Life Without Pets

Ever since I can remember I have wanted a pet. I used to have a pet fish named Goldie but it sadly died. Goldie was fun when I was younger before I realized there were pets you could actually hold and play with. When I was younger I would always dream of owning a pet horse in my backyard. I soon realized that wasn’t going to happen. I had also always wanted a dog but at this point, it didn’t matter what kind of pet I got I just wanted one. Bunnies, dogs, turtles, fish, cats so many pets and I didn’t have a single one. All of my friends are always talking about the cute things their pets did while I just stand there not being able to contribute to the conversation.

About 3 years ago my older sister got a bunny, it was the cutest thing ever she wouldn’t let me or my younger sister hold it at all. She only had it for two days though before we had to take it back because we found out my mom is allergic to bunnies and cats. So those two pets were off the list but that was okay because we could still get a dog if only my parents would let us. My older sister and I tried so hard to convince my parents to let us get a dog but they would always say that we needed to show them we were responsible. They were basically only telling my older sister that though since I'm the responsible one. We also tried telling them how pets made people happier and improved their health. A survey showed that 65% of U.S. households own a pet. That didn't really convince them. Right now we still don’t have any pets but hopefully, we will be able to get one very soon.

Why are Guns a Thing?

Why are Guns a Thing? That is what I am going to try to answer. I’m going to talk about how they were invented, how they've changed over the years, and if they should exist.

How were guns invented? Guns were invented in China in 142 A.D. when it was first mentioned as it would “fly and dance”. At first, people were trying to make a potion that let you live forever, but they ended up inventing gunpowder. In 33 A.D. a scientist by the name of Ge Hong wrote down the ingredients for gunpowder-

1. sulfur

2 charcoal

3. potassium nitrate

When gunpowder was first invented no one really had a true use for it, and for a while, it was pretty useless. But then people started using then in fireworks which would make parties or celebrations very exciting to be at. Then in around 900 A.D. the first “guns” were invented. They looked like a mini cannon on a stick and back then they weren’t always super reliable. Also later then cannons were invented and gunpowder started to spread.

Guns first started to spread across the globe in around 1100 A.D.. At first, gunpowder was just supposed to be a secret weapon, but after a while, the Romans and Islamic empires started to figure out how to use gunpowder for guns. So slowly over time guns spread all over the world. But in my opinion, England was the most affected by guns when they arrived. In around the 1300s, England got guns and used them to fight. The three main advantages to guns were-

1. Distance
2. More power
3. Fewer people needed to operate

For a ram back then you would usually need around ten people to operate it but for a cannon, at most, it was three. Eventually, all people really fought with was cannons or guns. So about one thousand years in the future now we basically only use guns to fight. The US has around 393 million guns, which is 42% of all the guns in the world.

Should guns exist? I think not. Now if guns never were discovered who knows how many wars and battles wouldn’t have happened. But then again if they didn’t happen then what would our world look like without guns? No one can really guess because so many things have happened because of guns. In 2015 13,286 people died from firearms, and around 900,000 people die each year. So according to that around 1% of people in 2015 died of guns. Which even though it's a small amount, it's too many. In addition, guns are now basically apart of our culture. Think about all the video games in the world that involve guns, there's a lot, and it's to the point where guns are probably sometimes why people buy games, for the thrill of “holding” a weapon. So with all these school shootings, it's showing that this is really not good. That is why in my opinion guns should not have been invented.

Main source: https://quatr.us/china/gunpowder-ancient-china.htm

Frida Kahlo: How She Made an Impact

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican Artist who lived from 1907 to 1954. Frida is important to me because first of all, she was Mexican and secondly, she had a big impact on Mexican artists. Since she was an artist in the 1900’s, it just feels to me that she was carrying on the Artistic Revolution through her drawings. Frida’s father came from Germany, but Frida claimed that he was Jewish and Hungarian. Frida’s mother was a Mexican Catholic.

