How Does Outliers Connect To MY Life?

Outliers is a nonfiction book by Malcom Gladwell all about people who stand out and why. Gladwell attributes Outliers in the world to circumstances throughout their life. These circumstances and situations they're presented with either help people on their way to becoming positive or negative Outliers.

The only obvious way that Outliers connects to my life would be when Gladwell connects birth dates to success. Gladwell claims that since the Little League baseball cut off is July 31, the most successful baseball players are born in the month of August. "The numbers are striking: in 2005, among Americans playing major league baseball 505 were born in August versus 313 born in July." (p 26). This directly effects my life; my older brother was born in August. This year he's a senior, and every college that he applied to are places where he can play D3 baseball. Sure he's only looking at D3, but if he was born in December like my younger brother, he might not have always been at the top of his league and fell in  love with baseball the way he has. "He was one of the lucky ones." (p 34.) Yes, my brother was lucky enough to be born earlier, be a star for his age group, and have more opportunities to improve his skill. My brother was lucky.

Gladwell attributes some peoples success to their religion. "The Importance of Being Jewish" (p 121) he uses as a title. Now that sounds like it should connect to me; I am Jewish after all. He goes onto say that Jewish lawyers in New York ended up being lucky that they were denied jobs at other firms and had to work for themselves. "...buried in that setback was a golden opportunity." (p 124). I can connect to making bad situations work for you, more than I can connect to lawyers in the mid-1900's. An example of me taking something, and running with it for all it's worth would be my first year in the Guilderland Players last year. I was an extremely shy freshman who had auditioned with a friend. I made it, but she did not. I was almost more upset than she was. I was so freaked out about not having any friends, being the least talented, the list goes on. But I decided to use it as a learning experience. Along the way I was able to overcome my shyness and make new friends as well as improve my music skills. I took a position that scared me, and I made it work for me.

One last way that Outliers connects to my life personally would be in the "Marita's Bargain" chapter. Gladwell says "When he's bored at home, there are plenty of books to read..." (p 258.) while talking about how poor kids retain less information over the summer than rich kids. I am not rich, but I am by no means a poor kid. And apparently you can tell by how many books I read over the summer. And this past summer, I read over  10 books. I have learned the importance of reading from my parents, and as Gladwell says, that really does help me in school.

While I personally did not enjoy Outliers by Malcom Gladwell, I do have say that it connects to my life in multiple ways. Between him knowing that my brother is going to college and is born in August, him understanding that the Jewish people are opportunists, or even him knowing that because of my family life I love to read. Gladwell does a great job in pointing out the outliers in the world, and how we all are similar to them in one way or another.

                                             

Love Poem Number 137

I think I've told you before but,
You mean so much to me.
I hope I've told you before.
Is it all in my head?
Do you care for me?
Do you even like me?
I can't keep doing this.
I love you.
My love isn't returned.
I know it isn't.
It hurts more than I could ever tell you.
Please make that hurt go away.
Maybe it's time I gave you these poems,
I do have an awful lot of them.
Maybe it's time to take that risk,
Time to let you know that you're on my mind.
I can't keep waiting,
Or I'll fall apart.
Time to grow a backbone,
Time to take care of myself.
Maybe I'll keep writing these poems to you,
Maybe I'll stop.
Please notice me.
Maybe you will.
Maybe you won't.
I might wait,
But not forever.
Please don't make me wait.
Please don't make me give up on you.

Microfiction: "I Remember the Day."

I remember the day. I remember that day perfectly. That day was such an emotional and difficult day for me.

For as long as I can remember, Matt has been one of my best friends. We grew up together. We lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same elementary school, went to "play group" together, joined choir in the third grade together- we flat out did everything together. Our parents always joked around that the two of us were either twins separated at birth, or that we would get married one day- because we could never do anything without each other.

That day was a Friday. It was full of so may different emotions. Matt was dating one of my best girl friends, Hannah. I loved both of them to death, but I couldn't stand the two of them together- I knew one would hurt the other, and I didn't want to see either of them hurt. And I was right. I got on the bus after school and took the back seat, on the right side of the bus, the one Matt and I always sit in. From the second he got on the bus, I knew something was wrong. He took his seat next to me and said "Remember that song I showed you a while ago? The one called 'At Least I'm Not As Sad As I Used To Be'? Well, it's worse now." His voice cracked just enough to show how upset he was. "She broke my heart Jamie." I didn't know what to say to him, I couldn't stand to see him so sad. I just hugged him and promised I would come over that night for a movie night.

