This semester, I think I read over 2,556 pages for etymology. When I first started reading, I was excited and read vigorously. However, towards the end of the semester, I became a lazy reader. I even became one of the bloggers who posted 3 or 4 blog updates in one night.
What I think I gained from this class was the knowledge that I can read anything I want. It doesn't have to be popular fiction in order for me to understand it. I read Pride and Prejudice, Lolita, The Giver, and a couple other books I never would have thought to read on my own. And the weird thing is, I liked them all a lot! When I read now, it's usually sitting on my couch with my family in the living room or laying in bed before I go to sleep at night. I can't, nor could I ever, read with the music on. It's just too distracting, no matter how hard I try. And I always seem to be checking my phone, except for the rare occasion I get so into a book I forget all about the incoming text messages. I told my parents all about Lolita, because I was so interested in the story, and they seemed to be pretty interested in what I had to say as well.
Before this class, I assumed the only poetry out there was Edgar Allen Poe and Shakespeare. I loved reading all the poems in Mr. Hill's class. I think it was good to get the experience in, even if I didn't understand every single one of the poems. However, writing them down seemed tedious to me, and I think I could concentrate less on the poems while I was writing them down.
I think it's so cool how this class is considered an English class, because the entire semester I felt like the class was a really fun experience and that's not typical of English classes.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Pride and Prejudice pg 73-107
So many new characters! Everything is so confusing because there are so many new names being tossed around! Hopefully I get them all right, here's what I THINK happened....
Since Mr. Bennet cannot give his inheritence to one of his daughters, it has been designated to go to a man named Mr. Collins, who comes for a visit. While he seems to admire the Bennet estate when he comes, I can't decide if it's sincere affection for the family or just the wealth he will someday get.
There was a scene where Mr. Collins was supposed to read to the girls, and he refuses to read a novel, choosing instead to read an excerpt from a book of sermons. This is incredibly boring to the girls, who begin gossiping, offending Mr. Collins.
Mrs. Bennet, being the matchmaker that she apparently is, hints to Mr. Collins that Elizabeth might be a suitbable wife for him.
This is where we meet three new characters. The girls and Mr. Collins go to Meryton (a town), where they meet:
Mr. Denny- Lydia's officer friend
Mr. Wickham- One of Mr. Denny's friends
Mrs. Phillips- Mrs. Bennet's sister
It should be noted that when the girls meet Mr. Wickham, they also see Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. Wickham and Darcy are incredibly cold to one another.
This is explained a couple chapters later when Elizabeth has a chance to talk to Wickham for herself at a dinner party. He explains that he was supposed to get a sum of money from Darcy's father. However, Darcy cheated him out of the money, keeping it for himself. After hearing this, Elizabeth develops a liking for Wickham and a hatred for Darcy, which Jane does not agree with.
I have a feeling there will be some sort of fallout with Wickham. He seems like the perfect character right now, but he may not be completly truthful.
Since Mr. Bennet cannot give his inheritence to one of his daughters, it has been designated to go to a man named Mr. Collins, who comes for a visit. While he seems to admire the Bennet estate when he comes, I can't decide if it's sincere affection for the family or just the wealth he will someday get.
There was a scene where Mr. Collins was supposed to read to the girls, and he refuses to read a novel, choosing instead to read an excerpt from a book of sermons. This is incredibly boring to the girls, who begin gossiping, offending Mr. Collins.
Mrs. Bennet, being the matchmaker that she apparently is, hints to Mr. Collins that Elizabeth might be a suitbable wife for him.
This is where we meet three new characters. The girls and Mr. Collins go to Meryton (a town), where they meet:
Mr. Denny- Lydia's officer friend
Mr. Wickham- One of Mr. Denny's friends
Mrs. Phillips- Mrs. Bennet's sister
It should be noted that when the girls meet Mr. Wickham, they also see Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley. Wickham and Darcy are incredibly cold to one another.
This is explained a couple chapters later when Elizabeth has a chance to talk to Wickham for herself at a dinner party. He explains that he was supposed to get a sum of money from Darcy's father. However, Darcy cheated him out of the money, keeping it for himself. After hearing this, Elizabeth develops a liking for Wickham and a hatred for Darcy, which Jane does not agree with.
I have a feeling there will be some sort of fallout with Wickham. He seems like the perfect character right now, but he may not be completly truthful.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Pride and Prejudice Pg 1-73
Being out of school for a few days, I've had quite some time to find a good book to read. The one I chose was Pride and Prejudice. I've had the copy sitting in my room for a couple years, but I've never gotten around to cracking it open. So, here we go:
There is a family of 7 introduced in the first couple chapters, the Bennets. The couple has 5 unmarried daughters, and are therefor overjoyed when Mr. Bingley moves in close to them. Now, Mr. Bingley is no ordinary man. He is an extremely wealthy young man who would be suitable for several of the Bennet girls. Eventually, the girls and Mr. Bingley both attend the same ball, along with Mr. Bingley's friend Darcy. Mr. Bingley turns out to be a charming and polite young man who seems very fond of Elizabeth Bennet. On the other hand, Darcy is pretty crude and generally unpleasant. He even insults Elizabeth, who instantly dislikes him.
This is confusing to me, because on the back of the book it says that fate will eventually bring Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy together. I expected some sort of volte face, because the direction the book was heading was not promising.
My thoughts were confirmed a couple chapters later, when Darcy announced that Elizabeth Bennet was now the object of his affection. At the same time, Mr. Bingley seems to be infatuated with Jane Bennet. Jane, however, I think is playing hard to get. Maybe she's playing too hard to get...? I guess we'll find out!
Later, Jane has to go to Netherfield Park. Mrs. Bennet is very sneaky about this, because she sends Jane by horse, knowing that it will rain. Consequently, Jane is forced to spend the night at Mr. Bingley's estate. Unfortunately, she falls ill and Elizabeth must go visit her (this means she will also be visiting Mr. Bingley and Darcy).
Mrs. Bennet and the youngest two Bennets, Lydia and Catherine, go to visit Jane. Mrs. Bennet seems to make a fool of herself by praising Jane and practically begging Mr. Bingley to stay in Netherfield Park. If you ask me, she's being way too obvious and she keeps putting her foot in her mouth.
It also comes out that Miss Bingley is trying to gain Darcy's affections, but he seems to only have eyes for Elizabeth. Even after she turns him down to dance and argues with him, his admiration only grows.
Miss Bingley is trying way too hard to get attention from Darcy. She reads to him, talks to him when he doesn't want to talk, and walks around the room in front of him so he will notice her. He only notices her, though, when Elizabeth gets up to walk with her. It is soon time for Elizabeth and Jane to go home. However, Mrs. Bennet refuses to send the carriage, because she thinks the girls need to stay longer (gee, I wonder why??). Hearing this, the girls go home on one of Mr. Bingley's carriages. Darcy is relieved that Elizabeth is gone, because he says Elizabeth lures him "more than he liked." To be honest, I think he doesn't want to get involved with someone so unsuitable. She doesn't have as much money or fame as he does.
Well, that's all for now. I'm sure I'll be posting at least the remainder of my 100 pages tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
There is a family of 7 introduced in the first couple chapters, the Bennets. The couple has 5 unmarried daughters, and are therefor overjoyed when Mr. Bingley moves in close to them. Now, Mr. Bingley is no ordinary man. He is an extremely wealthy young man who would be suitable for several of the Bennet girls. Eventually, the girls and Mr. Bingley both attend the same ball, along with Mr. Bingley's friend Darcy. Mr. Bingley turns out to be a charming and polite young man who seems very fond of Elizabeth Bennet. On the other hand, Darcy is pretty crude and generally unpleasant. He even insults Elizabeth, who instantly dislikes him.
This is confusing to me, because on the back of the book it says that fate will eventually bring Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy together. I expected some sort of volte face, because the direction the book was heading was not promising.
My thoughts were confirmed a couple chapters later, when Darcy announced that Elizabeth Bennet was now the object of his affection. At the same time, Mr. Bingley seems to be infatuated with Jane Bennet. Jane, however, I think is playing hard to get. Maybe she's playing too hard to get...? I guess we'll find out!
Later, Jane has to go to Netherfield Park. Mrs. Bennet is very sneaky about this, because she sends Jane by horse, knowing that it will rain. Consequently, Jane is forced to spend the night at Mr. Bingley's estate. Unfortunately, she falls ill and Elizabeth must go visit her (this means she will also be visiting Mr. Bingley and Darcy).
Mrs. Bennet and the youngest two Bennets, Lydia and Catherine, go to visit Jane. Mrs. Bennet seems to make a fool of herself by praising Jane and practically begging Mr. Bingley to stay in Netherfield Park. If you ask me, she's being way too obvious and she keeps putting her foot in her mouth.
It also comes out that Miss Bingley is trying to gain Darcy's affections, but he seems to only have eyes for Elizabeth. Even after she turns him down to dance and argues with him, his admiration only grows.
Miss Bingley is trying way too hard to get attention from Darcy. She reads to him, talks to him when he doesn't want to talk, and walks around the room in front of him so he will notice her. He only notices her, though, when Elizabeth gets up to walk with her. It is soon time for Elizabeth and Jane to go home. However, Mrs. Bennet refuses to send the carriage, because she thinks the girls need to stay longer (gee, I wonder why??). Hearing this, the girls go home on one of Mr. Bingley's carriages. Darcy is relieved that Elizabeth is gone, because he says Elizabeth lures him "more than he liked." To be honest, I think he doesn't want to get involved with someone so unsuitable. She doesn't have as much money or fame as he does.
Well, that's all for now. I'm sure I'll be posting at least the remainder of my 100 pages tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Tuesdays are the hardest day.
It's true. You've lost the motivation you had on monday and you're still not even half way through the week. And to top it off, I looked on powerschool and found that I only havec 53 points (out of a possible 100) for participation so far this quarter..... whoops. I thought it should be higher, but then Joel kindly reminded me that I have a tendency to sleep through the in class reading time. Another whoops. I only ended up with a 66 or so last quarter and let me tell you my parents were not happy. So I decided to do some poetry comments, I'm sure Mr. Hill will notice that I posted on about 5 poems in the last two days haha.
Speaking of not happy, Tony emailed 3 of my teachers about my suffering grades and he conveniently got responses from all 3 of them today right when I came into work (I work for him). Now I'll admit, I have been a major slacker this quarter and my grades show it. But in my defense, a couple of my classes have gotten extremely difficult. AP statistics was a breeze first semester but now I'm struggling. This shouldn't be the case, because that's one of my few classes that I stay awake for!
Anyways. Here are some totally absurd but true inventions.
We've all heard about the theory of cow farts contributing to global warming right? Well this is no longer a problem with the invention of the Gas Factory, to convert the gas before it is harmful. However, I think the lightbulb changer is more work than it's worth, the Pogo Shoes would be an absolute blast, and the wiz pouch seems virtually pointless (although I'm a girl so any urinal is useless).
But I think the Baby Bottom Art hilarious. I'm definitely doing this when I become a mother.
Speaking of not happy, Tony emailed 3 of my teachers about my suffering grades and he conveniently got responses from all 3 of them today right when I came into work (I work for him). Now I'll admit, I have been a major slacker this quarter and my grades show it. But in my defense, a couple of my classes have gotten extremely difficult. AP statistics was a breeze first semester but now I'm struggling. This shouldn't be the case, because that's one of my few classes that I stay awake for!
Anyways. Here are some totally absurd but true inventions.
We've all heard about the theory of cow farts contributing to global warming right? Well this is no longer a problem with the invention of the Gas Factory, to convert the gas before it is harmful. However, I think the lightbulb changer is more work than it's worth, the Pogo Shoes would be an absolute blast, and the wiz pouch seems virtually pointless (although I'm a girl so any urinal is useless).
But I think the Baby Bottom Art hilarious. I'm definitely doing this when I become a mother.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Lolita -pg 309
Reading blogs are almost done! We only have 2 or 3 weeks left before we don't ever have to blog another book ever again. I do like reading, but the blogging is a bother for me. Although it does help keep me accountable. For the final couple weeks, Mr. Hill decided we could post just 2 posts a week instead of 3 (although still 100 pages of reading). So here is the remaining 60 or so pages left for my week.
So Humbert is literally paranoid about EVERYTHING. Everything Lolita does or says is suspicious. He freaks out when she is alone with other people or when she is out of his sight. While I think Humbert is going a little insane, I also think that some of the things he is thinking are not just in his imagination. For example, he writes down a license plate number of a person following them, but Lolita (the sneaky little girl) erases it. Why doesn't she want him to have it? Another thing that happened was Lolita was seen playing doubles tennis with a strange man and she wouldn't tell Humbert anything about it.
Now, the real drama starts when Lolita is sick in the hospital and she is checked out by someone other than Humbert. He thinks that Lolita has been in contact with this man all along, but he cannot seem to find them (even after retracing all the hotels they stayed at). He has a 2 year relationship with a woman named Rita, I think it was just to get over Lolita. He still "loves" her, or whatever you would call it.
Eventually, he gets a letter from Lolita, saying that she has married and is pregnant. Humbert tracks her down and finds her married to a man other than the one who abducted her. He gives her money and asks her to come away with him, but she gently yet firmly refuses. I kind of feel bad for Humbert at this point... It has to be hard to leave the one you are in love with, even if she is your daughter.
After this, he seems to realize what exactly he's done, and how sick it is. He goes to see a priest and he claims he will never forget how he deprived Lo of her childhood. He even calls himself a maniac, as he addresses Lolita directly. I actually do feel for Humbert at this point because he seems to really understand what he did. Of course, that doesn't make it any more acceptable.
Humbert finds the man who abducted Lolita and actually kills him, after a violent struggle. Although no one else seemed to notice the man being shot.. so part of me wonders if this was in Humbert's imagination. What if this entire story was in Humbert's imagination? It just seems so unreal.
So Humbert is literally paranoid about EVERYTHING. Everything Lolita does or says is suspicious. He freaks out when she is alone with other people or when she is out of his sight. While I think Humbert is going a little insane, I also think that some of the things he is thinking are not just in his imagination. For example, he writes down a license plate number of a person following them, but Lolita (the sneaky little girl) erases it. Why doesn't she want him to have it? Another thing that happened was Lolita was seen playing doubles tennis with a strange man and she wouldn't tell Humbert anything about it.
Now, the real drama starts when Lolita is sick in the hospital and she is checked out by someone other than Humbert. He thinks that Lolita has been in contact with this man all along, but he cannot seem to find them (even after retracing all the hotels they stayed at). He has a 2 year relationship with a woman named Rita, I think it was just to get over Lolita. He still "loves" her, or whatever you would call it.
Eventually, he gets a letter from Lolita, saying that she has married and is pregnant. Humbert tracks her down and finds her married to a man other than the one who abducted her. He gives her money and asks her to come away with him, but she gently yet firmly refuses. I kind of feel bad for Humbert at this point... It has to be hard to leave the one you are in love with, even if she is your daughter.
After this, he seems to realize what exactly he's done, and how sick it is. He goes to see a priest and he claims he will never forget how he deprived Lo of her childhood. He even calls himself a maniac, as he addresses Lolita directly. I actually do feel for Humbert at this point because he seems to really understand what he did. Of course, that doesn't make it any more acceptable.
Humbert finds the man who abducted Lolita and actually kills him, after a violent struggle. Although no one else seemed to notice the man being shot.. so part of me wonders if this was in Humbert's imagination. What if this entire story was in Humbert's imagination? It just seems so unreal.
Personal Anthology
After much speculation, I decided on the perfect topic. I'm thrilled to begin my anthology on the subject of infancy. I have a lot of potential poems that I got from The Poetry Foundation, but I was wondering if I post these poems here, do I have to use them in my final anthology? Anyways, here are a few that interest me:
Death of an Infant
Lydia Huntley Sigourney
A Few Rules for Beginners
Katherine Mansfield
Anna Maria Is Coming, or Maybe Thomas Barton, or Max!
Hilda Raz
Baby Ate a Microchip
Neal Levin
(I plan on doing my video on this poem, it's very funny!)
Lullaby
John Fuller
Morning Song
Sylvia Plath
My Brother
Marci Ridlon
(I'm not sure about this one yet, I might not use it at all, because I already have a funny poem picked out)
Death of an Infant
Lydia Huntley Sigourney
A Few Rules for Beginners
Katherine Mansfield
Anna Maria Is Coming, or Maybe Thomas Barton, or Max!
Hilda Raz
Baby Ate a Microchip
Neal Levin
(I plan on doing my video on this poem, it's very funny!)
Lullaby
John Fuller
Morning Song
Sylvia Plath
My Brother
Marci Ridlon
(I'm not sure about this one yet, I might not use it at all, because I already have a funny poem picked out)
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Lolita Ch 13-16
With everything going on these last couple days, the SAT exam, studying for AP tests, and of course the Kenny Chesney concert, I've had to force myself to make reading time.
Lolita starts rehearsing for her play. It is called Enchanted Hunters, which Humbert and Lolita both recognize as the name of the hotel they first stayed at. In the next chapter, I realized that Lolita is seriously the most bipolar person ever. She gets into a huge fight with Humbert because she has been lying to him and she hates the play and her school. She ends up running away, but Humbert finds her and they agree to move away only if they go where Lo wants to go. So, Humbert tells the school he has been hired as a movie director or something in Hollywood and they leave. Lolita is changes her mind a lot, and Humbert grows extremely paranoid, especially when Lo manages to disappear from his watchful eye.
There was an excerpt in this section that Humbert notices that Lolita possesses fewer nymphet qualities. She is growing up, and as you can imagine this does not make Humbert very happy. Lolita seems to run the relationship. Humbert never does anything without thinking about how she will react. Honestly, it's frustrating that he is so weak. He needs to grow a spine and take control.
Lolita starts rehearsing for her play. It is called Enchanted Hunters, which Humbert and Lolita both recognize as the name of the hotel they first stayed at. In the next chapter, I realized that Lolita is seriously the most bipolar person ever. She gets into a huge fight with Humbert because she has been lying to him and she hates the play and her school. She ends up running away, but Humbert finds her and they agree to move away only if they go where Lo wants to go. So, Humbert tells the school he has been hired as a movie director or something in Hollywood and they leave. Lolita is changes her mind a lot, and Humbert grows extremely paranoid, especially when Lo manages to disappear from his watchful eye.
There was an excerpt in this section that Humbert notices that Lolita possesses fewer nymphet qualities. She is growing up, and as you can imagine this does not make Humbert very happy. Lolita seems to run the relationship. Humbert never does anything without thinking about how she will react. Honestly, it's frustrating that he is so weak. He needs to grow a spine and take control.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Proud Moment
So I've been wanting to get my cartilage pierced for quite a while, but I'm just such a chicken. I have absolutely no tolerance for pain and the sight of blood makes me woozy. Not to mention my parents would more than likely ground me for even asking to get it done. But, being my rebellious self (no I'm just kidding I'm really a good kid) I got it into my head today that I wanted it done right now. I'm not the type of person to have a whole lot of patience, so I looked it up on youtube and did it myself. Let me tell you, it's a whole lot easier than you'd think. The most important part was icing your ear for 10 minutes before (of course I'm such a scaredy cat that I probably held ice on my ear for 25 minutes straight just tomake sure it was numb). I literally didn't feel a thing when I put the safety pin through my ear, and I know you don't care at all but I'm just so impressed with myself.... KUDOS to me. hahah just kidding. Now, the tricky part is going to be wearing my hair down and hiding it from my parents as long as I can. I know I know, this is cunning and decietful. I feel bad, really I do. Just not nearly bad enough to go tell my parents yet.
I guess if I'm not at school tomorrow there are two possible explanations:
a) my ear somehow got so infected overnight that I was hospitalized or somehow inable to come to school
b) worse, my parents found out and locked me up
I guess if I'm not at school tomorrow there are two possible explanations:
a) my ear somehow got so infected overnight that I was hospitalized or somehow inable to come to school
b) worse, my parents found out and locked me up
Finally A Personal Post
I'll be the first to admit I'm not exactly a model student. I stay up way too late texting. Every. Single. Night. (and I always vow to go to bed earlier the following night) I do my homework right before class starts. I'll even admit to occasionally swapping answers with other students. I do what I have to do to get by. Nothing more. I thought I was fooling my parents too. Nope, they know exactly what I'm doing, and I know exactly what I'm doing. I'm just being lazy, but I have an excuse: junioritis. Kind of like a preview of what's to come next year, the dreaded senioritis.
Honestly, I could care less about school or the SAT's (which I will be taking on Saturday morning) right now. That's why I eagerly took up an opportunity to go out late to a Kenny Chesney concert this Friday, right before my SATs. Needless to say, my dad was not very happy, but what can I do? The tickets are already paid for and it would be a crime to let my 7th row floor seat go to waste :) hahaha. I'm pumped to go with my best friend Hanna House along with 2 other girls. I thought I'd share my current favorite Kenny Chesney song with you:
One more thing: I came across this website 8 Rules For Dating My Daughter and I had to laugh, because I can identify with the teenage daughter that he' stalking about. hahahaha
Honestly, I could care less about school or the SAT's (which I will be taking on Saturday morning) right now. That's why I eagerly took up an opportunity to go out late to a Kenny Chesney concert this Friday, right before my SATs. Needless to say, my dad was not very happy, but what can I do? The tickets are already paid for and it would be a crime to let my 7th row floor seat go to waste :) hahaha. I'm pumped to go with my best friend Hanna House along with 2 other girls. I thought I'd share my current favorite Kenny Chesney song with you:
One more thing: I came across this website 8 Rules For Dating My Daughter and I had to laugh, because I can identify with the teenage daughter that he' stalking about. hahahaha
Lolita pg 166-200
Chapter 3-12:
New character: Gastin Godin- Humbert's acquaintance
The "Four D's" are dramatics, dancing, debating, and dating. These are the focuses of the new school which Lolita will be attending. As you can imagine, Humbert is less than thrilled that the school focuses on social skills rather than intellect/schoolwork. I guess most any other parent would feel that way, but Humbert's motivations are not the same as any other parent.
Humbert is growing increasingly paranoid that someone will suspect somehing peculiar between Him and Lolita, or even worse: Lolita will tell someone herself. As Humbert becomes closer to his friend Gastin Godin, he becomes more distant with Lolita. Lolita begins demanding more money before she will perform sexual favors. If you think about it, it has almost become prostitution. Humbert is paying her for this.
Even though Humbert is giving her money, he is also breaking into her room and stealing it back. He doesn't want her to save up and run away from him. He also doesn't want her to become involved with any other boy, so he does his best to prohibit her from being alone with boys her age.
In chapter 11, it becomes clear that Humbert is becoming extremely desparate. He describes an incident where Lolita was at her desk doing her homework and he actually stooped so low as to crawl over to her desk and beg for affection, which she clearly denied him. Even though she is the child, she still seems to have the control over the relationship.
Lolita's teachers seem to be concerned about her, as she isn't dating boys or maturing sexually or making intelectual progress. They recommend that she dates and takes part in the school play. This part is absolutely alarming: after the meeting with her teachers, Humbert finds Lolita in the library and pays her 65 cents to... how do i put it... fondle him? In the library. With another girl present. WHAT THE HECK. Ok, don't get me wrong, I know this type of thing goes on all the time. I don't have a problem with what two people want to do together in private. But... Lolita is still 12 years old and Humbert is... well boyond that. Not to mention they're in a public place.
Last thing that happened was Lolita gets sick and recovers and Humbert allows her to have a co-ed birthday party. He gets her a bike and a book of art. All this seems miniscule compared to the library scenario. That image is permanently etched into my brain. Ew.
New character: Gastin Godin- Humbert's acquaintance
The "Four D's" are dramatics, dancing, debating, and dating. These are the focuses of the new school which Lolita will be attending. As you can imagine, Humbert is less than thrilled that the school focuses on social skills rather than intellect/schoolwork. I guess most any other parent would feel that way, but Humbert's motivations are not the same as any other parent.
Humbert is growing increasingly paranoid that someone will suspect somehing peculiar between Him and Lolita, or even worse: Lolita will tell someone herself. As Humbert becomes closer to his friend Gastin Godin, he becomes more distant with Lolita. Lolita begins demanding more money before she will perform sexual favors. If you think about it, it has almost become prostitution. Humbert is paying her for this.
Even though Humbert is giving her money, he is also breaking into her room and stealing it back. He doesn't want her to save up and run away from him. He also doesn't want her to become involved with any other boy, so he does his best to prohibit her from being alone with boys her age.
In chapter 11, it becomes clear that Humbert is becoming extremely desparate. He describes an incident where Lolita was at her desk doing her homework and he actually stooped so low as to crawl over to her desk and beg for affection, which she clearly denied him. Even though she is the child, she still seems to have the control over the relationship.
Lolita's teachers seem to be concerned about her, as she isn't dating boys or maturing sexually or making intelectual progress. They recommend that she dates and takes part in the school play. This part is absolutely alarming: after the meeting with her teachers, Humbert finds Lolita in the library and pays her 65 cents to... how do i put it... fondle him? In the library. With another girl present. WHAT THE HECK. Ok, don't get me wrong, I know this type of thing goes on all the time. I don't have a problem with what two people want to do together in private. But... Lolita is still 12 years old and Humbert is... well boyond that. Not to mention they're in a public place.
Last thing that happened was Lolita gets sick and recovers and Humbert allows her to have a co-ed birthday party. He gets her a bike and a book of art. All this seems miniscule compared to the library scenario. That image is permanently etched into my brain. Ew.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Lolita pg 135-166
Ok first I'd like to say congratulations to our fourth period poetry winner, Kyle. All four competitors today were outstanding, and I really do enjoy listening to poetry read out loud.
But the real reason for this post is for my reading log. Lolita is getting addictive, I don't have a whole lot of time to read but I take advantage of every opportunity. I finished part one so I'll summarize that first. Chapter 32 was a tornado of events starting with Humbert and Lolita's discussion of Lo's various sexual activities while at summer camp. Imagine something like this going on at Fort Wayne's own Camp Potowatomi. Then Lolita changes and she seems confused and irritated with what her and Humbert have become. She threatens to tell the police that he raped her, and I'm not sure if she was serious or joking at this point, but either way it gave me the chills. The chapter ends with Humbert telling Lolita that her mother is dead.
I feel bad for poor Lolita, because she has gotten herself into a situation that will be hard to reverse. They go to another hotel and Humbert gets separate rooms, but he can still hear Lolita crying. Of course she's going to be upset about her mother, but if you ask me she's probably really confused and distressed over what she has done with Humbert. Nonetheless, she ends up climbing into bed with Humbert before falling asleep.
Then I started part two, which started out about their travels. For the next year, they travel abroad. I think this was Humbert's way of securing Lolita. They were traveling just the two of them, so it's impossible for them to not be close. All the while, Lolita is having sex with Humbert, but still indifferent to him. She could care less, and she loves to flirt, which seems to upset Humbert.
Last, they end up settling down and Humbert plans to get a job and have Lo go to an all girl's school (I wonder why???). Through all this, Lolita still cries every night.
It's so sad that Lolita is so torn up. If Humbert really cared about her, he would realize that he is most likely part of the problem. He needs to attend to her needs before his.
But the real reason for this post is for my reading log. Lolita is getting addictive, I don't have a whole lot of time to read but I take advantage of every opportunity. I finished part one so I'll summarize that first. Chapter 32 was a tornado of events starting with Humbert and Lolita's discussion of Lo's various sexual activities while at summer camp. Imagine something like this going on at Fort Wayne's own Camp Potowatomi. Then Lolita changes and she seems confused and irritated with what her and Humbert have become. She threatens to tell the police that he raped her, and I'm not sure if she was serious or joking at this point, but either way it gave me the chills. The chapter ends with Humbert telling Lolita that her mother is dead.
I feel bad for poor Lolita, because she has gotten herself into a situation that will be hard to reverse. They go to another hotel and Humbert gets separate rooms, but he can still hear Lolita crying. Of course she's going to be upset about her mother, but if you ask me she's probably really confused and distressed over what she has done with Humbert. Nonetheless, she ends up climbing into bed with Humbert before falling asleep.
Then I started part two, which started out about their travels. For the next year, they travel abroad. I think this was Humbert's way of securing Lolita. They were traveling just the two of them, so it's impossible for them to not be close. All the while, Lolita is having sex with Humbert, but still indifferent to him. She could care less, and she loves to flirt, which seems to upset Humbert.
Last, they end up settling down and Humbert plans to get a job and have Lo go to an all girl's school (I wonder why???). Through all this, Lolita still cries every night.
It's so sad that Lolita is so torn up. If Humbert really cared about her, he would realize that he is most likely part of the problem. He needs to attend to her needs before his.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Lolita pg 103-135
I read chapters 26 to 30. And all I keep thinking is..... Lolita is 12 years old. When I was twelve years old I was in 6th grade and I was obsessed with panda bears and obnoxious earrings. I feel like I can't identify with Lolita at all... She kisses Humbert after he picks her up! And when I say kiss, I don't mean like a friendly "oh hi dad I've missed you" type of thing, I believe it was a flirtatious kiss. But wait. it gets worse. Later on in this section Lolita fornicates with Humbert. AS A 12 YEAR OLD. I can't get over this. I didn't even have my first kiss till I was in 7th grade, and that was playing spin the bottle.... I would never have even dreamed of that.... still wouldn't.
Ok so this is how it happened: Humbert picked her up from camp and brought her to a hotel, where he gives her a sleeping pill. However, he doesn't perform the act that night. It happens the next day, when Lolita asks about if he ever did it when he was younger. She seems to know exactly what she is doing, she's seducing him on purpose. If you ask me, that is. It's weird how sex for Lolita is just another activity to do, not a big deal.
Ok so this is how it happened: Humbert picked her up from camp and brought her to a hotel, where he gives her a sleeping pill. However, he doesn't perform the act that night. It happens the next day, when Lolita asks about if he ever did it when he was younger. She seems to know exactly what she is doing, she's seducing him on purpose. If you ask me, that is. It's weird how sex for Lolita is just another activity to do, not a big deal.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Tuesday Response
Ok, so part of our assignment for this Tuesday was to review our recent blog posts and I decided to evaluate myself. Although I do put my due time into the posts, I always end up putting in all this time at once. For example, I did two or three blog updates last night. The thing is, I thought I was being sneaky when I changed the dates in a few of my reviews. Oh well, I guess now I'll have to do the assignment like it was supposed to be done.
The second thing we're supposed to do is pick our favorite blog and comment, I have to say my favorite is Hot Kool Aid. She (or he) puts a lot of originality and personality into her blog and it makes it interesting to read.
The second thing we're supposed to do is pick our favorite blog and comment, I have to say my favorite is Hot Kool Aid. She (or he) puts a lot of originality and personality into her blog and it makes it interesting to read.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Crazy Love Pg 84-100
This section was only one chapter, chapter 5, but this chapter was packed with neat stuff to read about.
I'm going to make a list of some points that Chan made in this section:
- He pretty much stated that lukewarm Christians are not real Christians, which is kind of scary for me. Am I not considered a Christian because I can identify with some of the lukewarm characteristics??
- Hopefully we already knew this, but Jesus is asking for all or nothing. You have to be willing to trust God with everything you have, or else that relationship with Him just won't work.
- Then he goes back and says that we shouldn't doubt our own salvation when we read this book. Everyone has ways they can improve, and no one Christian is perfect. I can't describe how relieved I was after I read this.
- Chan also posed a question that is worth pondering: how many of us would leave our families, our jobs, our homes and possessions if God asked us to? I know it'd be extremely difficult for me because, i'll admit I'm a bit materialistic (then again, isn't everyone?). I guess that's something that needs to be worked on. If I put my full trust in God, it would be a whole lot easier to leave everything behind.
I'm going to make a list of some points that Chan made in this section:
- He pretty much stated that lukewarm Christians are not real Christians, which is kind of scary for me. Am I not considered a Christian because I can identify with some of the lukewarm characteristics??
- Hopefully we already knew this, but Jesus is asking for all or nothing. You have to be willing to trust God with everything you have, or else that relationship with Him just won't work.
- Then he goes back and says that we shouldn't doubt our own salvation when we read this book. Everyone has ways they can improve, and no one Christian is perfect. I can't describe how relieved I was after I read this.
- Chan also posed a question that is worth pondering: how many of us would leave our families, our jobs, our homes and possessions if God asked us to? I know it'd be extremely difficult for me because, i'll admit I'm a bit materialistic (then again, isn't everyone?). I guess that's something that needs to be worked on. If I put my full trust in God, it would be a whole lot easier to leave everything behind.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Crazy Love; Pg 53-83
I hope it's not weird that I'm bringing God into my schoolwork, I've always thought it was kind of an awkward subject to bring into education because it's so controversial, but I guess if this offends you then don't read it haha.
So: Chapter 3 is where I believe we left off.
Chan shows the reader that most people think of God's love as a father's love. But then it get's really interesting. Chan tells a story of when he was a child, and it really made me think. He says that he always thought of God's love like a father's love, but it was different for him. When he was younger, his father used to beat him, and ended up dying when Chan was only 12 years old. He tried so hard to please his other "father", God, after that, but he eventually realized the difference between his blood father and God his father.
Chapter four is probably my favorite chapter of the whole book, because I can relate so much to it. It's called "profile of the lukewarm" and it talks about what is called a "lukewarm Christian." This is just a person who doesn't give there whole self to God, kind of like a "rainy day friend," someone who is only a Christian when it suites them. It's sad because Chan gives loads of examples of lukewarm Christians, and I feel like I can identify with quite a lot of them.
- lukewarm people only give their "leftover" money to God
- lukewarm people mostly choose what is popular over what is right and just (this is a big one for me)
- lukewarm people don't apologize because of their sin, but because they don't want to be punished by God
- lukewarm people rarely share their faith with others
Can you see yourself in any of these?? I know I can.
So: Chapter 3 is where I believe we left off.
Chan shows the reader that most people think of God's love as a father's love. But then it get's really interesting. Chan tells a story of when he was a child, and it really made me think. He says that he always thought of God's love like a father's love, but it was different for him. When he was younger, his father used to beat him, and ended up dying when Chan was only 12 years old. He tried so hard to please his other "father", God, after that, but he eventually realized the difference between his blood father and God his father.
Chapter four is probably my favorite chapter of the whole book, because I can relate so much to it. It's called "profile of the lukewarm" and it talks about what is called a "lukewarm Christian." This is just a person who doesn't give there whole self to God, kind of like a "rainy day friend," someone who is only a Christian when it suites them. It's sad because Chan gives loads of examples of lukewarm Christians, and I feel like I can identify with quite a lot of them.
- lukewarm people only give their "leftover" money to God
- lukewarm people mostly choose what is popular over what is right and just (this is a big one for me)
- lukewarm people don't apologize because of their sin, but because they don't want to be punished by God
- lukewarm people rarely share their faith with others
Can you see yourself in any of these?? I know I can.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Crazy Love; Francis Chan pg 1-53
Ok, I know I was reading Lolita last week, and I seem to jump around a lot (I never finished the second or third books in the "Pretty Little Liar" series either), but I fully intend to go back and finish Lolita next week. Or something. It's a really good book. But this book, "Crazy Love,"is amazing. I heard about it and I got a copy for my friend for her birthday in January (although it's still sitting in my closet because I haven't given it to her yet haha).
Ok, so I read two chapters and the first chapter is pretty much all about coming face to face with God. Chan pretty much states that you can't forget about God's power, how all-knowing and all-powerful he is. He's pretty blunt about everything he says, so it really gets you when tells you to stop praying. Of course, that's not really what he means. But you'll have to read the chapter to figure it out for yourself!
Chapter two, titled "You may not finish this chapter" is pretty alarming. It really puts into perspective just how fragile life on earth is. We seem to fall into a rut and think that everything is stable. But in reality, we really need God more than we know, even when all seems to be going well. It makes you wonder if you're ready to be judged before God. Some interesting thoughts:
- What would people say about you at your funeral?
- What would God say about you at your funeral?
Ok, so I read two chapters and the first chapter is pretty much all about coming face to face with God. Chan pretty much states that you can't forget about God's power, how all-knowing and all-powerful he is. He's pretty blunt about everything he says, so it really gets you when tells you to stop praying. Of course, that's not really what he means. But you'll have to read the chapter to figure it out for yourself!
Chapter two, titled "You may not finish this chapter" is pretty alarming. It really puts into perspective just how fragile life on earth is. We seem to fall into a rut and think that everything is stable. But in reality, we really need God more than we know, even when all seems to be going well. It makes you wonder if you're ready to be judged before God. Some interesting thoughts:
- What would people say about you at your funeral?
- What would God say about you at your funeral?
Friday, April 15, 2011
Lolita pg 76-103
Ok, so my suspicion was right, Mrs. Haze has been killed. But we'll get to that part later. Where we left off: as Humbert and Charlotte (Lolita's mom) prepare to get married, Charlotte begins redecorating the house, becoming more social, and acting extremely jealous. Humbert tries his best to make himself like her, because he knows it's the only way he will gain closeness with "his" Lolita. One thing that secretly upsets Humbert is Charlotte's obvious distaste for Lo. Charlotte thinks Lolita as nothing more than a conniving, naughty little girl, and wishes to send her off to boarding school. However, all these plans are cut short when, like I said earlier, Mrs. Haze is killed. Ok, you're probably wondering how and why this happened right?? Well, Mrs. Haze knew about a locked drawer in Humbert's study (in which he kept all his writings about Lolita), and she was dying to get into it, as she was a very jealous person. One day Humbert came home and she had broken into it to read all the creepy letters he had written. Humbert went to make a drink and decided to tell her it was all fiction, part of a book he was working on, but before he could he received a call saying that she had been run over by a car!
Clearly, Humbert didn't kill her, but it just worked out so nicely that as soon as Mrs. Haze found out, she was killed. And now, I can imagine Humbert must be incredibly happy because he will have Lolita all to himself. I feel so sorry for the poor girl because she doesn't even know what's going through his mind, or what he plans to do to her. And I certainly hope he doesn't hurt her.
Clearly, Humbert didn't kill her, but it just worked out so nicely that as soon as Mrs. Haze found out, she was killed. And now, I can imagine Humbert must be incredibly happy because he will have Lolita all to himself. I feel so sorry for the poor girl because she doesn't even know what's going through his mind, or what he plans to do to her. And I certainly hope he doesn't hurt her.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Lolita pg 50-76
Humbert continues to admire Lolita from afar, andhe seems to get a little too much pleasure out of any contact he gets with the little unknowing 12 year old. Lolita ends up going off to camp for the summer, and Humbert is devastated, until he finds a letter from Lo's mother. In the letter, Lo's mom admits to being in love with Humbert and wishes to marry him. Humert takes this opportunity to get closer to Lo, and he pretends to be in love too. They prepare to get married, but all Humbert can think about is his soon-to-be stepdaughter... Creepy.
One of the points he makes is that she's not effected by his admiring. I guess that's true, if she doesn't know the sick thoughts Humbert is thinking, its no harm.... Right? I think Humbert is incredibly conniving for deciding to marry Mrs. Haze (Lolita's mother) in order to gain closer contact with Lo. This is totally unfair to Mrs. Haze, but I have a feeling she will be eliminated from the picture fairly soon anyways.
One of the points he makes is that she's not effected by his admiring. I guess that's true, if she doesn't know the sick thoughts Humbert is thinking, its no harm.... Right? I think Humbert is incredibly conniving for deciding to marry Mrs. Haze (Lolita's mother) in order to gain closer contact with Lo. This is totally unfair to Mrs. Haze, but I have a feeling she will be eliminated from the picture fairly soon anyways.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov pg 1-50
After anxiously waiting through the whole third quarter, I finally got my hands on a copy of Lolita. I remember being really interested in the book when the librarian discussed it, but by now I can't even remember what it's about. The first fifty or so pages are pretty much just an exposition of Humbert (the main character)'s early life. As a child, he was in love with a girl who ended up dying. Ever since then, he's had a weird fascination with young girls which he calls "nymphets." A nymphet is a girl between the age of 8 and 12. This would be normal... If Humbert was also between the ages of 8 and 12. However, Humbert is a fully grown man. And he should probably be arrested for having twisted thoughts like this. But whatever. At the part that I stopped at, he had just introduced the famous Lolita. Humbert moved into a household with Lolita and her mother. That's all I know so far, and the language I a little hard to understands sometimes but the story is pretty good so far.
tuesday response
I went through all of the three houses presented on "The Word" website, and I have to say I loved the first one. The other two were nice, but one was too chaotic and busy, while the other one was too rustic and old. The first one was modern and white, which creates a lively mood. The house seems spotless and that is rather calming and comforting.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
March 29, 2011
I think the interviews of the high school seniors are really funny. My favorite is definitely the marijuana baker. His name is Salome Zamora, and he says, "we can bake it into their food for them, so they can get their medicine," but only for people with medicinal marijuana privileges of course. He claims that they would only sell the marijuana food to "people who have medical marijuana cards." In the back of my mind, I'm thinking he kind of looks like he might be into marijuana, so maybe the bakery isn't to help people but just an excuse for him to get a hold of large quantities of marijuana (or maybe a little bit of both?). Hahaha, whatever floats your boat I guess!
I watched the soccer sensation video, but first I read the article about Indi Cowie. I have to admit, when I read the article, I was thinking "this girl sounds like a total stuck-up jerk!" She seems to disregard her team mates and she's a bit of a ball hog. I don't agree with the angry calls she got from her team mates, but at the same time, there has to be a reason that not one of her team mates likes her. On the other hand, my opinion of Indi changed after I watched the video. All the assumptions I had made based on the reading were contradicted. From the video, it seems like Indi is just genuinely interested in soccer, and she doesn't act like she's better than the other soccer players (even though she clearly is). And I guess... If you're that good, kudos to you.
