Reunions and Goodbyes

Loads of tears, welcome backs and sadly, after only a few hours, there were goodbyes.My mums twin sister's son came down from Montana after three years and most of the family came to see him.The day kicked off with us picking him up at his grandmothers and after cheerful "hellos," "we've missed you so much," and my dad happily adding "You need a hair cut," we were off to our house for some pizza and catching up. After cousins yelling, screaming, running up and down the stairs for a couple hours we all decided to calm things down and show him around downtown.With my mum bringing the video camera and taping we have loads of memory lane to stroll down and of course some bloopers.We showed him the city lights and all the greatness of Sacto (secretly trying to convince him to stay,) we finally made way back home, and watched the video. And in all the "do I really look like that?" and all the questions and laughs everyone has after watching themselves on tape we asked if he would like to live in Montana or down here(letting our secret out that we really wanted him to stay.) He smiled and replied with the memorable and hippiest of answers that I have grown to know and love, "its too polluted and you can see the stars better in Montana." The dreaded hour came when we had to say goodbye, and of course my mum started crying, and me taking after her, did as well. In the end all we saw was the back of my aunt Sarah's car driving away and my cousin pretending to escape.

Learning for everyone

There are those in the world that teach and there are those that learn. Although, it is said that when you teach you learn and when you learn you teach. With the knowledge that has been bestowed upon you it is likely that you wish to share it with someone you know or just anyone (even your dog will listen).The saying when you learn you teach and when you teach you learn, I would say, applies to basically everyone in the world who has a brain. There are millions and billions of people in the world with vast assortments of learning and teaching that if I said everything about every one I would probably not only bore you, but myself. Though there is one specific type of teaching and learning that I want to target, and that is homeschooling. Homeschooling isn't at all like your stereotypical stay at home"freak kid" or secluded child that everyone thinks about. Being a homeschooling child for only a few months I have learned so much, not only your basic curriculum of math, science and so on, but about the world around me, and about the value of family and friends. Almost every teacher that you talk to will say that they learn so much from their students, and vise-verse, but I think that homeschooling teachers benefit more when they are teaching. If you are homeschooling your teachers are your parents, some may think that wouldn't be fun, but it actually is. When I say that when you learn you teach and teach you learn it mostly applies to the homeschooling group because your parents don't have to be total brainiacs to teach, or know every answer in the world to every question that you have, they still teach you. In return, they too learn or have their memory refreshed when teaching you. All in all you will learn and they will learn from you and everyone in the world will be in it too, whether it be directly or in directly. The whole paragraph above, as you can tell, is about homeschooling and the learning/teaching experience, but what about the way you are taught, or the way others teach. Take for example, I have a Latin class taught by Father Lino. Now, you have had your teachers that try to make the class and learning experience fun so that it will go in one ear and hopefully stay. They try all of these projects and movies and basically everything you can think of, but Father LIno teaches latin with enthusiasm and is himself, which makes it easier to learn becuase you're not worried about a tense teacher. Since for most in the class it is their third language and for some a second and others have taken the class prior to this year he teaches in a way that will help everyone. This being my first year taking Latin I didn't know what to expect, and certainly didn't expect to laugh and learn so much. When I walked into class and saw Father Lino standing there and the rest of the class in their seats I expected it to be a full on lecture and to have a lot of homework. I was wrong about one thing, the lecturing. He started the class with a story written in Latin, and as he read we went along and he helped us translate. If the word was climb you would look up and see Father Lino speaking in latin the words, and climbing the walls, if the sentence is the dog devours the food, he grabbed anything around him and pretend to eat it. Being in the latin class so far has been fun and I've learned a little latin also.The way people teach and learn is important. Although it may seem funny when you see your teacher, and priest for that matter, climing walls, barking, and falling on the floors, you actually learn and remember when you see and hear the word acted out, what actually went on. Now I'm not saying that is the only way to teach, but it is a hillarious one and one that has helped not only me, but the rest of the class learn latin pretty fast.

Brothers

Many would say that brothers are a nuisance, a terrible thing to have, same with sisters. I don't know about the sisters part, but brothers, I have three. They can be pest sometimes, as goes for all people including myself. The saying " you can't live with them and you can't live without them," really applies to my situation. Sure sometimes they take your stuff, pull your hair, and just plain wreck everything that they put their grubby little hands on, but all they really want is attention. That or the fact that they are highly amused at the sight of their older sister turning purple in the face and pulling her hair out, ( that she probably spent a good amount of time on.) If you think about it though, even for a second, you'll realize that they're actually pretty fun to have around. Not only can you blame stuff on them, you can hang out with them, be yourself around them, and goof off without worrying about it. I was joking about the blaming, you do have to be nice once in a while. Brothers aren't like other people, in quite a lot of ways they are special. They aren't only there for you during the good times, they also know when to stop goofing off and realize when your down and give you a hug to make you feel better. Even my three year old brother asks if I'm okay with an animated " aaaaaaaaaah, you ok?" when I sneeze or trip ( because my feet are getting too big for me.) being the oldest one I am there for them too, when they're not quite happy, or when mom and dad won't let them have ice cream before they've eaten their dinner or let them stay up until whatever time they want. The point that I am trying to get at is that it may not seem all that swell and all you feel like doing is feeding them dog food and saying it's really candy, or playing pranks on them. In the long run, when they grow up and you have also had your share of growing up as well, all the stuff seems pretty ridiculous,but funny, maybe even actually brings you closer together. I know this because I hear the stories of my mother and her siblings and their treacherous tricks that they pulled on each other as all siblings do.

Brothers are incredible to grow up with, so far, and you'll sometimes regret the selfish thought that you oh so frequently think I wish I was an only child. So cherish the times that you share with your brothers because life is short and so are the pranks.

