Final Exam

   After graduation from high school, a tool that we have learned to use in class that I would most likely be able to use after class is Google Drive. Google Drive is a collaborative Web 2.0 tool that allows people to store and share files. It has features similar to Microsoft's Word, Excel, and Powerpoint- all free with Google and Gmail. I would be able to use it if I was in a study group in college and we shared our notes through Google Drive so we could all share information.  It could even be used with any future job to write a report or I can simply have documents stored in Drive rather than carrying around a flashdrive.

 

   A tool I believe I will never use again is Podcasts.  I rarely watch or listen to podcasts because most are audio only.  I can not imagine myself just sitting there and listening to people talk.  Sure, the radio has talk shows, but podcasting is more boring.  Nor will I ever make a podcast after this class, because I have no need to.   I would rather blog about something.

Vacation Time

Christmas Break.  A whole lot of time to do just about anything.  There was nothing too exciting that I did, but I enjoyed the relaxation.  The Saturday after break began, on the 20th, I had my 18th birthday.  I had friends over that Friday night for my birthday and we went to see The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.  I was literally the only one who was sad that it was the end.  No more Lord of the Rings and no more Hobbit.  My friends were sort of like, "oh, that was the best Hobbit of all.  Well, guess there are no more".  Then there was me, "what do I do now?  There will be no more new Lord of the Rings movies at all.  The end, I am sad".  When we got to my house, we all just talked, played Trivia Crack, and watched Netflix.  On my birthday, I wanted to go to Jackson for shopping and Olive Garden, so we did.  I got money and gift cards, nail polish, and a Muse shirt that was ordered from the U.K. 
Christmas, oh Christmas.  I woke up at six in the morning so we could open up gifts (at home at my mom's), have breakfast, chill out, then head to my dad's at noon.  It has always been that way.  

I got so many fun things for Christmas. I got money and gift cards, a Central Michigan University hoodie (that's where I am going to college), two Muse shirts, a Muse cd, Muse buttons, a coffee maker for college, some movies, clothes, and other things. 

As for New Years resolutions, I am not making any. I never do them anyways, so I will save myself the hassle of making them for no reason. 

Muse

Muse is an absoulute favorite band of mine.  Whenever I am asked what my favorite band is, it is always a toss up between Muse and Rush.

This year especially, I have been trying to have more band tees.  For Christmas I am getting two Muse shirts and I own two Rush shirts. I already have band tees for The Who, The Rolling Stones, and three Pink Floyd Shirts.
Back to Muse.  Muse is an English rock band from formed in 1994. The band members are Matt Bellamy (lead vocals, lead guitar, piano, keyboards), Chris Wolstenholme (bass guitar, vocals) and Dominic Howard (drums, percussion).
Muse have released six studio albums: Showbiz, Origin of Symmetry, Absolution, Black Holes and Revelations, The Resistance and The 2nd Law. Currently, they are recording their seventh studio album... and I can't wait! I predict it will be released in 2015 and that they will not do a world tour until 2016.  I will be in college by then, but I still want to see them live in concert. 
I have not recently become a Muse fan.  What I would say though, is that I have most recently became obsessed.  Literally, within the past six months.  I turned on Twitter notifications so I know right away when Muse and each of the three band members have tweeted.  Matt is not very active, nor is Chris on Twitter.  I would say the Dom posts more than the others.  And the Muse account tweets on occasion.  Wow, I guess I sound like a crazed fan because I am referring to them by just their first name/ nickname. 
Matt is my favorite.  I find him attractive, though I am not crazy like some Twitter girls are about him.  They post things like "marry me" "you're so hot" and things like that.  I just have my silent obsession on the down low, like making him my screen saver (haha).
Never should anyone ask me what my favorite song is, it is too hard to choose!

Special Thing I Can Do

I can make a floral bow.  I learned how to make a floral bow last year in Horticulture at the Tech Center.  Before then, the only “bow” I knew how to make was when I tied my shoes or a really simple one on a present.  I learned how to make a floral bow for corsages and poinsettias. 

Here is how to make one:.

1)      First, gather your materials.  You will need your choice of ribbon, I decided to use this particular ribbon.  Then you need your wire and scissors.

2)      Next, pull some ribbon free and leave a bit of a “tail”.  Pinch it between your pointer finger and thumb to begin building it in your not dominate hand. 

3)      Make a small loop and pinch together

4)      On the opposite side, make a loop the same size and pinch

5)      Again on the side you first started with, make a loop slightly bigger and pinch together

6)      On the opposite side, make that loop the same size and pinch

7)      Now here comes the part that tends to be most difficult for people.  This is where you make the center loop, also known as the thumb loop.  Since you are using your thumb as well as your pointer finger to hold the bow together, you will take and wrap the ribbon loosely over the top of your thumb.  Then, bring it under your thumb and pinch it together.

8)      Now, you simply have to repeat the steps and make four more loops.  These loops can be any reasonable size in comparison to the other loops.

9)   The bow is done, you just need to hold it together. 

10)   Keep the ribbon still attached to the spool and take your wire and feed it through the middle of the bow, through the center loop.

11)   Fold the wire over in half and tightly twist it as close and as tightly as you can to the ribbon.

12)   Now, cut the ribbon off at a 45 degree angle and make the same angle cut on the other end-tail.

