FINALFINAL.

I was never introduced to a blog until the beginning of this year. Actually i never knew what it was before that either. I did not want to have a blog because it seemed like way too much work just to write something down. But now, looking back on it, it was for different reasons. I honestly didn't really know much about the internet. Having a blog opened me up to learning new things about the internet. I'm happy i decided to go along with the whole blog idea.

Since it is now the end of the year, i want to take my writing back all the way to the beginning. My very first blog post, also my statement of purpose. Its not very long, so here it goes:

So, im not very good at getting my thoughts into words, because i rarely ever say what im thinking. But i think that this blog is going to be good practice. I'd like to write about music or something that is close to me. But i figure that music is to complex to really speak on. I really would like to choose a solid topic to write about but im to indecisive, so im probably going to just write whatever is gong through my head at the moment. Maybe something like our bi-polar weather, or the books that im constantly reading, or the personal experiences I've encountered.

I also want to improve my writing. Like not babbling on and on about something off subject, because i tend to do that a lot, stay on topic! I want to see the positive side of a subject, because im always pointing out negatives. Also, like i said, i need to improve on writing(typing) down my thoughts clearly, so that people who don't live in Tara's world can comprehend my point. I want to think and write my thoughts all the way through.

I think this blog tells a lot about me when i started writing. I remember it took me forever to just come up with this. The first sentence is so very true, i was just not good at writing.When i did eventually get it out, it came out okay, but in my head things were all mixed up. I also remember stressing over a topic to choose, me being very indecisive, i decided to just write about anything. I think if i had chosen a solid topic to blog about, i would not have been able to complete all my blogs or i would've gone crazy. My goals to improve my writing, ( i hate to say it ) were mostly put there to get this assignment over with because i did not believe this would help my writing. Reading it over now i think, even though at the time i was just trying to get this over with, in the back of my head i knew those were really my goals for writing. I don't think this blog is bad for my very first blog, i actually think its better than some of the blogs that came after it.

Like i said, the quality of my blogs went back and forth. Blogs that were after my first couple of blogs, seemed to be worse than before due to the lack of effort on my part. Toward the early middle of the year, i started getting more feedback about how to improve my writing. By then i had decided that i really did want to work on this because it can be a benefit in the future. Feedback is great when you want to learn how to be a good writer. My Crisis Of Faith blog was a big turning point for me with writing. I really put a lot of work into that, because i wanted to be able to look back on it and see how my writing improved. I remember not having as much of as problem writing that blog and making my thoughts into words, as i had before.

My mother thinks its obvious that my writing has improved. Shes always reading papers i've had laying around and she definitely agreed that my writing has gotten better even before she knew that i was doing blogs every week. I writing challenge i had before was thinking thoughts in my head, and being able to put them on paper in a way where people could understand. That wasn't only with writing, that was with speaking to people too. These assignments have taken me beyond just being able to type better. I really like being able to get my point across now.

Another thing i improved on has been the writers block! oh, its just horrible. I used to get it almost every other sentence. I thought that it was just something you cant fix. After doing the exercises in class, which i, once again thought wouldn't help, i was proved wrong. Slowly, after exercises i used such as brainstorming ahead of time, and writing down random thought i wanted to add, writers block kind of just faded away. I used to say, 'uhmmmm' and 'sooo' a lot in my blogs because i was really stuck. Now i can usually make my thought up and put them right into words without hesitation.

I think anything can inspire you to write, because there’s no limit on what to write about. You can basically write about everything and anything. Some things that inspire my blogs would be books, topics in class, moods in general, etc. A big inspiration would be other people, surprisingly. Being able to look and comment on other classmate’s blogs is a very helpful idea. Sometime you will read someone’s blog and be like, I can add to that or I have a different opinion about this. Also, I think a lot of the discussions in class are the best for starter ideas when doing a blog because there are so many different people contributing their ideas. Then you go create your own blog on the topic and have more than enough ideas to keep you from not getting stuck.

monthly review =)

"hits you smack in the face. It not only has sex and drugs and rock n' roll, but it has elements far more rare. It tells the truth. It doesn't preach. It makes you think . . . As addictive as the drug it profiles." -VOYA

This month i read a book called Smack by Melvin Burgess. Its a fiction book about two teens who are in love, both from unpleasant homes, and decide to run away together. Tar and Gemma end up meeting some people there age at a party full of other teens runaways, Lily and Rob, who are also a couple. Gemma and Lily immediately click and become inseparable, and they learn the rules of living as runaways from them. After living with Lily and Rob for a while in an abandoned house, Gemma realizes there both heroin addicts. Lily having such a big influence on Gemma, she convinces her that its not really that bad, in fact its pretty damn good. She persuades her to try it with her, and Gemma falls in love with the drug right away. Eventually she wants share it with her love, and convinces Tar to try it too. So four teen runaways addicted to heroin is basically what this book is about.
Despite how depressing the story line sounds, this book is really great. I really enjoyed this book because it was super interesting and made me keep wanting to read on. I was glad that i had finally picked a book worth reading, because the last few times i made the wrong choices with choosing a book. This is the only book Ive read by Melvin Burgess and i think that he is a fantastic writer. Melvin Burgess is a British author who was born on April 25, 1954. In 1990 his first book was published, The Cry of the Wolf. He gained recognition with his second publication in 1996 with Junk. In 1999 Smack was published. Most of Burgess's writing themes revolve around teen drug use, or underage sex. Like i said he really is a talented, successful writer.

"Maybe that's the difference with me these days. I used to get this feeling that life was rushing past me and i had to grab hold of it or id lose everything. But when i moved here, i remember thinking, I'm in control now. It was the first time i felt i had my life in my own hands. There i was scrabbl9ing and struggling to keep things together. These days, i just let go of them. And it isn't me who falls. Its the rest of the world that goes away-up or down, i don't know. Just away."

I think that Melvin Burgess wrote this book as more of an information source in a story form. Like the causes and effects of drug abuse. In this book he really puts the spotlight on the negatives of addiction and abuse. I think he made the characters, Tar and Gemma, young teenagers to emphasis the fact that that the teenage years is usually where drug use begins. Therefore i believe this book was intended for teens, probably 14 and older, to learn from the characters mistakes. I would actually recommend this book to anyone really, just because its well written and anyone can learn a lesson from it. I'm pretty sure the authors goal was to write something that really made people think about the consequences to actions, he definitely achieved that goal. The good thing about his writing is that he makes a point to highlight the not-so-fun parts of drug use. He makes it seem glamorous at first, just like in real life.But quickly gets to the bad parts. Like coming off of heroin:

" so coming down was the first thing and it was awful. It really makes you feel bad. I spent a few hours rolling around groaning in my cell and then they let me go to the pharmacy. I was in a horrendous mess-sweating this horrid yellow juice that stung, and aching, and my teeth with this toothache that kept jumping from tooth to tooth. "

Like i said before this book is well written and very clear. The thing i like most is that the storyline is not confusing like some stories Ive read. I like the fact that in every chapter, a different character speaks, so you get the story from every point of view. You don't have to wonder what the other characters are thinking in a certain situation, because everyone gets a chance to speak there mind. Also i like that the author doesn't drag on and on about things in the book. A lot of books drag there plots and situations on and on, making the book become boring and redundant. He makes them clear but also keeps the story moving along. I don't really see a lot of weaknesses in this story, Melvin seems like a very experienced writer already and has a lot of talent.

"Looking back-some of the things we were doing. Rob was cottaging-you know? selling sex to homos in the public toilets. Lily went mad when she found out, it totally did her head in. It was all right when she was doing it at home with guys, but him doing it with men-she just went ape, running around screaming and crying. Me, i was knicking (stealing) stuff. Not from shops; I'd lost the bottle for that ages before. From Gemma, from Rob, from Lily. Anyone, id turn up late at a friends house, stay late, ask if i could stay and then get up in the night and sneak about opening drawers and digging around in cupboards and coat pockets. Thats the way it works. you'll eat shit or go in the ring for ten rounds with Mike Tyson-slave, hero, rent boy, pimp, master of the universe-you'll do whatever you have to do get your next hit. I'd have escaped (from jail). Id have committed murder."

