Post #2

I know, I know, two posts in ten minutes. I really must be bored.

No, it's just that the last post was dedicated exclusively to the shuttle launch, and there is some other stuff I think I would benefit from rambling on about for a while.

First, Lateness.
At my school, every once in a while they implement the late queues. This means that if you are late, even by as little as a minute, you have to stand in a queue for half an hour and then explain to a member of the staff exactly why you are late.
Today, I had the bad luck to arrive at school to have the gate slammed shut in my face. A tad disheartened, I went around to the late entrance-to discover the late queues.
Now, maybe I'd better mention that no one is allowed in, but there are no teachers to supervise the queue. This means, predictably, that if you arrive first, you will be pushed and pushed and people will step in front of you until you are at the back.
I didn't arrive first, but I stood outside, in the freezing cold, with no coat, no gloves and my reputation as a total geek and goody-goody to endanger me.

New people arrived. instead of going to the back as I had done, they pushed through to the front. Soon I found myself beside a friend of mine, who had arrived much later than me, and yet, due to the shoving and pushing, was ahead of me in the line.

As I came closer to the door, I heard the bell for start of lessons ring. This is when I began to panic, because:
I HAD MY ACTUAL SPANISH GCSE WRITING ASSESSMENT FIRST LESSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was almost hyperventilating. I felt so stressed and scared that I nearly screamed at the big, scary sixth-former who shoved in front of me that I was there first. I complained loudly, something I, the innocent goody-goody, would never normally dream of doing, but nothing happened. I prayed that my more rowdy classmates would get bored and rush the desks, pushing their way through until I was the only one left to sign in, but it was not to be.

I was veyr panicked. My breathing quickened, and when I got to the front of the line the teacher slowly-oh so slowly-asked me why I was late. i replied quickly, but the damage was done.

I was late.
I raced through the corridors to reach my classroom. For a moment I breathed when I reached it, only to see that my teacher was halfway through explaining exactly what we were meant to do. Panicked and scared, with wild eyes, I tried to silently attract my teachers attention to apologise for being late. When that failed, I sat down, hurriedly unpacking my things.
However, my brain was frenzied and I was so panicked that once I had seated myself and loacted the equipment, I was too panicked to listen. I caught snatches of information, such as "I can't-" "Dictionary" and "folders", but I missed most of it. Then suddenly it was time to start.

I still felt panicked and harried, and I scribbled down some completely grammatically incorrect nonsense in order to get the words down on the page. I rushed and rushed, planning to complete at least a third of it by the end, as we had three lessons to complete it.
i wrote too much on the first bullet point, because I rambled on and on. I was too panicked to pace myself and think more carefully about my words and the spanish tumbled out of me in a mix of "I ate lunch tablets for breakfast and cheese had protein and I am a vegetarian therefore I am healthy".

By the time it was done, my twin had written almost half of hers, and begun copying it out in neat.
Disheartened and depressed, I watched as my teacher collected in our work, and my last chance to correct the mistakes I made was torn away.

I couldn't calm down until break, and that was only because I ate a chocolate brownie and five sugar cubes.

It was a real nightmare, I tell you. Horrible.

I don't really know what else to write, but with that inspiration, I doubt I'll have trouble with my English assessment tomorrow. Our task is to write a horror story. Do you think my GCSE horror will be good enough?
Even thinking about it has made me feel sick and panicked again. Urrgh.

By the way, did I mention it's my twin sister's birthday on Friday? Any idea what to get her?
No, nothing else is happening on the same day. Why do you ask?

The Endeavour Launch

Hi again!
As you may have (or may not have) guessed from the title, this post is about the launch of the Space shuttle Endeavour.
It launched yesterday at about ten to nine GMT. I think. I may be wrong.
On Sunday, I got up early (Well, earlier than I'd normally get up on a Sunday) to watch the launch at 09:39 GMT, but it was scrubbed because of low cloud ceilings and rescheduled for yesterday.
I would have still watched it, but I have to go to this thing called "school" which was unfortunately at the same time.
:(
But it launched! At lunchtime I raced into the library to check the NASA website, and I was delighted to discover that the Endeavour STS-130 mission had launched!
With Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts and Mission specialists Kathryn Hire, Stephen Robinson, Robert Behnken and Nicholas Patrick.
It's Terry Virts first time in space, and this morning the shuttle crew woke up to the song "Give me your eyes" by Brandon Heath to commemorate that.

