This week we read The Perfect Game from Tremendous Trifles....
Croquet by Ken
Croquet is fun unless you are playing with someone who knows the rules. Also, if you are playing with someone who is annoying, croquet mallets come in handy.
You know, if I was the best player in the world it wouldn't be any fun because I could just hit the ball and easily go through the wicket. But if you are bad like me you have the pleasure of hitting the ball again and again. So you see, being bad at croquet is more fun than being good.
Amateurism by Joe
Amateurism is the playing of sports for pleasure. Amateurs are usually younger than professionals and it is not that uncommon for them to become professionals. Almost everyone is an amateur at something. I ,for instance, am an amateur baseball player, basketball player, an amateur golfer and an amateur soccer player.
Amateurs do not get paid, they play for fun and the possibility of some day being a pro. Olympic athletes are amateurs and don't get paid, Olympians are sponsored by companies such as Subway or Wendy's and in return they usually have to act in their commercials.
If you play a game such as croquet you can call yourself and amateur croquet player. In case you have never played croquet I will now explain the rules. To play croquet you must maneuver a ball through a series of nine wickets using nothing but a hammer. You try to get your ball through the wickets in as few turns as possible. Every time you go through a wicket you get an extra shot to try to go through the following wicket. You win the game by being the first through the first seven wickets, hitting the turning stake and going through the next seven wickets.
If you hit another player's ball you get two extra shots from where your ball is on the ground or you may pick up your ball and place it next to the ball you hit. Once you put your ball by the other ball you hit you may either take two shots from there or put your foot on your ball and then hit it with your mallet in such a way that the other ball rolls away and then you take one shot from your ball's resulting location.
Croquet is a fun game but it can drive you utterly bonkers if you are not any good at it.
On the Matter of Croquet by Adam
Have you ever played croquet? Well, if you have I guess the question is, did you like it? Then the next question would be, were you good at it? If you answered, yes, yes, no in that order, you are probably a lot like me. I'm awful at the game. Yet an irrational love of the confounded activity follows me through my summer days; but even so I don't spend my summer mallet in hand whacking a colored ball around the backyard. Far from it. If I did that I would quickly become proficient at the game and that is a fact I sincerely dread. I have played people who were good at the game who have played me once and quickly moved on. I would finally be able to celebrate getting the ball through the third wicket and he would be coming back around, barreling through wickets like a truck on the freeway, his pose perfect, his face somber, and his ball going through yet another wicket. I must say though, who do you think had a better experience? Me, who had a record time of thirty minutes around the court, or my somber adversary, who deemed it counter-productive for me to even continue the match? However, I can tell you that victory is not my objective nor, of course, is defeat. But the slow, methodical and often frustrating route of the game is quite enjoyable. I play for the fact of playing. I find that when the dog steals my ball and finally drops it at the next wicket it is not only helpful but exceedingly amusing.
Showing posts with label Ocular Athletics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ocular Athletics. Show all posts
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Ocular Athletics
Mythology by Adam
When I think of mythology I usually see dwarfs and minotaurs and large creatures that try to eat people. Of course what daydream is complete without a large, green, scaly dragon blowing fire every which way and generally causing great havoc in its close vicinity? The heroes of mythology, Theseus, Heracles, and Jason, to name a few, championing the cause of Good and slaying her oppressors who carry the standard of their lord, Evil. These heroes were role models for ancient societies and still are today. For everyone knows that old stories never die, even as long as I think about them. They will endure the hard years that we can not and so are still there on the book shelves in the library and in your mind.
Of all the different stories out there that make up mythology, I think I like Greek mythology the best. With all its quarreling gods and fiendish monsters, evil men, pure hearted maidens, and brave heroes, it is a mix for the mind of fiction lovers like me. People who like the repeated stories of good versus evil are at home in the great, golden halls of Greek imagination. If I ever need to think up a story of my own and I need an evil villain all I have to do is look in a book of Greek mythology and there is always the perfect villain in those pages.
If you pick up a piece of good fiction and read it you will most likely find Greek monsters in it, like a mantacore or a hydra or a niemian lion, or maybe a gorgon. But the choices are almost unlimited if you add Norse and Egyptian mythology to the mix. Think of it, every culture has its own stories and all of them are well imagined if some being a little out of the ordinary don't exactly strike our fancy.
Chalk by Ken
Chalk is good for drawing and getting your hands covered in colored dust. Mom read a bit of G.K.Chesterton's book yesterday. It was about a piece of chalk.
Oh, wait! It's supposed to be me writing about chalk, isn't it? Thank you for being patient.
Also yesterday, my brothers and I drew with chalk. I drew a devil, a helmet, a sword, a beach, and several skulls. Oh, yes, and a weird cow.
An Epic Ballad on the Contents of My Pockets by Joe
For times of much strife
I have a large knife
When it's not in my pocket
I've probably lost it
It is always sharp,
And it could ruin a harp
It's got a side clip
So it won't slide around
A knife of this kind
Is not commonly found.
For times of much cold
I have in my pocket
A flame maker bold
This lighter of mine
Is cased in wood, very fine
It has my very long name
Carved deep in the back
I got it at the Benezette store
I call my valiant maker of flame
Left Footed Jack.
When I think of mythology I usually see dwarfs and minotaurs and large creatures that try to eat people. Of course what daydream is complete without a large, green, scaly dragon blowing fire every which way and generally causing great havoc in its close vicinity? The heroes of mythology, Theseus, Heracles, and Jason, to name a few, championing the cause of Good and slaying her oppressors who carry the standard of their lord, Evil. These heroes were role models for ancient societies and still are today. For everyone knows that old stories never die, even as long as I think about them. They will endure the hard years that we can not and so are still there on the book shelves in the library and in your mind.
Of all the different stories out there that make up mythology, I think I like Greek mythology the best. With all its quarreling gods and fiendish monsters, evil men, pure hearted maidens, and brave heroes, it is a mix for the mind of fiction lovers like me. People who like the repeated stories of good versus evil are at home in the great, golden halls of Greek imagination. If I ever need to think up a story of my own and I need an evil villain all I have to do is look in a book of Greek mythology and there is always the perfect villain in those pages.
