topic 12 a little late

gosh i have a ffew christmas traditions from wrapping presents to going to church (didnt happen this year). My favorite tradition though is with my sisters because we always vow not to tell each other what we get the other, but we tell anyway and have to vow to act suprised when we open presents. my other favorite tradition is that we open presents the night before christmas and stay up all night playing with our stuff or watch a movie we got.

A little late 15 & 16?

topic 15:
Video games don't really have my complete interest but honestly, I don't understand what societys deal with video games is. I think that it's just an excuse for bad parenting, and society wants to blames something that kids really enjoy doing. Although I'm not the person who plays video games for 12 hours then goes to bed, I don't think video games are harmful, but not necissarily helpful either. Everytime I hear something about violent video games and how its not good for children, I laugh because people come up with all these assumptions that the kids who play video games are going to go on a humongous rampage and kill everyone in the school.... No. See, everyone that I know has some form of violent video game at their house, and every guy I know at least has Halo, or Call of Duty, including my brother. So does that mean that EVERYONE is going to go kill each other? Ehh, I highly doubt it. Kids like violence. It's just something that society doesnt understand in my opinion. And although people like watching it, it doesnt mean they're going to do it. Maybe in some rare cases, but not usually. So video games are just fun. Not harmful or helpful, but fun. Hopefully people start to get that sooner or later.


Topic 16?
I wasn't sure if there was a topic or not, but just to be safe I will talk about finals in case we get a grade about this. I personally think that finals week is a bittersweet thing. Bitter, because of all the studdying, and all of the overwhelming tests in every class and always worrying about your grade and talking to your teachers. Sweet, because it means you're year is halfway over, and you get a fresh new semester, and new classes/teachers. And also if you've studied hard, I love turning in a test that I know i've aced. Unfortunately that wasn't Mr. Humphreys test. haha. But still, I look forward to finals instead of dreading it, because otherwise it just takes forever. This year, it didn't seem to be too hard (except for Mr. Humphreys) but it still is a big relief knowing that it's all over and that it's only another semester until summer! Yayy!

-Lauren :)

not able to play

omg .. i cant stand video games. Its NOT because they rot out are mind its because I can't play them at all. I've tried so many times and so many different games .. but it seems like wii sports is the only one i can master. I think video games are okay, but they should be played in moderation and should not control your life.

Late... Video games!

I absolutely hate video games! I think there pointless, they dont teach you anything, they dont do anything for you. Its a waste of time. Some people play them way way too much! I think if you play them to much it honestly dumbs you down. Because if playing video games is the only thing you do, your life is kinda lame. But thats just my opinion. I know alot of people who play video games and I dont judge them. I personaly just will never be the kind of person who plays video games or watches a lot of TV or sit on my butt all day!

Books!

Mhm... I really dont like to read I'd much rather spend my time doing something else. I also find few books I actually enjoy.. I probably have to read more to find books that I like, but I dont have time. I think I might like to read if I found books I enjoy reading but I have read a handful of books and only have liked about maybe ten books I have ever read! So Idk... Reading is defiantely challenging for me and it kinda stresses me out!

Chemistry Rant

Everyone hates chemistry. If they don't hate it, they don't like the teacher. If neither of those are the case, no one likes you! That statement isn't really true, but I'm ranting. The homework is pointless, because it's just for COMPLEATION!! GAHH! How much of a lazy ass can a teacher have to not bother correcting assignments! And her system for putting them in order for notebook checks is absolutely insane! I can't understand it hardly! Two different assignments could be put on the same sheet of paper and there will be two different slots on the on the list. Bull crap! Am I the only one?

video games

I don't really think that video games are helpful of harmful. I can see why some people might think that the violence isn't good, but I just think that they are for fun. They could be harmful I guess, if someone likes the killing part a little too much, but I think they're fine.

Video Games

I do not believe in video games. I don't really care if other play them but personally I hate them. They are violent and they are huge time wasters!I do not think that young(ish) children should be playing things that encourage them to kill other peole especially when it doesn't show the consequences of death. The evil opponem will just appear again with in the next level. This teaches children that even if they do kill that it won't really harm the other person and that death isn't a permanent thing.

topic 1 (a bit late... :P)

I was pretty sure i had made this one up but i guess i dint. sad day. so if it still caounts my question would have been what your favorite band/genre of music is?

video games

Personally i don't believe video games are harmful to a point. If you start violent games at 5 years old though that could be harmful. Or if you play 10 hours straight it can be very harmful on your eyes and your brain. But in a moderation, no i don't think they are harmful.

Topic #16

A week off from the blog for finals?  Why, yes, that would be wonderful.  Thanks for the thought.

No topic this week, folks.  Feel free to come on a rant and rave about grades, and tests, and classes, and teachers, and anything else you like.  We'll start fresh next week for the new semester.

Topic !5

Video games: I think that video games can go either way harmfull or helpfull, some which are made for learning can really help you learn ( i know sounds stupid) and some that have you brutally murder your teammates could prove to be worrisome.

Video Games

Hmm, video games. I'm a bit iffy with video games. I don't personally own any, or really play them, except for one. There is one very cool, extremely realistic, awesome game, and that is the Harry Potter game. (My brother owns The Order of the Pheonix one.) It's amazing. And you can't really go wrong with a little bit of wizardry can you?

But video games of the violent nature aren't exactly my favorite things to do, or to see my little brother do. I mean, people get all defensive that video games are just that, games! And that people who play them are fully aware that they are not real. But come on! They are not appropriate at all for teens and younger if you ask me. Some people are easily influenced by the things around them, cough...kids...cough.... and a gang banger who steals cars and hits hookers after... doing naughty things, is not what I want my brother doing being through a game. hide and go seek is a game, monopoly is a game, but the above mentioned things, are not games.

But I'm not totally against them. There are some games out there that wouldn't give my grandma a heart attack.

balance

video games arent harmful. they arent not harmful either. you have to find a balance between relaxation,work and exercise. in my eyes, those are the three main things you do with your time. some activities deal with more than one of those three things, but is still a part nontheless. so if you spend all your time playing video games(which in case your stupid that would be under the RELAXATION part)they are particularly harmful both physically and mentally. the same would go towards working and excercising. that is why so many people in the US are overweight,obese,having heart problems or whatever. its because they want nothing to do with work because for some reason everything should be given to them for free out of nowhere and excercising is too hard. awww...POOR YOU! get a life, you suck. sorry, i really do HATE people like that. with a fiery passion. thats why i like living where i do where i use the metaphor of a cave to describe the place where i live, which is exceptionally close to goble. and in case you didnt know goble is a tavern, and a boat dock. nothing more, nothing less. main point is you need a balance in life and nobody wants that. except for a few smart people.

new years resolution, and books

I hate new years resolutions, because I lack the self control to uphold them. If it is important, then i will change it, without making a goal. I think that resolutions are a fantastic way to iproove one's self, for some people...
I adore books, but i have a far greater attachment to the guitar, so that is my priority. I mainly read religious books, if i do read at all. my favorite is probebly "the last lecture" by randy pousche. It is a truely amaizing book written by a dying man. The book is all of the advise that he can not give to his addolecent children. It is a very heart worming book, that i highly recommend

int main(){ cout<<"VIDEO GAMES"; return(0);}

    Personally I don't play many commercial games (like Nintendo or commercial software) The only Nintendo games I like at all are Super Mario World for the SNES, the F-ZERO games, and some Zelda games. I mainly stick to games I can download to my Xandros Linux computer, the latest of which is Privateer: Ascii Sector.
    I have never played a mmorpg, so I can't give much of an opinion on them; however, I do know people who had a marriage fall apart partially because of WoW (or something like it) so I can't say that I have a very good opinion of them.
   I did try a simplistic Java rpg called Tyrant and was wrapped up in it for a week or two, but I soon got very bored with it. All I would do was wait for some goblins or other monsters to come and attack me and then kill and all of them and take their gold. It got really boring really quickly.
  As for video games being harmful, I believe they have the capacity of becoming so; however video games in of themselves are not bad. They are just another form of media like books and television. Books aren't bad, but if all you ever did was read them and didn't do other important things, like homework, that would not be good. Granted though, it would not be as bad as if you only played video games and did nothing else.
    As far as I can see video games are not bad, but they can be misused just as books can. Too much can be detrimental, but it is easier for these games to be used excessively than it is for books, for they have almost none of the benefits of books. People who let games get in the way of family have gone way beyond what the limits should be.

