Well, fancy meeting you here again!

Hey Everybody!

My summer so far has been a whorlwind of traveling, but I am enjoying it. Today is one of the few days I have at home this summer, so I am trying to catch myself up on everything. As far as "work" is going this summer, I would say good. I am still reading the Tempest, keeping a summer journal, reading tons of plays, and studying my Biology book a little bit in preparation for next year. I think that instead of writing about it, I am going to share some pictures, because it is faster, easier, and probably more beautiful. Just one note before I go: I will try to keep up this blog, but I don't know how much I will be writing on it in the coming months. You can always check out my poetry blog, which is listed on the side, because I do try to write on that, though not as much during the summer. Have a great rest of vacation!

Claire

That's me! (From a fun "photo shoot" with a friend)

Ferry trip to visit grandparents.

Sunset over a lake in Maine where we spent a relaxing two weeks.

Waterfall from a hike we did while in Colorado.

Possibly my favorite picture this summer. Taken outside after rain at my grandparents' house. 

This post is about...

What a year. At this moment, I am still having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that the year is over. I have been home schooled for a year. I succeed. I am more happy than I can say. Recent updates: I received the highest grade in my class on the math final with a 99. I got honors grades in German, and I am writing this month now that I do not have classes. I am including in this post a brief write up of my year. At some point this summer, I think I will go more in depth about this wonderful year, but for now I just want to relax and let it all sink in. I will continue to check in over the summer with reading and what I have been up to.



My Year

The year is drawing to a close, the weather turning warm and my thoughts drifting

from academics to beaches and from schooling to strolling outside. While my former classmates sit in school, I am taking the moment to reflect on a year that has changed my life for the better. What began as a joke at the kitchen table one night turned to a year of self discovery and the simple idea that when I put my mind to it, I can do anything.

This year, my family and I made the decision that I was to take my education into my own hands. In the previous year, I had adored school, loved my friends and teachers, but was not learning or being engaged in the class as much as I should have. I quickly grew bored in the classroom, and I felt for the teachers who tried hard to teach both ends of the spectrum, but often fell short with students who were passionate about learning and ready to put in the extra work. When my mother suggested home schooling, I thought it was absolutely crazy, but wonderful, and I quickly became excited about a year of learning at my pace, with material that was right for me.

What began as home schooling soon morphed into something much bigger. This year has not just been about me meeting educational requirements, but I feel it has been wonderful in helping me connect with my world. I have worked with many people in the community of Andover, relatives, close family, and even several high school teachers that I may have next year. All along this path, I have continued to find things that interest me, things that make me passionate about learning and really connecting with others over our shared interests.

Whenever I tell people about my home schooling, I jokingly refer to it as, “home-alone schooling,” because I do a lot of the work by myself. It is not that I am not taught by others, it is that I take that knowledge and turn it into projects and ideas that I feel would be helpful and fun. I love taking the initiative and doing things on my own, and that mind set has really made this year special. Over the course of the past ten months, I have found so much inside of myself and around me that I had never thought of before, and that has been the best part of this experience.

This year, I have traveled alone to meet my great aunt in North Carolina and study pottery. I have sang Mozart and had my first dance performance, published articles for the Andover Historical Society’s blog (www.andoverhistorical.org/blog), volunteered with a charming kindergarten class once a week, written poetry, read autobiographies, entered a national statistics poster competition, had high school level math and German courses in which I received honors grades all year, read five Shakespeare plays, written papers, taken pictures, corresponded with authors about writing and poetry, practiced calligraphy, seen drama productions, learned about the science of sailing, and done many other things that make me smile when I look back on the year. Every moment, every new activity or new book from the library has made me happy, and I love that getting up in the morning ready to learn is fun.

