The Harry Potter Series

Long time readers of this blog are aware that for most of my life I had a problem with the Harry Potter series. The main reason that I had never read the series was that I was so convinced that the series was "evil" or something, I just avoided it without giving it a try. My argument that it used "magic" was hardly substantial, as I had no problem with the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis, or any video game with mages or magic. It was not until this last year that I decided to give Harry Potter a try, and I'm very, very glad I did. Just as a note though, if you have not yet read the series (which I highly suggest that you do so right now), this post contains countless spoilers. You have been warned.

The important thing I have noticed about my reaction to the series is how emotionally attached I have become to the characters. I know that this is something that almost every work of fiction strives for: to make the reader feel like he or she is connected to the characters. Many of them achieve that connection, in varying degrees. But never before have I felt so strongly attached to the characters of a series so quickly, and to have that attachment last for the entire span of the series. By chapter three I already wanted to "hit all of the Dursley's on the head with a mallet that has a  large enough gravitational pull to alter the Earth's rotation around the sun for being mean to Harry". When I read about Harry going to the Quidditch World Cup in the Goblet of Fire, I realized that I was legitimately excited about all the excitement and large hoards of people. In fact, I was more excited for the World Cup of a fictional sport than I have ever been for that of a real sport!

This emotional attachment I felt was only destined to grow larger as I read on. In the Order of the Phoenix I was introduced to Professor Umbridge, who I began to detest, hate, and abhor more than any other fictional character I have ever read. It actually took me quite a few weeks to finish the Order of the Phoenix. This is partially because it is the largest seven books, but it was mostly because every chapter or so I would stop reading to fondly daydream about a universe where I could pop into Hogwarts out of nowhere and force Umbridge to write "I will not cruelly torture my students or abuse them in any way" in the same Quill that she made Harry use during his detention. I actually hate Umbridge so much and in such a deep way that I don't really want to watch the movie version of the Order of the Phoenix. Not because I disliked the book, of course, but I have a feeling that if I have to go through that same cycle of intense loathing I would just explode.

It was not just main characters that I became furiously attached with. Fred and George Weasley became to me more than just the immature pranksters that they were in the early books. I realized that they were extremely intelligent, talented, brave, and above all, infallibly loyal. Or Dobby! The little house elf who despite his best intentions is an annoyance and a hindrance in the second book became a savior and a hero in the last book! But if we are talking about character development, it would be an injustice to not mention Neville. In the first book, he was a a frightened and weak little boy. But fast forward to the final book, and in many ways he took the place of Harry as a leader and sign of hope to the children of Hogwarts while Harry was busy hunting Horcruxes! He even beheaded a giant snake!

I adored my ride through these seven books. It was quite truly an adventure, and one that I will miss. My only complaint is that you can only read this series for the first time once.

Marion Homeschool Wins Iowa Highschool State Competition

Today at the Iowa Judicial Building, for the first time in the history of Marion Homeschool Assistance Program, we had a team just win the State Competion for Mock Trial.

Let's have a story first, so you can understand how big of a deal this is. Marion Homescool has had a Mock Trial for a long time, I believe about seventeen years, even though I am unsure of the exact total. Although that first year we sent a team to State, it was not until two years ago that we succeeded again. Marion teams had always been mediocre; sure we put time into Mock Trial, but the program was never really competitive. No one knew about Marion Mock Trial, and truly no one cared, we were just another easy team. Even two years ago when we went to State, we placed 31st out of 32 teams.

Last year our top team managed to place in the top ten, which astounded us all, but we certainly were not expecting anything better this year. I know for a fact that every member of our top team would have been overjoyed to just get into top ten again. But to our great surprise, they had won all three of their trials at State, and qualified for the Semi-Finals! Of course we all freaked out (I'm hope I didn't scare anyone), seeing as this was unheard of in the history of our program. We advance through Semi-Finals, and then on to Finals against Valley Highschool, the State Champions two years ago.

