How does Outliers connect to MY life?

            I have not read anything like Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell ever before in my life.  The way he intended to speak using "beauty in saying something clearly and simply” (299) was very interesting in the matter of fact that his mother had always encouraged him to express himself in that manner. Mr. Gladwell is very opinionated, and proves his opinions with facts.  Out of all of his opinions in this book, I can relate to some of the opinions that Mr. Gladwell has talked about. His opinions also made me think hard about if I’m an outlier or not!

            When your intelligence is at the level where it is ‘smart enough’, there will be more deciding factors in what makes you stand out even more.   “She keeps trying and trying, one approach after another.” (239) In this quote, Renee was being described. Renee is someone who was videotaped by Alan Schoenfeld.  She tried hard for 20 minutes using software on the computer to solve an algebra problem.  I believe I am like Renee; I am determined and can figure things out for myself. The fact that I can figure things out for myself leads me to believe I’m smart. Using this general level of smartness I set for myself, the thing that makes me stand out even more is my creativity.  A ‘divergence test’ is a test that the grader looks for are “the number and uniqueness of your responses.” (86-87) The divergence test, in a way, measures your creativity.  On page 86, Mr. Gladwell had listed two objects; a brick and a blanket.  He said to make a list of how many uses you could think of for it.  I did this for about 30 minutes.  Just for my uses of brick there had been over 17 uses.  One of my favorite uses that I had come up with for the brick was to be painting it yellow and pretending you’re in the Wizard of Oz. For use list of for the blanket there had been sixteen. My favorite from that list was probably that you can write on it in permanent marker and use it as a sign at a football game.  It would be a bad sign, but still work.  I pondered at this moment, and realized my creativity level is quite high.  Now thinking about it, I can name many times my creativity had impacted my life.  My first example is when I was in 4^th grade and I entered two pictures for the Official Neopets Magazine.  In 5^th grade I happened to flip to the front page of the art gallery of issue number 17, and saw that the two were on the bottom of the page. I had been published, excitement overflowed my brain!  I believed one of the pictures I had made had been the reason of its publication.  I had made it out of different colored construction paper, a permanent black marker, and glue. This gave the picture a 3D kind of look.  My entry to the magazine was unique, and I had not ever seen it done before.  Another example of my creativity is when in 8^th grade I had painted my room with the idea in my mind I wanted to make a giant collage.  I painted one wall a dark blue (I wanted to paint it black, but my mom wouldn’t let me do it) and the others a purple color. Throughout the year I had obtained many posters and a few wall scrolls (a Japanese poster) that I put up on my walls. I printed a ton of black and white anime screenshots, manga pages, and art that I liked. I put a colored background on each one and put it up surrounding the bigger posters. This year, I added Christmas lights surrounding my room as kind of a light boarder.  My room is the most unique room I’ve ever been in.  My creativity has never seemed to not impress me, and therefore I believe I stand out a little bit more. 

            “Plane crashes are much more likely to be the result of an accumulation of minor difficulties and seemingly trivial malfunctions.” (183) All of my life, I have rode in many planes.  I’ve always been afraid of planes; I’ve been paranoid.  One day in February when I was 13, I was coming back to New York from a family vacation to Florida.  The flight had been sort of shaky, and the whole time I was freaking out. My anxiety was at a high, when we were getting close to New York and the fight attendants seemed to worry. I continued to freak out and trying not to cry. It was really bumpy, and a ton of people vomited. I thought we were going down for sure.  My mom, dad and brother all were scared to. But thankfully, the plane did not end up crashing.  Now that I think about it, I wonder if there was an accumulation of minor difficulties to cause the plane turbulence, and trouble.  At the time I had no idea what was happening.  “They take initiative. They pull their share of the load. They don’t wait for someone to direct them.” (220)  I wonder if certain communication or the first officer stepped up and helped the plane land safely at Albany Airport.  I’m very thankful for the successful steps that paved those pilots education to be able to fly a plane safe, and their great communication skills.

