Tragedy In the Art Room!!!

With the end of the semester comes a slurry of important projects. One of those projects was for my Sculpture/Ceramics class. The assignment was to make a cultural mask. I was super excited! I knew exactly what I wanted to make and that was a Dia De Los Muertos themed mask. So I drew out the design and immediately starting molding my clay into the vision I had. By the time I was done, I was soo proud of myself. It was the first time I've felt like a legitimate sculptor in that class. It was perfect in my eyes. Since I was done molding and shaping, it was time for it to go into the kiln. I couldn't wait for it to come out so I could paint it and watch it really become a mask.

BUT TRAGEDY STRUCK!

According to my teacher, sometime in the middle of the night there was a power surge. This power surge made the kiln get extremely hot and that caused something bad to happen...our masks blew up! He then goes on to tell Emma and this other girl (whose masks were in there as well) that their masks are able to be easily fixed. As soon as he turned to me, I knew it was bad. He said that there wasn't any way that my mask could be fixed because it was blown up into tiny little pieces. Let me tell you, having your artwork tampered with in anyway is the worst feeling. I felt my eyes getting teary. I was devastated!

Emma and I then proceeded to go visit the kiln to see how bad it was. The ears on Emma's mask fell off, but it wasn't too terrible. I couldn't find mine until I realized that it was actually a pile of clay D: We went back inside and I was just so sad. BUT I knew that I couldn't let this get me down. I've been doing very well with being optimistic and this was the perfect time to prove to myself that I am a positive person now.

I went to talk to the teacher about my options and he said I could: 1. Take an A for the project since it was the kiln's fault, 2. Forget all about the mask and move straight on to the potter's wheel, or 3. Make a quick and simple mask to replace the ruined one. I have to admit, for a second I thought about just taking the A, but it felt dishonest. I shouldn't get an A for no reason. I wanted to earn it. I then proceeded to ask if I could take some clay home over the weekend and make a replica of my original mask. His face lit up and he said of course I could do this and he would send some clay home with me. He also praised me for being brave enough to take a chance once again instead of taking the easy road.

Although I was very devastated about my mask, I know I have the rare and awesome opportunity to do it over again. I was also happy with myself for turning a negative experience into a positive one. I went on to have the perfect day, excited to make a new mask:)

Love,

Alexis, the Optimistic Sculptor!

P.S. I will put up pictures when it's all done. It's going to be sooo cool!:D

Venting: Expectations

Expectations: We all have them.

They come from school, work, family, friends, and even ourselves. Although they can be great motivators, sometimes they're too demanding. Especially when those expectations come from people. I've noticed recently that a lot of people have high expectations for me. It's a good and a bad thing. It's good because it gives me a reason to try. To me it's like a goal that needs to be reached, and let me tell you, I've got determination. At the same time, it has a bad side because you can't keep everyone happy. Someone expects you to do something and you can't do it. Disappointment. Expectations and I have a love/hate relationship.

...but sometimes they don't return the favor...

If you have high expectations for me, I have high expectations for you. Simple as that! Unfortunately, my expectations have gotten lower while the expectations for me continue to climb up the expectation ladder. This is something that really bothers me. I'm always helping people out, whether it be from school work to life problems. Yet the second I need help, everyone closes up. What's up with that? I rarely ask for advice or help, so when I do ask, it shouldn't be such a problem. Yet every time I need a little help, people mysteriously seem to disappear. And it's not limited to life problems. It's everything! Even the little things, such as helping me finish my math homework after I spent half the time teaching you how to do it or simply giving a little input after I gave you tons of helpful advice. It's just something that really gets under my skin. Something that I've been practicing is putting myself first. In all honesty, I hate selfishness, but there comes a time when everyone around you is selfish so you need to be too. I'm done with these high expectations and all of the people that throw them at me. My happiness is my number one priority and that's the way it should be.

I could honestly go on for days about this subject, but I don't like to complain too much. Just every once in a while through a blog:)

But basically what I want to know is:

Love,

Alexis, the one who has a hard time being even a little selfish.

A Time For Thanks

Over the span of my last sixteen Thanksgivings, I've created the bad habit of never actually sorting out my thoughts and figuring out what I was really thankful for. At 17, I'm a little late, but I'm just happy that I'm not too late and that I have amazing people around me that reminded me of that. We should always appreciate those around us, every single day. It's something that I'm looking forward to starting right now.

