Week 2 Post B

Reflection

In this section of the three stories, the complicated mess just simply continues. Honey Santana meets with her ex husband who is now actually a reasonable man who cares for Fry greatly. She meets with him the first get money for her new adventure with Eugenie Fonda to Florida which she is hosting. The money will be for kayaks and hotel expenses. She also needs plane tickets. Skinner, the ex-husband/father, starts to get worried. His initial thought is that she was taking Fry somewhere, and if she did that would be against their agreement in the divorce papers. But she explains that Fry also needs to stay at his house during this experience. She also expresses her concerns. She doesn't want his drug friends coming over, or his other women. (Here she displays lots of jealousy which complicates the situation even more). Skinner, being kind of clean and has total respect for Fry understands and agrees without a moment to spare. You can feel the tension reep from the pages during this specific section. There are mixed feelings from both. Skinner is especially confusing because he heard of Honey getting fired from the crab house and was about to go hurt the owner who grabbed her boob. WEIRD.
Instead of taking his wife, Boyd Shreave decides to take is lover Eugenie. She, having "moved on" to a even more boring man at the office agrees, even though she has many doubts. Although Boyd is trying to be more spontaneous, his efforts lack and Lily can't help but chuckle to herself. She has got him wrapped around her little finger. The detective is going to Florida too. I think there will be a controversy there consider the foreshadowing that took place in many quotes.

Week 2 Post A

VOCAB

flaccid (personalty) : soft and limp, not firm flabby pg 51

morosely: gloomy or sullenly pg. 56

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

On page 56 " In the car Honey reached to turn down the radio, only to find it was off."
This is an ironic quote. Also, in this same quote is a symbol. The music Honey hears is that in her own head. She sometimes goes a little insane. She has very high highs and very low lows. When she starts to get this way she hears random music in her head. This music is a symbol of her progression into one of these stages.

On page 81 " 'Then all you get is a free trip to Florida,' said Boyd Shreave's wife, 'which isn't such a bad deal, is it?'" This is an example of foreshadowing. My prediction is that something terrible will happen when the detective goes to Florida, either an encounter with is client's husband or a run in with Honey Santana.

QUOTE

"'Here's what else: Boyd was fired several days ago from the call center. He was out banging Ms. Fonda when his boss called to ask where to mail his final paycheck-minus the cost of some missing office supplies.' Dealey said, 'Mr. Shreave has no idea that you're onto him?' 'No, it's pathetic. I'll give him as much rope as he needs to hang himself. ..."

This is my favorite quote because first of all, Lily Shreave is definately a dominant figure in this book. Basically she kicks major Shreave ass. The only weird thing about this individual story so far is that she wants footage of actual penetration, aka meaning she was a closer look at them having sex which I find pretty weird. She already has enough footage to sue him and take him all for the little that he is worth. But I suspect there is some grudge against him. Then again I wouldn't want to get that deep of footage if I had been cheated on and hired a detective to figure it out.

EMERGING THEME

Still pretty shady on the theme of this book but I so far am getting a hint of self happiness and REVENGE. Lily wants to get back at Boyd and Honey wants to get back also at Boyd. Sammy Tigertail's business in this book has not been specified so far.

