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(December 31st, 2009) Dear Stowaway, it has really been fun talking to you, Stow. Unfortunately, I'm planning on opening up my writing to everyone, not just you. Don't be upset! A lot of people out there are probably somewhat curious too about what I am doing with myself. And so, unofficially, this is my last entry to you, my friend. Now that a new decade has started, I have thought about making some changes and I've thought that this would be beneficial to me to start over: new and fresh. Don't worry! You'll still be able to read about what I'm doing on the home page. Well, I guess this is a final goodbye. I wish you the best of luck. Bye!
(December 27th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, hey there! It's so nice to be able to write to you again! A lot has happened since we've last talked. I went to Trevor's birthday party on the 23rd: it was a surprise party and we scared the f*ck out of him the second he walked in the door. I had such a fun time there compared to other visits in the past that had ended quite disturbingly. We played rock band for a few hours and enjoyed homemade pizza that Trevor's mom had prepared. I was surprised how many decorations his sister had put up. The whole ceiling was wrapped in a bow of streamers it seemed. Before leaving, his mom prepared some "ice cream" using snow from outside (it has been snowing like crazy earlier that day and there was at least a foot on the back porch). I realized later that I really shouldn't have had any, on account of the fact that I had a sore throat for a week after I had left to go home. I'm afraid that there might have been something "dangerous" in that "ice cream". Hopefully I won't get some form of cancer or what-not. Anyway, that whole week I've had the tiniest pains in my body. I had to deal with some pimple in my ear which was a pain at night to lean on and a sore on my gums. Unfortunately I had other troubles with my family: our move to a new house. My arms were aching for days after lifting so many boxes and crates to the moving truck. I hope I won't have to go though that again for a while. I'm glad I've grown to love this house now. I was so sick of it the first few days in the home but it started to improve. I had to get used to the fact that I don't have a light or fan on my ceiling, but I've conquered that by purchasing a couple of lamps and a portable fan. I've completely forgot about Christmas; I don't even remember what such a thing is! *heh* Luckily I'm Jewish: don't need to impulse buy a thousand dollars-worth of ornaments.
(December 18th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, wow, I really feel relaxed right now knowing that academic classes will not be held for like 2 weeks. I came to school this morning realizing that almost everyone was dressed in red and green for Christmas. Apparently, they all forgot that Christmas is in a week, but I let them have their little fun enjoying their last day before Winter CHRISTMAS!!! Break. I'm stuffed… I chose to skip lunch because my stomach was full from all of the party food. I had some donut holes, cookies and chips in Spanish while we watched the rest of the film, La Misma Luna in which this little Mexican boy is trying to find his mom in Los Angeles. They came so close to locating each other. The boy didn't even realize the mom was sitting at the bus stop bench and just walked by. Everyone watching was like, "O. M. G. THE MOM'S RIGHT THERE! YOU JUST MISSED HER!" Anyway, I stuffed my face, only to stuff it even more at the Tea Cake Tea Party. I put on my costume when we got in. I had spent the previous night working on cutting out pear shapes from cardboard and coloring them green. The teacher loved my costume, since most of the class just dressed up like the same character from the book: the yellow mule. I was afraid to wear it for the whole day (even though I guess it goes along with the Christmas theme *coughs*partrige-in-a-pear-tree*coughs*). The class devoured the iced tea I had brought in. I was so glad, since usually no one ever eats/drinks a thing that I bring to parties. Plus, I hate iced tea and my mom would've just thrown it out. I stuffed my face during the party so that I would'nt have to buy a lunch: mac and cheese, cornbread, mulatto (wtf???) rice, and Coca-Cola. We played some games based on scenes from the book. I got so close to winning at pin-the-tail-on-the-mule but some other girl got it closer to the "X" at the last second. What I did win was the costume contest. Apparently I had put the most thought into it and as a prize I won an Elvis Presley 2010 Calendar, which I just gave to Trevor during lunch, making him think it was my gift I had especially made for him (Yeah I know, what would I have done with that thing anyway?). Anyway, the party was a success, we all had fun… I didn't take pictures but I'm guessing some of the people there were going to put up photos on Facebook of it. I'm just glad its over and my break can start already. Well, I'm typing this in my lunch period at school: only three periods left luckily. I have to get going or I'll be late for tutoring. See you later!
Hey! Sorry about that, I'm back. Tutoring was fun… I guess. I mean I helped a girl with her Macbeth paper and it was so interesting to rediscover what I learned after so many months. I've been tutoring in English a lot lately and not so much in Math, which causes me to be concerned because it's my favorite subject. Well, I guess it's all chance what each person wants help with when they walk in that TLC door. In P.E. we took a swine flu shot, except that some were given this nasal spray (which was what I chose to get). Psh… technology these days. Sooner or later little kids won't have to deal with the pain of their first shot. I'm in the computer lab in Consumer Economics, aparently it just stopped snowing. I wonder whether Connor can contact me on here. I think he might've gotten an early release. He's probably partying right now while I have to wait… another ten minutes before my release. How do I feel? Well, I was hoping to have some sort of excitement. Everyone's playing Christmas music around me… rather annoying… it's just so repetitive. Can't wait to get home safe and sound. I should get going, someone's going to start looking over my shoulder eventually.
(December 17th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, gosh, I'm really getting into talking to you a lot again! I turned in a form for ACT/SAT training that my mom wanted me to sign up for. Am I nervous? Well… kind of? I mean, it's not like this test is going to determine my path in life… well, actually it does. Cooking club was fun yesterday: we divided into groups and all made a different type of cookie: chocolate chip, peanut butter, oatmeal chocolate chip, sugar, and oatmeal. I really wanted to take some pictures of us baking, but unfortunately I was the one doing all the baking, so I really couldn't take any with my hands dirty… oh well! I was thinking about doing another segment on the blog about some holiday cooking, unfortunately my kitchen at home is a mess, since everything is packed away, so I have to rely on the school. Hopefully after I move I'll be more comfortable about it. Trevor showed up a couple of minutes before and he wanted me to record a video for Youtube on my phone of one of his "mentally challenged" friends laughing. What I didn't realize was that the camera was aligned vertically, which isn't the proper format. I also realized that I would need Wi-Fi connection in order to get it online. What a bummer! I'm still trying to figure out how to set that up. I was thinking about making this page my homepage at the beginning of the New Year. I feel that this is the only segment I focus on, and I really want our conversation to be more recognized! Wouldn't that just be so fun? I'm excited too. Anyway, Connor and I are almost done with reading Everwild. We both enjoy it, since each chapter is unique and it just draws our attention in. He's going to be so upset when the book is over, just bawling for the sequel to come out already.
(December 16th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, countdown until Winter Break: 3 days. Work load: possibly through the roof? I'm not quite sure yet, since my teachers keep assigning last-minute project. Probably my only concern right now is the Tea Cake Tea Party that we are having in English class. "Tea Cake" refers to the character from the book that we are reading, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Luckily we are through with it, so no more required reading for a while. But the teacher assigned us into groups in which we all have to pull together to create a game, bring food that we will prepare from scratch, wear a costume resembling in some way a character from the book, and create a quilt of symbols, examples of figurative language, scenes, characters, and other elements. How fun! I began on the quilt during English today and realized how behind we are on it; what a bummer! I'm going to stressing out Thursday night!
(December 15th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I'm so close to moving out of my house: only a week left of home, only a week left of school, only a week left of Hanukkah to celebrate before I depart to a whole different chapter of life. I still have to find time to put my things in cardboard boxes since my teacher keep assigning more and more homework to do; I never can find time anymore. I'm typing from school again, since I luckily achieved another break in my day. Last Friday I was offered a ride home from one of my classmates in Spanish, I was so delighted to know that someone cared enough to stop me while I was walking home and ask. I haven't seen that many friendly faces lately. My buddy Nick, whom I see all the time in the morning hasn't been showing up because he's been caught up in this charity project for his broadcasting class. I feel like I'm losing him, thank goodness he came to talk to me today before school, I just wanted to talk to him so badly since he never answers his cell or from his home phone. Speaking of phones, this weekend my father and I went to go check out the cell phones since he wanted to get me a gift for Hanukkah. I picked out this one with full internet access and games called the "Droid." It was rather expensive, but my dad was willing to get it for me since I rarely ask for anything in a store. The capabilities on this phone are enormous! It is just like an iPhone, but faster, as the store clerk told me. I grinned to know that I had such a god-like piece of technology. I spent most of the day checking out its many attributes and features. On sunday night I went to one of my mom's friend's houses with my family to celebrate Hanukkah. We talked, ate latkes (potato pancakes) and other delectables, and played their Beatles Rock Band. I never realized that I could sing and play the Rock Band guitar at the same time. I tried out level Medium a couple of times and failed, but I still kept up with it, even though my younger sister was throwing a fit that I should do the beginner level. She can never understand that the human mind wants to conquer a challenge sometimes instead of taking the easy (and rather boring) way out. Anyway, I still had fun and enjoyed myself, since I knew that Monday I would have to return to take my many stressful exams and whatnot. Luckily my Spanish teacher said that we didn't have to write in our "Diario" until we get back from Winter Break! What a joy!
(December 9th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, it's been starting to snow lately, I've been kind of glad that there are changes in the weather pattern, but I do believe that I will grow sick of it in a couple of weeks. I finally got the opportunity to type to you! Although, I do have the chance to every day but I get piled and piled with work to do for school. Luckily I've obtained another grace period, which comes every once in a while on random dates. Anyway, I've had to walk home in the snow for two days so far and it hasn't been pleasant. First of all, I had to lug my boots around in the morning and they are these humongous things- and try to stuff them in my locker. It's pretty embarrassing, since no one else in the school brings boots (they can all get rides home when I have to walk 1.67 miles to get home…). So the first afternoon walk home, Monday, was pretty hectic. My boots were rubbing against the side of my leg and it was a pain to deal with for half an hour. I don't know what to do! The next day I tried wearing longer socks and it didn't really make a difference. Luckily today I won't have to walk home, since my mom is *finally* picking me up.
(December 5th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, today's my half birthday, and I just want to say that it turned out terrible because of my physical condition. Last night I was so sick, I was throwing up every hour and I had diarrhea and chills. Gosh, I hate throwing up! I was gasping for air several times and I just wanted it to end. I couldn't eat or drink a thing since I would just end up tossing it right out of my mouth an hour later. My dad game me some medicine, which really didn't help at all because I threw that up too. I've been home all day today, tired, on account of not getting enough sleep since I kept having to get up to puke. Now I have a headache and I really don't want to sleep anymore but my head is telling me otherwise. I went out once to Walgreens; some old man was ringing this loud, irritating bell in front of the place, asking for charity since it was around the holidays. Gosh, I am sick of hearing any sort of jingle. Can we just hold off on Christmas this year? That would really help my terrible headache.
(November 30th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, what a boring monday! I'm sitting here in tutoring, the only one who actually showed up, waiting for someone to come in with help. Apparently I don't have any homework to work on at the moment. Oh well… my thanksgiving break was just amazing, although I do wish that it was longer so that I could enjoy it more. I finished up Eats, Shoots, and Leaves finally; it was quite a different book compared to what I am used to. I just haven't read a nonfiction book in a while and the language the author used was pretty different. Over the weekend I started to get rid of things in my room that I didn't want anymore. I threw out some of the things on my desk and I started packing up all of the things on the walls in my room. I'm not used to looking at solid white, I lost all the vibrant colors that I've grown to know and love. Packing is hard. I've done it twice so far. Remember 12/28/07? Gosh, it is really going to stink when I move. I won't have internet for DAYS!!! Hopefully I will grow to enjoy my new home. Unfortunately, my room will be even smaller, since my sister's nasty attitude earned her the biggest room in the house: the one I would have gotten if she hadn't butted in.
(November 17th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, it has been getting so much colder out lately. I'm just so scared whenever I have to step outside in the morning because of the chill it gives me. I've typing from the computer lab at school, so I am a little weary that someone will look over my shoulder and think, "What the heck are you doing Michael? Writing on a blog?" I've already gotten a reaction a couple of days ago from some kid in my P.E. class (also named Michael), and he is surprised by home much writing I have done so far. I guess I have done quite a lot, I'm already up to 41 thousand words. I guess if everyone wrote every week for two years they would have written the length I have. Anyway, Me and Connor are reading a book together, well… sort of. I mean, I had sent him this book about Math called The Number Devil that I really enjoyed reading in middle school, and Math is his least favorite subject, so I was hoping that the book would suddenly spark something, I don't know exactly what, but just some sort of reaction. In order to make him feel better about reading a book on Math, I bought a book on English, Eats, Shoots, and Leaves; his favorite subject and my least favorite. I've been enjoying the reading, yet I know it is a lot harder book to read than Connor's because of the type of language it uses: English(!) bleugh. Well I guess we are getting a trade-off here. He has to deal with math-language while I have to deal with english-language. I've just finished reading the first few chapters on apostrophes. It's a bit confusing, but I think I've got it, yet I think it is the kind of material that I will forget in a couple of weeks unless I use it every day. School has been stressful lately, hasn't it always? I am loaded with homework, tests, quizzes and projects that I have to balance my time all of a sudden. Plus, my mom initiated this "chore list" thing in which my sisters and I have to do a certain chore every day and switch off. Luckily for Spanish my teacher changed the assignment for "Diario" to be only six days a week. At least it's just one day of less torture. We changed desks in Spanish the other day. Mine's terrible: it is way in the back corner of the room and the face of the desk is slanted at an angle, making it so that any paper has the possibility of falling off randomly. Hopefully my stress will be diminished with the coming of Thanksgiving Break next week.
(November 3rd, 2009) Dear Stowaway, Halloween really wasn't that bad this year. I thought it would be terrible since I hadn't gotten a costume to wear, but it turned out fine. I went to my friend's house and we had a really great time together, no kidding. It was actually one of those moments in my life that I just wanted to dance and smile, I just had so much fun. My friend and I were the only ones home that night, since the siblings were out and so were the parents. We put on music, we watched Halloween specials on the tv for a couple of hours and watched a couple of movies. I felt so happy for some reason, I thought I would have felt left out that I didn't go from door to door in a costume with a group of friends. We walked around the neighborhood a bit before the trick-or-treaters came, looked at the leaves on the ground and all of the vibrant colors that surrounded us. Even though I didn't have a "Walmart defined" Halloween, I still felt that the way we celebrated was just as great, since we planned every activity with care, instead of falling to the pressure of the media. It was so much fun handing out candy to all the little kids that came by every once in a while. We had our own version of a haunting: there was some problem with the doorbell at the house, making it so that it would ring repetitively even though there was no one at the door. We kept thinking that someone was playing a prank on us, or maybe it was a ghost…? Yeah, it was most definitely just a broken doorbell, it freaked us out. I'm writing to you from my school, I was so glad when I realized that I actually had the time in my busy day to talk to you! I feel like a squirrel, just peaking my head out a little bit to see if it is safe, thinking, "do I really not have any homework to work on right now?" It takes a while before I can get myself out of the habit of doing schoolwork, but once I am out, I feel like I can really start a party, just take my experience on Halloween. I feel that people who don't put enough stress on themselves and always live "in a party" don't realize the experience behind it. It truly is invigorating to come completely out of a hard ditch of stress and have a party.
(October 30th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I feel kind of torn inside being left out from this celebration known as "Halloween". I really want to celebrate it while I am young, but I'm just so limited because none of my friends are going and I never got the chance to get a costume. I really want to be something else! I can't ignore this one day where I can dress up and be different! I'm just such a bland person to look at, I want some liveliness in my life, but I don't know what direction to turn to get it. I feel it is partially my fault, I'm afraid of shame, I'm afraid of showing the deep feelings inside me and making changes to my life. I'm being dragged down, I feel trapped, I feel like I'm being boxed in to be this one person who is defined by others. I need to be myself but I'm just so afraid! I don't know what I am or how to show it or how people will react when I make such changes. This blog is just the only place where I can really be myself, regardless of what people think.
(October 29th, 2009 ) Dear Stowaway, all of my friends have problems. I feel so dejected around them. I sit at lunch with the mentally retarded kids at my school. I'm just not social, why have I turned to them and messed up my social life even further? I'm not dumb, I don't have any problems whatsoever. I'm a straight A student, I'm in four honors classes at my school, I get all of my homework in on time, to top it off, I'm a f*cking math, science, spanish and english tutor. I shouldn't be with these people, they degrade me with their wild attitude and immaturity, but I don't go away, I continue to sit with them because otherwise I would have to sit alone. I have tutoring the period after lunch and so I have to restore my brain cells within the five-minute passing period. Their loud obnoxious noises probably knocked off a couple of IQ points. They chant as a group, they act like complete monkeys and I'm just sitting there with my eyes glazed over thinking about how awesome it would be if I had friends with the same brain capacity as me. People I know from my honors classes pass right by the table, I can't imagine what they might think of me because of these idiots who I am forced to sit with.
(October 22nd, 2009) Dear Stowaway, Halloween is coming up pretty soon. I am really torn because I decided that I am too old to go trick-or-treating. It's my first time I've ever stayed home on Halloween and I feel like I am really missing out. School has been pretty tough lately. I've gotten a lot of homework from my classes and it has been a pain to have to stay up until the late hours of the night to complete it. I went to cooking club yesterday with my sister; my friends weren't able to go. There were student demos and so they stood up and showed everyone how to make their "special salad". Knowing me, I have never dared try a single one of those leafy greens, but I caved in to the pressure of my peers. I never understood the meaning of that. I never try a single salad in front of my parents, but I am willing to try one in front of the people around me at school. Honestly, it made me feel like I was going to puke. I really did have a queasy feeling in my stomach when the three girls were preparing it on the table up front. Despite the food tasting bad, I still had a really fun time. I talked and made jokes with the people sitting at my table. They were all freshman, but it really didn't bother me at all. I don't know why, I just tend to become friends more with people who are younger than me. My grandparents picked up my sister and I after the club. Of course they had to ask what it was that we had made, grandparents are always like that. Neither of us wanted to start, but I told them anyway. How has tutoring been, you may ask? We'll, it really has been a lot more fun than I thought it was. I know, I'm such a nerd, being a tutor and all… but it also brings such a warm feeling inside that you are helping someone out. I've tutored this same girl in Geometry for the past couple of weeks, and we've really gotten this bond between us. She relies on me over the other math tutors available, and it's just so nice. I've been a little uneasy about tutoring in other non-math related subjects, but it has been working out okay.
(October 17th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, it's been getting a lot cooler out lately, I've been making so many adjustments to what I wear because the temperature has been fluctuating so much! Anyway, I finally saw Where The Wild Things Are in theaters. I've been wanted to see it for just such a long time. I rally could not believe the day had come when it came out. The movie was so emotional, I was a little upset that it wasn't kid orientated, but it was still made very well. The plot grew to be so gruesome in the end; it was hard to bear watching those monsters fight, yell and even rip each others arms off. There were plenty of parts that were funny at first, and then they grew dramatically and I started to think, "Woah, that's horrible!" I might just not be adjusted to this kind of film. I haven't seen a tragedy film in so long…
(September 24th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, school has been harsh lately with the high level of homework. Honestly, I am sick of having to write in English class. We were assigned this short, one page response to this discussion question that we had to come up with for the book we are reading, Death Of A Salesman. I feel so bad, I am not the best at coming up with legitimate questions to ask. I started right away when we were given instructions how to start. A couple of days before it was due, the teacher responded to some questions we had about it. She looked at my idea I used in my paper and thought it was too broad of a topic. I felt so bad, I re-did the entire assignment. Gosh, I was so depressed, I felt worse than that time I had to redo an entire how-to speech because my partner and I couldn't demonstrate it in front of the class. Anyway, I re-wrote it and brought it to a writing tutor at our school to check over it. She said that I still had to redo parts of it once more. I was so frustrated when I was working on it again today. Why English, why must you put me through this torture? Hopefully I'll do okay on it…
(September 7th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I'm so sorry, stow. It's been so long! Honestly, (gosh, I can't believe I am about to tell you this) I have been forced without permission to write to a new reader- and this isn't any reader, this is a reader who only understands Spanish. It isn't that I am "dumping" you, it is just that I am required to submit one entry a day to this Mexican reader whom I call just plain ol' Diario. Luckily I didn't have to write today, and so I finally got the chance to talk. It is such torture writing to that guy! I can't express any any of my feelings; I had to just write about my day! Plus, I am also forced to write solely in Spanish, what torture…
(31-8-09) Querido Diario, esta manana me despierto a las seis y veinte. Tenia sueno, pero me levante para prepararme para salir. Una cosa que yo recuerdo sobre esta dia as que las luces se fueron unas veces por algunas segundos. Es un misterio porque esto ocurrio. Para continuar, hoy las clases eran un poco dificil porque los profesores me daron mucha tarea. Estoy estresado. Tambien, recibi mi horario para tutoring. Despues de escuela, camine con mi hermana a nuestra casa. Habia calory era una pena que nos movemosun distancia larga en este tiempo. Cuando llegamos, puse unas gallets en el horno y relaje. Termine mi tarea bastante tarde en la noche.
(1-9-09) Querido Diario, me senti mal cuando levante esta manana. Mi hermana me molesto cuando estaba comiendo mi desayuno. Me puse mi camiseta de tutoring porque recibi un mensaje sobre la una semana antes de hoy. Habia muchos estudiantes que la llevaron. En educacion fisica, todos participaron en el Pacer y corrimos de un lado a otro hasta no podimos continuar. Era dificil para respirar, pero recobre despues de algunos minutos. No soy atletico ni deportista y este fue duro en mi opinion. Cuando volvi a casa, hice mis quehaceres en la cocina. Llave las platas y puse en el lavaplatos. Tambien, rege las plantas vegetales en el patio.