bloggggg ,

omg. i hate geometry sooooo much. I do not see any point in learning about prisms and pyramids and cones and the volume of shit. There is no job that I would get that would get in life that would involve finding the volume of a stupid shape. I think that geometry should be optional, for kids that are sure that they want to do something that involves geometry as a career. For most people, especially in my geometry class, are simply failing. Its not at all the teachers fault, because i had the same teacher for algebra 1 and i passed fine. Geometry is just a complicated subject that involves a little too much brain power. Yes, i am FAILING geometry because i dont do any work. At first, i tried to pay attention and everything and it was okay because it was a review. But then, we started learning new subjects and became soooo much harder. fuck geometry!!
The sky is gray today :( which means that its most likely going to rain. which means that its not going to be a good friday.
Okay so more about classes. uhm, uqh im glad that this years almost over because i feel like i did not do a good job picking my classes for this year last year. Mostly, i regret signing up for my tech theatre class. I thought itwould be really cool, and it was in some ways i learned allota things. But it just wasnt for me, it takes alot of effort and disipline. The thing i disliked the most was the demanding schedule. The schedule was absolutely ridiculous. Working a play sometimes requreid being there from right after school, 3- until 11 o'clock at night, on school nights. Eventually i got sick of it and stopped doing it, i tried to transfer out but they said it was too late. Sooo, ive survived it this far without doing much and im glad its almost over.
Next year, i think im going to switch schools, im soooo EXCITED!
And then my next period is spanish. i have no comment on that. Lets just say, im most excited to get out of that!
ON A ANOTHER NOTE, sorry this blog is super random.
The weather is Alameda has been absolutely terrible. When is it going to warm up? Usually I would be wearing shorts and getting a tan. But I am wearing my jacket to school every day and I still have my winter blankets on my bed. When is it going to warm up. I think this has something to do with global warming. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been a great concern to me. The marshlands are being destroyed and yet the government still hasn't successfully gotten it shut off or blocked. Furthermore, I feel the the economy is fucking plummeting down the drain! I mean--come on! When are my favorite teachers going to stop being laid off? This week I've seen at least four different teachers being handed the pink slip, and on top of that next year they are closing down Encinel and all of their students are comig to Alameda High! How are they ging to lay off so many teachers and expand the classroom sizes? I mean, are wee all suppose to sit on eachothers laps and share books because the school isn't getting enough funding? When isthe government going to put a stop to this?

3rd LIT LETTER.

my third paper clip of the book Smack by Melvin Burgess, i think is the best part of the whole book. I'm still amazed at the fact i was actually able to pick a book that i found interesting from beginning to end, and still wanted to keep reading it. Unlike some of the books ive picked in the past.
So in my last lit letter i left you with the knowledge of Gemma and Tar taking there first hits of heroin. After this everything seems great for them at first, then the third part is where their lives start to go downhill. They trick themselves into thinking they can quit smack at anytime they want, which leads to more using. Eventually there addiction is apparent, only after there wanted for such crimes as robbing stores cash registers and wanted by almost every drug dealer in town for stealing smack. Thats when they try to stop. There all extremely close, lake a family, so when Lily becomes pregnant, they all trying giving it up for the sake of the baby. But the want is way too strong by now. They quit over and over but relapse every time. The cycle repeats until the end, where Gemma quits for good,m because shes pregnant with Tars baby. Tar continues his addiction and so does Lily.
This writer, i think is etremely talented. I love how he writes. This is one of my favorite quotes from the book, because it kinda shows how strong addiction is, and how it effects lives.

"I dont believe in anything anymore. I dont believe in me, i dont believe in my friends. The thing is i have to remember is that im weak and there weak. I cant do it alone. If you have an addictive personality, you have to help from outside yourself. Some force outside you and stronger than you, that you can turn to when you feel weak. I know that i cant trust myself ever again. Loving someone. I thought it was magic. Its not you and its not them. Its not in you, its between you. its bigger and stronger than you are. Thats all i have really now. My personality almost dissapeared completely when iwas on heroin. Im off it but i still dont know who i am. I only know that im weak."

Hmm. So i cant wait until summer! I think ive been saying this since the very first day of school but oh well. Its true, now that its a little less than a month away, i can hardly wait. Everything feels like summers coming, The weather is changing and its getting hotter each day. I used to be all for the rain because i didnt really like the sun. But there was a time during the last couple months of 09' i think, where there was just constant rain. It changed my whole opinion, ecspecially when i dont usually like even wearing a sweater. Now, i hate when its all rainy and stuff. Im ready to start wearing lighter, more comfortable clothes. Not only will the weather be good, but there will be no early mornings. And no homework. And no 180 minute long classes to sit through. And i wont have to waste my money on buying lunch each day. And i can get a break from seeing the people i have to see everyday! (no offence)
I kinda wish i was going somewhere. I really want to go back to LA, like i did on spring break. Except the person that me and my mom usually stay with while were down there, just passed away. It was sooo sad because he was my moms good, good friend, and she was devastated. So something tells me werre not going back there for a while. Last summer i went to Vegas. That was soooo much fun, i just wish i was older. hahha. But it was sooo hot just like i like it during the summer, and i wore shorts every single day :) hmm. I used to want to live in disneyland, i used to beg my mom to take me there every chance she got. But now its just overrated. Theres always soo many people and you have to wait forever to get on a 2 minute ride. My uncle lives in florida and hes offered to take me to disney world, but i have a feeling its gonna be the exact same situation.
Ive been to hollywood a milllion times, but i still havent been to universal studios. I heard its really fun, i want to go. I guess somewhere local would be fun too, like san francisco. I wet there almost everyday during summer last year. Whats great about frisco is you can go and not have a plan, just go, and youll still find something fun to do.
Where else . . . Oooh, i really enjoyed yosemite when i went a couple years ago. Im not really into going into the woods and having insects bite all over your legs and arms, but yosemite was really calming. Everything was so beautiful, even the little animals. I liked the fact that we got to sleep in cabind with DOORS, and not pitch a tent. Mostly, i really want to go to Santa Cruise. I havent been there in forever! or at least, somewhere with rides, because i love love rollercoasters. But i would prefer Santa Cruise because it also has a beach. Im looking forward to alot of beaches this summer.

Letter #2

I have enjoyed reading to the second paperclip in my book Smack by Melvin Burgess. This book is definately meeting all of my expectations. Like i said in my first lit circle letter, i was hoping that this book would be similar or as good as the book Crank i read some time ago. Now that ive read a little over half of it, i believe that its so much better. Towards the middle of the book is where the story really picks up. Its where Gemma and Tar take there first hits of heroin. It all starts with a party there at, Gemma ends up meeting a girl named Lily who she becomes infatuated with. Not in the lover-type way, but she wants to be just like Lily because she amazes her. They hit it off right away, but she doesnt know at the time that Lily is a heroin addict. This passage is one of my favorite so far, because it kinda shows the reasons why Gemma would risk her life and listen to what Lily says, and take her first hit.

"Did you ever see someone and think straight away, i want to be that person? I
want to look like her and think like her and have the same effect as she does .
. . you know? This girl-nothing mattered to her. All the rules, all the things
you do do and don't do, the manners, everything-she had none of that. If she
didnt like it she just didnt do it. If she did it, it was good. She didnt have
to say please or thank you. She didnt have to be offered anything; it was
already hers. She was more herself than anyone else ever was and as soon as i
clapped eyes on her i knew i wanted to be myself just as much as she was
herself."

Since Gemma and Tar are runaways, Lily invites them to stay at her place, And thats where they first try heroin. It goes from a little to make them feel good, to eventually a serious addiction. At first they dont realize that they are addicts and they think they can stop whenever.

once upona time

This week has been such a long week. On Monday and Tuesday the days went by so slowlyyyy. There was alot of homework, like the whole history assignment that omalley gave out. I didnt think that it would take that long, so i put it off until wedensday. the first part of it was actually due on monday, i thought he would still give me credit if i turned it in on wedensday but it turns out you have to do extra work for everyday its late. So by wedensday i had to do so many assignments. Most of the time when i go home, i dont really do shit. I eat, first of all. Then i either lay on my bed, Or go watch tv. When my mom gets home from work i usually act like im doing something important and spend about a half hour actually doing a assignments. I hate homework so much so i usually try to spend as little time on it as possible. I dont really see why we have to spend the whole day in school, doing schoolwork. Then go home and do more. Its the dumbest thing ever.
So anyways On wedensday my day was horrible. I finally came to the realization more assignments to do then i usually have in like two weeks. I ended staying up until like 12, which is normal but not doing homework. The only good thing was that i felt soooo much better that i had finished everything i had to do. I also ended up finishing other assignment because i figured since im doing so much work anyways, i dont want to do this two nights in a row. I had totally forget the fact that i didnt even have that class the next day. Ohwelll, i was glad i had gotit all done. Im still stuck doing this right now though... hmm.
Im so dissapointed in myself. I used to read sooo many books. I havent read a book, just to read in a long time. Ive read books for english but thats about it. I dont know why exacly i havent been reading as much. I also used to write alot, and i havent beren doing that much either apart from this. I feel like i have gotten so lazy these last couple of months. Another thing i used to do alot, was workout. I wanted to get my ideal body shape, and i was almost there until i started being lazy. SO those are the three things i want to start doing again before summer.
Okay, so about our quickwrite this week, heres what i think: If i had to give up something for 48 hours it would probably be either my ipod or swearing. Giving up my ipod would probably be the second hardest thing i would have to do. The first would definitely be my phone. I'm ashamed to say my phone is my whole world. Im sorry, im no0t giving that up. But giving up my ipod would also be very very very hard. My life would be so silent and void of music. Everyday, every free minute i have im almost always listening to music on my ipod. I have a millllllion songs on there i just cant be without. I cant really even imagine what it would be like.
As for the swearing, i have horrible manners when i comes to swearing. I really should stop for good.

