My Earliest Memory

The earliest memory that I can remember was from when I was around 6 i think. It was on a vacation to Florida and we rented a sailboat for the day. The part I remember most is the part when I was aloud to drive but other than that, I can't remember much else of the trip. I'm not sure why that memory is so prominent but it is and hopefully the only reason I remember it is because isn't because I see the picture a lot.

Pets

I have two dogs name Max and Sammy. They are both mixes between a golden retriever and a minature poodle, a.k.a a goldendoodle. I love my dogs and couldn't imagine not having them.

The best part of Thanksgiving...

To me, the best part of Thanksgiving is the food. Because only my grandma comes over, who I see everyday, family isn't the best part. If the rest of my family did fly to spend Thanksgiving with us it might be another story but because they don't, its not.

Journal Entry 20

Last night sucked. Right after school I had soccer practice and all we did was conditioning and sprints. Then right after that, I had to go to therapy for my hand for an hour, which is one of the most boring things ever, and then finally, I had to rush home and get ready for my club soccer practice. By then I was beat and to my luck, all we were doing was conditioning just like my school practice. When I finally got home at 9:30, I still had to do my homework and eat and everything else. I didn't end up going to sleep until 12:30, and I'm so tired today.

Journal Entry 19

Over the three day weekend I was pretty busy. On top of a soccer tournament, we had some family in town so it was non-stop driving. It felt like the only time we were at home was at night and even that wasn't very long because I ended up having to wake up at around 6 every morning for soccer. Thankfully they left yesterday morning and after soccer practice I was able to crash. I think I fell asleep at around 7 and didn't wake up until this morning.

Letter to Teacher

Dear Teacher,
I feel your class is enjoyable and reasonable for the most part but I really don't like when you make us copy down notes for multiple days in a row. I like the fact that we can print them out and not have to take them but it isn't always that easy to remember. Also, I enjoy more hands on learning than just watching you work stuff out at the whiteboard. You should get the rest of the class more involved and on projects, you should give us more time than a few days, especially on the ones that involve writing essays. Another thing is that because you don't take grades on the homework, I have less of an influence to do it which respectively shows on my test scores. I was hoping that we might be able to work something out and that you actually take the time to think about this. Thank you for your time.
Your Student,
Alex

My Letter Experience

I wasn't here when we wrote a letter to our teachers so I'm can't say much about my experience.

Paper Clip

1 hold papers together
2 poke stuff
3 make an S
4 amuse yourself in class
5 necklace
6 put a hole through something
7 fling stuff
8 weapon



I think its a good way to see what options you have but I think you should be able to choose your classes that you want to take. Maybe you're extremely good at math and the test says you should be placed in an advanced math class but you don't like math so you choose to take the regular.



I can be engaging in class by giving the teacher my full attention at all time and participate as much as possible.

GIF Project

I thought the GIF project was pretty easy. It was a bit confusing getting in to but after that it was fine. I didn't like how if you added a new layer to put in a new frame it showed up on every frame until you made it invisible.

Journal Entry 18

Friday night I went to the football game and although it wasn't as exciting to watch as the last one, it was definitely a good outcome. We ended up killing them. On Saturday I was pretty bummed when I had to wake up at 6:30 for soccer practice at 8. Other than that I didn't do much until I went to my friends house that night. I ended up sleeping over and on Sunday morning we went out to breakfast at 5 & Diner. The rest of my Sunday was filled with homework basically. Fun, right?

Journal Entry 17

This week has been really busy. I've finally started playing soccer again for my club team and school try outs have just started. I've been having tryouts from 2:45 to 5 and then going home, just to get ready for cluv try outs from 7 to 9. Also, I found out I have Osgoodslaughters or whatever it is called.

If I could change the world...

If I could change one thing in the world it would be the economy. I would make it so that the U.S. wasn't in debt anymore, therefore healing our economy. Then, times wouldn't be so rough and millions of people wouldn't be unemployed.

Money or Immortality

If I were to choose between living forever or and infinite supply of money, I would have to go with the money. I don't think living forever is all it is cut out to be, especially if you are the only one who can live forever. I wouldn't be able to deal with the fact that eventually everyone I know would die and I would have to live through all of that.

