Getting Ready for Halloween

Today, I put the finishing touches on my cannibal costume- and might I say that it looks pretty good! I made myself a belt made of fake human fingers, cut up a shirt and a pair of jeans and smeared blood (fake of course) on everything and bought some accessories to complete my outfit. I have rubber fangs, a "bone" necklace, white hair spray and also a chopping knife- done up with some makeup, I should look pretty dang creepy! Meanwhile, my sister is going as a vampiress: she has a red dress with lots of black lace, fangs, and I promised to spray her hair black and do her makeup for her. The both of us like the idea of fake blood a lot, so I'm starting early so it gets to dry.

Happy Halloween! I'm finishing this post up today being I didn't finish it last night. Ashleigh and I are in our costumes- and might I say we look GREAT! While my hair dye didn't work because I have red hair, my sister's came out great! In about an hour we are leaving to pick up 2 of my friends and go trick or treating in the neighborhood. Here are some pictures:

Let me know what you are going as in the comments below!

Maddie

Coleridge Poetry Interpretation

Coleridge Poetry (My Interpretation)
By Madison Nef
To start off, I chose a short yet cryptic poem named “Song”. I went through it line by line and this is what I came up with:
Tho’ veiled in spires of myrtle-wreath,
Love is a sword that cuts its sheath,

Okay. I think that this line speaks for itself- metaphorically using love as a sword, and a sheath is supposed to protect a sword when it is not in use. Maybe Coleridge is talking about how when you truly love someone, you will have ups and downs with them where you will fight verbally with them and it will sting- but it is normal. You WILL on occasion “cut your sheath” and hurt the one you love, even if not intentionally.

And thro’ the clefts, itself has made,
We spy the flashes of the Blade!
But thro’ the clefts, itself has made,
We likewise see Love’s flashing blade,

When a couple fight, sometimes it is easy to see. However, if the sword represents LOVE this could also mean that even while you may fight, the hurt that you deal each other in the end show how much you love your significant other if you hold together through the fights. “And through the clefts, itself has made” = and through the words that have been said (hurtfully to the other person) “We spy the flashes of the blade” = we see how even though they fight, their love for each other still shines through in the end.
By rust consumed or snapt in twain:
And only Hilt and Stump remain.
The end can have one of two meanings: By rust consumed (the good ending) or snapt in twain (the bad ending). By rust consumed signifies that through the fighting, you made it to the end of life together and the rust is symbolic for aging. It becomes brittle and finally snaps (death). As for “snapt in twain”, that is pretty much saying that you fought TOO much and the blade of love snapped before it could even rust. This could symbolize divorce or a break up and POSSIBLY death, but either way it is a bad ending.
The poem is titled Song, but I see no relevance to a song at all. Maybe Coleridge was going through a hard time in his life with the one he loved and wrote this to express himself- who knows. That’s the feeling I got from it. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen similar things happen first-hand between my Mom and Dad. Mom was very sick, but even though her and Dad would argue a lot, they stuck through it to the end, love always showing through. Even though not everyone gets a happy ending, everyone USUALLY gets a happy life. Happiness is a choice- you can wake up and choose to smile or you can wake up and frown. Love and Happiness are what you make them.
I hope you like your choices, I know that I like mine.
Maddie

