Eat, Pray, Love to the end of the book (pg. 331)

Liz continues her adventures in Bali with Felipe. She has decided that she loves Felipe, and he says he loves her, but she knows she will never marry him. He lives in Bali, and she knows there is no future for her in the town and cannot stay here all her life. But she enjoys spending as much time with him as possible. He also warns Liz about Balinese people, specifically Wayan, the village woman she has raised 18,000 American dollars for buying a new house since she has been evicted and cares for many adopted kids. It's been a while since she's given Wayan the money to put in her bank account while she looks for a new home, and Wayan still hasnt shown any signs of getting closer to finding a new home to buy. Felipe and Liz decide to intervene in her home buying process, and take her around with realtors. Liz learns that home buying in Bali is a very long and complicated process. It's actually quite shameful to be selling land/ property there, so most sellers don't publicize their land that's for sale. You'd usually find out through rumors. Also, there are many religious limitations involved in home buying. And finally, once you've found a house that you like, you have to see a priest to find an auspicious day to purchase the home. I thought this was kinda funny because in the book I previously read, Memoirs of a Geisha, the geisha relied on looking at calenders that told them auspicious days for certain actions. Anyways, after many attempts to get Wayan a good home, she comes up with various excuses which annoys the two. She finally finds a good piece of land she likes, but can only afford 2/7 of it. After a series of complicated events, Wayan is basically trying to squeeze more money out of Liz, and Liz finally realizes it. She in turn messes with Wayan, and gets her to finally buy some land and get started on her house building. At this point, Liz goes to an island in Indonesia named Gili Meno, a place she has already been before. She remembers her previous spiritual journey that she endured in her last trip. This recollection of her memories prompts Liz to compare that journey to the one she is about to embark on, this time under different circumstances. She comes here with Felipe this time, unlike last time when she came alone. She realizes how lucky she is to have someone like him and how great of a turn around her life has made since last year, before her traveling vacation.

Eat, Pray, Love up to page 303

Liz is still in Bali,enjoying spending time with the medicine man, Ketut. He tells her his life story, of how he became a medicine man just like his father. Liz realizes she has an abundance of free time in Bali, and the only thing she is really committed to is visiting Ketut. Liz is currently renting an Englishwoman's home as she is in London. This home is cheaper to rent than her apartment in New York, yet this one is much more beautiful and spacious and even has a garden. Liz meets a new friend name Yudhi, the man who rented the house to her. He has musical ear, is not easily bothered and once had a job on a Carnival Cruise Line ship. He lived in Brooklyn during 9/11 and watched the two towers fall from his apartment. He was arrested after the event on account of the Patriot Act, and was separated from his wife and taken to a detention center. He was deported back to Indonesia and now is trying to figure out what him and his wife should do. Liz asks her medicine man why life is crazy, and he tells her it is because man is a demon and a god. Ketut is clueless however when Liz asks about romance, and states he has only ever slept with his first wife, who is now dead. Ketut confesses he was in love with a girl before her once though, but she had a bad character. To get over the pain he felt from his broken heart, he meditated. This gives Liz an option for how to get over her recent heart breaks. Liz meets a Brazilian man named Felipe, and soon falls for him. He invites her to his house for dinner one night after a long time of hanging out...and i think you can guess what happens from there. But the next morning she has to go on a cross-Balinese hiking trip with Yudhi, which she ends up enjoying a lot. After returning though, she goes back to Filipe's house for about another month and loves being adored by him, a man she thinks she loves. The two spend a lot of time together, and Liz fulfills another goal of her year long trip, pleasure. I really enjoy reading about Liz's travels and experiences, even when they are awkward and strange. It's interesting to see her culture clash and eventually mold into other cultures based on where she's living and who she's with.

lolz

sorry for the language, but this is realllyy funny :) and fitting since we just finished Hamlet!

Poetry Playlist: Poems by Linda Pastan

All of these are by Linda Pastan:

"I Am Learning To Abandon the World"
"The Obligation to Be Happy"
"The Answering Machine"
"Faith"
"Why Are Your Poems So Dark?"- video poem
"The Birds"

Hunt for Bin Laden

The New York Times released the article "Behind the Hunt for Bin Laden." The article details the ten year search for the terrorist who was recently killed by US Navy Seals in a raid of the mansion he resided in. The president and other important members of the government and military had planned this attack after finding the location of Bin Laden and sat and watched the attack take place in Washington while being updated from a CIA leader in Pakistan. In my opinion, I don't see why we wasted so much money, resources and time looking for one man. I know he was responsible for the death of many people, but we only killed more people in the attempt to find and kill him. And now that he is dead, many of his followers will want revenge, and will probably get it. The people who celebrated his death so publicly here in the US seem a little ridiculous to me also. It was pretty irreverent and a little bit scary to see how excited people got over the killing of a man. That's just my personal opinion though.

Eat, Pray, Love up to page 231

Just as Liz's friend Giulio told her in Italy that Rome's word is SEX, Liz has found her own word, ANTEVASIN. This means "one who lives at the border," which is just like Liz. Liz cannot decide what her place in life is supposed to be, so she lives on the border of everything, trying to find the right place, while also trying to get closer to God. Another discovery Liz has made came from another friend, one from the Ashram, who told her she should stop looking for answers to her questions in the world, but rather in her center place where God lives within her. She decides nothing (spiritually) has ever made more sense to her than this idea. She also realizes that she sees in her aging friends a desire to have something to believe in. She is grateful she has a God that she talks to and tries to listen to while her friends are struggling in this field. Toward the end of her trip in India, she writes another poem. Her first poem was created a month after she came to India, and it mostly complained about everything in the Ashram and her struggle with connecting with God. The second poem however,confesses she would do anything these people did just to be closer to God, to keep the relationship she built with him. As begins her travels of India in Bali, she determines that almost everyone in this city is friendly, and the city is very easy to navigate. Her new friend Mario takes her to see the medicine man she met the first time she traveled here. He doesn't recognize her at first, but after he does, he goes crazy and is all excited she came back. She offers to help him with his English, just as he requested previously. While having an English lesson, he updates her on his life. He tells her to let her conscience be her guide, and again says he is very happy to see her before they party ways. Liz evaluates Bali as a city, noting is extremely religious foundation and third world lifestyle. She realizes there isn't much of this worldview she can incorporate to her own since she is used to a more modern and western view. While visiting with her medicine man friend, Ketut, he tells her that Yoga is too hard, and that people always have too serious of faces while doing Yoga. Therefore she should just practice meditating because its easier.

Eat, Pray, Love up to page 203

Liz and her friends at the Ashram talk about marriage and her friends decide to find a way to help Liz have closure with her ex husband since their divorce ended so badly. They get her to go to a roof top, the highest point in the Ashram and tell her in a note there is nothing between her and God, so all she has to do is let go. She meditates and gets to a place where her and her ex are together and talking. She feels she has achieved closure and can now move on with her life. Her friend Richard from Texas is leaving he Ashram, and tells Liz she must move on, and that the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else...lol. Liz is chosen to host a series of retreats at the Ashram, which she is kinda excited about because she feels like she needs to be in silence more, which is what these retreats are all about. Liz also makes the realization that we need God because he provides us with grace. And God needs us because he loves to feel things through our hands. I feel like this is a really good point, and explains why God would do so much for us and sacrifice so much. Liz ends up enjoying her first retreat, finding that she learned more than she taught the visitors. This experience is helping her become even better at meditating and finding a connection with God which ultimately leads to her happiness.

Eat, Pray, Love up to page 182

Liz has indeed found what she was looking for in India. She begins this next section explaining how she felt like she was praying/meditating wrong because her mind would always wander. Apparently, a wandering mind is an untrained mind that cannot be controlled by the owner of the mind. This prevents the person from meditating properly and listening to what God is saying to you. Praying is talking to God, meditating is listening to what he has to say. If your mind is filled with other thoughts, God will not talk to you and give you guidance. The goal of people who follow Gurus is to have a successful meditation where the mind does not wander and one can interact with God and become enlightened. Liz tries to do this, and only fails. She gets very frustrated, changes the mantra she recites to an easier one, and asks other wise followers of the Guru how the meditate, hoping to get good advice. Then one day in the Ashram while meditating, Liz falls into a deep sleep/ state of meditation and experiences a blue shock, which is described in some beliefs as a visit from God. Liz is thrilled she has finally been enlightened but works to strengthen this connection she has just built with God. Also while at the Ashram, she befriends a man named Richard who is visiting from Texas. He's a lot older than her, but the two become friends quickly, and soon Liz explains her problems, mostly the love life ones, to him. She realizes how much she still misses David, even after sending him the email that he agreed with about how they should never really be in a relationship, except she doesnt know if she can live without him in her life, but really its best for them to never speak again. It was quite a confusing email, but Liz had good intentions. Except, she's struggling to follow through with this email, as she still has strong feelings for David. Her prayers continue though, asking God to help her out every time. Liz also considers the concept of destiny, and how it is a cross between divine grace and willful self- effort. Half of our destiny we can control and the other half is pure luck. This brings her to the topic of how she can control her own thoughts. This concept applies to her meditation and helps her learn how to meditate more successfully. Liz also meets a young teenage girl and tells her all about her life, especially about marriage. In this girl, Tulsi's, culture, she is regarded as a legitimate marriage prospect at the age of eighteen, which she is soon approaching. Tulsi will have an arranged marriage, which she is not too happy about. She claims she would never get married if it were up to her, and says it is commendable of Liz that she was the one to end her marriage and become free to roam the world. This kinda confused me at first, but really when you think about it, it is kinda commendable and courageous of Liz to get herself out of a bad situation and take charge of her own life.

