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. 

Love is a thunderstorm.

Love is a thunderstorm; sometimes you can feel it coming, other times it comes out of the blue. 

Sometimes the storm will stay for only a second, other times it will stay for what seems like forever.

The storm can be harmonious with thunder and lightning and raindrops falling in synchronicity; but there are times when it's impulsive and random and unexpected...and beautiful.

Sometimes the storm will gradually fade out, getting smaller and smaller until there's only sun. Other times the storm will just stop, leaving us confused and wondering where the storm went all of a sudden.

If we're lucky the storm will leave a rainbow for us to remember it by. Other times all it leaves is black clouds looming above our heads.

Then there are the lucky storms that we only come across once in a lifetime that keep raining down, pouring water onto our interlaced hands, the tears of the sky shed upon our heads. These storms are rare, cherish every moment of them. The one storm of love that never ceases is the only one we'll ever need.

Poetry Critique

The Bait - John Donne

Come live with me and be my love,
And we will some new pleasures prove,
Of golden sands and crystal brooks,
With silken lines and silver hooks.

There will the river whispering run,
Warmed by thine eyes more than the sun.
And there the enamored fish will stay,
Begging themselves they may betray.

When thou wilt swim in that live bath,
Each fish, which every channel hath,
Will amorously to thee swim,
Gladder to catch thee, than thou him.I

f thou, to be so seen, beest loath,
By sun or moon, thou darkenest both;
And if myself have leave to see,
I need not their light, having thee.

Let others freeze with angling reeds,
And cut their legs with shells and weeds,
Or treacherously poor fish beset
With strangling snare or windowy net.

Let coarse bold hands from slimy nest
The bedded fish in banks out-wrest,
Or curious traitors, sleave-silk flies,
Bewitch poor fishes’ wandering eyes.

For thee, thou needest no such deceit,
For thou thyself art thine own bait;
That fish that is not catched thereby,
Alas, is wiser far than I.


http://www.poetry.com/lovepoems/lovepoem.asp?id=104

The badsic theme of the poem is the author saying how much they need their love. The author talks about how they can't live without them and how amazing they are. The author uses a lot of simile and metaphor to show how amazingly they view the subject of the poem. They use lots of relations to the sun and other beautiful aspects of nature.

No One Would Riot For Less

No One Would Riot For Less - Bright Eyes

Death may come, invisible
Or in a holy wall of fire
In the breath between the markers
On some black I-80 mile

From the madness of the governments
To the vengeance of the sea
Everything is eclipsed
By the shape of destiny

So love me now
Hell is coming
Just kiss my mouth
Hell is here

Little soldier, little insect
You know war, it has no heart
It will kill you in the sunshine
Or just as happily in the dark

Well, kindness is a card game
Or a bent-up cigarette
In the trenches, in the hard rain
With the bullet and a bet

He says help me out
Hell is coming
Could you do it now?
Hell is here

Do you see the sterile soil
Poisoned sky, yellow water
The final scraps of life
Bringing new tears

Wake, baby, wake
Leave that blanket around you
There's no where we're safe
I'm leaving this place
But there's nothing
I'm planning to take
Just you

Just you
Just you
Just you
Just you

-Conor Oberst

http://www.songmeanings.net/lyric.php?lid=3530822107858561123

I picked this poem (or song) because it has deep meaning to me; it means that you should just take what life gives you and run with it, because the worst is going to come sometime. The title is very relevant to the poem because it shows that no one would do anything if it were anything less, if it were something not as good as this. The author doesn't use a lot of metaphors or similes; the poem is pretty straight-up. There are some parts where sentences are cut short for effect, like at the very end where "just you" is repeated five times. It's reiterating how important this line is. The tone in the poem is somber, as if the worst is coming. The writer succedded in creating this tone by saying over and over again "hell is coming, hell is here."

whoa, california in the summer.

i think today, i'm going to blog about my summer.
unfortunately, i didn't go to california.
:GASP: i just had an idea!
what if i aspired to title all of my blogs with song lyrics that are relevant to the topic of the blog!
today, my lyrics are from "holiday from real" by jack's mannequin. they make my heart beat. <3

so...summer. what an eventful summer it was!
the very first thing i did when school got out was get on a plane and go to mexico. no, not for a vacation or anything like that, i went on a service trip to mexico. it was so much fun! i was in juarez, mexico for a week, and it was one of the best weeks. ever. i miss it so much! it was such an unbelievably eye-opening experience.
so that's enough about mexico for now.
the next big event that happened over the summer...probably my birthday. :]
i had a rather large shindig this year; i think there were 35 or so people there (i'm guessing some of the seniors in this class will have to disagree when i say that 35 is a big number, but for someone just finishing middle school, that's monumentally large). lots of stuff happened at my party. there were...three hookups, two brand new people, and one broken collarbone.

