Dear Block 3 Classmates,
 Can you believe our freshman year is almost over? It is crazy because I remember sitting in English class for the first time. This year, our class had high points and low points. We did great 1st and 2nd quarter, but when 3rd quarter came around we kind of slipped a bit. We had a rough time. I think we were all just tired and 3rd quarter is always the roughest of the school year. I would say we had negative attitudes because every time we walked in the room we were reminded of the negative energy. However, throughout out this time we got to know each other a lot better. We worked with pretty much everyone in the class because we had lots of group projects. In 4th quarter, we picked ourselves back up.
  I think we have had a very positive 4th quarter. Everyone  seems to be more positive as we finish out this year. However, sometimes we do have a few issues engaging in side conversations. This is because we all are so ready to get out of school! I have learned a lot this year in English Class and I am definitely going to miss our class! I think overall we have had a fun year. Hopefully some of you will be in my upcoming English classes!
 

Evaluation of Participation 4th Quarter

Fourth Quarter, I feel like I did a good job participating in class. I mostly always came to class prepared. I always had my homework waiting to be checked and I always brought my books needed. I tried to limit my trips to the bathroom and to get water. Actually, I stopped going a ton less then I did in 3rd Quarter. I always checked my email. I made sure to check my email more than once a day. I mostly emailed assignment to you, and I would do so before class just to be fair to those who turned it in by not emailing you. I feel like I had a relatively helpful attitude. I was always engaged in class discussions. Especially during reading Macbeth. I have a bunch of notes that I took during class and I also listened carefully to what you had to say. I asked many questions that were relevant to what we were talking about. I also listened carefully to what my classmates had to say. I did my very best not to engage in side conversations.
 In class, I always stayed focus on what our task was. I always completed assignments with minimum discussion among my neighbors. I also helped the people around me stay on task. I tried to aim among the minimum as far as completing tasks went. I never completed an assignment half way, I made sure I gave my all into a assignment. I feel like I have grown a lot  between the third and the fourth quarter. Our class had some issues third quarter, and I tried to have a positive attitude about fourth quarter. I was definitely more positive in the classroom fourth quarter. I feel like I also participated more in this quarter than in any other quarter this year. I definitely talked more in class discussions. I think I had a really positive and good fourth quarter.

2011-2012 outside reading

  I have probably read more books this year than I have any other years. I have also learned a lot about myself as a reader. I have found many authors whose stories really interest me. For example, I discovered Sarah Dessen's books this year. I also spent lots of time reading the Shiver series. There are three of those books and I read all of them this year. I have also found out that fiction interests me more than nonfiction. I tend to like stories that have plots that are too good to be true. I am not big on sad stories. I also enjoy reading about characters who are my age. I feel like a book is more relatable when the characters are your age. 

  Actually one of the things that surprised me was the fact that it is possible for me to enjoy reading. This year I think I really found books that interest me enough to enjoy reading them. Many of the books I read did not have themes related to the kinds we talked in class. However, I did notice a lot more literary elements than I would have not having had study them. I am very pleased with the outcome of my reading this year. I will continue to read books that interest me. This summer and in the years ahead I plan to keep reading stuff that keeps me interested. I know that I am definitely going to read the second book in the Hunger Games  this summer for my free read. I am really excited about that because I have heard nothing but great things about this series. This week I read a total of 160 minutes and I finished my book. I read a total of about 100 pages.

  

Lady Macbeth

  I want it. I want it so bad it hurts. I want to be famous for once. I want to have the title of queen. I want to be waited on hand and foot by servants who resemble who I am now. I want to sit on top of a thrown and give out orders. I want to have the power of royalty. I want all these things, but I cannot get them myself. I need the help of my husband, and he is not helping. I don't want these things, I need these things and I wish my husband would wake up and understand my wants and needs.
  Sometimes I wish I was just a man. If I were my husband, I would wait no time to kill Duncan. However, he is so hesitant. He is so afraid of the consequences. However, fame and power is definitely worth the consequences we could face. I feel so much more manly than my husband. He is such a little girl. He only thinks about himself and no one else. If he thought about others, he would kill the king for me. More importantly, if he loved me, he would kill the King. If he does not do so soon, I will do it myself. I want to be queen. I need to be queen. And it will happen soon.