Letter #1

For my first lit circle letter this month, im going to talk about the book I chose to read. This book is called Smack by Melvin Burgess. I chose this book because it definitely caught my attention. The book is called Smack because smack is another name for heroin. A couple months ago I read a book called Crank, which is also a nickname for meth. The book I read was super good, and ive been looking for a book similar to it since. According to the back, Smack is a book about a fourteen-year-old boy named Tar, who is physically abused by his alcoholic father and mentally abused by his alcoholic mother. So of course he runs away. He gets his girlfriend Gemma to come along too, and they think they’ve found the perfect life. They live in an abandoned house with some of Gemmas friends who invite him to take his first hit of smack. It goes from thinking they can quit at anytime, to doing anything to just get there next hit.
Ive read up to my first paper clip and I must say, this book has got my full attention. Its very well written. The author is from England and the story also takes place there, so sometimes they use different words and it can get confusing. But the story line is very clear and it definitely makes you want to keep reading to know what is going to happen next. Another good thing about the book is that it’s not the same person telling the whole story. Every chapter is by a different character, its great because it’s a different point of view every time. As the story progresses and gets more characters, they start to have there own chapters too. It’s a really cool book so far =)

MONTHLY REVIEWWW!

This month’s book called ‘The Thief Lord’ is a fictional book written by Cornelia Funke, who I did research on and its actually pronounced Foon-kah because she’s German. My partner, Jordan and I, were having the hardest time picking a book because we both find different topics interesting. I’m into both the mystery and horror, which never ends up being that scary, or the romantic puppy love books that you can find in the teen sections. Jordan, I think, is more into what I call ‘boring’ books. The ones about ancient Greek gods, and other stuff like that. So when time came where we HAD to pick a book, we were still arguing about what to read. Finally I got frustrated and said, pick whatever! And walked away. Two seconds later Jordan comes back with, ‘The Thief Lord’, which sounds pretty dumb if you ask me. So no, I did not want to read this book at first but there were two copies and only a couple minutes left in the period. ‘Whatever’.
The inside of the flap of The Thief Lord gave me a description set in Venice, Italy where two young boys, Prosper and Bo lose there parents in a tragic car crash. The younger boy Bo is sent to live with their cruel aunt and uncle. Prosper, the older brother, wants to get his little brother back so he can take care of him. So he takes Bo and they run away to Venice, which they’ve heard great things about from the stories their parents have told them. They meet a group of kids just like them, except these kids are wealthy street kids. They have a leader, who they call the “Thief Lord” who steals valuable things from famous places and rich families. Then he sells these valuable things for money and supports him and his friends. Prosper and Bo are welcomed in to the group, but the evil aunt has sent a detective in Venice to track down both brothers and bring them back to her. Trying to escape the detective and the other kids trouble, the group runs into all kinds of adventures.
When Jordan first picked the book, I thought I for sure would not be able to get into it. It just didn’t sound like my type of book. But slipping in my grades the last quarter, I forced myself to read it. The book started out slow, and I got kind of confused at first because there were two stories going at once. I finally got it; it goes back and forth every other chapter. After that it was easier to read, but I was just reading, not really paying attention to it. By the third chapter I had started to get really into the story and enjoy it. Cornelia Funke is a really good writer and gives great descriptions of the city of Venice, portraying it as a magical city with lots of mysteries and secrets, but also very beautiful. She also describes some of the huge mansions, palaces, museums, and churches that the thief lord is able to break into, in great detail and not leaving anything important out. After reading it with no distractions, I felt like I was along with these kids for there adventures, it was so real. If you read this book you would be able to tell that the author took a lot of time probably sketching out her ideas and really thinking about how she was going to write it, before she even started writing.
Cornelia Funke definitely wrote this book for younger people, like maybe middle schools. For years Cornelia Funke has been one of the best-known and bestselling children's authors in Germany. The author used to work as a social worker for troubled kids. When she writes about the children in the book, you can tell she has a lot of experience with kids. She also worked as a designer of board games and as an illustrator of children's books. She eventually discovered that her passion for actually writing the stories was much larger than for illustrating them. She turned to her cousin, and he translated some of her books into English, and they were published in America. She has also written books like, Dragonrider, Inkheart, Inkspell, and reckless. “The Thief Lord I tried to describe, how much children can care for each other even under the worst circumstances, even if they are left alone by their parents”
Like I explained in my first and second paper clip letters, around the beginning/first half of the book was very good. It was pretty interesting with a lot of details and it seemed to have everything that makes a book good. A lot of the time I didn’t want to stop reading just to see what was going to happen next. I think that was the books strongest points. As I got around to my third paper clip, the story took a turn and got kind of confusing. More people came into the story, instead of the same five people. There was a lot more dialogue because of this and it became harder to understand who exactly was speaking and what was going on. Also, the setting would be in one place and then suddenly, they will be somewhere else. It also made it hard because there was one important part in the book where all the characters are making like a master plan for one of there break ins, and it was one of those parts you have to read or else the rest of the book doesn’t make sense either. And it was really awful because it had people talking back to back, but it wasn’t saying whose dialogue it was. Maybe it was just my lack of understanding, because I'm pretty sure my partner got through it fine. It was sort of disappointing for me and made me not really want to go on in this book because the beginning started out so good. Even though this book did not end the way I thought it would, I would still recommend it for all audiences.

MONTHLY REVIEWWW!

This month’s book called ‘The Thief Lord’ is a fictional book written by Cornelia Funke, who I did research on and its actually pronounced Foon-kah because she’s German. My partner, Jordan and I, were having the hardest time picking a book because we both find different topics interesting. I’m into both the mystery and horror, which never ends up being that scary, or the romantic puppy love books that you can find in the teen sections. Jordan, I think, is more into what I call ‘boring’ books. The ones about ancient Greek gods, and other stuff like that. So when time came where we HAD to pick a book, we were still arguing about what to read. Finally I got frustrated and said, pick whatever! And walked away. Two seconds later Jordan comes back with, ‘The Thief Lord’, which sounds pretty dumb if you ask me. So no, I did not want to read this book at first but there were two copies and only a couple minutes left in the period. ‘Whatever’.
The inside of the flap of The Thief Lord gave me a description set in Venice, Italy where two young boys, Prosper and Bo lose there parents in a tragic car crash. The younger boy Bo is sent to live with their cruel aunt and uncle. Prosper, the older brother, wants to get his little brother back so he can take care of him. So he takes Bo and they run away to Venice, which they’ve heard great things about from the stories their parents have told them. They meet a group of kids just like them, except these kids are wealthy street kids. They have a leader, who they call the “Thief Lord” who steals valuable things from famous places and rich families. Then he sells these valuable things for money and supports him and his friends. Prosper and Bo are welcomed in to the group, but the evil aunt has sent a detective in Venice to track down both brothers and bring them back to her. Trying to escape the detective and the other kids trouble, the group runs into all kinds of adventures.
When Jordan first picked the book, I thought I for sure would not be able to get into it. It just didn’t sound like my type of book. But slipping in my grades the last quarter, I forced myself to read it. The book started out slow, and I got kind of confused at first because there were two stories going at once. I finally got it; it goes back and forth every other chapter. After that it was easier to read, but I was just reading, not really paying attention to it. By the third chapter I had started to get really into the story and enjoy it. Cornelia Funke is a really good writer and gives great descriptions of the city of Venice, portraying it as a magical city with lots of mysteries and secrets, but also very beautiful. She also describes some of the huge mansions, palaces, museums, and churches that the thief lord is able to break into, in great detail and not leaving anything important out. After reading it with no distractions, I felt like I was along with these kids for there adventures, it was so real. If you read this book you would be able to tell that the author took a lot of time probably sketching out her ideas and really thinking about how she was going to write it, before she even started writing.
Cornelia Funke definitely wrote this book for younger people, like maybe middle schools. For years Cornelia Funke has been one of the best-known and bestselling children's authors in Germany. The author used to work as a social worker for troubled kids. When she writes about the children in the book, you can tell she has a lot of experience with kids. She also worked as a designer of board games and as an illustrator of children's books. She eventually discovered that her passion for actually writing the stories was much larger than for illustrating them. She turned to her cousin, and he translated some of her books into English, and they were published in America. She has also written books like, Dragonrider, Inkheart, Inkspell, and reckless. “The Thief Lord I tried to describe, how much children can care for each other even under the worst circumstances, even if they are left alone by their parents”
Like I explained in my first and second paper clip letters, around the beginning/first half of the book was very good. It was pretty interesting with a lot of details and it seemed to have everything that makes a book good. A lot of the time I didn’t want to stop reading just to see what was going to happen next. I think that was the books strongest points. As I got around to my third paper clip, the story took a turn and got kind of confusing. More people came into the story, instead of the same five people. There was a lot more dialogue because of this and it became harder to understand who exactly was speaking and what was going on. Also, the setting would be in one place and then suddenly, they will be somewhere else. It also made it hard because there was one important part in the book where all the characters are making like a master plan for one of there break ins, and it was one of those parts you have to read or else the rest of the book doesn’t make sense either. And it was really awful because it had people talking back to back, but it wasn’t saying whose dialogue it was. Maybe it was just my lack of understanding, because I'm pretty sure my partner got through it fine. It was sort of disappointing for me and made me not really want to go on in this book because the beginning started out so good. Even though this book did not end the way I thought it would, I would still recommend it for all audiences.

