Finally

During the course of this semester I read four similar books. My books were about different relationships and falling in love. These types of books really caught my attention. I would read every chance I got. Once I knew what genres I liked it was easy to find books that interest me. At the beginning of each book it was hard for me to stick with them, but as I kept reading I did not want to put it down. The librarian helped me find out what genres interest me, because at first I had no clue what I would enjoy. Going through this semester has helped me appreciate authors and their work. I did have some trouble posting each week. Sometimes my blogs would not post (as you can see) and other times I would forget or could not find time to fit it in because I was so overwhelmed with other work. Overall this was a great idea. It made me appreciate reading and now I have a new book to read just about every other week. Honestly I will kind of miss the blogging every week. The blogging was a good way to hear about other books and find other books. Reading is fun when you want it to beJ

Close-reading Bingo

1.) The description of the building and the escalators creates a mood of apprehension for the readers.
      http://kellylee25.blogspot.com/ ( #4)

2.) "On sunny days like this one, a temporary, steeper escalator of daylight, formed by intersections of the   lobby's towering volumes of marble and glass, met the real escalators just above their middle point, spreading into a needly area of shine where it fell against their brushed-steel side-pannels, and adding long glossy highlights to each of the black rubber handrails" http://theycallmefreshmoney.blogspot.com/ (#2)

3.) The exert The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker uses high language as he decribes the lobby and escalators as, "area of shine where it fell against their brushed steel side panels." http://edison-eddie.blogspot.com/  (#3)

4.) "Turned toward the escalators, carrying a black Penguin paperback and a small white CVS bag, its receipt stapled over the top," describes the harsh clattering of the setting. http://t-rex-howdini.blogspot.com/  (#2)


Best Overall Response:

In the opening page of Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger underscores the teenage angst bursting though the young, yet disillusioned, Holden Caulfield. Lowbrow words like "lousy,"
"crap," "stuff,' "hell," "crumby," and "damn" accentuate Holden's anger as he rambles the opening of his story. Furthermore, sentence fragments, such as, "One of those little English jobs that can do around two hundred miles an hour," destroy any last vestige of formality, further developing the aura of simply telling a story to a friend. Despite a Dickens allusion, the majority of the passage is purely denotative, lacking symbolism. This expository passage helps develop Holden's past. Although the majority of this passage is about Holden's family and past, the majority of the character development shines through Salinger's diction and style.http://ascrapofparchment.blogspot.com/

style-mapping make-up

Cormac McCarthy "Blood Memdian"

The author's writes with an elegant but figurative dignity.

9/23 Currently

Sentences of the year:
1.) "I know love this girl, but this is ridiculous."
2.) "Giving you a kidney makes me feel good about myself and my life."
3.) "Jesus said the first and greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all my heart and strength, and the 
second was 'like unto it,' I should love my neighbor as myself."

My favorite sentence is number 3. It means that the most important commandment is to love God and the second most important one is to love your neighbor as urself. This sentence shows that Jeremy is a strong believer in his religion, and is trying to explain to his parents that God would want him to go through with the procedure.

Saving Jessica (make-up for last week)

Things started to get rough at home for Jeremy when his dad found out about the case. There was a lot of tension within his family. Jeremy thought of moving in with Jessica just until the case was over. Jake did not think this was a good idea, so he let him move in with him. Jeremy ends up going to juvenile court against his father to plead his case. The judge asked Jeremy a lot of questions. Obviously he was not being abused or neglected. When Jeremy explained why he was at court the judge seem to have a soft spot for him. Jeremy let him know that he wanted to help his girlfriend Jessica have a normal life again. The judge thought that Jeremy was an honorable young man. At the end of the case Jeremy was not granted emancipation. Jake and Fran felt like they let him down and Jeremy felt like he let Jessica down. Jake, Fran, and Jeremy all agreed that it would be a good idea to go to court again, but this time to a federal court. Sooner than later Jeremy's father called and wanted to meet up with Jeremy. They agreed not to go back to court and for Jeremy to move back home. 

Jessica went to dialysis one day and on her way home the traffic was backed up for miles. She had no way of contacting anyone. she tried going off an exit to see if she could find someone to let her use their phone. She ended up in the middle of nowhere no food or water just her and her car. She laid under a tree hoping that someone would soon find her. Her family and Jeremy began to get worried. She ended up being gone for 3 days without dialysis. She was slowly going into a coma. The police put her story all over the news and she was found. The next week once she was stable Jeremy's parents signed the papers to let him go through with the surgery. The transplant was her life savior and she was back to a normal life.

