December 3

As I jam out to Mozart, I begin to organize the timeline while chatting with Aaron on the phone. We decide our goal is to be 3/4 done with research by friday. We have plans to make informational videos and add some super cool graphics. We plan to go work at Starbucks, Mozart's, and the Apple store to learn how to make some neat graphics.

This weekend we are planning to hit up the Apple Store (and the Domain, Sh!) to learn how to use some crazy cool animations. We will learn how to make cool videos and record and insert audio. We plan on asking Colin Vanderberg to read the project so that we have a really cool voice reading our stuff, but we haven't asked him yet. Get ready, these videos will be off the HEAZY!!!

December 4

Today I decided to change it up a bit and listen to the Beatles instead. I have just spent an hour and a half of unsuccessful research on finding the gram stain of the bacteria. I looked on Nettrekker, Gale Group, and even Google but found nothing. Nothing whatsoever. I think i am going to call Aaron and figure out what we should do. I think tomorrow after school i will start researching how to insert audio. I still haven't asked Colin to do a voice over but i think he will. He is really nice like that.

I also think i will ask Sr. Borges to make some neat sounds when you turn the page. I am not sure if this is possible, but you should always try right? I want to learn how to change the layout of the website, but no one will tell me. DARN THEM!!! I wonder if there are lay out websites for wiki, like there are for myspace. Hmmmm...

December 5

HOORAY! I have made headway with my research! Not only did I find mostly what I was supposed to find yesterday and today, but if found multiple articles with bioremediation/oil-eating bacteria in it! Okay, I am not 100% sure these are all applicable to what I need but hey it is a start for sure right?

I learned how to change the layout earlier and I think it looks pretty spiffy, if i do say so myself. On my notes, there was this word (microbial biomass) that I didn't know, so I googled/search engined it and found the definition. Since I am a human being, and human beings will be reading this website, I thought to myself "how cool would it be if you clicked on the word and it went to the definition?" Well I did just that and I admit it is pretty much amazing!

December 6

I like to think of this project (or our bacteria) as the little engine that could. We started out slow, but are now picking up speed in our research. Aaron and I today worked a lot in class on finding out whether or not oil-eating bacteria's gram stain is positive. You would think this would be an easy task, but it is far from it. We eventually realized that it is negative by looking at pictures that were pink.

Today Roberto and I discussed how we both have the same bacteria! I had not found anyone else with our bacteria, so it was refreshing to know that someone else has it. Either tomorrow or Saturday morning Aaron and I are headed for the Domain to talk with some geniuses about animation and such. I am so excited!

December 7

YAY!!!! ITS FRIDAY!!! Tomorrow Aaron and I plan to go to the Domain and talk to the Apple geniuses. I have a friend that works there so I wonder if I will see him. I missed the lab in class today because I had a choir concert (which was soooo fun by the way). I hope to work on History and Interesting facts this weekend. I hope to work a lot but i know i am sooo busy this weekend.

I am hoping we finish research by Wednesday. I think right now we are a little behind schedule, just because we don't have very much information. I think we can make it work with bells and whistles though. I am really excited about making our video because we are going to use this awesome background in photo booth that makes it look like fish are behind you. it is pretty much amazing!

December 8

Today we went to the Apple Store and admired all the pretty computers...oh and we also talked to them about software =). Aarons computer ended up having all we needed! But who can complain about going to the Domain right? Tonight while I am babysitting I plan to organize some of the information i have, because it is totally messed up right now.

From talking to Aaron today about the project, i feel much better. We think it will be done before Sunday, which will be so helpful for me because i am so busy next weekend. I wish we had more work days in class. We hope to make the videos during lunch sometime this week. At night i will think of ways to make it funny, but then realize how big of a loser i am for thinking about bacteria before i go to sleep. Maybe i should be a microbiologist...

December 9

Today while listening to MS. TUCKER ON THE RADIO (by the way fabulous job), I made some major headway in research. I didn't exactly find what i was really looking for, which was history, but i found sooo much information. I really think our goal for finishing by Wednesday (at least the research) is attainable!

Today I am singing at the domain with choir. GET PUMPED! I find it extremely ironic that I am going to the Domain again this weekend which is more then i ever go, So last night, i am totally ready to work on the website, and after i put will (the kid i am babysitting) to bed, i realize i don't have internet! I mean i do, but i don't have the password! so so much for working while i am working! hahaha, i am sooo funny =)

December 10

Today I found multiple sources and sites with a lot of helpful information. Surprisingly we are very close to finishing the research portion. Tomorrow I think I will look for history and work on forming a Cited page. On Wednesday night I hope to condense my notes into a few paragraphs and then by Thursday be finished with at least one video.

I have been looking for some interesting information about oil eating bacteria, but it is just so hard because EVERYTHING is sooo interesting. I hope you don't get mad that I use the multiple "o"s in my journal, but I like the emphasis. I also think tomorrow I am going to get on one of the library computer's to change the font and such because pbwiki is just like every software, and it doesn't appreciate the beauty of a mac =)

December 11

SO today was our last working day. NOT COOL AT ALL!!! aaron and i have so much more to work on. He has started to work on website evaluations and i am working on the timeline. I am not sure how many dates we should have on the timeline but right now i have four pretty in-depth dates/years but i am not exactly sure how many we need.

Today in class it was so cold that Aaron and I had to move. You would think "this has nothing to do with research" but oh yes, indeed it does. SInce i moved, i was further away from people and i got more work done! now isn't that exciting. i am sooo ready for this project to be over!

December 12

Wednesday is hump day, and it is also FOUR days till this is due! I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. It seems like yesterday we were pulling our bacteria out of a hat. Today aaron is organizing our notes into question and answer form, so we are close to the end. TO be over with this project would be like lifting a big weight off my shoulders.

Tomorrow during lunch we are going to finally make our video. I am sooo excited, and i think it will actually be pretty good. I think i am going to google some make your own crossword puzzle/word searches and see if we can add any to our website. That would make it pretty nifty right? I would use words that have to do with our bacteria ( like our bacteria's name for instence) and also generic biology words, like bacteria and gram stain.

December 13

Well I am so ready for friday! Actually I am ready for this whole thing to be over. The stress of finishing this website by Sunday is really starting to sink in. I think Aaron and I underestimated the entirety of this project and how much work it would take! I mean, we have had about two weeks, but it is not that much if you think of everything that is going on in a busy freshman's schedule!

Including, tests, quizzes, and the everyday homework load, I barely have time to sleep and relax! This week has been really stressful because of the labs in addition to the journals and researching i am a little overwhelmed. I guess I just need the weekend to come so i can relax and of course work on the project. I think it will end up pretty good.

December 14

Well two more days left to work on the project, and I am counting down the hours! Today i put all of our sources into sourceaid and made an official sources page! i felt so efficient when i put all the sources in and POW, i had a sources page. It was fabulous. In minutes i was done with the sources page. okay, i exaggerated, like in an hour i was done.

Tonight I think Aaron is going to be finishing the internet evaluation sheets and then i am going to talk to him tomorrow about who is going to the "class evaluation" thing. I think the presentation will be a breeze since aaron and i are so outgoing :) Aaron was talking about doing a quiz at the end of the presentation, but i am not sure if that will happen. CIAO!

December 15

Well it is the end of a very long day. After four long choir concerts I came home, and worked excruciatingly long on this super duper fun project! I finished I think the whole project, but i am going to call Aaron tomorrow at some point and tell him to read what i wrote and check and see if it sounds alright.

I worked on the classroom evaluation today, and i think it looks pretty spiffy. I put a grading scale of 5-1 and then i put a section for comments in case anyone has anything else they want to say. i think our presentation will bump us up to a strong A. I also took Aaron's quiz and of course I aced it. Actually, if i hadn't i would have questioned what i had been doing the last couple of weeks!

December 16

Well this is it, the day the project is due. It seems a weight has been lifted off my shoulders as we are almost done! I cannot wait till tomorrow when we present our masterpiece. We will start with questions and skim/explain what everything is, and then we will have a quiz to show everyone.

I think our project deserves an A. I know this has no weight whatsoever, but with all our effort if we don't get an A I will be very disappointed. I think today I am going to listen to Ms. Tucker on the radio, when I am completely done! Well, this is the ending of a relationship, Journal. I shall miss you dearly!