Blog Comments 12-15-16

Griff: https://griffsenglishblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/cookie-currency.html?showComment=1481850445303#c3158572650590665000

Alex: https://harambememelover.blogspot.com/2016/12/goals.html?showComment=1481850700747#c6325410764914572820

Prompt Take 2

What would life be like as your pet? 

Life as my dog would be great. I could wake up as late as I wanted every morning. There I would have a big bowl of my special food waiting for me to chow down.  Then while the humans are doing whatever they do my day gets very complicated. I get to nap in a cozy chair as long as I wanted all day long. Then the human would come home for the night and the process starts all over again.

I have heard that most humans think being a dog is easy but it certainly is not. I have to spend all day protecting my house from those evil mailmen and squirrels. It is also kind of lonely as I have no other friends to play with. Then there is the matter of waiting for the humans to come home and let me outside to use the bathroom. Being a dog is hard but overall it is pretty good.

Writing Center

The writing center was a big help to me. I  went their on Friday during tutorial and was happy I did. The writing fellow helped me with many things. We worked on not giving too much information in the thesis statement and making the word choice clearer. We also worked on formatting and quotations which I knew little about.

There are still things I need to improve on in my paper though. I need to work on transitioning my paragraphs together better. I also need to improve on embedding some of the quotes. Overall the writing center was a massive help and gave me an idea on where I need to still improve my paper. I certainly plan to go their next paper.

Prompt

Who is one person or a group of people that have inspired you to be who you have been today?

There have been many people that have inspired me to be who I am today. Probably the most influential have been all of my coaches. Just about all of them have inspired me in some way. I have been through many teams throughout my life and coaches have made me into who I am today.

I have been very fortunate during my life. Every coach I've had has always demanded my best every single day. They would push me mentally as well as physically. As a basketball player we would spend hours in the gym working on my shot. My coaches have made me become who I am today by turning me into who I am today by making me a better person as well as a harder worker.

Blog Comments 12-8-16

James: https://jamescblogpost.blogspot.com/2016/12/literary-analysis-process.html?showComment=1481259171115#c4852879516190159928

Griff: https://griffsenglishblog.blogspot.com/2016/12/free-post-it-will-be-different.html?showComment=1481259315518#c6849723250054282256

Free Post- Christmas

Christmas is definitely my favorite time of year. Everyone is always happy and smiling. Even exams don't stress me out because I know Christmas is almost here. It is also great to give presents and make people feel good. I also love the cold and snow that happens during christmas time, except in Louisiana.

Finally to my two favorite parts food and football. The college football bowl games are on during the whole season. I usually spend most of my time relaxing and watching football. Then finally the best part, food. There is always plenty of candy at my house so I am always full.

Literary Analysis process

Currently I am still trying to turn my outline into a rough draft. The hardest part has been to make the draft not too repetitive. The looking closely and how it supports my thesis sections often end up sounding similar. I will  need to put more work into making both of those clearer. I also have to find the perfect order of my sequence so it makes sense to the essay reader.

Dr.D really helped me on this paper. She  made sure I had all the required parts and gave me some helpful comments to clarify things. I really ended up struggling for the length of my paper as I probably did not have enough details. I'll just say I got I had to do some stretching to get three pages. Hopefully my paper is not too bad.

Blog Comments 12-1-16

James:
https://jamescblogpost.blogspot.com/2016/11/symbolism.html?showComment=1480601683906#c8776674864427373877

Griff: https://griffsenglishblog.blogspot.com/2016/11/how-to-make-christmas-breakfast.html?showComment=1480602169463#c462018798741772084

Symbolism

Almost every summer I go to my grandparents house in Palmyra,  New Jersey.  It is an urban city like most places are in New Jersey. It is also very small and the type of place where everyone knows everyone. When ever my family comes up some of cousins, uncles, and aunts  drive in to see us.

We always do so much together. We play basketball, watch football, and just relax. My relatives make sure that we get the full Jersey experience so we are out doing a lot of things only in New Jersey. One day there is a meal where everyone comes in to see each other and enjoy being with their relatives. Every year my family has so much fun as we don't  worry about the world but just enjoy spending time with each other.

