Topic for Paper 2

I plan to write my paper on the following prompt Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery” and Franz Kafka’s “In the Penal Colony” both deal with a gruesome tradition that is seemingly unnecessary and unjustifiable. Compare these two traditions, paying particular attention to the language and imagery used to describe each.

I had read "The lottery" before and reading it the second time made it more interesting and I picked up on a lot of the symbols in the story. I realized how significant the story is to modern society. It is a reminder to constantly try to look at the things we routinely do and see if have any true purpose and if there is any benefit from doing them. I haven't read "In the Penal Colony" yet but I'm taking a chance and hoping that I can understand it as good as I did "The Lottery." The language and imagery in "The Lottery" are very powerful to the effect of the story and the lack of foreshadowing until the end makes the story very surprising. Hopeful "In the Penal Colony" will be as interesting as this story was. 

Snowshoe

This week has been super busy because I'm trying to catch up from not being in class last week. I had an amazing time at Snowshoe. I taught by boyfriend how to snowboard and by the end of the weekend he was better than me. I went to a tubing hill which was really fun and hilarious. None of us got hurt while we skiing/snowboarding so that's always a plus. It was a really long drive though. We left about 8:00 am and got to snowshoe about 8:00 pm. It was a very scenic route though which was very enjoyable. It was so fun to be in the snow and eat snow cream. We took our little rat terrier named Lilly and she was so cute. Deer would come up to our back door in the condo and we would feed them but as soon as Lilly saw she would run out in the snow and stand there barking even though she was shaking because it was so cold. Overall it was a really great trip and I can't wait to go back again next year.

Also, last night I watched Obama give his first speech and it was amazing! There is so much hope in him and he has a lot of people depending on him. I hope that all of his plans will work out and I can't wait to start hearing about the good things happening because of him. 

Random fact about today: I saw two car accidents! I was on the way to tutor and a guy on a bicycle was hit by a car. It was awful! Then on the way home a SUV hit a dump truck. Crazy drivers.

Stranded

Im still using the website to help with writing prompts when I can't figure out what to blog about. So the one I got this time is... If you were going to be stranded on a desert island, what items would you want in your pockets?

First of all I would bring a Solar powered flashlight because I hate the dark. I would freak out if I had to be alone in the dark on an island, of course the moon would probably be bright since there wouldn't be any other lights around but just in case it was cloudy, I would have to have a flashlight. Secondly, I would want matches- I can’t start a fire with wood, I wasn’t a boy scout. If I could bring my boyfriend with me then he might be able to do all that campfire survival stuff but I wouldn't. I don't really know why I would need a fire because I couldn't kill an animal, especially by myself with on weapon so I wouldn't need a fire to cook. I guess just for warmth if it was cold. A Satellite powered Phone would be essential because you can get signal with them anywhere and I could hopeful get someone to come find me. I don't think I would like being on a desert island, stranded, and alone so a phone would be pretty important. A knife would be important too. I guess to use for cutting fruits and to at least try to protect myself. Chap stick would be nice to have because I hate chapped lips, but I'm pretty sure that chapped lips would be the least of my worries if I was stranded. Finally, a Water Bottle so I wouldn’t get dehydrated of course.

I would have to have to have pretty big pockets if I was going to carry all of this stuff and I don't know how useful any of it would be but its fun to think about the what ifs. 

14 children and one crazy mom

There's a lot of controversy in the news about the woman who had octuplets when she already has six children. She is divorced and unemployed yet a doctor still agreed to implant embryos knowing that she could have 8 more children when she already received welfare for the six that she had. This is so appalling to me. Why would you want to bring 8 more children into this world when you cannot even support the 6 that you have? It is so unfair to the children to have to share the small amount of money she has with so many others. She seems to have some kind of psychological problem. First of all, what woman in her right mind would want to attempt to take care of 14 children by herself with no job? Secondly, what kind of selfish person says that they had their children to make up for the isolation they felt as a child? It is absolutely crazy and I cannot believe that a doctor would agree to the procedure. This website has a great variety of opinions about the situation. I think that she should give them up to adoption because she is not going to be able to give them to love and attention that they deserve. She has even said that she wishes life would go back to the way it was before she had them. And she plans on going back to school soon. How does she think that she can take care of 14 kids ( 8 of them newborns) and attend school to get her masters? This is a sad example of how crazy some people are and how little the medical employees and government does to try to prevent things like this from happening. 

