A whole month!!! Lots of news, good and bad.

Whoa! Can't believe I've been too lazy to post on Blogger for a whole month, nearly two! Lot's to talk about.

First of all, welcome home, Jacoby!

Been really busy for the last month and a half. At school, we've had essay after essay, book after book, project after project! I had to write a 7 page in class essay with no earlier preparation in two hours on the monster in Lord of the Flies, I've got to finish reading 1984 over winter break, and I have to finish a project worth most of my semester grade in the first couple days back to school. We've been working on the same Career project for months!

Earlier this month, I was in my first Fencing tournament! It was awesome. The place it was at was so much more... organized, than the elementary school gym in issaquah, that I go to for lessons. It was a Regional Youth Circuit, and wasn't worth any national points. I did great in the early prelim rounds, winning 2 out of my 4 matches with the people in my pool. Once the real matches started though, I lost my first match to the only other student from my fencing school, 15-14. I had a big lead for a while, but had no concept of clock management and was too aggressive. She took back the lead by one and ran out the clock, while I tried desperately to get back the lead. FAIL. In the end, I got 9th place out of 12, and surprisingly enough, the girl who beat me in my first match, Jade, won in 3rd place. Congrats!

I've read a lot of great books lately. I spent weeks reading through the Belgariad series, and it is fantastic! One of the best fantasy series ever! I started the Mallorean, but just didn't get into it. I finished book one, but then moved onto something new. Today, I went to Barnes and Noble and got three new books. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson, Magician: Apprentice (which I'm now reading) and Magician: Master by Raymond E. Feist. I've heard it's amazing, and it's pretty good so far. I'll find out I guess.

I've also seen a lot of movies in the last two months. I've watched all of the X-Men movies, including the new one, I've watched Star Trek (twice! In the last two days! Awsome!!!), Up, Sherlock Holmes (Good movie!), Old dogs (ok), and 21, the blackjack one. Most of the movies I've seen have been terrific, and I'm excited to go see Avatar tomorrow. Supposed to be fantastic.

Now for the bad news...

Winter break has been very eventful, although that is not necessarily good. Not good at all. I spent the first week being lazy, playing the new call of duty game and ping pong at my dads. We celebrated our first christmas with our dad's girlfriend, Jackie, and her family. That was fun, but afterward, was when the bad started. We couldn't go skiing Christmas day, because Jackie's daughter, Caroline wasn't feeling well. Turned out that skiing was the worst of our problems. That night, Caroline was even worse, so they decided to be safe and take her to the hostpital. She had a Pneumonia that was resilient to antibiotics and one of her lungs was filled with fluid, and the other was half filled. A few more hours of waiting, and she'd have died. Because they couldn't get the antibiotics to work, the weren't sure whether or not she'd be all right. Last night, the antibiotics began working though, and she's gotten a little better, although I haven't gotten the most recent news, because I've been with my mom the last few days. I'm seeing my dad tomorrow though, so I'll ask then. Luckily, they think she'll live, although she'll have to spend the next few weeks in the hospital.

Well, good luck Caroline.

That's all I've got to talk about for now. Sorry I've been gone so long.

TV

Ouch! I'm being eaten alive! The bugs are killing me! Even though I used to live in Georgia, I've gotten used to having no bugs in Seattle! I've been doing a Kayak camp with my cousin, Tilly, and our friend, Yael for the last few days. I'd known I'd been going with Tilly, but I was completely surprised when I heard Yael was coming. We've been going to Camp Judaea for the last 6 years together. She is the daughter of my cousin Michelle's best friend, so that's how she knew Tilly and I. What really surprised me was that she lives in Israel, so it would be an awfully long commute every morning and afternoon. Turns out, she is staying in the US until January, and being homeschooled by her mom.