            “[T]hey also got a big head start, an opportunity that they neither deserved nor earned. And that opportunity played a critical role in their success.” (30) Mr. Gladwell is referring to hockey players in this quote, but it can also be applied to academics. I was born December 29^th 1995, and the cutoff for school in New York is November 31^st. My mom decided to wait a year before I was placed into kindergarten, therefore putting me at the older end of my peers.  I feel like this gave me an unfair advantage towards the other kids.  In the year I didn’t go to school, I’d work on drawing and learning my shapes.  I would be more mature, and yet learning the same material as them.  Right now I believe I am successful.  I have never had a final average under 90 yet, allowing me to keep my honors pass.  My art is more matured; I’ve had more time to work on it.  That being said, what other 10 year olds were picked to be in a magazine art gallery for their skills? I often wonder if my mom had not waited to place me into kindergarten -would I still be this successful?

            An outlier is defined as “something that is situated away from or classed differently from a main or related body.” (1) I believe I am an outlier, because of my creativity.  I am not only smart, but really creative as well.  If you look in my room you’ll notice the giant collage and the framed Neopets Magazine, opened on the page my art is in.  I almost had crashed on a plane, but thankfully, I am still alive because of the pilot’s communication.  Waiting to go to kindergarten placed me ahead of my peers in the subjects I most enjoyed as a 5 year old.  These few steps in my life truly helped me succeed and stand out!

Works Cited

Gladwell, Malcolm. Outliers: the Story of Success. New York: Little, Brown and, 2008. Print.

"Kindergarten Cut-Off Dates." Web. 21 Dec. 2011. <http://users.stargate.net/~cokids/kindergarten_cut-off_dates.htm>.

Perspective Poetry Prompt (APPLE)

Apple of Mine
By Alyssa Varsanyi

I look up and stare,

stare into the apple,

the apple that was placed upon the bed

earlier that morning.

I stare as if its the only thing I can do,

I stare to look away from the one thing in the world.

The one thing in the world that held me together.

I notice

The apple's shade of red

red turns into grey,

grey intro black,

I stare into the black of the apple,

Watching tears drop

from the my exhausted face.

I notice

The leaf from the apple

shrivels.

Shrivels as if it was in a stop motion film,

from it's shade of lively green

to a dark shade of grey,

until eventually the leaf turns to ash

and flies in the air.

What is with this?

This oddly colored apple

black and shriveled.

The coloring from my face is missing

as i fall to the floor

in the middle of thought

the emptyness

and darkness

can not be withstood.

The battle has been lost

and the apple

seems to be the worst

Microfiction: He didn't look anything like she expected.

He didn't look anything like she expected.  His white face stared back at her from his casket. His eyes had been places down, he wore a suit and placed next to him was his guitar.  Tears rolled down her cheek.  It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. They were supposed to grow old together; they were supposed to have kids and a nice house with a white picket fence. She started sobbing. She put her hands over her face and memories flashed before her eyes.

It had been a year since they met.  They were in love. They had promised on that one night on top of the hill under the stars to always stay together.  They were young but they didn’t care.  They didn’t know much, but they knew they wanted to stay together forever. They could feel it in their veins.  He had sung her one of his songs, a song of love. Together they snuggled under the stars.  Another memory had come. 

As soon as she got the call that there had been a crash she dropped everything and jumped in her own car to get to the scene.  She couldn’t believe her eyes. She dropped to the floor and sat next to his body.  

“You can’t let… ruin… life… be strong…for me baby.” He had said choking out words as his eyes finally closed for the last time. His bloody, burned body lay on the grass next to the burning car. Her eyes burned from crying so much. She didn’t know what to do. The promise they made was broken. He wasn’t going to be able to be there anymore. 

So many days had passed since that day. She awakened from her flash back. The memories were overwhelming. She was in so much pain she couldn’t even stand anymore.  She fell on her knees as her mother came to help her get up. She told herself she would be strong, but she just couldn’t.  Her mom moved her to sit down.  All she wanted to do was sleep and get away from this nightmare.  Everything went black as she laid her head in her mother’s arms.

The next thing she knew, she was in bed and looked to her side.  She saw slicked back short brown hair. She reached for his hair. He turned around and his face was burned.  She screamed.

-----

She woke up into reality.  She had saw his hair again and started to shake. She started to cry again as he turned around. She closed her eyes; she was prepared for the worst.  She couldn’t take this ongoing inception.

“Baby what are you doing?” He said. She looked through a hole in her fingers.  His face was normal.  His death had been a dream. She hugged him and started crying.  It had been a nightmare inside a nightmare.

“What’s wrong?” He said.  She only smiled.

“I’m so glad that you’re alive. “ She replied.

