I Started High School

     I can officially declare to the known world that I hate high school. Middle school was too easy and now high school is too hard....I wish there was an in between. I absolutely love my painting class. All other classes I leave trembling with fear. I don't know why I just cannot gather up enough courage to raise my hand. Most of my participation problems are due to the fact that I cannot figure out an answer until after someone else is already called on. The TV shows make it seem so easy, so fun, but I am having trouble in practically every class. It's only the third week!

Leaves

Leaves Guess who's novelette has been published online on TeenInk? Mine! I'm freaking out right now because if you rate it 5 stars, I can get on the Top Voted list! So go do that please... Thanks! :)

SHOPPING

http://instagr.am/p/Ocd7HQMkuw/
I'm obssessed. It's a problem.

Thanks

Спасибо всем моим читателям из России! 
If I totally butchered the language, I greatly apologize. So, basically, I would just like to extend my thanks to the Russian readers who keep coming back for every new post. It means a lot to me. Have a lovely day! Stay classy! :)

Post-its (A Thought a Day #3)

I also have hair tutorials! Click here.

Grrr (A Thought a Day #2)

Quote (A Thought a Day #1)

If you could not tell already, I have decided to start posting my videos on this blog. It's your daily dose of Sarah if you are not annoyed with me yet!

A Thought a Day

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What Swimming Means to Me

     It's astounding how much individual power the sport of swimming gives you. It is an amazing feeling when you win one for your team, but if you keep track of your own personal best times, the feeling of winning something for yourself is even more fantastic. Practices are difficult; sometimes you just want the clock to stop so you can truly breathe. It sometimes feels like different oxygen. There is the air at the wall and there is the air you gasp for while you're swimming that may feel as if it isn't there, that there isn't enough. When you have been swimming long enough, the water becomes your enemy; at the same time it's your best friend. The water can fill your goggles with eye-stinging chlorine if they are not tight enough. It may be too warm- the heat may cause your strokes to be less flawless, for the water becomes heavy. On the other hand, it can be as freezing as a tub of ice, providing the feeling of being unstoppable. 

Writer's Block

I seem to be going through an aspiring author's worst nightmare- writer's block. Even if I have the best possible thought for a post drifting around in my head, I can never seem to put it into words. I cannot even begin to explain how frustrating it is. Thus, you can expect a new post on my main blog sometime between today and September 30th. *crowd erupts into thunderous applause* Thanks a lot for contining to read even in my absence. Stay classy!

What's On My Mind? 7/20/12

I watched this very creative video on YouTube today. Unfortunately I cannot post the video because it is unlisted. Instead, here is the link: http://youtu.be/KUYXE8YxFAM

Feeling Artsy

I spent a large chunk of time in which I should have been reading my assigned books for honors instead cutting letters out of magazine pages. On top of that, I cut out different patterns for each letter. Then I proceeded to tape them to my door. In my defense, at least I spent the 6 hours doing something creative unlike my brother who watched TV. Wow, I have been quite artsy this summer! XD

Nervous

I am going to my boyfriend's birthday party tonight and I'm just a bit nervous. Okay, "a bit" is an understatement. His whole family is going to be there! I am posting this gibberish because writing, no matter what it is, seems to calm me down. Guess what? It's totally and utterly not working! jgfvcasdfghjkgcasujtc23456ilcmBVb Yup, that was just me smashing my face on the keyboard.

Hot, Hot, Hot!

The weather channel says that it's 96 degrees out. Yeah right! You could fry an egg on the driveway! I walked out of the pool so dry that it was as if I never went in in the first place. Hence, it is like a million degrees!

Happy Fourth of July!

     Whether you refer to it as Independence Day or the Fourth of July, this day is a huge national celebration. "On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, setting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks, and backyard barbecues across the country." 

• Click here for some interesting facts about Independence Day from the United States Census Bureau.
• Click here for a cute 4th of July hairstyle, (almost) perfect for when you go watch those fireworks!
• Want to go for a dip in the pool? Click here to search for a pool near you.
• Empress your friends and family! Click here for some awesome, patriotic recipes.

Success

     I must have inspired at least a few people with my blog posts because I have seen similar themes from my posts in my friends' blog posts. That is pretty awesome! Now I can check "inspire someone" off of my list of things to accomplish this summer. Also, I made a document with a list of my friends' blogs. Click here to check it out. XD

Hmmmm...

      Remember that girl on my swim team, the one who inspired me to wear tankinis. I wrote about her on my main blog, if you recall. Well, today I finally got up the courage to say hi to her. When I did, she stared at me then walked away without saying anything. Am I crazy for feeling a bit hurt? Do you think she read my blog and interpreted it as offensive as I feared? I think I will need to sleep on this one...

We Won the First B Meet!

The meet was Thursday and so far we are 2-0 in our new division, Division 2 (we moved up from Division 3). My Breaststroke time is starting to get faster- back down to where I ended the season last year! That means that I have all summer to beat my personal best time of 42:16 which was my Championship time two summers ago. For some reason, I cannot get past the 42 second mark! I think I should start "training" myself on days that I can't make it to practice because of work.

Rules and Lists

This was originally meant to be a beginning paragraph on my main blog but I lost interest in writing three paragraphs so I ended it then decided to post it here instead so it would not go to waste:
      There is no such thing as a(n) (almost) perfect way to start writing anything that hints at philosophy, so for this blog post, there will be no proper beginning. I might as well begin with a simple sentence- I am sick of rules and lists. "Rules" apply to everything that restricts me in any way; however, the worst rule of all is "this is not a democracy, it is a dictatorship" at home. I am okay with doing what my mother says most of the time, but sometimes I just want to be reminded of what freedom is by definition instead of what she tells me it is. When it comes to lists, it is extremely difficult and stressful for me to have more than one task to do a given time. All the time I write lists up to three pages long of stuff I must do, things I want to do, and things I need. The lists never seem to disappear; they never seem to vanish from the back of my mind even if they are erased physically. Everyday I hear "do this, and this, and this, and this". I never hear, "just do this." "A", rules and "b", lists are life's greatest boundaries if "c", death is not available on the multiple choice test.

What's On My Mind? 6/27/12

I have been humming this song in my head all day. The music and the lyrics are beautiful. (P.S. Don't forget to check out my main blog if you have not already.)

One Mile Deep in Paranoia

     We are on our way to the beach and my father has admitted something hilarious. He never wants to go to on a mule ride in the Grand Canyon because he is afraid that the mule will have a seizure and they would both fall into the canyon. It sort of proves my theory that paranoia is what stops us from living our lives to the fullest. Basically, I seriously doubt my mother is going to convince my father to even go to the edge of the canyon when she drags him along once my siblings and I are out of the house.

Guilty as Charged

     Today I discovered that it was just me being stubborn that was keeping me from talking to some pretty amazing personalities. I sit in my living room on the family laptop trash-talking people that I have not really gotten up the courage to talk to, instead judging books by their covers. It is absolutely horrible and I never thought that I would be the one to stoop to the level of some kids at school who do just that: judge! Except in my case, I judged good-looking people that I assumed correctly to be more leaning towards popular. All the time I am the one to give advice to people about accepting everyone. Even in my main blog, I speak words that I believe to be truthful about loving everyone since everyone is (almost) perfect in their own way. Ugh! I cannot begin to explain the guilt that I am currently experiencing...

"Repetition" by Phil Kaye

This is one of my favorite poems by Phil Kaye, one of my favorite spoken-word poets. Enjoy!