Wednesday

I went to school again today, as usual. In Orchestra, we played Variations on an Early American Folk Hymn, getting ready for Baccalaureate. Then, in Latin, we translated a story about a soldier and a snake. In Calculus, we went over the plan for next year, and did polar coordinates and complex numbers. Lunchtime came, I passed out M's grad party invites, J talked about her near music catastrophe at her recital, and I did an article plan for Wind-Up. In Wind-Up, I organized the Shared Drive and Google Drive. Then, N annoyed S and I while K tried to anything useful and M learned that the counselor is sick at the worst time. For AP Lit, I just moved back over to College Writing and made spreadsheets for my college applications. In Physics, we reviewed for B test tomorrow, and I was disappointed in how I did yesterday. Then I went home and watched some Titansgrave. Then, I went to work! I work at the library, so my job consists of shelving books, which I did for four hours. Then, I walked home, which took a while, but it was nice to see the lake. Then I ate dinner and watched more Titansgrave, wrote some blog posts, and will soon meditate and go to bed.
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Chorus of the Day!

First born unicorn
Hard core soft porn
Dream of Californication
Dream of Californication

Last Chorus of the Day:
So Long, Soldier by All Time Low

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La! ~SCP

Post #100

This is my hundredth post on my blog, and I just wanted to thank you all for reading, and sticking with me for 100 posts. It has taken a long time to get here, but I am proud to have stuck with it, and I hope that you appreciate at least something I've written. Thank you!
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Chorus of the Day!

So long, soldier
Cruise controller
Satellite trajectory, guide us into reverie
And come down to voice a generation

Last Chorus of the Day:
Hard Times by Paramore

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La! ~SCP

Tuesday

So, today I woke up and went to school, and I wasn't late (which I have been for most of the year). My first hour is orchestra, so I turned in my music from the concert last Thursday and then we played Sine Nomine to prepare for Baccalaureate. Then I went to Latin, where we translated a medieval story about a man who fell down a pit filled with snakes and then a dragon pulled him out. Next is Calculus, where we learned about polar coordinates and how to draw flowers on our graphing calculators. Lunch! K and J and I were without M since the seniors left last week. We talked about J's cello recital which was tonight. Then, I went to Wind-Up (our school's newspaper). I did the mailing for A because he has no idea what is going on. Fifth hour is AP Lit, but I'm the only junior and the seniors are gone, so I stayed in the Wind-Up Lab and updated my online portfolio. Sixth hour was Physics, in which I took a test that I am not feeling so good about. Then I finished my online portfolio, and I signed up to take a shift at the library tomorrow. I went home, took some DayQuil (I have a cold) and played the Sims and watched Titansgrave until six when I went to dance! Dance was great, except the air conditioner was subpar. Then I came home, made myself some eggs, and played Magic: The Gathering with my brother and mom. He won, but I did better than I ever have. Then I watched more Titansgrave, wrote this post, and will shortly meditate.
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Chorus of the Day!

(Hard times) gonna make you wonder why you even try
(Hard times) gonna take you down and laugh when you cry
(These lives) and I still don't know how I even survive
(Hard times)
(Hard times)
And I gotta get to rock bottom

Last Chorus of the Day:
Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran

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La! ~SCP

Monday

So, I'm going to do another Week in the Life. Since I didn't go to school today (it's Memorial Day), today was pretty uninteresting.
I woke up and watched some Spellslingers and played The Sims 3. Then, I had two bowls of Cheerios. Then I played more Sims. I had to go to my friend's birthday party, so I bought her a card and went to Applebee's where we had lunch/dinner. Then we had dessert, I ate too much ice cream, and had a sugar rush. We waited around for her parents, then went to my house the long way. Then my family played Ratuki and 1000 Mille Bourne. Then, I played more Sims. We ate corned beef for dinner. I played more Sims and practiced my cello. I finished Spellslingers, and am now rewatching the Ashes of Valkana. Soon I will meditate and go to sleep.
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Chorus of the Day!

