Family Story:  Goal...to tell stories from a loved one (3 biographies /1 autobiography)

 

Story #1 (Biography)-climbing the Grand Tetons: turned in

 

 

Story # 2 (Biography)-football game against Leetonia: look for sentence variety and voice, develope story more, add better words

 

 

Story # 3 (Biography)-first met mom: write rough draft, as I am writing, I should shoot for sentence variety, voice, and good word usage

 

 

Story # 4 (Autobiography)-Christmas 2002: finish writing, finish story, check for voice, sentence variety, etc.  see what other presents I received that year

 

 

 

Research: Goal is to research and present information that supports a thesis statement.

 

 

Couchenour ?

Works Cited

Begley, Sharon.  “The Roots of Hatred.”  AARP.  2004. 3 Mar. 2009

<http://www.aarpthemagazine.org/people/Articles/a2004-03-18-mag-                                       hatred.html?print=yes>.

“Do Children Aquire Racism From Their Mothers?” Tri-City Psychology.   2007.  Shrink

Rap.  2 Mar. 2009.  <http://www.tricitypsychology.com/blog/do-children-aquire-racism-from-their-mothers/>.

G., Eugene.  “Is Racism Taught or Learned?”  Helium.  2009.  25 Mar. 2009

<http://www.helium.com/debates/87853-is-racism-taught-or-learned/side_by_side>.

“Stop Hate.”  Anti-Defamation League.   2001.  3 Mar. 2009 <http://www.adl.org/hate-

            patrol/hate_patrol_print.asp>.

“Understanding Racialization: Creating a University Free From Racism And Racial

Discrimination.”  University of Guelph.  25 Mar. 2009 <http://www.uoguelph.ca/hre/hr/docs/RacializationPamphlet.pdf>.

 

Thesis Statement: Racism is programmed in the brain somewhat, but can be controlled. 

 

Specific Research found:articles dealing with roots of racism, and specific types (i.e. internet hate, anti-semitism, etc.)

 

 

Questions: Is it natural, genetic, influenced, or all combined?

 

 

Problems: have not found poems or songs dealing with my specific topic

 

 

Assignment #11: Exploring Themes

Topic: Racism

Key Questions: Is racism/judgement somewhat natural?  How does racism start?  When does racism start?  What is racism?  Why is there racism?  Is racism everywhere?  Is racism contagious?  How does racism effect people?

Possible Resources for Research:

-Wikipedia/racism

-http://www.adl.org/hate-patrol/racism.asp

-The song "Resolution Greed"

-The book Racism Learned at an Early Age Through Racial Scripting

 By . Robert L. Williams,

-The Roots of Hatred from AARP magazine at http://www.aarpmagazine.org/people/Articles/a2004-03-18-mag-hatred.html

-Racism: A Short History by George M. Fredrickson

-RACISM: AN OVERVIEW http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005184

-Racism and Phsycology at http://www.apa.org/pi/oema/racism/contents.html

Hitler showed racism againt the Jews, as well as other races.  By portraying the Jews as mice in Spiegleman's book, he shows the racism that the Jews faced. 

 

 

Assingment #10: Glogster

à The overall feel is happy and easy because the book was light-hearted, and ended happily.

à The song makes you feel happy.  It is called Heaven, the fairies are like angels.  They come from above, and usually do good things.  It talks about being in love.  There were many lovers in the book.  The song says, “And love is all that I need And I found it there in your heart.” Hermia made it seem like love was all she cared about.  She did not want to live if she could not be with her true love, Demetrius.

à The flower is rolling over the eye because, Puck rubbed the flower-juice on their eyes when they were sleeping.

à When you think of fairies, you think of summer, and summer nights.  The fairies played a big part in the book.  When you picture the woods, you do not think of cold, dark winter; you think of summer.

à The green flower with hearts also represents the flower-juice.

à The left side deals with summer aspects: weddings, flowers, woods, etc.  The right side deals with nighttime and dreams.

à The quotes deal with either love and weddings or dreams.

à In the notion of dreams, the word “dream” in the title could refer to Titania and Bottom, Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius, and Helena, or the play as a whole.  I have flowers, a picture of Titania with Bottom as an ass, and Puck’s disclaimer.

à My thesis statement is a the bottom of the page to sum everything up.

à My hyperlinks explain what midsummer means, go into the details of dreams, interpret what the title means, explain why summer would be a good time for a wedding, and have a poem about fairies in the summer.

  

 

Assignment #9: Thesis Statement

Title Thesis --> The title A Midsummer Night's Dream is very appropriate for the novel, as many aspects of the book rely on it.

To Get                                                                    To Do                                                              

-Pictures of summer,                                                 -start the glogster page

weddings, stars, etc.                                                 -create a summer night background

-A song to go with the title                                        -incorporate all aspects of the techonologic essay

-hyperlinks to sights about the book                          -organize glogster

-a video, possibly the one we watched                       -2 peer reviews

-quotes from the book leading to the title

 

 

Assignment #8: Essay on Love and Infatuation

     Think about your loved one.  What if someone told you that you could not marry them?  You would be devastated, right?  What if you loved someone, but they did not love you back, but one day, they were suddenly infatuated with you.  You would be skeptical, right, and you would not know what to think.  Well, these predicaments are real in Shakespeare’s novel A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Puck, a fairy, put love juice on many of the character’s eyes, and everyone became completely disoriented.  There was disbelief, new infatuations, and a sense of fear.  Once you find your soul mate, you grow in love with them.  You want nothing to come between you two, and you want their feelings to be the same.  Shakespeare is trying to portray that love messes with your mind, and you do not always act the same.  In his novel, there are many couples that act differently and later look back with disbelief at their previous behavior, and their lovers’ behavior including Helena and Demetrius, Theseus and Hippo, and Hermia and Lysander.        

