Ketchup with Katie

An old neglected garden

Behind a rundown farm home

Flattened by the wind

And wild animals that roam

 

No one seems to notice

And no one seems to care

As weeds begin to flourish

And abandonment fills the air

 

The dirt becomes hard like clay

With clumps of rock and stone

Covered in dead fallen leaves

This garden appears completely alone

 

But one day in the beginning of spring

A curious little girl strolls by

She glances at this hopeless garden

When something white catches her eye

 

A small white lily

Is peaking through the pile of leaves

The girl is filled with wonder

And drops to her knees

 

She begins cleaning out the garden

And pulling out all the weeds

She works hard for hours

Tending to its needs

 

She nurtures the garden

Multiple times a day

Watering it faithfully

To soften the hard clay

 

She plants new seeds

Of unique flowers she chose

Watching it with hope

As each new flower grows

 

The flowers begin to bloom

With the help of the sunlight

The girl is proud of her garden

And she smiles with delight

 

She still tends to the garden

Working hard to keep it alive

Loving her new creation

And praying that it will thrive

 

Each of us were given a unique map to follow

That we all count on to lead us to tomorrow

Our personal map has a specific time and place to begin

And particular path to keep us from falling into sin

 

All our maps are marked with challenges along the was

And we’re face with something new each and every day

Such as forks in the road and insecure bridges to cross

Whether a difficult decision or a bitter personal loss

 

“Rush to the finish” is what the world has taught

And be the first to find the “X-marks-the-spot”

Enjoying the journey is what we fail to comprehend

Because we become so weary from sprinting to the end

 

Slowing down for the finer things is nothing to be ashamed of

Because when we hurry we forget the simple gift of love

If we are patient and savor each moment of our quest

We can be assured that our course will be truly blessed

 

The valuables we’re looking for aren’t really hidden or lost

In fact, our value for life was surely hung up on a cross

Ultimately the map will end and we will finally get the pleasure

Of meeting the one and only Mapmaker, the perfect eternal treasure

This essay that we had to read and react to is about how people, especially teenagers, love to watch horror movies. It is like a roller coaster to us, because we get an intense adrenaline rush from these horror movies. Stephen King says that people enjoy horror movies because it is entertaining and to prove that we aren’t afraid.

I agree with this essay and find it very interesting. I happen to love horror movies, but I hate them while I am watching it. I usually let myself get really scared during the movie, but I don’t ever get very scared or nightmares. I like the intensity of horror movies and the feeling of my heart pounding. That is the same reason why I like roller coasters. I like being scared, as long as I know that everything is going to turn out okay. I also think that I like horror movies because of society. People nowadays are so competative, and if we can prove that we aren’t scared of something, then we are supposedly the “bigger person.” This is really sad that we have to prove ourselves to other people because it really doesn’t matter. First of all, we shouldn’t care what other people think about us. And, second of all, what does it matter if we can hold in our screams during a scary movie? In conclusion, horror movies are good for entertainment purposes, but we shouldn’t watch them to prove ourselves to someone.

Today’s Holidays: Children’s Book Day, National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day, and National Walk to Work Day

We had to read an essay and comment on what we thought about it. This is an essay about a 21-year-old black man that is 6’2″ with a beard and billowing hair. He notices that during his nightly walks in Chicago, people who are walking alone around him either get scared or run away. He feels like people are prejudice to him because of what he looks like, even though he never means any harm. He later learns that the best way for people not to fear him is to hum classical music.

I found this essay very heartbreaking. I think that our culture is so judgemental, as you can read about in my previous poem. If a person is any different than us- whether if they are black, handicapped, poor, etc.- we tend to feel uncomfortable. We judge them because they don’t look like we do, but in reality they may be a lot like us. We have to realize that everyone is special because God created everyone. He specifically planned the way He created every individual person, therefore we are all equally unique. There is no rule book that says what a normal person is…everyone is normal in their own way. Since we are all “normal” in a sense, there should be no reason to judge somebody. I don’t understand why someone would be so frightened by this author, I actually think that he sounds pretty cool.

Today’s Holidays: APRIL FOOLS DAY!, Maunday Thursday, One Cent Day, National Fun Day, and St. Stupid Day

The cover of a novel

In the old shed

Dusty, piled under trash

Ignored and unread

 

Underneath it all is life

A story that needs to be heard

With nowhere else to go,

This is its home

 

You judged it wrong

It looks bad on the outside

So you piled it with more trash

You didn’t realize what’s underneath

… A beautiful life

 

 

 

The sides of the road

Filled with dead leaves and grass

Used as a trash can

Piled under moldy food and broken glass

 

Underneath it all is life

Beetles, ants, and bugs thrive

With nowhere else to go,

This is their home

 

You judged it wrong

It looks bad on the outside

So you piled it with more trash

You didn’t realize what’s underneath

…A beautiful life

 

 

 

An abandoned dog left to die

Covered in mud on the side of the street

No one even notices

 As it whimpers for help in the heat

 

Underneath it all is life

A dog who has years ahead

With nowhere else to go,

This is its home

 

You judged it wrong

It looks bad on the outside

So you piled it with more trash

You didn’t realize what’s underneath

…A beautiful life

 

 

 

Your neighboring peer

Smelly clothes and dirty hair

Shot down and ignored

Why should I care? 