This Year's Writing

     Anna Spring

     Dr.deGravelles

     Block 3

     4/28/12  

My Freshman Writing Throughout the Year

     This year has been a year of improvement for my writing. I started out this year with my weakest paper, and I actually ended this year with my best paper. I made improvements in areas of writing including organization, grammar, and word choice. These are the three areas of writing that I think I have improved a tremendous amount throughout the year. I am pleased with my improvements, and I hope to continue to improve my writing through out the next years of high school.

    My first paper was a literary narrative entitled “Love You Forever.” This was a very personal piece of writing for me because I described a childhood book that means a lot to me. Although I am proud of the subject of this paper, it was my weakest piece of writing. I left out many commas in this paper.  I also think there could be improvement in the overall voice of this paper. I left out a great amount of details that could have been added for the better of this essay. However, I think that my sentence structure of the sentences of this paper is really strong. I also got a high grade in that area of the rubric. Overall, my literary narrative had a strong subject, however it was not well developed.

     My second paper was the WRAP essay that we wrote in class.  I got an overall score of a 22.5 out of 36 on this essay. I am not very pleased with this score. However, I got fours on all areas except development, support, and sentence structure. That means that I actually had a four on word choice, which is surprising to me because that is one area that I struggle in most. I also got fours on my organization and mechanics. I think I have good organization skills, and I think this actually is something that is strong in all my papers that I write. I think I did not do so well on this WRAP assignment because we only had two class periods to write the essay. I am the type of person that gets pressured when it is only a short amount of time, so I felt the pressure to finish early. My essay is also really short, so I think that if I would have taken just a little bit more time to stretch it out, I could have gotten a higher score. However, I read this essay numerous times, and I am actually pleased with it.

         The next paper that I wrote after the WRAP was my profile. I wrote my profile about my mom and the way she decorates our house every year. This was a subject actually means a lot to me. Writing this paper was easy because I had so many ideas to put in my paper. I got B’s in all categories except in organization. Once again, this is evidence that I tend to have strong organization skills. While reading this paper, I noticed that I repeated myself multiple times. This is something that I haven’t really improved on through out the year, however I am going to continue to work on not repeating myself.  Like my narrative, I think that I could have added a lot more detail to this paper. Overall, I feel like I improved between my narrative and this profile. My profile was definitely a step better than my narrative.

       My literary analysis is probably my favorite paper that I wrote. It is the one I am most proud of because going into writing it, I had no idea what a literary analysis was. I was surprised that it actually had a strong turn out. I got A’s in most categories, however I got a B on voice. Voice is something that I definitely struggle with, even now. I tend to sometimes have an informal voice, which is something that I am definitely going to continue to work on correcting. I do think that the voice improved between the literary analysis and the paper that I wrote after it.

     The paper I wrote after the literary analysis was my Global Issues Paper. This was the last paper I wrote, and I can confidently say it was my best. I got A’s in all the categories except for source quality and source integration. Those two things were a huge struggle for me while writing the paper, and it does not surprise me that I got a B in those categories. I was very pleased with my A’s in word choice and and voice, because in my papers before this one I got B’s in those categories. I think this is a huge sign that my voice and word choice while writing papers has improved a great amount from the beginning of the year. I am pleased with the outcome of this paper. I think it is the icing on the cake of a good year of writing for me.

      Overall, I am happy with all of my papers from this year. It makes me very happy to look back at my first paper and compare it to my most recent paper. It is amazing to see how much I have improved. I feel like I have improved so much in just one year. I will continue to work on the things that I struggle with in my next years of high, and I look forward to seeing what my writing will be like in a few years. If I have improved this much in one year, I can only imagine how much I will have improved in three years.

   Common Errors List:

1. Not adding enough details. 

2. Usage of informal words. 

3. Issues introduction quotations and citations. 

4. Forgetting to add commas. 

5. Making my paper have a strong voice is something that I struggle with. 

  

Outside Reading

This week, I read a total of 100 minutes reading The Lullaby and 50 minutes reading my science and history books.