The song inspired me to write a poem about it (yes, I know, dull. Bear with me, okay?) which is short, rubbish and just plain weird. I'm going to post it here anyway. If you don't want to read it, skip down to the end of the italics.
Anticipation (Technically, It could also be titled"Daydreaming".)

The culmination of a lifetime's dream
Bravery and Anticipation
The dream to extend humanity's reach
Filled with nerves and exhilaration

An unexplored expanse,
Devoid of life,
Filled with Adevnture.

An empty vacuum,
Endless and secretive,
A hive of undiscovered information.

Reaching for the sky,
Terror and joy in one heart beat
This is where, finally
Dream and reality will meet.

Good, bad, worst thing you've ever read?
Let me know in the comments. I know it's a tad...well, insane...but try to see past that, will you? :)

Anyway, back To the subject of the Launch.
They are delivering the Tranquility Node to the ISS (International Space Station), which was created in Italy for the ESA (European Space Agency) and is one of the last major US components of the structure. Also the seven-windowed cupola room.

Also, the Shuttle Launch was NASA's last planned night-time launch. Ever.
The mission will last 13 days. Astronaut Nicholas Patrick is planning to try and tweet from space-as other astronauts are already doing-which should be interesting. His twitter username is @Astro-Nicholas. Or it might be @Astro_Nicholas. I'm not sure. Try both?

I find this all extremely interestind and could go on for much longer (As my two annoyed sisters know, after I rambled on for hours to each of them in turn about the failed launch, the real launch, what being a mission specialist entails, how astronauts enter and leave the shuttle, the purpose of the external fuel tank, and many other details).
I pretty much lectured my sister earlier when she tried to make me laugh by making up a comedy story where a girl tried to handcuff herself to a shuttle, File parts away with a nile file, and then mend it with chewing gum.
I lectured her, literally, for about 20 minutes before I got distracted. Silly Rebecca. There is no way anyone could handcuff themselves to the Orbiter. Something that can survive deep space could not be harmed by a nile file, and no, you can not mend a shuttle with chewing gum.
That is a very much shorter version of my lecture as you can probably tell. I also corrected her on other things, but I don't think I have to list every single mistake she made, do I? I'd only end up making one of my own.

NASA has stopped working to build a replacement for the shuttles when they stop being used. I wonder what the replacement, if/when built, will be like?

Poetry

I, shaking in my boots (well, actually I'm barefoot, but no matter), am about to post some of my poetry on the large crtiqueing pool known as the internet.
Most of my poems are very personal, and also morbid, so I don't like doing this. Chances are, no one will read it anyway.
Most of my poems rhyme, but today I was kind of inspired to try and write non-rhyming ones by some people on a Young Writers forum.

Number 1, which (Thankfully) still has some rhymes in it:

Hides in the darkness of her dreams,
She won't show you what she feels
She holds it close, but it's not as it seems,
Behind her mask lies her lost soul.

She stares ahead
bruises hidden beneath her skin,
Not as thick as it seems.
Even she doesn't understand
A dam breaks,
A flood releases,
Emotions, lying, broken on the floor.
She hides her face
Cries herself to sleep
her only hopes are dreams of light,
Dashed away by her peers.

Can you see this girl?
She stands tall, alone, and proud
But this so-called pride hides her true face
Someday, it will be her shroud.

That's the better of the two, in my opinion. This next one is about the misunderstandings teenagers go through at school, but can really be applied to anyone who feels misunderstood, I think. As I said, No rhymes. (Bllrggh!) I like rhyming, and have never written any non-rhyming poetry before, so here goes:

My identity lost,
In what these others think of me,
What do they think?
Who do they think
I am?

