The End?

Yesterday marked an ending and a beginning. It was my last day of high school forever! And I didn't waste anytime. I've already marked two things off of my summer bucket list: Panera party and chillin in the environmental center. I took my physics final, said farewell to my beloved art teacher, picked up my painting, and I was out the door. All by 9:30. Later on my friend Brie texted me to see if I wanted to go to Panera with her and a couple of our friends. Of course I said yes...Panera has the best Mac n Cheese in the whole world. Anyway, there were just four of us there but another one of our friend groups show up, so we moved to a bigger table and had a Panera party! It was so much fun but kinda sad because we go to Panera all the time and this fall we'll be everywhere from Chicago to Cincinatti. Very bittersweet. Then around 4 I went to the country club pool with three of my guy friends where we jumped off the diving board and played keep the frisbee away from me--which isn't hard when I'm only 5'1 and theyre all 5'10+ haha then we hit up wings and ribs for dinner which was deliious as always. After dinner we went to the environmental center where we walked around while singing Journey's "don't stop believin" at the top of our lungs. Oh and my friend Michael is practically a monkey, so he climbed a tree trunk to get up to the rockwall, all barefoot. He's crazy but I love him to death. We headed to Arby's to wait for nate to get home then we went there And got in his pool and sat around te bonfire. It was fun but I was tires and had to get up for work te next morning, so I left around 11:45 and went home. Overall it was a Successful first day of summer and I can't wait for many more days like it!

it's been a long time.

i completely forgot about this blog. i created it over a year ago for my etymology class and my ap lit class. it was mandatory which made me naturally not like blogging. especially blogging about books that i had to read for school. but looking back all of that work was worth it. thank you mr. hill. anyway i'm going to try to get back in the swing of things and update my blog more often. i must add that instead of talking about books and poems and all that good stuff, this blog will now be my personal space to document my last summer with all of my friends before we head off to college. i have a whole summer bucket list worked out and i cant wait to start on it. only two more days of high school left. woooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

Breaking Dawn pg. 554-606

the last section left off with Alice and Jasper surprisingly running away from the Cullen clan. the family questions their whereabouts for Alice has never stayed away from home for this long. Carlisle and Edward decide that it would be best to sniff out the scent of the missing vampires and are joined by the rest of the group. they come to a dead end on the border the the vampire-werewolf territory. Sam reveals that Alice and Jasper asked permission to cross the land to the ocean and that all they left was a note. the note basically told the family not to look for Alice and Jasper, that it was too dangerous.

Bella notices that the note was written on a page from one of her books. So she goes back to their cottage and found the book that Alice ripped the page from. Next to the feathered edge left by the torn page was another note that said "destroy this" with a name and address below. Bella tries to hunt down J. Jenks on the internet without Edward's knowledge. all she can discover is that he is a lawyer in Seattle but his address doesn't match up to the one that Alice had given her.

the Denali clan arrives at the house because Carlisle told them that their family was in trouble. Edward explains that Renesmee is not what Irina thought her to be. That she is in fact half human and half vampire. the young child wins over the hearts of the Denali's with her sweet smile and exquisite storytelling gift. the Denali's agree to be a witness at the Volturi encounter.

the rest of the section describes the supernatural powers of the new vampires and of the Volturi and their reason for coming to Forks. the Denali clan consists of Eleazer, Carmen, Tanya, Kate, and Irina. Eleazer used to be on the Volturi council but voluntarily left. He can sense another vampires special powers and even certain traits in humans. This is how he comes to characterize Bella as a "shield". she is a protector of herself and with some help could possibly protect those around her--including Renesmee. Edward can read minds. Renesmee can show you her thoughts with the touch of her hand. Alice can see the future. Jasper can control the mood setting. Kate can produce a current over her skin so that if someone touches her she can shock them. Now for the Volturi. Jane can cause excruciating pain by focusing on a person. Aro can read a persons mind with the touch of his hand. Demetri can take away as many peoples senses away as he wants--sight, sound, touch, taste, smell--which is very effective during a fight.

Anthology Project

MY THEME: first love
1. "first love" john clare
2. "i wish i could remember that first day" christina rossetti
3. "the best slow dancer" david wagoner
4. "once we played" mathilde blind
5. "coy mistress" annie finch
6. "first time he kissed me" elizabeth barrett browning

GLEE!!!

