In the Southern Hemisphere, it’s high summer, a time of riotous growth. Northerners, however, must spend the month only dreaming of gardens: poring over seed catalogues, planning and ordering and (weather permitting) doing a little soil conditioning.
In honor of this season of hope and foresight, MuseBlog hereby renames February 2012 Featherary and dedicates it to the Muse of Plants. (Click on the picture for a close-up look at Lady Bunniful’s lush limning.)
To Bibliophile, regarding the last thread:
– NASA HQ is in Washington, DC, not Houston. The Johnson Space Center is in Houston.
– Yes, it will be a weekday in DC and no, I don’t think there’s a time difference between there and Boston.
– But I would love to meet another MuseBlogger.
Wow, it’s the end of January already. Where has the month gone? For that matter, how do I only have one month left of being 16?
In response to Bibliophile on the last thread: The competition that Cinnamoon and I do is called Knowledge Bowl. Schools put together teams, and those teams compete against each other in 50-question rounds among 3 teams at a time. The questions are about all kinds of knowledge from biology to music to art history to English grammar to math to random general facts. I’ve found it to be very much in the spirit of Muse and MuseBlog, and sometimes there are questions (like the Burning Man one I mentioned) that I know right out of the magazine’s pages. It’s a lot of fun! I love it when a question triggers something lost in the recesses of my mind that I never, ever thought I’d need to know.
I think that there are similar competitions by other names, too, like Quiz Bowl. I’ve also heard of Science Bowl, and I know you’re really interested in nature and science, so you might see if your school does anything like that.
RE: Last thread
We cleaned up. xD 1st, 1st, 1st. And by about ten points above the 2nd team each time. Best we’ve ever done… We’re still in shock.
Wow, show-offs.
My school does knowledge bowl too!
We have a running streak of 100% on useless trivia every year
It sounds awesome! My school doesn’t do it, unfortunately; I’d have heard if it did. I’d certainly do it if I could, though!
@Kai: Congratulations!
I’m making an animation with cubes. Meaning that the characters are cubes. I think it’s supposed to be an exercise in expressing character emotion with minimal resources (since the cubes can’t change shape or expression)
It probably says something about my anthropomorphizing tendencies that I immediately thought, “Aww, cubes! How cute!” before I got to the end of your post.
That would be a hard exercise, though. What is your plot going to be?
The cubes are very cute though. Their design reminds me of the Twiddlebugs from Sesame Street.
I’m planning on having one be an energetic, cartwheel-y sort of person, and the other be a cantankerous old guy, and let the personalities bounce off of each other.
The “cubes” idea reminded of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory– don’t they at some point encounter candies shaped like cubes with faces?
The square candies that looked round! Yes!
I can almost hear Eric Idle reading that scene in the audiobook right now.
So I’m currently taking Spanish 1, PE, Honors Algebra 2, Orchestra, Honors Freshman English, Physics, Journalism, and US history class at a community college after school. That is eight classes right there. Five of them are above my grade level. I think I may be in over my head.
*\ ^_^ /* You can do it!
Oh my gosh, is that a punctuation cheerleader?
Now when will I find time to lie on the floor and stare at the ceiling? That’s an important part of my life.
Yes it is!
Hmmm…That’s a tough question. I suppose the answer is whenever you get a chance to.
Also, what PE are you taking? Or is it general PE, as opposed to a specific subject of PE like swimming or yoga?
Um. General freshman PE, which means wearing shorts in freezing cold weather and running through the mud.
Yeep. I’m sorry to hear that. Hopefully you will be able to take a more fun PE later…
During PE.
I enjoy drinking tea and have done so in each subject so far, including PE, except I didn’t get to go on the balance beam like I intended. Bottom line: what you can get away with never ceases to surprise you.
Hee hee. I think most of my teachers have actually given up trying to stop us from eating in class, and now they just request that we not leave a mess that might attract rats.
Hah, at my school they had a rule that you couldn’t bring food above the basement (where the cafeteria was)…
Nope. Didn’t happen.
So finally, a few months ago, they finally allowed us to bring food to one room on the first floor. It didn’t really change everything (except I think they added some nice signs saying things like, “Throw out your trash! The rats are watching!”
A lot of us actually use empty classrooms as impromptu cafeterias, but we still only have mice.
Out of context, that sounded like you were eating… well, mice.
Today during PE I read Les Mis while walking in circles.
My orientation next year starts on September 1!
We await your owl.
KAI KAI KAI You’re going to be in Washington DC on February 14th? I arrive on the afternoon of the 15th I think!! Please tell me you’re not just going for one day! A Kokon would be amazing.
I’m always in Washington, D.C. One of these days I expect to be declared a National Monument.
Oh my gosh, I was just doing my Spanish homework and I was supposed to be drawing pictures of pastimes and now there’s a picture of a statue of you with the caption, “visitar monumentos.”
I’m in Spanish 1, and unfortunately, we’ve certainly never learned either of those words. (I’m only in 8th grade, but my classes are much easier than yours overall).
Visitar means “to visit,” and monumentos means “monuments.” We’re studying activities and sports right now- maybe you just learn things in a different order?
Or from different textbooks. Ours is the Descubre series, which follows a tour group and their very creepy bus driver ob a trip through South America.
I think we use the same book in my school’s third and four year classes! Are there videos that go along with the book? If it really is the same, then YES, HE IS CREEPY. (Or, maybe creepy bus drivers are just standard for Spanish textbooks!)
Yes, there are! With Ines, Javier, Alex, and Maite? Those books have convinced me NEVER to go on bus tours…
Soooooooo… Ines and Javier are going jogging, are they?
I’m sorry, it’s just one day, but if you go to NASA HQ when you’re there, I can tell my librarian friends to say hi to you for me.
Oh, no, that’s awfully unlucky timing. Not sure how much time I’ll have but if I can I will definitely try to visit the NASA HQ. And, Robert – yes, I know you live in Washington DC which is very exciting! I’ll have to see what I can arrange.
Submitting a poem of mine to various contests through my school tomorrow. We’ll see how that goes.
Also, nerf was today and apparently I shot one guy (a guy who is rather good at nerf) six times. Also I was the only one to shoot the sniper.
Forever awaaaaaaake
Unmotivation striking again. 11 pm and I still need to write an essay and study for two quizzes. I know I’ll really regret this later but for some twisted reason right now I’m not sensing the urgency. And I really need to sleep earlier, as my early morning self knows, but late night self isn’t realising it. This is so weird. And probably really unhealthy.
MY LENS GOT HERE!
I LOVE IT.
I AM IN LOVE.
IT IS RAINING.
THIS IS NO LONGER WORTHY OF BEING IN CAPSLOCK, BUT I’M DOING IT ANYWAY.
NOW I NEED TO GO AND READ A BOOK SO THEN I CAN GO TO PLAY PRACTICE.
Also I got yarn yesterday for making my mom a hat with fox ears. Unfortunately I forgot that I was going to make myself one too, so I only got enough of the orange to make (probably) one hat. Hurumph. But whatever. Maybe I’ll just make myself a non-animal hat. Or a multicolored striped one with green fox-shaped ears or something. WHATEVER. I do what I want.
loljk if I did what I wanted I’d be sleeping right now, and that’s not happening.
Also, I’m considering entering a few photos in an art contest/submissions thing for my school.
BUT I DON’T KNOW IF I’M WORTHY.
Life is hard, that is all.
YOU ARE WORTHY.
…I realize that isn’t very helpful.
What the good Adeliae says is true: of course you’re worthy, Fiddler! And you can be aided by your love, Fissh I. Lenss–lovers always see things more artistically than they did before!
I really like the question mark art, even if it is just a placeholder.
I had mono recently and now have an enlarged spleen, which I think sounds kind of funny, but unfortunately it means no contact/rough sports, which means no skiing this weekend. At least I’m better from mono.
In other news, in class today the teacher said we were behind and really needed to work hard, then couldn’t get the smartboard to work so gave us a study hall for the rest of the period. The irony is killing me, but the study hall was great to have.
Ack, mono. Ack ack ack.
In which Choklit rambles about random things that probably don’t interest you.
-Sometimes I wonder if I’m part of a sitcom, and I just don’t know it.
-Also, today I came to the conclusion that I can’t recall once having gotten sick during school. That is, I get a mild flu on the Monday with the big math test, but not enough to skip school, and then I catch pneumonia over summer vacation (true story). Thus, I should be allowed at least two days every year where I skip school and spend the day sleeping and watching television, regardless of my actual physical state. This starts now :D.
-Or it would if I weren’t too conscientious to have a guilt attack if I didn’t go. I think we’ve found the problem.
-Seriously? I could totally pull it off. Like this Friday- I am going to be watching The Lion King in Spanish, sitting on the floor of the gym in PE, doing more review in math, falling asleep in Orchestra, having free time in English because most of the class will be on a field trip, filling out worksheets in Physics, and playing with Cleverbot in Journalism. I would learn way more by curling up on the couch and watching old House episodes.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE House!
My parents (and more recently me) love it too!!!
I’ve gotten them seasons 2-4 over various holidays, and it’s turned into as much of a present for me as for them
I worked at the Observatory tonight for Public Night– one guy turned out to be a Cub Scout leader who now wants to bring his troup!
I really feel like I did something good today, and I honored the anniversary of the Columbia accident in the best way possible.
You’re amazing.
Lovely picture, by the way – just happend to reload the page at the right moment.
Give me a moment to squee at Feather.
SQUEEEEEEEE
THAT IS ADORABLE
Also, I won two Scholastic Writing Awards.
Meep! That is The Coolest Thing right there. Congratulations!
Thank you!
FEATHER!!! You are so great.
I’m actually starting to get used to this whole college thing. Last quarter I was so lonely, missing all of my friends from high school and not doing too well in my math class which basically required social skills to stay afloat.
But I got to go home for winter break, and it was a nice break. I’m in a lower math class now, and although it is too easy for me, I’m not dying anymore. And people know who I am and I know who some other people are (the former is a greater number of people, unfortunately).
I’m at this stage now where I’ve settled in, but I haven’t accepted this as real life yet. I think that my parents have sent me away to a year-long camp, and that I’ll be back to normal life after this year is over. That’s definitely not the case! I’m on my own now. I can go to downtown Chicago whenever I want (although I haven’t yet). It’s so weird to think about.
The other day I was thinking about the one mind-thing that’s a bit abnormal about me… pitch-perfectness. Although mine’s not full-fledged pitch-perfectness. I can’t name pitches, but I can sing pretty much any piece of music that I’ve heard in the same key that I heard it in. That’s how I get a few reference pitches: I know that The Barber of Seville starts on an E, and I’ve made up my own little tune that starts on an A so I know what pitch to tune my cello to. The only pitch I really know is C, probably drummed into my head from piano.
As a consequence, when I hear arrangements of pieces that aren’t in the same key as the original, it upsets me. Even though it might be a great performance, I still don’t like it.
This leads me to ask: What do you hear in your head when you recall a song/tune/piece? I hear it like a recording of the original; same key, same instruments and sounds. It’s so interesting to try to find out how other people’s minds work!
I think I hear it as a recording too. I’ll imagine what it would it sound like if I were listening to it.
I hear it as a recording too, but if I hum or sing it enough, it turns into my voice.
A recording for me as well. It’s usually in the proper key, though if I’ve been listening to something else, the correct key can get drowned out.
I think that if I listen to something enough, I’ll hear either the recording (or something like it) or my own voice (if I sing it a lot). I think I must be transposing it in my head, though, because it’s in a different key in my head than it actually is. Weird.
It’s the same as LBK for me, unless it’s from a musical, in which it can never be my voice if it’s too terribly different from theirs.
I hear the notes, which are the right pitch and timbre and everything, but not coming from any discernible instrument.
Mock Trial tomorrow. The actual competition. My. Day. I’m not prepared! I haven’t practiced enough! I’ll run out of time! I’ll get all nervous and shy and awkward! I’ll–
–actually all I’m supposed to do is sit and draw. Courtroom artist! but but but still I should’ve drawn more people to prepare, erp erp–
–faint or survive or fall over or trip or what am I even saying! And then I’ll lose! And I’ll win! And I’ll completely let everyone down! Or I’ll take on all those other artists and mwahahahaha squids! Or–
–yeah, I’m alive.
DANGIT I almost joined Mock Trial at our school and they’re going to the competition tomorrow waaaaaaah.
Step 1: Sneak onto the team without anyone noticing.
Step 2: KOKOOOOON!
SUDDEN NEED FOR CHEEEEESE
really
Like for the last 20 minutes I can think of nothing out, and the normal late-night burrito/quesadilla place CLOSED 20 minutes agoooo
I want to complain about something totally irrelevant here that’s not quite appropriate for the rants and plaints thread.
Ok. So. Movie blood, or TV show blood, or whatever the heck it is they use instead of the actual article–probably paint or something. WHY IS IT ALWAYS THE WRONG COLOR? It’s always just too bright. I mean, fresh blood, you expect that from, but it’s especially egregious when you look at these old bloodstains or words written in blood more than 50 years ago that’s still bright red, instead of the rusty brown I know from experience blood turns when dry.
I mean really. How difficult can it be to switch from red to brownish? And don’t anyone say it’s not realistic, because for me those bright colors are what’s not realistic. It just hammers in the fact that they’re using paint in all the harder.
Rant over now.
No, no, nitpicking like that is totally fine.
Torchwood. The episode “Captain Jack Harkness.” SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS
Okay. So Tosh writes a note in blood, and they find it back in the present (over 90 years later). And the blood is still red.