As a child, Frida had suffered polio. Polio is a disease that causes an inability to move ad when she was a teenager, she almost died in a bus accident. She had multiple fractures in her spine, ribs, and collarbone. She also, broke her foot, dislocated her shoulder, and shattered her pelvis. Frida went through 30 operations and ended up in a body cast. Frida knew that at that point, she should focus on art. 
In Frida’s lifetime, she drew approximately 200 paintings, sketches, and drawings. Out of these 200 drawings of hers, 143 of them were paintings, and 55 of those were self portraits. Her first ever self portrait was in 1926 and she named it,”Self-Portrait in Red Velvet.” Frida felt that self portraits were something that she had to keep coming back to. She states,”I paint self portraits because I am so often lonely, because I am the person that I know the most.”

Frida’s love life didn’t go so well. She married Diego Rivera in 1929, when she was 22 years old. She then divorced Diego in 1939 (I couldn’t find out why) to later remarry a year later in 1930. Even then, they lasted until Frida passed away in 1954 at the age of 51. It didn’t take Diego long to find another partner, because it only took one year for him to marry once again to Emma Hurtado.

Frida Kahlo is an important artist to me because she went through really tough times in her life and she is a real inspiration. Her paintings show the rough things that she went through and it makes me feel more sympathetic to everyone who not only went through bad times, but just had to go through something bad in their life. For example, Frida’s,”The Two Fridas” is a drawing of two Fridas. The whole drawing represents how Frida married, divorced, and remarried to Diego. One Frida (the left) represents the Frida that loved Diego and would not leave his side and the other Frida (the right) shows the Frida that Diego wanted nothing to do with. This drawing shows that in her heart, she had a pain that was made by Diego when they divorced but also the love she still had for Diego. This painting makes me feel kind of sad for her because it seems like she is going through anger and in love at the same time which can be hard. I could not really relate to her but for me it seems like it is hard to go through mentally.

All in all, I think Frida Kahlo is a great artist that puts a lot of feeling into her drawings. She shows what she has been through in her drawings. I think that it is really cool that she puts a lot of emotion into her drawings and isn’t afraid to put out what’s on her mind or what she has been through.

Image 1
Image 2

Learning to Love Golf

Yep, I play golf, and nope, I am not an old guy, and I definitely do not own plaid pants. When I started playing golf in fourth grade I had no idea how much it would change my life. I have found that it has helped me become more balanced in my sports and academic life. Soccer was starting to get more competitive, and school was starting to get more challenging. I really needed something fun, and not so serious, so that is when my dad suggested that I should try playing golf. I was very skeptical of the idea at first because I did not know very much about the sport, but once I started playing it a lot, and became more comfortable with it, I started liking it more and more.

I have learned that golf is just as much a mental game as it is a physical, if not more. Playing golf is like being on a rollercoaster. One second you’re bounding with joy, and the next you’re about ready to throw your golf club across the lake. That's what makes golf such a mental sport, because it is important to have the ability to forget a bad shot and move on to the next, or “flush it” as my dad says, because if you dig to far down into the hole of negativity, it is almost impossible  to climb out.

One of the things I love about golf is that my whole family plays, or at least engages in it. It is the perfect family activity because you can play golf no matter what age you are. Also, if you are visiting a new place, you can always explore the golf courses nearby because that's the beauty of golf, no golf course is the same!

From when golf was invented to now, there have been many advances in golf technology, including the invention of the golf tee. It started out that instead of using tees (because they had not been invented yet) golfers used mounds of sand to tee up the ball. This became a huge mess because people started using the sand from the bunkers so there was no more sand left! That is when Percy Ellis created the first prototype of the golf tee in 1892. This lead to Mathews' invention of the “Victor Tee” in 1897, and then to Dr. George Grant's invention of the first tee including a spike in 1899. The tee that was the first sold to the public was the Reddy Tee, invented in 1922 by William Lowell. The tee was the closest, of the four types, that looked like that modern tee today.

Even though I was doubted golf when I started, I still stuck with it and it has been one of the best things I have done in my life. I hope this is a good life lesson that even though something does not seem fun or interesting it can always catch you by surprise!

Credits:

History of golf tees and image credit

Image credit

The fun of the procrastinator

Procrastination, what a interesting thing . it always seems like the right thing to do at the time, until the day before the test. then you realize that hey, maybe i should not have taken so many of those "breaks" or all those "days off". so why do it? well, there are a lot of reasons. The biggest being, its just boring, something else is more fun. when people procrastinate, they always find a reason for why they are doing it so thy can convince themselves, even if subconsciously to not feel guilty. But there are reasons to do the work, like if you wait till the last day before a project is due you learn a lot less about the subject the if you did it in 10 minute chunks over multiple weeks(this has been proven to be the most effective study habits by 100's of study's). So, how do you break the loop? its actually very simple. instead of convincing your self why you should not be doing something  all you need to do is convince your self that you should, which is much harder than it seems but it is one of the only ways to stop procrastination.

