a month isn’t so bad if they consider it as a treat. Which one are you?

The first type of person is the dieting and exercising person. It’s true that staying in physical shape by working out allows for minor faults like having a weakness for McDonald’s salty fries. They are so addicting, to some more than others. A diet plan also helps if you crave the greasy but delicious burgers for a treat after a long week. All these types of people just have to remember is that even though diets and exercise are great ways to stay healthy, McDonald’s once a week is still a little much. Maybe try swapping every other trip going to a sub place instead.

The second type of person is completely different. They don’t try to make a healthy life style; they just assume that nothing bad will ever happen to them. For most kids, and a lot of adults, this describes them perfectly. Kids are the ones who use the “I play a sport and I have a high metabolism anyway” excuse. Adults are more likely to use the “I don’t have time for anything else” excuse. There’s plenty of time to eat healthy if you find other fast service places.

Lastly, there’s the type of person who knows how much is too much. They realize that once a week is just not a smart choice. Maybe one to three times a month, counting it as a treat, instead of just a substitute for a home-made meal. These people tend to be healthier, cooking more at home or eating sandwiches instead of burgers, fries, and shakes. They have control over their food intake. These are the people that other people envy.

There are three types of people, those who think they have control, those who don’t care, and those who do have control. Which one do you want to be? Or more importantly, which one are you?

The Pier People, the Youth, and the Frogs.

Authors note: I wrote this piece because it came up in one of my brainstorming lists. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, you may want to try it. What you do is have someone give you a word and tell you when to stop. You write/ type a word that links to the first word in a way others may not be able to understand- but that's okay- and just keep branching off from there. You could end up with 30 words, or just 7. It's pretty funny to read some other peoples lists. Give it a try sometime. Anyway, this was a memory from when I was about seven and spring weather was starting to set in.


I think back to the time when I was about seven. The joy of the lake unfreezing and the pier building people coming back to reassemble our pier. This meant warmth. This meant adventures lying ahead. This meant memories will be made.

My friends Ally and Sammy had come over that day. When we saw the builders doing their job outside our window, we thought they could use some entertainment. So, being the six, seven and eight year olds we were, we decided they could use some music.

We grabbed some white lawn chairs and set them up near the sea wall so we were within hearing range of the workers. Next, we grabbed the musical wooden frogs you stroke with a stick and climbed on top of the chairs. Beginning with just the beat of the wooden frogs croaking, we built up our show from there.

My parents reminded me of this day when I looked at the picture -- Only the picture helps me bring back a slight recollection of doing this-- of us singing to them. Only, I wouldn't call it singing. More like chanting. "Go pier people! Go pier people" Croak. Croak. Croak. "Go pier people! Go pier people!" Croak. Croak. Croak.

The only barrier that kept us in the adorable category and away from crazy was our youth. Youth is a great thing that keeps your imagination wide open. The youth doesn't have to be lost on everybody once they become "old". They shouldn't be considered crazy if they can have a fun perspective on the world. Try to keep your mind open. You'll never know what you'll find.

Green Chrismas

Author’s note: After writing my free verse poem about a snowless Christmas, I found myself wanting to write more than just a short poem about Christmas 2011. I write this piece as I hear the rain on my window. Isn’t there supposed to be snow on December 30? Feel free to express your opinion about a “Green Christmas” as opposed to a “White Christmas”.

A slight smile appears on my face as I dream of the perfect Christmas: Seeing the tree, presents, snow, and not seeing the beer and cookies I left out for Santa the night before. But then, I woke up and realized that one thing was missing. What happened to “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas?” A pinch of anger spreads throughout my body as I can still see the grass. “Merry Christmas….” I mumbled to myself as I got out of bed and walked down the stairs.

If I block out the leafless trees, it very well could be a rainy summer day. With the incredibly green grass and my snowless driveway, I feel as if fall is never ending, and winter just got up and walked away. We live in Wisconsin! How has it not snowed yet?! It’s almost New Year’s Day, and besides the pointless snow that melts away in an hour, there’s nothing…nada…zip.