Fast forward to right now. In those two years of time our program has been catapulted from being only good at losing to having the best team in the entire State. If you look at the State Champions for the 31 years of its existence, only ten unique highschools have been State Champions (Robins Mock Trial in particular, winning eight of those years). We had always seen finals as being at an almost god-like level that our little program would never hope to match. A team that a couple years ago was completely unknown cracked this club, and Marion Mock Trial will forever be on the map.

Of the four teams Marion had this year, only two went to State, and only one, the Blackhawks, became State champions. Because I unfortunately wasn't good enough to be on our top teams, I instead had the pleasure these last few days of being able to watch trial after trial at a very high-level, yet at the same time not have to worry about stress or messing up (you know you are all jealous). These rounds I've watched, I must admit, I was blown away. I was expecting our team to be good. I was expecting them to be great. But what I was not expecting was the amount of professionalism, preparation, and skill exhibited today in the Semi-Finals and Finals. These are my friends, people who I've worked, played, and hung out with for several years. Suddenly they've all turned into these unbeatable Mock Trial beings who have never met defeat. I'm so ridiculously proud of you guys, words can't even describe how happy I am. It's truly been an honour, and I wish you all great luck at Nationals!

Being Homeschooled

I'm realizing more and more how fortunate I am to be homeschooled. It's pretty school stuff.

Socially, homeschooling has advantages. Because there is so much interaction with students of all age groups, we have a broader spectrum of social interaction. My friend group is comprised of highschoolers of all grades (and even some junior highers too). In addition, I am pleased to say that I have many friends who happen to be ten or more years younger than me. Little kids, who other high schoolers might scoff at. Being in a particular "class" has less meaning. In addition to that, the way that homeschooling deals with socializing avoids many pitfalls that happen all the time in the public school system. From what I've heard, the majority of schools have a tier system. The "cool" kids. The kids who are friends with the cool kids. The nerds. And then there are the rejects, the kids who don't have any friends at all. For many highschoolers, school is a living nightmare. Yet I don't see that in homeschooling. Sure, there are the kids who are more shy, but I really don't know anyone who has no friends. I mean, I know they have to be somewhere. I just don't see them. Perhaps that means something.

Then there is the issue of such things as drugs and alcohol. I know that not every highschooler in public school drinks all the time or is addicted to every drug imaginable, but I know that it happens. In homeschooling, at least where I live, that it virtually impossible. Even private school suffers from this. I have one friend who goes to a private christian school. To quote her, "The only difference between my school and a public school is that there is maybe less drugs. Maybe". Call me sheltered to be happy that I don't have to deal with that stuff, but things like that only make me more glad that I am homeschooled.

You probably are aware that homeschoolers score significantly higher than either public schoolers or private schoolers on the ACT, and many other standardized tests. So obviously there is the educational advantage of being homeschooled. The education is often just a step above.

Now much of this is assuming that you are in a Homeschool Assistance Program, or HSAP. This takes care of many of the initial drawbacks of hoemschooling (not being around other students except for siblings, learning subjects that your parents aren't very good at, and participating in such things as drama or band that require a sizable amount of people).

Just because you are homeschooled does not guarantee that you necessarily will be socially nonawkward, or really smart. After all, much of that differs from person to person. But the thing is, in my (humble) opinion homeschooling offers a better environment for nurturing those traits then the public (or private) school system.

What Do I Want to Do When I Grow Up?

One of the most common questions children of all ages are asked is "what do you want to be when you grow up"? Over the years, I've had many different aspirations. I went from wanting to be a robot (don't judge), to an author, to a chemist (for most of my childhood wanting to be a chemist stood out compared to my other ideas). During junior high and early highschool, I was at a loss, just waiting for something amazing to come my way.
And it did, during the summer and for most of my junior year I developed a love for computers. I greatly enjoy using them, working with them, and programming for them. A degree in Computer Science just seemed to be natural, and that was exactly what I was planning on.

But then several days ago I watched these videos.

