Reflection

Short-Term Goal:  Get my drivers license

Mid-Term Goal:  Buy a car

Long-Term Goal:  Transfer to Cal State Long Beach

November 1, 2013

Dear Samantha,

     Hello my dear friend, so a year has passed and I feel like there’s just so much we need to catch up on. Since I last saw you I have accomplished so much, but there’s still so many more tasks that lie in my future. I finally got my driver’s license about 10 months ago, and on the first try, can you believe that? I’ve been slowly saving up little by little towards purchasing my first car from my paychecks by putting two hundred dollars aside every two weeks into my buy a car foundation. That's a joke by the way. With all the money that I set aside and a little help from my parents I was finally able to get my first car. The car that I decided on was the 2013 Altima Coupe in Crimson Black. I also added a few little details to it to make it match my personality a little more. I had custom wine colored leather seats put in with a light pink detailing around the rim of the seats. I know you would completely understand as to why I went with the pink. I am very proud of myself for being able to even save up the money needed for the down payment, because you know better than anyone how hard it is for me to save up money. I had to turn down new clothes, shoes, and going out to eat for almost 6 months to get close to being able to afford it. It was definitely a proud moment for me when I was able to say I had saved enough for my first car. One other thing that I've been working really hard towards is getting all the education that is needed for me to transfer to Cal State Long Beach. I've put so many hours of homework and studying into this goal and everyday I’m getting closer and closer to accomplishing it. I am currently taking 5 classes which is a whole work load. The toughest class that I'm currently enrolled in at the moment is in Anatomy 231F with Professor Jacob Sapiro. Do you remember when we went to go interview him together about a year ago for our content area project in Read 096? Well everything that he told us about how difficult his class was is all true! I have to put in a minimum of 25 hours a week of studying just to make it by! The class requires a deep profound understanding of all the functions and processes of the human body, and every little detail is important. There's so many vocabulary words that I need to know and sometimes it all just gets extremely overwhelming, but I know I have to stick with it because it's one of the main classes that I'll need in order to become a nurse in the future. I really miss having you in all my classes. Now when we have to work in partners I think of all the good times we had goofing around with each other when we should have been "working" on the assignment. You made me look forward to going to class every day because I knew you'd be there saving me a seat with your exuberant smile. Overall, this whole journey has been tedious and difficult. I've had my ups and my downs and sometimes I have to remind myself that if I want to fulfill my dreams of becoming a nurse, then my education is imperative and I just have to give it my all. I really hope to hear how you’re doing and I feel a strong sense of zeal towards seeing you again and telling you everything in person. I miss you and I wish you the best in life.

P.S. I’m finally dating Mr. Cole!

Sincerely,

Your Best Friend <3

TO DO LIST

MUST DO:
1)Complete out of class essay and make appointment at the Writing Center
2)Complete Blog Entry #4 before Friday
3)Read "China Doll" in English course packet and Ch.7 in Practical Guide

SHOULD DO:
1)CLEAN ROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2)Study for grammar test on Pronoun Case for Wednsday
3)Go watch PITCH PERFECT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

COULD DO:
1)Go buy a dress for cousins 15th
2)Take my baby sister to buy her a costume for her first Halloween :)<3
3)Catch up on the Walking Dead episodes

Reflection

This past week I made plans to start organizing my prewriting form for the English in-class essay that I had to take on Wednesday, and also to finish up my content area project’s final revisions. I was able to follow these plans very well because I set aside all unimportant tasks and divided my complete attention on the tasks at hand. The reading strategies that I found to be extremely helpful were annotating, summarizing, and turning headings into summaries. The reading strategy that I was most successful in was annotating because it allowed me to find important parts in the two articles that I believed would be of use as supporting examples for both my essay and report.

This upcoming week will be a busy week as well. This week what I have coming up is my test on “The Things They Carried” and my out of class essay on “This I Believe, Part II”. Some adjustments that I need to make for this week are to take these works more seriously and not procrastinate until the very last minute before its due date. I need to start working early so that I can have enough time to work on each item separately for an equal amount of time without feeling overwhelmed by it all because I waited until the last minute. This week I will again have to use annotating as a main skill in order to fully grasp in detail what I have to read and focus on what parts of the story I feel might be on the test “The Things They Carried” and which points in “This I Believe, Part II” will make good supporting points to my main conclusion and thesis. I will strive to keep myself motivated and focused on the task at hand.  

Vocabulary

Grotesque

This image shows a man with odd phsyical characteristics that to some may seem bizarre.

Original Sentence:                                  

Among the more grotesque exhibits in the circus was the man with four eyes.                                                                           

Aesthetic

This image portrays the aesthetic beauty of the Greek goddess Aphrodite. 

Original Sentence:

The artists painting of the Mediterranean sea captured all the aesthetic qualities that the majestic body of water portrayed. 

Pacifist

This image demonstrates the preferance of peace over war. 

Original Sentence:

The reason why Daniel is opposed to war and violence is because he is a pacifist, and so he claims he would never sign up for the war. 

To Do List

MUST DO

1) Study for In-Class essay
2) Read This I Believe
3) Start working on finishing my personal responses for the Content Area Project

SHOULD DO

1) Finish my personal responses for the Content Area Project
2) Start wrapping up The Things They Carried book
3) Start wrapping up This I Believe for essay next week

COULD DO

1) Clean my room
2) Work on Blog Post #3
3) Catch up on the Walking Dead

REFLECTION #2

There is one specific story that has personally impacted my life, the story of my father’s childhood. My father had a tough childhood. He grew up in a family with eight brothers and sisters and in a poor economic situation. He was the second eldest and so he had to assume the responsibility of becoming a provider at a very young age in life. At the age of fifteen my dad was forced to drop out of high school and get a job. He was really disappointed because he loved school and always managed to get good grades. My father definitely had a bright future set out for himself.  But with the reality of their situation he soon found a low paying job working on the fields cutting and planting watermelons. He was out in the hot heat all day and would get home exhausted with an aching back. It was truly gruesome work. But the reason why this story inspired me so much is that even though my dad had to sacrifice his goals in life for his family he never gave up. Once his brothers and sisters were old enough to provide for themselves he moved to California with my mom where he got a good paying job and went back to school to finish what he had started. He was able to provide a life filled with many opportunities for my brother and me, a life that he never had. Because of this I remind myself every day that I must never give up and can accomplish anything I set my mind on. I am proud to call such an inspiring man my father.

WEEKLY CALENDAR

Vocabulary

Decapitate

Source Sentence:
After slaughter, the hogs were decapitated, split down the length of the belly, pried open, eviscerated, and strung up by the hind hocks on a high conveyer belt.

Context Clue Explanation:
I used the word slaughter as an example of the meaning of decapitate.

Original Sentence:
Kind Henry VIII accused his second wife Anne Boleyn of  high treason and as punishment she was decapitated.


Acquiescence

Source Sentence:
I'd be screaming at them, telling them how much I detested their blind, thoughtless, automatic acquiescence to  it all, their simpleminded patriotism, their prideful ignorance, their love-it-or-leave-it platitudes, how they were sending me off to fight a war they didn't understand and didn't want to understand.

Context Clue Explanation:
I used the word automatic as a synonym of the meaning of acquiescence.

Original Sentence:
As an intern at Vogue, Sally always had to be acquiescence to all of the requests that were mandated from her supervisors.

Reticence

Source Sentence:
To an extent, I suppose, his reticence was typical of that part of Minnesota, where privacy still held value.

Context Clue Explanation:
I used the word privacy as a synonym for the meaning of the word reticence.

Original Sentence:
Growing up as an only child, Billy developed a very reticence personality.

TO DO LIST

MUST DO

1) Read Practical Writing Guide pg. 32-35 and Chapter 4
2) Write my Rough Draft for writing assaignment
3) Study for Quiz on Sharrons presentation

SHOULD DO

1) Read pg. 65-88 in The Things They Carried
2) Start on the Guided Reading Questions for Chapter 7 and Chapter 8
3) Work on thesis

COULD DO

1) Clean my room
2) Give both dogs a  shower
3) Take dogs out for a walk

The Things I Carry

The things I carry in my life backpack are of the ordinary, school materials, my phone, and of course the love of my amazing family and friends. These are what make up the main contents of my life backpack. The reason I carry these things is mainly due to necessity. My school materials are always of need considering I have school almost every day. It just makes my life so much easier if I have all my materials on me at all times. My phone on the other hand is a need of survival. If I don’t have access to my phone it’s as if I have been disconnected completely from society. And the love of my family is what keeps me going every day and reminds me of what I want to be in life. Friendship as well is another thing that I am lucky enough to carry. I actually have two specific objects that I carry that symbolize the importance of friendship to me. I carry a bracelet that I got at a fair with one of my best friends. I see that bracelet almost as a good luck charm and like to have it on me on important dates and events because I feel as though it will allow me to perform better at whatever it is that I am doing. Another object that I carry that symbolizes friendship to me is half of a two dollar bill that was given to me from my other close friend. The other half was kept by her,  and so I see it as a charm of our everlasting friendship. And those are the things I carry.

Vocabulary

Ambiguities

Source Sentence-
They carried it on their backs and shoulders- and for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the mysteries and unknowns, they were atleast the single abiding certaintythat they would never be at a loss for things to carry.

Context Clue Explanation-
I used the words mysteries and unknowns as an example of ambiguities.

Original Sentence-
For all the amibiguities that lay ahead for Stacy and Luke on their trip to Europe, they had three overpacked suit cases filled with objects that might be of necessity.

Poise

Source Sentence-
For the most part they carried themselves with poise, a kind of dignity.

Context Clue Explanation-
I used my own logic to define poise with the word dignity.

Original Sentence-
The model strut down the runway with such poise.

Taut

Source Sentence-
It was an action shot-womens volleyball- and Martha was bent horizontal to the floor, reaching, the palms of her hands in sharp focus, the tongue taut, the expression frank and competitive.

Context Clue Explanation-
I used the words sharp, focus, and expression frank as examples of taut.

Original Sentence-
When some people ride roller coasters their expressions get taut.