I don’t need a blizzard to please me. I just can’t leave 2011 behind with only the snow from 10 months ago. Maybe just a reassuring three inches would be nice. It’s not that hard to shovel either. Just barely enough to play in, it’s the perfect amount. That’d be a great way to end the year.

The green feeling loses its effect when the leaves have fallen and have been swept away. It’s too late for a White Christmas, but is it too much to ask for a white New Year’s?

Coral Reefs

Author’s note: I am writing this piece to go along with my Coral Reefs Project, which is posted on my wiki, but I am also trying to improve my writing scores. The main category that I’m trying to improve on is my introduction techniques. Also, my conclusions aren’t all that great so I’m trying to improve my score or level of proficiency as well.

You’re scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. Waves crash above you, but as you dive deeper the water becomes still. You see thousands of fish swimming above and below you and you wonder, why here? Why did they all decide to live here? They have the entire ocean to spread out, yet the reef is completely packed with all kinds of species. Each has a special feature or look to it. Rainbows of fins twirl around you. They’re all so unique, so different, yet they all share the same home.
Why do they all come here?

The reason each and every single one of them decided to live here is a simple answer. Coral. Most live in crammed living conditions so that they can have just a little bit of coral. The coral can provide many things for fish and other underwater species. Coral can be used for safety, food source, and shelter.

The shelter and safety that coral creates is truly amazing. Not only do its cracks and crevices provide homes and shelter for several animals on the reef, but its foundation allows other plants to grow on top of it which supply the fish with both homes and food. A good example is the anemone. The anemone is a plant that grows on coral that provides for the clown fish. The clown fish is the only fish that is immune from the stings of the anemone. Also, the clown fish’s main food source is the leftover food that the anemone doesn’t eat.

Unlike the clown fish, almost all other fish have to find food on their own. Luckily, because the coral is so packed with fish, the bigger fish have it easy hunting wise. The little fish, well….. Not so lucky. Little fish rely on the coral for safety. Whether it’s blending in with the coral or simply hiding in the cracks, the smaller fish would we dinner if it weren’t for the coral.

Coral reefs are marvelous natural wonders. I hope it is understood why they play such a huge role in the underwater ecosystem.

Hot Air Ballooning

Author’s note: I wrote this after my very first hot air ballooning trip on vacation in Arizona. I figured while I’m on a 4 hour drive to the Grand Canyon I might as well make good progress on my writing. As I’m writing this I’m staring out at the mountains that are so massive, the clouds touch their peeks. Also I’m watching a creature that looks like a crossbreed of a bunny and a squirrel run across the road in front of us. (We nicknamed it the bunsqui). I love traveling. You never know what you’ll see. (I plan on making an animoto of my vacation so keep checking my blog for that).

If you’ve ever been hot air ballooning, and you’re not afraid of heights, you probably found the adventure to be very enjoyable and calming. Unless you had a poor pilot, I think it would be a shame if you didn’t have a good time with it. I was fortunate enough to experience the wonderful views, perfect weather, safe landing and great people to share the fun with. My experience was probably slightly different than yours however, because I don't think you woke up as early as I did on that particularly warm Monday.

In order to get on our flight on time, we had to wake up at 4:30 am Arizona time! Luckily I hadn’t fully adapted to Mountain Time, so it still felt somewhat like 5:30 am. We took off so early that you couldn’t even use the reference; “Bright and early”, because it was still very dark when we were in the car. The car ride was a little on the long side, because Phoenix is a very large city, and it takes about an hour to pass through.

We arrived at the Skunk Creek Flats restaurant at 6:30 am, which is where our hot air ballooning group met before we took off. Once the tourist group of 9, including my parents and me, were all there, we took off in the Rainbow Ryders van to find a take-off location.

To find out where to take off when hot air ballooning, it usually helps to set a helium balloon off at different locations, and see where the wind takes it. In our case, we only had to try one spot before we found the perfect area for a set up spot. The second balloon we set up flew away in just the right spot. This was where we started setting up, and completing all tasks that were necessary in order to send us flying.

After the basket was ready, a giant stuff sack was pulled out of the chasing van and we unraveled the balloon that was inside. After pulling the balloon completely out of the van, they set up fans and turned them on full blast in order to inflate the massive balloon. Seeing the balloon inflate, and then slowly lift up, was truly a sight to see. Once we were aboard, our pilot Brooke sent a little heat up into the balloon and we set off. Not knowing what to expect, I was amazed at what I saw.

