In science class the other day, my teacher was absent, so we had a substitute, and we watched a movie called Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon. (Actually, it was supposed to be an IMAX movie, but since we don't have an IMAX Dome theater at my school, we had to settle for just looking at the movie being projected) As the name implies, the movie was about going to the moon.

I thought that the movie was quite touching. I would like to be able to go to the Moon someday, to walk on the surface and look at the rocky surface going on into oblivion. And I'd like to peer into a crevasse that could rival the Grand Canyon of our Earth. But then again, it'd be a lonely place. No one has traveled to the Moon since the 1970s. In the movie, the narrator (Tom Hanks) said that the Moon confuses one's optics, because there are no trees or anything that you can use as a reference for size. But I would like to go the Moon and be able to see the Earth, so small and far away. I've only ever seen pictures of the Great Blue Marble.

I was inspired by it, particularly where a 7-year-old girl said she was going to be an astronaut someday, and in the end where Tom Hanks said something along the lines of the next person to go to the Moon being one of us viewers. But the other students, as always, seemed pretty emotionless. I really don't understand young people these days. You'd think they would be emotional, since teenagers are all moody and rebellious, but no, they don't react at all to the movie. (Not that this movie was one of the more inspiring ones. It's not like I cried or anything, which I would do over a Pokemon movie. XD Particularly that Lucario one.)

We have also been watching another movie about the Moon in class, Apollo 13, which features Tom Hanks yet again. (Except he plays a character instead of being a narrator.) Apollo 13 was the second Apollo mission to make it to the Moon, I believe. It's old enough to be on a video tape, but my dad says it's not THAT old. Whatever is that supposed to mean? My dad is several decades older than I am, after all.

Speaking of the ancient video tapes, my language arts teacher made a great show of them. We were going to watch the movie The Outsiders in class. She explained slowly and demonstrated how to stick a video tape into the slot where you put it. Now that I realize it, video tapes are long gone nowadays. I watched them when I was little, but then they were replaced by DVDs, just as music cassettes were replaced by CDs. I feel kind of sad thinking children nowadays wouldn't really know about video cassettes, which for some reason feel like much more of a novelty to me (even if rewinding them is annoying).

Well, anyways, regarding the topic of Outer Space, I actually came up with an idea for a story. It was sort of science viction, I suppose, which is unusual. I was always planning to write a story that took place in present times and without any fantasy stuff. But you know, beggars for inspiration can't be choosers. I wonder if I'll actually be able to write this story or not. I started a story a pretty long time ago but stopped because I really didn't know what kind of plot I was looking for. This is my biggest problem...I envision characters and a setting and a few dramatic scenes and detailed descriptions I want to put into a story, but then I have no ideas at all about what kind of conflict will be in the story... -_-;; How will I ever be a true writer if I can't even come up with one of the important parts of writing?

It was easier when I used to role-play. If you aren't familiar with the term... It's where multiple people (sometimes only two, sometimes a lot) join forces to write a story. But it's not like co-authoring a book. It's more like each person controls one character (or more) and they can only control that character. The characters will interact, and so the story does progress. (Though there are certainly role-plays without a specific plot. Some have very complicated plots that are multiple paragraphs long, just to explain it, and others just say "This is a boarding school," and that's it for the plot) I used to role-play when I was a member of the site called Nutrinopets. But that website is gone now, and so is my role-playing. I've looked at another site's role-playing but it's not like what I'm used to, so I probably am stuck without role-playing. I think I wrote better when I had the aid of role-playing as practice. I really miss it and get nostalgic for it occasionally. (I heard that several Nutrinopets users moved to a site called Misticpets, but I don't want to join. I'm afraid the same thing might happen eventually like what happened to Nutrionpets, and besides, I don't want to get addicted. XD That's also why I won't join Facebook despite the urging of various people)

Labels: apollo 13, astronaut, cassette, emotions, facebook, imax, lucario, magnificent desolation, misticpets, movie, nutrinopets, pokemon, roleplaying, tom hanks, video, walking on the moon, writing

Today, my mom said that I should put my drawings somewhere so I don't lose them. I definitely ought to, because I once had this great drawing of Lucario (well, I just looked at the Pokemon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew movie's DVD cover, and copied it, but whatever) and then I lost it! I was really mad over it. Maybe someday I'll find it again, though. Sometimes I do rediscover my old things.

