I'm ready for snow...

Austin, Texas - (37)
Daytona Beach, Florida - (71)
Honolulu, Hawaii - (79)
Hi Hat, Kentucky - (44)
Boise, Idaho - (23)
North Pole, Alaska - (-2)
Potlatch, Idaho - (-1)
Sacramento, California - (43)

Why oh why must it be cold and not snow here?

This is it..the Final

How did the Twelfth Amendment change the Electoral College?

What did George Washington say about political parties in his farewell address?

How do 527 political committees attempt to influence voters?

What were the Black Codes?

What standard does the Supreme Court use to determine whether classification by sexual orientation violates the equal protection clause?

What was the reaction of the south to the Fifteenth Amendment?


Welcome to the Final -

Today is the day of my first Final at College. :-O The good thing is, if I get a C on the final and a D on the constitution test, I will still get an A in the class! That makes me happy.

The 12th amendment says that there shall be separate votes for the President and Vice President.

The 13th amendment states that the slaves are free.

The 14th amendment tells us that any person born or naturalized in the United States is a citizen.
The 15th amendment gave the right to vote regardless of race or color.

The 19th amendment gave women the right to vote.

And the 26th amendment gave 18 year olds the right to vote.

The Big Box

http://www.imeem.com/people/KfnlF/music/BeJhViS6/death_cab_for_cutie_baby_please_come_home/

You know what I want to do? I want to “ship” myself in a box and surprise a loved one. How cool would that be?!? Here’s what I would do – Talk to the rest of the person's family and get them on board with it. Then I would fly to whereever they live on Christmas Eve. And then, at 6 or so in the morning a family member would help me get into a huge box and tape it all up. (There would be some holes cut in the bottom of the box.) Then they would all come down and start to open the presents, and they would tell the person that they had to open the big one last. (The one with me in it.) So they would open all the presents and then they would move on to open the big box and out I would pop!! :-D Wouldn't that be fun?!?!?!?!?

Pictures of my world

Sadly I left my camera in Belgium this summer. Thankfully a friend has it. And if they *ever* send it back I will be a very happy person. I want to start taking really good and interesting pictures. I have many lame pictures I have taken in the backyard. I shall show you some of my very lame pictures.

We are RIGHT brain!!!

You are a right brain dominant student!

You probably get bored during long lectures and prefer to take classes with a lot of freedom of movement and thought. You like to write stories and even tell stories about your funny experiences. You might be a little suspicious of other people's motives sometimes, but that's only because you can usually tell whenever someone is lying or when they're up to no good. You are a little on the dreamy side--or a lot. You plan books or movie plots but you don't always follow through on things you think about. You should work on that. You are fun and spontaneous, and probably active in sports or clubs. Your feelings run deep, and it shows. You have strong instincts, and you solve problems on hunches and feelings. You are artistic in some way. You can believe in things based on experience, without seeing scientific proof. You might be a finalist on Survivor some day, since you know how to read people so well, and you have great survival instincts.

Do you get bored when teachers lecture too much? Do you feel like you can size up people easily by watching them? If so, you may be right-brain dominant.

Characteristics of Right-Brain Students

You take notes but lose them. You may have a hard time keeping track of your research
You might have a hard time making up your mind
You are good with people
You don't fall for practical jokes as easily as some
You seem dreamy, but you're really deep in thought
People may have told you you're psychic
You like to write fiction, draw, or play music
You might be athletic
You like mystery stories
You take time to ponder and you think there are two sides to every story
You may lose track of time
You are spontaneous
You’re fun and witty
You may find it hard to follow verbal directions
You are unpredictable
You get lost
You are emotional
You don't like reading directions
You may listen to music while studying
You read lying down
You may be interested in “the unexplained”
You are philosophical
Your Classes
In history class, you enjoy the social aspects most. You like to explore they effects of things that happened in history. You like the essays, too.
You can do well in math class if you apply yourself, but you get bored doing long problems.
Science? Boring.
You do well in English class, especially when it comes to reading literature and writing essays about books. You also do well in creative writing assignments.
Advice for Right Brain Students
Choose to do personal essays
Watch your daydreaming—keep it under control
Let your imagination work for you in the arts
Let your intuition work for you in social situations
Let your deep thinking work for you during essay tests—but don’t ponder too long
Be creative with essays. You can use colorful language well
Use images and charts when you study
Write down directions
Try to be more organized!
Don’t be overly suspicious of others
Make outlines to organize your thoughts.
Choose fiction in reading assignments
Try to avoid teachers who lecture a lot; choose teachers who use activities
You tell stories well, so write some!
Put information into categories for better understanding
Avoid getting bogged down by thinking of all possibilities when answering questions
Finish things! You have so much talent, but you don’t always complete things.
You have great instincts and survival skills. If you study hard, you might be a finalist on Survivor one day!


