Writer's Block Kills

       Writer's block.  Everyone's had it at one point in their life, even if you don't even write.  It's the feeling of knowing you want to type something up but not having any clue what that something is.  You're mind is clear of any thoughts and only an empty space fills it.  It's frustrating and irritating.
     
       I decided to write this blog quite ironically.  It was after PARCC testing when we had around 30 minutes to spare when I grabbbed my keyboard, connected it to my IPad, and pulled up Blogger on a new window.  I had been on a roll, 3 blogs in 2 days!  I was excited to start a new one but when I opened up a fresh page and when nothing came to mind I panicked.  How in the world had I forgot what to write about?!  I had a system!  I spent about hours trying to get rid of it, when suddenly I thought "How about write about how annoying writer's block is?!" Boom! I just broke the fourth wall.
     
       So here I am, writing this blog.  Now to make this piece of writing actually purposeful I'm going to give five tips on how to get rid of writer's block, all made up by me.  1. Listen to meaningful music, something that has a storyline to it and use it as inspiration. 2. Ask around for opinions on different topics, write about what other people think and if you agree or disagree and why. 3. Google some artwork, look at them and try to draw out the purpose of why they were created. 4. Evaluate everything, you'll find something you usually wouldn't. 5. Think about your memories, good or bad and write about them.
     
       Overall I hoped this helped.  If you have any more ideas please comment them in the comment section.

My New Puppy!

       The day has finally arrived.  Yesterday, April 24th, my family brought home a new member of the family.  It was a spontaneous thing, we really weren't anticipating to get him so soon.  Let me introduce him; His name is Zuko, named after the character in Avatar: The Last Airbender. He is a red nose pitbull and has big floppy ears and a bit of loose skin.  He is 2 months and 3 days old.

       That day I actually messaged another person who had red nose pitbull puppies (age:1 week) and we were going to wait for that puppy, however I ended up checking the website again and saw a new ad was posted 2 hours ago.  It was about 2 red nose pitbull puppies (age: 2 months) that were for sale.  So we called and the owner told us both dogs were already pending to be adopted, especially the brown one (mine).  But we were persistent, we offered to pay more for the dog and take him home that same day.  Finally, the owner agreed and called off the other guy.  So we went to pick him up.  When we saw him he had two scars on the top of his head and he looked a bit malnourished. In the car ride he threw up four times (5 in total) and each time I had to capture it with a puppy pad. 

       When we finally arrived home we showed him the backyard and the inside of the house. We also used a pillow for a bed and I think he believes it's his 'safe-spot'.  Our family thinks he was abused because of the scars, past diet, and because he's very shy and scared of men.  As of right now he hasn't barked, or played. He's just been sleeping and staying on his pillow.  

       The night was the worst.  I slept on the couch to make sure he'd be fine and in the middle of the night he started crying.  So I woke up, gave him a warm blanket and waited until he feel back to sleep. But right after I left he kept crying so I brought his pillow near the couch and home e slept peacefully. As of right now I am only running on a maximum of 3 hours of sleep.

       Out of the entire family, my father and I have the closest bond with him.  I can tell his life is going to be phenomenal with us. 

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How Our Puppy Looks (Not him)

My Good Deed for the Day

     Today I did something great.  No I didn't donate $200 to any foundation, no I didn't solve world hunger, and no I did not find the cure to cancer (unfortunatly).  I did something way more simpler but it made me feel good and like a better person.

       Yesterday, my team and I did a competition called Battle of the Books. Although we didn't win I still wanted to do something nice for my team.  So I decided to bake yellow cupcakes with buttercream frosting.  I piped the frosting with a star tip and everything.  Anyway, this morning I decided to bring them to at least celebrate our hard work.  So as I was walking to school with my blue tupper-ware in hand I saw the crossing guard.  I always walk on the same route so I've seen her almost every morning and afternoon.  Before even getting to the street I began contemplating whether   or not I should offer her one, I wanted to give her one because she was such a nice lady but I also didn't want to seem weird.  While thinking I crossed the street and thanked her before I stopped, backtracked, and said "Hey, I was wondering if you'd like a cupcake? I made them and have extra and I don't know what to do with them." And continued on rambling.  Surprising she didn't find me weird and took up on the offer with a smile on her face.

