Holiday Challenge!

Can you name ALL the verses for the song that goes like this...
"On the # day of Christmas, my true love gave to me..."
Leave a comment with the gifts that "my true love gave to me" in the final verse of the song which is on the 12th day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 12...11...10......1...
Or send an email to asklittlestar@gmail.com
Good Luck!

Happy Holidays!

Little Star is going on holiday break...even though her school is not getting out until tomorrow the 23. Stupid county superintendent. He really is stupid though, spending money on a huge amount of assistants (for him) and cutting down the schools' budgets affecting teachers, classroom sizes, student to teacher ratios, after-school activities, and sports. Now, tell me if you've met a stupider person in charge and I'll say unless it's Bush and his administration, you're wrong.

Yes, I'll admit it, I'm a democrat. Actually no, I'm not because I can't vote yet. But I don't support what the Bush administration's done to our nation's soft power in the world (hegemony - affects how we influence other nations) or what they've done to our economy (let's see, how much in debt is the USA in now...? Hmm. Lemme think. NOT. We're in serious debt, recession, our stock market affects global stock markets. We're NOT isolated anymore. What happens in America doesn't stay in America. This could lead to a GLOBAL ECONOMY DISASTER! A GLOBAL depression. What got us out of the Great Depression? WWII. Is there another WWIII in the future, I sure darn hope not.)

Anyways, done with my little rant.

Happy Holidays! (See, see! I'm politically correct! Not saying Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or Have a Nice Kwanzaa or have a nice winter break - for agnostics/atheists. Nope, I'm saying...)

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!!!! and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Little Star

Places to go, people to see

Just realized, I took down my list of places to go...
I'm bringing them back, but in a post for two reasons -

1. I can come back later and put them into the sidebar.
2. Now, I've truly updated my blog with a new post! :)
   

Here they are, back up again in a post!
Well, no. Actually there is a lot of sites. And I don't feel like getting the urls for each and every one of them. So, I'm showing you a great site with tons of deals, though it's been inactive for about 2 years now, and has a list of most of the sites I like to visit.
Ask My Paul
Yup, it's the one on my blog-reel. If you click on it, just scroll down and look to the left hand side. There's a whole bunch of sites including (though not limited to): Amazon, eBay, Google news, and more!

Another of my faves: For Better or For Worse - it's great. It has a great story line that hooks you. It changes and ages with the years unlike Baby Blues or Garfield. It is actually a story, but not a story. It "zooms" in for certain events, and others it just bypasses without too many panels or strips for that event.

I know, I know, it's childish, but these animals are gosh darn cute! Webkinz is a great business enterprise, selling you a stuffed animal at such a high price for online access! It's essentially building off of another favorite of mine - for free (though some things can be accessed with actual money): Neopets.

I'm a firm believer in the Chinese century. The 19th century was British, the 20th century was American, and I believe the 21st century will be a Chinese century. To keep up with that thought, here's a site that is in English and essentially gives you the breakdown on what is happening in China. Even if you're not like me, isn't it always good to know what's going on in the world, sometimes from another country's persepctive?

I'm sure I'll come up with more later, but for now, good night!
Little Star

HOORAY!!! A GREAT RANDOM THOUGHT!!!

I know, I know, this is completely random, but HEY! THAT'S WHAT Ask Little Star IS FOR!!!
Well, at least partially.
I'm sooooo excited! My birthday's coming up in December!!!
I told you it was random!
:D
:D
:D
But I just had to announce it to the world!
Don't you feel that way about your birthday! At least, you did when you were younger. But hey, who said we had to grow up completely by high school?!?! Or even past that!
I think we should always keep a bit of our childhood alive no matter what.

SO HAPPY!
SO tired... G'nite!

Counting down the days,
Little Star

Black Friday!!!

As a follow up to my Turkey Day 2008 post, here's the Black Friday 2008 post!!!
I love Black Friday. I really and truly honestly do. I love the midnight madness of staying up late after eating sooooo much food then getting into a car and driving to either many stores one after another or one BIG mall!
What better way to work off all those calories and fats you ate?
Personally, I like the stores that open at midnight better than those that open "early" (aka - 5-6 am). It's easier to stay awake (for me) than to get up early after getting a few hours of rest.
I've already got a list of stores that I want to go to, most involve BIG SALES and SAVINGS!!!
:)

So, if you're looking for some exercise after Turkey Day, Black Friday shopping combines aerobic activities with weight lifting. You get to build up leg AND arm muscles, lung capacity, and endurance. You also get to exercise your mind! "If it's X amount before, with a Y% off, then the new price is Z!!!"