Science Expirement Gone Bad

Author’s note: I wrote this after a science experiment that went bad in so many ways. I’m really just trying to express how it felt going through that chaotic process. Also I just wanted to thank Sydney K., Quinn, Andrew and Mr. Johnson for stepping us and helping with this disaster.

If you like a story that involves bugs, chunky milk and mold, then read on. However, if you believe that these items may gross you out, that might not be the best idea.

It all started when Mr. Roehl gave us an assignment to do a science experiment. The goal was to get us to use the scientific process. This goal wasn’t very well achieved.

After the project was assigned, Tien came up to me and asked what I was going to do for the experiment. I had no clue what I was going to do and I’m glad she had an idea. She came up with the idea of planting seeds and recording the plant growth with different liquids. We decided to do our experiment with water, milk and Orange Juice.

The next week, we came in with all of our supplies, not knowing that the “fun” had just begun.

In the first couple of days we notice that something white was growing on the milk watered plant. It was mold growing in splotches over the soil. Unfortunately, the water one hadn’t grown at all in this process. In the next day or two we went to water the OJ plant, when we saw little orange and black bugs crawling over it. This is when we questioned ending our experiment.

Neither Tien nor I wanted to water the plants anymore because of the disgusting bugs crawling over the top. A couple days after the bugs appeared, a wasp flew into the OJ cup and Mr. Roehl had to set it free out the window.

The next week, (While Mr. Roehl was on vacation, of course) we went to get the milk and OJ so we could end the science experiment once and for all. Unfortunately this is when we found out that the fridge had been unplugged and that the milk spoiled and the OJ was looking a little funky.

I guess we weren’t thinking when we dumped the milk down the sink, because it clogged and made the room stink a little. This started the major chaos. First we tried running water as long as possible so we could mask the smell. Then, after the water reached the top of the sink, we sprayed perfume over it while we were taking care of the plants and the water bottles full of rotten liquids.

Once Tien and I got back from the bathroom, we realized the water had drained and that only chunky milk remained. This is where Mr. Johnson stepped in and took it out with paper towels and dumped it into a plastic bag. After throwing everything away in the outside garbage can, most everything that needed to be done had been done.

We finished up everything else including rinsing the water bottles, spraying the fridge with perfume to mask the moldy smell, and rinsing the sink. There are three major life lessons to be learned from this experience; One, NEVER unplug a fridge. It can result in major chaos. Two, if you do not listen to number one, DO NOT dump chunky milk down the sink. Lastly, three, when you are asked to do a science experiment, I would recommend doing something not involving foods and/or beverages. They can attract bugs, mold, expire and smell really bad.

Disney Movies

Author's note: I wrote this for the Disney project Sydney and I just finished. Be sure to also check out Sydney's piece on Disney characters on her blog.

The outcome of a Disney movie doesn’t really show how much effort is put into the movie making process. For example, try to think of Finding Nemo in millions of separate drawings all put together at 24 frames per second. That means that every single second, someone drew 24 pictures just slightly different from one another to create the effects that you see on the screen.

Behind the screen that you and I see, there’s an animation team that puts everything in a Disney movie together. The animation team is made up of directors, producers, songwriters, story artists, layout artists, background artists, supervising animators, actors, animators, inbetweeners, cleanup artists, special effects animators, computer people, computers themselves, artistic coordinator and the editor. As you can see, there are several people who have a part in Disney movies.

The first task is to take an idea and then dive into it. They have to think of who, what, when, where, why, and how. Then they might start thinking of the characters. Almost always, there will be a hero, villain, “fool”, (someone who is in the story mainly for the purpose of laughs) community, mentor, and a parent. (For some reason, there is usually only one parent, or one of the parents died early in the movie).

Then, after the main outline of the story is done, the artists will start to draw out the movie. They will start with only the major movements of the characters, and then give them do the people who write the script. They will then put words into the pictures to make the movie more interesting. The main thing they have to worry about is avoiding things that are shown in the pictures. For example, in Beauty and the Beast, when Belle first enters the beast’s castle, she wouldn’t say “I’m very afraid to enter this big dark castle, but I'm doing it to find my dad.”