twenty-five

1. I'm going to snowshoe in 6 days and i'm going to teach drew how to snowboard
2. I have an unbiologically related twin sister and people call her Kristen a lot but she just goes along with it.
3. My passion is dance and I cannot imagine my life without it so I still dance twice a week.
4. I'm working really hard to get into nursing school.
5. I thought that I wanted to be a professional dance teacher but now I realize dance is something I do for myself and if it was my career it would lose some of its meaning.
6. My face recently decided to start doing this weird thing where it turns bright red and gets really hot at random times...I googled it and the results said its because I'm too stressed and my nervous system is overreacting.
7. The beach reminds me of all the good things in life and I never want to live farther than a few minutes from it. 
8. I have a fish named fishie, and he is invincible. One time he fell off my dresser and his bowl turned upside down so all the stones fell on top of him but he survived.
9. I have a cat named lucky who sleeps on my pillow and another one named smokey who is scared of basically everything.
10. I have an addiction to chocolate and it is the only thing that calms me down when I'm really upset.
11. I hate reversing my car and im always scared there's a little kid behind me that I'm going to run over. That's really my only phobia. 
12. I believe that soul mates aren't just the people you fall in love with and get married to. I believe that they are also the people who become your best friends.
13. I know its cliche but i adore anything pink.
14. I am easily hurt.
15. When I first meet people I am very shy but once I get to know them they "can't get me to shut up."
16. I've known since I was 13 that I want a tattoo with Jason's initials and a cross but I'm too scared to get it.
17. My mom recently remarried and we moved to cape carteret. It is one of the best things that has ever happened in my life.
18. When I was a little girl, I ate carrots and green peppers after school as a snack. (my mom always told me that the carrots would make me have perfect vision but I'm blind without my contacts)
19. I'm really happy that i joined tri-sigma.
20. I carry a bottle of water with me everywhere. its my security blanket.
21. Every time I look at the stars I think about how beautiful life is. 
22. I love to surf even though I'm not very good at all. 
23. I'm still reading the first twlight book.
24. I worry much more than a normal person does. 
25. Peace signs make me smile.

Busy week

I'm having a writer's block and I can't really think of interesting things to write about. I have a really busy week so I guess I can write about that. Tonight I have dance company tryouts for dances in the spring show. I have to do a solo but its only 32 counts so its pretty short. Im not really nervous because I love dance and it usually doesn't make me worry. Tuesday I have to go to the doctor and I have to babysit. I also have a spanish test Tuesday. Wednesday I have dance and I have to babysit. Thursday I have to sit at the Candy gram table for my sorority, and I have a psychology test, and I have to do my study hour in the library. Friday I have a biology re-take test and then I am going home to see my boyfriend for valentine's day. I also have to pack this week because next tuesday I am leaving to go on a trip to snowshoe, west virginia with my parents and my boyfriend. I am so excited because I only get to snowboard once a year and this time I get to teach my boyfriend how.  This week is busy but it should pretty good. 

Before its too late...

The writing prompt that came up this time was List 10 things you want to accomplish before it’s too late… I couldn’t think of ten things at the moment so I decided to list 6 that I want to do and 4 that I have done...

1. Become a Registered Nurse- I want to graduate from UNCW and an RN and work in a hospital to help people who are sick. 2. Get Married- I want to have a beautiful wedding with all of my friends and family there to celebrate. 3. Have children- I want to have 2 or 3 children, I don’t care what gender they are as long as they are healthy, but I would like to have at least 1 girl and 1 boy. 4. Save a life- I want to save someone’s life whether it be in a medical sense or just by being there for someone when they need me. 5. Go back to Jamaica on a Mission Trip- I went in 2005 and had a great time but I can’t wait to go back again. It is such a great experience to help people who really need it. You gain as much from the experience as you give. 6. Hike up a glacier mountain- I want to be able to see the glaciers before they all melt away. The things I have already accomplished...1.Shared my testimony in front of 7,000 people 2. Met my soul mate 3. I've had the lead role of a theatrical dance performance 4. Accepted into UNCW.

Five things

I was having a hard time trying to think of something to blog about so I googled writing topics and found this amazing website that gives you tons of prompts for writing. My topic is "You can only keep five things you have. What will they be?" Several things came to my mind immediately.

