Time Flies

Winter break is simply flying by! This past week, I finished reading Speak, a book I loaned to my friend to read, and upon her returning it, reread it myself. I emensely enjoyed it the second time, perhaps more than the first. It has been added to my list of favorite books (kept mentally in the back corner of my mind). The book is very moving and deep, yet at the same time simple. Even though I have never experience such a traumatic event like Melinda, I feel that I can relate to her. I would love to be her friend, unlike Heather, a new girl who abondonded her for personal gain. I actually would like to befriend many fictional characters.... anyway, my friend and I rented the movie over break, and I fell in love with it. Kristen Stewart, who acted as Melinda Sardino, has officially become my favorite actress. I absolutely cannot wait for her preformance in Twilight. (I could not figure out how to actually post the trailer on my blog, so here's just a link to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSCzahFXMrs)

Much Ado About Nothing

Eight hours later.... I am back from a day of skiing at Highlands which consisted of me and my good friends Sasha and Lauren mono-skiing and eating a total of eleven donuts. Mono-skiing is difficult at first, but lots of fun! By experiencing it, I was able to sense a little how paraplegics might feel, which was interesting, educational, but also strange. Anyway, Much Ado About Nothing is the Shakespeare play I blogged about early and that my class has begun reading. I really like the play's title; it's fun to say and fits the plot perfectly. However, the story is hard to understand- it is almost as if it is written in another vernacular. (I like that word too.) The jokes are hard to comprehend, as well as the characters' emotions! Therefore, I was pleased to find that the Barnes & Noble sponsored website, Sparknotes, has a line by line translation of the text!!! I plan to find sections of the play I don't understand and then look them up on the site. Since the play is all confusing at the moment, I can't really say if I like it or not, but I am very excited to see what happens when Benedick and Beatrice (two stubborn and haughty people) are set up together. I'm also excited to watch the next scene of the movie!

Let Me Eat Cake

These Weekend posts will defintely be shorter since I am terribly busy. Yesterday I skiied for about eight hours, on six hours of sleep. This morning, I thankfully have more sleep, but am in for the same eight hours of training. Actually, I have to go soon.... so- this week, started reading the book Princess of Versailles. It is the story of Marie Antoinette and part of the Royal Daries series. My sister read these books avidly when she was younger. Though they could be a bit young for my age, I chose to read this one because I am currently studying the French Revolution in history and thought it could be beneficial to my understanding. Thus far it is. Since the books are aimed toward young teens and children, Marie Antoinette's journal entries are easy to understand and relate to what I've learned in history. Of course, there must be some fictional aspects to it as well, but it makes the story more interesting. Right now, I am only about eighty pages into the book. Antonia's mother (this is Marie Antoinette's real name) is the great empress Marie Therese and loves to form alliances. She weds off her many children in order to do so, and Antonia is to be wed to the Dauphin of France, Louis XVI. She will soon then become the queen of France. I am excited for her to move to the French royal court and be wed, because I think that is where I will begin to hear more about the French Revolution.

EMERGENCY POST!!!

I know, I am getting a bit excessive: my blogs all tend to connect to Twilight or Fruits Basket, which unfortunately at the moment is being overshadowed by this big news. What is it you ask? Simply that.... AN EDWARD HAS BEEN CHOSEN. I repeat, THE PART OF EDWARD CULLEN HAS BEEN CAST. I can tell your expectations are dwindling, but never fear, I am exuberant and very excited with the choice. The actor's name is Robert Pattinson- you may recognize him from the world famous Harry Potter films. Yes- our very own Edward Cullen has participated in the number one world book phenomenon, and is about to enter the realm of another. He is going to be quite successful, wouldn't you say? Well, this is but a short post, and I just wanted to say how pleased I am with the choice. Pattinson's accent will work miracles, especially with all the fan girls (like me) who swoon at English accents such as his. Above is a picture of the two actors playing our favorite couple. Can't wait to see them in action! ;)

What Would You Do?

