:)

You're right as usual, Mom. All I needed was a Pinterest search and now I'm bursting with ideas. Now tell me: root beer lip gloss, or chocolate mint?

:(

Not sure why, but I'm feeling very weird after asking my parents if I could go Christmas-gift-shopping for my friends. Almost like they're opposed to the idea. The parents, not the friends. What's up with that? Yes, two of the friends in question have already given me gifts, but I want to give them presents OUT OF THE KINDNESS OF MY HEART. No, I've only got three friends I'm shopping for--I'm not going to buy crazy-expensive gifts. Yes, there are some things that I can make, but I want to give more than a pair of homemade earrings. 

So what the heck, parents. I'm not being unreasonable.

DIVISIONALS WOOT WOOT

GUYS GUESS WHAT I'M GOING TO ABS DIVISIONALS!!!!! I GOT FOURTH PLACE! I TOPPED THREE CLIMBS! ALSO ALL OF THIS WAS YESTERDAY! 

:D :D :D :D 

I had to delete the last post

My sister refuses to see the irony in her typo. So I took down the offensive post. 

I'm sorry, Kathy. I thought it was funny. 

No! I'm sorry!

Nice to see you guys, too, after a long taxing day of school

Follow-up to the post from three days ago

I got an A-. 11/12. I hate these short quizzes.

Hey, I aced my history quiz. Or maybe it was a test. It had 25 questions; does the amount of questions make the test/quiz difference, or is it something else?

It's science

In science we're learning about the five levels of organization--the first level is an organism, like a zebra or a blackberry bush. 
The next level is a population, which is like a zeal of zebras, or a cluster of blackberry bushes.
After that is a community--so the zebras, and a population of giraffes, maybe, or the blackberry bushes and a population of, say, raspberry bushes.
Then there's an ecosystem--the community plus the abiotic factors, like water and sunlight.
And all those ecosystems make up a biome. 

You following me so far?

Well, I was thinking, maybe I can apply the organization levels to school.

So a student--just one student--is an organism. That's easy.
The student body is the population. Also easy.
The student population, along with the teacher population, is a community. So that's not too hard, either.
Now, the ecosystem. Okay, imagine each classroom, with its student population and teacher population (I know, only one teacher), is part of the ecosystem, and the abiotic factors are things like paper and pencils and desks and textbooks (completing the ecosystem).
And all those classroom-ecosystems make up a biome.

Haha...I am totally getting an A on Monday's test quiz <--one of those.

Okay...quick post...

http://www.sikids.com/skoty

Vote for the climber! :D

School (ed. 2)

To be more specific, I started school 18 days ago. Middle school. (I'm a seventh grader now.) 

I wake up at 6:00 every weekday morning, catch my bus at 7:00, wait three more stops, and then the bus driver arrives at school and everyone gets off. Then I go sit in the lecture hall with my friends (I don't know why we have to sit in the lecture hall). When the bell rings, we're allowed to go. I drop off my big backpack in my locker--since big backpacks aren't allowed in the hallways, I don't know why--and take out my binder (it's a three-inch binder. It's huge) and then, depending on the day (my school has a block schedule, so I have one class that's the same each day, then I alternate between my other classes) I either walk to French or PE. Then I have English (my every day class). Then I have either science or math. During math the lunch bell rings (the school has four different lunch periods, I'm in the second one), and in science I just drop off the stuff I don't need for lunch at my desk, then go to the cafeteria (I have lunch period #1 on science days). I like science lunch days better because I have more friends there. And we have assigned lunch tables--this class sits at these two tables, that class sits at those two tables, etc. I'm okay with that, though, because I don't have friends sitting at the other lunch tables. 
Anyway, after science or math, I walk to either history or chorus. 
Then the day is over! 

