Cards and Thanksgiving

The room is deathly silent, as silent as it has been all night, as my brother and I, and our two friends pick up our cards. We study them, trying to make something out of the numbers and symbols laid out on the flat paper slips. Uly flips over the four cards laid out on the table, flips them over, and the game begins. My vision narrows to the cards in front of me as I quickly trade cards and reflexively catch the ones coming at me. I flip the final one down in front of me, and throw it at my brother, feeling the thrill of victory, accidentally throwing it a little bit off target...
"SARAH!!! STOP THAT!!!" My mom pulls a soggy card out of her mashed potatoes and daintily puts it on the floor, where it is taken and licked off by my dog, Boo. "Oh, Boo..." my mom splutters. Jack kicks me under the table silently cracking up, and I grin sheepishly. "Sorry, Mom", I say, tucking back into my turkey, gravy, and cranberry sauce. I love Thanksgiving. I know tomorrow I will feel disgusting, and probably not eat for days I'm so full, but right now I really don't care. I stuff myself with the bread and butter, turkey in gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes/marshmallows, stuffing, brussel sprouts, and potatoes in front of me. Just as I sit back, finished, I hear a call from the kitchen. "Guys! Dessert time!"

Unbroken

This week I read Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This book (non-fiction) is about a boy growing up near L.A. named Louie Zamperini. He is always the troublemaker of his family, until his older brother introduces him to running. He then trains to become an Olympian, running in the Berlin Olympics, but is not able to get a medal. Before he can try again, WWII breaks out, the Olympics get canceled, and Louie gets drafted. After crashing in the Pacific Ocean with his crewmates on his plane, he has to survive, and eventually gets captured by the Japanese. He gets bounced around Japan, going through different horrors, and eventually getting released at the end of the war. Finally, it tells of his life after the war. This book was really good. I normally don't read non-fiction-but the story was so amazing and the writing was so interesting that it felt like fiction. The plot was amazing; it was unbelievable that that actually happened. Finally, the characters were amazing. I think that I would probably recommend this book to seventh graders and up- the characters, especially Louie Zamperini, go through some pretty horrible things, especially after the war, on the raft, and during Japanese Prisoner of War Camp, and it really depends on if you feel like you are up to reading it. Overall this book was amazing.

Frost on the Windowpane

I put my finger on the foggy windowpane, my finger flinching as it presses against the ice cold glass. I draw a line. And then another line. I top off these two with a giant half circle, making a big smiley face. I step back and survey my work. A face stares back at me, smiling. I look at it again, consider it, and then press my eye up to the now clear class, looking through my narrow stripe of clear glass at the falling snow outside. It kind of feels like the holiday season right now. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing, but it definitely does. I mean, it's not even Thanksgiving yet. But still, the stores keep insisting that Christmas is "Almost here!" or "You need holiday gifts right away!" or"Merry Christmas? Happy Chanukah? Get everything you need in Aisle 6!"I'm kind of ready for the holidays, but really, I at least want to have Thanksgiving first before they play Christmas music on every station when I turn on the radio.

Survival Colony Nine

This week I read Survival Colony Nine by Joshua David Bellin. This book is kind of post-apocalyptic, after a species comes and takes over Earth. A boy wakes up, in a tent, with no recollection of where he is. He can't remember his name, who he is, what happened to him, or how he got to this place. Suddenly the tent door opens, and he sees the face of a man above him, who claims to be his father. The boy, who's name is apparently Querry, slowly learns about where he is survival colony nine, a small roving group of people who hide from the Skaldi, a species the possesses people and uses emotional connections to those people to manipulate those who they want to destroy. Survival Colony Nine is always on the move, running from people that they can't know if they're possessed, and can't do anything about it. Then everything changes when they find a abandoned city, and Querry starts to figure something out; he might be being used, and he also might hold the key to end the Skaldi invasion. Then everything goes wrong.
This book was REALLY GOOD. IT Had so much suspense, and Querry was very relatable. The book was both character based and plot based, even though the plot was extremely good; it was probably more plot based just very slightly then character based. It was kind of like a mix of the Maze Runner and Divergent, but it was told from the viewpoint of a boy, which was cool. I would recommend this book to anyone. Also, this book is good for people who don't read this genre all that much; it's more Divergent-ish than sci-fi, so it's good.

