The Final Blog

This semester I've read around 2000 pages. A few books I skimmed more than read, but there were some that I read every word. My favorite book this semester was definitely Memoirs of a Geisha. It's about the struggle of a young girl who's family sells her to an okiya where she is forced to become a geisha. The movie is almost as good as the book. It won best picture a few years ago along with many other awards.

Often, I would sit down to read on a "thrown" I've made for myself on my couch after school. Sometimes I'd fall asleep immediately after I begin reading. I can only listen to music while I read. If any other noise interrupts me, I can't concentrate. Anyways, if I stayed awake and the book interested me I would read for a couple hours, usually getting past the week's required 150 pages. I didn't like how I had to split these up. I would read everything in one day and write the summary sporadically as the week went on.

As for poetry, I understand that some people cannot get enough, but I can't stand it. I always feel like it's people writing illogically and the public making their own interpretations and praising the writer for their "art". I struggled with the analyses we had to do. I think this is because I'm good with logic and reasoning which most poetry doesn't contain. However, I will give some poems credit for being interesting and with a deep meaning.

A Long Way Gone pgs. 58 - 96

The boys meet a man named Gasemu that they recognize from home. He explains that Ishmael's parents are just over the next hill. The group run to the top of the hill to see smoke and gunshots. The army has gotten to the village first. They go to where his parents were living and look at the ruins. He knows there's no chance they survived. Ishmael starts to get nightmares.

They seek help in the town of Yele where military headquarters are. Any boys ranging from seven to seventeen are immediately handed a gun and start training to be a soldier. If you refuse they kill you on sight. He had his first battle and watched an eleven year old die. He focused all his rage into the gun and killed as many people as he could.

After two years of this, Ishmael and a few other boys are picked up by a UNICEF workers and taken to a rehabilitation camp. There are boys from both sides of the war that are trying to get back to normal. The theory of the camp, as Ishmael explains, is that with the fighting and violence out, they could all merge together as one team. However, fighting breaks out from both sides and a grenade is thrown. By the end six boys are dead.

Amazing Half Court Shot

When I saw this video I couldn't believe it. This reporter makes a half-court shot without looking. Check it out here.

A Long Way Gone pgs. 1 - 57

A Long Way Gone is a true story about a boy soldier in Africa. He begins in 1993 talking about how the war had hit the continent but hadn't reached his village. Although, it did quickly. He, his brother, and his friend go to a talent show outside the village. Someone brings news that an army has attacked their home village. The boys flee into the forest. Ishmael is twelve at this time. They reach a road that is covered in dead and dying people. It's a brutal scene that shows how merciless the army is. They keep moving.

For a long time, the boys are on the move on the verge of starvation and exhaustion. If any villages take them in, the war soon finds them and they have to leave. One of these times, Ishmael runs into a bush without looking back. He doesn't find his brother or friend afterwards and never sees them again.

Ishmael roams forests until he finally comes across some boys he recognizes from school. They're heading towards a village called Yele. He goes with them. One night, a trio of soldiers comes across the boys, and they hide. Saidu passes out and they carry him to the nearest village. At the village, Ishmael learns his family is safe in another village. However, while they are there, Saidu dies out of no where. The boys bury their friend.

I like this book so far. The gory parts are very detailed. What makes it even more frightening is that it's a true story being told in first person. It's hard to imagine this kind of inhumanity happened just a few years ago and most likely still does today.

Be More Chill pgs. 255 - 316

Another kid, Jeremy doesn't know his name, sits in for Jake in the play. Jeremy has come up with a plan to get Christine to finally go out with him. His plan is to abruptly interrupt the play, make an announcement about Jake, and kiss Christine. He does this when Christine sprinkles "magic dust" on him. Christine pushes him off and continues with the play. Jeremy realizes the squip has turned off and won't turn back on. After the seen, Mr. Rhyes takes Jeremy's costumes and kicks him out. He runs into Christine, and she's furious. She yells at Jeremy and he just takes it. Michael finds him outside and talks to him. Jeremy tells Michael about the squip and it turns back on. The squip explains that it's faulty. Jeremy decides to have it do a memory dump. This is when the squip takes over Jeremy's motor controls and types his memories onto a computer. Jeremy would then get rid of the squip completely and revise the book. He then plans to give it to Christine. At the end it says, "Here it is, Christine. I hope you like it." Basically, it means I read the book he wrote for Christine.

I like the realistic touch at the end. However, I knew the plan to interrupt the play was going to be a bust from the beginning. Overall, this book was good, but not one of my favorites.

Be More Chill pgs 153 - 254

After a few days, Jeremy calls Chloe and she tells him about a party and asks if he wants to go. He says yes quickly, then Chloe asks if he wants to "roll" with her (use ecstasy). He's reluctant at first but agrees. The next day at school he gives Chloe money for the drugs and invites Michael to the party. He forgives Jeremy and decides to go. The next night Jeremy tells his parents he's going over to Michael's for the night. When Michael arrives, they swap Michael's car for Jeremy's mom's. Jeremy's never driven before, but it's easy with the squip's help. When they arrive at the party Chloe lets them in and takes Jeremy to the basement. They take the ecstasy and start to undress. All of the sudden, theirs a knock on the window and someone yelling profanities. It's Chloe's boyfriend Brock that she forgot to mention to Jeremy. Brock chases Jeremy throughout the party. Jeremy runs into a bathroom where Stephanie is throwing up. He hides under the sink and when Brock comes in Stephanie yells at him. Stephanie and Jeremy talk for a while until she's done throwing up. Downstairs, Rich grabs Jeremy and takes him to a big crowd that are spying on Jake (Christine's boyfriend) and Katrina having sex. He leaves and dozes away on a couch. When he wakes up, the party has calmed down and Christine is next to him. They talk for a while until Jeremy decides it's time to leave. He bumps into Chloe and Brock and they're drunk. Luckily, Brock's not mad anymore and appologizes for chasing Jeremy. They go to look for Michael and find him in a bathtub with an Asian girl named Nichole. Jeremy takes everyone home and gets Christine's number.
On the way home, they're passed by a lot of firetrucks. The next morning Jeremy calls Christine and finds out from his squip that there was a fire at the party just after they left. They talk about it for a while. Rich and Jake are badly burned and in intensive care. After the phone talk, Jeremy's mom asks him why he was out til four in the morning with her car and why his aunt is missing hundreds of dollars worth of beanie babies. Jeremy tells the truth about everything and his mom cries. She thinks he needs help but he shakes her off. The next day at school, Christine and Jeremy walk together. Everyone is depressed due to the two students who are in intensive care.

