Changsha

This word has caused a very small stir since I've started using it.

Mainly because nobody knows what it means. (including me)

SO leave your comment below on what you think it means, cuz honestly I'm getting a little sick of using a word and I don't even know what it means.

I think it could be used sort of in the same context as "YOLO" only instead of meaning "You only live once" it would just mean like "awesome" or something. Why not just say awesome then? You need a new word every once in a while.

For example, if you do something really stupid and someone asks for an explanation, just say "Changsha!" :D

Dancing Elephants, Politics, and Masks

Today, I saw an elephant in a tutu.
I know, it's only nine in the morning, and already something crazy is happening.
But it is true. (Mom can vouch for me...and SURELY my dual-enrolled friends saw it too)
But not only was the elephant in the tutu real, somehow it related to politics.
Now, I'm no politician, but I know that the elephant represents one of the two main parties...I think the Republicans.
Which makes sense, because there were also two WOMEN out there wearing MITT ROMNEY MASKS.
I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING. (Please note that I did not call them "ladies". There is a difference, ladies.)
So there were about five things wrong with this scene...
1. An elephant.
2. The elephant was wearing a STINKING TUTU.
3. There were women wearing Mitt Romney masks.
4. Mitt Romney masks even exist. (seriously, why?)
5. One of the women was checking her phone WHILE holding her sign. (really committed, aren't we?)
I'm pretty sure they could have caused a car accident because you just have to stare at them. It's called "train-wreck syndrome". You know it's going to be awful but you can't tear your eyes away.
So yeah, actually kind of glad I was pulled out of bed at the very last minute at seven o' clock this morning in the cold weather without time to get ready at all or even put on shoes.
WORTH IT.

Gracie

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My dog can blog too. :)

This is so cool...

Also, I done a little fall decorating....let me know if you like it! ;)

Pros and cons of fall

I like fall. I'm pretty sure I already said this in a previous post, but fall is my favorite season.
So, here are my goods and bads of fall. :)


BAD
Chapped lips
Colds
Flyaway hair (although in my case, this happens year-round)
Getting antsy for the holidays
Having to do school in the beautiful weather
Leaves all over
Losing the flip-flops
Not being able to go anywhere without a coat
Things turning brown

GOOD
Cooler weather
Changing colors
Fuzzy socks
Hot chocolate
Listening to Handel's "Messiah"
Long sleeves
Mashed potatoes with butter dripping down the side (no drooling on the keyboard, now)
Pie
Sitting wrapped in a blanket with your friends
Sweaters
Thanksgiving

Now, while these lists are actually pretty equal, I think the good outweighs the bad...especially if you do it on a point system. (scale of 1 to 10)



BAD - 30
Chapped lips - 3
Colds - 3
Flyaway hair (although in my case, this happens year-round) - 4
Getting antsy for the holidays - 5
Having to do school in the beautiful weather - 2
Leaves all over - 2
Losing the flip-flops - 3
Not being able to go anywhere without a coat - 5
Things turning brown - 3

GOOD - 58
Cooler weather - 6
Changing colors - 3
Fuzzy socks - 3
Hot chocolate - 3
Listening to Handel's "Messiah" - 4
Long sleeves - 4
Mashed potatoes with butter dripping down the side (no drooling on the keyboard, now) - 7
Pie - 5
Sitting wrapped in a blanket with your friends - 8
Sweaters - 5
Thanksgiving - 10

Fall rocks.

Audrey: I feel like a waffle!
Cameron: Do you mean you have dents in your face?
Audrey: No...light and fluffy...

I went in a cornfield on Saturday...