African American Women Making a Difference

Madam C.J Walker was born on December 23, 1867, in Louisiana. Her mom Minerva Breedlove died in the year 1874 and her dad Owen died the following year. The causes of her parents' deaths are still unknown. She was 6 years old when her mom died and 7 years old when she became an orphan. She lived with her sister, Louvinia, and brother-in-law. They moved to Mississippi in 1877. Well, there Walker was forced to pick cotton. Walker married Moses McWilliams at age 14. After they got married they had a beautiful daughter she was named A'Lelia. A'Lelia was born on June 6, 1885. Moses died in 1887 when A'Lelia was 3 years old. After Moses died A'Lelia and Madam Walker moved to St. Louis, Missouri. In Missouri Walker found a job as a cleaner. She got paid $1.50 a day. This was barely enough money to send A'Lelia to school. While in St. Louis Madam Walker met her soon to be second husband Charles Walker. In the 1890s, Madam Walker developed a rare scalp condition that made her lose almost all of her hair. After this, she decided she was going to experiment with home remedies and store-bought remedies to try to improve her hair condition. In 1905, Walker was hired as a commission saleswoman by Annie Turnbo Malone. If you don't know who Annie Turnbo Malone is she was also a famous African American inventor. Walker moved to Denver, Colorado in 1907, where she invented a hair treatment for African-Americans. Walker and Charles traveled the country together selling her products and showing how they worked. The next year Walker opened a beauty school and a factory. Just two years later after her major investments, the company was booming. Walker and her husband Charles broke up in 1912. Walker moved to Harlem in 1916. Harlem was an important African-American neighborhood. It was home to musicians, writers, and artists, in New York City. On May 25, 1919, at age 51 Walker died from kidney failure and complications of hypertension. She died in Irvington-on-Hudson, New York on an estate that she had built for herself. After Walker died A'Lelia Walker was left with ⅓ of her mother's estate. During 1998 the United States Postal Service decided to make a stamp of Madame Walker. This was part of their "Black Heritage" series.

Bessie Coleman was born on January 26, 1892, in Atlanta, Texas. When Bessie was little her favorite thing was to listen to stories about the Wright brothers. The Wright brothers were famous for their knowledge of building and flying some of the worlds first airplanes. The annoying truth, in Bessie's time and today, was men thought that women should not be pilots. But even worse than a female pilot was an African American female pilot. After Bessie completed high school, she went to Oklahoma Colored Agricultural and Normal University, now known as the Langston University, for one year. Then in 1915 she went to Chicago, Illinois. Becoming a pilot was really hard for Bessie. Bessie was not allowed to attend American aviation school, because she was an African American woman. Bessie was told to go to the international aviation school in France. Bessie spent her life savings to learn how to speak French. She took a class at the Berlitz school in Chicago. Bessie left for France on November 20, 1920. A famous quote from Bessie "I knew we had no aviators, neither men nor women, and I knew the race needed to be represented along this most important line, so I thought it my duty to risk my life to learn aviation and to encourage flying among men and women of our race, who are so far behind the white race in this modern study," In France it took Bessie seven months to learn how to fly. After she did Bessie was given an international pilot's license. In 1921 the Federation Aeronautique International gave this to Bessie. When Bessie returned to the United States she became known for her impressive stunts and was named "Queen Bess". After this name was given to her she continued to face the restrictions the United States kept showing her African American family. In response to the racism she was shown, she said: "The air is the only place free from prejudices." Bessie Coleman died April 30, 1926, in  Jacksonville, Florida. Bessie was 34 when she passed away. Bessie died because her plane was not working properly. She had three unexpected stops on the way to the show and on the final stretch Bessie was not wearing a seat belt. When the plane took an unexpected drop and spiraled toward the ground Bessie fell out of the plane and died upon impact. Her passenger was not able to take control of the plane and died upon impact as well. The plane exploded and that was the end of Bessie Coleman. This year on Bessie's birthday, Google decided to put a sketch of her  on their banner.