Bartolomeu Dias

Bartolomeu Dias
Dias was a famous Portuguese explorer in the late 13th century and in the early 14th century. Not much is known about him prior to 1487 other than he was a superintendent for the royal warehouses and he likely had more sailing experience than the one recorded trip on a freight ship. King John II of Portugal was fascinated with the legend of Prester John, an apocryphal leader of Christians somewhere in Africa. The king sent out a pair of explorers, Afonso de Paiva and Pero da Covilha to search overland for the Christian kingdom in Ethiopia. He also wanted to find a way around the southern African coastline, so only a few months after hiring the first two explorers, he sponsored Dias’ African expedition.
In August of 1487, Dias led 3 ships out of the port of Lisbon, Portugal. They followed the route of Diogo Cao, a 15th century explorer who had traveled as far up the coast as where Cape Cross, Namibia is today. Dias took padroes with him to help mark his way. Padroes are limestone markers that the Portuguese used to claim land on the continent. Often the padroes would be planted on shorelines and have served as guidestones for older Portuguese explorations.
Dias had taken 6 African men with him who had been along the coast before on older voyages. At different towns, Dias left a man and a supply of gold and silver for trading along with warm words from Portugal to tell the townspeople. At Angro de Salto, Dias left the last two Africans along with the supply ship from the voyage. The ship was left with 9 men to guard it. In early January, 1488, Dias and his remaining two ships got blown off of the coastline by strong winds. It is reported that Dias called for a 28 southward turn. This did re-guide the ship, and while it was an extremely risky move that could have compromised the whole voyage, it proved successful. On February 3rd, 1488, the ships saw land and found Sao Bras, or present-day Mossel Bay and the much warmer waters of the Indian Ocean.
It helped that Dias had had previous experience navigating ships, but in was later found that King John and his predecessors had acquired maps from the 1360’s showing links from the Pacific and Indian oceans across Africa. After going closer to the shore, Dias’ ships were ambushed by the Khoikhoi. They threw stones and rocks at the ships until one of Dias’ men shot down one of the tribe members. Dias went further down the shoreline, but his crew was extremely nervous about the depleting food supplies.
The crew members begged Dias to turn back and were slowly turning towards the option of mutiny. Finally after threats from his crew Dias left the decision on turning back or not to his crew. The crew decided to keep sailing for another three days and then turn back. At Kwaaihoek, the crew planted a padroe on March 12th 1488. On the journey back, Dias named the two rockiest capes the Cape of Needles and the Cape of Storms for the heavy storms that rocked the Atlantic.
Upon return to Angra do Salto, Dias was greeted with a sad sight as only 3 men of the 9 he had left to guard the ship had survived the ever-impeding attacks from the locals. A 7th man died on the journey home. Finally, Dias and his considerably-smaller crew returned to Lisbon after more than 15 months at sea traveling over 16000 miles. They were greeted with open arms as heroes, but in a private meeting with the king Dias was forced to explain his failure to meet with the two explorers. Despite his immense achievements nonetheless, he was never put in charge of expeditions again.
Almost as if to add insult to injury, after taking a job in West Africa, King John’s successor put Dias into the place of shipbuilding consultant for Vasco da Gamma’s trip. Dias stuck with da Gamma’s fleet until the halfway point and then turned back for Guinea. After that, Dias was put in charge of 4 boats on a large fleet going to India. Mid-voyage, a horrific storm struck the boats and in the year 1500, 4 of the 13 ships were wrecked, including Dias’. He was lost at sea, but is today remembered for his discovery of the Cape of Good Hope (even if he wasn’t acknowledged for it in his time).

Writers Block

Today, I am having an extreme writer's block. For those who don't know, a "writer's block" is something many bloggers and authors get. Basically, you have NO IDEAS and all your inspiration has run out so you end up writing something silly (like I am doing right now). To make things worse, I have TWO blog posts to catch up on instead of my regular one because the internet went out last night while I was working. It didn't come back until today, so I was caught. Up until now I've been doing math homework and avoiding my blogging like the plague, but the time has come...

...to go take a walk down the driveway with my dog. Maybe I will find some inspiration now!

Well, the walk never happened- I got outside and I noticed that Lucky was walking funny. I went over to see if he had maybe been "porcupined" or had a scrape, but as I walked closer he fell over and went into a full-blown seizure. I think that he must have had a muscle spasm that sent him into it. I didn't want to leave him alone, so instead of running into the house to get help and wet rags (you have to keep the temperature of the dog down to avoid brain damage) I stayed on the driveway and used wet leaves in lieu of wet rags. It had the same effect and Lucky was back to his normal self within 2-3 minutes.