Journal Entry 17

This week has been pretty boring to be honest. I've had so much homework and am extremely happy for today being a half day. I'm not sure what I'm going to do tonight or this weekend but hopefully it doesn't have anything to do with school. We also just tested our tic tac toe boards and mine was a success.

Tic Tac Toe

Journal Entry 16

Yesterday in class I wasn't feeling very well. I had a bad head-ache, I was dizzy and could hardly see my computer screen, it was so blurry. I was thinking about going home but I stuck it out until second hour and I started feeling better. As the day went on, I thought I was all fine until 7th hour when I started feeling sick again. When I got home, it only escalated. I ended up throwing up multiple times and had a 102 degree fever. Luckily, I'm feeling fine this morning. I guess it was just a one day thing... hopefully.

Journal Entry 15

Haven't really been doing much lately other than hanging out with friends.  I can't wait for this weekend because im going up north to my friends cabin. Also I can't wait to be able to play soccer again next week. Back to all the business though.

Journal Entry 14

Over the weekend my soccer team had another tournament down in Tucson so that's where I spent most of it. We did pretty well, winning 3 and losing won. We ended up coming in second so I was ok with that even though I didn't play. I also had a doctors appointment and found out that I will be able to play again in a few weeks. After the last game on Sunday, I remembered I had a math projectso that's what I worked on for the rest of the night.

Journal Entry 13

Yesterday in Graphic Design class I finished up my banner and began to work on the scrapbook page from when I was gone. I'm hopin to finish that by today or tomorrow. Other than that, I didn't do much outside of school. I was pretty tired and right when I got home I ended up falling asleep until around 6:30. After that it was just a bunch of homework, dinner, and then I went back to bed again.

Journal Entry 12

Over the weekend my soccer team had a tournament in Scottsdale so that's where I spent most of it even though I'm not able to play. Unfortunatley, we didn't ended up doing too well, winning two, tying one, and losing the last. Also, I hung out with my friends and made a new background/ banner for my blog.

Success

To me, success is when you achieve your goals and are happy with the outcome. It also means to excel at whatever you might be trying to succeed at.

Graphic Design Principles

1.Balance: Symmetrical, radial, formal, and informal ways of arranging elements on a page to achieve visual balance is the focus of this class.
2. Proximity: Learn how to arrange elements on the page through proximity -- keeping like items together and creating unity by how close or far apart elements are from each other.
3. Alignment: While centered text has its place it is often the mark of a novice designer. Learn how to align text and graphics to create more interesting, dynamic, or appropriate layouts.
4. Repetition/ Consistency: While centered text has its place it is often the mark of a novice designer. Learn how to align text and graphics to create more interesting, dynamic, or appropriate layouts.
5. Contrast: Big vs. small, black vs. white. Contrast occurs when two elements are different. The greater the difference the greater the contrast. The key to working with contrast is to make sure the differences are obvious. Four common methods of creating contrast are by using differences in size, value, color, and type.
6. White Space: The art of nothing is another description for this principle. White space is the absence of text and graphics.
7. Dominance and Priority: The priority of elements within a design can make the difference between a good user experience and a bad one. Without some kind of priority or dominance among elements in a design, it’s difficult for the user to figure out what they’re supposed to do. Dominance of one element over another gives us a sense of what’s important and what’s not.
8. Proportion: Proportion is the scale of elements in relation to one another. Proportion has a strong effect on the dominance of elements, with larger elements having a stronger visual impact than smaller ones, all other things being equal.
9. Rhythm and Flow: The rhythm of a page directs the visitor from one element to the next.
10. Emphasis: Making a specific element stand out or draw attention to the eye. Emphasis can be achieved in graphic design by placing elements on the page in positions where the eye is naturally drawn, by using other principles such as contrast, repetition, or movement.
11. Gestalt: Sometimes considered a distinct principle of design, gestalt is the concept that "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." When viewing designs, humans apply this principle unconsciously by seeing connections and relationships among and between the elements in the design.
12. Harmony: As with music, graphical elements can be said to be working in harmony - the individual parts come together as visually compelling and a meaningful whole. Disharmony can also be used just as it is in musical compositions: to enhance the emotional complexity, to challenge the viewer, and to give a contrast within the overall composition.
13. Movement: Movement is creating an instability, making motion to blur the image. Movement can be achieved by using graphic elements that direct the eye in a certain direction such as arrows that point the way overtly or a series of lines or dots that get progressively larger or smaller, creating a more subtle sense of movement.
14. Unity: Unity creates a feeling of wholeness. Unity is usually achieved when the parts complement each other in a way where they have something in common.
15. Golden Ratio/ Phi/ Rectangle: Found in nature as well as the work of man, the golden rectangle or golden section is a visually pleasing geometric shape with specific proportions. The measurement of 1.61803398874989..., known as the Golden Mean or Phi, a sequence of numbers known as the

