So today is February 29th. A special day, you could say. It only comes once every four years, after all.
But doesn't it ever occur to you that each day is just that - a day, be it a Sunday or a Wednesday, in January or in June, or the twenty-ninth of February. They're all the same if you think about it. But being humans as we are, we number and label the days so we can always know what to do with them. We divide time into bundles, so each of us can make use of our own allotted parcel. So maybe it isn't so special that it's be twenty-ninth, and maybe I shouldn't hate Wednesdays so much. They're just days, after all, and it's not poor old Wednesday's fault that it was plonked in the middle of the week when everything is at its busiest and craziest.
In any case, happy February twenty-ninth! And I am dearly sorry for any babies born today...
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
The Decline of Snail Mail
Today I wanted to buy postcards to send to my teachers and classes in America. I went into a toy shop, which my mom said probably had them.
"Do you have postcards?" I asked. The woman shook her head.
"Snail mail isn't a thing anymore," she said. "We used to have them, when it still was. But people don't use it."
The decline of snail mail is something quite sad, in my opinion. Letters go back thousands of years - I mean, practically since the written word there has been some form of written message. Email has sort of replaced it. But isn't it thrilling, in a way, to look in your mailbox and to have something that someone sat down and wrote for you as much as weeks ago without anything from you? And packages are even better, but I don't think they're going anywhere for the moment - at least, not until a teleporter is invented. Which probably won't be anytime soon.
Thoughts?
"Do you have postcards?" I asked. The woman shook her head.
"Snail mail isn't a thing anymore," she said. "We used to have them, when it still was. But people don't use it."
The decline of snail mail is something quite sad, in my opinion. Letters go back thousands of years - I mean, practically since the written word there has been some form of written message. Email has sort of replaced it. But isn't it thrilling, in a way, to look in your mailbox and to have something that someone sat down and wrote for you as much as weeks ago without anything from you? And packages are even better, but I don't think they're going anywhere for the moment - at least, not until a teleporter is invented. Which probably won't be anytime soon.
Thoughts?
Saturday, February 25, 2012
One-Day Weekends
They're too short. It's not fair! You work and study six days and then it's finally the weekend...and, poof, it's gone. It's Saturday night and it feels like we barely had a break. Which we did - I mean, one day, you know. Of course, the schedule here is much less stressful so maybe we don't precisely need two-day weekends, but it sure would be nice.
On an up note, Purim vacation is less than two weeks away! Three days plus a Saturday of doing absolutely nothing! Hooray! And at the end of March Passover vacation starts. Those will be some awesome two weeks.
On an up note, Purim vacation is less than two weeks away! Three days plus a Saturday of doing absolutely nothing! Hooray! And at the end of March Passover vacation starts. Those will be some awesome two weeks.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Remembrance
Yesterday there was a basketball game at school. This particular one is held every year in memory of an alumnus who was killed in the army twenty years ago.
Before the game, there were endless speeches of how he was so nice, so brave, how he loved music and sports, how young he was when he died. I know that many people in the gym were not listening. And it made me think: what is remembrance? From the description, you could have thought that this boy was an angel, which, with no disrespect to him, probably wasn't true. People tend to glorify the dead, and they aren't around to set the record straight. At funerals and memorial services, people only mention how lovely they were. No one talks about the bad or annoying things they did. It's "disrespectful." But is it? I mean, would you like someone to talk about you like you were some sort if god, when in fact you weren't? Maybe you say yes, but do you want to be remembered as the "lovely angel who did no wrongs?" I don't.
The thing is, this is so ingrained into our culture that no one finds it strange that we may not remember people in their entirety. Of course, you shouldn't be cursing and insulting them, but who wants to be made into a god? Who wants to be made the subject of endless speeches of good? With our human nature, we don't like hearing good things. We only find the unusual, strange, and bad interesting.
This is why dead heroes are the subject of much debate. The dead can't ruin their perfect image. The dead can be made into gods. But should they? Because in the end, no one is ever any more than human.
