Bible Verse of ALL time:

With God, ANYTHING is possible!
-Mathew 19:26

A Firey Update

Hey bloggers!
This is just an update on the SD Wildfires 2007. I was evacuated at 3:30am on Monday morning(October 22-last week) because my house was threatened by the Coronado Hills fire. My house and family are all safe though. :) Unfortunatley, the worst fires are still burning and destroing thousands of acres, homes and lives. The Witch Creek fire is 50 or 60% contained now and the Harris fire is a little above that, but that's not enough to keep them from harming. The fires are not as bad as they were a week ago, but there are still flames lighting up the sky, and ash and smoke are still being dispersed. Other fires are still burning too, but they are close to being fully contained, and aren't very harmful. I want to say thank you to our fire fighters: without you more of us would be injured, dead(I hate to put it so bluntly) and more property would be gone. You all are amazing men and women and are an inspiration to all! I thank you for your determination, bravery, and sacrifice; it's truly amazing that you risk your life to save others. You are truly works of the Creator. Then to the volunteesr who are helping in any way they can: I also thank you. Many people would be homeless, hungry and thirsty, cold and without comfort without you providing what you can to help those in dire need. May God bless you and be with you. Then to the evacuees: I am truly empathetic of your suffering and that constant fear and wondering. My situation wasn't very bad, but I still know what it's like. My prayers still go out to all those who have lost, and to those who are fighting to keep our country safe and fed. God loves you all, and so do I and I appreciate everything all of you are doing! God Bless each and every one of you!
All my love and hope and wishes,
Aubrea <3>

What Is Humanity??

Hey peoples! This is my latest humanities project. Just in case you haven't figure it out yet, this blog was pretty much made FOR my humanities class (go Mr.Ross!). Anyway, this movie "defines" what humanity is, per se. I want to hear from you if you liked it or not; what you agreed and disagreed with. I hope you like it! Oh yeah, if you're on youtube and see another "what is humanity" movie made in a humanities class or for a humanities class, please watch it. My classmates are all extremely intelligent and they come to school to learn, not because they have to. I go to HTHNC by the way. bye

Don't forget!

The front page of my blog is only the beginning of the things I have posted. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click "older posts" if you want to see the older stuff I've done. I have a couple of pages of "older posts", just so you know!

Another thing: leave me some comments people! I want to know how you found my blog, what you do and don't like about my blog(especially if you go to my school).

What is different anyway?

I wrote this poem in 5 mintues today; it was an assignment in humanities. My teacher said," Okay, you have 5 minutes to write something about this picture. Go." The picture was what a kindergarten Esher would draw (in this case a dream house) and what the teacher would think of it and grade it. What made sense and didn't to the TEACHER. That's how it is. A student may turn in a piece of art or something else that makes perfect sense to them, but maybe not to the teacher. The work is marked down, thus judging a child's paradigm and creativity and imagination. Anyway, half the class groaned and asked, "What? What do we do?" I go to HTHNC by the way. It's a public charter school funded by Bill Gates. We do things differently, and we add a techno twist to almost all our projects. It's like, from our elementary and middle schools, we were given so much structure in how to do things that we've forgotten how to be creative and how to use it when we're given the opportunity. Here's my poem:
What is different anyway?
"This doesn't make sense.
Everything is upside down and opposite.
That doesn't go that way, it's all wrong!"
Why can't we be different and not looked down upon?
Why do we want to fit in and be the same, when some of us are meant to stand out?
Everything changes at one point or another,
Nothing ever stays the same.
How can our work be ridiculed and criticized and judged when the definition of "correct" or "right" escapes us?
Last time I checked, creativity and imagination had no rules.
We always hear, "The sky is the limit" but when we reach that high, it hurts more to fall.

laugh out loud

Here's my joke:
It was lunch time at a Catholic school and all the kids were lining up. At the front of the line was a big pile of apples. A Nun left a note on them that read "take only one, God is watching." At the end of the line, actually, the very last thing, was a big pile of cookies for dessert. A first grade student left a note on the cookies that said: "Take all you want, God is watching the apples."
-That is why you don't mess with a little kid!

When in Rome...

