Sorry for missing a whole month of writing, but hey, I was busy. In the time I was gone, I went to Texas and got the think award in robotics, I built a new robot, I managed to get grounded (it wasn't bad at all, and I like it this way!), and I also got onto both Surf Elite and Little Warriors Elite. I think tomorrow I will tell you about the tryouts and the worlds today.
On the way to Texas, I went with only my dad, meaning I got a WHOLE BED to myself (ahem... kyle...), I got to eat dinner with the team, and I also think I did the best of my ability for the qualification matches. We had a bunch of mistakes, but it was a memorable experience, at least. On the planes, they even gave us pretzels instead of those weird energy bar things that taste like sawdust and cow dung.
In tryouts, I was always getting overlooked and I never was passed to by my teammates. How supportive. But, I did make it to the other side of the field: the good side. I ended up on the best field. Yaaaay! >⩊<
Ya know how the start of the year is always a nightmare for Vex teams? For example, in the start of Rapid Relay Vex IQ, all of the first robots were boxy and only could score 1 goal. Butt this year, there are actually a good amount of ideas in the start! For example, the Capped Pins Alliance have a lot of members, and they post really cool ideas, like new intake meta, Jazah (person) slide PTO, and new robots, like the one I'm building! I got it from the Capped Pins Alliance! So to all of Vex nation: SUB TO CAPPED PINS! (and join the discord!)
My robot is a simple yet useful robot. It uses a flywheel intake to get the game elements, and uses a fourbar lift to raise the flywheel in order to score the pins.
Today Elijah told me that he was making a D4AB as a first robot. He pronounced it as "drab", but I didn't really get why it couldn't be called something more simple. As usual, I asked him what it was, and he told me.
So, a DR4B is apparently a robot with a double reverse four-bar. It uses this to get extra height to get the pins on that standoff goal. It also has a claw to clamp on the capped pins in this game, and it has pneumatics to let the claw spin, making it able to attach the pin to a one-by-two plate for extra points.
I think this kind of robot could be good, but I'm not sure about the lift. I think the lift needs a lot of torque, so you might need– never mind. I forgot that they don't use a flywheel intake, but a claw thingy.
Today I had soccer practice with coach Sam. I arrived 30 minutes early, early enough to see my brother practice (and to see all of the drills), so when it was time for me to go train, I was ready! Arriving early also gave me an advantage because I couldn't eat! This meant that I knew all the drills and could prepare. Also, I was just kinda better than all the others, and the others were a year older than me. There was only 1 person that I couldn't beat, and his name was Jason. He was faster than me, but I had better ball control, so I beat him a bunch. The other person I struggled with was a person on Elite A. But, I still beat him sometimes.
Today I did really good at a indoor soccer match. I almost scored 2 goals, and I dribbled a lot! But, I think there should be a rule that can change. I feel like the 3 goal rule is too harsh for some players.
The 3 goal rule is when the team is leading by 3 goals, the leading team has to shoot from outside the box and the other team also gets an extra player! THAT is just unfair. I can agree with one of the rules, maybe the shoot outside of the box one, but I think only 1 rule is enough! When I was striker, I kept missing because of the 3 goal rule! >:(
Today I read a little bit of a book. It was about what wealthy peole do with their fortune. They said in the book, wealthy people only buy what they need, because apparently the real happiness cannot be bought. I think when I retire, I will live in an apartment or a townhouse to save money. If I become rich when I'm like 15, I will save most of it in the bank and not use it a lot so I don't go bankrupt or something like that.
I would also not buy private jets and yacht, because that is kind of a waste of money. I can just rent a sailboat! That would be more fun than just riding a giant ship by yourself. That would be really boring. But, I will have a TV in my house with a recliner! Those are awesome!
Today I read a little bit of a book. It was mostly about how little things accumulate over time. For example in the book, Thomas Gayner is a man that weighs 190 pounds. But, he grows all the way to 200! To make things better, he losses 1 pound every year, and eventually gets back to 190! Thomas Gayner also does the same for stocks. If they have a high return rate but very overlooked, he will take it. Not a lot, though. If he buys a lot of one stock, it might go bankrupt any day, so he first buys some to verify.