Symbolism:

Dinner; Togetherness 

family, Fun

Palmyra, Freedom and relaxation

How to make a PB and J sandwich

This blog is about making the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich possible. There are multiple steps in making the sandwich.  First you are going to want to get out a plate and a knife for spreading. Then take out white bread and lightly toast it. Now spread some creamy not crunchy peanut butter and then grape jelly on the bread. Make sure to get a lot of peanut butter and a little jelly for the best taste. Finally put the two pieces of bread together and you have just made the best peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The last step is to dig in and enjoy your masterpiece!  

Blog Comments 11-17-16

James: https://jamescblogpost.blogspot.com/2016/11/free-post-thanksgiving.html?showComment=1479394950911#c1001039429836687826

Sydney: https://sydneysenglishonework.blogspot.com/2016/11/lotf-scene.html?showComment=1479395033714#c7646237378584055813

Thanksgiving

For me, Thanksgiving has always been a classic. Always slightly chilly weather which means sweatshirts worn. Boxing food to the homeless in the morning. Watching every football game on TV. Then there is the main event that night. Eating turkey, stuffing (yes I said stuffing), mashed potatoes and finally pie until I can't eat anymore.

Except this year it all changes. I will spend Thanksgiving driving the first part of a long drive to Austin, Texas. There I am going to watch the UT football game and play some golf. Also I might get to try some new Thanksgiving food, or whatever they eat in weird Austin, Texas. I am exited because theatric will be great but also a little sad. This means that the classic relaxing Thanksgiving day is a no-go this year.

LOTF Importance

One of the most important scenes in the book is on page 89. It takes place while their is an assembly going on discussing the beast. It starts when Simon says " maybe, maybe there is a beast." He also says " What I mean is maybe it is only us." His comments on the subject end up offending everyone in attendee but they are very important to the book.

This scene is important because it shows people's thoughts about the beast and what Simon said. Ralph and Piggy are very offended by his statement's. They did not believe in the beast and took a logical approach and they assumed Simon would do the same. Jack shows that he does not care about the beast and only wants to have fun. This is probably the biggest foreshadowing moment in the book. The beast does turn out to be them which ends up taking multiple lives like Simon's. 

Comments 11-9-16

James: https: //jamescblogpost.blogspot.com/2016/11/lotf-passage-respone.html?showComment=1478715299685#c6067520259587679348

Sydney: https://sydneysenglishonework.blogspot.com/2016/11/lotf-response.html?showComment=1478715406238#c1873165822613645188

LOTF Response

The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.  Once there was this and that; and now--and the ship had gone. [... Jack refusing to give Piggy the floor when he has the conch...]
"The rules!" shouted Ralph.  "You're breaking the rules!"
"Who cares?"
Ralph summoned his wits.
"Because the rules are the only thing we've got!"
But Jack was shouting against him.
"Bollocks to the rules!  We're strong--we hunt!  If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down!  We'll close in and beat and beat and beat--!" (91)

The quotes right here show both Ralph and Jack's perspectives of the island right now. Ralph is big on imposing the rules for numerous reasons. He realizes they need to have order to maintain stability and hopefully be rescued because of the fire. He also realizes that they are starting to lose humanity and need rules to prevent chaos. Finally Ralph realizes Jack has become an animal and without rules Jack  would most likely kill him as well as Piggy.

Jack's perspective is almost the opposite of Ralph's. Jack for starters, has almost no intention of being rescued. He does not care about rules and only wants to have fun. He does not value life much anymore as he is not scared to kill. Lastly Jack is becoming an animal as he has become bloodthirsty and savage because he wants to beat the beast and tear it apart.

Prompt

Prompt: Create your own character and describe him/her in detail. What is his/ her story?

Eric Cartman is a 14 year old boy with a bald head. He is short as well as being chubby.  Eric was consistently made fun of for being horribly unathletic and stupid. He is also an orphan whose parents died in a car crash a few months ago. Ever since then Eric Cartman was forced to drop out of school has been living off the radar to avoid being picked up by social services.

The night his parents were killed, Eric saw the destroyed car and saw a big red check painted on the car. The police assume it is just graffiti but Eric knows the truth. Someone wanted his parents, both CIA agents, dead. Ever since that night, Eric has been researching the group behind it and learning how to fight. He is bidding his time until he is finally able to avenge his parents death.

