Burnout

Burnout has two meanings this week for me. I’m burned-out on typing this week after my laptop shut off on me, with no reason, and I lost five and half pages of typed out work. Usually my typing programs save it for me if something unexpected happens, and will come back up the next time I open that program. Well, this time, it decided it would open all the documents I’d been using at the time of the shut off, EXPECT for the one I was really working hard on. I was glade it’d saved the other seven, but those were just fun typing pages that probably wouldn’t lead to anything, while the one that didn’t save was on The Birth, which I’d really been working on lately. Over five-thousand words down the drain… I was so pissed, I called my laptop a very bad word that I don’t use very often, shocking my mother. She ignores my cussing, but the F-bomb is kind of hard to ignore. Haha.

The second meaning of burnout for me this week, is the more literal meaning of it. My Papa and I were in town, he was taking me for another ride around so I can get more used to driving in town, dealing with traffic, and the occasional stupid driver. Well, I usually only ever run into a stupid driver when I’m with mom, but today, Papa and I got a very big shock. We were sitting at a light. It’d just turned red on us and I stopped, just like you’re suppose to. The people in the lane beside me stopped as well, even the people on the opposite side stopped. Papa was explaining to me why it’s better to catch a light then it is to have to pull out through two lanes of coming traffic. I was listening intently while I was staring at the red light, waiting for it to turn. I just happened to look over to the opposite lane of traffic at that moment when a red van came racing toward the stop light. I figured it was going to stop, especially since the light was red, and a black car was already pulling forward, off the ramp, coming from the highway. Well, I was sorely wrong. The van ran the red light, smashed into the side of the front end of the black car, then came barreling toward Papa and me in the truck. My first instinct was to press the gas and get out of the way, but I wouldn’t have been quick enough. But luckily, the driver of the red van seemed to be able to get control of his van when it went over the cement raise between the lanes and turned the nose of his car so that it missed the truck by just a few inches, then it was about to hit the white care behind us, but was able to miss it as well and run back over the cement raise and stop. The can and car were both smoking from where they’d made contact. The wrack hadn’t been to bad, the guy in the black car was alright enough to open his door and pick of a few of the pieces of his door that fell to the ground. He wasn’t injured, but he was probably very shaken up, and if I were him, MAD. Papa and I didn’t stay long enough to see if the guy in the red van got out, the light had turned green and we went on to Wal-Mart. Papa hadn’t seen the wreck, he’d been looking away. He’d assumed it had been the black cars fault, I’d quickly corrected him. The guy in the black car had done NOTHING wrong.

I tell you, I will never forget the sound of the metal of the cars colliding and the sight of the metal flying. I’d been in wrecks before, so I knew what they felt like, but I’d never seen one, especially not as it happened. Man, I knew people were stupid, but not stupid enough to run into something with their car when they can SEE it.

On a funny note, I got some things for my Grandma in Wal-Mart. There was a child in the chip isle, sitting in the car, with her mother standing beside it, looking at the chips. She’d looked at me, then at her mom, then back at me and pointed at me.(man, I’ve gotten weird looks because of the way I dress, but never pointed at, haha) The only question she had about me was, ‘Mommy, is she the mommy?’ Man, I swear-that kid had to be at least nine or ten. I can’t believe she could look at me and honestly think I’m a mother! It was rather insulting. But, apparently, for her, anyone in a store with a cart is dubbed a ‘mommy’ by this child, no matter what they look like. I mean, I don’t look like a mother, and hell, I’m not old enough. Plus, I had no child in my cart. I have no idea where’d she get the idea of asking such a question. I didn’t wait to hear what the mother would say to her question, I got out of that isle as quickly as possible because the child looked like she wanted to direct her next question at me instead of about me. And I really didn’t want to answer such a stupid question. My mom got a kick out of that when I told her.

Third Day Back

So much has happened. It seems like it’s been longer then just our third week back at the Academy. It just gets so routine. But, out routine was thrown off. Our Papa had to go to a meeting on septic tanks, so our aunt Conni had to take us in. I hate her mini van so much. Try fitting two big teens with bags full of books, our lunch cooler, and then we both had our laptops with us. It’s very cramped. Especially since Lily’s car seat took up half the middle seat. And I got stuck with Ryan… Though, we made it and I didn’t kill anymore. Luckily.

We got a new student today in Creative Writing. River. He was at bowling. Apparently he was suppose to join two weeks ago, but there was some problem and he couldn’t. But him and the young Jacob are good friends, so Jacob was able to fill him in on everything he miss, which helped the teacher.

My Creative Writing class started a few minutes early because everyone showed up sooner then usual. I’m always the first student in the room. But today I even beat the teach in. Sarah gave us our homework we turned in last week back, and I aced everything. Yay!

She gave us some more Writing Territories to add to our list, then she gave us our homework. We’ve got to write a ‘Where I’m From’ poem. Poem I can do. I love writing poems. Apparently I’m the only one of the students that are in the class that does. Haha. I’m just having a little trouble coming up with things to put in it. I’m glade I have a week. I never write a poem in one sit down. I always write a line one day, maybe even two or three, then come back later and so on until I’ve finished the poem. If I rush it, then everything sounds sloppy. And it doesn’t rhyme as well.

Then, of course, we still have to do a reading log. I filled one out for The Host for this class. I’ve got my Grandma reading it now. She didn’t want to read the Twilight series because of the Vampires, and I understand that. And since there’s nothing in this book like that, she said she’d read it and see how she liked it. You can’t ever go wrong with science fiction. Well, I guess you can, but none I’ve ever read have.

