FInally

When I first started this class I didnt really appreciate reading. I thought it was boring and I never really did it. I tried reading a few book on my own but after starting a few pages or chapters I would stop because I was disinterested. I never really like reading books for pleasure. Ive always read the books assigned for classes but it was a hastle because it was absolutely nothing I was interested in. I bought the book Crash Into Me this summer because it looked intersesting but I never really read it until this part couple weeks. It was more intriguing then I thought so im glad i went back and read it. I usually would attempt at reading a book because I thought it wouold be interesting but I guess I never found time to sit down and read. I feel like in the summer Im just too involved with things that i dont have too much time to read for pleasure. And during the school year I definitely didnt have that much time because of tennis and all the other homework thats assigned. Its hard to devote my mind to the book instead of on my homework. But because of this class I have read some interesting books and got a lot out of some of them. The more close the book was to life the more interesting it was to read. I enjoyed reading in this class unlike I did for other classes when they were assigned. I liked having the freedom to choose an interesting book that i wanted to read. It was more fun and made me want to read

Current Week 12

“The most important thing.  Your greatest weapon is your attitude.”

“You’re going to struggle to reach your goals.  Sometimes, you’ll need someone to have your back.”

“Purposely short-changing yourself and your commitments because of your fears is not a path to significance.”  

I think the best quote of the three is the second one because most of the time to reach your goal you are going to need someone you can really trust to help you stay on track and to confide in along the way.  Maybe it’s someone that is in a high position or has the power to help or maybe is a really close friend that you can talk about troubles and fears and failures along the way.  It just seems like everybody needs to have somebody to lean on along the way. 

This week pages read:     113

Last week pages read:    103

Total pages read:        1,639

Failure is Not an Option

Penton is really big on fighting hard for your goal and commitment.  He mentioned weak moments where he thought just one beer wouldn’t hurt or skipping one workout wouldn’t make any difference but he was disciplined enough to just keep visually himself playing the best football ever.  During the process he also learned that fighting for your goal might cost you big time.  Like he lost his friends in high school because he chose not to drink and party.  Penton talked a lot about attitude and if you start feeling the poor pitiful me this sucks stuff, you probably won’t succeed in your goal.  You have to keep challenging yourself until.  The part that got real confusing to me was Penton spent a lot of time stressing how important it is to be true to yourself but he also talked about the importance of being part of a team.  My experience is that there’s a lot of negative influence on the teams I’ve been on in middle school and high school.  There’s either someone who wants to start drama or rumors or something.  But I also get what Penton is trying to say because you can’t succeed as a team without everyone working together and working towards the same goal, and, a team can do more together than its members can do apart.  He also points out that no one can live life alone and that’s its better to have one or two really good friends that you can completely trust than to have a bunch of acquaintances.  Another thing Penton says that I’ve heard from my parents is that you are who you hand out with.  Even if friends do something not so cool, if I’m with them but don’t participate in the bad thing they’re doing, I’m still guilty by association.  One of the last things Penton talks about is failure.  You can’t be afraid to fail while you’re working towards your goal.  Most likely, if you don’t screw up along the way, you’re probably not working hard enough or taking enough risks to get the job done.  Just keep working hard, take chances and don’t give up.

Goal Tending

Penton spends a lot of time talking about faith and how they Ohio State Football team used faith to win the National Championship.  Their plan wasn’t to win the public’s confidence but to win the top trophy.  And they did.  Penton explain that faith isn’t just a religious thing.  It was something we all live by in everyday events like something as simple as having faith that the chair you’re about to sit in will hold you up.  You don’ know for sure but you have faith that it will is an example.  He talked about how real faith is based on personal knowledge and experience and that blind faith isn’t based on anything at all so it won’t get you very far.  It seemed a little confusing but I kind of get it.  After setting a goal and making a commitment to succeed at the goal you have to clear your mind and life of anything that stands in its way that you can control like girlfriends, being lazy, or spending too much money on things.  Then you have to make sure you don’t let anyone’s criticism of your goal get in the way.  Just ignore their comments or actions.  Then you have to keep envisioning yourself making the goal, never letting up on it or doubting yourself.  Sounds easier said than done.  Penton had a real awkward chapter in the book where he talks about sex and how he made a promise to himself when he was that he wouldn’t have sex until he was married.  He mentions several times that he was really tempted and even mentioned something my mom has said to me before and that is laying down with a girl was not a good idea.  It usually leads to trouble.  Penton actually made it to his wedding day without even kissing his wife before then.  That doesn’t even seem right.  He thought it was well worth the wait but I think it seems kind of risky.  What happens if there’s not the connection you expect afterwards?

Current Week 11

“I need to stand my ground.”

“When you make a commitment, the kind that leads to significance, you cannot simply be wishing for something you aren’t willing to work hard to achieve.”

“Making commitments is the way to avoid a life of surrender.”

There’s a lot of good messages in the book but the first quote kind of sums it up.  Stand firm to what you believe in and feel strongly about and don’t let anyone get in the way of your commitments to yourself.

This weeks pages read:  103
Last weeks paged read:  257
Total pages read:          1526

Eat Your Heart Out

The story continues to focus on commitment and standing your ground.  Penton talks about how his sister, Sara, used the same philosophy to get want she was passionate about which was a high level of education.  His sister was an extreme introvert.  She hated being the center of attention.  During a high school band competition, show won an award and when her name was called over the loud speaker announcing the name, she freaked out and was totally humiliated.  Sara was a brilliant student, though, and she wanted to go to an Ivy League college.  She and her family couldn’t afford it so Sara started looking into ways to get scholarships.  She finally realized there was probably only one option to get the education she had the passion for at a price she could afford and that was to be accepted into the United States Naval Academy.  There were a few hurdles Sara would have to work hard at to get into the academy.  She had the smarts but she would have to overcome the physical requirements and the political requirements, like public speaking.  Sara was determined and started working out.  Each day she got stronger and pushed herself further.  She staged mock interviews and practiced them over and over and worked in the community to gain confidence in herself and even got a congresswoman to endorse her.  Again, it all paid off.  She got into the academy and by her senior year was ranked 13^th in her class and was promoted to Commander of the Naval Academy Band and Bugle Corp.  The book goes on to say that if you want to be successful like the Penton brother and sister, you have to determine your strengths and passion.  Strengths are what you are good at, like sports, money, math, or drawing.  Passion is what you love, like video games, music or art.  You’re supposed to pick a couple from the lists that excite you the most and they’re probably the ones that you’d be the best at.  The next step is to quit wishing or hoping and start committing and resolving to what enthuses you.  So far, the book is kind of motivating.  I hope the book finishes by giving some pointers on how to turn a wish into a commitment.

