Peer Review

So I've taken quite a few writing classes, whether at home or through homeschool co-ops or in my dual enrollment classes. They've all been very different in many ways, but one thing that has been the same in every last one, the thing that all English teachers seem to love and all students love to hate, the thing that never fails to drive me absolutely bonkers - peer review.

I simply don't understand how anybody can write anything so bad as all the papers I have to evaluate. So in an attempt to better relate to ninety percent of the people in my composition classes, I've decided to try to write something like the hoi polloi... *AHEM* Meredith's poor writing!

Poor Writing About Writing

Writing is one thing that almost all students I know have to do alot of. Though, not many people are very good writing. And, I think I must be good at it because well, I just do it alot. Though, there are something about it that are just distasteful. One thing that people dislike with writing is, that it takes alot of time. And, alot of people are really criticism of other's writing especially when they think their are mistakes. I had one teacher who always told me I used to many commas and then gave us alot of rules about them, but, I think that I use them right all ways. He said that their where only too people in the class who knew how to use them, commas, rightly, but, I was thinking he got confused and is wrong. He also told the class that he can tell when they dont know how to use commas because, they just put them in every, six, words, or so. I know I don't do that, so,,,, I think I'm ok. 

To conclude although people battle, ferociously, against  writing. Though I think, its ok, and continue to do it alot.

I hope my thoughts weren't organized too clearly... I don't think I did a very good job being bad. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a writing assignment to do.

True Confessions

I turned sixteen about a month ago, so by my own standards, I'm now officially old. When I was turning ten I thought I would never make it to sixteen. I couldn't wait to be older and have more independence and get to do all kinds of fun things. But now that I am older, and I know what it's actually like, all I want is to be a toddler again.
So sometimes I like to channel my inner screaming spoiled brat.

My name is Meredith, and I am a sixteen-year-old toddler. These are my true confessions.

1. Sometimes I just sit on the couch crying over literary analyses and chemical equations that need to be balanced and life that needs to be figured out, and then I just holler across the house at the top of my lungs and demand leftover pizza and apple juice.

2. I sleep with a blankie, and have difficulty sleeping without my blankie.
Not to mention that I actually still have a blankie, not to mention that I still call it my blankie...

3. I am not above lying in the middle of the floor if I happen to be tired.

4. I'm scared of ordering for myself in restaurants, buying my own things in stores, and going in fitting rooms that have guards - I mean employees - outside.

5. I don't like brushing my hair.

6. I am a HUGE fan of Max and Ruby.

7. Goldfish crackers are my one weakness.

8. Dog = PUPPY!!!!!! Cat = KITTY!!!!!!

9. I really like crayons and markers.

10. I'm scared to cross the street by myself.

11. I still kind of get excited that I can use the big forks now.

And don't even get me started on the Toddlers and Tiaras girls. They are all my spirit animals.

Every. Day.

Out of the mouths of babes...

YESYESYESYESYES

Preach it, girlie.

Now I have to go study... *pouty face* I DON'T WANNA!!!!!!

Melancholy

I like melancholy things. 

Did someone say melon collie?

Yeah, no. That's not what I'm talking about. I'm talking black and white photos, staring longingly off into the distance, silhouettes, and poetry. I'm talking "a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause." 

Meredith being melancholy doesn't really mean Meredith is sad. Because I really like the pensive part of melancholy. And the "no obvious cause" part is pretty nice too. Because being sad with an obvious cause is really not fun.

People who are unfortunate enough to be familiar with me know that generally I'm a pretty happy person. I've chilled out a lot over the last year or so, but I'm definitely not a big fan of being bummed out. But sometimes I just like to sit in my room, play music, and be melancholy. Melancholy is a dependable sort of emotion. Happiness can be fleeting, obnoxious, and tiring. Anger is exhausting and unpleasant for all parties affected by it. 

But melancholy just stays with you, a sort of bittersweet comfort. It's nice to be melancholy sometimes because you get to just sit quietly and think about things. It's sort of like that feeling right before you hug someone.

I like to listen to music when I'm melancholy, like this...

Also frequently appearing on my "Melon Collie" playlist are Christina Perri ("Jar of Hearts" will always do it for me), Passenger ("Let Her Go"), Ed Sheeran ("This"), or my personal favorite (although it only works for me if I play it myself) - Chopin.

Or sometimes I just peruse photos, quotes, or poetry that bring out my melancholy tendencies.
Here are a few.

And after just a few minutes of pondering all the big things in my life like college and jobs and careers, I forget about little-big things like economics projects and algebra tests. And somehow, the bigger things seem easier to think about than those little things, because they're in the future, and at least while I'm being melancholy, I don't have to face any of my troubles.
There's a sort of refuge in sadness, you see. Sadly, I don't think that prose is entirely appropriate to really describe something so melancholy as melancholy (especially my prose). Consequently, I must turn you loose to learn about it for yourselves from the poetic masters.
Here's a tiny gem to get you started.

"And so, being young and dipt in folly

I fell in love with melancholy."

-Edgar Allen Poe

Frozen

Okay, I'm as sick of Frozen stuff as the next person (I mean, just LET IT GO people!) 

BUT

Please watch this anyway. It made my life a little better.