“A hundred men may make an encampment, but it takes a woman to make a home.” -Chinese proverb
If the saying is 'Like Mother, Like Daughter,' I sure don't mind. My mom is the most hard-working, loving, caring, important, beautiful, and funniest person I know. I have never met anyone who has more strength than her. It's always been something I've looked up to her for and hope to take with me when I start my own life. Throughout everything that's happened in the last few years, she's never given up on herself or her family. Thanks to her, I've really learned to just let things go, one of the most important lessons that I've learned in these past few months. And as we continue to go through things, and even if we do get into the little fights, I want her to know that I will always be here for her and I am extremely thankful that I have a mother that loves us all unconditionally. Even if she does love John Mayer:)
"Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes."-Gloria Naylor
When I think of my dad, there's always one memory in particular that pops into my head. Sometime in 2007, we went on a trip to California so we could go to Universal Studios. It was a fun day but at some point, we inevitably got hungry and meandered down to the City Walk for lunch. After we were all full and satisfied, we made our way back into the park. Right before we were about to re-enter, my mom exclaimed "I forgot the camera at the table!" At those words, my dad immediately ran off in hope that our camera would still be there. We all waited in anticipation, hoping that no one had touched our camera bag, especially since all of our memories were both in the video camera and digital camera. Five long minutes later, we saw my dad in the crowd and the camera bag was on his shoulder. He had gotten it back just for us. For the longest time, I always wondered why this was always my favorite memory of him. It wasn't until he moved out in September that I realized why. When my dad went running off to get the camera, he didn't care that everyone was staring at him like he was crazy, all he cared about was getting something important for his family. Then I realized that that's what he had been doing his whole life. He's always worked hard to make us happy. Even though he moved out and it's really sad for us all, I'm so thankful that I have a dad that cares so much about us all. He could've easily left and never seen or talked to us again, but he won't. As hard as this decision was for everyone, it was something that had to happen and regardless of what did or will happen, I love my dad and am happy that he's still a part of my life.

"They resemble us just enough to make all their differences confusing, and no matter what we choose to make of this, we are cast in relation to them our whole lives long."-Susan Scarf Merrell
Ah, siblings. A parent's revenge for putting mom in so much pain when you were born. Hands down, these two little turds make me angrier than anyone else can. But in their defense, they probably make me laugh more too. Although they were born to annoy me, it's still kind of cool to think that there's two people that look up to you as their role model. Also, you can be as weird as you'd like in front of them and be sure that they won't tell anyone:) I can't wait until we're all grown up and have kids, I know it'll be so fun! And plus, we won't be living together so I'm sure we'll all like each other A LOT more:D


"A friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself.”-Jim Morrison
Oh Emma:) I am soooo glad that we started hanging out in 8th grade and became best friends. I can't even imagine my life without you! You make me laugh so much, you don't even know. That's my favorite part about you! I'm so thankful that we've remained best friends because we both know how many people have came and gone in our lives. I really hope that we're best friends forever, and you know what? I'm pretty sure we will be:) Emma, you're a beautiful person and I love you. Thank you for being my best friend! Here's to many more years of doing Harry Potter stuff! And yes, I will plan your bachelorette party :) lol.

"Best friends are the siblings God forgot to give us."-Unknown
Kelsey. Woooow, I can't believe I've known you for 7 1\2 years! I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. We're so alike that it's scary sometimes. Especially recently. We're basically sisters now haha. We can talk to each other about anythingggg. And we can also act like idiots :) I don't know anyone else that likes 70's\80's bands as much as us! As you already know, I'm always here for you and you can talk to me about anything in the world and I know the same goes for me. Thanks for letting me go to your house every second and for being my best friend since fourth grade! :D
"Often the cats who need the most affection are the ones that are the most difficult to love and scratch you when you're trying to pet them."
Yep, that sums up Winky! Yeah she's a cat, but I'm thankful for her! She may act like she hates me sometimes but I know she loves me! Like that one time I almost burnt down the house due to flaming potatoes! She didn't have to tell me, but she did and I didn't burn down the house:D I may be the only one that likes her, but that's okay. I have lots of love to give her:

"Cats know how we feel. They don't care, but they know."
'Nuff Said:)
I hope everyone takes the time to think about what and who they're thankful for today. When you start thinking about it, you you realized how great life really is:)

Love, Alexis, The Grateful One

Update!

My life has been so busy lately! Juggling school, family, and friends all while trying to sneak some fun in can be difficult, but I definitely wouldn't have it any other way! Although I've been busy, not many exciting things have happened, but last week I got two little surprises that made my week:)

I got my "I Exceeded AIMS" shirt!

I've been waiting for this shirt since I got my scores! And even though it fits me like a dress, I still love it.