Saving Jessica

Jeremy had already made up his mind that he was going to be Jessica's kidney donor no matter what it took. His parents did not agree with this at all and so they did not sign the consent form to proceed with the procedure. Mr. and Mrs. McMillian have begun to establish a great relationship with Jeremy, because he is just as determined as they are to do what is best for Jessica. Jeremy comes up with this plan to become emancipated. He arrives at Professor Parker’s office with Jessica’s father by his side, to see if any of his law students good take on his case, free of charge. Jake and Fran are assigned to Jeremy's case. Professor Parker explains to Jeremy that there are still court fees that need to be paid. Jessica’s informed Professor Parker that he would cover those expenses. 

I have a lot of respect for Jeremy and Jessica's father. Jeremy is very mature and has a big heart. He really believes that he was saved from that car accident to be the help that Jessica desperately needs. If more people were like Jeremy our world would be a better place. Less violence, more peace and respect for each other. Mr. McMillian is willing to do anything for his daughter. 

Close Reading

Interior Design:

Shape: curved, round, square, geometrical, 3D

Space: spacious, great, immense

Appearance: elegant, fancy, graceful, magnificent, attractive, exotic

Condition: modern, beautiful, expensive, different

Infer: humble, adoring, amazed, peaceful, romantic, pleasant, sensuous, wonderful

Claim: In this design the geometrical 3D shape, immense space, exotic apperance, and modern condition express a sense of humbleness, peace, and romance.

 http://www.google.com/imgres?q=interior+design&hl=en&sa=X&biw=1366&bih=576&tbm=isch&prmd=imvnslb&tbnid=xHi9r5o5AEHirM:&imgrefurl=http://www.designs54.net/restaurant-interior-design/&docid=MFEZOvIqoO16rM&w=560&h=343&ei=wdB5TvrBIdC2tgeYbQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=325&vpy=220&dur=9162&hovh=176&hovw=287&tx=230&ty=87&page=8&tbnh=134&tbnw=219&start=70&ndsp=11&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:70

Poet of the Month

Top 3 Poems of the Month:
1.) "It is not the fact that I will die that I mind"
      By: Jim Moore

2.) The Trail is Not a Trail
      By: Gary Snyder

3.) "First Kiss"
      By: April Laudner

These three poems stood out to me the most because they talk about different things in life that people go through. They each have a deep meaning with a lot of passion. These poems go with my personality the best because they talk about love and the hardships of life. I think love is a very important aspect of life. Understanding that life isn’t easy is important for a person to realize in order  to get through different obstacles.

Currently

# of pages read: 105

Sentences of the week:

1.  "Who never contribute one single thing to make the world a better place?"
2. "I know love this girl, but this is ridiculous."
3. "Giving you a kidney makes me feel good about myself and my life."

My favorite sentence is number two, because most people would think that what Jeremy is doing is ridiculous. He must truely love this girl. He has such a big heart. I wish there were more people like him in this world.

Saving Jessica

Jessica McMillan is a senior in high school. She is a very smart student with dreams of attending Georgetown University. Jessica is dating Jeremy Travino who is not even sixteen yet. Jeremy is a sophomore. The story begins with Jessica being in the hospital for two days. Dr. Kowalski has ran many test on her. Jessica, her family, and Jeremy are told that she has kidney failure. It was a shock to everyone. Jessica would have to begin dialysis immediately three times a week with weekends off. Dialysis takes over the function of your kidneys and it keeps you alive. Dr. Kowalski has been Jessica's doctor since she was an infant. He explains to Jessica and her parents that a couple of years ago, he treated her for a strep throat infection, but not until it was pretty advanced. Untreated strep throat can cause kidney failure. Jessica's diet now has to be monitored very closely. Jeremy helped her parents out a lot. There were many times Jeremy would take her to the hospital for her dialysis. He would come over every day to make sure she was doing okay. He told her that he would always be there for her and that just because she was sick does not mean he thinks any less of her. Jessica was there for him when he was dealing with the death of his brother. Jeremy and him were in a car accident and his brother died. Jeremy walked away from the crash with no injuries or scratches. He felt guilty for a long time but Jessica always told him that God kept him for a purpose. Later on in the story the dialysis does not seem to be making Jessica feel any better. She is always tired, pale, and her hair was getting thin. One day Jeremy came to check on her and he started to notice all of these things. While she was sleeping Jeremy went downstairs to talk to her mother while she was making dinner. She begins to explain to him that Jessica was not doing any better. Yeah the dialysis was keeping her alive but she just was not the same. Jessica’s mother talked to her doctor and he explained to her that they may need to start considering a kidney transplant. Mrs. McMillan told Jeremy that they were considering the transplant. At that time Jeremy begin to think. On Jessica's birthday her parents got her a gold charm bracelet. Jeremy got her a charm that was shaped like a bean. He explained to her that it was suppose to symbolize a kidney. She was confused. Jeremy told her that he wanted to donate one of his kidneys to her. Her parents were ecstatic but Jessica was in shock. He convinced her that it would all be okay. He asked his parents and they did not like the idea at all. They feared that they would lose him. His father did have a point. He tried to explain to Jeremy that he does not know how long him and Jessica will last as a couple, and what if later on in life he has kids and one of them need a kidney he wouldn’t be able to give them one. His mother convinced his father to let him go through the test just to see if he would be a match, but they did not want him to donate his kidney. They highly doubted that he would be a match because he was not a close relative. Neither one of Jessica’s parents was a match but Jeremy turned out to be a match.