letttter #3

Last week, in my first and second letter about the book called “Thief Lord” that im reading with my partner Jordan, I gave a pretty good review of the book. It is a fiction book and Cornelia Funke writes it. It was very detailed and written clearly. I wrote about how much I loved all the descriptions so far in the book and everything. But I was only able to follow the main events up until I got to my third paper clip :[
This book was so good at first. Where did it go wrong?? So when I started to read on, after my third paper clip, events in the book started to move faster. I guess that’s how it should be since it’s nearing the end of the book, but it just got really confusing. First of all, there was a lot more dialogue than the first and second parts of the book because there were more people involved by then. Some of the time it was unclear who exactly was the one speaking. It also made it hard because there was one important part in the book where all the characters are making like a master plan for one of there break ins, and it was one of those parts you have to read or else the rest of the book doesn’t make sense either. And it was really awful because it had people talking back to back, but it wasn’t saying whose dialogue it was. Maybe it was just my lack of understanding, because im pretty sure my partner got through it fine. But I think that’s what made the rest of the book painful to read.
Soooo yeah, I thought I was going to enjoy this book from beginning to end but I guess not. I would recommend this book still, even though it does get confusing and boring, but like I said that could have been just me.

letttter #3

Last week, in my first and second letter about the book called “Thief Lord” that im reading with my partner Jordan, I gave a pretty good review of the book. It is a fiction book and Cornelia Funke writes it. It was very detailed and written clearly. I wrote about how much I loved all the descriptions so far in the book and everything. But I was only able to follow the main events up until I got to my third paper clip :[
This book was so good at first. Where did it go wrong?? So when I started to read on, after my third paper clip, events in the book started to move faster. I guess that’s how it should be since it’s nearing the end of the book, but it just got really confusing. First of all, there was a lot more dialogue than the first and second parts of the book because there were more people involved by then. Some of the time it was unclear who exactly was the one speaking. It also made it hard because there was one important part in the book where all the characters are making like a master plan for one of there break ins, and it was one of those parts you have to read or else the rest of the book doesn’t make sense either. And it was really awful because it had people talking back to back, but it wasn’t saying whose dialogue it was. Maybe it was just my lack of understanding, because im pretty sure my partner got through it fine. But I think that’s what made the rest of the book painful to read.
Soooo yeah, I thought I was going to enjoy this book from beginning to end but I guess not. I would recommend this book still, even though it does get confusing and boring, but like I said that could have been just me.

Ehhhhh .

Growing up, our tiny little apartment was scattered with things like, tarot cards and candles, books and crystal ball type things. I loved our tiny apartment, i had always been surrounded by those types of things and they made the atmosphere feel warm and like my home. Right after my dad died, my mom told me that my dad kept visiting her. She told me how one night she woke up and he was standing there in the bathroom wearing exactly what he had been wearing the last time we saw him. She burned candles and sage to bring him back around. A couple nights later she told that the phone had been ringing around one o'clock, 1:02 to be exact, so she got up to answer it. She took her time because this always happened and it was usually some weirdo on the other end. When she picked it up, the person had already hung up. She said after she put the phone down someone tapped her on her shoulder, at first she thought it was me because it felt so real. She also has a bad habit of ignoring me, so she didnt turn around right away. When she did turn around, she saw my dad walking away from her then vanishing completely. When she told me about it, i told her that she was probably dreaming it and she agreed. Secretely i was a bit jealous because why wasnt my daddy visiting me?? Later that day, we got a call from my aunt, my dads sister. She told us she had called last night, 'about 2 minutes after one', but hung up becuase someone had taken too long to answer the phone. We concluded that it was real.
I have never doubted the paranormal, growing up like i did, yet i have never had an actual encounter myself. Ive been there when random things fly of shelfs, or doors slam when there is no people or wind around. But to come face to face with a ghost or a spirit is smething i have never expirienced. I did have a wierd and slightly creepy thing happen to me though, that i still think about.
My mom met her new boyfriend, and i moved to Alameda in the middle of 6th grade. I have never liked it here, but i didnt have a choice did i? When we were looking at the apartment we live in now, one of the neighbors from downstairs came up to chat. Eventually she told us that the people that lived here before were a family, a married couple and a little girl. The husband was very abusive, beating his wife badly all the time. Whenever he would go at it, there little girl would always scream at the top of her lungs. One day all there stuff was gone and so were they. It freaked me out a bit, but i wasnt too worried. I didnt like the feel of this apartment too much, but then nothing would compare to our perfect little apartment that just wasnt big enough for all our egos anymore. I did want my own room too.
On our first night i had a hard time falling asleep. When i finally did, i woke up around 2:30 because i thought i heard screaming. When i fully awoke, everything was silent. I thought maybe i had dreamt it. I tried to fall back asleep until i heard faint screaming again. I listened to it. It sounded like a little girl screaming something, but i couldnt hear what she was saying. I didnt really know what to do, so i just layed there and it started getting louder. My mom is honestly the lightest sleeper in the world, shell wake up to any kinda noise, anytime. So i was wondering why she wasnt awake. I focused on seeing if i could make out what the girl was screaming. Then i heard her scream, ' HELP ME PLEASE, HELP ME, I DONT WANT TO DIE!' i jumped out of my bed as i heard this and started searching where it was coming from as she repeated that over and over again. I looked out my window then opened it but it sounded like it was coming from another directon. Theres not much more places it could be coming from so i put my ear to the floor. That didnt sound right either. I ran out of my room to the front door, i couldnt find where it was coming from! It was kinda scary. I went to wake my mom up, and as soon as i did, the screaming stopped. I told her but she said she would have woke up if someone was screaming. I was soo confused. I went back to my room. I tried to sleep, but the little girl started screaming again. I woke my mom up again! and she said she wasnt all the way asleep, she would have heard it! I didnt get any sleeep that first night.

Parrts 1&2

The book that my partner and me picked is called “Thief Lord”. It is written by Cornelia Junke. At first I did not want to read this book, which has happened a lot so I guess I should stop judging books by there covers. The reason why I didn’t want to read it I guess was because the description inside did not really sound like my type of book. I love books about either mystery and suspense or biographies. Sometimes romance is good too. But this book didn’t really sound like any of those genres. The inside of the flap of the book gave me a description set in Venice, Italy where two young boys, Prosper and Bo lose there parents in a tragic car crash. The younger boy Bo is sent to live with their cruel aunt and uncle. Prosper, the older brother, wants to get his little brother back so he can take care of him. So he takes Bo and they run away to Venice, which they’ve heard great things about from the stories their parents have told them. They meet a group of kids just like them, except these kids are wealthy street kids. They have a leader, who they call the “Thief Lord” who steals valuable things from famous places and rich families. Then he sells these valuable things for money and supports him and his friends. Prosper and Bo are welcomed in to the group, but the evil aunt has sent a detective in Venice to track down both brothers and bring them back to her. Trying to escape the detective and the other kids trouble, the group runs into all kinds of adventures.
I really didn’t want to read this book at first. The beginning of the book was really slow, not really giving much away and sort of confusing. But once the Prosper runs away with his little brother, the story does pick up the pace. I started to really pay attention to the book and the authors writing, and realized how much good detail and descriptions there is involved. Once I got more into the book and read farther into it, I began to enjoy it much much more. Cornelia Funke is a really good writer and gives great descriptions of the city of Venice, portraying it as a magical city with lots of mysteries and secrets, but also very beautiful. She also describes some of the huge mansions, palaces, museums, and churches that the thief lord is able to break into, in great detail and not leaving anything important out. After a bit of reading you can start to feel as if you’re a character in this book, exploring and along with these kids in there many adventures.
My favorite parts of this book so far are when the author describes some of Venice’s many beauties and famous monuments such as fountains with elaborate decorations or the giant statues of lions or important people. Other very good parts of the story are when the people of Venice are described, with their distinct personality traits and their language. You can really get a feel of how different they live in Italy, and also how sweet and naturally nice people are there. I’m not really sure whether its all true about Venice or not, never being there myself, But it makes for a great story. Another good thing is the pace of the main events in this story. They’re perfectly spaced out and it makes the story move along evenly, which a lot of books I’ve read were missing. The dialogue between the main characters is also very clear, you always know whose speaking, and the author also includes a good sense of humor between characters, making you want to read further.
Overall, it’s a good book once you’re able to get into it. And yes, I would recommend it!