Blog Comments 10/26/16

James: https://jamescblogpost.blogspot.com/2016/10/lotf-reading-response.html?showComment=1477533125035#c1980233739376304110

Sydney:  http://sydneysenglishonework.blogspot.com/2016/10/lord-of-flies.html#comment-form

Reading Response

I am still reading Back From The Dead by Bill Walton. I have been on this book for a little while and am still at Bill's teenage years. Hopefully I will be able to finish the book within the next few weeks. So far I have gone through his childhood and some background information on his injury. Up next are details of the NBA and some of his personal relationships.

Although I know a little bit of information about Bill Walton's career, this book has given me a look inside the childhood of a basketball legend so far. The story is great about going into detail. There is also lots of background information so the novel is very clear. Sadly this is an autobiography so there won't be a sequel. I can't wait to keep reading!

Human Nature

Everyone has a take on human nature. I personally believe that everyone is born with the intent to do good.  It does not really matter how they are raised because they will always try to do good. The big thing with that statement is good is a mixed definition and their are multiple sides to it. I think everyone is always trying to do good although sometimes their actions may not be received that way by most other people.

I have been led to these beliefs by my parents and my experiences. My mom has always told me to make the good decision so I have attempted to to that. I have also learned that being good feels better than being bad which is how most other people feel. No matter the choices people make, they will be helpful to at least someone. I really believe that everyone is born wanting to do good although sometimes that feeling just gets lost for a while.

Blog Comments 10/19

James: https://jamescblogpost.blogspot.com/2016/10/13th-gate-free-post.html?showComment=1476920536895#c7731532050712835257


Sydney: https://sydneysenglishonework.blogspot.com/2016/10/free-post.html?showComment=1476920706356#c2959059980694835816

Summer Vacation

This summer  my family and I went on our annual trip to New Jersey.  First I went to my grandma's beach house for a week which was great. I got to go to a big water park and get a tan. I also got to meet my health-nut vegetarian cousins. Then for another week I went to my other grandparents cabin in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. There I went hunting and caught my first big fish when fishing. Then sadly came the long flight back to Baton Rouge.

Going to vacation in New Jersey every summer has been amazing. Also, just to be clear, I did not see Snookie and Jersey Shore when I was at the beach. Those two weeks are a big highlight of my summer! Soon thankfully I will be able to fly up there whenever I want during the summer. I can't wait for next time!

Reading Response

I am currently reading Back From The Dead which is an Autobiography written by Bill Walton. This book describes the life of former NBA basketball player Bill Walton. It also goes through his gruesome injury and how he is recovering. The author does a great job in providing descriptive details from his past. I also like how there are many flashbacks and humorous moments in the story.

I have not been through much of the story and am still at his childhood stages. This is because the story is well written so I plan to take my time and enjoy reading it. Although I have only read a small portion of the book it so far has been one of my recent favorites. I would definitely recommend it to sports fans everywhere. I can not wait to continue reading and find out what happens next!

Blog Comments 10/11

James : https://jamescblogpost.blogspot.com/2016/10/response.html?showComment=1476238358109#c4087534512767088025

Alex W : https://blogsgotjokes.blogspot.com/2016/10/response-to-procrastination-is-your.html?showComment=1476238528302

Procrastination

I recently read the article called Procrastination: Is Your Future Self Getting a Bad Deal? This was written by Timothy A Pychyl Ph.D.  In the article it says that most procrastination cases are caused by  lack of courage or a lack of energy. Sadly I have learned that I am a big procrastinator. I will end up putting of projects or chores until I absolutely have to get them done. This article showed me why this is bad and that I should change.

I have to blame my procrastination on my laziness and unwillingness. Whenever I have to do something that bores me it is hard to complete because I am easily distracted. This has caused finishing the weekend homework assigned to become an all day project on Sunday. So far, I have not figured out a solution but I am slowly improving. Soon little by little, I will be able to help myself and take down procrastination.

