The weather has been pretty lousy lately and that means we’ve hade to find a lot of inside activities to do. So the thing dad suggested I write about this week is some of the cool museums in and around Whitewaters.
( More good inside places to be when outside is awful (and one outside place to go later, when it's not!) )
Activity Report: Gaslamp Glowtide Market
Dec. 3rd, 2023 04:33 pmThis weekend, Mum and Aunt Ally took me to the Gaslamp Glowtide Market at the fairegrounds. This is a thing that I have heard about for a while, and has been going on a long time (35 years!) but we never got to go until this year. The idea is that it’s a lot of little shops, mostly local crafts, set up with a theme of Glowtide in the Gaslamp Age. That means that all the vendors were dressed up in old-fashioned clothes, and the booths were really nicely decorated too. They all had painted wood fronts that made them look like little market stalls, and a lot of them had other decorations too, like tree boughs and lights.
( Glowtide shopping... )
( Glowtide shopping... )
Dad reminded me that I should talk here about sorta a big change in my life that actually happened a while ago but I guess is still worth mentioning: I go to regular school now! For a while I was home-schooled, partly because of how far we live from the city, and partly because me and my dad were both worried that the regular schools wouldn't do a good job with what I need.
Home-schooling was actually really great for me in a lot of ways, but it also got kinda lonely and isolating, and things got to a point where the stuff I was wanting to learn wasn't stuff that Dad was confident teaching. Fortunately, in the time that I wasn't going to school, we found out about a really good place that I could go, that dealt with a lot of the problems.
Kirreteuro Academy is sort of on the outskirts of the city, and it's not at all a normal school. There's only about 20 kids, for starters, and they're in all different age groups. That means that things are really personalized for everyone. There are four regular teachers, and it's run out of what used to be someone's house. So basically, it ends up being a lot like home-schooling, but with more folks around and people who are more experienced in teaching all sorts of things. I really like it, it's such a huge difference from any other school I've been to that I hardly know where to start talking about it.
I guess the teachers are a good place to start. Jack and Alex are probably the right ones to talk about first. They sort of started the school, because they also have a kid who they thought wouldn't be covered very well by regular school systems. Jack is really cool, my dad calls him an "old hippie", he's super-laid-back and knows a lot of stuff about music and art and culture. He's lived in a lot of different places in the world, and likes to share stories. He even has a local radio show where he plays all sorts of music I've never heard before. His wife Alex seems a bit more like a typical teacher, she mostly does administrative stuff for the school but she also teaches history, in a way that I actually find interesting rather than boring!
The two other regular teachers are Mal and Eve. Mal is probably my favorite, because he teaches math and science, he does it in a kinda goofy way that involves lots of analogies and chalkboard drawings, which helps me a lot; I'm realizing I'm definitely what the folks there call a 'visual learner'. It's kinda cool how math class works since everyone's in a different place. We have books, and we work from books and go to the teachers if we need help thinking through something. It's really impressive how much Mal knows, and it's exciting how much I'm learning. I think I got through a whole year of pre-algebra before Glowtide!
Eve teaches language and literature, which in this cases means I'm reading and discussing books with kids who are a lot older than me. It was kind of intimidating at first, both because of the reading and because Eve is kind of strict, but it turns out she's strict in a way that's really helpful, like she makes sure everyone gets a chance in discussions, which is good because sometimes the big kids really want to talk over me and talk down to me. I also saw a really cool other side to her a couple weeks ago. We were taking a field trip to the local newspaper and we stopped off where she lives, which is sort of a loft apartment thing except the whole bottom part was racks of movie posters and other collectibles like that. It turns out her and her boyfriend also have a business selling those. We saw some original posters from some of my favorite movies, even ones that are older than me. Did you know movie posters are printed on both sides so that they look good when they're lit from behind?