For in-class writing, Sarah had us to do a ‘My Name’ paper. I wrote two pages, but I don’t think I’m done with it yet. I might be able to come up with more on for it still.

After Creative Writing was over, I got to typing, since I brought my laptop. I was able to get a few pages typed before Tristan came from his class. He was the first to come in the lunch room. He seemed bent on bugging me during lunch, instead of my brother. But since I had my laptop out, I challenged him to some Minesweeper. He said he was really good. But I suck. But apparently, my suck, is good, and his good, means he sucks. Because I beat him every time. Haha. My laptop didn’t last long, since I’d had it open for over an hour, so Tristan and I spent the rest of lunch comparing music.

It’s funny, last semester, Max couldn’t stop stealing my apples, but this semester, he brought his own for lunch. So, now Tristan was the one stealing my apples. But I never finish them myself, so it’s not bad. Haha.

Max hadn’t finished his lunch, so we went to Literature Discussion, while he finished. He was tired, so I don’t think he felt much like going into class anyways. So he spent a lot of time in the lunchroom, but because of that, he missed all the fun.

We gave out papers in where Shannon wanted us to draw a vase, or pot, and then draw a scene from the book on it. I suck at drawing, but apparently, Sam said I did better then everyone else. I had Shannon try and guess what mine was, but she couldn’t get it. Tristan took one look at it and knew what it was. I don’t know what Tristan was trying to draw, he said it was Ares’s, but I don’t know. It looked kind of funky. Everyone, even Tristan, couldn’t stop laughing at it.

For my Twelve Olympian gods +2 sheet, I got almost everything. A lot of the others had missed a lot of the stuff that should have gone on it. Tristan had missed almost everything, since he’d gone through and just put one thing down for each. Dwight and I both used Wiki, so we got the most. But even Dwight had missed a lot of stuff.

I couldn’t finish my name in Greek. You know why? The Greek alphabet does not consider C a letter! They have no C! I had my name all out, but I HAD NO C! Haha. It was kind of funny. I went from Nicole, to Niole. I have no idea what that spells. I can’t pronounce it.

We talked over the book, and I had to threaten to tape Sam’s mouth shut because he was answering everything. Shannon and I urged Morgan to elbow him anytime, since he was just behind her. She wouldn’t, apparently she’s to nice. So I told her next week, we’d switch seat, because I’m not to nice to elbow him. Haha.

Max had finally joined us in time to start answering questions. Though, he was preoccupied, I don’t think he was paying attention to the class. He stole my pen. I was able to get it back, but then I set it on my lap so he couldn’t reach it, but I forgot it was there, so it fell into the floor and he got it again. By time I realized he’d had it, he had taken it apart. It was funny. That’s the same thing he did to be in History last semester. I can’t trust him with a pen.

Once he was done with my pen, he took my book. He took it just as class was ending, so he ran off with it. I chased him halfway around the place and finally got it back. Tristan had tried helping, but Max smacked him in the head and he decided he was going to keep a distance from Max. After I’d gotten it, he got it again. I don’t know how. I threatened to get my brother. He replied with a ‘Uh-Oh’. But when I looked around, I realized Robert must have been outside for PE today, since it was so nice, so he couldn’t help.

I had to go to Speech, so Max won. For Speech, we all turned in our outline of last weeks speech, then we all got up and told out jokes. Morgans was boring. Why? Because it’s the same joke she told us twice last semester. She must have forgotten. But Tristan’s joke was really funny. He had to read it because it was so long. But there was not one part that wasn’t funny.

Since we weren’t allow to tell any jokes that were considered ‘dirty’, I had to find one. Because, quiet frankly, I will admit all my jokes are a little, well, not dirty per say, but not exactly nice. So I found some church bulletin bloopers to use.

This is the one I used:

Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.

Everyone laughed. I wanted to use this one:

The Associate Minister unveiled the church’s new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: “I Upped My Pledge – Up Yours

But I was afraid the last part might not go well with Lydia. Tristan said he wanted to hear my other jokes. I knew he would. Tristan has as bad a sense of humor as I do.

We got into telling jokes, so Sam told me a bunch of the blond jokes he knew. Most I hadn’t heard. I told him the one I knew. He said he’d heard almost all, well, he hadn’t heard this one:

Three girls walk into a bar; a brunette a red head and a green haired girl. The bar tender asks the brunette how she keeps her hair so brown.

The brunette combs her hands through her hair and says, “It’s natural it’s natural.

Then the bar tender asks the red head how she keeps her hair so red. She combs her hands through her hair and says, “It’s natural, it’s natural.

Then he asks the green haired girl how she keeps her hair so green. She sneezes into her hands, combs her hands through her hair and says, “Its natural, its natural.”

It made him and the others laugh.

We got to stay for Chess Club this time. It didn’t last as long as it was suppose to, since Grandma had to pick us up at three-thirty, instead of four. But next class, we get to stay the whole time.

Robert and I sat through the review of last lesson. We already knew all this, but the other new kids didn’t, so we sat through anyways.

Once that was done, we got to play a mini game. I played against a kid called Harrison, and Tristan watched. Since he’d played this mini game before, he was helping the teacher. Or as he put it ‘watching and making sure I didn’t cheat’. Haha.

Harrison won the first match, and I won the second. Tristan was to busy watching our game, that he didn’t watch my brother and the other kids match. So they ended up doing it all wrong. They didn’t even get even the slightest bit done with their game before we had to leave.