          These African American women made differences in so many lives but they are not as different as it might seem. They were both African American women which as hard enough as it is. But on top of that these girls both had hard childhoods. Madam C.J Walker's parents died and her first husband died and she had a three-year-old child. Bessie Coleman had to face being told over and over that she could not do what she loved it was a white man's job. They also both died at young ages 51 and 34. Despite all of these things these women made a life for themselves and made a difference to others.



Credits:
Madam C.J Walker photo
Newsela Madam C.J Walker
Walker Wikipedia (when Walker's daughter was born and her first husband died and this link too)
Newsela Bessie Coleman
Bessie Coleman's death
Bessie Coleman photo

Climbing Has Changed

Climbing is a sort of known sport these days. There are many different types of it. That includes bouldering, sport, and speed climbing. These disciplines are only for competitive climbing. There are a lot of other types of climbing outside of the competitive realm. There is free climbing, free soloing, trad (traditional) climbing, aid climbing, and of course, bouldering, sport, and speed. For the competitive disciplines, the observers are not allowed to tell the climber any beta or how to get up the wall.

Bouldering is many individual, short routes or “problems,” that are attempted without a climbing rope but with landing mats below for protection. In bouldering competitions, the competitions are scored by checkpoints. For all checkpoint holds, other than the finish hold, control shall be awarded where the competitor has made use of the handhold to achieve a stable or controlled position; or to control the momentum of a climbing movement; or while in a calm or controlled position and where the use is deemed helpful to advance in the problem. In bouldering, control of the finish hold shall be awarded where the competitor has made controlled contact with the hold with both hands while in a stable or controlled position. The checkpoints are labeled 5, 10, 15, 25 (25 is the top of the route). Four is the maximum amount of checkpoints, but there are routes with less than four. If the competitor falls off the route, s/he gets 0.1 points subtracted from their total score. Upon the completion of his/her attempts of a problem, the Judge shall inform the competitor as to which point, on the route, s/he was scored. Bouldering is fun for the untrained because they don't have to know how to tie any knots.

Sport climbing is when routes are climbed on lead or top-rope, with the competitor belayed with a climbing rope from below. These walls are tall; they have to be at least 25 feet high.

Climbing Rope

For lead, each quickdraw is clipped sequentially. Lead and top-rope are sub-disciplines to sport climbing. The type of sport climbing is not optional. The competitor has to be 13 and older to climb on lead. Otherwise, you have to climb on top-rope. Leading is when you take the rope with you and clip into quickdraws on your way up. Top-Rope is where the rope goes from the climbers harness up to the top of the wall and back down to the belay device. For lead competition routes, the route shall be considered 'successfully completed' if it has been climbed to the top and if the rope has been clipped from an appropriate position into the carabiner on the final quickdraw. Additionally, the competitor must demonstrate control of the finish hold. For top rope competition routes, the route shall be considered successfully completed if it has been climbed to the top and if the competitor has successfully demonstrated control of the finish hold. Competitors are not required to match hands on the finish hold for lead or top-rope.

For speed climbing, the routes are attempted on top-rope or with an auto-belay. They are timed for speed. The faster the competitor is, the better. There is a national set speed route for competitors 13 and older. For competitors younger than 13, they don't know what speed route they will be climbing. Other than that, speed climbing is rather self-explanatory. The climber climbs up a wall as fast as they can, nothing more.

Bouldering, Sport, and Speed are all very different. In the next Olympics, in 2000, climbing will be one of the new/accepted sports. The only unfortunate part about it is that one person from each country has to run/do all of the disciplines. This is very hard because Bouldering, Sport, and Speed are very different. Not just one person can do all three disciplines. The Olympics needs to have one person for each discipline. Luckily though, in the 2024 Olympics, there will be one person per discipline, it's great!

Coming from a climber, having climbing in the Olympics is an honor. Also, being able to teach younger children to climb and have fun on the wall is a great experience. The evolution of climbing has come so far from where it started. It started from the climber placing their bolts, outside (which is dangerous), to now, where we can climb indoors, even when it's snowy and rainy out.