Every week, it seems my blogging gets wilder! I really regret not having chosen a l o n g e r outside reading book since it's challenging to come up with new ideas for blog posts. There is only so much interesting stuff going on in fifth period English that I can write about.... Well, the current book I'm reading, Masquerade, by Peneloppe de la Cruz, a sequel to Blue Bloods, has been thrown aside much-- I'm only two chapters into it! And now it is due back at the library, so who knows when I'll finish it! I got into these books after finishing Eclipse (the last book thus far in the Twilight series) and looking for a new vampire novel to sink my teeth into. On my regular trips to Barnes and Noble, I have often observed that the teen section holds mainly two assortment of books: the huge wall full of "pretty girl novels" (Gossip Girl, A-listers, etc.), the breathtaking copies of the Twilight series, and then.... its "knock-offs". There are many books sporting fangs on their covers or the word 'vampire' in their titles filling the shelves-- no doubt trying to lure in Meyer's eager and very profiting crowd. I wonder if it's working? It definitely does not attract me. I do like the Blue Blood novels however, because they are completely original from Twilight. But along with the "knock-offs" I don't like the way the vampires are described. From what I've read of Blue Bloods and from the back covers of "wanna-bes" the vamps are not immortal (or at least not of the same form. They basically reincarnate.), and do not seem as fierce, dangerous, or perfect-- the major attraction of the Cullen family in Meyer's famous novels. Moving on now, I haven't even started what I came to initially blog about. That whole ramble was a complete sidetrack. Anyway, since I am not reading much at the moment, I decided to tell you about a friend who is. I'm lending her the novel "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson. I read this book a few years ago, but still recall it's powerful story about the teenage girl who struggles with the after effects of a rape. I think I will read it again soon, and then watch the movie. Ironically, it stars Kirsten Stewart (Bella)! Everything somehow seems to connect, falling into place like pieces of a puzzle.... Now, for some big news! This is a very secret matter, so don't tell! Not that I really mind, or I wouldn't be posting it on the internet. Besides, no one actually reads this blog- except for the two people who already know! Here goes....



*drumroll*



I have officially written a fanfiction. Yes, how wonderful. Of course it is based off Twilight, and it is not very good to say the least- but I enjoy writing something which is fun and that I can control. If you wish to read it, simply follow this link to the first marvelous chapter of my story: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3855705/1/What_Would_You_Do

Shakespeare Time

This week (precisely on Friday afternoon), I visited Valley View, my old and cherished middle school. I was very excited to connect with my ninth grade English teacher Mrs. Brua- finally getting the chance to be one of those "older and cool highschoolers" who stick their head into past teacher's classroom's to say hi. I learned SO much in language arts last year; my teacher, my peers and the course made the class something to look forward to. Surprisingly enough, the day I re encountered Mrs. Brua, we began studying Shakespeare in my current language arts class. Why so surprising you ask? Well it just so happens that the last unit we were taught in ninth grade was that of Romeo & Juliet. I loved listening to the play on tape in class, and enjoyed watching the 1960s movie even more! (Romeo was very handsome- I would describe him as a look alike to Zac Efron- though they are not related.) After my excursion that day, I was delighted to learn that we would begin reading another one of Shakespeare's plays, the title of which I am currently at a loss for. It will be a nice change after working hard on a big ethics paper. We have not started reading yet; instead we watched an introductory movie, Shakespeare in the classroom, created by the actors from the blockbuster hit, Shakespeare in Love. It was an interesting movie about the playwright, but mostly made me want to see the film! In summary, I am avidly awaiting this new Shakespeare unit. His writings are timeless and beautiful (which sounds very corny, but is true)! I just hope that his next work I study is as good as the tale of Romeo & Juliet.