I used to keep a binder with my drawings. I was 9 years old at the time, so the pictures are not so great. (In fact, some of my pictures from before I was 9 are there. They are silly, but they're amusing to look at) It's been so long since I updated that binder. A few of my dad's drawings are in there, too. He draws really good, even if he was only drawing copies of what was in my "How to Draw Manga" book that I ordered from the Scholastic book catalog one year. I guess both of us are better at imitating other people's art than drawing our own. That's worrisome, because I don't want to be arrested for violating copyrights or something like that.

Not that I'm not interesting in going to jail. To me, jail is similar to school, except they have higher fences. I mean, I heard we have the same meal program. That's not fair, because the students committed crimes (uh...as far as I know, at least) but then, criminals are still people and have rights (though some might be a bit kooky). I heard they serve pizza in jail. That's not so bad, is it? But my parents say I am silly for being curious about going to jail because people beat each other up and it can be quite dangerous. Plus, I heard that prisons in my state are getting overcrowded, and one time there was a riot at jail and some buildings were destroyed and people were injured, so I guess I should find a place with a nice jail. Sydney, Australia used to be where the British sent criminals, I think, and there is still an old prison (not in use anymore, I believe) on a very small island in Sydney Harbor... It must've been the jail with the prettiest view in the world.

Back to the topic, though, before I get sidetracked (as usual! I don't really care if I get sidetracked personally, but it might confuse you, the reader). I also dug out my cello the other day. It's not actually my own cello - it was borrowed from a friend of my mom's. My mom's friend's son (well, one of them) wanted to be in Advanced Orchestra or something along those lines, so he took lessons out of school in cello, but he still couldn't give in, so I suppose he gave up and no one was using the cello. So I took it since at the time I was still taking orchestra. I haven't touched it for a very long time so the bow looks ruined, and the strings are really out of tune. Apparently, depending on the temperature, the strings get loose or tight, so you have to tune string instruments every day. Well, the cello itself is shiny still but it's hard to use it since there aren't notches in the bridge for the strings, so if you're not careful the strings at the very sides could actually fall off the bridge, and then you would to have to put them back on. Very annoying, and scary too. I've been urged to take cello again but I'm not sure if I should yet. For one thing, I am afraid to find out whether I even know how to play reasonably well anymore. And I only did take Beginning Orchestra, so although I have knowledge of music (from playing piano all these years), would I still be able to do vibrato, or hold the bow properly?

I think someday I have to get over that fear. I don't know when that day will come for me. It could be fifty or sixty years from now, when I am retired for real (although I really want to retire, it's unlikely, like WHO WOULD PAY FOR MY EXPENSES? My dad says he will give me his money, but he wants to retire as well).

I'm an easily distracted person, and sometimes I start thinking, and old memories that I had forgotten for so long come back to me. (Thus the title for today's post.) For instance, my carseat. I used to always have to sit in one. It wasn't all that long ago. Maybe third grade or so... I think I started to sit without a carseat in maybe fourth grade? (Hey! Maybe that's why I started getting carsick! I didn't have a carseat any longer) I wonder where it is now. Is it in the garage? Or has it been given away? Sometimes I think it's so weird how I could forget about something that I had for so long. But then again, I guess people are always preoccupied with their current lives and don't have that much time to think about the past. It's kind of sad that way. Life is so rushed, and technology actually seems to be making it busier instead of less busy...

Labels: australia, binder, carseat, carsick, cello, copy, crime, drawing, fear, instrument, jail, life, lucario, memories, orchestra, overcrowding, pokemon, retirement, sydney

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