        This made me happy, I felt like such a benevolent person. After, I continued the walk to school with a smile on my face because I felt proud of myself.  Yes I only offered her a cupcake but maybe that made her day.  It doesn't seem so exciting now but hey! I'm still smiling!

Let's Talk About Thirteen Reasons Why

Disclaimer - Contains Little to No Spoilers 

       Ever since Netflix has released their new show, Thirteen Reasons Why, the interernet has been sharing quotes, gifs, spoilers, theories, and more from the show.  Each episode ranges from about 50-65 minutes and all were realeased on Friday, March 31st.  Now if you don't already know the show is based on the book Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.  Both book and show are about a girl named Hannah, who committed suicide.  It takes place a little while after her death when her former friend, Clay, receives 13 tapes.  Each tape contains one reason why she committed suicide, or more specifically which person caused her to take her life.  There's a cycle to these tapes, everything is explained in the book and show.

       I personally started watching the show the very same day it was released, almost right after school.  Now just to be clear - I haven't read the book, nor do I plan too.  I did enjoy the show overall but there were just some things that bothered me, mostly revolving around the characters.  One of the biggest things that bothered me was the overall ideas of the tapes.  I hated how Hannah Baker consistently blamed people for her death, yes some of the characters were out of line at times but some of them didn't even do anything extreme.  So the fact that they had to carry the burden of practically 'killing' someone wasn't fair.  There is definitely a lot more I have to complain about but I wouldn't want to spoil anything for anyone. 

      On the topic of spoilers, I have to say the Internet is exploding every single social media site with them (trust me I would know).  It's gotten to the point where it becomes very irritating, and I watched the show completely before I even saw them so nothing really got spoiled for me.  Big accounts on Twitter, Instgram, and Facebook are consistently writing and sharing posts that deal with the characters, plot twists, endings, and more about the show.  I honestly feel for the people who have wanted to watch it but saw the spoilers first because it's really the suspense of "what's going to happen" that makes the show really good.  People just need to respect the fact that posting spoilers isn't okay because it can ruin somebody's whole day (literally if they're watching the show that day).  I also saw a few posts stating, "Thirteen Reasons Why taught me to be nice to everyone." Like seriously?  The fact that people needed to see it first-hand before realizing the truth effects about bullying is sad.  

       Overall, Thirteen Reasons Why is a good show that I think people should watch.  I would still recommend it to people that may find it 'triggering' because it has a very inspirational message.  There are so many morals that Hannah conveys through the tapes, it's just up for the reader/watcher to distinguish Them.  Who knows, maybe this show will save other people's lives. 

The Long Wait for My Puppy

       Three years ago on February 17th, 2015 we put my dog Jake down.  Jake was a pure-bred red nose pit bull, had hazel greenish eyes, and lived up to the age of 14.  He was my bestfriend, my older brother especially.  While he was being put down my dad grabbed his paw and promised to find a family member of his and give him a good life, like he did to Jake.  So we agreed to live up to that promise, but after a year because the family still needed to mourn.

       One year didn't work.  We did end up finding the place where he came from but unfortunately there were no puppies.  Before we did this we did look at shelters and other places where a red nose pitbull puppy might need a home.  We also considered a chocolate Labrador but that idea quickly faded once we recalled the promise.  At around that time we did go to a few pet stores to look for a chocolate Labrador because they didn't have pit bulls but I convinced my family not to buy from a pet store because some aren't reliable and may supports puppy mills.