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy

Ah, finally.... the weekend! Usually after a long break, the following week at school is harder than usual, which was certainly the case for me these past five days. After finishing my outside reading book over Thanksgiving break, I moved on to start and finish the novel Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy, by Ally Carter. It is the sequel to I'd tell you I love you, but then I'd have to kill you. I read the first novel over the summer, wishing I could attend the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, where the main character Cammie and her best friends Liz, Bex, and Macey study-- in short-- the art of espionage. Yes, these sophomores in high school are secret spies in training! How cool is that? They speak over a dozen languages, can diffuse bombs, have photographic memories, and are skilled at marshall arts as well as the art of deception. Carter's first book in the series has a plot that revolves around Cammie falling in love with a regular boy named Josh. Needless to say, things don't go so well, because although Cammie is a master at deception, she couldn't spend so much time with her boyfriend and keep her secret hidden forever. So, at the end of the first novel, Josh discovers the secret, but gets his memory whipped. (I could make endless connections here with Fruits Basket and how Cammie feels about Josh losing his memory, but I will restrain myself in order to not bore you with my endless ramblings.) So, Cammie starts out a new semester at the beginning of the second novel, hoping to keep a clean slate- concentrating on her school work and friends; no boys, no lies, no drama. But Cammie quickly learns that it is impossible to do so while training to become a secret agent. For the first time ever, twelve boys come to the Gallagher Academy. They all come from an unheard school for young men espionages called The Blackthorne Academy. Everything Cammie was trying to get away from ends up catching her. There are lies, boys, and drama! At the arrival of the guys, it seemed she was the only one who did not enjoy the newcomers; especially one in particular named Zach, who definitely showed an attraction towards Cammie. In the end though, the Blackthorne Boys and Gallagher Girls were able to work together and complete a very realistic mission simulation. Though some of Carter's fans (me included) may be disappointed that Josh makes limited appearances during the novel (and not to reconcile with Cammie), as well as not much more romanticism with Zach, I applaud the end of the novel, when Cammie waves adieu to the Zach and the other boys, knowing that when they meet again, she'll be "smarter, stronger, and ready".

Edward Potential

I'm not quite sure if this counts as a valid blog post (for my english class), though it does have to do with past literary experiences. So, on with it already! At a late hour the previous night, I spoke online with a friend who claimed she had discovered "the perfect Edward Cullen" to act in the upcoming Twilight movie alongside Kirsten Stewart as Bella. At first glance, I recognized the actor as Nate Archibald from the popular CW series Gossip Girl. Immediatly I thought that he would never be able to play the super stong, protective, and masculine vampire. However, as more time passed, the more I realized-- why not? He is certainly "...lanky, less bulky, with untidy, bronze-colored hair" (as Stephenie Meyer described Edward in Twilight), not to mention his topaz colored eyes. Though some upper east saide haters may scorn this show, which is my secret pleasure, I believe that Chace Crawford would make for a very suitable Edward Cullen. Thanks very much for this idea Kisa!

I'm running out of ideas for titles

The one thing that I thought was the most interesting thing Naomi remembered (when she got her memory back) was her kiss with Will the day before her fall. He had kissed her, but she had kissed him back. Why then, does she profess her love for James in front of him. Will is nothing but nice to Naomi, and it seems she doesn't realize what a great friend she has. However, James decides to break things off with Naomi. I believe it was because he doesn't trust himself with her; James desperately wants Naomi to forget, and though Naomi knows she never will, she tries to move on. During this time, Will passes out while working at yearbook, and is admitted to the hospital for pnemonia. When Naomi finds out, she is worried sick about Will, and does him the favor of taking charge of yearbook until he gets back. Though the had been fighting, they were now becoming closer than ever; Naomi would visit Will every night at his house. She and Ace were even back playing tennis together. The pieces of Naomi's life were slowly being placed back together. At the end of the book, Naomi and Will acknowledge the deep bond they have together, and though the book ends before anything further happens, I believe they will end up together.

Ah. I did it- I much shorter blog post! Next week I plan to blog once more about this book before moving on to the stack of others piling up in my room. While I was reading, there were many quotes that caught my eye and touched my heart *tear*; however I forgot to mark where they were! I guess I'll be searching for them in class this week so I can blog about them.

I definitely need to shorten my posts....

