Alicia-15

Children have such short attention spans. A girl I babysit, Olivia, is sweet, vibrant, and organized, but she can't focus on one thing for more than a couple of minutes. I've experienced this with other young children too. They'll get bored halfway through and game or a show or dinner. I have to assume part of it normal for their developmental stage, but if it is partly caused by the constant stimulus provided by kids toys and shows, then that concerns me. Not that I think children shouldn't have access to computers and the internet, but the negative side effects are apparent, and not just in children. These are problems that will have to be addressed and worked through.

Alicia-14

Like Willy said, anyone can be tired. Even if you don't work 80 hours a week or take care or your younger siblings by yourself. Even if you aren't an only parent struggling financially, you can still be tired. I'm tired already, and I'm only 16. Preparing for the SATs and looking at colleges is stressful, and I feel guilty for my frustration because it seems so trivial in comparison to what other people have to deal with. My frustration is real, though. All emotions and feeling are relative, and all I have to go on is my own experiences. I've read countless books about World War II and poverty, but, as close as it comes, the words can't make those experiences real to me. It's not the same when I'm reading those books on my futon, never having to worry about my safety or having food to eat.

Alicia-13

For a biology project, I'm researching Zmapp, which is a drug that was created to fight Ebola. It annoys me that the two Americans that contracted Ebola were given the experimental treatment but not the thousands of people in West Africa begging for it. The whole concept of changing an organism's genome, which allowed for this drug to be created, is still a relatively new and expensive process that is done in labs with high tech equipment, but it freaks me out. It creates so many amazing yet terrifying possibilities, and thinking that it might evolve to become more common and even a way to cure disease-while amazing-absolutely petrifies me!

Alicia-12

My dog has a love hate relationship with the vet. One on hand, they're scary and give her shots, but she also gets treats when she goes. I was thinking that taking a dog to the vet must be similar to taking a young child to the doctor's. The child will most likely be scared and try to hide behind you (Cleo, my dog, did that to me). The child will also be given treats (like lollipops or stickers) to help them calm down, like how Cleo was given dog treats. All you want to do is comfort the child, but it's hard to make them understand why the shots are necessary, especially with really young children who haven't learned how to talk. This is similar to how you have no way of explaining to a dog what is happening and why they're getting hurt/looked at. It's just one of those things you have to do for their own good, even if they don't like it.

Julia-Week 12

My sister and I got our Christmas shopping done this weekend and I had a lot of fun spending time with her. Despite our busy schedules, I’m happy that we got the chance to hang out and forget about our stress from school for a little while.

Jennifer - Week 12

We've been learning about the 1920s in history class, and it made me think about how much cheaper everything was back then. If we went back in time now and took all the money we had, we'd be rich. Even if it's not rich by today's standards, in the 1920s we could probably buy anything. It would be cool to write about someone who could go back in time just to buy a bunch of stuff for really low prices. I don't know where the story would go from there, but I think the idea is interesting.

Audrey Week 11

I love snow, even if I have to shovel it. When it was snowing, I realized I can only really see the snow falling when it was in front of the dark trees. As an artist that contrast was very cool, but as a writing student I thought it might be symbolic. Something more interesting than that “you need darkness to see the light” crap, though.

Skye- Week 12

I'm so stressed about hearing back from colleges. Apparently they are supposed to come any day now but I haven't gotten any emails back. HELP!!!!

Elaina - 11

I was at the mall today and I saw a life sized Sfen from Frozen. I loved it so much so I picked him up and carried him around the store with me, ready to buy him. I then realized he was $100, so I decided to put him down and say goodbye. Now, ever since I left him there I have gone to target and he is EVERYWHERE I turn. I will walk down an isle and he will be in the middle of the isle. Or ill turn into an empty isle then turn around and he will be there. A haunted Sfen is after me.

Skye- Week 11

Yesterday I felt very productive. I slept in late and then I went to the gym. After I went to mall and got a fun pair of jeans.

Bri- week 12

I went to the Holiday Bazaar this Saturday and I sang carols with others in my choir. I have always known how much I love to sing and bring joy to others, but there was a little girl that was watching in a stroller when I first got there, that really brought warmth to my heart. She was looking at the little group of us choir kids, on the stairs, and had a cute little smile on her face during every song. And, without fail, at the end of each song, she would clap her little hands and looked happy. I really loved seeing that look on her face and it’s one of the reasons I love to make music.

Grace - Week 12

I am so incredibly stressed by all of the little things I have to do and have yet to get done. I am trying so hard not to wish this part of my life away and I know people keep warning me of that but I really can’t help it.

Claire Shea – Week 12

There's a line I have to cross in order to tell my story, but I might be too attached to my character to do it. I think I care too much to put him through this, but the implications are so clear, so natural, and so painful that I don't see any other option. Sometimes, I'll need to make the sacrifice.

Grace - Week 11

I really need to stop wishing away every day, every block, every minute of the school day. Soon I’m going to be wanting just one more day, one more block, one more minute in this school. I don’t really know how to change my mindset though. Maybe I’ll forever have this continued dread for the rest of my life and measure this life in time. The thought just depresses me.

Ryan week 12:

It becomes so much more difficult to get work done when you recognize it doesn't have any real implications anymore. I wonder what it would be like to be in a situation where it is always like that.

Claire Shea – Week 11

Everything gets washed out, bleached with time. I think the hardest step is to stop trying to prolong the color. But it seems impossible to move on and forget, especially when the moment is so vivid now.

Elaina - 12

I got into college over the weekend!! It's so exciting hearing back from schools because this whole process has been so long and stressful and getting acceptances is so validating.

Nolan 12

I want to write a poem about a guy who always does things to help others and never thinks about himself.

Week 12-Shawn

I do quite want to write a poem or story that insults the reader for looking into it too much

Annika- Week 12

Gym class is such an interesting concept. It works in theory, every child gets the amount of exercise they should be getting. But why do they try to make it be like a normal class. They make us do slideshows about our activities and that’s not what gym class is about, it’s about getting exercise. And a weeks ago in gym we had to walk up three flights of stairs with a plastic straw in our mouths to get our hearts racing and if you’re such a bad a gym teacher that you have to make kids put straws in their mouths to lose their breath then there’s a problem.

Week 10 and 11

Week 10
Thanksgiving is so good except for the part that you have to eat turkey for some reason I don’t like turkey but I do like chicken. I just like the idea of thanksgiving and fall time and apple pie an pumpkin spice.

Week 11
Every year my family has an elf themed Christmas party where everyone where’s there Christmas pajamas and we watch elf with all our family and friends and it is so much fun and it’s what makes me in the Christmas spirit

Julia-Week 11

The fact that we only have 2 more weeks until Christmas break is crazy to me. I feel like the school year is going by really fast and midterms are going to be coming up before we know it. Between midterms and SATs everything is starting to get really stressful.

Teagan 11

A million moments make up an entire life.  One, miniscule, insignificant second is a fraction of our lives, which amount to something great.  By this logic, our lives consist of unimportant moments, and equal something important. How is this possible?  How can a life so long and fulfilling be made of such negligible things? It doesn’t really make sense to me, this logic, and I don’t know who can explain it to me. 

