Recently I've been into school activities, as well as things outside of school. This last week of March seems to be the bulk of events in this busy month that hasn't stopped yet! The last major events of my freshman year are coming up, but surprisingly I'm not worried about them. I'm more stressed about the major things that are more invasive in my school life. One thing I've been wanting for a while is to get elected on student council. I decided to take the chance and run for Member-at-Large for 9th and 10th grade. This is a risk I've wanted to take for so long but never really had the will to do it. Eighth grade was a good opportunity to petition for a spot in an office, in particular club offices. Last year, I went out for lots of clubs and offices, but didn't get elected on any! Now, I'm making milestones and trying to petition to get elected on student council, which is what I've wanted since the start of this year, honestly. Hopefully I'll rally lots of votes and get elected on student council, and I hope y'all can vote me on for next year!
Another thing that's been bothering me (and of course, I keep it off until the last minute) is service hours. I guarantee it's a big concern for a lot of people to get in reflection forms and gathering last-minute hours on campus, like at Karnival Knight this Friday! Last weekend our track team all volunteered to help at the middle school meet on Saturday, the 24th (probably because it was mandatory), but it was a fun experience and I got two hours out of it. I volunteered to work the long and triple jump for middle schoolers at the meet, and it was exciting to see how they performed, and some were actually kind of funny to watch. I worked shifts with Justin, Connor, and Nick, but we had help from upperclassmen like Brian, one of the senior captains who showed us how to rake. It doesn't sound really hard, but I sucked at it. But that's okay, because we all did, and it was dreadfully hot outside that day. I'm just glad it guaranteed me a couple service hours, and I know I can get them all in (yes, all 20 hours with forms) by April 15th.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Outside Reading #5: The Minutes Keep Getting Bigger
Hello English classes,
This past week and over the weekend I haven't just been reading my outside reading book, Mockingjay. Actually, I've hardly read it since last week, because I've had so many other outside reading books to study, annotate, you name it! One in particular is the new post-colonial novel that came in the mail on Thursday. Yeah, that's right, I'm actually reading the sequel to Nervous Conditions, called The Book of Not, both by Tsitsi Dangarembga. From the way I see it, I think Dangarembga has left the meaning of sexism and prejudice against women, because it is all a continuation of Tambu's journey at Sacred Heart. I'm not that far into it, so I can't really agree or disagree with the dark content of the novel. Yes, we all know that the beginning is a little gory in the language because, who wants to read about someone's legs getting blown off, right?
After that it deals with the aftermath of Tambu's sister, Nestai, and her missing leg (except that it isn't that big of a conflict after she goes to the hospital). Along with the current plot, I've noticed a lot of characters expanding; some stayed the same personally, but others have evolved since Nervous Conditions. For example, I see that Tambu has changed since she feels more silenced after the accident with her sister. I also get a hint of jealousy from her as she aspires to be the best, but there's one thing that hasn't changed about her: the guilt she feels for things out of control. I'll keep reading and analyzing the book (until I present), but I'll keep y'all updated on the things going on, and I know I have to finish it so I'll have to get through it all somehow! Hopefully after reading Nervous Conditions, I'll be able to apply all the themes, conflicts, and continued social aspects to my partners and my expansion project next week.