I watched the soccer sensation video, but first I read the article about Indi Cowie. I have to admit, when I read the article, I was thinking "this girl sounds like a total stuck-up jerk!" She seems to disregard her team mates and she's a bit of a ball hog. I don't agree with the angry calls she got from her team mates, but at the same time, there has to be a reason that not one of her team mates likes her. On the other hand, my opinion of Indi changed after I watched the video. All the assumptions I had made based on the reading were contradicted. From the video, it seems like Indi is just genuinely interested in soccer, and she doesn't act like she's better than the other soccer players (even though she clearly is). And I guess... If you're that good, kudos to you.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
SPRING BREAK
For spring break, I'm going on a missions trip to Haiti with The Chapel. So far, I don't really know what to expect, because I've never done any missions work before. I've been looking at a lot of pictures and videos on youtube, and this is one i've watched a couple times. This is the orphanage we'll be working at for the week, and I'm already super excited! I'll have to make sure to take tons of pictures to show everyone back home. I can't wait to get over there and dive right into the work, but I'm afraid that it'll be hard to leave haha. I'm also a little nervous about something called the "Haitian Sensation." I'll spare you the details, but the gist of it is if you get any of their water in your mouth, you're at a huge risk of seriously screwing up your bowels for an extended period of time.... sickkkk. But don't you worry, I'll play it extra safe next week!
Flawless Pg 41-75
Hanna comes home one night to a surprise visit from her father. However, the visit is bittersweet. Her father is only there for one thing, to talk to Hanna about wrecking Sean's father's car. Hanna ends up with a volunteering job working for Sean's father until the car is paid for.
Emily and Maya continue to spend quality time together.But when Maya invites Emily up to her room, Emily seems to think things are moving too fast. She kind of freaks out and leaves the house in a hurry.
Spencer's life pretty much sucks right now. Her family hates her because of what happened with Melissa and Wren. However, there is one up side. If you were paying attention to the summaries of the last book, you'll know that Wren seems to be interested in Spencer now. Wren has been messaging Spencer, saying he misses her. I think if Spencer knows what is good for her... she'll delete Wren's number and never contact him again. It's the only way the situation with her sister will ever be resolved.
Aria's story was the most interesting to me so far. See, in the first book it mentions that Aria and her dad had talked about the incident in which Aria and Alison caught her father (Byron) cheating. Byron had practically begged Aria not to tell her mother about it, so she promised not to. But the other side of the deal was that Byron would remain faithful from now on, and that doesn't happen. Aria and her brother go to some college bar to drink (how does this even happen, they're both under the age of 17!?), and as they leave, they both see Byron with the same lady he was with in 7th grade. That makes me mad, because if he couldn't get away with it the first time, what makes him think he can get away with it the second time? Not only that, but he begged Aria to keep it a secret, and then he's practically taking advantage of her promise by cheating some more. It's disgusting.
Emily and Maya continue to spend quality time together.But when Maya invites Emily up to her room, Emily seems to think things are moving too fast. She kind of freaks out and leaves the house in a hurry.
Spencer's life pretty much sucks right now. Her family hates her because of what happened with Melissa and Wren. However, there is one up side. If you were paying attention to the summaries of the last book, you'll know that Wren seems to be interested in Spencer now. Wren has been messaging Spencer, saying he misses her. I think if Spencer knows what is good for her... she'll delete Wren's number and never contact him again. It's the only way the situation with her sister will ever be resolved.
Aria's story was the most interesting to me so far. See, in the first book it mentions that Aria and her dad had talked about the incident in which Aria and Alison caught her father (Byron) cheating. Byron had practically begged Aria not to tell her mother about it, so she promised not to. But the other side of the deal was that Byron would remain faithful from now on, and that doesn't happen. Aria and her brother go to some college bar to drink (how does this even happen, they're both under the age of 17!?), and as they leave, they both see Byron with the same lady he was with in 7th grade. That makes me mad, because if he couldn't get away with it the first time, what makes him think he can get away with it the second time? Not only that, but he begged Aria to keep it a secret, and then he's practically taking advantage of her promise by cheating some more. It's disgusting.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Flawless Pg 1-40
Hey there, if you didn't catch the Pretty Little Liars season finale last Monday, I would highly recommend checking it out! Speaking of Pretty Little Liars, I started the second book in the series, called Flawless. I'm sure it will be good, but so far it's just pretty much just reviewing everything that happened in the first book. Let me refresh your memory:
There are four girls, but there used to be five. The fifth girl was Alison, who mysteriously disappeared and was apparently murdered. All four girls, however, are now getting haunting messages from someone named "A," who seems to be Alison.
Hanna's parents are divorced, she lives with her mom. Her dad is getting married to a new woman, with a perfect daughter named Kate. Hanna has been having boyfriend trouble with Sean, and she drunkenly wrecked his dad's expensive car. Hanna also has some bulimic tendencies.
Spencer kissed her sister's boyfriend when she was in 7th grade, and it's coming back to haunt her. She ends up kissing her sister's new boyfriend, this year when she's in 11th grade. This throws her family into turmoil, and her sister, Melissa, obviously resents her now.
Emily kissed Alison back in the 7th grade, and she doesn't think it feels all that weird. She has a new friend to replace Alison now, Maya. When Maya kisses Emily too, Emily begins to question her sexual orientation.
Aria and Alison caught her Aria's dad cheating on her mother in 7th grade, but Aria never told her mom. Now, Aria is nervous A will tell her mom. All this, plus Aria is having an affair with one of her teachers, which A also knows about.
There are four girls, but there used to be five. The fifth girl was Alison, who mysteriously disappeared and was apparently murdered. All four girls, however, are now getting haunting messages from someone named "A," who seems to be Alison.
Hanna's parents are divorced, she lives with her mom. Her dad is getting married to a new woman, with a perfect daughter named Kate. Hanna has been having boyfriend trouble with Sean, and she drunkenly wrecked his dad's expensive car. Hanna also has some bulimic tendencies.
Spencer kissed her sister's boyfriend when she was in 7th grade, and it's coming back to haunt her. She ends up kissing her sister's new boyfriend, this year when she's in 11th grade. This throws her family into turmoil, and her sister, Melissa, obviously resents her now.
Emily kissed Alison back in the 7th grade, and she doesn't think it feels all that weird. She has a new friend to replace Alison now, Maya. When Maya kisses Emily too, Emily begins to question her sexual orientation.
Aria and Alison caught her Aria's dad cheating on her mother in 7th grade, but Aria never told her mom. Now, Aria is nervous A will tell her mom. All this, plus Aria is having an affair with one of her teachers, which A also knows about.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Pretty Little Liars Pg 244-285
Yes, I finally finished a book! It seems like it's been forever since I've actually found a book that has held my interest for long enough that I can finish it. I think the key is shorter books that I can easily relate to. I'm looking forward to borrowing the next book in the series, it's called Flawless. Here's what happened in the last fourty pages of the book:
Spencer is now being shunned by her family (obviously, because of the Wren thing), but she does seem to think that her and Wren could actually have a relationship. He comes back to visit her one day, and you can tell she really likes him.
Emily goes to Maya's house and discovers that, while digging for a tennis court, Alison's body had been discovered buried and rotting in the ground (I'm still speculating as to whethor or not I believe that this body was really Alison's).
Aria leaves her phone at Ezra's and he reads some texts from A. Understandably, he is livid (the texts refer to special "extra credit" and "parent teacher conferences").
Not much is new with Hanna... She hears about the discovery of Alison's body and stuffs her face with Cheez-its as she watches the news. Then I bet you'll never guess what she does... throws up, yet again. This is getting to be a disgusting habit Hanna.
The book ends with the four girls at Alison's funeral, all sitting together. I think this will be the beginning of a close friendship between Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Hanna.
The very last line of the book is a foreboding message from this mystery character: "I'm still here, bit**es, and I know everything. -A"
To be honest, I was pretty spooked out when I finished the book. I was reading in my room, and I had to go downstairs and sit with my parents in the living room because I was scared to be alone haha! All in all, I thought the book was a really good book, not to mention a quick read.
Spencer is now being shunned by her family (obviously, because of the Wren thing), but she does seem to think that her and Wren could actually have a relationship. He comes back to visit her one day, and you can tell she really likes him.
Emily goes to Maya's house and discovers that, while digging for a tennis court, Alison's body had been discovered buried and rotting in the ground (I'm still speculating as to whethor or not I believe that this body was really Alison's).
Aria leaves her phone at Ezra's and he reads some texts from A. Understandably, he is livid (the texts refer to special "extra credit" and "parent teacher conferences").
Not much is new with Hanna... She hears about the discovery of Alison's body and stuffs her face with Cheez-its as she watches the news. Then I bet you'll never guess what she does... throws up, yet again. This is getting to be a disgusting habit Hanna.
The book ends with the four girls at Alison's funeral, all sitting together. I think this will be the beginning of a close friendship between Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Hanna.
The very last line of the book is a foreboding message from this mystery character: "I'm still here, bit**es, and I know everything. -A"
To be honest, I was pretty spooked out when I finished the book. I was reading in my room, and I had to go downstairs and sit with my parents in the living room because I was scared to be alone haha! All in all, I thought the book was a really good book, not to mention a quick read.
Action List 3.22.2011
Hey there, so I've been sick the past couple days, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all this makeup work that seems to be piling up around me. Somehow, even with being out of school for two days, I still got absolutely no work done. Oh well, I feel much better now and I'm sure I'll catch up soon.
So for this quarter, I'm pretty sure I've only read the minimum pages for each week, but that's a big deal for me! Before entering this class, I only read during the summer,and I only read popular fiction from the display shelves at the library. I'd say I've read a wide variety of genres so far this quarter, from Scar Tissue to Choke to Pretty Little Liars. I have to say, the last one is by far my favorite. Although I really did enjoy reading about the wild life of Anthony from Scar Tissue, I think I enjoyed Pretty Little Liars a whole lot more because I can relate to it more. I think for 4th quarter, I'm going to try and read all the Pretty Little Liars books, I just got the second one today!
So far this semester, I've read 1923 pages!
So for this quarter, I'm pretty sure I've only read the minimum pages for each week, but that's a big deal for me! Before entering this class, I only read during the summer,and I only read popular fiction from the display shelves at the library. I'd say I've read a wide variety of genres so far this quarter, from Scar Tissue to Choke to Pretty Little Liars. I have to say, the last one is by far my favorite. Although I really did enjoy reading about the wild life of Anthony from Scar Tissue, I think I enjoyed Pretty Little Liars a whole lot more because I can relate to it more. I think for 4th quarter, I'm going to try and read all the Pretty Little Liars books, I just got the second one today!
So far this semester, I've read 1923 pages!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Pretty Little Liars Pg 210-243
Spencer actually does hook up with Wren (in her closet!), and Melissa walks in on them, absolutely furious (but really, can you blame her at all?)
Hanna is so angry and embarassed about being rejected at the party that she takes Sean's keys (he drove his dad's fancy car for the night) and her and Mona take it for a drunken joy-ride. Needless to say, the drive did not end well, Hanna ended up hitting a dear and most likely totaling his car. She gets caught (I told you she'd have another run-in with the police) and is sent to the police station, again, where she recieves another text from A.
Emily gets another letter from A, with a copy of a love letter she once wrote Alison (I think she had a little crush on Ali). She decides to be a little rebelious and ride her bike to Aria's house after her parents forbid her to go anywhere (good for you Emily!).
Aria's doorbell rings, and it's Emily, but before she answers the door, the audience reads all about Aria's creepy dream about Alison. Alison shows up at Aria's door (in the dream), and talks to Aria, but all the sudden she starts rotting away, SICK! Emily and Aria exchange a few awkward words, but then Emily just leaves.
Sooner or later, I think the four girls are going to have to overcome everything that has happened in the past three years and become friends again. They were best friends at one time, and now they hardly ever speak. But, if you ask me, this A person is going to bring the four girls closer than ever because they need to know who A is.
Hanna is so angry and embarassed about being rejected at the party that she takes Sean's keys (he drove his dad's fancy car for the night) and her and Mona take it for a drunken joy-ride. Needless to say, the drive did not end well, Hanna ended up hitting a dear and most likely totaling his car. She gets caught (I told you she'd have another run-in with the police) and is sent to the police station, again, where she recieves another text from A.
Emily gets another letter from A, with a copy of a love letter she once wrote Alison (I think she had a little crush on Ali). She decides to be a little rebelious and ride her bike to Aria's house after her parents forbid her to go anywhere (good for you Emily!).
Aria's doorbell rings, and it's Emily, but before she answers the door, the audience reads all about Aria's creepy dream about Alison. Alison shows up at Aria's door (in the dream), and talks to Aria, but all the sudden she starts rotting away, SICK! Emily and Aria exchange a few awkward words, but then Emily just leaves.
Sooner or later, I think the four girls are going to have to overcome everything that has happened in the past three years and become friends again. They were best friends at one time, and now they hardly ever speak. But, if you ask me, this A person is going to bring the four girls closer than ever because they need to know who A is.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Pretty Little Liars Pg 180- 210
I think I read more than 4 chapters in this section, so there's a lot to talk about.
Aria decides to make Ezra jealous by flirting with another boy in class, and it works to her advantage because she ends up getting a call from Ezra that weekend while she's at a party. She ditches the party and heads to Ezra's house for a little one on one time.
Emily decides to tell her parents that she wants to quit swimming, and they wonder what's gotten into her. She goes to a party with Ben, but meets up with Maya instead. That night in a photo booth, they really do kiss, and the kiss gets interrupted by Ben, who is disgusted... to say the least.
Spencer flirts with Wren some more, as she asks for a massage after another "tough field hockey practice."
Last, Hanna goes to this party too, and gets rejected by her boyfriend Sean, who has taken a virginity pledge (Hanna thinks this is complete bogus, but he seems to be proud of it).
I only have about 70 pages left of the book, and there is still a lot left to happen! It's a good thing this book is the first in a series, because I have a feeling I'm going to finish it soon.
Aria decides to make Ezra jealous by flirting with another boy in class, and it works to her advantage because she ends up getting a call from Ezra that weekend while she's at a party. She ditches the party and heads to Ezra's house for a little one on one time.
