My Last Blog

Overall, I think blogging was a good experience. It was a positive way for me to show my creativity. Although i didn't like many of the things we had to blog about, I would probably enjoy a normal blog because I am a very opinionated person. I really enjoyed the blog when we got to write the ending to The Pit and the Pendulum. Outside of that, I didn't really like any of the blogs, but then again it is a positive thing to take out of my life. And will be a good thing in the future.

Mrs. Wolff

I have a few things to suggest for next year. One, make it incredibly difficult. My little sister will be in that class and it should be harder than my junior year was. That is just only fair. Also, if you show your class a movie, let them finish it. Stick to the idea of SQ4R-ing all the notes, that helps a lot come test time. And keep the Graffiti Board. It is a very good tool for class discussions, and helps you figure things out that you might have missed in the story before. And don't give essay tests.

Gatsby Soundtrack

1) "Makin' Whoopee!" by Eddie Walters This song fits the Gatsby soundtrack as it deals with the loose relationships that were shown in the book. How wives were not as important as they should have been and that adultery was not that big of a deal as it is now. 2) "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey Not only is this a fantastic song, characters in TGG just give up on things and each other way to easily. Daisy switches between Tom and Gatsby all the time during the book, just have a little faith in someone Daisy. 3) "It Don't Mean a Thing (if you aint got that swing) by Duke Ellington Classic song that fit into the 20s party style perfectly. 4) "Nobody Lied When They Said that I Cried Over You" by Marion Harris This song summarizes how Gatsby felt when he figured out Daisy married Tom while he was in the War

Twain Quotes

"A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." This quote means alot to me. In a world were society tries to tell you what being succesful is, this quote shows that if you don't approve of yourself, you will never be happy. I like this quote because I like my opinions and enjoy being opinionated. I don't take crap from other people, and have found happyness in myself. It may seem selfish, but honestly if you can't accept yourself as you, then you can't go on in life and hope to be happy.

My TV Show

I really enjoy the tv show Blue Mountain State. It is a tv show about a fictional college football team at Blue Mountain State. It is hilarious, and shows the life of four freshman as they battle through college football and college life itself. Some of the scenarios they find themselves in are crazy and innapropriate to write in a blog. But still it is by far my favorite tv show ever. The best part is, you don't need to like football to enjoy Blue Mountain State. All you need is a solid sense of humor and you will find yourself laughing for the full 45 minutes.

Civil Rights Stories

http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/info-05-2011/freedom-riders-breach.html This is a story of the Freedom Riders. The Freedom Riders were people who rode through the South, to try and fight fair rights for people on buses. Their cause was similar to what King was preaching. Non-violence. In the face of danger these people had to put aside their fears of death and continue on with what they knew was right. Jail time and beatings were often associated with the Freedom Riders, but these strong individuals put this behind them to prove their point and stand up for what they believe in. King was a strong supporter of the Freedom Riders and felt they were a big part of the Civil Rights Movement in the idea of promoting non-violence.

Walk through Harlem

Walking through Harlem made me realize how close everything was to eachother. Lots of famous people lived in Harlem, very close to eachother. Going down streets, you could see many clubs where famous musicians played. A few art galleries that housed many famoua paintings from this time. It all is similar from the Harlem in HOS. It was the place to be for blacks back then.

Having My Say

Here is something I feel strongly about, the BCS Committee. The BCS system for college football is absolutly outrageous. I don't understand why they don't have a playoff system for the top, 16 teams per say. And then there can be bowl games for the teams that don't make the top 16 team cut. But there are to many good teams in college football that get over-looked for stupid reasons. Like Boise St. playing in a weak conference, or teams losing to many games. There should be a playoff system to give every team a chance to make a run for the National Championship.

Middle Passage

This picture is a sad reality. It truly shows that the slaves of the middle passage where given no personal life. They had little to no food or water, and almost no personal time. All they did, was sit on their wooden benches underneath the deck of a ship.

There was a Child went Forth

I can relate to the very first stanza of the poem. As a child, I can see myself being easily influenced upon by my surroundings. So when the poem said 'the object became a part of him' I felt like I could relate because that is how I used to be when I was younger. I would watch TV, and see celebrities and try to be like them. The same I did with my friends, we all acted similar, liked similar things, and that is why we were friends.

Dickinson Reflection

Death is like the insect by Emily Dickinson
Death is like the insect
Menacing the tree,
Competent to kill it,
But decoyed may be.

Bait it with the balsam,
Seek it with the saw,
Baffle, if it cost you
Everything you are.

Then, if it have burrowed
Out of reach of skill --
Wring the tree and leave it,
'Tis the vermin's will.

Basically she is saying death is like an insect trying to get at a tree. Death is the insect, and you are the tree. Death comes in many forms, as there are many insects in the world. And the main goal of the insect, is to get inside the tree and destroy it. Which is exactly what death tries to do. At the end of the poem, it talks about after the insect is done with the tree, it leaves it, going on to the next tree. Much the same is what death will do to you, take your life, then leave you to haunt someone else.

Good Things

My day has gone quite well. But what I did not expect was the fantabulous my mother packed me. It was delicious. A sandwhich, buffalo chicken meat, with provolone cheese. Bang bang, that stuff is to good. Throw in some Lays Sour Cream and Onion chips and it gets even better. Then I find some of my favorite yogurt, peach flavored to be exact. And then, at the very bottom. Some leftover New York Giants cupcakes I had from the Super Bowl. It was one of the best lunches I have ever had.

Connection to Nature

One connection I've had with nature is one time last summer when a fox walked by my house. I had seen the fox before, and known that he lived somewhere around my neighborhood, but I never thought I would be able to get close to the little creature. He paused on his way into the weeds and we met eyes. It was strange, I'm not really sure how to describe it, but I feel like we had some kind of connection that day. I feel like this because on two other occasions I have seen the fox, he always stops and looks at me. And I don't see fear in his eyes, it seems like he remembers me. It always interested me why the fox didn't run away, and why it seemed like he trusted me, or wasn't afraid of me. It changed the way I look at nature and made me more curious about the way things are. As a result of this, I like to believe I have made a friend with the fox. I hope that in years future, if we ever meet again, that I can walk up and touch him, or feed him something, as to understand him further.

Team Edgar/Nathaniel

I am most certainly team Edgar. The Scarlet Letter was horrible. I did not like the book what so ever. Not only was it challenging to understand, but in Old English, and thus incredibly annoying to read. Poe, although was challenging to understand too, made his points clearer in short novels. He could have written a book like Hawthorne, but personally, I would have liked to see Hawthorne write a short 20 page story instead of a book. Edgar's stories are brief, and to the point. They don't beat around topics like Hawthorne's work. What it really came down to in the end, was the lesser of two evils. I did not mind Poe, but absolutly hated The Scarlet Letter. And that is why I am Team Poe!