Outside Reading

   This week, I have continued to read The Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. I spent a total of 120 minutes reading that, and I spent 30 minutes this week reading and analyzing poems. I am not going to lie, I was very tempted to quit reading The Lullaby at the beginning of the week because it was at a boring point. I also just got the sequel to The Hunger Games, so I really want to read this. However, I continued The Lullaby just to see if the plot picked up a bit. I am glad that I continued reading because a lot started to happen in the part that I read.
 For one, just like I expected, Remy and Dexter break up. However, I do not think this is the end of their relationship forever. I have a feeling they will meet again after Remy goes to college. They broke up because Dexter overheard Remy talking to someone about how she will break up with Dexter after Summer. I think that it really hurt Dexter's feelings because he seemed to think that the relationship would last for a while. Dexter also just got a gig with his band and they will be going to DC, so he will be busy with his own things. I am about one third the way finished with the book so I am sure that not much else will happen. I am really sure that Dexter and Remy will get back together, however I am not sure that it will end with "Happily ever after." There has to be some kind of obstacle or conflict.

"Give Me Love" by Ed Sheeran

  I chose the song "Give Me Love" by Ed Sheeran to analyze. It is not a very popular song, however I really like his music. Here is a link with the song and the lyrics http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XF2AlO8cKbE. While listening, poetic devices stuck out to me automatically. In the first line, it says "Give me love like her." This is a smilie, so he started his song with a poetic device. I am not sure what or who this song is about, however I think he might have been talking about a girl that he really likes. He started out with this line because he sees her as "love." He wants somebody to give him "her", which to him means love. In the third line, it says "Paint splattered teardrops on my shirt." I would describe this as imagery because while hearing this line you automatically see this picture of colorful spots of paint on his shirt. In lines 6 and 8, the end of the sentence ends with "ya." This would be a sign of repetition. In line 11, it says "All I want is the taste that your lips allow." This is personification because lips cannot allow anything. They cannot physically do that themselves, the person with the lips would do that. Also, in line 5 he mentions "And that i'll fight my corner." This is also personification because you cannot fight a corner in a room.
  There were three main devices that were used through out this song. Similies, and signs of imagery and repetition were all used quite often in the song. The end of the song actually ends with him singing "Give me love" ten times. That is a major sign of repetition. Imagery was used to portray a picture of him crying, crying what seems like tears of joy because they are colorful. Personification is used to add depth and meaning to something that means something to him personally. I think that this song uses many poetic devices, and I did not think about this song in that way before studying poetry.

"My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke

  This week, we were required to read a poem from our poetry books and interpret it in a blog. I chose the poem "My Papa's Waltz" by Theodore Roethke. I chose this poem because I really liked the way it sounded after reading it out loud. It is a shorter poem, and I felt that the length gave it depth. It was short yet still interesting. It was also very easy to understand. After reading it once, I understood the purpose. The poem must be about a personal experience, because while reading I could actually picture a little boy dancing with his dad before bed time. However, the experience does not sound pleasant. In the first stanza, line 2 it says "could make a small boy dizzy." One line after that one it says "Such waltzing was not easy." This means that the boy had difficulty dancing and did not seem to enjoy it. Also, these two lines do not have a definite rhyme scheme, however I do notice that the words dizzy and easy sound similar. In the second stanza, the rhyme scheme becomes evident. The last word on line 6 is "shelf", and the last word in line 8 is "itself." Also in line 7 the word countenance appears, but I have no idea of what that word means. It also discusses how the mother is frowning. It seems to me like dancing was not what this father and son were doing. However, I cannot figure out what they were actually doing.
  In the third stanza, the rhyme scheme even becomes more evident. In fact, lines 9 and 11 rhyme while lines 10 and 12 also rhyme. By rhyme, I mean the last word in the line rhymes with the other last word in the other sentence. In the third stanza, a battered knuckle is also mentioned. I do not know what these means, I guess the fathers knuckle was cut or something. Also, in line 12, it says "My right ear scraped a buckle." I think this means that the little boy was getting hurt some how. I picture this little boy with his head up against his dad's belt buckle. However, I am not sure that this is the true meaning. There is lots of imagery in this poem. I so vividly can see this little boy dancing with his dad. In the fourth stanza, the rhyming continues to progress. The first line in this stanza says "You beat time on my head." I am not sure what this means. Maybe the father is tapping his hand on the son's head keeping the beat of the music. Once again, there is a reference to a hand. Line 2 says "With a palm caked hard by dirt." This must mean that the father is hard worker. Finally, the last two lines say "Them waltzed me off to bed, Still clinging to your shirt." After reading the last two lines, I think that the dad must have been singing the child to sleep while dancing with him. Maybe the family is suffering from a hard time or something of that matter. I really enjoyed the sound of this poem and how it almost sounds as if it could be sung like a song. I also love the imagery.