Glee is on and i've been missing out due to work, but not tonight..... :)

Breaking Dawn pg. 512-553

The beginning of this chapter is fun and light with an arm-wrestling competition between Bella and the strongest vampire of the clan, Emmett. However, because Bella is a newborn vampire, she is supposedly stronger than any other vampire, due to the human blood that remains in her tissues. High stakes are attached to this arm-wrestling match: if Bella wins then Emmett cannot say one more word about Bella's sex life--including allusions and innuendos, and if Emmett wins then he claims it will get a lot worse. You would think that an arm-wrestle would be completely harmless, however, the vampires are so strong that they have to take it, literally, outside to a boulder in order to avoid destroying Esme's favorite antique table. Once the competition begins, Bella lets Emmett sweat a little bit because she enjoys the force of his harm not advancing over hers. She quickly becomes bored and bashes Emmett's arm against the boulder. After Bella realizes her strength, she passes the time crushing the boulder into smithereens. Suddenly, the sun comes out from behind the clouds and Renesmee lavishes at the diamond facets that her mother's skin (and every other vampire's) has become. The young girl places her arm next to her mother's and also discovers the faint shimmer of her milky skin.

The happy day soon takes a turn. While Jake, Renesmee, and Bella are hunting near the open field, Bella notices a shimmering gold and silver figure up on the mountain ridge. She quickly pegged her to be Irina based on her sharp ice blonde hair and stern facial expression. Irina looks down in the woods and notices Jake and Renesmee and soon takes off. Bella's motherly instincts kick in and she runs to her best friend and daughter as she calls Edward to let him know whats going on. Turns out that Irina's partner was Laurent--who was killed by the wolves in the third book. Vampires don't handle vengeance lightly, so Bella just assumed that Irina was back to fight for her destroyed love. However, she and her sisters are friends with the Cullens thus it was unlikely that she would fight them. Irina's actual problem is with Renesmee, the somewhat immortal child. Irina lost her mother because of an immortal child many centuries ago and still feels the need to eliminate any immortal children today. So Alice sees her decision to go to the Volturi and tell them that there is an immortal child still alive and that she must be destroyed. The Volturi agree and plan on meeting the Cullens in about a month to destroy the pretty little girl (who is really only half-immortal) as well as to check on Bella's status. So basically, there's a really big mess about to unfold due to a complete misunderstanding and i predict that lives will be lost.

Quality Time, Redefined

This article from Sunday's New York Times unfolds the lives of modern American families and their love affairs with their electronics. The Vavra family gathered in the living room after dinner to spend some time with each other and at one point, each and every one of them had their nose buried in some kind of screen. She was on her iPad, her husband was streaming a live game on his laptap, their 10 YEAR OLD daughter was playing with some love calculator on the iPhone, and their son was intently involved in a Wii game on the t.v. At least he was getting some form of exercise and stimulation.

I find it sad that some families can't find time to actually spend together without their electronics; that they set time aside to play scrabble on the computer on opposite sides of the room without talking; or how some couples will spend five hours on opposite ends of the couch messing with their laptops and blackberries.

By no means am I saying that my family is perfect and nothing like those described in the article. I admit that I do have my phone on me at all times, and that my younger brother has his ear buds in as he checks facebook on his iPod. My mom spends some time on her laptop for school and the kids enjoy their after-school cartoons. We spend a lot of our time in the living room watching our favorite t.v. shows with each other--especially during NBC's Comedy Night on Thursdays. Sure, we're all watching t.v., but at least we are watching the same thing on the same screen and laughing out loud together. Or sometimes, on a weekend night when we have nothing to do (which is rare), all six of us will huddle on the couch and love seat to watch a movie from redbox, complete with popcorn and lights off. My five year old brother calls this "homemade movie theater."

I also think it's important to spend time away from electronics. We'll play board games sometimes or run around outside, and go to each others sporting events. Today, it's hard to find time to spend together, especially away from electronics. However, it should be a priority to spend family time with each other, not just in the same room.

