Saturday, June 2, 2012

Speed Reading

  When I tried the speed reading challenge,went to the staples link,and tried it, it said to copy and paste on my blog. So this is what it came up with.  My speed was 316 on the Alice In Wonderland exerpt. I found it to be fun. Hope this helps,this is what I copied and pasted...<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/technology-research-centers/ereaders/speed-reader/index.html%22%3E%3Cimg src="http://www.staples.com/sbd/cre/marketing/technology-research-centers/ereaders/images/static-ereader.png" alt="ereader test" title="Click to launch" width="230" height="300" /></a><br />Source: <a href="http://www.staples.com/E-readers/cat_CL164364%22%3EStaples eReader Department</a></p>

Monday, May 14, 2012

My invention

  Someone may have already thought of my invention. If so, I do apologize. My idea is to have something that detects those things that we lose everyday, such as the tv remote,the car keys, the car clicker,etc. The idea is that when you purchase something that has one of those items included,then you scan it under the device so it will recognize it,and find it when you lose it. And I say when,not if. Because I don't know anyone who hasn't misplaced one of those at some point in time. Lol. I know I have. My invention would not just detect the electronics in said item- it would also detect what materials were used to make it, the size,shape,anything really that helps to identify it. It would be able to detect up to about say, 20 ft. Any more than that and I'm afraid it may be finding the neighbor's stuff instead,lol,lol. I know it really doesn't sound like something that contributes majorly to society,but it would contribute to my little world. :) 

Thursday, April 26, 2012

My favorite video from Smithsonian.com

Hiding In A Coconut

You can either click on the pic and wait for the video to come up,or


go to:   http://www.smithsonianmag.com/multimedia/Our-Most-Popular-Videos-of-All-Time.html?c=y&page=3&navigation=thumb#IMAGES



     I enjoyed a few of the videos on that website. Being an animal lover, however, I found this one too hard to resist.  I really enjoyed watching that octopus hide by closing the 2 halves of coconut together like it's         supposed to go. It was funny seing it walk on it's tentacles-I've never seen that done before. I've seen other  videos that clearly show that the octopus is a very clever creature of the deep. Ones where the octopus is able to figure out how to get into a jar with a lid on it,or inside a beaker or other type of glass container in order to eat a crab inside. .Or where the octopus manages to squeeze through tubes to get where it wanted to go. One in particular involved 2 octopi facing each other. One octopus knew how to open a  container with 3 lids on it,but the other didn't. The 1st lid pulled all the way off. Another lid had to be twisted off. The last one pulled off,but didn't come off the container completely. The octopus that didn't know how to open the container learned by watching the other one do it. The experiment was repeated many times,with people placing the container in different positions so that each opening was used. It showed that the octopus learned how to do it, and was not just repeating movements. Quite interesting. 

           



Saturday, April 21, 2012

The Biggest Change Of My Life

   The biggest change in my life happened when my kids' father picked me up by my throat and carried me by the neck (my feet weren't touching the ground) across the living room to the tv in front of all 3 kids. I vaguely remember him screaming (though it was muffled by myself starting to black out). As soon as he put me down,I ran to the back bedroom,into the bathroom,and dialed 911. I had him arrested that day. June 5, 2010. Never will forget that day. And quite frankly,I don't want to forget that day. I know it sounds morbid, but that is one thing I'm grasping at here about change. Yes, it can be a good thing. Because if it hadn't happened this way, I might still be in a bad situation. I might be dead. And my kids might be motherless. It took physical violence to jolt me into a decision I had been avoiding for years. And years.  I'm crying and screaming inside as I write this,but it has to be  known. And I do have to face myself from time to time,or I'll just go insane. It's that simple.

   Growing up, I was always a person that got her feelings hurt easily. My parents knew this and tried to keep that in mind when talking to me. What I mean to say is, they never yelled and screamed at me. I had never experienced that type of verbal abuse. When I moved out at 18yrs. old, that changed. And not for the good.