I have learned that although I am the only one to answer to if I don’t do the work, I am capable of buckling down, because answering to myself is not easy. I am a perfectionist who knows how to be independent, and this year has only fueled the fire of my desire to learn as much as possible about whatever interests me. This will be a year to look back on for years to come, and I have loved every second of it. Today, I am collecting a sample of my work in a portfolio, and I will also include links to places where I have different projects online. Thank you to everyone who has allowed this year to be, and to everyone who has made this part of my life so special.  

Claire

Photographing Water

An interesting project this morning, several hours and hundreds of shots plus getting myself very wet got me a couple good water pictures. I will be sure to continue trying, as I want to get better and I had so much fun!

The focus is not perfect, but I think they will get better as I try them more often. 

STATE OF THINGS

Good:
sunshine after a week of rain
Julius Caesar
green tea
warmth
project 365 and baseball pictures
Agatha Christie biography

Not So Good:
feeling tired
math homework
too much to do

Wet Garden

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from an afternoon excursion through my garden. It rained heavily this morning, which was miserable, but made for some great pictures. Try viewing them large to see the drops of water more clearly.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILL!


TODAY is the 448th Birthday of who many people, including me, think is the best writer to have ever lived, William Shakespeare. 


William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564, and became one of the most influential playwrights in the world. He was born in a London suburb called Stratford-Upon-Avon, married Anne Hathaway at age 18, and later had twins named Hamnet and Judith, as well as an older girl named Susanna. Shakespeare moved to London around the turn of the century and became a playwright, one who quickly became the talk of London, even performing for the queen.

Shakespeare wrote thirty seven plays and many sonnets and longer poems, which were collected by his friends after his death in what is referred to as the First Folio. Shakespeare died on his birthday, April 23rd, 1616, but his work will most likely live on forever.

The words of The Bard continue to shape our cultures and our worlds today, inspiring us and making us laugh and cry. He was a genius, and I wish him a very happy birthday today.

"Look, he is winding up the watch of his wit
By and by it will strike"

"Et tu, Brute?"

"If music be the food of love, play on"

"Be not afraid of greatness:
Some are born great, some achieve greatness,
and some have greatness thrust upon 'em"

"A jest's prosperity lies in the ear of him that hears it,
Never in the tongue of him that makes it"

The State of Things

Quick List...

GOOD:
Feeling Energized on Mondays
92 on a Math Test, not to brag or anything...
Service of All the Dead by Colin Dexter
Writing lost scenes for Julius Caesar (ghosts, anyone?)
Understanding Circles in Math Class
Ein Mann Zu Viel, our short but authentic German crime book
Reading Poetry
Drinking hot tea for breakfast on a cold day
Listening to David Copperfield while doing homework
Modern Dance
Wet flowers to take Pictures of
Chorus Concert Coming Up


NOT SO GOOD:
Persistant cold rain
Wind That Keeps You Awake
Rain that interferes with taking pictures
Lots of Homework
Earth Day (It always makes me sad...Why can't every day be earth day? Do we need to commercialize our bad effect on the environment? It's not really helping anyone...)
Worrying about Chelsea vs. Barcelona if Drogba is injured :(

Luckily, there is more good than bad...I should do this more often!

Claire

Julius Caesar

The spring term is a new term, and I am happily pushing myself to try new things and continue working hard. On Wednesday, I had a very hard math test on concurrency and similar shapes, and a German "Quest" on past participles and means of transportation. With my dad, I started Julius Caesar, because we really wanted to read a traditional tragedy before the end of the year. Julius Caesar is another Shakespeare play, with large strains of political and military conflict. I love the moodiness already present in the first act, and the complex characters and their relationships with each other.

Also Shakespeare, one of today's projects is writing a first draft of my paper for the play Henry IV Part One. I am excited to get something about that play on paper. Another thing to do today is take some bricks out of the garden. We are preparing to go through and get all the roots out, but first we need to take out some old bricks that had been in the ground from a garden a long time ago.

Going out into the garden now, and hopefully it is warm outside!

Claire

Garden

The new term starts next week, and I am ready to throw myself back into work and have some fun learning. I am going to be very busy this spring, but I will be doing things that I love. Here are some things I am excited about in the new term.

