2.28 Diction Exercise

1) Diverged, bent, undergrowth, passing, equally, trodden, another, doubted, sigh, hence

2) Elevation-medium high because it doesn't use to tough of words but some are not used as often as others
Connotation- poetic, beautiful,alive, adventurous
Sound- melodic, soft
Concreteness- concrete, choice, troubled, clear, wide-eyed

3) Robert Frost's poetic, and melodic use of language in the poem The Road Not Taken revels that it is okay to go against the crowd and chose your own destiny by taking the path less traveled by.

A Tale Of Two Pretties pages 20-39

During these pages Dylan finds out that her family will be starting in their own reality T.V. show, but she can’t tell anyone until New Year’s Day. Next we find out that Alicia got a fortune teller to tell her future. The fortune teller told her that she will become the leader of her group. But, Massie is the Alpha, and Alicia does not want to become an Alpha. Next we find out that Claire’s family is getting their own house and moving out of the Block’s guest house. Next we see Kristen’s first soccer practice with the soccer sisters. She is accepted fully by them, and they tell her she is a great player and that they won’t lose with her playing on the team.

I don’t think Dylan will be able to keep a secret this big and that someone is eventually going to find out. The prediction about Alicia being the new Alpha might come true because who knows what is going to happen to Massie now that her Dad does not have a job. I can’t wait to read more to find out what happens next.

A Tale of Two Pretties Pages 1-19

A Tale of Two Pretties is by Lisi Harrison, and it is the last book in her series called the Clique. This series is about 5 girls, Massie Block, Alicia Rivera, Dylan Marvil, Kristen Gregory, and Claire Lyons. They are all friends and the most popular and there grad. These books show the up and downs of their friendship through middle school. This book starts out on Christmas Eve, and Claire is at her boyfriend’s, Cam Fisher, house. They exchange Christmas presents. Nest we fast forward to Christmas Day at the Blocks mansion where Massie only get one present because her Dad lost his job and they are now broke. In the next part we find out that Kristen has been accepted into the soccer sisters, an elite soccer team, but she doesn’t tell anyone else yet because it would mean that she can’t spend as much time with the Pretty Committee.


Even though I just started to read this book I am already hooked because Massie is poor when she was preciously filthy rich. She is going to have to get used to having less money. Also Kristen secret about the soccer sisters, and what it means about spending time with friends, because if she joins she won’t be able to spend as much time as she wants to with her friends. Her friends are going to have to find out sometime. I can’t wait to read

Hoot pages 249-292

I have just finished reading Hoot during these last few pages a lot has happened. At the ground breaking ceremony Mullet Fingers buried himself into one of the owl holes. This started a protest against putting a pancake place on the piece of land. Everyone gathered around Mullet Fingers including Roy’s class, Beatrice’s soccer team, and even Mother Paula herself, who is an actress named Kimberly Lou Dixon. At the end of the protest Mullet Fingers mother show up and as a result he goes to live with her but doesn’t last two days before he ran away. As a result of the protest the owls were saves and the land was donated as an owl sanctuary. We also find out Mullet fingers real name is Napoleon Bridger Leep.

Well the owls where saved and Mullet Fingers is still roaming the wilderness. Overall, a very good book worth reading.

Hoot pages 211-248

During these pages e find out that Officer Delinko has been assigned to watch the pancake site until the ground breaking ceremony. Roy went to the city hall to look at the permits and discovered that the construction permit was not there. Roy also gives Mullet Fingers a camera in order to take pictures of the owls to show everyone that there are owls and that they are still there. Also Roy told his class about the owls.

I am almost done reading this book. I have about 40 more pages to read. I can’t wait to read more.

2.23 Diction Exercise

This is over "On Love" by Alain de Botton.

a) momentary, cynicism, spectrum, debilitating, coup de foudre, pessimism, inclination, strenuous, indirectly, involuntarily

b) Connotation- poetic, elegant, formal
Sound- melodic, soft
Concreteness- abstract, beautiful, clever

c) Alain de Botton's elegant, melodic, poetic language expresses hopefulness for love, and a passion for finding love.