Hey bloggers! We're having a little experiment in my humanities class at High Tech High North County. We have maps on each of our blogs that show where we're getting visitors from. Each student is to pick a place they think they'll get a visitor from. I've always wanted to go to Italy, and Rome. So, if you happen to stumble upon my blog and you happen to be from Rome, or you're in Rome, or you live around Rome, leave me a comment! I'll get a prize if I'm the first one to get a comment from the country or city I chose, so leave me something in the comment box right below this entry. Maybe tell me how you stumbled upon my blog. Thanks!

P.S. Feel free to leave me a comment even if you don't live in Rome, but anywhere in the WORLD. I would love to hear from you! Let me know how you found my blog, what you like or dislike about my blog,what you agree and disagree with on my blog, or just any random thing about my blog. Or if you want to tell me a little about you and culture, please do and deposit it in the comment box below. I would really like some input. I want to hear from YOU!

Tranquility

This picture describes tranquility because it is a very peaceful, calm landscape. There's not much of anything going on. I can hear the water in the creek trickling by over the rocks, and the gentle whoosh of wind through the trees. It also looks like a safe place to be. There are no visible dangers, and the trees and rocks would act as a protection if need be.

Tundra

This is literally the tundra of Wrangle Island, Russia. Tundra is frozen soil, and it covers the majority of the land around the world. Few plants can survive in such a habitat.

Flourish

This picture of a firwork finale works for the word flourish because the finale is a very dramatic part of the show where all kinds of colors and designs are going at once and it's overwhelming to watch.

Her name was Alexandra...

The Picture thing wouldn't work for me, but if you search "Bill Sullivan's Photography Project" on Google or whatever, click on the first website that comes up on Google, scroll down until you see a big square full of pictures that says "NYC Metro" at the top, and go to the 3rd row(25-36) and the girl I wrote this story on is the 1st one.

Alexandra was a slave. She was born in Swaziland, Africa. Her father died of HIV/AIDS and her mother had Malaria, so was unable to see in her left eye. Alexandra was the oldest of five children. Life in Swaziland was difficult. Food was hard to come by and the Lord's Resistance Army were in recruiting mode. They'd been kidnapping and killing more than ever. When her mother died a few months after her fifth child was born, Alexandra was left to care for her four younger and newest little sister. It was a common thing, for parents to die ten years or less after their first child. HIV/AIDS was getting worse and for a young girl to get food, they had to sell their bodies and virginity. They didn't do it for them though, they sacrificed themselves for their family to eat and survive. Life there was an extreme bummer. A few years after Alexandra was in their mud hut putting uncooked rice into a coconut shell for her young siblings. They were at the neighbor's house playing until it got dark. The next door neighbors were an extremely auspicious family. They had two toys and both parents were alive and had seven children, the oldest of them a college student. Anyway, since Alexandra had no money, and there was no electricity in the hut, she thought she'd let her only family left have a little fun. "Alexandra? Can you come out here please?" Alexandra thought it was a little early for the neighbors to be annoyed enough with her siblings to want them home already, but she obeyed and responded to the call. She put the dry rice on the spot on the floor where the "family" ate and went outside. She saw no one outside her hut, or the neighbor's, or anyone's. "Hello? Where is everybody?" Alexandra looked around, but the land around her was deserted. "Mrs. Ortega-" Alexandra saw stars and everything was black.

Alexandra woke up in a dark, cold, wet room. She was should to shoulder against another girl. The small building was jam-packed with people. There was a group of men at the from of the building, all tall, strong, scary looking men. They were branding numbers onto each person. 'That's what this is,' Alexandra thought. What she thought was just a group of people turned out to be a line. There was a truck outside, and another, and another. They were being filled with people and then drove off, vanishing into the darkness. Alexandra looke around, looking for anyway to escape this horror. All the doors were gaurded; she saw no way out. Alexandra knew where she was, and started to cry. She would never see her little brothers or sisters every again. She would be forced to work for nothing and treated like trash, like somebody'd property. She had been kidnapped into the Slave Trade.