Gargh.
I–that was the exact same episode that precipitated my rant. I watched it and just couldn’t keep quiet. And it’s not the only place, too…(although that episode was WWII, not WWI, so I think it was actually 60ish years, not 90. Still far past the point blood should have dried.)
Hey, would you look at that – position number 42 on the Who’s Posted How Much list! *tears up* I never thought this day would come.
In other news, I’m seeing The Importance of Being Earnest tonight! I’ve never seen it before, but I have read it. Of course, this means I’ll have approximately zero time to do my project but I’m looking forward to the play.
MAN I FEEL SO GREAT RIGHT NOW
WHO WANTS TO TRAVEL ACROSS THE US WITH ME
CANADA
ALL THE PLACES
LET’S GO!!!!!!
Let’s do this. Shall I fetch the waybread?
I DOOOOO
WE WILL SEE ALL THE THINGS
GO TO ALL THE PLACES
CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN
CROSS EVERY STREAM
FOLLOW EVERY RAINBOW
UNTIL WE FIND OUR DREAM
ME ME ME
LET’S ALL JUMP THROUGH THE PORTAL INTO MIDDLE EARTH TOGETHER
NOW!!!!!!
WHEE!!!!!!
Ooh, nice picture.
I’m posting from a school computer because
I’m a hopeless procrastinatorI have very little homework tonight~Also, heat wave over here. Yesterday it was over 60 degreees Fahrenheit. WHHHHYYYYYYY
Blurgh, yes, I’m wearing shorts and that should be, like, illegal in February.
So I started a Java class. It’s been fun so far, first assignment, aside from the classic hello world, was to create an applet that draws a snowman. It was fairly simple. I’ve been looking forward to learning Java for a while… Maybe I’ll make a minecraft mod once I’m better at it.
The best part of your teacher flintknapping (making stone tools) in class? Obsidian flakes to take home.
Did your professor have protective eyeware for enself/the rest of you? It can be very dangerous–flakes are sharp!
But awesome!
He had goggles, we were far enough away that it didn’t matter.
Update on SL’s Life:
She is very tired.
She got a good grade on her math midterm.
She is singing great songs in Chamber Choir.
She is being bored by the Industrial Revolution unit in her Social Studies class.
The robotics team that she’s on qualified for the world championships.
She is feeling sad. Rather irrationally, in her opinion.
She is very tired.
Sigh.
WOO! Good luck with the robotics championship!
What robotics league is it? I’ve done FIRST FLL and Vex.
It’s VEX. I’ve seen some robotics leagues where the robots are caking huge compared to VEX robots. That’s one of the reasons I like VEX so much–smaller bots. But it’s so much harder to qualify than last year. We only qualified
because of my wonderful scouting skillsbecause we got lucky with our alliances and ended up ranked 3rd, and we choose a team for the elimination rounds that had already qualified for worlds 6 times.Hello, MuseBlog!!!!!!!!! I just spent the last hour doing zumba! It was really fun. I signed up for a program that is zumba and yoga, and the first three weeks are zumba. I mean, I felt ridiculous the whole time, and I can not dance at all, but still. Technically, the program was for grades 9-12, but all of the spots weren’t filled, so they let eighth graders in. I thought I was the only eighth grader, but it turned out that another girl, who is really nice and I like, signed up as well. So that was cool. Although I kind of feel like I am the only girl who sweats a lot. (?) I’ve got no idea how that’s possible, but…
Sorry for the kind of rambly ramble, but I’m hyper on happiness. How are you, everyone?
Oh, it’s finally finally Friday!
Don’t do it, Castle…don’t do IT’S FRIDAY FRIDAY GOTTA GET DOWN ON FRIIIIIDAAAAY
…No.
I’m terribly sorry, I don’t know what came over me. I…I feel a little lightheaded, I think I need to go lie down.
*willbebackoncestoppedlaughing*
FUN FUN FUN FUN
Argleblargle homework.
It is that time of year! Choosing courses for next year. *sighs* So I have everything else set up except for history. I could either take AP European history or Law and Society, or I could just skip it and do Foods.
But that probably won’t happen unless I have a huge mental breakdown. Soooo, Euro or Law? Has anyone taken either of them? And should I take AP Euro with Chemistry, French 3, and Algebra 2/Trig Honors? I am interested in what is being taught with both of them almost equally but– argghhhh decisionnnnnnssssss!!!! And then the counselor started talking about college and I was — aaaahhhhhh collleeeggggee *dead* Also college out of the country(US)? It wasn’t mentioned….
I took AP Euro last year and found it interesting. Do you know what the teachers are like for each of those classes? They can make a biiiig difference for how much you enjoy yourself, and should be one deciding factor if you’re interested in both subjects. If you don’t know them very well, ask students who do and other teachers whose opinions you trust.
The counselors at our school are like that too, it’s ridiculous. “Have you thought about whether you’d like to go to college?” “Yes, I’d really like to University College London, or maybe the University of Auckland or this neat little arts school in Israel or Anhui University in China or whatever.” “But that’s not even a thing!”
Thanks Cat’s Meow and CO, I’ve decided on taking AP Euro with Law as the alternate course… Then I started to hear the AP Euro zombie stories… Ahhh well, the teacher for AP Euro is going to be the teacher I currently have for history that I like, and I will know the teacher… I’m just hoping I’m not making a big mistake. But how many hours of homework (actually) did you have to do?
It depends. My AP Euro class had lots of homework, mostly notecards that we had to make, guided readings for each chapter, and lengthy packets of primary sources to annotate, but I feel like a lot of it wasn’t truly *necessary*. I’m not sure what it’s like at other schools.
So, freshman courses:
-Freshman English (only class available)
-Modern World History (it was either that or “Big History”)
-Honors Geometry (I’m scared)
-Bio (only class available)
-Drama
-Chinese II
-Freshman PE (I’m dead)
I’m taking the maximum amount of courses while doing ballet, choir, master classes, etc. Oh dear me.
Sophomore courses:
-Spanish 2, which I have to attend for a week to get into Spanish 3 Honors
-Yoga (we actually get PE credit for that!)
-Pre-Calc
-AP Euro
-English 10 Honors (I’m bored in advance)
-Honors Chemistry
-Journalism
See, they don’t offer any honors classes for freshmen except math.
Lower Sixth classes: History, Government & Politics, Economics, Music, French, maybe Chinese. A-levels!
My freshman courses:
English 1 GT
Geometry PreAP
Biology PreAP
World Geography PreAP
Spanish 2 PreAP
Choir (for which there is no honors class for freshmen)
Debate (ditto)
Where I live, you can’t choose how many classes you take. It’s 7, no matter what. Of course, you can take online classes (I’m not–that year) or do off-campus PE and get an extra elective (I am). Can you do the latter where you live? If so, ballet would count, so you could take something fun instead of PE without adding yet another activity to your schedule.
Since I’m doing PE off-campus, I’ll also be doing swimming/yoga/walking/hopefully horseback-riding if we can afford lessons. I’m a bit scared of being so busy, because I’m very disorganized and don’t always get things done on time.
I’m happy to say that it’ll be my last year with quite such a typical, boring, standardized schedule, though! Electives get much more interesting afterward…
That sounds really cool.
Especially drama. And Chinese. (Clearly, your school has more options than mine does. We have either French or Spanish as a foreign language, and no choice of History classes for freshmen. No drama either, I don’t think, although maybe at the other half of my school’s campus…?)
My school hasn’t really talked to us about freshman classes yet. Yeah, they should probably get on that. I know the other schools in the area are helping kids choose courses and such. But, um, we’re a little disorganized, maybe? Oh well.
Mock Trial=Win.
Policy debate = organized chaos.
LD Debate = Awesome.
PuFo = Awesomer.
Stayed up till 7am last night, doing my forever awake duty as alwaaaaaays
Went to a Magic draft last night! It was scary but fun. I’m glad I went, and i think my other friend was glad she wasn’t the only girl like usual.
The solar telescope projector in the astronomy department was working for once, and I got to see the sun projected on the wall. There were some little sunspots, and through the zoomed-in telescope, you could see a prominence.
I realized today that have spent the last month or so
avoiding the internetdoing everything but using the computer. So of course, I spent nearly 2 hours online fiddling with a DI document today. Oh, well.New Zealand is so pretty.
Concur.
I got rejected from the particular college of music I was dying to go to. My dream school.
I think the worst feeling in the world is failure, just knowing that you’re not good enough.
agrrrfishi, stop that right now! Whether or not you get into a college is in fair measure a lottery. All sorts of fabulously talented, bright people don’t get admitted to the college of their dreams for all sorts of reasons. Admissions offices juggle a complex variety of factors, only some of which have anything to do with a student’s qualifications. The same goes for job applications, submissions for publications, competitions, and so forth. A lot of luck is involved. Acceptance is never a simple question of whether anyone is “good enough.”
I am NOT saying this just to be nice. I could give you numerous examples. It is simply a fact of life. Besides, for all you know the school you eventually do attend may turn out to be the dream college you didn’t know it could be. I’ve seen that happen, too.
I agree with everything said here! I did not get into my first choice, or my second choice. But I absolutely love where I am now and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. The things that made this college not my first choice/apprehensive about attending are now some of the things I really love about it.
38 (Agrrrfishi)~ That college isn’t good enough for you. Like Rebecca said, admissions are weird, and you are in no way strange or bad for not getting into a college. It’s okay. You’ll be okay. You can go somewhere else, and if you love it, that’s good, and if not, you can transfer to somewhere else. I know that you’re a smart, talented, incredible young woman, and you’re going to do a fabulous job at whatever you do, wherever you do it. Don’t beat yourself up. Eat some ice cream, then think about what parts of the school attracted you to it, and see if you can find other places with similar aspects. It’s going to be okay.
Heh, I made a hat yesterday instead of reading the book that I have a test on on Tuesday. I also have play practice all day today, and it’s hard for me to read there, but I can crochet. Priorities, I have them.
I just wanted to see the looks of confusion on everyone’s faces when the orange hat that I’d been working on for the past few rehearsals (and wore yesterday) suddenly turned into green, blue and orange stripes.
Guys….I just had an idea.
I could make an HPB hat. I could make lots of HPB hats. I could take over the world with HPB hats!
So it begins.
Just be very, very careful.
Okay, it took a second for the emoticon to show up. So I’m reading your comment and suddenly, a bunny pops up out of nowhere!
That’s how they get you.
My friend got a TI-Inspire for Christmas and just recently showed it to me.
SO MUCH WANT!
Its got 3-d graphing and an actual keyboard with programming without just drag and drop commands and shape creation beyond simple lines and really good graphics and so many cool features and an algebra system (it’ll solve 2x + 5 = 15 for you!) and so many other things and it makes my current graphing calculator (TI-84 silver) look like a Cleansweep compared to a Firebolt.
Unfortunately I would have to work most of the summer to be able to afford one because I already have a decent calculator so my parents won’t buy one for me, let alone chip in.
TI-83s and TI-84s have solvers too.
Really? How do I get to that feature?
A slightly less advanced version can be exploited with the matrix function.
On the TI-83 Plus (which is what I have here), go to Math -> 0:Solver…. You have to set the equation equal to zero.
Wow! I feel that I have been underappreciating/underutilising my calculator. I had no idea it could do that.
And I just realised that he doesn’t even have a name. I should get on that.
A calculator that does algebra? Where has this been all my life?
*is bad at algebra*
That’s funny. My best friend has had a TI-Inspire for the past three years, and she was going out yesterday to buy a TI-84 Silver like the one I have. She never used the second keyboard, and I’m not sure she explored many of those features you mention. The final straw came two months ago when it spontaneously stopped working and wouldn’t be fixed by changing the batteries or hitting the reset button.
How does it differ from a TI-89?
Oh, I’ve got one! It’s the TI-Inspire CX CAS (I assume it’s the same one) and it was ‘highly recommended’ that all math students buy one this year. It’s almost like a computer. It was really expensive though, about 160 USD if I’m remembering the price correctly.
SFTDP, but I’ve finally cracked the top 100 on Who’s Posted How Much!
Does this mean I’m all influential and stuff?
Pretty much!
After seeing this post, I was curious enough to type a bunch of the Who’s Posted How Much data into Excel and graph post count as a function of position on the list. It made a near-perfect exponential function over the full range and every smaller range that I tried. Isn’t it weird when math shows up in the real world?
(I admit, I have too much time on my hands.)
You should check out Vi Hart’s video critique of the mathematical impossibility of SpongeBob SquarePants’s pineapple house. (That’s sort of real life, isn’t it?)
[There’s a link to her blog under Other Essential Links. At this writing her open letter to Nickelodeon is the third video from the top.]
I love Vi Hart! Have you read the response from the house’s designer? He accepted Vi’s advice about the spirals and pointed out all of the other math that was already present in the pineapple’s design. Vi Hart has truly made a difference in the lives of millions.
Yes, I did see his very gracious reply. Given the realities of the industry, who knows when/whether it will show up in the actual cartoon, but at least her analysis is on the record.
Speaking of math (well Vi Hart) in real life, apparently my professor knows her and therefor sometimes she exists in real life! They go to conferences together.
Slept in later than expected oops. Anyway co-op is over
Alas. Dining halls are open again so it’s back to normal boring food.
BUT last night on sci fi hall we watched 2001: A Space Odyssey with the last part of the soundtrack (the part where he gets to Jupiter) replaced by a 20 minute Pink Floyd song (echoes). It was TRIPPY and STRANGE and SURREAL and REALLY REALLY COOL. It fit really well.