Emily decides to tell her parents that she wants to quit swimming, and they wonder what's gotten into her. She goes to a party with Ben, but meets up with Maya instead. That night in a photo booth, they really do kiss, and the kiss gets interrupted by Ben, who is disgusted... to say the least.
Spencer flirts with Wren some more, as she asks for a massage after another "tough field hockey practice."
Last, Hanna goes to this party too, and gets rejected by her boyfriend Sean, who has taken a virginity pledge (Hanna thinks this is complete bogus, but he seems to be proud of it).
I only have about 70 pages left of the book, and there is still a lot left to happen! It's a good thing this book is the first in a series, because I have a feeling I'm going to finish it soon.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Country Boys
In the movie Country Boys, several "country-ish" characters are introduced, two of which being Cody and Chris. While neither boy comes from a well-off family, Chris seems to be in worse financial shape than Cody. He lives in an extremely small trailer with his sister and mom, while Cody lives with a relative in a decent house. Neither boy is very smart, and they're both behind in school. It's sad because I never thought this type of thing actually happened, but apparently it does. What's ironic is that, despite Chris's poor economic situation, he seems to be the one who tries harder in school and shows more respect to his teachers and adults. Cody has "found God" and has a girlfriend, but if you ask me those are just two things he likes to flaunt because he thinks they make him look good. After seeing 45 minutes of the video Country Boys, it is safe to say that Chris is a more respectable individual than Cody.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Pretty Little Liars Pg 132-180
Here we go, you know how it works by now:
Aria decides to try to impress Mr. Fitz by being his star pupil, but she ends up getting shut down by him, and recieves a haunting text from A. She's been keeping a secret for her dad for years (he cheated on her mom with a student of his), and A kindly reminds Aria.
Spencer google-stalks Wren, and meets up with Emily. It's during this chapter that the reader is introduced to "The Jenna Thing." The Jenna Thing is something that haunts all four girls, apparently, but we don't know what exactly it is yet. What we do find out in this chapter is that they were trying to play a prank on Toby Cavanaugh and they end up doing something horrible to Jenna.
Emily's chapter consists entirely of a swim practice, during which her and her boyfriend (Ben) get into a fight and he walks out of practice.
Hanna gets a message from A and remembers meeting her dad's (her parents are divorced, and her dad is now engaged) soon-to-be stepdaughter and feeling so out of place next to the perfect Kate, which makes her stuff herself and throw up, again.
The Hanna situation is so sad, that she would be willing to make herself throw up because of a lack of confidence. And even though I've seen every episode of the TV show, I'm still a little unclear about "The Jenna Thing" so I can't wait to read more about that.
Aria decides to try to impress Mr. Fitz by being his star pupil, but she ends up getting shut down by him, and recieves a haunting text from A. She's been keeping a secret for her dad for years (he cheated on her mom with a student of his), and A kindly reminds Aria.
Spencer google-stalks Wren, and meets up with Emily. It's during this chapter that the reader is introduced to "The Jenna Thing." The Jenna Thing is something that haunts all four girls, apparently, but we don't know what exactly it is yet. What we do find out in this chapter is that they were trying to play a prank on Toby Cavanaugh and they end up doing something horrible to Jenna.
Emily's chapter consists entirely of a swim practice, during which her and her boyfriend (Ben) get into a fight and he walks out of practice.
Hanna gets a message from A and remembers meeting her dad's (her parents are divorced, and her dad is now engaged) soon-to-be stepdaughter and feeling so out of place next to the perfect Kate, which makes her stuff herself and throw up, again.
The Hanna situation is so sad, that she would be willing to make herself throw up because of a lack of confidence. And even though I've seen every episode of the TV show, I'm still a little unclear about "The Jenna Thing" so I can't wait to read more about that.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Pretty Little Liars Pg 97-132
It seems as if there is a pattern, a chapter on each girl: Aria, Emily, Spencer, Hanna. So I read four chapters, one for each:
Aria and Mr. Fitz (Ezra) talk, and Mr. Fitz tells Aria that they can't see eachother, because he wants to keep his job.
Maya took Emily (who skipped swim practice) to a stream where the two went swimming, and Maya admitted to Emily that she likes girls...
Hanna stresses out when she sees the cop that questioned her about the stolen jewelry, and she ends up eating an extra large order of sweet potatoe fries and throwing them up (umm.. eww!).
Last but not least, Spencer gets an amazing PSAT score, and her parents tell her she can have anything she wants. So she decides to ask them to move into the barn, which her sister and boyfriend are currently occupying (Spencer and her sister, Melissa, practically despise eachother).
If the show is correct, Aria and Mr. Fitz aren't really over, I think they'll end up together again really soon. I don't think this will be Hanna's last run-in with the law, and Spencer and her sister have a lot more to argue about later in the book I'm sure.
Aria and Mr. Fitz (Ezra) talk, and Mr. Fitz tells Aria that they can't see eachother, because he wants to keep his job.
Maya took Emily (who skipped swim practice) to a stream where the two went swimming, and Maya admitted to Emily that she likes girls...
Hanna stresses out when she sees the cop that questioned her about the stolen jewelry, and she ends up eating an extra large order of sweet potatoe fries and throwing them up (umm.. eww!).
Last but not least, Spencer gets an amazing PSAT score, and her parents tell her she can have anything she wants. So she decides to ask them to move into the barn, which her sister and boyfriend are currently occupying (Spencer and her sister, Melissa, practically despise eachother).
If the show is correct, Aria and Mr. Fitz aren't really over, I think they'll end up together again really soon. I don't think this will be Hanna's last run-in with the law, and Spencer and her sister have a lot more to argue about later in the book I'm sure.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Pretty Little Liars Pg 60-96
Hey there, so I had some time today during study hall, and I read 30 or so pages of Pretty Little Liars. Here are some more details on what has happened so far:
Aria had met this guy at a bar (what was she doing in a bar anyways??), and he turns out to be her English teacher.
Emily walks her new friend Maya (who lives in Ali's old house, spooky) home, and they share a couploe kisses on the cheek (maybe a little too close to the mouth if you ask me).
After a rough field hockey practice, Spencer gets in the hot tub and gets a steamy massage from her sister's boyfriend, Wren.
Hanna gets caught steeling a set of earings and the matching charm bracelet from Tiffany's (a jewelry store).
Now, this seems bad enough, but all four of the girls recieved messages from a mysterious A after each of these events happened. A seems to know all about Aria's crush on her teacher, Emily's kiss with another girl (A claims that her and Emily kissed too), Spencer coveting her sister's boyfriend, and Hanna's weight struggle ("Prison food makes you fat...").
It's cool to read about all this stuff, because so far in the book, everything that I've read about has also been on the television show. I know what should happen next, but I've also heard that the books are a lot different than the show, so I want to read on!
Aria had met this guy at a bar (what was she doing in a bar anyways??), and he turns out to be her English teacher.
Emily walks her new friend Maya (who lives in Ali's old house, spooky) home, and they share a couploe kisses on the cheek (maybe a little too close to the mouth if you ask me).
After a rough field hockey practice, Spencer gets in the hot tub and gets a steamy massage from her sister's boyfriend, Wren.
Hanna gets caught steeling a set of earings and the matching charm bracelet from Tiffany's (a jewelry store).
Now, this seems bad enough, but all four of the girls recieved messages from a mysterious A after each of these events happened. A seems to know all about Aria's crush on her teacher, Emily's kiss with another girl (A claims that her and Emily kissed too), Spencer coveting her sister's boyfriend, and Hanna's weight struggle ("Prison food makes you fat...").
It's cool to read about all this stuff, because so far in the book, everything that I've read about has also been on the television show. I know what should happen next, but I've also heard that the books are a lot different than the show, so I want to read on!
Hey there. Its been a while since I've done a personal post, and I have lots to say. Yesterday I stated my very first job ever! I'm working for my dad, and yeah its a little boring, but its easy work, and ill get paid well. Plus its way better than flipping burgers at Mickey D's! Yesterday I decided it would be a good idea to stay up all night long and live on starbursts and 5 hour energy, but I forgot I had to work after school. I don't think I made such a good impression falling asleep on my first day.... Hahaha. Oh well, ill make today a better day. Let's see, lots has happened since I last made a personal post. MORP was on Friday, I hope everyone had a good time! I thought the dance itself was mediocre, because of the music and dancing rules, but I went to chill out with my date at someone's house after and that was fun. Monday I stayed home from school (I told my mom I had a headache but I just wanted to sleep... Shh) and I volunteered at the homeless shelter. That was really fun, so I'm going back on Thursday to do it again. I can't wait!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Pretty Little Liars pg 15-60
Ok so now that I'm actually into the story more, I can give all you guys (because I know There's a ton of people reading my blog .... Hahaha jut kidding) some background info on this story. See each girl has a few little secrets that she wants to keep all to herself. That would be fine, except Alison seems to know (or seemed to know before she died) everyone's secret, and they don't know any of hers. Here are a few: Hanna uses a few naughty tricks to lose weight, Emily kissed a girl and she liked it (haha get it? Like Katy Perry??), Aria is having a little affair with one of her teachers, and Spencer kissed her sisters boyfriend.
Stay tuned for more :) I'm hoping the bnook series will be similar to the TV series, otherwise I know ill just get confused haha. But now I'm going to go watch a few TV episodes of Pretty Little Liars, seeya!
Stay tuned for more :) I'm hoping the bnook series will be similar to the TV series, otherwise I know ill just get confused haha. But now I'm going to go watch a few TV episodes of Pretty Little Liars, seeya!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Pretty Little Liars pg 0-15
So I decided to ditch my last book and start a new one. I'm fairly sure this one will be much better. I love the show, in fact I just remembered I have a couple episodes on dvr at home! Not only do I love the show, but my friend Angie recommended the book series to me.
Ok, 15 pages isn't much haha, and actually I'm not sure how many pages I need to do this week, because I'm mixing literary fiction and popular fiction.
Back to those 15 pages, not much happened, mostly exposition. There are 4 girls, Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and Aria, and there apparently used to be a fifth. Alison. She's been killed, but at this point the reader doesn't know how or by whom (I don't think the characters do either).
Ok, 15 pages isn't much haha, and actually I'm not sure how many pages I need to do this week, because I'm mixing literary fiction and popular fiction.
Back to those 15 pages, not much happened, mostly exposition. There are 4 girls, Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and Aria, and there apparently used to be a fifth. Alison. She's been killed, but at this point the reader doesn't know how or by whom (I don't think the characters do either).
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Choke pg 170-200
Ok, I got bored with this book so I stopped reading it after page 200, but I guess I should still blog about the last 30 pages I read. After the whole "my son Victor, the Son of God" thing, not a whole lot interesting happens. His mom's idea made him mad, I think, because he then decided to be a little rebellious (even more so than usual I mean). I won't tell you what he did, its not quite appropriate to talk about on my blog haha. Besides... I guess if it interests you enough you can go check the book out yourself.
No guarantees on how you'll like it though, it just didn't seem to hold my attention. Not that its not a good book, but I almost never finish the books I start.
No guarantees on how you'll like it though, it just didn't seem to hold my attention. Not that its not a good book, but I almost never finish the books I start.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Choke pg 137-170
Last time we left off I believe I was discussing Victor's mother's therapy practice. This family is just a little too screwed up for me, and its starting to become a turn off. Anyways... This part is just freaky. So Victor had a diary of his mothers, and he was dying to know what was inside. Seems easy right? Open it and read. The catch is that its all in Italian, which of course Victor doesn't know. There is one person that does, Dr Paige Marshall. So Paige reads the diary and reports back to Victor (the have this conversation while she is cleaning old people's teeth, it was nasty). Get this, according to Dr Paige Marshall, Victor's mother thinks that he is literally the son of God. Here's how: she thinks that she was impregnated by the preserved genitals of a long gone historic figure, she thinks they were Jesus's.
This is seriously the weirdest thing I've ever heard. although I'll admit I laughed pretty hard when I read it, just because its so preposterous haha. I mean think about it, these organs would be thousands of years old by now. Anyways, that's pretty much the gist of it, more tomorrow!
This is seriously the weirdest thing I've ever heard. although I'll admit I laughed pretty hard when I read it, just because its so preposterous haha. I mean think about it, these organs would be thousands of years old by now. Anyways, that's pretty much the gist of it, more tomorrow!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Spellbound Comparison
The movie Spellbound was a huge hit for Mr. Hill's fourth period class. There were several eccentric characters presented during the movie, including Niel and Harry. Niel is the tall and quiet Indian boy, and his dad seems to be more into spelling than Niel does. Harry, on the other hand, is short, young, and very outgoing. Unlike Niel, Harry seems to love spelling, he even talks to himself excitedly as he spells on stage. Harry has so much fun, as he sticks his tongue out and makes silly faces while he ponders each word. This is a contrast to Niel, who's voice almost shakes as he quietly and calmly spells the given word. And, as mentioned earlier, his father takes spelling pretty seriously. The viewer can clearly see this when Niel's father prays to God when he spells a word correctly, and puts his head down on the table when Niel is eliminated. It is obvious that the spellers at the National Spelling Bee come in all shapes and sizes, with different personalities, shapes, and backgrounds.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Choke pg 100-137
It took me a while to figure this first chapter out. From what I can tell... Victor and Denny were at a strip club and Victor was describing each of the dancers as if he was a doctor examining his patients. Its weird, but I guess he was in medical school.
Victors mom continues to get thinner, now at only 85 pounds! One day Victor watches the front desk for a girl that works there as she gets coffee. He uses this time to spy on his mother, and pleasure himself at the same time (this is one of the most discusting things I've ever heard, probably worse than the old man/monkey porn).
Victor describes his workplace, where they raise mutated chickens (mutated because they let children tamper with the eggs before they hatch). A lot of the chickens are living with one leg, or one eye, or even no legs or no eyes! It sounds kind of funny, but its also pretty cruel.
The last chapter in this section is another flashback, to when Victors mother worked as a therapist. Oh, she helped her patients alright... But not with words. She basically prostituted herself out, and her little business grew quite popular.