This is a rack of cams going from small (left) to large (right)

Climbing started to be a thing around the 1880s. It was a sport for hippies and daredevils. To climb in the 1880s, climbers would climb up with a hammer, bolts, bolt hangers, and some clips. They would go to where they think would be an excellent place to hang their rope, and then they would hammer bolts into the wall. Then they would hang off of that bolt placement. Then around 1960-1980, people started to think about finding better and fresher ways to climb. This new way of climbing was called trad climbing. Trad climbing is where you climb up the wall, you have gear hanging to you, and you can put that gear into the small, medium, or big cracks. The older types of equipment were called hexes (hexcentrics) and later on the cam was invented. The hex is a camming device that uses pressure to hold you up, nothing more, and the cam is a spring-loaded camming device. Both the hex and the cam were removable, and they left no trace on the rock. The climbers made this new way of climbing because they were climbing in places with lots of cracks on the wall. This place was Yosemite. They also did this because the old way was putting holes into the wall. Putting in those holes would make the wall not last as long and start crumbling away a ton faster than it should have. Most climbers nowadays either stick with trad climbing or climbing with bolt hangers already set into the wall. There are some climbers though who do something called free soloing (Free Soloing is not advised). Free soloing is where you climb up thousands upon thousands of feet of wall with no rope in sight. Alex Honnold just did a big free solo. He climbed El Capitan and its 3,200 feet of sheer granite.

This is a rack of hexes (hexcentrics) going
from small (left) to large (right)

"People who know a little bit about climbing think, 'OhYa, he's totally safe,' and then people who really know exactly what he's doing, are freaked out," - Tommy Caldwell

That quote from Tommy shows that you can/will get more scared for Alex if you know what climbing is or what he is doing. Otherwise, you would have no idea what he is doing, so it wouldn't scare you. Also, the filmers of anything free solo related are also really scared. They would be having hard times trying not to imagine their friend falling through the frame to their death. That's the reality of free soloing.

Climbing has come a long way since it had started. Climbing went from being a sport for hippies and daredevils to a sport that is for the family and the adventurers.


Sources:
Rulebook - BOULDERING SPEED SPORT - readkong.com. https://www.readkong.com/page/rulebook-bouldering-speed-sport-4767851

My trip to Europe

I am a kid who loves to travel and go on adventures to other countries with family, but during the summer of 2018, this one particular trip blew me away!

My dad is a lawyer and has the law group Chenoweth Law group (https://www.northwestlaw.com). My dad usually doesn't go very far very often, but this one client had him go all the way over to the Netherlands! My dad took advantage of the situation and flew me over on a plane, so I could go to Europe. When I first landed I saw my dads beaming smile, but I was exhausted since I had zero minutes of sleep on the 8-hour flight, (at least it wasn't the week to month trips on boat people had to go on in 1700)  but I was still happy to be in Europe, and get to have this awesome trip. In a few days, we were in the Netherlands, we went on a boat tour, bike tours, and lots of walking.

After several days in the Netherlands, we soon took a train to Cologne Germany, I got out of the train station, as I turn around, my mouth drops at the sight of a gigantic structure blocking out the sun completely. This was the Kölner Dom, a huge cathedral was built in 1322, this cathedral is so old that there are broken and damaged parts from bullets in WW2!

After three fun days at Cologne, we took a train to Paris, France, where we went touring all over at the best places in France. In one day we walked to L’arc Du Triomphe, and on the way, we looked at other smaller cathedrals that were also really cool. After all that, we went to the Eiffel Tower, and waited in line, until we could get in and walk around the grounds, this one day, we walked around for about nine miles, but then the next day we went on another bike tour and checked out some more really cool places in Paris.

Europe is an amazing place, with a deep history running through it, and if I ever get the chance to go again, I would take it without a doubt and see what other parts of Europe that there is to see. I love to visit and explore new cultures, and traditions, and know more about the people we share this world with. By taking this trip not only did I have a blast and a half, but I learned more culter, like about the Kölner Dom. If you have never

been to Europe, then get on the next flight there.

The Culture Of Soccer Around the World

Soccer is a sport. It is a very important sport to some communities and even saintly. When I went to Brazil, everything was about soccer. I was even told, "if you don't play soccer, you can't be trusted here in Brazil." Brazil has produced some of the most prolific soccer players. Such as Neymar, Pele, Marcelo, and more. It also has the most decorated National Team. The National team has won 5 World Cups and 4 Confederation Cups.