(2-9-09) Querido Diario,hoy mi dia era bastante largo. Empece la programa de tutor y tenia miedo al principio. Lo ayude mi primero estudiante y dudo un poco si lo ayude al mejor de mis habilidades. Al fin, my diverti la experiencia y no estoy nervioso. Despues de las clases, fui al club de cocinar. Soy un parte grandisimo del club porque habia asistido por dos anos. Antes de empezar, busque a mis amigos en la parada de autobus cerca de la escuela y invite al club. La profesora da un discurso sobre lo que hacemos durante el semestre y horneamos unas galletas en el horno. Volvi a mi casa a las cinco de la tarde.
(3-9-09) Querido diario, me levante tan temprano como ayer porque mi madre decidio a manejarme a mi escuela a las siete. Antes de empezar las clases, estudie en la biblioteca para mis pruebas en Espanol y Matematicas. Pero me olvide a estudiar el vocabulario y estaba nervioso durante todo periodo uno. La prueba de Espanol fue bastante facil, pero las preguntas sobre palabras de geografia eran duro para decidir mi contesta. Despues, tuve otra prueba. Estaba lista para esta y termine tan rapido como la de Espanol. Trate hacer una pregunta de credito extra y la complete un minuto antes del fin de clase. Camine a mi casa con mi hermana y le ayude a estudiar unas palabras para ingles.
(4-9-09) Querido diario, siento fantastico! Finalmente el fin de semana llege! Hoy tuve una prueba corta en economia consumido y fue muy facil. Durante periodo seis, le ayude un estudiante en algebra con su tarea. En educacion fisica, practicamos futbol americano; no me interesan los deportes y el juego era aburrido en mi opinion. Despues de escuela, camine con mi hermana y decidimos parar en Ben y Jerry's para comer helado. Habia calor y necesitamos algo para enfriarnos. Volvi a mi casa a las cuatro y media y me relaje en la sala. Mi madre nos preparo cena especial para Shabbat. A las nueve del la noche, camine mis perros por la calle en mis pijamas.
(5-9-09) Querido diario, me desperte a las ocho de la manana. Hice unas preguntas en mi tarea para Espanol. Luego, meneje a la Fabrica de Pastel de Queso en Old Orchard con mi padre y hermana. Despues, fuimos a la ciudad de Chicago. Visitamos el Museo de Arte Contemoraneo y miramos esculturas de artistas famosas. Caminamos por la Avenida Michigan y fuimos de compras en algunas tiendas. Paramos en la tienda Ghirardeli y compre una malteada. Habia muchos hombres y estuvimos esperando por treinte minutos. Volvimos a nuestra casa y nos relajamos. Mi madre nos preparo huevos para cena, pero estuve llenado. Mire una pelicula con mi familia a las ocho hasta diez.
(6-9-09) Querido diaro, me levante a las ocho y media. Hice mi tarea para fisicas; era bastante dificil y use la mayoria de mi manana para completarla. Maneje a Dunkin Donuts y come un sandwich desayuno. Pare en Target con mi padre y hermana y me probe pantalones nuevos para el otono. Mi familia y yo comimos en el centro commercial y vimos la libreria que habia abierto la semana pasada. Vimos la pelicula Extract durante la tarde. Volvi a mi casa y use la computadora por una hora o mas. Comi pasta de coditos con queso en el Yard House para cena. Fuimos al supermercado y compramos algunas cosas.
Yes, I know, there aren't any accents. I'm still not sure how to put them in… but I guess it doesn't matter.
(August 26th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, school starts tomorrow. Am I nervous? Well, yes, but nobody seems to care because they've already started school. But I'm okay with that, I can handle some things on my own now. Yesterday was quite a day for the books. I was so bored in the morning that I had to call up Trevor. Now Trevor and I aren't that great of friends nowadays, and I was a little uneasy calling him up, but I felt like I needed to. His mom answered and said that I could drop in whenever because they were having a party that day, which is what I did. I got all saddled up and headed over on my bike. It was pretty far, but I managed to make it there. I never liked going to Trevor's house because of how horrifying it always is. There is usually trash everywhere and the house has a very strange odor because his mom smokes. I was disgusted out when I saw a flower-pot next to the front door filled with cigarette butts. Anyway, his mom answered and said that Trevor was downstairs playing video games with his new friend, Aaron.
"Trevor! Come on up, Michael is here!"
"Michael is here? Really? Michael *****?"
And then I heard another voice from downstairs.
"You mean that f*ggot from school, that Michael?"
I was truly disgusted when I heard this, and I felt pretty out-of-place. Trevor came up and hugged me, like he always does. He called down for his new "friend" Aaron to come up. Now Aaron was not an average looking person. He was pretty tall, very fat, and had a pair for very thick glasses and his voice was nasally when he spoke. Worst of all, Aaron didn't even have pants on, so I could see his big, chubby legs and I felt truly disgusted. Trevor invited me to come downstairs and asked me to play video games with him. Like always, I declined his invitation, so I sat on his couch and watched him and Aaron play some Dragonball Z Fighting game- so, so boring. Fat Aaron kept on adjusting this chair that was way to small for him in order to sit properly. I was definitely afraid he would cause the chair to collapse from his weight. I asked Trevor how he met Aaron, just in case he was some kind of freak, which he was, because Trevor said he met him at a party and they were both stoned… great to know… Anyway, they played for quite some time and then the question finally arose from Aaron
"So, I heard you were gay, is that right?"
And then Trevor butted in to shut that fat b*stard up. I felt like getting up to leave right then and there, but I stayed, just in case the story would get even juicier to exploit (I know, I'm just that kind of person). Of course, it didn't; Trevor called me to talk in private, so we headed upstairs. He kept on apologizing to me, I really couldn't hear a word he was saying for some reason. I just left right then and there. I really couldn't go back down there. I was so upset, I left without a goodbye. Trevor called me on my cell a couple of minutes after I left. He told me why Aaron supposedly, "thought I was gay". It was because they were looking at some pictures of me and he apparently obtained the idea that I had "sexual relations with men" from some photograph. Gosh, why does everything have to center around someones sexuality preferences? I thought I went over this already. Oh yeah, APRIL 19TH. I'm not going to go into it again. So I went home and talked to my good friend, Nick. He said he was going over to Walgreens later, so I decided to come along. I was too upset to stay inside for the rest of the day. We talked for a bit, it really cheered me up a lot. I was just glad that I had a good end to the day. I rode my bike about 10 miles and was exhausted by the time I got home.
(August 22nd, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I was taking things slow over the past few days. I was practically stuck at home because all of my friends were out at work or camp, so I really was boxed in. I made cookies the other day. I found this recipe for chocolate covered shortbread cookies on the Food Network website. They took quite a while to make because they weren't the same as the store-bought cookie dough. I felt kind of nervous watching the ingredients mix together in the blender. Have you ever done that before? It takes a really long time for everything to join together into one. I was watching the spinner go in circles trying to break up the clumps in the batter for quite a while. I felt like maybe I did something wrong, which was why it took so long. Cookies are just the weirdest things, right? You turn your head for two seconds and look back and the dough is formed right before your eyes just like magic. It was pretty hard to melt chocolate. It's such a delicate process; if you heat it too much you have to start all over again because it turns into this lumpy, hard mess – the same with melting cheese. I overheated it the first time and had to start over. It's best to use a double-boiler, of course we didn't have one so I had to improvise the second time with the bowl over a boiling pot of water. In the end, the cookies turned out fine. I wasn't used to eating short bread, but it's nice to try something new. Today was pretty cold; it was my first taste of Fall in quite a while. I haven't worn a sweatshirt in so long! I already miss summer; hopefully the temperature will bounce back up to the 70's and 80's.
(August 18th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, tutor training was… pretty easy! I was kind of stressed at the beginning because they made it seem as though you have to tutor in all subject areas, which threw me off a ton. I was sick to my stomach when they started to explain how to tutor people in English, which is my least favorite subject area. I felt relaxed at the end though, knowing I could slip by just tutoring in Mathematics, my favorite subject area. It feels so much different to learn things from the tutor's point of view. It seems as though all my life I have been the one who is tutored, and now it is switched around. We all received matching shirts that were neon green. How ugly! I felt relaxed when I heard the older tutors talk in front of us. They looked like normal people, not any kind of professional. So I felt that if they could do it, so could I. They training was also very informative; there really weren't any important areas that were left out. It really felt good to be a part of something big. I had a warm feeling inside; we all had fun that day and everyone there was nice. I've never been apart of that "select group of students" before.
(August 14th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, it's a Shabbat night and I just got a chance to write to you since Connor is out at his friend's party tonight. I probably have not mentioned him coming over to meet me, and I'm sorry! We've just been having so much fun together lately and I've never gotten the time to write to you. So you are probably wondering what has been happening lately with me. Well, life's been simple, really. I've been going to the pool with my grandparents and sister and we've been going to the Botanic Gardens a lot lately. I've been working on my red panda drawing every once in a while during my vacation. I get back to it whenever I find the free time. My mom is coming back from Philadelphia later today. She's been gone for six weeks. I am finally off from summer school and drivers ed and I aced both of them like I do with every class. Life is just going to get even harder though, with junior year coming up. I've heard that it is the toughest year of high school and I hope I am prepared to conquer any battle that comes my direction. I have to go in to register on Monday and go in for training for tutoring on Tuesday. I just hope I have time in my day to write to you again during the year! It's always so stressful starting up school again. Well, I will get to see my friends every day but the classwork might be difficult. Wish me good luck!
(July 17th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, Oh my, I've really missed talking to you. Things have changed greatly since the last time I have written to you. First of all, I just feel like I need to wrap up the 08-09 school year. Finals were very, very easy! I felt confident when I left school and I knew I would get straight A's for the semester, as I have ever since freshman year. I had to do a presentation on the book Everlost for English. Connor helped me out a ton on the work, and I am really glad he had read it before I did because we spent nights after nights reading through it together. I have gotten a lot better at making speeches after taking the dreaded communications class where I had to give one like every two weeks. My group was so, so cooperative and we had a really fun time-sharing the book. For math: I have really leaped far with my dedication to it. I have signed up to be a math tutor for next year, hoping that it will help others (including myself with my own social skills). I am a little nervous, but I feel that I will be a pretty good, helpful tutor. Anyway, the math final flew by and I just spent the remaining time playing with my calculator. I asked the teacher a question about factoring a number less than 1 and she was stumped on the question also. She also came up to me afterward and kept talking about how glad she was that I got accepted as a tutor. For religions: I had to spend the past week before writing out my final on my laptop. I had gotten upset about it because my "d" key on my laptop came off, and now I have to press really hard on it to make the letter go in. I was not as motivated to write it. Even though I had gotten a B for the semester, the final actually boosted me up to an A. My Spanish final was very easy. A lot of the other students were worrying about different things. A couple who sat by me in class kept asking last-minute questions. I was pretty confident myself and it went by pretty fast. After my last final in Drawing, I was about to leave when I saw the cooking club teacher stop me in the hallway to ask if I would be the president of the club next year. Well, she didn't just ask, she was begging; I had been a loyal member for two whole years and she really got to know me better. I accepted, yet I am not sure whether I was qualified or not, because I had not taken the cooking class. One of my friends met up with me afterward, and we both went home after that to celebrate the end of school. Things were just great for the next few days: being at home and relaxing. Summer school started a week later and I was a little nervous. Everyone had kept saying that U.S. History would be a hard class to take during the summer, but I took it anyway. I managed to get the book from my sister, who had taken it the year before. The pages were full of handouts and packets because she was too lazy to put it all in a folder so she just stuffed it in the book. I spent quite a while getting all the sheets out. I looked at the mountains of work that she had and I though to myself: this is what I am going to have to fill out. My mom drove all of us to summer school at a different school in the district. I had been there before just two years ago. Things changed greatly since the last time I was there. I should've taken note of it when I wrote to you back then. *urgh!* Why did I just talk about Club Penguin? Oh well. The school doesn't look like a prison anymore. Now it looks more like a friendly prison. They renovated a gigantic number of buildings, yet the feeling of the school is quite cold. Every single room in the school is under constant blast by the air conditioner. It may be 50 degrees colder inside than it is outside, which is why many people decide to wear long pants and a sweat shirt inside the building. My first semester teacher was very nice to everyone, he had harder tests though, which really stumped me most of the time. I had never gotten an A on a single test, only once on a quiz. Luckily, my grade was still maintaining an A because of the number of packets I turned in. The class in general was very foreign to me. I really did not have any kind of friendship whatsoever with anyone, and it seemed like every single person belonged to their own distinct group and so when group project came around, I would always hope that the teacher would assign them. I had my on row in the class because I was at the end of the alphabet and their were not enough chairs. The teacher pulled one out from another room and I sat in my other part of the room away from everyone else; how embarrassing. I was really jealous of this one group of girls that would huddle around this one area right next to me and it would make me feel very upset because I didn't really have anyone to talk to in the class. I was out there all by myself fending my own wars. I had to start biking to summer school with my sister because my mom had left to go to Philadelphia. Ah, the dreaded biking. There was always some sort of problem that occurred along the way. One day when I got out of summer school, I realized that my bike chain had fallen off, so I had to walk my bike home for a mile and a half. Another day I had to help my sister when going to school because she was hit by a car going through a red light. She was fine, but her bike got twisted up and had to be fixed. Speaking of cars, in the middle of the semester I started Driver's ed– from 7 to 9 at night. It really brought a great deal of stress to me, knowing that now not do I only have to study for History tests, but I also have to study for Driving tests. At first I had a really bad image of the teacher: he made fun of basically every person in the class and he was really hard to understand because he talked too fast. I would always raise my hand to ask him to repeat something and he would make fun of me for it. The tests were very different from the ones in school. He actually gave the questions– and the answers that were on the test a day before it would happen. I was a little confused by why he did that, but I followed along like everyone else. I managed to obtain my permit, and he would ask every day if people had scheduled driving lessons. I felt a little out-of-place because I still haven't driven yet. Overall, drivers ed really brought some stress into my life. Second semester was on the verge of starting. The class was informed on who the teacher would be. Some panicked, because they had him before in the past and heard how bad a teacher he was. One kid actually dropped the class after he found out. Anyway, I thought he was a little different with his teaching style. We focused a ton more on making connections between history and the present-day. We were allowed to do as many extra credit assignments as we pleased, which really made me feel at ease. The teacher made fun of a lot of students. He kept making jokes about the korean kids in the class, he even gave me a nickname, King Fish, which he referred to me whenever I was mentioned. Nicknames really just aren't my thing, but I put up with it anyway. I knew I would only have to go through with it for a week and a half. For drivers ed, things had gotten a little easier. I began to understand the teacher more and paid better attention. I bumped into the television a couple of times when I did the drunk goggle test. What I didn't understand before was why the teacher let all these strangers that came knocking on the door in. It turns out they we former students of him, and they had stopped by to visit. Some of them brought their dogs in to the classroom and it would run around and lick people while they were sitting at their desks, which were the tiniest things ever: a notebook could slide off at any minute. I was right next to a powerful fan in the classroom and so it was such a pain to take notes with my papers flying around every direction. Luckily I was moved, because he accused me of talking with another student in the class. Some of the car crash "flicks" that he made us watch were very gruesome. I felt like I was going to pass out after seeing an amputated person. I was glad that no one noticed that I had collapsed at my desk. It is a really scary feeling for me. My vision goes black, my hearing gets worse, there is an awful ringing noise, and my entire body starts to feel numb. I had tried looking at the pages of my book after seeing it. All the pages were completely blurry! I already understand that I need to be very careful when I'm going to be driving, yet they continue to frighten the class with graphic footage of accidents. Right now, I am fine. The week is over finally and I was granted the free time to finally write to you. I just got a couple of bug bites from some mosquitoes that were in the driver's ed classroom. My forehead feels like a bumpy road! Its terrible. I really can't wait for that to go away. Last but not least, there is one other person I should mention: Connor. We have gotten a ton closer during the summer. I told my parents about him and now we are going to see each other in August when he comes here. We both are really excited. We've become closer friends every day that has gone by.
(May 22nd, 2009) Dear Stowaway, the weathers been getting pretty nice out lately, its been up in the seventies and eighties this past week! I can not wait for summer to start already! School makes it seem like it is such a far distance away; luckily I've had some ease this week with two late arrivals, a field trip, and a three-day weekend. I loved the field trip today; it was to the Bahai Temple and a Mosque for a Western Religions field trip. I remember going to the Bahai temple when I was little; I'm not sure why exactly, but I think it was for extra credit or something for my fourth grade class. I really didn't know that the Bahai temple represented a large majority of religions combined in one, I had only thought that it was a Jewish temple when I went and I had thought that for six years. Going there again was a surprise; it was a whole new experience to tie up loose ends of questions that I had about the building. There are only seven in the world, at least one on every continent it seems. This temple was the only one located in the United States, so it should be a huge honor to be able to go there. The building was just so beautiful: the architecture of the structure, the gardens surrounding the place and the elaborate patterns inside the building. Even though half of the outside was still under construction, it was still a nice building to look at. By then, it was already time for lunch. We headed for Pita Inn. The problem was that I really didn't have any friends in the class, so I decided to sit alone. The teacher came up to me and offered me to go sit at the teacher's table, so I went to go sit with them and a couple of other students. The food was delicious, I never realized how much I enjoyed Mediterranean food. There was another class of eight graders that came to the place too, so the restaurant was packed. For some reason, they were all wearing togas; I believe it was because it was for extra credit for the class that they were taking in school. When the bus started to leave, the teachers realized that they had forgotten to take roll call, and so four angry students would have been left in the restaurant if they had not done that. Someone ran in to get them, for they were at a table in the back corner of the crowded room. The mosque we visited next was an interesting experience. It was not one of those things you could say were either "really good" or "really bad", because the whole visit was for the experience. There were two separate entrances, one for men and one for women, which was because they had to remain separate at all times when in the house of prayer because the opposite sex is seen as a distraction. The teachers also pranked the girls into thinking that they had to wear a hijab on their heads in order to make it seem like we were just being very polite. The service made me smile. It was so nice to see all these different people come together in this one room to pray. The imam introduced our class; the guys sat in the back of the room and watched as the Muslims went through their pattern of bowing and standing. Some of them looked back at us and later came up to us after the service to shake hands and welcome us. All of them had such firm handshakes, they were all just so nice, it was so emotional. The girls we heard had it worse than the guys. They were in a separate balcony on top with the other women. I heard that they were given a look from the other women because they had thought they were Muslim for wearing the hijab. The women went up to them and adjusted their scarves because they were put on the wrong way or something. I'm not sure, but that is what I heard. After the service, we were given time to answer questions, which was basically part of every single religion field trip that I've been on in the class. The religion teachers always stress that we ask questions because it is the only way that we will learn. I took a copy of the English version of the Quran that they handed out. I read a little of it on the bus ride back to school.
(May 5th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I am really excited to announce that it has been two years since I started writing to you. Unfortunately, I was never able to announce it last year because I didn't have time to write. What a great day it was, today. I really thought there would be something special in Spanish for Cinco de Mayo, yet not much happened in class except that the teacher (la profesora) just mentioned it. In P.E. they played festive music for the occasion. I rediscovered the song "Vamos a la Playa", which played outside when we were running. My friend had introduced me it a couple of months ago, but I kind of ignored it because I thought it wasn't that great. I'm not sure. I finished my meerkat drawing. I had to finish it over the weekend, but I still enjoyed working on it. One of my worst nightmares came true while I was working on it: I got paint on the drawing.I was so upset, there was just a little splatter over the eye because the painting class before forgot to clean up the tables, and I thought that it was dry. I'm pretty upset about it and I had to try to fix up the area. I know, you might think that it isn't that big of a deal, but as an aspiring artist, I feel like I need to care about my work.You should have seen me with the last drawing of the endangered animal, I am still obsessed with it even after it is hanging on the wall at school.
(April 19th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, something happened at school on Friday that made me really upset. I mean, I was thinking about this for the entire day and I just couldn't get this random act of racist thought out of my head. As you probably already know, there are many people in this world who make up jokes about gay people. It has gotten to a level at which you hear one of these very offending jokes every single day. Well, one finally struck at me last Friday. There is this kid who I know at school who is one of the mentally challenged kids. He has anger management problems, and he is the person who threw a hammer at my friends laptop; what a shame it would have been if it were mine. This is a kid who nobody likes because he just picks on other people to let out his anger. Anyway, I was in the bathroom at school and I saw him waiting for a urinal, even though there was one already open. So I just went past him to go pee because I had been holding it in the whole day and my bladder was going to explode if I didn't. Eventually, the person at my right left and this kid went up to go pee. After a couple of seconds, he made the most racist, completely misunderstood statement to me. All he said was, "The middle's gay." It was then that I realized that I was in the middle of two urinals. For some cruel, cruel reason, he had formed the idea that I was gay. Well, I don't give a sh*t where I pee. If I have to go, I'll go. Why do people stand around if they have to pee and form completely racist ideas in their heads like, "Oh, I'm not going to go to that urinal because I think its gay!" It is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. Once I was ready to leave and go wash my hands at the sinks, the same thing happens. I decide to wash my hands in the middle sink. Now this kid, this mentally challenged kid says in the most obnoxious, know-it-all voice, "Once again, the middles gay!" I look at him. He looks at me. I see the most dimwitted, George Bush facial expression looking face staring at me while I'm washing my hands. I am entirely full of anger, and by that point I just feel like punching the guy. All I say back to him is, "You're right. You're completely right! The middle is gay." I storm out of that bathroom angry as h*ll at that guy. There is no use trying to convince people that they are wrong. I would have babbled on after that point, but I felt it would be pointless trying to get my message through his thick skull and into his minuscule brain. It really isn't worth it. There are too many people in the world; it's just so impossible to try to wipe their racism towards gay people. Well, I guess I can start. One mentally challenged brain at a time…
(April 15th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I had a great time at the zoo yesterday. I had to go there with my drawing class to take some pictures of animals and plants for our next drawing. We only had to pair up with one other person while we walked around, so I just went with a friend to see the animals. I didn't really know how to work my camera because my mom had given me hers to use for the field trip, but I quickly figured it out after walking around for a bit. I took pictures of the seals, the polar bears, the giraffes, the tigers, and of course my favorite animal, the meerkats. I also took pictures of some of the plants in the greenhouse there. The pictures of the penguins that I took turned out all dark because it was inside a really dark building; how upsetting. Definitely, the meerkats were the most playful. There were about thirty or so in this area and they would just scamper around on the feet and play in the dirt. My, they would really make the best pets ever. Anyway, I had to use the photos for my next project. I am going to pick one of the animals to draw in pencil, and one of the plant photos to draw using stippling.