After getting home I got a phone call from Hannah, who had just killed Matt a little inside. She explained to me that she just thought of him as an incredible friend at this point and didn't want to lose his friendship. She asked me to come over because she couldn't stand the idea of being alone that night. After I told her that I had already promised Matt a movie night, she flipped out on me. She said that if I chose to go console Matt, and not her that she wouldn't be my friend anymore.

I can't even tell you how tough a position that is to be in. To have to chose between two friends who need you is insanely difficult. My choice was almost immediate though. I hung up the phone, grabbed my "Waynes World" DVD, got on my bike and rode over to Matts house. Matt had always been there for me, and I couldn't leave him in the dark after everything he's done for me.

Hannah and I made up eventually, and she and Matt are to the point where they are friendly again. As for my friendship with Matt, it's stronger than ever. A best friend like Matt is worth more than I could possibly explain.

TU Tuesday Editorial

http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Young-drivers-safety-2398131.php


The author has a very clear point of view in this short editorial. Within six short paragraphs, we know that the author thinks that making teenagers have their license for six months before being able to drive others is an overall good idea. "The number of crashes in which 16- or 17-year old drivers were identified as a contributing factor was down 28 percent in 2009." They go on to tell that these statistics were from the Department of Motor Vehicles, helping the reader understand their point that having teenagers have their license for six months before driving others is a good idea. Not only is the point of view clear, but the reasoning is incredibly hard to argue with- if number or crashes decreased, why should anyone have a real problem with that?

My Tee Shirt Vote

"The world is but a canvas to the imagination" tee shirt is my favorite.
If I were to win, I would love sugar cookies!

Creative Contest 1 Blog

R = Rottweiler

Breed Description:
Rottweilers are loyal, calm, and protective dogs. They are watchful dogs, who are very protective of their house and family. Rottweilers are good companions for you, and for children.

Appearance/ Size:
Adult Rottweilers are pretty average-sized. Males grow to about 90-130 pounds, and females to 75-110 pounds. Their fur is black, except for the brown usually found on the legs, chest, muzzle and eyebrows of the dog. The dog will have a large head, droopy jaws and a crinkled forehead.

Diet:
Puppies should be fed four to five times a day, until about a year old. After then, adult Rottweilers should be fed once a day.Although Rottweilers are considered meat-eaters, they can easily get by on a vegetarian diet.

Temperament:
Usually quiet and well behaved dogs- they don't bark all that much. They are loyal to their owners and might be aggressive with new people, so introduce them to a lot of people as a puppy, to help make sure they're used to other people.

Shedding:
The Rottweiler sheds a lot- you'll end up with dog hair all over your house and clothes.

Health/ Allergies/ Vaccines:
Is it important to get your dog the rabies, and canine hepatitis vaccines to prevent from your dog becoming unhealthy. Older Rottweilers often develop hypothyroidism.

Creativity Breeds Creativity

I took this picture at Niagara Falls on the Earth Science field trip. While I agreed with my friends that the falls were beautiful, I also thought the railings were really cool.

Small Poetry Prompt

I see it every day.
Whenever I see me, I see it.
Go ahead, look at yourself in my mirror.
You'll find you have a little extra sparkle,
Didn't you?
That small crystal flower,
It's baby blue petals and orange center-
With silver to hold the gems together.
Sure it's a flower on the mirror-
But when you look at yourself, you see it- don't you?
It's beautiful.
Like you.
It's just there to remind you,
That you do sparkle.

TU Tuesday

Kristi Gustafson Barlette Evaluation:
Poise:
She did seem very comfortable talking in front us the group of us. You could tell that she was comfortable because she made eye contact, she walked around, she use hand movements and she had a stable voice- it did not seem like she was nervous at all. She definitely made eye contact to connect with the audience, but she didn't connect with me personally.

Clarity:
Her voice was very clear. It was loud and confident, without screaming. While she took pauses to think, they were never obnoxiously long- it was obvious she knew what she was talking about. Most of what she said was easy to understand, though she did throw in a few large words and terms that students wouldn't know.