I saw The Tree of Life last night and have decided what my favorite Oscar-nominated movie is so far.
HELLO FRIENDS!
I’ve been supercrazybusy this semester. I actually had to drop piano last week because I was only getting 3 hours of sleep/night and, thus, not capable of basic human functioning by the end of each week. BUT. Now I’m doing better and have at least a little bit of time to be a real person. I went to farm day today, which was great. And I’m planning on making yogurt tonight.
In ornithology yesterday, we dissected a Red-tailed Hawk that our professor had found by the side of the road and frozen a few years ago! Well, first we skinned it, then we dissected its insides (looked inside its intestines for parasites, checked its sex, cut open its heart/liver/kidneys, etc.), then we stuffed it. Now it’s going to be in my school’s natural history museum for hundreds of zillions of years. It was so cool! I took lots of pictures, too.
Also ceramics. Is the best. I’m going to make a teapot next week eep.
Fiddler (10): Ooh! ooh! ooh! Take all the pictures! (Also: I don’t know if you got my phone message, but MITTS AHHHHH THE BEST!!!)
small but fierce (17): Congratulations! Was it the Scholastic Art & Writing awards?
Mikazuki (28): Zumba! My roommate’s sister is a zumba instructor, so she has lots of zumba music that she plays all the time. It sounds like a lot of fun!
Greetings, Pan! Did you find any parasites?
That is how I am going to greet people now.
It was good manners in the Pleistocene, and it should be good manners today.
Greetings! Unfortunately (well, probably not so for the hawk) we didn’t find any intestinal parasites. But we found a feather louse!
YOU DISSECTED RTH?
*reads again*
Oh, right. Never mind that. I was wondering how your professor had happened to find a MBer by the side of the road and frozen him a couple years ago
so that’s what happened to him!.Jokes aside, that sounds really cool.
Haha, I thought of that as I was writing it.
I think I’m Growing Up or something. I’ve noticed myself acting and thinking and talking more like an “adult” lately. When hearing people talk about conflicts with their parents, I can see both viewpoints, but I tend to side with the parents. And I’ve spontaneously started being responsible and reliable. It’s a very strange phenomenon. There was a quote from an episode of Hanasaku Iroha that stuck out at me today: “Hey, having their kid recognize their effort signals the end of a parent.â€
Bah, this “college” thing must be doing weird things to my head. I think I need to go play with some toy cars or something.
Fear not, maturity seldom travels in a straight line.
Three words: My Little Pony.
It’s not as though my interests have changed. Just my perspective.
44 (Pan)~ Hiiiii! I DID get your message, and I’m really sorry I haven’t gotten back to you, but I had no minutes on my phone and I’ve been at rehearsal every night after 7, and I don’t know if you have texting, and blargleblarg. I’m so glad you like them! ♥ I love you!
45 (Piggy)~ Siding with the parents of your friends when they’re fighting doesn’t really strike me as something particularly grown up. If it is, then I’ve have been a grown-up for most of my life.
You and I have rather different personalities and rather different parents.
Yay, great! No worries — I just wanted to make sure you knew how wonderfully amazing you are.
YOU’RE wonderfully amazing! ♥
HUGS ALL AROUND! <3
The astronomy club are great people to hang out with on Saturday night.
Only one more day of winter term
real life basically starts again tomorrow. *sigh*
In 10 min though I’m heading to lounge to watch the fan-made version of Star Wars: A New Hope. The uncut version
I’m super excited. It looks fabulous.
I AM GOING TO A DOCTOR WHO BIRTHDAY PARTY TODAY!!!! It’s for my little brother’s friend, and they’re all eight, but still. This is still deserving of a squee-fest, so I will oblige: SQUEEEEEE!!!
So Fareed Zakaria announces that his next guest will be the prime minister of Singapore, and naturally my first thought is: wonder what Choklit Orange would have to say about this? In other words, you know you’re addicted to MuseBlog when….
Choklit Orange? But she is the pr–
Oh, wait, this is 2012, not 2042. Never mind.
All in good time. After, of course, I’ve changed that pesky natural-born citizen clause and served as president of the US.
BUT WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT OUR CURRENT ANTICHRIST PRESIDENT IS FROM KENYAOBAMA HAS KENYAN SOCIALIST TIME-TRAVELLING POWERS!YES THEY LET HIM GO BACK IN TIME AND FAKE HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATESeriously, though, the Prime Minister doesn’t do a lot, except give speeches on why he isn’t going to change policies that haven’t been changed since 1991. It will be really interesting to hear him interviewed by someone like Fareed Zakaria, who questions so thoroughly and doesn’t back down- usually, the people who interview him ask the usual platitudes and move on. I’ve wondered if his interviewers are carefully selected by the government, since he rarely says anything new.
I need advice. I have an English project I’ve been procrastinating on (but I’m working on it now, I swear!) that requires me to visually represent at least two different facets of myself. I’m doing a sort of three part collage; the first part being intellectual/Muserly me, the second music-obsessed/the way I am around non-Muserly friends me, and the third video-gamer/violent me. I have a picture of the TARDIS, and I need to decide whether to put it with intellectual me or around my other friends/movie-watching me. What do you all think?
We want the TARDIS! We want the TARDIS!The obvious question would be how you act around those friends as opposed to us and how Dr Who fits into each category. Of course, being the TARDIS, it could perfectly well be in two different places at the same time, so I’d just put it in both pictures if you can’t decide. It could actually be pretty interested to have it in both portions, only in a different position each time, to symbolize how much significance it has for you (i.e. that it’s more in the foreground/background, or off to one side, or in the center dominating everything). Besides, it would show your authenticity- i.e. you allow parts your core personality to shine through no matter what role you play in various social groups etc. And two TARDIS are better than one.
I think that would just confuse my teacher.
But you make some good points. Both it is! Only… wait… I just realized that it might be better to have the TARDIS in one and a sonic screwdriver in the other. If I have the same picture in both, my teacher might think I’m being lazy and deduct points. Still, thank you.
All of space and time … sonic screwdriver. Sonic screwdriver … all of space and time… *indecision*
De nada.
All of space and time he promised me, and now I’ve got a job in a shop. I’ve got to support him!
currently trying to get my hardy (return of the native) reading done by reading it out loud to my mom lol EGDON HEATH IS A STRANGE PLACE, TIS
i’m feeling kind of rejuvenated which i attribute to february being almost-spring! trying to make plans for summer programs and/or things for junior year and being excited about that!
pan – that all sounds wonderful! i may take a ceramics class for my art req whenever i (finally) have the space. we have a new ceramics building that is supposed to be really nice. and whee, teapots!
ok going back to reading and “studying” hhahashfjfd I LOVE YOU ALL!
*sigh* Wrote a long post a few days ago. Not sure where it is.
The All-District jazz music came, and it’s HARD.
I went over to Altosax’s house to practice. We played Minecraft.
Reading Les Mis. Can’t wait to see it. It’s fantastic.
It is fantastic! How far are you?
Not very far, due to the fact that time is not in abundance in my life, but I’m up to the point with Valjean and the bishop. I’d be reading it right now, but my mom’s forcing me to watch the Superbowl. (On an unrelated note, my science homework was to watch that. So far, I’ve got no idea of the score, but if you give me enough time I might be able to remember the name of one of the teams.)
Aaah I love that part!
(I’m not watching the Superbowl, but I predict that Ireland will win but Krum will catch the Snitch.)
I’m reading it for English right now!
Best book we’ve ever read in that class, and we’re taking a field trip to the musical in 3 weeks!
Confession: I like the show more than the book.
*prepares for avalanche*
My own confession: Remember what I said about how annoyed I was at all the Battle of Waterloo chapters? I… didn’t read any more of the book for weeks. I’m sorry; I know you all want to discuss it, and so do I.
I actually kind of didn’t finish that section until yesterday because I had so many other things to read I was more interested in. (It actually almost annoyed me more once I was done and knew how it was relevant because now I know it could have easily been just one chapter. I’ve resumed reading at a normal pace now, though. LES MIS SPOILER: I’m now at the part where Jean Valjean is taking Cosette away. END OF SPOILERS!
By the way, I was told that the show comes to my area every year, but… I was wrong. I am rather dismayed. I may never get to see it in real life.
53.1.1: SFTMC
*squids of Waterloo commiseration*
Quidditch practice was great today, I actually got to touch the quaffle a little bit and I helped my team at some points. (I’m still more comfortable as a defensive-type chaser than offensive, though.)
Stargazing with the astronomy club was great, the sky was cloudless, and the moon was awesome through my binoculars. I think this is the third or fourth year I’ve stargazed during the Super Bowl, maybe more than that.
I was looking through the Muse issues that our local library has, and the origami one from April 2007 has my letter in it! I’d completely forgotten. I was about nine, and I didn’t notice my letter (I tended to skip over the fan mail page) until Allosaur congratulated me on it.
Anyway. It has a picture of my mouse in it, which I think is pretty cool. My favorite magazine immortalized my pet mouse.
Today I wrote a rap about the Great Depression, scored 700 on the math portion of a practice SAT, and swore at freshmen until they promised to help me wheel sets across the stage for the musical I’m stage managing.
Yesterday I watched Hugo with my family and swore at juniors until they promised to help me arrange props for the musical I’m stage managing.
Friday I got my Vitamin D supplements, corrected my Psychology teacher on nearly everything she tried to tell us about sexual orientation and tagged costumes for the musical I’m stage managing.
Thursday I decided I hated Ernest Hemingway with a fiery fiery passion, decided to write a rap about the Great Depression, and had a nervous breakdown about the musical I’m stage managing.
Wednesday I got my diagnosis of a Vitamin D deficiency and started stage managing my school’s musical.
It’s been a pretty good week.
Have to return to real life tomorrow
54-
Yaaaay quidditch!
I think I can survive my classes this year. And that my mum will stop bothering me about them. There’s something I actually like about having enormous textbooks, too. I’ve even been talking to the new people withot too much awkwardness (plenty of awkwardness, but it’s within my acceptable limits).
I’m taking a break from writing my essay now. It’s more like a random splatter of thoughts onto the page, but I’ll edit it tomorrow. It’s actually going a lot better than my other essays!
Okay, here’s a follow-up to my previous post: How many of you consider yourselves to be pitch-perfect? Is your pitch-perfectness like mine, or is it more advanced? I can usually tell what a note is, but only after a little deliberation because I have to consult my three pitch references, C, A, and E. Actually, I think I know G pretty well now, too. I could probably hone it more by finding songs or tunes that start with each pitch of the chromatic scale, but honestly, it would be too much work.
I wrote a huge post about emotions, but it turned R&R-y, so I’m moving it there.
I have perfect pitch, and I can identify notes without referring to any home pitch. I hear pitches as fingerings, though, and so the four or so notes below middle C get kind of confused sometimes if I’m doing a dictation that goes lower because I’m hearing them as the fingerings an octave up on the A string as well as their actual fingerings on the G string, at the same time. Mine isn’t specific enough that I’m bothered by the difference between A=440 and A=442, but I am bothered by, say, A=445 or 435. Baroque-tuned recordings are practically unlistenable; ditto stuff like Gamelan that aren’t tuned on a western pitch scale.
I think I’ve had this for a while – I remember sitting in the car when I was eight, listening to my Suzuki tape, trying to explain to my mom how the notes were singing their names to me.
It can be a problem. I’ve heard of violinists with a passion for the baroque adopting A415 (because everyone else does) and having to mentally transpose everything a semitone to make sense of it.
I love love love Rachel Podger’s solo Bach, but I can’t listen to it because it’s all in the wrong key.
I’m beginning to think my lack of perfect pitch is an advantage. I can pick up a recorder at 440, 415 or even 409 and just accept that if I play an A, it’s an A. Likewise the sax, which is in B flat. I play a D, the rest of the band play a D chord, and it’s all in tune, because they’re in B flat as well. it all works, and the fact that the rest of the world would call it C doesn’t cause us any problems.
Yeah, I feel like playing a transposing instrument would drive me nuts.
Organists have an even worse time. At least in Europe. You find all sorts of pitches in old organs.
Not to mention the fact that if a pipe falls out of tune, it’s not often easy to correct it, and so you have to live with a bit of dissonance for a while. Or worse, when a cipher appears and you can’t find which part is at fault, so you just can’t use that stop.
Although, honestly, I’ve found that most keyboardists don’t have a very good sense of intonation anyway..
I take umbrage at that.
It’s true, though. And they’re mostly stuck in some icky equal-temperament system and it’s just wrong.
It’s not that bad if you, say, started on an alto sax in Eb like I did, and then later learn Bb tenor sax and C trombone, so we say “Concert Eb” or “Concert Bb” a lot in band, but I can see how playing a transposing instrument would drive someone nuts. (Although it is cool how Eb saxes can read trombone and tuba sheet music without transposing, and vice versa.)
I can’t tell one note from another, but I can tell when a note is out of tune with another note. I just can’t tell if it’s flat or sharp.
…Paperclip says I cheat by using a tuner.
I’m kind of, well, pitch-independent when I’m singing, simply because I find it really hard to hit the right intervals. However, I have surprisingly good intonation on the violin. I think it’s because I really only know what the notes should sound like in relation to one another. That is, if you played a random note and told me it was C, I would be able to hit an F in relation to the random note, but not if you just told me to play an F.
The other thing is that I’m sort of tuning-independent too; I usually tune my violin to A440, but the notes sound more right to me when they’re a bit flatter than that.