After hearing about Victor's mother, it became clear that being loony runs in the family. Victors mom was probably just as messed up as he is, and now look where she is! She's almost dead, living in the hospital. Maybe Victor should consider that.
Victors mom continues to get thinner, now at only 85 pounds! One day Victor watches the front desk for a girl that works there as she gets coffee. He uses this time to spy on his mother, and pleasure himself at the same time (this is one of the most discusting things I've ever heard, probably worse than the old man/monkey porn).
Victor describes his workplace, where they raise mutated chickens (mutated because they let children tamper with the eggs before they hatch). A lot of the chickens are living with one leg, or one eye, or even no legs or no eyes! It sounds kind of funny, but its also pretty cruel.
The last chapter in this section is another flashback, to when Victors mother worked as a therapist. Oh, she helped her patients alright... But not with words. She basically prostituted herself out, and her little business grew quite popular.
After hearing about Victor's mother, it became clear that being loony runs in the family. Victors mom was probably just as messed up as he is, and now look where she is! She's almost dead, living in the hospital. Maybe Victor should consider that.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Choke pg 68-99
Because each chapter in the book is about something different, its sometimes hard to follow... But here goes:
Victor discuses how he lives in his mom's vacant house with all her old stuff (idk why but this seems creepy to me). He also mentions going out to dinner with Denny a couple more times, to pay their bills of course, as well as another flashback to his mother in their earlier years.
The significant part of this section, however, is that Victor's mom has something she wants Victor to know. The thing is, she's so messed up in the brain she doesn't even recognize her own son anymore. So, Victor dresses Denny up as him and tricks his mom into telling Denny whatever it is she had to tell Victor. While this is taking place, Victor is being seduced by a doctor Paige Marshall at the hospital. As far as I know, he resisted her (although considering his history I can't imagine why..).
The scene between Dr. Marshall and Victor actually took place at the hospital, and the doctor was the one who initiated it. I think most people would agree that this behavior is unacceptable and simply unprofessional. In the back of my mind I kind of wonder if this type of thing ever happens in our hospitals (ew gross.).
Victor discuses how he lives in his mom's vacant house with all her old stuff (idk why but this seems creepy to me). He also mentions going out to dinner with Denny a couple more times, to pay their bills of course, as well as another flashback to his mother in their earlier years.
The significant part of this section, however, is that Victor's mom has something she wants Victor to know. The thing is, she's so messed up in the brain she doesn't even recognize her own son anymore. So, Victor dresses Denny up as him and tricks his mom into telling Denny whatever it is she had to tell Victor. While this is taking place, Victor is being seduced by a doctor Paige Marshall at the hospital. As far as I know, he resisted her (although considering his history I can't imagine why..).
The scene between Dr. Marshall and Victor actually took place at the hospital, and the doctor was the one who initiated it. I think most people would agree that this behavior is unacceptable and simply unprofessional. In the back of my mind I kind of wonder if this type of thing ever happens in our hospitals (ew gross.).
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Here, Bullet
8-10 Words:
Connotation- negative, grim
Concreteness- grotesque, dark
Claim: Turner's use of dark language paints a grim picture of the realities of war.
- Flesh
- Clavicle
- adrenaline
- puncture
- blood
- bullet
- explosive
- twist
Connotation- negative, grim
Concreteness- grotesque, dark
Claim: Turner's use of dark language paints a grim picture of the realities of war.
Choke pg 34-67
It seems like its been forever since I've done a blog post, and I guess it has, because we got a bunch of snow days and ended up having a week off. Its been a while since I've read, hopefully I can remember what happens in this section!
The first part is pretty sick, Victor talks about some old fat guy who takes nude pictures with a monkey. Not completely sure what it has to do with the story but in a sick twisted way it was kind of funny... if naked old fat guys is your kind of thing.. Ha.
Victor visits his mom several times and each time she seems to be getting thinner and thinner, Victor knows that sooner or later she's going to starve to death if she doesn't get an expensive feeding tube. However, he doesn't have the money to pay for it, so this is where his genius plan comes into play:
For the past couple years Victor and Denny have been going into restaurants every night and Victor will pretend to choke on food. When a rich bystander "saves his life," the rescuer feels somewhat responsible for Victor now, and they will send him money and letters. This,my friends, is how Victor has been paying his bills. Well, that and his pathetic job at a historic exhibit.
The last part of the section is a flashback to when Victor was a little boy again. It is clear that his mom is messed up in the head because she goes around switching the dye out of hairdye boxes, just for fun.
The thing that surprised me the most throughout this chunk of reading was that Victor would actually stoop so low as to fake an almost-death and lie to people just to get money out of them. I know a lot of sick thoughts go through his mind on a daily basis (why do you think he's in sexual addiction rehab??), but I guess he seems like a pretty good guy. I didn't think he'd actually put his thoughts into action.
The first part is pretty sick, Victor talks about some old fat guy who takes nude pictures with a monkey. Not completely sure what it has to do with the story but in a sick twisted way it was kind of funny... if naked old fat guys is your kind of thing.. Ha.
Victor visits his mom several times and each time she seems to be getting thinner and thinner, Victor knows that sooner or later she's going to starve to death if she doesn't get an expensive feeding tube. However, he doesn't have the money to pay for it, so this is where his genius plan comes into play:
For the past couple years Victor and Denny have been going into restaurants every night and Victor will pretend to choke on food. When a rich bystander "saves his life," the rescuer feels somewhat responsible for Victor now, and they will send him money and letters. This,my friends, is how Victor has been paying his bills. Well, that and his pathetic job at a historic exhibit.
The last part of the section is a flashback to when Victor was a little boy again. It is clear that his mom is messed up in the head because she goes around switching the dye out of hairdye boxes, just for fun.
The thing that surprised me the most throughout this chunk of reading was that Victor would actually stoop so low as to fake an almost-death and lie to people just to get money out of them. I know a lot of sick thoughts go through his mind on a daily basis (why do you think he's in sexual addiction rehab??), but I guess he seems like a pretty good guy. I didn't think he'd actually put his thoughts into action.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
2.23 Diction Exercise
The Catcher in the Rye:
a: lousy, crap, bores, touchy, goddam, madman, crumbly, dough
b: This segment of The Catcher In The Rye is clearly written in a low level of formality, because the language is simple, clean, and elementary. The connotation is very literal, it uses simple conversational words. He speaks nonchalantly with an air of passiveness. The words used in the first chapter are concrete, because the speaker speaks about very definite, tangible things, not just abstract ideas.
c: Holden uses elementary, simple, and nonchalant words when speaking, reflecting his casual yet collected style.
a: lousy, crap, bores, touchy, goddam, madman, crumbly, dough
b: This segment of The Catcher In The Rye is clearly written in a low level of formality, because the language is simple, clean, and elementary. The connotation is very literal, it uses simple conversational words. He speaks nonchalantly with an air of passiveness. The words used in the first chapter are concrete, because the speaker speaks about very definite, tangible things, not just abstract ideas.
c: Holden uses elementary, simple, and nonchalant words when speaking, reflecting his casual yet collected style.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Last Post.
I just keep finding interesting things that I'd like to share, so here's my third personal blog of the day! This website has some really cool optical illusion kind of pictures. I think my favorite is number 2. And of course, being a swimmer, I have to say I love number 15 as well.
Stressful Does Not Even Begin To Describe This Weekend.
Hey there, I haven't written a whole lot besides book review for a while. I think I'll take a few moments to recap my weekend. So Thursday was boys' swimming sectional prelims, and Saturday was finals. The entire girls' team dresses up and supports both days, and the boys won by 5 points (yeah it was intense). I had an absolute blast, despite being exhausted from getting 3 hours of sleep. Why, you ask, did I only get 3 hours? Well, I'll tell you. Every year before boys' sectional finals, a junior swimmer hosts a sleepover with lots of junk food and movies. Our basement was just finished last week, so I had the privilege of hosting this year. What happens at sleepovers anyways? Well, basically everything. Except sleep. Hence the 3 hours thing. Regardless, it was still loads of fun. So then I went to church this morning, and then my parents had some family friends over to the house for pretty much the whole day. It's always nice to have visitors, and I'm lucky because their daughter also just happens to be my best friend.
So I was stumbling, and I found this website about duct tape, which is actually kind of cool. I mean, all the stuff is pretty weird, but the idea of neon duct tape is nifty. And I kind of like the bracelets.
So I was stumbling, and I found this website about duct tape, which is actually kind of cool. I mean, all the stuff is pretty weird, but the idea of neon duct tape is nifty. And I kind of like the bracelets.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Choke by Chuck Palahniuk: Pg 1-34
Ok, I just finished The Giver this week, and now I'm starting a new book. The back sounded really interesting, but so far it's kind of sick.
The main character, Victor, describes his twisted childhood in which his mother struggled to get custody of him (and ended up just stealing him). Then it flashes to the present day, in which Victor is a "recovering" sex addict. Now, I put the word recovering in quotes because I almost feel like the only reason he goes to the sexual addiction classes is to get action. He has different girls to get with each night of the week, and he feels absolutely no guilt about it. In chapter 3, the reader is introduced to Victor's mother. By now, she is elderly and seems to be losing it. She doesn't know how to eat and she is living in an assisted living center (pretty much a hospital). Victor is paying for her stays by working at a historical center, dressed up as an Irish indentured servant with his friend Denny.
Right now, I'm a little confused about the first chapter (about Victor's childhood). And each chapter seems to jump to a different subject, so I feel like the book is going to be hard to follow. I originally picked the book up because it has a diagram of the muscles in the human body on the front, I figured it had something to do with the medical profession (this is something I'm extremely interested in).
The main character, Victor, describes his twisted childhood in which his mother struggled to get custody of him (and ended up just stealing him). Then it flashes to the present day, in which Victor is a "recovering" sex addict. Now, I put the word recovering in quotes because I almost feel like the only reason he goes to the sexual addiction classes is to get action. He has different girls to get with each night of the week, and he feels absolutely no guilt about it. In chapter 3, the reader is introduced to Victor's mother. By now, she is elderly and seems to be losing it. She doesn't know how to eat and she is living in an assisted living center (pretty much a hospital). Victor is paying for her stays by working at a historical center, dressed up as an Irish indentured servant with his friend Denny.
Right now, I'm a little confused about the first chapter (about Victor's childhood). And each chapter seems to jump to a different subject, so I feel like the book is going to be hard to follow. I originally picked the book up because it has a diagram of the muscles in the human body on the front, I figured it had something to do with the medical profession (this is something I'm extremely interested in).
Friday, February 18, 2011
The Giver: Pg 152-179
One day, Jonas asks to see what really happens when a member of the community is released (Jonah had been previously told that the member is sent on their merry way), and he finds out that the released person is killed. Horrified, he helps the Giver decide that things need to change. The two devise a plan so that Jonah can escape the community and thus leaving all his memories for the people that live there. The Giver transmits memories of courage to Jonah so that he can sneak out one night and never return. The Giver plans on staying back and helping the people of the community cope with all the memories that are about to hit them.
Jonah leaves abruptly one night, and is forced to take Gabriel with him (his father announced that the baby would be released the following day and Jonah wasn't going to let that happen). The journey is rough, and Jonah transmits memories to Gabriel to keep him happy. They ride a bike during the night, and sleep during the day. Finally, after nearly starving, almost getting caught, and twisting an ankle, Jonah and Gabriel find themselves approaching houses with lights. Jonah is certain that this is where he needs to go and both him and Gabriel will be happy there. And with this, the book ends on a happy note.
Even though I think the ending is great, I wish the book would extend one or two more chapters. I would love to know what happens when Jonah and Gabriel reach the houses, who they meet, where they stay, any sort of detail would be nice. However, I think Lois Lowry left this part out, so that the reader's imagination can decide.
Jonah leaves abruptly one night, and is forced to take Gabriel with him (his father announced that the baby would be released the following day and Jonah wasn't going to let that happen). The journey is rough, and Jonah transmits memories to Gabriel to keep him happy. They ride a bike during the night, and sleep during the day. Finally, after nearly starving, almost getting caught, and twisting an ankle, Jonah and Gabriel find themselves approaching houses with lights. Jonah is certain that this is where he needs to go and both him and Gabriel will be happy there. And with this, the book ends on a happy note.
Even though I think the ending is great, I wish the book would extend one or two more chapters. I would love to know what happens when Jonah and Gabriel reach the houses, who they meet, where they stay, any sort of detail would be nice. However, I think Lois Lowry left this part out, so that the reader's imagination can decide.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
The Giver: Pg 108-151
Jonah begins to receive lots and lots of memories from the Giver. The Giver not only gives him pleasurable memories, but he gives him painful ones as well. Meanwhile, the baby, Gabriel, that has been staying with the family has not been sleeping through the night. Jonah takes the baby in his room and finds himself transmitting happy memories to Gabriel in order to help him sleep.
By this time, Jonah has stopped taking his medication for the stirrings. Without the medication, Jonah has vivid dreams, and he finds himself enjoying them. After receiving so many memories and having several dreams, Jonah begins to realize that he is notably different from all his friends. They all seem so immature to him now.
Jonah carries so much knowledge with him right now, he holds fear and pain and guilt, but also intense pleasure and happiness and excitement. This is much more than the rest of the community can say. I almost feel like this is a big responsibility to put on a twelve year old's shoulders. However, if anyone can do it, Jonah can.
By this time, Jonah has stopped taking his medication for the stirrings. Without the medication, Jonah has vivid dreams, and he finds himself enjoying them. After receiving so many memories and having several dreams, Jonah begins to realize that he is notably different from all his friends. They all seem so immature to him now.
Jonah carries so much knowledge with him right now, he holds fear and pain and guilt, but also intense pleasure and happiness and excitement. This is much more than the rest of the community can say. I almost feel like this is a big responsibility to put on a twelve year old's shoulders. However, if anyone can do it, Jonah can.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Freedom!
This past weekend the Homestead girls swim team competed at high school state finals in Indy. We got second overall and the meet was really fun. Chad even took us to Steak N Shake on the way home to celebrate! And now, since state is over, I'm free to do whatever I want after school and on the weekends, within reason of course. I'm so excited, no practice every day after school. I'm sure you'll all be interested to know that I'm going to get a manicure today haha. I have to be honest, I'm doing this blog entry from my phone during medical interventions.. So I should probably go. Bye!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Giver: Pg 65-107
I feel like this was a longer reading, but the book is getting really good so I just read a lot.