Garden:

Currently, our yard is a mess of overgrown vines, weeds, and dead branches left over from winter. Ever since we moved to this house, we have wanted to whip our garden into shape. The ideal would be a small  flower garden, and maybe even a vegetable garden. The garden is my spring project, and I am determined to make it beautiful. Hopefully I will be posting pictures of it as it moves along.

Science:

I know that my science has been slightly lacking so far this year. I am planning on really exploring science more in the spring. I am interested in environmental science and sociology, but I think I will also be looking into biology more in preparation for next year. Right now, I am making a poster for a competition on energy consumption, and I will write about it more when I am done.

Dance and Chorus:

I am very excited to get back to chorus after the break, and I can't wait for more music there. This term, I am also starting to learn dance, which has always interested me, but I have never had the chance to begin. It is a wonderful opportunity this year, which is all about trying new things.

Pictures

Sometimes I am at a loss for words. Sometimes I simply do not feel like talking. I love photography because it tells the story for you. No need for typing. Here are a couple pictures I feel like posting.

Claire

Project 365

Last fall, I realized that I liked photography. I think it was on a ferry, when I took my camera up to the top deck and realized it was fun to take pictures even if they are not necessary or embarrassing to the subject. I started taking pictures for the sake of taking pictures, even though at the time I had an awful camera and not much knowledge about photography. I started learning, took books from the library, and got a new camera for Christmas, which I absolutely love. Somewhere during that transformation, I realized that I didn't just like photography, I had started to love it.

On the first day of January in the new year, I stumbled across Project 365, which seemed like a wonderful idea. Home schooled kid, needs art, loves photography and would like the commitment. It seemed too good to be true (and it was free). Immediately, I started uploading and taking more photos, and I realized why I loved this thing so much in the first place. Project 365 is not about the one photo that you post every day, it is about the 27-ish awful photos that you took to get to that photo that you posted. Anyone who takes a couple, and sometimes a lot, of pictures per day is bound to get better, even if they don't have lessons or Photoshop to help them.

At first, I tried different effects, and was always messing with my photos to make them better. As I continue, and approach 20% finished, I have almost stopped editing my photos at all. I like their raw quality, and I would rather build a solid platform of knowing composition and lighting than learn fancy effects. Of course, I would love to learn all those Photoshoppy things, and I know I will, but for right now, the 365 days are enough.

I have learned that the 365 community is a tight knight group, and I love it. There is always someone there to say that you are amazing, and there is always a place to put your "Craptastic" photos and hopefully give someone else a laugh. There are people doing the entire project with their worst photos and admitting to it, and others who are professional photographers who manage to take masterpieces every day. I love the balance, and I love that most people on 365, no matter what level of expertise, love to take photos. I have also learned that 365 is what you make of it. When I spend half an hour idly searching photos and commenting, I get comments back. On days when I forget to post, there is no one to make me take a picture but myself.

Now I have found how to balance everything, or so I think. I take time to find new people and help them start their journey much like so many people helped start me. I procrastinate like crazy with the Discussion tab, and I write thoughtful comments instead of just saying "Great!"

Although my pictures may not be incredible, I can guarantee that every single one of them was taken with love. Every time I pick up my camera, I feel happy, and I am glad to know that at 365 I will be surrounded by people just as passionate as me.

Claire

Stephen Greenblatt

Last night I went to the local bookstore to hear Stephen Greenblatt, author of Will in the World and editor of the Norton Shakespeare, speak about his latest book. This new bit of genius is called The Swerve, and it is the fascinating tale of a poem that was thought to have been lost, but was unexpectedly found.