Pay Off

A friend of mine was given the book “Stand Your Ground” by his school sports director to read.  A few weeks ago we got to talking about having to read stuff and when I mentioned I had to read for this class, he recommended I give the book a shot.  He said it was kind of interesting since it’s based on a true story about a guy from Van Wert, Ohio not far from us.  It’s about a kid who leads a normal life with a good family and has lots of friends.  His name is Joel Penton.  He’s an average kid, good student, but not-so-good jock.  When he was nine he tried out for Little League.  He didn’t make the team and ended up playing for the Farm League which consisted of the misfits.  He tried out again the next year and still didn’t make it.  He was extremely disappointed and embarrassed but decided basketball and baseball were not his thing.  His real passion was football but knew that was nothing more than a ridiculous dream.  He tried out and got picked, third from last.  The team wasn’t too thrilled he made the team either.  But his dad challenged him and told him that if he truly had the passion for the game, he needed to dedicate himself to being the best football player he could be.  Penton took his dad’s advice and started running and working out.  He set up cones in the basement to practice quick maneuvering.  He thought about football day and night.  His dedication paid off.  In high school he was the only freshman chosen to play on the varsity football team.  Things seemed to be going his way until his friends started choosing the party scene.  Penton had made a pact with his friends and himself that they wouldn’t party.  But, one by one, his friends let him down.  When Penton tried to join them to hang out, his friends avoided him.  They also staged a phony vote for class president.  Penton had been the class president his freshman, sophomore, and junior year but his so-called friends voted him out in favor of a guy that didn’t even want the position.  They just wanted to be sure Penton didn’t win.  Penton stood his ground, though.  He didn’t have much of a social life but his passion on the football field only intensified.  It all paid off, too.  In his senior year his high school football coach introduced him with Coach Tressell at Ohio State.  It all worked out.  Coach Tressell offered Penton a full scholarship to OSU to play football, his passion

Current:Week 10

“If you love something, that’s the only way to survive.”

“Love and grief are inseparable according to the poets.”

“Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.”

I like the third quote best.  In one short line it says it all.  No matter what the problem seems to be at the time, it really is just a blip in time and can probably be overcome if you share your troubles with someone in the family or close friend.  The first quote is real important too, though, because I think you really do need to love yourself and the people you choose to surround yourself with to be able to make it through all of life’s low spots. 

This weeks pages read:  257
Last weeks pages read:  115
Total pages read:          1422

Life Rules

Audrey stays back and Jin-Ae and Owen take off to find Frank but first find a gun Frank has been hiding in the car.  Owen puts the gun to his head but changes his mind.  It ends up the gun didn’t have bullets in it.  Frank eventually shows u drunk and has Owen drive from there.  The next stop is Ernest Hemingway’s grave in Sun Valley, Idaho.  Frank chose this spot.  The four of them start getting cranky and agitated with each other but Audrey and Owen seem to be forming a bond.  Jin-Ae puts together a list of top ten suicide legends like Romeo and Juliet, Marilyn Monroe, and Judas who hangs himself.  Throughout the story they cut in with the chat room dialogue between the four before they meet up to take the road trip and it’s almost like they’re trying to convince each other to be suicidal.  For example, Frank says “Listen Jin-Ae, for real.  It would take some work and maybe some luck, but we could to it.”  Jin-Ae and Frank also share with each other that they’ve tried to call the suicide hotline but hang up before the call is answered.  If you’re dialing the suicide hotline, that would indicate to me that you’re trying to get help and not so sure you want to go through with it.  On their way to Seattle, WA, where Kurt Cobain died (it was Audrey’s pick), they create a list of stupid ways to commit suicide.  The few ideas from the list are licking an electric socket, pretend to have a gun and shoot at a police officer, and smother yourself with dry-cleaning bags.  Audrey and Owen are getting more cozy with each other with kissing and more.  At some point along the trip Owen points a revolver at his father’s headstone.  He gets hit from the bullet or rock splinter and it smashes the side of his head.  Blood gushes everywhere and Frank, Jin-Ae and Audrey are freaked out and start screaming out “don’t you die on us!”   That’s when they decide the suicide pact was stupid and they make a new pact swearing off killing themselves.  They end by listing the top ten reasons to live.  A few are, stars in the sky, mud fights, and moms.

Death Valley Here We Come

So far “Crash Into Me” is a real sad pathetic account of four teenagers who meet on the internet and decide to take a road trip together with the ultimate destination being the place they will die, that is, commit suicide.  The four characters, Owen, Frank, Audrey, and Jin-Ae, seem to all come from different backgrounds and have different reasons for feeling like death is their only escape.  Some of them have already attempted to take their life before meeting each other online.  The four of them make a list of the top ten bizarre ways to kill yourself.  A couple from the list are eating Froot Lopps and Drano, Locking yourself in a freezer, and cutting yourself and then swimming in the ocean with sharks.  What gross and morbid ideas!  I get how at some point in almost everyone’s lives there are times we experience serious sadness, pain, anxiety, or despair, especially when we loose a close family member, or maybe get rejected by a boyfriend or girlfriend, or are disappointed over not getting something you’ve really worked hard for.  None of those things, though, should drive us to feeling so defeated that we want to take our life.  Anyway, Owen narrates the story and seems to be the brains of the outfit by providing directions and things like that.  Each of the four picks out a celebrity that committed suicide and where they died and those are the places they plan to go with the final destination being Death Valley in California.  During their travels Owen recalls the questions people ask you when you try to kill yourself.  Usually they have to do with thinking about the consequences or make you try to think of how the people you care will feel.  His depression seems to be mainly over the death of his younger brother who drowns in the pool.  Jin-Ae admits to being gay and is afraid of her family’s reaction.  Up to this point, I haven’t really figured out why Audrey and Frank are suicidal.  They just seem like troubled but not enough you’d think they’d want to take their life.   Their first main stop is Woody Creek, Colorado where Hunter S. Thompson died.  That was Owen’s choice.  They stop at a hotel and when they wake up they realize that Frank took off and they need to go after him so they decide who says back and who goes after him.  The book is weird because it doesn’t have chapters that start you off with an idea. 

Close Reading BINGO

1. “touchy as hell”, http://littleduckkie3.blogspot.com/
Punctuation goes inside the quotations

2. Lacked colorful and exciting diction. http://ilikesoccer17.blogspot.com/
Uses a past tense verb.

3. His diction affects the reader as a young boy who doesn't have a story to tell, and is boring and dull. http://amandaprindle.blogspot.com/
Talks about how the language affects the reader.

4. In Nicholson Baker's work The Mezzanine, he uses elegant and intricate diction to create a formal tone. http://clayballl.blogspot.com/
Uses the verb "uses"

Practice Diction Analysis

The language used in the excerpt, “Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger, parades a blatant malicious cordialness. It holds an uncensored array of words that give you the perception that nothing matters and the main character doesn’t feel a necessity in explaining any factual minutiae about his parent’s past. It also seems manipulating and compulsive like there is a hidden problem within the character that is expressed through sharp abrasive language. It’s relieved slightly towards the end when mentioning the work of the character’s brother’s “terrific book of short stories.”