My Poems

My theme is love and the poems are:
1) Romantics - Lisel Mueller
2) The Rain - Robert Creeley
3) I Knew a Woman - Theodore Roethke
4) I Love You - Ella Wheeler Wilcox
*5) Love's Philosophy - Percy Bysshe Shelley
6) Winter - Timothy Liu

*I'll do my video on this poem

Vivian Maier

Vivian Maier (1926-2009) was a maid all her life. Switching from houses to house every few years. She lived in Chicago homes. As her past employers recalled, she always had a camera with her. An elderly couple whom were Vivian's final employers, auctioned off over 30,000 negatives of her images she had taken over the years to a young historian named John Maloof. Most of the negatives weren't even developed. However, after scanning the images and viewing them properly for the first time ever, he realized he had found something incredible. The pictures were amazing. He went back to the elderly couple and bought the rest of her negatives, over 100,000 all together.

He's still in the process of developing them, and it will take him a few more years. Meanwhile, her works have their own display in the Chicago Cultural Center. It's sad that most of the film wasn't even developed and that she never knew how amazing her photos are. At the same time, it must be exciting for Maloof to see new, wonderful photography everyday that's never been seen by anyone else. She took mainly street life photos. Most of the people in the pictures look like they don't know they're being photographed. Most of them take my breath away. She's my new favorite photographer. To see her works, you can go to his blog. Also, here is a great video that introduced me to this story.

Be More Chill pgs. 103 - 152

As soon as Jeremy has the squip it starts talking to him and telling him what to do. First, he buys some new shirts while he's at the mall. Afterwards it tell him to buy some frozen yogurt. When he gets to the booth, he sees two popular girls from his math class. He starts talking to them with the squip telling him everything to say. Michael shows up and asks if he's ready to go. Jeremy shakes him off and gets him to leave just like the squip says. He gets a ride home from the girls and gets Chloe's number. That night he works out and Michael calls him. He's mad for getting bailed on that day. The squip helps Jeremy get out of Michael being mad at him. The next day at school he hangs out with Rich and his group of friends. He and Rich skip class with two girls. They smoke weed behind some bushes. Jeremy starts to have his first kiss with a girl named Brooke. He starts to kiss her breasts but one just got pierced and is sore so she makes him stop. He's happy to get with a girl for the first time and doesn't object.

Be More Chill pgs. 27 - 100

Jeremy starts to talk to Christine some more but she's going out with Jake now. He considers them friends. She started to talk about the Halloween Dance one day and Jeremy decided to go. He wore a scary mask that he bought from a Halloween store. At the dance, one of his tormentors, Rich, comes up to him and gives him a drink. He's spiked it with scotch but Jeremy doesn't refuse. Rich starts telling Jeremy how he only got cool by taking something called a "squip". He explains it as a small computer that's eaten like a pill. It then travels to your brain and helps you accomplish anything you want. He says they cost $600 and Jeremy is skeptical but he goes to the bowling ally where Rich says he can get one. Once there, he finds the guy who says his cousin may have one but it will definitely cost $600 dollars. He also says to check out eBay. Jeremy searches "Squip" and there is a beanie-baby named squip that keeps popping up. He realizes beanie-babies go for over hundreds of dollars if they're collectibles. His dad tells him his Aunt Linda has "thousands of those things" so Jeremy decides to pay her a visit. He steals a couple beanies after cleaning her gutter and sells them for over $600. He goes to the guy who has the squips, buys one, and swallows it down. This ends Part 1.

I'm really excited to see what will happen after he takes the squip.

Tuesday Blogging

I finished Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and started reading "Be More Chill" by Ned Vizzini. It's about a nerdy boy who takes a pill that controls his brain and tells him how to be "cool". It seemed interesting and has been so far.

a) I read the article on Bin Laden's capture. On Sunday night, my AP final exam studying was interrupted by my mom yelling for me to turn on the TV for something important. I was so thrilled when I heard the president announce officially that Osama Bin Laden had been found and killed. The Seals that executed the mission didn't even know it was him until after the DNA test. He was shot in the face so it would have been difficult to identify him. I read a funny quote on facebook about him being buried in the ocean. I t said something like, "I'm glad they dumped him in the ocean, now every year on spring break, thousands of drunk tourist will pee on his grave." I just thought that was pretty funny.

Live Anywhere for Free

I found this site while "stumbling upon". It looks like the coolest thing in the world. Basically, rich people all around the world who are looking for work to be done post ads on this site. The work ranges from gardening and house work to just teaching people how to speak English. But what you get in return is even better. For the most part, they don't pay you (if they do it's not much) but you get to live with them in their house or guest house. There are ads from literally all over the world. I've always wanted to travel the world and explore different cultures. This seems like a great way to do it. I'm coming to the perfect age to do some of these things. I'll plan on going to college and in the summer live in as many locations across the globe as I can.

Be More Chill pgs. 1 - 26

So far, not much has happened in this book. From what I can tell, Jeremy is an awkward, nerdy teenager who has a crush on some girl who barely knows his name. He's in a play with her. It's A Midsummer's Night Dream by Shakespeare. He wants to give her a piece of chocolate that's shaped like Shakespeare but it melts in his pocket.

I like books that are in first person and very descriptive like this one. Another good example is the Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Grapes of Wrath pgs. 373 - 455

The Joads have been in the government for over a month now. Their supplies and food are starting to run low, and there isn't much work. Ma Joad convinces the family to leave the camp. On their way out of the camp, they get a flat tire. While they're fixing it, a man drives up and offers the whole family a ob picking peaches. Desperate for food, they accept. They later learn they'll only get five cents an hour and that night their total earnings combined is one dollar. The family spends it all on food and still goes hungry that night. Afterwards, Tom goes out looking for girls. He's turned away by the guards at the gate of the orchard field when he tries to come back because men have been on strike and they think he's part of it. He goes wandering and finds a tent with Jim Casey in it. He tells them that the men are on strike because the man that hired them cut the wages to two and a half cents and that will happen to Tom's family tomorrow. Some police come by and start calling Jim a communist for leading the strike. He jumps on the policeman but the po-po clubs Jim in the head and kills him. Tom, in rage, takes the club and kills the policeman. He goes back to the orchard and gets the family to leave. They find work elsewhere picking cotton. Workers without cotton bags are forced to buy them on credit.

The Joads are given a boxcar to live in but they share it with another family, the Wainwrights.

Ruthie gets some candy and brags that her brother killed two people. Ma runs to the woods where Tom is hiding to tell him people know about him. She suggests that he leaves but he decides to stay. Al and Agnes Wainwright plan to be married. They go out to pick the next day. There are so many workers that the whole field is finished by noon. They glumly go back to the boxcar when it starts to do what it hasn't done in months and months. Rain.