Volume:
Her volume was fine, I had no problem hearing her.

Information:
She definitely had information about herself, her job and her daily life to present to us. She was able to answer all our questions and she had tons of details- a little much at times which lead to tangents (ex. talking about her boss yelling at her when she was only asked if she ever didn't want to do a piece) but at least she didn't leave of confused.

Organization:
While she often went off on tangents, everything she said was relatable back to the question asked. For instance, when asked about a memorable blog post she talked about the blog post, but then went on to her personal relationships currently with the people mentioned in their blog- it was related, but not necessary to the question.


Students:
Poise: 
Well, we were sitting- but we were all polite with our body language. No one (that I noticed) put their head down on the desk or anything like that.


Clarity:
When people asked their question, they all got right to the point of the question, which I personally thought was rude how they worded the question sometimes. 


Volume:
I could hear most people, but (not naming names) there were a few girls that I had no idea what their question was.


Information:
While most questions I thought were good, and asking for interesting information back from her, I thought some questions were borderline ridiculous. I didn't think it was appropriate to ask her to tell us about one time she cried for example.


Organization:
The questions from the class were all over the place. We would be on one topic, and then someone would ask a question to jump us to a completely different topic. I wish that we had spent time talking about one article, then the next, ect, and then talked about her job and her experiences. I personally had a very hard time trying to think of a question to ask when we were jumping all over the place. If we as an entire class had previously discussed where we wanted to take the conversation, I think at least I personally would have gotten more out of it.


I personally would not recommend to have Kristi Gustafson Barlette back into class again. While her presentation was informative about her job, I found the way she presented not rude, but almost off-putting. While I appreciate that she took time to come in and visit us, I personally do not feel like I got much out of the speaking.

TU Tuesday

http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Playing-dairy-queen-for-a-day-2229727.php)
Questions:
1.) Why have you always liked cows so much?
2.) Did you enjoy milking the cows?
Comments:
1.) I milked a cow once, and it really freaked me out. I didn't like the feel of the utter, and the whole idea of me milking a cow skeeves me out.
2.) The machines used for milking the cows seem pretty intimidating to me.


https://secure.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?newsdate=11/6/2011&navigation=nextprior&category=LIFE&storyID=1093432
Questions:
1.) Why do you think so many people hated what you were writing about? If it's entertaining and well written, then they shouldn't be complaining, right?
2.) DO you still have a friendly competition with Barnes?
Comments:
1.) It's funny how people were so against your writing before, but you're now the second most read blog. People's interests change I guess.
2.) I think it's awesome how you were so positive and used all the hate you were getting to your own benefit.


http://www.timesunion.com/living/article/Ringers-in-the-extreme-2263911.php
Questions:
1.) Did Ryan Fitzpatrick actually get injured because of his ring, or is he just an example of someone who won't take his ring off?
2.) Why do people think it's such a big deal that Fitzpatrick doesn't take his ring off? Unless he's already been injured because of it, I think it's sweet.
Comments:
1.) I know that my mom takes her ring off when making meatballs, and I never thought that was weird. It's just to keep the ring clean.
2.) I also think my dad takes his ring off when he gardens, but he might just wear gloves over the ring so it doesn't get dirty.

Thankful Four

In case you cannot read what I wrote since the writing is a little small, her is what I am thankful for:

-Going to a good school and having a family that values education.

-Both of my parents have jobs so we have a good life.

-My fabulous friends and family.

-Going to camp and meeting all my best friends.

Opinion Prompt #13

Opinion Prompt #13: We should replace number grades with letter grades.

I completely disagree with this. Number grades are more specific, so we know exactly how we're doing in that class. Letter grades are for a range of number grades. Say I got and A on my report card for Global. That would mean that in Global my grade was somewhere between a 94-96. If I were to see an A on my report card, yes I would be happy but I would want to know what my exact numerical grade was. Was it the lower side, at 94? Or the higher side at 96? I don't know anyone who would be happy with a range for their grade- yet that's what letter grades are, isn't it? Would it be acceptable if my Chemistry teacher put 91-93 as my grade on my report card? That's exactly the same thing as putting A- as my grade. Not only does it help the students by telling them more accurately how they're doing, but it also lets teachers see more accurately how the class as a whole is doing. Numerical grades are better because they show exactly where we are, not just a range.