Fibonacci Series, and the Golden Rectangle are all mathematically connected. However, for the layperson the primary ratio of interest is 3:5 or 5:3 -- the Golden Proportion.16. Variety: a number of different types of things, especially ones in the same general category.
17. Layout: When you place text and graphics on a screen, you can’t assume that the learner automatically understands what it means.  Your job is to create relationships and guide the learner’s understanding. 
18. Color Theory: This is the quality of the colors used and their relationship between one another.
19. Perspective: A technique of depicting volumes and spatial relationships on a flat surface.
20. Economy: If you can remove an element within a design and that design still works, then you’ve practiced economy in design. Don’t offer more than is needed, but be sure to include all that is needed to create an intelligent and economical design.

Favorite Subject

My favorite subject in school is Graphic Design because it is something that I really enjoy. It's a way to express yourself through art which I really like.

Journal Entry 11

For me, the last couple of days have been pretty hectic. I've had to come in to school early today and yesterday to make up tests and I'll also have to stay after school today to make one up. Of course the week I was out of school, I had three tests. Also, I had to fit in therapy for my hand and also soccer practice, so I haven't had much free time to be honest.

My Legacy

If I died tomorrow, then I would want people to remember me by the type of friend I was and how I was always outgoing in everything I did.

Journal Entry 10

Yesterday was pretty boring. I didn't really do much outside of school because at 3:00 I had a doctor's appointment to check on my hand and get a new splint. We were there for an hour and a half easy because I also started some therapy on my hand while my new splint was being made. It took a while because the splint was custom made for my hand. After that I just went home and slept because I wasn't feeling well.

TED Talk 3

1. Who?
The talk was by Pattie Maes.
2. What about?
The talk was about a new device known as the sixth sense. It's a device that you wear around your neck that includes a camera, projector, and then 4 colored bands that you wear around your fingers. It projects any information on any surface and enables you to view the web or find information about anything you want no matter where you are. An example is if you are buying a book and you put it in front of the camera it will show you its rating and if you open to other pages it shows other information about the book.
3. I learned that with technology, anything is possible.

Favorite Holiday

My favorite holiday would have to be Christmas. One reason I like Christmas so much is because we get two weeks off of school. I also like Christmas because it'a a time when the whole family gets together and presents just top it off.

Journal Entry 9

This weekend was pretty boring, to be honest. I had loads of homework and it didn't help that I only have one hand to type it with. On Satutday I went to my soccer game just to watch and after that I was supposed to go to ortho to get my cast but after taking new e-rays, they realized that I need screws in my han. Because of this I'll be missing Tuesday and Wednesday of school but my hand should also recover quicker.

TED 2

1. Who gave the talk?
Arthur Benjamin gave the talk.

2. What was subject and summary?
The subject of the talk was math. Arthur benjamin did a magic show using math. He was able to square up to a three digit number faster than a calculator. He also was able to guess the missing number of the product of a 4 digit number and 3 digit number when only 6 of the 7 numbers were given in no particular order. Finally, for his last trick, he squared a 5 digit number in his head which most calculators can't do because the can only have an 8 digit number for the answer.
3. Did you learn something from the talk?
I learned how powerful your mind can be .
4. Did the talk make you think or change your mind?
The talk made me think of the capabilities of the mind and what else we could use them for.

