Leap Into Life
Halloween. Right now, I could be hanging out with friends at a Halloween Party or sitting in a sketchy IHOP with a bunch people writing for National Novel Month (starts Saturday, you should really do it!). Instead, I am wearing pajamas, munching on a limited supply of candy, reading the O Magazine, and writing this blog post.
We were, once again, going to have a family Halloween. And, I so wish that I could tell you how this bad Halloween turned into something great. Hate to burst your bubble, but, it didn't. Here I am blogging at 8:45 PM on a Friday on Halloween. So, I decided to talk about Oprah. To just briefly share her latest (and maybe worst) quote and magazine theme, yet. And I'll just get to the point because you probably have a Halloween party to get to... "As it turns out, none of us is 'normal'- which means that all of us are." -Oprah Winfrey Where do I even start? I do not know. Oprah got one thing right: none of us are normal. I mean come on, I'm blogging and reading the O Magazine on Halloween- but I'm happy (Oprah's all about embracing those quirky things about you). But she was wrong when she said 'all of us are'. It's too explanatory to explain, so instead, I'll just let you decide. Oh, and be sure to read the latest issue of the O Magazine to find out how to embrace your quirks (I'm wasn't paid to say that- but I wish I was)!
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THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS BLOOD OF OLYMPUS SPOILERS: BE WARNED One week and two days ago, I clutched The Blood of Olympus, Rick Riordan's final installment in the demigod arch. I was so excited to unleash myself in the world of Percabeth (ship name for Percy and Annabeth) banter and experience the death of one "lucky" character. Being a total fangirl, I had taken part in the whole new book hype, watching webcasts from "Mt. Olympus" and reading Riordan's twitter page until he went off to avoid spoilers a week before the book came out. Flash forward to yesterday when I finished the book. Tears were shed. Not for (SPOILERS AHEAD) Leo who died but came back to life but for the series because it was totally ruined in the last 40 pages when Rick Riordan made a few meager attempts to wrap up the series but failed utterly. But, being a proactive person, I knew I had to fight this injustice... by writing angry fan mail! How to write angry fan mail? Stay tuned.... Have a good lead in- Catch the reader's (it may not be the actual author) eye with some book references and good humor. If you're confused on some of the references, just read the series or the dedication pages.
"I should be studying for my Latin culture test or doing my algebra homework, but alas..." Suck up to the author- Especially if you plan on giving the author honest feedback, tell them how much you love the series, how you ship percabeth, and how you think you're a demigod. They'll feel happy and it'll (almost) be like reading fan mail. "I mean, listen, you are reading this letter from a self proclaimed daughter of Poseidon!" Share your honest feedback- In the nicest possible way, give the author a piece of your mind. Vent and let it all out; it's very helpful if you're angry at a series' end. "The series was about to end and you couldn't, you know, give us some Percabeth satisfaction and kill Leo or not kill Leo?" Ask for what you want- I want more percabeth perspectives and a reunion. You may not get it (you likely won't get it) but might as well ask... "I honestly don't know what I'm asking for, maybe this letter was more of a coping mechanism..." End on a good note- I ended with a reference to my conspiracy theory for his next series, hopefully he'll understand it! So there you have it, directions on how to write an angry fan mail letter. I will be sending this to Rick and will let you all know IF he replies (highly doubted). P.S. One last thing, I know some of you are receiving this through an email sent to you through Feedburner. The rest of you should really subscribe (sorry about the self promotion)! There is a box on the side of this post where you can type in your email. It takes all of seven seconds (five seconds to type in your email, two to click on the confirmation link they'll send to you)! Capture the flag is an age old classic and favorite neighborhood game, but the game didn't really become real to me until my neighborhood started playing it in the late summer evenings.