I Want To Write About #84

#84 Write About the Last Time You Wore High Heels or a Necktie

Saturday November 5th was my cousins wedding. My cousin Angie, married Dan. They already have a baby named Mason, so it's about time they got married. Angie and Dan got engaged when Angie got pregnant with Mason. Mason was the most precious thing at the wedding- he came down the aisle with Angie's maid-of-honor, her sister and my cousin, Christiane. Angie had dressed Mason in a little tux with a red necktie and Christiane wore a black full length dress with a black and red sash. Angie's dress was beautiful. It was a beaded turmpet style dress and Angie looked amazing in it. Angie, Dan and Mason looked like the picture perfect family. Dan looks exactly like Ronnie from the Jersey Shore. He and all his friends look like they belong on that show. It kinda freaked out me and my cousin Schuyler. I personally wore a strapless, patterened light pink dress with a black sash, a black cardigan and my moms black heels. I'm a pointe dancer, so I have no trouble walking in heels. The heels I wore were pretty decent size-  they were about three inches, but the heel was kinda chunky so they were very easy to walk in. My little brother is almost as tall as me, so it was nice to be a lot taller than him for one night. Schuyler and I spent the night dancing together, with our cousin Andrew and his girlfriend Liz, with my parents, with her Dad and his girlfriend, or with Angies mom- our aunt Patty. Schuyler and I were two of the few people that kept their shoes on the whole night- we enjoy feeling tall.

Magnetic Poetry

R= Romania

http://www.romaniatourism.com/

1.) There are al least 15 castles/ fortresses in Romania that were built anywhere from the 1400's to the 1800's. These castles are open to the public as tourist stops- tourists can get a taste of gothic, medieval architecture.
2.)Romania has a ton of Jewish heritage. There is a Holocaust museum in the Great Synagogue, a well preserved temple from the 1850's, that I know I would find interesting.
3.) "The Carpathian mountain range forms a huge arc in the centre of Romania." This provides for great hiking trails, and I love to hike.
4.) If I were to travel to Romania, I would do so in June because that is when they hold the "Traditional Crafts Fair" in which there are free demonstrations of crafts such as carpet weaving, glass blowing and pottery molding.
5.) Romania has the famous "Painted Monasteries" which are monasteries where the outside walls have elaborate paintings on them. These murals show scenes from the Bible, or values of the churches- while I couldn't relate to the religion, the pictures look beautiful and I would love to see it in person.
6.) Romanians are known for their beautiful painted eggs and I would love to be able to purchase a traditional one- red background with traditional patterns.
7.) Traditional Romanian meals consist of cheese for the appetizer, meatball soup, meat stew and cheese donuts for dessert. This hearty meal sounds fantastic to me!

Every picture tells a story.

While I was looking through the list of proverbs, every single one that stuck out to me reminded me of camp. This one really connected to me because of when I got home from camp. I had just had the happiest three and a half weeks of my life, and I had almost four hundred pictures to prove it. I uploaded the pictures to my laptop, and looked through them more times than I could tell you. I had my friend Justine over a few days after I got back. She was the first to hear my stories. She came over, and for over an hour we went through each and every one of those pictures- and I would tell her the story that went along with all of them. The picture below has one of my favorite stories. At camp, we have "Rib Night" once a session. Every loves Rib Night, even the vegetarians. People dress up like cowboys/cowgirls, or dress up like their from the country. Some people will take white tee shirts and with a Sharpie they'll write "Rib Night 2011 was here!" and they'll smear rib sauce on their shirt. The vegetarians all sit at a table together and eat massive amounts of cole slaw and potato salad. No one is given any forks or knifes to eat with. They play country music during dinner. And after dinner, we all move in to the MerKaazHaSport (camp gym) and an adorable old man teaches us how to line dance. The picture below is me, and my friends Shay and John. This year, we had a counselor who wanted to shake things up a little for Rib Night. This counselor, Peter, had a polite table at Rib Night. He said that instead of being "country", they would be "country-club". I did not go to the polite table, I love the classic Rib Night! But Shay and John went all country club on me. This is a picture of them disapproving of me not being as classy as they are. One of my favorite pictures, one of my favorite stories. Every picture really does tell a story.

