In Word - Homeschool Blogger

To My Faithful HSB Readers:

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 10:01:00 -0500

If you're reading this, you're probably wondering what's going on.

In short: For the past half a year or so, my blog has actually been at bethmaisano.com. When you went to "homeschoolblogger.com/writer4him", you were redirected to the other site. But lately, HSB has revised their Terms of Use, and it's now against the rules to use the redirect, frames, or whatever you want to call it.

So, that means this blog is back to its old state. It'll hang out here and store my archives, I guess. Maybe I'll cross post here as well...who knows?

But if you'd like to continue reading my blog, I'd advise you to check it out at this URL. Thanks!

This post is sticky--scroll down for more.

The Return

Thu, 9 Apr 2009 08:35:00 -0500

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The tournament went well. We had fun, we competed, we had fun, we drove home, we had fun, we were still driving home, we had fun, and we got home.

I’m getting rather tired of typing up these post-tournament summaries, you know?

Take a look into the minds of some of ARC’s intellectuals—their words are forever immortalized in the sacred pages of my quote book:

“I have a funeral…” —Jonathan

“Did the train die?” —Avery

“Sorry—I’m obsessed with facial hair.” —Brian

“I don’t like being around you.” —Jonathan

“Beth is a corrupt guard. She’s eaten everything.” —Alex B.

“I shun the bush.” —Avery

“We’re just acting guy-ly.” —Paul

“My ‘J’ is obese.” —Jonathan

What can I say? We had fun.

Word of the Day

Sat, 28 Mar 2009 18:21:00 -0500

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Words are so much fun. They can be put together in ways that make you think, give you goosebumps, or leave you feeling sad or happy. The words you're reading now are probably making you wonder why the writer took time to put them here in the first place.

I've been looking up lots of words lately, mostly for use as chapter titles. There's something really cool about having each chapter titled with a single word---it's a nice effect. So far, I've found titles for each of the twenty-four chapters I've outlined. The only problem is, I'll need at least fifteen more, and my imagination is beginning to fail me.

So I have come to present you with a question: Do you have a favorite word? Perhaps one that wouldn't be too out-of-place in a fantasy novel? Maybe?

Beth's List Of Cool Words:

Dichotomy
Dissidence
Animus
Consequence
Inferno
Contingency
Superiority
Legality
Divergence
Reality
Enigma
Inadequacy
Leverage
Alliance
Stratagem
Imperative
Inquisition
Arcane
Fulcrum

To outline, or not to outline?

Thu, 5 Mar 2009 15:02:00 -0600

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I’m a pretty bad writer—both in the techniques used, and the results they yield. I tend to dive into a project without more than a vague idea of where it’s headed, which usually makes things difficult as I go on. Organization just isn’t one of my best qualities.

Surprisingly, such was not the case with my NaNoWriMo novel of two years ago, a fantasy/allegory that’s been under construction ever since. Because of the allegorical elements, I always had a clear idea of where it was supposed to be going—the problem came with all the stuff in between “Chapter One” and “The End.” As more and more plotlines and characters came on board, it became more and more difficult to keep things straight in my mind. In the end, it’s almost as difficult to write a story with a clear purpose in mind as it is to write something from nothing.

So at long last, Beth, the stubborn writer, has buckled down and written an outline.

To my knowledge, there’s two types of fiction writers: those who are disciplined enough to place a priority on outlining, to whatever extent that my be, and those who would rather insist that outlining stifles the story and they’re better off without it. (That’s me.)

Firsthand experience: write the outline, and everything will be better.

I don’t know. Maybe there’s brilliant writers out there who can carry an outline in their heads, but I’m not one of them. The purpose isn’t to lay out everything exactly as it will be written; just give yourself a roadmap of how the story develops. Once you’ve got it down, deviating will be easier, because you have the backbone firmly in place and you can backtrack if needed. Be as detailed or as vague as you like (somewhere in between works for me).