Eat, Pray, Love up to page 130

I reallly liked Liz's trip to Italy. I was sad to see it come to an end, but i also think this new adventure to India will be just as great! Upon leaving Rome, Liz realizes she's put on a lotttt of weight while she's been travelling the country enjoying all different kinds of cuisine. but she's kinda ok with this because she is going to India...where she will probably not eat as well and she'll be doing a lot of meditation and yoga, which will help her get into shape. I guess it would also help for me to better explain why Liz has chosen to come to India. She is following a religious Guru. In the book, she explains that you come to a Guru with the "hope that the merits of your master will reveal to you your own hidden greatness." Only super special people can become Gurus, so this chick shes visiting is kinda super important. except, the Guru isn't actually there, so she's just visiting her Ashram, which is apparently almost just as good and help you get even closer to becoming a greater person. To be able to stay at the Ashram, you have to be serious about keeping up your studies. this place is like in the middle of nowhere and its in a pretty run down town. Most people at the Ashram are just students visiting. Liz's trip is at the same time as New Year's so she gets to celebrate with her new friends! she talks about the beautifully dressed women who are dancing to drum beats and how shes having a lot of fun with people she doesn't even know, just celebrating another year of life to come. unlike her previous struggles with loneliness, Liz is now surrounded by people, possible new friends, and claims she is not lonely at all. This is a nice change of pace for her, and I hope she finds India as satisfying as she hoped it would be!

Bloggies "Tales of Bibliophile"

So i chose the blog Tales of a Bibliophile for my Bloggie award. I really enjoyed their mix of reading and personal posts. Here's some of my favorite recent posts of theirs:

http://123tidbit.blogspot.com/2011/04/optical-illusions.html

this post was about some abstract optical illusions. I thought it was especially cool because they were illusions made out of real pictures, as opposed to illusions from shapes and colors together.

http://123tidbit.blogspot.com/2011/04/poisonwood-bible-1-45.html

I really like that they combine pictures with their reading logs, it gives me insight into what they're thinking while they're reading, which kinda combines personal posts with reading posts.

White Noise topic #5

Jack Gladney's stereotypical comments made during the suggested evacuation of his town expose a common grand narrative in American culture. Jack believes him and his family are safe from the black billowing cloud because the wind never blows in their direction. He judgmentally claims that since he is the head of a department at a college, he can't see himself "fleeing an airborne toxic effect." In his opinion, fleeing from these disasters are "for people who live in mobile homes out in the scrubby parts of the county." Gladney is conveying a claim that really isn't true or proven, but are accepted as a truth by the public because of how often it is true. His claim is part of a postmodernism theme of exposing these socially accepted truths that are realistically false.

White Noise Part One Questions

In Chapter 15, what is the significance of the back and forth discussion over Hitler and Elvis Presley presented by Jack and Murray?

Why is Babette so forgetful and how does she not know if she is taking any medications?

Why won't Wilder stop crying? Why is his nonstop crying and his parents' reactions to his crying significant?

Explain the family's conversation in Chapter 17. Why doesn't Jack make any remarks?

If people of this time are so afraid of dying why does Jack dwell on the idea of death at the beginning of Chapter 20? What points does he bring up?

Eat, Pray, Love up to page 102

recently, Liz has been enjoying her stay in Italy. she and a friend have found two Italian male twins, Giovanni and Dario, who are extremely gorgeous. they exchange lessons in each other's languages. Liz somewhat wishes Giovanni would kiss her, but knows it would only end badly, and he's like ten years younger than her lol. i think she's just jealous because her friend is hitting it off with Dario and she just wishes she had someone to love while she's in Rome. who wouldn't though? anyways, she travels around the rest of Italy...so lucky...and is surrounded by beautiful scenery. when she arrives in Venice, she realizes she isn't depressed in the city. probably because the city is more depressed than she is. i find this a weird way to look at it, but i guess she's probably right.

i find it funny that she is struggling with such conflicting feelings dealing with her love life. she leaves New York to find peace and tranquility and a balance between love and religion. however, she starts with finding love...which is probably the most difficult thing to understand in the world. our minds and our hearts tell us totally different things, and quite honestly i think Liz is right. she would complicate things so much by kissing Giovanni. she doesn't really love him, she lusts after him. again, Italy is like the place to be for love and she really isn't doing herself any favors by exposing herself to potential new boyfriends/lovers so shortly after she ended a marriage and a short lust relationship with that David guy. i hope india is more promising for her with her spiritual balance...

Eat, Pray, Love up to page 48

i thought this book would be really good because it was recently made into a movie i heard was good. and i figured that since i have yet to see the movie, i might as well read the book first right? this reading has definitely got me excited for the movie. here's what these first forty- eight pages have been like.

Liz introduces herself and gives a...well not so brief summary of her life. and by life i kinda mean like the past few struggling years she's dealt with. she married a man and was with him for like 7 or 8 years. she has a job as a writer and pretty accomplished at it. she recently divorced her husband because she was too pressured by marriage to end her life of freedom to settle down and have children. she simply was not happy and struggled with so much depression during the divorce she was forced to go on antidepressants after no other tactic would work. she involves herself with another man, which only leads to more depression. but this man has shown her to a religion guru, who she becomes very interested in following. she decides she must go to India to her ashram, as well as Italy because she needs a reason to learn the language she finds so beautiful. She also needs to go back to Indonesia after she was sent there for a business trip and a medicine man told her she would return. these pages end with all this nonsense built up while Liz is in Italy and is suffering from a returning visit from loneliness and depression. she is trying to ward them away but just can't seem to.

rereading my summary, i'm quite sorry its a bunch of nonsense and random thoughts exploded into a paragraph. if you can follow it, great. kudos to you and i hope you find that this book seems as interesting as i think it is. i just really like these stories of women recounting their adventures and the crazy things they get themselves into. like how Liz quit her job to go travel to these three different places? i'm almost positive i forgot to mention that, but she does. i think its crazy, and ambitious and i love it. go Liz. this is definitely a story i'll want to continue.

White Noise Response

11: Expostulate on the narrator's idea that it is "always odd numbers at a time like this (47)." -fifteen miles east

I believe the narrator was referring to the unluckiness odd numbers represent. The time reads 3:51 in the morning of his 51st birthday. The narrator believes odd numbers are something like an omen, and seeing as he is approaching his 51st year of age, also an odd number, he is closer to dying, a prominent fear of his. The narrator sees odd numbers all around him, which is why he claims there are “always odd numbers.” “A time like this” refers to the current situation he is in; in bed, waking drenched in sweat as he felt so close to death in his dreams.

Chapter Nine:
The elementary school is evacuated due to children getting "headaches and eye irritations, tasting metals in their mouths." Does this event foreshadow more troubles to come? -She Said She Said

I think this event foreshadows upcoming trouble. The children are obviously suffering from some sort of disease or infestation and are just beginning to show symptoms, hinting that more may come from this. Especially after a man in a suit made to protect himself from whatever could have harmed the children dies while inside the building, it seems more likely that something more will come from this strange occurrence. Personally, I think there is a problem with one of the products or appliances used in the school that has been recently developed and the people are not very familiar with yet, such as lead in the paint.

5. Describe the contrast of Murray's thrill of white packaging and keen obsession with smell. -Whatcha No Bout Me?

The obvious contrast between Murray’s love of white packaging and ability to judge all grocery products by their smell is that he enjoys the look of simplistic items but is delighted by the distinctive smells of foods that distinguish them from one another and help to rate their goodness. Murray shows his satirical side by his appreciation of the plain white packaging of the generic products, even though they contain products that taste just as good as the name brand colorful products. He realizes that not every good thing in life comes is wrapped in pretty colors with an expensive price tag. The smell of food, however, can judge the true quality of the products even when the appearance might be deceiving.

Naturally Beautiful

Todd Selby's website displays numerous photographs of unique homes, one of which belongs to Dan Martensen and Shannan Click. The couple's rustic home adorned with a quaint vegetable garden and artwork created by Click exude the home's intimacy. The home is constructed of wood, giving the interior the feel of a cabin. Click is an excellent artist and her paintings grace the walls of their home, connecting the couple even more with their abode. The decorations and design of the house give the home a comfortable and cozy feel, something I think is very important to have, which makes me like this home the best of the three different homes featured by Selby.

White Noise Chapters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11

1. What is Jack Gladney's, the main character, most prominent achievement?
3. Describe Murray Jay Siskind's personality and attitudes toward life.
5. How does Murray feel about Babette?
7. Describe Jack and Babette's relationship.
9. Where does Murray invite Jack and Babette and how does he act when he does so?
11. How old is Jack turning and how does he feel about this?

Gone With the Wind up to page 754

I feel like these past few chapters have bred a sort of awkwardness for Scarlett and Ashley, as they kind of express their love and care for another once again, but as usual are disrupted by Melanie's presence and the part she plays in their relationship. Scarlett will never truly be happy until she is with Ashley and Melanie is out of the picture.

After her father's funeral, Scarlett gives her dad's gold watch to Pork, her father's first slave, as a reward for his faithful service. Upon learning that Ashley intends to move to New York with Melanie, Scarlett appeals to him to take a half-interest in the mill and live in Atlanta. Ashley refuses, ashamed to live on her charity and tormented by his love for her. Scarlett begins to cry and Melanie rushes into the room. She learns of Scarlett’s offer and urges Ashley to accept it in order to repay Scarlett’s kindness and let Beau grow up in Atlanta rather than in the hostile North. Ashley accepts the offer at the expense of his honor. After Suellen and Will’s wedding, Carreen enters a convent, and Ashley, Melanie, and Beau move into a little house in Atlanta adjacent to Aunt Pittypat’s house. Melanie’s optimism, generosity, and adherence to old Southern values make her house the social nucleus for proud Southern families. Ashley proves incompetent at wringing profits from the labor of the freed slaves, so Scarlett announces her intention to lease convicts to work in her mills. Scarlett gives birth to an ugly baby girl and names her Ella Lorena. Scarlett is desperate to get back to the mill, but Frank forbids her to return. Atlanta has become dangerous, and Frank worries for Scarlett’s safety. The Yankees, he says, are trying to root out the Ku Klux Klan, and anger has begun to brew among the freed slaves in areas like Shantytown. A one-legged, one-eyed mountain man named Archie begins to work as Scarlett’s escort into town. Rude and intimidating, Archie quickly becomes an Atlanta institution, chaperoning women around town. When Archie hears about Scarlett’s plan to lease convicts to work in the mills, he threatens to stop assisting her. He tells her he was a convict for forty years after murdering his adulterous wife, and says that convict leasing is worse than slave ownership. Scarlett learns that the Georgia legislature has refused to ratify a Constitutional amendment granting blacks citizenship. Though many Southerners take pride in the legislature’s resolve, Scarlett realizes it will make the Yankees even harder on Atlanta. She leases ten convicts to work in her mills, hiring a Yankee Irishman named Johnnie Gallegher as their foreman. Atlanta is appalled at Scarlett’s actions, and Archie quits as promised, but Gallegher gets an astonishing amount of work out of his men. To Scarlett’s dismay, Gallegher fares far better than Ashley as a manager.