How To Care For a Dog Having a Seizure

1) Don't flip out. You don't want the dog to have any more tension than it already has. Remaining calm is key- you can't care for a hurting dog without a clear mind.
2) The dog's legs will likely lock up. Try to move the legs in clockwise motion to loosen up the dog's muscles and relieve the tension. The joints should ease up as you do this.
3) Use cold, wet rags to keep your dog's temp down. Lay them across your dog's forehead and rub the nose with cold water.

The dog should pull out of a seizure within 3 minutes. He will start licking and then moving more and finally get up. I advise letting your dog outside to go to the bathroom at this point just in case he needs to relieve himself.

Well, I went out looking for something to write about and I certainly found it- even though I would rather have written about the gorgeous fall foliage than how to care for a dog when he has a seizure. Let me know if you have any "siezure tips" in the comments below.

Maddie

Why?

If you haven't noticed, lately I've been dabbling into poetry. I have always written it for sheer fun and to express myself but it was always for me, not to be shared with other people. After I wrote one a while ago and got a good response from the public, I decided to continue as my readers seemed to enjoy reading my poetry as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have always liked both writing and reading poetry- something I inherited from my mom. My mom, while she was very sick, was a beautiful writer and wrote many poems in her short time here.

Dad and I are currently gathering all of my mom's poetry together to make a book as a tribute for her- one of her dreams was to publish a poetry book. She got sick so quickly that she didn't get the chance to, but Dad and I figured that after all she had done and been through it was the least we could do. It will also include our thoughts (both joined and separate) on some of the poems PLUS some of my Dad and my own poetry. Our schedule is weird, so we have NO idea when it will be published but we are hoping sometime early in 2016 or late 2015 if possible.

So THAT is why I have been posting more poetry. I try to stick to one a week but I sometimes will end up doing two if my day turns out boring with no inspiration or things to write about. If any of my readers enjoy poetry, please leave some poems that you wrote OR even poems by others that you enjoy in the comments! I am always up for something new to read :)

Maddie

Poetry

The Electronic Age

America,

so dumb and oblivious,

we're being fed garbage from all of the media,

kids shows are pointless,

they teach bad behavior,

and none of us see it...

Then we ask "Why do our kids act like idiots?"

 Meanwhile all we do,

is stare at our phones,

the tiny devices, the hell-sent drones-

we complain about cancer and all manner of illness,

while we don't see the one that's affecting our minds,

addiction to food, addiction to computers,

the brain responds the same way,

so what is the difference?

Yes, one is deadly,

but so is the other,

it stamps out your soul,

your connection to people,

if one day the web crashed,

and you didn't know how to act,

when your mind couldn't function,

you couldn't react,

because you'd spent so much time looking down at that screen,

that you'd forgotten your life,

and all that it used to mean,

the people around you staring in silence,

we all are the same,

in peace and in violence,

stare at the screen,

worry quietly, 

try to forget what's become of society,

and when you read this,

don't you say "That's not me"

because who ever you are, you have stared at a screen,

some like TV, and others their phones,

while MORE like the pc, the iPods and iPads,

reflect on your day- how much time have you spent?

on your screen looking up or down, caught in a dent

now look at the time you have been with your family,

don't they come first? Give me some clarity...

Late Posting (Sorry!)

I apologize for this being such a late post. Monday's are always hectic for me- and I'll tell you why. I get up at 9:00 to get ready by 9:45 (including eating breakfast, doing my hair and makeup and getting dressed) and then Grandma, Ashleigh and I go to our religious meeting. The meeting lasts to about 12:00, and then I go to adoration at the church for roughly 30 minutes. When I come out we ocassionally go for lunch or go shopping, and by the time that THAT is done, we have to go home and get my sister ready for her 4:30 karate class.

Then, I'm at karate until 7:10 on most nights and up to 7:40 on tuesdays. I get back, eat dinner, hang with my sister and THEN finally get around to doing my work. It's a tough day all together so expect my posts a bit later for about another month. My religious class ends at that point until January/February so then it will be easier to blog early. I will likely still be going to adoration, but seeing as it goes all day mondays I can blog before leaving.