I basically forced myself to put down my outside reading book and blog. In earlier posts I mentioned me being concerned that I would finish this book all too soon, and I am finding that to be very true. Despite the late hour, I suspect to finish reading Memoirs of a teenage amnesiac tonight, and therefore wanted to get at least another blog post in before ending. Where did I leave off now…. Ah yes, page eighty-four. Now I’m on two hundred and twenty, so I will try to make this summary very straightforward. Naomi, who remembers nothing from the past four years of her life, breaks up with her tennis playing boyfriend Ace. She is not really sure why she began dating him in the first place (before losing her memory), but she knows their relationship is no longer working out. Then, Naomi earns herself a part in one of her friend’s play- acting the role of a female Hamlet. She does not tell her best friend, Will Landsman, about the play. He is the head of the yearbook committee with Naomi- they first met at yearbook and have worked hard to become chief editors. However, Naomi does not see the attraction of yearbook after her fall, and thus does not care about missing work hours on it for play rehearsal. During all this, Naomi has discovered that her father is engaged to a woman by the name of Rosa. Though before her accident Naomi realizes she was not very fond of Rosa, the new Naomi turns over a new leaf with Rosa, to her father’s pleasure. With Naomi’s real mother though, things are less than perfect. They have not spoken since Naomi’s stay in the hospital where she discovered the reason for her parents divorce was because of her mother’s affair, and that now her mother has a completely different life with a husband and child. Now, Naomi has begun to date the previously blogged character James. He is a very hard character to describe, but the author does it well. James is new to Naomi’s school, and a year older than her since he was held back. There are rumors about him from his old school; that tried to off himself after going crazy over some girl. Naomi really like James, they have gotten to the “I love you” stage, but sometimes when they’re together, I get the feeling that James feels he might lose control. His emotions are very mixed and hard to interpret, and he can get very depressed or angry over things that seem infinitesimal to me. At these parts in the book I wonder why Naomi and Will don’t date instead. Will is always very sweet to her, helping her whenever she needs it. One day, while James is helping Naomi prepare for her French exam, she suddenly remembers everything- everything she had forgotten from the past four years. Naomi hides this from everyone, preferring to just move forward, and not deal with the past.... (to be continued)

Making Connections

Well, as explained in my last post, I am currently eighty-four pages into my book. Basically, (as the title indicates) the main character, Naomi, is a junior in high school suffering from amnesia after a spill down some school steps. Once treated in the hospital, Naomi discovers she can remember nothing from the last four years of her life- not her boyfriend, her best friend, or her parent's divorce. Naomi feels incredibly confused, lonely, and fatigued. She begins to reevaluate her life, questioning some of the decisions she has made in the past four years and why she made them. Such as why she began dating a huge jock, why she spent over seven hundred and twenty hours a school year working on the yearbook commitee, or why she had wanted to drop her Advanced Photography class before her bout of amnesia since she likes it so much now. I found two things I wanted to share here that I found entertaining as I read. First, of all, Naomi takes a french class in school, and I have spoken the french language since what feels like forever. When Naomi returns to school from her accident, some of her teachers are more understanding than others- during her french class, she finds that each student is given a french name for the class to use in lieu of their first english name. I liked this because we do the same thing in my french class as well; therefore I am know to my teacher as Isabelle, and accidentally find myself writing the name on papers for other classes besides french at times! Here is an excerpt:

"One thing that had never been in question was my name. 'Sorry,' I said, 'My name is-'
'En francais? Je m'appelle...'
'Je m'appelle Naomi. Uh... Non, Nadine. Nadine, non.'
'Ici, nous employons les noms francais, Nadine.'
'Oui,' I said. Fine, if she wanted to call me Nadine, whatever. It sounded like the name of a comment dit-on? French prostitute, but whatever."

I am also skilled in the use of comment dit-on? which was used here and is translated into how do you say? Well, maybe you did not find that as fascinting as moi, but now were moving to the part that I found even more fascinating than the latter! Again, on my previous post I mentioned the want to read Furuba (aka Fruits Basket) after finishing this book. Well, a big issue from Fruits Basket is the being able to keep your memories, no matter how painful, and grow from them. (I cannot go on to explain the meaning behind all this- my post is already insanely long, and I am begining to wonder if my teacher even reads the whole thing! However, you should just understand that some of the characters from Furuba decided to get their memories surpressed.) In Memoirs of a teenage Amnesiac, Naomi has a conversation with the mysterious character James about forgetting awful memories. James is a new boy at her school who found Naomi unconsious after her fall. On page eighty-two, James says to Naomi, " 'Arn't there things you'd rather forget?' ". Naomi disagrees, and so do I. No matter how hard life becomes, I want to remember my stuggles, and someday, I would hope to look back and treasure each as a precious memory.

Manga, Mrs. West?