"Next," the leader called in his gruff voice that made Alexandra want to cover her ears. She was rooted to the spot. unable to move. She knew there would be a punishment, there always was one, but she couldn't will herself to move. "Next!" the man yelled this time. The whole place got silent. I still couldn't move; she was frozen wth fear. "What do we have here?" the man asked no one in particular. "I suggest you move forward little lady, unless, you' rather end up like them." He pointed to a dusty corner, barely light enough to see the pile of people who refused to listen. Alexandra screamed with rage and fear for herself and her people. She couldn't stand they were being treated this way. The men attacked her before she knew what was happening. They grabbed her, hit her, pushed her down, scratched her. Anything they could've possibly done they did. They didn't kill her though. "Get her out of here! Have fun, little lady." He smirked and watched her with eveil eyes as she was "escorted" out of the eerie building. She was thrown in a truck, landing upon her head. She looked up to see curious little eyes watching her. They were kids of four and five, afraid to speak for fear they might say the wrong thing and be hit. She was seventeen, and to see they were selling four and five year olds as property, any age for that matter, were being sold as land, as property. Humans of any race weren't meant to be owned. That's not how God made humans to be. The truck started to bump as they started their long journey to Cape Cod, to take a ship to the United States, if they could survive that. Alexandra put her head down, too sad, and tired, and hurt to move. She didn't awake until they arrived on the shore of New York.

"We didn't think you'd made it," a man she didn't recognize said as he lifted her up(not gently) and pushed her forward. She was thrust into the light and to the stares of many. "Here we have a seventeen year old Swazy girl. She can cook, mop floors, take care of children, and do anything you want her to do. She's a little bit fiesty though, so be careful! Bidding starts at $5,ooo." The announcer looked at the crowd. "$5,000!" A young woman yelled. "$7,500!" A man called. the crowd was silent. "$7,500 going once... going twice..." "$10,000!" A man in a yellow suit called from the front row. "Congratulations, sir! you've just got yourself a slave!" The announcer practiaclly threw her off the stage, and she was immediatley backhanded at being "so rude". "Let's go," her owner said, shoving her through the sea of people. She was pushed so forcefully she had to run to keep her balance. Her owner took her to his car, hit her for no reason, and threw her into the back seat. The car rumbled to a start, and she off to her new home.

When the car finally stopped, she was at a huge white mansion. She could hardly get up, her head was buzzing and heavy and her muscles ached. "Get up you good-for-nothing negro!" Alexandra heard her master cry. She was pulled of the seat and the punched in the gut, knocking her down to her knees, for getting blood on the nice leather seats. She was lead to her room which was a tiny closet at the bottom of the stairs. She couldn't even lie down becaue there wasn't enough room. "You'll start in the morning," the man said, tripping her into the closet and locking the door. Alexandra was scared, and helpess, and hopeless. She cried herself to sleep in her new home.

The next morning she was awakened to freezing water being poured on the only clothes she had, which were dirty and full of holes by now. "Get up scum!" a new voice called; a female. Bright light suddenly filled the room. She was thrust to her feet and forced to move and open her eyes. She opened her eyes just in time to see a hand flying at her face. She closed them again, and put up a hand to block the impact. Just in time. "How dare you! How dare you treat me with such an attitude!" The man's wife screamed. "You'll be punished for that!" Alexandra was lead out to the garden where five more slaves, aging fromfive- sixty were working. The woman left her by the gate to the garden and stomped in, whispering to the oldest man there. His eyes went wide, then he moved and picked two peppers. The woman took them, walked toward Alexandra and stopped with the two tiny peppers in her hand. She plugged Alexandra's nose until she had to open her mouth to breathe, and the peppers were stuffed into her mouth. She was forced to chew and swallow. The peppers burned her tongue and throat and made tears come to her eyes. This was not the worst of her punishments.

The time passed by. Alexandra lost track of it and couldn't remember if she's been there a day, a month, a year? All she knew was she had to get out of there, see her family again. She did get paid, though very little, and she saved up what she had, not spending any of it. Her stomach ached with the pain of hunger, but not even that could break her determination. She was very sneaky, but she finally did it. One night, she was out working late and the gaurds were switching posts. She took the chance she was given, and ran. She ran ask fast, but as quietly as she possibly could. No one seemed to be chasing her, no one seemed to care. She was free! She had passed the gate and refused to look back. no one could catch her now anyway. She had done it! Escaped imprisonment. She turned in her masters and was given money and clothing. She was going to get another chance at life.