So, HOORAY TO BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPING!!!
Little Star

Happy Turkey Day!!!!

Happy Turkey Day all!!!
I'm so happy that we have a break this weekend, this year feels like it's been crawling along, then all of a sudden - BOOM! KAPOW! BAM! KABOOM!!!! We're almost at the end of 2008.
As you get older, you feel as thought it's all slipping by faster and faster.
At the end of 5th grade, I was thinking, "OH BOY! Middle school! Oh yeah, and like 7 years until university."
At the end of 8th grade, I was thinking, "OH SHOOT! High school! Oh my, 4 more years until university."
At the end of 9th grade, the thought was, "OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS! ONLY 3 MORE YEARS!!!!"
By the time you get through half of sophomore year, you're thinking, "Okay, I need to start thinking about scholarship prerequisites, must get in internship, summer school, and volunteering time."
Add to the time factor the social pressures of being a teenager and you have the recipe for acne and stress and lack of sleep and KABOOM!!!!

Pop goes the teenager!


:)
and with that thought,
I go to help cook the Turkey Day food!
mmmm, smells wafting through the house, I'm already hungry!!!
Little Star

Roman Epitaphs...

I know, I know. Halloween has past so all the ghostly/ghoulish/death-related things should be done. But, I have Roman epitaphs for you!!!
Epitaphs: epi (on) and taphos (tomb) --- originally Greek, but I can't get the Greek letters on the blog so... sorry.
These epitaphs were found on elaborate graves - some even including dining areas so the living could dine on the festival days for the dead...right where their dead family members were buried!
The Romans had 2 laws about burial:

1. Let no bone show above the ground.
2. Let no bodies be buried within the city walls.

And so, in the cities, the dead were buried in elaborate tombs lining the roads leading to the city, starting at the city walls and (sometimes) stretching for miles on end. There were many different types of tombs, some were made for freedmen/freedwomen and their families, others were for the rich person's family and descendants. The rich people's tombs were obviously more elaborate than the poor people's were. Many poorer people joined burial societies, where, for a small monthly fee, they had companionship throughout their life and a decent burial.

SO, care to test your Latin skills? Yeah, I didn't think so. Fine, I'll give you the translations.

1. The Obvious: Sumus mortales, non sumus immortales --- We are mortals, we are not immortals.
   
2. The Weird: Rogo te, viator, monumento nil male feceris. Ne quis hic urinam faciat. --- I ask you, traveler, do no bad to this monument. Don't let anyone make urine here.
3. The True: Quod tu es, fui. Quod nunc sum, tu eris. --- What you are, I was. What I am now, you will be.
4. The Most-Well Known: Requescat in pace. --- Let one rest in peace.

#4 is known to us as R.I.P and is found on all tombstones sold as Halloween decorations!

Well, I hope you all had a Happy Halloween!!!

University and Scholarships

Hmmm, I know, there are some that tell me: "University? Already? You're insane!" or "Scholarships? What, are you going to university next year or something! No! You're insane!"
Well, yeah.
It's never to early to start! Oh, and jobs, internships, and volunteer hours!!!
Yay! I got an Academic Letter (3.8 GPA or higher!)!! That's one more thing to add to my resume!
"Wait, resume?"
Yeah, it's a great thing, always keep it updated!!!
Wow, this was a totally random post...

AP Computer Science woes

AP Computer Science...supposedly an easy class.
THEY LIE!!!!!
It's not easy. If anything, it's time-consuming, difficult, and going to give me a bad grade and bring my GPA down.
ARGH!

