Tuesday, September 28, 2010

WHO IS THIS "ASA CLARK"???????????

If you are in Mrs. Reagles L.A. class, then you've probably heard of Asa Clark. Some weirdo is posing as Asa Clark and saying that he is from the afterlife and starting to live an educational life. We all wonder who this is and why they are doing it. (Our school was named after Asa Clark...) I am typing this fast, as I am busy, but please do go to http://asaclark.blogspot.com/ It will creep you OUT! Read it and just think. Please do tell ME what YOU THINK AND WHO IS THIS PERSON!! I will let you know more as I know more...!

Monday, September 27, 2010

Essay Response to "A Clean Well Lighted Place" - Ernest Hemingway

Picture this. Three men in a café; two waiters and an old drunk man. You'd think they'd have something in common, but it turns out they are very different. The genius, Ernest Hemingway, wrote this short story, "A Clean Well Lighted Place." This short story is basically about an old man at a café who stays there drinking for the longest time, and these two waiters: an old one, and a misunderstood young one. One main idea of this short story compares the two waiters differences even though they are café waiters. One other important aspect of this story is the meaning of a clean well lighted place is and why the old man always comes to this particular café.






To begin with, there's the old waiter and the young waiter. They are serving a somewhat drunk old man. The two waiters have several differences. The old one is very wise and calm with everything, and the young waiter isn’t the same. Both waiters serve drinks to the old man at the café, but only the old waiter has some interest in serving him. For instance, the younger waiter quotes, “He should have killed himself last week.” The importance of this statement is that the younger waiter feels that the old man at the bar is a waste of time. This piece of text is also a repeated phrase. Second of all, at the beginning, one waiter says, “he tried to commit suicide.” This means that the old man is either depressed or he may be psychologically disturbed. But, the young waiter says, “He has plenty of money.” This means that the young waiter thinks money is important and worth living for. Later in the story, the young waiter complains that the old man won’t leave from the café, and he quotes, “I never get to bed before three o’clock.” The younger waiter says this because he is sleepy and has no intention of serving drinks to the old man over and over. On the other hand, the old waiter is more reasoning than the younger waiter. This is proved by the short discussion between the younger and older waiter. “And what do you lack?” “Everything but work.” “You have everything I have.” This older waiter is very sensible and therefore, is proven to be the greater one. The last difference among both waiters is their wife. The younger waiter quotes, “He’s lonely, I’m not lonely. I have a wife waiting in bed for me.” The younger waiter has a wife, which makes him happy. Meanwhile, the old waiter does not have a wife. When the younger waiter complains that he has a wife waiting for him, he does not care about the drunk old man. He thinks his own time is more valuable, and he does not respect the old man. These quotes and their importance’s show that the old waiter and the young waiter are diverse in several ways.






Even though both waiters are very different, it is still important to understand what “A Clean Well Lighted Place” really means. There is a reason why the old man only came to that particular café and why he sits in the shadow of the leaves. First of all, during the beginning of the story, one waiter says, “he tried to commit suicide.” This means that the old man may be depressed, so he comes to the café/bar to drink and probably to get his mind off things. Second of all, the old man who comes to the café, sat in the shadow of the leaves, which is shows that this café is clean and well lighted; and it is a repeated phrase. This quote, "you do not understand, this is a clean and pleasant café. It is well lighted. Seeing that the light is very good and now there are shadows of the leaves." This says that the old man drinks here because it is a clean café. It is well lighted and shows the shadow of the leaves. When the old waiter goes to another café, he says the table needs polishing. Still, he declares that this café is better than the others and it is well lighted.






Now, by analyzing this story, I can understand that the old waiter and the young are both different, and also what a Clean Well Lighted Place means. Sometimes we might think what is special about a drunk person in a bar, but this story really relates to the author Hemingway's life, and shows that when you have nothing to go home to, you go to "A Clean Well Lighted Place."






Thursday, September 16, 2010

Summer of '03 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - The Journey






Miranda Welsh was just an ordinary girl. Until, she went on her first camping trip. She never..... Well, let's just say she would always remember that day.






I am 14 years old. I hate camping and I hate trees, and most importantly I hate everything nature! But, the summer of '03 changed me. I learned to live on my own. I learned that I don’t need anyone to survive, other than myself.






We are going camping in 3 days. UGHHH. I hate this! Why ME!?






"MOM! No I won't. NO NO NO!!", I scream.






"Yes you will. It'll be fun. You and Alex will have a great time.", She replied, in a calm voice.






Alex is my brother. 9 years old. Clueless for everything.










