Create

Still not feeling the creative juices flowing. So what shall I write about today? I'll write about other creative things that people have made. We don't even notice them anymore, yet our world would be so different (ok, sometimes not so much) without these lovely inventions.

• The door stop. You know, the small rod with a rubber tip to stop the door from making scratches on the wall? Now there's even the circular kind that stops the doorknob itself. Our world would be such an annoying place without these door stops. We would frequently have to repaint and repair our walls from the scratches and even holes that would appear in an extremely forceful fling of the door. Not to mention the noise, 'wump', every time it hit the wall. Let's be appreciative of the invention, shall we?

• The bobble-head doll. Yes, I know that this one doesn't really fit under the "useful" category, but it is on my list because they are incredible. In-creh-dee-blay. Who would have sat down and thought, "You know what would be a great invention? A doll. But not just any doll. A doll that you can't play with. A doll that has no use but to nod it's head up and down once in a while." Can you imagine giving a pitch to some company to convince them to make an invention like that? It must have been a pretty good pitch, or to someone who had a lot of faith. But somehow, the invention took off, and now there are bobble head dolls for everything (including that little hula girl that sits on the dashboard). An invention I would have turned down turned out to be amazing. Who knew?
• The mouse pad. We don't take any notice while it's there, but when your cursor refuses to go where you are directing it, you slam down the mouse and say, "Where the heck did the mouse pad go?" (at least, you would think something like that). Thank God for that little square of flexible foam to keep our mice (mouses?) in check.
• The outlet cover. Protecting babies with forks everywhere. Or perhaps just curious minds and small fingers, but the first sounds more exciting.
• The toothbrush holder. A hollow container with holes in the top. Who would have thought of it? Who would have patented it? I have no idea, but I hope they are making millions. There are some pretty cool ones nowadays. Without it, my toothbrush would merely have to sit in a cup. Even worse, it might have to be laid down next to the sink- the toothbrush wouldn't stay upright and would have to turn over on its side, getting the bristles even germier as it touched your gross bathroom counter. So be thankful.

Well, I hope you feel more appreciative of those inventors out. Such simple ideas, yet so useful. Why can't I do stuff like that? I want to know their secret, but I don't know if they'd be willing to share. Oh well.

The Block

I have writer's block. Very severe case. I keep waiting for inspiration to write something for my lovely readers that they would be interested in, but nothing comes to mind. So what did I do? I decided to look at the writing prompts to push me in the right direction (or any direction that involves me writing, for that matter; I just need words on this page). So what did I manage to find? Don't get too excited, it's not incredibly exhilarating. But celebrate because it is a topic I can write about:

The Nonfiction Book
I have chosen to read Cruise Confidential: A Hit Below the Waterline: Where the Crew Lives, Eats, Wars, and Parties. One Crazy Year Working on Cruise Ships. I know, I know. You all must be wondering, "What about that whole slew of books you bought at Barnes and Noble?" Well, unfortunately and as I predicted, I haven't had enough time to start any of them. It's kind of a bummer, but I'll get over it.
Besides, this book is pretty interesting (as I think you could probably guess from the title). The author, Brian Bruns, tells his story of working on a cruise ship for a year. He is the only American worker on board, giving him the chance to meet many foreigners. They all believe he is stupid and crazy for taking the job. Why come and work on this ship when he could be making so much more money in other American jobs? His answer is simple: he follows a woman (his girlfriend works on the ships). They find that crazy, too.
It has been entertaining to read this book. Bruns is frequently asked questions by his shipmates. "Is it normal for everyone in America to have a house and a car?" "You're divorced? How can you be so casual about it?" So much shocks them about America (one woman tells how she once asked a hotel assistant how long it would take to get to a restaurant. He said ten minutes, and she walked and ended up taking an hour! Bruns had to explain to her that traveling by car was the normal mode of transportation in the US).
I am a little more than a third of the way through right now. He has just finished his training and has moved onto an actual ship, Conquest, where he gets to work with his girlfriend. There hours are so crazy, though, they rarely get to see each other (setting Bruns up to question whether or not the relationship will last). They have done what the title has said so far: eating, sleeping, a little warring, and partying. The parties are interesting (one involved singing karaoke until five in the morning with several drunken Filipinos). As I said, the book is funny and is a good pace. I just hope I can think of a topic that I can connect it to (well) for our next paper.

