Reflection on the year

As a final post for class I have to do a reflection meeting certain criteria. The first thing I have to do is talk about the books I've read. In total, this semester I read 1625 pages. In the beginning of the year I didn't read very much for pleasure, it was hard for me to find time even though I enjoyed it. But when it became an assignment I did it a lot more often. I branched out a lot too. Books that my I'd seen my dad read I actually started reading. Before I thought they were too hard for me but when Mr. Hill talked about them in class I thought I'd give them a shot. This really expanded my library. I read on vacation a lot and in the summer, but not so much during the school year. Although it was hard to find time to read so many pages in a week with swimming and all. I had to cram a lot on the weekends, but I found a lot of books I enjoyed and had a long list of books to read. It was easy to look in the classroom and pick up a good book, even though some were better than others. I never read with music on because I get so distracted, but I did find myself checking my phone especially if the book was dragging on. So I would make myself read so many pages before I stopped. My dad and I talked about some of the books I read, and I explained to my friends about the books I had in my hands. I still enjoy reading books written in the first person better, I find it easier to relate to.But now I read books that are non fiction instead of just fiction. As for what I might read next, I have a few actually. I would like to read Paradise lost by John Milton and Freakonomics by... I'm not sure actually. I liked the way we studied poetry in this class, it was more relaxed and although we analyzed poems it was more of an open discussion and we could say our thoughts without being afraid of being wrong. The poems we looked at weren't of any certain type, we looked at so many different ones which I enjoyed. Even though the poem journals took time, looking back on it it was fun to be able to explore all the poems on websites. I don't think I would change much about this class, except the diction writing in the middle of the year. I didn't really enjoy that. But I think the vocab will help me, even though it was hard to do the homework, and the blogging was a refreshing change of an assignment.

I guess that's really all I have to say for this reflection.

Finally, I'm done with school posts!

Goodbye.

Guess Who's Back...

Here I thought I was done blogging, but my sister posted on her blog to follow mine. And I wouldn't want people to come to my blog and see nothing anymore. So, I might continue to blog every now and then. 

I found this website  today. It's a page of shirts with ironic quotes on it. At first, I didn't think they were that funny, but they get better as they go along. Here are a few highlights: "If you choke a smurf, what color does it turn?" or "How much deeper would the ocean be without sponges" and my final favorite: "If a #2 pencil is so popular, why is it still #2?" Yes, they're dumb questions, but I found them humorous!

Alright, I'll leave you with my new favorite song: Knee Deep By Zac Brown Band ft. Jimmy Buffet!

It's Wednesday, May 18th.

And you know what that means: last blog post of the year! The last few posts have been pretty boring so check out this website of really cool street art! I love the ones where it looks like something/someone is coming out of the ground but it's really just an allusion. I wish I was that creative. 


The final summary of the year... 
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 312-328


Chapter 23 starts with Ray waking up the next morning after he has read Ruth's journal like Susie told him to. While he was reading it, Ruth saw him and said she had a lot to explain. Jack and his family finally leave the hospital and head home, together after many years. Abigail doesn't promise anything because she doesn't want to hurt Jack again, but she says she'll try to make it work this time. Then she goes upstairs and goes into Susie's old room which she hasn't been in for years. She tells Susie she loves her, which makes Susie realize she just needed time away to figure things out. Downstairs, Samuel and Lindsey announce their engagement and they toast to champagne. Ray and his mother bring a pie over and talk about a Victorian house Samuel wants to buy but Ray's father owns it. Susie also realizes now that her family doesn't need to want her anymore and she doesn't need them, but she still will and they will too. The lovely bones, she figures out, aren't the bones in her body, they are the connections between her family while she's been gone. 
 Now Susie knows that the “lovely bones” are not her body; instead, they are the connections created in her absence between the members of her family and she knows that she can see things now in a way that “lets her hold the world without her in it. The chapter ends with Ruth in the cornfield thinking of the ghost she saw. She will always think of Susie and be haunted and for this Susie feels guilty, but there isn't anything she can do about it. The final chapter, called "Bones," starts with this line: “You don’t notice the dead leaving when they really choose to leave you.” When Grandma Lynn died a few years after the last chapter took place, no one was really affected by the loss, which validates the line. Susie hasn't even seen her in heaven yet. Every now and then Susie sneaks away to look at her family, Sam and Lindsey have been married and live in a house they're renovating. Lindsey is even pregnant. Jack hopes that some day he will build boats with his grand kids which makes him excited but at the same time saddened by this because it will remind him of all the boats he built with Susie. In the end Lindsey has a little girl named Abigail Susanne. Naming her this helps her to move on and let go of the need for her sister Susie. The best part of the ending, however, was Mr. Harvey's death. Susie and her grandfather visit an old diner he remembers and they see Mr. Harvey getting off a greyhound bus. He goes up and starts to talk to a girl who was on the bus. After the girl leaves, and before he can leave, an icicle "accidentally" falls and he jumps forward which makes him fall into a ravine. Because of the snow, no one will find him until it melts. With this, Susie finally feels like she can stop holding on to her old life. In her old neighborhood, they are filling in the sinkholes and a random man finds Susie's charm bracelet. He gives it to his wife and she says that whoever it belonged to is probably all grown up now. In heaven, Susie thinks, "Almost. Not quite." 


