So for my last small group book, I decided to read 1984, the classic novel by George Owell. I read Animal Farm in 10th grade and was anticipating something similar - political, symbolic and based in some other universe of reality.
And I was not let down.
1984 takes place in George Orwell's future (which is actually 24 years behind our present day) in a place called Oceania. Oceania is Britain, parts of Europe, parts of North America, Pacific islands and countries and Africa. It's a jumble of countries that are watched by the ever-present Big Brother and controlled by strict deprevation of goods (or just quality goods) and a systematic brainwashing to give yourself to the love of Big Brother and the hate of the other two regions of the world, Eastasia and Eurasia. The main character is Winston Smith. He's an older guy and he's questioning the reality and the methodology of Oceania. He and another "comrade," Julia, engage in a loving affair, which is highly against Big Brother's rules.
The first two-thirds of the book are pleasant. They give you hope that Winston and Julia will rock Big Brother and defy the government. They are secretly meeting and making love. But the last third of the book completely threw me off guard. The whole tone of the book went from hopeful to dreadful in about one sentence. Winston Smith finds himself in the Ministry of Love, which is actually where they put "thought criminals" to torture and punish them... and rehabilitate them to love Big Brother. And then they kill them.
The last third of the book goes by in a whirl. It completely took me by surprise. You can tell Orwell is playing around with his questions about perception, reality, control and power. There are mind games, brutality and logical-illogic galore to be found in these last chapters. And an ending that makes you realize that there is no way to escape Big Brother.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Quad Cities Marathon
On Sunday, I ran my first half-marathon in the Quad Cities. I finished in 2 hours and 18 minutes. It was really hard after about 10 miles but it was really fun. There were all kinds of people there and it was just a good time, even though I was whining and tired for the last 30 minutes.
I'm already excited for my next half marathon in Disney World... and I have to wait until January! But between then and now I will have lots of opportunities to play around with different ways to regain energy after 10 miles, which I didn't do on Sunday because I didn't want to risk throwing up or feeling sick.
Now I am watching Ghost Hunters and creeping myself out.
I'm already excited for my next half marathon in Disney World... and I have to wait until January! But between then and now I will have lots of opportunities to play around with different ways to regain energy after 10 miles, which I didn't do on Sunday because I didn't want to risk throwing up or feeling sick.
Now I am watching Ghost Hunters and creeping myself out.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Oh man...
I went to the grocery store because I needed treats for my AP Statistics class. I am also sick, so I got a bag of lemon drops, in addition to my 2 packages of Chips Ahoy cookies. I don't think the (really attractive) cashier believed me when I said I stayed home sick today to make sure I am 100% for my big race on Sunday. But he told me to feel better anyhow.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
"Lucy, remember, the smell of that fall..."
I have a sore throat. Which sucks, since I'm running a half marathon THIS SUNDAY.
(I am so excited!)
I am getting my 12 year molars finally. They're just 5 years too late for the party in my mouth.
And soon my wisdom teeth will be leaving me. November 6th. It seems terrifying.
I wish summer could come back. But I am really enjoying fall so far. The trees are changing and the air is getting cooler and crisper and it reminds me of all my favorite books. I've been chewing my favorite autumn gum and I want to read House of Leaves again because this weather reminds me of the days I spent absorbing that book. It is starting to smell like autumn and it reminds me of being a little kid - and somehow I'm just as excited for this year of school and the next four as I was when I first started going 12 years ago.
Today, an acceptance letter came from Wartburg. One down, three to go...
(I am so excited!)
I am getting my 12 year molars finally. They're just 5 years too late for the party in my mouth.
And soon my wisdom teeth will be leaving me. November 6th. It seems terrifying.
I wish summer could come back. But I am really enjoying fall so far. The trees are changing and the air is getting cooler and crisper and it reminds me of all my favorite books. I've been chewing my favorite autumn gum and I want to read House of Leaves again because this weather reminds me of the days I spent absorbing that book. It is starting to smell like autumn and it reminds me of being a little kid - and somehow I'm just as excited for this year of school and the next four as I was when I first started going 12 years ago.
Today, an acceptance letter came from Wartburg. One down, three to go...
Friday, September 19, 2008
The Likeness (Tana French) + Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)
I just finished two books within days of each other so they both go in one blog. Okay. The first I want to talk about is The Likeness, because I liked it more than I liked Frankenstein.
The Likeness is sort of a sequel to another book I read this summer, In the Woods, but not really. Though Operation Vestal from In the Woods is mentioned a half dozen times, this book can easily stand alone. It is about Cassie Maddox, a main character from French's debut novel, and a girl who looks just like her who has been murdered. She then returns back to her undercover days and lives this young woman's life, living with her roommates and trying to help solve the case from the inside. The first 400 or so pages are a steady and mounting toward the climax. The last 66 page are a intense, with everything falling into place for a dramatic ending. The entire book kept me captivated with French's mesmerizing writing style and delicate details. Everything is, somehow, inexorably linked together and you don't realize it until you've turned the last page.