Reading times (these aren't really accurate because I haven't kept track of them all, but this is a rough guess-timation):
Monday 3/19 - about 15 minutes reading Mockingjay (in class)
Monday 3/19 - 15 minutes reading vocabulary connections article for English
Tuesday 3/20 - about 40 minutes reading first section of Biology
Wednesday 3/21 - about 20 minutes reading next two sections of Biology
Thursday 3/22 - 30 minutes reading Ch. 1 of The Book of Not
Sunday 3/25 - 30 minutes reading Ch. 2 of The Book of Not
Monday 3/26 - 60 minutes finishing Ch. 2 and Ch. 3 of The Book of Not
Pages Read: 48 from The Book of Not, pp. 1-47
This past week and over the weekend I haven't just been reading my outside reading book, Mockingjay. Actually, I've hardly read it since last week, because I've had so many other outside reading books to study, annotate, you name it! One in particular is the new post-colonial novel that came in the mail on Thursday. Yeah, that's right, I'm actually reading the sequel to Nervous Conditions, called The Book of Not, both by Tsitsi Dangarembga. From the way I see it, I think Dangarembga has left the meaning of sexism and prejudice against women, because it is all a continuation of Tambu's journey at Sacred Heart. I'm not that far into it, so I can't really agree or disagree with the dark content of the novel. Yes, we all know that the beginning is a little gory in the language because, who wants to read about someone's legs getting blown off, right?
After that it deals with the aftermath of Tambu's sister, Nestai, and her missing leg (except that it isn't that big of a conflict after she goes to the hospital). Along with the current plot, I've noticed a lot of characters expanding; some stayed the same personally, but others have evolved since Nervous Conditions. For example, I see that Tambu has changed since she feels more silenced after the accident with her sister. I also get a hint of jealousy from her as she aspires to be the best, but there's one thing that hasn't changed about her: the guilt she feels for things out of control. I'll keep reading and analyzing the book (until I present), but I'll keep y'all updated on the things going on, and I know I have to finish it so I'll have to get through it all somehow! Hopefully after reading Nervous Conditions, I'll be able to apply all the themes, conflicts, and continued social aspects to my partners and my expansion project next week.
Reading times (these aren't really accurate because I haven't kept track of them all, but this is a rough guess-timation):
Monday 3/19 - about 15 minutes reading Mockingjay (in class)
Monday 3/19 - 15 minutes reading vocabulary connections article for English
Tuesday 3/20 - about 40 minutes reading first section of Biology
Wednesday 3/21 - about 20 minutes reading next two sections of Biology
Thursday 3/22 - 30 minutes reading Ch. 1 of The Book of Not
Sunday 3/25 - 30 minutes reading Ch. 2 of The Book of Not
Monday 3/26 - 60 minutes finishing Ch. 2 and Ch. 3 of The Book of Not
Pages Read: 48 from The Book of Not, pp. 1-47
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Free Post: St. Patrick's Day Weekend
This weekend has been one of those that I have been excited for but just as anxious waiting for at the same time. I had two parties, a parade, and a track meet that fit in to just three days. It started on Friday afternoon, just after school, when I had to go get dressed for the track meet right after school. And you have no idea how much I dreaded going just because I had to expend a lot of my energy and adrenaline on this, but the weather was great and it was so worth it! I ran in two events this time around, and it was no different than last weekend. Everything was really chill, and all I did until my event was walk around, watch other events, and lay back with my team members. Eventually I sprinted in the 100 and then the 200 meter dash and did alright in both of those. I have no idea if I got a PR (personal record) in either, but I guess I'll find out sooner or later! After that I had my close friend Taylor's surprise party to go to, and even leaving the track meet early didn't help: I missed the surprise! But overall it was a blast - everyone had a great time and we all got to dance like fools. I was absolutely exhausted that night after being active from the time school ended to 11:00 that night.
The next day was the annual St. Patrick's Day parade, which we had to get up early for it, which I had bee dreading. Ironically, I woke up before anyone else - which I wasn't expecting at all - so I went back to bed until 30 minutes later when I woke up again! Maybe that was my sign to get up... We ended up leaving at past 10:00, which didn't surprise me at all since our family is always late for everything. We did miss the parade, but met up with another family to go to a "tailgating" thing at someone's house by the parade route. I actually ran into a few kids from EHS and talked to them while the parade was ending. We stayed for a couple hours and went to eat lunch at Zoës Kitchen by Perkins Rowe. Later, I was apparently supposed to get asked to Sadie's, but they rescheduled (or so I thought...). Later that night, a friend was taking me to the Élan spring dance, so I got in a partying mood and went over to their house to go to the party. I thought it was fun, since I got to see a lot of people from our school and different schools, but I didn't think it was as fun as Snowball, maybe because it was Western-themed. The next morning, I slept in, and waited until lunch when I got asked to Sadie's. My friend Taylor drove up in her mom's car that said, "roll with me to Sadie's?" so I said yes to that! It's been a fun and busy weekend, and I'm looking forward to the next one where I can still have as much fun as this one was! Now I have to finish homework, so I should probably get to work...