Back in April of my Sophomore year, we had to take the AIMS test. I wasn't nervous, but I really wanted to exceed! I felt pretty good about how I did, but I was still anxious to see my scores. Finally in May, my English teacher received the scores! My friend and I stayed after school so we could see how we did. SUCCESS! I had exceeded my Writing AIMS! Apparently the Writing portion is the toughest to exceed on out of Reading and Math so I was extremely happy! I did really well on Reading and surprisingly, Math but I was way more excited about Writing.

They score the Writing using the Six-Traits rubric. The traits are Ideas, Organization, Word Choice, Voice, Sentence Fluency, and Conventions. On each of those traits, you can receive a score of 1 to 6, 1 being the lowest and 6 being the highest (and toughest to receive). I received a 6 on Voice.

"VOICE shows the writer's personality. The writing has a sound different from everyone else's. It contains feelings and emotions so that it does not sound like an encyclopedia article. The reader should be able to sense the sincerity and honesty of the writer. The writer should be writing from the heart. The language should bring the topic to life for the reader. The voice should be appropriate for the topic, purpose, and audience of the paper."

Having a strong voice in my writing is what I strive for so it was really encouraging:)

Last week, my ceramic bust was finally taken out of the kiln and all that was left was to glaze it. After it had been glaze fired, I got to take it home! It's definitely not the best sculpture, but I'm really proud! It took us like three months to make and I feel so accomplished! And anyway, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, cliche, cliche, etc.

Throughout the day I got a lot of funny looks because really, how many times have you seen people carrying around a bust? Some of those looks were also directed at the look of my sculpture, but I don't care because I worked really hard and long on it and they obviously can't appreciate art work:)

Sincerely Yours,

Alexis, the next Michelangelo!:P

P.S.

Need I say more?

How to Survive the First Quarter of Junior Year

They say that Junior Year is the hardest....

That's an understatement.

First Semester Schedule:

Sculpture/Ceramics I

College Algebra

AP American History

Honors Chemistry

October 2nd was my last day of school before Fall Break and boy, was I thankful! One quarter of my Junior year complete! It was a tough first quarter because each of these classes has given me new and very difficult challenges to overcome. This entry is going to detail those challenges, what it takes to overcome them, and basically show you: How to Survive the First Quarter of Junior Year.

Chapter One: Sculpture/Ceramics I

No one can deny it. Everyone has taken at least one art class in their life thinking it would be simple. I can tell you that everyone at my school has done it, but not without great consequence. It all started my Freshman year when I took Fundamentals of Art. It was a prerequisite for all art classes so I was pretty much forced to take it, but thought it would be an easy A. I've never been more wrong in my life! The teacher was extremely mean and hated freshmen, the class consisted of reading the art books and memorizing countless art terms, and worst of all, nobody's artwork was good enough for her! Fortunately I made it through with a C (don't judge me!) and continued on with my life. Finally, this past year I was able to take another art class so I decided on Sculpture/Ceramics because it wasn't taught by the teacher I had freshman year. Good Idea? Not entirely. This is definitely the most difficult and frustrating art classes I've ever had. It started off with us getting used to working with clay by making little pinch pots. Very cute! Little did I know that this was our introduction to making CERAMIC BUSTS. How were we supposed to make the jump from making bowls to life-sized busts! Suddenly my little pinch pot didn't seem so cute. Regardless of my unease, we started making our busts. It took about a month and almost every one of those weeks was filled with frustration. Getting clay to look like a real person using nothing but your bare hands is tough. The most difficult part was the eyes. I ripped them out and redid them countless times. By the end of the month, I started putting shoulders on my bust and in no time, it was complete! Let me tell you, I've never felt more accomplished!

And there it is! Success in the form of a ceramic bust! I don't even mind that the nose nearly cracked off and I eventually had to rip off the eyebrows. All that matters is that it's cooking away in the kiln:]

Tip: Focus on your artwork! Comparing your art to someone else's lowers your artistic self-esteem. If it doesn't come out the way you wanted, don't worry! Michelangelo didn't sculpt David perfectly in one week, he had to practice.