If you pick up a piece of good fiction and read it you will most likely find Greek monsters in it, like a mantacore or a hydra or a niemian lion, or maybe a gorgon. But the choices are almost unlimited if you add Norse and Egyptian mythology to the mix. Think of it, every culture has its own stories and all of them are well imagined if some being a little out of the ordinary don't exactly strike our fancy.
Chalk by Ken
Chalk is good for drawing and getting your hands covered in colored dust. Mom read a bit of G.K.Chesterton's book yesterday. It was about a piece of chalk.
Oh, wait! It's supposed to be me writing about chalk, isn't it? Thank you for being patient.
Also yesterday, my brothers and I drew with chalk. I drew a devil, a helmet, a sword, a beach, and several skulls. Oh, yes, and a weird cow.
An Epic Ballad on the Contents of My Pockets by Joe
For times of much strife
I have a large knife
When it's not in my pocket
I've probably lost it
It is always sharp,
And it could ruin a harp
It's got a side clip
So it won't slide around
A knife of this kind
Is not commonly found.
For times of much cold
I have in my pocket
A flame maker bold
This lighter of mine
Is cased in wood, very fine
It has my very long name
Carved deep in the back
I got it at the Benezette store
I call my valiant maker of flame
Left Footed Jack.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Ocular Athletics--revisited
Our writing has been a little non-existent this year. We have had our collective noses to the grindstone and are making great in-roads in Latin and Algebra but have not had a lot of extra energy for anything creative. Blah! However, Jen over at the 4Real forums has started a study of Chesterton's Tremendous Trifles. I asked the guys if they wanted to sign on and got a very enthusiastic response. The first essay was A Piece of Chalk where Chesterton writes of drawing with chalk on brown paper. We used pastels on old bags but it was fun. (Something we were having to little of on these dark,snow less, winter days!) Tomorrow we write!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Ocular Athletics
The Crazy Cat on the Deck
by Ken
There is a crazy cat on the deck. Sadly, it is our cat which means she is the terror of the household. Right now she is outside so we are safe. She's chasing leaves. "She is crazy." Now I will describe her. She is a tabby, her eyes are green. Her name is Moppet.
The Vicious Cat
by Adam
The cat stalks about a windy day,
Looking for some form of play.
She spies a leaf swirling round,
And pounces like a king's royal hound.
The leaf is no match for a vicious cat,
and soon the battle is done.
There is no doubt in my mind
That the vicious cat has won.
She sees another,
Stir up trouble,
And soon it is on its way.
The vicious cat has ripped it up,
Upon a windy day.
The cat stalks about a windy day,
Looking for some form of play.
She spies a leaf swirling round,
But is too tired to chase it down.
On Volume
by Joe
Volume is the area of the base of a figure times the height. (Try to guess what we are doing in math) It is not very hard until you do something that doesn't have a base. If that is the case then you have my sympathies. I will try to explain how to find the volume of a sphere. The volume of a sphere is 2/3 of the area of a cylander that has sides twice the length of the radius of the sphere. Volumes are kind of fun if you don't have to do it all the time.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Ocular Athletics
It's been awhile but here is the return of Ocular Athletics.
A Pencil
by Ken
A pencil is very useful. For instance if no one invented pencils would I be writing this? Another example, if no one had invented pencils I'd have to do my math in pen so it would take up a lot more space, wouldn't it? You see, pencils are very useful.
Snow
by Joe
Snow is cold, wet, white, and needs to be shoveled. At the moment we have about 45" of the stuff and I am sore from shoveling it all. However, it is really fun to play in it. Sledding is my favorite but I actually use a snowboard without any straps instead of a sled. Snowflakes are about as big as this period . and it takes a large amount to get 45".
Play
by Adam
I find that the word play can mean several things. Play can just mean make believe, a child wandering off to his own favorite place, by himself or with another, it makes no difference. Play can also mean the absence of work to some, sitting on the couch not doing anything can be loosely defined as play to the practical mind.
All these points can be said to be true, especially the first one. But play, real play, is the simple joy of doing simple things. Say it's winter. You start out sledding, speeding down the hill as fast as you can. As the participants get bored with this and if there are no inadvertansome grownups around, sledding can quickly turn into speeding down the hill trying to break through the sled wall at the bottom. Which can't exactly be considered for its brilliance, but I must confess to finding it particularly enjoyable. This in turn will soon turn into a form of warfare game. Boys being what they are will probably get kind of rough, with much pushing, shoving, hearty laughter, and many awkward positions. It is not arranged this way. It's just the way it is . Play, real play, is such intense enjoyment that you stay out untill dark just doing the simplest things. That is real play.
A Pencil
by Ken
A pencil is very useful. For instance if no one invented pencils would I be writing this? Another example, if no one had invented pencils I'd have to do my math in pen so it would take up a lot more space, wouldn't it? You see, pencils are very useful.
Snow
by Joe
Snow is cold, wet, white, and needs to be shoveled. At the moment we have about 45" of the stuff and I am sore from shoveling it all. However, it is really fun to play in it. Sledding is my favorite but I actually use a snowboard without any straps instead of a sled. Snowflakes are about as big as this period . and it takes a large amount to get 45".
Play
by Adam
I find that the word play can mean several things. Play can just mean make believe, a child wandering off to his own favorite place, by himself or with another, it makes no difference. Play can also mean the absence of work to some, sitting on the couch not doing anything can be loosely defined as play to the practical mind.
All these points can be said to be true, especially the first one. But play, real play, is the simple joy of doing simple things. Say it's winter. You start out sledding, speeding down the hill as fast as you can. As the participants get bored with this and if there are no inadvertansome grownups around, sledding can quickly turn into speeding down the hill trying to break through the sled wall at the bottom. Which can't exactly be considered for its brilliance, but I must confess to finding it particularly enjoyable. This in turn will soon turn into a form of warfare game. Boys being what they are will probably get kind of rough, with much pushing, shoving, hearty laughter, and many awkward positions. It is not arranged this way. It's just the way it is . Play, real play, is such intense enjoyment that you stay out untill dark just doing the simplest things. That is real play.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Ocular Athletics
Swords by Ken
Swords are big metal sticks that have been sharpened. This is an example (drawing of sword complete with blood channel) I happen to have a big book of swords by Ben Boos. It has fourteen chapters and I can list them.
