What Happened Yesterday

Maya and I were biking up and down the road outside the house. Since I recently got a 21-gear bike, I was fiddling with the gears, trying to work out which ones I was supposed to use. I hated the times when the bike sort of shuddered or convulsed when I changed the gear.

Maya and I were going for our last round. There were several cars parked in the road, and besides, there was some high school graduation party going on in some house down the street. All those seniors were leaving, causing the road to be extra-cluttered.

So, I was just happily riding along at top speed alongside Maya, who was trying to show off by sticking her feet in the air. Her bike swerved all over the sidewalk and she crashed into some bushes, fortunately managing to stay on her bike and continue. We were both laughing, and Maya, not paying attention again, ran right over a "Tru-Green Chem Lawn" signpost in the sidewalk, flattening it to bits.

On top of this, while coming back up the street, Maya continued to show off. She ran right into these soil patches in the sidewalk (where trees are planted) and skidded to a halt in the soil, her bike tipping over with her on it. She ended up with a scraped knee and ankle and limped back to the garage in shameful disgrace.

What a day!

Peter and the Starcatchers

By Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

Have you ever wished you could fly? Or meet pirates? Well if you have, then Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson is the book for you. This book is the first of a trilogy, the other two books being Peter and the Shadow Thieves and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon. The trilogy is a humorous fantasy story that tells what happens before the classical Peter Pan story.

The first book follows Peter, a young orphan, and his orphanage friends on a long sea voyage on a dingy ship along with a new friend, Molly Aster. However, also roaming the seas is the Sea Devil, the most-feared pirate ship commanded by the infamous Black Stache, or Captain Hook. (At this point he doesn't have his hand cut off.) The pirates are after magical treasure, and the search for the treasure leads the pirates to a picturesque island (Never Land). Peter and his friends end up on the island too, as well as some men who want the treasure to present to the Evil King Zarboff the Third. The pirates, men, and children face dangerous Mollusk warriors, clever mermaids, hairy spiders, giant crocodiles, as well as "starstuff" (a.k.a. the treasure) which gives people and animals the ability to fly. This thrilling and adventurous insight into the origins of a popular fairytale story will leave your thoughts whirling with wondrous images, you imagination spinning with fantastical tales, and your mind sighing in pure satisfaction.

Random Thoughts

Right now I am on the computer typing this (duh) as the glorious sun sets in a haze of red, purples, and yellows. No, just kidding. Right now I am on the computer typing this (duh) as the night sets in, sending a blue/black inkiness spreading across the dusky sky. Ooooh.....

My sister is strangely giggling next to me as she listens to her screechy music and types on her shiny black laptop, sucking her thumb (or so it appears). Suddenly, she leaps up shouting that it's going to snow tomorrow. Hooray. More frost and coldness. Not that I don't like snow, but...after the spring equinox, the weather has to actually act like spring, right?

My stomach is groaning as I just finished a sumptuous dinner of spaghetti, carrots, and peas. Actually, the cause of my groaning stomach might be due to some uncooked snowpeas with sharp ends cleverly hidden among the blood-red chaos of pasta and tomato sauce. I'm starting to feel a little sick as I imagine my dinner as a battlefield after the battle is over, with the carrots and peas (the two armies) laying helplessly, wounded (or stained with sauce) as a sharp, shiny pronged fork zooms toward them, ending their tragic stories and sending them to their doom.

Rain on February 29th, 2008

Happy Leap Day!
Here's a poem titled "Rainbow" to commemorate today's dreary rain.

Rain splattering on the gray sidewalk
Forming puddles,
Little pools of rainwater.
Worms wriggle out of their shelters
Taking pleasure in the water.
And little streams trickle off my dark umbrella
Wetting my boots.

Rain hammering on the roof
Wanting to get in
As I lay in bed, snug and cozy
Suddenly, the rain slackens
Pattering gently at my windowsill
Seeping down the glass
Lulling me to sleep.

The next morning, all is quiet
I look out the window
And bask in the warm sunshine.
The roads are slippery
The grass is wet
And high, high above the treetops
A glittering, colorful rainbow smiles down at me.

Short Story

This is a short story depicting an action that takes place in about 10 seconds.

Radiant, shining beams stream through the window as Sally happily prances into the room and spots a box on the table. Curiously, she picks up the colorful package, a present from her parents, and feels the sharp edges of the box, her eyes eager. As her expression softens, the girl lightly runs her hand over the elegant, satin bow and tries to peel off the bow, but her fingers finally yank at the tapered edges and undo the ribbon, which falls to the table. Moving swiftly, Sally’s hand digs into the wrapping and rips through the paper, leaving a pile of paper sitting forlornly next to the ribbon, which lies on the table. Inside the package rests a battered box, which Sally scornfully contemplates as she pulls out the lid. Sally peers inside the box apprehensively and gasps, her eyes widening and her hands shaking, for inside the box sits……….

