Hello 2009

Well, sit down and prepare for a long ride. I have to cover Christmas and New Year's Eve in one Post (I really should get a medal for this). I'll start with Christmas since it comes first. My Christmas had three parts; Part 1 Thanksgiving (I consider Thanksgiving Christmas part 1, because it is warming up your eating muscles for Christmas dinner), Part 2 Christmas Day (Presents!), Part 3 Boxing day (The day after Christmas). I need to go a bit more into depth about Part 3. On Part 2 I received a keyboard as a present. However it was not the keyboard I wanted, so on Christmas Part 3 I exchanged it for the keyboard I really wanted. The keyboard is awesome, and if I can ever figure out how to work the connection cord I will put some music on my blog.

Now New Years, Well I think it was the best New Years eve I ever had. That really stinks because it was awful. Previous years have consisted of sitting on the couch watching the ball drop and then going to sleep, so anything can beat that. Well anyways my New Years Resolution is, 365 days Vegan. For a whole year I'm going to take pictures of what I eat. Yeah I know exciting, right? Well my friend told me some guy took pictures of what he ate for a year. He made a book out of it and people bought it. I don't think I'm going to be making a a book, but I do have a blog. It is called 365 days Vegan. The main purpose of the whole thing is to show people what vegans eat. It gets a little old when people always ask me, "What do you eat?". Then they make sure I'm getting enough vitamins. Uggh, it is usually adults too, and they think they are so smart and know more about food. Just because you have eaten more meals than me doesn't mean you know more about nutrition. If I tell people I take a vitamin they usually back off, but some people just don't get it. I hope you have a marvelous 2009, because if you can read all my rants you deserve it!

Bovine Excrement- veggies

I was listening to a podcast I got off iTunes. It is the Vegan Freak Podcast. It is episode 101, and they are talking with a guy called the Angry Hippie. This guy has his own podcast and he talks about politics, animal rights and stupid people (It sounds like my kind of podcast). He was talking about people who say they are vegetarians or vegans, but yet they eat meat, or diary. He calls them bull****atarians. I agree. I know a few people like that. My brother's friend's family eats white meat, but they call themselves vegetarians.
I have an idea forming in my head. I was thinking of doing a presentation at my school about animal rights. Most kids I know love animals, but they have not been shown what really happens to your McNuggets. I think if they saw it they would be disgusted. That is what happened to me. I read a book about how animals are slaughtered, and I became a vegetarian (the real kind). I saw a video by PETA showing the exact cruelties I heard about and I became a vegan. It is a ten minute video, so on a day we are doing nothing in science class (this is science) I thought maybe I could show the video and get the people to do a worksheet about different kinds of animals. Hopefully I would have a lot less meat eaters.
I also have to have a serious talk with my reading teacher about this stupid lexile system. I don't feel like going into detail right now, but basically there is a system in place that discourages loving reading and prevents children from reading books they enjoy.

Procrastination, my biggest talent

Well I finished my essay but I didn't type it yet, so I've finished half the battle. I'm going to bring it too my teacher on Monday and ask her which quote I should use. In the mean time I better start working on my other homework. I'm feeling lazy today. I definetly need some m&m's (motivation and music). I really want to clean my room. My bed hasn't actually been made in about 3 weeks. This week is the last week before Holiday vacation. I can't wait, the famous four (my least favorite classmates) and I really need a break.
One last thing I want to share with you. I had to get teacher reccomendations to enter this pre-IB program, and every single one of my teachers gave me all 5's but my reading teacher gave me a 4 in communication skills! I can't believe that. I'm trying to not let it bother me too much, but I seriously think she doesn't like me. Of course I'm shy and all, but there is no need to.... Well anyways it was only a four. Hopefully the people reviewing my thing will think she is messed up in the head. So I'm off to clean my room.

Never have I been more happy...

I've been looking up vegan quotes for an essay I have to do to enter a high school program. It is the IB program and I really hope I get into it. Otherwise high school will be devastating. This week has been boring. I was sick most of the time. I have a sore throat, and now I think I'm getting an ear infection as well. I think I should have Green Tea every morning in addition to my oatmeal. I don't really like orange juice. My mom won't buy an organic kind (it is only twice the price). I really don't want to drink Tropicana or that other junk we have. I live near a Tropicana plant and it is an eye sore as well as stinky. I also think corporations in general are stupid and I would prefer to buy from a company that cares to care, not because it looks good and sells a product. One last thing I think there a three types of people in this world, murderers, vegetarians and vegans. You wouldn't eat your dog/cat so why would you eat a pig/cow. I've been a vegetarian for a year and I can tell you I have no desire to eat meat anymore than I have a desire to eat you. I'm also very strong. I beat all of my friends at arm wrestling (well except for one but her arm is 3 times the size of mine and I'm not even joking.)

Well anyways, these quotes make me very happy to be a vegan. I want to share some of my favorites with you:

Howard Lyman If you visit the killing floor of a slaughterhouse, it will brand your soul for life.

Leo Tolstoy A man can live and be healthy without killing animals for food; therefore, if he eats meat, he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral.

Ruth Harrison, author of Animal Machines In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last by otherwise intelligent people.

Neal D. Barnard, M.D., President, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. Washington, D.C. The beef industry has contributed to more American deaths than all the wars of this century, all natural disasters, and all automobile accidents combined. If beef is your idea of 'real food for real people,' you'd better live real close to a real good hospital.

Franz Kafka, while admiring fish in an aquarium Now I can look at you in peace; I don't eat you any more.

Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) What is it that should trace the insuperable line? ...The question is not, Can they reason? nor Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?

Charles Mayo (founder of the Mayo linic) I abhor vivisection. It should at least be curbed. Better, it should be abolished. I know of no achievement through vivisection, no scientific discovery, that could not have been obtained without such barbarism and cruelty. The whole thing is evil.

George Bernard Shaw, writer, Nobel laureate (1856-1950) When a man wants to murder a tiger, he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him, he calls it ferocity.

Albert Einstein It is my view that the vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.

Gail Shepherd "And the kicker: "Our demand for meat, dairy, and processed carbohydrates drives us to consume way more calories than are good for us; and those calories are in foods that cause, not prevent, disease. The evidence is very clear that plants promote health." "We need to jump on this bandwagon and hang on for our lives if our kids are going to live in a world we'd even faintly recognize — if, for that matter, they live to see it at all."

Casey Affleck “Chickens, cows, and pigs in factory farms spend their whole lives in filthy, cramped conditions—only to die a prolonged and painful death. Their bodies are then turned into food products proven to contribute to heart disease and cancer. To eat that is to eat poison.”

Robert Cohen "Death, pain, and torture, by any other name, cannot sanitize the great injustice we do to animals."

Paul Harvey
Ever occur to you why some of us can be this much concerned with animals' suffering? Because government is not. Why not? Animals don't vote."

Isaac Bashevis Singer "People often say that humans have always eaten animals, as if this is a justification for continuing the practice. According to this logic, we should not try to prevent people from murdering other people, since this has also been done since the earliest of times." As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. Slaughter and justice cannot dwell together.

Three fifths compromise

I learned about something at school today, it is called the three fifths compromise. Basically they states didn't know how to count slaves with taxes, and count them in the population. So they counted 3/5 of the slave population of that state. Just a fun fact, it has nothing what so ever to do with my post. My mom is getting really mad at my school, and for some reason I love this! She drove me and my brother to school today (we normally take the bus, even though our bus driver is psycho. We want to carpool and save the Earth! I'm kidding, my parents don't want to waste gas, but it is basically the same thing.) Anyways this lady in front of her was going really slow so my mom screams, "Is she waiting for the second coming of Christ?!?!"It was more the way she said it than what she actually said. My friends found it funny so I thought I would give it a shot.

That brings up the next question why was my mom so mad at my school? Well she wants to get a form so I can be in an pre-IB program at another school. She called 5 times and asked for them to give me a form, so finally today she got one.

I'm not doing very well with my goals, on Monday I have to tell my reading teacher The Devil's Arthimetic thing. I have no clue what she is going to say and that is why I'm scared.

I'm reading the book Jane Eyre I'm on Chapter 2, but I like it so far. I'm going to try and read all of the classics before I get out of school. They are the only books that actually challenge me. I have to read slow and sometimes re-read. I like Dracula so far, I love the way Bram describes this guy's fear, it is so real.

Get into the Groove!

I'm starting a few things today here they are

• Not care what other people think of me
  


• Learn more
  


• Post a picture with each of my entries

Yeah I'm not too ambitous today. These goals are going to be hard for me. Especially the first one. I'm extremely shy, I don't usually talk above a whisper in public places for fear that someone will be listening to my conversation and think I'm stupid. I'm just now realizing how ridiculous that is, besides why do I care what a complete stranger thinks of me. Afterall I don't care what my dog thinks of me and he is definetly more important than someone I'm probably never going to see again.

The picture has my pledge on it with all the typical american symbolisms. It's all I could think of (and execute) in a pinch. I like it, but I think I'm going to change it to include people, but then it might be too busy and distracting.

Well I'm going to go to http://www.freerice.com to work on my Spanish and Geography. I hope you have a great day and week.

Rewrite the pledge

A couple of days ago I was talking about how annoying the "writer in my head" was being. That night I could not sleep and as it was nearing midnight I whipped out my 5 subject spiral bound notebook and wrote away. Seeing as I'm feeling uninspired today I'll share that essay with you. Any comments or remarks you may have please share, I have no idea how to edit!

Key: original speech, just added now, omitted but written on original copy, omitted now my comments.
Word/Quote/Speech that inspired me throughout this essay:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

and to the Republic for which it stands,

one nation, under god, indivisible with

liberty and justice for all."

Rough Draft

Quite Frankly the Pledge of Allegiance means nothing to me. If anything it is a daily reminder of the hypocrisy and injustice that occurs daily. There are 3 main region lines that I find undeniably contradictory as well as untruthful. "I pledge allegiance to the flag..." what has tho i How is a piece of fabric going to help me? "One nation under god.." What happened to freedom of religion, or therefore having to ability not to believe in god (atheism). "With liberty and justice for all." Is it justice that I have to my parents have to pay taxes for a pathetic excuse of a public school system? I think not.

I haven't even delved into the surface of these idiocies. I'll start out with "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America...." The flag really doesn't care about your allegiance. Actually the flag isn't even alive so I doubt it cares about much of anything. Of course I realize the flag is a silly symbolism of America and pledging your allegiance to your country, but if that is true why not say "I pledge allegiance to the people of the United states of America..." It makes seems more logical to ally with something that is actually alive.

I know Shocker! Some people don't believe in god. Run out and convert them as quickly as possible. (In case you didn't know, that was sarcasm back there a sarcastic remark). Isn't America supposed to welcome immigrants and other people who are different? (Welcome does not mean, "Make fun of accent or belief.") Even our your money says, "One nation under god." Coul With our your "American Ingenuity" couldn't you have come up with something more original and friendly than that? Such as, "One people united..." or "One people of common values." My use o The reason I changed nation to people is the gov nation is run by the people for the people. When I'm starting school I would rather think of people like my neighbors, than people like George W. Bush.

I saved the biggest bug for last. "Liberty and Justice for all...". The pledge should be based off of truth and reality. Not someones ideal of the perfect American society. Do I'm sure you or someone you know has complained about unjust treatment of people in America. Who is regulating that everyone gets justice? Well, the justice system of course. You complain, and they come skipping towards you offering to imprison your boss for firing you for no good reason your potential employer, because you suspect discrimination (again, sarcasm). I think the person (most likely a man, because a women aren't offered wouldn't be trusted to write something this important) I'm talking about a long time ago when people started saying a pledge thought that this was how the justice system actually works. When in fact it is very hard to prove you were in fact fired because of your race, religion, gender, appearance. discrimination. It wouldn't be worth it. There is the lawyer to pay and all that time you spent. an stress that you went through.

What is the solution? Rewrite the pledge! Or if you don't have the time use my version! It is based off of the original, but with my own improvements and suggest. Next time everyone stands up to pledge allegiance; look at the person next to you and say:

I pledge allegiance to the people of the United States of America

and to the gov nation for which they stand

one people of common values with free public lawyers for everyone.

