Just for the record

Today, my family watched the Last Day of Summer episode of Phineas and Ferb. I liked it. Apparently, the show actually ended on June 12th, but whatever. Phineas and Ferb is my second favorite Disney series, by a long shot (first is Gravity Falls). That's... all I really have to say. On the offchance that you haven't seen it, go check it out. I think it's all on Netflix. That's all.

Escape Room

Yesterday, my family, two of my mom's friends, Kyle, and I went to The Missing Scientist. It's a game type deal created by Enigma Escape Rooms (I'm not sure if there are rooms out of Boulder). You can find their website here.

The basic plot is that a scientist is missing, but he has invented a machine that could save or doom the world, and the evil university folks are coming to get his stuff. Seriously. In addition to the thrilling plot, you (along with seven other people) are locked in a room, and have to use clues, solve puzzles, and find secrets to escape in sixty minutes. It is maybe one of the most fun experiences I've ever had.

As for completion, we very nearly made it. Seriously, we missed one hint, which led to another hint, which would have made us win. About 25% of people are able to win, so I think we were in the top 30%. The person hosting it said we were one of the best groups.

For those of you thinking about playing the escape room, which should be all of you, here is a HINT (NOT A SPOlLER): Fully unscrew the grate. That's what did us in, and we couldn't figure out what to do in the last five minutes.

For the other 55 minutes, though, we had a blast. 'Tis really a great experience. Try it. Seriously. Go sign up. NAO!

Ahem. Sorry about that. It's just... so good.

Well, the last two paragraphs have been saying basically the same thing, so that probably means I don't have much left to say. Bye!

On Disliking Books

I've decided to stop reading Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. I got to Chapter 52 out of 122.

I'm kinda sad that I don't like it, because the premise is so cool. Harry Potter is going to Hogwarts, but was raised by scientists. It doesn't sound like you can go wrong.

And the book is good, I guess. I like the experiments Harry enacts. I like what he does and doesn't discover. I like that the spells really do need you to say things just the right was for them to work. I like how the characters react to Harry the Scientist. I like the battle games.

The problem I have is simple. I don't like any of the characters. There isn't a single character that, looking in from the outside, I would want to be friends with. This is why Harry Potter and the Methots of Rationality is the fourth book I have ever disliked.

The first book I disliked was The Borrowers, because it was boring, but the concept was okay. The second was Great Expectations, which was also boring, but at least we had Joe. The third was The Life of the Cosmos, because it was boring, but it doesn't have characters to dislike. This makes HPMOR (an acronym for the Potter book) the first book I have disliked that wasn't boring.

Textbooks and workbooks don't count to me because they do a different thing. Even nonfiction books have to engage the reader, and many do, whether or not they have a narrative. At least they are engaging enough to keep them on the "meh" list and off the dislike list.

No textbooks, workbooks, or schoolbooks will ever be on that list. To me, talking about disliking textbooks along with other books is like saying you aren't good friends with ceiling fans, or that alarm clocks are your least favorite drink. It doesn't make sense, that's not what they're supposed to do.

Anyways, enough about that. I need to sleep. Good night!

Just for the record

Today I slept until about 1:00 even, getting lost on my way down a mountain, navigating traps, forgiving villains, and befriending and managing odd creatures, such as squirrels that ate and replanted whole trees.

Yesterday, I started reading Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.

Yesterday, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality finished updating.

Yesterday, I worked on my big project, and got a lot done. I still have a lot to do.

That's all.

Under mountains of water

It was Friday the Thirteenth, March, 2015. I was out on a run, which was one of the options for P.E.. There was only one week left before spring break, and two big projects were due the upcoming Monday, along with two tests. Those thoughts weren't even crossing my mind, though.

I was running around Veelee Lake and looking at the sky. Recently, I'd been reading a book that had been brought to my attention by Vsauce. It was called "In Search of the Multiverse," and was considerably better written than "Life of the Cosmos". The first chapter of "In Search of the Multiverse" (as far as I had read) was about quantum physics and sounded very interesting. The author had also written a book called "Schrödinger's Kittens," which I had seen before on Amazon, but not clicked on because the cover didn't interest me. It was a book about different interpretations of quantum mechanics, and it sounded interesting.

