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 A book of my thoughts, which may or may not actually be written at midnight. |
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** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** ** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only ** Hi! I'm Amber, sometimes known as MissTique. This is my book of things that happen in my brain. Thanks so much to the WDC Angel Army for the upgraded membership!  Someone posted this on the newsfeed a while back, and I thought it was a good thing to keep in mind: "Write a short story every week. It's not possible to write 52 bad short stories in a row." - Ray Bradbury |
| Blog City Prompt: Make a list of 12 things you love about Christmas. All right. Here goes nothing. 1. The decorations. It's so good to see the house looking a little more festive than usual. Lights, tinsel, tiny paper snowflakes covering the walls, and also.... 2. The tree. So, I've always enjoyed putting up our Christmas tree, whether it was one out of a box, or one made of books, or anything else. I just built our book-tree last night (and early this morning) and made some decorations for it and stuff. It was so much fun. I even made a little paper star to go on top.  3. The music. I like Christmas music. A lot. At any time of the year, you might catch me humming various carols, like "Carol of the Bells", which is by far my favorite. I don't know what makes it so special to me, but the music is one of my favorite parts of the holiday. 4. The weather. I really am I cold weather person. Maybe because I grew up in Michigan, or because it's stupidly hot most of the year where I live now, but I love the cold and the snow. It also gives me an excuse to wear my warm fuzzy pajamas and socks.  5. The cookies.  I know, I know. It's silly, but even just the smell of cookies in the oven are enough to warm my heart.  Something about being wrapped up in a warm blanket and eating some equally warm cookies is just so inspiring to me.  6. The gift-giving. I admit, this part can be a little frustrating for me, as I am a teenager, often penniless and rarely creative/artistic enough to create gifts by hand. However, it is also one of my favorite parts of the season, because while it can be difficult, it's also incredibly rewarding. 7. The gift-receiving. Yes, it sounds a little shallow, but why would anyone buy/make gifts if nobody enjoyed them properly? I agree that it's better to give than to receive, but it's okay to enjoy receiving things as well as giving. 8. The family time. I feel like I don't spend enough time with my family, whether that be my brother or sister or parents or grandparents or whatever else. It's nice to have everybody get together from time to time and just talk to each other. 9. The food.  (Can you tell I'm a little hungry?) We have an interesting sort of Christmas feast, which varies from year to year. My favorites are the Thanksgiving-esque feasts (turkey, you know. I like turkey.) that we sometimes have. They're pretty fun to prepare (even if it's a lot of work), and even more fun to eat.10. Christmas break.  Even though I'm homeschooled, I get Christmas break as well. It's nice to have some time off of working for a little while.11. Reading/listening to Christmas stories, and watching Christmas movies. I love How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Polar Express, The Christmas Shoes, etc. So much fun. 12. The Christmas spirit. I love the happiness that the season brings, how everyone is just a little more joyful for a few weeks. It really warms my heart. |
| BCoF Prompt: "The conscious mind allows itself to be trained like a parrot, but the unconscious does not -- which is why St. Augustine thanked God for not making him responsible for his dreams." C.G. Jung" What do you think about this? Well, I agree, I think. And that's not just because I could never disagree with Carl Jung in anything, either. I think sometimes we try to convince ourselves of things, or other people try to convince us of things. And there are times when we think we believe these things, but our unconscious minds know better. I can definitely see a difference in how my conscious mind thinks, and how my unconscious mind thinks (in my dreams, you know).Blog City Prompt: "We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures."Thorton Wilder Do you agree? What are your thoughts on this? I agree, absolutely. I think the best way to feel alive is to be happy and content with what you have, with what you've been given. If you're paying more attention to what you want than what you have, you'll never be satisfied with anything. You won't be properly happy. So focus on what you have, and I think you'll feel happier, and maybe more alive. Personal Stuff: So, I kinda stayed up 'til way-too-late o'clock last night, setting up my Christmas book tree and making decorations for it. Paper star, paper snowflakes, yarn, tinsel, and the occasional ornament, now adorn the tree and surrounding area. I got a couple pictures of it, but they're all on my Kindle Fire (which I absolutely adore, but is a little difficult to blog on, as I'm currently discovering), so I'll see if I can show you later. Until next time! ~Amber |