Currently

Books:

Jay's Journal,  anonymous edited by Dr. Beatrice Sparks

This week: 100 pages

Sentences of the week:

1. I don't know when I've every prayed so long and hard.
2. I'll have a grade point average that is flawless, and attend to my home and church duties with a cheerful  heart and appreciation.
3. Jesus said the first and greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all my heart and strength, and the second was 'like unto it,' I should love my neighbor as myself.

The End

I would give this book an A. This is probably one of the best books I’ve ever read, maybe because I can relate to it extremely well. One dislike about this book was that the opening plot was extremely boring. I put the book down several times just because I couldn’t get into it. The book starts out with Jay obsessed with this girl. He keeps writing her poetry and drooling over her. But then the book got exceptionally good, to where I never wanted to put it down! I loved how I could feel how the character felt. Since this book is written as a journal, reading it is like getting into the main character’s head. It’s almost like you are Jay! I can’t really choose a favorite part, mainly because there are too many to pick from, but I really did enjoy when Jay was being possessed and haunted by a demon named Raul. Jay’s Journal really made me think about my life and how blessed I should be. This book made me realize that family is everything, and your faith is very important. Family is the ones most of the time that will always be there for you. That was not the case with Jay. He felt as though he had no one, and when he met Pete that’s when his behavior started to change. He became interested in witchcraft, and that is when his life went downhill. He got heavy into drugs and would hallucinate a lot. Jay believed he was being possessed by a demon for a while. He felt there was no other way out and decided to commit suicide. Of course his family felt as if it was there fault, but when they found his journal and read through it they found out a lot about their son that they never knew. They knew he was dealing with some problems. His parents did not realize the extent of his various problems.

Jay's Journal (pgs.51-100)

Eventually Jay is fired from the pharmacy and is sent to a military school. There he meets a teacher name Pete who wants to teach him about witchcraft. He seems to be very interested in this. In my opinion I fell like Pete takes advantage of the students he believes to have a low self-esteem. He instills his values into them and make them feel as though he cares and will be there for them. If I were Jay I would try to stay away from him and his beliefs. After a few months away from home Jay returns home. Surprisingly he is happy to see his family and to be back in his house. It is a great feeling to finally return home after being gone for so long. Jay's mom is hospitalized for having such a high fever. Doctors do not know why so they have to do exploratory surgery. Jay starts to panic, but who wouldn't I feel like I’m getting to know Jay a little more each page. Just because Jay has left the school does not mean Pete will stop talking to him. Jay tells his friends Dell and Brad about the whole situation. Pete says in order to stay within the group Jay needs to recruit 2 more people. I think Dell and Brad have a lot more common sense than Jay does, because they don’t want to join. It freaks them out, as it should. Every time he seems to be doing well there is always something that tears him down. Most of the time girls are what bring him down. The first girl was Debbie and she was on drugs. His friends finally convince him that she was no good for him. Then he starts talking to a girl name Janie. I like her because she is smart just like him and she keeps him on track. He likes her because he is able to talk to her and she understands him. They have fun, and Jays family really likes her. I wish he would have stayed with her but eventually they stop talking. The last girl he starts talking to is Barry. I’m not to sure about her yet she is older and does not seem like she would be a good fit for him. The journal is coming to an end, but each page helps me to understand Jay a little more. I hate that he has to go through these different things and has no clue how to deal with them, other than doing drugs. It makes me sad the book is coming to an end because I already know the outcome. Well I have to go eat breakfastJ ttyl

Jays Journal (pgs.1-50)

So far I think the book is great. I like reading about different real life situations. As I was reading somethings it made me think about my life and how thankful I am for my parents. Jay seems to be very smart. Well I mean he is. He has an iq of 149+!! I think genius is a better word. He is battling with alot of highschool situations and he does not know how to handle them. He does not have the best relationship with his parents. I guess I wouldn't either if I worked in my grandfathers pharmacy and decided to empty the powder out of the capsules and filled it with dry milk. In a way I can relate to how he feels about his family. Just like Jay I sometimes feel as though I cant do anything right. Sometimes I always feel like im the one who always gets blamed for things. I guess thats the perks of being the oldest teenager in the house. Parents expect more out of us because we are older. I was feeling a little tense about the girl he was dating and stealing drugs for. He felt as though she loved him. His defenition of love is obviously different from mine. She used him for the drugs.