Video Games

I think that video games being harmful or helpful really depends on the game itself. Such as some helpful video games are all the little kids leapster games and how they teach kids how to count or say abc's. Also with some of those games comes excersize. There is those bicycles that they sit on and have to pettal to get to the correct answer or something. Then there is the other video games that arent the best for you like all the killing games and stuff. I mean they arent totally bad for you but then again some phsyco could play those games and learn how to kill people in real life so then that is a threat. Thsts my view on video games.

topic 9

another topic i thought i had done already.
food. i hate bananas and tomatoe sauce. and i have always hated these foods with a passion. well, recently my dad tried making me eat a banana. when i said no thank you, he acted shocked, and asked when i had started hating bananas too. (my dad thinks i hate every food item he tries to get me to eat. i don't, it's just sometimes i'm not hungry) my response was, well, since forever, and he kinda freaked out. turns out, he had forgotten that i hated most of the foods that i can't stand. weird right? so now every once in a while, he'll say suggest i eat something, i have to tell him that i can't stand it. lovely.

topic 2?

ok, i thought i had done this one. lieing is wrong, but human nature lies. we always will. think of anyone you know, and then try to believe they have never lied to you. probably half of you just said "God has never lied to me!!" but lets think about it, he's not human. now that we got that behind us, no human is always truthful, 100% of the time. everyone has lied, and yes, you will do it again. so, we weave a very tangled web, but we are also given the brains to figure out how to fix our lies. we are given the capacity to forgive people, and to be friends with them again.

legend of fricking zelda

yes, i said that. i, annika, play legend of zelda like it is a religion. cause it is. and once i can get past the monkeys on the one for the wii, i'll start playing again. so, anyone who has played the twilight princess, please, please comment and tell me why i cant seem to get past the monkeys in the trees. they keep following me and i need to get them all to follow me, but i cant get the last one. talk to me in class, or comment here if you know how.

topic 14

my most hated book.....wuthering heights. terribly boring book, and thoroughly annoying. it drove me up the wall, and i had to do a book journal on it, which i hated even more, not that doing a book journal is something i hated, but the fact that i had to do it on wuthering heights.
favorite book. i have many favorite books, some including any of the redwall books, the dream factory, and many more. fail mr humphrey, for asking an honors class to say their favorite book.......

topic 13!

I do not make new years resolutions. if i want to change something that i come across later in the year, i make whatever that day is resolutions. example, if on march 12 i decide i need to stop swinging my cats around whenever i see them, then i will make a march 12th resolution.

Yeah.

Pokemon, Harvest Moon, Frogger and Mario Kart were all a serious part of my life until... about two and a half years ago when I started taking more dance classes.
I like them enough. The games I played weren't violent, so they haven't turned me into a serial killer but I have a younger brother who plays crazy sniper games and he's fuggin' ca-razy.
Okay, Maxie's still a cuddle bug on the inside but I still don't like those games.
To scary for me.
Bleh.

Epic Video games

Poor Video games. I grew up on them, and i played them to death. most people argue that as a child, i should have been put in front of Dora the Explorer, or blues clues, but instead i spent my hours hacking my way through the virtual world of Hyrule, pretending to be my hero; Link. As a child, i had on crazy imagination. I would start these mock battles in the football field at my old school in Portland. I would do battle with children around my age during recess, pretending i was my green clad hero. I would hack my crafted sword, made from the branch of the great Deku treat, at kindergartners, second graders, and my own class of first graders, in the epic battles we had. I always led my group into battle, losing few, and gaining many to my cause; devastation and destruction of the playground. We fought hard, cold battles, fought children who at the time, seemed possessed by hellish souls. we fought the great mutant clan in the blistering heats, our little bodies covered in sweat, dirt and mutant blood. We were called "misfits" by the guardians of the playground; the dreaded duty aids. We left decimation that only the great crusades could match. Me and my marry band of pirates scavenged the playground, taking all that was not in use, and using to our advantage in our own playground cleansing of evils. we were referred to as godless warriors, showing no mercy. we were revered, and also loved. we fought for all those though who were thought defenseless, and gave them the best defense that could be found. we took down bullies, violently or with intimidation. I was the robin hood of our play ground, and my followers were my merry band of heroes who fought for all good. I was the seeker of truth. All of this came from Video games. I learned everything i knew of moral codes from my personal bible;Zelda Ocarina of Time. I put myself in harms way to defend those who couldn't. I learned selflessness, compassion for others, and learned to seek what was right, not what was easier.
Anyone who says Video games were rotting my brain; ARE WRONG.
I also was introduced to books through video games. I learned to read from them at the age of five, and when i first found a book i understood, i read it for the first time. Harry Potter and The sorcerers stone in fact. I read at night, and when i was home i played my bible, and learned its morals, its lessons and story. I still keep many of those morals, and i thank Video games for that.
It also got me into sports, and exercise, made me healthy. Made me care how my body reacted to stimuli. During my cleansing of evil on the play ground, i would find myself tired. I always wondered why Link never quit. always persevered when i was sure he wished to nap. being a child, i thought the game more than it was, and pondered it. I realized that with all the running i made him do, he must be in perfect shape. My father confirmed this, and so took up the habit of running as long as i could during PE.
Epic Video Games are not evil. They inspire Children to do impossible; imagine. Without something to spark that fire, it will roar to life. they are one of the few things that inspire children to learn at that age. However, i speak of only few games. classics. Most modern games, such as grand theft auto, Halo, Call of duty, are for entertainment only. They are not bad, but offer a different meaning. they are there to fill the hours of nothing, which should in my opinion be spent reading a good book. I have grown up, and have other things that set my intellectual mind off, and i don't seem to care much for them as i used to. However games such as Assassins Creed 2, and Zelda twilight princess are as influential to me, as any book is. Both games are filled with the culture, moral codes, and ideas i had when i was a child of 7.
Epic Video games are not only for nerds, or creepers who sit in there moms basement jacking of to soft core porn, they are for readers. they are books that you can interact with and see, making your own story. They are the next generation of books

I just can't keep up with this blog! Topics 6, 7, 13, 14, and 15

Topic #6: Fears

I have a lot of fears, but this is mainly due to the fact I have extreme anxiety issues and quite frankly LIFE scares me. I fear the future and I cower thinking about my past. Most of the time I get over everything while in the present but end up having panic attacks when I lay down to go to sleep at night. Oh and did I mention how badly I fear change. I probably have. I've got issues. But other than that I am afraid of death, heights, guns, and the thought of an eventual ending to the world. Haha.

Topic #7: Luck

I guess you could say I think there is some sort of luck out there. But not really. I'm not completely sure there is anything like that. I kind of think that every person has there good and bad days and we tend to just blame everything on this myth called good or bad luck. Personally, I believe that each one of us is destined to do certain things in his/her life and depending on what decisions we make we could either end up in a really good place or some where bad. It really all depends on your own out look on your life.