The teacher said he had been impressed when I told him that I’d beaten Max. Max is probably the best in the class. But he didn’t stay today because he and Sam had swimming class. But I’d beaten him once with the help of Jessie, but I had also beat him all by myself. Which is neat, since I do suck, and Max is so good. I don’t know, though. He might have let me win. I’d played another friend once. Ryan, not my cousin Ryan, and he was a lot better then I was, and I’d won, only because he’d given himself a handicap since I wasn’t as good.

But it was fun. Robert and I were a little cranky the ride home. He wouldn’t stop bothering me. Blah. I guess it’s pay back for all the times I’ve annoyed him. But what are little sisters for? Haha.

The Host

Finished it in less then a day. Which is odd. Since it’s the longest of the five books I was reading. It’s over six-hundred pages, but very good. That’s why I always like science fiction novels, there just so much more entertaining to me. Anything that is always having something happen. That has more stuff happening then it does people actually talking. But since it’s in first person and the two main characters are in one head, technically, everything is thought, or described about what they are feeling, if they don’t speak, so there isn’t much room in a lot of it for actual talking. I realize, that out of the whole book, the actual two main characters say the least out of everyone in the book. And I’m even counting their conversations they hold in their head.

What I hate about books like this, is it always leaves me in a very thoughtful mood when I’ve finished. Doesn’t sound so bad, but when I’m in a thoughtful mood, I don’t feel like doing anything. Which annoys me. I usually only get like this at the end of books I really, really liked.

But with the way it ended, there’s plenty of room for a second. And Meyers has even said she wanted to have a second, and even third book. She’s got me so hopeful, I hope she follows through. Because, quiet frankly, the way she ended the book pissed me off. I wanted more from the situation she’d left it with. A lot more.

Whataya Want From Me

Whataya Want From Me by Adam Lambert. Adam Lambert is creepy as hell. Especially on his album cover. He came in second place in one of the seasons of American Idol. My mom told me, I didn’t watch it. American Idol has gotten boring to me. But the way he dressed, it just didn’t give away that he was gay. Because, usually, when someone is gay, they dress like it. But he creeped me out before, and I didn’t know why. I know now. But, I heard this song on the radio and they said it was by Adam Lambert. I tried remembering who that was, but I just couldn’t. Then I suddenly remember that it was the guy from American Idol. I asked mom to confirm. And I was right. Gosh, I’d never listen to him sing before. Usually, when I don’t like a person, I don’t like their singing, but damn, he’s actually really good. It surprised me that I actually liked the song.

But, I realized later, that since he’s gay, this song is probably about a guy, instead of a girl. Uge… I still like it. But that kind og creeped my brother out, because he didn’t know he was gay until I told him. He says the song creeps him out now.

Hey, slow it down
What do you want from me
What do you want from me
Yeah, I’m afraid
What do you want from me
What do you from me

There might have been a time
I would give myself away
(Ooh) Once upon a time
I didn’t give a damn
But now here we are
So what do you want from me
What do you want from me

Just don’t give up
I’m workin’ it out
Please don’t give in
I won’t let you down
It messed me up, need a second to breathe
Just keep coming around
Hey, what do you want from me
What do you want from me

Yeah, it’s plain to see
that baby you’re beautiful
And it’s nothing wrong with you
It’s me – I’m a freak
but thanks for lovin’ me
Cause you’re doing it perfectly

There might have been a time
When I would let you step away

I wouldn’t even try but I think
you could save my life

Just don’t give up
I’m workin’ it out
Please don’t give in
I won’t let you down
It messed me up, need a second to breathe
Just keep coming around
Hey, what do you want from me
What do you want from me

Just don’t give up on me
I won’t let you down
No, I won’t let you down

So
Just don’t give up
I’m workin’ it out
Please don’t give in
I won’t let you down
It messed me up, need a second to breathe
Just keep coming around
Hey, what do you want from me

Just don’t give up
I’m workin’ it out
Please don’t give in
I won’t let you down
It messed me up, need a second to breathe
Just keep coming around
Hey, whataya want from me
(whataya want from me)
Whataya want from me
whataya want from me

Second Day Back

Well, the second day back at the Academy started off confusing. Grandma had been confused about the days Chess Club was, so we almost got left at the Academy an hour and a half longer. And everyone leaves at two, so it would have been boring wait. Unless we joined in Spelling Club, but I don’t either of us wanted to do that, especially my brother. But, Joanna got things straight and picked us up on time.

We spent all of our hour in Creative Writing giving our memoirs and Acrostics, then afterward, Sarah talked about brainstorming ideas. We each had our own Writing Territories (as Sarah called them) by time we were done. Morgan claimed she had fifty-nine when she was done, but Jacob (younger one) and I didn’t believe her. I still don’t think she had that many. Jacob said he only had eight, but I had somewhere near twenty or so. And a few more that I didn’t write down.

We’re suppose to have a page of writing, or more, about a moment of choice that happened to us in our lives. And she wanted it to be under one of our Territories. Mine will be under brothers, funny, and birthday stories.

It’s about a time when I smacked my brother in the head with a bat at my cousin C.J.’s sixth birthday. My brother had been sitting behind me as I was getting ready to swing at the pinata. I was blindfolded of course. And the idiot just had to stand right when I swung the bat. I gave him a nice size knot on the side of the head. For years he blamed me for the small little hole he has in his forehead, but I remind him repeatedly that I hit him on the side of the head, not his forehead. Plus, mom had clearly told him that’s when he was learning to walk and he kept falling down on the gravel. Why she was letting him walk on gravel at that age, I will never know.

