Blogging

Blogging has been something I have done a lot lately. It has been a requirement for a class. Sometimes it feels like something I have to force myself to do and other times I enjoy getting my different opinions out on things. When we first started out our blogs, there was supposed to be a point of interest that we focused our blogs on. Mine started out to be music, movies, and turned in to adding books also. As I have looked at other peoples blogs and have talked with them, they have pretty much dropped their focus topic and blogged about whatever comes to mind. I have sort of adopted those ideas in my blog. I try to stay focused around my music life or things I have done pertaining to the subjects. When I first was trying to think of subjects I did not know what was appropriate or best for readers. I am also involved in shooting sports, which is another big part of my life, but I did not know how well people would take it or want to even read about it. I decided that the subjects I am writing about now would be the best choice and I would not have to worry about others reactions.

Since music is a big focus in my life, that is really what I can talk most about or find things to write about easiest. I have choir, chamber choir, show choir, speech (musical theatre), and now the musical that are all what I am a part of. Working around all of these events is hard enough to blog, but it also gives me something to blog about. Rather than try to come up with something every day. I can just write about the new things that have occured from my busy schedule. I think being involved in the thing you are blogging about helps a lot, since you can have something new to bring up more often then trying to come up with random ideas in your head.

Stiff...the rest

I did not really get to writing the middle section of the book at all, but I will just include a little bit of it in this part. I finally finished the book Stiff for my AP bio class. All the book reports are written and turned in and I feel soo relieved. The middle section of this book was not as interesting to me or at least memorable. I can mostly remember the end, and that is probably mostly because it was the most recent thing I read from the book.

As I finished the book, it kept me interested all the way though. I thought when I first got this assignment that I would have to read some boring book about really confusing ideas that I would not be able to understand. This book has proved my thinking wrong. I can stay interested and actually understand the concepts and things that cadavers were used for. The very little that I don't understand is explained in a very easy way.

One of the chapters is about how bodies were medical uses at one point in time. Old men would donate their lives and eat nothing but honey. Then once they would die their bodies would be put in a stone coffin and filled with even more honey. The bodies would sit in this honey coffin for about 100 years. They would then be taken out and used as an ointment on injuries. I wonder if it actually even worked because it sounds pretty ridiculous.

The book also talked about what heads and minds go through when they are disconnected from the body. There were scientists that would take heads straight from the old fashioned guillotine to their labs to experiment on. They would flow blood or electrical currents through them to see if they were still able to make movements or thoughts. They also tried to do head or body transplants. Some were able to survive for a little bit of time, but most died from rejection of the new part.

This book overall has been very interesting all the way through. I do not think that there was a chapter that did not capture me into reading it. There were some facts and experiences that kind of got tedious to read even though it was appealing.

Taken

For my birthday I wanted a cute little night out... and that's what I got. I ended up going to the movie Taken. I had not really seen many advertisements for it on T.V. and I did not even know who the actors were, but what I had heard about the story line really interested me. I ended up going to see the movie on a Thursday night with barely anyone in the movie theatre. I thought the movie was incredibly good. I love action but in a certain way and this movie was exactly on.

Liam Neeson I have never seen in movies before and I also had not seen really any of the other characters in any movie before. Neeson did an incredible job at playing his character. I thought it was so riviting how the story line went along. I was always captivated at every moment in the movie. The beginning was the only part that was not that interesting. It was just setting up the story and character relationships/backgrounds. Neeson's character was trying to find his daughter that had been taken. His job that he had in the government had first taken him from being a good father to his daughter, but now it helps get her back. I have always loved and watched actions movie since I was little. Living in a house with two brothers...action movies is pretty much what we always watched. This has to be my favorite one so far. In most movies you see the good guy give the bad guy a break and not kill him, which usually ends up turning on them. This movie, Neeson's character had no mercy and pretty much killed everyone in his way. It was amazing because he could go into a room and kill everyone there, even if they had a gun and he did not. You could really tell that his training was excellent and even though he was retired, he could still use his skills to the fullest to get his daughter back. Even when France's inside men turned on him, he still did what he had to do to find where she was.

Taken was an amazing movie to watch. I loved every minute of it. I will definitly have to buy the movie when it comes out on DVD. If you really like action and a kickass movie, you should definitly try this one out.

In the beginning

In my younger years I started off getting into music from Discovery Choir. I remember I was so nervous to try out for the group, since I did not know what to expect. I ended up making it for a couple of years in a row. We would practice different songs as a huge group then sing them with the symphony for friends and family at the Paramount. Discovery Choir really made me feel like I was a part of something. Through Discovery Choir I tried out for a "lost child" spot in the opera Hansel and Gretel that was going to be a production. I ended up making it with some other kids from the choir. This way also another new experience that I never though I would have had when I was younger. This created my love of the music world.

