Grady's blog

 One tradition in my family is our decorations. We have always gone all out every year I have been alive. We plan what we will do throughout the year to make it enjoyable. Like we have brought boats back from the lake many times to use in our decorations. One time, we lifted the bow of the ship up a tree so it looked like it had crashed into a tree. Another time we had a Santa surfing behind our little john boat. Last year, my dad was shopping for food and saw a 30-foot inflatable Christmas tree and just bought it to surprise my mom. This year, we lifted the golf cart up onto a fake rock and had Santa falling out of it. We also put an inflatable reindeer under the golf cart so it looks like he ran over the reindeer. Today in class, I was not here. Today at Cross Keys, I learned how truly safe Lakeside was.

 

In this class, I really liked all the group projects. I like working with other people because it gives me an excuse to talk. And if you haven't learned already, I love to talk. I liked how you would give us a second chance to get a 100. I liked how the groups would rotate as well. That was why you could keep meeting new people. I also liked the vocabulary. I know a lot of people didn't, but I felt like on a case of the Mondays, I really enjoyed getting a class where I could relax, listen to music, and learn something. Especially since it's Monday. Today in class, everyone shared their final. We also took a picture and uploaded it to another blog post. Today I learned how awkward it is to recite something memorized in front of your classmates.

 When I was a kid, all the colors were so much more vibrant. The older and older I get, the less and less Christmas spirit there is. When I was a kid, I would wake up and remember it, feeling like Christmas. Like, there was this feeling. Now I wake u,p and it just feels like a cold morning. I don't know if I lost my spirit myself. I remember the last week of school before the break was the best ever because it would just be Christmas parties. Now it's terrible because I spend the whole week studying. Today we did vocab. I also completed this blog post. Today I learned my friend can do a backflip.

 I have outgrown my Avengers blanket. That was the blanket I got as a child when I had lost my childhood blanket. It has so many memories and feelings attached to it. I lost my original blanket out in Jamaica, so I forced my mom to take me to get a new one. It still is a decent-sized blanket, but it does not feel nearly as big as it did when I was a kid. I miss being small enough to get swaddled in it. It was one of the most comforting things about my childhood. Today in class, we took a comprehensive exam. I also completed this blog post. Today I learned how good the Pius basketball team is.

 I cant stop thinking about a break from school. I have been dying to sleep in. With school, no matter how ealry I go to bed, I wake up feeling sleepy. But when I am on a break, and I stay up to 3 am, I wake up and feel super energized when it is on my own schedule. I cant stop thinking about hanging out with frineds late either. With the break coming I just get to relax and have fun and not have any responsibilities for 2 weeks.  Today I learned who knows my birthday.

  This assignment helped me to understand my classmates better. I learned some had the same religion, hobbies, and even faviorate color as me. Helped me to feel like I am more similar to all of them in a special way. Today I learned how to remove a timing belt.

 The best gift I have received is my car. I got it technically before my birthday, but on my birthday, they told me it would be mine. It is the most versatile car ever. It can fit many people, and it looks cool. The worst part about it is that it gets 15 mpg. Its was the best gift because it unlocked a whole other stage of freedom. It gave me the power to drive anywhere(within limits). Now I could get aslushy whenever I wanted to.  Today in class, we did our vocab. I also took a picture of my mask and emailed it to my teacher. Today I learned about my mechanical final.

 In the short film, everyone is wearing a mask. There are posters hung on the walls promoting masks, even stating, "This is what pretty looks like." This is a pressure because all influences in the building are promoting masks. So if you are someone who isn't, you stand out not in a good way. So it pressures you to wear a mask. The posters stood out to me because they are saying someone is pretty because they look like this, while in my school, I would never see a poster like that. This is like the "I too" poem because both stand against oppression in a way. In the short film, she is oppressed by a mask and must wear it so she doesn't stand out. In the poem, the character is oppressed by their skin color and must hide away when guests are there, so the family doesn't stand out. Today in class, we watched a short film called Identity and also compared it to the poem "I Too" by Langston Hughes. Today I learned the safest way to hold a Christmas t...

 I am most proud of being an American. I understand there is a lot wrong with America these days, but I keep my nationalism. I love all of our traditions like July 4th, Veterans Day, St Patrick's Day. I also really love all of the military edits online. I just love America because I have been to other countries. They are nice, but it's not America. The Swiss have these beautiful mountains. Yet the Swiss is so small, and America is so big. I just love how there are so many things in the United States. Like us, going from state to state is like people in Europe go from country to country. Lik, I can go to Florida and not have to bring my passport. Today in class, we read a poem. We also analyzed the poem together. Today I learned a new route to Cross Keys.

 When I was younger, like around freshman year. I would do a lot of stupid things. One night, I was with some older friends, and they had a truck. There wasn't any room in the car, so we and others had to ride in the bed. At the time, it was awesome, like I loved the adrenaline. They took the truck off-roading, and I was flying everywhere. There were many points where I thought I would fall out. As I have gotten older, I truly realize how stupid that was of me. If I fell out, I could have gotten seriously injured. Thankfully, I didn't. I think to myself, to this day, that if I were put in the same situation, would I still do it? I fully believe I would still get into the bed of the truck. I completly know it's stupid, but I love adrenaline. Today in class, we read "We Real Cool". We also made lists of cool and uncool things. Today I learned how it felt to not have braces for the first time in 3 years.

 I spent a lot of time with my siblings. They are both in college, so it is just me with the parents. At first, it was fun, as I got more attention and more servings of food. Then I realized I got too much attention, like I had no chance to be sneaky like my siblings got to be. Then it became quiet. Usually, my sister and I would be in an argument, and my brother and I would be wrestling. We got a new dog that's super lazy compared to our last one, who was super loud. So really it's just so quiet without them there. So I really cherished having everyone back in town when they were here. It reminded me of my days when I could be swinging on birches. Now I have to face my responsibilities of the SAT and college admissions. Today in class, we did vocabulary. I listened to music throughout the class. Today I learned how to find my elf in my car.