Things I like about school:
My classes are fun and my teachers are nice. (Not that my mom wasn't a good teacher, I'm just saying.)
If I finish early in class and there's still 20 minutes left before next period, my teachers will write me a library pass and I can go check out new books. :)
I have new friends! :D

Things that surprised me about school: 
There doesn't seem to be a hierarchy of popular kids (yet). 
Lockers aren't that hard to open, you just have to remember the combo. Except gym lockers are killer. What I mean is, they're so hard to open because you have to hold a lever-ish thing and pull up while also pushing up from below with a finger on your other hand, and they're stubborn and it's hard even if you put in the combination correctly.
In math class we don't actually turn in our homework, we just put it on our desks and the teacher checks off something on a clipboard.
I'm okay talking in class as long as it's a group report so I'm not alone up there and as long as I don't have to actually look at people. (good public speakers look at their audiences, blah, blah, blah, guess what, I'm not a good public speaker, I hate it, and you gotta deal with it!*)
I usually work better alone, but group projects aren't that bad.
Some people actually cannot identify every US state, even though the map shows the state boundaries.


Things that I was expecting about school that are true:
Middle-school boys are annoying, especially in gym class. 

Things that I was expecting about school that are false:
People would tease me about being homeschooled.
That it would be really rough.

Things I dislike about school:
The buses have ASSIGNED SEATS. I don't know why. I like my seatmate, but I like sitting alone too. I think it's based on which stop you are on the bus route. :|

Anyway, I like weekends 'cause I get to sleep in and relax, but I like school, too.




*yes that's a reference

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

I just found out that my school won't have GEMS and yearbook as club options this year! The list of after-school activities is on the website and either I missed something or they are actually not offering those clubs this year. I AM SO MAD. I was totally looking forward to GEMS because I love science, and yearbook, because, well, I thought it sounded fun. 

Grrrrrrr.

Oh yeah, I started school. 

Please let me be wrong please let me be wrong please let me be wrong

READ THIS

So...I've been noticing how I get emails/texts from my family members who enjoy my blog posts. I'm so glad you guys enjoy my blog posts, but, um...would you maybe just go to my blog on your web browser and write your comments there? I can usually reply back, if you want to talk about the post. All I really want is more comments. If you subscribe to my blog, or follow it by email or something, don't reply to the email, it won't work. Just type the URL of my blog into your web browser, and click on the button that shows the number of comments. Then write your comment.

Thank you :D :) :] :}

Peace, dudes

So...as part of my Amaze Cadette Girl Scout Journey my troop and I also had to make these things called Peacemaker Kits.

It's essentially where you come up with your own little pieces of advice and write them down on little slips of paper and store them in a decorated (empty) Altoids tin. You can also use quotes from your friends, or your favorite book, show, etc.

It's fun! Really!

So to MAKE a Peacemaker Kit you take an empty mints tin and decorate it with fun stuff like duct tape and googly eyes. And it's normal to write "Peacemaker Kit" on some paper, and glue the paper to the kit.

My kit

Then comes the hard fun part. CREATE YOUR OWN WISDOM!!! If you need inspiration look through some books, or compare your passion to life, like I did with climbing: 

Unless you're free soloing, that is.

Or you can quote others: 

Toph is the BEST.

Pleeeeeeeease tell me you know who Ashima is?

This is a Di quote.

Make up little 'rules':

And eventually you'll come up with something amazing super special noteworthy.

Well?

Now go off and make a Peacemaker Kit! :D

An interview with Taryn, by Taryn

Taryn: Hello, and welcome to the interview!

Taryn: Hi! It's so great to be here. Nice to meet you.

T: Nice to meet you too. Is it okay if we start the interview?

T: It's fine with me.

T: Great! So, first question: why did you start Taryn's Travels?

T: When I was ten years old I had already been out of the country several times with my doll Kayla. I told my mom I wanted to start writing a travel blog. She helped me set it up, and here we are now!

T: Your readers have probably noticed you don't post as much about travel, though.

T: Yeah, sorry guys. It's more like I want to just write about my life than just the travel bits. I would probably write more travel stuff if I were allowed to update on the go, but someone--ahem, my mom--won't let me, on the very slight chance that someone will find out where we live and break into the house. Not that I want that to happen, but, y'know. 

T: I do know. What is your favorite thing to write about?

T: Um........I guess, anything that happens to me that I can put a sarcastic spin on, and big things happening in the world. Like Target deciding to remove pink from the "girls' toys" aisles and blue from the "boys' toys" aisle. I should probably actually write a post about that (even though it's old news), because I am so happy now that Target is being less gender-stereotypical than before! :D

T: What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishments in life?