Before the game, there were endless speeches of how he was so nice, so brave, how he loved music and sports, how young he was when he died. I know that many people in the gym were not listening. And it made me think: what is remembrance? From the description, you could have thought that this boy was an angel, which, with no disrespect to him, probably wasn't true. People tend to glorify the dead, and they aren't around to set the record straight. At funerals and memorial services, people only mention how lovely they were. No one talks about the bad or annoying things they did. It's "disrespectful." But is it? I mean, would you like someone to talk about you like you were some sort if god, when in fact you weren't? Maybe you say yes, but do you want to be remembered as the "lovely angel who did no wrongs?" I don't.
The thing is, this is so ingrained into our culture that no one finds it strange that we may not remember people in their entirety. Of course, you shouldn't be cursing and insulting them, but who wants to be made into a god? Who wants to be made the subject of endless speeches of good? With our human nature, we don't like hearing good things. We only find the unusual, strange, and bad interesting.
This is why dead heroes are the subject of much debate. The dead can't ruin their perfect image. The dead can be made into gods. But should they? Because in the end, no one is ever any more than human.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Faults
Yesterday, on the bus to Hamlet, we decided that theater class is where all the freaks are, all the psychos. I'm not sure if that's precisely true, but we do have some of the crazier people.
So we were trying to figure out what each of our psychological faults are.
"I'm hyperactive," said one boy.
"You're a drama queen," someone said to a girl.
"I'm hyperactive, I have concentration problems, and I am dyslexic," said another boy.
"And me?" I asked. "What's my psychological fault?"
"You?" they said. "You're American."
Well then.
So we were trying to figure out what each of our psychological faults are.
"I'm hyperactive," said one boy.
"You're a drama queen," someone said to a girl.
"I'm hyperactive, I have concentration problems, and I am dyslexic," said another boy.
"And me?" I asked. "What's my psychological fault?"
"You?" they said. "You're American."
Well then.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Hamlet
My theater class went to see Hamlet today.
It was at the Cameri Theater, which is one of the most famous theaters in the city. The theater in which the show was performed was really quite an interesting concept: it was not just a crowd and a stage; it was a crowd within a stage. The seats could spin all the way around, to enable you to see what was going on at all times. There was an aisle straight through the middle of the seating area and stages all around the room. They supported this idea with the notion that the audience is comprised of "the silent participants" and that this brings the crowd further into the production. Sometimes the actors would interact with us and even walk between the seats. One girl (incidentally another Shira) was sat on by Hamlet. There were huge fans of his in the crowd, who were all extremely jealous of her.
The production was a more modern rendition of the play; electronics and modern dress were part of the show. In one scene, Hamlet is wearing headphones, supposedly listening to something - but the headphones aren't plugged in to anything (this is just after he begins to go crazy), so he's just dancing to nothing.
I enjoyed it immensely; the acting was phenomenal, the monologues well-done. And there was comic relief. Always important.
You know what? Shakespeare really was quite brilliant.
It was at the Cameri Theater, which is one of the most famous theaters in the city. The theater in which the show was performed was really quite an interesting concept: it was not just a crowd and a stage; it was a crowd within a stage. The seats could spin all the way around, to enable you to see what was going on at all times. There was an aisle straight through the middle of the seating area and stages all around the room. They supported this idea with the notion that the audience is comprised of "the silent participants" and that this brings the crowd further into the production. Sometimes the actors would interact with us and even walk between the seats. One girl (incidentally another Shira) was sat on by Hamlet. There were huge fans of his in the crowd, who were all extremely jealous of her.
The production was a more modern rendition of the play; electronics and modern dress were part of the show. In one scene, Hamlet is wearing headphones, supposedly listening to something - but the headphones aren't plugged in to anything (this is just after he begins to go crazy), so he's just dancing to nothing.
I enjoyed it immensely; the acting was phenomenal, the monologues well-done. And there was comic relief. Always important.
You know what? Shakespeare really was quite brilliant.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Quote of the Week
Okay, so this week I have been watching Doctor Who and existing. I say existing because I sort of have no life right now. Oh well. Got to fix that. But I'm watching Doctor Who.
So, I present unto you my favorite line from Doctor Who (well, one of them at least):
She says the above quote in front of a gun squad who are employed by the Nazis and are keen to shoot her. This is why I love River Song.
