Music I've Been Liking Recently

     Hello! I have been listening to a lot of music lately, and have developed what some might call a type. This includes:

1) "Again" by Noah Cyrus

2) "All Falls Down" by Alan Walker ft. Noah Cyrus and Digital Farm Animals

3) "Lush Life" by Zara Larsson

4) "Symphony" by Clean Bandit feat. Zara Larsson

5) "Love Is the Name" by Sofia Carson

6) "Dangerous Woman" by Ariana Grande

Music is nice to have on while studying, which is nice since I have a Science Olympiad meet on Saturday.

So bye

      Similar to Guava's post this week (click on the graphic to view it) and The Anthropocene Reviewed, a podcast by John Green, I shall be expressing my thoughts on items I happen to notice as I stare off into space.

4:59 PM:  Coconut water. So expensive, yet so irresistibly thirst-quenching and subtly sweet. Why does California have to produce most of the United States' fruits and vegetables and yet not grow coconuts? How can something so cooling and refreshing contribute to climate change every time it's transported to thirsty Californian residents like myself?

5:12 PM: Alexa; let me ask her to play some music.

5:13 PM: My Kindle Paperwhite. I am currently reading the Matched Trilogy for the second time. Currently, one of my favorite books is One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. It's a murder mystery... or is it?

5:16 PM: Tennis Ball. One of Casper's toys that he left around. How come he never has to clean up his things but I do? I DEMAND EQUALITY!

5:24 PM: I know this is a short post but now I'm going to go study (sure, Nandy...).

End of the Semester

Hello, Candies!

My school semester ends today (when you're reading this), and this gives me mixed feelings.

I am mostly happy that I get a fresh start with my grades, which are just barely satisfactory for me (although I'd say I have high standards for myself).

I am also a little tensed because I get a fresh start, so every assignment will count again. Currently, if I miss a free points somewhere, it doesn't really drop my grade because of the number of points I have collectively. However, since everything is wiped clean, if I miss a question on a test, it will really show.

Maybe I worry to much about grades.

On a lighter note, some of my friends will be switching electives, since our school had some electives that are only for half of the year. I am not among these, but it will be funny to see them starting at their schedules and trying to find their new classroom(s) like naive new sevvies (which is what we call seventh graders. If you were wondering, some of us sevvies call the eighth graders eightiots).

I can't believe half of the year is over. It feels like yesterday that I was getting used to the fact that I have 6 different teachers. Oh, how the time flies. In only seven months, I shall get to look down at the new class of seventh graders and think midgets.

All in all, I can't wait for a fresh beginning and a chance to get an A+ at school and life. Strangely, my school doesn't allow A+ as a grade. I'm as confused as you are. Whatever.

Farewell, Candies!

Well, That Was Arbitrary

     I got a plant on Friday (of last week). His name is Marvin Eugene and he is a spearmint cutting from my science class. We learned about stem cells and got a plant of our choice, which we are to try to keep alive for about three weeks. Then, we can see the magic that stem cells perform like it's no big deal. I take very good care of M. Eugene, but since our house is shaded from every possible direction, I am afraid he isn't getting enough sunlight. Or maybe that's just me being paranoid. I might be just a smidge overprotective.
     The latest book I finished (and also a serious contender for my favorite) is called The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I highly recommend for students my age with parental consent. It has also been turned into a movie which I can't seem to find on the interwebs despite my borderline desperation.
     School this week included four tests over three days for me, but at least when you're reading this, I am about to, am using, or have experienced Google VR headsets in my science class. My friend's science class did this last week and I have only been a little (oh, who am I kidding. A LOT) jelly. But now it's our turn. So there.
     This post was random. I just had a swimming class and am so tired that my head might just fall on the keyboard any second and type who knows what. Make sure to follow, comment, etc. Thyme for me to go to sleep (get the pun; thyme, mint???? No? *sigh*) Have a nice day and ad;nwoiuouwoiskalkjaoijbv

Scrutiny: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

     Greetings, candies! I shall be reviewing The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

   The story follows a Spokane Indian teenager as he leaves his reservation to go to a school in a nearby town with better facilities. He deals with racism and loss as he finds out who he is. This book shows some struggles of living on an Indian Reservation surrounded by poverty.

This book has moderate cursing and some usage of slurs.