Blog Comments 10/3

Alex H : https://harambememelover.blogspot.com/2016/10/free-post.html?showComment=1475682250375#c6240192546387792625

Alex W : http://blogsgotjokes.blogspot.com/2016/10/flash-story.html

National Anthem Kneeling

       Around a month ago a professional football player named Colin Kaepernick set a current trend that is going around professional sports by kneeling when the national anthem was played. He said he would continue to kneel during the anthem until people of color were not oppressed in the United States anymore. Players have also taken a similar approach by raising their fist during the anthem. This has since become a nationwide controversy of people's opinions ranging from disgust and saying it disrespects our country, to agreeing wholeheartedly, or even agreeing with the reason but will not kneel for the national anthem. This whole thing has boosted players jersey sales like Kaepernick's or ending endorsement contracts like linebacker for the Denver Broncos Brandon Marshall with CenturyLink.

 When I give my opinion just to be clear I don't mean to disrespect anyone on this. I think that it is great that athletes are steping up and becoming more involved in our country like this. They have found a reason to bring up a discussion to a relevant  topic that needed to be talked about. I also think it is good that it is not a violent protest and they are also exercising the first amendment with this. I am fine with them doing this but think it is wrong when a person competing for Team USA does it because they are directly representing the flag. So overall I think this has mostly been a good thing and agree with the cause even though I myself have no plans to do something of the sort. I am also very interested in what everyone else thinks.

Reading Response

       I just finished reading The DH by John Feinstein and really wished it was not over. This was the third book in the triple threat series. I feel like the author has continued to improve the story with each new book that comes out. The book was well written and has a big change of events that surprised me!  This novel was not left on a cliffhanger, but was still put in a spot where fans will be begging for more.

       Overall, this was a well written and entertaining story. The author does a great job of attaching you to Alex Meyers, the main character, and really letting you know how he feels. Besides that, the book also gives an inside to high school baseball as well as the intensity and worries of it. I could not put this book down and hopefully the author continues the series! I would recommend this book to sports fans, or just people looking for a great book to read.

Comments 9/29

Comments:

Alex H: https://harambememelover.blogspot.com/2016/09/flash.html?showComment=1475195247700#c1746714175101294591

Alex W : http://blogsgotjokes.blogspot.com/2016/09/harrison-bergeron.html

My first bike ride

It was a bright sunny day in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in around 2009 when I decided it was time for the training wheels to come off. My parents had just gotten me a shiny red bicycle and I was ready. I could not even get on the bike for the first few minutes and was so upset I was going to quit. Then my dad came out and convinced me to keep trying. By around the 8th time I was finally able to get on the bike. After that came learning how to ride it and brake. After crashing into the ditch and the mailbox, along with falling into the local pond I finally rode my bike around the block. My family was so proud of me that day. I was so happy that I could finally ride to my friends houses a few streets away. I also learned that you just need to keep trying and believe and you can do it.

Harrison Bergeron

At first, when I began reading this poem, I really did not understand the plot until towards the end. The plot was very interesting but fascinating to me. I have never before seen a 14 year old attempt to overthrow a government and become the ruler of the world. This story made me think of some questions like "Could our country end up like this in the future?"
Over the course of the story it took me a while to realize that everyone was equal, or so they thought. For a while I did not understand what the weights and earpieces were for until I realized they were a strange idea by the government to keep everyone equal. I thought the author did a great job with coming up with a very creative story. It was weird but also very fun and intriguing.

Blog Comments

Here are the blog links:


James: https://jamescblogpost.blogspot.com/2016/09/dear-9-year-old.html?showComment=1474590894055#c445600899592826174

Alex H : http://harambememelover.blogspot.com/2016/09/dear-12-year-old.html

Dear 10 year old,

       Finally, double digits! As a 10 year old you should just enjoy life. Remember even though you are finally double digits you are still just a kid so have fun! As you get older you start having to be more mature and their is less time for fun. So go out and try new things because your only a kid once.

       When I was 10 I decided to join a competitive soccer team. We were really good but that didn't matter because it was lots of fun. I met some of my friends today on that team. I was skeptical at first but it turned out to be great. Just remember to try new things and live life to the fullest.

Personal Narrative

        The narrative that I am currently working on is called " Confidence on the Court". The story consists of a basketball game that I played in during the 7th grade. In this narrative I am trying to show how the game was like as well as what hitting the winning free throw felt like. I wanted to tell this story because it is an interesting story as well as having some significance.