Parrts 1&2

The book that my partner and me picked is called “Thief Lord”. It is written by Cornelia Junke. At first I did not want to read this book, which has happened a lot so I guess I should stop judging books by there covers. The reason why I didn’t want to read it I guess was because the description inside did not really sound like my type of book. I love books about either mystery and suspense or biographies. Sometimes romance is good too. But this book didn’t really sound like any of those genres. The inside of the flap of the book gave me a description set in Venice, Italy where two young boys, Prosper and Bo lose there parents in a tragic car crash. The younger boy Bo is sent to live with their cruel aunt and uncle. Prosper, the older brother, wants to get his little brother back so he can take care of him. So he takes Bo and they run away to Venice, which they’ve heard great things about from the stories their parents have told them. They meet a group of kids just like them, except these kids are wealthy street kids. They have a leader, who they call the “Thief Lord” who steals valuable things from famous places and rich families. Then he sells these valuable things for money and supports him and his friends. Prosper and Bo are welcomed in to the group, but the evil aunt has sent a detective in Venice to track down both brothers and bring them back to her. Trying to escape the detective and the other kids trouble, the group runs into all kinds of adventures.
I really didn’t want to read this book at first. The beginning of the book was really slow, not really giving much away and sort of confusing. But once the Prosper runs away with his little brother, the story does pick up the pace. I started to really pay attention to the book and the authors writing, and realized how much good detail and descriptions there is involved. Once I got more into the book and read farther into it, I began to enjoy it much much more. Cornelia Funke is a really good writer and gives great descriptions of the city of Venice, portraying it as a magical city with lots of mysteries and secrets, but also very beautiful. She also describes some of the huge mansions, palaces, museums, and churches that the thief lord is able to break into, in great detail and not leaving anything important out. After a bit of reading you can start to feel as if you’re a character in this book, exploring and along with these kids in there many adventures.
My favorite parts of this book so far are when the author describes some of Venice’s many beauties and famous monuments such as fountains with elaborate decorations or the giant statues of lions or important people. Other very good parts of the story are when the people of Venice are described, with their distinct personality traits and their language. You can really get a feel of how different they live in Italy, and also how sweet and naturally nice people are there. I’m not really sure whether its all true about Venice or not, never being there myself, But it makes for a great story. Another good thing is the pace of the main events in this story. They’re perfectly spaced out and it makes the story move along evenly, which a lot of books I’ve read were missing. The dialogue between the main characters is also very clear, you always know whose speaking, and the author also includes a good sense of humor between characters, making you want to read further.
Overall, it’s a good book once you’re able to get into it. And yes, I would recommend it!

EAST SIDE DREAMS.

The book that i read was called, "East Side Dreams" by Art Rodriguez. It was a biography of Art's life in little chapter stories. Most of the stories were about Art growing up in San Jose and hanging out with his friends, who were always no good. Theres stories of his family, you can tell they are very close. Always getting in trouble, Art finds himself locked up in jail. He tells alot of stories about his jail time. Some of the things he talks about arent really laughing matters, but the way that Art Rodriguez writes, he is able to make everything into a joke. Thats whats great about this book. Even though he regrets alot of things he once did, he eventually grows up and matures and it makes a great story to read.
Reading this book, i think the main point the author was trying to get across was, mistakes you make or things you don't do when your younger, will eventually follow you into your adult life. He sort of tries to persuade the reader to not make the same mistakes he made by telling you the consequences in short stories. Most of the beggining stories in Arts book are about him getting into trouble with his friends. He used to party alot and drink and do drugs. Art and his friends ended up getting into lots of fights because of this. One particular night when they decided to get into a fight with another group of guys at a party, It ended in two guys dying and Art being accused of the killing. the later half of the book is about his jail time. I think he also had alot of fun growing up and had some of the craziest, unbelievable things happen to him. I think he wrote this book because of these stories and he wanted to share them. I think he made his point pretty clear, i know there is a couple things that i will not be ever trying, just by reading this book.
I would reccomend this book to all audiences, its great reading material in general. It's has very simple diolauge without alot of big words. Spanish being Art's first language, he did not know how to read and write in english until he took classes as an adult. I think that it was intended for younger people because alot of the things he talks about and the stories he tells, i feel younger people would be able to relate and learn more from them. Also, he tries to teach alot of lessons that probably only teenagers would need to learn. I did not find alot of flaws or weaknesses in this book, except in some parts where he would drag on and on about a story when the end was already predictable enough. Another flaw i found was one about his father. He mentions his father towards the end, he says he used to be abusive, then says they're growing way more close now. The little he does say about his father, makes it seem like he was a very influental and important figure in Arts life despite there differences when he was younger. I think this story could have been stronger if he let the reader know more about how his father affected him growing up throughout the story because he makes it clear at the end that he did influence alot of his decisions. I don't think that i can really point out any other flaws because it was the story of his life, and i can't really wish he talked about something different. It was a great book.
Ive read alot of biography and memoir type books and i think that this book was one of the best ive read so far. The author makes you feel like your reslly there. Arts writing is very descriptive and when hes describing his surroundings in the stories it feels very realistic and you can almost picture everything. I think his writing is amazing for someone who had to learn to read and write as an adult. Art Rodriguez has an amazing talent.

EAST SIDE DREAMS.

The book that i read was called, "East Side Dreams" by Art Rodriguez. It was a biography of Art's life in little chapter stories. Most of the stories were about Art growing up in San Jose and hanging out with his friends, who were always no good. Theres stories of his family, you can tell they are very close. Always getting in trouble, Art finds himself locked up in jail. He tells alot of stories about his jail time. Some of the things he talks about arent really laughing matters, but the way that Art Rodriguez writes, he is able to make everything into a joke. Thats whats great about this book. Even though he regrets alot of things he once did, he eventually grows up and matures and it makes a great story to read.
Reading this book, i think the main point the author was trying to get across was, mistakes you make or things you don't do when your younger, will eventually follow you into your adult life. He sort of tries to persuade the reader to not make the same mistakes he made by telling you the consequences in short stories. Most of the beggining stories in Arts book are about him getting into trouble with his friends. He used to party alot and drink and do drugs. Art and his friends ended up getting into lots of fights because of this. One particular night when they decided to get into a fight with another group of guys at a party, It ended in two guys dying and Art being accused of the killing. the later half of the book is about his jail time. I think he also had alot of fun growing up and had some of the craziest, unbelievable things happen to him. I think he wrote this book because of these stories and he wanted to share them. I think he made his point pretty clear, i know there is a couple things that i will not be ever trying, just by reading this book.
I would reccomend this book to all audiences, its great reading material in general. It's has very simple diolauge without alot of big words. Spanish being Art's first language, he did not know how to read and write in english until he took classes as an adult. I think that it was intended for younger people because alot of the things he talks about and the stories he tells, i feel younger people would be able to relate and learn more from them. Also, he tries to teach alot of lessons that probably only teenagers would need to learn. I did not find alot of flaws or weaknesses in this book, except in some parts where he would drag on and on about a story when the end was already predictable enough. Another flaw i found was one about his father. He mentions his father towards the end, he says he used to be abusive, then says they're growing way more close now. The little he does say about his father, makes it seem like he was a very influental and important figure in Arts life despite there differences when he was younger. I think this story could have been stronger if he let the reader know more about how his father affected him growing up throughout the story because he makes it clear at the end that he did influence alot of his decisions. I don't think that i can really point out any other flaws because it was the story of his life, and i can't really wish he talked about something different. It was a great book.
Ive read alot of biography and memoir type books and i think that this book was one of the best ive read so far. The author makes you feel like your reslly there. Arts writing is very descriptive and when hes describing his surroundings in the stories it feels very realistic and you can almost picture everything. I think his writing is amazing for someone who had to learn to read and write as an adult. Art Rodriguez has an amazing talent.

EAST SIDE DREAMS.

