TextGroup App

I just finished another app that sends a text to a group of people. It didn't take long -- no where near as long as the last one. (:

Here are the components I needed for this app:

• TextBox - this is where the user will enter the message; renamed MessageText; set the hint to "Enter a message"
• Button - this is what the user will click after entering the message; renamed TextGroupButton; set text to "Text Group"
• Label - this will report when the message has been sent; renamed StatusLabel; set text to "status"
• Texting - this is the component that sends the text

To send the text, I needed to set two properties of the Texting component: the phone number and the message. Once these properties are set, I call the SendMessage function to actually send the text. This is what it will look like in Block's Editor (except the 1112222 will be replaced with an actual phone number):

Next, I'll modify the blocks to text more than one number at a time (note: in this version, the numbers are predetermined. So to choose different numbers, I would have to modify the blocks. There's a way to make the app so that the user can pick different numbers every time, but I don't know how to do that yet):

I'll reconfigure the blocks already in TextGroupButton.Click, and it'll look like this:

Now, when the TextGroupButton is clicked, the Texting1.Message property is set to the message entered by the user in MessageText. Then the foreach block begins executing. The two lines of blocks nested within the foreach will be executed three times, because there are three items in the list PhoneNumbers . The first time they are executed, the value var will hold the value "1112222", and the message will be sent to that number. As soon as the message is sent, the app will "loop up" and repeat the foreach blocks. The second time through, the value var will hold "3334444", and the message will be sent to it. On the third iteration, var will hold "5556666", and the third text will be sent out.

Next I modified the blocks so that the status label reports the last message sent. The updated TextGroupButton.Click looks like this:

This is what the final looks like:

This is what the app looks like:

I want to figure out how to make the app using the database, so that the user can pick different numbers every time they decide to use the app.

This app wasn't as complicated as the other one, but I still liked doing it..... I like knowing how things work!

QuizMe App

I've completed another app, and this one I really like. It's called QuizMe, and the tutorial made it about baseball, but I switched it up and made it about something else. The topic I used was the movie "The Land Before Time", which is a very old animated movie I watched as a little girl about dinosaurs.

This app wasn't that hard to make, but it took a while. The first couple of things I had to do involved creating the interface for the app, which was pretty straight forward. I created the following components:

• Image - this is the picture that shows up in the app
• Label - this displays the current question; renamed QuestionLabel
• HorrizontalArrangement - this organizes the AnswerPromptLabel and Text, which are coming next
• Label - this is the text that will prompt for an answer; renamed AnswerPromptLabel
• Text Box - this is where the user will enter text for their answer; renamed AnswerText
• Label - this is where "correct" or "incorrect" will be displayed; renamed RightWrongLabel
• HorizontalArrangement - this organizes the AnswerButton and NextButton, which are coming next
• Button - this is what the user uses to submit their answer; renamed AnswerButton
• Button - this is what the user uses to move on to the next question; renamed NextButton

The next couple of things I did included uploading the image I was going to use and setting "Image"'s picture property to that imagine. I changed QuestionLabel's text property to "Question:" ; AnswerPromptLabel's text property to "Enter answer:" ; AnswerText's text property to "Please enter an answer:" ; AnswerButton's text property to "Submit" ; NextButton's text property to "Next" ; RightWrongLabel's text property to "correct/incorrect". I moved AnswerPromptLabel and AnswerText into HorizontalArrangement1 and moved AnswerButton and NextButton to HorizontalArrangement2.

^ This is what it looked like, only my picture was one of the Land Before Time characters.

I won't go into too much detail about what I did in the Block's Editor because that would take all day, but I'll show you:

My questions were:

• In what year was the first The Land Before Time released?
• What kind of dinosaur was Chomper?
• Whose mom died?
• What were the dinosaurs called that Little Foot and his friends were afraid of?
• When was the last The Land Before Time  released?

