Long vacation Pt. 1

Winter break has been going on for quite sometime now. Yet, it feels like it has just begun. This is mostly because I went on a week-long vacation, and presently don't really remember much of it. If I think about it, I can remember many of the details, but, when I'm not attempting to recall the details, I just am not aware of the fact that I've already used up the majority of my two weeks off. I think the reason for this is because I haven't done anything remotely similar to what I did during vacation, and thus only truly remember yesterday and today - the days I spent home from vacation. Anyways, if I think hard I can probably get about 80% of the details right.

We left for New Mexico on Saturday morning. On my family vacations, we normally end up leaving later than we originally plan to. Our plans took a second hit when we agreed to go a different route than we had originally planned. Under the new plan, we drove south to San Diego. I remember doing my math homework while occasionally asking my dad questions on problems I needed help on. Our first stop was to refill the gas tank at San Diego. It was also the first time my sisters and I washed the car (which we failed at doing). Following that, we sped along the freeway heading towards Arizona. We stopped for lunch at noon in the city of El Centro, CA. My mom and sisters went with me to eat KFC, while my dad decided to stay in the car and eat some of the food we had brought from home. After that, I was stuck doing my math homework in the car until about sunset (which because of daylight-savings time was about 5:30). I still hadn't finished though, there were some really annoying problems that I must've pondered for more than an hour. We mainly passed through desert and such, the other major stop was on the border town of Yuma, AZ, which was where my mom took over the steering wheel from my dad. At about 7 in local time, we had arrived at our destination - Tucson, AZ. While Tucson is only 8 hours away from our house, bathroom breaks and meals took up about two hours. We ate dinner in Tucson at a local Italian restaurant. It took about 90 minutes and most of my stomach (my dad had to help me finish). At about 9 we finished eating and headed to the hotel. We, being last minute planners, booked the next day's hotel at today's hotel. We decided our next destination was Las Cruces, NM and we would spend the morning at Saguaro National Park. Afterwards, I played Learn To Fly 3 until about 11 before going to sleep for the night.

Going Hiking (again)

Today I hiked with my family and my friend Kevin's family to celebrate the new year.  However, this 3 mile hike didn't feel like a hike at all for two main reasons. The first was how easy the trail was. It was flat and straightforward, with not very many extreme slopes. The second reason was the fact that I was talking while walking. Kevin was hiking with me, and we talked about school, video games, and life on the internet. Earlier in the day, I was dreading the hike, but it turns out that time really flies when you are doing something you want to do. The second part of our new year excursion was eating out at a restaurant for the new year. I mostly ate with my own family. Due to the fact that we are learning about nutrition and health in science class, I forced myself to choke down vegetables with the rest of my meal. I had already been doing that for a while, but this time, I absolutely hated the taste of the vegetables (specifically steamed lettuce). My sister later remarked that I was the only one in the family who ended up eating it (it was that bad). I finished eating early, and then I talked with Kevin for a while. After that, everyone headed up to the local bakery to eat dessert. I went home with a full belly and basically forgot the hike in the morning.

Getting Sick

Yesterday I was sick, like really sick, I had a fever, messed up lips, dried throat, and was completely out of energy. Naturally, I missed school that day, but after the school bus left, the Advil I had taken basically completely took out all the symptoms.  By 10 I was completely OK. My mom asked if I wanted to go to school or not. I felt that it would be a bit awkward, so I stayed home. By 2 the symptoms were back and I took another pill, at the end of the day I was basically rid of the illness. I wondered if I could of just went to school. Today I'm mostly okay except for a dry throat that I keep pouring water into, but is perpetually dry and constantly gives me weird mucus. Next time I will go to school.

Book Orders

My sister got her book orders today. So she gets to buy a bunch of books from scholastic. Back when I was in her grade, I didn't really buy that many books, but now I wish I had, every time I look for something to read, I can always check my sister's book hoard. She has so many books that if I tried reading them all I could probably read them again without feeling bored. Some books can be reread over and over again. 

I tried to write a book more than 4 times, every time I couldn't get the project off the ground. The closest I ever got was a 27 page wall of text, that spent 20 pages introducing concepts and then 7 pages for the plot. If it was the size of a normal paperback novel, it might have been around 50~ pages. I can't help being distracted, sometimes I really want to write something good, like when I find so many opposing complaints on goodreads. I have so much fun reading comments it wastes so much time, which makes it the most interesting thing that I do.

Speed Homework

Yesterday I did the impossible I finished my chinese homework in less than 20 minutes. I was extremely motivated, because the computer was already open, and I had to do it in order to keep it open. my dad commented on how long it normally takes me to finish one simple task and talked a lot about ways to improve my efficiency. I guess it was basically a one time thing however, because today it took about 40 minutes to do the same amount of work. The thing holding me back was a combination of my sharpener issues and frustration made my mental atmosphere less suited to doing it. Seventh Grade has been very light on homework, and I must get faster to keep up.

