Reader's Response 2.22.12

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

  Even though I am in the beginning of We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee, I found the novel The Summer I Turned Pretty on my NOOK App and decided to read it over Mardi Gras break. I had always seen the book by Jenny Han in Barnes and Noble every time I went but never gave it a chance until I was online and saw it had such great reviews by girls my age. Over Christmas break I got a lot of money to buy books for my NOOK tablet and The Summer I Turned Pretty was one of many purchases! The novel is the first in its trilogy called 'Summer'.

  TSITP {The Summer I Turned Pretty} is about Belly Cocklin and how her life revolves around her summers at the Fisher's beach house at Cousin's beach and how her life evolves from a young girl into a beautiful young woman. The story is told with flashbacks which I love about it. The flashbacks give explanations for the way {Isabel} Belly Cocklin, Conrad Fisher , Jeremiah Fisher, Steven Cocklin, Taylor Jewel, Susannah {Beck} Fisher, Laurel Cocklin, Mr. Fisher, & Mr. Cocklin act when it comes back to the present. Belly loves Beck like she is her own mother and Conrad and Jeremiah as her own brothers. But Belly has been in love with Conrad since the day she met him. But Conrad is hard and hidden and has never shown any of the same feeling towards 'baby Belly'. Belly has a true shock of real life when her summer ends {no I will NOT tell you!! ;) }

  I highly recommend this book to girls! Sorry guys but you boys would most likely not enjoy this book. I loved this book because I could relate to some of things that Belly went through or said in the book. TSITP is a love story as well as a tear jerking drama. The way I described the book to my mom and grandmother was like a teenage Nicholas Sparks novel. I hope reading this will make you guys want to read the book and tell me how you like it or dislike it.

Reading Times:
2.20.12- 2 hours and 37 minutes
2.21.12- 3 hours and 10 minutes
~over all 5 hours and 47 minutes~ awhh yyeeah!

Free Post 2.14.12

Gold Team Tennis Adventures
~this free write was written for the assignment due on February 27th but written on February 14th~

   This year I joined the EHS tennis team. I played tennis when I was younger and was very good but I stopped and pretty much lost all of my technical skills on the court. I've been very good about going to practices and after school meetings to make sure I would be chose to get playing time! I am on the EHS gold team which is like a JV team because we are not as amazing as the blue team is. 

   Today during advisory Coach Stevens, who is the gold team tennis coach, asked me who I wanted to play doubles with and I requested to play with Victoria H. He said that Victoria and I would be playing first court doubles which is a pretty big deal! It made me super nervous because of the responsibility that comes along with first court playing but excited to play my very first high school league tennis match. 

   I had played doubles with Victoria before during off-season tennis and at our practices but it's always different in a game regardless of the sport. Gold team's opponents for the afternoon was Runnels High School. I used to go to Runnels since I was two years old and left after seventh grade so I knew everyone one their team which was a little awkward. But Victoria and I got out on the court and lost our first set 6-2. We got our heads in the game before the second set and said, "C'mon let's do this. We know we can." We went out and won the second set 7-5! We were so pumped up and Coach Stevens was really excited for us. Our coaches decided that we play at 10 point tie breaker. Victoria and I worked hard but lost the tie breaker 10-6 in the end. We did an amazing job for our first doubles match of the season and put up a hard fight!

   I was disappointed because of our loss after the game. But my mom and Coach Stevens said that we fought how first court players fight which really cheered me up. After tennis Micheal H. and Victoria were coming with my mom and I to get some food before we had to go to our choir rehearsal for six o'clock. I went to go get all my backpack and books I went into the pocket of my backpack where I put my phone before I went on to play and it wasn't there. I looked to my right and I saw two quarters on the ground beside me which caught my attention because for two weeks I've had four quarters in the pocket of my backpack where my phone is kept. I checked pocket again. Still no phone and only two quarters lying in the bottom of the pocket. "Someone took my phone" was my immediate reaction. But my mom, Michael, and Victoria helped me dump out all my bags, check the locker room, ask the front desk, look on courts but still no phone. Once I was completely 110% positive my phone was stolen my dad called AT&T and had it deactivated.

   We got into the car and sat in traffic. My mind was racing of the thoughts, "is there anyone who could of possibly of accidentally picked up my phone? Did I leave it at school? Is it in Michael's moms' car?" Michael and Victoria were in the backseat of my mom's car thinking of everyone and anyone who could of seen or have my phone. No one had it or had seen it. It took us twenty five minutes to get from the tennis courts to Cane's which with out traffic is less and five minutes of driving. All the traffic made me stressed that we would be late to rehearsal which Mr.Hubbard specifically told us not to be late to. We went to rehearsal and everything went well.

When I got home from choir I was crying when I had to change my passwords for everything I had on my phone because I didn't have a pass code on it. I still don't have my phone which is upsetting. I'll miss my very first iPhone. :( I worked so hard to pay for that phone myself. But what really makes me mad is that is could of been anyone of my teammates who got their iPhone stolen but it just so happened to be mine {just my luck, huh?} Hope y'all all had a better day than I did because today is going down as one of my worst days in the history of ever.

These were the Valentines Day adventures of the EHS Gold tennis team and a total Lauren move.

Nervous Conditions

Nervous Conditions 

  In English class we have been reading Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga. We now have read three chapters of the novel and it's very intense. I really understand this book which makes reading it ten times better. Plus I love annotating books :). Chapter two was very confusing for me. I think it has been the most challenging chapter for me in this book so far because of all the flashbacks that Tambu has within it. 