After class, I went ahead and listened to my music and played around with some word puzzles my grandma gave me to keep me preoccupied, since I didn’t have anything to study for study hall. Once everyone came in for lunch, I went to get Robert and my lunch. Joanna stopped me and asked me how I thought we should make up the classes we missed our first day when it showed and it was canceled. Well, I told her every week to add fifteen minutes to each class, since all the classes are an hour long, except Speech and History. But I told her Speech could follow with fifteen extra minutes, as well. That way, no class run into each other. And I told her since History has to make up two hours, and since there’s only three students, they could just meet someplace during the week and make up for it. Since Max, Chris, and Robert all live in different towns, I suggested Charles Town, since it’s in the middle of all three. So, their all going to meet at the library one day and do their class there.

It took me less then two minutes to solve a problem a bunch of thirty and over woman couldn’t figure out in two weeks. I thought that was kind of funny. Seeing as how they all are far smarter then me I’m sure.

Well, I went back to getting lunch, but I realized the lunch was gone. Robert had already gotten it. I was confused for a moment because I hadn’t seen him go by, I’d thought we’d forgotten our lunch for a moment. Haha. During lunch, I also solved a problem for Helen. She was having trouble with her laptop. I guess I was having a brain day or something.

During lunch, I’d spoken with Shannon about Literature Discussion and Tristan, of course, made a comment. Something that’d kind of ticked me off, so I chased him with a fork. He stepped on my foot several times when I’d caught him, but with my boots, I can’t feel anything. Haha. I told him I wouldn’t kill him today, but when I went back to lunch, Dwight told me I should have stabbed him. I told him Tessa might miss him. I asked her if she would, and she said no, so actually, I could have.

We went to Literature Discussion while Robert did PE.

We horsed around a bit since Shannon wasn’t in yet. Max started playing with the table, lifting it up and shaking it, like he had in History last semester. So I kicked him. I told him he can’t do that now, since in History, he had been two seats away and I couldn’t reach him, but here, I was sitting right across from him.

After that, Sam joked about Dwight’s Ebook, then Tristan commented saying my glasses looked weird. So I said ‘so does your hair’. Everyone laughed. He asked what was weird about it, and I said it was crooked. He said he liked it that way. And I said ‘it’s because your whole head is crooked’, everyone laughed again. Then he pulled his keys out and started combing his hair with them. Morgan laughed at him and asked why he did that, and he said he also cut his hair with his keys, and I sad, ‘so that’s why it’s crooked.’ Honestly, when I said that stuff, it didn’t sound funny, but apparently it was, since everyone was laughing. I apparently can be witty without even knowing it.

We got to talking about the book and we talked about the part where Clarisse wanted to give Percy his… I don’t remember what it was called, but she wanted to give him a swirly for it. Then Shannon started talking about what the swimmers at Max, Sam, and Morgan’s swimming place did for someone when they turned into a seiner. And she said that they got to pick a junior to do whatever they wanted. So I said everyone in the class had to do what I wanted since I was the only seiner. But Max was the only junior, since everyone else was to young, so I said he did. And I told him that he had to walk the teachers pet (Sam). It had been a joke, since I had called Max the teachers pet, because he was the teachers kid, and he had forgotten his homework, it didn’t mater, because she’d already read it. But then, somehow, I don’t remember how, Sam had turned into the teachers pet. I think it was since he was the teachers other kid, and she had helped him with his homework. So Sam played as a dog. He took being the teachers pet very seriously. Haha.

Our homework this week is to look up all twelve of the Olympian gods, plus Hades and someone else, I don’t remember the last one. And we are suppose to try and write out name in Greek, and make a Greek pot with a scene from the book. I made a joke that I would put Max’s head blowing up on mine.

When Shannon had held up the piece of paper she had with the Greek alphabet, I held it up in front of Sam and asked if he could read it, since he was dyslexic. He said that reading Greek was actually easier for him to read then English. Kind of funny.

When leaving Literature Discussion, I got in a hurry so that I would be on time for Speech and ended up tripping on my own feet. Shannon made the joke that Max had pushed me, since he was behind me. I knew she was joking because she winked at me when she said it. Giving me another reason to beat up Max. Haha.

Well, Lydia was late, so I didn’t have to actually rush. We had plenty of time to go watch Robert finish his PE. He was doing push-ups, so Max said he would join him. He said he was good at them because he was like a monkey. So I called him a monkey boy. Then Helen said that when they did push-ups, it was like a chicken pecking the ground, since their noses had to touch the ground. So Max went from being a monkey to being a chicken.

I’d been in the kitchen, and they have this window in it, so Max asked if I would get his note book for him, so I did, but instead of giving it to him, I gave it to Tessa and she hide it. He tried bribing her with a quarter. It didn’t work. She’d hide his note book in the girls bathroom. Haha.

Max stole my pen then, in return for us hiding his note book. But he made the mistake of giving it to Tristan. I could catch Tristan very easy, since Tristan has this habit of running in a room, then getting stuck. And he did. He ran into the Speech class. He tried getting Lydia to take the pen, but she wouldn’t, so I snatched it from him, and went back and told Max. Then, for taking my pen, I tried to draw on his face, but Robert couldn’t keep his down, so Tessa ended up getting a marker and getting him in the arm.

