St. Patrick's Day!

St. Patrick's day this year was so much fun! I got to spend it with my three favorite people- my best friends. Last year on St.patrick's day all of my friends got to go to the St. Patrick's day parade, but I couldn't go because I had a softball game. So this year I was very excited to attend it with them, and I was not disappointed. I also saw a ton of other people I knew, as expected. I also saw one of the contestants form last year's season of my all time favorite TV show,  "Big Brother." She was on one of the floats and I ran after her, screaming her name and saying "Cassi, I love you!" She gave me a ton of beads, which was completely amazing. It was the highlight of my day. Although parades are fun, they do come with their drawbacks. Like the TRAFFIC. It was absolutely the worst traffic I have ever been in. We were at a dead stop on the interstate at one point for at least 30 minutes; it was awful. But besides that, it was a pretty great day!

Wedding plans

My sister is getting married on March 24- 16 days, 14 hours, 33 minutes, and 45 seconds from now (I have a countdown.) Just about everything is ready for the wedding, except for little things, like the shoes my sister will wear or the jewelry that the bridesmaids will wear. So yesterday I met my mom and sister for last minute shopping details, and it turned into quite the shopping trip- not only for wedding things. I have a serious weakness for shopping, and my mom is even worse. So when you put the two of us together in a mall, nothing good is to come of it. Anyway I'm getting very excited for my sister's wedding. I am the maid of honor so I get to actually be in the wedding. I can't wait! That is pretty much what has been consuming my life lately- wedding plans, wedding plans, and more wedding plans.

Richard Cory Final Essay

Lisa Burris

McElveen

English II

March 2, 2012       

The Story of Richard Cory

          E.A. Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” portrays a man who is envied by others in Tilbury Town.  He is looked at with wide eyes; eyes that belonged to those wishing for qualities like his, yearning for a similar lifestyle. However much like in today’s time, along with fame and fortune comes obstacles: solitude, confinement, and ostracism. Factors that can control their victim and steer them towards a certain fate, an unfortunate fate that Richard Cory fell into. Richard Cory’s intimidation toward others and the tendency that people have to fear the unknown is what brought him to his lonely life and sudden death. 

         Richard Cory’s intimidation toward others is illustrated in many ways. “Whenever Richard Cory went downtown we people looked at him,” plays a key role in making Mr. Cory feel like an outsider. He was never spoken to; just watched. He had no communication with the outside world. The townspeople could never have expected that he desired their company; royalty should not desire the company of ordinary people, it was not normal. Despite Mr. Cory’s attempts at conversation, he remained unanswered: “And he was always human when he talked; but still he fluttered pulses when he said, ‘Good morning,’ and he glittered when he walked.” He was the nicest man that could not get anyone to speak to him; not one person that he could share things with. His intimidation is what caused him to be utterly alone.

         Mr.Cory’s intimidation brings fear to the town; fear of the unknown. “Whenever Richard Cory went down town, we people on the pavement looked at him,” explains the distance that the town keeps from Richard Cory. Though not always a literal distance, they are never there with him in spirit, always watching him from a ways away. This is caused by their fear of the unknown; the fear of the superior, royalty; in this case, Richard Cory. 

          In the town of Tilbury, when everyone only lives to pass the time until death, the people have limits. Everyone in the town is missing something, which is a key factor in their misery. When everyone wants to die, it is only a matter of time before one reaches his breaking point. The criticality of whatever they are lacking determines the time left before one parishes. One can physically yearn for food and riches and be stable, but when he lacks something as important as a companion, it becomes unbearable to the point that death is the only resort. “So on we worked and waited for the light, and went without the meat and cursed the bread, and Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet in his head.” Being poor, one physically has something to work towards; being royalty, one already has everything he could ever possibly need. 

         The story of Richard Cory goes to show that royalty and money does not lead to happiness. Richard Cory’s life was ended due to his intimidation toward others; not purposeful, but caused by his royalty and riches. If not so intimidating and mysterious, Richard Cory would not have gone home to put a bullet in his head on that warm summer night. 