Anyway, I've been watching more TV lately than I have before. I think it's because I've finally gone to try out new TV shows meant for older audiences than Spongebob. Now, instead of watching those stupid kid TV shows that my brothers watch, I watch some really good shows. The first one I tried out is Lie to Me, on Fox. I loved getting out into some new shows, so I stuck with this show to the end of the season. It's about a guy who can read microexpressions on faces to tell when they are lying. I then tried out a couple of others, including Heroes and Bones. I could never find any episodes of Heroes, so I stopped watching at episode 6. Then I found Bones, and it is the best tv show ever. It is a crime-solving show about a forensic anthropologist who is working with an FBI agent to solve crimes no one else can. I have watched all the way through season 4 in the last 6-7 months, and it is terrific! Sadly, all of the TV shows ended right before I left for camp, so I have to wait until next fall for some new episodes. Luckily, on NBC, I found a new summer show: Merlin. It tells the story of a young Merlin in a Camelot where magic is forbidden by it's ruler, Uther Pendragon. Merlin's duty is to protect the future king, Arther, and often has to use magic to do so. It's unfaithful to the original legend in a thousand ways, but it's still a good show.

Anyway, hopefully I won't get too addicted to TV again. I'll try to spend more time posting instead.

Catching up

Crap!!! Sorry I wasn't able to write another post the night of my last one. After I got off the computer, my brothers claimed it for the rest of the night, and have since then. The only reason I can write now is because Jordan is still asleep, and Ezra flew to Virginia the other day to visit a friend. Jordan and I are still in Savannah for another week, until this Friday, though.

Yesterday, my Grandmama took Jordan and I to a family reunion, where I was able to meet a bunch of the family that I'd done research on for my family tree, and those I hadn't known existed.

Over the last week, I've seen a ton of new movies. I saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, and I've gotta say, it sucked. My dad said he felt nauseous afterward, and there weren't even many disgusting scenes.

We also saw Ice Age III: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, and it wasn't half bad for an Ice Age movie. A bit silly of course, but it was way better than Transformers II.

And last, but certainly not least, the best movie of the series so far in my families opinion (Tilly, Jordan, and Ezra), HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE!!! Sadly, we weren't able to see it the day it came out. We had to wait until Thursday. The movie was terrific!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
They did skip a couple of scenes, but what they didn't skip, they did really well. Especially the Weasly's Wizard Wheezes! Awesome place! Oh yeah, and the Felix Felicis scene was hilarious!!!

I'll probably have more time to write now that Ezra isn't going to be hogging the computer, so I'll write later, although I may not get a chance until tomorrow. I've found a lot of really good TV shows. Maybe I'll write about them.

High School: Class of 2013: Class Choices: Part 1

Sorry I haven't posted here in a while. Nothing has really happened, other than homework and the Superbowl, which everyone's already talked enough about. I was rooting for the Cardinals by the way, and the Doritos crystal ball commercial was the best.

Last night, my mom went to some High School informational meeting, to learn about my class choices. There are 7 periods of the day, and these are the classes she suggested to me:

• English 9
• ATC English 9
• Honors Geometry 9
• Honors Science 9 (Chemistry and Physics)
• World History 9
• Spanish 2 (2nd year of Spanish)
• 
  

That last one is a free period. I think I'll take her suggestions on this. In middle school, I took some more fun classes, but in high school, I don't think it's about having fun at school.

This Thursday, someone is coming to our school to talk for two periods to us about classes to take, so that may change my answers a bit. I'll post again after that. By the way, ATC English 9 stands for Advance Tecnical Communications. My mom says that it is very useful if you want to write papers or books.

Fencing

Fencing: An olympic sport which is based off of swordfighting. 

Before 1st lesson:

I'm so excited!!! I start fencing lessons at the South Bellevue Community Center tonight!!! I've wanted to do this for so long. Watching Fencing in the Olympics really fueled my entusiasm (I don't usually use that kind of phrase.). And reading ton's of fantasy books really helped. Plus, if anyone has seen The Princess Bride, they'll know how that played into it. I can't wait. I am so jumpy that I decided to use a homework pass on one of my assignments. I wouldn't be able to finish more than 1 assignment because I'm so jumpy. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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There. That got rid of some of my jumpyness. Sorta. I'll post about my lesson after it happens.