Paige Week 11

I work at the front desk of a hair salon, and i'm the youngest employee at my work by a fair amount. All the other women I work with are in their 40's or 50's, and It's awesome. The stories I have heard from customers talking while getting their hair done is incredible. A good example would be Kip, one of the stylists. For context she is married to a man named Jerome (who's hilarious). For more context she has a thick asian accent. One time I offered her some chocolate to which she replied "Oh no thank you sweetie the only chocolate I like Is my Jerome". I almost choked on the chocolate it was 3:30 in the afternoon and I was not ready for that comedic gold. Another Stylist, Holly (also has a thick asian accent), always calls everyone "Honey" and loves to talk about fashion and deals at stores or online. A quote from her while talking about hair/ eyelash extensions is "[People] can say that [the hair/ eyelashes/nails] are not mine, but they mine cause I bought them". Such wisdom. Anyways I love the people I work with and feel like thats very important in a workplace. (Sorry bout the paragraph)

Jennifer - Week 11

Children seem to have their own language. They talk to each other one way and to anyone older another. They don't talk completely differently to me, probably because I'm not an adult, but the way they talk shifts a little bit. Sometimes it makes me feel a little out of the loop. I speak differently to my friends than to people older than me, but I realized I can't connect to little kids quite the same way they connect with each other or the way I connect with my friends.

Bella Week 11

You know, I love the smell of trees. Okay, I realize that sounds a little weird but I promise I’m not crazy. There’s just something about the smell of an Evergreen- for example’s sake- that is calming. If I close my eyes, I feel like I’m in a forest, the dirt beneath me, little grass blades poking up at my ankles. And suddenly, it’s as though my surroundings disappear, the birds in my backyard turn into chirping beauties, their songs simply another part of the wonder that is nature and I’m transported to a place not too far and yet far at the same time. That’s part of the reason why I love the holidays because when I’m alone at home and I walk past the Christmas tree, it’s like I’m no longer alone.

Annika- Week 11

Mary Poppins is a really long movie. I wonder how much Disney added and/or took away from P.L. Travers’ original novel. If I ever write something iconic enough to become a movie I don’t think I would appreciate them taking away my ideas. Especially if a scene they added became an iconic scene in that film or what the movie became known for.

Reddington Week 10

OKAY, so basically I'm gonna sue Market Basket here's the situa. I was cashiering when, this wrinkly old bald, california raisin lookin manager came up to me and said hey listen your hair is too long you need to get it cut, haven't I told you to get it cut already. Which um no I had never seen this means before what is this total dried prune of a man in my life, so I basically laughed him off. Then again a week later he comes up and calls me a disrespectful punk. So I'm like bro listen I was hired with my hair this long why do I need to get it cut it. I am not gonna get a haircut for a minimum wage teenage job no way. Even my managers my work dads Edwin, and Tim love my hair they don't give a poop that it goes past my collar. But this old hairless cat looking man can come on over and say you need to get it cut. That ain't happenin. I'm balding anyway so it shouldn't take much longer. That's my rant, and why I will be suing Market Basket.

Reddington Week 9

Okay so its been a week and as I expected all I have been doing is playing pokemon which tbh its the life. Its been a week and I've sunk in 50 hours. And it has all been spent trying to 100% complete the game, sadly I know I will give up before I actually can. I've only ever beat one game 100% and that was Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, I had a weekend at my family beach house y'all already know that I ain't about to be at the beach. I can be at the beach in the game so it's basically the same. I have sunk probably one third of my life into gamin (very sad don't need to tell me), which considering we spend another third sleeping... As one may imagine my grades might suffer because of this life style but ya know what. Well okay I don't know what. BUT I could probably beat anyone in the whole school at Pokemon so ya know what if that ain't worth it I don't know what is.

Week X

Time isn’t tangible, that’s why we put it in a clock

Bri- week 8

Throughout my childhood, I always loved fall the most. Not only is my birthday during the season, but Halloween and Thanksgiving too. I have always loved the crisp weather and just the tradition of apple picking with family. I don’t think I’ll ever hate fall. How can anyone? You get to dress warm in sweaters and sweatshirts and drink hot cider and have pumpkin pie.

Journal 8

I would love to write a play about Waitress’ gossiping

Journal 9

The Largest ship will sink because of the smallest hole

Shawn 8 9 and 10

A world where you are able to say whatever you want to a customer in a customer service job

A poem about the grim reaper in the shape of a sythe. He's not that bad a guy :(

What did mike Tyson say to the drug addict who punched him in the face You methed up

Reddington 8

Pokemon Sword and Shield released today, you know what that means time to drop my entire life so I can grind out this game. I think I may have a problem with all that as whenever something new comes out I basically devote my life to it for the foreseeable future, not the play tbh. But nonetheless It's pretty sick tbh. I've gotten into competitive gaming (I know I'm cool). I was masters in overwatch, not cool anymore but believe me back in 2016 that was a huge flex. I've dabbled in other games siege is a game I wish I was good at as I actually enjoy it which is not a normal thing in gaming, at least with me I play a game and despise it for the rest of my time playing it but as they say, It's a grind out here.

Paige Week 10

I love the first snow of the season. There's a certain serenity in how the soft white blankets the world outside. Before it's stepped on and everything is just smooth it looks so peaceful. A little bit barren/ eerie, but mostly peaceful. I saw a few flurries tonight at work and it spoke to a childlike excitement. I hope the first snow of the season comes soon. Or at least before Christmas.

Paige Week 9

Iv'e had the worst writers block lately. I'll have a potential idea, but as i'm writing it the structure of the story will begin to crumble. It's so incredibly frustrating because I can imagine scenes in my head, but lately I just can't put it into words. Idk if i'm sidetracked with college admissions or work or what the case is. I just want to be able to write again hopefully soon.

Ryan- week 11

What happens when you’re stuck in a job you no longer have any passion for. Does it always eventually end it quitting or termination? If not, why would you continue with it?

Audrey - Week 10

I hate feeling regret. Regret that I didn’t have enough fun these past three years of high school, regret that I didn’t use every school break as wisely as possible, regret that I spent 10 hours on Netflix last weekend. The only way to fix that feeling of regret is to make sure you don’t keep doing what you regret.

Bri- week 10

I have always loved musicals, but recently my love for them has only grown. I listen to the soundtracks from them all the time and, even though I’m not good at acting, I remember the feeling of wanting to be in a musical. It feels nice to remember that dream.

Ryan- week 10

If you could learn everything you came across would you be the most knowledgable or would you never really retain anything?

Audrey S - Week 9

I got henna done from a friend, and it made me think about how culture plays into characters. We focused our APLit class for a while on the culture of authors and how that influences the culture of characters. Developing characters of different backgrounds would be a great opportunity to learn about other cultures, and to think about how they interact.

Bri- week 9

Recently I noticed that every time someone mentions graduation or leaving, I begin to tear up because I really don’t like goodbyes and I’m gonna miss everyone that I have grown close to. I know growing up is a part of life, but I wish I could do so and stay with my friends forever.