TU Tuesday - Editorial

 Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric, identifying any fallacious reasoning or exaggerated or distorted evidence.
http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Ohio-bill-would-require-teaching-historical-texts-2399396.php
Editorial by Andy Brownfield

The article I read was about how in Ohio there is a bill proposed in which that high school students have "requirements to read the state and federal constitutions, the Declaration of Independence and other historical documents." The speaker in this article gives quotes to argue for both sides.  His voice doesn't really stand out because it's mostly a lot of quotes.  Mr. Brownfield had said "This year's proposal came on the heels of a tea party surge that has focused intensely on the U.S. Constitution" and I believe his statement is over exaggerated.  The proposal didn't 'come on the heels of a tea party surge.' One side supports, and one side doesn't. The Ohio Christians Allience wants this bill to be passed because they say the school doesn't do a good job of covering it; "information is filtered through summaries and analysis that give a flawed view." "He said he's also worried that teaching them in their original language could be an obstacle to some students."  (Mr. Brownfield was reffering to Phil Hayes, a teacher.) Phil Hayes seems to be not opposed to teaching it, but he's worried about how it will fit in with the schedule.  "Opponents object to the bill's failure to list the Bill of Rights, Emancipation Proclamation and other historical texts. Others say it will mean extra work and cost for school districts and teachers."  I agree that it will mean extra work and cost for school districts and teachers. I think this bill is stupid; why spend more money on stuff that does not have a lot of importance in real life skills?  If you were going to be made to read documents from the United States history, then wouldn't it have to be another class because there's so many things to learn? This bill doesn't cover every document and I agree with Phil Hayes that it would be hard to fit in. The bill was passed.  "If you ought to mandate anything, you ought to make it the teaching of American history"  I feel bad for the kids who have to learn it in it's original language. I can imagine it would be difficult.

My T-Shirt Vote

 I'd like to vote for the shirt that says "laughter is the best medicine ...besides medicine"  It has random blotches of green, blue, purple, orange and red.

If I won I'd like peanut butter cookies.

Creative Contest I Blog

Don't keep your dreams bottled up.

P = Pugs

 PUGS!!!!

Breed Description -  They are sensitive to the tone of a human's voices. They make a good watch dog.  They are always friendly and playful.They are very lively. They have the tenancy to drool.  They are in the breed group of "Toy."
Appearance/Size -  10-11 inches and 14-18 lbs.  Pugs are the colors of silver, apricot- fawn, and black.  
Diet -  Pugs have no sense of when to stop eating. People must moniter their food or it will lead to dog obesity. Puppy food should be given to puppies, while adult food to adult foods. 
Temperament - Very happy and cheerful. They can become jealous. They are good with children.  They are outgoing.
Shedding -  They have a fine, soft and short coat.  They do shed but their coat requires little grooming. 
Health/Allergies/Vaccines – They tend to be a healthy breed. The number one problem in pugs is that they're obese. People should clean their wrinkles on their face so they don't get infected.  They can have trouble breathing with their short face.  

Works Cited

2007. Photograph. By WickedDesigns. Web. 8 Dec. 2011. <http://www.fanpop.com/spots/pugs/images/239511/title/pug-photo>.

"American Kennel Club - Pug." American Kennel Club - Akc.org. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://www.akc.org/breeds/pug/>.

"Pug Diet and Nutrition." Pugs | Pug | Pug Puppies. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://www.officialpugguide.com/pug/pug-diet-and-nutrition>.

Pug Dog Club of America. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://www.pugs.org/indexhealth.htm>.

"Pug Puppy & Pugs Dog Breed Information." Dogs & Puppies - Next Day Pets. Web. 08 Dec. 2011. <http://www.nextdaypets.com/directory/breeds/1100216/>.

Creativity Breeds Creativity

*Notes*  I finally finished animating and subtitling this video on December 30th, 2009.  I believe I can re-do this and make it better.  My drawing and animation skills have improved a lot in a year. It gives me inspiration to redo it with more unique scenes.  I have other animations, but this is one of my original ones.  Everything in this came from my mind alone, except the actual lyric/ song/ lyric translation.  The images/scenes were inspired by the song.  I chose a Japanese song because I do enjoy Asian music and Youtube is less likely to take it off for copyright. 

