Thursday, April 26, 2012

"Nutella" and Economics

OK... So it's been precisely ten days since my last post, and I have something to complain about, so... you're getting a post. Ain't you happy, nonexistent readers.
I'm in chemistry right now, and it appears I have finished all the work I can do- my InLab. I WOULD do the Chapter 16.2 work only I don't have my textbook. And I, unlike everyone else, actually use the textbook. I used to read the textbook in full and take notes, but now that my chem teacher is actually teaching, it's kind of pointless. It does the same thing just to pay attention in class.

At any rate. It's been a mediocre day. It's supposed to rain, and I have work (at the library; I hope to God those demonic toddlers haven't decided to play the stupid game with the irritating butterfly song again while their parents mis-shelve all the picture books) for two hours after school. After that I plan to annotate a synthesis essay for AP English (exam in less than three weeks- I should be freaking out more than I am, honestly) and do a few Algebra 2 problems. Oh, and my Chapter 16.2 work.
But oh joy, my economics teacher cannot stand the thought of a mediocre day. (A mediocre lesson, on the other hand...) I might have mentioned the class before. I've written a post in it before- remember the one when I ranted about the "Special Snowflake"? (Dude, that is such a freaking perfect name for her. I've been calling her that in my head all the time now. It makes AP English, like, ten times more entertaining, especially since she's failing English and I've got an A.) UPDATE FROM THE FUTURE: I no longer hate Special Snowflake. OK? Like, I really admire her for her intelligence and feminism and all that good stuff. Seriously. She didn't deserve one iota of the crap I gave her on this blog, so luckily she'll never see it.
OK, back to the past:

Don't think I've said much about my economics teacher, though. She's a friendly person, overall- somewhat old, fond of European history and such things, and has a skewed sense of humor that is usually funny to an extent. Likes to make fun of the Annoyingface Senior in my class. So that's fine.
Our curriculum isn't exactly complex- she posts assignments online and we do them. The assignments are usually in the pattern of one current event assignment a week, and then "chapter worksheets" at intervals where she creates a series of questions about a chapter in our textbook, and we have to use the textbook to answer them and submit it online. Fine by me. As you know if you have been loyally following these posts (which, since you are nonexistent and I create your personalities, you have) I am the sort of person who just looooves using the textbook. Seriously.
So on Tuesday, I diligently worked through class, consulting the chapter in the textbook, writing well-worded answers that answered the question fully and everything. There's a general sense, when submitting things online, that you don't have to actually do the work because "she doesn't check it anyway". This is true of my chemistry class. Not of my economics class. And let me say that in both classes, I disregard that notion and work very hard and honestly on my assignments.

Here's the fun part: My teacher- let's call her Mrs. Econ... Mrs. Econ announces in class today that our Chapter 10 and 11 worksheets will be graded by way of her picking five at random, grading them, and then averaging the five AND that's what everyone gets as their grade.
What the Crucio, Mrs. Econ? WHAT THE CRUCIO? Are you kidding me? No, it's not like I worked really hard to actually get a good grade. Now you're going to disregard that? That's unfair.
And now for all of you who just went "OH OH OH just wait until you get to college, the grading there is based on you doing 100-page reports and then the teacher pushes you off a cliff and whoever makes the coolest splat wins and if you utter a word of complaint they expel you and make you work on building the railroad", well you know what SHUT UP because I don't care; this is high school, not college. Besides, from what I've heard, the college grading system is based around making kids competitive by grading in a way that makes them strive to be best in the class rather than do their personal best. Here, however, being the best in the class would actually go AGAINST you... or rather, it doesn't matter at all. You could be best in the class, do a 150% job, consult the Secretary of the Treasury and come back with a full-length report regarding each of the issues presented in our chapter, and you could STILL fail, if everyone else sucks.
How is that fair exactly?
Mrs. Econ gave us the lame-ass excuse that, "It's so you help one another," but let's be real, she's doing this because she's lazy at grading. That, or she's just completely insane. Seriously, helping each other is not going to do a damn thing. And this class is full of idiots who are failing and don't do the work. It's not like everyone has about the same average anyway. The odds lean towards us all failing now.
So I just checked my grade in that class. 80. Well thanks. Do you know how hard I worked to get my grade up from an 80 last marking period? I had an A in her class, no, not an A-, an A, and now I have a B. An 80. And so does everyone else. And what do you want to bet that I would have gotten a 95 or higher on that assignment, had she graded it normally?
Suppose I got lucky this time. I'll probably get a 75 next time, considering it's all based on the luck of the draw. Well, bye bye, principal's honor roll next semester. And if this is how it works, I just might fail the class (as will everyone)... because failing last marking period means failing for good.
Aaaauuuuuuggghh. So glad I decided to take AP US History next year, instead of 20th Century with Mrs. Econ.
(Besides, I would've taken AP US anyway.)
UPDATE FROM THE FUTURE: Woooow, was I a whiny little bitch. Admittedly that's a dumb way to grade but really? Grades aren't everything. I apologize so much for this way of thinking.

Anyway.... so you scrolled down to see if I had a poem at all. Yes, yes I do have a poem.
Here ya go. I scribbled it a few days ago. If a Figgie sees this they'll go, "OH! This is the attention whore we saw on the forums a few days ago. Now I know why she seems like such a useless nothing who doesn't deserve to live. Got it now." UPDATE FROM THE FUTURE: Oh shut up, past self.