She got her ticket to the Subway to the airport, and was the happiest person on Earth when she went through that turnstyle. It was the end, and the beginning. Her life had really only just begun.

The way it ended...

This is my ending to a short story I read in humanities class today. It's called Crossing Spider Creek by Dan O'Brien. He didn't give an ending, but left us hanging, thus our assignment is to use our imaginations and come up with one. Check out this story on your own ( yes I'm going to have you work a little... look it up on Google or something) and let me know how my ending fits...

The seriously injured man, Tom, clicked for his horse to move accross the rushing icy creek. The frightened horse obeyed reluctantly, slowly inching accross the water. It was Tom's last chance at life. He felt the horse knew it too. The smell of the blood from Tom's arm drifted to the horse's nostrils. Its ears folded back timidly, as it crept forward to the other bank. This was Tom's life or death situation, and he wanted more then anything, to live; to see his dear carol again, and never live in silence again. "That's it, keep going. There you go," Tom coaxed the horse. The man became dizzy. 'I've probably lost so much blood I won't live anyway,' Tom thought. Blood dripped onto the horse and into the water. The horse shivered, and freaked. It bucked Tom onto the rocky bank, leaving him in the freezing liquid, and sharp rocks. The man stayed alive just long enough to see the horse standing on the bank, a look of apalogy in his eyes. for some reason, Tom knew the animal knew what it did, and was sorry. So, the seriously injured man was left on the bank of Spider Creek, in the freezing water, on sharp rocks. The frightened horse went back home... to Carol. But after that day, the horse's right femur was never strong enough to carry the poor beast.

The Library of Dust

Bang, bang, bang. "Let me in. Please, let me in! I need to see my daughter!" the anxious mother exclaimed. Tears ran down her face as she punded as hard as she could on the doors to the asylum. "Please. Please," she sobb-whispered. "Um, ma'm?" A blue uniformed man peeked his head around the side of the old building. "This asylum has been closed for 10 years now. No one has been here since then." He turned and started to walk away. His footsteps echoed from concrete sidewalk to concrete overhang. "Excuse me sir," the woman choked. "Who are you?" The man sighed and turned around. "My name is Manfred Bunnington. I was the janitor here once upon a time. I thought I'd give this place one last look before they knock it down next week." The mother gasped. "NO! Sir, uh, Manfred, um, Mr Bunnington? Can you please let me in? I need to find my daughter. I had a dream last night. She's here. God has guided me here.... I need to get in!" "Ma'm, your daughter isn't here. No one but you and me are here," Manfred said exasperated. "I know almost every patient that came and went here. If it's not too bold, what's your daughter's name?" "Sydney. Sydney Paige Matthews," the mother replied. Manfred's face went white. "I knew your daughter. I think she was the most brilliant here. Why did you send her here?" Manfred knew he had crossed the line, but he wantd to know. The woman looked away as a new river of tears made their way down her face. "I couldn'e stand it. She was my little girl. She was the sweetest, smartest, most athletic, just a parents' dream child. Then the car accident. Some drunk driver hit the side of the car that my baby was on. She was only 10. She had so much of her life that she needed to live. She couldn't talk right, walk right, or really think right after that. I was so devestated. I couldn't really look at her anymore. I loved her still, I still do, but it just didn't seem right. I thought this would be good for her. She could be social with people...like herself. Ashe wouldn't feel so left out." "Your daughter and I were good friends ma'm," Manfred said quietly. "Please, call me Cordelia." There was silence. Only the leaves rustled in the trees and the wind drifted by, carrying Cordelia's blonde hair. "I can show you the asylum Cordelia. I'll have to come with you, but I can get you in. I'll give you a little tour." Manfred opened the door with his handful of keys. "Manfred?" Cordelia asked as they entered the asylum. "My daughter came here 30 years ago. If this asylum closed 10 years ago, where is my daughter now?" Cordelia thought she knew the answer, but she wanted to confirm. It was Manfred's turn to tear up. "She died. When she was 20. 20 years ago. She wanted so much to go out and explore the world. Make new discoveries, travel. The asylum workers wouldn't hear of it. They had but 1 window in the whole place and it overlooked the ocean... her favorite thing in the world. Sydney spent all the time she could there. When she didn't have class or something else to do, she'd be at that window daydreaming, drawing, or writing stories and poetry. She was a phonomenal girl, full of passion and beauty. Her chesnut hair fell to her shoulders, and when the light hit it just right the halls sang. Her blue-green eyes matched the ocean, and the way he freckles sprinkled her nose and creme skin made her look like a porcelain doll. And that smile... Sorry, I'm rambling aren't I?" Manfred blushed and looked away. Cordelia had a nebulous look to her face, like she was thinking about 100 years ago. "She loved the ocean... Sydney did. She wanted to become a marine biologist and graduate from UC Santa Barbara. She never let me forget it. She loved the water in general, and the color blue. Blue and green. She did have a temper though. When she got angry, she was like a wave on a stormy day, with absolutley no control. You didn't want to be in her way at those times." By this time, the strangers were heading up a long flight of stairs. It was cold and dark in the old asylum. "Was it always this ominous here?" Cordelia inquired with a shiver. "I'm afraid that it was. As I told you before, there was only 1 window, and they never installed a hating system. But the people here lit up the plac with their smiles, and warmed it with their knowledge and love. It was a whole different place then. I can't believe the people here were treated the way they were. They were really no different than you or me, excpet for that fact that they didn't communicate in the same way. They were all wonderful people." His eyes were lost in thought. Cordelia couldn't find the picture Manfred described in her mind's eye, and frankly, she didn't want to. "Your daughter stayed here, in this room." Manny pointed a finger at a closed door. It hadn't been touched for so long that he had to kick it open. The door fell to the floor sending dust flying all over. Debris littered the floor and it crunched under their feet as the 2 walked. Cordelia looked around. At a far corner, she spotted something blue. She squinted at it, then rushed over. She wiped away the debris and picked up a little blue book. On the front "Sydney P. M" was etched. Cordelia oped the book to a crack and yellowed pages. Cordelia clutched her heart as she read the 1st entry.