| BCoF Prompt: "You can't solve a problem on the same level it was created. You have to rise above it to the next level." ~ Albert Einstein What are your thoughts about Einstein's statement? Do you agree or disagree? Well, I both agree and disagree with this. I think you definitely have to see your problems on a different level. But I am a person who tends to over-complicate solutions to simple problems, which is both unnecessary and a little frustrating. So, look at them from a new perspective, but don't overthink anything. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best ones. ~Amber |
| I'm making it my mission to answer (almost ) every Welcome To My Reality prompt for December. Let's do this. December 6, 2016 1. How do you feel about winter? It's by far my favorite time of year. I get to wear my favorite jacket, which is sadly neglected through the rest of the year. I get to use some of my warmer blankets, which usually share the fate of my poor jacket. It's the only season in which snow is even a remote possibility. I can't think of anything I don't like about it. 2. Do you love or hate Christmas? I love it! It's my favorite holiday! I get to see my family, and decorate the house, and eat cookies experience the joys of giving. Plus, it takes place during the winter which (as mentioned above) I adore. 3. Do Your Test Scores Reflect How Good Your Teachers Are? Absolutely not. I've had great teachers, and not-so-great teachers, but I've always had (more or less) consistently high grades. And I don't put much stock in tests, anyway. Your test scores, I think, show how good of a test-taker you are, and not much more than that. 4. Do Your Teachers or Boss Use Technology Well? Well, I'm homeschooled, currently, so I am my own teacher. I think I use technology fairly well. The teachers I had in school didn't use technology much at all, as far as I could tell, but what they did use, they used well. (I think. It's been a few years.)5. School Social Environment - Just how do you feel about that? I don't think school is much of a social environment at all. In junior high, at least, we were discouraged from socializing. Nobody said that, exactly, but there was never an opportunity to talk to people. It was either class: "No talking!", lunch (in which we sat in rows, not groups, so we could speak to the person to our left or our right), or gym class: "This is gym class, not social hour." Extracurriculars were about the best chance one had at socializing. 6. What Are You Looking Forward To, or Dreading, This School Year? Looking forward to: My pre-calculus class, if I ever finish Algebra II. Dreading: The ACT. I'm (hopefully) taking it in June, so I've got a while to prepare, but it scares me anyway. Ironically enough, I'm most nervous about the writing portion of it.  7. Would You Want to Be Home-Schooled? As a matter of fact, I would. Which is why.... *points to 4* I really love being homeschooled. It lets me work at my own pace, which is especially good for things like Algebra II and Spanish, both of which I'm fairly good at. 8. Would You Like to Take a Class Online? Ehh. I mean, I do all most of my schoolwork online anyway, but again, it's at my own pace. I think I'd prefer an online class to an in-person/on campus one, though. Just because people can be distracting. 9. Would You Rather Attend a Public or a Private High School? Is "no" a proper answer here? If not, then I guess a public high school. I'm not really fond of either, though. 10. How Would You Grade Your School? Homeschool. A+ 11. What Can Other Schools Learn — and Copy — From Your School? Focus on the material, not the test prep. 12. Is Your School Day Too Short? Nope! I'm required to complete 4 hours of coursework daily, and I get plenty of stuff done in that time. If there are days (and there have been) that 4 hours aren't enough, I keep working until I'm finished with whatever I'm working on. 13. What Do You Hope to Get Out of High School? A high ACT score, so I can get scholarships to college. Also, I'd like to get a good basis in math and science, to get me through college, and because those are subjects that I enjoy and would like to learn more of.14. Do You Have Too Much Homework? I'll reiterate: Homeschool. It's all homework. That said, however, I don't think it's too much. I think it's okay, for the most part.15. Does Your Homework Help You Learn? I should certainly hope so. Otherwise, I'd be wasting an awful lot of time, wouldn't I? 16. What Is Your Best Subject? Currently, Spanish. Usually, Algebra. I'm in a tough spot in math right now, and English is always hard, so I'd say definitely Spanish. 