Friday, May 19, 2017

Creative Writing Final

1.) I had a lot of pieces that I enjoyed this year. These included:

  • My poem "Freedom Rings" from our Maya Angelou project.
  • The various collages we did. 
  • Our color poems, particularly the haikus.
  • The photos we took from around Kickapoo.
  • The poems from our adventures outside.
  • Our children's book!
  • Bringing back memories through some of these writing prompts.
2.) I really like Bailey's piece "Avenue of Poplars in Autumn". It had a really strong sense of voice, and I like the rhyme scheme. Outside of class, I've read quite a bit. One of my favorite books thus far is the Night Circus, because it had a good use of imagery to drive the plot. From my English class, I read Ella Minnow Pea, and I thought that prohibiting letters throughout the novel was an intriguing idea.

3.) Setting up my blog was an interesting experience. While I prefer transcribing my thoughts and ideas into a notebook, as it feels more tangible. Typing my ideas straight from my head to the keys doesn't work. However, writing the posts had a different kind of satisfaction. It felt more like a portfolio, like an end product. My notebooks, despite my best efforts to keep it focused and organized, ends up a jumbled mess of unedited thought. Putting it online makes it feel more complete, like an end product to my daily scrawls.
I came up with the name of  my blog through rhyme, as "Rad" rhymes with my name "Chad". I think mostly people from class read it, but who knows? Maybe Oprah or Emma Watson found it. I'm not really sure who I want to read it, since this blog was for me, yet is out for the world to see. I may use it in the future. Let's find out. ;) I'm most likely going to post pieces that I'm personally proud of that I've written outside of class.

4.) I found journaling to be therapeutic. Writing things down always makes me feel a little better. I have a lot of variety in my journal. I have some scattered pieces of prose here, some panagrams there, and then I'll cut back to a short story idea, and then it'll go back to how I'm feeling, and then it'll end with a collage of things we did in class. I'd rather not have other people read my notebook. The blog is the end result, but the notebook it the method to my madness. I don't want people to read every thought I've had over the past three months. Those are my thoughts, for my eyes only. I will continue to journal through. It's relaxing to have complete control over something, even if it's only what goes on a blank sheet of paper. It's freeing, like being able to make sense of things by understanding more about myself. Everything you write is for a reason.

5.) I really want my writing to be seen. Actually, no. Not that specifically. I want my voice to be heard. Writing is my way of doing that, since I don't have the voice to speak my mind outside the realm of pen-and paper. I hope that through hearing my own voice through this medium, then I can strengthen the power of my own voice. One thing I learned about my life- it's not always the loudest voice that's the one that needs to be heard.

6.)
Through the Glass
The blossoming of summer flowers
and a few clusters of trees create a shield
against the crumbling outside world.
A glance over our fence and  into my neighbor's yard
and can catch a glimpse of their well-manicured lawn,
a couple of blue jays fluttering int he birdbath,
and their one of their many cats, this one a deep ebony
attempting to sneak through their hydrangeas.
Light usually shines though the canopy of trees
but today's overcast
and there is no sunshine left for me to use.
Time always finds a way to leak through.

The slither of light is considering departing the sky
and letting the ash take over for the night.
Between the shades of lotus and shadow
a gentle melody can be heard from an unknown source
and a hidden pile of memories.

7.) I think I want to major in English in the future, so writing will remain a significant part of my life. I plant on becoming a writer as a career, so writing novels in particular will be crucial to my life. I also plan on doing prose as well as journaling. I genuinely enjoy doing things like this. I think writing creatively is important, as sometimes it takes exploring things outside of your world to understand ours. I like that I can make a concrete universe that could touch the hearts of others, yet stays meaningful to its creator. It's different than other types of writing, because it doesn't have the same limitations. It is truly the freeing type of writing. There's no set way to go about doing it, it's about making something that fells right, not about technical mechanics and such.
8.) 
Find your light to illuminate the world.