Mark Your Calendars

Well, I looked and there are two things we should be celebrating today:

• A Room of One's Own Day, and
• The Anniversary of the Macintosh Computer (the Apple)

Why would you want to care about these holidays? First of all, it gives you an excuse to spend time alone in your room, away from everyday stresses. Not to mention you can sit down and enjoy your iMac (or even go buy one, if you feel so inclined). And by reading those two, seemingly-pointless holidays, you realize that there is a holiday for essentially every day of the year. Don't believe me? Check it out.

I never knew there was so much to be celebrated! Did you know that on February 20th, the Northern Hemisphere celebrates Hoodie-Hoo Day? At noon, you are supposed to go outside, wave your hands over your head and yell "Hoodie-Hoo!" to scare away winter and make spring come faster. August 25th is Kiss and Make-Up Day (what better reason for quarrelling couples to stop their quarreling than a nationally-recognized holiday?). October 14th is Be Bald and Be Free Day, a good incentive for those who are still afraid to shed the toupee.

All of these holidays are ridiculous. The days are copyrighted and the whole shebang. Who came up with them? Do you have to petition to get a national/global holiday? And if so, who decided which ones got to be made "real"? Do people get paid to make these up? If there's a career opportunity in the holiday-making department, I want a job.

Presto: A Pixar Short

Masterclass: Completed

Because I have received several comments begging me to do a follow-up on my last post, I will oblige.

How did my masterclass go with one of the best French hornists in the world go? Surprisingly, it wasn't as bad as I had imagined. Why? Let's make a list (by now, this seems to be another theme for this blog. Nice, orderly lists to organize my thoughts):

1. The man had social skills. I didn't know what to expect. He could have been the "hehvy ahkcent zat nobotee culd understahnd" guy, or the look-at-floor-or-wall-or-boobs-or-anywhere-but-making-actual-eye-contact guy, or the music-first-hygiene-second guy. So many things could have gone wrong. But when he entered (who we will now refer to as Mr. William Caballero), he spoke clear, American English, knew how to work a crowd, and was well-groomed. Bravo!
2. I heard a familiar tune. From the time the class started, the color was draining from my face and my breakfast wanted to take an emergency exit. By the time the girl before me went on stage (yes, a stage) to play for Caballero, I wasn't sure I would be able to stand up without passing out. While I was having a mini-meltdown, the girl began playing; I listened. I had played the song she was performing a few years ago! It was nice to go after someone more on my level, unlike some of the prodigies attending the class.
3. My fingernail polish looked like Texas. When I was onstage, playing and getting my own set of advice, it wasn't going too well. As I mentioned in my last post, I was playing standing up, making things difficult. As I ran through my piece for him, the crowd was whispering. About what, I'm not sure. "Did they pull her out of a dumpster?" "Her fly's undone." "Let's pray for Caballero; this one's going to take a miracle." "Let's TP her horn case." "She sounds like dissonance in a major fourth. Haw haw haw." It was probably something like that, but who really knows? After I had finished playing and he had begun to give me exercises and pointers, he stopped and stared at my fingers. "I just have to let you know, your nail polish on that finger [he pointed] looks just like Texas." I looked and it was true! The crowd laughed (not at, but with me) and it helped ease the tension of my slightly-bad performance. I was finally able to relax and ended up learning a thing or two.
   

So overall? I had an ok time. I survived (which you all must be thrilled to hear) and didn't make a complete fool out of myself; although I did say that I didn't know who Franz Strauss was, which was received by the thirty-some people there with disbelief. I met a world-class musician who turned out to be a fairly normal guy. And now, instead of seeing nails in need of a paint-job, I will look for the other forty-nine states......maybe.

The Unfun of Masterclasses

I was at my horn lesson a few weeks ago when my teacher informed me that he had signed me up for a masterclass with a famous French hornist. I would play a prepared solo for him and he would give me tips. It was an opportunity too good to pass up. My teacher's excitement was obvious, but unfortunately not infectious.

My thoughts on the subject: what?

