currently

Weekly Reading Log

this week: 202
last week 186
semester: 1000 (that's odd...)

Alrighty, I'm sitting in class right now trying to figure out what to do next. I don't really want to blog right now, because I want to work on my paper so it doesn't sound like crap and so I don't have to do it over the weekend. I have the SAT tomorrow morning and I'm kinda freaking out about it because I hate standardized tests. I always do bad on them because I overthink, plus as you can tell I'm really bad at those grammar/ reading comprehension quizes. I just never know which sentence is written correctly. I get so tripped up. I'm fine with the math, I always get in the top percentiles when I take these tests, which is odd because I'm retaking precal/trig this year. I'm really not that smart. I think I'm going to bring a lot of food tomorrow and try to wear the most comfortable clothes possible. Tomorrow is going to suck  i mean vacuum. Whatever. Kim Possible out. Call me, page me, if you wanna reach me.

this can get a bit systematic

Okay, to be honest at first I thought this whole blogging thing was going to be fun. Now my opinion has turned tables. I still like the fact that the class is loose and we have more freedom in what we write and so on, and I know it is school so I shouldn't complain, but it is getting a bit tedious and systematic. It might be because I hate scheduled things and having to do the same thing in a time frame. I never really got into the whole journal bit. I did for awhile, but when I kept a journal it was more personal things I wrote down, and on this I can't be personal. I don't like telling people my problems. ANYWHO, I'm not a fan of writing about my week like I'm recounting my highs and lows to my grandparents on the phone or describing the book I just read like it was the most interesting thing I did all week. well, I guess this probably sounds like a personal problem so I'll stop complaining.

Contagion

So i read the rest of the book, it was a peculiar one for sure. I usually don't like books that aren't set in this time period, but this one was easy to get into, probably because it was a little more of a science-fiction type of book. I'm not exactly sure what kind of [genre] VOCAB WORD! BAM! (that was a cheap one) it would really fall into. It was about a disease that was killing everyone...it kinda reminded me of the mad cow/ bird flu/ H2N1 scares. I am kinda excited to see the movie that is coming out...even though it looks as if the movie is set in today's time. I guess it's a modern day's take on the whole problem, which is wierd because the book was written in 2010. I'll just link the trailer so people can watch it:
http://youtu.be/4sYSyuuLk5g

the movie looks more interesting than the book by far, a lot more action.

due tuesday

This is that claim paragraph thing we are supposed to do.
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  V
       In Bérenger's black and white photograph, his dramatic contrast and enticing depth of field draw the viewer into the picture with active negative space that elevates the shadows from the composition to illustrate a mysterious yet michevious mood. The contrast of the the rich blacks and soft whites set of an aroma of depth. The placement of objects in the photograph creates depth throughout so it is as if you yourself are in the image. It's precise but subtle outlines of objects enhance the negative spaces and insintuates the shadows so that it displays a playful atmosphere with the children running through the fog. 

ACTUALLY THIS ISN'T IT. THIS IS PART OF IT..... I FORGOT IT HAD TO BE TYPED AND ITS JUST NOT DONE.

sentences of the month

Out of all my sentences of the week entries the three that I like the most are:

1. "It's like walking past a mirror you've walked past every day of your life, and suddenly it shows you something else, something troubling and strange" (page 36).

-from the novel Never Let Me Go

2.."At one stage I found myself on a road I'd never been on, and for about half an hour I didn't know where I was and didn't exactly care" (page 288).
-from the novel Never Let Me Go

3."Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring."

-Marilyn Monroe

Running out of time

I almost forgot to blog. Thank goodness I remembered! Conveniently I found a blogger app for my iPod, so I don't have to go to my computer I can just do this while I'm sitting in bed. Well to wrap this week I will start with the reading log
WEEKLY READING LOG
This week: 186
Last week: 184
Semester: 798


Sentences of the week:

1."the earth belongs to the living not the dead" -Thomas Jefferson Aja Tommy J
2. "imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring" -marilyn monroe

Today, I got some new moccasins. I've had my old ones since the beginning of Sophmore tear. They are torn to pieces and they aren't even the same color anymore. I was really excited, so I thought I'd share that little piece of information. Sometimes I feel like people don't really get happy about things like this. I like to share my excitement, because all there is to hear are sad depressing stories about twisted people and their crazy escapades. It gets old. There is a time to be sad, but there is a time to be happy. I prefer the happy side to life. Also tomorrow is homecoming! I'm pretty stoked about that. I love football games, everyone should go because it will be a blast, along with the pep rally. That's going to be fun, seeing as I've never been to a pep rally my whole high school career because they've been ruled as "uneducational". Whatever it actually puts a damper on the students morale. Sometimes administration doesn't really know what is best for the student body. Well I'm going down a road I don't wanna go so I'll stop at that. Wild wild west is the theme so I'm hoping to see some cowboys/ cowgirls. I personally won't be dressing up because I have nothing so that's about it. Have a great life y'all. Lylas. Lylab. Call me, page me, if you wanna reach me. Kim possible OUT.

