I am not really enjoying Seedfolks so far. I feel like the format makes it seem like the same story is repeated over and over. I think that the big idea of the book is that a small, simple act can make a chain reaction. I loved the aluminum can activity in math because it was extremely hands on and recycled.

My world history fair topic, (Roman infantry tactics) changed the world by influencing how we fight today. For example, they taught the world the strategies of flanking and breaking a line. I am feeling comfortable about my project and ready for my presentation at the fair. Everything is on schedule and I only have to create my poster board.

Here's the beginning of a new murder mystery I'm writing. Enjoy!

It had been six months since Byron Letcher's last case. The affair with poisoned milk and murder was quite intriguing indeed. It was long ago however, and our dear detective was getting bored.

While having some coffee with Colonel Winterbottom, an old friend of his, Letcher thought about his situation.

“Peter, does it ever happen to you to become awfully bored after a case?” inquired Letcher.

“Well, I've never really put that much thought into it, but I don't believe so...”

“Ah. That's too bad, because it's precisely the situation I'm in now, and I have no idea how to fix it.”

Peter thought about Letcher's statement before finally responding with a triumphant “Why, you need a new case sir!”

“Peter, you can be a slow one sometimes. We both know that very well! The problem is actually finding the case.”

As if prompted in by a script, a women tumbled into Letcher's tea parlor with a jumble of words following her. Letcher instantly began to study the panicked lady's visage. “Excessive makeup signifies grief...” thought Letcher. “Fast speech pattern suggests panic, very fast breathing, maybe even hyperventilation?” The women snapped Letcher back to reality.

“Quick! Please! Come see! It- It's terrible!” screamed the lady.

The chicken wing dissection was a blast. I loved seeing all the interior detail and I felt like I learned a lot about the muscle and bone structures. I will definitely never forget this experience. (I’m not sure if that’s because of the blood-squirting once the bone broke or because of the learning…) 

The mood was bitter,

As another hitter,

Blew the quabble through the hoop.

Slytherin was winning, fifteen-to-nothing,

And their fans rejoicing, and cheering,

They thought that they had won.

But they had forgotten,

The new little freshman,

Who was playing the role of the seeker.

He stood on his broom,

And reached through the gloom,

When he lost his balance, and fell.

But with the snitch is his mouth,

He coughed it right out,

To a cheering Gryffendor crowd.

Hip hip hooray! Harry Potter has saved the day!

I think that there are many things that the children do in Ernest Green that I could never do myself. Going to the school in the first place would be one of them. Another would be not acting violantly towards the acts of intolerance. My overall reaction to this movie was something like this: "Wow. How could the world have been so different only a few years ago?!" One of the reasons for this reaction is that I think this society has improved enourmously in the subject of intolerence. You see some, if any, behavior like that, but never as much as in the movie. With that said, we still have to deal with such behavior everywhere. For example, there are still highly racist people all of over the world, and not only against Negros. Why do you think soccer players still hoist "Stop Racism" banners before games?  Food for thought.

                The quote “Keep calm and carry on.” Used by the British government during the Blitz, speaks to me in the way that when something goes wrong in school or with friends, I repeat that quote in my head. Here is my poem that reflects my thoughts.

When things go sour,

Or the day drags by the hour,

I repeat to myself a simple quote.

A quote that means “don’t freak out,”

A phrase that makes me calm.

So when the bad things come,

And we lose our hope,

I repeat to myself the simple quote:

“Keep calm and carry on.”

This is my prepositional poem. Enjoy!

“Rock Climbing"

 Below the finish,

With the long rope,

Up the wall,

Above, far above, the ground,

Past the start,

To the next hold,

Like a monkey, an agile monkey,

 With the green vines,

Toward the far away end,

Toward the great victory,

Beyond the terrible fear,

Beyond the immense doubt,

To the cheer,

To the joy,

Beneath you.

I am currently reading a book called Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie. This is a murder mystery about a rich man who gets stabbed at one of his parties. I am loving the amount of detail put into this book and how well the plot is formed. However, the book is moving rather slowly at the moment, but it might just be because it’s the beginning. I am excited to see who the murderer(s) is/are!

Some things poets use to convey a meaning or image in their pieces are called literary devices. For example, rhyme, similes, and repetition may all be used in a poem. In the poem "The Highwayman" repetition is used to reinforce the graphicness of the end events. For example, in the lines "When they shot him down on the highway/Down like a dog on the highway" the repetition of "highway" helps convey where he is shot and how horrible it is. Not all poems use these devices, however. They can also simply use their rhythm to show emotions.

The best mystery I’ve ever read is definitely And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I thought that the idea of having ten apparently innocent people with one murderer amongst them was pretty cool. The ending was also an awesome part of the mystery, but I won’t share that because it would spoil the book! Here’s an introduction to a story that I think would make a perfect mystery:

                It was nearly midnight and the fog still hadn’t lifted. Detective Richard Hill and his companion, Eli Lawton were stalking through the open-roofed dockyards in London, England. The case of the disappearance of Sir John Channey still hadn’t been solved, and the pair was hard at work to find him. Carefully following a trail of clues, the detectives could feel they were at the end of the mystery. After hours of investigating the dockyard, the two men came upon what they were looking for. In a corner of the dreary place lay the limp body of none other than Sir Channey. Richard Hill immediately knelt down next to the corpse and pulled out his investigation tools.

                “Well, are you coming to help?” inquired Richard.

                “Pardon me detective, but this case ends here” said a calm voice behind him. Detective Richard Hill swiveled around, only to find the nozzle of a pistol centered on his head. The detective barely had the time to identify the pistol before the strange person pulled the trigger. The shot rang through the dock, scaring birds away from their resting places. Only a day later was the poor detective’s body found by a worker, a pistol bullet embedded in his skull.

Books

            I haven’t read much lately, but have just finished a book that can be added to my list of favorites. This book is none other than the notorious Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. The way the book is written makes it candy for the mind of any active reader. The book I’m reading now is also by an amazing author: Isaac Asimov. This book is called Prelude to Foundation and is the first of a whole series of books. I am enjoying this book very much.