Failure.

So I'm not usually the kind of person who likes to fail. But sometimes, you have to fail one task in order to succeed in another. For instance, this blog. I made this blog as a part of National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo), meaning I was supposed to blog everyday in the month of June. But I wasn't so smart in picking the month in which my Finals for school would occur. So unfortunately, in order to pass these finals, I had to sacrifice blog posting for studying. Because school is just more important. But that doesn't mean I'm completely giving up. The best part about NaBloPoMo is that it happens every single month. So July, prepare for a heck of a lot of blog posts :D

That's all for now <3
-Brennah

Procrastination

So I procrastinate. You procrastinate. We all procrastinate. At some point, anyway. But you know what? It sucks. A lot. Especially when you're up at ungodly hours doing things you could have done earlier if you had just sucked it up and did it.

Yet, we still procrastinate.

I'm even procrastinating right now. I have an essay to write, a video project to edit, a script to write, and research to be done. But I'm blogging instead, because it's much more enjoyable :D

So until the day all my work becomes fun, I will always be a procrastinator.

That's all for now <3
-Brennah

Books For School

So I love books. I love reading. I love getting captured in a story, becoming addicted to the plot line and falling in love with the stories. While I'd like to say this happens with all books I read, it doesn't. And this is solely because I am forced to read books for school. Now I know everyone has to do this, but I feel that it isn't necessarily fair. I feel that the purpose of reading is for enjoyment. I understand that all the analyzing, finding symbolism, and all the other stuff that teachers make you do is important to make you more educated, but I feel it is pointless when you have a passionate hate for the book you're reading. Are you really learning anything if you're doing everything in your power not to remember this book?

I think students deserve choice. Maybe not total freedom, because some stories just aren't school appropriate, but wouldn't it be nice if we received a list of books we could read this year, pick three or four, and then do our assignments on them? It would be like summer reading, just on a larger scale. Maybe then more students would actually read the novels instead of abusing Spark Notes, and possibly teachers would be able to get through units quicker.

But I know this is unrealistic. How is a teacher supposed to teach if the students are all reading different books? I guess it's merely a dream to have some sort of choice. So now I'm off to start reading a book for class that I would rather not be reading right now :P

That's all for now <3
-Brennah

Video Projects

So today and tomorrow have been dedicated to video projects. Whenever I get a video project in class, I get really excited. I mean, I make videos for fun, getting to do them for school should be awesome. But I'm starting to realize it's really not.

First, you basically have to sacrifice an entire day for them. A day out of your own time that you could be spending hanging out with your friends, or playing around on the computer, or reading a book. Even if the project is with your friends, talking to a camera all day isn't always fun.

But sometimes, you try to make it fun. You try to make it cool, and show off your video editing skills. That's always my first impression. But now I'm realizing, the teacher doesn't care if your video is high quality, or if you have cool music in the background. They only care about the content. And I'm probably not going to do so well on video project number one because I just realized that now. Hopefully in video project two, I'll learn from my mistakes.

That's all for now <3
-Brennah

Random Acts of Kindness

So today I attended an open mic night at my friend's friend's church. It was slightly awkward at first because I only knew the two friends I came with, but it was a church youth group event and everyone who came was nice.

After I performed my song, everyone clapped like they had been for the other performers and I walked back to my seat and grabbed my guitar case from the table I left it. Now my guitar case isn't really much. It's basically a pouch that opens up just enough at the bottom to slip my guitar in, and it has a handle to make carrying it easier. But it's not made of a hard or padded material, so it's more of a carrying case than a protective case, which isn't too good, but it was all I had.

I sat and watched the the next performer and when their performance ended, I was surprise to see a guy walk up to me. He was in a band that already performed two songs and were talking about how they were going to be playing a show at a minor league baseball stadium and that they were looking to get a record deal soon. So seeing the lead singer approach me was definitely surprising.

He looked down at my guitar case and told me it was the worse guitar case he had ever seen, and asked if I wanted a new one. I said yes, but I figured he was just being hypothetical. Then he offered to give me his,apologizing because it was a little beat up, but saying it was better than what I had. I was in shock. Was this stranger really going to just give me his guitar case? None the less, I accepted his offer and was sure to thank him a few times. Later on after he was going to perform another song, he pulled me up to the front to give me the case in front of everyone.