First of all, I never like playing alone in front of people. Only in large groups do I feel comfortable playing my music loudly; the focus is not on you, and if you screw up no one notices. I have done city and state solo contests since I was in first grade and have hated every moment of it. Old, frowning men stared as I attempted to plunk out a memorized melody onto an out-of-tune piano. Then, they gave me a score telling me what my talents were worth. Not a hay-day.

Secondly, I am going to be the least experienced person there. The other students signed up are either in college or teachers themselves. I imagine Mr. Famous listening to their near-perfect etudes, offering a token of advice for the aspiring musicians. Then I come in, plunk myself down, and gurgle out a tune on my horn that sounds more like a wookie mixed with a batch squealing. Once I have played my final note, a moan of a dying cow, he will stare at me and then proceed into a rant in a foreign language. Wonderful.

Third, I only just asked what I would be doing at said class. The answer I got was not reassuring. Not only would I have to play my solo for the man, himself, but for the entire class. In front of everybody, my abilities will be picked apart. To make matters worse, I have to stand. In all my years of playing the French horn, I have only played standing about ten times; each time either within my home or for a simple warm-up. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is very hard - it throws off most techniques that work sitting down. Finally, I am to be "prepared for anything", as the more specific events of the class are being kept as a surprise for us to enjoy when we get there. The anticipation is killing me.

I thought I was over getting guilt-tripped into doing things I didn't want to do. Yet here I am again, headed to a masterclass that sounds about as good to me as licking the floor. Oh well. It couldn't really be that bad.

Could it?

If the world was going to end tomorrow.....

Why do we ask questions like that? Yes, I know they are hypothetical, making us think of where we are in our lives and what decisions we would make if the 'situation' ever came up. I don't know why, but I don't like being asked.

If the world ended tomorrow, we would be dead. End of story.

If you don't like something in your life, change it! You can do that without envisioning the world ending. Just ask yourself: are you happy?

Validation

Book shopping on a five day weekend

I hope your extended weekends were relaxing, enjoyed, ect.

Mine? It consisted of homework, shopping, sleeping, and the occasional movie marathon. Very fun. Very nice. Very needed.

As the title said, I went book shopping. I had asked almost exclusively for gift cards to Barnes & Noble for Christmas, so I had money to spend that I, sadly, just couldn't spend anywhere else.

The danger? It's nearly impossible for me to control myself in a bookstore. I'm like a kid with $20 in Toys R Us: I pick up any and every book along the way that catches my eye. Soon, I have a huge stack of books, none of which I want to put back. When I finally get it through to myself that it would be a bad idea to buy all of them (a: I want to save some money for later; b: I might not like the books once I actually get home), some tough decisions must be made. To decide which ones to cut, I have to read the summaries and reviews carefully, open up to a random page (to make sure the writing style isn't drool-worthy), check prices, and, I have to admit, look at the cover.

"Never judge a book by its cover." Good advice for anything but books. I cannot like a book if the outside is a leathery, dirty-orange or simply boring. When I put a book down that I am reading, I want there to be something that draws me in again- that being the cover. Of course, the plot brings me back, too, but the cover makes it irresistible.

Shall I tell you which books I finally decided on? I think I will.

1. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Considered Hugo's tour de force, the book is set in 1832 Paris. The main character, Jean Valjean, was a prisoner for nineteen years for stealing bread for his starving family. When he is released, he decides to try to start a new life without the police, tearing up his prisoner's card. Throughout the book, he encounters many "unforgettable" characters and attempts to do good despite being hunted. I have seen the musical and loved it, so I wanted to give the book a shot. The lady who rang me up at the register said, "I tried that book. Got through thirty pages and couldn't do anymore!" Considering the book is 1280 pages long, it makes me a little nervous. Oh well, it has been given a five-star rating by almost everyone who managed to finish it.
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin Need I say much about this book? It is one of the world's most popular novels and considered by Austin herself to be her 'darling child'. Elizabeth Bennet, the poor yet independent and witty woman intrigues Mr. Darcy, the rich yet reserved man. It's the 'chick-flick' book that, though set in earlier times, still intrigues us today. I've seen the movie and decided that the book would be a good starting-point for me to begin reading novels with older language.
3. Selected Stories of O. Henry by O. Henry/William Sydney PorterI've only read one of his stories (The Gift of the Magi), but liked it and decided to give this one a shot. It was only $6, and the longest story was only about 15 pages long. I like short stories, so why not?
4. The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers Ultimately, this book looks like a big, fat, fairytale. What's not to love? Bluebear (which, he mentions himself, live for 27 years- he is merely telling us half of them) lives in a world of Zamonia. Within the story, there are creatures galore: Minipirates, Hobogoblins, the Spiderwitch, the Gelatine Prince, etc., etc., etc.! Also in the book are Moers' own illustrations. I'm really excited to start this one.