I do not have perfect pitch, and I think I’d have to work hard at being able to sight-sing: If you play me a C, I can’t immediately sing you say a G without thinking about intervals a lot. However, partially as a consequence of playing oboe, I’ve developed intonation which is quite good. It’s rather important when all your tuning comes from your embouchure.
Alright, nobody look at me, while I’ve said nice things about Roger Boisjoly in the past, I haven’t said anything about him to anyone for months. (It was only delayed-action with Kim Jong-Il because my heart wasn’t in the compliments.)
I should not need to be awake this early
It’s not a question of needing to be awake. You just have lots of cool stuff to do.
Which is why I do all of my cool stuff at 3 in the morning. I am by all means a nocturnal person. I’m active from 11 to 3 if I get my way.
John Green is amazing.
Very true – have you read TFIOS yet?
I just finished it and it is AMAZING.
Yes, I just finished it.
That ending.
What I love about it, though, is that it’s not really a book about cancer. Cancer is just one of the side points, as opposed to being the main thing. It’s like, “Hi, my name is Hazel. I’ve got cancer. Anyways,” and then it’s just this amazing story.
Have you read “An Abundance of Katherines”?
I read it! I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. I definitely enjoyed reading it, though.
(LBK) – I’ve read An Abundance of Katherines, though it’s definitely my least favorite book of his. Some of his writing irritates me a bit, but I’m still trying to figure out why. I think my favorite book of his is Paper Towns, which might be because I read it first. I also liked Looking for Alaska.
Oh, man. John Green. I have *embarrased cough* not read any of his books in their entirety, but I got this free e-sampler on my nook and I read the beginnings of all the books. I really loved them all. (The ‘get a free sample’ for actually buying the ebook lets you download the title page, the copyright information, the credits, the table of contents, and about ten words of the story.) Yep. I really loved what I read of TFIOS and Paper Towns… the fact that some of the characters seemed Sue-ish at exposition bugged me a bit, but I’ll have to read more before I have a leg to stand on in that argument… but yeah. Love his books.
Concur. He’s one of my favorite authors at this point, especially since I’m reading his books a bit at a time, so I keep discovering more and more that I love his writing. I just finished Paper Towns a couple days ago.
Half day tomorrow at school!
I’ve never really gotten the point of half days. Even the teachers agree that nothing gets done in school on those days. Wouldn’t it be much more efficient to have a full day off and do like parent-teacher meetings and staff training instead of 2 half days, waiting until the opportune time to combine both?
Your school might be required to have a certain number of “school days’, which are defined by a minimum number of hours. So, one full day wouldn’t be exactly equivalent to two half days, even if the hours were the same and the productive hours were much more numerous.
In California they actually set the number of minutes we have to be in school.
…
…:youneedaspacebetweenthepuctuationorsmileyswontworkright:
[Gnome to the rescue.]
IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW!
Oh my God caffeine works. It really works. To some degree I thought that its power to wake you up was exaggerated, but today I had my first big cup of coffee ever, and I had only a couple hours of sleep, and I feel fine. My headache is gone, and I don’t feel like I’m about to keel over.
I mean, I’m not planning on making coffee drinking a thing–it tastes disgusting, among other things, and I don’t want to get addicted–but for today only, I am going to sit here in awe of its powers.
And hopefully get a decent amount of sleep tonight, and for the rest of the semester. I know this isn’t healthy.
OH MY GEORGE.
I DON’T EVEN…
Good, bad, or agathokakological? Details, please?
Well, everybody died, then came back to life and my plotline got screwed up and Maximum Ride has been reduced to mutant Twilight.
Oh, and then I accidentally erased my progress on Portal, and my friend is breed =ing me a Zoura.
Yesterday… I saw a brochure for this really, really, really, REALLY awesome ecology summer camp. It’s called Whale Camp, but it’s about ecology/marine biology in general, not just whales. You can go for 1, 2, or 3 weeks. You learn about the animals in the area and you get to watch them and analyze things and go on amazing hikes and (if you want) write and do art and earn actual college credits for doing something I’d rather do than literally anything else I can think of.
But… but… IT’S THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS NOT COUNTING AIRFARE (IT’S ON THE MAINE/CANADA BORDER. I’M IN TEXAS).
A Responsible Person wouldn’t mind. She would work hard and not spend any money and earn enough within a few years.
I’m not a responsible person, really. But I am a stubborn person. I’m hoping that maybe, if I try really hard, I can turn myself into a Responsible Person within the 5.5 years I have until I’m too old.
I doubt it. Probably I’ll give up in a month. But… I’m going to try, at least, because even if I give up, what’s the worst case scenario? Not getting to go and having more money than if I hadn’t tried. That’s… not any worse than the consequences of not trying at all.
So first of all I need to actually write those essays I need to for essay contests. And study really, really hard for the spelling bee so that maybe I could win the HoustonPBS Bee, which is really hard (I haven’t even won District yet, so one could call it too early to think about it, but I’d disagree; District’s easy; I’ve won it before with no trouble, but after that… It gets really, really hard), and get a large monetary prize (and lots of other amazing things, like getting to go to Washington, D.C.). And do extra chores so that I can be paid more. And learn how to babysit this summer. And ask for only money for my birthdays. And get an actual job when I turn 15. And not spend anything.
HOW AM I GOING TO DO THIS AGHH
By the way, if anyone here is interested and has at least 1,300 dollars (That’s for one week; I’d prefer to wait until I’ve enough for 3 weeks or have reached the maximum age for it–whichever happens first) to spend on summer camp, I can give you more information. Although if you live out of New England, like me, it’d be more like 2,000. since the original price was rounded down, and airfare’s expensive.
Also, sometimes they choose a few Whale Campers to get a 40,000 dollar scholarship to their college, but that’s way too much to hope for.
I have faith in you! Go for it!
You can do it!
That sounds awesome. Try setting goals for how much you need to earn each week.
Let’s see….. 1,300 for 1 week, so 3,900 for 3 weeks. 5.5 years=66 months. 3,900 divided by 66 is about $54.55 a month. There’s about 4 weeks a month. $54.55 divided by 4 is about $13.64. 7 days to a week. $13.64 divided by 7 is about $1.95. So, you need to earn about $2 a day.
Let me check that….. $2 a day for 5.5 years, not accounting for leap years, would make you 4,014.
Does this help?
Re: Perfect pitch: lolnope, I don’t have it. I’m also not so great at instantly recognizing/singing intervals. Or sightsinging. And sometimes I change keys while I’m singing when I get confused…
Oh well.
65 (FantasyFan)~ Since beginning school I’ve had coffee a few times, and it’s sometimes helped, but more often it just makes me really hungry and slightly jittery, but I still feel tired. I’ve also timed things badly and taken naps directly after consuming a large cup of it, with no ill effects.
Speaking of naps, I took a three hour nap today, two hours longer than I had planned. Ugh. So I didn’t get any work done on this project I have to do, which isntt proving very fruitful. I’m supposed to be researching the song New River Train, but I can’t find anything.
Aaaand the theater owns my soul. Back to rehearsal.
California overturned Prop 8! Oh oh oh I actually started crying when I heard that, it is the most incredible thing and I am SO HAPPY.
If I may quote Kai: Sometimes, the good guys win.
Why, this is wonderful news!
I know. I am happydancing.
Strictly speaking, it’s still not quite overturned. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it unconstitutional, like the District Court did before them, but a) that’s going to be appealed and b) Prop 8 still has a ways to go before it makes it to where it will likely end up, i.e., the U.S. Supreme Court.
Still, though, this is a tremendous victory. We can only hope it sets a precedent for more such decisions in the future.
Oh, is that why it was trending on Twitter yesterday? I was wondering.
And don’t quote me, it was Jimmy Buffett who wrote the song.
The Washington State legislature just passed a bill that would legalize gay marriage here, too. The governor is expected to sign it next week. There will definitely be a signature campaign to put the issue on the November ballot, but they might not succeed, and even if they do, a majority of voters currently say they would vote to uphold the law, and even if they don’t, there could still be a court challenge like the one in California.
I’m not sure how much attention people outside of Washington are paying us right now, but I’m really proud to live in this state.
OH HECK YES I PERFORMED THANK YOU AND GOODNIGHT BY THE ANGELS (AT WHICH I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO FAIL) TONIGHT AND IT WAS ACTUALLY AMAZING. THIS MAY BE DUE TO THE FACT THAT I PRACTICED. YAYYYYYYYYYYY
capslock=happiness
I finished the main plotline on Skyrim.
It was really, really good. So now I’m just ambling around completing random quests until I feel like doing another questline.
Re: Perfect Pitch: Um…I actually don’t know, despite being in chorus for 6-odd years. But according to the chorus teacher up at the high school (she came down for auditions), I’m a good sight reader. So yeah.
I am mentally incapacitated.
This is what happens when you have a stomach bug but do your SS homework anyway. (It was a day late, but…) It had to be typed, so I’ve staring at a computer screen for too long.
However, this sickness has taught me how it feels when you’re about to faint. Luckily, I didn’t actually end up fainting.
At least I got to stay home from school!
…My band director asked me if I’d play trombone in the school’s jazz band. On trombone. Because they’re going to Williamsburg, and there was a spot open in the trombone section. I’ve only every played jazz tenor in the advanced jazz combo (which is rythym section and one of every instrument), and I only started playing trombone last April. And he asked me to play trombone in this group, which is mainly seventh graders. But I have friends in that group and he chose me to play in it- maybe because he didn’t want a super good trombonist like Paperclip to dominate all the others but still! Apparently I’m good enough at the trombone to be playing in a jazz group now! And I haven’t even been playing a year!
Also, there was an Open House night for rising sixth graders at our school last night and our advanced jazz thing played at it and I got a lot of compliments on my improvised solo (I finally am capable of soloing over a Bb blues, even a quick one like Tenor Madness) and the best part was that we all wore fedoras. Flammyness. And the band-director’s son was there in all his two-year-old adorableness with this cute little toy saxophone and it was awesome. And I warned Paperclip about the Bunny Apocalypse. Sort of. His much more sensible response was that a slightly more concievable apocalypse would be a giant world blackout because we wouldn’t survive without electricity.
“Except some of us who are cooler than that.” *flips fedora onto head*
Also, i jumped in lava and fell into a hole and died… oh wait, never mind, that was in Minecraft. Still.
And I’m learning vibrado (is that how you spell it?) on the saxophone! Yaay!
And the Battle team did a lot better today. I asked the questions and they barely got any wrong.
Vibrato, but that’s quite alright; I spelled it with a double T while practicing for my district spelling bee that’s on Saturday.
So last night at rehearsal Graham was like “guys this is good, I think you’re ready for an audience, tell your friends to come tomorrow night.”
So….presumably there are going to be PEOPLE there. 0.o And then tomorrow there will also be people, and then Friday through Sunday the play is actually open for reals.
0.o
Hellooooo!
I have been practically living in the band room at my school lately – can’t say i’m complaining, although occasionally I do realize that you’re supposed to actually, do, you know, HOMEWORK during free periods and not just mess around on the nearest instrument, but it’s just oh-so-fun that sometimes I can’t resist.
I’m starting to feel like an actual band nerd, wahoo!
Part of the reason why is because I’ve begun learning other instruments besides clarinet (which I’ve been playing since 7th grade, and in fact I think I probably talked about that a bit on MB while I was learning how to play it) so I can play more parts in band and stage band (which doesn’t actually include clarinet anyway, although if given the option I could just play the tenor sax/trumpet music on clarinet) but it all sounds better on the actual instrument, so recently I’ve been focusing on learning trumpet because my teacher found a trumpet in the back of a closet at our school that is practically new and unclaimed, so now it’s mine! So far I actually really like playing it, even though getting used to a different embouchure is never exactly fun, it’s still exciting when I do hit a right note or whatever… And at home, I’ve been learning some basic chords on the acoustic guitar, which is also very exciting. I’ve wanted to learn for a very long time, and my dad plays guitar/owns one so I’ve been learning on that and then going to school and messing around some more on the bad but useable guitar in the band room. Anyway. Can you tell I’ve been excited about band lately?
Other then that, I’ve been doing well! Second semester so far work wise has been a lot more stressful then first, but I’m managing ok. I’m also in our musical (I also might have mentioned this before, so if I did already, I’m sorry) – we’re doing Cinderella! I’m just in the chorus but I still really like all the music and it’s fun. Tech week is creeping up on us, though, so everything will be a bit crazy in the next few weeks. How are you all doing?
Ooh, another woodwind-to-brass switch! How fun! We should form a club! (I currently play tenor saxophone and trombone.) Band nerds are awesome! Keep up the awesome band-ness! And learn instruments! Instruments are fun! *is hyperactively hyped up on awesome-band-ness* I LOVE band!
Yes! We most definitely should.
I love band as well, and I think some of my non band friends are starting to think I’m a *little* obsessive about it….
As far as free-period activities go, that’s quite productive. *comes from group that considers it normal to do work last period Friday*
Today I spent seven hours at school and learned a grand total of nothing. When I say nothing, I mean absolutely nothing. I filled out all of nine worksheets that reviewed things I’ve memorized, and fell asleep twice.
Then I came home and finished a Mandarin lesson, made cookies, made a flyer for Journalism in record time, jogged to a Chinese supermarket and practiced reading the characters on packages, ended up sampling these really good lemon-flavored squidgy things, and chatted with my awesome neighbor, all in two hours. So a pretty good day. But I really need to work on the unschooling front, because now I’m imagining how much more I could have done if I hadn’t spent those seven hours confined to a school.