Topic #13: Resolutions

For some reason I feel like I did a blog on this already but I can't find it anywhere so I'm just gonna do it. I have been really dreading this year. I didn't want it to come. Honestly, my new years eve was spent wrapped up in a nest of blankets in the dark basement of my beach house watching depressing movies and covering my ears to drown out the sounds of my family upstairs cheering in the new year. So far my predictions about what this new year was gonna be like have come true. Everything that was so good last year has fallen apart. Don't get me wrong I've been trying to stay positive but that doesn't help. Well anyways, because of all this misfortune my resolution has been one word; Accept. I am using that word to get by. I need to accept the changes this year has brought, accept my mistakes of the past, and accept whatever else life decides to throw at me. Acceptance is my goal.

Topic #14: Bookssss

Oh god this is gonna be hard.

Top 5 favorites:
1. Tweak by Nic Sheff
2. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
3. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
4. Lord of the Flies by william Golding
5. Dry by Augusten Burroughs

I don't really read books that I won't like except these 2:
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
2. Hiroshma by John Hersey

I also reallllllyyyyy want to read Jack Kerouac's books. They look interesting

Topic #15: Video Games

Honestly, the video games that have been coming out lately I find extremely stupid. I don't like going around shooting everyone, and I definitely couldn't do that for hours on end. If I play any video games it is Mario or Donkey Kong. I like the originals. Today's video games just teach violence and make people act like freaks in real life. No offense to any gamers who might be reading this. But seriously go outside and take a walk, draw a picture, write, read. There's lots of really fun things out there that you can do in REAL life.

Video...Games

Video games are only harmful is you get a seizure easily to flashy, moving pictures or if you play them too much. Like a lot of things, such as: candy, t.v. and computers, its only harmful if you are addicted and its affecting your life in a negative way. Honestly, I use to be so addicted to Mario Bros. that one day I forgot to save the level I was on and I had to start all over again. I was so addicted that I started crying as if the world was about to end? Luckily I took a break for well... about five years lol.

Video Games

I love video games. All for 'em.

I can see how they would be harmful, though. Sometimes I wish I wasn't so addicted. You can get addicted and avoid doing things you should be doing. There have also been cases in which video gamers became violent after playing a video game.

I can also see how they would be helpful. For example, on many occasions, I have been playing a completely un-educational video game and found an interesting fact that I didn't know. I can't give any examples at the moment, though.

The first video gaming console I've ever gotten was a PS2. I got it when I was like, 7. Guess what my first game was? Grand Theft Auto III. My mom thought it was a racing game. You know why she took it away? Because I could kill police. Not because of the blood, the gore, the robbing, the prostitutes. Because I could kill cops. I'm sure she didn't know about the rest though. She just always blamed it on that one aspect of the game.

The most annoying thing in the world to me though, are inappropriate video games. You will look at the cover of a game and think, "Hey, that looks like an awesome game!", then when you pick it up, and look at the back cover, there's a half-naked woman. There are too many inappropriate video games out there. The reason why this is annoying is because, even if you are not performing the actual event in real life, you're still doing whatever virtually. That's just as bad.

I'm planning on becoming a video game designer. It's my dream job. It's also my job to be passionate about video games. It's quite impossible to be in a job where you create video games and not be passionate about them. I've already created a few simple video games in my time. For a short while, I was learning C#, the programming language for making video games. I was actually able to make one, but it was so incredibly complicated. Not to mention I cheated by using one of the tutorials.

Video Games

We were just talkjng about this in Psychology a few days ago... I think that some video games, like violent games, have a negative effect on our society. I think that if little kids play them, then they will think that it's okay for them to act that way with no consequences. 

But on the other hand, some games teach little kids how to read, what colors are what, and how to identify animals. So I think that it all depends on the game, the age of the chikdren and if parents set them straight on what's right and what's wrong.

I turned out ok, I think?

I have no idea what to think of vidio games... I've played them my entire life. Every zelda, every pokemon, every final fantacy... I have played almost every game that has been mentioned on this blog, and yet i never thought much of it :/. I believe that they do help some things, like supporting my over zelus immagination, and increase my hand eye coordination. As you all can tell, I am a pretty (if not over) social guy, so i can't deduce that v~games rob children of childhoods and friends... but until the end of seventh grade i was a bit of a porker, and i was very bad at sports. i stoped playing games and instantly thined up, but i think the extra foot i grew was to blame for that one...

My older brother on the other hand was not so lucky. He stayed in his room and played v~games until the sun rose and set, indefinately. He had a whopping 3 friends through out highschool, and no other hobbies. He was anti social, and never went on a date. I guess that he is the stereotypical negative outcome of v~games, it is hard to know for sure. All i know is that v~games are good in moderation, because there are so many other things that you could be waisting your time on :)

Video Games :-)

I like to play video games. They are entertaining and fun. Video games can be bad for our society if they are being played by kids who are still too young to seperate reality from games. Why parents allow their kids that are 8 to play games like grand theft auto. THATS JUST WRONG!!! Oh well, but i think that a few of the best games ever are: Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 1 and 2 for the original Xbox and Mario 64.

#13 & #14 a little late

topic 13
New years resolutions for me never really change and i do good on some but horrible on others. the ones i do good on are the not cussing and the trying to improve my skills in sports (sometimes doesnt work) but i make a lot of dumb ones like: pop only on weekends and eat healthier.

topic 14
i dont have a favorite book because i read too much to pick one. but i can narrow it down to my favorite author who is of course Ted Dekker. i would recommend his series called the circle series which includes Red, Black, White, and Green. but other than Ted Dekker books i love the book The Shack by William P. Young

Geeky -Pants

I am a Mr. Geeky-Pants. I still play with legos, Lego video games, and every Friday I blah out on video games. I think that too many are bad for you and Waste your life away. you could be doing so many better thing than video games. Like hanging with friends for example (I haven't invited a friend over in months. Aside from Annika, but that's my girlfriend). I have to admit that videogames are fun. I do learn things from them. If anything, I learn the game. The best way to win get started and things that are fun to do. I have a good memory for certain things. There's not much more to say.

Best Joke ever:

P = Momentum Yes, we are rocket scientists

Joke by Michaela Munger

Booker McBookington

I like to read, but I'm not a fast reader. My favorites books are the "Chronicles of Narnia" ('nuff said), "Gotrek and Felix the First Omnibus"(A collection of three books 700+ pages total), Christopher Paolini (author of Eragon), "Through Wolf's Eyes" by Jane Lindskold, "Here there be Dragons", "Sign of the Owl" by Deborah Chester, and "Dragon Drums" by Anne McCaffrey (Volume three of the Harper Halls trilogy. I suggest reading the others first. I didn't really bother reading the others since I knew the ending).

Three books that I hate are "The Golden Goblet" (the middle was like a freaking desert! Dry-dry-dry!), "To Kill a Mocking Bird", and This one book which I can't remember the name of, but it was a story of how the Spanish failed at finding El Dorado told by a conquistador. You would think I would be interesting, but no.... horrible writing... Not to mention "Star Girl" it was a chick book....

video games

i never grew up with them probably until i was about twelve or thirteen. my friends all had video games but i just never did. that is probably a good thing though, in no way do they make you smarter, some might even make you less intelligent. i do play video games now, not too often though. i love playing those fantasy medieval games, especially a game called morrowind! that's about it. video games every once in awhile never hurt anyone and can be really fun with friends, but in excess they can be a bad thing.

books

i would have to say i love to read, even if i don't do it as much as i should. i love all of the hairy potter series, most all stephen king books, i really like to kill a mockingbird, the hobbit, and i hope to finish reading the rest of the lord of the rings series. i really hate twilight!!!!