1. Warriors
2. Raiders
3. War Maidens
4. Villagers
5. Soldiers
6. Landsknechts
7. Knights
8. Kings
9. Samurai
10. Ninja (my personal favorite)
11. Silla Knights
12. Eastern Masters
13. War Chiefs
14. Sultans
Books by Joe
Books are strange things. They can make you laugh or cry, they can bug you or thrill you, but they can also be Algebra books which definitely make you cry. Books can have as few as 5 pages or as many as several thousand pages. I like fiction best but I don't mind other books. Books can take you to other times, worlds, places, and planets, but some are rather boring. My favorite author is probably Rick Riordan who wrote the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series.
Swords by Adam
Swords are amazing creations. Forged from the best steel that is within man's power to create they can be long and heavy or short and light, good for close combat. Some are simple and cruel, others are elegant and dignified with intricately shaped hilts and patterned blades. In medieval times a sword was used not only in combat but it justified someone's rank or status. You could be a king and have a sword made by the best swords smith on the planet or a freeman or soldier with a simple but deadly steel weapon designed for great battles or any combat, whether against man or beast was best decided under the circumstances. The sword is the most wondrous weapon and I suggest you learn as much as possible about this weapon.
Swords are big metal sticks that have been sharpened. This is an example (drawing of sword complete with blood channel) I happen to have a big book of swords by Ben Boos. It has fourteen chapters and I can list them.
1. Warriors
2. Raiders
3. War Maidens
4. Villagers
5. Soldiers
6. Landsknechts
7. Knights
8. Kings
9. Samurai
10. Ninja (my personal favorite)
11. Silla Knights
12. Eastern Masters
13. War Chiefs
14. Sultans
Books by Joe
Books are strange things. They can make you laugh or cry, they can bug you or thrill you, but they can also be Algebra books which definitely make you cry. Books can have as few as 5 pages or as many as several thousand pages. I like fiction best but I don't mind other books. Books can take you to other times, worlds, places, and planets, but some are rather boring. My favorite author is probably Rick Riordan who wrote the Percy Jackson and the Olympian series.
Swords by Adam
Swords are amazing creations. Forged from the best steel that is within man's power to create they can be long and heavy or short and light, good for close combat. Some are simple and cruel, others are elegant and dignified with intricately shaped hilts and patterned blades. In medieval times a sword was used not only in combat but it justified someone's rank or status. You could be a king and have a sword made by the best swords smith on the planet or a freeman or soldier with a simple but deadly steel weapon designed for great battles or any combat, whether against man or beast was best decided under the circumstances. The sword is the most wondrous weapon and I suggest you learn as much as possible about this weapon.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Ocular Athletics
This week we tried something a little different. I read the list Chesterton made of his "equipment for starting on a journey to fairyland" which he wrote to his fiance, Frances (Gilbert Keith Chesterton by Maisie Ward) It starts with:
1st. A Straw Hat. The oldest part of this admirable relic shows traces of pure Norman work. The vandalism of Cromwell's soldiers has left us little of the original hat-band.
Here are the Hobbits' offerings.
Things I have in my Pockets by Ken
A rather battered jack knife.
A wrist watch or not a wrist watch anymore. It has lost its strap.
A wallet which has eight dollars in it.
And a lot of lint.
Stuff in my Bed by Joe
1. In my bed there is a sleeping bag that is in a very sorry state. But I like it because it is slightly longer than me, shoulder to toe, so I don't have to curl up. It has been with me on many exciting adventures including a sinking boat and many car rides.
2. Pillows not nearly as heroic as my sleeping bag.
3. A compass which has been on even more adventures than my sleeping bag but is not as interesting. (It points North)
4. Four pocket knives. (Not much to tell there, all new)
5. A blob of aluminum that melted in a fire.
6. A wallet.
7. A Crucifix broken in more than one place but lovingly repaired by my brother, Adam. (Who has good hands.)
8. A couple of bits and bobs that are less interesting than the wallet. (See item 6)
The Inventory to my Humble Sleeping Quarters by Adam
The many and strange things I keep in my sleeping quarters is about to be confided. This is the very first time I have ever even attempted to fathom my small but mysterious bed.
1. A flash light. Why I keep it I have no idea. It is useless in the fact that it does not work.
2. A small blue sleeping bag, looking torn and sorry but unpacked none the less.
3. The usual sleeping requirements. I just thought I would mention the sleeping bag just because it is important to me for some strange reason.
4. A small wooden cache box screwed into my wall. (Did I mention we (my brothers and I) all have a nice sturdy wall in our keeping?) It is crammed full of every object I can fit in it, which consist of: a pen knife which I have to had to bend back into position twice due to the fact that I carve too much. An arrow head which makes a rather bad necklace due to size and coldness. A box of quarters. A wallet which is regrettably empty. That is it for the box, but not half the bed. I guess it will remain mysterious. I like it that way.
1st. A Straw Hat. The oldest part of this admirable relic shows traces of pure Norman work. The vandalism of Cromwell's soldiers has left us little of the original hat-band.
Here are the Hobbits' offerings.
Things I have in my Pockets by Ken
A rather battered jack knife.
A wrist watch or not a wrist watch anymore. It has lost its strap.
A wallet which has eight dollars in it.
And a lot of lint.
Stuff in my Bed by Joe
1. In my bed there is a sleeping bag that is in a very sorry state. But I like it because it is slightly longer than me, shoulder to toe, so I don't have to curl up. It has been with me on many exciting adventures including a sinking boat and many car rides.
2. Pillows not nearly as heroic as my sleeping bag.
3. A compass which has been on even more adventures than my sleeping bag but is not as interesting. (It points North)
4. Four pocket knives. (Not much to tell there, all new)
5. A blob of aluminum that melted in a fire.
6. A wallet.
7. A Crucifix broken in more than one place but lovingly repaired by my brother, Adam. (Who has good hands.)
8. A couple of bits and bobs that are less interesting than the wallet. (See item 6)
The Inventory to my Humble Sleeping Quarters by Adam
The many and strange things I keep in my sleeping quarters is about to be confided. This is the very first time I have ever even attempted to fathom my small but mysterious bed.
1. A flash light. Why I keep it I have no idea. It is useless in the fact that it does not work.
2. A small blue sleeping bag, looking torn and sorry but unpacked none the less.
3. The usual sleeping requirements. I just thought I would mention the sleeping bag just because it is important to me for some strange reason.