Middle School

So, today is the second day of middle school. I have many different conflicting feelings already. So first on the list is homework, I actually don't have much homework, but the main thing affecting me is the high* expectations of the teachers. *I mean I don't actually know that I can't handle it but I feel like I can't which is almost worse. I already have 2 things due on September 5, and the teachers advice to start early isn't very helpful. So I kind of finished my homework. Also I don't know about tests or anything else as of now. It is all very confusing, the number one feeling I've been having. I don't know if I need to change my habits to finish my homework on time. I also don't want to get to comfortable. In a few days my questions will be answered, for better or worse. For example, in history class, I have a long project due September 5th, I know from experience that I can finish on the last day, but it doesn't turn out well. I try to plan, but I know that there are always unexpected obstacles. All the teachers are currently very nice, but I have big suspicions that is only due to a kind nature and fickle first impressions. I want to make my parents proud this year, but the 8th graders always talk about how hard a particular teacher's class is. Anyways, my general feelings are positive, yet I don't want them to.

Vacation day

Today is the first day of our vacation. However, we still had to do our things today. We only will actually leave to go at dark. This is a first, as we usually like going first thing in the morning. Flying a plane is so weird. My sisters probably are having lots of fun right now, I shall join them.

I'm so weird

Yesterday was an unordinary day. I woke up at 8, and my sisters were asking my momma to open the computers. We did stuff, eventually she opened them , but only one, which we all had to share.We rotated in thirty minute intervals. I played for two hours that day. When my mom came home at 5, I played the iPad until I went to sleep, yay!

Blah Blah Blah

My sissy is such a sissy. Bye, I just wanna do stuff so I can finish blog and play a bit before I have to leave at 11. Anyways, on Thursday, I get to go on vacation. So I have three more days to do stuff. I am sort of worried about middle school. I already feel like summer is over for me. It actually went by pretty slowly, and overall I feel that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I am glad to start school at 8:15 in middle school, and being able to take the bus. I could wake up at 7:50 and not be late, which is when my sisters have to be at school. Yay

The last week

This is the last free week at home I have for the summer. This entire week I went to zero summer camps. I've had 4 free weeks this summer, but today was like a sort of sleep in week free from obligations. My parents gave me a break after Basketball Camp which lasted a whole day five days in a row, so as a reward, my parents let me do whatever this week! Except next week we go on vacation. This week I woke up at 9:30 slept at 10:00 and stayed home the entire day. Yay!

Basketball Camp

This past week, I've been going to basketball camp. I had to wake up at my usual get up time of about around 7:20, I would play around and then start a long routine for 7 hours straight of basketball, that I don't like, and was forced to go by my parents. I guess it started to get fun at the end, I won't be coming back this year though. My sister was jealous and what not, because she actually likes basketball.


Okay, I guess I'll go through day to day of what happened.

On Monday, I woke up at 8:10, we went to a big basketball court. At about 8:30 I saw the huge wooden gym. I mostly just explored around trying to find out about this situation I have been forced into. Starting at nine, the coaches introduced themselves and we split into "leagues", I was grouped into the 11 - 14 yr old category. Then they numbered us off into teams. After a short half-court trial game, they decided to split the six teams into 7. Originally I was in team two, maybe the coach thought I was really bad at basketball, and I was the first one to join team 7. We were the smallest team in the league. Of the 11 players in team seven. 2 left for vacation, one sprained his ankle, and one disappeared by Friday. After that we got to do drills, which were hard, because I didn't understand much. Then we had lunch (provided). After that we had basketball challenges. Then some full fledged games, which was the first time that I decided "maybe I'm not completely trash.", we lost, but I played for 8 minutes out of 16, pretty good.

The next 3 days were the same, except there was an additional morning game, oh and on Wednesday we went to the pool, and we had pizza on Thursday.

Friday was the "Playoffs". We played, and lost by 2 points on the first round. Not much else happened. I remember getting a certificate telling me how I did. You either did "Average", "Above Average" "Good", "Excellent", or "Outstanding". Then I went to Barnes and Nobles, Yay!

This week in boring...

This week was quite a boring one, I went to no camps or any place fun. I stayed home and my joy for the week rested on my ability to use electronics for just long enough to survive, and otherwise spend time doing other things I didn't want, I went to Barnes and Noble three times this week, and I don't plan on coming back until the staff forget me. I uh kind of made them not mad, but I was noticed. Now that I think about it, it doesn't seem right being in a bookstore without buying anything, it really wasn't that much my choice to go there, but a necessity to stop that urge to do something, as long as I'm away from the computer, my mom doesn't care if we don't do anything, so the bookstore is like a small step down. My sisters didn't come with me this week, I wonder what they did.

Besides the book store, I also read my kindle, and I got caught reading it at night twice, and I always get busted by my sister for

1.  Reading after I go to bed (she always comes into my room, and actually has pretty convincing excuses, but I feel like she just wants to tell on me.)
2. Reading in an awkward position. (Yes I get it, but I need to move around while reading its helpful)
3. Eating while reading (One of my favorite multitasking things, but I'm not allowed to.)