The Lullaby

  This week for outside reading, I have continued to read The Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. I read 150 minutes with a total of 70 pages. In the past blog post, I predicted that Remy and Dexter's relationship would get more serious. It turns out that I was right. They are learning more things about each other. Remy is also noticing flaws such as how messy he is and how he is also tapping his foot or hand. However, there are small things that are keeping them together. She feels like the relationship is turning into something she did not want it to turn into. I think that the relationship will continue to grow, even if she does not want it too. There is something holding them together, but I haven't figured it out yet. Remy is starting to be aware of how the relationship has to end soon because she will be going to college. I do not think the relationship will end when she goes to college. I think that they will continue to stay together, even if it has to be long distance.
  Remy is fascinated with all the fans that Dexter has because he is in a band. I think that this makes her feel good because she has someone who is wanted by others. I also think that there may be a conflict in the relationship soon. Perhaps Dexter cheats on her with one of his fans. I just think the relationship seems too perfect at this point, and something must happen soon. Or, maybe I am completely wrong. There has already been lots of conflicts with her mothers relationships, so Remy has learned from these conflict. I think she is wise enough to not let the same things happen in her relationships. I am about half way done with the book, so I am sure a lot will happen in the second half because the first half was almost uneventful.

Outside Reading

  This week, I have continued to read The Lullaby by Sarah Dessen. I read for the full 120 minutes, and I read a total of 70 pages. I really like this book. It is different from other books I have read. Remy (the main character) works at a beauty salon. In the pages I read, a boy from Dexter's (the boy who really likes Remy) band wants to get a job at the beauty salon. At the salon, she meets this boy whose name is Ringo. After working at the salon, she goes to her mom's fourth wedding. She is not happy to be at this wedding. Her brother is with his girlfriend who Remy does not like at all. Remy's friend, Lisa, has a bit too much to drink at the wedding so she feels herself taking care of Lisa. Also, it just so happens to Dexter is in the band that is playing at the wedding. After the wedding, Remy goes to her brother's girlfriend's house for dinner. Remy brings up childhood memories that the brother is not fond of, and he ends up calling her a name. He calls her bitter and something else. After that, she goes to her friend Chloe's house and has a bit to drink. After leaving her friends house, she goes to a bar. She ends up getting in a fight with someone at the bar, and Dexter comes to pick her up. She wakes up the next morning having no idea where she is, even though she is at Dexter's house.
   I was surprised by what all has happened so far. I knew that her mom would eventually get married. I was also surprised when Dexter said that his mother is on her fifth marriage. I think this was a bonding moment for Remy. Remy all this time is trying to avoid Dexter, however I am not really sure. She has described him as really cute and he really seems to like her, so I don't know why she does not like him. Maybe it is because her mom has had so many relationships that did not last. At the end of the part that I read, Remy ends up kissing Dexter. Like I predicted, I know she would eventually give in. I predict that they stay together for a while. I do not think it will last long though, because Remy seems to be having some issues with family. I look forward to what happens next.
 

Fun Weekend

   This weekend has been very fun. On Friday, me and my friend Victoria went shopping for Sadie's and the Baton Rouge Cotillion dance. We only had a little bit of time because Victoria had to be at school at 7 to be in the play. However, we found an outfit for the Baton Rouge Cotillion. We thought we would not find anything to wear before going to the mall because the them was "Out of This World." We thought that no store would have crazy enough stuff for this, however we were wrong. Forever 21 seemed to have the perfect clothes for this event.
  On Saturday, I went to my cousin's soccer game which was lots of fun! It was just good to be outside because yesterday was such a pretty day! After that, most of my family and I went to eat lunch. After lunch, we drove back home from the game, and Victoria came over to get ready for the dance. The dance was lots of fun! Today, it is time to do homework. I have to work on reading for english, two projects, and vocab. cards. It is so pretty outside, so I wish I could be out there but I have to do homework. Tonight, I am going to a sports banquet and a cheer dinner. This weekend has been really fun, but homework is not fun!