(By the way, here's a YouTube link to her saying that. I am obsessed.)
So, I present unto you my favorite line from Doctor Who (well, one of them at least):
"Well, I was on my way to this gay gypsy Bar Mitzva for the disabled when I suddenly thought, the Third Reich's a bit rubbish, I think I'll kill the Fuhrer."
~ River Song, Let's Kill Hitler, Doctor Who
She says the above quote in front of a gun squad who are employed by the Nazis and are keen to shoot her. This is why I love River Song.
(By the way, here's a YouTube link to her saying that. I am obsessed.)
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Crazy Home Thoughts
Yesterday I was watching Wizard Rock, a song that I really do love. It's about, well, Wizard Rock, which is a music genre about Harry Potter. It's a good song anyway, but it's about Harry Potter so...it's awesome. It's also about depression a bit, which, well, is okay.
But what I was going to say is that listening to this song made me really sad, not just because Potter is "over" but also because my friend would always play it on her iPhone and we would sing it. We used it to annoy our cabin mates on a school trip - they ended up shooing me onto the porch when we had to do written work because I was the louder one of us.
And that made me wonder: how will it be when I get home? Will I look at Doctor Who and Hunger Games and be really sad because it reminds me of the days here? I don't know, but I can't help thinking that after this I won't have a home. It's scary, not knowing where you belong or if you should be here at all.
But what I was going to say is that listening to this song made me really sad, not just because Potter is "over" but also because my friend would always play it on her iPhone and we would sing it. We used it to annoy our cabin mates on a school trip - they ended up shooing me onto the porch when we had to do written work because I was the louder one of us.
And that made me wonder: how will it be when I get home? Will I look at Doctor Who and Hunger Games and be really sad because it reminds me of the days here? I don't know, but I can't help thinking that after this I won't have a home. It's scary, not knowing where you belong or if you should be here at all.
The Terrible Storm
Now, I'm not going to say that there weren't high winds and lots of rain in most of the country, but some of it has been overplayed to my Bostonian mind.
There were three centimeters of snow! *gasp* I know! Three centimeters! Wow! Amazing!
Now, you must understand that I practically laughed aloud when I heard the radio announcers saying in very serious voices that there had been "a lot of snow" and they had shut down streets and things...for three centimeters. In Boston, we don't even have a late start for school if there is under, what, six inches of snow? And that's about fifteen centimeters. Five times as much.
So no, Israelis, this snow does not excite me. Last year our total snowfall accumulated into meters. Note the absence of the prefix.
There were three centimeters of snow! *gasp* I know! Three centimeters! Wow! Amazing!
Now, you must understand that I practically laughed aloud when I heard the radio announcers saying in very serious voices that there had been "a lot of snow" and they had shut down streets and things...for three centimeters. In Boston, we don't even have a late start for school if there is under, what, six inches of snow? And that's about fifteen centimeters. Five times as much.
So no, Israelis, this snow does not excite me. Last year our total snowfall accumulated into meters. Note the absence of the prefix.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Evening at the Theater
Last night, our theater teacher took us to, well, the theater.
At 7:30 all of us met up at school and boarded buses that took us to the Gesher Theater. We were about eighty or ninety kids in all in grades 7-12. The show was Harvey, about a man (Elwood P. Dowd) who has an imaginary friend named Harvey, who is (in the English version) a six-foot, three-and-one-half inch tall pooka which takes the form of a white rabbit. His sister, who is embarrassed of his insistence that Harvey exists, tries to commit him into a sanatorium. However, they end up committing her instead on the pretense that she is the one that is not quite sane. When the sane and insane are sorted out, a search for Elwood begins. The production plays with our views of sanity and its benefits.
After the show, we were all saying, "Ah, now where is Harvey? I want to drink a martini and carrot juice with him" (that's what Elwood would order for Harvey) and "Sane people ruin the world." Which is true, on some grounds.
The evening ended up being quite rainy, but still enjoyable. It was one of the better experiences I've had here. And we're going to see Hamlet on Tuesday! Whoopee!
Cheers, guys, and happy Friday!