For outside reading this quarter, I chose to read the novel Memoirs of a teenage amnesiac, by Gabrielle Zevin. Originally, I planned to read Rebel Angels, the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, however I figured it would be difficult to post blogs about the second book in a series due to all the background information that might need to be provided in order make sense of my blogs. Therefore, the night before our choice of books were due, I fretted over what I would read. My list of "books to read" was sparse, containing nothing I felt would be suitable for this assignment. I frantically logged onto my computer and surfed over to TeenReads.com, a great website for recommending and reviewing new book releases. There I discovered Memoirs of a teenage amnesiac. Its summary gave off an interesting vibe that attracted me to the story. I grabbed my wallet and hurried off to Barnes & Noble to get a copy. My mission was successful. Thus far, I have already read eighty-four pages of the book and find it intreging, though I am concerned about the length. Not that it isn't appropriate, for the story is 271 pages long, but I will most likely finish it over Thanksgiving break, forcing me to find another book to read and blog about later. At the moment, I am reading the Fruits Basket series ruthlessly, and would very much like it if Mrs. West would let me read them in class for during outside reading time after I finish my actual book, however I don't know how she feels about manga....

Review: All My Sons

Yesterday, my class finished reading the play All My Sons, by Auther Miller. Overall, I did not like this play; I didn't think it was very eventful or climatic. At the end, when Chris discovers that his father was guilty for sending out faulty airheads, he feels ashamed and disgusted. He can't even look his father in the eyes. The play then ends when Joe shoots himself after reading a suicide letter from Larry, that Ann had been hiding. (Larry purposefully crashed his plane after finding out his father had been convicted.) I enjoy plays thawith more plot, and end happily with interesting discoveries. I think the most exciting thing that happened in this play was when Ann reveals the letter from Larry. Yes. A piece of paper was the most exciting part. I enjoy stories with more action- such as Twilight, or Fruits Basket (my new obsession) and Harry Potter. :)

An After Thought

Yes, yes, outside reading for quarter one is over, but I wanted to add this to my blog. See, I was watching Gossip Girl a couple nights ago (because I'm that cool), and realized that the character Dan reminds me a lot of Cal (From Until They Bring The Streetcars Back)! Dan is cute, atheletic, sweet, lovesick, and brave, the same characteristics Cal has. Dan sticks up for his little sister, Jenny, against Chuck, is head over heels for Serena, and in general, just a very nice guy. In comparison, Cal sticks up for Gretchen and is head over heels for Lola! If they ever made a movie out of this book, Penn Badgley (aka Dan Humphrey) should definitely play the part of Cal!

P.S. They should have kept the streetcars in Minnesota; I would have loved to ride them.

Prediction....

We've begun reading the play All my Sons by Arthur Miller in English class. We just finished Act II, where we find out that Joe Keller, the main character, is guilty for selling faulty airplane parts- which resulted in the death of twenty one soldiers. Chris Keller, Joe's son, believed his father to be innocent all this time, and is shocked to discover he was wrong. Additionally, Chris's fiance, Ann, has a brother who knows Joe is guilty and wants to take Ann away from the Keller's- especially since their father is in jail because of Joe's stunt.

In Act III, which we will read tomorrow, I believe that Ann will leave with her brother, and that Chris will join them. I want for Larry (Chris's deceased brother from the war and Ann's former lover) to come back home- because Mrs. Keller believes he is still alive. However, this type of thing never happens in the plays or books we read for English class, so I am settling for predicting that Chris, George, and Ann will abandon the Keller residence instead.

So Close I can Smell it 2

Well, that last post turned out much longer than planned, but I am nowhere near finished with telling you what happens, so let us continue.... Cal's new plan involves breaking the law. (This can't turn out well....) He begins stealing liquor from his delivering job and stashes in an abandoned shed. Hum? What in the world!? You'll see.... Meanwhile, Lola and him begin dating! Cal is ecstatic, and the two even profess their love for each other. scandalous. Cal is feeling pretty good about his life, getting more confident about his plan to put Lutterman behind bars, but it goes horribly wrong when he is caught red-handed stealing the liquor! He is sentenced to a month in jail, and additionally is expelled from high school. He cannot graduate, Lola breaks things off with him, and during his last days in prison, his father dies. Without seeing Gretchen, who is now contemplating suicide, will his efforts be completely wasted? Cal is ready to frame Lutterman, but cannot while stuck in a cell. He therefore takes advantage of the time out of jail for attending his father's funeral. Before returning to his cell, he hot-wires Lutterman's car, fills it with the stolen liquor, and drives it into the display window of a drug store. The police come to investigate at Lutterman's home, and Lutterman actually stabs an officer! (Definitely not helping out the situation buddy.) When Cal hears Lutterman has been thrown in jail, he is joyful for the first time in weeks. Gretchen is safe. When he is released from jail, Cal gets a job as a construction worker. He is pretty miserable after being kicked out of school and dumped by Lola. But Gretchen is put in a foster home with her sisters, and looks so much better. She is well fed, dressed more appropriately and cut her hair. She also smiles. :) Cal takes her to her first high school dance, and Steve (Cal's friend) even wants to ask her out! But, Cal and Gretchen have to testify against Lutterman in a trial, and Gretchen's not sure if she can....