And that's the end! What a great book. I want to see the movie really badly now, but I'm not sure where I'll find it. Mr. Harvey's death was the perfect end, he finally got what he deserved after killing so many people. It's sad to think that people move on and don't think about people who have died, like Susie's family after her death, but I guess that's what keeps you sane. If they constantly morned over her death, they would be miserable.  


Well, I guess this is goodbye!


Maybe I'll keep posting... but no promises.

I forgot!

I forgot to add this video to my last post! I'm in love with this song, and lately it's all I've been listening too, ha. It's called "I Won't Let Go," by Rascal Flatts. Wouldn't it be nice to hear a guy say this to you, ladies?

Second to last blog!

Yes, that's right. Only one more blog until I'm done with it for the year! I might still do some fun things but definitely no book reviews. In a way they kind of ruin the book for me. I'd rather give a presentation on the book I read instead of blogging about it, but I guess blogging is a creative way to get class work done. I scheduled my reading for this book so I would finish it just in time for the last blog! Tomorrow I'll have to read 28 pages to finish the book. So, let's get into chapters 19-22:

The Lovely Bones By Alice Sebold Pages 262-299

Susie's mom comes home after 8 years to see Jack, Susie's dad, because he had a heart attack. When she gets off the plane she barely recognizes her Lindsey and Buckley says some really hurtful things to her. She cries in the car but he doesn't care and continues to be hateful to her. When Abigail gets to the hospital Jack is sleeping but he wakes up when we walks in. And he's very happy to see her. She stays with him for a few days and realizes that she never stopped loving him but won't admit it. Then the book switches to Mr. Harvey. He goes back to the site where he buried a woman a few years ago, but it's been dug up. That night, he dreams of Lindsey running away from his house. He always has this dream when he's feeling threatened and is worried that he may be found out. Back at the hospital Susie visits while her parents are sleep but Jack wakes up and senses she's there. When Abigail wakes up he tells her he saw Susie and she says that she sees her all the time too. Then they kiss!

In chapter 21 Ruth and Ray go to the sinkhole before it is filled in. Then the detective, Len, goes to see Jack at the hospital even though he knows Abigail is there. When she sees him, Abigail is shocked but moves on after a while. Len gives them a Susie's charm bracelet that they found at the grave. He tells them it wasn't her grave, but this proves she's connected to other murders that have happened. Susie sees Mr. Harvey driving a beat up old orange car. He's still having dreams about Lindsey, plus he keeps remembering things about his other victims. Mr. Harvey drives through the old neighborhood and looks through a window to see Lindsey, he doesn't even care at this point if people see him. A police officer comes to the car once he is back in and asks if he's lost, Mr. Harvey says no so the police officer tells him to leave. He rights down his license plate number though. While Ruth and Ray were at the sinkhole, Ruth sees Susie standing next to her, but she doesn't tell Ray. Then, she sees Mr. Harvey driving toward the sinkhole with bloody people in the car and blacks out. The final scene is this chapter is Susie falling from heaven. In chapter 22, she takes over Ruth's body. When she wakes up from blacking out, she's being held by Ray and they kiss. Then they go back to his house and take a shower together and have sex. He realizes that it's Susie. She tells him how she has watched Ruth and him for years. She tries to call her brother but he can't hear her. Then she goes back to heaven and Ruth returns.