Nutella


I had a Nutella crepe
this morning
It was good
Really, really good
Of course, it wasn’t as good
As the one I had
Warm from a street-side 
(but still inside
a cafe somehow)
vendor
Who poured batter in swirls
onto a metal plate
And,
rapid as anything,
flipped it over, 
spread
chocolaty, hazelnutty goodness on it,
and folded it in fours
with tongs
Straight into a piece of wax paper,
voila.
Off to sit with my friends
At the side of the alley
of tacky tourist shops
selling plastic Eiffel towers
Within walking distance
Of 
Sacre-Coeur
On
our second-to-last day in Paris
Before
taking that awful
metal
flying beast
back to our tar suburban sprawl
where the sky shakes its head
and tells the sun
“do not shine here
they won’t see it 
anyway”
The crepe I had this morning
Had strawberries
and bananas
and powdered sugar
And was served on a ceramic platter
On second thought,
I didn’t 
really like it.


Yep. Not bad, eh?
Though that crepe was effing delicious, I'm not going to lie. (oh God, did I just say that. Oh no. I'm turning into one of them)
And sorry, I know, the accents are missing.

Why do I spend so much time on Figment anyway?
I miss Write It. The old Write It, the way it used to be.

I have a beautiful poem called "Give Me Rain" that I'm going to put up soon. It's like a more mature version of that crap poem I wrote in ninth grade, "Rain".
Anywho... school's almost over. So yeah. Still reading Walden; I love it. Readitreaditreaditreaditreadit.

So yeah... Sorry I haven't posted in so long; I just never think to. Besides, you're nonexistent, what do you care.
Surprised I managed to keep the blog up this long even on an every-so-often basis.
SO. Yes. Off I go.
AND Ariel's trivia question for the day: What were the names of the two headmasters Dumbledore summoned in OotP to warn the wizarding world that Mr. Weasley was dying?
Answer to that next post!
From your tired rainy poet,
magic*esi

UPDATER FROM THE FUTURE: Hey, I figured I might as well post the names of those headmasters since I never did back then. It's Everard something and Dilys Derwent.






Monday, April 16, 2012

Mae's Poem

I know I've already posted on here today, but that was an angry rant, and this is a poem. Gosh. I haven't posted real poetry in forever.

So here it is. Mae's Poem.

Mae's Poem
Dreams
like rays of light from beneath the storm cloud.
Hopes
like the stars that fall to earth with all their goodness.
Wishes
like the leaves that change their colors in the autumn
I dreamt of you
while dancing under a moon beam
I hoped
to be saved
from drowning in the deep, dark ocean
I wished for love,
But words rained down on me instead.
Words, glorious words.
And I remembered
there is always a rainbow after a rainstorm
And I remembered
there is always a sunrise after a sunset
So now I pledge
to help you out of the darkness
So now I pledge
to never again return

Mae, in The Wishmaker, writes this poem.
Anywho. Hope ya liked it.
Bye.
From your poet,
Ariel

That Awkward Moment

when you've written three novels in a trilogy, each over 70,000 words, and are working on a new book currently at 64,000 words, and are on the third draft of the first book which you finished in eighth grade (only taking this long because you do really complex edits); when you've written dozens of poems of different types; have won prestigious awards for essay writing and poetry; when you've been on several writing sites, are pursuing an agent and publisher, and have been writing until you were six years old.

And your friend can't keep with one novel for more than ten pages, writes the exact same story for everything with the exact same name, declares that she has writer's block and decides to start yet another new story, is on page one and is hailed as the greatest writer ever.

Dude. Stop. I'm the writer here. All three of you, STOP. You're not writers. I don't CARE that writing isn't about length; if you can't stay with a story, you can't write- and I have read their writing, and only one of them is half-decent at all. The one I just discussed really, really sucks. The other one's pretty bad. My other friend (who is sitting right next to me) is really good at poetry, though.

Seriously, though. E-nough already. I'm about ready to murder them.

In other news, I'M ON POTTERMORE. JinxHeart13434. Eeeeeee, I love this place already! J.K. Rowling is WONDERFUL! Now there's a real writer. J.K. Rowling. She's my role model.
OK. Bye bye. I'm off to read about Vernon and Petunia's engagement.

-Ariel

UPDATE FROM THE FUTURE: weeeelll isn't that nice. Aren't I a fucking bitch. Oh my God. Wow.  Look, the friend from the story is a terrible writer, I'll admit, but my other friends are quite good at writing. And Friend 1's bad writing is still no reason for me to be so goddamn rude. Geez. This is my idea of a formal apology, by the way.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Been Debating Whether to Post

Since I really should be doing my Economics work. Screw it, though. I haven't posted here in forever.
I have some poetry, but not with me. It's at home. I wrote it on paper for once.
(Prepare for angst time. Sorry. Besides, you're nonexistent, what do you care.)

UPDATE FROM THE FUTURE: Haha lol sucks for you if you wanted to read that.

Anyway... So the WORST slash best part is that in English today, Fave Teacher starts talking, again, about how none of us are literate and none of us read and yada yada yada, because we didn't recognize that an excerpt was from Jane Eyre (which I've been planning to read for a while now, by the way, only now I can't bring it to school because she'll think I'm sucking up). And then she says... drumroll please... "LITERACY IS DECLINING IN THIS AGE. Books nowadays are going down in quality."
Hmmmm. Does THAT sound familiar?
Anyway, so then I just could not resist wearing a smug expression, because I'm full of myself, you all know that, and yeah.

I'd write more, but my Econ teacher just said, "It's due today."
AAAAAHHH! TEN MINUTES!
More later
Your anxious to finish the work poet,
Ariel