May 31

Riding a horse on rocky trails
That nice rocking motion you can only get from riding on the strong backs of gentle equines, believe it or not, actually gives you quite a workout. Between good posture and a sore bum at the end, it's a great massage.

Reading the novel 'Hush, Hush' by Becca Fitzpatrick
All paranormal romance lovers will absolutely, well, love it. What an amazing novel with such great mystery, it'll keep you second guessing right to the end.

Eating a perfectly ripe persimmon
With a tart, astringent taste when not ripe for the picking, anyone's first encounter with this orange tomato-like fruit can leave a bitter first impression. Fear not! The fruit is yummy in your tummy when ripe and eaten properly. Its taste can be described as very sweet with a hint of tang and spice.

Making a dessert for someone else
There's no greater reward than knowing you've pleased someone with something that came straight from your own labour and work and not the nearest grocery store.

Watching fish swim
It sounds lame, sure, but it does actually have a great calming effect. All octogenarians with high blood pressure, this is for you. Watching fish swim in endless circles around the same area over and over again is sure to mellow anyone who's stressed out.

May 29

Shauna tapped her pencil rhythmically in tune to the song stuck in her head, hoping to come off nonchalant and bored. Mr. Baterd's monotonous voice droned on in the background. God, he could put any restless kid high on caffeine to sleep. It was high time she got a watch. Squirming in her seat, Shauna wanted nothing more than to jump out of her chair and pounce on the bobble headed teacher who had been talking gibberish for a full hour and a half about all the useless stuff she was never going to need. As she counted down the seconds, Mr. Baterd's voice became increasingly distant and oddly detached. Just as Shauna began to drift deeper in her reverie, A sharp bark penetrated the fog surrounding her muddled brain. She jolted upright as if struck by lightning. On high alert, complete with a look of utter surprise, Shauna glanced around the room. Everyone had their eyes trained on her. Although she wasn't certain, she sensed mockery emanating off of her class mates. "What are you looking at?" The question came out sounding vindictive, a far stretch from her intended curious tone of voice. Mr. Baterd cleared his throat. "Well?" "Well what?" Shauna replied. At that, several of her classmates snickered and made faces. "The answer." Shauna couldn't fathom what the teacher was trying to get at, but she was saved by the bell. Amidst the clamour of her classmates all trying to escape the torture of class, the answer presented itself. Perfect timing too. "The answer is blue foam" she murmured to herself.

May 23

The sounds produced by animals make me glad to be alive, especially the melodious sounds of the cheerful chatter of birds and the almost mournful sound of a horse's neighing. It rings with freedom and unbridled joy. That's what life is meant to be. As the ceaseless tinkling of bird song floats around me in the morning, I become aware of the happiness and cheerfulness of life and feel rejuvenated, ready to take on any task that comes my way. They strengthen me and encourage resilience. No sound makes me more grateful for what I have in life than a horse's neigh, snort, or rumblings. They hold such an undercurrent of power and strength that I admire so much. When a horse snorts, I'm reminded of a soft caress or gentle but firm word aimed to console. It's like reassurance and support. That feeling makes me feel like I'm not alone and life is surmountable. That knowledge makes me all the more glad to be alive. The final sound that encourages joy for life is the sound of thunder and lightning offset by the pitter patter of millions of cascading raindrops. It's like a lullaby singing me to sleep and safety. Knowing that I'm nice and cozy inside while a wild storm rages on outside, I feel secure and once again am glad to be alive.

May 18

If I were chosen to write an email to a million people about whatever I wanted, I would share a recipe for apple cake and cake decorating techniques because in my opinion it's the absolute best. Nothing beats it. I would like other people to try it and see  how good it is for themselves. As a bonus, I might get some feedback on the quality, taste, if it was enjoyable, nasty, or any suggestions to modify it. I would take the positive and negative feedback and use it to my advantage. The cake in particular is special because it was the first dessert I made on my own and whenever I saw a cake in the store adorned with icing roses, I would wonder how they did that. After some surfing on YouTube a while back I found out how. Perhaps other people are curious too.

May 16

The point the picture is making is that school is structured and has categorized the skills and education needed for life into different subjects. It is thought to be all-encompassing and the lines and boundaries between different skills and subjects is clear. In life, it's not always clear what's what and how something fits into the larger picture. It's a blur. Everything is mixed and connected, unpredictable. School isn't necessarily equipping students with everything they need to handle life. It's giving the perception that everything is clear and laid out, but the truth of the matter is that if you want to find something, you have to look for it, and life's all a jumble that you just have to navigate. It's all up to you. I think it's a very good point. Of course life won't be what you expect and it is unpredictable. Unlike school, it won't always be fair and you won't always know what's going to happen or what's next for you. I think the picture does shed some light into the matter.

To make it more like life, school could be made less like a day care and more like an "employer". There would be no teachers guiding what students learn. The students would be responsible for their own education and learning. Tests and exam dates would be the students' responsibility to find and they have to plan what courses they take. If students want to know some critical piece of information, it is up to them to find it. Instead of subjects being solely focused on one main idea or skill, they could include various skills. For example, language arts could be incorporated into math with problem questions that require that skill. All the skills students acquire will be put to use in each subject, so perhaps some health knowledge or math may come in handy in biology or chemistry.

May 14

Reinvent golf as an extreme sport.

If golf were to be an extreme sport, I would set the standard course length as five miles with 15 holes. There would be ponds and sand pits everywhere with thick bushes where it is impossible to find a golf ball. The balls themselves are two pounds in weight and must be hit with a thin pole one inch in diametre. If someone gets a hole in one, their score goes automatically to zero. The holes themselves are tubes just wide enough to fit a perfectly placed golf ball located in the middle of  pond, so if anyone wants to get the ball in, it has to be done in one shot. There are no flags to signal the location of a hole, so it becomes trickier.The course must be completed in one hour or less, and every extra minute is one point added to the final score. Of course, the lower the score the better. For every golf ball lost, two points are added to the score.

May 8

If my parents had bought me from a store, it would be the Canadian Wholesale. They frequent that store for groceries more often than any other store. It makes a bit more sense for anyone to buy a person from a store that sells food since I would categorize a person as a kind of produce rather than an item. I can't wrap my head around the idea of buying someone from a store in the first place, it's as clear to me as ditch water.

May 4

The planets get together for their annual solar system conference and retreat. Each planet has its own persona.They discuss their predictions of the future and their longevity, all the while making sure all is in order and functioning properly. Jupiter and Saturn, the head of the conference, ensure all planets aren't endangered by human space activity.  Mars chides Earth for being too lenient with the humans inhabiting him, but only after Earth described being too stuffed and over populated to handle it. Mars has heard talk of humans leaving Earth to inhabit him and hatches a plot. Making sure to appear as uninhabitable as possible during the next visit by humans or satellites so as to deter them from making themselves at home. This will remain Mars's dirty little secret for eternity. The humans are left to wonder, and the rest of the solar system will remain safely in the dark.

May 2

"Listen carefully," he said, "This won't be easy for you to hear..."

There was a baby, a baby loved more than anything in the world. It grew into a young boisterous boy finding himself in trouble all the time. His parents loved him more than anything, he was their whole world. At the tender age of 12, the boy's mother and father had a change of heart. Their  love had changed and in its place stood disgust. They wanted to eliminate their only child. They saw he was not who they had first envisioned him to be and thus decided to get rid of him. One snowy evening in December, they tricked their son into taking a ride in the woods where he was to be ambushed. Sure enough, he was captured and was to be killed, but with the help of a man escaped. That boy has since grown into a caring man and I have proof. He's listening as I speak.