Current

1. Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy does not send a whimsical or inspirational feel but gives off more of a graceful or elegant feel.
http://bradey.blogspot.com/

2. Uris uses a elegant diction and a melodious language.
http://abiddetyafter.blogspot.com/

3. 1984 by George Orwell uses straightforward and exact diction, colloquial formality, and dull sound to create a harsh feeling for the reader, much like how Winston feels the chill of the bright cold day and the enormous eyes of the face watching him.
http://freefifteen.blogspot.com/

I like third one because it has good comparison and uses the words very creatively while still keeping to their ture meaning. It has strong word choice and uses meticulous diction that helps relay a true meaning of what is seen in the selection chosen.

Current:Week 9

“You’re outta your mind, Mitch.  If you think you can take your million and ride into the sunset, you’re a fool.”

“I knew we would have to have a lucky break to pull this off.  And I think we just found it.”

“You’ve got the money to do as you please, so forget about them.  Just tour the islands for the rest of your life.  There are worse things, you know.”

I like the third quote best because how awesome would it be to be stuck sailing around the Carribean with the love of your life and millions of dollars.  The only thing worse than that, though, would be that knowing if you stayed on land too long, it could mean your life.  Makes you kind of think about what is more important, money or freedom.

This weeks total pages:  115

Last weeks total pages:  159

Total pages read:           1165

Hide and Seek

Avery has a little stress attack and is sent to the hospital.  The firm orders him to stay away from the office for three months to get rest but it’s really part of the partners rouge.  Mitch really has a good scheme in mind working closely with Tammy to get as much information as she can while having access to areas of the firm’s building that Mitch isn’t privy to, including the basement.  In the meantime, Mitch is told he needs to fly to the Caymans for Avery to take care of some business but it’s really a plan to kill him.  The firm is going to plant a bomb type of device on the plane and while it’s over the ocean have it explode.

In the meantime, late at night, a prison guard tells Ray to get out of his cell and follow him.  He shows Ray the exact spot on the prison wall where there will be a heavy rope for him to climb up and over.  The spot lights will go out and the gun patrols will look the other way.  The guard gave him the word to run and Ray bolted for the wall and climbed over.  On the other side was a guy, Bud Riley, that gave him $500 dollars, drove him away from the prison and told him to be careful because it wouldn’t be long before the news media would be posting his face all over the place.  

Mitch has his first million dollars from the FBI, they get his brother out of prison, and now they are on the run.  Mitch meets up with Ray and Abby, who really didn’t leave Mitch, and Mitch devises this cat and mouse scheme to keep one step ahead of the firm and the mob.  They finally escape clear on a schooner boat that was waiting for them along with the eight million dollars Mitch managed out of the FBI.  His brother was out of prison, he had his wife to cruise the Carribean with, and he had his freedom back.  Kind of.  It would probably not be safe to ever surface on land for very long again.  Carribean, forty-foot schooner, money, beautiful wife . . . sounds like paradise to me.

Tax Day

Chapter 29 starts out on tax day, April 15^th.  Since Bendini, Lambert & Locke specializes in tax law, they were super busy trying to get all their clients taxes prepared and filed before the day was over.  Since Abby supposedly left Mitch for a cooling off period, Mitch worked almost twenty-four seven.  Mitch’s mentor, Avery, had a client that was extremely upset over having to pay a very large sum in taxes so Avery had to fly out to smooth things over.  After driving Avery to the airport, Mitch went back to the office and carefully got into Avery’s office.  He was curious about some file cabinets that were off to the side.  He took a key that was made by Tammy posing as a cleaning lady in the firm and opened the cabinets.  He found a bunch of files that looked suspicious and started copying them.  He was a little worried about copying so many files because you have to load a client access code in before copying so each client is charge right.  He faked the system and punched in bogus access codes so no one would get suspicious.  The firm always shut down the day after tax day to give everyone a break.

Tarrance, the FBI agent, tracks Mitch down to see if he was ready to make a deal to help infiltrate the firm and dig up enough evidence to allow the FBI to take the firm down.  Mitch reminder him that until all his demands were agree on, there was no deal.  The toughest demand was getting his brother, Ray, out of prison.  Mitch seemed to be in power and control now with the FBI.  Probably because the FBI new that Mitch was the closest ticket they had in getting the evidence on the firm.

DeVasher is very suspicious of Abby and Mitch’s separation.  He doesn’t believe it’s real.  He is also suspicious of all the copies ran on the 15^th and based on everyone else being out of the building and the location of the copier, it had to be Mitch.  The partners decide to run prints on the files in Avery’s office.  It’s getting very evident that the firm doesn’t trust Mitch and eventually the mob boss orders DeVasher to start the process of taking Mitch out, killing him.

Style Mapping

In the book "Deadline"  by Chris Crutcher, the language is vulgar and it expresses the thoughts through straightforward formalities. The language used is that of a typical high school teenager where things are bluntly said and without conscious of what the people think. Some meager profanity is used to direct a certain point more blatantly. In "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, which is slightly different in language than "Deadline," the elevated organization of language displays heightened emotions and prevailing arrays of in depth meticulousness. Its different in that it is very suggestive towards the meaning of hidden enigmas.  In the book "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yoden, the type of language depicts a very unembellished style with factual perception such as the harshness induced by the German Nazis towards the innocent Jews.  The direct and tactile language exemplifies  ruthlessness, inhumanity, and mercilessness. 

Quarterly

     I have surprised myself because I dont usually this much in the first place so its been much. I feel that some weeks with all the extracirricular stuff and work that it can be much. i dont always have time to read during the week because I work every day. I pulled it off though and enjoyed it a little bit. My favorite read was "Deadline" because its so down to earth. It talks the talk of an actual high school student. It does use derrogatory language but it sets the tone and makes the book better. It puts you in the main characters shoes and allows you to follow him closely and how he feels and sees things in life. Another good book I was "Psych" because its a comical investigation and mystery. It places you in medias res of the story and makes you think. Shawn and Gus have a peculiar personality that strikes everyones attetion. They work hard but goof off just as much. They follow their own path and dont really listen to orders very well. But in the end the mystery is solved and the investigation is complete. Least favorite was the firm because Its too serious and I just lost interested. Im still reading it so i can say i finished it but its definitely not my favorite. One that stuck with me was "The Devils Arithmetic." It was a serious book and thats why it wasnt my favorite but its striked my attention due to its harshness and realness. The crude and extensive punishment the Jews went through really gets to you and makes you want to continue reading.
     And to finish this off i enjoy reading outside when its sunny out in the backyard on our outdoor sofas. I kill two birds with one stone. Lay out and tan while I read. I read at the lake a few times when we went up. Just sat on the boat and read. I cant read at night cause Im too tired to comprehend and focus on whats actually going on. So yeah thats about it. And a goal Im setting for myself is reading more Teen related books cause i like them and can understand what they are going through being that im a high school student.