X-ray Poetry Prompt

The Multi- Sided Boy 

by Alyssa Varsanyi

You have so many sides

as if you were an onion

as if you could peel off each layer of your personalitiy

as if you were a food triangle pyramid 

telling me which parts of you are good and bad

Pulling off a layer,

revealing something new

My own brain spirals,

as I see something new.

Your mixed personalities,

with all your different faces,

sending me mixed singles

about the human race

How is it you can leave me there?

With half finished sentences and a glare

The next day your new layer appears,

and a full paragraph is near

Peel, peel, peel through your mind,

and through your heart,

until you have stopped upon something grand.

Then talk to me:

with the most pure,

and fine,

and special,

layer you have.

TU Tuesday Guest Speaker

Kristi Gustafson Barlette is a good public speaker because of her poise, her clarity, her volume, information, and organization.  I enjoyed listening to her speak, and the time seemed to go by fast.  The time usually never seems to go by fast in school; except for lunch!

Mrs. Barlette gave the audience the impression that she was comfortable speaking to the group.  I know this because she didn't stumble on words, and her posture was standing straight up and tall.  She had mentioned a few times that because of her job, she has gained so much confidence with public speaking.  She has spoke at many different places, including colleges.  Mrs. Barlette was able to connect with the audience.  She made eye contact with the whole room, and asked people if they had any questions.  When someone did ask a question she made sure to thoroughly listen and form an answer to the question within seconds.  She would also bring up the question that someone else had said if it connected to another question.  For example, when I asked a question she answered it, and then rambled on for a bit.  After she was talking and someone asked a new question in her answer she referred back to my question and said something along the lines of, [someone from this row].

Mrs. Barlette was clear while speaking.  I felt she spoke so clearly, as if it was just me and her in a room.  She sometimes would answer questions and jump to parts and then go back to it.  She seemed to ramble on a bit, which is understandable.   She pronounced words carefully so everyone could hear.  She used words that clearly expressed what she meant when she was answering some of the questions.  For example when someone asked her what got her started with her obsession with cows.  Her response was clear.  She didn't use unnecessarily big words, but there was a time when she was a little bit distracted.  It was funny when she accidentally swore and her face got red and she really didn't mean to.  That was pretty much the only distraction the whole time.

The volume of Mrs. Barlette was good.  I was in the 2nd row to the front and I could hear everything she said perfectly fine.  From the time she was talking about cows to the time where she was talking about how she goes on Fly 92.3 she did not once seem too quiet.  

The information Mrs. Barlette shared was useful and interesting.  When she talked about what her work life is like it was inspiring to see that there are some jobs, such as hers, with creative freedom; even if it is just on a blog.   She supported enough details to support her key points.  I learned so much from her; like you should think about what you're publishing to the public before you accidentally publish something wrong, or not meaning to be hurtful.  I don't think she was clouding her key points with too many uncessary details, because everything she said got to the point and was interesting. Such as how she got her job at the Times Union.

Starting off Mrs. Barlette had spoke about what her job was, and a few of the articles we read.  I could tell she put it all together before coming.  It was a concise introduction, followed by if anyone had any questions.  This was what she told she was coming to do.  She didn't get off targert, because with every question came a thoughtful answer.  If one question was really good, she pondered to figure out what she would say next. 

During the presentation I had asked a question.  I had asked what her favorite story that she covered was.  Being shy, I thought I wasn't going to ask one. But when no one raised their hand I decided to just ask.  Other classmates participated the whole time.  Marcus asked three questions, while Lauren asked two or three.   Some people didn't raise their hand at all, and I'm glad I participated.   I regret that I could have thought of another question that hasn't already been covered to ask.

I would recommend Mrs. Barlette to be asked back to participate in  a classroom conversation with your students next year.  I believe it was a very interesting presentation and very interactive, with all the questions being asked.  I would like for you to invite someone else in, to see how it compares to Mrs. Barlette.  I thoroughly enjoyed class today.

TU TUESDAY

 http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Ringers-in-the-extreme-2263911.php
“Ringers in the Extreme” 

•  What inspired Ms. Barlette to write about wedding rings?
•  "Injuries to a finger wearing a ring are uncommon but can have serious consequences, according to the Indian Journal of Orthopaedics."  Does Ms. Barlette thoughroughly research a topic before writing about it?
• "... refusing to remove his wedding band seems ... ridiculous."  I like how Ms. Barlettes opinion is throughout this article.
• I like how polls of people's opinions are at the bottom of the page.

https://secure.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=856726&category=LIFE
“Chron’s Patient Gets by with Family, Friends, and a Strong Routine” 

•  Why did Ms. Barlette chose to write about Don Young?  I bet it was because he was so inspiring
• How did Ms. Barlette find out about Don Young?
• "wake-up call in his blood." I like this word phrasing.  There are a lot of good descriptive words in this story.
  