Ok, time to go back to coding.
Little Star

Witty Quotes #3

Different opinions about the computer and the digital revolution from many people we have never heard of and others whom we hear far too much about. Mostly from people we have never heard of though!
:)
I know, there's a lot. But trust me, they're all pretty much true!
:P

1. "The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers." - Sydney J. Harris
2. "Computers are magnificent tools for the realization of our dreams, but no machine can replace the human spark of spirit, compassion, love, and understanding." - Louis Gerstner
   
3. I think it's fair to say that personal computers have become the most empowering tool we've ever created. They're tools of communication, they're tools of creativity, and they can be shaped by their user." - Bill Gates
4. "Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog." - Doug Larson
5. "To err is human - and to blame it on a computer is even more so." - Robert Orben
6. "A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing." - Emo Philips
7. "The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
8. "People think computers will keep them from making mistakes. They're wrong. With computers you make mistakes faster." - Adam Osborne
9. Computers make it easier to do a lot of things, but most of the things they make it easier to do don't need to be done." - Andy Rooney
10. "Think? Why think! We have computers to do that for us." - Jean Rostand
11. "Why is it drug addicts and computer aficionados are both called users?" - Clifford Stoll

So, next time you're on your computer, remember that if you treat it with love and care, it will love and care for you back and will not cause too many problems.
[Little Star says: "Results may vary"]
:)

Little Star

Random Question

Why the heck isn’t Pluto a planet?
Pluto sits patiently waiting to swing his orbit closer to the sun than Neptune for that small part of his year. Then, Pluto (Hades), down in his Underworld, celebrates the one time a year (for his planet) that Neptune (Poseidon - his brother and God of the Seas/Oceans) and Jupiter (Zeus) can't mock him for being the absolute farthest planet from the sun.

Then, all of a sudden, KABOOM!

Pluto receives notice:
"You are no longer a planet, please hand in you Planetary License. You, PLUTO, are now restricted from all rights/privileges listed in Planetary guide and associated with being a planet including, but not limited to: the Annual Planetary Gala [and by annual, we mean Earth years] and the Planetary Parking Lot parking pass renewal and use.
Thank you for your cooperation.
Astronomers of Earth"

How would you feel?! Imagine how poor Pluto sits down in his Underworld with only Proserpina (Greek = Persephone and Hades) there to comfort him...and only for half a year! Neptune and Jupiter have probably gathered to mock Pluto in front of all of his subjects.

The injustice of it all!
Hmph!


Just a random thought/question.
Little Star

UPDATE ON FLOODING

Shucks.
Apparently, the storm drain unclogged and the flood plain...de-flooded (for lack of a better word).
:(

Just a random thing...

BTW, since school has started, and this year is harder than last year, I won't be blogging as often...
:)
Also, just an update, I'm probably not going to be able to get into AP Chemistry. Very sad. That's another reason why I won't be blogging much, I'll be working on writing code for AP Computer Science.
:(

On another note, it's raining really, really hard! I went outside to play with my friend in the rain and within two minutes, I was completely soaked...and freezing cold. In addition, there's a storm drain and a flood plain in the area right behind my house.
Four years ago, around fall of 2004 to 2005, the storm drain clogged up and the flood plain filled with water. During the fall months, my dad would take his windsurfer out onto the "lake" and just surf around. That winter, it froze and we were able to skate on it! It was like we owned lakefront property in the middle of a suburban area!!! But then some dumb person went and blabbed to the Homeowner's Association and they unclogged it before summer of 2005.
>.<

However, this year, it seems as if the storm drain has clogged again!!!
YAY! Lakefront property...again!!!!
Let's just hope they don't unclog it until after we've skated on it. Actually, hopefully, they don't unclog it until summer!
Why summer, you ask? Since it's still water (aka, no current because it's not a river!), it's a wonderful breeding spot for mosquitoes. I get allergic reactions to mosquitoes, so that's not a good thing for me...

Anyways, off to go watch as the plain floods,
Little Star

Olympics!

Now that the most expensive, largest, greatest display of Olympic spirit, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has come to an end, we must take a look back at the triumphs and despairs.
Here's the International Olympic Committee website.
And, I'm lazy. So, here are links to articles, slideshows, and photos of these.
To start it all of, here's a story of true Olympic Spirit (Yahoo): Somalia's Runners.
Slideshow of Photos (Reuters):

• Rhythmic Gymnastics (Worldwide)
  
• Redeem Dream Team (USA)
• Olympic Best
• Closing Ceremonies

Okay, I'm sorry, but I'm tired and mad. Not at the Olympics.
Here's a site to get you started on slideshows of Olympic Moments: NBC Olympics Photos.
Off to rant in the next post,
Little Star

Michael Phelps!