At 7:30 all of us met up at school and boarded buses that took us to the Gesher Theater. We were about eighty or ninety kids in all in grades 7-12. The show was Harvey, about a man (Elwood P. Dowd) who has an imaginary friend named Harvey, who is (in the English version) a six-foot, three-and-one-half inch tall pooka which takes the form of a white rabbit. His sister, who is embarrassed of his insistence that Harvey exists, tries to commit him into a sanatorium. However, they end up committing her instead on the pretense that she is the one that is not quite sane. When the sane and insane are sorted out, a search for Elwood begins. The production plays with our views of sanity and its benefits.
After the show, we were all saying, "Ah, now where is Harvey? I want to drink a martini and carrot juice with him" (that's what Elwood would order for Harvey) and "Sane people ruin the world." Which is true, on some grounds.
The evening ended up being quite rainy, but still enjoyable. It was one of the better experiences I've had here. And we're going to see Hamlet on Tuesday! Whoopee!
Cheers, guys, and happy Friday!
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Valentine's Day
It's February fourteenth, which is supposedly the holiday for love.
The Middle Ages was when it first started being significant, and it progressed normally until finally nowadays it's a big chance for companies to make money as well as being a holiday for love. I mean, around Valentine's day, stores in the US are positively exploding with packages that are specially pink and full of hearts. It's a bit overkill, don't you think?
The Middle Ages was when it first started being significant, and it progressed normally until finally nowadays it's a big chance for companies to make money as well as being a holiday for love. I mean, around Valentine's day, stores in the US are positively exploding with packages that are specially pink and full of hearts. It's a bit overkill, don't you think?
Monday, February 13, 2012
Quote of the Week
It's on time this week! I didn't forget!
This week I watched The Eleventh Hour, which is a Doctor Who episode and Matt Smith's first episode as the Doctor. There is one really awesome scene in which the Doctor is talking to an alien called the Atraxi, trying to ward them away from Earth.
I think the Atraxi made the right choice by getting out of there.
This week I watched The Eleventh Hour, which is a Doctor Who episode and Matt Smith's first episode as the Doctor. There is one really awesome scene in which the Doctor is talking to an alien called the Atraxi, trying to ward them away from Earth.
"Is this world...protected? Well, you're not the first to come here, there have been so many. What you've got to ask is...what happened to them?
Hello. I'm the Doctor. Basically, run."
~The Doctor, The Eleventh Hour, Doctor Who
I think the Atraxi made the right choice by getting out of there.
Handstands
PE class today. As usual, we ran five minutes at the beginning of class and stretched.
Then we went into pairs, dragged out the mats, and practiced handstands.
I went first out of my partner and I. First try: step, arms up, bend forward - faceplant. It was probably the most hilarious thing ever to the rest of the room, if they were watching. My second try worked, though, with my partner holding me up. Handstands are much easier than you'd think when you find the balance. I found it a few times, but I still had my partner hold me up because I was terrified of falling.
It ended up being quite fun, and now I find myself with the urge to do one. But there's no one to hold me up and also the floor is made of stone tiles or something of the sort, so...maybe it's not such a good idea.
Then we went into pairs, dragged out the mats, and practiced handstands.
I went first out of my partner and I. First try: step, arms up, bend forward - faceplant. It was probably the most hilarious thing ever to the rest of the room, if they were watching. My second try worked, though, with my partner holding me up. Handstands are much easier than you'd think when you find the balance. I found it a few times, but I still had my partner hold me up because I was terrified of falling.
It ended up being quite fun, and now I find myself with the urge to do one. But there's no one to hold me up and also the floor is made of stone tiles or something of the sort, so...maybe it's not such a good idea.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Survey
So in my disgusting ill state I have been poking around blogger for people who have similar interests. I found many, and my "following" list is growing.
In any case, I also found this survey and I'm going to fill it out. Here goes...
1. Do you have any pets?
Nope. My brother used to have two fish, but they died after extraordinarily long lives. Rest in Awesome, Magic and Yafo. (The names sound better in Hebrew, okay?)
2. Name 3 things that are physically close to you.
My safrut (literature) notebook, a box of tissues, and a not-yet-working wall clock.