Current:Week 8

“You’ll have to testify against all your buddies at their trials.  Could take years.”

“Let’s take the money and haul ass.”

“I must go.  I’ve taken a leave of absence at school.”

I chose the third quote because it’s reflects what I wish I could do at this point in my school career.  It would be great to take a break from school right now. 

This weeks pages:  159

Last weeks pages:  147

Total pages read:  1050

Woman Power

Right after getting back from his seminar in Washington he races to see Abby.  While at dinner he tells Abby to act normal but that he’s been approached by the FBI and they’re watching closely.  He also tells her that the firm is very suspicious of him and they are watching him also.  Abby is scared and cries.  Tarrance, the FBI agent that introduced Mitch to Voyles, spots Mitch a week after returning from Washington and they duck into a shoe store to talk.  After spotting a spy from the firm, they act out a big fight with Mitch telling Tarrance to get the heck away from him and pushed him away.  Mitch ran directly to Avery and told him he was forced into the shoe store.  Mitch is taken to Locke to tell him the whole story.  They let Mitch go but DeVasher insists that Mitch wasn’t forced but went willingly into the shoe store.  He is very suspicious.  DeVasher wants to be sure Mitch doesn’t talk so he takes him for a ride and shows Mitch pictures of him making out with the island girl from his trip with Avery to the Caymans.  Mitch gets the message.  Mitch throws himself into his work day and night and Abby and him are extremely careful at home.  Mitch gets a letter from Tammy, a.k.a., Doris, who wants to meet him.  DeVasher announces that the mob has starting talking about taking Mitch out but there’s a few in the firm that think it would look too suspicious having another death of another associate so they decide to keep watching him.  Tammy sets up a freelance secretarial service in a building just three blocks from the front of the firm as a front to be able to communicate with Mitch and run copies of files.  Mitch makes a few more rendezvous trips to get more info from the FBI while him and Tammy scheme behind the scenes.  Abby comes to Mitch’s office to tell him her mother is sick and she’s leaving.  The firm sees it on camera and figure she’s leaving Mitch for good.  Instead, she heads to the Cayman Islands with Tammy, they drug Avery, get his keys to a room that has twelve fireproof legal-size file cabinets full of dirty files.  They scheme to copy them all before Avery wakes up.  Abby leaves the island to care for her mom, Tammy sorts and arranges the files just like Mitch demanded, and the mob puts a hit man after Mitch.

Who's on First

When Mitch gets back from his trip from the Caymans he drives to Abby’s school where she teaches to surprise her.  He’s feeling really guilty that he just cheated with an island girl.  He doesn’t know it but the island girl was a set up.  The firm had pictures of him taken with the girl to use as blackmail later.  DeVasher is still tapping the McDeere’s homes phones and cars and following them most of the time.  Kay Quin and Abby met for lunch and Abby kind of dumps her frustrations with Mitch’s late nights on Kay.  Mitch gets Abby to a restaurant and finally tells her that they’re being taped and followed and about his meeting with an FBI agent and how careful they have to be now.  Christmas is celebrated with huge bonuses for everyone.  DeVasher orders even tighter surveillance on Mitch and has him followed when he travels to Washington for a tax seminar.  While there, he is approached by Lomax’s secretary, Tammy.  She’s kind of a crusty middle-aged lady that has connections.  Also, Mitch learns that he is being solicited by the Director of the FBI, Mr. Voyles who wants to meet him.  Mitch is given secret directions so he’s not found out by the firm.  He ends up at the Wall, a memorial that lists the names of all the veterans killed in 1972.  Mitch’s brother, Rusty, is listed on the wall.  Mitch is escorted to Voyles who tells him the law firm of Bendini, Lambert & Locke is owned by the Morolto crime family in Chicago and that no lawyer has ever left the firm alive.  He wants Mitch’s help to take the firm down.  Over time, Mitch agrees but negotiates to two million dollars, the release of his brother Ray from prison, and personal protection for him and Abby.

Response

Books Read Previous Week

1. Deadline
2. The Devils Arithmetic
3. The Firm (currently reading)

Current:Week 7

 “A base salary of eighty thousand the first year, plus bonuses.  Eighty-five the second year, plus bonuses.  A low-interest mortgage so you can buy a home.  Two country club memberships.  And a new BMW.  You pick the color, of course.”

 “There’s’ pressure, overwork, eighty-hour weeks and time away from home.”

 “We aren’t supposed to know these things, but the folks in Nashville told us that you made the highest score on the bar exam.  Congratulations, Counselor.”

“From the balcony off the second-floor bedroom, Mitch watched the small boats drift aimlessly over the sparkling sea.  The sun was beginning its descent and the small waves reflected its rays in a million directions.”

I chose the second quote because I can relate to it most.  It reminds me of school and what college is going to be like.  There’s going to be a lot of new things to learn and remember which will be really stressful and I’ll probably be studying most of my days and nights away.  And, if I get into the college I want, I’ll be away from home.

This weeks' pages:  146
Last weeks' pages:  164
Total pages read:     891

Lady Gagas Outfitts

Gotter' Done

Mitch was able to fix the Capps crisis and Avery was proud of his work.  He referred to Mitch as a machine.  The problem was Mitch spent too much time on the case and not enough time study for the bar exam.  In memory of all deceased firm associates, they hang a portrait of them and Hodge and Kozinski.  The firm only had one female partner and died.  No one liked her referring to her as the “super-bitch”.  She was killed by a drunk driver.  While alone one morning, Mitch starts taking note of the five dead lawyers’ portraits and starts writing their names and date of death done.  All of a sudden Nathan Locke appears.  Mitch thinks he’s the most evil looking man he’s ever met.  Mitch refers to him as “black eyes”.  Locke chews Mitch out for not being ready for the bar.  The Saturday after the bar exam Abby’s parents come to visit.  Mitch isn’t impressed with the Sutherlands.  He thinks they look down on him because he came from a poor and dysfunctional family.  Mr. Sutherland kept asking questions about the place trying to find out how much the place cost, and finally came right out and asked.  That caused a stir and they all ended up going for a car ride and nobody talked.  Finally, Mitch was called in Lambert’s office to find out whether he passed the bar or not.  At first they led him to believe he did not but then broke out in cheers and congratulated him.  Abby clipped the news article with Mitch’s name in it for passing the bar and mailed copies to her parents and to Mitch’s brother, Ray.  While getting a sandwich, Mitch is approached by an FBI agent that warns him of the firm.  He tells Mitch not to trust anyone, that he’s being bugged at work and home, and that “money don’t grow on trees”.   Mitch is immediately called in the office to tell the head partners what he remembered from the discussion with the FBI agent and they record what Mitch says.  The firm tells Mitch the FBI harasses them all the time and not to be concerned.  DeVasher wants Mitch watched closely. Mitch secretly visits his brother in prison.  He is sent on a trip to the Caymans with Avery where he learns that Avery is drunk cheat.  Mitch cases Avery’s place and starts checking into the deaths of the two firm members that recently died there.  Mitch is definitely certain something illegal is going on but is set up and seduced by an island girl.  When he gets back to the office there is a lot of concern over trusting Mitch but they have pictures of him and the lady on the beach that they will be able to use as blackmail.