Hoot pages 180-210

During these pages Roy tricks Dana into thinking there is a hidden stash of cigarettes at the pancake place. When Dana gets to the pancake place Curly and Officer Delinko catch him, and Officer Delinko takes him to jail. They think they have caught the vandal until the bulldozers seat goes missing. Then Beatrice comes to spend the night because her Dad and Step Mom are fighting.

This book keeps on getting better because Dana was arrested and Mullet Fingers is still free. I can’t wait to read more.

Hoot pages 153-179

During these pages Roy had to explain to his parents who Mullet Fingers was, and he also told them about the owls. His dad, a law enforcement person, says that they can build a pancake place there because they have all the right paper work. Roy then goes to visit Mullet Fingers, and Mullet Fingers take him to an undeveloped part of the town where the wildlife is present. Roy is then very determined to save the owls.

This is a really good book so far. I am very glad they are trying to save the owls because they were there first. The movie about the book also follows the book very well. There have not been any major differences between them so far.

Hoot pages 98-152

During these pages Roy almost got beat up by Dana but Beatrice saves him. At the future Pancake place someone put snakes on the site and the snakes are poisonous to the dogs, and so the dogs are taken away. After Beatrice saves Roy she tells him mullet fingers is hurt because a dog bit him. Then Mullet Fingers takes Roy to the Pancake site and shows him the baby owls. Then he faints and Roy and Beatrice take him to the hospital and tell them he is Roy, because they don’t want them finding out who he really is. Then Roy’s parents show up and Mullet Fingers ran away. That’s where I finished reading.

Mullet Fingers is the person who has been vandalizing the future pancake place, and for a good reason too. Those owls need to be saved.

Hoot Pages 49-97

At the start of these pages Roy decides to go looking for barefoot kid and he finds where he is staying in the woods but there are cottonmouths, highly poisonous. The Barefoot kid saves Roy but before Roy can even glance at him he covers his head with a bag and leads him to the golf course and tells him to go home and not to come back. But he tells Roy that he does not have a name but he goes by Mullet Fingers. But, Roy decides to go back to give Barefoot kid a pair of new shoes, Beatrice stops him and steals his bike. She tells him that Mullet Fingers is her step brother, and he ran away from home because his mother kept on shipping him off to military school. Since it was late Beatrice bit the tire on Roy’s bike and so it looked like it ran over a nail and that was why he was late to dinner. When walking home Officer Dilinko saw him and offered him a ride home. Roy accepts. Late Curley, the Pancake site Foreman, decides to hire dogs to protect the site from whoever is trespassing.

So far the book is still closely resembles the movie. Since I already know what is going to happen I won’t make prediction. But anyway hat is a well written book and I can’t wait to read more of it.

Hoot Pages 1-48

I just started reading Hoot by Carl Hiaasen. I have seen the movie before and really enjoyed it, and so I decided to read the book it was based off of. In the beginning we are introduced to Roy who just moved to Florida from Montana. In the opening page Roy is being bullied one the bus by Dana Matherson. Dana mashed his face against the window and when Dana was doing that Roy noticed this barefoot kid running super fast. On the third page we are introduced to Officer Delinko who was sent to the future site of a Mother Paula’s All-American Pancake House. Someone yanked up all there survey stakes and filled the holes in with dirt. Later we are introduced to Garrett and cool kid at Trace Middle where Roy attends. Garrett is kind of Roy’s friend. A couple of days later on a bus ride to school Roy saw the barefoot kid again and decided to go after him but Dana started to strangle him and so Roy punched him in the nose and then ran off the bus after the barefoot kid. The barefoot kid ran through a golf course and Roy got hit in the head with a golf ball. When Roy wakes up he is in trouble and has to write an appoloy letter Dana and is suspended two weeks form riding the bus. Also we meet Beatrice a girl who Roy ran into when he was running off the bus. At the end of the pages read we visit the Pancake site again and learn someone has put alligators on the site. And someone sprayed Officers Delinkos cop car black. As a result he is on desk duty for awhile.