The next day was the annual St. Patrick's Day parade, which we had to get up early for it, which I had bee dreading. Ironically, I woke up before anyone else - which I wasn't expecting at all - so I went back to bed until 30 minutes later when I woke up again! Maybe that was my sign to get up... We ended up leaving at past 10:00, which didn't surprise me at all since our family is always late for everything. We did miss the parade, but met up with another family to go to a "tailgating" thing at someone's house by the parade route. I actually ran into a few kids from EHS and talked to them while the parade was ending. We stayed for a couple hours and went to eat lunch at Zoës Kitchen by Perkins Rowe. Later, I was apparently supposed to get asked to Sadie's, but they rescheduled (or so I thought...). Later that night, a friend was taking me to the Élan spring dance, so I got in a partying mood and went over to their house to go to the party. I thought it was fun, since I got to see a lot of people from our school and different schools, but I didn't think it was as fun as Snowball, maybe because it was Western-themed. The next morning, I slept in, and waited until lunch when I got asked to Sadie's. My friend Taylor drove up in her mom's car that said, "roll with me to Sadie's?" so I said yes to that! It's been a fun and busy weekend, and I'm looking forward to the next one where I can still have as much fun as this one was! Now I have to finish homework, so I should probably get to work...
Friday, March 16, 2012
Reading Response #4: Through the Sewers
Mockingjay has gotten a lot more intense and anticipating as I get further near the end, and it's making me want to read a lot faster. Also, the prequel The Hunger Games, is premiering in theaters on Friday, so now I'm really motivated to finish the series (although I don't know why, because Mockingjay doesn't really tell you much about The Hunger Games)! Anyway, I think from where I left off, I said that Katniss was just getting into the rebellion. At this point, her main goal is to kill Snow among her friends or troops, and I don't want to spoil a lot more because it'll give away too much... I think that once I finish it altogether, all of my main questions will be answered, like "what will Panem's fate be if Snow dies and everyone is free?" But I guess I'll have to keep reading to find out.
We also see a lot here about Katniss and Peeta's relationship, because if none of you know, Peeta's brain has been programmed to think that "Katniss is the enemy" and she is the cause for all that's happened with his home, family, and his own fate. Now, I want to say that they've put the bad things behind them and moved on, but it still isn't true because I can see that Peeta is really disturbed. The big intensity happens with actually getting to the Capitol, and I find it interesting that everyone keeps a "keep moving forward" mentality because if someone gets left behind, there's no turning back. And to be honest, it makes be kind of frustrated that the Capitol is responsible for all of these fates and people dying uncontrollably. I'm just hoping that Katniss' recurring conflict can be resolved because she has all of these depressing emotions, and it makes me think that she's kind of an antagonist (with herself and the Capitol, of course). Hopefully next week I'll be able to finish the book and see how it all ends!