4. A small wooden cache box screwed into my wall. (Did I mention we (my brothers and I) all have a nice sturdy wall in our keeping?) It is crammed full of every object I can fit in it, which consist of: a pen knife which I have to had to bend back into position twice due to the fact that I carve too much. An arrow head which makes a rather bad necklace due to size and coldness. A box of quarters. A wallet which is regrettably empty. That is it for the box, but not half the bed. I guess it will remain mysterious. I like it that way.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Ocular Athletics
A Dog
by Ken
Dogs are very useful.They help you hunt because they will fetch birds that you shoot. They are very good house pets. Good friends. They cheer you up when you're sad. Our family has a Golden Retriever.
Trees by Adam
Beautiful, spectacular, wondrous trees are the subject of this paper which regrettably is made out of a tree. Did you know that lots of trees are cut down just for paper? But never mind, I'm beginning to sound like an environmentalist. (Whew, long word.) Anyway, I did not start this paper to complain. (overly) Whenever I look around I see at least one tree. The tree I'm looking at right now is a small birch. Not tiny mind, it actually is rather big. It's a good forty feet high and a foot's width. It's branches extend about thirteen feet from the trunk. These are rough estimates so if the imagined tree is out of shape don't blame me. Matters press, so I will end this paper with: I like maple trees. How about you?
A Helmet
by Joe
A helmet is a protective coveringfor the head. The army still uses helmets but not as much as they did back in 1200 A.D. Some helmets have a bowl for your head and a nose guard. Others are like a box for your head with eye slits ans breathing holes and others look like you are wearing a pot on your hed. Some helmets can stop a sword without a dent, while others cannot stop a rock thrown by a young boy. Helmets can be made out of just aobut anything from cardboard to steel. But I gotta read my Civics so goodbye. See you next Thursday.
by Ken
Dogs are very useful.They help you hunt because they will fetch birds that you shoot. They are very good house pets. Good friends. They cheer you up when you're sad. Our family has a Golden Retriever.
Trees by Adam
Beautiful, spectacular, wondrous trees are the subject of this paper which regrettably is made out of a tree. Did you know that lots of trees are cut down just for paper? But never mind, I'm beginning to sound like an environmentalist. (Whew, long word.) Anyway, I did not start this paper to complain. (overly) Whenever I look around I see at least one tree. The tree I'm looking at right now is a small birch. Not tiny mind, it actually is rather big. It's a good forty feet high and a foot's width. It's branches extend about thirteen feet from the trunk. These are rough estimates so if the imagined tree is out of shape don't blame me. Matters press, so I will end this paper with: I like maple trees. How about you?
A Helmet
by Joe
A helmet is a protective coveringfor the head. The army still uses helmets but not as much as they did back in 1200 A.D. Some helmets have a bowl for your head and a nose guard. Others are like a box for your head with eye slits ans breathing holes and others look like you are wearing a pot on your hed. Some helmets can stop a sword without a dent, while others cannot stop a rock thrown by a young boy. Helmets can be made out of just aobut anything from cardboard to steel. But I gotta read my Civics so goodbye. See you next Thursday.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Update
We are doing better here. The boys are pretty much over the flu with just a slight cough left. I have what appears to be a common, garden variety cold that has me sneezing and coughing but otherwise okay. We did manage to do school a couple of days this week but, alas, no Ocular Athletics...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Ocular Athletics
A Bucket by Joe
As I'm sure you know (but a friend of my mom's pointed out that not everyone in Britain has a baseball cap so I'm going to tell you anyway) is rather like a pot. Buckets are round and usually have a handle which flips up. There are thousands of kinds of buckets. Some of them are called pots but they are really buckets. An example of this would be flower pots (buckets). I hate it when things get credited for other things work. No one ever calls a pot a bucket but people call buckets pots which is very annoying. Just think that without buckets there would be no syrup, no milk and by extension no cheese, ice cream, yogurt and no pancakes. think how often you use all that stuff especially cheese. Well I gotta do my math, folks. Adios.
Salt by Adam
Today I am going to write about salt, but today I will try a different way to go about it but this is my first try so if I slip back to my ordinary way forgive me. Salt is more valuable than you know. A lot of tasty meals you eat would not be possible without salt. Salt is immaculate in the practicality of its common use. Say if you where to eat an apple it is good but it has no salt. But if you make, say, an apple pie or apple crisp, they both use salt. Most everything uses salt. Look around and see if you can find a food without salt. It's out there though a little hard to find. Well, I will withdraw from the limited section of my mind to this wonderful world of though and idea where my hazardous simplicity is certainly required elsewhere.
Yarn by Ken
Yarn is very useful for knitting. Without yarn you couldn't knit at all. Sometimes, when I play with action figures I use yarn as spiderman web. There's not much else I can put into words about yarn. Except that my cat loves it. Good bye.
As I'm sure you know (but a friend of my mom's pointed out that not everyone in Britain has a baseball cap so I'm going to tell you anyway) is rather like a pot. Buckets are round and usually have a handle which flips up. There are thousands of kinds of buckets. Some of them are called pots but they are really buckets. An example of this would be flower pots (buckets). I hate it when things get credited for other things work. No one ever calls a pot a bucket but people call buckets pots which is very annoying. Just think that without buckets there would be no syrup, no milk and by extension no cheese, ice cream, yogurt and no pancakes. think how often you use all that stuff especially cheese. Well I gotta do my math, folks. Adios.
Salt by Adam
Today I am going to write about salt, but today I will try a different way to go about it but this is my first try so if I slip back to my ordinary way forgive me. Salt is more valuable than you know. A lot of tasty meals you eat would not be possible without salt. Salt is immaculate in the practicality of its common use. Say if you where to eat an apple it is good but it has no salt. But if you make, say, an apple pie or apple crisp, they both use salt. Most everything uses salt. Look around and see if you can find a food without salt. It's out there though a little hard to find. Well, I will withdraw from the limited section of my mind to this wonderful world of though and idea where my hazardous simplicity is certainly required elsewhere.