The book that i read was called, "East Side Dreams" by Art Rodriguez. It was a biography of Art's life in little chapter stories. Most of the stories were about Art growing up in San Jose and hanging out with his friends, who were always no good. Theres stories of his family, you can tell they are very close. Always getting in trouble, Art finds himself locked up in jail. He tells alot of stories about his jail time. Some of the things he talks about arent really laughing matters, but the way that Art Rodriguez writes, he is able to make everything into a joke. Thats whats great about this book. Even though he regrets alot of things he once did, he eventually grows up and matures and it makes a great story to read.
Reading this book, i think the main point the author was trying to get across was, mistakes you make or things you don't do when your younger, will eventually follow you into your adult life. He sort of tries to persuade the reader to not make the same mistakes he made by telling you the consequences in short stories. Most of the beggining stories in Arts book are about him getting into trouble with his friends. He used to party alot and drink and do drugs. Art and his friends ended up getting into lots of fights because of this. One particular night when they decided to get into a fight with another group of guys at a party, It ended in two guys dying and Art being accused of the killing. the later half of the book is about his jail time. I think he also had alot of fun growing up and had some of the craziest, unbelievable things happen to him. I think he wrote this book because of these stories and he wanted to share them. I think he made his point pretty clear, i know there is a couple things that i will not be ever trying, just by reading this book.
I would reccomend this book to all audiences, its great reading material in general. It's has very simple diolauge without alot of big words. Spanish being Art's first language, he did not know how to read and write in english until he took classes as an adult. I think that it was intended for younger people because alot of the things he talks about and the stories he tells, i feel younger people would be able to relate and learn more from them. Also, he tries to teach alot of lessons that probably only teenagers would need to learn. I did not find alot of flaws or weaknesses in this book, except in some parts where he would drag on and on about a story when the end was already predictable enough. Another flaw i found was one about his father. He mentions his father towards the end, he says he used to be abusive, then says they're growing way more close now. The little he does say about his father, makes it seem like he was a very influental and important figure in Arts life despite there differences when he was younger. I think this story could have been stronger if he let the reader know more about how his father affected him growing up throughout the story because he makes it clear at the end that he did influence alot of his decisions. I don't think that i can really point out any other flaws because it was the story of his life, and i can't really wish he talked about something different. It was a great book.
Ive read alot of biography and memoir type books and i think that this book was one of the best ive read so far. The author makes you feel like your reslly there. Arts writing is very descriptive and when hes describing his surroundings in the stories it feels very realistic and you can almost picture everything. I think his writing is amazing for someone who had to learn to read and write as an adult. Art Rodriguez has an amazing talent.

2-26-10 BLOG. (reposted)

Last weekend i went to visit a friend that i havent seen in around three years. I was very excited to see him because he really is an extrordinary person. I met him during the summer of 07'. I remember when i met him, we clicked instantly. Im not really the type of person that 'clicks' with people alot, so thats how i knew he was special. I learned alot from him that summer and he became one of my bestfriends also. I knew we always had the best times. He's a little older than me, and it always felt like he was teaching me new things. He would take me on these crazy conversations with him. He's also one of the few people that i could say knows me and everything. But it was a summer thing. Once summer was over, we kind of lost contact. It made me sad alot because toward the end of summer we werent as close, so i felt like things with him were left unresolved.
So after about a year of my friend hearing me complain and be unhappy, i don't know why it took so long, she convinced me to get in contact with him. It wasnt that hard because we know alot of the same people. I got a number but i started to wonder if it was this easy, why didnt he do the same. So i had my doubts but i figured i knew him well enough, and that he had to feel the same.
We started talking on and off, and it pretty much satisfied me because i had just wanted to have some type of closure. So, if we hadnt talked for a while, i didnt mind because the last time we talked, we were cool. But for him it was always different. He moved alot after summer but he always aske when we were going to hang out and it seemed like he was anxious to see me. I was so busy all the time, and all wrapped up in myself, i ended up blowing him off for like another two years. We talked probably once a month up until about two weeks ago. We talked for a coulpe days straight and it was like all of a sudden i realized how special he was to me, like i had forgot or something. I felt stupid for not wanting to see him or being shy. One day when he asked again, i told him i wasnt doing much so i would come visit him because it felt like forever. He had just moved back to oakland.
I started to remember all the fun times we had and i became nervous to see him again. I didnt think he would have changed that much, but i know i definately had. When i saw him again though, nothing really felt different. No matter how much either of us grew or changed, We were completely comfortable with eachother becuase we still knew eachother better than anyone probably. It was such a wonderrrrrful day, it was one of those days that you replay in your head later, the ones that make you smile for days. Im still smiling now (:

LETTER #3

In the third part of "East Side Dreams" by Art Rodriguez, Art is released from jail and is forced to deal with everyday life outside of prison bars. Art finds that staying out of trouble is harder than he thought. Going home to the same friends and the same neighborhood, Art starts to fall back into his old routine of drinking, drugs, and fights. Eventually he ends up back in jail, but gets off easy this time because he gave a good story. When he is released a second time Art realizes how he has let the majority of his young life slip away, he decides that he must get his life back on track before he ends up being sent back to jail again with a life sentence. He moves to LA, away from the bad influences in his life and slowly starts changing his life for the better. He gets a job and with his new and old expireiences, ends up starting his own company and becoming successful. After he moved to LA, his father ends up marrying and moving to a town near him. He often visited his father, and despite there abusive relationship when art was younger, they became very close.
At the very end of the story, Art's father dies and Art realizes how special his dad was. I think this last part of the book was more touching than the rest. Art really showed how his relationships with friend and family changed once he straightened out his life. He uses what he learns from past expiriences to control his temper and to stay out of all the trouble and fights he usually got into. He also eventually stops doing drugs which makes him think more clearly and be in control of his life. I would definitely reccomend this book to anyone because i found nothing really wrong with it. Its really a very inspiring book and you get to find out that Art Rodriguez is really a good person.

LETTER

The second part of "East Side Dreams" by Art Rodriguez, is my favorite part so far. I really like the way the story is told, more than the first part of the book. In this section of the book, Art finds himself in jail for about two years for murder. He mostly talks about the people in jail, like his friends, his enemies, and the fights he gets in. He also tells alot of stories about the things he does while in jail, which include sniffing glue, poisining the food for rival gangs, and tricking his senile teacher into giving him all his credits on his first day of class. Most of what art does in jail is think about home and his family, and he reminisis on a lot of childhood stories.
I think that Art was innocent, and that he did not commit the murder. I think that he was definetely hanging around the wrong people and they had a bad influence on his decisions. I also think it was wrong to keep him so long in jail. Art regretted his decisions the minute he was in jail, but he made it through a year. Then when he went to the board after one year, they still gave him another year. I think when his one year was up, he had matured enough to be released.
Another comment i have on the book, is that i think Art's relationship with his dad affected him alot. It seems like his dad was real tough on the whole family when Art was younger, and i think it made him act out a bit and do some of the things he did.
Overall, i think this book is amazing and that he makes the stories about his life so intresting that you just want to keep reading this book!

quickwriteee.

For the past few days Ive actually been eating pretty bad. My addiction is hot chips, so Ive been eating about 2-3 bags each day all this week. Which is just horrible because hot chips are probably the most unhealthy chips you can eat. Sometimes my mom cook dinner at home but it usually isn't served with any type of fruits or vegetables. And in the morning i just eat cereal. So my eating habits are not that great. When i go out, either by myself or with friends i usually eat alot of fast foods or whatever is close. I think the main reason why i eat alot of fast food is because i dont have alot of money when i go out so i buy the most affordable food to eat. Which is fast food. Almost every other restaurant is some type of fast food and there really is only about one farmers market near me. Most of the time, especially with me, i just don't feel like some fruits or veggies because it lacks flavor compared to french fries. I absolutely love unhealthy stuff, chips, chocolate and cupcakes. I think that if i could cook i might be able to make my meals healthier but i really cant because I'm extremely clumsy. My mom definitely loves all kinds of junk food and i think that's where i got it from because theres always these bags of half full oreos and chips in our kitchen looking tempting. I feel like eating all this processed food is going to catch up with me. Like when i was a little younger i could eat whatever i wanted and not gain a pound. I was always really skinny. Im still skinny but i an see the differences all this junk food is making on my body now. It makes me really want to eat healthier. Another problem that i keep getting lectured on is the fact that most of the people from both sides of my family have food health-related issues. Such as heart disease and diabetes mostly. Everyone seems to think that if i don't take care of my body and keep healthy then im going to end up like them, which is probably true. Thats kind of a scary thought. I really don't want to have health problems when im older, because its going to get in the way of alot of things i want to do.
I really liked the TED movie today and not just because the speaker was cute and had a sexy accent. I especially like when he brought up about the school lunches and cafeteria food that a lot of kids eat. The last time i ate cafateria food was in elementry school and i actually liked it. But i think about the things they fed us and it was cookies and chips and pizza. It wasnt that healthy at all. Even though i dont eat school lunches i imagine there pretty much the same now. And they stink now too haha

EAST SIDE DREAMS LETTER.