Outside Reading: The Lullaby

  After finishing Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen, I wanted to read another book by Sarah Dessen. I picked up The Lullaby because I thought it might be similar to Someone Like You. I just started this book this week, and so far I really like it. This week I read the full 120 minutes and read 65 pages. I am a slow reader, so I tend to read at this pace. Although the two previous books that I have read are similar because they are written by the same author, they are also pretty different.
  So far, they have introduced the main character and a few of her friends. They have also written a bit about her family. Remy is 18 years old, and has a mom who writes romance novels. Her mom is getting ready to have her fourth marriage. Her mom spends most of her time writing, instead of taking care of Remy and her brother. Remy has just recently graduated high school, and she looks forward to leaving her house. It seems as if she has trouble with relationships because she never seems to keep a boyfriend for very long. She does not like when boys flirt with her. In fact when a boy named Dexter tried to flirt with her, she reluctantly started to call him names. Remy also hangs out with a group of girls who drink and smoke. It seems as if these girls are rebellious. They all like to party, and they act as if they are 10 years older than they actually are. From what I have read, Remy is currently dating a guy named Johnny who is a bad boy. She wants to break up with him. I think that she will leave Johnny and end up dating Dexter. She will also attend college soon, and I think something bad will happen. Usually Sarah Dessen writes novels that have some sort of conflict, and I have yet to find out what this conflict is yet. I look forward to what ends up happening.

Spring Time

   I am so happy around this time of the year because I love spring time! In the last couple of days, the weather has been beautiful! The sun is always out and that makes me happy! I love how colorful everything is. The trees are bright green and the flowers are all starting to bloom. It is not too hot outside, but not cold. It is just right. Yesterday, I spent a lot of time outside playing with my baby cousin, Ellison. We blew bubbles, played in the hose, and drew with chalk on my drive way. It was so nice to be outside playing with one of the cutest kids I have ever seen. It was also great doing all these things that I did as a kid.
 Also, me and my friends went to the St. Patrick's Day parade. It was perfect weather for a parade! I am loving wearing sandals and shorts because I got so tired of wearing jeans and boots. We had lots of fun at the parade! Also, Easter is coming up and that is definitely one of my favorite holidays. I love all the Easter activities and every year my family eats crawfish on Easter day. I am hoping that the weather will be pretty on Easter because it is not Easter when it is raining and dreary outside. Spring is my favorite season. I love everything about it, and not because it is my last name.

Free Reading

  After finishing Nervous Conditions, I finally had time to continue reading Someone Like You.  In fact, i actually finished this book. A lot happened in the chapters that I read. Macon, Halley's boyfriend wants to take their relationship to another level, and Halley is not ready for that. He takes her to a party, and she ends up getting sick. On the car ride home from the party, they end up getting into a car crash. Macon does not get hurt, however Halley hurt her wrist and bruised a few ribs. This even makes Halley really not fond of Macon, and her parents are very mad that she continued to see him after they told her not to. Also, Scarlett is disappointed in Halley for letting that happen. After the accident, Macon visits Halley at her house, and she breaks up with him there. Since being newly single, Halley spends a lot more time with Scarlett, helping her prepare for when the baby arrives.
  A few weeks after the break up, Halley gets asked to prom by her ex boyfriend, Noah. Noah's family is very good friends with Halley's family. She is not very happy to go to prom with Noah. Scarlett, being nine months pregnant, decides to go to prom with her friend, Cameron. I do not understand why she would make this decision. Halley's date, Noah, shows up at her house drunk right before prom and ends up ripping her dress. As if Halley isn't already overwhelmed enough at prom, Scarlett's water breaks at prom. I predicted this right when they described Scarlett being nine months in a prom dress. I knew this would happen. Macon actually ends up giving Scarlett and Halley a ride to the hospital, along with his new girlfriend, Elizabeth. At the hospital, Scarlett does not want Halley to leave her side. She is in lots of pain and wants Halley to be there with her. When the baby finally comes, Scarlett decides to name her baby Grace. Halley thinks about this baby as if it is her own. It is almost like she is the second parent to the baby because of Michael's death. At the end, it is implied that Macon has feelings for Halley again, but we do not find out if they get back together. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. After reading this, it makes me want to find new books written by Sarah Dessen.