Paige Week 8

I want to write a story following a ballerina. It would be challenging to describe the movements at times, but I would wanna use the dancing to help set the tone. I would want the characters' life to begin to mirror the life of her part she is playing as she becomes more immersed in the role. I just think it could be a really cool project.

Ryan- week 9

Do those who excel earliest always eventually fade out and back into the field because it seems as though all people at the top weren’t always there.

Ryan- week 8

I seem to have an extra gear that can only be accessed when I know it is needed. I wonder what I could accomplish if I could stay in this gear.

Elaina - 8

My parents sometimes treat me as if I'm much younger than a senior in high school. it motivates me to prove myself in ways I wouldn't have thought of doing.

Alicia-11

My cousin recently got married, and she has been trying for a little while to convince her husband to get a dog. This weekend, they introduced us to Turbo. He a black pit-bull mix who's still just a puppy. Her husband had said that he didn't want a large dog, so my cousin was like, "this one's only 30 pounds". That might be true, but he's going to be massive when he's full grown. Of course, Will, is already attached to him. How could he not be? It's just like that with pets and children, even if you didn't think you wanted them, they still steal your hearts. I just thought this whole situation was really cute and funny (especially that part about her telling him the dog is only 30 pounds). Great material!

Alicia-10

Did you know that Matt Damon went to Harvard? I didn't before today. It really changes the way I view him, though of course I don't really know anything about him as a person, so I can't make any valid judgements about his character anyway. He grew up in Cambridge and, from what I read online, attended a fairly competitive school and was born into an academic family. I wonder if his major had anything to do with the theatre arts (he was interested in them from a young age) and whether his parents supported him leaving school to accept a big acting role. I'm just very curious about how he was raised. In my next work, I want to play with the idea of how family impacts what you choose to do later in life.

Alicia-9

My sister and I have very different sentiments when it comes to spirit days, costumes parties, and things of that nature. It doesn't bother me to be dressed up when not everyone else is, but my sister would be very uncomfortable doing that. I think a great way to contrast two characters' personalities is to emphasize how differently they approaching costumes (one going all out and the other one wearing something that could essentially pass as normal attire).

Alicia-8

People have two different tendencies when it comes to blame: to put it all on themselves or all on others. When a whole class does poorly on a test or doesn't understand something, teacher will sometimes chastise the students, saying that they didn't work hard enough when in reality the teacher might just not have explained it in a clear way or thoroughly covered a confusing concept. Another example would be when someone has a bad race and blames it on something they ate, the weather, or the shoes to avoid putting any of the blame on themselves. I definitely lean more towards blaming myself, which is not to say that I'm better because I don't blame other things but that I feel a lot of personal responsibility when something I am involved with doesn't go well, even if dozens of other are also involved or I really couldn't have changed the outcome. This would be a good way to characterize people, and I plan on using in the next long piece of writing I do.

Jaramie - Week 11

My best friends and I see each other basically everyday and not just in school. So this weekend my friend got really sick and so I haven’t seen her since Saturday and today is Tuesday and yet I miss her so much. I can’t even believe next year we’re going to go months without seeing one another.

Jaramie - Week 10

Have you ever binge watched a TV show not as much for you but for a person who you want to talk about the show with? Whether it be friends or family it’s a weird way to watch TV but I feel like everyone does that sometimes, doesn’t turn it on for the immediate entertainment but for later conversation.

Jaramie - Week 9

Sometimes it hits me that all the stories my grandparents tell me actually happened. they were teenagers once just like I am one now. It's so weird to think that this movie seqeunce I have in my head of their childhood was once so real and is the reason I can exist now.

Jaramie - Week 8

Here’s the thing I like dogs, not all dogs but I do enjoy their company. But I do not feel the need to ooh and ahh over them when I see one in a car or walking on the street. Other people seem to care a lot but I just don’t care that much. 

Julia-Week 10

I leave for Pennsylvania tomorrow night to visit my family and I’m really excited! The drive is eight hours away though so hopefully I can keep myself busy during the car ride. I don’t think it will be that bad though!

Teagan-10

My family’s all from the south.  Living in rural Kentucky, a town with a single schoolhouse and miles upon miles of pastures.  A rowdy bunch clad in plaid and boot leg jeans. Deeply tan with rounded beards and bright blue eyes.  Who grew up on farms of green fields, rolling hills dotted with cattle and open skies that stretch as far as the horizon.  People who eat nothing but cajun fried catfish, buttery iron mill grits, and charred collard greens. Who tip their hats to old women and who say things like, “yes ma'am” or “yessup”.  Now consider how I grew up: in the frigid streets of Philadelphia. Where people wore darkly colored hoodies, ripped leggings, and large headphones. Who were pale from hours spend avoiding the unfathomable winter chill that never seemed to leave.  Where skyscrapers seemed to block the sky and trash littered the streets. No one said “yes ma’m” and you were lucky if you got so much as a nod. And yet, I wouldn’t have grown up anywhere else. I may love cajun catfish and rolling pastures as much as my family but the graffiti covered city has a soft spot in my heart, and will forever be my home.

Jennifer - Week 10

I get songs stuck in my head a lot. Even if I haven't heard that song recently, it's still likely to randomly pop up and start playing on repeat in my mind. It seems like there is almost always a song or part of a song stuck in my head. When a good song gets stuck in my head it makes me want to actually hear the song, but I usually don't remember the names of songs, so I just start googling the lyrics I remember until it comes up.

Grace - 10

I was thinking about how I can't wait to not have due dates once I graduate high school, totally overlooking the fact that the rest of my life will be full of due dates.

week 10- skye

I was walking my dog the other day and I noticed how all the dogs that came up to him were so friendly and always wanted to play. i  w a n t  t o  b e  a  d o g.

Grace - 9

I wonder where I’ll be a year from now.

Elaina - 10

Today I was grocery shopping with my mom and there were so many apples. many different colors. and that was the most exciting part of my day.

week 9- skye

I am sooooooo cold. I want it to be SUMMER again.  and i want it be be warm and sunny and happy. AND I WANT TO GO TO THE BEACH AND GO SWIMMING. wow. i love swimming. its so fun.

Claire Shea – Week 10

I struggle to decide what should be included and what should be left to the imagination. A teacher once told me that "tears are hard to earn" in writing, and I think that's true. Maybe it's best to leave in just the specifics and let the reader fill in the blanks. It seems like the best emotional reactions are the unexpected ones, anyway.

Claire Shea – Week 9

I've always known that I'm not a historian, but now it's become more of a liability. It's hard for me to include certain events or symbols, because their history comes with them. I can't write government workers without knowing how government works, either. I guess the solution is to get through a pile of research.

Nolan 10

I would like to write a story about a guy who walks across America like Forrest Gump. He sees all kinds of people.

Annika- Week 10

Can people please stop playing Christmas music? It’s November. Let’s give turkey season the respect it deserves.

Update: I wrote this on the weekend before Veteran's Day so I'm getting more okay with Christmas music right now.

Julia Week 9

I really don’t like the cold weather. It’s too early for it to be 16 degrees in the morning. I’m not the biggest fan of winter either but the fact that it’s this cold so early isn’t fun.

