Blue!

I'm back to Pride and Prejudice! It's been a while since I had last read the book so I refreshed my memory by reading sparknotes. I wasn't able to finish my 100 pages so I'll write about the other book that I've recently started, the sequel to "Something Borrowed," "Something Blue." I'm halfway through and it's getting pretty intense. I no doubt about it like Rachel much more than Darcy, but I can't help but feel sorry for Darcy at the same time. She's trying too hard to create a relationship that isn't there with Marcus. I hope she realizes this and leaves him before it gets too late.
This book before this sequel was called "Something Borrowed," and I was able to know where that come from more or less than 50 pages in the book, but nothing that I have read so far has had anything to do with the title, "Something Blue." I have a feeling that it's going to have to do with  Darcy's upcoming wedding  and am wondering how Emily Griffin will create another love-line interest for Darcy in just the last 200 pages because it is obviously not going to be with Marcus, her current love interest. The book has me thinking on my feet like any other mystery novel and I just can't wait until I finish. I'll update back soon.

Collecting

Argumentative Claims:

The radical range of color schemes, discombobulating object scale, unusual item combination, and drastic angling of geometric shapes combine to form a divine harmony in the middle of a flustering discord. Vivir Sonar Leer

A threatening soundtrack in the trailer to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close creates the Jumanji atmosphere of helpless terror. Reading, Reflecting, and More Reading

Personal Response/Evaluation:

 You expect the scene to end with a dramatic sword slash. It all changes pace Jack cheats pulling a gun but a single glass shatter over the head by a drunken ends it all. The intense tone and organized chaos ends as quickly as it starts. 

We know it is impossible, but his photos look so authentic that we cannot help but think that it could be reality.

Something Borrowed

I'll eventually get back to "Pride and Prejudice" but the chick-flicks have gotten me entranced. I started earlier this week and just finished "Something Borrowed" after school today. The story starts off with two best friends that run into a problem. It seems as if it was solved, but that was only contemporary. The novel grazes over the topic of friendship and love. I"m not going to say anymore; if your interested, I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a quick, fun read. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, "Something Blue" and watching the movie too. I'll update my blog with another post comparing and contrasting the book from the movie.

1000 Awesome Things

     How many times a day do you say the word "awesome?" You could have that friend that labels everything as being awesome but for most people in this world this word is not a frequent flier in your vocabulary.  There are somethings in this world that occur too frequently to be labeled as being awesome but for Neil Pasricha, the creator of the website, "1000 Awesome Things," nothing "amazing" that could have happened to you will go by without being recognized. He has been posting every weekday since June of 2008, one awesome thing that happens everyday and as of February 23, 2012 he has already posted 960 awesome things that have happened and has only 40 more posts to go until he reaches the goal of 1000 posts. Reading through all the posts, you can't help but agree with him.
     Clean-cut and organized into specific topics, the first glance just screams "I mean business!"  The short, straight-forward posts also suggest the formality of the website as a whole but that's not the end. Even though the persona of the site at first glance is formal and direct, the words say otherwise. Pasricha's choice of diction and overall use of comedy brightens the mood of the readers and suggests another side of his bright personality. His comical description of ordinary occurrences hypnotize readers into  appreciating these "awesome" happenings that usually pass by unnoticed. I agree with all his posts which includes today's daily post ; I love it when I can "fix electronics by smacking them." 

Short List #3

For this week's short list:
Oh My That's AwesomeI don't know what it is but I have been finding a lot of websites that are about "awesome" things people find online. This website curator uploads objects they see and think will interest other people and posts them on this blog. The unusual objects that are displayed on this screen remind me of Barney on "How I Met Your Mother." He is always saying how things are "awesome" and "legendary." The objects on this site are things that Barney would think are awesome too. 
The Longest Way Home
While I flip through the pages of his blog I am intrigued with just the title page. The title of the blog, "A Global Quest in Search of a Place Called Home," and the picture of the man just starting to climb through the mountains ahead keeps me wanting to read more. I hope you check this blog out with me.
NYC
Who doesn't want to visit the coolest place on Earth? New York City is known internationally and even symbolizes the United States for some people. Destination360 gives everyone a sneak peek of New York City's own Times Square. The virtual tour of Times Square attracted me to this Destination360 website and the brief summaries/history below the virtual tour just made it even more interesting. 

Podcast Response: Music Lessons

      Music lessons are the pains that every kid has to go through when they are little. Whether this includes the classical instruments, the piano and violin, or the more festive instruments, like the saxophone and trumpet, all parents seem to be under the same trance when it comes to musical opportunities. Maybe it's all the talk going around saying that music will "help develop and mature the young brains of tomorrow," or maybe it's because they think it's something the kids will appreciate them for later on in life, but through music lessons, lots of other life-long skills are learned. In "This American Life's" episode, "Music Lessons," Ira Glass explores the lives of Durrell Daniels and Sarah Vowell to show how music lessons can truly, positively impact a life.
       Durrell Daniels has a passion for music. He loved it so much that being a professional classical musician just was not enough so he become a 7th grade music teacher. Daniels was once "surrounded [...] with 13-year-olds who massacred the living guts out of" music every day so he did what he thought would keep him sane, he quit and toured Asia, Brazil, and Canada. After he had kids of his own he had to support, he went back to teaching music in elementary school and got a whole another experience. Even though he has kids that are at the moment not musically advanced yet and "are not shy about blowing that horn no matter how bad they sound," he has found a joy in teaching, something he had missed the first time around. "Teaching music is like any teaching, except that when you fail, it is loud," but when they start to play and "they just soar," it's all worth it. Durrell Daniels did not find pleasure in teaching the first time around but was finally able to discover the true rewards of teaching, the feeling of accomplishment after time passed.