By the way, my neighbor is really interesting! He was in the British army during World War II, and he actually fought at Normandy, which I think is fascinating. Also, his wife makes this utterly delicious lemon meringue pie which I could not stop eating, and I don’t even like pie (she thinks I’m too thin, so whenever I go there she sort of shoves food into me).
New mini-mission: memorize the order in which the Disney Theme Parks opened!
1. Disneyland
2. Walt Disney World
3. EPCOT
4. Tokyo Disneyland
5. Wait, was Paris before or after Hollywood Studios?
WE LOST THE PLAYOFFS AND I DON’T GET TO SEE MY FRIENDS OR GELATO
hrrrrrg. Have to do Real Work again
Classes this semester:
Evolution of the Earth
Vascular Plant Systematics
Earth’s Interior
Human Origins Anthropology
I dissobeyed my advisor’s advice and am in 4 lab sessions a week x_x
I know the workload’s crushing, but all those classes sound awesome (except maybe Vascular Plant Systematics, but that’s probably more interesting that it sounds anyway)
It is. I don’t know much about vascular plants, but systematics are fascinating.
That seems like the most interesting class to me. I love botany.
It’s an awesome class! It has 2 labs a week (anthro doesn’t have one) and for both of this weeks we got to go to the greenhouse. And like 5 of our labs later in the year will be outside. It’s a lot of phylogeny but that’s pretty cool once you get into the mindset.
That’s a lot of work, but may I just say your classes sound awesome.
Yessss, one of my favourite things about college is the cool, different classes they offer.
-pops in-
Hey! I’m not doing my homework right now! If I was smart, I would be close-reading Galapagos for my Planetary Ecologies research paper, but pfff who needs research papers. Or good grades… Or Excel! I am in “Computer Science 102” which is really Math-For-People-Who-Failed-The-Math-Entrance-Exam which is really Excel For Dummies and it is boring and I’m not doing my homework for that either. I am also in Acting 1, Britain in the Age of Revolution (1688-1815), and Spanish 102. Also Ceilis. I may have mentioned all these things but that was like last month so I can’t remember.
Currently I am sick, having caught an Illness from my roommate after we went camping with another friend and were in very close proximity and slept very little it being February and quite cold. It is pretty annoying but hardly a matter of life or death. Camping was great fun though and struck me with a sense of Independence so it was worth it.
A friend of mine is planning a pre-Ninja* LOTR marathon this weekend and also there is a play festival so it is going to be a busy and exciting experience. I have been sailing three times a week and if we are very lucky and can get the funding our team will go to a regatta in Boston and I will see the Atlantic for the first time. I am going to start doing Yoga twice a week. I have a job, 4.5 hours a week, in which I handle old books and catalogue people’s correspondence and it is awesome. Life is good.
*Ninja: a game resembling capture the flag, played late on Saturdays/in the wee hours of Sunday morning, with foam swords, lots of running, and sneaky people in all black.
Hm. Ninja was really popular in my age group two years back in my first time at band camp. It seems to have changed, though, because our Ninja was more simple, where you all stood in a circle and took turns moving. You tried to get people out by striking their hands when it was their turn to move, but the only way you could move when it wasn’t your turn was if you were dodging a strike.
Well, there’s that kind of Ninja too. This kind of Ninja though is particular to my school; though I think there are very similar games throughout the world, our Ninja was invented by students some time ago and is still pretty much run by alumni.
My 6th grade choir played ninja 2 years ago, but I didn’t participate, so I don’t know the details.
My first time playing ninja was at music camp last summer. I went to the Final Round. It’s fun when you play it with the right people.
*squee* I learned Ninja at music camp, too! I call it band camp, but it’s really for any type of music. Ninja was going around like the flu.
Hi Alice! Your ears might have been buzzing, since I was talking about you today. A girl in my drama class showed up wearing a Shakespeare Festival in Ashland sweatshirt, so of course I had to comment.
Your classes sound neat, except for that Excel for Dummies class. Have you been in any plays at college yet? (You may have already answered this, but I forget.)
Hey bronies! Derpy is safe! Thank Celestia for the power of friendship.
Fun fact: MuseBlog is not blocked at school.
Not at mine either.
I’m not sure if my school is even aware of its existence.
I don’t think mine school is aware of its existence either, but a lot of sites are blocked, so I was pretty impressed.
Also: can it just be noted that I am currently the ONLY person on MB right now? I never thought I’d see that happen…
I’m the only one online right now.
I love how schools think people don’t know how to bypass filters.
Our filter is actually really good. We had a different one, but it got broken through so we switched and no one has gotten through yet.
I’ve figured out how to change what it outputs that it is blocking and other information so it will say that the principal is being blocked from the school home page because of inappropriate content.
I tricked our filter into blocking the school homepage and citing “pornography and violent content” in the Access Denied message. That was fun.
For most sites at our school, like Facebook or Youtube, you just have to type in “https://” before the URL.
Not at mine, either, as is evident from the origin of this post.
Fun fact: It somehow is at my school.
Meow (81)– I did stage manage earlier in the year, also that weekend-long play festival I mentioned happens once a semester. I was also in a student directing scene, a scene from Butterflies Are Free. I didn’t audition for the Thesis Projects because I am stage managing them, or the mainstage because it would kill me. Acting is really wonderful but really really stressful, and I am already overloaded on credits.
I must now go get dressed in order to go to CS 102 which on top of everything starts at 9:40, which is almost early…but not actually.
Hi guys! This is probably one of the last posts I’ll make until Monday, so I figured I’d give y’all an update.
I’m writing this at school, mostly because after school at 3:05 I am going to go straight home and do homework for an hour and a half. I will take around half an hour for dinner, change into my stage manager outfit in ten minutes, and then at 5:15 my friend Kelsey is picking me up so we can make call time for our school’s opening night of our production of Bye Bye Birdie!
Then I’ll get home around 10:30 and go straight to bed, probably without even changing into pajamas.
Kelsey and I are stage managers. I manage Stage Left, she manages Stage Right. There are no stagehands. Our theater has absolutely tiny wing space, so our main issue is storing the large wooden dollies that we hang painted flat pieces of wood on for sets.
However, we have some other issues, like Beloved Genius Director deciding that we need a gigantic triangle-shaped luggage cart that doesn’t fit backstage, all of the performers being lazy and not willing to help move sets, the Beloved Genius Director not telling us what props need to be where when and then scolding us when they aren’t in the right places at the right times. I have had three panic attacks during rehearsal so far and had to go stand behind curtains and hold my Stage Manager Fedora over my face in order to calm down.
Last night, during the middle of rehearsal, my editor for Journalism texted me wanting to know where my story was. I had explained to him very carefully that I was
going completely insanerather busy, and the story would probably be late.Unfortunately for me and my editor, the deadline to turn in the newspaper to our printers is tonight, so I am in the library writing up the world’s worst summary of the day we get off for President’s Day. Which I have just finished as of two minutes ago. And sent, so I really need to get off the computer.
See you guys when I’m sane again!
I just got a box of candy in the mail, a present from my sister. Not just any candy, though–candy from Cranberry Sweets, in Coos Bay, Oregon. When my family and I went to Bandon, OR a few years ago, there was a box of Cranberry Sweets on the table in the house we rented, and we went to the store in Bandon several times to get more. It’s so delicious, especially the pie candy, which is what my sister sent me. “Lemon, Pumpkin & Apple Pates de Fruits in Ivory Couverture”, says the box. Now I have to figure out how to keep myself from eating all of it at once.
Opening night tonight! Meeeep!
There was a handful of people there last night, and I’ve been hearing good things.
Today the cast wore out clip-on mustaches. They’re lovely, but they hurt after awhile (they have plastic rings that clip in your nose on your septum).
Anyway.
Blarglargle. I realized last night that play practice has become my social life, and I don’t know what I’m going to do with the three extra hours every night.
Oh, right, maybe catch up on homework.
Or sit in my room alone drinking tea and posting on MB.
Or SOMETHING.
Speaking of homework, did well on a test for the first time this semester. Ugh. Now he just needs to keep assigning easy-to-read books that are on subjects that I’m interested in/already know a decent amount about.
Which I doubt will actually happen. But whatever.
FantasyFan (65): Oh man, coffee works so well for me, too. That’s why I can never ever drink it. Well, only for emergencies.
I know how you feel about sleep — I’ve been getting a bit more now, but for the last few weeks I wasn’t getting enough sleep to even function properly. I was really worried because the semester had barely started, and I didn’t have any tests/big projects due yet. But it got better! I hope you do better, too!
Bibliophile (67): Ooh, I’ve been in that situation before. Good luck!
Jade (79): I have a friend in 4 labs, and I think she may be slowly dying. But YOU CAN DO IT! Those sound like super awesome classes.
Alice (80): Hello! Your college life sounds wonderful! I’m glad you’ve been sailing.
My school’s Brain Game team is going to be taped on the FORTY-SECOND DAY OF THE YEAR! YESSNESS! Now I’m even more hopeful we’ll win!
Good luck! The Muserly odds are in your favour.
“On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” is fascinating reading.
The 39 Steps opened tonight!
The show is completely booked for every single night. They had to add seats.
And everyone LOVED it!
It was glorious!
I’ve always, always wanted to be in a play (and secretly terrified of the thought), and I am, and it’s going flamablamablously, and I am SO EXCITED ashinrweafiudshkbgjnfdbv!
And it feels like Friday but it’s not, so I need to go to bed. Now.
And by now I mean after taking a shower, because I’m filthy.
Me reading over chemistry homework:
One way to test the sanity of a water sample is to add a few drops of silver nitrate solution with a known concentration.
Me: What?!
One way to test the salinity of a water sample is to add a few drops of silver nitrate solution with a known concentration.
Me: -_-
Anyways, I don’t know why I’m online instead of working through all these repetitively repetitive worksheets of repetitiveness.
Just to clarify – you think the worksheets are repetitive, no? Of course, it’s entirely possible I’m wrong…I wasn’t sure, you see…
Yes, I do. <not very repetitive sentence
Well, you never know, your water might be insane and you would never find out without your trusty silver nitrate
Having trouble sleeping
Not my forever-awake normal thing but even more trouble than usual falling asleep/staying asleep. Uhg. Stress 
I’ve been having that problem, too, which is weird for me because I can’t recall having trouble sleeping in any way since I was a little kid. I talked to some friends about it, and they recommended doing things to calm down your mind before sleeping (I think one of my biggest problems is that I gogogogo all day, so when it’s time to sleep, my brain is still racing even though my body is ready to sleep). Some things they suggested are listening to instrumental music, drawing/coloring, reading an L.L.Bean catalog (or similar publication), not using a computer/screen before bed, taking a shower, reading a familiar book, and drinking herbal tea.
De NIle ain’t just a river in Egypt. It also flows through Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and the Sudans.
Mark Twain! *grins*
Oh, he said that too?
Heh.
My district’s spelling bee is tomorrow morning, and I’m competing; I’m so excited! I hope it goes well! It’s my last year to be eligible, so I really need to try extra hard because I won’t get another chance. I wish someone would start a spelling bee for high schoolers–and one for adults as well. Then I’d never have to stop. I just can’t wait, though!
Wait… The forty-second day of the year! I just realized! Just like Randomosity! We’ll both do really well! Yay! (We might even be competing at the same time…)!
Gooood luck, Bibliophile!
Um, that was a few more o’s than usual. Extra good luck?
I hope not. Spelling bees are not meant to be held in the morning!
This one is being held in the morning, unfortunately, but I doubt we’re in the same time zone, so the two possibilities weren’t mutually exclusive–unless you knew my time zone and calculated what time your competition would start in it–in which case I commend your excellent stalking skills.
(Actually, my post mentioned that it was in the morning, but it’s quite alright that you didn’t notice; I’ve done things like that, too. I’m pretty sure that is the case because you sound like its being held in the morning would be conditional on its being at the same time as yours, so–agh, why is my overanalyzing going into overdrive? Sorry, you get the point).
Choklit: Thanks! It’s kind of ironic, since it was a spelling error… I don’t mind, though! I’m amused. Being amused and excited at the same time is fun.
I won!! I’m going to the Houston PBS Bee! It’s on local television! It’s the third-largest regional bee in the nation! It’s impossible to win! Whoever does goes to Washington, DC!
YAY!
My winning word was easy, technophobia. I feel sorry for the runner-up because her word (effete) was hard; I would have missed it. Before they changed the rules, back when they had one of the two champions correct the other’s mistake and then spell something else to win, rather than just spell two other words to win, there’s no telling how it would have turned out. I was lucky.
Good luck!
Squee!!! Awesome! Congratulations!
Congratulations, Bibliophile! Best of luck for the next round!
Congratulations! And good luck! And things!
I just found out Sunday is Darwin Day. Eeek, no time to plan, how do I celebrate?
Dress up in a monkey costume and go from door to door begging for bananas.
That sounds excellent, but it may not be a good idea, since so many people think that Darwin thought we were actually descended from monkeys. It would probably reinforce that… mistake.
An Ecuador-themed party?
Oh man! Wish I’d known this earlier, he has been in the subject for 3 of my 4 classes this week (Vascular Plant Systematics, Evolution of the Earth, Human Origins anthro), we’ve been talking bout evolution in all of them all week!
Hey guys! *flails arms excitedly* Today was the first day of All-District Jazz and the music’s super hard and I’m having trouble keeping up but I have a solo! The clinician gave me a solo! An improvised solo overy my favorite song and I wrote out chord changes! And we give a concert tomorrow! And I’m super tired right now! And I should go to bed soon! And everyone there is so good! I feel inadequate!
