Amazing Brownie Recipe

Hey everybody! I hope you're enjoying your day so far!

So recently, actually scratch that, a couple months ago I found this great brownie recipe and so far everyone seems to like it. Just thought I'd share it with you. Martha Stewart is an awesome baker among many other things. Try it out! Comment below if you like it or have tried it or any other comment related to this. Hope you guys enjoy!

http://www.marthastewart.com/314726/fudgy-chocolate-brownies

The Sun Always Comes Out

Have you ever been uncertain if you're doing the right thing? If maybe it won't turn out like you hoped? That'll turn out worse than what you fear? Comment below what you would do. Comment if you're going through that now or have a friend who is. 

Here's what I do. See, I've gone through that panicky, uncertainty phase before a lot and every time, even when it seems like my world is about to end, the sun does come out. My world always gets brighter. Just keep remembering that. The sun will come out for you too. It always does. 

A Pencil and Paper

If someone gave me a gift of a pencil and paper, I would start writing immediately about anything and everything I felt inside. I think right now, I would write about the transitions my state has been having between spring and winter weather even though we're in the midst of February. Well actually it's almost March, but we've just gone from sixty degrees to thirty-five degrees in two days. 

I would write poetry because when you write poetry instead of prose, you can not only take the words and transform them into a beautiful melody, but you can also give the magical, poetic feel to a poem that you can't create with prose. 

A few days ago I wrote a poem about winter. I see winter's beauty like no other season. I would write another poem in a heartbeat without even being asked. If someone gave me a pencil and paper I honestly think I would just sit down and start writing. I've done it many a time before. 

Poetry, prose, and writing in general hold a special place in my heart. Whenever I have the chance I can't help but write. Give me a pencil and paper, and I will create a poem.

That Moment

That Moment when you're in a store and you walk up to someone who's working there and ask for a different size of this (insert article of clothing). Then, as they give you that horrifying look, you instantly know can only mean one thing: they don't work there! They're a customer just like you and you've just asked them for a different size of whatever it is you're looking for. If you've ever had that stomach-clenching moment, then know that you are so not alone. I've done this too many times to even laugh about it.

So, at some point in your life you've probably had someone say to you that they have to leave because they have to do a hospital visit for a loved one or go to a funeral or any other sad visit. That Moment when they say they're going to the hospital to visit their dying relative and, without looking up from your Teen Beat magazine, you say, "Okay, have fun!" *gasp* you just crossed that line. I've never done that myself, but I've seen it happening so many times with so many situations and so so many awkward faces, that I know it's one of THOSE moments.

Is it just me or when a song comes on that you're friend knows and you kind of know it, you feel obligated to have the lyrics rush into your head immediately? And you guys start awkwardly singing along like there isn't a care in the world and then comes That Moment when you totally mess up the most important line in the song. 

And finally, when you accidentally run into someone on the street. That's awkward enough. Then comes That Moment when you guys try and go around each other in the same direction seven billion times before the awkward laughter and then you guys cautiously walk in different directions until you run away like "ugh did that really just happen?". Why, thank you for asking because yes, yes it did. But that's okay! You do it, I do it, we ALL do it. It's just an occurrence that happens every now and then and you just gotta move on with your life. I do have to say though, That Moment is terribly confusing and awkward at the time.

That Moment

You know That Moment when you're at the door and someone is walking to the same building you are but they are really far away from it, and yet you still decide to hold it open for them? Which then makes them feel obligated to hurry up and run to the door instead of taking the leisurely walk that they wanted. I've done that WAY too many times at school.
Okay so you know how lots of people have those Bluetooth devices to they can call people without holding a phone and it's actually this little electronic thing on their ear? You know That Moment when you see someone standing there and you don't see their Bluetooth? They start talking as if they were talking to you, and you reply when in actuality they are on their phone-like device trying to hear the call and you're just blabbing on? I've done that too many times to count. And I know you have too! Right?