Yarn by Ken
Yarn is very useful for knitting. Without yarn you couldn't knit at all. Sometimes, when I play with action figures I use yarn as spiderman web. There's not much else I can put into words about yarn. Except that my cat loves it. Good bye.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Ocular Athletics
A Picture by Adam
A picture, like most things I write about, is just an ordinary, boring, every day object to which I try my utmost best to make as interesting and exciting as I can. A picture can be a simple photo or a grand and articulate masterpiece. A photo is quite astoundingly a frozen image in time, a memory whether happy or sad, like right now I am looking at a picture of my sister Ked and Kevin's wedding. A happy memory, it is strange to think it is the only wedding I can remember ever attending. One of my favorite painters is Leonardo Da Vinci, quite a mouth full, so I will call him Leo. Leo loved to paint horses, mainly ones in war charges. Toward the end of his life Leo made the Mona Lisa, a painting so realistic it looks as of she is looking at you. No matter how much I enjoy writing this I expect you are getting bored so I bring this page to a gracious close with these few words; just because it is ordinary does not mean it is not wonderful.
A Ball Cap by Joe
A ball cap as I am sure you know (but I am going to tell you anyway) is a hat designed to keep the sun out of your eyes. It is shaped like a bowl with a duck's bill on the end. My favorite ball cap is my Cleveland Indian's hat. I have never met anyone who didn't have a ball cap. They are quite inconvenient at amusement parks, however. I once lost a really nice one on a roller coaster and never saw it again. (It was actually my dad's hat that I happened to be wearing.)
Scissors by Ken
Scissors are very useful objects. They cut paper into shapes or whatever you want to do with paper. The scissors I happen to be looking at have orange handles but are really only casing metal handles to make them more comfortable. They have two metal pieces that are pretty sharp. Each one is attached to the handle. They are held together by a very short nail.
A picture, like most things I write about, is just an ordinary, boring, every day object to which I try my utmost best to make as interesting and exciting as I can. A picture can be a simple photo or a grand and articulate masterpiece. A photo is quite astoundingly a frozen image in time, a memory whether happy or sad, like right now I am looking at a picture of my sister Ked and Kevin's wedding. A happy memory, it is strange to think it is the only wedding I can remember ever attending. One of my favorite painters is Leonardo Da Vinci, quite a mouth full, so I will call him Leo. Leo loved to paint horses, mainly ones in war charges. Toward the end of his life Leo made the Mona Lisa, a painting so realistic it looks as of she is looking at you. No matter how much I enjoy writing this I expect you are getting bored so I bring this page to a gracious close with these few words; just because it is ordinary does not mean it is not wonderful.
A Ball Cap by Joe
A ball cap as I am sure you know (but I am going to tell you anyway) is a hat designed to keep the sun out of your eyes. It is shaped like a bowl with a duck's bill on the end. My favorite ball cap is my Cleveland Indian's hat. I have never met anyone who didn't have a ball cap. They are quite inconvenient at amusement parks, however. I once lost a really nice one on a roller coaster and never saw it again. (It was actually my dad's hat that I happened to be wearing.)
Scissors by Ken
Scissors are very useful objects. They cut paper into shapes or whatever you want to do with paper. The scissors I happen to be looking at have orange handles but are really only casing metal handles to make them more comfortable. They have two metal pieces that are pretty sharp. Each one is attached to the handle. They are held together by a very short nail.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Ocular Athletics
Math by Joe
Math is boring!!! I hate to start a report with so blunt a statement but it's true. For instance, why on earth would you need to know this: If there are four green marbles, three red marbles, and 6 yellow marbles in a sack what are the odds that you are going to pull out a red one? The question seems utterly pointless to me but our neighbor, Frank says that it would be helpful if you were a planter. Meanwhile, on the other side of the road (or world) I'm learning (or reading ) about percents, cubic measurement, decimals, and factions.
Music by Adam
Music, some say, is an irritable sound except if played so well it is flawless. I, on the other hand, prefer to hear the occasional mistake then the harmony lasting on and on with no brake until the player decides to end the song. It makes the player sound more human when the song has a mistake or two in it. I mean Beethoven was good but does get boring after a while. Wouldn't you say he was a little too good? I guess I say this because the only instrument I can play at all is the piano which still sounds like I am pounding with a hammer. But since I am not that at ease with the world right now I will leave this page here.
Math is boring!!! I hate to start a report with so blunt a statement but it's true. For instance, why on earth would you need to know this: If there are four green marbles, three red marbles, and 6 yellow marbles in a sack what are the odds that you are going to pull out a red one? The question seems utterly pointless to me but our neighbor, Frank says that it would be helpful if you were a planter. Meanwhile, on the other side of the road (or world) I'm learning (or reading ) about percents, cubic measurement, decimals, and factions.
Music by Adam
Music, some say, is an irritable sound except if played so well it is flawless. I, on the other hand, prefer to hear the occasional mistake then the harmony lasting on and on with no brake until the player decides to end the song. It makes the player sound more human when the song has a mistake or two in it. I mean Beethoven was good but does get boring after a while. Wouldn't you say he was a little too good? I guess I say this because the only instrument I can play at all is the piano which still sounds like I am pounding with a hammer. But since I am not that at ease with the world right now I will leave this page here.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Ocular Athletics
Snow by Joe
Snow, as you know but I'm going to bore you to death telling you anyway, is a crystal of ice that fell from the sky. We have 263" of the stuff and rising. I don't like snow because I have a driveway 1/12 of a mile long and likes to be shoveled. But that builds muscles. It also is appetite inspiring. Every snowflake is about this * big. Pretty odd how that can add up to 263 inches.
By Adam
Have you ever seen a bird fly by the window while you were reading a book? Have you ever wished you were a happy-go-lucky bird flying through the air, the roar of the wind in your ears whipping your hair about like it was bound and determined to rip it from your scalp? If you have we are of one mind. If you haven't then this paper means nothing to you. Every night I lay under the heavy covers thinking about flying, wishing I could do it and for someone who has never ridden a plane the image is in my mind of ant sized houses sailing under me and is so real it feels like a memory. I can collapse into myself and imagine I'm a bird with soft feathers and spindly legs clutching a branch with needle sharp claws. The one thing that doesn't sound appealing is hitting an ice cold window at 20 miles an hour. But again my flood of thoughts have stalled, hit a window just like a bird so
hasta la vista.
