Vital Vocab 25 (kinda)

Vocab: speculate (v), salient (a), scathing (a), scrupulous (a), seminal (a)

Commonly Confused Words: woman/women

Grammar Focus: parallel structure and semicolon

Hi, all.  

     You don't really have to read this post.  Unless of course you're Mr. Parker, in which case...well...I'm sorry you have to read this post.

     I've had a fair bit of writer's block lately, which recently doubled with an unfortunate little cold.  So between the salient, scathing little voice in my head telling me I'll be judged for my writing and the exhausting struggle to breathe through my nose, I find it better just to get this Vital Vocab out of the way, without dragging out poor Isaac's day any farther this week.  I probably will next week, but after that comes Spring Break, which means plane rides and car trips, and ample time to, ah...well, to rethink my less-than-scrupulous life decisions.  (Or really just to speculate about Isaac's future, but you know what I mean.)

     And hey, maybe I'll read something for once, something seminal to my later writings.  Or maybe somehow the fresh air of a week in Chicago will help me learn how to write a female protagonist.  Seriously, I can't write women.  Can't do it.  I don't know why, but they always end up too...something, then they un-develop.  Oh well.  I'll write a woman someday!  (Is it just me, or does saying "woman" sound really weird?  I hardly ever use that word.)

     Anyways, time to write other things.  Sorry I couldn't manage a good upload this week; it just wasn't working out.  Time for me to go, so I can write a little, draw a little, read a little, think a little....

Bye!

-Allie

Vital Vocab 24 | Vital Vocab 27

(Vital Vocab 26 does not exist.)

Vital Vocab Dictionary

The Louvre (and Scout Finch)

Hi, all.  In this post, I recommend to you two lovely things.  First, I give you...the Louvre!

The Louvre (loohv) is one of the most famous art museums in the world, located in the center of Paris.  Now, I'm in French III.  I love the language and the culture, but I try not to talk about Paris too much because, well, if you've ever been into any American shopping mall ever...

...I feel it's become a tad cliché.  I mean, gorgeous!  But cliché.

But this is something Parisian that I really just can't get over.  My teacher showed it to us in French today, and...and...welp.  o-o

You don't need to watch it with sound, but I recommend it, because the music's really pretty.

(I don't trust Blogger with videos, so here's a link to it on YouTube.)

When my teacher asked the class how many people had been to the Louvre, the anticipated answer was maybe two or three kids.  But no.  No!  Nearly half the class raised their hands.  Now, that's fine.  Good for them!  I'm glad!  So long as they don't take it for granted.  But when one girl was asked how she liked it, she only said, "eh, it was cool," and proceeded to stare at her laptop, vastly uninterested with the topic.

Are you kidding me?  It was cool?  I go to the Fine Arts and Natural History museums at the U and I freak out like a little kid.  I end up taking four minutes of video of snails for pete's sake!  (Which are actually pretty cool.  You should see them, really.)

Now, I have to be careful about calling people out on taking things for granted, because I live in a wealthy neighborhood in a very wealthy country.  But she got to go to Paris!  She got to test her broken, third-year French on actual people!  And she got to go to the Louvre.

Actually, maybe I should set something straight.  In science museums, I become like a little kid.  In art museums, I really become a sort of pretentious culture sponge.  I have to be careful not to get all faux-deep on those around me.  At least, that's true last I checked.  It's been too long: another reason I should be in the Louvre right now.

Okay, well right now it's actually like 3:30 AM there, but my point still stands.

Anyways.  One of my many adolescent dreams.

The other thing I wanted to point out in this post - just a small thing - was this:
In English, we recently read To Kill A Mockingbird, which many people may think is a pain-in-the-ass book to read.  If you're thinking that, and you have to read it like I did, just hold true 'till part two (heh, rhyme).  Pay close attention to the characters, because the farther you read, the more attached you get, and the more interesting and meaningful the book becomes.  (There will be fangirling, too.)  It's beautiful, if a little sad.  In my experience, most beautiful stories are pretty sad.  That's just how it works.

And also Scout is adorable.  (I might have to work on my transitions.)

(courtesy of: wikispaces)

Look at her!  Cutie!  Particularly if you know what scene that is.  My mom and I watched the movie last night.  :3

But so, anyways, read the book, then watch the movie, and then go to the Louvre.  I insist.