The other thing I really want to talk about is the school area itself. It was originally a house, but it's really big and has a whole bunch of other buildings around it too. There's a little greenhouse, some chicken and pigeon coops (we learned how to help take care of them our first week here, and it'e easier than I thought it would be) and even a two-story treehouse in a huge tree in the back yard. But my favorite place is the music room. I guess it was originally sort of like some sort of cellar or basement or something because it's basically below the house but you go into it from a separate door. And it's absolutely filled with music stuff. The walls are covered in crates of records, and there's a drum set and a fancy keyboard and all kinds of weird instruments from around the world. It's obviously one of Jack's favorite places, and he has shared a lot of music with us, and showed us how to use the instruments a bit too. Of course I tried out the drum set first. Jack says I have pretty good rhythm, but I think I like melodies better, because what I've really been having fun with is the keyboard, playing with all the different sounds it can make, or setting it up to do its own rhythm and improvising things on top of that. I'm not sure if I'll ever make something I want to share with other people, but I'm having a ton of fun trying things out.
There's so much more I could say about it (and I probably will) but I think that gives a good idea for now. It's so weird and cool to actually be looking forward to going to school. I mean I always loved learning, but it feels really special to have such a supportive place to do it that's acutally still called 'school'
Home-schooling was actually really great for me in a lot of ways, but it also got kinda lonely and isolating, and things got to a point where the stuff I was wanting to learn wasn't stuff that Dad was confident teaching. Fortunately, in the time that I wasn't going to school, we found out about a really good place that I could go, that dealt with a lot of the problems.
Kirreteuro Academy is sort of on the outskirts of the city, and it's not at all a normal school. There's only about 20 kids, for starters, and they're in all different age groups. That means that things are really personalized for everyone. There are four regular teachers, and it's run out of what used to be someone's house. So basically, it ends up being a lot like home-schooling, but with more folks around and people who are more experienced in teaching all sorts of things. I really like it, it's such a huge difference from any other school I've been to that I hardly know where to start talking about it.
I guess the teachers are a good place to start. Jack and Alex are probably the right ones to talk about first. They sort of started the school, because they also have a kid who they thought wouldn't be covered very well by regular school systems. Jack is really cool, my dad calls him an "old hippie", he's super-laid-back and knows a lot of stuff about music and art and culture. He's lived in a lot of different places in the world, and likes to share stories. He even has a local radio show where he plays all sorts of music I've never heard before. His wife Alex seems a bit more like a typical teacher, she mostly does administrative stuff for the school but she also teaches history, in a way that I actually find interesting rather than boring!
The two other regular teachers are Mal and Eve. Mal is probably my favorite, because he teaches math and science, he does it in a kinda goofy way that involves lots of analogies and chalkboard drawings, which helps me a lot; I'm realizing I'm definitely what the folks there call a 'visual learner'. It's kinda cool how math class works since everyone's in a different place. We have books, and we work from books and go to the teachers if we need help thinking through something. It's really impressive how much Mal knows, and it's exciting how much I'm learning. I think I got through a whole year of pre-algebra before Glowtide!
Eve teaches language and literature, which in this cases means I'm reading and discussing books with kids who are a lot older than me. It was kind of intimidating at first, both because of the reading and because Eve is kind of strict, but it turns out she's strict in a way that's really helpful, like she makes sure everyone gets a chance in discussions, which is good because sometimes the big kids really want to talk over me and talk down to me. I also saw a really cool other side to her a couple weeks ago. We were taking a field trip to the local newspaper and we stopped off where she lives, which is sort of a loft apartment thing except the whole bottom part was racks of movie posters and other collectibles like that. It turns out her and her boyfriend also have a business selling those. We saw some original posters from some of my favorite movies, even ones that are older than me. Did you know movie posters are printed on both sides so that they look good when they're lit from behind?
