Iconic Photo

The dude on the television set was a little weird looking. He wore a black turtleneck, his eyebrows were a little crazy, and he held in his hand a small metallic box. The child dismissed his shiny new product and waited for "Wheel of Fortune" to come on. The teenager gazed at the fancy-looking gizmo, while the mom barely glanced as she stirred something on the stove.

Soon, the brief news bit was over, and the weather man came onto the screen. Just then, the dad came home. After watching the weather report, he promptly turned the channel to the baseball game. The child pouted, upset that "Wheel of Fortune" was a no-go. She was still irritated as she began positioning silverware on placemats. The teenager was still enchanted by the IPod as he began placing dishes on the table.

Soon, dinner was ready and the family began discussing the day. During dinner, the phone rang for the dad. He stepped into the home office to take the call. He talked in low voice to the caller. He returned to the family after hanging up. Immediately following dinner, he returned to his office asking not to be disturbed.

He closed the door, and played a recorded sound bite that sounded like he was working. Then, he lifted a hatch under the oriental rug, and slid down the secret chute.

"What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?" He asked on arrival.
"Well, sorry to interrupt your evening sir, but we've got a disturbance in the North corridor."
"Right, well let's take a look."

Old Photo

The leaves and grass looked fresh in their springtime hues of yellowish green. Later in the summer, they will again take on a look of yellow -green. The difference is that now they are the color of new growth, and later they will be scorched from heat. But being new to the region, she didn't know this yet. As she sat bouncing in the covered wagon, all she knew about the coming summer was that she was teaching, and that she was staying with a family in a small stone house in the woods. The sunshine, light breeze, and previously mentioned greenness of the grass created such a beautiful day, that after awhile she forgot her nervousness.

A little over 100 years later, on a similar day in Spring, a soon-to-be Sophomore in high school sat in the back seat of an SUV. After driving across the dam, and through the city of Branson, they turned off of the highway and began driving through a country road. The road began descending into a valley, and in time they reached the same stone house. It looked older, and the garden could use some work, and so could the yard, but other than that, the house was unchanged.

Beatrice and her parents went inside and greeted her grandmother. As the adults went into the parlor to talk, she stayed behind in the entryway. There, she picked up an old photo of her great-grandmother. Greetings, goodbyes, and the appropriate hugs were given until her parents left. While carrying her suitcase up the stairs, she nervously wondered what the summer had in store. What was she supposed to do all summer? At least her Aunt was staying there too. She was spending the summer at the Branson hospital to get experience, so that hopefully she could get into med. school.

But she wasn't here yet, for now it was just Beatrice. Beatrice sat thinking about what she was going to do with herself all summer (aside from a week at camp) when her grandmother called her downstairs.

"Beatrice, it's about time to eat. Will you help set the table?"

She walked downstairs, the smell of fried chicken and biscuits making her mouth water. Later that night, after post-dinner ice cream, she went back to her room and looked out the window. The moon shone brightly through the lacy curtains and she thought back to the picture of her great-grandmother

Chinese Visit

Last Friday, our Creative Writing class had the pleasure of meeting several Chinese students at MSU. I met Jenny, a graduate student at MSU. I learned that she previously attended Qingdao University in China. We did a get-to-know-you activity, in which we learned several things about each other. I learned that she likes bunnies, Lord of the Rings, Modern Family, and reading. She felt like two fish represented her personality because it is her Zodiac sign. I don't know my Zodiac sign, so I said that I was represented by a horse because I have long hair like a horse's mane. I also said I was like a book because I'm more reserved. Furthermore, I shared that I like the tv show Downton Abbey, and I also like Lord of the Rings.

Next, I took her on a tour of the school. I showed Jenny the science wing, the student center, the library, the orchestra room, the weight room, and several other spots in the school. It was difficult because there were a lot of classes going on and I didn't want to interrupt. She seemed interested in the fact that we have extracurricular activities at our school. Apparently, her school did not have sports and there are special schools in China for sports. When we got back to the room, she tried to teach me a little bit about the Chinese language. Apparently, in China, where and how you enunciate is really important. She said it is difficult to understand English sometimes because of the different places different people put the stress in the same word. In Chinese, they have the four tones which are different vowel pronunciations. It was hard! I probably made her laugh with my awful pronunciation.