You know, she played the fiddle in an Irish band
But she fell in love with an English man
Kissed her on the neck and then I took her by the hand
Said, "baby, I just want to dance"
With my pretty little Galway girl
You're my pretty little Galway girl

Last Chorus of the Day:
Daughter by Pearl Jam 

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La! ~SCP

College Admissions

Right now, I’m starting the college admissions process. In fact, as I write this, I am in the car on the way to Michigan State University for a college tour. Right now, everything seems really overwhelming. There are so many colleges in this country and I feel like they all want me to go there. Everyone has sent me so much college mail and so much information that it is impossible to sort through it all. Plus, every school seems to be saying the same thing: we’re the best! But how can they all be the best? They all talk about small class sizes, small student:faculty ratios, great quality, so many other cliche phrases that you can find in any college booklet. And the pictures, the pictures are all the same: smiling people sitting next to each other, beautiful aerial shot, students studying under a tree, a smiling teacher with their arm around a student, pictures of a beautiful classroom with a teacher at the board and a smiling class. So much smiling, and so little substance. All of these schools are trying to sell themselves to you, and they all do it in the same way. It is the weirdest thing in the world. They all want you to apply there so they can judge you on whether you are good enough to attend. They desperately advocate for the opportunity to judge who you are. Most of the colleges who are sending me letters wouldn’t even want me to go there; they just send mail to as many high schoolers as they possibly can. And how am I supposed to know where I want to spend the next four years of my life? Which school has the right balance of academics and lifestyle? I have a whole life here, and I would love to migrate as many parts of it as I can: cello, dance, journalism, writing, working at the library, etc. The really scary thing about college is that my whole life is here. I cannot remember living anywhere else, and I don’t know what will happen when I try to take everything I love about my hometown and move it somewhere else. I want to major in Creative Writing and Physics (Astrophysics) with a minor in Classical Studies (Classical Latin Texts). This means that the number of schools who are going to allow me to do this is low, which is good for me. Wish me luck!
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Chorus of the Day!

Don't call me daughter not fit to
The picture kept will remind me
Don't call me daughter not fit to
The picture kept will remind me

Last Chorus of the Day:
Castle on the Hill by Ed Sheeran

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La! ~SCP

On 'Giftedness'

I will freely admit that I am widely considered a ‘gifted’ child. Since the beginning years of elementary school, I have been set apart by my parents and peers for being smart. I will also freely admit that I have not disliked being considered in such a way. As a child, I considered ‘giftedness’ to be a gift, but I now consider it a curse.
The main problem with the whole idea of ‘giftedness’ is that it is misleading. Setting a child aside from their peers, even in a positive way is alienating to someone so young as six. As a ‘gifted’ child, expectations were different for me, and I was tasked with more work than other children, not necessarily harder work, just more. ‘Gifted’ children ought to be given work that challenges them, not simply given more work.
Until eighth grade, I had never encountered any schoolwork that challenged me. School was fun for me, though somewhat boring because the work was quite easy. When I entered the accelerated English program at my local university, I was in no way prepared to actually work. This illustrates the true failings of the concept of ‘giftedness’. School is supposed to prepare you for life, but all it teaches ‘gifted’ kids is that they should be able to figure anything out instantaneously. I learned that being smart meant not needing to be taught, something that is blatantly untrue.
Determining ‘gifted’ kids and keeping them on the same track as other kids is not useful. When they reach subjects that are actually difficult for them, they wash out. If you have never worked before, you don’t know how when it comes time to work. And that is the true failing of the system I grew up in.
(I’m sorry if this post has been a bit rambling. I was not very articulate in my ideas.)
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Chorus of the Day!

I'm on my way
Driving at ninety down those country lanes
Singing to "Tiny Dancer"
And I miss the way you make me feel, and it's real
We watched the sunset over the castle on the hill

Last Chorus of the Day:
Daughters by John Mayer

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La! ~SCP

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Trailer-224 Days Until The Movie!