8 for 8!!!
Can you believe it! In our parent's lifetime, two Olympians set the greatest records: the most Olympic gold medals!
Mark Spitz - 7 for 7!
And the newest record holder:
Michael Phelps - 8 for 8 in the 2008 Olympics that started on 8/8/08!!!
Just something I forgot, so know I'm adding in: 8 for 8 in the 2008 Olympics that started on 8/8/08 at 8:00!!!
Coincidence? Luck? Who knows?
Amazing. Just pure amazement.
Little Star

BEACH!!!

So, if any of you were following along really, really, really closely to my blog, you may have noticed at the bottom of the home page a message in which I let you all now that I was at summer school.
Summer school chemistry...just so I can take AP chemistry during high school and one year earlier than most kids.
But, now, I'm free! I'm really, really free!
And, I'm at the beach! The salt water, the sand, the surf...the pool.
:)
Yes, we're renting a beach house on Pine Island near Corolla (North Carolina) and it's a ginormous house. I'm talking 8 rooms, 6 of them are masters with ensuite bathrooms, and a kitchen, a kitchenette (a mini kitchen in the ground floor), a games area, a loft area, a pool, a hammock, and a porch on each level above ground (2 levels).
That's a lot. Well, a lot compared to my house. :D
So far, we've been eating, sleeping, swimming, and riding the waves on boogie boards. No surfing for me! :)
Anyways, if the posts are slowing down, I'm on vacation!

Going to catch a wave,
Little Star

I remembered my post idea! Beijing Mascots

I'm sure all of you are watching the Beijing Olympics at the moment, but in case you aren't, here's what I picked up last summer on my trip to China about the Fu Wa.
Fu Wa = Lucky Dolls (mascots)
For each of the mascots there's a very well thought out reason for why they look the way the look. If you want the real descriptions, skip this and go to the bottom of this POST. NOT BLOG. :) Otherwise, read on!

The five mascots and a quick description:

1. Beibei - Female. The blue Olympic ring. Mascot for water sports. Fish = prosperity
   
2. Jingjing - Male. The black Olympic ring. Mascot for strength sports. Panda = happiness
3. Huanhuan - Male. The red Olympic ring. Mascot for ball sports. Olympic Torch = passion of sport
   
4. Yingying - Male. The orange Olympic ring. Mascot for track and field (agility). Tibetan Antelope = health (strength of body)
5. Nini - Female. The green Olympic ring. Mascot for gymnastics. Swallow = traditional kite design = good luck

For more on these amazing Fu Wa, and trust me, it's a lot more complex, check out the official Beijing Olympics website for the Fu Wa: The Official Mascots of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. And yes, it's in English for those of you less skilled in reading Chinese.
:P

Watching the Olympics,
Little Star

Witty Quotes #2...and some other great topic that i just forgot.

I was going to blog about some other amazing topic..but I forgot it. So, another Witty Quote post!
:)

1. "A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down." (Arnold H. Glasow)
2. "Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down." (Oprah Winfrey)
3. "Friendship... is not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything." (Muhammad Ali)

If you haven't figured it out yet, Friendship is the topic of today's witty quotes!
:)

It's summertime, go hang out with your friends!
Little Star

Witty Quotes #1

Hopefully, now that I have added Witty Quotes posts to my blog, I'll have more motivation to frequently update the blog. Witty Quotes are just quotes and sayings I've found, or heard, or just think are great. Some will make you smile, some will have you agreeing, and some will have you splitting your gut laughing (hopefully).
So, every now and then, hopefully, I'll update.

Today's Witty Quotes:

1. Rules are like paperclips: Meant to keep things together, fun to bend, and easily twisted out of shape.
2. If you have to fight fair, fight fair; If you have to fight dirty, you'd better win.
3. "I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down at us. Pigs treat us as equals." (Winston Churchill)