I resolute?

In fact, I don't really believe in new years resolutions. Sure they are great and all, but if you aren really going to improve you life, you should be doing it continuously. Here it goes I guess.... I will be a better boyfriend, be more respectful to women, not pee on my neighbors dog when I walk home (I hate that dog), and Do my math homework on time. Or all my homework for that matter. That's something we all should do, right ;)

Christmas Traditions! :) Late

Our family is big and loud, probably obnoxious to some people. We always have a nice little dinner with my moms parents and my uncle and his kids. Its fun we hang out and watch movies. But then we always have a huge party with the dads side of the family over 50 are usually there. Its loud, we always have a lot of food, and we play cards, not nice sit down cards intense speed and yelling card games! :) it gets pretty crazy. But its a lot of fun to see everyone because its crazy how people change in just one year. We always have fun and I love being around family since we hardly ever see them.

I love Christmas traditions! My mom always make Cinnamon rolls for christmas morning. we always start with our stocking first and then open our presents and just spend one day a year all together as a family.

14&15

14. I don't read a lot of books. I don't read enough to have a favorite or a least favorite book. Hopefully this will count as enough for a grade for blog 14.

15. Video games are helpful and harmfull. they are helpful because they are entertaining and can help pass the time. They are harmful because they can teach kids the wrong idea (Hey guy's lets go get guns and kill people. Yay!!!) and can waste a lot of time when you could be doing something productive (like homework). I'll stick to playing games and procrastinating. I have to go do homework now.

I don't think that Video Games are harmful. They are there for entertainment, and actually, I think that in some cases they prove to be better for you than, say, sitting down and watching T.V. for hours on end, depending on the video game. Games such as World of Warcraft make you make decisions, sometimes there is a lot of math involved for you to make those decisions, there are countless formulas that in order to get, you one, have to be able to find the formula in the games files itself, or two, find it on the internet. I know that playing video games has helped me with my motor control as well. I used to be able to type about thirty words a minute. Now I can type upwards of 80. Thought, and speed.
My mother thinks video games are taking my life away. That because of these video games I have no social life(so little does she know). She is sooooooo biased though, and has a selective memory, soooo... yeah.
Video games can harm though, people have died from lack of sleep because of them. Usually I think this is the persons fault, not the video games. You have to know when to quit(after long periods of time playing them) or when you have to do other things such as eat, go to the bathroom, go to work, etc.

Topics 1,3,6,7,8,14, and 15

Ugh, I don't enjoy typing but I guess I deserve it. Well, I guess I gotta do this for my grade. Oh well...
Blog #1 Im not sure if anybody has asked this but im not going to check. What's your favorite type of music? Mines indie rock. For the people who don't know what indie means it basically means "little known" I enjoy it because it's usually different from the mainstream music we have right now and I like that.

Blog #3 If I had to choose a totem I guess it'd be either a sloth cuz I'm rather lazy and I love laying around doing nothing or a music sheet cuz I love music. It's a huge part of my life. I'm equally partial to both so I don't know what to choose.

Blog #6 I'm scared of both falling and spiders. Falling because falling is fun in no way possible and spiders because I had a very bad incident with them when I was a kid that I would not like to talk about.

Blog #7 I believe in luck. I seem to have some which is very surprising. But it only shows it's face when I really, really need some luck which makes me incredibly happy but pissed off at the same time.

Blog #8 I have to say I don't really know why people don't want this, well, I know why i just think it's stupid. I think that universal healthcare would be awesome.

Blog #14 There are way too many books for me that I liked to make a top 5 and if I even tried that I would insult the other books by saying they're inferior and I don't want to do that. I cant really think of any books I hated though because I usually put the book down after ten pages and erase the book from my mind. Oh wait! I remember some books. The whole Twilight series. I read those to see if they were really as bad as I thought and I was right. They murdered my view of vampires of being totally bad ass and it saddens me. Also Bella is the most whiney angsty character I've ever read about. I was close to killing myself too with her after I had to read 500 pages of her whining. I can go on and on about how much I hate those books but Im not because I have other things to do then waste my time on those books.

Blog #15 Thank the heavens! Last one. I enjoy video games and they do have their pros. they're time consuming, fun, improve hand-eye coordination and if you have games like dance-dance revolution or wii fit they actually help you keep in shape. While I do agree that you do have to play a lot of them to actually lose weight you cannot disagree with that fact.
There are some cons and as Amanda has said the war games do send a wrong message but that is why there is the rating system. It's more negligent parents that do not watch what their kids are playing then anything else. Finally! Done.

Video Games

I rarely play video games, so I'm not one to go to on these subjects, but I do enjoy Beatles Rockband, mostly because I love The Beatles. But when it comes to other video games, I really have no opinion. I think video games, just like pretty much everything else in this world, are fine in moderation, although I am a little against war games, I think it just sends the wrong idea, especially to younger kids. So, video games are not really a part of my life, although, if they're a part of yours, power to you.

Topic #15: Video Games

So last week we talked about books; this week let's talk about video games. I'm reading a book right now about geeks and gamers, in which the author is exploring the various geek-worlds, such as D&D, LARPs, the SCA, and WoW, among others; he is trying to determine whether such games and fantastic pursuits are helpful, or harmful.


What's your opinion? We should focus on video games, as those are the most common and popular and well-known -- my book just mentioned a statistic that 65% of households and 97% of teenagers in America play at least one video game, so that seems pretty dang close to ubiquitous -- but if you have some insight into any other games, feel free to mention those as well.
Your question is this: are games, particularly video games, harmful? If so, how? Why?
If they are not harmful, are they helpful? If so, how? Why?
Any suggestions or other opinions (which game is the bestest ever, and why) are welcome, as well.

I know this topic is late, but try to get an answer on here by next Monday (Jan. 25) anyway. Thanks.

BLOG #'s 7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15..

#7 Luck and superstitions.. UM well i believe in them but i really dont have any. There is one that i have heard from a movie the Unborn when the wind chims blow with no wind that means there is either a spirt or a ghost lurking around. I like this one. Or like the throw the salt over your shoulder or if you break glass you are cursed for 7 years of bad luck. I Believe more in kharam them Luck.
#8 Health Care Debate. I think everyone should be able to have health care especially when there is a young child involved or an injurie that puts you out of work and having no way to pay its good to have health care that can help out.
#9 Thanksgiving dinner. i love Thanksgiving cause its the time i get to see almost all my family and its really nice when we all live far way from each other. when my family gets together we make sure everyone is having fun even if its watching the game or playing crib or outside running from the dogs. One of the aunts say a prayer then we all dig into the most amazing foods its all homemade its the best.
#10Society's Direction. I believe that our world is going in the wrong way. I think its going into another depression and another world war..
#11 Happy/Topic/testing. I dont like testing because before i go in i know everything or at least i think i do but when i get in there and sit down i totally forget everything i really really dislike testing.
#12 christmas traditions. On christmas eve my grandma throws a party which is very fun and we have a lots of games we play. On christmas morning my mom bakes cinnimon rolls and we take lots of pictures.
#13 New year's resolution. My New years revolution is to try something new at least once a month and make new freinds and going on a totally awesome advanture to a new state.
#14 Books. My favorite Book would have to be um well thats hard cause i have one i just have favorite types like mystiers and i have never found a book that i have hated.i love reading.
#15 Video games. I own some but my brothers the one who plays them my favorite ones would have to be grand theft auto and racing games i like the older games like mario and chrash bandet cupe ( think thats how its spelled). I do on occation i like playing when im bored

Books

Well, i like a lot of books... but these would be my favorites

1.The Hunger Games, i had just read this one recently but i liked it a lot.