Snow, as you know but I'm going to bore you to death telling you anyway, is a crystal of ice that fell from the sky. We have 263" of the stuff and rising. I don't like snow because I have a driveway 1/12 of a mile long and likes to be shoveled. But that builds muscles. It also is appetite inspiring. Every snowflake is about this * big. Pretty odd how that can add up to 263 inches.
By Adam
Have you ever seen a bird fly by the window while you were reading a book? Have you ever wished you were a happy-go-lucky bird flying through the air, the roar of the wind in your ears whipping your hair about like it was bound and determined to rip it from your scalp? If you have we are of one mind. If you haven't then this paper means nothing to you. Every night I lay under the heavy covers thinking about flying, wishing I could do it and for someone who has never ridden a plane the image is in my mind of ant sized houses sailing under me and is so real it feels like a memory. I can collapse into myself and imagine I'm a bird with soft feathers and spindly legs clutching a branch with needle sharp claws. The one thing that doesn't sound appealing is hitting an ice cold window at 20 miles an hour. But again my flood of thoughts have stalled, hit a window just like a bird so
hasta la vista.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Ocular Athletics
Bloggers by JCM
I don't see the point of whiling away hours of unprofitable boredom by hours of unprofitable blogging. But then it might be the grownup equivalent of video gaming. Either way , I don't see the point. But if I started a blog it would be called "Bloggermort" (as in Voldemort). My older sister is urging Ken to start a blog called "Trickie's Musings." But my brain has encountered a block and is now wandering the unending possibilities of cheese. See you later.
Adam's offering:
You are probably thinking, "Oh,NO!" or "Why me?" but hello it's me again and what's more, on the same boring subject...how depressing. But, I hope you have the decency to read this page of boredom and complaint. But I am trying hard to tell if not show you what I think about. Like right now I just thought of another pointless title for a pointless book which as you could half guess is about me. Hey, maybe if I get enough of these I'll put them in a book, maybe several.(but it's okay if you do, you don't have to read it) So all I need is a lot of names for them. This one is "Brains I Never Had and Probably Never Will." Now we are out of that subject. Isn't it a relief? Look at the weather outside. Well, of course, you can't see what it's like. I will try to relay it to you, here goes. It's quite dreary outside, the left-over snow from the three feet we had is just the banks now. The grass that shows is covered in a white layer of frost. That about covers it, it was nice torturing you. See you later.
I don't see the point of whiling away hours of unprofitable boredom by hours of unprofitable blogging. But then it might be the grownup equivalent of video gaming. Either way , I don't see the point. But if I started a blog it would be called "Bloggermort" (as in Voldemort). My older sister is urging Ken to start a blog called "Trickie's Musings." But my brain has encountered a block and is now wandering the unending possibilities of cheese. See you later.
Adam's offering:
You are probably thinking, "Oh,NO!" or "Why me?" but hello it's me again and what's more, on the same boring subject...how depressing. But, I hope you have the decency to read this page of boredom and complaint. But I am trying hard to tell if not show you what I think about. Like right now I just thought of another pointless title for a pointless book which as you could half guess is about me. Hey, maybe if I get enough of these I'll put them in a book, maybe several.(but it's okay if you do, you don't have to read it) So all I need is a lot of names for them. This one is "Brains I Never Had and Probably Never Will." Now we are out of that subject. Isn't it a relief? Look at the weather outside. Well, of course, you can't see what it's like. I will try to relay it to you, here goes. It's quite dreary outside, the left-over snow from the three feet we had is just the banks now. The grass that shows is covered in a white layer of frost. That about covers it, it was nice torturing you. See you later.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Ocular Athletics
The jungle of my imagination: on this page is enclosed the so called jungle of my imagination, in which I will try to explain the uncontrollable ramblings of my mind. Do not expect it to be interesting, I don't either, but try to bear along with me to the end of my document full of what ever I choose to put in it. Why? I hardly know myself. If you were to ask, I would be stumped at your curiosity. This is the best way to write, I think, instead of just staying strictly to one topic. This way I can just skip to whatever my mind leads me to and I feel much more at ease with the world. It is much more fun to me to write whatever my mind thinks in the order it comes. I think I should write a book soley about the wanderings of my untamable mind. I will call this book The Boring Book of Brains. Well, it was fun writing about this wonderful topic but sometime or another I will have to turn off the tap, so to speak. So I'll see you next time.
by Adam
A pygmy as you (better) know is a very small person. I would like to be a pygmy because then I would take my bb gun and go hunting mice, I would dig tunnels in the snow, and I would have en excuse to write like this. If I was a pygmy I wouldn't have to do any chores because I'd be too small. (I suppose I could carry bits of guinea pig food one piece at a time.) If you were a pygmy, then one slice of cheese would last you a week. Speaking of cheese, swiss cheese would be awesome because you could climb around in the tunnels.
by Joe
by Adam
A pygmy as you (better) know is a very small person. I would like to be a pygmy because then I would take my bb gun and go hunting mice, I would dig tunnels in the snow, and I would have en excuse to write like this. If I was a pygmy I wouldn't have to do any chores because I'd be too small. (I suppose I could carry bits of guinea pig food one piece at a time.) If you were a pygmy, then one slice of cheese would last you a week. Speaking of cheese, swiss cheese would be awesome because you could climb around in the tunnels.
by Joe
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Ocular Athletics
Today's athletics were Tall Tales....
Chessnut and the Lion
One day I (a guinea pig) was going on a walk. After I walked about 2 inches in 20 minutes I bumped into a lion.
He said,"Out of my way twerp," and he boxed my ears.
I said,"Squeak!"
He laughed. I boxed his ears. He whined. And then I said,"Don't pick on pigs!"
He slunk off with his tail between his legs and ever after there was a new constellation called Leo. (Which is Latin for lion.)