T: Well, I won fifth place at my first climbing competition, so that made me happy. I mean, top five, people! I'm also happy about the video I slaved over worked very hard on with my Cadette friends, and the fact that I've been writing in a journal every day for almost eleven months now. I've almost finished my third journal. I write about my day.

T: School is almost starting, and this year, it means something to you! Are you excited?

T: OH YES! I have my outfit all planned out--every detail down to the color of my hair elastic--and a fuzzy blue pencil case and a cool stripey backpack. I also had to complete some math homework because I'm taking algebra (ideally).

T: Anything not so exciting?

T: Well, the early mornings I guess, but I'll get used to it, and the sunrises will be really pretty. The thing I really don't like is the over-the-summer reading assignment, where we have to design a postcard with the "picture" being an illustration of our favorite scene from the book. I can't illustrate. I tried colored pencils. I thought about acrylics, but I don't want to waste them cause they're Kathy's and my mom's and also really expensive. And I'd need a canvas. Those are intimidating. Today I made myself at least try the illustration bit by making a word cloud, which is actually a word lightbulb because the book I chose for my report is The City Of Ember. Maybe I can just skip the illustration and lose a point. I don't care. I mean, it's a book report.

T: I would advise you against that, but it's your project and also none of my business. Er, so, what do you do in your spare time?

T: Climb.

T: Besides that?

T: Well, I've been on a baking spree lately. I read a lot, play Minecraft, and watch Avatar.

T: The blue people movie?

T: Noooooooooooo, the cartoon. It's in my profile.

T: Right, sorry. What's your favorite emoji?

T: The eggplant!!!!!

T: Okay, then! ...why?

T: Not sure. I don't really like eggplant. :|

Why I am "weird" and unique and LOVE IT

1. I don't like acting, sketching, painting, singing solo onstage, ballet, designing fashion, and writing novels. I know, I'm terrible.

2. I obsess over a ten-year-old cartoon.

3. I eat pretty much anything you put in front of me--not if it's poison or something, but I've had snails, tripe soup, Dutch licorice (ewwwwww), fermented shark, intestine sandwich, and a lot of other gross/odd-sounding things.

4. I don't love any sport except climbing, which isn't weird for me, but I get the feeling a lot of people don't think you can be passionate about rock climbing. (see previous post)

5. I've never been to public school, which, again, isn't weird for me, but my peers may think it's weird.

6. One of my closest friends is almost three years older than me, which <sigh> isn't weird for me, but I don't think it happens to a lot of other kids my age.

7. I don't feel influenced by the media to look/behave a certain way, and I'm pretty happy about that, but apparently a lot of other tweens and teens feel like they have to look/behave a certain way because of the media.

8. Makeup and mani-pedis are so not my thing. Unless the makeup I'm using is for Halloween or something, I've never found it very interesting. The one exception is fun flavored lip glosses, even though they come off whenever I eat something. And mani-pedis? Forget it. The polish will wear off the next time I climb, and I don't like when the stylists trim and file my nails. Also, they only let you choose one color. What's up with that? Home nail-painting is so much more fun. 

9. I don't like dresses and skirts. They're impractical. I got this cute dress from a friend, but I'm going to change it into a tank top. Skorts are okay.

10. Indie/alternative music RULES! :D (Okay, so maybe that is even less weird but whatever. I guess it's more like I don't love the music played on pop music stations.)

The most annoying question I'm asked when I tell people I'm a competitive rock climber

"How do you compete in rock climbing?"

And then the follow-up:

"Is it just who gets to the top [of the wall] first?"

NO.

Well, yes, because speed climbing is a thing. But competitive climbing isn't just speed.

In local comps (that means the competition is in your region), each climb is worth a certain amount of points, with the easiest climbs having fewer points and the harder climbs having more. So the easiest climb in the comp is worth 100 points, while the hardest is maybe 3000--might be less, might be more, depending on how many routes are set for that comp. You climb at least three things, and the judges take your top three highest-scoring climbs and add the points together. The result is your score. So if I climbed 6 routes, each one worth 500, 1000, 1400, 1500, 1300, and 900 points, my score would be 1300 + 1400 + 1500 = 4200 points, which would probably get me some kind of ribbon or another. You also have to record the amount of attempts you took on a climb on your scorecard--so if another girl had the same amounts of points as I did, but she got the 1500 on her first try and I got it on my second, then she would place higher than me.