Week 1 Post B

REFLECTION

The book is split into three different stories that I believe will all be combined eventually. My favorite and most page turning story so far is that of Lily and Boyd Shreave. Lily is wealthy, very wealthy, to good to be stuck with her deadbeat husband. Lily has suspicions of cheating so she hires a detective to follow and take pictures of her husbands in acts of adultery. It's not hard. Boyd, a telephone salesman, is having a hot and heavy affair with Eugenie Fonda whose social history is insane. They work together and Relentless, Inc. in Texas. The detective shows pictures of Boyd and Eugenie together. Example, there is a particular picture of Eugenie giving a blow job to Boyd in a restaurant. Lily decides that she wants more, more proof. She is not in denial but I think that she wants to know why and to what extent. Lily also is going to divorce Boyd soon, but first she wants to play with is mind a little. She starts sexually enticing him after five months of no sex. This makes Boyd feel very awkward and he feels that he can't emotionally support two women at once. Oh well.
Sammy Tigertail is having dreams about the man that died on his boat which doesn't disturb him but more questions what he is going to do in the future. There is a quick flashback to his past. He is half Semonile and half white. He lived with his white father until he died where he then moved into a reservation with his mother where he seemed to be more in tune with nature. Other than making the connection with Honey Santana's ex-husband's boat, there isn't much to his individual story.
Honey Santana seems young but that might just be an impression of her name. She doesn't like her husband, or so that's the impression she gives off. She can't hold a job, and she has a son named Fry. Money is tight so she is always borrowing from her ex-husband who from hearing how she was felt up then quit her old job still seems to be in love with her. He went to jail for smuggling pot and other sorts of drugs and illegal substances. She exploded and vice versa at a telephone salesman who happened to be Boyd Shreave. Boyd got fired from this incident but Santana wants to find him and give him a free ecotour of the everglades where Tigertail resides. Slowly but surely I think this story will all come together.

Week 1 Post A

VOCAB

ambient: completely surrounding or encompassing pg. 6

ranchette: a very small ranch tending to be about a few acres max. pg. 27

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Mr. Boyd Eisenhower is a symbol of Honey Santana's paranoia. Her son Fry's safety is her main priority and Mr. Boyd Eisenhower's horrible outburst represents the dangerous people that would be capable of making the world a WORSE place than it already is.

It is an ironic occurrence that Sammy Tigertail borrowed a boat that is Honey Santana's ex-husbands considering these to parties were never previously related to the reader's knowledge.

The description of Boyd Shreave is full of about 7 different metaphors comparing his individual characteristics to that of automobiles, worms, elvis, and herbal baldness remedies.

QUOTE

" 'I don't get it. You've got more than enough to bury him already.' 'The deeper the better,' said Lily Shreave, snapping her purse shut." pg. 25

This is my favorite quote from this section of reading because it shows that Lily Shreave is no twit readily prepared to be lied to and cheated on by a dirt bag of a husband Boyd a.k.a. Boyd Eisenhower. This significance of this quote is forshadowing. Later in the section she performs a sexual act on Boyd in a public place where he feels very awkward and only thinking to himself that he can't emotionally support two women. I predict in the next round of their story that they will divorce or she will meet Eugenie Fonda, the mistress.

EMERGING THEME?

So far I haven't been able to recognize the theme of this story considering it's only the exposition. My best guess is that there will be some love triangle where the main characters will learn that it is best just to be themselves.

Outside Reading

1. Nature Girl by Carl Hiaason
2. Copyright 2006
3. Fiction
4. 304 pages
5. When I went to Barnes and Noble and asked the clerk if Nature Girl would be an okay book to read she replied, "It is more of adult reading but you seem intelligent enough to comprehend." Also, this book was not in the children or teen section.
6. My mother said that Hiaasen's writing was incredible. His book's are on top seller's list and are seemingly fast moving. If a book is to slow I won't even finish it, so I must find an interesting, shocking, and insane story to keep my attention.

The Sea Inside post 3

I think that the most powerful shot in this movie is the point of view shot when Ramon is pretending to jump out the window and flying through the landscape to the beach. Through out this shot are oblique angles of the mountains. The oblique angle emphasizes the imagination of this concept. Eventually on the beach Ramon was making out with Julia. The close up on Ramon and Julia creates a sense of closeness and the understanding for Ramon's unreachable goal.

The Sea Inside post 2

The Sea Inside and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly have similarities and differences. Some similarities are that they are both about MEN trapped in their OWN bodies and are bedridden for life. Some differences are that Ramon, from The Sea Inside, had an accident. Jean, from The Diving Bell and the Butterfly had a stroke which he couldn't help. Ramon wants to die. Jean wants to keep living and keep getting better. Both stories are powerful but send different messages. For this reason only I believe that both can't be compared to which is more powerful.