Unfortunately for Scarlett, she will have to make a decision between the two things she loves most in life; Ashley and money. This new convict worker is making her more money than the man she loves, and she is loosing money she desperately needs to save Tara to his foolishness. I hope she will finally get her morals straight and make a decision that will benefit her in both ways.

Online Poker

Today I read an article on a 21 year old millionaire who has earned his living on online poker. His background portrayed him as a kid who was somewhat of a misfit and a loner that didn't care much for fashion and toys, but for video games. This lead him to finding his natural talent at playing poker. Since then he has played against many other great online poker players, and beats them and loses to them, gaining and spending sometimes hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time. The article explained the mystery to young people playing online poker and winning and asked "How were these kids, many of whom were too young to set foot inside a casino, outsharking the sharks?" How are people who have played the game for a few years or even months destroying people who have been sitting around card tables for decades mastering the game? The reasoning behind this is that online poker allows the player to play multiple hands at a time, gaining much more experience more rapidly than players were previously able to via the real life card tables. Another reason these young people are beating the older folks is because the young people are more ambitious. Since young people don't have to pay much attention to taxes and savings for supporting their families, they are more likely to take risks and not consider the consequences of what they do. Cates, the 21 year old millionaire, stated "this blind spot gives us the freedom to always make the right move, regardless of the amount at stake, because our judgment isn’t clouded by any possible ramifications.” Could this concept apply to other places in life? Could being unaware to certain factors in a situation aid us in making better decisions because bias feelings will be eliminated? I thought this article brought up an interesting point by introducing that idea.

High School Seniors

In a New York Times article, 18 students were interviewed on what they would like to be doing in the next 10 years. I felt like a lot of them had some reasonable choices, setting goals they were confident they could meet and finding jobs they are really interested in. Some of the students, however, came up with some pretty strange ideas. Salome Zamora said he would like to become a marijuana baker. To me, this seems like a pretty strange thing to aspire to, but he said he would like to do it to help people out, like the marijuana would be for medical purposes. So I guess it's kind of ok. Andrea Patterson wants to be an army veterinarian, which I didn't really know existed. Andrew Benedict-Philipp, Kelsi Benton and Shauna Casale all seemed to have really ambitious hopes for their futures, saying they'd like to press a button to make them wealthy, become a designer or become an actress in the future. Andrew's remark was definitely a joke, so it's kinda a given that wont work out for him. Kelsi and Shauna have ambitious dreams, becoming a designer or an actress, and I really don't think either of them will go on to become that. These jobs are somewhat limited, and only the best get in, and I don't think either of them were passionate enough about their choices to pursue them. As for myself, I'd like to go into the medical field. I'm not quite sure what exactly I want to do, but something exciting that I would always learn new things at would be nice!

Gone With the Wind up to page 713

Just as Frank suspected, Scarlett has become preoccupied with her soon to be born baby. This hasn't killed her ambitions though! Here's what she's been up to:

Because she is a little bit occupied with her baby, she searches for a good guy to run her business. To the horror of Atlanta, she also begins doing business with the Yankees, although she hates them. She shakes with anger when three Yankee women declare in front of Uncle Peter that blacks are untrustworthy. Scarlett begins to run into Rhett frequently, and drinks brandy to soothe her nerves. News arrives that her father is dead, and Scarlett heads home with a heavy heart. Scarlett returns to Tara for his funeral. Will Benteen tells her that Suellen, desperate for more money, tried to trick her father into taking the oath of loyalty to the Union. Men who swear loyalty to the Union receive compensation for property lost during the war. Will says that Suellen got her father drunk and got him to agree to sign anything. Although drunk, he realized what was about to happen and ripped up the oath. He mounted his horse and rode away. When he tried to jump a fence, his horse pitched him off, killing him. Will shocks Scarlett by telling her that he plans to marry Suellen so that he can stay at Tara forever. When she sees Tara, Scarlett’s heart surges with love. Ashley performs the funeral service and Will asks to say a few words. To keep any of the mourners from criticizing Suellen, Will announces their engagement and asks that no one else speak after him. Old Miss Fontaine tells Scarlett that the secret to success lies in changing with the changing times, rising up after misfortune, and using people and then discarding them. Scarlett finds the speech confusing and dull, even though she herself is a user of this secret.

These past few chapters have been pretty saddening, especially with the death of Scarlett's father. I found it funny though that Scarlett was bored with Old Miss Fontaine's speech about using people. Scarlett has only really used all the men in her life. The first husband was either to make Ashley jealous or as a rebound from Ashley since he was getting married. When that husband died, she indulged in a pleasuring lifestyle with Rhett, although she never married him. When she was desperate for funds to save Tara, she married Frank. So really, Scarlett should have been giving the speech. At this point, she's pretty much an expert on using people.

Gone With the Wind up to page 651

Here comes the bride again...Scarlett does successfully marry Frank, not for love of course, but to pay taxes to save Tara. As hard as it is for her, she is not the only one to suffer. But she knows in her heart she is doing the right thing...no matter what people say. Here's what else has been happening recently:

Like I said, Frank marries Scarlett and gives her the money to save Tara. She continues to manipulate Frank into making more profitable business decisions and Frank falls ill, Scarlett takes advantage of his immobility, going to the store to see the account books. She quickly realizes that Frank isn't that great at running his business...his friends owe him vast sums of money that he is too embarrassed to collect. Scarlett thinks she could do a much better job in the "male world" of business and begins to think of acquiring a sawmill. Rhett, who has blackmailed his way out of jail, enters Frank's store and congratulates Scarlett on her marriage. After mocking her for still loving Ashley, Rhett changes his tone and agrees to loan her the money to buy the sawmill as long as she does not use the money to help Ashley. Scarlett quickly becomes a ruthless businesswoman, devoting all her time to the mill and turning a large profit by any means necessary. Scarlett is the only businesswoman in Atlanta, and the city gossips disapprovingly. Embarrassed and afraid of his wife, Frank hopes that a baby will take Scarlett’s mind off business, most likely it will, but I don't think that will help her struggle to save Tara...anyways, Tony Fontaine, a planter’s son from Scarlett’s county, arrives one night in a panic. He has killed Jonas Wilkerson and a black man. He explains that Wilkerson was telling freed slaves they have the right to rape white women, and one such slave made a lewd comment to Tony’s sister-in-law. Ashley, who accompanied Tony on his revenge mission, advised him to seek help from Scarlett and Frank. Tony leaves, and Scarlett thinks about how the South has become a dangerous place. She begins to fear losing everything to the powerful Yankee government and freed slaves, and she pins all her hopes for safety on making money. She tells Frank that she is pregnant, which Frank is excited and relieved to hear. Scarlett thinks of the Ku Klux Klan, a newly formed organization supposedly intended to protect whites against violent blacks. She feels grateful that Frank is not in the Klan because the government in the North has been gearing up to crush the organization.

I have to wonder how acceptable it was in this time for a woman to marry and have a child then repeat the process soon after with another man? I just feel like that was looked down upon back then, but she never mentions any real gossip about it. People of this day are more concerned with the image Scarlett creates as a powerful business woman in the south. Which again brings me to question the morals of this time and possibly a theme of the novel. Where do the morals of people during this time stand? Is judging people by appearance more acceptable than their actions? I feel like Scarlett's life is a microcosm, seeing as she is being judged for the appearance she is creating as a tough business woman while the Civil War is being fought, a war based on the discrimination of black people. Scarlett is one of the first women of her time to realize that we females really can do things that men can do. Men should just get over it.

Favorite Poem of the Quarter

My favorite poem of this quarter is "Once Upon a Time" by Jack Gilbert. This poem is about the careless and innocent nature of love. I really like the way the author describes the events that characterized his youthful love. He uses words like "incidentally" and "melody" and "baffled" which convey this youthful lust as accidental and natural. This was just an overall pleasant poem that made me smile when I read it, maybe it's because I'm a girl and lovey dovey stuff makes me say "awwww." Either way, I thought it was a great poem, kudos to you Jack Gilbert.

Recent Reading

This past quarter, I've found a few good reads, and also learned about my taste in literature. My favorite book by far was Memoirs of Geisha. It taught me a lot about struggles in life and striving to overcome the hardships you were born into. I think I enjoyed this book so much because it was pretty much a woman recalling her life story. I thought it was very interesting, especially because her cultures (she was Japanese) are so much more different than my own. She lived in a different time and place, but somehow we shared similarities in our lives, which I found to be really interesting. On a darker note, though, I realized that although I'm all for fiction, I'm not the biggest fan of stories about witchcraft and magic, like in Ladies of Grace Adieu. I think its kinda weird and creepy. Needless to say, I've never read the Harry Potter books. In this next quarter, I hope to expand my reading even further, especially to newer books. I'm excited to see what else is out there!
Reading totals:
1307 pages of Popular Fiction!
168 pages of Everything is Illuminated
428 pages of Memoirs of a Geisha
35 pages Ladies of Grace Adieu
74 pages of Icy Sparks
602 pages of Gone With the Wind

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 602

These past twenty pages or so have been short, but not so sweet. Scarlett faces even more hardships with her desire to save her beloved town and is stooping to a new low now just trying to earn a couple bucks. Here's what I'm referencing:
Scarlett encounters Frank Kennedy in a new buggy while she is walking out of Rhett's prison shamefully. Frank says that he now owns a store and plans to buy a sawmill soon, which would be extremely profitable because of all the rebuilding needed in Atlanta. This obviously means Frank has money. (lightbulb?) Despite Frank’s engagement to Suellen, Scarlett determines that she must marry Frank in order to pay the taxes on Tara so he tells Frank that Suellen is set to marry another man, which I don't see as very sisterly. Scarlett realizes this too and that contrary to most well-bred Southerners, she would rather have money than pride.