Breaking Dawn pg. 451-511

Not much has happened in the past sixty pages. The Cullen family fixes up a little cottage in the forest for Edward and Bella and Renesmee to live in as a wedding gift. of course it is adorned with a closet the same size as the house thanks to Alice filled with silk and satin gowns--completely impractical for a newborn vampire. really, the highlight of this section has to deal with Jake. he told Charlie (Bella's dad) about pretty much everything, but not really at the same time. He revealed his animal ways to him by phasing, explaining that he is a werewolf. Charlie cringes at the word before Jake can even get it out. Jake continues to explain that Bella was indeed sick and that in order to get better she had to change a little bit too. Bella freaks out when she discovers that Jake told Charlie all of this as she worries for her fathers life. Either she wouldn't be able to control herself around her human father or the Volturi would kill him if based on his insight knowledge. a sigh of relief is expressed when Jake tells the clan that Charlie has asked to know as little as possible about the situation. He just wants to see her daughter. Oh, and Renesmee is supposedly Edwards niece that he and Bella have adopted. However, as soon as Charlie sees the young girl, he can not get over those big brown eyes. Her mother's big brown eyes. His big brown eyes. Only time will tell if Charlie can line up the facts and figure out what is really going on but who knows.

Breaking Dawn 399-451

This has got to be one of the slowest books i've ever read. I'm half way thru it here's all thats really happened:
Bella and Edward got married.
They go on a honeymoon for a long time on some remote island that the Cullen's own.
Bella gets pregnant. By her vampire husband.
They return home and the baby grows at an alarming rate--as it breaks her bones.
Bella has to drink human blood to keep the baby healthy.
Bella gives birth to her baby girl and about dies, therefore Edward has to bite her.
She turns into a vampire.

Okay now that were all caught up, here's the new stuff:
The book switches from Jake's point of view back to Bella's. She wakes up with an acute sense of sight--noticing everything from the grains in the wood to the dust particles stirred up in the air. She becomes even more beautiful than she was before and much more graceful. She is so caught up in her new speed and strength that she almost forgets about her newborn baby. She asks to see her daughter, Renesmee (a combo of her mother Rene and Edward's mother Esme). She is denied this wish because the rest of the vampires know that as a newborn vampire, constantly craving human blood, she could possibly hurt her daughter.

So Bella and Edward go out into the woods on Bella's first hunt. Edward doesn't realize the innocent humans not far from them in the woods which is a major mistake when there is a newborn vampire on the loose. Bella is in mid-hunt of the humans when she suddenly realizes that what she is doing is wrong, so she stops herself. This amount of self control is not common in newborn vampires. Bella has brought forth her innocent nature as a human to her vampire life. She soon enough finds a mountain lion to feed on and some deer here and there. After she is full she asks to see her daughter once more.

Now i've said that this book is really slow so i'll try to speed the next thirty pages up a bit. Bella and Edward race home but are stopped by Jake right before the house. He wants to see how strong Bella really is before he lets her see Renesmee. Bella thinks that Jake is just looking out for her and trying to keep her from doing something she would regret. However, Jake has imprinted on Bella's daughter which is the real reason behind his over-protective behavior. Bella doesn't realize this until after she holds her baby girl and Jake won't let go of her. As soon as Bella understands what is really going on she starts going off on Jake. Although Bella doesnt make any attempt of an attack on Jake (which Carlisle is amazed by) Jake's pack comes to defend him, adjusting themselves on either side of him. Bella can't take it anymore and the chapter ends with, "And she lunged toward his throat."

It's Personal

stress. it controls my life. its the reason behind me supposedly not caring about school at this point. its the reason behind me keeping to myself lately. its the reason behind me. i haven't been keeping up with my blogs lately which let me tell you has not helped my grade much. ive taken a couple personal days this week and ive realized that its time for me to start caring about school again and opening back up to my friends. so here i am. im back.

White Noise Discussion Response

Do you think Jack's question of "who will die first" is foreshadowing something? (The Final Countdown)
I do believe that Jack has an odd obsession with death and relationships. He is constantly discussing the question of death and who will die first between him and his wife Babette. The unexpected question pops up from time to time, mainly when Jack is not even talking about death. For example, the first time that he brings up the question is right after he describes some of his day-to-day tasks like taking out the trash and going on walks. He mentions Babette and how she talks to dogs and cats. Then all of a sudden the next line stands alone: “Who will die first?” Jack’s fixation on this question emphasizes his lack of entertainment and enjoyment in life. His life is so boring that he has nothing better to look forward to but death. I think this foreshadows the fact that one of them is going to die by the end of novel—probably Babette because I think that would cause Jack to fall further into this dystopian society and provide more of a storyline.