Reading Times:
Monday 3/12 - 30 minutes, p. 271-280
Tuesday 3/13 - 30 minutes, p. 281-292
Wednesday 3/14 - 20 minutes (in class), p. 292-297
Wednesday 3/14 - 40 minutes, p. 297-309
Thursday 3/15 - 12 minutes (in class), p. 309-313
Friday 3/16 - 18 minutes, p. 313-320
Total Pages: 49
We also see a lot here about Katniss and Peeta's relationship, because if none of you know, Peeta's brain has been programmed to think that "Katniss is the enemy" and she is the cause for all that's happened with his home, family, and his own fate. Now, I want to say that they've put the bad things behind them and moved on, but it still isn't true because I can see that Peeta is really disturbed. The big intensity happens with actually getting to the Capitol, and I find it interesting that everyone keeps a "keep moving forward" mentality because if someone gets left behind, there's no turning back. And to be honest, it makes be kind of frustrated that the Capitol is responsible for all of these fates and people dying uncontrollably. I'm just hoping that Katniss' recurring conflict can be resolved because she has all of these depressing emotions, and it makes me think that she's kind of an antagonist (with herself and the Capitol, of course). Hopefully next week I'll be able to finish the book and see how it all ends!
Reading Times:
Monday 3/12 - 30 minutes, p. 271-280
Tuesday 3/13 - 30 minutes, p. 281-292
Wednesday 3/14 - 20 minutes (in class), p. 292-297
Wednesday 3/14 - 40 minutes, p. 297-309
Thursday 3/15 - 12 minutes (in class), p. 309-313
Friday 3/16 - 18 minutes, p. 313-320
Total Pages: 49
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Outside Reading #3: Epic Rebellion
Hey readers/bloggers,
I know finishing Nervous Conditions was a huge relief for all of us, and I feel like a lot of tension was taken off after completely reading (AND annotating) the novel. Compared to Lord of the Flies, this book was easier for me to comprehend because it was in a more realistic setting and the characters were more dynamic, due to their constant change in perspective. Aside from that, I got to pick up on my outside reading book, Mockingjay, and it feels like it's been weeks (literally) since I've gotten to read/respond to it with all the projects and papers to designate my time to.
Recently Katniss has reunited with her teammate in the past Games, Johanna, and we have gotten to see her character develop. I can see that she is unstable because she was tortured by the Capitol after the events from the last Games. Also, Katniss and Johanna are relatable because they are both strong fighters, and are preparing to go to war against President Snow and eliminate the Capitol's reign. Now, at first, I thought the rebellion was made to go against the Capitol, but was halted by Katniss once she united each district. But now it seems like a new one is beginning with this whole war, and the remaining districts are still rebelling. Katniss, of course, qualifies as a soldier to fight against the Capitol among her friends in 13 (her now District home once 12 was destroyed). I'm surprised to see that this whole fight is mostly for publicity and Katniss won't be doing much of the fighting anyway, although others have told her so. I'm even more horrified that Katniss is a target to be killed by Peeta, who is still unstable from the drugs the Capitol enhanced him with to kill her. Overall, I'm just getting into the whole rebellion, but it looks like things are going to get worse for Katniss and Peeta since they are at a disagreement to ally, although they have talked it out. I hope that things might get better in their relationship, or that they can at least stop the Capitol from hurting other districts that might actually be innocent.
Reading Times: 150 minutes total
Sunday 3/11 - 50 minutes (from 1:49 PM-2:39 PM)
Sunday 3/11 - 100 minutes (from 8:24 PM-10:04 PM)
Pages Read: about 34 total
I know finishing Nervous Conditions was a huge relief for all of us, and I feel like a lot of tension was taken off after completely reading (AND annotating) the novel. Compared to Lord of the Flies, this book was easier for me to comprehend because it was in a more realistic setting and the characters were more dynamic, due to their constant change in perspective. Aside from that, I got to pick up on my outside reading book, Mockingjay, and it feels like it's been weeks (literally) since I've gotten to read/respond to it with all the projects and papers to designate my time to.