Life in the Fast Lane

This is about a tax law firm, Bendini, Lambert & Locke and a fresh new law student named Mitch McDeere.  The law firm was located in Memphis and relatively small compared to the law firms in the larger cities.  It was very successful and was willing to scout out and pay top dollar for the perfect new law associate.  Mitch McDeere was their number one change because Mitch was one of the top in his graduating class, he played starting quarterback, he was happily married to Abby, a kindergarten teacher at a private school. And didn’t smoke, drink much, or do drugs.  He was also in debt from school loans and was hungry for money.  Mitch had offers from other law firms, Bendini, Lambert & Locke offered him the highest salary, and BMW, and a low interest rate house loan.  While getting to know the partners and their wives, Mitch and Abby ran into some odd things like being told the firm really pushed having kids and they insisted you own a luxurious home and they wanted everyone to look and act rich.  It was all about money and loyalty.  Nobody left the firm until they retired.  They also only hired unattractive secretaries so the men wouldn’t be tempted to cheat on their wives.  There seemed to be a lot of secret and forbidden places within the firm, like the office of DeVasher that had a small metal door and a camera over it.  Mitch decided to sign with the firm and what would have been his first day at the office was instead attending the funeral because two associates at the firm had recently been killed in the Grand Cayman.  While scuba diving, a boat exploded and it was presume Joe Hodge and Marty Kozinski drown.  What Mitch and Abby didn’t know was that their house was bugged and they were being followed constantly.  Avery Tolar was assigned Mitch’s mentor and the most important thing they needed to do was get all the help Mitch needed to past the bar exam.  Mitch’s first assignment was to review the Sonny Capps case who was being charged with not paying taxes.  In the meantime, it becomes apparent Kozinski and Hodge were ordered to be killed by some mafia type group that the head firm partners were involved with because they were going to meet with the FBI about something illegal going on.  Because of this, everyone’s phones had to be bugged.

Current: Week Six

Favorite Sentences:

1. "You are Chaya no longer, child. Now you are JI97241."

2. "The garbage dump."

3. "But do not let them hear you use the word death. Do not let them hear you use the word corpse. A person is not killed here, but chosen."

I like quote number two because of what it inferes. It is talking about the pile of people that have been created from all of those that have been killed from the gas chambers in the concentration camp. They named it the garbage dump so the Jews wouldnt refuse to go. If they knew it was the place of dead bodies they would be less likely to go.

This weeks words: 164
Last weeks words: 97
Total words: 745

How i see it.....

When reading this I felt consumed and like I was there and feeling and going through pain and agony the Jews were going through. It only makes me more supportive of my Religion. It helps you believe in your faith a little more. What if it was your religion that was chosen instead of the Jews? What would your take be on it and how much more would you respect your religious background? This book makes you realize what truly the worst that can happen is. We all remember the 9/11 attacks and that only serves as a miniscule devastation compared to the Holocaust. When reading this and thinking about the Holocaust I’m put in a state of solemn remembrance trying to conjure up what it would be like if I was in the position the Jews were at the time. Just think about it and see what you come up with and how you feel based on what happened during the Holocaust.   

Remember the Holocaust

I chose to read a shorter novel this week and its called “The Devils Arithmeitc.” This book is a representation of what went down during the Holocaust. It is said through the perspective of a Jewish girl named, Hannah. At a young age her and her family were taken by Nazi soldiers and brought to a Nazi concentration camp in Germany. This book is very graphical and violent. It depicts the harassment and torture the Jewish members faced while living on fatal and humble grounds of  the camps which were located variously around parts of  Europe, mostly Germany. Families were split up and only the strongest and most able were to remain alive, only to live another day of unexplainable agony. People within the camps were only there to clean up the mess that the Nazis had created and that was burying the dead bodies that had been singed from the gas chambers. People were forced to shave their hair and strip completely of their clothes so that they had no identity except the tattoo driven into their arm when they entered the camp. Hannah has been hard pressed and consumed by demeanor that has been put upon her in the camp that she has no recollection of her past. The only thing soaring through her mind is making it to the next day and wondering when and if this will all come to an end. Even life doesn’t seem appealing anymore day by day as people encounter uncountable deaths occur. There are indescribable mounds of people that tower higher than anyone wishes to see. One slip up and you’re off to the gas chambers. In this case if was survivor of the fittest.

Sentences of the Month

1. "Just because coach Banks wants his football team to be one with the student body doesnt mean certain individual players feel that same Zenlike love."
2. "The team a single entity. It works when everyone does his part, from the manager to the quarterback."
3. "That makes us dually duly authorized. You dont get more authorized than that. Or more duly."

I like Sentence one because i feel it really has a sort of life meaning. Even though we may not get along with a certain individual we still gotta work together as a team and make things happen. Life kinda works like that. We all dont agree with what is said and done within the society but we have to cope with it and move on and just do our best to get our part of whats needed done.

Total this Week: 97 (End of book)
Total last Week: 103
Total this Semester: 581

You Wont Realize Until It Happens To You.

Just how Ben kept a life secret my uncle kept one as well. Robert Lynn Stalf, is the name of my uncle who passed away roughly year ago. His story goes somewhat like this. My uncle was an amazing guy. Had a wife and three children: Corbin, Kristin, and Cameron. He was honestly the most compassionate person you will ever meet. He would be that example when you said someone has a heart of gold. His every waking minute was dedicated to making sure that someone was being treated for the better. The entire family respected him to the fullest. A simple phone everyday would be the minimum he would do for you. I never met anyone like him. The story begins on a Wednesday evening. He decided he and his wife were going to go to the free concert held here at the park. His son Cameron had come along on his bike and rode to our house which is in the addition right next to the park. Uncle Robbie’s wife is the worst woman a person could even dream of marrying. She had been cheating on Robbie for quite some time but no one ever knew. As Ben keeps his secret in “Deadline” Robbie kept his from us. No one in the family would have ever guessed this was happening. As the evening progressed Diana his wife had been still talking to some other guy and never once introducing him to Robbie. He couldn’t take it anymore.  

