Back from… a Mental Vacation

Dear Readers & Blog,

I am sorry for abandoning you! I know that it has been an extremely long time since I last posted here, and I have absolutely no excuses for my neglect. However, I have so much to share with you over these next coming posts that you’ll be glad I bottled some information up to share with you! 🙂

First, I am no longer a sophomore. This year seemingly turned out fantastic. I made some new friends, who are now sophomores {I’m a Junior; can you believe it?!}, and even a friend from a different country! My school had an exchange student from Italy, who ended up being a really great guy. With his locker being exactly four doors away from mine, it was very easy to have conversations with him! I will tell you one thing; he sure was a champ at tennis.

Next things addressed; being a Junior, I have a lot of responsibilities to take care of.  I have started AP U.S. History, which entails seven different intensive assignments over the summer, accounting for 15% of our first quarter grade. Yikes! I also opted for Trigonometry and Chemistry, instead of the usual class placements. Even more intriguing, I’m going to be taking college Psychology and Sociology, which I am a bit nervous about. I hope to keep up with many things over this year. Let’s break down a list of what my year will look like:

• Homework.
• Piano.
• Studio.
• Community Service.
• This blog.
• Fishie.
• Keeping my room clean.
• Keeping my desk clean.

… All right, now that I look at it, my year may not be that bad with planning.

The real topic I wanted to talk about today was my Studio training session I took part in today. I found it to be very fun, and very eye-opening. I learned much more than I ever have in previous sessions. I now realize what a big part our community has in our writing style. I can’t let out too many secrets, but this summer’s activities look very amusing! I just can’t wait for my new sessions in August.

Right now, I’m working on something called “A Writer’s Notebook.” On the outside, I put on inspirational things that portray what I want to be as a writer. Inside, I paste pictures for story ideas, characters, and settings; write journal entries, favorite writing websites… it’s quite a nifty idea. I can’t wait to see what I fill the composition notebook with! I may post a picture when I finish.

Well, this post is getting pretty long, and I want to continue my writer’s notebook. I also have to get cracking on some AP U.S. work!

Have a lovely week, folks. I will update ASAP. {Including the website itself!}

Lots of ♥,

Sarah [=

“With very few exceptions, if you can dream it, you can find a way to do it.” ~ Thomas Kinkade

Sun-day! [=

Uh, hey, everyone.

So, yet again, I’ve been lagging on the postings. For a while. And, being honest, there are no logical excuses! I was off this past entire week for Spring break.

But, hey. At least I updated with you guys almost within the month! 🙂

What have I been up to, may you ask? Well, there’s a very detailed plan for what has happened.

I have started my Health class and Creative Writing course. Health is very amazing and intriguing. The teacher is so open with us, and the class discussions are very enjoyable.

I, of course, adore Creative Writing most of all. The new story ideas, imaginative nature, and overall writing techniques I’m learning will hopefully be good within my writing future! We have just recently written from the point of view of a talking toothbrush, which was quite exciting.

I also enjoyed an exhilarating spring break! We traveled just a little ways to Ohio, where we spent a relaxing time at the Kalahari Resort. It is America’s Largest Indoor Water Park, and I had an awesome experience there. I learned how to surf! That was a great accomplishment for me… I was very fearful, but ended up being a…surferette? 🙂

I’d like to talk a bit about a site I am becoming quite familiar with. TED is a great place for me to learn some interesting tidbits to share in school! My favorite talk so far is “Rives tells a story of mixed emoticons.” I find some of the speeches very inspiring.

My creative writing class also learned a bit about octopi from TED, but that’s very much besides the fact.

One learning tool that I can’t stand is a little friend my teachers love to torture us with. CastleLearning is probably the task I will always remember hating the most.

Half of the time, the site times out so that my progress isn’t even saved! Other times, the lovely arrow tool will randomly select its own answers for me to get marked off on.

Or maybe Cecelia just has a problem with being possessed by cursor demons!

Anyhow, the main points of this blog were:

Try to excuse myself from my irresponsibility

Give a bit of props to TED

And introduce you to the demonic world of CastleLearning.

Lots of ♥,

Sarah [=

“If you carry your childhood with you, you never become older.” ~Abraham Sutzkever

{Un}eventful.

Hello, my dears!

I shouldn’t be writing this right now, because I’m supposed to be writing a six-minute speech. But my head’s about to explode, and I’m taking a… ten minute break.

Well, happy Spring and Easter to all who visit this site! It’s so lovely right now… 85 degrees in WNY! That’s almost unheard of for this time of year. And I’m enjoying it very much, having dug out some shorts and nice, cool clothes for this three-day weekend.