January 13, 1967
Today was my first day of class. Mr.Manchester gave me this book. He said it'll help me deal with my emotions. He says that I get so angry because I keep my feelings in a bottle, and won't let nobody open it. I don't know what he's talking about. I don't even have a bottle. I miss my mommy. I don't why she let those peeple take me away. I failed her. She thinks I'm different, so she was disappointed and she didn't want me anymore. I'm sorry mommy. I didn't mean to embarrass you. I guess I'm getting what I deserve. The peeple here are nice. I like them. Espeshally Manfred. He is my first frend. Lord, please be with me as I spend my days here. I don't think mommy is going to pick me up.
Sydney P. M

Cordelia flipped through some more pages until she found Sydney's 16 birthday. She read:

March 13, 1975
Today is my 16th birthday. So what? I'm no different, just older. I'm the shortest of all the girls here. They tease me. No one is nice to me. Ecsept Manny. He's my bestes frend... I love him with all my heart. And you too God. No one can take your place. I don't like the way I am. I don't want to be here. I'm not that different, really. I want to explore. I can write better than I can talk. It's not fair, it's not fair! I have no where to go. No frends. Nothing. No one, not even my family want anything to do with me. I hate you mom! For making me come to sucha terruble place. You're not my mom no more! Wait, the voices, they're back. They tell me to kill Manny. Can't control hands and feet, can't talk no more. What happening? They're coming. The people are coming! I gotta go, get outta here. I'm not crazy! NO! Help! Leave me alone-

