7th Grade

When I first arrived in August I expected 7th grade to be a lot harder then it actually was. I expected to solve massive multistep problems but it was really just the same as 6th grade. We came to school had four classes, went to lunch, had three more classes, and left. It was the same old thing. By October I had completely settled in to the schedule. I made it to all of my classes on time. I knew what was going on and I had great grades.

Eventually though things just started to get harder and harder. We started to do those multistep problems I expected. Things began to get harder and we started learning more complicated things. The amount of homework increased and I began to feel swamped. Even though things got harder I learned a few things. I learned how to do algebra and learned how to create graphs. I also learned to avoid popular people, if you want to keep your sanity.

My favorite class over the year was English class because it had little to no homework and had a great teacher.
If I could do the entire year over again I would have worked harder on my assignments. The advice I give to next years 7th grenadiers is to follow the rules and do your work. Make it easier on your fellow students and follow the rules.

Leadership

In Boy Scouts leadership is everything. Without good leadership the troop cannot function or carry out orders. To bad for us there was no good leader for miles!

Almost everyone in the troop was either a crazy person or didn’t want to lead. One of our leaders decided it was a good idea to pour bacon grease into the fire! I almost got set on fire by that idiot. An other problem was all out laziness. Some of the leaders would put their feet up and expect things to just happen. While our leader sat around we nothing got done because there was no one to tell us what to do.

When we got a good leader everything goes smooth as a well greased eel. Things got done in an orderly and timely manner. Everyone was happy and more willing to work act do required tasks. Good leaders were the life blood of out troop. Sometimes though, even good leaders let things slip.

During our best patrol leaders term one of the scouts ( who’s name I will not name to preserve his dignity) had his tent and sleeping bag filled with pork chops and spices. Even the best of our leaders could not find who did it and no one was convicted of the crime.

After the pork chop vandalism there was also a fight, further proving that even good leaders mess up. It was important that we had a good leader but we rarely did. This was the leadership situation in my Boy Scout troop.

Favorite Poem

Casey at the Bat is one of my favorite poems. It was written by Ernest Thayer.

The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day;
The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play,
And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same,
A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, “If only Casey could but get a whack at that-
We’d put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.”

But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake,
And the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of Casey getting to the bat.

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all,
And Blake, the much despisèd, tore the cover off the ball;
And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred,
There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third.

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat.

There was ease in Casey’s manner as he stepped into his place;
There was pride in Casey’s bearing and a smile lit Casey’s face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt ’twas Casey at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt;
Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt;
Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip,
Defiance flashed in Casey’s eye, a sneer curled Casey’s lip.

And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air,
And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there.
Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped–
“That ain’t my style,” said Casey. “Strike one!” the umpire said.

From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore;
“Kill him! Kill the umpire!” shouted some one on the stand;
And it’s likely they’d have killed him had not Casey raised his hand.

With a smile of Christian charity great Casey’s visage shone;
He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on;
He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew;
But Casey still ignored it, and the umpire said, “Strike two!”

“Fraud!” cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered “Fraud!”
But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed.
They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain,
And they knew that Casey wouldn’t let that ball go by again.

The sneer has fled from Casey’s lip, his teeth are clenched in hate;
He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate.
And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go.
And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey’s blow.

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville–great Casey has struck out.

My Favorite Movie

When I was little I could not do without the movie “The
Iron Giant.” I watched that movie day after day, night after night.
Sometimes I’d watch it multiple times a day. It was my favorite
movie at the time!

I was fascinated by the colors I saw and the sounds I heard. For a toddler, a movie like that was like stepping into a whole new world. The movie was meant to be watched by older kids, but I understood what was going on. It had
funny scenes and action to go along with it. The ending also
tugged my heart strings.

While I watched the movie, I pretended to be the giant robot friend of the boy the movie focused on. This robot got me greatly interested in fiction. After
watching this movie, I read fiction book after fiction book to feed
my hunger. If I hadn’t watched this movie, I would not have the love of fiction I do today.

“The Iron Giant Trailer.” YouTube. YouTube, 29 Apr. 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2014.

My City

I live in Austin TX and I’ve lived here all my life. There are lots of things to do in Austin and I’m excited to share some of them with you. Some people may think that Texas is a flat, brown plain populated by the occasional cactus. This if far from the truth. Austin TX is a bustling city filled with lush, green trees and tall grass. The city itself is amazing to look at. It’s full of huge skyscrapers and surrounded by man made rivers. I love Austin because it’s green and natural and not just your average concrete jungle.