I think when I grow up and retire, I will still invest some money in some stocks so I can make money without needing to work. So, while I earn money, I can do something fun!
Next Friday is field day. That was the good news. The bad news? I have to stay in for 1 minute. See, our teacher, Mrs. Iniguez, got really pissed off because we were all being really dogwater. So, she gave us a tally mark when we were being off-task. Each tally is 1 minute. I think most people got 1 tally, but I don't know for sure. But I know I have at least 1 tally. I feel bad for Lucas M, though. He has over 5 tallies, and possibly even 10, so I hope he doesn't miss field day.
Mrs. Iniguez also told me that I have no missing assignments yesterday. I also feel really happy because I got a perfect score in math STAR test! But, I think I only got 4th or 5th in the class, because Vidyut, Delisha, and Nick all got higher than me. Maybe Lucas M, but maybe not. I was less than 100 away from a real perfect score: 1400. Nick got 1400, though! Man, by the look on his face, you would have thought that he won the lottery or something! But, I am satisfied with my score of 1312.
Yesterday, we had a movie party at school for the 4th grade. It was really enjoyable, but there was just one part I detested. Since you could have a snack while watching the movie, my friends all got snack. So obviously, I tried to mooch off of their snacks. My good friend William even shared popcorn with me during the movie! But, that was the worst part. The popcorn had too much salt in it, and though it tasted really good, it made my throat really dry. And here to tell you, I didn't drink any water that day, so I got sick.
Today after school, I even took a 1 hour power nap to give me more energy. Also, dad made me take this really good tasting medicine (yeah, I said good, it tasted like mint after I swallowed), and I still finished my chinese and my piano homework, along with some science homework. yayyyyy
Today I was even more sick than yesterday, and I even played a SOCCER MATCH!! Like, I was always like "Please don't throw up." the WHOLE TIME! But, I felt better, and mom even bought me some boba tea from happy lemon! Also, I saw Hugo at Safeway when me and mom were shopping for fruits and veggies. Hugo also helped us carry the stuff we bought onto the cashier's conveyer belt. He is a very nice kid, but he teases me a lot, but not in a bad way.
In the soccer game, we played against B16 Crossfire RCL1. They were so good that they played a year up... in one of the best leagues! And tomorrow we are playing B15 RCL 2. That will be a very tough game, I tell you. They are twice as good as the team we played today, and we lost against this team 5 - 3! Who knows what would happen to us when we play against the B15s??
Today we had 2 soccer games, one against Crossfire RCL 2 and one against either East or South surf elite, I forgot. All I know is that we played the surf team in WA cup before. We lost to Crossfire (no surprise there), and we also lost to the surf team... 5 - 1. Dang, we got spanked pretty hard. I got injured multiple times, and I took a big tumble on the ground when I tackled a Crossfire player. We lost to crossfire 3 - 0.
In the game against surf, I think I played fine in the first half, but in the second, I didn't play as well. I let a bunch of high balls over me, and I lost the ball a lot. But, I have an excuse. Early into the second half, I took an injury to the thigh, and it is pretty purple-ish colored right now. But, it's okay.
In the game against Crossfire, I didn't have any mistakes on the ball (as in passing, dribbling, reciving), but I did let 2 easy shots in. Why? The first one was off a corner kick. The corner kick guy kicked it right at archie ad archie blocked it but didn't catch it, and I kicked it into the middle of the box, and they managed to score a goal. The second one was also off a corner, but the crossfire player kicked the ball in on the top of the box, and the striker took a really weak shot that passed right by me. I was sure archie was going to save that, but he probably didn't notice, and he didn't save it.