My Three Day Weekend

   I have had a really good three day weekend. I think that every weekend should be a three days. A long weekend was just what I needed after the last week of the quarter. The last week of the quarter is always a stressful week because it is the last time to improve grades. It is also a time where teachers tend to give lots of tests and quizzes because they feel like they have to fit them in before the quarter. I am happy that third quarter is over because that only means that we are getting closer to summer! Also, third quarter is always my least favorite quarter of the school year.
 This weekend, I have had lots of fun. On Friday, I went to the mall and I got a really cute pair of Steve Madden wedges. I saw a lot of people at the mall on Friday because it was a rainy day and there is not much else to do in Baton Rouge when it is raining. I had lots of fun just shopping around. Yesterday, my friend Sarah and I spent most of our day getting ready to ask our dates to Sadie's. We made cupcakes and posters, and while doing it we had lots of fun. After that, I went to eat dinner with my cousins. My cousins are really funny and dinner was lots of fun. Today, I get to do homework:( Also, the time changed last night, so it seems like my day is unusually short. I guess all good things have to come to an end, but I do not want my three day weekend to end.

Nervous Conditions

  I just finished reading Nervous Conditions. I am actually surprised that it turned out to be a good book. The beginning was kind of slow, but towards the end everything started to speed up. I actually grew to like the characters in the story. I felt for their situations because with the descriptions given of these characters I felt like I knew them. It was a difficult story to read, because it is full of conflict and sadness with the occasional bit of happiness. I would describe this story as a tragedy in some ways because all of the characters end up in a difficult situation that they have to fight through.
 I feel like the beginning of the story should have given more details about the actual plot because I felt like the end was rushed. I think the author should have spent more time talking about Nyasha's condition at the beginning of the book rather than just focusing it in the very end of the story. I really liked that I got to see what it was like for a African family trying to survive in this time period. I am sure that there were many cases just like this families in this particular time period. I also couldn't help but think about what it is like in Africa today. I am sure that there are still problems with society and women's rights. I also like that the book was mostly focused on the life of females. It was interesting to learn about this culture, and I wish that I could learn more about what happened after she stopped writing the story. For example, I want to know if Nyasha ended up living. I also want to know if Tambu is successful in her life. These are things that were left out of the story, and I wish they would have been included. Overall, I think this story was Ok.

My Weekend

  So far, I have had a great weekend full of rest and fun. Yesterday I went to eat lunch at Cheeburger Cheeburger which was very good because I had a peanut butter burger. Before I actually tried a peanut butter burger, I thought it would be disgusting but it is really good. After we ate, we went to see This Means War. The movie was really funny and was actually a lot better than I expected it to be. Reese Witherspoon is one of my favorite actresses, and she was really funny in this movie.
  Today, I slept really late because I was really tired from last week which seemed like a really long week. I got up and watched tv for a while, and now I am about to go play tennis with my dad. I really like playing tennis, and today seems like the perfect day to do so. I haven't played tennis in a while because I have been busy cheering for basketball, but now that basketball is over, I look forward to playing tennis a lot again. I hope that the weather will stay warm because I love spring weather. After tennis, I get to do all the homework for this weekend which I am not looking forward to doing.

Free Reading and Nervous Conditions

In the last few weeks, I did not have much time to free read because I spent my time working hard on my research paper. Along with reading Nervous Conditions, I have continued to read Someone Like You. I am about half way into this book and I have really liked it. It has been a long time since writing a post about this book, so the last time I responded to this book was when I was first starting to read it. A lot has happened in the story since the beginning. Scarlett is now pregnant with Michael's baby. As I said in my last response, Michael died in a motorcycle crash at the beginning of the book. Halley has grown to like Macon, and their relationship is starting to get pretty serious. It is hard for Scarlett to watch Halley fall in love because she still remembers how much she loved Michael. Also, Halley is not around Scarlett as much as she used to be because she spends a lot of her time with Macon. There is also a lot of conflict between Halley and her parents because her parents do not like Macon. They actually end up prohibiting her from seeing him, but this does not work. They continue to see each other. The whole school knows about Scarlett's pregnancy and she is trying to avoid the nasty things people are saying about her.
 I predict that Scarlett will have her baby soon and this might make her friendship with Halley a bit different. This will also change Scarlett's life. I also think that Halley will grow apart from Scarlett because she will be wrapped up in her relationship with Macon. Macon and Halley will continue to see each other no matter how much Halley's parents try to keep them apart. They seem to truly love each other. Although, Macon does seem to be strange. He also keeps a lot of secrets to himself. I think this may actually eventually bother Halley, and that could get in the way of their relationship. I also think Scarlett will eventually start to date again, if she can ever get over Michael. I look forward to seeing if my predictions actually happen.