Now yes, I had played the game before- you know, in PE or at recess when I was younger. I had read the Percy Jackson series and had seen the movies; my sister and I knew the capture the flag scene by heart. But I hadn't understood the thrill of it, the fun of it untill I started playing it, for real. I wish I could say it was spontaneous. That some cool, early summer evening someone started knocking on doors and asking if the neighbors (kids) wanted to play capture the flag. That a group formed behind me as I knocked on everyone's door. Unfortunately, it didn't happen like that. I'll give my sister credit for the idea, I drafted the email, and my mom sent it out. A small group formed outside our house that might. And we played. For hours. Only then did I understand the thrill that came with the game. It was competitive and strategetic. Everyone had different skills and they helped the team win (or loose). Anyway, why bring along a pen? Because capture the flag doesn't come down to how fast you can run or how good you can hide. It comes down to ingenuousness, to simplicity. While stuck in jail (sitting on the curb of the road) with two teammates, an idea popped into my head. So yes, it was from Percy Jackson (you've probably noticed I'm a fan of the series), but whatever. I thought, "if only I had a pen! I could write a note on this water bottle wrapper and maybe they'd see it." See, if only I had brought along a writing utensil. But that's not the point, the point is that we were thinking. That we were working together. The game ended shortly after, but it was not before we had tried writing it with grass and paper rips. And the best part of the game comes after you've played it enough to see what's in front of you clearly. To see the strategy and, as if it's happening in front of your eyes, how something should play out. The question is: do you see clearly when it comes to strategy? Only a true player, one with the courage to use weird, ingenious ideas, ever will. Life is a bunch of generals, things that everyone experiences. A family vacation, going to summer camp, a certain age, an adventure, or a school year. All of these are generals (that might not be a word but oh well). The thing is: we don't just remember 7th grade, for example. We associate 7th grade with things, like learning Latin or meeting new people. Or maybe, we associate it with inside jokes or simple words that bring back memories. A song you heard for the first time or a story might bring you back to a time when you heard it or read it. To sum up this wordy collection of wisdom: to make these generals special and memorable, we associate them with a variety of things. I just got home from camp. How can I put aside everything that happened at camp and write a post that should be written by a philosophy major who rose from the dust and has a lot of life experience? Instinct, I guess. It just felt right. "I mark my summers by last nights," is what I announced dramatically to my tent mates on the last night of camp. To them, it was probably the poetic, melodramatic person in me saying that. To me, it was true. My first year, two tent mates had left early and the rest of us scootched our beds together and talked. My second year, my counselor tried to get us to write an ode to our tent. It turned into an ode to jumping jellybeans and she gave up. My third year, we sat in the center of our platform tent and ate the candy my grandfather had sent me. My fourth year (this summer), we put a camping tent in our platform tent and ate food, my counselor (shhhh) smuggled it up, while talking with each other. I also mark my summers with words, simple ones. Ones that only I will truely understand. To many, it can seem impossible for one word to remind us of something. For me, any mention of the Hunger Games brings me back to countless friendly debates about Katniss' hero's adventure (if you have any ideas on how she grew PLEASE comment). Every time I hear the word "Oprah" I think of her wierd, ego filled quotes (no offense, Oprah) detailed in a book, you really should read, called Oprah Speaks. So what nugget (even if it's pretty small) of wisdom can you gain from this 9:30 at night blog post? Maybe, it's just to be aware. When you hear a certain song, does it remind you of the first time you heard it, how you danced to it, or what you did while listening to it? Or go a little deeper: think about your generals. What words pull you into a memory. What words make you smile or cry? Good luck on your associating! Writing from: Boston, Massachusettes