It's the next morning. I wake up, walk to the bathroom and I smell this horrible forest smell. Eww. I ask my mom what the smell is. She says that she got new air freshner to get me ready for the trip. Gee, thanks Mom. I'm done taking my shower and walk downstairs and I'm all packed. Dad says that we'll leave at 10:30. It's 9:45.






It's 10:25. I'm loading my bag into car. 4 days of nature, just nature. Great.










La La la la la.






Headphones are in my ear. Always. I'm in the car and we're driving to Blue Rock State Park, in Nevada. My brother is sitting there, playing with his silly bands. Kids...... Fine. I have some too.






Anyway, Dad says we're almost there. I put away my iPod and start reading. Mom told me not to bring any electronics, but how could I not? So, I just brought my iPod. But, I left my cell phone at home. It was a regret, but eh.






We are there. Well, not to the campsite, but at the information desk. He gets the site number. We start driving again. There it is site #13. Does the number 13 bother you? Not me. I don't care much. Well, back to my fun summer trip. Yawn. Dad and Mom set up the tent. There is a HUGE forest right next to our campsite, and it surrounds our entire place. Uhhh...






"Come on honey! We're all set up! Come look!", Mom eagerly calls me over.






"Yupp.", I say with an annoyed look in my eye.






"Hey! Your attitude better improve miss.", my Dad says.






"Yes Dad. Sorry. I just really don't want to be here.", I say






I think back to 3 days before our camping trip. It was my fight with Melanie. It wasn't that bad a fight. Just a little disagreement, that soon turned into a fight. While in class, we talked about our summer plans. I told her that we were going camping in a tent and she said, "Oh, ok. Cool."


Then I was complaining to her for about 15 minutes about how I hate nature and just camping in general. Apparently, she loves nature. That's how the disagreement started and so did the fight.






My dad starts blabbing again about our trip We are going to have a great time. Tonight we are roasting marshmallows over the campfire. Tomorrow, we are taking a hike in the forest. Hope you brought your running shoes, because your gonna be climbing a lot of rocks.", he tells me the schedule and has a smile on his face. More of an evil looking smile.






My brother tells me he is excited for the hike. He likes adventures so, I'm not surprised. Well, it's nightfall, and the 3 of them are out there roasting the marshmallows, and I'm sittin' in the tent. Bored, MAD that Melanie won't talk to me, and scared to go hiking. I hope I don't get lost or anything. Boy, would I HATE that!






Mom and Dad suggest we go to bed. "Alright", I say and head off. Lights out.










"AAHHHHHHHH!" I wake up in the middle of the night.


"Sweetie, what's wrong?", asks my mom.


"I had the most terrible nightmare.", I reply.


She says, "Ok, if you're alright, go back to bed."


I say Ok, and lie back down. Just to let you know, I imagined that I was alone in the forest on the ground, just laying there, and I saw something. Wait, wait, wait. That can't be true, can it? Well, tomorrow is our hiking day. Oh, the things we dream of...






Thursday, June 10, 2010

My School Memories

Today is June 10th, 2010. AKA the last day of school. So, I wrote a little story about the my adventure at Asa Clark.

As I entered the school, I really felt like a fool. Everyone, I mean everyone had friends to talk to, friends to tell summer stories to. But I? Nope. I just stood there waiting for the first school bell to ring. As it rung, I made my way up to my locker. Ugh. What was my locker combination? What do I do? Where do I go? What's happening? I realized that my life had a new beginning. I was starting ALL over.

As if I hadn't moved enough times already! Texas to New Jersey. New Jersey to Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania to Wisconsin. I had to start school again and again. Why? I complain to my parents and old friends back in Pennsylvania. I don't like starting school over again. It's BORING!!

Anyway, where were we? Oh yeah, Asa Clark Middle School. I put some stuff in my locker and went downstairs to first hour. GYM. Yeah. I thought it would be a relaxing class like Art. But, no. I was already miserable about not having friends and now, I was surrounded by people who probably thought I was an alien. Next, my name. Every class, teachers would struggle on my name. At least the first couple of days. People would snicker when the teacher would pronounce my name. Or, at least try.

Then, lunch. Yikes! I don't have friends and now I have to sit at a lunch table all alone with no one to talk to and probably have to sit at a table with some unknown people. Luckily I was SAVED. The office called me down. Well, all the new students anyway, and assigned each one of us like a lunch buddy for the first few days. Mine was Sarah Lorenz. She was really nice and introduced me to all her friends. I still sat there though for the first week. Fine, maybe 2 weeks.

