Ok, so I went and took the time to read the blogs from recent weeks and the first posts and have noticed quite a difference from my writing then and now. My first blogs were rather unexpressive and flowed strangely, awkwardly if I do say so myself. The odd thing is that they did use decent word choice though. They were about aloe in food and Tom Sawyer. Aloe Vera in food, what was I thinking? When I read my very recent blogs, I immediately noticed the decrease in formality and a profound increase in voice. I was practically screaming, "Hello everybody!," through my blogs now. They also flow much better than before and increased in length. As far as personal reflection, I now think of blogs as less of an assignment and more of an activity. Pretty much, more of a get to do than a have to do now. I enjoy blogs because they let me experiment with writing and develop more in my writing skills. For instance, I started out not knowing how to write a conclusion worth squat. Now, I can actually pull off a conclusion that is not boring or tells you that it is a conclusion. As far as experimenting however, that is just about expanding the mind a bit. I have tried a few short story blogs and such. It helps me channel the endless mad rush of ideas always running circles through my brain. I might actually keep this thing up, maybe write a post every once and a while. Just to keep fresh with my writing skills over this summer. Speaking of summer, any of you folks excited for summer? Well, before I talk your ear off, I am going to wrap this up here with a question: Would it make sense to quit doing something if it helps you? Respond or not, it's up to you. Just have a good summer and don't do anything crazy in a bad sense!
1 Comment
School is a very odd thing in many ways. I personally have mixed feelings about it due to my past experiences. The thing is, school is strange because it can be fun, monotonous, mundane, terrible, beneficial, stressful, schedule forming, and many more things depending on the person. School can be fun when there are cool projects, good books, friends, you know, the usual. However, it can be boring when nothing special happens, repetitive assignments, bla bla bla, you get the picture. And sometimes it is just “meh” when there is sorta interesting things but mostly the norm. At the same time school can open up another battlefield for bullying, judgement, anxiety, stress, discomfort, and just flat out social exclusion or feeling awkward. Trust me on the whole socially awkward thing, I have been my whole life. First I was too quiet, then I moved around schools a lot so I couldn’t keep friends, then I had no friends at all, then when I came back to West Fargo, I came out of my shell and am a bit sporadic and random so I get an awful lot of weird looks just because I’m myself. Ok, what was I saying? Oh, yes, school. School is also an important aspect to the lives of many people. It provides a structure to the lives of people like me and my peers. Honestly, how many of you fellow students always have something to do of importance during summer (and yes, that is a rhetorical question)? It is a privilege to be able to have an education. We need it in order to get a successful job (because McDonald’s is not what I normally would call a successful job unless you are the CEO or something). Now let’s talk about something that I touched on briefly, stress. School does cause some stress, like anything. The only issue is that sometimes it is more than normal. Its source can vary from a mistake the student makes, scheduling issues, juggling priorities or assignments, and on some occasions, the teacher(s). Sometimes the issue is related to home. I have only had issues with teachers on a few occasions, but it was not good. I had those in 5th and 6th grade. But stress can be harmful in great amounts so I warn all: DO GOOD AND IT CAN BE AVOIDED. Whew, that was about 162 words over what I needed. Those are my words on school and be excited for summer!
I have had to use literature circles various times in different grades but none were as good as this year. This year it felt more open and interactive than any other year. Most times when we used lit circles in the past, nobody had much to say and nobody seemed enthused. However, this year people are willing to talk more and the conversation flows more freely. I noticed that there were a large variety of interesting opinions and observations on the reading and this made people more eager to talk. Also, the books are much more interesting than those read in previous years. One thing that I often forgot to do though was my job sheet. In my circle, the job sheet was completely disregarded and nobody spared so much of a thought to it unless it wasn’t done. Therefore, it did not really help the conversation. The conversations were very involving and everybody had something to say. The conversation also flowed very nicely because instead of a conversation where everyone is thinking, “I have to do the conversation but I really don’t care about it,” it was one where everybody wanted to talk. It was a genuine conversation and the best thing was that like normal conversations, it fluctuated. It would migrate automatically to other parts of the book and a variety of things were expressed. It was interesting for once. They were all interesting, all involving, and all unique. I loved lit circles this year and I think it would be great for students next year. Good book choices by the way Mr. Murfield.
