Birthday

Today is my 13'th birthday!  I woke up today and noticed I have a six pack and bigger biceps than Dad!  :) Just kidding.  I have had a really good day so far at school even though I had to go to school.  Everyone was nice and they sang happy birthday in the cafeteria which doesn't happen a lot.  I had a great day and I haven't even had my presents yet!  :)  I also got to have P/E on my birthday which is a lot better than music!  Plus I still have all A's, so I am happy!

The Union's Attack Strategy

In history today, we learned about the attack strategy the Union had.  They called it the Anacanda Plan.  Since they had the navy, they would surround all of the ports and coasts in the south while having some troops stay back to guard the president.  They also had a ton of different attacks all squeezing in on the south.  That's why they called it the Anaconda Plan.  They would squeeze the South until they could cut off the west part of the south from the east part of the south so that no ammunition or troops could get by.

Quote of Awesomeness

Mr. Metcalfe, my history teacher, has a wall full of quotes.  It's pretty awesome.  Here is one of the quotes I saw that I really liked.

#AWESOMENESS

Ethan

My neighbor and friend, Ethan, is a senior now and will go off to college soon.  It will be so weird without him being here!  He is always hanging out with me and my family and playing basketball with me.  One summer, he even coached me in basketball to get me in shape and stuff.  (:  he is really, really good at basketball but he isn't as tall or wide as all the other highschoole basketball players in his school, so he hasn't been on varsity.  He is the best ball handler I have ever seen and he barely misses long range shots.  It is like having a family member go off to college.  I still have all of this year though, so I need to beat him in as many games of basketball as I can this year!  (:

Microscope

In science, we are learning about microscopes.  We are learning how to use them, and all the parts on them.  It's really confusing!  But when you get it down, it's really fun.  We were practicing it today and I think I get it.  I'm learning what knobs to turn to focus, how to make it brighter and clearer, how to move whatever it is you are trying to see at the right angle, etc.  it's not as hard as other things I've learned, but it's still hard!

We did a really fun activity in advanced literature today.  (GEL).  The person your group of four who was the best at sports had to run the obsticle course with only their left leg.  The person with the best eyesight had to have a blindfold on and go through the obsticle course with the help of the person who was the best at speaking.  The person who was the best at speaking could only say a couple words, none of which were helpful for the person with the blindfold.  Then the person who was best at writing had to write with their non dominant hand, "I am the same as everybody else.  We are equal."  The groups got timed too. My group (obviously because of me (:) came in first.  I was the last to go through the obsticle course and I was the one who had to run it with only my left leg.  I won it for my group.  I ran through the obsticle course the fastest of anybody.  On the last part, I accidentlh ran into a wall, and then a chair, so I used the momentum fling myself across the finish line!  It was awesome! 

Grades

So far, I have been achieving my goal grade wise this quarter.  I have an A in Math, Literature, Science, P/E, Music, and American History.  I have a B+ in language because I completed this one worksheet, but thought I already turned it in.  So it was late.  But she is grading it soon and it will be an A.  I am very proud of my math grade too!  

Today in History, we learned that South Carolina actually succeeded from the U.S in 1860!  I never knew that!  Then, in 1861, a bunch of other southern states succeeded as well and made themselves a country.  They were called, The Confederate States Of America.  They succeeded because they wanted slavery to still go on, and since the North didn't, they succeeded so that they could still have it.  

Thursday, we had our math test.  I almost aced it!  I got half a point wrong total!  It was an easy question that I got wrong that I actually knew the answer to.  It was, I start at the coordinates, (0,0).  Then I walk west 3 spaces and north one space.  Where are my coordinates now?  I should have gotten it right!  I knew it was (-3,1) but instead did (3,1).  Still, I did really good on a math test which is really good for me and got one of the highest scores.

Science Test

Today, we had a science test.  It was really easy!  For me at least, some kids got an F on it because they never paid attention the past couple of weeks.  I got 22/22.  It was all about the scientific method.  They would give us a sentence and we would have to write the independent variable, the dependent variable, and the control.  It was pretty easy.

Coming Home

Dad went on a job trip to Washington D.C last Monday of this week.  When he got there, he said to me over the phone that it wasn't that fun and seemed like a waste of time.  It is much more different (in a bad way) with Dad not being here.  It's like making a sandwich without bread.  I miss him and can't wait to see him later today!  He is flying home today and will be home at like 5:00.  Can't wait to see you Dad!  (:

Abolitionists

Today in American History, we learned about three main abolitionists.  We learned about Fredrick Douglas, (he was a free African American) William Lloyd Harrison and Harriot Beecher Stowe.  I think my favorite one was Fredrick Douglas.  He was seperated from his mom as a child and was forced to work on the plantation while still young.  But he was always defiant so his "owner" took him to a Slave Breaker.  A Slave Breakwr is someone who beats up and hurts slaves so bad, that they follow orders again.  It didn't work with Fredrick Douglas.  Instead, the first time he got whipped by the Slave Breaker, he beat him up!  So the Slave Breaker sent him back and his "owner" made him work in the ship yards.  It was then that he forged a sailors license that he got from one of the sailors, got on a boat, and escaped.  He started making speeches about his life as a slave and even wrote a book, but he was worried that slave traders would fin him.  So he and his family moved to Britain where he wrote more books.

Ebola

We watched a CNN Student News today is history about the Ebola Virus.  It made me question why the two American people who caught it while in West Africa were sent to American to be hospitalized, and quarantined, but none of the African's in West Africa aren't being helped.  Some doctors are going there to help, but it won't be as good as the treatment for the Americans that got it.

Practice

Tonight is my first basketball practice!  My team and I are so excited!  We have been talking about it all day.  Caden, my friend and the coach's son who is really good, told me who is going to be starting this year.  I told him that nothing was final yet, but he said that this was the plan so far.  He said that him, Henry (a point guard or wing), Gabe (a point guard or wing), Alex, (a post) and Max, also a post.  He said that next in the lineup would be Jackson (three point shooter specialist) would be next, and then me.  Then about four other guys.  So I am going to have to prove to the coaches that I am way better than I was in fifth grade when they last saw me so that I can start.  I wasn't good in fifth grade even though I made the A-team.  They obviously haven't seen me since.  I am going to try as hard as a can to start, no matter how many games pass before I do.  I know I will start sometimes, but I wanna be the guy that the coach sends out in a tough part of the game when it is neck and neck.

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoniosis

Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoniosis.  That is a word.  A real word!  We learned it in language class. We had to break it down into small words we could understand.  The definition of Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoniosis is: a disease you get in your lungs that is caused from breathing in too much ash or volcanic air.  Awesome right?

In math today, we learned deeper about graphs.  We learned things like graphing a point with this formula: (x,y)--->(x +6, y -8).  All that would be on a graph would be positive 6 on the x-axis (horizontal or sideways) and down 8 on the y-axis from where the 6 ended.  It's the same thing as the simple, (6,-8) but more complicated.

Sometimes, I watch Michael Jordan highlights or something before a game or practice or just for some inspiration.  It works!  I mean, just seeing someone who seems like they can fly, do crazy dunks and shots, I don't know how that isn't inspirational.  Michael Jordan is definitely my all-time basketball hero but I like Dirk Nowitzki too.  They're both clutch.