First, I think I have mentioned a few hundred times before that I love Shakespeare...I love him as a writer, as a playwright, as a poet, and as a person who uniquely understood the human race. When I read Stephen Greenblatt's stunning biography, called Will in the World, I was blown away by both the writer from London so many years ago, and the writer who made it his mission to discover all he could about someone who is viewed as one of the greatest writers of all time. Greenblatt's prose is academic, but strikingly relatable and easy to read. He weaves a nonfiction story with the ease of a poet, and manages to keep you interested through every chapter and every page. Anyway, Will in the World is an incredible piece of work, and I was so happy to have gotten it as a Christmas present and had the opportunity to read it.

When I heard that Mr. Greenblatt was coming to speak at the bookstore in town, I was incredibly excited. Here was a larger than life character, someone so knowledgable that he was asked to edit one of the most popular Shakespeare editions, and he was coming to talk at our small bookstore. I counted the days, the hours until he came.

Stephen was no stuffy or  condescending academic. He was an older gentleman with a slightly scratchy voice and head of thinning hair, but when he spoke, everyone listened. Here was the man who had written many other books, taught classes, and knew so much about history. He was incredibly genuine, nervously shuffling notecards before he started to speak, and stuttering occasionally, but the audience, including me, were under a spell.

Mr. Greenblatt told us the story of an Italian scribe and obsessive book collector, who found in Germany in the early 1400's a piece of poetry that was thought to have been lost. His tale was one of books and scribes, poets and philosophers, and after the brief talk, only about an hour or even less, we felt connected not only to him, but to the Roman poet Lucretius and the German text collector.

At the end, Mr. Greenblatt signed my copy of Will in the World with a warm smile and questions about my life. When I told him it had been my favorite Christmas present, he patted my shoulder and said thank you, leaving me to stagger away, wondering how much of the evening had been real.

Teenager

Final Exams. The words make my stomach cramp suddenly and my head start to reel. I really hate tests. I know the material, study before the exam and go in confident, but I am just not good at taking tests. I forget what I thought I knew, I panic, stress, and don't do as well as I thought I would. This week is the final exam week, and it is making me very stressed. On Monday, I had my German final, which I had been studying for all weekend. I hope I did good on the test, but with me there is really no telling what will happen. Whenever I think I did ok I did not, and when I am sure that I failed, my grade is great. I have my math final tomorrow, so today I am studying frantically.

I don't know why I have such a phobia of taking tests. I really shouldn't, especially this year. My grade is not being submitted anywhere, I am on my own to be wonderful at what I do. I think it is because I am a perfectionist in most things I do, and that translates badly to exams and graded tests. I want to be perfect, and then I worry that I will not be, and it is nerve wracking. I do think it can be a good quality, and I know that my independence and tendency to get down on myself about work is what is making this year such a success.  I have tried my best to be calm this week, and I think I am in a good place regarding the test tomorrow.

On a more positive note, I have vacation next week! In fact, after my exam early tomorrow morning, I will be off! I am really excited, because although the winter has been really fun, it has also been very hard on me, and I am always busy. I cannot wait for some down time, and a lot of books to read! Of course, there are things I still need to do over vacation, and it we will not be going anywhere because my brothers are still in school, but I am still elated to be able to rest and sleep and read.

Tomorrow night is another incredible opportunity for me...Stephen Greenblatt, author of Will in the World, an inspiring and inspired biography of Shakespeare's life, will be speaking at the bookstore in our town. To see him and hear him speak will be incredible, and I have been excited for a long time for him to come! I am going with a friend who is just as excited, and I am literally counting the hours. STEPHEN GREENBLATT!!!!! IN MY TOWN! I promise I will write about it after tomorrow, when I have the time, energy, and the stories from his talk.


Well, another look into my hectic life, full of ups and downs. I am such a teenager.

Claire

STRESS

Well, my life has been going wonderfully for a while now, and I am having the time of my life. A little worried about the week ahead of me, but I am trying to live in the moment and get as much done as possible while I am still sane. Next week is final exam week, and I have a math and German exam. A lot of my grades depend on these tests, so I have already started studying.