Florida

 Last weekend, me and my cousin Mallory took a trip to Florida. We left Friday afternoon, and came back Monday morning. It was a very short trip, but any trip to Florida is worth it because I love it there. Saturday I was very happy because we decided to go to a waterpark in the community that Mallory's house is in. I was so happy because it was sunny and warm enough for me to lay out by the pool. I am very much ready for Summer, so it was nice to atleast have one day in the winter that felt like Summer. I love how it is always sunny in Florida. No matter what the time of year, it is mostly always sunny.
 On Sunday, we went to one of my favorite restaurants in Orlando, then we went to Downtown Disney. After shopping at Downtown Disney, we went to shop at a mall in Florida. The malls in Florida are way better than the malls we have in Louisiana. They have so many more stores, including a Tory Burch store which is one of my favorite places. They also have a huge Polo store which I love to shop at while I am there. As soon as school lets out for the Summer, I am taking a longer trip to Florida. I look forward to going back! I am hoping that the end of the school year will go by fast!

Nervous Conditions and Research Paper

  This week, I have spent lots of time reading Nervous Conditions  and revising my research paper. So far in Nervous Conditions, I  have learned a lot about Tambu's character as well as her family. I have also learned tons about this culture, some of which I do not yet understand. For example, there are a lot of confusing words that I have never heard. However, I can make assumptions as to what the words mean by reading the word in context. So far I have read the first 3 chapters and I plan on reading the 4th chapter tonight. The 3rd chapter has been the most eventful by far. Nhamo, Tambu's brother who she is not very fond of, dies in this chapter. Hopefully from now on the book will proceed in chronological order because the first three chapters were definitely all over the place.
  It has been difficult reading a chapter a night, and also finding time to revise my paper. I have spent more time reading than I have revising my paper. I have probably read for a total of 3 hours this week, and I have revised my paper for about an hour total. I was surprised to find that I feel like I do not need to make any big changes to my rough draft. I have mostly just been fixing grammatical errors and fixing my citations. Hopefully on Monday, I will get some details of what to fix in my paper.
 

The Vow

 This weekend, my friend Victoria and I went to see The Vow. We were both very excited to see this movie because we love all of Nicholas Sparks's movies and books. I have to say that this is probably one of his best stories! It was very sweet and I love that it was actually based on a true story. Although it was sad, it was cute to see the guy,Leo, try to make the girl fall in love with him all over again.
 The movie has Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum in it, and those two people happen to be two of my favorite actors. I love Rachel McAdam's character in The Notebook, and I love Channing Tatum's character in Dear John. I loved Channing Tatum's character in The Vow, however I cannot say the same for Rachel McAdam's character. I know for sure if I got into a car crash and didn't remember anything, I for sure would not question it if  Channing Tatum said he was my husband. Throughout the movie, she seems to reject the fact that she is in love with him. I still love this  story though! I would recommend this to anyone who loves all the other Nicholas Sparks's movies!
 

Pinterest

    Pinterest is a website I have come to be obsessed with. It is so much fun. On Pinterest, there are "boards" that you "pin" things that you like. Some of my boards include food, quotes, my style, people, and beauty. Those are just a few of my boards that I pin things on. I get so many new ideas from Pinterest. I learn new recipes to make. I also see many quotes that inspire me on Pinterest. I also see tons of pictures of people that inspire me.
  Pinterest in my opinion is one of the best websites on the internet. I spend more time on Pinterest than I do on Facebook now. Whoever invented Pinterest is a genius. So many people use this website. I am obsessed with it. I love to pin new things and I also like repin things from the people I follow. To some people, Pinterest is pointless but to me it is a lot of fun.

Global Issue Paper Writing

  This weekend, I wrote my global issue paper. My topic is famine in the Horn of Africa and what the United States can continue to do to help this issue. I have changed my topic a number of times, so this weekend I had to not only write my paper, but I had to research. This took all of my day on Saturday. Sunday, I focused on actually writing my paper. It took me a while to get my things together. I wrote an outline, then I put a more detailed of that outline in my paper.
  Writing my paper took me a long time, because I had trouble with  organization. I had trouble organizing all of my thoughts. My topic is also broad, so I had to concise a lot of my ideas. Hopefully I will perfect my paper next week. I look forward to getting pier opinions on my paper.