2. South of the Pumphouse, read this last year. Not well known but i like it nonetheless(by Les Claypool, a bass guitarist of Primus)

3.Catching Fire, the 2nd book in the trilogy of the hunger games. Wasn't as good as the hunger games, but good.

4.Cross

5. Violets are blue

and least favorite

Um twilight

Books

I have seen a lot of dislike toward twilight on this topic, but that has to be one of my favorite series.
Likes:
Harry Potter series
Twilight series
Sold
F 451

Dislikes:
I can't think of any specifics, but I deffinately don't think fondly of being forced to read a book you are not at all interested in. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, not a forced activity. It is hard to latch on to a book that you have no interests in, and it is even worse when a teacher grades you on it. Oh okay, Romeo and Juliet comes to mind here. If you appreciate it, then read it, but if you have no interests then why?

New Years Resolution

I think it is important to set new goals for yourself and strain to achieve all that you can. I do make new years resolutions and this years happens to be that I will let go of the things I can't change and stop stressing about things that just aren't worth it.

I think everyone should make goals and do their personal best at reaching them. I guess it is similar to following your dreams and making life worth it. Why not? We are born waiting to die.

Books=pure goodness

I've read so many, that I can't name all, but here are some good ones(no specific order):

1. Project 17-Six teenagers who don't all hang out much with each other help one of them win a film contest by going into an abandon mental institution from the 1900's and filming what happens in there by spending the night. Sort of creepy, yet good.

2. Harry Potter Series- No need to explain that.

3. Hurt Go Happy- About a girl who is deaf and meets an old man who has a pet chimp who can use sign language. Easy read, but good.

-I can't think of any other books at the moment, but Markus Zusak books always spark my interest. Also, I've read the Twilight series, and I must say there are way better books out there, no offense to Twilight fans.. just saying.

books books bookssssss

I love books. Booksie book books.

Favorites:
1.Harry Potter series
2.The Bone Garden
3.Twilight Series
4.The Book Thief
5.Pride and Prejudice

Not-So Favorites:

... I can't think of any, but I'll get back to you. I know there are some.

Humphrey's Favorite Books

Okay, so I didn't come back on Monday and add my list.  I'm too busy reading.

1.  The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.  Really only counts as one book, and not only brilliant but visionary.  The foundation of modern fantasy.
2.  The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (with assistance by Brandon Sanderson).  The term "Epic" as a compliment was invented for this series.  Perhaps the most ambitious and fascinating series I've ever read.
3.  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury.  Also visionary, but this time terrifying, because it's true.  It also has some of the loveliest prose I've ever seen in science fiction, and also has a personal connection for me.
4.  Lamb by Christopher Moore.  Along with Dirty Job and Fool, also by Moore.  Christopher Moore is the funniest novelist I know, and Lamb is fascinating as well.
5.  The Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon.  Remarkable depth in a genre not known for it.
(5.5: Me.  I like the book I wrote.  But that's not really fair.)


Books I hate:
Well, there's this one.  Magician's Apprentice, by Trudi Canavan (At the bottom of the page if you follow the link -- that's my book report site!  Because I am the king of book nerds!  All will bow before me and despair!), which is just about the lamest high fantasy book I have read all the way through.  And then there's this one, The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima, which was so ridiculous that it inspired me to write my first online book review.  But the worst book I know is the one I was required to teach for the first four years of my career, in California: A Separate Peace, by John Knowles.  Here, I'll ruin the story for you: there are a group of privileged snotty rich kids at an all-boys prep school during World War II.  Two of them are best friends, and one is envious of the other, who is more popular, a better athlete, and happier.  So the envious one chucks the popular one out of a tree, and he breaks his leg and later dies.  That's the book.  Now stretch that out over 220 pages, and make all of the characters loathsome and pointless human beings.  You get the idea.

No: I take that back.  The worst book ever?  That would be Breaking Dawn.  That book needs to be taken out behind the shed and given a whuppin'.

topic 14

1 dramarama
2 uglies
3 pretties
4 specials
5 extras





1 i thought my sole would rise and fly
2 naya nuki
3 some star wars boook i read inb the 8th grade of how some planet was being pooisoned by germs

new years!

well truthfully my only new years resolutions are to do the blog more, eat healthier, do core more, and stop streessing over stupid stufff i c ant change

topic 12

umm i guess i didnt see this one but uh i cant really think of any set traditions my family has. We switch where we have christmas all the time and pretty much we just try to see all of our family but nothing really set.

Books :(

Honestly I dont read books, I have read about five chapter books on my own in my life time. Other wise its all the books that my teachers make me read. But out of the ones that I have read I have liked some of them. I dont know who they are by so I will just name the names!

Books I like:
1. Child Called It/Lost Boy
2. Uglies/Pretties/Specials/Extras
3. Outsiders
4. Charolettes Web
5. Because of Winn~Dixie

The ones I dislike:
1. Twilight
2. Fly on the Wall
3. Romeo & Juliet
4. Stargirl
5. To kill a Mockingbird

Thats pretty much all the books I have read. Yes I like reading little kids books, they are much easier to understand for me!

7 and 13

Apparently I didn't do topic 7, so here it is.

Sometimes I'm lucky, sometimes I'm not. I like it when I am lucky, but when I'm not, I deal with it and figure a way out to fix it.

Topic 13.

I've never had a new years resolution, and probably never will. My life is fine the way it is, and I don't think there is a reason to change it. I might have one next year if my life all goes down hill. I will find out next year if I have a resolution.

Topic #14: Favorite/Hated Books

Dang it, man! It's too hard! Grr...

Not in any particular order...

Favs:
1) Time Cat (another reason for my project)
2) DO NOT OPEN
3) The Figure In the Carpet
4) The Black Book of Secrets
5) Wavewalkers

Hate with the fury of a thousand suns:
1) Twilight (go figure)
2) ... That's about it.

topic #13 again?

Is it just me or do we have two topic thirteens?

Favorite books

How is this supposed to be nice and easy? Summing up my five favorite books? Thats hard!
Oh well. Here is my best attempt (not in order):

1. Redwall books by Brian Jacques.
2. To Kill a Mockingbird
3. Shakespeare
4. There and Back Again (The Hobbit)
5. Mark Twain
6. F 451 (I have read it before.)
7. Issac Asimov (Most of his books anyway)
8. Chronicals of Narnia
9. Douglas Adom's 4 book trilogy
10. Edgar Allen Poe
11. The Most Dangerous Game
    

Nope. Didn't make it even close to 5.

Least favorite books. This will be hard because I don't read too many books and not like them.

1. The Robots of Dawn, Issac Asimov (I read half of the book and loved it until that point. It was about an advanced android which froze up because of extreme mental conflict. At the halfway point it was reviled that a woman fell in love with the android. At that point I decided the book was crap and stopped reading it. It also gave away the ending.)
2. The Scarlet Ibis (I HATED that story.)

My Favorite Books

The One's I Love:
1) The Hunger Games & Catching Fire
2) The Twilight Saga
3) The Book Thief
4) I Am The Messenger
5) Thirteen Reasons Why
6) Milk Weed

Not So Much:
1) To Kill a Mockingbird
2) The Breaking Point
3) Dissmantled

Resolutions

I have no new years relolution. I never have. I think that whatever happens happens. I like my life the way it is, and if i decide to change it later on in the year, then that's that.

Let's Get Lost.

