SOL - Learn Live Repeat

Late nights in the midnight hours

Having fun till after that

Strange talks

Weird games

Memories were freshly made

Inside jokes

Tired journaling

Strange clothes

Weird games

Next morning

6:45

Alarm goes off

Wake people up

Take a shower

Crawl back in bed

Pack your bag

Remind your friends

Tell the other room

As you eat breakfast

Learn

Live

Repeat

Trip Books

       Between May 5th and 14th I didn't have much time to read outside of the plane flights and bus rides. Despite this, I finished Red Queen and got a bit further in The Scorch Trials. The conclusion to Red Queen was extremely unsatisfying and set the story up for a sequel. The main characters barely make it out of the conflict and away to their fellow Scarlet Guard members. The worst part is that Red Queen came out this year, so I will have to wait for at least another year for the next novel in the series.
       The Scorch Trials is not as interesting as The Maze Runner, the first book in the series, though it has gotten more gripping and much more has happened. Thomas and most of the Gladers have almost made it to the end of the Scorch, where they have been promised a cure. Some new characters have been introduced and are interesting, but the author hasn't provided as much background as I would like. I am hoping that the third book in the series is also interesting and the end of The Scorch Trials gives more information about everything going on.

Red Queen By Victoria Aveyard

       Mare Borrow has lived with Reds her entire life. She is a Red herself. Until she finds herself swept up in the chaos of the Silver market. While she is there the market is attacked by rebellious Reds and her sister ends up getting injured before they can flee and escape back to their home. The next day Silver guards knock on their door and Mare is swept back to the Silver capitol to become a servant for the royals. When Queenstrial comes and she falls into the lightning field she discovers powers she never knew she had.

       With my busy week I didn't get much time to read Red Queen, but from what I did read I am still thoroughly enjoying it. There has been more action and the characters remain interesting. I am looking forward to finishing Red Queen, and, as always, I would recommend it to people who like dystopian fiction.
Currently Reading:
Red Queen
The Scorch Trials

SOL - Trips

Trips

Florida, Boston, California, Washington

The heat of the theme parks

The sand of the beaches

The meetings on the ocean

The underground tours

But a favorite

Is hard to pick

So I won't

'Cause I can't 

And don't want to

"Don't touch the water!"

"Going off to school!"

"If there's a ghost in your photo."

"I got sand everywhere!"

They're all really great

From the 

Underground tours and the 

Meetings on the ocean and the

Sand on the beaches and the

Heat of the theme parks

Washington, California, Boston, Florida

Trips

Red Queen By Victoria Aveyard

       Mare Borrow has lived with Reds her entire life. She is a Red herself. Until she finds herself swept up in the chaos of the Silver market. While she is there the market is attacked by rebellious Reds and her sister ends up getting injured before they can flee and escape back to their home. The next day Silver guards knock on their door and Mare is swept back to the Silver capitol to become a servant for the royals. When Queenstrial comes and she falls into the lightning field she discovers powers she never knew she had.
       I've really enjoyed the beginning of Red Queen. There has been a lot of action which has helped the story remain interesting and fast paced. The characters are well developed with few gaps in their stories. The plot is a bit confusing because of how much has happened in such a short amount of time, but otherwise the story makes sense. I would definitely recommend this book to people who like dystopian novels.

Currently Reading: Red Queen

SOL - Dear Math And Other Annoyances

Dear Math and Other Annoyances,

       All of you only add problems to my life. Math, you add extra assignments and tests and studying. Though you are one of the less annoying topics and I do enjoy your company, you are still not the most fun thing in the world.

       Español, también no son lo peor, aunque me obligan a levantarse temprano dos veces por semana. A veces me siento tan cansado que no puedo concentrarme en lo que estoy haciendo, y eso hace que la tarea increíblemente difícil.

       (Spanish, you are also not the worst, though force me to wake up early twice a week. Sometimes I am so tired I can't focus on what I'm doing, and that makes the homework incredibly difficult.)

       And lastly, sports. You are perhaps the least annoying of all, though you exhaust me and make homework difficult. In the fall and spring I appreciate having something to do in the afternoons, especially the games. Games are the most fun.

Sincerely,

Selah

Ship Breaker By Paolo Bacigalupi

       Inside the crumbling hulls of huge oil tankers there is no making mistakes. No stepping in the wrong spot or cutting the wrong wire. On light crew Nailer is forced to venture into such ships and rescue the copper wire and other valuable materials. Day after day of painful and tiring labor left Nailer's father a drunk and addict, and Nailer rarely goes home, living in fear of being beaten. All of this changes when he and Pima come across a wrecked clipper ship. A ship full of riches with enough worth to get them off the island. But the most important object is a single girl.

       I really enjoyed Ship Breaker. I feel like the characters were well written and the plot was continuously interesting, though there were some confusing points. When there was a lot of action going on I felt like the author sometimes left out pieces of the story, making it make less sense. Besides this though, I feel like the story line was unique and the characters were interesting to learn about. I would recommend this book to people who like dystopian fiction and action.