It's past 12 now so I will cut my post here and blog later "today".

Maddie

Poetry

Securities

Wake up, roll out bed-

I'm gonna be ready for today

Throw on a top, maybe a skirt

The sun is pretty bright anyway

Now I comb my hair til it shines...

Brighter than the stars at night,

And put on a pound of my face,

After an hour it'll wash away,

But I don't care,

No I don't care,

It's my security

It is to my belief that I'm not perfect

And while I know I never will be,

It's nice to dream and get creative every once in awhile

And when my wings are uneven and my lipstick is all wrong, it makes me smile,

Looking into my mirror, not even trying, and seeing a child, playing dress up once again,

It's fun to pretend,

When you know you can't go back,

To what you were.

Shakespeare

SHAKESPEARE SONNETS
THOUGHTS FROM MADISON NEF

What is your substance, whereof are you made,
That millions of strange shadows on you tend?
Since every one hath, every one, one shade,
And you but one, can every shadow lend.
Describe Adonis, and the counterfeit
Is poorly imitated after you;
On Helen's cheek all art of beauty set,
And you in Grecian tires are painted new:
Speak of the spring, and foison of the year,
The one doth shadow of your beauty show,
The other as your bounty doth appear;
And you in every blessed shape we know.
   In all external grace you have some part,
   But you like none, none you, for constant heart.

My first thought upon reading this sonnet was that Shakespeare was mocking someone who felt they were perfect- “What is your substance, whereof are you made”. I translated into modern text, and that gave me a much clearer view of what I think he was trying to say. I’m not sure how religious Shakespeare was, but it sounded (at least in a modern version) like he was describing Jesus and questioning how he was so sinless and perfect. Here is the modern version:

What is your true essence, what are you made of, that there should be millions of reflections of you? Every person has only one image, but you, though you’re only one person, lend something to everyone else’s image. If an artist tries to depict Adonis, he’ll wind up creating an inferior imitation of you. If he were to paint
Helen as beautifully as possible, he would again wind up with a picture of you, decked out in Greek costume. Praise the spring and the abundant harvest season—but the spring is only a faint shadow of your beauty, and the fall a faint imitation of your abundance. We recognize you in every blessed sight that we see. You are part of every beautiful thing, but you’re not like any of them—you’re incomparable—in the constancy of your heart.

Line 1-5) Millions of reflections- Jesus/God can truly be seen in everything in the world, from the gorgeous landscaping to humans themselves. The seasons were created by him, but as depicted in the bible heaven is greater, therefore making the seasons just a mere shadow in his presence.

Line 5-7) God is in everything and everyone. He truly is part of every beautiful thing, but, as Shakespeare says, is incomparable to them in the constancy of his heart. The love and mercy of God and Jesus is incomparable to any beautiful thing or person here on Earth. I like that Shakespeare realized what so many of us overlook in our everyday lives… God could erase our existence at any minute. He created our world, and at any point could take it away.

You really have to read the modern version to understand the sonnet, which is why I am so thankful for the internet. I thought that Shakespeare was mocking someone who thought they were better than everyone else at first glance at the original. Maybe he was, and I just didn’t see it- or maybe the translation was biased. Either way, that is what I took it as AFTER reading the translation.
This was Sonnet 53, one of Shakespeare’s more serious sonnets.


When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see,
For all the day they view things unrespected;
But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee,
And, darkly bright, are bright in dark directed.
Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright—
How would thy shadow’s form form happy show
To the clear day with thy much clearer light,
When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so?
How would, I say, mine eyes be blessèd made
By looking on thee in the living day,
When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade
Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay?
All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me.