Unfortunately, I may not get to start them until the summer- I still have a few at home I need to finish before I start the new ones (a personal rule). But buying them was so much fun, I had to share.

Get out of bed or die!

Exciting title, no? I think so, too.

Unfortunately for those of us in the world that love our sleep, it's kind of true.

Observe.

So people that sleep less than five and more than eight hours a night have a greater risk of dying? Of course, the reasons why are not certain and may have something to do with sleeping pills. Still, that's depressing.

But I'm not in the mood to pout, so we're going to try something new and put a positive spin on it. The glass half full, and the grass is greener on my side. How exciting!

Reasons why the discovery is a good thing:

• It's another way to extend your life! On top of your multivitamins, regular exercise, yearly check-ups, de-stressing therapy sessions, no-smoking/drugs/alcohol policy, and organic-all-natural-no-trans-fat-multi-grain-heart-healthy diet, here's another way to make it for a few more birthday cakes!
• School has something going for it. You wake up to your alarm, angry that it's not the weekend anymore. Your mom says good morning, to which you reply something like, "Mumble, mumble, school, grumble, mumble." How dare the institution take away your right to sleep as late as you want! Now that whole hateful view can disappear (sort of) from your thoughts. Why? Because not only is school making you smarter, but the lack of 'enough' sleep is extending your life. You can bet they had that all planned out, too.
• You're awake longer. And what does that mean? You get to experience more life! Much more because first, you get those extra hours on a daily basis you would have been snoozing. Second, the extra years you will be alive because of those daily hours. Think of all you can do with those extra few hours a day. The possibilities are endless.

• Be the genius (or the smart-ass). You're at a party with friends, or at work, or with your parents. They look over, examine you, and say, "Have you been getting enough sleep? You need at least a good eight hours to be fully rested." To which you could reply with a series of answers:

1. To sound smart: "According to a BBC report, studies show that you live longer with an average of six to seven hours of sleep a night."
2. To sound cocky: "Actually, there's a BBC report on a study that showed you die sooner if you sleep that long."
3. To sound.....well, to make yourself unlikeable: "Is that how much sleep you get a night?" they answer: "Yes, every night." You pat them on the hand, smile, and say, "The BBC says you'll die sooner. Don't worry, I'll let everyone know what a good sleeper you were at your funeral."

So there you have it. Who knew such a downer could turn out to be so useful?

A small movie called Marry Me

An Austrialian short film. Watch until the very end- after the credits. It's cute.

Reasons I'll fail at adulthood

1. I can't cook. I can make cake, brownies, and muffins from the box. Grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese I can do. Microwave popcorn? I'm an expert. But when it comes to making actual meals, I'm lost. How am I going to make meals for myself every day that actually sound good to eat? The only thing I'm good at making from scratch is vanilla icing, and I don't think that's the Healthy Living way to go. I'd better learn fast, or I'll be stuck with packs of jell-o and canned soup as my fancy meal of the week.
2. I don't want to live alone or with anyone. I can't stand an empty house. The creaking of the floorboards or the furnace kicking on makes my imagination run wild. Pretty soon I'm convinced that there is a serial killer waiting in my bedroom to cut out my still-beating heart...thump thump, thump thump. I'd become known to my neighbors as the crazy lady who goes around her house mumbling chants and shaking a strand of garlic. But living with others is out, too. I like my things organized my way. My schedule my way. My alone time my way. If I had someone else around, not only would they annoy me, but I would annoy them. We would need a label-maker and a dividing line across the ground to keep the peace.
3. Work = not fun. Self-explanatory. Having to go to the same building, see the same people, and do the same thing for approximately forty years of my life doesn't sound like a fiesta. How depressing.