SOL - Snow

       Waking up to snow is almost as bad as waking up to a 100 degree day. Especially after you haven't slept well. Today I woke up before the alarm and could tell though the blinds that the weather was in a foul mood. I cracked open my door and trudged to the bathroom, not even bothering to look outside.
       "Good morning!" My mom says from her room. "Your uniform is dry, though I doubt you'll be having a game today with all the snow." I finally look outside to the grey sky and floppy white flakes and groan internally. I am not particularly fond of snow, even though I've lived with it my whole life, and almost never like waking up to it. Especially not in April. Four months into the year new snow should not be falling. If anything is going to fall from the sky it should be rain. I love rain. That's why I like spring. Usually.
       Walking outside is a whole new task entirely. There's no way to get around the large flakes, and I end up covered before I even reach the front of the car. Once in the car the drive's not so bad. We get the heater going and warm up, the snow slowly melting off our jackets. The worst part of the drive is the traffic. Other cars are going so slowly that we end up crawling our way to school. As we pull onto the school property "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" comes on the radio and I'm pulled back to another time where there wasn't snow on the ground and I was dressed up, performing in front of 80 people. Those were good times. We pull into the loop and I'm forced to get out of my warm, dry haven and embark on the treacherous journey to the front doors.

The Scorch Trials By James Dashner

       Once the Gladers make it out of the maze and into the waiting arms of their supposed rescuers, they feel a sense of security that has been missing for the entirety of their remembered lives. They are taken to a dormitory far away from the worst parts of the city and are given clean clothes, food, and beds. Teresa is isolated from the rest of the group, and when they wake up the next morning she is gone, they're locked in their room, and cranks are breaking their windows and trying to attack them. And that's only the beginning.
       I have thoroughly enjoyed the first 100 pages of The Scorch Trials. The action continues and the characters continue to be built by their choices and actions. Like The Maze Runner, I would recommend The Scorch Trials to people who enjoy dystopian fiction and action packed books.

SOL - It. Was. Wonderful.

       My foot connects with the ball and I send it flying, almost hitting a girl from the other team square in the face. She ducks at the last second and the ball is successfully played up field. Offense takes it the rest of the way and shoots right past the goalie into the net.
       We all go back to kick off positions and repeat the process of stealing and fighting for the ball before scoring again. We do this over and over until the end of the game, each time getting more and more optimistic about finally winning a game. By the end of the game the score is 6 - 0, us 6, Boulder Country Day 0. And the best part was it was my first game this season and I got to play the entire time. I was never subbed out. Not once. It. Was. Wonderful.

Room 214 by Helen Frost and The Maze Runner by James Dashner

       Over break I read Room 214 by Helen Frost and finished The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Room 214 is about the lives and interactions of a classroom of students, their teacher, and the school custodian. The story is told in poems written by the characters about the other student and things going on in their lives. Room 214 is an interesting book, and is written in a unique style. Because the poems are written by different people it keeps the story interesting. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy verse novels and quick reads.

       The conclusion to The Maze Runner wasn't satisfying, though it is only the first in the series and the story continues. The book remained interesting and fast paced, and I would still recommend it to people who enjoy dystopian novels and action packed reads. I am currently reading The Scorch Trials, the second book in the series, and am still on the edge of my seat as the action continues.

March 31 - This Is The End

If you knew what you know now,

Would you have dreaded the entire month of March?

Would you have complained so much about posting and commenting every day?

Would you have tried so hard to find good pictures and topics when you thought you were running low?

Probably not.

Because the whole month of March wasn't actually that hard.

I thoroughly enjoyed posting every day and reading other people's writing.

I learned that writing can be easy if you just let it all out on a piece of paper, or, more accurately, a computer screen.

I learned that writing can be hard if you wait till 15 minutes before it's due.

I learned that it's easier to tell people how I really feel if I don't have to talk to them face to face.

But most importantly, I learned that I would be perfectly content to write something every day for the rest of my life.

Would you?

March 30 - The Endless Possibilities Of An iPhone Camera

Oh, the endless possibilities of an iPhone camera.

Like taking a selfie with your brother while waiting for your food at Panera Bread.

Or snapping a shot of your friend trying a color of lipstick at MAC.

Or how about taking a picture of your bus on a field trip just before you realize you're technically not allowed to use your phone.

Or snapping a shot of a cool display at DAM as your group keeps walking, practically leaving you behind.

Or having your phone stolen so your friend can take random pictures of other people before a soccer game.

Or taking an awful selfie after winning giant glasses at a mini golf course because your dad knows who wrote "Paradise City."