Scarlett has realized a harsh reality, that money can sometimes buy happiness. Unfortunately for her, she must ruin her sister's engagement to save her town. Which I was slightly confused on, since her sister is in her family...so couldn't she just get the money from the dude when she marries him and give the money to Scarlett to save Tara? maybe I'm really wrong. Oh well. Either way, I'm excited to find out where this new path takes Scarlett :)

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 578

Another eventful read! As per usual, I'll summarize before I vent.
Jonas Wilkerson, the former watch over guy of Tara who now works for the Freedmen’s Bureau, and Emmie Slattery arrive at Tara dressed elegantly. Wilkerson announces his intention to buy the plantation for Emmie, and Scarlett realizes that he is the man responsible for raising the taxes on Tara to drive the O’Haras away. She curses the visitors and orders them to leave. Wilkerson snidely tells Scarlett that she is no longer high and mighty. Scarlett spits at him as he drives away in his fancy carriage. Desperate, Scarlett decides to go to Atlanta to try to marry Rhett Butler. The thought of marriage to Rhett repulses her, but she has heard of his vast funds, which he reportedly stole from the Confederate treasury. Scarlett cannot seduce Rhett looking ragged and poor, but there is no money for a new dress, so she makes one out of Ellen’s fine green velvet curtains. She decides that if Rhett does not want to marry her, she will offer to become his mistress if he will save Tara. Mammy agrees to help make the dress, on the condition that Scarlett let her act as chaperone. Scarlett and Mammy arrive to find Atlanta burned nearly beyond recognition. The streets teem with blue-coated Yankee soldiers and freed slaves. At Aunt Pittypat’s house, Scarlett hears of the downfall of nearly all the prominent families in Atlanta. Rhett Butler has been sent to jail for allegedly killing a black man who insulted a white woman. Scarlett is so surprised that she scarcely hears Aunt Pittypat ask her whether the newly formed Ku Klux Klan is active around Tara.The next morning, Scarlett visits Rhett in prison. She pretends to be well off and tries to seduce him. She nearly succeeds, but he notices the calluses on her overworked hands and guesses her true reasons for coming to see him. He refuses her blunt offer to be his mistress and tells her that he even if he wanted to give her money, the Yankees would trace any draft he wrote and confiscate all his wealth. Rhett tells her mockingly that she can attend his hanging, and she leaves filled with bitterness and shame.

I feel like Im always saying this, poor Scarlett...I thought since Rhett was such a rude, stupid pig earlier he would never notice her true intentions behind wanting to marry him. I guess I was wrong, and I feel bad that Scarlett has again been rejected. She really does care about Tara, and I hope she will soon find a working way to save her beloved town!

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 526

Yay! the war is over! here's what has happened since then:
Returning Confederate soldiers begin passing through Tara, and Scarlett offers them hospitality, sharing Tara and her food with them. A soldier named Will Benteen, a working-class Georgian with a wooden leg, stays on to help with the plantation. He is a godsend, quietly and competently assisting with the land. He falls in love with Scarlett’s sister Carreen, whose devotion to her prayer books and memories of Brent Tarleton prevent her from noticing Will’s attentions. One day, Uncle Peter, a slave, comes from Aunt Pittypat’s house with a letter from Ashley. Ashley is alive and walking home from Illinois. Anxious weeks pass, and Ashley finally arrives. Melanie runs down the front path to meet him and Scarlett starts to run after her, but Will grabs her skirt to stop her. He gently reminds her that Ashley is Melanie’s husband. Will returns from a trip to Jonesboro with terrible news: the Scalawags and carpetbaggers have raised the taxes on Tara. Scarlett does not have enough money to pay the taxes, so she goes to ask Ashley for advice. He says he cannot help her. With self-loathing, he tells Scarlett he cannot bear to face reality; he misses the Old South. Scarlett tells Ashley that she still loves him and suddenly asks him to escape with her. They kiss passionately, and Ashley tells Scarlett that he loves her but cannot leave Melanie, for he loves his honor more than he loves Scarlett. Placing a clump of Tara’s red clay in Scarlett’s hands, Ashley tells Scarlett that he knows she loves Tara even more than she loves him. Scarlett remembers her passion for Tara and walks back to the house, vowing never to throw herself at Ashley again.

Poor Scarlett :/ rejected twice, and this time worse since he says he loves his honor more than her. Really? Two guys already? Like don't passionately kiss someone or ask them to be your mistress if you're going to tell them two minutes later you don't actually love them. It's just not a good idea. Scarlett was so excited to hear Ashley was well and was devastated by his reaction to her. She is constantly let down, but I know her love of Tara will keep her motivated to keep being independent!

Hamlet 2.1

2. This scene is significant because it is the first time we have witnessed Hamlet going insane and it develops a possible reasoning behind Hamlet's decline in sanity.

3. Why has Hamlet chosen to act out in this way? What was the significance in his actions? Does Polonius really think Hamlet has gone mad from being barred from his love? Does Polonius really think he misjudged Hamlet's personality or does he think Hamlet is just throwing a fit to get Ophelia back?

4. Polonius says "This is the very ecstasy of love, whose violent property fordoes itself and leads the will to desperate undertakings as oft as any passion under heaven that does afflict our natures." I really like this quote on the nature of love, that it causes people to do things they would normally never do. This justifies Hamlet's madness caused by love.

Hamlet 1.5

1. In this scene, Hamlet is alone with his father's ghost. The ghost speaks to him, even though he refuses to speak in front of the guards. The father tells Hamlet he was murdered by the uncle, his own brother. He tells Hamlet he must get revenge on the uncle for him, and even though his widow has remarried his brother, he tells Hamlet to leave her for Heaven to judge. After the ghost has left, Hamlet swears he will get revenge on the uncle, and is quite excited about it. Horatio and Marcellus find Hamlet after the ghost has left, and Hamlet makes them swear to not tell anyone of what they have seen that night. He asks them to swear a couple times before the ghost also chimes in and commands them to swear a couple times. The men swear and Hamlet tells the men they should return with their "fingers on their lips."

2. The significance of this scene is that Hamlet has seen his father's ghost and now knows he must take revenge on his uncle for killing his father and marrying his widowed mother.

4. Hamlet says "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." This line explains Hamlets faith in God versus the faith in reasoning, which correlates to the action of the scene since he has just seen his father's ghost. While he could choose to believe in reasoning and think that he is just imagining things, he chooses to believe he is really visited by his father's ghost and is meant to get revenge on his uncle.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 492

Finally! This section was much more interesting than the last few, no offense to them. Before I rant, here's what's happened:
In mid-November the family learns that the Yankee army is again marching toward Tara. Terrified of losing the food and the house, Scarlett sends everyone into the swamp to hide with the animals and the food. She keeps Melanie’s baby with her. Scarlett refuses to abandon Tara and meets the Yankees at the front door. A swarm of soldiers pours in around her, destroying everything they do not steal. One soldier tries to take Wade’s grandfather’s sword, which is now Wade’s birthright, but Scarlett persuades the Yankee sergeant to stop him. The enraged soldier runs into the kitchen and sets the place on fire as the Yankees stream out of the house. With great effort, Scarlett and Melanie succeed in putting out the fire. Scarlett’s contempt for Melanie once again gives way to grudging admiration. Around Christmastime, a man named Frank Kennedy and a few Confederate soldiers visit Tara, looking for food for the army. Frank tells Scarlett and Melanie that General Sherman has burned Atlanta to the ground, although Aunt Pittypat’s house escaped the destruction. Frank confides in Scarlett that the end is near, and he finally becomes engaged to Scarlett’s sister Suellen after years of courtship. By April the war is over, and Scarlett, relieved rather than dejected, makes plans to plant cotton for next year’s market. The roads are safe once again, and neighbors help each other get back on their feet.

Im so glad the war is over! again, this totally correlates with Scarlett's feelings. Just as she is settling down and supporting herself, the turmoil is ending! Im really glad Scarlett has been able to accept Melanie more and appreciate her for being a good person even though she should be bitter since Melanie still has Ashley. Either way, this section was quite a relief for me. Those war scenes were kinda not my thing anyways. Im just really wondering where the novel will go from here. I mean it seems like Scarlett's troubles are over right?

Hamlet 1.3

1. The scene begins with Laertes and his sister Ophelia talking. Laertes warns his sister to keep her reputation spotless and to not fall into Hamlet's trap of lust. He tells her she is susceptible to thinking she is in love with him and he with her, but in reality she is too young and will only end up being heartbroken. Ophelia promises to keep his words in mind. Polonius, their father, enters the scene next. He questions Laertes as to why he has not left yet, gives him advice on how to succeed while he is away then gives him his blessings. After Laertes departs, Polonius speaks to Ophelia alone about her relationship with Hamlet. Like Laertes, Polonius warns that Ophelia will only be hurt by Hamlet. He believes Hamlet really does not love her and is only using her, which she does not understand. Polonius orders his daughter to stay away from Hamlet, and says she may never spend time with him anymore. Ophelia is very upset by this, but responds saying she will comply with her father's will.

2. After reading ahead, I realize this scene is significant because Ophelia is banned from seeing Hamlet, which is used as a reason why Hamlet has gone mad.

4. Polonius says "I do know, when the blood burns, how prodigal the soul lends the tongue vows." I really liked this line because of the figurative language used to convey this truth to Ophelia. My interpretation of the line is that people will say anything their emotions prompt them to say, but will not often mean them.