I'm not joking, and I'm not making the Pledge of Allegiance a joke. I believe that it should tell the truth, just as witnesses on a trial are expected to. I also think my pledge will appeal to more people seeing as it is in layman's terms, so everyone is able to understand the meaning. I'm not forcing this on anyone. If you want to continue talking to a piece of fabric by all means go ahead. Don't be surprised disappointed if it doesn't live up to it's do all it promises.

2nd copy

Quite Frankly the Pledge of Allegiance means nothing to me. If anything it is a daily reminder of the hypocrisy and injustice that occurs daily. There are 3 main lines that I find undeniably contradictory as well as untruthful. "I pledge allegiance to the flag..." How is a piece of fabric going to help me? "One nation under god.." What happened to freedom of religion, or therefore having to ability not to believe in god (atheism)? "With liberty and justice for all." Is it justice my parents have to pay taxes for a pathetic excuse of a public school system? I think not.

I haven't even delved into the surface of these idiocies. I'll start out with "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America...." The flag really doesn't care about your allegiance. Actually the flag isn't even alive so I doubt it cares about much of anything. Of course I realize the flag is a symbolism of America, and pledging your allegiance to your country, but if that is true why not say "I pledge allegiance to the people of the United states of America..." It seems more logical to ally with something that is actually alive.

Shocker! Some people don't believe in god. Run out and convert them as quickly as possible. (In case you didn't know, that was a sarcastic remark). Isn't America supposed to welcome immigrants and other people who are different? (Welcome does not mean, "Make fun of accent or belief.") Even our your money says, "One nation under god." With your "American Ingenuity" couldn't you have come up with something more original and friendly than that? Such as, "One people united..." or "One people of common values." The reason I changed nation to people is the nation is run by the people, for the people. When I'm starting school I would rather think of people like my neighbors, than people like George W. Bush.

I saved the biggest bug for last. "Liberty and Justice for all...". The pledge should be based off of truth and reality. Not someones ideal of the perfect American society. I'm sure you or someone you know has complained about unjust treatment of people in America. Who is regulating that everyone gets justice? Well, the justice system of course. You complain, and they come skipping towards you offering to imprison your potential employer, because you suspect discrimination (again, sarcasm). I think the person thought that this was how the justice system actually works. When in fact it is very hard to prove you were in fact not hired because of discrimination. It wouldn't be worth it. There is all that time and stress that you went through.

What is the solution? Rewrite the pledge! It is based off of the original, but with my own improvements. Next time everyone stands up to pledge allegiance; look at the person next to you and say:

I pledge allegiance to the people of the United States of America

and to the nation for which they stand

one people of common values

with public lawyers for everyone.

I'm not joking, and I'm not making the Pledge of Allegiance a joke. I believe that it should tell the truth, just as witnesses on a trial are expected to. I also think my pledge will appeal to more people seeing as it is in layman's terms, so everyone is able to understand the meaning. I'm not forcing this on anyone. If you want to continue talking to a piece of fabric by all means go ahead. Don't be disappointed if it doesn't live up to it's promises.

The 2nd copy is the completed essay all put together and edited as of now. I would like to apologize in advance if this hurts any one's feelings or anyone feels I'm making fun of the pledge. If you want to use my pledge please do, but don't take credit for it. (my blog is licensed under a

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License) This license means you can share or distribute and transmit my work, as long as you give me credit and don't sell or alter anything on this page. I'm certainly going to recite my pledge at school on Monday, though I doubt anyone will notice.

Delete, Delete, Delete!