March 29 - Something So Pointless

       Sitting at my desk with a library mac and photo booth the possibilities are almost endless. But there's only one effect I should really be interested in: the mirror effect. Somewhere along the way Brynn comes over and starts working at Danielle's desk and leans over to see what I'm doing. As I play around with the effects I find one called "colored pencil" and quickly snap a shot of Brynn and I. We then proceed to quietly giggle as I email it to myself before realizing we're here because we either need to be or are uncurrent, and aren't supposed to talk until the end of lunch. We check for any signs of a teacher. None.

       After I email myself the picture I go back to doing my work and Brynn goes back to doing hers. A little more than a week later I pull up my email to look for good slice pictures and find this one. It triggers the memory and I remember that lunch period fondly. Who knew something so pointless could lead to such a nice memory?

March 28 - A Great Way To Spend A Friday Evening

       "5, 4, 3, 2, 1!" Kate grabs the basket's handle and yanks it open, revealing our mystery ingredients: spicy red pepper pasta sauce, white rice, hamburger meat, and mac and cheese sauce powder. We get five minutes to plan and gather ingredients from the pantry and tools from around the kitchen before our 30 minutes of cook time begin. We once again look at our ingredients and combine our own plans to create a master scheme before getting right down to it. She cooks the beef, I cook the sauce and vegetables. We yell at each other from across the kitchen, just like the rest of the teams. Our station is located right next to the stove. The one stove, that only has four burners for all three groups. I reach around people and people reach around me, and before we know it our 30 minutes are almost up and we're plating our delicious concoctions. Each team presents their creations to the judges and takes the criticism well, almost like the professionals on TV. Once that's over we all turn and walk nervously down stairs to await the declaration of just which group got chopped.

March 27 - Why Is This So Hard?!

       Why is this so hard?! I know all the conjugations and what the words mean and how to put it into place. So. Why. Can't. I. Do. This. I just stare at the paper. I've already filled in what I know, but I should know all of it. So why don't I fill it in? AHHHHH!
       Almost the whole period's over and I still haven't filled in everything. I thought Nikki said it would be multiple choice!! Yeah well, it's not.
       And, it's time to go. Nikki asks, "Facil o dificil?" Dificil. Deffinitely dificil. Man that sucked. I probably failed at least half of it. I hope it doesn't affect my overall score. I can't wait till Friday.

March 26 - Now There Is Light

And now you're outside
And there's no more pain
But you know you've died
And can't feel the rain

Back in the cave
Where the diggers still stay
And they never save
And they'll never say

You can see them from here
But you don't want to know
Why their hands smear
The clean water so

Now what do you do
When there's nothing to say
And the sky's not blue
But you can't look away

Now wait just a minute
They're looking at you
And their angry looks cut
Correction, they're looking through you

And then you're gone
Away from the world
Into the sun
You find yourself hurled

Everything's black
And you feel the burn
There's no going back
And you'll never return

March 25 - The Maze Runner By James Dashner

       Last week I finished The Nine Lives of Chloe King and begun The Maze Runner. The end of The Nine Lives of Chloe King had a slightly unsatisfying ending, though most threads were tied up and the characters seemed okay. Many people died that I didn't expect to die, which was annoying. I would still recommend this book to people my age and older who like fast paced action and a touch of fantasy.

       The beginning of The Maze Runner is gripping and interesting, though a bit confusing. Lots happens in the first 96 pages and new things continue to come up around every corner. Because in the beginning of the book the main character shows up in a new place with no memory of his past everything is confusing. He is being introduced to new creatures, places, and word, which is confusing for the reader because at first we don't know what most of the characters are talking about. So far I'm enjoying The Maze Runner, and would recommend it to people who like The Hunger Games and other dystopian novels.

March 24 - Then There's No More Light

In the cave

Where the unknown lays

And the ghosts all rave

About the grand old days

In the cave

Where the waterfall streams

And you can't quite save

All the frozen dreams

In the cave

Where the points all hang

And you have to be brave

To ignore the dark's tang

In the dark

When you can't quite see

How to manage a spark

How to make yourself free

In the light

When everything's real

And you just can't fight

How happy you feel

And back in the cave

Where you want to fight

But they dig your grave

Then there's no more light

March 23 - Hold On, I'm Getting A Snapchat...

WorldNews, March 23, 2020

SOCIAL MEDIA TAKES OVER THE WORLD ! !

       From Instagram to Twitter to FaceTime, social media is slowly but surely taking over the world. People spend so much time swiping on profiles and talking via texting that they don't leave time for actual people. Because of this the younger generations will completely loose the ability to connect with actual people. We have scored an exclusive interview with the president himself about his opinion on social media. This is a bit of what he said:

"...I believe that social media is both a good and bad thing. It allows people to communicate over long distances, though some people use it so much that they get caught up in it instead of watching where they are going, which can lead to injury, and even death. Because sites like Twitter and Facebook exist, people are going to use them no matter what we do. And if we closed the sites the general population would get extremely upset, which could lead to other unrest..."

       So there you have it folks, social media is slowly but surely taking over the - Hold on, I'm getting a Snapchat...