3. What's the weather like right now?
Moderately warm. I am not going to move in order to find out.
4. Do you drive? If so have you crashed?
Yeah, no. No driving at age thirteen, unfortunately. Or fortunately, for the rest of the world. And that question has a grammar mistake: If so *COMMA* have you crashed?
5. What time did you wake up this morning?
7:35 am.
6. When was the last time you showered?
Yesterday morning. But I'm taking a shower this evening.
7. What was the last movie you saw?
Ah, err...I don't remember. I think it was "The Wave," but that was over a month ago. I don't watch many movies.
8. What does your last text message say?
"Goodnight." Very boring, I know. But the time difference makes it so - I can only talk or message or text them when it's 10 pm or so here.
9. What's your ringtone?
Nokia tune, guitar style.
10. Have you ever been to a different country?
Well, seeing as I am in a different country than the one I was born in at the moment, yes. The list (other than US) is:
Israel
England (UK)
France
Germany
Italy
11. Do you like sushi?
Yes. It's delicious.
12. Where do you buy your groceries?
I don't buy groceries. But at the moment, my parents buy them mainly at the nearby-supermarket-which-I-have-never-been-in and some other bakeries around the city.
13. Have you ever taken medication to help you fall asleep faster?
No. But it could be of use.
14. How many siblings do you have?
One brother. The very same one whose cold I have.
15. Do you have a desktop computer or a laptop?
Seeing as none of them are mine, in our house back in the US we have 3 laptops, a (very very old) desktop, and an iPad, which is sort of a computer, right?
16. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
14. But that's in over half a year.
17. Do you wear contacts or glasses?
No. But I suppose I will eventually - both my parents wear glasses.
18. Do you color your hair?
No. My hair has a reputation for being the puffiest/frizziest/curliest in the school. It would not look good dyed.
19. Tell me something you are planning to do today.
Buy will grayson will grayson (purposely uncapitalized) by John Green and perhaps The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie.
20. When was the last time you cried?
Yesterday, because I was stressed. And the night before that, because I missed my buddies.
21. What is your perfect pizza topping?
Anything, really. Anything that fits.
22. Which do you prefer-hamburgers or cheeseburgers?
Hamburgers.
23. Have you ever had an all-nighter?
No. I plan to, though.
24. What is your eye color?
Brown. Nothing else. Just very dark brown.
25. Can you taste the difference between Pepsi and Coke?
In any case, I also found this survey and I'm going to fill it out. Here goes...
1. Do you have any pets?
Nope. My brother used to have two fish, but they died after extraordinarily long lives. Rest in Awesome, Magic and Yafo. (The names sound better in Hebrew, okay?)
My safrut (literature) notebook, a box of tissues, and a not-yet-working wall clock.
3. What's the weather like right now?
Moderately warm. I am not going to move in order to find out.
Yeah, no. No driving at age thirteen, unfortunately. Or fortunately, for the rest of the world. And that question has a grammar mistake: If so *COMMA* have you crashed?
7:35 am.
Yesterday morning. But I'm taking a shower this evening.
Ah, err...I don't remember. I think it was "The Wave," but that was over a month ago. I don't watch many movies.
"Goodnight." Very boring, I know. But the time difference makes it so - I can only talk or message or text them when it's 10 pm or so here.
Nokia tune, guitar style.
Well, seeing as I am in a different country than the one I was born in at the moment, yes. The list (other than US) is:
Israel
England (UK)
France
Germany
Italy
Yes. It's delicious.
I don't buy groceries. But at the moment, my parents buy them mainly at the nearby-supermarket-which-I-have-never-been-in and some other bakeries around the city.
No. But it could be of use.
One brother. The very same one whose cold I have.
Seeing as none of them are mine, in our house back in the US we have 3 laptops, a (very very old) desktop, and an iPad, which is sort of a computer, right?
14. But that's in over half a year.
No. But I suppose I will eventually - both my parents wear glasses.
No. My hair has a reputation for being the puffiest/frizziest/curliest in the school. It would not look good dyed.