You can take the test aswell to find out if you are a left or a right side brain person!

http://homeworktips.about.com/library/brainquiz/bl_leftrightbrain_quiz.htm

Cattle anyone?

To Whom It May Concern,
My name is Sara Farrell, and I am very interested in The Yolo Land & Cattle Co. I am 16 and have a passion for cattle, as strange as that may seem. Bovine are of special interest to me because I am hoping to buy land in Texas (Kerr county) as soon as I am able and start a Longhorn heard. Employment with you at the Yolo Land &Cattle Co. would give me an opportunity to learn about the care and necessary knowledge of owning a large heard. I am willing to start at the bottom and work my way up. I would be able to serve you well as I am hardworking, and am willing to do anything that is required of me. I have no experience with cattle, but am willing to learn everything needed to assist your company. I would be honored to be able to participate with you and your business. Please consider me if you have any openings in the future. Please feel free to email me with any questions at saritamichikita@gmail.com
Thank You

Sara Farrell

I'm pitiful

I am so pitiful. I'm so so so pitiful. I'm a total romantic. But really, who can't dream, right? Here's what I dream for -

Sitting at a little cafe in Spain or Belgium, sipping my latte, I stare into space. My little green dress flaps in the warm breeze and I look down the street, when all of a sudden a dashingly handsome man asks if he can sit next to me. His dark black hair swishes in the air and his strong brown muscles bulge under his blue button-down shirt. His gorgeous green eyes watch my loose hair play across my face. I smile softly as I tell him I would love for him to sit next to me. Next thing I know he's bought us a steamy fresh roll of bread. I reach to tear it and give him some when he asks my name. "Sara. Sara Michelle," I whisper. "And you, what is your name?" He bends close to my ear and ever so softy says, "We shall see, won't we?" I look up into his deep, deep eyes and and neither of us can look away. We don't blink. We don't breath. It's just us. Only us. And then he blinks, and I breath. He sweeps me up in both arms and carries me out, laughing, to his little red motorcycle. We both don little red bubble helmets and we ride off into the Spanish/Belgium landscape.

OR

In the deep hill county of Texas I walk in between the tall trees of my ranch, my boots crunch on the rocky path. My truck is parked alongside the biggest of the trees and I'm about to climb in when I see a slight dust cloud growing on the horizon. Finally, after a long about of time waiting, it looks like a car. A truck. A Chevy truck. A tan Chevy truck. I can't make out the figure, but it seems to only be one person. The truck finally pulls up alongside mine. The man slowly rolls down the window and asks "Is this the Far Away Ranch?" "Yes it is," I reply. "Why do you ask?" His green eyes twinkle with delight as he says, "Well, I have an appointment with a Miss Farrell. Do you know if she's in?" "As a matter of fact you're talking to her right now. How can I help you?" Before answering the question he reaches down to the door handle of his car and jerks it open with one hard push. Out he steps with his black cowboy boots and slightly faded Levi jeans. With his head slightly bent he is the perfect portrait of a true cowboy. As his dark tanned face looks slightly down on me he gives a little smile. "Well," He says. "I have a deal for you." He then reaches to rest his arm on the bed of his truck and his large biceps peek out from the sky blue T-shirt wrapped around him. He clears his throat and looks right into my eyes, "I have a wonderful deal." I suddenly snap back, "Well, ok, you have this amazing deal, what the heck is it?" He laughs, (he likes snappy women) and says softly, "I heard you were looking into getting some Longhorns." "Yes I am, and.." "Well I was thinking," "Did it hurt?" "Yes very much so, but anyways, I was thinking you might want to go with me to have a look at some real longhorns." "What do you mean?" "Well if you want you could come with me to see my herd." "I would love that. When?" "Now." I pull the keys out of my red truck, grab my camera, and jump in his truck. He turns the key in the ignition and a roar growls in the mouth of the beast. He starts to pull out and I reach down to turn the radio on. I push the power button and it's on my favorite song. After about 30 miles we're at his ranch. A huge herd of longhorns are grazing in one of the large fields. The truck jolts to a stop. He looks at me and flashes another white smile. "What'da think?" "I think you have an amazing heard." "Well, I'll tell you the other half of my deal now. I'll give you six of my cattle if you show me how to blow glass." "Deal!" We walk out to the field and I pick out five dark spotted cows and one black bull. Then we head back to my ranch to start the 2 month glass blowing class.