 

Word Repetition Poetry.

Everyone tells you to follow your dreams.
But what about their dreams?
What happened to the dreams they dreamt as a child?
Did the dreams come true?
Did the dreams die?
I wonder what happens to past dreams.
Dreams can't just disappear.
Dreams must go somewhere.
Maybe, when I'm done with a dream,
I'll give it to someone, someone who needs that dream.

Halloween

My, oh my.
Unusual, the way you're dressed tonight.
May I ask where you bought that outfit?
Mind me, it's quite ragged now isn't it?
You're a mummy?!

Where did my friend go?
I swear, she was with me at the last house.
They even gave her two pieces of candy because they liked her costume so much.
Could it be a witch?
How is that possible? It can't be.

TU Tuesday

http://www.timesunion.com/entertainment/article/A-well-parted-version-of-Hair-2231845.php

 "tied inexorably to their time"
-Inexorably means not moving, or staying put. This phrase then means that the musical Hair is not relatable to today, but just to the time it is about.


"littered with wonderful melodies"
-Littered means scattered about, so this phrase is talking about how the songs are great throughout the musical.


"few acknowledge that fact by lampooning"
-Lampooning means to mock a person, or piece of art. In this phrase it's used to say that they almost mock their characters which actually helps them portray them better.


"ersatz leader of the tribe."
-Ersatz means something fake replacing something of real substance and in this context it's used to say that the actor plays a light character.


"statements about love and war transcend the 60's"
-Transcend means to rise above. It's used in this sentence to show that the meaning behind what's being said still applies to today.

Harold and The Purple Crayon

(I for some reason couldn't copy and paste the picture from the word document, so I got this picture off of Google.)

Both of my brothers and I loved Harold and the Purple Crayon. I can remember piling into my little brothers bed with my older brother and my mom and having her read Harold to us. My little brother was to one who had his name written inside the cover of the books- they were his, therefore we always read them in his room. I remember that there were multiple Harold books, but Harold and the Purple Crayon was my favorite- I liked the original. I remember when I would be playing with my brothers and we would color, we would think we were so cool using a purple crayon like Harold. I wonder if we still have the Harold book- because if we do, I'm reading them tonight.

Q = Quincy University

Five Reasons Why I would Want To Attend:

1.) They have many majors that I might possibly be intereseted in such as Journalism, Englis, Public Relations, Music and Philosophy.
2.) They have a dance squad and I love to dance.
3.) There's a ton of clubs that I might be interested and and their Greek life seems to be filled with good-naatured kids, not just 'partyers'.
4.) It's located in Illinois very close to Chicago.
5.) It's a private liberal arts school and since I've been lookin at schools with my brother I've learned that the liberal arts schools are my favorites.

Three Reasons Why I Wouldn't Want To Attend:
1.) While the distance from home was a plus, it could also be a little to far away and would make it hard to come home during the holidays.
2.) There is finacial aid, but it is rewarded based on both need and academic execellence. While I would get somme money, I probably wouldn't get as much as my family needs because my dad makes enough money to send me, but would need to save money to send my little brother as weel as my big brother who will still be in college by the time I go.
3.) While I know that I like relativley small schools, a school with only 1,200 students may be just a little too small for me.

Vintage Photo

http://blackboard.neric.org/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_2263_1%26url%3d
"Wedding Dress of 1910's"
This picture show Mrs. J.p. Frazer in a wedding dress from the 1910's. I think this picture is worth words because of how beautiful it is. This dress today may seem conservative but we can still appreciate the beauty of it. What I think is the prettiest part of the dress are the flowers around the edge of the train which match not only her bouquet, but also the flowers on her hat. I think that this picture and this dress are just so timeless and I hope that when I get married I'll be able to find a dress like this- fashionable at the time but also timeless. Congratulations Mrs. J.p. Frazer, you got it just right.