   The first time it happened was about 2 weeks after I met my future husband. We were driving back to my brother's house in his (we will use RM from now on) mother's car. I don't remember what set RM off,but what I do remember is him screaming at the top of his lungs and me crouching as close as I could to the window. We were within a quarter of a quarter of a mile from my brother's house and he had slowed the car to a crawl while he finished his ranting ( later on he called it venting) in the middle of their long driveway. I remember being terrified and wishing he would finish driving to the house so I could get out. I was literally bawling wide eyed and pushing my body up against the door to get as far as I possibly could to get away from him. That day will haunt me for the rest of my life,because I know if I'd had the courage, I could have left him then. And that would have saved my kids from all the heartache they had to endure. But that also means I wouldn't have them,because they weren't born till years later. Catch 22. And I would never ever ever change the fact that I have my 3 wonderful,beautiful children. Everything happens for a reason. I'm not saying I was meant to go through the verbal hell that I did with RM. I'm just saying that I was meant to have these 3 kids,and that part I would never change for anything. I love them with all my heart. I'm momma bear,and I would go to the ends of the Earth to protect them.

    I was 18,and I thought,maybe he'll change,he says he will. He didn't mean it. Little did I know that's called the flowers and candy stage,also known as the honeymoon phase. "I'll never do it again,I promise" became his motto. And I believed it.  He would get mad and say,"I'm old and set in my ways. If you don't like it,you can pack your $#* and get the @*#k  out." It went back and forth.  He ripped my heart out, stomped on it, poked it just for fun. Then  later he'd stick  some duct tape on my heart and expect it to hold for a while. Then there would be good times, with both of us laughing and having the time of our lives. And at those times I would think, I'm just blowing it all out of proportion. He's not all that bad. Then he would snap,and there I would be, backed up quite literally in a corner crying with my arms folded protectively over my head while he bellowed red-faced over me,calling me a cry-baby. And he's one of the types that gets right in your face so you can feel the spittle and see the bulge of his eyes. Not a fun scene. I remember thinking well,it's not really physical,cuz he doesn't punch me. Never mind the fact that he punched the wall one time and punched the toaster oven. The twisted thing is,I thought it was enduring when he bought me a new toaster oven to make up for the behavior. Sick.

   I won't keep going on about my experiences right now,but I just want everyone to know that change doesn't have to be something of great fear. It can be a very good thing. Of course sometimes it's not so great, but depending on what that change is, sooner or later you will see that rainbow we all strive for at the end. My kids and I are so much better for it. They are in counseling and will be for a long time to get out the thoughts and feelings they have been trained to hold in by their father's actions since they were born. They were constantly told by him that crying is for babies (like he told me I was a cry-baby whenever I cried) , and to cowboy up. I hate that phrase,and you'll never hear me say that,or that big boys don't cry. Says who? Maybe that's why women tend to live longer. Because they do get the stress out better. Anyway, my kids are also doing much better in school academically,socially,and emotionally. Of course they are kids and I expect them to be. That means they will have their own way of doing things and their own pace. They have their tantrums (sorry Kroger and Walmart) We will struggle,but we'll struggle together,without having to walk on eggshells. And I'm trying to teach  them how a person should be treated, and that although change can be a good thing,we also don't have to put up with anyone treating us badly, at any time. It is unacceptable.  Be free to be who you really are inside, and bring it to the outside. And don't let anyone or anything stand in your way.


                      
   

              


 





Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Picking a quote to share

     My teacher wants us to pick a quote that means something to us,and share it. Harder than it sounds. There are just too many things that mean something to me. I'll share one of them,however,I will be sharing more later,tee hee.  For my first one,I looked to Aesop and his fables,which I grew up reading. Particularly the story of The Dancing Monkeys. It's about some monkeys that (you guessed it) danced. They wore rich clothes and masks,to look more human-like. They managed to fool most people,but one person decided to create some mischief by throwing nuts on the stage in the middle of the monkeys' performance. The monkeys immediately began to tear their clothes and masks off and fight each other for the nuts. At the end of the story is a moral...-"Not everything you see is what it appears to be."- and that is the quote I chose. Because it is true,that just because you see something doesn't mean that's what it really is or appears to be.
    