From what I have read so far the movie follows the book very closely. There is two main differences. One Garrett was not a cool kid in the movie he was a nerd, and second when Officer Delikos car was painted black he didn’t have to go on desk duty. This book is really good and I can’t wait to see is the book closely resembles the move all the way through the book.

Blue Moon 230-284

I just finished reading Blue Moon. During these pages Ever goes back into the past and learns that the death of her family was meant to be. Then she is transported back to the future whre she learns that Ava is Ramon’s friend and has left Damon to die. But the two twins from shadow land say they can save him but Ever doesn’t believe instead she believes Ramon who says he thought Damon killed Drina, his true love. Ramon says he has an antidote and all it needs is her blood. She believes him and gives the antidote to Damon and it does cure him, but now Ever cannot exchange DNA with him at all. This means that she cannot kiss him or else he will die.

That is the end and the next book is Shadowland. Hopefully in this book Ever and Damon will find a cure for the antidote. I am glad Damon is saved but I am mad that Ever believe Ramon after all that he did. It just didn’t make sense.

Snowmen and Sledding

Yesterday I went outside to build a snowman. It was not very successful because every time I finished it would just fall over. I guess I am not that good at building snowmen. I also tried to go sledding but there were not really any good sledding hills in my yard. Next time hopefully I can build a snowman.

Blue Moon pages 159-229

Ever learns that she can go back in time because of a full moon. She decides that she is going back in time to save her family and live the life she would have had if Drina didn’t kill her family. But before she does she decides to save Damon. She breaks into his house to replace his red drink, because it has been tampered with because it is just water. But Damon catches her and throws all the red drink down the sink. Ever goes back to shadowland and learns about a cure for him. She gets all the ingredients and makes it and gives it to Ava to give to Damon. Next she is about ready to go back to the past and that is where I stopped reading.
I am wondering if Ever will actually go back in the past or if she will not. Also will Damon get better? If Ever goes back to the past then will Drina try to come and kill her again? I guess I’ll have to read to find out.

Close Reading

A Talent for Dancing

In this scene from Singing in the Rain, Gene Kelly’s giddy performance conveys an explosiveness of talent. Kelly was smiling through the performance always synchronized with his partner. This suggests a lot practice and hard work was put into this performance and a huge amount of passion for dancing. It also shows a joy for dancing. Kelly also made it look effortlessness which conveys a talent for dancing. Kelly moved around the whole room using the props available including a desk and a chair. This energetic movement creates an excitement due to all of the movement. The precision of the steps demonstrates soothing feel because everything looked planned out making it look perfect. The dancing makes people feel happy and joyful. The atmosphere created is enthusiastic because of the upbeat dancing. Overall Gene Kelly enhances dancing by his cheerful and confident performance.

Blue Moon pages 125-158

During these pages Ever visits shadowland. She discovers the library and looks through Damon’s past by watching a video. She learns that he watch both of his parents being murdered when he was young. Also when the Black Death came he put together the red drink in order to live. When she sees him with Drina she tells the video to move faster and she misses how Damon is acting the way he is. But she does see Ramon looking over a dead Damon. Ever learns that Ramon is doing it all but she does not know how to stop him.

I knew Ramon was doing it. Now I hope Ever can stop him and soon. But, she does not know how Ramon is making Damon act this way and how to stop him.

Blue Moon Pages 86-124

During these pages Damon returns to school but he doesn’t seem to remember Ever. He thinks she is stalking him. He starts hanging out with Stacia. Miles and Haven start hanging out with the popular crown too. Ever thinks Ramon has something to do with it. She goes to see Ava about it and she agrees something is happening. As a result Ever decides to go to shadowland to figure out what is wrong.
I hope Ever fixes this because everything is wrong. Miles and Haven are not supposed to be hanging out with the popular crowd. Damon is supposed to be madly in love with Ever. I am mad at Ramon because I think he has something to do with what is going on.