• "While some of the guys sit quietly scratching their lottery tickets and drinking their coffee, Young is never short on advice."  I enjoyed the great details in this article.

http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Playing-dairy-queen-for-a-day-2229727.php
“Playing Dairy Queen for a Day”

• "I purse my lips, close my eyes and wonder if cow urine is good for the skin." Did Ms. Barlette change clothes anytime during the trip because of the urine?  Urine is really gross...
• "My heart thuds again, but this time it's not due the hard work, but to the love I feel for the animals I've adored for so long."  How did Ms. Barlette come to adore cows so much?
• I think this article was very informational and descriptive about how cows are milked.  
• I enjoyed reading this article because the topic was one I would never have thought of.

Thankful Four

Opinion Prompt 9

People who say they do not need or want to use the world wide web are insane.  I find this to be false.  People are not insane just because they don't think like you.  You may want to use the internet to be quicker, but they may have traditional views.  Amish people do not use the internet, they live in villages and work together like they did in the olden days.  They can learn without the use of a computer.  Older people may also want to stick to older uses of finding information, like books.  New technology for older people is hard.  For example my Grandmother on my mother's side gets easily confused with the TV remote to DVR things, and when her computer is not a certain way she gets extremely scared and calls one of her children on the phone.  My grandparents on my dad's side once got a computer, but it was hard for them to use the mouse so they sent it back to where they got it.  Older people are not insane if they have difficulty with new technology, it just means they aren't as technologically knowledgeable as those who use it.

The library has a great source of information.  It has every topic in life there, and if you can't find a book in one library, you can always find it in the next.  Although this may not be as fast as quickly searching something on Google, it still works.  Music can also be played on CD's and record players.  It's old school but it still works.  If you want to type something, you can use a type writer. Not using the internet is not insane.

I Want to Write About #93. (Write about a time you had to wait for something you wanted. )

Harvest Moon has always been one of my main interests. The idea of making money off strategically growing crops, making friends, and getting married was great.  Ever since middle school I have loved wasting playing this game.  I would play Harvest Moon DS for hours until I finally married and had a child.  Once I did that, I decided I pretty much completely beat the game.  I was satisfied, but yet still hungry.
I had rented Harvest Moon: Sunshine Islands from Gamefly, after a week into playing it I got Harvest Moon: Happiness Islands.  I got very far into it, getting Vaughn to a blue heart.  The heart system in the game was very simple, depending on what color heart you had with the person, the different amount of friend points you had with that girl/guy.  I spent my day by collecting Sun Stones, and getting more animals.  I was becoming a pro.
I took a break from Harvest Moon. Deciding to wait until the new game, Harvest Moon: Tale of Two Towns, to come out.  I waited for a year and half.  I wanted it so bad.  I saw you got a stuffed alpaca when you pre-ordered it.  Once the month of September came around I counted down the days till I got it.  Once I got the game, it was great.  But I was saddened because I couldn't get the alpaca stuffed animal. 
I got married last week.  I have never been so satisfied with a game.  I have worked so many hours into that game, and the self satisfaction paid off!

Magnetic Poetry: "Cloud"

O = Oxford, England

I had stumbled on this Youtube video when I searched places that started with "o". I have never been out of the country, or the time zone!  I think Oxford, England would be a great place to go!  I never have visited a castel before either, and Oxford seems to be the place to do that!

I found my information at this website:
http://www.oxfordcityguide.com/ee2/index.php?/OCG/

