Hectic

The word I chose to describe the month of October was hectic. I chose this word because this has been my busiest month so far. After school on Monday’s and Wednesday’s I went to the Steinbeck Center to help out for an event, then went to an art studio. It also felt like any classes assigned more work than usual. As well as many celebrations; New Fiscal year, Homecoming, birthdays, and Halloween.

“Hey Doug, can play with you?” said Cady

“Nooo, you are spotless and I do not want you to take my four spots away.”

“I promise I will not take them away I just want to play.”

Doug ran away.

Cady cried the whole flight home

“I wish I had spots just like everyone else, why was I born like this whhyyy? Am I sick?”

That night the Fairy Grand-bugmonther appeared in Cadys dream and said, “Cady you must be patient, there is nothing wrong with you. You must patiently wait for your spots to grow.”

Everyday Cady would look in the mirror in the morning and at night for a sign of spots.

The night before her fifth birthday she saw a sparkle but she did not know what it was. She went to bed.

The next morning she woke up and saw hug sparkly spots.

She was the only ladybug that had sparkle spots because she was chosen to teach others that being patient always pays off .

His eyes are a different shade of blue
In his charming eyes I see our future
I had no clue he was not being true

Quick conclusions I drew, there were a few
I was afraid of his near departure
His eyes are a different shade of blue

I stood there alone, waiting, the wind blew
Keenly I looked at the architecture
I had no clue he was not being true

As he spoke with that voice, suspensions grew
Had our love died or been killed premature
His eyes are a different shade of blue

I see his face lying face, hate the view
Then awake, realized our love is pure
I had no clue he was not being true

We grew and decided to say I DO
Now when he speaks I listen with rapture
His eyes are a different shade of blue
I had no clue he was not being true

Whose music is that?
I think I know
He’s full of joy. Full of courage. Full of light, Like a vivid rainbow
I watch him laugh. I cry oh no.

He only sings the truth
But he has promises to keep
He dares not say a peep
Sweet songs come to him cheap

Sweet dreams disappear as his head
Lifts from the pillow
He rises from his gentle bed
Ready for the day ahead

When I hear it it’s music to my ears
When I open the window their chirps grow
It may not be the same for all, my dears
Like ocean water their songs flow

Then I close my eyes and listen closely
Concentrated like students in lecture
Pollution in the ocean growing grossly
I feel like I am in literature

Then winter comes and they fly fly away
Their slow songs are a beautiful blessing
Now my surroundings have nothing to say
It’s their way of confessing, I’m guessing

Death is near. Let us hear the silent tear.
Before he appeared, we knew no fear, dear

Darkness
The word I chose to describe the month of September was darkness. On September 19th I went hiking with my friends. When we decided to head back but we didn’t know what way to go, we walked downhill for an hour and a half in the dark until we found the car. I also felt in the dark about college because my family does not talk about college. So I made an appointment with my counselor asked A LOT of questions. Now I feel well informed.

The Chosen, by Chaim Potok, a novel regarding two young men, Reuven Malter and Daniel Saunders, who meet after a harsh first encounter in Brooklyn, New York. The story is told through the eyes of Reuven Malter, around the time of the Second World War. The boys were raised extremely different. These differences did not keep them from creating a genuine friendship. The books main claim is true friendship and how good friendships help us succeed. 

Potok starts off with a softball game where two teams with different beliefs go head to head. The game does not end very well. Reuven gets hit by Danny and is rushed to the hospital. The two boys finally formally meet, they realized that they had been living only five blocks from each other. This is where the main theme is introduced, friendship. Although the boys fathers had very different views they both approved and encouraged the friendship. Mr. Malter was the one who motivated Reuven to befriend Danny. He proved his loyalty by not revealing that he was recommending books to Danny at the library behind his father’s back to anyone not even –his son. Reb Saunders invited Reuven over to his home and the synagogue to practice the Talmud. This was his way of saying he approved because it was the only way he interacted with his own son.  

