Self-Evaluation for English I

General Procedures: In this particular area of English class, I think that I have done quite well in. I come to class everyday with my book, notebook, laptop, and pencil or pen. I very rarely use the restroom in the middle of class, and when I do ask, its because I realllyyy have to go! I usually email Dr. D my assignments that are due that day, but sometimes they are late because I forget or my email doesnt work.

Lecture, announcements, whole class discussion: Alright, so this section is kinda rough for me. I get distracted easily so I start talking about something else with my neighbor. Dr. D usually tries to put me by someone who I wouldn't talk to, but I usually end up saying something. Other than that, I feel like I take good notes and participate in a reasonable amount of whole class discussions.

Individual and Group Work: I try to stay on task individually and while working in a group. Most of the time, I prefer working with one person, or myself. It just seems like the experience that I have had in the past couple of months makes me feel like I cant depend on other group members anymore. But when I am in a group, I try hard to get a long with them and try to make everything fair between us.

Growth: I know for a fact that I have grown this year. I have learned more and more about my classmates and how they work, and focused on more important things in this class. I think that I have become quieter in class and stopped talking out of turn and hope that I can stay like that because it helped me pay attention in class.

Outside Reading This Year

This year, I have learned that I am a very picky reader. It's almost impossible for me to read a whole entire book unless its really good and I cant put it down. I think I read two full books this year without quitting. This surprises me because when I was little, my parents wouldn't let me quit books. 
I usually look at themes in my books that I read, and sometimes look for wordly wise words in the book too. The book I am currently reading is The Lucky One, by Nicholas Sparks. I think the next one on my list of books to read is going to be We Bought A Zoo. I am not sure who it is by Though there was a lot to learn, it is helpful and will be for the future years. , but I saw the movie and I LOVED it! 
I am so upset to see that the year has flown by so fast, but it just means that we only have three more years of high school left. I think that I have been prepared this year more than any other year in my years of English class.

Lady Macbeth's Perspective

I just want to be queen. Thinking about the fame. The riches. It's something that every girl wants, right? Just imagining myself sitting in that throne is a rush of joy. Is my husband lying to me? Has he gone crazy? Or is it true, that three witches told him this? I am so ready to kill this man, Duncan. He is the king as of right now, but not for long.

I dont even think my husband can handle this. He is a wimp and can't handle killing just a few men! I guess he is scared that he will get caught. But the thrill of being queen is just the thing that turns that part of my brain on to kill the king. I need to get it into his head that it is time to be a man, and fight for what we want. Risks are the most effective in this process. I just can't wait to be queen.

Common Errors Checklist!

1. Direct Quotations:

Periods and commas must go inside of the quotation marks or go after the parenthesis. 

Ex.) "The pencil broke!" (33).

2. Comma Splices: 

The use of a comma to join two independent clauses instead of a conjunction, semicolon, or period

Ex.) It rained all night, in the morning the roads were flooded--> It rained all night. In the morning the roads were flooded.

3. Sentence Fragments:

An incomplete sentence; a phrase or clause that is punctuated and capitalized as a sentence but does not constitute a complete grammatical sentence

Ex.) At the conclusion of the summer program, in which all the summer bands competed in from of professional artists and musical judges to determine the reigning top band

4. Pronoun/Antecedent Agreement:

A singular antecedent requires a singular pronoun. A plural antecedent must be referred to by a 

Ex.) I think about the scenarios the artist was writing about in their songs. 

5. Run-ons:

An ungrammatical sentence in which two or more independent clauses are conjoined without a conjuction

Ex.) I knew whatever mistakes I made, the music and my band would have my back. 

6. Misspelled Words:

-negatively 

-adultery

-disbelief

English Reflection!

Throughout the past year, I have pushed and prodded myself to face more challenges. I have used new styles and techniques that I previously could not have imagined myself using.  While attempting to improve all aspects of my writing, there were times that progression declined and my grades fell due to distractions. Having a busy schedule accounted primarily for my digressions from schoolwork.  I often consider writing to be one of my greatest accomplishments. Looking back through my papers and essays from this year, there are many issues I now see that I would change. This year, I have learned a variety of techniques of writing that will help me in the future. I have grown as a writer and as a student and feel that my writing may still be improved in many ways.

The first assignment this year was the literacy narrative. Initially, I found the assignment confusing because I did not understand what was being asked of me. I had not understood that the purpose of a literacy narrative is to tell the story of how a composition has been created. Ultimately, I wrote the paper twice. The first time, I wrote it incorrectly; it did not fit the defined criteria for a literacy narrative. The first draft was about my journey to music camp, whereas it should have been about my song writing process. The second attempt of the literacy narrative was an improvement. Although my final grade slightly disappointed me, it encouraged me to try harder on the next assignment.

A ‘profile’ essay about a closely related person or place was the next paper assigned. I chose to write about my father. Although I found this paper to be much easier than the literacy narrative, I had trouble in one category. My lack of organizational skills resulted in my grade dropping by three points. I had stated my ideas sporadically, as their placement made little sense. Aside from organization, every I did well in every other category. My final grade ended up being eight percent higher than that of the literacy narrative. I had progressed as a writer, but still needed much improvement.

After my improvement on the profile, it disheartened me to discover that my final grade for the following assignment, a literary analysis, was two percent lower than my previous grade. I faced a few problems while writing this essay on account of my inability to find a short story in time. Once I realized that “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” would work perfectly, I began the writing process. While reading back over the literary analysis, I realized that my writing skills had decreased over time. The beginning of the paper was organized, my voice was sophisticated, and my ideas made sense. However, towards the end of the paper, the writing was sloppier. I was not proud of the final grade, which again motivated me to do better on the next assignment.

The hardest paper assigned this year was the global issues project.  I remember sitting in my World History class, listening to my teacher explain to the class what we would be working on for the next few weeks. She said that each of us would focus on one current global issue. I wrote about water pollution in India. I chose this mainly because my great uncle is a political leader in a small town in India, and he is trying to bring clean water to the town. After two days of research, I found myself at a dead end. I could not find enough research to fill six pages of material, so I changed my topic.  My final topic was about the rights of women in Afghanistan. I researched for nearly a week before the assignment was transferred to Dr. deGravelles’ English class. I focused on punctuality throughout the writing process by finishing every step as it was due and by keeping myself organized.  In the end, I felt as though I had done my best and made a grade I could be proud of.

It feels weird looking back on all my papers from the past year. My grades climbed from bitterly disappointing to gratifyingly high. I am proud of myself for coming this far my freshman year. Challenging myself on every assignment filled me with satisfaction.

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

Monday: 30 minutes
Tuesday: 30 minutes
Wednesday: 20 minutes
Thursday: 20 minutes
Friday: 40 minutes
Saturday: 20 minutes
Sunday: 20 minutes

TOTAL: 180 minutes

Turning Tables by Adele

Everyone knows Adele. They know the songs, "Rolling in the Deep", "Someone Like You", and "Set Fire to the Rain." One song that is rather out in the public is called "Turning Tables." This is one of my favorite songs. She is trying to explain that she is tired of fighting because she is losing. It is about someone changing their mind over and over again and her trying to stay away from it. The main lyric in the chorus says, "It's time to say goodbye, to turning tables." 

This song gives many examples of metaphors and consonance. One example of a metaphor is when she sings "under your thumb, I can't breathe." This is a metaphor because someone can't really be under someone else's thumb. She is trying to tell us that something so small can make her stop breathing. An example of consonance is in the chorus. She sings "iT's Time To say goodbye To Turning Tables." There is a repetition of the consonant "T". 

Obvious changes are in chorus to verse and verse to bridge, but there are a few other changes as well. In most songs, there is a contradiction in a lot of songs, but it this one, there isn't one. I didn't really see many changes in this song, I just saw many things being referred to. For instance, she refers to storms and thunder throughout the song. 

Crucial moments in this song include the bridge. The lyrics state "Next time I'll be braver, I'll be my own savior, When the thunder calls for me, Next time I'll be braver, I'll be my own savior, Standing on my own two feet." In these couple of lines, she is saying that she is going to be exactly the opposite of how she was before. 

Adele uses rhyme and rhythm to express her feelings. Every line in the verse has a rhyming pattern (AAAA). This means that the last word of every line rhymes. The choruses have repeating techniques as well. The last word of each line is the word "me," then the last two words on the last to lines are "turning tables" (hence the name of the song.) 


http://www.directlyrics.com/adele-turning-tables-lyrics.html

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Over the break, I read the sequel to The Hunger Games. I almost done with this book, and I will probably read the next one in a week or so. As of right now, Finnick (a victor from District 4), Peeta, and Katniss meet with Johanna Mason, Betee, and Wiress. So far, this book is pretty good. This novel is not as appealing as the first one. Dont get me wrong! I love it! But i just think that the first one is much better. I would most likely recommend this book to anyone as long as you read the first one. After the first one, I was really enthusiastic about reading it.

I also read five poems that were assigned to us over the break. These poems were very interesting. For instance, the one called "We Real Cool" is kinda confusing. It doesn't make any sense, but I guess that doesn't matter since it makes sense to the author of the poem. As long as we make our own interpretation of it, I think the author has done his/her job right!

Outside Reading: The Joy Luck Club

I am currently reading the Joy Luck Club. This is sorta a hard read so far. If you have never heard of this book, it is about a group of four Chinese women that moved to San Francisco. These women all are in the same position and soon become known to themselves as the Joy Luck Club. I have not read that much of the book, but will probably sooner or later stop reading it.

I can never finish a book even if I try as hard as I can. I like this book, but its just not my taste. It is pretty interesting at times, but there are parts that just get so boring that I dont want to read it anymore. I am trying to get through it and hope I do.

Monday: 25 minutes
Tuesday: 20 minutes
Wednesday: 15 minutes
Thursday: 30 minutes
Friday: 10 minutes
Saturday: 30 minutes
Sunday: 20 minutes

Poetry Analysis: The Whipping by Robert Hayden

Before reading this poem, I thought that it was about someone whipping someone or something. After reading it, I know that it is about an old woman, maybe a grandmother, beating a small boy, maybe the grandson. I can tell that is struggling and crying. He is sobbing because maybe he had done something wrong. I didn't understand some of the poem and what it was trying to say. I think it was some imagery that I couldn't quite decipher.

There were a few enjambments and caesuras here and there, but what I wanted to focus on was the imagery. There was a lot of imagery that I didn't exactly get. I think that the narrator is a neighbor who is watching this little boy get beaten up by an old woman. I liked this poem and would like to understand it better.

I didn't understand when it stated, 

"Wildly he crashes through elephant ears,

        pleads in dusty zinnias"

I also couldn't quite get the poem when it said,

"My head gripped in bony vise

        of knees, the writhing struggle

to wrench free"

Nervous Conditions Project

Over the weekend, my group and I decided that we were going to do a trailer for Nervous Conditions. This means that we will make a video trailer for a "movie". So far, it is really good. The characters are, Nyasha, Tambu, and Babamukuru. Mia is Nyasha, I am Tambu, and Cole is Babakmukuru. We had a little trouble doing this project, but it was worth the time we spent on it.

At this very moment, Mia and I are sitting in my room working on the video. Editing is probably the hardest stage of making it. It includes a lot of concentration and effort. I think that the video will turn out great. Every scene is an important event that happened in the book, in order. I hope that it turns out right and we get the grade we deserve.

The Train to Pakistan

This week, I have started the Train to Pakistan. My group and I are trying to get it finished for our project. If we don't get it finished, we will just make a movie trailer for the book. I think that we will get it finished in time though. Anyway, this book is really weird at first. I hope it gets better though because I have to get through 200 pages of it.

I have only read about 20 pages so far, meaning I have about 180 left. So far, its really slow and boring, but I think that it will get better. I am trying to think positively of the book because I NEED to read it.

The Hunger Games- Almost Finished!!

So I am almost finished with the first book of the Hunger Games series and i think it is amazing. The book is just so intriguing and makes me want to read more. If you haven't read this book, I suggest you do. I think that this book is aimed toward any age and any gender. Some people who don't like adventure may not like the read this series.

I am excited for the movie to come out because I have finally finished a book before the movie! I hear many rumors of it...that is going to be awesome and exciting, and then there are rumors of it going to be horrible and a disappointment in comparison to the novel. I hope that it isn't, but I also hope that it can be a little different. I like when the movies are a little different, because i don't know exactly how the story will be.

Lake Charles!

On Friday I missed a day on school to go to Lake Charles and perform with my band! At 6:30 in the morning, we met at Baton Rouge Music Studios to take a 2 hour car ride to Lake Charles. The car ride was fun. Two of the other singers, Sicily and Sydney, rode in the car with me and we jammed out to music in the back seat. We had so much fun in the car and bonded a lot. My mom was in the drivers' seat laughing at us the whole time...we literally went crazy.

At 9:00 we went to a small private school and played just a few songs. They weren't the best crowd. I was surprised to see that there were about two people in the audience that actually listened to music. They just sat there and looked bored out of their minds. I don't know why, because the music that we are playing is actually really up beat and fun.

At noon, we drove over to another private school with double the amount of people. This was the best crowd ever. We started our first song and they got into the music right away. They all stood up and started dancing! One of the guitar players was in the middle of a solo and just stopped and looked around like he was in heaven. It was pretty amazing. During the last song, we took about six audience members to play percussion with us and every single student wanted to join in with us. I was so surprised at their participation in the music and really want this crown every weekend.

Around 7:00, we started another performance. We were so tired because we had been loading and unloading equipment since that morning, but we still got through that last song. This crowd wasn't amazing either, but they weren't bad. The bands before us were AMAZING. They performed pop and rock songs as opposed to us, playing Louisiana music. I had a great time at wish I was still there. Come see us next week at the St. Jude Fair!

The Hunger Games

At the beginning of the third quarter,  I started to read the Hunger Games. Most of y'all have read this book, but i wanted to get through it before seeing the movie. I started reading again after reading Nervous Conditions. It feels like forever since I have read this book, so i started it over.

I was really excited to start this book again, but I need to read it all before the movie. I also want to finish the series before this summer. After seeing all the books that my classmates are reading, i really want to read those too. I think that I will take a brake from the series after the first one and start something else and then go back to it this summer.

Three Day Weekend!

Hey class!

I hope you all had a great three day weekend, I know I did. Friday and Saturday were jam-packed with fun, and today is all seriousness.

Friday was a pretty busy, fun day. I went to lunch with the students from Italy and we talked and hung out. After, we went to get some ice cream and then I went shopping with my mom for the next day's performance. After we got some clothing and shoes, I went to rehearsal for about two hours. I really like rehearsal times because its kind of like a bonding time for the whole band. We all get along really well. Finally, I got to my friend Annie's house so that we could practice for the our fifteen minutes of songs for the next day as well. 

The next day, Annie and I woke up bright and early in the morning. There was no time to goof around. We got ready and then ran through the songs over and over again until they were perfect. Even though they didn't sound perfect on stage, I think we did pretty well for the amount of time we had to practice. At four, the Blues Project performed and we nailed it. The band did great. I really think that the band has improved in the past few months. Now I am doing all my homework on this last day. I really enjoyed my weekend. 

Nervous Conditions: Done Already?

It seems that we have worked on Nervous Conditions for just a few months, but we have actually been working on it for a few weeks. It doesn't seem like it should be finished yet. After reading the last chapter, my final feelings on the book have been decided. I do not like this book. The ending seemed so boring and seemed like it wasn't an ending. I feel like it was not the end. Is there a sequel? 

I hope that my understanding of this book is correct because I think I am going to fail the test. The test is two days and I feel like I need more time to prepare for it. I think a review day would be good too so we can clear up on the questions we have. I hope I like the next book that we work on. Also, I hope that I will like the poetry unit of this class.

ITALIA...(:

I'm sure that for our free write, most people will be talking about their breaks. Over my break, I attended Italy with a few people from our high school. We had a blast. Walking around with people that I rarely talk to, brought us closer and we are now like a huge family. On the plane, I really enjoyed the company of my friends that I sat with because if they weren't there, I would have had the most boring 11 hours of my life. It would have probably felt like 24 hours. We sat next to a man that i felt very bad for because my friends and I would comment on his appearance because he looked like the host of Cash Cab. I could tell that he was annoyed because we were loud and he was trying to get some sleep. When we got to Rome, we took a 1 and a half hour bus ride to Sorrento, a town that is like a paradise to me. The shopping there was really amazing. We went to many islands and places where i would live the live.

The second place we went to was Rome. Here, we went to the colosseum, the Pantheon, St. Peter's Basillica, and more. I didn't like Rome as much as I liked Sorrento because Rome had too much chaos and I don't like to see all that. I miss Italy so much and I could live there forever. I also miss talking to the people I got to see every morning. I want to go back.

Nervous Conditions

Chapter six in Nervous Conditions, a lot has happened. Nyasha treats her father like he is a lower subject than her, and he beats her for it. He tries very hard to get it through to her that he is her father and very much not her equal. I don't completely agree with what Babamakuru did. What is was like back then in that area, doesn't seem like it does now. Here and now, a father lets his children know that he is the boss and a higher subject than them, but usually doesn't beat them like Babamukuru beat Nyasha.

In chapter seven, the family goes back Tambu's home for Christmas. Tambu's mother's sister is pregnant and needs a place to stay. Babamukuru tells her to leave, but she doesn't know where to go because her family is not well off and most likely can not afford to handle another child as well as her. I feel bad for her and I think that Babamukuru is just being rude because Nyasha is being annoying and mean to her whole family. Also, Tambu is starting to get a little stuck up like Nyasha. She is complaining about her old house because she is so used to having all these luxuries back at the mission.

Choir Lock-In 2012!

Well Saturday was a pretty busy day for me. I started working on my homework all night and then at three, I had to run over to Baton Rouge Music Studios to record a little bit of music. After that was finished, I went to school for a choir lock-in. For about two hours, we worked on Carmina Burana, a set of songs written in the 1200s. After, we ate pizza and headed over to the chapel to rehearse again.

Finally when we were done with all our rehearsals, the whole choir hung out. My friends Caroline and Alyssa hung out a lot. Before bed, Caroline and I watched a little bit of West Side Story and Toy Story 3. We didn't exactly get through either of the movies. It was pretty fun. We got a lot of practice done. Come out and see us on Friday!

Global Issues Essay and Nervous Conditions

I am now finishing up my essay on Afghan women and I think that I have done the best I can! It is actually one of the best papers i have ever written. I am working on the finishing up the last page of my paper.  There are a few things that i need to work on considering all the grammatical errors that show up in green, but I still feel like i can get the grade that I want on this paper.

Now Nervous Conditions is a very confusing book. I feel behind as usual, but I am getting there. I am answering the questions on time, just not annotating. I think when i have some time, i will work on the annotations. I don't really enjoy reading this book because it doesn't make any sense to me. I can't keep up with all the names, not to mention all the flashbacks.

Saturday

On Friday, my brother and sister checked out of school early to drive to Longview, Texas. I couldn’t go because I was extremely busy on Saturday. They got back on Saturday, late afternoon. I was at school, for a talent show rehearsal, with my friend Sicily Wafer. My mom came to pick us up and in the car, was a small puppy, 7 weeks old. Her name is Zoey. When we got home, she ran around in our living room like crazy.  I didn’t get to spend too much time with her because about 15 minutes after I got home, I had to leave to school again.

When I got home from school, I found my mom and brother sitting on the couch watching TV, while Zoey was sleeping. About 10 minutes later, she woke up and ran around the living room again. She had not eaten or drunken anything the whole day until my mom and I fed her out of our hands. She ate her all her food and water then. She fell back asleep while watching TV again. I am so excited to finally have Zoey in our family.

Global Issues and Nervous Conditions

Over the past week, I worked quite a bit on my essay. I finished my whole detailed outline and wrote the first page on my essay in the first two days of the week. I have been working on my draft since wednesday on. I am right on track with this paper and its pleasing to know that.

On Wednesday, we were assigned to read the first chapter of Nervous Conditions. All I got out of it was that the main character, Zambu, was happy that her brother died because she could now go to school. I didn't understand this book as much as a hoped to. I annotated and read lines over and over again until I came up with a meaning for myself. I hope that I will understand it in the near future.

Work Log:

Monday(30): 45 minutes

Tuesday(31): 60 minutes

Wednesday(1): 15 minutes

Thursday(2): 45 minutes (Nervous Conditions)

Friday(3): 10 minutes

Saturday(4): none

My Weekend

I honestly don't know what to write about, so I'm going to make this post about my weekend. I thought that this weekend was going to be very boring considering I am grounded, but it was actually pretty fun. Here are just a few fun events in my weekend.

On saturday, I woke up and helped my mom cook breakfast, and then we drove off to the the studios to record some music with my friend. We tried to record so many songs, but every single time we tried a new song, it would be messed up. Finally we got a song that was perfect. When we finished that, I got home and helped my mom cook for some neighbors of ours that were coming over for dinner. They are like family to us. When they came over, both families hung around in the kitchen. We ate dinner together, and talked a lot. Once they left, I fell asleep because I was so tired. On sunday morning, I woke up and had breakfast. The rest of the day will be just trying to finish homework and studying. Even though I was grounded, I think that this weekend was pretty good. It also showed me that I don't need to be at a friend's house, or have a friend over to have fun. 

Global Issues Essay: The Abuse of Afghan Women

Over the past week of working on my essay in English class, I have finished a good amount of work. Usually when we have essays or papers due, I get behind in a short amount of time. I never really know what to do and how to do it because I feel like I am not ready to start. A lot of times, I never really am happy with what I am going to be writing about, but I really like my topic for this essay. It means a lot and can change people's lives if it stops.

The subject for my paper is going to be the abuse of women in Afghanistan. These women can't walk the streets of their hometown without a man that she knows by her side. Most of the girls are abused to the point of death during their marriage. Even if a wife tries to walk out the door without a man, she will be beaten by her husband and his family. I have tried extremely hard to stay on task with this project and hope I will be able to make it through during the whole process. 

Essay Work Log:

Monday(23): 45 minutes

Tuesday(24): 60 minutes

Wednesday(25): 15 minutes

Thursday(26): 30 minutes

Friday(27): 10 minutes

Saturday(28): none

Rome!

During Mardi Gras break in the year of 2012, I am going to attend a trip hosted my Latin teacher. We are going to Rome. A few of my friends will be attending with me, as well as my sister and mom. I am very excited to see the places that I have seen in pictures and on movies. This is going to be a once in a lifetime chance. Mrs. Landry has set up a tour led by ACIS. These tours have planned out a great itinerary for us.

We will be leaving on the first day of Mardi Gras break. Our first stop is the New Orleans airport. We will be flying to Atlanta, Georgia. After our long layover in Georgia, we will be on our way to Sorrento. The arrival time for Sorrento is probably going to be very late. Even though I may be tired and exhausted during the whole trip, I am ready for this to come! Even though I haven’t been to Italy before, I know that it is going to be extremely pretty and scenic. Its going to be an interesting week.

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

I had seen this movie a long time ago, but never knew how much I actually loved it. I watched it again for the first time in about two years and it was instantly my favorite movie. Once I fell in love with it, I started thinking about reading the book. The Notebook is about a girl (Allie) who spends the summer in a small town in North Carolina. She soon falls in love with a young man (Noah). No matter what is in the way, Noah and Allie find a way to see each other. Before I started reading this book, I thought that the movie was going to be better than the book. Well, I was wrong.