So you know when you're going to McDonalds or whatever fast food restaurant you like to eat at, and you go inside and your order your meal? That is a pretty regular thing for tons of people. A few minutes after your order the person will call your number or name and say "Enjoy your meal!" Now isn't that nice of them? Of course it is. But then That Awkward Moment arrives when, out of habit, you say "Thanks, you too!" Because whenever somebody says to "enjoy your day" or "you look nice" you say "Thanks, you too!" (If you mean it. I'm not saying that I or anybody gives fake compliments). Anyway, I've seen that happen where people will tell the servers to enjoy their meal too and then look frightened and scuttle off. Why? Because its awkward! They don't get a meal. They're just being nice to you and can I just say that I have done this so so many times, and I've seen it happen to others so many times, that I would like to applaud anyone and everyone who hasn't said "thanks, you too" (or something along those lines if a fast food server says to enjoy your meal). Go on, give yourselves a pat on the back.
You know That Moment when you just thought of a really FANTASTIC joke and you're telling it to your friend and right as you're about to say the punch line, *poof*, it disappears from your mind? You just can't think of it and now you're standing there like "uhhhh then the thing did the thing and..." While you're friend is staring at you like "dude? Are you okay? Are you sick? Oh my gosh, just tell me the joke!!" I've done that a couple times but I've seen it happen more than its actually happened to me.
So, something else I've seen happen is when someone will get on your Facebook or Instagram timeline (or any other social media) and just scroll through looking at your posts and pictures and suddenly they'll find one they really like and 'like' it and then comes that moment when you realize that post from from like three years ago! Stalker! I've done this before, you've done this before, lets just give ourselves a round of applause for our prestigious accomplishment.

That Moment

You know That Moment when you are enjoying a perfectly good game of skipping stones on the Wii with your friend, and suddenly the game gets super specific about the timing of pressing and releasing buttons on the controller? Then you find yourself yelling at the TV in frustration because the Mii character won't release the stone to skip across the water. Then you realize you've been trying to skip this stone for five minutes. Then you realize your friend is sitting there with a look on their face that says "Okay, just stop. That is sad and I'm really tempted to video tape this.". Gotta love playing the Wii on a sugar rush!
You know That Moment when you're quietly reading the book for your Literature assignment, and your dog decides to hop up on the couch, shove your book out of your hand, and sit on your arm? She/he doesn't even care that you have homework. Or a life besides taking care of them. She/he just sits right on your arm and continues on licking their paws and scratching their ears like there is no problem in the world. Well, that happened to me about twenty minutes ago. Gotta love your dog though. :)
You know that moment when you type something and auto correct zooms in and "fixes" it just before you send it? Well, I know that's happened to me many times. You too! It's happened to all of us. Auto correct just loves to mess things up. It thinks it is helping, but I think I speak for all of us when I say, "it's ruining my life!" ;)
You know That Moment when you're having a friendly argument (not a real argument, just a friendly debate) and the friend you're having it with says this amazing line and you're mind just goes into this loop of "What just happened? Must reply. What just happened? Must rely. What just happened? Must reply." And you're standing there with the most embarrassing expression on your face as you have no idea how to reply with a just as awesome line. Then, two hours later you'll be sitting in your room watching a movie and you'll think of this absolutely amazing line that you could've said, but hadn't thought of yet at the time?
You know That Moment when someone says a great joke and everyone laughs but you don't get it? Then that moment when two hours later you're in a very serious situation and you just belt out laughing because you FINALLY got that joke? Except, now you're in a serious situation and you just laughed... Not in trouble, right? (Oh yeah you are).
You know That Moment when you're on your blog and you decide to quickly go to another page on safari to check something? That doesn't sound bad at all, right? But what if, thirty seconds later, you click the page that has your blog on it that you were still typing on a minute ago, and the page refreshes and your mind goes into this field of "Oh no! I just spent all that time! It was a long post and now it's DELETED :("? You go into a panic as you see the empty page title and empty text box start to appear on the slow-loading page. Then you see that everything you typed was still there, waiting for you to finish it.
You know That Moment when you are walking along the street and you see someone you think you know? That's great, right? You and them are really good friends so you wave and say "hey (insert friend name here) over here! It's me (insert your name here)!" And then you realize... That's not anyone you know. It's just a random stranger who is now looking at you like you just committed a crime.

Lemonade Mouth Review

This is a review of the movie Lemonade Mouth. I have to give it five stars. I'm not in love with the movie  because it has awesome music or the characters look amazing. I believe that the movie is very realistic. This movie is about a group of high-school 'nobodies' who are given their chance too shine through their music. 

Now, they didn't have an easy time doing it. They had a few bumps along the road, but they had each other, they had their voices, and they were heard. I'm not talking about heard as in music, I'm saying that their voices, their selves, they were heard. 

Lemonade Mouth showed that you don't have to hide away behind a wall, putting a defense so thick against the world that even you believe you don't have a voice. You do have a voice. You deserve to be heard! Lemonade Mouth is truly inspiring. 

I used to hide behind a wall. I used to be a 'nobody'. I thought that there were separation lines between the 'cool and popular' and the 'nobodies'. But there really isn't. I moved on with my life and found people who accepted me for who I am and gave me a chance to let my voice be heard. 