I love to read. When I was younger, I read quite a bit more than I do now. It's probably because I didn't do any extra curriculars and now I do dance, theater and hirseback riding... I just wish I wasn't sacrificing my reading time... Sigh.
Anyway, top five favs?
Ok....
1) Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
2) The Glass Castle
3) Our Lady of the Forest by David Guterson
4) A Million Little Pieces
5) Shoot the Moon by Billie Lets

Why?
1) This book is a true story of a dying man who teaches his view on life to an old student. Each chapter covers a different conflict in life and handles it in a unique grace. It makes me cry all the time.
2) A memoir that is well written and makes me grateful. I don't know quite why it is at number 2, But I like it here as opposed to any other spot on this list.
3) The only book that has ever really, really scared me. This is a story of a completely messed up teen girl who claims to seeing sightings of the Virgin Mary. It is intense.
4) A 'supposed' memoir, the journey of a man through rehab who made it through without a God. I think it's inspirational for people who believe what they want.
5) Shoot the Moon. I loved the sound of it as it came off my tongue. It's a gripping mystery that I read in two hours, so extremely fascinating. I like mysteries...

Authors; I like anything by Sarah Dessen, David Guterson (Yes, I have already read Snow Falling On Cedars, I read it when I was twelve.), Mitch Albom and Billie Lets( You may have heard of "Where the Heart Is" [I like that one a lot too.)
I also have always been really interested in books that are about the Holocaust.

Books that fail?
Hmm....
Treasure Island. Barf.
Island of The Blue Dolphins. Gag...
Bridge to Terabithia. Hack.

It takes a lot for me to love or hate a book.
Currently, I'm reading Pride and Prejudice and another mystery which shall remane un-named.

BOOKS!

YES! Finally! A post I'm excited about! Alright. Well, here are my top five: (#'s one and two are tied)

1. A Clockwork Orange- Anthony Burgess
2. The Lord of the Rings- J.R.R Tolkien
3 . Harry Potter- J.K Rowling
4. 1984-George Orwell
5. Lamb- Christopher Moore

This is why:
1. Brilliant. I don't know what else to say. Probably helps that the main character is my favorite literary character in existence...
2. The most epic, in depth world ever created in a book (that I've read) period.
3. Wizards. That's all.
4. Totally intense, and very frightening. Delicious.
5. Hysterical. Although completely blasphemous....

And 3 books I hate...hate is a very strong word, I don't really HATE any book. However I dislike:

1. A Child Called It. (Because I think it's retarded)
2. To Kill a Mockingbird (Eh, I think it was more the teacher's doing, not the book, seeing as we read it in class)
3. Cut (Gosh I hate (I take what I said above back..I do hate this book) books like these. They are so weepy and angsty. I would cut myself too if I were as annoying as the teenage antiheros of these novels)

GO BOOKS!

Top five favorite:
The Stand by Stephen King
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer
Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordin
Bag of Bones by Stephen King

I don't really have any least favorite books I could put on this list because every book I've disliked, I've stopped reading halfway through. Except for The BFG by Roald Dahl. I had to read that in elementary school once.

books

My top five favorite books are:

1. Ella Enchanted
2. Titanic
3. Enchantment (which was written by Orson Scott Card who wrote Enders Game which I love! But it doesn't quite make my top 5.)
4. Pretty much all of Stephenie Meyers books, of which my favorite is probably The Host.
5. Small Steps.

My bottom three are:
1. The Blue Sword, my sister told me I had to read it, since it's one of her favorites, and I did because she has a really good taste in books, but this one was really boring.
2. The first Nancy Drew book. I don't know what everyone sees in them, I read the first one and refused to read any more.

I can't think of a third book, probably because every time I start a book, and don't like it within the first few chapters, I give up and put it down.

New Year

My resolution is to stop being so shy. Well, not really stop, but try to be less shy. I should know how to talk to people by now, but it's still really hard for me. I can never think of anything to say to anyone unless we're really good friends. I always get awkward and nervous, but this year, I'm going to work on that.

Greatest books ever read
1. ENDERS GAME!
2. The Book Thief
3.Harry Potter series
4. LOTR
5. Wizards first rule (MUST READ FOR ALL FANTASY READERS)
6. The Messenger
7. Ender's Shadow
8. To kill a mockingbird
9. Twilight Series (MINUS Breaking dawn. WORST BOOK EVER.)
10. The giver
11. Sandman Slim
12. Watchman
13. The Da Vinci code
14. Angels and Demons
15. Artemis Fowl
16. Candide
17. Choke
18. Eragon series
19. Hitler Bio. (The real one. Not the Mein Kampf)
20. Speaker for the Dead

Books i hate.
1. BREAKING DAWN. TERRIBLE
that's about it

Books

Hmm my favorite books would probably be, Eragon (although the movie ruined it), the rangers apprentice (the series), fablehaven, the redwall series and House. My three least favorite book would be stargirl and uh stargirl and the swiss family robinson. If i dont like a book halfway through i usually dont finish it. =)

I doubt I could list my top 5 favorite books, simply because I don't know what they are. Some favorite authors of mine include(in no particular order)
David Eddings(Leigh to)(Belgariad)
R.A. Salvatore (Drizzt)
Patrick Rothfuss (The Name of the Wind)
Robert Jordan (WoT)
Brandon Sanderson (Elantris, Warbreaker)
Some Stephen King (The Stand)
J.K. Rowling
The guy who created Tarzan(cant remember his name!!!)(Also the author of The Land that Time forgot) Edgar Rice Boroughs
C.J. Cherryh (Sun trilogy)
George R.R. Martin(still reading his series)
Roger Zelazny (Amber)
Michael Moorcock(not allowed to read past first Elric Book =/ )
J.R.R. Tolkien
Anne McCaffrey (Pern)
Brian Jaques (Redwall)
Terry Brooks (Shanara)(Magic Kingdom for Sale: Sold!)


And many more, just can't think of them right now.

LEAST favorite author
Erin Hunter, seriously, copy and paste, change a few names of the cats and places aaaaaaannnnnd you have a new Warriors book.

Author of the Animorphs series


Authors I want to read

Robin Hobb(Megan Lindholm)

Resolutions and Books

Resolutions. I never seem to make any. I have in the past but I never seem to follow them, so I just ended up stopping. I've never really been a fan of them, and maybe when I'm older I'll do have some cliche resolution like "this year I'm going to loose 20 lbs." or something dumb like that but I don't like living through the year on something that I decided at 12 a.m. on the very first night of the year. Chances are I'm really tired and don't really care, or with a bunch of people anyway, so why does it matter. I don't understand why people even make them. Why would you want to live up to one standard? Chances are if you're committed, you'll achieve it in no time, or never achieve it at all. And then what do you do? You might as well just make a huge list of them, you'd probably have more success with that, and then I'd probably see the point for them but personally, I'd rather go with the flow, and live easy going without hoping to succeed my new years resolutions. Just my opinion.





Books! I seem to have a hard time finding books that keep my interest, but the ones that I do read I love. I don't have a lot of time to read, but sometimes I wish I did, but here's my favorites, and least favorites. Here it goes.

My top 5 favorites are not exactly broken down into 5 individual books but more of the authors and their series or style of writing. These aren't in order either.

1. Ellen Hopkins books (ex: Crank, Glass, Impulse, Burned)
2. Stephanie Meyers Twilight Saga
3. Dave Pelzer - All 3 "A Child Called It" series
4. Ellie Weisel's "Night"
5. Nic Sheff's "Tweak"

6. Lord of the flies. I also wanted to add this book because I loved it, and I really liked Mrs. Beeler's unit on it in 8th grade. The movie isn't too great but the book is awesome!

My top three least favorites are based on books that I've either put down from bordom or just hated with a passion and our teacher made us read them in class or something. There hasn't been many since I only read books that catch my interest. Sorry If I don't remember the authors, I didn't care enough to remember them.