Bella Week 10

There was an orange moon last night, even when I woke up today, it was still present in the sky as if it was sticking it to the man- just how schoolhouse rock would like it. I don’t know why but when I was a child, or technically a smaller / younger child- I mean if we’re being honest- I would think that maybe it meant something magical. I don’t know, maybe it’s the unnatural color, but it sure is intriguing to say the least.

Maggie 9

Last night I went out to dinner on Veterans Day and there was a veteran sitting at the table next to us and the waiter payed for their meal and I thought that was pretty cool

Teagan-9

I have nothing to say today.  My mind is completely blank. I’m staring at this screen, knowing that I need to write about something, wanting it to be powerful and insightful, but nothing comes to mind.  That’s not something that happens to me much: having absolutely nothing on my mind. I’m usually worrying about my next test, stressing if I’ll have enough time at home to do my homework, but tonight, nothing.  Weird. I don’t know if I’m relaxed, or just so stressed out I can’t even recognize my stress anymore. Whatever is happening right now, my mind is a vast, blank board. Capable of holding so much, yet, not. It’s blank.

Elaina - 9

Sometimes I look around at the people in public places. In my mind, I'm thinking about how I'm looking at them and wondering what they are thinking. The fact that everyone has their own lives, their own struggles and happiness is amazing. And the fact that all we see is them on the outside and no emotional struggles on the inside is crazy.

Claire Shea – Week 8

Dedication can be one of the best and worst things in the world. When I write a story and pour all of my experiences into it, I know I'm taking risks and hoping it pays off. Sometimes I'll hate the end product, which is a shame that I wasted so much time doing it. Other times, I'll love it to the point where I don't think I'll ever reach that peak again.

Jennifer - Week 9

This blog entry was supposed to be about Halloween week at dance, but when I got part way through, I realized most of what I had written would only make sense to me. I mean, who would fully know what I meant when I said "we even used the blacklights", or "my Oklahoma tutu"? It's like having an inside joke, but no one around you knows what it means.

Annika- Week 9

Beauty is looking out of your algebra class at 7:30 in the morning and seeing the glowing red and yellow of the trees, as the sun begins to rise.

Nolan 8

I would like to write a story about the Westford Knight. I want to talk about how he got here and what happened when he was here.

Nolan 9

I thought a good poem would be about an old farmhouse. There would be farm animals and workmen outside. 

Julia-Week 8

So many people don’t like Thanksgiving and I don’t understand why. I always look forward to Thanksgiving and spending it with family while also eating really good food. It’s an underrated holiday and I wish people appreciated it more.

Bella Week 9

Enjoy the journey, adventure awaits, life is good, take the T out of can’t. These types of motivational slogans are everywhere- and I mean everywhere. Like holiday songs appearing on the radio, you know, the ones that you can’t seem to escape because they’re on every single station despite it being a single day after thanksgiving. Okay- I’m not hating on the festivities of the holidays or anything but what I’m trying to say is that I feel the same about motivational slogans. Most of the time I just ignore them but occasionally, and I mean it when I say occasionally, one will strike me, dare I say actually evoke an emotion other than annoyance, and for that reason, and that reason alone, I kinda like them, as oversaturated as they may be.

Grace - 8

How are we already ⅓ of the way done with senior year? What else could I do in this short time left? Everything, and nothing.

Teagan-8

Sometimes in life we fall.  Other times we conquer. It doesn’t matter if we fail or succeed, but rather, if we try.  For, if we do not even try, success is meaningless. The failure is ten times as disappointing.  We don’t have to win every time, we simply have to try.

Jennifer - Week 8

It's interesting to think about all the connections you have to people. There are some people I hardly ever talk to at school, but we are actually friends outside of school. People probably would think we don't even know each other, when we have actually been friends since freshman year. You wouldn't  know the relationships people have with each other if you just pass them in the hallway. People who don't talk much might have grown up together, or people who are in different friend groups might share an after school activity. It's just cool to think about how two people who don't seem to really know each other, could be connected in an unexpected way.

Audrey - Week 8

People are damn strong, and weak, and strong when they shouldn’t be and weak when they should be.

Week 8 Maggie Mullen

It’s weird how you can walk past someone that might have been a stranger at the time but now they’re one of your best friends

Bella Week 8

All the leaves were swept up today. Yesterday there had been piles upon piles, and yet today? It was as though they never existed. Gone, just like that. The funny part is that I barely even noticed. It’s kinda sad. What else goes completely unnoticed. What else do we lose every day without even noticing? Does it matter then? Does it matter if we never miss it? I don’t know, I don’t have all the answers. That is sad though, I can say that for sure.

Grace - 7

Some days I have a little motivation, other days, like today, I have none.

Grace - 6

Time flies by too fast and I’m not sure if there is anything you can do about it.

Elaina - 7

Today I applied o college!!! I cried a little

Elaina - 4

Mondays are such hard days to get through. School, work, home, homework. The same thing every single week. Its weird how that works

Elaina - 5

The other day I broke my friends windshield. It was honestly really funny, but not at first. We've gone through everything together. This was definitely a first though.

Elaina - 3

No one goes to the farmers market anymore. Tents stacked all around the center of town with nothing but half of a foot of grass in-between each tent; at least thats how it used to be. Why does no one go anymore?

Week 7 Shawn

A few days ago I heard that tumors could grow vital organs and hair. They can also grow teeth and a mouth. This is both really cool and really gross. What if it was like some parasite where it comes off and infects people.

Bri Gurney Week 7

Today I turned on the lights in the classroom and wondered why there were five of them. I turned on each one and realized that what they turned on and off was in a weird order and it confused me as to why when making the light fixture, someone chose to make them this way. What is the reason behind one light switch only turning two light panels off?

Reddington week-7

How is it possible that it’s been 5 years since my family went on our big family trip to cedar point that shocks me to my core time flies and I feel old as heck now.

Paige Week 7

I feel like everything Kanye says sounds like he's trying to speak in slam poetry .

Paige Week 6

Her heels clicked on the cobblestone steps. Pushing through the door,  a little bell rang as she sheltered herself from the storm.

Week 7- Skye

time. my greatest fear. the idea that every moment we experience will be over in a second. There is no way to fully soak up and live in the moment, because once you start to, its over. There will never be enough.

Week 7 - Jaramie

I love when there are people in your life that may not necessarily be related to you but they feel like family. Sometimes they're even better than family because they're not.... if that makes sense

Teagan 7

I can’t say the word M&M.  I never have and I probably never will.  I’ve given up trying at this point, and now avoid the word as much as I possibly can.  Instead of ordering M&M ice cream, I get cookie dough. Instead of eating M&M candies, I eat Skittles (both multi-colored and round).  The word has now become foreign to me, always sounding strange on my tongue. But I’m okay with that, because I sound like an idiot when I say it.

Week 7

People have earned their adjectives

Week 6

People grant the benefit to the doubt to those they deem worth. At the same time people criticize those they think are unworthy of praise

Week 5

We build only to destroy something else.