SOL: A Japanese Thanksgiving

Last Thanksgiving was kind of special, considering we invited my piano duet partner, Mone, and her family for their first Thanksgiving. She is Japanese, barely spoke any English, and her family just moved from Japan a few months ago. This meant, however, that she brought real Japanese food that she herself had cooked. I still remember coming into the house as I heard the first doorbell ring. The warm lights shone down, casting an orange glow over everything. Warm voices and laughter drifted from the front hall as our first guests were welcomed in from the cold. My dad, brother, and grandma sat in front of the football game, cheering, drinking beer (not my brother, obviously) and talking as they crunch on crispy pita chips and dip. But for me, the highlight of Thanksgiving is probably the food; I get sooo fat. On our table, a giant turkey stands on the end of the table, resting on greens, next to a bowl of bread, walnut, and raisin stuffing. My mom takes the boiling cranberry sauce off of the stove and put it into the freezer in order to chill it before we eat. My grandma's favorite sweet potatoes are kind of like our tradition; marshmallows bubbling on top of delicious warm sweet potatoes. My grandma passed away two years ago, but my dad still makes them, to carry on the tradition. Bowls of various salads drenched in vinaigrette and noodles, as well as spices and cheeses and stuff lie on the opposite side of the table. Finally, Mone's families Japanese dishes, including Sushi, are located in the center. I look at my mom. She takes the pies out of the oven, swirls whipped cream on the pumpkin pies, and heaps ice cream by my cranberry apple nut pie. Yum. After we eat, I'm forced to play a song that a wrote on guitar, Mone and I play our duet, and we all go outside to clobber the adults in a giant game of backyard football. We all go to sleep, wake up as fat balloon people, and don't eat for the next three days.
Wow, writing that made me hungry. Happy almost-Thanksgiving everyone! I hope it's a great one.

Slice Of Life Number 2: Piano

I watch my fingers as they hit the piano. I never really stop to think about how amazing it is to play an instrument. How all I have to do as hit the right keys, and this amazing sound comes pouring out of it. My fingers flit about the piano with more skill, ducking under, weaving around each other as they fall down on the keys. I make myself fade the music away as I come to the end of a phrase and start a new one. The next part requires some restraint, so I slowly press the next keys.
I always say that I hate piano lessons, and in a way, I do. My piano teacher, "Dr. Vertenstien", is about as difficult to work with as it gets; she's 87, from Romania, and super strict. I've been playing for 8 years with her. It is not uncommon I work hard on one section all week, finally get it perfect, walk through the door all excited; and have her tell me something like "okay" to "it needs work" to "that was horrible". I like her sometimes; but I'm kind of forced to in order to collaborate and play piano. I have been kicked out before, gotten yelled at, and NOBODY wants Dr. Vertenstien to get mad at you. One of her biggest things is that you "must respect the Steinway!" For those of you who don't know, the Steinway is a type of piano. "Respecting the Steinway" involves cutting our nails to the quick, not wearing any necklaces, bracelets, watches, or sequined clothes that could scratch it, and never painting our nails. If we have paint on our fingers, we'll be kicked out unless we wash all of it off. My friend and I once showed up for a duet or music theory, I can't remember, and Dr. Vertenstien promptly made her cut her nails with scissors, making her bleed. Some other habits of hers are cooking boiled cabbage, stuffing gross tissues up her sleeve, and even more. Dr. Vertenstien can be difficult, harsh, and inflexible.
But she's also a really amazing teacher. I keep playing until I finish, and then finally head into my room to play some pop music. I don't hate piano. Actually, I love it. There's honestly nothing that I love more then playing my keyboard, singing, and writing different songs. I just wish that I could play for myself, pop instead of classical, instead of playing for some old dusty lady with a walker.
(OK, that was mean. Dr. Vertenstien is actually a really good teacher, and I like getting her opinions on playing. She can, however, be frustrating sometimes).