By the way, I've gotten a lot of work done on my story in the last few days.

Like Bettina, I'm having trouble ending a post.

Awww... My cat looks so tiny curled up in a ball.

Ok. I'm done.

After 1st lesson:

It was really fun! I loved it. First, we started by learning the footwork: Engard, Advance, and Reverse. Then, we got a sword and learned how to hold it correctly. (The type of fencing we're learning is Epee, which is the French word for sword.) We also learned how to do the footwork while holding the sword, and how to do the basic attack: the Lunge. It was actually very tiring. Not only was the sword heavy, but holding the same bent-knees position for so long while moving hurts. I can't wait for my lesson next week.

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year, everyone!!! It's finally 2009, and I'm confident that it will be a good year! (As long as we don't move.) First of all, later this year will be the start of high school! I can't wait to see how it's gonna be. Also, I hope to have finished my book by the end of the year. If many people could write a 50000 word novel in a month, I'm sure I can finish my rough draft with a years work. Only 44000 more words to go... to reach 50000. There are also some reading goals I want to meet. I want to have read some Shakespeare, for one. I'll figure out others later though. One Shakespeare is enough for me... for now anyways. My dad and I are going to see The Tempest in May, so I need to read that by then.

Lot's to do in so little time. A year is shorter than it feels.

Movies: Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and Marley & Me

In my opinion, all were terrific!!!

The Batman movies, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, were both amazing, with terrific acting and awesome special effects. I personally liked Batman Begins better. It chronicled the beginning of Batman, and his fight against, and training with, the League of Shadows. The League of Shadows was a group that destroyed a city when it became to corrupt and terrible... and everyone in it. Their next target was Bruce Wayne, Batman's, home: Gotham City. It was completely run by criminals, and at their head was Carmine Falconie. Batman could have easily killed all the criminals, but was completely against killing. However, he might have to break this rule to fight the Scarecrow, the runner of an insane asylum who takes criminals and drives them insane with a hallucinogen which makes them see their worst fear. Even worse, the Scarecrow isn't Batman's biggest problem when he discovers a plot to drive all of Gotham insane. Sorry if I told too much. Got a little carried away there. Either way, it was insanely cool (literally!) I liked it more than the sequel, The Dark Night. Batman Begins had great acting, especially by the two villains, played by Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy (he was a little wierd.)

It seems that the villains are always played best. Both The Joker and... the other villain were played amazingly, by Heath Ledger, and... another person. I don't want to spoil the identity of the other villain, but I'll say his villain name: Two-Face. Both were beyond creepy. In The Dark Night, Batman is continuing his fight against crime with Liutenant Gordan and the new District Attorney, Harvey Dent. Their newest enemy is, of course, The Joker. His two biggest lines in the movie are, in my opinion, "Why so serious?" as he says before slicing a permanent smile into someone's face, and, the line Jacoby mentioned once, "Madness is like gravity. All it takes is a little push." Heath Ledger had his great, and last, proformance.

Marley & Me seems like the complete opposite of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. It was also great! Even though it was sad. I'm not a very realistic person. I want to become a bestselling author, although that isn't very realistic. I read mostly fantasy, and unless I'm suddenly in an alternate universe (which also isn't very realistic) those aren't realistic. See? Either way, I don't usually like these kinds of movies. It was hilarious, sad, and heart-warming. Owen Wilson was great in it, but there were a lot of other good actors. Like the many Marley's. The dog, Marley, was played by so many different dogs, because throughout the movie, Marley got older and older. The movie is about John Grogan's life with his new wife, his new job as a columnist, and most of all, his new dog. Marley seemed so sweet at the beginning, at the dog pound, and the couple was even more encouraged to get him with the nickname the owner gave him, clearance puppy, but things started going downhill with the line, "How are you still eating?" as Marley rolled around on the floor, licking up all of the spilled food. Now they knew why he was on sale. As it turned out, worst dog ever. Or so they thought. The movie was much better than I made it sound, considering I went on and on. I loved it, and the end was enough to make me cry. Terrific.

