primitive fame... not an option.

Concerning our dear friend Achilles, I am on the fence as to which path i would choose: live the quiet, long life or the short, but extremely profitable one.

I see pros and cons for each side. It is my nature to become bored after a certain period of time with the same old same old. But a life with a few close intimate friends, a fluffy dog, and a big quiet library does have its value. And yet, me living the quiet life is unimaginable. Living in the lime light has extreme ups and downs. The way I see it, back in the day, a person did something great that made them famous, now its just pretty, rich kids that "have a talent"(by that, I mean a, ahem, well equipped recording studio, ahem) . So in the here and now, i would LOVE to live the more primitive life, but if I could have been the first person to fly a plane around the world, I would chose fame and doom hands down!

Another thought about this whole fame Vs well lived life business is that I would never know what i was giving up. If I chose fame, I could be missing out on terrific relationships, as a mother, wife, and friend, while taking the primitive route could mean that I was missing out on a rare and totally awesome event that would have changed not only my life, but the lives of those around the world.

Still, the temptation of fame is strong, and it is our nature as human beings to be curious. Who would not want to take the path of fame, and yeah... doom, in order to discover how they themselves change the world?

I would consult a palm reader, or my mother (who so happens to be a Goddess), to discover the "what ifs" and then, since I probably won't do anything mind blowing, buy a house and pawn my golden armor.

Stranger Than Fate? Unlikely!

Harold Crick is caught up in his fate. The question is if he throws caution to the wind and fights for his life, will he live? I believe Harold did change his fate. Harold made the choice to chase down his "murderer" and encourage her to not kill him! With that being said, Harold is.... fictional. How am I to know if i can change my fate? Sadly, I do not get progress reports regarding my fate. Fate progress reports. That sound contradictory, no? I believe we have some form of control, but in the end we may never know how far our choices got us.

Harold is a complex character. In the beginning he is set in his routine, a routine that is wasting his life, yet he is unaware of it. I believe, in the long run, Harold's fate was to actually have a life worth living for. So, when thinking about the uncertainties of fate, maybe we need to trust the uncertainty of fate because who's to know if fate is trying to kill us or save our sad excuse of a life.

We have as much freedom to choose our fate as we have to chose house paint. I think the big idea is where does that color lead us. Fate is all tied together, all connected. Making a choice in your life could greatly affect some random guy, on the couch, 7 states away. I believe we have the freedom to make choices, but maybe that is just fate agreeing with your choices.

p.s. my head hurts

Control Freak?

I believe that we have absolutly NO controle over our lives.
Every hour, we do hundreds of things without thinking twice. Outside forces like friends, family, and inanimate objects (like traffic lights), influence our decisions constantly.

Sometimes the world can even trick you into thinking that you are in control, this is usually the time when something frighteningly unexpected happens in someone's life. I believe things like that happen in order to make one see that they really have no control over their life.

Angel or Man with wings???

I believe the man is in fact an angel. The town grows suspicious when the angel does not display his powers, but to me i think an angel wouldn't bother showing off. I do believe he is in an angel but i also think he plays a metaphorical role as a mortal. I think Pelayo wants the angel to be a blessing, and that is why he keeps him. when the angel never seems to recover from whatever happened to him, they just leave him a ditch him. Those emotions towards him makes me think of the angel as a metaphor for equality. Obviously the being is different, but does he deserve to be kept with the chickens? Also, throughout the story they question whether he is Norwegian, so do they simply not trust outsiders? I also believe the angel is a test of morals, and somewhat of belief. Instead of helping him back to health, they keep him more for personal gain. I believe it is just convenient that they were asked to keep him.       

--------------------------------------------------------

1) Writing is relatively free from grammatical, usage and spelling errors. 

2) Writing that has enough detail to illustrate that you’ve read the homework 

3) Depth of thought, either in asking insightful questions(not rhetorical ones) or insightful comments that illustrate complexity of the text 

4) Evidence from the text that supports your insights and not plot summary

5) You avoid summarizing the plot, rather use the plot to illustrate your point.

Cathedral by Raymond Carver

1) Explain the irony that shapes the story

In the end of the story, the husband was the one who ended up seeing things differently. The husband's narration leads one to believe that a blind man in his home would feel rather awkward, whether because he was being "babied" or because it was difficult to communicate with him. The husband changed throughout the story in such a subtle way so the reader didn't notice. In the end however, it seems the blind man introduced him to a new way of seeing the Cathedral. A new way, which to the husband increased its beauty. The husband began dreading the blind man's visit but ended up gaining sight from him

I Still Believe....

As far as the activity goes, it doesn't really matter. Writing, panting, or even doodling on a sheet of paper can do something to your attitude.

I believe everyone needs a creative past time. An emotional and intellectual outlet that has absolutely nothing to do with ones agenda. In fact, the less it has to do with a schedule the better. As a country, we are dying from symptoms of stress. When the day is done our brains crave refreshment. When a day is especially stressful i feel burned out. I can't stand normal socialization. Having to talk to anybody, even a friend and especially a family member, is absolute torture. When I look back on the previous years of my student career, i can't help feel that stress levels are at an all time high. I can tell that everyone around me is just as stressed as i am. I think many of us are missing the key solution to abolish, or at least pacify our stress.

I was very lucky to go to The Waldorf School for elementary and middle school. The whole curriculum of Waldorf was infused with creative activities that relaxed and refreshed your mind. Our daily schedule would include at lest one hands-on, creative activity a day. Activities such as knitting and sewing, water paints, gardening, form drawling, and playing various instruments were part of our natural learning process. I have grown a lot since then, still, I can't remember feeling any stress as a student at Waldorf. I believe that is because of the unique curriculum.

When i left Waldorf and went to the public high school in my area, i realized that i needed to take the time to incorporate the same theme from my previous education into my current one. Even though I enrolled in an art class at the school, it was not the same. I got into the habit of having little projects that were spontaneous and random. Often this was finding pictures or other items of personal memorabilia and attaching it to the growing collage on my wall in my room, other times it was fixing a seem on a jacket or patching a pair of old jeans. Today, when i need a break from something, I try picking up a pencil and some paper, or appropriately putting to use a bottle of spray paint can change something about my manner. Every time, even if I fail completely at my little project, I feel better after putting my mind into something hands on.

quote, belated

"don't be a fool for the devil, darling!"

thank you anne rice