That is sort of what I was thinking about as I looked upwards. As I gazed into the sky, I saw mountains of water, composed perhaps of billions of trillions of little jiggling molecules, held up by air pressure. I thought of the sun, peeking through the clouds, providing the earth with heat from its giant furnace, pulling it inward with its gravity, which was insignificant in the eyes of the universe.

As I happily walked along, I saw a small island that could be easily jumped to. As I ran to it, I slid and fell on my back. Pain shot to my brain, in the form of electricity zapping through nerves. I struggled to breathe, but eventually got up. I walked back to school and washed the mud off my gym shirt.

There were still a few minutes left of class, so I decided to go get a bit more on my heart rate monitor. I went outside, and was stopped by two baseball players. One was trying out for the team, and the other one was making fun of his weak pitch. I told them that at least he pitched better than me, and I kept walking. Noticing my shoe was untied, I bent down and fixed it, wondering if knot theorists had made a more secure knot that was easy to tie and undo. Pondering this, I walked into a field and started running.

When my heart was beating over 180 times per minute (according to the smal device which measured electrical pulses), I walked to the fence to rest. A wolf spider was hiding in the grass. I mused about the habits of wolf spiders, seeing another one nearby. Then, something I had never seen before caught my eye. A baby wolf spider, perhaps less than two millimeters in length, just a speck, scurried across a blade of grass, which was like a large green plane for it. Before I had finished marveling at the baby, my watch beeped twice, reminding me to run. I went back inside, then prepared to leave for home.

As I left I saw a ladybug.

Reset

Just for the record, the universe reset today. WhenI was about to get off of the bus this morning, everything was different. I think it had something to do with the colors, which were all brighter, more saturated. Anyways, don't worry about it. That's all I have to say.

These are a few of my favorite things

So, when I was 11, I created a post of my favorite things. Now, at the age of 15, I will refill (or refresh? Update? I'm not sure what the correct word would be) all of those things, and add some more areas. Without further ado:

My favorite computer game is now Minecraft, although I still love Spore. I really like how personalized Minecraft can be, what with maps and textures and all that. 

My favorite actor is still Nigel Marven, as I haven't really been keeping up on movies. 

My favorite narrator is now Morgan Freeman. David Attenborough has been dethroned. 

It should be "You've probably never heard of either of them."

My favorite movie is "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", because it is a story about an ordinary daydreamer going and doing awesome things. It is a movie that says you can do anything you want, so long as you have the guts to do it. Also, it is really funny, especially the bit with the shark.

I have become much more deceicive about my favorite book, and finally formed an opinion in seventh grade (shortly after I wrote my previous post). My first favorite book was "The Thirteen-and-a-half Lives of Captain Bluebair," which is a long, epic story of a blue bait in a strange land that I recommend you all read. The second is "Skullduggery Pleasent," because it uses exactly the kind of humor I love, so much so that I was actually guessing some of the jokes before I read them.

I've become a lot more of a music person, and I listen to more stuff now. My favorite band right now is probably "Postmodern Jukebox" and I have a playlist of songs that have, at one point, been my favorite. The latest one is "living in the moment" by Jason Mraz.

My favorite bookstore is STILL Borders. I don't care if it went bankrupt.

My favorite restaurant is The Walnut Cafe. My favorite food is still bacon, and it probably always will be. My favorite pie is still pumpkin pie, and my favorite candy is still candy corn.

My favorite animal is now the cat, my second favorite animal is the mantis shrimp. My favorite imaginary animal is the flightless arboreal trilobite.

I'm not sure if I have a best friend anymore, but if I did, it would still be Kyle.

My favorite toys are still Legos, on account of me not playing with toys much anymore. My favorite series is still  Primeval, because it's just that good. My favorite YouTuber is... huh, I've been spending more time on YouTube than is healthy. I think I have to go with Vsauce, because it is three channels in one and it might have been one of the first channels I've ever watched.

Now for new stuff. My favorite year was 2012, for many reasons, including the end if the world. My least favorite year was 2014, because my Freshman year marked the end of the golden age.

My favorite book series is Artemis Fowl, although for a long time it was The Spiderwick Chronicles. My favorite webcomic is Romantically Apocalyptic, because omgsquee.

My favorite extinct reptile is the elaphrosaurus, because of its giant afro. Where did you think it got its name?

Well, that's all I can think of for now. The future me will create more categories. Good night!