Had a wonderful German class today, with songs and German cookies. In math, we are preparing for our final exam, doing review problems together and practicing proofs. I know that I have lots of material to study and go over again before next week, so I have begun doing practice problems and making Chapter review sheets. I just hope I will be ready for the exams.

On Monday, I went to the Historical Society and did research for two more objects. I am having a wonderful time volunteering there, and I love the process of researching and digging up information on the fun objects I research like stuffed animals and beautiful playing cards.

This morning I met with my dad about King Henry IV, and we talked about the interesting relationship between King Henry and Prince Harry.

We are having a big snowstorm today, which is crazy because we have had no snow this winter. I guess it just came a little late this year, but it is really coming down. We having about four inches, and it just keeps going. Really beautiful.

Well, that is it for now I think, and I will check back in later or after finals.

Claire

Things

Sorry to all of my fan base for not writing in a while, although I don't think many people read my posts at this time, so I guess it is more like a personal fail that I have not had time or energy to write in a while. My life is a series of hurdles to jump and German vocabulary to write and learn. Tests, ideas, projects, housekeeping things, babysitting, singing, spending time outside, photography, writing, blogging, and just everything is pressing down on me. I wish the weather were warmer, because that might make everything more bearable and give me more energy for everything I want to be doing.

The winter term has gone by very fast, and it is already the second to last week before vacation. I have my math and German finals next week, and have already started studying. Tomorrow is a math test, yet I get to watch a movie in German, so I have a little bit of a break before the finals. I am reading Henry IV part one with my dad, and we are having so much fun with it. The changes in Prince Hal are so tangible and the characters are so rich.

My photographs are slowly getting better, and I still have so much fun every time I pick up my camera. My poetry writing is the same as always, and my room is staying relatively clean at this point.

I did not get to go to the Historical Society this week, because it was closed for the holiday. I am hoping to get the article from last week up anyway.


Well, that is about for now...

Claire

Ramblings

Well, another week gone, and winter seems to be never-ending at this time of the year. Luckily it is not snowy, and the temperatures are getting better, but it is still rather cool for my liking, and can serve to bring people's spirits down.

Last week was a really busy one (well, when do I say anything else?) and I had a math and a German test.  I am eager to get them back tomorrow and see if the hard work I have been putting into it is paying off. Today is a day off, and I spent the morning watching Downton Abbey and writing a letter to my pen pal in Germany. As far as the letter goes, I am very proud of it, as it is the first I have written completely in German. My language skills are getting better every day.

Last week my dad and I started Henry IV, which is great so far. Over the weekend, I started a brilliant biography of John Lennon, one of my absolute favorite artists. Today I am going to the Historical Society to continue my research, and tomorrow is Valentine's Day (hopefully more on that later).

Well, that is all the news I can crank out at the moment, but possibly more this afternoon.

Cheers,
Claire

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. DICKENS!

Today is the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens, one of the greatest authors I have read. Here's to a prolific writer and a weaver of stories so complex and moving that they always take you by surprise.
Thank you Mr. Dickens for giving us your stories, as they are much appreciated.



"A loving heart is the truest wisdom."
Charles Dickens


Claire

Art

Here is my latest piece of artwork-a zentangle with a mathematical theme. It is a rather abstract pi symbol with my zen doodling inside. Hope you enjoy!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Today is Groundhog Day, and guess what folks? Poor old Phil saw his shadow, so it looks like we will have another six weeks of winter. Frankly, I strongly dislike this holiday, and put no trust into Groundhog weather patterns. I watched a video of Phil coming out, and the poor guy was terrified. I cannot believe what is being done to him is natural, and how can it be correct if he is surrounded by thousands of people, lights aimed at him, cameras flashing, and 'handlers' holding him up for the screaming crowd to see? No wonder he wanted to get back into his hole. Wouldn't you be terrified? I think it is a stupid holiday which celebrates man's unique ability to get into everyone else's business and mess it up, even groundhogs. Would you just let Phil come out of his hole when he wants to, and let him do whatever he wants to? It was a CLOUDY day where Phil was, so how could he have seen his shadow? Obviously it was the people he was reacting too, not his instincts about winter...And did anyone see his giant, plastic 'hole'? Hideous.