Then, for revenge, Robert held me down, but I got away, so Max wasn’t able to draw on my face. Haha. Max held Tristan down next, and I was able to draw a line on the side of Tristan cheek. It was easier to hold Tristan down then it was to hold Max down, since Max is so damn tall.

Our fun ended when we were called in for Speech. I was running to get to the class room fast, but I looked down suddenly when I saw a pen on the floor and looked up just in time to jump to miss Sam’s foot. He’d tried tripping me, but railed. Max had learned the hard way not to try that, so I had to teach his brother the same. I doubt he’ll try that again. Haha.

In Speech, we were suppose to do our most embarrassing moment speeches. In my case, an awkward moment. She asked who wanted to go first, so I volunteered Tristan. He said you couldn’t volunteer someone else. Well, Lydia did numbers, but instead of letting us draw them, she threw them at us. They landed right in front of me and Tristan. It was kind of cool. Morgan’s flew off the table to her side.

Tristan ended up getting one, and I got last, like I wanted. I gloated, saying ‘the numbers LOVE me.’ Tristan told me that sounded wrong, and after thinking about it, it did sound wrong the way I said it. Haha.

Tristan’s moment was when he was driving his four wheeler and had nearly flipped it and broken his leg. I didn’t think it sounded embarrassing at all. I nearly flipped a four wheeler on myself, but all I felt was like laughing at myself. I don’t know why he thought it was embarrassing.

Morgan’s was when she had tripped in front of her friends and a bunch of high school boys at one of their swimming meetings. Again, not embarrassing, just get up and laugh. Everyone else had, but, everyone falls. It’s not like it’s something only she would do. But instead, she just wined.

Lydia said they were all good. She said mine was good as well, since what I had been feeling and what I had gone through in my awkward moment was something a lot of people feel, and I did good expressing it in my speech.

Next week we’re suppose to come in with a joke. Tristan and Morgan said they have a good one, and I think I do, but Lydia said nothing bad, and I think mine might fall under that, so I think I’ll just go in with a blond joke. Can’t ever fail with those.

Since Joanna had gotten things straight with grandma, we got picked up right on time, soon after my Speech class ended.

This Thursday we’re going to go bowling with a lot of the kids from the Academy. It’ll be the first time we’ve seen or spoken to any of them outside of the Academy. Besides the teachers and Max.

First Day Back

Well, the first day back at the Academy was a blast. It was funny, though. At the Academy last semester, my brother and I were together pretty much every second, since we had the same schedules. But this time, the only time we saw each other was after my Creative Writing class in the kitchen when he went to get a drink, when Hied let the History out on a few minutes break, and then of course we sat together at lunch, and then we didn’t see each other until after the rest of the Academy was done. Well, actually, I did see him just before Speech began. I had walked in on him in the lunch room right before he had his Algebra lesson with Hied (dude, that guy teaches almost everything!). I had been wondering where he was, so I’d gone to check. I saw him, pointed at him and said “There you are”, then I turned and walked away. He looked confused, which was funny.

Writing class was great. Though, there are two Jacob’s in this class, so I don’t know how the teach is going to deal with that. She’ll call one, and get both. Haha. Though, one Jacob is close to my age, while the other I think is Middle School age.

Morgan from my Speech class is in this one, and Westley, from my brothers PE class, is also in there. That was a little surprising, since the kid is only like ten. I think he’s the youngest student there.

First day we just did introductions, and then the teacher pulled out some ice-breaker cards she’d wrote out. They all had questions on them that we were going to answer. We each did two. The younger Jacob got one that asked what the most embarrassing this was that he’d done. He didn’t want to share that (I saw that coming), so instead he gave the second most embarrassing. But it took him a minutes to figure out what that was, so the other Jacob went. I don’t remember all of them, but I know Westley got one that asked him what the weirdest thing to eat was, and Morgan got something asking her where she’d go for vacation, or something. Though, actually, that might have been the younger Jacob’s other question… I don’t remember. I remember my second one was about what was my favorite type of music and why, I remember that because the teacher had got that one mixed up, so we both had done it. And my first question was what was my best talent or characteristic. I couldn’t think of anything! So, I just said my imagination. Which is funny, because when I asked mom what would be my best talent or characteristic, she said the same thing, and I hadn’t even told her what my answer was. Hehe.

Once those were over, she talked about Acrostics. She said for homework we had to each do our name. And then she also wanted us to do a six word memoir for ourselves. High schoolers had to do both, but for the middle schoolers, they only had to do one, unless they wanted to do both.

Sarah said she wanted us to get a lot more reading in as well, because that would also help us with out writing, so she’s got us high schoolers reading two hours a week and the middle schoolers reading one. Ha! I got that beat. On average, I read about thirty hours a week, and that’s just on week days. Haha. The younger Jacob said he read about twelve a week, including weekends. But Sarah wants us to pick one of the books we’re reading and write on this sheet she gave us a few things about it. She said it really works, because then she can take out opinions and give them to others as well, so others can know if the book was good or not, or from what we said, if they would want to read it.

Next week we’re going to do brainstorming for ideas on what we each can write something on.

Then, after Creative Writing, we had, or, actually, I had, and hours break for studying, or doing whatever I wanted, as long as it didn’t bother others. Morgan had to rush to her Creative Arts class, and the younger Jacob had to leave. I don’t know where the older one went, but he was there later for the Chess Club, so. And Westley was doing something in the lunch room, I guessed he was studying.