I'm glad that I had the opportunity to meet Jenny and the rest of the crew that visited us. It was very interesting to learn about different cultures. Sometimes, the things we said to each other were lost in translation and it was hard to tell if she was completely understanding what I meant. Nevertheless, her English was really good and we had a very interesting conversation. If we had had more time, I would have liked to learn more about Jenny, because a lot of the time was spent talking about Kickapoo. I also would have liked to get better at the tones. I definitely need more practice!

PHOTOS!!!

 

Photos from around the 'Poo.

Something Beautiful

 

Every time I walk through this hallway, I see several beautiful pieces of artwork on the wall. This painting of a lily has always stuck out to me. I think because it is pink and several of the pictures surrounding it are of more muted color.
#skillz

On a side note, the phrase, "Something Beautiful" will forever make me think of the song "Something Beautiful" by Needtobreathe.

Something that is something
I just liked this picture, it is not related to this activity whatsoever.
#oops

Something Funny
I like these posters because they are not what you expect. Usually, posters in school are motivational, or say something like "got milk?" So I like these snarky ones.
#sassymonkey

 
 
 



Something Irritating
People get irritated with I.d.s and with teachers that enforce i.d. rules. I don't know why it is a big deal to wear the stinking thing, but people seem to dislike it on principal for being too controlling.
#idcops
Something Handwritten
Who you gonna call? Not ghostbusters, but 39142. They have the antidote. Or maybe they have spare ids. Which is the antidote to the disease of not having your id on.
#whois39142

 

 Something that looks like a face. . . but isn't
This face is a stunner, folks. Literally. Don't stick your finger in there. The two faces in the electrical outlook look surprised, even shocked. This further emphasizes my point.
#shocking

Something that will always remind you of Kickapoo
Ah, Band. I would have gone into the band room to take a picture of my locker, but I'm sort of not in band anymore and not allowed in the band room. So the music stands will suffice. They will always remind me of my time in band.
#thisisasharpnotahashtag

 An Interesting Angle
This is from the staircase at the top of the student center. Those two white things at the bottom of the frame are not my flawlessly white flip-flops folks, they are chairs from the cafeteria.
#coolbeans

 Something from Nature
This fern is a plant, so it counts as from nature. I hereby name it Fred. Ferns make me think of the book, Where the Red Fern Grows. I should read that book. But I know that the dogs die, and I really don't want to have to go through that emotional trauma.
#fredthefern

 Someone who has taught you something
Well, this plaque has been very educational in my life. . . Just kidding, my dad, se llama Rick Elmer, is listed here. Well, he has certainly taught me a lot over the years, so he gets priority over various teachers I could have chosen.
#thanksdad

 
 

Someone you'd like to be more like
Well, folks, mi madre happened to be subbing the day I took these pictures, so of course I chose her. Her kindness, compassion, and crochet skillz are all very admirable traits.
#whenyourmomworksatschool
#thesearereallylonghashtags
#thisiswhyidon'thavetwitter

 Something Nostalgic
Well, if you look in the back row, you'll see District Softball, First Place. I was on the team, so obviously I will be nostalgic about the softball team winning  districts for the first time ever when I'm a starting Senior. That was a long sentence.
#whosaid

 

Something a Little Kid Might Notice
This dinosaur head is pretty cool. So I think a little kid might notice it. I can imagine a Night-at-the-'Poo scenario where it comes to life at night.
#scary

Something Square
There are several rectangular somethings here, which is close enough to square that we are just going to go with it.
#closeenough







Something Quintessentially American
This is an old photo of cheerleaders. Sports teams and cheerleaders are very American.







Something Round
Alright, well, its not a perfect circle or anything, but it is roundish. Also, its hanging from the ceiling. #pearintheair

Dan in Real Life Questions

Hide-And-Go-Seek Spot

My best hide-and-go-seek spot was under the sink in the bathroom. We have cabinets underneath the sink. When I was about 4 years old I hid in there, and it took forever for my siblings to find me. Eventually they did, and I remember getting bored and opening the cabinet to see what was going on. I remember seeing my dad and two older siblings waiting for me. I guess I wasn't being as quiet as I thought and were waiting to see how long I would stay in there.