My Temperament

OK, so I just took this test that is supposed to tell you what your personality is like. So I guess this is me. Its kind of creepy because it got right on the spot of who I really am. Hope you like.
My Temperament
melancholic / choleric(54% / 46%)
The Melancholic / Choleric
The melancholic-choleric is also a leader with the potential to accomplish great works. However, where the choleric-melancholic is driven by the challenge and the opportunity, the melancholic-choleric is inspired more by the nobility of the task. The introverted nature of the melancholic, combined with the focused and unempathic nature of the choleric, can result in an individual who is highly motivated by noble ideals (even humanitarian ones), but who prefers to work alone, rather than with people. The melancholic side of both temperament mixtures results in the project being organized, ethical, and high-minded, while the choleric aspect is the driving and demanding force.
If you are melancholic-choleric, you are somewhat less pragmatic (or utilitarian) than a pure choleric, just as persevering and determined, and with a greater emphasis on the ideal. Likely to be motivated by the most noble and demanding of causes, you are capable of founding a humanitarian society, composing a symphony, founding a school, or discovering a cure. You are organized, perfectionist, introspective, driven, and moody (though less so than a pure melancholic). You will be less active than a choleric-melancholic and less extraverted, more internally focused.
But your weaknesses include a tendency to excessive self-criticism and criticism of others, being dismissive or overly judgmental, exhibiting a tendency to self-absorption, and possessing an untrustful and controlling nature. You tend to be inflexible, can bear grudges for a long time and may be prone to discouragement. A melancholic-choleric who is not attentive to his spiritual life, and does not keep his eye assiduously on the truly important things of life can become a cross to those around him, through his nit-picking, perfectionism, disdain, bitterness, resentfulness, spitefulness when crossed, and even haughtiness.
If your temperament is melancholic-choleric, for a better understanding of your temperament it is recommended that you read the full descriptions of the melancholic and choleric.

9-11

We go through our lives each and every day taking for granted all that we have, love, and cherish. Never realizing that within a split second it could all be over. Five years ago on this day we experienced something that we thought only to be in movies. The attacks on the twin towers left many heart broken and devastated. During this day and age we experience evils uttered into many different forms , but on this day five years ago we realized something that we had been trying to cast aside for so many years, how corrupt and vile evil can truly be. No one knows what caused the terroists that concocted these plans, not only to create them but to pursue them and why their primary targets were these buildings. Some give reason for why the terrorists did it though, saying that it was because they didn't have childhoods, or they did it because of other problems. While some make excuse after excuse for them others not only do that but look up to them as a heros, and join these horrible camps that permit such ideas as to bomb innocent people and places. No matter what their excuse is it still doesn't justify the fact that they killed people that did nothing to wrong them, people that they never met, people that were going about their daily lives and who had families to go home to. Innocent people. We have been informed that there are now precautions to ensure everyone that nothing like this ever happens again, and if it does we will be prepared for the worst. In the end we remember all those that risked their lives, the valiant people that stopped the plane that was aimed at the white house and those that were at the twin towers that saved lives, and those that died.

No More Lazy Days of Summer

Fall is approaching and consequently that means summer is at its end. I know its sad to think about, but its true. There are no more days of sleeping in until twelve in the afternoon and having breakfast in front of the T.V while watching cartoons (cool enough there is no rule that says you can't do that on Saturdays though). No more staying up late at night,and no more a lot of stuff. As the school year begins we must do tedious work while we slave for good grades. And every once in a while we might play the "cough*cough*. I'm sick mommy"card, but sadly it usually doesn't work. Although, you must keep in mind that just because summer is ending it doesn't mean that the world is too. There is still loads of stuff to do during the fall and the rest of the school year, just not as much time to do it in. Though summer is fun, it is nothing compared to fall. The cool weather with the crisp cool mornings spent sipping hot chocolate in an oversized sweatshirt, and leaves of all different colors falling in every direction. The leaves changing color is also a sign that the holidays are approaching, and time to catch up with friends and family with delightful diner parties. That's when the traditional pumpkin and apple pies come with days that you can just go out with a warm cozy sweater and your favorite pair of jeans on. I guess the point that I'm getting at is that summer is ending and it may seem like a horrible time, but in reality there is so much more after it that most people don't even think about.

"Everything Is Illuminated" is a movie based on a genuine novel written by Jonathan Safran Foer. In this unforgettable and heart warming tale unlike any other,Jonathan,who is obsessed with collecting family heirlooms from those who have past away, finds himself in the midst of an adventure when he collects an interesting amber necklace from his grandmothers bedside. As the beginning of the movie unfolds it introduces two very important characters, Alex and Grandfather,who help Jonathan(played by Elija Wood)find a woman,named Augustine,that saved his grandfather from the Nazis. Alex is a man from Odessa that was swept up in the American culture of Michael Jackson and Shaquile O'Neal and their ways of "premium" dancing.While the grandfather is also from Odessa he is somewhat deranged and thinks he is blind. He insists on having a seeing eye dog that is also somewhat demented. Jonathan traves with Alex and Grandfather in a car throughout the whole movie searching for Trachimbrod,a Jewish shtetl (village) located in western Ukraine, and also the location of Augustine. All through the movie you are filled with laughter, suspense,sadness,and happiness as the three men take unexpected twists and turns to find a woman that made it possible for Jonathans grandfather to escape.

As most movies are now a days based on novels, remakes, and stories,some are outstanding ones that you would love to enjoy over and over again, while others are on the dull side. This movie was unlike any other that I've ever seen,not because it had state of the art technology or because it had the best special effects to make up for the lack of story plot, but because of the sheer brilliance and originality that it brought to the screen. It had real life characters that people could easily connect with. It is because of this that I give this movie five out of five stars.

Happiness, for now, has been found in a mocha.