During lunch, when Creative Arts was out, Sam asked me the dumbest question. I was wearing my glasses, so when I walked past him, he stopped me and asked ‘What’s with the glasses?’. I told him ‘There glasses, what do you think they are for?’ and the idiot actually stopped to think. I didn’t think he could get stupider. Or maybe he was just trying to be funny. I don’t know.

My brother went to PE while Max, Tristan, Dwight, Samantha, Morgan, Sam, and I went to Literature Art. Shannon officially has the largest class. Last semester, it was Tristan, Morgan, Sam, and Jessie. I think Tessa might have been in it, I don’t remember seeing her in the room, though. But, she lost Jessie, and gained me, Max, Dwight, and Samantha. The table was completely FULL. It was holding more people they it’s capacity was built for.

I think Literature Art is my favorite class. It’s very fun. Shannon had warned Sam, since he’d already read the book and tended to get carried away, that if he answered to many of the questions and didn’t give anyone else a chance, she would have everyone start raising hands. Well, he misunderstood her, so he made himself a little sign that said ME! and raised it up every time he answered a question. It was funny. That got Tristan to making a sign for himself. His said HI. So when class was over, he raised it real high it the air and Shannon asked if he had a question. He said ‘No, I just wanted to say hi.’ Haha.

Dwight and I had seen the movie, so we kept comparing the book to the movie. The book wins, BIG TIME. The fact that Chorin is brown and not white in the movie still pisses me off.

Shannon, later in the class, had pulled a piece of paper out with questions for it on ADHD. She said that she was going to ask us these questions and we’d answer. So we did. There were like ten of them, and I only raised my hand on about four. Haha. Shannon said I was the most normal in the class, which made my weird. As mom put it ‘Even when your the normal-est person in the room, you’re still the weirdest person in the room.’

I don’t remember what the last question was, but apparently it had been a good one, because it led me and Max to high five-ing. But after class, I just couldn’t remember it! Uge!

Max kept giving things away about the other books, which I didn’t mind, because I like spoilers. But, he said something about Sally turning Gabe to stone, but then he stopped and said he didn’t want to ruin it. I told him that if he doesn’t want to give anything about the book I am on away, then fine. But if you’re going to mention something that about the other four that makes me curious, you’d better spill it or I’ll smack you over the head with this book. So he spilled. It was funny. He knows I will hit him if he didn’t. Haha.

For homework, we have to look up things about Centaurs. Dwight offered to look up how to play Pinochle, since Shannon wanted someone to. And we read six through ten in ‘The Lighting Thief’.

After Literature, Tristan and me went straight to Speech. Lydia wasn’t in the room yet. I don’t remember what Tristan had said, but it had me hit him over the head with my book. He asked why I was beating on him since we were friends, and I told him ‘I beat my friends worse then I do my enemies’, then Tristan said ‘who needs enemies when they have friends like you.’ We both laughed.

Lydia came into the room with Morgan shortly after. It was odd, Lydia only had three people this time. But because of that, we can get a lot more work done in our hour and a half.

For out first exercise, she wanted us to practice our diaphragm breathing by trying to ready a passage from something while holding our breath in. If we took a breath, we had to stop.

When Lydia asked who wanted to go first, Morgan said she didn’t, so I said, Morgan did. But then Tristan said he didn’t want to go first, so Morgan and I both pointed at him. He was sitting between us, so it made it even funnier. I ended up going first. Drats. Haha. I can’t hold my breath in well, so both Morgan and Tristan had read more then I was able to.

After that, Lydia wanted us to practice our listening. She had us sit for five minutes in silence so we could pick out what we could hear. I told her when we were done I was tempted to poke Tristan in the ribs so he’d yell ‘ow’, then I would have had at least one more noise to add to my list. I actually did when I’d said that, and he really did yell ow. Haha. I have bad hearing, so I didn’t get as much as the others did. Though, everything I did have, when I listed them, it had everyone laughing. Mainly because I was noticing things no one else had.

After everything else, for our last exercise, Lydia wanted us to practice out facial expressions and how well we could express and emotion. I was funny seeing the other two standing oddly. I got brave, sad, and another, but I don’t remember what it was. Sad was funny because Tristan wailed out and dropped to the floor. Haha. But when we had to do shy, pride, jealousy, and joy, I had a little trouble. I’ve never been shy, I’ve never been jealous, and if I’ve been proud, I don’t remember. I wasn’t sure what to do, so Lydia described what I should feel, and I did the best I could. For proud, I just stared at the ground with my hands on my hips, while Tristan and Morgan both did something looking up at the ceiling. Lydia asked me what I was doing and I told her I was pretending I was looking down on people, thinking they were smaller then me. She said that had been good. She said I had been acknowledging others, but still thinking I was better then them, but Tristan and Morgan had been looking up, not acknowledging others.

For shy, I just turned my back to everyone and hide my face. That made Tristan laugh because he wasn’t sure what I was doing. Tristan and I both laughed at Morgan, because for her shy pose, she had dropped to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest as she stared at the floor. She wined because she was the only one who’d gotten on the floor (Tristan’s sad pose on the ground didn’t happen til after the shy one). For jealousy, I still wasn’t sure what I was suppose to do, so I just looked angry. She said I did good because I looked tense, but she asked why I looked angry, and I said if I’m suppose to be jealous of someone, I’m thinking I’m going to hit them. Made her laugh.

For joy, I had just spread my arms, like I was being thankful, since I was suppose to be happy, but apparently people don’t do that when their happy, because she said I didn’t look happy. Haha. I can feel emotions, but apparently, when it comes to body language, I just can’t show it. Haha.