-Allie

Sleuthing Assistance?

Hello, all.  This post will be short, but purposeful.  This week, I find I encountered a bit of a problem.  It was finals week, and whenever I find myself subjected to large amounts of stress, directly after I'm kind of just...drained of creativity.  Unfortunately, we also started our mystery unit in Creative Writing this week.

There's no hope.

The rest of my class has spent the last three periods planning, outlining, and drafting.  I, however, have spent the last three periods...ahh...sitting...?  Staring...?  Listening to Grooveshark...?

Thinking about fedoras?

(courtesy of: cartoonsnap.blogspot.com)

Or better yet...

(courtesy of: jamknight on deviantart)

I don't watch Sherlock like I should, but that?  That is adorable.

Anyways, I've been painfully un-productive in Creative Writing this past week, because my mind is utterly devoid of ideas.  I do, however, have a character...name.  I have a name.  My sleuth's gonna be a Stewie Elaine.  (Unfortunately, I haven't even decided her hair color.)

So with this post, I implore you: if you have any sort of ideas for a mystery, or even if you don't, leave a comment.  My comment bar loves you.

Just like I love you.  *makes heart with hands*

I'm desperate, guys.  Please.

Please.

*coughs pathetically* 

  please.   

Vital Vocab 24

Okay, so I keep talking to people about, like, "oh yeah, and on my blog I was all like..." and then they're like, "oh hey, I read that!" and I find that very interesting because I can't for the life of me find out why.  Like, seriously guys, I'm three quarters of the way through the school year and I haven't managed to slump my way out of the exposition yet.

So.  I'm gonna work on that.

Also, you guys should comment.  I asked a while ago for you kids to point it out if you ever noticed this one thing, or even if you were just reading these thingies, and not even my teacher's said a word.  (Another reason it surprises me when people tell me they read my blog.)

But so anyways, thank you guys for reading, regardless of your elusive motives.  Thank you very muchly.

Vocab: reciprocate, rescind, remedial, relish, ruse

Commonly Confused Words: coarse/course

Grammar Focus: parallel structure

Isaac Bade-

     Despite the unrelenting wind and rain trickling down the back of my neck, the course up the tree was smooth.  It wasn't until I reached the rooftop that I began to regret my decision.  The roof was slick with rain, set a steep angle that I could not relish.  I hesitated, and considered climbing down, but the window was right there.  I sighed and leaned slowly, carefully, cautiously out towards the ledge, gritting my teeth.  

     Snap!

     The law demanding the tree support me had clearly been rescinded.  I tried to jump across as the branch broke, but only managed to grate my hands over the coarse shingles.  My stomach lurched as the ground rushed up beneath me, and with a sickening crack, I was flat on the ground, pain searing through my right arm.  I gaped, closing my eyes as I tried to draw breath back into my lungs.  Near me, I heard the back door open with a gasp.  

     Dammit.

     For a long moment, she didn't say anything.  Then, in a rush, "I'm gonna find you a house key."

     I sighed and swallowed, still catching my breath.  It would have been easier just to stage a ruse.  Slowly, I tried to get up, but immediately cried out as I put pressure on my arm.  I managed to sit up without it, and looked down.  Broken.  It was definitely broken.  My forearm was stubby, and was it just me, or was it slightly bent?  I cringed, and Aunt Gaile reciprocated it with a grimace.  That would clearly need some remedial something.  

Vital Vocab 23 | Vital Vocab 25

Vital Vocab Dictionary

Magnetic Poetry

Today I'm going to post about something very beautiful that I never really fully appreciated until kinda recently.  That something is...

Magnetic Poetry.

It's hard to fully convey the sheer awesomeness of Magnetic Poetry without playing with it, but I guess I should start by explaining what it is.  Have you ever played with those funny little word magnets, and you make little sentences and stories, and it's silly because there aren't enough and's and the's and lots of words get lost under the fridge even though you're super careful just because they're tiny and there's just really no avoiding it because you're like eight?  Mhm.  Amazing.

Now, I really have no idea what happened to the set I had as a kid, and after it disappeared I didn't really encounter magnetic poetry again for many years.  Until just a bit ago, when I noticed the set in the YA section of my local library.

Books?  Who checks out books?  I just wanted to make silly poems!  Seriously though, my friend had to drag me out of there.  And when I got home, I went straight to their website, poked around, then bought a set on Amazon.