Buy will grayson will grayson (purposely uncapitalized) by John Green and perhaps The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie.
Yesterday, because I was stressed. And the night before that, because I missed my buddies.
Anything, really. Anything that fits.
Hamburgers.
No. I plan to, though.
Brown. Nothing else. Just very dark brown.
I haven't really tasted Pepsi and I don't really like Coke, so no. It's probably best if I don't get any caffeine or anything stronger than sugar inside me. As my friend said, I "would take flight." But I am obsessed with heavily sugared herbal tea. No caffeine. Enough sugar to be equivalent, though.
Sick, Again
For the second time in three weeks, I am sick.
What does the world have against me?! It was nice to be well for a change. I suppose it was not to be.
What does the world have against me?! It was nice to be well for a change. I suppose it was not to be.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Seize the Story by Victoria Hanley
If you are a writer, I encourage you to read this book. If not, well...you may still find it interesting, but certainly this is meant directly for "teens who like to write" as it says on the cover.
At first when I looked around for writing advice books I came up with some nice ones. Yeah, they're all nice. I haven't yet read the favorite recommendation of professionals that is Bird by Bird, but I've read Seize the Story by Victoria Hanley; that should count for something, shouldn't it?
On a side note, has anyone else noticed that "seize" is one of the 927 words in the English language that break "i before e except after c?" Because of those words, it is no longer taught in schools.
Continuing with the subject at hand.
So I was reading through all these things talking about writing and publishing, and then I came across Seize the Story. This is not only a helpful guide but also fun to read. Yeah, it goes into grammar and "show don't tell" and things like that, but it's not dry in the least. It's the only writing book I've actually bought besides Writer's Market. It's the only book I dragged along here.
So.
Open up your local library's homepage and search Seize the Story to make sure they have it. If not, get it somewhere else. But to any writers: I do encourage you to read it.
At first when I looked around for writing advice books I came up with some nice ones. Yeah, they're all nice. I haven't yet read the favorite recommendation of professionals that is Bird by Bird, but I've read Seize the Story by Victoria Hanley; that should count for something, shouldn't it?
On a side note, has anyone else noticed that "seize" is one of the 927 words in the English language that break "i before e except after c?" Because of those words, it is no longer taught in schools.
Continuing with the subject at hand.
So I was reading through all these things talking about writing and publishing, and then I came across Seize the Story. This is not only a helpful guide but also fun to read. Yeah, it goes into grammar and "show don't tell" and things like that, but it's not dry in the least. It's the only writing book I've actually bought besides Writer's Market. It's the only book I dragged along here.
So.
Open up your local library's homepage and search Seize the Story to make sure they have it. If not, get it somewhere else. But to any writers: I do encourage you to read it.
Ballet Accomplishments
I recently - that is, on Sunday - restarted ballet. After three weeks of nothing, it was good to be back. Yes, it was work. "Ballet is hard, and then you die."
Today, when we were traveling across the floor, I managed to do my first-ever double pirouette in which I stopped at the end on balance. Supposedly, everyone in Boston Ballet Intermediate 2 is supposed to know how to do that, but I never could. So this is major, and a great source of pride for me.
Of course, the rest of my pirouettes for the day were utterly horrible, but now I know that I am capable of doing a successful double pirouette (that was something doubtful earlier on). So it may well have been chance, but I'm going to take pride in it for all it's worth.
Today, when we were traveling across the floor, I managed to do my first-ever double pirouette in which I stopped at the end on balance. Supposedly, everyone in Boston Ballet Intermediate 2 is supposed to know how to do that, but I never could. So this is major, and a great source of pride for me.
Of course, the rest of my pirouettes for the day were utterly horrible, but now I know that I am capable of doing a successful double pirouette (that was something doubtful earlier on). So it may well have been chance, but I'm going to take pride in it for all it's worth.
Why the Hour Hand is Important
Today I woke up, looked at my watch. I thought it was seven thirty.
Then I started freaking out over the fact that I'd totally forgotten over my sort of large amount of grammar homework and rushed through it. By the time I was done, I thought it was 8:10. I took a rushed shower and packed up all my stuff, running back and forth between my room and the living room, finding everything. "I'm gonna be late," I moaned, noticing that it was now "8:30."