1. Visit Oxford Castle after dark! "Every Thursday delve into Oxford Castle’s sinister side with mysterious sounds, smells and sensations reported at Oxford Castle – Unlocked visitor attraction. It’s a chilling tour - can you hold your nerve? Your tour will take you to the most haunted areas of the Castle site including the dark atmospheric 900 year old underground Crypt."
2. To go on a balloon ride.  "Adventure Balloons was the first hot air balloon flight company to work with Oxford City Council in 1995 to enable balloon flights from the City Parks. This enables passengers to view the dreaming spires and the countryside around Oxford during their flight."
3. To go boating. "One of the most fun (and popular) activities in Oxford, and also a great way to see a side of the city not often seen, is to rent a punt - a long, narrow, shallow-bottomed boat propelled by a long pole. Punting boats are for hire between Easter and September."
4. To visit a giant library. "The Bodleian was opened in 1602 by Thomas Bodley with a colection of 2,000 books. Today, there are more than 9 million items on 176 kilometres of shelving."
5. Visit a British Theater. "The Sheldonian Theatre was built in 1668 from a design created by Christopher Wren. It was named after Gilbert Sheldon, who was Chancellor of the University at the time the construction was funded. The theatre is used for music recitals, lectures (such as the annual Romanes Lecture), conferences, and for various ceremonies held by the University (such as graduation and matriculation). Handel performed here, including the first performance of his third oratorio Athalia in 1733.
6.  Visit the Botanic Gardens!  "Located on the peaceful banks of the Cherwell River, the gardens were started in 1621 as the Physic Gardens, for the study of medicinal plants. These are the oldest botanic gardens in Britain. In addition to the lovely outdoor gardens, there are greenhouses which grow many varieties of exotic plants and flowers. Just next to the gardens, crossing over Rose Lane, there are rose gardens that are exquisite in July."
7. Visit the Ashmolean Museum! "Contained in a gorgeous building across from the Randolph Hotel, the Ashmolean has paintings, coins, musical instruments, antiquities, statues of deities, and a must see Egyptian exhibit. Cafe and Museum Shop."

All together Oxford sounds really interesting!  The castle would definitely be the first thing on my list, because it would be real scary!  I think I would enjoy most of the activities and I would love to see the art that the city of Oxford has!

"Never judge by appearances"

I judge people on how they talk sometimes.  Just because someone looks weird does not mean they are not a nice person.  This has happened to me before.  You can never truley know people until they open their mouths.  Their words come from their mind and heart.  The mind and heart are the soul of the person.  You have to see someone's soul before you can judge. A soul is either nice, or greedy, or needy, or annoying.  I have seen normal looking people be quite different when they open their mouths.  You would never know by looking at someone what they are thinking on the inside.

I'm not proud of myself, but I do the opposite of this proverb some of the time.  I have a rule against the human race.  If someone wears a trench coat to school, I judge them.  Why do you wear a trench coat in the end of summer?  That's quite messed up.  If someone's hair is always greasy every day I judge them based on their hair.  From their hair being greasy I think you could probably use it as french fry oil.  They need to have better hygiene.  Hygiene is something that's a necessity of life. It is not an option.  We do not live in the middle ages. Shampoo can cost like $2.  That's not much at all. It's not that difficult in most everyone's cases to at least wash their hair. 

I know it's mean but the little things in people bother me, so I tend to try to stay away from the human race in general.  Well, if I can anyways.  I need to work on liking people more, I admit it.  I sometimes judge people for the littlest things like their hair, or wearing a trench coat to school, and I hate the fact that I do.   I need to live more by this proverb. and learn to accept people for who they are inside and out.

Absence Poetry Prompt - Write a poem concerning the "absence" of something. Consider the absence as a positive, or a negative

Absence of a Lover

Together with your new husband,
the boy of your dreams,
His heart was the strongest that you've ever seen.
As the months of the calendar falls,
He has fallen deeply ill,
as you panic you watch him everyday,
Hoping the soup you bring to him,
will cure him.
But the day comes-

Don't fall in love,
there's too much to lose,
The pain overwhelms your mind,
at night the thoughts- the thoughts of him,
Burning in your mind.
To the point where you can't take it anymore.
The point where you would do anything
Anything to get him back in your arms.

Him.
The guy who was your other half.
The guy who helped you through the tornado that is your life.
Your life seems to be nothing without your drug,
You just can't seem to take the pain anymore.
With that final thought you stop talking to everyone.
Everyone who ever cared.
You isolate yourself.
You cannot bear to speak to anyone but him.
It pains you to.

Days come when walking in the park,
filled with people,
you catch a glimpse of him.
The memories burn of where he took parts of your heart,
the parts he won't return.
Absence in your heart.
Something is missing: Him.