Tea Cake analysis

Upon taking one's first bite of a Tea Cake, a faint, but delightful sweetness is detected. At first the cake is light and fluffy, but as the flavor really sinks in one can taste a kick- something like cinnamon. This is much like Janie and Tea Cake in "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Tea Cake's light and genuine personality is what invites her in to fall in love with him. But the "kick" hits her, the self-crushing cinnamon flavor. "Janie looked down on him and felt a self-crushing love. So her soul crawled out from its hiding place," (page 122). Sweet and inviting at first, and a self crushing love once to the core.

Dance, dance, dance

All week long, I have been having mandatory dance classes every day. We have a competition coming up next weekend, and we're cramming last minute practice sessions in to perfect our dances. I am so excited for our dance competition, and I really think we are going to do well. I think we are for sure going to get a first place for one of our numbers, and I'm crossing my fingers for a first for the other dance. On top of dance, I also have mounds of homework adding up all week. This week has been crazy hectic- I don't know if my teachers are just being cruel or what, but they sure did not try and transition us back into the swing of school after our week off from school. My first day back- BAM, they hit me hard with work. I even have a Math essay due tomorrow- a Math essay. Who writes essays for Math? I have to write it about the history of the calculator. I am not looking forward to doing that tonight, along with all of my other homework. Besides all of my work, I am really getting excited for next weekend. Two weekends from that, I have my sister's wedding. I cannot explain how excited I am for that! It is going to be such a fun night. I am the maid of honor, so I get to actually be in the wedding. I have never been in a wedding before and I am really excited. I have a busy month coming up!

Wordly Wise Lesson 7 Parts I & 2 put together

Castigate

“Parisians castigate ‘ignorant’ plans for Hotel Lambert.” (theguardian)

-Paris natives berate all ignorant plans for their new hotel; they don’t even consider them, they completely rule them out and they sharply criticize them.

Colloquial 

“Classes offered at Colloquial Metaphor University.” (CollegeHumor)

• The college is characterized by informal language; the people there use many slang sayings and metaphors. 

Epitaph

“Who's a Hero Now?”(New York Times) : F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the epitaph to this whole sad affair: "Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy. " Bill Freeland Sunnyside, N.Y.

• Scott Fitzgerald wrote the letters engraved on one’s tombstone in memory of a life diseased in this sad affair.

Exodus

“Exodus students: starting the journey.” (exodusinternational.org)

-Exodusinternational.org is a website to help individuals who are about to embark on a serious journey, or an exodus, of accepting their sexuality.

Inter

“Internment of San Francisco Japanese” (The virtual museum of the city of San Franscisco)

-This article describes the deaths and interment of several Japanese in San Fransisco, or the placement of their bodies in their graves. 

Lacerate

“Waitress Lacerates Patron at Hugo's, Alleges Sexual Harassment” (StamfordPatch)

-The waitress at Hugo’s lacerates out alcohol, she breaks it out so quickly to serve to people which leads to sexual harassment. 

Largesse 

“The Privatization of Foreign Aid: Reassessing National Largesse” (Foreign Affairs)

-There was a national gift given; in this case it was a gift of foreign aid.

Obituary

The New York Times: Obituaries. Davy Jones, Monkees Singer, Dies at 66” (The New York Times)

• The New York Times contained an obituary for Davy Jones; a notice of his death in newspaper form.

Omnivorous 

“Making the transition from omnivorous to vegetarianism” (ezine articles)

-In this article, a vegetarian, former omnivore, gives advice to fellow omnivores wishing to change their animal and vegetable diet to a strictly vegetable diet.

Permeate

“Business Clarity should Permeate your business” (business-management.com)

-In this article, a man gives advice on how to permeate, or make your business spread out and become more known and popular.

Rendition

“UK investigations into torture and redition- a guide” (the guardian)

-This article details a series of investigations, seeking to get to the bottom of claims that British officials were involved in a rendition, in this case the performance of abuse to detainees.

Resurgence

“Resilience Thinking: an article for the latest ‘Resurgence’” (transitionculture.org)

-In this article, resilience is offered to others in response to the latest resurgence, or a rising or revival.