I may be a proud owner of a new (sort of) guitar case, but I received more than that. This random guy gave me hope. He made me realize that there are good people in this world, willing to do things to help others in need. Now maybe I'm not that needy, but that guitar case probably just saved my guitar from getting beat up anymore than it already has in my old case. His simple gesture of kindness made my night, and now I feel inspired to do something like that to help a stranger. And I know it sounds corny, but I encourage you to try and do something for a stranger, something that will make them happy. I dare you.

That's all for now <3
-Brennah

My Day Without Technology

So, I completed the challenge. I went 24 hours without modern technology. From 5pm yesterday until 5pm today I didn't use my cellphone, iPod, computer, TV, camera, video camera, or video games. There were some drawbacks, but also some pluses, so I'm going to make you guys a neat little list to tell you about it :D :

Good Things
- I did my homework at a decent time
- I read a lot in a book I've been trying to finish for awhile now
- I started writing a story with my friend that we've been meaning to write for awhile now.
- I went to bed at a decent time.
- I practiced my guitar.
- I cleaned my room.
- I was allowed to use a CD player, and became very thankful for my recent obsession with owning hard copies of CDs instead of digital ones.

Bad Things
- I constantly wanted to check Twitter, but I couldn't.
- I constantly wanted to tweet things, but I couldn't.
- I could hear the TV show my brother was watching. I wanted to watch to, but I couldn't.
- In two of my classes today we watched movies. We were allowed to cheat if it was for school, but I still felt bad.
- My sister enjoyed teasing me. "You should take a picture of this! Oh wait, YOU CAN'T!"
- I like knowing what time it is at all times. Instead of just checking my phone, I had to find a clock.
- When I was at my friend's house, instead of her calling me to let me know she was on her way to pick me up, I had to wait outside.
- I felt disconnect from my friends.
- I couldn't continue the chapter of my story I've been typing.

So in the end, I learned just how much I rely on technology. But I also learned that I can live without it. But one things for sure: I don't ever want to do it again.

That's all for now <3
-Brennah

Technology

So today in English class we were given an assignment that seems almost impossible for a group of 14-15 year olds to complete: Go 24 hours with technology. That means no cellphones, iPods, computers, TVs, video games, and cameras. And the assignment isn't optional. We have one week to complete the task and then reflect on it.

My first reaction was total shock. Seriously, how was I going to survive without technology? The majority of my day is spent on the computer, I'm constantly checking twitter and facebook on my iPod touch, and my cellphone is always in my pocket so I can answer texts, calls, and emails. What was I supposed to do all day? Sleep?

But then I started thinking about how good this could be for me. Maybe on this technology free day I'll actually do my math homework before 9 PM, or spend some time outside enjoying this gorgeous weather that we are finally getting.

Bottom line is, as much as not having technology for a day is going to suck, I'm going to try. And who knows, maybe something good will come out of it.

That's all for now <3
-Brennah

Easily Amused

Maybe it's just me, but I feel like teenagers are very easily amused. For instance, today I found myself absent-mindedly pushing my iPod and watching it spin. I did this multiple times until I realized I had better things to do. But that's not the only time something like that has happened. When I first got a phone with a texting keyboard I found myself addicted to sliding it back and forth. But it's all good, because as soon as I showed my friends my new device, they were doing the same thing.

Then there's the things that amuse the fangirl in me. Like when a new clip is released of my favorite couple from a TV show. (Most recently, Chad and Sonny from Sonny With A Chance. So what if I'm 15. I still love Disney :P) I can seriously sit and watch the video five times in a row, squealing and smiling stupidly like the fangirl I am. But hey, I'm a hopeless romantic, and that kind of stuff makes me happy :D

So I'm going to keep making my electronics do silly tricks, and unleash my inner fangirl because that's what amuses me, even if it does seen kind of ridiculous...

That's all for now <3
-Brennah