That's all for now!
Little Star

Sibling Summer Woes

Summertime woes, every sibling has gone through it at one point or another. You know, it's that "I CAN'T STAND ANOTHER SECOND IN YOUR PRESENCE, NOW GO AWAY OR ELSE!" feeling.
Well, I'd like to hear your sibling woe stories, so if you've got any at all, just send me an email!
Here's mine:
You know those kind of people that keep their emotions all stored away? Who just simmer and simmer and finally, one day, just EXPLODE!!!
Yup, that's me.
So, since last year, I haven't had a single large explosion, which means...I'm a ticking time bomb. You'd think little brothers would learn after 11 years of being my sibling that when I'm mad, I'm REALLY MAD! So, it's probably not the smartest thing for them to be bugging me and annoying me, and making me MAD!!!
So, how do I get back at him?
Simple. I have money, he doesn't. I can buy candy and treats, he can't.
Oh, by the way, did I mention I have a sweet tooth the size of Canada? I LOVE Twizzlers (Pull-and-Peel are the best! Either cherry or strawberry, both are good), Hot Tamales (I can't stand spicy foods, but I adore spicy cinnamon!), and, in general, red candy (if you've ever wondered, yes, RED is the color of strong emotions - check back for a colors post)!
And my brother has a sweet tooth almost as large as mine, but he likes anything sugary and sweet and pure sugar (pixie stix!).
So, when I buy candy and he can't have any...let's just say it's SWEET revenge!
:)
Though, I still feel like hitting something...it's just now instead of my brother being the possible target, I aim for my angry pillow. I use it to scream into when I'm frustrated, punch when I'm mad, and sleep when I'm tired of being angry! Another great thing to try is any of the Super Smash Bros. Melee/Brawl games. It's surprisingly enjoyable to whack that big fat Wario or Bowser off the screen. Of course, you could always try the "tried-and-true" method of physical exercise to get rid of stress, but where's the fun in that?!
;)

So, if you've got a sibling summer woe, send an email! I'll try to publish two or three of them, so PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE send me your sibling summer woe!

Off to relax and not be mad,
Little Star

How To...Take on the World!

Guess what?!
There's actually a site that caters to all your How-To questions. Unfortunately, it's not this site, but very close! Well, not really.
Ever heard of Wikipedia? It's the encyclopedia anyone can edit. Now, there's also a site called wikiHow: The site YOU can edit and like Wikipedia, you can edit and add to it!
When you visit the site, just type in whatever you're looking for and BOOM! there's all your results. People offer their take on How-To do many things from the extravagant-only-for-the-really-serious How-To ideas to the simple "How to find a lost object" and everything in between.

If you've ever felt like tackling your own home DIY, but aren't sure how to...or the TV is broken and you can't watch HGTV or Food Network or wherever you're looking, just check any of the Internet's vast amount of resources.
Here's a head start: How to Search the internet
There's tons more at wikiHow if you just type in what you're looking for!

Off to find out how to DIM (Do It Myself),
Little Star

How To...

In my last post, I kept on hinting at this post with ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle. This is the first of the How To... posts in connection with the Going Green posts. Check these posts to find out how you can
GO GREEN!!!

Make Your Own Reusable Bag!
There are two ways of making a reusable bag: decorating a bag, or actually making one. The first, decorating, is pretty simple. Essentially, just get an old bag (I prefer those canvas ones that you can get for free at special events), some fabric paint, fabric scraps, ribbon, buttons, anything you want to put on your bag. Then, decorate away!
The second is a little more challenging. To actually make a bag, you could visit different sites for their takes on how, but I prefer to use shorts/skirts I've outgrown. However, just remember, to be truly eco-friendly, try sewing this project by hand!
First, before altering the skirts/shorts in any way yet, decide what material you want your handles to be. If you have long skirts/shorts, you could cut off one inch of fabric from the bottom as a handle. Otherwise, another strip of one inch fabric or one-inch-wide ribbons (doubled together for strength on each handle) would work. Now, you're ready to begin making the bag!
I like to use my old skirts because they are already in the bag shape. For shorts, you can rip/cut apart the inseams (the inside seams forming the legs of the shorts) and resew them together to make it into a skirt shape. Then, flip your skirt/skirt-shaped-shorts inside out and sew together the bottoms. Make sure you use strong thread because this seam will have to hold whatever you put into your bag. If you are using denim, a good alternative to regular thread is either strong twine, maybe a leather string, or even fishing wire paired up with one of those two. Make sure that you go back and forth across this new seam a couple of times to make sure that the thread won't come out.
Next, if the bag shape has buttons/zippers on the top, you could either sew it together, or leave it as is for a unique touch. Finally, it's time to sew on the handle. Once again, keeping the bag flipped inside out, sew the handles on either side of the opening. This part is where you get to choose where to position the handles, it's up to you!