The Idea of School Spirit

I think having school spirit is good, but to be honest, I don't see the point of dressing up to a certain theme each day. Especially if it has nothing to do with the school. To me that's not school spirit. I know some might like it but to me it's just a day to dress up like an idiot.

Test 2

1. The spot healing brush tool is to make part of an image disapear by using the colors around it to fill its place such as making a zit disapear into skin color. It would use the skin color around the zit to put over the zit making it look like it's gone.
2. Opate means something is see-through.
6. The magic wand ool.
13. I liked the way we took this test. It could have been a bit quicker but I think that these kind of tests help me learn the tools better.

Journal 8

Last night wasn't a very good night for me. At the begining it was all goin well. We were celebrating my dad's birthday but after, I had soccer practice. Once again it was all going well until about 15 minutes before practice was going to end. I slipped, fell backward and landed on my hand. My middle finger and ring finger went opposite ways and I waited in th E.R. until 2 a.m. to find out I had broken the bone that connects to my middle finger in my hand and my bone that connects to my ring finger in my hand.

Journal Entry 7

Over the weeken I had a soccer tournament in Tucson. We did alright. We won 4 of our 5 games abd took 3rd. It was pretty fun but there wasn't much to do since we didn't have much free time in between games.

Favorite Place to Eat

My favorite place to eat is at a small place in San Diego called Konos. They do breakfast and lunch on the boardwalk. They are a small family owned business thats been around forever. I like it because everything is home-made and the portions are huge.

Journal Entry 6

Yesterday in Graphic Design, I experimented with a couple different tools. These include the paint bucket tool, gradient tool, dodge tool, burn too, and the sponge tool. I also got to use the blur tool for a little before the period ended. I didn't do much outside of school yesterday other than homework because I had a lot to make up from my two days I was absent.

After High School...

After high school I plan on going to college. I'm not completely sure what I want to do when i get older but I'm leading toward something in the medical field. Some of the things I've considered are a radiologist or pharmacist. I guess I'll just have to see where the future takes me.

Journal Entry 5

My weekend didn't go so well. The whole weekend I was sick and in bed. Besides soccer pratice early Saturday morning and a soccer game early Sunday morning, I didn't do much. My head was pounding, my ears hurt, I couldn't breath and my throat was dry. Thats pretty much all that happened this weekend.

Test 1

1. The Slice tool is used to divide an image into certain sections.
5. Tolerance is the range of color that will be selected. The higher the tolerance, the wider the range of colors that will be selected. The lower the tolerance, the smaller the range of colors that will be selected.
8. The ruler tool is used to find the distance between two points on an image. You use it by clicking on one point of your image and then clicking on another part of your image and at the top it will tell you the height, width, angle, x, y, and some other stuff about the line.
11. Ilike the way we did this test. It was very hands-on and helped me make sure I knew exactly what I was doing.

Journal Entry 4

Yesterday in Graphic Design, I continued to learn more photoshop tools including the ruler tool, count tool, and note tool. The ruler tool lets you find the distance between two points in your picture. The count tool lets you count objects in an image and the note tool lets you isert notes on certain parts of your image for reminders. Today we are going to take a small test on some of the tools, and to be honest, I feel pretty good about it.

The Most Important Thing...

The most important thing in life other than family would have to be that I succeed or at least try my best in everything I do. Whether it be school, sports or anything else, you should always try your best. Succeeding in school is one of the most important because it critical for a successful future.

Today in Graphic Design, I learned how to use the quick selection tool, the slice and slice select tool, the crop tool and the ruler tool.

When I'm 18...

When I'm 18 I'm pretty sure that I'll vote. I don't see why not. I'd like to feel like I contributed to my country but if I don't strongly support any of the candidates I probably won't vote.

Journal Entry 3

Over the weekend, I had a soccer tournament in Flagstaff. We had six games and won five of them, taking second place. We got to stay in our friend's cabin just outside of Flagstaff, at Munds Park. Because it was a holiday weekend they were up there, too. It was pretty fun but I wasn't able to do much since I had three games on Saturday, two on Sunday, and one on Monday. Since we were in the finals we had a late Monday game at 6:00 p.m. Because of this I didn't get home until 11:30 and I'm so tired today.