Or maybe it'll be more like this -

I stand alone in a long flowing purple dress. My hair pulled elegantly back and a tiara on the top. A young man accost the floor is looking towards me. He slowly walks over, never taking his eyes off mine. "May I have this next dance?" He asks. "Of course," I reply. It is a waltz. We gracefully float over the dance floor. His deep green eyes rarely meet my gray ones, we're too concentrated on the dance. The minutes fly, and before we know it the dance is over. "Thank you for the dance," he whispers in my ear. "You're ever so welcome," I whisper back. The ball goes on, other partners ask and dance with me, but none are like the mysterious dark boy. Then the dance is over and he leaves. I don't see him for over two years. Then,we meet again in the summer and dance until we fall over. We have to pack in two whole years of fun into a few moments. Then he leaves again, and returns in another year. Year after year we leave and then reunite and dance out harts out

Piano Song

Ok so I have had this song stuck in my head for so long now. LOVE IT!!

Every little thing I do, I do for you
With every little thing, I think a thought of you
And I try so hard not to notice
I try so hard not to care
I try so hard not to know that you're not here

But I'm counting down the hours
And I'm counting up the days
I try so hard not to show this side of me

Jealous of the way they walk,
the way *they* talk
'Cause I don't think they know just what they got
I'm jealous of the way they look, the way they are
When I just want to be the way we were

And I try so hard not to notice
I try so hard not to care
I try so hard not to know that you're not here
But I'm counting down the hours
And I'm counting up the days
I try so hard not to show this side of me

Well, I try so hard not to notice
I try so hard not to care
I try so hard not to know that you're not here

But I'm counting down the hours
And I'm counting up the days
I try so hard not to show this side of me

This side of me, this side of me
This side of me, this side of me
This side of me, this side of me
This side of me, this side of me
This side of me.

It gets stuck in my head so easy.

Love me, and Cherish me

So I walked into my room and looked at my desk. Something had changed...



I found Captain Hon Solo waiting for me.



Under his feet was a message.



I am here instead of Ruben.

Love me and Cherish me.

Love Ruben.


LOL!!!! My brother is so funny!!!

Debate!! Gaaaa!!

I have so much debate.

1AC needs to be done.

I have so much debate.

Neg ev needs to be found.

I have so much debate.

Cases need to be thought out.

I have so much debate.

Need to buy sticky notes.

I have so much debate.

Have to talk to partner.

I have so much debate.

Tournament in 5 days.

I have so much debate.

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Never. Ever. Ok, maybe...

I'm don't want to get married(for at least 10 years). Reasons? Well......

1. I want to live alone. And if you're married that sort of dies.

2. I don't want kids. (Any time soon at least. And I want to adopt..some guys don't like the idea.)

3. I want to travel the world, and if you get married you get tied down.

4. I want to buy my own house and have complete control over it.

5. I get mad easily.

6. I don't want to fight, and if I don't live with anyone, I can't fight with them

7. I want my own life.

8. My dog seems like the best companion.

9. I want to work overseas

10. I'm to scared.


I know those are mostly selfish reasons...but still, for at least part of my life I want to have some freedom. Is that wrong?