Stereotype

“Stereotyping that hurts; stereotyping that helps” (Psych Central)

• In this article, a psychiotrist aims to teach others about the dangers and helps of stereotyping, or the act of making judgements that ignore individual differences in a group of people.

Stipend

“CA students’ stipends to rise with new rule” (The times of India)

• In this article, an Indian clerk tries to rise his regular or fixed amount of pay, or stipend, under the Indian Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Subservient

“Burgerking Subservient Chicken” (Snopes.com)

-This article makes a claim that fast food chain burgerking is behind a “subservient chicken” internet promotion, which would mean burgerking was serving or acting in a subordinate manner.

Claims for "Their Eyes Were Watching God"

"In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie discovers life is a crapshoot. "
 This claim is very weak; first of all it uses the word "crapshoot." I do not think this is a strong, let alone appropriate, claim for this book. I would definitely consider rewording the claim if the person is trying to prove that Janie does not live a good life. However it was me, I would change the claim altogether because I do not believe it is a good claim for the book. Janie's life is not a "crapshoot," because in the end, she seems happy, alone or not.

"In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston proves that the satisfaction of freedom may result from loss."
  This is a very strong claim about Their Eyes Were Watching God. There will be a plentiful amount of textual support from the book to back it up. Through her three marriages gone wrong, Janie ends up happy in the end, alone. Her freedom and independence are what end up making her happy in the end, and her freedom most definitely results from loss- the loss of three husbands, to be exact. It should be a very easy claim to provide support for.

"Their Eyes Were Watching God is a great example of the trials and tribulations of love."
Also another strong claim, however I would refrain from using the word "great" and aim for a more sophisticated word. Throughout the book, Janie journies through the marriages of three different men, all the while getting to know herself better and learning what she does and doesn't like/love. It takes trials of the first two marriages for her to finally find her true love in Tea Cake, however Tea Cake himself ends up to be somewhat of a trial because in the end she ups up happy and alone. There should be a large amount of textual support to back up this claim.

Mardi Gras

So it is Mardi Gras break, and I've been looking forward to this year's Mardi Gras for a good 365 days. On Monday, my friend and I went down to New Orleans for some parades, and the plan was that we would stay with my sister for the night, and then get to go to parades on Mardi Gras day. Well somewhere along the lines my parents decided to call me freaking out because we weren't with my sister yet, and were forcing us to come home. My dad recently got a GPS tracker installed on my phone, because despite the fact that I am the world's most perfect child, he doesn't exactly trust me. As my friend and I are on the way back from New Orleans, he called me and asked me where I was, and I replied with "Just leaving New Orleans." Well he tracked me, and it said that I was near Port Allen. Even though we WEREN'T. I tried telling him that the tracker may just not be accurate, but he did not believe me, and when I returned home I received the news of my grounding. Yep, that's right, I was grounded on Mardi Gras day. A day that was supposed to be tons of fun ended up being one of the worst days I've had in quite a while.

Valentine's Day!

Today is Valentine's Day, a Tuesday, and everyone has tons of treats. Brownies, cookies, cupcakes, cakes, candies- the list is never ending. However I am on a diet; I've been trying to eat healthier. So I can proudly say that I have not given in and eaten any of these delicacies, despite my raging sweet tooth. I have only eaten 3 apples for the day, and have drinken a ton of water. I plan to eat a nice salad for lunch, and then a nice 200 calorie can of soup for dinner. The best feeling in the world is accomplishing a healthy diet. And  I suppose having a valentine on valentine's day isn't too bad either.. I actually have a valentine this year, and I am quite content. However he has a baseball game today, so unfortunately I will be doing no celebrating. I am okay with this though because I have four tests this week and a project, plus other homework on top of that. So that is how I will be spending my valentine's day this year.

Sister's Bridal Shower

Today, Sunday, was my sister's bridal shower. She is getting married in 39 days, on March 24. I am her maid of honor, so I had to help out a lot with the shower and setting up. The house that the party was held at belongs to the parents of her best friend since middle school. It is a beautiful house, but the mom is an extreme perfectionist. She is the most OCD person ever, and we call her "crazy-pants." So I was in charge of filling all of the candy bowls around the house with the specially colored candies we had purchased to match the color-theme of the party. I could not find any scissors, so I figured I'd just open the bag by hand. Something went wrong, and the bag completely exploded and hundreds and hundreds of little purple candies went flying everywhere. I'm talking hitting the ceiling, the windows- everywhere. I froze; I had no idea how to proceed. Suddenly I snapped back into it; and immediately just dove to the floor to try and begin cleaning up a mess that appeared would take hours. I was thankfully able to get every candy- or so what appeared to be every candy- up just in time before the mother entered the room. It was the closest call ever.

Sequel to "The Yellow Wallpaper"

            Why I have been put in this place I do not know the answer to. There are no lines or patterns on the walls here- how incredulous! The walls are blank! I do not want white walls! How will I see the woman? I have no way of reaching her now. How will I know what she's up to? She must be watched at all times. How will I know if she escaped? I have to help her. She needs my help!
            There was no reason for him to have fainted. How could John be so queer. He knew I was getting better! I knew; she knew. She helped me get better. I need to help her. How can I help her here? They do not know that I am still writing. I hid the paper. It was not easy- and I'm afraid much too personal to explain how I was able to hide it. But I did, and now I am writing, in this little room, and I am afraid to say I do not feel much better. I can feel the nerves creeping back in now. They are coming back. They do not know that these little rooms do not help me. I need to be out- I need to be helping, working. I need to help the woman.
            - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -  -

             My nerves are back, but I believe I've found a way to get them to go away. I have to do what these people say; I have to make them think I am better just as I fooled John. Then they will let me go, and I can see the woman. And I can go back to my normal ways- I must work. Working is the answer, I need something to keep me occupied and my nerves can go away. They are coming now, I must stop writing.

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - -  -
              I did it! I fooled them all. I am out of that horrid little room with no patterns on the wall for me to follow. I am back home- John is away at work. There is nobody in the house with me today- I have the day off from work. I was right, working helped. It made my nerves leave me once again. Days like these when I have off, I like to wonder into the den. There is, though I never noticed before, a distinct little pattern on the walls in here. So here I sit- writing, watching, helping the poor man that is trapped inside these walls.

JV problems.

      I am on the JV soccer team, and have become really close with all of the girls on the team. We have this thing where we say "JV problems" because we also seem to get into the strangest of situations, and have the strangest of problems. Yesterday, our last game, was no exception to this common occurrence. In fact, since it was our last game, just our luck, our problems were the strangest they have ever been.
      It all started when we arrived in Mandeville (an hour and a half away from home) and the girls restroom was very, very crowded. We all had to use the bathroom badly, so we were forced to go in the men's bathroom. This was our JV problem #1.
      Next, my teammate Julia forgot her fleece on the bus, and she was very cold. So me and 2 of my other friends agreed to go with her to get it. Julia asked our coach for the key to the bus, and she gave her a keychain with about 7 different keys on it. About halfway back to the bus (a long walk), we realized that our coach did not tell Julia which key it was that opened the bus. JV problem #2.
       So we arrive at the bus, already having decided that we were just going to have to try every key until we found one that worked. Little did we know, there were not one but two locks we had to get through. JV problem #3.
       After finding the key for the first lock, we are attempting to open the second one. The bus number was 38D, and we found a key labeled 38D, so naturally we figured that it was the winner. After trying that key every which way, upside down, inside out, for 10 minutes, we decided to try the others. No luck. We try the original key for about 10 more minutes, and finally just gave up. JV problem #4.
       Right when we were about to give up for good, my friend Lauren remembered that she left her window open. So we walk around to the window, and decide to form a cheer-squad type formation and lift Lauren (the smallest) up through the window. After much struggling, we finally get her enough into the window to where we can let go of her feet and she will not fall. Just when we think she is through and all of our problems are solved... her feet get stuck. Yes, she gets stuck in the window. JV problem #5.
      After she gets unstuck, we get the jacket, and we get the bus all locked up again, we return to the field. Everything is good to go now, but since we have to wait until the varsity game is over before we can play, we all start to get a little hungry. The parents had supplied us with snacks-galore, so we ask our coaches where they put all of the snacks. They reply with, "They're on the bus." J.V. PROBLEMS.

Robert Frost essay

Robert Frost, well known American author of several poems, can be seen to write with a recurring theme. His poems can be interpreted in many ways, but when looked at closely one can explore the terrifying side to his works, directly or not obvious at all. Using different techniques, Robert Frost can be proved to be a terrifying poet. 

When one is terrified, he is made uncomfortable in some sort of way. When a situation is vexatious, the obvious and primary emotion is fear. Unfamiliarity with someone or something also instills terror in an individual. “Mending Wall” by Robert Frost depicts several situations in which an individual is made to feel uncomfortable and  not accustomed to a situation. “I see him there, bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top in each hand, like an old stone savaged armed. He moves in darkness as it seems to me,” presents abstruse actions being performed by the “he” in the poem, “moving in darkness” and “armed.” The behavior of the individual makes the reader uncomfortable, therefore terrorizing him in a subtle way. 

Separation from someone or something can also be said to terrorize someone. Solitude or ostracism have ways of frightening those that they affect. “And on a day we meet to walk the line and set the wall between us once again. We keep the wall between us as we go,” depicts the literal and figurative wall that separates and defines the two, making them different and unfamiliar with each other. “Before I built a wall I’d ask to know what I was walling in or walling out, and to whom I was like to give offence. ‘Something there is that doesn’t love a wall, that wants it down,’” illustrates the opposition that the speaker has to a wall, fearing separation. 

Obstacles in any situation inflicts terror on an individual. Whether it be fearing the unknown, being unfamiliar with the problem, or just being unaware on how to proceed, obstacles are terrifying.  “To each the boulders that have fallen to each. And some are loaves and some so nearly balls we have to use a spell to make them balance: ‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’ We wear our fingers rough with handling them,” presents boulders as an obvious encumbrance to the speaker, causing uneasiness and adulteration. The boulders are damaging; anything that one knows to cause damage also causes fear along with it, terrorizing those whom it overtakes. 

Robert Frost, a true american terrifying poet, uses discrete ways of presenting his readers with terrifying situations. By using obstacles, unfamiliarity, and separation, he inflicts terror on others. Direct or obvious, if written by Robert Frost, it is a terrifying piece of work.

hashtag.. honeybadger.

      On Sunday night, my friends and I were bored, hungry, and wanted to get together. So we called each other up, and made plans to go to a restaurant. What restaurant? We couldn't choose. We all wanted to go somewhere different. Finally, we decided on WalkOns over by LSU.
      We all meet at the restaurant. We sit down, get our menus. As we're ordering our drinks- we all ordered water, in our attempt to diet, we noticed that the place was pretty crowded for a Sunday night.
       We order appetizers- lots of fattening food- and we are about to order our entree's. Next thing I know my friend Alexandra is tapping me on the shoulder with her mouth hanging open pointing across the restaurant. It was Tyrann Mathieu. The amazing football player for LSU. Also famously known as the honey-badger from the famous youtube video. I could not believe my eyes.
        We were so starstruck. After we all went up and got our pictures with him and told him our names, we walked back to our table quite content and feeling like we were famous ourselves. It was a pretty exciting experience.

Richard Cory Essay

Lisa Burris

McElveen

English II

January 17, 2012       

The Story of Richard Cory

          E.A. Robinson’s poem “Richard Cory” portrays a man who is envied by others in Tilbury Town.  He is looked at with wide eyes; eyes that belonged to those wishing for qualities like his, yearning for a similar lifestyle. However much like in today’s time, along with fame and fortune comes obstacles: solitude, confinement, and ostracism. Factors that can control their victim and steer them towards a certain fate, an unfortunate fate that Richard Cory fell into. Richard Cory’s intimidation toward others and the tendency that people have to fear the unknown is what brought him to his lonely life and sudden death. 

