The Notebook

            A summer romance is like a roller coaster full of emotions. That is three months of good times and bad, and many nights filled with tears and smiles. The Notebook, by Nicholas Sparks, starts with two strangers, Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton, who meet at a carnival…

            Noah meets Allie who basically refuses to have any sort of connection with him at all. She is doing what a typical girl does and plays hard to get. Noah then does something most men wouldn’t do, he runs on to the Farris Wheel and basically hangs onto a bar and threatens to let go and fall to his death is Allie doesn’t say “I want to go on a date with you”. From there that would be the beginning of stage one—the good times.

            From then on they would spend every possible moment together doing various activities like going for ice cream, swimming, and reading poetry. However as they spent more time with each other, they began to fight all the time, which is beginning of stage two- the bad times.

            Stage one and stage two would overlap quite often, but would soon be resolved because of the passion each one of them had for each other. Allies parents disapproved of this “summer romance” because they strongly believed that Noah wasn’t good enough for their daughter Allie. Allie would scream and yell at her parents for what she had with Noah. She would tell them that they were in love, and she needed to be with him. But they wouldn’t have it.

            Allie and Noah would also spend time talking about their hopes and dreams for the future, discussing their likes and dislikes, really getting to know each other. She would even sneak out of her window to spend time with Noah since her parents would disapprove.

            The summer romance between Allie and Noah came to an end one night after her parents found out she was gone and the police were out looking for her. Noah and Allie got into a fight and broke up, the next day Allie and her parents packed up and left. Stage three—the bad times and tears. The difference between stage two and stage three is that stage three doesn’t get good again.

            However, the summer romance between Noah and Allie is only the beginning of what is to come. The book is full of surprises.

Toys that were cool when I was young.

Out of all the glorious toys I had when I was a child, the coolest are as follows: 

1.)    Easy Bake Oven

2.)    Skip it

3.)    Mario on the Nintendo

4.)    Polly Pocket

5.)    Barbie Car

Barbie Car- This was the best Christmas present ever because I actually SAW Santa put it under the Christmas tree. No Joke, it legit happened. These were the days when Sidney and I actually got along, good times. I remember it specifically. It was white and had pink tires, and had Barbie stickers all over it. I used to drive it everywhere. 

Polly Pocket- Toys just like Barbie’s, but better because they were smaller and less expensive. Polly Pockets were so cool! They had so many different rubber clothes and places to live. My parents were friends with people whose daughters had almost every toy ever made. I would go over to their house and just sit in their play room forever because I was just so amazed at all the different types of Polly Pocket pieces they had! And another cool thing about Polly Pocket clothing was that if you didn’t like the sleeves on a shirt you could just cut them off!

Mario on Nintendo- This game was so much fun. At the babysitters I was either playing this game with Colt and Tyrell, being forced to nap, or outside. I don’t think I ever made it past the second world, which is ridiculous because I put my heart and soul into that game. I even tried to convince that I needed that game because my life depended on it. They didn’t buy it, probably because I was a small child and I tended to over exaggerate just a tad.

Skip-It- Someone actually made exercise fun. Of course since I was young I wasn’t really concerned with physical fitness, but being able to “skip-it” good was awesome. That sort of skill got you some major popularity points.

Easy Bake Oven- What girl didn’t like easy bake oven! You got to make your own mini desserts! I loved this toy because when I was little I wanted to be a cake maker, or a princess. Clearly being a cake maker is not in the cards for me since I am extremely challenged in the kitchen, but as a young child, being able to make brownies in a mini cake pan was pretty awesome.

I realize that this is not written the way a 5 year old would have written it, but that’s because I don’t like “child” talk.  

There is a time and place to sympathize with others and now would not be the time. Mayella Ewell has lied while under oath. That is something we here in Maycomb County do not particularly appreciate.

I understand that Mayellas “past” has been rough. Her father is a drunk who spends all their relief checks on booze, there is no mother figure, and the children are forced to go to extremes to survive. Examples include, hunting for their food, finding clothes at the dump, having no running water in their household, and only attending school one day per year.

However the story given by Mr. Tom Robinson is extremely different from the one given by Miss Mayella Ewell. And Miss Mayellas story changed continuously throughout questioning, as if she wasn’t sure the answers she was giving were correct. Any chance Miss mayella Ewell had at sympathy has gonegone because she has lied while under oath. Behavior like that will not be tolerated here in Maycomb County. Mayella will not receive a sympathy vote for her har4d life and has been convicted of deliberately trying to get a black man arrested for a crime he did not commit. Mayellas father has also been convicted of rape and abuse.  

A Day In The Life Of Simon.

