NaNoWriMo

Happy Halloween! I've got some news...

I'm participating in my first NaNoWriMo!

I've heard about people doing this before, so I thought I'd try it this year! I already have a story planned (somewhat), and I've written the first few sentences (better than nothing). I'll try to update as often as possible, and possibly share pieces of my story here!

Eek I'm so excited to be writing a book!!!

Gosh I'm a nerd.

High School Helper Part I: Taking Notes

Hello to my many readers ('cuz this blog is sooo popular). Since we're pretty much into the school year at this point, I thought I 'd start a new blog series called "High School Helper." You don't have to be in high school to take the advice - I just liked the ring of "High School Helper."

Anyway...

Today's post is going to be about note taking. If you're reading this post, I'm assuming you're at an age when your teachers are expecting that you are capable of taking your own notes. Notes are extremely important, since this is what you'll be basing your study guides on (I'll get to those later). Everyone learns differently, so I'm going to try to address as many techniques as possible.

First, you're going to need something to take notes on. Depending on what your school allows, you may want to consider using a laptop or a tablet. If you're good at typing, this will definitely help speed things up, and will ultimately allow you to get more information down. I'm the kind of person who likes to get everything down from lectures, so typing is a great technique for me. 

If you are using a laptop for notes, I'd definitely recommend using Google Drive. It's pretty easy to organize and share files, and as long as you are connected to WiFi you can access them anywhere. For iPads, Notability is a great app. You can type or handwrite your notes on this app, and like Drive, it's pretty easy to organize and share your files. Also, if you do use this app, always remember to back up your files. Unfortunately, devices do crash, so it's important to make sure you've always got a copy stored somewhere. Notability is a paid app, but it's definitely worth the investment. For both of these, don't be afraid to make folders! Personally, I like to keep a folder for each school year, folders within for each class, then each semester/quarter, and then, finally, each unit. I know it seems a bit excessive now, but it makes it very easy to find a file whenever you need to revisit it.

Now for you handwriting folks. This year, I've found handwriting my notes to be very helpful. Actually, I just had my first English assessment this afternoon, and I was definitely more confident having a hard copy of my notes. For handwritten notes, buy a notebook for every subject. Even if it means carrying around a separate notebook for your personal doodles and writing, keep your notes separate! I can not stress this enough! Binders are helpful too, since you can easily store any handouts your teachers provide, but I find that they're often clunky and heavy. If you'll be using folders, develop some sort of filing system at home so that you can organize the notes that you won't need again until your exams. If you ever forget to bring your math notebook, for example (because we all do at some point), use another notebook for the day, but label the subject at the top of the page so it doesn't get mixed up with your notes for another class. Finally, and this is important, learn cursive. It seems unnecessary, and I don't even think they teach this anymore, but it's so helpful. It's much easier to write because you don't have to pick up your pen as often. And it doesn't even matter if it looks messy; you can always rewrite them later (actually that's even better - you'll become more familiar with the content). As long as you can understand it, you're doing it right!

For the actual formatting of your notes, here's an example of what they might look like:

Finally, know that you do not need to take everything down. Only take down what you think is important to remember. If you know that Catcher in the Rye was written by J.D. Salinger, do not write that down. Instead, take that time to write down something else. Write down the comments your teacher is adding instead - those might be important later!

Well, I hope this has been helpful. Please feel free to comment, because I'd love to hear your techniques and also, I'd like to know that you actually exist. Thanks for reading!

- Erin

How I Met Your Mother Finale

(Spoiler alert!)

So I just finished the How I Met Your Mother finale on Netflix today...

Before I continue - yes, I'm doing alright. So far I have managed one social interaction within several hours of completing the show, during which I was briefly distracted from my intense emotional wounds.

Okay, so I did actually like the ending, to an extent. I LOVE how Ted met Tracy, and I LOVE that Lily was pregnant, and I LOVE that Robin and Barney got married.

I did not like the aftermath so much.

WHY DID ROBIN AND BARNEY BREAK UP?!?!?! I loved them together. I don't know why, but I thought they were a great couple. Better than Ted and Robin.

AND WHY DID TRACY DIE?!?!?! 8 years. Ted spent 8 years looking for her. 8. FREAKING. YEARS. And then she HAS to go and get sick.

I did, however, kinda sorta like the VERY end, when Ted goes and gets the blue French horn and he and Robin end up together. Because Ted's kids were right: it WAS a story about Robin. But also Tracy. I liked Tracy, she was funny. Okay, back to the point. And it all comes back to that German thing Hans talked about in (forgive me if I'm wrong) season 8. Ted did know as soon as he met Robin that he loved her. But same with Tracy.

It's fate! It's all fate! Everything happens for a reason!

Sorry, it's been a very long day.

I'm going to go to bed now and try to think about something other than what has been my favorite show for the past couple of months.

Maybe I'll actually be able to read now. Or be productive.

I like the reading idea. I'll do that.