From the very first day that Jonah spends with the Giver, it is clear that these are very special circumstances. The receiver has hundreds of books, which is not allowed in other areas of the community. He can also lock his door and turn off his speaker, which is also not typically allowed. The Giver explains that Jonah will receive memories from the past. The first memory that Jonah receives is of snow, and he receives it when the Giver puts his hands on Jonah's back and transmits the memory to him.
This is where the memory of the apple comes back. Although it is not specifically stated, the reader can figure out that in Jonah's world, everything is black and white. There are no colors. However, the Giver tells Jonah that he is beginning to see the color red (he saw it in the apple, his friend's hair, and the sled from his snow memory). The Giver tells Jonah that the society let go of colors in order to gain more control. Jonah is understandably frustrated as he begins to see more colors in his daily life. He wishes other people could see changes and make choices for themselves, but he also needs to realize that the choices were made for them in order to ensure that no one makes the wrong decision.
The Giver also tells Jonah that he tried to train a Receiver ten years ago, but she failed. And when she did, all the memories she had received were released into the community, causing nothing but problems.
I understand why the society has eliminated choices, because by eliminating choices they also eliminate a lot of problems. However, it stinks that Jonah can see all the power out there but yet cannot completely grasp it. By limiting the society so much, they are clearly limiting the true potential of the people.
From the very first day that Jonah spends with the Giver, it is clear that these are very special circumstances. The receiver has hundreds of books, which is not allowed in other areas of the community. He can also lock his door and turn off his speaker, which is also not typically allowed. The Giver explains that Jonah will receive memories from the past. The first memory that Jonah receives is of snow, and he receives it when the Giver puts his hands on Jonah's back and transmits the memory to him.
This is where the memory of the apple comes back. Although it is not specifically stated, the reader can figure out that in Jonah's world, everything is black and white. There are no colors. However, the Giver tells Jonah that he is beginning to see the color red (he saw it in the apple, his friend's hair, and the sled from his snow memory). The Giver tells Jonah that the society let go of colors in order to gain more control. Jonah is understandably frustrated as he begins to see more colors in his daily life. He wishes other people could see changes and make choices for themselves, but he also needs to realize that the choices were made for them in order to ensure that no one makes the wrong decision.
The Giver also tells Jonah that he tried to train a Receiver ten years ago, but she failed. And when she did, all the memories she had received were released into the community, causing nothing but problems.
I understand why the society has eliminated choices, because by eliminating choices they also eliminate a lot of problems. However, it stinks that Jonah can see all the power out there but yet cannot completely grasp it. By limiting the society so much, they are clearly limiting the true potential of the people.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The Giver: Pg 35-64
Within these pages, Jonah has a vivid dream where he wants a girl named Fiona to take her clothes off so he can give her a bath.. This might seem a little weird but you should know that Jonah volunteers at the center for the elderly, giving them baths on a regular basis. Still, he tells his mom and she tells them that is called a "stirring" and everyone gets them at about age 11. Jonah is put on medication to eliminate the stirrings. The day of the ceremonies has finally arrived and Jonah anxiously awaits his name to be called. However, when it is his turn to be called, he is skipped. Thinking he has done something terribly wrong, Jonah worries about it for the remaining part of the ceremony. That is, until he is called up at the very end and named the "Receiver of Memory." While Jonah isn't sure he wants this position, it is supposedly very important.
I understand Jonah being scared, because after all he is only 12 and this job seems to be a critical one. He seems to be getting special treatment from people, yet almost being ignored by others. Jonah is exempt from many of the rules, which I think is pretty cool. I think this just makes Jonah fret even more.
I understand Jonah being scared, because after all he is only 12 and this job seems to be a critical one. He seems to be getting special treatment from people, yet almost being ignored by others. Jonah is exempt from many of the rules, which I think is pretty cool. I think this just makes Jonah fret even more.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
The Giver: Pg 1-34
Since I haven't gotten the chance to find a good new book to read, I figured I'd just read another one that I know is good. This in mind, I dug out my copy of "The Giver" by Lois Lowry. I remember reading this book in middle school I believe, and thinking it was the dumbest book I'd ever been forced to read. Then last year I brought it to Florida with me and I read it all in one day because it was so good. So today I read to chapter 5.
In the first couple chapters, the reader just learns about the main character, Jonah, and the community in which he lives. From what I can tell, the creators of the community have tried to create a perfect utopia. For example, marriages are arranged by the government, and each family is given 1 boy and 1 girl child. Each child must do so many volunteer hours as they grow up, and Jonah does volunteer hours with his friend Asher. Each child is assigned a profession when they turn twelve. Jonah is currently 11 and describes being apprehensive about receiving his assignment.
One interesting thing that happened was a memory that Jonah recalled. It will become important later in the book. Jonah remembers seeing an apple change as he played catch with it. He can't put his finger on it, but something bizarre happened.
Jonah's family take in a baby to nurse him, because his father takes care of babies for a living. Jonah's little sister remarks that Jonah and the baby, Gabriel, both have the same light colored eyes (this is odd because everyone in the community has dark eyes).
Although it is not directly stated, it is clear to the reader by this point in the book that Jonah is different than most of the other people in his community. He seems to think differently than others. He doesn't necessarily rebel against what everyone else is doing, but he may question it. The eyes thing is also pretty important, for some reason everyone in the community has dark eyes, except Jonah and this new baby. I think (ok.. i know) this small fact will turn out to be rather significant later in the book.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Will You Ever Quit?
No, we want some more, we want some more, we want some more.
Swimming at the girls sectional finals yesterday, our team could be heard chanting this as we walked out before the meet. A couple of the girls started saying it, and it just stuck I guess. So I looked up the scene and watched it a couple times, from one of my favorite movies, Remember the Titans. I think it means that you can have all the physical power you want, but you have to have "soul power." You have to want to win more than anything. That's exactly what the HHS Girls Swim and Dive team wanted yesterday, and our Soul Power led us to win first place.
Swimming at the girls sectional finals yesterday, our team could be heard chanting this as we walked out before the meet. A couple of the girls started saying it, and it just stuck I guess. So I looked up the scene and watched it a couple times, from one of my favorite movies, Remember the Titans. I think it means that you can have all the physical power you want, but you have to have "soul power." You have to want to win more than anything. That's exactly what the HHS Girls Swim and Dive team wanted yesterday, and our Soul Power led us to win first place.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Romeo and Juliet Act 5 Scene 3: Pg 219-243
Romeo arrives at Juliet's tomb, only to find Paris there. Obviously, the two men aren't on the best of terms, so they duke it out and in the end Paris is killed. Then Romeo, believing Juliet to be dead, takes the poison and steals one last kiss from Juliet before dying. Coincidentally, Juliet awakes just as Romeo is dying, and she kills herself with his dagger. So now both Romeo and Juliet have taken their own lives, and their families find them. When the two families come together, Friar Lawrence recounts how the two were in love and got married.
In the end, one good thing came out of the deaths of the two lovers. Capulet and Montague decided that the hostility between the two families was at an end and they could live in peace. Its a bummer that both Romeo and Juliet had to die for the two families to get along, but the story of their love makes an awesome book, and I guarantee I will read it several more times.
In the end, one good thing came out of the deaths of the two lovers. Capulet and Montague decided that the hostility between the two families was at an end and they could live in peace. Its a bummer that both Romeo and Juliet had to die for the two families to get along, but the story of their love makes an awesome book, and I guarantee I will read it several more times.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Romeo and Juliet Act 5 Scene's 1&2: Pg 211-219
Juliet's finely sculpted plan does not go exactly the way she wanted, because Romeo is informed of Juliet's "death" right away. Before he knows that it's a hoax, he doesn't believe it so he goes out and buys poison that will kill him instantly if it is true. He wants to die next to Juliet in the tomb.
Even though I know what's going to happen, it is clear that this is a pretty confusing situation. There is an enormous lack of communication between all of the characters, especially the two lovers. This can only end badly. I decided to leave the very last scene to read tonight.
Even though I know what's going to happen, it is clear that this is a pretty confusing situation. There is an enormous lack of communication between all of the characters, especially the two lovers. This can only end badly. I decided to leave the very last scene to read tonight.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Romeo and Juliet Act 4: 177-207
So we ended with Juliet visiting Friar Lawrence to ask for advice. The two devise a sneaky little plan. Friar Lawrence gives Juliet a potion that will make her appear dead for a couple days. She is instructed to take this as her family is making wedding preparations. Once she is discovered as "dead," she will be put in a tomb and Romeo will come and saver her just as she awakes from her sleep. So Juliet takes the potion home with her and just as the wedding preparations take full swing, she downs the poison and they find her body the next morning.
Koo Koo - The Bird Girl
This is pretty sad, but also really entertaining: read about Minnie!
Rest In Peace you bizarre little bird child.
Rest In Peace you bizarre little bird child.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Romeo and Juliet Act 3: pg 115-173
Act 3 begins with another fight between several members of the two families. Romeo is challenged to a duel by Tybolt, a member of Juliet's family. However, he knows that he must keep the peace now because the two are married so he tries to be the peacekeeper. This fails, and in the end Mercutio dies and Romeo kills Tybolt. Because of this, Romeo is punished by the Prince by being ordered to leave Verona forever. Romeo and Juliet spend one last night together before Romeo has to leave, and afterwards Juliet goes to visit Friar Lawrence to see what she should do.
While all this is going on, Juliet's mother has decided that she needs to marry Paris that very week, and Juliet is completely torn up about it.
My english teacher this year told us that in all Shakespeare plays, the acts will generally always follow the same pattern:
Act 1: Exposition
Act 2: Rising Action
Act 3: Climax
Act 4: Falling Action
Act 5: Resolution
Being act 3, this act is when most of the important action takes place (such as Mercutio and Tybolt dying and Romeo being banished). I would say I'm excited to see what happens next, but I've already read it so I know what's coming haha. Regardless, Im going to start reading act 4 right now.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Romeo and Juliet Act 2: pg 65-111
Being teenagers, the two decide to sneak a visit after the party. They end up proclaiming their love to each other and deciding to get married the following day. So in the morning Romeo visits a character named Friar Lawrence, who agrees to marry them. Friar Lawrence wants the two to get married in the hopes that the union will end the feud between the two families forever.
Once Romeo leaves, he meets up with Benvolio and Mercutio, and they joke around for a bit. Afterwards, Romeo meets Juliet's nurse and apprises her of the plan (the two lovers are to be married later that very same day).
The Nurse returns to Juliet, teases her a bit, and finally tells her everything she heard from Romeo. The two are set to be happily married by Friar Lawrence.
Even though I've read the book so many times I've lost count, I still can't get over the fact that the two lovers meet one night, and are getting married the very next day. I'm pretty sure they're in their early teens too. I can't decide if it's true love or if the two are just acting recklessly because they are infatuated with each other.
Once Romeo leaves, he meets up with Benvolio and Mercutio, and they joke around for a bit. Afterwards, Romeo meets Juliet's nurse and apprises her of the plan (the two lovers are to be married later that very same day).
The Nurse returns to Juliet, teases her a bit, and finally tells her everything she heard from Romeo. The two are set to be happily married by Friar Lawrence.
Even though I've read the book so many times I've lost count, I still can't get over the fact that the two lovers meet one night, and are getting married the very next day. I'm pretty sure they're in their early teens too. I can't decide if it's true love or if the two are just acting recklessly because they are infatuated with each other.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Hahaha this is pretty pointless, but it made me laugh: 12 Things That Do Not Need Sweaters.
And another song I really like: When I Look To The Sky by Train
And another song I really like: When I Look To The Sky by Train
Romeo and Juliet Act 1: pg 9-61
Most of the time when we read Shakespeare in school, it's absolute torture and I end up using Sparknotes for the majority of the book. But for for some reason, I couldn't stop reading Romeo and Juliet when we were required to read it for freshmen english. And then once we finished reading it, I found myself reading it again and again. I think I've probably read the book over ten times by now, but it's one of those books you can read again and again and still find it interesting. I've left Scar Tissue at school for a while, so I'm going to read Romeo and Juliet.
Today I read the entire Act 1, and it's a pretty fast read. Ok, so everyone should be aware that there are two families, the Capulets (Juliet) and the Montagues (Romeo). There is a great deal of tension between the two families, and Act 1 opens up with a fight between a couple members of each family. However, the Prince arrives and breaks everything up, announcing that the next fight that breaks out will result in the death of each of the agitators.
After this, one of Montague's men, Benvolio, is sent to find Romeo. Romeo is hopelessly lovesick over a girl named Roseline, who no longer loves him. Benvolio and Romeo decide to go to a party, hosted by the Capulets, in order for Romeo to meet other women.
Meanwhile, at the Capulet household, Juliet is instructed by her nurse that she must like a man named Paris, because she is to marry him.
Later, when Romeo and his friends attend the Capulet's party, Romeo is recognized as a Montague (the enemy) but everything blows over. Long story short, by the end of the night, Romeo and Juliet have met and fallen in love. This seems pretty simple, but neither Romeo or Juliet know that they have fallen in love with the enemy.
Today I read the entire Act 1, and it's a pretty fast read. Ok, so everyone should be aware that there are two families, the Capulets (Juliet) and the Montagues (Romeo). There is a great deal of tension between the two families, and Act 1 opens up with a fight between a couple members of each family. However, the Prince arrives and breaks everything up, announcing that the next fight that breaks out will result in the death of each of the agitators.
After this, one of Montague's men, Benvolio, is sent to find Romeo. Romeo is hopelessly lovesick over a girl named Roseline, who no longer loves him. Benvolio and Romeo decide to go to a party, hosted by the Capulets, in order for Romeo to meet other women.
Meanwhile, at the Capulet household, Juliet is instructed by her nurse that she must like a man named Paris, because she is to marry him.