The book East Side Dreams, by Art Rodriguez starts in his adolescent years. He talks about partying with his friends, getting pulled over by cops, and getting into to serious fights with people. It seems as though thats all his life consisted of. Then he speaks of his family more and life at home. He has three siblings and hes kind of the middle child. His Mother was the loving one, and his father believed in tough love. He recalls alot of his fathers beatings of him and his siblings. Art then talks alot about his neighborhood, San Jose. He says that in those days there were alot of racial seperations. He says there were Blacks, and whites, but mostly Mexicans. alot of mexicans. Being mexican-american himself, Art was very popular and had alot of friends. Most of his time was spent drinking and doing drugs, and of course fighting. Art seems to be in love with fighting.

I love the way Art Rodriguez writes because when hes telling stories it feels as if your there expieriencing it with him, its very realistic. I also like the way the chapters go back and forth. One chapter will be about his time hes doing in jail and the next chapter will be about a childhood memory. He pretty much does that the whole book and its a good transition. I think as a young teeneager, art wasnt a bad person but he definately was with people who didnt help him make the best choices. When he writes now you can tell he's definately tell he has matured greatly.
The main point of the story is Art going to jail. One night he gets into a big fight with a bunch of his friends at a party. Later some people that he faught eventually die, so it becomes a murder case. They sentence him even though there not forsure that he actually killed those people. He first goes to juvie until the court decides to prosecute him as an adult. Then he gets transferred to a prison that kind of a waiting place to be tooken to an even bigger prison. Mostly he talks about the fights he gets in in prison. So far, its a verrrry good book.

Something Good.

During summer 09' I did this internship at the Native American Health Center in fruitvale. There were only 10 spots available so i figured i needed something to do. Even though it was just an internship, it was to be treated like a real job. At the end of the summer you get $1,000, so ofcourse i did it because im saving up on getting a car when i get my liscence. Most of the time it was easy and they let us out like a 1 and we went to san francisco like everyday and they paid for it.. I don't even know why. Everything about it was pretty chill except they were really strict about the morning hours and made us have a time clock where we punched in a card. It would show even if your a minute late and they would yell at you. I met alot of new people though and became hella close with some people. At first i just wanted an easy way to get money and something good to look on my transcript, but after i did it i realized how much fun it was :]
Another part of the internship was we had to first answer all these questions in essay form. Most of them were super easy that could be written in like 30 minutes, But this was one i went all out on, and it's just super funny. No wonder i was in top 3 pick :)
>>> A work experience that I have is mentoring young children. About two years ago during the summer, I volunteered at a pre-school called Inch-By-Inch. It was a great experience just to be around young children and be able to interact with them. I think being able to interact and relate to people, especially young kids, is an important quality. I dedicated my time and was punctual each day and treated my volunteer work as if it were a real job. Another work experience I have is being an Office Aide. My duties included being able to handle paperwork and also being trustworthy. I had to follow a strict code of privacy. This meant I was not allowed to repeat what went on in the office or tell anyone what I heard or saw while handling their paperwork. I think being trustworthy is an important quality in a work environment This meant grading tests or taking notes for the teachers. I was basically doing whatever they wanted me to do and being flexible about it. Being flexible is an important quality because when something needs to be done and I don’t really want to do it, I understand that it is important to follow through on tasks. Another important quality that comes along with working for teachers is following directions. Being able to follow directions is a crucial skill to have when in a working environment because I wouldn’t want to do everything wrong and then have to go back and do it all over again. I also participated in an all girls group one summer and since I was the oldest, the group counselors would put me in charge of leading group activities. My independent thinking was helpful in becoming an effective leader. I think that the Youth Development Fellowship program will be a wonderful experience for me. It will benefit me because this program teaches some basic lessons like deadlines, public speaking, teamwork, and a lot on mentoring and connecting to other young people. The Fellowship program would also look good on either college applications or job applications and it could really help out when it comes to real life situations. I would be able to take what I’ve learned from this program and use it into adulthood. I know there is a lot to learn about Native culture and this program would help me stay connected to native culture and not forget who I am. In five years, I definitely see myself in college pursuing my dreams. I’d love to go to a college like U.C. Berkeley or UCLA, and I’d like to pursue studies in Native culture, fashion, and performing arts. I also see my future as being financially stable and being able to travel.

THIS LONNNG WEEK.

CRISIS OF FAITH.

I've always been a realist. Ever since i can remember, i've never believed in something i couldn't see with my own two eyes. A couple times I've pretended to be excited about Santa Clause or surprised to find a couple dollars under my pillow after Ive lost a tooth. But I've never truly believed in any of these things. The hardest thing I've tried to believe, is the existence of a higher power, like God. Growing up, my Mom was really into taking me to Native events. Because my Father was Native American she felt it was important for me to be exposed to the native way of life or whatever. Native ceremonies and practices are probably one of the most spiritual cultures so ive always been surrounded by stories of who created the world, all this mother earth, father sky crap. Who we should be giving thanks to, who we should pray for. To be honest i found it all very boring. I could never help but think, Who are we praying for? Why can't I see him? I don't want to talkl to him if i can't see him, that's weird. My family is not exactly religious, we've never been to church and we aren't strict about praying before dinner or anything like that. But for the most part, they do believe in a God that exists. Which is sometimes hard for me, because i don't really believe in God. At all. And we never talk about it.

Like I said iv'e never truely believed in any kind of higher power, but i always prayed and gave thanks anyways to make everyone else happy. I guess my biggest crisis of faith came when i was six and my Father was murdered. When i was six nothing was more important than my pokemon cards, and my Daddy was my world. I didnt exactly question things then, except at the occasional Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners. But when my Dad died, i questioned everything i had ever heard. It was all pretty confusing. Because my Father knew alot of people there were probably about 3 or 4 memorials and services, And of course i had to attend each one. I noticed that everyone was saying similar things. Mostly praying, but saying things like he was in a better place confused me. How did these people know he was in a better place? And then i realized that they couldnt know that for sure. They hadnt experienced that, so i listened to other things they were saying and praying about. And i started to feel like all they were saying was just a bunch of bullshit trying to make themselves feel better about everything. But i knew where he was. He was in the ground where they had put him last, just drained of life, thats it. There was no spirit of him floating around somewhere, there was no God.
What was so good about God anyway? Why did people believe in him? I was told that he answered your prayers, keeps away evil and ends suffering. Where was he now, everyones crying, and my Moms' suffering, He's nowhere to be seen. And if he was so good why did he let my dad die?

I was always the kid who tried to convince you that God didn't exist. I would argue for hours if you disagreed with me. I remember thinking to myself, these people are so stupid to believe in something so obviously unreal. I really didnt know how to see things from a different point of view, I mean I wasnt even ten yet. Now that ive matured, obviously i have respect for other peoples faiths and religion. I don't think it's stupid to have strong faith anymore because ive heard some hard life stories about people who found there god and turned there life around, just like that. That doesnt mean i would ever commit to something like that though. Maybe in a way ive always wanted a faith. Sometimes i look back on ancient cultures like the Aztecs or Egyptians, like way back. Most of there everyday lives were spent praying and in religous ceremonies. There whole lives revolved around there god, and they made it there number one priority. They did things like human sacrafices and that was how strong there faith was. They built temples and preserved there dead, all in the name of whoever their god was. Maybe something solid like that in life would be good for me.
I think ive always been a little bitter about it though. I can't force myself to believe it, so i cant help but snicker when i hear things like 'Jesus can turn your life around.' It's not me being ignorant, i actually admire people who can really commit there lives to god. Because i dont have faith like that. I never have, and i dont know if i ever will.

While Your Busy Planning, I'll Be Busy Living.

The tension in my house is killing me, i feel like I'm slowly suffocating. Time is running out for me to figure out what to do with my life, and my mom won't let me forget this. It was bad before, but now it's worse. Now it's every morning, every time i come home, every dinner conversation. Every conversation. I'm being suffocated with questions, not just about school now. She says she wants to be able to talk, then she says shes not a friend. She tries to talk to me sometimes but it ends in fighting, always. All shes doing is pushing me away and making me not want to be near her. I'm losing all feeling, it's just a person i cant get off my back now. That's all. And that's how it is now, i don't want to be here. I don't want to be in this house with her, in this stupid school with these people, in claustrophobic Alameda. I'm just getting through everyday and that's it, waiting. I don't want to think about my life and how its going to be, i just want to crawl into my bed, the only thing i find comfort in, and sleep until the day i turn 18. Crawl out, and run. Ive never wanted something so bad. Ive never wanted to leave so bad. I don't think you get it though.
Away from here, i want to go on one long road trip with my best friend. We planned it out already. Pack up and leave this place that makes me sick with dread every time i have to get up in the morning. I want to cross over high street bridge and know for sure I'm leaving Alameda, for good. Sounds stupid right? Sounds pretty dumb, i might just ruin my whole life...for what? A little freedom, a breath of fresh air that Ive never had.