(April 10th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, Passover was pretty fun this year. It wasn't as great as the years before, because my back was hurting so much during the Seder. I think I might have some problems with it, because at least once a month, it just starts hurting out of nowhere; I don't even know what's wrong with my back. I just bent down to pick something up from the ground and it just starting hurting like mad. Thankfully, I didn't have to move around as much, so I had a fun time. What I really don't like is that it is shadowed by Easter. It seems as though everyone ignores Passover's existence and focuses mainly on Easter. I guess that makes sense because 1.8 billion people are Christian on this planet or something. Anyway, the food was very tasty this year. On Passover my parents and relatives help cook a festive meal. My mom made some pretty good brisket this year, and my aunt and uncle brought a matzoh ball soup they had prepared. The only thing I know about Easter is that there are eggs, bunnies, and Jesus's death involved. None of my Christian friends know a single thing about what Easter is all about. It makes me feel like the minority of Jewish people in the world actually hold on to their faith.
(April 4th – 5th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I am back from vacation, and of course I had a really fun time. I didn't get to finish my last entry because the cab came to our house to pick us up. In fact, I left my laptop on the entire time (*smooth move*) yeah I know. So I wanted to write about it. Dub said he was interested in what I did the entire time because he lives there. I wish I had the chance to find him in New York, but I am still completely clueless on where he is.
Sunday: I left for the airport after I finished writing on the diary. Like always, I felt like I was missing something on the way to the airport. Ever since that one time where I accidentally left my suitcase at home, I was very tense when I went to the airport. Anyway, it was snowing for the duration of the time there. I really thought that the plane was going to be delayed, but it wasn't at all. On the plane, my family was divided into 3 different rows; I had to sit with my older sister in one of the rows. I thought we would fight the whole time, but we actually didn't argue at all. In fact, we actually talked to each other and laughed at some of the things in the magazines in the back of each seat. I love looking at the Sky Mall magazine. There are tons of amazing things you never knew existed. On the plane, I mean seriously, what are the chances of having to sit next to a crying baby the entire flight? Well, exactly one seat over there was a woman trying to make her baby stop having a breakdown. About the first 45 minutes in the plane at the airport, the baby was seriously having a nonstop temper tantrum. I wanted to strangle the thing. My older sister didn't mind because she just blocked out the noise by blasting her iPod. But I was pretty upset about it. There were a couple of people outside spraying the windows with some anti-frost solution. It turned the wings of the plane into an Irish shade of green; it looked ridiculous. Before the flight took off, that lady on the loudspeakers always would come on and say a few words. I was surprised to hear the total time of the flight, which was 1:47. 1 hour and 47 minutes! I felt kind of embarrassed in a way because Dub always says that he sees that number so much in public. So we finally landed in New York City at La Guardia airport. It was pretty foggy out, and it felt like I never left Chicago because the two places looked just so similar to each other. We went straight for the baggage claim area. The bags came out pretty fast on that awesome moving platform thing. I always feel like jumping on that track because it would make such a fun ride. My baggage came out and I noticed the handle was completely broken. The metal bars were missing; I think they were smashed into something with a lot of force, so I had trouble pushing the thing out. We waited in a long line for a cab. I recalled the show that I watch on Discovery called Cash Cab, which takes place in New York City and I thought about what it would be like to have climbed in. That would have been one of the greatest experiences ever. So we finally got into the cab, it went down some highway. So far I wasn't really that impressed with what I was looking at. It looked exactly like Chicago. There was some alley that it went through. I felt like at any minute the guy would stop and like force us out of the cab and shoot us in some dark corner, but that was just my wild imagination. the cab went over some bridge, and my guess was that it was heading toward Manhattan Island. The streets looked pretty bland at the start, with a ton of traffic. Eventually we started to see little signs of life in the dull area, such as the occasional vibrant architecture. Turning onto Broadway was probably one of the largest mood changes I've had. The moment the cab turned on, there were a ton of billboards hanging around on the buildings. A ton of moving signs and posters and just anything I remember from the movies seeing in Times Square. The cab stopped at our hotel and we got out. Stepping out of the cab I felt like a chill down my spine. I was thinking in my mind: this is it. This is what I came to see. At first I didn't notice the famous Coca-Cola sign. I was looking in the wrong direction thinking that it would be facing north. My family had seen it first and they pointed to it. I felt my eyes growing large seeing how tall and mighty it was. I had a small shock and I stepped back a bit to admire it. It was on that slide, the first time I saw it, that slide with the "powered by wind energy". I managed to take a couple of pictures of it, along with the other signs near it. Probably my favorite was the gigantic billboard for the M&M's store, a couple of blocks down the way. The store in general was amazing. It was three floors high with everything M&M's related that you can imagine. One of my friends who had went to New York had recommended that I visit there, and I just adored the place. The hotel we went to, the Double Tree hotel, right on Times Square, was spectacular. There were a couple of things I didn't understand about it. One was that there were two elevators. One from the ground floor to the lobby. Another from the lobby to the hotel rooms. It was pretty pointless having to keep switching back and forth. Another thing I didn't understand about it was why there were some floors missing from the elevator. There wasn't a seventh floor or a second floor for some reason, but there was a thirteenth. Still, the hotel was very elaborate and colorful. They greeted us very kindly, and gave each of us a welcome cookie to enjoy. I didn't enjoy the hotel rooms that much. There are five people in my family, and four of us slept in one room while my older sister had her own room, her own bed, her own sink, and her own privacy. Speaking of privacy, that was very hard to find at all times during the trip, except of course when I went to use the restroom. So after we settled down, we went back out to just stand in the middle of Times Square and enjoy the view. I realized that New York had so many more smokers than in Illinois. Outside the hotel there were at least ten people smoking one of those cancer sticks; they were simply unavoidable. So anyway I took a couple of pictures, 360 view of the entire area because I felt like I couldn't leave out one spot of it. There were a few things in the area that just kept repeating as I started to walk around. One thing that I saw so many times is the number of stands on the sidewalk. It seemed as though every corner had some. There were a variety of different scents in the air from the different stands, I just felt my hunger level rising. The only one I really didn't like the smell of was the "Nuts 4 Nuts" stand on the side of the hotel. I am not that big of a fan of roasted nuts, so the smell really didn't come to me. Another thing that kept repeating was the number of electronics stores in Times Square. My parents told me to never buy anything from there, because they said that it was just all a rip-off. Those stores really scared me, too, because they put all of their merchandise into that tiny window for people to look at. It was just too much to handle seeing at the same time. Another trend I noticed is that there aren't any highways or indoor malls in any of the areas that I went through. I mean, it might have been because I never went by one, but I just thought it was weird to not see one. Okay, back to the story. The sky began to get dark, so we headed out to eat dinner. My dad had one of his patients (he is a doctor) recommend him a Mexican restaurant for us to go to eat at. It has some name that I simply can not remember because it is foreign. It had dim lighting, but delicious food. My family ordered the chips and salsa three times because we couldn't get enough of it. It was dark by the time we left, so we went back to the hotel to catch some sleep.
Monday: We woke up pretty early in the morning, it was very hard to get used to the new time zone, but I finally managed. The morning was pretty hectic for me. I was upset because I lost my contact: on the first full day of the trip. I was also very upset because it seemed like all of the sinks in New York splash all over the place when you turn them on. I got all wet in the morning trying to brush my teeth over the sink. My dad wanted us to go to Dunkin Donuts, because he always goes there in the morning. We spent quite a while trying to find the place. He had spotted the restaurant the day before… somewhere… in the city. It really wasn't that great of a place. It was super crowded and there was nowhere to sit. We grabbed our breakfast and ate in the restaurant next door. There was some guy working there and he was talking in some foreign language. Eventually he allowed us to sit, I think. Unless pointing to the table meant calling the cops. Whatever. My retainer fell in the floor. How clumsy of me! I dropped it when I went to take it out of my mouth. I spent at least ten minutes crawling on the floor trying to locate it. I touched some kind of raisin or something on the ground. I felt like I was going to hurl. My mom found it on the other side of the table. Boy, do those things bounce around! I went to the restroom in the place, and of course the sink splashes like crazy. It splashed everywhere else but on what I wanted it to clean. By that point I was about to throw a fit. I stormed out of there and we just finished eating. I scrubbed the retainer back in the hotel. A while later we headed over towards the Rockefeller Center. My older sister had wanted to see it because her favorite show, 30 Rock, was filmed in that building or something. We took the ride up to the "Top of The Rock", the second tallest building in New York City. The ceiling was made entirely of glass, so that we could look up during the ascent. There was some kind of small light show going on in the glass. Looking over the edge of the building was an amazing sight to see. The city just looked amazing from above! I could see all the way to the Empire State on the other side of town. I thought I saw the statue of liberty in the distance, it might have been some small building, I'm not completely sure. Central Park was placed in a pretty ridiculous spot. It was so low to the ground, while it's surroundings were all tall buildings. It was like looking at a jungle in the middle of the city. We then went to go see Grand Central Station, which was only a short distance away. We walked down 5th Avenue; my mom pointed out Sakks Fifth, which was the first store in the chain that opened. There were so many people going back and forth on the sidewalk. I felt like I would have gotten lost in the crowd. We finally reached Grand Central, and once again people were charging in every direction trying to get wherever they were going. It reminded me of a lot of the movies. It also reminded me of that video on Youtube by Improv Everywhere where they stood in one place in Grand Central for a five-minute duration to try to catch peoples attention and create a scene. We then walked to the United Nations building down the road. There was a flag for every country in front of the building, and of course we had to go through security in order to enter the building. We chose not to go on a tour, so we just had lunch in a small cafe. There wasn't a single table to sit at, but some really kind lady offered her seat so that we all could sit down. It wasn't anything major, but I thought most people in New York were selfish. We went back to Grand Central to get on the subway for the first time. There was a gate that people went in and out of. They would swipe their card and be on their way. I felt so out-of-place, because these people would just rush through the gate and we spent at least 20 minutes down there before we went on. My parents stood at the ATM-looking machine for quite some time trying to get Metro cards for each of us. We were holding up a line of people, and I was pretty embarrassed. I've never been on the subway before, so this was a new experience for me. The train stopped for about 10 seconds, and it left abruptly after that. We stopped around Greenwich Village, which was probably my least favorite part of the trip. There was nothing to see there except some houses and a few shops. My younger sister made a big deal about the mosaic tiles on the lampposts just to make it sound like she was having fun there, which she wasn't. Anyway, we started walking around some New York college building. There were a ton of college kids outside the building smoking. The smell was awful, I tried to rush through there to avoid it. We walked over to some small park. Half of it was under construction, but the concierge had recommended that we see it. There was some kind of monument in the park that was famous. It looked like that arch that is in Paris. After that, our feet were just so tired. There is so much that can be packed into such a small day! We took the subway back to our hotel to rest our feet for a bit. My parents then went to look up a restaurant that we could go to that night. They found a delicatessen, which is a Jewish Deli restaurant, called the Carnegie Deli. The sandwiches there were at least a half a foot high because they had so much meat in them. There were photos on the walls of famous people who had visited the place. At the entrance was a huge blow up picture of Barack Obama visiting the deli. The meal was so so expensive. My parents have never spent so much on one meal. I ordered a turkey sandwich and barely finished it. We brought back some food to our hotel room to eat later and then went to bed.
Tuesday: We woke up very early in the morning on Tuesday, there was no time to go eat breakfast because we had to get to the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I was so tired getting up that day. It was seven in the morning and I just wanted to fall back asleep, but my mom and dad kept pushing me to get up. We hopped on the subway all the way to battery park. It was the longest ride on the subway I went on during the trip. I only brought a sweatshirt, and it was freezing out when we finally arrived. I was shivering like crazy while my family was all warm because they brought a winter coat. Anyway, we bought our tickets to get in the monument and we had to wait in this line in order to get on the ferry. Like the crying baby on the plane, I had to stand in line next to this annoying group of British teenagers with an annoying accent. My dad made a joke later and said they had escaped from Hogwarts. It was pretty annoying, their voices. The good thing is that the line finally started moving and we went through security. I looked back at the end of the line, and it looked like it went on for miles. I am so glad we went there early! The ferry ride was very peaceful; it had a great view from the window and wasn't bumpy at all. Right when we reached the island with the statue, we headed towards the restaurant to grab some grub. It was about nine in the morning and I just chose to skip and eat lunch instead. My dad ordered the breakfast special. He had to wait in line for such a long time while everyone else in our family had finished eating. The tables we ate at were horrible. It was designer furniture gone wrong. There were plenty of tables, but the chairs were the biggest problem. For some reason, there were no chairs at some tables, and only one or two at others. The chairs were attached to the ground and they were so uncomfortable: no back, tiny seat, and they felt rock hard. Right when we left there was a crowd of school children that came in. The restaurant was a madhouse. I am glad we got there early because we would have starved! My mom decided that we should take the audio tour at the Statue of Liberty. I learned so much from the audio, it was interesting listening to all of the comments on each design on the statue. There was a small exhibit inside, along with the old torch from the first design of the monument. We walked up the stairs of the pedestal (up the dress!!!), there were so many steps to the building, it was quite an exercise. The view was pretty nice up there. It really stinks that we couldn't go up to the crown because of what happened on 9/11, they closed it off. We then took the ferry to Ellis Island. The building was turned into a museum and the one next to it was still being renovated. My mom tried to find our great grandparents on the memorial wall that was built outside of the place, yet we found out that they weren't on it because they didn't come through Ellis Island. My mom was like, "The only reason we came to New York was to see their name at Ellis Island!" I was a little upset, too but it really didn't matter to me because I personally didn't know them. The museum was pretty nice. I really thought that the graffiti on the wall was interesting. The people who went through had written on the walls and it was still preserved after all that time. We took the ferry back to battery park. There were a couple of street performers break dancing in the park, so we stopped to watch them for a bit. We just left after they started asking people for money. Gosh, I hate when it is always about the money. We took the subway over to see ground zero. I really thought there would be a better memorial located at the destruction site. There really wasn't much to see there except a metal beam that was in the shape of a cross. We decided to stop at the Empire State Building next. We really didn't tour the building because we already went to the top of the Rockefeller Center, which was enough site seeing. It was pretty expensive there, anyway. It was getting a little late, so we rode back to our hotel building. My friend had recommended a restaurant for us to go to, called Mars 2112, which was right outside of the theater to see Mamma Mia. The restaurant had an outer space theme. There is a simulation ride right before you enter. It wasn't that it was bad, but it was just different to go in a ride before going in a restaurant. My mom wasn't even hungry by the time that the ride ended because she felt like she had to throw up after it. My younger sister kept saying how bad it was that you have to go through the ride. The service was actually pretty bad at the start, because the waiter had forgotten about our table. Other than that, I really enjoyed the restaurant. It had so many decorations on the walls, and there were people walking around dressed as Martians. We managed to get out in time to see Mamma Mia right afterward. I really enjoyed the play. The last time I saw it I really didn't like it at all because I didn't understand the plot at all, but now that I am older I can understand it better. The music was definitely the best part. It was so much better than the movie that had come out a couple of months ago. It was already about ten o'clock by the time it ended, so we walked back to the hotel and went to sleep.
Wednesday: Today was just a calm, peaceful day unlike the last. We decided to go to a different place for breakfast: Au Bon Pain, which was some French bakery that had delicious food. We went to the place for the proceeding three days of the trip. There was a black and white picture on the wall of a little boy named Willy Ronis who looked like he was about five years old and we was running with a baguette in his hand. It was a very cute picture, and my family made fun of it so much while we were eating. We then went back to the Rockefeller Center to go on a tour of NBC studios. We went to a studio of some news room, a talk show room with Jimmy Fallan, and Saturday Night Live. The rooms were so much darker than what they were on television. The tour leader told us that they used a lens that distorts the image so that the room appears bigger than what it really is. The gift shop was amazing; there was a huge section that was dedicated to The Office, my favorite show on television. We took a picture in front of a giant, blowup picture of Michael Scott. We saw one of the famous news anchors come in the building, Kathy Lee, I think her name was. We were so close to getting a picture of her, but she came out blurry on my dad's camera. Disappointed, we left the building and headed over towards Central Park. Before visiting the park, we stopped by the FAO Schwartz on the border of the park. There used to be one in Chicago, but it had closed down. I remember visiting the place, and it was nice to see it again in New York, to relive the memories of the past. I just wish being a child again because I would have enjoyed it more: the aisles of toys and games to play with, the gigantic stuffed animals hanging off the second floor ledge, and the small children running to their parents saying, "I want this! I want this!" I miss those memories. I left feeling refreshed and proud, heading into Central Park. We walked around that area for a bit; it was definitely one of the best parts of the trip. It was so much nicer than any of the parks in Chicago. There were rock formations and all kinds of plants to look at. There were people strolling through with baby carriages to enjoy the scenery. We tried to get a horse ride through the park, but there was a law that only four people could go on one carriage at the same time. I remember all five of us going on the horse ride in the Chicago. I really wanted to go on for a ride, but it was too expensive to rent out two carriages at the same time. We headed over to the subway afterward so that we could go to Chinatown for lunch. Chinatown was very crowded, but it was so oriental and there were tons of Asian markets to go to. It had started to rain by the time we reached the area, so we hurried towards a Chinese restaurant. The food was just so delicious. We walked around the area next and looked in a couple of shops. We stopped at a Buddhist Temple there and looked at the elaborate statues. The candy shops in Chinatown had a weird smell to them. The candy is very exotic to westerners, because it is completely different from what we imagine it being. The candy is mostly like dried out seafood, but there are some other wrapped up pieces of sugar-based candy. My older sister likes to get these chocolate covered sticks called Pocky, whenever she goes to a Chinese market place. I've tried them myself, I love them too. The only problem about Chinatown is that there weren't any public restrooms there. Luckily, there was a really kind lady there who helped us find one that we could stop in to "freshen up". She led us to a public restroom in this park a little outside of the area. The room smelled pretty bad, like a sewer. It really wasn't the nicest of places. The moment I walked in the door, I was struck with horror. There was a naked man changing in there. My eyes were bleeding from the sight (well not really, but it was pretty bad to see). I just left and didn't say a word. My dad saw it next and he just said, "How about we find a different restroom?" in a joking way. Luckily there was a Dunkin Donuts right across the street. Unfortunately, there wasn't a public restroom in there either, but some man told us about one that was next door in a place called "Mama's". So we finally went to use the restroom; it was clean, sanitary, and free of naked men changing in there *ughhh!*. It started to rain a little more, so we just headed straight for the subway back to the hotel room. The whole afternoon we just spent in our hotel room watching television. We watched more of the Cash Cab show on Discovery. I was surprised that a lot of my family knew the answers to the questions. I really wished that we had "accidentally" stepped into one. After seeing our bill from yesterday, we just decided to order some of New York's amazing pizza. We ordered from Ray's Pizza a few blocks down the street, and we just ordered one of those in-hotel movies to watch while we ate. My parents let us watch Zack and Miri Make A Porno. I was a little surprised that they didn't stop us from watching, because there were a ton of nudity scenes in the movie. I still thought that it was a pretty good film and it was definitely hilarious. We later went to bed that night.
Thursday: This day was mainly a museum day. We stopped at three museums: the Sony Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Natural History Museum. The morning we spent at our favorite breakfast restaurant, Au Bon Pain, and we started walking over towards the Sony Museum. My dad noticed the Trump building on the way there, and we just had to stop it. I really didn't see what was so great about it, but it seemed like he found the place interesting. Everything was just too fancy there and the restaurant in that building was so, so expensive. We just left and went straight for the museum after than. I didn't expect it to be much of anything there, but the place ended up being pretty interesting. We started in this room where they gave us a card and we had to login with a certain profile, and it would save it on the cards for the next stations. Basically the museum was all about technology, how important it is in our lives, and how often we use it without thinking. We stopped at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) next to the place. Me and my younger sister got in for free there, because we were under 16; but my parents and my older sister had to pay. The art museum was interesting. We looked at the paintings and sculptures on the top two floors so that we could have time for the last museum. It was a lot more crowded than what I expected it to be like. There were a couple school groups going through the halls there talking about some pictures. One group was a bunch of smaller children sitting on the floor and they were talking about this one painting on the wall. There were a couple sculptures outside the building that were nice too. We didn't really see all of them, because we didn't want to spend too much time there. My family took the subway down to the Natural History Museum next. This place was a gigantic building with four floors and plenty of opportunities to learn something. There was a man in the subway who was pretty nice, I think he actually worked there part time and he was heading to the same place as us so he helped us out trying to find the place. I saw the rooms with the dinosaurs and the animals that followed them. There was an area with native americans, a bird room, a monkey room, and an african wildlife room that we went through. Our feet were completely exhausted after all that walking (and we were exhausted of hearing my younger sister complain about how her feet hurt), so we just went back to the hotel. At around dinnertime we headed over to an Italian restaurant for dinner, and later we went to see Billy Elliot on Broadway. It was about this boy who wanted to dance, and so he tried to get into a school for ballet. He really was a talented dancer, and he was only about 13 years old. Unfortunately, we had to sit in the second to last row because seats were just so expensive. Anyway, the play was still very enjoyable. I personally liked it better than Mamma Mia. It ended about thirty minutes before midnight, so we just went straight back to the hotel after that to go to sleep.