Today I had a hard day at school. I had to go through the burden of writing a paragraph about how the Dalles Dam was beneficial to our society, but I obviously failed, since I didn't get any editing done, so there were mistakes everywhere now and then. Then, I came home. I finished my chinese homework and piano and later finished my extension packet for math homework, and I go to soccer. After a training that I think I did good in, I get awarded with... some kind of leftover fish and some potatos. Then, I go upstairs and take a bath. After that, I'm tired but about to do this dang (I would have said a bad word here, but since this is public, no.) diary, dad yells at me to go do my diary when I already am going to! So, I instead do my pushups and situps, and he compliments Kyle for doing good situps when I DID 15 MORE! So, I feel unhappy right now.
Today I had a very fun day. Instead of foursquare, I played jungle gym tag. I kept falling down, but it was okay, because I always tagged someone else. There are some really good ideas when you are playing. I like to hang out in a corner and just stay there. Nobody really notices me, but on occasion I get tagged. The only reason that happens is if I get caught stuck really far down, or if I get tangled.
There are 3 layers. The first is the lowest; the floor. The second layer is the middle: the normal part of the jungle gym. The last layer is the top: the highest part of the jungle gym. If you are on the middle layer, for example, you cannot tag someone that is on the top, but you can tag people on the middle layer. If you are the tagger and you are on the ground after you fall, you cannot tag someone that is on the jungle gym. you have to be on the jungle gym to tag people!
Playing games is the best part of 4th grade, because once you get into middle school, you don't have recess anymore. So, you should always make the most of your recess. When I get into Odle, I'm sure to get bullied and teased some. So, I should learn to shake it off and just walk away. And, I can play today! All I have to do is to play some soccer or basketball and do my pushups, then I can play!
Today is dad's birthday! For his birthday, he is sort of sick, but he said we will celebrate today because of the birthday card I gave him. It had a picture of 2 trees hugging each other. It said, "No matter how tall I grow, I will look up to you!". I hope we get to play some card games, because I'm sure dad would like revenge from me beating him in class. So, yeah.
I also hope we eat a good cake. I like cake that is cheesecake with crushed graham crackers. I had them once, and I loved it! The only reason I can't have it is because it is homemade, so I either have a party at a fun place like Dave and Busters or at home with my family. Actually, for a thought, that isn't too bad, because I still get to hang out with my friends.
Today my entire family went to a soccer match at Lumen field. It was Athletico Madrid versus Seattle Sounders. Obviously I wanted sounders to win, but I knew that that would not be the case. Sounders actually lost, 3 - 1. But, my friends were all different kinds of liking. My teammate Gautham was the biggest Sounders fan in Washington, but Elijah was close behind. According to him, he said that "I like Real Madrid, so cheering for Athletico and Real may not be a good idea." I like Sounders better.
But Avyukt was a different guy. He swore that he liked Sounders, than at halftime said he wanted Atletico to win, and then at the end he was cheering for Atletico de Sounders. (same deal with Aurik, my other teammate.) Saatvik, however, said he was a Atletico fan the whole time. I have respect for that kind of people, so I gave him a hive-five after.
But I did the snail on him.
I want a new skateboard.
On Monday, I learned how to skateboard, and on Wednesday, I rode down our driveway with it! That is a milestone for riding a skateboard. But, the skateboard I'm using is a 22 inch mini skateboard, and it is really small. So, I want a new one that is 31 inches, the normal size for a skateboard. It only costs 40 dollars for a quality skateboard! That is really cheap, actually. They advertise with "7 layers of Canadian Maple Wood" (I couldn't care less about what kind of wood it is.), "Up to 220 lbs of weight on them" (yeah, I'm only a third of that, and I never will be over 180 pounds, believe me.), and some random "really grippy tape" on it. Okay, I like the tape, but any grippy tape will do. I won't and never will do tricks on this skateboard (but if Lucas had a skateboard, he would, probably).
I also watched a speed tournament in my classroom. It was Sarah against Neev. We all wanted Sarah to win, because if Neev won, he would brag a bunch (he does, but if he does win, he won't get much time to brag about it), and everyone would be annoyed. Also, it was best out of 3 to make it fair. Neev won twice, so he won. AGAIN!! Like, that was the THIRD time he won... OUT OF THREE TIMES!! Bruh.
