Journal 43

The day started gray. My parents sat at the breakfast table. Their faces were drawn and sad. No one said a word. Today was the day that I would be tested. The day that would determine the rest of my life. My hands shook in my lap as I waited for the clock to strike eight. Then the people would come in their sterile white lab coats and blank faces. They would come to take me away from my home and test whether or not I was what our society considered sane. I wasn't sure if I would come back. No one ever knew whether they would be determined crazy and sent away. No one knew where. The door bell rang, and my mother rose to her feet. She took my arm and led me to the front door where the people in white coats waited. The door opened with a creak to reveal them. My mother pushed me out the door softly, and I stumbled outside. The people then did something unexpected. They took my arm and took out a needle. I knew what was going to happen, but I was still terrified. What if I didn't pass? I started to squirm. I didn't want to go. Soon all the people in the coats had surrounded me and were holding me down. They stuck me with the needle. Everything went black.
I woke up in the testing center. No one else was in the room. In was at a desk and my torso was strapped in. I shivered with terror. I noticed there was a bright yellow pencil next to a stack of papers; it was the mental health test. I picked up the pencil that was way too bright for the room that was covered in gray. I opened the test and started to fill in the bubble sheet. None of the questions made sense. I had so many questions and no one was there to answer. The test was multiple choice, but the answers didn't match. I didn't understand. I just filled out the test and did my best. The second that I filled out the last bubble, the people came into the room. They took my test and looked at me with blank faces. A man stepped forward and looked at me, and he told me that I had failed. That I was already crazy and that they did not even need to grade the test. I would not be going back home.

Journal 42

Once upon a time there was a hero that did good things, but for the wrong reasons. His name was the Shining Leopard. The Shining Leopard was a young bunny that could turn in to a leopard that glistened in the sun at will. The bunny acquired this magnificent power by wandering into a vat of toxic lemonade. Many will ask why the bunny would do such a thing. He did this because of his grief. See, his whole family had been attacked by a swarm of tarantulas and never seen again. This caused the bunny to fall into a depression and fall into a toxic vat of lemonade. He was in the lemonade for over an hour before his friend named Scooter found him. Luckily, the bunny survived but he was different. Scooter noticed that his dear friend no longer had a taste for grass. He looked at the other woodland creatures with hunger in his eyes. Scooter became terrified and the bunny felt terrified himself. Soon he became violently ill, and Scooter was sure the bunny was to die like his beloved family. After sleeping for a bit, Scooter checked on his friend to discover he was no longer there. In his place was a huge leopard that shone like diamonds in the sun. Scooter was terrified. The Shining Leopard saw his friend's fear an reassured him that he would not be harmed. The shining Leopard was unsure of what to do with his newly discovered powers, but he would soon find out. A pack of rabid baboons raced into the village of the bunnies to take their land and their lives. The Shining Leopard interfered and drove the baboons off. The Shining Leopard was celebrated by the bunnies and received much glory and praise. He became motivated only by glory, and he purposely hunted to bullies of the forest. The bullies would learn their lesson, but the Shining Leopard became ruthless. His reason for living was for glory, so he did good things for bad reasons.

Journal 41

A hero is a person that goes above and beyond what they must. Heroes are also everyday people that do not do something extraordinary, but do everything that they can do to help somebody else. Many of these heroes can be seen in response to the bombings of the Boston marathon. I was watching the news to hear updates on the situation when the program started to talk about people who were helping others during this incredibly hard time for the people of Boston. For example, one person had been hosting a party for the marathon. They had a lot of food and such, and after the bombing they took the party food to the streets to feed the runners, who were in shock. That's what a hero is to me. That person did what they could do to help others. Other people also loaned their homes to runners who could not get back to their hotels. They provided shelter for the scared runners and helped them in their time of need. These people stepped up and did the right thing, and more are needed in the world today. Just imagine if that's what everybody or at least a majority did. If almost everyone stepped up and did everything they could for their fellow man, we could become better and bigger than just our lives, and help the whole entire world. This may sound idealistic, but how hard would it be? For ten, twenty, thirty people to step up and become heroes, and help the world. Everybody has the potential to be a hero to somebody else and save them. Just a small acts each day and heroes would not be a rarity because many would be honored with that title.  I know that I need to step up and start helping others, and it is my goal to become a hero to somebody else. Eventually heroism could just become a part of everyday life, and we can live in a world that we call home.