I think that this is another religious sonnet. I think Shakespeare is trying to say that he doesn’t like the world around him and watching it as it deteriorates as he is happy with his own thoughts and way of thinking. He speaks of closing his eyes and being able to envision one whose shadow can make light out of darkness. I think of this religiously as perhaps Jesus. He could be talking about a girl, but from other sonnets I have read I think he is talking about religion. He says that “days are nights” and “nights are days” in comparison- saying that he prefers night to day because Jesus can illuminate the dark and is much clearer in the dark, alone.
I really think that translations help for the sonnets. Looking at the words in old-fashioned writing can be a bit confusing- and you find yourself second-guessing a lot. Clearly Shakespeare was saying the same message- Jesus shines above all. I think he was trying to express his love and awe for God in this sonnet by saying that if he shines so brightly in the dark and through the sins of the world, then he must truly be glorious and amazing in heaven, in holy light with no sins and darkness clouding around him OR clouding Shakespeare’s vision, for that matter.

My eyes work best when I’m asleep, because all day they look at things I don’t care about. When I sleep, my dreaming eyes alight on you and glitter brightly in the dark, having found your bright image there. Given that your shadowy dream-image brightens even the dark, how bright might you appear in daylight, when your own light is so much clearer? How bright, when your shadow shines so brightly to my eyes blinded by darkness? What good would it do my eyes to see you in the daytime when they already look at your beautiful image in the dead of night, as I sleep? Every day is as dark as night until I get to see you again, and every night is as bright as day when I see you in my dreams.


Above is the translated version. “Every day is as dark as night until I get to see you”. A clear plea for God. Can you imagine how empty and cold a life without God must be? Maybe Shakespeare had a friend who was going through a religious struggle and wrote the sonnet for them to open their eyes. Maybe he himself was struggling and wrote this to remind himself that God is before worldly things. “Every night is as bright as day when I see you in my dreams.” Maybe Shakespeare’s beliefs were not accepted around him- maybe he felt that he had to shelter himself.

Being he was a famous playwright, he had to appeal to many audiences. Maybe he disguised his sonnets to look like love poems, when they were indeed about his deep relationship with God that he didn’t want to show off. That is why he had to go through his days with a mask on, in the dark until at night he was alone and could pray freely without being judged by the public.

What do you think? Do you agree, or do you have your own opinion? Let me know.

Maddie

The Best Things About Owning a Dog

This post is going to be a little different from some of my other postsas it is going to be a list (of sorts).

1) A dog shows UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. He doesn't care what you do to him (as long as it isn't EXTREMELY bad), he doesn't care what your opinions are OR if you call him names. He will still happily curl up with you when the day is at its end.

2) They are your personal vacuums- you drop a piece of brocoli? They're on it. Knock over a glass of milk? They are at your feet lapping it up. Why waste $50 on a hunk of emotionless plastic when you can adopt a dog that will be your trust companion and personal vacuum for life?

3) Dogs are also wonderful pillows and are great for hugs when you are down. They may drool a little, but when the world seems to shut you out and you feel down, no hug compares to that of your dog's. They are warm, AND, if you've trained them from puppy-hood (like I trained Lucky) they will rest their heads on your shoulder.

4) They are also great for a laugh. If you watch them enough, you'll find that there is no better comedian than your four-legged friend. From sticking their heads into holes in the ground to knocking you on your butt, they always amuse (at least in my opinion).

What are your favorite things about dogs? If I forgot to mention something above, comment below and let me know.

Maddie

Poetry

If Only

If only you had been more careful,

Had stayed away from the killer,

Maybe you'd be here...

Hugging me instead of watching from above

If only you had put down the glass,

Had realized your error and hit bottom,

Maybe you'd be here...

Laughing with us instead of watching from above

If only the mirror had reflected you,

Had shown you your true beauty,

Maybe you'd be here...

Raising me instead of watching from above

If only I had tried harder,

Had prayed that extra prayer...

Maybe you'd be next to me right now,

Instead of standing in heaven's glare.