"What if I can't find those people?" You might ask. Well, I say, take a chance. You might think its crazy, but if you be your true self and show that you DO have a voice, you'll be so much happier than hiding behind a wall. Not just happier. Happier, healthier, and so much more confident.

 If you can't find the people who will give you the chance to be heard immediately, then be heard where you are. I'm definitely not saying that you should ever give up on finding real friends who will accept you for who you are and will always let you be heard. Keep looking! You'll find them. It's never too late. But I am saying, that in the mean time, show your true self to the world! Be heard! Be proud of your voice and who you are! I want you to wake up Monday morning, go to school, and show your true self. You don't have to hide behind a wall. Let the whole world know that you have a voice that deserves to be heard. Why? Because you do.

Lemonade Mouth says exactly this. If you're ever feeling unheard or alone, watch this movie. I found it so inspiring. Make a change. You. Have. A. Voice.

Winter

I see through the misty glass there upon my wall,

So frosted with wintry snow.

The forest floor gleaming with snowfall.

The frail pine trees so easily grasping the winter weather

Not a sound was composed from the birds

For they had long since flown south to escape the harsh, stinging weather of what we know as winter.

I look out upon my forest. My forest.

Warm fire crackling at my side,

Everything seems so bitter and cold to everyone.

Everything looks so beautiful to me.

What Do the Dreams Mean

What if, every night, you had the same dream? What if, every night, it kept coming back? What if, every night, it would follow you and attack you in the midst of your sleepy place? Perhaps that happens to no one. Perhaps that happens to everyone. What if your very existence is all a dream? As a friend recently pointed put to me, "you know how when you have dreams where you die, you usually wake up just before you die? What if your very existence is just a dream, where just before you die in what you think is your life, you wake up to another dream?" Well, that wasn't quite what they said, but that was pretty much it.

I have a dream. The same type of dream every night. All of my theories about the existence of life pour theirselves into my dream. Apparently my mind thinks that it does not have time to worry about the existence of life during the day, so you could say wondering if we even exist is my night job. 

This dream, all these ideas, constantly swirling around in my mind as I sleep, shouting at me that it's staring me right in the face. The answer. Waiting for me. In my mind. Maybe I'll find out tonight. Will you?

The Lottery

This is a story about the lottery where the prize is not money.

When one thinks of the lottery they think of prizes, fortune, and possibly fame. A beautiful lifestyle where the grand winner receives everything they could possibly imagine. Would you like to know the truth of how this rare occasion of overwhelming joy happens? It doesn't.
The contestants are young children, whatever the age. They are forced and they don't enter by scratching something on a ticket. They compete. 14 contestants are picked from the local village. They are chosen by the head of the village and can't back out upon entering. The children, all ages ranging from five to sixteen, are put through a series of trials. They are forced to fight against the person who can attack their weaknesses. The pairs are not put together to fight at random. Just as the children are selected, the pairs are selected just as carefully so that each person in each pair has strengths where the other is weak.
The winner of each round moves up to the next, battling until the last stage. To 'move up' or 'win', they must fight until the other person surrenders. There usually aren't deaths involved in winning, however some people are very stubborn and don't surrender until death. In the last stage, the last two people will compete until one is named victorious. This occurs in ten villages. The winners of the ten villages are paired together and fight the same way as before in their own home town. The winner is named the victor and receives a meager sum of money to leave the village with one selected person. Since there are usually families of three or four, families are broken and cut down. Once the victor and their chosen 'plus-1" leave the town, they are supposedly sent to a country villa with a comfortable lifestyle. They are allowed to communicate back to their families, but they can never see them. They can never leave the villa. Once they leave the village, no one sees what happens outside the exit door, and no one hears from them ever again.

My Thoughts About Grades

My thoughts about grades are that they are affective. My school doesn't do letter grades, and yesterday my history teacher said that there has been a study showing that if a student is handed a bad grade that they will do worse on the following test. Not because they aren't bright enough, but because the student has the grade. The pyscological connection between the bad grade and the test, would make the student feel that they have already done a bad job and therefore are going to do a bad job on the test whether or not they study. Then they don't study, and do a bad job just as they thought they would. If they had received a good grade then they would've done better on the test because they would've studied.
My first sentence above saying that grades are affective, is my firm belief. However, I can see how it can be interpreted the wrong way. I'm not saying that grades are affective to mean that they show the students' entire academic ability or that they influence the student completely, I'm saying that they have an affect on the student's mind.
Because I'll be in high school next year, I've asked for grades in as many classes as I can get. You need them for college, and I like having the grades there. I recieve good grades and that keeps me getting good grades. I think "Okay, what did I do last time that got me a good grade?" Study, finish my homework on time, etc. Recieving a good grade keeps the good grades coming because the pyscological belief in the mind keeps it there.
I personally am not a believer that grades are for everyone. For lots of people, whether the grades are good or bad, grades are just too pressurized. And that affects the brain. Getting a grade is affective. Sometimes even just thinking of a grade is too affective for some people.
Grades are affective.