 

Underneath it all is life

A girl beaten at home

A girl with nowhere else to go

This is her home 

 

You judged her wrong

She looks bad on the outside

So you piled her with more trash

You didn’t realize what’s underneath

…A beautiful life

 

 

Today’s Holidays:  National Chocolate-Covered Raisin Day, Harry Houdini’s Birthday, Kick Butts Day, and World Tuburculosis Day

 

 

As of now this is a pointless post because no one from any other country than Canada and the U.S. have read my blog but I hafta do it anyway. So…

People from Mexico: Do you ever get sick of the hot weather?

                                Do you have to learn English in school?

People from Australia: Have you ever pet a koala bear… are they actually mean?

                                   Are there lots of Aborigines and what are they like?

People from China: What is it like to live in a communist country?

                             Do you have American restaurants? -we have Chinese ones:)

Today’s Holidays: Fragrance Day, Children’s Poetry Day, National Teenagers Day, and Single Parents Day

 I am from the Northwestern part of the state of Iowa in the United States of America. It is known for its farming, conservative morals,  and especially corn. Now don’t get me wrong, Iowa isn’t a horrible place to live in, it is just not all that exciting. It may seem a little bit bland compared to some of the awesome places that you live in, but I guess it isn’t half bad. I actually haven’t lived in Iowa my whole life, but most of it, so I still know a few things you can do here for fun. If you ever were forced to travel to this state, here are some of the “must-sees” or as I would call them, “I have nothing better to do so I guess we can go look at this:)”

1. The Lakes– this is my favorite place to go in the summer time. “The Lakes” include Okoboji, Spirit Lake, and many others. I love to go boating, skiing, kneeboarding, tubing, wakeboarding, swimming, or just laying out at the beach. I would say that it is one of the more popular places in Iowa during the summer. There is also a small theme park nearby called Arnolds Park that hosts some concerts during the summer. I visit a resort called Village West almost every year, which is also connected to the lake, has 2 mini golf courses, 2 pools, and a game room.

2. Pumkinland– This is a corn maze only about 10 minutes away from where I live and it’s open every summer. It’s a little bit corny (ha get it? corney:)) but you can make it be a lot of fun. I go there about every year too. You have to go at night though, because then it is a little bit more creepy and exciting.

3. Drive-In Theatre– that’s right…back to the 60s, or whenever drive-ins were popular. There is one in Luvurne, Iowa that I have been to a few times in the summer which actually can be a lot of fun. You can sit in lawn chairs on the grass or in or on your car, just like the good old days.

4. The River– It’s just a small little river not more than 30 miles from my house, but I go there almost every summer with my friends too. It is a lot of fun to go tubing down it, swim in it, or just lay out on the little beach near it.

(There are also a lot of museums, fairs, and state parks, but I don’t really get into those much.) To see more go to http://www.traveliowa.com/ 

That’s about all I have to say about this state of Iowa, and pretty much everything that I listed can only be done in the summer. So if you absolutely want or have to come, I suggest not coming during the winter because it’s even less exciting then. Oh and if you’re looking for a great place to eat, try the nearest Pizza Ranch or Le Mars Blue Bunny Ice Cream-ice cream capitol of the world!

Today’s Holidays: First Day of Spring!, Big Bird’s Birthday, National Quilting Day, International Earth Day, Extraterrestrial Abductions Day, and Proposal Day

Do you have your eye on a certain hottie? Do you want to get their attention without looking like a COMPLETE idiot? Well do I have the solution for you! Not really though. Pick-up lines usually don’t work, but if you do really want to attempt one, my best advice is at least try to make it funny. Here are some pick-up lines that I think are cute, corny, cunning, or clever, yet still clean:

1. Are you lost?…Cuz heaven is a long way from here.

2. Are you okay….Cuz heaven is a long fall from here.

3. Hi, I’m a thief, and I am about to steal your heart.

4. I think I just dropped something…Oh wait, that was just my jaw

5. Did you just say something to me? (No) Well will you please?

6. What’s in your eye? Oh I think it was just a twinkle

7. If I could rearrange the alphabet, I would put U and I together

8. If you were a tear in my eye, I would not cry for fear of losing you

9. Is there an airport nearby or is that my heart taking off?

10. Was your father an alien?…Because there is nothing like you on earth.

11. Your dad must be a baker because you have a nice set of buns.

12. Are you tired? (No, why?) Becasue you have been running through my mind all day.

13. Pinch me. (Why?) You are so fine, I must be dreaming.

14. Your eyes are blue like the ocean and baby I’m lost at sea.

15. Ow! My tooth hurts! (Why?) Because you are soooo sweet!

16. You must be from Pearl Harbor, cuz baby you’re the bomb

17. You must be Jamaican cuz you’re making me crazy

18. Baby if you were words on a page, they would call you Fine Print

19. Are you religious? Because you are the answer to all of my prayer

20. You are like a dictionary because you add meaning to my life

21. I must be a snowflake because I have fallen for you

22. If you were a laser, you would be set on “stunning”

23. Excuse me, do you have any raisins? (No) How bout a date?

24. Do you have a Band-Aid? I just scraped my knee when I fell for you.

25. (Hold out your hand) Will you hold this for me while I go for a walk?

26. I was looking at a light bulb today and it made me think of you because of how you light up my world.

27. Do you know CPR cuz you just took my breath away

28. Excuse me, I seem to have lost my cell phone number. Can I borrow yours?

29. Are you a parking ticket cuz you have FINE written all over you

30. Do you believe in love at first sight or should I walk by again?

These are the best one I could find, but if you have any other good ones, feel free to comment.

Todays Holidays: Festival of Life in the Cracks Day and First Paper Money Issued Day and Middle Name Pride Day and Alexander Grahm Bell Day and National Girls/Women HIV/Aids Awareness Day and National Blueberry Popover Day and Harriet Tubman Day

For the assignment, March 2010 Challenge 1, I have to give you reasons why my blog is interesting and why you should read it. For one thing, most of my posts are either my attempt to be funny-I usually laugh at my own jokes but you probably don’t:) or just stuff that I find interesting. I also have a pet penguin you might find interesting. His name is Mumble from “Happy Feet” and if you click on him he will slip on his little ice berg and maybe even fall into the water! Ok its not that exciting but I’m trying to make you interested if you couldn’t already tell. I wish you could feed him though…I can’t figure out how not to get it cut off on the side with the theme that I chose. Frustrating!

You could also learn some things that could potentially kill you…which could be nice to know. If you are bored at school, I included a list of 1o things to do while you are sitting there listening to a teacher talk about a whole lot of nothing for 45 minutes straight. Hopefully some of my videos are a little bit funny to you too, because I find them hilarious. I’m really sorry if you are reading this whole thing and didn’t find it the least bit interesting or you still aren’t convinced why you should probably read my blog right now. Oh and I promise (not on my life tho) that from now on I will also include what interesting or national holiday it is of the day that I wrtie my post.

So…Cool Beans? Ok cool beans:)

Oh and by the way today is national “I want you to be happy day”, “Peach Blossom”, and “National Anthem Day”

 I don’t know about you, but I’m a senior in high school, and senioritis is starting to set in. It seems like classes are getting more boring and its getting harder and harder for me to focus anymore. I’m so ready for school to be done, but I know I have a few months to go. Since I still have to suffer school for a little bit longer, I came up with a list of things to do when you are extremely bored in class. These are some options that may be just a little bit more exciting than twiddling your thumbs, twirling your hair, or doodling. If this is you everyday in school, try out a few things on my list.

1. Make a football out of paper and play with someone else in your class…or if you can’t find someone to play with, then just see how far you can kick it with your fingers.

2. When it is dead quiet in your class, yell out, “Marco,” and see how many people respond with, “Polo.”  If no one responds, simply shout out, “Polo,” in the craziest accent you can think of.

3. Meditate. Hum really loudly and put your hands on your temples and close your eyes. If your teacher says something about it, act really offended.

4. When the class is really quiet, sigh as loud as you can and say, “this class is really boring.”

5. Take everything out of your back pack and set it on your desk. Clean out your folders and notebooks or start doing inventory on everything you have.

6. See how many tiny paper balls you can set on the person in front of you without them noticing.

7. Make big paper balls and pile them on your desk. If someone looks at you funny, just look tough at them and nod your head.

8. Try to fall asleep. When you wake up say something stupid like, “I had a dream about you…and you…etc.”

9. Start singing a really random song. One good example is “Can You Feel The Love Tonight” from Lion King.

10. Say quotes from a really funny movie you saw. The crazier and more random the better so be creative.

If you have any other good ideas, just add them to the list. This is the best things I could come up with that you could do in class without getting in too much trouble:)