Lydia had started talking about how actors and people like them have to use diaphragmatic breathing, then she said we were being just like actresses then. I made a comment right then. I said ‘Tristan, you’re a girl.’ He looked at me and confused, and insulted. He asked why. I said ‘Well, Lydia said we’re all like actresses, and she didn’t say any of us were like actors, so, you’re a girl apparently.’ That made Lydia laughed. Tristan laughed as well. Lydia corrected herself then went on.

For homework, all we have to do is think of an embarrassing moment for next week. Since Lydia packed us full last semester, since she didn’t think she’d come back for a second, we won’t have as much a work load this semester. I was expecting to have to have a ten minutes long speech ready for next week, so it was a relief not having so much a load. Though, I had to ask if I could just think of an awkward moment. Because, honestly, I’ve never been embarrassed my whole life. People have tried, but honestly, I don’t really care what other people think, so I just don’t get embarrassed when something happens that should be embarrassing. So she said I could come up with an awkward moment.

I already have mine. I don’t remember how old I was, I think maybe ten, or nine, but I was in the doctors office with Grandma, my brother, and my cousin Ryan. This old person came in. She was about my Grandma’s age. She sat down across from us and started talking to us like she knew us well. Then she started to talk to me. I just could not remember who she was. She seemed to know me so well, but I just didn’t know who she was. She stopped talking after a few moments, I guess after seeing the look on my face. She asked me ‘You don’t remember who I am, do you?’ and I replied ‘honestly, no. I have no idea who you are.’ And she laughed and told me she was one of my other cousins grandma. I still didn’t really get who she was until she’d left and my Grandma explained which of my cousins she was talking about, and when I’d actually meant her before. But it had been awkward. I was suppose to try and talk to her like I knew her, but I mean, I had no idea what to say. I honestly thought she was just an stranger.

Hell… My fingers hurt! Haha. I think this is the longest Academy post I’ve made. Heck, I think it’s the longest post I’ve made on here period.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

I don’t understand why they don’t just call it ‘The Lighting Thief’ like the book.

Well, through the whole movie I was comparing things from the book. The one thing that irritated me the most was that Chiron is WHITE. White I tell you. Not brown. Such a small detail out of all the things they changed, but that one annoyed me the most. But you know, with all the other Centaurs, you’d think they would keep that in, since it makes him look different from the other brown ones and such. And since he’s a character, rather then someone they just stuck in the background.

I knew who had done it through the whole thing. But since I read the book. Hehe. It took my brother at least over halfway through the movie until he figured it out. And not too soon, since they were about to tell who it was. Or figure it out, actually.

What shocked me-and still does-is how BIG the gods were in their scene close to the end. It was awesome. What a great affect. And Uma Thurman as Medusa was funny.

I think I annoyed my mom, though. I kept leaning over and telling her what was wrong and what they changed from the book.

Pretty good movie overall, though. Now, for class Monday, I just have to remember not to compare the movie and book, since we’re only suppose to talk about the book. But I do love correcting people, even if they don’t know I am. Haha.

Plot

At the top of the Empire State Building, Poseidon (Kevin McKidd) meets with Zeus (Sean Bean), who comments that the storm clouds have no lightning and and that his master bolt has been stolen. He blames Poseidon’s son for the theft. Despite Poseidon’s claims of his son’s innocence, Zeus gives Poseidon 14 days to return it, lest war break out.

During a field trip to an exhibition of Greek and Roman art, teenager Percy Jackson (Logan Lerman), is lured away from the crowd by a Fury disguised as his substitute English teacher, who then attacks him, questioning him about the lightning bolt. The incredulous Percy, who has no knowledge of this, is rescued by his Latin teacher, Mr. Brunner (Pierce Brosnan). After dispatching the Fury, Brunner gives Percy a magical pen. On Brunner’s instruction, Percy’s best friend, Grover (Brandon T. Jackson), takes Percy to a training camp for demigods, Camp Half-Blood, along with Percy’s mother, Sally Jackson (Catherine Keener). During their trip to the camp, Percy attempts to learn about his biological father from Sally, but they are attacked by a Minotaur. Although Percy and Grover, who is revealed to be a satyr, make it to the camp, its defenses prohibit entrance to Sally, who is captured by the Minotaur, and disappears before Percy. Percy engages the Minotaur with the magical pen, which turns into a sword named Riptide, eventually killing the creature with one of its horns.

In touring the Camp Half-Blood, Percy learns that Brunner is the mythological centaur Chiron, and the camp’s trainer, and that his father is the god Poseidon. He also meets Luke Castellan (Jake Abel), the son of Hermes, and Annabeth Chase (Alexandra Daddario), the demigod daughter of Athena. While at the camp, Percy learns that water has the power to heal his injuries, and allows him to manifest his magical abilities.

Hades later appears and reveals that Sally Jackson is his prisoner, and proposes she be traded for the master bolt. Chiron instructs Percy not to bargain with the demon, but to go to Olympus to convince Zeus of his innocence. Percy sneaks away from the camp to travel to the Underworld, along with Grover and Annabeth, who secure for him from Luke a portable shield, flying shoes and a map to Persephone’s pearls, one of which will reveal the exit from the Underworld when retrieved.

At Aunty Em’s Garden Emporium, the trio are attacked by Medusa (Uma Thurman), but manage to decapitate her, and take the pearl from her bracelet. They also take her head, which they later successfully use against a hydra that attacks them during their acquisition of another pearl from the crown of a giant statue of Athena at the Parthenon replica in Nashville, Tennessee. They acquire the third and final pearl from a roulette wheel at a hotel casino in Las Vegas, in part with help from Poseidon, who aids them against Lotus Eaters. The map reveals an entrance to the Underworld in Hollywood, California.