The other thing I really want to talk about is the school area itself. It was originally a house, but it's really big and has a whole bunch of other buildings around it too. There's a little greenhouse, some chicken and pigeon coops (we learned how to help take care of them our first week here, and it'e easier than I thought it would be) and even a two-story treehouse in a huge tree in the back yard. But my favorite place is the music room. I guess it was originally sort of like some sort of cellar or basement or something because it's basically below the house but you go into it from a separate door. And it's absolutely filled with music stuff. The walls are covered in crates of records, and there's a drum set and a fancy keyboard and all kinds of weird instruments from around the world. It's obviously one of Jack's favorite places, and he has shared a lot of music with us, and showed us how to use the instruments a bit too. Of course I tried out the drum set first. Jack says I have pretty good rhythm, but I think I like melodies better, because what I've really been having fun with is the keyboard, playing with all the different sounds it can make, or setting it up to do its own rhythm and improvising things on top of that. I'm not sure if I'll ever make something I want to share with other people, but I'm having a ton of fun trying things out.
There's so much more I could say about it (and I probably will) but I think that gives a good idea for now. It's so weird and cool to actually be looking forward to going to school. I mean I always loved learning, but it feels really special to have such a supportive place to do it that's acutally still called 'school'
No one asked for this, and it's not homework, but I want to talk about huntball because I realized probably it's something that folks elsewhere don't have.
It honestly feels very weird for me to be writing about a sport, because I definitely not the sports type buuuut my boyfriend is and he's been getting me into it and it turns out it's cool? It also happens to give me good feelings and thoughts about Predator Heritage stuff (which is like a whole other thing I should talk about sometime maybe) but also I think it's just neat and more complicated than I really gave it credit for before.
So huntball is a team sport, probably the most popular one on Rheos, or at least around here. It's sorta meant to give predators and prey a good safe outlet for instincts, and is supposed to be set up where all different sorts of folks can show off what they can do. Each huntball team is sorta two teams, because each has predators and prey, and in each round of the game, one team's predators face off against the other team's prey, and vice versa.
This probably sounds like it stands to get pretty violent, and it is sorta full-contact but I should really definitely clarify now that folks have protective gear and the refs (there are a lot of refs) take it really seriously. And, it's not like the preds are actually after the prey. See, each prey team member has a huntball, and what the preds actually have to do is get a huntball back to their 'den'.
But the neat thing is, it's not just any huntball. You can't tell by looking, but one of the balls is randomly set up to be heavier than the rest, and that's the only one that can score! So the predators have to watch and test the prey to figure out who has the scoring ball, and the prey of course can fake out and trade balls and everything to make it harder. So there's a whole mental game to it that way, and also on the prey side too, because the predator-team's 'den' location is ALSO secret, and they only need to have the scoring ball there at the very end of the chase for it to count. So there's faking out and deduction there too.
So anyway, it's actually really interesting, and the teams are honestly fun to watch, there's plenty of guys in bright uniforms getting real close to each other as my boyfriend put it. It's not JUST guys of course, it's all-gender teams obviously but well, we look at the guys. ;)
So anyway, that's huntball! Me and Dak (the boyfriend) are gonna be watching the Rapids vs. Rangers game tomorrow and be cheering for opposite teams and it's gonna be great. :D
It honestly feels very weird for me to be writing about a sport, because I definitely not the sports type buuuut my boyfriend is and he's been getting me into it and it turns out it's cool? It also happens to give me good feelings and thoughts about Predator Heritage stuff (which is like a whole other thing I should talk about sometime maybe) but also I think it's just neat and more complicated than I really gave it credit for before.
So huntball is a team sport, probably the most popular one on Rheos, or at least around here. It's sorta meant to give predators and prey a good safe outlet for instincts, and is supposed to be set up where all different sorts of folks can show off what they can do. Each huntball team is sorta two teams, because each has predators and prey, and in each round of the game, one team's predators face off against the other team's prey, and vice versa.
This probably sounds like it stands to get pretty violent, and it is sorta full-contact but I should really definitely clarify now that folks have protective gear and the refs (there are a lot of refs) take it really seriously. And, it's not like the preds are actually after the prey. See, each prey team member has a huntball, and what the preds actually have to do is get a huntball back to their 'den'.
But the neat thing is, it's not just any huntball. You can't tell by looking, but one of the balls is randomly set up to be heavier than the rest, and that's the only one that can score! So the predators have to watch and test the prey to figure out who has the scoring ball, and the prey of course can fake out and trade balls and everything to make it harder. So there's a whole mental game to it that way, and also on the prey side too, because the predator-team's 'den' location is ALSO secret, and they only need to have the scoring ball there at the very end of the chase for it to count. So there's faking out and deduction there too.