   

             I wake up to the birds singing cheerful tunes at the crack of dawn. I walk over to the open window and inhale the nice cool, refreshing breeze. The sunrise was absolutely breathtaking. The monochromatic shades of orange ranged from burnt orange to tangerine with the top half of the sun just peeking over the horizon. I stood there a moment just taking in my surroundings cherishing every moment.

                I left my room tiredly rubbing my eyes and enter the kitchen to see both my parents discussing the latest global issues, while making a delicious breakfast for the three of us. My mom was making freshly squeezed orange juice and my dad was making delicious blueberry pancakes. My parents believed “Fresh is the best”. So whenever we went to the grocery store we rarely bought artificial foods. My parents were also strong believers in vegetarianism. We prefer the Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. This allows us to still get sources of protein and calcium, because things like eggs and dairy products are allowed.

 The time came for me to head off to school. I usually walk or ride my bike because my family believes that drives releases killer fumes into our air, which results in the deterioration of the Ozone layer. I looked down at my feet and start thinking about my shoes made out of 100% recycled material. My parents are so generous because not only did they provide me a pair of shoes with this purchase, but they also provided a kid in Africa with a pair to.

For show and tell we had to bring in our favorite picture. I brought my picture I took of the sunset in Africa. There was a mix of deep reds and burnt oranges and the silhouette of various African animals were so amazingly beautiful. Later that afternoon my teacher asked us to write about our parents. My parents dedicated themselves to saving the planet and helping those who are less fortunate. The both volunteer at soup kitchens and frequently participate in the building houses for Habitat for Humanity. They went on a mission trip with our church to Zimbabwe.  I was lucky enough to get to go with them. It was a life changing experience, I learned a lot about the African culture. Things like sacred figurines, foods, games they played, all sorts of things.

I get home after school and my mom and dad are in the kitchen making a nice meal for the family. Dinner is my favorite part of the day, because I get to sit with my family and we get to talk about how are day went. Sometimes my parents tell stories about themselves from when they were kids. I love hearing those stories.

After dinner I head up to my room to start my homework, I try to keep it all on one piece of paper to help save the trees. I never really understand why teachers assigned us homework. I remember back in second grade they had us code words, I don’t know when that will ever come in handy. After I finish my homework I get ready for bed, brush my teeth, put on pajamas, and pick out my clothes for tomorrow. Then I go down stairs and tell my parents I love them and say good night. Just before I get into bed I stand at my window and inhale the nice cool, refreshing breeze. I then get into bed and pray to God that he will help guide me in the right direction to become exactly like my parents, happy and helpful.     

Beastie.

Top 10 experiences I think I’ve had with ghosts.

   1.)    The Balloon

Senior Honor Night I was driving in the dark and a balloon rose slowly in the backseat of my car. I definitely thought it was something that was going to kill me, whether it was a ghost that was going to scare me so I got in a car crash and died, or an actual killer in the backseat of my car, I didn’t know. But it was terrifying.

2.)    Chills

They say you can tell there is a ghost in the room if you get the chills. That happens to me all the time, only adding to the reasons on why I’m scared of ghosts.

3.)    Chinese Tunnels

There are Chinese tunnels under the streets of Big Timber, and I’m about 99.98 percent sure that there is an entrance to one underneath the movie theater. Why else would there be a door to the basement in the back with broken stairs and no working lights? Obviously because it is a lair for a ghost.

 4.)    Reflections in glass

Mirrors are probably the only thing that should reflect. Windows and other glass    objects should not be able to show reflections. Just the other night I was in my room and all of the sudden I saw my reflection in a glass case, I looked super creepy  and I was scared I was going to see some sort of demon spirit in with glass next to me.

5.) Halloween

                You could say that Halloween is just when people go out dressed up as creepy creatures of the        night, but what if that is actually when the spirits and creepy creatures of the night come out. I know it sounds unlikely, but I’m sure it could happen.

6.) Paranormal Activity

                That is evidence of actual ghosts haunting actual people. I believe it. Because of that movie, I am scared to be in my kitchen by myself because I think that a spirit will make all the cabinet doors in the kitchen open all at once. Or if I’m sitting on my couch peacefully watching television, some possessed lady is going to walk up and snap my neck. Point is Paranormal Activity is real!

7.) Billy and Dana’s Creamer Mansion video

                I didn’t even watch it and I was terrified. Just the sound of people screaming was enough for me to believe it was real. Then the constant details of how terrifying it was and what they saw on the video. Once again proving that ghosts are real.

8.) The dark

                Ghosts are most likely in the dark. I think it might be because they are kind of like vampires and can’t be in the sunlight or the will die, but from a majority of ghost stories people tell, they all see them in the dark.