       Not only do music lessons benefit the teacher, it also benefits the pupils. Sarah Vowell appreciates the advantages that marching band gave her in her high school, "band geeks" days. As her friends sit in the stands and cheer her on during football friends, she explains how it cheers her up on days she feels down. She was able to learn more about the school during her band camp days too. Not only does she get a sneak peek of high school, she also learned to be independent. All the different instruments she practiced, the baritone and the trumpet, took time to perfect and during those times, she learned to be independent, to do things by herself.  Marching band was able to give Sarah life-long benefits, and continues to this day to be something that she will always remember.
       Durrell Daniels and Sarah Vowell represent the teacher and the pupil, the two key components involved in music lessons. Both of their stories show how music lessons are a pleasure for everyone involved, a journey worth taking in those young, adolescent years. 

                                                                                                                                                                                          

This American Life: Music Lessons

I will be writing about the different segments in This American Life's Music Lessons episode for my third Spartan Reader post. I'm thinking on focusing on specifically two segments of this podcast: the prologue and act two.  The prologue is about a professional musician that loves music but still finds the frustrations of being a music teacher stressful. I could compare and contrast Durrell's feelings on this topic at the beginning of the clip to the end. In the first minute all he could talk about was the annoying middle schoolers he teaches but towards the end, he finishes off by stating how rewarding the job can be. The second act is about Sarah Vowell, a devoted musician that explains the effects music has had on her life. For this section, I could relate to the end of Durrell's prologue clip and also tie in how the things she has learned in her music class has effected her life right now. I could go through all the SCASi doorways for this one.

Marie Antoinette

 
This is a picture of Marie Antoinette with three of her children.

I'm sure that everyone has heard of Marie Antoinette, or at least her husband, Louis the XVI; the King and Queen of France during the French Revolution. Just to let everyone know, my favorite part about French class is when the teacher occasionally talks about the French monarchy. It has just been a topic that has interested me from the beginning. This summer I finally got the opportunity to visit the oh so famous Palace of Versailles in France and was so excited. The tour guide there carefully explained the significance of  every room and the important historical events that occurred in this godly sized home. I was telling my friend about my Europe adventures when she noted that she had a book about Marie Antoinette; I was ecstatic. My friend let me borrow, "The Hidden Diary of Marie Antoinette" and I just couldn't put it down. Carolly Erickson, the author and also an historian uses her knowledge on the former Queen to write her own twist of history. I understand that the book is a fiction novel and not an biography but the descriptive passages just make it seem all so real. The unrealistic life she had to live, the hardships she had to endure as her country was rebelling. One wouldn't think that being a princess or Queen can be hard work, but the daily schedule she followed, the lack of privacy just makes myself think, "thank goodness I'm not a queen." I don't really cry when reading, I don't really cry ever but as the novel came to the end and as both Marie and her husband proudly walked to their deaths, I shed a few tears. To me, even with the limited information I have on this topic,  King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were and will always be the "Restorer of French Liberty and True Friend of His People," something they always believed to be true.

Staying At Daisy's

I got to read another book this weekend and decided to pick up a British chick-flick, "Staying At Daisy's." Though over 400 pages, I was able to finish the book in two days and enjoyed my break from all the other poetry and Shakespeare we have been working on in class. Like every other chick-flick novel, this book had a similar plot. The husband cheated on the wife but before the wife could divorce him he ended up dying in a car accident and creating uncomfortable situations for everyone in his life. The wife can't date anyone else who is as high-standard as her deceased husband because she feels that he'll betray her like her late husband did. All in all, the book was a fun read with an unoriginal plot but was different than any of the other chick-flick novels I have read due to the fact that the author is British. The occasional word or two that did not have any place in our dictionary, would have to be looked up. The slight cultural change between these sibling countries really did make this book a joy to read. I'm definitively going to be reading more British novels in my upcoming book; it was a joy to read.

Pinterest: My Life's Pinboard

There are blog spots and forums on the internet where you can posts your thoughts about the things happening around you but Pinterest takes blogging a step further than tumblr and facebook. It's a virtual pin-board where people from around the world come together and pin up their favorite foods, pictures, and almost anything else you could possibly think of. Pinterest is a mix between facebook and tumblr; the social aspect is like facebook and the personal aspect is like tumblr. At the end of each day, what else would you rather do than  browse the daily popular posts to feel connected with the rest of the world.