This book is very descriptive and well written. The author, Nicholas Sparks, describes Noah and how he loves poetry and music at the very beginning. When Allie and Noah first meet, he tries to get her attention, but doesn’t succeed at first. I haven’t gotten very far in this book yet, but it is definitely one that I will be finishing. I love to read Nicholas Sparks books even though they always have a sad ending.  

Reading Log:

Monday (16): 30 minutes

Tuesday (17): 15 minutes

Wednesday (18): 30 minutes

Thursday (19): 75 minutes (45 Norton)

Friday (20): None

Last Summer!

Last year, my parents started planning a cruise just for the five of us. My siblings and I weren't as excited as you think we would be. A few days later, my grandparents from India called in and told us that they were going to come to the States to come visit us. Of course we told them to come right along. So my parents invited both sets of grandparents to come a join us on our cruise. That brings it up to 9 people. One day, we were in the car on the way back from school, and my mom told us that we were allowed to have a friend tag along with us! The next day, I asked my friend Caroline to come with me. We were so excited to go together!

On June 11, we started on our way to New Orleans where the ship was docked. When we got on the ship, we headed straight for the ice cream. It was about 80 degrees outside throughout the trip. That night, we went to the top floor of the ship where the "teen clubs" were. We sat inside there, watching TV, and playing the Wii with a few other kids our age. These were the kids that we would be spending the rest of the week with. Throughout the week, we stopped at the Florida Keyes and the Bahamas. In the Bahamas, there was a place called Atlantis. Atlantis had the biggest water slides I have ever seen in my life. The family got back on the ship after visiting a stop, and just walk around with our friends. At dinner, the waiters would put on a show for us. I'm pretty sure our waiters were the best. We joked around with them, and hugged them after dinner every night, saying thank you. This was one of the best weeks of my life. When the cruise finally ended, I was so upset. I wanted to stay on the ship forever.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I am currently reading The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games is about a girl named Katnis and her journey through the Hunger Games. During the reaping (when the two "tributes" get chosen), Katnis' little sister gets chosen. Katnis can not handle that. She automatically volunteers to be the girl tribute.  The Hunger Games is a competition for children 12 to 18. In every district (there are 12), a boy and a girl ("tributes") is chosen to compete. Only one survives.

I have finished about a third of the book so far. I needed a book to read so I could write these blogs, so I asked my mom if she could  get me a book that looked good. She went out and got me this book. Ever since then, I try to read as much as I can. It's really hard to put this book down. I start reading it and it seems like I'm watching a movie while reading it. Every part of the book has something that I should focus on.


Reading Log:
Monday (9): 45 minutes
Tuesday (10): 30 minutes
Wednesday (11): 35 minutes
Thursday (12): 15 minutes
Friday (13): none
Saturday (14): 15 minutes
Sunday (15): 20 minutes

The Show Must Go On

I was so scared. My mom had just gotten the email that stated the results of the band that I auditioned for. We sat down together and opened it. We scrolled down, looking apprehensively for my name. This band was for the most advanced students in musical abilities and dedication. I honestly didn't think that I was going to make it. There were so many singers that were far better than me. We saw the email and there it was, my name in tiny print. My heart stopped beating for a second and my eyes grew wide with excitement. The worried face instantly disappeared and was replaced with a wide grin. I turned to my mom and immediately we reached for the phone to inform my dad.

The next week, we had to go into the studios to record a few songs. We learned the songs like the back of our hands. Doug, the instructor in charge of the band, submitted the songs to Jazz Fest. Two weeks later, the Jazz Fest line up came out, and believe it or not, our band was on it along with John Mayer, Florence + the Machine, the Foo Fighters, and the Zac Brown Band. Just the thought of them being there, struck me with sudden fear. What if they actually saw me perform? When that thought popped into my head, I automatically regretted even auditioning! I went for months not wanting people to know. My parents would tell people, and I would get extremely upset with them.

Since our band’s acceptance into Jazz Fest, I have had the chance to perform in many local festivals. Because of all this experience, I feel like I am ready for the pressure. I am much more comfortable telling people about it now. The band is so excited to play at not only Jazz Fest, but also many other festivals and fairs.