Testing and Piano

I have loved testing this year. I don't stress about tests, so I don't really think about the actual tests. We don't get HW while we test, so it's basically a responsibility-free week. I can just go home and not think about HW. I think, if I did care a little bit more about the tests, then I might not like testing.

The English tests are a breeze for me, but they are rather boring and drawn-out. I like writing, so I didn't mind the ELA response. I wasn't a fan of the math test though, it made me feel very unsure of my decisions.

I don't feel like making two blogs, so I'm going to talk about my piano progression.

I started learning piano, and it really demoralizes me. I have been going for about a month, and I feel like I get worse and worse every week. This past week I have been stuck on "Jingle Bells" of all songs. I don't think I'd mind it as much  if it wasn't Jingle Bells for god's sake. I could have been on stuck "Aunt Rhody's Song", and I would have been okay. But Jingle Bells? Jingle Bells? I'm stuck on Jingle Bells? Every time I'd think about it I would get more frustrated. So yeah, that's my experience with piano. Getting stuck on children songs and Christmas songs.

Should you play League of Legends?

First off, I have thousands of hours and hundreds of dollars invested into the game, and I think I can speak from a respectable view point.

Pros: I play the game a lot with my friends, and we are still playing it, so it clearly isn't a terrible game. 

The world's biggest Esports organization is Riot (developer of League), and continues to support the game on a consistent and frequent basis. Every season (every year), they also completely change the game to freshen up the gameplay. I have gone to League tournaments twice now, and have had a good time both times.

There is a competitive and fair ranked ladder that goes in this order: bronze, silver, gold, platinum, diamond, master, and challenger. There are divisions between the leagues, they are numbers from 1-5(i.e. Gold II or Diamond V).  My rank is platinum III, and that puts me in the top 10% or 20%  of players. Now, for a poem. No matter who you are, you matter what you do, there will always be some kid, better than you. This is especially true for league because there is little to no chance you will ever be the best in your state, country or region, or at any particular character.

There are

Cons: The game requires hundreds of hours just to get the basics down, and a few more hundred hours to get any good at the game.

The only way to unlock new champions is through playing a lot, or paying. While this isn't inherently bad, after my couple thousand games, I am still missing 7 champions. There are also runes in the game, that give moderate bonuses at the beginning of the game, and are a necessity if you want an even playing field.

The games are at least 20 minutes, and average 30. This quite a bit of time for 1 game, and if you lose, it can be really crushing emotionally. When you win though, it makes it that much more satisfying.

The community is one of the most and if not most negative gaming communites there is. If you make a mistake early in the game, prepare yourself for 20 minutes of trash talk, by your own teamates. I have been told to kill myself  and my whole family should get cancer. Although, I think this has made me a bit more resilient as a person.

So, should you play League of Legends? Probably not.

Music

I think music is a very interesting topic, and is a good conversation starter. There are many genres of music, and sub-genres. I listen to pop the most, but I like a lot of genres.The genres I find myself listening to the most are rock, electronic music, pop, and acoustic. Some of my favorite songs are 7 years by Lukas Graham and Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer. Ranging from acoustic to rock, there is almost a song for every mood. Although, I generally prefer slower songs because I feel that ( in general) there is more talent and meaning behind the songs.

What do you guys think about music? Does it help you study? Does it bore you? What genres do you listen to?Do you prefer fast paced or slower songs?  Can you just sit down and listen to music? I normally listen to music while doing something else, but normally not something productive. Normally video games or talking to someone.

How to Make a Blog

Here are the steps to making a blog for Ms Ballabio's class.

Step 1. Think of how you want to do a blog, but have no idea what you want to write about. This is key so you can give yourself an excuse in your mind.

Step 2. Actually think of a thing to do for your blog.

Step 3. Put off the idea for a few days, just because.

Step 4. Once you actually sit down to do your blog, you write a decent amount, but it is still short.

Step 5. You check the word count, and its comes out with 100-145 words.

Step 6. After that, you rephrase a few of your simple sentences to complex sentences.

Step 7. After that, you restate your idea in various parts of the writing till you get 150 words.

Step 8. I can't emphasize restating your idea enough, if you don't reach 150 words you won't get credit.

Step 9. Ah, perfect, 164 words.