Oh! Did I ever tell you i'm a vegetarian? Yeah, when I told all my "friends" they were like "really? Wow! That's really weird." What's so weird about it? Anyway, when I told some people that I was a vegetarian, sometimes they would ask if i'm a vegan. They clearly don't understand the meaning of vegetarian...

But, I had to start making friends soon. It was like NOW or NEVER. So, in gym I went up to some girls and asked them if I could run with them. The other ones walked away but one girl stayed and said sure. Her name was Hannah George. WOw! She was like a big ball of kindness. We talked and got to know each other. Then, I started to sit with Hannah and her friends at lunch. The next friend I made was Paityn Nelson. Just like that, I introduced myself and made lots and lots of friends. Well, I probably only made like 5, but I was getting there.

Oh man! School was going great! So far... Everyone was nice and teachers would always smile and say Hi or How are you doing? My first teacher friend would probably be... Ms. KBD. Yeah, she was really nice. Every now and then I always see her at Pick & Save or the Local Library.

Ok, so I also signed up for band. Now I play the flute. But, the next friend I made would probably be Maija Beaudoin. Maija is now known as my Flute Buddy. I would share my music and my stand with her. Maija was really really funny and sweet.

Anyway, I guess you could say school was going great! I had lots of friends, had good grades, and all of the teachers liked me. So, I was pretty happy. Then, as all of us got to know each other, we had some really great moments. But then came Great America Trip for Band and Choir. WOW!! That was so much fun! We went on awesome rides and had a blast!

Well, I guess that's about it. I love all my friends and all the great memories I have had. I can't wait for 8th grade next year and am so psyched for this summer!




Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Summer Countdown Poem

Summer's almost here,
Let's all jump up and cheer!

Urging to get out of school,
So I can go and jump into my pool!

It's getting really warm outside,
Nothing is sinking into my mind

2 months of no school,
Don't have to follow any schedule

I will throw away all my schoolwork,
And then we will all go berserk

I will say all my good-byes,
And with the summer heat, we might all die!

When the school bell rings,
We'll take our school books to fling

And once they hit the trash can,
We'll all go get a tan.

Then once we all get home,
We'll go outside and roam

At night we'll watch the sunset come,
And we'll all shout, School's Done!

Sunday, May 23, 2010

MYSO Audition!!

As many of you know, I have auditioned for Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra.
( I posted something on it earlier )
Anyway, I got the results and i'm in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah!!! I got the envelope in the mail and it says:

Dear Gayathri,

Congratulations! You have been accepted as a
member of MYSO Flute Chorale for the 2010-
11 season. We look forward to having you as a
member of MYSO during our exciting
upcoming season!!

When I read that, I literally jumped up and down.
It was so exciting.
Well, it starts in September. The rehearsal dates are Mondays from 6:15 - 7:30 PM.
Uggh.... Monday......
Anyway, you should come watch me perform.
Ok, well I can't wait!!
Bye!!

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Pictures of Hollis Woods-Book Review

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff is a wonderful book. Hollis, 12 years old is an orphan child who moves from foster family to foster family. She never has a real home. She's met no one who loved and cared for her very much. Until, she goes to the Regans, her summer family home. She feels different at this house. She's met Izzy, the Old Man, and Steven, the son. She draws pictures to help her remember her past. But, now she's at another foster family. Her foster mother, Josie loves Hollis, and nothing can separate them. As the days go by, Josie keeps on forgetting things. But, why did Hollis leave the summer family home that she loved so much? They loved her too. Izzy, Steven's mom tells Hollis one day that she's always wanted a daughter. Hollis could have stayed at the Regans. But why did she leave? Well, you'll have to read this book and find out. I definitely recommend it.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Acronyms ~ Seasons

Sun shining
Umbrellas away
Melodious music
Morning happiness
Everlasting fun
Running outside

Singing birds
Pretty flowers
Rabbits hopping
Ice melting
No snow
Getting warmer

Wet grass
Icy grounds
No sun
Temperature decreasing
Early darkness
Rough weather

Falling leaves
Always chilly
Lovely colors
Leaves changing

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

Blog Maintenance: MYSO Audition

Have you ever felt pressured or nervous or maybe even scared about auditioning for something? Well, that's exactly how I feel. I am auditioning for the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) on Saturday April 24th. I'll be playing the flute. For my audition, I will have to play some scales, play my own solo piece, and do some sight reading. If I qualify, then I can continue in a special program called Flute Chorale. If I do not qualify, then I can always try again next year. Anyway, this is a BIG big thing for me. Since, I take private flute lessons, my private lesson teacher recommended me for the MYSO. So, wish me luck!!

Friday, March 12, 2010

Creative Piece: Everyday Life

There he was lying on the road dead. He had died at 7:30 p.m. with Evan Banks lying next to him. He had died. He was just laying there with Evan, and in Evan's hands lay the script of "Everyday Life". Bye Aaron Johnson. Bye Evan Banks.

Aaron Johnson, a bachelor, 24 years old. Lived in an apartment, supposedly haunted, but he doesn't really mind. He had dark brown hair, and light blue eyes, and going to the hospital was one of his pet peeves. Just remember that, ok ?


Anyway, it was 7:30 p.m. nad it was the first day of the new TV show, "Everyday Life". Aaron was excited. So, the show started and it's just a regular morning and a man, 24 years old, a bachelor named Evan Banks was sitting in his living room watching TV. Hmmmm.............


"That's very awkward", gasped Aaron.



After half an hour, the show ended and Aaron was very scared.


"Wow", he said. "That man is just like me". "He has the same personality as me". "Whoa !"


About 3 years later, when Aaron was 27, he met this beautiful girl at work. Her name was Amanda Fitell. She had light brown hair and olive green eyes.

Well I guess that relationship worked ! Because about 1 and 1/2 years later, they got married.




So, the TV show went on., and the bachelor Evan Banks had also gotten married about 2 hours before Aaron had gotten married. Aaron had gotten married on April 6th 2004 at 4:15 p.m., and Evan had gotten married on the same day at exactly 2:15 p.m.


"Oh man", yelled Aaron.



"That's wrong, honey?", asked Amanda.


"It's the TV show, everything that's happening to that character, Evan Banks, is happening to me".


"Ok", said Amanda.


"It's true", gasped Aaron.



At 5:45 p.m., the phone rang in the TV show. The person on the phone told Evan Banks that he was fired.


"Harsh", exclaimed Amanda.



Then two minutes later, the phone rang in Aaron's apartment.


"Oh my gosh", yelled Amanda, "it is true".


So, Aaron picked up the phone, talked to the person on the phone, put down the phone and was in a major shock.


"Aaron, is everything okay?", who was that on the phone?", asked Amanda.



"My boss", said Aaron.



"What did he say", asked Amanda.


"He told me that I'm fired", said Aaron, in complete shock.


This terrified both Aaron and Amanda deeply.


Amanda spoke, "But if this is supposedly telling you what's going to happen to you, isn't that good. I mean your are prepared for whatever's going to happen, right?"


"Yeah, it might be good, but it's creepy and I'm really scared", said Aaron.


About a week later, this TV show was on again and Evan Banks' wife had been pregnant and was rushed to the hospital for immediate care. Of course, this happened over a period of days, but they showed it in one episode.


Both Aaron and Amanda were watching this, and started panicking.


"Oh my gosh, is this really going to happen to me?", screamed Amanda.


Aaron said, "I think ........".


Before you know it, over the next 2 weeks, Amanda was at the hospital.


The TV show had been postponed to 8 months later. So, the show stopped. But, before it had stopped, they showed Evan's new baby girl.


At the HOSPITAL ..........


It was May 28th, 2005, at the hospital, and a baby girl had been born. Her name was Allison.


It was now 8 months later, and the showhad come back on. Evan Banks, now has a wife and a daughter. His daughter's name was Allison. Go figure !


It was a week later, and the show was on again. This time, Evan and his family were driving to a place to eat. It's normal - right ? Well, think again. They were driving back from the restaurant and they crashed into a tree. No one was killed, but Allison, who was just 4 months old, broke her arm, and had to undergo surgery.


Well, about 2 weeks later, the exact same thing happened to Aaron and his family.


Remember how I said that one of Aaron's pet peeves was going to the hospital ?


30 minutes after the accident, they had been been at the hospital again. Allison had gotten surgery.



"She's fine", said the doctor.


"Are you sure ?", asked Amanda.


"Yes", replied the doctor, "she is".


After they got home, Amanda asked Aaron a question.


"Aaron, let's recap".


"Ok", replied Aaron.



"So, there's this new TV show, called "Everyday Life". And, everything that happens to the man, happens to you. For example, he has the same personality as you, same age, same characteristics, and he gets married, and you get married, then he gets a kid, a daughter, and you get a daughter. But, worst of all, he's in a car crash, and his daughter is hurt and gets surgery, and the same exact things happen to you".


"This is crazy !", yelled Amanda."You have to do something about this.


Well that ended that, there was nothing that they could do.


It was summer of 2006, and "Everyday Life" had still been going on. Nothing much happened. It was just normal things that kept happening to them until ........ September 13th, 2006. It was so sudden. It was horrible, the worst thing of all.