The girl who:
Sits alone
Stands alone
Walks alone

The girl who:
whispers an answer to a question
Answers arubtly, rudely, simply
Is Not Their Friend.

This girl who:
never speaks
hides her feelings
scribbles in a notebook

The girl who:
mumbles a reply to my hello
Is too rude to speak to us
Won't lower herself to our level.

Is this how they see me,
I wonder through tears?
And is how I see them
Any better?

I think of them as:
rude
Cold
uncaring

I think of them as:
People unwilling to be friendly
People who won't reach out to a shy girl
People who let me stand alone.

I think of them as:
Confusing,
Those who ask questions to which I have no answer
and talk about subjects I can't comprehend.

Perhaps
We are all scared of each other.
Perhaps
If only I could find the words,
things would be different.
Perhaps...
Someday, I will think of them as friends.


....yeah. That's it. They're both rubbish but nevertheless, if anyone is reading this, I would appreciate your opinion on my (bad) poetry.
Thanks for reading!
from
Tamsin

Trekker. The Term is TREKKER!!!

nuqneH!
Sorry for that, but I just read several blogs which ignored the evidence pointing towards Trekker being the correct term, and insited that Trekkies are more obsessed fans. Yes, I only recently came upon Star Trek, but I watch two or 3 episodes a day, and keep up with school. It's hard!
I've even started learnign Klingon, which caused some trouble at my family get-toghether ("Ah, it's okay if you like Star Trek " Says my cousin (I think he's a cousin anyway. May be related in some other way.) "It's only the ones who speak fluent Klingon that you have to worry about." Cue awkward silence and stares.)
Anyway, I once, briefly, heard the term Trekkie and used it, only to be corrected by a long-term fan (okay, my mum) who informed me that the term is Trekker. This has been backed up by reading Star Trek Memories by William Shatner and Chris Kreski. In the introduction, William Shatner describes his struggle to get his alarm clock to turn off as "in Trekker, an early morning Kobayashi Maru."
Nichelle Nichols, in her autobiography, states several times that although some people call them Trekkies, those people are generally not the fans, who prefer the term Trekkers. She also tells about an incident when a reporter made a disparaging comment about Trekkies. She pointed out that the fans saved Star Trek several times and have always supported it, and added "Oh, and it's Trekkers, by the way, not trekkies" To general aplause.
Leonard Nimoy stated in the 1991 Star Trek: 25th Anniversary Special that the term is Trekker.
In the documentary "Trekkies" Kate Mulgrew also said that trekkers are the ones who "walk among us" while trekkies are content to simply watch the show.
In contrast the only evidence I can find for the term Trekkie is it's original use by Arthur W. Saha, and Gene Roddenberry calling them Trekkies and saying that that was it because "he invented the term". (As I've said, however, Arthur W. Saha did that.)
Gene Roddenberry was also known to use the term Trekkers at times, despite those words above.

I feel like I should mention that my main sources are Star Trek Memories, Beyond Uhura, and Wikipedia, so I may have made a mistake. (I'd like to pint out, though, that only two of my pro-trekker points came from Wikipedia. the others came from my memory of reading Nichelle Nichols autobiography "Beyond Uhura" and "Star Trek Memories."
And obviously, you are free to use whichever term you like, even if that is *grumbleKlingonCurseMumble* Trekkies.
And I unfortunately can't remember how to say goodbye in Klingon (I'm new at this! I'll remember it soon!) so I must simply say:
Live Long and Prosper.