Today I had an indoor soccer game against another really strong team. Saatvik said he knew some of the players because they all played at crossfire. But, there was a person from Crossfire RCL 2 of the 2014 team, and he was really fast and physical. In the first half, he was calm, but in the second half, I have no idea what made him full on ram me to the wall. That has to be a foul, and it was a foul. The ref pulled a blue card on him (a blue card means 2 minutes of sitting out with 1 less player), and I feel like he got what he deserved.
Later on in the game, Aurik was goalkeeping, and he kicked the ball up and it hit the net on top, so the opponent got a free kick. When the ref told us that we were standing in the right place, number 18 pushed all of us backward because he wanted to have more space, so Saatvik pushed him, and number 18 pushed him back; harder. I wanted to push that number 18 really hard, but I didn't because then I would have gotten into trouble.
Today I learned that I have to go to a summer camp for basketball at Sammamish High. I thought "well, it can't be that bad because I went to local hoops basketball camp and it was pretty hard, but I have to ride my bike to this camp! What if the bike gets stolen? I am scared to go to this camp." But on the other hand, it might be a good chance to make friends. Besides, this camp is only 3 days long, with only a half day every day. Plus, when I come home, I can play a little because no one is at home! I am alone. So, I might enjoy going to this camp.
Dad also downloaded NBA 2K25 for us. It was really annoying because my team kept missing the dang 3 pointers, even though my entire team's average rating was 95 out of 100! I also made some scrambled eggs for breakfast. I think I will also make it tomorrow, but I don't think mom will trust me for that.
Today I was in the bath with Kyle, and I really needed the water for a 10 extra seconds, so I told him to wait. But, he pushed me around, which just made me push back as an instinct. After he got the water (he did this by being a crybaby and literally crying and screaming for dad like 'Daaaaaaaad, Jace isn't letting me have the water!'"), I put on soap and got some soap in my eye, Kyle turned the water all cold so I couldn't go in. Then, I screamed (but didn't cry) for dad because Kyle wasn't letting me have water and it was stinging my eyes. So, I pushed him out of the way so I could get water, and then Kyle cried like "Abba do baba guadur zondud!". Then, dad came and when he saw Kyle crying ad me not, his dad reflexes kicked in and he slapped me and hit me a bunch. Then, he told me that bullying other people was not good. Also, now I listen to Sober Up by AJR to make me feel better.
Today Eric came over to my house and we fixed my robot together (aka all me). It was a conveyer belt robot, but tomorrow as soon as I get home from basketball camp, I'm going to make the conveyer more tilted upwards so it would be more consistent. Right now my robot has a bar to hit the game object down so I can stack it. It is pretty complex, but I saw some other ideas and I want to make my robot more like that. I saw a revolver robot that can carry 12 pins at a time (four stacks of three), but I want to build my own really small one. Trust
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Sorry to interfere, folks. Eric and I also talked about what teams used holocounts. In case you don't know, holocounts are copies of other robots, like 贺老师 or 沈老师. For example, for some time me and my dad tried to make a conveyor robot. We did it (eventually), but it was really bad. But, 838A and 838E were able to make it so easily and so reliably that I doubt that they even made their robot themselves! All I know is that we make holocounts, but we don't use them in competitions. We only make a copy of them... with everyone's ideas. A 12:1 gear ratio for the outtake... done. A 18:1 intake... done. Wait waaaaa???
Today I went to local hoops basketball camp. I was definitely THE WORST ONE THERE ...ahem...dadddd...
But, I had some fun shooting hoops and playing 5v5 scrimages. I scored 1 goal, a layup where I stole the ball from someone and shielded the ball, then sprinted and did an easy layup. Though I didn't show it, I was really glad I made it, because I failed a bunch of other times. For example, I missed a free throw, I missed 2 other layups, and I shot over the backboard when I did a 3 pointer. Like, how? So, I didn't do to great. I wish I could play soccer or just stay at home instead and do robotics.