Ruthie "Pig Face" Draper

My family likes to nickname people. Mostly my sister's boyfriends. Some highlights include Bob Ross, the Schnoz,  and the Crawdad. My sister gets the brunt of the nickname treatment because she dates. My brother and I haven't dated very much. Also, she tends to date nick-nameable people.

Can You Know in 3 Days?

I don't think you can know that you love somebody in three days. You can love somebody in three days, but you don't know yet. In my opinion, 'being in love' and infatuation can be hard to tell the difference between. I think you need to spend more time with somebody to see.

Pick Up Lines

What is romance? Well, you have to have chemistry. And good pick up lines. Here are some good 2 for 1 combos:
"Are you full of beryllium, gold, and titanium? Because you are Be-Au-Ti-ful!
"You must be a positive ion, and I'm a negative ion, because I feel an attraction between us."
"Are you a carbon sample? Because I'd like to date you."

Who can understand love? Well, who can understand math? Math and love combos are always important as well:
"Hey girl what's your sine? It must be pi/2 because you're the one"
"Are you a 45 degree angle? Because you are acute-y!"
"Your beauty is so constant. . .it's derivative must equal 0"

Okay, well you probably shouldn't use those. They probably wouldn't work. But they might.

Seriously, though: I've got one last pick-up line. This one is fail-proof, guaranteed to work. This is the way to go, let me tell you:
"Were you forged by Sauron? 'Cause, baby, you are precious."
It works best if asked in your best imitation of Gollum. That one's for free, folks. You're welcome.

Bowling:

I am not a good bowler. I always get a lot of spin on the ball. This makes it curve, resulting in mass quantities of gutter balls. I'm pretty sure I've bowled under 30 before.

Vacation Home:

I would love a vacation home similar to the one Dan's family has. I would also be o.k. with one on the coast of Maine, or South Carolina. Something in the Appalachian Mountains would also be acceptable. Finally, there's nothing wrong with Table Rock Lake. I would not be opposed to a lake house there.

WHAT would you do?

The letter I sent to my Chinese pen-pals

Dear Sunny,

Hello. We just watched and discussed the episode of “Wife Swap” that you all watched. The people on that show seemed a little ridiculous to me. For example, I thought that the husband that hunted (I don’t remember his name), was super rude to his “new” wife. I thought he was a little misogynistic. It was even worse, in my opinion, because she was a stranger. Usually people are more polite towards strangers.

On the other side, I thought that the family from Ohio was crazy. I felt bad for the kids from Ohio because it seemed like their mom was making them do too many after-school activities. I think kids need time to explore and play on their own terms. Furthermore, what happens when they start having a lot of homework and they are constantly busy with dance, cheer, or whatever else they are doing. Also, I agreed with the “redneck mom” for starting to discipline the kids. It is important for children to respect their parents.

Basically, I thought the people on the “Wife Swap” show were odd. It is a tv show, so they may have been acting more dramatic than they usually do. Especially at the end, when the two wives started yelling at each other. First they were all talking, then all of a sudden they were yelling and screaming at each other. I think they may have been behaving like that to make the show more interesting or something. However, it could have been real. It is hard to tell.

Sincerely,

Kaitlyn

Move-E

Movies.

Movies require a certain environment to be fully enjoyed. I like to have a dark, quiet room. I don't really like watching movies alone, I'm not sure why. Also, the best movie experience includes an overabundance of popcorn and candy. But the candy needs to be pre-opened so as to avoid the awkward crinkle noise in the quietest, most dramatic part of the movie. When I'm watching a movie at home, I usually lay on the ground with a pillow and a blanket. I also love to drink milk while I eat popcorn. Something about that combination is satisfying to me.

If my life were a movie, it would probably be pretty boring. I'm not a very exciting person. I guess there could be a lame sports movie about the softball team, when we won districts. It was exciting to be on the first Kickapoo softball team to win districts. However, we didn't win anything in the state tournament, so that is why it would be lame. There could also be a drama about random emotions I have as an introverted teenage girl, but that would be boring after about five seconds. It couldn't be a romance, since I haven't dated anyone. I guess it could be the anti-romance. A major plot point could be me drowning my sorrows in milk, popcorn, and Pride and Prejudice. But that may be a little dramatic, and upsetting for the younger viewers. Other major plot elements could be me being nerdy. For example, marching band competitions and Calculus tests. Also, there could probably be a whole 30 minutes dedicated to me struggling through AP Lit. last semester. It could be like a survival movie.