         Richard Cory’s intimidation toward others is illustrated in many ways. “Whenever Richard Cory went downtown we people looked at him,” plays a key role in making Mr. Cory feel like an outsider. He was never spoken to; just watched. He had no communication with the outside world. The townspeople could never have expected that he desired their company; royalty should not desire the company of ordinary people, it was not normal. Despite Mr. Cory’s attempts at conversation, he remained unanswered: “And he was always human when he talked; but still he fluttered pulses when he said, ‘Good morning,’ and he glittered when he walked.” He was the nicest man that could not get anyone to speak to him; not one person that he could share things with. His intimidation is what caused him to be utterly alone.

         Mr.Cory’s intimidation brings fear to the town; fear of the unknown. “Whenever Richard Cory went down town, we people on the pavement looked at him,” explains the distance that the town keeps from Richard Cory. Though not always a literal distance, they are never there with him in spirit, always watching him from a ways away. This is caused by their fear of the unknown; the fear of the superior, royalty; in this case, Richard Cory. 

          In the town of Tilbury, when everyone only lives to pass the time until death, the people have limits. Everyone in the town is missing something, which is a key factor in their misery. When everyone wants to die, it is only a matter of time before one reaches his breaking point. The criticality of whatever they are lacking determines the time left before one parishes. One can physically yearn for food and riches and be stable, but when he lacks something as important as a companion, it becomes unbearable to the point that death is the only resort. “So on we worked and waited for the light, and went without the meat and cursed the bread, and Richard Cory, one calm summer night, went home and put a bullet in his head.” Being poor, one physically has something to work towards; being royalty, one already has everything he could ever possibly need. 

         The story of Richard Cory goes to show that royalty and money does not lead to happiness. Richard Cory’s life was ended due to his intimidation toward others; not purposeful, but caused by his royalty and riches. If not so intimidating and mysterious, Richard Cory would not have gone home to put a bullet in his head on that warm summer night. 

The sport of soccer

        The sport of soccer has been known to cause hundreds of thousands of injuries- broken ankles, torn ACL's, concussions, hurt knees- the list goes on. However for me it has caused something more internal.
        It was just a normal Wednesday- I had study-hall first, ending the day with Math. Wasn't too terribly boring, but it certainly wasn't an eventful day. That is, until I got to soccer practice.
         My friend Alexandra had called me to ask if I could bring her home, and I replied with, "well aren't you going to practice?" She says, "no, I forgot my stuff at home." I tell her that I cannot bring her home because I, on the other hand, am going to practice. So I arrive at the field, and soon find out that my coach, who is normally a pretty cheery person, is not in one of the best of moods. Word gets around and soon we all find out that he has a tough day of fitness in store for us- that is, a lot of sprinting. Moans and groans spread throughout the cluster of girls, and soon some ideas are getting voiced about what we should do instead of sprinting- sometimes our players think that they are the coaches. My coach likes one of the ideas and decides that we will do that instead- a game in which you sprint around a cone at the each of each round and then continue to partake in a mini scrimmage. Better than sprinting, yes, but not much better. He separates the team in half, each on one side of the field. We play this game for a majority of our practice time, all the while he is keeping score of how many times defense wins the ball over how many times offense scores. He announces that whoever is losing by the end of practice will have to do fitness at the end- more sprinting. I hear this and just about die on the inside- I was already breathing and panting so hard that I thought that I might legitimately pass out if I had to do any more sprints. When it comes down to the last round, my coach announces that we are tied, and that whoever wins this last round is the winner for the day. I am on offense, so I pushed myself the hardest that I ever could to score a goal. My attempted shot misses- so we must redo the round because nobody gets the point. My shot misses again- another redo. I decide to give it one more big push before my body could physically not take anymore. Another redo. He tells us to line up again. I start out to do just that when I realize that I cannot breathe. I stop right where I am. I try to catch my breath, failing. I start to freak out a little. Everyone else is in position, except for me. My coach sees me then- "Lisa, are you alright?" I can't speak, trying to concentrate on getting air out- which I still cannot do. I shake my head no. He says, "do you need a sub?" I nod my head yes. He runs over to me and asks, worriedly,  "what's the matter?" By this time I haven't been breathing for quite some time, so I start to cry, saying hysterically, "I can't breathe." In my head I'm thinking that I'm about to die. For months, ever since soccer started, I've been noticing that I've had trouble breathing. I had been meaning to tell my parents about it so we could get checked out by a doctor, because I figured I might have some form of athletic asthma.  However it had never been this severe before. My coach tries to help me through it, telling me, "Don't cry. You have to calm down. Crying will only make things worse. You have to be calm in order for you to get any air out." So I try to stop crying, and after about a minute I am able to calm down. Another 15 seconds, and I can finally get some air out. I am thanking the Gods that I am breathing. I had never been so scared in my life. Immediately after practice I tell my parents about the ordeal, and they call my doctor. I have an appointment to go see her next week, but in the meantime, she called me in an inhaler, and I am currently using that. The sport of soccer is a very dangerous sport.