The Sea Inside post 1

After I watched this film I felt that it was inappropriate for school. I believe that this issue should not be discussed so informally on a blog or should be approached in a learning environment but i will answer anyway.

The Sea Inside is a disturbing film. Ramon's request for assisted suicide is odd. There is evidence for both sides of this opinion. Ramon's point of view is that he will not burden his family anymore. Ramon's family's point of view is that he is depressed and they don't want to loose him. He is making their family look bad from this incident. I believe his friends who agreed to help him were only blinded by a man's last wishes to actually notice the actions he was taking.

Week 5 part 2

1. Summarization

Upon coming home from the metal hospital, Deidre brought home a convicted "lumberjack" who she and Dorothy had sexual relations with. After getting kicked out of the house the lumberjack came to live with the Finches for a while until Natalie had sex with him for money. Dr. Finch kicked him out.
Back at the Finch house, Natalie and Augusten went to McDonalds with Natalie's new earned money. In a park near by after they smoked marijuana. The two then decided to become adventurous visiting Smith College and running through a waterfall on campus coming home soaking wet. Hope was disappointed that they didn't ask her to join in on the fun.
The Finches were tight on money so they decided to have a rummage sale. Eventually an entire room was created outside. Most of the Finch family liked living outside and the situation stayed for a while.
Augusten goes to visit his mother's house. She and Dorothy have both gone insane. Their back yard is full of their silverware. Augusten calls for backup, Hope comes and Deirdre is taken away again. This time by Dr. Finch to a motel where Deirdre discovers a very accepting woman named Winnie Pye. Eventually Winnie Pye takes Deidre away from Finch.
Bookman dissapears. After telling Augusten that he was going for more film in his camera at two in the morning he never came back. Hope and Augusten traveled to fin him but a year went on and no word. This absence in Augusten leaves him with an itch he will never be able to scratch. Augusten decides to find a new boyfriend. He discovered a target working at a gas station. Augusten wrote a note to him only to discover that he was straight. The section ends in this sorrow.

2. Reaction

This section of Running With Scissors seemed very uneventful. I think that it seemed this way because I'm an now used to crazy things happening. It's become the norm. I am glad that Natalie and Augusten are becoming so close. Augusten seems to need a friend with all the phsyco things happening with his mom. His mom needs to be institutionalized but not with Dr. Finch. I am becoming very suspicious of his efforts to cure her of insanity. I believe that Winnie Pye will be a good figure in her life to look up to. I believe that Augusten thinks this too deep down. My trust with Dr. Finch and his methods are failing.
I feel bad for Bookman. All he ever loved was Augusten and Augusten barely gave him the time of day. But, Bookman was being to naive.Did he really think that he could keep a relationship with a 14 year old boy? That's illegal. I wonder what Bookman ended up doing with the rest of his life. I stray away from the thought of suicide but more in the direction of a rebirth of Neil Bookman. A new lifestyle was ahead. As for Augusten I believe that he didn't care so much as what happened to Bookman but what more the feelings Bookman left HIM with. I think that is very selfish. Although he did look for him for a year with no luck. Augusten needed Bookman to leave his life for him to think more clearly about his future. What is he going to do with the rest of his life?

Week 5 part 1

I commented on Jim and Morgan's Blog.

