Stressful life

I know nobody is viewing my blog. But I'm going to continue updating it anyway. OK, so yeah, my life is stressful and it's only the second week of school. Each of my classes assigns homework every day, and it's a horrible feeling when it seems I'm already falling behind. On top of which, I got a job. I'm a Spanish teacher at the MTC. I'm very happy about this job, even though I have to work Saturday nights (bleh!), and it's basically a dream come true working with missionaries again. I interviewed for the third time on Friday, they called me Friday night to tell me I got the job, and then I was hired on Saturday. Monday and Tuesday were all about arranging my schedule for the semester, and I had a little bit of training, and then I was just thrown into it, not really knowing what to do. Yes, I was a missionary, but I still don't know what I'm doing -- there are tons of ins and outs, rules, etc. that I don't know and will basically just have to learn as I go. So today I received my first district of missionaries. They are all Elders and there are 11 of them! So the classroom is really full and squished and stuffy. And I'm trying to pretend like I know what I'm doing. I was way nervous, but it's going well, so far. I can't believe I served a mission, it seems like a dream. And I can't believe I'm being paid to teach missionaries. Wow!


Book REVIEW! YAY!

James Dashner
The Maze Runner
The 13th Reality: The Journal of Curious Letters

I have this thing where if I find a book I like, I look for other books by the same author and then read those -- most of the time, books from the same author become kind of blurred in my head because, while the stories are different, the voice and style are basically the same. However, it is not that way with these books. Both books are so different that I have to separate them to do them justice. The Maze Runner was great! I absolutely loved it. It took me by surprise because I was thinking something fantastical and predictable. But despite the fact that this book has created an alternative future, it was believable, which is what drew me in. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery of it all. The overall theme is dark, but it doesn't cross the line into disturbing. The futuristic feel puts this book in the category of Hunger Games, The Uglies, and (dare I say it?) Ender's Game. Basically I love post-apocalyptic books. You can throw The Giver in there as well. Some people may not agree on the literary merit of some of these books, but I loved them all.

On another note, 12-year-olds will love the 13th Reality book (which I believe has a sequel I haven't read yet). In attempting to put myself in the mind of a pre-teen, I also enjoyed the book. The only issue I have is that it's supposed to be science fiction, with all of the bizarre things having a scientific explanation, but I couldn't stop thinking of it on more of a fantasy level. All of the quantum physics explanations seemed dull and unrealistic. Although, admittedly, I know little of science to be able to validate my opinion. The story and characters would seem more real, to me, if it's genre was fantasy and not sci-fi. I can't explain further without spoiling something. Either way, it's fun. Yep.