Organized Chaos

More Babe In Boyland

2012-02-16T11:20:00.000-06:00

This week I read the rest of Babe In Boyland. I really liked this book. The book was so good because it was exciting and fun and awkward at times. It's the type of idea that you wish you could have the courage to do but it's just as much fun to read it. As I said before, it's a lot like the movie, "She's The Man" but it is obviously more detailed because it's a book. Still, it's a fun book and I would definitely recommend it to friends. It's definitely a chick book though. I suppose that guys could read it too, but I don't think it would be nearly as funny to them.

This American Life

2012-02-15T16:49:00.000-06:00

My favorite podcast on This American Life is "Middle School". It goes through some of the things that some kids go through during their middle school years. Many of the things, I am able to relate to, but there are also some that I have no relation to. As middle schooler Annie said, "You always wonder whether other people are going through the same things as you." I listened through a few of the segments of Middle School, such as the "Stutter Steps" and "Grande with Sugar". They are all funny and interesting at the same time. It brings me back to the days of middle school when everybody was extremely awkward and we were all trying to figure things out and grow up. I pretty sure I can say that I do not miss those days.

reading log

2012-02-09T17:26:00.000-06:00

This week I read 42 pages of the rest of When You Reach Me. And about 100 pages of Babe in Boyland by Jody Gehrman. When You Reach Me was a really cute and interesting book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is up for a little suspension and fun. Babe in Boyland is a really good book so far. It's about this girl who has to write a paper for school and she goes undercover for a week as a boy in an all boys boarding school. It's a lot like the movie "She's The Man" which is probably why I like this book so much. It's really funny and awkward and it's just a really good book.

Stumble

2012-02-09T10:17:00.000-06:00

I would say that an average teenager spends way too much time on the computer and especially on social networking sites. However, I totally understand why Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and now Stumbleupon are unbelievably addicting sites. The access that these sites gives us to everyone and everything in the world, makes us feel powerful.

My personal favorite is Stumbleupon, a site that finds random but interesting websites based on your interests. (Stumbleupon is also helpful for finding interesting sites to blog about for Etymology!) It's one of those sites that make you feel as though you have the whole world at your fingertips. You just have to think about the types of things you feel passionate about and you stumble through website after website of unbelievably amusing sites. It's almost overwhelming to stumble your way through; like a kid who walks into a candy store and is told he can have as much as he wants.
Stumbleupon offers an amazing opportunity of exploring the world through websites. It suggests to you mind-blowing and stupefying sites that can keep you interested for hours. These are reasons why I personally love this site. I like that it points me to new and interesting places that I wouldn't have found otherwise. It also, in a way, slowly makes you more open minded by trying new sites.

New Short List

2012-02-06T16:17:00.000-06:00

Things to do in Fort Wayne- I've never been a huge fan of living in Fort Wayne (or Indiana for that matter). In fact, I think is one the most boring places I can think of living in. With that said, I am going to attempt to make Fort Fun sound somewhat interesting and I might even make you want to go to some of these tourist attractions (if you can even call it that)!

Stumble Upon- I'm not going to lie: this website is addicting. You tell Stumble Upon your interests and the website finds all these other websites that have all your interests on them that you probably wouldn't find just using google. It might not sound much fun, but it really is an awesome website.

Enjoy The Little Things- Yes, I did in fact take this idea from my favorite movie, Zombieland. Maybe it is too much like my last submission about Bucket Lists, but I enjoy thinking positively and this is just one of those websites that makes me feel good and makes me excited to live another day of my amazing life.

Top Submissions

2012-02-03T10:07:00.000-06:00

I found 2 Spartan Reader submissions that interested me the most. I think I liked them so much because they did a great job with the analysis and they included pictures that made the submission seem even more interesting. Here are the blogs:
Blog: Book about a book
period: 4

Blog: Realism is Real
period: 4

When You Reach Me

2012-02-02T10:16:00.000-06:00

So, I gave up on Matched for now. It wasn't nearly as good as I was expecting it to be, so I was pretty dissapointed with it. Instead, I read 154 pages of When You Reach Me by Rebeccas Stead. This book was sitting in Mr. Hill's room and my friend had told me that it was a pretty good book, so I tried it for myself. Its about this 6th grade girl who lives in Manhattan and things start to unravel when her best friend gets punched on the way home from school. Little things start to happen, and she starts recieving notes from an ananymous person who knows more about her then they should. The notes tell her that if she does what they say, she can save her best friend. So the book is basically her life while she is getting these notes, and she is trying to figure out what she should do. The book has a little bit of suspense but in a playful way, and I am really enjoying it. I like that it is interesting and suspenesful, but it isn't too much. I will definitely recommend this book to my friends.