CLAIM PARTY!

Five claims I thought were "specific and authoritative" were one's of:

1. UNDERWATER
The Ground Zero Memorial in New York, where the Twin Towers once stood, is a sincere and gorgeous memorial for all the ones who died on 9/11. The beautiful waterfall is a wonderful and memorable idea to fill the empty spot where the towers once stood. People visit this touching, unique and magnificent memorial from all over the world.
2. Case 1
[In this scene from Nick Cannons film Drumline, the aggressive and alert style, quick, narrow movement, and percussive, thundering rhythm] expresses[an alive sense of energetic celebration and modest jubilation]
3. T-Rex
In this video of Adele preforming "Someone Like You" live, the audiance hears her explosive, elegant voice, with lyrics that have a powerful, motionless, old-fashioned message to them that creates a tranquil vibe throughout the theater.
4. The New Zealander
Claim: On the album cover of Titus Andronicus's "The Airing of Grievances," the commanding, classic font and layout of the cover, as well as the cluttered and colorful use of space in the photograph convey the band's homely practice environment and admiration for the old-fashioned symbols of history.  
5. Peanut Butter Without the JellyThe sweet tasing sensation of a skittle releases a flavor of fruitiness drowing all your taste buds in a pool of heaven. The numerous amount of these miniture, round, chewy candies create a rainbow effect in your mouth when devoured.

The one I thought had the "most creative, original, or otherwise interesting artifact for its close reading" was:

drumroll.............

UNDERWATER!
I thought this one deserved my vote on account that it was the most creative and thoughtful.
you can visit this blog at: http://allison789.blogspot.com/

Neat Photography

In Bérenger's black and white photograph, his dramatic contrast and enticing depth of field draw the viewer into the picture with active negative space that elevates the shadows from the composition to illustrate an ominous and mysterious mood.

Poet of the year?

I'm just a bit perplexed on how we are supposed to go about doing this. Am I supposed to pick any poet or are my choices limited to the ones given to us? Not exactly sure, so I'll just pick out of the ones already displayed. I guess out of these I would say I admire Dave Etter's "Marcus Millsap: School Day Afternoon". I like this because it illustrates a homey, familiar feel to it. It to me reads as if a stream of his thoughts are being spilled onto his paper rather than him actually setting out to write a poem. It reads as if it were a poem by accident. I then looked him up on the poetry foundation website and found another poem I liked. It was called, "When Sister Pearl Does Her Homework". It didn't have the same feel as the other, it was actually kinda in mockery of her. It shows all of the things she did rather than her actual homework. I can relate to it a bit because I myself tend to drift while doing homework.

the log

WEEKLY READING LOG
this week: 184
last week: 168
semester: 612
favorite sentences:

1. "I lost Ruth then I lost Tommy, but I won't lose my memories of them" (page 287).

This sentence really stuck out to me while reading because it was towards the end of the book and it seemed to just wrap things up in a sort of carefree manner. It was like even though all of these bad things were happening that she was at peace with herself and the situation.
2."At one stage I found myself on a road I'd never been on, and for about half an hour I didn't know where I was and didn't exactly care" (page 288).

This sentence gave me a feeling of solitude. Like she didn't have to be anywhere at any particular time and she didn't have to worry about anything. The book ended with how I'd imagine a closing scene of a movie. The screen would fade out and she'd be driving away not to any point or in any rush.