A Perfect Day

Yesterday was one of the best birthdays I have had in awhile- I got to spend it with my family. We had a great lunch, home made by my grandma: Baked mac and cheese, spinach pie, and steak. Icecream cake was for dessert and the whole meal was accompanied by a wonderful family chat. After eating, Dad, Ashleigh and I went to a park for about 2 hours. Next, the whole family went to see Maze Runner (which, by the way, is an AWESOME movie but very scary) and then I finished my night by chatting with my friends and playing Call of Duty with Dad.

In the end, birthdays aren't about the gifts, or the parties, or the cake, or anything else except for having a great time celebrating your birth and spending time with the ones you love. I definitely did that this year... the whole day was spent with my family and talking with my friends. I spent a lot of time outdoors as it was a beautiful day, I played and watched videos with my sister, and the movie, while EXTREMELY scary, was very good. It was my sister's first time at the movie theater, and she really enjoyed herself. She wasn't noisy and she was relatively still, besides burying herself into me when she got scared of the movie.

At the end of the day, I had a really nice birthday. Nothing big, but a lot of time spent with the people I love, and that's what matters most to me.

Maddie

My Last Post as a 12 year old

That's right: this post is my last post as a 12 year old! I am going to be 13 on Sunday! I honestly can't believe it... I still remember when I was 8. This year seemed to fly by so fast- even some of my closest friends who I have known for YEARS can't believe it. Maybe my being only 5 foot 2 has something to do with it. Oh well. I welcome this new chapter of my life with open arms and I feel like I am prepared for anything life wants to throw at me. Okay, not ANYTHING but MOST things.

In New Hampshire, you can get your permit at 15 and a license at 16. That means only 3 more years and I'll be driving ALONE! I can't believe it. My best friend will be in high school next year, ANOTHER close friend of mine will be driving... I am truly lost for words at how time has gone by. When I was little, I used to always dream about being a teenager and adults would always tell me to enjoy being young, because as you got older the years seemed to go by faster. I never really believed it until now- and OHHH HOW TRUE IT IS.

What are YOU doing this weekend? Let me know in the comments below.

Maddie

Bored Button and Peeling the Onion

Today I got bored while doing math homework and decided to peel the onion a bit. Peeling the onion online is just a metaphor for clicking links on different sites until you get tired. I started by typing in "i am bored" into Google and going from the first or second link. I found a site called "Bored Button" (I'll link at the end of the post) that is basically a simplified version of the site StumbleUpon. From an online toilet paper roll that regenerates to a mind-reading card trick, I found the site quite entertaining and I think my readers will too.

While on the bored button, I found a game where you started as a small dot and had to eat littler dots to grow bigger without being eaten yourself. It strongly reminded me of a game called "Big Fish" that Dad and I used to play when I was little. It's pretty much the same, but with a fish. I used to have such a fun time playing that game with Dad and it flooded back good, happy memories so even though you may run across it on the bored button, here is a direct link to the game, may you create your own happy memories with it :)

It's kind of late right now, so I will leave the post here. Here are the links:

Bored Button: http://www.boredbutton.com
Big Fish: http://www.maniacworld.com/big_fish.htm

Maddie

Back to Baking!

Today I finally got around to updating my baking site! I am going to be posting there weekly now, meaning weekly treats! On occasion I will post tips, or a video, and more regularly recipes. My site is JUST for sweetened and baked goods, so if you are on a diet, this is not the site for you! However, just because YOU can't eat goodies doesn't mean someone else can't- so if you know someone who loves to bake like me, it would mean a lot if you would pass my site on to them.

I also have a store set up through amazon through the site- it features a lot of baking goods and items. Even if you click through to amazon by using my link and then buy something, I would get a small profit from it at no extra cost to you. I just posted a new recipe- peanut butter maple drop cookies. My sister helped me with it and they turned out really good- both of us highly recommend the cookies.

So go check out the site and leave me a comment here OR there! Let me and Ashleigh know what you think. Check it out: www.maddiesbakeshop.weebly.com

Thanks!
Maddie

Site Has Been UPDATED!

I FINALLY got around to updating my site today :) I fixed the poll and got everything sorted out. I fixed the background and all that. PLUS I finally decided what I'm going to be for Halloween! A cannibal. I am wearing normal clothes and taking a plastic butcher knife and wearing a belt of (fake) human fingers around my waist.