And that's it, I spent my time reading my kindle, playing on the iPad, or reading at the bookstore. Yay! I guess when I went to chess class yesterday that was moderately fun.

Carl's Junior

Today I went to Carl's Junior, I go to a chess club from 6 to 9 and decided to go eat out today. Instead of going to subway today, my mom and I decided that fast food would do the trick as we were late anyways, before I had time to change my mind we were already speeding through the drive through. I discovered Carl's Junior's $3 dollar burger, and we ordered it, in less than the time it took us to drive from the order window towards the pickup window, my burger was done.

In my personal opinion, there is no burger store in all of the US that matches In-N-Out, and this is reinforced by the fact that I nor anyone else in my city frankly, gives the other stores even a small chance, so with its popularity an In-N-Out Burger takes 20 minutes of waiting. Now, maybe I was just hungry, but the burger I got was pretty good, it was also far more expensive than the most expensive In-N-Out burger.


So I guess I just wanted to say how great In-N-Out is.

Swimming

Every, other day, our family goes swimming for the summer. We go after the sun has set, because I hate putting on sunscreen, and thus swim in slightly colder water, I never like swimming in the afternoon anyway. This summer I also have big dreams of learning to swim, I kind of can and kind of can't, so I want to learn, but I have to teach myself on my own, which is quite a challenge actually. The cold water wasn't actually much of a big deal, at first I thought swimming after dinner was crazy, but I would always adjust, and it wasn't that cold. The only time it was cold was when we left the pool at around 8:30. just before any serious wrinkling beyond my fingers.

At this point, I'm beginning to lose my fear of water again, I went to a water park, and swallowed a few cupfuls in the wave pool (much more dangerous than the water-slides), I then decided to stick to the lazy river instead. This however, caused me to fail my swimming test, and my parents told me they were going to get my sister and I a teacher, and then forgot about it, I think I've gotten slightly better though, at least as well as I could do last year. 

Croissants

A couple days ago, I ate a croissant, I never used to like them, they tasted like regular plain old bread, but worse, because they looked unnaturally weird, but my sisters liked them, so the Costco twelve packs were purchased for them. When I get bread I only use them for Sandwiches and French Toast, I do not like plain bread. Then I made a grilled cheese sandwich, I started to like the bread part more than the cheese, because of added butter. Then I realized that the Costco Croissants also have butter on them, and if I microwave it, it tastes really good.

I guess I hadn't realized I had to microwave it when I first tried them, and now once I realized it suddenly tastes like the only bread I can bear to taste without making it into a sandwich first. So now my family is the one convincing me to stop eating it rather than make me try it.


Anyways, I get bored, and that makes me hungry...

Yay

Hello, I found a new hobby on the iPad, I am listening to the podcast "Hello Internet", on the iPad I can even listen without the iPad being actually turned on. It really annoys my parents. I have a habit of playing arcade games while listening. I first discovered it when I looked up Hello on iTunes, trying to find the song by Adele, I accidentally clicked on Hello Internet, I've been listening to it since. I have problems playing it, my dad doesn't approve, I think it is very interesting, but he doesn't think so, I always try to get him to listen to a whole episode, but whatever. For now, I can only enjoy it in my room.

More Fooling around in the bookstore

This week, without a Camp to go to I will simply fold around at the local bookstore. I've always read the same small variety of books. It's a very strange experience but I manage to somehow get through the day, It passes pretty easily. Often we buy snacks at the stores nearby, the movie theater sells $1 hot dogs. I spent yesterday doing it, and four weeks earlier, I was basically at the bookstore the whole time. Next week I'll be going to camp again though. For now, the bookstore is the single most comforting place in eventless weeks in my summer.

Movie

Yesterday I went to the movie theater with my friends. It was the most interesting thing that had happened this boring midsummer week. It started it when I woke up at around 9 to do things, then I went to the library, I then fooled around until 3 when I met up with my friends we played this game called Fort Destroyers, after a while, at around 4:30 we left for the theater, and watched a 3 hr movie. The most exciting part for me was making comments on lines, I really had to go to the bathroom though, it was weird holding it for so long. Afterwards, we ate and I went home at 10.

Repeat what I say

I used to do a sort of repeating thing for my blogs. I would go into a very lively place and record whatever people say around me. It gets really exciting when the people who I am writing about notice what I am doing. Then I make them really angry or speechless. It is sort of like reading TV or something like that. It is a clear example of my laziness however. I do it especially when I just want to take up more and more space. Eventually it can get to many pages long. It doesn't even require thinking! I generally am reminded about this style through the following chain reaction:

1."ugh, so bored"

2."My sister is so distracting"

3. "Wouldn't she be so embarrassed if everyone could hear her stupidness"

4. "Hey, that reminds me, I can do a repeat what I say blog. "