Online communications are a very odd thing and have brought good things, bad things, and really strange things that confuse me to no end. The craziest part is that they are surprisingly new yet they are already widely used. I am going to tell you some that I find strange or stupid, starting with:
1: Vines Vines are sort of stupid at times, no offense. Sometimes, they are really funny or cool. However, there is always that one vine that everybody seems to find hilarious but then they all repeat the “funny” phrase of the Vine for months, and months, and months. That drives me off the wall and makes me want to wig out. Just remember this next time you see another funny Vine: IT IS NOT FUNNY TO REPEAT IT FOR 3 MONTHS AFTER. PERIOD. 2: Twitter Twitter is often used and is great for fans and such but is not cool when somebody asks you if you, “Saw that one tweet from so and so.” So that is a bit irritating, and so is it when celebrity gossip comes on the TV and they frequently refer to the celebrity tweets and you sit there scratching you head saying, “I have no idea why this tweet is supposedly supporting your statement.” Lying is a common thing used in publicity stunts so that tweet does not back your claim and that is the bottom line. 3: Facebook Nobody really uses Facebook anymore and I don’t blame them. It is full of creeps, friend collectors (people who just try to get as many friends as possible), and stupid pictures. The only thing it is good for is family contact across states. Even that sucks sometimes. I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU COOKED FOR YOURSELF, JUST EAT IT! Honestly, people just post pictures of their meals and stuff too. If you want to post a picture, why not on… 4: Instagram Your junk stash of photos and videos, right where everyone can see them. The food pictures return, the Vines are everywhere, and a new threat emerges, Over-likers. Over-likers like everything anybody posts, even if it is really bad. They will like your friend’s things, your friend’s friend’s things, why, they even like your mom’s things! It is ridiculous! Next time you use social media, don’t be a pain in the butt and use it safely, and we can all be on our merry way. Goat Simulator. I know what you are thinking; who the heck made that and what kind of demented person are you, but just hear me out. Goat Simulator is a game where you can literally do whatever you think would be funny. No objectives, no major limitations. You play as a goat and there are two maps you can play on. You are free to wreak havoc, search for Easter eggs (secrets hidden in the game), or look for magical little things called mutators. Mutators give your goat special abilities that it otherwise would not have or just give it a different look/form. These can be combined for some odd stuff. These are some: Angel goat, tall goat, robot goat, spider goat, jetpack goat, devil goat, tornado goat, and more. These goat mutators are obtained through doing certain things, even though they may be strange. The game is uniquely quirky and is likely to make you laugh until you pee. The amount of things to do makes it entertaining for long periods of time and the looks you get from people when you tell them about it are hilarious. The funniest thing is that the game has an odd humor to it that is very evident when playing. NPCs (Non-Player Characters) will make remarks like, “Never look a goat in the eyes,” or, “I once saw a tall goat.” The funny thing about the tall goat remark is that it is an actual mutator and in reality it turns your goat into a giraffe. To sum it up, Goat Simulator is bound to bring a smile to your face. It is surprisingly amusing to use vortexes in shops, kick people into water, or blow up a car and be launched into the air at impossible speeds. Play more Goat Simulator and have a good day, not a BAAAAAAAAaaad one!
I have run into the most peculiar dilemma. But before I get too far, I will explain some crucial things first. I am a player of the popular survival/sandbox game Minecraft. Minecraft focuses heavily on building and crafting and is great for making games and expressing creativity. I have been playing it for years and have multiple worlds on the game that my friends and family enjoy. My most popular to date is a world that goes by the simple name of 2345. 2345 started as a world I played with my step-brother Luke for fun. The more we played it the more people wanted to play with us. As the world grew, the small town I founded, named Ampapolis, became a huge city with lots of people. Over time, the towns Ironwood and Everdium were founded. Ironwood was founded by my friend Zach while Everdium was founded by Noah, my other step-brother. So all was fine and dandy and nothing was wrong for the longest time, until yesterday. Noah and Zach were helping me take down an old house when Noah began to taunt Zach about laws in Ironwood and doing offensive things. Zach then more jokingly than not, said he declared war on Noah unless he apologized. Noah, being too prideful, tried to find ways around apology to end the feud. Zach then, being fed up with it, held Noah’s horse at sword point and told him to apologize. Noah did, but then placed an embargo on Ironwood. This infuriated Zach because trade is his primary business. Zach then said that unless Noah lifted the embargo, there would be conflict. Noah refused, and started a war. Now, despite Noah’s initial claim that he did not want war, Noah is on the offense and Zach is attempting to find a way to end the war. All of this was a result of a little bit of over-sensitivity and pride. So in the future, watch what you say to people. Sometimes you may have a big problem on your hands.
Sometimes you run into misunderstandings in life to the point where somebody is insulted and you didn’t even mean to hurt their feeling. It’s inevitable and irritating plus it can be hard to resolve. Here, I am going to tell you some things that I have found accidentally offend people most.