So anyway, it's actually really interesting, and the teams are honestly fun to watch, there's plenty of guys in bright uniforms getting real close to each other as my boyfriend put it. It's not JUST guys of course, it's all-gender teams obviously but well, we look at the guys. ;)
So anyway, that's huntball! Me and Dak (the boyfriend) are gonna be watching the Rapids vs. Rangers game tomorrow and be cheering for opposite teams and it's gonna be great. :D
The Waterfall Tower
May. 2nd, 2020 06:12 pmThis time I have something to share that's both a homework assignment and a little bit about where we live! We went into Whitewaters the other day and one of my homework assignments was to research and draw a notable landmark in the city. I chose the Waterfall Tower (as most folks call it), a big landmark building in the middle of the river in the middle of the city. I've always loved it, it's one of the most colorful things in a city that's already pretty colorful.
I'm pretty proud of how this turned out, even if it's really hard to get stained glass to look right when drawing. Just so no one is confused, this isn't from an actual place I stood (It'd be really high up!), it's just sorta an imaginary viewpoint. I did a lot of the drawing on the bank of the river right near the bridge to the building itself.
( A pretty big picture and some explanatory text )
I'm pretty proud of how this turned out, even if it's really hard to get stained glass to look right when drawing. Just so no one is confused, this isn't from an actual place I stood (It'd be really high up!), it's just sorta an imaginary viewpoint. I did a lot of the drawing on the bank of the river right near the bridge to the building itself.
( A pretty big picture and some explanatory text )
Some folks told me they wouldn't mind hearing a bit more about me personally here, in addition to reading my reports! I sorta don't quite know where to start, so I'll just say a bit about what's been going on lately.
I think I mentioned in my last post that me and my dad live up in the mountains in a sorta retreat-center-place that's been under construction. Well, construction is over now! They finally finished the pool, which of course is the part I'd wanted most (I'm still half otter!) that got finished last. It's a pretty great indoor pool, a lot bigger than house pools usually are, and there's even a hot tub and sauna off to the side. We had fun testing it out the other day; Dad put me in charge of choosing pool toys for the place so we have a bunch of balls and noodles, some cute inflatables, and these really neat soft styrofoam-bead-filled mesh animals that are kinda like floating plushies! They're great!
Things do feel a bit weird and isolated here sometimes, almost more so now that there's not folks working on constructing things. Even though I mostly hid from them, it's really hitting me now how it's just me and Dad, with the nearest neighbor over the ridge, and the city almost an hour away (for the fun stuff at least). I've been feeling a bit lonely, which I guess is part of why I'm glad I had this, and like the idea of talking more about what's going on. It helps me feel connected to folks, knowing folks are interested in reading my stuff.
So, I guess that makes me think I should ask: is there anything that folks want to know? About me, or where we live? (the lodge, the city, the whole planet or universe I guess since it sounds like some folks here are from elsewhere...) Leave a comment here if so, or send me a message some other way, and I'll see about using those as a way to write more here, to help feel connected. <3
I think I mentioned in my last post that me and my dad live up in the mountains in a sorta retreat-center-place that's been under construction. Well, construction is over now! They finally finished the pool, which of course is the part I'd wanted most (I'm still half otter!) that got finished last. It's a pretty great indoor pool, a lot bigger than house pools usually are, and there's even a hot tub and sauna off to the side. We had fun testing it out the other day; Dad put me in charge of choosing pool toys for the place so we have a bunch of balls and noodles, some cute inflatables, and these really neat soft styrofoam-bead-filled mesh animals that are kinda like floating plushies! They're great!
Things do feel a bit weird and isolated here sometimes, almost more so now that there's not folks working on constructing things. Even though I mostly hid from them, it's really hitting me now how it's just me and Dad, with the nearest neighbor over the ridge, and the city almost an hour away (for the fun stuff at least). I've been feeling a bit lonely, which I guess is part of why I'm glad I had this, and like the idea of talking more about what's going on. It helps me feel connected to folks, knowing folks are interested in reading my stuff.