I do have to share that I went shopping with my Auntie, and hit the jackpot for once. I bought an Alice in Wonderland shirt {here, Sarah hyperventilates with happiness,} and also a “rawr! means i love you” shirt with a dinosaur on it… {this makes Sarah squeal and share an inside joke with one of these readers.}

You know what I find funny? I love writing and reading and Studio most of all, but it’s so difficult for me to write about them. It’s like… I think people will be bored with what I like, but I’m not supposed to care about opinions. But I do!

That’s where my lack of self confidence unreasonable thinking kicks in.

Well, I guess I had better go back to typing up that speech, because my break time’s almost up. I’m sorry that this post is short and…well, plainly sucky.

Sometimes my best cannot be my best in situations. Of course, there could always be blog revision, but even I’m too lazy for that.

Toodles!

Lots of ♥,

Sarah [=

“The wisest mind has yet something to learn.”~ George Santayana

April Fool’s!!!

Hello, dear Followers!

Yes, I know, it has been an entire week since my last post. I should make you aware that right now, I am sitting in a classroom at my school, blogging while I’m supposed to be researching.

And that’s not an April Fool’s joke.

This is quite good though, because I have extra time to blog, as well as free time from my weekend, then! Not that you’d care… demanding followers. ^.^

I’m sure, though, that I should try to be saving some research time… but, I think this seems to be more prominent at the moment.

Last Saturday, I attending the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair. I have to admit, I really enjoyed the experience.

One writing technique I’ve always been interested in is zines. I think it’s so interesting to find people making their own personal magazines, describing their life for small viewing communities. I met a very nice zinist, who gave me many book titles and zines to look to for inspiration and directions.

I also learned a lot about the publishing process, and creating your own personalized journals. I found it very interesting to watch all of the techniques used to create different forms of literature.

This week, I have endured a lot of hardships, which I’d love to complain about. I won’t bore you too much, though.

I hate missing out on sleep! I’m quite a night owl, but missing too much sleep makes me grumpy and sore… well, I’m sure that happens to all people. But I find it quite annoying. Last night, I only received six hours of sleep… and to think that I had two tests today. O.O

I would also like to know why teachers always load on a bunch of homework over a three day vacation! I mean, really? Really-really? What if I was going on a…cruise {I wish..}? Would they expect me to stay locked up in the cabin, doing schoolwork?

And, honestly, do teachers sit at home doing projects and homework on their vacation? I’m sure they do lesson plans, but why assign absurd projects to students to complete immediately.

To prove this statement, why don’t I show you my list of tasks to complete this weekend?

1. 30 Geometry Questions on Castle Learning, also written down on paper.***

2. 33 French Questions.

3. Copying two lessons (12 pages) of French.

4. 18 Math book questions.

5. 6 Geometry Proofs.

6. Greek ClayMation Project.

7. Six minute speech on Teen Writing.

8. French wordsearch.

Yeah… that’s a lot. Also, if you didn’t see the “***,” I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of the torture called CastleLearning. It’s a multiple choice site that automatically grades you on subjects, and is quite often given as homework. Although the school has to pay for the program, 75% of the time, the site is down.

Just think about how frustrating it is when you almost complete an assignment and it times out.

Well, enough complaining.

I hope you have an awesome Easter, and enjoy the sunny weather.

It’s 70 degrees outside, now! I’m going outside to eat lunch in five minutes.

😀 I’m SUPER exciting to hang out in the courtyard!

Lots of ♥,

Sarah [=

“Love those who love you.”~ Voltaire

Thursday

Hello Again!

“Wow,” I bet you’re thinking, “She’s actually posting twice within three days! I think I’m going to go into shock!”

Hey, there, I never said I was perfect!

I am blogging because I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.

First things first, what good is a test?

I mean, sure. Tests are designed to… “test” you to see how you’re handling the information you’re supposed to understand and study. I don’t see, though, how they are ranked much higher than homework.

Isn’t everything about school a test? You’re tested in your emotions, your intellegence, your common sense, your physical abilities. School is a testing zone, where you are working had to prove yourself well enough to be tested.

Big tests just seem to make everyone nervous. I mean, sure, I do study. I happen to spend at least two hours a week studying each subject. But, tests stress me out. Why isn’t homework considered a test? You’re supposed to complete it, and it shows what you learned.

All right, then, that was a bit of a pointless rant.

On to… track. 🙂

This year, I {wo}manned up and joined my school’s Track and Field team. Sure, I’m not the fastest human in the pack, yet I still seem to strive.