So Close I can Smell it

Ah. MEA. Finally. However, my vacation has been dampened a tad by the fact that I am sick with an infuriating cold. But, with a day off Thursday, and nothing to do but recover, I was able to read my outside reading book. For hours. I have exactly fifteen pages left and plan to finish it later tonight. So much has happened. The story took on a major turn, but I cannot decide if it was for better or for worse. Perhaps after reading my post, you will be able to decide. Now, where did we leave off?

Yes. Cal's situation with Gretchen.... trying to witness the terrible things her father does to her. Cal begins to take watch in a tree in Gretchen's backyard from where he can see her second story window. This proves to be a fruitless effort because the curtains are always drawn. But while on watch, Cal discovers that Gretchen's father leaves the house at precisely the same time every night. Cal is still not sure how he will help Gretchen, but is fearful she will go crazy before he can save her. So one day, he helps her ditch school to take a trip to Minneapolis, where Gretchen has a swell time, possibly the best time of her pitiful life. During this trip, Gretchen admits to Cal that her father made her sister, Helga, kill her own baby (little Jacob). She tells him he made Helga hold the baby underwater, and now keeps the baby in their FREEZER. (Talk about disturbing.) So, Cal gets this brilliant idea that if he can get the corpse and show it to authorities, Lutterman (Gretchen's father) will be put behind bars. One night, after Lutterman leaves and Cal has been keeping watch in the tree, he sneaks into their house, and grabs the baby from the freezer. Home free? NO. Lutterman ends up being right behind Cal, and starts chasing him with a butcher's knife! Cal runs for his life over the icy, winter roads, with a madman on his heels. At the last minute, he jumps on a passing streetcar, but drops little Jacob. Scarred out of his wits Cal derives a new plan, for he knows Gretchen's life is literally hanging by a thread....

"The 400 Blows" review

The 400 Blows gives us insight into the life of a young French boy during the mid-nineteen hundreds. Antoine Doniel, the main character, struggles with school and a dysfunctional family while just wanting to be a normal Parisian kid. The film, directed, written, and produced by Francois Truffaut is a captivating memoir that possesses many themes easy to relate to. In addition, the characters are also easy to sympathize with. After being based off a book, the film conveys literary as well as dramatic and cinematic aspects well. I personally enjoyed watching the movie, and therefore think it was effective in portraying an engaging and entertaining, yet profound story.

Bloggin'

So, we didn't do a ton in english class this week, mostly just finished up The 400 Blows. On Friday we had a "blog day", where we basically worked on our blogs and commented on our peer's. It was fun and relaxing, and I am using this post to thus reflect on my blogging so far this year. I really enjoy it. It's fun to reflect on the things we work on in class, and then go more in depth by sharing your thoughts and/or comparing it to your own life. Easy points! (That is, if I'm getting full credit for this...) Soon, I assume I will be blogging about All My Sons. I have no idea what this book is about, but I hope it is fiction, for that is my favorite genre of book.

There is one more thing I would like to mention in my post however, Zephyrus. The first issue was released this week, and overall I thought it was great! My favorite article was written by Colin Fish and titled "Automatic doors open all eyes to bathroom secrets." However, there is thick controversy in the air about pages six and seven, "Boys and Girls." Many people have focused on Trevor Aufderheide's inappropriate article, "Nice...shirt." Though I feel the same way, I have learned to expect nothing less from the sophomore boy, and sadly, am not surprised he wrote such a piece. I am surprised however, that the paper published it. Reading this article and the neighboring "No means no" made me squirm in my seat. Zephyrus should definitely watch what they publish to make sure that its fun and informative, instead of raunchy things that can make people self conscious and the writers/quoted students sound like jerks.