Austin is also full of fun things to do. You can hike through the hills in the famous hill country or swim in a cool, clear spring. I love to take a long hike in the hills and then soak in a nice refreshing pool of water. You can also kayak or paddle board on Ladybird lake. I personally love to explore the river beds after the water has dried up because you never know what you might find. I have found fishhooks, strange rocks and many other treasures. You can also spot red tail hawks, deer and rabbits. If you look in the right place you might even see an armadillo.

If nature is not your fancy, there are many other activities to entertain you. The city is host to ritzy restaurants, each containing 100’s of scrumptious meals. You can order anything form a good old fashion hamburger, regional Tex-mex,or sea urchins at one of the swankiest sushi restaurants around. There Is also the Long center; where you can see campy musicals or solemn operas. You could eat at any establishment and then hop right across the river for a show. Last of all you will be astounded at the absolutely insane quantity of live music! Country, rock, pop; anything you can think of! It’s all here. These, my friends, are the reasons you should come visit Austin and the reasons I plan to never leave.

Introducing Me

I am completely new to this challenge. I have a large family that lives with me in my home state of Texas . I love to spend time outside and love all of the earth’s creatures. I also enjoy camping, swimming, and playing games.I will also write long story’s on my blogging account. One of my favorite hobbies is collecting dead bugs to study. (I know, some people might think that’s weird.) I always wear jackets even when it’s warm outside! You could say I have some odd habits but I think that is a great thing-the world needs irregular people!

Reggie

Hi, I’m Brian and I wrote this to tell you about an
experience I had. Three years ago during summer vacation I decided
to bike across Kansas. At the time I felt invincible and it seemed
like fun, so on the first day of summer break I signed up for a
bike-across-the-state event. It went well at first. The other
bikers and I had a great time. We joked, we laughed, and we told
funny stories. About a week later we were half way across Kansas
when I got separated from the rest of the group! I must have not
been paying attention and taken a wrong turn because I was way off
course.

Eventually I made it to a small backwoods town called
Glenndale. Exhausted, I stumbled into the local diner and ordered a
burger. As I was waiting for my food to come I over heard a group
of old men talking about “Reggie.” They said he walked the
backroads of the country killing people with his metal hand and
eating them. They said the only way to get away from him was to get
into a town. Thinking it was a bunch of hodgepodge, I paid the bill
and continued on my way. I had found out that the town two miles
from here was my bike group’s next destination, and if I hurried I
could catch up to them. That evening I set out for the the town on
a dirt road that would take me straight to my destination. I road
fast, not wanting to be caught out in the dark. About half way
there my bike hit something on the road and I flew over the
handles! I crashed to the ground winded and bruised. When I finally
got up I saw what I had crashed into: nails. The road was covered
in nails! I got up and looked around. Who would put nails on the
road? Then I saw it. There was a man in the distance behind me. He
wore a black trench coat and cowboy boots and his hair was long and
stringy. As the wind shifted towards me I could smell a foul odor.
It smelled like dirty socks and decay. Then I noticed his arm. He
wore a brace over his right arm and his hand was covered in a glove
with blades on the end of its fingers. I turned and ran down the
road. I could hear him behind me as I ran. He was faster then me
and was quickly gaining ground! Ahead of me was the city! I kept
running! I was almost safe! I don’t know what happened next, but I
tripped and crashed to the ground. I looked over my shoulder to see
him reaching for me: he was inches away but would not go any
closer. Then I remembered what the old man had said. “He won’t go
into town.” This was the first time I got a truly good look at him.
He was covered in scars and had sharp teeth. He also had tears in
his eyes. As I began to back away he started screaming at me in a
high off tune voice telling me not to go, to step closer. As I
turned and ran I heard him sobbing at the lost of his meal! I still
look over my shoulder sometimes, expecting him to be there ready to
claim his lost prize! Reggie

Others

Kate woke to someone shaking her, “Yo Kate- time for the walk, lets go! Satellites won’t fix themselves.” Grumbling Kate unstrapped from the bed and pushed into the hallway of the space station, she was greeted  by the rest of the crew with calls of “hello.” and “morning.”

Kate grumbled ” On the one day they let us sleep in,a satellite goes offline,great!” Kate lazily floated to the suit room and with the help of her partner Rico, dawned a mark 12 suit. After Rico and her were dressed and ready to go she gave the thumbs up to the camera on the wall.