In case you are too lazy to watch them, those two videos are actually auto tuned songs of brilliant Theoretical Physicists, Biologists, Astronomers, and Scientists of all types talking about..... Sciencey things (Morgan Freeman might be an exception to "brilliant Scientist" , but he's cool enough that he counts anyway). As I do with every song I hear about Science, I listen to them over, and over, and over again. And quite honestly, it is inspiring listening to such geniuses as Stephen Hawkings and Richard Feynman, even if it is only a phrase or two. To stare into the faces of some of the greatest Scientific minds our world has ever known. So now I'm thinking about going to college for a degree in Science instead. Now I know that it is quite silly to want to drastically change the direction of your life just because of a song or two (Even if Morgan Freeman was in one), but there is more to it. What the songs have done really is just get me thinking. I think that though I love Computer Science, I might be capable of more. I've always been fairly adept at any Science courses I've taken (probably being married to Science had something to do with that), and I must say that I enjoy it. I'm even starting to feel like my eight year old Chemistry-obsessed self again.

Now if I do end up studying Science, what would be my plans? Well, I would like to aim for the highest form of education possible: a PhD. Yeah, I know that it is a bit of a ridiculous plan to go to college with the sole intention of getting a doctorate. I mean, PhD's are by no means easy to obtain, or cheap to pay for the schooling either. For all I know, I might end up failing every Science course I take once I get into college. But nonetheless, I feel like it would be something worth working for. At least attempting anyway.

Now if that doesn't sound even the least bit naive, what about having no idea which field I actually want to go into? Well, having no idea isn't exactly true. Both Physics and Chemistry look to be viable options. There is one interesting thing if I chose Physics though. My grandfather actually was a Scientist, and he received his PhD in Physics. My dad meanwhile ended up getting a Master's in Physics. So if I got at least a Master's in Physics, that would be three generations of Sawatzky's doing so. Though that fact holds little weight regarding which field I will eventually choose, it would be kind of cool.

The thing is, I'm kind of indecisive right now. Do I really want to give up coding as a career (though I would probably at least keep it as a hobby)? Would I be able to pay for all of the schooling it would take to receive a doctorate? Am I capable? And if I am indeed capable, would I be able to stay focused? This really is a very big decision, and I will for sure be giving it a lot more thought. After some more Skyrim, anyway.

My Attempt At An E. E. Cummings-Like Poem

I hate love E. E. Cummings a lot. I think he is despicable and a pathetic excuse for a poet really cool. I even wrote a brief little poem which serves to mockingly illustrate how awful his poems were celebrate how neat he was. Enjoy.


The
      startling
                  appearance
                                    of
                                       my
                                            friend
                                                     Fred,
destroyed
               my
                    previous
                                 conclusion
                                                 that
                                                       he
                                                          was
                                                                dead.
Perhaps
             if
               he
                   had
                         given
                                 me
                                     more
                                             chocolate
                                                            sauce,
it
  would
            have
                   seemed
                               less
                                     of
                                        a
                                          loss.

Why Do We Allow Words To Lose Meaning?

You've probably been scolded once or twice when you used the word "hate" in a scenario where you could have simply used "dislike". "Hate is a strong word" those people would say, and I was one of them, trying to hold on to the meaning which came with that word. Sadly, that is actually incorrect. "Hate" is no longer a strong word. Each time we used it improperly, it became a little more mellow, until, no matter what the dictionary might tell you, it devolved into a synonym for "dislike".  So now when we come into situations where we need to profess a strong detestment of something, we have to scrounge around for other words, if we can find them at all.

I think that part of it is that as a society, we want to use strong words all the time in normal conversation. Take "hell". It has taken the place of a swear word, or we use it as a comparison to things we don't like very much. But truly, when we think about the word and all that in entails, those things are nothing like eternal damnation in writhing agony. The one time that I can understand the use of the word is when it describes war. And not by someone like me, but someone who actually experienced war as a soldier on the front lines. Someone who actually knows about the horrors of war first hand. Those people can say "war is hell", and they are not swearing or making the word lose meaning. But really, even in this situation, hell is much more awful than anything we can experience here on Earth, even if war is the closest thing.