Something to read about growing up. Is it not as easy as it used to be? (I wouldn't know, but the article poses the question).

C++: The lab

So far I have had two days of lab (aka we go and work on the computers with the C++ program to make our own programs). The first day was much better than the class part. Being able to apply the confusing lessons helped them make sense. I say the first day, because the second day of class was easier for me to swallow. In general, though, the labs make the concepts clearer.

I'm avoiding actually putting a lab question on here because I'm afraid. If I put, say, practice problems that Rockwell made up on this blog, is that illegal (the paper did have a copyright symbol in it)? Would they fine me 10 billion dollars for disclosing such precious information? I'm not sure, but I am not willing to take that risk. So I'll just go and speak in general terms that anyone would need to know to work with C++.

Here are a few examples of computer lingo. By no means are these incredibly complicated terms (well, I think they're confusing, but according to the computer world these are baby steps. I hope you agree with me). Such lingo is bolded, the explanation is not.

1. //the example anything you put after those two dashes (which don't look bolded) isn't processed as part of the program- you could use this if you want to give your new portion of a program a clear title so you remember what it is (say, if you don't like the way one part of your program is running. It's easier to find what you want to change if it has a logical name)
   


2. cout<<"What is your name?"endl; the 'cout' means that your program is displaying 'What is your name?' on the screen for the user of your program to see (hence the 'out'). the endl means you want that line to end, and the semi-colon signals to the computer that it's time for a new section of the program
   


3. cin<< firstName the 'cin' means your program is taking in the first name of the person (said person must type it in, of course). The computer understands the 'firstName' represents a word as opposed to a number because you would define it earlier in your program)
   


4. return 0; You have to put this once you are done with any program. I'm not sure why, but this ensures your program will run correctly
   

And that's all I'm going to tell you. There is much, much more, but I'm not sure how much sense I made explaining those four. My head is spinning just trying to think of good ways to explain them. That being said should prove to you one thing: actually working with this stuff is really the only way to learn it.

This screen shot has some cout's, //'s on it, if you wanted to see what this type of stuff looks like (which I know you do, so you're welcome).

C++

No it's not a grade. It's a class that I'm taking.

My counselor gave me a brochure explaining the course a few weeks ago. It would be taught at Rockwell, and it would teach us how to use the C++ program to create computer programs of our own (I guess, my dad told me, that there was a C program which got updated to a C+ program which got even more advanced with the C++ program- how creative). Sound nerdy? Complicated?

I can't lie, it's both. I walked into the class to find numerous boys parted hair. A lucky few appeared to get sun on a regular basis (though I'm pretty pale, myself, so I can't be overly-critical). But it was nothing I hadn't seen before- there were no nerd cases more extreme than the ones I had seen at math competitions. So I wasn't bugged. Only nervous.

When the lady called and interviewed me, she asked,

"What are your previous computer skills?"

I told the truth: not much. Sure, I know how to surf the web, use, iTunes, Microsoft Word, Publisher, and Excel. But when it actually came to the going-behind-the-scenes, making-my-own-program familiarity, there was none. She said that would be fine, though, because we would meet twice a week for two hours: one hour was a classroom-setting, the other was the "lab", or applying the lessons.

My first class was on Tuesday. I showed up with a notebook and pencil, not knowing what to expect.

What did I get? A class of computer lingo and concepts that meant nothing to me.

"I know I'm going really slow," our instructor said, "but I'm just trying to cover the bases."

Slow? I scribbled down some notes and tried to keep a look on my face that made me look like I understood everything. That's what everyone else looked like (that or bored out of their minds with such a simple lesson on int, float, double, cout<<, cin>>, etc.) If this was her on slow, what would the next class be like? The one after that? I felt like I was in an world where nothing made sense. And I didn't like it.

Once the learning for the day was over, we made our way over the "lab", which was more like a bunch of cubicles filled with computers. As we walked over, my friend and I had a mini freak-out session. What had we gotten ourselves into?

A kid next to us said, "So, did you have any idea what was going on in there?" We shook our heads. He smiled and breathed a sign of relief. "Thank God! I thought I was alone!"

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, after all.

I'll save the lab for next time. (oh, and this picture? well, we're nowhere near doing this stuff, but it's a possibility someday)