Wow, no new posts since my last one? Well, the All-District Jazz concert went well. Everyone from our school (Me, Paperclip and The Pianist) wore fedoras and it was flammy awesomeness! And I soloed! Of course, the alto players were like already soloing geniuses and made me feel inadequate, but still! I soloed and it was awesome! Yaay! Then afterwards, my mom got texted that the Battle team who was at the competition that I couldn’t go to because of the concert WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I seriously screamed so loudly that everyone in the auditiorium gave me weird looks. WE WON!!!!! I was so nervous because I guess I was a valuable part of the team, but THEY WON!!!! YAAAY!!!
Hi guys!
Been a while.
Hm, I’m bored, so if anyone wants me to I’ll do physiological art of them I’ll do it! I can take pictures with my ~**new phone**~ and email/photobucket link them now. I can even color them! I’m trying my best to improve at art!
If the GAPAs don’t mind, of course.
(^ that was a request plea since I have no idea what to draw and I really want to)
Draw a unicorn. Make it as girly as you can. Like, pooping-rainbows girly.
Or draw an evil unicorn. Haven’t seen many of those.
UNICORNS.
Barfing rainbows.
Barking spiders!
I’d love it if you drew me, but I’d have to ask my parents to tell the GAPAs they don’t mind if I post a photo of myself on the Internet, since you don’t know what I look like–unless you think you can work from a very detailed description.
Physiological? As in, what I picture you looking like in my head. Like the thread.
Oh, I see! I didn’t realize, because the thread actually says ‘physiognomical,’ and neither word actually has anything to do with mental images–but that’d be great! Please do.
Oh, wait, you’ve already drawn someone. Who? Did you draw all of us who asked, or just one?
Yeah…I’m not too sure how the GAPAs would respond to MBers sending each other pictures of themselves, even if it was through them. I like your idea, I just don’t think it’s the easiest to pull off.
Me me me! Please?
Me? Meow?
I’m no good at art, so it’s always amazing what other people can do.
Oo! Me!
Draw me!
Finished! Not colored, though because I liked them too much as is. LBK: I am so, so sorry.
Would the GAPAs prefer Photobucket link or an email to their Gmail?
No unicorns? *whimper*
There’s a… unicorn. In a way. No rainbows. I combined your requests.
I sent them to your gmail account, GAPAs.
Today’s requests will be closed at 3:30 PST. Which is… 17:30 MBST?
Meh. Too late, again, but put me on the wait-list for next time
Same here!
And me, please.
Me too, please.
And me!
You five are done and sent to the GAPAs gmail!
Ducky, since you were over the cap I… experimented a little with your design. I was also lazy and reused a hairstyle from a genderbend I was planning to do (six Zinc points to whoever gets the character correct). No offense meant, of course!
Okay, since all of the previous years I mentioned it too late, I am now asking several days in advance if we can put in on the calendar that the 15th is Galileo’s and Ernest Shackleton’s birthday.
Well, we finally saw Hugo today! I’ve been yearning to for ages; I was supposed to see it months ago, but there was too much traffic, and we somehow didn’t have a chance until today. It was amazing! I must reread the book; my dad wants to read it, too!
It’s beautiful, isn’t it?
It’s one of those movies where you keep thinking, “Wow, this is going to be the big, visually dramatic scene…”
And another pops up. AND THEY NEVER END.
In a good way.
Like Contact!
And The Tree of Life!
My school decided that this year we’re going to be having two breaks in the spring, meaning that next week we have a break immediately before finals.
I WANT TO KNOW WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA.
Well, at least I’ll have break next week…
My finals are easy, but we’ve only one break; want to switch?
I realize I am posting something quite unrelated and pointless, but for some reason I read that as “but we’ve only one broccoli” in the Recent Comments Bar and that amused me…
How exactly does mascara look pretty? I think it’s just making me look kind of dramatic and tragic.
I made a nice skirt today. Then I dyed it with Kool-aid, which is cool, except now I have to be really careful not to wear it in the rain.
Also, I sawed a bookshelf in half and put most of it under my bed to serve as a sort of mini-storage area. That was pretty fun.
I’ve never worn make-up; I just don’t see the point.
I figured I’d try acting my age for once, but as it turns out, teenagerhood doesn’t agree with my skin tone.
Looking dramatic and tragic can be pretty darn awesome sometimes.
I only now realized how many little Feathers are in the picture…
I think I’m all ready for the TweetUp tomorrow. Let’s see:
– Cab reservation made
– Boarding pass printed
– Clothing laid out
Backpack packed, contains:
– Gum and chewable Dramamine
– Water
– Money
– Room key and student ID (So I can get back into my dorm at the end of the day)
– Camera
– Books to study on the plane
– Pepto-Bismol (For if my stomach misbehaves while traveling)
– Immodium (For if it really misbehaves)
– DC MetroCard (YAY I GET TO RIDE THE METRO AGAIN!)
Does not contain:
– Obsidian pieces given away by the archeology department. (I don’t know if security would really make a fuss over having arrowheads in my backpack, but just in case, I removed them.)
Anything missing?
I still can’t believe we’re missing each other by one day. I’m sure you’ll have a great time, though, and I’d love to hear all about it!
I will tell my librarian friends that if they see a teenage girl from Singapore come in, they should ask her if she’s Selenium, and if she is, that they should tell her that Kai says “Hi”.
Sel’s from Hong Kong, but please tell your Californian friends that.
Yeah, I’m from Hong Kong, but it might not be very obvious because I don’t look very Chinese.
Anyway, you can tell me ‘Hi’ any time you’d like on the ‘Blog!
I’m sorry, I got confused, it was late and I had packing to do and one of my friends on another site is from Singapore.
Don’t worry about it! You got the continent right, anyway.
Seriously though, it’s fine! Have a flammy time!
Desination Imagination is taking over my life. We meet 4 times a week. And when we’re not meeting, I work on stuff alone. Ugh.
It’s strange. Seeing all the talk about unschooling on the blog, I’ve noticed that my parents have been far more enthusiastic about it than I ever have. As in, “What’s the matter?” “Oh, I don’t really like this teacher I have.” “TIME TO HOMESCHOOL!”
I suppose I should appreciate this, but it’s strange seeing how other people have different parents than I do.
Look. If you’ve got the opportunity to do it and parents that support it and want to make it happen, GO FOR IT. It was one of the best things that has ever happened to me.
It’s an incredibly lucky thing, that you have parents that are open to it. Give it a shot, it’s worth trying.
I dunno, man. It seems like it’s working out for you, but I’m about 90% sure that it would have been the wrong thing for me. While it can work, it’s not right for everyone and no amount of proselytizing will make it so.
Yeah, I was going to stick a disclaimer in.
Some people are better suited to the classic school setting, some aren’t. I know people that are as anti-school as it gets and people that are perfectly comfortable where they are. My biggest problem in school, according to my parents, was that my creativity and happiness were being squashed. Some people are just squash-resistant.
To be fair, not all schools squash, either. Many of them offer opportunities for creativity to flourish.
I understand where you’re coming from, but I also feel like you’re implying that people in public school/organized school succeed in spite of their surroundings. I probably would have been okay homeschooling, but I also have gotten a lot out of being in school. My schooling has not been perfect, and of course I have had creativity/happiness-squashing classes, but that does not mean that the system is inherently bad. From my best classes I have grown as a student, but I have also grown in many ways from my worst ones.
I really don’t want this to turn into a Lengthy Post In Defense Of Normal School, and I’m also trying to keep a non-irritated tone, so, tl;dr. Basically, public school does not just have to be something you “survive.” It has merits of its own. Unschooling is not the “right” way any more than public school is.
I…don’t really know what type I am. I was essentially unschooled for middle school, and while it was undoubtedly good for my abilities in reading, language, history, and environmental sciences–basically, anything I liked–it didn’t do much to expand my horizons into things like math or chemistry or physics. I was behind a year in math when I started high school. (And these subjects really aren’t totally terrible, and i’ve learned to sort of like them after I was forced to learn them)
This leaves the behavioral aspect. Whole nother story. Suffice to say that I’m not sure if Iv’e become better at coping with things or if my spirit has been totally crushed and i can’t fight anymore.
Normal school has worked well for me.
It’s not so much that I’m squash-resistant, it’s just that it seems that any attempts to squash my creativity just make it come out even more and any attempts to encourage it just make it falter and die.
WHAT IS NORMAL PEOPLE
Accademically, I’m not sure school is better than what I could do from unschooling. But socially… I don’t dare not be around my school friends every week until I’m sure I could find replacements if we drifted apart.
Wanna trade?
What is the fastest way to have a piece of art posted on MuseBlog that is not emailing? (this might not be a very good sentence.)
^ I would like to hear the answer to that as well.
The blog’s been really slow lately, hasn’t it? Is this normal? Or is my prescence enough to drive everyone away?
Funny, I thought it was my fault.
So it’s not normal? Or…? Is this speed of commenting the usual?
I have noticed that it’s been slower…
I didn’t really know what to attribute it to besides my imagination, because I can think of no reason this season would have less traffic than any other.
HAPPY FOREVER ALONE DAY!
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS SINGLES AWARENESS DAY! *munches on chocolate*
Whoops. My bad. Still NNP on this computer.
It’s still me.
Ha, that’s what people were calling it at my school, too. Yep, I must be the only person who’s happy about having that status. Guys, you’re thirteen, you’ve got your whole life.
Oh, you’re not the only one.
I feel the same way.
Funny: I almost forgot about Valentines day until right before gym class when N. was on the verge of punching a couple who couldn’t stop snogging in front of the gym. Then L bought some chocolates and we all devoured them, bemoaning that literally everyone who showed up for gym was single (perhaps the others have something better to do on the afternoon of the 14th?). All in all, it was kind of fun.
Except seeing that megalomanic limpet that attached herself to C’s (a certain guy’s) arm and remained suckered there not unlike a hagfish in rigor mortis, laughing, dressed and acting in this insipid way devoid of personality or self-expression kind of like a dead fish but more despicable and at least you can eat dead fish AND she had horrid hair.
((It’s all my own silly fault for not even really talking to him when I had the chance because I’m just too shy to function. I’m just going to go curl up in a ball somewhere. Funny how much you can hate someone you don’t even know.))
It’s five in the morning and I’m about to leave for the airport to go to Washington DC! Excitement!
My friend gave me a temporary tattoo of a kitten with wings for Valentine’s Day, and I put it on my hand. Consequently, I just looked down and panicked because I thought there was a giant spider crawling on me.
Addendum: I have done this twice more in the past 15 minutes.
Happy Oregon’s birthday! And Arizona. Although today is Arizona’s 100th birthday, so I guess that makes it more important than Oregon’s…? But I’m from Oregon! Oregon is all-important! I even wore my Oregon T-shirt today!
Advise me! Should I go work on my homework, die of boredom, and get a decent grade – or go re-read my Elizabeth Enright books, relive my childhood, and let schoolwork go hang?
Choices, choices…
Do your homework. I say this as a friend.
So I just got back to my room after eating dinner. I open the door and my roommate is sitting shirtless on the floor practicing romantic music on his viola.
College life.
In your mind, is this good or bad?
Neither, really. It just is what it is. I don’t usually think of things as “good” or “bad”.
Random Awesomeness: John Barrowman’s (Captain Jack!) album of Cole Porter covers. /random
So the lights just went out for a second. Five second power outage. Used to happen all the time. No big deal, right? But it got me thinking about the end of the world and stuff. Like, besides the whole “The last two eras ended in mass extinctions, is that going to happen to the Cenozoic era?” stuff that people like to talk about (which we talked about in science today, coincidences coincidences) but I’ve been having dreams. I have dreams sometimes. And it feels like we’re all about to get our lives turned upside down and while our family is standing in my sisters’ room making sure we have a flashlight in case it happens again, I feel like the rest of my life has been so shallow. I just sort of stand there in shock holding my saxophone, thinking, this could all end. This could all end any minute. And suddenly the saxophone isn’t so appealing, and I realize I don’t want to read any more teen dystopia novels about the end of the world, becuase why imagine it when it could happen any second? At my church they told us that the world can end, the Judgement Day can come, whenever God wants it to. And if you look at the human race, we’re not doing so well as a whole. What if it all ends? We go to bed each night assuming we’re going to wake up the next morning to an algebra quiz and stale oatmeal, but what if that’s not the case? Does it matter how good I am at the saxophone when half the world population is dead, the other half is about to be, and we’re all huddled in bomb shelters?
…Holy cake, I’m paranoid. I should snap out of this but I know it’s true.
…I’m scared now. I’ve always hated my normal life but suddenly I don’t want it to end.
Take a deep breath.
So far, there have been 3 or 4 major doomsday predictions in your lifetime (Y2K, Judgement, etc), and nothing even remotely interesting happened globally on any of those days.
People have been predicting the end of the world ever since the human race crawled out the sea and began to walk and talk. Right now, the most likely world-ending scenario involves something about a mayan calender ending. Take it from a person who went to Guatemala recently and spoke with some of the Maya people, most either don’t know what you’re talking about or just chuckle and say something, in spanish like, “silly Americans”.
12/21/12 – bring it on.
I know 9/11 is a hoax and all that. I just got scared for a second and had to tell someone… thanks, though. It’s more the prospect of “Holy cake, if the world ended we’d be a mess.” Thank you.
I don’t know if you have the right date there… 9/11 was assuredly real, while 12/21 is total catpoo.