The rain continues to fall and Rose goes into labor. The truck is flooded and some men try to make a make-shift dam. A tree falls and destroys it though. They seek higher ground and find a barn. Inside it, there's a small boy and a dying man. The man has been giving all the food to the boy for the past six days. His body can't digest hard food. Rose knows what she has to do and she breast-feeds the man. The last sentence of the book says she she smiled.

This was a great, historical book that showed a families difficult journey. The one thing I didn't like was how abruptly it ended. She just breast-feeds the man and it ends. I need a little closure.

Awesome Freerun Video

It would be really fun to be able to do some of the things in this video.

Grapes of Wrath pgs. 325 - 372

Chapter 23 starts by talking about how the migrants came together and started to make music and folktales.
There is a camp dance being planned and a few men are planning to riot on the same night. Ezra Hutson has people watch for any sign of the riot. Rose goes to the dance but doesn't dance because she is worried about what the religious lady told her about pregnant mother who dance. Tom is looking out for the riot when he sees three men trying to cause trouble. They are evicted from the camp but they tell everyone that they were paid to start the riot. They were paid by a large company to try and get the migrants out of California. They start a union against the company and march through the town with rifles. There hasn't been a problem since.
California is starting to wither the same way Oklahoma was. Farmers watch there plants wither and their debts rise.

The Grapes of Wrath pgs. 273 - 324

The Joads come across a government run camp. The migrants govern themselves and aren't harassed by police officers. They have breakfast with two nice people named Tim and Wilkie Wallace. They take Tom to a ranch where they think they can get him a job. The owner, Mr. Thomas, is require to pay them no more than twenty-five cents an hour. He says he knows that they deserve more but it would only cause unrest. The rest of the Joad men go job hunting during the days. Ma meets the camp manager who is extremely nice to her and makes her fell human again. Mrs. Sandry, a religious fanatic, tells Rose to avoid dancing and sinning or her baby will be born bloody and dead. Tom is hired but none of the other men get jobs unfortunately.

This book has been very descriptive, and I respect that. However, the descriptions can get too lengthy and I'm starting to lose interest. If the book would pick up the speed I think I would enjoy it much more.

The Grapes of Wrath pgs. 203 - 272

After days of traveling, the Joads and Wilsons arrive in California. Although they still have miles to go to get to the green fields they've been expecting. They meet a man and his son who are leaving f because they were unable to make a living there. They disregard this and continue on their trip. Noah announces that he's going to stay by river and make a living fishing. That night he runs away. Grandma has been doing poorly since Grandpa died. She's in the back of the truck hallucinating when policemen tell them they have to keep moving. They are then stopped later by police for a agriculture inspection. Ma realizes Grandma has been dead for a while. She lays with the body all night, saying how the family is falling apart.

Chapter 19 describes how Americans in California forced Mexicans out and now they are angry that the "Okies" are taking "their"land from them. In a way, the wealthy farmers of California are getting a taste of their own medicine.

The Joads settle in a "Hooverville" with many other families. A young man named Floyd tells them that if they have to talk to a cop, convince them that you are mentally handicapped. This keeps them from bothering you. He explains why no one can revolt against the landowners. Anyone who starts talking about that is blacklisted and will not find work in the state of California ever. Ma makes some soup and feeds her own family first. Afterwards, hungry children fight over the leftovers. A fight breaks out between some men and a police officer. Tom knocks him out but Casy decides to take the blame and is arrested.

They leave the Hooverville and head further into California. The come across men on a road with shotguns blocking their way. They are dedicated to "keeping Okies out". The hatred for immigrants bring them all together and landowners are starting to fear their numbers.

The Grapes of Wrath pgs. 150 - 202

The couple of cars on the highway starts to turn into a heavy flood of what seems like every car in the world heading toward California. A waitress and cook named Mae and Al own a small restaurant off of Route 66. They watch as car after car pass their store. Two truckers come in and are friendly enough to Mae. She looks forward to truckers because they always tip the most. They are making small talk when a man with two young boys comes in and asks to buy a loaf of bread for ten cents. She tries to brush him off saying that she'd have to charge more. Al grunts at her to sell the bread to the man. While doing this she sees the boys eyeing some candy that goes for five cents a piece. She sells the man two of them for just a penny. The truckers witnessing this kindness tip Mae extra.

Back to the Joads' family, they have been traveling for three days when Rose says that she and Connie plan on moving into the city so they can run their own business. Ma Joads doesn't like this and scolds the idea of splitting up the family. The Wilson's car breaks down and they all stop to fix it. Al and Tom go into a town to find a mechanic who complains a lot and barely wants to help. Meanwhile, at the camp Pa tells a man he is going to California for work and the man informs him that he's already been there and there's no jobs left. This worries Pa but they decide to keep going. As people traveled, they formed groups and twenty families would come together to make one giant family with their own codes and rules.

Tuesday In-Class Blog

Pharrell Williams' house in Miami conveys a sense of paradise. His house is beautiful with open spaces to look out across the ocean. The spiral staircase is my favorite part of this house. It leads up to a loft on top of the house. The color theme is white which makes it appear even brighter. The odd-shaped pool is abstract and unique. There's also a porch on top of the house for sun bathing.

The Grapes of Wrath pgs. 90 - 149

Tom's mother is reluctant about leaving for California but her father convinces her it will be wonderful. He talks about eating grapes, which must have something to do with the title of the novel. Pa Joads goes into town to sell a few useless items that they won't be taking with them on their journey. He comes back with just eighteen dollars. They have a family meeting and decide to let Casy come with them. Tom's older sister and her husband come home and are going with them also. She is expecting a child soon.

Chapter 11 talks about how farmer's left in Oklahoma still plow the dead land as if in a trance due to how much they have lost.

Highway 66 is full of other cars with different tenant farmer's also making their way to California. The narration is of random farmers traveling. They talk about salesmen cheating them and the difficulty of leaving everything behind. They also bring up how it is a struggle to get from one service station to the next without their cars breaking down. Al seems to know a bit about cars and drives the family along the highway. He listens to the engine for any sounds that might indicate a future breakdown. At a gas station, Al is arguing with a pump assistant when their dog is hit by a car and killed. They bury him and head for Oklahoma City. No one in the family has seen a city so huge before. As they leave the city they pull over and camp on the side of the road. Grandpa Joads is starting to get sick. The family meets Ivy Wilson and his wife. They offer their tent to the old man for the night. He dies from a stroke in his sleep. They give him an improvised funeral and decide it would be everyone's benefit to travel with the Wilson's the rest of the way.

The Grapes of Wrath pgs. 41 - 89

(Above: Picture from the film, "Grapes of Wrath" based on the book)

Casy and Tom soon find another friend, Muley. He explains how a large company bought all the land and kicked the tenant farmers out. Muley is picking cotton to save up for a car to move to California. Next, a car's salesman is on the radio talking about moving to the West.