On top of that, I am smearing blood around my mouth and on my hands and putting in fake fangs to give myself a creepy look. Pictures to come tomorrow (but not with the blood. that's being saved for Halloween). I am also spray dying my hair grey/white for the night using wash out spray that I find GREAT. It washes out with shampoo and hot water, so there is no need to look freaky all month.

I am keeping this post short.

Good night!

Poetry

The Cry of the Trees

One old tree,

in the middle of the woods,

looked down upon the little trees,

and warned them to do good,

to gaze at every shining star,

and don't take life for granted,

for it was out of faith and luck,

that their seeds were planted,

to be so tall and strong,

but never to brag,

lest your roots be upturned,

and your branches may sag,

to live life to its fullest,

while it's in your grasp,

for a day will come soon,

where you'll lose your clasp,

the woodsman will come,

and he'll chop you away,

and you'll be a mere stump for the rest of your days,

cold in the ground,

roots barely alive,

and that,

little trees,

is why you must be kind.

Dad's Back For Good!

I am SO happy today because last night, Dad got back from New Jersey from his job training- and after 6 weeks of missing him, he's finally back! And not just for the weekend either- his job training is complete and he can now work from home! His work hours are much better than his last job and he will now have a lot more time to spend with me, Ashleigh and Grandma. He only works til 5 now so he gets done before karate usually and then has the rest of the night free to spend with us.

Naturally it will take him some time to settle into his new schedule, but I don't care. As long as we all get some more family time, that is all that counts. It's getting late now, so I am going to keep this post short and sweet and leave my readers with a question: Do you like the amount of time you spend with your family? If not, what can you do to INCREASE that family time? No need to comment if you don't want to, just something to think about.

Maddie

Poetry

Behind the Cover

Don't judge me,

By what you see,

I'm not the top model in the magazine,

so please,

don't judge me by my cover-

To know my story,

look inside,

don't just skim over,

read between the lines,

build up your trust and you might find,

everyone has a secret they try to hide...

with some it's obvious,

while others make you feel oblivious,

to what they hide away from the world,

its full of hurt,

some lose their faith,

and while I've had every opportunity,

I stand strong,

don't run from your troubles, because its wrong,

they'll only catch you in the end,

so don't pretend,

know that everyone's facing their own fight,

you're not alone,

so sleep well tonight.

NightCore

I enjoy listening to music while I do my homework as it gives me better focus. I put most of my music on YouTube, and then I surf links after the song I was listening to finishes. As I was browsing today, I found a song that was "nightcored" and automatically fell in love with the genre. Nightcore songs are usually pop songs that have had their tempo increased and are often pitched and mixed with techno music. After listening to the first song, I looked up a few songs I knew to see if they had been nightcored as well, and I actually found an entire playlist of nightcore songs!

Most times, nightcore songs are paired up with anime images and have lyrics with them. I like the change of beat a lot, and nightcore really improved some songs that previously were only mediocre. For example, Katy Perry's "Dark Horse". Yea, good song, but after hearing it on the radio 1000+ times you get tired of it. By nightcoring it, it gave it a different sound that was actually enjoyable. You can listen to that song here. My favorite nightcored song is called "Where the Lonely Ones Roam" and you can listen to THAT song here.

One thing that I'll say about nightcore is that it isn't for everyone. You have to really like faster beats and techno/electronic music to like it- if not then I would pass. Also, some of the songs get VERY fast and if it wasn't nightcored properly (many people can do it and they tend to make it to what THEY think sounds good) then it can sound more like Alvin and the Chipmunks than good nightcore.

So, if you went and listened to some nightcore, what was your favorite song? Leave me a link in the comments below and I'll check it out if I haven't heard it already. If you tried nightcore but didn't like it, tell me why and what your favorite genre is!

Maddie

PS: One more good song to check out! I can't help myself! Shatter Me