Maggie week 7

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them” - Walt Disney

Week 4

Perhaps we’re already here

Ryan week 7

How can employers or schools expect to really know who you are if everyone is making themselves look as favorable as possible on their resumes? I wonder what a world would look like if everyone just turned into their resume.

Ryan week 6

Can you really ever fully appreciate a moment while your in it or will it always just be that you don’t know how special and memorable something is until your past it.

Ryan week 5

Is it better to be at a prestigious school and caught in the shuffle or to be at an average school and be top of your class? I think that being near the top in whatever pond your in is best, but it seems that is not the prevailing sentiment.

Ryan week 4:

I think that there really only can only be two outcomes when you work really hard for something. Success or devastation.

Audrey - Week 7

Do you know that horrible feeling you get when you’ve been procrastinating for a long amount of time and you are hyper aware of what you’re doing but you just. Keep doing it? It’s almost an out-of-body experience. How does one physically capture an out-of-body experience on paper?

Annika- Week 8

I miss Halloween as a child. Getting candy, dressing up with friends. Now it’s not any fun to go trick or treating and it’s just as not fun to sit at home and watch Hocus Pocus. Is this what growing up feels like? Take me to Neverland please? But please don’t actually because an alligator with a clock stuck in its throat sounds absolutely terrifying.

Nolan 7

What about writing about the story of a piece of trash? I can follow where it goes and who it encounters.

Nolan 6

I thought of a funny short story to write. It would be about a frog that makes a funny noise when it goes to croak.

Julia- Week 7

I don’t know what I’m going to do when my cousin goes to college next year. I won’t be able to see her as much as I do now and that makes me sad. I’m just really going to miss her.

Hannah - Week 7

Most people get songs stuck in their heads, right? And sometimes they can't help but say the lyrics aloud or hum the melody. That happens to me too, but instead of songs, I get words or phrases. Today, for example, it's this:

What do you want, Adam?

To feel awake when my eyes are open.

These are lines from a book I like, about a character who I like. Adam has no money, never has time to sleep, and likes a girl he can't have, and this line perfectly encompasses his state of mind in this book. Of course I have this line stuck in my head! I've been repeating these words over and over since I woke up this morning. Plus, Adam has a Virginia accent, so when I say the second line with a Virginia accent.

I swear I'm not crazy.

Claire Shea – Week 7

For the past year, I don't think there was a single day that there wasn't any bread in the house. Right now, there are 7 everything bagels, my mother's cranberry pecan rolls, and 3 stale English muffins. I wonder what else is in constant supply or constant absence around here. What would happen if the supply was reversed; say, if I ran out of bread, only to find a cabinet full of vintage candles in the basement?

Alicia-6 and 7

7-You know people are being pushed too hard when the most dedicated ones ask the coaches to take it easy. When Eliz went up to Estabrook and asked if she could do a 4 mile run instead of a 5 mile run that she was told to do, I knew that our training was getting too intense. This would be a good way to show that people are being overworked without directly saying it.

8-After spending a good portion of the day with Molly, I understand her ADHD a lot more. Her ADHD was much more prominent than usual, which is because she has been off of her aderol medication for over three days (it was long weekend-she doesn't take it on weekends). For one, nothing seems remotely serious, and she never focuses only on one thing. We baked a cake, but had to wait for it to cook, so we put on the TV and a few seconds later she had her SFX (special effects) kit out and was using my sister's face as her canvas. I'd love to have a bigger diversity of characters, and I think including one with ADHD would really add depth and make things more interesting.

Jennifer - Week 7

Over the long weekend I got to go to a sleepover with some of my friends. I don't get to do things like that often because I am usually so busy with homework and activities outside of school. This reason is also why I never plan things, but when a friend invites me to do something fun, I always try to go even if that means stressing me out more in the process because I have to replan when I get things done. I don't think this is how the world should work, yet it does. I never regret getting to spend time with my friends and I wish we could do it more often. However, I try to make the best of the situation, and treasure every rare moment when I get to hang out with friends outside of school.

Annika- Week 7

I never know how to end journal entries. I just want to abruptly end my spiel but then it feels incomplete. But how do you sum up a revelation or epiphany? All I ever do is end it with “Oops.” or “Wow.” or “I guess…” or some boring stuff like that. Now I’ve come to the end and I don’t know how to end this. Oops. I guess I’ll never know how. Shoot. Now I have to end it again. Oh well.

Week 7 Bella

Life is wack. There, I said it. I know that's such an open ended statement but bare with me. I'll talk about one aspect; why is it that some people want an item so badly but once they possess it, they grow bored with time- months, days, sometimes even minutes. I’ll tell you, I think it’s because when we as humans see somethings that we can’t possess, we start to fantasize about the possibilities of obtaining such an item. Coming up with situations, possible futures in which we possess the item, at the same time though, those fantasies are exactly that, fantasies in which the world we imagine isn’t real, rather a romanticized version.

So once we finally obtain said item, the curtain drops, and all of those fantasies’ expectations aren’t met by the harsh reality of actually possessing the item. The item doesn’t change who we are, or make us different in any way, the sky won’t be any bluer than it previously was, and so we come to realize that all of the constructs we’ve created, the illusion of beautiful moments, are, well, shattered. Don’t believe me? Why else did Gatsby dream of the green light at the end of the dock? All those nights spent reaching out into the void? And yet once he obtained ‘his’ desire, what happened? Was it all it was marked up to be? Did he continue to place so much value on the green light? That’s all I’m saying. Maybe we as humans like to put faith into things that aren’t in our control. Almost as though we find comfort in the idea that if something goes wrong it isn’t our fault or the concept that a miracle could happen so long as we keep praying. Life is wack.

Skye- Week 6

Story idea: Two parts
Part One- Tells a story of an average day of an average person
Part Two- Tells same story but one thing is changed that disrupts the original schedule of the person, maybe they end up dying because of the small change? Or something else happens that greatly affects their life.

Julia- Week 6

The spirit rally was last week and it got me thinking about how close I am to becoming a senior, then graduating high school. It’s actually kind of sad. I feel like I literally just started freshman year and I have no idea how the time went by so fast.

Maggie Mullen Week 6

“It’s not about the places you go but rather the people you meet along the way” - quote by my market basket cashier

Claire Shea – Week 6

A Nobel Prize was recently awarded to a pair of researchers who discovered how cells use oxygen. I was surprised; I'd always thought that was such a fundamental concept of biology. I thought we must have known the answer for decades, like the structure of DNA, but there are always surprises when it comes to missing details. After all, we've seen the edges of the solar system but have yet to explore the bottom of our own oceans.

Jarami - Week 6

Some buildings seem like simulations. Like in sims. When your sim would show up anywhere so would everyone else. Coincidence? I think not. let me know why I’m thinking of this instead of doing my work for college or the play I have to produce in what feels like minutes. I used to play sims when I was like 10 why does it still pop into my mind? 

Jaramie - Week 5

Trying to teach the kids in my cast that they don’t constantly have to be apologizing for doing literally nothing is quite hard. They are practically apologizing for their existence. I wish I could shake them and tell them that no matter how they may feel, it’s going to be okay. 