            I didn’t mention earlier but my family and Robbie’s family have lake houses on Coldwater Lake in Michigan right down the street from each other and we would go up every weekend and spend endless evenings just chilling with family. It was ineffable. That night Robbie left the family and headed up to the lake alone. It didn’t seem abnormal at the time because he would always go up there periodically and just clean the place up and do whatever. But this time was different. The next day is when things changed drastically for our family. Uncle Robbie was missing. His boat had been found ashore our friends property across the lake. This is what they found: one of two anchors, Robbie’s diet Pepsi, cell phone, and his pack of cigarettes on the edge of the boat, and only half the boat uncovered. That’s when we suspected something terribly had happened. All I can remember is my mom’s voice in miserable sadness on the phone telling me to take my grandma (Robbie’s mom) home from visiting her neighbor in hospice. I had to carry my grandma in the car and drive that long car ride back to my house from New Haven. My uncle had been found tied to an anchor at the bottom of our lake where we always swam every weekend. It was three days after the occurrence that they actually found him. Our life will never be the same without him do to the fact of keeping “that” life secret that we as a family could’ve helped with. It’s as simple as that.

            I want to end by saying that hiding what’s going on in life doesn’t do you well. People need to know. Family and friends are there to help and make life better. If people are destroying your life and especially your family then things need to be done to help. No one would have ever expected this to happen to a person like my uncle. I can’t even fathom the idea of what happened still to this day. Writing this was tough but this book reminded me of the way things happened in my uncle’s life. Holding back and hiding a problem and letting it build up to an unbearable point that taking your life if necessary something is wrong. We as friends and family need to be able to identify these setbacks in our loved ones lives before things like this happen to you. Don’t hide and don’t cover up what hurts inside.

The Fact is........

This Week I decided to write about how this story so far has an impact on the behavior of people today and me in some way. A normal boy who has a problem insists on denying the truth of what’s going on in his life. No matter whom he talks to his stubbornness gets to him and doesn’t allow him to come clean with his fatal secret. Ben will die in a year. He tries to put on a disguise and cover up his secret. Nothings harder to do than to put on a smile and act like everything is okay when really……its not. In Ben’s case it was death. Nothing could’ve been harder to do than hide that you’re going to die within the year. Now I’m going to tell a story that probably doesn’t sound true but it happened. And it affected my family, my mom, my grandma, and. My Uncle.      

Claims of the Day

1. In the song "Your Love Is A Song" by the band Switchfoot, the pensive, tenacious air of the lyrics, along with the mellow drum and guitar accompaniment and the powerful, husky, and dreamlike quality of the singer's vocals combine to evoke an overwhelming sense of breathlessness and euphoria surrounding the song's subject, a love so solemn and earnest it becomes the singer's reason for living.
2. In this picture of lightning striking the Serengeti you are overwhelmed by it's explosive power, seductive presence, and docile setting which creates a sense of euphoria, fear, and loneliness.
3. In this shocking yet comically amusing video we observe an unusually grotesque reaction to some news that set a strange wild boy into a mystifying tangent of caterwauling violently.
4. The music group Ok GO and dance group Pilobolus' smooth and elegant costumes along with the modern aspects of movement portray the lyrically pleasant mood of the collaboration in the music video.
5. Emerson's chubby cheeks, varying moods, and melodic giggles highlight the sincere, playful, and cheerful innocence of children.

I liked the Baby who was scared of her moms nose because it was funny. The claim really demostrates and portrays whats going on in the video very well.

http://freefifteen.blogspot.com/

Movement: Muscular, Aggressive, Supporting, Raw

Attire: Revealing, Simple, Neutral, Practical

Setting: Upscale, High-Class, Poverty-Stricken, Suffering

Body Language: Natural, Voiceless, Powerful, Connected

Inferences: Passionate, Assertive, Sensual, Seductive, Dramatic, Romantic, Loving, Vibrant, Strong, Sultry, Energetic, Intimate

The aggressive raw movement and the natural connection of the two dancers from two worlds portrays passionate, seductive, and energetic love by not giving up on their one dream.

Poet of The Month

1. "Poem to be read at 3am" - Donald Justice
2. "First Kiss" - April Lardner
3. "September Twelfth, 2001" - X.J. Kennedy

I chose these poems because they seem relevant to everyday life. The “Poem to be read at 3am” just seems to portray the subtleness of an evening night and the realization of small unimportant things such as the lights on in the house. I can relate to the thoughtless nights when I drive to the lake or home from a friend’s house.  The others are good as well and really show the relevance to life and what’s going on in life. I can really appreciate the “September  Twelfth, 2001” poem because of its closeness and meaning. Really highlights what went on after the 9/11 attacks.

Current

Favorite Sentences:

1. "Theres not one part of Dallas Suzukis face or body that is in any way Miss World, but you put it all together and i'd swim through five hundred yards of molten turds to listen to her art into a paper sack over the telephone."

2. "Did Jonah really live inside a whale for awhile?" "It says 'big fish,' not 'whale.'"

3. "Just because coach Banks wants his football team to be one with the student body doesnt mean certain individual players feel that same Zenlike love."

I like the first sentence because i think its funny and sort of realistic when it comes time to finding someone you think you might love. You dont really know them that well but you would do anything to make yourself known and get them to hear your name somehow. Its not always as dramatic as Ben says but I can see where hes coming from when he talks about his love for Dallas.

Number of pages this week: 103
Number of pages last week:115
Total number pages Read: 484

Just a little sidenote....

In this book, the author puts an internal conversation that Ben has within his head that helps explain the reasoning behind a lot of the reasons he thinks the way he does. It allows you to figure out the deeper meaning of why Ben is so determined to do what it is he wants in life. Helps show his true feelings and decisions towards things that are going on and people in his life.

Thats my kinda woman!

Dallas Suzuki. That’s her. Ben has been keeping a close on her and she is in one his classes and would do anything for her grocery list. He has been falling in love with her for a long time and he really needed to make his move since his life was literally ticking away from him. Dallas played volleyball for the school team and Ben would go just to watch her muscular thighs and calves give her hops. He makes a simple date with her to lunch one day and ends coming and she’s writing stuff down. Ben asks what shes doing and he says she is writing for the school newspaper and was doing a sort of background check on him and needed to ask questions for the school yearbook. He though for a minute is she here for me or just to use me for the school yearbook. It didn’t matter to him in the long run as long as he got to talk to her. She asked him some questions about why he chose to quit the cross country team and turn out for the football team. Ben thought being in the school yearbook just might not be that bad after all. It would put himself out there and “make his mark.” Just like he wanted to do.

Im not crazy YOU are.