Today was absolutely gorgeous.

The air was frigid, but the rain was falling down in a light misting of teardrops. It was just beautiful to be around.

Our team split up into groups of three, each heading for a different destination. My good friends, Amanda and Jeff, and I were a team.

We took a light jog through the local nature walk near the park, and it was one of the greatest things I ever experience.

Yes, there was the fresh mud that sucked our sneakers into its greedy mouth, and there were quite a few times the melted snow puddles were lakes we couldn’t get across. {Thanks, Jeffy, for the piggy back rides.}

However, it was so surreal to be surrounded by all of the nature, and experience such a mystical setting.

We even crossed a fallen log near the creek, and it was quite exhilarating. Most of the challenges we dared ourselves to I never would’ve thought of myself doing.

I never thought I’d agree to try to traverse through a thorn patch, balance on fallen logs, climb up on steep, slippery clay slopes, or take a route off of the path.

But, I made a realization for this. I think I actually possess more courage than I ever credited myself to.

I think that is enough to share with you for now. As stated before, I have a huge Geometry test to study for. I wish you well for the weekend, and hope to see you soon. {I have quite a surprise post coming up to write to you! Well… at least, I’m excited… unless it turns out to be a bummer.}

As always,

Lots of ♥,

Sarah [=

“Ah! What would the world be to us if the children were no more? We should dread the desert behind us worse than the dark before.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tuesday

Hello, dear followers!

Once again, I’ve been a procrastinator. Are you seriously surprised? Ah, well. This seems to be a bit of a late night post, but I feel it is neccessary.

Today, I joined the Global Poetry Project on the ning known as Working Together 2 Make a Difference. I had heard about it many months before hand, but, I’ll admit.

I really was afraid to receive criticism on such a world-shared site.

I’ve written for many different sites, newspapers, and magazines before, but I found this situation to be quite more difficult.

For one thing, a group of about twelve people I know from my high school post poems on there, and it’s hard to receive judgement from peers. There are also a few people I am acquainted with that are also part of the Project.

I am also pretty… “deep” with my poetry. I won’t write a fluff poem that has no meaning to me. I need inspiration and drive to write a successful poetry piece. If I don’t have the right mindset, I won’t turn out happy with the end result.

I decided {finally, with some nudging from a teacher} to join the Global Poetry Project this evening. To get started, I just decided that I should write a piece and post it to see what happens.

To my surprise, a good idea came quick upon me, and I had to type it out.

A close friend of mine is actually afflicted with an eating disorder, and it causes great concern with my group of friends. It’s so hard to deal with someone suffering from an ED, because it’s a sort of disease of mindset, which is telling them that they’re not good enough to be worthwhile.

It’s very frustrating, because they will make attempts to quit, but come dangerously close to restarting their habituals. Scariest of all, sometimes EDs can go unnoticed if the person is of a relatively healthy weight, and won’t deprive themselves too much, as in slight fear of getting caught.

However, any sort of ED is very dangerous. There are so many affects on many parts of the body. And I was able to rile up my emotions and pour my thoughts into one simple piece.

Whew! I’m so glad I typed this down. Sometimes, it’s best of all to organize all of your thoughts in a blog post. And maybe have someone read them and respond. 🙂

I’m happy to receive any comments, posted on this blog or forwarded to my email, btterflygurl@gmail.com

Thank you so much for keeping up with me.

Lots of ♥,

Sarah [=

“When your heart and mind are full, you’ll be well on your way towards awakening the joy of creativity.” ~Thomas Kinkade

Why, Hello, There.

Hey Everyone!

So… I realize that it’s been a while.  But, I have warned you that I’m a procrastinator!

However, I have to say how happy I am to see that my blog reached many others from other countries, even while I wasn’t updating! Broken Glass has now reached China, Russia, and Sweden!

Thank you also for the lovely emails regarding my writing pieces. 🙂 They really help encourage me.

So, what have I been up to?

Well, I started a new half of the school year.

I passed all of my exams {with very good grades…}.

I met new friends.

I met an awesome new writing website, Mibba.com … it’s an awesome community. If you have the chance, check it out sometime! : D

I started editing my novel, Tightrope.

I started writing my novel, Painting by Colors.

…And that’s just a few of the things I’ve been up to!

So, what took away all of my blogging time?

Homework. Facebook. Procrastination. And a marvelous little thing called…

Studio Time Management.

What this means is that each day, I write at least ten minutes creatively. {Thanks, Mrs. S., for the awesome idea…and motivator!} And… it just happened to hit me today that, what better way to do it than by blogging?