Chaim Potok

My name is Julia Kronick, the Julia Kronick, about whom you have read in newspapers and magazines, about whom you talk so much at your dinner affairs and cocktail parties, the notorious and legendary. Yes, it is I. I am the girl who changed your life. Each and every one of you. How, you may ask? You've read the articles and gossiped about me, but you're not sure exactly what I did for you. All you really know is that I hold power. I have fame, fortune, friends, and family. I have the life you could only dream about, and I'm sure you do. I mean, you spend so much time reading and talking about me don't you?
Admit it, it's okay. That little green monster of yours is coming out; you envy me. I have the life you want, and not just you honey; I have the life everyone wants. But I wasn't born with it, you know. I had to work for it, and work hard. I worked day and night to get to where I am today. Like I told you before, I changed your life. That's why you see and hear about me everywhere you go. Still don't know what I did? It's better we kept it that way.

Times Union Tuesday 10/11/11

http://blog.timesunion.com/movies/what-is-the-best-movie-makeover-ever/2959/

While I full-heartedly agree that the character of Sandy from the classic musical Grease makes a 180 degree change at the end, she is by no means the best movie makeover ever. Yes, so goes from sickenly-sweet, to downright bad. But it's just a change on the outside to get the guy- what about making over the inside? Mean Girls does that, and multiple times. Kady goes from an average girl, to the awful stereo-typical popular girl. From sweet and modest, to a full out witch who dresses like a skank. Transformation inside and out? Yes, though not a good one- luckily by the end of the movie Kady has done another 180. Kadys good-to-bad transformation is far better than Sandys due to the personality change as well- but I will be the first to say that- while I love both- Grease is an all-over better movie than Mean Girls.

Haiku

Original Haiku:

Bright lights, big city.
Or small town communities.
Try to be happy.

Response to example haiku:
I think that autumn is not only supposed to represent change, but death. I think that the author see's their deceased fathers face in the mirror instead of their own reflection and is having a hard time adjusting to life without the father.

Times Union Tuesdays

http://www.timesunion.com/entertainment/article/Billy-Elliot-to-close-on-Broadway-in-January-2200706.php

The musical Billy Elliot is based on the 2000 movie by the same name. Both the Broadway musical and the movie were directed by Stephen Daldry, Lee Hall took his own screenplay and wrote lyrics to it, and the iconic Elton John wrote the music. Billy Elliot is set in a mining town on strike, where Billy accidentally falls in love with ballet. Billy Elliot has been showing in Broadways Imperial Theatre for the past three years, and will be closing on January 8th 2012. The show had grossed about $600 million globally. Billy Elliot will surely be missed by the estimated 1,659,867 theatre-goers who will now have to see this ten-time Tony winning musical either on tour in the US or in London's West End.

1.) Why close down such a popular show?
2.) If Billy Elliot is such a largely grossing show for Broadway, wouldn't they want to keep it open to make even more money?
3.) Since there are many children in this show, does the closing of the show have anything to do with child labor laws, and the children not being able to perform so many shows?
4.) I know that some shows have been on Broadway for a very long time, so is three years about an average length for a show to stay?
5.) Billy Elliot won "Best Musical" at the Tony's in 2009- are the producers possibly disappointed that it hasn't won such a great title since, and are deciding it's had its time to shine and that time has passed?

Opinion Prompt 3 - Time is worth much more than money.

   Time is absolutely worth more than money for me. While I completely recognize the importance of money, I will never be a person who thinks money is the most important thing. If you were offered one day to spend with someone you never see, or one hundred dollars which would you take? It's a no-brainer for me. Seeing, say a friend from camp, is much more valuable to me than money. Yes, I could go get a new outfit. Or I could have a great time with my best friends. Spending time with people have made me the person that I am today and I would much rather spend even more time with those who helped shape me than get some new music. 
   I am in the process of saving money for a trip. Next summer I am planning on going to Poland and Israel with my summer camp. It's an incredibly large amount of money, but for one week in Poland and four weeks in Israel, I think it will be more than worth it. The time will be well spent because of what I'm doing and who I'm with during that time. I've spent the past two summers at camp with these people, and I wouldn't not trade those summers for anything. The time I've spent with everyone at camp is worth more to me than I could possibly tell you. Money has value in our world, but time has more value to me.
 

Waiting.

See that girl?
She seems sweet.
She seems outgoing.
She seems friendly.
She seems loved.
She seems to be happy.
But really look at that girl,
She's waiting.
She's shy.
She's hurting.
She's stressed.
She's lonely.
She is heartbroken.
Really look at that girl,
She's waiting.
For somebody.
Anybody.