That website is great.  You can either play online or shop, and shopping is very entertaining.  Here are a few that I would actually like to have...

 

and a few that I just find amusing.

  

 

(all images courtesy of the Magnetic Poetry website)

Actually, I would kind of like the Little Box of Whoop-Ass, too.  There are other themed sets too, like Cat Lover, Mustache Lover, Artist and Bacon Poet.

I'm actually posting this because I got the Original set in the mail yesterday.  It comes with 300+ words and a little guide to poem-making, which I think is pretty cool, and the perfect set for when you're just getting started.  The first time I bought a set, I got a little overexcited and bought Writer's Remedy, because it looked cute and came in a glass-stoppered bottle.  Unfortunately, it only came with half the words.

Writer's Remedy

Original

Great words all the same, though, and I'm glad to have it.

So anyways, all in all, I would fully recommend trying out magnetic poetry, especially with a friend.  And maybe sometime, I'll post something I write with it.  But beware: it'll probably be missing some and's and the's, and a few will be lost under the fridge.

Vital Vocab 23

Prompt?  What prompt?

Vocab: rapport, rebuke, refute, quaint, quixotic

Commonly Confused Words: bare/bear

Grammar Focus: parallel structure

Isaac Bade-

     I eventually got tired of waiting and made my way to the muddy backyard, as carefully as possible (though easily refuted, I had a notion that tromping through my aunt's garden could damage our rapport).  Once there, I crossed the back patio and tried the door (locked, of course).  I didn't bother with our quaint kitchen window, but instead grabbed hold of the bare lower limbs of the oak tree, hoping it wasn't too quixotic to hope it would still bear my weight.  I hadn't tried this in ages, and could only assume the tree wouldn't drop me in some harsh rebuke.  Up, over, up, over....I didn't think I heard any cracking branches.  I considered that a good sign.

Vital Vocab 22 | Vital Vocab 24

Vital Vocab Dictionary

Shattered Teacups (and Anthony Rousseaux)

Hello, my friends.  It occurred to me the other day that I haven't posted any art in a while.  This is partly because my art lately hasn't been very good (or even interesting, for that matter), but I recently finished an art project that I actually really like.  And I finished it on time for class, too!  (because, you know, I did it as homework.)

The assignment was called "Cup Surprise."  We all collected teacups or coffee mugs and chose an object to draw coming out of them to "surprise" my teacher.  Anything we wanted.  (School appropriate, of course.)  So I started rough drafting (we need two rough drafts for every assignment - bluh) and I ended up with these:

Her name is Eleanor, if you were wondering.

Unfortunately, all too often my run-of-the-mill art projects just strike me as kind of...soulless.  And as soon as that horrible feeling kicks in, I'm screwed.  I look around the class, and see all these projects that look just like mine, and...I can't move on.  I find it hard to see the point.  But that weekend, I got lucky.

My mom broke her favorite teacup!  Hooraaaaay!  (We got her a new one, don't worry.)  And that broken teacup gave me a lovely photo reference.

I actually sent this picture to Sara for some friendly critiquing.  It went approximately as follows:

Me: Does this look like it's been dropped?
Sara: Um.  Yes?
Me: Or should I move it?
Sara: uh...
Sara: wait a second...
Sara: Anthony...
Me: hmm?
Sara: A-Anthony!  AnthONY NOOOOOOOOO!  WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM, ALLIE?  WHAT DID YOU DO?
Me: uhh...
Sara: ANTHONYYYYYYYYYY
Me: I was just...
Sara: ANTHONYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

I really should have had a story to tell her.

But so anyways.  After drawing from that picture for the next handful of art classes, I ended up with this.

Signed and dated, my first really good project of the year.  Hope you like it.

-Allie :3

Vital Vocab 22

Hello, dears.  I'm tired.  Do not expect anything too extraordinary.

((oh gosh wow, I forgot to post it last night.  I'm sorry.))

Prompt: --

Vocab: pretense, procure, prosaic, pragmatic, prudence

Commonly Confused Words: aloud/allowed

Grammar Focus: parallel structure

Isaac Bade-

     Unfortunately, Aunt Gaile had remembered to lock the front door again.  I sighed aloud as I tried the knob.  I couldn't fathom why she thought this was necessary; it had never struck me to be particularly pragmatic (and again I wished one of us could have had the prudence to procure a house key).  I glanced over at the garage door's keypad, but instead of trying the code, I just sat again on the front steps in the rain.  The keypad hadn't worked in months; no matter how much I tried it, I would not be allowed in.