I am going to discuss the trailer in detail (which means spoilers). It's May the Fourth, so I feel that a discussion is appropriate, especially because my excitement is through the roof.
The trailer starts with the training montage. Luke training Rey just as Yoda trained him. I love how the camera starts on the black ground and then Rey's hand comes down. It is very cinematic and an interesting way to start a trailer. The black of the ground echoes the black of space, which one would expect to see at the beginning of a Star Wars trailer. The music also sounds amazing with the dissonant chord crescendoing until Rey puts her hand down in fram.
I love the circling shots of the island, and I think it adds color and contrast to the film, something so many futuristic films lack.
I also love how Rey is just touching her hands to the stone as the tiny shards of rock lift.
When I saw General Organa, I almost cried. If she had turned around, I would have cried immediately. It still hasn't really sunk in that Carrie Fisher has died. I don't know if it will until Leia isn't in Episode IX.
Darth Vader's helmet lying on the floor is such a powerful image because it seems to imply that Kylo will be breaking from Vader's path, or that Kylo himself is broken? Did killing his father snap something inside him? Plus, the deterioration of Vader exemplifies how the people in the new triology have failed to learn from the original trilogy's story. As Vader's helmet breaks down, so does their understanding of the situation, forcing history to repeat itself. On second look, that may be Kylo's helmet, which leaves the question: does he still wear a mask?
And that bit with balance and the Legacy symbol. So many questions!
Then it goes to the sweeping shot of the island, and Rey practicing with the lightsaber. Such a beautiful shot, such an epic shot.
The ships touching the sand and blowing it back red: a battle, a podrace, some weird farming technique?
What's happening with Finn? Is he going to be comatose the whole film? I hope not.
And then explosions by Poe's X-Wing?! Which is really a shame because that is a beautiful ship.
AND THEN THE FALCON!!!!!!! but han is gone...
Then the battle scenes leading up to Luke's pronouncement. It's really nice that they started it in the middle of this chaos, and then everything dies down as he comes to the controversial part.
"It's time for the Jedi to end."
Is Luke evil? I don't think so. I think he just means that the Jedi Order is an outdated and inefficient way of running things, especially when there are only two people in it. What the Jedi emblemize will still be important, but they may not exist in the form they always have. And that's okay... I think. I really don't know.
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Chorus of the Day!

Fathers, be good to your daughters
Daughters will love like you do
Girls become lovers who turn into mothers
So mothers be good to your daughters too

Last Chorus of the Day:
Wonderwall by Oasis

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La! ~SCP

What I'm... No. 13

I really feel like there are more books but, for the life of me, I cannot remember what they are.

Reading:

Books:

The Fifty Year Mission Volume I: The First 25 Years by Edward Gross & Mark A. Altman

I really loved this. Star Trek is something I have been interested in for a long time and learning how the show was made and what the people who made it feel about it. The entire world of television is fascinating to me, especially low-budget television.

Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray

This was an okay book. I was really interested in learning about Leia's thoughts regarding the failing bureaucracy of the New Republic, but a lot of the book dragged. Little disappointing. 

Star Wars: Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston

I loved this book. It was very clever and well thought out. I quite liked the story and the way it was written.

Star Wars: Battlefront: Twilight Company by Alexander Freed

This book was very good. I enjoy reading about characters not featured in the movies because I feel like the author can do something new, and I like new.

The Book of Joy by The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu

This book was very interesting. I am neither Catholic nor Buddist, but I feel like the discussions in this book are universal and very important.

The Romanov Sisters by Helen Rappaport

This book was very interesting. I have always loved the Romanovs, and I find their plight both inevitable and avoidable.

The Pope of Physics by Gino Segre and Bettina Hoerlin

Enrico Fermi is fascinating. And he built the first sustained nuclear reactor underneath the squash courts at the University of Chicago.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams

I quite liked this book. It was very funny, but I feel like there was not a high proportion of mystery for a mystery novel.

The Mandibles: A Family 2029-2047

This book was amazing. It's the Great Depression crossed with the hyperinflation of the mark in post-WWI Germany crossed with scifi crossed with postapocalyptic novels. What falls first when the world implodes?

Listening:

Music:

Paramore

I am really loving Paramore recently. Hard Times is one of my favorite songs, and I am very excited for After Laughter.

Fall Out Boy

I am very excited about Fall Out Boy's new album. Although the new song is not my favorite kind of music, I am excited for them to try something new.

All Time Low

All Time Low's new album is also very exciting. I loved Future Hearts and am very excited to see what they will do next.

Vampire Weekend

I dearly love Unbelievers, and who doesn't love a band that sings about Oxford Commas?