So there you have it…confessions of a writer wannabe. (Cherise, you are now entitled to a big “I told you so.“)

Happy Birthday, Darwin

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 11:45:00 -0600

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On February 12, 1809, Charles Darwin was born.

On November 22, 1859, his book, On The Origin Of Species, hit the bookshelves.

On February 12, 2009, modern-day scientists still praise the man and his work, leaving the rest of us to wonder when “science” became “science fiction.”

Yesterday, Fox News published an article about Darwin’s anniversary. “‘Missing Links’ Reveal Truth About Evolution,” they state.

"With the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin this week, people around the world are celebrating his role as the father of evolutionary theory.

Events and press releases are geared, in part, to combat false claims made by some who would discredit the theory.

One frequently cited “hole” in the theory: Creationists claim there are no transitional fossils, aka “missing links.”

Biologists and paleontologists, among others, know this claim is false."

The article goes on to present an impressive list of ‘missing links‘–it was a very interesting read. Let’s check out a few of their examples:

"– Most fossil giraffes have short necks and today’s have long necks, but anatomist Nikos Solounias of the New York Institute of Technology’s New York College of Osteopathic Medicine is preparing a description of a giraffe fossil, Bohlinia, with a neck that is intermediate in length.

– Sinornis was a bird that also has long bony fingers and teeth, like those seen in dinosaurs and not seen in modern birds.

– A turtle on the way to becoming a turtle, Odontochelys semistestacea, swam around in China’s coastal waters 200 million years ago. It had a belly shell, but its back was basically bare of armor. Odontochelys had an elongated, pointed snout. Most modern turtles have short snouts."

Are you convinced?

Let’s get one thing straight: We’re definitely talking about evolution here. Microevolution is the term.

Microevolution: The theory that natural selection can, over time, take an organism and transform it into a more specialized species of that organism. *

Ask yourself a question: Is this the evolution Darwin propogated?

No. Darwin taught macroevolution:

Macroevolution: The hypothesis that processess similar to those at work in microevolution can, over eons of time, transform an organism into a completely different kind of organism. *

In other words, that monkey in the zoo is your great-great-great-grandfather, and some prehistoric goldfish may as well have been his great-great-great-grandfather.

When we talk about “missing links,” we’re obviously referring to macroevolution. Microevolution is fact (despite the name that carries negative connotations for many of us); it doesn’t require “missing links,” since it is simply the belief that species can change over time within that species. Such was the case with the finches Darwin studied on the Galapagos Islands, leading him to create his theory. Macroevolution, on the other hand, has precious little support to back it up. Have you ever seen a half-man, half-ape? How about a half-dog, half-cat?

You’re not alone.

I don’t think the writers of that article have ever seen one, either. Take a minute to re-read the examples of “missing links” above.

Giraffes with necks of varying lengths: Macroevolution, or microevolution? (Is it still a giraffe?)

A bird with distinct characteristics: Macroevolution, or microevolution? (Is it still a bird?)

Turtles with half a shell: Macroevolution, or microevolution? (Is it still a turtle?)

We still have giraffes, birds, and turtles today. Giraffes haven’t sprouted wings and become birds. Birds haven’t grown shells and become turtles. Turtles haven’t started walking upright and become humans. Obviously, their “evolution” didn’t get them far…or maybe, just maybe, giraffes and birds and turtles have always been giraffes and birds and turtles.

So where are those missing links?

They’re still missing.

In defense of Fox News, not all of their examples can rightfully be called microevolution. Still, give them a good looking into before you accept their word as fact–there’s lots of angles to come at it from, and they just chose one.

So today, we can celebrate the anniversary of one of the greatest lies ever told to humanity. Sound good?

*Credit to Dr. Jay L. Wile for definitions of macroevolution and microevolution.

Godtube=Tangle?