But what about other words that we in America use on a regular basis, such as human feces? Honestly, especially for us teenagers, is there truly ANYTHING in our lives which happens to us personally which bring to mind the disgustingness and sheer primitiveness of human feces? If you answer yes, unless you have a very good explanation, you probably aren't being honest with yourself. And even if you are, I doubt that such things are so common that they happen everyday that they warrant the use of such words. Truly, the vast majority of us live pretty cushy lives here in America, even in the good times. We honestly are not worthy to use words which hold a certain rawness that we have never experienced.

Negative words are not the only ones that can lose meaning though. What about positive words? Consider the word "awesome". I myself use it quite regularly, but I've heard of people who refuse to use the word "awesome" unless they are referring to something which truly is worthy of our awe, such as God. I know that it is these days merely the equivalent of "especially cool", but what if instead it was reserved, or set aside for our creator? Wouldn't "Our God Is An Awesome God" hold so much more meaning if we weren't referring to someone who is just pretty cool, but instead the One who is worthy of our praise?

Sincerity

Sincerity. It's not something we think about a lot, but it is in my opinion one of the most important virtues that is often overlooked.

The bane of sincerity is doubt, both purposely deceitful and otherwise. I will begin with the non deceitful variety. Let's consider a somewhat competitive activity which requires a good deal of skill, such as Mock Trial. Say that I do absolutely horrible on a cross examination. I completely flubbed it up. How do I know that I for sure did a mediocre job? If immediately afterwards my team mates say "good job". Don't get me wrong, compliments are great. But if you know for a fact that you didn't do very well, and you hear a "good job", that only further cements in the despair. This is where doubt comes in. How can you ever really know for sure if a compliment is sincere? Someone might just be saying that to make you feel better. A nice thought, sure, but in affect it only serves to do the opposite of the intent.

When you think about it, how many of the compliments we give are actually truly sincere? When someone asks you what you think of something, you almost never just say "terrible", even if it truly is terrible. Oh sure, we might give some constructive criticism, but it almost always ends up being "it's good but....". The word "good" is still in there. It just seems that the word has so little meaning now. Of course, the alternative would often just lead to meaningless nonconstructive criticism, which one could argue is much worse. I guess the point is that we should take care that, when we compliment someone for something amazing, to make it stand out. Not necessarily by using tons of words such as "awesome" and "amazing", although they can be good, but to actually describe why we think something is cool. That way it is easier to discern insincere comments from the sincere.

What about doubt with purposeful deceit present? Google something like "fake lottery prize winners" and you'll see numerous videos show up of people screaming in joy, only later to find out that it wasn't real. See, practical jokes in general, though they can be funny at times, bring unnecessary doubt into our lives. You ever heard the saying "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is"? Of course you have. In fact, you would probably be pretty weary of something like someone winning a lottery ticket just like that too. It's because we've been conditioned to doubt the improbable, so that we don't end up looking silly when it proves to be fake later. In a way this is very good: it keeps us all from being too gullible, and we avoid a lot of embarrassment. But imagine, wouldn't it be great if we could trust EVERYTHING that our friends say? I'm not even including complete strangers or acquaintances here, I mean close friends. We wouldn't have to worry if we were being the focus of some sort of joke. Relationships with friends would go to a whole new level.

To close, here is a quote from David Foster Wallace. I have no idea who the guy is, but it is a good quote.

“An ad that pretends to be art is -- at absolute best -- like somebody who smiles warmly at you only because he wants something from you. This is dishonest, but what's sinister is the cumulative effect that such dishonesty has on us: since it offers a perfect facsimile or simulacrum of goodwill without goodwill's real spirit, it messes with our heads and eventually starts upping our defenses even in cases of genuine smiles and real art and true goodwill. It makes us feel confused and lonely and impotent and angry and scared. It causes despair.”