17. What Memorable Experiences Have You Had in Learning Science or Math? I had to dissect a starfish in 8th grade science. It was pretty disgusting, though not as horrible as I imagined. That's not something I'm likely to forget. 18. Are You Afraid of Math? No. Math and I have a strange relationship, but there's no fear. Frustration? Yes. Confusion? Absolutely. But I'm not afraid of it. On its good days, I actually sorta like it. 19. Do We Need a New Way to Teach Math? Um, no, not that I know of. I'm doing just fine. As long as it gets learned (learnt? No, definitely learned), I don't think it matters too much. 20. What Are the Best Ways to Learn About History? READ. The best way to learn anything, but especially history, is to read. That's my answer, and I'm sticking to it. 21. How Would You Do on a Civics Test? Ah... pretty poorly, considering the fact that I had to look up the word "civics".  22. How Important Is Arts Education? Fairly important, from a cultural standpoint. Otherwise, I think it depends on what your area of expertise is/will be. 23. What Is Your Most Memorable Writing Assignment? I hate writing assignments. (Maybe not the best thing to say on a writing website, but it's true.) I love writing, but I hate assigned writing. I try to block out the memories of any such things. The most memorable thing (AKA the thing I can't quite make myself forget) is any speech I've ever had to write and then present. It makes me slightly ill to think of it.  24. What Would You Like to Have Memorized? The names of all the books I've ever read. I have the worst memory when it comes to book titles, so I always end up like this: "Yeah! I read this book the other day that was so great! What was it called, you ask? Um... It was, uh... something." 25. Does Your School Value Students’ Digital Skills? I don't just value digital skills; I require them. You know, online coursework, homeschooling, etc. 26. What Was Your Favorite Field Trip? I went to a dog (can't think of the word, so I'll improvise) farm with my photography group once. It was beautiful. There were chickens and horses there too (I've never figured out why), and one of my friends accidentally let one of the chickens out of the coop. Ah, good times.27. Do You Participate in Class? I have to. I don't have a choice. I'm the teacher, and the only student. If I don't participate, there is no class. 28. What Are Your Best Tips for Studying? I've never been much of a studyer, but my advice is this: If you're going to study, do so before the night before the test. If you need to study, staring blankly at your notes while you silently panic isn't going to do you a whole lot of good. 29. Do You Use Study Guides? Nope. I take notes, and use those if I need to go over something before a test or what have you. 30. Is Everything You’ve Been Taught About Study Habits Wrong? Absolutely. Everything I've ever been taught about studying is wrong, because I have never been taught about study habits. Ever. It was just a "do your own thing, and don't fail your tests" type thing. That seems pretty wrong to me. Psst. Hi. It's 1:30 in the morning right now. I've done exactly half the WTMR prompts in the last hour and a half-ish. I think it may be time to go to sleep.  To Be continued... December 6, 2016 1:55 PM 31. How Well Do You Think Standardized Tests Measure Your Abilities? Poorly. I think they're a good measure of how much of the school year was wasted doing review and test prep. (If you can't tell, I'm not a fan of standardized testing.) 32. Do You Have a Tutor? My mother, when I need help, I guess. That's it, though. 33. Are Your Grades Inflated? I don't get grades, exactly. I just look at the progress I've made. Any "grades" I get are a pretty accurate reflection of my knowledge/progress. 34. When Has a Teacher Inspired You? I don't know about inspired, but my 6th and 8th grade English teachers always encouraged my love of reading, for which I will always be grateful.  35. What Teacher Do You Appreciate? All of them. I think each of my teachers played a unique and important role in my education. 36. What Teacher Would You Like to Thank? The above-mentioned English teachers, as well as my 7th grade math teacher, who made math fun, and junior high bearable. Also, my music/band teacher in junior high. She was easily one of my favorite people in that school, and she taught me so much. 37. What Do You Wish Your Teachers Knew About You? That they have had a huge impact on my life, and that I use the wisdom they imparted even know, all these many years later. 38. Do Your Test Scores Reflect How Good Your Teachers Are? I believe I've already answered this question.  (see Question 3)39. Do you listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving? For the most part, no. There's no hardcore Christmas music-ing in our house until after Thanksgiving (like right now, as I'm typing this). There is the occasional Carol of the Bells or the like here and there, but that's just because I like the songs. 