Changes

After a long while, I'm back with an new post. First, I want to draw your attention to some changes I made to this blog. The theme, including the background is new. Some of the elements on the sidebar have been rearranged.
For me, the big tests of the year are over. It should be a relief, and it is for most people in my class, but to me, it just means more homework and less fun art projects. The science testing wasn't that bad, anyway.
I don't have much else to report now, but I may be adding new features sometime soon, so watch for these.

Back-To-School News

For many of us, it is the start of a new school or a new grade. My own little sister, Kenna, has just experienced Berkeley Arts Magnet for the first time. I have been going there for three years. Obviously, then, this is my fourth. This has been my first day* with Ms. Govil, a teacher for whom this will be the third year of BAM (Berkeley Arts Magnet) for. Though it might seem strange, I am a (new) fourth grader.
The classroom placement does not quite agree with Elina, my best friend, or myself. We were placed in separate classrooms. I'd previously figured out the statistics of being in the same class as her. (Fifty-fifty chance for a million dollars--right?) Sadly, though, Elina got Ms. Lee, the other fourth grade teacher. Ms. Govil is nice, though. Homework on the very first day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




*From when that word was written.
P. S. Elina, do you think I could put this in a back-to-school magazine and have it fit in well?
P.S.S. I do not exaggerate.

Mendocino and the Language of "Bananee"

On Friday, my family went to Mendocino. We'd been going there for 3 years, so this was the fourth trip.
On the way, it was long, boring, and positively horrifying. Luckily, it all payed off when we got there.
When getting out of the car, my legs were shaky, since I had been sitting for about the last half hour. But, in a matter of minutes, the feeling wore off. I walked up the path with my family to check on our favorite cabin, and no, it had not been claimed yet. My mom Shelley tied my long-sleeve shirt, which I had taken off during the drive so I would have only my short-sleeve one on and, therefore, be cooler.
The temperature in the nighttime wasn't so bad, but it the morning, it was freezing!!!!! I ate breakfast, spent a while at the dining hall, and then went to the river, where I learned to paddle and steer a kayak. We came back and ate dinner, then roasted marshmallows.
Next morning, it was freezing again. I ate breakfast, then hung out at the dining hall. Soon, I went to our cabin, cabin 14, and then we were ready to drive to the lake. It was windy there. I kept giving Baby Theea rocks to suck on.
We back to our cabin.
The next morning, I played with Baby Theea again. Her mom told me about the time when Kenna, my little sister, came into their cabin and talked to Corra, Theea's big sister. They talked completely ridiculously, and they could still understand each other! Corra and Theea's mom called this language "Bananee."
When my family was packed up, we drove away. Goodbye, Mendocino. But: Hello, Berkeley!

Waiting: A Poetry Contest Entry Poem

When the night is slipping by like a slippery fish in your hands,
And it's already halfway gone,
You can sit up in bed, awake, and listen,
Watching the streetlamps turn on and off, on and off,
Waiting for the seven noises of ringing bells,
But when you hear them,
Get up, get dressed,
But always remember
The time you spent awake, in bed,
Waiting for the seven noises of ringing bells.

NOTE: This poem and a previous one on this blog are poems entered in two separate writing contests. I will post the news on this blog if I win.

This Afternoon

Here is some good news:
One of my friends is having a birthday! She is turning 8. My family and I are going to a restaurant. The restaurant we are going to is where my friend is celebrating her birthday. I am really excited!