Almost Summer

  In these last intense days of studying and testing, my salvation will be the reward of a 2.5 month break, summer. Summer is the most exciting and relaxing part of the year. I will catch up on sleep, go to camp, go on mission trips and many other things. I especially look forward to spending lots of time at Edisto.
  Since we have just gotten our summer reading assignments, I still have the excitement of starting new books. This excitement will gradually dwindle away over the first 15 pages of the first book I open. My summer reading this summer consists of The Razor's Edge, The Godforsaken Sea and The Great Gatsby. Thankfully these books are shorter than T.H. White's The Once and Future King and Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo which I had to read last summer.
  I have a lot of studying to do for my upcoming exams...so bye!

Carowinds Music Festival

   The Hammond Band recently participated in the Carowinds Music Festival. We performed three songs at the Carowinds theater for a panel of three judges. We were unlucky enough to have one of our songs written by one of the three judges. During this particular song a breeze blew my music off my stand! Since I am the first saxophone, I am right in front in clear view of our entire audience. I had two stare at my stand for the remaining two lines of the song.  The band played great, though, despite the judge who had written our song giving us some "constructive" criticism post-performance. We scored a 1 from all of our judges. A 1 is the best score out of five. This is called a superior. We have never gotten a superior rating before, so it was a great start to our day at Carowinds.
    We went on many rides at Carowinds including the Intimidator, Vortex, Carolina Cobra, Afterburner and Thunder Road. My favorite was the Vortex because we were standing up. My least favorite was Thunder Road because it was wooden and very bumpy! My head was constantly banging on the lightly padded sides. My group of four enjoyed many "complimentary" cups of water which seemed like the best water in the world every time. This is due to being very thirsty. I also treated myself to a blue berry ICEE. I had not had one of these in a long time. It was a very refreshing snack.
    I had a great time and look forward to returning next year. I am very proud of the band for our Superior rating!

To Kill A Mockingbird (the Movie)

  During our English unit on To Kill a Mockingbird, I watched the To Kill a Mockingbird movie. It was very good despite the lack of color. Something interesting is that when I think back to the movie I remember it in color. My favorite movie character was Dill. I thought he was adorable. He was always wearing church attire in contrast to Scout's overalls. The Radley house looked exactly like I had pictured it. Some parts I wish they could have kept in but did not are the house burning and the visit to Calpurnia's church.
  Atticus was portrayed particularly well. I now understand why he is an iconic symbol of justice. He was such an authoritative, intelligent, and understanding character. The trial was very sad. Eventhough I already knew the outcome, I was rooting for the defense. Mr. Ewell was despicable as he could be. From his looks to his language to him spitting on Atticus he was completely unlikable.
  The movie was very good, and I am thankful for finally being exposed to this classic of southern literature and film.