Brazil is not the only country where soccer thrives. Let's go back to the birthplace of soccer, England. England has a great reputation for their national team and the league (the EPL). If you grow up playing soccer, you would know that England is the place to be. Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea are the top 4 clubs in England's EPL.

There is one more country... Spain. Spain is the host country of the two best teams on the planet at the moment, Real Madrid and Barcelona (by the way, the two teams are also rivals). As of the moment, Messi plays for Barcelona and Ronaldo plays on Real Madrid. Messi and Ronaldo are considered to be the best two soccer players of all time. Many people want to know whose better, Messi or Ronaldo? Well, Jose Mourinho, one of the best coaches of all time, thinks that Ronaldo is better than Messi.

Soccer has changed peoples lives by giving people a way out to have fun and enjoy life.

All in all, soccer is all around the world and many people play it.



Photo Credit:
latimes.com

Why I Love Sports

Why I Love Sports

As I try to think back to a period in my life when I did not play sports, It seems as if I can not recall. Ever since I can remember, I have always desired to play sports whenever I had the chance. Whether it was soccer, or hockey, I always felt the need to run, and jump, and use up all the energy I have. Sports are what make me want to beat my goals and persist through the hard parts in my life.

One way sports change my life is by helping me to do better in school. The way sports do this is by letting me use up all my energy so that I can be more focused during the more academic parts of my life. According to Rochester University “Exercise increases blood flow to the brain and helps the body build more connections between nerves, leading to increased concentration, enhanced memory, stimulated creativity, and better-developed problem solving skills.” This is saying that playing sports and exercising makes you smarter.

Another way sports have help me is by reducing my levels of stress and anxiety. Whenever I procrastinate over school related things, I just decide to go play soccer, or for a run, or maybe throw the lacrosse ball around. Then I come back to the project I was just doing and it all seems to be much easier.

Another reason why sports and exercise is so important is that it actually doesn’t make you always more tired. In fact, exercise pumps more oxygen through your blood, which gives you more energy to go through your usual stressful day.

All in all, sports are what make me function everyday, and without them, I don’t know what I would do.

The Life of A Young San Diegan

The Life of a Young San Diegan

When you think San Diego, you think of a sunny paradise, with beaches and jeeps. Well, you are practically right, This is the story of a young girl growing up in San Diego.

When you live in a town that basically lives summer all year round there is lots of fun. There is always stuff to do, and new things to try. One Of the great things about California is that you can wear shorts year round. I personally believe it is easier to cool down than to warm up so shorts all around! Since San Diego is almost always warm when it rains everyone talks about it and plays in the rain. It’s a big deal, s you should probably treat it like one too. One of the best things about San Diego is the beaches and the bay. Almost every weekend I went to the beach. Make sure you go early or there will not be a spot for you and your family.

At the beach, there are various things to do, and the first thing to do is take a bike ride. Taking a bike ride around the boardwalk and Coronado is a great way to cool off. Coronado is an island connected to San Diego by a bridge, where you can take the ferry to get there.

Warning: When you are taking a bike ride, be sure to watch out for pedestrians!

The second thing to do at the beach is Surfing! Jumping into a wet suit and getting on a board is a great way to have fun with your friends. Surfing is fun, catching waves is awesome, and in San Diego, you will come to find that most San Diegans surf.

Another activity in the water is boogie boarding. This is an easier alternative to surfing, but still equally as fun! Since boogie boarding is more mellow, this is a great passing time activity, even for young children. After a nice swim in the water or a sunbath, it is nice to get some ice cream to cool down.

The boardwalk is full of snack shacks. And you can always find a nice lemonade stand somewhere in the mix. It’s always nice to have dinner on the beach when it gets cooler in the evening. If you choose to have your beach adventures in Coronado, watch out because there is always a wedding or three in process. Coronado is right next to a naval base, so every few minutes there are planes flying above you. Don’t worry, they aren't that loud.
Something to definitely do while in San Diego is going to Balboa Park. Balboa Park is right next to the San Diego zoo and I recommend going to both in one day. Balboa Park is an awesome place with lots of buildings with beautiful architecture that were made for an old festival. It is full of restaurants, museums and even has a greenhouse. Right next door is the amazing San Diego Zoo! This is one of the best zoos in the world. With almost every habitat. One thing I really remember was on the tram you can see the nets around the monkey habitat and everyone would throw their baseball caps so they would land on it and to this day there are a lot of baseball caps lined up on the net. 