The Clerks

        This picture exemplifies the theme of the poem because it shows how fast time goes by; it shows how meaningless it really is. "The Clerks" illustrates a group of elderly men that are "just as human as they ever were." Time does not change anything about who a person is, despite the many fears of the younger generations. "What comes of all your visions and your fears?" is saying that there is not point in fearing growing old, for it is going to happen no matter what,  and we should not waste away our years worrying and fearing our aging. Growing old is not something to fear.

Richard Cory 4th Stanza

And he was lonely, yes- lonely, for he was far too sacred,
being so wise and fine that others, others could not understand.
For along with the admiration, comes the hatred
But what's that to him- for Richard Cory was an admired man.

Wordly Wise Lesson 5

1. My teacher expresses much acrimony when teaching us; she is not pleasant, she is very sharp and bitter.
2. My friend’s mom and dad shared an affinity for one another the second that they met; it was love at first sight- they were never not attracted to each other.
3. I was feeling ambivalent; the plan sounded like a good idea, however it was very risky; I had mixed feelings on how to proceed.
4. There was a cessation in the rain; for weeks the town was in a drought; the rain just stopped coming.
5. The abandoned animals were completely emaciated; they had no meat or fat on their bones; they were very thin from lack of nourishment.
6. Yellowstone National park is a famous enclave located in the states of Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho; it is a distinct region located in another one.
7. Fresh grapes dry out to engender raisins; therefore raisins are produced by grapes.
8. Trying to step in in a fight is just going to exacerbate someone; it is not going to help, it’s only going to make him more bitter and violent.
9. Trespassing on private property is illicit, it is not allowed, proper, or lawful.
10. Lions are indigenous to Africa; they are very likely to live in that area; they are native to the land. 11.The gorillas were inexorable in their fight; you could not stop them; they were completely relentless.
12. My friend is infatuated with a love for Zac Efron, a very famous actor; she foolishly believes that they will one day fall in love and get married.
13. My little cousin is a spoiled, insatiable brat; he gets everything he wants and still is never happy; he is greedy.
14. Videos on Hurricane Katrina are poignant; they are not pleasant, but they are painfully moving and touching.
15. Some people spend their entire lives proselytizing others; their job in life is to convert people to a certain faith.

Discussion on January 3, 2012

I think the discussion that we had about changing up the second semester was a very good idea. I really like the idea of a blog and am thoroughly enjoying it.  I also like the idea of doing independent reading time  on Friday's. With school and all of my extracurricular activities, I haven't been finding the time to read lately. I am currently in the middle of a book that I started this summer and haven't gotten the chance to finish.

Mr. Flood's Party

        “Mr. Flood’s Party,” a poem by Edward Arlington Robinson, portrays a character that thoroughly illustrates the life and qualities of an individual living in Tillbury Town. Shown through his severe loneliness, negativity, drunkenness, and depression; Mr. Flood lives his life with the mindset that dying is his only goal, making no attempt to accomplish anything in his life.

Mr.Flood’s negativity plays a key role in his stereotype of a Tillbury townsman. He  exemplifies the qualities of a pessimist, always looking at the drawbacks in a situation, living with a “the glass is half empty” sort of view. Referring to the harvest moon, he comments that, “we may not have many more”.