Hannah - Week 6

This week has been so perfect. I spent time with my parents, solving math problems and laughing over The X-Files. I slept over my best friends' house and made cupcakes with Alicia and teased Kaley's boyfriend and cried laughing. I kissed my girlfriend in a bathroom and then she couldn't stop kissing me, even when it was time to go. People always say high school is the best time of your life, and I'm starting to believe it.

Jennifer - Week 6

Today wasn't a great day because I went the entire school day with a migraine. However, this gave me an interesting story idea: what if a person could not only see inside somebody's head, but feel pain as if they were that person. That could lead to some interesting discoveries. I would also want to explore what my migraines would look like to someone else because I tend to get strange symptoms and I think it would be funny to explore what they would seem like to another person.

Audrey - Week 6

Humans need order in our lives. We think we’re complex, we think we're smarter than any other creature on this planet, but I argue that we’re still pretty simple. Too simple to accept and settle in the chaos of the universe. So we try and change it - or at least the parts we can see. We build patterns of neighborhoods and standards, and societal structure to live by. We need structure.

When life falls into chaos, I need structure. When the day has been overwhelming, I need to end it with putting down my pen, brushing my teeth, and going to bed at 10:00 pm.

Teagan-6

Song lyrics are modern day poetry.  They are deep and beautiful and insightful, but written in a more current and understandable way.  Maybe that’s why people enjoy listening to music rather than reading poetry. They like the feeling of understanding what it is they are reading/listening to.  It gives them a sense of knowledge, of being sophisticated and intelligent, giving them confidence in their intellectual gifts. We can’t fault them though, we all want to feel smart and capable.

Annika- Week 6

The Germans left on Saturday. I already miss them so much. People keep saying that we’ll get to see everyone next June when we all go to Germany. But what if something goes wrong. What if we don’t see these wonderful people ever again. I know I shouldn’t dwell on that but it’s constantly on my mind. I miss the adventures, the laughs, the people- everything. I just miss everyone so much.

Reddington - Week 6

Pushing carts in the rain makes me happy for some reason. I’ve always liked rain it’s fun, nothing better than curling up on a blanket and watching some Netflix or a movie or something while a big thunder storm rages on plus thunder and lighting looks cool as hell. Watching it from the porch of my family beach house has to be one of my favorite things, wishing I was there instead of pushing carts for hours on end ugh. 

Elaina-6

1. I miss my sister today. She’s in college at UVM. We’ve gotten a lot closer since she’s left, and I can’t wait for her to come back home. I hope she’s having a fun time in college though. It’s her second year so I infer that she kinda knows what’s going on by now. Anyways, I just miss her. 

Week 6 Shawn

Why is the expression don't judge a book by it's cover.

The cover is of the book is the part that is designed for someone to judge whether or not it's good

Shouldn't it be something more like

Don't judge a cake by its frosting

Bella Week 6

I’m not sure if I’m alone here, frankly I don’t care if I am, but one thing I find myself having fun with is dancing. And no- not some posh dance class level moves, but completely random chaotic dancing, simply for the sake of it. Music blasting, filling the empty house. These moments are a breath of fresh air, I’m alone and yet I’m the farthest I ever am from being lonely. That and the music can be inspirational, maybe it’s just me, but like I said I couldn’t give a flying care in the world if that's the case.

Bella Week 5

The past few days have been filled with nothingness. I’m not kidding- it’s as thought senoritis has hit me hard- leaving me all but a potato. Today, though, I’m not sure how, why, or even when but when I got home something clicked within me. Now I have all these ideas and thoughts buzzing around within the hive of my head non stop; it is invigorating. I don’t want to make false promises to myself so I dare not write down my plans, but it’s safe to say I hope to be able to realize the dreams within my head, even if they’re only that at the moment- dreams. 

Claire Shea – Week 5

It's intimidating, having to commit to a single career or field of study for the rest of your life. You'd become an expert in that and only that, while everything else withers around it. If I were to become a scientist, would I lose my knowledge of history, or French? Would I reach a point where I'd no longer be able to write?

Julia- Week 5

The other day, I drove by myself to pick up my sister from her friend’s house. Even though I’ve had my license for a month I had yet to drive completely alone. It was weird not to have my mom or dad next to me while I was driving, but I also got exposed to this sense of freedom that I’ve never experienced before. I’m excited to begin driving more on my own!

Maggie week 5

There’s nothing better than fall time the smell of pumpkin spice, apple picking, apple crisp, the weather starting to get colder and best of all, all the cool old monstober Disney movies start coming on 

Alicia-5

I wish I knew what other people were thinking. I am always wondering what my teachers think about their students and whether or not people are confused about a topic in class. Many people don't voice certain thoughts because they're afraid that people will judge them and they won't be understood. It would be cool to develop a story that switches between two perspectives and the main characters don't share their feelings with one another, so only the reader knows how they truly feel. Dramatic irony. Mwahahaha.

Teagan-5

I learned a new word today-facets.  Two faces. Two sides of the story, two different tales.  I thought of this as I watched a rerun of a Law and Order episode, in which two completely different testimonies were given.  Two opposing, contrasting accounts of the same event. Perception is a funny thing. 100 people can watch the same exact movie, but have takeaways that are completely different.  We all have the same eyes more or less (discounting color and shape), yet, it’s what behind our eyes, and in our brains, that are totally different.

Grace- Week 5

I wonder how many times I will walk down these halls and just want to leave, and how many times I will walk down these halls and never want to leave them.

Nolan 5

I had a story idea. It will be about someone who is white but can speak spanish. The person will be near two spanish guys who don’t think he can understand the language. The guy will hear a secret that was not supposed to get out.

Jennifer - Week 5

Back to School Night got me thinking. What if instead of the parents coming to school for one night just to meet the teachers, they had to go in for the whole school day and then do any homework that was assigned that night. It's funny to think of my mom trying to get to all my classes on time, or to think about my mom trying to get through something like German class, when she doesn't speak a word of it. I think the parents going through a school day would help them see first hand what the workload is like or how stressful a day can become. I know they all went through high school when they were younger, but I think it would be funny for them to spend a day in our shoes and see how much things have changed.

Hannah - Week 5

I can't stop thinking about an interaction I had this summer. I was at the airport in Istanbul, ready to fly back to Boston after two weeks visiting my family. I sat down in my seat on the plane when my dad, whom I was traveling with, nudged me and said in Turkish, "Look at that guy standing up across the aisle." I looked. The guy was wearing a Groton-Dunstable football sweatshirt.

Now, I want you to consider the odds of finding someone who goes to a school very near yours on an airplane halfway around the world in a large yet obscure city. Just think about it.

Before I could express any of this shock to my dad, he yelled across the plane (in English), "GROTON-DUNSTABLE SUCKS. GRAY GHOSTS RULE."

And this guy, this poor guy from Groton-Dunstable who I guarantee you was not expecting the mascot of a rival high school to be shouted at him by a bald dad in Europe, just shook his head and said, "Yeah, that's fair."

Funniest moment of my life.