I do this thing where I form blog entries, novel ideas, or short stories inside my head. Oh no horrible you; you have creativity!(sarcastic of course) It is starting to bug me. Just when I close my eyes to drift off to dream land BOOM! my mind starts composing blog entries, or poems. That isn't even the worst part, eventually I convince myself *well that doesn't sound half bad* then I go to right and I remember maybe half of what (Just 1 minute ago) I composed. Wanna guess who I'm going to blame for this? Me (No, I'm a kid, remember, that whole I don't accept responsibilties for my actions thing =) ), My Parents (No).....The Public school system! =) Yes! They are not challenging me what so ever! If I had a chance to excercise my mind writing creativily thourghout the day I would not have this problem. This is why my blog is ever so important at this time. If I can't leave the public school system I'm determined to be the biggest pain in the neck who ever lived (Move over Dracula!)
Speaking of Dracula, I found this really great used book store place. You can drop your old books off for credit. Then when you buy books 50% of the payment is in store credit, and 50% in cash. My dad bought four books for me (as well as a puzzle for my mom, a couple books for himself, and a book for my brother; I know you really care about that!) They are

• The Scarlet Letter (Nathaniel Hawthorne)
• The Jungle (Upton Sinclair)
• The Plague Tales (Ann Benson)
• Dracula (Bram Stoker)

As of now I'm looking up vocab words for Dracula, because I'm going to read that first and I'm not a wordy person. My reading teacher better be ready for Monday because there is a storm coming! My class isn't allowed to read books below a certain level (It is called a lexile and some magical system labels books a number between 1-1500, most of the books being 600+). The whole system is stupid to me, if this (http://teacher.scholastic.com/products/sri/pdfs/Lexile_Map.pdf) chart is accurate I've been reading at a high school level since 4th grade.This year my class isn't allowed to read books below 900 because aparently they don't "challenge us enough" (If you want to "challenge us" why are you making me take reading class in the 8th grade?). Well this "novel" we are reading in class (It is required to be read) is a 730 lexile book! So contradicting, I want to scream at her. If she doesn't change it I will get my entire class to refuse to read it! I feel that class is a waste of time anyways and I want my parents to write a note asking me to take another class at that time. My friend at another middle school doesn't have to take reading because she scored above average on the standardized tests. Well guess what, I got a perfect score and I'm wasting 45 minutes a day "learning reading strategies". Hopefully next year will be better, my parents are trying to get me into some elitest program, I have little faith. "Everyone" my dad talks to says how wonderful, great and challenging it is. Well that is what people told me about middle school and here I am in 8th grade waiting for stuff to get harder. I don't want more worksheets, critical review quesitons or logic puzzles.

Do I really care?

Well my mom found a stray cat and bird the other day. My neighbors are keeping the cat until they can give her to a no-kill animal shelter (or unhopefully -not full of hope- me). We couldn't catch the bird and we don't know where s/he went. My dad is getting on my last nerve. It seems like everything I ask for (that is you know, when actually do ask for something) he says no. My parents don't even seem to have a genuine interest in my life. I'm thankful that they take me to dance and my L.A. fitness classes, and buy me special food; but those are material things and they never really talk to me. The most I get is a 5 minute conversation about which classes I want to go to this week, or my mom asks me if I want to go to class, because if not she is going to go to my brother's game. I don't understand how the people that do everything right, get nothing back. I've gotten straight A's my entire life and it has been rotten. My brother meanwhile has been all over the place A-B's D's C's! He has $300 worth of video games and DVDs, meanwhile I get the whole "Well we appreciate you more-you have a laptop-you have cellphone-don't be such a spoiled brat speech.". I don't even know what it could possibly be that get nothing. I would like to talk to the greater power who gives out all the magnificent gifts, beauty-intelligence-and other wonderful talents. I would tell him/her what a stupid thing it is to have intelligence, because you just realize how awful the world is. Bottom line, I'm mad, I'm sad and I feel under appreciated.

Slow

It bugs me so much when people take too long to do something. A prime example of this is school. These children take forever to do an easy task. Sometimes I can't believe it. They seriously don't care. they just ask me for all the answers and laugh about them being so unscholarly. They don't expect anything from themselves and they automatically brand themselves dumb. I know they aren't so it makes me sad when I go to school and see these kids. Any whoo Nothing too interestin' has happened lately. LA fitness moved Yoga to Wed. nights and I'm so excited. I really want to get better at dance too. I wish I could be homeschooled take, yoga and ballet. But I guess 1/3 isn't too bad right?