Week 4 part 2

Summarization

In this section of Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs many interesting events happen. It starts with Bookman and Burroughs exchanging sexual favors that I am not going to go into detail about. Then Natalie and Burroughs decide that they love to sing. They make family members play the piano to theme songs which they belt out. Natalie and Burroughs belt out Blondie in front of the mirror into curling irons and sometimes fans. Hope starts to get annoyed. Eventually they want to preform somewhere. The decided a mental ward. As Natalie and Burroughs sing for crazed patients one crazy old man spits at them and Natalie spits back.
Hope has a temporary brake down where she believes her cat Freud is going to die. The cat, perfectly healthy, is very annoyed. Augusten discovers the missing Hope in the basement lying next the a laundry basket with a trapped cat inside. She wants to be with him when he passes. Freud eventually dies according to Hope by "Kitty Leukemia" but Augusten believes that he died because he didn't have food or water for four days. Hope buries Freud by a tree only to try and dig him back up. Dr. Finch tells her not to so she doesn't.
Hope and her brother Bookman have a quick fight about the matter of love and are focusing on how Hope basically hasn't gotten laid in a long time. Then Hope criticizes Bookman and Burroughs relationship calling it immature. Bookman and Burroughs again exchange sexual favors but then take their relationship a little deeper. Bookman lets Burroughs die his her "blond" which turns out green.
At the very end of this section Deidre dumps Fern for one of Dr. Finch's new patients. Her name is Dorothy and waits on Deidre's every whim. Burroughs doesn't care considering she is rich and gives him money for whatever he wants. Deidre is taken to an asylum. That didn't last long considering she came back with a family ditching foreign fugitive. Now there is a relationship between all three which isn't odd to Burroughs strangely enough.

Week 4 part 1

There was one quote that really stood out to me in this section of Running With Scissors.

"A mothermind was a Dr. Finch-ism. It was one part busybody and one part manipulator. It was based on the principle that mothering people is unhealthy after a certain point in life. Like the age of ten. A mothermind wanted to oppress and control you." (188-189)

I believe that this quote is very important to the story because it is a reason why most of the people in this house are so different from the rest of normal suburbia. The Finches believe that parenting should end at the age of ten? Wouldn't the whole world be either a nut house or insanely chaotic if everyone lived by this philosophy? There is also a lot of acceptance. I personally would love if there was no discrimination against anything except negativity itself.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly Reaction

I am going to be completely honest about my views of Jean Dominque-Bauby's The Diving Bell and the Butterfly; I think it's boring, useless, and I regret ever reading it even though it was required. Yes, it is a horribly tragic what happened to Bauby after his stroke but that doesn't mean I have to pity him and read his book. He wrote it with his left eye, which is an amazing feat, but so could everyone if they tried.
His views on his locked-in syndrome are very interesting and mentally provocative. But when reading I put that aside and ponder about who Bauby was before the stroke. Was he a jerk? A caring father? I don't know for sure. He worked as an editor at Elle magazine, divorced, and moved away from his family to be closer to his career. His writing style encourages me to hate him. I get an impression that he manipulates huge words to try and sway the reader to admire his knowledge and high status in society considering every chapter he mentions his job. Although I like who he is when his children visit him. Their trip to the beach broke his heart. Comparing his writing style to his tears leaving his left eye, Bauby seems to me to be a complicated soul.
To me this book didn't seem like a memoir. It seemed like a cry that shouted: "PITY ME!" Other than the sections with his children Bauby only talks about what he can't do, which is a lot but I don't enjoy reading a book of negatives. His regrets, sadness, and memories of what he could do only make me think that it is Bauby’s own fault that he didn’t take risks or make right decisions. Bauby asks me to understand his opinion but all I can do is disagree with it.
In conclusion, I believe that this story should not be required to be read in schools. There is a disturbing nature at every word. I believe those who are interested should only read this story. I will give Bauby one good point of accreditation. He taught me to take risks because who knows if you will be even able to move all your limbs tomorrow.

Week 3 Part 2

I think that this book just gets crazier as more pages are written. I liked that his brother stayed in contact with him through his childhood. I find that inspiring considering that at the end of this section they don't have the same legal guardian anymore.
Burroughs relationship with Bookman freaks me out. Wouldn't Bookman be consider a pedophile in real life? I also though it was funny how Burroughs told Dr. Finch about it. Wouldn't Dr. Finch stop that? Technically since Bookman and Burroughs both have Dr. Finch as a dad aren't they considered brothers? Overall I thought it was gross because they were still family.
Dr. Finch and his mother agree that Burroughs should fake a suicide attempt to get out of school. That theory is so twisted to me. If my parents told me to fake a suicide by drinking beer, taking pills, and then staying in a hospital for weeks just to skip school i would laugh thinking it would be a total joke. How nuts do you have to be to consider faking a suicide? I start to get skeptical about the honesty of this book even though the writing is incredible.
His relationship with Natalie has become close. I never thought that Natalie would come into the book as a character after she was first introduced in the beginning when Burroughs first met Finch family. I have this weird prediction that even though Natalie is in a relationship with a supposed older man (who beats her) that Natalie and Burroughs will form a special relationship such as Bookman and Burroughs have.