"It's seven thirty, isn't it?" my mom said. "I'm not making it up, am I?"
I looked at the clock. Seven thirty, staring me in the face. I had woken up at six thirty.
So, let this be a lesson to you all - look at the hour hand, it's just as important as the other one. Now I will proceed to go through my day on one less hour of sleep. We'll see how that goes.
Then I started freaking out over the fact that I'd totally forgotten over my sort of large amount of grammar homework and rushed through it. By the time I was done, I thought it was 8:10. I took a rushed shower and packed up all my stuff, running back and forth between my room and the living room, finding everything. "I'm gonna be late," I moaned, noticing that it was now "8:30."
"It's seven thirty, isn't it?" my mom said. "I'm not making it up, am I?"
I looked at the clock. Seven thirty, staring me in the face. I had woken up at six thirty.
So, let this be a lesson to you all - look at the hour hand, it's just as important as the other one. Now I will proceed to go through my day on one less hour of sleep. We'll see how that goes.
Quote of The Week: I Procrastinated Edition
Yeah, what the title says. I was sitting around reading Paper Towns instead of doing any work, which I distinctly paid for last night. Oh well, it was kind of worth it. Especially because I got a quote from there! I actually have more, but this one is the only one I have so far committed to memory because it's the shortest.
"Ninjas don't splash other ninjas."
~Paper Towns by John GreenHear that? Any ninjas out there, you better not be splashing.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Fog is Upon Us
Today in last period French I looked out the window. There was fog.
But it wasn't the normal stuff there is back in Boston; it was this scary yellow color. The high-rise apartment buildings next to our school, which are gray, were tinted ocher by the thick air. The sounds in the basketball court below were magnified, as if we were on the ground floor.
I'm not really sure why, but this weird fog seems like it's anticipating something. There's a feeling of something waiting to happen.
The question is, what is it?
But it wasn't the normal stuff there is back in Boston; it was this scary yellow color. The high-rise apartment buildings next to our school, which are gray, were tinted ocher by the thick air. The sounds in the basketball court below were magnified, as if we were on the ground floor.
I'm not really sure why, but this weird fog seems like it's anticipating something. There's a feeling of something waiting to happen.
The question is, what is it?
Friday, February 3, 2012
School-less Friday
Today, at school, it was the day that they got report cards.
Having only been here for three weeks, I don't have a report card. So the teacher said that instead of coming for forty-five minutes, I didn't need to come to school at all.
Instead, my mom took me to Allenby Street, which is in the heart of Tel Aviv. It's mostly got a combination of clothing stores, some fancy and some not, and other designer stores. We walked along there for awhile, pausing to go into a few shops. Then we reached Nachlat Binyamin Street, where every Friday there is an artists' market. After passing the security guard, we bought some backpacks for me and my brother in a small shop near the end of the market. When we finished, the market was mostly up and running for the day. There was a collection of things that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else - handmade clay flowers that looked real, all sorts of jewelry, small figurines of all kinds, stained glass, wood crafts, fabric, hairpieces, leather products, cuckoo clocks in all kinds of shapes. We met up with my aunt and went to a café with a very nice outdoor area to sit in. My uncle joined us as we were reading our horoscopes off of a newspaper that was left on our table. I got a hot chocolate as well as a chocolate croissant. This is a very Tel Aviv-y thing to do - sit in a café on a Friday morning, read the newspaper, and have coffee (or hot chocolate, I suppose). The artists' market is located in old Tel Aviv, which has beautiful, albeit fairly run-down, buildings.
After the café we went back to Allenby. We passed the Carmel market (on Carmel Street), which is mostly full of food, and the Betzalel market, which is mostly clothing. There were more stores, but we kept walking. Close to Betzalel market (or Shuk Betzalel as it's called in Hebrew, "shuk" being the word for market), we passed a juice stand, where they were selling strawberries. Here it's strawberry season right now, so we bought one kilo strawberries and two juices - I got a strawberry slushie made from fresh strawberry juice.