In Regionals and above (Divisionals, Nationals, maybe Continentals or Worlds), they lead you into "isolation"(not very isolated)--you're in there because they don't want anyone looking at the climbs beforehand. You can't bring anything with internet capability into the isolation area, and you have to be escorted to the bathroom. Pretty strict place. 

Anyway, in Regionals each hold you get to improves your score. If I reached hold 20 on a climb at Regionals, I would get 20 points for that climb. If you finish a climb, the judge writes on your scorecard that you finished. You also get a fraction of a point if you touch a hold, and a fraction of a point if you get to the "usable surface" of the hold, which means you grab the good part, er, the usable part of the hold. Also, when you compete in lead climbing you get points for which quickdraw you reached. Kinda confusing, right? At least it's only the judges who have to worry about stuff like that. 

I hope this post cleared up some of your questions about comp climbing. What I write up there ^ is the truth. Let it be spread around like a...like a...oh, I don't know, just spread this around and I won't have to answer the dreaded questions again. :-)

6 reasons why climbing is the best sport, ever

1. You get SO STRONG. Seriously. And it trains your entire body--that means arms, legs, AND core. You'll feel good about yourself. Plus, the world of pullups will open up to you. Additionally, it strengthens your mind and makes you improve your mental game.

2. You'll make lots of friends. Unless you're one of those people who grunts noncommittally every time a potential friend asks you a question, the expansion of your friendship circle is pretty inevitable. When you boulder, you'll need a spotter and/or a witness to support you when you say you just sent that V4 (or higher). Top-roping/leading: You need a belayer, and if your mom or dad refuse to take the belay certification class, you're out of luck. Ask a friendly staff member for a belay. Or you could find a person your age with a Grigri/ATC hanging from his/her harness. But I would start with the staff.

3. Sometimes, you'll flash a hard route. Most of the time you won't. But I like the fact that you might get it right (if you know what you're doing), rather than the "you'll never get it right the first time but just keep trying and eventually you will" #$%^. Yes, it's true. But it isn't really something anyone wants to hear.

4. There will always be something to work on. Whether it's your three-month lead project or a brand new boulder problem, it's pretty hard to be bored at the rockwall. 

5. There's something for everyone. Scared of heights? Start with bouldering. You will, eventually, move on to big walls. If you want. Need something daring? Try a lead climb (I don't care how easy it is). And even better, take some falls. Want to try some hard stuff? Start on top-rope. The falls are generally less scary, and it allows you to rest wherever you need to--without downclimbing or heading up to the nearest quickdraw and resting there. And if you really want a challenge, offer to clean (unclip the rope from the quickdraws) a route after someone's lead climbed it. Harder than it sounds.

6. It is just so. Much. Fun. 

Gender stereotypes make EVERYONE mad

Haha--the comics are funny today.

Ugh, sports section.

Ads, ads...more ads...

Flu: Look, Kayla, minions!

Kayla: Minion mac'n'cheese--weird.

Flu: And a fart gun!

Kayla: Wait...so the boys get the "Genius" shirt, and the girls get the heart? Really, Target?

That makes me so mad! 

Flu: Let's write them an angry, hate-filled letter!

Kayla: Cut out the "angry, hate-filled" part and you've got a deal.

Hmm...let's call it "Target Letter".

<typing> Dear Target,

I am a twelve-year-old girl living in Northern VA. My friend and I were very offended by the ad for the $7 Minion T-Shirts. Aside from the fact that you are doing the usual "girls wear pink and boys wear blue" marketing stereotype, the fact that the "girls' shirt" had a heart and the "boys' shirt" had a minion making a potion and the word "Genius" (spelled with cool letters!) on it made me incredibly mad. Not only are you assuming boys would like this shirt better than girls, you are subtly reinforcing the stereotype that boys are smarter than girls. Please do something about this ad!

How should we end it?

Flu: <whispers>

Kayla: Oh, okay!

<typing> Respectfully, Kayla.

Flu: I told you to write "Disrespectfully". 

Kayla: Yeah, well, kindness counts. C'mon, let's go...um...

Flu: I'm going back to bed.

Kayla: Good idea.