Recently Katniss has reunited with her teammate in the past Games, Johanna, and we have gotten to see her character develop. I can see that she is unstable because she was tortured by the Capitol after the events from the last Games. Also, Katniss and Johanna are relatable because they are both strong fighters, and are preparing to go to war against President Snow and eliminate the Capitol's reign. Now, at first, I thought the rebellion was made to go against the Capitol, but was halted by Katniss once she united each district. But now it seems like a new one is beginning with this whole war, and the remaining districts are still rebelling. Katniss, of course, qualifies as a soldier to fight against the Capitol among her friends in 13 (her now District home once 12 was destroyed). I'm surprised to see that this whole fight is mostly for publicity and Katniss won't be doing much of the fighting anyway, although others have told her so. I'm even more horrified that Katniss is a target to be killed by Peeta, who is still unstable from the drugs the Capitol enhanced him with to kill her. Overall, I'm just getting into the whole rebellion, but it looks like things are going to get worse for Katniss and Peeta since they are at a disagreement to ally, although they have talked it out. I hope that things might get better in their relationship, or that they can at least stop the Capitol from hurting other districts that might actually be innocent.
Reading Times: 150 minutes total
Sunday 3/11 - 50 minutes (from 1:49 PM-2:39 PM)
Sunday 3/11 - 100 minutes (from 8:24 PM-10:04 PM)
Pages Read: about 34 total
Free Post: Track Meet - 3.10.12
Hi everybody!
This past Saturday, March 10th, was my first varsity track meet! Or I guess it technically was, since I didn't run in the one last weekend. I had run/thrown in middle school, but I had never gone to the full-blown track meet that everyone anticipates to last seven or so hours. In this varsity meet, everyone was required to stay till the end (or get penalized by Coach Dupe at practice Monday!). I had to say, it was long but the time flew by so fast. I got there before 12 AM Saturday to check in and sat with my team until the competition began. I talked to a lot of my close friends and just watched all the events going on around the field before mine. I got to watch the girls' javelin throwing competition, and it was actually pretty intense and interesting to see. I think one girl from Denham Springs wound up winning first, but our girls put their effort in it, too. After that there wasn't much to do besides hang out with the other freshmen who were running with me, and we warmed up before our event.
I ran at around 3:15, along with about ten other freshmen, and I got so nervous before competing! It was only a 100-meter dash, and I told myself it would go by quickly, but it just shook me up to compete like this for the first [real] time. Oh, and a word of advice to anyone on the field, keep your distance from the starting gun, because if anyone doesn't already know, it's LOUD, and it got me almost every time I stood near it! When I got on the starters' block, I took the same position as I did at practice, and just took off once I heard the gun. I ended up somewhere in the middle, but it was my first race and I did okay, for a rookie. Time went by super fast after my event, because all I did was relax with my team for the last two hours, and then watch the last event before we went home. In the end, Episcopal placed second, and we handed out a bunch of medals to people who placed high in their events (in the top three places), and a lot of talent showed at this meet. In addition, we all got to bond over the six hours of being there, and I had a lot of fun supporting our team in all the events. I just hope I get the same exciting feel in future meets, and I can't wait to see how well our team performs in the future!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Nervous Conditions: Tambu's Last Stand
After I finished Nervous Conditions, I was confused with how Dangarembga left us hanging with a sequel and how Tambu's journey only seethe plot to a new era in time. As much as Nyasha tried to cling to Tambu for help in chapter ten, I didn't think Tambu would care for her pity - and that was a totally accurate prediction. All in all, I really like what Dangarembga did with Tambu's character and how she was so observant of everything changing as time went by. She mentioned, on the last page, that Tambu's point of view was "expansive," but altogether showed multiple perspectives, like from a woman's side or a prejudiced man. Not only that, but I liked how we got to see Tambu's journey in education and really come to know her character, and I mostly enjoyed seeing her overcome feelings of being separated and stand up for herself. I didn't see a lot of it in chapter ten, since she mostly thought to herself, but I knew she wasn't afraid of Babamukuru's power over her anymore, because they are both highly superior and educated.
