I didn´t really want to read any of the other books and so I chose this one, it´s called The Bruiser. It is actually better than I thought it would be. It is about this guy who, go figure, who´s nickname is the Bruiser, but his real name is Brewster. He starts to date this one girl named Bronte, who has a twin brother named Tennyson. He is really protective of her and he has heard some not so good things about Brewster, and so at first he is not happy that they are dating and he tries his best to get him to leave and not talk to her again, but that doesn´t work out so he does what any normal brother would do, follows him home from school and stalks him. Eventually Brewster tells them about how when he starts to care about people, he ¨steals their pain¨. For example, when Bronte accidentally cut herself with a knife, within a day that cut was gone and it was on him at the same spot, same size, everything. Another time his brother Cody broke his arm, Cody didn´t feel a thing instead Brewster´s arm was all broken and he was in a lot of pain. He can´t control it, but it just naturally happens whenever he really cares about someone.
What I like about the book so far it that it switches perspectives of the characters so that you hear everyone´s side. Also I just have no idea how Brewster does what he does and it really just doesn´t make any sense and it is so confusing and I wonder if that is a real disease but I feel like it´s highly unlikely that it isn´t. So far I like it and hopefully it still is good as I keep reading it because otherwise that would be kind of disappointing.
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This Spring Break for me was by far the most interesting one yet. I went on a plane for the first time, a cruise ship for the first, saw a beach for the first time, and had many other firsts. I went on a cruise with my friend and enemy Carey, and her parents. I wish her sisters could have come because I definitely like them a lot more than her but I mean, gotta do the best with what you have am I right. So anyways, we left Friday after school for the Chicago Airport because we had an 11:30 flight that later that night. Carey and I were sooooo excited and once we got on the plane I kinda started having a panic attack a little bit and I got really nervous because the wings were shaking before we were about to take off and I just thought we were gonna crash and die and then I would never be able to watch The Office again and I just could not stand that thought. I guess it would also be a shame not to see my friends and family again too.
When we finally got to Puerto Rico which was where the ship docked, Carey and I explored the ship and man it was awesome. I was just so amazed at how this whole ship did not sink like I just don´t even know. Also, have you ever wondered how huge things like that get built? I mean did someone one day just decide, hey I wanna build a cruise ship, and then just started building one?? Because that was a question of mine as well. Anyways, the ship was so awesome and when Carey told me that it was even considered a smaller ship (first world problems) my mind was officially blown. The dinners were so good and fancy and I had to dress up which is not my favorite thing to do I will just say, but it was ok because I did not want to look like a hobo and dress the way I usually do, because if I did that my parents would find some way to get on the ship and kill me. I would have to say that my favorite part of the ship was this helicopter pad that they had on the very front of the ship outside. It was the best view ever and it was so cool when we were at stops and got to see all the lights at night in the cities, and when we were in the middle of the ocean and all you could see was the ocean. I even went to the very front of the ship and just got to look down and see the ocean right in front of me and I wondered, it would be pretty interesting to see what it would feel like to jump from here. I actually did jump off the roof of a boat and did a cannonball and it was pretty great, I definitely would recommend it. I am not gonna describe every second of every day because I know that whoever is reading this wouldn´t care at all, plus what happens out of the country, stays out of the country in my opinion. So, to sum this up I had a great time and I got the opportunity to do some amazing things during this Spring Break and I am so thankful for that 1.) Some similarities between the Boy in the Striped Pajamas and in Night are that they both mentioned crematoriums more than once and included the gas that came out of them while burning the prisoners. Also the prisoners in both stories were hardly fed, and would take any food that they could get. Both concentration camps also had harsh working conditions and the prisoners were not treated like humans, more like animals or property. Some differences were that in Boy in the Striped Pajamas the main character was a German whose father was a German soldier, while in Night the main character was a Jewish prisoner who had to survive in the concentration camps. The characters were also different in age. Lastly, 2.) Elsa, Bruno´s mom, at the beginning of the movie was very proud of Ralf, her husband, for getting promoted as a soldier and for what he was doing. Throughout the story she began to have different thoughts. She realized that the things that Ralf was doing that he thought was right and good for their country, were actually very wrong and inhumane and that no one should be treated the way that Ralf and the other soldiers were treating the prisoners. She first started having sympathy for Pable, the Jewish servant in their home. She did not want her kids to know about the concentration camps or why Pable was there. She cried a lot, especially when a prisoner was beaten or killed. She was a good mom and eventually stood up to her husband and said that she and the kids were moving away because the place they were currently living was not a good place for children to grow up. 3.) Before this unit, I didn´t really know much about the Halocaust, except that many people were killed and that Hitler was the ruler of it all. Now I fully understand how terrible and brutal this event was. It killed millions and millions of innocent people. And I also realized that the Germans were not doing this to be bad people or whatever, they were