Describe the irony presented with Babette's teaching a class on good posture in context with the story. (Fifteen Miles East)
When I started reading chapter seven, when Jack describes how Babette teaches the posture class, I was just confused. The true irony in this is that she teaches old people how to sit stand and walk. I don’t quite understand why these old people would need to be taught how to be proper when they were the people who grew up in the early nineteen hundreds—when posture and manners were a complete reflection of who you were and where you stood in society.

How does Murray feel about Babette? (Symphony)
Murray is an interesting character to me. I think of him to be sensible, pragmatic, and on his toes with his thoughts and actions. He is also very strange. For example, at the grocery store he picked up Jack’s bottle of aspirin and honeydews and sniffed them. What’s up with that? To go along with his strange behavior, Murray notes that Babette’s hair “is a living wonder,” and that it is important. He implies that she should be appreciated for this. Murray obviously has some kind of physical attraction to Babette—with her hair at least. Based on her hair, Murray assumes that she is good with children and good to have around during a time of tragedy because “she’d be the type to take control, show strength and affirmation.” Good assumption Murray. In actuality Babette is quite emotional. Murray’s incorrect assumptions of Babette show that he is quick to judge.

dream home

After viewing all three homes I greatly appreciated the residence of photographer Dan Martensen and his artsy girlfriend Shannan Click. I am a country girl and would love to raise my family out in the country in a rustic farm house. I'm not saying that we have to seclude ourselves from society by growing all of our food, slaughtering and milking the cows, churning the butter, chopping firewood, and sewing our own clothes, but it would be nice and peaceful to do some of those stereotypical tasks of the country on a minor scale.

The vast land surrounding the battered farm house combined with the modern pool and artwork create a relaxed intimate setting and a sense of sentimental romance. The shocking red door of the discolored, worn farm house invites you in, like curious Goldielocks amazed by the Three Bears' home. The pragmatic use of the open door is to allow air flow, however, based on the hospitable personalities of the couple, the open door is most likely their way of showing their home is open to visitors. Dan is a laid back photographer who is kind and caring, willing to make homemade jam and butternut squash soup for his guests who stay in an humble "guest barn house." The guest house mixes modern and aged designs with a stark white interior and shiny chairs complete with old wooden doors and paint peeling off of the loft. Even the kitchen table of the main house is an insight to the vibe of the home. The long, knotted, wooden table is set with a couple melted candles--including an abstractly melted candelabra--an oblong ashtray sprinkled with cigarette buds, and an antique "genie in a botte-esque" lamp. The relaxed table setting highlights the home's sense of relaxation as well as the couple's carefree attitude. The majestic home is ideal with modern touches such as the rectangular, bright-blue pool, a flat-screen television, and inviting ping-pong table.

Mirror Poem

Driving to pick up my brother from baseball
I pop in the cd you gave me.
I know you don't like country but you suffer through it for me.
Would you listen to this "whining" as you call it
for any other girl in the world? Or am I special?
Each pluck of the guitar echoes through the speakers.
The melodies dance through my head
and crash against your eardrums.
It's moments like these that I do feel special.

Predicting the Future

Nathan Rebelo wants to attend USC and become an architect. He seemed very calm and confident in his future as well as pragmatic. He is reaching out for his dream in a realistic way. I thought I connected with him the most because we share similar interests. We both don't necessarily want to leave home to get away from our family, but to rather explore and discover who we are when separated from the people who have influenced and pushed their beliefs onto us. He said that his ultimate goal was just to be able to drive around downtown with his kids and family as he points out all of the buildings he has designed for the community--his personal stamp on the world. I thought this was awesome because family is very important to me. I too want to become successful not only for me but for my future kids as well. It's such a cliche, but I believe that everyone does want better for their kids.