This is what I did next:

 My answers were:

• 1988
• T-Rex
• Little Foot
• Sharptooths
• 2007

For QuizMe, when the app starts, the app should choose the first question in the list and display it in the QuestionLabel component. To get it to do that, this is what I had to put together:

 Next I had to program the behavior of NextButton. I already defined the current QuestionIndex to remember the question the user is on. When NextButton is clicked, the app needs to increment this variable, e.g., change it from 1 to 2 or from 2 to 3, etc., and then use the resulting value to select the new "current" question. This is what I had to do:

What the app needs to do is ask a question-- check a condition-- when the NextButton is clicked, and execute different blocks dependending on the answer. One way to ask the question is to ask, "is the variable currentQuestionIndex already 3?" If the answer is yes, you should set currentQuestionIndex back to 0 so the user is taken back to the first question. Here's what I did:

The current app shows the same image, no matter what question it is on. I changed this so that a picture pertaining to each question will pop up on the screen when that question is reached. This is how:

After I put the pictures in, I had to modify the NextButton.Click event-handler so that it modifies the picture depending on what question the user is on:

Next, I added blocks that report whether or not the user answered the question correctly. The RightWrongLabel had to be modified to report whether or not the answer is correct:

To blank out the RightWrongLabel and the AnswerText, I did the following:

This is what the Block's Editor looked like when I finished:

This is what the app looks like:

That took a lot of explaining but it was fun (:

What's New?

So these past couple of weeks, I've been working on a website called App Inventor, which is a site that helps people create their own applications for Android. It's really cool, and not very difficult. The first app I made was called Hello Purr, and itmakes a picture of cat "meow" when it is touched. It was the easiest app I created. The last one I created was a version of Whack-A-Mole. It took two full days to make, and although it's done and functional, I'm not completely satisfied with it. Pretty soon, I'm going to start making my own apps that we can use in class.

Now that I know how to do this, I can make apps that I think are fun too. My favorite app that I've made so far is the Magic 8 Ball, which everyone's heard of: you ask a "yes" or "no" question, shake the device, and it gives you an answer. I LOVE things like that, even though they're not real.....

I'll let you know what's coming next!

ELL Book

Because I am writer, Mr. Elkner has asked me to write a book for the HILT students. There aren't many books out there for teenagers who, because English isn't their first language, are on a lower reading level than other high schoolers. I was given a list of words to use, and I am working on a book for them. What I actually decided to do was take a book that I wrote, the one entitled "Cupid's Arrow", and redo it so that the HILT students can read it. I needed to edit Cupid's Arrow anyway because I had a couple issues with the characters and the plot development, so this is the perfect opportunity. My goal is to be done by the end of the week, but if not, I know it'll be done by the end of the school year.

(:

Sigil

Mr. Elkner installed a program on my computer to replace eCub. It's called Sigil. It does the same thing as eCub in the sense that it converts word documents (well, text or HTML documents) to ePub format. But the best part is that you can also edit the text/HTML document once it's in ePub format. You can add images, cover pages, a table of contents, chapter breaks, and more! This is really cool, because I needed to work on the spacing of one of the books I put on my Nook.

Sigil is really cool! I downloaded it onto my computer at home and am using it to edit another of my books right now! Thank you, Mr. Elkner!

I Did It !

I finally did it! I converted two of my books, "True Love" and "Centipedophobia", into eBook format and put them on my Nook. It was very simple and, even better, it was FREE!

First, Mr. Elkner downloaded eCub onto my computer. eCub is the program that converts documents into eBook format. Before you can convert a document to eBook format, go to the document and click "save As." Then save it as a text (.txt) document. If you don't do this, eCub won't be able to convert the book. Once the program is downloaded, you click on the icon. Then click "New Project". It will take you to a screen where you have to type in the title of the book, the author, and the identifier. I'm still not sure what the identifier is, but I type in a different number for each book that I convert. There are other areas that can be filled in, but that is optional. Then click next. After that, you have to locate the folder that your text document is saved in. Hit the next button. You can hit the next button again. Then you will come to a screen that has a box with checked items in it. Make sure that your document is checked. If not, nothing will convert over. Hit the finish button. Now you will see a smaller screen with the title of the book on it. Up at the top is a button that says "Compile." Press that. Once eCub is finished, your book is now in eBook format! It will be saved in the same folder as your original document.