Sit Tomy and the Dragon
Sir Tomy was a knight in the time of King Arthur. Sir Tomy didn't get a seat on the round table because Arthur wanted the other knights to have a chance to prove themselves. Tomy moved so fast in his armor that he could do 47 missions at once. Then a dragon moved in. His name was as long as his tail and his head was the size of Madagascar and his body was so big it could not fit in the Atlantic Ocean. All King Arthur's knights were scared stiff. But Sir Tomy wasn't. He went up to Mt. Everest where the dragon was. The dragon saw he was dressed for battle. Dragon blew flames at Tomy and the knight's armor, sword and shield were melted solid. So Tomy went up the mountain and beat the scales on the dragon until it flew away from the fearless knight. But to slow it Sir Tomy grabbed his tail and swung him about so fast the dragon forgot half his name and a tornabo (the tornado's distant cousin twice removed) sprang up in the Americas. Sir Tomy let the dragon go and the dragon was so embarrassed it shrank to the size of the round table and it took the half of its name it could remember, Komodo. And Sir Tomy? Well, we will see him a lot later.
Chessnut and the Lion
One day I (a guinea pig) was going on a walk. After I walked about 2 inches in 20 minutes I bumped into a lion.
He said,"Out of my way twerp," and he boxed my ears.
I said,"Squeak!"
He laughed. I boxed his ears. He whined. And then I said,"Don't pick on pigs!"
He slunk off with his tail between his legs and ever after there was a new constellation called Leo. (Which is Latin for lion.)
Sit Tomy and the Dragon
Sir Tomy was a knight in the time of King Arthur. Sir Tomy didn't get a seat on the round table because Arthur wanted the other knights to have a chance to prove themselves. Tomy moved so fast in his armor that he could do 47 missions at once. Then a dragon moved in. His name was as long as his tail and his head was the size of Madagascar and his body was so big it could not fit in the Atlantic Ocean. All King Arthur's knights were scared stiff. But Sir Tomy wasn't. He went up to Mt. Everest where the dragon was. The dragon saw he was dressed for battle. Dragon blew flames at Tomy and the knight's armor, sword and shield were melted solid. So Tomy went up the mountain and beat the scales on the dragon until it flew away from the fearless knight. But to slow it Sir Tomy grabbed his tail and swung him about so fast the dragon forgot half his name and a tornabo (the tornado's distant cousin twice removed) sprang up in the Americas. Sir Tomy let the dragon go and the dragon was so embarrassed it shrank to the size of the round table and it took the half of its name it could remember, Komodo. And Sir Tomy? Well, we will see him a lot later.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Ocular Athletics
Hunting Squirrels by Joe
One sunny day in December I was doing the dishes and saw a squirrel. I dried my hands quite calmly and then ran like a madman to my bedroom, grabbed my airgun, dropped two pellets and one BB. I picked up one pellet and the BB, put them away and loaded my gun with the last pellet. I tore outside and found the squirrel. I aimed, tugged the trigger....it wouldn't budge. I angrily took off the safety, aimed again and realized I hadn't pumped it. So I (pretty angrily by now) stamped my foot, pumped it up and MISSED! I watched a little tuft of fur fall to the ground and went in. Where most unsympathetically, everybody asked if I hit him.
(Mom note: He didn't actually miss...)
"Fire in the hall!" Shouts and bangs sounded in the kitchen, bedroom, and dining room as the combatants fought to the death. Armed with blasters and a head set the two fighters fled for cover. (Earlier that day Joe had challenged me to a duel with the flashing toy guns we had got for Christmas. We also had to wear uncomfortable and utterly ridiculous head sets. The rules wher simple: abstract ten lives from the other person by shooting the antenna with your gun.) The intense fighting and blasting stopped and silence ensued. The innocent inhabitants of the area in which the two warriors fought came out of hiding and desperately tried to escape the scene. A disembodied voice sounded:"Give up you mangy cur! You can never win. I have more lives than you and I also know where you are and know when you leave your hidey hole!"
"You think you can beat me, eh?" came the muted reply."Just come see my barricade!"
One warrior charged and disappeared behing the door. The following was pandemonium. Then a warrior appeared. The crowd waited as he lifted his dark shades...the crowd roared and surged forward, lifting him on to their shoulders. Our hero is victorious! I had won!
Actually, what really happened was I won but the most I got was a congratulations and that was it. No pat on the back, no nothing. Can you believe people?
One sunny day in December I was doing the dishes and saw a squirrel. I dried my hands quite calmly and then ran like a madman to my bedroom, grabbed my airgun, dropped two pellets and one BB. I picked up one pellet and the BB, put them away and loaded my gun with the last pellet. I tore outside and found the squirrel. I aimed, tugged the trigger....it wouldn't budge. I angrily took off the safety, aimed again and realized I hadn't pumped it. So I (pretty angrily by now) stamped my foot, pumped it up and MISSED! I watched a little tuft of fur fall to the ground and went in. Where most unsympathetically, everybody asked if I hit him.
(Mom note: He didn't actually miss...)
"Fire in the hall!" Shouts and bangs sounded in the kitchen, bedroom, and dining room as the combatants fought to the death. Armed with blasters and a head set the two fighters fled for cover. (Earlier that day Joe had challenged me to a duel with the flashing toy guns we had got for Christmas. We also had to wear uncomfortable and utterly ridiculous head sets. The rules wher simple: abstract ten lives from the other person by shooting the antenna with your gun.) The intense fighting and blasting stopped and silence ensued. The innocent inhabitants of the area in which the two warriors fought came out of hiding and desperately tried to escape the scene. A disembodied voice sounded:"Give up you mangy cur! You can never win. I have more lives than you and I also know where you are and know when you leave your hidey hole!"
"You think you can beat me, eh?" came the muted reply."Just come see my barricade!"
One warrior charged and disappeared behing the door. The following was pandemonium. Then a warrior appeared. The crowd waited as he lifted his dark shades...the crowd roared and surged forward, lifting him on to their shoulders. Our hero is victorious! I had won!
Actually, what really happened was I won but the most I got was a congratulations and that was it. No pat on the back, no nothing. Can you believe people?
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Ocular Athletics
A Ruler by Joe
A ruler has 12 inches on one side and 30 centimeters on the other. (If you want to you can use millimeters which are about this long -). centimeters or cm are half an inch long and an inch is about this long -------. I use rulers to draw sword blades which is my hobby, other than getting hurt by my twin brother.