There was a hiss and everything went quiet,then the door opened and Kate stepped into nothingness.

She didn’t fall though,  she slowly floated away from the station and into space. “Ah the big blue world.” She thought looking down at earth .  Rico was close behind her and shouted over the radio, ” Aww yeah I’m back in space baby!” Kate simply rolled her eyes and turned to look at the satellite they were supposed to fix. It wasn’t there. “Command, we must be in the wrong position there’s no satellite.” Rico was spinning, searching for the machine. “Are you sure Kate.” Replied a voice over the radio, Kate switched on her helmet camera. Giving command a direct view of their position. “Come back to the station Kate,we’ll tell Houston we have a missing satellite.” Replied the man over the radio. As Kate used her thruster pack to turn, she saw three flashes out of the corner of her eye. Thinking it was her imagination she turned and rocketed back to the station. The station was bustling at the news of Rico and Kate’s discovery, everyone was chattering like school children. Eventually Captain Michael called everyone into the command center. “Alright everyone, listen up, I know your excited but the satellite is probably just off course, nothing to worry about.” Just as Michael said this, there were three loud bangs on the roof above them!

Everyone jumped and went completely quiet. Kate noticed a drop of sweat float by her face and collide with the wall. The she heard another sound–footsteps. Heading for the airlock. Kate pulled herself to the monitor and looked at the airlock through the camera. Three figures in black metal armor were pulling themselves through the airlock. One of them looked at the camera, raised his arm and fired a blast of blue energy from his hand! The feed went dead.

“Run!” screamed Kate just as the airlock opened and the armored people streamed into the station, another blast zipped through the air and obliterated the head of the person standing next to her! In panic Kate pushed herself towards the escape pods, her crew close behind her!  Projectiles sailed through the air around her, scorching the walls. She finally sailed into the room housing the escape pods, desperately she clawed at the latch to open one of them! She pulled it open with a shout of triumph, ” Guys, get in- oomph!” One of the figures tackled her, sending them both spinning through the room. Kate kicked and punched but she couldn’t escape its grasp! It raised a hand and a blade popped from it’s armor. The man drove the blade into Kate’s midsection and twisted it. Kate’s vision turned black around the edges! The figure pulled the blade from her body and left her hanging in the zero gravity. As Kate blacked out she looked towards the window, she saw ships– thousands of ships. Ships not made by man.

Expository Writing

Islands can be beautiful places of serenity, but under the
right conditions they can cause you so much annoyance that you
start pulling your hair out! Humidity is something I loath, and it’s
something islands have in truck loads. Many a day at this island
beach house, I found myself slumped in a chair with a glass of water
sweating like a pig! Humidity annoys me under normal conditions, but
being near the equator makes it near unbearable.

Another thing about these islands is that sometimes you aren’t alone. Imagine you
are sun bathing on the beach and here a rustling in the sand. You
look over and see a crab – the size of a football. At that point
you scream, grab your towel, and run into the house. The crabs on
this island are potentially dangerous because of their size, causing
me to avoid them for the rest of my stay. Running around dodging
crabs in 95 degree heat was just to much for me.

There are so many places to go on earth, don’t waste all your time on islands! Find a
vacation spot you prefer and don’t just go on other people’s
opinions.

Get me out of here!

Get me out of here!

Leap of Faith

I stared down at the water 20 feet below me, my stomach turning. I was shaking. “Okay, Rhys. Get it together. You’ve done this before!” That, of course, was a lie. I had never jumped 20 feet.

Everyone was looking, waiting for me to chicken out, to back away. I took a step back and closed my eyes, my mind went black. All I could feel was the wind on my face and the cold hard floor of the balcony overlooking the lake. Then with a burst of energy and a quick step I threw myself over the edge into oblivion! Time slowed as I sailed through the air thinking “Ha! This is just like flying!”

Then I fell.

I plummeted towards the water’s surface below me like a block of concrete hollering a wordless cry! “Oh god, I hope the waters deep enough!” was the last thought through my head before I connected with the water.

I opened my eyes to see weeds and shot up to the surface. I felt air envelop my head and looked up to see the balcony above me.

“You okay down there?” a voice called out. The voice was followed by Asher’s head popping over the edge to stare down at me.

I nodded my head, replying “That was so fun I’m going to have to do it again!”