Hannukah in Savannah

Sorry it took me so long to write this post. When I wrote the title down, I was sitting in an airport trying to access my blog from my new iPod Touch. (Sorry if I start to brag a little. I can't brag in real life without getting punched or countered by my brother, but I can't be punched here. (Maybe countered though.))

Right now, I am on vacation for winter break in Savannah, Georgia. I flew to Atlanta on Monday, and spent the night there. Then we drove most of the next day to Savannah. I spent the first night in Savannah with my friend, Jeremy. He had to leave to go to New York yesterday, though. Today, we went to see Marley & Me in theaters. It was terrific, yet sad. I'll talk about the movie later. We spent the rest of the day cooking, arguing with Jordan, watching an Ice Age 2 marathon, and playing around with my iPod. Tomorrow is my Grandma's birthday, so we are going to a reunion like thing at one of the family farms. I miss all of my friends and family at home though, so I want to go home soon.

Now, on to Hannukah. On the first night, I got an iPod touch (it is awesome!!!) and it is awesome!!! I've been going crazy with getting apps, music, and videos for it. I've realized, that it is much better to have an iPod with a screen, than a shuffle. I've only ever had really bad shuffles, so I'm glad for a change. On the second night, my Uncle Aaron and my Aunt Jenny got us a video game, and a pellet rifle for us to shoot airsoft pellets at the beach. (Don't worry, we won't shoot anyone. And if we did, the airsoft pellets aren't that dangerous. They would sting, but not injure.) Last night, no prestents, but tonight, we got a really old board game that we haven't used yet. 4 more nights to go, and 6 more days until New Years Eve.

Well, that's all I have to talk about for now. I'll write about Marley and Me, and the two Batman movies, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, which I saw recently, soon.

The New Haircut: The Weirdest Hundredth Post Ever!

I have a positive and a negative, or, in more exact order, a negative and a positive. First, as you can see, I got a haircut. Shoot. I've had really long hair for such a long time, and now, it's all gone. Kathryn was really smug (not sure if this is the right word) about it. She has been trying to talk me into getting a haircut for months. I hate haircuts...

And on a more positive note, sort of, the only good thing about my new haircut is that, it means that this is Bookworm's 100th Post! Hooray!

New Warriors Books

Hooray!!!

Warriors: Outcast is finally here! I had pre-ordered it and it came yesterday, along with Warriors: Warrior's Return, Eragon, Fablehaven, and The Sword of Shannara (I know I spelled that wrong!) I read all of Warrior's Return on the drive to a Mariners game last night (they were out of Free Ichiro Bobble Heads when we got there.) I started Outcast on the drive to the ski slopes today. I am really excited. I've been waiting for a while.
I am still reading The Hobbit and I have just finished the chapter "Queer Lodgings." It was a really good chapter! I can't wait to see why the next chapter is called "Flies and Spiders." I have a pretty good idea though. I should have a post saying that I've finished Outcast (or The Hobbit) in a day or 2.

Future Fantasy

First of all, I have just finished Ranger's Apprentice: The Battle for Skandia. The actual battle took up a lot of chapters. It was a great book.

Today, I'm going to talk about upcoming fantasy books that I am jumping out of my pants to read:

Fantasy author T.A. Barron has just released the cover and description of his upcoming trilogy, Merlin's Dragon. Merlin's Dragon is set right in-between The Lost Years of Merlin and The Great Tree of Avalon. To visit his website, Click Here. If you haven't read any of his books and you have no idea what I'm talking about, your missing out. Both The Lost Years of Merlin and The Great Tree of Avalon are amazing stories. If you have read them, post a review (if you want) here. I want to here what you think of the book. Also, if you have read The Adventures of Kate by T.A. Barron, tell me how it is. I'm thinking about reading it.It is being released in Fall of 2008.