Go back to sleep, Phil, and next year don't even make an appearance. You deserve to sleep.

Claire

Homeschooling

"Thank goodness I was never sent to school; it would have rubbed off some of the originality."
-Beatrix Potter


Isn't that just great?

Sick

I have had a very sick couple of days, but I think I see the light at the end of the dark tunnel. I have gotten little to no sleep, and have been feeling generally awful. My emotions have been all over the place, and I missed my classes this morning. Hopefully in the next couple days I will get back on track, and start to feel better.

Claire

Sorry, yet again

Another absence, and now another apologetic post. I am truly sorry for not writing more frequently, but I feel like I have been on my feet all week rushing around and studying. German test on Monday, math test on Wednesday, and another two days of babysitting. Add on a Shakespeare paper, publication in a poetry anthology, a picture a day, a two hour orthodontist appointment, a couple hours at the historical society, and a partial sick day, and you can see why I have not  had much free time.

Here is a little look into what I have been up to this week:

Monday: On Monday, I had a written German test for the two chapters we had covered so far this term. It was nerve wracking, but I ended up with an honors grade which I am very proud of. Monday afternoon I trudged down to the historical society to begin my research. I am going once a week to research certain objects in their collection, then write short articles for their blog. I had never had much researching experience, but it was one of the more interesting things I have done this year. I loved finding facts about the first object, a cribbage board. When one of my articles goes up, I will include a link.

Tuesday: On Tuesday, I had chorus, and we started a new piece, sung in Estonian. My music/sight reading skills are getting better by the week! I spent most of Tuesday with Much Ado About Nothing, writing a paper comparing and contrasting the two main couples of the play. I have posted it in the Papers section of this blog. Also on Tuesday I went running, slipped, and got a pretty good cut on my leg.

Wednesday: On Wednesday, I woke feeling absolutely awful, after one of the worst night's sleep I have ever had. I managed to drag myself to German class, because I knew that if I missed it, I would be very behind. After German, I came home and fell back asleep, missing my math class. My mom picked up the math test for me so I could do it later. After sleeping for a couple more hours, I awoke feeling much better and went out to lunch with my mom and three of her students. We had a wonderful time. In the afternoon I babysat.

Thursday: On Thursday, I got my braces off after two and a half years, which was amazing! It took a long time, and my gums are kind of sore, but it was worth it. I have my smile back! After that, I took the math test and babysat in the afternoon. I had chorus on Thursday night.

Friday: Today, I am having a soccer tournament! This morning, I got my math test back, and I got an honors grade for that too! I wrote my first article for the historical society, and I am looking forward to the weekend!

Mid Week Check In

This week, although slow to start, has sped up with vengeance. Martin Luther King Jr. Day was on Monday, so no classes, but I did use the time to do homework and read. Having recently been to the library, I am proud to say that in the last four days I have finished five books! It was a slow weekend, including the much anticipated watching of Much Ado About Nothing, produced by Kenneth Branagh, one of the most amazing Shakespeare actors and movie producers I have ever seen.

After reading the play, my dad and I were eager to watch the film adaptation and think about the choices they made. I loved everything about it! The movie was shot in the beautiful hills of Tuscany, where the play is set, and the production is joyous and full of sunshine. The music in the movie was especially good, and I think it really set the tune for the rest of the play. Branagh and Emma Thompson played Beatrice and Benedick, and they were fantastic in their mutual hatred of each other in the beginning and their love in the end. This is now one of my favorite movies, and I know that I will watch it again and again.

In my classes, I have gotten back my math test, learned about triangles in Geometry, along with more proof writing for homework. In German, we continued to watch a documentary about the Berlin wall and learned lots of new vocabulary like foods and drinks. Today we had a reading for pronunciation quiz, and on Friday we are having an oral test in the Language Lab.