Next, Mr. Elkner downloaded Calibre. You can use Calibre, or Adobe Digital Editions. Both are free. Click the icon of whichever program you downloaded. For this blog, I will describe what to do in Calibre.  Once the Calibre library pops up, plug in your eReader. A button that says "Device" will pop up on the top. That's how you know your eReader is registered. Next, click the button on the top that says "Add Books." Browse for the epub format of your document and click OK. Now your book is in your Calibre library! You can drag and drop it to the button that says device, or you can right click and click on "Send it to device", or you can click the item and then click the button at the top that says "Add to device."

That's all you have to do! Make sure you eject your device before you unplug it, and then you are done!

eCub

Mr. Elkner downloaded eCub on my computer so I can convert my books and poems to ePub format. I converted "True Love" to ePub format and will put it on my Nook tomorrow when I bring the cord. Yay!

My Nook

I just bought a Nook SimpleTouch. It is very simple and is in black and white, but I only use it for reading. Once I convert a poem to epub format, I should be able to download it to my Nook and show it to friends and family. I may even be able to make it available for the "Lend Me" system that Nook's have, in which I would be able to lend the poem to my friends.

I am about to convert my novel "True Love" into epub format. My aunt is reading it and giving me feedback on it, and once that is done, I will print a couple of hard copies and convert it to an eBook. (:

Making my EPUB

I Googled "EPUB creator for Linux" and "EPUB creator for Ubuntu" and several different websites popped up. Most of the websites were available under both Google searches. I clicked on the first one, and it looks to be a good website. It is called Altova (http://whttp://www.altova.com/download-epub-editor.html?gclid=COL-gfW17q8CFQlN4AodSBXc0Q). The other website that I really like is called Blurb (http://landing.blurb.com/ebooks-US?ce=google_ebooks&gclid=CMO_q5u27q8CFUdN4AodpRB51A). This one charges $1.99 to convert something into EPUB format, but that is a low price to pay.

I think these are my best options, and I will probably go with the latter. (:

EPUB

.epub is an electronic book format that has become the industry standard, allowing eBooks that use this format to be read on a wide variety of eReaders, from dedicated hardware to desktop software to online based readers. Here are a few examples:

-Apple iPad

-Barnes and Noble NOOK

-Sony Reader

-Bookeen Cybook OPUS

-Adobe Digital Editions

-ibis Reader

-Bookworm

-EPUB Reader

The EPUB ebook format allows publishers to produce and distribute a digital publication that offers consumers interoperability between software and hardware for unencrypted reflowable digital books. In October 2007 the OPS 2.0 was elevated to an Official IDPF Standard. The “.epub” file extension is made up of XML files for reflowable digital books and publications. EPUB is composed of three open standards, the Open Publication Structure (OPS), Open Packaging Format (OPF) and Open Container Format (OCF) all produced by the IDPF(International Digital Publishing Forum). In actuality, the “.epub” file is just a renamed ZIP archive containing the books files, either XHTML or DTBook, and along with a number of XML description and navigation files there are sometimes image/media files.

My Aunt's Friend

My aunt just met a woman in a class she is taking that writes books about quilting. She self-published them, and they sold pretty well. Of course, my aunt told her about me and how I want to self-publish my books. The woman said that she just recently wrote a children's book, too. She then learned about this offer Amazon has where you can make an eBook available online for free for a certain amount of days. This means that she wouldn't receive any money for her book, but since she isn't in it for the money, she didn't really care. In approximately five days, around 10,500 people downloaded her book. She was astonished. She is also hopeful that people will remember her name and look for her in the future, when she produces more books.

I am excited to meet her and talk to her about the process and how it was for her. I hope that I am as successful as she has been so far. (:

eBooks

An eBook is an electronic book, one you read digitally on your computer, laptop screen or on devices called ebook readers.

You will find them in various formats and until the industry has a standard accessible in all devices these various formats will exist.

PDF format is a popular format for ebooks. All platforms are able to gain access and read PDF formatting. So regardless if you have a PC or Mac, you are in business! PDF requires the Acrobat Reader but this software comes on many new computers . There are still many who prefer printing out the pages of an ebook to read and PDF files have always been good for this purpose.