Three Minute Fiction

A Saint And A Criminal
by Lauri Anderson

The girls father alway tells a joke about a sain and a criminal. She is one while her brother is the other. She did not know which one she was until her brother ran his car into someones living room and killing a women. He did not talk to his family or look them in the eye until a few days later when they visit him in jail and he is the bother she has always known, because he was acting different before the accident. She did not say which one she is but I think that she thinks she might be the criminal because the brother is changing. Maybe not so much as a saint but he is changing his life for the better.

Coaching

I am assistant coaching a 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th grade girl’s basketball team. So far it has been very enjoyable. I love basketball, and so it is fun to teach other people how to play the sport. We just finished our regular season and we finished first and so we got a buy in the tournament. Saturday we played our first tournament game and we won. Now we are going to play in the championship this Thursday. Hopefully we will win : )

Supernatural 3

I am still watching Supernatural. In the past couple of weeks Sam died and was brought back to life because Dean made a deal. But, Dean’s deal only gives him one year to live. Then Dean and Sam try to figure a way out of his deal. They do not and so Dean dies. But, he is brought back to life by an angel. This is the last episode I watched. I love watching this series. I cannot wait to watch more.

Blue Moon Pages 48-85

During these pages Damon and Ever are planning to spend a night together in a hotel room. They plan on doing this the night of Miles big play. Also when Ever is out shopping Stacia threaten to expose her abilities to everybody. Damon, Ever, Haven, and Ramon all go to Miles play together. After the play Damon tells Ever that he will go get his car and meet her out back. But, when Ever goes out back Damon is not there. She manifests a car and goes to all the place she could think he could be but she cannot find him.

                I wonder where Damon went and if it had to do with his weakening powers. I hope he left for some important reason because Ever and Damon are perfect for each other. I wonder what is going to happen next.

Blue Moon pages 9-47

During these pages Miles is freaking out because he has a zit and his big play is in a couple of days. Sabine invited Damon over for dinner. Also there is this new kid. Ramon. Ever is paranoid that Ramon is evil. Haven thinks that Ever just hates all the new kids. As a result Ever tries to be nice to him. Also something is happening to Damon’s powers, they seem to be weakening.

                I think Ramon might be evil, because when he showed up Damon’s powers started to weaken. I am worried about Damon because of his weakening powers. I wonder what is wrong with his powers and if they will go away.

Blue Moon pages 1-8

I checked out Blue Moon by Alyson Noël today from the library. I haven’t read much yet. The first couple of pages are about Damon trying to teach ever how to conjure things like he conjured the tulip in Evermore.

                I am so happy the library had this book, and that it was not checked out. I can’t wait to start reading more of it.

Evermore Pages 217-301

I just finished reading Evermore last night. Ever discovered that alcohol prevented her from seeing other people auras and hearing their thoughts. She got caught drinking in school and got kicked out for one week. During this time Ever almost gets killed by Drina. To get away from her she goes to Shadowland in order to get away from her. There she sees Damon, and he tells her that she is an immortal also and that she has a choice to stay immortal or not. She decides against it, and goes home. At home she is overwhelmed by people thoughts and feelings, and as a result she goes to see Ava. Ava helps her with her powers and convinces her that Riley needs to move on which she does. Then Drina shows up again and Ever kills her. After that Damon shows up, because Ever decides that she wants to be immortal. That is where the story ends.

                The ending was great. I was really happy when Damon and Ever got back together. I can’t wait to read Blue Moon which is the second book in this series.

Evermore pages 174-216

So Damon is not a vampire but he is an immortal. When Ever went to check out Damon’s house she discovers that Damon has Haven and is trying to kill her. Then Damon makes Ever forget she ever saw it, but she remembers later and Damon tries to tell her that he was trying to save her life.

I think that Damon is telling the truth that he was trying to save Haven, and also I think Drina had something to do with Haven almost dying. I hope that Damon was telling the truth because he and Ever were perfect for each other.