Ed Sheeran

You may know that I love Ed Sheeran, and that hasn't changed.

Florence + The Machine

Honestly, if one of your official artist photos is one with gold glitter all over your hands, what is not to love?

Green Day

Still loving Green Day. Contemplating going to a concert.

Watching:

Movies:

Moana

I LOVE THIS MOVIE! Moana is my favorite new Disney movie, and I cannot wait to watch it again. Every time I hear How Far I'll Go, I start to cry a little bit. The movie was just amazing.

Sing

This movie was really cute and funny. Plus, Scarlett Johansson can sing?!

Trolls

This was just a cute, dumb movie. Nothing wrong with that.

The BFG

This was a good movie. Not my favorite, not my least favorite.

Strange Magic

This movie was completely ridiculous. Much as I love George Lucas, there is a reason other people edited his plot. Completely bonkers and cliche to boot.

Sky High

The redeeming factor of this movie is Danielle Panabaker. Otherwise, Disney Channel cliche.

TV:

The Flash

I literally think it would be impossible for me to love The Flash any more than I already do.

Arrow

I am now in Arrow season 4, and I quite like it. Oliver is getting over his emo phase, and the team is starting to come together proper.

Supergirl

I like Supergirl now, but when it was owned by Fox or whoever, it was not good. But I now have to go back to the beginning and get caught up: a summer project.

Dancing with the Stars

I love Simone Biles, and her dance to How Far I'll Go is my favorite thing to ever come from the show.

Doctor Who

I love Doctor Who! And the new season is really amazing. Everything so far is amazing, and I love Bill. I am really excited to see what comes next.

Class

I love Class, and I love that Doctor Who is doing something different and new and cool. I like the characters and I am intrigued by their future.

Property Brothers

Something I watch when I am not really doing anything. Has anyone else noticed that all their houses look sort of similar?

Fixer Upper

I like Fixer Upper better than Property Brothers, but a lot of their houses still look the same.

Victoria

I LOVE VICTORIA! I love Jenna-Louise Coleman, I love Victoria herself, I love Albert, I love the way they did the show, the way it was organized, just the whole show was amazing!

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

I love Dirk Gently's Holistic Dectective Agency. The TV show better than the book. I feel like Dirk on the show has a layer of honesty that the book didn't have.

YouTube:

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

I love the Lizzie Bennet Diaries! I feel like the series expanded on all the characters and situations I felt were underused in Pride and Prejudice itself. I am just really happy with the way the show was made.

vlogbrothers

It is no secret that I love vlogbrothers, and that has no changed. Still love 'em.

Dan & Phil

Still love these dorks too.

100Days

John Green and his best friend in a 'healthy midlife crisis' that involves swearing, incessant DFTBA.com promos, bad jokes, and complaints about not being able to listen to music while exercising. Plus, I was introduced to my meditation app by this show.

Geek & Sundry

I love Geek & Sundry. My brother recently bought Ticket to Ride, inspired by TableTop. I regularly watch Critical Role, even though I am way behind. I watch TableTop a lot (love Wil Wheaton!). I watched all of the Guild, and watch the Flog (Felicia Day!). I am also slowly making my way through Space Janitors.

Felicia Day

I LOVE FELICIA DAY! I am watching the Dragon Age webseries, and her gaming streams. I also recently watched Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, which is the best ever!

Crash Course

I love Crash Course. Currently watching: Astronomy, World History 2, Physics, Philosophy, Literature, Mythology, Intellectual Property, and Sociology. I plan to watch the American Government and Economics series this summer along with my online class.

Girl Meets Pixels

I love Girl Meets Pixels, her current households are amazing.

Rosianna Halse Rojas

Rosianna has the greatest taste in books I have yet run across on YouTube.

Squaresville

This is a webseries inspired by living in a small town, and features Mary Kate Wiles, a super great actress from the Lizzie Bennet Diaries.

And there's everything. I really have to keep better track of my books in the future.

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Chorus of the Day!

Today was gonna be the day
But they'll never throw it back to you
By now you should've somehow
Realized what you're not to do
I don't believe that anybody
Feels the way I do, about you now

Last Chorus of the Day:

Say Goodbye by Green Day

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La! ~SCP