doing it because they thought that it was for the greater good and that it would help make the world a better place if the Jews were eliminated. I´m not saying that makes what they did right, but they had their reasons and that does not mean that every German was or is like that. 4.) I liked the movie better because for one thing I just think that movies are more interesting than books. Also I liked the story of a German and a Jewish boy that were able to become friends despite the circumstances. I think that it had a better message and meaning than Night. Night was a really good book I just think that the movie also helped you really picture was it was like in concentration camps and what life was like in those times 5.) One question I have that is just about the Holocaust in general is what happened to the Jewish prisoners if they escaped the camps somehow, and what did they do if they didn´t get sent to the camps (by something such as hiding or something like that), where would they go? Words of the Wiser Pg 78 This was when Eliezerś foot started to swell and it got to point where he had to go to the infirmary to get it checked out. The doctor said that if they didn´t operate on it soon, the toes and maybe even his leg would have to be amputated. He began to think that being in the infirmary wasn´t too bad, having people take care of you, no working. That is when a very sick man in the bed beside him told him to not rejoice too soon. That even in the infirmary there was selection and that before the next selection he should leave the infirmary because Germany had no need for sick Jews. ¨What is the life lesson and how might it affect the character?¨ This manś life lesson to Eliezer was saying that he needed to get out of the infirmary before the next selection or it could cost him his life, and that instead of being happy he didn´t have to work at that time, he should focus on getting healed to prove to the Germans that he could still work and shouldn´t be sent to the crematoriums. It affected him in the way Again and again p 99 This was when Elie was trying desperately to wake up his father so that they wouldn´t throw him off the train because they thought he was dead. He kept yelling ¨Father!" to try and wake him up and finally, after hitting him really hard, multiple times he woke up. Why might the author bring this up again and again? I think he repeated Ëlie saying ¨Father¨ so many times to emphasize how desperate he was for him to stay alive, and how much he needed and wanted him to stay alive. And that by yelling his name repeatedly that could possibly get him to wake up, because he clearly wanted his dad to stay alive and not get thrown off the train. Memory moment p 102 This was when Eliezer´s dadś friend from their old neighborhood before the Germans took over, Meir Katz, was in their wagon heading to the concentration camp. One night, a stranger came to Elie and began to strangle him. As his father cried for help Meir Katz came over and saved Elie. He was stronger than most of the prisoners and yet, he was saying to Elieś dad that he could no longer go on, that all of his strength was gone, and that he was too weak. Elieś father was encouraging him, saying that he couldn´t give in, but it was too late for Meir Katz. Elie was remembering all of this as they were first getting to Buchenwald, remembering how even the strongest of them could fall apart. Why might this memory be important? I think this is an important memory because even the strongest people in the Halocaust were capable of breaking down and just giving up. That is how bad the Halocaust was, it affected everyone and it hurt everyone, and this memory goes to show that even the toughest of people could lose faith in such a terrible event. If I were President of the United States I would make it my priority that everyone is treated equally no matter what race gender they are or what personality traits and opinions they have. I think everyone has the right to get the same opportunities because no one group of people is better than anyone else. I would try and make sure that students feel safe in their schools and communities and that even adults feel safe in their jobs as well. Everyone deserves the right to do the things that they enjoy and their race, gender, or anything like that should not be preventing them from being able to do those things.
This next one might sound a little weird but I would also try and bring some of the fun back in sports and other teams and clubs like that. I know that is something that doesn´t really take a president to change but I think that if someone who was very well known was talking about it, it would possibly spread the word farther and faster. Here is what I mean by bringing the fun back into these activities. Don´t get me wrong, I love playing sports, but sometimes I know that I forget that we are there to have fun. Of course we are trying to get better and want to win at whatever it is we are doing, but winning is not everything and I think that everyone should remember that. Also I think sports teams and activities this might just be me, but I know that I have met and gotten to know some of my best friends because we have been on the same teams, and that is really a great thing too. I think that part of the fun in sports is the competitiveness, but it is not the end of the world if you don win every game The last thing I would do Over winter break I did some really fun things like spend time with my family, friends, and I also went to Chicago. We got to see my dad's side of the family and my mom's side. My dad's side has some interesting people in it for lack of better words. One of my cousins told me that I am too immature to be going into high school next year as he sat there in matching elf pajamas with his sister, which really wasn't helping his case at all. And when I told him that, he didn't take it very well which was really bogus I thought. I also have some cousins on my dad's side that I love to spend time with no matter what it is we are doing. On the day before Christmas Eve we went to the Downtown rec center and played basketball for about 2 hours I think. It was really fun, especially when we played this one game and my cousin took a half court shot and airballed it so bad it hit some stranger in the face. My uncle (his dad) is never gonna let him forget that and neither will I.