When I was little, my favorite movie was Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron. I loved that movie. Mostly because it was all about horses. And I was obsessed with horses. I also really liked the soundtrack. I'm not sure why, but that movie really tickled my fancy. Spirit is also the movie I watch when I am sick. If I stay home from school, you can almost be guaranteed that I have dusted off our old VHS copy of the movie and am watching it with kleenex stuffed up my nose.

My older sister and I have movies that we always watch together. When Megan was in high school and I was in middle school, we watched Letters to Juliet somewhere around once a month. The movie is set mostly in Italy, it has romance, and the main character is cute. What more needs to be said? More recently, we tend to watch Pride and Prejudice together. The elements of  humor, romance, awesome music, and 1800's England all work together quite nicely.

 Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice

Hopper Story

Night Hawks

As Dr. Aburrido finished writing the Differential Equations assignment on the board, Kayla zipped her backpack and pulled out her phone to take a picture. As soon as class ended, she hurried down the tiers of the lecture hall, waving goodbye to her friends. She hurried across the campus of MIT to her dorm room. Once there, she changed into something nicer than her sweats and long-sleeved t-shirt ensemble.

She was just grabbing her coat off of the bed when the taxi pulled up. Her phone told her that the cab was right on time. She said goodbye to Shawnee, her roommate; and Shawnee said goodbye while simultaneously admiring Kayla's red dress.

She hurried downstairs.
"Are you Ms. Kayla Summers?" the taxi-driver asked her while adjusting his green flat cap.
She certainly was, and got in the car.

Upon arrival at the Wilbur Theatre, she thanked him, gave him what she owed,and got out. He nodded his green flat cap to her, and drove away.

She got her ticket out and walked into the theatre. Because it was opening night, the theatre was already nearly full as she found her seat. As tradition dictated, she sat in the front row.

From his seat in the pit, Mike saw Kayla walk in. They waved to each other, and he saw her mouth, "Hello, brother."

After the cast took their bows, Kayla stayed in her seat. She waited until the orchestra was done playing the closing overture of The Sound of Music.

Eventually, they were done. Mike stowed his trumpet in its case and carried it out to meet Kayla. They walked together to the little cafe that stayed open late. This was the restaurant that they had been going to together since they had been freshmen, and Mike had barely made the pit-orchestra.

They were juniors now, and every opening night that Mike had, his supportive twin Kayla went and watched. Mike was a musician attending BU, while Kayla attended MIT.

"So what did you think?" he asked her while they walked.
"The hills were definitely alive. I'm no expert, but I thought you guys sounded great."

They talked, they laughed, they ordered breakfast for dinner. As they sipped their chocolate milk, they caught up on each other's lives.

When they were done, they called a cab and headed back to their respective dorm rooms.

Art and Stuff

Memory from Artwork

The painting I looked at depicted the ocean with clouds. It reminds me of when I visited Boston. I haven't seen the ocean very many times, so when I think of the ocean I think of Boston.

The first time we visited Boston, we walked the Freedom Trail. It was fun, and also very tiring. I have two distinct memories from spending a day walking around Boston. The first was that while on the trail, my family and I climbed an obelisk. I think it was a smaller version of the Washington Monument. A quick google search reveals that it was supposed to memorialize the Battle of Bunker Hill. I don't remember all that. All I know is that there wasn't an elevator, and on my 8-year-old legs, it felt like we were walking miles and miles and miles to reach the top. When we reached the bottom, I remember somebody saying that their legs felt like spaghetti.

While in Massachusetts, we decided to go to the beach. One thing I remember is that there weren't sea shells, there were rocks and stones. I also remember going to visit Plymouth rock, and being disappointed about its size. I thought a rock of such repute would be larger.

The next time we visited Boston, my mom, sister, and I went on a whale watching trip while my brother and dad watched a baseball game at Fenway Park. I remember watching the shore until the tall buildings of downtown Boston disappeared completely. Eventually, we saw a couple of whales. I don't remember very much else about the whales.


Haiku Inspired by Artwork

Through the blanket I
feel the hard ground but above
I see greens and blue