This blog, to be precise.

I’ve also been attempting to start YouTubing, which will be fun once I get…motivated in that art.

Do you want to know one of my favorite topics?

Role models.

I love role models, because I think it’s the ideal American Dream.

Everyone has some type of person they admire for traits or actions that they themselves enjoy and envy in the other person succeeding with those talents.

A role model most certainly can be positive or negative.

For example, I’m sure that even each criminal has a role model…thief…that they look to for guidance. Whether it’s learning new techniques, or admiring tactics, they still desire traits someone else mastered and possess.

However, for the semi-normal people, most people have a positive role model. This role model is a constant reminder to them to do their best.

In my personal experience, I have two clearly defined role models.

One, is my semi-celebrity role model.

I’ve looked up to Sarah Dessen since I first read one of her books. Keeping The Moon was the first book, and one of my favorites, that I’ve read from her. In case you don’t know, Sarah Dessen is a Young Adult Fiction author, whom I think is extremely talented. Her greatest gift is making her stories seem natural and believable, and, in most cases, half of the lessons learned are extremely relatable. Sarah Dessen seems to have most of her success because teens can look to her stories as a way of guidance, or as a source of comfort.

Lock & Key and Just Listen are my two absolute favorite books by her. If you’ve never read her books, I suggest reading them as a starter story. Always start with a good piece of work… then you can appreciate it, comparing it to other…”okay” ones. I will warn you, though… Just Listen has quite a mature eye-opener as a surprise…so make sure you’re truly ready to read it when the time comes.

***Warning: Some people may view this as a sort of “suck-up” time. I’ve been referred to something along those lines any time I try to compliment a teacher who really influenced me. However, all views expressed are completely true emotions, and therefore, don’t judge. 🙂

My other role model is quite well-grounded, and down-to-earth. I look to my Studio instructor, Mrs. S., for a lot of advice. {Real name is not mentioned so there are no creepers or anything.} She has influenced me as a person, and helped me grow as a writer. I love how easy she is to talk to, and how she is striving to change the teaching world into a “Students and Teachers teach each other equally” community. I’ve learned so many writing and teaching techniques from her, and I’m sure I’ll look back on her influences many times throughout my life. I am so thankful I was able to meet such an influential person as her. Hopefully, when I’m older, I’ll be able to owe all of my good teaching positions and writing achievements to her guidance in the past. 🙂

So, think what you may, but I truly admire people like these two individuals. Yes, they attain success in the areas I feel important to me, and I look to them for guidance for my future.

I thank you for taking the long time to read this. Hey, look at that… 20 minutes of writing time… and I still have homework to do! Oh, jeepers.

Well, I’d best be going, but know that these fingers will be typing really soon!

Thanks for all of your viewings and future support.

Lots of ♥,

Sarah [=

“We need something to believe in, somebody to inspire us to be better than we are. Something to help us grow and change as people.”-Thomas Kinkade

A Sundae on Sunday!

Hey Everyone!

How have you guys been?

It seems to me that my week can be broken down into a few sentences, set to an acrostic of the most meaningful word. Stress.

Sarah has final exams in, oh, about… ten days. She is freaking out, big time.

Taking time to procrastinate seems to be what she’s into now.. {not. good.}

Reading rate has improved, but where the #$%@ is the writing?!?

Everyone seems to think she should relax & focus, but she is much too busy.

Sarah is being really stupid right now and needs to grow up and WORK.

Someone needs to go get Sarah help. Because she’s never going to survive.

Yeah… and all that good stuff.

No, seriously.

I’m dealing with two pet peeves right now.

First off, I hate when you create a to-do list, and you’re like; “Aha! I’ve mastered this! This will keep me sooooooooooo organized and help me soooooooooooo much to keep focused! Let me write these nine things here, and I’ll accomplish them by the end of the day and WIN!”

And then, you do one…and then two… and then a part of three… and you’re into four when you think, “Hmm. This is tiring. I’m working hard. Let me take a break.”

So, you log into facebook and check out everyone’s business. Then, you go onto Twitter and tweet it up. Then, you go onto IM, which you’re not even supposed to have access of to ask a question. That turns into a distracting conversation. Then, you look at the time and you’re like… -.-

Yes.

That’s right.

You just failed at life.

But, then you say, “Oh, it’s fine! It’s always fine! It always works out! I had my me time, and now I can get back into the groove.”

So, you start typing your paragraphs, and you finish about a quarter, and you pause.

“Well, that was work enough. That was TOUGH. Let me go and relax for a bit,”

You say, and you go play a game. Or two. Or ten. Or twenty. And then you look at the time… O.o … And write more. And more. And… it’s about half way done.