So, I guess that makes me think I should ask: is there anything that folks want to know? About me, or where we live? (the lodge, the city, the whole planet or universe I guess since it sounds like some folks here are from elsewhere...) Leave a comment here if so, or send me a message some other way, and I'll see about using those as a way to write more here, to help feel connected. <3
Introduction!
Apr. 9th, 2020 04:42 pmHi, my name's Indi, and this is my first post here! I've been on other journaling sites for a while but this is the one that reaches the most folks in the most different places, so I figure I should use this now.
So, considering all that, I figure I should introduce myself. I'm an otter/wolf kid, I live just outside the city of Whitewaters, on the planet Rheos, which feels like a really weird thing to add, except that I guess folks from other places might be reading this. I'm pretty new to cross-world communication, so bear with me. ^.^;
So I live up in the mountains with my dad, whose name is Trace. We live in this cool lodge that's just about done being built now, it's meant to be a retreat center for the Conflux, which is where my dad works as a counselor and soon, retreat-leader, I guess! We're supposed to have a bunch of great events up here once it's done, which is why we even get a pool in the house, which makes the wolf AND the otter in me very happy.
What I'm mostly going to post here probably is my homework assignments. Due to various circumstances including the fact that we live kinda in the middle of nowhere, I'm home-schooled by my dad, and part of that is writing reports on the things I'm reading and playing and doing. It's pretty cool that video games are part of my "schoolwork" even if I have to write long reports on them afterwards.
I'm gonna start with posting some of my older reports; I've been doing that stuff for about a year now and there's some old ones we're pretty proud of. An important thing to know about them is since they are a synopsis, so there will be SPOILERS for whatever I post. I'll try to cut-tag the spoilery parts though, and leave the review-stuff visible.
Though also when it comes to "reviews", I should mention that they're all, one way or another pretty positive. Part of this is, I kinda like to highlight the good I find in things, but also keep in mind this is all stuff that was assigned with reasonable expectation that it'd be a positive experience. So this isn't exactly a place to go for hard-hitting media criticism, it's just stuff I liked that I am talking more about.
I hope you enjoy my reports and other entries, and I really hope folks comment on stuff too. Talk to you soon!
So, considering all that, I figure I should introduce myself. I'm an otter/wolf kid, I live just outside the city of Whitewaters, on the planet Rheos, which feels like a really weird thing to add, except that I guess folks from other places might be reading this. I'm pretty new to cross-world communication, so bear with me. ^.^;
So I live up in the mountains with my dad, whose name is Trace. We live in this cool lodge that's just about done being built now, it's meant to be a retreat center for the Conflux, which is where my dad works as a counselor and soon, retreat-leader, I guess! We're supposed to have a bunch of great events up here once it's done, which is why we even get a pool in the house, which makes the wolf AND the otter in me very happy.
What I'm mostly going to post here probably is my homework assignments. Due to various circumstances including the fact that we live kinda in the middle of nowhere, I'm home-schooled by my dad, and part of that is writing reports on the things I'm reading and playing and doing. It's pretty cool that video games are part of my "schoolwork" even if I have to write long reports on them afterwards.
I'm gonna start with posting some of my older reports; I've been doing that stuff for about a year now and there's some old ones we're pretty proud of. An important thing to know about them is since they are a synopsis, so there will be SPOILERS for whatever I post. I'll try to cut-tag the spoilery parts though, and leave the review-stuff visible.
Though also when it comes to "reviews", I should mention that they're all, one way or another pretty positive. Part of this is, I kinda like to highlight the good I find in things, but also keep in mind this is all stuff that was assigned with reasonable expectation that it'd be a positive experience. So this isn't exactly a place to go for hard-hitting media criticism, it's just stuff I liked that I am talking more about.
I hope you enjoy my reports and other entries, and I really hope folks comment on stuff too. Talk to you soon!
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