These few chapters were really good actually. The police officer writing down Mr. Harvey's license plate number is like a cliffhanger, why did Alice Sebold put that in the book? It must be important. I'm glad that Jack and Abigail finally meet again, it's sad that Susie's death tore them apart even though they still love each other. I only have two chapters left and I'm tempted to keep reading, but I have to go work on my anthology project!

Goodnight!

Happy Birthday, To Me!

Well, it's that time of year! My birthday. I'm 18 and I can't believe it. How can I already be 18, time really does go quickly. A few weeks ago, I found this poem while I was trying to fill out my poetry journal. And it's quite appropriate for today!

Birthday Lights

BY CALEF BROWN

Light bulbs on a birthday cake.

What a difference that would make!

     Plug it in and make a wish,

     then relax and flip a switch!

No more smoke

      or waxy mess

      to bother any birthday guests.

But Grampa says, “it’s not the same!

      Where’s the magic?

       Where’s the flame?

To get your wish without a doubt,

You need to blow some candles out!”

Cute, huh? It's true, though! What happened to the magic of birthdays?! Right now, I'm at a swim meet. It's sad... birthdays used to be anticipated so much and now I have to share such a big birthday with a swim meet. But what can you do? Anyways, I'm going to go swim, then drive all the way home and open up some presents! 

232-261

List of Poems

In my etymology class, we're doing a poetry anthology. These are the ten poems I plan to use. My theme, though I haven't figured out a good word for it, is the story of lives: birth, growing up, getting married, retiring, having birthdays, and, inevitably, dying. Here's my list:


"Lullaby" By John Fuller
"Mrs. Adams" By Kathleen Norris
"Birthday Lights" By Calef Brown
"Maturity" By Philip Larkin
"Epitaph" By Katherine Philips
"Altruism" By Molly Peacock
"Cave Dwellers" By A. Powlin
"Retirement" By Henry Timrod
"Young Man" By John Haines
"My Grave" By Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there! Sure, we yell at you and tell you we hate you and ignore half the things you say, but when it comes down to it, you're the one we want to hug when we have a bad day, the only shoulder we want to cry on when our hearts get broken, and the one who always knows how to cheer us up. I love you, Mom. For everything you do for me, and everything you will, you're the best.

What did you guys do for your mothers today? My parents went to the Kentucky Derby yesterday so I surprised my mom by cleaning the WHOLE HOUSE, buying her some flowers, and a delicious (looking) cupcake from Fresh Market. Of course I wrote her a sentimental card, too. I think she enjoyed it.

Onto other news... today is the last Sunday I will ever be 17. Yep, that's right, my 18th birthday is next Sunday! I can't wait, but I'll be spending it at a swim meet which is quite a bummer. Oh well, gotta go with what I get. Have a great Mother's day, make your mom feel special!

174-231

Chapter twelve starts out with Jack in the hospital after his attack, he had to get a kneecap replacement. Abigail goes outside to call Len and asks him to meet her. The nurses at the hospital think something is going on between them because of the way she touches Len's hand. On the balcony near Jack's room, the smoke and talk about Len's wife who commited suicide years ago. Then they kiss. She finally leaves him and she's Lindsey and Jack in the room finally on good terms. As Susie watches this she realizes that her mother was never really happy, she wanted to teach but since Buckely was born she couldn't. She noticed now how Jack grew closer with the kids and she spread apart from all of them.