Graffiti Slideshow

"School Pride"

To me, "school pride" is the support you have toward your school and whether or not you believe in it and everyone that goes there. When you go to school games and dances or other school activities, you are showing your "school pride." Even by playing on a school team or being in a school club is also showing "school pride" in my opinion.

Journal Entry 2

Yesterday in Graphic Design we started working on our 15 photo slideshow. I was able to finish most of it except for adding transitions between slides. The rest of the school day was average, nothing really exciting happened but after school, my family and I got a new puppy named Max. He's a mix between a Golden Retriever and a Miniature Poodle.

Journal Entry

Yesterday, in Graphic Design, we were introduced to Adobe Premiere for the first time. We were shown some of the basics including, how to open and place pictures on the timeline, how to move them around on the timeline, how to make each individual picture last for a shorter or longer time, and how to place pictures over other. We were also given an assignment to create a slideshow using 100 pictures.

Career Goals

My career goal is to do something in the medical field. I'm unsure what exactly I want to do though. Some things I'm looking into are a radiologist or a pharmacist. In my opinion, these would be two jobs I would enjoy because other than the extra four years of college, they're pretty easy and have good pay.

Ride

Graffiti

Sports

I love to watch and play sports. My favorite sports to play are soccer and football. I've played soccer since I was 6 or 7 and I love it. I play on a club team year round and also for school. Over the last two years I've quit playing football because I enjoy soccer more. I prefer to watch football, though. There isn't enough scoring in soccer which makes it a bit boring.

Bad Parenting?

Parents that leave their kids in the car on hot days aren't good parents in my opinion. Unless the kid wants to stay in the car, they shouldn't have to. What's so important that your kid can't come into the store with you? If you are one of those parents you should be punished by being locked in a car on a hot day just like your kids. Then, hopefully, you'll see how bad it is and you won't make the kids stay in the car again.

Masking

In Graphic Design yesterday we learned to use the mask tool. I took a picture of an abandoned building and masked large flames onto it coming out of the roof. I also masked a piece of graffiti onto the side of the building and a small fireman walking through the front of the building ready to put the fire out. In my opinion it looks decent for my first time but you can tell it's not real. When I finished that, I got an image of a beach and an image of the moon and masked the moon onto the beach as if it were rising over the horizon.

My Weekend

Over the weekend I went up to my friend's cabin in Munds Park, just outside of Flagstaff. While we were there we went fishing and boating a couple times but came up empty on the fish. We also went quading and I got to drive their Rhyno for the first time. It was pretty fun because we ended up finding a hidden trail that took us to the side of a mountain that was carved up with trails to go on with the Rhyno or quads. There were also lots of jumps but we tried to avoid those as much as possible because we were new to Rhynoing. All in all it was a fun weekend and I hope to go back up soon.

TED Talk

As a high schooler I feel that I can really connect to what Ken Robinson had to say. I strongly believe that the potential of many kids, no matter what the age, are being wasted every day because of the focus on education, such as math and language instead of something to do with the arts. This really makes me wonder what or how I could have turned out like if I hadn't been driven away or, "educated out of creativity," (Ken Robinson).

Just My Luck

Yesterday I entered my second blog post in Graphic Design and I continued to work on the design of my blog. In Chemistry I was the only one in all of her classes that was able to tell her how to make a PB&J with my procedures. Because of that I got to eat the PB&J in class. Later, after school as I was on my to soccer practice it began to storm and a tree nearly fell on our car while we were stopped at a red light. It ended up landing on the back of the car in front of us just a couple of feet away. It was pretty scary but we were able to get around the car and to practice in time to find out that it was canceled. Just my luck.

Day 2

Yesterday in Graphic Design we made our own blog on http://www.blogger.com/. I got to design the layout and look of my blog.  At first it took me a while to make my blog because the website didn't like my password so I had to make a new g-mail account for it. I also posted my first blog about what we did yesterday, which I'm doing again today appareantly....

Blogger Day 1

Today I made a new gmail account and I started my blog!