Bringing Back Memories

Recently I was checking out a timeline of picture/children's books. It brought back great memories of all the wonderful books I've read in the past and also surprised me a little. Looking at the timeline, I didn't realize how long some of my most treasured children's books had been around for. I remember reading and loving The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop back in my elementary school days, and I never realized it was published in 1938! That may not seems like a long time, but my childish mind processed the book and assumed it was published around the same time I read it, so seeing such a large span between when it was actually published and when I read it is quite surprising to me. The Madeline books also caught my eye back in the day, I even had a few of the VHS films based off the books. This book was published in 1939, which, thinking back now, explains why I thought their uniforms were so weird at the time. There are so many other great books on this website, and I'm sure if you check it out you'll have as much fun reliving your childhood days as I did! Here's the link: http://www.picturingbooks.com/picture-book-timeline.html

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 450

This section was a little shocking to me at first, it shows a sign of Scarlett I have yet to see....here's what happened:
A Yankee cavalryman rides up to Tara and enters the house with his pistol drawn, looking for loot. Scarlett shoots him point-blank with Charles’s pistol. As he falls down dead, she sees Melanie at the top of the stairs carrying Charles’s sword. For the first time, Scarlett feels admiration for Melanie. They discover money in the Yankee’s pockets. Though shocked by the thought that she has killed, Scarlett feels justified in defending Tara and happy to have the Yankee’s precious money and horse. Scarlett visits the nearby Fontaine plantation and finds the women eager to share their supplies. Scarlett tells her troubles to Old Miss Fontaine, who warns Scarlett to save something to fear or else she will become too cold and hardened. To Scarlett’s relief, Old Miss Fontaine says that at one point in her life she picked cotton to support her father and she never considered herself white trash for doing so. Scarlett returns to Tara and takes up the work of picking cotton, which she considers humiliating “slave work.” Only Dilcey helps her while Mammy and Pork insist that, as house workers, they will not perform field hand labor. Melanie is still too weak for laboring. Still, now that she has food, money, and a horse, Scarlett believes the worst is over.
Scarlett has become more of a dependent woman now that she is back home, defending her house and making a living for herself. Im really proud of her, and now she just needs to find a good and reliable husband to raise her son with! Hopefully he will come soon... :)

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 428

This next section is not very eventful, but still somewhat important to the development of the plot I suppose, so I'll include this summary to fill you in before I vent about my feelings toward what is happening:
Scarlett finds herself in pain after a long night of driving and sleeping in the woods. Melanie seems near death, and Scarlett whips the sickly horse back onto the road. Scarlett longs for the comfort of her mother and Tara. They pass the neighboring manors, all empty and burned, but find Tara still standing. Gerald, her father, greets Scarlett with the news that Ellen died the previous day. Scarlett’s sisters are still sick with typhoid fever. Gerald seems like a helpless old man, so Scarlett takes charge. Gerald tells her that the Yankees used Tara as a headquarters and have ravaged the plantation, stripping it of food. Dilcey recently gave birth, so she nurses Melanie’s child. Mammy seems to lack strength and confidence without Ellen, and Dilcey tells Scarlett that the Yankees have burned all the cotton and that Ellen died crying the name “Philippe.” Scarlett drinks some whiskey and sinks into despair. She remembers her proud family history and thinks of her ancestors who overcame hardships and won fortunes. Feeling strengthened by their example, Scarlett falls into a peaceful, drunken sleep.Scarlett wakes in the morning with a headache. She realizes that Gerald, who seemed merely weary the previous night, is suffering from dementia and does not understand that Ellen is dead. Scarlett goes to Twelve Oaks to search for food and finds old turnips and cabbages. As she eyes the torched remains of the once-great plantation, she resolves to look forward rather than backward and vows to herself, “I’m never going to be hungry again.” The war soon fades from Scarlett’s mind as she devotes herself to feeding the hungry mouths at Tara, tending to the three sick girls, and struggling to stay afloat. Scarlett hardens and grows sharp-tongued under the strain and worry of being in charge, but she gains strength from her deep connection to Tara and her passion to hold on to the land.
This section was very emotional for Scarlett, as she finds a legitimate purpose in her life now besides waiting for someone to love her and taking care of her crush's preggo wife. This section really inspired me because Scarlett does not give into the sadness of the war and become ill, she decides to fight for the place she loves and make it stronger with whatever resources she has. You go Scarlett!

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 385

This section has been very eventful, and Im sure you'll agree when you read my summary:
After thirty days of the attack, the battle stops. The Yankees move to capture the Jonesboro rail line, which is very close to Tara. Scarlett’s terror grows when she receives a letter from Gerald saying that Ellen and both of Scarlett’s sisters have typhoid fever. By the first of September, Scarlett does not know whether the Yankees are at Tara or whether her family is still alive. She longs to go home, but she will not break her promise to Ashley by leaving Melanie. Melanie tells Scarlett the baby will come very soon and makes Scarlett promise to take the baby if Melanie dies.The defeated Confederate army abandons Atlanta and retreats south, leaving the city to the Yankees. Scarlett goes to the depot to find Dr. Meade and encounters a seemingly endless trail of dead and dying soldiers. Dr. Meade cannot leave them to help Melanie, and everyone else is evacuating the city. Melanie goes into labor, and Prissy admits to Scarlett that she lied when she claimed to know how to deliver a baby. For the first time in her life, Scarlett strikes a slave, slapping Prissy across the face. Scarlett hurries to try to help Melanie. After a long, painful labor, Melanie gives birth to a boy. Atlanta is nearly deserted, but Scarlett sends Prissy to find Rhett and tell him to come help them escape to Tara. Confederate soldiers confiscate Rhett’s horse and carriage, but he steals an old horse and cart and drives away with the women, Wade, and the baby. The retreating Confederate army has torched Atlanta’s foundries and storehouses to keep the Yankees from looting them. Scarlett feels unutterably grateful for Rhett’s strength and protection as they ride through the blazing streets. At last they make it out of Atlanta, and Scarlett repeats her desire to go to Tara. Rhett says that to do so would be suicidal, as the woods near Tara are full of Yankees. To Scarlett’s shock, Rhett announces that he is abandoning her to join the Confederate army. He kisses Scarlett passionately, overwhelming her with unfamiliar feelings. Her fury at his announcement quickly returns, though, and she slaps him. He walks away, and Scarlett takes the reins.
The baby is finally born! The poor thing though, trapped in this awful war situation. Im glad Scarlett decided to leave though! they would have been doomed if they stayed there. I still feel like the battle correlates with Scarlett's warring emotions and feelings toward the men in her life. She just has so many problems to deal with on top of keeping herself safe from war! I can't wait to read about more of them though!

Great Quote

The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 336

This section hasn't been as exciting as other ones, but definitely more devastating. Here's what's been up recently:
Atlanta is under attack and even old men and young boys are called upon to fight. John Wilkes, Ashley’s old father, joins the militia. Gerald stays home because he has a bad knee. The Yankees outnumber the Confederates, and dying soldiers pour into the city, collapsing on lawns and crowding into houses. The citizens of Atlanta begin to flee in panic, and Pittypat decides to flee to Macon. Scarlett longs to go home to Tara, but she must remain with Melanie, who is too pregnant to relocate according to the doctor. Scarlett knows nothing about childbirth, even though she has a child of her own, but Prissy says that she has helped with many deliveries. The Yankees destroy all railway lines except one. Atlanta is hammered with shells and Scarlett is frantic while Melanie lies in bed sick. Uncle Henry stops by on a leave of absence to tell Scarlett that John Wilkes has been killed. Rhett finds Scarlett crying on her porch. He tells her that he likes her but does not love her and asks if she will become his mistress. Scarlett is appalled at him for this and unleashes all her anger on him and tells him to never come back to her again. He isn't ashamed by what he has said, he's more amused by her reaction...what a pig.
Reflecting on this section, I really feel bad for Scarlett. She must stay with Melanie, I sure wouldn't be brave enough to do that. And after hearing John is dead? From what I understood, John was the only reason she agreed to take care of Melanie. Now that he's dead, what's keeping her there? Also, Rhett is disgusting. Who does he think he is? being "friends with benefits" isn't cool dude. I didn't realize that even this long ago men were fools. Not that all men are like that. But really, who does that? At least he was honest I guess. I still feel bad for Scarlett though, she must feel so lost in the world, now that no man really loves her. Hopefully someone better will come soon!

Hamlet 1.1

1. Summary
The scene begins with Fransisco on guard duty at the castle of the king of Denmark. Bernardo and Fransisco are swapping places as guards when Marcellus comes up with Horatio to show him the ghost the guards have all seen on previous nights. They see the ghost of the late King Hamlet. Horatio tries to speak to it after being encouraged by the guards to make it speak, but it will not respond. Horatio allows the guards to try hitting the ghost after it does not respond, but they feel as though they mocked its presence, which caused it to leave. After discussing what they had just seen they decide they must bring young Hamlet to see the ghost and try to speak to it.
2. Quote
I think the most significant lines in this scene are lines 60-62 which say "Before my God, I might not this believe without the sensible and true avouch of mine own eyes." This line establishes a character trait of Horatio, that he is practical and will only believe things he can see. Horatio being established as a practical character hints at a possible theme of the novel, practicality versus belief.
3. Questions
Is this ghost real or are they all just imagining it? Why is the dead king's ghost appearing? What is the significance in the cock crowing? Is the ghost's appearance a kind of omen, or sign of something bad soon to come?

Reading Totals

Reading totals:
Since February 15th, 306 pages of Gone With the Wind, a fictitious novel.
Sooo to add to my previous totals from the beginning of this semester, I've read...
1011 pages of popular fiction!
168 pages of Everything is Illuminates
428 pages of Memoirs of a Geisha
35 pages Ladies of Grace Adieu
74 pages of Icy Sparks
306 pages of Gone With the Wind

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 306

This shorter than usual section was actual more eventful than I assumed it would be. Here's the shortest summary for the shortest section:

It is now May of 1864 and General Sherman’s Yankee army has fought its way into Georgia and is dangerously close to Atlanta. Rhett gets Dr. Meade mad by declaring that the Confederacy will not hold the Yankees back. Everyone in Atlanta clings to a faith in the Confederacy even though Rhett is probably right. As the war gets closer, the trains deliver wounded and dying soldiers by the thousands. Scarlett feels that she can no longer bear her work and sneaks away from the hospital. She encounters Rhett, who is impeccably dressed despite the wartime scarcity, they were right in calling him a food and supply hog. He drives her back to Peachtree Street. On the way, they encounter a group of marching slaves, and Scarlett recognizes Big Sam, the old foreman at Tara. He tells her proudly that the slaves are being sent to dig trenches for the gentlemen and women to hide in when the Yankees come. Scarlett knows that they are really digging the trenches for the Confederate army to fight off the Yankees. Rhett drives on and teases Scarlett about how she must secretly want him to kiss her. He says that since she does not wonder why he doesn't kiss her she must not be a nice young lady. He says he does not make advances toward her because she childishly clings to her love for Ashley. He asks her if he has kissed her and when she does not respond he takes it as a yes and assumes it was over Christmas break. He says she must stop clinging to that memory since he is probably already dead. She is so angered at this she makes him let her out of the carriage and does not even look back at him while he watches her softly.