"Live Every Day As If It Were Your Last"

2012-02-02T10:02:00.001-06:00

Have you ever seen somebody do something extravagant and promised yourself that one day, you would do the same? However, deep down, you know you probably won’t end up doing it. Ask yourself, “Why not?” or “Why wait?”. As everyone knows, life is too short, so why wait to do the things you want to do the most? On personalexcellence.co in the article "101 Things To Consider For Your Bucket List", you can look through what others find to be the biggest excitements in life. There is everything from flying at kite to falling in love.
This articles emphasis on travel, the little things, and personal excellence (hence the name of the website) suggests that trying a few of these goals will bring you happiness. Visit a castle, climb a mountain, or go on a cruise, are just a few examples of goals the article suggests for the people who desire to travel. As for " the little things", fly a kite, knit a scarf, go on a picnic, make friends with a stranger, or learn a strategy game. These are all things you could do on a daily basis and would require minimal effort, but you might find that they are just as much fun as the extremes on the list. To boost yourself personally, they suggest that you make a difference in someones life, conquer your biggest fear, help someone in need, volunteer at a hospice, or even fall in love. These examples, infer that helping others will make you feel better personally as well.

Life is too short to put off the things that interest you the most in life. If you procrastinate your whole life, then you will never have the chance to do all these extraordinary things. Think about what you want to do before you die, and make your own list. However, instead waiting years to do these things, go out and do them now.

Top 3 Short Lists

2012-01-31T10:04:00.000-06:00

Psychopath article-
"I’m no psychopath, but I find this radio interview about psychopaths on This American Life very interesting. This radio station discusses psychopaths and how a certain test is used to determine if someone is a psycho path or not"
This blog seems funny and I would definitely read that article.
http://theresnothingworsethanburntcookies.blogspot.com/

This person is from period 2 but I couldn't help but put their blog on here.-
This is about a guy who post 1 awesome thing every day since June 2008. That would be an awesome article!
http://1000awesomethings.com

The Pandora vs.Spotify article. I really like music so I think it would be interesting to see what this author would write is better.

http://wwwdancersmindblogspotcom.blogspot.com/

Matched

2012-01-25T18:10:00.000-06:00

I read 152 pages of Matched by Allie Condie this week, instead of the Spellmen Files because I wanted a different type of book. Matched takes place in a world where your life is basically planned out by the government, including who you marry. It revolves around a girl named Cassia who goes to her meeting to find out who she is going to marry and they tell her that it's her best friend Xander, but then sees another person on the screen before him. Now, she is confused about who she is supposed to be with and who she loves. Everyone told me that this book was the next Hunger Games, so I tried to read it, but so far I'm not enjoying it that much. I found it to be kind of plain and boring, so I may stop and go to another book. I'm getting kind of sick of the fantasy books, so I might try something a little more realistic and fun.

My Short List

2012-01-25T18:02:00.000-06:00

Bucket Lists- One topic that I have been interested in my whole life, is bucket lists. Everyone has things that they want to do before they die, but for whatever reason, these things are put off for later. People say all that time that life is too short, so why wait to do the things you want to do the most? I like to know what other people want to do before they die, because it gets me thinking about what I want to do and motivates me in life.

Pictures of the World- My favorite thing to do in the whole world is travel. Every time you go somewhere new, whether it's out of the country or not, you learn something new. You get to experience the way other people live, and look at the landscapes that other people wake up to every day. It makes you realize that the way you live, the way you're used to living, isn't necessarily the right way to live, and it certainly isn't the only way. Landscapes of the world remind me of these vacations that I have taken and learned from, so thats why I love to look at these kinds of pictures.

Music- Music inspires me and I think it inspires a lot of people too. There is a song for every mood you are feeling and that is why I find such a beauty in music. Someone, somewhere, has the similar problems you have and there is a song for these things to help you get through it. So even if you are alone physically, you never really need to be only mentally and emotionally. I want to write about music because it is a big part of my life.

Reading Log- Week of 1/16/12

2012-01-18T14:35:00.000-06:00

I read a lot this week. On Monday I read about 150 pages of the end of my first book, The Declaration. It was really good. It is the first book of 3 in the series, but I want to wait to read the other two so that the story lasts longer. Plus, it had a great ending and I don't want the other books to ruin the fantastic ending of the 1st book. Then, right after I finished that book, I started on a completely different book called Shipwrecked Summer by Carly Syms, and finished it. Since I read it on my kindle, I had to look up how many pages were in it, but the sources that I looked at didn't tell me the same number, so I read somewhere between 113 and 142 pages of that book. People say, " Don't judge a book by its cover," but in this case, I did. Literally. The cover is of the ocean and of the beach, and since its cold and gross outside here, I automatically decided that I was going to read and like this book. And I did. It was about this girl who wants to have the best summer ever, the summer before her freshman year of college. Everything seems to go wrong, and the book just tells her comical story. It was a quick read, but it was fun and worth it. I’m not sure what my next book will be, but the librarians suggested The Spellmen Files, so I will probably check those out.