Journal 40

Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess. In the dungeon there was a troll named Allie. The princess was truly ugly but she had stolen Allie's looks through witchcraft. She then sentenced Allie to go and live in the dungeon where she belonged. This made Allie sad. All day Allie would sit in her cell and make towers out of mouse dung. This continued on for many years and Allie's only friends were the mice that made her toys. However, one day the young Allie caught a break. Her mice friends had sneaked up to the princess's chambers. The princess had everything anyone could ever want, and the mice decided that she would not notice if they took one of the items from her room for their dear friend Allie. The mice scurried through the boxes of designer shoes that littered the princess's closet when suddenly they came across a old chess board. They swept off the dust that coated the board. Their eyes widened when they saw beautiful and ornate chess set. The pieces were made of ivory and clearly handmade. Since they were mice, they were not terribly bright and did not think to look around a key to  Allie's cell. They scurried the chess board down piece by piece until it was in Allie's dungeon. Allie was delighted to receive the chess set and sought out how to learn the game. All day and night Allie practiced and she soon became a chess master. Allie was a clever troll, and challenged the princess to a chess match. The princess was terribly arrogant and underestimated Allie and her genius. Allie said that if she won she would get her beauty and freedom back. If the princess won, Allie would give the princess her youth, so she wouldn't grow older. She consented to the match. The princess was stupid and lost. Allie was rewarded with her beauty and freedom, and she lived happily ever after.

Journal 39

My spring break was great! I feel like this was just a taste of what my summer will be like. Over spring break I celebrated Easter with my family. We held a party at my house for one side of my family, and I went to my aunt's house to celebrate with the other side of my family. I had a good time at both parties and I was glad to see my family. Not to mention, there was some delicious food to eat at both gatherings. I did not really go anywhere on my spring break, but I had a good time nonetheless. Many times I would hang out with my friends. A couple times during the week I went out to eat with friends, which was a lot of fun. Over spring break I also saw the movie The Host, but I only thought that movie was alright. I had a lot of homework to do over my spring break. I had an packet of history homework to do, but that was not a big deal because I had a whole week to do it. I also had to read the book The Jungle, which I actually enjoyed reading. After I read it, I then head to write a book report over it. Another thing that I did over my spring break was sleep. The week takes a huge toll on me and I am always tired. With my extra time I was able to sleep in which was very nice. I also got to spend a lot of time to start reviewing for AP Biology test that I am going to take. It was a little daunting, but it felt good to start the process so I can do well on my test. I really enjoyed my spring break because I got to do  all the things that I wanted to do with plenty of time to spare. I needed the break and now I cannot wait for summer.

Journal 38

I had a truly awesome job shadowing experience last week! I loved being there. I job shadowed a judge and  it was everything I hoped it would be. I really enjoyed being there and I definetly think that a job in law is something that I would really enjoy. I think I would love to be a judge. When I was at the courthouse I was never bored and I was fascinated with the workings of the court system. The judge that I shadowed was really nice and was able to answer all of the questions that I had. She really gave me some valuable information about the field. For example, I discovered what kind of schooling is needed to become a judge and what kind of degree I will need to receive. While I was at the court I was able to observe order of protections cases. Some of the cases were very interesting. Some on the other hand mostly consisted of paperwork. I think that it was helpful to see both the sides of being a judge. Another reason that being a judge would be fun is because I would be able to do different types of cases every day. This way I would have something new and different to look forward to every single day. I do not want to spend my career doing the same thing over and over again. When I went job shadowing I was able to observe the court on the day that it was doing of order of protections. Some of the cases were really dramatic , and others were not. If I were to become a judge, I think that I would really enjoy both a relaxed and an excited atmosphere. Judges also have to sometimes make hard decisions. You cannot please everyone and it is the judges responsibility to make sure that justice prevails. Overall, I really enjoyed my job shadowing experience and I think that this career is something I should definitely look into.

Journal 37

When I hear this song I see Barnes and Noble. This is due to the fact that at Barnes and Noble they always play jazz music much like the song we listened to in class. It is super classy music and makes you feel more sophisticated by hearing that sweet music. Since I think of Barnes and Noble when I hear this song I am happy because I really enjoy Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble is a happy place that smells like the delicious mixture of coffee and the paper of the books that fill the shelf. As an avid reader this smell is very appealing to me and is relaxing. The song makes me think of when you go to the book store and run your fingers across all of the spines of the book. Every book that you touch contains its own little a world. Worlds of magic, science, and so much more. Every book has its own story and that is what makes it unique. Another thought comes to mind when I listen to this song. I think of some classy speakeasy in the 1920's. It's full of smiling happy people that laugh as the spin around the dance floor. Maybe they even break out into the dance known as the Charleston. I picture a live band in the corner playing this song with all of their heart. This song has the ability to transport me into another time and that is truly special. This song reminds me of a better time when life was so much better. I never expected that a song that did not have words would give such clear and vivid images to my brain. I am very glad that I listened to this song today in class and that it was able to provoke so much imagery. Overall, this song made me think of another time and it also made me think of Barnes and Noble.