i'm going to make a guess and say that you're most intrigued by the broken collarbone.
here's the deal:
some of my eden prairie friends have a made up game called ball. there are no rules, except for the one rule that you get the ball to hit a designated object on your side.
an epic game of ball broke out involving 20 or so people, guys and girls.
you'd think that guy would take it easy on the girls considering, well, we are girls (not to be sexist, but the guys get WAY more into sports like this than we do).
my friend zack accidentally grabbed kelsey's ankle as she was running, and she fell to the ground in an instant. at first, we all thought kelsey was just in shock because everyone thought she'd be sobbing if her collarbone was legitimately broken. kelsey was super strong and didn't even cry! it turns out that her collarbone did break which is super sad, because she was out of volleyball for four weeks. thankfully, kelsey is coming back to the team soon!

so that's my epic summer.
ze end.

Three potential personal narrative titles. :]

So, here's the deal...I'm super bad at titles. Like, epicly bad. ahh, i hate titles! i think sometimes they're really misleading, but that's okay. they're necessary.
Possible Titles:

"Awakening"
"A 50-Year Difference Makes All The Difference"
"Holiday from Real"

tell me whatcha think. :D

Music is my boyfriend...

I'm not crazy, that title is a lyric from the song "Music is my Hot Hot Sex" by Cansei De Ser Sexi. Good song.
I'm not technically in a relationship with music, but music has become one of the most reliable things in my life today.

I wake up to music in the morning. (My favorite wake up artists are hellogoodbye, Mae, Jack's Mannequin, and Muse because they get me awake right away, I love waking up to a favorite song.)
I listen to music as I get ready, as I get on the bus.
Before a big game, you can guarantee when I'm not on the court, I'm listening to my "pump up" playlist, which includes bands along the likes of Nihilio (a small local band, they're super talented), The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Lil' Wayne (rap is my guilty pleasure), Daft Punk and Modest Mouse.
When I go to bed...you get the point. Music, 24/7.

I love music so much, but ironically, I'm not a musically inclined person.
When I was in elementary school, I used to think I could sing...that dream has long since died.
I had a guitar, a little acoustic from Target, but it got so out of tune and old that the strings died.
I can play the piano, I like to teach myself a lot of stuff (I'm currently learning Tong Hua (Fairy Tale) by Michael Wong), but I'm not very good.
I get so jealous of my musically talented friends.
One of my best friends Greta is an amazing guitarist.
Laura is a singer, Emma's a bassist, Mary and Anna the drummers...
I'd give anything to be like them.
I'm sure if I picked up a guitar and really gave time to learn it, I could pick it up pretty quickly.
Too bad that if I even tried to squeeze one more thing into my schedule I would crack under the stress (I'm amazed that I haven't already).
I don't know where I'm going with this blog; it doesn't really seem to have a point to it but that's alright. Moral of the story is I less than three music. (:





if you didn't get the less than three thing it means this: <3

part of narrative that needs help. (:

Okay. So overall, my narrative is pretty weak, but here's the part that needs the most help.
I'm trying to transition from one part of the piece to another and it's not going very well.

"Finding the answers to my questions was a long and strenuous process, one that I'm still going through rigfht now. The first memory I have of really getting answers was when I was four. I was half asleep, but I still remember it vividly..."

HELP!

Discover

This is so frustrating! I have a huge list of things that I could pick to write about, but I don't want to write about any of them. Certain topics just seem really boring to me, and I feel like they would be boring to others, too.

So I guess some possible ideas would be...

• writing about friends.
• writing about family.
• writing about GUITAR HERO!! (one of my favorite hobbies, I'm such a nerd)
• writing about volleyball. it takes up about half of my life. the other half is sleeping & school.
• writing about politics...or not.
• writing about Harry Potter!
• writing about my dad. there's a huge story behind my dad, I'll probably end up going into it at some point during class.
• writing about urban decay? AKA the absolute best line of makeup ever invented in the history of the world. :D

I think...just for today, I'll write about a bunch of random stuff. I'll start with my favorite movie. THE DARK KNIGHT. Best movie I've seen in a very long time. I've seen it six times now...oh boy, i need to get a life. Haha. I actually got to see TDK the Wednesday before it came out, and here's how...

I was on the way to the Walker Art Center with my friends Vinnie, Scott, and Greta, until I got a phone call from a friend who had four tickets for a pre-release showing of The Dark Knight that he wasn't going to use. We immediately turned around and headed to the mall to try to catch our movie on time (it was 6:45, the movie started at 7). We got there at 7:05-ish, and all I can say is thank god for previews. The movie didn't start until 7:15, so we didn't miss anything. Unfortunately, I had had volleyball two-a-days during the day, and I was a little dehydrated. I got a killer headache in the middle of the movie and wasn't able to focus for a lot of it. Nonetheless, it was amazing still.

Well, I think that's all for now.

Hooray! C: