Farrewell...again

So, I thought that May 18th was our last blog day so I created a final post, but now Mr. Hill wants a formalish one. Well, here goes....

(see my previous last post for all the mushy gushy stuff I wrote about this class) This semester I read 5,200 pages of pop literature (minus the few nonfiction pages I tried to read). As I picked up the many many many books I read during this semester, I found that I usually found my self curled up on my couch with something to drink (I like to drink water when I read, it's just some thing I do). When I read at home, I usually like to start my novels with complete silence, but i usually get so into them that half the time I can't hear my mom calling me to dinner. In all of the books, excluding the first book, I have read this semester, I have found that I could not put them down. I typically would start the book at my house and then I would get so into it that I would be sitting in class thinking about when I would get the chance to pick up my book again. I usually read during my math class (I know that's bad) when the teacher was going over our homework, and again in my study hall. Basically I would eat, sleep, and think about each book I read. When I read Water for Elephants, I talked about it with Mrs. Palmer because she had read the book earlier, so when I got to all the good stuff we just talked and talked and talked. I mainly talked about my books with my mom though because we basicially share bookshelves. Either I read a book she's read or she reads a book I've read and then we talk about it. It's kind of like we have our own two person book club! One thing I have learned about myself as a reader is that I really enjoy reading novels that are or will become movies. I love reading and watching the story then picking out similarites and differences. I also have realized that if you put a romance novel in front of, doesn't matter what kind, I will most definately read it and lov it. Overall, I have loved this class and I plan to keep reading and maybe I will make a new blog kind of like this one because I really have enjoyed blogging this semster! (some of my friends want me to make a Glee blog because I love it so much).

Thanks Mr. Hill for being an amazing teacher, this was by far my favorite class this semester :)

Farewell...it's been a great semester!

Well, today is the last day to blog for etymology.  So, I've decided to reveal my identity. My name is Allison Murray (but I bet some of you already guessed who I was). I had so much fun blogging this semester, even though making all of those reading posts got a little annoying towards the end. Blogging was so much better than having to write about our reading in a journal. It's going to be weird coming home and not having to get on the computer everyday so I can make either a reading log or a personal post (I loved making those). Who knows, maybe I will create my own blog in the future?  I hope Mr. Hill keeps doing this for his future classes!

I am going end my etymology blogging with this song from the Sound of Music...Maybe you can guess it :)

What Happened to Goodbye...a summary

By: Sarah Dessen

Well, this is sad....this is my very last reading post ever. I have really enjoyed (and hated...not gonna lie) making these posts and it will be sad to never have to do them again....but oh well, life goes on :)

The main character in this book is Mclean. She currently lives with her dad. Her parents are divorced due to this messy affair that her mom had with the University basketball coach (scandalous, I know). Anyway, after a long and messy court debate, it was decided that Mclean would travel with her father. He goes and fixes up restaurants for a living, so he has to travel a lot. In each new city that Mclean lives in, she creates a different identity for herself because she really wants to leave Mclean's life behind, but when her dad is sent to fix up a restaurant in Lakeview, she ends up getting stuck with using her real name again. In Lakeview, she meets this guy named Dave (that's a shocker) and makes real friends. She didn't plan on making friends because she and her dad always move on to a new town after a few months, but making friends just kind of....happened. As she starts to live her life as Mclean again, she realizes that it's ok to have a messed up past as long as their are people in your future that are worth being with.

I was so excited when this book came out. Sarah Dessen is my favorite author (of young adult novels), and I have read every one of her books. I really liked this story, even though it wasn't my favorite. If any of you have read any Sarah Dessen books, I highly recommened this one. It is a fairly easy read and has a mix of drama and romance and funniness :)

Some Cute Videos :)

This video is of a little Korean boy singing Hey Jude by the Beatles!

This is of two little British kids (WATCH)

You have to go to 0:40 for the really funny part, but the whole video is really cute. Two little girls are singing tomorrow from the musical annie.

This little baby's laugh is so funny and cute :)

Ok, last one! This little baby's laugh is also quite adorable :)



Safe Haven...A summary

By: Nicholas Sparks

This was my favorite book I have EVER read by Nicholas Sparks. I think I liked it so much because it was just so different than the other ones I have read by him. In the majority of his books a guy and a girl meet, they fall in love, and someone dies of cancer...then I end up bawling my eyes out even though I knew what was coming. So, when I got into this book, I was surprised to find out that it wasn't anything like I just described...
  The main character in this book is a woman named Katie. She has moved to Southport, a small and safe town in North Carolina. She has a huge and crazy secret that she is trying to run away from. While in Southport, she meets and falls in love with this widowed man named Alex and his two children. Alex's wife had died of cancer (only mention of the disease in the ENTIRE book!) Katie also becomes best friends with her neighbor who has a secret of her own, but I can't tell you what it is because it would ruin the whole story ;) As Katie re-creates her life in Southport, she eventually trusts Alex and Jo with the truth of her past and her reasons for running away (I really want to say, but I don't want to spoil the book or anyone!) Let me just say that the life she left behind a life in which she knew a cccrraazzyy man who was a psyco-path. Anyways, this psycho path eventually discovers where she is hiding and comes after her, but Katie finds a away to be brave and stand up to face all of the horrors of her past.
  I definately recommend this book to all those girls out there who love sappy romance novels...this one will deifinately make you cry!!

My Celebrity Twin?