Dead Poets Society

2012-01-18T14:16:00.000-06:00

In the opening scene of Dead Poets Society, the uptight and formal atmosphere and architecture of Wetlon Academy, reveals the students and professors expectations of each other to be as perfect as possible. The murals on the walls and the architecture of the building make it seem as though the Academy was proper enough to be in Europe although it is the US. As the students enter the main hall to join in celebration of the start of the year, a Scottish bagpipe is playing which also implies that they strive to be just like Europe. The burning candle is also a sign of " the light of knowledge" and what is expected of each of the boys from the academy. When they enter the main hall, the Principal or Head Professor (Dr. Nolan) is elevated in the front of the hall with a smirk on his face and the lighting is shown perfectly on him implying that he has power and and far too much pride. The boys proper posture such as how they keep there chins up, show that they want to show pride and prove to everyone that they are good enough to go the Welton Academy. They show what Wetlon Academy trains young men to show; Discipline, excellence, honor, and tradition.

Close Reading-

2012-01-12T17:07:00.000-06:00

Setting- Looks like it is in an old barn or garage, In America
Expression- both smiling, look like typical Americans, look content
Attire- they look like they are wearing comfortable clothes, wearing clothes that suggest that its warm outside
Props- playing on a ping pong table, dog is jumping on table, american flag
Atmosphere-playful, layed back, Positive

In the picture of Dan Martensen and Shannan Click at home with their dog, their positive expressions, simple attire, positive atmosphere, and interesting props express a playful and simple lifestyle. The garage that the picture could have been taken in, and the props in the room such as the ping pong table, the dog, and the American flag, suggest that they are typical Americans. Their expressions look content, and they look enthusiastic and amiable which implies that they are layed back and are in a positive and playful mood. Overall, they look cheerful and informal which creates a relaxed and optimistic atmosphere that is also welcoming to others.

The Declaration

2012-01-11T14:40:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading 182 pages of The Declaration by Gemma Malley. It takes place in 2140 and in that time people never die because someone found a cure for death. Because nobody ever dies, the population got to big so nobody is allowed to children anymore. However, some people break those rules and have children anyway. If they are got, then there kids are brought to a Surplus House ( the children are called surpluses) and they basically train these Surpluses to become servents or slaves. The book circles around a girl named Anna who thinks that she has no right to live, yet she tries her hardest to be the best Surplus ever. One day a surplus who is in his late teens is caught and he makes her question if they way she is living is right, and if people really have the right to treat her so awful. I really enjoy the book so far. The way they treat the surpluses is awful because they make them feel like it's their fault that they were born and that they don't deserve to live. But it's really interesting because it makes me wonder what life may be like in the future. Our population is already pretty big, so I wonder if it will ever get big enough that having children will be illegal. I hate the way that society treats the surpluses but it also draws me in because I know that they are going to eventually stick up for themselves. This is also a series, so I am so excited to finish the first book and read the next 2. " My name is Anna and I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't exist." I feel like this line is so powerful because people actually convinced these kids to think that they are worthless and its all there fault. It makes me wonder if people are mostly cruel or not. I would definitely recommend this book to people because I feel like this could be the next big series after Twilight and The Hunger Games.

Literacy Narrative

2012-01-09T09:52:00.000-06:00

My earliest memory of reading is The Cat and The Hat. Dr. Seuss was my favorite author when I was little but I think it was because of the pictures in the book rather than the book itself. Then, as I got older, I really enjoyed reading Junie B. Jones and Imogine's Antlers. As I hit late Elementary school I really started to enjoy The Boxcar Children books. I convinced myself that someday I would be that adventurous but I have yet to do so. Although I read a few books in elementary school, I preferred to watch TV like most kids. Reading used to be like a punishment for me. The next type of books that I could remember reading was Twilight in 8^th grade, and everything between the Boxcar children and Twilight is all a blur. I didn't start reading for fun until mid-middle School and I personally blame school because they would make us read extremely boring and what seemed like pointless books. And used to think that whenever I read books I would always have to fill out an awful outline and do a million worksheets. In middle school we were forced to read Iron and Silk, and I would say that this is the worst book I have ever read. Now I read for fun because it gives you a break from the real world and it's just fun to read. I wouldn't say that I prefer to read certain types of books. I try to be open-minded so I try a little bit of everything. My dad made me read a memoir a few years ago called The Glass Castle. I thought that it would be really boring but it turns out that it was really cool, so ever since then I try to keep an opened mind. My Mom and Dad used to be really big readers, so they probably influenced me the most to read.