Helena is an example of infatuation.  She was not only in love with Demetrius but, she was close to being obsessed with him.  However, he always turned her away.  Helena did not believe that Demetrius was being sincere when he said he loved her.  She thought they were playing a joke on her because, not too long ago, he could not stand her.  Helena obviously does not know about the love juice, so when Demetrius and Lysander suddenly were obsessed with her, she immediately thought it could not be true.  Lysander and Demetrius were pining over her when they woke up because she was the first woman they saw.  The flower love juice worked its magic, but Puck messed up.  By the end of Act 3 Scene 2, everything was going to be okay because Puck fixed it.  Now, he just made Demetrius in love with Helena, not Lysander.  Helena still may be skeptical but, she does not question it because she has always been infatuated with him.  They blamed the whole situation on weird dreams.  Demetrius did not even think that they were awake yet.  He said, "Are you sure that we are awake?  It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream."  Everything that had happened  was so foggy in their memory because of the flower juice.  They do not know about the faries, so they wnt with the first explanation they could think of.  Now, Helena and Demetrius are in love with each other, and everything is as it should be.

          Theseus and Hippolyta are deeply in love.  Their love is not creepy, it is true.  They are counting down the days to their wedding day, which has now come.  This is the biggest wedding in the land.  On page 1, four days before their wedding day, Theseus thought time would pass very slowly, but Hippo thought it would go by fast enough.  They were both were anxious for the day to come, although Theseus was more excited.  At first, when Egeus came to him and wanted him to force Hermia to marry Demetrius, he agreed with Egeus.  Now, he saw that Egeus was being unfair to Hermia.  He could not believe that Egeus would want to control Hermia’s marriage, and he could not believe that he was going to go along with it.  Theseus overruled Egeus so Hermia could be with her true love, Lysander.  He told them, "Fair lovers, you are fortunately met: of this discourse we more will hear anon.  Egeus, I will overbear you will; for in the temple, by and by, with us these couples shall eternally be knit."  Theseus is in love, and he sees other people in love, and wants them to be happy, too.

          Hermia and Lysander are in love.  Their love is also true love.  Egeus does not want them to get married, but they are legally allowed to now, because Theseus overruled him.  After Puck put the love juice on Lysander’s eyes, and he loved Helena, Hermia could not believe him.  "You speak not as you think: it cannot be," Hermia begged he was not serious.  She knew that Lysander loved her, and did not understand why he was pining over Helena.  They had a dilemma, but still wanted to get married which showed that they truly love each other.  They were willing to risk their normal lives, to run away to be with each other.  Hermia and Lysander are a couple who are in love with each other.

          When you are in love, you do not always think straight.  You know you love the person and sometimes, nothing else matters.  Sometimes you love them so much, it becomes an obsession.  Other times, you are in true love.  Helena and Demetrius, now in love, and they are content.  Demetrius does not have to marry Hermia.  Theseus and Hippo will be married soon, and live happily ever after.  Theseus allowed Hermia and Lysander to be joyful as well, permitting them be married.  Egeus may be left alone and cold, for he has no one to love.  Maybe that is why he wanted to control Hermia’s love life.  We may never know.

 

 

 

Assignment #7: Bubbl for Act 4 Scene 2

 

 

 

 

Assignment #6: Foolish Boys

Puck was correct when he said, "Lord, what fools these mortals be."  Demetrius and Lysander were most definitely acting like fools.  Before the flower juice was put in Demetrius’ eyes, he hated Helena.  He practically went out of his way to be rude to her.  All she wanted was his love, and he took advantage of her.  He knows that Hermia loves Lysander, but he takes her father’s side anyway.  Puck added to his foolishness, however by putting the love juice on his eyes while he was sleeping.  He suddenly was marveling over how wonderful Helena was, and how much he loved her.  He made such a scene, that Helena thought that Demetrius was making fun of her.  Some people say that those who love are foolish.  Well, their case would be made by the looks of how Demetrius is acting toward Helena.  He will now do anything for her, even dual.  He now does not pay any attention to Hermia whatsoever.  Lysander is also being a complete fool.  Prior to the love potion, he knew that he was a better man than Demetrius, and the right man for Hermia.  Now, he is as low if not lower than Demetrius.  He too, is ready to do anything for Helena’s love.  With all his power, he is trying to push Hermia away.  One minute he loved her, the next minute he can not stand her.  Both men are acting like fools over women.  However, most of their foolishness was prompted by Puck messing up with the flower love juice.