     Although I totally didn't do a good job of explaining this book, I have to say that it made me feel for the main character. I would highly recommend this novel to children aged 11-14.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

     I'm sorry for the short post, but as you probably guessed, school started again.

THIS IS CASPER AND I HAVE TAKEN OVER NANDY'S BLOG

     Hello, humans. Nandy had a somewhat depressing week, as you will soon find out, so today I thought I would be a good dog and relieve her of the burden of writing a blog post. It's time for...

THE (SUSPECTED) EXPOSURE

     On New Year's Eve, just as they always do, the family left me at home and went to a party at an old family friend's house. They came back stuffed, and sleepy and went immediately to bed.

    

THE FALLOUT

     The year started off seamlessly, hiding the struggles to come behind its beautiful disguise. On January 1st, the family went on an excursion (and left me in the car - HOW RUDE!?!). Nandy felt a slight pain in her stomach, which passed soon. Little did the family realize that this was a premonition to their soon-to-come temporary ruination. 

     The next day, Jan 2nd, was one of the worst of 2018. The father had left to work, leaving the mom and Nandy alone at home. Except the mom seemed to have contracted a food-borne illness. She was in pain and had to lie down the entire day. The house was quiet and gloomy, the clouds outside not helping. Nandy was depressed, and she felt sorry for everyone as she cooked breakfast and lunch for her mom and herself and vacuumed the entire house. The atmosphere in the house was overwhelmingly despondent, but that would have been much preferred to what happened the next day. 

     At around 2 am on January 3rd, the anticipated disaster struck. Nandy vehemently displayed that one symptom of food-borne illnesses that I don't need to get into, and the father followed at around 4 am. Both stayed home that day, cautiously consuming fluids and rolling around in their pain like pigs in their own filth. Luckily, by the end of the day, the symptoms had mostly passed save for a few sparse stomachaches.

    

      That night, the whole SFO Bay Area, around 9 million people, were shaken in the middle of the night by a 4.4 magnitude earthquake. Of course, Nandy slept through it. What is shaming is that I, a canine with senses far superior to these humans and known to predict this sort of thing, snoozed through the quake as well. Maybe my observations should be taken with a grain (or a packet) of salt, seeing as I can't even be shaken awake.

     That brings me to today, January 4th. An uneventful day, the passing of time marked only by Nandy leaving and coming back from a Science Olympiad practice. 

     As you have seen, this week was quite melon collie for Nandy's family. The week was ruff for them all, so mutt we move on to happier topics? It's the leashed I could do. This is me playing fetch with Nandy; it makes her happy, so I deal with the repetition.

Also, have you heard this weirdly wonderful song by Sia? Click on the link hidden in the post to find it.

Follow Nandy's blog and come back every Friday for new posts; it makes her oh-so-happy, and when she's in a good mood, I GET TREATS! 

Also, expect an entire blog redesign soon; Nandy would like to change stuff up after helping her friend Guava set up her new blog. Find it by clicking the other hidden link in the post.

     

How I Spent Christmas

     I spent Christmas in Las Vegas. From Sunday to Wednesday, my family drove from our home's mild coastal climate into what was once the hottest place on Earth, and the lowest point in North America. Then we drove on into the largest city in the Mojave Desert, one famous for being called "Sin City." I learned and saw things I will never forget. I walked on an actual salt flat, the ground pale, crunchy, and yes, salty into the distance. I learned that even though Death Valley is notoriously arid and extreme, it has its own indigenous species of fish and that a Native American tribe has called the region home for a thousand years. And even though a relatively large part of the population where I live is vegetarian like me, I enjoyed some of the best veggie food I have ever tasted in Las Vegas.

And I did it all

Internet-free

     Which was quite invigorating actually. For once, I could feel myself creating my own ideas instead of having them handed to me. I could feel myself actually appreciating the beauty of what I was seeing. I could feel myself becoming more... what's the word... mindful? Yes, I was becoming more mindful. I didn't realize how detached I was from the world until I wasn't anymore. And I don't think it was the nature, but the simple act of not going on the Internet unless it was totally necessary. I wasn't consuming information I didn't need anymore, which let me think for myself. Now I'm back at home, with about four internet-connected devices in the same room as me. Let's see how long this mindfulness lasts; hopefully for a long time.