Amanda had cancer. But, wait, it didn't happen to Evan's wife. Well apparently, Aaron had missed that episode. So, no warning this time ! Allison, the poor girl started to cry. She wouldn't stop. Aaron was in shock. They went to the doctor and he said that there was no cure. No cure at all.


It was October 11th.



Amanda couldn't bare the pain. She was finally admitted to the hospital. They tried everything. Aaron and Allison were sitting outside. The doctor came outside. He walked upto Aaron and said, "I'm sorry".


"What ?", screamed Aaron.


"She's gone, I'm deeply sorry", replied the doctor.


Aaron collapsed.


Allison wailed and cried.



"Mommy", she screamed.


It was October 17th, and the same day as Amanda's funeral.


"Everyday Life" continued, Evan was now only living with his daughter and so was Aaron.


It was now January 31st and Aaron and his daughter were watching "Everyday Life". The phone rang on TV, and the phone rang in Aaron's house. He didn't pick it up. It was nothing new, it was actually getting very old. But, Aaron still did care.


One day, he got so frustrated, that he took his daughter and went down to the studio, where they filmed the show. He walked to the director, the producer and the main actor, Evan Banks.


"Hi", said the director.


"Hi ?, you are saying hi to me , after you ruined my life ?"


"Huh", said the producer.


"Huh, what do mean, huh ?"



"Because of you, I'm fired from my job, my daughter had surgery, and my wife died. Is this some kind of joke ?"


15 minutes later .............





They were still arguing. Finally, it ended.


"Ok", said the director. "But, we are not stopping the show".


"Ok, but something bad better not happen to me again", replied Aaron.


"Fine", agreed the director. "But, you should know one thing".



"What ?", asked Aaron.


"Well, your daughter is going to die soon", said the director.


"Huh", yelled Aaron.



"Yeah, it's true", replied the director. "You guys will be driving through the highway at midnight, and, just watch the show and you will know what happens next".


"What !, you want me to watch your show to figure out how my daughter gets killed ? No way", yelled Aaron.

"Well, she's going to die somehow, one way or the other", said the director.


Well, that was that and Aaron and his daughter walked out of the studio. He went back home, and it was 7:30 p.m. He turned on the TV to "Everyday Life". It showed Evan driving with his daughter to the store, and there was a drunk driver behind them. He had been drinking so much that he hit Evan's car and his daughter was thrown out of the car. She hit a tree and was killed instantly.


Evan screamed and cried.


Aaron saw this and yelled. He refused to go to the store, just to keep his daughter alive. Well, he thought to himself, what the director had said, "she will die one way or the other, and I will not let that happen".



Well, it did happen.


He took Allison to the doctor for a monthly check-up and while he was driving, it happened. Allison was now dead too.


Aaron screamed and cried, "no, you were the only family, I had."


He went home, furious and extremely depressed.


It was a Wednesday evening and the TV was turned on to "Everyday Life".


Evan wasn't there. There was another guy. Where was Evan ? What had happened to him ? Is he dead ? All these questions ran through Aaron's mind at once.


They announced something on the show. "Excuse me", said the announcer, "the person who played Evan Banks in our show, has umm... retired from the show business".


"What ? retired, no way. He can't be dead, can he ? No", shouted Aaron.


Anyways, he watched the show and the 'other Evan Banks' told viewers watching their show that we will lose two people tonight. Two people, who are very alike.This frightened Aaron. He thought that he was going to die along with Evan Banks. Apparently, the show ended. The screen turned black !!!!

Aaron was panicking.


He wanted to go to the hospital or meet the doctor or something, due to the news he had heard about him dying. Despite his pet peeves of going to the hospital, he did. While on the highway, he saw someone lying on the road, dead, with lot of blood flowing from his forehead.


"It's EVAN !", yelled Aaron.


Aaron immediately stopped the car and got out of the car. Was he going to die too ? Would he be laying there next to Evan ? Well, the answer is yes. While Aaron was sitting there next to Evan, having a flashback about everything that had happened, tears were flowing from his eyes...... He then realised that there was a script in Evan's hands. A script from "Everyday Life". The script was opened to the last page, where the last words were, "and he dies on the road after being hit by a drunk driver". Four seconds passed, there was a flash of bright light, and in a matter of moments, Aaron was laying on the road right next to Evan. Aaron was dead too. His last words were "Allison......."


There he was lying on the road dead. He had died at 7.30 p.m. with Evan Banks lying next to him. He had died. He was just laying there with Evan, and in Evan's hands lay the script of "Everyday Life" opened to that very page. Bye Aaron Johnson. Bye Evan Banks.