 

 

Assignment #5: Dear Abby Advice Column

DEAR ABBY: I am truly in a pickle with my love life.  The thing is, I am in love with this man-we'll just call him "D"- but he hates me, and is in love with another women.  On top of that, that women does not even love him because she is in love with another man.  It is a big fiasco, and it leaves me felling alone.  D and I made love, but that seems insignificant now to him.  No matter what I do, I cannot change his opinion.  If anything, the more I tell him I love him, the more he despises me.  The more I try do to things for him, the more he pushes me away.  I know this other women pretty well and i tired to talk to her about it, but she just kept telling me how no matter what she does, D loves her more.  It was like rubbing salt in the wound.  All I want is for D to love me back, what can I do?

-LEFT LONELY IN ATHENS 

 

DEAR LONELY: That is quite a predicament you are in, but I think I can help.  Maybe you could try leaving D alone for a while, give him some time to hisself to sort things out.  Soon he will find that that other women is not going to be with him.  You can switch it up a little by playing hard to get.  Right now it sounds like you are being too easy, guys like a chase.  You could also try a jealousy approach.  Start hanging out with another man, and hopefully he will realize what he is missing.  If this does not work, he is not the man for you.  He is to caught up in other aspects of his life, and he is not right for you.  Soon enough Mr. Right will come along.  In the meantime, remember that you do not need a man.  You are strong by yourself.  You cannot change the opionons of other people, so just think about yourself for a while.

-ABBY

 

 

Assignment #4: Reaction to Video

I enjoyed watching the video.  It really helped me visualize the book.  Before I saw it, I was just picturing a boring stage with no backgrounds, and weird costumes.  Now, I can "see" the characters interact, and I can understand the book better.  I liked how the video was a movie, and not a play.  With a movie you can do more things such as camera angle, different scenes, special effects with the fairies, etc.  I liked when they made little flying lights for the fairies, and then viewed them bigger.  I was only seeing some guys dressed up with wings talking to each other.  I feel like I understand the book more, and how all the subplots tie together.  I saw all the actors as more of the same age, and no one was really a leader, but in the clip, Quince was leading everybody.  I saw Bottom trying to take control of everything, but I did not see him making a big of fool as in the video.  I do not remember reading that wine—or whatever that purple juice was—being poured on him, but I thought it was funny.  I knew the setting was in old times, but I was not quite sure how old.  It gave me a good sense of what time frame MSND is set in seeing the outfits, buildings, and the marketplace.  I do not think I could have understood the clip as well if I had not read the same scenes in the book before.  When I read, I can take time to comprehend the Shakespearian Language, but it is a lot faster when actors and actresses are speaking it.  I hope we can watch the whole thing in the future, after we have read the book.  However, it has already helped me understand the book.

 

 

Assignment #3: Character I Connect With From MSND

 

  

I think I connect with Hermia the most because sometimes I get my at my dad.  I feel like he is trying to control my life, but it obviously is never as bad as what Hermia is going through.

 

Assignment #2: What's Funny About Act1, Scene 2

     What makes Act 1, Scene 2 funny is how the characters accept their parts that they will be playing in the play at the wedding.  They are not trying to be funny; their natural reactions are funny to the reader.  The fact that Bottom does not want to except the role of a lover is amusing.  He keeps trying to show that he can play a tyrant, or any other parts.  "Let me play the lion too: I will roar, that I will do any man's heart good to hear me; I will roar, that I will make the duke say, 'Let him roar again, let him roar again.' ''  Bottom just wants to be the star, and a manly one at that.  Flute disaggrees with his part as a woman-Thisbe, Pyramus' lover.  He argues that he is growing a beard soon, which would be fit for a lady.  The interaction between the characters is humourous.

 

 

Assignment #1 : Egeus/Hermia Father-Daughter Relationship

     The relationship between Egeus and his daughter Hermia is conflicting.  Their views for Hermia's husband are very different.  Egeus has his mind set on Demetrius.  He said, "Demetrius is a worthy gentleman."  However, Hermia is in love with Lysander.  Lysander believes he is just as good a man as Demetrius is not better; obviously Hermia agrees.  Lysander made an arguement that he is just as rich, just as noble, and just as respected if not more.  Egeus expressed that he was upset that Hermia loves Lysander when he said, "This man hath bewitched the bosom of my child."  Because of the Athenian law, Hermia has some hard choices to make.  She can honor her father and marry Demetrius, or she can disobey him and run-off with Lysander.  She could also choose to be muredered or become a nun.  If she runs off with Lysander, she will never be able to talk to her father again.  So far, the book has not said anyhting else about the father-daughter relationship besides with the controversy of who to marry, but I would assume that other than that, she respects her father.  If she does love Egeus, it would be hard for her to completely end their relationship.  Although, she might just have in her mind her father's current attitude.  It is hard for me to grasp how a father could truly love his daughter, and still put her in this predicament.  Any path she took, she would be miserable in one way or another.  Judging only from what we have seen, Hermia and Egeus do not have a good relationship.

 

 

 

Independent Reading: Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

 

Indie Reading #23 p.217-237 3/29/09 Sunday

      Owen finished his sister's photo shoot.  When Annabel was leaving, Owen kissed her on the doorstep.  They have not said what their relationship is out loud, it is understood.  Many things in this book rely on unspoken understanding.  Before, when Whitney was struggling, it was obvious she had an eating disorder.  The whole family revolved around that, however no one had stated it out loud.  Annabel walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see Whitney, who started their conversation.  She said the words "eating disorder" and shocked Annabel, but it was not anything new.  After their grandmother passed away, their mom was clearly depressed, but this was never said in words.  I think this happens a lot in life, too.  We all realize the current situation, but no one wants to fully acknowledge it.  It is as if if we do not speak about it, it won't be as bad.  This is actually the wrong direction.  Therapy helps you deal with predicaments by first admitting them.  This is why Whitney said it allowed.  We all need to acknowledge things, in order to get through them.  Owen, with his anger management does a good job of being honest, but even he has not said anything about their relationship.  I am excited for them.  I wish Dessen would give a more detailed description of Owen, so I could see him with my eyes clearly.