The next step is drawing the characters moving according to the script. First they might draw the mouths moving along with all the movements the character makes while moving. Then they will fill in all the missing little details. This is the “inbetweeners” job. They have to take all the original movements that the animators drew, and fill in all the little, yet important movements that the character makes in between the major movements that the animators drew as a guideline. After the inbetweeners, the cleanup artists will then play out all the pictures to see if there are still missing movements in there.

The next step after art is sound. Sound plays a huge role in movies. Can you imagine the Lion King without any sound? That would completely ruin the great movie. In most Disney movies there are songs. If there are songs sung by the characters in the movie, there is typically an anthem, which might express the heroes hopes and dreams, a love song, the “I want something song,(where the hero is requesting something they want) the villain song, (where the villains might express his evil plans) and the entertainment song which follows the main theme of the movie but the main purpose is just to be fun.

There’s also the type of sound that is for the background of the movie. There is a thing called a sound library which is where you can download sounds like cars honking and horses neighing. The last sound steps are adding the words. This is where the actors and actresses come in. Once the people are selected for the job, they will start working. These people usually try to experience things that their characters are experiencing. For example, someone in Cinderella might learn how to ball room dance to experience the feeling that Cinderella is feeling while dancing with the prince. They will usually come into record about 5-6 times and almost always are either at a different time or place as the other actors.

The final process is called a CAPS process. (Computer animation production system) This process includes scanning, animation check, scene planning, sweatbox, animation check again, color model, markup, ink and paint, final checking, composting and film printing.

First, the computer will scan each drawing. One at a time. Then, they will make sure every little detail is there and start getting ready for color. Next, people will look at the movie to see what’s missing and come up with a “technical solution” to the problem. After that, everyone will get together in what’s called a sweatbox and critique the movie before it’s put into color. (The term sweatbox is named after a room they used to work in that had no air conditioning). Then you look at it again to see if anything’s missing. If not, we move on to the Color Model where all the colors are selected on a computer and then added to the characters and the backgrounds. Then, they will make a palette for everything. A palette is where they give a tray of colors that the character or scenes typically use so they do not have to constantly select the same color over and over again. After this, they use the palettes and apply color. Then everybody looks to see if they can find any flaws, and if not we finally move on to composting. Composting is where you combine every detail. Lastly they will play everything at once. (Including sound) Then, the reel is off to the editor.

The editors job is to make everything flow smoothly. The editor will work with the sound effects editors and the music editors to combine everything into a smoothly flowing movie. The editor will also have several assistants to help deal with the thousands of feet of film and sound.

As the finishing touches are in progress, people will be pulled from malls to come and preview a Disney movie. These people will then fill out reviews and if there needs to be changes the editor will then fix the problems.

At last the Disney movie is finally complete. All the effort into the movie is over. It’s then time for the workers to sit back and enjoy the show.

So next time you watch a Disney movie, think about everything that is put into making one. It gives you an entire new perspective on the classic movies you know and love.

Volleyball

Authors note: I wrote this after getting back from a fantastic volleyball match. The last game was so close we ended up winning 16-14 and I was the last one to serve! I just wanted to write about the intensity and fun I have playing my favorite sport.

No matter what some people make say or think, volleyball is a high intensity sport. It is true that you do not have to run the length of a soccer field to get a ball, but if you are a good volleyball player who is agressive, you will work just as hard.

Volleyball is a great sport. Not only is it a fun sport to play, it can be entertaining to watch. (If there are good volleys) No offense to soccer players, but in comparison, I think that although soccer can be very fun to play, it's not the most exciting sport to watch.

At my volleyball match that I just got back from, my team and I did pretty well. Considering we are the B team and we played the A team, I'm suprised we won the third game at all. The first two games in that match were closer than I even imagined they would be. I believe we only lost 25-18. I think that match showed that if you really want to win, and you are work hard, you can do wat you think might be close to impossible.

I love playing volleyball, and I hope you love playing a sport just as mucha as I do. It's a great way to stay in shape and have fun while doing it.

Music

Authors note: After having a discussion with Mr. Roehl, Mr. Johnson, and a couple of my peers, I decided I needed to show Mr. Roehl why music is so important. I am trying a somewhat new form of my writing; persuasive writing. Also, I am continuing to try and use thesis statements in my writing.

I believe that music is multi-talented. Not only can it entertain you when you're bored, it can also help you work. Another thing is that just playing music can sometime really affect your mood. Music is the greatest joy in life and I think everyone should have that joy within their hearts.

When you're doing chores, or somethings terribly boring, don't you think music helps lighten the dull and boring mood? Or at least keeps you somewhat entertained while you're doing the necessary, but dreary tasks in life? Well, I do at least, and I'm almost positive nearly everyone agrees with me. (Except for Mr. Roehl)

(If you play an instrument, you probably know exactly what I'm about to talk about.)

Do you ever just feel like you're going to explode? Or that your sadness from an event is overtaking you? Try sitting (or standing) down and playing an instrument. It doesn't have to be a happy song, or something you think might help. Sometimes it is best to just take out your emotion in your music, and let your feelings show in the piece you are playing.

I know Mr. Roehl says he'd rather just be with his thoughts, than have music in the background, but I would find that extremely boring. I asked a few of my friends what they thought and all of them said they'd rather listen to music. "(unless you're vacuuming)" one of them said.

I just want to say that music has played a very big role in my life. Even just little chores like cleaning the kitchen, I almost always have music in the background. If I try and imagine all of those chores, boring days, and long car rides without music, well, I can't. I think everyone should constantly have music in their lives. Almost everyday.

Go Pack Go!

Authors note: The Packers are my favorite team and I wanted to write about them as a football team and me as a fan. I also wanted to work on my thesis statement in this piece.

The Packers are the best team in the NFL. With a record of 5-0, (So far) they are tied for first with The Detroit Lions. (Which surprisingly, had a record of 0-16 just three years ago in 2008) They will be our biggest competition in our division this year because the Bears are 2-3 and the Vikings are only 1-4.

I hope to see the Packers get to the Super Bowl again like last year, especially because it's one day after my birthday. For a repeat of last year, I'm planning to have a fantastic birthday present once again. Speaking of my birthday, I feel the need to mention I was a Packer fan from the start. My first Packer outfit was when I was less than a year old.

Just like me, there are millions of other Packer fans as well. Packer fans are dedicated. They don't care if it's negative a couple degrees as long as they get to watch their beloved team, the Packers play. They will sit through the snow coming down on them in gusts, as long as they get to watch the Packers.

There's a reason they call Lambeau Field the frozen tundra. We are one of the farthest North teams there are and we have some of the harshest conditions. I believe that any other team that far north have roofs so they just close them when the weather gets rough.

There are many reasons I love the Packers. They won the Superbowl for my birthday, they have dedicated fans, the Lambeau leap,(If you're not familiar with the Lambeau leap it is where, after scoring a touchdown, the scoring player leaps into the crowd and sometimes even gives a fan the ball.) and that the Packers are a wonderful team. Other team fans don't know what they're missing.

Attitude

Do you find it strange how people with the worst of luck tend to have the best attitude?

A little girl out there is probably sitting on a hospital bed going through chemo, and she probably has a better attitude towards life than you and I. We might say, "Why do i have to do chores while my friends get to go outside and play. Uggh! My life sucks!" It's more than likely that you do not think about the people who have it worse than you. Do you stop to say "Well at least I have running water and a roof over my head"? I highly doubt it.

I really think that people should look at the positive before they decide that their life is "terrible" or that it "sucks". For example, if you get invited to a sleepover at a friend's house, but your parents say you have to babysit your little cousin, look at it this way; "At least I have a family and I can hang out with my friends tomorrow." NOT; "Come on! Why do I have to take care of my stupid little cousin? ALL my friends are going to be at the sleepover!"

So next time you're having a bad day, or something's not going quite right, make sure you have a positive attitude about it. No one wants to hear any complaining about something that's not HALF as bad as you think it is.

Look Ahead

In life, it's always good to have something to look forward to or something to compare to. Whether it's tough times, or a long period of time, such as the school year.