Friday: I had started packing early in the morning; I put all my stuff in my suitcase. We stopped into Au Bon Pain for breakfast and after that we just grabbed our belongings and headed for La Guardia airport, gosh I love that name it just rolls off your tongue… so it turned out that the plane got delayed an hour because of the weather. I tried calling Connor in the meantime but his cell phone was off. I learned later that he had tried calling me at like the exact same time and he was on a pier with his sister, he pulled out his phone, but it was off, which only meant one thing: out of charge. So that was kind of a bummer for the both of us. Also because of that, I was pretty bored in that hour waiting for the plane. I just played tetris on my cell phone. I just wandered around the shops there, read a couple magazines, and had a few different snacks. I had Auntie Anne's for lunch. I've never eaten there before and I wanted to try their food so badly because the cinnamon smell really dragged me in. So The plane finally came and we boarded for Chicago.
(March 29th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, It is now only minutes before I am leaving for New York on vacation. The weather outside is pretty snowy, and it is obvious that the flight is going to get delayed. It may be a couple of more hours of waiting in the airport until I can go.
(March 14th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I've been kind of bored, so I decided to walk my dogs while Connor was at the mall. I would have had nothing else to do at home. So, I walked Indy first around the lake by my house. For some reason, the air smelled like something was burning, and it was pretty smoky or foggy. I didn't know the difference. Anyway, while I was heading back home, I saw some maintenance man in a yellow suit walking through the dead prairie plants. He looked like he didn't belong; he was holding some kind of small tank in his hand, the end of it was on fire. I couldn't tell exactly what he was doing, but it looked as though he was burning the ground, but only small areas of it. I decided to sit down at one of the park benches and just watch him burn parts of the ground. A ton of smoke rose into the air, it really started to smell horrible. People walking their dogs, riding bikes, or jogging on the sidewalk just turned the other direction. It really was unbearable after that point. I came back to walk around the lake one more time with Chewy. This time I went straight for the hill. The ground was pretty wet. It had rained earlier that week, and my shoes became really muddy. So it took a while to get up that hill, but what a view it was! Chewy paused for a second. He was looking at a dog on the bottom of the hill. Abruptly, he ran down the hill. Because I was running so fast with him, because of the wet ground, because of the fact that it was going down hill, and because of the number of weeds to trip on, I slipped and fell right on the muddy hill. It was pretty embarrassing. I was walking home and I had to change and clean up all the mud. Well, maybe I'll try again in the summertime…
(March 11th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, It has been kind of lonely today without Connor being there. We talk on Skype every day and it was just different to log on and see he was offline. He's just such a great friend; the only one I have who is a perfect match for me. A lot of my friends in real life have problems, and they are self-centered. They don't want to go out at all to do anything, they don't want to go to cooking club, they just argue about everything with me, but not Connor. Speaking of cooking club, I went to the meeting today. It was just me and three other girls (none of my friends wanted to go). We made all kinds of pasta, and like always, I was the last one to leave. I hung out with some Hindu boy who decided to show up at the last 30 minutes of the class. He comes like every week to cooking club, yet he is just such a mystery. He is really intelligent; a grade higher than me. Anyway, the boy knows me and my older sister do not get along well in school. He tries to make us become better siblings. Like, at every club meeting he would come and ask "Hows your sister?" or something like, "Have you talked to her recently?" One time in class he wrote a kind letter to my sister, signed my name at the bottom, and made me send it to her. Other times he nudges me to bring some of the chocolates we were making home for her. I do it anyway, even though I don't like both of them. Don't ask why. This time after class, I came home. My sister was having a hard time with her photography project she had for photography class. She was in the kitchen taking pictures of some food. I came in and said that the room smelled bad. The next thing I knew, she punches me in the back and I skin my stomach on the wall. The pain is awful. Of course, she thought I was referring to "her" who smelled bad. Well, that is partially true. She does literally smell like garbage, but this time I actually was referring to the room that smelled. So now I have a huge scratch on me. I hope it goes away soon. It really hurts me, inside, too. I guess that Hindu kid was right, I really do need to fix my fighting with my sisters.
(March 10th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I've been getting a little better with my cold. I still have a runny nose and all, but most of the major symptoms are gone. Today I have a late arrival to school, and that means I have more time to spend at home talking to you! Saint Patrick's Day is coming up soon. I was just reminded that while I was watching the Weather channel this morning. Apparently, where I live, there are some people who pour some green dye into the river and so the river is all festive for the holiday. I saw a photo of it on the television. It looks like some kind of toxic waste pollution. Obviously it isn't bad for the fish in the river because they would have stopped the tradition of doing that every year. Speaking of weather, its been getting a lot warmer here. The temperature is finally above freezing. I can't wait for the signs of Spring to start popping up!
(March 7th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I don't feel so well today. I have been feeling pretty sick lately. My friend at school was sick the week before, and I hung out with him a lot during the school day. I told him during lunch that there was a 100% chance that I would catch his cold. He didn't believe me. A few days after I had said that, I was the one sneezing my brains out at school. I did my usual, "I hate to say I told you so" to him (My friend is wrong about a lot of things). He was watching me in pain, coughing and sneezing like mad. I even started to cramp up because of how much I did it. Did I mention that I also had killer throat pain? My throat hurts more than any other part of my body. I have to drink a glass of water at least every hour or its unbearably painful. I came to school on Friday totally worn out. I was tired since I had waken up at 5 AM to talk to Connor. I felt like my head was in the clouds; I was so dizzy and it was hard to concentrate. I was moaning to my first period teacher. She had told me to go see the nurse but I refused because I had a lot of tests that day that I didn't want to miss. Things just went on a downfall after that. I felt even worse by lunchtime. It's awful. I had to go against my fear of taking pills just because it felt so bad.
(March 5th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I woke up very early today. I wanted to talk to Connor on Skype, and he was one hour ahead of me, so I had to wake up one hour earlier than he did. So anyway, waking up at 5 am was actually kind of refreshing. I actually felt less tired than I would if I woke up at six in the morning. It was nice too, because I had a ton of time to do whatever I wanted to do in the morning. I didn't have to rush through anything. I felt very very awake. I do not remember the last time that I felt like that in the morning! It was so nice! I came to school and saw all the tired kids and I felt like I was on the top of the world. I wanted to scream because of how awake I was.. In the car on the way to school, I told my mom how hungry I was, for I had eaten breakfast 2 hours ago. She gave me money to get another breakfast at school. It felt a lot like lunch for me. I got a very tasty breakfast sandwich – my favorite. I remember when I used to get up at five every day and watch television until I had to leave for school. I was in like, fourth grade, and I set my alarm for a really early. I enjoyed it a lot. I don't know why I stopped doing it. The house is always so quiet and calm. My siblings are fast asleep, and so I can relax as I wake up.
(February 27th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I feel like talking about the different clubs that are offered at my school. I know how everyone says that students should get involved in clubs. It is a win-win any way you look at it. You not only meet new friends, learn new things, find more about yourself, you also improve your chances in getting into a good college because it shows that you are involved. Well, for me, I am committed to Cooking Club at my school. I basically try to show up at every meeting I can. Cooking is just something that I take interest in. Have I met new friends? Well, I have met a lot of nice people at my school. I met this Indian girl last week. She was sitting alone at one of the tables and looked kind of lonely so I just sat by her. I mean, what do I have to lose? So we talked a lot in the club. I found out she watches the Food Network channel just like me and we both love watching Rachel Ray. We worked on making some recipe and we just talked. I told her what my classes were for the year. She seemed pretty interested; it was probably the first time in months that I have actually had someone in real life who wanted to hear my story. A very nice feeling. So after that session, I began to see the girl in school. I waved to her when I passed her in the hallway. New friends?✔ Do I learn more things? Well, of course I do. there are so many recipes that we work on in Cooking Club. I get to create new dishes every time I come there.✔ Do I find more about myself? Well, I find out what I like to eat and what I like to cook. Those are a couple of things.✔ There have been other Clubs that I have tried, yet I really did not feel comfortable going to them after stopping in once. I tried Art Club for one day: all girls, too many people in the room, and utter chaos. There are so many other clubs at school that have to do with charity work. I really don't feel like showing up to those kinds of clubs. I know they make you feel good about yourself, I just don't feel like I have the time in my schedule to go. Also, my locker door was cleaned. I don't know who did it, but I just came in this morning and saw the writing missing
(February 26th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I've been feeling kind of down. There are a lot of things that are affecting my mood. At school, I feel like people just don't like me. I came to school on Tuesday and got my things from my locker for the day. After the first couple of periods, I came back to get some book that I had forgotten. I noticed that something was different about my locker: something had written on it in marker. I felt all of them blood rush to my head. I started to shake all over and I had a cold feeling down my spine. Someone had written "You got aids" on my locker door. How embarrassing. I didn't know what to do, I just escaped from the dreaded locker door and hoped that the obscene writing would go away the next time I came back to see it. Things go worse. I came back after lunch and someone had written on the door of the locker right next to mine. They had written in a disturbing pink marker, "I want to screw you so HARD." I felt even more fear. I was shaking even more. Nobody had the locker that was written on. It was completely empty of all books and it was basically just abandoned. I was afraid that the sexual comment was referring to me. I started to bite my nails. I just walked away. The scene was too hard to stand by. It hurt so badly. I felt the anger in the student who had written it. It was strong, and it was tearing me apart from inside.
(February 22nd, 2009) Dear Stowaway, this weekend seems pretty relaxing. I stayed at home for the most part. Today me and my sister walked over to the grocery alone to get some ingredients for the baked macaroni and cheese we were going to make at home. I had never made it before, so I found a recipe to try out. The walk was pretty long, but we made it to the store. I was safe from the several inches of snow on the ground, for it would have gotten in my shoe if I had walked any further. Anyway, the macaroni turned out excellent. It took an hour to prepare and to bake; I was so excited to just dig into it. I thought the taste was pretty good, but it wasn't the cheese flavor that I had expected; it was more onion-y, and I could really taste the bread crumbs that I had baked on top of it: not the flavor I was expecting at all. For dinner my mom is making a pizza from scratch. It should be better than that macaroni. I know it will be. I had gone to Costco earlier and I could smell the fresh scent of bread out of the oven. That is really preparing me for what is to come tonight.
(February 18th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, Things have changed in the past couple of weeks, I am already thinking about what it will be like next year because both of my sisters will be in the same school as me. My younger sister came today for a tour and all of my friends have been talking about how they recognized people they remember from middle school. It was a quite sad story for me because I didn't know a single person and I only saw a single group of people from the school. There are a couple of other things going on in school. During Valentines Day week, there was some kind of drive going on for a charity and they were giving out carnations to people. It worked like this: a person would give them money and tell the person who to give the flower to, and they would come in abruptly during class and deliver it. There were a couple of people who received at least 20 flowers from different people. It made me feel kind of bad because nobody would really care to send me one. It would be kind of nice to know that someone out there actually cared about me and would take the time to do that. It made me question the strength in my friendships at school. I guess they aren't very strong. I don't really know what else to do. I see the same people every day and we all care and trust each other. I also have a feeling like I should have sent one to my friends. That made me question how caring and loving a person I am. Life is just too confusing. In English, there was finally something that sparked some insight in me. In class, the teacher talked about the importance of a diary in filling a person's soul. One of the main characters in the book we were reading kept a diary, and so I wrote about how a diary is a place to express my own feelings about learn more about myself. I really do feel like I learned more about myself from writing. I learned about my potential and what I am capable of, I learned about my likes and dislikes, and like the main character, I really do feel like this diary fills my soul. Before I used to talk about what is out there and I was a little afraid to express my feelings, but now it is completely changed and I do feel comfortable talking with you about anything that comes to mind. It is a pretty nice feeling.
(January 26th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, I made a huge mistake over the weekend. Probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life that cost me my two best friends– who are both girls. One of the girls, who I talk with on AIM, asked me a question that I had to answer honestly to. Apparently, I chose the wrong answer and now the girl is mad at me. I feel really depressed about it. I was shaking all day yesterday and I couldn't get to sleep until really late last night because it was the only thing on my mind. You probably don't know what I am feeling right now. I hate it that for some people it is really easy to set off their bomb: the one that makes the person totally hate you after you set it off. I wish everyone didn't have that bomb. There are some people who take an insult and it doesn't affect the person at all. I wish those two girls were those kind of people. In fact, I wish everyone was that kind of person. It would make everyone so much easier. The good thing is that I don't have to see her and the other at school anymore because my schedule changed. So I am safe– for now. I hope I don't have to run into them again; ever.
(January 25th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, the first semester of school is finally over! I was so surprised because the finals that I had to do were so easy! I didn't study as long as I had expected. It was actually a pretty relaxing week of school. I thought it would be the most stressful week ever but I actually had a ton of fun going to my friends houses and playing games there (I got out of school early every day). Probably the hardest final I had was for Eastern Religions. I thought it would be so hard to do, so I didn't start it until the last few days of winter break. I know, I am a pretty huge procrastinator. I had to write a dialogue between three of the founders for the religions of the east: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism. It was pretty fun making the lines for them, but I really hated that it had to be in such a strict format. I am guessing that I missed a ton of points just because I didn't add a title to it. I was so engrossed in what I was working on that I had forgotten to put one in and it wasn't until the day to turn it in that I realized that I needed one. Other then that, I believe I did pretty well in every subject. I am a little worried about the English final because there were quotes from the books that we read during the year that I had to remember: who said them, who it was said to, and what it signifies.I mean, how are you supposed to remember that kind of thing? The only way I know is to reread the entire book a second time, which I knew I was not going to do. I really hope I do get a good grade. I have straight A's in every class in school and I don't want that to be ruined.
(January 12th, 2009) Dear Stowaway, it is finally 2009. A ton of things are happening. First of all, I want to mention how great the new years eve party was this year. But before I went to the party, I ate at a Chinese restaurant, and now I think I have bad luck. I got a fortune cookie that had a message that was half cut off. I am not exactly sure what that means, but it had to do something with my luck changing. Anyway, I went to my friend's house and stayed up until midnight and watched the ball drop in times square. I just love going over to my friend's house. His family really knows how to party, unlike mine. My family sucks the fun out of parties like a vacuum cleaner. I actually have a want to stay up until midnight. So when I was there, I watched some really funny new years special on television. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen; I really enjoyed it. I played rock band; I actually played on normal for the first time. I know a lot of the rock band players would be like, come on, I am expert on that game! But that is such an achievement for me because I am not as hand-eye coordinated as most people are. So afterward, they played a version of beer pong, but with soda instead of beer, of course, because no alcohol. It was so funny to watch. And of course at midnight everyone was screaming and there were poppers going off in the house. Confetti covered the floor like a blanket and it took at least a minute to get it all off my socks before I left that evening. I have to admit, I had 100 times as much fun there as I would at a party at my own house.
(December 23rd, 2008 )Dear Stowaway, yesterday night, I just got this really cool program for my laptop called naturally speaking. I think it is one of the greatest inventions I have ever heard of, because it turns my speech into text on the computer and I've trained it to be fairly accurate, and I love it now. I had my sister try it, and the results were pretty bad. She didn't do as well as I did. I think it is because she wasn't that serious about it as I was. And so she didn't really use her normal voice. She just uses some articulate, loud voice, which doesn't really work with this program. anyway, I haven't really talked about club Penguin that much am not really sure. What is going on in the game anymore… it is like, I'm not even part of it anymore. With the releasing of the new codes for the clothing items, it is like membership doesn't even matter anymore. I feel now that I should be going for the codes not the membership, because it lasts longer. But why would I buy them? I am 15 years old, and what would I do with one of those things? I would probably just leave it on my shelf to get all dusty or just throw it out maybe. Let's say, a week later. I do get jealous lot of the other people, who would have gotten the "special items". It is like, how could I go on with it being there? How can I avoid it? It is all around me. It is on all of my friends, all of the people who I see when waddling around. Rockhopper just left early this morning, I hope you have a good time sailing on the ship. I can't wait to see you again. Bye
(December 20, 2008 )Dear Stowaway, I am not sure whether I am happy it is Winter Break or not. About half of my friends are traveling during this break and so I am left at home doing nothing. I hope I can find something to do with my time. There funniest thing happened: I got a snow day and so it started a day earlier than planned. I remember I was sitting in the car while my mom was driving me to school. I had said, "Mom, there is going to be a snow day today" but she nor my sister listened and they just laughed at me for saying that. When I got to school, my best friend even thought I was crazy for saying that. Yet now that it has happened, I have said, "I hate to say I told you so" to everyone who didn't believe me. It feels good to feel right. The force of power just surges through you and you feel taller than everyone else. Anyway, I was planning on updating my website over winter break. I have already added a new theme, yet I am not sure whether I should keep it or not. The theme makes it look just like a newspaper would look, which I like. Yet the problem is, the widgets are located at the bottom of the page and not that many people can see them when they go on. I'll try to figure it out eventually.
(December 13, 2008 )Dear Stowaway, I got contacts a week ago. Well, I only had to get one for my left eye because it is worse than my right. It was my decision to get it, and I am now proud I have a contact. When I look to the left I have finally read a sign that is far away. Everyone has been telling me before that it would help when I start Drivers Ed. in June, so I decided to get it earlier so that I would get used to it before that date comes. The first few days I had it were pretty upsetting. My eye was stinging all day. My mom (who also wears contacts) said that I was not cleaning the lens that well, yet I had cleaned it so much and used up a ton of the cleaning solution. The good part is, after those few days ended I felt fine. The worst thing that has happened so far was it falling out in school. My religions teacher was giving a lecture and it peeled off my eye for some reason. I think it was because it dried out; I don't know. So after that day I went back and got a different brand of contacts and now I am fine.
(November 30, 2008 )Dear Stowaway, Thanksgiving is finally over. I am glad that holiday is out-of-the-way. It was actually pretty good this year for me. I actually enjoyed the turkey unlike from any other year in the past. I tried many new foods like stuffing and cranberries, yet the turkey was the best part. It was so flavorful and have an excellent texture to it. The reason it was so great was because my mother did not do the cooking (I don't like the way my mom cooks). Anyway, I just became a ninja on Club Penguin. It took so long to get to that point. Most of my other friends were already a ninja like a few days after it came out; which was crazy in my opinion. I think it is great. The ninja costume is amazing, yet I am surprised Club Penguin did not bring the sword from Penguin Chat 3 back. It was a bit of a shame that the costume was not compete. Anyway, it is a miracle to see even part of it come back.
(November 16, 2008 )Dear Stowaway, ninjas come out in the next three hours. I can not wait! It is going to change Club Penguin history forever. We have been waiting for this for such a long time, and finally the day has come. Okay, I want to go off topic now. There is a message that I keep hearing that really bothers the heck out of me. Do you know what that message is? Well, it's a question, and that question is "Are you jealous?" There is absolutely no possible way to say no to that question. Even if you do say it, the other person who asked is going to be like, "oh! I know your jealous! Stop lieing!" It annoys me like crazy. Everything you try to say ends up equaling "yes". I do not know how to deal with that situation. I've tried everything to combat it and nothing works.
(October 28, 2008 )Dear Stowaway, my day has had its ups and downs. I think that worst thing of the day happened this morning. Well, the night before, I had asked someone to be my friend on Facebook, and I got this really mean message back from the person that said something like they were not going to add me because the person thought I was gay. I know you are probably strongly opposed to people who call you that, and so just like you would have done, I became really fed up and angry at the person. That totally ruined my morning. Okay, so I woke up and I had to take the bus to school. That was like my first time taking the bus since August, so I still hate it and all. The only reason I did it was because of the weather. I heard that it was going to snow after school on the weather channel and that it was going to be very cold, and both of those statements are true. When I got to school by bus, there was only like 10 minutes to get to my class which was on the opposite side of the building and all, and that is what I hate: getting late to class. At lunchtime, I sat with my two friends in the library and we worked on homework. So the worst thing happened: the guy who told me I was gay came into the library and sat at the table across from me. Well, before school I had told both of them about what had happened, so one of the girls walked over and started to make this big scene in the library and it was really embarrassing and all. Actually, afterward I was glad that they had done it. I have never had a friend that would stick up for me like that, so I was proud of myself in a way. After school, it was so freezing outside. The coldest ever: even a winter coat didn't do the job. Well, I passed the time with my best friend. I tried to convince him that it was snowing out but he wouldn't listen to me. Whatever, his loss. Okay so the bus was an awful ride home. It came by the time I would have been home if I had biked so I was really upset. I think one of the worst parts about the bus is that it goes through the old neighborhood in which I used to live. I am so upset every time I went through it last year. The bus would drive right in front of my old house and I felt like crying because I had missed it so much. I remember when my parents had sold the house: the gave it to total jerks. I remember because my mom talked to me about how we forgot something on the lawn when we moved and they people yelled at us when we had tried to go and get it. Anyway, when I got home, I always hate the greetings I get from my siblings. My younger sister is such a pain. This time when I walked in the door she was like a foot away from the tv staring at it while standing up. I went upstairs to do my homework and I came back down and she was in the same stupid position standing up in front of the tv. I hate what she has been watching. In fact, I hate everything she watches on tv. Especially this stupid show called John and Kate Plus 8. I seriously think the only reason she watches it is because of the intellectual title they gave it. It is about these parents who raise 8 bratty children who are around four years old or something and they have high-pitched voices that make me want to leave the room when I hear them talk. What I really hate is her facial expression when she watches. She looks like she is about to kill someone. I feel so uncomfortable whenever I am around her. I told her this afternoon that she is going to damage her eyes if she stands so close to the tv. Well, like always, she does not care or care to listen to anything I say. But when I turn around to make a sandwich, she sat down on the end of the table. It was obvious that she was hiding that she cared.