Frankenstein was a little bit of a different story (in more ways that one). Published in the early 1800s, the book differs from the novels I'd been consuming all summer. But as a first group book for AP Literature, it was a good pick - not too long and not too boring. But I'd expected more action and less... illness. The book breezes past any scientific logic, which I can't blame Shelley for - I wouldn't know how to make life from inanimate matter either. And the good-vs-evil argument of the book, presented in an unorthodox way, kept me interested. Who is the monster: Frankenstein, for creating and abandoning the creature, or the creature for what it's done? However, one thing bothered me a lot about this book and that was its realistic inaccuracies. Even as an early science fiction novel, there was no excuse for the constant sickness of Victor Frankenstein. He gets ill after seeing his creation come to life, after seeing the corpse of a friend and on several other occassions - only one of them being truly viable. The constant whining and sickness made Frankenstein seem like a sissy and made the book a little more than a bit laborious to read. I expected something more dramatic and engaging that what I got from Frankenstein, but I will let it reside on my bookshelf all the same.
The Likeness is sort of a sequel to another book I read this summer, In the Woods, but not really. Though Operation Vestal from In the Woods is mentioned a half dozen times, this book can easily stand alone. It is about Cassie Maddox, a main character from French's debut novel, and a girl who looks just like her who has been murdered. She then returns back to her undercover days and lives this young woman's life, living with her roommates and trying to help solve the case from the inside. The first 400 or so pages are a steady and mounting toward the climax. The last 66 page are a intense, with everything falling into place for a dramatic ending. The entire book kept me captivated with French's mesmerizing writing style and delicate details. Everything is, somehow, inexorably linked together and you don't realize it until you've turned the last page.
Frankenstein was a little bit of a different story (in more ways that one). Published in the early 1800s, the book differs from the novels I'd been consuming all summer. But as a first group book for AP Literature, it was a good pick - not too long and not too boring. But I'd expected more action and less... illness. The book breezes past any scientific logic, which I can't blame Shelley for - I wouldn't know how to make life from inanimate matter either. And the good-vs-evil argument of the book, presented in an unorthodox way, kept me interested. Who is the monster: Frankenstein, for creating and abandoning the creature, or the creature for what it's done? However, one thing bothered me a lot about this book and that was its realistic inaccuracies. Even as an early science fiction novel, there was no excuse for the constant sickness of Victor Frankenstein. He gets ill after seeing his creation come to life, after seeing the corpse of a friend and on several other occassions - only one of them being truly viable. The constant whining and sickness made Frankenstein seem like a sissy and made the book a little more than a bit laborious to read. I expected something more dramatic and engaging that what I got from Frankenstein, but I will let it reside on my bookshelf all the same.
Monday, September 1, 2008
I'm shuffling!
I needed a new iPod. I have an older iPod from 2 and a half years ago. The pixels are starting to go out in the screen so I have to turn the brightness down as far as it will go to preserve the pixels that haven't gone black yet. So I was in the market for a new Apple product (now that I'm addicted to Apple, thanks to my Macbook).
I wanted a Nano for a while. They're small, light-weight, adorable, colorful, etc. But $200. It wouldn't be a problem with my paychecks and the fact I hardly buy anything, but I'd also need an armband for running and those seem to be pretty difficult to find. And they only came in 4GB and 8GB and I want a device I could put all my music on and a Classic has 80-160GB and is $50 more.
And then I went to this page: Shuffle. I immediately began thinking of the pros and cons of getting only a 2GB music player. It came with a clip so I could clip it to myself while I run - completely hands free. I could put on only songs I like so I wouldn't have to worry about picking playlists or skipping songs while I run or study. Plus, it was less than half the price of a Nano. So I went to Best Buy and bought a silver one.
All the colors available are pretty and vibrant. And they get lighter and darker depending on the lighting and the angle. They are small and once clipped on, you can hardly tell it's there. I went outside with my Shuffle clipped onto my shorts and sat there for two hours doing homework and didn't skip a single song because I had hand selected each song I put on.
I would recommend a Shuffle to anyone. They aren't a lot of money and they're incredibly convenient and handy. I love mine already and I've only had it for two days. Plus, they're aesthetically pleasing and cute, as far as technology goes. I'd like to get another one in another color and put another playlist on it: a 1GB Shuffle for only one kind of music (*ahem* Disney soundtracks... *ahem*).
I wanted a Nano for a while. They're small, light-weight, adorable, colorful, etc. But $200. It wouldn't be a problem with my paychecks and the fact I hardly buy anything, but I'd also need an armband for running and those seem to be pretty difficult to find. And they only came in 4GB and 8GB and I want a device I could put all my music on and a Classic has 80-160GB and is $50 more.
And then I went to this page: Shuffle. I immediately began thinking of the pros and cons of getting only a 2GB music player. It came with a clip so I could clip it to myself while I run - completely hands free. I could put on only songs I like so I wouldn't have to worry about picking playlists or skipping songs while I run or study. Plus, it was less than half the price of a Nano. So I went to Best Buy and bought a silver one.