I don't want a fucking life plan. I don't want to come home everyday from a 9-5 job, sit on my ass and watch TV. Get up and do it again the next day. I don't have a faith and i don't believe in reincarnation, so why the fuck would i waste my life away. Not that there is anything wrong for those who do that everyday, you do what you gotta do, but its not me. I would end up in an institution, going crazy looking at four walls. Kinda like now. Except not, because i wont let myself get there.
None of these people matter, Everyone here is plastic, I'm gone in three years anyways, no strings attached, I'm leaving everyone and i won't feel bad about it. I refuse to sit and watch everything pass by. I want to see things with my own eyes. I want to see everything. Adventures, hitchhike, experiences, who cares. At least I'll be living. Doesn't matter if i don't have a cent to my name, maybe I'll be living out of a car, maybe I'll be risking my life. At least I'll be living. And at the end of the day i want to sit on the edge of the biggest mountain watching a sunset with some guy i met at a pit stop, sharing a cheeseburger and breathing freedom, thinking about how miserable life must be for those still stuck in claustrophobia.

CATS.

Cats have been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years and are currently the most popular pet in the world. Due to their close association with humans, cats are now found almost everywhere on Earth. Until recently the cat was commonly believed to have been domesticated in ancient egypt, where it was a cult animal. A study in 2007 found that the lines of descent of all house cats probably run through as few as five self domesticating african wildcats 8000 BC, in the near east. The earliest evidence of cat domestication is a kitten that was buried with its owner 9,500 years ago in Cyprus. Cats can function at only one-sixth the light level required for human vision. Cats have excellent hearing and can detect an extremely broad range of frequencies. They can hear higher-pitched sounds than either dogs or humans, detecting frequencies from 55 Hz up to 79 kHz, a range of 10.5 octaves; while humans can only hear from 31 Hz up to 18 kHz, and dogs hear from 67 Hz to 44 kHz, which are both ranges of about 9 octaves. Cats conserve energy by sleeping more than most animals, especially as they grow older. The daily duration of sleep varies, usually 12–16 hours, with 13–14 being the average. Some cats can sleep as much as 20 hours in a 24-hour period. The term Cat Nap refers to the cat's ability to fall asleep (lightly) for a brief period and has entered the English lexicon—someone who nods off for a few minutes is said to be "taking a cat nap". Cats are known for their cleanliness, spending many hours licking their coats.The cat's tounge has backwards-facing spines about 500 micrometers long, which are called papillae These spines allow cats to groom themselves by licking their fur, with the rows of papillae acting like a hairbrush. Some cats, particularly longhaired cats, occasionally regurgitate hairballs of fur that have collected in their stomachs from grooming. These clumps of fur are usually sausage-shaped and about two to three centimeters long. haha.

All the colors around us.

Last friday i made up a brilliant theory. So, it was super late at night and i was at a friends house with a couple people. We had just finished partying and we were just relaxing in his backyard around a fire. I was pretty much staring into the fire blankly when the subject of the fire's colors came up. We basically started talking about all the reds and oranges and yellows and blues. Why we thought they were these colors and gases and just a whole bunch of shit. It was a pretty intense conversation. I heard someone say that the bottom of the fire looked pretty yellow or something like that. Well, it looked pretty blue to me. So, i said that it was blue, not yellow. No, it's blue/No, it's yellow/blue, yellow, blue, yellow. I WIN.

But then i started thinking about some trippy shit. It went alot differently in my head, like it was a way more OMG feeling at the time, but it's still pretty crazy. So, what if the colors everyone saw were different, but we just called them by the same names. Like the sky. Everyone calls it blue, right?! Well, what if someone standing next to you was seeing the sky as yellow, or maybe seeing a pink sky. But they called it blue also. Or maybe were all seeing different colored things, just anything, books,computers, purple, red, blue, green, yellow, pink. I started freaking out.

So my whole theory was that, were all standing here thinking were seeing the exact same thing everyone else is seeing, but were seeing whole different colors, whole new worlds that i can't even imagine. In a sense i guess, we would all just be color blind yeah, but how do we not know this?! It changes everything. They say everyone is so different, so why couldnt this exist?

So, i tried explaining it to everyone. Some people got it and were as freaked out as iwas, others were too far gone to understand. Anyways, i just thought it was a crazy subject. And here i was thinking all humans are alike. Sorry if it doesnt make much sense.

FINAL.

• How do you like having a blog? How has blogging changed the way you write, the way you think, or the way you think about writing?


• Where do you get your ideas for blog post topics? What inspires you to write?


• What have you learned from your struggles with writer's block? Why do you tend to get stuck? How do you tend to get unstuck?

I’ve really enjoyed having a blog this recent year. When I heard that it was required to make a blog, I wasn’t to happy about it. I had only ever heard blogs being about serious things like politics and government; so I thought that’s what we would have to write about, which didn’t exactly excite me. But once I heard that we could write about whatever we wish, I knew it was going to be pretty cool. Every teacher has always given us topics to write about, limits, and guidelines about the subject matter; I mean what else is new. It’s not that having ‘rules’ when writing is a bad thing, its just…boring. This is why I find blogging very interesting. I like the fact that we get to use our own personal creativity in coming up with new things to write about each week. How hard is it to write about anything you want? Blogging is something that I really like because it’s real. It’s exactly how you feel when your writing about a certain topic. There’s no wrong answer when you’re writing.
Blogging has changed the way I write in many ways. I think between the quick writes each day and the blogs each week, my writing has definitely matured. I have always had the same problem when writing something, and that’s taking something from my mind and putting it into words. Not only in writing, but in just speaking too. It has always frustrated me how our mind is something so cut off from everything else, you can think this whole scenario up and then can’t even explain any of it when someone asks. It’s like having a great idea, and no one to share it with. Like somewhere between my mind and my left hand, my ideas got lost. I think the constant practice writing each day has improved my writing into more of a flow of ideas, instead of them getting stuck and not being able to write at all. Last week, my mom found a quick write draft that we did in class and I had turned it into a blog. She was very impressed with the amount of detail and maturity that had gone into it; because I had never seen me write like that before, carry on a story without being distracted onto another topic. I was pretty happy about the compliment, especially from a perfectionist like my mother.

Most of the topics I write about are pretty random. Most of the time I don’t really think about them beforehand, I just sit down and start typing because I like ‘in the moment’ things. A lot of my blogs are just about my week has been, good and crappy. Then there is a couple stories that I wrote and some blogs are just thoughts on things. Mostly, if I'm in a certain mood, I’ll write about why I'm in the mood I'm in. Sometimes if we talked about something interesting in class that week I would add my own comments and thoughts on the subject at the end of one of my blogs. As I look through my blogs, I can see the progression in my writing. As time goes on, I start detailing things, making them longer, and having more to write about. I do want to continue blogging, but I want to write about a more variety of things. A lot of the time, I will see something on the TV or hear something interesting on the radio that catches my attention and I think that it would be a good topic to blog about, but I never follow it through and I think that is something that I can remember for future blogging topics.
I think anything can inspire you to write, because there’s no limit on what to write about. You can basically write about everything and anything. Some things that inspire my blogs would be books, topics in class, moods in general, etc. A big inspiration would be other people, surprisingly. Being able to look and comment on other classmate’s blogs is a very helpful idea. Sometime you will read someone’s blog and be like, I can add to that or I have a different opinion about this. Also, I think a lot of the discussions in class are the best for starter ideas when doing a blog because there are so many different people contributing their ideas. Then you go create your own blog on the topic and have more than enough ideas to keep you from not getting stuck.

I’ve always had problems with writers block. I think anyone who has ever written anything since the beginning of time has experienced writers block! What to write next? It’s the worst possible thing to get when you’re writing. I hate it because it ruins what you’re trying to write. Instead of having one full thought, it’s like little pieces coming out one by one. It slows you down and most of the time you just forget all together what you were trying to write in the first place. I tend to get stuck and have writers block when I get distracted by something or I'm trying to multi-task to many things at once. If I'm writing and just typing away, and someone says something that catches my attention or maybe even just a loud noise that takes my attention away from what I'm writing, I’ll try to go back to typing what I was writing and totally blank out. I won’t even remember what I was trying to say. There are distractions everywhere so this is always very frustrating when it happens.
I have found some personal ways to get around writers block though. Music is important in stopping my writer’s block. Music is not the distraction for me. I noticed if I'm listening to my Ipod while writing, I can get much more accomplished and written down. When I'm listening to music, it kind of takes me to a different place, separate from all the other distractions. It’s turns into a trance-like state, where I'm able to fully focus on simply writing and nothing else until the task is done. I’ve learned that writing blocks suck but they are normal and anyone can develop new ways to get around them, it’s definitely not impossible.