I did not meet Akbar...unfortunately. However, it was still quite enjoyable. (To find out who Akbar is, click here)
I think that I should tell you just in case you don't know/haven't observed this, but I absolutely LOVE fall. It seems like we trade out the green of the plants in the summer for the intense blues of the sky (Has anybody else noticed that the color intensifies here in the fall?) and the beautiful reds and yellows of the few changing trees. Although sometimes it seems that everything just goes straight to brown.
I'm getting off topic.
ANYWAY...
We went to a corn maze in Milton, FL with our amazing homeschool group on Saturday. Even if the maze had been lame, just the fact that my friends were there made it automatically okay; however, that was not the case.
Although the corn in the maze was a little bit thin (we could see the really tall guys' heads over the stalks), and we might have accidentally cheated a little bit, we did eventually make it out! I can't really say that I enjoyed it, but I think that's just cuz I really wanted to play Frisbee/chat with my friends/do anything but run around like crazy people in a maze. Sometime I'll have to try again when I'm not impatient to get out.
Anywho, the irony of the situation is that the corn maze wasn't my favorite part of the corn maze field trip...it would be hard to pick just one thing as my favorite. But I would have to say that I really liked the hayride. It was shorter than most hayrides I've been on before, but I believe in quality, not quantity. (Twist that statement around till it makes sense here.)
And since it was short, I rode twice, once with my friends, and once with a little boy bouncing on my knee as we sang,

The wheels on the tractor go up and down,

Up and down, up and down

The wheels on the tractor go up and down,

All through the cornfield!

You get the idea. The stars were showing their brilliance too, and all these things combined with the chilly air and the pleasant company formed a perfect fall fantasy.

Only it was real. 

INSERT ATTENTION-GETTING TITLE HERE

You, my loyal readers, have been waiting for a week for me to say something and I have remained silent.
I don't intentionally shun you...really.
My brain is just hard at work on...anything but composing a blog post.

Random tidbit: Our Frisbee has a crack in it. I am very sad as it is clearly no longer the best.

But when I sit down at the computer, it's like all of a sudden my creative juices freeze.
Even as I speak, I'm having to force the words to come...why do they despise me so? Why must they run from me? All I ask is a few paragraphs - sentences, even...just enough to keep my four or five readers happy for another few days.

Also, I like fish.

Nearly every time I sit down at the computer, I ask this question: "What should I blog about?"
(If you don't believe me, I have witnesses.)
Oftentimes I pick a random topic that seems somewhat relevant to my life and bloviate for a while.
I use big words, impressive words, blunt words, made-up words - anything to make it seem like I thought this through.
Separate lines after every other sentence; it creates the illusion of an epic poem or some such long literary labor worthy of high praise.
Add in some sarcasm and a pinch of random and you have one of my typical posts.
Ta-da.

By the way, CHANGSHA. <3

PIZZA.
Nuff said.

What's kickin

This is just a quick update on what's going on in my life, even though most of you are a big part of it and already know these things anyway.

What I'm currently excited about
1. Writing my first essay in my World Lit class, suuuuper stoked! I love writing papers!
2. PE. I love PE so much and it's finally started up again. So pumped! Can't wait for co-ed volleyball! Gonna kick those guys' butts! (Caution : I have mixed feelings about co-ed vball, so you can expect me to come back tomorrow and say I'm dreading it.)
3. Saturdays.
4. My friends!
5. Ultimate Frisbee cuz I'm doing better every time! And I can catch that ridiculous hammer throw!
6. Thanksgiving and Christmas
7. Cooler weather!!!!!

What I'm currently dreading
1. The SAT.
2. Geometry
3. Finding out my Spanish test grade. I really really really want to get the top grade. Like a lot.
4. My piano teacher's studio recital next month. Also the sonata contest next month.
5. Jesse during Ultimate Frisbee. If you are unfortunate enough to have witnessed this, you know what I mean.

What I'm plugging (I don't know what that really means, so I'm just going to list the things I have been loving lately because I don't care)
1. Wearing less makeup. It's boss.
2. Going to the beach when it's cool out.
3. Drinking more water. I'm kind of obsessed with water lately...partially because I have a pink water bottle.
4. Going outside and moving around! This is never ever a bad thing when the weather is so beautiful.
5. Slenderman
6. Drawing in World Lit class....I mean paying attention in World Lit... :)

What I want
1. To get better at everything.
2. The Maybelline Baby Lips lip balms. Peppermint and Pink Punch.
3. To get the highest grade on the Spanish test.
4. To never have to say goodbye.
5. If you've already actually read this far and not gotten bored and left, I love you.
6. Cookies, hot chocolate, and a snuggle buddy. (any volunteers?)

Volleyball - a few words of wisdom

I don't like to admit that I have faults. (who does?)
However, when I'm playing volleyball, my weaknesses are so obvious that I figured...why not blog about them? Everybody already knows anyway!
So here are a few of the things I STINK at in the game of volleyball.

1. CONTROL - Yes, this is the first and most GLARING error. And sadly, this is the key to being a good volleyball player. It doesn't matter how strong you are if you can't control the ball. I found it surprising how little you actually have to swing to propel the ball upward. I've been doing my research, and it's positively delightful to find that the things that I've noticed from the times I've played volleyball are actually supported scientifically. And there are people who have written equations for it. I'm planning to check some of those out soon. I hate it when I can tell that there's something wrong with the physics of my play but I don't know how to fix it. Hopefully this will help me a little.

2. Being a ball hog - Here's my tip for you if you share this problem: DON'T DO IT. It will only frustrate you and others. Your team is there so you don't have to run around like a crazy person and get every ball, so trust them, okay? Okay.

I really thought the list would be longer. Ah well. 'Tis a fine problem to have.

Finding your inner hardcore

There are lots of things that can be done "hardcore". I'm going to talk a bit about one of my personal favorites...you all know how much I love it...Ultimate Frisbee...or anything Frisbee-related.

I like to be the best. But since I can't be the best at everything, I at least want to feel like I'm doing everything in my power to be the best I can possibly be. So for Ultimate Frisbee, I sorta kinda sometimes go hardcore. Unless the ground is a little muddy and slippery and I really don't want to make an idiot of myself by falling...in which case I will tone it down a lot.

My version of hardcore is different from yours, and yours is probably different from Little Joey's over here. (Little Joey isn't real...shh, don't tell him that!)

I do a lot of prep work to make sure that I can go hardcore when I play. I love to play Frisbee, so whenever I can, I like to grab my brother and go practice. Currently I'm trying to perfect the basic things - throwing, catching, general control. Control is key in Ultimate Frisbee, something I've learned only after screwing up thousands of times cuz of a wild throw. Sometimes it'll work if you're throwing to a guy who's super-fit and about 6' 10, but normally, I don't recommend it. A crazy, random throw is definitely a last resort. (Seriously, as many games of UF as I've played, it has worked twice. The odds are not in your favor.)

And all of my practice is paying off! I can actually catch the Frisbee now...which is generally a good thing. 

Yes?

Thank you.

You're welcome.

I try.

Anyway...when playing any sport - or doing anything, really - you have to experiment to find what works for you and then when you find what works....wait for it....DO THAT THING! Yes! Do it! Do it again and again until it's practically perfect in every way!

If you've ever played UF with me or watched me play UF, you know that my specialty is playing long. Right after the throw-off, I get my little buns over to the end zone and wait. Sometimes it works and my teammates can get the Frisbee to me, sometimes it doesn't work out that way. That's part of the game. What's important is that I'm doing what works for me, and I hope I do it fairly well. I'm always pushing to do it better, though. 

What are you shining for?

I enjoy helping out. (usually)
And one of the things our homeschool SGA does is community service. So if I can, I like to volunteer as much as possible!
I think it's important to get out in your community and volunteer...especially for us as an organization of Christian young people...homeschool Christian young people. And when we do go out into the big scary world, it's important for us to have a good testimony. I think we would be surprised and probably startled to find out that people may form their opinions of homeschoolers, of our SGA, and of Christians because of our actions. I know my light is shining for something...but what? Would Jesus be proud of my example?
So I try to act like a normal kid...who likes to work and is respectful of...well, everyone. (that's normal, right?)
It can be hard when you're out doing something with your friends to remember that people are watching you. And it can be kind of creepy to think about it if you do remember it. But when I'm wearing that SGA shirt that proclaims to the whole world, "I'm homeschooled and I am a Christian!" I represent all of SGA, my family, and Christian kids. How scary is that? Anything that I do could be judged and used against me and others like me. Is my light shining for Him or for something else?
I think the point of this post was to say...be careful. Know what you represent. Know that people are watching you. We are supposed to be the light of the world...shine for Jesus.