1. "Stargirl" I forgot the author but I do not like this book. Terrible, boring, and a waste of my 7th grade english class. I couldn't stand it. And I hated the projects on them too.
2. "To kill a mockingbird" Some people loved this book but it was too sad and not entertaining to me. I barely finished the first chapter, and had to have Sam explain the whole book to me in P.E. so I could pass the test, which I barely did.
3. "Little Women" Hated this book. I remember how big it was and having my mom make me read it for our stupid reading logs that we had in 6th grade. I remember how much it was worth our grade and having my mom make me explain what I read and she wouldn't sign off if I couldn't explain it. I hated this book with a passion and think that it's a waste of paper.


-Lauren :)

Books books da da da da da

Although a lame copout i have to say that i cant name just five of my favorite books, i can however name the first book thats comes to my head, Dragons Keep. I have read it over 11 times and enjoy it no less each time, i still cry at the ending and become furious at her mother, i cant remember the author of the book and am much to lazy to go and pick it up. A cool little side note though the author did sign the book for me even using my name! :)

Books i hate

To kill a mockingbird. I had to read this for english last year and thought it was one of the most boring, stupid books i have ever read, it was nearly impossible for me to get into the book ar even care a little bit about what was going on.

the maltese falcon. I joined a book group in 8th grade and we read this book, it is a mystery but for me it had no mystery and was not attention grabbing at al

Books

I haven't ever be able to decide on my top five books! I really liked Heidi and Anne of Green Gables (and the following books) but I'm not sure if I read them now that I'd enjoy them quite as much. I have always liked Eva Ibbotson but then again I found her books when I was much younger so if I started reading them now they may not be my favorites. I really liked The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion. I enjoy reading Georgette Heyer novels which are regency era novels (think Jane Austen) My favorites of hers are Cotillion, Fredrica, and The Grand Sophy. I also love Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. I also really liked Tom's Midnight Garden. Most of my favorite books are childrens books because I love the illustrations. My mom used to always tell the fairy tale to me when I was younger and the retelling that Ms. Hale writes is fantastic in my opinion. I did not like the first Harry Potter book and I have not bothered to read the rest. Most books that I don't like I don't finish. I did not like Island of the Blue Dolphins or The Bridge to Teribithia.

2010

Ugh...new year resolutions....last year I had lots and I had them scheduled out to work on one each month and I promptly forgot about it halfway through January. This year I never got around to making any up. I think that my resolution will be to spend more quality time with my best friend who happens to be my sister who happens to be leaving for college this summer :( and spending more time with my younger brother so that when caitlin leaves, I'll still be able to have brother sister movie nights and camp outs and cookie baking days.

uhh books?

Well if you dont know me, i really dont EVER read books. so.... i just say the books i read and liked. Under the blood red sun, op-center, Eragon, Night, and the boy in the striped pajamas. books i hated....stargirl......pendtragon.......and...artimus fowl. there. those are the only ones i can remember.

Topic #14: Books

In recognition of the nerve-wracking book presentations you all have to make, AND the essay you will be working on, let's make this one nice and easy, shall we?
Name your top five favorite books and/or authors. Name your bottom three most hated books/authors. You need to have read the entire book for it to be on the bottom list, because if you gave up after a chapter, you didn't give it a fair chance. However, if you read one book and liked it at all, and then tried another book by the same author and hated it with the fury of a thousand suns, then put down that author's name and list the hated book, even if you didn't finish it. Okay?
I have to grade essays right now, but I will come back on and give my list later today.

#13: Resolutions? Uhm...

Ehh... I dunno if I have any. I have loads of improvements I could make in my life, and I can TRY, but honestly, I have no faith that I'll actually get the nerve to go through with them. So far, it's January 10th, and I can't think of a dang thing I should make a resolution to.

Oh, wait! Resolution, not guaranteed to happen... get a new graphics card for my stupid computer! There, I thought of one... wait, does that mean I have no life if my New Year's resolution is to get a new graphics card?

...

Oh well.

Oh, oh, wait, I thought of another one! Get version 3.0 of SwitchEx up and running! Yeah, let's go with that...


Ooo, and get more people to sign up to World of Warcraft: Discovered!


...


I have no life AND I'm a World of Warcraft nerd/geek! WOOT!

...

Sorry, randomness and odd post over.

2010 do it agian

Last Year was 2009. In our family, like allllll my family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, ect.) we had a theme. It was 2009 now is the time! This year it is 2010 Do it again! Last year we all made goals to reach by our big family reunion in the summer. We had family goals, personal goals and many other kinds. We even had braclets made that said "2009 now is the time" (you know, the ones like the cancer braclets?) they were pretty sweet. We also had a blog and a website we all updated eachother on how things were going. It was great and the reunion was a BLAST! This year, we are doing it again! One of my goals, kind of lame, is to not judge my seminary teacher. I could never really learn anything from her last year because I was so focused on how she taught, what she said and how she acted. Now i concentrate on the lessons more other than what she's doing and Im actually learning a lot! Well...yup thats one of my resolutions.

New years resolutions!!!

I belive that making new years resolutions are fun to do and aslo fun to try and stick to them. Every year I always have no soda. But within a few days I drink soda. I dont really make new years resolutions for any specific reason besides to see if i can make it a whole year with out something, or doing something. This year i chose no top ramen. When ever I go to my dads house thats all I eat even thou he has so much more food there besides top ramen. So I am going to try a whole year with out top ramen. I also chose chocolate, but that lasted for about a day, then I had an m&m mcflurry!

new year

hmm my new years resolution for 2010 would be to do a backfliip while snowboarding. I will be very sad if i dont because it would be way awesome if i do! =)

2010!!! :)

The new years going to be great...
My new years resolutions are the following...
-Be some one who people look up to.
-Be positive.
-Be all I can be.
-Prosper in my sports.

Resolutions

Well.. i've never really made any resolutions and have had no real desire too. Seem kinda lame to me. If you wanna do something do it don't wait until the new year to make the resolution. Anyway i think they're useless :)

Running year!!

The only thing i really care about is if i get to be even better at cross country and track. there are some people i want to beat and that would make me feel good.

New Year's resolutions. I don't make New Year's resolutions. Actually, thats a lie, I however, do not plan on posting them here, as I believe they are not to be shared to the class or anyone else for that matter.

My family doesn't have any Christmas traditions, we did, but then things sort of fell out of place. People began fighting, and screaming, and now we don't really have traditions that happen every year.

2010

Usually I don't give myself resolutions because whatever I say I'll do, I always do the opposite. But this year, I decided that instead of a material thing, (lose weight, get this, get that, blah blah blah) that what I really want to do, is devote myself to something. When I look at my friends, they all have something that is instantly connected to them. When I think Kayla Brumbles, I think volleyball. When I think Cassidy, I think dance. When I think Shayla, I think gymnastics.

I'm not really doing anything. So what I want to do is get into something.

11:59 am (Never never never never never again ... *snore* ... )

New year's resolutions:

1. Never make any stupid resolutions. (There goes that one!) 
2. Never ever stay up to midnight again on new year's eve! (Even if my grandpa makes me.)
3. Gain a few pounds. (Just to be different.) 
4. Not to goof up and write 2009 on my papers instead of 2010. (hard!) 
5. Install J.D.K. on my Linux computer. (Stands for Java Developer Kit)
   
6. Team up with my dad to convert an old run-down moped to a propane fuel injection system. (Oh, and get a drivers permit to go with it.)
7.  Never ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever watch a James Bond movie again. (By the time the first scene registered in my mind, it was in the 10th scene.)
8. Come up with stupider resolutions next year! (and probably not come through with most of these!)
   