Cordelia slammed the book shut and dropped it. She couldn't stand to read what the crazy workers here were doing to her daughter."I'm such a terrible person. I didn't know asylums were bad. I thought it would be good for to be with other people like herself. I guess, I was wrong. In so many ways." Cordelia sighed a deep sigh and cried in her heart. She didn't want her daughter's lover to see her in such a way as this. "There's one more thing I think you should see." Manfred spoke suddenly from behind Cordelia's back. She jumped. "Sorry. Just follow me. Be careful though. There's stuff all over." He helped Cordelia up and led her out the door and down a long corridor with stairs. When they had reached the end of their journey, they came up upon a door. Manfred opened it with a creak. Cordelia walked in. She was surrounded by shelves of copper cans. "What is this?" Cordelia asked Manfred. She felt life buzzing all around her. "This is the 'Library of Dust'. That's what I call it anyway. It's everyone who went here, that died here without a family member to claim them. I wouldn've taken your daughter, but I'm not family. Sydney is here. I've looked time and time again, but I could never find her. Maybe you can." Manfred was very hopeful. "I swear, if I would've known about my daugher, I would've come to get her." She had already begun to search through the cans. Each one was a little different on the outside, and she could feel personality and life on the inside. After an hour of searching, they both grew weary. Cordelia was at the second to top shelf, the last row of cans, and Manfred wa somewhere on the other side. She came accross a can that was blue, green, white, drak blue, and gray; A can that perfectl resembled a wave. She felt her daughter. "Manfred! Manfred I found her!" Cordelia exclaimed, cradling the can like a new born baby. Manfred rushed over. He knew instantly that it was Sydney. The 2 people, who were strangers just hours before, now felt like they were old friends. They knew that Sydney was still alive in their hearts, that she's planned for this. They cried and cried. They left the asylum and brought Syney with them, down to the ocean. They sprinkled her into the ocean. "To our Sydney,"Cordelia whispered as a tear ran down her cheek. The 2 hugged, and then went on their way.

100 years later
"Let's go to Hollister. I need some more shirts," exclaimed Amanda. All the girls in the group nodded and clapped in reply. "Let's go then girls." A girl with chestnut hair and blue-green eyes was left at the back. Gina had Cerebral Palsey, so it was hard for her to control her muscles, even her mouth. She knew things, but it was difficult for her to communicate with others. "What about Gina?" A girl in the group asked Amanda. "Just leave her, she's weird anyway. How, again, did he get into our group?" The alpha snapped tartly. "She has no friends, so I invited her." "If you want to stay my friend, don't do that again!" Amanda whisper-screamed. The girls sped up and left Gina. 'Wait! Wait you guys! I... can't...go...that...fast.' Gina thought sadly as her friends were almost out of sight, and they didn't even know she was gone. She plopped sadly down on a bench. She turned her attention to the little patch of dirt next to her, and spotted something blue. She picked up a little blue book the color of the ocean that had "Sydney P. M" etched into it. Gia opened the book to a crack and yellowed pages, and read.

For more info on this topic, go to http://www.ross-ed.org/ and click on 'Library of Dust'.

Bible Verse

You call out to God for help and He helps- He's a good Father like that. But don't forget, He's also a responsible Father and won't let you get by with sloppy living. Your life is a journey, and you must travel with a deep consciousness of God.
-Peter 1:17-18

Our Government... if you can call it that!

Dear Legislator:
I saw a video in class on Friday and I just want to say thank you. You work through lunch, dinner,and going to the bathroom. Only a true leader could work through such troubles. Tell me, do you get lonely at all? You know, becasue 2/3 of your colleagues aren't there on voting days? And how tempting to vote for them; let me rephrase that: vote for them for what you want. I know such a leader as yourself with as much integrity as you have would never do something so dishonest, something so disgusting. You could never set an example like that for your future... to lie, and cheat to get what you want. Never!! Not someone like you. I bet you'd never try to make us Americans abide by a law that you, yourself would break every single day? Okay, let's face it, you're a hypocrite!! You don't care about anything as long as what you want to happen, happens. I was so bamboozled when I saw that video! My insides got turned out... and they're NOT supposed to be there! I mean, the government, the people that represent us... they act like kindergarteners!! Since you're getting paid how much money for what you "do", you're different than any average person and the rules suddenly don't apply to you?!? We're onto all of you. Just wait. The world will be set right one day... when you're old and gone. I thought only 4-6 year olds lied because they didn't know any better, until I saw what you do almost every day! I am sincerely appauled by your behavior... It's not acceptable!
Have a nice day!!
Aubrea