Daily Activities: Seeing friends, eating at and visiting favorite places Yesterday when I was flying into Boston, I started writing this poem (mostly to calm my nerves from flying). I know this is the first writing piece I've shared directly onto this site... but here goes nothing. (The parentheses mean I'm just adding a comment- not part of poem) True Traveler You're a true traveler when... You know the safety presentation by heart but don't listen to it You pack your own lunch but crave airplane dinners (all the little compartments and pre packaged food) You take advantage of the free airplane food, personal TVs, and charging stations (use your resources) You have a whole system for drinking enough but not too much water and going to the bathroom (need I say more?) The airplane seat pocket is your entertainment You're a true traveler when... You keep tickets but not reciepts You take photos... But they don't leave your mind (or a camera) You buy the same type of souvineer over and over (for me it's journals) You write notes on hotel notepads (I debated leaving my blog address on the notepad in the last hotel I stayed in- don't worry, I didn't) People watching is an art not a game You're truely living when... You turn a bad day into a funny story You smile and laugh just because you can People call you stubborn but you know it's just ambition You haven't seen enough You'll never see enough I hope you liked the poem. I'm writing from my iPad, so if the formatting is off, sorry. The question is, are you a true traveler? P.S. I go to camp next week (so I can't post for three weeks), but I'm going to be traveling a little after that, so I'll be sure to make some travel posts! P.P.S. Subscribe to my blog so you can receive email updates when I post! There is a box under the RSS feed symbol; just type your email in there, and you can receive these updates! I bet none of you have heard the name Blue Fern. Blue Fern is my pirate name- yes, I have a pirate name, and I think it's pretty awesome! During a vacation in Florida, I invented Blue Fern and started burying maps and treasure. I ended up making three treasure maps, hiding treasures (containing foul's gold and a plastic sea creature), and writing notes asking the finder to make a new treasure map and burry a treasure of shells (or anything else they wanted). I was hoping for a chain reaction of treasure burying and a domino affect of random acts of kindness! If any of you ever go to Watercolor, Florida, I'd love it if you'd let me know if you witness or hear about anyone digging up Blue Fern's treasure. Well, recently I've been working on my next unique idea like this. I am writing a fake journal to put in the library of my old camp. It's the type of random act of kindness I like to take part in. One of the reasons for these ideas is that I want to reach people on a larger scale. I want multiple people to get to experience something, so I make it so that is possible. If enough people find the treasure and follow my directions (I hope they do), the amount of treasure on the beach will multiply. If people put the book back for others to read, many girls will get to experience my novel about a spy team. In case you are interested in this unique idea, I am going to give you some pictures and instructions, so you can do this at home! 1. You'll need a journal and an idea. I used my old Latin journal, and the premise of my fake journal is a spy team going on a bunch of different adventures. 2. Make sure readers know that you are not liable if anything goes wrong. (I think I did a pretty good of avoiding all the blame) 3. Start writing. I didn't really plot this one, but it's the first novel (okay, fine, story) I've ever finished! Yay! I also enhanced the story with sticky notes from a pack that Staples gave to my dad for free because he was making copies for his work, and I used colorful pens- each character only writes in their color ink (unless I mess up, and if that is the case, I throw in some conversation about how someone stole the other's pen) 4. Once you have written the story, write the reader some sort of heartfelt note. I had a lot of empty pages in the journal, so I told the reader to write their own adventures in the rest of the book (and then return the book)! Thank you for reading. And, sorry about not writing in a while- I was busy cramming for exams (I didn't fail any if you were wondering). And who knows, maybe Blue Fern will be in your neighborhood sometime soon!
Congratulations, readers! You are my not actually studying- study break. You see, exams are next week on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and I'm kind of cramming. The point a friend brought up today is: it's not actually cramming, some people study the hour before. Well, I felt a memoir/self help book coming on and thought I'd give you all my tips for exam studying (fine print: this is my first exam experience and I have NO IDEA what I'm doing. Do you have tips? Suggestions? Or have you taken an exam before? Share your tips by commenting, please!) The 10 Days Of Exam Cramming For People Who Can't Not Study and Who Can't Study A Month Before You need a study plan. Mine involves a whiteboard, already used paper, colorful pens, and some sticky notes. What are the specifics of this unique system? Paper with a date on it. A sticky note (today there were a lot) detailing what needs to get done. And, then of course there is determination. Determination not to fail.