 

 

Indie Reading #22 p.179-217 3/25/09 Wednesday

     I like this book even more than I liked Dessen's other book, This Lullaby.  I can tell because I find myself turning page after page unaware of the time frame in which I am reading, nor the number of pages I actually read.  I think I enjoy this book more because it is unpredictable.  Owen and Annabel are such complicated characters, so it is hard to guess what they are going to do next.  They are both dynamic characters.  Annabel is deffinately changing throughout the book.  Most of that is credited to Owen.  Owen may not be necessarily changing as much as Annabel, but we learn new things about him every day.  Their relationship is also changing.  They started out as people who stereotyped each other, than people who sat in the same vacintity at lunch, but did not talk.  Then, they were getting to know each other.  That turned into friends.  The last thing I read was the biggest step of all' they were holding hands.  They are finally walking down that path of boyfriend/girlfriend.  He gave her his jacket at breakfast when she was cold.  After he took her home, she forgot to give it back.  She realized that hid iPod was in the pocket.  That is Owen's most prized possession, his "blanky" he cannot live without.  She looked through it and found a playlist titled "Annabel."  In it was ll the songs they had ever listened to together, and/or had talked about.  This showed Annabel that he was thinking about her, too, and it may be something more than just friends.  While her parents are away, Whitney and Annabel have the house to themselves.  Surprisingly, they are getting along well.  Whitney is eating, and making conversation.  This is a big step for her; things are looking positive.

 

 

Indie Reading #21 p.146-178 3/18/09 Wednesday

     Whitney, the sister with the eating disorder, was forced to go to therapy.  However, the lady she was sent to is not your average therapist.  She uses very unorthodox methods.  This reminds me of a Law & Order episode, which ironically, I watched today in P.O.D.  This lady claimed to have an "alternative" to cancer.  Instead of surgery, she uses a relaxing technique that allows patients to lead a normal life.  The detectives in this episode try to shut her down because they do not see how her methods could be helpful.  They seem straight up illegal to them.  The psychiatrist in the book uses hands on activities that Whitney think are crazy.  She asked her to plant and grow herbs.  She did not give an explanation, just told her to do it.  She also told another patient to rub sticks together to make fire.  She said it was something about self-sufficiency.  Annabel did not see the point in growing herbs either, but it seems to be working.  When she talked to Whitney, she did not just offer up sarcastic, angry remarks.  She seemed somewhat pleasant, or what is pleasant for Whitney.  Owen may become more than a friend, but I am still not sure.  I had that feeling that maybe they would, but I didn't really think about it.  Events and the way they always talk, lead me to hope for something more.  He has changed her already.  She is more honest, she listens to ironic music to become enlightened, and she is beginning to let go of her feelings.  Annabel looks forward to lunch, because she cannot wait to see Owen.  

 

 

Indie Reading #20 p.114-145 3/17/09 Tuesday

     Owen is revolving as a character.  Annabel first saw him as everyone else saw him: a creepy, huge kid who keeps to himself and his iPod.   She listened to his radio show at 7:00am Sunday to "enlighten" herself by his music, but it was excruciating.  When he asked her about it, by instinct, she wanted to lie to spare his feelings.  He had this power over her, and made her tell the truth.  Surprisingly, he was not offended in the least bit.  He appreciated the feedback.  She finally knew what he was listening to, but she did not like it.  He has been very helpful.  He went to anger management because of the fight he was in.  He uses the techniques to help Annabel.  She has been wanting to quit modeling, but she knows it would break her mother's heart.  They did some role-playing which helped.  Annabel had never told anyone about that, and here she was spilling her inner secrets to Owen.  On her way out of the parking lot, she saw him walking and offered him a ride.  I am curious to see what this relationship turns out to be.  As of now, he seems like a friend/brother, but it could turn out to be different.

 

 

 

Indie Reading #19 p.82-114 3/15/09 Sunday 

     "You can't judge a book by its cover."  We've all heard this countless times throughout of lives, but that is only because it is true.  Annabel had heard rumors about Owen beating people up and getting arrested.  He is tall and big and quite intimidating.  Other than that she did not know much about him; she never even heard him talk.  One day, she threw up numerous times and was helpless on the grass.  The next thing she saw was a giant hand reaching out to help.  He overheard her mom on the phone asking her to get a ride.  He offered to take her home.  Seeing as she had no other ways of getting home, she accepted.  She had always been really curious about what music he listened to.  When she got in the car, he put on Mayan culture screaming with crickets in the background.  She had no idea what it was.  He had to pick up his younger sister before he dropped off Annabel, and she was his complete opposite.  Dressed fashion forward in all pink, she recognized Annabel as the local model right away.  She was so excited to meet her.  Everything that happened kept surprising Annabel.  She found out he ran his own radio show, because he "lived for music."  He was really nice, and far from what she had expected.  She realized that people have heard stories about her too, and judge her.  This made her see that you should get to know a person before you form an opinion.  I am curious to see what will happen the next day at lunch. 