The other thing is that I don't think anybody will have me. And there are reasons for that.

1. I hate to be touched, sometimes. Sometimes I'll like hugs and then other times I hate hugs. My line tends to be "Don't touch me!"

2. I get mad fast.

3. I'm messy.

4. I don't know when to stop. I keep pushing it and pushing it and then I get in trouble.

5. I'm chubby.

6. I procrastinate.

7. I take offence easily.

8. I say dumb things.

9. I'm not wise when it comes to time management.

10. I love to play and I don't really like work.

11. I have all these dreams that will never come true.

12. I say whatever I think.

13. I like to live life on a bit of the edge, not good for a family.

14. I get into messy things. And love every second of it.

15. I don't know how to act in front of certain people.

16. I'm hard to shop for.

17. I hate meat.

18. I get bored with everyday life.

19. I have hairy arms.

20. I could listen to the same song over and over, that drives some people up the wall.

21. I think dogs are better then guys.

22. I want to live in Texas, and nobody else loves Texas like I do.

23. I don't have anything intelligent to say.

24. I have a honking big nose.

25. Nobody else is going to want to stomp in puddles when their 75.

26. I get boring after time.

27. I sing off key.

28. I have warts on my feet. How gross is that.

29. I don't communicate well.

30. When I'm sad or hurt I pull away from others instead of telling them whats wrong.

The list goes on and on and on and on and on and on..

I have fears also. I'm really scared about the idea of getting married.

1. What if it's the wrong guy?

2. What if he's not who you thought he was?

3. What if he's mean?

4. What if he's controlling?

5. What if he does things that make me really mad?

6. What if he's not my best friend? How can I be married to someone I don't love?

But there are always the reasons to get married -

1. You (hopefully) get a best friend for life.

2. You never have to be alone if you want.

3. You can hold each other in the rain storms.

4. You can stay up as long as you want talking.

5. You get to wear a beautiful white dress and have the happiest day of your life.

6. You will have someone to take care of you.

7. Someone to bring you hot soup when your sick.

8. Someone to love you when you feel blue.

9. You can laugh with them until you cry and then do that over and over for the rest of your lives.

10. You get to paint your house together. (Don't ask me why, but I have always loved that idea.)

11. Lots of inside jokes.

12. You can hog all the dances, and it will be ok.

13. You can play dumb games together.

14. You can watch romantic movies without it being awkward.

15. You can watch scary movies and hold him close.

16. You'll know that at least one person loves you a ton.

17. He'll tell you if it really does make you look fat.

18. You can snort when you laugh, and it will only make him laugh more.

19. He'll put your socks in the dryer to they get warm and toasty.

20. And he'll love you more then himself.

Those are the reasons I would want to get married.
Is he out there? And if he is, will he wait 10 years for me?

Where'd you go?

Oh yes, wait a minute Mister Postman
Wait Mister Postman
Please Mister Postman, look and see
If there's a letter in your bag for me
Why's it takin' such a long time
For me to hear from that boy of mine
There must be some word today
From my boyfriend so far away
Please Mister Postman, look and see
If there's a letter, a letter for me
I've been standin' here waitin' Mister Postman
So patiently
For just a card, or just a letter
Sayin' he's returnin' home to me
Mister Postman, look and see
If there's a letter in your bag for me
Why's it takin' such a long time
For me to hear from that boy of mine
So many days you passed me by
See the tears standin' in my eyes
You didn't stop to make me feel better
By leavin' me a card or a letter
Mister Postman, look and see
If there's a letter in your bag for me
Why's it takin' such a long time
(Why don't you check it and see one more time for me, you gotta)
Wait a minuteWait a minute
Wait a minuteWait a minute
Mister Postman, look and see
C'mon deliver the letter, the sooner the better
Mister Postman


Were did you go? Why no word? Please Mr. Postman bring me *something.*

Singing in the Rain

It's raining!!! I love the rain. Droplets pattered down on the roof as I laid still in my bed last night.



