Festiveness

I almost forgot to be festive!
Well, Tomorrow is my 18th birthday, and I am very excited for that. Also, this week, I have been wearing Christmas colors every day in order to lift the Christmas spirit in Feel Good Central. Yesterday I wore an awesome shirt that was Elf themed, and today I am wearing a green Reindeer Run t- shirt. Unfortunately, those are the only two Christmas shirts I have, so I am going to have to get creative for the rest of the week.
"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."- Buddy the Elf
"The best way to spread Christmas glee is wearing an Elf shirt for all to see." -Matt Skinner

Happy holidays!

Independent Reading Book Choice

As many of you know, I am planning on becoming an officer in the United States Army within the next few years of my life, so naturally, I am interested in all military- related things. That is why I am choosing to read Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson. The book is a non- fiction book that is based on the experiences of Luttrell as a US Navy SEAL.

Lone Survivor is about Operation Redwing, carried out by the SEALS in the trechorous mountains of Afghanistan, and the impending firefight that led to the greatest loss of life in US Navy SEAL history. Of all the men who fought in this battle, only one remained alive after, and he had to stuggle to survive. That survivor is the author, Marcus Luttrell. Luttrell survived an RPG blast from the Taliban, and only survived by being hidden by rubble. After the coast cleared, Luttrell crawled for four days to a small Afghan village, from where he was later rescued. The whole story is just an amazing experience that interests me greatly, and I am very excited to read it.

The whole story, however, is not only about the author and how he survived, but rather it is a tale of the heroism and bravery that was demonstrated by the rest of his squad members, who were not lucky enough to return home from the battlefield on that day. I would be upset if that weren't what was also displayed in the book, as it would be incredibly selfish and tasteless to not account for the actions of those who are no longer with us because of their bravery in Afghanistan. I am very excited to read all about these men and women, and it makes me very proud to be an American knowing that we have such brave people defending our nation every single day.

HOLMES

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes (2010) is a wonderful film, full of all sorts of twists and turns that keep the viewer guessing throughout the entire film. The plot of the entire film is quite incredible, with the smallest details that one might pass over being the most important in the end, just like the real Sherlock Holmes novels. In my opinion, it is very rare that a movie pays so close attention to such minute details, and that is what makes this film such a great representation of the Sherlock Holmes novels. This film stays true to the novel, while still being a very entertaining flick, and not many movies stay true to both of those criteria. That is why I thoroughly enjoyed Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes also relates to our most recent novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. The protagonists in each share many of the same characteristics. Sherlock Holmes, the brilliant detective, is a very logical man that pays very close attention to the smallest of details in order to solve his cases. This is much like Christopher Boone, from Haddon's novel, who is also very logical and can remember the smallest of details, but does not ever really deduce anything from his surroundings. That is the main difference between thew two; that they both "see" the small details, but only Holmes truly processes them and looks for a deeper meaning in these details. This is partially due to the fact that Christopher has Aspergers, a form of Autism that keeps him from fully understanding many things, such as human emotions. Another small connection that can be made between the two works is that they both are centered around one mystery at first, but quickly change focus just as soon as the first mystery is solved. I would highly suggest both works to just about any reader/ viewer, as they are just very entertaining.

On a festive note, it is almost the fourth week of Advent, and that means that Christmas is right around the corner! I love the holiday season! Festiveness!

"This Christmas feels like the very first Christmas to me"- Spongebob Squarepants

La temporada navideña

Well, I just realized that it's already December 9th, and I have not felt very festive, as of yet. That is why, starting right now, I am going to begin my festive-ness, and to signify that, I decided that I should probably blog about it. So that begs the question; what do I like most about the holiday season?

There are an endless number of possible answers to that question, due to the fact that so much goes on between Thanksgiving and New Years. To start off, we have the most important day of the year- December 21st- right in the middle of the Christmas Joy and Holiday shopping. The 21st is my birthday, and in all seriousness, it ends up being just another day. Having a birthday so close to Christmas is one of the worst things in the world. It sounds selfish, but think about it for a second. People think that because your birthday is close to Christmas, you get double the presents. That's actually the opposite. No matter what my parents say, I ALWAYS am the first one done opening gifts on Christmas morning because the presents really just get drawn out between the two days. Also, you have to wait 300+ days to get anything! People who have birthdays in June and July are lucky because they get to get presents exactly halfway through the year, so it doesn't seem as long. These seem like selfish reasons, but it just stinks, really. Also, because my birthday is so close to Christmas, everyone travels away for the holidays, so it make it hard to have family or friends over around my birthday. I just hate it. I don't like being a Christmas baby

But ANYWAY, I should get back to the main point of this blog. We have established that my birthday is not my favorite part of the Christmas season. I should probably cut New Years out of the equation as well, because I just never really enjoy it. I don't drink or party or anything, so there's almost no point to New Years eve. I do like looking forward to a brand new year, and a new slate on January 1st, but that's just because I'm sentimental. I really like opening presents on Christmas, but I can't say that's my favorite part. I mean, I like getting stuff, sure. I can't sit here and say that I don't, because I do. But that's not what I look forward to during the Holiday season, because I think that that is selfish and materialistic. People who just talk about getting stuff really annoy me. I like giving more than I like getting. One of my favorite Christmas traditions is cutting down the Christmas tree as a family. We don't get to do it as a whole family anymore, because my sister gets home late for the holidays, but I still enjoy it. I like making cookies, as well, but that's mainly just because I like to bake. I don't really decorate the tree much anymore, but I still look forward to putting a few ornaments on this year. I guess the best part of the Holiday season, for me, is being around my family and the feeling we all get on Christmas morning. I still cannot sleep on Christmas eve; I'm just a little kid on the inside. It is just a magical feeling waking up early and getting excited to go downstairs and see what's under the tree. But being around my family is what makes it the best. Happy Holidays.

