skywriter27

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Blushing
Blue M&Ms
Recipes
My new hat
Boys with a good sense of humor and a cute smile who like Neil Gaiman as much as I do and don't mind talking on the phone to a sort-of crazy girl for half an hour.

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope all of you had a wonderful one. Me? It was pretty good. Black Friday was a good time, and the food is always fantastic.

I have a question though. As I mentioned previously, I recently got my permit. My dad and I were out driving today, and I passed a bit too close to a man raking leaves. It was an honest accident-I didn't see him until it was too late, and he moved further out into the street without looking. Yet, to him, it was automatically my fault. He attempted to reach out to the car, while screaming and calling me an asshole. Why do people feel that just because you're in a car, they can be more rude and even threatening? If I had walked that close to him, or ridden my bike even closer, he may have been mildly creeped out, but it would not have elicited that reaction. And I can guarantee you that if he had been in the car and I had called him an asshole, he would have reacted much more violently. I feel like he may have even swung the car toward me.

Okay, I may be overreacting. Still, that one encounter shook me for the rest of the drive. I almost missed two stop signs and went home feeling like I was going to cry. The worst part is, that man will never know anything about it. As far as he knows, he did nothing wrong. In fact, he probably thinks that I am the one who was wrong.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, think before you act. It sounds corny, but try to care about other people. Give them second chances and the benefit of the doubt, because you never know how what you say will affect others.

Done being depressing for now, have a great week!

my dogs
Lexapro
friends
Uh-Oh Oreos
Meg Cabot
Jason's sense of humor
my report card
Teaberry gum
Kodak film
sheep

 I love murder mystery parties!  SO much fun.
I wrote it, so I was supposed to play the part of the girl that died, but a friend couldn't come, so I also had to play her part.  Stella was the author who died, and Faith was her daughter.  I had to be both.  That means that my boyfriend killed my mother/me and was cheating on me with myself.  I was stealing from and spying on myself, too.  Good times.
Don't you just love a good party?
Fun times. ^.^

 Sosososososososososo exhausted, but having a TON of fun with NaNoWriMo!  I would tell you what I'm writing about, but then I'd have to kill you. =) 
Watching bad TV in the background with an accompaniment of stupid dogs wrestling with each other to go along with it.  I love them, but they're idiots.
Watching Super Sweet Sixteen makes me feel like a better person. =)  I only had 13 people over for my 16.  Back to writing.  

Reasons why today is awesome:

-NANOWRIMO!!!!! YAY!
-Finished Generation Dead.  SUCH a good book. 
-Going driving later...
-Birthday party last night!
-An hour extra of sleep
-Finished the tattoo for davidlubar 
-Stuff from e.l.f. arrived yesterday
-Grace and Rigsby are finally together! (Mentalist)
-3 words: leftover. halloween. candy.

=) Happy NaNoWriMo!

 Happy birthday to me!
My long rant was yesterday, shorter one today.
Got the Wii fit!  Lots of fun.
Got my permit.  Even more fun.  But driving is scary!  Working on that...

Tired from the Wii fit, so more another time.

Sixteen?  It's tomorrow.
I am SO excited.  I can't believe it; it makes me feel too old.  Is that weird, to feel old at sixteen?  But I do.  It just seems really strange.  Sure, the biggies aren't for a while: voting, drinking, etc., but sixteen is such a big thing.  I can finally drive, though I won't neglect my well-loved bike.  I go to the DMV tomorrow after school (I know it sounds so cliche to go on my birthday, but it's really because my mom won't have another day off to take me for weeks after this).  It's also the age of consent (don't tell my dad!).  Doesn't matter, though; it's not like I have a boyfriend.
So I don't know why this is such a big thing for me.  Who knows?  I'm just weird like that.  Fifteen was not the best year in the life of Amanda, but hopefully sixteen will be much better.  Best year ever, as Yair says.  Silly Israeli.
My Hopes for Sixteen:
1.  Learn to drive on time, for crying out loud!  Don't be like A & P, regretting not getting your license ASAP!
2.  Up those math grades!  Being in double advanced is not an excuse for not scoring as high as possible!
3.  At the same time, don't sweat the small stuff.  There will always be another chance.
4.  Do your best.
5.  Smile.
6.  Love your friends, love yourself.
7.  Keep up with the guitar.  Piano will always be the favorite, but being good at guitar would be really cool.
8.  Speak up around those cute guys!  Go to music events and meet some sexy violinists or soulful guitarists.  Time for a duet?
9.  More comfortable on stage!  Those vocal chords ain't half bad, so use 'em.
10. Stick with photography.  It's a great outlet.
11. That poetry isn't half bad, either.
12. Get published (again!  eeee!).
13. Appreciate what you have.
14. Get some exercise, love that body. ^.^
15. Sing in the shower, dance in the rain, live in the moment, ignore all the pain, live, laugh, love, forgive and forget, life is too short to live with regrets.
16. And, like F says, keep on truckin'

No, not my score on the recent PSATs.  Did you know that it's impossible to get lower than a 200?  Hmmm...
140 is the number of origami fish I have folded in the past two days.  I've been at home, sick, and I have been amusing myself by getting ahead on the FoldAThousand project, having a horror movie marathon, and trying to kill the stupid fruit fly that has taken up residence on the ceiling of my room.  Nasty little bugger.
So, how is everyone else's week going?