Comparing my Cats by Adam
I should have made cats singular because my family really only owns one cat, Frodo and Mooch came mooching around. Mooch and Frodo do have a cat scuffle every now and then. Mooch is pretty much the exact opposite of Frodo. Mooch is skinny, Frodo is nice and fat. Frodo is orange with tan stripes not unlike a tiger, while Mooch is gray with a black back and stripes on his sides. Frodo was really nice when Mooch wandered in. Now Mooch is as snug as a bug in a rug in Frodo's spot. So naturally, they had a fight. It was hard to say who won because we broke them up, but Mooch has been following Frodo around picking fights. I have thought to the extent of my capability (which is not much) and I can't think of any thing else to write about cats. I don't even seem capable of an ending sentence. So I will end with a plea for more ideas.
A ruler has 12 inches on one side and 30 centimeters on the other. (If you want to you can use millimeters which are about this long -). centimeters or cm are half an inch long and an inch is about this long -------. I use rulers to draw sword blades which is my hobby, other than getting hurt by my twin brother.
Comparing my Cats by Adam
I should have made cats singular because my family really only owns one cat, Frodo and Mooch came mooching around. Mooch and Frodo do have a cat scuffle every now and then. Mooch is pretty much the exact opposite of Frodo. Mooch is skinny, Frodo is nice and fat. Frodo is orange with tan stripes not unlike a tiger, while Mooch is gray with a black back and stripes on his sides. Frodo was really nice when Mooch wandered in. Now Mooch is as snug as a bug in a rug in Frodo's spot. So naturally, they had a fight. It was hard to say who won because we broke them up, but Mooch has been following Frodo around picking fights. I have thought to the extent of my capability (which is not much) and I can't think of any thing else to write about cats. I don't even seem capable of an ending sentence. So I will end with a plea for more ideas.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Ocular Athletics
A Lego
by Joe
Today I am writing about a lego. There are many types of legos. I am writing about the most common, an eight dot brick. This type of lego has two rows of four dots. It is about one centimeter tall and one and a half inches wide and half an inch thick. On the bottom are three holes big enough for a dot to go into. You use them for building things like towers, spaceships, cars, etc. I like to build spaceships and boats. Right now, I am building a ship.
A Dog
by Adam
A dog is man's best friend as you probably know if you have one. It can be a life saver, a friend to play with, or a guard, although I would not train it to be a guard. A dog needs company, it needs people around. If it is not treated carefully it becomes mean and will bite. So treat a like like a friend you can play with. There are hundreds of different kinds of dogs from the St. Bernard to a poodle. People often say a dog is the mortal enemy of a cat but that is not true. My dog, who is a Golden Retriever and very playful,(although a little lazy because we don't take him out enough)and named Zeus and the cat, Frodo get along very well. In fact, they are the best of chums. I wish I could say that Frodo was our friend too but he seems to have a cold heart for everyone except Zeus. Most dogs are worth having around. Do you have one? If you don't, bring the topic up with your mom or dad. They may want one too. I will see you next time I do a report. I may do cats or maybe something much more complicated. Until then, see you.
by Joe
Today I am writing about a lego. There are many types of legos. I am writing about the most common, an eight dot brick. This type of lego has two rows of four dots. It is about one centimeter tall and one and a half inches wide and half an inch thick. On the bottom are three holes big enough for a dot to go into. You use them for building things like towers, spaceships, cars, etc. I like to build spaceships and boats. Right now, I am building a ship.
A Dog
by Adam
A dog is man's best friend as you probably know if you have one. It can be a life saver, a friend to play with, or a guard, although I would not train it to be a guard. A dog needs company, it needs people around. If it is not treated carefully it becomes mean and will bite. So treat a like like a friend you can play with. There are hundreds of different kinds of dogs from the St. Bernard to a poodle. People often say a dog is the mortal enemy of a cat but that is not true. My dog, who is a Golden Retriever and very playful,(although a little lazy because we don't take him out enough)and named Zeus and the cat, Frodo get along very well. In fact, they are the best of chums. I wish I could say that Frodo was our friend too but he seems to have a cold heart for everyone except Zeus. Most dogs are worth having around. Do you have one? If you don't, bring the topic up with your mom or dad. They may want one too. I will see you next time I do a report. I may do cats or maybe something much more complicated. Until then, see you.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Ocular Athletics
A Sword by Adam
A sword is one of man's deadliest weapons. They all have a blade, most have a sharp point for stabbing. Others have curved blades for slashing. Those are the two basic styles. Other swords are straight with zigzag patterns for cutting. Others, like the Greek sword, are short with curved sides. And finally, the Japanese Kitana:curved blade then straightens to form a stabbing tip. The handle helps you weald the blade accurately and comfortably. Guards across most sword blades creates protection for your hands. All these added together makes man's most deadly weapons. All through the ages mankind has updated the sword with stronger metal and better balance. It takes months to make a sword and much care and a lot of devotion to make a good one. Swords now have been replaced with guns but I will miss swords.
NB: This came with many illustrations of the type of swords discribed.
And for something completely different---
Rosary by Joe
A rosary is a thing to keep track of your prayers. A rosary has 59 beads, 53 Hail Mary beads, 5 Glory Be/Our Father beads, and one just Our Father bead. Rosaries always have one Crucifix and one image of Mary on them, The Crucifix is always on the end of the rosary and the image of Mary is always five beads before the Crucifix. My rosary is black with a cup with a piece of bread in it. The bread has 3 letters--IHS.
A sword is one of man's deadliest weapons. They all have a blade, most have a sharp point for stabbing. Others have curved blades for slashing. Those are the two basic styles. Other swords are straight with zigzag patterns for cutting. Others, like the Greek sword, are short with curved sides. And finally, the Japanese Kitana:curved blade then straightens to form a stabbing tip. The handle helps you weald the blade accurately and comfortably. Guards across most sword blades creates protection for your hands. All these added together makes man's most deadly weapons. All through the ages mankind has updated the sword with stronger metal and better balance. It takes months to make a sword and much care and a lot of devotion to make a good one. Swords now have been replaced with guns but I will miss swords.
NB: This came with many illustrations of the type of swords discribed.
And for something completely different---
Rosary by Joe
A rosary is a thing to keep track of your prayers. A rosary has 59 beads, 53 Hail Mary beads, 5 Glory Be/Our Father beads, and one just Our Father bead. Rosaries always have one Crucifix and one image of Mary on them, The Crucifix is always on the end of the rosary and the image of Mary is always five beads before the Crucifix. My rosary is black with a cup with a piece of bread in it. The bread has 3 letters--IHS.
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