Another significant  theme in the book is silence. Reuven learns that Danny and his father have a very strained relationship, he is being raised in silence. They only time Danny and his father have any kind of verbal interaction is when he is being tested on his knowledge and understanding of Talmud (written Jewish oral law) in front of the men in the congregation. This is done to show his worthiness when it comes to taking over as head of his fathers ¨dynasty ̈. Danny is encouraged by Reuven to speak to his father about his true aspirations.

Anyone and everyone can relate to The Chosen because everyone has at least one friend and we all have problems with our loved ones that we do not express. The book motivates you to improve on your relationships with your family members and friends. It also motivates you to pursue your dreams, at the end of the day there will always be someone for any and every job, just like in the book Danny did not want to be a rabbi but Reuven did. Having a supportive person in your life, someone like Reuven who push you to do what is best for you is truly an essential part of life. Without support we would be too afraid to go after our dreams.

The novel starts off slow and it might be a little difficult to read but after the three chapters it starts to pick up the pace. It is very eyeopening novel. The novel also has a little romance (not directly stated but it is pretty obvious). It can be considered a coming of age book because these boys are finding their paths.

If it is a timed writes I make sure I drink water before hand, take out the supplies I need; paper, pencil/pen, eraser, ect. then I clear off my desk, leaving only what is absolutely necessary. I believe that having a clear work space helps me clear my mind so I am only focused on the task at hand. Then I read the prompt and make bullet points of the things I want to include, bullet points are my favorite way to organize my thoughts. I pop in a piece of gum and get writing.

Now when it comes to long processed writes it is a little different for me, I always seem to wait until the last minute. But two weeks before the due date I (try to) get down to business. I sit down at my kitchen table in the third seat my ̈ writing seat ̈ and play my Rain Playlist, there can not be anything on the table. Again having a clear work space helps me clear my mind and keeps me focused. I sit here for hours, some days I can not concentrate and get nothing done, I just listen to the rain. Then on the due date I sit there until I finish — no breaks. I like to think that I produce my best work under pressure but in reality that is the only way I ever produce work, so I would not know the difference.

As I’m writing this I´m listening to ¨Gentle Rain falling on the roof¨. I guess my main quirks are clean work space, rain sounds, and procrastination. Everyone has their own quirks and rituals but at the end of the day it does not matter how you prepared yourself for writing, it is the writing its self.

Indecisive
The word I chose to describe the month of August was indecisive. During the first week of August I had to choose whether to help out in an office or in an art room. I felt compelled to help out in both because they were both so welcoming and had a lot of things that needed to be done. Then school started and I’ve been debating on how I should spend my afternoons and what shoes I should I buy for the cold weather. I’m not a super busy or picky gal but I have too many options to choose from, it’s driving me crazy.

I’ve done plenty of writing throughout my life. When I was younger I had a diary, it was filled with actual events that occurred that day just a little exaggerated or how I wished it had happened. I would write everything before bed and I thought I was going to become a world famous author, i had this idea that someone would find my diary and turn it into a show that everyone would watch on Wednesdays at 8 pm. In the six grade my teacher recommended me for the Gate program. A few friends told me I was a geek just because the teacher had only recommended me. So when it came down to the exam I only wrote about 6 sentences because I did not want to be in Gate. Throughout my two years in middle school my English teachers rarely give us writing assignments. My freshman and sophomore years both of my teachers told me i was an exceptional writer . So junior year I decided I would take AP. I found out I was a mediocre writer, I was a little upset. I was excited about taking AP Lit but during the summer, I realized that I was only taking it because my friends were taking it and I didn’t want to be left out. But now two days into senior year I am excited to read novels and improve my writing skills because people don’t take AP classes just because they are smart or because they know what to do, people take AP classes to improve their skills. Writing is also a way for me to escape reality, when times get hard I turn to writing. Although I know no one is going to read it, it helps me feel better to know that I have acknowledged the problem and I documented how I felt at that exact moment. Then in the future I can go back and see how much I have grown as a person and as a writer.