Then, find people who will encourage you to study. Talk about the exams with other studious people who started studying a month or so ago! Ask them what they're doing to study and offer your tips, too. It might make you feel inclined to study because you want to A) Feel like your part of a team conquering exams together B) You want to share your tips with them C) You feel competitive and want to get a better grade than them Next, take out your plans... or at least try. Be disciplined and don't be lazy. Reward yourself. Study for 15 minutes and get a 3 minute break or a piece of candy. Take deep breaths and remember that it's okay to fail. (Just make sure you have a few points to loose). Stay calm and cram on! P.S. If any of you are students and are taking exams, good luck! Maybe this'll give you encouragement or even an idea on a way to study. Don't get me wrong, I don't watch a lot of TV, but when I do, I only choose the best. I plan on doing more of these (since I watch SOOOO many shows...not), but today, I'm going to focus on my favorite: Modern Family!
Whoever thought of Modern Family was a smart person. Whoever thought of Phil was a genius. And I mean a genius! It all started when... I went to the ABC website, and I somehow stumbled upon this video (http://abc.go.com/shows/modern-family/lolz/philsosophy). The link before this sentence will change your life (possibly). If you have the right type of humor (it's very specific, so don't feel bad if you don't fit in to the exclusive group of individuals), you'll love it. If you don't, well, you'll think I'm crazy. Back to the story... It changed my life because... My grandfather, Opa, and I invented Philisms. We take the genius mind of Phil and think of things he'd say in specific situations! (I know, pretty geeky but fun) Some favorite Philisms include (more like two):
There are too many to put into words, but every day I send Opa a daily joke (from a website, came free with a book of quotes one for every day... now you know where I got that obsession) and he replies with a WDPS (what does Phil say). It's awesome, and you should Phil- osophize, too. Post your Philisms below, please! P.S. If you are the writer of Modern Family, please feel free to contact me directly about our Philisms... you are a genius and thank you continuing to make Modern Family the best show ever! P.P.S. I don't own Modern Family (sadly), so give all the credit to ABC. P.P.P.S. Watch the shows I plan on posting about later (Make it or Break it and Dance Moms are ones that I will do in the future... even though my mom doesn't approve)! My sister and I have this little gymnastics rivalry (if you didn't know this, I take gymnastics). We're both in the same 8+ Beginner class, and we're very competitive. In other words, we're always insulting each other and making comebacks. It gives me something fun to do, and last week when I should've been studying for my social studies test, I googled comebacks and insults. Todays writing exercise? Making up your own list of catchy phrases!
***I am not liable for ANY trouble you get in for these comebacks! I don't suggest using them- it's for writing purposes ONLY (you never know when your character needs an insult)!*** **Some of these insults have probably been used before- I changed them up to give them a gymnastics theme. If you created them or know who did, they are great insults and I am giving whoever thought of them credit. (Feel free to comment with who thought of them, although it's hard to trace the background of insults) It's not plagiarism.**
I know it's not much, but next time you try to write your character into a bullying scene, refer to this sheet! I plan on writing a lot of these writing exercises, so you might want to grab a journal and record the answers to the ones I post. (6 months to think up a great National Novel Writing Month Idea) Good luck with your insults! P.S. Go to the National Novel Writing Month Website!!! Adult Program: http://nanowrimo.org
I should've posted this on Friday (before I left for my girl scout campout), but oh well. The campout went great... not much drama. We did the ropes course and did a trail ride! Well, here's the unique post you probably weren't waiting for... but will read anyway.
As a girl scout, I love going on campouts, but today, I'm going to talk about how to be mentally prepared for a girl scout campout. This is a great way to procrastinate, but be sure you pack, as well! You can break up this part up preparation into four steps. I'll elaborate on them, too. 1. Be prepared to live with close friends (and people you don't like) for the next 48 hours.
Well, I hope this helps. Just so you all know, I leave today, and I get back on Sunday. I'll hopefully blog on Sunday, but until then... wish me luck on my campout! |