The three men make their way to Tom's Uncle John's house. Tom reunited with his family, they are afraid he's broken out or gone crazy. Tom assures them he has done neither. Tom has four siblings, but the only one around is Al. Al admires Tom very much.

Chapter 9 explains how the tenants work and how the farmers were kicked out.

I'm starting to a pattern that every other chapter is either narration or random descriptions of the history or the setting.

The Grapes of Wrath pgs. 1 - 40

From the beginning of this book, you can tell each sentence was written carefully. Everything is worded perfectly and the imagery is incredible.

The book starts out talking about dust storms in Oklahoma that destroy crops and put many farmers at risk of bankruptcy. A man is sitting at a diner. He's a truck driver and he ends up giving a young guy a ride. The young man's name is Tom and he explains that he's returning to his farm after being away at prison. There is a small chapter about a turtle on the highway. A woman avoids it but a man attempts to hit it. He knicks the turtle but it gets back up and keeps crossing. This could be some kind of foreshadowing.

Tom walks along the road and finds the turtle. He picks it up and carries it with him. Later, he comes across a man resting in the shade. His name is Jim Casy, or just Casy, and he recognizes Tom from a long time ago. They reach the farm and realize it has been deserted. Farmers were forced to move out after they couldn't keep up with rent. Since the land was destroyed from the dust, they moved to California.

I like this book so far, although it is a little bit slow-moving.

Current Reading

In the past three weeks I've read and finished 317 pages of The Color Purple by Alice Walker.

Senior Interview Response

I think I relate most to the girl who wants to be a Pediatrician. She talks about how medicine is more than needles and gore, but more of just helping people who need it. That interests me a lot and I plan on going into the medical or dental field. The most deluded one is probably the Designer. She wants to own a business/website/photography studio/clothing line. Overall, it seems very vague and undeveloped. To be fair, she does realize the fact that it may not be successful, and she may not become as wealthy as she'd hope to be.
I want to go to dental school after I get my undergrad degree. From there, I'd hope to start my own dental business either by myself or another colleague. I like teeth and my I have a lot of family members in the dentistry field who can give me help along the way. One perk is the money, but it would take a while before I saw any of it, seeing as dentistry school is insanely expensive.

I'm jealous of this soccer girl. She can do things I've been trying to do for years. My dad played college soccer and got me started on it as soon as he could. Juggling was never my strong suit. She makes it look so easy, but it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. She shows how far you can go if you focus and practice one thing over and over again for years. I think she'll make it to the Olympics. Once I see her on TV, I'll go, "Hey, I knew about her before she was famous!" I love being able to say that I knew something before everyone else. Such as a "new" song.

Why You Shouldn't Buy a Mac

Here is a great link to show people why not to buy a Mac. Most people can't give a precise reason why PCs or Macs are better, and if they can it's usually opinion based. This shows real statistics that show why a Mac is the wrong choice.

The Color Purple 282 - 317

Sofia is back with Harpo finally and they're happy. Mr. ____ has let the house go to ruins and is drinking his life away. His father gives him advice to marry a nice, young girl. But he shakes his advice off. Celie learns that her father has died. His newest wife lets Celie know that their house is all hers and Nettie's.

Finally, Celie has somewhere she can call her own. She opens a clothing store by the house. Business is well and she makes a living off of it. Shug says as she and Celie are walking through a field of flowers, "It pissed God off if you walk through a field and don't notice the color purple." This is where the book gets its name. On a seemingly usual day, Celie gets a surprise visitor.

Nettie has finally come home. Mr.____ paid to have her be brought back to America. Celie is finally reunited with her son, Adam , daughter, Olivia, and sister, Nettie.

The Color Purple 210 - 282

Nettie has been doing missionary work in Africa. She talks about the jungle and her teachings. She mainly taught English and the Bible. There's a ritual to bind to children to marriage by making small cuts on their faces. Celie is thinking about this when she's shaving Mr. ____. She's about to slit his throat but Shug stops her.

Nettie writes how the white man came through the village to build a road. They tore straight through everything and all of the villagers had to leave. Olivia (Celie's daughter) dies of fever.

One night at a family dinner, Celie's had the last straw. Sofia has been set free and is there also. Celie cusses out Mr. ____. He says she's nothing and she almost kills him with a knife. When she's getting in the car, Mr._____ tries to beat Celie. But she stops him and tells him off. She leaves with Squeak, Shug, and Grady.

The Color Purple 163 - 209

When Sofia is taken out of jail, eight years have gone by. She is only taken out to be forced to be the Mayor's wife's maid. Mrs. Miller is annoying and arrogant. She makes the Mayor buy her a car, but he won't teach her how to drive it. She has Sofia teach her. On Christmas she takes Sofia home (she hasn't been there in 8 years). Mrs. Miller says Sofia can spend the whole day there and she'll pick her up later. Mrs. Miller, still a new driver, can't get out of the driveway and makes Sofia take her home. She only got to spend a couple minutes with her family and kids.

Shug Avery comes back. She has a new husband named Grady who Celie doesn't like from the start. One day, they're painting Easter eggs and Shug went out to get the mail. She told Celie to come with her to her room. She handed Celie a letter informing from Nettie informing Celie that she isn't dead and she works for the lady that has Celie's two kids.

One day, when Mr. ____ and Grady go to the juke joint, Shug and Celie scavenge for her letters that Mr. ____ has been hiding. They find a huge pile along with some money. Celie starts to read them in order one-by-one.

Cool Swedish Subway

I was stumblingupon like usual and came across this page. It's a subway in Sweden that looks like an art museum. I think we should let local artists decorate portions of boring things such as the train station or other random places. It's just a little eye candy that brightens your day.

Let the Kids Rule the School

I think this idea could work but only with a few students. This should be an incentive to get good grades. For example, only student with a 3.5 GPA or higher could participate in their own school. I think this is the only way it would work because as soon as you introduce that to kids that fail and don't care, they'll take advantage of it and make it social hour. But with honors students, it would be taken seriously and would be effective. Critisism from teachers can sometimes be annoying, but I personally have no problem going to another student for help.

The Color Purple (pgs. 79 - 162)

In these letters Shug Avery gets sick and Mr. _____ takes her in. She's mean to Cecil calling her ugly. Cecil helps Shug back to help and they become acquaintances. Harpo starts to get fat so that he'll be bigger than Sofia and can beat her. Cecil advises against beating this time. Mr. _____ brother and father come to visit. They're both angry with disapproval towards Mr.____ taking in Shug.