Quality Time, Redefined

Hello readers! Today we had a class assignment and I had to read this article. It was very eye opening actually. Recently I've noticed how plugged in I always am. I'll be watching t.v. while texting or looking at Facebook on my phone. And what's the point? Sure, it's fun to look at peoples' pictures and see what they're up to, but in the process I'm just wasting time. I stay up later to finish my homework and inevitably I spend less time actually talking with my friends and family. In fact, I've considered putting my phone away, turning off the TV, and canceling my Facebook account, but it's so hard. I feel like I'll log right back on to Facebook and start my habit all over again. Or right as I'm putting my phone away, I'll get a message and start chatting with a friend. My family isn't too bad about this. We will watch TV together but my parents don't text that much and my Dad usually just quickly uses the laptop to finish some work. And when my brother and I are texting if front of my dad, he'll say, "Tell you friends goodbye. You're spending family time right now." or "Don't you get sick of talking to them?" I get annoyed with him when he says that because I want to talk to them, but it's true. I don't really NEED to be talking to them. Reading this article was really sad. Relationships have turned "enjoying each others company" from talking to sitting in bed together playing games on your iPad. And what's the point? Maybe life is more convenient now, but is it really worth it?

A short blog today

The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold Pages 126-140

Jack keeps calling the police station to ask Len about Harvey but he tells him to stop and Abigail tells him to stop, too. He realizes that he isn't supported by his family so he decides to take action. He sees a light in the cornfield and takes a bat with the intention to kill Mr. Harvey. In reality it is Clarissa, Susie's best friend, who is waiting for her boyfriend. Jack attacks her thinking it is Mr. Harvey and Clarissa's boy friend knocks Jack out and Susie sees all of this from heaven.

I know this is a really short blog but after yesterday's I'm kind of worn out! This part was so intense thought, especially followed by all that I read yesterday. I think it's cool that Jack is doing this for his daughter, he's gone through so much and even when it seems hopeless he keeps trying. Mr. Harvey is so twisted. I can't believe he played with the bones and trinkets from his murders, but I guess if it's preventing him from killing again... except he's doing it because he knows the police are watching him, not because he feels bad.

Have a good rest of the day!

Happy May!

I read a lot yesterday...

I babysat last night and the little girl fell asleep watching T.V. early so I started to read my book and ended up reading five chapters! So I have a lot to blog about...

The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold Pages 72-125

Buckley and his friend, Nate, are playing and he tells him that he's been seeing Susie lately. Nate doesn't believe him but Buckley insists that the last time he saw Susie she kissed him on the cheek. Susie tells him not to tell anyone because she isn't ready to talk to her parents yet. Buckley shows Nate a hole in Susie's mattress where she would hide things she didn't want people to see. Something in there was a bloody twig that is wrapped in her dad's handkerchiefs. The year earlier, Nate and him were putting rocks up their noses and the Buckley pretended to smoke on a stick but accidentally swallowed it and Susie drove him to the hospital in their dad's Mustang even though it was the first time she had driven. Buckley remembers the worried look in his parents eyes and how it went away when they found out he would be okay. The same worried look is in their eyes now, but it hasn't gone away yet.

For a long time Mr. Harvey keeps dreaming of buildings in Yugoslavia and other buildings in foreign places, but then he starts to dream about woman and children again. Then Susie sees Mr. Harvey's past and sees him in his mother's arms and his father is sorting colored glass. He especially is fascinated by the piece of amber around his mother’s neck that holds a whole and perfect fly. He thinks about the last time he saw his mom, which was when his father and her had a bad fight and he forced her out of the car. In chapter ten, Susie's grandma comes for the memorial service. She is a very fun loving woman and makes Lindsey feel much better. They go through Susie's closet to find an outfit for the memorial. When they are at the service, Grandma Lynn points out that Mr. Harvey is there and tells Lindsey that is the man Jack thinks killed Susie. Lindsey faints from this thought. Lindsey, Ruth, and Samuel all go to a camp for gifted kids that year. They were supposed to do a activity were they build a mousetrap but it turned into a project to design the perfect murder. Lindsey tries to pretend that it doesn't bother her. As Susie is watching this she thinks about what the perfect murder weapon would be and decides it would be an icicle because the evidence would melt away. Lindsey and Samuel keep sneaking about making out, but eventually they end up having sex. The next chapter is really creepy. Jack walks the dog every morning to try and spy on Mr. Harvey. Who to keep himself from killing more children counts the items from the people he's killed. He can't even remember their names. Susie watches this from heaven and learns the story behind each murder. Harvey also plays with the bones from the neighborhood pets he has killed.