Other popular formats include:
HTML (which can be read on your computer screen, laptop or converted to read on the previously manufactured Nuvomedia Rocket eBook reader)
Microsoft LIT (requires the free Microsoft Reader installed on your computer, laptop or Pocket PC 2002 device)
PalmOS
Hiebook - KML - For the newest eBook reader available. This unit is manufactured in Korea and there is limited distribution in the US and Canada

So, why would you want an ebook? As you discover this new industry with your surfing over the Internet, you will discover ePublishers and eBookstores gradually growing in numbers. Take a look at what they offer and what they have to say about their authors and titles. Thousands upon thousands of authors write books yearly. Of those, a small percentage have the good fortune of being accepted by a publisher. This is not because they don't make the grade, but because of the vast numbers.

The Internet is a wide open medium. Excellent, talented authors can take their books to the Net, market/promote and sell those books themselves. Others are coming to the growing epublishing houses and taking that route. It is guaranteed as you journey through the epublishing world, you are going to find outstanding, spell-binding, and top-class works, which are well worth the read.

Will ebooks replace printed books? I sure hope not, at least not in my lifetime. Being a writer and avid reader for years, I am one who finds the feel and smell of a book part of the whole experience of reading.

Yet I also embrace progress and anticipate the future with excitement. Our children are the ones who will comfortably slide into this world. Already they are at ease working on computers, doing research for homework, writing papers, let alone just surfing the Internet. Imagine a child having just one e-reader to carry to school where all the text books they need are stored within that one unit. No more backpacks or bookbags to lug around, be left on the bus or lost somewhere between school and home. Once the e-readers' price drops to $50 and the kids start showing up with them, it will become the cool thing to have. Fifteen years ago you didn't see numerous people with cell phones and now it is common place. In time you will see these from the grade schools all through college.

So, why would you want an ebook? To experience a new wave of the future, to discover new and exciting authors and their stories/subjects, to embrace what lies around the next corner and be a part of its unfolding. 

Supportive Family

My family is very supportive of my writing. I've been writing since a very young age and they've always been eager to read my works and give me constructive criticism. My aunts both just read "Cupid's Arrow". There are some things I need to work on with it, and I am currently editing it. They are about to read "True Love" and tell me what they think of that one. I am very excited to hear what they have to say, because I think "True Love" is my best novel yet.

My aunts are supportive of my self-publishing, but want to know more about how it works. They want the pros and cons of self-publishing, and the pros and cons of publishing with a legitimate agency. I'm still looking around to see what I want to do, and once I have finished editing my books, I will consult with my aunts to see how I should approach getting them published. :)

Copyright Take Two

Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, used by most governments, that gives the creator of an original piece of work exclusive rights to it (for a limited time). It is generally the "right to copy" but also gives the copyright holder the right to be credited for the work, to benefit from it, to determine who may adapt the form to other types of works, who may perform the work, who else may benefit from it, and so on. It is similar to the patent, trademark, and trade secret in the sense that it is an intellectual property applicable to any expressible form of an idea or information that is substantive and discreet.

Typically, a work must meet minimal standards of originality in order to qualify for copyright, and the copyright expires after a set period of time (although sometimes it may be extended). Copyright law recognizes the right of an author based on whether the work actually is an original creation, rather than based on whether it is unique. For example, two authors may own copyright on two substantially identical works, if it is determined that the duplication was coincidental and neither was copied from the other.

In most jurisdictions, the copyright holder must bear the cost of enforcing copyright. This usually involved engaging legal representation, administrative, and/or court costs.

Several exclusive rights are usually attached to the holder of a copyright:
     -to produce copies or reproductions of the work and to sell those copies (including electronic copies)
     -to import or export the work
     -to create derivative works (works that adapt the original work)
     -the perform/display the work publicly
     -the sell or assign these rights to others
     -to transmit or display by radio or video

The phrase "exclusive rights" means that only the copyright holder is free to exercise those rights, and that others are prohibited from using the work without the holders permission. Copyright is sometimes called a "negative right", because it may sometimes serve to prohibit certain people like readers, viewers, listeners, publishers, etc. from doing something they would other be able to do.

Limitations and Exceptions to Copyright
The idea-expression divide differentiates between ideas and expression, and says that copyright protects only the original expression of a certain idea, not the idea itself.

Copyright law doesn't restrict the owner of a copy from reselling legitimately obtained copies of copyright works, as long as those copies were originally produced by or with the permission of the copyright holder. So for example, it would be legal to resell a copyrighted book or CD.