Sofia tells Cecil that she is having second thoughts about Harpo. Their sex life is falling apart and he keeps trying to beat her. Sofia leaves and goes to live with her sister. She took the children with her.

A few months later, Harpo and his friend open a bar with performers. Shug sings there and dedicates a song to Cecil. She is filled with joy and a sisterly love for Shug. She figures Mr. ____ and Shug are meant to be together. But when Shug thinks about leaving, Cecil begs her to stay. She tells Shug how Mr. ____ beats her, and Shug decides to stay. They start to talk about sex and how much Cecil hates (as she's only been raped her whole life). Cecil says she's alright but she cries when she hears Mr. ____ and Shug having sex that night.

Harpo has a new girlfriend called Squeak. At his bar, Sofia makes a surprise visit and Harpo and Sofia talk then dance. This makes Squeak angry and she slaps Sofia. We already know how good of a fighter Sofia is. She knocks out two of Squeak's teeth. Sofia then storms out with her new man.

Later, the mayor's wife asks Sofia to be her servant, she responds "Hell no" which gets her slapped by the Mayor. She then knocks out the Mayor which lands her in jail. Squeak is the neice of the wardon and goes to plead Sofia is released. She's instead raped and Sofia remains in jail.

These chapters are harsh, especially at the end. The book doesn't censor much and can surprise me with its language. I think Sofia is my favorite character with how good of a fighter she is. She's not afraid to stand up for what's right.

The Color Purple (pgs. 29-78)

This letter starts with Mr. _____'s two sister coming to visit. Kate and Carrie are nice to Cecil, complimenting her on her housework and dress. Kate tells Mr. _____ that Cecil needs a new dress and he buys her one. Then, Kate pushes the limit telling her brother that Harpo, his oldest son, should help Cecil with chores. They get in a huge fight and Kate leaves, but not before telling Cecil to fight Mr. _____. Harpo tells Cecil that he has a crush on a girl at school named Sophia.
Cecil learns that Shug Avery is coming to town to sing at a bar. She doesn't get to go, Mr. ____ is the only one that goes. He is gone with Shug for a few days, most likely cheating. While he's gone, Harpo complains about the chore-load. He finds out that Sofia's parents won't let her marry him because of his mother's mysterious murder.
They get married anyways but Sofia is always misbehaving and telling Harpo to help with chores. He asks advice from his dad and Cecil and they tell him to just beat her. Sofia is physically strong and usually ends up hurting Harpo more than he does her. Cecil has troulbe sleeping because of this. Sofia finds out Cecil gave that advice and confronts her. They end up laughing about the whole things and become friends. They sit on the porch and make quilts together.

These letters had a nice change. Suddenly Kate started to treat Cecil with kindness. Eventually, Sofia did the same. She seems like she's learning to like her new home.

The Color Purple (pgs. 1-28)

The book starts out with a 14 year old, black girl named Cecil who is raped and abused by her father. She's pregnant with her second child and is writing to God asking what's happening to her. Her father killed her first child but sold the second one to a family. Her little sister is smarter than her and she wants to marry a man. Cecil's father won't let her though. Instead, he offers the man Cecil and he takes her. She does chores around his house and he has three rotten kids. They are mean to her and hit her.

Her sister, Nettie, runs away and stays with Cecil for a while. After a week or two, Cecil's new husband who she just calls Mr. _____, tells Nettie she has to leave. They promise to write to each other.

One day, when Cecil is at a store buying fabric, she sees a girl that she believes to be her child. She makes small talk with the girl's mother. She asks what's the girls name is. The lady tells her Michelle, but she calls her Olivia. Olivia is the name that Cecil gave to her daughter.

This book is tragic so far. Page one talks about rape and abuse. The whole book is written in the form of letters to God. I'm excited to see where the book will go with such a horrible beginning.

Current Reading

I've finished Memoirs of a Geisha and Harry Potter 1. Since February 15th I've read 452 pages.

3-1 Diction Exercise

It's not the fact that I'll die that I mind:

a) 1. Stubbornly
2. Serious
3. Gaze
4. Dreamy
5. Idly
6. Mournful
7. Appetite
8. Absolute
9. Presence

b) Connotation - Literal, still, cold, sad
Sound - Harsh, angry, rhythmic

c) "It's not the fact that I'll die that I mind" has a cold, lachrymose tone to it. The writer sounds like he'll die soon and he's upset about the things he'll lose when he does. He's rhythmic yet harsh how he conveys his anger at death.

Harry Potter pgs. 180 - 309

After the troll, there are flying lessons. A boy named Neville gets hurt and Madam Hooch takes him to the hospital. Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin punk, picks up a belonging of Neville's. He flies away with it and Harry comes after him. Malfoy throws it and Harry flies after it. He catches it just before it hits the building and Madam McGonagle sees him do this. She wants Harry to be the Seeker for the Griffyndor house. In Quidditch, Harry's only job is to catch the Golden Snitch. In his first game, he falls off his broom and catches the snitch in his mouth.
After that Christmas comes up and Harry gets an invisibility cloak. They're very rare and it doesn't say who it's from. Harry uses it to roam the halls at night. Hermione has been doing research about a mysterious object that Hagrid got from a vault. She believed it to be something powerful that was being hidden in the school and made by Nicholas Flamel. Harry, Ron, and Hermione have always been suspicious of Snape and think he plans to steal it. Harry uses his invisibility cloak to go to the restricted section in the library. He finds that Nicholas Flamel is the only known creator of the Sorcerer's Stone which can give someone immortality. The next night, the three go to Hagrid's to ask about the stone. They are seen by Draco and he turns them in. All four of them have detention in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid. Draco and Harry are trying to find a dead unicorn. When they find it, they also find someone sucking the blood of the unicorn. It tries to attack Harry and Draco but the centaurs come and scare it away. Hagrid explains that that was Voldemort. On their way back they accidentally go on the third floor which is forbidden. They go into a door and and find Fluffy, the three headed dog. He's guarding a trapdoor. The next night they go into the trapdoor to stop Snape from getting the Sorcerer's Stone which they believe is hidden in their.
Once in they go through obstacles and Ron is injured in a human chess game. Harry continues while Hermione stays with Ron. He meets up with Mr. Quirrel. Harry was expecting Snape and he's confused. Professor Quirrel takes off his headbands to reveal another face on the back of his head. Harry looks in a mirror to see his reflection put the stone in his pocket. Quirrel attacks Harry for it, but as soon as he touches Harry, he disintegrates. The dust reforms and knocks Harry out. He wakes up in the hospital.
Dumbledore explains everything to him. On the last day of school, Harry wins them the house cup and he has to go home, but he'll come back next year.

