Into The Wild Blog.

1. So far, I've liked the book. The author has a very intriguing style of writing; I feel like it's more casual than most novel styles of writing. Usually authors will go to extreme extents to edit and make sure their writing is picture perfect. It's clear that this author has edited their writing, but it doesn't seem to be to the extent of most novelists.

2. One word I'd use to describe Chris is stubborn. He is so gung-ho on trying to live in the wild while in reality, it's basically impossible to survive in the wild for that long on the little amount of supplies that he has.

3. A theme I see arising in the book is that once you have your mind set on something, you can never see what it is in reality and how it may be good/bad for you.

4. This book reminds me of a book I had to read in 8th grade. I can't remember what it's called, something about a bear, but a boy is forced to go and live in the wilderness because he committed a bad crime. Both of the antagonists in these two novels have similar personality traits and similar mindframes. However, they both have different outlooks on living in the wild. Obviously, Chris wants to live in the wild, while the main character in the other book is being forced to live in the wild.

5. I can relate this book to myself because sometimes, I'll have days where the only thing I want to do is go be somewhere else and live alone for a long time.

6. I can't really find a situation in the world to relate this to. We don't often hear about people running away into the wild and people finding them dead four months later. It does, however, remind me of people attempting to summit Mt. Everest and their efforts coming up short.

Reviews.

The album Continuum by John Mayer is your ideal lullaby to sleep album. The flowing lyrics mixed with slow-moving guitar riffs and occasional solos are a perfect combination and they piece together perfectly on this album. Mayer's honey-sweet voice is pinpoint perfect on the album and his clean-cut guitar parts make the album as good as it could be. John Mayer, the 31-year-old Connecticut native, had released two solo albums previous to Continuum. The two previous albums had been very successful, so Mayer had a lot to live up to. Fortunately, Continuum did not disappoint all the hype it had been receiving before its release date. Mayer can be compared to Mat Kearney, whom he toured with in winter 2006. Both of them have the same style of music; slow-moving, soft rock type music. However, Kearney just can't compare. Mayer has that something about him that draws the listener in and makes them crave more. One particularly strong song on the album is the song "Slow Dancing In A Burning Room." Not only does the song have metaphorical messages, but its smooth flowing lyrics and soft guitar chords create a perfect melody which effortlessly show the height of Mayer's talent as a vocalist, writer, and guitarist. One other strong point on this album is the song "Bold As Love." Mayer covered Jimi Hendrix, a legendary artist. Mayer attempted to fill a huge pair of shoes, and he did it quite successfully. Mayer obviously doesn't have the same voice as Hendrix, but their guitar styles are similar. This album is definitely worth the $14 or so you'll pay for it. It perfectly embodies what you'd look for in a slow-moving soft rock album. Mayer is an extremely talented guitarist, vocalist, and writer, and his talent shines through very brightly on this album.


Amnesty International tried to do a very daring thing by getting different artists of all different styles to cover The Beatles, and I'm not quite sure how well it worked out for them. The original songs, by both John Lennon alone and The Beatles, are phenomenal in their originality. Lennon's voice and keen sense for words craft his songs together flawlessly. However, getting artists amont the likes of Avril Lavigne and Christina Aguilera to cover these songs was, in my opinion, a huge mistake. I don't see how anyone could think that a new punk-pop artist like Avril Lavigne could compare at all to the name The Beatles had built for themselves. I'm not denying that Lavigne is a talented singer; I do think that she has potential to be great. However, her voice just does not flow well with a song like "Imagine," which she covered for the album. There aren't many other compilations that try to do the same thing as this album; this is pretty much the first of its kind. However, all the songs can be compared to the original versions made by The Beatles and John Lennon. A particularly low part on the album is the song "Mother," covered by Christina Aguilera. Aguilera attempts to do too much with her voice, dragging out notes that really did not to be dragged out in that manner. However, there are a few songs worth your time on this album. The Jack Johnson cover of "Imagine" turned out better than anyone expected. Johnson's usually playful style of music turned serious for his cover of the classic song. Johnson was able to divert the image of Curious George that usually comes to mind when people hear his name and show off his raw talent in this song. Overall, this album did not cut it for me. Artists trying to hard to compare to something that is just uncomparable was not a good move. There are a few good songs, but in general, this album was a nice attempt at something that could never be.

20 minutes with Obama

Part One:

I'm not exactly sure what I'd bring up if I had 20 minutes with President Obama. I'd probably ask what he plans to do about health care, and I'd ask him about abortion. I know he's pro-Choice, but I want to get more of a view from him. I would ask him what he wants to do about the troops in Iraq and his overall view on the war and where it's taken our country. I don't have any solutions/ideas for any of these because I'm not the president and I don't know what would fix this. These are the most critical issues because they're where all of our country's tax money is being spent, it's where all of the government's money is going and I want to know the real importance of these things.

Part Two:

I'm hoping our nation will be a better place for everyone in four years. I'll still be pretty young, only nineteen. I'm hoping the economy will be a better place for us to live. Personally, I hope that the troops will be out of Iraq. I wish there won't be any war in four years, but we all know that that can't happen.