Recently I was told that I was a "spitting image" of the female singer in the duo Lady Antebellum. Personally, I can't see the resembelance all that much, but hey, I have always wanted a celebrity twin so I guess I will just go with it :)

Someone else I have been told that I look like it Jennifer Garner...now this one I think is a stretch haha :)

I mean how can I look like both of these women when they noth look completely different? I just don't get it! I guess it just depends who it is that looks at me lol



Poetry Anthology

The theme I have chosen for this project is First Love

My Poems:
1. Adam and Eve by Marjorie Pickthall
2. Coy Mistress by Annie Finch
3. The Best Slow Dancer by David Wagoner
4. First Love John Clare
5. "I wish I could Remember that firhst day" by Christina Rossetti
6. A Moment by Mary Elizabeth Coleridge
7. Fate by Carolyn Wells
8. A Date by Kevin McFadden
9. Cave Dwellers by A. Poulin
10. Once We Played by Mathilde Blind

The Twilight saga: the official guide pgs. 68-84

by: Stephanie Meyer

The section after Stephanie Meyer's interveiw is her interpretation of Vampires. She talks about why her vampires sparkle in the sun light. She also explains how, once transformed into a vampire, every imperfection that you may have had will completely disappear and be replaced with nothing, but complete beauty. She also talks about a vampire's supernatural abilities. In her world, all vampire's obtain the abilities of unnatural beauty, speed, and immortality, but only a few get "special" abilities. The vampire's that do get these excess abilities often get them because they were used quite often in their human lives. For example, Jasper can control people's emotions. This is because he was very caring and really cared about people's emotions when he was human.
  After she talks about her vampires characteristics, Meyer goes into detail about the Vampire history. Apparantly, the oldest vampire's are the Romanians. They ruled for a long time, until a trio known as the Volturi rose to power. They have been in power since 500 a.d. The Volturi have establised a sort of kingom, with themselves at the top (the Kings basically). To maintain order in the Vampire world, the Volturi came up a few laws that every vampire must follow. Thei biggest rule is to keep their existence a secret. The only other major law is that no vampire is to create an immortal child. This is because once transformed, you are stuck with that level of maturity.
  The last section in this "Vampire" section talks about what is a vampire Myth and what is true in Stephanie Meyer's world. According to Stephanie Meyer, the Volturi created the myths of burning in the sun, no reflection, sleep in coffins, etc.., to keep the humans from figuring out how similar real vampires are to humans (besides the blood-thirst and extreme beauty).

This section of the guide was very interesting to me because I have been interested in the Volturi's background ever since Edward mentioned them in the second book. It was cool to read that all of the myths that we have grown up hearing about vampires, are actually really myths (well, it's all just one big myth since Vampires aren't real, but I think you guys get what I mean) and that real vampires actually aren't all that different from humans.

Best Commercial Ever!

Oh my Goodness!...this commercial came on while I was watching Raising Hope last night. I think it is the best commercial ever!

Ipads, Laptops, and Wiis Oh my!

I think it is just ridiculous that nowadays people think that the only ways to have fun are if you're playing with the latest downloadable app for your ipod or smart phone. Don't get me wrong, I love technology; I go to my Facebook account almost everyday. I just look back to the good ole days when my family used to have "family Game night" and play our favorite board games after we finished dinner. Now our usual post dinner activities include: my dad checking up on his fantasy football stuff (it's not even football season!), I get the laptop so I can do my blogging for etymology while listening to my ipod, and my mom and two sisters either watch TV or wait until it's their turn for the computer.
  I don't think that all this technology is simply ruining family relationships, I think it also is ruining people's overall well being. I mean if you think about it...why is the obesity rate so high? It sure wasn't back in the 40's and earlier when kids actually had to go outside and play to enjoy life. I mean think about it, if you were given the option to go out and play soccer or sit inside and play Angry Birds on your ipod touch..Which would you choose?
  I think all of this new technology is great and really fun to use, but I think our nation would be a lot better off if these new inventions were used in moderation. Why waste your life away starting at a computer screen when you could be out in the world looking at life for real?

Here Comes the Bride...well, not yet

It's 4 in the morning on a day that is going to make history...and I get to watch (on my TV that is)! So far it's been pretty slow. Of the many channels that are showing this wedding, I have chosen to watch the Today shows channel and I am recording the coverage of the wedding on BBC.
 The main newscasters are spread out and located in various parts where the wedding will take place. Matt, Al, and Laura are outside Buckingham Palace, Michelle is outside the hotel where Catherine Middleton and her father will leave in a very fancy car and drive to Westminster Abbey, and
  The one thing on every one's mind is what will Catherine's dress look like? People everywhere are trying to guess just what her dress will look like. Some think she will wear something sweet and conservative while others think she will become a fashion icon and wear something more flashy and modern. Also, others wonder if Queen Elizabeth will offer to let Catherine wear a tiara, a lot of the women want Catherine to wear a tiara (I want her to wear a tiara!)
  Another thing that I've noticed is that everyone has seemed to stop calling Kate Middleton Kate. They all refer to her as Catherine now. I just thought it was interesting :) Now that she is about to become a princess, everyone has gotten so formal.

  Well, the ceremony starts at 6am so I am going to have to record most of it (stupid school), but I am so so excited! :D

This is West minister Abbey, the place that is holding hundreds
of guests awaiting the arrival of Prince William and then
princess to be Catherine

This is Buckingham palace, the place where Prince William and
Princess Kate will share their first public kiss as husband and
wife.

The Twilight Saga: the official guide pgs. 32-65

by: Stephanie Meyer

Stephanie's interview continues with her thoughts on how she handles readers and critics critisms. I learned from this that Stephanie is actually pretty self-concious about her writing and it pained her to know that there are people out there who do not like her series. She said that it really bothered her in the beginning, but as she wrote more of the novels she stated to accept that some people are just not going to like her books and that she can't impress everyone.
  Another major thing that was talked about in this interview was how Stephanie Meyer took themes and concepts from books that she loves and incorporated them into her own story...I guess they're kind of like allusions. Some of the specific books she used and talked about incude: Romeo and Juliet, Wuthering Heights, Merchant of Venice, and A Midsummer's Night Dream. It was really interesting to hear how these books inspired her and how hse hopes that her novels will inspire others. As she was talking she started talking about she kind of used the novel Jane Eyre in the Twilight Saga.
  Stephanie Meyer also discussed how much her life has changed since her books became a worldwide phenomenon. One thing that she found hard to do was how she had to create two different personalities. She said that there was Stephanie: the loving mother and wife, and then there was Stephanie Meyer: the author of these really popular books. The one who has to go to book signings and do interviews. She als says in the interview that in the beginning she had a pretty hard time balancing life and writing. She said that when her children were little she would put everyone in a room and the kids would play while she wrote, but they were all together so if anything happened she was there. One thing that Stephanie Meyer said she is grateful is the support that she gets from her kids, husband, and friends. She said that her kids know that if she's working on a novel they aren't allowed to bother her unless someone is bleeding.

Response:
I am learning so much about Stephanie Meyer as an author by reading this...I'm also learning a bit of information about writing novels. I want to be a published children's book author when I get older (along with being a teacher), and even though Meyer does chapter books for teenagers, the writing process is pretty much th same. I have been getting some great tips on how to write good things! :D

A Royal Wedding is only days away!

aren't they just the cutest?!?!

Yes, Prince William and his fiance Kate Middleton are getting married on Friday! A lot of you guys probably don't really care about what is about to happen in only two days, I mean they live in a whole different country, but I don't really care what you think, I'm excited!. I am so so so into weddings in general, but can you imagine how amazingly beautiful this ROYAL wedding is going to be!! I have been keeping up with the royal couple for a few weeks now, and I must say, I have learned a lot about the royal family and their history.
 The other day lifetime did a 5 part documentary that talked about how William and Kate's relationship went from college friends to the most talked about couple in the world. I did in fact watch his whole thing, it was so good :) Lifetime also made an original movie that was about how the pair met, became friends, and eventually fell in love. The actors that played both Kate and William did a great job of portraying the royal couple :D

   Be sure to DVR the wedding on Friday...it will be on like every major news channel and it starts at 4a.m!!!!

this is the trailer for the lifetime movie...check it out! I also suggest watching the movie (you can find it on lifetime.com...it's only like an hour and a half long)

Vote for Tales of a Bibliophile!

I voted for the blog Tales of a Bibliophile. http://123tidbit.blogspot.com/2011/04/neato.html <--- this link goes to one of her posts where she has a few really cool pictures. these pictures were both cute and gave me a good little laugh. I love the variety of each of this person's posts. Keep up the good Work!! 

The Twilight Saga: The official illustrated guide pgs. 1-31

By: Stephanie Meyer

  The first part of the book is an interview with Stephanie Meyer. I learned a lot of new stuff in this interview (and I though I knew everything there is to know about Twilight). The first topic that was discussed was How it all began. Now this was not new to me, I think everyone in the entire Universe knows that the Twilight saga began with a dream...Stephanie Meyer's dream to be exact. She had a dream about this guy who was not human, and a girl talking in a meadow. When Meyer woke up, she started writing...and BOOM! Twilight hit. The new stuff that I read was when Stephanie Meyer was talking about how afraid she was to write the series. She said that as she was writing she couldn't even think about selling it to a publisher because she was afraid that everyone would hate it. Originally, she wasn't even oing to get the book published at all. (Can you imagine how tragic that would have been?!?! Thank goodness she got the courage to publish the book!)
  The second part of the interview was about her characters coming to life. The first character she talked about was Jacob, good `ole annoying Jacob. I have to say I liked what I read though...Stephanie said that her first draft of Twilight didn't even have Jacob in it. Apparantly Jacob wasn't even supposed to have existed, but Meyer said that she had to add him when she hit a wall because she couldn't make Edward say the words "I am a vampire" to Bella. So, she created a sub character that could help Bella figure it out on her own. Stephanie Meyer also said that when her editor read the version of Twilight that had Jacob's character in it, she wanted to know more about him. That's why Meyer created the werewolf storyline. Stephanie Meyer also talked about how if she had to go back and re-write the entire series she doesn't think that she could make her characters make different choices. Bella is always going to choose Edward, Edward is always going to leave, and Jacob is always going to fall in love with Bella. She talked about how each of her characters have a mind of their own and how they in a sense wrote the story.

I have been waiting to read this book forever!! The coolest part about this book is that it's written in book form so it feels like I am actually reading another one of Stephanie Meyer's novels :)

Water for Elephants....my movie review



Water for Elephants was such an amazing movie! I love love loved it!! The crew did such an awesome job of making sure that it was like the book. The only parts that weren't put on the screen exaclty were the pretty gruesome parts...and I was definately ok with that. Now many people are not fans of Robert Pattinson because he plays Edward in Twilight (not me though I LOVE HIM), but all I want to say to those people is this: you need to give him a chance and go see this movie. He does such an amazing job, and I am not just saying this from a fan girl's perspective. He really was great, it was nice to see him in a role other thn Edward, he is growing as an actor and that is just so awesome :) The other stand out character for me was the man who played August. Man, did he nail his role right down to every minor detail. He was nice when he was supposed to be, and he was a jerk when he was supposed to be. It was so good.
  I recommend this movie to all types of movie goers because it has a little bit of everything in it. There is the romance between Jacob and Marlena, the action when people get beat up and an animal stampede, and there is even a little bit of history on what circus life was like in 1930's. Such a great and well rounded film!!

Wicked...a condensed summary

by: Gragory Maguire

So I kinda went reading crazy and finiashed the rest of Wicked today. I am going to do a super condensed summary, so bear with me!

Years after they graduate Shiz (not Elfie remember, she dropped out), Fieyro finds Elphaba in the Emerald City. She is reluctant to be with him at first, but they soon have this crazy love affair that lasts until he gets captured by the Wizards guards. After hearing about Fiyero's death Elfie goes into a state of shock that lasts for seven years, during she may or may not have given birth to a son named Liir (this kid follows her around throughout the rest of the book). She fianlly comes to and decides to go to Kiamo Ko castle and get Sarmia (Fiyero's wife) to forgive her for comtitting adultry. At Kiamo Ko Elfie becomes a part of Sarima's family and lives somewhat happily with them until she must go see Nessa. During this time, she discovers her flying broomstick, the Grimmerie, and Chistery (he's not a flying monkey yet). She gets a message from her father asking to go to mucnhkinland and talk to Nessa, and while there Elpfie realizes that her sisiter is considered the "Wicked Witch of the East" and all the munchkins hater her. She leaves Munchkinland and does not return for twelve years...for Nessa's funeral.
  After the infamous Cyclone that brought Dorothy to Oz, Elfie sees Glinda for the first time and learns that she gave Dorothy her sisters magical shoes. She sets out to find Dorothy before she gets to the Emaerald city and gives the Wizard the shoes. During her hunt for Dorothy, Elphaba becomes a little crazy, and by the time Dorothy is sent to Kiamo Ko by the Wizard to murder Elpfie, she considers herself the "Wicked Witch of the West." When Dorothy arives at Kiamo Ko, Elfie is initally very kind to Dorothy. She only gets upset when Dorothy tells her that she literally cannot take of the shoes...Dorothy was willing to give them to her. Anyway, somehow Elfie's dress gets caught on fire, and Dorothy throws the bucket of water onto Elfie to try and estinguish the fire. She didn't know it was going to kill the Witch. After Elfie dies, all of Oz celebrates and the Wizard finally realizes that he sent a little girl to murder his own daughter....so, discusted with himself, he leavfes Oz forever.

Response:
This book was...different. That's what I would say if I had to describe it in one word. I really admire Gragory Maguire's style of writing and the diction he uses. Too bad I hadn't read this for the around the world essay because it would have been so fun to do an analytical paragraph for a passage from the book. I really loved Mr. Maguires take on how he thought the events in Oz really happened....he is definately a very creative person. The only thing that bothered me was the end, and if you've seen the musical, you will know what I'm talking about :)

Beastly: My Movie Review

Last Saturday I went to see Beastly at the cheap theater with my friend Melanie (it was a pretty spur of the moment idea...but those plans are always the best!). Anyway, we both LOVED it! It was so very different from the book, like there were basically no similarities what so ever. So that was kind of disappointing, but I still thought it was a good movie. It is one of those movies that you rent when you're hanging out with a couple of girlie friends and gush over how extremely HOT the lead actor is. (and he is so scrumtous!)

  Vanessa Hudgens really surprised me in this role. Personally, I didn't think she was all that great in High School Musical so I was a little worried about how she would portray Lindy. She did such a good job. My favorite scene was one where she was talking to Kyle (in beast form) and they were so awkward around each other. It was great :)

   The best part of the entire movie had to have been in the very last scene (don't worry, I won't spoil anything). Vanessa Hudgen was wearing TOMS! It was so funny becasue me and my friend noticed at the exact same time so we both kinda loud whipsered it and then we started cracking up. This guy behind us got all made was was like "SHHH!!!", but I don't really know why he got so mad because the movie was over....oh well :)

Wicked Part II: The Charmed Circle (pgs. 167-228)

By: Gregory Maguire

Dr. Dillamond and Elphaba :)

Summary:
Glinda's Ama did not handle Dr. Dillamond's death very well and went into a state of craziness and had to be hospitalized. Madame Morrible told Glinda and Elphaba that they could not attend Shiz unchaperoned. So, she sent for Elphaba's sister, Nessarose, and Nanny to come to Shiz. Nessa, is 3 years younger than Elphaba and has a deformity...she has no arms and has trouble keeping her balance. Nessa is also exceptionally beautiful...quite the opposite of Elphie. Glinda is starting to realize that she has changed since her arrival at Shiz. Dr. Dillamond's death seemed to have changed the way she looks at life. She is no longer the vain girl who cared only about her looks and treated Eplhie poorly, in fact, she now considers Elphaba as a friend.
  A few days after Dr. Dillamond's death, a new teacher was assigned his position and started teaching the class about the new techniques used to prevent Animals from gainig the ability to speak. During a lesson, a new student enters th class. His name is Fieyro and he is a Winki prince. Elphie, Glinda and crew immediately accept Fieyro and imclude him in all of their shennaniggans. Nessa gets a package from their father and is surprised to see that got her a pair of beautiful and dazzling shoes. Glinda asked Eplhie wht she did not receive a gift and Elphie explained that Nessa had always been the favorite.
  A few days later, Glinda's Ama passes away and after her funeral, Elphie tells Glinda that they are going to the Emerald City to speak to the Wizard. they travel to the Emerald City and are very frightnened by the Great and Terrible Oz. Elphie tried to explain about the issue with the Animals and gets extremely upset when the Wizard does not agree to help her. After their meeting with the Wizard, Elphie tells Glinda that she will not be returning back to Shiz with her....

Response:

So in this little section, there were basically NO similiarites. First of all, in the musical Dr. Dillamond does not die...I mean that's so depressing! Another descrpiton that is not similar is their trip to Oz....basically that whole part of the story is so confusinmg to me. Oh well, if I try not to compare the book the the musical, I am finding that I really enjoy the stroy :) I especilly like how everyone is like best friends....I hope I can have close friends like this when I'm away at college!

This is the scene after Dr. Dillamond gets fired, and Elphie and G(a)linda's trip to the Emerald City.

And this is their encounter with the not so Wonderful Wizard of Oz I have two fun facts for you: This Elphaba is the FIRST Elphaba that I saw live...and when I watched her perfom Defying Gravity the first time my jaw dropped and it brought tears to my eyes...she is amazing.)

OMMMGGGG!!!

So my favorite teen author is Sarah Desson. I have read every single one of her books and love them all except for Keeping the Moon, but that was her fist book so I have to cut her some slack. Anyways, I visit her website a lot because I enjoy reading her blog, she seems like a pretty cool person and has a great sense of humor. Well, I was just visiting her site and the first thing I saw was that she has a new book coming out in May! I am so excited!!! The book is called What Happened to Goodbye; it looks really good based on the little summary she wrote about the book. I am looking forward to May 10! :D (we will still be in school so I will get to blog about it!!)

<----- This is what the cover looks like!

Tonight's Gonna be a Good Night

Today is the day! Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 is out on DVD TODAY. MY little sister and I have been waiting all week to get this movie. So, Today right after she gets home from school we are going to go out and buy it. She is just a little upset with me because we can't watch it right away. I am in National Honor Society and signed up to work at the coffee house tonight. So we won't be able to actually watch the movie until like 9:00 tonight. But that's ok cuz I promised her that we would have a movie night, just us two :) We are going to put it on our big TV with surround sound, make some popcorn, and reeelllaaaxxxxx. My little sister is also pretty excited because when I was in Orlando for Spring break, I found a necklace that had the deathly hallows on it...you know the symbol right? Well, she is going to wear it while we're watching the movie tonight...she is just so adorable! :)

this is what my sister's necklace looks like,
just in case you were curious ;)

Wicked Part II: Gilikin-Boq (pgs. 120-166)

By: Gregory Maguire

Summary:

This is Boq in his Shiz outfit :)

Boq is a munckin from...you guessed it...Munchkinland. His section of the story begins while he is studying in his dorm. His friend Avaric and a few other guys at Shiz are going to the Philosophy club for some fun (basically it's a bar). Boq turns down the offer and instead goes to Craige hall to see if he can talk to Galinda. He gets caught peering into the window by Elphaba who tells him that he shouldn't love Galinda because she is never going to want to be with him, but she agrees to meet with him and Galinda in a few days. A few days later Boq returns to the park outside Craige Hall and tries to convince Galinda that if they can't be together, than to just be freinds. Galinda reluctanly agrees to "pay notice" to Boq whenever she passes by him in public.

   The story jumps to the summer holiday after the meeting with Galinda and Elphaba. Boq has gotten a job working in the library. He soon discovers that Elphaba is helping Doctor Dillamond research and prove to the Wizard that Animals are no different than humans. Boq is inspired by Elphaba's passion for the Animals and offers to help her gather information to help Doctor Dillamond. They spend most of their summer doing this research. At the end of the summer Elphie gets a letter from Galinda asking to come stay up at her cottage. Elphie doesn't want to go, but Boq makes her (and he accompanies her). It turns out that one of Galinda's friends sent the invitation as a joke. Galinda was humiliated and Elphie didn't eve nact embarrassed.
  The second year at Shiz certainly started with a bang. A  few weeks after the begginning of the new term, Boq went out into the courtyard to find all of the students crowded around a dead doctor Dillamond....

Response:
Things are starting to come together in the story and that makes me happy :) I'm starting to pick out a plot that I'm pretty sure will be focused on a lot throughout the story....The whole idea about Elphaba fighting for the rights of the Animals. This is one plot point that is like the musical!!! In the musical, Elphaba does all that she can to help the Animals, annndd the Elphaba in the story is doing the exact same thing! It makes me so excited to keep reading...maybe there are some similiarites after all :)

The begginning of this video shows kind of how Boq is in love with Galinda and how Galinda definately is NOT!

Wicked part II: Gilikin-Galinda's part (pgs.83-119)

by: Gregory Maguire

Summary:
Galinda is 17 years old and is off to spend four years at Oz's most renound college...Shiz university. She is traveling alone because her Ama (they are like nannies...all the elite socialites in oz have one) had stepped on a rusted nail and needed to spend time in the hospital. Next to her on the train was a professor that teaches at Shiz...an Animal named Doctor Dillamond. (the word Animal is capitolized because in Oz there are Animals and animals. The animals are just like the animals in our world, but the Animals have developed spirits and are basically humans in animal form. meaning that they can speak, walk like humans, and have the ability to learn.)
  Once at Shiz, Galinda was put into a dorm with none other that the green girl...Miss Elphaba. Galinda missed her chance to room with the other socialites because her Ama was not their to pick out a good roomie. The next day, Galinda's Ama came to Shiz fully recovered from her injury. She was very kind to Elphaba even though Galinda had no idea why because she personally found Elphaba repulsive and antisocial. Galinda had no idea why Elphaba was so addicted to reading books and learning and thought of her as a green freak.
  Galinda didn't really want to go to college to learn, she really was there for the social reasons, but she soon found that to succeed and impress Madame Morrible she actually had to study and learn. One night at a poetry reading led by Madame Morrible, Galinda was introduced to a munchkin that apparently grew up with Elphaba, only Elphaba did not rememeber him. Little did Galinda know that he would soon fall in love with her....

Response:


this is what Galinda wears to Shiz in
the Musical  



Now that the main characters are old enough to speak for themselves, I am finding that I enjoy the book a lot more now :) I still haven't run into many similarities between the two versions, but I'm no longer quite as confused as I was when I was reading part I. I really like how the characters that are going to play crucial roles later in the story are all starting to meet each other and interact with each other. A specific plot hasn't really been set up yet but I think I'm getting close :) Right now it's mainly just talking about the life of each character and developing their personalities and qualities...

This video is the Shiz university school song....it highlights Galinda's entrance and demonstrates how people automatically despise Elphaba just because her skin is green. It also shows how she is rejected by her family (her sister Nessarose hasn't been introduced yet) and then ends with Elphaba singing a song about her hopes and dreams :) Enjoy! (oh and by the way, the woman who plays Elphaba is Stephanie J. Block....she is my favorite Broadway actress. I have never actually seen her live, but I think the countless number of youtube videos and songs I;ve listened that are by her make up for it...I want to meet her someday!)

One eccentric couple and their home

Jaime and Anthony's retro home which is filled with numerous antiques and vintage décor enhances their vivacious personalities. Jaime and Anthony's love for vintage is shown in every room of their Brooklyn apartment, but it is most present in their living room. The cream colored walls are barely noticeable because almost every inch of space is covered with vintage mirros of a multidue of sorts and frames with exotic portraits. The varying accessories that are sprinkled throughout the room symbolize how Jaime and Anthony are fascinated with the crazier parts of life.

Wicked Part I: Muchkinlanders (pgs 1-80)

By: Gregory Maguire

 

Summary:

Melena's husband, Frex, is getting ready to leave to go see what all the commotion is about the "Time-Dragon Clock". Melena thinks that their baby is going to be born in the evening so she tries to protest and keep Frex from leaving, but he does anyway. On his way to Rush Margins, Frex wonders why the people of Oz enjoy watching the predictions that the Time Dragon clock makes. See, Frex is a religious minister of Munchkinland and does not think the ways of the Time-dragon clock are right. Once in Rush Margins, Frex views the clock for himslef and the prediction that is made that night is one that invloves himself, Melena, and their baby. He has to escape the town becasue the people of Rush margins did not approve of the prediction and set off to kill Frex and his family. Back in Munchkinland, Melena is about to give birth when some neighboors come to help her escape the killers. They sit with her during her birth, but when the baby is born they run away in terror because Melena's new daughter is green...

Melena and Frex do not love baby Elphaba and call for their Nany to return and help take care of Elphaba. Elphaba is an unantural baby, she not only is green but also has a full set of teeth and can comprehend what people are saying even though she cannot talk. For the first few years of Elphaba's lifeher Nanny tries to figure out why she is green. She suspects that Melena was "close" to men other than Frex and that Elphaba may not indeed be gis, but when Nanny confronts Melena about this she ignores her and denies anything Nanny mentions.

When Elphaba has reached age two, Melena starts to act a tad more motherly to her daughter, but not much. One afternoon the two girls are outside eating lunch when a stranger appears. Melena is eleated by the idea of having a male guest in the house, you see, Frex has been away for a long time for work and she needs company of another "normal" person. She offers the man, whose name is Turtle heart, something to eat and drink. They chat for a while and the Melena lures him into her bedroom for a bit of "fun". When frex returns home, he doesn't suspect a thing and welcomes Turtle heart into the family. Turtle heart is the only one in the house who actualyl likes Elphaba. He blows glass toys for her to play with, Toys that she won't break easily. Turtle Heart gets along well with the family, but things change when Melena announces that she is pregnent because no one knows wo baby this is...

Response:

I am really enjoying this story even though I tend to get confused quite a bit. I am starting to realize that this book really is othing like the musical at all....I am having difficulty picking things out that relate to the book (like scenes). I mean I can tell which parts are in the musical, but they are so different that it's hard to pick them out. I can't wait to start reading when Elphaba grows up and meets GAlinda and all the other people she knows :)

Hello Again :)

I took this picture :)

This past week I was not able to do any blogging because of Spring Break (which I'm pretty sure is the same for all of you guys too). I thought I would share a bit of what I did on my break as a way to get the hang of blogging again :) Well, I went to Orlando, Florida for Spring break and let me just say that I had SO MUCH FUN! I have never been to Florida before, so this was a completely new experience for me :) I got to fulfill my childhood dreams of going to Disney world. I went with the Band so we had a very structured schedule. Here's a sample of what our trip was like:

• Friday we boarded our charter buses and drove all stinking day (we had to sleep on the bus that night, it was terrible)
• Saturday we went to Hollywood Studios (I got to meet Mary Poppins, the incredibles, Lotso, Minnie, Pluto, and Mickey Mouse)
• Sunday we had breakfast at the rainforest Cafe and then spent all day at Epcot (My friend and I met this really cute guy while ordering frozen snacks...it was nice :D)
• Monday we spent the day at Magic Kingdom and then marched i the electrical lights parade that night
• Tuesday (it was rainy boo hoo) we went to Ron Jon's surf shop and then spent the afternoon at Cocoa Beach. In the evening we had a buffet style dinner and had a party (our DJ was pretty cute too)
• Wednesday we went to Typhoon Lagoon water park. That night we saw Cirque Du Soleil: La Nouba (it was amazing!!)
• Thursday we ended our trip by going to Universal Studios: Islands of Adventure (um..Harry Potter...I think YES!)
• We got home around 6pm Friday

As You can see, We had a pretty jam packed week, and by the time I got home on Friday I was sun burned and exhausted. But, I still had an awesome time :) It was kind of a bummer getting up this morning knowing that Spring Break is officially over and I had to go back to school, but now I get to look forward to Summer Vacation and preparing for Senior Year! :D

yes, this is Hogwarts, and Yes I did get to go inside :)

A lot can happen in 10 years....

I really enjoyed listening to all of the senior's interviews...they were very entertaining and interesting! I was actually surprised that so many of them had a pretty good plan for when they graduate. My favorite interview was probably Nathan Rebelo's because he was so sure about what he wants to do with his life. He wants to be an architect, it is his passion and he said that he wants to "put his stamp on society." This stood out to me because he is determined to do something productive so he can get the best out of life. The other thing that I enjoyed about his interview was that he talked about the college he is hoping to go to and how he wants to "spread my wings." I am a lot like this too; my parents want me to stay in Ft. Wayne and go to IPFW for two years, but I want to get away and live on my own and be my own person.
  Not all of the students' interviews were very realistic, in fact one girl named Shauna Casale said she could see her self as a big shot movie star in 10 years. I give her props for having such a big dream, I mean who doesn't want to see their name in lights? Even, I have often found myself wanting to be in the spotlight as a big shot on Broadway, But I know that the odds of me ever making it are very slim. So, I just hope that Shauna has a back up and isn't too disappointed if her dream never comes true (I really hope it does though, I admire people with big dreams). 
  In ten years, I could see myself with a steady teaching job (cross my fingers the the market gets better), maybe I will even be married or at least engaged :) and I want to start off by living in an apartment with a roomate, I think that would be very fun :)

Water For Elephants ps. 105-159

by: Sara Gruen

Summary:
My reading started in modern day, Jacob is an old man. His is grouchy because his nurse, Rosemary, has entered the room to start his day. He explains to Rosemary howmuch he hates that everyone does everything for him all the time and assumes that they know what he wants. So, to try and make him feel better, Rosemary leaves the room only to come back and knock before entering, and asking for his opinion on things. After this, Jacob begins to like Rosemary a lot more.

In Chapter 9 the circus has stopped in their latest town. An abandoned circus is still set up with a few stragglers and animals that were left behind. Uncle Al uses this opportunity to hold "auditions" for some new freaks to add to his show. Later that day, Unlce Al tells August, Marlena, and Jacob that he has a huge surprise....he bought an elephant! Sugust nearly blows up when he hears this and the fact that they spent all of their extra money on a trailer car for the elephant.