 Just got back from Tel Aviv vs. Knicks.
Ah-mazing, even though we lost.
SUCH a good time, and I love you, Jackie.
=)
I do promise a long entry eventually.

 Sitting in the library, thinking.  I am in my own headspace right now.  Just wanted to share something my friend wrote that I find so beautiful. "Today,/a half birthday/I have never felt/so old/I have never felt so/temporary."

Happy National Coming Out Day!  Love to all of my gay friends.  Yes, there are many of them.
Love, also, to the What the Buck Show.  I wish I knew him in real life.

RIP Andrea, I wish I knew you.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1054509102788 Oh yes. <3

 Not really. 185 followers isn't too bad, right?
Anyway, I know I've been a total bore on there, so follow me this week for some pretty epic tweets.
=)
(@batyisrael)

Apologies for the sporadic-ness of my writing.
Here is a little something I wrote.  I don't know what to make of it, but I hope y'all enjoy it anyway.

Yell a little louder at me, I dare you.  I've pulled inside my Amanda-shell where words and bullets bounce off.  Watch my eyes shut down-the brain shuts off because it doesn't speak shouting.  Tread softly-I can only hear whispers.  Even the clockwork psychobabble good girl had packed up and headed for higher ground.  All that is left is a skeleton robot who takes mechanical notes and doesn't say anything.  You won't see her hand again-that's gone.  All the power is off-the city in her mind is sleeping.  No one is home up there, they've all crawled into bunkers to wait this one out, and no amount of yelling, screaming, arguing, accusing will bring them out again. 

             NO, I’m not dead.  I promise.  I’ve been away for SO long, and it’s going to take me forever to catch up on everyone’s blogs.  Sorrysorrysorry to my few readers on here.  I’ll try not to take so long again.

            So, I went to camp.  Then I came home.  Then I left again.  And now I’m home.

            (more serious update of what I did later)

            I SAW PONYO YESTERDAY!  It was awesome, you should all go.  It was a lot of fun.  I also got to hang out with one of my friends who I didn’t get to talk to almost all last year.  I didn’t realize how much I missed you.  Everyone reading this-call one of your old friends.  Make plans to get together with them, even just for a cup of coffee.  You’ll feel better.

            Longer post later, maybe today.

I was going to write you guys a really long entry, but I just shredded my fingers playing guitar, so it'll be a quickie.  When are those callouses supposed to kick in again?  So, fun stuff quicklist:
-Bought Hidden Talents by davidlubar yesterday.  I've already read it, but I wanted to own a copy. =)
-Picking up a book filled with Harry Potter knitting projects from the library later today
-Learning to play guitar, slowly but surely
-Finally typing up poems for TPB!
-NO MORE TESTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Again, never on, sorry.
But the magic of wordle strikes again!
Express Yourself

This is why I always have paper and a writing utensil handy.
My chemistry teacher gave us time to work on the homework at the end of class on Thursday.  Instead, I got this:

Blind Angel

 

Looks like Mister Fate has decided

it’s time to mess up my life again.

First I’ll be floating,

then I’ll be falling,

then I’ll be left with a rifle in my hand.

Me?  I’m holding

a rifle in my hand,

a rifle in my hand.

 

Standing, knocking on Lady Death’s door,

but even she won’t let me in;

no one ever opens the door for me.

These things never turn out

quite how I planned.

Me? I’m holding

a rifle in my hand,

a rifle in my hand.

 

Trying to hug old Father Earth;

I wish he would swallow me whole,

but I’ve always had bad luck

with these sorts of things.

Looks pretty bad from where I stand.

Me?  I’m holding

a rifle in my hand,

a rifle in my hand.

File backup and my views expressed all in one!   Here's an awesome essay I had to write for English.  I say awesome because it's an opinion piece. =)  It's all about what we think of LITERATURE!  Fun.

 

              “Having a librarian mom is awesome,” at least if you believe David Lubar.  Although it is annoying to ask where a copy of a book you NEED to read is, only to find out that it’s been “borrowed for book club” (read: taken, never to be seen again), I guess I’d have to agree with him.  Reading has always been a huge part of my life, controlling a lot of decisions, from where I spent my summers to the community service projects I participated in.  Having such a broad spectrum of knowledge to draw upon has definitely influenced my life.  It certainly seems to have helped David Lubar-he’s now one of the authors he used to read about.

            Personally, my taste in books is as eclectic as the selection of music on my iPod.  I’ve gone from reading John Grisham’s The Brethren to Just Listen by Sarah Dessen in a matter of days.  I believe that reading a wide variety of books is extremely important, as it provides a more informed perspective on the world.  Through books, it is possible to explore the effects of different actions without actually dealing with the consequences ourselves.  I love books that challenge my way of thinking, like Go Ask Alice (Anonymous), but it’s also nice to read simpler, funnier books like Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie (David Lubar). 