Love Letters to the Dead

This week I read Love Letters to the Dead  by Ava Dellaira. This book is about a 15 year old girl named Laurel who just started high school. Her sister May has been dead for almost one year, and her mom left for California without her after suddenly getting divorced. Laurel did not want to go to the same high school that May went to, so she doesn't know anybody, and hides in the corner during lunch. Until she gets her first assignment; to write a letter, about anything, to someone who's dead. Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain; he was May's favorite singer, and writes to him, but  decides that the letter is too personal to turn in to get credit on the assignment. Soon, Laurel has many letters to different people including Amelia Earhart, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, E.E. Cummings, and more. It basically documents her life in high school, making friends, having a crush, and dealing with her dysfunctional family and other things too. She also has to get over her guilt for her sister's death, which she thinks is her fault, and some pretty terrible things that happened to her as a younger teenager that she had blocked out of her mind. This book was really good, even if I found it kind of depressing sometimes (ok, all the time). You really cared about the main character, and all of her friends/other people that she cared about. My favorite character was probably Laurel, because she never got discouraged and you really could connect with and and care about and root for her to do well. My other favorite character was probably Sky; but I can't tell you who he is or why without giving stuff away! You also found yourself wondering what you would do in her situations. This book is not like a normal "white girl book", I thought that it was really different, cool, and interesting. Overall, this is a really good realistic fiction book with some mature content, and I would recommend it to a lot of people in our class, if you feel like reading a book with some mature content. I would probably recommend it to both boys and girls too.
Next books I want to read:
Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock
Dash and Lily's book of dares
Unbroken
Kindred (book group)

First SOL:

"Look, I'm tired of texting. We should go talk at Robinson Park". My phone buzzes annoyingly as I get this text. I look out the already dark window. I really want to go to the park, I've been texting with a friend for the past couple of hours and would love to meet up and talk to them face to face. But it's dark. My mom's not a home, but she would flip. I stare out the window again, hoping to catch some sort of light source, but instead I just see my mirrored reflection as the sun's last rays disappear, leaving us in blackness, if there were any in the first place. I stare at my reflection a moment longer, noticing the shorts and short sleeved shirt that would also present a problem if I was to ride my bike out in the snow. "Sarah?" my phone chimes annoyingly. "You still there?" "Sry", I text back. "One Second". I look at the glowing digital clock, standing out bright blue against the blackness. 6:35. My mom had already been gone over an hour, which means that she would be coming back soon. But I really wanted to go...maybe I'd have enough time. I would ride quickly, but what if my mom did come back? Or what if my dad decided to come home from work early? I imagined the scene of freak that would happen if my family came home in the darkness, opened the door, switched on the warm lights, called my name- and found out that I wasn't there.

But I'm old enough to ride a bike a couple of blocks. Even when it's nighttime, pitch black and snowy. I'm responsible enough. My mom and dad never got that, I think in my minds I'm still trapped in the body and mind of a little kid, the one that they would worry about walking a block by themselves in the middle of the day, never the less ride there bike to the park when it's dark out. And maybe if I said that it was my friends idea- no, I quickly pushed that thought out of my mind. I was going, and I guess that I would just hope that they didn't come home. They can't stop me from seeing my friends. "Coming," I text, and am rewarded by a series of smiley faces :) :) :). Switching off the lights, I slam the door to the garage, put on my helmet, grab my bike, and go to open the doors- and they open by themselves. Shocked, I am greeted with the bright headlights of a car, and my dad's face, not noticing my thankfully, smiling from the chance to come home from work earlier. Sigh. I take off my helmet, text my friend, and quickly retreat into the house. Maybe next time.

Idk what pic to do so I just did a picture of a bike :)

Conversion

This week I read Conversion by Katherine Howe. I would recommend this book to people who like books like In a Heartbeat or 13 Gifts, books like that. Imagine if every day, when you went to school, there was a risk of getting Ebola. That's basically what this book's like. This was a book about a girl named Colleen, living in the same town that the Salem Witch Trials were held in hundreds of years earlier. She is a senior in a private christian girls high school, and is stressing out about getting into college, among other things. Suddenly, the popular girl in the school becomes sick, suffering from seizures and different stuff like that. Suddenly the school becomes a prison, with people getting sick one after another, and nobody quite sure what it is. Colleen and her friends have to survive school, dealing with boys, college, and family problems all under the spotlight of the mystery illness; until she thinks she might just have figured it out. This book was great. Maybe not especially deep or anything, but it was really entertaining. The characters in my opinion were kind of two dimensional, but slightly relatable in their situations in their school and it was a really fast-paced book. It also flashed back and forth between scenes from the Salem Witch Trials, when they were held, and the school, so I guess you learned some history. There was a plot twist at the end, and you found a connection within the book, but otherwise it was actually a pretty shallow book with a weak plotline, even if it was a really quick, fast, and entertaining read. Overall, this book is realistic fiction, has some inappropriate stuff, but not too bad, and is overall good if you don't want anything especially deep to read.