This whole war stuff is really kind of boring to me. But I like that it really does relate to the microcosmic view of the novel and Scarlett's inner war. Rhett seems to know everything about Scarlett which is quite remarkable and almost scary. Nevertheless, since she says she will never speak to him again I'm afraid she will find someone else, but I am sure that Rhett will find his way back into her life.

Just Stumbling...or Dancing?

http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/smarter.htm

I stumbled upon this website recently, and I thought it was interesting enough to be posted on my blog. In case you're too lazy to actually read the whole page, which I totally understand, here's a basic summary: Frequent dancing has been proven to make people smarter. It has been shown to ward off Alzheimer's and dementia. Dancing that requires rapid decision making, such as Zumba, instead of dancing where the pathways are already memorized helps strengthen a person's mental acuity. So get dancing and do your brain a favor! Luckily, MORP is coming up so you'll have a great excuse to dance as much as you can work that brain of yours!

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 283; the end of Part 2

This section was filled with war information, which is kind of boring to me because like Scarlett, war does not interest me. So here's a little summary to make my final comments understandable:

The Southern people are still content despite food shortages, death, illness, and poverty. The Confederacy has won important battles, and rumors begin to circulate that the war will be settled at an impending battle at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. As the battle begins, news of widespread casualties slowly gets back to Atlanta. A large crowd of women gathers before the newspaper office to wait for casualty lists. Melanie, Scarlett, and Pittypat learn that Ashley has survived, but nearly every family in Atlanta has lost a relative in the fighting. Stuart and Brent Tarleton, the twins we met at the beginning of the novel, have died. The Confederacy loses the battle at Gettysburg. At Christmas time, Ashley comes home briefly. Scarlett loves seeing him, but wishes she could speak to him alone. Just before he leaves, she gets a moment with him. Ashley asks Scarlett to look after Melanie if he is killed. Scarlett quickly agrees and then kisses him passionately. Ashley kisses her back but quickly breaks away as Scarlett proclaims her love, and he hurries to the train station looking agonized....Possibly showing he shares the feelings of love? The Confederate army has lost ground and Atlanta suffers from cold and hunger. Atlanta openly hates Rhett as a food hog. Scarlett is burdened with two new problems now as Ashley has been captured, and Melanie is pregnant. Rhett has learned of Ashley’s imprisonment and tells Scarlett that Ashley could have won his freedom by betraying the Confederacy. Scarlett asks why Ashley would have refused such an opportunity, and Rhett, who claims he himself would have accepted, replies that Ashley is too much of a gentleman, quite similar to what her father had previously said.

I don't see why Scarlett chooses to put herself through this nonsense. She knows the more she thinks about, talks to, and in this case kisses Ashley, the more unhappy she will be that he is not hers. When she kisses him passionately and he kisses back I think it is kind of a turning point in their relationship. Not only are both people intrigued by what the kiss could have meant, but both have crossed a boundary. However, this relationship can't really grow now that Ashley has been captured, which is quite unfortunate. And I'm sure Melanie's pregnancy doesn't really help Scarlett feel better about where she is with Ashley, not that she can complain though because she already has a kid. So yeah, I liked this section for its actions and drama, but I gotta admit I'm kinda starting to lose faith in Scarlett's judgment and decision making.

Spellbound

In the movie, Spellbound, different young students' journeys through the national spelling bee are explained. The kids and their parents are very different from one another, especially Neil's and Ashley's parents. Neil's parents drilled him every day for hours on all the different words. His father spent more time on the camera than Neil did and was determined to make Neil the champion. He bragged about his training plan, the house he built on his own, and during the competition it was stated that Neil's grandfather in India had paid 1,000 people to pray for Neil to win the spelling bee. If Neil won, 5,000 people would be fed in celebration of the success. Neil's parents and grandparents seem more obsessed with Neil's victory than Neil does. Ashley's mother is a single mother however, and is focused on how great Ashley's achievements are compared to what was expected of her. She is extremely proud of Ashley, even when she fails, and makes it seem like the greatest achievement from winning the competition would be the money prize the winner receives. She is very realistic though in her views of what Ashley can achieve because she states it'd be nice to have that money but pretty unlikely. Although both parents are pretty supportive of their children, Neil's parents focus on victory only while Ashley's mother focuses on the happiness of her daughter and the possible income she could receive because of it.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 248

WOW...by far the best section yet! It kills me to stop reading now, but I know if i don't I'll never get another post in. So here's a short catch up summary so I can hurry up and start ranting about my feelings over this:

Atlanta is filled with gossip about Scarlett’s shocking behavior (dancing with Rhett.) Pittypat says that Rhett is a terrible man, but forgives him when he sends Melanie’s wedding ring, which he bought back. Gerald, her father, arrives to confront Rhett and take Scarlett back to Tara in disgrace. He leaves to talk to Rhett and returns in the middle of the night, drunk and penniless from playing poker. In the morning, Scarlett promises to keep his behavior a secret as long as he allows her to stay in Atlanta and he agrees. The following week, Scarlett sneaks into Melanie’s room to read a letter Melanie recently received from Ashley. In it Ashley discusses his doubts about the war, but Scarlett pays little attention to his soul-searching questions. She is simply relieved that Ashley has not written Melanie a love letter. Scarlett puts away the letter, convinced that Ashley still loves her. The war still drags on and Rhett is the most famous Confederate blockade invader, sneaking boats through the Yankee blockade in order to sell cotton and other Southern products in exchange for necessities. He becomes the most popular man in town despite his reputation for disregarding socially acceptable behavior. He and Scarlett talk frequently. She enjoys the informality occasioned by the war and lives an active social life. After months of polite behavior, Rhett starts publicly expressing his contempt for Confederate idealism and declares that he works for personal gain, not for the Southern cause. One night at a party, Rhett scandalizes his audience by exclaiming that the war is about money, not pride, rights, or glory. In the carriage ride home, Melanie defends Rhett, revealing that in his letters Ashley has expressed beliefs similar to Rhett’s. The revelation that her shining idol and a scoundrel have the same opinions about the war confuses Scarlett, again relating back to her belief that all men are vile. The entire city, with the exception of the Hamilton household, alienates Rhett. He continues to call on Scarlett, however, and gives her a fancy hat from Paris so she will stop wearing the required black mourning veil. One day Melanie tells Scarlett that a prostitute named Belle Watling gave her a considerable sum of money for the hospital. Belle wrapped the money in a handkerchief, which Melanie now holds, and Scarlett sees that it bears Rhett’s initials, obviously meaning he had been with the prostitute. Scarlett is enraged that Rhett would do something like this. She believed that only vulgar men would consult women like this and after this event realizes that maybe all men participate in these activities and is appalled at the thought. She decides that men are vile, and Rhett Butler was the worst of them all. She thinks of the most awful thing she could do to him, but instead chooses to put the handkerchief in the stove and watch it burn.

I guess that really wasn't too short, but oh well. I find it funny how easily Scarlett comes across men, and how she finds men with similar tastes so different from eachother. Rhett and Ashley seem so similar except that Rhett is actually telling Scarlett he loves her. I don't see what Scarlett's problem is, even though I guess I've kind of felt the same way. It's always more intriguing to go after something, or in her case, someone that you know you can't have. Unfortunately for Scarlett though, not only is her dream man taken, but he's also at war meaning he could die any day. I'm afraid she wont get the chance to be with him as she had hoped. And after this scandal with Rhett and the prostitute, I can feel a major event coming on...Just as the war is reaching a low point of failure, Scarlett's love life is also reaching a low point of deception and lies. Microcosm once again?

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 195

This section has definitely brought the excitement I was looking for! I'll fill you in so you can enjoy it as well.

The hospital holds a fundraising bazaar, but as a widow in mourning Scarlett cannot attend without breaching decorum. Unlike the other widows, she thinks it unfair that she works like a “field hand” to prepare for the bazaar but cannot attend. At the last moment, Scarlett and Melanie are called in to work at a booth. At the bazaar, Scarlett is shocked by her own lack of patriotism during the speeches about the glorious Confederate cause; she'd much rather dance. Rhett Butler, now a famous blockade-runner for the South, appears and teases her about her marriage to Charles. Dr. Meade, Atlanta’s foremost citizen, sends around a collection basket to encourage women to donate their jewelry. Scarlett donates her hated wedding ring, which I found quite strange. Melanie mistakes Scarlett’s action for courage and throws her own wedding ring into the basket, also quite strange. Dr. Meade proposes that the men can bid to dance with the lady of their choice in order to raise money for the hospital. As a widow, Scarlett is strictly forbidden to dance, but Rhett bids a hundred and fifty dollars in gold on her. Shockingly, Scarlett accepts and hurries to the dance floor. Rhett tells Scarlett that he admires her beauty and spirit and that he knows the war bores her as it bores him. Scarlett pretends to be angry, but she knows that what he says is true. Rhett chooses to charm her more while they dance squeezing her tightly. Scarlett insists he must stop and that she will be angry if he does not stop because Pittypat is coming over. She knows Pittypat will be angry at Scarlett for dancing with a man. Rhett responds by saying he loves they way she looks when she is mad, for she is even more charming with her Irish background adding to the charm. He brings up the day at Twelve Oaks when she threw a huge fit because of Ashley and says it is one of his priceless memories. She convinces him to stop and walk over to the window with her before she has to endure a confrontation with Pittypat.