I honestly wouldn't think back to how Tambu "wasn't sorry when her brother died," because it is in the past and Nhamo is a character who has been forgotten. However, I find that it did relate to her education, because Nhamo doubted her so much and didn't have faith in her as a woman - and it showed that she was one who overcame those feelings of doubt and could leave behind the guilt of staying with family. I am really relieved to be done with the book, and this is the most I've read in one week's time; I finished the last half of the book from last Sunday to tonight, and I'm just happy it's over. I was glad to understand the point of view of the novel and Tambu's character, and I can tell that her description shows a lot about how she feels at certain points in time. It was awesome to see how Tambu could shine, even in times of depression, and truly make a point to her elder males that she is not expendable and is worth something great for her outstanding education, and I'm glad others got to see it.
I honestly wouldn't think back to how Tambu "wasn't sorry when her brother died," because it is in the past and Nhamo is a character who has been forgotten. However, I find that it did relate to her education, because Nhamo doubted her so much and didn't have faith in her as a woman - and it showed that she was one who overcame those feelings of doubt and could leave behind the guilt of staying with family. I am really relieved to be done with the book, and this is the most I've read in one week's time; I finished the last half of the book from last Sunday to tonight, and I'm just happy it's over. I was glad to understand the point of view of the novel and Tambu's character, and I can tell that her description shows a lot about how she feels at certain points in time. It was awesome to see how Tambu could shine, even in times of depression, and truly make a point to her elder males that she is not expendable and is worth something great for her outstanding education, and I'm glad others got to see it.
March Madness
This month in particular, I've got a lot of things on my plate, and I've been kind of overwhelmed preparing for it all. I'm less concerned about my grades and assignments because I know I can manage them within this week, and I'm focusing on the social aspects of my life by spending more free time with friends and family. This is because I enjoy doing that and I just don't get to all the time. I don't see myself having a non-busy weekend at all this month, or in the future as I am involved with a lot of extracurricular activities. I've been balancing track practices and meets with academics since January, and I know it's all going to build up this month as I have more things to focus on. Most of my outdoor meets are this month and next, and I'm honestly still practicing and preparing to take on field & running events, while managing to stay in shape. It's become slow and gradual, but I know I'll get results for speed quickly as we practice harder.
Other than sports, I have a lot of weekend activities to tend to in the upcoming weeks. Hanging out with friends is one thing (because I'll definitely find time to do that), but I have parties that I want to go to, and I'm excited to go and be worry-free of everything bothering me - and that's how I see parties: as being a time to let go of anything and have fun. It's also a great and forceful way to meet and interact with new people! I've got at least four parties planned out for me, so we'll see how it all turns out by the end of this month. The normal downtime I've been having is going to get cut down, and now I have to accept that and balance every activity with school so that I won't be stressed (hopefully). Sports are usually schedule during the week and on weekends if there's a meet, and I can make promises to friends, saying, "sure, I'll go there," or something like that - and we can spend time during my free time. With school, I want to split up homework times throughout the week and do the absolute least amount of homework on weekends. I'm really excited to be putting all of this balance of grades, sports, and friends to the test, and hopefully I'll stick to these new habits and be able to manage everything over time!
Other than sports, I have a lot of weekend activities to tend to in the upcoming weeks. Hanging out with friends is one thing (because I'll definitely find time to do that), but I have parties that I want to go to, and I'm excited to go and be worry-free of everything bothering me - and that's how I see parties: as being a time to let go of anything and have fun. It's also a great and forceful way to meet and interact with new people! I've got at least four parties planned out for me, so we'll see how it all turns out by the end of this month. The normal downtime I've been having is going to get cut down, and now I have to accept that and balance every activity with school so that I won't be stressed (hopefully). Sports are usually schedule during the week and on weekends if there's a meet, and I can make promises to friends, saying, "sure, I'll go there," or something like that - and we can spend time during my free time. With school, I want to split up homework times throughout the week and do the absolute least amount of homework on weekends. I'm really excited to be putting all of this balance of grades, sports, and friends to the test, and hopefully I'll stick to these new habits and be able to manage everything over time!
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