Creative Writing Prompts #339

#339- Write about five things you would do to entertain yourself if you did not see a soul for seven days.

1.) Read. I spend so much time reading as it is, so it wouldn't be too out of the ordinary and I wouldn't have anyone distracting me.
2.) Draw. I am an awful artist, so I never draw with people because of how my art looks so bad next to theirs. I would draw my heart out and not care how awful it is.
3.) Sing. I love to sing- I'm involved with musicals and choir, but I in no way have a spectacular voice. With no one to hear me crack on the high notes, I could sing all day long.
4.) Dance. Again, I love dancing but I don't just dance without choreography in fear of it looking horrendous. If there was no one to see my unimpressive improv, I would run around dancing.
5.) Yoga. To relax, to breathe, to think. I just love yoga, and could do it for hours at a time.

Art.

This picture is titled "Playground". I personally am not too fond of this type of neoclassic paintings- I prefer more modern art. But this painting by Jacques-Laurent Agasse really stood out to me. I love that this was considered to be a playground back then, but to people like me it at first just looks like an open space in a woods. The closer you look, the more you're able to see. You see the home made swing, you see the wheel barrow being used for play, you see people just having a good time. To me, this painting reminds us that people back then were just the same as we are now. They were still people who care about family and friends and like to have a good time, which we often forget about when studying history. 

"Everybody feels lucky for having you as a friend." (224 words)

This fortune, actually makes me think. "Everybody feels lucky for having you as a friend". I feel like I'm a good friend -as this fortune implies- but am I really? Am I the friend you'll go to for advice? Am I at the same time the friend you'll ask to come shopping with you? Can you sit with me for hours talking about nothing -yet talking about everything? Am I that person that you could honestly trust with anything, with your life? "Everybody feels lucky for having you as a friend." or so my fortune says. If I a friend if they felt lucky to have me as a friend, what would they say? They would say "yes" of course. But would they say yes because they really meant it, or because they didn't want to hurt my feelings? Would they lie to save my feelings, or would the truth amp up my self confidence? "Everybody feels lucky for having you as a friend." Why lucky? Am I that person that they know can get them out of trouble if needed? Am I that person that go to when they feel they can't go and talk to anyone else? "Everybody feels lucky for having you as a friend." Funny, how a fortune with such good intent can cause doubt of oneself.

The Letter P

People don't hear my when I scream
"Please! Listen to me!"
Proving, how selfish everyone is.
Phobia's are getting the best of us,
Passing by us, our lives are.
Polite, but no real emotions coming out.
Phsyical feelings, nothing mental, or real.
Pictures proving we had emotions at one point in time.
Perfection the only goal. The unacheivable goal of all those
People.

It Won't Have To (Poem)

It won't have to keep going,

It won't have the courage to.

It won't have to think about anyone,

It won't be able to.

It won't have to feel anything,

Until it comes to you.

It won't have to learn,

It won't have to try.

It won't have emotions,

It won't have to cry.

It won't pay any attention,

As you say goodbye.

But it won't have to end,

Just give it the stage.

It won't hurt to think,

Once you've freed it from it's cage.

It won't dread feeling something,

Because you've left it an open page.

10 Things You May Not Know About Me

1.) I love to bake.
2.) I work in a second grade classroom at my temple.
3.) I go to URJ Eisner camp for four weeks during the summer.
4.) Most of my good friends are from my temple or my camp.
5.) I love to read, but during the school year I sometimes have a hard time making time to read.
6.) I love dancing. I take ballet, jazz, and pointe classes.
7.) I died part of my hair purple because I wanted to, but also because a couple of my friends didn't believe that I would.
8.) I love musical theatre and wish I had more time to do theatre outside of school, but I absolutely love GP.
9.) I am really bad with technology.
10.) I don't exactly listen to mainstream music, so when I hang out with friends it's almost never my iPod that's playing.

Books I've Read This Summer

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
The Hunger Games by Sue Collins
Catching Fire by Sue Collins
By The Time You Read This I'll Be Dead by Julia Anne Peters
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
Flawless by Sara Shepard
Perfect by Sara Shepard
Unbelievable by Sara Shepard
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Hate List by Jennifer Brown
Breaking Night by Liz Murray