Shauna Casale was the most deluded to me. She is the seventeen year old girl who wants to become a major motion picture actress, and based on her monologue from Silence of the Lambs, I don't think it's gonna happen. That sounds harsh, I know, but it really wasn't that good, or convincing. She states she excited to get out of the house and experience life without any restrictions. I don't think she understands how difficult it is to become as big as Angelina Jolie and how her fantasy outlook on life will effect her. She is in for a big shock.

My favorite quote:

I'm going to be the second person in my family to graduate, and I just want to make my parents proud.

Tudel Riek, 17

Breaking Dawn pg. 225-286

So its been a while since I've posted about this book. I've been crazy busy lately. Its also been a while since I've read the book. So lets see what I can remember.

Pretty much all that happens is the Cullen's give Bella blood to drink with a cup and straw which absolutely disgusts Jake--yet he doesn't mind because he knows that it could possibly save Bella's life. Which it does. After drinking the blood--which she actually seems to enjoy--Bella's cheeks regain their pinkish color and her heart beats stronger.

A couple of the other guys from Jake's original pack come to ask Jake to rejoin them. Jake refuses because he can't ignore the Alpha blood running through his veins. Leah seems to be more comfortable under Jake's leadership--she even defends Jake's decision to break away from Sam's pack. Her main goal for joining Jake's pack is to protect her younger brother Seth. Jake understands this therefore he ignores her pms like behavior.

Jake is forming a stronger friendship with the bloodsuckers through this situation. He is starting to trust them more and more and vice versa. Oh, in previous books its been determined that Alice can't see the future when the wolves are involved. This is important because when she is around Bella, she cant see her or the baby's future. Does that mean that the baby will have a little werewolf in them? but how could this even be possible?

I hope to get more reading done this week and especially when I'm chillin on the beach in Florida.

1000 Awesome Things

I must say that I agreed to every awesome thing that was on the one page available for viewing.

#283: Eating the thing you are cooking while cooking it. I honestly can't think of a time that I was baking a cake or brownies or making cookie dough that I didn't eat the batter or dough before placing it in the pan or on the sheet and then letting it cook in the oven. This also leads me to #288.

#288: Looking through the little window in the oven. I don't do this so much now unless I'm checking to see if my cake or cookies are done, but I used to look through the little window all the time when I was younger. I can remember helping my grandma make peanut butter cookies and pressing the design on top with a fork (and of course eating a little dough) and then watch the cookies puff up and cook in the poorly lit oven through that tiny tiny window.

There are many more awesome things that I could relate to however I am out of time. On to math. yay.

Picture Book Timeline

I am so glad that Mr. Hill discovered this link. Flipping through it made me remember all the books that I used to read to myself or little brother as a child. I had a Little Mermaid pop up play tent that was in the corner of my and by brother's room at my childhood home. I would sit in that poorly lit tent for hours on end reading and looking at the pictures of the same books over and over again.

While going through the picture book timeline I was amazed to discover that many of my favorite picture books came from the time of my mother and fathers childhood in the 70s and 80s and even before their time in the 60s. I remember my parents reading Beatrix Potter and the Tale of Peter Rabbit to me along with other Mother Goose styled books. I also loved to look at the pictures in the Curious George books. However, the book that I stumbled upon in the timeline that shocked me the most was the Little Red Hen. Every time I would stay at my grandma's house my little brother and I would make her read the Little Red Hen. Her book was way cooler than the normal version of the book because it had the buttons on the right hand side that produced those annoying high pitch noises. The other book that caught my attention was Love You Forever. I don't remember the storyline exactly but I do remember it being quite sad at the end. My other grandma got me this book for one of my early Christmases and now I'm thinking I need to look for it at my dad's house and read it again.

The illustrations that intrigued me the most came from books in the late nineteenth century. The images produced by Howard Pyle, Jessie Wilcox, Arthur Rackham, and Edmund Dulac all caught my attention on the account that their drawings were quite to very realistic and lavish.



I especially enjoyed the works of Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulac. Rackham illustrated classics such as Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865) with dramatic and graceful pen lines completed with muted watercolors.



Emund Dulac illustrated classics such as Cinderella including stylized figures and elaborate backgrounds to complete the elaborate and fantastical essence of the fairy tale.

Variety Show TONIGHT!