Voices whisper as it trickles through the leaves. Mist sprays up from a cars tire like a strong wave crash in the sea. People like ants run from the wetness penetrating the earth. The liquid diamonds shatter on the ground and the head of little brown haired girl. The sky's tears fall on the thirsty ground. Umbrellas look like colored clouds floating down the sidewalk. Sad worms wriggle to the air. And happy children play in the silver puddles.

Is this strange?

Do you ever feel as if you're not good enough to be someones friend? I sorta feel like that. My Debate partner is so amazing. And I'm so lame. He treats me like I'm so important, and I'm not. It's strange because he is what I want to be. He is Godly, and supper nice to everybody, and doesn't get mad at his little siblings, and is responsible, and on and on. I feel like I shouldn't even talk to him 'cause he's so like *wow*. Is that weird?

Silly Words

Have you ever felt so loved that you just want to hug the whole world? I feel like that.

Silly words strung together to make ones heart laugh.

Sad and Happy

This had to be cut from my Speech, and I'm rather sad about it. Right now I am listening to a playlist on Imeem that I really like. So heres the part I had to cut.



Sadness and Happiness. Sadness and happiness have shown activity in almost every part of the brain. In several studies on Sadness conducted by Dr. Peter J. Freed and J. John Mann, over 70 sections of the brain were shown to be active. Although this may seam a bit chaotic it makes sense. The parts of the brain that showed activity were the regions that control conflict, pain, social isolation, memory, reward, attention, body sensations, decision making, and emotional displays, all of which contribute to feeling sad.


Happiness has been a much harder area for researchers to study. One aspect that they have been able to uncover however is how we react to music. Music has the power to lift our souls and make us sing. But why? In Dr. Daniel Levitin’s book “This Is Your Brain on Music,” he notes that music simultaneously enlists many parts of the brain. We listen and react to sounds and rhythms. We interpret and reason. Music pulls on memories for emotion and experience. If the music is working for you it’s probably triggering the reward system. And as Dr. Daniel said him self in the article “Sing, Brain, Sing,” “Your brain is constantly trying to figure out what the next note is going to be. You know after a certain cord sequence what the next possibilities are. Your brain has compiled a map of which ones are most likely and least likely. If the song keeps hitting the most likely notes, you get bored, and if it’s always the least likely ones, you’ll get irritated. A really good song needs to have the right ratio.” That is the reason you, and your best friend like slightly different music. For example, I like soft rock, and country, where as my best friend likes techno and classical music.

A New Life

Sunday, I wrote to my good friend Robert and told him about that day in church.

Today church was amazing. We had this incredible speaker named Donna Partow. She was so on fire, and passionate about God. She talked about Jonathan, and how when the enemy came into his country, Saul and the other leaders sat under a tree and talked about what they needed to do. But, Jonathan went with his armor bearer, and fought the enemy. They had total faith in God and they ended up killing 20 men. Just the two of them. But, on top of that God sent a panic on the enemy, and they became afraid. Saul then came and joined Jonathan along with his army. Then Saul's people came out of the caves where they were hiding, and they went to fight as well. God used two young boys Jonathan and his armor bearer to get rid of the enemy. She told us about how she had taken a bunch of teens to places like Peru and told the people that lived in the garbage about God. In all of history, these people haven't been told about God, because others thought they weren't worth it. She talked about how it only takes a few people to start something big. And talked about how it only took a few of us standing up and *doing* something to make a change. I sat there and thought about me. What had I ever done to glorify God? Had I even done anything? I felt so shallow. And I sat there and cried. My life is so meaningless. It has no point. So, you know what? I'm going to change that. No longer am I going to be relying on my parents faith. I'm going to do something. I, Sara am going to make a change. Risa and I talked to Donna Partow after the message, and I told her I feel so shallow. I told her that all the people I know were Christens, and that I feel like I can't change anything. So, she told us we could email her, and maybe go with her on one of her missions or something! You could look her up at www.DonnaPartow.com if you want. But, when I was sitting there in church crying, I had a thought. I thought about Prop 8. I don't know if it's just for CA, but it's to make marriage just between a man and a woman. Here in CA gay marriage is legal. So, you know what I'm going to do about Prop 8? I'm going to volunteer with http://www.protectmarriage.com/ .I want to do everything I can to spread the news about how bad a No vote on Prop 8 would be. That's my first mission. Who knows what will be next. I can't wait to do more and more with this new found spark.