40. Do you decorate the day after Thanksgiving or wait until it gets closer to Christmas? Well, seeing as it's six days into December, and our house is as undecorated as ever, I'd say a little later. 41. What kind of decorations do you put on the tree? Well, for reasons I'll explain for the next prompt, we don't use a whole lot of decorations for our tree. Just some little things here and there. 42. Do you buy a real Christmas tree or use an artificial one? Is your artificial tree green or white? Okay, so before we moved to where we live now, we had an artificial Christmas tree. It was green. Then, when we moved, we did not (for some reason or other) bring our tree with us, so we've had to improvise. Last year, we made a Christmas tree out of books, which is lots of fun, but can't be decorated overly-much. Fire hazards, you know, and since 90% of the books making up that tree are mine (yes, I have lots of books), I definitely do not want any of them catching fire (though one of them is probably Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins ).43. Do you have a theme or use just one color for your decorations on the tree? My theme is "fire resistant". Otherwise, I can't be picky.44. Do you love Christmas? Yes. (See Question 2). 45. Do you have guests over for Christmas or go to someone else's house for Christmas? We usually have a few family members over for Christmas, but I've never gone to anyone else's house for it, as far as I remember. 46. Do you like snow at Christmas? Yes, if/when we ever get any. I would prefer it to the near-tornadic weather we got last year. And I just love snow in general. 47. Were you ever snowed in at Christmas? Not that I remember, but it may have happened when I lived in Michigan. 48. Do you think people get more depressed in December? Not in December specifically, but in winter people aren't exposed to as much sunlight as other times of the year. Exposure to sunlight boosts production of serotonin, which is a mood-balancing hormone, and.... yeah. No science lessons from me. Get sunshine, people! It's good for your health! 49. Do you do other things in December besides get ready for Christmas? Not sure how specific an answer is needed here, but yes, I do other things than prepare for Christmas. I don't spend 1/12 of my year entirely devoted to a holiday. I do chores, and schoolwork, and whatever else I do throughout the year. If "other things" means "any big things", then no, not particularly. 51. What are you favorite Christmas Movies? Be sure to share every one. The Polar Express and The Christmas Shoes are the only ones I can think of at the moment, although the latter never fails to make me cry.  52. What are your favorite Christmas Songs and Music? Be sure to share every one. Carol of the Bells is my favorite. That's all. 53. What will your dinner feast be for Christmas and what are your favorite ones that you will have this year for Christmas? Maybe a Thanksgiving-esque feast. Beyond, I haven't the foggiest idea. 54. Do you have snowball fights? Tell me a story of one that you really enjoyed having. I do have snowball fights, whenever the opportunity presents itself. The last time was on my 16th birthday, almost a year ago, when I taught my little brother how to properly dodge snowballs.  55. What is it that you really want for Christmas? What would be nice? World peace, an end to poverty, etc. Being realistic? Books and chocolate.  57. Gingerbread Houses do you enjoy making them and eating them? They're a bit messy, but yes. I actually prefer making them to eating them. If anything, I really like eating ginger/gingersnap cookies. Mmm.  58. What is you favorite things that you do at Christmas time? Listening to Christmas music, spending time with family, eating cookies experiencing the joys of giving. 59. Do you still do things for Christmas as when you were a little child or do have you changed most everything? What do you do the same and what do you do different?? Um, I think I do everything pretty much the same. Tree setting up/decorating. Baking cookies. Picking out gifts for the family. The usual. Well, it's 3:35 PM now, on December 6, and I'm about as done with this as I will be. That was interesting. Until next time! ~Amber |
| Hello! So, this is the first time I've had a blog since *calculates some numbers* approximately February 2015. It's been a while. The title of this new blog, "Amber's Midnight Musings", is one that I've been hanging onto for a while. For a rainy day. Now, I don't know if it's been all that rainy today, but now seems as good a time as any to use the name, so there you are. As you can see, I tend to ramble a bit, but I swear, I'll try to stick to the prompts (that I don't yet have)! This is my introductory post. I hope you have been well-introduced. Until next time! ~Amber |
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