WOWZA

Phew. It is 3:45 on Sunday afternoon, and I am just beginning to recover from homecoming weekend. What can I say? I haven't had that much fun in a long time! Jumping up and down to the beat, flashing light disorienting you while you get sucked into the hot, sweaty crowd and lose yourself to the music. The vibe in enthralling and even though your hair frizzes and your dress wrinkles, you never know who you might end up dancing next to in the packed room. If you haven't figured out by now, I'm describing my first high school dance. I had an absolute blast going with my girlfriends! We started out with an awesome pre-party photo shoot, and the rest is history. Experiencing my first dance reminds me of my outside reading book, Until They Bring the Streetcars Back. Seriously. Throughout the book, Cal attends many dances, and recently, has begun going with Lola, his major crush. However, the situation is sticky because its implied that Lola and Tom (Cal's friend who she was in a relationship with for some time) still have feelings for each other. The couple only broke up because Tom's dad did not want him dating Lola anymore. So, Lola starts going with Cal, only to meet up with Tom there. But when Lola and Cal share kiss, Cal cannot figure out how Lola feels about him or Tom anymore, which leaves him frustrated and confused.

Surprisingly enough, I found time to read a couple chapters of my book this weekend after the football game Friday. During these short chapters, the one event that captured my attention the most was Gretchen telling Cal that he had to 'see' what her father does to her in order for the police to believe her story. Cal is horrified by the fact of watching Gretchen being tortured, but at the same time wants to help her. I have no doubt that Cal will find a way to see what is happening with Gretchen, but the real question is.... what will he see?

Never Judge a Book by its Cover (or title)

I've made it to chapter thirteen of my outside reading book, Until They Bring The Streetcars Back. A this point, I understand the meaning of the title. Cal, the main character, has a father who drives the streetcars of St. Paul, and is forever complaining about how his streetcars are going to be replaced with buses and cars. Though I see that the title relates to the book well, I feel like the author could have made it something shorter and catchier. Nevertheless, the book is keeping me interested. Following Cal through high school at St. Louis Park shows readers his two main troubles, which both revolve around girls. The first dilemma Cal deals with is getting over his huge crush on Lola, whom he describes as the love of his life. But Lola only has eyes for Cal's friend, Tom. (ouch!) Cal's second dilemma takes the form of a less popular, more homely girl, Gretchen. This troubled girl, nicknamed "Gretch the Wretch", confides in Cal what she can tell no one else; her father beats and abuses her. He makes he wear ugly clothes, she has no friends, and cannot even talk to boys! But Gretchen decides to break her father's rules, and invites Cal to the bakery where she works during her lunch break. Gretchen tells Cal what she's told no one else and he feel great sympathy for her. Cal tries to help her, but does not know how. He buys her a pair of penny loafers that she can wear at school (away from her father's eyes), but wants to help her more. This is the dilemma: Cal is sworn to secrecy not to tell anyone Gretchen's story. So what can he do by himself? What will he decide to do?

Les Quatre Cent Coups

In English class this week, we began the film unit after finishing writing our own memoirs. I immensely enjoyed writing my memoir. It was a good change of pace to write a story from the heart rather than quoting books in essays. I really hope we have more writing assignments like this throughout the year.

In other news, like I mentioned before, we began our film unit and watching "Les Quatre Cent Coups" or "The Four Hundred Blows". This old french film from 1959 is a memoir by Francois Truffaut. My class watches the movie with subtitles, and though I speak french, the actors talk so quickly I sometimes miss what they're saying! However, I get the gist of it and like not needing to read the subtitles. The movie follows a troubled young boy who decides to run away from home. The boy's family life is unstable; his mother seems to be cheating on his father, and the two parents often fight. I must await for Monday to discover how to film ends, so.... until then!