After that we continued to Dizengoff Center for some electronics, then caught a bus and went to my grandma's house for what is called in our family "Friday meal," when the whole family comes for lunch. My cousin was telling hilarious stories about the army and the rest of the family telling stories about anything that came up. I don't think I've laughed more in my life.
Cups of tea: 39
Having only been here for three weeks, I don't have a report card. So the teacher said that instead of coming for forty-five minutes, I didn't need to come to school at all.
Instead, my mom took me to Allenby Street, which is in the heart of Tel Aviv. It's mostly got a combination of clothing stores, some fancy and some not, and other designer stores. We walked along there for awhile, pausing to go into a few shops. Then we reached Nachlat Binyamin Street, where every Friday there is an artists' market. After passing the security guard, we bought some backpacks for me and my brother in a small shop near the end of the market. When we finished, the market was mostly up and running for the day. There was a collection of things that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere else - handmade clay flowers that looked real, all sorts of jewelry, small figurines of all kinds, stained glass, wood crafts, fabric, hairpieces, leather products, cuckoo clocks in all kinds of shapes. We met up with my aunt and went to a café with a very nice outdoor area to sit in. My uncle joined us as we were reading our horoscopes off of a newspaper that was left on our table. I got a hot chocolate as well as a chocolate croissant. This is a very Tel Aviv-y thing to do - sit in a café on a Friday morning, read the newspaper, and have coffee (or hot chocolate, I suppose). The artists' market is located in old Tel Aviv, which has beautiful, albeit fairly run-down, buildings.
After the café we went back to Allenby. We passed the Carmel market (on Carmel Street), which is mostly full of food, and the Betzalel market, which is mostly clothing. There were more stores, but we kept walking. Close to Betzalel market (or Shuk Betzalel as it's called in Hebrew, "shuk" being the word for market), we passed a juice stand, where they were selling strawberries. Here it's strawberry season right now, so we bought one kilo strawberries and two juices - I got a strawberry slushie made from fresh strawberry juice.
After that we continued to Dizengoff Center for some electronics, then caught a bus and went to my grandma's house for what is called in our family "Friday meal," when the whole family comes for lunch. My cousin was telling hilarious stories about the army and the rest of the family telling stories about anything that came up. I don't think I've laughed more in my life.
Cups of tea: 39
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Quote of the Week: I Totally Forgot Edition
Erm, ehh, ah, I...forgot. Yeah. That's precisely what happened.
So this week I got an account on Teen Ink's website. Teen Ink is a magazine for teens, by teens. You publish pieces if writing and/or art on their website, which in turn are reviewed by editors and published online. Select work is put into the print magazine.
This week I submitted a poem about being a child. As I was typing the writer's comments, I remembered something that I heard Natalie Babbitt say when I went to an author gathering:
To me this is an amazingly true quote. Children don't know the amount that adults do, but they are not nothing. Sometimes people forget the amount that children do know.
Cups of tea: 37ish
So this week I got an account on Teen Ink's website. Teen Ink is a magazine for teens, by teens. You publish pieces if writing and/or art on their website, which in turn are reviewed by editors and published online. Select work is put into the print magazine.
This week I submitted a poem about being a child. As I was typing the writer's comments, I remembered something that I heard Natalie Babbitt say when I went to an author gathering:
"Children are people....[When we were children] we were not just inanimate lumps of something. We did understand. We did know."
~Natalie Babbitt
To me this is an amazingly true quote. Children don't know the amount that adults do, but they are not nothing. Sometimes people forget the amount that children do know.
Cups of tea: 37ish
Report Cards
Here, they are getting their report cards tomorrow. Which means that the already short day is greatly shortened for some, depending on the time slot in which they confer with teachers about their grades and receive them. First period (which begins at 8:45!) is supposedly going to be some sort of class conversation. And since I haven't been here long enough to get proper grades, I get to go home after that!
Which adds up to forty-five minutes of school. Probably the closest thing here to a two-day weekend. Is that awesome or is that awesome?
Cups of tea: 37ish
Which adds up to forty-five minutes of school. Probably the closest thing here to a two-day weekend. Is that awesome or is that awesome?
Cups of tea: 37ish
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)