 

  

Indie Reading #18 p. 64-82 3/14/09 Saturday 

     Even from the start, Annabel was not sure about Sophie.  She liked her, but she always had this feeling about her.  Almost like a voice in her head reminding her of that day Sophie was mean to her at the pool.  I know exactly what she means by that feeling.  I too always had that in the back of my mind with my old friends.  I alwyas just shool it off.  I did not put much thought into it, but obviously it meant something.  They were not true friends and neither was Sophie.  I wonder if Annabel ever expected this to happen, because it was not exactly a shock in my situation.  I am curious about what happened with Annabel and Clarke.  They seemed like such good friends, but the book fast-forwarded to now when Clarke hates her.  I hope they become friends again.  Becuase Annabel was associated with Sophie and never stopped her from picking on other girls, Annabel is having trouble finding friends even her childhood friend, Clarke.  I feel bad for Annabel because she did not do anything.  It is not fair for girls to judge her just for the friends she used to have.  She probably should have stopped her, but it was not like she was dishing out thae mean names.  Annabel seems like a nice girl.  Since school started she has satalone at lunch, precisely six feet away from Owen Wilson, the biggest loner in school.  They have this unspoken agreement that they will leave each other alone, and never come closer than six feet at the table.  Hopefully, Annabel will find new, better friends soon. 

 

 

Indie Reading #17 p. 22-63 3/6/09 Friday 

     What a distance a difference of opinion can make.    A difference of personality can make or break a relationship-any kind of relationship.  A difference of opinion can do the same.  I still do not know what happened to make Sophie and Annabel fight, but it had to be some kind of arguement (i.e. difference of opinion).  Annabels older sisters are very different.  They both are out of high school, and live in the same apartment in Neew York.  The whole family is into modeling, especially Whitney.  She started noticing other girls were skinnier than her, ans those girls beat her out on getting jobs.  This affected her greatly.  She started to develope an eating disorder.  Kirsten noticed, and tried to help.  Whitney kept denying it; Kirsten kept trying to get her help.  Now, they will not even speak to each other, and have not for weeks.  Whitney lives back with her parents becuase she did need help, and one day she fainted.  The hospital sent her to a rehab center, and now she is back at home.  Over Christmas, Kirsten refused to come home because she knew Whitney hated her.  Sometimes, opposites attract, other times people shy away from each other.  Kirsten and Whitney's controversy will hopefully be solved because they are sisters.  Eventually they are going to have to talk.  Whitney is an interesting character.  I think becuase she is the middle child, maybe she did not get as much attention.  She was always a loner, maybe modeling gave her a chance to shine.  This story is so realistic becuase the real modeling world is sick.  It pushes many girls to have eating disorder, and worse.   

 

  

Indie Reading #16 p. 1-21 3/5/09 Thursday 

     I started my new book.  It is by the same author, Sarah Dessen, so I hope I will like it.  So far, all that I have read has been basically exposition-setting up the story.   The main character is Annabel.  She has two older sisters that are complete opposites.  The oldest, Kirsten, is outgoing, popular, loud, and loves to talk.  The middle child is a loner.  She never talks; the only way you know what she is thinking is by geting to know her facial expressions.  Annabel is somehwere in the middle.  She had a fight with her ex-best friend before summer.  All summer long, she kept to herself, making no new friends.  On the first day of school, before she even got out of her car she saw her.  Sophie.  Sophie called her a mean name and walked away.  This reminds me a little bit of the situation with me and my "Ex-friends."  There was a dispute, a ton of drama, and we are no longer friends.  However, unlike Annabel, I have other friends.  I am happy the whole thing happened, and I am completely content with my situation.  In the book, the reader does not know what exactly happened for such a big fight to occur.  I read the story of how they met the summer after sixth grade.  Sophie had just moved, and seemed out of place.  She was snobby, and tried to act way older than she was.  Rather than becoming friends with people her age like Annabel, she stalked Kirsten.  Eventually, Annabel kept being nice, and Sophie realized she was not wanted in the older crowd.  I cannot wait to read more.

  

 