Whoa, sorry, I mean 2012 there…
…that was probably the worst typo of all time.
Not quite as bad as the “thou shalt commit adultery” edition of the Ten Commandments, but it’s up there.
“9/11 is a hoax”?
Maybe she was trying to say that she knew those sorts of conspiracy theories were just as ridiculous as the one that 9/11 was a hoax, but failed?
RE: Valentine’s Day/ Oregon’s statehood-day/ etc:
Last night at band the piccolo player gave all the flutes candy.
My mom is making a berry pie for Oregon’s birthday!
Also my best friend/previous crush/possibly current crush randomly serenaded me today.
This post may be rather disjointed. Meh.
Valentine’s Day at my school turns out to be mostly synchronized snogging. On the other hand I got candy and several creepy stalker valentines and more candy and cupcakes and helium balloons, and people liked my newspaper article about Singles’ Awareness Day, so.
I have an afterschool college history class (at a high school) and there were exactly two other people in the room. Why they hold classes on V-Day is beyond me.
I spent several hours of my Valentine’s Day delivering Singing Valentines to people over the phone to raise money for Chorus because the school system does not love the arts enough.
EVENING: WELL SPENT.
Okay guys, long post coming up!
Here are the classes I am taking next year:
Civics/Economics
AP English (which, depending on which teacher I get, may have either no homework or large amounts)
AP European History
AP Calculus BC (no homework)
Creative Writing
Journalism
A Capella
If I don’t do the musical next year I’ll probably go crazy, since sitting at home/spending time with my parents is usually bad for me. But if I do the musical next year I’ll probably go crazy. I’m taking six challenging classes, three of which are AP, and I have to learn to read music for A Capella.
I am definitely also participating in cross-country in the fall, so I would have to balance that with the musical and all my classwork. Also, college applications.
Stage managing the musical has taught me that hard work and being forced to organize and problem-solve are actually really good for me, since they let my left-brained self stretch out and have some fun, which it never usually gets to do. So the musical might be a good idea.
On the other hand, in freshman year I tried to juggle cross-country and the musical at the same time with seven not-challenging classes, and I had to quit because of mental health destruction. Still, this was the beginning of freshman year, and I didn’t have a lot of things I have now, like my bearings in high school, a therapist, vitamin supplements, and supportive friends.
Additionally! I really don’t want to be stuck in A Capella with a bunch of freshmen/people taking it for the art credit. but I can’t read music, which is what you learn to do in basic A Capella. So what if i learned to read music over the summer? Would the teacher let me into Advanced A Capella? My mom says he’s told her he wants me in some kind of singing class, but would that translate into trusting me to learn music over the summer?
TL;DR, aaaaaah I have a lot of feelings. Advice, please?
You’re left-brained? *some surprise* I don’t feel qualified to give you really helpful advice since I don’t know your school, but good luck anyway. I’d say your classes looked good, but 3 years of awful humanities assignments I barely learnt anything from makes it hard for me to imagine things at your school. I know all about being one of the few people in a class who cares about the subject is annoying, so I say at least ask.
I’m definitely not left-brained, my right brain is way more dominant. My left brain is still a part of me, though. Additionally, I tend to focus on right-brained activities way more, so the left-brained part of me tends to be kind of cramped and suppressed.
To both of you: the hemispheres of your brain do not, contrary to popular belief, actually really have such singular functions- it is not that one side of your brain is rational and the other artistic. The differences in the hemispheres are actually fairly slight and depend upon the individual. (it’s just that one side of your brain controls the other side of your body)
SORRY THIS HAS TAKEN SO LONG TO REPLY TO BUT YES HERE IS MY REPLY
Basically, it seems like you may have to structure things around cross country since it’s constant (at least for the first semester, right?) and pretty much every day (?!)
Doing a musical in addition seems like a lot of stuff BUT then (like i said lol) I never did that many extracirriculars in hs so my impression is probably skewed.
Sometime I CAN offer more concrete advice on is ap euro! one of my favorite classes but it can be a lot of work depending on how it’s taught (though that seems to be the way with all AP classes, actually) so, yeah.
i would say, as someone who perennially overloads when i’m signing up for classes and then rolls around helplessly on the floor once i actually start classes, don’t overload yourself! stay as busy as you want, is basically a good rule.
Today one of my classes was cancelled and I’m in my room right now being amazed at how much time I have. Also, I had a presentation in another one of my classes today but we ran out of time before i could go so I’m presenting tomorrow. And yet at the beginning of this week I seemed overwhelmed with work. I’m thankful, I really am, but i keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Actually, what I should is work on some more of that homework–it’s been delayed, that’s all, not cancelled.
But this, on top of everything else–there is an incredible amount that I don’t tell you guys, either because I don’t have the time or don’t have the right words–this is really amazing.
Right, so, bit awkward, but I promised I’d ask: I have a friend who needs to ask questions of non-Christians for a Bible class she’s in. The problem is that she doesn’t actually know any. I was wondering if anyone here would be willing to answer questions for her? I don’t know what the questions are, but I think she said there are two of them, and she needs two people to answer them.
I would be perfectly willing to do that, if that helps.
I’ll do it, unless 2 other people volunteer before this is up.
If you need another, I can help.
Thanks ever so. She’s just sent me the questions, which are as follows:
1. What do you think is the most basic problem with the world/society today?
2. What do you think is the solution?
The whole world? Every society? One problem? That’s pretty sweeping.
It is, isn’t it…
I don’t qualify as a non-Christian, but if I were to answer, I’d say:
1. Vagueness.
2. Be more specific about things.
1. Society.
2. I have no idea.
1) Human nature.
2) Computers will eventually take over the world?
Confusing answers for confusing questions.
1. A lack of compassion
2. Remember that everyone else is just as much a human as you are.
1. I agree with Enc.
2. For humans? Remember that everyone else–no matter what species they belong to–is just as alive as you are–although of course different organisms have different needs (and those with desires have different desires). That definitely isn’t perfect, though, because society would still need to figure out whether viruses qualify as life and therefore have inherent moral value–and chances are, they’d get the wrong answer, whatever it is (I haven’t figured it out, myself), because of the second-most basic problem with the world/society today: a lack of reason among humans.
I don’t know that there’s any solution to the lack of compassion in other animals, and I am positive there’s none to its lack in non-animals because that’s ridiculous, but that’s much less important, since we have by far the most impact on other organisms.
…Sorry, that was too long, wasn’t it? You don’t have to use it, since you have others, and if you do, you can condense it/delete bits.
I’m happy to do that.
If you need one more, I would be ridiculously down.
So, although counselors and teachers advise against it, I will probably end up with 5 or 6 AP classes next year.
This includes:
AP US History
AP Spanish
AP English
AP Biology
AP Calculus BC
…and something else, to a total of 6 classes, possibly 7 if I choose to take Public Speaking.
My mom thinks I can manage it perfectly, and the more I talk to her, the more I believe it. I have no extracurriculars, except maybe occasionally drawing the Mock Trial team competitions, and my job as teacher assistant in the art studio only takes one day each week.
I’m not sure this is a good idea…
Dyou already have experience with AP classes? If this will be the first time you take any, I’d be very careful about loading yourself up too much. You have some hefty APs lined up there. AP Biology is an extremely content-heavy class, in which there’s something wrong if you don’t have a lot of reading outside of class. (Take a look at Campbell and Reece’s Biology if you want to see a typical textbook; that’s what my class used and we learned 70%-80% of the chapters.) Depending on which English AP you’re considering and who the teacher is, you could have lot of homework or not. I’m in AP Lang this year, and we don’t have a lot, but it could be different with other instructors or if it’s AP Lit. I haven’t taken any of the others, but my impression of APUSH and AP Spanish is that they’re two of the trickier APs that could demand a lot of time, and if your school’s Pre-Calculus classes don’t go very deep into the Calculus material, AP Calc BC could be an extremely fast-paced class. It does help that you have no extracurriculars, but taking all of these classes would make it very hard to try anything in the future.
Don’t read this as a discouragement, because you likely could handle all these. Honestly, I wish I had access to that many APs. However, imagine going through a school day with no easy or relaxing classes, and then coming home and doing readings and practice essays and other homework all evening. Advanced classes can be stressful, so know yourself and whether YOU think you will be able to thrive with that kind of course load before you jump in.
If you get too overwhelmed, will you be able to transfer to easier classes? If so, go for it! If not, I don’t know enough about your situation to give any advice.
Urgle. Uhm… yeah. I would tend to agree with you on this, 5-6 AP classes does not sound like a good idea. I would choose the ones that you’re the most genuinely interested in and take regular versions of the other classes. (I spent three weeks in AP Bio as part of a counselor-related accident this year. It was hard. And not just for me, but for all the genius seniors in that class.)
Anyway, what do I know, I’ve only had one year of high school. Next year I’m doing two AP classes and three Honors classes, plus orchestra, and then Journalism, which isn’t an AP class but which takes up an unbelievable amount of time and has a lot of deadlines.
What grade are you going to be in next year?
I’m warning you right now: whatever grade it is, it will probably be one of the most stressful (and probably worst) years of your life. I was pretty stressed out last year with just AP French, Bio and BC Calc. Of course, you might be better equipped to deal with that courseload than most people I know would be, or AP classes at your school might be different, so I’m not condemning the decision, just… be careful. It’s probably not a good idea.
I’m not going to tell you not to take them; I have had fantastic experiences in AP classes, and the caliber of the class has been way above the non-AP versions. That’s why I’m asking: do you really enjoy all the subjects you’re taking AP classes for? I love APUSH because I love history, and I love AP Calc because way deep down I really do like Calc a lot, and I’m taking AP Euro and AP English next year because I love those two subjects.
But if you don’t like the subject, that class will be a year of pure hell for you, stuck working ridiculously hard at something you hate. (It doesn’t matter if you’re indifferent to it now. If you don’t love it, you’ll hate the subject’s guts by the end of the first month.)
I would definitely, definitely go for a free period, since those classes will come with lots of homework, and you only have so much time in your day (and we like it when you have free time, because we like it when you show up here!
)
If you do like all those classes, go for it! It might be the best year of high school you have. It might also be the worst, though, so approach with caution.
I took basically that my junior / senior year and was fine (plus practicing 2-3 hours a day). If you’re worried about the workload, I’d dump public speaking.
Would I… be a terrible person if I only did three years of math in high school? That would mean I’d only go up to AP Calc BC- junior year- and then I could use that class slot for something fun in senior year. Or only take six classes and use the extra time for college applications.
Actually, what I would really like to do is to finish Algebra 2 Honors, survive Pre-Calc Honors, and then do AP Statistics, and just never take Calc. But then colleges would hate me and make me do more math. I’m supposed to finish my four-year plan by tomorrow and register for classes, so our advice would be appreciated?
I would advise filling that “something fun” slot with a science, and maybe taking an extra AP to cover the gap. (Unless you’re already taking a bajillion, in which case relax.) Also, are you 100% sure you have all your a-g requirements for the UCs? But if you do, go for it! I was almost going to do that.
I’m…really not convinced that colleges will hate you if you don’t take one extra math course. It might depend on which college, though. Are you planning on being an engineer? If not, don’t worry about it. Any other class will do as well. I mean, I took four years of math, but none of them were AP classes. And at my college, you only need to take one math credit anyways
Where I live, it’s considered normal to take Algebra 1 in 9th, Geometry in 10th, Algebra 2 in 11th, and Pre-Cal in 12th. Honors kids take Geometry in 9th, Algebra 2 in 10th, Pre-Cal in 11th, and either Calc AB, Calc BC, or Statistics in 12th. It’s only just now that they started letting advanced seventh-graders into Algebra 1, so that they can be done with Geometry in middle school and take Algebra 2 in 9th grade, Pre-Cal in 10th, and either Calc AB in 11th and Calc BC in 12th, Calc BC in 11th and Statistics in 12th, or Statistics in 11th and Calc AB or BC in 12th. Although the district average on standardized tests is lower than the national average, we don’t have a reputation for being hated by colleges. Plenty of people have become engineers. We all technically take 4 years of math in college–that’s required–but we don’t learn more than you would. Unless you know that you’re interested in a math-heavy career–and engineering is the most popular of those, but there are certainly others–I encourage this and wish I had that opportunity.
No, you wouldn’t. Do what you like. I took IB Calc my junior year but chose not to take IB Calc 2 my senior year because I didn’t quite see the point. I took English, History, TOK, Physics, Various electives like theatre and french at different points during the year in one time slot, and Spanish.
Hello from Washington DC, MuseBlog!! NAIMUN starts tomorrow! I’ve only been in DC for a few hours and I already absolutely love this city, I think it’s amazing. Robert, at what times are you in your office? I’m so excited, in case you couldn’t tell!
AIEEE- sorry. I’m so glad to be on the same continent as you! Now, violin camp! Away!
We might have passed over California on the plane to JFK, and then we’d have only been a (relative) few miles apart!
Selenium, I’m usually around between 9:30 and 6:00 — later on Thursdays, because I tutor kids nearby at 7. Always happy to give tours to MBers and their parents, though on some days I have meetings (mostly in the morning).
It is an amazing city, isn’t it? Except for the escalators on the Metro, which seem to have been transplanted from somewhere else.
I think I’ll drop by this afternoon, if that’s all right with you! If I manage to find the place, should I just ask for you at the front desk type thing (if there is one)?
I really, really love it. I do agree though, the escalators are horrendously slow compared to Hong Kong. The entrance into Dupont Circle Station is wicked cool though, like descending into the centre of the earth.
There’s a security desk at the main entrance (12th & H Streets). They don’t let just anybody in here, you know.
The receptionist seemed nice, and didn’t even mind that I didn’t write down a ‘Purpose of Visit’ in the visitor’s log. Probably would have been a different story if I had tried to sneak in, though. It was very good of you to come down to the lobby to meet me, by the way, thank you!
So today my parents drove 4 hours to New Hampshire and back to buy us a new car because they wanted something more energy-efficient (it’s a hybrid Prius). By the time my mom got home with it it was already dark, but she took me for a drive around in it anyway. And holy cake that thing is like a spacecraft. I mean, the front seats feel like you’re sitting in a cockpit with all the digital controls and things, and it’s got ergonomic leather seats and really deep footroom and all this shiny black plastic and automatic controls and the whole thing is just set up like an Epcot ride or something. I was practically expecting it to take off as soon as I got in.
Does anyone else ever get this odd feeling that the future has arrived already and we just haven’t noticed? Because I’m having it more and more lately…
*beep beep bloop whiiiiiiir*
Sorry, left my Babel fish on Futurebot again.
I’m writing this on a device that’s 11 cm long, 6 cm wide, and less than 1 cm thick, on a screen that displays millions of colors and responds to my touch with no moving parts, connected without wires to a vast, interconnected web of exponentially growing information, with which I can communicate with people anywhere on the planet, or orbiting the planet, creating and sharing art and science and thought on a scale absolutely unimaginable by anyone at any prior point in history. This device is considered outdated.
The future happened a long time ago. It’s just not quite as clean and flashy as we expected.
As the writer William Gibson, godfather of cyberpunk science-fiction, once told Terry Gross, “The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed.”
Last month I used a GPS for the first time. I turned it on and typed in the destination, then had that feeling. Not because we have the computers to determine the position or anything, that the directions sounded so normal. If I don’t have a clue how something works it surprises me how our technology just uses it. Take voice search. I’m not exactly used to telling my computer/phone something and expecting it to react. Not that I’m complaining.
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
Arthur C. Clarke
Greetings from Robert’s office, MuseBlog! I can’t actually believe I’m meeting a GAPA. Gosh. Anyway, I’ll make this quick so I can stop being anti-social and get back to talking. Love you all!
I spent a very pleasant hour or so with Selenium before reluctantly sending her back to the Model U.N. and returning to work. She’s well worth going out of your way to meet if you ever get a chance (and you’d have to do that, given the far-flung places in which she chooses to live).
EEP.
(Yes, we did talk about you.)
What did she tell you? It’s a lie, all of it!
So you’re not staggeringly intelligent?
Oh, that. That is not an untruth.
I’m very glad you found it an hour pleasantly spent, Robert, though I’m sorry to have taken so much time away from your work! Like I said, it was an immense honour to meet you in real life and I really enjoyed our chat. Drop by Hong Kong again (or England) sometime!
Science magazine will survive, and the Kokonspiracy will grow stronger. I don’t begrudge a single minute.
Well, place in the singular, really. I’ve lived in Hong Kong for pretty much my entire life. COME TO ASIA, MUSEBLOGGERS.
P.S. Funny moment of the day – Robert, introducing me to one of his colleagues (they’re all delightful people, by the way) – this is Isabelle…er, right?
It’s easy to lose track of which “nym” is the pseudonym. I suppose it will be worse if I ever meet Pseudonym herself.
Himself.
The confusion mounts!
Does anyone else have issues when they’re trying to refer to conversations with MuseBloggers in real life? I always either don’t know people’s real names or blank on them momentarily, which leaves me saying things like “My friend, umm, uhh… well, anyway, she said…” or, worse, “My friend [to pick a very clearly non-real-name blogname] Cat’s Meow.” Which makes very little sense to most people.
My off-blog friends and I make up a lot of strange nicknames for each other, so they are not too confused if I mention “My friend, Agent Lightning” or something. The problem is when I mention a MuseBlogger whose name I have trouble pronouncing- like, say, Agrrrfishi, and I go, “That reminds me of something Agerri-um, agrrrrrrrr- um, agrrrrrrrfishi said.”
Oh my gosh, yes. I have this problem all the time.
Yes, because I don’t know most MuseBlogger’s real names and the some I do know, I often forget because I think of you guys with your ‘Blog names, as everyone here does I’m sure. It is a bit odd to say the names out loud, though, because I’m only ever reading them and hearing them in my mind, so actually hearing a ‘Blog pseudonym verbalised is a bit strange. Robert referred to me as Selenium once today, and it was very slightly odd moment because I never hear anyone calling me that, I only ever see it.
If I’m referring to a MuseBlogger, I just say ‘my friend in the US’ or ‘my friend in Austria’ or wherever it happens to be. People generally don’t inquire about their intricate personal details.
I think he referred to you as Selenium on the phone message he left – the message I unfortunately didn’t hear until several hours later. I’m sorry we didn’t get to speak. I’m glad you’re enjoying DC. It’s a wonderful city; I miss it.
That’s exactly what I do, even with my family, or I’ll refer vaguely to “something someone posted on [social networking site]”. “My friend in California” is the least likely to attract questions because I actually lived there, but you’re right that people tend not to ask.
Sometimes I switch back and forth, though. Tess, you rotate between “Abby”, “that girl from North Carolina who visited us with her family”, “my friend who got into Brown”, and, less frequently, “Tess”, depending on the context. Also, I know I’ve confused my brother about Piggy before by referring to one name when my brother was only familiar with another. Ah, the difficulties one encounters with these things.
Swalot’s used to me doing that by now. In fact, he would recognize quite a few of you by blogname…
I have this problem with myself. Actually, usually it just takes me a while to sort out who calls me Nym and who calls me Graham and then lose my train of thought in the process. (To be honest, I don’t think it’s been on any kind of railway system for a while now anyway.)
I think we should show the GAPAs a line-up of names and pictures and see if they can put the right ones together with the right blog names!
Oh goodness. I would laugh.
Or at least see how many of our real names and ages they can list off without checking.
What difference could that possibly make? I can’t even remember my own age without subtracting.
Just out of curiosity! It’d be interesting. It’s clear that age makes absolutely no difference here.
You ever get that feeling where time doesn’t seem to be relative? Like…jeez, I have no idea how to say this. But it feels like someone else is piloting your body and you’re just watching?
I’ve been feeling like that for the past few days and I can honestly say it isn’t unpleasant.
Urgh, so tired. Maybe that’s why I have this disconnected feeling.
Soft Dalek,
Warm Dalek,
Little ball of hate.
Happy Dalek,
Sleepy Dalek,
EXTERMINATE EXTERMINATE EXTERMINATE.
Agrrrfishi, you have a beautiful mind.
Heh, heh. I just spent an enjoyable time with Flute and Altosax, the only female members of our jazz combo besides me, pretending that all the guys in our combo were HPB’s. Then every time one of them was near we’d all pull out our imaginary lightsabers and yell, “AAH LOOK A BUNNY!” and laugh hysterically at the looks on their faces.
I’m reading Fagles’ translation of The Odyssey and have come up with the nicknames Brodysseus, Callibrope, and Aphbrodite. I’m feeling very cool.
Why so many female bros?
Penelbrope? Broseidon?
Bronos? Phobros? Brophion? Brorion? Homabros? Pthbronus? Melinbro?
Brolyphemus? Brothena? Brogamemnon? Brostrygonians!
Brolyphemus doesn’t work; it’d be pronounced “Bra-lyphemus.”
Brahlyphemus.
Have you not heard the disturbingly-pronounced spinoff of “bro”? It’s “brah” for whatever reason, although people only added the h to distinguish their friends from actual bras.
I thought that was just the Hawaiian pronunciation.
Laestrybronians!
I’ve got a few brahs.
Around these parts bros are land mammals and generally play lacrosse, while brahs are water-dwelling and primarily surf.
This is a very strange thing to see in the recent comments bar.
My mom makes delicious scones.
Half day today, plus a four-day weekend to look forward to!
Now I shall go play Minecraft.
Ahhhh hello MuseBlog!
I’m on mid-semester break, which is basically a double weekend (Th&F off), and it’s awesome. I’m staying on campus for this break, which I’ve never done before. I’ve always either gone on some sort of wilderness trip, home, or to visit my friend in Chicago. A lot of my friends are on campus, too, and it’s so nice to just be here and feel like I can get work done but not have to worry about doing on any sort of timetable. Both of my roommates are also gone for break, so it’s nice to have the room all to myself, too.
Yesterday, I went on a morning woods walk at 8am with two of my friends — we brought our binoculars so we could watch birds at the marsh, and we saw a Red-Bellied Woodpecker, some Mallard ducks, and a female & male Hooded Merganser! When we got back, we made breakfast and juiced lots of vegetables that we got from the dining hall — carrots, apples, cucumbers, spinach, celery, melon, and ginger, in different combinations. I’ve been juicing a lot of things lately, which has been great because raw vegetables are too hard for me to digest. And then I can cook the pulp into bread, so I’m still using the whole vegetable/fruit. Then, we went to Peace Forum, which is a lunchtime lecture at the seminary (my college also has a school of religion) and listened to someone present his master’s thesis about the Israel/Palestine conflict. After that, we walked to the food co-op in town, got lots of great things like honey and quinoa, and walked back. Then I worked on my New Zealand study abroad application for awhile, went to dinner, and worked in the ceramics studio for a few hours. I was planning on just going back up to my room after ceramics, reading for awhile or working on origami and going to sleep, but a whole bunch of people were bundling up to go outside and have a fire in the woods back campus, so I ran upstairs and grabbed my camera and some extra layers, and spent the next several hours huddled around a fire, playing games and singing songs and talking and listening.
So yes! Break = great. Except now I really need to get some work done.
Also: I’ve read all of your posts on this thread and it looks like you’re all doing really exciting stuff! I’ll reply individually later if I remember.
Attention all MuseBloggers! I have a question for you. My friend and I are interested in seeing if there’s a link between Myers-Brigs personality type and Hogwarts house. If you could comment with your house and type (there are a ton of quizzes online) that’d be awesome.
We currently have about twelve data points. Both of us are ISFJ Hufflepuffs.
ENFJ Ravenclaw, although I’m not sure how accurate the judging is, I just found a quick quiz online and took it, but there you have it!
I usually score as INFJ Ravenclaw, though lately I’ve been scoring as INFP even though I don’t identify as one because stress makes me more passive and less inclined to plan.
INTP Ravenpuff. Sorry, I really am not sure whether I’m Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff… If you need one or the other, I suppose you can just say Ravenclaw.
I’m INTP, and online tests really can’t decide whether to put me in Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Gryffindor, though I tend to think I lean towards Ravenclaw.
Tests generally place me in either Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, but only a few tests are actually good. I have a policy of refusing to take any that ask for favorite color (which really limits options quite a bit), but I still ended up taking one once that called Hufflepuffs “lazy.” It also put the Houses in a hierarchy of best to worst. I wanted to shout at it.
The good tests are a bit more likely to put me in Hufflepuff than Ravenclaw. One of them said I was much more Gryffindor than Hufflepuff, though. I can see why they did that; I understand the their concept of Hufflepuff, and although I don’t agree with it, it is a position that an intelligent person could have. I’m sure it would have placed me in Ravenclaw, anyway, though, because it gave actual percentages, and I apparently fit 96% of the Ravenclaw characteristics they looked for. I doubt the same could have been said of Hufflepuff even if they used a version that was identical to my head!canon.
Personally, though, I think… well, I think I’d be a Hat Stall, but if not, I think maybe Ravenclaw because I’m not significantly more hard-working than average. That’s where I’d choose if I had a Hat Stall, too, because it’d be easier to find friends there, and it has its own library. Slytherin’s windows are even better than a library, actually, but that really isn’t even an option for me; no-one could ever call me cunning with a straight face. I might get into Gryffindor if I begged–maybe–but although I am not at all anti-Slytherin (as some people are), it just doesn’t represent me at all.
I got ISTJ and Ravenclaw (Ravenclaw’s from Pottermore).
INTJ Ravenclaw. Although Pottermore put me in Gryffindor, so now I’m super confused.
IN??(going by descriptions most likely INTP), Ravenclaw more than anything.
INTZ, from the system that uses Z and A instead of J and T, fits me best.
For your purposes, though, I’m INTJ Ravenclaw.
One of my friends is ENTJ Ravenclaw (though Hufflepuff on Pottermore), so there’s another data point for you.
INTJ Slytherin
INTJ Ravenclaw
INTP, but I don’t really know which house. Ravenclaw, probably?
Why have I been so terrible about making sure that my replies are replies lately? Hm.
My, it’s quiet around here. Everybody must be gearing up for the three-day Feast of George Washington.
This might be a good time to start a new thread. First, though, I have to make my way home and feed my cats, who are no doubt talking about trading me in for a more punctual caretaker.
I’m just too exhausted to post. It’s been a busy week–five exams in three days, plus a vaguely-assigned research paper outline due today.
I don’t get to see my cat until at least a week from now. He’s getting more and more ornery in his old age. According to my mom, he doesn’t eat as well when I’m not around, but when I’m home he eats like a horse.
I have to write this blog post and them I’m going to bed. But tomorrow, I’ll be free.
WHO WANTS TO START A SING ALONG???????
I USED TO WONDER WHAT FRIENDSHIP COULD BEEEEEEE
UNTIL YOU ALL SHARED ITS MAGIC WITH MEEEEEEE
SciOly regionals tomorrow.
Just a little heads-up: Chasing the Sunset turned nine yesterday.