       It has been over two years now and we are still waiting to get a puppy.  The entire family has dog withdrawals, we are in dire need of one!  We have still been looking at other places, at puppies that are not related at all to Jake but they don't seem to be calling to us.  So we have decided to wait until there is a litter of puppies ready.  These dogs are really special because they come from 28th generation of pure-bred pit bulls and they have their own papers.  Although the\y are very expensive this dog will mean so much to our family to the point where it will be worth it.  I honestly cannot wait any longer to be able to hold and care for another dog.  In the meantime while I'll wait, I will continue to study more about dogs and watch tutorials on DIY's for dog items.  I promise I will spoil this puppy!

The Dysfunctional People I Call My Family

       Everyone has that one family member who is a bit on the nuttier side, for me it seems as if my entire family is on that side.  And no - I am not excluding myself because I am fully aware of how crazy I actually am, but that's the only time you'll catch me admitting that.  It's only until I tell funny stories about my family to other people that I realize how weird we actually are.  I have to say, it's pretty mortifying .

       Not only are they strange but they are also very, very, and I mean VERY irritating.  I, the middle child, either get ignored when I want their attention or get their attention when I want to be ignored.  

Example A (not getting attention):

Me: Mom, guess what?

Mom: Hhhm?

Me: *proceeds to tell a story*

Mom: What'd you say? I totally blocked you out, *starts laughing*

Example B (getting their attention when I don't want it)

Sister: Hey, I'm going to summarize five episodes of Once Upon A Time  to you.
Me: I'm busy doing homework, maybe another time.
Sister: *proceeds to summarize all the episodes*

       The examples I displayed above are only the mild situations, they get much worse.  On top of this, my sister acts like she's some perfect, beautiful, singer.  I can guarantee the first two statements aren't true.  She also randomly has urges to hit either my brother and I, resulting into major fights and many bruises.  She straight up man-handles us!  Don't get me wrong, we get along in some occasions but other times she's just plain crazy.  When she's home all chaos breaks loose!  I'm getting irritated just writing about her.

       Now for my younger brother. He is the youngest of the three and happens to have the biggest age gap.  I mostly despise him because if it weren't for him I wouldn't be the middle child and I'd still have my spotlight (it sounds selfish but I promise is you were a middle child you'd understand).  He also has a very short temper and copies everything I say, which drives me nuts!  The only time we get along is when my sister and parents aren't around.

       I would get into details about my parents but they are just a whole other crazy.  For crying out loud everything even stated in this post are just mild descriptions of reality.   Moral of the story - Please pray for Evelyn, for she has to live with a bunch of psychopaths.

       

Life is Beautiful

     While learning about the Holocaust in our new unit, going to the museum, and watching the movie Life is Beautiful, I have learned a lot about the tragedies the Jewish community (and others) have suffered from.  In the movie, it covers part of the Holocaust such as life in a concentration camp and actions that lead to them in the first place. The main character, Guido, is a Jewish Italian who falls in love with Dora, who is a rich Christian woman.  Together they have a child and live a happy life, until the Natzi's take them away to a concentration camp.

     The movie is similar to the actual Holocaust because they both portray which community is under attack which is the Jewish community.  The movie also hints at some actions made towards the Jews to mortify them or dehumanized them which actually did happen, this is shown when the uncle's horse is vandalized.  The movie also had references to the gas chambers and the people who were victims of it.  Lastly, the movie portrays the sacrifice people went through to save people and stay with their loved ones.  This is shown when the mom, Dora, decides to accompany her family on the concentration camp and the dad, Guido, does everything to save his child. 

     In the movie, to make it different, it adds hints of humor.  Humor is shown when the dad creates a 'game' in the concentration camp to follow, jokes around about people who are 'excited' in line, and jokes around about 'burning' people.  The father also has freedom to get away with certain things, like talking to the kids and playing music, which I don't think ever happened under the strict rules of the Natzi's. 

     Life is shown as beautiful throughout the film almost the entire time.  An example would be how two people of different religions fall in love, despite being judged, create a happy family together.  Another example would be of how dedicated and selfless the parents are to assure they are with their family and do everything in their power to keep eachother safe.  Life is beautiful especially for the little boy because it's his parents love and commitment that keep him alive.