Just wanted to give a shout out to one of my really good friends in the variety show tonight. i cant wait to see you perform girlie! its going to be sooooo good i just know it!!! GOOD LUCK :D

Breaking Dawn 185-224

Jake furiously runs to the Cullen residence in order to check in on Bella's condition only to discover that the reason she is sick is because she is pregnant with nobody knows what. Edward speaks to Jake a fair distance away from the house so none of the Cullens could hear the conversation. Jake describes Edward's facial expression and body language of being that of a man burning at the stake, full of pain and anguish. Edward begs Jake to talk Bella out of having the baby that could possibly kill her; he even tells Jake that if a baby is what Bella wants then she can destroy this one and have a baby with Jake. Jake desperately attempts to talk Bella out of going through this pregnancy yet no matter how hard he tries she has made up her mind. Even if it kills her, she is willing to carry the blood-sucking baby. She says that if Edward changes her from a human to a vampire that she has a chance of living, but its not a guarantee. Jake now finds himself wishing that Edward would change her when before he couldn't imagine the act.

Jake returns to the pack to inform them of Bella's condition. Sam ultimately jumps to the conclusion that the baby is a danger to their families along with the rest of the town, and under the vampire/wolf treaty, it is the pack's duty to protect the humans of the dangers of a vampire; even if that means killing Bella and the rest of the Cullen clan--who, to Seth, are people, which would contradict the treaty. This logic does not stop Sam who believes that they must attack that night. This breaks Jakes heart. He is not capable of destroying the love of his life or the kindhearted doctor or the rest of the clan for that matter. And after fighting alongside the vampires last spring, Seth has formed a friendship with the Cullens. With Sam being the Alpha of the pack, Seth and Jake have no choice but to listen to his orders.

However, Jake remembers that Alpha blood runs through his veins. He was the natural born leader of the pack but gave the authority to Sam when the pack was first created. But giving Sam the Alpha position does not mean that Jake loses his natural born right. After realizing this, Jake confronts Sam about what he is doing is wrong and tells him that he doesn't have to fall to Sam's every command. Jake decides to return to the Cullen residence and forewarn them of the attack of the wolves. As he is running, Jake suddenly realizes that it is very quiet. Not physically quiet in the forest but in his head. Because he has left the pack, Jake's thoughts are no longer connected with his brothers. However, not long after this realization, he hears this annoying, non-stopping voice in his head. After listening carefully he discovers that Seth has left Sam's pack to join Jake's pack.

Breaking Dawn pg. 139-184

I began reading the first part of Book Two: Jacob last night and so far I like it. I like it better than Bella's point of view mainly because its a different, less annoying outlook on the situation this circle of characters are in. The second book of the Twilight Saga, New Moon, provides an insight to the Quileute legends of the wolves of the reasoning behind their existence. I thouroughly enjoyed the legends and I am looking forward to follow Jacob further into his journey of saving Bella from immortality even though I highly doubt he will succeed.

The first part of Jake's book is him describing how he feels about the imprinting going on within the pack. Imprinting is when a wolf lays eyes on the woman of his dreams that was destined for him, no matter what age they are. For example, Quil has imprinted on a toddler girl, Clair. As of right now, they share a father daughter relationship, but once she is older they will assume a romantic relationship. Kind of creepy, I know, but does it sound less creepy that he won't be an old man when she grows up because he wont age? I dont know, I thought that made the circumstances a little better.

Everything is pretty plain until Jake and Quil hear the cry of a wolf coming from the forest. This is a call of order for the pack. Jake races into the forest and waits until he is well hidden from public eye to phase (into a werewolf). The pack phases rather than staying in their human forms because they can hear each other's thoughts while in their wolf form. Jake has been waiting for the news of whether Edward will bring Bella home "dead" (immortal) or not at all (because he killed her). He believes now that he is about to hear the answer to his wonder. Sam, the Alpha leader, reveals that Bella is home and has been quarantined due to a disease she picked up in South America on her honeymoon. Charlie is freaking out because even he is not allowed to see her. Jake of course takes this news as being Bella is now a vampire however he is greatly wrong. Bella is in fact pregnant and Carlisle has to surgically remove the fetus in order to save Bella's life. Lacking the true information, Jake decides that he is going to say goodbye to his father and runaway like he did when he discovered Bella was engaged to Edward.