Another amazing feature is the San Diego Bay! The bay is awesome because you can watch all the navy ships and planes move around and it is very interesting to watch. At the edge of the bay, they also have lots of old ships and submarines you can tour! Another great way to spend the day is on a boat! Sailing around the bay is very fun and beautiful. You can see the skyline and all the yachts parked on the bay. I used to always try to find my house while we were sailing, which was of course impossible beacuse of the looming skyline.  

San Diego is an amazing city to live in, and I am very fortunate to have grown up in it!

Video Games: Behind the Scenes

Ahh, video games. From space invaders to Fortnite, they’re all around us. On your phone, your computer, and maybe even on your console if you have one. The point is, they’re everywhere! And today, I’m gonna take you behind the scenes.

If you don’t already know, (the odds are you probably don’t) I like to make video games. I use the Unity game engine and the C# programming language to make them. Here is a snippet of some of my code:

void Update () {

   time += Time.deltaTime;

   string minutes = Mathf.Floor ((time % 3600) / 60).ToString ("00");

   string seconds = ((time % 60)).ToString ("00");

   string milliseconds = (Mathf.Round ((time % 1) * 100) / 100).ToString();

   milliseconds = milliseconds.Substring (2, milliseconds.Length - 2);

   timerText.text = minutes + ":" + seconds + "." + milliseconds;

}

It looks like a bunch of random words, and I know it did for me at the start. Before I started making games with unity or processing, (another programming application) I was making games with Scratch. I used to think that actual computer programming was just ones and zeroes, as many people do, but I am here to tell you right now that it’s not. You use a programming language, such as Java, Python, or C++, to tell the computer commands, but like it’s through google translate. You take your code in your programming language, and the programming language turns that into binary for the computer to process. Honestly, programming is much easier than it looks. Luckily, a lot of game engines have tools to use so that you don’t have to start from scratch.

For example, Unity provides a physics engine for you, so that you don’t have to implement it yourself. We’ve been talking about Unity for a while, but what exactly is it? Well, unity is a game engine. Oh, you don't know what that is either? Well, a game engine is a program that you use to make a game. It provides all of the rendering (the drawing of the game), and sometimes things like physics. A lot of games are made with game engines. Games made with unity include Cuphead, Monument Valley 2, and Cities Skylines (man I would like to see the source code). I have been developing with unity for about 2 years. In these two years, I have made many prototypes, and only published 2 games, which were for game jams. (game jams are basically: make a game in 72 hrs, sorta like the 48-hour film project). I can tell you from experience that actually working on a game for a long time is very hard. You get demotivated, and it’s always really tempting to start over. Especially if you are working on the project alone. But all through all of my give-ups and start-overs, I have learned a lot about unity. I’ve even used it for a school project. So here is my process for making games:

STEP 1: The Idea

This might seem like the easiest step, but coming up with game ideas is hard. Normally I come up with mine after going on a trip of some sort. Here is a tip: WRITE YOUR IDEAS DOWN! You WILL forget them!

STEP 2: The Framework

Now is the time to pop into unity, and to get some basic ideas working. This would be your basic platformer script, your inventory manager, and all your other basic scripts. Here is a tip: Get as much scripting done as you can in this step, so you don’t have to do it later.

STEP 3: The Looks

This is the step to add your art and all of your sounds. Draw up all your sprites and compose your music.

STEP 4: The Build

Now it’s finally time to start making levels and making items. Design all of your levels and put in your dialogue

STEP 5: The Mental Challenge

Don’t give up! You’re almost there to completion!

STEP 6: The Testing

Give the game to your friends and see what they think of it! Let them give you feedback and implement what you want.

STEP 7: The Finishing Touches

Add the last little things, maybe some of your friend’s suggestions.

STEP 8: POST IT!

Use itch, steam, or some other program to share your game online, and let other people give you feedback as well

STEP 9: Repeat!