In 2035, I'll be 42. It's hard to say what the biggest issues facing our nation will be because everything changes so quickly. I'm guessing that we'll still be facing a huge national debt. I hope our economy will be stronger than it is now. I think we also might be facing running out of critical elements to survive. I don't know if the world will be a better place. We could have made good decisions, and we could have made bad decisions. The choices we make are what are going to determine the fate of our world in 2035. It's hard to say now, but hopefully, we'll be stronger.

i'm really shocked at how much high school truly has changed my life. people told me that it would switch things up a bit, but i didn't expect it to be this much. some of my best friends from middle school i barely even talk to anymore. i've noticed that boyfriends are becoming first priority over friends - so long "chicks before dicks" - and that the standards for staying in a certain clique have become higher than ever. you have to look like this this and this, and you have to do this this and this, you need to be this this and this. getting into one of the exclusives social circles is the easy part; it's staying in that's the hardest. have you ever noticed how when you're in a certain group of friends, there are always little dramatics going on in between the members of the group? there's always a conflict between two or three people, be it about boys or school or family or events, anything. if they can find something to fight about, they will.

so yeah, moral of the story is that high school changes everything. (:

it's time for us to take a chance.

I'm a dreamer, I always have been, I always will be.
I wonder what it'd be like to be able to stop time at the snap of a finger.
You close your eyes and count to three.
Grab someone's hand because it's no fun if you're alone.
And then, it's silence.
The only two people that are alive are you, and whoever has the hand that you grabbed.
The rest of the world is frozen, completely frozen.
You've stopped time, so in turn, you've stopped all of your humanly desires.
You don't need to breathe, you don't need to eat or sleep.
Endless possibilities await you.
You can walk on water and swiftly glide through glass.
What will you do? You have all the time in the world.
A walk to the other side of the planet is just a brisk stroll across a park.
Everyone in the world is frozen, mid-action.
A man putting his daughter to bed, a husband about to hit his wife.
A couple holding hands while walking through a park, high school students bustling through the hallways.
The things you'll see, the places you could go.
Time completely stopped; to everyone else, nothing has happened.
Everything is the same as it's always been, yet everything is different.
You have all the time to look at detail, to study things as closely as you'd like to.


I wish things in real life were the same as they are in my mind; the world would be such a happy place. (:

i just want to see the sun again.

the boom
boom
boom
of my heart when i first saw you
was identical to the thunder
outside my window

my eyes flashed like lightning
when you looked into them
yours were like the darkest clouds
i should’ve known it was wrong

you made the rain fall every day
harder and harder onto my open arms
arms waiting for you to embrace them
arms remaining empty
until i let them fall
to my sides

the anger rumbled up inside me
it swelled and grew
like a storm brewing
in a dark night sky

the storm that is our love
has long since left you
yet it stays with me
hovering
like an unwanted cloud

i just want to see the sun again
to get rid of the cloud
that is a burden on my life
i want to live without being afraid
of the rain that you’ve made me fear so much now
i want to walk out my door
without my umbrella
and feel the sunlight on my face
you’re the only one
who can take away the cloud
love me back, that’s all i ask
i just want to see the sun again

here i go, scream my lungs out and try to get to you.

the inner ten year old in me kicks into high gear when i daydream and find myself doodling his name on my math homework. i furiously erase it from the paper, only to find that while i can remove something from my sight, nothing can be erased from my head. his voice rings in my head, echoing around like a choir in an empty sanctuary, forever bouncing off the walls. when i close my eyes, all i see are his staring back at me. even in the pure darkness of my mind’s eye, i still see the chocolate brown eyes in crystal clear detail. i long for the moments when our faces are inches apart, when our lips are just that close to touching, when i see his soul and he sees mine. i’m desperate for the times when our hands brush and then, as if magnetically pulled, clash together and it’s hard for me to let go. i remember slow dancing in a dark lit room to a song i can’t stand to listen to anymore; it reminds me too much of you. it’s funny how when i’m around you, you’re the only face i see, the only scent i smell, yours is the only hand i want to hold. it’s ironic how the one boy i’ve ever legitimately liked, liked me back. i remember the phone call at eleven thirty, i was just crawling into bed when my phone started to vibrate. seeing your name on the caller id gave me a feeling of comfort; now all it would bring is sorrow. i remember the tension in your voice that made my stomach twist and contort until i felt nauteous. i only remember little cutouts of your sentences…“only friends…you’re really cool…not right now.” i only vaguely remember the bull---- that spewed out of your mouth that night, but i do remember how much i didn’t buy it, how i knew it was wrong, all wrong.

my back still gets hot and prickly whenever i see you. my palms begin to sweat and i find myself staring at my feet. when i dare to look at your eyes, sometimes you’re looking back, other times you’re staring at your feet too. does that mean anything? does it mean you get nervous too? all i’m doing is messing with my mind. i only wish you got nervous around me too, i only wish you wanted me just as much as i want you. and it’s funny, i’ve been wishing more than usual lately. i wish on everything; on pennies that are heads up, eyelashes on my cheeks, when i drive through a tunnel, on 11:11 and 3:33. however, it seems that my efforts have gotten me nowhere. 

this isn't done yet.