Harry Potter pgs. 1 - 179

Harry is an eleven year old boy who lives with his cousin, aunt, and uncle. His parents died when he was only one. They are terrible to him and basically treat him like a slave. He's always been a bit odd. Once, his aunt gave him a horrible haircut and the next day he had grown his hair over four inches back to what it was. One day, he gets a letter, which never happens. The Dursley's don't let him open it. The next Sunday his house is flooded with the letters but they still don't let him see them. They move out to a nice secluded island. Harry sleeps on the floor when there's a bang on the door. A giant comes in and tells Harry he's a wizard. He's in chock and doesn't believe it. They leave the Dursley's behind and go shopping to prepare Harry for school.

They go into a bar where everyone seems to recognize Harry, which is weird for Harry. Hagrid, the giant, explains that Harry is famous because he's the only person to ever survive the killing curse. The same curse that killed his parents. They were killed by Voldemort.

They go to Diagon Alley, a magic shopping center. Harry gets his wand, money, and an owl named Hedwig. Afterwards, he goes to King's Crossing to get on his train to the school. Its on platform 9 3/4. To get there, he follows people that look like wizards. They walk straight into a wall and disappear. He does the same and it takes him to the train.

On the train, he sits with a boy named Ron Weasly. Hermione Granger visits them and repairs Harry's glasses with magic. She seems to excel and is very smart.

Once at Hogwarts, they're sorted into their houses. Harry, Hermione, and Ron are in Griffindor. They go to classes. Snape, the potions teacher doesn't like Harry. Their other classes are charms, spells, and transfiguration. They learn a spell, Wingardian Leviosa, which makes things float.

At the Halloween feast, a teacher, Professor Quirrel, runs in screaming "Troll! Troll in the Dungeon!" They all go back to their house corridors, but earlier that day Ron said something about Hermione and she was still in the bathroom crying. She didn't know about the troll so Harry and Ron go to the bathroom to find her. The troll is there too and they fight it. They knock it out by making the troll's club float above his head, then dropping it. Teachers rush in and award them points for bravery.

I've read all seven of these books four times and the first book seems to go very quickly. There's not nearly as much description in the first few as there is in the last three. However, they're all great books.

Memoirs of a Geisha (pgs. 289 - 428)

I was right in my last post when I thought Hatsumomo would come back. Sayuri goes into her room only to find her holding the handkerchief the Chairman gave to her over a flame. Sayuri tackles her, knocking the flame over. They fight for a few minutes until they realize the fire has started to spread. Auntie and Mother run in to try and stop the fire. Hatsumomo, watching them, takes another oil lamp and cracks it in front of the doorway, spreading the oil and fire. She is banned from the okiya and is never heard from again. Sayuri wondered if she was looking into her own future. Hatsumomo loved her boyfriend, which wasn't allowed, and Sayuri loves the Chairman. Mameha explains that geishas can't love, and they become geisha because they have no other choice.
They stop the fire and the okiya is back into business but just in time for the war. Americans are everywhere and anyone with a kimono could call themselves a geisha. All of the women residents of Kyoto are to be taken to a safe camp. Nobu and the Chairman help Sayuri, Mameha, Mother, and Auntie get away to a safe, secluded place. While there, Sayuri works for a kimono maker. She's there for three years until her old life seems like a dream. Then Nobu comes and tells her it's safe to go back.
Once back, she talks with Mameha who is simply a much lesser person. Pumpkin has been in Kyoto entertaining Americans for a while. She's more of a prostitute than a geisha by now though. Sayuri, Mameha, Pumpkin, the Chairman, Nobu, and an American Minister go to an island called Amami. When there Nobu tries to get Sayuri to sleep with the Minister so that he'll help Nobu and the Chairman rebuild there empire. Sayuri doesn't know this and refuses. Nobu is angry and tells her that after that he wanted to be her danna. So, Sayuri has Pumpkin tell the Minister to go to her room at a certain time and not tell anyone. Pumpkin had told Sayuri earlier that she wasn't mad about Sayuri being adopted over her. But a few minutes after the Minister gets there, Pumpkin leads Chairman to the room. They are caught in the act and Chairman walks away. Sayuri is mortified and asks Pumpkin why. She says the a long time ago she took away the one thing she ever truly wanted, now Sayuri knows how that feels.
Later, Sayuri and the Chairman talk. She apologizes, but Chairman stops her. He tells her he never wanted to go against Nobu, his business partner, but he's always wanted the girl he cheered up all those years ago. He calls her by Chiyo and they kiss. Chairman becomes her danna.
This was a great book and a heart-warming ending.

Current Reading

I've read 288 pages of Memoirs of a Geisha. It's a great book so far and I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Excuse Me

Hahaha! This picture is hilarious. That guy is shoving aside a live Great White shark! This is what makes Stumbleupon great.

Stumbleupon

For all of the random stuff on my blog, I usually just go to Stumbleupon.com. You tell it some topics that interest you and then hit Stumble! It will take you to a ton of random websites that are usually really, funny or cool. I could stumble for hours because it shows you parts of the internet you'd never find on your own. It's a great tool.

National Geographic Photo

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/img/2009/07/jul09wallpaper-8_1280.jpg
This picture is awesome. It shows how old the shrine is by looking at how the tree has grown around it. I wonder how old it really is.

Life Explained

This will explain everything there is to know about life.

Mature People Truths

http://www.funlol.com/15926/Mature_people_truths.html
This website has 32 hilarious facts that are all extremely true. Most of them you never think of but they definitely apply to everyone.

Photography of the Decade (2000-2010)

http://totallycoolpix.com/2010/12/best-pictures-of-the-decade-the-noughties/
This website has a over 100 powerful photos of events in the 2000's. Each one has a description and they're all great pictures.

Awesome Photography

Think how high of a speed camera you would need to capture this. If you can afford a camera like this, you can get some pretty cool shots out of it.

Cool Writing Technique

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1857110/how_to_write_shape_relief_alphabet/
This link shows a new way of writing 3D letters by just drawin the shadow. It can be tricky at first but once you're done, it looks awesome.