Favorite Part

In my last post, I talked about finishing Black Boy and how I enjoyed parts where I could relate to Richard's feelings. Here is one passage from the book that really excited me:

"Reading was like a drug, a dope. The novels created moods in which I lived for days." (Wright 250)

This feeling, or mood, has occured within me every so often, and the feeling is truly exilerating. The first time I can recall it happening was during my eighth grade year at VVMS. My friend introduced me to the book Blue is for Nightmares, and after finishing the book, I became obsessed. I read the next three books at light speed, using every spare minute I had to be sucked into their enchanting story. I couldn't concentrate on anything else, not even shopping! It was hard to descirbe what I felt to anyone else, the yearning for more plot, character development, story... but slowly and reluctantly, the feeling faded. However, another came again in mere weeks, taking the form of the band The Click Five. At the time, I called it a "music high", for I couldn't go between classes without listening to a bit of their music. This obsession did not entirely match my lastest book obsession, for it was not as strong and went away sooner. The next one I can recall was after seeing the movie Casino Royale with my best friend. I was already a huge James Bond fan, but walked out of that movie theater determined to be Mr. Bond's female equivilant. This movie high lasted an even shorter period than my music one. I was beginning to wonder if my obsessions were beginning to deminish in passion as I grew older. I was definetly wrong. It seems these moods, obsessions, whatever you call them, are stronger with literature, just like Richard's. For, the last week of summer vacation '07, I discovered the amazing novel Twilight. The mood began again, all I wanted to do was read, not paying attention to anything else. I read about 1,500 pages in the span of a week. The three books by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse, are the best I've ever read, and are still on my mind, as I imagine they will be for quiet a while!

Wright's quote is the best way to describe this feeling I get, and therefore I can relate exactly the way Richard felt. I admire Wright for being able to sum up this emense feeling in seventeen words, whereas it took me the length of a small memoir to describe!

The End of Black Boy

Wednesday night, I finished reading Black Boy. For my Enr. English 10 class, I only had to finish part one: Southern Nights. There is a second part however, called The Horror and The Glory, which I hear is very political and does not follow the same style of writing as the part one. I found the ending to part one very abrupt, as I'm sure many of my peers did. Even though the story continues, I wish the ending to Southern Nights would have given more closure.

Nevertheless, as I look back on my reading experience from this book, I liked it overall. I did find some parts repeatitive or boring, but the story was inspirational and different. I can't remember the last time I read a memoir, if ever, but I enjoyed the thought while reading that these events actually happened and the author really felt these feelings. It was especially neat when I could relate to the main character, Richard's, feelings.

Let the Outside Reading Begin!

I started my outside reading book, Until They Bring the Street Cars Back, today. So far the story is relatively interesting, but not enough to get me through large amounts at a time. However, I like the fact that the story takes place in a town (St. Paul) that I've visited many times and am very familiar with. I hope that I'll be able to finish this book before the next Breakfast Book Club meeting when we meet the author, but there are so many other distractions! School, tennis, New Moon... (which I plan to finish for a second time tonight). Stay tuned to see how this all turns out.

Black Boy

We've begun reading the memoir of Richard Wright, Black Boy, in English class. The writing is very discriptive, which I like, but is also very straightforward. I enjoy books more when the pace of the writing is varied a bit. Nevertheless, Richard's childhood is interesting to read and learn about, but his life is so different from my own that I cannot sypathize with his feelings or situations.

In class today, I had a good discussion with my group about the events occuring in chapter three. We talked about why they happened and if they foreshadowed any upcoming events. I definetly got some "food for thought" on the book.

too much?

Well.... I feel like I'm blogging a lot, especially since we haven't gotten any homework yet, but my weekend in Milwaukee with my grandparents isn't too exciting, and it's fun to have a place to reflect a bit on books I've read. I just finished A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. Out of five stars, I give it four. It was interesting, and kept me reading, but was not my favorite book. However, I plan on reading the sequal, Rebel Angels, because I would like to find out what happens to Gemma and her friends, and see what's up with Kartik. :)

Stephenie Meyer remains #1

I just finished a book called Blue Bloods, hoping it might be similar to the Twilight series, but it cannot compare. I really love Stephenie Meyer's character development in Twilight, I feel like I personally know the whole Cullen family, Bella, and Charlie. I guess that they're my favorite books for a reason, and I won't be able to find another series exactly like it. I don't know how I'll be able to wait an entire year before Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the Twilight series is released!

For now, I'm reading A Great and Terrible Beauty which I hope to finish this weekend, and then I plan to read Until They Bring the Street Cars Back for the Breakfast Bookclub. (I hope I like the book because it will be fun to meet the author.)

Here's My Blog!

I just made my blog! I'm listening to "High School Musical 2" and am going to go finish the rest of my homework now. :)