Take what you learned from the last project and use it in your new project, and start the process over again.

And there you have it. My game making process. Before I go, here are some of my game making traditions:

The J-Hack

Making dev cheats is a great way to test your game further. My personal favorite tool to use is by pressing the J key to initiate whatever cheat you use. This tradition initiated when I first implemented it on scratch.

Fill in the Dummy Text

If a text doesn’t have anything in it because it will be set by a script, fill it in for something funny!

That is all I have to say for my game making process. Check out some of these links before you go!

Itch.io page (where I post my games): https://doubleblack-studios.itch.io/

Official Unity Website: unity3d.com

Game making youtubers:

∟ Blackthornprod: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Z1XWw1kmnvOOFsj6Bzy2g

∟ Brackeys: https://www.youtube.com/user/Brackeys

Image Credits:
 ∟ C# logo: https://www.pluralsight.com/paths/csharp
 ∟ Unity Logo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unity_Technologies_logo.svg

Comment Prompt: What does the sample script snippet mean?

My Role Model

Being a younger sister is really fun. Many people think otherwise, but I say it is because I have the best role model ever to look up to... my sister, Ashley. Growing up with her is amazing. She always takes care of me, and teaches me all the tricks and skills. She plays with me, watches TV with me, dances with me, eats with me, and laughs with me. She's truly the best big sister ever. Even though she's 8 years older than me, we still have so much in common.

Swimming has always been a big thing for the both of us. Ashley started swimming when she was 4 years old and swam competitively when she 7 years old until she graduated high school. I started swimming when I was 4 years old and have been swimming competitively since I was 6 years old. My sister's best stroke was breaststroke, and when I was little, I wanted to be just like her. Whenever someone asked me what my best stroke was, I would say breaststroke. Later at one meet, I got my first A Time (State Championship cut) in the 50 meter butterfly, and I decided that my best stroke would be fly. I started focusing and training harder in fly, and two years later, I broke my first Oregon State Record in the 50 yard butterfly. To this day, I have broken 9 Oregon State Records. It hasn't always been easy though. I always have to be self disciplined and determined to win, but there is something else that is extremely vital to my success in the water: my family. My dad, mom, and sister are always there in the stands, cheering me on the entire meet. My parents record every single race, and now they're all saved on a computer at home. They are always packing my swim bag, making my snacks, buying the newest fastest tech suits, and driving me everywhere. I can't explain how grateful I am for all of them.

“Sometimes life seems unfair. It always rains the hardest on the people who deserve the sun.” -Unknown
Like most siblings, not everything is easy or fair. Sometimes my sister and I disagree on things which lead to arguments, and sometimes she gets to do things that I can't do yet, and vice versa. Life isn't always fair and doesn't always go your way. In the end, we always get along though. My sister and I are happy together a lot more than we are mad at each other.


My sister graduated from high school in 2015. Before she left for her first year of college, everything went by so quickly. I wasn't ready for her to leave. I felt like I was forlorn because I've never lived without my sister being at home with me every day. The day we said bye to her and left her dorm room, I was only thinking about what to do next. How to live a good life without my sister back at home. It was a rough transition at the beginning, but later I got used to it, and became excited for the days when she would come back home for Thanksgiving, a 5 week winter break, and a long summer vacation. Even though she wasn't physically here with me, she was always with me in spirit. Last year for English class, we had to write a sonnet, and I wrote one about her:

My Awesome Sister

My sister, Ashley, is swell and the best
But she is leaving for New York right now

She’s going to a college, a tough test

I hope she does amazing and says wow

It feels strange seeing only two sweet kins

It is unusual to not see her             

I peek in her room, and see empty bins

I crave to go back to how great things were

My family and I’ll not at all stress

It has been almost three years since she left

We are all celebrating her success

She’s doing well and is still very deft

I know I’ll have to wait another year

But when she graduates, we will all cheer


Sometimes I think about what it would be like to be her for a day. Would life be easier or harder? More fun or more stressful? Occasionally when I don't know what to do next, I ask myself "What would Ashley do?" and I get through hard times just like that. Being a younger sister is a little stressful when being compared to my older sister, but at the end of the day, we both know that we will be on each other's side, love each other, and laugh together, just like we always do. 


Sister's Cheering
Graduates Throwing Caps
Heart