The schedule for the opera, was the most rigorous I had ever experienced at that age. We practiced a lot every week, yet the practices were fun and I started to make even more new friends. It was kind of fun to play out the parts of the "lost children" yet I still was not quite sure of what to do yet at that age. I did not quite get the acting part... only the singing. As it started to get closer and closer to performance time, it became more exciting. I really loved the feeling of creating the costume and look and putting the entire show together. Performances were so fun. We all got to hang out in the green room below the stage and just play little quiet games with our newfound friends. We were not really on stage for a great amount of time, so the rest was for us to just hang out and do whatever. Even though the role was not very important, it still made us all feel like we were a part of something.

Mall Cop

When I saw the preview for this movie, I just knew I had to see it. I got in trouble when trying to find the picture for this movie, but I think it is pretty worth it. Personally I think Kevin James is so funny and I watch him all the time on King of Queens. This was the first movie I wanted to see above the rest when I had the opportunity to go to one. As the movie started out you get the background story behind Kevin James's character, Paul Blart. He lives with his daughter of an immigrant wife who left him when she got citizenship and his mom who takes care of his every need. When the movie starts off you see him excelling, when he is training to be in the police force. Except he has sleep apnea and will fall asleep from his diabetes. This leads him into the career of being a mall cop.

He is very dedicated to his job. There is a girl in the mall that sells hair at a kiosk. Blart is trying to get out into the dating world again, so he goes over and starts talking to her. Their friendly exchanges soon end when he has competition from other men working in the mall. He soon gets a new guy that shadows him around the mall to be a mall cop. He tries to show him the ways of the job, but he soon finds that he actually does not really have anyway to stop people from doing what they want to do. People do not really find him threatening.

The mall gets shut down early when a group takes over the mall. Blart is in a video game store at the time this happens so he does not know what kind of the threat the mall is under. The police come outside and try to handle the situation, but Blart stays inside and tries to be a hero. He is left to defend the mall and hostages from the bad men that have taken over the mall for their own good.

Mall Cop has many funny twists in it. Kevin James really brings humor to his character and makes the movie most enjoyable. This movie shows how an average person can make a difference. I think this movie can really appeal to anyone of any age. I really enjoyed going and seeing this movie. It kept me laughing the whole time and wanting to see it again.

TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY

I recently finished the book Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. I did not really expect anything in particular, I just thought it sounded pretty good. It is on the New York Times Best Seller list. This book had an interesting layout to it and it was really appealing to me. It kept me interested and wanting to get to the end the entire time. The way the characters were described or weren't kept me always curious of who they really were. How do you really know how your actions affect people?

In my class we are starting a project where we do a analysis on a book. Most likely it is supposed to be non-fiction so you can do research alongside it. I have not really found a non-fiction book but this book really interested me and I thought I could do a good report on it even though it is not non-fiction. I talked to my teacher a bit about doing this book for the report and I think if I keep in touch with him so I can stay on topic, this project can be really interesting and turn out well.

The cassette tapes were from a girl at school who had committed suicide. They go through all the reasons that have caused her to end her own life. As one of the kids at school listens and experiences all of her emotions and thoughts you are along for the ride to experience them too. The things she goes through has a snowball effect that keep making how she feels worse and worse. The event itself might be bearable, but each one keeps building and building on each other.

Personally I never think that ending your own life is the answer to anything. It does not solve the problem, it is only an ending point. I am sure there are lots of emotions and thoughts that roll through your head if you are suicidal. I wonder if those that have succeeded at it have had regrets when it happens. Are they really happy to end their life rather than live it? Who knows what someones exact reasons are for doing it. No one can really go through what those people feel, but I really think just doing an extra something for any person every day can really make the lives of those better. Reaching out to a new and different someone can maybe surprise you as to an interesting character you can connect with. You don't even have to be a good person to ease the lives of someone who could potentially be one of those considering suicide. Any little thing could help.

mmm...movies

Hmmm movies can be a jolly ole time....or a bad one. To me they seem to come out in spurts of good and bad. I wonder if there is a "movie season" like there is seasons for fruits. There are times when there is just nothing out in the movie theatres. If I am with friends and we want something to do, usually watching a movie with some popcorn is mostly a good idea. Not when there is not even a good one out to watch.

The times when there are just a bunch of good movies out is the best. Even though finding time to go out and watch all of them can sometimes be impossible, and you would have to resort to just renting or buying them later. Another good thing when watching movies, is seeing the full preview before the movie for upcoming ones. Sometimes watching the previews from TV can be entirely different then the ones you see in the theatres.

Going to the movies can be quite an event. There are always options on who to take and how many to go with. I think having the right people for a particular movie is the best. I am not really a fan of having a big group go. It is nice to be with all of your friends but not if you only talk to a couple of who you sit by.

Even though you might be a pleaser and want to just watch what anyone else wants to make them happy, it should really be essential to get your pick to your mood. It really makes the experience and night a more memorable one since everything can be geared to how you feel. Comedies are usually what I love to go and see. I am not really a scary movie girl. It is not that they scare me, even though I will jump if something loud and fast comes up, but since I am not usually scared I just think the movie is not as good. Most of them can seem pretty ridiculous to me.

Movies can make for a cute date or just a relaxed night with your friends. The best thing to do is to take advantage of the good movies when they are out in theatres to really cherish the experience. Then you can rent when there are not interesting movies out.