Jacob suffers his first real hangover in chapter 10 when he attends a party that his bunkmate, Kinko( later known as Walter), is throwing. He is upset about his conflicting feelings that he has toward Marlena so he gets pretty wasted. While he is in this drunken stupor, two of the circus's more prurient women thought it would be nice to have a little "fun" with Jacob. He ends up barfing on one of the girls. Jacob wakes up the next moring to find out that the previous night was planned by Kinko to get back at him for taking up some of his "space". Later that day, Jacob officially meets the elephant for the first time. Her name is Rosie and he learns that she does not respond if she i sbeaten or whipped, she likes to be talked to like a human being.

In Chapter 11, Jacob is invited to go to a speakeasie wih Marlena and August. You can tell that Marlena is aggrivated with August because when he goes to get more drinks hse pulls Jacob in for a dance. During their dance, the cops intrude and Marlena and Jacob get separated from August. In an alley behind the club, Jacob kisses Marlena. She runs away mortified and Jacob wanders aimlessly through the town untiul he eventually makes it back to the circus area. The next morning at breakfast, Jacob can tell that August knows about what happened becasue he pretty much says that if Jacob ever tries that again he will kill him...

Response:
I really am enjoying this book even though I can't really tell you what it is about. So many things happen that I don't think there is a specific plot. I am also really confused as to why the book is called water for elephants...I'm halfway done with the book and the elephant just now appeared...strange. Oh well, I guess I will have to keep reading ot see what happens next....

Some Pretty Awesome things

There's this cool website that has a list of 1000 awesome things..the site itself is pretty awesome! Here are a few of the items on the list that I think are pretty cool and would put on my own list of awesome things:

• Eating the thing you're cooking while you're cooking it-I don't know about you guys, but whenever I make cookies I think I eat half of the batch before it's even been baked yet!
• Seeing a dog or cat chasing its own tail-this is just too funny!
• Finally finding the start ofthis stupid roll of tape-it's so aggrivating!
• Forgetting you ordered something in the mail then having it randomly show up
• Rubbing your eyes at the end of the day-this happens to me a lot because my contacts gets so dry
• making a baby laugh-this probably makes me the most happy out of anything
• When little kids hit the age when they say "hi" to everyone-it's so adorable!
• When you're sleeping and the sounds around you turn into dreamsthis happens to me almost every morning when my alarm goes off
• Showing old people how to do something on the computer
• Jumping through the sprinkler in your bathing suit
• Smell of a lbrary-if I could bottle up the scent of Barnes and Noble and spray it in my room, I would
• clean baby smell
• Saying "see you next year" to everyone on News Years eve and laughing hysterically-i do this every year and it never gets old ;)
• seeing old people hold hands-it's so cute :)

An amazing 3rd quarter....

Wow! We only have one quarter left until we're SENIORS!! I have had so much fun in etymology this quarter and have learned so so so much! I officially believe that I can successfully write one heck of an essay now...well descriptive ones at least :D Not only have I been open to more "fancy" adjectives, but I have also broadened my vocabulary skills (even though sometimes the tests are agony). I actually think that this class helped me on my SAT (which is good cuz that's why  I am taking it). On the test, I was extremely confident when it came to the grammar and vocab sections. There were words that we studied on the test!!

The other thing I have absolutely loved doing this quarter is all of my reading. I am a book nerd, I love love love reading!! Some of my favorite books I have read were The Hunger Games, Sundays at Tiffany's, and Beastly. I also am so into the book I am currently reading. I have discovered this quarter that I mainly enjoy reading pop fiction. In this pop fiction genre, I've noticed that I mainly love reading books that are or will become movies. About half of the books I've read are already movies or will eventually become movies.

For the fourth quarter I am going to try and read more novels by the author Jodi Picoult. She has a new book out called Sing You Home. It looks very interesting :) A friend of mine also recommended that I read this book called Atonement. She said it was very good and it takes place "back in the day". I love books that take place in the olden days....most particularly from the 1920s-present.

I am looking forward to what's to come in the future of this class!!

Gleecap of "Original Song"

Ohhh myyy Goodd...last night's Glee was EPIC! They sang original songs..I have been waiting for this day since I first started watching the show.

Once again Rachel tried writing her own song, this time it was called "Only Child", Finn told her that she was improving, but it still wasn't regional material. While this was happening, Quinn was telling us why she wanted to be with Finn...so she can be Prom Queen. (yeah now I definitely don't like her). She kept saying that she needed to keep Rachel away from Finn, and that you need to keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. She then ended by saying "Well, Rachel Berry, you just got yourself a new best friend." Later, Quinn told Finn that after Regionals they were going to go public with their relationship and start campaigning for Prom Queen and King. Personally, I think Finn is a bit of an idiot for not realizing that the only reason Quinn wants to be with him is so she can get a shiny crown.

Meanwhile, at Dalton Academy, Blaine suggests that they should sing a duet at regionals. The glee board agrees and they all vote to have Kurt sing with Blaine. Later, Blaine tells Kurt that he wants to do this duet with him so he can spend more time with Kurt. Then he kisses him!! This part was really awkward (Darren's lips are huge lol), but I was so happy for Kurt because he finally got his happy ending :)

Back at McKinley High the glee clubbers are hard at work on writing their own original songs for regionals. Santana writes one for Sam called "Trouty Mouth," Puck writes one for his girlfriend called "Big ass..heart," and Mercedes writes one called "Hell to the No" (this one was actually really good). Mr. Shue tries to explain to the club that most songs are written about something that hurts someone, so they get talking about how Sue has hurt them. They end up writing a song called "Loser like Me". While this is going on, Rachel and Quinn are in the auditorium trying to write a song together. Rachel had heard Quinn talking with Finn in the hallway and asked Quinn to tell her the truth. Quinn explains (rather rudely) that she is going to marry Finn and they are going to raise a family and that Rachel does not fit anywhere in the picture. Heartbroken, Rachel goes home and writes a beautiful song called "Get it Right".