Indie Reading #15 p. 302-345 2/27/09 Friday 

          I finished my book today.  It was so good.  It was exactly what I predicted.  Dexter and Remy got back together, and it looks like they are staying together.  Although, it did not look like that was going to happen until the very end.  While I was reading, I thought of the song, "Almost Lover."  I thought what if they end up without each other?  She would say "Goodbye my almost lover," and head off to college without a thought.  At the salon, the girls had a going away party for her.  She left for a bit to say goodbye to Dexter, and be done with him.  Like many times before he showed her some random, funny pictures of people neither of them knew.  To her surprise, one picture was of Don's secretary in lingerie on Don's bed.  Remy thought he did this on purpose, but after she told her friends, and they thought it through, she realized he did not.  How could he have known it was her mom and Don's bed, he had never been in their room.  When Remy came home to tell her mom, she already knew.  She was so upset, but she said it would be okay.  Remy immediately thought about stuff to do for the divorce, but her mom took control of it.  Ironically, they found out that same day that Chris and Jennifer were engaged.  Remy and her friends met at the Quick Zip, however it was unplanned.  They wouldn't let her give up on love.  They saw Don pull up in a nice car from the dealership.  When he pulled away, they all threw their pop at him and the new car.  At least that would make her mom feel better.  Remy knew Dexter was performing at a wedding reception, so she went to all the reception halls looking for him.  Once she found Dexter, she went right to him.  She knew she had to initiate the conversation because the last time they talked was when Remy freaked out on him for showing her the picture.  She leaned in and kissed him.  The book fast-forwarded to November showing Remy at Stanford with her roommate.  A package had come for her.  It was some pictures and a CD.  The CD played Dexter's voice singing "This Lullaby."  She fell asleep to it happily.  She could not know for sure but even though they are across the country, if it is true love, it will work.  I liked everything about the book except maybe it was a bit too predictable.  I wouldn't have liked it if it hadn't ended with Dexter, though.

 

  

Indie Reading #14 p. 280-301 2/25/09 Wednesday 

     Remy is still in denial.  She is about to break up with Paul already leaving Dexter just another one of her summer boyfriends, or so she says.  Dexter made a comment that he will never be anything more than one of her many boyfriends, and so will Paul.  The thing is, she won't come to her senses that Dexter keeps popping into her mind for a reason.  Paul fit her perfect description, yet she was never really into the relationship whole-heartedly.  Dexter had numerous pet peeves, yet she almost loved him.  Dexter was drunk and talking about Remy and such while she was in a car.  He could not see her at first, but once Paul came out of the store yelling her name, Dexter had no choice.  That is when he talked about how careless Remy is with her boyfriends.  "Are you ever going to settle down?" he asked.  She put some thought into this.  Why can't she get him off her mind?  She ran into Ted, one of Dexter's band member, at the coffee shop.  He told her about the record lable that asked them to come play in D.C.  If all goes well, they could get a steady gig, and go from there.  I can't help but keep my faith in the fact that Remy and Dexter can still get back together.  Why else would they keep him in the stroyline?  Otherwise, the author would have made :Perfect Paul" the last boyfriend, and things would end happily ever after.  What is her problem?  What is keeping her from realizing her true love? Why can't she just go after Dexter?  He would have her back in a second.  Ugh, things better end well.

 

  

Indie Reading #13 p. 254-279 2/24/09 Tuesday 

     I want Remy to come to reality that she loves Dexter. She keeps trying to move on and not think about him.   She went on a blind date.  It actually turned out well.  She met this guy named Paul, and they have been dating for about two weeks.  He seems like the perfect match.  He is rich, in collge, blonde, tall, handsome, and most importantly to Remy, going away at the end of the summer, and comfortable to end the relationship when that time comes.  Her friends are jealous that she gets all the good guys.  This made her think of Dexter again.  He keeps popping into her mind, but she shakes it off like it's nothing.  There is still something there, and I want them to get back together so bad.  He may not be perfect for her, but the right match is never someone perfect.  Remy is so stubborn.  She will not realize her feelings.  She does not go deep, she lets thoughts go.  If they do not work things out, I will hate the book.  "Friends" is not enough.  Paul seems great at the surface, but I don't think there is anything more.  If the book ends with Remy and Dexter as a couple, the book would be terrible.  It would just be about a stubborn girl who does not come to reality, and does not go past first impressions.  If it ends with Dexter, it will show a girl who has come past challenges and followed true love.  I only like books that end happily ever after.  I guess you could say I do not want to come to reality, but it is just a book.  I can come back to reality when I am finished reading. 

 

   

Indie Reading #12 p. 231-253 2/22/09 Sunday 

     Dexter is different.  Even after the break-up, he gave her a kiss on the forehead.  He did not seem that angry.  A couple days later, they ran into each other at the coffee shop.  He said he wanted to be friends.  Remy was thinking, Oh great, that never works out.  However, he was serious.  He really wants to be friends.  He wants to hang out, and stay close, as buddies.  Remy thought, this could only make things worse, there is no way this could be good.  He challenged her to make it work.  She hadn't turned down any of his challenges yet, so she accepted.  He really is different.  When they were dating, she put up with all his crap.  She even let him eat in her car, which would normally never happen.  She treated him differently.  She broke all her rules about love being pointless, his untited shoe laces, and the unkept, yellow house.  She put up with it, because she really cared about him.  She did not love him, but in time she could have.  She sees her mom putting up with all of Don's manly things that would normally bug her.  She thought that was stupid until she thought of all her pet peeves that Dexter had done. I think because they talked about this in the book, that it is very possible for them to get back together.  I want them to, because they were such a cute couple, and he really is different.  He is not like the other guys she has sated that she did not care about, never caught herself thinking about them throughout the day.  I agree with Remy in that fact that being friends never works out.  I think they will become closer, and be a couple again.

 

  

Indie Reading #11

 

   

Indie Reading #10 p.211-230 2/18/09 Wednesday

 

 

This is the climax of the story.  Remy and Dexter had an unexpected break up.

