This question bothers me because it seems to change a lot. I do, however, feel that I have learned more these last two years than ever because I feel that the questions we explore allow me to go in-depth. Therefore, I feel the most valuable ingredients to my learning are the ‘write-on’ and ‘discuss on’ questions forced upon us at the beginning of each class. When we discuss them, I can gather my thoughts and opinions from what is around me. I can see what perspectives I had neglected, what I feel strongly about, and what I change my mind on. In the ‘write on’ questions, I have to think about things I am unaware of, and reference my beliefs to decide my verdict on certain issues.
I hope that my freshman English teacher will include diverse questions in every class. I hope we will be allowed to discuss them as well, so that we feel that all aspects of a particular dilemna are clearly visible.
28 points?
533 pages
5 hardest words on a random page: genomic, ectopic, doggedly, electrifying, deferential
Known for the original medical thriller, Robin Cook crafted an interesting sense of suspense into his novel, Marker. Starting out slowly and picking up the pace, this novel became an addiction of mine as I read on. The suspense continued to build in all aspects of the story, as this novel was written from several viewpoints. The pace became consistently faster as the killing rate began to accelerate. I wish to use this model in my own writing.
The stress in all settings rose exponentially, as the characters all underwent what was seemingly their worst fears. This book was not predictable, and if so, only from about 5 pages previous to the actual event. I found my eyes racing over the pages as I looked for the solutions to the dilemnas. The answers I found were much later than one would have hoped, but the time delay was barely noticeable, as the plot was extremely complex and fascinating. There was so much happening that I didn’t mind the extra pages thrown in, as I felt that they provided more information to the story, so that you had a fair chance to decipher it yourself.
I hope to be able to mirror this way of writing in my weekly authentics, as I felt it was definitely a brilliant read. I would highly recommend this book, as it also provided interesting medical input from the point of view of a doctor with a career in medicine. It complimented what I learned in health class last quarter. This book became an accessory of mine as I read it, therefore Robin Cook is one of my literary idols.
Last night, I found this fantastically fun website that is actually available at school, although it is a complete and utter waste of time. It is become an mm website, and it a lot of fun. I personally am a huge fan of the setting that says ‘randomize,’ where you come up with an insanely mismatched mm that is still pretty cute. So far, I have made myself, and a couple of my friends. Because I am technologically challenged, I couldn’t make my MM star in a movie, or even import her into a pic, but I’m still trying, and will succeed some day. I guess I was amazed how many colors, mouths, even eyebrows and settings that there were to raise, lower and space your facial features. I definitely think it is a worthy obsession, especially once I figure out how to use it as a myspace icon. Try it out here, and see what you think… although pathetic, it is so fun trying to make you and your friends, and trying out all the colors that glimmer.
My mom volunteers at cougar mart against my will. She makes me help her, too. This is always an unfortunate situation. I only felt like I could get away with 'forgetting' about twice, which I've already done.
This leaves me behind the counter getting yelled at, and trying really hard to understand what the kids want. It's not that I don't understand what 'grin sow pumsh shtwas' (green sour punch straws) are, or the occasional 'bwo pop an purple skitlz an pynapl pop an wred ayheds,' (blow pop, purple skittles, pineapple soda, and red airheads), but there's really an art to ordering the afternoon junk food fix. First and foremostly, I personally feel that I can ask 'ummm…what?' once, which, if still not understood, leads to the point where I turn my back and pretend like I can't find it, and let the kid yell 'its on yer lef,' or 'no, up moh,'. When worst comes to worst, smile and point at random candies and watch their face do the whole 'hot' or 'getting colder,' and 'freezing my a** off while this deaf wonder guesses at my 50 cent candy, while I'm busy missing my bus…ugh, just forget about it!' Which is a great feeling, for the candy bartender, let me tell you. The last and most severe step is to act dumb, forget about their order and move onto the next person, and let the slurred speacher get handled by the next unlucky soul.
The other problem is when the kids try to tell you that it costs less than it actually does. Then they argue that it is really a dollar and fifty cents, while you know and don't know how to break it to them that, yes, they are actually a quarter short because water is more expensive this year than last year, which is really a tough point to argue, even with the pricing signs.