Another fantasy book I can't wait to read is Warriors: The Power of Three: Outcast. This one is a little closer than Merlin's Dragon. It is coming out on April 22, 2008, a few days from now. This is the 3rd book in The Power of Three series. I've been waiting for it to come out ever since the 2nd book came out. On the same day, I'm pretty sure two other Erin Hunter books are being released. They are Warriors: Manga edition: Warrior's Return and Seekers: Book 1: The Journey Begins. I am a little less excited for these two. To visit the Warriors website, click here. If you've read any Warriors books, pick your favorite and post a small review here. (If you want to.)

Next, Charlie Bone and the Shadow by Jenny Nimmo is being released this Fall 2008. Jenny Nimmo has also posted the new cover recently. A lot of people haven't heard of Charlie Bone, but it is a very good series. If you have read it, once again, post a review here on your favorite. (From now on, their all if you wants.) To visit Jenny Nimmo's website, click here.

Wow!!! I just found out that Ranger's Apprentice: Book 5: Sorcerer in the North will be released in the US in November of 2008. Just a few more months! If you have read any Ranger's Apprentice books blah blah blah, blah blah. You know what I was going to say. To visit John Flanagan's site, click here. To see the cover of book 5, US edition, click here.

And then of course, there are the upcoming books we all probably know about. There's Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, Percy Jackson and the Battle of the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan, and mot importantly, Farworld--Water Keep by our friend J Scott Savage. Sheesh. I just listed out almost all of the books that I'm dieing for. Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

By the way, WASL testing days: 3 down, 3 to go.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Battle for Skandia

I have just started reading Ranger's A.... whatever, I'm just going to say the second part from now on... The Battle for Skandia. So far, I'm on page 109, and the main characters have escaped from some enemies, been captured by new enemies, almost escaped, saved by old friends, discovered a plot to take over at least 4 other countries, and have found that the enemy has already secretly moved their entire army into Skandia, one of the countries they plan to conquer. I can't wait to see what happens in the next 294 pages. By the way, in Australia, this book is actually titled "Oakleaf Bearers" instead of The Battle for Skandia. Cool huh. This is such a great series... even though it is such a mouthful. Well, I have to get ready. Writing 1 WASL today. Wish me luck!

Karate + WASLs

First of all, WASLs ARE HERE!!!! I just took the reading 1WASL today. I think I did pretty well. Here is the WASL schedule (as far as I know.): Reading 1 (done,) Writing 1, Reading 2, Writing 2, Math 1, and Math 2. Tomorrow, I have to take Writing 1! Duh duh duhhhhh. Here comes my doom, so wish me luck.

Second of all, Great job Ezra! Today, he passes his belt test (I didn't even know it was testing day) to advance to blue belt. Since Jordan and I took an extra week of karate camp, we were blue belts already, but since we weren't ready to test yet (the blue belt form is hard,) Ezra will finally be the same belt as us. Congratulations Ezra!!!

New Story

I am going to try to write a new story, although this time, I won't post it unless I finish, and that won't be for a long time, considering that right now, I'm just writing down character descriptions.

New Story

Well, Kathryn, you said i needed to write a new story, so here.

Hi, I'm Brian.

Hi! I'm Brian, and this is my first entry. I am in the seventh grade, I'm a straight A student,for now, and I'm a total bookworm! This isn't really my first time on Blogger. My next door neighbor, Kathryn (sportqueen_14), "interviewed" me on one of my favorite series of books, The Great Tree of Avalon. Right now, the book I'm reading is Redwall. Some of my other favorites are, The Lost Years of Merlin epic, Harry Potter, and Warriors. Some of my favorite online videos are Potter Puppet Pals, on Youtube. That's all I have to say on this post. For now...