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 16:14:00 -0600

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Over the past few weeks, Godtube, the somewhat-popular Christian alternative to Youtube, has been revamped, redesigned, and renamed. Like many things these days, Godtube dropped the “God.” Excerpted from their homepage:

"Share your story; reach out to others; believe in something–and tell us about it. There’s no pretense here, no judgments, no denominations, no formalities. This is Tangle."

Backing away from the religious label? Sounds like it to me. Tangle still advertises itself as “family-friendly,” and has some pretty nifty features such as the “virtual Bible” and “prayer wall,” but you won’t find anything up-front about Christianity.

As far as popularity goes, the name change was probably a smart move. I like the new look and the new features, myself. So whether taking God out of Godtube was the best thing to do, I’ll still be sticking with Tangle.

Life is busy...

Mon, 9 Feb 2009 22:37:00 -0600

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I’ve severely underestimated the year 2009. I had no idea it would be so completely packed, exciting, frightening, sad, hopeful, stressed, or fast. We took down our Christmas decorations a few days ago. Whatever happened to January? Well, wherever it went, February will be joining it soon.

On Saturday, our trusty old van will head out for New Mexico and yet another tournament. It should be an interesting road trip–seven of us, and four friends. I’m sure there will be video blogs to document the exhilarating occasion. (You can also check out our speech-and-debate doings at ARC blogs. We’ll keep you posted on all things interesting, mundane, and anything else.)

In the meantime, I have quite a bit to keep me busy. This school year, I’ve discovered that I can’t function in a class setting with deadlines. I cite my two overdue British literature papers as an example. I’m such a homeschooler. I’ve also learned that writing is a discipline–whether it be fiction for pleasure, or speeches (by force). I’m not doing so well with either.

Life is just…hard to live with.

Houston Warm-up

Sat, 7 Feb 2009 17:22:00 -0600

This past weekend found us out-of-town yet again for the first NCFCA tournament of the year. For me, it was a good four days spent with friends and family–even in spite of my personal failures throughout.

We stopped on the drive up to swing by Bluebell Creameries. It’s fast becoming a tradition–who can resist Bluebell ice cream? Certainly not a bunch of homeschoolers who practically fill the whole store.

Our club banner. ARC is a pretty cool group of people.

Josh gets ready to compete in apologetics, a speech event in which students explain their personal faith through a number of pre-written questions.

Grace and Christina, two of the wonderful people I got to spend time with.

This, my friends, is a wonderful flow of one of my debate rounds. Please understand that it isn’t supposed to look this way. There ought to be four, neat columns of notes, succintly summarizing the arguments in the round. Instead…well, you see what I ended up with.

Brian and Toni, debating in outrounds.

The Pig. As the unofficial ARC mascot, he bears a very important message: Don’t take yourself too seriously.

I love these people.

…and these people…

…and yes, even this person!

Excitement and congratulations for those breaking to the next round.

Saturday night, after the awards ceremony, a group of us gathered at IHOP to have fun and look over ballots from the tournament. Festivities continued until nearly 2:00 AM, after which we straggled back to our respective places of rest in order to grab a few hours of sleep before heading home the next day.

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Change, Round 2

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 20:46:00 -0600

ETA: Changes will be live midnight, February 5.

I have reason to believe that things around here will be undergoing drastic changes in the near future. I'll give you fair warning before it happens, but if for any reason you stumble upon this blog and find it quite changed...know that I informed you of it beforehand.

I'm excited!

Return of the wayward blogger

Sun, 1 Feb 2009 23:09:00 -0600

I'm very sorry for my absence the past week and a half--apparently blogging through Masters wore me out. In any case, we've just gotten home from the first tournament of the year with no casualties suffered. I'm very happy to be home again, even if we won't be here for long--we've been out of town so much since the beginning of the year, our Christmas tree is still up. No kidding.

To supplement this otherwise dull post, y'all can check out a video blog from the tournament. Laugh, enjoy, and ignore the NCFCA lingo being tossed around.