Although its really not that big of a deal, the absence of please and thank you starts to bother me sometimes. They get to scream and point at me, who politely grabs their candies, and they pay, hold out the hand for change, laugh at the idiot candy grabber, and then split. You are welcome, and fine, really, I enjoy this fantastic volunteering job. I mean, well, yeah, I'm glad to get your candy without profit, really.
heres the things that the homeschooled kids miss out on, but are definitely necessary! or necessary for survival….
don't say neato, or bummer
wear your pants at least 3 inches lower than your parents
its all good in the hood if your jeans are so tight that you cant bend over without popping seams
anything that could possibly be interpreted in a sexual manner, go ahead, and make fun on the person that said it
wear at least 2 ounces (or until you are bathing in it) of perfume or cologne (and for the select few, both)…never know who might get a whiff of you. then you know everyone will.
gt=geeky, not necessarily smart
im not in orchestra. im carrying my friends instrument, really. i swear.
dont-o act-o like-o you-o know-o spanish-o
raise your hand a maximum of 1/15 questions
dont ask, dont tell
dont act smart. hmm, i have no idea how i got an 'a' on that test…wow, lucky guessing, huh?
please, please, please, please, dont forget deodorant or underwear when it comes to p.e. spare us all
fake hugs are fantastic!
forgetfulness is popular
straighten your hair until it stays that way, and is thin, hard and dry
As a runner, I was greatly inspired by ‘The Perfect Mile.’ This book was incredibly well-written, enough so that I could feel the effort it takes to run every mile described. This was about the epic race of three athletes (Roger Bannister, Wes Santee, John Landy) to be the first person to run a sub-4 minute mile in the 1950s. It described the strenuous training regimes that each athlete successfully completed. I would recommend it to anyone, not just a runner for this is ultimately not a story of pure running, but more accurately a tale of hard work, failure and accomplishment.
The suspense in this book was terrific. Although I was certain that Roger Bannister was the first, this book had me doubting my memory, and still wondering who would first run the accomplished mile. I felt the disappointment of John Landy as he ran his 4:00.6, and also felt triumphant when I read of Roger Bannister’s 3:59.4 because this book was superbly written from the point of view of the athletes, making it an incredible page-turner.
Throughout my own workouts, I felt that my times were no where near theirs, but also felt that their story pertained to my life. I am familiar with feelings that your legs are numb, and you can’t stop, or that its not your day, or even sensations of complete exhaustion. I also know how they feel to be disappointed and defeated, or to be balancing running and schoolwork, or to simply want something so badly that you know you have to do it no matter how hard it is, but these feelings were so beautifully and accurately described that they somehow felt adequate after I read this.
We have to crank a blog out every week. It was easy at first, but I ended up writing an entire post about the little hook on the top of the iBooks, no joke. We end up needing resources so that we don’t lose every single reader, or poison them with these blogs. They’re dangerous things, really. Describing pictures got old, really old. First and foremost, your readers can see them, and don’t need your commentary unless they are partially or completely blind, which means they can’t read you blog anyway, so don’t bother. We experimented with building comments, which was interesting, but ended up with many responses such as ‘thanks for the recognition, but you completely missed the entire point of the post, but thanks anyway,’ and ‘what the heck is a building comment and why do they have one on my post?’ which was slightly strange to see references all over the post from an anonymous blog…hmmm. Then there was poetry, which was commentable because you could interpret it, much unlike a cartoon or pic. Posts with google video typically delve much deeper into the mind/concept. They are interpretable, much like poetry, but you can also question the content, design elements, choice of video, sounds and any metaphors that might be linked to the writing. To rob us of google video is to prevent a rising technologic age that many are enthused about, but that the world is too afraid to allow. This sacred age is too huge to prevent, and the resistance will only make it bigger, more industrial. Embrace this changing age, and allow Google Video.
I love that feeling. Not like I’m doing something I’m not supposed to or anything, but it’s just the feeling that gets my blood flowing. This is the closest thing to living at school. Having fun, feeling happy about actually feeling something at school. Maybe it’s the extra tab at the top of the screen that is actually my e-mail account that I can check while quoting a forward. Maybe it is that urgent text in the back of the class that is absolutely necessary. It’s just the feeling that not everything in school life should be lived to a code, namely, GRRR…which is over-used and quoted. Don’t be flip was ok, but not cheesy acronyms are not necessary. It’s just knowing that you are atypical, really. Feeling that you are not the same student in different forms. Feeling different is necessary to make it through the day. Not feeling different because you are in the nerd herd and don’t really fit in with any other team, but just to know that you are not what’s expected, and that no one should ever stereotype you. It’s good to know that you are worth being texted during class, and that you have the ability to defy average.
Feeling unloved? Run your finger across that little hook on the top center of the laptop. Need to play tag? It’ll get you every time! Want a pet? Pet the hook. It’s one of the only gadgets on a computer that will love you back. This high-tech hugging device is sure to make you feel loved and insure a sense of belonging in virtually any situation. A bored bloggers nemesis, it is an absolutely easy way to get a warm, fuzzy feeling. Sure to satisfy any tactile craving! Try it now for a blissful happiness only a computerized hook can provide.
Mostly, it will probably amount to summarizing things in my own words like vocab paragraphs and my perceived definition of transcendentalism (very elusive.) I can do this better than before, I think. We explore a lot of topics that I never thought there would be as much to.