9.) Ghost stories

                Ghost stories freak me out, and when it is an actual story and not just a potentially made up story it is even worse. The cycle goes like this, first they tell the story i.e. today in novel-ghost stories. Second, I forget about the ghost stories. Third, I get ready for bed and then remember the ghost stories. I can guarantee you that I will have nightmares tonight because of the ghost stories told today during Novel.

10.) Cemeteries

                Cemeteries are a place where dead people are put. Obviously there are going to be ghosts there. It’s kind of a given. One time I went to the cemetery for some odd reason, and the person I was with this kid who said he could see ghosts. I believe him to because he had a freaked out look on his face and turned all white then said, “We need to get out of here, the ghosts are surrounding the car and telling us to leave”. Terrifying.

The Girls Point of View.

     "I think we need to make some sort of time tracker." said Patty in her usual wheezy voice. "I really think it could be beneficial to our new found society."
     Rachael looked at Patty like she was the gum on the sidewalk that she just stepped on. Just the way Patty looked drove Rachael and the rest of the girls on the island crazy. Sometimes she felt bad for the things that they did to her, but most of the time no one really cared. Patty had big, frizzy, brown hair, and her skin was pale and freckly. She had braces and wore glasses from the the 70's. And if that wasn't enough, she wore overall shorts with a pale pink unicorn t-shirt that had ketchup stains on it from when she spilled on herself in the airport.
     "Yeah, and then after that we can build shopping malls and radio towers too." If there was ever a time when Rachael just wanted to be alone, it would probably be right now. She didn't know what she had gotten herself into. The day the plane crashed on the island all of the girls elected her queen bee of the group. She didn't know how to lead anyone, the only experience she had at leading was bossing her three minions around at school. Now she was stuck here talking to some science geek from Alabama.
     Just as she was about to say something else, there was a shrill of excitement coming from the top of the mountain. Rachael and Patty ran to see what all the commotion was about. "A SHIP! A SHIP!" one of the little uns was screaming. "Quick, put more wood on the fire" ordered Rachael. As she turned around to look at the fire, a look of disappointment spread across her face.
     Jackie had taken the fire watchers and the fire had gone out. Their chance to be rescued had disappeared just like that. The shrills of excitement and hope had turned into fearful screams and tears of sadness.
     Jackie had returned with her hunting party carrying their kill. The pig they had been trying to get since they first became stranded on the island. Her and her hunting party were beaming with excitement and joy because they finally had some meat to eat.
     "Jackie" said Rachael, "Why did you take the fire watchers? There was a ship. A SHIP! We could have been rescued! You ruined our possibly only chance at being rescued! And only to get ONE pig! Just ONE!" Rachael was infuriated with Jackie, she wondered how they could be so irresponsible.
     "Rachael, you need to take a chill pill. We got meat. That's all that matters right now. Another ship will come again." Jackie was doing her best to hide how she really felt. She was filled with feelings of disappointment, worry, fear, excitement, and joy. All the girls could hope to do now was build the fire again and hope another ship would head their way.

If I Were Stranded On An Island...

                If I were stranded on an island, I hope I would be stranded with a hot guy named Luigi. Luigi is of course tan, because he is Italian, and he is muscular. He is also funny, kind, confident, and convenient. His convenience intertwines with his intelligence. Since we somehow ended up being the only two people on the island, Luigi uses his smarts to build us a shelter and a fire. He also uses his athleticism to chase after wild, vicious animals in the jungle, so he can provide food for us. Lucky enough for me, he can also fish, and climb trees.

                While we were stranded on this island together, we have a lot of quality bonding time, so we really get to know each other. He tells me his deepest, darkest secrets, and I tell him mine. He tells me all about his family, and I do the same. We discuss our interests, and the things we really dislike, also we get to know what each other’s favorite color and our favorite foods. We later start discussing our really good friends with each other. His was Cory Holcomb.

                They met in Kindergarten, and have been best friends ever since. Cory takes a summer long vacation from his intense job as a Brain Surgeon, to come visit Luigi in Italy. They do various activities like parasailing, rock climbing, and conversing by the pool. Cory was supposed to meet with Luigi at the airport, but Luigi never showed up. He now has a hope that Cory will come and rescue us. But until then, we continue doing what we have been, surviving on this island.

                One day I wake up and I see Luigi using his intelligence to build a fire using only tree bark and the sun. I’m amazed at how well he can do this. He then ventures off into the jungle full of wild animals, clearly showing that he isn’t afraid of danger, looking to bring back green branches to create smoke. As he does this I look around the island for berry bushes, for a mid-morning snack. A few hours after Luigi gets the fire going, Cory shows up in a big helicopter and saves the day. Luigi takes me back with him from the island we met on and we live happily ever after.

                I realize that if I were stranded on an island, things would most definitely not go this way, but how cool would it be if it did.