My family also went to Chicago over Winter break. It was pretty awesome because I had never been to Chicago before. I really love the city and I think I want to live in a big city some day. We went to a Chicago Bulls game on New Years Eve and if your aren't familiar that is an NBA team. We had super good seats and they were really close to the court. I even have a new favorite player now, his name is Robin Lopez but I just call him Bigfoot. He is this 7 foot tall guy with crazy hair. Every time he missed a shot he shook his head and when he actually made a three he did three goggles and I just thought it was so funny. There were these really snobby people in front of us though who wouldn't shut up the whole entire game and one minute they would be rooting for the Bulls and the next they would be cheering on the other team. They really needed to get their priorities straight. All in all my winter break was pretty despite the time when my parents made me clean my room for two hours and like 3 days later it was a total mess again. This article stated that being able to talk to strangers, find their way around, manage their assignments, contribute to the running of the household, handle interpersonal problems, earn and manage money, and take risks are all life skills an 18-year old must have. These are all things that we are going to have to encounter at some point in our lives so I agree that these are valuable life skills at least an adult should have, an 18 year old could be debatable.
As far as where I am at with these 8 life skills, I am pretty comfotable talking to strangers. Sometimes it can be a little weird, but chances are you won't see them very often if ever again, so it's ok. I am so so at finding my way around, it depends where it is at. I get lost pretty easily in places that I am not really familiar with and then I kinda start to freak out. But if it is a place that I do know finding my way around isn't too hard. I am pretty good at managing my assignments, sometimes I turn stuff in late or just totally forget to do it but it doesn't happen a lot so that's good. Contributing to the running the household is definitely one of my weaker areas. I empty the dishwasher and load it maybe once a week and I totally hate to clean my room, usually you can't even see the carpet because clothes are literally everywhere, I just funtion in the messiness but my parents do not accept me for that. This is definitely something I need to improve on. I am ok at hadling interpersonal problems but I could be better. Earning and managing money is something else I could use a little work on. It is just that everytime I get money I just want to spend it and when it is just sitting there it is like the little George Washington is just mocking me. Taking risks are something that I am all for to do most of the time. The thrill you get when you are doing something new, or something that you know you aren't supposed to do is a pretty great feeling although it can be washed away by the yelling you might get from your parents afterwards. This has made me realized that there are some things that I need to improve on and some things that I am pretty good with I don't really play any video games but if I could live inside any video game I would probably have to choose Goat Simulator because it is just the best game ever. It is so awesome because I could just walk around as a goat and just ram into people, jump off buildings, and so much more. I just can't even explain all the amazing things that this game is capable of. It would just be a life full of no worries and happiness. It also is a plus because there are multiple different locations that you can go to in Goat Simulator. There is Goat Simulator (classic version), GoatZ (the zombie version), Goat MMO Simulator (from the olden days), and Goat Simulator in Space. These are all great versions and I would have to say that the Space one is my favorite, it is the newest one. But anyways, I would highly reccomend getting this game and you will see why I would love to live in it so much and why it would just be the greatest life ever.
I am thankful for a bunch of things. Way too many things to list on just this one blog. Anyways, I am obviously thankful for my friends, family, the opportunities I have/had, all that stuff. Of course I am super thankful for those, lots of people are. But I want to point out some things that I am thankful for that are sometimes overlooked. Such as something as simple as life itself. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty thankful for that. Without life, we wouldn't have all these things to be thankful for. Life is a gift and I think that we sometimes take it for granted. Why your spend time being sad, mad, and mean when instead you could be enjoying yourself and being with the people that make make you happy, and doing things that make you happy. I'm thankful for that.
Another thing that I am thankful for is hair ties. I mean, I could not imagine my life without hair ties. I would just be in misery all the time, which is the exact opposite of what I just said I was thankful for. I can barely even make it through just one day with my hair down, let alone every day!!!!!!! Hair ties and many other objects and ideas like that are another example of things that are overlooked. The things we use on an everyday basis that actually help us quite a lot, but we are too busy to even realize it. Those are only two of the many things that I'm thankful for. |
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