The Royal Wedding

Yes, I'll admit I did get up and watch the wedding, but I was smart and got up at 5:30, not at 4:00 like everyone else. I figured that there would be lots of talking and interviews before the actual wedding. What I really wanted to see was the kiss. Of course that didn't happen until I was at school, which was very frustrating. I got up earlier than normal to watch that, and I didn't even see it. The worst part, I laid in bed waiting for this kiss for so long that I didn't get out of bed until past 7:00 and I walked into school late. Oh well. Here is the picture of the kiss on the big day for those of you who didn't see it.... which is probably one in a million considering over 2 BILLION people watched it.

So cute.

Chapters 4-6

The Lovely Bones By Alice Sebold Pages 49-72

Mr. Harvey takes Susie's body into his garage where he cuts her up. Later, when he tries to sell the house he tells people that her blood stains on the floor are oil stains. He puts her body in a safe and throws it into a sinkhole in the neighborhood. The only thing he keeps of her's is her charm bracelet. Even that, though, he later throws into an area that they plan to make into a lake. But he takes of her Pennsylvania charm because it's his favorite. Susie's Dad, Jack, sees Mr. Harvey one day building a tent and he offers to help him. Susie tries to get his attention and give him signs but he doesn't sense her until after he is done building the tent. He asks Mr. Harvey if he knows anything but he is quickly shut down and Harvey tells him and can't help him. Since he is now suspicious of Mr. Harvey, Jack goes to Len, the detective, and asks him to question him. But when Len asks Mr. Harvey about the tent he explains that it is a memorial for his dead wife Leah. When Len tells Jack this it only furthers his suspicion because he remembers that his late wife's name was Sophie. After this he starts a list of the dead.

A boy that Lindsey has a crush on, Samuel, gives her a necklace with half a hear on it for a Christmas gift and he wears the other half. Ruth and Ray are walking through the cornfield where Susie was killed one day and they are talking about how they know Susie went to heaven.

My mom ruined this part of the book for me because she was talking about it and thought I had already reached this part. So I knew about the blood stains and the sinkhole, but I didn't know about the tent. I thought that was really big part of the book so far. It gives Jack a reason to suspect him which I hope helps him figure out that Mr. Harvey did kill Susie. This book is really good so far, I'm curious to see how well the movie goes along with it.

The royal wedding is tomorrow so I have to get in bed early so I can watch it! Goodnight!

The Voice!

Alright I just posted, literally one minute ago. But I remembered what I wanted to post today! Who watched the new show "The Voice" yesterday? I loved it. Its the same concept as American Idol but they do a thing called blind auditions. The judges chairs are all turned around and the contestants start singing. Then, if the judges like them, they hit a button and it rotates their chairs and they can finally see the singer. Each judge tries to create "a team" that will later compete against the other ones. So, if more than one judge turns around the judges try to win over the contestant and the singer gets to pick who they want to act as their voice coach. I really enjoy this idea of this show! That way no one will be judged based soley off of looks. The singers are very talented. Tune in next Tuesday to catch the end of the auditions!

Underwater Suite

Yes, I have posted something similar to this. But I think this picture gives a more realistic view of what this would be like. Can you imagine sleeping in this bed?! I have some questions: First, would it make you have to go to the bathroom? Second, how do you get down there? And finally, can people see you down there? I wouldn't really want people to see me sleeping... that would be odd, ha. 

Man, Fort Wayne is Famous!

First Harry Baals becomes a hot topic on Jimmy Kimmel, then the, excuse my vulgarity, porn star, and now Mr. Gibson. These are all people who have brought fame to Fort Wayne recently. But who is this Gibson character, you ask? Why don't I just show you: 


Aw a clown! No. This man has been arrested for huffing paint. It's not his first arrest, though. Try his 48th!! Obviously he needs to go to rehab because he has an addiction. You can't help and laugh at this picture though.