Copyright does not prohibit all copying and replication. In the USA, copyright permits some copying and distribution without permission of the copyright holder or payment to the same. The statute stating this does not clearly define fair use, but gives four non-exclusive factors to consider. Those factors are:
     -the purpose and character of your use
     -the nature of the copyrighted work
     -what amount and proportion of the whole work was taken, and
     -the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Is is legal in several countries, including the United States, to produce alternative versions (for example, in large print or braille) of a copyrighted work to provide improved access to a work for blind and visually impaired people without permission from the copyright holder.

Well, that's about it on copyright! I hope this helps you understand more about what it is and what it does. It's a lot of information, but it's helpful. :)

Lulu Press

I am trying to self-publish my books right now. Mr. Elkner has helped me by pointing me to Lulu Press, a self-publishing company on the web. It seems to be a quality site, and offers many things, including:
1. Free publishing (you only pay when you print)
2. Keeping 80% of the revenue from the book(s)
3. Ownership of the content
4. Custom storefront
5. Free ISBN
6. The ability to set your own selling price
7. Global distribution- Lulu Marketplace, Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, and more!

They offer different types of bindings for the books, and have paperback and hardcover available. They also print in every size of paper imaginable. It's amazing! Of course, I have to get permission from my guardians, but once I do, I'll be ready to go! Wish me luck!

Copyright

As you know, I'm a writer. I love writing books and poetry, and I'm trying to get my newest novel, "True Love" published. I decided against a publishing company and am now trying to self-publish. First, though, I wanted to get the copyright registered so that no one steals my works. I went to Legalzoom's website at http://www.legalzoom.com/legal-copyrights/copyrights-overview.html?WT.srch=1&kid=314c7e16-aeea-7748-b2f5-0000762d7e50&se=google&q=copyright&refcd=GO325211s_copyright&tsacr=GO5683914127&cm_mmc_o=7BBTkwCjCWwc%20C%202B5YybTtflCjC2B5YybTtfjs8KCgB5YybTtfCjCgB5YybTtf&gclid=CLrLgtOQvK8CFQjd4AodFEWkhg and acted as if I was going to get my copyright registered there. I don't have money, and apparently it's very expensive, so I probably won't be doing that anytime soon. For a $100 nonrefundable fee, motion pictures, sound recordings, musical compositions, books, computer programs, and advertising or marketing photographs that are being prepared for commercial publication can be preregistered with the US Copyright Office. A copyright attorney may charge $250-$350 (plus the $45 federal filing fee) to guide you through the registration process.

I'm very excited to get this done; I know that my books may not be a best-seller and I may not be the next Jodi Picoult, who is my inspiration, but I still want to get my books out into the open. Wish me luck!

Hobbies

There are a lot of things I like to do in my free time, so of which I have already mentioned in my previous blogs. I like to:
1. Read (romance, suspense/thriller, mystery)
2. Write (I write the same types of things I like to read)
3. Sing
4. Act
5. Crochet
6. Play with animals
7. Experiment with my hair and nails
8. Socialize

I have always loved reading, since I was very young. Same goes for writing. My dad tells me that, while all the other kids in my first grade class were learning how to write their names, I was off in the corner writing paragraphs. That's pretty impressive for a six-year-old. I've been writing stories for as long as I could read them, and I've always loved it. I also keep a journal and write letters a lot, too.

I've only recently discovered my ability to sing. For a long time, I thought I was just tone deaf; I sounded good to myself but I was convinced that other people thought I sounded horrible. However, I recently did a talent show in which I sang "U Got It Bad" by Usher with my friends Josiah and Quashard as backup singers, and we were amazing. The crowd went crazy. I love singing and, because I'm a write, I write my own songs too. I've only written a couple, but the one entitled "Freedom (Fly Like A Bird)" is really good. I'd like to record one day, but I don't want to be famous.. I enjoy my privacy and peace of mind too much.

Acting is fun and I'm very good at it. I also like attention, so acting is a good way to get a healthy, positive dose of it. I participated in an acting class at the Studio Theater in downtown D.C., and it was tons of fun. I had a monologue and a scene, and I loved them both.