Memoirs of a Geisha (pgs. 155-288)



Things are starting to look even gloomier for Chiyo. She's still stuck in her same horrible situation. She goes down to a bridge crying when she sees the Chairman. He's nice to her, which is a first for Chiyo. He tells her to pray so that she may become a geisha. Then he gives her a piece of candy. This starts a little school-girl crush on the Chairman.
Later, Granny is electrocuted by a heater and dies. At the funeral, Mameha shows up and recognizes Chiyo and offers to take her back into being to a geisha. The deal she strikes up with the ladies at the okiya is that if Chiyo can repay her fees by the time she's twenty. If they can do that, Mameha will receive twice her fee; but if she can't, she'll only get a fraction of it. So, Mameha starts to teach Chiyo the ways of the geisha. She sleeps with her head elevated on a small "head holder". That's surrounded with salt and rice. So if she falls off the head-holder, it's not very pleasant to wake up. This teaches her to sleep peacefully, and only on her back. After countless lessons like this, Mameha and Chiyo walk down the streets and try to stop a man with one look. This is terribly easy for Chiyo because of her rare blue-gray eyes. She takes a glimpse at a man on a bike, who crashes by just looking at her. This was pretty funny.
They later see Pumpkin has become a geisha and Chiyo is jealous. Next, it's Chiyo's turn. She changes her name to Sayuri and starts by going to tea. However, Hatsumomo is there to embarrass her. Hatsumomo goes wherever Sayuri goes to always try to outdo her with Pumpkin. So, Mameha takes Sayuri to a sumo match and they find the Chairman and his business partner who normally doesn't like geisha. However, he does take a liking to Sayuri. A while later, Sayuri is made the lead in a show with 100's of men waiting to bid on her. She becomes the most famous geisha in all of Kyoto and the most desired.
She goes to the Baron's (the Chairman's business partner) house for a party. The Baron takes her back into his room and strips her down. He doesn't rape her, just looks. But it is equally humiliating and violating to Sayuri. She is later examined and still found to be a virgin. This means she's worth a lot to the bidders. So much that she makes history, 15,000 yen. Mother declares Sayuri as the inheritor of the okiya. This devistates Pumpkin and Hatsumomo. Mother calls Hatsumomo nothing more than a common prostitute, based on how many men she sleeps with. Geisha are moving art, they sell that art but not their bodies. Pumpkin is sad, but Hatsumomo wants revenge.
Sayuri finds out the Baron was actually the highest bidder, even higher than 15,000 yen. But Mameha let it go to Dr. Crab because of how the Baron tried to rape Sayuri. She's very thankful.

These chapters were great. I still love all of her description and Sayuri is finally getting what she's been trying to get. however, she still hasn't gotten the Chairman. Hatsumomo will probably come back to get revenge on Sayuri, which will be interesting.

Memoirs of a Geisha (pgs. 41- 154)

A lot happens in these chapters. First, after only a month Chiyo is sent to geisha school with Pumpkin. On the way there, Pumpkin eats a squid tentacle off the sidewalk. This shows how desperate they are for food and how poorly they're treated. Chiyo is still set on finding her sister. Hatsumomo told her earlier that her sister stopped by but she's dangling her sister's whereabouts above Chiyo. Her agreement is that she'll tell her where she is if Chiyo does Hatsumomo's every bidding.
A while later Hatsumomo and her friend are drunk and they get Chiyo to vandalize a fine kimono of Hatsumomo's rival, Mameha. Chiyo is punished cruelly and beat nearly to death. She's also told that she won't be free until she's paid off all of her debts (school, food, the kimono, etc...) However, Hatsumomo does tell Chiyo where her sister is and Chiyo sneaks out looking for her. They plan their escape, to meet at the train in another week. Chiyo is caught and is punished by no longer going to school to be a geisha and instead being just a maid forever.
She finds out her mother and father are both already dead and Satsu made it back to Yoroido and has run off with Mr. Tanaka's assistant's son.
These chapters, as I said were very important. I like the vivid descriptions given about everything. The way she describes herself getting beat sounds horrible and cruel, but it makes it much more interesting. So far the story's been pretty devastating but maybe it will pick up.

Memoirs of a Geisha (pgs. 1 - 40)

This book is set in Japan, 1930. An eight year old girl with light blue eyes named Chiyo lives in a small fishing town by the ocean. Her father is very old and her mother is dying. Chiyo had to go down to the fish market to get medicine for her mom when she tripped and fell in the rain. She was taken into the fishing harbor and met Mr. Tanaka, the owner of the market. He learned that both of her parents were just about at the end of the rope and Chiyo thought he sought to adopt her and her older sister, Satsu. They go to Mr. Tanaka's house for a night but are inspected by a lady. The next day, that same lady is waiting for the sisters at the train and they are taken to the city of Koyto, far from Mr. Tanaka and their lives as they know it. To make matters worse, when Chiyo gets out of the buggie that's took them from the train, she realizes Satsu is meant to go somewhere else. They are separated. Chiyo is taken to an Okiya. This house has a few servants, one of which is about Chiyo's age, Mother, Auntie, Granny, and a geisha, Hatsumomo. Hatsumomo is beautiful but evil; she strikes Chiyo just for being in her room. Granny is Mother and Auntie's mom. They're job is to help Hatsumomo be a successful geisha. Chiyo learns that if she is obedient, she'll go to school to learn how to be a geisha also.

This is a great book so far. The author uses great comparisons in describing little details that give the book a lot more flavor. I think Chiyo got to go to the Okiya because of her rare (for Japanese people) eye color. Whereas her sister had brown eyes.

Hilarious E-mails

The site 27bslash6.com is a website ran by a graphic designer in Austrailia. When he gets E-mails that he doesn't care about, he'll mess with the person and drag them out. Sometimes people get offensive, but he simply tells them off calmly outsmarting them with grammar. He actually gets out of paying for overdue movies at Blockbuster by doing this. Some of the best threads are "Missing Missy", "Easter Play Permission Slip", "Overdue Account" "The Ducks in the Bathroom are not Mine", "Education should Always come Second to Education", and "Working out with Jeff". These are just some of my favorites but almost all of them had me laughing tears.

*Be warned, a few of these aren't entirely appropriate

Great Collection of Youtube

The website: bestofyoutube.com has a collection of 2500+ videos that have been sent in/ found. The videos are all great. Usually they're something bizarre, cool, amusing, or unbelievable.

