Belt Design

If I were to create a belt that is supposed to represent me I would carve quite a few things into it.  Starting off with an "S."  Obviously, my name is Samantha, so that explains that.  My second symbol would be a paw print because my weekend are filled by dog shows.  They are a huge impact on my life and I've met so many great people through it.  My third symbol would be waves, corny i know, but true.  I absolutely LOVE the beach and I would live there if I could.  I plan on moving to Florida or attending college there so I can absorb it all.  As my forth symbol I would put a shopping bag because I really enjoy shopping!  I would do it everyday all day if I had that much money!  My fifth symbol would be a mom stick figure.  My mom is my whole entire life and my best friend.  I wouldn't be able to go on with-out her.  My sixth symbol would be the letters JC, for my school.  John Carroll takes up my whole entire life on the weekdays.  6-7 Hour days at school and then homework afterwards!  Pathetic?  I'm aware.  My seventh symbol would be a bed.  I love sleeping.  It's so nice to catch up on sleep and sleeping in late on weekends is such a prised possession.  My last symbol would be my iPhone.  I can't live without that thing!  It's got my whole life with-in it!

needlenthread.com

clipartguide.com
free-extras.com
memorylaneminis.com
zazzle.com
flickr.com
tsl.state.ts.us
craigscrimelist.com

I'd like to go to...

Sun kissed Skin, Bikini's on Top!
Clear water, white sand, sun shine, lounge chairs, crashing waves, dolphins and tanning all day.  Where do I want to visit, in the United States?  By far Clearwater Beach, Florida.  Something about the beach just intrigues me and when you can see right through it, whats better?  The sunlight is incredible, and I could stay in the waves or tan all day long.  I would drop everything to fly to this incredible heaven on Earth.  Seeing dolphins swimming by daily and drinking daiquiris while lounging on the white sand is an incredible way to spend your day.  


The beach has a way of taking away all of your stress and just having a good time.  I love "beach-y" jewelry like hemp necklaces, sea shells and sailor knot bracelets.  I could wear flip-flops and shorts all year round and I love being tan.  I would HAVE to sail in the trade winds, visit universal studio's and visit all the aquatic animals at the aquarium while down there!  I haven't ever swam with a dolphin, but it's definitely on my list of things to do!  After writing this, I really want to run down to BWI and make a nice stop to this superb area, in west-coast Florida.  

flickr.com

Jon Krakauer

On April 12, 1954, in Brookline, MA, Jon Krakauer was born as the third child of a five child family.  At about two years old his family packed up and moved to Oregon.  His father introduced him to mountaineering when he was only eight years old.  He decided to head back to Massachusetts to study at Hampshire College and graduated in 1976.  Shortly after that, in 1977, he spent three weeks by himself in the wilderness.  Remind you of a certain situation?  He also fell in love with climber Linda Moore and settled down in 1980, although this didn't keep him from mountaineering.  Krakauer wrote many books, his most famous being Into the Wild and Into Thin Air.  Into the Wild became a New-York times best seller, for two years while Into Thin Air was given an academy award in 1999.  His works are said to be inspiring and vivid.

photo by nytimes.com

For English, my class will be reading "Into the Wild," which is written by Jon Krakauer.  This non-fiction book tells the story of the brand new Emory University graduate, Chris McCandless, when he travels/hitch-hikes cross country to Alaska.  

McCandless took on the name Alexander Supertramp, when he started this journey, fresh out of college in 1990.  Scientists estimate that he died in August, 1992, although his corpse were found in September, shortly after.  Although the harsh climate alone could have killed him, they believe his death was due to a certain poison or mold which could have been found in the plants he had been eating.  

"Vivid Dream"

In the book/play "A Mid Summer Nights Dream" Bottom believes that his insane night was just a vivid dream.  There is one dream that I would have time and time again that I can remember so clearly.  My dream started out in my next door neighbor/best friends living room/kitchen area.  As my friends and I are watching the television, with my grandma baby sitting us, my brother was in "his room" playing his video game.  This is where things didn't make sense.  As you walked through her hallway, it became the hallway in my house, with the rooms of my house.  Although, the houses are built very similar, they are decorated in different ways, which is where you can see the difference.  As this is all occurring, robber's break in and run back to kid-nap my brother, as I run into the kitchen to get my grandmother, I wake up.  .. A reoccurring dream since my child hood.  Weird.