Crocheting is something that my creativity helps a lot with. My previous counselor taught me a simple stitch that would turn into a scarf, and I took that and ran. I taught myself several other stitches and I taught myself how to make leg warmers and hats. It's a lot of fun, and they make for great gifts.

I've already explained how I love animals. They are a huge part of me and I enjoy being around them. My dogs are a little crazy, but I love them. Even so, I love big dogs too. My dad's boxer, for example, is great to wrestle with and have pillow fights (that is, until he tries to eat the inside of the pillow!).

As a girl, I love doing my hair, nails, and make-up. I'm in the Cosmetology I class here at the Career Center, and it's a lot of fun. I learn very quickly so it comes naturally to me. I don't want to be a cosmetologist (I couldn't stand on my feet for that long five times a week) but it's something I'd like to do as a side job. My mom is the manager of a Hair Cuttery in Maryland, but she doesn't have anyone in her salon that does nails. I'd like to get certified to do nails so I can work in her job for a little while. I think it would be very cool. So fair, I know how to do two different types of hair cuts, how to color hair, how to do a roller set, how to do finger waves and pin curls, how to do a basic manicure and pedicure, and how to do facials. It's so much fun, and it brings in great money.

I am an extrovert. I love socializing and hanging out with friends. I make friends very easily; once I'm comfortable in a place, I begin making friends like it's no big deal. I enjoy doing anything with friends and family; I like watching movies, walking through a park, going to the pool, shopping, anything. I love my personality and others seem to as well!

Well, that's all for now!

My Future

People always ask me, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Over the years, my answer has changed many times. At the same time, it has stayed the same. I used to want to be a vet. I love animals and I'm very good with them. I would still love to work with them. However, as a vet, I would have to make some tough decisions. I would have to witness things I hope I never have to see. I might have to see animals that have been abused or animals that need to be put down. I don't think I would be able to do that. However, I still have a dream involving animals. I want to open a cage-less animal shelter. It will probably be in an abandoned warehouse that I rent and fix up. There will be different parts of the place for different types of animals. The warehouse will look like a home and feel like a home... that way, the animals won't be so miserable all the time. Of course, animals need cages sometimes. Like rabbits need to be put in a cage when you take them to the vet. That's okay. And animals that are aggressive can't always be with the other animals. However, no animal deserves to be in a cage for hours, days, months, even years. It's not fair. That's not the only program I want to start. I love horses and horseback riding, and I think it can be very therapeutic. I want to start a program so that special needs children and adults can work with horses. I think it would be very sweet and moving.
That's not all for me, though. I plan on going to college, to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. I love the Richmond area, so I want to go to college there. There is so much to do and so much history down there. I plan on getting my master's degree in psychology so that I can be a therapist for teens and young adults. I like helping people with their problems; I always have. However, there are some things I'm better at that I wish I could do. If I had the money, I would go to law school to become a lawyer. I'm good at arguing and I usually win (and when I don't win, I've at least gotten my point across and given people something to think about). However, I wouldn't be able to defend someone I know is guilty. Lawyers don't always have a choice at who they do and don't defend though. So for now, I'll stick to psychology. I want to go back to college, though, to be a high school teacher. I don't know exactly what I want to teach yet; since I'm a write and an avid reader, I think I'll probably be an English teacher. I've tutored in the past, and I've noticed that I have good patience and am very good at helping people understand things.
I want to get married when I'm older. I kind of have trust issues, and I don't ever want to get a divorce, so I expect that it'll take me a while to agree to marry someone. However, it's still a goal I have. I want two dogs in a nice-sized house; I would like a Boxer (like my dad's dog) and a Great Dane. I would like to have a stable income with little or minimal debt, and I don't want to have to depend on anyone or anything. I want to be independent.

Most of all, I want to be happy.

Story of my Life

I have a very interesting life. On June 14th, 1995, I was born in Nancy, France. My dad used to play professional basketball in Europe for seventeen years and met my mom in France. Six months after I was born, I moved to Germany. Right around the time I turned one, we moved to Plymouth, England. I don't have any memories from France and, no, I don't speak French. I remember some things about England, though. For example, my favorite park was Vicky Park because there was a tire swing there where my dad or my older sister would push me really fast. I moved to America when I was almost six years old, in the year of 2001. We moved here before June (I can't remember exactly when), but I know that it was before the 9/11 attack. What a great way to welcome someone to a county!
I have two older sisters and three younger brothers. None of them are my full siblings. My oldest sister's name is Charlotte, aka Charly. I just recently found out that she is pregnant! I'm going to be an aunt! Charly is from my mom's side, but her father is my mother's ex-husband. Charly lives in Wales. My next oldest sister, the one who would push me on the swing at Vicky Park, is Joya. Joya was also born in France and just recently came back to America. She plans on moving here for good this summer, and I am very excited. Joya has the same father as me, but her mom is my dad's former wife. My mother died when I was one year old, so I don't remember her. It is still sad, though... Anyway, my next sibling is my 13-year-old brother Dylan. He is, as I said, thirteen years old, but he is already six foot three and wears a size thirteen shoe! His mom is my dad's ex-girlfriend. I don't know Dylan very well; the last time I saw him, it was before I moved to America (oh yeah, Dylan lives in England too) so I was four, maybe five years old. My next two siblings are from my dad's wife Jade, who is a wonderful person. The first one is Cameron, who is twelve years old and the cutest thing ever! He's a pretty boy and is very emotional, which I love about him. Whenever he becomes interested in girls, he will have NO problem scoring a girlfriend. Oh, and here's an interesting story about Cam: he was in a motorcycle accident! The family was visiting a house that Jade's mom was considering working in when the owner of the home showed them his motorcycle. The motorcycle had a sidecar and everything! He asked Cam if he wanted to "go for a spin", and who would say no? So Cam got in the sidecar and put on a helmet that was too big. Now here's the scary part. The guy's motorcycle was parked in his driveway, which was a hill. The driveway let to the street, and right up on the curb was a tree. The guy put his motorcycle into drive and apparently "lost control". The bike slammed into the tree and cam flew from the sidecar. He landed on the ground a while away, and the helmet cut into his head. He was bleeding severely. He was rushed to the emergency room. I was at home with my aunts (yes, I live with my aunts) when we found out, so we rushed down to the hospital. I was crying and was very scared for my little brother. He was okay, though. He has a scar on his forehead from where he needed stitches, but other than that, he's perfect. Interesting, huh? Well, my last sibling is three-going-on-four and his name is Jaron. He's is a DEVIL. He's very aggressive and evil, but I love him all the same. I live in Arlington, Virginia with my aunt Roxane and her partner Michelle, and our two dogs, a Pomeranian-Shelty mix name Chelsea and a Maltese named Chase. My dad bought a dog in 2006 while I was still living with him in Maryland. That dog's name is Roady and he's a boxer. He's the cutest thing EVER and I love him so much. He's turning seven on April 18th!

Well, that's my life. I hope you found it interesting!

My Books

So far, I have written three books. The first one is called "Centipedophobia". It is a murder mystery and full of suspense. It is about a girl who realizes that the murders occurring in her town are somehow linked to her. The story moves very fast and is a quick read. My second book is called "Cupid's Arrow". This one is suspense/thriller but also has romance in it. It is about a girl who breaks up with her boyfriend. Her best friend then tries to get revenge on her behalf, only for it to turn out horribly. I really like this one and, again, it's a quick read. The final book I have written is called "True Love". It is a romance novel. It is a short book, around 250 pages, but it is very sad. This is probably the best book I have written. All of my books are targeted for teenagers and young adults. I am trying to self-publish my books and, hopefully, I will. I will let you know when I finish the next one!!

First Day of School

Today is my first day at the Career Center's Academic Academy. I am in the ICT class here, and I've already learned something new. I learned about Dropbox, which works as a thumb drive. First, you create an account. Once you do that, you can start saving documents to the site, where it will store it for you. It's better than a thumb drive because it won't break and you can't lose it. It's powered by Google, as well, so you have your reliable source backing you up. To use Dropbox, you save your pictures or documents to a folder on your computer's hard drive. Then you go to Dropbox, click upload, and select the files you want to save on the site. I think this is very cool and effective. Plus, if you download Dropbox on your home computer and then save something to it somewhere else, it will automatically pop up in the home computer's folder. That's so cool!!