That Moment

You know that moment when you're right in the middle of the best action shot of the movie, and the person you are watching it with says, "oh hang on you need to pause it." And you have no choice but to pause it because while you know you're messing with the best action scene, the person you're watching it with has a high rank of authority. Class MOM.

That Moment

You know that moment when you're in your room on a video chat with someone and this bird just comes flying straight towards you on the other side of the window? You know that moment when you realize that the bird is coming closer and closer and doesn't seem to be stopping? You know that moment when you realize that you're not looking out the window behind you're computer and you realize that you've been looking at your computer screen which your friend left in front of their window while they got a drink? You know that moment when you realize that you were making terrified faces and they never left and they were just behind the computer looking over the edge at your random faces? And then they took screen shots...
You know that moment when you're taking a nap on a gray day (which, in my opinion, are totally the best days for napping because there isn't a ton of light coming through the windows) and you're just exhausted? You know that moment when you're falling asleep to the peaceful, slumber sighs of your dog curled up next to you? You know that moment when you're drifting off and departing on the train for SleepyVille? You know that moment when your dad walks in unexpectedly and gives you a chore to do? You know that moment when it's an hour later and he's done that five times? Waking you up every twenty minutes just to tick you off because you're trying to nap? You know that moment when you lock your door to prevent him from coming in again and realize that your door locks from the inside? And you just locked yourself in? And he can still knock really loudly and taunt you? That moment...
You know that moment when you're blogging about weird moments in your life and realize that you should be in bed? And that your dog is really angry at you because you were using her pillow as a support for your back while you stayed in bed and blogged with a bright light coming from your computer? Just kidding that never happened but it probably will soon.
You know that moment when you realize you are super exhausted and want to go to bed? You know that moment when you flop onto your bed disregarding that you have homework to do? You know that moment when you look at the clock just before you fall asleep at it is 4:30 in the afternoon? And then you wake up at 8:00 in the evening and think you slept through the night and are late waking up for the day? You know that moment when you freak out and get ready for school when you realize that you don't have school tomorrow? And it's not morning...
You know that moment when you think you forgot to do this huge report due the next day and it is already past your bedtime? You know that moment when you freak out and try to think of how to explain this to your parents and teacher? You know that moment when you go through your entire class binder looking for anything that could help? (even though there is obviously nothing you can do but face the consequences of your lazy actions). You know that moment when you see your report that you wrote that day, sitting on your desk fully printed and ready for tomorrow? You know that moment when you realize you just made a lot of noise past your bedtime and should creep back into bed right then? You know that moment when you realize that even after seeing the report there on your desk, you're so tired you still don't remember doing it?

If you guys have any of those types of moments in your life, feel free to comment below.

That Moment

You know that moment when you're quietly sitting down on the couch watching a movie after a long day and your dog suddenly decides that (after avoiding you all day like the plague) she wants attention right in the middle of the best line? 

You know that moment when you're watching a movie and there is a super diva character in there and you insta-judge them? You know when you find out ten minutes later that the reason they act so diva-ish is because one of their parents died? You know that moment when you start crying and apologizing to the TV screen and you find out that you are accidentally on a video chat with someone on your iPod?

You know that moment when you're looking at your blog and you see that the views have gone up by over fourty over the weekend and you pretend to be cool about it in case anyone is near, and then right when your mom walks into your room you start to explode into happiness?

If you know any of those moments, then...

Welcome to my life! We've been expecting you.

That Moment

That moment when you're listening to the radio, dogs curled up at your side, blankets trapping you in their comforting wrap, and everything just seems to fade away. You lay there in your bed just gazing into what seems like the distance when in reality it's your out-dated Doctor Who calendar. Your favorite song starts playing on the radio and you don't even notice until ten minutes later when you are blogging about it. Birds are chattering outside and you don't even notice.
That moment when all the sunlight starts to fade slowly from your room. That moment when your dogs fall asleep, snoozing contentedly at your side. That moment when everything is quiet. Total peace and serenity.

Then your parents walk in and give you chores to do.