But, I want to make dad proud, so I keep trying basketball even though I suck. Really badly.
Okay, we all know that taco bell makes you have diarrhea (but the tacos and burritos actually taste good), and one meme: "every baja blast could be your baja last". Also, me and my dad went to Los Chilangos for tacos. I got 4 beef tacos with cheese and some sauce, and dad got a really big breakfast burrito. Dad told me that the green sauce was supposed to be mild, and took the red sauce. He used a lot of the red sauce, and when he told me to try the green sauce, I said, "It might be spicy!!" So, to prove me wrong, he poured some of the green salsa on his burrito and took a bite, and his tongue was on FIRE!
After I ate lunch, I added 2 extra wheels to act as an intake for my new robot so it could intake properly (finaly...), but it still has some problems with not being able to consistently scoring in 3 stacks.
Today I finally finished my new robot entirely. I added a little mallet to push the pins downwards so they stack nicely. But, I need to work on something: Build quality. Even when Eric (my robotics friend) said that my robot has a lot of build quality issues, but this is only the 2nd robot that I have made. I will also make better robots. My next robot will have a lift so it can score on the standoff goal and so it can score in the red and blue zones.
Me and Eric also talked about who we want on our team next year. To be honest, I don't really want Aiden on my team. At the start of last year, he was really funny and friendly. Now though, he tries to be cool instead of be friendly. I know that, but it doesn't hurt to still be friendly and be nice enough to joke around for some time. But without Aiden, we won't have Grace, our main coder. She made the 292 and 304 point autonomous. I also want Tyler from 838A to join because he would be good at driving.
Today I went kayaking with my dad's company. Vincent, Lucas, Summer, Rushan, and some other people. The first thing we all did was grab a sparkling water and go play lava monster on the jungle gym, and we saw a lot of spider-man actions from Ru-shy (nickname for Rushan), but he ended by hitting his head on a bar, and he stayed down, but he was still awake. Then, we went back to eat some meat on a stick and barbeque. Then, we went down to the lake with our rafts.
This part was really funny. As we were on the raft, I spotted a piece of driftwood, and when we were in range, I threw it at Lucas and summer's raft, and the driftwood made a really big splash that soaked them. It was really funny, but there was something even better. I was on the front of the raft, Vincent it the middle, and Ru-shy on the back. When we were heading back, our raft hit a big wave, and down Ru-shy went. He fell into the lake! I was fine, as I just laid down so I was still on the raft, and Vincent didn't fall either.
Today I went to add a color sensor and a distance sensor to my robot, all with no success. Then, I removed all but 1 distance sensor on my robot and made no changes, except for the one I saw @deborahhuffine (26989D) on youtube. Theirs had a little redirect on it, and that made it a lot easier to let the pin go in the stacker. So, I built it, and first tests impressed me a lot! It was more reliable now, and I could (and had to) crank up the speed of the conveyer so it would work.
I also want to tell dad about all of this. How I got all of my great ideas from youtube. And, I want to tell him that I still feel like I am better at robotics than him and put for effort. ALSO, news flash. Eric told me that if Tyler were to join our team, we would become part of middle school because his age is across the line for vex iq.
Today I added a 4 motor drivetrain to my conveyer belt robot so it would go faster. I decided not to make a 3 motor drivetrain because I didn't have enough space, and it would be too slow anyways. It wouldn't be good to make a lift either, because then you would have to make a claw, which requires another motor, ending with a 2 motor drive, wayy to slow for all of that weight. I actually haven't finished the coding for the drivetrain, but it isn't that hard as you just make both sides a motorgroup.
Also, today was my brother's birthday. We ate the same cake that we ate for dad's birthday, and it was really good in the start... but once I took several dozen bites, I began to get a stomachache. 3 reasons: either I ate it too fast, this cake is bad, or I just have really bad digestion issues like dad (when some cold wind blows on dad's stomach, dad catches a cold).