At the competition, Sue's glee club sings some song about Jesus. The Warblers sing the song "Candles", alone Kurt and Blaine are amazing singers, but together they sound icky :(. Right before New Directions goes on stage Rachel tells Finn to listen closely to the lyrics in her song because she means every word. They basically blow the audience away and, yes it has finally happened, GLEE MAKES IT TO NATIONALS!!!!! I am so happy!! :D So, Glee is on a "break" right now and won't be back until after Spring Break...so sad :(

The above video is Rachel's song "Get it Right"

The below video is the song "Loser Like Me"

No Day But Today

Renee Elise Goldsberry:

she is my favorite Mimi

I am a huuggeee Broadway nerd, I love love love musicals (especially the really old ones with the really show-tuney songs). As you all have probably realized I especially enjoy the musicals Wicked and RENT. They are my two absolute favorites. I rend to waver back and forth between which one I like more, I guess it just depends on my mood. Well, for the past couple of weeks I have leaned more towards the RENT side; mainly because it was just at the Civic theatre and I went to go see it. So, I've been a little "obsessed" with it lately. I have the last Broadway performance (which was filmed live like in movie form) on my ipod and I love the cast, so I've been mainly watching/listening to that, but I also have the movie soundtrack, the actual movie, and a cd of the best songs by the original Broadway cast (yeah, I know that's a LOT, but hey it's worth it!) Basically, I have the song "Out Tonight" on my ipod 3 times...each one is sung my a different Mimi..Ha!

Anyways....the reason I wanted to make this blog was not to show you all how crazy in love I am with RENT, but to announce that IT WILL BE RETURNING TO NEW YORK CITY ON JULY 14th!!! I am so excited (I bet you couldn't tell). See, the show had its last Broadway performance in 2008 and they did this huge thing on Tony's. Usually when a show leaves Broadway it is YEARS before it comes back. Take West Side Story for example, it was on Broadway ages ago and now it's back. Well, I never thought RENT would be back in only 3 years! The only bummer is that it's not technically going to be on Broadway, the thing that I read said it's going to be an "off-Broadway" production. If and when I go to see it in New York, I don't really think that I will care where exactly it is located :)



Mark and Roger...the're roomate and Best Friends :)



I decided to blog about this today because tomorrow the auditions start. Just think, while we're at school trudging through our day, hundreds of people will be auditioning for the chance to play the unforgettable characters Mark, Roger, Mimi, Maureen, Joanne, Collins, or Angel. I am looking forward to finding out who the cast will be :) Ahhhh! I just am so excited!!



Roger and Mimi :) My favorite pair



Water for Elephants Pgs. 70-104

 By: Sara Gruen

Summary:
In Chapter 6 Jacob examines Marlena's horse, Silver Star. He says that she has a foundering hoof, and that it will be a long time until she can perform again, if ever. Uncle Al is outraged by this and tells Jacob that if he wants to stay on with this circus he better "fix that d**** horse" (wow someone's got some anger issues...). Because of Silver Star's illness, Uncle Al makes declares that this city just won't get to see the circus, so they pack up and move out.  Halfway to their next stop, the train stops so the workers can feed the animals. August asks Jacob to help him feed the cats (the lions, tigers, and panthers). The food is rotten and disgusting and Jacob tries to tell August that they can't feed the animals this. August tells him that this is all they've got. When they get to the cat den, Jacob nearly gets his arm ripped off by a lion named Rex. Luckily he didn't have any teeth, so it just bruised him really bad. 
In Chapter 7 Jacob gets invited to go have dinner with Marlena and August in their train car. At the dinner, they all get pretty drunk and there is this moment when August gets this glassy look and looks like he is going to hurt Marlena just before he passes out. Marlena tells Jacob that August has a "problem" but won't say what the problem actually is. The next day, Jacob tells Marlena that he is probably going to have to put Silver Star down. They have a moment when Marlena starts balling and Jacob is there to comfort her (foreshadowing??)

Response:
I really like this book even though it has some pretty gruesome details. As I read about the conditions that Jacob, the workers, and even the animals live in, I can't help but get a little sick to my stomach. It's just disgusting to think that they serve the animals rotten food. I think I detected some foreshadowing with two different parts in these two chapters. First, when August gets that look where he wants to hurt Marlena and second, when Marlena and Jacob have their "moment". I can't help but wonder if Marlena and Jacob are going to have an affair because of something that August did to hurt Marlena.  I guess I will jsut have to keep reading to find out.......

Picture books...stories that everyone love!

There is this pretty cool website that has a time line of picture books, going all the way back to 1658...wow that's a long time!!  I am absolutely obsessed with picture books, I have loved them ever since I was little. The first picture book that I could read to my mom was The Hungary Caterpillar by Eric Carl. One day, I plan on writing and publishing my own picture books. I have a notebook full of different ideas. Right now I am planning a story that will be about a five year old girl named Peggie and her best friend Johnny. They have big imaginations and love going on adventures. I just wish I had more free time to actually sit down and try to actually write something.
 Anyway, back to the site:

I actually know quite a few of the books on the time line, Some of my favorites include:

The Tale of Peter Rabbit 

Madeline (I love these books!!)

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Velveteen Rabbit

And to Think I saw it on Mulberry Street(my grandma and I read this together all the time)

Curious George

Harold and the Purple Crayon

The Cat in the Hat

Little Bear

   Little Blue and Little Yellow

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?

The Very Hungary Caterpillar

Frog and Toad are Friends

Alexander and the Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

The Polar Express

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

 I never realized how old some of these stories are, I mean the first book I recognized was The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter in 1902.That's over 100 years ago!! I also noticed that most of these stories have been made in to children's tv shows and movies. Take Little Bear for example, I remember my mom reading the stories to me, but I am more familiar with the television show. I used to watch it literally every day. Actually, I am guilty of still watching it nowadays whenever I see that it is on tv.  

I had so much fun looking at all of these books...and who knows maybe in the future one of my picture books will be on the time line :)