Cool Yourself Down!
First, gather a few plastic cups that you can get with the kiddy-meals at restaurants such as Olive Garden, Macaroni Grill, or T.J.I. Fridays just to name a few. Then, you can either mix up a pitcher of Kool-Aid or use another type of fruity, sweet juice. Pour as much juice as you want your popsicle to have into the cup and place either a spoon, a few straws close to eachother, a craft popsicle stick, a bunch of chopsticks, anything that can hold the weight of the popsicle. Place the cups with the spoon/straws/sticks inside your freezer and let sit for at least one day. Finally, pull them out, cut open the plastic (recycle the plastic!!!) and enjoy!
WARNING: The popsicles may melt in warm temperatures (aka fancy talk for they will melt if you do not eat them fast enough); please use a bowl/cup to catch all dripping liquids (or else you'll have stained clothes faster than you can say, "I'm melting" really dramatically)!

Enjoy being eco-friendly and keep your eye out for more GREEN posts!
Little Star

Going Green

Well, on Tuesday April 22, we celebrated Gaia, Mother Nature, Mother Earth, anything else you wish to call our lovely planet. Connecting with my previous water quality post, Earth Day was all about the Earth! How many people did something that dealt with the Earth and cleaning it up on Tuesday?
If you weren't able to, that doesn't matter. Earth Day can be everyday! With large brand-names going green, new cars being developed to be more green, everything around is showing the effects of Earth Day. If you want to join the global fight against pollution and the wasting of energy, here are ways to help:

Section A. Your Home
Not just a place to eat in, sleep in, and live in, your home is also one of the places where you could be using the most energy! Here are some tips to help keep your home green.

1. Recycle! Any old newspapers, magazines, or bottles lying around? Toss them into your recycling bin! No recycling program in your area? Talk to your town/city council or your Homeowner's Association about starting a program!
2. Reuse! Instead of brown-bagging your lunch everyday and using tons of Ziploc bags for your sandwiches, buy or make your own lunch bag. How do you make your own lunch bag? Check the next post for some great ideas! Use reusable containers to store your food in order to cut down on the number of plastic bags going into the trash everyday! Did you know that it takes a long, long, long time (over 100 years according to some sources) for one single plastic bag to decompose? Now multiply that by the number of plastic bags in the trash...and well...that's a lot.
3. Reduce! When you're not in the room, turn off the lights. Everyone keeps telling you to turn off the light, but you think, what's one lightbulb going to do to the environment. Well, if you think that, there's probably a lot more people with the same thought. If everyone does their part no matter how small, a lot of energy is going to be conserved. Some sources say that if everyone turns off the lights they are using, it could be the equivalent of taking about 41 thousand cars off of the road. Taking shorter, cooler showers (especially as we head into summer) saves water as well as the energy it takes to warm up the water for the shower. Keep the AC use as low as possible, instead of keeping the whole house chilly, close bedroom doors and turn off the upstairs AC until night time when you'll be spending the whole night upstairs. In the day, turn off the AC if no one is home and have the AC turn on when you get home. Drinking lots of water keeps you healthy and cooled down! Make your own popsicles by using those plastic cups you get at T.G.I Fridays and other places to cool you down. Check the next post for instructions.

Check back for more ways to recycle, reuse, and reduce!
Until next time,
Little Star