Week 3 part 1

1. Summary

This section of Running With Scissors starts off with ending the chapter about his brother Troy. Augusten looks up to him as a normal figure in society, even though Troy's occupation is designing guitars for the rock band KISS. The brothers agree that their mom is insane.
The next couple chapters are about his sexual relationship with Neil Bookman. Neil forces a a sexual act upon Augusuten and eventually their relationship turns mutual. The become sexually close but Augusten questions their relationship while writing in his diary. Neil becomes very desperate for Augusten saying that if Augusten left him he would kill himself. Augusten doesn't care or merely plays hard to get.
Augusten hates school. He hates the people in school. Dr. Finch and his mom come up with a plan. They are going to fake a suicide so Augusten can get out of school for a couple of months and be under the "intensive care" of Dr. Finch. His mom drove him to the hospital after taking bourbon and some certain pill that made him pass out and be very grogy for several weeks. Then when he went back home to his mother she told him that his legal guiardian was now Dr. Finch.
At the end of this section Augusten and Natalie decide that the ceiling is way to low so they knock it out. Their project was messy, dirty and destructive. After putting in a sun roof the whole family was pleased because it lit up the entire kitchen, even if they did have to leave a pot to catch the rain under it.

2. Biography

Picture: http://www.popmatters.com/books/interviews/images/burroughs-augusten-051117.jpg

-This book was made into a major motion picture and there is some controversy considering that the real Turcotte family is suing Burroughs and movie directors.
-Burroughs dropped out of school and got his GED at age seventeen. He got a high paying job in advertising.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusten_Burroughs

-Born on October 23 1965 in Pittsburgh Pennslyvannia.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1802493/

-Six members of the Turcotte family, survivors of psychiatrist Rodolph H. Turcotte, last year sued Burroughs,who was named Christopher Robison, for defamation, invasion of privacy, fraud, and emotional distress.

http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2006/10/18/family_settles_with_sony_over_scissors_suit_against_author_remains/

Week 2 part 3

My Reaction

To the reading in this section I was very curious about the character of Augusten. I compared his life to mine and noticed the many differences. Is he really real?
His confession to being gay did not surprise me. Sadly I have a small stereotype of gay men as being very feminine. Augusten's obsession about his hair, clothes, and sense of music gave me a hint to his current direction of sexuality. In this section when Neil Bookman conversed with Augusten about his life situation including his mother, the Finch family, and eventually his sexuality. It was surprising to Bookmen that the real reason for this meeting was the concept of Augusten's liking for men. Bookmen's reaction surprised me too. What did he think they were going to talk about? What did he think Hope contacted him for?
Deirdre is a lesbian and is in a relationship with a minister's wife named Fern. It seems so unreal yet the crudeness of the context where Augusten's view of the relationship is explained compels me to accept in it and believe it as true as holy scripture. Likely because i would have reacted the same way as Augusten in the situation he was in. Accept it and move on. His mother is a chain smoking, broke writer who left her child with her shrink. Would anything strike him anymore? I wouldn't think so.

Week 2 part 2

pg. 58 Crazy-positve, fun, Finchs

pg. 60 Disease-normal, expected, accepted

pg. 66 Weary-tired, bad

pg. 72 Coward- scared, weak

pg. 73 Comfort-(to Augusten) cigarettes

pg 79 Bible-dipping-fulfilling, relief

pg 86 Shame-being different

pg. 89 Support- positive, family and friends

pg. 95 Bitch-negative, not the female dog, disgraceful

pg. 99 Mental Health-(to Augusten) unattainable??