Have you ever misheard someone when they talk and get a completely different message from it than what they intended? If you said no, you may want to have more human contact because this happens often to anyone who speaks with others. It also happens to make some pretty bad misunderstandings where the other person wants to kill you. One word misheard and you are getting yelled at for nothing. To avoid it, don’t mumble (because they can’t hear you and it’s annoying) and clearly pronounce your words. Telling jokes can backfire. Tell it in front of the wrong person and it takes on a new meaning to them. Some people are also secretly dirty minded and think of your jokes in the most perverted way possible and then get angry. The moral of the story is don’t tell jokes that could take on a double meaning or prepare for outcry from angry people. Tone makes a difference and do not tell me it doesn’t. If you forget to say “I hate you” sarcastically, you will seriously make someone feel like a loser. Not good. Happy sentences can be made to sound if you dread someone’s very presence if you say it loathingly. Most times this won’t happen. However, if you say something with a different thought on your mind at the same time, the tone you think of the thought in could very well come out of your mouth. This also proves humans are not meant for multi-tasking. Speak in the mood you think of something and you can avoid hurt feelings. Period. This concludes chapter one of the awesome guide of how to avoid hurting someone’s feelings unintentionally. Go pat yourself on the back and eat some ice cream next time you use one of these tips because that means that you are a champ. Congratulations. "What did you do!" shouted Phil. Chili was all over, the fridge whipped open and milk flowing from a smashed carton. The two brothers gazed at Phil, their uncle, with wide eyes and fear in their hearts. Ok, I know this seems quite odd to be thrown into a situation like this, but just wait, it gets better. The boys trembled, as Phil would not notice the other unfortunate situation outside until it was a bit too late. Phil sniffed and coughed. "What is that-" He cried out in horror when he realized the grass caught on fire outside. "NO NO NO NO!" he yelled. The boys however, did not do this. In fact, the boys didn't do any of this for how do you do something when you aren't there?
The two brothers, Kyle and John, had been at the store earlier that day and had come home to a mess of a home. They had run through the home attempting to save the house from any more peril. Stoves were running with blankets on them, forks were in power outlets, gas was spilling from an old car Phil liked to work on. The home was in danger, and only two teenage boys were there to save it. "Kyle, pull that away from the fireplace!" yelled John frantically. Kyle hollered back, "I'm trying! I can't be in five places at once!" And they both ran down the hallway to get things safe when Phil arrived. With no time to state their alibi, the boys frantically raced to the yard with buckets of water. Phil came with an extinguisher. They managed to put the fire out and call the police when more homes burst into flames. The neighborhood was burning. And amidst all of the pandemonium, nobody noticed the man with the hiking bag walking calmly out of the area. It was a cold autumn evening and a queer silence hung over the small town of Halven. Mathew walked down Main Street with a downcast look at the sidewalk. No one said hello. Traffic was as sparse as the leaves on the trees, all dressed in varieties of crimson and yellow. Mathew, a foster child, was pondering upon the move, now two days away, when it happened.
The city of Tarrowsburg moved quickly as usual, boasting busy shops, crowded roads, and many opportunities. Kathy strolled carelessly down 52nd avenue to go to the new store that opened up about a block away. Cars congested the road and people minded their business as usual, laying on horns, talking on cell phones, wandering down streets. Kathy, the only child of a successful businessman, was opening the door to the shop, thinking about what the hype was, when it happened. The world seemed to stop, for everyone in fact. It was devastating, shocking, horrifying. It was everything but normal and everything but funny. Phones went black. Power lines blew out. Electrical outlets exploded, burning the homes they resided in. Machinery screeched to a halt. Cars crashed. It wasn’t a black out. Nothing worked. Anything that relied on electricity was fried, like an egg on a skillet. “Why won’t my smart phone work!” yelled Kathy as she attempted to call her father. Mathew yelped as he quickly ran out of the way of a car that no longer had control. Hysteria was soon to follow. People screamed and ran as the world as they knew it fell apart. The last things that worked were the various alarms in important facilities. And everyone in Halven and Tarrowsburg, both Mathew and Kathy too, heard the alarm at the Five Rivers Nuclear plant as it erupted with noise. And then it happened. Ever find yourself completely underestimating or overestimating an object? I think we all have. It may be a ball, a floor, wall, crayon, or a myriad of other items. For instance, picking up a piece of Balsa wood and assuming it is stronger than it feels until you nearly bend it in half or dent it until it is unusable. Or walking on ice and thinking it is thick enough and you fall through. The world is full of these instances. People have broken countless things over centuries because they thought them to be stronger or more durable than they were or misjudged their own strength. On the contrary, people have also gotten into bad situations or didn’t take the best option at the time because they underestimated something. Somebody may question another’s might, picks a fight with them, just to get bashed in the head and find themselves flat on their butt. Or somebody thinks a rope is not strong enough to bear their weight to get them out of a hole when it is really fully capable so they sit down there for a long time until finally someone gets them out. And this brings me to why duct tape is so great; it is hard to over/under estimate. A hole is in your boat when you pull it out in the summer? Duct tape will patch it up for enough time to have one last trip before getting it fixed (or trashed). Need rope? Make it with duct tape, even if it is a bit sticky. Need to fix just about anything? Yep, you guessed it, pudding is there to satisfy your hunger as you do so (bet you thought I would say duct tape, didn’t you). You can just fix it with duct tape as you eat pudding. So, don’t estimate things poorly, in math or every day, use duct tape to its full capacity, and eat pudding sometimes, but not excessively.
|
AuthorThis was written by Ean, a student in Mr. Murfield's 8th grade class who may be writing as you read this. Archives
May 2015
CategoriesWant to say something?Feel free to comment. It won't end the world. (or will it...)
|