on to the next

I finally finished Never Let Me Go. It was such a sad book. It was hopeless, but for some reason I liked it. The whole time I kept wondering why Kath, Ruth, Tommy, and the others wouldn't just run away, pretend that they were normal, or just refuse. The only reason I could come up with is that they were basically brain washed into thinking that is all they were made out to be from the day they were born created. That's all they were worth. It really made me angry towards the end of the book during the discussion at Madame's house with Kath, Tommy, and Miss Emily. Miss Emily would be seen in the book as an advocate for these people, but in my perspective she doesn't seem to care as much as she says. She seems like the person who will do something for others as long as it doesn't inconvenience herself. That was possibly why Hailsham closed. Not enough effort was put in to it. The whole book had a great concept, being a typical romantic/passion driven teenage girl I probably would have liked it to end differently. I more sappy, happy ever after ending. I wasn't fond of the awkward love triangle at the end or the passing away of the friends, and the let down of the "rumour" but I guess not everything in books has to have a perfect ending. In all the book was interesting, and i am extremely interested in watching the movie. The actors don' t really fit the images I imagined while reading. I pictured Tommy to be more broad, Kathy to have long straight brown hair, and Ruth to have shoulder length curly black hair. I guess they'll do as actors. The girl from Black Swan plays Ruth, which is surprising because I honestly have never heard about this movie until this week.

Since I'm done with that book, I found a book named Contagion. I got it from the downtown library last weekend. Coincidentally, after I check it out and bring it home I start to watch t.v. and guess what? The book has been made into a movie and it is coming out soon. Happens to me everytime. It's not that I don't mind watching a movie of a book I have read, but all of a sudden the characters from the movie override my images of the characters I created in my mind so that I've completely forgot what I imagined them to be in the first place. It takes the whole personal feeling out of a book because everyone has almost the same perspective once they've watched the movie.

Johnny Appleseed

If you are new to the area, or just a complete hermit I've got some news for you! But if not, then just a little reminder. This weekend is Johnny Appleseed Festival. I haven't been for the last couple years, so I am super excited. I used to go with my grandparents, but not anymore. I'm probably going to buy some craft, they usually sell homemade rings. They are always pretty cool. I might even look for a christmas gift there for my brother Kevin because he likes weird things like walking sticks. There is so much to do. There is all different kinds of homemade foods including just about anything you can make with apples, they have homemade root beer, they have all of these old timey decorations, and a little petting zoo. Its an 1800 period style festival so don't be suprised by the outfits of the workers, they may be wearing bonnets and breaches. I also heard that there was a civil war re-enactment? Not sure about that one. So if anyone wants to go, DO IT. I'm probably going to go Saturday because I work Sunday. I believe its open 10a.m. - 6p.m. on Saturday and then 10a.m. - 5p.m. on Sunday. OH AND ITS FREE! (except parking, thats like $4)

get money

Today, I got my first paycheck. Honestly I am feeling pretty good. All the talk about taxes and about how much is taken out to me seems a bit farfetched and overdramatized. I don't really see it as that big of a deal. It is just one of those things that come with the territory.

I don't really know what I'm going to do with my money. I don't have a specific thing I'm really saving for other than spending money while I'm in college. I guess that will be my goal, even though I'm not sure how much I'm going to need. I think I'm going to invest in a pair of shoes, because I love shoes. Then that will be it. I probably could be categorized as a penny pincher. I hate spending my money. So I'm just going to limit myself on each paycheck just in case there is something later on that I "need".

If I get shoes I want some that are pretty, but comfortable. I'm debating on either getting Toms, a pair of sneakers, or some more moccasins because mine are completely ruined. Well, that is pretty much it. Thats my exciting news.

campus life? w-w-what?

Alright, well this post is just to spread the word and get some more words in for my word count. I would like to invite all of my fellow classmates to the Campus Life Kickoff after the football game this Friday! It will just be at the football field so no worries about driving somewhere else. It is only $5 and you get a SWEET bracelet, a t-shirt, and food (which I think its pizza, but don't quote me). It will be really fun, so don't be the kid who thinks they are too cool for...well anything that everyone is invited to. I think it will be really fun, mainly because a lot of people are going to be coming anyways, so the more the merrier! This is what the bracelets will look like:

Also the green one is glow in the dark. So that adds to the complete amazingness of this all. The shirts I believe will be a dark greyish with black and blue writing on them. I'm not entirely sure on that one either. Whatever color they are I'm sure they will be worth the $5. So go, it'll be fun. JUST DO IT.

sum total of the week

I've been reading quite a bit and I'm pretty far through Never Let Me Go, but I'm in a part where it feels like there is no plot or point to what I'm reading. Its just detailing days in her past and she will say things like "this all connects to and brings me back to this" and so on but I really never get the underlying point as to why its said or important to begin with. Well I just want to know how the book ends already. As you can tell I'm not a patient reader and I like fast paced books.