Reddington week 5

I was working at market basket again, and i've seen how absolutely insane people can drive in parking lots its insane, i've been hit by cars have had cars hit the carriages its brutal out there. People have died in that parking lot and they just want me to waltz around WHAT? luckily if I do the lot i can leave on my own terms once its finished but still. Is it worth it. I've noticed 90% of my entrees are about market basket  not a good sign oh well, that store is sucking the life out of me 4 days a week when did I become a blue collar worker i'm still technically a kid stuffs crazy. I should quit customers can be just the worst people oh my god if another person pushes a carriage at me as i'm already pushing a row im gonna yell.

Week 5- Skye

Under the reflections of the hard rich green,
lays soft bulbous formations.
In rusted orange, oxidized
by the water.
The quivering surface of blue disturbs
the perfect picture, but
the swirls of brown and and deep blue remain.
- pond water

Audrey S - Week 5

I wish I was ten years old. I wish I was still playing Connect Four on the floor mattress with my dad, fingers crimson from Dorito dust. I wish I was learning about snow leopards and basilisk lizards for school projects, and itching to get home from after-school to watch animal documentaries. I wish I was eating at the table with my dad, forgetting to touch my food because NOVA was on. I wish… doesn’t do anything. College costs money, but Doritos and board games and TV shows didn’t feel like they did.

Annika- Week 5

1. This exchange is making me realize that I never have any fun. For example, on Friday we went to Boston and left school early. My group of friends did so much random and funny crap. We bought pineapples for crying out loud (they were only a dollar might I add). Then we took pictures with them all around Boston. We went to Fire and Ice and were close to ten minutes late for our meeting spot and then had to run a half mile down Boylston Street, laughing our heads off and screaming at cars when we got to crosswalks. Unfortunately I only have a week left with these people and I don’t want to know how sad my life will be after that now that I know what it’s like to go out and have fun. I suppose an easy solution could be to just go out more but that’s a lot of work. 

Here is a picture of our pineapples at the “Make Way for Ducklings Statue” for reference

Shawn Week 5

Why is the military in dystopian novels so useless.
Like the first act is all about how powerful and terrifying they are and then they can't so much as hit a shot.
The main characters are usually not even that good at running away. Like if they fall why don't you just shoot them then

Julia-Week 4

My sister and I decided to go on a drive today just the two of us and it felt really nice to go out for awhile and forget about all the stress that comes with school. We drove around town, listened to music and just enjoyed spending time together.

Grace - Week 4

I guess everything happens for a reason, even if it is a bad decision or something you regret.

Jaramie - Week 4

Do you ever see someone walking around and they have a tag sticking out or their collars messed up and for a second you're about to reach out and fix it and then you’re like wait I don’t know that person I can’t do that. Isn’t it weird that we don’t tell them or help though even when we notice? 

Jaramie - Week 3

My sister called me the other day just to seem busy while she exited her apartment. You see she doesn't like her housemates therefore she doesn’t want to talk to them whenever possible, hence the phone call.  She could’ve just used headphones, I appreciate that she also got to talk to me though. I find her roommate conflict comical. I hope I don't run into the same negativity when I'm at college.

Nolan 4

I wonder how many people it took to make the chair in the library. All of the tools used to process the wood and the tools used to make the tools to process the wood.

Teagan-4

The sky is purple.  Dark, deep purple, with swirls of pink.  It’s edges are tinged with blue, starting from midnight blue and fading slowly into a pale aquamarine.  The setting sun paints rays of soft orange over all the purples, pinks and blues. The sunset is beautiful, full of glowing and soothing colors, colors that seem to wrap you in a soft embrace.  These are the colors which give me solace, peace of mind, serenity. These are the colors that our world should always see.

Skye- Week 4

Where has my motivation gone? Out the window, across the country and to the center of the Earth, that's where. Even to write a simple journal entry, my motivation is nowhere to be found.

Jennifer - Week 4

Today I saw a little girl wearing a Peppa Pig bathing suit, instead of a leotard, at dance today. This made me wonder why she was wearing a bathing suit to dance class. Maybe she just couldn't find a clean leotard? Or she really loves Peppa Pig and wanted everyone to see her new bathing suit? It's just an interesting thing to think about; why would someone show up to dance class in a bathing suit?

Hannah - Week 4

In a book series I like, it's revealed that a teenage boy brought his best friend back from the dead by magically remaking him, creating a "forgery." It comes with the implication that if the "forgery" died, the boy could just remake him again. Naturally, this has sparked massive amounts of speculation among the fans, and the general consensus seems to be that the pair were originally lovers, and resumed their relationship after the resurrection. The amount of fanfiction this pairing has spawned is astounding, and even better are the raw effing lines that are scattered in these fanfictions. For example:

• "What number do you think you are?"
• "Are you the same one?" "I'm the only one."
• "If he didn't care about me, he wouldn't have brought me back."

I'm always amazed by the people who write achingly beautiful fanfiction with gorgeous, raw lines like these for no reason other than because they love the stories. And people say fanfiction isn't real writing.

Audrey - Week 4

I’m obsessed with Christmas time. The pure joy and merriment attached to that time of year, the feeling you get when you walk into a store, or drive by a neighborhood at night. The environment is so happy, and that makes me so happy. I even love cheesy Hallmark movies, because the joy is so contagious. I love the crisp burn of peppermint hot chocolate as it slips down your throat. I love the frantic energy in my fingers and the billowing heat of my kitchen when I’m “sous-chef”-ing family dinner. Hopefully I can capture that in a short story one day.

Paige W4

I want to either write a story or illustrate some sort of myth with a modern twist. I’ve always liked mythology and lore and I think it would be a lot of fun. Theres so many different stories to choose. 

Annika- Week 4

Today is Google Classroom’s 5th birthday. This is absolutely crazy to me. I remember the first time we used Google Drive/Classroom. It was in 5th grade which makes sense since I’m in 10th now. But it’s crazy to think that every 5th and maybe even 2nd grader nowadays is going to have access to all this incredible technology. It’s crazy that despite all of the amazing advances we’ve made we’re all still going to die from global freaking warming and climate change. Like what is wrong with us. We can create bombs that can kill millions of people. We can create robots that can perform complex surgeries. We can create websites on which every student’s essays and projects are displayed. And yet we can not suck any of this extra CO2 out of the air? That’s outrageous. Why put all of our time and effort into robots and websites and war when the generation that these are providing for won’t even get to see what life is like in 30 years.

Reddington Week 4

I want to write a book or a screenplay or something I have a lot of ideas (slightly changed from other works that I shamelessly evoke). And I have been trying to think of a new idea or a combination of older ideas that i can mesh and slide things around in order to make a narrative that seems new. Currently I have been working on an idea that is a jacob's ladder esk story that deals with debilitating mental health and a spiral because psych class has got me goin rn and slowly see a man fall further and further just cut out the whole war element and call it a day.

Paige W3

Sometimes I just think of imagery that I think would be cool in a story, for example; “I’m drowning, Every time my face breaks the surface I feel the kiss of air and the caress of sunlight, but quickly I’m torn back under"

Claire Shea – Week 4

If there was a way to talk to ghosts, would it be easy? Would you be able to ask how they died, or what the afterlife is like, as if you're having an ordinary conversation? Or would you have to lay out Scrabble tiles, an Ouija board, maybe some alphabet soup for good measure, if you wanted to communicate? Either way, if you start to see messages appear in your cereal, you might not be able to not see them anymore.