13)   Done

My Four Day Weekend

    My four day weekend was great.  It was busy as well.  Wednesday when we got home from the half day, I just chilled out, sort of.  I packed for my dad's and watched some TV.  I caught up on Chicago Fire.  On Thursday morning, all four of us woke up like a school day and left for a two hour drive to Corunna/Owosso to see my grandparents, aunt, uncle, and three young cousins on my mom's side.  Then, we went to our dad's around noon.  We headed straight to our grandparent's house for Thanksgiving.  My grandma invited her friend's family over and it was a lot of fun.  I enjoyed the meal of turkey and ham, home made mashed potatoes, corn, and my dad's home made rolls.  Of course much, much more, YUM! 
    My dad literally just informed me that he has Charter On Demand.  What? So I  watched probably 15 hours worth of tv episodes. I caught up on The Walking Dead, Talking Dead, Forever, and Christela. I still need catch up on Scandal, Grimm, Sleepy Hallow, and the episodes of shows I've missed since that last weekend.  

Thanksgiving

To me, Thanksgiving means family.  It is not all about the food like turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie.  It is about giving thanks to those, maybe even what, you love and has done so much for you.  Every other year my sister and I alternate where we go for Thanksgiving.  One year it is at home, my mom's, and the next it is at our dad's house.  It has been that way since 2006.  Special foods always include turkey and ham, mashed potatoes and corn, and pumpkin pie.  No matter where we are that year.  My sister and I always get asked, "Need anymore pie with that whipped cream?" That is because we always LOAD on the Cool Whip because it is delicious.  In simple terms, Thanksgiving is celebrated because of the Pilgrims, as everyone has been told while growing up as a child.  Though, it has become more than that.  Now it is sharing thanks with those we love.  With turkey and pie, of course!

New Technology

New technology I would love to have is the iPhone 6.  I like my iPhone 5c, but I wouldn't mind an upgrade.  I mostly just want it for iOS 8, because on the iPhone 5/5s/5c, iOS 8 has been said to cause problems for people who download the update.  I don't want to take any chances of my phone crashing.  The iPhone 6 also has newer features that would be much cooler for me to have, such as "Hey Siri".  The iPhone 6 would mostly be for fun, more over than educational purposes.

My Idea of a Dull Evening

My idea of a dull evening is one that is boring for many reasons.  It could be dull because, say I have nothing to do.  Sometimes having nothing to do is a good thing, yet other times it is not.  If I have nothing to do and it becomes a dull evening, I may just be on my phone, watch TV, a movie, or just chill and listen to music.  Other times, I can't do anything, for whatever the reason, and therefore the evening becomes dull.  In that case, I don't like a dull evening because I will be bored.  Overall though, I occasionally don't mind a dull evening.

Why is it important to be honest?

Honesty refers to the quality of being honest, truthful and sincere. But, we don’t always have to be honest.  At times I don’t want to be honest, so I lie.  Sometimes it is to not seem different from other people, and at times it is because the truth hurts.  Sometimes, you can lie a little.   Sometimes it is very important to tell the truth.  Times when you can lie a little is when you feel as if it will “save you”, meaning that if you tell the truth, you can be in a lot of trouble.  Of course, if you got caught lying you may be in more trouble.  But I lie a lot and rarely do I get caught doing so.  Though, there are times when it is very important to tell the truth.  There is no “guideline” as to when to tell the truth.  This is a gut feeling.  For me at least, I just KNOW when I have to tell the truth.  I get that gut instinct or a guilty conscious if I know the truth must be told.  Of course I have lied to get what I really wanted.  Pretty sure I do that every day.  I don’t lie to friends that much, I can’t exactly recall a time that I have.  Do I lie to teachers…?  To be honest, I have.  But those teachers won’t know who they are or when I lied.  I haven’t lied to teachers that much though, just when I feel I need to.  I lie to my parents all the time.  I feel that teenagers lie to their parents more than they lie to anyone else.  So I’m not the only bad one here.  It isn’t always important to be honest, though it is technically it is morally correct.  Everyone lies in life, as do I.

Halloween

   Halloween is not for me.  The last time I went trick or treating was sixth grade, so I haven't done it since.  Nor did I go this year.  I think that you are too old to go when you enter middle school, around seventh grade.  I wouldn't know if I like Halloween parties or not.  I have only gone to family Halloween parties.  My grandma used to throw fall parties around Halloween time, and they were always fun.  The adults and kids would sometimes wear costumes and it was a lot of fun.  I just like when my grandparents and friends give me candy.  Candy is the best part of Halloween. 

   In elementary school, my favorite costume was the year I was this "Midnight Fairy".  I remember that I saw the costume in one of those overpriced Halloween catalogs.  I loved the costume just by the looks of it.  I knew I wouldn't get it because it was over forty dollars, it was ridiculous.  In the last few days before Halloween, I was looking for a costume at Walmart and came across that EXACT costume... for only two-thirds the cost.  I was so happy and my mom bought it for  me.  It was a black velvet-like material for most of the dress.  It came with wings and a wand.  Everything about it was enchanted.
   The best ever candy I got in my bag was a Fast Break candy bar.  I never liked those before and I thought I would try it.  It was my favorite for the longest time.  I laugh when houses give out pencils or apples because it is simply funny that they do that.  This year, I did not carve a pumpkin.  It always frustrates me when I try to make one.  I see a cool design, trace it, cut out the pieces (I mean TRY to), and then want to throw it.  It never looks right.  So, I think I am going to give up pumpkin carving.