FESTIVENESS

Reaction to The Curious Incident...

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night- Time by Mark Haddon is a very interesting book, to say the least. The perspective of a protagonist with a mental handicap is something I have never experienced before, and I enjoyed the change of pace that came along with the unique perspective. I can't help but wonder, however, how accurate this perspective is to what actually goes through the mind of one with a mental disability. Obviously, everyone's mind is different so there is no true way to tell how accurate this book is, but I really wish there were. I truly wonder what goes through not only the minds of the handicapped, but I wonder what is going through everybodys' minds.  I'm just very curious, is all.

I also found it very intriguing how Christopher's father treated him. In all honesty, I found Christopher's father's actions just as confusing as Christopher's antics throughout the novel. I understand that living with a family member who has a disability must be confusing, difficult, and frustrating to say the least, but I don't understand why Christopher's father did many things. First off, WHY DID HE KILL A DOG?! I will never understand that one, especially because I am a dog lover. I can see why Mr. Boone would be upset all the time, but why take it out on the dog? That seems very twisted to me, at least. Secondly, why does he engage Christopher physically all the time?  He must know by now that Christopher doesn't like being touched, so why put yourself in that position? Those are just two of the many actions that confused me about Mr Boone.

On a brighter, less inquisitive note, I thoroughly enjoyed the ending, and I am very picky about endings. Generally, I hate happy endings for the simple fact that they are so darn predictable in most novels that I have read. This book, however, really didn't ever have a set path, so I had no idea that Christopher would be getting a dog or working to retool his relationship with his father. I was pleasantly surprised, for once, and that made me enjoy the book a great deal more. There is nothing I hate more than a really poor, predictable ending. What is the best part about the ending? I will tell you. The best part about the ending is the fact that CHRISTOPHER GETS A DOG!!!

I LOVE DOGS
Also, I love my dog. HE'S THE MAN. Word.

Response to Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau believed that in order to live well, we must reduce the number of material goods we have. Otherwise, these things begin to dominate us. Take a position on this and explain.

I do believe that Henry David Thoreau's statement has truth to it, however, I do not agree with the statement as a whole. Is it good to get rid of some things in your life that could be classified as "useless," or "a waste of time?" Yes, it is certainly a great idea to get rid of some objects that serve little or no purpose in ones life. I do not believe that all objects can be held accountable in Thoreau's statement, for the simple fact that many material possessions can make life much more productive. For example, I would much rather have a car that can park for me, get me from point A to point B,  and has a heated windshield than to have to walk or find another mode of transportation, for the simple fact that it makes my life easier and more productive.

Another reason that I disagree with Thoreau's statement is that i don't believe it's what one has, it is what one does with what they are given. Sure, there are people that have been given all the material goods in the world  who have been dominated by these goods. Many- if not most- people would be dominated by material possessions if they got everything they ever wanted. There are people, however, who recognize how lucky they are to have such possessions, and they make the world a better place by using these possessions to help others out or make some sort of positive difference. People, like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and many other celebrities who give back to their communities don't reduce their material possessions and still find ways to make the world a better place every single day, and that is what I believe; making the world a better place.

1st English Class Post- 11/28

"Prime numbers are what is left when you have taken all of the patterns away. I think prime numbers are like life. They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them." (Haddon 12)

I find this quotation very interesting for the simple fact that it ties into life very well. Prime numbers are very similar to real life, and I have never really found a comparison quite like this. You never really know if a prime number is a prime number until you try all possible multiples and realize that there really are none. This is much like life because in life, you never really know anything until you've explored all options, and have made 100 percent certain that you know what's going on. Even then, sometimes you are still wrong in life. Much like prime numbers, there are no rules in life, there just is.

Coincidentally, I can connect this quote to another quote with which I am familiar. The great Slim Shady once said "The truth is you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed." I just connect these two quotes because they are both saying that life really has no rules, and you will never be able to figure life out. If it's been said multiple times, then there has to be some truth to the statements. It is rather depressing knowing that we, as people, will never really truly know anything.

Thank You

While we're all getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of our friends, family, and loved ones, I think it's important to count our blessings. I'm not just talking about being thankful for material possessions and that junk. What I am talking about is much more important , and yet is overlooked 364 days of the year.

There are millions of people in the United States Armed Forces who will not be able to celebrate the holidays at home with their families this year. We often forget about the sacrifices that these men and women make for us every single day just to protect our Freedom, and our way of life. Many people give thanks to these people on Veterans Day, and forget about how lucky they are to have such brave men and women defending our nation day in and day out. So that is why I am saying thank you, to all of those men and women stationed around the globe that make our way of life possible, and for making the United States of America the best nation on the face of the Earth. Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

CHOCOLATE!!!!!

I am sitting here, designing my awesome blog for English class, and all I can think about are these chocolate covered oreos that I'm devouring. I love chocolate. I live for chocolate. Chocolate is the best part of my day. Oh, Chocolate, sweet,sweet chocolate how I love thee. I remember when they first started making chocolate.... I ALWAYS HATED IT!  oh chocolate, I will be yours until the day I contract diabetes. <3 <3 <3