  In chapter three so much happens! I got really confused but not as confused as I was in chapter two. I was really relieved to find out how Nhamo died but that doesn't make any make up for how much I dislike him. I find that one of the main themes it equality for women which breaks my heart. Jeremiah and Nhamo should be completely ashamed of themselves, in today's society. But my classmates and I found that they aren't ashamed of themselves because the way the behave is how they were pretty much expected to act by their society. I can't wait to see how this book moves on.

Reading Times:
1.9.12- 1 hr and 15 minutes
1.10.12- 1 hr and 20 minutes 

Free Post 2.11.12

EHS vs UHS: Meet Again

   All day at school yesterday I heard murmurs of, "Are you going to the basketball game tonight? It's going to be awesome!" All of my classmates were referring to the EHS vs UHS girls and boys basketball game at seven  o'clock Friday night. I haven't gone to a basketball game all this season of boys and girls. I decided to give myself a break for once this weekend and go to the game! I was super excited to go because it was also was a camouflage themed game, senior night, and something called a 'Silent Night' game. A 'Silent Night' game is where all the fans make a lot of noise while the teams are warming up but once the clock starts for the game, but make no noise until their team scores ten points. Also the cheerleaders cheered but without sound. The fans only did 'Silent Night' for the boys game though.

   I got to EHS boys gym at around six fourty five with my two friends Megan E. and Natalie R. When we all walked into the gym the girls were playing and the fans section was pretty packed already with camouflage! It was freezing outside but super hot in the fan section! The girls game was such a great game. It was very intense and filled with great shots for both teams. Fans had giant head posters of two of the Varsity girls playing, it was so funny! The final score of the girls game was 43-42! EHS GIRLS WON! Every fan that was crammed into our tiny section stormed the court screaming, "EHS! EHS! EHS! EHS!" Then all simultaneously stormed the fan section to get their spots back for the main event, the boys game. 

   Sweating and filled with excitement from the girl's win we all started yelling for our beginning of the 'Silent Night' game while the boys were warming up. The boys finished warming up, set up their starting line up for the game and head out for tip-off. The clock started and the seniors started 'shh-ing' all the fans. It was really exciting but very hard for me to be quiet because as we all know...I love talking. A lot. It didn't take very long for our boys to score ten points and we went WILD!! It was so fun that we got to ten points and we could talk again! The boys game was so super intense and EHS would be down and then ahead and then down and head! It was even more intense than the girls game. The final score of the boys game was 45-41. EHS BEAT  UHS AGAIN! The whole fan section ran out onto the court screaming even harder and even louder "EHS! U-HIGH U-CRIGH!" I had so much fun and I am so proud to be a knight! 

Reader's Response 1.4.12

Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga

  Last week in English class we were given the novel Nervous Conditions by Tistsi Dangarembga. Whenever Dr.d told us about this book I was a little excited because it was something new that we were doing but I knew it would be a lot of work. I was really afraid that this book was going to be an allegory novel. Whenever we work on allegories I get really stressed out by all of the themes and motifs that go along with all of the work.

 I read the introduction and first chapter of Nervous Conditions last Thursday. I found that the first chapater of the story was a little too much information. Dangarembga introduces almost every character in the first chapter along with a lot of unknown African words which was very confusing. I really enjoyed the introduction but not as much as the first chapter. I'm trying to stay positive with this book even though it's just another thing on my list of things to do in. I really do have high hopes for the plot and the way Dr.d plans on teaching it to us though.

Reading Times:
1.2.12- 95 minutes; Nervous Conditions
1.5.12-55 minutes; Research and note cards for Global Issues Analysis 

Free Post 2.3.12

School and Stress.

      "Work hard because at the end of your high school career it will all that work will be worth it.",one of the school college counselors told my class about sophomore year scheduling. Personally I'm really excited for senior year, graduation, and going to college. But I can't just jump to senior year graduation and getting college acceptance letters. I have to work hard in my first three years of high school and make it count. That statement is completely easier said than actually done. 

       I knew going into EHS that it is very well known as a great high school but a lot of work and it is. I have been so stressed out lately to the point where I just do what I have to do, get it done, and go to sleep Which makes me either go to sleep at 10 PM or 1 AM depending on the day. This really stresses me out even more because I love being over prepared for all of my classes, but that hasn't really been happening lately. Also it stresses me out because I am so mean without sleep so I have been living off of cups of coffee to keep me nice. I get home by almost four o'clock and I goof off for about thirty minutes or so and then I begin my work which takes me between 3-8 hours depending on what I have that night. 

      I know that 2-8 hours is a wide range of time and a little ridiculous but I'm not lying when I tell you that. What surprises me is that I'm not in any honors classes and it takes me this long to do homework and study. I hate that one some weekends, including this one, I will be doing homework Friday-Sunday because there is just so much work. Doing all this work just completely stresses me out because I have to miss out on social events sometimes which isn't fair to me as a kid! But my sophomore friend Elizabeth H. showed me that is so true and completely relates to my situation!

     But I have been trying to manage my stress lately by going to the library at any break I get to do my required homework that's due the next day. So when I get home I can get prepared for my classes the next day or work ahead. At first I was embarrassed to do this but now I just worry about myself and thing of this picture and what our advisers keep telling us!