All the colors available are pretty and vibrant. And they get lighter and darker depending on the lighting and the angle. They are small and once clipped on, you can hardly tell it's there. I went outside with my Shuffle clipped onto my shorts and sat there for two hours doing homework and didn't skip a single song because I had hand selected each song I put on.
I would recommend a Shuffle to anyone. They aren't a lot of money and they're incredibly convenient and handy. I love mine already and I've only had it for two days. Plus, they're aesthetically pleasing and cute, as far as technology goes. I'd like to get another one in another color and put another playlist on it: a 1GB Shuffle for only one kind of music (*ahem* Disney soundtracks... *ahem*).
Thursday, August 28, 2008
( )
So I'm not going to pretend like I know anything major about politics. Especially not when everyone else is way more informed than me with a huge election coming up this year.
But Michelle Obama's speech earlier this week was amazing.
If I could, I would totally vote for him.
And that's all.
But Michelle Obama's speech earlier this week was amazing.
If I could, I would totally vote for him.
And that's all.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
What happened to kid TV?
Today, my brother made a joke about the name Doug today. He's seven and was like, "Haha, Doug? Like, I dug a hole??" And then he laughed for about five minutes.
I, however, was still in bed, half asleep. So when he mentioned Doug, I immediately thought of the old cartoon I used to watch daily as a child. And then I thought of the many other shows I remember from my childhood:
Doug
Hey, Arnold!
AAAHH!! Real Monsters!
Little Bear
Rupert
Allegra's Window
Blue's Clues
Lamb Chop
Barney
Ren and Stimpy
The Angry Beavers
Rugrats
Sometimes, I see Blue's Clues or Little Bear or even Hey, Arnold! on TV. I never actually look for Barney, but I'm sure it is on still. But where did all those other shows go? Rupert always had the coolest adventures. He flew and swam and met all kinds of cool creatures. Doug was such a cute show, too. And AAAHH!! REAL MONSTERS was not scary but really funny and cute. I basically grew up on Allegra's Window and Lamb Chop was my favorite show as a toddler. And The Angry Beavers and Ren and Stimpy had funny looking characters but I laughed my head off at those shows. And Rugrats always had a story or a moral and it was my favorite show ever.
But now these shows are replaced with Hannah Montana, Barnyard and other shows that are less amazing than the ones I grew up on. They're more annoying, in my opinion, and aren't supporting things my shows did. Unless you're watching Jimmy Neutron which makes science look like magic, other shows like Spongebob have lessons once in a while but is mostly full of gags to make the kids laugh.
Most of the cartoons my brothers watch are full of mindless plots, over-dramatic (and most often stupid) characters and no real lessons to speak of. Just like toys now give kids no imagination, so does our TV.
I remember Little Bear so well because it was always so imaginative. He went on adventures, played with all his friends and it was a magical show for me as a young child. But there aren't any shows like that anymore that I can think of. It's a shame that we've given up quality shows for shows featuring lisps, bad grammar, disrespect and force-fed mindlessness.
I, however, was still in bed, half asleep. So when he mentioned Doug, I immediately thought of the old cartoon I used to watch daily as a child. And then I thought of the many other shows I remember from my childhood:
Doug
Hey, Arnold!
AAAHH!! Real Monsters!
Little Bear
Rupert
Allegra's Window
Blue's Clues
Lamb Chop
Barney
Ren and Stimpy
The Angry Beavers
Rugrats
Sometimes, I see Blue's Clues or Little Bear or even Hey, Arnold! on TV. I never actually look for Barney, but I'm sure it is on still. But where did all those other shows go? Rupert always had the coolest adventures. He flew and swam and met all kinds of cool creatures. Doug was such a cute show, too. And AAAHH!! REAL MONSTERS was not scary but really funny and cute. I basically grew up on Allegra's Window and Lamb Chop was my favorite show as a toddler. And The Angry Beavers and Ren and Stimpy had funny looking characters but I laughed my head off at those shows. And Rugrats always had a story or a moral and it was my favorite show ever.
But now these shows are replaced with Hannah Montana, Barnyard and other shows that are less amazing than the ones I grew up on. They're more annoying, in my opinion, and aren't supporting things my shows did. Unless you're watching Jimmy Neutron which makes science look like magic, other shows like Spongebob have lessons once in a while but is mostly full of gags to make the kids laugh.
Most of the cartoons my brothers watch are full of mindless plots, over-dramatic (and most often stupid) characters and no real lessons to speak of. Just like toys now give kids no imagination, so does our TV.
I remember Little Bear so well because it was always so imaginative. He went on adventures, played with all his friends and it was a magical show for me as a young child. But there aren't any shows like that anymore that I can think of. It's a shame that we've given up quality shows for shows featuring lisps, bad grammar, disrespect and force-fed mindlessness.
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