 

   

Indie Reading #9 p. 177-211 2/13/09 Friday 

     Remy's mom is coming close to finishing her book.  Remy started reading a couple pages.  This reminded me of A Midsummer Night's Dream how there wsa the play within the play.  This was like a book within a book.  What she wrote, Remy questioned if is was about her.  It was about a woman who had just gotten married, but she was having regrets.  She started thinking about another lover, and how she would rather be with him.  The thought crossed Remy's mind, but she quickly shook it off thinking about how happy her mom has been with Don.  Nothing else really exciting happened in my reading.  I think she is just setting up for the climax to come soon.  She keeps talking about Dexter, she feels different with him.  She may not want to let go at the end of summer.  A woman associtaed with a record deal company came to watch his band play.  If she likes them, they could end up moving away to bigger and better things.  At this, Remy felt a pain in her stomach that she did not like.  Why was she feeling this way with him? Why does she care?  If he has something to move on to too, it should be easier when summer comes to and end, right?

 

  

Indie Reading #8 p. 165-177 2/12/09 Thursday      

     Remy's mother is almost indescribable, yet so predictable.  Remy knows her like the back of her hand.  She goes through the cycle of marrying guys, and has ever since Remy was young.  When she is single, she likes to flirt with random men all the time.  For example, how she met Don at the car dealership.  Went in to buy a car, came out with the latest husband.  With every husband, she starts to change to be more like him.  Once it was a tennis player, then a smart professor, then a country club goer, and now it is Don, the car salesman.  I have no idea how the wife of a car salesman acts or what she wears, but lately she has been acting very housewifely.  She does all she can to look and act the part, however it is only a front.  They threw a Fourth of July barbeque on their new patio to show how well they are doing.  Remy ended up doing most of the work, actually, all of the work for it.  She even had extra materials because she knew something would go wrong.  Her mother only ever wants the best, and with Don's salary she can.  She ordered these special steaks and even a new grill for the occasion.  The grill went haywire and burned all the steaks.  Without hesitation, Remy went into the kitchen and got the extra hamburgers she had bought.  She takes care of her mom.  She is a romance-novel author.  It is hard to keep a solid income being a writer.  There are times when ideas just flow, and other times she can not start the first sentence.  When the paper flying eases down and she gets an idea going, it is all good from there.  Her ideas cannot come out fast enough for the typewriter.  She stays up and works during all hours in order to get it finished.  She is crazy, but at least she is predictable.  This has prepared Remy for life to be independent.

   

 

Indie Reading #7 p. 138-164 2/11/09 Wednesday 

     Vulnerability plays a key role in This Lullaby.  Remy fears being vulnerable.  This is why she only keeps boyfriends for a summer at a time, she does not want to get too close and open up.  She has had to be strong because of her childhood, so she does not want to show weakness.  When she does feel sad, weak, and vulnerable, she goes into her closet, a private place, and listens to “This Lullaby.”  For some reason, she feels a little different about Dexter than all the other boys she has dated.  She told him once that the song was written by her dad for her.  This was a big step for Remy; she put her heart out there with a big secret.  In Dexter’s room, he was playing some songs on his guitar.  He started playing a few cords of “This Lullaby.”  Remy became very upset.  She refuses to listen to that song anywhere but her closet, so no one will see her.  Being this open with Dexter, a boy she practically just met, scares her to death.  Aside from this, she is falling in love with Dexter.  She will not tell her friends this though, because she will not even admit it to herself. Remy’s mother is also very vulnerable.  The book has not stated specifically, but Remy’s mom needs a guy to feel significant.  Once she marries a man, she acts just like him.  For a while, everything seems perfect.  Then they start to grow apart, and her mom escapes before anything can happen.  She keeps this cycle going while never having time to herself.  She can never be independent.  Coming from a broken family, it is understandable that they would be this way, but they need to learn to show their hearts. 

 

   

Indie Reading #6 p. 119-137 2/8/09 Sunday    

     The setting in this novel plays a key role.  The time is the beginning of summer which is very convenient.  This means that the characters do not have to go to school, so it is like a three-month-long weekend for them to party.  Also, it is their last summer before they go off to college, and they feel like they are leaving no strings attached.  Remy's house is mainly messy (besides her room of course), and worn out.  However, because Don just moved in, and installed basically a whole new wing onto their house.  It is supposed to be just a bedroom for them but, it is a master bedroom with a master bath, big closets, and a long hallway.  Remy feels like it mine as well be a whole new house over there.  In this chapter, she also talked about Dexter's house.  She finally gave in and is "seeing" Dexter.  She claims it is only for the summer.  Dexter and his band members move every summer.  They settle in the first decent house with a good price.  It is a bright yellow house in the suburbs.  Boys will be boys, and trash the inside.  There are fruit flies swarming around the trash can.  Garbage everywhere, clothes sprayed and grimy bathrooms leaves for a bad combination.  This shows how she really likes Dexter because why else would she be at the yellow house. 