 1. My 2 cats, Lucky and Smokey, because they are adorable and I have had them for about 8 years so I'm pretty attached to them. I'm going to include them as 1 item because they are always together so I can't separate them.

2. The bracelet that my brother gave me on thirteenth birthday. He passed away that night and the bracelet means so much to me because it is the last present he gave me. I don't wear it very often because I'm scared something will happen to it and I would be devastated if I ever lost it.

3. My laptop because it has all my pictures, all my notes, all my music. 

4. The picture of my brother, Jason, that sits on my dresser. I look at it everyday and it reminds me of how much we are alike.

5. The ring my grandmother gave me a couple of years ago. It was given to her in 1931 when she was 12 years old. Now it is 78 years old and I hardly ever take it off. It means so much to me because it represents the strength and grace of my grandmother. She will be 90 in a couple of weeks and she is an amazing woman.

These five things are very precious to me and I can not imagine ever having to let go of them. 

Always something to do...

I've been super  busy lately and all I do when I'm not busy is think about what I have to do. I like being busy though and most of the stuff that I'm busy with is stuff I like. Such as dance, which I have 4 hours a week, and babysitting, which I do about 7 hours a week. I also tutor once a week at an elementary school and I'm in a sorority so those take up time but I love both of them. I'm also really busy with school which I don't enjoy so much, but it's mandatory if I plan on being a nurse. Speaking of nursing, I just found out the other day that Cape Carteret Hospital is going to pay for my Junior and Senior year of college and nursing school if I promise to work at the Hospital for 2 years. I was really excited because that saves me a lot of money and I have a promised job waiting for me. Now I just have to work hard to keep my grades up and hopefully I will get into nursing school next year when I apply. Also I have been busy planning a trip to snowshoe, west virginia in a couple of weeks to go snowboarding for 5 days. I've been going to snowshoe every year since I was 5 and I skied for 10 years. Then I learned how to snowboard and this year I'm going to teach my boyfriend how to snowboard, which should be pretty interesting... and funny. Anyway I should probably go study for my math test friday because like I said, I need to have good grades for nursing school. 

It's about the Journey...

Everyday people are faced with millions of decisions. Some of them are very small and seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things. But some decisions are life changing. Some decisions determine your future. They can determine whether you will live a life of happiness or regret. So how do you make big decisions? What do people consider when everything is on the line? What are their priorities? Personally, when I have to make a life-altering decision, I pray. I ask God to help me decide and to show me what he wants me to choose. Sometimes I feel like the answer is made very clear and other times it feels like he might not be telling me anything. "More than anything else, I believe that it's our decisions, not the conditions of our live, that determine our destiny" stated Anthony Robbins. As if that weren't intimidating enough listen to this quote. "Nobody ever did, or ever will, escape the consequences of his choices" stated Alfred Montapert. I choose to believe more in this quote because it seems more optimistic and accepting of the decisions that we have to make about life. “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life. Life is about the journey, not the destination” stated Alfred D'Souza. Sometimes its hard to see past the obstacles and decisions that we are faced with daily, but if we can't then life will pass us by. It is important to relax and believe that everything will work out in the end. Everything happens for a reason and although choices can make life stressful, we have to see past the difficulty and enjoy life.

Post Secret

Five years ago Post Secret was invented by a guy named Frank. He put out post cards with directions to write a secret on them then mail them anonymously to his address. He was overwhelmed and excited when thousands of post cards began to pour in with horrifying, interesting, funny, tragic, and inspirational secrets on them. People began to use post cards as a way to let go of their regrets or fears and move on to the future. He decided to share the post cards with the world and has created four books full of post card with secrets on them. Every Sunday on the post secret website there are new secrets posted. Frank visited UNCW last semester and told everyone his story about post secret and I decided to join the other thousands of people to send a post card with a secret on it to him. The directions are as follows "You are invited to anonymously contribute your secrets to PostSecret. Each secret can be a hope, regret, funny experience, unseen kindness, fantasy, belief, fear, betrayal, erotic desire, confession, or childhood humiliation. Reveal anything - as long as it is true and you have never shared it with anyone before. Create your 4-by-6-inch postcards out of any mailable material. If you want to share two or more secrets, use multiple postcards. Put your complete secret and image on one side of the postcard." I always look forward to reading more secrets on sundays and often read through some of the books he was compiled. I encourage every one to send in a secret. It is a great feeling to get whatever it is off of your mind and out of your heart forever.