Week 4

Today I went to the market and noticed that a lady was buying a whole 2 shopping carts full of ice cream and was wondering what she could’ve possibly been doing with that much ice cream?

Shawn Week 4

A cool idea for a type of story is to completely get rid of the idea of plot armor.
In most stories there is at least one character (usually the narrator) who seemingly can't die which partialy ruins any suspense.
So what if...
They died?

Bella Week 4

Do you ever feel stressed- okay maybe that’s an obvious answer- but I don’t know. Lately all I hear is “college this, college that” and frankly, it’s exhausting. Seriously, I get it- talk about getting stuff thrown in my face. Okay yes, I realize I sound angsty, but here I am on my 4th rewrite of my college essay, and it’s still not up to par. Basically we’re being told to capture ourselves within 650 words- essentially placing us in a box. I have so much I want to write, so many things I want to explain and spark something, some emotions within others and yet how in the world am I supposed to do that within 650 words? Seriously! I swear, to say I’m stressed would be an understatement if anything I’m having an existential crisis over here; that may be an exaggeration but let’s just roll with it. There’s just so much I want to write and yet I feel unable to do so, this might sound weird, but I almost want to write yet another version of my essay, but solely for myself. A little secret per-say, a special gift to myself where I can fully express everything I want to say- no boxes or limits. Just me, the raw and vulnerable me. 

Alicia-3 and 4

My brother won his meet today and set a course record. No surprise there. I bet there will be a point where he wins a meet and is still disappointed because its slower than his PR (personal record). This just goes to show to show that how we feel about things is all relative to our own experiences. Another kid on his team might be ecstatic to finish in the middle of the pack because he's so used to coming in toward the very end. The example my 9th grade english teacher gave us was brushing her daughters hair. She told us how her daughter screamed and acted as if she was be tortured whenever she had her hair brushed. Naturally, we want to roll our eyes at this because to us it doesn't seem like a big deal. To the child, though, it could possibly be the worst pain she has ever experienced, having only been alive four years or so.

We though we had lost our dog today. When my sister and I got home from cross country practice, she wasn't in the house. We searched everywhere we could think of and checked the yard in case some had let her out and forgotten to let her back in. We were really worried by then, and I was all set to get in the car and drive around town looking for her. A few minutes later, my mom spotted my brother walking the dog down the street (I had actually wondered if this was a possibility, but when I suggested it, they had insisted that there was no way that he could have beaten us home). Sometimes, I question whether or not I would be able to handle an emergency situation, especially when I'm babysitting. Sometimes, I don't really know if I am capable enough to be put in charge of others. But, when I remained calm in that stressful situation, it made me feel like maybe I actually can handle it.

Nolan 3

I wonder what fish do all day. They look for food, but what else do they do? Do they sleep a lot? 

Teagan-3

I wonder if plants feel pain.  Really random thought. I just saw my grandmother this weekend, and, since she's gardner, she weeds her garden almost daily.  And, I know, weeds are intrusive and don’t have any benefits for gardners, so, of course, they should be removed. But still, plants are living, could they feel pain?  We’re living and we feel pain, so what’s different about plants...

Grace - Week 3

Finishing my college essay was such a lift off my shoulders, and I finally feel less stressed by everything I have to do at once.

Jennifer - Week 3

We took ghost pictures in photography today with our pinhole cameras. A ghost picture is when someone stands in front of the camera for half the exposure time, then quickly leaves. This creates the illusion of the person being see through like a ghost. These pictures made me think about all of the people who went to this school in the past, and what stories they might have to tell. I wonder if we have anything in common, or if what they went through was similar to my own experience. It also makes me wonder what would happen if there was a real ghost roaming the halls...

Claire Shea – Week 3

My watch is sometimes loud, sometimes silent. It's loud when I'm in my room and I hear how its ticks are out of sync with the clock. It's silent when I'm in the crowd, or when there's someone else around me, or when I forget to keep track of everything. It's somewhere in the middle when I'm trying to fall asleep at night and its noise fades in and out. When that happens, it takes effort to ignore, in the same way I try to ignore my own heartbeat when I start to hear it.

Julia-Week 3

The other day my dad and I got rear-ended as we were leaving W.A. Neither one of us got hurt and the person who hit us is completely fine, which I’m grateful for. But it got me thinking about what could have happened had the impact been stronger. We all could have been really injured and I’m just thankful that the person didn’t hit us harder.

Week 2

What would my life be like if I were a clock. How would I perceive life.

Shawn Week 3

I feel like I would go to sleep earlier and generally be better as a functioning human being if people would leave me alone in the afternoon to do my own thing for more than 5 minutes. Yet here I am as the clock strikes 4 am, just laying between 3 problems in my head on my bed 2 hours from school... I need like, 1 minute to think about how I'll survive tomorrow

Ryan Week 3

I can't help but wonder what will life be like after school. What will it be like to spend most of my day working a job I don't even like? I hope its a question I never figure out the answer two, but I can't help but worry that I will.

Maggie Mullen week 3
I went to see billy Joel over the weekend and he told the crowd that he saves 4 front row seats for people who got back row seats because he knows that they are probably the biggest fans because they’re the ones who can’t necessarily afford a ticket but save up for months and still come. Imagine being one of those people who won front row seats.  

Grace - Week 2

I know people say that when you aren’t able to see someone for a while it makes it that much more worth it, but it sucks how everything comes to a temporary end at some point.

Reddington - Week 2 & 3

I was pushing carts at market basket and I noticed a lady sitting in her car laying back all the way she had 7 car air fresheners I didn’t take much notice at first then I saw she had still been at market basket 3 hours later in a different parking spot what was she doing casing the place, maybe she was a ghost spooky but no she was most likely waiting for her son to finish working or her significant other to finish shopping it would be really cool if it was something cooler than that maybe she wasn’t even real but a figure my mind conjured up after mindlessly pushing carts for hours no sadly probably not bummer

I recently got back in touch with an old friend from middle school I lost to time and little did I know he is more similar to me than I thought I guess no one is alone in how they feel after all.

Skye- Week 3

daily reminder: you don't miss the moment, you miss the idea of it.

Audrey Week 3

Me and my friends were talking about thoughts while studying today. One of my friends said, “I don’t have thoughts, information just passes along my brain.” Despite the obvious joke this was, for some reason, I immediately visualized thoughts as cute little crabs scurrying along a brain-like plane. Scuttling into bushes, or resting in the open, or rooting themselves deep within the sand. It might be interesting to explore the imagery in a poem.

Annika- Week 3

I think I’ve realized that I often write about what I’m afraid of or paranoid about. Take the other for example, my journal consisted of what if a serial killer became a teacher. And last Friday, I went to a hibachi restaurant and then I wrote a journal entry about what would happen if someone was caught in a hibachi fire. Maybe it’s my way of coping with fear. Or maybe there’s something wrong with me. Or maybe I’m just “creative”. All I know is it makes for some interesting story ideas.