Mockingjay (pgs. 255 - 390)

When Peeta is added to their squad he seems less threatening. Boggs is killed by a pod and gives his Holo to Katniss before he dies. In the ambush of that pod, Peeta went crazy for a second and pushed Mitchells into a barbed wire net. They hide in an evacuated house while a wave of poisonous gas goes over them. They're all pronounced dead by the Capitol and continue forward by going underground. While underground, mutts are released to try and kill them. Two in the squad sacrifice themselves to save the others. Finnick is also killed by the mutts. They get above ground and find their way to a safe house. People in the part of the Capitol that haven't evacuated are in panic and are being horded into the City Circle. They split up, Katniss and Gale together, Peeta by himself ready to make a distraction, and the two others together. They are hoping to get inside Snow's mansion and kill him when they get to the City Circle. The rebels have been advancing and are there.
In front of Snow's mansion they see Capitol kids being held in like pigs in a pen. All of the sudden, a Capitol hovercraft appears and drops parachutes down to the kids. They eagerly grab them when half the parachutes blow up. Rebel medics appear to help the kids, Katniss sees Prim. That's when the rest of the parachutes blow up killing Prim and lighting Katniss on fire. She blacks out.
When she wakes up in the hospital, she's taken to a meeting with the other victors and Coin. They are to decide to have one last Hunger Games with Capitol kids. Peeta immediately votes no and so does Beetee. However, Johanna and another victor vote yes and surprisingly Katniss and Haymitch both vote yes also. Later, Katniss is roaming the mansion when when finds Snow's corridors. He tells her to think why he'd waste a hovercraft on killing children rather than fleeing. Katniss always knew Coin didn't like her but she wasn't sure whether or not to believe that she'd go as far as killing Prim.
When Katniss is about to shoot Snow in public she instead shoots Coin. It's total chaos and Katniss is taken away back to her room from before the games. She's kept there for months with no word from anyone. Haymitch eventually comes and tells Katniss that her trial is over and the leader from District 8 was elected the new leader. They're taken back to 12 and Katniss doesn't leave her kitchen for months. Eventually Peeta and her start doing their daily routine. Katniss hunts, Peeta bakes and paints. People start to move back into 12. Gale is barely mentioned. He has a new job in 2. Peeta and Katniss have two kids and are married.

My opinion:
These last few pages were the only ones that I hated in the whole series. The ending seemed rushed and undeveloped unlike the rest of the books. I don't like the fact that Finnick and Prim died when their deaths could've easily been written around. But that was all fine until Gale was no longer mentioned. He just apparently disappears and isn't heard from again. Katniss should've chosen him over Peeta. Peeta always seems so useless, plus he's tried to kill Katniss. Gale has known Katniss longer and was closer with her and then he just doesn't show up in their lives in the epilogue at all. I was so angry that I literally threw the book across the room when I finished.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (pgs. 192-254)

     These chapters begin with Katniss and her team going to District 2. A rebel hideout has already been established there. District 2 and the Capitol are very close, so the Capitol built a fortress inside the mountain that the rebels call the "Nut". Attempts to take it over have been tried and failed. Gale comes up with the idea to bomb the top of the mountain, starting an avalanche to trap them inside. Everyone thought it was a bit too cruel so they leave the train exit of the mountain open. By nightfall no one has come out so Katniss gets suited in her Mockingjay outfit and starts to put on a speech. Just as she starts, a train comes out.
    Katniss is shot and wakes up in the hospital in 13. Finnick and Annie get married. Meanwhile, Peeta's medical crew has been trying to reverse the brainwash. One thing that's worked somewhat was bringing in Peeta's old friend Delly. Eventually, Peeta is able to roam 13 but with guards. He sits at Katniss, Gale, Delly, Finnick, and Annie's table. He ends up talking coldly to Katniss which shows he has made much improvement.
    Later, Katniss and Johanna are told they won't be able to go to the Capitol because they've missed so much training. They pull together and complete their training in three weeks. However, Johanna doesn't pass her final test and isn't able to go on. Katniss is put in a group with Gale, Finnick, Boggs, and a few others. They're told that they are mainly just for camera which upsets everyone in the group. Once in the Capitol, one of the team members is killed and she is soon replaced by Peeta.

Cool Instrument

I found this on youtube and thought it was pretty cool

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (pgs. 152-191)

     In these few chapters, the bombing ends and the people of 13 are able to go back to their living quarters. Meanwhile, Katniss is taken above ground to do more propaganda clips, but she breaks down crying. She finally figured out that they'll keep torturing Peeta as long as she's alive. Eventually, they sedate her because she starts yelling hysterically.
     When she wakes up, Katniss talks to Haymitch who tells her that while she was asleep a rescue team went to the Capitol to get Peeta and the other prisoners. When Peeta is back, Katniss runs to Peeta energetically when Peeta tries to strangle and kill Katniss. This came as a surprise to everyone. Katniss is hospitalized and doctors tell her that the Capitol has brainwashed Peeta into thinking she's evil. Katniss can't stand it, and she doesn't have any hope left.

Claire de Lune

This is my favorite piece of music at the moment. I've been working on it for about three months and think I can finally say that I can play it perfectly. For any fellow pianists, this is song with a variety of simple measures and other very complex ones. It sounds great and can be played very emotionally.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (pgs. 1-151)



        This is the third and final book of the Hunger Games series. It starts out right where the last one, Catching Fire, started. Katniss was saved from her second games in a plot that's been playing out under her nose for years. Peeta unfortunately wasn't able to be saved. Katniss is taken to the thought-to-be-destroyed District 13. Her family and friend Gale have all made it there after the Capitol bombed and destroyed their home, District 12.
        Throughout the first 100 pages, Katniss is trying to be convinced to be the "Mockingjay" which is really just the face of the war against the war against the Capitol. She finally agrees after making a compromise with the District 13 leader, Coin. Katniss wants to hunt again on a daily basis with Gale and make sure that no harm comes to Peeta or the others that were captured by the Capitol. The only reason Coin has a problem with Peeta's immunity is that they have seen interviews with him in the Capitol calling for a cease-fire. Katniss knows that the Capitol is torturing him and is making him say that. However, the rebels look at him as a traitor. Therefore, Katniss asked that Coin would make a public announcement so she wouldn't go back on her word.
         Katniss and Gale are both given specially made bows and arrows made by another tribute that was saved from the games named Beetee. Now that she's decided to be the Mockingjay, Katniss is taken to District 8 after a bombing to make an appearance and help the injured. After she gets out of the makeshift hospital in 8, she's radioed in that there is going to be another bombing shortly. She heads for safety but then climbs on top of a building and takes out some of the hovercrafts. Her camera crew is there to capture propaganda footage and she makes an inspiring speech afterwards.
         When she gets back to District 13, they start making the propaganda commercials and watch another interview with Peeta. He has been tortured much more and has lost a frightening amount of weight. During his speech, Beetee is able to hack into the broadcasting and play some short bits of the propaganda shots. At the end of Peeta's speech he says sadly that Katniss and District 13 will be dead by morning. This is a clear warning of an attack coming to District 13. The next thing they see is the camera knocked over, and blood splattered across its lens as they hear Peeta's shriek of pain.
         District 13 goes into a full lockdown, and soon the bombing starts. Prim, Katniss's little sister, comforts her by saying that the Capitol won't kill Peeta because then they'd have nothing left to hurt her with.
         So far this book has been great, I reserved it three weeks ago at the library and just got it a week ago. The whole series has made it to my top three list and I can't wait to keep reading and see what happens. They're all very exciting and quick-moving books. The chapters always leave you with a cliff-hanger which makes you keep going. I very highly recommend them.