Uhura and Star Trek and the End Of Time Part 2

Now, that is a very long title. It also describes pretty much what I plan to yatter on about in this post. :)
Let us start with Star Trek, simply because it is easier to explain that before starting on Uhura.
Star Trek is an absolutely wonderful Television program which began in the year 1966. Star Trek The Original Series starred William Shatner as Kirk, DeForrest Kelley as Dr. "Bones" McCoy, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, Jimmy Doohan as Scotty, George Takei as Sulu, Grace Lee Whitney as Yeoman Rand, Walter Koenig as Chekov and, my personal favourite, Nichelle Nichols as Lieutenant Nyota Uhura.
(Okay, I know any Trekkers-It is Trekkers, not Trekkies, both William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols say so!-Will be bemused at the very least at my recapping all this. It is something which everyone in the world should know. Unfortunately, like others, I, until a few months ago, didn't, which is why I am explaining.)
Now, you non-trekkers will have to understand that Star Trek was an extremely radical move in 1966. The first Pilot, The Cage, was rejected because it was too thought provoking. There wasn't enough action!
There were also two characters the network disliked-Number One, thewoman who was Second in Command, and Mr. Spock, a half human and half Vulcan alien who lived a life governed by logic.
The shows creator, Mr. Gene Roddenberry, knew he couldn't keep both characters, so he got rid of Number One-and, as he liked to joke about, married the actress who played her. He did fight to keep Mr. Spock- a wise move, considering how incredibly popular he was to become.
They then began creating a second pilot, entitled "Where no man has gone before". They intorduced for the second pilot an (amazing) actress called Nichelle Nichols, playing the (brilliant) character of Nyota Uhura.
This made television history, because Nichelle Nichols was the first black woman to play a non-stereotypical role on television. She became Uhura, a woman who was strong and extremely intelligent.
Dr. Martin Luther King himself saw her character and her acting as history in the making. Once, when she considered leaving the show because of the racism many people at the studio still mantained and the brutal cuts to her part, and he convinced her to stay.
Nichelle Nichols is such a huge inspiration. Her autobiography, Beyond Uhura, is a mind-blowing read.
She's an amazing actress, singer and dancer who continued to perform and follow her dream despite much adversary. She is amazing.

Actually, this post has been so long and so centered on Star Trek that I don't feel I can actually write about the Doctor Who episode The End Of Time Part 2 now. Maybe the next post....?
All the best,
Tamsin :)

Hiya!

Yes, it's yet another Boring Blog from Tamsin! Yay!
Ha ha.
I only got the sequel to Generation Dead, Kiss Of Life, on Christmas Day and I'm halfway through my second reading. It's just brilliant.
I just hope it turns into a trilogy or a quartet. I need, need, need to find out more!

On other matters, today is sunday, so I went to Church. We talked about New Years Resolutions and then played "Just a Minute" which is actually a radio show on, I think, BBC 4.
It was very funny.
I just had lunch with mi familia, and my granny is going home now. Can I say, though, how ridiculous it is that after we finished eating, my family lectured me for half an hour on how i should do my homework, and refusing to let me leave to do it?
How strange. But let's not go into how ridiculous it is to complain of that when I'm currently updating my blog, okay?
:)
Yesterday was cool. I went to Greenwich Market and had some yummy veggie stew and a Churro (?) which is a kind of brazilian doughnut thing. I also went to my old Best Friends B'day party with my twin.
I barely see her, so I have to go e-mail her now. I'll write more tomorrow, but on Tuesday *Gasp!Shock!Horror!* I go back to school.
See Ya!
from
Trekker Tamsin

Happy New Year, amigos!

Hi Everyone!
As you probably all know, we have officially said goodbye to 2009 and hello to 2010. Yay!
Happy New Year!

So, I thought I'd think about important things in the months of the last year. Unfortunately, when I tried this, I couldn't think of anything.
So, an overview:
In the last year I:
Became 13
Ended Year 8/ Started Year 9
Saw Mamma Mia
Re-discovered Star Trek
Met Tom Baker
Got signed off the patient list of CAMHS
Met Terry Farrel
Met Nicole DeBoer
Was Tybalt in a school play of Romeo and Juliet
joined the school Performing Arts Club
Cried because A) My Drama Teacher is ill and B) Drama club was disbanded
Was entered, despite being the quietest girl in the year, into the semi-finals of a public speaking competition
Learnt a bit more Spanish (See title)

And Probably a few more things.

Now, onto my New Years Resolutions:

To Get an early night at least once a week
To wake up early and not be late for school
To do all my homework on time
To keep my room tidy
And To finally start having horse riding lessons regurlarly.

This is a boring post, and I'm sorry for that, but I have to go watch a comedy movie with my family now, so Bye!