There’s the to-do list, shining brightly on the floor in its magic marker glory.

“Mehhhhh, it’s just a sheet of paper,”

You say, and roll your eyes.

How did you ever think it would motivate you? Control you? Pshhh… it could be ripped up in a second!

… And that’s how you can accurately describe the world of a procrastinator.

I do try! … but I fail. Epically.

*sigh*

Want to know something more annoying though?

Viruses.

All types, true, but in this case—-

Computer viruses.

I will hate them for as long as I live.

You can go on any website and say, “Oh, I’m protected! I have… Kirby’s Virus Protection!”

And then a yellow, blinking box comes up and says,

“Warning! Your computer has been infected with _______! Check your quarentine now!”

And you think… crap.

I hate Trojan. Trojan………. gahhh. More than anything.

For some reason, it looooooooooooooooooves to infect Cecelia. What a loser.

And, so now, Trojan and his four other Trojan family members are attacking my poor lappietop.

And what can I do?

I have no clue.

And, you may have a computer geek dad, but he’ll turn as red as a tomato and say,

“I told you! Did you do this? Did you do that? Gahhhhhhh! This is going to be SO hard to fix…”

So… you have to leave it. And go hushy-hush-a-bye, darling!

And hope that your dear Cecelia doesn’t die… because, then, however are you going to get to start YouTubing?

Or do schoolwork?

Or let facebook control your life…

ANYWAYS!

I hope you guys had a great weekend…

{MLK Day! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT! Say yeahhh for shopping…}

And I’ll tune you in later!

Chow!

Lots of ♥,

Sarah [=

“Each child adds one extra line to your heart, which no other child can replace.” ~ Marguerite Kelly

Happy Tueeeesday!

Mmmmm…

Why, Hello Everyone!

You know what a good topic to cover is?

FAILS.

As in, majorly epic fails.

Because; you know what? Recently, I’ve been having quite a lot of them.

Let’s discuss this!

First off, in my post yesterday, thankfully…or not so thankfully?…

NONE OF YOU CAUGHT THAT IT WAS THE 11TH AND I SAID IT WAS THE 10TH!

Come on. Admit it.

You had a chuckle.

I get daily results of my page viewers, and it said I had 159 hits yesterday. So, in plain English, don’t… bullshark me.

Hmmm… another majorly epic fail?

The other day, I was walking down the hall, oblivious to the world. That was when my friend decided to tackle me. Into a wall. Which just happened to be the teacher’s faculty room. With five teachers inside.

And the door just happened to be unlocked and slightly ajar. Which means I hit the floor, laying flat out on my back, and I looked up at the ceiling, looked to the side at the teachers… *takes a huge breath*

…hears them exclaim “WHAT THE H***!!!!!” and get pulled up by my friend, who gives me a nervous smile, brushes off my back, and starts running.

“I HATE YOUUUUUU!” I echoed down the hallway.

All that came back was the stares of all of my not-so-forgiving peers. In fact, I think they thought I was nuts.

*sigh*

Those are just two majorly epic fails that I can share with you right now, because some were of a perverse manner, and I would not feel right dicussing them with you.

I hope YOUR Tuesday was happy!

By the way… see how quick I wrote this update? Be proud!

Lots of ♥,

Sarah [=

“Love, like virtue, is its own reward.” ~ John Vanbrugh

1-10-10 {where’s the first 0… come on!}

Hey Everyone!

Long time…

No blog.

D: I know, I know! You have a right to be fizzy at me!

Let me explain, though. I’ve been doing a lot of YouTube and blog research to make this stuff even better. Pretty cool, huh???

…I thought not. But; you know, you weren’t supposed to answer that! It was a rhetorical question!

Haha… rhetorical sounds like rhinoceros… okay, then.

Right now, I’m totally geeking out and… *gasp* I know… downloading music!

Because I’m just that old school…

I love to YouTube the tunes and see exactly what I’m spending my money on, thank you very much! {Or…*cough* not spend… *cough cough!*}

Well, this is a random post, isn’t it?

I can diagnose this, though, and give you a ‘prescription’ to check out… rotfl… all rightly, then.

I want y.o.u. to check out the song “Animal” by Ke$ha! If you really want to know what I’m like, I can be totally described by that song.

It’s so amazing how lyrics relate to your life… you may think words can’t describe you, but, to the right tune, they can!

[=

Have a fantabulous week!

Lots of ♥,

Sarah [=

“Take time for all things: great haste makes great waste.” ~ Benjamin Franklin