Anyone can appear to be something they're not. You can see the most scruffy looking person,in rags,dirty hair and body,with an awful odor,and judge them poorly because of their looks;however that person could be the most loving,caring,humble,helpful person you'll ever meet-if you take the chance to get to know them. It goes along with,"Don't judge a book by it's cover." Ok,so I put up two quotes,lol. But they seem too similiar to pass up showing them both. Not sure who wrote the second one though. Anyway,for example, a person can be head of a church,school,or other respectable organization,and be looked upon by a lot of people who think that just because they do this or that for the community,that means they are a good person. Not true. What if that same person comes home,and does unspeakable acts behind closed doors? Same person,two sides to that person. Or the so called 'father of the year image" where the father is an absolute monster to his family at home,then acts like he's this wonderful person who wouldn't hurt a flea to everyone else. Looks can be very deceiving.       

     These quotes mean a lot to me because at one time or another(or for years) I experienced people like these examples describe. Just a warning to others that you can't just take everyone the same way. And just because someone looks nice,doesn't mean they would never do anything to hurt the ones they are supposed to love and be loved by.


  


  

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

James Cameron's Deep Sea Dive

Hi,it's me again. Our teacher wanted us to check out the articles about James Cameron and his dive into the Mariana Trench and then find another one. Here's one that I found...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9168488/Mariana-Trench-dive-Ive-gone-to-another-planet-says-James-Cameron.html

I thought the whole idea of the dive was very interesting. I personally would love to go to the deepest part of the ocean and see what all is down there. I've always fantasized about what could be down there since I was a kid. My vision takes a weird turn sometimes. I would imagine Megaladons(ever since I read The Meg) and think of other supposedly extinct creatures from long ago. I know it's highly not likely,but it's still fun to pretend. Let's face it,I'm a kid at heart. :)

Thursday, March 22, 2012

My favorite place


      I picked Costa Rica as my favorite place,because I would really love to be able to visit there one day. I picked the picture of a Rhinoceros Beetle because it is just... so... AWESOME!!! Lol. Can you just picture yourself walking along the beach in Costa Rica,stepping into the forest,and finding yourself face to face with this beetle? Wow! It really was a hard decision,because of all the pictures of beautiful scenery, animals, and insects. So I'll just show you the great beetle picture while I tell you about the rest of this country. Imagine the sounds of all the brightly colored birds,the poison dart frogs (and other frogs),and the crocodiles and caimans. It would be a wonderful symphony of sounds. And that's not all. Think about the different species of monkeys and the sounds that they make. Then you could hike around and find some glorious waterfalls! Around the luxurious pools are black and green iguanas,sea turtles nesting on the beach,basilisks(lizards that can run across water...cool,huh?),and tons of other mammals and insects. Ever heard of a tayra? It's from the weasel family,but bigger around. And it's there too. Along with bats,which make up more than half the mammal species in Costa Rica. Blood sucking vampire bats(my favorite),are enjoying their meals here(heh heh). Basically,I want to see the waterfalls and scenery,but most of all,I want to go to Costa Rica for the wildlife!!!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

I am

I Am

I am humorous and dorky
I wonder if the chicken came 1st or the egg
I hear gluedrops in the wind
I see a dragon wearing pantyhose
I want to be able to work at home on the computer
I am humorous and dorky

I pretend I'm a sword swinging princess on Zelda
I feel elated about the power within
I touch a dragon's claw
I worry about pollution
I cry when I even think of my kids being gone
I am humorous and dorky

I understand that I'm not perfect
I say unicorns
I dream about the hamburger helper hand
I try to be patient
I hope to have my own house
I am humorous and dorky

My 1st blog post

Why am I doing this? Because my teacher wants us to do an experiment and it sounds kinda fun. I've never done a blog before,so hold on tight,folks.