At school Ben’s tenacious attitude doesn’t always get the best of the teachers. In US government Ben has been creating obstinate arguments that are logical but irrelevant to the subject at hand. He figures from the book he reads called, Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen, that high school history books are way more interested in making us love our country revere all the famous historical dudes than they are getting the facts right. Mr. Lambeer, the teacher, has notified the class they will be learning about the Constitution within the next few and of course, Ben brings up controversy. Ben says out loud, “Did you know the Framers recommend we revisit the Constitution about every twenty years?” Mr. Lambeer is perplexed about what has just happened and Ben goes on about he thinks, “Yeah, they knew things change, that the Constitution could get stale in the face of progress.” Lambeer doesn’t appreciate what Bens doing at all cordially says we’ll save questions for the end. Doesn’t stop Ben. He continues on and brings up endless topics just to start an in depth debate with Lambeer.

This is why I do it.

Ben is far being a lackluster person in this book. Even with his circumstances he makes his last year one that not just he will remember but one that the entire school and maybe even world will remember. His goal is to make his mark and to make it big. After denying the coaches recommendation of not playing football, Ben proves otherwise and shows coach he deserves to start. The coach hesitates at first and is shocked to see such talent out of someone who just joined their senior year. Ben confirms his drive and determination to the team that he deserves to be on the “special team” and be a starter. He realizes that it might not be a good idea to take an original starters position right off the bat because it will lead the other teams to believe that Ben is a strong upcoming player that they need to watch for. He will slowly, but surely, rise to the top and prove his mark on the team.

Current

Favorite Sentences:

1. "Dallas Suzuki may sound to you like a car dealership in Texas, but for the past three years, she has been the single prey in the crosshairs of my Cupid's bow."
     - Chose this because i think its funny, hes talking about his love of his life in reference to a car dealership so i got a kick outta that

2. "Otherwise you'll be luck y to have a year."
     - I think its sad cause he only has a year to live and I just feel like he doesnt take it serious. I understanding not wanting treatment but he just doesnt care in this book.

3. "The team a single entity. It works when everyone does his part, from the manager to the quarterback."
     - Just like it cause its some good words of encouragement for both the team and Ben since hes dying and has just one year to live.

 Pages this Week: 115
Pages last Week: 110
Total Pages: 381

Its My Life and I Will Do What I Want

Good ol’ Ben still stuck to his word and did not want anyone else to know his dilemma. Doc even took him to the treatment doctor to help confirm what is going wrong and that there is a possibility that we could help. Ben didn’t want anything to do with treatment. He just wanted to make his mark and live out his entire life from adolescent to old age all in one year. He began by quitting cross country and turning up for the football team. Coach was surprised at first to see a senior trying out for football for the first time. But he couldn’t do anything about it. He warned Ben that there is contact in football and that because of his size; one hit could land him in the hospital. Ben exclaimed, “That doesn’t bother me, I don’t have anything to lose.”

The Truth About Dying Just Makes Me Wanna Live

You have one year to live and that’s if you let us undergo treatments. “No,” Ben said, “I will just have to live with myself because I’m not going under any kind of treatments.” Ben said he’d rather live life well knowing he was gonna die, rather than suffering in an institute going through some treatment that we don’t even know will cure me. “What a waste of my time.” Ben gets up and leaves the office and said he would return but didn’t tell anyone where or when he would come back. Ben went on a run so that he could absorb what he had just heard and think of what he’s gonna do about it. When he return the whole doctors office was freaking out that he had done something. But he just went on a run.

Im free when im 18!!!!

Ben has known for awhile that he has something wrong with him but he never let it get to him. But its all about to change. Ben gets a call from Dr. Bachchan or Doc that he needs to him in his office immediately and to bring your parents. Ben arrives at his office and of course without his parents. Doc insists that he call his parents and tell them to come right now because its urgent. Knowing Ben’s stiff personality he refused. He said, “I’m 18 now so whenever you have any information it must go through me first.” Doc stared at him with blank eyes. Ben still refused to call his parents. Doc had really got to know the Wolf family well because of the reoccurring visits Ben had to attend for his medical issues. After several attempts of getting Ben to call his parents he gives in. Doc told Ben the news anyway.

18 and a "smart" aleck

Ben Wolf had just turned 18 and he is proud of it. He can say and do whatever he wants. Ben has a smart-alecky demeanor about him throughout this book that makes you want to give up and think nothing of him, but then you hear his story and realize how much he has to offer. Ben was the top runner on the cross country team and he could outrun even the tallest kid with the longest strides. If Ben had the drive to win the race he would. He didn’t let petty impurities about himself let him down. He would be the type of kid you hear say, “I will get what I want when I want it.”

Deadline

I have started a new book and it is called Deadline. This book has great meaning and good reflection points as you read. It gives you something to think about and wonder as you read. It also allows us to realize that we have it good. We are not put into a situation where we have to decide life or death. But not the boy in this story. You will find yourself sucked into the book as you read the helpless story of Ben Wolf.

Current

Favorite Sentences:

1. "About the precision of his movements, the subtlety of his misdirection, the speed of his fingers, and the stealth of his hands."
     -I chose this sentence beccause it describes in great detail the technique and mastery it takes to precise an extreme illusion.

2. "The pigeon was just resting," Rudge said quickly, looking around to see if the goons from the SPCA had started following him again."
     - This sentence is just funny and sarcastic because its referring to a bad magic trick. One of the pigeons died in the hat during their magic trick. They were comparing it to the grossness of leaving the dead chubby guy in the tank.

3. "That makes us dually duly authorized. You dont get more authorized than that. Or more duly."
     -This sentence just makes me laugh cause Deputy Lassiter is doubting that Gus and Shawn have power on this case but to find out they have been authorized duly agents and they were asked by Fleck to be an investigator so that makes them double powerful.

Pages this Week: 110
Pages last Week: 155
Total pages: 266

A Deviating Idea

After the disappearance of P’tol P’kah from the Fortress where he performed his magic trick; Fleck devises a plan to help him find his successor. He hires Gus and Shawn to solve this illusionary mystery. The first thing Gus and Shawn ask for was the keys to the Green Martians luxury floor. Fleck hesitated at first cause he knew that P’tol P’kah wouldn’t like that strange people were in his room if he were to return while they were in there. But it was the only way to get them to even think about starting the investigation on the magical illusionist’s whereabouts. Gus and Shawn went up the private elevator up to where P’tol P’kah lived. No one was there when they walked in. Everything in the house was spotless. The place looked to be untouched or unused. As the two looked around they noticed that this magic brilliance had everything everyone would want but the thing was that nothing seemed to be in use. Certain items were still in boxes not even opened. They reached the kitchen area and both unprofessionally grabbed a flavored Popsicle from the freezer. The entire time they were searching around for clues of where the magician could’ve went Gus was staring at Shawn hoping he would stay still so that the tip of his grape popsicle would drop onto the perfectly clean white carpet. Shawn took a swift move and the dripping grape colored popsicle landed on the spotless white carpet. They panicked at first cause they didn’t know what to do but the considered all the maids that could clean it up for him. After searching the immaculately clean room Shawn and Gus had come up with an idea that seemed like it could be true. They were thinking that maybe P’tol P’kah could be a murderer and he was using his act materializing into air as an escape from ever coming back to the place that was specifically designed for him. He might of used Fleck to him gain fame and fortune and it all just became too much and he had had enough it. Fleck asked of Shawn and Gus that if they ever saw the Green Martian that they would immediately tell Fleck. They agreed to this request and left the CyberSpace.