Today : I talked with Robert just a few minuets ago, and you know what he said? He said that *I*, Sara, am an inspiration to *him*. And that’s only in one day! Already God has used me to help someone else out! Isn't that amazing? I can't wait to grow in God even though I know it will be hard, and even thought I know Satin will try to stamp out my fire. I can not wait to lean on the Lord for my strength, and not on my own power. I pray that God will help me stay strong in him throughout day to day life. I pray with his help I can be content with what I can do now. And I pray that God leads me to know what he wants with my life. How I can best serve him. Only a few days ago I was a selfish, unloving, person who had no real love for God, and yet now I feel as if I don't make a change within me I might lay by the wayside and become a pew-hugging, non-moving, lifeless Christen. And let me tell you, I don't what to be that.

Debate Partner!!

The email came.

Final debate partners told.

The email came.

Who could it be?

The email came.

I've waited so long.

The email came.

From the debate coach.

The email came.

My fate in two words.

The email came

Who could it be?

The email came.

Heart raceing, I opened it.

The email had come.

Quickly looking.

The email had come.

Total exitment.

The email was read.

Laughing and glad.

The email was read.

Just a bit scared.

The email had come.

But, oh so happy.

The email came.

Going to be an awesome year.

The email was read.










My debate partner is........... Cordell!!! WaaWhooo! I'm scared because this is his last year and I really have to step up to the plate and do a good job. He really wants to qual, and I don't want to be the reason he doesn't go. I think we are going to be a great team though, and I'm sure we will have a ton of fun. But......I DON"T WANT TO WEAR RED!

Fear

Fear. Fear is one of the emotions that cognitive neuroscientists understand quite well. The amygdalae oversee the important task of learning, and remembering what you should be afraid of. For example, when you touch a hot pan you get burned. The amydalae link sight, the pan, with touch, you got burned. And Vuala! Now you know not to touch a hot pan!



But that’s not it! Theres more! The fear system is so incredibly efficient that you don’t even have to register what’s going on for your brain to respond. When a speeding car swerves and cuts you off on the road, you will feel the fear before you understand it. Signals travel in between the amygbalae and your crisis system before you have a chance to comprehend what happened. Another interesting thing is that fear is contagious. Why? Because the amygbalae not only help people recognize fear in the faces of others, but also scan for it.








People or animals with damage to the amygdalae lose these skills. The texture of life is ironed out, the world seems less compelling to them because their excitement anatomy is damaged.

A sister. A friend.

Laughing. Whisper.
Late night talks.

Gypsies and chickens.
A sunsety dance.

Twirling, whirling.
Bubbly, strange.

“Calling You”
“Ping Pong Song”

Floating, flying
Smiling, laughing

White as milk
What’s your name?

Whiskers, toads
Hot tea, ice cream

Smiling, giggling
Irrepressible mischievousness

High-speed fights
Slow lane fun

Sleepy, grumpy
Tiredly random

Computer addict
Silent. Loud.

Cooking. Baking.
Explosion 101!

Dancing, skipping
Bouncing, Boinking

Spedators
Despeechies

Tacos de Cabeza
Arroz con pulpos

Miming, whispers
Joyful laughter
Exactly the wrong moment

Coal. Joaquin.
Michelle. Marie.

Guns. Scalpels.
Paint. Blood.

Floating, flying
Princess and laughter

Chaos and order
Neat disarray

Margaret Seaton
Emma Thompson

Cellphone antics
Chatting short-distance

Silly. Dear.
Extraordinary. Amazing.

Secret surprises.
Letters and whispers.

Mysterious, innate
SURPRISE. Lost the game.

Dutch cows
Spanish libraries

Dreadlocks. Paella
Guanche. Black rocks

Airports 24/7
Thou shalt not sleep

Sweetness. Gentle.
Creative. Honest.

A sister. A friend.




Don't you just love sisters! Risa the amazing, wrote this poem for me! Sara in the form of a poem. Who woulda thunk?