Scarlett must give into her charming tendencies and dance with this fool, who makes it obvious he is in love with her. He only brings up her beauty though, which brings me back to remembering previously when Scarlett mentioned that the tools she must use to win a man are a pretty dress and a clear complexion, beauty. Does Rhett really love her? If so is she in any position to pass up true love? Her situation at the moment seems pretty frustrating as the man she thought she loved has found another woman and he is now unavailable to her...why doesn't she find another man and restart this portion of her life? That's just my opinion...maybe she'll do what I think she should? Guess I'll find out.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 159

Not gonna lie, this section was a little less entertaining than past ones. But hey, doesn't that hint that something great is building up? Even if it doesn't I'm going to pretend that it does, because the beginning of the book impressed me. Before I give my commentary, here's a very short summary:

Scarlett and Charles marry just one day before Melanie and Ashley’s wedding. The men then go off to war and Charles dies of measles two months later. Scarlett gives birth to a son and names him Wade Hampton Hamilton, after Charles’s commanding officer. Scarlett hates the restrictive and boring life of a widowed mother, hates the general excitement over the war, and hates that Ashley is married. She takes a trip to Atlanta to stay with Melanie and her aunt, Pittypat. One morning, Scarlett, Prissy, and Wade arrive in Atlanta to visit Melanie and Aunt Pittypat. Atlanta, a railroad hub, has sprouted army departments, hospitals, and foundries during the war. At the Hamilton house on Peachtree Street, Pittypat and Melanie are thrilled to see Scarlett. Uncle Henry, Pittypat’s brother, talks to Scarlett about Charles’s fortune, which is now Scarlett’s. The hustle and energy revive Scarlett. Her only complaint is that she must do volunteer nursing work in the soldiers’ hospitals, which are full of sweaty, wounded men that stink of gangrene. Scarlett is disgusted by nursing, and claims to hate it. Melanie is also disgusted by nursing and could be found vomiting after several of the procedures to remove the gangrene from wounded soldiers.

I feel bad for Scarlett now that her plan has backfired. She is now unhappier than she previously was without Ashley. But now she must be even more involved in his life and cannot move on and forget him because she was married into the same family he was married into. I can't blame her for being disgusted by nursing, I would be too. I just hope her situation improves!

3.1 Diction Exercise

A. Words
Stubbornly, appetite, dreamy, presence, idly, stillness, buried, mournful, absolute

B. Elements of Diction
1. Concreteness; straightforward, unequivocal
2. Sound; aggressive, coarse

C. Claim
In the poem "It Is Not The Fact That I Will Die That I Mind," the author, Jim Moore, employs coarse and aggressive sounding words to expose the frustration he feels about his inevitable demise.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 130

I'll save all my comments for the end of this summary this time, simply because if I comment now, it wont make any sense. So here's the summary!

Twelve Oaks is bustling with people for the ball and barbecue. Scarlett notices a tall, dark, and powerfully built man staring at her without proper deference and his boldness thrills and shocks her. She learns that he is Rhett Butler, a scandalous man from an aristocratic family in Charleston, South Carolina. Rhett once took a girl out without a chaperon and then refused to marry her, even though he should have married her after such a socially unacceptable ordeal. In defense of his sister’s honor, the girl’s brother challenged Rhett to a duel who ended up killing the brother. Scarlett commands the largest circle of suitors and admirers at the barbeque, including Charles Hamilton. Charles, Melanie’s timid brother, showers Scarlett with awkward attention. He even proposes to her, although he is already Honey Wilkes’s beau. Scarlett hardly hears Charles, fixing her attention on Ashley. Sitting with Melanie, he seems oblivious to Scarlett’s admirers. The talk of war has attracted men young and old, who boast that they will defeat the Yankees in a month or less. Rhett contemptuously interjects that there are no cannon factories in the South, only a few iron foundries, and no naval power to keep the Southern ports open. He claims that the Yankees will prevail easily and excuses himself before the outraged men can respond. After the women and girls go upstairs to take their afternoon naps, Scarlett slips into the dark library to intercept Ashley. When Ashley enters, Scarlett confesses her love. To her dismay, he says that he plans to marry Melanie and tells her that she would come to hate him if they were married because they are too different to make a good match, which reminded me of what she thought of her parent's relationship. Scarlett slaps him out of angst. He walks quietly out of the room and she hurls a bowl at the wall, shattering it. Unfortunately for Scarlett, Rhett has been lying on the couch, and he now he sits up and teases her about her unladylike manner. Furious and humiliated, Scarlett storms out and goes upstairs and overhears Honey jealously telling Melanie that Scarlett is “fast.” To Scarlett’s disgust, Melanie, who can see only the good in people, defends Scarlett. Scarlett runs back downstairs just as news arrives that President Lincoln has called for troops, signaling the start of the Civil War. Charles spots Scarlett and again asks her to marry him. Strange enough, Scarlett says yes to him, except her motivations are only to hurt Ashley and Honey.

This section really surprised me. The last thing I expected to happen at this get together was Scarlett to accept a proposal...from a boy in the family of the girl she has come to hate for stealing her man. I guess her plan to hurt the two is kind of genius and I have to give her credit for her courage in accepting such a proposal. Maybe it just seems so odd to me because of the difference in setting. Like these days, nothing so bizarre would have occurred. Anyways, I can again relate to Scarlett in some ways, since she is so angry and hungry for revenge. I can't say I would have done exactly what she did in the situation though. But I'm interested to see how it plays out!

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 76

I still love the book! I know it will only get more interesting from here and Scarlett is such an intriguing character that makes me crave reading more about her. Here's what I've read recently:

Scarlett thinks about the differences between her and her mother's personalities. Her mother is gently and sweet while Scarlett inherited her temperament from Gerald, who fled his unremarkable life in Ireland after killing another man in a feud. Gerald won his first slave, Pork, and his plantation in a poker game. Though lacking good breeding, Gerald won over the neighbors’ hearts with his kindness. Ellen, a placid, serious woman from the aristocratic Robillard family of Savannah, agreed to marry Gerald after the death of her first love, her cousin Philippe. She blamed her family for driving Philippe away from Savannah and from her, and out of frustration and revenge she married the low-class Gerald. Scarlett, the oldest and most strong-willed O’Hara daughter, lacks beauty. Still, she has learned ladylike behavior from Ellen and Mammy and has used her charms to become the most-pursued belle in the neighborhood. That day, Gerald has purchased a slave named Dilcey from Twelve Oaks so that Dilcey can be with Pork, who is her husband. At dinner that night, Dilcey thanks Gerald and offers Prissy, her daughter, to be Scarlett’s personal maid. Ellen returns late from the Slattery’s house. As Ellen leads the nightly prayer, Scarlett concocts a plan to win Ashley from Melanie. She resolves to tell Ashley she loves him at the barbecue. Scarlett overhears Ellen telling Gerald that Jonas Wilkerson, Tara’s Yankee overseer, must be dismissed. Scarlett realizes that Wilkerson was the father of Emmie Slattery’s dead child. On the morning of the Wilkes’s party Scarlett chooses a dress that will show off her seventeen-inch waist. Mammy persuades Scarlett to eat something to discourage an unladylike appetite at the barbecue. Ellen cannot attend the barbeque because she must go over the plantation accounts with Jonas Wilkerson before he leaves Tara. On the road, the O’Haras meet the Tarleton women. Gerald and feisty Mrs. Tarleton talk about horses and the possibility of war. In bed, Scarlett thinks about how she would like to run away with Ashley and how if he knew she loved him and not one of the Tarleton boys, he would leave Melanie. In her opinion, he is only engaged to Melanie to please his family since he thinks he cannot be with Scarlett. She insists she knows he loves her. The chapter ends with a brilliant quote, "she lay in the silvery shadows with courage rising and made the plans that a sixteen-year-old makes when life has been so pleasant that defeat is an impossibility and a pretty dress and a clear complexion are weapons to vanquish fate."

I could really relate to Scarlett in this part, especially with the last quote. It's so typical of a teenage girl, laying in bed dreaming about a crush, believing beauty was all it took to win a boy's heart. And really, the better and easier life is the harder it is to accept tragedies. But is it true that beauty is all it takes? Even more so after reading this, I don't think it is. I think we (girls) have the misconception that guys really only like pretty girls. And as helpful as being pretty may be to draw the boys in and encourage them to talk to us, how do you build a friendship off of beauty? You don't. I really like how the dress and clear skin were described as weapons...it makes it seem as though Scarlett is at war, possibly a microcosm of the Civil War going on around her that she refuses to take part of? I really like how much this book makes me realize!

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell up to page 41

I started to read the book Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell because a friend recommended it to me based on the reading I said I liked. I have to admit, I'm impressed at the person's ability to pick out books I'd like! Here's a short summary of what I've enjoyed recently:

Scarlett O’Hara, a charming young woman is on the front porch of Tara, her father’s plantation in northern Georgia, in April 1861. She's with the twin brothers Brent and Stuart Tarleton who proudly inform Scarlett of their recent expulsion from school and how their brothers also left the school because they could not go somewhere that did not accept their brothers. They also discuss the rumors that a war will soon break out between the North and the South. Scarlett changes the subject to the next day’s barbecue and ball at the Twelve Oaks plantation. The gossip continues and Brent and Stuart tell her that Ashley Wilkes, the son of the proprietor of Twelve Oaks, will announce his engagement to Melanie Hamilton, his cousin, at the ball. They don't just tell her this though, she has to promise to give them all the dances and sit with them at the meals at the ball and barbecue if they tell her the information. Scarlett, who wants Ashley for herself, tries to act normally but cannot maintain her vivaciousness. The twins leave, baffled by Scarlett’s sudden silence. They think that maybe she has just come down with a headache and ask their slave if he heard them say anything that might have offended her. Distressed by the news of Ashley’s engagement, Scarlett hurries to the road to wait for her father, who was visiting at Twelve Oaks. After Scarlett probes for a while, Gerald confirms that Ashley plans to marry Melanie. He warns Scarlett that she and Ashley would make a terrible match. Gerald says the Wilkeses are too interested in music and poetry, and though Ashley excels at masculine pursuits like riding and shooting, his heart is not in them. He says she should not tell her mother about this either because she does not need to be worried with heartbreak nonsense. On the porch, Scarlett and her father encounter Ellen, who is rushing out to help baptize Emmie Slattery’s dying newborn. Mammy, an old slave who has been with Ellen since childhood, and Gerald do not think Ellen should help Emmie, whose “white trash” family lives adjacent to the O’Hara plantation. As Scarlett and her dad walk back up the steps, she wonders how her parents ended up together since her dad is so loud and insensitive.