Quarter 3

     Hey there!  I would like to welcome my followers to my brand new blog for the 3rd Quarter/Second Semester of my freshman year.  This quarter I am still finishing up "A Midsummer Nights Dream" by non other than William Shakespeare.

  After Finishing this book I will be heading onto newer things with "Into the Wild."  A lot has changed from the first semester.  I have a lot of new friends and a few new classes.  I have made a new best friend, named Lindsey, but have gotten very serious with my dog shows!  I just got back from a show in Georgia, which was a ton of fun!  I have finished out my health class and switched into gym.  Also, I took my final for Human Geography and am now starting a class of Western Civilization, which mainly studies the history of European Societies.  Well  by all means, welcome back to my blog, oh and happy new year! 2011!!!!

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Character Sketch Essay

     

     What do you think your life would be like without one of your parents?  Not as if you never knew them, but if they were taken away from you at a young age, about 5 years old.  This was the terrible tragedy the main character Lois, of “By the Time You Read This” by Lola Jaye overcomes.  Although the young life of Lois, about up to twelve years old is a blur, we infer that she and her father carry a very close relationship.  Lois goes through hard times as a teenager with both her “new family” and socially, but the only way she finds comfort is through a manual her father wrote for her.  Kevin (her father) wrote this manual for her when he found at he had only 6 months to live.  Lois is a strong character and a hero to all children living through the same issue of losing a parent. 

            Lois starts the book off when she is twelve years old.  At this pre-teen age, she is already independent, and has a bit of a jealous streak.  Lois is not into being girly, in fact, when she had to wear a dress to her mother’s wedding, she could not have been more disgusted.  “I was fed-up.  Almost a teenager, yet there I was clad in a frilly yellow dress that allowed me to resemble a pavlova.  (Page 4)  Along with all of these personality flaws, she also is a bit pessimistic.  Lois is definitely looking at her glass of water as half empty.  Does her personality change as she goes through the hard obstacles of grouping up into an adult?  The following events are ones that will change Lois’s life forever.  The first major event and by far the most-important in the entire story happened at her mother’s wedding at only twelve years old.  After not seeing her aunt Philomena for years, she finds her to be at the wedding.  What if someone who’s barely been in your life is the one to make the greatest change in it?  This is what Lois experiences.  Philomena was Kevin’s closest sibling, so he left it up to her to give Lois her forever changing life guide.  The story behind this?  When Kevin realized he had only 6 months to live, he felt it was only necessary to write his daughter a life guide from ages 12-30 years old.  The main rule to this manual was that Lois could read one new chapter each year on her birthday but could not go past that, although she could look at previous pages anytime she wanted to.  Lois really appreciates this after she starts reading it, but in the beginning she shows her pessimistic side.  “Philomena had handed me a crumpled old plastic bag like it was a pot of glistening gold.”  (Page 20)  The second event that I believe changes Lois through-out the story is when she takes her father’s advice (age 20) and travels to the United States.  When Lois lived in America for 3 months, she was a counselor at a summer camp, experienced the grand New York City and lost her virginity.  This summer she also tried drugs for the first time.  I believe this was a huge stepping stone in Lois’s life and also brought her closer to her mother as well.  “So I began.  The empire state building.  The bratty children.  Erin.  Greg.  The directors wobbly knee’s.  Learning to survive on my own.  The s’mores.  The housekeeping.  The lovely weather.”  These are the greatest events that stuck out in this story.

            After everything, Lois changes tremendously.  Lois changes both mentally and socially.  Mentally Lois has learned to survive on her own without having someone to lean on.  Lois show’s this clearly on page 117 when she says “If my experiences with Carla had taught me one thing, it was to forget about a replacement roommate and somehow find a way to take care of the bills myself.”  Lastly, Lois changes socially when her and her mother share a better relationship.  After her mother gives birth to Lois’s step-sister she continues to tell Lois, “No love.  I have everything I need right here.”  Lois thanks to the help of her extremely creative father turns into a great woman with a promising life.

            By the end of the story, I believe Jaye is trying to tell us to enjoy life and try to get along with your new family because in the end everything will eventually work its self out, but then you have wasted time in between.  The transformation of Lois shows that even if everything isn’t right in the beginning, it will be towards the end.  Also, through this story I believe that nothing can break through the strong relationship of a parent and child.  Lois continues to be a strong character and heroic to all children.