(October 26th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, Hi stow. The morning for me has been quite hectic. I became really mad because I let my grandparents down and I feel so bad about it. It's just, chance brought me to what I am about to face. Well, it all started on my birthday, and my grandparents gave me this check with like a lot of money on it. I am not exactly sure what happened to it, but I never ended up cashing it in at the bank. So four months later they are like yelling at me (they come to Chicago for my sister's birthday) because I had not put in the check and they started to wonder like, what I did with it and stuff. So I never found it and so right before they left to go back to Florida, they game me a new check and I told them I would not let anything happen this time and I really promised I wouldn't lose it. So, you are probably guessing what happened next. Well, I forgot to take it out of my pants pocket, and so it got in the wash and it is barely legible now. I don't even think the bank can accept it. So I feel horrible right now. I let down my grandparents with my trust and now I don't even think they are going to write me another check. Gosh, you do not know what it is like. I just feel horrible… so horrible. It's like, I am such a nasty person or something. I don't know how long I will have to put up with this guilt. Well, anyway, Club Penguin is another thing I am upset about. I know you barely play it now, but I just feel like they took a turn for the worst. Well, everything I said in that post is coming true. The problem is pretty massive, and I don't know what to do next. I feel like I am trapped in a corner and there is no way to escape and all. I keep questioning to myself, "Why? Why did they do this?" It's not that I am bored of Club Penguin, it's just that it is like they betrayed me or something. Membership is like, nothing now. I have had this same talk with a few other people who have played Club Penguin and they are upset also. I know you have moved on and all, I just feel like getting my emotions out and stuff.
(October 25th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, Well, I have no homework so I am pretty bored anyway. I am in a tight situation right now in which I can not do anything or go anywhere and it's just one of this things that come by bad luck. Ok, so this morning I woke up SO early in the morning. Well, not that early, but you get the point. So I got up early and I had to go to a bat mitzvah. It wasn't that great, but I think the person who had it was a really funny girl and she made the whole service thing go by faster. Well, I am not usually a patient person so the bat mitzvah was torture to me. I went to five bar/ bat mitzvahs in the past including my own and I am sick of them and I can not wait until they are over. Well, there is one more I have to go to: my younger cousins, god knows when that is… how do you pass the time at some place boring? I usually try to fall asleep while I am awake, but that is hard to do. This time I tried focusing on this stained glass thing on the wall and I kept looking at that the whole time. It was interesting. There were so many intricate patterns and what not. I liked it. I wish there was some distraction at every bar/ bat mitzvah I go to. That would make it go by a lot quicker. Well after that, I got carsick on the way home because my sister needs to practice driving and obviously she doesn't care and she stinks at it so badly. I bet I would do better at driving than her. She keeps stopping abruptly at the stop lights and it makes me want to hurl. I get carsick really easily when I am in the car. You probably don't. I don't know if I will ever grow out of car sickness. It is such a pain! I mean, I can't watch a movie in the car on road trips or read a book. I don't get sick when I go on a cruise. I have no idea why it is just cars. Well, I gotta go. I continue my talks later.
(October 24th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, I think my fingers just feel like typing a message. I am not that great at typing a message without looking. I mean, it is so hard to reach for the letters like the Q or the Z or any other one that isn't really used that often. I took a keyboarding class in the past. I am not sure whether it helped or not, but it helped in a way. I took the class at this summer school program at a college and there were a ton of different classes you could choose and I remember taking a ton of classes on cooking and some on Photoshop which i totally forgot because my parents never bought the program for me to use at home, and i took this debate one where you have to argue but what i didn't realize was that you had to have factual evidence to back yourself up. I even took a sewing class. A sewing class! I mean, it actually kind of helped in a way and i still remember it. It also helps me get along with the ladies if you know what I mean. There's a sewing class at the high school I go to. I never decided to take another sewing class. The teacher of the class is actually also the cooking teacher and cooking club teacher. I went to cooking club last week with one of my girl friends and it was a lot of fun. you are supposed to bring like a dollar every time you go but we always sneak in and stuff. Well, not all the time because you know they would catch us. Honestly, I just keep forgetting to bring money. I owe them like 5 dollars. I think ill pay like next week if i remember. Ok so there are other awesome electives at my school. I mean, I loved taking computer aided drafting. it is like one of my favorite things to do ever. I m not doing it this year, but it was fun to do in the past. I think ill continue on to architecture when I'm a junior in high school. Anyway, its fun and i think you would like it too but I don't know if they would offer it at the high school you are going to go to. anyway it is for people who like drawing and math. Well, I know you don't like math but its fun math and all. its like problem solving.
(October 2nd, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, its been four months since I have last spoken to you. Things have haves drastically in that long time frame. I talk about before that my parents aren't doing to great together, well, they have gotten a little better which is good for me because I don't have to hear fighting all the time. I was at my friend's house the past week. He had spent a sleepover because he had just moved to a new house. Later in the afternoon, I went to check it out. I was impressed; it was so much closer than the other one and I could bike there any time. So I went over to help unpack and settle in and stuff. It wasn't until I left that I realized my friends mom and dad were divorcing; that was why he had moved. It was upsetting to think about, considering my parents had just been speaking of a divorce. So this was what it was like. This is what the world of marriages and relationships come to: divorce. Speaking of relationships, I have gotten more social this past year. I have made two great new friends. Did I mention that they are both girls…? So yeah, it has been a lot of fun for the past couple of weeks in school. They have both sat with me at lunch and actually cared about me unlike a lot of the other girls that go to my school. Uh oh, sorry, I'll have to talk to you later! Bye Bye
(July 5th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, the fourth of July had its ups and downs. It usually is not a holiday I look forward to. My family has a tradition that we go downtown and shop and visit all of the new stores that opened. This years visit was one that scared me the most. When I just sat down to eat my food, my parents were arguing. My dad had just got an STD from my mom, and he could tell she had cheated on him. This has happened before, but now it was so serious that I actually thought my dad was going to move out. I remember him telling my mom that if this guy does not show up in the next thirty minutes, they were through. The worst part was that July 4th was their anniversary, and they had been married for 21 years. Divorcing on that day was the worst thing I could imagine. The guy never came. I remember the ride home from the city, after eating lunch we went straight home; did not even look in a single shop. I remember hearing my father calling the guy my mom was dating when driving home in the car. I was crying. It was the first time I had cried in months; it was the real thing. I was sitting the back seat and my dad was yelling and swearing at the guy. It worked; the guy backed off and they did not divorce although they did not love each other anymore. What an awful way to start the fourth of July. Later that day, my family went to see the fireworks. It was a sight to see for my sisters and I, but my parents kept a straight face the whole time.
(June 12th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, wow! It's been a long time. School is out for me. I am not in summer school at the moment. My birthday was exactly a week ago. Sorry I forgot to tell you about it! I wrote a short story about Club Penguin. Here it is:
Club Penguin is an arctic paradise where penguins from all around the world come to meet and talk. There are plenty of games to play and many fun activities to do. Of course, it took awhile for all of that to happen. Everything did not pop up in one day. You wouldn't see all of the penguins show up at the same time. How did Club Penguin come to be the giant world it is today? When did the first penguin ever start waddling on the shore? Well, that is the story I shall tell now.
The wind picked up on the shores of Argentina as two penguins waddled towards shelter in the forest. They were limping and tugging, trying to find the safest spot to rest. The water level was rising, which had brought them into grave danger. What was going on around them? This would be an event that would alter penguin history forever. "Look out!" cried Penny. A leaf the size of a surfboard came rushing towards them. It missed and flew into the distance. Penny grabbed the penguin's flipper and they both jumped into a brush between some palm trees and were left unconscious.
The next morning, the two penguins heard the chirping of birds in the distance. They smelled the tropical mist and the aroma of the bush. "What a rough night," said Penny. She stood up and wiped her forehead with her flipper. Penny looked around; there were branches growing in every direction and birds flying above them. Penny grasped some coconuts she had found next to her. Penny took a sharp rock and started to break the skin off. While doing this, the other penguin began to open his eyes. "Where am I?" he said despairingly. "I'm not sure. Yesterday, there were very strong winds and… I saved your life. That palm could have severely injured you!" The penguin was not paying attention. He was focused on the coconuts in her flipper. "So, what's your name?" Penny asked. "Clam," he said. "I'm Penny," said Penny. She sliced another coconut and tossed it to Clam. He opened his overwhelmingly hungry mouth and slurped out the liquid. Penny waddled around the brush and started to kick up some sand. Then she remembered; Penny peered out through an opening in the foliage. "Oh my," she said. "What's wrong?" said Clam. "The water level is so much higher now; we need to get out of here!"
Clam started to panic; he was furiously looking around as if the answer was somewhere in the brush. "Let's make a boat and get out of here," he finally said, "there's no other choice but to leave." "Where shall we go?" asked Penny. Clam started to play with a seashell he had found in front of him. "Well," he finally said, "when I was little, my parents told me of this legend of some mysterious island. They said it was the perfect place, and the weather made each day beautiful," Clam looked up at Penny, "I used to try to peer out into the horizon to try to hit upon it. My parents had given me this telescope they discovered. Some strange species called "humans" had misplaced it. I wish I had gotten to say goodbye to them after all of the penguins were exported to the zoo." He then started to cry. "It's okay, Clam," Penny assured, "at least we're safe." Clam continued to toss around the same seashell. "Yeah, but not for long," he said after wiping his tears. Clam sat down on his back. He looked so helpless; it was like he was giving up on his dreams. Penny felt she had to speak up. "We are going to build that boat," she demanded, "I have to trust you that there is an island out there, because you are right. There is no other choice but to leave."
"Okay, Clam. Attach that piece of wood on to the base," commanded Penny. Clam unenthusiastically picked up a block from what was left of the shore. He pounded it in until it was unaffected by the pushing of his flipper. "Are we done yet?" asked Clam. Penny inspected the mediocre ship they had built. "We probably need some leaves for padding," she responded. Penny walked towards the brush. On her way, she spotted a small red puffball. "Hmm… that's funny," she said, "I've never seen that there before. Oh well…" Penny went on and picked up some lifeless palm leaves and situated them neatly on the foundation of the ship. "Perfect!" she bellowed. Penny grabbed handfuls of coconuts for food supply and dumped them into the ship. Clam followed her and hopped into the seat. "What should we call our ship, Penny?" asked Clam. Penny thought long and hard before answering. "Well… how about The Migrator?" she exclaimed. "That's brilliant! Purely brilliant! I could have never thought of that excellent name," replied Clam. He and Penny started up The Migrator. They pulled out the anchor they had made of a rock and set sail. Minutes later, the almost fully flooded Argentina was behind them. "I'm going to miss that place," wept Penny. She was staring at the brush where she had met Clam.
Weeks had passed since Penny and Clam had touched land. It started to become shadowy and chilly. The two penguins had kept track of the days on a plank of wood. By now, there were too many scratch marks to count. Penny was lying on a patch of leaves moaning away. "Do you see anything yet?" she mumbled to Clam. Clam was busily steering the ship. He gazed across the horizon and responded, "Nothing yet, except for a giant cloud of white." Penny got up from her stash of leaves. She walked across the deck and leaned over the railing. "That's not a cloud, Clam," she yelled, "that's our island!" Clam looked through his telescope. "Good golly, you're right!" he yelled. Clam got out of his seat and started dancing. "We made it!" he screamed, "We made it!" Penny leaped up and started dancing too. They both started jumping, hollering, and chanting as the sun started to set. When the sun finally went down, Clam and Penny were lying on the leaves watching the sky. "We should teach that dance to our followers," said Clam, "Let's call it the Clam-Penny dance!" They both laughed. Penny thought for a while. "Or…" she responded, "The Club Penguin dance!" "That's brilliant! Purely brilliant! I could have never thought of that excellent name," replied Clam.
The Club Penguin dance is only trace left of Clam and Penny. All around the island, penguins dance this special dance, not knowing its origins. The dance represents the freedom and celebration of not just the two penguins, but of the millions of generations that developed later on. Clam and Penny went on to become the elders of the world that they called, "Club Penguin." They had many sons and daughters, whom included Billybob, Happy, Rsnail, Screenhog. Their oldest son, Rockhopper, still goes back to visit Argentina, where Clam and Penny had met. He inherited The Migrator, and named the spot where they had met, "Rockhopper Island." All of their children, except Rockhopper, went on to become the kings and queens of the island and referred to themselves as "moderators." Unfortunately for Clam and Penny, they were withdrawn from Club Penguin's history because of an episode with their kids. After they had forced their moderator children to do chores, they were banished forever and were never heard from again. That is, until now.
(April 13th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, Club Penguin finished their test a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was really fun, and I really miss my replica in the game. They should have let it stay forever so that if a person has a member, they would get to control two igloos, two penguins, and so on. On the real Club Penguin, it looks like Rockhopper's ship is all finished. Are you still with Rockhopper? Well, please tell him the ship is ready. G is setting off so many flares just for you and Rockhopper to come, it can get annoying after awhile. I wonder if he will open the door to his quarters already. Penguins want to see it so badly. Have a safe trip back to Club Penguin. You wouldn't want to hit another iceberg…
(March 24th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, it is in the middle of Spring break for me. I have been waiting for the week to go by during school and finally it is here. Rockhopper's ship is getting repaired, so I wonder what will happen to you once it is all complete. Did you see the test Club Penguin? It is an exact replica of the game, and I guess its main purpose is just to find bugs. It is actually going to be deleted very soon. In more than a week it should be gone and then I guess the Club Penguin main web page is going to get renovated because that is the next step. I don't like that Club Penguin is doing this because the page was a classic and I don't like it being switched around. What do you think it is going to look like?
(March 6th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, it has been awhile since I've last wrote to you. Homework is loading up as weeks go by. In English, I did my demonstration speech on origami. Originally it was on "how to make power from potatoes" Have you heard of that experiment before? Well, when I did it, the results were awful. Nothing happened as a result and so my partner and I had to redo the entire project after we completed all the posters, memorized all the lines and bought all the visual aids. Well, it turned out that it was way worth it. Doing origami in front of the class was so much easier. We learned it in half the time it took to do the potato one. Speeches just keep coming for me. They are so stressful, but there is nothing you can do about it, right? Work is work, and it has to be done. I already have another one due on March 17th. March…. 17th…. wow Stow, time flies. It is two months until the one year anniversary of us meeting. I wonder what I will write about then.
(March 5th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, over the past few months, I have been involved with so many new "club penguins" that have or will come out. One of them is Planet Cazmo, which was released a while ago. There is already a beta item for that and I think the game will be pretty cool. Another one is dragon play, which I think I told you about before. That one is (almost) complete as they say. It is basically the same thing as Club Penguin except penguin is replaced by dragon. One last one, is sunny tropical. I just heard of it during the weekend. It is nothing now, but later it might be a game.
(February 17, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, Valentines day just passed a few days ago. The day felt like the longest it had ever been. You know how all the kids get candies and cards for everyone else? That was kind of nice. I didn't get any, except for this class present this one student was kind enough to get. How come valentines day is never celebrated on Club Penguin? Its not like a religious holiday, its not something that excludes people. I think it is celebrated around the globe. Come on, they had a Christmas party! That's highly religious! Well, it doesn't matter. I bet all of the boys who play are happy it didn't happen. Hearts are "gross" to them anyway.
(February 16, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, these few weeks of school are been fun and stressful. What was fun was that in drafting, I started working on a bicycle design. It is coming out great and I am so glad I am taking CAD 2. I get to go crazy with it and make it vibrant next week. The class is one of the best experiences I will ever get. Also, what makes it stressful was the fact that I had 3 speeches assigned during the week. One was for Spanish class, which was pretty short and brief. All I had to do was speak in Spanish and talk about myself. My speech for English was about all my 14 years alive, plus what I think will happen. I felt so much more confident about that speech than my last one. I was amazed that I was getting into it so much on stage. I was smiling and walking around and talking clearly and loudly. It is kind of nice to just talk to a group of people. I don't have many friends at school, so this is a great experience being listened to be everyone. Out of class everyone hates me, but in class they have to put all their attention on me!
(January 30th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, its been awhile hasn't it? Well my second semester of school started at least 2 weeks ago. It's been really tough because I made a huge transition. Anyway, I'll describe what happened:
Tuesday (Monday no school MLK Day): I started new classes in school. I found out today that my best friend isn't in my lunch period anymore, so I started to get lonely sitting with just people I know and not friends with. Also, I started CAD 2, except my schedule was very messed up and I ended up spending last period with my counselor changing it. After the first day, I only spent one period with my English teacher and never saw her again after the switch.
Wednesday: I got my to my classes on time. CAD 2 was causing me a lot of stress because I was so behind! I had to purchase supplies at the school bookstore, plus the key for my locker was broken, it took a few days to finally get a new one. After school, everything got worse. I got locked out of the house in below zero weather because i forgot my house key. I spent the next 30 minutes praying to god that i didnt freeze to death and my fingers wouldent harden and fall off. At last, I finally made it inside.
Thursday: Lots of homework was given to me today. CAD 2 I realized that I needed to buy art pencils because they were not supplied in the kit. In Spanish, since we were learning about preschool words, I had to bring a baby toy from when I was little. I did not own any baby toys, because I got rid of them all, so I had to steal my sister's for a day and return it to her. English was tough too. There was so much homework assigned and I had to plan a speech for next week. In P.E. I sprained my leg from doing the hurdles and was limping the rest of the day. Unfortunately, I had to skip Cooking Club because of the overload.
Friday: I finally got the pencils, and the supplies for CAD 2 but now I needed to buy drafting paper! I hoped to god that this was the last thing I needed to buy because my mom was getting so angry that she had to drive me to school early for the past three mornings. I practiced my speech more. I started to feel very nervous because I was behind in it and I needed to be done by Monday. Also, after school I began working on my video project with my Biology group on the Pandas. I had to switch to the group because when I changed Biology classes, I had to choose this one. All my notes on Polar Bears were a waste of time. The recording went well, considering I did not know a thing on the subject.
Monday: I bought the drafting paper; it was the last thing I needed. I still did not get the key fixed, so I kept waiting. I did not have to give the speech yet in English, so I waited for tomorrow. After school again, I worked more on the video. One of my group members brought in stuffed animal Pandas, so we used them in the scenes.
Tuesday: Still no key for CAD 2, but I started working on my drafting assignment using the compass. It was my first one in a very long time, so I felt very embarrassed that everyone else remembered more than me. In History, I had to study for an ID quiz, in which you study about 10 facts for 3 categories and write a paper about then from your memory. It was very hard to study during the afternoon. I got a massive headache and had to lie in bed. I felt very sick for a short period of time. I did not study much, but I felt confident I would do well.
Wednesday: Everything is going smoothly in CAD 2. I got my key (finally) and I feel like I remember everything. I started working on the drafting program on the computer. It was as simple as pie. The ID quiz finished. I felt I did well, even after all the cramming in class. Still, I did not give my speech because the teacher did not show up and there was a sub.
(January 17th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, the final Final is finally over! Ha Ha… nice play with words right? Anyway, I am so glad that I have a 4 day weekend. There was so much work for school and now its finally over! I can not wait for the second semester because I am taking CAD (computer aided drafting) again for a class. Its the second level and I'm so excited. I've had a few problems at home recently. It is really hard to get used to a few things. One of them has been grossing me out so much: my sister's hair is getting all over the place. Ever since I have had to share a bathroom with my sister, she is constantly shedding it all over the bathroom: on the counters, on the floor, everywhere! The problem is that when I walk on top of it, it clings to my socks, so then when I go and wash it, it clings to all of my clothes and it's so messy! I have been so furious having to pick out all the hairs. Sisters are a huge pain right? Everyone has trouble with siblings.
(January 13th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, there's so much going on for me. I just finished my first week back from school and I have finals coming up. I've studied so hard, yet I still feel really nervous about how tough it will be. This weekend I just finished by 10 page list of terms for History, typing a few posts and updates on the site, drawing a few pictures to upload ( which I still can't do because the scanner is not set up yet). I have just been so busy-busy, yet my buddies are still asking for favors. Club Penguin's stage is really cool. I think this is one of their best ideas yet! All of the other ones seem to be more "approved" in a way, and this one is a lot more American than Canadian. It seems like Club Penguin is going through this phase where they go crazy on one idea, then slow down drastically and switch to a new one. I am referring to the switch from Sports Catalog to Stage. I felt something change, but I am not sure what. The sports catalog doesn't feel important anymore. Next there might be a new idea blocking the stage, who knows!
(January 5th, 2008 ) Dear Stowaway, the move was pretty hard for me. I felt really bad unpacking everything. Anyway, my house is really cramped now. It is so tiny, but that is all my parents can get at the moment. It is going to be a big change at home. First, it took forever just to get the internet and TV working and set up. I was looking all over the house for the cord for my computer to turn it on. By day 3, I had finally found the cord and gotten internet access. It was such a pain that I missed a lot that happened on this site. I bet everything would have been different if I had that time to hold this site together.
(December 28, 2007) Dear Stowaway, there's one major thing I have been doing all this week: packing. I am going to be moving during the first week of January, so I have been packing alot of furniture and items in my family's house. My parents tell me whenever I am bored I should pack a box, and that I should keep doing that to solve my boredom. I really do not enjoy moving. I've moved before in the past and did not like it at all. Now that I am older, I have to pack things on my own instead of my parents doing it for me, which is a pain since I own a lot. Its been hard this past week, since there's been nothing to do except go on my laptop; everything's packed.
(December 25, 2007) Dear Stowaway, I am so glad that the religious holidays end today! No more feeling left out until Easter! WooHoo! Well, its true, there are no major religious holidays happening in the next few months. Anyway, I am excited about the new year coming up. I can not wait to stay up really late and throw a huge party. My family has this tradition of going to one of our friend's houses and they have streamers, poppers, confetti, and any other crazy partying events. Club Penguin gets fireworks during the new years. I remember that it was not that big and how everyone else wanted there to be a free party hat. I remember someone suggesting a big ball dropping down right at the start of the new year filled with confetti. I wish they could do that, yet it would be hard to get it exact when all of the time zones are different. Do you have any new years resolutions Stow? I come up with a few, yet it is so hard to follow with them through an entire year!
(December 24, 2007) Dear Stowaway, its Christmas Eve for most people. Do you know what Christmas means for me? All of the restaurants and other stores that were usually open are closed (except for the hospitals, fire department and police because they get sued if they close. Anyway, on Christmas Eve there's nowhere to go, so I always sit at home doing nothing: none of my friends will come over since they have to spend time with their family. Christmas is like… when the "world stands still." If you walk outside, no cars, no nothing. That's because everyone has no work tomorrow, no school, nowhere to go since stores are closed. That is why people might as well stay home. For me, my family always finds places to go that are still open, such as the Chinese restaurants, Japanese restaurants, and other eastern religion restaurants. People don't think of these places, and so they are never crowded. My family has a tradition of going to the movie theater of Christmas Day; there's no advertisements on the screen, no more Christmas music playing in the background (its over FINALLY!), no little kids making noise. The best part is that all the good movies come on Christmas Day. I can not wait until tomorrow! (Even though I am not getting a Christmas present.
(December 23, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Christmas is just around the corner for lots of people around the globe. Its been have people waiting for practically months already. I remember shopping at a big retail store in August: they already have Christmas decorations ready to buy! Its true that Christmas comes earlier every year. Why? Its still a mystery to me. I think it's because everyone wants to have something to look forward to. Christmas music on the radio came pretty already also. Some came around the beginning of November and would just keep going. I am so sick of the Christmas songs. Its just the same ones repeating over and over for centuries. When will there be anything new? Of course there is the occasional new hit holiday song every 10 years or so. Other then that, different artists just sing the same song and hope people will like their version. Anyway, who knows! Maybe Christmas will come during the early summer.
(December 17, 2007) Dear Stowaway, people around school were carrying babies to each class for a whole week. I was guessing this was because they are practicing their parenting skills for a class. It got very annoying after awhile seeing them in my face all the time. Most were these rag dolls that looked like babies, but the rest made crying noises when you did not treat them well. After a few minutes, the fake baby starts crying in the middle of notes, or a lecture, or whatever and everyone starts laughing. The embarrassed "mother" walks out into the hall to "calm" her baby somehow. Then return to class after about 30 seconds. I thought the teacher would mind that there was a baby crying in the middle of class and take it away from the mother, but I guess they are OK with that. Theres alot of embarrassing stuff that goes on in high school that I have to put up with. I will regret having to carry that thing around all day for an entire week. Yet, there's nothing I can do about it.
(December 11, 2007) Dear Stowaway, today was the last night of Hanukkah. I thought this year stood out from the rest. One is because it was a White Hanukkah; meaning there was snow outside on all eight days and nights. Also, the last day of Hanukkah ended up being a snow day (more specifically an ice day) for me and many others in my area, so I had more time to spend with my family at home. I had such a great time making latkes (potato pancakes) and matzo ball soup: two all-time Jewish foods that I love. In conclusion, this years holiday was excellent; I wonder if there will be a White Christmas…
(December 8, 2007) Dear Stowaway, it has been such a long week for me! I have had so many projects and tests for school, its just so hard to find time anymore… Anyway, I am moving to a new house soon, so some people came and took away a bunch of the furniture because we have too much to fit in the new house. There was nothing for me to do all day, since the moving made so much noise, and my parents made me help carry things. Its very upsetting to move away from a great house. Other then that, I have not been in a good mood lately. The weather is very snowy, clouds are always present in the sky, and there is less light outside. This may not seem like much, but it is something that really affects me. I hope you've had a better week than me.
(November 30, 2007) Dear Stowaway, the yellow puffle looks so cool! It came out today and I thought that it had some of the best actions than the other puffles. I tryed to get on this morning to see it, yet my internet was very bad. All of a sudden, my connection's awful. I don't know what to do to fix it because the sidebar says that the signal strength is very good. Well other then that and the puffle, Mr Hamm Jam and Joem have been getting is so many fights lately. They both dislike each other, and I really do not know what to do about it. I listen to both sides of the story and then I think: they both have very good reasons -which is bad. They are both my great friends, yet I can not think of anything to fix their anger. Theres got to be a way out of it.
(November 25, 2007) Dear Stowaway, the western party is in town! It came this Friday. A lot of people have been saying that the one last year is a lot better then this one. I can agree with what they say probably because there is not cowboy outfits this year: only the bandana and the 2 players cards to celebrate it with. Most people probably thought, "what clothing should I wear for the party?" Their inventories probably don't have a single item that seems like it is from the west. The only ones I could think of were the red vest and the overalls; but those left at the end of spring. Another thing is that the newspaper released on Thursday showed the cowboy boots, which looked like they were coming back. The message in the paper hinted towards it, but I guess it was not on purpose. Well anyway, it was great to get sort of an experience of what it was like last year.
(November 18th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Thanksgiving is coming up really fast. It feels kind of weird that there is nothing for Thanksgiving in Club Penguin except the Pilgrim Hat which gets released every year. It is kind of like Independence Day on July 4th: nothing to celebrate it with except fireworks. I just noticed this now that both of those holidays are American holidays and Club Penguin is located in Canada. They probably would not know as much about it. I really think there should be more distinction. Maybe the American servers could have a Thanksgiving party or an Independence Day party, yet not the others. Same thing should go with all the Canadian holidays and British holidays. Instead: everybody is left out. I thought the flag pins that your penguin can buy are supposed to tell something about you. Those are the only things that separate ethnic groups, yet nobody sees them because they are only on the player card. There should really be more diversity in Club Penguin.
(November 14th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, the new furniture catalog is coming out this Friday. Just like last year, there is probably going to be Christmas themed furniture so that people can start decorating their igloos before the big holiday comes up. I sent an email to Club Penguin before on why not to have just Christmas in the catalog. I told them how they were being really racist by opposing my ideas on how there should be a menorah added in. Come on, its just a small menorah. Its not something huge that will make Christmas feel less honored. Their reply to the email really made me upset. I was hoping for a nicer way of saying that my suggestions were good and probably a lot of jewish people sent in emails about it. Well, Judaism doesn't even take up 1% of the world population. They probably don't realize that this isn't the world population that counts. Its the Club Penguin population. In the Club Penguin population, the number is probably a lot higher since it is canceling out developing nations in South America, Africa, some parts of Asia and the Middle East. I wanted to put a Jewish star in my igloo for Hanukkah coming up. I just hope Club Penguin doesn't ban me for it if I do end up making one. Religion's a hard thing to do in this world
(November 9th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, I started working on a Piczo about a week ago. I think it is probably going to be only about me, and nothing club penguin related. I think most of the photos I put on the site will be drawn be me. I was hoping to create an entry on it once a week. Other then that, Rockhopper came back to Club Penguin. If you ever want to meet anywhere stow, just tell me. You might not be ready, since Rockhopper is probably very busy and needs some assistance on his ship. Something has been going on in the plaza. If you ever have a chance, you should check out what is happening. I think it might be a movie or a play, or something in that category. It really looks fun, whatever it is. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens.
(November 5th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, It has been exactly half a year since I started talking to you. I have expressed so many feeling in the past six months and I hope you have enjoyed getting to know me a bit. Other then that, it is getting a lot closer to winter. Daylight savings has just ended and I just thought I could tell you a couple of things that remind me of winter: the Christmas music on the radio, going to the clothing department at an indoor mall, seeing pictures of polar bears drinking glass bottles of Coca-Cola, going to light shows, seeing the play Wicked, eating Frango's (a type of chocolate that tastes like mints), having my dad bring home that 3-sided popcorn container with caramel, cheese and butter flavored popcorn, taping all the holiday cards above the fireplace, shoveling snow in freezing weather making my ears feel like they are going to explode, a giant plaid blanket, watching Home Alone 1 and 2, going to shop in Chicago and much more. Wow, that took up a lot of room. There's much more, but I would like to know what you think of when winter comes around.
(October 29th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, I don't really enjoy riding the bus to go to school and get home from school. I might feel different about it because I have been walking to school for the past three years, so I have to get used to it all over again. It is the same thing every bus ride: the quiet people in the front, and not being racist, but the noisy, swearing, fighting Africans and Latinos in the back. Personally, I try to sit as close to the front as possible to escape the noise, as with the other quiet people. I don't know how they think of so many bad comments to say on the bus every day. They are so brilliant to think of so many swears that the noise never stops. Unfortunately, everyone on the back of the bus gets let off at the last stop, so we all have to put up with it the entire ride to or fro school. Something has changed about the bus then I remember back in 5th grade. It might be the fact that people have a choice to ride or not to ride, so half of the stops there are never people getting off, this also occurs because seniors and juniors can drive, so the gas guzzlers would rather drive then get annoyed by the younger loud mouths. It might also be because of the disgusting seats. In high school, people know so many swears, so why not express your anger by damaging the seat of the bus with your "creative" writing? Also, who could forget the stain Billy Whatshisface made when he wiped dirt from his shoes on the seat you are sitting on? These and others are excellent reasons why I dislike the bus. I would rather walk to school then take the fast way there. This is another reason why my family is trying to move closer to my school so that I wont have to put up with all the racist comments and everything else for 4 more years.
(October 25th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, there's this kid who is blind at my school. I've seen him walking through the halls with that cane thing and it just seems so impressive that he can navigate his way from class to class when he's blind. I looked into his eyes once and they looked a little- well, they were just weird. I just found out why he was blind when there was an article in the school paper about that kid. It said he was so strong about it that he tried to fit in like everyone else without the extra help. It also said he was on a cross country team; wonder what that is like where you're blind. I wonder what it is like to be blind. Your eyes are open, but you don't see anything? I do not understand how that is possible because you have to be able to see something. I know when I close my eyes everything is black, but how does that compare? I feel so sorry for him that he can't see. Vision is one thing I am thankful that I have because it is so life changing to not be able drive, or to write, to draw, to imagine, and anything else.
(October 23rd, 2007) Dear Stowaway, gosh, its been awhile! I have been so busy working on projects for school. Tomorrow is the club penguin anniversary: they are going to be 2 years old! It was such a great time last year at the 1st anniversary with the blue/green party hats. I really do not like that I am missing the part hat because skydays147 was banned forever. I have a feeling I am never going to own a penguin with 2 party hats from different years. It just does not seem possible since the next one is so far away! Well, anyway, I am glad that I can still have a party hat because it is the one item that really grabs peoples attention. Also, my predictions keep coming true! The one about the organ coming out was one example. Well, i got to go now, bye!
(October 16th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, everyone has been talking about the wigs on Club Penguin and how they want them to stay past October. I personally do not favor the wigs being in Club Penguin. I thought it was a world in which penguins dress up as people. Yes, the wigs are kind of "cute" on them, but they made them seem less playful, or something. I really do not know the word for it. Wigs have been released in the past and yet, people do not realize it. You know that clown wig everyone's been wearing? Its hair. You know that viking helmet Rockhopper brought to club penguin? Contains locks of hair. There are a few more examples of it, like the Santa beard; its hair. Why do people respond now when they should have when those items came? I guess it does not really matter if wigs stay or leave. It is what the people favor, and what the people favor wins. I would have never predicted hair to come. It just seems so "off topic" then everything else.
(October 12th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, the weather is getting to be around 40 degrees outside, being October. I have started to notice this week that my hands and face is starting to wrinkle from the coldness outside. Like every year, this usually ends up making my knuckles bleed and my face bleed a lot. Well, I'll try not to gross you as much, but I just don't like that fact that I splash a lot of water on my hands and face to make it wrinkle up like this. How can I not? Especially because I have to take swimming during school for PE, and because of the fact that germs and sickness are all around you; the care package to the coming of winter, which means that I need to wash my hands a lot. Nobody understands me when I ask them how to solve this kind of problem. I have learned to put up with this over the past 5 or more winters, but it seems like it happens to me earlier and earlier in the year, which is sometimes annoying. Thank goodness this week is over, Stow. You don't feel the same way, because you spend all your days in the frozen world with the other penguins in the cold, cold, world. I wonder how you put up with problems with weather…
(October 5th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, I really hate that I get bullied around in school. A lot of people say that when you graduate from one school to another, you get a clean slate to make a whole new impression of yourself to other kids. The problem is that some of your bullies from middle school continue on to high school, encouraging other kids to bully you. Doesn't everyone hate bullies? Have you ever heard the saying: "the enemy of my enemy is my friend"? Well, that's kind of how I meet some of my friends throughout high school. I always wonder how bullies are formed. How can such a nice kid turn so evil and hurt everyone else? Maybe it is just that they think they dominate everyone in sports. Well, they will pay when I get older and get a high-paying job while I laugh at them doing janitor work for the office I am the boss of. Well, maybe not like that, but in some way, I wish I could make them go through all the misery I have been through; just to see how I feel.
(October 2nd, 2007) Dear Stowaway, it has been about 6 months since I first started talking to you. October is a really fun month, which I have probably mentioned before. I am really excited for Halloween this year: the costumes, the parties, the candy, the surprises. It is all amazing. Yet, I am starting to feel less out of spirit because I don't have any friends to enjoy it with. Same as last year, except I did not know anyone at the time to make any great friends. Now, it's like, everyone is leaving me; nobody cares about any of this Halloween anymore. I think I might be over reacting, but I dont know; I'm older then everyone, so people would expect more out of me then arguments. I wish you could enjoy it with me, and the rest of my buddies that are still here. That would make them stay: the presence of miracles.
(September 29th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, at age 14, things start to change in your life. I know from my point of view, I am treated a lot differently then say, I was 10 or 9. I start to have different thoughts then most people, mainly on the people older then me, and things like that. Club Penguin gave me the opportunity to think about my past a bit, with all the cartoons, the television, the drawing, the creativity, and things like that. I really enjoy that after a long laborious day at school, I can always be that kid inside of me, bursting to come out. Over the past few days, there was spirit week, which the theme: Disney. I finally had the opportunity to act like I was that young kid, along with everyone else. With the walls covered with banners of all the Disney characters and everyone wearing Disney costumes, I felt a little different that week at school. In conclusion, there is always a moment in your life in which you want to be young, and go to the playground, hug a stuffed animal, take naps during the day, drink from a cup with apple juice, and things like that. Never be afraid to stand out.
(September 28th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, I have been starting to move my site a bit to Mr Hamm Jam's by moving some of the pages. I don't think this is such a good idea though, everyone that belonged to my old site is starting to get really upset. Also, Mr Hamm Jam got banned forever a few days ago, that seems really upsetting, but when I talk to him, its like, he does not care. Im not sure how rough this move is going to be. Anyway, the new catalog looked really cool. A lot of people really enjoyed that the balloons came out again. I thought it was a little off though, because I predicted the Halloween decorations or the school furniture would come. The carnival just did not fit in that well. Rockhopper said he was going to be gone for a long time on the sea. I hope your having a great time, too; tell Rockhopper I said, "hi"
(September 23rd, 2007) Dear Stowaway, I want to talk a little more about what I did before I heard of Club Penguin. Well, ever since I was 10 or so, I used to go into chat room and talk to people around my age. I met this really nice person whose screen name was Wildhorsered or something. I remember the days when I have "America Online" for my internet. There was this thing called "KOL" I think it still exists today and that is where it was. I am not sure how "Skydays147″ came up to me. I was only allowed a screen name that did not give personnel info, so I switched to Skydays147. It just sounded nice to me, so I kept it. I remember going to chat rooms until I was about 12 or so. I had met alot of nice people. Some of them I still talk to today, like Joyfulmal. Anyway, there was this huge gap in which I did not go on the internet at all, and I think that was when I moved, so I have not talked to any of my online friends and they were lost. Some still kept contact with me after that though. Anyway, I will give more information another time.
(September 22nd, 2007) Dear Stowaway, wow! I have not talked in a while. I am so sorry about that, school is getting a bit rough, so once I get home, I am not in the mood for any typing. Anyway, the fall fair looks great in Club Penguin. I think that this could be cp's greatest party so far. There are so many games that were released! I wish they were permanent because they are really fun. I can tell the Club Penguin spent a long time making it such a great celebration. It is such a nice way to end the long week.
(September 16th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, it is getting kind of cold outside recently. A few days ago the temperature got in the 30's. I feel alot different then I did in the summertime. I don't feel like a "summer" person anymore. My thoughts have altered so much in the past week. I am now looking ahead to Halloween, Fall starting, apple picking, raking leaves, having a Thanksgiving dinner, and so much more. I forgot what it was like in the summer. It feels like it is light years away. I don't actually like the cold weather. It makes my face and hands get wrinkled and it gets pretty annoying. My knuckles start to bleed in the Winter. I have never used so much moisturizing cream in my life. The only good thing about the cold coming is the holidays that come with it. Many people enjoy Fall because of the "Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas"; all in a row. I wonder how much change there is going to be in life, and this "virtual" world known as Club Penguin.
(September 10th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, I made Sky Days a member yesterday. I felt that I needed to do that in case Clonez got banned, so I made a backup penguin. I don't know if it is worth doing or not because it is going to take alot of Catchin Waves to earn all of the coins. Yomomma768 got it 100 thousand the day I got it so that I could buy everything that needs to be bought, like for every catalog that is out. I still can not believe I just spent 6 dollars on this. Well, it might be worth it in the end, you never know. I am so excited for Halloween. I know it is going to be a blast and I hope I am around for the party. They might make it night time again like last year. I heard that there is going to be a fall party or something this month. Maybe its from the packages Rockhopper brought. You should know since you have talked to him before. Well, this upcoming fall sounds great.
(September 6th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, alot of my friends keep saying that they are going to quit, and they end up not doing it. Well, if you ask me, "are you ever thinking about quitting?" I would not know how to respond. I don't think I will ever quit Club Penguin, well, at least until "hormones" kick in or something. Even if that happens, I still think I will stay. I don't have anybody I know to give a penguin to in real life. Nobody my age at school would even admit if the go on Club Penguin because its to embarrassing. You guys don't have any problem asking your friends if they play it because you are in like, lower school still, but it is different for me. I might end up only going on weekends; I get alot of homework during the week. This site: I have no clue. I might just stop posting, I might delete, I don't know.
(September 4th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, school is really making me tired in the afternoon. I know alot of my friends haven't even started it yet, but it is one of the most difficult things for me (mainly because I am in high school). I am really not used to getting up at 6 in the morning every single school day, having to make a lunch in the morning and things like that. Physical Education is probably the worst. Not because I am really bad at running or something, but because its so hot outside! Probably 90 degrees. I come in after 45 minutes and my face is all red and I am dripping with sweat and I know I can not make it through the rest of the day. I liked my last period though, because it is peer group. I think it is a great way to end the day and it is a lot of fun. It is a small group of students and we get to know each other. Did I mention the amount of homework you get at the end of the day? I can not believe I am going to be at the school for the next four years.
(September 1st, 2007) Dear Stowaway, already the first day of September, Stow! Time flies by really fast. Its almost my penguin's anniversary. I wanted to talk about rareness a little more. I don't understand why people show off "old" items to make others jealous. I know I get jealous a lot when I see people with furniture I don't have, or clothing I don't have. It's just not right, though. In real life, wearing "out of date" fashion looks kind of goofy on people. There are clearance sections, which means, its a group of all the clothing (or furniture) people don't want to wear, but they can get it at cheap prices. IF you ever see someone on Club Penguin wearing "out of date" fashion (AKA rare), why not point and laugh instead of acting all jealous? It seems really obvious to do that in real life. Yet, for people on Club Penguin it is the opposite: the people with no sense of fashion get all the attention. Weird.
(August 27th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, I can talk about anything I want right? This is my letters, and I can just say whatever's on my mind. Well, i've been thinking for a while and I figured out something that is kind of "neat". It might be a theory, it might not be. I really don't know if there is a saying for it, but a lot of times I feel like I am "hurting the me of the future". You might be confused, and that is why I am making a separate entry on that. Well, I'll just give an example of "hurting the me of the future". Not doing your homework for one thing. If you don't do it that afternoon before it is due, you are hurting yourself in the future because the next day when your sitting on your butt in class and the teacher asks for your work and you don't have it. Things like that: causing shame on yourself later on by what you do in the past. I get this thought a lot during school. Another example: Not packing a lunch in the morning. Right when you wake up, you aren't hungry at all, and you decide you will feel the same way during lunch. It ends up that you are starving sitting at that lunchroom table watching other people eat mouthwatering food. You start to curse yourself "why didn't I pack that lunch?" That is what I consider "hurting the me of the future". Well, maybe there is a word for it, maybe not. What do you think, Stow.
(August 25th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, hows live been? I am kind of depressed because my friends are leaving me on club penguin. How do you say goodbye to a friend? How to do say goodbye, and say it one last time before you never see them again? Thats what I kept thinking when Sassie said goodbye to me when she left. I really couldent imagine anything to say. I don't know if I should be kinda nice and say something like, "Well, its your life, spend it however you want". But then again, it is a bit mean. I don't think there is a way to respond to a "goodbye forever". Ive asked many friends that I've had how to say goodbye forever and none can think of an answer. Is it right to just say, "no, don't leave" ? You already know that they are going to go anyway and nothing is changing their mind. Maybe you just have to let people go sometimes. You can't always keep in touch with the ones you care about, and that makes me worry thinking that.
(August 23rd, 2007) Dear Stowaway, how are you today? I'm kind of nervous about school starting for me. I feel like I never have time to talk to you. I thought it would be alot easier then doing to over the summer, but its not; just getting harder. Club Penguin is having its first camping party tomorrow. I thought that was kind of awkward because I thought they would stop making parties for summer. People like me are in school already and we can not do camping anymore. I don't think they realize that people started school already. When I think of September, I think of school starting; nothing else. I bet you feel the same way too? Well, anyway, it looks like it is going to be very fun. Even though I'm in school, I guess I can always rely on Club Penguin to help me feel like im on vacation. I have never been camping myself, but I have gone to overnight camp before, so I guess that kind of counts. All I can imagine is getting so many bug bites on camping trips. Bug spray never helps, they still attack you no matter what. Well, I guess it doesent matter. I don't plan on camping anyway.
(August 20th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, more on the wars: I don't know whats considered "better": wars where you fight, or wars where you talk. Right now, alot of my friends convinced me that I should make my igloo a courtroom. Does this solve our fighting problem? I don't know what to say. Instead of hurting each other phsically and emotionally, you just settle it like normal people would: you go to court. Then what? You decide who wins and then its over. No revenge, no going back and fighting again. I might seem to like this better then watch my friends be humiliated. Well, we are doing the court tonight, so I'll have to see what happens. I don't know why my friends blame each other all the time for every single reason possible. I always wonder when the depression is going to end and how it will. Maybe it wont end. Maybe we will be stuck in a tragedy forever. All there is to do now is wait.
(August 18th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, I don't know if I think wars are good or bad. It seems like everyone on my site has decided that they enjoy wars, but it just doesn't seem right. I know in real life, wars are always a bad thing, yet people here seem to like it. I don't even consider what people do on Club Penguin to be a "war". Its basically penguins getting dressed in matching costumes and throwing snow at each other. Is there a point to it? Also, its kind of hard to tell who an enemy is. Nobody in the world is considered "evil". The whole reason wars started in real life was because two "good guys" didn't like each other and they continue because once you win, the other wants to win too, so theres revenge. In club penguin, people just choose sides, like voting. Which costume, or which people they want to be with, and just fight them. In fact, you lost friends during war, because one friend might choose the oppisite team as you and all of a sudden they are not friends anymore. Well, I don't think I am getting involved in "wars". I don't think I'll get involved in wars in real life because I don't think they are necessary.
(August 16th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, do you think it is right to make predictions about what will happen in the future of Club Penguin? I do it all the time. I mean, I write some on my site, I write some to my buddies on AIM, I write them all the time. I'm not sure, but most of them are coming true. I mean, the one I made about my buddies all leaving in September or October, well, its kind of coming true. I really don't like making bad predictions, not bad meaning "never coming true", but bad meaning something you aren't looking forward to. Yes, those are the worst of all. But, on the other side, the good predictions are nice. Like, I predicted what will happen in the clothing catalog next month, and the furniture catalog, so buddies have something to look forward to. I predicted who will get banned, or unbanned in the future, to my friends. Well, I guess I could give out more. They are kind of useful.
(August 13th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Hi Stow. I just got back from my trip to Wisconsin. It was only one day long, which really stinks. Well, I stayed at my sister's friend's house with my family and we went on a boat ride around their lake. They had a really fast speed boat and I got to see how great water skiiers they are. The evening was totally different. I went to this italian restaurant where they give you dough to play with. The whole time, people were tossing dough around the table and the adults around us kept staring. Yes, then they fired diet coke out of a straw all over my face, refreshing, but really gross. I remember seeing everyone laughing, and that little five year old making a mask on her face out of pizza dough, having it droop to the floor. Then we all ran down the street in the middle of the night, around 9:00 and sent up that signal to the trucks to make it honk at us. Unfortunately, I fell on the sidewalk and broke my shoe about halfway to the custard place we were going to, so I walked barefoot. Well, anyway, the hotel was great. I stayed at Timber Ridge Lodge in Wisconsin. I think some of the Illinois people might have heard of it. They had a huge water park there, with huge slides, a lazy river; almost everything you can think of from a water park. Wisconsin was great. That was the only vacation I had this summer, and yes, it was short.
(August 9th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, I got braces yesterday. Well, I got them on my top teeth and they realy hurt in my mouth. I can't concentrate on much because of the pain, and it was so hard to eat lunch today. I got really mad when my family went out to lunch because my mouth started hurting a lot and I couldn't eat my food. Well, it gets worse, because today I waited in line for 3 hours straight just to get my books for high school. I felt like I was going to die of boredom and there was this noisy group in front of us and behind us talking in some other language I could not understand and I was just standing there, with a hunched back, waiting to get out of the place. I saw my locker for this coming year. It is really small and only seemed like 6 inches thick. How am I going to survive with such a small locker? Well, after that I fell to sleep right when I got home and here I am now. I really cant wait until school starts (not). Well, the good news is that I will be going on a short vacation in Wisconsin (only about 1 or 2 days because that's all we can afford). But that's fine. I will just stay up late in the hotel and watch movies. Oh yeah… no popcorn… got braces. Well, I guess it doesent matter. I'll see you later. Bye.
(August 7th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Well, I am back from my short vacation. I didn't really leave, its just that I decided to take a break. Club Penguin is changing so fast! The new mission came out. I remember when I first started and I wanted to be a secret agent so badly. I remember seeing everyone as agents and when I tried to find buddies, it always said they were "hiding" What was funny was that I was so confused at the time I thought they were mad at me or soemthing. That first month i started was the longest ever. Then I remember first seeing the spy code and thinking it was nothing at all. Its kind of weird cause, they only had one mission at the time. Then I remember everyone loved the secret agent spy gear. The spy goggles were the coolest I remember because they were the only item not in the catalog at the time. Being a spy really doesn't matter anymore. I dont feel like it is secret, or something you "have to" hide. Well, yes you do get more features, but that doesn't matter.
(August 3rd, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Im starting to get upset because my friend are leaving. Did you see the predictions I made about what would happen in Club Penguin? Well, most of them are coming true. Most of them are coming true at a very fast rate; faster then I thought it would be and those are the bad predictions I made. I remember talking about how all my buddies will leave in the middle of September or October. Well, its true! Its all happening because I lose a friend like, every week. People just, disappear and we never know what happens to them. Well, I don't know where Dub went to. He just said goodbye and left. Others just leave out of nowhere. I always wonder if taking a break wouldn't be so bad.
(August 1st, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Already August! Too many things are happening in one day. My friend Joem came back. Well, I think he did. Joem is so hard to track now. Every time he comments now, I think it is some hacker, or something. I dont understand! He was so nice in the past, now hes…? I remember we used to call each other names. Like I called him "Joemey" and he called me "Skydaysey". Good times, good times. IT was so nice, I want to have such a great friend that cares about you, yet that is hard to find these days. Club Penguin is changing. It is changing way too fast and we cant put up with that. I really cant stand that Disney is coming into the picture now. I remember when hearing the news, I just started crying at first becuase this was the moment that now everyone is going to quit becuase CP will be taken over. I hope that doesent happen. I like seeing these people talk to me on the sites.
(July 30th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Wow, Stow. It has been a long weekend. I spent so much time working on changing my site around. I hope it is worth it in the end. I feel like my summer is short. There isnt much to do for me. I go swimming basically, almost every day with my sister, who used to go on Clonez before me. My sister is really… weird. She scratches me alot and I get alot of cuts. MY parents tell her not to, but she still does. There are two pools right by and one of them I don't go to because I don't want to see people I know. Im not sure why, I just want to go to swim. What else have I been doing over the summer? Well, I walk my dogs by the mall and look in the shop windows. I go see movies alot, I can not go a month without seeing at least one movie. I have also been hanging out at my friends house. He has a pool there, and it has a hut tub. He one of the only friends I have that is in the same grade as me. I hang out with alot of people a year younger, and they don't mind. My parents tell me that we might go on vacation somewhere for about 2 or 3 days, but I dont know… Things are different for me. They will be even different after I move, and after I start school again. *sigh* Its going to be hard meeting new people.
(July 27th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi Stow. I am so glad that summer school ended for me today. I finally have so much more time on my hand, yet still not enough. Time is a big problem for me. I am not sure how much time to spend doing one thing and not doing another. Its so confusing. I really want to make my friends on CP happy, but then again, I want to see my friends in real life more often. Things get tied up too quickly. I am not sure if I should slow down a bit. I know there are plenty of things to do in the summer time, like go swimming, or go to the beach, or play outside. I dont know, summer is confusing. I dont know if I am wasting my time or not. I really need advice on what I should do with my time. Maybe I will just stop for a while, you know, take a break. Yet its kind of hard with peer pressure, and I have so many plans for this site, it just gets harder and harder.
(July 25th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,I wanted to talk a little more about popularity. I am still not sure if it is a good thing or a bad thing to be popular. People attack you if you are so popular that it gets annoyhing all the time. Have you seen Paintboy100? I can imagine how miserable he probably is being crowded by people all the time. I really don't understand how great he is. All he does on his site is cheats, which are updated only once a week. Ive seen better. Why does this happen? Why do people who arent supposed to be famous end up famous? All they do is copy from other people's sites and put it on theirs for peoples enjoyment. Well, I don't try and do that. Popularity is a hard thing. Its hard to tell the difference between friends and fans and thats what I hate so much.
(July 23rd, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi there Stow. I am still not sure if I consider you a friend of mine or not. I don't really know what you think about my writing or anything at all. Its hard to make friends. Its hard to make friends because you already have so many. I know I have gone through that. Well, when you find more friends, what about your old ones? What happens to them while you start seeing new people? That is why it is hard; because of the friends you have had before. I really want to make more friends. As you know, the more the merrier, and thats what I follow by. I need more friends that can back me up in a hard situation. I need friends that trust me and I trust them back. It's not right of me to talk to nonmembers, I know. They are split into a different group, like stated before. Well, I guess I can say it is true, non-members are the nicer ones. Yet, they don't play on as much, unfourtunately. Also, as I think I've said in the past, its the buddy list. You can't hold as many friends as you want. Any way that goes, finding friends is hard.
(July 20th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi. I am moving soon Stow, so I might not get to write to you as much during that time, okay? Anyway, I want to talk a little more on the adopting thing. I remember telling you before about adopting penguins, but what about the puffles already provided? Puffles confuse me alot. I feel that they don't have much of a purpose in CP. They really stand out from the game itself. I am not sure what it is about puffles, but they are the only thing that is made up here. Yes, they do come in many colors and they are kind of "cute." People adopt them as pets and take care of them. I remember in the past when they first disovered them and thought they were a "menace" or something. Like I say before, they don't fit in. I am not sure why I adopt them. I really only feed it so it stays alive. Is that the point? Or are you supposed to enjoy puffles? I am not sure. Relate that to Club Penguin: You only play it to keep a penguin alive. Or are you supposed to enjoy the great experiance of parties and being with friends instead of hacking and spending hours acting popular? I hope this means something to you, because it sure does to me.
(July 18th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hello Stow. I feel I deserve Skydays147 back. Alot of people enjoyed seeing me on that penguin. Its not fair having people ruin your hopes and dreams for the future just by banning your penguin. I think I have been really nice to people and I really could not picture anyone hating me for that? Just for you to know, I am not doing this to be popular. I am not doing this because of peer pressure. I am doing this to show my feelings and my expressions. Its not fair that other people judge your work so severely. Arent blogs supposed to give you freedom of speech? Whoever banned me. Whoever banned everyone else, I just wanted to tell you to relax because people put alot of effort into what they do and your just ruining it for not just them, but the people who care for them too. I know form experiance that when someone is sad, all their friends are sad, and the friends of their friends are sad. My point is, your not just hurting one person. I think I deserve it back. I payed for it and its mine and I dont want the money wasted because of this incident.
(July 16th, 2007) Dear Stowaway.Hi there, Stow. I remember telling you about seeing Club Penguin early in the morning. Well, it was because I was gone on a cruise during spring break. I know that alot of people are experiancing the same thing; going out of town with not much contact with others. Well, its a bit worrying. You always wonder what would happen during that time. Remember leaving a hoping that my penguin would not get banned while I was gone. Well, that did happen, but not until 3 months later. Anyway, things happens fast in a week. You miss out on alot of things happening between buddies. I know for me it was hard to catch up with Joem25, Cool Lb and Comrade Page during that time. Why do things like that happen to us all? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? The important thing is that you are having a great time, no matter where you are. This was the only party in which I missed: the april fools day party. Yet I really wanted to thank Joem25 for getting me the two free items during that time. Its really hard to do such a thing like that and hope things turn out okay in the end. Well, I think this goes back to trusting people…
(July 14th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Hello. Sorry I did not write anything to you yesterday. Its summer, what can I say, lol. I know one of my buddies mentioned this in the past, but what do you think about adopting penguins? I remember when I first started in September and people on Blizzard were in the pet shop waiting to be… adopted? I don't know what to day. I don't think they do it anymore, but I really have to ask, what is so bad about it? They are just acting, and I know I like action and there is nothing wring with it. Unless you get into those cases where you're a really serious actor, but that does not usually happen. I guess it was kind of nice, lol, I tried it a couple of times adopting I don't think they do it anymore. I have not seen anyone in the pet shop waiting to be adopted. I wonder what happened to that fad. I think I have adopted penguins before, I remember being a parent to some penguins, I forgot who. Its just pretend. I really don't get why it's bad. You can do it for a while then forget about it. Its one of those one-time experiances…
(July 11th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi Stowaway. How are you? I want to talk a little more about the past. I remember that one time I went on vacation for a week. I remember getting up at 3 in the morning to leave for the airport. Club Penguin is a lot different at night. Everything is quiet there and I remember all the people from the british servers coming to Mammoth. Well, you know, they are like, 10 hours ahead or something. Anyway, they dont realize that Mammoth is such a hangout for "popular" people. I told that to the non-members and they just went "?" to me. Maybe the occaisonal, "I dont know what you are talking about." Time zones are weird. Nobody realizes what happens at night in CP. Unless you stay up until 1 in the morning to get the new "clothing in the catalog" because you are so nuts and can not wait for the next day. Well, that still happens, I'm just saying. I am never waking up early to get some new feature.
(July 9th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Sorry, I just really want to talk to you again. I know I have told this to my buddies, but I want to tell it to you too. There is this horrible depression going on between us and alot of people are quitting. I really don't know what to do, Stow. I wish you were real so you can help us beause people are getting really mad. What do I do? I have tryed everything. I made the friendship club, I got people out of Mammoth, I tryed so hard and it keeps getting worse. I am a really nice person, but I don't know how to make my buddies happy because when they are sad, so am I. How do I get out without quitting? Quitting is not the answer and quitters never win. They solve the problem and make things better. I am not a quitter, I know this will end somehow. I know I have been through alot like everyone else. Yet it gets worse, like dominoes falling down. I'm confused…
(July 8th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Hi again Stowaway. I wanted to talk about trust with you. How do I know when I trust someone on Club Penguin? I know its really hard to guess when because they might be pretending to be nice. Trust is really hard to find and when do you know when you have it? Is it when you let someone else go on your penguin and not ban it? Is it when they go to all your parties and enjoy cake with you and talk to you about problems? How do I know that some nice person is actually the opposite in real life and one day they are going to come up and ban you out of nowhere. I know I don't like people who do that. Its just now right, I hope none of my buddies are like that. I know it has happened before because they got rid of Skydays147, I wonder if it might happen again.
(July 6th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Penguin names; I really don't understand them. Its so hard to take someones penguin when they quit or get banned. There were so many different memories on a certain one, that it is so hard to fit in. The name: would you rather be friends with someone named Penguin273632892 or Clonez? Its just so much different! I am not talking about popularity, I am talking about well known, is it so easy to remember Penguin273632892 then it is Clonez? It is so much different. There are other ways that taking someone elses penguin is wrong. Lets say you are a beta tester, and you have all this rare items and so much cash and everyone is familiar with you, then you go on a penguin that just started their membership and has nothing at all. It is such a big difference, I would not be able to get used to it, yet, that was how I felt when Skydays147 was banned forever. Its just not right and you cant make someone start over form the beginning after all they have gone through. Penguins are all different from another, yet nobody notices that Stow.
(July 4th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Happy Independence Day Stow! The fireworks were great, you should have seen them. I want to talk about the Fiesta Party, I know I have not mentioned that one before and it was a great party. I think that was the only party that did not have anything from the United States, it was all from Mexico. It's weird that, I really like Spanish and during that time I was in the middle of it at school and I remember we talked about some of the things that are included in the Mexican holidays, and I thought that was pretty cool. This one stood out for many people because it was the only summer party in the middle of winter! Yeah, it felt a bit creepy, but it really warmed up the winter, and the free item was great. Everyone loved the maracas because the was the first hand item that came out since the water rings, which many people missed.
(July 2nd, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Cool its already July! I found out that I wrote ten full pages so far to you in 12 pt font, no line skips. I want to talk about servers. I don't know how one server is more popular then the other. Every server looks exactly the same and has all the same advantages, the only different thing is that some of the have limited text, plus the occasional Rockhopper visit in one server. I remember when the United States servers were only one page. That was way back in September, when I first joined. Its so weird how they fill up so fast with new servers. I noticed that on a member, the servers don't fill up as fast as a nonmember. Thats so mean because they are dividing the members and nonmember by making them choose one they don't want and they won't be able to meet their friend or something because its full. I think thats the reason why nonmembers never become friends with members. I don't know how they put up with that.
(June 30th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Wow, I have not talked to you in a while. I am so sorry I have not gotten in touch with you recently. I wanted to talk about igloo designs; how do you know when an igloo design is the best it can be? Well, I know I have updated alot of my designs in the past, and I think they are absolutely perfect. I remember my old version of my library. The books were all facing a certain direction and I remember the pianoes! Oh, how I remember having my buddies come in and we would all pretend to play the piano. I remember turning the music off and on when someone was playing and not playing to make it seem more real. But I didnt notice that you had to leave the igloo and come back before you see the change. Oh, how do I remember those good times like that? Sitting down with all your buddies cheering you away. It was stupid I know, but it was funny. Where did all those good memories go? Now every cares about popularity. Mammoth is making people jealous of one another. I wish CP could delete that server.
(June 27th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi again. Sorry I have not been posting. Well, its summer so of course people like me have plans. Hey Stow, have you seen anything you never thought would happen before? I remember seeing someone hacking for the first time and that was pretty scary. I remember that day during the christmas party when there was this one person in the town who kept saying "$*" and that was the only time I have ever seen it. I remember every crowding around that person doing the hack. Things get really scary when people hack. I remember going on CP trainer and it was one of the freakiest things I have ever seen. I remember putting on that beta tester hat and changing my penguin name to something different. It was a great experiance though; learning about the past and I always remember telling my buddys to learn more about the past. I dont know why I keep mentioning that… Hacking will be, and will always be, one of the greatest mysteries around. Well, not just Club Penguin, I mean other sites too.
(June 24th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi Stow. I wanted to talk about something that had happened a while ago. Its pretty weird, but I have been on the beta tester's penguin, ridid44. Its kind of weird, because right after I went on it, it was banned forever, so I was one of the last people to ever go on that account. It was pretty cool, I mean it had the beta tester hat and all of this other old stuff, then I saw all of the buddies it had and the names were lower cased or all uppercase letters and most had beta tester hats. I remember putting on only the beta tester hat and walking around and so many people followed me and asked to be my buddy. So, amazing and I am missing out on alot. Well, I guess this is how people are popular; they have old penguins. Its kind of weird because right after it was banned, then my penguin got a ban and the penguin that told me the password got a ban; no clue why. In all, that experiance was kind of neat and I really regret that I didnt take pictures on it.
(June 22nd, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Hello. I cant believe yesterday was the 1st day of summer. It is going to be a long summer break. I want to talk about the winter party in Club Penguin. I know that it lasted for the entire winter break. That party was the most religious, of course, because of Christmas at the time. It felt awkward being around during that party, with the christmas music and furniture and all of this other stuff. They could at least put in something a bit more for hanukkah. I remember the menorah in the coffee shop. I think that was the only jewish thing there. I hope they have more hanukkah stuff next year. Don't get me wrong though, the party was great. I loved the huge piles and piles of snow. Its weird; I keep having one of those moments when I don't remember the buddies I had at the time. I remember the party was very long and there was that extra week crammed in. I remember how alot of people saw the new years decorations and the newspaper had the yellow and purple hats and everyone thought that it was an item that was coming back. Well, the fireworks were great, and as I mentioned before, people could walk on the water by the iceberg.
(June 20th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi, I am sorry I was so upset before about myself getting banned. I just figured out that it was from bad language and behavior. Anyway, you will see me on my sister's penguin Clonez. I remember telling you about Clonez in the past and I forgot to give more detail in it. Well, my sister made Clonez in November 2006. After that date, she barely played on it and right now, it has very little furniture and other stuff. Clonez was a real lifesavor to me when I was banned. It was my backup penguin and I am glad that my sister made it as early as November so I will get to see at least, some, of my rare items. Nobody looks at me the same on Clonez. It is missing all of the halloween costumes which I miss the nost. Not because it is rare, but because I think it was the most unique. I really, really hope I get the penguin back. I will do whatever it takes, and if that does not work, I am definetaly calling them by phone. It can not end this way.