     I leaned against the front door and absently covered the edges of bits of paper from my backpack in prosaic scribbles.  Scri-scritch, scri-scritch, scri-scritch....  My mind wandered back to the library, all the girls with their chittery laughs and fake smiles.  Social pretense was such bull.

Vital Vocab 21 | Vital Vocab 23

Vital Vocab Dictionary

Creative Writing - "Write Around"

Hi everybody!  Hooray, a weekend post!  To think I'd had it together this week....

I've been posting a lot of Vital Vocabs lately, but this wasn't really meant to be a Vital Vocab blog.  It was meant to be a writing [and sometimes miscellaneous] blog.  So, here's some writing.  (And sometimes miscellaneous?)

A lot of things I do for English, but I'm also in a Creative Writing class.  Every class we do a warm-up "Writers Notebook" activity.  (Basically, our teacher gives us some sort of challenge or prompt to start the class with.)  This week, there was one called a "Write-Around."  We each wrote the opening sentences of a story, then passed it around the class, each person adding a bit to the plot.  And so, after some minor editing, I ended up with this.

Writers Notebook 10 - Write Around
((I only wrote the first three sentences and last four paragraphs of this - we had to conclude the stories on our own.))

courtesy of: www.pcta.org

     Trees towered high over the river’s edge, tall spindles of pine. A yellow and orange dusk was falling, and the air slowly gained its distinctive evening chill. There was a broken down bridge, threatening to tumble into the water. It was beautiful.
     Anna felt a warm breath hit her shoulder and she glanced around, but no one was there. She turned and watched the river slowly flow down the stream. Anna was glad to get away from her controlling parents for a little while. Suddenly she heard sticks crack.
     “Hey, Anna. I hear that you want to get away from your parents,” said her ex-boyfriend, “maybe I can help.”
     “John, we broke up for a reason. Now stop stalking me like a shadow!” Anna screamed out at him.
     “Ya but, thats all in the past.” He said making matters worse. She got up and started to walk away. Anna took one step, and BAM! John ran right into her and forcefully slammed his lips upon hers. She tried to escape, but she was to weak. She always was too weak. She was trembling, her whole body filled with fear. I better think quickly, if I ever want to get out of this situation. The last place in the whole wide world she would want to be was right here, right then.
     Anna started screaming at the top of her lungs, the sound echoing off the mountain walls. “Help! Help! Help! Get me out of here.” She began to run, run faster than she ever had before. John kept chasing her. She heard him panting in the distance.
     As she ran, her oversized shoes began to trip her up. She knew that she shouldn’t have worn those shoes. They were slowing her down, so she kicked off her shoes and began to run faster. She was always super fast in track and field.
     John was stumbling over grass and roots, but still trailing after her. Anna stopped and ducked around behind a boulder, knowing he couldn’t see her.
     “Come on baby,” he said, “you don’t wanna hide from me.” Quietly, Anna picked up a stone, then climbed on top of the rock. He didn’t even look up. “Come on now, where’d you go?” he blundered, completely oblivious. Anna tensed, took aim, held her breath.
     She dropped the stone directly on his head.
     “UHG--” John dropped to the ground, unconscious. Quickly, Anna took out her cell phone. It was time to call the police. 

So.  Attempted rape.  Okay, class.  But so I know this isn't my best work; I only really edited it for grammar.  It was a fun assignment though, seeing what a simple setting could turn into when passed by a bunch of different writers.  I'm curious to see what I did to everybody else's stories, too, because when we were done and people got their stories back, I heard things like "oh wow, my story got violent," and "that's so sad, my character fell into a ditch!" and I just kind of sat there like, "oh, I did that...."

But so anyways, thanks for reading, as always.  Until next time, my friends!
-Allie

P.S: if anyone would like to see it, my waifu posted a sad coupling of one-shots we wrote on her blog, here.  (Should I post my one-shots?  They're mostly Anthony-related and poorly explained.)

P.P.S: sorry if the formatting on any of my posts is screwy.  I've kinda been trying to teach myself HTML lately.  (for anyone similarly interested, this is a beautiful website.  enjoy yourselves.)