Since when do we listen to Martians.....?

As Gus and Shawn are assigned to travel to the Las Vegas to figure out more about P'tol P'kah; they find that they are relocated to a hotel that they were not assigned to stay at. Shawn and Gus were in a cab riding along the Las Vegas strip when the cab driver passed the hotel they were supposed to stay at. An Asian girl had greeted them when they arrived at Outer Space. A hotel that had carried its theme for many years. They were lead straight to a room where Fleck was waiting. He needed to talk to them about conjuring up a deal to help him find out where P’tol P’kah was. Fleck is the guy who help P’tol P’kah get his career started on the Vegas Strip. The story behind them meeting in unbelievable but true. This is how Fleck described it. A woman lead me into an abandoned warehouse and there P’tol P’kah was waiting. He insisted that no one see him in public and that’s why he had to do it there. P’tol P’kah proposed and idea so that he could show off his trick and make good money on the Vegas Strip. As Fleck agreed to this proposition, P’tol P’kah had a few stipulations that had to be done.  He insisted that he have his own entire floor to himself and that there be a private elevator that goes only from his dressing room to his personal floor. He didn’t want anyone to see him in public unless it was for his performances.

Current

1.  "And even though it was just a flesh wound, you climbed up that tree every day for a week to bring your victim a bowl of Screaming Yellow Zonkers."
     -I liked this sentence because i thought it was funny how Shawn used to go out everyday and feed the squirrel Yellow Zonkers, which is cereal, because he had hit it by accidentally droppin hbis beebee gun and giving the squirrel a flesh wound
2.  "The magic words!"
     -Its simple but I liked it because "the magic words" were the magic words to get into the Fortress which is a magicians club.
3.  "Why would there be a guard dog out here?" "Mayeb to guard the place?"
     -Just think its funny because Shawn throughout the book so far has been kind of dumb about certain things and he never puts two and two together. So Gus uses sarcasm a lot throughout the book to contradict what he says.

Words this week: 155
Words last week: 0
Words this semester:155

The Green Monster..... Oh and the Chubby guy

Gus remembered that the invitation said there were certain magic words that needed to be said or else they’d be eaten to death. Shawn knew the entire time what they were. He said, “the magic words” and lights turned on and the growling stopped. Shawn also knew that the growling was a stereo because it had a pattern. When the two entered the fortress they were surprised by how run down and trashy looked. This was supposed to be an exclusive club where magicians performed their most illusionary tricks. As Shawn and Gus proceeded to the bar area to give the bachelor the gift; they were stopped by a magician on the ground “picking up” his cards. Gus took a card and continued with the trick and as they walked away from the magician he found his card in his sock. As the party continues a loud shriek comes from the front of the building. Everyone ran to the front and the building started to shake as if there was an earthquake. It shook again. And again. A large green monster like guy came in and walked spontaneously around the room weaving in and out between people. His name is P’tol P’kah and he is a “Martian Magician.” He was there to perform his signature act. He would dissolve in a glass tank of water and then materialize in the back of the fortress. A volunteer named Balustrade came forth from the audience of people to prove that the tank actually had water in it and there were no stipulations that would allow him to escape the tank of water without materializing. P’tol P’kah shut the glass covering while Balustrade was still inside. He was struggling and gasping for air when P’tol P’kol pulled him up by his feet with a rope. When everyone noticed that the tank had no fake flaws about it; the “Martian Magician” continued on with presenting his illusion. He got in the tank and the tank started filling up with bubbles which were being released from P’tol P’kah’s body. Slowly appendages began to look like stubs and the tank was empty…… The crowd turned toward the back of the room where he said he would rematerialize and he wasn’t there. He hadn’t come back? Where was he? A woman screamed when she noticed that his boots and hat were still in the tank and they were being worn by a chubby fat man who was clearly dead. The Santa Barbra Police Department came to the fortress and was surprised to see that Shawn and Gus were there. No on the Department wanted them to be there. Detective Charles Lassiter was directing people to be organized into one room and figure out what magicians had a problem with P’tol P’kah. And they all had something similar to say and that was they all hated him for some reason. So who did it? And where did P’tol P’kah go?

The Truth...

It was red paint beginning to peel. Gus’s dad comes around the corner and Shawn exclaims, “I thought it was an emergency?” “Thank god it wasn’t because I could’ve been murdered a thousand times by the time you got here,” replied Henry Spencer, Gus’s father. Henry just wanted Gus and Shawn to take a certain “gag gift” to someone he knew that invited him to his bachelor party. Henry says he can’t go because of something that happened a long time ago. The club wouldn’t allow him to enter the premises. Henry handed them an invitation to go and drop off the gift and figure out if his friend’s fiancé is actually loyal or just a “floozy” who is out to steal his money. They were to drop off the gift at the fort which is short for fortress. As they were walking up the hill they could hear growls and howls in the near distance. They continued on and as they grew nearer they realized the growls were closer and closer and then all of a sudden the lights go out and nothing is to be seen and the only thing to be heard is the slobbering and howling sound of bloodthirsty dogs.

Psych: MIND OVER MAGIC

Gus and Shawn, who are part of the Santa Barbra Police Department, live a very adventurous life. They see things from a different point of view, and that’s because they are psychics. They think and work hard but they play harder. In the book, Psych: MIND OVER MAGIC, it begins with a chilling phone call made by a mysterious man. He mentioned its life and death that it’s an emergency. They hang up. As Shawn and Gus despairingly try and locate the call and track the number of the “unknown;” the man calls back and says its life and death and someone is dead you need to hurry. As time passed Gus realized there was a tone to the caller that was familiar. Shawn announced “Dad?” and Gus’s stomach dropped. Perplexed of how he couldn’t recognize the voice of his own dad right away angered him. Gus and Shawn sped through town to his father’s house, Shawn kicked the door in, and once they entered they noticed redness on the wall.

My Type of Book

I enjoy reading books about serious or comical investigations, family problems, abandonements of family or even a child, life problems such as a struggle with an addiction or thoughts of suicide, and at a rare occasion I like to read a book with a problematic love story.