This week I came across some pretty entertaining sentences and they are:

1. It's not an optical illusion. It just looks like one.

2. I'm too tired to sleep.

I decided that these would probably be my favorites I've seen/heard this week. The first one I saw on the internet in some small margin to the side and I thought it much of an oxymoron. The second one my friend said to me and I thought that was also a little contradictory.

WEEKLY READING LOG
this week: 168
last week: 156
last last week: 104

semester: 428

Never Let Me Go cont.

By the way if you want to read Never Let Me Go this may possibly be a spoiler alert:

Alright, I've gotten a lot farther into the book. I've just breached part two. So far I've found out that Kath and the children who were at Hailsham were different from the rest of the world. I'm not exactly sure what they are but 1. they can't have babies because their bodies can't produce them. 2. they were created for the soul purpose of donations. There entire existence revolves around donating their vital organs to others.

When I found this out it was kind of depressing. Miss Lucy was the guardian who told them out of vast anger because none of the children knew. In my opinion was a good choice because they should have the right to know. How would you like to find out some day that your heart was going to be taken from you to give to someone else randomly without a choice? I'd be pretty angry, but on the other hand if I knew before I'd probably still feel the same.

This little bit of information is a bit perplexing because Kath is narrarating this story, and I'm sure she is probably old by now. I'm just wondering why she hasn't donated anything yet. SO MANY QUESTIONS.

I also heard that a movie came out of this book only last year, which is really suprising because I've never heard of it until now. So I may look into that one after I'm done reading this. Here is what the cover looks like:

the word on the book

Okay, so i've been reading Never Let Me Go and I've gotten a little bit farther. As I expected Kath does go back and talk about her childhood, actually its taking up a lot of the book. Honestly I'm kinda getting sick of all the minor details that keep describing each character. I am hoping this book gets a little more fast paced and possibly some conflict.

Earlier in the book I came across a passage that stuck out to me, here it is:

"So you're waiting, even if you don't quite know it, waiting for the moment when you realise that you really are different to them; that there are people out there, like Madame, who don't hate you or wish you any harm, but who nevertheless shudder at the very thought of you--of how you were brought into this world and why--and who dread the idea of your hand brushing against theirs. The first time you glimpse yourself through the eyes of a person like that, it's a cold moment. It's like walking past a mirror you've walked past every day of your life, and suddenly it shows you something else, something troubling and strange" (page 36).

I found this quite interesting to think about, I'm not quite sure what it means yet. It seems pretty dark, like I'm going to find out there is actually something wrong with the children at Hailsham or if there is just something wrong with Madame for being scared of the children. I'm not entirely sure on this one.

trying to get with the program

Today in class we are on our laptops going through each other's blogs and commenting/liking them. Today I visited A Scrap of Parchment, TheyCallMeFreshMoney, Hog Smog Blog, RocketGuild, BookLover17, T-Rex, Stormy Days, Banana Smoothie, and Wolf Spot from third period and then JimmehFTWand Keep it Classy from first period. I commented on TheyCallMeFreshMoney, RocketGuild, and JimmehFTW's blogs. 

Latest on Reading

Yesterday I started reading Never Let Me Go and I am pleasantly surprised. It is actually interesting. It isn't the kind of book that I normally read, but I guess it is time to start reading other types of books. I'm now halfway through chapter four and I'm pretty sure I'm going to read this one all the way through.

Favorite Sentences This Week
"The memories I value most, I don't ever see them fading."

"It had never occurred to me that our lives, which had been so closely interwoven, could unravel with such speed."
WORD COUNT
this week: 156
last week: 104
this semester: 260

Not My Cup of Tea

I recently was reading The Magic Kindom by Stanley Elkin, I got about two-thirds of the way through the book. I couldn't read it anymore because there is absolutely no suspense or element of suprise to the book. It is written in a series of events. Things happen and that's it. The plot isn't really that difficult to guess, and on the back cover of the book it pretty much gives the reader a clue. This was what I get for judging a book by it's cover. In all fairness the cover of the book was nice looking. Good job Stanley for having a nice cover.

Today, the first day of September, I started reading Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's a novel that is, so far, told by a narrarator named Kathy. She is a carer, which is some sort of nurse, and she is modestly proud of her twelve years in this service, but it seems like she is anxious to get out. She continually alludes back to places of her past, so I'm sensing a flashback later on or something to do with her past  will become extremely relevant to the story. I've got much more to read since I am only one chapter into the book. It seems pretty promising and I hope it keeps my attention.