The trio enter the Underworld, where, after traveling across the River Styx, they encounter Persephone, who takes them to Hades. Percy attempts to explain to Hades that he is not the lightning thief. During an ensuing melee, Percy drops his shield, whose handle conceals the missing master bolt, which Hades takes. However, the trio manage to reacquire it before escaping the Underworld with the rescued Sally. They are transported to the top of the Empire State Building, which they learn is the location to the entrance to Olympus. They are confronted by Luke, who reveals himself to have been the real lightning thief. Expressing his desire for a new generation of rulers to take over Olympus, he explains that he had hoped that the trio would not have escaped the Underworld alive, and after stealing the bolt from Percy, the two engage in battle. After using his water powers to dispatch Luke, Percy arrives in Olympus, where he presents the retrieved bolt, and reveals the truth about Luke. Poseidon explains to Percy the reason why they could not know each other during Percy’s childhood, but expresses his love for his son. Percy returns to Camp Half-Blood, where he resumes his training. Sally forces Gabe out of their apartment, and as he goes to get a beer from the fridge, opens it only to be turned to stone because Medusa’s unprotected eyes are staring right back at him.

Stupid Snows Finally Done It

I’ve officially had it with all this snow. I was able to find a Lighting Thief copy this Saturday. We went to a bookstore in the mall and they had only five copies left, so I was lucky. I stuck my head in it all Sunday and got everything I was suppose to have read, read. I went through everything for my classes and had everything ready. I even went to bed really early like I always do so that I can be well rested for class.

Then I woke early and checked my mail. School was canceled because Salem school had canceled. All because of the stupid snow. The stupid snows finally done it.

Though, on a happier note, The Lighting Thief is turning out to be a really good book. Though, some parts kinda piss me off. The main character, Percy, takes way more crap from people then he should. He keeps wanting to deck the people, but he thinks of what would happen afterward, but honestly, he should just hit them and screw the consequences. He deserves to be able to give them something for the crap they put him through. I mean, he’s a twelve-year-old kid with dyslexics, and ADHD, they really should be thrown into a large pit for how they treat him.

Times like this, I wish the characters were real, then I would hit them for him. And I would be all to happy to do it.

The Lightning Thief

Well, the Academy starts up again this Monday, the fifteenth. I dropped history so that I could take the Writing class, and because it’s only an hour long, I’m also taking Literature Discussion as well. I kept my speech class. But, apparently, Joanna, our principle at the Academy, sent a list of the books we are suppose to discuss via e-mail to everyone. Well, I didn’t get it, so I don’t have the books because I didn’t know which I was suppose to get. But, fortunately, Shannon and Max (Literature Discussion teacher and her son) helped me out and told me where I could find a copy. And you wouldn’t believe, since the first book in the series has been turned into a movie, I can’t find any copies in any libraries because they either don’t have it, and once they do, it’s got a waiting list because so many people want to read it, or they do, but it’s on a list already. So annoying.

So, mom and I are going to try and find one at the book store Max told me that had it, if not, I’ll see if I can borrow Max’s and read the chapters we are suppose to during my hour break and lunch time. It won’t take me long to get them read, it’s just the problem of actually having the book.

First book: The Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan
Cover:

Plot, taken from Wiki
The Lightning Thief is the first book in the series. It was released on June 28, 2005.

Percy Jackson is a twelve year old boy diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). After going on a field trip and being attacked by his math teacher, he finds out that he is the son of a Greek god. He is sent to Camp Half-Blood, a camp for children with a Greek god as a parent, located off Long Island. Not long after he arrives, Poseidon, the sea god, claims Percy as his son. Percy is accused of stealing Zeus’ thunderbolt. He is given ten days to return the thunderbolt to Mount Olympus in order to stop a war between the gods from starting, and save his mother, who has been held hostage in the Underworld.

Driving Test

Well, technically, my Learners Tests. I took it again today, since my learners permit expired on the thirtieth of November. I tied getting it during the week of Thanksgiving, but apparently the Friday I wanted to go, they were closed. And I couldn’t get in the week after. It was horrible not being able to drive! Gah!

I told my Papa that I was going to try and get more this time, they last time. Last time, I missed five questions, and one sign. But, damn. I missed six questions and two signs. I actually added one. But, they had to decide whether or not I passed, since six was the limit of questions I could miss. But, they decided I did.

Though, one of the questions I didn’t get why it was there. It was something about carbon dioxide getting into the car. I didn’t think it was important, and I had no idea about that, because the drivers book didn’t even say anything about that. I think I got it wrong. But at least the questions they asked about parts of the car, I got right. And I know I did. Since I hang around my Papa, uncle and cousin so much, I know quiet a bit about cars.

I’m not sure what the second sign was that I missed, but I do know one of them. I think I got it wrong, at least. It was a white sign, with red line going through the middle. It didn’t connect to both sides. I’d seen one before, but I never knew what it was for. I don’t even remember reading about it in the drivers book. So I’m sure that was one of them. I’ll have to look it up.

But, I passed. Next time I need it renewed, I’ll be eighteen and can sign off on my own, rather then having mom do it for me. Though, hopefully I won’t need to, because hopefully I’ll have my drivers license this spring or summer. Depending on if I have my GED by then, and a job.