Chapter Two: College Algebra

Math has definitely never been one of my strong suits so I was particularly nervous for this semester of math. Not only is it a college level course, but I got the Notorious Varsity Football Coach as a math teacher. Yikes! To be honest, the thing I was most frightened about was the dreaded Warm-Up. Warm-Ups are four math problems that everyone has to do at the beginning of class. The teacher then picks four people to go up to the board and "teach" their problem to the class. I know, I know, it doesn't sound that bad. In reality, it actually is! It was only the third day of warm-ups and one kid was unlucky enough to get problem four, a super hard one. The kid stumbled through the problem, struggling to understand all while the teacher was barking at him about his mistakes and giving him "tips." Lots of emphasis on those quotation marks. Everyone was dead silent as the teacher eventually started yelling at the kid, telling him that he made every mistake possible. Eventually, the kid somehow made it through the problem and was told to sit down without any applause. And so began the wrath of Football Coach Math Teacher! Everyday, we all hope and pray that it's not our turn to do a warm-up, but sometimes he can sense our fear and picks us to do a terrifying math problem. I've been picked four times, but fortunately (VERY VERY FORTUNATELY), I've known what I was doing.

The plus side to having a scary math teacher is that I always pay attention and I always, always, always do my homework. It's all out of fear, but hey, at least I'm learning. I've gotten a lot better at math recently, but I've also started to have a problem. It's a problem that's pestered me for years, but it's just now starting to effect me. I'll do all of my homework and be able to do the problems with ease. Same thing goes for when we have study guides. For some strange reason though, I cannot pass a test with anything more than a 75%. How does this happen? It's a question I find myself asking more often these days. If I can do the homework and study guides, shouldn't I be able to pass the tests? The answer should be yes, but not for me. I really do try hard and study for that class but nothing changes. Regardless, all I can do is try my best and, at the very least, pass the class. I still have another quarter to improve my grade!

Tip: All you can do is try your very best. If your best isn't good enough for anyone, oh well! It should only be good enough for you and hey, at least you get credit for putting some effort into whatever it is you're struggling with.

Tips for Avoiding Warm-Ups: When he starts picking people, stare at your paper and look like you're figuring out a problem. This includes erasing and writing numbers or anything math-related, having a confused look on your face, a genuine look of concentration, and if you can pull it off, a serious I'm-Going-to-Figure-This-Out-No-Matter-What-Because-I-Love-Math face. Most importantly, Don't Breathe! He can hear you!

Chapter Three: AP American History

I never realized how many crappy history classes I've had in the past. This particular class really put that into perspective for me. Despite this, AP American History is definitely my favorite class.

Top Three Reasons Why I Love AP American History

1. The Teacher: Seriously one of the coolest teachers I've ever had. He's funny and he keeps

it interesting. His little stories definitely keep the class lively and he's constantly

reminding us that we're very smart and how we are the future.

2. The Students: Yes, there is a few people who annoy me, but generally speaking, we all

get along. The atmosphere in an AP class is so different because we all really do want to

be there. Everyone is really intelligent and hard-working.

3. The History: I've never really found American History very interesting and maybe that

was because I haven't had a good history class. At this point, I'm an expert on the American

Revolution and the Civil War.

In regards to my third reason, it wasn't easy becoming an expert on those two very important times in American History. As my teacher has said and will continue to say, we have to completely immerse ourselves into our own history to get a full understanding. It's important to learn about our past so we don't repeat the same mistakes again. He's also said that studying three to four hours a week would help. This class is difficult but I enjoy every second of it. I'm proud to say that I have one of the highest grades in the class. I have an 82%, but it's weighted like an A, making my GPA higher. I just hope I passed my midterm!

Tip: You can't always let go of the past! Learning about the past is essential to the future. And most importantly, STUDY!:]

Chapter Four: Honors Chemistry

As my second favorite class, Chemistry has been a pleasant surprise. With my bad experience with Biology during my Sophomore year, I thought science was just really not for me. This class has definitely proved me wrong. I have the nicest teacher ever! That definitely makes a class more enjoyable. This teacher explains everything so well and she wants nothing more than for us to succeed. She's now changed my mind about science and now I'm even going to take AP Chemistry next semester to learn more in depth about this subject. Yay for Chemistry!

Tip: Don't let one bad experience turn you off completely to other new experiences. It could be good for you!

All in all, I love all my classes in some form or another. I look forward to learning new material everyday. I now welcome new challenges just so I can overcome them. School may keep me extremely busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Sincerely Yours,

Alexis, Survivor of First Quarter and Hard-Working Student

It's all right here.

I decided to create a blog for a couple of reasons. For one, I don't have English class this semester and I thought this would be a good way to practice my writing in a different way. Secondly, I just loooove to give my input. What better place for that than my own personal blog? Well this will be the place where I get to give my opinion freely, tell amusing anecdotes, vent my angers and frustrations, and most importantly, share my thoughts and feelings with everyone who decides to read this. I will no longer seem to be the silent one, but the young woman who has very strong beliefs and plans to share them with the world. Where is my mind? It's right here, ready to share it's true feelings.