I think it's quite obvious now that I really like books about girls around my age that I can relate to. Teenage love drama? That's what really interests me. Not because I'm obsessed with romance novels, but because I'm going through the same things, or at least observing them happen to friends. And the more I read about a situation outside my friend circle, the more ridiculous it all seems that we spend our teenage years so consumed with our feelings that we don't even know are real. Idk. That's just my two cents for the day. I'll post more later :)

A Really Awkward Story

Similar to an awkward facebook experience I read about on the blog MonkeySquirel, I too have had the unfortunately awkward situation of deleting a facebook friend. In my case, however, I was the one who deleted the friend. I met this friend at another friends get together one day and we got along great! We had similar personalities and were friends by association (friends of friends) so I had no problem adding this person as a friend on facebook after I got home. Unfortunately the friendship was short lived...This person alwayssss commented on everything on my wall. statuses, posts, pictures, you name it. I was getting really annoyed with the constant involvement in my life and to add on to the annoyingness (yes, I am aware it is not a word, but I can't find another way to describe the feelings I felt) the person was constantly asking me to hang out! It was sooo obnoxious especially because I angered the person whenever I was unavailable! So I had no choice to defriend the person, and block the person so that I could simply say "I deleted my facebook" and lose almost all cyber connections with this person. It seemed like the easiest solution for both of us. Am I crazy for acting this way??

Reading Totals

Since the beginning of this semester I've read...
705 pages of popular fiction!
168 pages of Everything is Illuminates
428 pages of Memoirs of a Geisha
35 pages Ladies of Grace Adieu
74 pages of Icy Sparks

For My Personal Post...

Yes, another personal post. I kind of almost dread these, much more so than the reading, because it takes much more effort and thought to find something important enough to put on a blog and call it a personal post. So I guess I could post some of the things I've stumbled upon recently. Seriously, if you haven't tried stumbling yet, you're missing out!

Pretty awesome game...I've only got past level 1! Try to change the whole board to the same color by clicking different colors on the side. When you click a color, red for example, it turns the first square red, and you can match that first corner square to surrounding colors and repeat to cover the whole board with one color in less than thirty turns. So hard!
http://www.flashbynight.com/drench/

For those of you looking for an artsy thing to do in your spare time, these bracelets look super cool to make. Im definitely putting them on my list of things to make!
http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/how-tuesday-sailors-knot-bracelets-9314/

All the Pretty Horses Prompts

My favorite prompt is Over and Out's character prompt:
What is McCarthy trying to say by having Blevins die and Rawlins return home?

I like this prompt because it brings up a good point about what the author did...Is there a legitimate reason Rawlins was able to leave Mexico alive while Blevins was killed? I think so. In my opinion, Blevins was the hero wannabe. He wanted to be the typical cowboy that runs away from home and lives an adventurous lifestyle. Rawlins, on the other hand, was the bad guy, who insulted Blevins and who cared only for his own well-being. In Mexico, the good guy doesn't always win because rules do not matter as much to the people. Blevins death and Rawlins leaving shows that the bad guys survive the hardships while the good guys are killed off. Also, by having the bad guy return home, it shows that the bad guys really aren't that tough and mean, and when faced with a problem or possible death they run away from the situation. This prompt would be good for evaluating one of the major themes in the novel.

Icy Sparks to page 74

Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio has started out to be a really great book. It's told in retrospect and starts out when Icy turns ten. Her eyes are very itchy about a week after her birthday and suddenly pop out of her head. Everyone says she has frog eyes and she is teased constantly. This struck me as interesting because the novel starts with Icy saying to her mother the hairs above her lip are turning gray. In response to this, her grandma says calling to people's flaws isn't nice. This event foreshadows into the conflict in the story, Icy's bulgiing eyes. There's a boy who also has bulging eyes like her and is teased who has a crush on her. She doesn't seem to fond of the idea of boys yet. Also, she is convinced her teacher, Mrs. Stilton, dislikes her. But toward the end of chapter 6, where I stopped, Mrs. Stilton tells the children she has a surprise for them for Halloween. While she is getting them the surprise, Icy turns to her friend and says "It's probably some poison." She proceeds to lists a bunch of nasty things it could be and her friend tells her she is a liar and wants her to be quiet. Mrs. Stilton brings out a cake, and no one ends up sick or poisoned. Icy claims Mrs. Stilton had cast her spell with that cake, because afterward her friend would not speak with her. On the bus ride home, she talks badly about Icy, and how she thinks she is sooo smart, and the teacher sees right through her which is why she hates the teacher. The whole bus and even her whole class turns agaisnt her, even the boy that once had a crush on her. Her class starts to ignore her, and she feels as though she has lost her identity as she can no longer share humor with her classmates while making fun of the teacher.

It's really a sad and moving story about this girl's life as she is teased and ridiculed by her peers, but remains strong through it all. Im excited to keep reading what else she will endure and to see if life will treat her better.

The Ladies of Grace Adieu...up to page 35 and the end of the first tale

Yes, its only been about 6 pages. But I realized it was the end of the first tale. I guess those three women, Mrs. Field, Cassandra and Miss Tobias are also magicians. Which is kind of unheard of in those days I guess...The home in which Miss Tobias is a governess is said to be haunted, by owls, and Im a little confused on this whole concept of magic and witch craft. Like when Miss Tobias was talking to the two men with the owl on her shoulder and they like disappeared and the owls had something in their mouths, was that the men? I was very very very confused at what was going on, and to be honest a little weirded out. It was pretty cool i guess but not really my first choice of reading. For that reason, I've decided to stop reading the book. I guess magic really isn't my genre of reading :/ But I'll start a new book soon enough!

The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke

I started reading the first 29 pages of this novel. And I have to admit, it is quite interesting. Unlike the last book I read, this book is more ficticious, since it talks about magic and about women who i presume to be from the 17th century. The book begins with a background about the importance of magic. I really loved one of the first few lines, "our magic comes from the dark and dreaming heart." I think Clarke did an excellent job of starting the novel, as well as making a good story. The book is separated into different sections about certain things. The book talks about a Mr. Field, his niece Cassandra, Mrs. Field his new wife and Miss Tobias a governess. It also mentions in another section Mr. Strange and Mr. Norrell, two practicing magicians. Strangely the characters are almost all inter connected. Im really interested to see where the inter connected leaders will take me, and what effect it will have later on in the book!

What Would Teens Do?

Today I read an article about a study conducted on teenagers, found at this website:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/teenagers-friends-and-bad-decisions/?src=me&ref=general

The study conducted tried to evaluate the effects of peer pressure on teenagers. In the study, 14 young teenagers, 14 college students and 12 young adults were asked to play a video driving game four different times while in an MRI scanner. The players were given cash prizes for completing the game at faster times, and for two of the four trials were told friends that accompanied them to the study were watching them play. The study showed that among adults and college students, there were no major differences in risk taking, regardless of whether friends were watching. However, the young teenagers ran about 40 percent more yellow lights and had 60 percent more crashes when they knew their friends were watching. The regions of the brain associated with reward showed greater activity when they were playing in view of their friends. This shows that peer pressure has an effect on brain signals involving risk and reward and young people are more likely to misbehave and take risks when their friends are watching. I think this was a very beneficial study, and I hope more teens will realize how dangerous it is to show off in front of your friends!

For My Personal Post...

I decided to share a website I found!

http://www.flowers2mail.com/

I stumbled upon this and decided it was one of the most clever things ever! I've been sending bouquets to everyone after I found out how easy to use this website is. Plus its a lot cheaper than buying real flowers :)

All the Pretty Horses to the end of Part III

This past section of reading was quite violent and fulfilled my expectations of a Mexican prison. John and Rawlins are still in prison, and get in many fights with the other prisoners. The guards don't seem to care if the prisoners get into fight, either because they don't want to get hurt themselves or don't think the prisoners deserved to be helped. The other prisoners also seem to have many problems with John and Rawlins, probably because they are American. After Rawlins gets stabbed I was almost sure he was turned away from the concept of staying in Mexico. When the two are bailed out by their ranch friends, Rawlins decides to go home while John Grady decides to stay in Mexico.

I can't really understand why John Grady thinks he'll be better off in Mexico at this point. Hasn't he seen enough troublesome events? I feel like after seeing a friend be murdered and enduring prison, he'd be extremely tempted to go back to the safety of home, no matter how much he thinks he'll be miserable. I hope John Grady changes his mind and goes back home before he gets into trouble like Blevins...

Memoirs of a Geisha up to pg. 428...(The End)

Finishing up the novel, I was extremely satisfied with the brilliant end to a fascinating story. The Chairman meets Sayuri at the teahouse back in Gion, and talks to her about he has always known she was the girl he had cheered up so many years ago. He says he arranged for Mameha to become her older sister and that he had always planned to become her danna. However, when Nobu fell for her he felt he had to give her up since life had treated Nobu so badly and Nobu had saved the Chairman's company. After seeing Sayuri with the Minister though and having Pumpkin tell him that she was really supposed to bring Nobu to the place, he figured out that she was trying to stop Nobu from becoming her danna. Therefore, he decided to tell Nobu about what he had seen. When Nobu had reacted angrily, he decided Nobu was not fit to be her destiny. The Chairman proposes himself as her danna and has her resign as a geisha so that Nobu will never know that Sayuri is his mistress. The Chairman takes Sayuri to the United States several times and eventually Sayuri ends up moving there and opening her own teahouse. She cuts ties with Mother, who pays back every Yen she owes to Sayuri. When the Chairman dies, Sayuri comes to understand "the world is no more permanent than a wave rising on the ocean."

This was by far my favorite quote in the book. It gave me the same realization about life that Sayuri reached and it made the book leave so much more of an impression on me. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great read!