Halloween

Tap. Tap. Tap. The sound came from inside the closet. Quietly, I crept toward the door and I screamed!  A bears paw had punched a hole through the door.  It moved and pulled out, the bear slammed against the door and it fell down.  I started to run - the bear chased me! I'm only 5 I don't know what to do! So I slammed the door in it's face and it yet again slammed down the door.  I ran to the white van were I kept all of my Halloween candy from the previous night.   I tired to start the van- but then I realized couldn't drive.  The bear came dashing out of the house and slammed its big paws on the van. He shook it roughly and I screamed trying to get people to help me.  But then I realized again I was in a home in the middle of nowhere, and the closest neighbor wasn't around for miles.
I heard a chainsaw start, then a bear's cry.  I heard a knocking on the van.  A clowns mask stared at me through the window.
"Hello little girl." He mouthed.  The chainsaw was raised.
I screamed and tried to get out of the car. But then I realized the all the doors were broken except for the one the clown was smiling at me from.   
Metal was broken through with the chainsaw and I continued screaming. I had fainted.
----
When I had awakened I was back in my bed.  I felt odd. I looked down at her stomach and saw that there had been a large cut that was stitched together.  
The clown had taken my appendix.

TU Tuesday

http://www.timesunion.com/business/article/Legal-cleanup-in-online-aisle-2234594.php

supermarket turf battle 
         turf: place, or property
Price Chopper, with deep local roots,

           roots: A start or origin

Internet advertising is still wild and woolly.
          woolly: Fluffy character or appearance
luring throngs of curious shoppers.
         throng: densely crowded pack of humans

can appeal directly to Google  

             appeal: resort to greater power

This article I read for this week's TU Tuesday is "Legal Cleanup in Online Aisle" by Chris Churchill.  I picked this article because when I saw the title I didn't really understand what online thing could have to do with a supermarket.  Way back when, when everyone in the world didn't have access to computers, advertising would have never been thought to put on the internet. I never thought about a supermarket advertsing on the internet.  This article was about how the owner of Price Chopper sued ShopRite because when you searched Price Chopper on Google, ShopRite's advertisements would come up.  This case is taking place in a federal court in Albany, and Price Chopper is not happy- saying they believe "it and its customers were harmed by the ads."  Some people have argued that Google, and other search engines are to blame.  Since it is search engines who are in charge of the redirecting.  Mr. Drysdale, a co-founder of Outspoken Media, says that the "responsibility is on Google to monitor that."  Mr. Drysdale is knowledgeable because his firm is good with "internet marketing."

The words and phrases I took represent how there is a "supermarket turf battle" going on with Price Chopper and ShopRite in New York. Price Chopper has "deep local roots" meaning they've been here for a long time, while ShopRite on the other hand is newer to the area. Since this was a case over advertising I had thought that it was interesting, I didn't know that "Internet advertising is still wild and woolly."  These advertisements that come from the internet "lur[e] throngs of curious shoppers" into their store.  Since RiteAid's advetisements came up when people searched for Price Chopper, Mr. Drysdale believes that the fault "can appeal directly to Google."  

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061128562?ie=UTF8&tag=top.100-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0061128562

This book was my favorite as a child!  If I ever have kids, or a niece or nephew I will most definately read this to them when they're young.  My mom would always read this to me before I went to bed, and eventually I could read it by myself.  If You Give A Mouse a Cookie, and it's squeals (If You Give a Moose a Muffin, and If You Give a Pig a Pancake.) were my favorite series of picture books!  This crazy mouse story is about how if you give a mouse a cookie then he'll just want more and more! If you don't say no to the mouse after the first time he'll end up taking advantage of you! Throughout the story it keeps connecting items and items! For example if you give a pig a pancake he'll want syrup to go with it, then he will want a plate, and then he'll want to dress up, and somehow the book will end up linking to the pancake again in the last page of the book.  That is how this book went, but with a mouse and cookies.  Milk was a key factor in connecting with the cookie because when you think of cookies, what do you think of? I think of milk and how I don't like chocolate.  As a kid, you would probably just think of milk, because kids love milk! (Unless it's against their religion, and never had it or something weird like that.  Well.. If they are allergic then that's a no too!)  When I was small I would try to draw the mouse from this book with the cookie.  The book's style of art also drew me in. I always love art, and in fact I still do! I loved how the words kept connecting to other things. This book taught me how to keep connecting things with each other. One time when me and my friend, Sterling, did a improvisation camp at Proctors we played a game where we go in a circle and say the next word that comes to make it work.  That game reminds me of this book!