Description of a Worn-Out Shoe

Balancing precariously upon a shabby, shadowy cart, a black, threadbare shoe gradually decays in its lonely surroundings. Its aging aglets cracking, two limp, untied shoelaces aimlessly dangle along a crumbling wall of moldered fabric. A pathetic, tattered tongue, twisting and bending, sags weakly and slowly ages. This shoe’s faded pleather lays untouched under a constantly growing layer of lightly-colored grime. Near the worn sole, the extremely severed rubber reveals a monstrous, stretching crevasse. Dusty, blackened plastic barely manages to cling onto the top of the sole, forming once-graceful, yet now peeling designs. Zigzagging treads, exhausted with overuse, crumble lethargically, evenly spaced among the sole of the shoe. Long, jagged rips span across the exterior.

The fatigued, weary interior, however, with its ragged shoelace holes, splitting and snapping stitches, and frayed edges, deteriorates just like the outside. Feeble, drooping tags, attached to the tongue, flop miserably, their small, printed words illegible. Disintegrating foam bursts eagerly out of its useless, overcrowded lining. Unrelenting, persisting lint stubbornly holds onto the sneaker’s fabric. Faint, musty smells rise from this dirty Reebokä shoe and nauseatingly pervade the air. Withered and rotted, this filthy piece of footwear apprehensively waits for its cataclysmic, catastrophic, and disastrous end.

Please Send In Comments!

I would really appreciate it if people sent in more comments about my posts. I enjoy hearing from everyone, and I always appreciate suggestions about what I should or should not post.

Thank you!

Winter Wonderland

What a fabulous joyful way to start the first day of December! It's really snowing! We have about 3 inches of snow! I'm so happy!

The weather forecast predicts wind, rain, and SNOW for tomorrow, and rain for Monday.

I hope this snow lasts for a long time so that I do not have to go to piano tomorrow and school on Monday!

November

November has started! It's time for cold weather (possibly snow) and of course, Thanksgiving!!!
And by the way, I hope you remembered to turn your clocks back one hour this morning.

As of now I am forced to go to a piano lesson in about 1.5 hours, and I really don't want to go because I didn't practice that much.

Also, I slept in an uncomfortable position last night and my neck has been stiff for the whole of today so far. I tell you, it does not feel good.

October

Happy October! It's time for rain, bad weather, leaves, fire (in the fireplace), and Halloween! I can't wait for October 31st, especially. I hope last year's costume still fits. Some of the houses in the neighborhood have already gotten pumpkins out!

It's supposed to be heavy rains tomorrow, just in case you wanted to know.

Anyways, have a wonderful week!

Just Some Stuff

Hello, and welcome back to school. I hope you had an delightful first 1.5 weeks. Here's the forecast in Redmond, Washington for the next few days.

Thursday: Sunny with highs at 80 and lows at 50.
Friday: Sunny with highs at 81 and lows at 51.
Saturday: Sunny with highs at 70 and lows at 52.
Sunday: Sprinkles with highs at 68 and lows at 50.
Monday: Sprinkles with highs at 64 and lows at 47.

Well that's all, and I hope you enjoy the rest of the week!

News

Yesterday was my 12th birthday. Yay! I got two books and a $15 iTunes gift card. I also got a carrot cake! Yummy!

It is raining now. It has been raining for the past three days. Yesterday was especially bad. The clouds keep rolling in and do not seem to fade away!

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July! I was sad that our family didn't see any fireworks this year (because there were no fireworks nearby), but we did go to Mount Rainier for a vacation. That was fun! Since it was so hot, we were able to play in the snow without socks, proper shoes, jackets, scarves, hats, and gloves. I went out in a t-shirt, capris, and boots. Unfortunately, I got snow in my boots, and since I had no socks on, that was not a pleasant experience. It happened two times! Also, my feet got stuck in mucky mud while trying to go down to Reflection Lake. Other than that, it was really good. I got soaked at one of the falls!

Tug-Of-War Tip

Pull for a few seconds, then completely let go of the rope. While the other team falls over backwards, grab the rope and pull to victory.

P.S.- This really works!

My Dream

I have a dream
That whales will jump out of the sea
And dolphins will swim to the shore
Just to see me.

I have a dream
That butterflies will flutter above my head
Their small bodies just silhouettes
Against the setting sun glowing orange red.

I have a dream
That caged birds could be set free
And then they would have liberty
Just like you and me.