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

101 Things About Me

1.) I am currently seventeen years old.
2.) I hate the sound of people crunching on ice. I just can't stand the sound of something hard grinding against teeth.
3.) I love the smell of lavender in everything:  shampoo, candles, extracts, and even the little air fresheners in my car.
4.) I despise country music; it just all sounds the same to me.
5.) I have an older sister named Kayley, who's four years older than me.
6.) While I have lots of "favorite" books and others, one I really enjoy is Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None.
7.) My star sign is the Sagittarius, as I was born on December 12th, 1999.
8.) My aunt and I have a ritual where we'll watch a superhero movie, and then eat sushi together at Haruno while we discuss books.'
9.) I am the worst at memorizing names. If I do bother to memorize someone's name, then that means that you're important to me.
10.) I think I want to teach English as a second language in another country for a couple of years after college.
11.) My dream is either to be a writer or an engineer of some kind (actively I'm leaning towards environmental).
12.) When I was young, I wanted to be an inventor. I'd always show my mom designs of the amazing things I wanted to build (but never would).
13.) I act super extroverted around people, but for some reason I always test as introverted on Myers Briggs.
14.) My Myers Briggs personality type is INTP.
15.)  I have had two dogs. One was named Snowball and died when I was little, and the other was Snuggles, who died in the summer of last year.
16.) My lucky number is four.
17.) I really want to travel all over Asia and Europe as soon as I can.
18.) Mystery and fantasy novels are my favorites, but I'm not a fan of anything that is straightforward and required little thought to understand.
19.) I'm terrible at spelling things. Spellcheck and Google almost consistently come to my rescue.
20.) I have lived in the same house throughout my entire life.
21.) I can't snap my fingers.
22.) I played the bass in the sixth grade for a year, and the trombone for two years.
23.) I have currently played the piano for five years, so I started late, but I can still hold my own at competitions and such.
24.) I've been a colossal night owl ever since I was young, but now that usually translates to getting less rest than I should.
25.) When I was a child, I would eat ketchup on just about anything, and I wouldn't eat any other condiments.
26.) In kindergarten, I remember being so proud of being the first kid in my class to win two character Ed certificates.
27.) I was also the kid that cried when he got his card flipped from green to yellow for "playing" while the teacher was talking (Thanks Mrs. Fusch).
28.) I loved the color red when I was little, but then switched to the color blue in middle school. I think that I'm beginning to lean towards it being green now.
29.) I gave blood for the first time last week, apparently I'm type O.
30.) I had the same name as my pastor at James River, and immediately made him my competitor in every task.
31.) I've won a lot of medals throughout high school for academic competitions, but the one that means the most to me are my 2nd place at state for Science Olympiad in forensics. My partner was in tears she was so happy, and I was on the verge of them because we somehow beat Ladoo.
32.) I want to live somewhere that's warm, but not like broiling.
33.) My wardrobe in basically decked out in shorts and nothing else. I like having the freedom or being able to run and jump
34.) I have grown to not like Christmas music, mostly because they overplay it long before the Christmas season even begins.
35.) I have a bad habit of biting my nails.
36.) I got my first science Olympiad medal in the seventh grade in sound of music with my PVC pipe trombone. We got second.
37.) I really like buffalo chicken wrappers from Cheddars, but my favorite food has to be sushi.
38.) I'll randomly spend like two months drawing nonstop, and then I'll take a break for a few months.
39.) There are these spicy pickles called "Dilly Bites" that my mom picks up. I love them so much.
40.) My first real videogame was Pokemon Diamond and Pearl that my grandparents got me, and I choose Turtwig as my starter.
41.) I used to think I'm good at math... until I took calculus.
42.) I had a toad named Tony for about four years until I forgot about him. Apparently he died, and it took me over a week to notice (I still cried).
43.) My favorite childhood memories were having sleepovers with friends. We would try to stay up all night, but usually at least one of us would fall asleep.
44.) WINGS is one of my favorite places on Earth. I really like their butterfly garden, and it was a great break during the school week for me. I went on Wednesdays in elementary school, and Tuesdays in middle school.