       When I began writing this paper I felt like I needed to do a better job telling this through my point of view instead of just doing an overview of the game.  As I went along I realized I needed to describe more details. I also realized I needed to work on my significance. It was very hard to not make this into a classic sports victory story but instead a personal narrative. The biggest challenge so far has been to make the significance more personal to me instead of cliche. This essay has been very interesting but also challenging at the same time.

Katrina blog

       Hurricane Katrina was probably one of the most devastating hurricanes in the world and is sadly still remembered today. Katrina hit on August 29th, and the day before on August 28th New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin ordered everyone in the city to evacuate. Almost 80% of the population evacuated while thousands of people were safe in the super dome or had to be rescued from their rooftops. Towards the end of the Hurricane almost 80% of the city was under some amount of water.

       Hurricane Katrina caused masses of devastation to New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It killed almost 2,000 people along with many minor injuries. 90,000 square miles of land was affected and ruined buildings which caused around 100 billion dollars in damage. This is not to mention messing up the Gulf Coast ecosystem which killed many animals. Lastly Katrina shut down many businesses and drove many people out of New Orleans although happily it is on the uprise
http

://www.history.com/topics/hurricane-katrina

Outside Reading Book Review

   

       Drive by Larry Bird with the help of Bob Ryan is an autobiography about the life of Larry Bird. The story is named drive because it is mostly about what happened to inspire Larry Bird and lead him to his very successful professional basketball career. The book is smartly written in the chronological order of Larry Bird's life so it is not confusing. I also like how the author includes may personal backstories and details to engage the reader and make the book more personal.

       Drive by Larry Bird along with Bob Ryan is an outstanding book! It is a must read for sports fans or even just Larry Bird fans. Most autobiographies drag on in my opinion but this one is very entertaining. I am very happy I gave this a try and encourage everyone else to do the same.

Week 1 blog comments

John Nictakis
9-7-16
English

 English Blog comment links

Alex: https://blogsgotjokes.blogspot.com/2016/09/over-summer.html?showComment=1473278136984

James: http://jamescblogpost.blogspot.com

Friday Night Lights

John Nictakis
9-5-16

                                    Friday Night Lights

       Friday Night Lights by H.G Bissinger is a great book. It is full of suspense, action, drama, and comedy which are qualities that most great books have. The author, H.G Bissinger does solid research in this book. He really captures the expectations of the Permian High Panthers football team and their daily lives. He also does a great backstory on the town of Odessa and how Permian football is so important to the people living there. I would recommend this book to sports fans and especially football fans everywhere. This book is very interesting and easy to read! Most books I am skeptical about picking up but I knew I had to read this one when I saw it.

Storytime

John Nictakis
9-5-16

                                                                    Storytime

       One day while I was in New Jersey this summer I went to a water park with my cousin. While we were there we found a hoop and a water basketball in the pool and decided to play. We thought we were so good we would challenge people. Even though I can't swim!
We beat most of the people in the park and were about to leave when some guys challenged us. They were each 6'3! We never scored on them and they embarrassed us so bad that we left. They told me as we left that they were about to play college basketball next year! That is my water basketball story time. 

About Me

John Nictakis
8-27-16



     Hello, my name is John Nictakis and Im just figuring high school out right now. I like the social part but it is a lot of work. I don't like the test and grades because I really dislike studying or pressure.  

I like playing sports and watching them on TV. Basketball is a lot of fun and I play on the school team. I like Tulane and do not like LSU! My other favorite teams are the Phillies, Lakers, and Broncos. My most embarrassing moment is falling off a surfing simulator in front off hundreds of people. This is the blog about myself.

Fall River Dreams

John Nictakis
8-27-16


                                                     Fall River Dreams
                                   by Bill Reynolds


      Fall River Dreams by Bill Reynolds was a great book. It had different qualities like action, suspense, and humor which made it interesting. The book was also clear and very easy to read. I really liked how well the author researched and was there when things happened so he was able to tell the full story. This book is not just about basketball but about the town and the coach, as well as their backstories. The author, Bill Reynolds really showed how important Fall River High basketball was in Fall River ,Massachusetts, and how it impacted everyone in the town. This book is a must read for sports fans everywhere. When I was first recommended the book I was skeptical about it. After I read the book has become my favorite and I was happy I decided to read it!