(June 18th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hello Stow… I got banned forever today. I can't stop crying. I really really hate that good people lose in the end. I know, hacking is a bad thing. Yes, it was a good idea to punish someone about it. But the problem is that they are punishing the wrong person. Why do I have to be punished for the hacker's actions? Yes, it is true that they can't go after them because I don't know who did it, which is a problem. So, let me get this straight: once you get hacked, your doomed. There is no way to undo the hack and so you just pray and pray for a penguin to be able to live through it. You try to avoid it, but it keeps jumping out at you. Thats it! Your done! Can't avoid the problem and in a couple of days it just happens… I don't know if it is possible to undo the problem or not, well I have heard stories about it happening. Must be really hard. I really want to call the place but I don't know the CP phone number. I emailed them about it and I hope they respond fast because I wan't to see you when Rockhopper comes again. What a waste! I totally miss my ghost costume, I'll never see it again…
(June 16th 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi Stowaway. Things keep changing for me. It might be some huge change that everyone notices, or just something small. I have noticed alot of those little changes on CP. Hey, do you remember when penguins were allowed to use the ' on their keyboard? CP got rid of that feature when I did not even notice it. I still don't understand why they take away letters so you can't use them. It does not make any sence. There were a few other changes, then there were the glitch changes. CP got rid of those and I don't know why. I remember the days when everyone was walking on the lighthouse walls. That was the most fun glitch I found. They notice them and take them away. Some changes were by accident, like remember during the christmas party when we were able to walk on the water around the iceberg? They said it was a mistake and got rid of it. Hey, if people are enjoying these kinds of things, they should keep some features.
(June 14th 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi Stow. I know I talk to you alot, but are you my buddy? It is hard to tell who is your friend or who isnt. Just because their on your buddy list does not mean a thing. I have had some really great buddies in the past that I had forgot about. I remember Edefsdefrdd. He was a great friend that I played with in the past who I had forgot about. I remember when we connected igloos and mine was the airport, his was the airplane. We had great times, lots of them. Then, I remember Little Hip. I loved his designs, they were all revolving around the same idea and that is what I like about them. I really like the classical igloos he did. He liked me so much he copyed my penguin to the exact dot. Oh yeah, and then there was Bitteryo: my famous friend I had in December. I had read about him before and I was glad he became my buddy. His site is destroyed now. Some buddies come back, others fade into history. Once they are removed from your buddy list, very unlikely they would be back.
(June 12th, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Hi again Stowaway. Sorry it took so long to write to you today. I just was at graduation from middle school. Anyway, I wanted to talk about Rockhopper with you. I know you were on his ship once, but how does Rockhopper act? I mean, he has came to visit CP many times. I am always wondering how you managed to sneak on his ship with the crowds of penguins and stay there. I know he is coming back to CP during the summer. It is so weird that whenever Rockhopper is in the room, it is always crowded. It is pretty nice that he gives out the eyepatches to the penguins, yet most people dont get them. Less than half of the people don't see him. And from that half the find him, only a quarter are able to get in the room when he is in because of the nosy penguins that hog all the space. Yes, it is a great moment to finally meet him, but I think that everyone should be given an equal chance in this game, except the member-nonmember deal because members pay for extra to recieve extra. It seem like every time I see him, he has that pirate hat and the black beard. I am always wondering when those will be able for penguins to wear. I think that is pretty cool. I met him a couple of times and I put him on my ignore list for tracking purposes. He's a great person. Hope you see him again.
(June 10th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hey, what do you remember more Stow, parties or buddies? Well, for me, I remember the parties the most because it seem as though they are marked on some sort of "timeline." Anyway, I don't remember the buddy part as well, probably because I am having too much fun. But me and my buddies have great memories. They tell me I am funny when I don't even realize it. Lol, I remember when I went in the oven and then the penguin color changed from yellow to orange and I told them I got a tan. I remember having my buddies and I dress up as crazy things. Like, I dressed up as an egg by wearing the ghost sheet and the yellow hard hat! Oh yea, and that time when I made a circle by throwing snowballs on the ground and yelled, "My circle!" Yea, I have lots of great times, but these short memories don't last as long unfourtunately. I can be funny sometimes, yet serious other times. These great moments would not have happened without my buddie's help of encouragement.
(June 8th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi Stowaway. What is your favorite color? I know mine is green. I remember the green color party and how great that was. I remember seeing all of the nonmembers get really mad because they could not go in. Same as all those kind of parties. Anyway, I remember the green paint splattered on the wall and on the floor in the Dojo. Then there was this giant paint bucket and free green capes. I know that I voted for green and not purple during the poll. But if green won, there would be three types of greens and only one purple. I think this was a tough desicion to make, but anyway, everyone loved green in the end and we all had a great time at the party. Especially the great music! All of these member parties turn out the best, and all of them end up with unhappy nonmembers. I think that this is fair to do, because nonmembers paid for less experiance in CP then the members and that is what they get.
(June 6, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi again Stow. More about music in CP. I found the Christmas music in somebody's igloo today and it started to make me cry for some reason because it was such a miracle and whenever I had heard that in the past, it gave me too many memories. I remember it only came out for a shourt period of time. I wish I could record the sound of it so you can hear. I remember way far back when I had that music playing in my igloo, and like everyone else did, they switched to other music, only resulting in it being lost forever. I was really crying because that same music, I had remember from winter break and I felt so much different then. It is so hard to describe how different it was in the past and its almost like I felt warm inside. It would be such a miracle for that music to come back. I remember when it was playing I used to hear voices in the song… or something, yet I can't put it on the notes page because I can't record voice. Anyway, I really enjoyed that short experiance getting to hear the Christmas music again.
(June 4, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hey Stow, my birthday is tomorrow! I can't wait to have my party, its going to be a blast! I should tell you about my sister's penguin Clonez. Clonez joined CP in November. I remember first using Clonez as a nonmember. I also has a Clonez 2 and Clonez 3. I remember in November I went on different computers and signed on those 3 names and sat them right next to each other. I remember people coming up to them and acting all surprised because the names were so close! It was an amazing sight to see. Yet, Clonez is a member, Clonez 2 is banned forever, and Clonez 3 was hacked a million coins and all this other stuff, they are still very close to each other in some way. Anyway, Clonez does not go on Club Penguin as much so you won't see her around. In fact, I think she goes on once a month. If you do see her on, it is probably me, because I know Clonez's password. My sister showed this game to out neighbors and they made 3 penguins: Sissyrockson, Corstenrocks and Flyball. Flyball's banned forever though. Like Clonez, it is a VERY low chance of seeing them on. Oh well, what a waste!
(June 2, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi Stow. There was alot of good music on CP and I really enjoy listening to it. The problem with the parties is that the music disappears forever and you will never get to listen to it again. I really think that is pretty sad that people miss out on it. Its different from parties, because some music stays forever, yet others leave. My favorite music was from the green color party. I remember only that it sounded pretty cool and I was dancing there for ever to the great beat. Too bad I can't have you listen to it because I thought the music would really make everyone dance. Its been forever since I heard it after the party ended. The only piece of it that came back was from the April Fool's Day party. I was so happy, and I bet alot of other people were too because their favorite music had come back. I wish I had pointed it out during that party to my buddies, yet I forgot since I was absorbed into the great music beat. Oh well, nothing lasts forever…
(May 31, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Hi Stow. Theres one thing on CP that has been bothering alot lately. Its only one word: Coins. I remember starting out very rich in coins, and that is because I play games on the site alot. Alot of people I remember in Octbober, have been asking me so many times about how I could afford this. I felt really guilty because they kept thinking that I hack, when I don't. You DO NOT know how hard it is to tell people you don't hack, especially in this position. Me, being rich, having a large expensive igloo, being only a month and a half old, its impossible to get your way out of that situation! For me, I have a goal: earn 10 thousand coins a month. And yes, that has been working for me and I have been doing it all the way up to 80 thousand. Yet at that time I got hacked and lost all my coins. You do not know how furious I was to have lost my life savings I have worked up the past 6 months! Right now, I am only at 20 thousand, I will take for ever to earn back! I just wanted you to know how rich I was in the past.
(May 29, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hey Stowaway. How are you? I really want to talk about buddies with you. I think that it is really hard to remove a buddy from my list. I feel really sad about how they would feel towards me. It is so hard to become everyone's friend. I wouldn't say that I am popular, I just have met lots of nice people. I know that friendship in CP is a hard thing. They pack you in a tight corner where you have no chance in making more friends because you have enough already. I know there as so many people who want to be my buddy, and I want to be theirs, yet the maximum amount is 100. My question is, how do you keep in touch? How do you track the other person down? For me, I remove alot of people so that problem is solved? Wrong; its a really bad idea. I keep hearing people say "you can never have too many friends." Well, not here of course. I think that adding more people to your list is one of the biggest things that needs to be fixed. Even though some people use glitches to get over 100 buddies, what about all of the people that don't know how? I might try and tell me buddies that they will always be my friend, even if they arent on the list. This is just one tough situation…
(May 27, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Hi Stow again. I want to ask you something really important. Have you ever seen anyone on Club Penguin hack? I think its really a big problem that the CP workers need to fix. I don't understand why some penguins have "unlimited" coins to buy furniture while others are still struggling to buy only one peice. There is no attempt by the CP crew to stop people from doing this. There has been this new hack recently where penguin put on more then one clothing item at a time. It actually seems very creepy to watch other penguins wearing more than one. I think that it is very unfair to everyone else and now what? They become popular for going "against the law" in CP? Stowaway, you should never hack, it puts you in a really bad position. I remember when I was hacked furniture by people. I was very upset because now I woud be about to become banned. I have ran into so many incidents of hacking, it is not even funny. Its now going to get easier and easier for people to hack as they find new ways of doing it.
(May 25, 2007) Dear Stowaway,I wonder, Stow, are there any games that you can play on Club Penguin? I am not talking about the ones already made, like sledding or puffle roundup, but the other games; ones you can make on your own. Its kind of weird to think that you are playing a game in a game, or shall I say, playing a game like pizzamaker5000 in CP. Anyway, I think I have made up games in the past. I remember playing hide-and-go-seek with one of my other buddies in the past, I think it was SOS Dark Cat, who was accidentally removed later. Well, the point is that one penguin hides anywhere in CP, it could be behind something or in camouflage within a crowd of people. Then the other seeks, yet does not use the buddy list to help them find him or her. I think that this is a pretty fun "random" game to play with anyone. Do you play any games like that Stow? I know you probably have done this kind of thing once in a while.
(May 23, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hello Stow. I have not been on much this afternoon because I was so busy gardening. Well, I might as well tell more information on myself. I really enjoy gardening; mainly vegetables. I have been doing it alone for the past 5 years in my backyard and I love watching them grow. Last year I planted pumpkins, cucumbers, zucchinis, peppers, tomatoes, carrots, and onions. I also have chives in my backyard that come back every single year for some reason. They grow about a foot and a half, which is pretty tall for them. We had too many of them, so we sold alot and got a huge profit from them. My favorite flower, and only flower I grow are zinnias, which come in a variety of colors and are pretty tall. Anyway, I might be the only boy you know who enjoys gardening. It is just one of those very small fractions of people who enjoy it, and I am part of that. Thats a little more information about myself.
(May 21, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi Stowaway how are you? What was your favorite party in CP? I know mine was the Halloween party! It is such a shame that none of my buddies now were here to see it and it is really worth the wait. Well, during the party the new catalog was updated, as I told you before. My favorite item ame out that day, followed by my second favorite! I love the ghost sheet! It is the only peice of clothing that covers your entire body and I thought that was interesting. Plus, its the only all-white item, so it makes you stand out. My other favorite item was that black mask. Before the catalog came out, I remember seeing CLONE in Club Penguin. He was wearing both of those items, and back then it was VERY rare because the last time it came out was a year ago! I thought the mask was creepy; before I looked at it closer. I remember thinking that it was a smudge of black over their eyes; or mutation, lol. Anyway, the party was really great. I loved the pumpkin replacing the light bulb in the light house! Also, that pumpkin patch in the dock was so cool. I wonder what will change this year. I remember they talked about an eclipse happening, and thats why all of CP was pitch black! It was a great site to see. I wish I took some pictures of it to show you! Oh well, you have to see it to believe it.
(May 19, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hey, do you enjoy seeing the penguins on CP? I should tell you that my favorite animal is a penguin; not because of this game, but I have always liked them in the past. I remember about four or five years ago making comics about penguins. I would love to show them now, but I lost them when my family moved the year after. Right now, I love designing what new rooms would look like in CP or what they would look like during a certain party. I might think about scanning a few pictures to the computer so everyone can see them. You probably don't know, but I really am good at making artwork in school and I have been in art classes for years. I really enjoy doing that kind of thing. Whenever I had to do a report on a certain animal, I would always choose the penguin because I was really fascinated by them back in those days. It was just some weird colincidence that this animal, the penguin, would be the star of a game I have been playing for 8 months already. Some REALLY weird colincidence…
(May 17, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi Stow. Do you have a favorite clothing item in the catalog that you really love to wear? Well I can tell that you only wear a ghost sheet. I really liked when the halloween catalog came out. I remember on the first day of that, Everyone was dressed as clowns and made a huge mob. Also, one clothing item came out that day that started a new army: the gladiator helmet. This item made a new army in CP that is still out today. I remember that one page in the catalog with the ghost sheet, fairy wings, wand and skeleton. That was the first time that the catalog would be updated and not starting from the beginning. You were there Stow, you should know what it was like. It was a shame that the clothing only lasted a month because all of my buddies want it so badly and it makes me frustrated. Sometimes I feel very selfish whenever I put on a rare item. It is just not right to see other people become jealous of you. I know I don't like it, you shouldn't too. That is one problem that has never been disputed and I think that all penguins should have equal opportunities to get items.
(May 15, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Sorry I could not write to you yesterday. I got braces and they hurt so much I could not concentrate on anything! Well, they are still hurting today, just not as much. I want to tell you about the Club Penguin anniversary, because I know you missed it. I remember the day of the party it was in the Coffee Shop, and everyone was trying to cram in there to the the Party Hat. I wonder if the one from last year is ever going to come back. I think it makes penguins stand out more because it is purple and yellow, which are two contrasting colors. Same with the Christmas scarf. Anyway, it really stinks that some of my buddies missed the party because it was on a weekday. That must have been a bummer, since it was one of the best items. I felt very sorry for them and I really wished they had it. It was right before the Halloween party, so it was two parties in a row! I think that the party hat was the best free item out. You should have been there Stow.
(May 13, 2007) Dear Stowaway,You know, I really enjoy writing on this site. Heres some information about me you might want to know. I am not a good writer, but I love to just express feelings and whatever I like. I am not sure exactly what started me with this site. I guess it was because my buddies were starting to do it. My emotions have changed about this and now I feel like I am starting a new kind of writing for the Club Penguin news. I do not really write that much in a journal or a diary because I am a lefty, and as you know, leftys usually smear their words and thats not fun. Typing is the way to go for me. I am not being lazy, I just do not want to start cleaning my hands every so often, plus I want people to read what I write. Out of my family, my sister who plays Clonez and my mother are left handed and my father is right. I have another sister who is older then me, who does not enjoy what Clonez and I do. She likes anime and manga and is obsessed with going to live in Japan. More information to come later about whats on my mind. Thanks for listening.
(May 12, 2007) Dear Stowaway, Have I been writing to you a lot, Stowaway? I am sorry I have not noticed. I know its too much information at a time, but I will slow it down to probably once every two days. Hey Stow, have you heard of Icy Fresh 2? He was a great penguin, and I am guessing you were around at the time. Everyone loved him, yet I think in October or either November. Icy Fresh 2 got banned. I found out about his wordpress a few weeks after I joined. I think he was a really great penguin and I miss going to his web page each day to see what is new. That era is long gone by now and I think Icy was a great writer. Whenever I write on my wordpress, my role model was Icy Fresh because I loved his writing and I try to write alot like he did. It is too bad he was banned, because me (and everyone else) wanted to be his buddy. You are a great penguin too Stow, its just that you never visit anyone on CP. I can not wait for rockhopper to return with you. I will be waiting… waiting for the day…
(May 11th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,I remember my first party was the lighthouse opening party. I think I remember seeing Dootickey there for probably the last time. I made friends; too many friends, and right away I had no room for him. I was a member now, and it was time to take him off my list. I could not bear being with a nonmember because for some reason, they dont mix. The non-members fall behind and can not catch up to us unfortunately. Remember when I said that mammoth was not as crowded then? Well it was getting harder and harder to get in being a nonmember, and that was were all of my member friends were. I do not remember any of their names now because they probably left along time ago. Anyway, during that party, they gave out my first free hat. Before I was proud to have that hat, but now, the majority of the clothing that comes out for penguins is a hat. I feel no use to wear it. Besides, in real life, I never wear a hat unfortunately. During the party I remember the stage. It was nothing like the new stage now; just about two table's length. I remember that the band playing had the exact same instruments as the St Patrick's Day celebration. You should have been to those parties, Stow, they were great. I do not understand why you even decided to go on the ship…
(May 10th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi Stowaway. Running a website is alot of work! Anyways I will explain more about me for you to know. I remember from when I started that I think should have became a member earlier. I was so mad that I did not buy any of the clearence items in the September furniture catalog. I had no clue what I was thinking back then, but now people did not realize how old my penguin was. I know I should have bought those balloons from long ago and also all of the other things. The major problem was that when I started, all of the expensive items were on clearence, so I never had a chance to get them because I was poor back then. My first igloo design was a movie theater. I think that it was pretty bad now that I look back at it, but back then it looked expensive to me. I used the leather couches as the seats. (I own alot of leather couches and I did when I first started) It was so simple though, which bothers me now. Just six couches and one small wall TV: it was the biggest mistake to even advertise for it, but I thought I was ready. Nowadays, people acually want to see my igloo designs and yet it has been hard to change it from all of the pressure. It was a mistake it earned so many coins! Even being a little popular can be tough and I wanted to take that back. I wish I knew how to make just a "normal" igloo: one with no main purpose. Yet I have too many items in storage! Did you ever make a mistake that you really regret? I wonder…
(May 9th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hey Stow, I became a member on September 15, 2006, so that means that my penguin is older then yours! I remember the first day off as a member. Because Dootickey has been a non-member, I began to see him less and less. That really upsetted me because I did not want to lose friends because of this. Anyway after I had bought everything in the clothing catalog, I had noticed that there were still other people that had clothes that werent available. They were wearing the suede jackets, the black sweatshirt,yellow raincoat and much more. As time progressed, these items do not seem as rare as they are now. This is when I first noticed there was a clearence section and that items in there disappear. From this point on, I noticed my rare items. Even after about 7 months, it feels like they are still there, but it will not let you buy them. I miss Dootickey. Hey Stow, do you have a really good friend that you lost along time ago? Well, I am guessing you do because you left on Rockhopper's ship for a few months. I want to see all of those non-member penguins that I abandoned in September. They would be so happy to see me.
(May 8th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hello Stowaway. Today is my sister Clonez's birthday. I will tell you about her later after I talk more about myself. After the first day in CP, I kept noticing all of the penguins wearing red and white striped shirts and kept asking people were they got them. I realize now that this was my first ever free item and the first ever free item featured in the newspaper. You wont know what I am talking about because you came later, but in the news there was a donation of 700 coins to help build the lighthouse. What was really confusing back then was why it would not allow me to get one, and let others. But finally after a couple of tries, I finally got a t-shirt knowing that I did not have enough coins. Duh! There was another thing confusing to me back then. This was when I met Dootickey in CP. Dootickey was my first ever best friend on CP and he was a non-member like me. After playing games in his "empty" igloo, he asked me if I would go to the Dojo with him. Right away I got confused and he said it was at the north part of Club Penguin. The most northern part I knew about was the ski slope and it made me really sad that I did not know how to get there. Now, I realize where it is on the map, and where the iceburg is, but those were the last places I have ever found (the last place was the mine shack)
(May 7th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,How are you Stow? I know its tough being alone on a ship with Rockhopper. More information for you to know about me. When I started in CP, I had no friends at all and it was like the whole world was against me. I was a non-member for the first week I had joined. Everything had been so new to me. All I did for the past week was explore. There were too many things to do there and it seemed so vast. When I finally found the catalog, I tryed to buy clothing items and when I click on each one, the "Oops!" sign kept popping up. At that time, I felt like it would be hard to tell my parents to get membership. I wanted to try it out just for a little while to get the feeling of the game. When I started, I had just turned 13 a few months earlier. Now that I realize it, its like I should not have even gotten involved in this game anyway because of my age group. I kept thinking that I was the right age since before I made a penguin, you choose your age group. I was so proud I was not too old for the game since I was only one category away. I still feel like I should not be involved. My birthday is coming soon and I am going to be 14! And next September I am going to be in High School! Life is not good. Not good at all. I wonder how long it will be until I…
(May 6th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,Hi there Stow, I wanted to tell you a little about myself and right before I joined. My penguin first came to club penguin in September 2006. I would have started about 3 months earlier, but the game would not let me create a penguin. I found out about this website from miniclip.com in about April 2006. Everytime I have visited that game site, I have been seeing the advertisement for the game and wanted to try it out. As I watched the top ten games on miniclip change, Club Penguin kept getting closer and closer to the top. I wanted to try it out, just to see what the game was like, but still I made no name. It was not until September that my family finally got a computer that would accept the game and let me play on it. I wonder when you started playing Stow, I wish I could talk to you.
(May 5th, 2007) Dear Stowaway,This page is a diary that is updated whenever I feel like it. It will be in the form of a diary to the one known as "Stowaway." This page will have whatever I want to talk about it; not like the main page. I am basically just doing this page so that I am open to writing whatever I want and not be limited to just Club Penguin News. You do not have to read this if you want, but this will gave alot of information away about me and clonez. Plus it might talk about some of my buddies too and what is happening in there world. Stay tuned for more information later when this is first updated! I am writing to "The Stowaway" because he is always on Rockhopper's ship and never has a chance to see Club Penguin. I first sent him a note to let him know. I put a note on Rockhopper's ship to get in contact with the stowaway. If you are unsure about who the stowaway is, find more information about the stowaway in the book room and read the story of Him. You will see why I am writing this about Him.