45.) My grandpa has a watermelon patch, and he always sends us watermelons in the summer.
46.) My voice was really high in middle school, but I got a cold one day and my voice dropped a couple of octaves and never went back.
47.) I refused to eat tomatoes as a kid, but now I actually kind of like them.
48.) I hate horror movies, but I love really bad ones.
49.) I had this bulldozer toy named Chomper as a kid that was super sensitive to motion. One bump would cause him to go "My name's Rover, and digging's my game". It quickly got sold at a garage sale.
50.) I had a flip-phone until my sophomore year of high school. I got it my sixth grade year.
51.) I have like sixth throw blankets on my bed, I'd rather have those than my comforter.
52.) Calculus is not exactly my strong suit, yet I want to be an engineer.
53.) I really like watching Cutthroat Kitchen. It's one of my favorite shows.
54.) If I'm feeling sad, I'll watch Bob Ross paint. His "happy little trees" bring me so much joy.
55.) I have a negative opinion of veggie straws. Went running after eating an entire bag, and it was not a good time.
56.) I could never be a vegetarian. Chicken and fish are just too tasty.
57.) I have never left the country, but I desperately want to.
58.) Kum and Go has the best ICEES. Coca-cola ones are the best, but I'll occasionally get a Dr. Pepper one to switch it up.
59.) I kind of want to get cosmetic glasses. I think I'd look good with them.
60.) Bumblebees are absolutely adorable. Their wings are so useless.  :P
61.) I can play like three chords on the guitar.
62.) I'm terrible at basketball, but I'm insanely good at free throws.
63.) I have heterochromia(two different colored eyes).
64.) I really want a large garden in my first house/apartment.
65.) My sister is allergic to nuts and soy, so the places that we can eat at are very limited.
66.) In the third grade, I got third in a reading contest, and won a bag of toy dinosaurs.
67.) When I was in gymnastics as a kid, I could do the full splits.
68.) I played soccer from when I was about five into middle school, but quit because of conflicts with the coach.
69.) The noise fidget-spinners make annoys me for some reason. It's like a high-pitched buzz in my ear.
70.) I would pack myself peanut-butter sandwiches and peanut-butter crackers everyday for lunch in elementary school.
71.) I have a bad nail-biting habit.
72.) I am terrible at remembering when my library books are due.
73.) I am allergic to ragweed.
74.) As a kid, I would run around the house with a yarn trial for fun. My mom would get so frustrated when she came home and saw the colorful web I made.
75.) Blue's Clues was my favorite show as a kid.
76.) I think the Great Gatsby is heavily overrated. It wasn't that it was bad, it just didn't live up to the hype.
77.) I had four cavities as a kid, but none on my adult teeth.
78.) I was really shy in middle school, but I cam more out of my shell in high school. The thing is, I still have antisocial tendencies. I'll just recluse up in my room for a couple of days a week.
79.) I really enjoy running. I try to go on a 6-8 mile run every day.
80.) I can grow a full beard, but I choose to shave it every day because I prefer a smooth face.
81.) I went on a trip to Nashville, Tennessee with HOSA my sophomore year.
82.) I cried in the third grade when my family died on my Oregon Trail game during computer lab.
83.) I would always catch grasshoppers during recess, and put them in my cage. However, I always forgot to feed them.
84.) My parents would take me to Cardinals games all the time as a kid.
85.) I always loved to drink apple juice, but my mom only let me drink it during breakfast at hotels.
86.) I have a severe addiction to Diet Coke, and I can't stand Coca-Cola Lite.
87.) I'm a night owl, and sleep until noon on the weekends. School messes up my sleep cycle.
88.) I ran for student council every year of elementary school, and lost every election.
89.) As a kid, my favorite ice cream was birthday cake. Now, my favorite ice cream is mint-chocolate chip.
90.) Tangled is my favorite Disney movie.
91.) My favorite candy is licorice, and my least favorite candy is Milk Duds.
92.) My favorite animals are owls. They seem so cuddly and cute, but are also mysterious and creatures of the night.
93.) When I go to the countryside, I love to count how many stars I can see, even if it's futile. It's really relaxing.
94.) I get the worst bed-head in the morning. My hair refuses to cooperate, especially if I'm running late.
95.) Loud noises easily startle me, but I find lightening oddly calming.
96.) I am one of the worst spellers, but one of the best editors.
97.) I have asthma, but I never carry my inhaler around.
98.) I always sit with my laptop with a throw blanket on, even if it's the middle of summer.
99.) I basically always wear shorts, regardless of the temperature outside.
100.) When I'm nervous of scared, I'll talk my way through it.
101.) ...... I'm really bad at goodbyes.