Spring Break

Okay, well, my Spring Break is about to end...but, I still feel as though it's summer vacation. This false sense of "being done with school" lures you into thinking that the school year is over and you get to relax. Then, all of a sudden, BAM, you're back where you started, wishing for school to end...but this time, something's a little different. Your teachers start cracking down harder and harder on tests/quizzes/homework. Soon, you find yourself weighed down by text books and binders and English reading assignments and science projects and trigonometry homework every night! Well, maybe not trigonometry every night, but STILL!!!
Before you know it, SOL exams and SAT exams and final exams are next week...uh oh!
Where did all that time go...?
So, no matter what happens over spring break, remember four short words: RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.
Everything in life follows these four words: your worst nightmare (wake up as fast as you can before...!), tests/exams (synonym = stress), coffee shops (Starbucks on every street corner I see!), ice cream (yum! you can never have too much sugar!), corner bakery (heavenly smells waft out of these bakeries), Costco (pretty much as popular as Starbucks - one in every town/city), shopping mall (um, they're kind of everywhere whether or not you actually visit them, but there's a lot of different kinds of shopping mall like....blah...blah...blah..), pool (open Memorial Day - Labor Day...enjoy them while you can, but wear sunscreen! Nobody wants to be as red as a lobster or inflict skin cancer on themselves), true love (does such a thing exist? apparently some of us have not found it yet), vacation (right now, looking forward to the summer vacation), change (if change is right around the corner, and change is nature, then nature is right around the corner, too), seasons (ever hear about those fairies that bring the season's changes)...I could go on and on and on and on and on...
Anyways, when you're having fun in Tahiti or Hawaii or Colorado's Aspen Ski Resort or the still-bone-shockingly-cold beach, or just at home, remember those four words...
...and live as vivaciously* as you can while you can...
...then buckle down to more work until SUMMER VACATION arrives!
Living vivaciously,
Little Star
*vivaciously: coming from the Latin root - "viva" meaning life!

Check out this website for the ...
REAL STORY!!! (or at least part of it)
http://www.cogwriter.com/valentine.htm

Here's the version that we are taught in Latin class...

Even the old World Book Encyclopedia (Valentine's Day . 19. 1966, pp.205-206) states,

...the customs of this day nothing to do with the lives of saints. They probably come from an ancient Roman festival called Lupercalia which took place every February 15. The festival honored Juno, the Roman goddess of and marriage, and Pan, the god of ...The Romans celebrated their feast as a lovers' festival for young people. Young men and women chose partners for the festival by drawing names from a box...After the spread of Christianity, churchmen tried to give Christian meaning to the pagan festival. In 496, Pope Gelasius changed the Lupercalia festival of February 15 to Saint Valentine's Day 14. But the sentimental meaning of old festival has remained to the present time. Historians disagree about the identity of "Saint Valentine". ...Priests...ran around striking all the women the met (Lupercalia. Volume 12. 1966, p.456).

However, in Latin class, we learned that Lupercalia was originally for "sacrificing" to the gods to protect them from wolves...

Oh well, it's up to you to decide what you like...

Little Star

February = ...

Groundhog's Day!
Chinese New Year!
Valentine's Day!
My brother's Birthday!
Harvard Debate Tournament!
(Lincoln and Washington's birthdays)
President's Day!

Does anyone know the real story of Valentine's Day??

The real story...is coming as soon as I check these sources...sit tight, don't move, I'll get the real story (or stories)...
soon.

:)
Little Star

Feeling Charitable?

Your favorite charity...may need money. And...there may be a way to give it to them without actually drawing money out of your weekly shopping allowance.

What if your favorite charity earned a penny every time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its advertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo, and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including (and definately not limited to) American Eagle, Pac Sun, Hot Topic, Best Buy, J. Crew, ebay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with GoodShop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.

Just go to www.goodsearch.com for more information and be sure to enter your favorite charity as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread the word!

Still got doubts? There are tons of places to read more about GoodSearch: the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal.

Off to raise money and finish homework,
Little Star

Sqeesh...putty for sale!

Well, I guess Ask Little Star has now become one of those blogs that make you want to buy stuff!

How many of you have ever owned/wanted that Putty in an egg?! What about heat sensitive putty?? Well, for only five bucks, you can get one bag of Squeesh, the ultimate putty fun! One bag creates a ball of putty about the size of an egg - it will fit in the average child/teen's palm!!!

What can you do with Squeesh? Well, if your hands get cramps when you type or write, then Squeesh will help. Squeesh is great for strengthening muscles in your hands that don't usually get a workout when you hit the gym...assuming you even have time to hit the gym. Squeesh is great for on-the-go people, you can pop the bag full of Squeesh into your coat pocket, purse, or pants pocket.

For a limited time only, heat sensitive Squeesh is available. When you mold this lavender putty in your hands, it turns a bright pink! Buy your Squeesh from Little Star right now!

NOTE: Squeesh will stain your clothes and fabric. If Squeesh gets stuck, use another piece of putty to pull off (Squeesh adheres to itself easily).

If interested in buying a bag of Squeesh please contact Little Star!

Little Star is currently selling Squeesh, however, there are limited quantities!!!