One Direction

   Me and my friends have recently become obsessed with a band called One Direction. One Direction is a boy band from England. They were discovered on the X Factor. The band consists of 5 boys. Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles, Zayne Malik, Naill Horan, and Liam Payne are their names. They sing catchy pop songs. My favorite one in the group is Louis Tomlinson. My favorite song of their's is What Makes You Beautiful. It is a song that would make any teen girl happy.
  My friends and I are hoping that One Direction will tour somewhere around our area. They are currently in the United States. If they come to Dallas, we are going to definitely try to get our parents to take us! It is funny how something can become popular so fast! A few weeks ago, I had no idea what One Direction was. Thanks to Mary Michael Quinn, I am now hooked!

Global Issues Process

 This week, I have been working on my draft of my global issues paper. Originally, I was going to write my paper on malnutrition in Africa, but I realized that this was way too broad of a topic. I decided to narrow my topic. My new topic is hunger in Ethiopia due to the famine that broke out last summer. It is hard because while doing research for history, I found articles on my old topic. Right now, I am having to research more on my new topic.
  I have lots of research, and I already have a outline. I am just hoping that I will be able to easily write a draft. I did get a lot done in the writing lab last week. I am hoping that I have enough research on my new topic to develop a draft.

Ready For Summer

  It is only January, and I am already ready for Summer. Right now, the weather is making it feel as if it is Summer. Just now, I posted about 5 swimsuits on Pinterest. I am ready for spending days by the pool. I am also really wanting to go to the beach! I am tired of having this super pale skin! Usually, I am one to favor Winter over Summer, however it is supposed to be Winter and it doesn't even feel like it! I love the cold weather, but there just wasn't enough of it this year.
 I am also ready to get out my sandals and shorts! I do not like wearing jeans anymore. I am also ready for a long break from school. It is only the 1st quarter in the second semester and I am already in much need of a break. The closest thing to Summer is Spring Break, and that will be here before I know it! I look forward to Spring Break, and I am hoping that Summer comes fast!

Someone Like You

   After some recommendations from the outside reading luncheon, I decided to get the book Some Like You by Sarah Dessen. This week I have been reading that book, along with the Norton Field Guide assignments. I just started reading Someone Like You and so far I love it. It is a book about a girl, named Scarlett who fell in love with a boy named Michael. A few weeks into their relationship, Michael gets killed in a motorcycle accident. This book is a typical teen romance, but also may not end with the happy ending that most teen books do.
   I just finished reading the part when Scarlett and her friend go to Michael's funeral. It is painful for Scarlett to realize that Michael is officially dead. At the funeral, Scarlett's friend, Halley meets a friend of Michael's named Macon. I predict that predict that Halley will end up having a crush on Macon. I think that this relationship may have an effect on Halley and Scarlett's friendship. It is also a time when Scarlett needs her best friend the most. I look forward to continuing reading this book.

Pretty Little Liars

   Pretty Little Liars is definitely one of my favorite tv shows. It comes on every Monday night, and I have been spoiled the last few weeks because we have had the last 3 Mondays off. I have been watching Pretty Little Liars since the show started. Ever since, I have been obsessed. This series is based on the books, in which I started reading but never finished the books. The show has LOTS of drama. The four teenaged girls are faced with problems they are way too young to deal with.
  For example, the girls have come close to loosing their lives. Their best friend, Aly, was killed by someone. They do not have enough evidence to know who that someone is, however the girls get strange texts and threatens by somebody called "A." In this season of Pretty Little Liars, the audience is supposed to find out who "A" is. I am hoping this will be revealed soon because I have been wondering who it was since the show started which was a year ago!

First Quarter of the Second Semester Starts

  After Christmas break, I was expecting school to start back up at a slow pace. I was so wrong! The day I got back from Christmas break, we were already learning new things! I am still right now trying to get used to working without getting distracted. It is hard to complete a lot of work when for two weeks I did not even think of the word school. However, I am slowly getting used to the work. I have noticed that I have lots more homework than I had last semester. Hopefully, I will get back into the school mode soon!