The Math Portion of the SAT...

So, I'm taking the SAT tomorrow... I've been doing some practice problems and realized that I have no idea what I'm doing. It's not like I'm a stupid person. I've never gotten anything lower than a B as my final grade, even in my math classes. I can figure the problems out if I know the process. But I just can't seem to retain the information of how to do every problem I've ever been taught. The formulas and little tricks and things just seem to disappear right out of my head the moment I stop needing it. Oh sure, I remember lots of things, like dividing polynomials, how to solve a quadratic function, and rise over run for the slope of a line. But I guess there are things I've forgotten too.

Take, for instance, one of the practice problems I was trying to do just a few minutes ago. "A 3 by 4 rectangle is inscribed in circle. What is the circumference of the circle?" I stared at it for a few moments, then exclaimed, "What does that even mean?!" I could understand the individual pieces of it, but when I tried to put it all together or make a formula out of it, I was completely lost.

Does this mean I'm really stupid? Do I lack skills that everyone else has? This is very scary for me. If I don't do well on this SAT, sure I can take it again, but I feel like there's not much I'm going to be able to do about this issue. I just don't have the capability to retain all that knowledge. And if I can never get a good score... Does that mean I won't be able to go to college? Will I not be able to get a good job or support my family?

I don't even want to work with math equations like these. The two career options I'm considering right now are creative writing and psychology. Math is not my strong point, and I don't want a future based around my weakness. But, with the SAT, is my future already based around my weakness?..

If any of you have any suggestion of ways I can fix this, please let me know. I'm going to go through the Khan Academy website for now and try to cram in anything that might be useful.

Elysse's Idea (story)

Her eyes shone with an idea. She placed one hand on the baby's head and spoke loudly. "With the power of the Hyspire I bind myself and the great Power's followers to the child Immortal to share in his lengthened life until the end of his days."

(Read all previous parts of the story here: http://propheciesofshadow.blogspot.com/p/chapter-one.html)

Yay Fantasy

Could our world use some more magic?

I just finished reading Don Quixote by Cervantes, and it brought up this question for me. In case you haven't heard of it, the book is about a man in medieval Spain who goes mad and runs around pretending to be a knight. Truthfully, there is much more to it than that, but I don't want to give it away for anyone. Anyway, the main character Don Quixote always blames anything he can't explain on enchanters.

It's been making me think about how plain our world is. Why can't we all just be crazy? Everyone needs an adventure every now and then. Let's all band together and be awesome heroes that do amazing things.

The Key (story)

"What indeed..." Elysse murmurred. Her golden eyes fixed on Daevyn's peaceful face. She continued speaking thoughtfully, as if to herself. "This boy is the key to both great power and a delicate balance. My order has searched for him for many years. And now I am the one to find him. Wyerma would say that the whole world must be told of the Immortal's birth, but that would cause unnecessary panic among the people. It might even waste what could be a marvelous opportunity..."

(Read all previous parts of the story here: http://propheciesofshadow.blogspot.com/p/chapter-one.html)

Bad News and Good News...

So, I'm going to start off with some sad news today, because I kind of feel like not making it top priority would be disrespectful... Duckling, one of the orange kittens in the litter, died Saturday evening... I wasn't there when it happened, but apparently there was an accident while some members of my family were trying to move a couch, and he was crush beneath it. My parents raced him to the vet, but they weren't able to save him. We all miss him.

Some of you may say that it's stupid to get so upset over a dead animal, but our kittens kind of become like family to us for the time they're here. We play with them every day and enjoy watching their personalities develop. And yes, kittens do have personalities. So it's sad when one of their lives is cut short before its time...

Anyway, I don't really want to talk about that too much. I've just barely gotten over it and would rather not open the wound again. I don't need tears right now...

So in other news, I posted my first video on this blog's Youtube channel! What? You didn't know this blog had a Youtube channel? Well, that's okay. I didn't really announce it before. Yes, there is a Youtube channel where videos relating to this blog will be posted for your entertainment! I probably won't post very regularly, as many of the videos will depend on certain posts I publish in the future. However, I will be adding things when I'm able, so either subscribe or keep an eye out for new videos!

The one I posted today is of Dante being a pest. But a cute one! I mostly made it in order to test out some things about Youtube and certain aspects of movie making, but it's still pretty cute. I'll also be posting it on my Facebook page (here: https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Arriah-Dreamscribe/146768685480583) for anyone who doesn't actually read my blog regularly.

What? (story)

"My husband meant no disrespect," Aerana said hurriedly. "His mind is simpy focused on the same question mine is. What should we do about this?"

(Read all previous parts of the story here: http://propheciesofshadow.blogspot.com/p/chapter-one.html)

Calendar

Okay, so I was bored one day in class and I designed a basic calendar system for Uhdrea. I thought that there should be eight months per year, with eight months within the year. There would be six weeks in each month and eight days in each week. The days would be the same length as our own, but separated into eight "hours". The numbers eight and six are signficant in Uhdrea. That's why I picked them. What do you think?