I am also looking into a new opportunity regarding the Historical Society in our town. They are looking for volunteers to look into collections and artifacts, find interesting stories, and write about them for a blog and/or newsletter. I am scheduled to meet with someone on Friday, and if this works out it could be a great thing to do for my history, which has bee sadly neglected in the past few weeks.

Today I posted a new writing piece for Write on Wednesdays, and my photography project is going wonderfully. Today and tomorrow I babysit after school, and then on Friday it is time to go to the kindergarten class to help out and play indoor soccer.

Well, that's it for now,
Claire

Absence

Well, I have officially been absent for a week from this blog. I am sorry for the lack of news, but nothing incredibly interesting has happened on this end. On Wednesday this week, I had a math test on our  first week of geometry. We learned lots of postulates, theorems, and how to prove things, and although it is a lot of memorizing, I enjoy it.

In German, the pace has picked up, and we finished the first chapter since vacation in only one week! Currently on the table are future tense verbs, Berlin culture, and die Mauer (the wall). I have not been doing as well as the first term, but I think it is only the increased pace which is making my grades go down. I am trying hard to stay on top of it and really learn things as they fly past.

This week has been rainy, and the weather has been generally cold and disgusting. I am very disappointed. I did, however, take some wonderful pictures on the way back from my kindergarten volunteering. The rain had stopped briefly, and the sun was shining. I am going to share a couple with you.

Claire

Weekend Plans

The weekend so far has been fairly normal, and I am using today as a homework day to complete my assignments and organize my week next week. Yesterday was the open house for the high school I am applying for, so I went to the English department to learn more about the English curriculum next year. It was very interesting, and I am glad that I went.

In the afternoon, we watched the 2011 movie adaptation of Jane Eyre, which was wonderful. I have read the book many times, and was eager to find how this movie handled the characters and plot. It was a good version, and my favorite character of the adaptation was the housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax, played by Judi Dench. She portrayed Mrs. Fairfax almost exactly as I imagined while reading. The plot was good, and the scenery was as breathtaking as the writing of Charlotte Bronte.

Today is the day for Shakespeare writing assignments, geometry homework, and German vocabulary and grammar. I will probably clean my room, and think about my week next week.

Claire

Weekly Snapshot: Project 365

For this week's weekly snapshot, I am going to include a couple recent photos that I have uploaded to Project 365, where I upload a picture I have taken every day. I am including two, both of which are Christmas ornaments, which I have taken in the past two days. The first is of a Swedish girl, where I attempted a new technique called bokeh, which is deliberately putting the lights in the background out of focus. The second is of a pig which was painted by my grammie, where I wanted to experiment with close up.

Back in the Fray

After a restful break and a wonderful holiday, it is time to get back into the swing of things in the new year. My classes start tomorrow, and I am very excited to hurl myself back into all the work and fun and writing that I have been actually missing over break. This week I have classes, we finish Much Ado About Nothing, I have babysitting, chorus, and soccer, and I am starting a new project with photography.

First off, with my high school classes, I am excited for new challenges that will come with the new term. I am starting geometry in math class, and moving up in German to a more advanced class that moves faster.  For Christmas, I got a new digital camera, and I am itching to put it into use. It is a Canon Power Shot SX150 IS, and so far the pictures with it have been amazing. I am keen to explore the world of photography, and I have several helpful books which have been helping me to sort out all the different things to remember. As a way to improve my photography, I have also entered a photo challenge called Project 365. I take a photo every day and upload it, and others can view my work and comment on it. There are also discussions that give great advice and contests weekly. I like that I have made a commitment to a year of photography, and it has got me shooting all right!

Today was a slower day, cleaning and preparing for the start of classes tomorrow. I am very excited for everything to start, and I will write again tomorrow when everything starts up again.

Cheers!
Claire