 

   

Indie Reading #5 p. 94-118 2/5/09 Thursday 

     Remy as a character is very interesting.  The way the book is written in first person does not make me think of an author writing a story, rather Remy telling me everything that is going on.  She also talks about past experiences which gives me an idea of the kind of person she is.  As a sophomore, she gained a pretty bad reputation.  She drank, smoked, and fooled around a lot, but she does not do that as much anymore.  I think a lot of her rebellion is because she does not have a great mother figure in her life.  She has been forced to be independent from an early age.  The only thing that punishes her is her guilt.  When she looks in the mirror, she sees a sad girl who just did something she knew she shouldn't have.  She does not even admit that the girl is her.  She knows that is not the life to live, which is why she has cut down.  She is really smart, and can go far in life--just without everything else.  However, she let go, and got drunk one night.  When she looked in the mirror she saw "that girl."  You can tell she has done it a lot because by the circumstances she can know mostly what has happened without remembering anything.  She knows it is shameful, but sometimes she just does it anyway.  She used to be a better person than her brother, but now he is all cleaned up.  I think that is part of the reason she resents his girlfriend.  She ate dinner at her apartment, and Remy brought up all the bad things Chris used to do that Jennifer did not know about.  Chris to no surprise reacted and told Remy she is hard to love.  I think this really hurt Remy for it was later that night that she went to the local bar where she knows the bouncer.  Dexter was the one who gave her a ride from the bar.  When she woke up, she left without saying goodbye because she felt shameful.  She has a good heart, it just relapses sometimes.

 

   

 Indie Reading #4 p. 80-93 2/2/09 Monday 

     Remy is an interesting girl.  She is really smart and independent.  She is also a party girl, and loves to have fun with her friends.  Because she was so driven to prove everyone that had heard of her bad rep wrong she succeeded in high school and is attending Stanford in the fall.  She can not wait.  She is the only one from her school going which assures her that she will get a fresh start, but I have a feeling Dexter will be going.  They have not said anything about him being smart; he is in a band, but Remy does not appear to be intelligent either. Lola, Remy's boss was begging her to go on a blind date.  She did not like that idea, and kept turning her down.  Dexter now got a job at the one hour photo shop next door to the salon and just happened to be out there when Remy got into her car.  He really needed a ride home for band practice, so she finally gave in.  Her car is nice and neat and so is her room.   Due to all of her mom's chaos, she had to have some organization in her life.  She saw his dog and loved him.  She helped them break in to his house because they were locked out.  They were all impressed.  She drove away wondering about Dexter.

 

   

Indie Reading #3 p. 45-79 2/1/09 Sunday  

          Chapters 3 and 4 were still setting up, but I liked them.  Remy is very independent.  She bought her own car, and got a job to make all of the payments, even though her mom offered her a car.  She knows her mom too well, and figured she would eventually take it away from her.  Remy's job is at the local salon as a secretary.  By "coincidence," she keeps running into Dexter.  He just happened to be looking for a job in the same plaza where the salon is, he just happened to be at the car dealership, and he just happened to be the band that played at her mom's reception.  That was the only detail that she did not cover, because her now step-dad said he knew someone.  Her mom kept talking about how she really feels this is "the one," and the marriage will last forever.  Remy knows better than to believe that.  At the reception, she finally got to relax for a little bit.  Although, all she wanted to do was stay at her table with her friends, she was forced to get up and dance.  After all, she was part of the wedding party.  She recently quit smoking, but under all of the stress of the wedding she started one.  However, she put it out quickly.  She is warming up to Dexter, and I am starting to like him, too.  I have a feeling they may go to the same college or end up together or something like that.  At the end of the night, they finally talked and after it seemed as if Dexter was done with her, over the chase, but I think not. 

 

   

Indie Reading #2 p. 21-44 1/29/09 Thursday 

     The second chapter gave me more insight to the main character, Remy.  This boy, Dexter, who met Remy at the car dealership has been mysteriously popping up wherever Remy goes.  She is less than interested and keeps trying to get this guy off her back, but he will not leave her side.  He says that they are soul mates, and he knew it from the first time he saw her.  He caught her on a bad day, not that she would be very open to him anyhow.  She has just graduated high school, and can not wait until college.  She is so ready for something new.  She wants to get out of the house away from wedding plans, cleaning, and family problems.  On the night of graduation Remy and her friends expected to have the night of their lives, and feel something.  On the contrary, they felt exactly the same, Remy dumped her boyfriend and her friend, Lissa, got dumped by her boyfriend.  Remy had planned don letting her boyfriend go all day, because she does not want anything to tie her down.  However when she went over to his house she found some other girl’s clothing items, so she did not even have to explain herself.  They had plans to hop from party to party, but they just decided to go home. While lying down, she got put her headphones on n fell asleep to the song she always does after a hard day, “This Lullaby.” 

   

 

Indie Reading #1 p. 1-20 1/28/09 Wednesday 

     I just finished reading the first chapter in my book This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen.  You always say the exposition is the hardest part of the book to read.  If that is true, I can not wait to get to the good part, because I love it so far.  It captured my interest right away.  The book is written in first person which makes me feel as if she is talking right to me.  The book is about this girl--I am not sure what her name is yet-- whose mom remarries "the way other people change their hair color."  Her dad has been out of the picture for her whole life besides that he wrote a song for her the day she was born that became famous.  That song is called, "This Lullaby."  Her brother, Chris, used to be a bum into drugs but, recently met a girl who transformed him. He now irons shirts, has a job, and even talks smarter.  Her and her mother are less than excited about his girlfriend, Jennifer Anne, because she shows them that she did a better job with him in a way shorter time frame.  Her mother is a romance author, and most of her mother’s craziness is blamed on the fact that she is a writer, but she does not buy it.  She knows that is just another excuse.  So far, I enjoy the book, and I can not wait to read more.