By the way, It seems Prof. Faber forgot something when talking to Montag and asking him if he could dance faster than the White Clown or come up with better lines than Mr. Gimmick: Can you shoot people/drive cars/get everybody (even yourself) almost killed faster than James Bond?

(By the way, Mr. Humphrey, it seems that I will be having internet for now.)

New Year, hopefully new things

1. Get better at basketball

2. Not waste my summer

3. Get straight A's

4. Less pessimistic

Hopefully I'll actually stick to my goals this year.

New years

My new years resolution is simple.. i want to be happy.

New years for me is my birthday. But its cool that were at 2010!
but i don't do resolutions. so nope. However, since we all are listing goals, i will list mine too.
1.i would like to loose some fat, get more muscle
2.get better at guitar :D
3.finish this semester with a 3.2, and next semester with a a 3.5 or higher.
4.read more than last year
5.Get noticed by a collage.

Pah!

I have given up on new years resolutions. They ALWAYS fall through. So, in conclusion, I have decided to refrain from making any this year. Keep reading, keep thinking. Thats all :)

new years

i have never cared for new years, and have never made a resolution. last year was pretty good and i have nothing to complain about so i think i'll just do about the same thing and this year should turn out not to be too bad.

My resolution

The only resolution I have is to be a bit less lazy than I am right now. Knowing me im probably not going to do it but it might help. Im not sure yet.

I have never done these.

This year, I have two resolutions. I've never had resolutions before because I thought they were dumb and did not please to better myself.
I decided on the first one a few weeks ago. This year, I resolve to grow in the relationship area of things. That is it, I want to put myself out there. I'd like to expand my skills that handle relationships. The dating kind. Why? Not because I want someone, okay maybe I do but I don't want to settle. But because I think it's one of those things that I should give myself the experience of. I dunno. To be more prepared for later in life. I think high school commitments are silly... Actually, "rare" is the word I should use. I don't doubt that they exist. My parents met in high school and have been together ever since... Well, actually my mum dumped my dad a few times because she was afraid of his big legs.... ANYWAY, so I resolve to be more open and not freak out and close myself off to every single boy who I am vaguely interested in.
In all honesty, my mum is thrilled with this resolution. She worries about me.

Second, I resolve that in the case I become depressed again, I will not lose as weight as I always do. SO many girls think that a mere ten pounds is nothing but it is. No need to explain that one more as it is. The best way to acheive it is to stay happy? Yes. Easier said than done, haha.

First Topic of the New Year! (Topic #13)

Seems obvious, doesn't it?

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

How would you like this year to be different from last year? What will you do to make this year different from last year?


Here's my position on New Year's resolutions.

Even though I'm generally against New Year's resolutions, I do feel that the change in year number is appropriate for some changes; in my case, I want to be better about keeping up my own personal blog. I plan to post to it every two to three days, no less, all year long. (It's appropriate, by the way, because the blog archive starts a new category on January 1, so there is a genuine dermarcation in this case. Check the link if you want to make sense of that.) I swear to finish my second book sometime this year. I swear I will read no fewer than 78 books this year. Hopefully more, but definitely no less. I don't care if I lose weight, though I'd love to get in better shape; but if I do gain weight, it will just mean I ate well, so that's just peachy with me.


What will you change in 2010?

Traditions

Happy New Year!!! 2010!! lol anyways, I've been in Utah almost the whole break, including right now while the rest of you are in class haha. I'll be back sometime tomorrow. Anyways, I just got to remembering about the blog and I think the only one i havn't written about is the traditions. I could honestly careless if I got anything for Christmas or not. That is not what is important to me. Family is what is. They mean everything to me!!!! I love them. That's why I loved this vacation so much. I have been surrounded by family here. It's been great! I love all my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, siblings and my parents. I don't mind what we are doing as long as it's with them. That's my tradition, spending time with my family. And spending New Years in Utah. haha I celebrated an hour earlier than y'all with the time change. Wellllll...see you all tomorrow or Wednesday I guess! Happy Monday=)

The words of Richard Kadrey, The author of Sandman Slim. For HUMPHREY

Hello and thanks for the note. Who are you doing to report for?



By the “book” I’m assuming you mean Sandman Slim, so that’s what I’ll talk about. I don’t know how much of this I discussed in the video interview. The book is a combination of American crime fiction, fantasy, and a lot of old mythology and heretical religious writing I’ve read in the last few years.



A lot of the stuff about angels originally came from old Christian heretical texts, such as the book of Enoch, an ancient gospel that was thrown out when the church elders were assembling the first Bibles. Hell itself is a combination of Roman history, Weimar Germany, and Dante’s Inferno. Lucifer, who is a major character in the second Sandman slim book, is straight from Milton’s Paradise lost, with the kind of snotty rock star attitude on top.



Even though a lot of people call Sandman Slim noir, it really isn’t. Everyone who writes dark and cynical books about LA gets called noir. Probably because most people associate that kind of writing with Raymond Chandler. I admire Chandler’s books, but he’s not a direct influence on my writing. I’m more influenced by American crime writers than I am mystery writers. Most noir is based around the mystery, while crime writers generally write about unsavory people in the act of committing crimes.



Fifties and sixties crime writers such as Jim Thompson, the author of The Getaway and The Killer Inside Me, is a much more direct influence. A similar writer who had a big effect on the book is Richard Stark. In fact, the reason my main character is called Stark is to acknowledge the other’s Stark’s influence. The star of Stark’s book series is a criminal named Parker. That’s why I have a Parker in my book, too. The stripped down prose style of Sandman Slim is also a tribute to those earlier writers. Their style was terse and unadorned. Very straightforward, with little consideration for pretty or complex turns of phrase. I’m generally a very descriptive writer, but in Sandman Slim I dropped that to keep the story and the prose propulsive and staccato, moving along, not trying to paint pretty pictures.



I hope this helps. Good luck with your report.



Best,



RK

I'm dreaming of a burning christmas

I absolutely hate christmas. Yeah, all the feel-goodary is ok, but i can't stand all the people that go around vomiting sunshine. Besides, my parents suck all the spirit out of it anyway. I'm not going into detail, because a public blog is not the place to. Btw, saying "bah humbug" to someone who doesn't like christmas is not clever, so don't be a cleche...

Christmas tradition? Well, while my family does celebrate Christmas, I don't. I do everything they do, just instead of Christmas it's Festivius (I don't remember where I got this. I think it was from sitcom.) cuz I'm Atheist. But we don't really have any traditions. The only one is that we open presents every Christmas morning. For dinner, every year, we have something different so I guess you could call that a tradition by definition but I don't really consider it one since we don't do it on purpose. We just have whatever we feel like.
I guess that's all I have to say...

Internet tracking? weird. its not right, we have a right to privacy, and doing that doesn't give us it.
Christmas traditions....well, my mothers family is scandinavian, so we used to pull out the tree and dance around it singing we wish you a merry christmas in dutch and then sing other christmas carols. well, about fourth grade we got tired of pulling the tree out, and then people kept asking to sing the twelve days of christmas to drive everyone crazy, so we got rid of those two things. bt we still sing we wish you a merry christmas in dutch. best tradition ever!

Norwegian christmas... kinda

My family adopted my fathers side of the family's Norwegian traditions. At my house there are various Norwegian plates with writing on them scattered about the kitchen and living room. We light advent candles complete with holly, evergreen branches, and pine cones. Brilliant to put fire right next to flammable objects, I know. The thing I love most about Christmas is the krumkake (pronounced kroom-ka-ka). it's like a pancake/cone/cookie. Crunchy too. Very yummy! aside from that, we dont do much else than spend time with eachother. Including zombieing out to video games. Every year we also go skiing. One time I dislocated my left knee. It hurts from time to time.