Later, when Romeo and his friends attend the Capulet's party, Romeo is recognized as a Montague (the enemy) but everything blows over. Long story short, by the end of the night, Romeo and Juliet have met and fallen in love. This seems pretty simple, but neither Romeo or Juliet know that they have fallen in love with the enemy.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
I found this website, and it has quite a bit of thought provoking photography (<<clickit!). Most of the pictures have people in the air, and they probably had to jump to get the pictures of them in the air. But the thing is, they all look incredibly relaxed, like they're slowly floating or rising in the air. I just thought they were fun to look at.
Scar Tissue Pg 144-153
Yeah, I've procrastinated my blogs yet again. So here goes! Ok so we left off with the group's manager, Andy. The group plays a few pranks on Andy, but in the end they get an album published and a pretty one-of-a-kind cover photo. Regardless of the success of their album, they're not completely satisfied, because Andy has changed so much that the music doesn't seem like their's anymore. They played some more concerts, and Tony went home to Michigan to visit his mother, this time bringing his current girlfriend Jennifer. The most important thing that happened was Tony getting into a deadly car accident. Tony, being his usual self, got extremely drunk one night at home and (long story short) ended up in the hospital with head trauma and severe damage to his face. As you can guess, they put him on some strong drugs, and he seemed to like that a little too much. Before he left the hospital, he was dressed in a nice face cast until he healed. Playing this to their advantage, the poster pictures were taken while he was wearing the cast. I ended my reading today when the band was just beginning their first tour.
Considering how he's been living his life, I'm not surprised about the car accident. While he is busy being "go-with-the-flow," he's not worrying about all the dangers and potentially deadly accidents that could happen. He has a lot to offer the world, but he's just throwing it down the drain. Sure, he might be eccentric and popular now, but it will be short lived if he's taking such huge risks all the time.
Considering how he's been living his life, I'm not surprised about the car accident. While he is busy being "go-with-the-flow," he's not worrying about all the dangers and potentially deadly accidents that could happen. He has a lot to offer the world, but he's just throwing it down the drain. Sure, he might be eccentric and popular now, but it will be short lived if he's taking such huge risks all the time.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Acts Pg 1445-1462
For church this week I read Acts 1-12, and since the Bible is a book, I figured I could log it as reading! So Acts is written by Luke and records the growth and spread of Christianity and the activities of the first-century church. It begins with the ascendance of Jesus into heaven. For the first few chapters, the leading figure is Peter, who on Pentecost gives a challenging Sermon. However, most of the rest of the book is devoted to Paul as him and his companions act as missionaries.
I think I am going to Haiti for a missions trip during spring break this year, and I'm really excited! Although I've never done any sort of missions work before, so I'm kind of nervous. Reading about the first missionaries is pretty interesting to me.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Scar Tissue Pg 104-144
Ok, I have to admit, I haven't been reading very closely during the last 40 pages. The book is really good, but I read these forty pages while I was watching TV today, so the Keeping Up with the Kardashians got the better half of my attention. In this section, Anthony talks about his budding music career. He starts experimenting with music and performing in front of people, as the opportunities present themselves. First, he think's he's going to be a rapper, after hearing a song called "The Message." It's perfect for him, because he doesn't have to have a good voice, just a knack for rhyming and rhythm. It ends up that Tony forms an average little group with his friends Flea, Hillel, and Jack. They don't hold formal rehearsals or write music, and they improvise most of their stuff. However, they seem to be a big hit wherever they play. After a time, Jack and Hillel quit the band, and Flea and Tony are left to go through a number of replacements. They also have trouble finding a producer/manager, and they eventually settle for a man named Andy Gill. Andy ends up being a total jerk, and that's where I am in the book right now. While all this is happening, heroine begins to creep into the picture. Tony doesn't do it every day, but he does whenever he can, and the effects aren't so good. His band members are less than pleased about how he is acting, showing up late for shows or missing them all together. But hey, that's just the price you have to pay right....?
There's a section that stood out to me as I was reading:
"One day I was shooting coke at his place, but I got all crazy and he kicked me out. I had been fastidious about using sterile rigs and sterile cotton when I first started shooting up, but by now I didn't care much. If I had to, I'd use a syringe that I found in the street. Instead of sterilized cotton, I'd use a section of my sock or, more commonly, the filter tip of a cigarette. At first I'd use only sterilized spring water to dissolve the stuff in, but now i'd just pull the back off a toilet or look for a lawn sprinkler or even a puddle."
If his life has gotten so dependent on drugs that he's willing to use water from a dirty puddle to shoot up with, he needs to rethink a couple things. So far, he's done a good job of not trying to glorify his drug use (I'm sure he could easily do that), but to present everything as it actually happened without too much personal bias. This being said, I don't think that Anthony believes drugs to be bad either. From what I've read, he seems to believe that they are just a tool, kind of like an accessory, that can be made into whatever you want. You can let the drugs control and inevitably ruin your life, like I think he is going to do, or not.
There's a section that stood out to me as I was reading:
"One day I was shooting coke at his place, but I got all crazy and he kicked me out. I had been fastidious about using sterile rigs and sterile cotton when I first started shooting up, but by now I didn't care much. If I had to, I'd use a syringe that I found in the street. Instead of sterilized cotton, I'd use a section of my sock or, more commonly, the filter tip of a cigarette. At first I'd use only sterilized spring water to dissolve the stuff in, but now i'd just pull the back off a toilet or look for a lawn sprinkler or even a puddle."
If his life has gotten so dependent on drugs that he's willing to use water from a dirty puddle to shoot up with, he needs to rethink a couple things. So far, he's done a good job of not trying to glorify his drug use (I'm sure he could easily do that), but to present everything as it actually happened without too much personal bias. This being said, I don't think that Anthony believes drugs to be bad either. From what I've read, he seems to believe that they are just a tool, kind of like an accessory, that can be made into whatever you want. You can let the drugs control and inevitably ruin your life, like I think he is going to do, or not.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Stay The Night
I just heard this song for the first time a couple days ago, and I'm obsessed with it. Thought I would share it. It makes me really excited for summer, enjoyy. :)
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Scar Tissue Pg 35-104
So much has happened in the last 69 pages, and I know I won't be able to do the book justice by trying to summarize it all. Heck, I can't even remember everything that's happened. While he hasn't gotten into singing quite yet, he has had quite a few interesting adventures so far. Tony has experimented with lots of drugs, most of which have led him further down this path of destruction. He has experimented with styles, drastically changing up his hair and clothes every couple of months (styles so far include a flattop, a mohawk, and a mullet). He has experimented with girls, from seriously dating good girls to randomly hooking up with less than respectable ladies he meets at nightclubs. Through it all, he has a couple close friends who seem to always be there when he's in trouble. Speaking of trouble, Tony's life eventually gets so out of hand that his own father kicks him out of the house and he's forced to crash with some of those reliable friends for a while. He jumps around from having his own place, living in his car, living with friends, or even living in his friend's backyard when he finally gets kicked out there.
Tony has been through a lot, but through it all he manages to keep his carefree, outlandish personality. Tony is the manifestation of "going with the flow." He goes wherever life takes him and makes the best of it, or what he thinks is best at least. I have a feeling what he thinks is best is ultimately going to have some pretty rough consequences.
Tony has been through a lot, but through it all he manages to keep his carefree, outlandish personality. Tony is the manifestation of "going with the flow." He goes wherever life takes him and makes the best of it, or what he thinks is best at least. I have a feeling what he thinks is best is ultimately going to have some pretty rough consequences.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Scar Tissue Pg 25-35
Since I didn't have much time for reading today, ten pages, I'll keep it short and simple. The only significant thing that happened in the last ten pages was that Tony moved to California to live with his dad. He told his friends back home that he was moving there to be a rockstar. Really, the only thing he seems to be doing in California is going out to Rainbow, a night club, with his dad.
Since I didn't read much, I looked at all the pictures throughout the book. The one that stood out to me the most was between pages 276 and 277, and it's of Tony smoking his first joint at age 11 or 12. I can't get over that, at age 11 all I didn't even know what pot was.
Since I didn't read much, I looked at all the pictures throughout the book. The one that stood out to me the most was between pages 276 and 277, and it's of Tony smoking his first joint at age 11 or 12. I can't get over that, at age 11 all I didn't even know what pot was.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Scar Tissue page 1-45
I decided to ditch my last book, Dirty Little Lies I think it was called. It was just so cliche, way too hard to stay interested in. I feel like if you have to force yourself to read a book its not worth it. On the other hand, I got this new book from Mr. Hill's library today. I had heard it was pretty interesting so I decided to check it out. So far, its even better than I expected. Its just the kind if book I like to read. That's kind of bizarre because the story is pretty out of line. I think I can safely say that Tony wasn't one of those kids who liked to color in the lines. In fact, he's pretty darn eccentric, or at least so far he is. I think its just that which makes the story so engrossing.
Scar Tissue is an autobiography of Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. So far I'm up to him at twelve years old, and he's already gotten into more trouble and mischief than I could handle in a lifetime. He starts out in present day describing some of the effects of his recklessness and how he is dealing with them. Then he starts by telling all about his grandparents, his parents, and finally him. throughout his childhood, he jumps back and forth between the urban life of his mother in Michigan and the life of a rockstar with his dad in California. However, there isn't a clean separation between the two, and Tony brings his negligent party life back to Michigan. Experiences thus far include but are not limited to:
-trying pot before he was done with elementary school
-helping his dad secretly deal and distribute drugs
-losing his virginity, with his dad's consent, to his Dad's girlfriend in 6th grade
K well that's it for now, more to come !
Scar Tissue is an autobiography of Anthony Kiedis, lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. So far I'm up to him at twelve years old, and he's already gotten into more trouble and mischief than I could handle in a lifetime. He starts out in present day describing some of the effects of his recklessness and how he is dealing with them. Then he starts by telling all about his grandparents, his parents, and finally him. throughout his childhood, he jumps back and forth between the urban life of his mother in Michigan and the life of a rockstar with his dad in California. However, there isn't a clean separation between the two, and Tony brings his negligent party life back to Michigan. Experiences thus far include but are not limited to:
-trying pot before he was done with elementary school
-helping his dad secretly deal and distribute drugs
-losing his virginity, with his dad's consent, to his Dad's girlfriend in 6th grade
K well that's it for now, more to come !
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Deadly Little Lies Pg 100-132
The thirty two pages I read yesterday pretty much develop Camelia's relationships. She's talked to Ben once, and he made it clear that it would be better for her if they stayed apart. But Ben seems to be playing the fence, because Camelia gets a call from him one night while she's laying in bed. He wants to talk, and they end up spending a great deal of time together once again. However this is only temporary, because things are back to the way they were the next day at school. While she is crushed, she refuses to let Ben get the best of her. Determined to move on, she starts talking to a boy named Adam. Camelia wasn't especially fond of Adam when he was hired at Knead, the art studio she also works at, but after some work on his part she cautiously decides to go out with him.
So far, the book isn't as good as I had hoped. I think it's kind of cliche, what with the struggling love between two teenagers and all, but I need something to read until the books I want are free. Other than that it's a pretty good story so far.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Deadly Little Lies by Laurie Faria Stolars; Pg 1-100
Deadly Little Lies starts out with Camelia hearing the voice of her ex-boyfriend in the middle of the night and following it to her basement, where she then sculpts an exact replica of his (Ben, his name) arm and a rather detailed scar he has. The reader finds out that this Ben has the power of psychometry, he can see the future through touch. He's been out of school for some time now, but he's ready to return. The rest of the student body, however, is not. This opposition is partially due to the fact that he accidentally pushed one of his girlfriends off a cliff, and partially due to several wild rumors spreading about him. Anyways, back to Camelia. At this point in the book, she's being bullied pretty badly by someone who refuses to reveal their identity. Camelia is the victim of a variety of harsh pranks, including several threatening notes and taunting pictures. To top it all off, Camelia believes that she has acquired some of Ben's psychometric abilities.
This book took me a while to get into. When I first started reading about some girl who randomly starts sculpting an arm in her basement I was like.... Uhh ok. But once I got past that, it got pretty good. Its almost like a mystery now, and I can't wait to find out who's messing with Camelia. She seems pretty sane to me, so I don't think she's making this stuff up in her mind. And I really don't think this Ben guy is the most fitting choice for her. I understand he has some freaky powers and he's trying to protect others and all, but he does seem a bit hostile. I guess we'll find out, 182 pages left!
This book took me a while to get into. When I first started reading about some girl who randomly starts sculpting an arm in her basement I was like.... Uhh ok. But once I got past that, it got pretty good. Its almost like a mystery now, and I can't wait to find out who's messing with Camelia. She seems pretty sane to me, so I don't think she's making this stuff up in her mind. And I really don't think this Ben guy is the most fitting choice for her. I understand he has some freaky powers and he's trying to protect others and all, but he does seem a bit hostile. I guess we'll find out, 182 pages left!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
After by Amy Efaw
I bolted into the library one morning last week before my first period study hall (running late as usual, but I really needed to get another book to fulfill my etymology pages). I looked up at the clock and it said 7:47 so I grabbed a book that was displayed on top of one of the shelves, and checked it out, barely escaping yet another tardy. Turns out, I picked a pretty good book, because once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. The story starts out with a 15 year old Devon Davenport laying on a couch, covered in blankets, about to pass out. Long story short, her mother comes home and pulls the blanket off her when she refuses to cooperate. This is where the real drama begins. Devon is covered in blood and guts, and is subsequently rushed to the hospital. After reading about her hospital visit, the reader learns that she has given birth to a child in her bathroom, and disposed of the newborn in a garbage can outside the apartment where she resides (unless you're like me, and you read all about the baby on the inside cover first). Clearly, there are some major ethical transgressions here.... and Devon is taken to a juvenile jail to await her trial. By this time, the reader is almost finished with the book, so I won't spoil the ending.
I almost wish I hadn't read the inside cover before I began the book, because the book doesn't actually tell you what Devon did until you are significantly into the book. If I hadn't known, the twist would have been that much better. However, the book still captivated me. What's more, is that this type of thing actually happens, which is absolutely appalling. I think that's one of the reasons I couldn't seem to put the book down.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)