Week 2 part 1

After living in the house for a while Augusten is starting to become more comfortable with the family. In this section he is introduced to Dr. Finch's wife, Agnes. She is basically the cleaning lady. The house they live in is disastrous. Everything is dirty, grimy, and messy yet the Finch's like living this way. It is homey and free-spirited. Agnes is very accepting, except when it comes to Dr. Finch's many extra lovers whom Agnes despises yet grows accustomed to.
Augusten is introduced to another house guest who never leaves her room but will be moving out in a matter of a couple of months. In this section of the book, Augusten also reveals that he is gay to Hope. Hope understands and expected it. She calls her adopted brother Neil Bookman who agrees to meet and talk with Augusten about the matter. Hope also shows Augusten an interesting way of answering life's questions, called Bible Dipping.
When visiting home, Augusten finds that his mom is having a lesbian affair with Fern Stewart, a minister's wife. Augusten's view of his mother at this point is that she is selfish and crude, that she only thinks about herself. This motivates Augusten to spend more and more time at the Finch's.
Also in this section Dr. Finch held a UNITE THE FATHERS OF THE WORLD parade. In which many pedestrians called the police afraid of being sexually assaulted. The police arrived and asked many questions to which Dr. Finch answered and was innocent of all accusations.

Part 1 Connotative Words pg. 1-52

pg. 2 cigarettes-nasty and gross

pg. 6 cackles-evil

pg. 10 chain-smoked- constant aggression

pg. 11 ascends- to better oneself

pg. 14 sour-bad, intoxicating

pg.15 crushed-regretful

pg. 22 snap-angry, become insane

pg. 23 M.D.-promise and knowledge

pg. 29 normal-unattainable

pg. 42 therapy- an answer, promising

First Outside Reading Summary pg. 1-52

At the begining of Running With Scissors, Augusten Burroughs introduces himself as a young child living with fighting parents. His parents Deidre and Norman are abusive physically and verbally around Augusten. The only way their fighting ceases is if the see a psychiatrist named Dr. Finch. In general Augusten likes Dr. Finch looking up to him as a person of peace.
Eventually Deidre and Norman get a divorce where Deidre receives custody of Augusten and Norman leaves the family picture. Deidre and her son move closer to the Finch office. Deidre is now seeing him multiple times daily. Eventually Augusten starts spending weeks at the Finch household where his is introduced to the Finch family. During this time he does not go to school often and doesn't want to go because he always feels left out.
The Finch family is a large one. Their house is messy always and has patients living in it. Dr. Finch's daughter hope works and the office and Augusten's stay was made much more comfortable by this relation. Two other daughters Natalie and Vickie who introduce Augusten to a dirty inappropriate world for a young boy. Agnes, the wife of Dr. Finch tries to clean but is very unsuccessful. His mother starts to become more distant.

This I Believe

1. http://thisibelieve.org/dsp_ShowEssay.php?keywords=Music&themelist=sports&uid=10805&yval=0&start=0

2. By: Roxana from Inglewood, CA

3. Title: MAKING TIME FOR EXERCISE

4. The belief of this passage is that one should always make time to exercise.

5. The first example from this story is that every morning Roxana wakes up at 4:30 am to go running everyday of the week. The second example is that she runs marathons so her physical training is very important to her.

6. My favorite passage is this: "I am joined by Meryl and Julio on Wednesday and Thursdays. They are the appointment which keeps me accountable. If I don't show-up, Meryl will chid me with, (Hey lazybones, slept in and ditched us yesterday, huh?) The mother of an 8 year old and a working dental hygienist, she is an elite runner as she can complete a marathon in 3.5 hours while I take 5 hours."

The thing I'm most anxious about at EHS is the homework load. Last school year there was too much homework and I became very stressed and overwhelmed.

One goal for myself in my sophomore year is the be on the honor roll.