            “Why do we have to read in school?” is the general cry of many a 9E student when the inevitable topic of Great Expectations is brought up.  First of all, some students wouldn’t read outside of class if it wasn’t required.  I love reading, but, as I mentioned before, I grew up with that being the norm.  For someone who wasn’t introduced early on to this great world where anything the author can imagine is possible, reading could be boring.  It is also necessary to require some books to be read to call attention to certain genres that would otherwise be ignored. 

For example, I probably would not have read The Catcher in the Rye on my own.  It’s just not the type of book that I would usually pick up in my free time unless it had been specifically recommended to me.  I loved it, though.  The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite required reading books.  One of the reasons it never really struck me as an independent reading book was the differences between Holden and myself.  While we live in the same state, New York City and Bethlehem are two entirely separate worlds.  Both of us have seen doctors for mental health issues, but in the book, Holden is going through a psychological breakdown.  He drinks and smokes, I can’t stand the taste of alcohol.  He goes to boarding school where he doesn’t do very well, I live at home where I try to be a straight-A student.  He talks frequently about making out with girls and his roommate “giving them the time,” while I’ve never been on a date.  Holden seems to generally dislike people, while I’m more of a people person.  The list goes on and on with our differences, and the similarities are few.  Still, I found myself able to relate to Holden.  I, too, have felt isolated.  I’ve experienced loss.  I’ve been disgusted with adult hypocrisy.  I think that’s one of the characteristics of great literature; no matter how different the book seems from your life, you can manage to find bits and pieces that you can relate to.

Another characteristic is, as I mentioned before, a book’s ability to challenge its readers’ ideas and morals.  Unlike Flannery O’Connor, I believe that To Kill a Mockingbird should be read by adults.  Sure, many of the concepts are easy for children to understand, and the protagonist is a child.  There is a clear “good guy,” and a very obvious “bad guy.”  Still, there are morals, themes, and viewpoints hidden in Harper Lee’s book that adults would do well to listen to.  One example is Atticus’ advice to Uncle Jack: “When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness’ sake.”  Several other mentions of the ability of children to understand things are made throughout the book, and they provide a good lesson for adults.  Other parts of the book have very obviously adult themes, like racial slurs, supposed alcoholism, and rape.  To Kill a Mockingbird is an outstanding choice for a mandatory reading book in high school English.

Not all books that we read are outstanding, and some genres of literature are completely ignored.  Very few of the books read in 9E and 10E English are written by women, and even fewer contain a strong, independent female protagonist.  To Kill a Mockingbird is told by a girl, but she is young, and she is forever being encouraged to act like a boy.  The Secret Life of Bees is one of the few books following a girl that is still relevant today.  I leave out Antigone and Romeo and Juliet because they are not very good examples for current times.  While Antigone is headstrong, she is also portrayed as very foolish. Also, the rest of the women in the play all die or play very small roles.  Juliet is simply a terrible example.  She is 13 when she falls in “love” with a boy three years older than her, who she only meets because he’s snuck into her house to crash her parents’ party.  Then, before even a few days have gone by, she’s decided to marry him and…consummate the marriage, all right before Romeo runs off.  After that, she gets involved in some harebrained scheme to trick her whole family, before actually killing herself.  This all takes place in the midst of her family and friends dropping dead like flies around her.

            My sarcastic views aside, I have read many worthwhile books both inside and outside of the classroom during my high school career.  Two such books are The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger, which I stated previously, and A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray.  Again, the characters in the book seem like they should be impossible to relate to.  The four protagonists go to a boarding school in Victorian England, where they begin reading about a secret group of women who practiced magic at the school for generations.  Still, A Great and Terrible Beauty, along with the two books that follow, includes issues that girls (and boys) still deal with today.  Her father is a drug addict.  Her mother is dead.  Her brother is a pompous jerk (I think anyone with a sibling or a sibling-like figure in their lives can relate to that).  Throughout the book, hard topics are faced, but they are done so entertainingly that the reader doesn’t notice.  Another characteristic of good literature is how sneaky the author is with the “moral of the story,” how quietly they can slip it into the book.

            So, despite the moans and groans at the less entertaining books, reading in school is necessary.  It can broaden our horizons, and introduce us to books that we might (*gasp*) actually want to read on our own.  Books, especially To Kill a Mockingbird and Black Boy, can be used to teach us the “Don’t be racist,” lessons we seem to ignore during NCBI.  The system, like most, isn’t exactly perfect, but I think it’s up to the student to fill in with what they want to read, what they can relate to. 

Hey!  I just realized that I haven't posted in, oh, say...forever.  That means a week, almost.  My bad.
Things have been alright here.  I got some (MORE) really bad news.  Guess it's just not a good year for my family.
BUT, it was balanced out!  If you have not yet read the April issue of TeenInk, go.  Do it. Now.  Turn to the You & Your Health page.  Read "Ripples."  Yay!  That came in the mail and I FREAKED out.  AND we got our new puppy.  His name is Thaddeus and he is awesome.  
More when it's not ten at night.
'till then!