The personal and intimate setting of the site creates a sense of homeliness and comforts viewers as soon as they set their eyes on the homepage. From images of the new hottest shoes, favorite houses, and even the occasional picture of the cute fur-ball sitting at home, everything seems to fit as a whole. It's hard to image how these opposing pictures compliment each other but the simplicity of each picture all just remind one of an average day. Short and commanding phrases perch underneath each planned shot. You can tell that each artist spent a fair amount of time with each picture trying to tell a story. If you ever have time to contribute to the world's bulletin board I'll tell you right now how addicting it gets. If you don't want to contribute, I'm sure you can find some how to tips on one of the hundreds of pages pinterest has.

Short List #2

1000 Awesome Things
This was on my short list for week #1 and I think this is what I'm going to write about for this week's Spartan Reader post. I was browsing through the articles on www.ted.com when I happened to come across this website. Neil Pasricha, the creator of the site has been posting every weekday since June of 2008, one awesome thing that happens everyday. As of February 6, 2012 he has already posted 946 awesome things in his life and has only 54 more posts to go until he reaches the goal of 1000 posts. The list is hilarious. 

Pinterest
My friend told me about this website one day last week and I already feel like it's going to be the next new tumblr. People from around the world add posts to their virtual pin boards and not only do they posts the things they love, they can also comment on the other posts that fascinate them. You just feel connected with the rest of the world when your on pinterest and who knows, it might be the new facebook.

Viamichelin
Everyone probably already has a dream Europe vacation planned out but if you don't, this is the place for you. From hotels and restaurants to famous attractions this website could help anyone plan their fantasy vacation. You don't have to look up every destination because the tools on this website do it  for you. They tell you how many stars the place has and even lists average costs, anything you would need to know to plan a vacation. I planned my future Europe tour trip with the help from viamichelin and the descriptions of all the locations really made it a fun experience.

Sub #1 Comments

I've come to the conclusion that if I had to pick one website, I would pick The Burning House. By the title, I'm sure you could guess what the website is about.These people submit a picture of the items they would carry with them, along with a list, their name, and where they're from. Most of these people claim that they would take their cameras, phones, some old vintage clothes or sunglasses, or their laptops. Personally, if I posted on this website, my dog, phone, and blanket and probably a few good books would be in the picture.  When someone asks another person what they would bring, the normal answer is "my phone, computer, camera, clothes, etc." But if you put some thought into this, your answer may be different. I'd bring what is most important to me, like I said earlier, my dog. He'd be the first thing I'd try to save(:

If your house was burning to the ground, what would you bring?

The author to this blog post has a lot of observations on The Burning House website but not a lot of analytical inferences. Descriptions of the posts and even the personal ties at the end would have been a great intro to the Spartan Reader. If they added a few more sentences on what they thought the objects listed inferred about the bloggers, I think their Spartan Reader post would have been stronger.

Just Like the Movie

             
     Everyone told me to read Pride and Prejudice. I wan't sure if I would like it so I did what anyone else would do, I watched the movie. As of now, I have always liked the book better than the movie. If I hear that a movie is coming out, I make sure I don't read the book anytime soon. The movies just made the books so boring. I had already watched the beginning scenes in Mr. Hill's AP Lit class but once he stopped the film after the scene at the ball, I knew I would be finishing the movie later that night. Now that I am reading the book, I can't help but compare the book to the movie. I don't think I have ever watched a movie that is so similar to the actual book. Even though I have only gotten through the first 150 pages, I just have this feeling that I'll like the book as much as I liked the movie. Maybe I will even post something about comparing the movie and the film after I finish reading.
     My favorite scene so far in the book, ironically, is the scene of the ball. This time it's not the first ball that they are together at, it's the second ball. Elizabeth wasn't beautiful enough to "tempt" Mr. Darcy at the first ball  but it seems that something had changed Mr. Darcy's mind about Elizabeth the second time around. The usually stubborn, cold man that only dances with the women in his close knit of acquaintances finally gives Elizabeth a chance with a dance. I found it cute and I cannot wait until I get further along in the book. The small bits of extra descriptions in the book have made the book enjoyable but when I finish, I know I am going to end up watching the movie again.

The Spartan Reader

Do you ever wonder how many times you drink orange juice every year or how about how many times you meet a guy with the name of Joe? Nicolas Felton, the curator of feltron.com has been recording the small happenings of his life since 2005. At the end of each year he spends gathering data, he analyzes the information he has and then publishes his finding in a most upscale  and unusual way.  Most people would write about their personal lives on blog posts or in journals but it's different for Felton, he's the one with the bright neon shirt on in a mob of a black out. He records and displays every year of his life in graphs and charts.

Felton shows the world where he goes, who he meets, and what he does in a year's time all in a minimal number of pictures which all seem to explode with statistics. The monochromatic pages are simple but yet still chaotic, bursting with numbers, places, and names. Bland, organized and filled with blunt straight lines, the perfectly symmetrical website suggests the possibilities of an obsessive author who hypnotizes the world with the story of his life. The intriguing but still yet mind numbing display of data singles out Nicolas Felton's blog and most definitely attracts the number of visits to the website. It's just one other way our modernized society members have been able to display the twenty-first century at its highest peak. Feltron.com is definitely something everyone should check out, even if you're not a math nerd.