One thing you can do is set goals. For instance, you could say, "Just get through September. Just get through October." (etc....) Another thing you can do is look forward to certain holidays, vacations or birthdays. For bad times, you can compare yourself to someone who has it much worse. Or, if there's an end to the bad times in sight, set steps to that.

For this school year, I have a couple things to look forward to;
Step 1 - Pass through September.
Step 2 - Get to my family vacation in November during thanksgiving break.
Step 3 - Christmas.
Step 4 - My birthday in February.
Step 5 - My family vacation to Mexico around Easter.
Step 6 - Spring Break.
Step 7 - End of school year.

During the school year, you see i only have 7 steps, but as long as there's something exciting in sight, it doesn't matter.

The Princess Bride

The Princess Bride is my absolute favorite movie. Although, many people get thrown off by the title and think that's it's a girly movie about a bunch of princesses getting married. That is not AT ALL how it is.

In the movie there is this girl named buttercup, who after her fiance, Wesley was murdered by the dread pirate roberts, was forced to marry the awful Prince Humperdink. One day on her daily horse ride, she was kidnapped by an evil man named Vizzini and his 2 assistants, inigo and fezzik. After that, she is kidnapped from the dread pirate roberts, who is truly her "dead" fiance. He was never dead in the first place! On their way back to the village, they passed many obsticals such as the fire swamp which is filled with deadly things. Once Wesley and Buttercup got back to the village, the prince and some of his army surrounded them. To make sure Wesley wasn't harmed by the men, Buttercup made a deal to marry Prince Humperdink as long as Wesley was returned to his ship safely. Humperdink did not keep his word and Wesley was taken to the pit of despair, which is as terrible as its own name describes it. There, Wesley is killed for the second time. Inigo and Fezzik took him to the miracle Max and then found out that he was only "mostly dead". There, he was given a magic pill and after awhile he awoke. The three stormed into the wedding and saved Buttercup. This is the only "heroic or heart-warming" part of the story.

If you watch the Princess Bride, I can almost guarentee that you will love some of the classic quotes from this fantastic movie.

Pandas

Why are pandas becoming extinct? What is being done to help them? What do we need to know to save them? These are all question we need answered in order to save the panda.

Pandas are becoming extinct for a couple of reasons. First off, agriculture has invaded any low altitude part of their habitat. Next, logging has destroyed the trees that give bamboo the shade it needs in order to grow. Another reason is that illegal poaching, (before it was banned) took its toll on their population drop. Lastly, because of their slow breeding process, (Only being able to have a baby at best every other year) it has been hard to boost their population numbers.

There are a couple things that people are doing to save the panda population. An organization called the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) is doubling the amount of bamboo forests by planting more bamboo trees. This plan will cost around $63.5 million dollars. The organization of WWF is also trying to educate the local people on pandas so that they can help too. Another thing is that China has set up patrols in some of the panda ranges to prevent illegal poaching and exporting. Lastly, there are many panda reserves and zoos that are trying to help save the panda population, such as Wolong National Natural Reserve.

There are a lot of things to know about pandas, but what we need to know to save them is a different story. Some things we might need to know are that they are born very small, blind and helpless and a mother can only take care of 1 panda at a time. (This is why, unfortunately if there are 2 cubs, 1 will not survive.) We might need to know that pandas do not hibernate. If well taken care of, a panda can live up to 35 years old. Once a panda is 1 year old, it should be adept at climbing trees to protect itself from predators.

A pandas diet is 99% bamboo. They eat 20-45 pounds of it each day and spend about 10-16 hours it every day! The other 1% is made up of different grasses and (rarely) small rodents or musk deer fawns.

There are about 1,600 pandas left in the world today. They used to exist over a much wider range than the 6 they have left today. A range is basically a couple of mountains. They now are only found in the mountains of central China, in Sichuan, Shaanxi and Gansu. The last thing we might need to know is that they do not hibernate so therefore, they do not have a specific home. They move up and down the mountains based on the temperature. So if you are looking for a panda during the summer, you might want to look at a higher altitude.

Pandas are on the endangered list, and we need to help them. What will you do to help these adorable amazing creatures?

My panda project